tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123714202024-03-07T01:27:13.957-05:00Econo-GirlMurmurs from the Information AgeEcono-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.comBlogger1219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-72978531481949299732024-02-19T10:38:00.000-05:002024-02-19T10:38:05.375-05:00Note to AGNÈS CALLAMARD on article Gaza and the End of the Rules-Based Order<h2 style="text-align: left;">Note to AGNÈS CALLAMARD on article Gaza and the End of the Rules-Based Order</h2><p>Appreciated your comments in <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/" target="_blank">Foreign Affairs</a> about Gaza. Excellent analysis, until the end of the article. I am reading <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691152394/how-terrorism-ends" target="_blank">How Terrorism Ends by Audrey Kurth Cronin</a> and it provides insight into, well, how terrorism ends.</p><p>A rules-based order is a valuable tool for creating a standard that is applicable evenly and to all. But it is not going to stop a terror group, nor help in bringing them to the negotiating table. It is also not going to stop Israeli overreaction.</p><p>You can't just insist on a ceasefire. You must negotiate your way there. </p><p>"For all parties, negotiations may be a type of interaction that is seamlessly connected to more violent forms. To expect the opening of talks to mean the instant cessation of violence is naive and sets up expectations among the broader population that are counterproductive." (How Terrorism Ends, p.37)<br /></p><p>and </p><p>"Ceasefires are difficult to negotiate if one side has little else besides its ability to strike." (How Terrorism Ends, p.40) </p><p>Israel and the Palestinians are not the only ones in this conflict.
Condemning either one without addressing the others in the room is
essentially just talking to yourself. Yes, it would be great if both
parties would agree to a ceasefire. They aren't and they won't.
Pointing at the rules won't bring them there. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Saudi Arabia and Iran</span></h3><p>Hamas' attack on October 7th was directly related to the Israel/Saudi Arabia agreement <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-saudi-defence-pact-tied-israel-deal-palestinian-demands-put-aside-2023-09-29/" target="_blank">to open up ties</a>. Any proposed ceasefire that doesn't include Saudi Arabia and Iran will not happen. </p><p>The United States made the same error in the 90s while attempting to negotiate a political solution during the breakup of Yugoslavia, where the Serbs were not integrated into the plan. The result was extreme violence.</p><p>There are so many parties involved in the Gaza conflict, asking for symptoms of the problem to just stop isn't realistic. It certainly isn't effective.</p><p>I have yet to see a chart of all the players related to the Gaza conflict and how they are connected. Better minds than mine can do that. But acknowledging them and their role in the conflict is essential to start to talk about a ceasefire.</p><p>Because we all know what happens when one of them doesn't feel heard.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-81696013780131145362023-06-18T12:19:00.000-04:002023-06-18T12:19:08.174-04:00Note to Cornel West - America is Already Great - we just need to be fed<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Identity matters. Economic blame, even deserved blame, just won't win on its own.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">How are you giving people an identity that can unify us as Americans?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">Make America Great Again? America is already great - we just need to be fed. </p><p style="text-align: left;">We've created this machine based on fear. It is hungry, and never has enough.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It's time to feed ourselves - no more expensive toys of death until our bridges stop collapsing, until every child is well-fed and strong - in body and mind. Until we own our own water and soil. Until there are no more homeless veterans. Until there is hope again.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Make America Great Again? <b>WE </b>are the strength of this nation. The real America that's been overlooked and taken for granted. No more. Let them hear you, brothers and sisters. Register to vote. That alone scares the thieves of your tax dollars - who will always find a new way to buy killing machines from their friends. And feed your children into it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Every Veteran should have a home, free college, and free healthcare. At least let them buy into Social Security at cost. Is that too much to ask? What do you think?</p><p style="text-align: left;">Let childbirth be free. <b>And </b>the feeding and health of that young American for five years. You want more babies? You'll get more babies. Strong, healthy ones for a strong, healthy America.<br />Join me, brothers and sisters. Let's show them how great we are.<br /></p><div><p>Make America Great again? We are already great. We just need to listen to the people who made her that way.<br /></p><p>America is great. Again.</p></div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-70761705149378610772023-05-28T13:23:00.003-04:002023-05-28T22:44:05.546-04:00The "BRICS IS Cringe" Video by Laowhy86<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpMTt93d0p4" target="_blank"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpMTt93d0p4" width="320" youtube-src-id="dpMTt93d0p4"></iframe></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">BRICS is Cringe Video Recap</h2><p style="text-align: left;">(forgive the formatting mess) <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpMTt93d0p4" target="_blank">YouTube's </a><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpMTt93d0p4" target="_blank">laowhy86</a> lays out an interesting case for not worrying about BRICS overtaking the G7. It has some flaws, but here's a recap:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">The BRICS countries all hate eat other. </span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">China and India are practically at war.</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">His thoughts on China:</span></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Regular power outages<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">High unemployment rates in China<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">You can't get your money out of China<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Massive corporate moves out of China<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Lots of government ownership of companies<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Huge levels of debt<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Trade war with the U.S.<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Housing market has collapsed<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Banks are not paying loans to people despite protests<br /></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">The white paper protests</span> </p></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">His thoughts on</span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"> </span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Russia:</span></div><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Russia's economy hurt by sanctions, they are not an economic powerhouse</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Economy is smaller than either Texas or New York State</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Military death tolls is higher than Afghanistan</span></div></blockquote><p><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">His thoughts on</span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"> </span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Brazil:</span></p><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpMTt93d0p4" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">laowhy86</a> <span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">doesn't like Brazil's current leader Lula</span><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Talks about currency merge with Argentina</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">New unpredictable leadership counter to what made Brazil great </span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">His thoughts on</span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"> </span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">India:</span></span></div><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">India doesn't need BRICS</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Balancing traditional support for Russia with increasing capitalist and nationalist policies</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">His thoughts on</span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"> </span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">South Africa:</span></span></div><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Corruption</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Power outages</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">BRICS Currency Union would be based on gold - which is traded in dollars and most countries</span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"> store their gold in NY Federal Reserve's vault</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Every one of the BRICS countries has different goals</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Common monetary policy means same interest rates</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Where will the central monetary bank be located?</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">Which country will have the biggest vote on monetary matters?</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">How much foreign currency trade could actually replace the dollar?</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Why Are We Hearing So Much About BRICS? He thinks it's because </span></span><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;">most of the BRICS countries are in bad shape. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">"BRICS is Cringe" Analysis</span></span></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A lot of items on <span style="background-color: white; color: #0000e9; text-decoration: underline;">laowhy86's list </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">could apply to the United States, although not in the same degree. I get his point, though. Beating the "American is horrible" drum is a popular </span></span></span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">pastime for Americans who have never seen what horrible actually looks like. In themselves, high unemployment, high levels of debt, trade wars and military death tolls do not equal a soon-to-be-failing state. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">A few of his points are valid and deserve further discussion.</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Liquidity</span></span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">If you can't get to your money, or convert it into something spendable where you live, then it's like a gift to the people who have it. If you make a fortune but can't spend it, you have earned nothing. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">Currency conversion is essential for wealth created in one place to be spent somewhere else. The harder it is to convert your BRICS-a-roni to Euro, the less value the currency will have.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Chinese limits on transferring wealth out directly impacts the liquidity of its currency, and by extension, the currency liquidity of BRICS. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Corporations Moving Out of China</span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Brazil has lots of international corporations manufacturing products there. That doesn't seem to be changing despite </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0000e9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: underline;">laowhy86's</span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">disapproval of Brazil's current leader, Lula. I won't </span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">even start with that topic. It is enough to say he isn't pointing to any concrete examples of businesses abandoning Brazil.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">China is a different story. Corporations are leaving China for other Asian countries, leading to unemployment and less need for China's currency. That's a big deal in terms of providing the liquidity needed for a reserve currency that replaces the dollar. So, no worries for America there.</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">The U.S. Navy</span></span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">I never hear economic analyses that mention shipping trade routes. See, all these products manufactured all over the world need to arrive safely on ships. Those shipping lanes need to be safe. They are kept safe by the U.S. Navy.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">The Chinese navy, the Brazilian navy, the Russian navy, the South African navy and the Indian navy cannot protect the international shipping lanes. Only the U.S. can do that. More than anything else, that is why the United States' dollar is the reserve currency. Because global trade needs us.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Gold</span></h3><div><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">The United States keeps gold reserves safe for many countries by guarding it in the United States. If you want to get the gold in your hands, you will have to invade. Enough said.</span></div><div><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Final Thoughts on BRICS Ascendant Messaging</span></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">Every few years we hear the same fodder: America is failing, other countries are taking over, America is in decline. The message takes various forms: civil liberties are under attack, our "way of life" is under attack, other countries don't respect us anymore, the United States has done terrible things, etc. I think the American character has </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">a strong self-flagellation streak inherited </span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">from the Puritans. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">When a wide variety of media outlets are trending the same message, you have to be suspicious. When they are repeatedly recycling that message and are always wrong, you have to be dubious. When they've got nothing good to say, turn it off.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;">See, flowers and manure go together. If there's not one good thing in what you're saying, you are not credible.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15); color: #0f0f0f;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-43444311781741087682021-09-12T19:46:00.001-04:002021-09-12T19:46:34.307-04:00Glenn Greenwald and the American Left<p>In the one corner, we have <a href="https://tyt.com/" target="_blank">TYT</a> and its satellites, and <a href="https://theintercept.com/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a> and others.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the other corner, we have <a href="https://greenwald.substack.com/subscribe?next=https%3A%2F%2Fgreenwald.substack.com%2F&later=true&just_signed_up=true&requires_confirmation=&utm_source=cover_page&email=axsmithlawllc%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Glenn Greenwald</a>, <a href="https://thegrayzone.com/author/aaron-mate/" target="_blank">Aaron Mate</a>,<a href="https://scheerpost.com/category/chris-hedges/" target="_blank">Chris Hedges</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Dore" target="_blank">Jimmy Dore</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s a war brewing folks, and it is a championship fight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You see, some writers go on <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/glenn-greenwald-intercept-details-us-coronavirus-research-china" target="_blank">Fox News</a>, some refuse, and still
others are never asked. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=AOaemvKkd3ts-_q9usLKEjbVZLu9l1TdHw:1631487493211&q=Chelsea+Manning+update+2021&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAtPPDxPryAhXxD1kFHbYpCSUQ1QJ6BAgdEAE&biw=1079&bih=568&dpr=1.5" target="_blank">Chelsea Manning</a> is weighing in, the welterweight champion,
to smack-talk Glenn Greenwald.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowd
goes wild!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fights break out in the
stands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The audience is attacking one
another over this surprise development, sports fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you are here to see it live!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a show!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the deep state could ever be given credit for such
original thinking, this would be its dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The truth-telling critics of America at each other’s throats over stupid
nonsense nobody really cares about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Meanwhile,</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span>oo late on that global warming thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pandemic safety has to be weighed against rising
suicides and homicides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not <a href="https://statuscoup.com/category/people-planet/flint-water-crisis/" target="_blank">one</a>, but two
<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/ny-assemblyman-ron-kim-suggests-gov-hochul-trying-to-bury-cuomos-nursing-home-death-scandal/ar-AAOiMMa?ocid=BingNewsSearch" target="_blank">governors have killed hundreds of their own citizens</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As long as everyone’s reliable rabble-rousers are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/technology/alt-right-youtube-algorithm.html" target="_blank">pitted against each other in service to an algorithm</a>, they neglect the America they
claim to champion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Glenn Greenwald is a powerhouse of a journalist who will
command attention for a long time to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, he is abrasive and obnoxious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His former coworkers seem to hate him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>None of that matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
detractors would do well to realize that they should learn from him, because he
isn’t going anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the sniping is
going to do is show everyone how little your opinion means in the marketplace. He built his own base and doesn't need traditional media platforms.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDQGexE-b8E" target="_blank">Aaron Mate</a> actually went to Syria to report on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How else are you supposed to report on something?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The TYT model relies on comments on the reporting
of others, often by comedians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
no substitute for doing the footwork on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
reality <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/559487-aaron-mate-attack-from-tyt-reflects-general-hostility-towards-actual" target="_blank">does not mean TYT and The Grey Zone need to be at odds</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They inhabit different places in the
information ecosystem, that’s all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Calm
down, already.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">TYT analyzes other people’s headlines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do it well, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Turks" target="_blank">Cenk </a>offers excellent insights
as someone who has actually run for Congress and has mainstream media
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TYT is a giant highlighter
in an ocean of information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TYT has also
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Turks" target="_blank">successfully organized</a> <a href="https://wolf-pac.com/" target="_blank">massive numbers of people</a> and given a platform to rising
progressive voices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s creating a powerful
base, and much needed on the left. It is not enough to bitch and moan, you need
