Over-Thinking Is a Bad Practice (But a Fine Profession)

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There is a keen difference between having an analytical mind and a compulsory need to indulge in interpreting every detail of every event (or non-event) that one comes across. Too much effort spent on discovering the hidden nuance in a tossed-off phrase quickly gets in the way of understanding the moment. Treating life’s every-day occurrences as mini-conspiracies that must be revealed in full can cause the sort of mind-trap that prohibits an individual from being able to revel in the beautiful mysteries that life is actually throwing at us every moment. Sometimes, being able to let go of the need to “know” everything can actually open up a world of understanding, awareness and appreciation.

And then there are people like R. Salvador Reyes. An accomplished poet, he has spent some time on the observation of the minutiae. When I first encountered his fragile, emerging prose nearly thirty years ago, it was apparent that he was interested in deeper themes and unseen details. Continue reading Over-Thinking Is a Bad Practice (But a Fine Profession) →

Email is ruinous

Politics, Reason, , , , , , , , ,
Stationary stationery, also known as immobile note paper. Now if only there was one of those writing sticks handy.
Stationary stationery, also known as immobile note paper. Now if only there was one of those writing sticks handy.

The United States Postal Service is a national treasure. A beacon of efficiency, the USPS has historically been the best and least expensive way to send correspondence or small packages. Now, however, it is being threatened with huge cuts. Some in the government have questioned its relevance in the 21st Century. But our postal system may actually be more relevant now than ever before.

The Art of Communication has faltered in the age of email and Twitter. People have gotten lazier and lazier in the name of character efficiency to the point where a limited number of characters has drained the character right out of typical tweets. Continue reading Email is ruinous →

Business Promotion – Necessary Evil

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As much as I am inclined not to do this sort of thing, I will occasionally share info about companies I actually use. This is one of them: Overnight Prints. The pricing is pretty awesome, especially when compared to the local printers I was just bidding out and the big online behemoth, VistaPrint, which I have used for “free” items in the past… They seem to run lots of specials, but the best part appears to be simply the superior product at a highly competitive price.

Click here to check out Business Cards, Postcards, Flyers, Brochures, Letterhead , Greeting Cards & Envelopes Overnight.

I’m also a fan of Moo, but they tend to be a lot more expensive (if still very cool), so I may write about them briefly another time.
In the meantime, if I MUST promote myself offline, then I’m currently getting my printing done here.
End of the plug.

Panic: Very Unhealthy

Fear, Politics, Reason, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fear mongering, as you should know by now, is one of the top ways that people or corporations get you to buy. This is true politically as well as economically, so it is always worth reminding ourselves that panic is a reaction that circumvents intellect. Sometimes it is certainly warranted, but (hopefully) not often. So, when being approached with an idea or a product that is presented from a fear-based perspective, always think twice and look closely.

Here is an interesting example that I came across online: Survival Joe’s Newsletter. It even comes with one of those handy newfangled barcode links for those of you who have a free smartphone in your hand as you read this.jbfy1-survivalj-qrcode-MEDIUM

Continue reading Panic: Very Unhealthy →

Apathy is Supremely Bad. For Everyone.

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Invisible Children | Kony2012.

If you are not aware of who Joseph Kony is, you should be. He is the embodiment of evil in a part of the world that is too often ignored by the rest of us and the fact that he has been allowed to carry on his reign of terror for well over 20 years is a testament to the power of apathy. Continue reading Apathy is Supremely Bad. For Everyone. →

Loaded Marketing Blog Posts, Just Plain Dangerous

Health and Wellness, Reason, , , , , , , , ,

Key Word Filler

It’s a glaring bit of reality that most – AND I DO MEAN MOST – blogs on this InterWeb Highway exist only to direct you to links intended to help their owners profit somehow. I’m not quite sure what makes the technology tick on these things, but when I am researching one topic or another for valid reasons entirely my own, I am disproportionately directed to web sites that make no sense whatsoever. These are “robo-sites” that have been culled by a computer program in order to appear original, or compiled by some worker in a far-off land who may or may not have an actual grasp of the language in which the web page is “written.”

You might even see a random list of keywords inserted for no obvious reason. Here is one such list, carefully designed for potential links. Continue reading Loaded Marketing Blog Posts, Just Plain Dangerous →

Nutritional Claims: Don’t Believe the Hype

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When a product claims to be “A good source of calcium!” – beware. Chances are that this is a smokescreen to get you to purchase an unhealthy product.

Seriously, suggesting that Product X is a good source of calcium is akin to stating that gin is a good source of water. Certainly, drinking 16 ounces of gin could be one way of getting a “serving” of water toward your daily quota. But is it the best way? Making gin your sole source of water would have disastrous consequences, at least for your liver. Probably also for your relationships and career, but that is another issue altogether.

A list of other candidates for a “good source” of water would necessarily include espresso, which is also a diuretic. This is the same sort of logic that many mega-brand corporate “food” packagers appear to follow Continue reading Nutritional Claims: Don’t Believe the Hype →

Science-Light, or Sciency Sounding Sound Bytes – Not Only Bad, But Stupid

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This article brought up some thoughts about people choosing to either be dumb or promote ignorance in the name of greed:

In Heartland Institute Leak, a Plan to Discredit Climate Teaching – NYTimes.com.

The part that made me angry, actually, isn’t that there are people out there actually foolish enough to believe the message this group is spreading. Nor is it the fact that certain interests might finance their mission, which is at this point something I have sadly accepted as inevitable. What makes me angry is the willful attempt to disrupt the education of our children and fill their heads with what is at best confusing claptrap, at worst outright lies. Taking hundreds of thousands of private dollars and targeting that money toward a misinformation curriculum when our nation’s schools are already struggling so much because of political maneuvering and posturing and kowtowing is an unforgivable transgression against our society and the coming generations.

Press is never entirely good for you

Business

A long time ago, I was interviewed for the local paper in my small hometown. That paper no longer exists, at least not in the same form as it did back then, but the memory of that interview still lingers. Somewhere I am sure I have a clipping of that article. Taught me some lessons.

I knew the reporter. She was a family friend and certainly meant well. But I was just a kid and didn’t realize yet that my dry sense of humor could easily be misunderstood and would probably never translate well out of context (and possibly not even within context). So I made the mistake of consenting to an interview and rambled on for too long. It was embarrassing when Continue reading Press is never entirely good for you →

Are We Being Knowingly Poisoned by the Food Industry? | Suite101.com

Health and Wellness, Reason, , , , , , , , ,

At some point, it is inevitable that any intelligent shopper who takes the time to read the ingredient list on most mass-produced pre-packaged food items that come in un-refrigerated cardboard boxes will ask the following question:

Are We Being Knowingly Poisoned by the Food Industry? | Suite101.com.

The answer is, unfortunately, yes. Continue reading Are We Being Knowingly Poisoned by the Food Industry? | Suite101.com →