A deluge of blessings

12/23/2010 -California was purged with almost two weeks of rain, but that it seems to have not stopped the consumerist behavior of people. The rain departed last Thursday, but the chilling December cold still linger. As mentioned above, despite these seeming obstacles, consumerism is still king. Parking lots are bombarded with signs: “lot full." One of possible reasons to have offline shopping spree during this holiday season: the notion of markdown prices and sales. What most people do not seem to notice is the markdown prices are only part of a plan: fool the consumers that they are getting deep discounts when on fact they are paying for regular prices.

One may say to let it rain with deep pocketed discounts. Let people buy things they do not need. Let them be consumers for the profits of big time corporations. In the long run, the true core of having an esteemed self is measured by the things you own and possess. Seemingly, this is the trend of what most people, and people like it because it is very superficial and shallow.

12/31/2010- Another year is at its final moments. I love how this year brought awakenings and insights. I love how each occasion spend with family and friends turned into meaningful meanderings and strengthen the very core of each relationships. Mostly, I am very grateful for God's blessings of good health, devoid of illness and malady. I hope He would continue to bless me, my family and friends, and I am sure he would. Have a Happy New Year Everyone!

The Slaughter of 46 million birds

The Slaughter of 46 million birds

So here comes the last Thursday for the month of November. Most people would go into a frenzy of cooking-dom, while most would pursue the generic grocery laden meals. The previous posts in this blog about the arguable “Native American Oppression Day still stands. The writer would not change his position about the lies that most history teachers told the student. Please refer to the James W. Loewen book should bloggers need to read this book.

One of the many aspects that people may look into is to how would the food industry be able to keep up with the demands to the culture of gluttony during this holiday season. Slate.com raises some valid points that what people eat now during the holiday are part of the genetically modified food products. In July 2010, The National, Poplulation Of The United States Of America is 309, 059, 724. One can say that it could be more. So how would the food industry keep up with the food demand?

Nina Shen Rastogi and Michelle Tsai, Slate.com columnists, reports:“Major commercial turkey brands, like Butterball, Hormel, and Cargill, produce two kinds of whole bird: frozen and fresh. Turkeys destined for the freezer are produced year-round—once these birds reach the proper size and weight, they're slaughtered and blast-frozen at minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point they can be stored all year in preparation for the holiday poultry frenzy.”

It is also interesting to know that Rastoji and Tsai estimates 46 million turkeys in America will be victims of this moveable feast. One can attribute the legalization of the massive and yearly turkey slaughter to Lincoln. By 1863, when Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday (Rastoji and Tsai , 2010), and turkeys took center stage to be the the star on the holiday dinner table.

Owed Ownership

Ownership seems to be a muffled concept in this country. One may often wonder if people really own the stuff they buy. House ownership seems to be comparable to leasing. Although one may claim a house as a tax deductible, the person may not own a house until 30 years later. Hence, this is one of the many examples.

The housing may have brought upon some redefining of responsibility. Slate V covered a piece regarding homeowners on the brink of foreclosures. The video podcast communicates on how foreclosure candidates are appealing to the government that they need financial aid; since the the government gave economic stimulus to big corporations. One may have said: if they had been an adult enough to responsibly not buy houses they cannot afford, then they would have not been on the housing mess. OH, the lessons of the times, but where is Change

Cerebral Faux Pas

Cerebral Faux Pas

One might say that those people who consider movies as the source of things intellectual and wise ---- are people who are victims of Hollywood propaganda. A Hollywood propaganda may pertain to objects or events aim to elicit profits from unsuspecting consumers. For instance, AMC has special screenings for old movies--- The Exorcist with never before seen footage, director commentaries. The ad emphasizes that it is a very rare event, and leaves the impression that people should not miss it. Who would care about old stuff from the movie studios vault? It seems hard to find time to watch the feature film itself, let alone find time for special features. One could guess that it is fair game when it comes to dubious marketing. All things be damned, in the holy name of profits.
One can say that it is hard to find a diversion--- a catharsis-- a break from the quotidian scenes of daily life.

Sometimes, people are realizing that TV or cinema are the quickest escape. Such scape can become so humdrum. Humdrum that people appears to be mesmerized by the flicker and sounds of the screen, and that would only be their priorities at the end of the day-- humans are slaves to the flickering box.

Mean Merchandise

Mean Merchandise


One can get lost when one would fall sheep to the marketing strategy of companies. For instance, vitaminwater made unwarranted claims. Jed Shlackman reports from “The Examiner” that from the makers of Coca Cola. . The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit stipulates that that Coca Cola has been making false health claims for this bottled beverage. VitaminWater includes about 33 grams of sugar in each bottle. One can consider this as more than the recommended daily allowance for sugar.

