I found this video from the recent issue of "Good" to be absolutely amazing. For me it clarifies how much the US is actually paying and how much we will owe (interest included) in the war we are fighting in Iraq.
It is a must see!
"The Hidden Cost of War."
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
US Electoral System: Undemocratic and Flawed?
I love checking the world and her opinion. So often we just look for our US news tycoons for advice and information and forget that there is a whole world out there doing similar journalistic activities as our own journalists in the US. This blog will be short as I just want to share one idea and in no way does this show me as a supporter of what is going in Iran right now!!! I am strictly talking about a more worldly perspective when it comes to news and where we get it.
So here it is. www.presstv.ir is Iran's "the first Iranian international news network, broadcasting in English on a round-the-clock basis." It "aims to offer expansive news coverage, specifically delving into Middle Eastern current affairs." Source. Why I am citing this is because of the poll that it was taking on the homepage. The questions was: "In your opinion why is it that apart from Republican and Democratic candidates, the nominees of other parties are marginalized in the US presidential race? Because: 1) Only these two parties are qualified to run the country 2) The Dems and Reps have better financial resources 3) The US electoral system is undemocratic and flawed.
I chose an answer to the question and was struck by the response to the poll! A staggering 79% thought that answer three was correct: "The US electoral system is undemocratic and flawed", 19% chose answer 2 and 7% chose answer 1.
I am in no way sure about the people contributing to this poll, who they are, where they live, or how educated they are of the US electoral system in the first place. However, the numbers are quite telling nontheless.
I recently heard a poll taken across Europe telling that about 8 out of every 10 people want Obama to win the election. 80%?!?!? That is amazingly high and something I believe is quite important. Yes, our country first. But I say the other countries a close second, third, fourth...194th. (The US State Department recognizes 194 countries in the world).
We must begin to actually think globally for both our sake and the sake of others. We must start eating with the planet in mind. We must start thinking about our carbon footprint with our neighbors and children (present or those to come in the future) in mind.
I finished with a mini soap box. Not too bad for being the 8th blog post so far.
So here it is. www.presstv.ir is Iran's "the first Iranian international news network, broadcasting in English on a round-the-clock basis." It "aims to offer expansive news coverage, specifically delving into Middle Eastern current affairs." Source. Why I am citing this is because of the poll that it was taking on the homepage. The questions was: "In your opinion why is it that apart from Republican and Democratic candidates, the nominees of other parties are marginalized in the US presidential race? Because: 1) Only these two parties are qualified to run the country 2) The Dems and Reps have better financial resources 3) The US electoral system is undemocratic and flawed.
I chose an answer to the question and was struck by the response to the poll! A staggering 79% thought that answer three was correct: "The US electoral system is undemocratic and flawed", 19% chose answer 2 and 7% chose answer 1.
I am in no way sure about the people contributing to this poll, who they are, where they live, or how educated they are of the US electoral system in the first place. However, the numbers are quite telling nontheless.
I recently heard a poll taken across Europe telling that about 8 out of every 10 people want Obama to win the election. 80%?!?!? That is amazingly high and something I believe is quite important. Yes, our country first. But I say the other countries a close second, third, fourth...194th. (The US State Department recognizes 194 countries in the world).
We must begin to actually think globally for both our sake and the sake of others. We must start eating with the planet in mind. We must start thinking about our carbon footprint with our neighbors and children (present or those to come in the future) in mind.
I finished with a mini soap box. Not too bad for being the 8th blog post so far.
Unprecedented Donations
I continue to say, "Wow!", to Senator Obama's unprecedented amount of money raised during this campaign. Anyone that can rake in over $600,000,000 for a single campaign must be doing something right.
To anyone, that number is staggering, but to me the number of people donating to the campaign is even more mind-blowing! According to a recent article citing Sen. Obama's campaign contributions of $150 million just in the month of September, David Plouffe (Obama's campaign manager) contributed an email that said, "the campaign had added 632,000 new donors in September, for a total of 3.1 million contributors to the campaign."
