Bathhouses
For Peace & Happiness
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I think one way to do
away with some of the walls that we have among people in
our times would be to open local bathhouses so people
could have a place where they could take their clothes
off, let their hair down and meet others. Roman baths,
Turkish baths, Russian baths (for men and women at same
time), Finish saunas or even the YMCA are great places
for healthy entertainment and where one could meet some
friendly and open-minded people. But most of all they
have always been places where social status seized to
exist and where members of high society socialized with
menial workers and peasants.
And I know how this works from personal experience. There
was such a club that I used to check into for some
weekends in the 1970s. The music, sound system, the
sundeck, sauna, pool, darkroom, buffet, stage shows etc
were great. The rooms were cheep and the guests were
mostly young and beautiful just like me (lol). And all
that on four large floors of an inconspicuous industrial
building in Chicago. I still have the plastic membership
card somewhere but now I think they'd kick me out because
I'm old and gray (lol).
I remember hearing the Jefferson Starship album "Dragon
Fly" for the first time there. The last long song on
the album called "Hyperdrive" still gives me
flashbacks of that place and its mysterious atmosphere
too. The owner was an extravagant Chicago millionaire, a
nightclub owner and publisher that changed America in
many ways esp. in the 1970s. He was also a friend of
President Carter. But I can't say more because this was
mostly behind the screens type of stuff. I also remember
seeing John Belishi there a few months before he died.
The place used to be always packed with guests from wall
to wall esp. on weekends, and there were often many well
known faces there too. But it was a cheep place for
someone on a small budget where members could rent a
locker or check in for a night or two, get a private room,
have a drink, a pizza, meet new friends and mingle with
some really beautiful people from around the world for
just a few bucks. That was really awesome. I think
everyone should have access to such facilities today. I
believe that it would make people a lot friendlier,
peaceful and happier. All we would have to do is just to
let go of our Christian inhabitations and revive that
which was good and natural for the ancients in pre-Christian
times.
Roman
Bath Spa, England
Top
I Am A
Lot Like Poland
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I am a lot like Poland is.
I've come up with many ideas and inspired others to take
action or to see things they have not seen before, but
almost never got any credit for it. Now, no sooner I
shared my opinion about slot machines in Polish stores in
my hippy group; out of the blue the government is
taking action to amend the law and limit slot machines
only to Casinos. Or today, everyone in Europe is
celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall forgetting that
it all began in Poland with the Pope from Poland and the
Solidarity Movement, which brought about the fall of
Communism even in Russia. And what about the American
Revolution? Many know that the French Revolution was
because the Masons ran France bankrupt by financing the
American Revolution. But no one except for a few persons
I know, know that Poland became insolvent for the same
reason, and then became divided between its creditors:
Russia, Austria, Germany and France at almost the same
time. So, the Poles paid a very high price for the
freedom of others and never got any credit for it. In
fact, the Polish royalty did everything possible to keep
that a secret in fear of an uprising and getting beheaded.
I am not a rich philanthropist but often acted like one
esp. in Poland. And many American Poles acted like that
too to help others in Poland. I do what my heart tells me
because I was brought up that way. But that is a quality
I have to overcome and change because it's not getting me
anywhere and Poles in Poland were brought up on other
values. In fact it's become a real problem for me in
Poland. I think Poles also have to learn to be less self-centered
(Pole-land = because it was where the center of Europe
used to be) and realize that they no longer represent the
heart of Europe but have moved a bit too far towards the
East because of their past flamboyant lifestyles and
philanthropic weaknesses. And that is very apparent in
Warsaw where there are streets lined with palaces by well
known Italian architects in what's left of Warsaw after
WWII in the old part of town. Also, the country that has
the largest amount of beautiful Baroque architecture in
Europe, which were constructed when it still was a
powerful European nation.
