Happy New Year!

Do you think that the new year means a fresh start?

Well, Happy New Year!

Thought of the Day

"If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it."~John Lennon

Slipping From Authority's Grasp

As I blink..

Seventeen nights of violence and unrest. Over 4,000 cars burned and 700 people arrested. There is no control.

In France, the early weeks of November were a living nightmare. Youth ran wild in the streets, burning cars and destroying public and private property. The French government declared a state of emergency and began enforcing curfews in many of the devastated towns and cities. The participants in this violence are said to be French-born, but of foreign descent, a key factor in the motivation for this violence.

Headlines depict the stories of death, racial tension, and the hatred towards authority. During the weeks of violence, news corporations, such as Fox News and USATODAY flashed headlines such as, "More than 30 police hurt has French riots reach over 300 towns. French PM Acknowledges Racial Divide." and "Kids: We hate the police." Even without reading the full story, it is easy to see the fuel behind the fire.

The curfews and constant efforts exerted by government officials and police have calmed the majority of rioters and the violence is drastically decreasing in magnitude. But only half of the questions are answered and only the surface problems have been solved.

Violence due to racial issues only seems commonplace in some countries, but with this new idea of youth involvement and sole leadership comes new struggles in the fucked up government of those few countries. With every generation, new ideas are presented and new standards and methods of existing are practiced. Although seen as controversial and unacceptable in the beginning, society eventually welcomes these new concepts as a way to improve.

It is now a question of what will be this generation's contribution to the evolution of our culture. As students and young adults, they present new challenges for the rest of the world every day. There is no hesitation to share their thoughts, but in this display of courage and determination, they want to be heard and have others actually listened. You see, not every country practices free speech as often as America, Canada, and the UK.

Clearly evident in the French riots, students are crying out for understanding and are exhibiting their disregard for archaic ways of reprimand. Being looked upon with disappointment and disfavor does not break them. It does not make them want to turn around and right every wrong, apologizing for their actions, whether they are viewed as noble or foolish. This seems to be one of the most concerning issues with the riots in France. For days, the French youth were on a rampage and the authority could do nothing. The arrests and calls for tranquility, if anything, caused and even deeper feeling of resentment.

Maybe if someone would have say down and listened to what they had to say instead of only disciplining, the rioting would have ended sooner. Maybe we as citizens of these great, free nations need to look towards these riots as guidance of a possible future with no free speech, only direct action and paths of violence to gain political support. The authoritative figures in our society will not be able to fall back on the rule book from years past. This generation is paving its way through uncharted territory and the authority attempting to keep the peace must follow in their footsteps.

That is not the say that the effort should be completely one-sided, but this generation is stubborn, as all have been at some point. They will not cease if people are demanding it of them, it is not their nature. They are taught to be independent and with that in mind, they ask that you listen to them. Only then will everyone understand each other.

Breaking up with a friend?

Now I know that every sitcom imaginable has covered this, but how is it really done? How does a person split away from a person they have known for years? Everyone "breaks up" with acquaintances. Acquaintances aren't friends. Friends you would die for. Acquaintances you may not even give a second thought about. Here are some stories of mine that show ways to break up with a friend.

Form # 1

Lets call this old friend of mine "Segan". Now, Segan and I used to be great friends. We played video games, I taught him how to use computers, and before driving was a possibility, we walked long distances to movie theaters and malls, often talking about girls we liked along the way. Now, as high school went on, we started distancing ourselves. He got into preppy clothes, wrestling, and pot and I got into football, excercise, and socially acceptable activities [ No, really]. Now, Segan made his own friends that were of his new nature and to defend his status in his new found group, he would spend weeks without talking to me. At this point, we were hardly friends. The kicker came when he picked fights with my friends. He never was so angry before. He just snapped and punched one of my best friends for opening a shaken up fanta on his prep shirt [Segan shook it up in the first place, the dolt] and he punched my friend in the face and walked away. At that point I lost all respect for him.

This is NOT a way to break up with a friend. I hope Segan figures this out.

Form # 2

I believe we should be gentlemen about it. This doesn't always work. High school is a strange place and people are always on edge about certain subjects, such as bringing a 9mm to school and murdering 5 students. Well, lets just say another friend of mine, who we will call "Steve" tried to get away from an overbearing "friends" named Sean. Now, Sean was the kind of guy who didn't belong anywhere, but being an Irish black jew will probably do that to you. When Steve told Sean he was being overbearing, he threatened him. Threating a person to be your friend is not a way to keep a friend, either. Take note. Eventually, Steve decided it was time to go to Form # 1 and be a total ass to Sean. It worked [of course it works, but it is an assholish thing to do.] and Sean eventually stopped his 11:00 PM calls and constant visiting [thats right folks, he came to Steve's house uninvited almost daily]. A month after they stopped talking, Steve got a rather steamy letter in his mail. It had no stamp, so it must have been hand delivered. Instantly, he knew it was Sean. The letter was a threat. In it, it said the following and I am not making this up:

Dear Sir,
I would like you to know that I am going to school tomorrow
with my Christmas list and you are at the top.
Unfortunately, my presents aren't wrapped in
paper, but metal jackets.

Steve called the police and the district administrator and Sean was arrested. He had no firearms, but he had a collection of knives, and his paper threats were enough to get him expelled. We don't know where he is right now.

