Monday night the Abby Pub hosted a meet and greet with members of the Illinois chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement. It was relatively full with around 30 people in attendance. Right after arriving I met the Illinois chapter coordinator, David Simeone. Also in attendance was the former Illinois chapter coordinator and now coordinator for the entire US, Jen Wilding. There was about an hour of meeting and greeting followed by a screening of "The Venus Project - Key Concepts" - a 40 min. edit taken from "Zeitgeist: Addendum" and "Future by Design" which was put together by some other zeitgeist members. Although it was much shorter than the other movies or presentations, it didn't seem to get it's points across very clearly. In my opinion it would have been better to watch the last 2/3 of Addendum or "The Zeitgeist Movement: Orientation".
After the screening they opened up to Q and A. I was very impressed with the patience of David and Jen during the Q and A. The crowd basically broke down into 2 groups: people who are totally on board and have watched, listened and read everything related to zeitgeist and people new to this information. One girl asked the same question three times until she got the answer she liked. My favorite part of that was listening to this awesome old man inadvertently make fun of her for it. Another guy who worked at the bar betrayed his ignorance about poverty and starvation so blatantly I had to leave. I know patience is a huge part of teaching people new things, but I couldn't deal with that. That's something I'll need to work on if I plan on teaching this to people.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Day!
It seems to me that if the relationship between humans and the earth was looked at like any other human relationship, the humans would be mentally and physically abusing the earth every day, degrading it, humiliating it, covering it in filth, raping it and doing anything and everything short of killing it to gain any kind of advantage in the relationship. And then one day out of the year the humans throw a party for the earth in front of all the other humans, telling it how great it is and how they're going to stop doing all the bad things they do. Earth day!
That's really harsh, I know, but I can't find any reason to get excited about conservation, recycling or anything else earth day related when no one is talking about the root problems of the way we live. The free market/capitalist system we have is not sustainable and is leading us to our own extinction.
It's probably too hard to read in that picture, but there's a Carl Sagan quote at the bottom which reads: "A new consciousness is developing which sees the earth as a single organism and recognizes that an organism at war with itself is doomed."
That pretty much sums it up. Humans are at war all the time. Over resources, oil, fresh water, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. If we continue to hoard, we will wipe ourselves out. We need real change.
If you haven't already, watch the movie "zeitgeist:addendum" It's the only information I've found that gives me some shred of hope for the future of humanity. Let's hope that Dr. Sagan was right in saying that a new consciousness is developing. I'd like to think that it is.
That's really harsh, I know, but I can't find any reason to get excited about conservation, recycling or anything else earth day related when no one is talking about the root problems of the way we live. The free market/capitalist system we have is not sustainable and is leading us to our own extinction.
It's probably too hard to read in that picture, but there's a Carl Sagan quote at the bottom which reads: "A new consciousness is developing which sees the earth as a single organism and recognizes that an organism at war with itself is doomed."
That pretty much sums it up. Humans are at war all the time. Over resources, oil, fresh water, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. If we continue to hoard, we will wipe ourselves out. We need real change.
If you haven't already, watch the movie "zeitgeist:addendum" It's the only information I've found that gives me some shred of hope for the future of humanity. Let's hope that Dr. Sagan was right in saying that a new consciousness is developing. I'd like to think that it is.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
motorcycle
This is going to be an awesome summer!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
vote with your dollars this holiday season
This holiday season (and all the time really) it's important to remember that anything you spend money on is the same as saying "make more of this for everyone, it's great!". When you buy a big mac for lunch, ten more will appear in it's place. When you buy a handmade scarf at a craft show, you give that person the support to make more.
We are all responsible for what products and services we continue to see available in the world we live in. If we want to make the world a better place, we can do it by supporting what we feel is right. It can take a lot of research to find out if what we support is beneficial and sustainable or toxic to the environment and the living things in it. And who can you trust? The company itself? The internet community?
Recently I made a post about buying a winter coat in a socially responsible way. This purchase has got me to thinking about what the rest of my money is supporting.