Poland is a
country that has many people that are wealthy inside in
their souls. For that reason I feel more at home here
then in other places. But they have been through such
hardships and trials that they've become a bit too immune
to injustice and the sight of suffering of others. So my
problems are not seen here as any kind of problems as
long as I pay the bills. If I fail to do that then they'll
throw the book at me and kick me out. There's nothing
they hate more then poor foreigners; though I'm not
exactly a foreigner but that's how they see me 'cause I'm
a Polish American. The new rich are business people that
are overly straight looking and try to be overly correct
but seem to behave rather robot-like and oddly at the
dinner table. Those people are really getting on my
nerves and vice verse because they see that I can see
their complexes (lol). Telepathic skills and the ability
of taking on "other bodies" (to assimilate to
the environment or to create a recognizable mirror image
for the onlooker) can work like a double edged sward.
They can work well in a highly developed environment. But
otherwise, someone higher developed will have to take on
a body that is lower developed... Rather hard to explain,
if you know what I mean. But I don't know any better way
to explain this phenomena. If the Reader's experienced
this sort of thing then he or she will understand what I'm
trying to say.
Top
People
Get Ready
Friday, November 6, 2009
This is absolutely THE best song ever written, one that
has given to many the strength and inspiration needed in
the 1960s and beyond... It still has the magic power of
lifting spirits high to that Self that dwells beneath all
the shields, deep in the hearts of all.
People
Get Ready
by Curtis Mayfield
People get
ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
People get ready for the train to Jordan
It's picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all among those loved the most.
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne
So people get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
Top
Slot
Machines In My Neighborhood
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I am having some financial problems lately, but I'm not
dumb enough to try my luck putting a few coins into a
slot machine in any of the establishments that operate
them in my area because I know how they can become
addictive and that it's extremely difficult to hit the
jackpot. But yesterday I was doing some shopping in a
nearby produce store, and for the first time in my life,
heard the sounds of tons of coins pouring out of one of
those Bally slot machines they had installed in the
adjoining room. Just like in the movies. I've never
actually seen anyone win on a slot machine, and never
knew one could win so much on one of those. So, I was
shocked all the more and sorry it wasn't me. The winning
drew everybody's attention and all eyes were turned on
the winner and the machine. Wish I had put a coin into
that machine. But I've never been interested in gambling
and gambling's always been illegal in most of the U.S.
But things are different in Poland. The local law allows
for small jackpots but it appears that some slot machine
owners like the one in that store bend the law a bit and
set them up way over the allowed limits. So the winnings
could be in thousands of dollars or euros in some cases.
They do that because of the competition on the market. So
I got interested in the gambling situation here and found
that I happen to live in a city that has the most casinos
and slot machines in Poland. Gee, and I thought that
there were too many brothels in my neighborhood and the
real problem some Christian fundamentalists were going
against were pedophiles and pornographic magazines
displayed for sale next to chewing gum and children's
magazines in the windows of kiosks (news stands) on the
city streets. But unlike those, the casinos are not
allowed to do any advertising. So, I was not aware that
there were so many in my area. So I got interested and
did some checking, and found this informative website. Maybe
if the Poles weren't so prudent, allowed for coffeeshops
like the ones in Amsterdam, legalized recreational drugs
and did away with their homophobia (though it's not as
bad as it was in America) this wouldn't be such a bad
place to live.