WHAT?! 3.1 million contributors in this campaign alone? In my meager knowledge of the history of our country, that number of donors to a single, presidential campaign is impressively unprecedented and impressive.
I love figuring out the percentages of people that constitute a group. For example, I just was watching the wacky network called FoxNews and the anchor cited how many viewers they have watch their broadcasts: "over a million viewers", she said. That means that one-third of 1% of the American population watches the outwardly conservative network called FoxNews. So what percentage of the American population has donated to Obama's campaign? If I do my math right with the US's population being about 300 million people, about 1% of the entire country has financially invested in the "Obama movement".
I make the comparison to FoxNews not to bash the network or say that we should stay away from the network. I, personally, watch the channel every once in a while to gather information from the more conservative opinion-slanted news anchors. We must be constantly looking at all sides of the issue before professing that our opinion is the best.
In short, Obama has a lot of money. Yes, his $600 million in campaign donations seems excessive; however, when you realize that 3.1 million people have donated to his campaign, tha makes the average donation to be a roughly $200.
To finish, I will make a comparison to the sources that Senator McCain gets his campaign money. According to another article from the International Herald Tribune, "But an examination by The New York Times of a list of 106 elite fund-raisers who have brought in more than $100,000 each for McCain found that about a sixth of his money collectors are lobbyists." That's roughly 17% of all his donations that have come from lobbyists. Could this be why his message has stayed with "Drill Baby Drill" and "Win the War"? He might have a few people "in his back pocket paying him to say a few things that makes their own pocketbooks considerably thicker.
In conclusion, money is a big deal in a campaign. Obama has a heck of a lot of it from a heck of a lot of average, wealthy, and even poor Americans wishing to be a part of history in the making.
To anyone, that number is staggering, but to me the number of people donating to the campaign is even more mind-blowing! According to a recent article citing Sen. Obama's campaign contributions of $150 million just in the month of September, David Plouffe (Obama's campaign manager) contributed an email that said, "the campaign had added 632,000 new donors in September, for a total of 3.1 million contributors to the campaign."
WHAT?! 3.1 million contributors in this campaign alone? In my meager knowledge of the history of our country, that number of donors to a single, presidential campaign is impressively unprecedented and impressive.
I love figuring out the percentages of people that constitute a group. For example, I just was watching the wacky network called FoxNews and the anchor cited how many viewers they have watch their broadcasts: "over a million viewers", she said. That means that one-third of 1% of the American population watches the outwardly conservative network called FoxNews. So what percentage of the American population has donated to Obama's campaign? If I do my math right with the US's population being about 300 million people, about 1% of the entire country has financially invested in the "Obama movement".
I make the comparison to FoxNews not to bash the network or say that we should stay away from the network. I, personally, watch the channel every once in a while to gather information from the more conservative opinion-slanted news anchors. We must be constantly looking at all sides of the issue before professing that our opinion is the best.
In short, Obama has a lot of money. Yes, his $600 million in campaign donations seems excessive; however, when you realize that 3.1 million people have donated to his campaign, tha makes the average donation to be a roughly $200.
To finish, I will make a comparison to the sources that Senator McCain gets his campaign money. According to another article from the International Herald Tribune, "But an examination by The New York Times of a list of 106 elite fund-raisers who have brought in more than $100,000 each for McCain found that about a sixth of his money collectors are lobbyists." That's roughly 17% of all his donations that have come from lobbyists. Could this be why his message has stayed with "Drill Baby Drill" and "Win the War"? He might have a few people "in his back pocket paying him to say a few things that makes their own pocketbooks considerably thicker.
In conclusion, money is a big deal in a campaign. Obama has a heck of a lot of it from a heck of a lot of average, wealthy, and even poor Americans wishing to be a part of history in the making.
