I saw Before Sunset again for the million time and I have to say .Before Sunset is the undisputed, unrivaled movie of my life.
It isn’t the movie of my life in that it tells my story or any one short story I’ve lived. It does tell one I would love to have lived. A story I could at one point visualize sketched somewhere in my future. Waiting to be outlined with a firmer hand and then colored.
I didn’t get my Before Sunrise/Sunset, but I did get to experience aspects of it I love, like the intimacy forged with places as a consequence of a story set in them. I develop these bonds with places easily, I’m sometimes inspired to write about them
You could say Before Sunset is the movie of my life in the same vein one might call a person the love of their life. The one that stands out and calls for more than just polite appreciation. The one you feel passionate about beyond apparent reason. The one you find simply impossible to admire sedately since he/she/it touches on such personally precious snippets of who you are and so clearly gets how you feel.
There’s so much mystery to words, so often such inordinate incompatibility between words and the people who use them. There’s such vulnerability to people, such a crippling fear of being the only one to feel something or say something, as though that brand of solitude might make you irrevocably wrong. Wrong as in a knot that could never be undone. And curiously, to counter that fear, to ridicule it even, there’s always someone to understand you. In the absence of a visible, palpable someone, there’s always an invisible, ghostly someone, behind something that understands you. And that’s what Before Sunset is to me. Something that miraculously understands me. Flesh and blood writers I only know by name behind words fashioned into made up people who actually understand me.
There’s a Bjork quote I read once in some music magazine to never forget that concurs with that line of thought, conveys that same feeling:
There are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with, but you will find the right film or the right book, and it will understand you.
Before Sunset is more than familiar with this crippling fear that plagues its characters and me both. There’s a whole lot of contained fear to adorn the threshold that is the unsettling prospect of seeing a consequential someone again, after a history gone on hiatus. Any change even if slight, any amount of time gone by, is sure to throw human beings off. Suddenly we don’t know if what was still is. Suddenly we don’t know if it’s even still acceptable for what was to still be. We’re so easily paralyzed by the accepted transience of things to allow for any one truth to remain that truth indefinitely.
At the beginning of the movie, towards the end of a meet the press event (as part of his book tour), Jesse randomly turns his head 90º to the right to find Celine, against all possible odds, right THERE… eyes on him, listening, mere steps away, all of nine years later. Thinner, older, changed and yet the same.
That’s about as exciting and frightening a moment as I can imagine. There’s profound uncertainty to it, regret, possible estrangement, possible ill feelings (as human beings are so apt to inspire in one another). There’s the tingling euphoria of something of a dream come true, any one thing you never thought might actually transpire, suddenly materialized. Not so much as something to be only seen or only heard or only felt but experienced with every sense, an actual consequential bubble of a moment you’re to submit to and experience from the inside. There’s also caution. A tyrannical impulse to retreat, observe and to a certain extent, playact rather than just be. Celine gives in to that impulse more willfully than Jesse. She’s so clearly calculating, so intent on weighing what she can and cannot say, what she should and should not say, carefully painting the portrait of herself she’s selected as the most suitable under the circumstances, misusing words, deliberately misrepresenting herself here and there. All amidst some real profound truths, subtly revealed. Somehow safer truths. Outnumbered truths. Needles amidst hay.
If I were to diagram Jesse’s and Celine’s journeys in both Sunrise and Sunset, I’d start them off at diagonally opposed points and trace their way toward each other in perpendicular lines that would ultimately converge in a single common point of intimacy, thus sketching a solid rectangle of history and intimacy, if you will. Easy enough intimacy in the past (Sunrise) and given the trickiness of a hiatus, reluctant in the present (Sunset). Something like this…
Any hiatus is tricky, however long it may last. Things change fast. Faster, it seems, when we’re not looking. The outside of things is relentless in how freely it gives in to transformation almost as a belly laugh at our expense. While the inside is limited to whoever’s inside might be in question. Restricted to the one person with access. Impossible to assess with certainty on a case by case basis, let alone, generalize.
Jesse and his obvious transformations, the scar-like lines on his face, a deflated version of his younger self, physically dried out like a plum turned prune… Celine and her sharper thoughts, so often preceded by ‘I don’t knows’ which wholly misrepresent her, some gained self-assurance that tweaks her image and yet leaves her core untouched… In spite of the clear cut changes, all that was still is.
The movie is one long battle to see through the layers, the misrepresentations, to sift the minor details (of marriage, relationships, children, major changes, all aided and abetted by the passage of time) from the bigger picture and clear the path for the difficult admission that yes, what was still is. In so many ways, what was will always be.
Which, I guess, is why the scene on the boat, the stretch of it I insist on calling ‘Little things’ works so magically on me. Little things are simply fascinating to me. Little things become huge in my often weird perspective.
The first time I saw the boat scene, I saw myself. I sat in a dark screening room, my heart struggling to cope with the void left by a recent break-up, I saw myself and I cried at the reminder that it would take a while for that piece of my heart to regenerate. I also felt sorry for her. And I wished dearly I could be more like the ones who “move on like they would’ve changed brand of cereal.” During that boat ride, Celine finally lets down her guard, allows herself to be seen for exactly who she is, her every vulnerability stamped across her face, traces of self-awareness everywhere.
I’m keenly aware of how rare that kind of openness is, of how rarely we feel safe enough to bare our souls to a fellow human being and not worry whether we’ll be corresponded or understood. Most of the time, we resort to hiding as best we can, until the other person goes first. If they go first.
It’s inevitable that along the way we turn inward. There is to every story a loss of innocence so personally colossal that you can’t help but turn inward and invest on control. Somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, Celine, despite her easy and outgoing nature, turned further inward than was natural to her. It’s easy to picture the mourning, pining and longing that followed her missed opportunity at true connection. It’s a possible loss we invest our rooting powers in at the end of Sunrise and commiserate in retrospect at the opening of Sunset. Paradoxically, we are creatures of the moment in spite of how difficult it is to actually be in the moment. Our belief in things has too short a shelf life. We need constant reassurance. She does. And I do. We know for a fact that things are designed to change in a flash and yet that readiness for change is not reflected on us, not in the recesses of our hearts, and not on our views from within as dictated by our feelings. Making us different. Lonelier. Willing to wait when most everybody around us either claims or appears not to see the point.
It seems unthinkable that other people might be that very kind of different. Same as we are. And equally unthinkable to other people that we might. And so complications are manufactured, walls put up, gaps created, obstacles placed. Complications, walls, gaps and obstacles which in the end only serve to keep us from one another.
To keep the real us from one another.
PART 2
Sometimes movies affect me so deeply that I just need to spread the word. Before Sunset is one of them. Ok, so the movie starts with young handsome American Jesse, travelling abroad & currently on a train headed for Vienna. A beautiful young French girl, Céline, sits down near Jesse & the the two get chatting about life. Engrossed in coversation, Jesse convinces Céline to get off the train with him in Vienna & walk around with him all night exploring the city until he has to get on a plane heading back to America at sunrise at which point she can hop back on the train & continue on her journey.
The whole movie is based on this fabulous new conversation & relationship between the young pair in the hours they have with each other before sunrise. Needless to say there is a strong & magical connection between them. The conversation is young & engaging & real. They fall in love with other & have an amazing night. At the end of the movie, without exchanging any details whatsoever, they agree tp meet up again at the train station in exactly 6 months time.
The second movie, 'Before Sunset', starts with Jesse doing a book tour in Paris. He wrote a book about one magical night in Vienna with a French girl. Hmmm, sound familiar? Well who should turn up at the very bookstore after seeing his book advertised around town? Yes, Céline! Glorious.
The movie revolves around their more grown up, somewhat jaded by life experiences, conversation for the whole movie yet again. Its complex & heart breaking, raw & beautiful. It is the very last day of Jesse's book tour & he must catch a plane back to America at sunset. So they spend the day together. Timing is everything.... Ohhhh weep, sob!!!
In Before Sunrise, they meet and they love, all flowery, all brand new experience. In Before Sunset, they meet and they flirt, playing with forbidden love because Jesse is married, admitting their long lasting love to each other. It’s heartbreaking yet sexy in the same time. Before Midnight is one hundred and eighty degrees different. It will complete their understanding about love.
