Because it's slow at work.

The one year anniversary of the BP oil disaster came and went. Aside from just posting a lot of articles and photos, I didn't really get to do anything. I'm frustrated by the people who think that tragedy is over, and also by the people who are propagating that idea.... The BP oil disaster is actually just starting and will be affecting the ecosystems, wildlife, and people for decades. I try to use every opportunity I have to inform people that there is still a lot to be done with the oil spill and it's effects. Knowledge is the first step.
Take a look at these pictures.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8453474/BP-oil-spill-30-pictures-of-the-Deepwater-Horizon-Gulf-of-Mexico-disaster-one-year-ago.html
We need to change the way we operate; our materialism, our greed, and our idea that we're dominate over the natural world.
Watch this clever video for inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Infestations... Head Lice.. Bed Bugs.

So, unfortunately, the house I'm renting has been infested with bed bugs. Which has me suffering from flashbacks from elementary school. Every year, a few times a year, we would have "head lice" checks to make sure we weren't carrying the parasites around and spreading it to our classmates. I, though I've never had head lice, have always been anxious about those days. The humiliation that comes along with having head lice... being ostracized.... being an outcast and being thought of as dirty.... I dreaded that threat each time the nurses came into our classrooms.
Our bed bug infestation reminds me a bit of those times. People immediately think you're dirty (though, it was my old man roommate who brought them in and then moved out). So, I've had to hold back in telling a lot of people about the additional amounts of stress my sister and I have had to deal with recently. Basically, we're trying to keep it on the down low, until the issue is taken care of.

So, reflection on money and bug infestations....
All throughout school, it was the "poor" kids who were singled out and told they had head lice in front of the rest of the class. It was those same kids who brought lice to school, and who I kept my distance from in my classes. The kids with money never seemed to have those issues.... head lice or bug infestations seem to have only affected the poor kids. The truth, however, is that head lice, or bed bugs, don't target the rich or the poor. They don't target people with dirty hair, or dirty houses. These parasites are equal opportunity bugs; they will attack and infest wherever they can. (I'm not saying that a cleaner house may/may not slow an infestation.) What I'm saying is that maybe bug infestations like bed bugs or head lice seems to be a poor person's problem because it's the poor who can't afford treatment for the infestation. Maybe it's the poor who are harder hit by the bugs that take over their residence. Maybe it takes longer to financially, as well as emotionally, respond to such an infestation.
Our bed bug problem alone is costing my landlord $1200 to take care of. Someone with limited income could not pay the bill upfront.
I'm learning that a bug infestation does not just target the poor, or the dirty. Bugs target whoever they can. It's just the the people with limited income don't have the means to keep their problems under control, or to pay an exterminator right away.
Just sayin.... our socioeconomic roles effect EVERY aspect of our lives.

Pink. Perfection. Music. Truth.

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." 

Salvador Dali

"All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection." 

William Faulkner

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing."

Harriet Beryl Braiker

Stephanie showed me Pink's new music video yesterday. I've always liked Pink as an artist. I havent liked all the music she's released (which is typical of any artist I like), but she says a lot of powerful things... Things a lot of people are intimidated to say. This song in particular brings to light how strongly society pushes us to be perfect, to fit the mold created for us. She expresses how the pressure sometimes feels unrelenting, and it comes from every angle (peers, parents, media). It also shows how detrimental striving for perfection is. I like the "happy" ending, but I understand that this is an idealistic way to finish the song/video. Not everyone gets to experience the happy ending. But maybe by being aware that we don't have to fit into those oppressive molds, we can begin to accept that being flawed is ok. We don't have to be someone we're not.

"Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence."

Rosalynn Carter

Check this out:

Fuckin Perfect (Video)

Pink

Made a wrong turn
Once or twice
Dug my way out
Blood and fire
Bad decisions
That's alright
Welcome to my silly life
Mistreated, misplaced, missundaztood
Miss "no way it's all good"
It didn't slow me down
Mistaken
Always second guessing
Underestimated
Look, I'm still around...

Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than
Fuckin' perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me

You're so mean
When you talk
About yourself
You are wrong
Change the voices
In your head
Make them like you
Instead
So complicated
Look how big you'll make it
Filled with so much hatred

Such a tired game
It's enough
I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons
See you same

Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than
Fuckin' perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing

You're fuckin' perfect to me
The world stares while I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in lying and I tried tried
But we try too hard, it's a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, cuz they're everywhere
They don't like my genes, they don't get my hair
String ourselves and we do it all the time
Why do we do that?
Why do I do that?
Why do I do that?

Ooh, pretty pretty pretty,
Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less then, fuckin' perfect
Pretty pretty please if you ever ever feel
Like you're nothing you're fuckin' perfect, to me
You're perfect
You're perfect
Pretty, pretty please don't you ever ever feel like you're less then, fucking perfect
Pretty, pretty please if you ever ever feel like you're nothing you're fucking perfect to me

What's The Truth?

"Truth exists. Only lies are invented." Georges Braque

I've had several discussions with several different types of people about what truth really is. Groups all across the board like Republicans, Liberals, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists, Therapists, Writers, and Professors all believe they know and possess the truth (or at least some aspect of truth), but how can all of them be right? How can groups that harbor beliefs that are polar opposites still see their own "truth" as supreme, ultimate, "the right way"? It seems like believing your own truth takes a great deal of faith, and faith does not equal truth. Therefore, can we ever really know what the truth is?

And on a side note: I'm not even sure we can find truth because we are constantly bombarded by propaganda and marketing strategies that force us to think a certain way. The lives that many of us live are so convoluted and caught up in materialistic nonsense that we've taken other people's truths as our own.
I'm constantly searching for my truth. I'd encourage you to do the same.

How Important is Climategate?

And then there's this (to follow up the last post)...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/ 

This blog is also taken from The Telegraph. The Climategate scandal has been occurring for a while now; does this mean the end of discussion on human-induced global climate change? Does it mean that we are not causing the world to change unnaturally because some scientists falsified evidence or withheld some other types of evidence? Despite Climategate, it seems that the majority of scientists are still supporting the idea that global warming is a legitimate issue that faces our planet. 

I am a proponent of transitioning from an economy dependent on fossil fuels to a more sustainable way of life. Let us pretend that global warming wasn't, and hasn't been, an issue. Now, what harm would it be switching to more practical, sustainable methods of living? Fossil fuels are finite; they are running out and cannot be replaced unless we have a few million years to spare! Why not utilize resources that are renewable and transform our economy? Is the country going to wait until the last barrel of oil is up for sale before we decide to change?

And as for change, we made it to the moon in less than 10 years. IN FEWER THAN 10 SHORT YEARS. Why cant we change the way our society operates?
My point is, whether or not global climate change will destroy us all, we have the power to transition to a more sustainable economy. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Think about it.