to organize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TYT has done an outstanding
job of organizing, whatever you think of Cenk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And they have a real nose for talent, even if there is a falling-out
eventually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, it will be TYT that
has a lasting political legacy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://theintercept.com/about/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a> does great work post-Greenwald.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now this is the group I can understand hating
on Greenwald the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got them all
started on their current gig, and it seems there is a little resentment and
jealousy there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Intercept, as a whole,
made the decision to back away from harsh lighting on Democratic politicians. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They are captives to fears about what people
on twitter would say, what their friends and colleagues would say,” explained
Glenn Greenwald on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYyn_XGAsCs&t=12s" target="_blank">Rising with Krystal and Saagar</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when their founder wouldn’t hold back his
reporting, he was forced out of The Intercept.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each group has a place and a role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each does its job well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hate-fest just hurts the left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seriously, can’t you just focus on your own role?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X58OmnMkC9k" target="_blank">cognitive neuroscientist on The David Pakman Show</a> framed current extreme politics as part of the reaction to pandemic-related fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The right’s reaction is obvious: refusing to wear masks or get vaccines, attacking immigrants, telling old people just to die for the economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Pakman was trying to understand why the
right was behaving so badly as compared to the people on the left, in his eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several times, the neuroscientist had to
direct Pakman’s attention to the <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_EFcKT5Z6Zx4W_f8tM1aLufTCbY2rVarB9M.GlL.R2kY-1631489479-0-gqNtZGzNAhCjcnBszQil" target="_blank">Black Lives Matter</a> protests as the left's reaction to the same fear. Then the right reacted to Black Lives Matter with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bluematters" target="_blank">Blue Lives Matter</a>, and the left started with <a href="https://defundthepolice.org/" target="_blank">Defund the Police</a> as a reaction to that. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">No mention of our current leftist squabbling, but it could explain the deranged attacks on near-allies within the American left. So far, the bickering has included <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDXxUHOWqos" target="_blank">blackmail threats</a>, <a href="https://washingtonbabylon.com/dipshit-does-damascus-grayzones-aaron-mate-sells-whats-left-of-soul-shilling-for-bashar-al-assads-sham-syrian-presidential-election/" target="_blank">name-calling</a> and <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=calling+aaron+mate+a+russian+asset&qpvt=calling+aaron+mate+a+russian+asset&FORM=VDRE" target="_blank">criminal accusations</a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal">It is hard to get a clear idea of what is happening when in the middle of it, let alone why. One thing is clear. These childish attacks are very emotional and are gutting the effectiveness of the American left. The energy spent on pettiness could be put to good use. Right now, it isn't.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-89258278075145848112021-08-18T10:52:00.001-04:002021-08-18T10:52:29.865-04:00Career Advice for the Spurned Spy<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">When you send people a message on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineaxsmith/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, do they delete their profile?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">Are you getting spit at in Costco parking lots?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Got a long list of former friends?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You may not be an <a href="https://womenwhistleblowers.com/main/2018/07/19/fired-cia-contractors-road-to-reinvention/" target="_blank">anti-torture whistleblower</a>, but you are in the same boat as I am. Welcome!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It can be fun being a pariah.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I rather impetuously (and obviously, I thought) declared: "Waterboarding is Torture, and Torture is Wrong" on an internal intelligence community forum in 2006. So I can't quite say I know what you are going through, as you might not have the benefit of moral clarity. But the results are the same. Relax. You have plenty of options!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Consider dog walking for a future career. You will get in great shape, and dogs don't read the Washington Post. Just don't mention splitting up families. It's a bit of a sore subject.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You can use your sharp analytical and observational skills as an advocate for the homeless. There's nothing like walking up and down H Street looking for an MIA client. Or phoning all the emergency rooms asking about a John Doe. Or having the police called on you because you asked a client to wear shoes outside.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There's also the option of becoming an intelligence expert on TV commentary shows - God knows there are no standards for that. The trick is to give ready opinions on anything in fewer than 30 words. Teen girls running away to ISIS? Put them in cages, too! Free babysitting for the other ones. Talk about public/private partnership. Another idea is expressing outrage that you were promised a taco truck on every corner, and yours still hasn't arrived. Damn Democrats! Or that Bolivia's 19-year-old vice minister of sports doesn't have a degree. Let's invade! You could feed on this for a long time.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Finally, there's always the handy changing-your-identity trick, and pretending you just woke from a four-year coma. I'm sure you could sell it. After all, who would want to remember?</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Christine Axsmith, a middle-aged woman of no particular accomplishment, is a comic book series creator and co-creator for <a href="http://superheroes.cool%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;">Superheroes.cool</span></a> and failed standup comedian. Oh, and she is happy and fulfilled.</p>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-35858753867776058442021-08-17T18:50:00.000-04:002021-08-17T18:50:00.282-04:00On Leaving Afghanistan<p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">The wailing and moaning about our retreat from Afghanistan shows the victory of images over thought.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After one trillion dollars and twenty years, our work there has come to nothing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And that nothing describes the level of thought from most reporters, who can only compare pictures of the US withdrawal from Vietnam from their childhoods with what they see now, and declare our troop withdrawal a failure.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan" target="_blank"><img alt="Afghanistan Map" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="292" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUzEdeCDZ5mfkfgeySb7YjuYIOpVmxPe3ri8-edsj7IF1MJquUKA2Ml6i2MjN850aH7DH6Xek8FzRiQaAwnostrmICTQr0v_Ko5arJRXHLcAUPw2-ySxTiOs3DkFuaE341bHndA/w320-h219/Screen+Shot+2021-08-17+at+6.41.33+PM.png" title="On Leaving Afghanistan Econo Girl" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan" target="_blank">On Leaving Afghanistan</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPR" target="_blank">National Public Radio</a> drips with stories about the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-withdrawal-afghanistan-visa-women-rights-feminism-misogyny-sexism-torture-death-11629233425">plight of Afghan women</a> and people who like to read who are now ruled by the Taliban.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s sympathetic, really.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But if they aren’t willing to fight for their freedom, why should we?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Afghan military and political leaders raced out of their country within a day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After twenty years of blood and gold, none of them had enough courage to fight for even themselves, let alone their country.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/16/politics/white-house-afghanistan-biden-crises/index.html" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a> deserves credit for making the bold and risky decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was always going to be messy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He knew that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Even former President Trump thought the US should leave Afghanistan, and many Americans agreed with him, as did Obama before him.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Biden is successfully wrestling with our military leaders, who are very invested in the US remaining there. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">President Joe Biden successfully managed to do what two previous Presidents wanted to do, but couldn’t.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He is willing to take the criticism and stand by this decision despite the leaks and complaints aired against him.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">The American taxpayer funded a corrupt military exercise in a corrupt country run by a Department of Defense that can’t even pass an audit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No wait, they can’t even do an audit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No one knows where all the money went.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Not just in Afghanistan, but anywhere in the entire Defense Department. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The United States lasted longer than most, achieved the objective of routing the group responsible for the 9-11 terror attack, and is leaving after another, very expensive, lesson. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div></div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-31293096858749361112021-06-23T15:13:00.001-04:002021-06-23T15:14:46.164-04:00Confessions of an Eco-Tourist - Aunt Christine Sails the Black River of the Amazon<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW526QmG9q5t06QOMHBp9_n0fiizkxhyLw3hU3LVIPjL6Oh4UIjf5eEKeS4f43rso_h-1cNsb-Y2mQithRjT3BiakhSeYP8mMfvrHDFnjWBIsamzFWwGTZfCUhXL6if1QJn4P9Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="2524" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW526QmG9q5t06QOMHBp9_n0fiizkxhyLw3hU3LVIPjL6Oh4UIjf5eEKeS4f43rso_h-1cNsb-Y2mQithRjT3BiakhSeYP8mMfvrHDFnjWBIsamzFWwGTZfCUhXL6if1QJn4P9Q/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><b>Why I wrote the book</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I wrote this book because I didn’t want to forget all the details of my trip to the Amazon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And I didn’t want to keep telling the same stories over and over again to people who asked how it was.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Now I can hand them this book.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I wrote this book to remind my family and me years from now what the Amazon used to be like before big corporate hotel chains and logging companies had their way with it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I thought I’d get there before they pave it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I wanted to create a growing book for my niece and nephew to entertain them as they get older.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Exploring the jungle and canoeing in water so high that you can touch the treetops has been a dream of mine since I first heard about rainy seasons and rain forests in grade school.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>My whole life I have wanted to float down a magical river where I could reach out and touch the tops of trees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Being there was like appearing in a documentary that opened up and took me in.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In this book, I wanted to pass a little of that feeling along to my reader.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b><i>The Amazon</i></b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b><i></i></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Black River in the Amazon is a really big river in Brazil.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Like BIG.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In South America it rains a lot for part of the year, and the Black River gets bigger, about 14 miles across.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In the dry season, it is about 10 miles across.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All that rainfall stays in the Amazon Valley because the height of the Andes Mountains keeps the clouds from carrying the moisture to the western side of South America.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But only the top few inches of the valley is soil.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Underneath that is sand.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If it wasn’t for the height of the Andes Mountains, the Amazon forest would be a desert.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The idea that this is fertile land waiting to be cultivated is a myth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, the Amazon valley has been ocean floor several times. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I stayed on a tributary to the Amazon River called the Black River, or the Rio Negro in Spanish, because the water is so dark that it is almost black.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, it looks a lot like tea without cream in it. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRTPwCnOS22x5lllgHYMjnMUQzkhyphenhyphen0b7AUHVMpONI9JrRPh1axAsQgorQgl1YIILA0eTQZAz_LnYarVG7LFZVK8YwKlJz3NkJgYvQM8tse1b7RYBRPg697l2puDUSxj0Gv05mJQ/s384/Amazon+River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRTPwCnOS22x5lllgHYMjnMUQzkhyphenhyphen0b7AUHVMpONI9JrRPh1axAsQgorQgl1YIILA0eTQZAz_LnYarVG7LFZVK8YwKlJz3NkJgYvQM8tse1b7RYBRPg697l2puDUSxj0Gv05mJQ/s320/Amazon+River.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Food</i></b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I enjoyed a sushi dinner at the airport in a last hurrah to food safe to eat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There were strict warnings about the acceptable diet for Brazil.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No seafood, no milk, no unpeeled fruit or vegetables, eat only cooked food, and then only if it was still hot when it was placed in front of you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The upshot of this is that there was no escape from the jungle heat through comfort food.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Now I understand what previous generations meant by ‘people who lost their minds in the jungle.’<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If I was in that heat for a month, with the food making me sick and the heat and not one familiar plant, it could happen to me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Maybe it already has.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When I ran across a McDonald’s in a mall in Manaus, Brazil, I eagerly ran to it and ordered a burger and fries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s hard to appreciate here, but that is one place where the food is always safe no matter where you are in the world.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I also packed a large bottle of Gatorade for almost every day of my trip and some anti-bacterial soap at the behest of my mother.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Good old Mom was prophetic once again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I developed a small infection on my big toe in the jungle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In the US, it would be nothing but a slight redness on the side of the toenail, but in the jungle it became swollen and throbbing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The soap I took to appease Mom came in handy then.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Eventually the big toe scare died down, the ramifications could have been serious.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I could see the Foreign Service officer at the embassy telling my parents that a virulent toe infection caused my doom.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I’m sure it happens all the time, and in that jungle heat, you really start to believe it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Even the diseases are more alive.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Traveling</i></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I didn’t realize that my last hurrah to American food was also a last hurrah to airports as I knew them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>People were wandering around, no armed guards were visible.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The people working the X-ray machines acted out their class resentments in the usual surly manner.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was scary going to Brazil, let alone the Amazon, alone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Suddenly, all sorts of minor decisions took on the significance of the last round of the World Open Chess tournament.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was puzzled and confused.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>What should I do next?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Am I in the wrong place?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was seized with a conviction that I must immediately RUN to the other end of the terminal, and yet I was frozen in place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>On baggage security guard signaled me over.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Give me your bag.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I complied.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She gave directions to the proper gate, while pretending to do an in-depth search of my carry-on luggage.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“We’re not supposed to help people like that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We are only supposed to check bags.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I had mistakenly dashed from terminal to terminal looking for my flight, never noticing the steak knives or the lemons being sliced before my very eyes.</p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After the airplane, I sailed in a boat for three hours away from the city into the jungle.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfAtVyVkBwd2HDs_8cJUoGUNgZW8vJtIha_cc4bI1yNjU_blWLF3818iOvQkms8OPcrLm9EFxrIx-XINyQ12dhIXCxuW4J3igYdHNLHJrsAQ8xqQqALncAEusOBH24mZHLL-kzA/s384/Amazon+RiverBoat+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfAtVyVkBwd2HDs_8cJUoGUNgZW8vJtIha_cc4bI1yNjU_blWLF3818iOvQkms8OPcrLm9EFxrIx-XINyQ12dhIXCxuW4J3igYdHNLHJrsAQ8xqQqALncAEusOBH24mZHLL-kzA/s320/Amazon+RiverBoat+Axsmith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At the dock, the boat was loaded with passengers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A bunch of Texans who suddenly realized – yes, I am going into the Amazon jungle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They were all salespeople for some computer company who were the highest sellers in the country.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As a prize, there win a surprise trip to somewhere exotic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This year was the Amazon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You could see the realization sink in.