I haven't posted an article for over three weeks, yet this blog has been on my mind. It's not that I have been suffering from writer's block because actually there are so many - too many - posts I want to write! It's more a case of having become world-weary. I think it's been progressive but it has crept up over the American presidential election, a fascinating case in point. And then the weariness exacerbated over the French presidential election which, still, I only followed from afar. The glaring reality has been staring at me in the face that the system is rigged on a worldwide scale and reality has been manufactured for us the populace for decades - maybe centuries.
As much as I come across as happy-go-lucky and I am an idealist, I could not allow myself to be sceptical anymore, deny facts that were pointing at a different truth, a truth that the media is portraying as fake, as conspiracist, as anti-constitutional. Pardon my French fries, but... what the duck! NGOs for the most part are a sham, as state missionaries pushing a political agenda. Socialism is NOT for the people. Climate change was brought to us as an evidence by a salesman (Gore) who jets around the world to tell us to be frugal with our car journeys. We are sold one consumed lie after another, that we buy because the media and the governing elites have us believe the thoughts they program into us.
Being a nationalist, a patriot, used to be valued. Today it is derided and mocked and associated with being a racist. Full employment used to be a nation's forte. Not anymore. They took our jobs away, shipped them over to China and replaced them with imported open-border migration. Wealth has been depleted and replaced with communitarianism no-speak lingo. Anything goes. Anything goes as a family these days, as long as it does not resemble a married man-woman couple with two kids.
What used to be truth is now considered wrong; what used to be wrong is now considered truth. History is being simplified. Once you have no past and can't see the future, and transience has blurred the lines between past, present and future, you find yourself in a permanent present state. You don't know your origins anymore, in fact if you are white and christian, chance is you're a white supremacist. In France, kids spend more time learning about the workings of the EU and the 'goodness' of Agenda 21 in their history classes than they do about Napoléon, Joan of Arc, Clovis or Vercingétorix. Meanwhile stateside, confederate monuments are dismantled to make way for a rewritten history under the political correctness paradigm, the biggest sham of all, that was created in order to silence free speech. If you don't know who you are and where you come from, you have no idea where you're going.
I am weary because I have been writing this blog for almost 8 years and have not even been able to build up a following. God, if I had been writing about push-up bras and the latest stilettoes and my favourite S'Mores, it would be a different story. I'd be monetising through social media and a YouTube channel: Hot or Not, Lancôme's latest highlighter. You bet: what the duck... Sometimes you should just be pretty and shut up.
Before you pop the $100 question, here is the four-word answer (and I cheated for it!): ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. As cryptic as it appears, it is even more cryptic to explain it. Basically it involves the senses but is no pseudo science - merely sensations that are triggered by a relaxation technique. A word of warning: it may come out woo-woo to some of you. Or you may finally be able to put a name to that sensation you have experienced for years (maybe since childhood) under certain circumstances. Call it goosebumps, but more generally felt as a tingling, kind of a hot tickling, that radiates from the crown of the head down the nape, across the shoulders and down the spine. A fuzzy head, feeling cosy, comfy and sleepy, almost in a meditative state.
A feast for the eyes and more! Certain sight, sound and/ or smell trigger ASMR.
It appears that the sensation (or state) which is probably as old as humanity, has only been officially reported, documented and researched over the best part of the last decade, and debated in earnest by the wider online community. Some individuals have even become internet sensations (pardon the pun) and household names in the process, and have spread the word. From being unacknowledged altogether until recently, ASMR has turned into a juicy lucrative business on dedicated YouTube channels and the likes. Maria at Gentle Whispering is an ASMR phenomenon and the go-to ASMR personality! She clocks 925,000+ followers and some of her videos have garnered more than two million views within the space of three months, and a staggering 10 million views over 12 months! In my eye, Maria is the best ASMRtist out there! Her videos are relaxing and send you tickled up to sleep!
Now the very first time I came across ASMR as such was through YouTube astrologer Karen Lustrup who had recorded a short relaxation video back in 2014, aimed at lulling insomnia sufferers to sleep. I realised straight away that I had indeed experienced ASMR before, for many years but had no idea this had been recognised and identified under some name.
Actually as a way of relaxing in the evening and basically fall asleep I find certain astrology channels to be conducive to this state of relaxation with all the tingling effects that go with it. Therefore sometimes astrology as a topic becomes secondary to me, if all I seek is a little respite that sends me to Nod.
Anything soft, delicate or muffled may trigger ASMR.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of ASMR triggers. First and foremost, anything soft, delicate or muffled is a potential trigger:
Sound triggers: light breeze rustling tree leaves― windcharms, the harp, bells and other twinkling sounds― rain drizzle, gently tapping against a window pane or a car roof, ocean waves― crackling woodfire, flickering candle― twigs cracking underfoot in the woods― certain TV programmes (cookery, make-up, wildlife, gardening, cultural visits to châteaux and art museums) and this depends entirely upon the programme and the personality of the presenters, their demeanour (poised and relaxed, thus no Megyn Kelly material!) and voice (calm, serene, soft, slow, empathetic and mellifluous)― cool jazz music, slow, moody classical music, ambient electronica ― light office environment (typing, rustling paper, muffled sounds, humdrum of printers, phones and other electrical equipment)― guided meditation, yoga ― whispered conversations ― (un-)wrapping gifts and sweets, etc.