My girlfriend told me some shocking news this morning. She's reading the book Eating Animals by Jonanthan Safran Foer, and she told me that it's basically impossible to consider yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat. I know factory farming and slaughterhouses are unsustainable and disgusting, but really? There's no way around it? I love eating meat! We need to talk.
This person's comment on the book's website makes some really good point that I tend to agree with. I really hope there's a way to eat meat in a responsible manner. I don't need to eat it at every meal, but food is definitely what I spend most of my money on and I buy food more often than anything else. Last night I watched the movie Food, Inc. and the last point they made was that you can vote for how you want your food to be produced three times a day.
It's more difficult and expensive to be responsible with your purchases and some may say, "what difference does it make? everything is a business and business has to maximize profits. things can only get shittier when your goal is making money". That may be true for business, but that's not the point. A change has to occur in each of us. We need to change our minds and our habits. We've been conditioned to think that water will never run out, food will never run out and all our garbage can be swept under the earth's rug. That is unsustainable thinking. If the world today was transplanted into a sustainable system for society, most people would go back to what they know and it wouldn't work. We need to learn our lesson from this first. Sustaining life is a process that comes with harsh lessons. We've become removed from that for a while, but we're about due for another lesson. Change your mind and you change your reality.
Happy Holidays
We are all responsible for what products and services we continue to see available in the world we live in. If we want to make the world a better place, we can do it by supporting what we feel is right. It can take a lot of research to find out if what we support is beneficial and sustainable or toxic to the environment and the living things in it. And who can you trust? The company itself? The internet community?
Recently I made a post about buying a winter coat in a socially responsible way. This purchase has got me to thinking about what the rest of my money is supporting.
My girlfriend told me some shocking news this morning. She's reading the book Eating Animals by Jonanthan Safran Foer, and she told me that it's basically impossible to consider yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat. I know factory farming and slaughterhouses are unsustainable and disgusting, but really? There's no way around it? I love eating meat! We need to talk.
This person's comment on the book's website makes some really good point that I tend to agree with. I really hope there's a way to eat meat in a responsible manner. I don't need to eat it at every meal, but food is definitely what I spend most of my money on and I buy food more often than anything else. Last night I watched the movie Food, Inc. and the last point they made was that you can vote for how you want your food to be produced three times a day.
It's more difficult and expensive to be responsible with your purchases and some may say, "what difference does it make? everything is a business and business has to maximize profits. things can only get shittier when your goal is making money". That may be true for business, but that's not the point. A change has to occur in each of us. We need to change our minds and our habits. We've been conditioned to think that water will never run out, food will never run out and all our garbage can be swept under the earth's rug. That is unsustainable thinking. If the world today was transplanted into a sustainable system for society, most people would go back to what they know and it wouldn't work. We need to learn our lesson from this first. Sustaining life is a process that comes with harsh lessons. We've become removed from that for a while, but we're about due for another lesson. Change your mind and you change your reality.
Happy Holidays
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
white russian/white rush out
Last week I was buying white russian supplies at Binny's and the cashier commented on the fact that we share the same last name. "My last name is Brewer too!" This caught me slightly off guard as he was a black man. Immediately I was reminded of something my brother once told me. "If you ever meet a black person with the last name Brewer, it's probably because our ancestors used to own their ancestors as slaves. They would usually give them their last name to show ownership."
The thought crossed my mind, "I wonder if this guy knows this?" He was a young man. I thought for a moment about trying to make some sort of joke about it. I didn't. I'm glad I didn't. Although I've gotten better about beating myself up with white guilt, that doesn't mean I should go around making light of horrible past events to anyone I encounter.
But that was all I could think of. He kept talking about the name. "Hey, it's the same spelling too. I bet people misspell your name all the time too. They always spell it 'b-r-e-u-e-r' don't they?" And I said, "uh, no I haven't had that too often." But what I was thinking was "Hey, my family used to own your family! That's weird, huh?" Shut up, shut up! Don't say anything about slavery. You can't make a joke about it. Don't even try to mention it. Just stand there awkwardly until you can leave.