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They dashed into the convenience store at the dock and grabbed handfuls of candy and armloads of beer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The clerk tried hard to keep a placid face. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The rank puzzlement of the Brazilians was openly displayed as the candy bars began to cover each other in piles on the counter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Man cannot live by chocolate alone, however, and there was a commensurate amount of beer to accompany them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Munching and slurping were not entertainment enough it seems. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Hey, anybody up for a quick round of poker?”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yeah.<br />”Yeah.”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yeah.”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“What can we play on?”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“How about this thing?” the man thumped some protrusion of the ship.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yeah.”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yeah.”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yeah.”</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And so they began.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As we puttered deep into the jungle on the wide, dark water, perhaps the vicious beasts of the forest were alerted to us by ceaseless pointless jokes and the very loud rankling.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All I know is they didn’t attack.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Imagine – sailing into the unknown and exotic to experience untouched wilderness, danger, and excitement.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>These trees may become extinct.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In ten years the ecosystem may have collapsed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All that will be left are documentaries and tourist brochures.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But how could that compete with popping a brewski and winning a few dollars on a card game?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Our guide sang disco songs as the boat pulled up to the dock at the hotel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Local legend has it that fresh water dolphins swim around the hotel during the rainy season will come to greet you if you sing to them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So we all sang a Gloria Gainer song as our boat glided alongside the dock.</p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; text-align: center;"><b><i>Monkeys!!</i></b></p><p class="p7" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><b><i></i></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVK7ff4mgepXgklWb8EN1cDp7S5kYYq2eIy7Yq3v35jLAEv1Q_BngWpjLRwpHhgoPEsPYlYgKjMDJ40cQbmFMNsSK6RtMHSKFPtrCTkKMdCce3usC5HzaytKSByW9pnmZUD5FEw/s288/Amazon+Monkeys+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVK7ff4mgepXgklWb8EN1cDp7S5kYYq2eIy7Yq3v35jLAEv1Q_BngWpjLRwpHhgoPEsPYlYgKjMDJ40cQbmFMNsSK6RtMHSKFPtrCTkKMdCce3usC5HzaytKSByW9pnmZUD5FEw/s0/Amazon+Monkeys+Axsmith.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Monkeys were everywhere.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They crawled all over the place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You have to keep an eye on your belongings, as I found out when the monkeys stole my cookies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then they took my water bottle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It gave a real feeling to the place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Scores of monkeys lounged on the deck, on the tables, in the trees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They chased each other and jumped on people lying in hammocks.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p8" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9AvxmSVOCzcuPD7ZH1k3CkjMofFoBBAo-NPpJOHCJLCbcAJfEisgmj2d6rRJPCMwUGH2apGkw4Gb4M_0Qol_8DsyNY3BQ3W6uNjXVpwUGWBkXg9Z8ANeckQPkgYjE9eEeLcglA/s432/Amazon+Aunt+Christine+Viine+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9AvxmSVOCzcuPD7ZH1k3CkjMofFoBBAo-NPpJOHCJLCbcAJfEisgmj2d6rRJPCMwUGH2apGkw4Gb4M_0Qol_8DsyNY3BQ3W6uNjXVpwUGWBkXg9Z8ANeckQPkgYjE9eEeLcglA/w640-h426/Amazon+Aunt+Christine+Viine+Axsmith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p8" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Look!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Aunt Christine climbs a vine, just like a monkey!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The vine I’m climbing is called a ‘monkey ladder’ by local Indians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The monkeys use it to escape being killed by the jaguar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Since the jaguar can climb a tree as fast as a monkey, the monkeys use this vine because they can climb it faster than the jaguar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Three or more monkeys will climb down the monkey ladder to look for food.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One of the monkeys will be on the lookout for the jaguar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If a monkey sees a jaguar, a shout will warn the other monkeys of the danger and they will all run up the monkey ladder to escape death.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The jungle is a dangerous place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You don’t realize how dangerous until you are there.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is no such thing as animals peaceably hanging out.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Each creature has to fight for its life daily.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You don’t think of monkeys and their lives of danger.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So much can kill in the jungle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A person couldn’t sleep on the ground.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>How did the first human inhabitants figure that out?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>How long before they invented the hammock?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Amazon Indians are short and slight.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All the big ones, who would be slower and require more energy to live, were phased out of the gene pool.And Birds!!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There were plenty of exotic jungle birds, too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The hotel puts out food to encourage the birds to hang around.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They strategically placed the catwalks so the birds could eat in peace, away from pesky tourists.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>The Rio Negro</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The water is very dark, and piranhas and Anaconda snakes live in the water along with weird amoebas that swim up your urinary tract.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you put your hand in the river up to your elbow, you will barely be able to see your hand.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This dark river water results from dry leaves mixing with river water heated by the sun to form a sort of tea.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A few miles from the location of the photo above the Black River will merge with the Amazon River and the two will be visibly different colors for eight miles, although they share the same river bed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Black River moves more slowly than the Amazon and the waters don’t mix for eight miles.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMaOlVZG8i7ONojnaTr7fgGwjdZOEjmCJ6Kij6xPMfx6biiH9W7rERkLzEgLU8upvjqDEMG75f9o3S19wVsrTJd7FBY7du4DTTe8Q67NpVGBfhyGiIicsbFRHbsCE52ps4fAW2A/s384/Amazon+Dark+Water+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="384" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMaOlVZG8i7ONojnaTr7fgGwjdZOEjmCJ6Kij6xPMfx6biiH9W7rERkLzEgLU8upvjqDEMG75f9o3S19wVsrTJd7FBY7du4DTTe8Q67NpVGBfhyGiIicsbFRHbsCE52ps4fAW2A/w400-h266/Amazon+Dark+Water+Axsmith.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The darker water is highly acidic, keeping down the local mosquito population and the incidence of malaria.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Brazilian government has taken steps on behalf of the health of the local Indians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There hasn’t been a case of malaria in that part of the jungle for six years.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>Jungle Walk</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the jungle you wear long pants and hiking shoes to ward off the mosquitoes and other bugs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I wore a long-sleeved cotton shirt and a hat to prevent sun poisoning. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To the annoyance of the rest of my expedition, I also used a cheap umbrella as a parasol.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Drifting in the canoe with my parasol and generally irritating those around me, I felt very much like Katherine Hepburn in “African Queen.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Of course in my excitement to prevent skin cancer, I used a lot of sun lotion, which leaked into my eyes when I sweated.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then it looked like I was crying just in time to meet the canoe maker in the village.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Naturally I did the same thing again the next day.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qMtzwVLVSFsedyLyeiui15RxwM9ZTMXmKI2re165ltzKLY2OlRyIZPSfSwcLL0yWJgMsjsl5L7D8zflK7KmyVSn0IgMGaiKWRX5CfuswguGFOns5cairSd0JrQbwTaCMJBTKlQ/s432/Amazon+Jungle+Walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qMtzwVLVSFsedyLyeiui15RxwM9ZTMXmKI2re165ltzKLY2OlRyIZPSfSwcLL0yWJgMsjsl5L7D8zflK7KmyVSn0IgMGaiKWRX5CfuswguGFOns5cairSd0JrQbwTaCMJBTKlQ/s320/Amazon+Jungle+Walk.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We looked at trees that are used as medicine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The tree bark of native Amazon trees is used in making Pine Sol and Vicks VapoRub, and in fact was ‘discovered’ in the Nineteenth century.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This fact about healing was learned by European explorers stomping through the jungle from the natives.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The sap from the trees provided healing properties and they took the roots and made a business from it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The entire story reminds me of movies whose plot details how the cure for cancer or AIDS is dying right now in the jungles that are being savagely cut down by evil corporate interests. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Spider Lady</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A local young woman ran the hotel’s museum of dead dried creatures from this area of the rainforest.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was only a small room with cases of dead piranha and spiders and bugs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I didn’t really hang out there.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I guess the purpose of the display was so all of us eco-tourists could tell stories later of the large spiders we saw even though they were dead.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We could then snort with derision at untimely roaches making appearances at fundraising cocktail parties.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Oh, is that it?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I became immune to such things in the Amazon,” and we urbanely finish off our scotch and change the subject before being asked for too many details.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The management of the Jungle Lodge certainly chose the right woman to stand watch over the insects and arachnids in the display case.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her affinity for deadly spiders was compelling.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her space was an unofficial healing place for big hairy tarantulas.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You had to look closely, though, to see the patients crawling on the ceilings and the floors. The spiders hid in the corners of the display room that showcased their dead brethren.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I wonder how they felt about that?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Several of them had pieces of legs missing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She had names for them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Spider Lady rescued the injured spiders, fed them, and generally nursed them back to health.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Maybe so they could bite one of the guests.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She was a cold woman.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When they were strong enough, she let them loose into the jungle again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I wonder how many come back to visit?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“People think they are mean, but I don’t think so.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>To me, they are nice.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are my friends,” she explained to me.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Completely unaware that all the furry spiders in the room were not dead, ecotourists from many lands tapped at the glass cases.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Spider Lady answered their questions politely.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She works every day for a few weeks and then gets about a week off.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She likes it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>The Village</b></p><p class="p9" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 21px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We stopped at an Indian village.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One of the Indians makes canoes out of trunks of jungle trees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He is a famous canoe maker and people buy his canoes from very far away.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Village children are taught jungle survival skills from early childhood.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A six-year-old from the local tribe could survive alone in the jungle for a few days.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is so much to know:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>which plants are poisonous, where to sleep to be safe from snakes, what plants act as a balm, what animals are edible and which ones will eat you;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the list of necessary information a small child must know is as formidable as it is critical.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>On our canoe rides on the river, we could see little children diving for fish in the river.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are taught to swim as soon at they can walk.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVWJqbJ7abs4Mr2yrHVqhcbygloK0wB1svXOCPcsitxTn8jOoIQcf7jiunRrA8iYW-ldfFkHJ4lGpUKqDD0PG3tkE77f0r5k-EM_6ZElKYWMCVSLdjezY2tnGK-wYd1EynPqpVg/s432/Amazon+Village+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVWJqbJ7abs4Mr2yrHVqhcbygloK0wB1svXOCPcsitxTn8jOoIQcf7jiunRrA8iYW-ldfFkHJ4lGpUKqDD0PG3tkE77f0r5k-EM_6ZElKYWMCVSLdjezY2tnGK-wYd1EynPqpVg/w640-h426/Amazon+Village+Axsmith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The economic dynamics of eco-tourism are pushing the natives towards a career in kitsch.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Small and obviously fake trinkets were on display as samples of the native craft.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Come, look, the villagers make crafts.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our guide was very invested in the fate of the villagers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He was a wild jungle boy himself before the Jesuits educated him.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So he relates to them and is just a little annoyed at the tourists who point and stare, much as he is dependent on them.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The villagers are fourth-generation descendants of native Indian, Dutch, and English people.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After the American Civil War, some unhappy southerners came to the Amazon to settle also.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Slavery was still legal in Brazil.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Most left rather quickly. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The hotel is teaching the local Indians English to eventually hire them as guides for tours.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our guide takes credit for starting this program and goes to the village several nights a week to teach.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My tour group featured some soon-to-be MBAs from MIT who immediately began talking about case studies and economic models.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Bastardization of a culture didn’t enter into the discussion. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I guess we could make a business case study,” they chortled to one another.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Here is the supply chain.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The boat maker ignored all of us.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“And this would be the economic model.” <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In all the analysis, none of them saw what was really going on.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The culture was on display as a freak show for the tourists to pretend that they got an authentic display of ‘life in the jungle.’”</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Many of the workers at the jungle hotel, and there were lots of them, were from the local jungle villages.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The success of the hotel has been a boon to the living standards of the local Indians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our guide encouraged the Indians in tourist trade, and encouraged us to buy from them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He was a one-man economic development machine for the locals.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was clear that he felt we could easily be parted from our money, and was going to show the villagers how to do it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In other parts of the world, I would suspect that he was getting a kickback, but not this guy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He was a true believer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>At every stop in the village, the seeds of his personal economic program could be seen:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>trinkets in a tent beside the river, the mud huts the Indians lived in, a bar in the center the village that sold water with a toilet that was a hole in the ground, and toothless men sitting at broken tables.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The guide was determined that the local population would reap some of the money made on their culture, land and cache.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So the tour was peppered with stops at the local village to buy hand-crafted trinkets that didn’t presume much authenticity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Everyone knew it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But we equally saw the mud huts, bare feet and poverty.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So we bought stuff.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I shudder to think what a little marketing sophistication will add. It will become like the American side of Niagara Falls.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On the first night of my stay, the guide assigned to our group told us of a rare opportunity to watch a jungle tribe’s ceremony celebrating the killing of a jungle animal in the hunt.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>For a small fee, we could watch this ceremony.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I declined, but everyone else went.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>My stay at the Jungle Lodge was four days and the average stay was two days.