Sight triggers: slow, meticulous, detail craft work (knitting, embroidery, dress-making, drawing, painting, calligraphy, jewellery-making, ikebana, bouquet-making), baking, clothes ironing, etc.
Smell triggers: perfumery/ beauty counters in department stores, aromatherapy (essential oils, depending upon personal preferences and susceptibility) ― percolating coffee, frothing up cappuccino, home-baked cake straight out of the oven, etc.
Touch triggers: light warm breeze ― gentle beauty and wellness treatments (facials, head and body massage, jacuzzi/ bubble bath) and hairdressing ― soft materials (silk, sateen, lace, fur, feathers) ― touch (caress, stroke, tickle), etc.
Oftentimes a combination of triggers work out the ASMR. Not everyone is aware that they experience ASMR, yet if they do, might dismiss it. Approach the subject with caution with your grandma or your boss: you might get a funny look or two!
In light of political events currently unfolding in the West, there is no more à propos video than the one I am sharing here right now, and which I describe as The Gumball Theory. Let's stay smart here: I invite you to watch it with an open mind and from start to finish (it only takes 6 minutes!) before casting judgement. From the outset, if viewing numbers are to go by, the video's 4 million views since its release in September 2010, proves this is a hot topic!
Please do pay attention to the rationale and follow the logical process put forward by NumbersUSA founder, author and lecturer Roy Beck, through his ingenious and creative illustration of why full-scale, deregulated, open-door immigration (regardless of faith and ideology), promulgated on the basis of humanitarianism does not serve the humanitarian purpose. Put simply, it does not work for either the welcoming state or the state of origin. In fact none of the socio-economic problems (poverty, unemployment) at either end are solved, and no benefits are gained, contrary to what is being purported by the progressist (i.e. liberal) agenda.
As a light-hearted note, you will never look at (or chew!) gumballs the same way after this! P.S:NumbersUSA is an Education & Research Foundation, founded by Roy Beck and an advocate of lower immigration levels. It works in partnership with Moderates, Conservatives and Liberals. NumbersUSA describes itself as "a non-profit,
non-partisan organization that favors an environmentally sustainable and economically just America and seeks to educate the public about the effects of high levels of immigration on U.S. overpopulation, the environment, jobs, and wages. We use government data to conduct research on the impacts of U.S. population growth, consumption, sprawl, and current levels of immigration and educate the public, opinion leaders and policy makers on the results of those and other studies."
P.P.S: Read the full PDF version (362 pages) of Roy Beck's acclaimed book, The Case Against Immigration, The moral, economic, social and environmental reasons for reducing U.S. immigration back to traditional levels, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1996.
If there is one modern film director who is able to bring Christmas magic to children and adults alike, command your attention and massage your emotion, film maestro Wes Anderson is the man of the action! Expect to be delighted!
Swedish fast fashion brand H&M didn't go cheap for its Christmas advertising campaign. It moved away from the obvious and embraced the experiential. No tipsy petticoats or swaying cocktail dresses! Instead it geared itself up as H&M Lines, and took us - courtesy of Wes Anderson - on the train journey of a lifetime. The famed American film director took the H&M brand and accoutrement outside the box and beyond any marketer's expectations to a place of story-telling, of family-friendliness, of style and elegance that might as well showcase upmarket fashion retail and the couture brands, let me tell you! It's all about attitude and how fluid you are about positioning your brand in a highly competitive market.
Anderson's signature directorial approach
brings together a vintage yet timeless timeline as a backdrop to the storyline: nostalgia without the wallow. The sweeping camera technique frames each scene in its exactitude before neatly sliding sideways or upwards/ downwards to the next scene, taking us for the ride without a bump, bathed in ambient pastel colours that remind the sweet-inclined of those special occasion chocolates dressed in robes of whipped mint creams and rosewater sugar paste. I call it 'Retro Candiland'! Adrien Brody is relishingly moody, like a silent movie actor, and the rest of the cast play their moody, restrained and instrospected selves. They unravel with the plot, shedding the wallflower and warming up, growing on us as likeable characters.
Wes Anderson is the ultimate crowd gatherer: the laid-back and the snooty, the young and the less so, the show-off and the parsimonious, the well-off and the lacking, will find themselves in his commercial, should they allow themselves to. Anderson's message resonates clearly too: the company you're in (i.e. the group of individuals) matters more than the presents, and no matter the journey, be sure to enjoy it rather than solely focus on the destination. Christmas goes beyond the one-sided retail relationship of giving and/ or receiving, it is about sharing and enjoying the special moment in togetherness!
