Occupy

This is the latest poster put out by Adbusters.  If you haven't ever heard of Adbusters, you most certainly are NOT part of the Occupy Wall Street movement since they go hand in hand.  I don't think there is a soul out there that doesn't know what Occupy Wall Street is in one way or another.  What you are about to read is the text that followed the above poster, calling all Occupiers for their latest "event" I guess you could say.

"Hey you redeemers, rebels and radicals out there,

Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world’s military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there.

And so will we.

On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

And this time around we’re not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 … nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights. We’ll go there with our heads held high and assemble for a month-long people’s summit … we’ll march and chant and sing and shout and exercise our right to tell our elected representatives what we want … the constitution will be our guide.

And when the G8 and NATO meet behind closed doors on May 19, we’ll be ready with our demands: a Robin Hood Tax … a ban on high frequency ‘flash’ trading … a binding climate change accord … a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals … an all out initiative for a nuclear-free Middle East … whatever we decide in our general assemblies and in our global internet brainstorm – we the people will set the agenda for the next few years and demand our leaders carry it out.
And if they don’t listen … if they ignore us and put our demands on the back burner like they’ve done so many times before … then, with Gandhian ferocity, we’ll flashmob the streets, shut down stock exchanges, campuses, corporate headquarters and cities across the globe … we’ll make the price of doing business as usual too much to bear.

Jammers, pack your tents, muster up your courage and prepare for a big bang in Chicago this Spring. If we don’t stand up now and fight now for a different kind of future we may not have much of a future … so let’s live without dead time for a month in May and see what happens …

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ"

Here is a short video of what happened during the summer of 1968 that is referred to above.
VIDEO

Was just, kinda, maybe thinking, well, never mind....I'm sure it's nothing right?  They are ALL peaceful protesters right?  DO YOUR RESEARCH and you tell me.

Do not underestimate Occupy Wall Street.  They will be back.  And do not underestimate people in general when something like this sets fire.  Let me leave you with one question and one thought.  What do you think it takes for something like the riots during the summer of 1968 to take place?  Research this yourself, don't be the complacent one.  And a thought...be the good, be the common sense and be the one that we all need to stand with so we don't sit idly by and watch the show.  Yes, you can call me crazy now.  Well, but before you do that at least have a reason to call me crazy, do your research!!

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21



The good ole days...

You hear it all the time.  People, especially those who are older, talking about the "good ole days".  They reminisce about the good ole days, telling stories about how people in town all knew each other, crime was uncommon and dealt with quickly, kids had respect for their parents, people worked hard and were God fearing.  Sometimes you hear younger parents talking about how they wish they could go back to those good ole days now, where things just seemed so much simpler.


On the flip side of this we hear people talking about how the good ole days are over.  So, it got me thinking about why the good ole days seem so far out of reach, like it is something of the past that is completely lost and we cannot ever get it back.  Often times I hear people talking about the good ole days fondly, but accepting it's demise through "new ways" that perhaps they know aren't positive, but as if they can't do anything about it.


Let's face it, some of the ways of the good ole days weren't that great and needed some re-thinking.  I also understand that the idea of the good ole days can sometimes be glorified.  But many aspects of the good ole days I envision were great. 


What makes you think of the good ole days?  Some of you might think about families sitting out on the front porch visiting with neighbors, whom they all know personally.  Maybe you think about strong families, strong churches and sound principles.  Perhaps you think about men who worked hard to take care of their families no matter what it took.  Family farms.  Faith in God.  American made.  Dependable friends and even strangers willing to lend a helping hand.  Respectful youth.  Honesty with a hand shake. 


I don't think that the good ole days are totally dead.  I can think of many people who give me a taste of what I think of when I envision those days.  They inspire me.  The good ole days don't have to be dead, that is our choice.  Too many times we push out the good ole days with the new ways because it's easier to accept the new than to hold on to and stand firm for the old.  Whatever your good ole days is, hold on to it.  Be the good ole days in your family and in your community.  It's okay to accept some of the new, but don't ever let it compromise your principles. 