Well, what I think you should do to break up with a friend is simple. Tell them that you have your differences and you think you should move on. Then, shake hands, tell he/she to keep in touch, and walk away. Its that simple, but so many people don't know how to do it! Professionalism is lacking in this world and people often make big deals out of small things. Deciding to end relations with someone should be mutual, but often isn't. Luckily, [given the person is sane and he/she's emotions are intact] time heals all wounds. Better to burn out a relationship quickly than to have it fade away.

Thought of the Day

"There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past."~George Carlin

Punched Sober and Nicely with Madden Impairments

I won't use names. I went to a friend's house last night to watch the Kansas City Chief's game last night. After the game, we had two girls come over to hang out a bit. One girl left early when she realized that we weren't going to drink and the other girl decided to stay. We got bored watching TV so we starting jacking around with boxing gloves. My friend was flirting with the girl, showing her how to jab. She thought she had it down and jokingly, approached me, punching in the air to seem intimidating, like a regular Frazier. Well, as she was walking, I guess she lost control of her coordination because he punched me in the face with leather boxing gloves with her weight pushing forward, right in my right temple.

I have been having headaches all week and this sealed the deal. Things have been blurry all weekend and I really hope I don't have a concussion. I feel drunk, but I have not been drinking. I can hardly type a sentence without having to backspace my errors. I am afraid to drive and even walk up stairs. Its as if my contacts had vaseline rubbed in them. Perhaps after a good night's sleep, things will clear up, but I have papers to type and at the rate my vision is going, it won't be long before I can't see this goddamn 12 font.

Sleep? What Sleep?!

Ever have one of those nights where you know that you need sleep to get through the next day, yet, you stare at your ceiling, wondering what you are going to do tomorrow, when you need sleep to function through the day you are thinking about? I go through it every night and I figure that if I lose an hour and a half a night due to restlessness, I lose 20 days of sleep in a year. Funny how I am writing this when I should be sleeping!

Thought of the Day

"I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom."~Bob Dylan

Why do we admire the rich?

Why do the youth of today admire those with money? Why does the entertainment industry rely on image more than ever in today's society? Why does a person so dumb, talentless, and bitchy as Paris Hilton gain so much publicity? Why does the car crash of a drunk Lindsey Lohan make CNN?

Wait, stop, think about that. Reread the paragraph if you must. Now answer yourself this: Do I admire the rich? Would I rather pay attention to the lives of the wealthy than take responsibility in my own world?

If you do, you aren't broken, but you have succumbed to a disgusting trend in today's pop-culture.

Teens admire the rich because they believe that they themselves could one day be wealthy. It is an unrealistic dream that only leads to broken hearts and broken wallets. There is also the power issue. If you are so egotistical that you imagine yourself as a wealthy citizen with more rights than other people when in reality, you are a middle-class teen with no job, you really have issues and need to start thinking about reality and how that's not how life works. Acting rich is a trend. Trends die with generations and I hope this one goes soon.

Since you read my blog, Shannon, I know that you watch that horrid show, Laguna Beach on MTV. Why do you get such a kick out of watching rich snobs buy things and bitch about situations that the normal person goes through everyday with no complain? It bugs me.

However, the show itself is a reminder that many people with the money and leisure to make a difference are drowning in their pettty concerns. Not only that; their callow understanding of the world, of its size and variety of lifestyles, many of which are based simply on obtaining food--their realities will remain unchallenged. The world is what they want it to be. It's like kids in frats and sororities in this town, who have never left the south, and will inherit the family business, and live in a cocoon that has been there for generations. Its quite interesting how the wealthy could excape reailty by watching movies and shows about the poor and middle class, when the the low and middle class excape reality by watching movies and shows about the wealthy. Don't try and be something that you aren't by living vicariously through unrealistic media. Don't get me started on the "ghetto age" that we are just beginning to pass.

I'm Back

After a Semi-Hiatus, I am back to writing. For this series, I will be including more creative writing than opinions, but you all may like that more.

Bill Maher on Hurricane Katrina

I just watched the latest "Real Time with Bill Maher" and I agree with many of his points on the Bush Administration.


*Bush said that operation will begin, but did it not already fail? Thousands are dead, and hundreds are dying each day from sickness, malnutrition, and violence. You can't start something that is already finished.

*Homeland security said that it was the civilians choice to stay behind and that they would not take responsiblity, but did they realize that more than 40% of New Orleans is poverty stricken, and couldn't afford to get out. Who is really to blame? Not the civilians, I believe.

*Bush's plan took 5 days to commence. An operation to send food and supplies to dying people took 5 days to plan and he doesn't blame himself.

*The reporters seems to be putting more personal opinion and passion into their reporting. This is good. It shows that the media core is returning back to the way it should be.

*As Anderson Cooper said in the interview, the people of New Orleans are not frusterated, they are dying. They lost hope in their rescuers days ago, and although they are being saved, the civilians still deserve to spit in their rescuer's face for the grief that was caused.

*Bush doesn't believe in Global Warming. He has seen the destruction of Katrina and he still refuses to believe in global warming. What a trooper.

*Why did he hug the civilians? He must have some balls to hug the people he let down, get back into his helicopter, and then leave the person he hugged behind.

*Bush blames his lack of early resources on FEMA, but didn't he start a war that is still raging in Iraq?

Interesting Katrina related quotes

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."
-George W. Bush, September 1, 2005.


