You've just got to read this one:
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2008/10/15/former-wonder-woman-be-very-afraid-of-palin/
I wish Lynda Carter all the best in the world! As Wonder Woman she entertained me and millions of others back in the 70s.
Thank You Sweetheart! You're One In Six Billion!
As to McCain: NO PALINTOLOGY FOR ME, THANK YOU!
Best,
The Free Advice Man
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Corruption From Alaska To Illinois! Why We Should Not Be Surprised.
Alternate Title: The Real Bob Roberts vs. The Real John Doe!
On the one hand we have Governor Palin, McCain's V.P. running-mate, found guilty of unethical practices concerning the treatment of an Alaska State official or officer. On the other hand we have the Tony Rezko Affair, which involves Senator Obama in a relatively minor and benign way, that simply shows how corrupt people try to buy our public officials. But let's be real! In order to become a successful politician in America you must risk rubbing shoulders with corrupt businesspersons, especially political fundraisers who are also wealthy real-estate developers and investors! It takes a dung-heap-load of money to get the publicity you need to have a realistic chance of becoming an elected official, especially in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas and Washington, D.C.! That said, should we not be concerned about double-standards and ethics no matter which side of the political fence we're on?? Of course we should, but we must also temper and moderate our own stances based on a healthy shades-of-grey attitude that takes into account the actual degree of corruption and illegality. And on that account the actions of Governor Palin are actually much worse than the actions of Senator Obama! Why? Simple! Governor McPalin (on purpose) threatened the welfare of a public servant, while Obama, typical of almost all politicians in major American cities (City States for that matter), accepted financial support and benefit from a man who he probably knew was of questionable character, but I have no doubt that if we had a Special National Witch-Hunt and related Congressional Hearings we would discover that virtually 80% to 90% of all Members of Congress and Senators have either knowingly or unwittingly accepted support from people just as corrupt! So, should we then suspend our National Elections, go through twenty years of devastating "House Cleaning", ages-worth of Investigations, Indictments, Hearings, Trials, allow the Military to set up an Emergency Federal Government supposedly void of partisan politics (yeah, right! Like we can trust every single General!) and, in the meantime see our entire nation become the largest Third World country on Earth!!! Absolutely not! Of course, if we could be sure that all actions in the name of The Law were truly in the interest of every Average American, every John & Jane Doe, and truly supportive of the broadest intent and meaning implied by Our Great Constitution, and if we could have a Care-Taker Government made up of Real People, mostly poor but educated academics, intellectuals, artists, honorably discharged veterans and those roughly 60% of those Americans who are patriotic, non-corrupt firemen, police officers and emergency response-persons, then I'd say LET'S DO IT! But that just ain't going to happen! Oh, and what about giving in to Ralph Nader, since he is generally right about corruption and abuse of public office and government power, but is so wrong on many fundamental security issues?? The question holds the answer to that one! The answer is simply this: Ralph Nader would totally ruin America, in spite of his best intentions! No. The answer is to hold these elections and to trust that most Americans will vote based on a realistic understanding and assessment of the significant differences between the McCain-Palin Changeless Status Quo Pseudo-Republican Ticket and the Obama-Biden Real Change But We're-No-Angels Democratic Government Reform Ticket!
Now, for those of who you have any doubts about Obama's limited and relatively benign association with Tony Rezko, just take into consideration these apparent (probable or plausible) facts (Source Wikipedia NGU):
1. In 1990, after Barack Obama was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, Tony Rezko's Rezmar Corp. offered him a job, but, without hesitation, Obama turned the job offer down (did not take the job). Obama did end up taking a low-level job with law firm Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland,[27] which primarily worked civil rights cases, but also represented Tony Rezko's Rezmar and helped the company get more than $43 million in government funding and whose former senior partner, Allison S. Davis, later went into business with Rezko and, in 2003, was appointed to Illinois State Board of Investment by Governor Blagojevich at Rezko's request.
2. On July 31, 1995 the first ever political contributions to Obama were $300 from a lawyer, a $5,000 loan from a car dealer, and $2,000 from two food companies owned by Rezko.
3. Starting in 2003, Rezko was one of the people on Obama's U.S. Senate campaign finance committee, which raised more than $14 million. Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama, which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell and claims was instrumental in providing Obama with seed money for his U.S. Senate race. Obama has since identified over $250,000 in campaign contributions to various Obama campaigns as coming from Rezko or close associates, and has claimed to have donated almost two thirds of that amount to unspecified nonprofit groups.
4. In 2005 Obama purchased a new home in the Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (which was $300,000 below the asking price but represented the highest offer on the property) on the same day that Rezko's wife, Rita Rezko, purchased the adjoining empty lot from the same sellers for the full asking price. Obama acknowledged bringing his interest in the property to Rezko's attention, but denied any coordination of offers. According to Obama, while the properties had originally been a single property, the previous owners decided to sell the land as two separate lots, but made it a condition of the sales that they be closed on the same date. Obama also claimed that the properties had been on the market for months, that his offer was the best of two bids, and that Ms. Rezko's bid was matched by another offer, also of $625,000, so that she could not have purchased the property for less. Obama's description of the purchase was later confirmed by the previous owner of the house.
