Tribute to George Carlin

We just got George Carlin: Jammin' in New York on Netflix. It was in our queue, and he just happened to also die a couple days ago. Weird coincidences.

We just got finished watching it and MAN that guy was funny.. it was a good start to my day. I share many of his same views and really think he had a big influence on more people than the media would be willing to look into. I really enjoy life-affirming anecdotes... so here I share my favorite from his Jammin' in New York HBO Special.

[I couldn't embed the video because the person who posted the video pulled the embed code.]

Semantics anyone?

Ok Ok.. so the Supreme Court ruled today (yes, june 26, 2008-- over 200 years after the constitution was written, just so we're on the same page here) that individuals are allowed to have a gun as means of protection in their home. Let me say it again:

The Supreme Court ruled today (yes, june 26, 2008-- over 200 years after the constitution was written, just so we're on the same page here) that individuals are allowed to have a gun as means of protection in their home.

Anyone?

Ridiculous.

Here's the article.

Another Piece of the Puzzle

Just found this article about a fossil that may play an integral role in figuring out how fish became land-dwellers. It's not that entertaining, just interesting.

So I've thought about evolution and what that means for human beings as they exist today. I have a prediction for the future of mankind, and it's not seemingly impossible. So, we've been on the planet for what, a couple thousand years? And considering our current calculations of how long it takes for evolution to take place in one species, we have yet to see it occur before our own eyes. We have evidence of it and can draw conclusions from our findings, but the only way of reaching a global understanding of it would be to see it happen to our own species.

We are smart. We are VERY smart. But we don't know what to do with our intelligence. Yes, we've made great advances as far as technology goes, but all we've proven thus far is how much money we can make and what that means in terms of status. Basically, we've proven how awesome we are. Woopty-frickin-doo. We are currently in an age of transition, which makes sense when looking at the grand scheme of things. We are searching for sustainable energy sources to ween ourselves off the use of oil. We have networked the entire planet, allowing us to communicate with anyone, anywhere, whenever we want. We're able to foresee weather patterns, economic patterns, and social patterns. This is great and all, but the only thing we do with this information is make money and move it around.

I see us moving towards a more advanced society in the next couple hundred years. And not just advanced in technology, but intellectually. I see the next step in human evolution taking us towards a more SUPER human state, but not in the way you would think. When we think "super-human," we think of -well- Superman and other such fictional comic book characters. I see humans realizing what real conservativism is and how is really doesn't relate to any political agenda. We will understand how to use the movement of markets to benefit EVERYONE (including the planet) and not just the choice numb-nuts running those markets. The super-humans will look at us humans NOW and we will appear hedonistic, selfish, wasteful, paranoid, and just plain ignorant. Oh isn't that funny- we humans today think species before us are ignorant because they don't have free-will! But that's evolution.. I bet insects mocked single-celled organisms for centuries.

I think most of the planet will not believe in a higher power as more evidence of evolution is found and larger spans of the universe are explored. Religion will be something of the past but will be talked about and studied as a primitive system of thought. It will not be cast off as a waste of time, but will be looked at as a stepping stone to the intricate understandings of life. It will be looked at as a means of coping with life as it inevitably leads to death, and as means of motivating large communities to be genuinely good. But the people of the future WILL be genuinely good without the need of collective spiritual thought. They will be able to measure their impact on the planet and the impact their actions have on other people, allowing them to adjust their behaviors in a way that help the greater good. People will be more globally conscious and won't get caught up on every-day semantics that prevent us from progressing and just lead to conflict. We will learn how to work with nature and not against it. We will be primarily vegetarian because we will realize how harmful the every-day consumption of meat is on our digestive systems. People will also realize how hypocritical it is to save a deer from the ocean only to turn around and stuff their face with a hamburger from the local food chain.

I predict that large food scares will also drive the markets towards locally raised food. Notice how many recalls we've had in the last couple years? NONE of them effected the organic food supply because there are strict regulations placed on organic farmers/producers that really prevent the common occurence of human error and carelessness (which I believe is why we have had so many salmonella outbreaks in the commercial food supply). By owning the organic label, food producers are forced to actually LOOK (no way) at what goes out into the supermarkets, otherwise they face a severe penalty and have to pay a large fine. THAT is food regulation at its finest and people of the future will embrace it.

The Mayan calendar ends in 2012, which many believe will be the end of the world. I don't think ANYONE can predict that, and my boyfriend and I believe 2012 was the end of their calendar because that's the day they ran out of tools. But regardless of whether we will be wiped off the face of the planet in five years or not, we will be moving towards a more advanced society and will likely flourish until we wipe ourselves out, whether it be from pollution or mass plague. The sociologists who built the foundation of modern sociology predicted these same things, that we are currently in a mode of mass transition and will likely continue for the next couple centuries. All we can do today is make sure tomorrow is brighter so our great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren can look back and say "thanks."