Times Picayune, June 8 2004:

-For the first time in 37 years, federal budget cuts have all but stopped major work on the New Orleans area's east bank hurricane levees, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.

"I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but people should know that this is a work in progress, and there's more important work yet to do before there is a complete system in place."

...

"I can't tell you exactly what that could mean this hurricane season if we get a major storm," Naomi said. "It would depend on the path and speed of the storm, the angle that it hits us.

"But I can tell you that we would be better off if the levees were raised, . . . and I think it's important and only fair that those people who live behind the levee know the status of these projects."

...

The Bush administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget includes only $3.9 million for the east bank hurricane project. Congress likely will increase that amount, although last year it bumped up the administration's $3 million proposal only to $5.5 million.

"I needed $11 million this year, and I got $5.5 million," Naomi said. "I need $22.5 million next year to do everything that needs doing, and the first $4.5 million of that will go to pay four contractors who couldn't get paid this year."


Drowning New Orleans
Scientific American, October 2001:

-A major hurricane could swamp New Orleans under 20 feet of water, killing thousands. Human activities along the Mississippi River have dramatically increased the risk, and now only massive reengineering of southeastern Louisiana can save the city.


Thinking Big About Hurricanes
From May 2005: What would happen if a Category 5 hurricane were to hit New Orleans?
The American Prospect:

-In the event of a slow-moving Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane (with winds up to or exceeding 155 miles per hour), it's possible that only those crow's nests would remain above the water level. Such a storm, plowing over the lake, could generate a 20-foot surge that would easily overwhelm the levees of New Orleans.

Shocking images of the New Orleans disaster

Its funny how people say Bush should do something about this...as if he should physically go down there and start bailing water.

Time for some fruit: Why do we conform?

I always wonder to myself why One would sometimes follow another in search for their peace. Buying expensive clothing to fit in, brown-nosing, and doing foolish things against their standards are what some people do to fit in with others.

Enter the Geek.

The Geek is one who is passionate about something. The old definition which contrasts with nerd needs to be changed. Geeks come in many flavors: Band Geeks, Computer Geeks, Performance Geeks, Sports Geeks, and School/Grade Geeks. Are many conformists afraid to become their inner geek due to the judging of others? I consider myself a computer geek and a weight lifting geek. I will often choose some time on my PC over time with my sister, friends, or sports. Hey, there is nothing wrong with it. I want to major in IT so why not start now? I blog, buy 400 dollar PC components, and even spend time to do 3 hour long software checks. While this means nothing to you readers, my hobbies are vital parts of my chosen career path. I also spend roughly 20 hours a week keeping fit, so the traditional "geek build" doesn't fit me.

I feel that it is unhealthy to not let out your inner geek. How will you know what you want to do with your life if you follow someone else's judgments? Sure it is our teen years. Hey, we are going to live forever, right? Not hardly. In 10 years from now, it won't matter what shoes you wore, what labels you had, or what clique you associated with, but what you learned. This is the time to get priorities straight and learn life lessons before we must learn them the hard way. Why conform and in 10 years regret it when we can be ourselves now and forever be content with our inner beings? Who the hell cares who is judging? Have you ever laughed out loud during a movie, screamed in a mall, or ran around at a park, embracing life? Have you ever thought "Oh, if I do that, they will think I am in idiot" when you are at the Plaza and when you know you will never see the people shopping around you again?

The bottom line is to be yourself and if you must conform, think about your future. Conforming is so yesterday. You no longer have to be hot to be a leadership figure. I see people all over who follow their own paths and have significent leadership in school activities. It is time to take the road wanting wear and find your future away from your peers. It is no longer a bad thing to be independent.

The Values of this country's media are sickening

I need a breather. I am seriously in need of a punching back with the face of every news-anchor wannabe on CNN -who should probably be better off in Playboy than reporting, is spoon feeding America shit we don't need to know. Let me start. Yesterday, over 1000 Iraqi's die in a stampede and no one knows because the chick in Aruba is still dead. That shows that if you are white, female, pretty, and American and you disappear in a foreign country, your mug will be shown on TV for over 100 days. Don't you try to kid me, you liberal and conservative viewers. You love the stories. The Iraqi president was almost assassinated last week. 8 of his bodyguards were slain. Perhaps you didn't hear about that. Well, that is because once again, we were told that the BTK killer was insane. As if we didn't know that! Media is so biased in America. Do Europeans have a biased media? I doubt it. They have a Prime Minister who is straight to the point and doesn't leave his civilians in suspense, while we have a president, who is absent-minded and leaves the public in a trance, trying to piece together what he had just said. There is no suspense in Government! Today, the story with the most viewers is the story that gets the most replay, while the stories that should be reported get a 1X20 news-stamp, going 3 miles per hour at the bottom of the screen. The reporters...ohhhh the reporters. Here is your ass-ripping. The CNN reporters are prime American ass. They are pretty, biased, and they are trying to gain one thing. Not ethical approval, not the self-gratitude of reporting the right thing, but perhaps spotlight and an award in reporting. This morning, I saw a male reporter on CNN verbally attacking a senator of Louisiana, claiming that it was his state government's fault that so many people were killed in the hurricane. Repeating questions like, "Did you or did you not have enough buses to take out the staying civilians", and "Why didn't the state build up the levees before the hurricane hit? They had so much time to prepare, and yet, our reports show that you were at a Banquet on sunday?" over, and over. Even weathermen were accused of "Not increasing the strikezones." in their reports on Sunday. Remember Peter Jennings? He never did things the conformative way. He always was his own boss and that is why he was so great. Now, every news-whore on the street is a puppet for a fat man in a bean-colored jacket who is the chief of ratings. It is true- we are turning into a circus. A circus of 18 year-old clowns who believe anything they hear on TV, and since it is on TV, they support it 110%. I don't want to say it, but my generation is really being sucked into this moshpit of filthy scandle, pop culture, and half-true statements. Oh, and I swear that if I hear someone say that they "pimped their ride", "Skeet-skeeted" their teddy bear of a partner, or "Hung out at a friend's crib", I am going to bust the first lip I see. I hope these ghetto-wannabes don't reproduce, but that is inevitable. MTV is awful. Do you realize that rap music is really about killing people, fucking hookers, and taking drugs? Do you also realize that millions of youth listen to it? The media is the real terrorists! If anyone is putting ideas into people's heads, it is them. Propaganda, unintellectual behavior, and half-trues are all being fed-into minds everywhere. Where have this country's once-proud principles gone?

