Knowledge.

"It's not what you know, but how much other people think you know" - Zuha Jeddy


A quote from a conversation with my friend the other night.  An interesting thought, do you agree with it?

Beauty of Language.

Language offers us the sublime ability to communicate, express and convey ideas that would otherwise be left unspoken.  Unquestionably, language was crucial to the creation of society.  There is no way in which human society could exist without speech.  Language in its most basic and innocent form offers nothing more than the foundations of trust between individuals, and creates many invaluable relationships that prove vital in order to attain a fulfilling life.  One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life and it is therefore essential that they should not let one down.  It is only when society becomes more complex that language remains unable to sustain its integrity and sincerity.  It has long been known that language, like any other form human invention, can be abused, can be turned from its original purpose to something useless or even deadly, it is in the instinct of humanity to exploit what we presently possess and alter its preliminary intention into something more suited to our specific needs. In society today, language is seen as a sharp tool used recklessly to get what we aspire to obtain. It is used against those gullible, those who gain significantly from hearing what they want to hear. In “Genesis,” Eve is reluctant to consume the fruit, but the serpent says to her, “you will not die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing goods and evil – Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals,” this quote from a historical account magnifies the danger of deception and its ability to entrap victims. It forewarns its readers about the consequences of lying, even persuading people against their own integrity to fulfill certain things that they would otherwise not do. In close-knit societies, language was safeguarded by the intimacy shared between the inhabitants of a group. Nowadays, the simplicity of intimacy no longer exists; the revolution of technology has replaced the need to converse in person. The beauty of communication has been abandoned and remains to be seen as nothing more than the source of gossip. Words that once carried meaning and weight have now become worthless and habituated, if we could only strip the layers of manipulation and deceit, maybe we could determine the verity from the falsehood, until then, how do we decipher lies from truth?

Dishonesty.

Dishonesty in advertising has proved to be one of the most common tactics employed in order to generate substantial consumer interest.  When scanning through the various media vehicles used to communicate with the consumers, it is apparent that society is constantly being bombarded with deceptive sales and advertising messages.  Words play a substantial emotional role in the persuasion process, and advertisers use this knowledge to manipulate consumers to buy products that are misleading or otherwise do not contain any of the intended benefits.  Roland Marchand states that, “advertisers left readers to assume that they could gain the same satisfactions of exclusiveness from belonging to the four million as had once been savoured by the four hundred,” they winnow the idea that you will be more valuable by purchasing the product. This constant stream of propaganda targets the common man who aspires to be a superior being, or part of a modern aristocracy. The emphasis of the exterior rather than interior elements creates this materialist society. Through the careful message element selection, advertisers are able to focus on the benefits of their product rather than its faults, in other words, they tell the consumer what they want to hear.  To the capitalist this is not considered dishonesty, rather, it is a way of making profit with every transaction at the least cost. Steve Craig also identified that, “the advertisers of some products simply wish to have their commercials seen by the largest number of consumers at the lowest cost.”   However, the definition of trust is one in which we openly reveal our weaknesses to others with the belief that they will not take advantage, so, clearly this is an act of dishonesty. Society is now at war with the growing ranks of commerce. If we are to ever free ourselves of Frankenstein’s monster, we must eliminate the need to lie otherwise the very foundations of society will dissolve beneath us.

Coupon.

I came across this coupon today, and being the nice person I am I've decided to share with all of you out there.

So as you all know, Halloween is only round the corner, meaning it's time to get started and look for that perfect costume.  Go to the link below to buy a $30 gift card to CostumeExpress.com for only $15.  They have over 1,000 costumes to chose from, so you are definitely not going to be limited in choice.  Don't wait until the last minute and discover that all the costumes you want are either sold out or not your size, meaning you are stuck wearing last years (again).

Hurry, this offer is limited in time.

http://livingsocial.com/deals/10402?ref=email-jp&rpi=1589797

Surround Sound.

   Before. 

After.

Somehow my creative juices are always in endless supply when I am supposed to be studying.  Life is so much better with Surround Sound.

Cows. Pigs. Wars. & Witches.

