JOURNALISM

The news presented to the general population via TV, radio or newspaper should be only the actual facts and only the truth.  I believe for a newscaster it is almost impossible to be completely unbiased.  Even in a traffic accident they have to report who is involved, and their background and other personal details influence the way they report such an incident.   Unfortunately it seems that only the bad news is the main subject to be aired.

In the realm of politics the bias of news persons is more obvious. If the person is a Republican they will definitely be somewhat biased against any Democratic candidate.  By the same token a newscaster who is a strong Democrat will have a hard time praising or being in favor of a Republican candidate.  The solution for this problem is that people should only listen to and understand what a candidate has to say directly, in person, and not reported second hand through a newscaster.

VITAMINS

The majority of people old and young take vitamins or supplements because they believe that they need them. The producers of vitamins have convinced people that taking vitamins improves your health and prevents getting sick.  Well, neither the FDA nor any clinical studies have proven that taking vitamins is of any benefit to whoever uses them.  I have never heard of anyone who takes vitamins that has cured themselves of any kind of malady that they have. Of course, taking vitamins will not do any harm to you, and certainly, taking vitamins is like taking a placebo, in other words, it makes you believe that you’re improving you health.  No such thing.  If people would take an adequate diet of vegetables, fruits, and other essential nutrients, they do not need to take vitamins for any reason.  Please, if you believe strongly in vitamins and think I’m in error, make a comment and enlighten me and I will be more than thankful.  But you have to prove it to me first 🙂

FUNERALS

One of the greatest tribulations a person (or persons) can experience is the demise of a relative, good friend or long time co-worker. The closer one was to the deceased, the more suffering one experiences.   When death occurs there is not much anyone can do except, if they choose,  go through the ordeal of a funeral. People left behind think they have to show that a very elaborate funeral is appropriate for the one that died. Some people call the most prestigious funeral home they can find – the cost is not important.  They feel that they need to give the dead the best coffin made out of the best wood, the best silk and lace lining, etc., etc.  It can cost thousands of dollars.  They want to make sure that the deceased are very comfortable and cozy and know that they were very much loved. They also go to great expense to make sure that they are interred in good company with other dead people.  They have beautiful stones carved with their names and dates of birth and death on them!  People visit their dead and bring them flowers.  They talk to them.  People that go through all this may not realize that they do all this for themselves.  It makes them feel good and shows the love they had for the deceased.  Somehow our society forces us to display all those signs of loving and caring.  Unfortunately, the deceased do not feel anything.  They do not see anything or hear anything either.  They are dead, gone, and no longer exist on this worldly plane.

I believe that a simple cremation is fine.  People can place the ashes in a beautiful urn and keep it on the mantel.  Some people scatter the remains in the ocean or in the forest.  The deceased will not notice any difference.

Memorial day celebration is a great satisfaction for ourselves and no one else!

I believe that people should be honored (if they deserve it) when they are alive.  It is useless to honor decaying flesh!

PHOTOGRAPHS

Everybody likes to look at photos. Relatives, friends, and people in general. Special events, sports, nature, etc., etc., etc. But photos are just an illusion. The photos of people are just a couple of seconds that the photograph was taken. Five minutes later that time is gone. All photographs are only good to remember the person when they were younger or better looking or in funny situations. Some make you laugh, some make you cry, some make you sigh. In a way, it’s a good form of entertainment, looking at photos. But in reality they are just an illusion. Sad, but true.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Every four years one of the most important events is the Presidential Elections. Next year we will elect the 45th President of the USA. The democratic process is unique and most of the countries in the world could follow our example.

The majority of the candidates are Democrats, Republicans, Liberals and Independents, and are either Congressman, Senators, Governors or Lawyers.

The biggest challenge to being elected to the highest office of government is the amount of money needed for campaigning, TV advertising and signs to be placed all over the country. These requirements cost millions of dollars, so basically every candidate must be wealthy.

Another problem bigger than the need for money is the influence of big Pharmaceutical Companies and other companies with big agendas on the candidates up for election.
The campaigns as a rule are not about the qualifications of the candidates but rather the emphasis is on their ability to slander, demean, misquote, reveal illicit affairs and illegal business deals in order to ruin the reputation of their competitors.

The real SOLUTION for the above problems would be for the LEGISLATURE to change the Election Process as follows:

  • No candidate will be allowed to receive any money from anyone.
  • Candidates will be allowed to spend the money specifically given by the Election Committee.
  • No candidate will be allowed to malign, slander or accuse of wrongdoing unless they can prove with certified documents of any misdeed.
  • All the candidates should be specific about their views on every important issues in favor of the citizens, such as employment, education, transportation, economy and war.

There are many other that could be mentioned.

Any comments?

BIAS

I believe that it is a natural human condition to be biased. Everyone is born with that ability. From an early age we learn or seem to instinctively know how to like and dislike certain things. Most children dislike vegetables and love sweets. Not too long after we start to like or dislike some people who may or may not meet our expectations. As we become adults we really show our bias against other ethnic groups based on their background or the color of their skin.