5. After it had been reported in 2006 that Rezko was under federal investigation for influence-peddling, Obama purchased a 10 foot (3.0 m) wide strip of Ms. Rezko's property for $104,500, $60,000 above the assessed value. According to Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mark Brown, "Rezko definitely did Obama a favor by selling him the 10-foot strip of land, making his own parcel less attractive for development."Obama acknowledges that the exchange may have created the appearance of impropriety, and stated "I consider this a mistake on my part and I regret it." On December 28, 2006, Ms. Rezko sold the property to a company owned by her husband's former business attorney. That sale of $575,000, combined with the earlier $104,500 sale to the Obamas, amounted to a net profit of $54,500 over her original purchase, less $14,000 for a fence along the property line and other expenses. In October 2007, the new owners put the still vacant land up for sale again, this time for $1.5 million.
6. In June 2007, the Sun-Times published a story about letters Obama had written in 1997 to city and state officials in support of a low-income senior citizen development project headed by Rezko and partner Allison Davis. The project received more than $14 million in taxpayer funds, including $885,000 in development fees for Rezko and Davis. Of Obama's letters in support of the Cottage View Terrace apartments development, Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "This wasn't done as a favor for anyone, it was done in the interests of the people in the community who have benefited from the project. I don't know that anyone specifically asked him to write this letter nine years ago. There was a consensus in the community about the positive impact the project would make and Obama supported it because it was going to help people in his district." Rezko's attorney responded that "Mr. Rezko never spoke with, nor sought a letter from, Senator Obama in connection with that project.
7. In the South Carolina Democratic Party presidential debate on January 21, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton said that Obama had represented Rezko, who she referred to as a slum landlord. Obama responded that he had never represented Rezko and had done only about five hours work, indirectly, for Rezko's firm (WHICH IS THE TRUTH AND PROVES OBAMA RIGHT). Within days of the debate, a photo of Rezko posing with Bill and Hillary Clinton surfaced. When asked about the photo Hillary Clinton commented "I probably have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures. I wouldn’t know him if he walked in the door."
Fine! Obama benefited from Tony Rezko's corruption, and at worst is probably only as guilty of corruption as over 400 Republican politicians and over 400 Democratic politicians in Chicago, Illinois!!! What is certain is that no one was killed or threatened on account of Obama's association with Rezko! And the Chicago Corrupt Politics story cuts across party lines and involves almost everyone from both major political parties in Illinois! Whereas the Palin Case involves abuse of Executive Power and evidence of corruption of Public Authority! And the Palin Case is about a serious violation of ethics that only benefited the Pseudo-Republican side!
Actually, I would dare argue that when compared to the Tens of Billions of Dollars, the Massive Amounts of Money, that have not been accounted for under The Bush Administration, especially vis-a-vis the Fiasco in Iraq, involving serious violations of law concerning the awarding of Government Contracts, which has cost us dearly in terms of both the irreplaceable lives lost and tax-payer's money, with the typical local politics financial scheming (corruption), involving only tens of millions of dollars at most, that goes on all the time (which should stop), the efforts to harm Obama's campaign are despicable and much more unethical, by far, than anything he may have benefited from politically.
Clearly the Pseudo-Republicans, far wealthier than most Democratic politicians, think it is alright to steal from the majority of poor and faltering middle class, working Americans, by bad policies that allow wealthy business-people to exploit and abuse and underpay workers, poor and lower income middle class people, by swindling taxpayers of Tens of Billions of dollars into schemes that, in the name of this war or that security measure, tend to fill the deep pockets of their political financial backers! But the minute an Average Working-class American turned Community Activist, Politician and Elected Public Servant, in order to actually be able to win an election against his rich and rich--people-financed Pseudo-Republican Opponent, so as to later truly poor and working class people in his community, accepts money or other support from anyone, they, the Pseudo-Republicans, yell 'High Treason & Murder'!!! Well, if you're a Working Class American you should find these Pseudo-Republican efforts to blame the victim while beating-up the victim double-offensive and deeply insulting! There is no sense at all in voting for the Big Thief who steals your house against the Small Thief who steals the Big Thief's money and wants to share the loot with you!!! It's that simple! Don't vote for those BIG THUGS WHO LIE BIG against those small creeps who lie little! Vote for Robin-Hood and not for Scrooge!
You know what: this whole situation is almost exactly like "Meet John Doe" the 1941movie directed and produced by Frank Capra, starring Gary Cooper (love his acting) and Barbara Stanwick! Really! Watch it! And then also watch "Bob Roberts" written/directed/starring Tim Robbins (really love that guy).