I have just started to read a politically driven book for my Sociology class called Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The riddles of culture.  The book consists of a number of short entries that attempt to eliminate preconceived notions and explain human action in greater detail.  The entries consist of Mother Cow, Pig Love and Pig Hate, Primitive Warfare and the Savage Male.  Without going into too much detail, I will try to justify how these taboos serve as practical purposes rather than hindrances.  I am sure that most of you have met or know someone that won't eat beef, for the fact that cows are seen as scared creatures in their religion.  Most of us think that such a taboo is ludicrous but I shall attempt to portray the other side of the story.

Firstly, Hindus consider the cow to be a symbol of everything that is alive, just as Christians view Christ as sacred, so from this stance it perfect makes sense as to why Hindus wouldn't want to eat cows.  Many economists deem cow worship as the primary reason for India's hunger and poverty but without the cow many would be unable to live.  Oxen are the principle source of traction for their versatility and ruggedness. A shortage of oxen would mean having to rent or borrow from others, but this presents inefficiency problems, for if they miss the monsoon rain the farmers will be unable to plough their fields and transport their crops to market causing even greater hunger.  So, as you can see, cows are like factories, a low energy substitute that produce oxen instead of tractors and milk to feed humans.  

Secondly, cows are able to carry out functions of the petrochemical industry, their excrement's serve as valuable sources of fertilizer, heat for cooking and household flooring material.  The farmers refusal to sell decrepit cows to the slaughter house have long term beneficial implications.  During droughts and famines, farmers are inevitably tempted to kill and sell animals, but once again, when the rain decides to fall, they will be unable to plough their feels, resulting in greater hunger.  The farmer would rather eat his cow than starve, but that he will starve if he does eat it.  Useless animals during good times is part of the price that must be paid for protecting useful animals against slaughter in the long run.

Many say that the answer to India's problem would be a beef production factory, however a rise in beef production would only strain the ecosystem, and switching croplands to meat would result in higher food prices and deterioration of living. I'm sure most of you are saying that cows intensify hunger in India by feeding off the farmers cropland, but here's the thing; the cow is a scavenger and is not in competition with humans for land.  As you can see, cattle perform vital functions for which substitutes are not readily available.

Cow love mobilizes the latent capacity of humans to preserve in low energy ecosystems in which there is little room for waste.  This demonstrates the adaptive resilience of the human population by preserving temporarily dry and barren but still useful animals, by discouraging the growth of energy expensive beef industry, by protecting cattle that fatten up in the public domain and by preserving the recovery potential of the cattle population during droughts and famines.

The most surprising thing I learnt is that India makes more efficient use of its cattle than the U.S.  Waste is something of modern societies.

So love cows, don't hate on them.

Wax animals

This just happens to be my new found hobby, creating animal shapes (preferably ducks) out of burning hot candle wax.  It proves to be greatly entertaining, despite a few minor burns and blisters. I guess you could say it is creative, or just plain nonsense. Maybe if I continue to practice, one day I'll be good enough to work at Madame Tussaudes Wax Museum. Does anyone else have any weird hobbies that they would like to share?   

Everything in Moderation.

It was hard to hear my friend, makeup smudged by her tears and her once confident self image shattered by two hurtful words, one included ‘fat.’ I am an avid yahoo article reader and today an article came to my attention ‘5 signs you have bad-fitting jeans.’ What happened to loving the way you are? I agree in this day and age we have aimed campaigns at raising awareness for obesity, but is society taking our gullible, weak self images to the extreme? Some of the effects of unrealistic fashion features and ‘it’ models raise the ugly head of insecurity. It is horrendous when we see obese teenagers, but when it comes to women or girls in particular, society is excessively scornful. I am afraid that contemporary culture will raise an army of excessive human beings. What happened to moderation? Like the great Greek philosopher Aristotle who stated that our mission in life is to find a perfect balance between extremity and moderation, and that to find a perfect balance we must enjoy our cake and eat it too. That doesn’t mean that you don’t eat the cake, nor does it mean you take a second slice. It means what it means. A study in Canada showed that more than 27% of the teenage girl population had eating disorders, is that not a startling figure? The simple reason why people indulge in such extremities – skinny and obese is because the media sends contradictory images to our generation. First we are told that we must love your curves, but when our role models are found leaving the plastic surgeons clinic and the models that wear the clothes we are supposed to buy are wearing a size zero, what are we meant to think? Girls, it’s not about what you look like, its about enjoying life, accepting the ideology of moderation, and making sure that if you are hungry you eat, and when you are full, you stop. Discipline, moderation and confidence are key

Animals are not ours.