In Before Midnight, Jesse apparently has more advantage in experiencing love in-and-out of a marriage, while Celine is still connecting love to romance, something that she admits in the luncheon as going down after they have the twins. What this movie wants to highlight is that love comes as an acceptance to both sides – the brilliant and the miserable – of life with your partner, especially the miserable. In the course of nine years for Celine and Jesse, romance has gone, sex is overrated, and each of them is growing to become somebody they’ve never expected. Feelings spared, sacrifices made, fightings unavoided, and yet they still want to share life with each other. If it’s not love, then what is?
If you stick around through the closing credits of Before Midnight, the latest film in the trilogy, you’ll see that the movie is dedicated to someone whose name even the most die-hard fans have never heard before: Amy Lehrhaupt. Almost 25 years ago, Lehrhaupt met a young man named Richard Linklater and spent a night with him that he never forgot. Their encounter inspired Linklater to conceive and direct Before Sunrise, the first film in the series. She never saw it, though; unbeknownst to Linklater, by the time that movie came out, Lehrhaupt was dead.
Linklater met Lehrhaupt in fall 1989, when he was visiting his sister in Philadelphia. He was 29 and had just finished shooting Slacker, and was staying there for one night while passing through on the way home from New York. Lehrhaupt was several years younger, about 20. They met in a toy shop, and ended up spending the whole night together, “from midnight until six in the morning,” “walking around, flirting, doing things you would never do now.” As in Before Sunrise, most of what they did was talk, “about art, science, film, the gamut.” Did they kiss? Yes. Did they have sex?....we will never know
But as the night came to an end, the paths of Linklater and Lehrhaupt began to diverge from the fictional storyline of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy). The real-life young lovers exchanged numbers and tried to keep in touch while they were away. They called each other a few times, but it was “that long distance thing” that did them in
Linklater didn’t know then that Lehrhaupt had died in a motorcycle accident on May 9, 1994, before she reached her 25th birthday. Before Sunrise started filming a few weeks later. Linklater only learned of her death three years ago, when a friend of Lehrhaupt’s, who knew about the encounter, put it together and sent him a letter. “It was very sad,
I had a similar story meeting a girl who was applying for a job here...long...long time ago. We spend the whole night and morning together. She did get the job....but the day before moving to New York...she found out she had cancer and died 6 months later. Till this day...I still remember that night.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
ARTICLE: America’s Sinking Middle Class By EDUARDO PORTER
America’s Sinking Middle Class
By EDUARDO PORTER
In some respects, 1988 has the feel of an alien, distant era. There was no such thing as the World Wide Web then. The Soviet Union was still around; the Berlin Wall still standing. Americans elected a Republican president who would raise taxes to help tame the budget deficit.
On Tuesday, however, the Census Bureau reminded me how for most Americans 1988 still looks a lot like yesterday: last year, the typical household made $51,017, roughly the same as the typical household made a quarter of a century ago.
The statistic is staggering — hardly what one would expect from one of the richest and most technologically advanced nations on the planet.
I have written several times before about how measures of social and economic well-being in the United States have slipped compared to other advanced countries. But it is even more poignant to recognize that, in many ways, America has been standing still for a full generation.
It made me wonder what happened to progress.
Consider: 36 years ago this month, when NASA launched the Voyager 1 probe into space, 11.6 percent of Americans were officially considered poor. The other day Voyager sailed clear out of the solar system into interstellar space — the first man-made object to do so — recording its environment on an 8-track deck.
Using the same official metric — which actually undercounts the poor compared to new methods used by the Census today — the poverty rate is 15 percent.
To be sure, we have made progress over the last 25 years. The nation’s gross domestic product per person has increased 40 percent since 1988. We’ve gained four years’ worth of life expectancy at birth. The infant mortality rate has plummeted by 50 percent. More women and more men are entering and graduating from college.
We also have access to far more sophisticated consumer goods, from the iPhone to cars packed with digital devices. And the cost of many basic staples, notably food, has fallen significantly.
Carl Shapiro, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley and an expert on technology and innovation who stepped down from President Obama’s Council on Economic Advisors last year, calls the progress in information technology and biotechnology over the last 25 years “breathtaking.”
“Most Americans partake in the benefits offered by these new technologies, from smartphones to better dental care,” Professor Shapiro said. Still, he acknowledged, “somehow this impressive progress has not translated into greater economic security for the American middle class.”
In key respects, in fact, the standard of living of most Americans has fallen decidedly behind. Just take the cost of medical services. Health care spending per person, adjusted for inflation, has roughly doubled since 1988, to about $8,500 — pushing up health insurance premiums and eating into workers’ wages.
The cost of going to college has been rising faster than inflation as well. About two-thirds of people with bachelor’s degrees relied on loans to get through college, up from 45 percent two decades ago. Average student debt in 2011 was $23,300.
In contrast to people in other developed nations, who have devoted more time to leisure as they have gotten richer, Americans work about as much as they did a quarter-century ago. Despite all this toil, the net worth of the typical American family in the middle of the income distribution fell to $66,000 in 2010 — 6 percent less than in 1989 after inflation.
Though the bursting of the housing bubble and ensuing great recession takes a big share of the blame for families’ weakening finances, it is nonetheless startling that a single financial event — only a hiccup on the road to prosperity of Americans on the top of the pile — could erase a generation worth of progress for those in the middle.
Though the statistics may be startling, the story they tell is, unfortunately, not surprising. It is the story of America’s new normal. In the new normal the share of the nation’s income channeled to corporate profits is higher than at any time since the 1920s, while workers’ share languishes at its lowest since 1965.
In the new normal, the real wages of workers on the factory floor are lower than they were in the early ’70s. And the richest 10 percent of Americans get over half of the income America produces.
“Almost all of the benefits of growth since the trough of the Great Recession have been going to those in the upper classes,” said Timothy Smeeding, who heads the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. “Middle- and lower-income families are getting a smaller slice of a smaller economic pie as labor markets have changed drastically during our recovery.”
This story is about three decades old.
In 2010, the Department of Commerce published a study about what it would take for different types of families to achieve the aspirations of the middle class — which it defined as a house, a car or two in the garage, a vacation now and then, decent health care and enough savings to retire and contribute to the children’s college education.
It concluded that the middle class has become a much more exclusive club. Even two-earner families making almost $81,000 in 2008 — substantially more than the family median of about $60,000 reported by the Census — would have a much tougher time acquiring the attributes of the middle class than in 1990.
The incomes of these types of families actually rose by a fifth between 1990 and 2008, according to the report. They were more educated and worked more hours, on average, and had children at a later age. Still, that was no match for the 56 percent jump in the cost of housing, the 155 percent leap in out-of-pocket spending on health care and the double-digit increase in the cost of college.
So either we define the middle class down a couple of notches or we acknowledge that the middle class isn’t in the middle anymore.
By EDUARDO PORTER
In some respects, 1988 has the feel of an alien, distant era. There was no such thing as the World Wide Web then. The Soviet Union was still around; the Berlin Wall still standing. Americans elected a Republican president who would raise taxes to help tame the budget deficit.
On Tuesday, however, the Census Bureau reminded me how for most Americans 1988 still looks a lot like yesterday: last year, the typical household made $51,017, roughly the same as the typical household made a quarter of a century ago.
The statistic is staggering — hardly what one would expect from one of the richest and most technologically advanced nations on the planet.
I have written several times before about how measures of social and economic well-being in the United States have slipped compared to other advanced countries. But it is even more poignant to recognize that, in many ways, America has been standing still for a full generation.
It made me wonder what happened to progress.
Consider: 36 years ago this month, when NASA launched the Voyager 1 probe into space, 11.6 percent of Americans were officially considered poor. The other day Voyager sailed clear out of the solar system into interstellar space — the first man-made object to do so — recording its environment on an 8-track deck.
Using the same official metric — which actually undercounts the poor compared to new methods used by the Census today — the poverty rate is 15 percent.
To be sure, we have made progress over the last 25 years. The nation’s gross domestic product per person has increased 40 percent since 1988. We’ve gained four years’ worth of life expectancy at birth. The infant mortality rate has plummeted by 50 percent. More women and more men are entering and graduating from college.
We also have access to far more sophisticated consumer goods, from the iPhone to cars packed with digital devices. And the cost of many basic staples, notably food, has fallen significantly.
Carl Shapiro, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley and an expert on technology and innovation who stepped down from President Obama’s Council on Economic Advisors last year, calls the progress in information technology and biotechnology over the last 25 years “breathtaking.”
“Most Americans partake in the benefits offered by these new technologies, from smartphones to better dental care,” Professor Shapiro said. Still, he acknowledged, “somehow this impressive progress has not translated into greater economic security for the American middle class.”