Never allow yourself to accept this idea that the world is too far gone.  It's not.  There will always be those that stand firm and do not allow the ways of the world to compromise their principles.  It is that kind of person that we need most.  Don't feel your there yet?  Yeah, me neither.  I want to be the good ole days that I dream about.  The good ole days in a broken world.  Imagine what we could all do if we let the good ole days shine through the new.


One thing I know for certain...God's word will never be outdated and can bring salvation to every generation.

"Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you."  Deuteronomy 32:7

So go on, don't be afraid.  Go out and do something outdated.

Sponge Bob



Oh, Sponge Bob.  I hate you, I really do.  My kids think it's great when they get to watch it, while I sit back asking myself why I let them do it.  But what about sweet little Dora and Diego?  How about The Avengers or Phineas and Ferb?  Ok, I secretly love Phineas and Ferb.  But, that's not the point.  These shows have our kids sucked in don't they?  It's not like it ends with the show.  They start asking for the toys, the underwear, the backpack, etc.  It becomes a total obsession.   Don't EVEN get me started on Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.  I guess we have to then ask ourselves if that is so bad.

I don't see how anyone wouldn't agree that the media is using our children as marketing tools.  The media is targeting them through TV, internet, cell phones, etc to sell their products.  You really can't blame marketers for targeting children in order to sell their products. They are just trying to make money, right?  "I mean, isn't making money what life is all about?" she says sarcastically.    

How have you been influenced by your child while shopping? Or better yet, influenced by them at home while they beg you for that special toy or gadget they just HAVE to have or they won't be complete.  It's not like it's easy to say no two thousand times to your child as you walk down the ailes at WalMart or Target.  Seriously, think about it.  How often do you give in to it?  I know I have.  Then I ask myself if it really matters.  Well, maybe it is ok.  I mean, what is the harm in it?  If they need a shirt and the shirt just happens to have Sponge Bob on it, what does it matter?  Ya know, I don't think it always matters, but sometimes I think it does.  This is where common sense comes in to play.  Yes, common sense.  It does still exist within some people and I have faith you still have it!!

Some of the marketing ploys have gotten bad, real bad.  The scariest part is the value that is being sold.  The value that what you have is what matters.  Self indulgence, instant gratification and materialism.  It's all about me!!  That is what is being taught to your children if you let the media have it's way.  Many times kids get the idea that in order to pretend to be Spiderman, they must have the Spiderman mask, web slinger and full costume.  Or to be a pirate they must have the specific hat, eye patch, hook and sword.  What happened to picking up a stick and using it as a sword and PRETENDING?

Again, I think it's different with every kid, every family and each circumstance.  However, with that said, I think that we need to pay better attention to what our kids are doing.  Do they have imaginations and engage in play without having to be bombarded with media or a specific toy?  Believe me, I completely understand this.  My son, who is 5, is the worst of the worst in this category.  He loves his wii, his toys and TV.  If I don't limit him he will go hog wild.  We have had to set rules with him or he would rot his brain all day on the wii and TV.  We let him go hog wild if there are people over and under certain circumstances, but on a normal day there have to be limits.  He is also very materialistic when it comes to toys, he always wants more.  Some kids are totally different.  My daughter is that way.  She just isn't interested in that stuff enough for it to become an issue.  I just think we need to watch what our children are doing and make sure that they have the chance to imagine, be kids and not be overloaded with all the media and materialism.

Most kids used to want to be nurses, astronauts, mailmen, policeman or fireman.  There are still kids who want to be the good guy, but so many kids these days want to be rich, be famous, have a lot of stuff, movie stars or professional singers. Why do you think this is?

So much of their childhood is being squeezed out through the violence on TV, the materialism and their desire to keep up with the Jones'.  Let's not allow our children to believe that their value comes from what they have.  This means making some tough decisions.  Ultimately it is our responsibility to monitor what our children are watching and the decisions that we are allowing them to make.  We can't be with our children all the time and unfortunately our children are going to be exposed to things that we won't have control over.  This is where making sure that your child is coming from a home with sound values comes into play.  Your child is up against a lot this day and age, so what they are learning at home is going to make a big difference in how they allow the garbage to affect them.  Spoil your child occasionally, but leave it up to the grandparent's most of the time.  It's a balancing act, a hard one at that. 