On the one hand we have Governor Palin, McCain's V.P. running-mate, found guilty of unethical practices concerning the treatment of an Alaska State official or officer. On the other hand we have the Tony Rezko Affair, which involves Senator Obama in a relatively minor and benign way, that simply shows how corrupt people try to buy our public officials. But let's be real! In order to become a successful politician in America you must risk rubbing shoulders with corrupt businesspersons, especially political fundraisers who are also wealthy real-estate developers and investors! It takes a dung-heap-load of money to get the publicity you need to have a realistic chance of becoming an elected official, especially in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas and Washington, D.C.! That said, should we not be concerned about double-standards and ethics no matter which side of the political fence we're on?? Of course we should, but we must also temper and moderate our own stances based on a healthy shades-of-grey attitude that takes into account the actual degree of corruption and illegality. And on that account the actions of Governor Palin are actually much worse than the actions of Senator Obama! Why? Simple! Governor McPalin (on purpose) threatened the welfare of a public servant, while Obama, typical of almost all politicians in major American cities (City States for that matter), accepted financial support and benefit from a man who he probably knew was of questionable character, but I have no doubt that if we had a Special National Witch-Hunt and related Congressional Hearings we would discover that virtually 80% to 90% of all Members of Congress and Senators have either knowingly or unwittingly accepted support from people just as corrupt! So, should we then suspend our National Elections, go through twenty years of devastating "House Cleaning", ages-worth of Investigations, Indictments, Hearings, Trials, allow the Military to set up an Emergency Federal Government supposedly void of partisan politics (yeah, right! Like we can trust every single General!) and, in the meantime see our entire nation become the largest Third World country on Earth!!! Absolutely not! Of course, if we could be sure that all actions in the name of The Law were truly in the interest of every Average American, every John & Jane Doe, and truly supportive of the broadest intent and meaning implied by Our Great Constitution, and if we could have a Care-Taker Government made up of Real People, mostly poor but educated academics, intellectuals, artists, honorably discharged veterans and those roughly 60% of those Americans who are patriotic, non-corrupt firemen, police officers and emergency response-persons, then I'd say LET'S DO IT! But that just ain't going to happen! Oh, and what about giving in to Ralph Nader, since he is generally right about corruption and abuse of public office and government power, but is so wrong on many fundamental security issues?? The question holds the answer to that one! The answer is simply this: Ralph Nader would totally ruin America, in spite of his best intentions! No. The answer is to hold these elections and to trust that most Americans will vote based on a realistic understanding and assessment of the significant differences between the McCain-Palin Changeless Status Quo Pseudo-Republican Ticket and the Obama-Biden Real Change But We're-No-Angels Democratic Government Reform Ticket!
Now, for those of who you have any doubts about Obama's limited and relatively benign association with Tony Rezko, just take into consideration these apparent (probable or plausible) facts (Source Wikipedia NGU):
1. In 1990, after Barack Obama was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, Tony Rezko's Rezmar Corp. offered him a job, but, without hesitation, Obama turned the job offer down (did not take the job). Obama did end up taking a low-level job with law firm Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland,[27] which primarily worked civil rights cases, but also represented Tony Rezko's Rezmar and helped the company get more than $43 million in government funding and whose former senior partner, Allison S. Davis, later went into business with Rezko and, in 2003, was appointed to Illinois State Board of Investment by Governor Blagojevich at Rezko's request.
2. On July 31, 1995 the first ever political contributions to Obama were $300 from a lawyer, a $5,000 loan from a car dealer, and $2,000 from two food companies owned by Rezko.
3. Starting in 2003, Rezko was one of the people on Obama's U.S. Senate campaign finance committee, which raised more than $14 million. Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama, which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell and claims was instrumental in providing Obama with seed money for his U.S. Senate race. Obama has since identified over $250,000 in campaign contributions to various Obama campaigns as coming from Rezko or close associates, and has claimed to have donated almost two thirds of that amount to unspecified nonprofit groups.
4. In 2005 Obama purchased a new home in the Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (which was $300,000 below the asking price but represented the highest offer on the property) on the same day that Rezko's wife, Rita Rezko, purchased the adjoining empty lot from the same sellers for the full asking price. Obama acknowledged bringing his interest in the property to Rezko's attention, but denied any coordination of offers. According to Obama, while the properties had originally been a single property, the previous owners decided to sell the land as two separate lots, but made it a condition of the sales that they be closed on the same date. Obama also claimed that the properties had been on the market for months, that his offer was the best of two bids, and that Ms. Rezko's bid was matched by another offer, also of $625,000, so that she could not have purchased the property for less. Obama's description of the purchase was later confirmed by the previous owner of the house.
5. After it had been reported in 2006 that Rezko was under federal investigation for influence-peddling, Obama purchased a 10 foot (3.0 m) wide strip of Ms. Rezko's property for $104,500, $60,000 above the assessed value. According to Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mark Brown, "Rezko definitely did Obama a favor by selling him the 10-foot strip of land, making his own parcel less attractive for development."Obama acknowledges that the exchange may have created the appearance of impropriety, and stated "I consider this a mistake on my part and I regret it." On December 28, 2006, Ms. Rezko sold the property to a company owned by her husband's former business attorney. That sale of $575,000, combined with the earlier $104,500 sale to the Obamas, amounted to a net profit of $54,500 over her original purchase, less $14,000 for a fence along the property line and other expenses. In October 2007, the new owners put the still vacant land up for sale again, this time for $1.5 million.
6. In June 2007, the Sun-Times published a story about letters Obama had written in 1997 to city and state officials in support of a low-income senior citizen development project headed by Rezko and partner Allison Davis. The project received more than $14 million in taxpayer funds, including $885,000 in development fees for Rezko and Davis. Of Obama's letters in support of the Cottage View Terrace apartments development, Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "This wasn't done as a favor for anyone, it was done in the interests of the people in the community who have benefited from the project. I don't know that anyone specifically asked him to write this letter nine years ago. There was a consensus in the community about the positive impact the project would make and Obama supported it because it was going to help people in his district." Rezko's attorney responded that "Mr. Rezko never spoke with, nor sought a letter from, Senator Obama in connection with that project.
