The World is a Crazy Place!

I haven't written a journey/blog entry in a long time now... I think it is necessary to say I have been doing a ton of soul searching, dreaming, and working.  I have graduated, I have a full-time job, and I have a loving caring girlfriend who is teaching me ways to live a full and sustaining grown lifestyle.  I am enjoying and struggling with emotions, family, and everyday antics and life events.  I have been eating better, sleeping better, and enjoying the simply aspects of our human existence.  The world as we know it is ever changing, growing in population, and moving at alarmingly fast rates... I have said this before but I will say it again, it is crazy!  I cannot help to struggle to follow the media, press, and news.  We now can receive Twitter updates, Facebook updates, and news articles within seconds as people put them out to the public... Amazing, yes, overwhelming most certainly.  We have the potential as humans to be extremely intelligent with all this technology and knowledge at our finger tips but instead the majority of us just stay narcissistic and self centered.  We tend to live in a bubble here in the U.S. but others do not.  Other countries and cultures are using what they have for technology in different ways and using it to become more intelligent and  progress... The funny thing is (and its not that funny) that we as "Americans" have more than everyone else does but we use less of it (except the few).  There are of course the underground moles, the ivy leaguers, the earth people, selected politicians and business leaders, creative artistic folks, and the IT gurus... The chosen few are grinding and grinding hard, so hard that we are becoming separated... This is not just a class issue or a monetary issue... This is based on education, existence into what will be the future.  The operation of technology, the functionality of survival tactics, the essence of sharing, morals, values, and societal issues.  We will change and we have, there is evolution going on right as you read this and it will continue forever.  I am ashamed at myself for living under the pharmaceutical illusion of safety that I lived under for years.  I was polluted and I was a type of robot because I was hazed over, selected to be a drone to what was going on inside of me and in the world... Even China didn't fully wake me up.  I am still a child in many ways but now I am free, free to be me, and free to live in society the way I choose to.  I am fine working for the corporate world, I am fine helping and supporting the local communities around me, I am fine living in my own skin, and I am alright knowing that things are messed up in the world and with our culture in the U.S. because we have freedom to express ourselves to the world and it is not a crime.  We are not free from everything here in the U.S. We have political crisis, police everywhere (doing some good and some bad), and our prison system is a mess, but we do have more than many other places in the world do and for that I am thankful for.  I am thankful for the birds and the bees, the simple sound of 1, 2, 3.  I am not proud to be an American not for what it stood for in the past, but I am proud to be living in America because of what we can do and what we can change for the future.  I am not proud to say I did not vote for Obama and I am utterly embarrassed to say it was because of pressure from my ex-girlfriend.  I think we have the potential to do some really profound things and we already have... Change is upon us and we have the power... So as I write this I hope you are taking action, physically mentally, and spiritually.  We have the power to uncover the truth and make this country the powerhouse of freedom and demonstrate to others that we are good, not bad or corrupt.  It is up to you children of the future, babies of tomorrow, and up to the people that are my age as well to overthrow the trash and move forward to see the light.  I may be a little on the too much talk side of things but we all are and that needs to change.  I am also like you, somewhat narcissistic and sick with the disease of the 21st century bug.  We will prevail if we choose to, if not we will fail and be taken over.  Thank you and until next time, stay up, stay happy, and be well.  (This entry has not been edited yet so if there are parts that don't read properly they will be changed next time I am on).  Please feel free to check out this video from Zhuhai China (PR for InternChina- A wonderful company to use if you want to travel, learn Chinese, and stay in a beautiful city and learn the Chinese Culture)-  InternChina on television!

What I Think of Change

Basic breakdown of what humans are really all about:

Time = Evolution = Existence = Structure/Organization = Government/Politics = Religion = War = Sex = Trade = Technology = Learning and much more...

Everything seems to be based around time.  We cannot control time, it is inevitable, therefore some say we need to take advantage of it.