Top
We're
Living In The Future Now
Wednesday, October 21,
2009
Not many of us realize how much we are living in the past,
present and future in our times. We've often talked about
the 60s, 70s and other past events, about present day
events and about the future, but we have in a way blocked
in our minds that we are actually living in the future
right now. And the future has far surpassed the wisest of
visionaries' wildest imaginations. For example, the
Hollywood visionaries have imagined our times to be a lot
different from what they turned out to be. Some imagined
that we would be invaded by Martians, while it is we that
are actually invading Mars in order to exploit the planet
for selfish ambitions of our kind in the Universe. Others
imagined that we will become enslaved and controlled by a
super intelligent computer or by sophisticated monitoring
systems. Well, the truth is that the laptop computer I am
writing this post on is far more sophisticated then
anyone in those days could have imagined, has 80 Gigabits
of memory on it's HD and yet it has not gotten control
over me or had to be plugged into my brain. But on the
other hand, isn't that what most cigarette smokers,
social drinkers and addicts say? That they are not
addicted. The monitoring systems and face recognition
software we have in shops and on the streets have not yet
taken control over our lives. Though, I hope the men that
use the equipment won't be tempted to do that. We also
don't need the services of slick guys like Johnny
Mnemonic anymore to offer their brains for smuggling just
a mere 80 Gigabits of digital memory. What's 80 Gb or 160
Gb today? I still like watching those old flicks (though
not so old), and appreciate that those visions of coming
disasters when we would have developed those types of
technologies were so wrong. But just in case, lets nock
on wood anyhow, if you know what I mean. Because one
never knows what evils lurks in the minds of man.
By the way guys, thanks for helping me out in area 51. I
appreciate it.
Top
Things
Were Different in 1960-70s
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Things were different in the 60-70s. The UN flag
represented a positive power in the world, there weren't
any monitoring devices in shopping centers or on the town
and violent crimes were on the rise after the death
penalty was abolished. I'm still against the death
penalty because also ordinary people lived in fear of
being wrongly accused of crimes they didn't commit. But,
there still were many homeless and impoverished people.
The only social system that I have seen that did away
with unemployment, impoverishment and homelessness was
communism. But that was done at a great cost to the
majority, which had to lower its standards of living and
give to the state many of its institutions, real-estate
and businesses. After that was done, everyone lived a
very modest life that was almost totally controlled by
the state. And everything an individual did was done for
the benefit of the state, the commune. And then
totalitarian authorities came into power, abused power in
every possible way and went after any signs of rebellion.
Having lived for a time under capitalist, communist and
other experimental systems, I have been trying to pin
down some of the fundamental and basic building blocks
needed to create a better social system without the same
pitfalls, but I'm still working on it...
Top
Viva St.
Francis
Thursdayday, October 15,
2009
Perhaps I'm being too idealistic and have too high
expectations from those that expect me to follow them.
But I live on the Franciscan Street near a Franciscan
Church that is one of the oldest in the city, and I was
brought up in Franciscan schools that were run by
Franciscans. And I believe Franciscan ideas and values
were in conflict with those of the Vatican and other
clerics in the times of St. Francis. And if not for the
conniving methods of the Pope and his clerics the
followers of St. Francis would have never found
themselves under the roof of the Church, that they were
questioning and in some opposition to. Therefore, I feel
that in a way I am following the Franciscan ways and have
managed to do what St. Francis and his followers failed
to do; to leave those blokes and move on to higher things.
Top
Governments,
Keep Out!
Wednesday, October 14,
2009
I want governments out of my life but that's almost
impossible to do. I've lived under different governments
in different countries and they all seem to have one
thing in common, they all act like the Mafia. They want a
share of their residents' earnings, and if they don't get
it they'll send their musclemen to kick their butt. And
it gets even worse if one happens to be a citizen. Govs
also expect people to abide by many laws that, to put it
lightly, were not always well thought out. But what makes
some governments better then others is what they do for
the less fortunate, the unemployed and the taxpayers.
Those that redistribute the "protection money"
are considered to be socialistic. And the more
socialistic they become the more social permission they
can get from taxpayers to be more brutal with delinquents
because it is believed that they are doing what they have
to do for the good of the community and the nation.
More serious problems arise when govs become too brutal
and start asking for too much and giving back not enough.
Those types of govs are bringing about their own downfall
because there is a point where their subjects will have
enough of them and begin to rebel. So in order to avoid
such unavoidable consequences, walls are created and
communications are limited between the less fortunate and
more fortunate neighbors. Success propaganda and strong
nationalism mixed with hatred of some real or imaginary
enemy are skillfully employed to brainwash the subjects
into believing that they are being protected by their
govs and that they are better then others in the world.