Letter to my Landlord

Hey Natalynne--

So now MY car has been broken into (I already went to the Miami Township police and filed a report). They stole all of my CDs, which were probably worth a couple hundred dollars, and luckily nothing else because I cleaned my car out the other day. I think there is either someone living in the complex out to rob the rest of your tenants, or there is an unending flow of pedestrians just wandering the place with nothing better to do than commit petty theft. Either way, I'm left uneasy and unsure of how to interpret the safety of the area.

Now, I'm not one to complain about little issues because they tend to have little to no importance in the grand scheme of things, plus, if I did report all issues, I would not be taken seriously and seen as overreacting. I also don't report all issues because I like to give the benefit of the doubt. But when those issues outweigh my concern, I believe it's time to mention them. Back in January, we were one day late on our rent because of an assumption that the office would be closed on the first (due to it being a national holiday). Well, we were obviously wrong and had to pay the late fee, in which we were completely willing because it was our mistake in making that assumption. We're always willing to admit that we are wrong. Last month, though, I feel that we were ripped off. I always abide by the rules by paying all my bills on time and don't gripe if I do have to pay a late fee, but this is the first time I feel I was served an injustice. I understand the rules laid out in the lease and don't expect to be treated differently from any other tenant, and I also respect your role as enforcer of those rules. My position is this-- the first fell on a Sunday last month, and unsure of whether anyone would be there, my boyfriend and I walked down to the office with our rent check in-hand. Well, being closed on Sunday, nobody was there. We looked around for the drop-box and could not find it, and we were not about to just leave the check there in good faith that it would be received the next day. Of course we could not call the office or email anyone for answers, so we went back home with the check hoping to explain the situation the next day and be relieved of the late fee. I was absolutely shocked the next day when I had to pay the fee because I didn't feel it was my fault for not seeing or knowing about the drop box. If I had known there was a drop box, or that the slit in the wall behind the pillar was the drop box, there would be no issue. When the drop-box was pointed out to me after this whole ordeal, I realized that it looks like an un-used mail slot that leads to nothing but a hole in the wall. Yes, I was told it was written in the lease, but there is no label on it, and I'm sure the few people who were not told about it upon signing would make the same mistake as we did.

I'm not looking to pick a fight or demand something I'm not entitled to, but I'm beginning to develop a negative opinion about where I'm living. I'm sure the rules are enforced as strictly as they are because of the area we're located, but I believe that genuinely good tenants deserve (heaven forbid) one day of leniency. I wish for you guys to consider re-writing that part of the lease, allowing tenants just one day during their entire leasing agreement to be obsolved of a late fee, all in good faith that they will pay on time every other time (in other words, if rent is due on the first of every month, I should be allowed to be late only once during my 12-month leasing agreement, allowing me to pay on the second wihout the fee. If I am late on the first any other time, I should be required to pay.) The only reason I propose this to you is because I think it is a mistake to completely dismiss the event of human error. Never once have I been penalized for being only one day late on rent, and it has NEVER been more than a $25 fee for even the second day late. I know you personally did not write the rules and you are only doing your job, but your boss should know that his rules are a bit ridiculous, especially considering the age of the complex and the neighborhood it is located in (I work at a news station.. I know what goes on around here). And if it is argued that this really is a nice place to live, then why do I have to fear for the safety of my vehicle in a private parking lot?

I don't want to harm your reputation by leaving with a negative attitude, as I believe you do offer very superb services. Your maintenance guys have always come within a day of the initial call, and you girls in the office are always incredibly nice and helpful. I just think some of the stricter policies should be reconsidered to allow for happier tenants and a better company. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you mention it to the owner.

Confessions of a College Graduate

As expected, I was bombarded with a myriad of questions asking about my future. And here I am to answer all of them!

No, I don't know what I'm doing now that I'm out of school.

No, I don't know where I want to be in five years-- either still in radio, or running my own game store/cafe.

Yes, I will keep working at my current job, and I have yet to explore my options as far as radio stations go.

No, they can't offer me full-time here because it is not in their budget (so they say..) and Yes, that means I will have to pick up more hours and probably move on in November if they still haven't offered it to me.

I don't know what else I want to do, and I don't have any plans for this summer.

I have considered the option of moving out of state-- but I'm not sure which state. California maybe.. Arizona.. NC.. Kentucky.. Illinois..