Alright let's back up... History has a great deal to with all this as well doesn't it?  What about the basic necessities like food, fitness, shelter, H20, clothes, and transportation, don't they play into the system of understanding our purpose?  Yes of course they do.

What are you trying to accomplish by listing words and making blog posts like this?  It is the new form of therapy that the world can read and either relate to our say... Wow this guy is weird, why does he write?  Another ramble is good for the heart and mind.  The more we share and try and solve our problems of why we are here and what we can do is cool. 

From foreign policies to war, to population growth... It is all happening and will continue to.  As we get more and more educated maybe population growth will go down but war will always be around but so will peace.  The freedom that American's have to write and post online is amazing, I must say... I love to ramble and pass the time by attempting to understand 401k plans and retirement pension plans... Wait, no I don't... I want to play video games... This is our dilemma.  Read the next post for more about this... Have a wonderful day and try not to burst too many brain cells thinking about creation of humans and quantum physics... Just kidding:)

Controlling the Mess and Grasping Myself

As a ramble off another blog post, let me begin by saying, wow!  An American culture of non-spellers and mathematics gone away... The more I read the more I get upset.  I try and stay optimistic with my own life and with our country but we are really falling behind.  I can't believe I am now a college graduate and I am looking for work.  I am doing it slowing but I am doing it.  It is a process worth taking time with and it is challenging.  The skill levels are high and a college diploma means a little, but not much in the 21st century.  I read an article the other night stating that even for factory jobs, they are requiring some basic testing of math skills and reading.  People are not passing them!  Would I pass them?  They are set supposedly on a 9th grade level of expectation... Scary, right?  I hate to put people down, especially our youth and I am one of them.  At 27 now I am hard on myself but now that our ever changing and competitive world is a crazy place but with ambition and a fight it is possible to make it.  Sure there are plenty of engineers,mathematicians, and young scientists out there... I am not doubting that... My concern falls back on me.  The problem comes down to our new lifestyles.  It's not that new but new enough. 

From video games, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, do we spend too much time on  the World Wide Web browsing pictures of friends and looking up food receipts?  We don't care about spelling or math as much, we have computers to fix everything!  Yes, we do and isn't it great, but does it work for every circumstance, I think not... But can we program, operate machines, understand economics, and still take care of each other and treat each other fairly?  I would hope so.  We are constantly re-building and as the youth takes control and the baby boomers retire shortly we are in for a rude awaking.  Its not all bad... I look at it from my own perspective and my own education.  I am now a college graduate, I said that before but I feel like my writing, reading, and math skills are lower then where they should be for someone who is going to be working as a business man in the next year in whatever occupation I get.  Can I blame it on my educators, yes I can, but I also must blame myself.  Everyday is a new learning experience, that is my outlook now and that is what truly matters.  The past is nothing but the past, you or I cannot change it.  Yes, I am unemployed now and I don't really know where to start to look for work.

Skill sets are now more specific and or specialized in today's world.  I am well rounded I would like to think.  A well rounded, organized, open-minded, creative person is seen, but because of technology, we are more or less blended in with each other.  I see it as, if you don't have high levels of brain power or web skills then what do you have in this world?  This is what I did believe for a long time.  I had a change of heart recently.  We need people that still like to interact with people and can do so.  Sales positions should hopefully never fade to the internet or government positions.  I may be way off here and please feel free to add more jobs or specify occupations to help me.  I find myself roaming on advertising, marketing, sales, and government related positions.  I like to speak, I like to be around people, I like to read and watch the daily news, and I strive to be behind and support people.  Giving support and backing friends and or employees or employers is an interest but what kind of work is that?  Law?

I have to say I also enjoy our every growing world of technology and flattened world playground.  It is amazing and if we can come to grips with China and India and the power they hold, then we should really turn heads in the next few decades.  Understand that Brazil and Europe will be the big picture as well.  I foresee it.  I also see Africa in the new daily changing and overcoming some huge obstacles as an underdeveloped nation.  I don't want to continue on economics, world policies, or my ideas of where we will be in the next 40 or 50 years but if you read my blog you will see a bunch of random interesting things.  Read on and continue to support the youth and our endeavors to learn and grow into something truly amazing and different:)  I just want to thank my friends and family and Southern Vermont College for believing in me and telling me to follow my dreams even though I never really knew what exactly they were...  