Animals are not ours to eat. Animals are not ours to wear. Animals are not ours to experiment on. Animals are not ours to use for entertainment. Animals are not ours to exploit.

PETA shouts these words to congressmen every day, so why don’t seem to take notice? I myself am a fervent animal activist; I fight for what is right, or what I perceive to be fair, just and equal. Maybe animals aren’t humans, maybe they don’t own fabulous mansions in L.A nor do they speak English or financially contribute to the economy, but they are alive, they are living and that means they are important and should be respected. I have seen some of the most violent images of animals being slaughtered in the abattoirs and tested on in labs, for ultimately nothing but human gain and pleasure - the truth many prefer to ignore. But, unfortunately it is happening, and will continue to happen if we don't impose some moral standards.  Humans were blessed with the ability to think, and although this was probably intended for good, the bad usually has a way of showing up. Some people support animal testing and some do not, but one question I pose is why do we implant such brutal treatments upon creatures that have no ability to speak up – to fight? Many humans themselves are inhumane, society breeds heartless people each day. When people are murdered in farway nations, our own armies rush to mobilize and cast their own aggression upon the attacker, so why are we not taking action against the aggressor of animal cruelty? 


It is difficult to decipher why there are countless rules in place for the protection of human rights, but very limited, if none to protect the rights of animals.  


This is where I believe the problem lies:
- Say for instance a man was punched in the face, he would feel pain and know that he had fallen victim to a form of physical assault
- If this man then walked over to the aggressors house, & kicked his dog - how would he respond?
- The aggressor would be angry that the man had kicked HIS dog (property) rather than be concerned for the pain the dog is feeling, for we all know the famous myth "dogs don't have very good memory," so doesn't really matter, right? 


What I am trying to say is that we objectify animals as belonging to the human race, the problem is there is no formal contract declaring this ownership.  It is of human nature to exhaust to deplete and control all the resources on this planet due to our ever increasing greed - but this is wrong, maybe if we could learn be satisfied with what we have in the present, then this problem can be avoided all together.


 We chose our pets, they don't chose us, it is only luck that determines whether they will be cared for or not, but whatever the outcome, their suffering goes unheard.  Think of it as a helpless baby in a crib - does that change your perspective? 


Final thought: what would you do if you saw someone beat your family pet into pulp, or to put it nicely, mutilation?

Single.

Something I have noticed since arriving in the United States is that everyone feels the need to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. What happened to independence and free will? Maybe it is just a Texas thing but it’s been playing on my mind since I have arrived, I have even pondered on writing a formal essay about it. I have watched from friend break up with a boyfriend and get together with another within a week, break up and get with another guy who she barely likes or does not find attractive. What happened to the soul mate? Why do girls or boys satisfy themselves with an okay model of what they want? Okay, we all dream of having Megan Fox as our girlfriend or Chace Crawford for our boyfriend but honestly, why settle for mediocrity? Some of the most influential women are independent, free thinkers, unhinged from the arm or control a man. Queen Elizabeth I for example saw England through many wars and never once married. The suffragettes, were amazing women, maybe got themselves killed but proved that they could find a place in the world for themselves without a man to help them. In this day and age where we find a near equality of status between men and women in the workplace, why do we seek to confine ourselves within a sphere of domestic expectancy? Maybe I sound like a suffragette myself, but think about it? Why not focus on yourself until you bump into the right person? You have your whole life to find the one, you don’t need to settle, nor do you need to entangle yourself when you are a free thinker, when you are intelligent, when you are a motivated person.

What does this dream mean?

HELPLESS.