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So the rest of my tour group had completely changed when<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>- what do you know – there was ANOTHER jungle tribe ceremony.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Another beast had been caught in the jungle!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This must be a regular racket.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Not that I resented it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One look at the insufferable poverty they were living in cured that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I am sure that it is only the beginning of an empire.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I wonder if any of them feel like throwing up afterwards?</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The houses are built on stilts to avoid the high water in the rainy season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their clothes, when they were wearing them, were tattered cast-offs from other places that never knew this humidity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They swam in the dangerous water to catch fish, risking piranha fish bites, vicious little organisms that attack the urinary tract, and just plain drowning.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No one was overweight.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXb9kc4drATz4SYnN1Qv59XCiF-QUyTugRQVRkxItnZlO6jkAXBuDHgwzKmzYSIZwPShJjOxua-RBfpgYCKbl6iA7arg9aQc3fF6aTaDDqoRYCh90on6hqpCebnVY0SSxlWe5jw/s243/Amazon+House+Stilts+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="243" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXb9kc4drATz4SYnN1Qv59XCiF-QUyTugRQVRkxItnZlO6jkAXBuDHgwzKmzYSIZwPShJjOxua-RBfpgYCKbl6iA7arg9aQc3fF6aTaDDqoRYCh90on6hqpCebnVY0SSxlWe5jw/w400-h267/Amazon+House+Stilts+Axsmith.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The hotel paid for a village nurse whose supplies were aspirin, bandages, ointment for rashes and saline water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>With my eyes watering from melting sun block, the guide took me to her.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She really only had a first aid understanding of health and proceeded to almost stick her fingers in my eyes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The guide was very insistent that we go to her so that I can get healed by the local village nurse.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“See” he said, “She heals you with the medicine of the jungle.” <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><p></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I read an old book written by a 19<sup>th</sup>-century adventurer named James Orton.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He described the local population of the area I visited in not very glowing terms.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“The Andes and Amazonas,” published just after the U.S. Civil War.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He declared the Amazonian Indians surrounding Manaus, the nearest city, as lazy and insolent and altogether unfit for work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He described an incident which is amusing for his misunderstanding of it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He and an American friend were suffering in the shade and oppressive humidity, sitting in chairs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>His friend called to one of the local Indians and the man didn’t come over.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>His friend continued and eventually the Indian came.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The American told the Indian to get him some water and he would give him fifty cents.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Indian replied that he had a better idea.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“You get me some water and I’ll pay you a dollar,” said the Indian.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The rest of the paragraph chortles about how this poor Indian didn’t have a dollar and how the local population was not only incapable of work, but also of understanding basic economics.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6SSCywaKO7oMCvY9zmJI_nrT8ZwxYrwFW0bW75cXHINo9xxVQIFGd5EQzKW_jz5j7QvtvTsl-yNVFcN9BORIPjgGoNjAXUPnO5SZ11zA4tBJERAi99Z5gOhDC5yuY5lVPGzP4A/s256/Amazon+Church+Exterior+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6SSCywaKO7oMCvY9zmJI_nrT8ZwxYrwFW0bW75cXHINo9xxVQIFGd5EQzKW_jz5j7QvtvTsl-yNVFcN9BORIPjgGoNjAXUPnO5SZ11zA4tBJERAi99Z5gOhDC5yuY5lVPGzP4A/s0/Amazon+Church+Exterior+Axsmith.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The village has a church built by missionaries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, every single tribe in the Amazon has at least one team of missionaries associated with it, and often more than one.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So the Amazon is teeming with people helping the Indians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sometimes there are more missionaries than people in the tribe they are trying to help. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The major religions represented are the Assembly of God, the Mormons, and some Catholic nuns.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When I was back in the city, Manaus, a tour guide told me that he would want to be a Mormon missionary because many of them are pretty young women.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>Pyramids and Space Aliens</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For reasons I will not go into here, I have a sneaking feeling there is intelligent life on other planets.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And, yes, from time to time they drop by.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Wouldn’t you?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“I wonder what those hairless monkeys are doing now” they must ask each other, while making bets on when we will lose the evolutionary battle with the roaches.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am not alone in this feeling, it seems. The owner of the Jungle Lodge Hotel has built no less than a landing pad for our intergalactic visitors and a vine-covered pyramid adjoining it.</div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19rR_ydb-QaIfGJpyC5TGv6NsKkjf90lx_Ho-kF3zlfjuFHTmsfm_d-kQYb8TBWQFqc2QIxI3k39ZrlkaQr-gKStJN9ZiUVVjscU5QHV1l_8wBawzczSgEFQhrXdQVpGgUQ4EvA/s252/Amazon+Space+Aliens+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="252" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19rR_ydb-QaIfGJpyC5TGv6NsKkjf90lx_Ho-kF3zlfjuFHTmsfm_d-kQYb8TBWQFqc2QIxI3k39ZrlkaQr-gKStJN9ZiUVVjscU5QHV1l_8wBawzczSgEFQhrXdQVpGgUQ4EvA/w402-h268/Amazon+Space+Aliens+Axsmith.jpg" width="402" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">The space alien landing pad has the infinity sign in the middle, with greetings written in four languages.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>How can the creator of this monument be sure that it is not instead a declaration of war to our intergalactic visitors?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We certainly will lose to the roaches if we offend them too much.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Suppose these beings believe that several centuries of protocol must precede a greeting?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The presumption of a greeting written before actual introductions could be seen as highly aggressive. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If we take the leap in accepting that there are alien visitors we must also accept their superiority in commanding and harnessing the elements.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Put another way, when’s the last time any of us visited them?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then we are immediately faced with a power imbalance not in our favor with an entity who may or may not have our best interests at heart.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Or maybe they do but their idea of that is the European colonialism of the 17<sup>th</sup>, 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> centuries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>About the worst we could get are more powerful adversaries as bad as ourselves.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Underneath this “friendly space alien” logic is a fatal pessimism about humanity I can’t quite shake.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Are we that bad?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Of course we are, but that’s not the whole story.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Is there so little to redeem us that a crap shoot with space aliens offers more hope?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Humanity is a collection of evolving beasts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We are growing, one Black Plague and Truth and Reconciliation Commission at a time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We are inherently self-interested.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The evolution of our evil ways is necessary to survival.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If there’s one thing that gets us to move it’s that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our philosophies and theories will bend to accommodate, and later our practices.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Can you imagine Genghis Khan being captured and dragged to The Hague to account for his war crimes?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Or Alexander the Great?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt987p3YZTgoimSwr4fR-C66j_w5VqSQZh6J17t3zS6IrTavnuuCWeQmh-uDUomxLOguGNwm3l-C9h1iO-KSCyuj1vaE_w_ol1BDGPrdYPKM4I8X4v0TYvo4ZWWCOqHlcFAgCwA/s378/Amazon+Pyramid+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="378" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt987p3YZTgoimSwr4fR-C66j_w5VqSQZh6J17t3zS6IrTavnuuCWeQmh-uDUomxLOguGNwm3l-C9h1iO-KSCyuj1vaE_w_ol1BDGPrdYPKM4I8X4v0TYvo4ZWWCOqHlcFAgCwA/w640-h426/Amazon+Pyramid+Axsmith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The pyramid was the one place where air conditioning didn’t cost extra, and so it was there I spent my early afternoons.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was a great place for meditation and reflection.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The idea of air conditioning in Brazil differs from the US.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There, the goal is forestalling heat stroke.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Here, we recreate Fall indoors.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Curiosity-seekers came and went in the pyramid.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Few stayed since adults could not stand up inside it, except in the very center.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Amazon is a great place to go to be utterly disconnected from anything familiar and comforting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Any home base of safety outside of oneself is removed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No T.V., no newspapers, no familiar food.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then you are forced to look inside.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>How am I safe?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Why am I here?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Why are you here eating my sandwich?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It goes on and on. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Specifically, what on Earth would possess me to go to some of the most dangerous wilderness in the world?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And spend good money to do it?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So the pyramid is an area of disconnectedness within a geography of disconnectedness.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The inside of the pyramid under the heat of the Amazon sun was a room with white glowing walls and gentle chimes as musical backdrop.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Why am I here in the Amazon?” leads naturally to “why am I here on Earth?” as opposed to Alpha Centari, I suppose.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The inside of the pyramid was as familiar as a space pod from a sci-fi movie.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The familiarity served as my link to the world and life I knew. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>Deep Waters</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In the rainy season, the water gets so high the river water gets near the tops of trees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And if you are in a boat, you can sail around and touch the tree tops.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5rpv-nbe2r1sVDl5z9Af2d27iyf1oBu-8nBtrew8ORe9G3qfeD0j8AZXhXaMqpyob9hpiW-1j8Us6Rl-_090wcpiio6zupHI3XK6aBqLNeYao2blonfvQVd8nSXBM-RQTWc3MQ/s432/Amazon+Aunt+Christine+Canoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5rpv-nbe2r1sVDl5z9Af2d27iyf1oBu-8nBtrew8ORe9G3qfeD0j8AZXhXaMqpyob9hpiW-1j8Us6Rl-_090wcpiio6zupHI3XK6aBqLNeYao2blonfvQVd8nSXBM-RQTWc3MQ/s320/Amazon+Aunt+Christine+Canoe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>Jungle Hut</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Aunt Christine stayed in a jungle hut with no phone, no T.V., no air conditioning, no hot water, and one dim light bulb.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This is what the hut looked like.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVhUZAjcrewTPnbcXKmegfo-gVIjtJcMs8JOobFu7DjTR6kO6e7w8RtPYwTrKXnIzDxcQN3OxScDQKglWgUAS4K1YAXz6TTQGZTGSyVSc6NAuD1AZ-8IcUEMzZWcGNOMv_jlyCw/s384/Amazon+Jungle+Hut+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVhUZAjcrewTPnbcXKmegfo-gVIjtJcMs8JOobFu7DjTR6kO6e7w8RtPYwTrKXnIzDxcQN3OxScDQKglWgUAS4K1YAXz6TTQGZTGSyVSc6NAuD1AZ-8IcUEMzZWcGNOMv_jlyCw/s320/Amazon+Jungle+Hut+Axsmith.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b><br />It was hot like I’ve never felt hot before.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And that includes the Saudi desert.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I felt my skin every minute.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And no flip flips or open toed shoes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The spiders on the catwalks were dangerous.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Strange and deadly animals ate from the bird feeders.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In our culture we are so used to being insulated from our own stupidity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Not every country lets people sue at the drop of a hat. The whole jungle hotel was on stilts because it was the rainy season and the water was very high.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All the buildings were connected by catwalks like these.</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR67jbmapQa5QgEuxPMVJv_YUMVIEbz_Wfvkm1bO52L_tMzdR8_9aFeguVj3XkB2KZSvsJuJp5hQtfx1lYZytLP4xSdIpEdirTa_5cfLqhJJgrJoK0sk12lCieIWQ2L2leu8XaRA/s384/Amazon+Walkway+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="384" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR67jbmapQa5QgEuxPMVJv_YUMVIEbz_Wfvkm1bO52L_tMzdR8_9aFeguVj3XkB2KZSvsJuJp5hQtfx1lYZytLP4xSdIpEdirTa_5cfLqhJJgrJoK0sk12lCieIWQ2L2leu8XaRA/w640-h426/Amazon+Walkway+Axsmith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Dark water was high on either side of the catwalks because it was Winter and the rainy season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If someone fell into it, they would not be found until the waters receded in Spring.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Catwalks connected the various huts that comprised the hotel complex.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Once I was startled on the catwalks to see an Indian woman with a small child, holding her hand.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was then that I realized that I hadn’t seen a child since I got there.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Of course it would be too dangerous to let any child run around since there were so many deadly creatures.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIN3YZGo5p4ACl9acO7Fu67Xkx5gGTNUhmOJz1mkiHI_T_QUzQX0uU_B3MRigRVxwwpqdBnRGfN9kirloB1nv-JKf4oGONK6IcNIPWYPjgv8O-vWjEV0c1vCcN_sCRp7raMqNVSA/s342/Amazon+Walkway+2+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="342" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIN3YZGo5p4ACl9acO7Fu67Xkx5gGTNUhmOJz1mkiHI_T_QUzQX0uU_B3MRigRVxwwpqdBnRGfN9kirloB1nv-JKf4oGONK6IcNIPWYPjgv8O-vWjEV0c1vCcN_sCRp7raMqNVSA/w640-h426/Amazon+Walkway+2+Axsmith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>My Brush With Death</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The thing about being in the jungle is that the jungle is with you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So all of the fun - and mean - creatures don’t know about keeping a respectful distance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>My brush with death was something I was made aware of hours after the mortal danger passed.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In the early hours of the morning I was awake before anyone else.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Having accepted my place in the universe at that moment as being irretrievable in the Amazon jungle, I decided to brandish my acceptance of this fact and walk around the catwalks to observe the jungle waking up.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I took my camera and saw monkeys and birds and even spiders.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I took pictures of the monkeys, even though the flash upset them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was in those pre-dawn hours that I almost lost my life.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I was walking through one of the huts in the early morning hour and paused before going on to the catwalk.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I saw four animals I didn’t recognize.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They were the size of muskrats and had rings on their tails.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I weighed the situation.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Here I am in a wild that I do not know.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That alone is an unusual position to be in because I was raised in the Appalachian Mountains and grew up learning the animals and plants around me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Part of all that was how to track animals through the woods.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But I immediately recognized that relying on my previous experience wouldn’t work in this context.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So I decided to be cautious and wait for the creatures to crawl away.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One by one, they climbed up into the trees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When the last one was about to climb into the branches of a tree I decided I had had enough of caution.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was feeling silly anyway.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So I opened the screen door and started on the catwalk.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Only when I was fully outside did I see another one of these creatures on the rail of the catwalk.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I froze.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The beast looked at me and I at it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our gazes didn’t move.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then I got the strange feeling that this jungle creature was saying to itself, “Nah, I’m not going to bother.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I held my breath and decided to dash past it, and I did.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Later that morning, our guide pointed out the same animals.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Stay away from them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are very dangerous.”</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Only about half the group paid attention.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The guide had our boat stopped and he repeated his warning, louder and little angry.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Don’t get near these things,” he said again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“They are very dangerous.