RSA, The Crash Course, and our Paradigm Shift

RSA 21st Century Enlightenment.  Amazing animation and great insight into the 21 century and what is going on economically and socially.  Subscribe to their YouTube channel and see tons of videos that are very interesting.  If this interests you check out The Crash Course with Chris Martenson as well.  I strongly encourage anyone that stumbles upon this blog to click on The Crash Course link and try and get through it.  You may get through it easily or it may be a little difficult for you but it is truly amazing the amount of research and time Mr. Martenson has put into this collection of work.  I don't even do justice writing about it because my writing in these blogs is typically short and stripped of any real substance but still it works for me...

With this fairly new paradigm shift we are going through; our debt crisis of over 3 trillion dollars in the hole, and our still struggling economy of unemployment in some states anywhere from around an average of 6-12%, it is best we stay informed and understand what is going on.  We can change what is going on slowly by learning, it isn't too late to learn and study.  I am older college student (basically just graduated), my math was and still is pretty horrible, I have had trouble even with some basic grammar, spelling, and so on but I am a college graduate.  This doesn't guarantee work anymore we have learned that and the education I believe isn't as good as it was in the past.  Educators generally don't tend to care as much or they are too old and don't understand how to teach to a new generation of kids and adults.  That is a crazy thing to think about but its history and has been talked about for probably the past 2 years.  I have had several conversations with both the baby boomer generation and with folks from generation Y (that's my generation) and we have come to a general conclusion.

We are different, plain and simple.  The older generation has a stronger foundation, they are stable and have theory and practicality that most of us didn't get, they have discipline that we never got as well, and they didn't have distraction which we have at every given second.  Did they all have morality and social responsibility down in the business world, not really.  Was the environment of any thought for them... Not really... But these are things that are thought of now.  What we are creating now are opportunities that revolve around or that should revolve around people being happy to work for and with each other, new innovation with technology that helps maintain what we still have for resources, and was to create jobs that involve new ways of creative thinking and using places where we have lost jobs like India and China and finding ways to educate our people to still manage them.  If we don't they will.  But its not all about Us vs. Them.

What the youth has done is that it has created a new level of speed and availability with and to use technology (cell phones are the new computer), computers are at times the new reference guide and even book... and so on.  The Kindle and iPad will replace newspapers, magazines, and even a great deal of books.  We have taken a few brain children and adults and had them levitate our ways of working and living together.  There is change and the youth may be even reading less (I know I read less then my parents ever did)... I think we read shorter pieces but many things.. We are multi-taskers but really we need to learn to slow down!!!!  We cannot go on at this rate or speed.  We need to find ways to create happy forms of operations where people are using each other in ways where everyone gets a slice of that pizza pie...

What I am really getting at is that we must work together and learn together to create a new system or many new systems.  We need a- new education system (one in which we don't single out or discriminate due to a standard way of thinking or problem solving), we need new forms of government (not just Democrats, Republicans, and Liberals fighting back in forth), we need new ways to sustain energy (using already existing resources to re-use to not waste as much).. and so on.  I don't have answers, many of the articles, videos, and so on that I have gotten into don't have them either.  What I do know is that this progression IS HAPPENING and I am watching it.  It is not going to happen easily and isn't happening perfectly but if we figure out how to work together as a country and as a Global Community as well we may have a chance.

These are all just rambling thoughts that have been turned over many times but many other people who have supported them with facts, have more knowledge them me, and have actually been doing things about it.  I am just a lonely soul for now until I finish up college to move onto or into I should say a venture where I can take a part in this new movement of change... If you can help, find me and contact me... As of now I have little to no readers reading my blog so this is a journey or blog to just empty my thoughts... Until next time Big Brother...

