I've decided to take a blog post just to focus on a few important lines in chapter 2:
Jael narrates to us:
The
national motto of Ekalfwons is “the free and safe society”; our nickname “land
of the safe, home of the free”. I have known the motto and nickname since age
five. Sometimes I think our motto makes
sense; sometimes I don’t.
How did these lines make you feel?
In today's society I feel that the following is becoming true: Whenever a business or individual has to overstate a quality, it is because that quality is lacking. Likewise both freedom and safety are lacking in Ekalfwons.
Now freedom is a word that is used a lot in the United States. But really how meaningful is it? Animals are locked up in cages, raped and murdered; peaceful protesters, political prisoners and whistle blowers are thrown in jail; and so much more.
Perhaps, it is like the old saying goes "if you tell a lie enough times, than people will believe it is true". Similar to in the United States the idea of freedom is a statement that is almost considered unquestionable.
Similar to in the United States, it is important to the powers that be in Ekalfwons that the people believe they are free.
As for the safety part of the motto that is also a lie. In the United States there seems to be an increasing obsession with individual safety. Notice I say individual safety. Think about it-how much of all the safety stuff is actually about society as a whole verses hyper-individualist safety for the person preaching it and their children? Even when the information the individual is using, is inaccurate and not based in solid fact. And the information is often not based on solid fact.
Ekalfwons, is an extension of the current United States (or at least numerous individuals in it). Those in Ekalfwons, don't care about the safety of their society or others outside of their families, rather they engage in a selfish hyper-individualism.
Now why has Jael known the motto since age 5? Indoctrination. You know why little kids sometimes ask the best questions about society? Because they haven't been indoctrinated yet.
Indoctrination is an important part of Ekalfwons and placating the masses. Like many smart people Jael wavers and struggles with an internal conflict between the indoctrination and her instinct about right and wrong.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Book Review: Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper & More
I've decided to put to use my love of reading by reviewing the books I read (for better or for worse).
Today we review: Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper & More by Laura Morelli.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Pros: Great information. I learned a lot from this book. I certainly feel that if I travel to Venice (which I hope to at some point) the information I learned will come in handy. Even beyond art, I feel that I have a better understanding of Venice. The book is very well written.
Cons: I don't think I have any complaints about this book, but I didn't give it a 10 because I can't list it among my all time favorite books; nor did I find it to be life changing or earth shattering.
I like reviewing travel books because there are a lot of garbage travel books out there. Luckily, Laura Morelli's Venice guide is not one of them.
I actually learned more from this travel guide than I expected too. The author obviously has a great knowledge of Art and Art History. While I've spent much time thinking about the stories behind a painting, I never though much about the stories behind craft items such as lace or carnival masks.
The author gives a lot of advice that at least seems like it would be useful in regards to what to buy and how not to get ripped off. I haven't been to Venice so I can't say for sure if I agree or not with this advice, but it seemed like the advice would be helpful.
Best of all, I felt I like when (and if) I do travel to Venice, I'll have a better understanding of Venice. From avoiding tourist traps to finding out about the glass museum. In particular, I liked the tips about avoiding offers for free rides (the cost of which will be high pressure sales).
Beyond the writing, I also enjoyed the pictures and a few of the pictures were excellent.
Today we review: Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper & More by Laura Morelli.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Pros: Great information. I learned a lot from this book. I certainly feel that if I travel to Venice (which I hope to at some point) the information I learned will come in handy. Even beyond art, I feel that I have a better understanding of Venice. The book is very well written.
Cons: I don't think I have any complaints about this book, but I didn't give it a 10 because I can't list it among my all time favorite books; nor did I find it to be life changing or earth shattering.
I like reviewing travel books because there are a lot of garbage travel books out there. Luckily, Laura Morelli's Venice guide is not one of them.
I actually learned more from this travel guide than I expected too. The author obviously has a great knowledge of Art and Art History. While I've spent much time thinking about the stories behind a painting, I never though much about the stories behind craft items such as lace or carnival masks.
The author gives a lot of advice that at least seems like it would be useful in regards to what to buy and how not to get ripped off. I haven't been to Venice so I can't say for sure if I agree or not with this advice, but it seemed like the advice would be helpful.
Best of all, I felt I like when (and if) I do travel to Venice, I'll have a better understanding of Venice. From avoiding tourist traps to finding out about the glass museum. In particular, I liked the tips about avoiding offers for free rides (the cost of which will be high pressure sales).
Beyond the writing, I also enjoyed the pictures and a few of the pictures were excellent.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Book Review: A Concise History of Philadelphia
Today I review:
A Concise History of Philadelphia by Ron Avery
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Delivers what it promises: A concise history of Philadelphia...and an interesting one at that written in a Howard Zinn type style.