In key respects, in fact, the standard of living of most Americans has fallen decidedly behind. Just take the cost of medical services. Health care spending per person, adjusted for inflation, has roughly doubled since 1988, to about $8,500 — pushing up health insurance premiums and eating into workers’ wages.
The cost of going to college has been rising faster than inflation as well. About two-thirds of people with bachelor’s degrees relied on loans to get through college, up from 45 percent two decades ago. Average student debt in 2011 was $23,300.
In contrast to people in other developed nations, who have devoted more time to leisure as they have gotten richer, Americans work about as much as they did a quarter-century ago. Despite all this toil, the net worth of the typical American family in the middle of the income distribution fell to $66,000 in 2010 — 6 percent less than in 1989 after inflation.
Though the bursting of the housing bubble and ensuing great recession takes a big share of the blame for families’ weakening finances, it is nonetheless startling that a single financial event — only a hiccup on the road to prosperity of Americans on the top of the pile — could erase a generation worth of progress for those in the middle.
Though the statistics may be startling, the story they tell is, unfortunately, not surprising. It is the story of America’s new normal. In the new normal the share of the nation’s income channeled to corporate profits is higher than at any time since the 1920s, while workers’ share languishes at its lowest since 1965.
In the new normal, the real wages of workers on the factory floor are lower than they were in the early ’70s. And the richest 10 percent of Americans get over half of the income America produces.
“Almost all of the benefits of growth since the trough of the Great Recession have been going to those in the upper classes,” said Timothy Smeeding, who heads the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. “Middle- and lower-income families are getting a smaller slice of a smaller economic pie as labor markets have changed drastically during our recovery.”
This story is about three decades old.
In 2010, the Department of Commerce published a study about what it would take for different types of families to achieve the aspirations of the middle class — which it defined as a house, a car or two in the garage, a vacation now and then, decent health care and enough savings to retire and contribute to the children’s college education.
It concluded that the middle class has become a much more exclusive club. Even two-earner families making almost $81,000 in 2008 — substantially more than the family median of about $60,000 reported by the Census — would have a much tougher time acquiring the attributes of the middle class than in 1990.
The incomes of these types of families actually rose by a fifth between 1990 and 2008, according to the report. They were more educated and worked more hours, on average, and had children at a later age. Still, that was no match for the 56 percent jump in the cost of housing, the 155 percent leap in out-of-pocket spending on health care and the double-digit increase in the cost of college.
So either we define the middle class down a couple of notches or we acknowledge that the middle class isn’t in the middle anymore.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
JOURNAL/ PERSONAL/ LOVE: GIVING LOVE A CHANCE
I got totally lost reading profile after profile about how most woman are not finding what they want in a relationship. And, no, it doesn’t make me feel like “I’m not alone”…it depresses the crap out of me.
I don’t buy this ‘poor me’ shit. So man woman are spoiled thinking they can get everything they want. But they are also stupid to think they HAVE to get everything in order to be happy. I agree with the proverb: Sometimes not getting what you want is the biggest stroke of luck.
But WORSE…I don’t understand these women. They sound needy and annoying as they look for perfection then complain when they make wrong choices. These women complaining about everything they wanted and then got.
Do you know what I miss about having a girlfriend? Planning birthdays, finding the perfect Christmas gift, knowing the stories that will make her laugh, walking in the middle of the night, hearing another crazy story from her day, surprising her, letting her surprise me, laughing at things we find funny and no one else understands…I miss doing things that will make her happy. I miss knowing that no matter what I might encounter in my day, hearing her voice will be the best part of it.
When you get them on the phone they like to talk about partnership but it seems what they really want is someone to cradle all their emotional baggage and make a lot of money. Of course, I want someone to talk to. And financial stability is always nice. But I don’t mind helping make these things happen. In fact, I want the exchange.
I want someone I can completely trust with my insecurities and fears and who trusts me with the same. I want someone who gets me without me having to explain it all the time. I want someone who knows I will make mistakes. I want someone in my corner so I can also be in her. Is this really so difficult? Isn’t it what we all want?
And you’ll say…”You’re being picky and you don’t know it! You’ve met all these woman and you don’t give them a chance to earn your trust!” You can’t force trust. I’ve trusted a lot of women. Some of them have just see me as a ATM machine. And others have become friends. Maybe not best friends, but friends. I clearly don’t have the trust issues so many people have or I wouldn’t end up at rest stops in Irvine…right? I keep TRYING. Lord, do I TRY.
I’m also not saying I’m perfect and no one is good enough. I’m very aware that a guy doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve never actually met a perfect person. That would be creepy. That might be the one person I WOULDN’T trust.
I think there are a lot of men like me out there. In fact, I think there are men who feel this way, too. We’re actually not that crazy and picky. But I think we do want to love this person 100% before signing up for anything. That’s important. I don’t want to be buddies who get married. And love And dammit, I’m not giving up. I’m not. I refuse.
Here’s my vow–and I dare all women who want to be with someone to take it with me. Let’s ALL reject this crap we’re being fed. Love doesn't happen in the first date, love takes times. Chemistry blinds you to see if this person is right for you or not. Didn’t we just find out the world population is nearly 7 BILLION? What the hell, there’s MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER!!! We need to find each other. This is clearly our own fault. We have been lazy.
So raise your right hand NOW and pledge with me:
I will attempt take a chance to meet people who are in the same page as me. I will become a real risk taker. I will place my trust in the Universe and know that whatever happens as a result of my risk-taking is something I can survive. I will let love grow. No matter what. I will do this. Dammit.
(You have to say the dammit’s or it doesn’t count. So go back if you didn’t, dammit.)
If they treat you weird, you’re gonna brush it off and laugh…because they don’t get it. Or email me and I’ll help you feel better because you’re awesome for being a risk taker. If they want to know why you don't believe in chemistry and let love grow. blame me. Tell them it’s part of a social experiment we’re all doing.
That’s it. I can’t stand the whining anymore. Seriously. Who’s with me?
I don’t buy this ‘poor me’ shit. So man woman are spoiled thinking they can get everything they want. But they are also stupid to think they HAVE to get everything in order to be happy. I agree with the proverb: Sometimes not getting what you want is the biggest stroke of luck.
But WORSE…I don’t understand these women. They sound needy and annoying as they look for perfection then complain when they make wrong choices. These women complaining about everything they wanted and then got.
Do you know what I miss about having a girlfriend? Planning birthdays, finding the perfect Christmas gift, knowing the stories that will make her laugh, walking in the middle of the night, hearing another crazy story from her day, surprising her, letting her surprise me, laughing at things we find funny and no one else understands…I miss doing things that will make her happy. I miss knowing that no matter what I might encounter in my day, hearing her voice will be the best part of it.
When you get them on the phone they like to talk about partnership but it seems what they really want is someone to cradle all their emotional baggage and make a lot of money. Of course, I want someone to talk to. And financial stability is always nice. But I don’t mind helping make these things happen. In fact, I want the exchange.
I want someone I can completely trust with my insecurities and fears and who trusts me with the same. I want someone who gets me without me having to explain it all the time. I want someone who knows I will make mistakes. I want someone in my corner so I can also be in her. Is this really so difficult? Isn’t it what we all want?
And you’ll say…”You’re being picky and you don’t know it! You’ve met all these woman and you don’t give them a chance to earn your trust!” You can’t force trust. I’ve trusted a lot of women. Some of them have just see me as a ATM machine. And others have become friends. Maybe not best friends, but friends. I clearly don’t have the trust issues so many people have or I wouldn’t end up at rest stops in Irvine…right? I keep TRYING. Lord, do I TRY.
I’m also not saying I’m perfect and no one is good enough. I’m very aware that a guy doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve never actually met a perfect person. That would be creepy. That might be the one person I WOULDN’T trust.
I think there are a lot of men like me out there. In fact, I think there are men who feel this way, too. We’re actually not that crazy and picky. But I think we do want to love this person 100% before signing up for anything. That’s important. I don’t want to be buddies who get married. And love And dammit, I’m not giving up. I’m not. I refuse.
Here’s my vow–and I dare all women who want to be with someone to take it with me. Let’s ALL reject this crap we’re being fed. Love doesn't happen in the first date, love takes times. Chemistry blinds you to see if this person is right for you or not. Didn’t we just find out the world population is nearly 7 BILLION? What the hell, there’s MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER!!! We need to find each other. This is clearly our own fault. We have been lazy.