Image from Liberal Vision

Basic Chinese

China survival kit:

你好- nǐ hǎo (hello)

饭店- fàn diàn (restaurant)

出租车- chū zū chē (taxi)

路- lù (road)

前面 / 前边 - qián miɑn / qián biɑn - in front

后面 / 后边 - hòu miɑn / hòu biɑn - behind

左边 / 右边 - zuǒ biɑn / yòu biɑn - left / right (sides)

东- dōnɡ - east

南- nán - south       

西- xī - west   

北- běi - north 

zài jiàn - 再见 - goodbye

谢谢 - xiè xie - thank you

Qingdao in HD (photos by Martin Dietz)

I really miss this city!

If you would like to visit, intern, or study Chinese please visit Intern China Business Exchange for more details

Technology "Good vs. Evil"

How can we really tell if the advantages of technology are really helping or hurting our youth.  I am going to attempt to list what I believe are the positives and negatives of the New World Order - 21st century.

(+) Positives:

1. Fast, easy information systems
2. Potential to help the entire world through access of infomation
3. Availability of massive amounts of really any information - easy now even with a cell phone
4. Creates networking abilities that were never able to happen before
5. Creates new jobs and promotes new ideas and competition
6. If you are smart and stay up on all the tools you will have a job and a good salary
7. If you are the type of person that can adapt to change well you will be fine
8. Use to create relationships in many different ways -Global Communication-

(-) Negatives:

1. Everyone's personal information is out in the open
2. Created confusion and a new paradigm (debatable if that is positive of negative)
3. Creates a high level of competition globally and makes jobs harder to have at an entry level
4. Changed the music and entertainment industry forever (could be positive or negative)
5. Complicated when used in ways to profit from and difficult to stand out from the billions of people using online devices
6. If you are a little slow then it is really hard to stay on top of these tools and ways to stay creative and may get lost and not make enough money to survive
7. If you don't take well to change and are not able to adapt you will probably struggle forever at this point
8. Kills traditional behavior and has potential to damper small communities and small business

*This list applies to web pages, blogs, multimedia devices (cell phones), and any other tools that are on the open market for all to contribute to.

-image features Jeff Han and the article is actually old - Feb. 4th, 2009 entitled

                                                      -"You May be Able to Buy A Sixth Sense"

Warrren Buffet, Apps with Mobile Phones, and the Recession

Old white men are runnin' this rap ish.  The all mighty Warren Buffet... Extremely rich and giving in many ways.  Born in 1930 and still rockin' the house!  He went from being a regular Joe to becoming a millionaire to now being a billionaire.  Mr. Investment himself I would call him.  He is extremely smart and understands the trends of not only the stock market but the economic ups and downs.  I love that Jay-Z & Diddy as entertainers compare themselves with this man... (the crazy thing is that someday they may be comparable)- I don't know if they will be as kind though, they probably are just in different ways- hustlers!  I also think of them as mafia related in some ways but maybe Warren is and we don't know... I think he is just as an old white dude... What do you think?  He is a philanthropist which means he is for the good of all of mankind (those are big shoes to follow)... There are skeptics of Mr. Buffet and of his intentions but he donates loads of money and really anyone that is that rich must have some flaws.. right?  Please comment and let me know what you can tell me about Mr. Buffet and not Jimmy.. haha..

Check this link out from the Daily Trade Alert!