The Federal Judge presiding over the case reported that "At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage. One may may hold this defense as an unreasonable excuse from the company. .

Another example one can notice the proliferation of shower gels for men. Scott Graf reports that last year more American brought more bottled water than traditional bar soaps. Companies would want this, because it is a more lucrative – shower gels and body washes are more expensive even though almost 2/3 of it consist mostly of water.
Because of the brilliant marketing and an appeal to sex and masculinity, people would fall like a tamed sheep to the shepherd of the manipulative marketing ploy. This practice has been going on for a long time, which make it excusable, profitable and lucrative. This writer would not want to preach to a flock of lost sheep who follows and abides to the aforementioned ploy. Arguably, the one using almost 60% of water and 40% of soap are the patrons of body washes

◙ ◙ ◙

Richard Louv identified a phenomenon called Nature Deficit Disorder. It refers to the increasing tendency to spend very little time outdoors in the open countryside. The contention is that today's kids do not play and interact with nature in the way that their parents did, instead spending most of their leisure time inside. Richard Louv appeals to the conten that television seems to take and steal viewers time, while nature regenerates the experience with much less distractions and utter simplicity.




Work Cited:

http://www.examiner.com/x-12517-Miami-Holistic-Health-Examiner~y2010m8d9-As-Miami-Heat-star-promotes-CocaColas-VitaminWater-CSPI-sues-to-challenge-false-product-claims

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/nature-deficit-disorder.html

Defend the Fan-boys

Defend the Fan-boys

The sporadic blogger shares the same sentiments towards the notion that Apple Fan boys are similar to Obama supporters, in terms of close-mindedness. For instance, people already know about the Iphone 4 death grip. This term, as coined by the blogger community, pertains to a manner where one would hold the phone (specifically, left-handed people) and it would suddenly drop calls or lose its signal. One can thank the meticulous and solicitous marketing strategy of Apple, unsuspecting consumers already took some bites, and the phone is still a product some people desire.

One could also guess that Obama supporters are also products of meticulous marketing. For instance, during the week when Obama's approval rating hits record low, the mainstream media dabbled on newsworthy topics such as Lindsay Lohan trial and Lebron James team transfer. Such extended coverages to the two topics would indeed bespeak of the people's priority of major issues.

One may say that the two groups of people have similarities, and it seems that they are anastamosed for the right causes. People should give accolades to these to groups. They seem to declare close-mindedness as a “cheval-de-frise” to a cavalry of a more cognizant opinion.

Definition:

cheval-de-frise

▸ noun: defensive structure consisting of a movable obstacle composed of barbed wire or spikes attached to a wooden frame; used to obstruct cavalry

Source: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Plunking Priorities

Most people, specifically women, seem to have bizarre priorities nowadays. They seem to desire things such as cosmetic surgeries, fancy cars, diamonds, purses and any other similar items. It seems that these items define womanhood, and without such items, their lives will be empty. This seems to be the virtue of materialism. One can relatively blame it to shows such as Sex in the City, where, one of the many central themes of this series is to acquire and possess, be it men and/or materials. Arguably, this is how shallow priorities have become. All for the name of feminism.

One may surmise that a scene from Jack & Bobby episode, “A Man of Faith” communicates on how the culture of superficiality can dumb down women.

“I still believe you were unfair to me that day. You judged me superficially. You look at me, and you see an oppressed Muslim woman, forced to cover her head by a misogynistic and backwards culture. That's what you meant; you see me as a victim. I don't think you see my choice in all of this...

You know, there are two girls in my hall who are anorexic, one has breasts implants, and two others are considering surgery either to their body or their face. All of them obsess over their weight and their clothes and their looks. This is what your culture does to women. It suggests ideals they'll never attain, and when they fail to attain them, tells them they're worthless. You talk about my conditioning, but what you don't understand is that I am a feminist, just like you, and this is part of that. This is me saying “no" to all of the ways your culture tries to exploit me. This is me saying “yes" to my religion, and my god, not "no" to being liberated. I am liberated. “

One may have change ideals, but one could hope that it would not be mindless beliefs that are ephemeral and transient.

Celebrity Nurse

I assume different roles in the Definitive Observation Unit: nurse, counselor, advocate, helper, engineer etc. I spent most days like a protagonist defending patients against forces of Infection, Illness, and Debilitation. The patients can be critical on some days. But today was a Sunday, and the day was probably flowing smoothly. As I was cleaning a patient's ordure, and exquisitely wrapping it in chux (disposable underpads); a patient on the other bed requested: "Can you change the channel to the Oscars?"
I muttered to myself: "It is the time of the year again. It is the time of overpaid movie studios, glitzy celebrities, and the red carpet." Arguably, audiences regard criticisms during the Oscars as undisputed doctrines of fashion. The ridicule for pieces of clothing serves as a national pastime in the US. Do I really have to subject myself to this kind of shallowness?