As far as long-term goals, I DO know what I want to do by the end of my lifetime (and by no means in this order):

-Run my own radio station
-Build my own house, all with recycled/sustainable materials powered with wind/solar/water energy.
-Buy a building and run my own game store/hooka cafe
-Buy a motorcycle (or scooter) for local travel
-Grow/raise as much of my own food as possible
-Build a recording studio in my basement (after I build my house)
-Build a solar-powered vehicle

All I want to do right now is be lazy and sleep all day. I have no goals in mind, and I'm OKAY with that. I've spent the last eighteen years in a social institution and I think I owe it to myself to relax and rid my mind/body of all anxiety. I may start meditating, and I definitely want to sell a bunch of my crap. I need to do a garage sale... and clean out my car. I have too much junk, and I think it's time to do some personal cleansing. I want to start working out again and see if it's actually possible to get this adult body into a size 9. I'll probably be cutting the dreadlocks off soon, because it is hot outside and they drive me nuts. A trip out to Hollywood to visit Sammy should happen this summer, and possibly on the way I should visit Adam in Chicago.

It is a time of personal exploration, and I plan to have as much fun as I possibly can. I want to go to the Hoffbrauhaus down in Newport tonight.. hopefully we can get a crew together.. that would be fun.

food and on to the other studio for another 4 hours of mundane newstalk nonsense.

Hooray for Child Obesity

I found this article on Digg talking about childhood obesity and how the rates are enormous these days. The article says that there is actually some hope.. the numbers have plateaued, which is good but it's not great. It's good because that means rates have not risen for the first time since this whole epidemic has come to be. It's not great though, because it means rates haven't fallen, and that's what we want to happen.

I don't really want to talk more about child obesity, as it's not exactly a happy-time conversation, but I have one opposition to what they had to say in the article.

"And perhaps most important, teachers, mentors and public role models are fighting it as they help kids navigate a culture that fosters fat but idealizes thin and as they teach them that what truly counts is getting themselves as fit as their body type and genes allow—and then loving that body no matter what."

Don't we already idealize a thin culture? I mean, you don't see people picking up magazines plastered with fatties in bakinis. You don't see anything but beautiful, thin, and sometimes half plastic. Aren't these images purely idealistic? Don't hundreds of thousands of teenage-girls force themselves to become bulemic/anorexic because of these idealistic images? Not to mention, everything revolves around "appearing" pretty and thin.. I just find it completely back-assward to promote ideal thinness when it has been promoted since Hugh Heffner made his first Playboy. We shouldn't promote the specific image of "thin," rather we should promote a lifestayle that is healthy. If you are healthy, you are going to be thin as a result. You may not be skinny, per se, but you will be thin. You may not have bulging muscles and abs you could grate cheese on, but you will be lean and healthy.

I think this is another example of how the human mentality works.. We only pay attention to the extreme sides of the spectrum and believe that if something isn't this way, it HAS to be that way. But I understand how hard it is to live completely in the middle of the spectrum, because then you would be impartial to all things and that's just boring. As far as this whole obesity thing goes, we think that since 70% of Americans are fat, we have to reverse everything to make everyone thin. Here, our continuum is:

FAT<-------------------->SKINNY

We either have to be fat, or we have to be skinny. It's never good enough for us to be slightly pudgy, or just in the middle. "We're fat? Oh Let's be skinny!" No, let's get healthy first. Healthy is not just a good report from your doctor, it's a lifestyle you need to maintain. And it's not something that can be issued overnight. You have to work at it and not subscribe to these lousy hollywood diets. Know that it takes 15-20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain when you're full, so eat slower. Put down the fork between bites. Eat with someone else so you can talk and delay your next bite. Just changing your over-all eating behavior can make a huge difference. And if you want to lose a certain amount of weight, be realistic. Don't say you're going to lose 20lbs in a week because that's just not realistic. Smaller goals are much easier and a lot healthier for your body and mind.

Hollistic healing/medicine is also a great way to become healthier. It forces you to stay in-tune with your body's health. When something hurts or just doesn't feel right, take that as a sign to do something about it. You know that you won't go to the doctor for a sore throat until your voice is gone and you can barely talk, but it could have been prevented. Don't ignore your symptoms, or you'll be spending a lot more on medical bills than you ever wanted to. That is what herbal supplements are for. Getting sick? take a Vitamin-C pill in the morning when you wake up, and before you go to be. Each pill has about 1000% the daily recommended value, so one is really enough. But you want to kick your immune system into high-gear to flush out this cold, so trust me-- it works. Also-- drink lots of echinacea tea with honey, because echinacea is good for immunity support, and honey has been proven to cure basic cold/flu symptoms better than over-the-counter drugs. Get plenty of sleep and if you smoke, just give it up for a couple days. If you drink, just give it up for a couple days. Take care of yourself. Your frivolities will be there right when you pick them back up.

peace and healthy living

POTencies rise; speculation stay the same

Alright. I'm all for researching the effects of pot on people, and I'm all for having our tax dollars be spent on these studies. What I'm NOT for, on the other hand, is going ahead with these studies knowing the results will likely reflect those of the past.