7. In the South Carolina Democratic Party presidential debate on January 21, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton said that Obama had represented Rezko, who she referred to as a slum landlord. Obama responded that he had never represented Rezko and had done only about five hours work, indirectly, for Rezko's firm (WHICH IS THE TRUTH AND PROVES OBAMA RIGHT). Within days of the debate, a photo of Rezko posing with Bill and Hillary Clinton surfaced. When asked about the photo Hillary Clinton commented "I probably have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures. I wouldn’t know him if he walked in the door."
Fine! Obama benefited from Tony Rezko's corruption, and at worst is probably only as guilty of corruption as over 400 Republican politicians and over 400 Democratic politicians in Chicago, Illinois!!! What is certain is that no one was killed or threatened on account of Obama's association with Rezko! And the Chicago Corrupt Politics story cuts across party lines and involves almost everyone from both major political parties in Illinois! Whereas the Palin Case involves abuse of Executive Power and evidence of corruption of Public Authority! And the Palin Case is about a serious violation of ethics that only benefited the Pseudo-Republican side!
Actually, I would dare argue that when compared to the Tens of Billions of Dollars, the Massive Amounts of Money, that have not been accounted for under The Bush Administration, especially vis-a-vis the Fiasco in Iraq, involving serious violations of law concerning the awarding of Government Contracts, which has cost us dearly in terms of both the irreplaceable lives lost and tax-payer's money, with the typical local politics financial scheming (corruption), involving only tens of millions of dollars at most, that goes on all the time (which should stop), the efforts to harm Obama's campaign are despicable and much more unethical, by far, than anything he may have benefited from politically.
Clearly the Pseudo-Republicans, far wealthier than most Democratic politicians, think it is alright to steal from the majority of poor and faltering middle class, working Americans, by bad policies that allow wealthy business-people to exploit and abuse and underpay workers, poor and lower income middle class people, by swindling taxpayers of Tens of Billions of dollars into schemes that, in the name of this war or that security measure, tend to fill the deep pockets of their political financial backers! But the minute an Average Working-class American turned Community Activist, Politician and Elected Public Servant, in order to actually be able to win an election against his rich and rich--people-financed Pseudo-Republican Opponent, so as to later truly poor and working class people in his community, accepts money or other support from anyone, they, the Pseudo-Republicans, yell 'High Treason & Murder'!!! Well, if you're a Working Class American you should find these Pseudo-Republican efforts to blame the victim while beating-up the victim double-offensive and deeply insulting! There is no sense at all in voting for the Big Thief who steals your house against the Small Thief who steals the Big Thief's money and wants to share the loot with you!!! It's that simple! Don't vote for those BIG THUGS WHO LIE BIG against those small creeps who lie little! Vote for Robin-Hood and not for Scrooge!
You know what: this whole situation is almost exactly like "Meet John Doe" the 1941movie directed and produced by Frank Capra, starring Gary Cooper (love his acting) and Barbara Stanwick! Really! Watch it! And then also watch "Bob Roberts" written/directed/starring Tim Robbins (really love that guy).
Thursday, October 9, 2008
How To Survive The Global Credit Crunch Banking Crisis
By Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, The Free Advice Man
First of all, a WARNING!
The ideas I provide herein are primarily directed at people ages 40 and up, but may also benefit people between 18 and 39. Some of these ideas are strictly meant for adults, and are not suitable for minors. That said, this is a worded article, without graphics or pictures.
Foreword
At the time of this writing (October 11, 2008) the world financial crisis is spreading fast and wide, and it is eating up the savings and wiping out the security of countless tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, of Americans and Europeans, not to mention others around the world! Even if any overdue government intervention manages to slow down the escalation of this global financial fire-storm, even if such intervention manages to halt further disaster, millions of adults in their late 30s, 40s and older, especially those who were hoping to be able to retire in a few years, will end up in very dire circumstances! That is, unless they manage to get the kind of relatively wise advice that I am offering right here, right now!
We can argue till we are blue in our faces about who and what is exactly to blame for this very dangerous and painful situation, but the fact of the matter is that if you want to survive you are going to have to think and behave differently, because in a sense the problem was also caused by the cumulative effect of all those who wanted to get rich quick and/or make easy money, and who took privacy too far!
SIX PRACTICAL IDEAS ON HOW TO SURVIVE THESE VERY HARD TIMES
(Mind you: these ideas are for people living in North America and Europe)
1. Perhaps the single most intelligent and wise thing you can do is share living space and expenses with other adults who are also at risk of becoming homeless! But this idea works best if there is total intimacy between all adults living together. For example; a couple who can no longer afford the house they were living in find another couple in the same situation, who they find mentally and physically compatible, and with whom they are willing/desiring total intimacy with! The two couples find a small apartment with one fairly large bedroom and in order to cut on winter heating costs they sleep together in one King-size bed or two smaller beds put together! Of course this level of intimacy can only work if there is a mutual attraction and a mature, sharing, non-jealous, non-possessive attitude between all four persons. Ideally the couples should be bi or bi-tolerant. In this kind of intimacy it is possible to share food costs and other expenses much more effectively, thereby reducing overall costs and actually having the benefits of a relatively healthy and exciting six life! This kind of foursome relationship, call it a “closed-circle poly-amorous relationship”, requires safe-six practices (until such time as it can be considered safe to dispense of the use of prophylactics, etc.) and a mutuality of sharing that is truly void of any possibility of cheating and disloyalty! This kind of relationship is usually harder for men to accept, especially given their insecurities about women and their natural fear of other men, but if there is a total bi attraction between all persons then this can work to reduce costs by as much as 40% or more! In terms of car-pooling, buying food at wholesale prices in bulk, cooking rice and beans, sharing heat, space and pleasures, this is really a win-win idea! This kind of group living is also suitable for hetero swingers, but not as secure. Obviously sharing such relatively small spaces with people you are not attracted to is virtually impossible and potentially dangerous! A closed circle foursome can be a very safe way to live, even in terms of STDs, provided proper caution is taken at the beginning. Once the economy is relatively stable and sound again, then this kind of foursome relationship can also be beneficial in terms of acquiring serious property (a house big enough for more luxurious living).
