Just like Julie: I splurged on a really nice racing bike. I've taken a lot of trips on it, did a very frugal bicycle vacation (740 km in 7 days along the coast of Norway), canceled my Gym membership, and last weekend, participated in a race for the first time ever (190 km in pouring rain).
The money I spent could probably have paid for two really great vacations. But the bike is better than that, it's more eco-friendly and much healthier than drinking Caipirinhas at a hotel bar to boot.
My best purchase was my New 2006 Ford F-150 Pickup Truck. I had wanted a new truck but was prepared to put off getting rid of my 12 year old F-150 because of the cost. Ford came through with a $5,000.00 rebate, the dealer discounted the truck $4,000.00 and I got $4,500.00 for my 12 year old truck. Final Price $29,936.00 - $9,000.00 Rebate and Discount-Total $20,936 without trade.
My in-laws booked a flight with a few connections nearly a year in advance for a miltary reunion. The flight schedules changed by just 10-20 minutes (I was on one of the connecting flights and the timetable given to us was different; we didn't have to make the connection) but it was enough to make them miss a connecting flight, which caused a delay and was risky for them due to health problems. The flight attendants blamed them for booking an "illegal" connection though it seems that the airline could have informed them of the change.
you can fold a dollar bill and wear it as a ring my grandpa showed me how i have a couple of them they are very styleish and u will always have at least 10 dollars with u at all times lol
Best purchase of the year was definitely a meat thermometer. For an inexperienced cook like me who never could get my meats just right--either hte chicken was too dry, or the beef too rare. This little $30 investment has resulted in less eating out, more eating in, and more experimentation with cooking!
It was on sale for under twenty dollars. We'd recently moved, and although this kitchen is much bigger, it has quite a bit less storage space. More floor area doesn't mean more walls, after all.
I also have fibromyalgia, and really can't creep about on the floor to reach the things in the back of the bottom cupboards. And being only 5'3" I can't reach the higher shelves. And having a toddler who learned to climb before she learned to crawl, a stepstool is a hazard.
But now I have this pot rack! It's a shelf that we put onto the wall beside the stove. The shelf itself is a broad wire mesh, and S shaped hooks connect to the mesh and dangle where you want them to be.
I have pots, and a frying pan, and our collander, and a bag to hold the bags to recycle, and a bag to hold the produce bags that are so good for other things, and our fruit hangs there so I don't lose track of it on the counter, and our bread hangs there too so it doesn't get squished, and our tea towel hooks on any of the convenient little ends already being used for something else. On the shelf itself is a basket of those odd baking things that don't see much use, the extra wooden spoons etc. that either will make their way into the countertop set or will be freecycled away, and my plastic measuring cups.
Maybe I could get all those items onto one of our two countertop spaces, but probably not. And they're pretty much in my range of accessibility, without being in my toddler's reach!
Your article sort of makes it sound like the new agers have been taken up with this stuff, well I can tell you that a lot of Christians that ought to know better have fallen into this trap also. It's derisively referred to as the "name it and claim it" philosophy, that sort of makes God out to be a giant vending machine, where you put in your wishes and prayers, and God gives you whatever you want.
I personally don't have a problem with the idea that prayer or "focused intent" works - even some scientific studies have given evidence to that (for those that don't realize it, prayer to a Christian is the same thing as "focused intent" to a new ager, it just different terms for what is essentially the same thing, and it's the reason why people of all faiths/beliefs sometimes get their prayers/wishes answered). What I do have a problem with is that so often these teachings are in a "service to self" vein, rather than "service to others" - or, to put it another way, they promote selfishness, rather than love for others.
Another comment mentioned the boy who THOUGHT SO HARD about getting on the rides without waiting. Of course what he didn't consider was that because he was able to skip the line, someone else (probably several other people) had to wait longer in line. And I think this is exactly why most of us cannot master these techniques - most people, if they could really manipulate the universe through their thoughts, would work it to their own advantage (or possibly that of a small group, such as their own family) without regard to the effect on others. In our reality, things are rarely a win-win proposition. I heard a late-might radio talk show host say that he'd considered asking his listeners to focus on keeping a hurricane from coming ashore. But then he wondered, what if they succeeded, but then the hurricane looped back out into the ocean, gathered additional strength while over the warm waters, and came ashore someplace else, now as a category 4 or 5 instead of of a 1 or 2?
In other words, the problem is not so much that teachings like "the secret" are a bunch of nonsense, as that it ISN'T nonsense but is usually taught in a destructive manner (also you may note that usually someone is making money hand over fist by selling related books, tapes, videos, etc.). The highest calling of humanity is to be of service to one's fellow humans, not to sit around and wish for more money, possessions, etc. (which don't bring lasting happiness anyway). Those who learn the secret of focused intent (a.k.a. "earnest prayer") but misuse it for their own selfish desires may in the end wish they'd never heard of it at all - if not in this life, then perhaps in the next.