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They can jump far and when they attack humans they bite the throat with very powerful teeth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You have to break their jaw to get them to let go.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>By then, the person is dead.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I told him I saw four of them earlier in the day, and relayed the details, including how I ran past the last one.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>At that part, he rolled his eyes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“It is sudden movement that causes them to attack,” he told me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then he turned to the other locals in the boat and repeated what I had said.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They all shook their heads.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So that stupid animal really did decide it wasn’t worth its time to kill me.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Crocodile!</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At night, we went crocodile spotting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In a motorized canoe, which was the only means of transport out of the hotel, a guide would show us where the crocodiles lived.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They shone a spotlight over the water and we could see the gleaming of the crocodiles’ eyes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their eyes reflected light like a cat’s would and we could see them 35 yards away.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then the guides paddled us to where we saw the reptiles and turned the spotlight into the water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The night was very dark because there were no artificial lights anywhere.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Only the moon and the stars.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>To get to this crocodile spot, we had to canoe through the “flooded forest” where we had to duck to prevent branches from knocking us into the water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It is called the “flooded forest” because during the rainy season the water level rises so high that all but the tops of the tallest trees are beneath the water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>During the dry season, the branches we were avoiding would be fifty feet in the air. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the guides reached in the water and pulled out a baby crocodile.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was only two and a half feet long but I got to hold it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The guide showed us the double eyelids of the reptile.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The inner eyelid was clear so that it could see underwater.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He wanted us to touch the inner eyelid, but none of us would.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After naming the crocodile Pedro, we released him back into the wild.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Now I will always have a friend in the Amazon jungle.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jhKZRv3iaPuLnCirXZGr2nCKBz678-iRThixvWYn7Ak53rGcfOWoA85hyphenhyphenvL5GtKSiACHcHQinXieXwenGsnuqB83WjcyKOE5HUODt6Liw317Vu6qfId03ZaKuktp6t91QgUm9g/s432/Amazon+Crocodile+Axsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jhKZRv3iaPuLnCirXZGr2nCKBz678-iRThixvWYn7Ak53rGcfOWoA85hyphenhyphenvL5GtKSiACHcHQinXieXwenGsnuqB83WjcyKOE5HUODt6Liw317Vu6qfId03ZaKuktp6t91QgUm9g/w400-h266/Amazon+Crocodile+Axsmith.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>Jungle Rehab</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This sign talks about how animals that belong in the jungle are found in the city and brought to the Jungle Lodge.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then they are kept in a cage until they get used to the jungle again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After 90 days, they move back into the jungle.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_tJXIA2rZm8bufeanvL_UbPDLDrwMtqXVLBsgeL-FOCbIzj8oYlpwrFJT0xME4q53NW-wqR45EZ5NTDPsudDAXJ2DvNXVdDDXUsP66iNJU_TZAF5mh3cVNTxqlaOgjH_CHnX6w/s432/Amazon+Jungle+Rehab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_tJXIA2rZm8bufeanvL_UbPDLDrwMtqXVLBsgeL-FOCbIzj8oYlpwrFJT0xME4q53NW-wqR45EZ5NTDPsudDAXJ2DvNXVdDDXUsP66iNJU_TZAF5mh3cVNTxqlaOgjH_CHnX6w/w640-h320/Amazon+Jungle+Rehab.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b>The End</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In going to the Amazon, I’ve lived one of my life’s dreams.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I want to live on the outer limits of what is possible.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Only after I returned did I begin to realize that what I was recording was a dying way of life.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The return boat trip to the four-star hotel allowed us to see at least four other ‘jungle hotels’ in the area, and more under construction.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Soon they will all be bumping into each other and waiving, like bus drivers on I-95.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And to think I helped make that possible.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p></div><p><br /><br /></p>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-13681613513022179472020-05-18T22:13:00.002-04:002021-08-30T14:41:52.571-04:00Trump Derangement Syndrome Is The Other Trump Cult<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Hating on Trump Has Itself Become a Cult</h3>
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When<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201712/analysis-trump-supporters-has-identified-5-key-traits" target="_blank"> Donald Trump supporters </a>were compared to <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-cult-of-trump-2/" target="_blank">cult members</a> at <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/to-understand-trump-you-must-understand-his-cult/" target="_blank">TruthDig</a>, one phenomenon was ignored: some of the anti-Trump movement is a cult as well, described by Scott Adams as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_derangement_syndrome" target="_blank">Trump Derangement Syndrome</a>.<br />
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The election of Trump to the Presidency was a 9-11 level shock to the Democratic Party. So now, similar to post 9-11, many are convinced they need to be in blind lockstep to fight evil, in this case, Trump.<br />
<div>
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Trump is horrible, no doubt. His language uses vagaries to fuel right-wing rage and violence, as in “there are good people on both sides of the debate.” With that simple statement, he refers simultaneously to supporters of Confederate statues and fascists who kill peaceful protesters. It is no accident. The phrasing allows Trump to telegraph one messaging while publicly embracing another.<br />
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Trump prioritizes grandstanding over policy, as when he claimed to have a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/media-erupt-over-trump-comments-on-disinfectant-heres-what-he-said" target="_blank">cure for Coronavirus in bleach and colored lights</a>. He lies when confronted with evidence of his inaction or failings, which is daily. A credible claim can be made that he is uniquely horrible, as a President and a man.<br />
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None of that means there isn’t an Anti-Trump Cult.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Trump Himself Controls the Anti-Trump Cult</h3>
It is a truism that if you do everything someone tells you to do, they control you; and, if you always do the opposite of what someone tells you, they still control you. That describes the anti-Trump cult to a tee.<br />
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The anti-Trump cult has Trump as its leader. Its members are always reacting to him. What Trump says, what Trump plans, his jokes and his hair are all the center of their daily dialog. They wring their hands and tell us the end is near.<br />
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Trump knows he rules their reactions, too. You can see him laughing to himself as he throws out crazy and watches the Anti-Trump Cult jump around in outrage. It is funny, in a way, how people who see themselves as the elite react and become apoplectic. <br />
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Trump is not the only person laughing. So are his supporters. Trump supporters are the people who were sold the neo-liberal lie that the technocrats and over-educated know best while regular Americans' security and money were stolen through outsourcing and cheap imports. They finally had enough and elected a clown.<br />
<h3>
“No Think Zone"</h3>
Newsflash: if you keep reacting to a crazy person, you become crazy yourself. The Anti-Trump Cult has descended to that level. <br />
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To be sure, Trump has done some horrible stuff. But criticism of brutal policies differs from mindless and baseless claims of treason and blackmail. But the more they say “Russia! Russia! Russia!” the more they believe only they are the saviors, and anyone who disagrees with them are enemies.</div>
<div>
<br />
The anti-Trumpers have no other designated leader, they always look to Trump for focus. The Democratic Party keeps trying to put someone in the chair of Anti-Trump, and have settled on <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/joe-biden-faces-sexual-assault-181441242.html" target="_blank">Joe “Rapey Fingers” Biden</a>. Hillary Clinton really tried hard to be their leader, but no one would have it. Robert Mueller was a prospect for this role for a while, but he seems to have been lost to Alzheimers.<br />
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Instead, they look to their favorite source of rage: Trump. He never disappoints.<br />
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The anti-Trump cult hates everything Donald Trump does reflexively. He reaches out to North Korea and makes more progress in 18 months than the foreign policy establishment has in 40 years. "Boo hiss! Terrible! We want to stand in place even longer!" cry the anti-Trump cult.<br />
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And if someone strays from the orthodoxy of lament, they are attacked as being a “Russian asset” or some other equally silly accusation. They follow President Trump in their hatred and their bile. They watch his every move and react, react, react. <br />
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It has made them crazy.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Crazy Anti-Trumpers’ Denial</h3>
For two years, "Russiagate" was the self-soothing mantra for a neo-liberal crowd who couldn’t imagine they lost fairly. When their “hero” <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/russiagate-trump-mueller-report-no-collusion/" target="_blank">Robert Mueller</a> proved to be a blithering old man who seemed an escapee from a nursing home, the debacle was ignored.<br />
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The Anti-Trump Cult cuddles up to their soulless hypocrisy as if that makes them more hero than idiot. It doesn’t matter that Obama also put children in cages, Obama’s Department of Justice prosecuted anti-torture whistleblowers, and Obama’s ICE actually went to court to avoid basic regulations for children in ICE detention. Did I mention the children were in cages? The Kill List, the failed drone war, and assassination of U.S. citizens without a trial. Yes, that included a six-year-old girl.<br />
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Instead, the Anti-Trump Cult attacks Trump with all their repressed guilt. They are afraid that people not in their elite club could do the same things as their guy did. And like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Khashoggi" target="_blank">Jamal Khashoggi</a>, they would not be immune from strangulation and dismemberment in a government facility.<br />
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In the end, Trump is truly awful and leading his followers like Jim Jones led his: to their deaths. Lockstep harping and reacting just drives you crazy and makes you look ridiculous in the process. The mental framing for Trump Derangement Syndrome is just as much a cult as some of Donald Trump’s followers. It has a charismatic leader, permits no dissent or debate, and casts people out who violate the rules. They are what they are criticizing.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Imagine This</h3>
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<div>
Imagine that Donald Trump was right. Could you see <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show" target="_blank">Rachel Maddow</a> telling the world this great news? Or rather, could you see her broadcasting false information just because Donald Trump told just one, helpful truth? OK, forget Rachel Maddow. How about <a href="http://Hilary Clinton" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton</a>? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
The true test of the Anti-Trump Cult is that a person could not admit that Trump was right about something. Anything. But they can’t. Everything he does is awful, and as a result everything they say is justified. What they can’t see is Trump is playing them. Oh, and that impending defeat in November, 2020.</div>
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
So if you want to talk political cults, they exist on both sides.</h3>
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-91916972832454985112020-04-03T09:16:00.000-04:002020-04-03T09:16:57.408-04:00Medicare4All or I Dont Vote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"Please. My husband is in the hospital."<br />
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There was a pause on the phone.</div>
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"OK. We can delay the hearing for two weeks.”<br />
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My conversation with the opposing lawyer let me breathe a little. We had a foreclosure hearing coming up and litigated against each other frequently. He is a good guy.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
My husband Justin had just been diagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) and had a dangerously low number of platelets in his blood. A normal person has 100,000. My husband had 3,000. He was in and out of the hospital for a month.<br />
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There were signs something was wrong for a while: large bruises on his stomach, some bleeding in his gums, but I told myself I would focus on it after my two upcoming trials. When his friend threatened to tell me how bad it really was, Justin told me. I made him go to the emergency room immediately. He almost died a few times. He has Medicare, though, and getting full treatment for him was available to us, and so were the many follow-up doctor appointments. His care is a part-time job. I can’t do another one also.<br />
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Let me tell you something: the Democratic Party doesn’t care if you live or die. If they did, Medicare4All would be part of its platform. Over 45,000 people die each year because they can’t afford healthcare. People like Justin, but who don’t have Medicare. With the almost-certain nomination of a sputtering old man as the Democratic candidate for President, one who promises to veto Medicare4All, the centrists in the Democratic Party have announced their priorities. Those priorities don’t include most of America.<br />
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Since my husband’s diagnosis, I've shut my law firm and instead do document review - basically temp work for lawyers. Schedule flexibility lets me get Justin to doctor's appointments. Justin is on disability and has Medicare. If he didn’t, we would be going into old age with nothing but medical debt.<br />
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I don’t have Medicare, just medical insurance with a $7,000 deductible. My story is that I have been putting off basic preventative tests and hoping I don’t have cancer. I can’t get issues checked out before a serious problem. I hope I am really healthy and not just deluding myself.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
When Joe Biden says he won’t sign a Medicare4All bill into law, he is taking away life from people like my husband and making widows of people like me. When shouts of "Let poor people die!" are heard at the Republican National Convention, they think it will never be them to suffer. The struggles with my husband’s health are bad enough without medical debt. Creating this health atmosphere makes us weaker as a nation and in our souls.<br />
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<div>
Bernie Sanders leads us in the fight for Medicare4All - but not as much as we need him to. He thinks Joe Biden is his friend. Joe isn't your friend. He isn't a friend to any American. I was an intern at the Senate Judiciary Committee when Joe Biden chaired it. He is mean and petty behind the plastic surgery and whitened smile. <br />
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<div>
So now we must lead ourselves. You want my vote? It's Medicare4All, bitch. You need me more than I need anything you offer.</div>
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-18668662660180270422020-03-09T10:08:00.001-04:002020-03-09T10:08:25.199-04:00Shut Up and VoteSeriously. Stop twittering. Stop yelling. Stop canceling. Just shut up and vote.<div><br></div><div>All this other stuff just makes you feel like you've done something. You haven't. A tweet doesnt change anyone's mind any more than throwing potatoes does. </div><div><br></div><div>Stop throwing virtual potatoes, you peasants. Do something useful. Register to vote. Register other people to vote.</div><div><br></div><div>Then vote.</div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-79741224197444541202020-02-27T18:08:00.004-05:002021-09-12T19:49:07.235-04:00Thoughts on Love Inspired by Video on Shame by ContraPoints<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
ContraPoints is a YouTuber philosopher who, as a transgender person, has introduced me to gender issues. I didn’t even know some of these things existed. <br />
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Her latest video on Shame really describes her sexual identity journey from transhetero to transhomo. Shame about her sexual identity really skewed her romantic choices. Wow. So powerful.<br />
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Even though I am just plain heterosexual, her description of her relationship with her last boyfriend and her best friend mirrors mine with my husband.<br />
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Justin and I had a very intense friendship. We just couldn’t stay away from one another. We dated a few months in 1992, and after that we were either inseparable or fighting. People thought we were divorced. <br />
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Justin was always a factor in every romantic relationship after I met him. Every boyfriend knew about him because I talked and worried about him all the time. Some of them hated him. Others dismissed him. But he was always there.<br />
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He set up my dating profile on Match.com for me, and when I went to meet a guy he went with me, lurking in the background to make sure I was safe. <br />
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I started to realize I was in love with him while being dragged into one of his rescue missions to clean out one of his friend’s apartments of clutter to prevent eviction. Oh God, you would not believe the level of clutter. It took eight hours to clear a path from the back porch door to the dining room. We actually smelled old air. You wouldn’t think there was such a thing, but there is. We saw detergent boxes from the 1980s. We found a color tv and a full, formal place setting under the trash on the dining table.<br />
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It was emotionally draining work. I realized that I would rather be doing this with Justin, than spending time with my actual boyfriend, who was sweet to me. Then I realized this was always the case. I would always rather be with Justin than doing anything with somebody else. He always made me feel better. He really hurt my feelings sometimes, and when he did, it devastated me. I also hurt him a lot out of selfishness and thoughtlessness. But somehow we were tied to each other as ostensible friends for ten years. <br />