My contempt towards celebrities may stem from the premise: "I labored and travailed 4 years for college, read over 30,000 pages of nursing books, and this some 20-year old celebrity who scantily read a book, only knows how to mimic lines, gets media attention everyday and earns probably 100 times than my annual salary." In the long run, I should be more stellar than celebrities. I should be the one walking that red carpet, paparazzis taking my snapshots, and interviewers requesting for my sound bytes.

The nursing profession has taught me skills to endure the job of a Hollywood star. I have to smile even if a patient has been calling repeatedly for piddling tasks every 15 minutes. I have to remain calm during code situations, whether it be a code blue, code gray etc. I have to learn the art of eating my lunch while receiving reports, doctors orders, and instructions. I can be interrupted many times, and still have my train of thought intact. Richard Harter opines that nurses can detect the odor of different diarrhea types, and I am able to do as such. Lastly, I can change my perspective on almost anything, no matter how bleak, can seem humorous eventually.I guess these traits are tantamount to patience, professionalism, and optimism.
I contend that these traits: patience, professionalism, and optimism are the characteristics that makes a stellar nurse. Arguably, a celebrity cannot have all three traits. If they do, celebrities would not spend millions on rehab, would not splurge on anti-depressants, and would not need a comeback to seek redemption. I am a nurse and those (patience, professionalism, and optimism) are what makes me stellar.
Nurses are the stellar celebrities of the hospital. In the meantime, I have to dispose the ordure, wash my hands, and tell the other patient in the room: "Sure, let me finish this and I will change the channel for you, " conveyed with a smile. I guess patience, professionalism, and optimism are working in progress.

The Sporadic Blogger Pilot: Redefining Revolution

The Sporadic Blogger Pilot: Redefining Revolution

The sporadic blogger  thinks that people need someone to dictate  what is good, hip and sexy. Most people would leave this burden to the corporate companies who are raking money from  the cottage industry companies may have created. One obvious example is the birth of the Ipad. This is a revolutionary device because it only do one task at a time. It is a revolutionary device because it does not support flash. It is revolutionary because the Ipad is awkward to use when one has to do word processing, spreadsheets, excels and other productivity tasks. It is revolutionary because the task one can do on the Ipad, are easily done and more on a regular PC. It is revolutionary because as Antone Gonsalves, Information Week columnist, communicates that the components and other materials used in building the low-end 16 GB, Wi-Fi-only iPad cost Apple $250.60. Add manufacturing costs, and the device cost $259.60. It is revolutionary because Apple profits 50% on every Ipad sold, and it is revolutionary because Apple made the Ipad.

The sporadic blogger notices that the notion that early adopters of the Ipad are slaves to the great and mighty marketing and spinning techniques of a company with the hidden dubbed motto: "Be evil." This is a very noble notion. As the sporadic blogger communicate on the first paragraph, people would like companies to dictate and proselytize what is good, hip, and sexy. Apple devices are tools for world domination, marketing and deception are its masters. It seems that most companies are adapting to the new revolution that Apple establishes with the Ipad. Few example of the revolution may  anti-multitasking, anti-flash support, anti-productivity. This is the new revolution, and it is the Absolute right thing.

The Ipad revolution is one of the many example that most people are slaves to a corporation to whom they consider as an unerring demigod.The sporadic blogger thinks that people submitting themselves to a company is beneficial. After all, thinking for oneself has arguably run out of supply.

Posthumanism

Posthumanism

One may define posthumanism as a philosophy which views seizing the opportunity to modify and enhance human nature in ways that include the deceleration or arresting of aging, genetic engineering, the bodily introduction of nanotechnology and cybernetics (Post, 2005). The lives of people today would seem to have dependence and interdependence toward technology. For instance, most people can not imagine themselves living today without their smartphones. Another example would include the deceleration of aging. Most beauty conscious people seem to be pre-occupied with which anti-aging creams works best. Ever heard the phrase: “it works best while you sleep?” These simple alterations would begin in basic steps to great leaping action. In this regard, the modified being because of alterations would not be considered human anymore. Simply put, posthumanism would seem to be the belief that humans are not humans anymore because they delve and altered the nature of their being through nanotechnology, computer dependence, and the like.

Some people maybe oblivious that they are supporting posthumanism. For instance, one may say that the “Genius” feature in the Ipod would seem to illustrate the dependence of humans to technology. Before, people depend on a DJ to mix and determine the order of the songs. Now, people would depend on a computer program and algorithm to determine which music they want to be played. Such dependence with the Genius technology can be a support to posthumanism. The very replacement of a disk jockey to a computer software with complex algorithm is one of the manifestations.