Monday, October 27, 2008
A Must See Program Breaking All Journalism Boundaries
Last night I was watching my usual CNN, Fox News, CNN, Fox News, with a little Baseball World Series mixed in between commercial breaks. Larry King was decked out in his matching suspenders and tie, this time a sparkling silver. He had a few panelists on talking about the usual political talking points, and strangely enough ALL ENDORSING OBAMA. The last panel was three men, comedians to be exact. A hispanic comedian, an African-American comedian, and another man I did not recognize. Their wispy jokes and light-hearted comments cast such a wonderful and positive flare on a seemingly-negative election. Then it began...
D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, a program filled with equal parts comedy as substantial reporting, rewired my way of looking at a nightly news show. So long America has enjoyed the wonderful talking heads like CNN's Larry King and NBC's Brian Williams, but never in my short history have I seen something like this show, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News.
Airing at 10PM Eastern Standard Time, the very funny and very intelligent African-American comedian, D.L. Hughley takes us into a whole new world of political, domestic, and international news reporting. My suggestion: Watch an episode next Saturday. Can't make it on Saturday? Try Sunday when it re-aires at the same time, 10PM ET.
I guarentee you that with a light-hearted and open-minded attitude, you will enjoy yourself thoroughly. One of my suggestions of how a talented, intelligent African-American comedian as D.L. Hughley can gain a nighttime slot on CNN is the idea of post-racism. That is another blog entry, but please watch this man and let me know what you think as I thoroughly enjoyed it!
D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, a program filled with equal parts comedy as substantial reporting, rewired my way of looking at a nightly news show. So long America has enjoyed the wonderful talking heads like CNN's Larry King and NBC's Brian Williams, but never in my short history have I seen something like this show, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News.
Airing at 10PM Eastern Standard Time, the very funny and very intelligent African-American comedian, D.L. Hughley takes us into a whole new world of political, domestic, and international news reporting. My suggestion: Watch an episode next Saturday. Can't make it on Saturday? Try Sunday when it re-aires at the same time, 10PM ET.
I guarentee you that with a light-hearted and open-minded attitude, you will enjoy yourself thoroughly. One of my suggestions of how a talented, intelligent African-American comedian as D.L. Hughley can gain a nighttime slot on CNN is the idea of post-racism. That is another blog entry, but please watch this man and let me know what you think as I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Magazine Called GOOD? Genius!
A great friend of mine recently wrote me with a suggestion that I look at this new publication he had recently found called "Good Magazine". I went to their website www.good.is and immediately fell in love with everything the publication was about. I sprinted around the website looking at the out-of-the-box posts, videos, articles, and comments people had contributed to the organization with the goal to "Doing Well and Doing Good" for "People Who Give A Damn".
Now for their publication--an outright needed magazine that comes every two months like clockwork. Each issue is centered around a central theme. The first one I received was about responsible, perspective-opening travel; the second one was all about moving towards a sound, successful education system, and the most recent one blew me out of the water: the "Election Issue(s)".
This post is simple, yet extremely to-the-point. Go out and check this publication out. Yes, I have had people say, "Jon, this is outright liberal BS." But, the majority of people I have showed the publication to have been equally enthralled with its out-of-the-box, progressive, positive thinking. Why? Because I sincerely believe with the fact that those three things are what we need in the world as well as in our country.
How do I sign up? It's simple. Go to Join Good and if you are not excited about the Magazine than at least you were part of a noble and needed donation. Yes, a donation. By now going to the last link you have now realized by going to the website that the company is a non-profit and the magazine payment goes to a Charity of your choice?!?! AMAZING!
Now for their publication--an outright needed magazine that comes every two months like clockwork. Each issue is centered around a central theme. The first one I received was about responsible, perspective-opening travel; the second one was all about moving towards a sound, successful education system, and the most recent one blew me out of the water: the "Election Issue(s)".
This post is simple, yet extremely to-the-point. Go out and check this publication out. Yes, I have had people say, "Jon, this is outright liberal BS." But, the majority of people I have showed the publication to have been equally enthralled with its out-of-the-box, progressive, positive thinking. Why? Because I sincerely believe with the fact that those three things are what we need in the world as well as in our country.