So raise your right hand NOW and pledge with me:
I will attempt take a chance to meet people who are in the same page as me. I will become a real risk taker. I will place my trust in the Universe and know that whatever happens as a result of my risk-taking is something I can survive. I will let love grow. No matter what. I will do this. Dammit.
(You have to say the dammit’s or it doesn’t count. So go back if you didn’t, dammit.)
If they treat you weird, you’re gonna brush it off and laugh…because they don’t get it. Or email me and I’ll help you feel better because you’re awesome for being a risk taker. If they want to know why you don't believe in chemistry and let love grow. blame me. Tell them it’s part of a social experiment we’re all doing.
That’s it. I can’t stand the whining anymore. Seriously. Who’s with me?
Monday, September 16, 2013
PERSONAL/LOVE LETTER: DEAR FUTURE SOULMATE...I NEED LOVE
Dear Future Soulmate,
I need love; You need love. We all should be able to feel it Love, we think about it, sing about it. Dream about it, and loose sleep stressing about it.When we don't have it, we want it, but when we have it, we dread loosing it.Love's not just some thing or some kind of game. It is a steady obsession with pleasures and pain LOVE: it's a short word that is simple to spell. but hard to describe and to live without it is impossible.And when I least expected Love, I found it
Because of you, I know how it feels to be loved, and when I think about your brown eyes I see love, and when I think about you I feel love, if only you knew it. When I look into my future, all I see Is that you could be the one for me. My body is burning with desire. My heart is blazing like a flame of fire
If you give all your love to me, then I will gladly give all the love you'll ever need.I'm putting all my trust in you, so take my hand.All I ask is that you be my only woman. I'll sacrifice anything to have you. I thank God for you like an angel, out of the sky you came clearing all the sadness and pain. Knowing in my heart the feeling wasn't just anything. Pure is the love you bring. I knew inside, it felt so right.
For me, I have struggled all my life.To find that part that makes my life right. With you, it seems I might have found some kind of love that fills my heart and soul and makes me complete. The confidence you give lives in me. You'll forever be a sacred part of me. I vow to not ever break your heart, nor ever let you down. For better or worse, I'll still be around. I have heard two in love can make it. If I give you my heart please don't break it.I hope you'd never hurt me, cheat on me, lie to me, do me wrong with a feeling this strong
I don't think you would.Your love is amazing, magical, and peaceful...kind of like the rain that fell on me and washed away all the depression. Your love's in the air I breathe and the spirit of love sets me free. You are the positive motivation in my life who turned my life where it should be and made it right. I love you in small ways. I love you in big ways. I will love you all my life.I will stay right by your side and I will give you all I have cause you made me feel love again
I need love; You need love. We all should be able to feel it Love, we think about it, sing about it. Dream about it, and loose sleep stressing about it.When we don't have it, we want it, but when we have it, we dread loosing it.Love's not just some thing or some kind of game. It is a steady obsession with pleasures and pain LOVE: it's a short word that is simple to spell. but hard to describe and to live without it is impossible.And when I least expected Love, I found it
Because of you, I know how it feels to be loved, and when I think about your brown eyes I see love, and when I think about you I feel love, if only you knew it. When I look into my future, all I see Is that you could be the one for me. My body is burning with desire. My heart is blazing like a flame of fire
If you give all your love to me, then I will gladly give all the love you'll ever need.I'm putting all my trust in you, so take my hand.All I ask is that you be my only woman. I'll sacrifice anything to have you. I thank God for you like an angel, out of the sky you came clearing all the sadness and pain. Knowing in my heart the feeling wasn't just anything. Pure is the love you bring. I knew inside, it felt so right.
For me, I have struggled all my life.To find that part that makes my life right. With you, it seems I might have found some kind of love that fills my heart and soul and makes me complete. The confidence you give lives in me. You'll forever be a sacred part of me. I vow to not ever break your heart, nor ever let you down. For better or worse, I'll still be around. I have heard two in love can make it. If I give you my heart please don't break it.I hope you'd never hurt me, cheat on me, lie to me, do me wrong with a feeling this strong
I don't think you would.Your love is amazing, magical, and peaceful...kind of like the rain that fell on me and washed away all the depression. Your love's in the air I breathe and the spirit of love sets me free. You are the positive motivation in my life who turned my life where it should be and made it right. I love you in small ways. I love you in big ways. I will love you all my life.I will stay right by your side and I will give you all I have cause you made me feel love again
POETRY: YOUR IRRIDESCENT BEAUTY ALWAYS TAKES MY BREATH AWAY
I never told you how you looked..
with the moon spilling from your fingers
and liquid stars, combed through your hair.
I was trying to hold your shadow in my hands
and I dreamt of sleeping.. without you beside me.
I never told you how you looked..
like an angel, when you slept---
your irridescent beauty always takes my breath away.
and it might break your heart when I say- I hate you
but it is only because- I love you
to a point of passion... that unhinges my soul
2
You are the light that awakes me in the morning,
You are the woman I've always dreamed of,
My love for you is beyond imaginable,
The touch of your skin strengthens my day,
You are my soulkeeper in every way.
Please stay with me through the days and nights.
No matter how many fights, me and you belong together.
We shouldn't let anything come between us.
Me and you were meant to be,
and you will see,
in years to come you have made a right choice to be with me.
I love you always and will forever
3
not a day goes by that you don't cross my mind,
your wonderful smile and hand oh, so kind.
I miss you after you say your goodbyes.
no matter what, I'll alway's love you.
4
Under the patient watch of candlelight,
My pen flicks like a wasp.
I write of our memorable days,
Holding hands on streets,
Chasing stars in togetherness,
Entangled in oneness, like worms
Hooked to the lining of the stomach.
You are like the petals of the hibiscus,
Delicate to my touch,
Slipping like the thread of a seamstress,
Passing through the needle?s eye.
5
Every time I see the sunset
I think of your adorable face
and how I long for your embrace
Every time I see the sunset
I think of your beautiful eyes
and how they remind me of Angels in Heavenly skies
Every time I see the sunset
I think of the talks we share
and how we both seemed to care
Every time I see the sunset
I think of how I was afraid before
and how I am no more
Every time I see the sunset
I think of how I Love You
and how I know it's true
Everytime I see the sunset
I think of YOU
6
I can't seem to put in words
The things I want to say
So I write them in poems
With the hope that one day
You will know in your heart
How I feel and that I care
You have found a place in my heart
And you'll always be there
How could I have known
You'd make me feel this way
So wonderful and sweet you are
Sometimes I forget what to say
I love to hear your voice
My love, you are so special to me
This lady God gave to me
Precious as any will ever be
7
Talking to you yesterday
made me feel good throughout the day.
I know that you are far away
but deep inside my heart you stay.
Your sweet voice... made me melt.
I cannot really explain how I felt.
I think I was magically spelt
by your sweet voice... that's what I felt.
Thinking about my sweet love,
lying in bed and my heart flying above.
our love is as beautiful as a turtle dove.
I have never before felt truly in love.
Dozing off and dreaming about you,
I felt your kiss, so sweet, so true.
I wanted to hold onto you
and I felt that you wanted it, too.
I woke up early in the morning.
I kept remembering that feeling.
Now my life is full of meaning,
with you in my life, so loving, so caring.
It's forever me and you.
It's the only thing I always knew.
8
I lie here at night,
All alone,
Wanting you in my bed next to me.
Holding me close,
Watching me sleep,
I feel your breathing,
Your hands locked in mine.
The sound of your voice rings in my head.
I lie here at night,
dreaming of you,
Hoping that someday it will come true.
I lie here at night,
You feel so near,
My every fear disappears.
You are my princess,
You are my love,
Every day I thank God above,
For giving me the chance to know you.
I lie here at night,
Hurting no more,
I feel no pain, just your love.
You don't seem so far away.
I lie here at night,
All alone,
wanting you in my bed next to be.
For you I'd wait an eternity.
I lie here at night,
wanting only you.
As I lie here.
9
ou were sent to me from up above.
Out of a thousand stars in the sky,
You were chosen just for me.
It was destiny.
Your smile, your scent, your attitude,
The way you walk, the way you talk;
The way my hand fits perfectly with yours,
The way when we kiss I feel as if we are one,
All of this was sent to me from up above!
Your voice sounds as if you were an angel,
speaking to me, telling me how much you care
And how you'll always be there.
Like a gust of wind,
It sends chills up my spine.
This was sent only to me from up above!
Your touch, so gentle and sweet,
It feels like a thousand silk rose petals
floating across my skin.