This study from the UK found that the potency of marijuana has doubled since the mid-80s, and from 8.6% to 9.7% in the last couple years. They found all this out, but they STILL have no conclusive evidence that pot is worse for you than your run-of-the-mill stimulants (caffeine, nicotene)!

But there's no data showing that a higher potency in marijuana leads to more addiction, Earleywine said, and marijuana's withdrawal symptoms are mild at best. "Mild irritability, craving for marijuana and decreased appetite — I mean those are laughable when you talk about withdrawal from a drug. Caffeine is worse."

Let's look at that last line again-- "those are laughable when you talk about withdrawl from a drug. Caffiene is worse." RESEARCHERS say caffiene is worse, yet, Starbucks is allowed to capitalize on our addiction. Of course, Starbucks is the least of our worries on a global perspective, but it's just not fair!

How can the government make pot illegal, yet carry out illegal procedures themselves every single day?! The only reason this pisses me off is because as long as pot is illegal, our prisons will continue to be overpopulated with non-violent "criminals." As soon as a nonviolent criminal is placed behind bars, s/he carries the same social status as violent offenders, such as murderers, rapists, and thieves. To say that social status doesn't matter would be ignorant, as we all know how influential society can be. So when a non-violent offender is now labeled a violent offender, they are more likely to commit violent crimes. Hence- a raise in crimes and the perpetuation of an unethical, illogical system.

And as long as it's illegal, good people have to keep sneaking around like they're criminals.

Phooey.

I am smarter than you!

No, I only jest. But a British study is making no joke, as it revealed people with higher IQs are less likely to believe in "God"!

"Professor Richard Lynn said most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many started to have doubts."

As far as I can remember, I always had doubts. I was raised Catholic, which means we were the typical C&E (Christmas & Easter) church-goers. But of course, my parents wanted us to be raised with a well-rounded faith, so they tried to drag us to church more than just twice a year. Not only did I express my unwillingness to go when I was young (just like every other kid who is dragged into a building wreaking of nostril-burning perfume and cheap alcohol), but I also never felt right sitting in the pews, asking some invisible sky-man to forgive me of the sins I had yet to commit! Also, this "god" was a stranger to me (as s/he is to all others because has ANYONE REALLY met god?), and it was confusing to be told to go TOWARDS this stranger when I was told to stay away from all other strangers. When you're a kid, a stranger is a stranger and you don't exactly have the cognitive ability to distinguish between a "good" and "bad" stranger. The whole experience just did not "speak" to me the way my parents said it would, and I just could never get a firm grasp on the concept of a higher power. If s/he's SOO powerful and all-knowing, why has s/he not made an earthly appearance?

Therein lies faith: what is faith? Does faith have to be associated with the devine? Because I definitely have faith, just not in an invisible sky-god. I have faith in people- that they will do what their brains tell them for no other reason than to follow their own convictions. I have faith in my family- that they will always come through for me if I need them and love me for who I am for as long as I am. I have faith in my boyfriend- that he will treat me with respect, and love and support me until given a reason not to. I have faith that good things come to those who wait. And I have faith that people will follow their own path, and not give in to social propoganda and harmful facades.

"Professor Lynn, who has provoked controversy in the past with research linking intelligence to race and sex, said university academics were less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else."

I'm graduating from college on Saturday. You can put that puzzle together.

Bill Maher is Religulous

I'm a big fan of social opposition, especially when it concerns views of religion. I ESPECIALLY love when well-known people (Bill Maher) make a point of bringing people out of their comfort zone and debunk real phenomena.

The Advocacy of Health Food

I love food. I love all kinds of food, and I am not one to pass up a great food opportunity. But in making my own choices and developing my own tastes, I have transformed my entire food mentality.