2. Another idea, related to the first one, is forming a Group House situation, with a whole bunch of other adults who share almost identical political or religious views and life-styles! Needless to say, you will need to have a very intelligent set of House Rules, Regulations and Responsibilities List (printed and posted for all to see and abide by). Such a List must be created at the very first meeting to establish such a Group House, and everyone should have equal, open, democratic say in what will be on the List. Also, there should be a kind of mutual agreement on what I would call In-House Emergency Sponsorship for any individual or couple who unexpectedly lose their source of income, until they find another source. And there should be realistic limits to how far things can go, even in terms of Emergency Sponsorship. It is very important in such a Group House situation that all involved agree to furnish full documentation as to their actual legal identity and status and agree to have their personal and professional references checked! The last thing one wants is to come home and find out that someone broke into their room and stole stuff. Which is why it is also advisable to consider placing a cheap CCTV system in the common areas and hallways of the house, which may seem a bit expensive (for around $400 this can be solved) but is worth the added security!
3. When really hard times hit it is a very good idea to be willing to go to restaurants and food shops and find out if the manager or owner would be willing to give you some Food help, made up of end-of-day food items that would end up being thrown out or destroyed, so that you can then spend less cash on food! After all, you may need the cash for other things, including the rent, transportation and basic hygiene.
4. A group of families and/or childless couples can create a Group Discount Food-buying Cooperative Alliance! Imagine being able to put together a shopping list of food items for several dozen people and then going out with a small van and negotiating with retailers and/or wholesalers to be able to buy food in large bulk quantities at a lower per unit cost!
This is the general principle already in use behind COSTCO and Sam’s Club and other similar bulk discounters! Sure, the retailer or wholesaler might wonder why they have noticed fewer customers, but so what!? You have a right to create a cooperative joint food-buying scheme and do so without letting the retailers and wholesalers know.
5. If you are a single male or female in your late 30s or older and you are willing to marry up or just have a long-term relationship with someone much older then you can avoid the risk of going hungry and homeless during these hard times! The question is how flexible you are concerning the age difference (chances of someone 40 finding a wealthy 60 or 70 years old person are greater), and how attractive you can make yourself be. For this to work you should lower your expectations in terms of physical appearance and condition. If the person has a nice home, enough money and a nice temperament then that is all that matters. For this purpose there are Internet dating schemes and you can always pay close attention to your local news and changes in the status of persons.
6. Creating a Super-Tent Emergency Housing Community! Individual tents by themselves are not suitable during the cold months of winter, but imagine if you formed a group of several dozen couple, or families and decided to purchase a large Circus Tent or even just a large Outdoor Events Tent! And then you cover the ground with wood crate suspenders (the hollow wood-framed things used by forklifts to lift stuff), on top of which are placed sheets of artificial plastic grass or simple water-proof nylon coverings. You then set up all the individual tents within this larger group tent and in the middle of the large group tent (Circus Tent) you place an empty steel barrel that will be used to burn heating logs! In even colder climates you might want to double the concept! A Large Circus Tent in which several smaller Event Tents are erected, within which individual tents are erected! And you contract with a portable potty (toilet) company and a company to provide clean drinking water in large volume bottles! Also, you make a deal with a local church or other religious establishment or even a motel to have a shower room available! You can organize and finance this with the help of local not-for-profit organizations, local government and social activist groups. The local city council should be willing to provide a publicly owned space for this purpose, preferably one that is fenced-in and with a volunteer group to insure that only legitimate tenants come in and out! Security can best be insured by a volunteer group who would insure that tents are padlocked and that no one is threatening anyone else.
First of all, a WARNING!
The ideas I provide herein are primarily directed at people ages 40 and up, but may also benefit people between 18 and 39. Some of these ideas are strictly meant for adults, and are not suitable for minors. That said, this is a worded article, without graphics or pictures.
Foreword
At the time of this writing (October 11, 2008) the world financial crisis is spreading fast and wide, and it is eating up the savings and wiping out the security of countless tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, of Americans and Europeans, not to mention others around the world! Even if any overdue government intervention manages to slow down the escalation of this global financial fire-storm, even if such intervention manages to halt further disaster, millions of adults in their late 30s, 40s and older, especially those who were hoping to be able to retire in a few years, will end up in very dire circumstances! That is, unless they manage to get the kind of relatively wise advice that I am offering right here, right now!
We can argue till we are blue in our faces about who and what is exactly to blame for this very dangerous and painful situation, but the fact of the matter is that if you want to survive you are going to have to think and behave differently, because in a sense the problem was also caused by the cumulative effect of all those who wanted to get rich quick and/or make easy money, and who took privacy too far!