Trust me that this is one Christmas commercial that will not grate or ire you. It will also write another page in the grand history of brand advertising. It commands multiple viewings and makes you itchy to reach out for your closest and dearest: 'No matter what, I'll be home to you for Christmas! But if my journey takes me off a tangent, a change of direction beyond my control, I might as well make the most out of it.' The short film celebrates the vagaries of life and the little joys to be had along the way.
Meanwhile in his methodical approach, Wes Anderson doesn't lose sight of the child within. There is a little boy in the film, who so resembles Wes as his child alter ego. The little kid has every reason to cheer up as he steps into the lounge waggon. And the marveling little kid is everyone of us. Come together and keep the magic alive!
If you are a world supremacist wannabe looking to build a superstate, look no further than the European Union for inspiration. In order to construct the European Union behemoth, warts et al, you have to deconstruct each and every country that is a component of the so-called unity. To achieve this, you need to deconstruct national sovereignty in order to construct the so-called European sovereignty, an unelected sovereignty deeply entrenched into the Agenda 21 principles. Welcome to the globalist dystopia that is being put in place!
First off, in order to deconstruct national sovereignty you need to tone down national identity. Then amalgamate national pride and patriotism with fascism and racism, which has been going on in France and elsewhere stealthily for the last 35 years. This is key to undermining the strength of a nation. Once national pride has been cleverly associated with fascism, it is put down, and the orchestrated erosion of national values triggers an open-door policy for imports (goods, services and investments, hence cash-flow). The same applies to people (mass immigration), ethics, views and politics that get unified under a fake right/ left, right/ wrong, rich/ poor, black/ white paradigm. Alongside this, in order to construct a European unity, you need to deconstruct unity at its cellular level (family unity, race unity, national unity, etc.).
For
European unity to exist under the globalist model, expect no elevation of spirits and values and quality of life. Expect no flourishing prospects in terms of wealth and prosperity, education, employment, trade, industry or philosophy. Expect the exact opposite. Any sensible individual capable of reflecting upon current affairs, will have realised by now that each of the countries that make up Europe is in serious trouble. I acquiesce to this with all my while, having lived in the thick of the 'Union' all of my life, and long enough to realise that things are not adding up in favour of growth, but in favour of ungrowth. We Europeans live its absurdities with every breath we take. You will therefore have to excuse our dulling joie de vivre...
Distractions might take the unguarded off course, as for instance with the Anti-Brexit millennials who took to the streets of Britain on the aftermath of the referendum berating the 'old white people' that they wish would die, including - I imagine - their grandparents? But let's not be fazed; Paul Joseph Watson got it debunked for us in less time than it takes for a pop song to play.
Socialism, otherwise known as the Liberal left, the Democrats - or in more gauche terms as Tony Blair's New Labour - have made Europe their hotbed. And wherever socialism goes, ungrowth follows, all under this forced collectivism and communitarianism, multi-culturalism and other '-isms' and chasms that the individual is forced to surrender to... Here are a few examples:-
Private liberties are being eroded.
Political correctness paralyses free speech and makes us all potential suspects; it prevents politicians and other people in the public eye from expressing themselves without having to justify a word in lengthy ways.
Burdening through over-taxation, over-bureaucratic nonsense, over-politicisation of public and private life with our puppet governments at work dismantling the democratic values of the Republic, so we are falling each day further down into state-controlled economy, which itself is at the mercy of global elites like the divine (deviant) George Soros.
Biased media and institutions bought out by the corporate elite.
The over-interference of the state into our everyday lives through all sorts of crazy legislation is meant to break our spirits and especially spirit of enterprise and financial independence.
Meanwhile rampant unemployment, with our shipyards, foundries and traditional manufacturing industries relocated to the Far East.
Open-border policy for a tsunami of unregulated uncontrolled migration that pours into every nook and cranny of Europe, tipping the balance further for costly unproductivity to replace ROI productivity to channel passive consumerism!
Wahey, it looks like we are truly being snookered!
The European Union is a socio-economic lab, a model in the making that
is being used to be carbon-copied to other select parts of the world, namely Western economies, in order to collapse them and therefore rewrite history.
What is happening to Europe is a cautionary tale for the USA. Other there, you need look no further than your current President as a living exemple busy undoing the moral values and work ethics of the working classes in order to feed the Welfare State, tentacular federal agency aid programmes and an increasing federal policing of regular tax-paying citizens, through sophisticated centralised surveillance systems (by whichever invasion of privacy they might operate under, down to smart meters and biotechs) and other ways of interference. At this point, it is offensive to turn a blind eye to what is really going on in the West right now.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill
"Shattering the myth that poverty is the fault of the poor and a generous
benefit system, [...] show that the blame lies with the massive social
and economic upheaval that has shifted power from the workforce to
corporations and swelled the ranks of the working poor, a group
increasingly at the mercy of low-pay, zero-hour contracts and downward
social mobility." - Breadline Britain: The Rise of Mass Poverty (review)
(16-Aug-2016 Update)Soros Unleashed, a portal of hacked George Soros files via DC Leaks, providing an 'eye-opening' insight into the activities of Soros' Open Society Foundations and their direct implication in the mass-migration programme that is compromising the West
If I had to describe where I live in three words, it would have to be: (1) Medieval. (2) Corsican. (3) Hamlet. It sounds like a statement although I don't mean it that way, as the obligatory envious clichés are invariably bound to jump off the page: vacational island, coastal living, Mediterranean climate, panoramic landscapes bathed in the wonder of blue yonder, nature on the doorstep, and ancient off-the-beaten-track dry-stone buildings.