I was raised on home-cooked meals and I continue to cook at home today. It was rare for us to splurge on take-out, and we actually made a family ordeal out of cooking dinner and doing the dishes. There were five of us, so we each took a night of the week and cooked for the rest of the family. I remember the first time my night came to cook, and my brothers will not let me forget it. I thought it would be a great idea to take these hard, little breadsticks and melt cheese over them. Little to my knowledge at the time, breadsticks are not a meal by any means-- especially for a family of five. ESPECIALLY the kind of breadsticks that these were.. they came in a huge plastic bag and they were almost meant to be used as a crunchy salad addition. So basically, croutons for dinner. I was (still am) much of an inventor of sorts, and would always have a vision in my head to work towards, even in the kitchen. I have NO IDEA the vision I had in mind that night, all I know is that we ended up not having breadsticks for dinner. And BTW- humor was common-place in the house, so this was one of many scenarios that we will not let each other forget.

While growing up, we never had many sweets in the house. We would have a pack of cookies here or there, or a half-gallon of ice-cream on the weekend. But desserts and overly sweet foods were not often seen in our house. When I began developing into the young woman I would eventually become, I also began to eat less healthy and less at home. I also gained weight and was like the many awkwardly developing teens with low self-esteem. I attribute a lot of my weight gain and non-food-sense to the addictive qualities of soda. It's soo tasty, yet, so unhealthy. But as the human tendency is to indulge oneself, I drank entirely too much pop. The moment I decided to drop some pounds was after seeing a picture of myself at my 8th grade graduation party. My brother had just graduated from high school and I was on my way IN to high school. We had a double celebration in the month of June and invited all of our friends and family. My mom baked cupcake-cakes for both of us, and I helped decorate the two cakes with various icings and sprinkles. The moment came when my mom wanted to take a picture of us holding our pretty cakes, so we sat on the couch and gave our best shit-eating grin that we could; I was gonna EAT that cake! The result: mom had the pictures developed and my thighs/arms were the only things I could see beyond the colorful cake the sat in my lap. I. WAS. A. FATTY. I vowed to lose weight, and I began exercising and cutting things out of my diet- most importantly, soda. I lost 30lbs in a couple months, and I've since then grown into my body and slimmed down to an acceptable size. I am by no means "skinny" but I am thin, squishy, flixible, and happy. I figure, as long as I'm flexible and squishy, my body is more able to adapt to the ever-changing environmental conditions.

Two years into college I dated this guy who had been around the block a couple dozen times and was also very knowledgable of vegetarian/vegan diets. He taught me about the dangers of hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup, and the benefits of eating foods with the fewest ingredients. I became an avid label reader and tried to avoid all foods with the bad oils and corn syrups, and tried to eat more foods with very basic ingredients. We lived together for about 8 months and I have to say that they were the most influential 8 months of my life. It transformed my entire mentality about the food industry, and I was able to draw linkages between the food market and societal issues, especially those related to human health. I swore off fast-food, soda, companies with monopolistic tendencies, giant restaurant chains, and commercial food.

I also learned the value of a dollar and what it means beyond having the ability to spend it. He said in a very profound statement, "you vote with your dollar." Well, he had to explain exactly what he meant and he was absolutely right. My dollar has the ability to tell one company that I support what they do, what they sell, where they're located, how they treat their customers/employees, and their over-all business in that particular economy. By giving one company my dollar, I am telling them that I agree with their moral practices and that they should continue to do what they do.

In learning the value of my hard-earned dollar, I began buying/eating organic and all-natural foods ONLY. I read up on organic agriculture and how its practices are largely monitored and kept in-check. The labels are even different, in that they try to sell the benefits of the product and not just the product itself. A misconception about organic food is that it lacks good flavor. There are SOME all-natural foods that I won't eat because they are very lax in the flavor department, but I would argue that the majority organic/all-natural foods taste better than commercial foods. It does take some time to get used to and a time of transition is to be expected. Like any diet, you can't just dive in and expect results the next day. You have to give yourself time to get used to the diet and knowing someone who has already gone through the transition helps a lot, too. Someone who has no idea about organic food will have a hard time finding things that taste really good. Of course, you have to do it by trial and error to see what real flavors you DO enjoy.

There is another group of foods that I avoid, and that's the reduced fat/low-cal/low-sodium/fat free foods. Just because the labels says it's "fat-free" doesn't mean they didn't put other chemicals in there to make it "fat-free." Here's a great article about these foods and the reasons they are actually very bad for your over-all health.

I could go on and on about proper health because it's a very important aspect of my life. And I think a lot of people avoid peoper health tips because they believe they have to make a major life-change. From my own experience, it has changed my life and has given me a more optimistic approach to my future. I'm 22 years old, and I eat healthier than 70% of Americans. Now, this is not to say I don't eat a LOT, because I do. That's just because organic food tastes SOO good.