It's not just the fact that it's a guitar. It's the fact that it's a guitar that I bought with the money that I made from my first job. It's the fact that I spent hours at the store before finally noticing it and knowing, without a doubt, that it was meant to be mine. It's the fact that the clerk gave me a huge discount so I could get everything else I needed to actually play ($1200 down to $930).
It's the fact that it has provided me an entryway into the interesting and supportive community of musicians. It's the fact that it's not about money at all, or even the fact that it's the best purchase I've ever made. It's only about the sweet, beautiful music.
Who HASN'T been exposed to the "think positive" motto at least once in their lives?
The thing that I find really funny about The Secret, especially when it comes to the 'finding love' part, is that I personally usually find love when I'm NOT looking for it. Sit around and long desperately for someone, and you'll probably come across as pathetic and needy.
Go out and make a good life for yourself, enjoy your own company and the company of good friends, and THAT positive energy will attract love (not always, but still). I hope the focus isn't simply on the current LACK of love/money/whatever.
the amount of resources (water, fossil fuels, rainforests, land) and damage (pollution, cruelty, infections/bacteria, super bugs resistant to pesticides, world hunger) that current factory farming does to our environment is what we all should be outraged at. if these people think that vertical farming can alleviate and do less damage, then why trash them while they're the ones at least trying to do something better. why is it that the popular answer that no one is opposed to is simply stronger pesticides and more antibiotics, when it has been proven these things are harmful to us? technology CAN be used for good. we really don't have to go back to hunting and gathering, even though that might be the most moral route to go.
I got my first pair of glasses when I was 7, and my eyes got progressively worse for the next 15 years. By the time I was 23, my contact prescription was -7.5 (vision worse than 20/1000 for those of you who don't speak diopters). My contacts gave me trouble every day for several years and I had had enough.
In January I got PRK surgery (wasn't a candidate for LASIK) and after a bit of a tricky recovery, I am now seeing 20/15 (20/20 in one eye, 20/15 in the other). In the end it cost me $2600, and I'm paying for it with a medical reimbursement account through my employer-- this amounts to an interest-free loan as well as a tax deduction.
Those of you with good vision will never understand why, but this is easily the best money I've ever spent. It was worth twice what I paid for it, at least.
I totally agree with WaterGuy. Personal reverse osmosis systems are small versions of the systems used to make bottled water, but without the overhead of coca-cola, evian, etc, attached. A good system used at a decent clip (ie 50% or so of your daily drinking water) will pay for itself easily in the first year. And you can even give your pets some of that delicious water!
I have more info on my site, feel free to link to it.
trent over at the simple dollar had a comment about that. About buying locally avoiding dangerous chinese food stuffs. And it's not just dog food that's full of position. Problem is even if you buy everything local so much comes from china that it's almost impossible to avoid.
The reason so many people have jumped on the secret bandwagon is because they've never heard the message in the movie before.
If you have oreviously been exposed to the ideas in the movie it is lacking and not filled with actual ideas on how to put the theories it proposes to use.
For many this is the first time they've been exposed to the concepts in the movie and it is naturally appealing so they are overly enthusiastic about an idea many have spoken more eloquently and practically about.
I had a chance to read half of "The Secret" at a bookstore. Absolutely a ridiculous book. I still don't understand how people can ever believe - if you think hard enough, you'll get whatever you want - and praise it like god's words?? An example given in the book was about a little boy finally had a chance to go to some theme park and wanted to play all the rides. However, there were so many people and it'd take you at least 1 hour to get on a ride. So this boy, before he went to sleep, he THOUGHT SO HARD about getting on the rides without waiting. The next day, miracle happened! He was given a special pass so he didn't have to line up and get to play everything whenever he wanted!! Isn't it a GREAT example? Just think hard enough and you'll get anything you want!
My new computer has provided a reliable, quick connection to my online courses so that I can work towards my degree. It also offers lots of memory for my digital pictures, and a DVD drive for watching movies. I am truly grateful.
It makes me feel so good to know that someone else sees what I do. If I read any more tomes (and they are also prevalent in the Christian book niche) about "visualizing mansions", I am going to throw myself out the window. Good thing I live on the first floor, because this seems to be a trend.
Positive, focused and confident is good, materialistic and deluded is not.