-image provided to me by dailybail.com and from mp3.com/artist/jay-z/summary-

On another note in the Wall Street Journal weekend edition of December 18-19th there was an article about the iPhone, Google phone, and the Android applications and the privacy behind them all.  Did you know that many apps that people subscribe to on a daily basis leak their location, gender, and even cell phone numbers out to companies.  Your information is being sold behind your back... We throw out our information on the Internet and on our Blackberry's, Androids, and iPhones all the time!  Sure the gadgets are wonderful and apps are fun, but it is questionable about their security.
                          -image provided by reuters.com- 

People seem to be spending more and more for the holidays, which really looks good for this season but it doesn't mean people are necessarily making more money or getting new jobs.  We are still in a recession people and the money that was meant to go to stimulate the job market still hasn't been put into the right places and or hands should I say.  Our education system in the U.S. is still shaky as all hell and we really need to start there.  Good job in buying all those new flat screen televisions and blue-ray players as well as the newest iPhone or iPad I am jealous.. Really I don't care that much but I am a little weary about the internet, Google, and my information... Google is still the best I will say but its because we really don't see any other search engine that can compete with them at this point (they are amazing)... but has it turned into a somewhat monopoly?  Let me know?  I still have no followers... Whats up with that!

                      -image provided by illustrationsource.com-

Google runs the world now?

I think Google has a pretty firm grip on all of us now.  I am finally coming to the conclusion that all my tools are provided by the same company and I really don't use any other search engine anymore.  Fun fact, for some reason at my college a few weeks ago after I got back from China Google was blocked in my lounge and it was really weird... Everyone panicked for a few days until it started working again... Isn't that strange I thought... I was even going crazy having to use Yahoo and Bing.  I really only use Google- Let me think of all the tools (Google Analytics, Gmail, Blogger, YouTube)- There is nothing that Google doesn't have there hands on or is not good at and that the people want.  Everyday it seems life gets easier through using their tools... But does it?  I hope that by using all of there stuff I get better and better and I am not realizing it so that I can keep up.  I am nervous for the future of technology and also nervous that we share and have all this information passed through one central "God" company.  Google, you are amazing and your people are geniuses.  I see a continual great future but I still don't know if that much power and information is good?

image provided by connect.in.com

The world famous Paul Krugman everyone!

I can't get enough of Paul Krugman even though I am a lazy at times and don't read everything he writes usually he is spot on in my opinion.  By far my favorite economist but I haven't been exposed to many, I feel he speaks intellectually to all types of people.  I am a basically a college grad now and I would not put myself on any pedestal on being able to write well or spell or even understand what an economist is even talking about (although I am a business major)... Maybe I am not giving myself enough credit but it is difficult to understand the economy especially all the changes we have seen from not only; the housing market crash, but stocks rising and falling, money being borrowed from the Chinese government, and fraudulent behavior left and right.  Watching the Enron scandal to witnessing the government stimulating the economy by making up numbers and plugging them into a computer to spent "non tangible money"- there was no paper printed but money was coming and going.  I never really understood that.  Anyways, Paul Krugman has always been a little of a pessimist and rightfully he should be because he is kind of an educated fortune teller (he looks at the past and predicts the future).  I find that fascinating but crazy.  Trends are everything I guess but in tomorrows world I really don't know... I can't help to be a little of a pessimist as well but I am looking forward to getting a job and trying to contribute to society in some way.  Check out Krugman's blog in the NY Times. 

-image provided by thinkers50.com-

What do you think we can do to help understand this huge paradigm shift we are going through?  It is easy to say we need to educate our children and ourselves but what else can we do to help close the gaps in our social classes?  How can we- control wages, create jobs, and help the environment stay together?  I don't have the answers and I most certainly don't do my part many days with recycling or conserving on energy but we must be at least aware of everything and as long as some of us are talking about it and doing things then the world will get better.  Putting these pieces takes more than blogs, books, and people talking... If I can help in a physical or alternative mental ways contact me and I will try (I must say I am more of a talker than a walker but I will follow if you lead me).  Until next time... Stay optimistic!

-image provided by elementalshiatsu.wordpress.com-

College is amost finished and is anyone following my blog?

Communication is vital in the world today and it is important to understand how important it really is.  From cell phones to computers, to interactive media; the world is fast and moving faster everyday.  We have programs like Facebook, Twitter, and our own blogs.  This is great and communicating with each other on a daily basis and the passing of information quickly is also great but when will we slow down?  I don't think anytime soon.