Those three words forebode a sense of adventure, I agree. Yet adventure is to be found at the start of your state of mind. Adventure may be found in 'Salford studio flat' or 'industrial Dusseldorf complex' all the same. It's that old chestnut again: life is what you make it. You may want to play it safe and never investigate your surroundings and that is your decision.
Yet should you be seeking adventure in the mundanity of your surroundings, you are spoilt for choice. Any restrictions will be set by how far (or near!) you wish to expand your imagination and curiosity. In fact, the best way to turn anything into an adventure is to take nothing for granted because that Renaissance building that had stood the test of time till now might be gone tomorrow, because that noble cedar tree might be chopped down, because the sweet old lady down the road might sell off her bungalow and pack her bags before you've RSVPed her gracious invite for Pekoe tea and Bourbon biscuits. Because as it is, natural entropy is being accelerated by the planned obsolescence of our modern model, which puts us mere mortals at a disadvantage.
The transience of life expressed through our mortality needs to force us to be aware of every instant that is lived within the environment at large. To cultivate curiosity, be curious by nature about nature, and an explorer of life rather than a passive consumer fed by the media is what I recommend to young and old - especially the young ones - as the 'future-holders' of our world.
What is the relation of all that precedes with the Pink Poppy Day title, I hear you say? I haven't been on a diversion course; there would be no Pink Poppy Day post without this natural curiosity of mine and sense of adventure woven out of the mundanity of life. Now here is my story.
A couple of days ago, I went for a stroll up the hamlet and found that a beautiful wild poppy bush blossoming on an elevation by the side of the path had been pulled off the ground by a local landlord, and tossed down the path like a dirt bag. Sadly I encounter this attitude a lot around here, this total disrespect for nature's own floral gifts. Understand nature and the nature of wild plants: they come impromptu and spontaneous, like uninvited guests of sorts. But they don't come to burden you; rather they come to enliven your day, and their inflorescence - little bits of charm and beauty they scatter around their foliage - is free of charge. A big bonus if you want flower delight without shelling a dime! Yet instead of being left alone, the wild plants get pulled out or cut back or doused in herbicide, and this infuriates me!
I went on a poppy rescue mission there and then. I brought back home the pulled-out poppy bush, cut back its foliage and managed to fit the root system into an XXL jar with a little water in the bottom. In the next few days, I shall plant it in my parents' garden and we'll monitor its progress. Meanwhile I salvaged the blooms - which were looking sorry for themselves - and improvised them into a tabletop posy in an improvised vase, an empty glass jar! From that moment on, I witnessed the blooms gather strength and perk up.
I saved the poppies from their downtrodden state and they made my day in return with their charming blossoms that I couldn't cease to admire. Yet their place should have been out there in the wild rather than in a vase but I had to compose with the vagaries of the human mind, that interferes with nature because it wants to control it.
On the third day, my lovely poppies had scattered their petals by the time I was down for breakfast. I carefully picked those, and laid them flat inside a paper bag that I placed under a heavy contraption for a spot of drying before I use them in a paper collage at some point in the future.
This is how my Pink Poppy Day came about: a reversal of fortune for the wild flowers and an eleventh hour rescue from the ditch. The moral of the story is that nature belongs to itself and we are welcome to enjoy it, not tamper with it to the point of destruction. Yet you can bring positivity to a situation by turning the little drama around, and embracing it as an adventure in the everyday.
P.S:Jason Silva's Existential Bummer 'philosophical espresso shot' about entropy is bound to perk up your day and stimulate your thought! Three minutes of bliss!
If you missed LBM's #BWA January feature, you need to head over and
check it, as you can expect attitude in spades, with flowers and grace! #BWA is back this month - and hush! - the feature might well turn into a fixture! February explored boldness under its many guises: bold design, bold decisions, and bold reversals in fortune.