Yes, I wish we could be free from governments but perhaps
such freedom is also an utopia. And yet there are those
that believe a God has died for us to set us free. But I
wish they would tell us exactly what it was exactly that
we've been freed from? Because that sort of belief seems
to be just another kind of belief people have been
brainwashed into believing in so they could put some
money into someone else's purse in exchange for divine
protection.
Top
Time 4
Change
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The past five years were somewhat different from other
times in my life. It was a wonderful time in which I was
able to do the things I've always wanted to do on the Web,
to meet others and to do some traveling. But all good
things have to come to an end at one time or another. And
that time has come for my laptop. Now I have to change my
lifestyle and spend less time on the Internet because my
laptop broke down, I've been out of work for a some time
and have to give up many things now. But I knew that was
coming and that those machines made in Japan have a
limited lifespan built into them. However, I didn't know
it was set for just five years. Now I know it is the way
those things are made and I think it should be illegal to
make parts like that... In those five years I've managed
to complete most of the projects I've started on the Web,
done some travelling and other stuff that I'm somewhat
proud of. Though I will have limited Internet access,
that doesn't mean that I won't be checking the mail and
doing other things on the Web. I will still be doing
those things.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone
who has invited me to join their Facebooks, YouTubes,
Myspaces, Yahoo360s, Flickrs, Tweetles, etc, etc, etc...
I apologise if I haven't been too sociable on those sites,
but there is just so much one man can do, and so much new
Web 2.0 services popping up every month that I am unable
to keep up with or to do all the social networking I'm
expected to do.
When I started my first website www.PolishHippy.com there were no Web 2.0
services available like they are today. So, my webpages
were the only places on the Web where I could be found; a
home on the Web with my photos, stories, music and other
things that I wanted to share with friends and others.
Now, there are many Web 2.0 services that can do almost
the same without the need of learning HTML and all the
other technical stuff needed to create and maintain a Web
site.
I am writing this message from a friend's PC, and as I
said I will be using the Internet a lot less in the
future; probably mostly from other people's PCs, cafes,
and an old second-hand WiFi enabled cell phone I've just
gotten.
Keep the faith.
Peace & Love,
Adam
Top
The
Madonna Effect
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Today is 15th of August and it's a great national holiday
in this region of Europe and in Poland. It is the
Assumption of Mary, and all Catholics and other
Christians celebrate it. But in Poland the holiday is
often called by an ancient name from pre-Christian times.
It is called the holiday of "The Herbal Divine
Mother" (Matka Boska Zielna). The Holiday is
celebrated by giving herbal and agricultural products as
offerings to the Divine Mother - the Madonna at feasts
and other religious events. And it's also probably not a
coincidence that the pop star Madonna is giving a sold
out concert in Warsaw, Poland at this very moment today.
More magic is to come tomorrow when she celebrates her 51st
birthday. Gee, what a coincidence, isn't it?
Now I'll move on to the subject of "the Madonna
effect". DMT is a psychedelic substance found in
some herbs and also in the human body. It is responsible
for spiritual experiences in the brain and the mind. And
I don't think it's a coincidence many folks are having
uplifting spiritual experiences at this time of year. The
time of year also plays an important role in the things
we experience in states of altered consciousness produced
by astronomical events, the weather, rubbing shoulders
with those that inspire us and other such stimulants. So,
I discovered the Madonna Effect today when I realized how
an important active agent the pop star is and many other
artists like her.
I call her an active agent because she stimulates in her
fans the DMT substance that is naturally found in the
human body. That stimulation in return produces a
psychedelic effect in peoples' brains that could be very
helpful in the treatment of many forms of dogmatic mind
related ailments that could produce such pathological
states as inertia, frustration, mental restraints,
phobias, an over all feeling of unhappiness and
confinement etc.; thus I call them "mental
inhibitants" as opposed to the "mental
stimulants" that have a positive mind-expanding and
healing quality. And there are three major groups of
those agents: the mind inhibiting agents; mind expanding
agents and those that are somewhere in-between those two.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_(entertainer)
Top
The
Place of Hippies
and Other Counter-Cultures
in the American Society
Monday, May 4, 2009
Our government is for the people and by the people. And
we are the people that keep guard that the government
doesn't get derailed by financial interests and lobbyists.