And that was it. I left without saying anything stupid or awkward. This is just white guilt I have to live with whenever this kind of thing comes up. My ancestors were pieces of shit like most white people of that time. I'm descended from that and there's no way around it. The only thing that makes a difference now is that we're both essentially slaves today. We both work dehumanizing retail jobs just to afford to eat and have a place to live. I guess my main point is Fuck the Monetary System! And Fuck the US!
Happy Holidays
The thought crossed my mind, "I wonder if this guy knows this?" He was a young man. I thought for a moment about trying to make some sort of joke about it. I didn't. I'm glad I didn't. Although I've gotten better about beating myself up with white guilt, that doesn't mean I should go around making light of horrible past events to anyone I encounter.
But that was all I could think of. He kept talking about the name. "Hey, it's the same spelling too. I bet people misspell your name all the time too. They always spell it 'b-r-e-u-e-r' don't they?" And I said, "uh, no I haven't had that too often." But what I was thinking was "Hey, my family used to own your family! That's weird, huh?" Shut up, shut up! Don't say anything about slavery. You can't make a joke about it. Don't even try to mention it. Just stand there awkwardly until you can leave.
And that was it. I left without saying anything stupid or awkward. This is just white guilt I have to live with whenever this kind of thing comes up. My ancestors were pieces of shit like most white people of that time. I'm descended from that and there's no way around it. The only thing that makes a difference now is that we're both essentially slaves today. We both work dehumanizing retail jobs just to afford to eat and have a place to live. I guess my main point is Fuck the Monetary System! And Fuck the US!
Happy Holidays
Thursday, November 19, 2009
winter coat
I need a new winter coat. My old winter coat is not warm enough for Chicago, there's no hood, etc. But the way I see it, buying a coat is kind of a major purchase (well, it is for me). It's over a hundred dollars. So, in thinking about this I was wondering what my options are for making a socially responsible purchase. As I see it what we spend our money on is the only real vote we cast. It's the only one that really counts. So I want this to count.
Without thinking about any of that, the coat I want is this one from the gap. However, it's pretty much fact that gap clothing is from overseas sweatshops. I thought maybe I should buy a coat that's made in America, non-sweat shop. I found this one from a really cool company called Schott in New York. But what if the fabric they use was made in a sweatshop and it was just sewn together in America? Then while looking at eco-friendly clothing shops I found out that nylon and polyester (most commonly used in coats)are made from petroleum. There are coats like this one that are made from hemp. Then there's organic to think about or coats made with recycled materials. Patagonia has a coat that costs six hundred fucking dollars!
This shit gets ridiculous! Sure, if money was no object then I would buy the most eco-friendly, socially responsible, wind powered, green fucking coat in the world. I'd spend two thousand dollars on it and let business know that that's where I want my money to go.
But I'm not willing to spend that much or even close to that on a coat. What about a thrift store coat? Other than not finding a coat that fits well, in the style I want or not falling apart in some way, this is my best option. But is a thrift store coat guilt free? Is buying a thrift store coat just a trick to make you think you're not part of the sweatshop clothing system? It's like the second generation of sweatshop consumer. Is that okay?
I'm halfway to saying fuck it and getting the gap coat. It's what I want and it fits well (medium/tall, hard to find), but I'll probably check out some thrift shops first just to see. Does anyone have any better ideas?
Update 12/03
I decided on this coat from Carhartt. Carhartt is a family owned and operated company in the U.S. The coat is made from nylon and I'm not sure where the fabric is made, but I believe I did the best I could within my budget. Like I said if money was no object.
Thank you all for your advice and opinions on this.
-Justin
Without thinking about any of that, the coat I want is this one from the gap. However, it's pretty much fact that gap clothing is from overseas sweatshops. I thought maybe I should buy a coat that's made in America, non-sweat shop. I found this one from a really cool company called Schott in New York. But what if the fabric they use was made in a sweatshop and it was just sewn together in America? Then while looking at eco-friendly clothing shops I found out that nylon and polyester (most commonly used in coats)are made from petroleum. There are coats like this one that are made from hemp. Then there's organic to think about or coats made with recycled materials. Patagonia has a coat that costs six hundred fucking dollars!
