Gluttony

The leading trend of the modern society coincides with one of what people came to know over the centuries as the seven deadly sins. Creeping at the end of the chart in that matter, gluttony is far worse than it seems,and it contains at least two of the other “sins”: greed and lust. Eating is a part of our daily lives. Following the basic law of physics that energy is never wasted, it is only transformed, we transform the caloric energy in our food into energy our body can use for it's daily routines. But along the way we stopped looking at food as a tool, a means to achieve a purpose, and we transformed it into purpose itself. As a saying goes,we no longer eat to live,but live to eat. Of course, you can have a craving, a rare indulgence when it comes to food, spending a bit more, and travelling far to a place that can be considered a food heaven...a restaurant or place that serves something you always wanted to try. And in the aspects of the fact we only live once and who knows how long, I'd say go ahead. But this is where my tolerance for the pursuit of food ends.

If we go to a shop today, you'll find maybe amazed that if you want fresh, healthy, straight from nature food you'll have to pay the big bucks. A kg of apples might be very well over the price of a full 3 course ready-meal. The reason behind this is that we pride ourselves with the ability to modify food. We have plently of plants that can be processed for sugar directly, same as we have sugars in milk, fruits and the delicious honey. Yet the most common sweeteners we find shoved in our mouths are engineered. High fructose corn syrup and others like aspartame are leading the market by far. Helped by fake claims and governments around the world backing this practice through subsidies for corn crops, these junk products became too big to fail. Meanwhile governments complain and pull alarms that the food we produce as a planet is not sufficient to sustain the population. That cannot be farther away from the truth. The truth is we only plants corn, day in day out,we drain the soil since there is no crop rotation and most important, we over-eat.

I am not a fan of the “well,in other places of the world people are starving so eat your vegetables” speech, mainly because me eating my vegetables won't mean that people that were starving before stopped doing so. But as a world that is supposed to have at least some bright people around, I expect us to be more aware. I find it unacceptable that in 2014 people still die of hunger. And this while in other parts of the world, obesity, especially infant obesity is on a rise at a steady pace. And that is not the only issue. To make you see how bad our food has become, look at the ever-shrinking expiration dates on packages. Look at all the food allergies and intolerances the humanity is plagued with. Do you think centuries ago people had peanut allergies or gluten intolerance? The reality is that we bomb our bodies with crappy food everyday, some because we don't care or want to know what we eat, and some because it's more affordable to buy a fast-food deathburger than a tie of asparagus. And it is because we keep our eyes closed, while food companies look for an ever growing profit. Have you ever heard someone saying that a company that stopped growing is a good one? I didn't. And so they push and push, shovelling crap in our direction, always complaining that they need more government help. I am not saying go on a vegan/vegetarian/someothercrapdiet routine. I think adopting one of those routes is as damaging as eating only junk food, and will certainly not take care of the hidden food engineering (seedless grapes anyone?).

I cannot wait for the day when the food industry will get the same treatment as tobacco did. I am a smoker but I'd still want to see big bold letters on food packages warning you of all the crap that “food” contains. Sounds like a fair measure, one that the food industry lobbyists managed to choke by lining the politicians' pockets with cash.

As a departure note, if by some chance you haven't seen the documentary “Food Inc.”, have a look at it. And remember, don't be a pawn of gluttony. Eat smart and with measure; you'll see you'll feel better and won't develop who knows what kind of old or new food related disease.

Photo: gdefon.com

Double play

Hello ladies and gentlemen. "Long time no see". So I'd say let's get straight into business.