How do I sign up? It's simple. Go to Join Good and if you are not excited about the Magazine than at least you were part of a noble and needed donation. Yes, a donation. By now going to the last link you have now realized by going to the website that the company is a non-profit and the magazine payment goes to a Charity of your choice?!?! AMAZING!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Department of Peace
As I admit that the ideas in this post are in no way original, I find them extremely pertinent to a world and country so focused on war and struggle.
I recently attended a conference at Webster University led by a man who possibly no better embodies a sustainable, peaceful, pragmatic lifestyle: Satish Kumar. (Please follow this link to one of the most eloquent publications which Kumar is and has been the editor for the past 30 years called Resurgence.) During this conference, the speakers stood in front of us and talked very clearly and passionately about Kumar's three word mantra: Soil, Society, and Soul. In short, he and his movement towards a more equal, sustainable, peaceful world supports a sustainable earth, an equal society, and a spiritual faith no matter what particular religious faith. One man particularly impressed the crowd and gave the final speech: Dennis Kucinich. I had heard a little bit about this humanitarian, environmental politician running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination; however, I knew very little about him. Then my ears perked up as he introduced an idea to me that I believe is worthy of discussion.
Kucinich and many others in this country and around the world are in favor of introducing a Department of Peace. The argument is that the U.S. has a Department of Defense (aka Department of War and Defense of the State). I urge you all to go read the bill that he has attempted to introduce into Congress multiple times. Here is the meet of the issue.
"The United States was founded on hope, optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We can once again become a beacon of hope for the world. To do that, we must reject the current administration's policies of fear, suspicion, and preemptive war. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal to establish a Department of Peace. This is the idea to make nonviolence an organizing principle at home and abroad and dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties. Violence and war are not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable." (Source: Kucinich.us )
What would happen if we as a nation were to move this idea from an ideal to a reality? I end this blog post with one more idea to answer the aforementioned question: WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE NEVER TRY.
I do want to add that I believe Kucinich would have been too idealistic to be President of the United States; however, his ideas have the possibility of being revolutionary for the greater good of humanity.
I recently attended a conference at Webster University led by a man who possibly no better embodies a sustainable, peaceful, pragmatic lifestyle: Satish Kumar. (Please follow this link to one of the most eloquent publications which Kumar is and has been the editor for the past 30 years called Resurgence.) During this conference, the speakers stood in front of us and talked very clearly and passionately about Kumar's three word mantra: Soil, Society, and Soul. In short, he and his movement towards a more equal, sustainable, peaceful world supports a sustainable earth, an equal society, and a spiritual faith no matter what particular religious faith. One man particularly impressed the crowd and gave the final speech: Dennis Kucinich. I had heard a little bit about this humanitarian, environmental politician running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination; however, I knew very little about him. Then my ears perked up as he introduced an idea to me that I believe is worthy of discussion.
Kucinich and many others in this country and around the world are in favor of introducing a Department of Peace. The argument is that the U.S. has a Department of Defense (aka Department of War and Defense of the State). I urge you all to go read the bill that he has attempted to introduce into Congress multiple times. Here is the meet of the issue.
"The United States was founded on hope, optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We can once again become a beacon of hope for the world. To do that, we must reject the current administration's policies of fear, suspicion, and preemptive war. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal to establish a Department of Peace. This is the idea to make nonviolence an organizing principle at home and abroad and dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties. Violence and war are not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable." (Source: Kucinich.us )
What would happen if we as a nation were to move this idea from an ideal to a reality? I end this blog post with one more idea to answer the aforementioned question: WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE NEVER TRY.
I do want to add that I believe Kucinich would have been too idealistic to be President of the United States; however, his ideas have the possibility of being revolutionary for the greater good of humanity.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Political Politics???