And when it does then we the people have to step in and
try to get it back on track again. That is the place of
hippies and many other members of counter-cultures in our
society. That is also how we show our patriotism for free,
not asking for anything in return other then peace and
compassion. But in return many of us have been thought of
being anti-American, have gotten little recognition from
those that think of themselves to be patriotic Americans.
In spite of all that, we continue to carry that burden,
that cross and that dreams of a better world. So, we
continue serving that American dream of liberty, peace
and the pursuit of happiness to all who may have
forgotten the fundamental ideas that this nation was
created for.
Top
The 21.12.2012
Prophecy
Sunday, February 8, 2009
We just survived
the Armageddon of the year 2000 (or 2001) and now there's
2012 coming around the bend. Can't say that there's
little going on these days. We're certainly living in
interesting times. I wonder if anyone has taken on the
subject of explaining how the Hindu or Vedic calendar is
also in agreement with all of those 2012 prophecies and
if this is the commence of the Kali Yuga? I see another
subject related to 2012 that someone should make a
documentary on. It's how the Mayans managed to foresee
the Christian calendar and align theirs with it, or
perhaps was it the other way around? In any case, my
advice is to avoid groups that promise to save people or
to take them to a better dimension through altering their
life span or thinning out their wallets.
Perhaps all of that is just the working of the human
imagination aligned to some rarely recurring celestial
events. Whatever it may be, perhaps I should stay in the
geographical location on the globe that I'm in because it
seems to be a kind of safe haven in the event of a global
climate change or catastrophe. 2012 will certainly be the
year of the UEFA European Soccer Championships in Poland,
that the country is preparing for today. It will also be
the year when it will be switching from Zloty (Guldens or
Goldens in Eng.) to the Euro. There will also be a
Presidential election in the States, which will be of
some historical significance. And lets not forget the
Rainbow gathering that I would love to attend if I wasn't
broke and planning on watching it all on TV, just like
the rest of the ignorant mortals. I just wonder why the
UN and governments of the world that are supported by the
taxpayers are not doing anything to prepare us for the
disaster of 2012. I certainly will get ready and do my
shopping early and perhaps sign up for cable TV so I
could watch it all on CNN with a bear and a joint in my
hand if CNN will still be around 'cause Edger Casey
mentioned Atlanta and NY going underwater and the Great
Lakes flooding everything down the Mississippi. (Wow, I
wonder if that long sentence wouldn't make the World Book
of Records?) That would also mean that there should be a
plunge of real estate prices in the effected areas and
perhaps a chance for some to get a piece of Manhattan
property in the Trump Towers for just pennies. But the
Japanese will get the real stick up their ass and plunge
into some really deep waters and end all washed up on
their Manhattan real estate investments. I can't believe
how calm they are about all of that. Shouldn't someone
warn them? Wow, that's a lot to ponder over a large pizza
and some bear with friends. Isn't it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Utpcth_0tc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaXI9wS0W60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CjHum3mfgs
Top
Being a
Nondoer
Friday, January 30, 2009
Outside the Web,
I am a nondoer. When one is not very active one doesn't
emit much energy, through which people notice other
people. An income is also a form of energy that people
get from doing things that bring them an income. But how
could one who doesn't do much make on income on not doing
much? That is what I'm interested in learning about. The
things I like doing nobody is willing to pay me for. And
the things I've tried to sell just don't sell. But I'm
happy to give away the things I've created. However, the
landlord and the people at the grocery store don't share
my worldviews and lifestyle. So it is a problem for me. I've
experienced people walking into me in public places
because I was "invisible" to them. Being
introverted has always been a problem. But the Web has
changed that. On the Web I've become an exhibitionist (LOL).
