People complaining about O.P.E.C

O.P.E.C has gotten used to the high profits of selling gas at expensive prices up until this month. With the current global economic markets crashing, the price of gas has also crashed and I'm sure anyone who drives a car is loving the cheaper prices. O.P.E.C is responding to this by raising the price of a barrel because they need higher prices to meet their budget demands. While I'm not happy about the news, I'm not mad at O.P.E.C, just at the situation. People are angry that O.P.E.C is raising the price of gas, but it isn't O.P.E.C's job to make you comfortable; its to make money. I'm sure if the United States or any other country had all that oil, we'd be doing the same thing to a certain degree of course. It is the government's job to step in and say "We can't lower the price that O.P.E.C sells gas for, but we can solve the problem here". The government could setup some system where the government pays O.P.E.C prices and sells it to us at cheaper rates ( Example; Government buys gas at $100 a barrel, but sells gas at $75 a barrel to Americans )

Yes, this would not bring in profits, but it would help our economy out. Airlines aren't charging outrageous prices and businesses aren't laying off thousands. I honestly don't see money as a issue in this if reform in the government takes place. If the United States can spend billions on a war that is going no where or bail out reckless companies; we sure have enough to help out our fellow citizens. If they respond by saying not enough $$$, there are plenty of things that funding can get cut from like maybe the Iraq war? By cutting funding, I mean pulling out.

Our freedom is at stake

Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of the everyday routine. The security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration whereby important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful, bloody struggle are celebrated with a nice holiday. I thought we could mark this November the 5th. A day that is, sadly, no longer remembered by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are, of course, those who do not want us to speak. Even now, orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way.

Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation. Words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and, for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of Surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others and they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you and in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten.

More than 400 years ago, a great citizen wished to imbed the 5th of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words. They are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest that you allow the 5th of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek then I ask you to stand beside me, one year from tonight outside the gates of Parliament and together, we shall give them a 5th of November that shall never, ever be forgot.

Does that not vaguely mirror the events unfolding in the United States? After 9/11 we traded in freedoms for so called "safety" from terrorists and extremists who wish to do harm to this country, but the real threat comes from inside. The government, our government ( There are others, but I will only discuss America in this one) has almost always bullied and attempted to impose our policies on other countries. Is it no surprise that we are laughed at and hated? We forget about justice, freedom and fairness and instead follow the path of ignorance and greed or allow it to happen. Some hold much more responsibility then others, but awareness & action is crucial if you want to end such tyranny. We, the common people hold more power then we know and it is not us who should fear the government, but they who should fear us.

The elite in this country are aiming for more money and power. They wish to impose their beliefs on us and abolish free will. While they profit, the public majority suffers and loses somehow. So far, these laws (Patriot Act; a major one) that outlaw certain freedoms are only affecting few and targeting the ones they see as threats. The majority go along with such things because the laws and changes are disguised as our so called "safety". It starts out slow, only affecting small groups of people and is kept quiet by controlling main stream media. Until it starts affecting you and the people around you. They tell you its for the good of the country and necessary, but in all actuality they are the ones behind the chaos and are using it for their advancements. V for Vendetta is the grim future of America if we only allow it to happen. Take charge and let the government know that you wont let such things happen unnoticed and unpunished. Educate yourself in current affairs and dig through the lies to discover truth which will lead to justice and freedom.


Some of the articles I read on this topic include:

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism

Chakras

Chakras

Mediation has always interested me a lot. Lately I have been doing it outside and inside when I have nothing to do. Its really peaceful and I know a lot of people who laugh it off and say it doesn't have that many positive effects. Well I started searching the internet and looking up all the positive effects and something caught my eye. This thing in our body's called Chakra.