Thought of the day

"We write about ourselves because we know about ourselves."~Layne Staley

Gas Prices are giving me ulcers

Saudi Arabia loses a great leader and they mourn by lowering their flag, shedding tears...and increasing gas prices. As if gas prices were not bad enough, [$2.75 for regular 8/29/05, $2.95 8/30/05] trivial things like bomb threats, oil rig strikes, and even presidential speeches raise the prices. This is becoming too expensive for me. I work 2 hours a day and go to school 7 hours a day. I don't have time to work later to pay to get to my destinations, nor do I have the time to ride a bike to class and work. Citizens of America and many European countries don't realize that oil takes a 6 month process to become gasoline. This means that we are paying for gas that was made 6 month previously, gas that costed $1.80 6 months ago. This is proof that oil lords are selfish and that paying for gas that was cheaper when it was bought in oil form 6 months ago is occuring world-wide. Does that make you think? Good. I hope my readers realize that the crisis is only going to get worse. 12 oil rigs in the gulf were shut down and evacuated because of Hurricane Katrina and 25% of the US's oil has been cut temperarily. Think outside the box. If oil costs 65-70 dollars a barrel today, what will gas prices be in 6 months? $4.00? $5.00? Time will tell. Until then, invest heavily in E85, natural gas, and Hydrogen, because a drastic change in transportation technology is occuring and technological studies that would take decades are going to be finished in a matter of years. Do I believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel? Of course. Cars that get 250 miles per gallon [3.79 liters] are being developed as we speak, as well as hydrogen motorcycles that get 100 miles per hydrogen charge. Do I think that oil companies will get involved in the technology they have patented? No way. The big pigs are going to milk this until the peak oil crisis is in history books. Oil companies patenting alternative fuel devices? No way! That is what some of you are thinking, but really, it is a fact. Oil companies are buying out patents for devices that could help the environment and fuel America without oil to stop competition. Companies like BP [British Petroleum] say to the public that they own the largest Hydrogen supply in the world and are working to create hydrogen powered transportation, but they don't state how they plan on distributing the hydrogen supply, nor how quickly they are developing these so-called Hydrogen transportation devices. Bottom line is that the situation is getting to the point of no return, in which we must act now, or get into a hole that we ironically, need oil to get out of.

Sure you say you care...but is there actually hydrogen in that tank?

Thought of the day

"I know that sounds selfish, but you have to look at what it's doing to you personally - are you frustrated because of the way people perceive you, or are you happy enough about the things you've realized about yourself that you can tolerate the way people perceive you?"~Shannon Hoon

Just a thought

I just realized today that to me, women appear more attractive in black and white.

Gullibility Test

I took this gullibility test today and I was not pleased with my results. Needless to say, I got an "F"

Here are the shocking answers:

Answers & Explanations

Drinking milk helps people lose weight.
FALSE. The milk / weight loss myth is a clever marketing gimmick dreamed up by the dairy industry to sell more milk by exploiting the desperate desire of Americans to lose weight. Not only does milk not cause weight loss, it contains pus, rocket fuel chemicals and actually promotes heart disease, asthma, constipation and various allergic reactions. To learn more, visit the NewsTarget dairy products page.

Silver fillings are safe to put in your teeth. Otherwise, dentists wouldn't use them.
FALSE. Silver fillings are nearly 40% mercury -- one of the most toxic heavy metals known to man. A single drop on your skin can literally kill you. A single drop in a lake poisons the entire lake. Silver fillings (actually "mercury fillings") generate mercury vapor in your mouth, which you repeatedly inhale or swallow. This puts mercury directly into your bloodstream where it causes birth defects (if you're pregnant) and nervous system disorders like Alzheimer's disease and dementia. To learn the proper way to have mercury fillings removed, see the NewsTarget mercury page.

Cattle in the U.S. beef industry are routinely fed chicken poop, animal blood, expired household pets and other undesirable food sources.
TRUE. The feeding of chicken litter (feces + feathers + other unknowns) to U.S. cattle is a USDA-approved feeding practice that is necessary, says the USDA, to reclaim the valuable nitrogen in chicken poop produced by chicken farms. People who eat non-organic beef are often eating secondhand chicken feces. Don't believe it? Try this Google search and read for yourself.