So, here we go, in chronological order, my five favourite posts this
month. Enjoy the read and feel free to add on to the list: -
The London Post Office Railway, a.k.a. The London Mail Rail, is one fascinating feat of engineering which - as a cog in the wheel of Britain's bold, efficient and fearless industrial legacy - operated sleek, fast, automated, driverless underground train services, over a 75-year period, facilitating business right into the core of London's sorting offices and two of its train stations, along the Paddington-Whitechapel corridor, dodging ground level delays and traffic jams, tucked out of customer sight and right at the front of the mind of the postal services. At its peak, it transited no less than 4 million letters a day! As with what happens with the idiosyncrasies of post-industrial - erm - industry, such a bold innovation would have to be scrapped eventually. Royal Mail closed the operation down in 2003, in line with its on-going streamlining of operations and year-on-year drop in mail volumes. And as with cogs in the wheels that once drove our industry, they end up either getting scrapped altogether or as a museum display - which is exactly what is to happen to London Mail Rail. Check The Postal Museum's preview on the matter. If you prefer your preview on the raw side - understand down and dirty - check the documented footage direct from the frontline by Place Hacking (back in 2011).
If there is one brand that still oozes Silicon Valley free spirit, then Apple is it. And when we thought it had met its demise with Steve Jobs' passing and the company's multi-million-dollar market share in the mobile phone industry would sell out its credibility as an edgy brand, it proved otherwise. Now Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has taken it one unprecedented step further, in reaction to the US government's request to be able to access customer data, via a master key of sorts, a 'backdoor' to the iOS (iPhone operating system). Apple boldly refused to execute the command, and clearly laid out the reasons for encrypting customer data. You can only admire a company for refusing to compromise its core values in terms of privacy laws and digital security, while still abiding to the American Constitution, yet refusing to be part of the police state that the government is building, one bit of code at a time. Apple, you stand well out there in the wake of America's founding fathers for whom liberty was a right, not an option, and I hold you in high esteem!
'No Kill' or not 'No Kill'? That is the question raised by this article, when shelters have ceased to be shelters and ceased to welcome every animal in need, because they no longer operate an open-door policy, for whatever reason, genuine or otherwise: over-capacity, overcrowding, long waiting lists, management difficulties, selection criteria, or simply to keep turnover low, 'make it look good' and secure further fundings. As always, the unwanted, abandonned pets are the ones left to suffer and pay the ultimate price of neglect and cruelty. PETA notes that “No-kill” policies don’t prevent animals from dying. They simply leave animals to die elsewhere—and often miserably." The solution is not in No Kill, it lays in educating people about responsible pet ownership, and adhere to a spay-and-neuter programme.
Viva! Founder and Director Juliet Gellatley braved the night and the inhospitality of her surroundings. She pushed the door of an ordinary British pig farm (Necton Hall Pig Farm, Norfolk) to show us what is really going on behind closed doors and beyond the myth of happy husbandry. She unveiled to us an ordinary tale of daily cruelty, ordinary in its commonplace, ordinary due to consumer love for meat, and a finished packaged up product that desensitises them from the reality of a once-living animal, all flesh and bones and sentience, behind that lump of meat surrendered to carnivorous appetites. And the cruelty on the farm leads on to the antechamber of the abattoir where horror awaits. The tragedy of the farm animal happens everywhere in the world where animals are traded commodities. In fact, human rapport with animals is short of humane, and may be summarised by The War against Animals by Dinesh Joseph Wadiwel, Lecturer in Human Rights and Socio-Legal Studies at The University of Sydney. The tragedy is more acutely emphasised under the industrial farming model (whereby 10 million pigs are slaughtered in the UK each year!), where an animal is a living product with a price tag on its head. Viva!'s shock tactics are sure to pull on the heartstrings of the blissfully ignorant meat eaters out there. Some of them will end up joining our vegetarian ranks, while the rest will turn a blind eye and remain complicit of the pain on their plates. Years ago, thanks to organisations like Viva! I took the decision to stop eating meat. Simple question for you: if you truly love animals, why would you want to eat them? Hone that thought before you reach out for that BLT!
It is easy for a young Western woman to take for granted that general sense of freedom that comes with the territory, in terms of her choices around higher education, employment, fashion, travel, and love relationships. Our society is tolerant of our choices and orientations, and today's parents have taken it in their strides with greater ease than their elders. The permissiveness of the West stands out from the die-hard traditions and customs of patriarchal cultures from Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Southern Asia, where girls and young women have their choices taken away from them by strong family pressure for them to conform to cultural legacy, which includes forced mariages. If they do not abide, they are not only disgraced by their families, but also run the risk of losing their lives. Oscar-nominated documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness by Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy relates the fate of 19-year-old Saba Qaiser, in a poignant true story of love and (t)reason. Every year, more than a thousand girls and young women are the victims of religiously-motivated honour killings in Pakistan alone!
No better way to kick the New Year into shape than with La Baguette Magique! In this mini-series, we have it all covered: Self, Others and good old Mother Earth! In our previous article, I gave you 3 Hints 'N' Tips
to make the friendlier You: getting back in touch with a long-lost relative or friend, treating your loved ones with one of your creations, and connecting you to the local community with a little banter...
Now how about addressing what good we can bring to the Earth, in three easy steps...