Over the last year we came to find just how much the stories of the tin foil hat adepts were right when it comes to governments snooping into people's lives were real. Quite a lot. From who you call, when, from where,to actively censor the internet in countries deemed as developed, for alleged reasons varying from U.S. national security to protecting the children in U.K.One of the pioneers and ardent supporters in Europe, France, had it's own "drag net fishing" operation too. And as such, with great pleasure I watch people fighting back, knowingly or not. One example of less knowingly started last year,and now it just went insane. And that is the affair of the French president Hollande. Far from being tethered to such news, and even finding them obnoxious in general, I do relish the idea of people in power getting a taste of their own medicine. Everyone is entitled to privacy. EXCEPT when by yourself you decide to place yourself into a position generally known to be associated with tabloid cross hairs.Say you're an actor. The level of your success, as being cast for movies, and how well would they perform in box office or even on pirate websites is dependant on how much people like you. And to be liked you generally need to be known. So like it or not, if you want to be an actor, expect photographers around. Another position like this is reserved for politicians. Granted, once elected you can do whatever you want, but the essence that people placed you in that position remains. You cannot just take,you have to give. So while you take a free house, free all, cars with drivers, travels and fine dining, it is obscene to believe that the people that elected you don't want anything in return. At the end of the day you're deciding their fate. How much do they earn, how are they taxed, freedom of expression and so on. So as a president, you trade your privacy for all the perks and the place in history being it good or bad. If you think otherwise, you're severely deluded. Like being an actor, your job is not mandatory. No one forces you to become president. It's your aspiration and achievement hunger.
In this particular case,it is not even anything trivial. It's not invading a president's privacy to find out if he wears red socks or even if he goes "wabbit huntin" (although not liked by some, in reality not all people will like anyone as a whole).In this case is cheating. A soft, love specific verb for betrayal. So if you're telling me that people that gave you power should not look at what you do,especially when what you do is breaking promises and vows, you're out of your mind. It is a treat of character. How can you be trusted with the future of some people that elected you, people you never met and let's be honest,you most likely don't really give a crap about, when your partner, the person who is supposed to know you better than anyone...who's supposed to be your all, gets hospitalized as a result of your actions? You cannot be trusted. And the public is entitled to know it. You're a freaking president, so rules don't apply in the same manner. You cannot be prosecuted, and if a person kills you, they won't be treated like they just killed anyone. You're special. In this case, a bad kind of special.
To summarize, I do not condone a privacy infringement for a regular Joe, or even for a neighbour that I dislike.But when it comes to people running a country and with a power to impact other lives (see Syria), I think that the lack of privacy is not only not absurd, but it is required.
So, Hollande, when you're not a public figure, do whatever you like, blow up cars and dolls, sign up for Gangbang Weekly, I don't care. Until then, face the probe of whatever journalist for whatever reasons, and see how it feels to be on the receiving end of something you support with zealotry.


Photo: http://empiresandallies.wikia.com/

Spyproof

Unless you live under a rock in the jungle you must have heard by now about the leak of classified documents from National Security Agency regarding a program called PRISM. The person behind this exposure, and ex C.I.A. employee and employee of various N.S.A. private contractors seems to have quite a bit to say regarding the matter. Since it's a topic that was buzzing all over the place, and covered by professional reporters I'll stay away from repeating details, and I'll stick to some questions that sprouted in my mind and that no one else seems to ask.
Obama, the "saviour" jumped out quickly trying to explain to the masses that regarding phone-calls, the program records only caller and receiver phone numbers and duration of the phone call. No content. The reason to do this,in the first place: the same old chewed leitmotif about terrorism. "To catch the bad guys". My question is; If you deny the capture of phone call content, how in the name of hell are you going to explain to us the method to label a person as being a threat? Cause he made a phone call? He has a phone number? Or terrorist only call at a certain hour? See my point? You'll get absolutely nothing just by creating a log of phone calls. And as such I call bullshit on Obama and his acolytes.
Second; if this program is so "innocent" why was it kept a secret and when that secret surfaces, the person responsible for that is labelled "traitor" and "a threat to democracy". As someone said, why say "if you don't have something to hide you shouldn't be bothered by the government looking at your stuff" when on the same principle, if government doesn't have anything to hide, classified documents should not exist.
Third; they've been saying that PRISM doesn't target U.S. citizens or U.S. territory. So I guess screw the rest. If I call someone in the U.S., I'm a target. If I use any of U.S. based companies services (Apple, Google, Microsoft) I'm a target because at the end of the day, it is inevitable that my e-mail, VoIP and so on would go through one of those companies' servers and infrastructure.
Reading into the matter and seeing different positions people take, it is mind boggling the stupidity, ignorance, the amount of shit they can eat, and at the same time posing superior attitudes like the common man is incapable to understand how wholesome and good the "services" they provide are. "We don't tell you about secret programs cause you are not wielding sufficient intellect to understand.

So that's my rant. And the truth is this or any amount of press coverage won't change things. So when governments are using this sort of tactics, I find refuge in the deepest, darkest and the safest corners of the internet, where powers like this have no influence. And if it comes to worst, I still have my rock in the jungle to live under.    


Photo: digitalart

Racism, xenophobia and free speech.