When you hold me so tight,
It makes me feel so safe and sound
Yhat I don't ever want you to let go.
This also was sent to me from up above!
Meeting you was such a joy,
I wouldn't trade it for the world.
You've taught me so much
that I will treasure forever.
If all of this should one day end,
I know it will be kept safe far up above
for me to unlock once again!
10
Love, what is love?
Is it the happiness
of being brought together
from a strength sent from above?
Is it like the feel of joy?
As when to when you see your bundle of joy,
your babby girl or babby boy.
Is it a strength that can last?
I don't know....thinking of loves past.
But all and all love is a feeling
that no words can fully explain,
It can make a man do things known as insane,
Even though what he's doing might seem insane,
All he's trying to do is deal with love
and a good piece mind,
The kind of love that makes any person blind.
11
As I gaze into your sparkling eyes,
my mind drifts off to a heavenly dream
of magical far off skies
where the clouds are as soft as your skin.
As I float in a mist of dreams
I am awakened by a strange draft.
As I open my eyes, my heart erupts
with an emotion I have yet to conquer.
My love has left me,
while I was in a world of wonder and solitude.
I close my eyes once again and feel your presence.
I look around and realize I am back in my dream,
with you holding me in your arms
As we float through the skies like sparrows
nothing is on our minds,
not a thought could move us from our happiness together
12
Should love's petals of hope
shine among the stars and
clouds of glory descend on you
like a dove, and embrace you
with wide opened arms?
Should you lie and hide the truth,
and still expect me to regard
the overcast sky and the cold air
with great reassurance?
Should I relax my thoughts
in spite of arrows that pierced
through my heart and pretend you merely
robbed it with broomsticks?
Or should I play "deaf and dumb"
in total forgiveness of broken trust
and reward you for this
"hide and seek" episodes of love?
Should I still seek your face,
covet your faith in absolute
disregard of your kinky games
or suppress my feelings and
consider your reckless abandonment
a gentle brush on my cheek?
Tell me, should I still love you
for being a thorn in my flesh,
a prickle in my eyes and
a bruise in my soul?
13
Flowing robes driven by the soft gentle breeze,
the scent of love still in the air.
I peer through the open doorway to feast my eyes
on your sleeping soul.
A dream come to life, an answered prayer
I look and, yes, you are still there.
Soft breaths of life coming from beyond the door,
as you lie there peacefully sleeping.
Your strong bare chest gently rising and falling
with the beat of my heart.
I look into your peaceful sleeping face knowing the wonderous
love of the night before
and the knowledge that we will never part.
I open the door and step out to greet
the morning with outstretched arms
and a glow on my face that just may have outshone the sun.
The cool fresh earth beneath my feet,
the soft breeze rustling my hair-
Nothing on earth could ever compare.
I walk to the stream that runs beyond the tree line
and step into the cool water.
I gasp with shock as the feeling brought me to life.
My body tingled from the crispness of the cool breeze
blowing through the trees, where the sunlight could not
reach to give its kiss of warmth.
I hear the distant rumble of an approaching storm.
I could feel you caressing me before your hands ever reached me.
Laying me down on the cool grass your hands began touching my hair,
my lips and my very soul.
The storm and our love growing stronger
with each thunder roll.
14
A love worth remembering
doesn't come along every day,
we should try to nurture it
in every little way
When two hearts merrily
join as one then
eternal bliss has once
again begun!!
with the moon spilling from your fingers
and liquid stars, combed through your hair.
I was trying to hold your shadow in my hands
and I dreamt of sleeping.. without you beside me.
I never told you how you looked..
like an angel, when you slept---
your irridescent beauty always takes my breath away.
and it might break your heart when I say- I hate you
but it is only because- I love you
to a point of passion... that unhinges my soul
2
You are the light that awakes me in the morning,
You are the woman I've always dreamed of,
My love for you is beyond imaginable,
The touch of your skin strengthens my day,
You are my soulkeeper in every way.
Please stay with me through the days and nights.
No matter how many fights, me and you belong together.
We shouldn't let anything come between us.
Me and you were meant to be,
and you will see,
in years to come you have made a right choice to be with me.
I love you always and will forever
3
not a day goes by that you don't cross my mind,
your wonderful smile and hand oh, so kind.
I miss you after you say your goodbyes.
no matter what, I'll alway's love you.
4
Under the patient watch of candlelight,
My pen flicks like a wasp.
I write of our memorable days,
Holding hands on streets,
Chasing stars in togetherness,
Entangled in oneness, like worms
Hooked to the lining of the stomach.
You are like the petals of the hibiscus,
Delicate to my touch,
Slipping like the thread of a seamstress,
Passing through the needle?s eye.
5
Every time I see the sunset
I think of your adorable face
and how I long for your embrace
Every time I see the sunset
I think of your beautiful eyes
and how they remind me of Angels in Heavenly skies
Every time I see the sunset
I think of the talks we share
and how we both seemed to care
Every time I see the sunset
I think of how I was afraid before
and how I am no more
Every time I see the sunset
I think of how I Love You
and how I know it's true
Everytime I see the sunset
I think of YOU
6
I can't seem to put in words
The things I want to say
So I write them in poems
With the hope that one day
You will know in your heart
How I feel and that I care
You have found a place in my heart
And you'll always be there
How could I have known
You'd make me feel this way
So wonderful and sweet you are
Sometimes I forget what to say
I love to hear your voice
My love, you are so special to me
This lady God gave to me
Precious as any will ever be
7
Talking to you yesterday
made me feel good throughout the day.
I know that you are far away
but deep inside my heart you stay.
Your sweet voice... made me melt.
I cannot really explain how I felt.
I think I was magically spelt
by your sweet voice... that's what I felt.
Thinking about my sweet love,
lying in bed and my heart flying above.
our love is as beautiful as a turtle dove.
I have never before felt truly in love.
Dozing off and dreaming about you,
I felt your kiss, so sweet, so true.
I wanted to hold onto you
and I felt that you wanted it, too.
I woke up early in the morning.
I kept remembering that feeling.
Now my life is full of meaning,
with you in my life, so loving, so caring.
It's forever me and you.
It's the only thing I always knew.
8
I lie here at night,
All alone,
Wanting you in my bed next to me.
Holding me close,
Watching me sleep,
I feel your breathing,
Your hands locked in mine.
The sound of your voice rings in my head.
I lie here at night,
dreaming of you,
Hoping that someday it will come true.
I lie here at night,
You feel so near,
My every fear disappears.
You are my princess,
You are my love,
Every day I thank God above,
For giving me the chance to know you.
I lie here at night,
Hurting no more,
I feel no pain, just your love.
You don't seem so far away.
I lie here at night,
All alone,
wanting you in my bed next to be.
For you I'd wait an eternity.
I lie here at night,
wanting only you.
As I lie here.
9
ou were sent to me from up above.
Out of a thousand stars in the sky,
You were chosen just for me.
It was destiny.
Your smile, your scent, your attitude,
The way you walk, the way you talk;
The way my hand fits perfectly with yours,
The way when we kiss I feel as if we are one,
All of this was sent to me from up above!
Your voice sounds as if you were an angel,
speaking to me, telling me how much you care
And how you'll always be there.
Like a gust of wind,
It sends chills up my spine.
This was sent only to me from up above!
Your touch, so gentle and sweet,
It feels like a thousand silk rose petals
floating across my skin.
When you hold me so tight,
It makes me feel so safe and sound
Yhat I don't ever want you to let go.
This also was sent to me from up above!
Meeting you was such a joy,
I wouldn't trade it for the world.
You've taught me so much
that I will treasure forever.
If all of this should one day end,
I know it will be kept safe far up above
for me to unlock once again!
10
Love, what is love?
Is it the happiness
of being brought together
from a strength sent from above?
Is it like the feel of joy?
As when to when you see your bundle of joy,
your babby girl or babby boy.
Is it a strength that can last?
I don't know....thinking of loves past.
But all and all love is a feeling
that no words can fully explain,
It can make a man do things known as insane,
Even though what he's doing might seem insane,
All he's trying to do is deal with love
and a good piece mind,
The kind of love that makes any person blind.
11
As I gaze into your sparkling eyes,
my mind drifts off to a heavenly dream
of magical far off skies
where the clouds are as soft as your skin.
As I float in a mist of dreams
I am awakened by a strange draft.
As I open my eyes, my heart erupts
with an emotion I have yet to conquer.
My love has left me,
while I was in a world of wonder and solitude.