People who watch television are not persuaded by television advertising.
FALSE. Everyone who watches advertising is persuaded by it, but no one thinks they are. Consumers believe they are rational decision makers when, in fact, they act on emotional associations embedded in their minds by clever advertising. That's because television advertising is designed to bypass the rational mind and install positive associations with brands, companies and products that later translate into measurable, consistent behavior modification in consumers. This system of influence works very well. If television advertising didn't work, advertisers would have stopped using it long ago. Discover how consumers are easily manipulated by reading Health Seduction.

Food manufacturers offer coupons because they want to help people save money.
FALSE. Food companies offer coupons because they want to sell more of their products, and they know that consumers incorrectly believe that using coupons saves them money. In reality, nearly all coupon-promoted foods are priced at very high markups to begin with. Unprocessed foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, etc.) almost never have coupons, yet they represent the best value in food for your dollar. People who use coupons are getting ripped off even as they think they're getting a bargain.

The history taught to American children in public school is true and accurate.
FALSE. American history, as taught to American schoolchildren, is more a collection of lies and distortions than actual history. From Columbus to the Vietnam War, politically correct American history consistently paints Americans in a glorious light while ignoring shocking accounts of actual historical events. Read, "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn to learn real, uncensored American history.

Many common grocery products (including yogurt, fruit drinks and candy) are colored with an ingredient called "carmine" that is actually made from insects: dead, ground up husks of female cochineal beetles.
TRUE. Just about every container of strawberry yogurt, for example, uses this insect-derived food coloring. Aside from the gross factor, carmine also poses the threat of causing a rare but fatal allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock. See the CSPI warning on carmine to learn more.

My government would never knowingly lie to me.
FALSE. All governments lie. They lie about war, the economy, the money supply, and even medical experiments on humans. The question is not whether governments lie, but why they lie. The answer remains consistent: to maintain control. To keep its population in line, every government must shape the information its population receives. In countries like China, this is done by directly owning and controlling the media. In freer countries like the United States, this is achieved through indirect influence over the media. To learn alternative information the U.S. media usually censors, visit Truthout.org or The Memory Hole.

Pharmaceuticals cost so much only because drug companies need more money to invest in finding cures for disease.
FALSE. Drug companies spend far more money on marketing and advertising than on R&D. The "we need money for R&D" plea is a marketing gimmick used by drug companies to make consumers feel better about buying drugs at monopoly prices. That's why Americans pay more for prescription drugs than any country in the world: sometimes 30,000% or more over the actual cost of drug ingredients. And what about drug R&D costs? Much of the research used by drug companies is actually paid by taxpayer dollars via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to research universities. Learn more by reading the drug racket page at NewsTarget.com.

The Federal Reserve is a branch of the U.S. government.
FALSE. The Federal Reserve is a private organization, owned by member banks who are, in turn, owned primarily by wealthy investors. The Fed is neither owned by the U.S. government, nor answers to it. Most Americans, of course, mistakenly believe their own government is in control of the U.S. dollar and national fiscal policy. To learn more, visit The Reality Zone with G. Edward Griffin.

Banks offer to finance home loans because they want to help people own their homes.
FALSE. Banks are in business to make money, just like any other business. They loan people money solely to make a profit. That's why they only loan money to people who seem like a safe bet. If banks were in business just to hand out money for the public good, loan officers would never reject a loan application. Most homeowners, by the way, end up paying for their house three times over by the time their loan is finally paid off with the bank.

The fluoride added to drinking water is sourced from naturally-occurring fluoride mineral deposits.
FALSE. The vast majority of the fluoride added to drinking water is fluorosilicic acid, a toxic byproduct of coal plants. This fluorosilicic acid is collected from pollution scrubbers inside coal plant smokestacks, filtered, liquefied, then sold to cities as fluoride treatment. It contains no naturally-occurring mineral fluoride whatsoever. Most cities and water municipalities lie to their residents and say they're using "naturally-occurring fluoride," when, in fact, they are buying toxic waste fluorosilicic acid because it's much less expensive. To learn more, visit NoFluoride.com.

Surgical procedures must be proven safe and effective before being practiced on patients.
FALSE. There is absolutely no requirement that surgical procedures be proven safe or effective before being performed on any number of patients. Unlike drugs, surgical procedures are not "approved" by any centralized safety agency. As a result, literally millions of unnecessary (and dangerous) surgical procedures are performed on Americans each year. Learn more at the NewsTarget surgery page.

Private gambling and internet gambling has been outlawed because the government wants to protect people from the evils associated with this activity.
FALSE. Gambling is only outlawed when the government doesn't get a cut from the activity. That's why sports betting in New York is illegal, but the New York Lottery is perfectly legal. Where casinos are allowed in the United States, they always pay a cut of profits to the cities and states that allow them to set up shop. It's nothing more than a classic "protection fee" that promises casinos legal safety as long as they keep sending money to the State. The legality of gambling has nothing to do with right or wrong, and everything to do with dollars and cents.

Inflation is a natural side effect of a healthy, growing economy.
FALSE. Monetary inflation, which saps the buying power of your dollars, is intentionally caused by the expansion of the money supply which is, in turn, controlled by the Federal Reserve. The net effect is a hidden tax on Americans' income and savings (a tax most people never notice). In an honest economy, the money supply would remain constant, and the annual inflation rate would be zero. Inflation is not natural, it's a manipulation that acts as hidden taxation.