As proof, take a sample of clear bias from the Bible. Samaritans were disliked by the Jews. At least they did not associate with them.

And about 60 years ago a more specific and horrific experience of bias was evidenced in the 2nd World War. Millions of Jews were murdered and tortured by the infamous Adolf Hitler.

In modern times, minority groups experience prejudice (bias) in one way or another.

Any individual who claims they are not biased is most likely simply not aware of his prejudice and is denying it. It does not make him or her unbiased!

I do not think that humans can change their natural inclination to be biased.

HAPPINESS

Happiness is strictly mind over matter, people and events. The dictionary may say it is a state of bliss, fortune, etc., but like any other state of being in this life, it is extremely hard to be accurate as to exactly what it is. But one thing you can say for sure is that happiness does not last. A few negative thoughts or unpleasant circumstances wipe the happiness right out of your mind. I believe that there cannot be any long term happiness. Could you be happy every second of every day for a whole week? If possible, you would be smiling or laughing sixteen hours a day (can you be happy while you sleep?). We humans are subject to many events, mainly leading to unhappiness and very few towards happiness. Religious believers hope to be happy constantly in Heaven, but not in the physical body. You cannot be happy with your physical body, because of gray hair, toothaches, etc.

Happiness is strictly only produced by your brain (mind over matter). Your attitude determines how happy you are. Your house could be on fire or you could be very sick physically and you can still be happy. Any questions?

TIME

Does time exist?

Thousands of years ago, people noticed the movement of the sun, moon and stars. They started to record these events and, in a way, “discovered” time. One of the earliest sundials was invented to measure the passing of the sun over the earth. The period from sunrise to sunset was determined to have a specific length of “time”. At night, the movement of the moon also indicated the length of time at night.

Throughout the centuries astronomers and astrologers, using increasingly sophisticated instruments, made significant progress in ways of measuring time. At present we can tell the correct time within seconds in any part of the world! Today people would find it very difficult if not impossible to live without clocks and calendars and all the other methods we currently have for measuring time.

However, with the exploration of space came the realization that in space there is no such thing as “time”. Why? Because there are no points of reference. As soon as we leave the earth, time as we know it ceases to exist. The astronauts rotate the earth several times a day. Unless they have a clock or watch they do not know what time it is. The sun and the moon don’t function as reference points in space the same way they do on earth. And without a calendar, the astronauts also don’t know what day of the week it is, or what month or year. Birthdays? Impossible. Without clocks and calendars, we really have no way of knowing how old we are.

Therefore, it is my conclusion that the only real, measurable time we know is found in the human heartbeat. Each person who is born on this earth is given a predetermined number of heartbeats, ie, their biological clock. When that number is reached, the person is finished.

SICKNESS

Sickness is very real and is a condition that occurs to all humanity. I can say with total certainty that no person has lived an entire lifetime without being ill at one time or another. A great majority die due to illness. Only a very few people simply die of old age (just being totally worn out).

No part of the human body is free from some kind of sickness, from the top of the head to the soles of the feet. Doctors have big tomes listing hundreds of thousands of maladies that afflict people.

I sincerely believe that sickness is a great mystery! Why? Because why do we have to get sick? There are different reasons. Some believe that sickness is punishment for our misdeeds, or the sins of our fathers. Others believe that the Devil is the cause. Why? Because Satan hates God and therefore hates us because we are God’s people! Does this make sense? Not to me. For some people, yes! But why do we have to be victims of the Devil?

The hardest thing to understand is when a child has a serious sickness that results in his or her death! They are innocent, but they suffer! It is devastating for the parents and relatives. I do not understand! When Jesus was on earth at one time he said “You will have tribulations”, which I believe includes sickness.

Footnote: The worst of sickness, I think, is mental sickness. Most of the mass murders and even the death of one person by the hands of another are the result of someone who is mentally unbalanced. And included among these “sick” people are terrorists and fanatics!

MARY, THE “EVER” VIRGIN MOTHER OF JESUS

I have no idea why the Catholic Church makes believe to all the Catholics that Mary is, or was, “ever” virgin. This is a blatant fallacy of the Church mainly directed towards women. After Mary had Jesus she got married to Joseph and according to the canon the Church, if the marriage is not consummated, the sacrament of matrimony is null and void (the Church defines sexual relations with the wife as a consummation of the marriage). The Church makes women believe that Mary could not consummate the marriage with Joseph because the title of “ever” virgin would disappear immediately. So, in order to make believe that she was “ever” virgin, her matrimony was a sham. Besides, in the Bible it is mentioned more than one time that Jesus had brothers and sisters. According to the Church, “brothers and sisters” could be cousins or any other kind of relatives, and not necessarily real brothers and sisters with the same parents. Why people believe this fallacy is beyond my understanding. Please do not hesitate to review or refute this statement of fact.