It is absolutely amazing that our country will finally come out and vote in unprecedented numbers in a few weeks! I have a sense of national pride for the first time in at least 8 years and really appreciate the fact that my national pride is back. How is it back? The answer is one word: Obama.
Over the past few years I have had the chance to hear Senator Barack Obama three times in a live setting and each time was similarly life changing! Each time Obama spoke "to me" I received a distinct feeling up my spine that I get right after I write a new piano song. This kind of inspiration has driven me to never doubt the sincere hope and unwaivering integrity that I believe this unique man to possess.
You will hopefully not hear me (or read me haha) saying that John McCain is a terrible man. In fact, I believe that he is inherently a wonderful person; except for the fact that he is a puppet for a mudslinging campaign that makes him look like a poor individual when he really is not. In short, I agree with a friend who recently said that McCain's campaign ruined the image that their candidate had made for himself by the desperate, erradic measures they have taken recently.
Mudslinging....hmmm mudslinging. I do not agree with the fashion in which McCain and Palin do it. Nor do I agree with the ways Obama retaliates at times. PICK UP THE OVERALL INTEGRITY OF POLITICS PEOPLE!
I do not and will never accept the stupid excuse: "It's politics. It's ok to do that. After all, it works, sadly." I believe human beings to be inherently good until they are shaped by their surroundings to be otherwise. The social pressures to adopt a specific doctrine whether it is from your parents or from "your political party" can be things we do not have to take so seriously. Have opinions but never lose a sense of perspective.
Which leads me to my last point this morning: having a world perspective. Having traveled to the 11 countries I have been to so far in my short life, I have realized how impressively important it is to understand other countries. Not only should we be traveling to other countries, but I sincerely believe we should be participating in the societies and cultures on a more personal level. Speak to those people reading in a plaza. Smile at others when they smile. Eat on the streets with the locals.
This is the way my thought expands from one idea to another. This blog post went from politics to traveling. There you have it.
Over the past few years I have had the chance to hear Senator Barack Obama three times in a live setting and each time was similarly life changing! Each time Obama spoke "to me" I received a distinct feeling up my spine that I get right after I write a new piano song. This kind of inspiration has driven me to never doubt the sincere hope and unwaivering integrity that I believe this unique man to possess.
You will hopefully not hear me (or read me haha) saying that John McCain is a terrible man. In fact, I believe that he is inherently a wonderful person; except for the fact that he is a puppet for a mudslinging campaign that makes him look like a poor individual when he really is not. In short, I agree with a friend who recently said that McCain's campaign ruined the image that their candidate had made for himself by the desperate, erradic measures they have taken recently.
Mudslinging....hmmm mudslinging. I do not agree with the fashion in which McCain and Palin do it. Nor do I agree with the ways Obama retaliates at times. PICK UP THE OVERALL INTEGRITY OF POLITICS PEOPLE!
I do not and will never accept the stupid excuse: "It's politics. It's ok to do that. After all, it works, sadly." I believe human beings to be inherently good until they are shaped by their surroundings to be otherwise. The social pressures to adopt a specific doctrine whether it is from your parents or from "your political party" can be things we do not have to take so seriously. Have opinions but never lose a sense of perspective.
Which leads me to my last point this morning: having a world perspective. Having traveled to the 11 countries I have been to so far in my short life, I have realized how impressively important it is to understand other countries. Not only should we be traveling to other countries, but I sincerely believe we should be participating in the societies and cultures on a more personal level. Speak to those people reading in a plaza. Smile at others when they smile. Eat on the streets with the locals.
This is the way my thought expands from one idea to another. This blog post went from politics to traveling. There you have it.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
हप्पिनेस Happiness
How do we stay consistently happy every day and every moment?
I have recently been thinking a lot about happiness. To simplify a complex issue, I have realized that being happy is a decision that we make everyday.
Is it a decision that we make every moment? If we make the decision to be happy in the beginning of the day do we stay happy throughout the day? Or do we need to make the decision every few hours?