Make it last! If your fixtures, fittings and homewares are not plagued by the dogma of planned obsolescence, you should be able to get some mileage out of them. Thus go easy on style fads and trends that encourage us to constantly reinvent our surroundings by replacing the old with the new. As long as that kettle is still in working order, or that family heirloom sofa still looks and feels good, why give in to the temptation of replacing them? Give the Earth - and your purse - a hand by making your belongings last longer.
For the Earth #2:
Don't be owned by objects! This is an extension of #1. Basically less is more. The model wants us to keep buying and we may have Father of Public Relations Edward Bernays to blame for this, but can we not just shop with our eyes sometimes? Bernays engineered the desire and compulsion to buy and linked pleasure with purchase. Up to us to put the brakes on. Another good point for the earth - and the purse!
Leave nature alone! That sounds like a given but we need to state it loud and clear, especially as regards those sensitive natural areas of the world, with fragile and threatened ecosystems. They are paying the price for their beauty by attracting hordes of tourists. Even if tourism is branded as ecotourism, it still puts undue pressure on the environment. Those cruises to the Arctic 'to watch the melting icebergs before it's too late' is short of vain and self-centred! It is a full-blown aberration!
There you have it, my friends. Our list of Acts of Kindness for Self, Others and the Earth is far from exhaustive. It is a taster, a starting point to a form of contentment in life and to a thought process. If you seek further inspiration, do check my Inspire-Aspire series. Have a wonderful year!
There are two ways to consider the New Year, according to the half-empty vs. half-full paradigm. You may either equal New Year to getting one year older, or... one year wiser! If your cup is decidedly looking half full, count me in! And bonus, I'll fill it up to the brim with a short series of Hints 'N' Tips on making this New Year kinder, not only to Yourself but to Others and the Earth!
We're not selfish, but we'll get started with Self! It might be something to do with the fact that if you want change in your life, you should instigate that change, start off with yourself, rather than rely on others to instigate it for you. Anyhoo, let's bite those bullet (points)!
For Self #1:
Make friends with veg and pledge to become a vegetarian! The best way is to build this up gradually, starting off with the legendary Meat Free Monday (or whichever day of the week is most suitable to you, like a day off, when you are relaxed). To forgo meat one whole day a week is actually easier than you might think, and from then you may up the ante! The web is a treasure trove of veggie recipes (Pinterest is a fun starting point!), and most quality culinary blogs like The Clever Carrot have vegetarian dishes on the menu. Meanwhile The HSUS have devised The Guide to Meat-Free Meals, which is set to get you on track. They also have a comprehensive meat-free recipe section that includes a wide array of enticing dishes, from entrées to desserts, via breakfast, kid-friendly and even treats for your pet companions! Sign up in order to get a handy recipe each week, like I do! And eh, PETA is at it too, with a comprehensive recipe section and another one there too covering dishes from around the world! And - if you are considering the next step up to veganism - you can order your Free Vegan Starter Kit!
Try to fathom the figures! 'Numbers of Animals Slaughtered in the U.S.: Per minute -- 38,627 * Per hour -- 2,317,596 * Per day -- 55,622,293 * Per year -- More than 27 billion!' (source: PETA Vegan Starter Kit and Vegetarian 101).
Wear kindness on your face and wrap your body in it too! Not only do we have to worry about the toxicity of ingredients, but also how earth-friendly or cruelty-free they are. Help! Leaping Bunny to the rescue! Do you bit: Pay attention to ingredients, and right off the bat, rule out environmental foes (phtalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, palm oil derivatives, etc.). And steer clear of brands that still condone animal testing (the softy word for vivisection). Aim for brands and products that aim for less to no cruelty whatsoever. Yet consumer quest for anti-cruelty is no mean feat because what goes on under the surface, deep inside jars and tubes and the interweavings of fabrics and materials is even more opaque and insidious than with food ingredients. For instance, a haircare manufacturer might use very generic/ loose wording like 'squalane' in its shampoo ingredients list, and skip any details under secret formulation privacy laws. Meanwhile uninformed consumers are unlikely to tick on 'squalane' when they actually should! So beware what lies beneath the safe-sounding words! Squalane is a substance sourced from gulper shark liver, that lends shampoos, hair conditioners and face creams their distinctive texture and non-greasy emollience. According to a study by Bloom Association, 3 million deep-sea sharks are estimated to fall foul of the squalane industry each year. You'll have to 'thank' the likes of L'Oréal for their helping hand to the shark fin soup industry in their relentless shark hunt that in turn is leading oceans to turn shark-free! All in all, stay vigilant and conduct your own research.... And be kind to life by saying no to leather and fur, and the 'uggly' truth about the trade! Pamela Anderson's vegan Pammies boots are the anti-cruelty - and trendy - answer to Ugg! If you seek heels, Pamela's teamed up with French designer Amélie Pichard. And since 'Compassion is sexy', who said vegan shoes were not fashion-friendly?