I close my eyes once again and feel your presence.
I look around and realize I am back in my dream,
with you holding me in your arms
As we float through the skies like sparrows
nothing is on our minds,
not a thought could move us from our happiness together
12
Should love's petals of hope
shine among the stars and
clouds of glory descend on you
like a dove, and embrace you
with wide opened arms?
Should you lie and hide the truth,
and still expect me to regard
the overcast sky and the cold air
with great reassurance?
Should I relax my thoughts
in spite of arrows that pierced
through my heart and pretend you merely
robbed it with broomsticks?
Or should I play "deaf and dumb"
in total forgiveness of broken trust
and reward you for this
"hide and seek" episodes of love?
Should I still seek your face,
covet your faith in absolute
disregard of your kinky games
or suppress my feelings and
consider your reckless abandonment
a gentle brush on my cheek?
Tell me, should I still love you
for being a thorn in my flesh,
a prickle in my eyes and
a bruise in my soul?
13
Flowing robes driven by the soft gentle breeze,
the scent of love still in the air.
I peer through the open doorway to feast my eyes
on your sleeping soul.
A dream come to life, an answered prayer
I look and, yes, you are still there.
Soft breaths of life coming from beyond the door,
as you lie there peacefully sleeping.
Your strong bare chest gently rising and falling
with the beat of my heart.
I look into your peaceful sleeping face knowing the wonderous
love of the night before
and the knowledge that we will never part.
I open the door and step out to greet
the morning with outstretched arms
and a glow on my face that just may have outshone the sun.
The cool fresh earth beneath my feet,
the soft breeze rustling my hair-
Nothing on earth could ever compare.
I walk to the stream that runs beyond the tree line
and step into the cool water.
I gasp with shock as the feeling brought me to life.
My body tingled from the crispness of the cool breeze
blowing through the trees, where the sunlight could not
reach to give its kiss of warmth.
I hear the distant rumble of an approaching storm.
I could feel you caressing me before your hands ever reached me.
Laying me down on the cool grass your hands began touching my hair,
my lips and my very soul.
The storm and our love growing stronger
with each thunder roll.
14
A love worth remembering
doesn't come along every day,
we should try to nurture it
in every little way
When two hearts merrily
join as one then
eternal bliss has once
again begun!!
JOURNAL: MY PARENTS BIRTHDAY
So this weekend me and my sister took our parents out for dinner for their birthday. We had a great time.
I go her a new cellphone. I am so blessed to have both of them still alive. Thank you God.
I go her a new cellphone. I am so blessed to have both of them still alive. Thank you God.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
ARTICLE : Rich Man’s Recovery By PAUL KRUGMAN
A few days ago, The Times published a report on a society that is being undermined by extreme inequality. This society claims to reward the best and brightest regardless of family background. In practice, however, the children of the wealthy benefit from opportunities and connections unavailable to children of the middle and working classes. And it was clear from the article that the gap between the society’s meritocratic ideology and its increasingly oligarchic reality is having a deeply demoralizing effect.
The report illustrated in a nutshell why extreme inequality is destructive, why claims ring hollow that inequality of outcomes doesn’t matter as long as there is equality of opportunity. If the rich are so much richer than the rest that they live in a different social and material universe, that fact in itself makes nonsense of any notion of equal opportunity.
By the way, which society are we talking about? The answer is: the Harvard Business School — an elite institution, but one that is now characterized by a sharp internal division between ordinary students and a sub-elite of students from wealthy families.
The point, of course, is that as the business school goes, so goes America, only even more so — a point driven home by the latest data on taxpayer incomes.
The data in question have been compiled for the past decade by the economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, who use I.R.S. numbers to estimate the concentration of income in America’s upper strata. According to their estimates, top income shares took a hit during the Great Recession, as things like capital gains and Wall Street bonuses temporarily dried up. But the rich have come roaring back, to such an extent that 95 percent of the gains from economic recovery since 2009 have gone to the famous 1 percent. In fact, more than 60 percent of the gains went to the top 0.1 percent, people with annual incomes of more than $1.9 million.
Basically, while the great majority of Americans are still living in a depressed economy, the rich have recovered just about all their losses and are powering ahead.
An aside: These numbers should (but probably won’t) finally kill claims that rising inequality is all about the highly educated doing better than those with less training. Only a small fraction of college graduates make it into the charmed circle of the 1 percent. Meanwhile, many, even most, highly educated young people are having a very rough time. They have their degrees, often acquired at the cost of heavy debts, but many remain unemployed or underemployed, while many more find that they are employed in jobs that make no use of their expensive educations. The college graduate serving lattes at Starbucks is a cliché, but he reflects a very real situation.
What’s driving these huge income gains at the top? There’s intense debate on that point, with some economists still claiming that incredibly high incomes reflect comparably incredible contributions to the economy. I guess I’d note that a large proportion of those superhigh incomes come from the financial industry, which is, as you may remember, the industry that taxpayers had to bail out after its looming collapse threatened to take down the whole economy.
In any case, however, whatever is causing the growing concentration of income at the top, the effect of that concentration is to undermine all the values that define America. Year by year, we’re diverging from our ideals. Inherited privilege is crowding out equality of opportunity; the power of money is crowding out effective democracy.
So what can be done? For the moment, the kind of transformation that took place under the New Deal — a transformation that created a middle-class society, not just through government programs, but by greatly increasing workers’ bargaining power — seems politically out of reach. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on smaller steps, initiatives that do at least a bit to level the playing field.
Take, for example, the proposal by Bill de Blasio, who finished in first place in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and is the probable next mayor of New York, to provide universal prekindergarten education, paid for with a small tax surcharge on those with incomes over $500,000. The usual suspects are, of course, screaming and talking about their hurt feelings; they’ve been doing a lot of that these past few years, even while making out like bandits. But surely this is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing: Taxing the ever-richer rich, at least a bit, to expand opportunity for the children of the less fortunate.
Some pundits are already suggesting that Mr. de Blasio’s unexpected rise is the leading edge of a new economic populism that will shake up our whole political system. That seems premature, but I hope they’re right. For extreme inequality is still on the rise — and it’s poisoning our society.
The report illustrated in a nutshell why extreme inequality is destructive, why claims ring hollow that inequality of outcomes doesn’t matter as long as there is equality of opportunity. If the rich are so much richer than the rest that they live in a different social and material universe, that fact in itself makes nonsense of any notion of equal opportunity.
By the way, which society are we talking about? The answer is: the Harvard Business School — an elite institution, but one that is now characterized by a sharp internal division between ordinary students and a sub-elite of students from wealthy families.
The point, of course, is that as the business school goes, so goes America, only even more so — a point driven home by the latest data on taxpayer incomes.
The data in question have been compiled for the past decade by the economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, who use I.R.S. numbers to estimate the concentration of income in America’s upper strata. According to their estimates, top income shares took a hit during the Great Recession, as things like capital gains and Wall Street bonuses temporarily dried up. But the rich have come roaring back, to such an extent that 95 percent of the gains from economic recovery since 2009 have gone to the famous 1 percent. In fact, more than 60 percent of the gains went to the top 0.1 percent, people with annual incomes of more than $1.9 million.
Basically, while the great majority of Americans are still living in a depressed economy, the rich have recovered just about all their losses and are powering ahead.
An aside: These numbers should (but probably won’t) finally kill claims that rising inequality is all about the highly educated doing better than those with less training. Only a small fraction of college graduates make it into the charmed circle of the 1 percent. Meanwhile, many, even most, highly educated young people are having a very rough time. They have their degrees, often acquired at the cost of heavy debts, but many remain unemployed or underemployed, while many more find that they are employed in jobs that make no use of their expensive educations. The college graduate serving lattes at Starbucks is a cliché, but he reflects a very real situation.
What’s driving these huge income gains at the top? There’s intense debate on that point, with some economists still claiming that incredibly high incomes reflect comparably incredible contributions to the economy. I guess I’d note that a large proportion of those superhigh incomes come from the financial industry, which is, as you may remember, the industry that taxpayers had to bail out after its looming collapse threatened to take down the whole economy.
In any case, however, whatever is causing the growing concentration of income at the top, the effect of that concentration is to undermine all the values that define America. Year by year, we’re diverging from our ideals. Inherited privilege is crowding out equality of opportunity; the power of money is crowding out effective democracy.
So what can be done? For the moment, the kind of transformation that took place under the New Deal — a transformation that created a middle-class society, not just through government programs, but by greatly increasing workers’ bargaining power — seems politically out of reach. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on smaller steps, initiatives that do at least a bit to level the playing field.