So I am asked when can a person be "labelled" as racist, xenophobic and so on, and when it is a matter of freedom of speech. The solution to this question resides mostly in the question itself. You have freedom of speech when you speak. Either from the perspective of a joke or even personal beliefs, speaking in a certain way about a race or nation will most of the time fall under free speech. The exception to this "rule" is the role the person exercising the right of free speech fulfils. To give an example, a joke a saw recently went like this:
"Q: What is the difference between Hitler and Usain Bolt?
 A: Usain Bolt can finish a race"
Funny or not, it is for you to decide. If I repeat that  joke, it is an issue of how my interlocutor takes it. But it is in a wide way, a free speech. Now,if that joke is repeated by a country's president,there is an issue. What gives me the right to hide behind "free speech" while a president cannot? The very function and responsibilities we undertook at some point in our life.
Take note, the content of free speech isn't meant to be liked by ALL the people. The term itself offers this premise. Any offence taken by someone exposed to the described pattern of free speech, is the responsibility of the offence-taker. Judging a person for conflicting your views and even worse,acting on that judgement,in the lack of absolute truth, shows nothing else but daunting immaturity.  
Free speech turns into racism and xenophobia swiftly when a person, no matter who they are, perform actions on these personal beliefs. When it is no longer a speech, but actions, physical under form of violence or written, passed as "laws", then it is clear how to label the person at hand.
Another important part of this is the minority. A lot of people live under the impression, and it is a false one at best, that a person or a group of people that are usually the target of racist and xenophobic content cannot be themselves racist or xenophobes. Slavery is as racist as a person being attacked because they're "white in the wrong neighbourhood". Antisemitism is as racial and national sickening as it is demolishing Palestinian houses to make room for Jewish residential buildings.
And that's that. Just a small glimpse of a very wide and content broad subject. At the end of the day, this post, along with many others, have no other purpose than to put in perspective how you can be a better person. What is a "better person"? Well,
that is a story for another time.

The true democracy?

When it comes to elections, and democracy, U.S. likes to pose as a flag carrier, showing and screaming left and right that they are by far the leading expert.
Well, it really isn't. While having only 2 parties and thus candidates upsets some of you, it doesn't upset me. In the end they are politicians and having only 2 choices means that you have less options for choosing bad. The problem that I have with the U.S. election system is that in no way they actually take notice of the majority's vote. And here is why: especially if you're not familiar with their system.
In U.S. you become president based on electoral votes. This is a number assigned to each state and furthermore divided in the state's districts. To win you need to gather 270 of these "points".Now: states as Alaska, D.C., Delaware,both Carolinas and few others have only 3 votes. While California has 55.So if someone is elected in California, the opposing runner can win the 5 mentioned above, plus Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Washington, and the first candidate will still win. So that is 1 state casting other 12 into nothingness.And so,a person can become president in the U.S. winning in about 20-25% of the states. I know what you're thinking. some states have more people, such as New York having way more than Oregon for example.Yes, it is true, but what happens if not all go to vote. Well, if we take the example from above of California vs the 12, California can have 1 person voting in each district while all the other states have a 100% poll presence. California will still win.
A poorly designed structure, that the citizen have embraced and lived with for years and years. They do not question the application and implication and so they silently vote not for a president but for their vote to mean nothing. The whole charade and drum chorus is for nothing else than bathing the population's brain into muddy politic schemes. So when it comes to elections, I dare to say that even the current U.S. arch-enemy, Iran, is more democratic.

Again

Missed me? Most likely not.
Ages might have passed and with them my silence passed as my true word. Found to be in a place where what I have to say seems obnoxious or redundant I came to consider that silence is golden. In all, a great man knows when to talk, the greatest knows when to be silent. By no means am I the greatest man to ever live but surely that doesn't limit me in following a good teaching.
So what have I been doing? Struggling mostly as my mind fatigues me and grants me sleepless nights or days. Melting into each other, hours pass making no sense or gestures, nothing but the annoying repetitive sound of the clock hanging on the wall. Gazing in objects without reflection, feeling the depths of every inanimate object that crosses my path, I see myself not different from them. From a safe distance I observe the world speeding up past me, the people, the nature, in an uncontrolled frenzy. And as usual, my essence doesn't feel the peace. This place tires me, displaced and sickened I turn page after page. Reading this book called life seems more like a 2 page leaflet found in any puny office. With a smile on one side and the price list on the other.
So here I am again, talking to you, while you legitimately wonder if this post is really something that should "break" the silence. Don't wonder. It isn't. But then again, I'll have enough time to be wordless when I'll be breathless too. So until next time, pray to whomever or whatever you believe in, lobbying that my "next time" will not be as poorly designed as this.

Slumber

I rise between words and dreams,so hard to unwrap and so deep to swim in, that only the night gives me enough peace. Looking at a blank page I find nothing to fill it with, as if my life as a whole collapsed into itself. Defying a purpose that so distant away shimmers I turn my head to watch you sleep. Dreaming things that I was banished from, living in those tenebrous depths that I once belonged to. And I know, in my encumbered heart that I am lost. Lost in a labyrinth that enjoys holding me captive; nothing but a rat smashing it's head in the maze's walls. But as the night guards me, and always being my most devoted confidant I know that now, despite my stray, I am not completely beyond redemption. My salvation, the stake that keeps me grounded in these misty times of my ridiculous existence, is you.
So in my twisted devotion, all my debt can be paid like this. Watching over your restless sleep, as the blank page keeps staring at me.