SIX PRACTICAL IDEAS ON HOW TO SURVIVE THESE VERY HARD TIMES
(Mind you: these ideas are for people living in North America and Europe)
1. Perhaps the single most intelligent and wise thing you can do is share living space and expenses with other adults who are also at risk of becoming homeless! But this idea works best if there is total intimacy between all adults living together. For example; a couple who can no longer afford the house they were living in find another couple in the same situation, who they find mentally and physically compatible, and with whom they are willing/desiring total intimacy with! The two couples find a small apartment with one fairly large bedroom and in order to cut on winter heating costs they sleep together in one King-size bed or two smaller beds put together! Of course this level of intimacy can only work if there is a mutual attraction and a mature, sharing, non-jealous, non-possessive attitude between all four persons. Ideally the couples should be bi or bi-tolerant. In this kind of intimacy it is possible to share food costs and other expenses much more effectively, thereby reducing overall costs and actually having the benefits of a relatively healthy and exciting six life! This kind of foursome relationship, call it a “closed-circle poly-amorous relationship”, requires safe-six practices (until such time as it can be considered safe to dispense of the use of prophylactics, etc.) and a mutuality of sharing that is truly void of any possibility of cheating and disloyalty! This kind of relationship is usually harder for men to accept, especially given their insecurities about women and their natural fear of other men, but if there is a total bi attraction between all persons then this can work to reduce costs by as much as 40% or more! In terms of car-pooling, buying food at wholesale prices in bulk, cooking rice and beans, sharing heat, space and pleasures, this is really a win-win idea! This kind of group living is also suitable for hetero swingers, but not as secure. Obviously sharing such relatively small spaces with people you are not attracted to is virtually impossible and potentially dangerous! A closed circle foursome can be a very safe way to live, even in terms of STDs, provided proper caution is taken at the beginning. Once the economy is relatively stable and sound again, then this kind of foursome relationship can also be beneficial in terms of acquiring serious property (a house big enough for more luxurious living).
2. Another idea, related to the first one, is forming a Group House situation, with a whole bunch of other adults who share almost identical political or religious views and life-styles! Needless to say, you will need to have a very intelligent set of House Rules, Regulations and Responsibilities List (printed and posted for all to see and abide by). Such a List must be created at the very first meeting to establish such a Group House, and everyone should have equal, open, democratic say in what will be on the List. Also, there should be a kind of mutual agreement on what I would call In-House Emergency Sponsorship for any individual or couple who unexpectedly lose their source of income, until they find another source. And there should be realistic limits to how far things can go, even in terms of Emergency Sponsorship. It is very important in such a Group House situation that all involved agree to furnish full documentation as to their actual legal identity and status and agree to have their personal and professional references checked! The last thing one wants is to come home and find out that someone broke into their room and stole stuff. Which is why it is also advisable to consider placing a cheap CCTV system in the common areas and hallways of the house, which may seem a bit expensive (for around $400 this can be solved) but is worth the added security!
3. When really hard times hit it is a very good idea to be willing to go to restaurants and food shops and find out if the manager or owner would be willing to give you some Food help, made up of end-of-day food items that would end up being thrown out or destroyed, so that you can then spend less cash on food! After all, you may need the cash for other things, including the rent, transportation and basic hygiene.
4. A group of families and/or childless couples can create a Group Discount Food-buying Cooperative Alliance! Imagine being able to put together a shopping list of food items for several dozen people and then going out with a small van and negotiating with retailers and/or wholesalers to be able to buy food in large bulk quantities at a lower per unit cost!
This is the general principle already in use behind COSTCO and Sam’s Club and other similar bulk discounters! Sure, the retailer or wholesaler might wonder why they have noticed fewer customers, but so what!? You have a right to create a cooperative joint food-buying scheme and do so without letting the retailers and wholesalers know.
5. If you are a single male or female in your late 30s or older and you are willing to marry up or just have a long-term relationship with someone much older then you can avoid the risk of going hungry and homeless during these hard times! The question is how flexible you are concerning the age difference (chances of someone 40 finding a wealthy 60 or 70 years old person are greater), and how attractive you can make yourself be. For this to work you should lower your expectations in terms of physical appearance and condition. If the person has a nice home, enough money and a nice temperament then that is all that matters. For this purpose there are Internet dating schemes and you can always pay close attention to your local news and changes in the status of persons.
6. Creating a Super-Tent Emergency Housing Community! Individual tents by themselves are not suitable during the cold months of winter, but imagine if you formed a group of several dozen couple, or families and decided to purchase a large Circus Tent or even just a large Outdoor Events Tent! And then you cover the ground with wood crate suspenders (the hollow wood-framed things used by forklifts to lift stuff), on top of which are placed sheets of artificial plastic grass or simple water-proof nylon coverings. You then set up all the individual tents within this larger group tent and in the middle of the large group tent (Circus Tent) you place an empty steel barrel that will be used to burn heating logs! In even colder climates you might want to double the concept! A Large Circus Tent in which several smaller Event Tents are erected, within which individual tents are erected! And you contract with a portable potty (toilet) company and a company to provide clean drinking water in large volume bottles! Also, you make a deal with a local church or other religious establishment or even a motel to have a shower room available! You can organize and finance this with the help of local not-for-profit organizations, local government and social activist groups. The local city council should be willing to provide a publicly owned space for this purpose, preferably one that is fenced-in and with a volunteer group to insure that only legitimate tenants come in and out! Security can best be insured by a volunteer group who would insure that tents are padlocked and that no one is threatening anyone else.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Between Extreme Capitalism and Extreme Socialism: The Missed Comfort of Lukewarm Waters.