Take, for example, the proposal by Bill de Blasio, who finished in first place in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and is the probable next mayor of New York, to provide universal prekindergarten education, paid for with a small tax surcharge on those with incomes over $500,000. The usual suspects are, of course, screaming and talking about their hurt feelings; they’ve been doing a lot of that these past few years, even while making out like bandits. But surely this is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing: Taxing the ever-richer rich, at least a bit, to expand opportunity for the children of the less fortunate.
Some pundits are already suggesting that Mr. de Blasio’s unexpected rise is the leading edge of a new economic populism that will shake up our whole political system. That seems premature, but I hope they’re right. For extreme inequality is still on the rise — and it’s poisoning our society.
ARTICLE: Money can't make you happy: Here's what can BY Holly Ellyatt
The answer to the eternal question, Does money make you happy? is no, according to a new study analyzing the relationship between wealth and happiness.
"You ask the question 'can money make us happy,' and the evidence shows that it doesn't. The evidence we get is that we get richer and richer but we don't get any happier," Robert Skidelsky, the economic historian and co-author of a book on modern capitalism titled "How Much Is Enough?" told CNBC on Wednesday.
The "basic goods" that compose a happy life include health, education, leisure, friendship and harmony with nature, according to the book, which was written by Skidelsky, an emeritus professor of political economy at the University of Warwick, and his son, philosopher Edward Skidelsky.
(Read more: Scandinavians lead the way in world happiness)
They advocated that work should be breaks from leisure, rather than people taking breaks from work.
"A good life is a life that contains these basic goods and once you've got enough money for those, you have enough—so to carry on working for more is silly," Edward Skidelsky said.
(Read more: The perfect income for happiness? It's $161,000)
The book's conclusions echo the work of economist John Maynard Keynes, about whom the elder Skidelsky wrote a biography. In 1930, Keynes predicted that within a century per capita income would steadily rise and people's basic needs would be met, meaning that no one would have to work more than 15 hours a week.
"What has happened is that we have got a lot richer, but our workload has not actually dropped," Robert Skidelsky said. "We're on a treadmill, a work treadmill, a growth treadmill, for what end? We don't even ask the question. It's just more and more accumulation."
(Read more: Happiness matters, Merkel tells Germany)
"The job market is controlled by employers and not employees, so people don't have the power to set their own terms and conditions of work," Edward added.
The economic slump had caused more people to be dissatisfied and question the purpose of working, the Skidelskys said.
"You ask the question 'can money make us happy,' and the evidence shows that it doesn't. The evidence we get is that we get richer and richer but we don't get any happier," Robert Skidelsky, the economic historian and co-author of a book on modern capitalism titled "How Much Is Enough?" told CNBC on Wednesday.
The "basic goods" that compose a happy life include health, education, leisure, friendship and harmony with nature, according to the book, which was written by Skidelsky, an emeritus professor of political economy at the University of Warwick, and his son, philosopher Edward Skidelsky.
(Read more: Scandinavians lead the way in world happiness)
They advocated that work should be breaks from leisure, rather than people taking breaks from work.
"A good life is a life that contains these basic goods and once you've got enough money for those, you have enough—so to carry on working for more is silly," Edward Skidelsky said.
(Read more: The perfect income for happiness? It's $161,000)
The book's conclusions echo the work of economist John Maynard Keynes, about whom the elder Skidelsky wrote a biography. In 1930, Keynes predicted that within a century per capita income would steadily rise and people's basic needs would be met, meaning that no one would have to work more than 15 hours a week.
"What has happened is that we have got a lot richer, but our workload has not actually dropped," Robert Skidelsky said. "We're on a treadmill, a work treadmill, a growth treadmill, for what end? We don't even ask the question. It's just more and more accumulation."
(Read more: Happiness matters, Merkel tells Germany)
"The job market is controlled by employers and not employees, so people don't have the power to set their own terms and conditions of work," Edward added.
The economic slump had caused more people to be dissatisfied and question the purpose of working, the Skidelskys said.
PERSONAL/ LOVE LETTER: ONCE UPON A TIME
Once upon a time, I fell in love . Talking to her became part of my daily routine. Every morning, her voice was the first thing I heard. She would call the moment she woke up, and no matter how exhausted I was, how early it was, it didn’t stop me from smiling and saying good morning.Then at Nine o’clock EXACTLY, she would call and we would talk until she fell asleep. And I would stay on and listen to her, she talks in her sleep sometimes. How much I wished I could be there and kiss her. I longed to read her text messages and emails as often as I could. I wanted to hear her voice and I wanted to know everything I could about her. I dreamed about her - and the dreams were very vivid and seemed real. Sometimes I would wake up and go through much of the day thinking about my dream as if she had been with me the day before and left, and felt like I was missing her.
We decided to met in Lincoln Center. My past experiences taught me to think it might not have been everything I thought it would when we were just writing and talking, but I was wrong She was the most beautiful thing my eyes ever set on. She never wore make up, and That’s how I liked it. All the things I thought I loved about her was there....her openness, her kindness, and her acceptance of me. No doubting that "this is love." Eyes longing for each other, a sharing of moist breath and iris' pulse. A rare touch eliciting truth in unconditional positive regard. Desiring to follow her naturally seductive lead. Heaven on earth. Lasting memories after years of pent-up passion.
What I love the most was that she always smiled, at the tiniest things. Anything really, and her laugh? Oh man her laugh. She hated it, but she could never stop. And no matter how crappy my day was, when I heard her laugh, my heart would soar. Then there were the days, when I thought she would stop smiling. When I thought she would never stop crying. Man.. Have you ever felt so helpless in your entire life? And it hurts, I can’t be there to hold her. I love her. The kind of love that did not need any reminder. It would be a subconscious thing to know that I, with all my heart. I also always admired how strong she was. No matter how much she was dying inside, she never changed. It just became a bit harder for her to smile..but she got through it.
Dear future soulmate: I love you, and I wish I could love you everyday.
We decided to met in Lincoln Center. My past experiences taught me to think it might not have been everything I thought it would when we were just writing and talking, but I was wrong She was the most beautiful thing my eyes ever set on. She never wore make up, and That’s how I liked it. All the things I thought I loved about her was there....her openness, her kindness, and her acceptance of me. No doubting that "this is love." Eyes longing for each other, a sharing of moist breath and iris' pulse. A rare touch eliciting truth in unconditional positive regard. Desiring to follow her naturally seductive lead. Heaven on earth. Lasting memories after years of pent-up passion.
What I love the most was that she always smiled, at the tiniest things. Anything really, and her laugh? Oh man her laugh. She hated it, but she could never stop. And no matter how crappy my day was, when I heard her laugh, my heart would soar. Then there were the days, when I thought she would stop smiling. When I thought she would never stop crying. Man.. Have you ever felt so helpless in your entire life? And it hurts, I can’t be there to hold her. I love her. The kind of love that did not need any reminder. It would be a subconscious thing to know that I, with all my heart. I also always admired how strong she was. No matter how much she was dying inside, she never changed. It just became a bit harder for her to smile..but she got through it.
Dear future soulmate: I love you, and I wish I could love you everyday.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
COMMITMENT PHOBIC/LOVE/DATING: WHY I DON'T SHARE MY PICTURES....SERIAL DATERS
Most guys including myself go onto these online dating site hoping upon hope that they will find that woman who will be an answer to all their prayers. This woman who will be their dream girl, the girl who cooks and cleans, and is amazing in bed and gets along great with their mother, and of course fits their desire of what they want in looks. These men then get confronted with having to fill out questions and loading photos to draw this woman into their lives. They feel they are bringing everything to the table, that women will throw themselves at them and they are wrong. Very, very, very wrong.
They will get women who will contact them based on their looks alone. These women are NOT what I am looking for at all. In my opinion, serial daters are some of the most dangerous women online. These are the type of women that play the numbers game and try to go on as many first dates as possible.
While this may seem like a reasonable thing to do in order to find that special someone, it is also a red flag to me. Why? Because serial daters are often the type of women that are always looking for the next best thing. No guy will ever measure up to their ideal fantasy of what they see on television and in the movies. We can have a good date, but if we didn’t sweep them off their feet like Ryan Gosling in The Notebook, it’s just not good enough.