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When I got sick, he came over to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and keep me company. You know, I really want to be with a guy that takes care of me when I am sick, I told a friend. I need to marry someone like Justin, I said. When I moved because I sold my condo but the deal to buy another one fell through and I had nowhere to live, Justin helped me pack my things and gave me a place to stay for a while. <br />
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For some reason, when it was time to go to my sister’s wedding, I just had to go with Justin, not my boyfriend. Justin didn’t really understand it, but I insisted. It was there that I realized Justin was the love of my life. We got engaged a few weeks later, and married later on that year. It was the best thing I have ever done in my life.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-69066602943022214222020-02-10T14:45:00.001-05:002020-02-10T14:45:46.315-05:00Lying Dog Face Pony SoldierSo said Democratic candidate for President Joe Biden this week. It is a slip up that disqualifies him for public office. Any public office. Would you want a mayor or school board member so out of control they can't even insult people right? Or a register of wills?<div><br></div><div>Calling a young woman names on the campaign trail is always ill-advised, just as a general rule. Making up your own insults can show cleverness. But insults that come out of nowhere and make no sense show something else: cognitive problems. </div><div><br></div><div>The entire media should be screaming about Joe Biden's weird comment to a polite and rational question. But they are not. This and many other reasons explain why mainstream media outlets do not have the credibility of yore.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-67821049547545058832020-02-09T16:25:00.001-05:002020-02-09T16:25:44.489-05:00Agenda-Free TV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Facebook is down.<br />
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Massive power outage in parts of the country.</div>
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Virginia gun rights rally.</div>
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Hurricane Dorian.</div>
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Live breaking news without an agenda.</div>
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Steve Lookner has gained a cult following in the livestream world. His YouTube channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCshCsg1YVKli8yBai-wa78w" target="_blank">Agenda-Free TV</a>, covers breaking news happening in the United States and outside of it. Increasingly, it is news being missed by larger media outlets that focus on Russiagate or impeachment obsessively. <br />
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When Facebook and WhatsApp went down for half of the United States, Agenda-Free TV was the only outlet covering it. At the beginning of the China Virus outbreak, Steve saw its importance and began daily coverage - a week before other news outlets.<br />
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His value to the information marketplace is critical thinking and a wide net. When Steve Lookner covers a topic in the news, he gathers information from vetted sources and frequently rejects information if the claims can’t be substantiated elsewhere. When viewers bring new information to his attention, he puts it through analysis as to whether it fits with other information, whether it is from a verified source, whether the source has first-hand knowledge or an expertise in the area or if it just doesn’t make sense.</div>
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An excellent example is how he covers the China Virus. He cites official Chinese statistics while noting the comments from epidemiologists in other countries who suspect the number of sick are much higher. What he doesn't do is create a sensational headline with panic-inducing infection rates. It would be so easy to do. Very reputable scientists and doctors have given estimates that the China Virus infected ten times the official Chinese count. But Steve won't do it. It gives him credibility.<br />
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As a host, Steve Lookner is like a homeroom teacher for restless seniors about to graduate. He's always setting boundaries and reminding us why we are there when we veer too far off course. Yet he is likable. So much so, he gets viewers who just want to see what he is up to. That's when he gets complaints about the news he chooses to cover. "What is Steve upset about now?" asks my husband only half sarcastically. </div>
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And they do complain. Exasperated, Steve tells everyone they are not obliged to watch. They can just turn it off if they don't like what he is covering, he reminds them. It speaks to his appeal to his audience that they would watch him despite his topic.</div>
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He has strict rules for his audience: no trolling, no conspiracies, manners at all times. If you violate one of these rules too much, you are put on time-out. Yes, that’s right. Which is how this senior citizen was put on a time-out for hurricane jokes. If you continue to act up, you can be banned for the day or permanently. He doesn’t put up with racism or fake news or conspiracies. <br />
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Interestingly, Agenda-Free TV has not covered the impeachment trial. Frankly, that is a relief. Every news outlet in the country is pointed in the same direction at the same time. After two years of Russiagate ending with a doddering Special Prosecutor's testimony of nothing, basically; a fresh angle on current events is needed and refreshing.<br />
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-88302137533272434432020-01-22T17:29:00.001-05:002020-01-22T18:20:16.814-05:00The Tulsi StrategyGot to hand it to Tulsi Gabbard, she is scary and smart.<div><br></div><div>The punditry is yammering on about how her lawsuit against Hilary Clinton can't be won when that is not the point.</div><div><br></div><div>Tulsi's goal is the document discovery that will come along with the trial.</div><div><br></div><div>When you file a lawsuit, you get a chance to ask for copies of any records, bank statements, writings, phone calls, emails or anything else to make your case. The same applies if you are being sued.</div><div><br></div><div>By filing a lawsuit, Tulsi Gabbard is giving herself the power to review Hilary Clinton's life. That is her endgame. She probably already has a target in mind. And I'll bet she will never agree to settle.</div><div><br></div><div>Hilary Clinton is playing a 90s game. She really thought that Tulsi Gabbard would just outrage and then simmer down after a while. Nope. Lee Atwater did this kind of garbage in the 80s. It is not a new play.</div><div><br></div><div>What Hilary Clinton doesn't understand is the Information Age. She is no longer doing battle with one person while supported by her media friends. Everyone on Earth can weigh into the discussion now. Her message cannot be predictably chewed into cud by the predictable writers of the major media outlets. She has to answer to more people now. There is no more control of the medium, by anyone. Clinton's reporter pals can't steer the message anymore. She doesn't see the new reality.</div><div><br></div><div>So now Tulsi Gabbard is going to tear Clinton apart slowly over the next few years. Drip by drip, Clinton's relevance will disappear. And she can't even see it.</div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-77638269596670188242020-01-10T14:40:00.000-05:002020-01-10T14:40:03.107-05:00The Frontrunner CurseHave you noticed that whoever the press puts forward as the presumptive winner of a Presidential primary, loses?<div><br></div><div>At the start of his Presidential run, Jeb Bush was the anointed candidate. At least by the press. And they were wrong. The same with Hilary Clinton in the 2008 Presidential election. In this Presidential primary, the media has picked one candidate after another. And each one failed. </div><div><br></div><div>It almost looks like the coveted place to be when running for President is in the background. Popular enough to get on the debate stage, smart or lucky enough not to say anything stupid, without a Klan robe in your attic, and you have a much better chance of becoming your party's nominee than any early hoopla will give you.</div><div><br></div><div>The media focus on Presidential elections is about ratings. So rather than choose a multi-faceted, nuanced style of reporting, the mass media covers the leadership and vision competition for our nation like it was a football game. Up the field! Sacked! Good! Bad! No critical thinking required.</div><div><br></div><div>It would be one thing if this approach gave good results, but it does not. It does not predict anything well, and certainly does not inform voters. It leads to an attachment to premature predictions and warped reporting to not look stupid when they turn out to be wrong. </div><div><br></div><div>The football approach to political analysis hurts the Presidential candidates the talking heads are trying to prop up. As in, they don't win. There could be many reasons for this: declaring a frontrunner too early may just invite tougher vetting in general. So just announcing a Presidential candidate may invite a scrutiny no one could survive. Maybe voters just get mad that someone is telling what to do. It also could get all the other candidates to shoot at one target: the presumptive frontrunner.</div><div><br></div><div>When will they realize this? Probably never. Football games do not reflect Presidential elections, but it takes out the work a reporter has to do.</div>Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-7182765833826597282019-12-08T14:10:00.000-05:002019-12-08T14:10:05.052-05:00My Magnificat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our minister this week has challenged us to write our own Magnificat. Yes, I am Jewish and go to both church and synagogue. So there.<br />
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Rejoice<br />
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I rejoice that I have found the love of my life and a sober way of living that is useful to society and others.<br />
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Glorify G-d<br />
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I glorify G-d for swooping me up as I was falling down a black hole, devoid of even gravity or light, no hope, no vision, no purpose. I hadn't hesitated on the edge, I had jumped off, willingly, into this condition. Worthless, throwing away everything for nothing, I called for help, and You were there. What a messy inconvenience to calculate where I was in my fall, reach out, grab me and lift me up. You did it anyway. It is a debt I repay every day.<br />
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Look forward to the works of G-d<br />
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World transformation barely seems worth it, but then neither was I when it happened for me. Regardless, You still love us. That love will help us see the love of our siblings and rivals. That love will cull destruction and violence among us. That love shines on to each of us, waiting for us to open our eyes. With You, G-d, we will.<br />
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Exalt G-d because<br />
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A catalog our Your magnifigance is beyond any mortal. Great and small, seen and unseen, you try to guide us with daily miracles. The founding of the state of Israel in the shadow of the Holocaust; the parting of the Sea of Reeds with the Egyptian army at our backs; the aim and power of David’s stone all testament to You, O G-d. Still, we ignore you whenever we get a chance. The Call of Abraham, promising to make of us a great nation, has been fulfilled. Still, we turn our heads away from you. There is a verified faith you have maintained over and over again, and we have no reason to doubt you now. I have faith in that. I have faith in that.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-78916957941759217082019-11-29T14:33:00.001-05:002021-08-18T10:56:54.738-04:00The Drug Dealer of Kamala Harris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://kamalaharris.org/" target="_blank">Kamala Harris</a> has a <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Drug%20Dealer" target="_blank">drug dealer</a>. She has publicly <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/kamala-harris-says-she-smoked-marijuana-in-college/" target="_blank">admitted to smoking pot</a>. That means she got possession of pot, somehow. She either bought it, or someone else bought it and gave it to her. Both options have serious implications because someone, somewhere is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris" target="_blank">Kamala Harris’ drug dealer</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDIkKbd7rZOuqvwO0nSEChisku2oQjhZ8b-2XSAAPN54xLV5bV5st9jRpNGihe3MyBEKBGqdgpLJZXRHVssK6UJXpCP-Aaiv4sb4YREl2wnBdKEixbopvCkNy2FGhZ9bvmv1HPQ/s1600/2017-07-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kamala Harris has a drug dealer" border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDIkKbd7rZOuqvwO0nSEChisku2oQjhZ8b-2XSAAPN54xLV5bV5st9jRpNGihe3MyBEKBGqdgpLJZXRHVssK6UJXpCP-Aaiv4sb4YREl2wnBdKEixbopvCkNy2FGhZ9bvmv1HPQ/s320/2017-07-22.jpg" title="Kamala Harris has a drug dealer" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamala Harris has a drug dealer</td></tr>
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As <a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Attorney+General+of+California&t=osx&ia=places&iai=state-of-ca-department-of-justice-attorney-generals-office-sacramento&iaxm=places" target="_blank">Attorney General of California</a>, Kamala Harris prosecuted drug dealers because it is a crime to deal drugs there. Even marijuana. This whole thing is funny since she really pushed the “j<a href="https://www.good.is/articles/kamala-harris-prosecute-trump" target="_blank">ustice should be the same for everyone</a>” idea during the last Democratic debate when she is a perfect example of it NOT happening. </div>
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The obvious first point is her <a href="https://medium.com/@moon_bat/the-troubling-past-of-kamala-harris-f017207333cb" target="_blank">dishonesty and hypocrisy</a>. How can voters believe what she promises to do when her actions cross her words so starkly? Basically, they can’t. <br />
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Not so clear is the <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/heres-how-much-it-costs-to-have-a-family-member-in-prison-64cd7c3a37dd/" target="_blank">cost to families</a> to have a family member incarcerated. Not Kamala Harris’ family, of course. But many other ones. Picture a family with someone in prison. The family is missing an income. Less money means more evictions and foreclosures. Young family members will feel the tension and fear. Their education and development will be disrupted, and even their living situations. <br />
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<a href="https://eji.org/news/mass-incarceration-costs-182-billion-annually/" target="_blank">Children are growing and learning with half the guidance and support </a>in the home. <br />
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Another serious concern is her lack of self-control. She couldn’t stop herself from committing a crime while an officer of the court and part of law enforcement herself. She knew smoking - and buying - pot is illegal. She also knew the professional cost of smoking pot.<br />
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And most importantly, who is this drug dealer? <br />
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Why is it funny that you put people in jail for smoking pot or selling pot, when you smoke pot yourself? <br />
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Did you arrest your drug dealer? Does your drug dealer feel somewhat safe from prosecution because they are YOUR drug dealer? These are serious questions <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/01/31/kamala-harris-and-the-myth-of-a-progressive-cop/" target="_blank">Kamala Harris</a> has to answer for the American public to judge her fitness to be President of the United States.<br />
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-18898192737476205372019-11-16T19:57:00.002-05:002019-11-17T21:55:30.763-05:00Cenk Uygur Running for Congress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, that's it. I am cancelling my <a href="https://www.hulu.com/" target="_blank">Hulu</a> and <a href="https://www.netflix.com/" target="_blank">Netflix</a> subscriptions. Nothing is going to be more entertaining than watching Cenk Uygur in the congressional race in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California%27s_25th_congressional_district" target="_blank">California's 25th district</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CenkUygurOfficial" target="_blank">Cenk Uygur</a> is an extremely intelligent person who has built a media platform on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> called <a href="https://tyt.com/" target="_blank">The Young Turks</a> that is very strong, very supportive and vocal. There, Uygur has been calling out the leaders of the Democratic Party in the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Congress</a> for many years and just got sick of waiting for change, I guess. It is not my congressional district, but I will give him some money anyway. This show will be worth it. His other accomplishments include starting a political action committee, giving a platform for progressive candidates across the country, and siccing his audience on groups.<br />
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Uygur's insightful political commentary was always a reason to watch The Young Turks. It will be great to see him use his command of facts and policy in debates. He excels at breaking down issues to explain to his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks" target="_blank">YouTube viewers</a>. He also delights in exposing the political back-scratching behind policy decisions. Listening to Uygur's analysis creates a picture in my mind of competing factions, interests and resources, which makes it much easier to understand the dynamics of what is really going on.<br />
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The Young Turks' viewers trend younger, which will be an advantage as younger voters are often overlooked in polling data. Uygur's progressive politics resonate with a generation of people who feel cut up by the current economic system. His vision will offer hope, but more than the mere slogan of Obama. When he speaks about laws, it is often with specifics. When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" target="_blank">Obama</a> ran on "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_%22Hope%22_poster" target="_blank">hope and change</a>" and "yes, we can" it was like buying a soda or a pair of sneakers, only instead America voted for a box that we could not see inside. Later, we found out what was in it: surveillance, foreclosures, mass deportations and assassination of American citizens, and to be fair, an attempt at universal health care. Uygur is not vague in his policy positions. He has years of commentary outlining his views. Nobody is voting for a mystery box when they vote for him.<br />
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But one of Uygur's strengths, strong feelings about policy, could also cause him problems. He is very excitable and can start yelling when he feels strongly about a topic. That may not translate very well on the campaign trail, but it will make great t.v.<br />
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And his t.v. advertising promises to be very watchable. Remember his anti- Ted Cruz ad? He told Texas voters that Cruz had been unmanned by Trump. That kind of campaign rhetoric is what California voters will enjoy once this race really gets started.<br />
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In the end, win or lose, the race for California's 25th Congressional seat will be high entertainment.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-56608802793244684522019-11-04T18:37:00.003-05:002019-11-04T18:37:54.396-05:00My Media Diet and Vivid Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I forgot about this: when you temper your media intake, you start to get very vivid dreams. It’s been happening to me every night now. When I wake for my morning meditation and fill in my bullet journal, I write my latest dream. Wow. Some doozies that I do not want all over the internet.<br />