Cons: Written in 1999. Bragging about all the meat those in Philadelphia eat (for two sentences).
My husband picked this book up while in Philadelphia. In general, I enjoyed a Concise History of Philadelphia. I liked that it is very much a peoples' history of Philadelphia. It seemed to present a honest look at the problems that Philadelphia faced, including extreme corruption to the point of making it highly questionable that Philadelphia was even a democracy for parts of Philadelphia's history. I liked that it was not a mindless patriotic view of the city, that it was a honest account.
I thought the parts on William Penn were particularly interesting. I didn't realize until I read this book that both William Penn and Benjamin Franklin were slave owners (although Franklin by the end of his life would oppose slavery). This book showed that in particular Penn was far from the ideal figure I often envisioned him to be.
The one negative part was when the author became a meat head idiot for 2 sentences bragging about all the meat those in Philadelphia eat.
A Concise History of Philadelphia by Ron Avery
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Delivers what it promises: A concise history of Philadelphia...and an interesting one at that written in a Howard Zinn type style.
Cons: Written in 1999. Bragging about all the meat those in Philadelphia eat (for two sentences).
My husband picked this book up while in Philadelphia. In general, I enjoyed a Concise History of Philadelphia. I liked that it is very much a peoples' history of Philadelphia. It seemed to present a honest look at the problems that Philadelphia faced, including extreme corruption to the point of making it highly questionable that Philadelphia was even a democracy for parts of Philadelphia's history. I liked that it was not a mindless patriotic view of the city, that it was a honest account.
I thought the parts on William Penn were particularly interesting. I didn't realize until I read this book that both William Penn and Benjamin Franklin were slave owners (although Franklin by the end of his life would oppose slavery). This book showed that in particular Penn was far from the ideal figure I often envisioned him to be.
The one negative part was when the author became a meat head idiot for 2 sentences bragging about all the meat those in Philadelphia eat.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm explained Chapter 2 Part 2
(Attempting to avoid any spoilers from after chapter 2)
The second paragraph in chapter 2 talks about Jael. Jael is the main character and the book is written in the first person through Jael's eyes (with the exception of chapter 1).
Jael is at a crossroads when the book starts. She is facing an internal and highly confusing struggle between what she knows in her heart is right and what her society is telling her is right.
For good people, I think this is a quite common struggle. It is a struggle I have faced myself, repeatedly. Don't we all often see things in society that are wrong and not comment about them? I know that it happens to me.
This conditioning starts young. Think of the young child who actually asks a smart question, questioning the way the adult world works or better yet the way the adult world harms people. What happens when the child does that? The child is told to be quiet so as not to offend anyone. Eventually, the child is conditioned to restrict their voice and taught not to trust their own voice; or even more so taught not to fight for social or other justice.
The next paragraph mentions that Jael and her sister Jade have designer genes. This will become important later and I'll talk more about this later.
In the next paragraph, Jael mentions her mother and father. She says her parents love the country "The Republic of Ekalfwons". There is so much that could be said about this. Let's start with acceptable loyalties in the United States (and many other countries) have to be meaningless and do nothing to right any wrong that might in any tiny way inconvenience those with power.
Now if you didn't already notice try reversing the letters of the word Ekalfwons. What do you get? Snowflake. Why Snowflake? Well it is short for special snowflake. It is a reference to a society that is mainly run and where the rules are dictated by people who only care about their own child (aka their own little special snowflake). A society where no other child matters and where those in the society see nothing wrong with harming someone else's child if it will give their own child some slight advantage. Here's an example in our society: a soccer mom driving an SUV recklessly to get a kid to soccer practice on time, carelessly putting others at risk for something that has no positive impact on making the world a better place. It happens every day and this is why I fear that we may be becoming Ekalfwons. Ekalfwons by the way is a concept of a society based on things that are already happening today. Multiply the selfishness some show in the United States (or other countries) by a few generations and you have Ekalfwons.
Other posts about Bubble Burst:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2: First Paragraph
Sales release
Why is Jael a 23 year old kid?
The second paragraph in chapter 2 talks about Jael. Jael is the main character and the book is written in the first person through Jael's eyes (with the exception of chapter 1).
Jael is at a crossroads when the book starts. She is facing an internal and highly confusing struggle between what she knows in her heart is right and what her society is telling her is right.
For good people, I think this is a quite common struggle. It is a struggle I have faced myself, repeatedly. Don't we all often see things in society that are wrong and not comment about them? I know that it happens to me.