Prescription drugs approved as safe by the FDA are safe to consume on a long-term basis.
FALSE. FDA-approved drugs have killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and all murders over the last twenty years combined. Even the American Medical Association openly admits nearly 100,000 deaths each year due to approved prescription drugs. New drugs are approved primarily for profit reasons (to hype a new patented drug), not safety reasons (many times, the older drugs are far safer). In reality, most new drugs are simply medical experiments, and American consumers are guinea pigs. Even the drug side effect reporting system at the FDA is entirely voluntary. Learn more about prescription drugs at NewsTarget.com

The U.S. is the most technologically advanced nation in the world.
FALSE. Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and many European countries easily eclipse the U.S. in terms of bandwidth, wi-fi and overall connectivity. Japan leads the world in hybrid vehicle technology and robotics research. Canada is a world leader in fuel cell technology, far surpassing the United States. India now graduates ten times as many engineers as the U.S., and China is fast becoming a major technical contender as well. The U.S. has fundamentally lost its manufacturing technology base, and its universities no longer dominate the world's technical learning institutions. Although the U.S. is still a technology player in the global marketplace, it is clearly no longer the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

Processed and packaged meat products (hot dogs, bacon, sausage, etc.) are preserved with an ingredient that both the food industry and the USDA absolutely know causes cancer.
TRUE. The ingredient's name is sodium nitrite, and it's found in practically all packaged meats at any grocery store in America. Both the food industry and the USDA have known for decades that this ingredient, when consumed, creates a class of chemical compounds known as nitrosamines which are highly carcinogenic (cancer-causing). The USDA actually tried to ban sodium nitrite in the 1970's, but was overruled by the food industry, which wanted to keep using the ingredient because it turns meats bright red, making them look fresh. Learn more shocking information at the sodium nitrite page on NewsTarget.com.

Buying a home is one of the best financial investments you can make, and home prices will always continue to rise.
FALSE. This lie is promoted by banks and proponents of the real estate industry. Much like the dot-com boom (and bust) of 1996 - 2001, the current housing market in the U.S. is a bubble just begging for a correction. How do we know? There are several ways, but some no-brainer signals include the sharp increase in no-down-payment home loans, the increasing reliance on "interest-only" payment schemes, and the increasing glut in homes for rent (purchased as rental property by people who are betting on price appreciation alone to earn them a tidy profit). When the big housing correction comes, hindsight will be 20/20, but right now, the U.S. population is in a real estate investment frenzy.

Medical schools give doctors a solid education in nutrition, disease prevention and healthy lifestyle habits.
FALSE. Med schools primarily teach disease pathology and the treatment of symptoms of disease. Very little time (if any) is spent teaching doctors about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. This is why Dr. Andrew Weil, an M.D., describes his own colleagues as "nutritionally illiterate." It's also why doctors are, themselves, both terribly unhealthy and generally incapable of teaching patients how to make healthy choices. They are, however, fantastic technicians and very knowledgeable about the physiological and biochemical markers of disease. Overall, doctors are great at diagnosing symptoms, but terrible at knowing how to address the root causes of those symptoms. Learn more at the physicians page at NewsTarget.com

The mainstream news outlets (cable news, national newspapers, network news) in America accurately report war events in Iraq.
FALSE. The first casualty of war is, of course, the truth. The U.S. media, both liberal and conservative, deeply distort war news by primarily relying on Pentagon reports that use a variety of distortions and linguistic tricks to keep Americans misinformed about actual events in Iraq. Solders wounded in Iraq who later die in European hospitals, for example, are never counted as Iraq war casualties. U.S. helicopters are never "shot down," they are always reported as merely crashing. U.S. missiles never kill innocent women and children, they merely cause "collateral damage." Iraqi men defending their homes are not described as freedom fighters defending themselves against occupying invaders, they are called terrorists and insurgents who engage in cowardly suicide bombings. To read the real story of what's happening in Iraq, visit sites like RawStory.com

The United States of America is a Democracy.
FALSE. Actually, the United States of America is a Republic, not a Democracy. A true Democracy (direct Democracy) would allow individuals to directly vote on legislation and do away with Senators and Congresspeople. To learn more, read, "A Republic, If You Can Keep It" - a statement by Congressman Ron Paul.

Anything that hasn't been scientifically proven isn't true.
FALSE. There exists an entire universe of knowledge science has yet to discover. Truth is truth, even before science recognizes it. Gravity worked just fine even before scientists studied it, for example. And just a few decades ago, scientists thought there were only four vitamins. There is much that is true, even though it is currently questioned or even discredited by mainstream science. The one thing about science that's 100% predictable is that the definition of "scientific truth" will evolve and expand, often contradicting past truths.

Vitamin E is dangerous.
FALSE. The recent headlines about the dangers of vitamin E all result from an organized assault on vitamins that used blatantly distorted science to produce a false conclusion. The vitamin E studies used for this assault relied on a variety of dishonest tactics to assure a negative outcome. These tactics include using synthetic vitamin E instead of natural vitamin E, relying on extremely low doses, conducting studies on elderly heart attack patients who were near death to begin with, and excluding studies that used healthy people. Learn more at the Vitamin E page.