This shit gets ridiculous! Sure, if money was no object then I would buy the most eco-friendly, socially responsible, wind powered, green fucking coat in the world. I'd spend two thousand dollars on it and let business know that that's where I want my money to go.
But I'm not willing to spend that much or even close to that on a coat. What about a thrift store coat? Other than not finding a coat that fits well, in the style I want or not falling apart in some way, this is my best option. But is a thrift store coat guilt free? Is buying a thrift store coat just a trick to make you think you're not part of the sweatshop clothing system? It's like the second generation of sweatshop consumer. Is that okay?
I'm halfway to saying fuck it and getting the gap coat. It's what I want and it fits well (medium/tall, hard to find), but I'll probably check out some thrift shops first just to see. Does anyone have any better ideas?
Update 12/03
I decided on this coat from Carhartt. Carhartt is a family owned and operated company in the U.S. The coat is made from nylon and I'm not sure where the fabric is made, but I believe I did the best I could within my budget. Like I said if money was no object.
Thank you all for your advice and opinions on this.
-Justin
Saturday, March 8, 2008
pagan scientist
I found these coincidences intriguing:
The last post I made on my livejournal received a comment from a former co-worker/acquaintance that I haven't seen, spoken to or in any other way communicated with in years. In the comment she revealed some of her pagan beliefs.
A few days ago my friend Ryan show me this video on youtube:
Now, understandably I had to see this movie. It looks horrible. And everything I've read about it online says it's horrible, but I had to know; why is Nicolas Cage punching women? Not just women, but young women. It also looks like he's slapping around little girls. And when he runs up in a bear costume, winds up and cold cocks a girl in the face, I thought, "what the fuck is going on in this movie?"
As it turns out what I read was true. This was one of the dumbest, worst fucking movies I've ever seen. It was borderline infuriating it was so poorly written and executed. However, when talking about this movie with a coworker, she tells me that the original "Wicker Man" made in 1973 is a good movie. She loves it. It's full of sex and paganism and music. It's great. So I watched the 1973 version. And I loved it.
It was a great story, well acted (Christopher Lee plays the main pagan guy), and the music and film quality had that 70's charm. The pacing, cinematography, stylized camera shots, psychedelic musical numbers all built to a compelling climax of christian vs. pagan beliefs. However, It did make the pagans look savage and superstitious and that got me to thinking, "Is it possible to practice paganism with modern scientific discoveries?"
I may have found the religion I've been looking for.
The last post I made on my livejournal received a comment from a former co-worker/acquaintance that I haven't seen, spoken to or in any other way communicated with in years. In the comment she revealed some of her pagan beliefs.
A few days ago my friend Ryan show me this video on youtube:
Now, understandably I had to see this movie. It looks horrible. And everything I've read about it online says it's horrible, but I had to know; why is Nicolas Cage punching women? Not just women, but young women. It also looks like he's slapping around little girls. And when he runs up in a bear costume, winds up and cold cocks a girl in the face, I thought, "what the fuck is going on in this movie?"
As it turns out what I read was true. This was one of the dumbest, worst fucking movies I've ever seen. It was borderline infuriating it was so poorly written and executed. However, when talking about this movie with a coworker, she tells me that the original "Wicker Man" made in 1973 is a good movie. She loves it. It's full of sex and paganism and music. It's great. So I watched the 1973 version. And I loved it.
It was a great story, well acted (Christopher Lee plays the main pagan guy), and the music and film quality had that 70's charm. The pacing, cinematography, stylized camera shots, psychedelic musical numbers all built to a compelling climax of christian vs. pagan beliefs. However, It did make the pagans look savage and superstitious and that got me to thinking, "Is it possible to practice paganism with modern scientific discoveries?"
I may have found the religion I've been looking for.
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