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Turnaround

One may lament the closing of some bookstores nationwide., specifically, the closure of big chains such as Barnes and Noble and Borders. The lament may come from the sympathy that may feel for the employees: surely they will lose their jobs. Although a study say that there is a noticeable rise in reading in America- based on e-books purchases through Amazon Kindle and other brands, the difficulty of losing is a job is very disheartening. One can infer that most bookstore employees are introverted and socially awkward. They might consider their work as a fortress, and now such fortress is being corrupted by economic failure, weak sales and steep rent prices. One could hope that they could find a fortress not in the form of unemployment benefits.

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Richard Arum, author of Academically Adrift, posits how college students are not learning from colleges in America. As the Huffingtonpost reports:"The research of more than 2,300 undergraduates found 45 percent of students show no significant improvement in the key measures of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years."
One might say:"Oh how the mighty have fallen." The US before was King of everything, and now, the US lagging behind its Asian counterparts. Others might say that the cause of this is the dumbing down of Americans. Nevertheless, the US is not the best anymore.

McVictimization Begins

McVictimization Begins

The McVictim Syndrome may pertain to the finger-pointing tendencies people do to feel good about themselves. It seems to provide people solace that factors beyond their control are causing their misfortune. One of the classic examples is the obesity epidemic the Americans are going through. David Grazer who coined the term in an article he wrote for the LA Times cites that as long as Americans think that their obesity is someone else's fault, therefore, it is someone else's problems to solve.

One can imagine how childish the coping mechanisms of most Americans. The fact that they rely on false pretenses, and to displaced the blame to other causes seems to be pathetic.

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Ana Jordan, a PhD psychologist from Stanford University, led a study
that facebooking makes people sadder. The premise of this study stems from the notion that facebook users overestimate others people's happiness. Slate.com goes in depth in this study.

In one of the Stanford studies, Jordan and his fellow researchers asked 80 freshmen to report whether they or their peers had recently experienced various negative and positive emotional events. Time and again, the subjects underestimated how many negative experiences (“had a distressing fight," "felt sad because they missed people") their peers were having. They also overestimated how much fun (“going out with friends,” “attending parties") these same peers were having.

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Planned obsolescence pertains to the mechanism of products that are designed to fail. This does not pertain to the normal wear and tear of the product. Planned obsolescence appears to provide a death-date for the product, sometimes in a span of 12-18 months, in order for the company to welcome and sell the new product easily. One of the many examples is the selling of the first generation Iphone. Within the span of 12 to 18 months, there goes the much bolder, much hipper and much cooler Iphone 2nd generation. Apparently, the main purpose is for profits to soar once companies unveiled a new product. Sharon Beder, a visiting professorial fellow at the University of Wollongong, wrote in 1998: "Is planned obsolescence socially responsible?", one can infer that planned obsolescence negates social responsibility.


•work cited•
Planned obsolescence: http://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/columns/engcol8.html

Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/

Mc Victim Syndrome: http://www.newser.com/story/107139/mcvictim-syndrome-helps-keep-americans-fat.html

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.