During The Cold War, from around 1946 to 1996, The United States of America and some of its West European NATO allies understood that while Capitalism is a pre-requisite to human freedom, especially the liberty of individuals, some aspects of Socialism were legitimate in insuring sufficient social cohesion and preventing too many people from ending up homeless and hungry. This was more true in Western European nations than America, but even in The United States certain social welfare programs were devised in order to insure domestic tranquility and to be able to convince potential political asylum seeking Soviets and East Europeans that as hard as life can be in the West, the freedom gained was worth the risk.
As part of the post-war deal the West sought to promote the views of relatively progressive liberal thinkers, writers, artists and entertainers, whose views were strongly opposed to all forms of Fascism, especially Nazism. This was not just about de-Nazi-fying Germany, Austria and de-Fascistifying Italy, Spain and other nations of the former Axis nations, but about a legitimate concern for free-market principles, best benefited by tolerating non-violent troublemakers, especially moderate Socialists, Social Democrats and Libertarians. However, as soon as The Soviet Union collapsed, and with it the entire Warsaw Pact, as soon as The United States emerged as the solitary global Superpower, certain elements of the Right-wing political establishments decided that those same creative and outspoken individuals, people like John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Gore Vidal, Paul Newman (see my tribute coming soon/or above), who once served their interests in allowing for the appearance of real freedom and liberty (wherein fact the USA has had a contradictory and mixed record on its own stated principles and values)were suddenly at best mildly tolerated by those with real power and massive influence.
What is certain is that truly progressive moderates and liberals, Social Democratic Capitalist Intellectuals such as my self, have been the target of cleverly devised methods to disenfranchise, silence, ignore... (especially by the mass media...who at first were only too eager to give me a voice!)... and gradually totally undermine and eventually destroy them, given that their (my) views are highly critical of extremisms, especially Right-wing Capitalist and Left-wing Communist extremisms! After all, we could be the new Spinozas, Gandhis and Einsteins of the world! We could, if the media would dare do what is truly in the world's best interests, easily become the kind of intellectual heroes, social role models, capable of inspiring, instigating and motivating younger people to avoid joining the ranks of the extremists, to oppose all forms of extremism, and to seek to make a much better world than the one we currently find ourselves barely living in! We could be the kind of hero Philosophers, Poets and Pundits who, through our fine use of words, through our powerful use of great and deeply thought-provoking ideas and images, through our sense of future-seeing and hope, might turn young people away from seeking superficial vanities, undeserved fame and fortune, or from giving up on the world and becoming violent extremists! We might finally be able to convince young people that seeking true wisdom, greater knowledge and genuine enlightenment are just as important as seeking the means to live healthy, comfortable and exciting lives! We might be able to bring about a True Era of Lasting (hopefully Everlasting) Enlightenment,Peace and Prosperity based on legitimately Spiritual and truly Scientific Reasoning and Wisdom! An era when Unity-in-Diversity, Tolerance of Tolerant Others, and True Freedom, Liberty and Democracy reign supreme, for the benefit of all decent persons and all Free-Thinkers!
Only through Social Democracy can The United States of America work to best serve the legitimate interests of practically all Americans, from what should never be less than Lower Middle Class Working Americans to the few Truly Deserving Upper Class Inventors, Innovators, and other quintessential Geniuses! (Oh, yeah...such a I myself! Facetious sarcasm allowed. LOL! Slight element of truth.)
Till then, we must not assume that just because someone thinks they have good reason to be concerned about their relative safety and abuses of their legitimate rights, that they are necessarily exaggerating things or, worse yet, truly delusional and paranoid. One tactic mentioned in several extreme Right-wing manuals involves using very cleverly devised, hi-tech methods to cause "troublemakers", "boat-rockers", "misfits", "non-conformists" and other Responsibly Progressive Liberal Social Democrats & True Libertarians to appear to their friends as being conspiracy-theory-addicted paranoid delusional schizophrenics and potential psychopaths or sociopaths! Anyone interested in the specifics of these cleverly devised, hi-tech methods, being used right now by extreme Right-wingers all over the world, should write me in private and I will try my best to provide details and proof! Remember how right John Lennon was, after years of being the target of similar efforts to defame, disenfranchise and destroy him! As for how to tell the difference between a real victim of such sinister methods/tactics and someone who really does go too far; I'll be happy to send you my views on that too. Nevertheless, one must understand that when a specific person is being targeted for such sinister methods/tactics eventually, over time, the sum effect can be to cause a legitimate victim to actually become, little by little, a double-victim, as it gets harder and harder for that specific individual to avoid assuming things about other people, whose statements and actions might otherwise give legitimate cause for concern and reason to fear, that may or may not be true! The recent movie "Ridicule" alludes to that, and one should always take the trouble to read George Orwell's "1984" again, as it serves to remind us how far people in power are willing to go to remain in power long after any legitimate mandate, if there was a mandate to begin with!
Of course none of us who are truly sensible like having to live under the constant knowledge of, concern about and fear of powerful and influential people who are so bored, mundane, vulgar and vain that they get their kicks out of playing around with the lives of others! In case you have already begun to forget what Machiavelli's The Prince and Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population, or for that matter what movies like "Brazil", "Meet John Doe", "Citizen Kane", "The Matrix", "Bob Roberts", "Soylent Green", "Network" and "The Net" are really trying to warn us about!