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Consuming media without a media diet plan puts a big fuzzy wall between me and my reactions to events in my life. I don’t understand all these dreams or what they mean, but something is waking up inside me and kicking my insides. And it was there all the time, just not being heard. That’s the scary part.<br />
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Like any dreams, if they are not written down, they are forgotten. And each morning I try to convince myself that this dream will be remembered. It is different today - but it isn’t.<br />
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If you follow this plan, be prepared for all manner of weirdness in dreams. Not scary, just odd.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-90404776771044209332019-11-02T12:08:00.000-04:002019-11-02T12:08:04.520-04:00My Social Media Diet or Creating a Mind Sculpture <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We Need a Social Media Diet </h2>
Don’t flinch just yet. Everyone needs to think about and plan what our minds and attention will consume. So much content is available: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/en/?c=MTV-socialmedia%20post&pid=MTV-SNSpost&af_channel=Instagram&shortlink=48386d7b" target="_blank">TikTok</a> and more.<br />
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I read online that the last hour before going to bed and the first hour getting up should be without any electronic screen time. Before going to bed, lay out your clothes and prepare for the next day. Sounds like the habit of a winner, so let’s include that as part of the plan.<br />
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The guy also talks about spending his time creating content, rather than consuming it. Not everybody is up for that, but with three blogs and a podcast and two YouTube channels, I have no excuses.<br />
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Goals of a Social Media Diet</h3>
So what would be the goal for a media diet? For a food diet, there is a weight goal. For a media diet, there should be goals, too. Like hobbies, interests, entertainment, education. Historical videos are fun. Shouldn’t there also be production goals? If you have them, that is.<br />
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We make a choice about what to eat, and how that will make us feel. Shouldn’t we also do the same thing for our minds and mood? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to step outside ourselves and take a meta look at what we want out of our life before deciding what to watch or read? <br />
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My Social Media Diet</h3>
I don’t know what is right for anyone else, but my social media diet will be one part production for four parts consumption. It will be split into one fifth pure fun with animals and jokes and silliness. Everyone needs that in their lives. Another three fifths will be news and politics - from all sides. I enjoy listening to Ben Shapiro and Jimmy Dore. So what. The last fifth will be hobbies: ham radio, knitting and making soap.<br />
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“Social Media Diet” </h3>
Maybe “diet” is the wrong word. Diets are notoriously ineffective in the long run. “Media Plan” sounds too corporate. “Media sculpting” means you are doing the creating. “Media sculpture?” There are some artists out there who already claimed that phrase.<br />
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I hesitate to use the term “information” since it is so long and cumbersome to say. We need to make this snappy. “Brain food” comes to mind, but its already been taken. Or “Brain growth plan.” Too long. OK. “Mind sculpture.” Yes, that’s it! <br />
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By consciously deciding what I feed my visual senses, I have a “Mind Sculpture” plan. I think about what I want the end result to be, and plan, roughly, how that will happen.<br />
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Let’s see how this goes. Will keep you updated.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-66093564549071038082019-10-20T19:02:00.000-04:002019-10-20T19:08:30.585-04:00Tulsi Gabbard For President<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tulsi Gabbard for President</h2>
The recent "<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/russia-s-propaganda-machine-discovers-2020-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-n964261" target="_blank">Tulsi works for Putin</a>" schtick can be understood best as a fight between old media and new media. A classic power fight between <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/" target="_blank">wheezing old talking heads</a>, their <a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/cnn-panel-stunned-after-bakari-sellers-calls-tulsi-gabbard-a-puppet-for-the-russian-government/" target="_blank">younger clones</a>, and <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-mainstream-medias-smearing-of-tulsi-gabbard/" target="_blank">new media power brokers</a> will show where the new election lines are drawn. Newsflash: <a href="https://gabbard.house.gov/" target="_blank">Tulsi will win</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://0.0.0.18/" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton is running a '90s media smear campaign</a> that really worked for her and her husband in the past - the way past. <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/" target="_blank">Clinton</a> whispers her vengeful stories to <a href="https://www.inquisitr.com/5694364/tulsi-gabbard-russian-plant-bakari-sellers/" target="_blank">stooges on cable tv</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard.html?searchResultPosition=3" target="_blank">foolish New York Time op ed writers</a>. Feeling safe, they repeat them without fearing real consequences.<br />
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Old Media and The Clinton Playbook</h3>
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Why not? It is the same playbook Clinton used in her failed 2016 election campaign: <br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>court mass media, </li>
<li>take voters for granted, </li>
<li>rely on proxies to say nasty things for you, </li>
<li>insult and dismiss half of the electorate. </li>
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It didn't work last time, but as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKBN1370LC" target="_blank">Clinton apparently never took responsibility for her role in her own defeat</a>, she blindly uses the same approach again. <br />
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Court Mass Media</h4>
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The '90s media landscape was exclusively <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media" target="_blank">mass media</a>, so a strategy targeting those influencers was smart. Prescient was Bill Clinton's focus on alternate paths to voter attention, like <a href="https://bigthink.com/age-of-engagement/a-look-back-at-1992-how-bill-clinton-engaged-younger-voters" target="_blank">talk shows</a>. It was how he got around the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/06/opinions/zelizer-presidential-election-campaign-scandals-bill-clinton/index.html" target="_blank">universal dismissal of him as a serious candidate by the "serious" political press</a> after his sex scandals. </div>
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<a href="https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/news-media/covering-america-journalism-professor-christopher-daly/" target="_blank">But this approach is outdated</a>. There are thousands of information sources for voters now. The personal relationship approach will not control political watchers because there are simply too many thinkers in the political space. The rah-rah for the "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/07/usa.iraq1" target="_blank">weapons of mass destruction</a>" leading to the Gulf War and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-08-01/russiagate-is-deader-than-ever" target="_blank">Russiagate</a> undermined credibility for mass media outlets anyway, and people look to other voices to trust.<br />
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Take Voters for Granted</h4>
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<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/clinton-campaign-neglect_n_582cacb0e4b058ce7aa8b861" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton neglected Michigan and other rust belt states </a>during the 2016 Presidential election. She dismissed HALF OF AMERICA as "deplorables." Not very persuasive. Clinton took the voters of the rust belt for granted because of their union affiliation, not learning the lesson that Reagan taught: people make up their own minds.</div>
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In the frame of this Tulsi Gabbard dialogue, Clinton assumes that the support of the media "elites" will lead to the sheeplike support of Americans. <br />
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Rely on Proxies To Say Nasty Things For You</h4>
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<a href="https://hiphopwired.com/824751/bakari-sellers-tulsi-gabbard-russian-puppet/" target="_blank">Bakari Sellers accused Tulsi Gabbard of treason on CNN</a>. This charge has been supported by Hillary Clinton by getting other people to repeat the accusation.</div>
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<a href="https://www.tulsi2020.com/" target="_blank">Tulsi Gabbard</a> shows her understanding of modern media when she <a href="https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/tulsi-gabbard-vs-hillary-clinton/" target="_blank">pins the "Russian asset" smear directly on Hillary Clinton</a>. Clinton is used to dodging the stench of a shit show by getting others to say her insults. Part of that tactic was the pretense of cable t.v. hosts that she didn't really say it at all, but that somebody else did. Now, <a href="https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2019/10/18/the-queen-of-warmongers-tulsi-gabbard-just-responded-to-hillary-clinton-and-its-amazing/" target="_blank">Tulsi Gabbard's voice can appeal directly to voters</a>, much like <a href="https://www.ozy.com/2016/bill-clintons-great-sax-appeal/69591/" target="_blank">Bill Clinton did in playing the saxop<span id="goog_1079847262"></span><span id="goog_1079847263"></span>hone on late night television</a>.<br />
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Insult and Dismiss Half of the Electorate</h4>
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"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket_of_deplorables" target="_blank">Deplorables</a>." </div>
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Clinton also <a href="https://www.veteranstoday.com/2019/10/16/tulsi-gabbard-destroys-cnn-and-new-york-times/" target="_blank">insults everyone in the military</a> by implying that one of them would betray their country with treason.</div>
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In this message struggle with Tulsi Gabbard, Clinton is dismissing anyone under the age of 50. Younger voters don't believe that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">New York Times </a>is always right. They don't have t.v.'s or watch cable "news."</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Tulsi Gabbard Winning Strategy</h3>
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<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/tulsi-gabbard-just-humiliated-kamala-harris-in-front-of-10-million-people" target="_blank">Tulsi Gabbard takes a sniper shot approach</a> to a crowded Presidential candidate field. One by one, she takes out a frontrunner. It worked for <a href="https://time.com/3966291/donald-trump-insult-generator/" target="_blank">Trump</a>, and it is working for her. </div>
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Tusli Gabbard is an underestimated candidate. She won't be the Democratic nominee, but she will beat out almost everybody else that is running. Her best weapon are her deadly barbs that really stick. Ask <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/429386-kamala-harris-acknowledges-smoking-weed-in-the-past" target="_blank">Kamala "I put people in prison for doing what I did" Harris</a>. Gabbard is better at this tactic than even Trump. </div>
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<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/460224-why-the-media-dislike-andrew-tulsi-bernie-and-marianne" target="_blank">Tulsi Gabbard</a> knows how the current information ecosystem works. When she hits something, it reverberates. All the Clinton machine can do is get their flying monkeys on cable television and op-ed pages to repeat what she tells them to say. Too bad they are no longer influencers like in the '90s. </div>
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Tulsi Gabbard will beat the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-machine" target="_blank">Democratic Party machine </a>because its relevance and power are sliding out from under them. They are using a playbook of a bygone day. What is supposed to be a kill shot will only show everybody their irrelevance.</div>
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The Democratic Party relies on big donors, reporter relationships and endorsements. Stronger tools have been forged, and they are about to find out the hard way.</div>
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As I like to say to people I hate: "I wish you the best of luck."</div>
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-47109190242048861472019-05-09T19:37:00.000-04:002019-05-09T19:37:03.297-04:00Susan Wojcicki and PhillyD and the Suggestion Algorithm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Changing the YouTube Suggestion Algorithm</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">PhillyD and YouTube Discussions</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyD" target="_blank">PhillyD</a> has had discussions with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Wojcicki" target="_blank">YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki</a> about their list of trending videos, which have long weighted corporate content unfairly. If you have the most views, then you should be on the most-viewed list. If you can’t created content that most YouTube users want to see, then you shouldn’t be on that list.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As long as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> is listening...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am on YouTube far more than is good for me or anyone. The algorithm goes in tight circles, recommending the same people and videos all the time. It is tiresome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube Suggestion Algorithm Problem</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">By setting the YouTube recommendation algorithm to “following the buzz,” Google is only setting up its own failure. They may not know it yet, but if the only thing people are getting out of their product is buzz, it acts like mental candy. Sure, you want it all the time. Who doesn’t? But one day you will be sick of all the candy and reject the whole thing. It is inevitable. If human beings forever chose the buzz, we would not have survived as a species. So this proposal is a long-term survival strategy for the Alphabet Corporation as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is an alternative.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let users change their suggestion algorithms in user preferences.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I always want to see more content from smaller YouTubers and nothing about sports. Why can’t I choose that? Surely the YouTube algorithm can allow user input in terms of what percentage of smaller channels are suggested to me. I want to support local businesses rather than large chain stores, and my google search results should reflect that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Econo-Girl Suggestion Solution</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would not be hard to implement this change. Just break the code into sections, and make user input the driver of the algorithm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let the content providers set their video categories. Then, within those categories, let users define their preferences:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS - I ALWAYS LIKE TO TEST OUT CREATORS WITH LESS THAN 20,000 FOLLOWERS; OR, </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MOST RECENT - A CATEGORY I REALLY MISS; OR, </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">CORPORATE VS. NON-CORPORATE CREATORS; OR, </span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">BALANCE OF PRO/CON; OR,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">TRENDING TOPICS IN THAT CATEGORY; OR</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">NOT TO SEE THAT CATEGORY AT ALL, OR TO SET A FLOOR FOR SEEING VIDEOS IN THAT CATEGORY, LIKE IF A VIDEO IN THIS CATEGORY HITS THE TRENDING TOP 100 LIST, SHOW IT TO ME.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The goal is to maximize value to the </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">consumer. The current suggestion algorithm is based on feeding rats a sugar-based diet that will make them obese and starve them at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A rabbit hole is a waste of time. Humans are going to dump something that wastes their time, eventually. Survival demands it. </span><br />
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-5864916761634859412018-12-26T20:39:00.001-05:002018-12-26T20:39:17.826-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Harvard Says 27% Earn More Than 4 Year College Graduates...</h2>