From iPads to Kindles, online reading and newspapers available at a blink of an eyelash is something that is inevitable but there is much more talk than there is walking on these new devices.  Yes, schools are integrating them into their curriculum but there is a cost and there may be a downside as well.  Are we as people spending too much time on computers and with technology?  Many wouldn't think twice in the fast world we live in of instant food and fast cars... The future holds many tools that are handy but will they make or help us become smarter or lazier?  That is the true question.  I may be saying things you have already heard many times before but it is important that we understand how to use tools properly and still teach our youth what they need to survive in an unstable economy and a new world order. 

Otto Scharmer, professor and author of Theory U offer excellent insight into a new culture and a world where sustainability and structure will prevail.  He has had programs at MIT and is an all around brilliant man.  Check him out- Otto Scharmer's Blog.

He is truly a remarkable business leader of the 21st century.  His efforts to not only educate his students and business leaders are profound beyond belief because his theories are fairly simple yet when really broken down extremely complex to put into place.  One could read Theory U a few times and still pick up new information on themselves and practical information on worldly business ethics and culture amongst just a few topics. 

Another one of my favorite writers of today is a little cliche I would say because he is very popular and writes very simple but is very informative I believe (Thomas Friedman).  His newest work; Hot, Flat, and Crowded sounds great!  I read The World is Flat and found it to be pretty close to being right on... I did read it after Y2K and after Walmart had taken over the world and UPS had started its domination process on the Postal Service but still it was cool looking at how the processes of everything worked and still works.  Amazing, a little depressing, but usually very truthful.  Because I just got back from China I can now really start to understand how the world is flattened and how we really need to get and stay connected with each other to benefit off of not only our resources but as people.  We should celebrate our differences and embrace our problems with open arms and fix them... But as a team.  If the team effort doesn't work it is my opinion we live it alone.  Please don't get me started on the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.  At least we are pretty much out of Iraq but why are we still in Afghanistan? 

Last but certainly not least Peter Barnes must be mentioned in this blog entry.  I hope I don't burn any of the truly incredible writers by highlighting them... Anyways no one really reads this so I guess it doesn't matter right now.  Anyways, Peter Barnes wrote Capitalism 3.0 and I read it in my junior year in College about a year or so ago.  I found it to be very intriguing and I had no idea what I was getting into when I started to read it.  It is offered for FREE as a pdf document online!  If you want it just click here!  If you are interested in "the commons" and how they are some of the most important factors in our society today try it out.  Lets just say its a book about figuring out how to be sustainable in every way (looking at our streams and rivers, to our natural resources, to what we have lost) and making capitalism work in a different ways... An updated form of Capitalism "3.0".  Take a look at it I am bad at explaining what it is all about.  I read it more than a year ago and I should re-evaluate it before I try and describe it to you.  Anyways until next time happy journeys and I hope someday someone will read this blog and leave me a note:)

A look at the City of Qingdao

What an amazing city... Nestled in surrounded by the Yellow Sea; this fabulous, metropolitan city is something everyone should get to experience.  Located in the Shandong province, with around 7 million inhabitants and the home of the world famous Tsingtao beer... It is a travelers paradise, trust me.  Don't let the number of people scare you its really only a few million in the city and even though it is large the people are very friendly and you will grow to love it very quickly as I did if you have the chance to visit.  I suggest using a company that helped me go over called International Chinese Business Exchange... Check them out www.internchina.org!  Until next time, happy traveling:)

Back from Qingdao China and Beijing (the Forbidden City)

So I have been back to the States now for over a week.  I had a great time in Qingdao China where I spent most of my time.  I spent 3 months in China where I got to visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Weihai (which is in Shandong province)... 

I had a great time and if it wasn't for my college and for International China Business Exchange it would have never happened.  Please have a  look at their blog and follow me as I post more and more pictures and blog posts in the weeks to come.  For now this is it.  Me outside the Forbidden City and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing China (very famous, everyone knows this place and knows Chairman Mao Zedong - Mao Tse-tung).