• The ROOT Chakra (red): This chakra is based on being physically aware and feeling comfortable in many situations. If opened, you should feel well-balanced and sensible, stable and secure. You don't distrust people around you for no reason.You feel present in what is happening right now, and very connected to your physical body. If it's under-active: you tend to be fearful or nervous, and easily feel unwelcome. If it's over-active: you may be materialistic and greedy. You feel as if you should be secure and are unwelcome to a change.
• The SACRAL Chakra (orange): This chakra deals with feeling and sexuality. If open, feeling are released with liberty, and are expressed without you being over-emotional. You would be open to affinity and can be passionate aas well as outgoing. You also have no problems based on sexuality. If it's under-active: you tend to be unemotional or impassive, and are not very open to anybody. If it's over-active: you tend to be sensitive and emotional all the time. You may also be very sexual.
• The NAVEL Chakra (yellow): This chakra encircles confidence, especially when in a group. When open, you should feel in control and have good feeling of dignity in youreslf. If it's under-active: you tend to be passive and indescisive. You could be frequently apprehensive and this doesn't reward you. If it's over-active: you tend to be imperious and aggressive.
• The HEART Chakra (green): This chakra is (you guessed it!) all about love, caring, and endearment. When open, you seem to be compassionate and friendly, always working in amicable relationships. If it's under-active: you tend to be cold and unfriendly. If it's over-active: you tend to be so "loving" towards people that you suffocate them, and you could be seen as selfish for it.
• The THROAT Chakra (light blue): This chakra is based on self-expression and communication. When the chakra is open, expressing yourself is easy, and art seems to be a great way to do this. If it's under-active: you tend not to speak too much, so you are classified as shy. If you lie often, this chakra can be blocked. If it's over-active: you tend to speak so much, it annoys a lot of people. You could also be a pretty bad listener.
• The THIRD EYE Chakra (blue): Like it's name, this chakra deals with insight. When open, you have excellent clairvoyance, and tend to dream a lot. If it's under-active: you tend to look up to other people to think for you. Relying on beliefs too often, you also tend to be confused most of the time. If it's over-active: you tend to live in a world imagination all day long. In the extremes, you could suffer from frequent daydreams or even hallucinations.
• The CROWN Chakra (pink): This is the seventh and most spiritual chakra. It encircles a being's wisdom and being one with the universe. When this chakra is open, prejudice dissapears from your To Do list, and you seem to become more aware of the world and it's connection to yourself. If it's under-active: you tend to not be very spiritual, and may be quite rigid in your thoughts. If it's over-active: you tend to intellectualise things all the time. Spirituality seems to come first in your mind, and if you are really over-active, you may even ignore your bodily needs (food, water, shelter).

Another post I found was this:

1. First is the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. Let your greatest fears become clear to you. You may be concerned for your survival, but you must let those fears go.
2. Next is the Water Chakra, located at the...I'd rather not say it. It deals with pleasure, and is blocked by guilt. Look at the guilt from your past that burdens you. Let them go, or they will poison your energy. Meditate and realize that these things happened for a purpose.
3. Next is the Fire Chakra, located at the stomach. It deals with willpower, and is blocked by shame. Recognize the biggest dissapointments in yourself, and what you are ashamed of. Accept that these things happened.
4. Now is the Air Chakra, located at the heart. It deals with love, and is blocked by grief. Lay all of your grief out in front of you. If you have lost someone close, you must realize love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The love is still in your heart, and can be reborn in the shape of new love.
5. Next is the Sound Chakra, located at the throat. It deals with truth, and is blocked by lies. The lies we tell ourselves. You must not lie about your own nature. Accept who you are.
6. Up next: the Light Chakra, located at the forehead. It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusions. The biggest illusion of all is the illusion of separation. Things we think are separate are actually one and the same. Like the nations of the world: we are all one people, but we live as if divided.
7. Last is the Thought Chakra, located at the crown of the forehead. It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attatchments. Meditate on what attatches you to this world. Let your emotions flow and be forgotten. You must unlock this chakra to gain your energy from the universe.

This really interested me when I saw all the posts on Chakras. It isn't some thing you can do in a day, but done over time it has had so many positive effects on people that its a must do. I know that reading stuff on the internet isn't the best way to do it, but right now I don't have the oppurtunity to visit a geru or someone experienced in this whole idea.

Also reading the 2nd post was really heartwarming and got me thinking about a lot of things that they talk about. Such as accepting who you are and realizing that love isn't some one time thing.

Energy, life around us

I've never been much of a science buff, but I do remember one thing my science teacher told about a year ago. Energy never dies or just is gone from the world.

Well about two weeks ago, I was thinking about the people and animals I have lost in my life and it hit me. They were energy, we didn't see it, but it was there. Flowing through their body. That energy didn't die with the body, but was realeased into the world around it perhaps? It could be in anything, the tree outside or the air you & I breath. Now I know too some of you, it sounds crazy, but we have to open our minds up a little bit to see things clearly.

In one of my favorite movies Patch Adams, he loses someone really close to him and is a total wreck. He is standing on this ledge looking at this beautiful sight in front of him and a butterfly lands on his heart. The butterfly was that persons favorite animal. She may have been gone from her body, but she wasn't gone from the world. The movie is a true story and the event did happen.