This conditioning starts young. Think of the young child who actually asks a smart question, questioning the way the adult world works or better yet the way the adult world harms people. What happens when the child does that? The child is told to be quiet so as not to offend anyone. Eventually, the child is conditioned to restrict their voice and taught not to trust their own voice; or even more so taught not to fight for social or other justice.
The next paragraph mentions that Jael and her sister Jade have designer genes. This will become important later and I'll talk more about this later.
In the next paragraph, Jael mentions her mother and father. She says her parents love the country "The Republic of Ekalfwons". There is so much that could be said about this. Let's start with acceptable loyalties in the United States (and many other countries) have to be meaningless and do nothing to right any wrong that might in any tiny way inconvenience those with power.
Now if you didn't already notice try reversing the letters of the word Ekalfwons. What do you get? Snowflake. Why Snowflake? Well it is short for special snowflake. It is a reference to a society that is mainly run and where the rules are dictated by people who only care about their own child (aka their own little special snowflake). A society where no other child matters and where those in the society see nothing wrong with harming someone else's child if it will give their own child some slight advantage. Here's an example in our society: a soccer mom driving an SUV recklessly to get a kid to soccer practice on time, carelessly putting others at risk for something that has no positive impact on making the world a better place. It happens every day and this is why I fear that we may be becoming Ekalfwons. Ekalfwons by the way is a concept of a society based on things that are already happening today. Multiply the selfishness some show in the United States (or other countries) by a few generations and you have Ekalfwons.
Other posts about Bubble Burst:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2: First Paragraph
Sales release
Why is Jael a 23 year old kid?
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Bubble Burst: The truth about the Dairy Farm explained Chapter 2 First Paragraph
(Written in an effort to avoid any spoilers from beyond Chapter 2)
Chapter 2 starts out by talking about Jael's sister Jade. Although the question hasn't come up yet, I'm expecting at some point to be asked if Jade is based on an actual sister of mine. The answer is no; I actually don't have any sisters.
Jade is actually a conglomeration of a lot of people. Jade is unfortunately representative of way too many people I come across; be it on the internet or in real life.
If you read closely what you will notice most of the statements about Jade aren't exactly true, especially as you read on in the book. The book states "She does not ask questions". If you read carefully later on you will note that Jade does ask questions. She doesn't ask the questions that those who are being selfish don't want asked. All Jade's questions are self-absorbed. They aren't deeper questions about making the world a better place.
The next line states "She has never questioned her bubble". There is a lot that could be said about that. But it again relates to what the powers that be want; unquestioned authority.
Then it says "She doesn't judge". But as you read on you will find that this also is not true. It is just that Jade's judgments fit in better with a selfish self-serving society, than Jael's does.
I also mention she talks about the generosity and good of the corporations. I think this line might be more self-evident. This isn't to say all corporations are bad. But there are many bad corporations doing bad things, while pretending to do good things or doing minimal good things that don't make up for the bad things they are doing. Worse yet, even in today's America, whistle blowers who report bad things that corporations (or the government) are doing are usually left to suffer for doing the right thing.
And that's the first paragraph of chapter 2 for you! If you don't have the book you can buy it below. And please share your comments and questions on chapter 2!
Chapter 2 starts out by talking about Jael's sister Jade. Although the question hasn't come up yet, I'm expecting at some point to be asked if Jade is based on an actual sister of mine. The answer is no; I actually don't have any sisters.
Jade is actually a conglomeration of a lot of people. Jade is unfortunately representative of way too many people I come across; be it on the internet or in real life.
If you read closely what you will notice most of the statements about Jade aren't exactly true, especially as you read on in the book. The book states "She does not ask questions". If you read carefully later on you will note that Jade does ask questions. She doesn't ask the questions that those who are being selfish don't want asked. All Jade's questions are self-absorbed. They aren't deeper questions about making the world a better place.
The next line states "She has never questioned her bubble". There is a lot that could be said about that. But it again relates to what the powers that be want; unquestioned authority.
Then it says "She doesn't judge". But as you read on you will find that this also is not true. It is just that Jade's judgments fit in better with a selfish self-serving society, than Jael's does.
I also mention she talks about the generosity and good of the corporations. I think this line might be more self-evident. This isn't to say all corporations are bad. But there are many bad corporations doing bad things, while pretending to do good things or doing minimal good things that don't make up for the bad things they are doing. Worse yet, even in today's America, whistle blowers who report bad things that corporations (or the government) are doing are usually left to suffer for doing the right thing.
And that's the first paragraph of chapter 2 for you! If you don't have the book you can buy it below. And please share your comments and questions on chapter 2!
Do you need a kindle to download books on Amazon?