So, last night I had the strangest dream and being my curious self, I set as it as my mission today to unravel. Oddly enough, my dream started with the thundering sound of a helicopter *it wasn’t looking good* and suddenly like a Hollywood movie, it zoomed in onto me. There I was, strapped in wearing a parachute and no one driving the helicopter. Adrenaline is pumping furiously in my veins and suddenly I thrust myself into nothingness. Everything turns to grey as I plunge to my death when suddenly an enormous Jurassic sized bird swoops down and grabs me between its colossal beak. Like nothing had happened, I open my eyes and strangely enough I am in a maze. Yes, just like Harry Potter and I am running and running and running until I can’t run anymore and the ground suddenly opens. I cling furiously to the edge until I see the giant bird commencing its descent and so I let go. Boom! I wake up. So I sped to the library this morning and tried to decipher the meaning behind my absurd dream. I suddenly felt like Alice. The helicopter is supposed to represent success and ambition. The falling part of my adventure indicates a loss of some sort or a lack of control. The giant bird also known as a bird of prey can indicate a decline in physical health. The maze represents uncertainty, confusion and lack of direction in life. So ultimately it comes down to this: I am falling because I lack control and fail to reach my goals, then the bird means that I am declining in physical health *better get back to the gym* and finally that I need more direction. I sound like one confused person but I’ll be successful. Great.

What were they thinking,

Yesterday I found a shopping list. Although simple, it contained a couple of items that made me wonder: what were they going to be used for? While some necessities included broccoli, toothpaste and toilet paper, some were less concrete. Number 7 reminded the buyer to get some tights, had she laddered hers or was she going to go to a fabulous party? Number 15 said to purchase some reeses, I don’t know about you but reeses remind me of birthday parties, Halloween and sleepovers. So was she organizing a party for someone, or was she simply buying them for a midnight feast if she woke up from her nightmares. How old was she? Was she married, single, black or white? Was she a she or a he? Most people assume that it is the woman of the household that does the domestic chores, that includes cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and shopping for food. It made wonder so many things like, what was her name? Number 22 on her list was a book, Outliers, a rather intellectual book, so was she intelligent or just a fervent reader? Was she successful? Some things inspire thought and today it was a lost shopping list.

An investment for the future.

So at the moment my sister is busying herself with university applications. She stressed herself out over her Cambridge application to the point of hysteria. So today my question is, why is there so much pressure on what university you go to? Why do we crave Ivy League status when state universities are just as good? Students who can’t even afford to attend the likes of Harvard, Princeton and Yale fight their way through junior and senior year to get into the top 10% and then find out that sometimes all their hard work, their lack of a social life and a strained sense of cool was all for nothing. The most costly school this year was the Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, estimated at around tuition of $57,556 per year. I, myself have faced the pressure of applying to universities that do not suit me or I am not interested in because of the name, such as Harvard and Stanford. It makes me sad when I hear that many students because of their high goals and ambitions sit in a pile of debt, sometimes thousands of dollars. Sarah Lawrence College defends its hefty price tag by saying that unlike other colleges, they believe in weekly meetings with faculty members. So we are paying for weekly seminars with our professors? It makes me angry when some people work hard their whole lives and then their dreams are crushed by a ludicrous price tag. Maybe American universities need to take advice from British universities? The British government is adamant in sending their students to university and depending from university to university for a UK national or citizen, annual tuition fees vary from ₤2000-4000 without books of course and board, I believe but boarding will only add an ₤1000 or so, that is around $3164-7911 a year, including the best schools such as Oxford and Cambridge. I think it’s time to make universities more affordable.

Pink for October.

The "I love boobies" campaign from the Keep A Breast Foundation has sparked outrage in many schools.  The campaign wasn't invented to go undetected by the radar, but instead, to spark controversy and make headlines to ultimately raise awareness.  In response, school districts have been banning students from wearing the bracelets deeming them as inappropriate and offensive.  Targeting the teen market is vital if any change is to be made, for they are the future, and encouraging positive health behaviours can reduce risks for contracting the deadly disease.  However, I am annoyed by the way in which sex is being used to sell cancer awareness to teenagers. The idea of reducing something as complex and devastating as cancer down to the appreciation of breasts is likely to disgust those who have had to fight for their lives as a result of being diagnosed with this detrimental disease.  The individuals responsible for this campaign support the claim that through wearing these bracelets peers will be more willing to strike up a conversation, and whilst I agree with this statement, I reserve the right disagree with the "conversation" aspect.  After all, the message they are trying to convey is powerful, but so is the double-entendre's other meaning, and that's the kind of thing that can degrade an atmosphere and ultimately portray the underlying meaning as a joke rather than a serious matter. 