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<br /><a href="https://www.successwithoutcollege.net/blog" target="_blank">Christine Axsmith</a></h3>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This idea goes against conventional wisdom and lots of <a href="http://www.aplu.org/projects-and-initiatives/college-costs-tuition-and-financial-aid/publicuvalues/employment-earnings.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">google search results.</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But if you look through the top Google results for "earning more than a college graduate," the web sites are tied to colleges, or companies selling advertising to colleges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There's no shortage of people who are <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/suits/very-successful-people-without-a-college-degree?utm_term=.lqk2vknkDM#.etR3WDmDqv"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">success stories without a college degree</span></a>. But the most recent research is showing that a college degree is not necessary for success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/sophisticated-training-programs-are-no-longer-about-college-or-career-but-college-and-career-are-students-buying-it/"><img alt="ea2ded871fb834580ae155324f58345d.jpg" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/a4cacdb5-a260-4fa2-a71e-a849293a93d8" /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A report of the <a href="https://cew.georgetown.edu/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Center on Education and the Workforce</span></a> at Georgetown University states that <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Pathways_to_Prosperity_Feb2011-1.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">27 percent of people with post-secondary licenses or certificates—credentials short of an associate’s degree—earn more than the average bachelor’s degree recipient</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenge of preparing young Americans for the 21st century is a <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Pathways_to_Prosperity_Feb2011-1.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">report</span></a> from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Harvard University</span></a> talking about the failure of the "college-for-all" policy, and how that cheats some young people. "We fail these young people not because we are indifferent, but because we have focused too exclusively on a few narrow pathways to success," referring to college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://axsmithlaw.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/get-a-job-at-google-with-no-college-degree/"><img alt="ba9f53060f094b3b96f01e8016e19444.jpg" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/7a0114ed-3080-4b21-b878-af354b6ae598" /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Other experts agree with that conclusion:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Employment rates for the nation’s teens and young adults are at post-World War II lows—a true labor market depression. Based on experiences both here and abroad, Pathways to Prosperity points to the need for expanded employment and work-based learning opportunities for young people, closer ties between post-secondary education/training and the workplace, and expanded youth apprenticeships. The need has never been greater, and the report provides a clarion call for action now.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://cssh.northeastern.edu/people/faculty/andrew-sum/">Andrew Sum</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, Director, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Northeastern_University"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Center for Labor Market Studies</span></a>, Northeastern University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Conventional wisdom, and google search results, are sure to follow these conclusions. Young people are not one big clump that are exactly the same as the other. As they are different, their needs are different. Not everyone needs to be an accountant. Our economy requires all types of skills. Many of the in-demand skills can be learned while working or through a certificate program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-problem-with-making-a-college-degree-a-success-requirement/">Paths to success without college</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> means entering the plumber, firefighter, carpenter or other trades. And, yes, math will be needed. But it will be a direct, problem-solving math with direct, visible results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">$uccess Without College Publications has published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/uccess-Without-College-Software-Developer-ebook/dp/B0793D7GNP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545869956&sr=8-1&keywords=road+map+to+software+developer"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">$uccess Without College - Roadmap to Software Developer</span></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/uccess-Without-College-Roadmap-Plumber-ebook/dp/B078VGY5XW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545869991&sr=8-1&keywords=road+map+to+plumber"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">$uccess Without College - Roadmap to Plumber </span></a>to show people that there are alternatives to college to get success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Buying one of our <a href="https://www.successwithoutcollege.net/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">$uccess Without College Roadmap books</span></a> will empower you to choose your own path to success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/christine-axsmith/uccess-without-college-roadmap-to-plumber/paperback/product-23529291.html"><img alt="969afa_f990b6858da54d80a85084634d09170f~mv2.jpeg" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/021fb3a8-ddd4-4904-9549-62eb7c56cea0" /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/suits/very-successful-people-without-a-college-degree?utm_term=.lqk2vknkDM#.etR3WDmDqv"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">chances of success without college </span></a>are better if you think for yourself and decide what is best for you. Students who have success without collegedo the work to find out about different career paths and match them to their temperament. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Other books about success without college focus on calming anxious parents, and not on solutions. Buy <a href="https://www.successwithoutcollege.net/learn-more"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">$uccess Without College Roadmap to Plumber</span></a> or<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/793202"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> Roadmap to Software Developer </span></a>by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Axsmith"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Christine Axsmith</span></a> for solid advice on launching your successful career path.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">linkedin: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/axsmithlawllc/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Christine Axsmith</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/success-without-college-roadmap/id1223792154?mt=2">podcast: $uccess Without College<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/successwithoutcollege/">Instagram: SuccessWithoutCollege<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/successwithout2">Twitter: SuccessWithoutCollege<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-31612702053334241262018-12-14T14:13:00.002-05:002019-11-29T15:14:48.427-05:00In Defense of Megan Markle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e28b09-7fff-5954-1753-bc98b2077411" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Defense of Megan Markle</span></span></h2>
<br />As an ARWFA (Amateur Royal Watcher From Afar), I read with reminiscence the recent criticisms of the <a href="https://g.co/kgs/18o1b7">Duchess of Sussex, AKA Meghan Markle</a>. It saddens me that this happening all over again.The press has once again resorted to creating drama to sell newspapers, or more accurately, advertising. I’m not suggesting that theses reporters are engaged in pure fabrication. I’m suggesting that they are applying all the analysis of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-reporters-defense-of-her-flawed-reporting/2015/04/09/5bf93f14-de15-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f6e0dcf22af2">Judith Miller</a> of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a> in the lead-up to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Iraq-War">second Iraq War</a>. That is to say, none.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTAJzykAF9pR6C5F2_4AotHF8pufFaTmaFaSKfWmsFXncNKMZGLvl2GqfCMnkzABVvDhnKoY2vC9yH2RcPZ81M2iBb3z_NdMmbMB04hMef-pMeLc4fgWq7_CATAKcEeObHzZvRA/s1600/square-meghan-markle-person-of-the-year-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTAJzykAF9pR6C5F2_4AotHF8pufFaTmaFaSKfWmsFXncNKMZGLvl2GqfCMnkzABVvDhnKoY2vC9yH2RcPZ81M2iBb3z_NdMmbMB04hMef-pMeLc4fgWq7_CATAKcEeObHzZvRA/s320/square-meghan-markle-person-of-the-year-2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan Markle</td></tr>
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One Legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales</h3>
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One of <a href="https://www.biography.com/royalty/princess-diana">Princess Diana’</a>s enduring legacies was a glimpse into the challenges of a Royal </div>
with “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=TOgnHjKG_6sC&pg=PA542&lpg=PA542&dq=princess+diana+%22little+grey+men%22&source=bl&ots=jpSSO2a0jv&sig=M-5fqeb0n37CW8CM66YIu5PKXbw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiByey__5_fAhWmT98KHcsbDwYQ6AEwCXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=princess%20diana%20%22little%20grey%20men%22&f=false">the little grey men</a>” who run the palace. It is not inconceivable that the<a href="https://www.royal.uk/duchess-sussex"> Duchess of Sussex</a> has upset courtiers, who may have been <br />hoping to manage her. Unrealistic as it is to <br />think that a strong, mature, successful <br />woman could be guided in the same way as <br />an overwhelmed teenager, it seems that was the expectation.<br /><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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Piers Morgan’s Bad Character</h3>
<br /><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6460443/PIERS-MORGAN-Ex-friend-Meghan-Markle-ruthless-social-climbing-actress-used-getting-way.html">Piers Morgan </a>wrote a little piece in <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html">The Daily Mail</a> calling the Duchess a “ruthless social climber.” His basis for that opinion is her discontinuation of all communications with him after her engagement to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Harry,_Duke_of_Sussex">Prince Harry</a>. He clearly was hoping for some sort of inside track of information from the Royal Household. She, of course, displayed appropriate boundaries by her actions. Piers Morgan claims she only uses people, when it is he who had that intent. When he didn’t succeed, he stood on his media platform and jeered like a boy in a schoolyard. <br /><br />There’s good reason to be wary of Piers Morgan, which most Americans do not know.<br /><br />Piers Morgan was largely unscathed by the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/piers-morgan-recording-proves-he-215694">Milly Dowler controversy</a>. He was editor of a major<br />newspaper that hacked into the voicemail of a missing girl, listened to the messages, then deleted messages to make space for more eavesdropping on future messages. The <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/leveson-inquiry-hears-of-millys-family-false-hope">Dowler family had </a><br /><a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/leveson-inquiry-hears-of-millys-family-false-hope">false hope of their daughter’s survival </a>because they thought she was alive and deleting her own <br />messages. What cruelty. And illegality, since it also interfered with a police investigation.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">
Megan Markle’s Wise Choice</h3>
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So this is the character of the person the Duchess of Sussex distanced herself from upon her <br />engagement to Prince Harry: the Editor of the same media outlet that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_International_phone_hacking_scandal">eavesdropped on phone </a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_International_phone_hacking_scandal">calls of the Royal household</a> to distribute private information to the public. Now he laments, <br />publicly, their loss of connection, which only demonstrates her good sense.<br /><br />Random and public insults on the character of the Duchess of Sussex because she doesn’t <br />return your calls is not responsible. By using public airwaves and right-of-ways for your <br />speculations, you have agreed to, and failed, your duty to the public, who provide the <br />infrastructure and public property rights that your business uses.<br /><br />So the news of the discontent in the Royal Family, and associated bitter commentary, has no other dimension than “Hey, if we say this, we will sell advertising!” Certainly, that is Piers Morgan’s <br />level. <br /><br />So long as there is a dividing line between social media and “the media” there should be a <br />responsibility one as well.<br /><br />And is it really “news” when a disgruntled father, or whatever his problem is, has yet another public musing about his daughter refusing to talk to him? <br /><br />Courtiers are always going to complain. Media figures are always getting “hot tips” from the <br />attention-seeking or revenge-seeking. We simply ask that this time, some discernment is <br />employed before another princess is killed while being chased by you.</div>
Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371420.post-32880060483859240842018-03-04T20:03:00.001-05:002018-03-04T20:03:48.289-05:00Frankenstein - The Robot That Hires You by Christine Axsmith<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Robots Get You a Job Interview</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Interviews are hard to get. Robots, Frankenstein-like creatures, keep your resume from being seen by decision-makers.</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-computer-through-Success-Without-ebook/dp/B079LYVJ2R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520208993&sr=8-1&keywords=frankenstein+the+robot+that+hires+you" target="_blank"><img alt="Frankenstein the Robot That Hires You Success Without College book series " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2siMgoPQYyEm4WOflILbcKFgyWdFo3EZRYNWKaU5nI-DixNUnmLQSoNZi8zNFVenWefSb-Hjw8R3NJPuaNFHV51PU2PGod9XyE7g_OsRjX_e7IGKmq_TSwIlEv0Pdogv6vuGn9g/s320/The+Robot+That+Hires+You.jpg" title="Frankenstein the Robot That Hires You Success Without College book series " width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-computer-through-Success-Without-ebook/dp/B079LYVJ2R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520208993&sr=8-1&keywords=frankenstein+the+robot+that+hires+you" target="_blank">Success Without College book series by Christine Axsmith</a></td></tr>
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<br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Part of the $uccess Without College Roadmap book series, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-computer-through-Success-Without-ebook/dp/B079LYVJ2R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520208993&sr=8-1&keywords=frankenstein+the+robot+that+hires+you" target="_blank">Frankenstein - The Robot That Hires You</a> by Christine Axsmith shows you how to hack those barriers to a new job or a new career.</span><br />
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About the Author Christine Axsmith and Success Without College</h3>
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<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Christine Axsmith grew up in a area where most people didn’t go to college. Later, her career took a sharp left turn after <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/washington/22intel.html" target="_blank">taking a stand against waterboarding at the CIA</a>. From there, she reinvented herself as the owner of a successful dog walking company, a <a href="https://axsmithlaw.wordpress.com/tag/legal-guardian/" target="_blank">guardian for the elderly and disabled</a>, a <a href="http://axsmith.com/debt-relief/" target="_blank">trial attorney</a> and a <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/789374" target="_blank">writer</a>. These experiences taught her how to learn from successful people and to draw a roadmap to recreate their success. In recent years, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/17/lawyers-could-be-replaced-by-artificial-intelligence.html" target="_blank">lawyers started getting replaced by software</a>, it sparked Christine Axsmith’s interest in this topic.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Success Without College book series author Christine Axsmith Background</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/20009-dc-christine-axsmith-664616/reviews.html" target="_blank">Christine Axsmith uses her extensive research skills</a> to provide a roadmap for non-college success in her books by interviewing self-made millionaires and other people in the software field.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There are many media reports about <a href="https://www.forbes.com/2003/07/28/cx_dd_0728mondaymatch.html" target="_blank">success without college statistics</a>, and many of them will tell you that the income a person earns is dramatically increased with a college degree. That was the old days. More than that, only a little over half of college students get a four year degree. Now, when <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brazen-life/the-real-reasons-college-is-a-bad-investment_b_3423566.html" target="_blank">calculating whether college is a good "investment,"</a> you need to include the cost of student loans. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Christine Axsmith has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887245/" target="_blank">published by NIST and NSA</a> regarding <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07366989509453043" target="_blank">information security law</a>, has presented papers at <a href="https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/projects/mac/cfp96/plenary-court-overview.html" target="_blank">MIT conferences</a> and the International Bar Association, and actively participated in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law - Electronic Commerce Working Group. Her research on encryption export became required reading at Harvard Law School. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are your chances of success without college degree? </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this $uccess Without College Book series by <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Axsmith" data-type="external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Axsmith" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self">Christine Axsmith</a></span>, investigate <a data-content="https://www.amazon.com/Success-Without-College-Software-Developer-ebook/dp/B072HJD1XC/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1506297675&sr=8-31&keywords=success+without+college" data-type="external" href="https://www.amazon.com/Success-Without-College-Software-Developer-ebook/dp/B072HJD1XC/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1506297675&sr=8-31&keywords=success+without+college" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">how to be a success without going to college with Christine Axsmith</span></a>. There are many media reports about success without college statistics, and many of them will tell you that the income a person earns is dramatically increased with a college degree. That was the old days. Now, when calculating whether college is a good "investment," you need to include the cost of student loans. <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/success-without-college-roadmap-to-software-developer-christine-axsmith/1126258306?ean=9781365858857" data-type="external" href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/success-without-college-roadmap-to-software-developer-christine-axsmith/1126258306?ean=9781365858857" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">$uccess Without College Roadmap</a></span> gives real success stories without college degrees, and improves your chances of success without college by providing a roadmap for you to follow the people who have already done it. The goal of <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/christine-axsmith/success-without-college-roadmap-to-software-developer/ebook/product-23344128.html" data-type="external" href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/christine-axsmith/success-without-college-roadmap-to-software-developer/ebook/product-23344128.html" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">$uccess Without College Roadmap</a></span> books is to increase your percentage of success without college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Students who have success without college are people who work hard People who have success without college think outside the box, which means they have the courage and intelligence to do what is right for them. Stories of success without college provide paths to success without college. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuition is up, and college tuition is up, too. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fees-and-room-and-board-over-time-1976-77_2016-17-selected-years" data-type="external" href="https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fees-and-room-and-board-over-time-1976-77_2016-17-selected-years" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">college tuition is increasing</a></span>, it many seems like a tuition scam is going on. Students in debt, and some can't afford college at all. Students can't afford college are people our country needs for the future of our economic wealth. When people can't afford college, and college tuition is too high, traditional education as a path to a successful career needs a rethink. Debt-ridden students from higher education will not be able to fuel our economy by buying cars and houses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While some say <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://youtu.be/rzdiWDw4teo" data-type="external" href="https://youtu.be/rzdiWDw4teo" rel="undefined" style="background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">higher education is a scam</a></span>, and there is a decline of college enrollment, $uccess Without College Roadmap books are not a diatribe against college. It just suggests that college is a choice, and not necessary to be an American success. College is also not the only way to succeed in many occupations. Maybe you can go to college in ten years, or five years, after you are established financially and professionally. That is fine. The $uccess Without College Roadmap series only gives you suggestions, and roadmaps to alternatives.</span></div>
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Econo-Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710293494850428244noreply@blogger.com0Cupertino, CA 95014, USA37.31317 -122.0723815999999737.2121145 -122.23374309999997 37.4142255 -121.91102009999997