Here is a variation of a question I got asked recently. "Do you need a kindle to download books on amazon?"
The answer is no. You can download books from Amazon to a large variety of other devices: everything from a computer to a phone.
In particular, I was asked about an iphone. I was able to find directions here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201244870. I don't have an iphone though so I wasn't able to test out these directions.
Downloading to a computer is really easy. You basically just buy the book and it downloads automatically. One challenge I found on the computer is that it can be challenging to find the reader on a computer. One solution I came up with was just to download a free book and it will come up automatically.
I'm not sure why Amazon has made it so easy to download to so many devices. Perhaps Amazon found that selling books to a larger audience is more profitable than selling kindles? If any one has insight into this I'd be interested to hear your comments!
The answer is no. You can download books from Amazon to a large variety of other devices: everything from a computer to a phone.
In particular, I was asked about an iphone. I was able to find directions here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201244870. I don't have an iphone though so I wasn't able to test out these directions.
Downloading to a computer is really easy. You basically just buy the book and it downloads automatically. One challenge I found on the computer is that it can be challenging to find the reader on a computer. One solution I came up with was just to download a free book and it will come up automatically.
I'm not sure why Amazon has made it so easy to download to so many devices. Perhaps Amazon found that selling books to a larger audience is more profitable than selling kindles? If any one has insight into this I'd be interested to hear your comments!
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Bubble Burst: The truth about the Dairy Farm explained Chapter 1
Chapter 1 is the one part of my book Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm which isn't fictional. I was really floored by the results of the survey. I think it is a sad statement about society that 73 percent of the women (it was all women) would give away their children's freedom in order to have a gun or SUV. That is a sad commentary on so many things. Materialism, that we live in a fear based society full of paranoia, and selfishness.
One of the great ironies I found was that many of the women cited freedom as the reason they would stick their kid in a bubble, in order to keep their SUV's and guns. Yet, guns and SUVs have nothing to do with freedom; if anything guns and SUVs are about intimidating others to manipulate and take away freedom. It is also a scary commentary on what is going on in our society. Governments pander to gun and SUV nuts who claim they need these things for freedom, meanwhile stripping away their freedom (and the freedom for the rest of us goes in the garbage along with it).
Now keep in mind many of the SUV and gun nuts weren't big fans of the bubble. Some said they just wouldn't follow the bubble rule. But I find that to be all talk. The reality is when CPS or the government came knocking they would stick their kid(s) in a bubble.
The audience for this survey was most likely largely American, with some Canadian participation and perhaps some other countries represented, as well.
One of the great ironies I found was that many of the women cited freedom as the reason they would stick their kid in a bubble, in order to keep their SUV's and guns. Yet, guns and SUVs have nothing to do with freedom; if anything guns and SUVs are about intimidating others to manipulate and take away freedom. It is also a scary commentary on what is going on in our society. Governments pander to gun and SUV nuts who claim they need these things for freedom, meanwhile stripping away their freedom (and the freedom for the rest of us goes in the garbage along with it).
Now keep in mind many of the SUV and gun nuts weren't big fans of the bubble. Some said they just wouldn't follow the bubble rule. But I find that to be all talk. The reality is when CPS or the government came knocking they would stick their kid(s) in a bubble.
The audience for this survey was most likely largely American, with some Canadian participation and perhaps some other countries represented, as well.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm
The first book in my Bubble Burst series is now out. It is called "The Truth About the Dairy Farm". You can buy it on Amazon below:
So what is it about? Oh, so many things! I actually plan to go through the whole book and talk about the content. But since this is the first post let's go for a summary.
Bubble Burst is a fiction book, but it is designed to raise awareness about a number of important issues that I care about. To name a few: promoting veganism, raising awareness about the horrors of the dairy industry, promoting real vision zero, addressing the dangers of suvs and car based societies in general, addressing issues of the dangers of gun violence, addressing the issues of forced helicopter parenting, and raising awareness for cycling.
It's set in 2085. The United States has divided into two countries; basically the good people who care about society and those around them went to one society; those who just want to be selfish went to another society.
This first book takes place in the selfish society, with a girl named Jael who questions the society she lives in. From my amazon page:
Jael’s life is miserable. Her mom and sister are selfish and mean. She doesn’t fit in at school. She doesn’t fit into her society, the Republic of Ekalfwons, nicknamed “the free and safe society”. And worst of all like all “children” in her society at age 23 she has five more years locked in a bubble until she reaches adulthood at 28. But Jael is about to meet a mysterious stranger. But when he opens her eyes to the truth about her society she is going to have to make choices; choices which will put her on a dangerous path in a society where money is more important than lives.