For younger readers and older readers alike, looking for wisdom without too much of the darker side imagery; there is always my favorite book, Antoine De Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)!
So, between extreme Capitalism and extreme Socialism, let me and my many fancifully fantastic friends frolic in the luke-warm waters of Freedom, Liberty and Unity-in-Diversity!
As part of the post-war deal the West sought to promote the views of relatively progressive liberal thinkers, writers, artists and entertainers, whose views were strongly opposed to all forms of Fascism, especially Nazism. This was not just about de-Nazi-fying Germany, Austria and de-Fascistifying Italy, Spain and other nations of the former Axis nations, but about a legitimate concern for free-market principles, best benefited by tolerating non-violent troublemakers, especially moderate Socialists, Social Democrats and Libertarians. However, as soon as The Soviet Union collapsed, and with it the entire Warsaw Pact, as soon as The United States emerged as the solitary global Superpower, certain elements of the Right-wing political establishments decided that those same creative and outspoken individuals, people like John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Gore Vidal, Paul Newman (see my tribute coming soon/or above), who once served their interests in allowing for the appearance of real freedom and liberty (wherein fact the USA has had a contradictory and mixed record on its own stated principles and values)were suddenly at best mildly tolerated by those with real power and massive influence.
What is certain is that truly progressive moderates and liberals, Social Democratic Capitalist Intellectuals such as my self, have been the target of cleverly devised methods to disenfranchise, silence, ignore... (especially by the mass media...who at first were only too eager to give me a voice!)... and gradually totally undermine and eventually destroy them, given that their (my) views are highly critical of extremisms, especially Right-wing Capitalist and Left-wing Communist extremisms! After all, we could be the new Spinozas, Gandhis and Einsteins of the world! We could, if the media would dare do what is truly in the world's best interests, easily become the kind of intellectual heroes, social role models, capable of inspiring, instigating and motivating younger people to avoid joining the ranks of the extremists, to oppose all forms of extremism, and to seek to make a much better world than the one we currently find ourselves barely living in! We could be the kind of hero Philosophers, Poets and Pundits who, through our fine use of words, through our powerful use of great and deeply thought-provoking ideas and images, through our sense of future-seeing and hope, might turn young people away from seeking superficial vanities, undeserved fame and fortune, or from giving up on the world and becoming violent extremists! We might finally be able to convince young people that seeking true wisdom, greater knowledge and genuine enlightenment are just as important as seeking the means to live healthy, comfortable and exciting lives! We might be able to bring about a True Era of Lasting (hopefully Everlasting) Enlightenment,Peace and Prosperity based on legitimately Spiritual and truly Scientific Reasoning and Wisdom! An era when Unity-in-Diversity, Tolerance of Tolerant Others, and True Freedom, Liberty and Democracy reign supreme, for the benefit of all decent persons and all Free-Thinkers!
Only through Social Democracy can The United States of America work to best serve the legitimate interests of practically all Americans, from what should never be less than Lower Middle Class Working Americans to the few Truly Deserving Upper Class Inventors, Innovators, and other quintessential Geniuses! (Oh, yeah...such a I myself! Facetious sarcasm allowed. LOL! Slight element of truth.)
Till then, we must not assume that just because someone thinks they have good reason to be concerned about their relative safety and abuses of their legitimate rights, that they are necessarily exaggerating things or, worse yet, truly delusional and paranoid. One tactic mentioned in several extreme Right-wing manuals involves using very cleverly devised, hi-tech methods to cause "troublemakers", "boat-rockers", "misfits", "non-conformists" and other Responsibly Progressive Liberal Social Democrats & True Libertarians to appear to their friends as being conspiracy-theory-addicted paranoid delusional schizophrenics and potential psychopaths or sociopaths! Anyone interested in the specifics of these cleverly devised, hi-tech methods, being used right now by extreme Right-wingers all over the world, should write me in private and I will try my best to provide details and proof! Remember how right John Lennon was, after years of being the target of similar efforts to defame, disenfranchise and destroy him! As for how to tell the difference between a real victim of such sinister methods/tactics and someone who really does go too far; I'll be happy to send you my views on that too. Nevertheless, one must understand that when a specific person is being targeted for such sinister methods/tactics eventually, over time, the sum effect can be to cause a legitimate victim to actually become, little by little, a double-victim, as it gets harder and harder for that specific individual to avoid assuming things about other people, whose statements and actions might otherwise give legitimate cause for concern and reason to fear, that may or may not be true! The recent movie "Ridicule" alludes to that, and one should always take the trouble to read George Orwell's "1984" again, as it serves to remind us how far people in power are willing to go to remain in power long after any legitimate mandate, if there was a mandate to begin with!
Of course none of us who are truly sensible like having to live under the constant knowledge of, concern about and fear of powerful and influential people who are so bored, mundane, vulgar and vain that they get their kicks out of playing around with the lives of others! In case you have already begun to forget what Machiavelli's The Prince and Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population, or for that matter what movies like "Brazil", "Meet John Doe", "Citizen Kane", "The Matrix", "Bob Roberts", "Soylent Green", "Network" and "The Net" are really trying to warn us about!
For younger readers and older readers alike, looking for wisdom without too much of the darker side imagery; there is always my favorite book, Antoine De Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)!
So, between extreme Capitalism and extreme Socialism, let me and my many fancifully fantastic friends frolic in the luke-warm waters of Freedom, Liberty and Unity-in-Diversity!
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