And let's not ever forget how our Maker sees it.  "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Mathhew 6:20.  Our best gifts and greatest treasures are not material possessions.  Our stuff doesn't matter to God.  Let's do our best at teaching our children that.  This verse in Matthew is a hard one to swallow in the world that we are living in.  Don't forget that we are not perfect and we will make mistakes along the way.  Just try again.  And if you are like me...again and again and again.

Coffee. How boring, but it's what I do.

I love coffee, I really do.  For some insane reason or another, I have tried to quit drinking coffee a few times during my life.  I did not succeed.  It's got a tight grip on me and I have accepted that, gladly.  Some people don't really care about the brand of coffee they drink as long as they achieve that caffeine high and there are others who are complete coffee snobs.  I am somewhere in between.

Coffee can come in many forms and with many different price tags as well.  I am sure that many of you have noticed that there are organic coffee options out there.  Maybe some of you already purchase organic coffee, whereas others see it as just another expensive option.  Let me explain.

Coffee is grown in many countries around the world, but mainly in Brazil and Columbia.  Hawaii is the only state in the US that grows coffee.  Coffee is actually a fruit that grows on a cute little bush, which is then harvested by hand or machine.  The bean is located in the middle of the fruit, which is then roasted for your pleasure.

Did you know that coffee is second only to oil in traded commodities in the world?  We are hooked on this stuff.  Coffee is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Since there is so much money in coffee,  unfortunately us humans screw everything up and must mass produce this "bean gold" and then treat it with nasty chemicals so we have even higher output and thus more money.  Many of the chemicals used on coffee have been banned, however they are still used in the more undeveloped countries(many of which provide coffee to the US) since there aren't regulations and less education about their effects.  Many of these chemicals have been directly related to farmers and animal deaths(mainly birds) in foreign countries because of the lack of education in regards to their level of toxicity and how to properly use the chemicals.  Many of these farmers are just trying to get as much yield from their crop as they can and will, at times, literally die trying.  It's a pretty sad thing and yet another big reason to purchase organic coffee.  Coffee is actually the highest chemically treated commodity in the world.  The most common chemical used in coffee production is the fertilizers, which degrade the soil and the chemicals leech into water supplies. 

Another problem with non-organic coffee production is that producers have created a sun-resistant hybrid coffee tree, which allows the coffee trees to be grown in direct sunlight.  You see, coffee is naturally grown in the dense shade of the rainforest.  Yes, you guessed it.  Us humans had to mess it up again and we decided that this wasn't producing quite enough so we altered nature once again.  The problem with this is that more rainforest is destroyed to make room for these sun-resistant hybrids, which now make up 70% of the coffee produced.   

I just recently started purchasing organic, free trade coffee. One of the main reasons I got thinking about this was when I thought about a story my sister told me after her trip to Mexico. She said that there were Mexican workers spreading out coffee beans on the streets of Mexico to dry. The same streets that stray dogs poop on and are often times covered in garbage and other nasty stuff. Sick. Also, I started to think about the fact that I drink coffee EVERY day. If this is something that is going into my body every day, I need to know what's in it and where it's coming from.

Organic coffee only makes up 1% of the market, which is astonishingly low.  If you are interested in buying organic, there are a few packaging words you need to know.  Organic will mean that it is chemical free and the farms will undergo regular inspections.  Fair trade will mean that the farmers who produced the coffee will receive fair wages.  Shade grown means that the coffee was grown in the wonderful shade of the rainforest, which is it's natural environment.  Please consider purchasing organic coffee.  It may come with a higher price tag, but it comes with a lot less chemicals, supports fair wages for the farmers and a lot less "I destroyed the rainforest" guilt.  Now don't go and protest Dutch Brothers here in town, they are doing the best they can, right now.  Don't think I won't be in line at my favorite coffee place when the cravings strikes, however we can do better with our daily choice at home can't we?  Something to think about.

Oh, and believe me.  I tried.  There is no mention of coffee in the Bible!!!