Basically, don't look at the person being gone forever. They may not be in their body, but they are just as close and can be felt all around us if we take the time.



I really hope this made sense to anyone that read it

The genocide in Darfur

Darfur Now Trailer


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After watching the movie, I feel its my responsibility to do something to help out. Just like the guy says, its a genocide like the one in Nazi Germany and we aren't doing enough to prevent it from going on. The way I look at it is this, what if America was in their shoes? Would you want another country to help you out somehow? We can spend billions of dollars on a unjust war, but can't help Darfur out with food, shelter and protection?

Since I will be going back to Stroudsburg Highschool this year, I'm joining the student council and will be starting a group for Darfur Now and a fundraiser. For more information, click the links below.

http://www.savedarfur.org/content?splash=yes
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/savedarfurcoalition
http://www.24hoursfordarfur.org/
http://www.eyesondarfur.org/

Change

I believe there is a lot of change that is needed in this country. I'm going to start with stuff that will benefit everyone around the world eventually.

- I didn't learn about the genocide going on in Darfur or all the bad things going on in the world from school, but from movies. Now in Social Studies, we learn about the past, but what good is that doing us? Learning about the past, but not teaching us about a genocide. I had a discussion about this with my parents and my mother came up with a good idea. Learning about the past and learning from the mistakes. Having kids think more. If I was a teacher, I'd have a discussion about whats going on in the world every Friday. We need to be more aware and stop being so out of touch with everyone else around the world. Everything is connected.

- In Europe, they learn their primary language + English. What a great idea! America and Europe interact all the time and it benifits both of us. That doesn't mean we should go over to their country and expect them to know and speak English. Why don't we have that concept over here? Now some people want to make Spanish our secondary language and make it required to learn. I don't support that idea, but rather making us learn a secondary language, whatever it may be. In my school, they teach German, French, Spanish, and I think Russian. So at a early stage ( best time to learn a language ) have a kid learn English + one other language.

- Obesity ( Disease in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected.) affects 20% of children in America, 29% of American men & 35% of American women. These statistics were taken from 2006, so they probably have gone up. This needs to be solved, now! An easy way to solve the problem is teaching good eatings habits when a person is a kid. I learned from an early age about eating healthy and exercise and now I want to stay healthy on my own without my parents help. This comes down to parents saying " No more Burger King! or " No more cookies & cakes! " and the school district making sure kids can't buy 3 cookies or 3 slices of pizzz unless they are on the swim team or some sports club. They need all the calories they can get since they are burning them off so quick.


I'm going to update and add more ideas to this soon, but I just wanted to get the blog going. Share your ideas with me! Negative or Positive.

Religion

I'm writing this blog to give any of the readers a depth into what I believe in. The subject today is religion. First of all, I do believe in "god", but I prefer to call it a higher power. I believe the main problem surrounding religion is that people, not all, but a good amount only think their religion is correct and that all the others are going to burn in hell or some crazy hot place. Last time I checked, almost every religion worships a "deity" and has similar concepts to a certain degree. I'll give an example:

Christian man/women does a lot of good things for the community & is an activist for ending world hunger and limiting violence.

Muslim man/women does the same exact thing, but because he/she worships another religion; he is going to burn in hell in the eyes of some Christians or the other way around.

Anyone else see something wrong with that? I know I do!
So what if that person believes in a different religion then you? Does that make him/her a bad person? I say no and here's why.

I believe that the higher powers in this universe have reached wisdom greatly surpassing ours. They are not all about having people worship them and many of the bad qualities that plague us humans don't exist in them. If there is a heaven, do you really think they will deny certain people just because they worshiped the wrong "deity" or made mistakes in their life. They would understand that we are a species capable of making mistakes quite frequently. The quality of companionship and happiness is not limited to a certain group of people, but exists in all of us.

Us humans focus too much on the future and what happens to us after death while there are so many problems plaguing the world right now, many and most of them caused by us in some way. Instead of living in harmony with nature; we cut down millions of trees, pollute the planet and show little concern for animals. Instead of showing our fellow humans kindness and love; we go to war over silly things and or don't do anything to prevent such acts of violence. The list could go on, but you get my point? This does not apply to everyone also because I know a lot of people who do things to help out in some way; big or small.

Basically what I'm saying, lets focus on the now and leave titles in the dust for the most part. Black, purple, red, white, etc; As long as your a good person, your fine by me. As for the people who are the complete opposite; Your are not going to prevent me or anyone else from succeeding in the amazing causes we believe in.