I love other languages so sometimes my titles will be in other languages. This one is in Hindi in honor of one man from whom I get most of my inspiration to live a more loving, tolerant, respectful life.
I have recently been thinking a lot about happiness. To simplify a complex issue, I have realized that being happy is a decision that we make everyday.
Is it a decision that we make every moment? If we make the decision to be happy in the beginning of the day do we stay happy throughout the day? Or do we need to make the decision every few hours?
I love other languages so sometimes my titles will be in other languages. This one is in Hindi in honor of one man from whom I get most of my inspiration to live a more loving, tolerant, respectful life.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
An introduction of sorts
As there is something innately egotistical about the new era of blogging that our flat and ever-so-flattening world has emerged into, I find a desire and need to share my own thoughts with those people who may be interested. I only ask that you enjoy and question what I say as I sincerely believe in what Socrates said: "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance."
It is our moral responsibility to all mankind to always be seeking knowledge and consequently diminish our ignorance.
This first blog post introduces my thoughts and hopefully sets the stage for my following posts. Living aware is an idea I got from studying Buddhism for a short amount of time. A paramount ideal for Buddhists is to always be increasingly aware of things around you both physically and spiritually. "The greatest precept is continual awareness."
Being a man trying to realize a clearer faith in God every day, I am always struggling to gain a broader sense of awareness, a "continual awareness." One of my greatest goals is that those reading this will attempt in their own lives to continually strive to be aware on a deeper level than simply noticing the happenings around you.
I perceive it as quite ironic that some of my most lucid moments have occurred when I was dreaming. Hence, the other half of the title of this blog, Open Eyes, relates to much more than simply having ones' eyes physically open. I am referring to keeping our perspectives open to differences that might make us want to close our eyes. Obviously I am speaking metaphorically here and referring to closing our eyes as shutting off the uncomfortable or unfamiliar instead of trying to understand it more clearly.
In an attempt to maintain the reader's attention here, I will pause my thoughts (which is not possible actually), and leave these little "thought seeds" to germinate and grow.
Feel free to become a "Follower" of this blog as I am not writing this for only myself but for the possibility that others might find it helpful as well.
I will leave this post with a quote from a wonderful collections of books which I read often yet do not take literally 100% of the time, The Bible. Jesus is quoted in the book of Mark as saying, "And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened."
So I pass on this revolutionary idea to you: Ephphatha.
It is our moral responsibility to all mankind to always be seeking knowledge and consequently diminish our ignorance.
This first blog post introduces my thoughts and hopefully sets the stage for my following posts. Living aware is an idea I got from studying Buddhism for a short amount of time. A paramount ideal for Buddhists is to always be increasingly aware of things around you both physically and spiritually. "The greatest precept is continual awareness."
Being a man trying to realize a clearer faith in God every day, I am always struggling to gain a broader sense of awareness, a "continual awareness." One of my greatest goals is that those reading this will attempt in their own lives to continually strive to be aware on a deeper level than simply noticing the happenings around you.
I perceive it as quite ironic that some of my most lucid moments have occurred when I was dreaming. Hence, the other half of the title of this blog, Open Eyes, relates to much more than simply having ones' eyes physically open. I am referring to keeping our perspectives open to differences that might make us want to close our eyes. Obviously I am speaking metaphorically here and referring to closing our eyes as shutting off the uncomfortable or unfamiliar instead of trying to understand it more clearly.
In an attempt to maintain the reader's attention here, I will pause my thoughts (which is not possible actually), and leave these little "thought seeds" to germinate and grow.
Feel free to become a "Follower" of this blog as I am not writing this for only myself but for the possibility that others might find it helpful as well.
I will leave this post with a quote from a wonderful collections of books which I read often yet do not take literally 100% of the time, The Bible. Jesus is quoted in the book of Mark as saying, "And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened."
So I pass on this revolutionary idea to you: Ephphatha.
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