Whilst the "I love boobies" campaign is questionable, at least the bracelets are being sold for money that benefit cancer research.

Dove Evolution

This video sent waves of uncontrollable shivers down my spine.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE show this to all who truly believe they know what the definition of REAL beauty pertains to.  Adverts in fashion magazines and major billboard campaigns have a way of portraying an image of ultimate perfection, something far from truth.   Granted, I don't mind a bit of photoshopping and I'm sure most people will jump at the opportunity to have a few "nip and tucks" here and there, but it’s not reality. Ultimately, the road to happiness inevitably comprises of reality and acceptance - especially during the prime time of youth, when people are establishing their identity, opinions of themselves, and their bodies.  The media constantly reinforces what body images are most socially acceptable, however what they fail to clarify is that what we compare ourselves to is as real as a cartoon drawing. People might as well try to emulate Bugs Bunny or even Barbie for that matter... I thought we had learned from that lesson back in the 60's, but I guess not.  We are still sold the "flawless body" in silicone, plastic, and photoshopped images. Will there ever be a time when we are NOT told we’ll be happy if we are just ________ enough?

Mice don't like cheese.

This is a myth full of holes.  Ralph Emerson, the 19th century American writer once wrote, "If you invent a better mousetrap the world will beat a path to your door," however, he failed to mention anything about cheese.  According to researchers who obviously had nothing of greater importance to do, declared that the universal belief that the only way to lure a mouse to its death is by using a potent and smelly cheese, preferably cheddar or Swiss is a complete fallacy.  After this revelation, it is no wonder Tom never succeeded at catching Jerry.  So, for any of you with a serious mouse infestation a prime substitute for savory cheese would be the complete opposite, sugary chocolate - yes it seems that "chocoholics" exist in every shape and form.  

Starbucks.

Before any more companies attempt to get all fancy and cute with names for sizes, lets make something clear.

There are a number of predetermined sizes for food and drink that have already been tried, tested and agreed upon and make instant sense.

For those of you who are still unsure, they are:

Small

Medium

Large

and after supersize me...

Extra Large

If that wasn't enough, some decided to swap Small for Regular.  The reason: probably to encourage consumers to order the next size up.  Not only does this increase the consumers calorie intake in high fructose corn syrup and saturated fats, but businesses are also able to gorge off the added sales.  On a positive note, a medium or large is definitely easier to pronounce than "can I have a regular please?" The crazy thing is, companies such as Starbucks actually employ psychologists to work on these kind of logistics.  

So what is the reason behind Starbucks attempt to use such ludicrous names?

Let's take a quick look:
Small= Tall
Medium= Grande
Large= Venti

So here's my analogy: since Starbucks was originally from Seattle and owned by a bunch of hippies, who obviously appreciate "unusual" and "weird" ideologies, Tall appears to be an appeal to that sensibility.  Next is Grande. Spanish for Large. Again, attempting to be all cute by appropriating foreign words. But they can’t all be the same language....  In walks Venti, Twenty in Italian. Oh I get it! It’s 20 ounces!

My first attempt at ordering from Starbucks ended in complete confusion.
Me: "Can I have a small Soy Chai please?"
Starbucks: "Ok, so a tall Soy Chai for the lady please!"
Me: "No, can I have a small please?"
Starbucks: "Tall?"
Me: "No, small....."

I have learnt my lesson though.

Bonjour?