I find it interesting also when then when i finally speak to them, all they do is say is tell me that they want excitement in their lives. Then on their profile they are telling these men they want something stable and they aren’t like every other woman out there. It's like they are mocking the “nice guy” to me, seem to be exerting a false sense of vindication and control. Did that chip on their shoulder start with online dating? I don’t think so. I think these women always harbored warped ideas about love, sex, men and commitment and I think those seeds were planted long before they scoffed at their first wink or respond to me. That thinking was borne from years of being told they could do better by well meaning or sabotaging girlfriends.
In my mind, it’s not the environment that online dating provides that is the problem. The true hurdle is certain user’s inability to accurately identify what it is they seek.That’s what makes it difficult for them to settle on just one person.
Many of these women will often waste the best years of their lives looking for something that just doesn’t exist, instead of taking the time to actually get to know people that could be a great match! Unlike the movies, in “real life,” most people don’t fall in love after a first date. Nor do they feel an earth-shattering connection after a couple of drinks. Yes, it may happen to some people out there, but more often than not, these are the type of feelings that only occur when we are young teenagers, hopelessly falling in love. I am not kidding when I tell you that most of these women say they want to find a partner but never appear to do so, as their profile stays active day after day, month after month, for years.
In my humble opinion, the way we fall in love changes as we age. It still happens, and even just as powerfully, but not as instantly. For most relationship, feelings of adoration and love take time to develop and we must get to know someone for who they are on several different levels first. As our emotional connections build up, the love builds up as well, and we eventually fall in love. Again, this is not true in all cases, but I believe this is how love works for me.
The serial daters out there do not give these feelings time to progress. They just jump to the next email or date if they did not instantly fall in love after a date or two. Eventually many of these misguided serial daters will find themselves in a relationship at some point after dozens or even hundreds of dates, but more often it is because they reach a point where they are exhausted from looking, and just decide to settle because time is ticking!
They will get women who will contact them based on their looks alone. These women are NOT what I am looking for at all. In my opinion, serial daters are some of the most dangerous women online. These are the type of women that play the numbers game and try to go on as many first dates as possible.
While this may seem like a reasonable thing to do in order to find that special someone, it is also a red flag to me. Why? Because serial daters are often the type of women that are always looking for the next best thing. No guy will ever measure up to their ideal fantasy of what they see on television and in the movies. We can have a good date, but if we didn’t sweep them off their feet like Ryan Gosling in The Notebook, it’s just not good enough.
I find it interesting also when then when i finally speak to them, all they do is say is tell me that they want excitement in their lives. Then on their profile they are telling these men they want something stable and they aren’t like every other woman out there. It's like they are mocking the “nice guy” to me, seem to be exerting a false sense of vindication and control. Did that chip on their shoulder start with online dating? I don’t think so. I think these women always harbored warped ideas about love, sex, men and commitment and I think those seeds were planted long before they scoffed at their first wink or respond to me. That thinking was borne from years of being told they could do better by well meaning or sabotaging girlfriends.
In my mind, it’s not the environment that online dating provides that is the problem. The true hurdle is certain user’s inability to accurately identify what it is they seek.That’s what makes it difficult for them to settle on just one person.
Many of these women will often waste the best years of their lives looking for something that just doesn’t exist, instead of taking the time to actually get to know people that could be a great match! Unlike the movies, in “real life,” most people don’t fall in love after a first date. Nor do they feel an earth-shattering connection after a couple of drinks. Yes, it may happen to some people out there, but more often than not, these are the type of feelings that only occur when we are young teenagers, hopelessly falling in love. I am not kidding when I tell you that most of these women say they want to find a partner but never appear to do so, as their profile stays active day after day, month after month, for years.
In my humble opinion, the way we fall in love changes as we age. It still happens, and even just as powerfully, but not as instantly. For most relationship, feelings of adoration and love take time to develop and we must get to know someone for who they are on several different levels first. As our emotional connections build up, the love builds up as well, and we eventually fall in love. Again, this is not true in all cases, but I believe this is how love works for me.
The serial daters out there do not give these feelings time to progress. They just jump to the next email or date if they did not instantly fall in love after a date or two. Eventually many of these misguided serial daters will find themselves in a relationship at some point after dozens or even hundreds of dates, but more often it is because they reach a point where they are exhausted from looking, and just decide to settle because time is ticking!
Monday, September 9, 2013
JOURNAL
I need to be more loving to find more love. What happen to me? I am going to try to be:
-more accepting
-say kind words
-do kind action
-feel more loving
It seem that most woman are looking for a man to submit to them. That isn't me. I have no problem going out once in while, but if a woman want to go out then she should take care of everything that is involved. If I want to go out...I will take care of everything as well.
Since I don't have a girlfriend now, I will not let it make me unhappy. A woman isn't the answer to happiness. I am going to stop worrying if I don't met the one...and if I don't ever get married and have kids. I am just going with the flow of life. Stop resisting where life takes me.
PERSONAL/ LOVE LETTER: LOVING YOU, MY DARLING
Loving you, my darling, is being in such beauty of your eyes, come mingle your love with my heart. Caution, darling, there is fire in my bosom and the flame is burning for you. I rush to your side to be boiled in the passions you generate and how my lips secrete for the liquor of your fruits.
I give my soul to you to be touched in my spirit with your light and the colorful brightness of your smile. Your face glows with loveliness and the happiness you bring makes me sing aloud with ecstastic joy. It's such joy the expectation we'll embrace each other with all tenderness and the charms holding you, loving you creates.
I bequeath my faith to you and I'll present my love and goodness in the riches of my affections. Lady, can I make this inquiry of your heart: will you love me until my body lies in the grave? So, darling, let's join our souls in the banqueting of love. My kisses are yours, I'll kiss your hands, every dulcet nectar that spills from your treats, the nourishment of my love.
I propose to you, the desire of my heart gushes like a river, and I call you to my flow. I'm so inebriated about you that I'm blessed with your sunshine; darling, can I feast my eyes on you for all time? Abide in me, let me travel into you and together we will trace our names in the language of love within each other's heart. Love is written upon my soul for you and your expressed emotions, your kisses are my prizes, the silky-satin groove upon my achievement of winning your love.
Your charisma draws my heartbeat, you have befriended the nucleaus of my spirit and embraced me with angel-like presence and caresses that are heaven sent. Loving My Darling, allows me to cuddle your ears with thanks, with sugar of the utmost sweetness and appreciation and pleasure I savor being in the aura of your
goodness. You're essential as my blood, I need your love and you are my survival.
You are precious to me, and may the heaven's appoint us to love.I find in you: charms in your arms, eyes aflame with that gleaming smile you possess. You're standing before my eyes with tears knowing there is a message of farewell between our hearts, but I plead with you to stay for I'm crying for your love. Say this man, this poet will not once again be alone with his inspiration and the wind's chilling my soul. Whisper goodbye and I'll shout LOVING YOU, MY DARLING.
I give my soul to you to be touched in my spirit with your light and the colorful brightness of your smile. Your face glows with loveliness and the happiness you bring makes me sing aloud with ecstastic joy. It's such joy the expectation we'll embrace each other with all tenderness and the charms holding you, loving you creates.
I bequeath my faith to you and I'll present my love and goodness in the riches of my affections. Lady, can I make this inquiry of your heart: will you love me until my body lies in the grave? So, darling, let's join our souls in the banqueting of love. My kisses are yours, I'll kiss your hands, every dulcet nectar that spills from your treats, the nourishment of my love.
I propose to you, the desire of my heart gushes like a river, and I call you to my flow. I'm so inebriated about you that I'm blessed with your sunshine; darling, can I feast my eyes on you for all time? Abide in me, let me travel into you and together we will trace our names in the language of love within each other's heart. Love is written upon my soul for you and your expressed emotions, your kisses are my prizes, the silky-satin groove upon my achievement of winning your love.
Your charisma draws my heartbeat, you have befriended the nucleaus of my spirit and embraced me with angel-like presence and caresses that are heaven sent. Loving My Darling, allows me to cuddle your ears with thanks, with sugar of the utmost sweetness and appreciation and pleasure I savor being in the aura of your
goodness. You're essential as my blood, I need your love and you are my survival.
You are precious to me, and may the heaven's appoint us to love.I find in you: charms in your arms, eyes aflame with that gleaming smile you possess. You're standing before my eyes with tears knowing there is a message of farewell between our hearts, but I plead with you to stay for I'm crying for your love. Say this man, this poet will not once again be alone with his inspiration and the wind's chilling my soul. Whisper goodbye and I'll shout LOVING YOU, MY DARLING.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)