When you deposit money in a savings account at a bank, that bank holds your money for you until you ask for it back.
FALSE. Banks do not hold your money, they use your money as a reserve and then lend out ten times as much money to other customers. The entire U.S. banking system is a fractional reserve system, meaning only a fraction of your money is held in reserve. Banks are counting on the fact that only a small percentage of their customers will ever ask for their reserves on any given day. Most of the time, that assumption is entirely true, but when national currencies run into trouble and people demand their savings, this fractional reserve system magnifies both the single-bank risk and the systemic effect of bank runs.

All the clean hydrogen we need to power the world is already contained in crystals at the bottom of the ocean called gas hydrates.
TRUE. The mainstream U.S. press doesn't talk about it much, but the world's hydrogen problems have a ready solution. Frozen ice crystals found off the shores of Canada, Japan, Russia, Iceland and other nations with Northern shores contain vast quantities of clean, frozen hydrogen -- enough to power the entire world far beyond the limits of petroleum reserves. The U.S. press doesn't talk much about gas hydrates, preferring to focus on hydrogen derived from either natural gas or petroleum (resources the U.S. tends to own or control).

In 1945, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on civilian populations in Japan in order to force Japan's surrender and "save a million lives."
FALSE. Although this was the "official" history taught to U.S. schoolchildren, we now know that the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on an essentially defeated Japan. Japan was, in fact, attempting to initiate surrender negotiations even before the bombs were dropped. The primary purpose of bombing Japan was to demonstrate to the Soviet Union that the United States not only had nuclear weapons, but was willing to use them, thus cementing America's nuclear stance during the ramp-up to the Cold War. This explanation, of course, remains highly debatable, but the fact remains that even U.S. military leaders estimated no more than 50,000 Americans would be lost in a D-Day style assault on Japan. It's a huge number of lives, yes, but nowhere near one million. The two nuclear bombs, by the way, killed at least 200,000 Japanese civilians.

Having a baby is a patent violation because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office routinely grants patents on human gene sequences found in all humans.
TRUE. Patents are now routinely awarded for human gene sequences, animals and even seeds found in nature. One U.S. company was awarded a patent on Basmati rice, a grain that has been grown in India for generations. Monsanto recently applied to patent a pig. Hundreds of individuals and companies now own patents on human genes, meaning they have been granted the right to charge royalties on all gene replication (i.e. making babies). This practice of stealing intellectual property from nature and claiming human ownership is called Biopiracy. See this Wikipedia entry to learn more.

People should avoid all exposure to the sun (or use sunscreen) in order to protect their health.
FALSE. Exposure to the sun actually prevents breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and a long list of other diseases, including osteoporosis and depression. Exposure to sunlight results in the creation of vitamin D in your skin. It is this vitamin D that controls the growth of cancer tumors and enables the absorption of essential minerals like calcium. The myth that sunlight is bad for you is promoted primarily by the sunscreen industry and its professional allies (dermatologists). See The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D to learn the truth about ultraviolet radiation and your health.

There is no cure for cancer.
FALSE. There are, in fact, many proven cures for cancer used all around the world with excellent results. Nearly every indigenous culture has at least one cure for cancer, including the American Indians, Australian Aboriginees, Peruvian natives, and so on. The U.S. cancer industry simply doesn't want anyone to know cures exist because it profits from the management of cancer (i.e. dependence on drugs, chemo, radiation, etc.). Promotion of alternative cures would deprive the U.S. cancer establishment of its power and profits. This is also why today's cancer industry virtually ignores genuine cancer prevention and, instead, focuses on treatment (drugs and surgery). To learn the real story, read Dr. Samuel Epstein's new book Cancer-Gate, or visit the cancer page on NewsTarget.com.

All foods and beverages are safe to consume in moderation and can be part of a balanced diet.
FALSE. This is a marketing lie promoted by companies that manufacture disease-promoting foods and beverages (like soft drinks). This distortion claims that all foods are essentially equal, and therefore it really doesn't matter what you eat. In reality, some foods (like soft drinks, white bread, etc.) promote diabetes. Other foods (margarine and any food containing hydrogenated oils) promote heart disease. There are yet more foods (processed meats) that cause cancer. These foods cannot be part of a balanced diet because they imbalance the diet and promote disease. For a complete listing of these dangerous foods and ingredients, read Grocery Warning.

Most common diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) are caused by bad genes and bad luck.
FALSE. This myth is promoted by organized medicine as a way to disempower patients and make them think there's nothing they can do to prevent disease. Diabetes, for example, was exceedingly rare just a hundred years ago. Doctors often had to travel hundreds of miles to find a patient with the disease. Cancer and heart disease were similarly rare. Since our gene pool hasn't changed in a hundred years, the explanation for these disease must be found somewhere else -- namely, in our processed foods, lack of exercise and exposure to modern environmental toxins. Disease is not a matter of bad luck, it's a matter of simply cause and effect. To learn how to really prevent disease, read the NewsTarget.com disease prevention page.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a genuine brain chemistry disorder that must be treated with drugs to help children.
FALSE. This so-called disease is entirely fictitious and has no measurable physiological basis whatsoever. Hyperactivity in children is actually caused primarily by poor nutritional habits (consumption of refined sugars and food coloring) and can be easily corrected in less than two weeks by taking children off all refined carbohydrates and food additives. The ADHD "disease" was invented to sell drugs and boost the power of the highly corrupt psychiatric community, which increasingly "discovers" fictitious diseases and treats them with mind-altering narcotics. To learn more, visit the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Thoughts of the Day