For Self #3:
Shut down the TV and cut down on social media! You'll thank me later.So no, you don't need to channel any more of your personal time into yet another social media platform and wear its button on your blog like a badge of honour! Snapchat, Periscope, you bet, what next? You have a life to live, and to live it is not to fritter it away online. Life happens offline! As for the box, I haven't watched it since last October and I do not miss it one bit (OK, apart maybe the odd documentary or film, and 'odd' implies said feature to be 'greater than average'). Anyway it had become painful for me to watch the news and witness how biased the media have become, as the voice of the state (and EU superstate), and how they peddle the terminology and smarmy tone of voice and skewered undertones, and inseminate us deep with the thoughts and reactions they want us to have for ourselves and make ours, as they are recreating a reality. A BS propaganda that I do not want to be a part of! Freedom of the press, ha-ha! Free your mind (and time!) from the news that is no news!
Ignorance is bliss but it is no blessing for we live in times of high uncertainty where we should begin to scratch the surface of the big illusion manufactured en-masse by the media and the governing elite, because like in The Truman Show all is not as it seems. Anything stranger than fiction is unsettling but we ought to investigate it.
I first came across the word chemtrail only a few months ago, while watching a video by British astrologer and truth seeker David Cammegh. He was talking about U.N. Agenda 21 and - amongst other topics - population control: how we are getting routinely and purposely poisoned by heavy metals and chemical aerosols sprayed by civilian and military aircrafts over our populated areas. This left me cautiously perplexed, and I chose to shrug it off as 'Here we go, another conspiracy theory!' As much as I am open-minded, there are times where I draw the line at inconvenient truths - merely for my own sanity. I did have a quick look on Wikipedia though, which comforted me in my assumption of chemtrails being little more than some fuzzy conspiracy theory. That reassured me, and I could neatly retreat back into my comfort zone, pull the wool over my eyes and forget about it. Of course we should be ill-advised to consider Wikipedia as the almighty source of information and as strict purveyor of truth and unbiased knowledge.
Want to see chemtrails? Step outside and look up the sky, it's that simple. Just stop being self-absorbed into your smartphone and distracted by other gadgets! Honestly, when was the last time you had a good look at the sky? You'd be surprised at how modified it is looking these days...
I was to make another encounter with geoengineering (the science behind chemtrails) a few days ago, while researching the Europe migrant crisis. This time over, I decided to delve into the subject. There are literally tons of recorded evidence on geoengineering activities, yet by the same token, once you try to find out the reasons behind the scheme, access any official (declassified) documentation released online, and ultimately how to get governments to stop this machination that has been programmed by those who are supposed to protect us, it seems that 'Citizen Lambda' is powerless. This should not deter us from spreading the word, recording the evidence (more of that in a minute!), and contacting the press and our local or national chemtrail watch organisation.
As a starting point, if you want a general grasp and not get distracted by the zillions of blogs out there, you need to watch this compelling account by Rosalind Peterson in her keynote speech at the 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference on Climate Change (United Nations, New York, September 5-7, 2007.) I promise you that you'll never look at the sky the same way after this!
Geoengineering is a controversial Frankenstein science and a freakish large-scale control programme that has gained prominence since the late 1990s. It tackles weather modification programmes under the premise of fighting climate change, fostering agriculture crops, protecting us from harmful UV effects, and - wait for it - shielding us from the possibility of bacteriological warfare! Geoengineering presents itself as a friend, but - as with Monsanto - don't be fooled by the spin doctors. It sends out unmarked military aircrafts the size of commercial carriers on daily missions across (mostly) the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, to spray our blue skies with a lethal cocktail of nano particulates made up of aluminum, barium, arsenic, spores, fungus, viruses and other deadly pathogens all at odd with anything to do with 'the better good'. In fact, unsuspecting civilian populations have long been their government's testing ground for biological and virological weaponry of all kinds, with chemtrails now being the vehicle of choice.
Geoengineering is also behind those freak weather conditions that curse certain areas of the world, namely California (hot Summers, severe droughts, tree depletion and raging fires), northern US Midwest/ East Coast (Winter snow blizzards), Europe (flash floods), and the latest Chinese Winter snowfalls. Whatever happened to the laws of nature, the US have vowed to control the weather by 2025. Isn't this scary?!
What my back yard looked like on 08 Sept 2015 at 10:51am...
We are talking unprecedented air pollution carried out on a massive scale. The toxic white trails and plumes and haze that evidence the shady airborne activities are said to remain in the sky up to 20 hours. In fact, from my personal findings, they were still visible 24 hours after spraying took place. Unlike contrails (*) a.k.a. condensation trails, chemtrails are not made to dissipate fast, but rather stay in suspension and then slowly disperse for maximum effect and coverage.