One of the many ethical issues posthumanism might raise is the alteration at conception and childbirth. In the future, majority of the people may want their children to have the genes of a genius class topnotcher with the built of a varsity player or a cheerleader. The issue that might arise: to what point it is augmentation, and to what point is it the meddling with nature? One may have a point to correct a gene of a Down syndrome, or the genes that would make a person diabetic in the future. It seems that the science fiction stories of long ago are in the process of their fruition.

Post (2005) asserts that technology is not inherently evil. It is a tool that people should use wisely. One can add that post humanism would seem to bastardize and the identity of the human beings, because, after all the alteration and modifications, arguably, the person is not the person himself, but the new product of the technology and augmentation. Posthumanists can not decelerate aging forever, death and decomposition is inevitable. Up to what point posthumanists would forestall the inevitable?






Work Cited:


Post, S.. (2005). Posthumanism. In Carl Mitcham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics, Vol. 3(pp. 1458-1462). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=uphoenix

Screenshot from FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/parzer/4165024168/

Happiness is...

Happiness is...

Some people consider happiness as a chore. Being happy nowadays would seem to require much effort. One may relate this state on unhappiness on Richard Schoch's assertion: "We have come to regard happiness as a sort of consumer product, the ultimate luxury item, and if only we just had enough money, we could go into the happiness store.” The mentality that happiness is a commodity where people can buy it everywhere seems to be very unfortunate. People can rectify this notion, however, this can be a very daunting task. Society bombards people with endless desire for materialism.

One may define hedonism as a the doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. People seem to hold on to a virtue that when they acquire material things, such action shall give them pleasure, ergo, happiness. One school of thought would say that hedonistic principle only gives a transient happiness. For instance, when a person buys a new television, such action shall bring him joy and pleasure, thus happiness. However, when the use of the television becomes almost as mechanical, and when a person is not even conscious that the television is new, then the pleasure is lost. It would seem that the item has lost its luster and would like just be any other item.

Seneca states: “The greatest loss of time is delay and expectation, which depend upon the future. We let go the present, which we have in our power, and look forward to that which depends upon chance, and so relinquish a certainty for an uncertainty.” One can say that this can be related the the detached view of Seneca to the world. People do not have control over the what is happening on the world. People may only change their reaction and attitudes towards what has happen. Schoch maintains that “[..] means a little bit of detachment, trying to distance yourself from all those things, and in that detachment and that distance can come a calmness, a reflective period, a moment of meditation. Seneca would call it serenity or tranquility. That, in fact, is another name for happiness."

Epicureans believe that in order to be happy, one should expect less. In return, the happiness expectation is lower. If the expectation is high, and it plans do not turn out to be, then the attempt for happiness may only end up in disappointment and frustration. This may explain why some people In poor countries are happy in simple things. Their expectation is low, because they have suffered greatly, and they seem to have an attitude to appreciate even the smallest favor done to them. In summary, one can glean that happiness is something intrinsic. It is something that requires effort intrinsically. Material things only supplies happiness in a temporary way.




Work Cited:
Richard Schoch: http://www.pri.org/arts-entertainment/books/in-search-of-the-good-life1782.html


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hedonism

From Bedded to Innovative KitKats

From Bedded to Innovative KitKats

Some people seem to want to flaunt virility. According to the Post, Biskind estimates the bedded-by-Beatty women figure at "12,775, give or take, a figure that does not include daytime quickies, drive-bys, casual gropings, stolen kisses and so on.” This seem to be an incredible statistics. One can posit that to boost morale of people under the recession-driven economy, one may grope on someone's elses sleeping behavior.



On a lighter note, the FirstPost in the UK reported that America is out of a recession. It reported that “America has officially emerged from recession, its economy expanding at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent in the three months to the end of September.” However, as of this writing, the unemployment rate as the Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts would be 10.1% or above. Surely, one can say that people are on encouraging false hopes and false epicenters of confidence. Negative publicity is negative publicity. Some people in America seem to confuse improvement with stagnancy. They also seem to mistake innovation with idleness.

One could hope that the US would follow Japan's lead in terms of innovation. For instance, an improvement in an old product would be appropriate. In Japan, the flavors of Kit Kat are numerous. There are 22 flavors as of the present. The Japanese considers KitKats as lucky charm. They find the ch chocolate brand itself is akin to the Japanese phrase kitto katsu, which roughly translates to "You will surely win!" As a result, most schoolers would bring KitKat to school as lucky charm for examination and quizzes. Nestle Japan capitalize on this obsession and innovates to improve the product. One could hope that US would do the same thing.

Here is the screen shot of the different flavored KitKats:




Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/01/how-many-women-did-warren-beatty-really-sleep-with.html

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/55381,business,us-out-of-recession-but-its-too-early-to-celebrate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14399606@N05/2315251961/