Whaaat a change. So I can do a lot with websites, HTML,
DNS, DP and do all my own graphics too, but I don't have
a diploma or a Certificate to prove that. So I don't make
a living in the IT field. The problem with the world is
that one has to make a living doing something or other,
which very often is not what we are really interested in
doing.
BTW, I'm happy to announce that I've just finished a
Teaching Business English course at a London college and
hope that it will help me land a part-time teaching job.
It was an easy course because I've been teaching Business
English but didn't have the right credentials, and
employers want Diplomas and Certificates when looking for
a job. So, now I've got one. But honestly, can you
imagine me, a guy in late 50s with earrings in both ears
that never wears a suit and with sneakers on his feet
teaching Business English to some square white-ass Polish
business people? Somehow I could imagine myself doing
just that. But I wonder how many employers will share
that vision with me? Time will tell...
Top
Hippies
in Communist Poland
Wednesday, January 21,
2009
I have a
negative opinion about early hippies in Poland, when
Poland was a part of the Soviet communist block. That's
mainly because my 1960s American hippie nickname was
"The Polish Hippy" and now it is often wrongly
associated with early hippies in Poland. And there are
other reasons for that too...
I was at an event in Warsaw's Old Town in Poland a couple
days ago where some people that called themselves hippies
promoted a book about the hippie movement in Poland. The
book had many beautiful pictures. The black and white
ones were probably from the late 1970s and the color ones
from at least 1990s because Kodak color films were rarely
used in Poland or the former communits countries before
that. They used Agfa films then. Pictures made with Agfa
films had a different color balance then those made on
Kodak films. But let's get back on the subject... What
kind of hippie movement was there in Poland in the 1960s?
I visited Poland in 1969 and did not find any hippies.
The closest thing to a hippie movement in Poland was the
Solidarity movement, but that was in the late 1970s and
1980s. Other then that, there was a handful of young
Poles trying to imitate hippies that they probably read
about in some newspaper articles that got through the
communist censorship. But they never held protests, love-ins,
happenings or got into woman's rights, gay rights,
ecology, sexual liberation, mind expansion, psychedelic
drugs or Yoga and any other kind of liberation other then
sitting around tourist areas and panhandling. From
personal experiences, I can honestly say that it was a
bunch of homophobic and anti-Semitist young Catholics
with little understanding of what hippies were really
about. Though, perhaps there may have been a few
exceptions that I did not manage to come across. So in my
opinion, it was just fashionable to look like a hippie,
to listen to Western music and to get stoned but not on
marihuana or LSD but on alcohol and the worst kinds of
homemade opium based hard drugs. And that was not what
hippies were really about. I think they got it all wrong.
So, it irritates me to hear about 1970s hippies in Poland.
I should also mention that in spite of the long hair and
the things we took for symbols of liberal, counter-culture
leftists, the pseudo hippies I've come across in Poland
were extreme right wing nationalists with narrow world
views. So, the only thing I think the Polish hippies
brought about in Poland were the many drug rehab centers
and a negative opinion about hippies. Sometimes I wonder
if it wasn't some kind of KGB divertive operation in
those days of communism to discredit hippies because the
last thing the communists probably wanted was the spread
of such a freedom movement on their territory.
People forget what 1960s hippy movement was really about.
Here's a definition of "Hippie"
(also spelled "Hippy") from Wikipedia. You won't
find much mention of the Vietnam War, Civil Rights or the
Peace Movement in it. It seems that everyone forgot what
hippies were about and what they stood for, and that's
the problem. As I remember, hippies were about peace and
love, and in opposition to war, the military,
corporations, pollution of the environment, civil rights
and many other things that were wrong in the world. Long
hair, music, colorful clothes and gatherings were ways of
getting the message across to the world and became
recognizable parts of the counter-culture hippie
lifestyle. Protests were not held everyday and we had an
everyday life to lead. But all that people seem to
remember about hippies today is just the drugs that were
a part of the lifestyle.