You can be sure that pollution this size and concentration brings an array of health problems, from respiratory (asthma) to digestive, via heart problems, headaches, mental fatigue, apathy and stress. Move over Prozac Nation, we are now Chemtrail Nation! The rise in the number of Alzheimer cases and autism has been reported by the medical world this decade. We know about the correlation between Alzheimer's, autism, Parkinson's disease and aluminum exposure, and adding more of the offending substance into the astmosphere will only exacerbate neurological diseases to pandemic proportions. As for autism, already linked to the notorious glyphosate found in Monsanto's Roundup, it is too being exacerbated by the tons of chemicals pumped daily into our skies and elsewhere in our environment. Cancers are linked, amongst other factors, to pollution and that includes chemtrails.
... and my front yard at 10:55am
At this point, with the information I have been able to garner online, I am sceptical as to any geoengineering philanthropy goal. It seems to be merely a cog in the wheel that spins for the Military, Big Pharma and the GMO lords, and for the engineered depopulation of the earth, a.k.a. genocide, not only of human life but also animal life, as evidenced by inexplicable high numbers of them dying off. Not to mention that chemtrails contaminate our water supplies and our food chain. Now at this point, for us to turn a blind eye on chemtrails is sheer folly as this is happening so blatantly in broad daylight before our very eyes, should we at least take the trouble to lift our eyes from our daily vagaries.
My Personal Frontline Diary Account (French island of Corsica, 08 Sept 2015):
Monday 7th Sept had been a blissful day, clear blue skies, not a cloud. I was almost ready to discredit any chemtrail existence from my neck of the woods. Next day, I woke up unusually late, feeling drowsy. I knew something was up straight away as I headed for my window, flung open the shutters and was faced with a show of sinister proportions. I dashed outside with my camera, spotted at least two airplanes, and then a third, spraying the sky until it had turned white. If I had been in denial before, this time I could not, due to the sheer intensity of the spraying and the formation of erratic and persistent trail patterns across the sky in the space of a few minutes.
I have increased contrast to display the layers of haze.
(*) Chemtrails vs. Contrails: Chemtrails are 'unnatural-looking cloud trails occasionally produced by airplanes
that don't dissipate normally, and that end up blanketing the skies with
a hazy muck. They differ entirely from water vapor contrails produced
when water vapor condenses and freezes around small aerosol particles
released from aircraft exhaust.' (source: Natural News).
★ 14-Sept-2015 Update: As much as I have an open mind and - at the same time - refuse to get bogged down in the controversies plaguing our world, I can assure you that chemtrails are not being mistaken for contrails (see above paragraph for definition). Now pay attention, I'm gonna debunk the debunkers. I live on a highly touristic island, in a tourist hotspot, with July and August being high-peak season. Yet over the high-peak season, we had clear blue skies. Understand that bar the odd brief quick-dissolving contrail high up in the sky, I did NOT notice any of the suspiciously persistent cottonwool-like trails and heavy criss-cross mucky haze that I now come across daily. If those are supposed to be nothing more than condensation trails - as opposed to chemtrails - how come are we getting so many of them now that tourist season and air traffic are off peak?
Further Resources:
Geoengineering Watch is the most comprehensive professional website, with a scientific bias, dedicated to chemtrails and HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program), another controversial collateral 'delight' in weather modification technology, jointly run by the US Air Force and Navy! It emits a range of frequencies into the ionosphere that produce pulses, and those bombard chemtrails to engineer the weather. Expect all sorts of induced anomalies like freak storms, tornadoes, earthquakes... and tsunamis (cue the Fukushima disaster)! The good people behind HAARP and their emissaries across the world not only care about the weather but also about our welfare, by constantly bombarding us with ELF (Electromagnetic Low Frequencies). Is this in order to keep us lame and subservient consumer-only 'no questions asked' individuals?
The HAARP Report delivers unequivocal visual data on the manipulation of our weather patterns leading to the destruction of our ecosystems. A must-watch!
Five Pieces of Evidence Suggesting that California Drought May Be a HAARP-Manufactured Event by Natural News: As supported by this HAARP Report video, the engineered droughts in California, through manipulation of the Jet Stream, can only serve the darker agenda, like that of UN Agenda 21 and its forced population relocation ideology. Another speculation is directed at the powerful GMO mafia's ultimate ambition of absolute agriculture control (with the planned eradication of The Golden State's independent/ alternative growers and organic producers). And let's not lose sight of the fact that a State as spirited and freedom-loving as the State of California can only attract defiance from federal powers.
60,000 Antelopes Died in 4 Days - And No One Knows Why by Live Science. Further developments on the sudden mass deaths of the Saiga antelopes on the steppes of Kazakhstan (deathtoll now estimated at 150,000+) have been pieced together and relayed by EneNews, and there seems to be an explanation behind this that rules out chemtrails.Heavy nuclear tests were carried out in the region back in 1989, which would have weakened the herd's immune system, from generation to the next. Thirty five years later, the Pasteurella infection they caught proved fatal to them due to their deficient immunity. Meanwhile elsewhere in the world, sudden mass animal deaths have remained unexplained to this day, and will require further investigating, as to whether or not they are linked to chemtrail activity. This is often made difficult by the undercover/ classified nature of chemtrails. It remains that health is at risk, as highlighted in our article.
