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New Years Resolve, Binge or Be

copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org Another year has come and gone.  Everywhere she goes she hears people speak of New Years resolutions.  They all say this time will be different.  I will decide to do as I had not done previously or at least had not done well.  Countless commit to a life of calorie counting.  Others merely muse that they will exercise more.  Drugs, drinking, there are also discussions of these concerns.  People are confident.  This year I will deliver myself from what I think evil.  A few philosophize as to their personal career path.  Change is the objective.  A greater goal is thought to be golden.  As Author Mary Anne Radmacher reflected and now millions whisper as their mantra, "Live with intention . . .  Choose with no regret. . . . Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."  Therein lies the problem.

My Hair; His Energy Policy

Bush Oil Dancing!

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

"Drill baby, drill," is the now ever-present and popular battle-cry for many Americans. From Presidential candidates to everyday people, those who wish to consume sweet light crude as they have for a more than a century remind me of my hair, and the current President's energy policy. I ponder the parallels and invite you to consider . . .

During a recent press conference, as I gazed upon the President of the United States, noticeably aged after years in the Oval Office, I thought of my hair and my history. His wavy gray locks are not as the strands that fall from my head. Nor did the diminutive curl that danced on his brow remind me of my own tresses. The style the Chief Executive donned did not resemble the permanent waves, pompadours, or ponytails I once wore. As George W. Bush spoke of his energy policy, I pondered. His approach to petroleum and power were as the methodology I embraced when I colored my hair.

Let Them Eat Oil

President Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

In a nation, where appeasement is condemned, Americans are anxious. The people have been pacified for so long they can no longer recall what it means to be other than indulged. On June 6, 2008, Congresspersons, uncomfortable with the notion that they might have to use the rod, concluded, for now, it is better to spoil the already pampered Americans. Lawmakers said, as they have so often, "Let them eat oil!" After all, the people love petroleum.

Where Is the Beef? Where Are the Bees? Planet in Peril

Slaughterhouse Investigation: Cruel and Unhealthy Practices

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Late in January 2008, Americans read the startling news, Video Reveals Violations of Laws, Abuse of Cows at Slaughterhouse. Tears were shed by some; most turned away. The footage was too graphic. Countless wished to remain removed from a reality they do not wish to witness. Reports, of brutal treatment towards beefy cattle, were received by many as is steak on a plate. Those who eat the meat think it sad that a cow must be sacrificed in order to fill a human stomach. Nonetheless, numerous persons believe man kills "lower" forms of life; that is the natural order.

The Price of Paper or Plastic

Plastic Bags - JUST SAY NO! By againstthetide © copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert In 1957, America changed. The first baggies and sandwich bags were introduced to a prospering public. A year later, poly dry cleaning bags begin to compete with the traditional paper. By 1966, American shoppers were packing their produce in plastic sacks. In 1967, the message was solid, the public sure. The psyche throughout the States was transformed and we all knew it. Mister McGuire, from The Graduate, said it for all of us, in a word, "Plastics!" Today plastic consumes us, the consumer; however, cities such as San Francisco are proposing a change. It may no longer be paper or plastic. Compostable is a serious consideration.

Climate Change; An Impeachable Offense?

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Please Help the Polar Bears. View the video and act. Save the Polar Bears: The Coca-Cola Bear Ad Mash Up

The Bush/Cheney Administration denied global warming for years. Denouncing scientific evidence served this presidential pair and their business partners well. Entrepreneurial enterprises prospered. Profits grew as the icecaps melted. Ocean waters warmed, so too did the hearts of Chief Executives. Corporate coffers swelled. Misters Bush and Cheney benefited.

Mother Earth Is Not Well. Her Climate Changed. Did Your Notice?

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Please Ponder the Inconvenient Truth Trailer. As you view this video, reflect on the trauma of today's tornado in Florida.

Please indulge me, allow me to make a comparison that may seem obscure to some. Surely, the Bush/Cheney clan has yet to grasp what others and I have said for years. Humans are harming the balance of nature! We can choose to deny this. Citizen of the world can see them selves as separate from nature; however, we are one. A report released today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations, validates this "claim." I offer this analogy in hopes that a personal realization may make the point more profoundly.

Weight loss may be equated with global warming. Those of us that have lost tonnage know that for years, months, or weeks few notice the pounds dropping away. We are aware of the subtle changes because we choose to be. When we work to be sensitive to the mind/body connection, when we work to honor each of these separate entities as one, we become aware of the nuances that surround change.

I Am An Anorexic, Bulimic, A Person! ©

Once you label me, you negate me.
~ Soren Kierkegaard [Danish Philosopher]

An article in the New York Times grabbed my attention instantly.  It appeared in the health section.  The title, One Spoonful at a Time.  This writing was heartfelt. Author, Harriet Brown tells a gripping tale.  It took me to memories of my own struggle with anorexia and bulimia and how these affected my family.  In this exposé, the dilemma of how to treat the condition was thoroughly discussed.  I wish to share my response to this situation and story.  My personal experience of this is vast.  I hope my thoughts, realizations, and rejoinders on this topic will be helpful to those grappling with similar issues.  I trust that the effects of anorexia and bulimia are trials and tribulations for all those afflicted by these.

The subject of weight alone is a sensitive probing.  An individual need not starve, binge, or purge in wrestling with weight.  On the same day another New York Times essay loomed large entitled "Big People on Campus."  This commentary contemplated the plight of being "fat."  I was once that too.  Many may muse in this moment, all anorexics believe they are chubby, and while that may or may not be true, I actually was at times in my life.  My weight rarely was stable; nor was I when reflecting upon it.  However, my weight was never the issue; it was a distraction, a symptom of what was within. 

Income Inequity. The Real Reason the Rich Get Richer. ©

Income inequity has been in the news of late; disparity is increasing. Jared Bernstein, of the Economic Policy Institute, wrote of this in, “The Catch-Up Economy.” Paul Krugman, a writer-economist for the New York Times shared his views in “Left Behind Economics.” Economics Professor J. Bradford DeLong comments on the subject. However, it seems to me that the views of these learned economists are limited. While assessing the statistics, I think experts miss the substance, what lies behind simple “economic” causes and effects.