The 1960s hippie movement was strongly against the
Vietnam War and ended with the end of the Vietnam War.
How can anyone forget that? But the lifestyle and the
ideas hippies shared continued... Today, almost every
peace march or anti-war protest across the world uses the
same peace signs and slogans that were used for the first
time by hippies in the 1960s Peace Movement. And hippies
were the chief participants and organizers of the Peace
movement, Greenpeace and many other groups and counter-culture
movements that followed. Even the Love Parades that were
held in Berlin in the 1990-2000s were a continuation of
that same spirit that was born in America, in the 1960s
hippie movement and also the 1970s gay rights movement.
Top
Today's
Historic Inauguration of Obama
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Illinois gave us
Abraham Lincoln and Chicago has tried to live up to his
image. It has had the first woman Mayer, a black Mayer
but I'm not sure if he was the first in the country, and
now the first black President. The black Mayer of Chicago
was considered to have been one of the worst the city has
had. Illinois is also probably the first State to have a
large scale corruption scandal in it's Capital,
Springfield, Illinois over the vacant Senatorial seat
that was left vacant by Obama. It seems that the Governor
tried to 'auction' off Obama's seat to Jesse Jackson Jr.
But one advantage that I think Obama has over other black
leaders is that he has traveled a lot more outside of the
country. And that has probably given him the broader view
of the world and it's complexities. So, what can we
expect from his term in the President's office? I think
we should prepare ourselves for almost anything, because
anything's possible. And I hope that it will turn out to
be anything that's 'good'. But one thing is clear to me.
I live abroad. And looking from the outside in, the
country's image has already improved by 100%. The
election of Obama, who is from a minority religion, which
has gotten lots of negative press in the world today and
from a black race was such a shock to the rest of the
world that many still can't get over it. It was a shock
because it turned out that America is capable of dealing
with ill leaders and evil man that took control of the
country. Yes, it was a good shock that has already done a
lot of good to our image. It has also made me proud again
of being an American. Let's hope Obama doesn't do
anything very wrong, that the press and the republicans
don't start their conniving again and that nothing wrong
at all happens to him. The country is walking on a very
thin line and anything that would happen to him will be
happening to us all in the world's eyes. He is our bright
light in the darkness, that torch of freedom that we
should try to help carry through without stumbling. It is
extremely difficult to repair a broken image just as it
is difficult to repair a broken mirror. And this is an
exceptional chance that has been given to us to do just
that. So I hope we won't spoil it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28139155
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/16/blagojevich
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/10/report-jesse-jackson-jr-allegedly-named-blagojevich-willing-pay-senate-seat
Top
The
Power of the Press
Monday, January 19, 2009
The media is the
fourth power, and the one that is not fully controlled by
anyone. It cannot be discredited through the media
because they are the media. So they don't go around
discrediting themselves. Something to remember. They are
the ones that create THAT, which we take as reality. They
make people and they break them. And they'll do anything
it takes to sell their product. That's the power of the
press.
Top
The
Battle Between Backwardness and Progress
Wednesday, January 13,
2009
Freedom and
Progress are what make up the American image. Both of
those always seem to go hand in hand. There can be little
progress without freedom and the will to make a change. I
believe that the reign of the Bush regime was a
contradiction of that. We have some new examples of
progress in America today such as the election of Obama
or the introduction of No Pants Days in New York
- a freedom oriented and liberating custom that won't
cost the taxpayers a lot of money. I believe it will
spread across the globe to other metropolitan areas of
the world just as many others have in the past. There
will always be those that will see something wrong in
such new things because not everyone in the world is the
same.
Not everyone likes progress or wants to be liberated from
old traditions and worldviews. And those that don't are
often the same people that would like to limit freedom.
Thus the battle between backwardness (ignorance) and
progress (wisdom) goes on since unrecorded times, and it
will probably continue until the dawn of time. So, lets
take the chance we have been given to open up more. And
at the same time, lets keep an eye on those that would
like to take away or limit our God-given freedoms.
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