Having spent most of my childhood growing up in France, I can without a doubt make the statement that "I CAN speak French."  I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the quaint French Cafe, La Madeleine.  If not, well it's a so called French restaurant that serves so called French food.  As I walked through the door I was greeted by a hostess with the welcoming phrase "Bonjour, et bienvenue a La Madeleine," (translation: hi, and welcome to La Madeleine).  I was so impressed and eager to practice my French, although her Texan accent would have probably come under scrutiny if she had said that in France.  Nevertheless, I decided to reciprocate her warm greeting with "merci beaucoup madame" (translation: thank you so much miss), only to be given a puzzled and blank glare in return.  Confused by the whole situation - the atmosphere started to get slightly awkward as I stared at her and she stared back at me - I quickly decided to move along and sit down.  When the food eventually arrived, another French phrase was used "bon appetite" (translation: have a good meal), I decided to test the water one more time "Monsieur est ce que vous avez du sel? (translation: excuse me sir, do you have any salt?).  Once again, a blank expression took over his face as he jittered around not knowing what to do - this was completely hopeless.  I decided to shut up, and eat my food satisfied with the conclusion that "fake" sells, it just has to be presented in the right way.  If people are unaware/uneducated on the matter it is really easy to mislead and misinform.

So, the moral of the story - don't believe everything you hear or see.

Modern Fruit

One thing that drives me crazy about the United States is the endless "rubbish" blasted on the TV screens.  The other day, I saw an advert for some "health promoting" company selling "fruit in a tablet." Wait a second, since when did fruit come in tablet form?  The company's "revolutionary" idea was sparked by the fact that cutting fruit is messy, requires cleaning of utensils, chewing with the mouth and preparation time.  To resolve this "horrifying" problem chemicals would need to be placed into capsules, labelled as fruit and sold to the gullible consumers - no mess, all you need is water.  This made me really angry, It appears that humans have become so used to a life of leisure and ease that we are incapable of reaching into the fridge, washing a piece of fruit, opening the mouth, taking a bite, chewing once or twice, swallowing and then cleaning up after ourselves.

But - "what happens if a dribble of juice falls on little Mary-Sue's Roberto Cavalli dress?" - that's not a problem, we have chemicals to get rid of that too.

Everything we eat, wear, drink and inhale is full of man-made artificial chemicals - if this were what we ought to consume then we might as well be robots.  I miss the good old days of running through fields of organic strawberries, letting the juice of ripe watermelons drip down your face in utter contentment and stomach aches from eating too much rhubarb -  I don't think "modern fruit" can compare to this.

Soon we will be consuming all of our meals in the form of tiny capsules.  Sound appealing?  I don't think so.

Like Parents, Like Children

As I busied myself at home, I came to the abrupt conclusion that I am metamorphing into my parents! It all started a couple of days ago when my sister who is currently at high school was getting ready for her homecoming. Like a good sister I asked her around what time she thought she’d be home... ‘I don’t know’ was her answer. Great. So while taking a break from ruthlessly studying for my sociology test, I called my sister, our conversation went something like this, ‘When are you coming home?’

My sister responds, ‘I don’t know...’

“How do you not know, when it looks like the party is thinning out, you know.”

My sister sighs, ‘Well the crowd isn’t thinning and people are still arriving.”

“So around what time will you be home?”

“I don’t know, I’ll call you later.”

I wait. I study. I drink some tea. My mother goes to bed, she doesn’t seem too worried. I wait. I study. I drink more tea and then I pick up my phone. “Where are you?”

My sister responds, “I’m at a rave.”

“A rave? I thought you were at homecoming!”

“We were but we are now at the after party.”

I was getting really annoyed. So after those lovely phone calls, I realised that I had started using words like ‘old chap’ ‘cheery’ and ‘dashing young man,’ and had no idea where I had picked such vocabulary up. I have started bringing up the weather in every conversation, I talk about the younger generation with disdain and I have started changing my programmed radio stations to sad, 60’s songs. What is happening? After some research, it comes down to this. All human beings start life as a baby and ultimately die as babies, when we are unable to do simple tasks without aid; well we are turning into our parents. Simple as that. *rubs hands together* Oh I can’t wait to set my sister a curfew!

A word through images...

If you put all of these in a ziploc bag, shake them all up, and then pour onto my face, I'll feel like I'm at the beach.