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."~John Lennon

My god I hate liberal yuppies

Today during class, we have a discussion on the Iraqi Constitution and its impact of foreigners and women. A girl to my right comments on how women will "finally be given equal rights to men" and will "have a lasting role in Iraq's society." I, being a listener of both sides raise the facts that women will be given more strict rights, since the constitution is going to be based on the centurys old Shiite law. In the Shiite laws, women who disobey their husbands and other male family members can be beat publicly and even beheaded. The girl seems to think she is on a roll for some reason and brings up that in the past 4 years, women in the middle east, and more recently Iraq have been given so many more freedoms. I tell the class that Iraq had been the most lenient country when it came to womens rights for the past 15 years. This is a fact. Iraq is viewed as a lawless land similar to Afghanastan pre-9/11, but really, it had been quite civilized, dispite its ruthless former dictator. The conversation takes a turn off track and she brings up sexism in the US. My lord! Who is this girl? Did she get cut in line by a 4th grade boy when she was 7? Did her dad not buy her that red Monte Carlo that she had begged for? She says that the American work force is largely composed of men and [she pulls a statistic out of her ass] 80% of franchise owners in America are men. I tell her that there is a reason for that. The reason I told the class was that women have kids! They do! I believe it is a scientific fact that the female homo sapien is the sex that wields children. I also believe that some enjoy stay at home lives over 9-5 office jobs and not wanting to start a 24/7 franchise or company is a choice that many mothers would not take! Not to mention that starting a business is a choice and no one hires you, since you are your own boss. Applying sexism to starting your own business is just foolish. These liberal yuppies who attempt to magnify the problems with this country just piss me off. I blame the Church, Media, and Parents. Considering that I get my information from the most trustful [on some variables] of the three, I consider myself a person who looks at points with as little bias as possible. When I commit to a conversation, in which bias, unfactual statements, and personal attacks come into play, I explode and write these huge threads that only 5 people will read-5 of which, don't even care.

Thought of the day

"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free."~Jim Morrison

dEMOlishing SOCiety

Walking through the mall before I see a movie, I spot a teen who is probably 16 or 17. Normally, I would not have taken notice of a boy in the mall, but he has some special features. Sharpie-painted tears and lines are all over the left side of his face. He is wearing dark clothes and I take care to notice the band title on his shirt, which is noted as being quite sappy. I suddenly want to hurt this kid. I want to shove some sense into him. Why? Because...

...these people annoy me. I'll admit it, I am cynical torwards these kids in thick glasses who wear black and ties on T-shirts, but why? In a psychology class, my hate towards this crude social class would be a psychodynamic thought process, which stems from what I think of myself in my own social class. I think this is wrong. I dislike these people because of the impact they have on my day. They are depressing people, for one. I am a cheery person, and seeing a person not enjoy life is sickening. The thought that they are so sad that they have resulted to self-mutilation is not an image I want in my mind. Next, they are WHORES! They are public about their feelings and it is sickening! In this day and age, saying something you believe in is a novel thing. But, showing what you believe in is anything but original. You are a mopey youth, I get it. You hate your parents for some reason that in 5 years from now, you will laugh at. So what. You can't talk to these people! Bringing up any subject that the mentally "oppressed" youth is not into is certain conversational death, as they only wish to talk about themselves. And the last thing I want is more depressing converstations. Jesus, as if the clothes and cut scars weren't enough to make me want to beat some sense into you.

There are three reasons that these people are the emotional punks they are. The first reason is hardly legit, and that is public persuasion. The person feels that to blend into this "emo" society, they must dress alike and act alike. Yes, there are posers that behave in this fasion and it is quite pathetic, considering that there are 101 other things to copy and the "emo" state of mind is to not conform, so they are somewhat hypocritical.

Next, you have the "must not conform" type of emotional punk. These are in schools with a large population of wealthy people with nice clothes and large positive social groups, like pep clubs and student councils. They feel that conforming would change "what makes them Them", even though that the things that make a person who they are are hardly cosmetic, so they become a seperate class, and stoop to the low that is "emo".

Finally are the "mentally anguished" types of emotional punks. In their minds, nothing in life is good. These are the most extreme emotional punks. They cut, tattoo, and get facial jewelery. They feel that they have the right to do these things to themselves, because they have had "bad experiences". Whether or not these "Bad experiences" are worthy of true "emotism", sinking into that state of mind is inhumane. My only advice to these type is to suck is up, because life is too short, and girls don't like emo kids. They just don't. Girls are the people who can't stop talking about themselves. Mix emo in there and all you get is a clusterfuck of, "No, you listen!"'s and "Let me talk!"'s

The bottom line is that society does not need these people. You can only hide behind a mask so long before you become the mask. Quit the fad before the fad becomes you and you honestly do "lose you originality"...and sanity. FUCK! And my sanity!

Thought of the Day

"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."~Jimi Hendrix

My posts will not be tested for steroids

Well, this is my first post. Basically, this blog will focus less on my life and more on my philosophies. To tell you a little about myself, I am 5'10, I like food, football, and short skirts on girls. I drive a '95 Mercury Mystique. Its not the best car, but it gets me around. My parents are divorced. I have a sister in college. I am not religious, in fact, Bible-thumpers sicken me. People who refuse to believe evolution and scientific facts sicken me. I enjoy music, smart movies, and music. I also like quotes that make you think. Enjoy my blog.

Click here to listen to the audio welcome to my blog






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