I plan to have about five books in the series. But don't worry the first book isn't what I consider a cliff hanger. Without saying too much my concept for the second book is that the government and people of Ekalfwons are angry because of what happens in the first book.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Quick Vegan Guide: Clinton Airport Little Rock
If you have been keeping up on my travels, you may know about my adventure of being left stranded by American Airlines (who still by the way haven't done a thing to make everything right).
Given Clinton Airport is a 12 gate airport located in a Southern State I think the first question I was asking and others might be asking is do they even have vegan food? Well not much but here is what I could find.
- Great American Bagel has a veggie sandwich, which when I was there was a hummus sandwich with olives and other good stuff. It was quite good-certainly the best thing at the airport. I think the cost was 6.79.
- Great American Bagel has a peanut butter (and jelly) sandwich.
- Great American Bagel has trail mixes and other snacks.
- Starbucks had $3 dollar bagels.
- The newstands have snacks (nuts, etc).
- Keep in mind stuff closes early. On a holiday possibly as early as 4pm (but if the airport is busy they will often stay open later).
And that's about the extent of what I could find.
Going to the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin
I know what you are thinking. You are in Ireland. Why are you spending your time in a "library" and encouraging me to do the same?
Well, firstly the Chester Beatty Library is really more of a museum. Secondly, it is a great and award winning museum filled with extremely interesting manuscripts from numerous religions and amazing Oriental art. Interestingly enough, when I was in Budapest, I talked to a couple from Dublin who had actually not been to the museum themselves. I told them they really needed to go visit the library/museum sometime!
Chester Beatty, the namesake of the library/museum, was a mining magnate born in the United
States in 1875. He was nicknamed the
“King of Copper” and made a fortune mining copper in Colorado. As a hobby, he enjoyed collecting art and
books. He had a particular interest in
art and books from Oriental cultures. He
eventually immigrated to Ireland and was made an honorary citizen of Ireland in
the 1950's. In Ireland he built a
library, originally at a different location, for his collections. He made the collections public on his death
which occurred in 1968.
Have you read the Da Vinci Code? One of the most interesting parts of the collection is the Gospel of Mani, a Gnostic text. The Gnostic's are the branch of Christians talked about in the Da Vinci Code.
What else did I find exciting in the museum? Well lots of things. But here are a few more. The grain of rice inscribed with words. The Albrect Durer sketches. The old Torah scroll.
Here are a few other great things about the museum. It is technically free, but it would be expected to generally give a 5 euro donation: still making it quite inexpensive. It is also centrally located on the grounds of Dublin Castle.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Update: Kaufman Green Guide Budapest (Vegan Cruise)
I was contacted by a company that does multi-day vegan river cruises that include (start at/depart) the city of Budapest. So I thought I would put out the info on my blog (and will likely include the info in future editions of the Kaufman Green Guide Budapest)
Vegan River Cruise on the Danube
Website: http://veganrivercruises.com/
Dates: July 30th 2015 for 4 nights, Dec 28th 2015 for 6 nights
Brief Description: Vegan River Cruises provides multi-day cruises. The cruise on the Danube in July starts in Budapest, and then travels through Slovakia, Austria and into Germany.
Vegan River Cruise on the Danube
Website: http://veganrivercruises.com/
Dates: July 30th 2015 for 4 nights, Dec 28th 2015 for 6 nights
Brief Description: Vegan River Cruises provides multi-day cruises. The cruise on the Danube in July starts in Budapest, and then travels through Slovakia, Austria and into Germany.
Dairy was making me sick and I didn't even know it
For a really long time I lived the lie that just being vegetarian was fine. But recently I switched to a vegan diet. Now keep in mind I switched to a vegan diet because of my concern about the animals not health concerns.
I had come to accept many health problems as normal. Sinus infections, stomach upset, period cramps, and more. I never or rarely associated these problems with eating dairy. But when I stopped eating dairy and eggs, all of these problems pretty much went away in about a months time.
Dairy actually has properties to it that are addictive. If people are loving dairy, they are ignoring not only cruelty, but the damage it is doing to their health. Just like addicts who use other drugs dairy addicts make the choice to ignore their symptoms in favor of their drug of choice.
I had come to accept many health problems as normal. Sinus infections, stomach upset, period cramps, and more. I never or rarely associated these problems with eating dairy. But when I stopped eating dairy and eggs, all of these problems pretty much went away in about a months time.
Dairy actually has properties to it that are addictive. If people are loving dairy, they are ignoring not only cruelty, but the damage it is doing to their health. Just like addicts who use other drugs dairy addicts make the choice to ignore their symptoms in favor of their drug of choice.
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