I really don't think it's as threatening as you make it out to be. This is NOT on the same level as GMOs. These people have taken into consideration some of the problems with current farming, such as deforestation and pollution. They do address that the best solution for over-farming is to let the land rest for a while, and leave it to cure itself. This is one of their stated reasons for vertical farming. As for the animal bit, let me get one thing clear - I don't commend factory farming. And, while the farm is indoors, there are supposed to be fields inside to accomodate SMALL livestock. Is this a good idea? I don't know! But that's why I emphasize that this is all theoretical.
As for the ethical issues, with any radical idea such as this there is bound to be uproar and aversion. As I said before since it hasn't been tested, there may be issues that can arise that weren't thought of before, as Andrea mentioned, some animals MAY be infected. But as a whole, I think it's fascinating because it is an idea that incorporates social consciousness with design. They go through this quite well in their two essays. Is it perfect? No. It is a good point you make about the materials that will potentially be involved. But wouldn't the same crticism also be applied to Hollywood celebrities who want to install solar panels in their homes to be more 'eco-friendly'?
As for the proof, I welcome you to send those readings over.
much of it IS proven--to be bad. that's the point. animals raised in such a building would suffer the same ethical and physical problems as a factory farm--because it's a factory farm.
food can be grown outdoors, enough for all--without a single bit of the technology described. it's PROVEN.
and--NO BUILDING IS SELF SUSTAINING. the materials required to build it require fossil fuels to manufacture. the replacement parts require fossil fuels to produce. and so on.
do you not get it? do you not understand that what we need isn't "more technology", but less of it? treating nature as a "design problem" is one of the greatest fallacies we have.
and please, if you would, tell me--how can a thing have clear ethical problems...yet be "fascinating"?
I don't necessarily think that people will all live in urban centers in 50 years but...there is momentum building toward getting agriculture closer to people. I keep reading about it anyway so I am thinking this is a developing change -- instead of using tons of fossil fuel to move strawberries or broccoli or asparagus or grapes cross country or overseas, farmers are trying to sell the value of locally grown produce. Although North Carolina has lots of strawberry farms (and I can pick them on the farms or have them picked for me), the grocery store carries strawberries from California (the sign says USA but the fine print says CA), which means quite a haul from farm to store to table. So we may start using indoor facilities (I buy hothouse lettuce and tomatoes often) and/or eat seasonally (that is don't expect strawberries year-round) -- it's a trade off perhaps from using fresh air but we will have more fresh air if the food that we eat is produced closer to home.
I copied the link and wrote a bulletin about it for people to read (and then link back here to read your blog). Hope you don't mind Paul...I think this is a really urgent issue, and I want as many people to know about it and do something about it as possible.
I'm kicking myself over the fact that my stairs weren't built like that. I'm about to redo one staircase, and I wonder if I should consider this - it's already going to cost a pretty penny as it is.
Thanks, Joann, for addressing the animal aspect. I'm pretty animals can't, and shouldn't, be raised in such quarters, but I don't see a problem growing vegetables that way. As it is, much of what we eat is grown in hot houses anyway.
I mean, for people who live in moderate climates, who can get farm-fresh produce year round, these might not be so enticing, but maybe if you live in, say, Minneapolis? And you can get fresher produce by growing it in towers (rather than, say, shipping it in from Peru?) - sounds like a possibility.
I have found some amazing music through Internet radio that is just not played on regular stations. It is absolutely a friend of the music business. Whether it's a friend of big business, and the backers of Britney's next crappy album that will get a gazillion hours of airtime, is another story.
Just like Julie: I splurged on a really nice racing bike. I've taken a lot of trips on it, did a very frugal bicycle vacation (740 km in 7 days along the coast of Norway), canceled my Gym membership, and last weekend, participated in a race for the first time ever (190 km in pouring rain).
The money I spent could probably have paid for two really great vacations. But the bike is better than that, it's more eco-friendly and much healthier than drinking Caipirinhas at a hotel bar to boot.
My best purchase was my New 2006 Ford F-150 Pickup Truck. I had wanted a new truck but was prepared to put off getting rid of my 12 year old F-150 because of the cost. Ford came through with a $5,000.00 rebate, the dealer discounted the truck $4,000.00 and I got $4,500.00 for my 12 year old truck. Final Price $29,936.00 - $9,000.00 Rebate and Discount-Total $20,936 without trade.
My in-laws booked a flight with a few connections nearly a year in advance for a miltary reunion. The flight schedules changed by just 10-20 minutes (I was on one of the connecting flights and the timetable given to us was different; we didn't have to make the connection) but it was enough to make them miss a connecting flight, which caused a delay and was risky for them due to health problems. The flight attendants blamed them for booking an "illegal" connection though it seems that the airline could have informed them of the change.
you can fold a dollar bill and wear it as a ring my grandpa showed me how i have a couple of them they are very styleish and u will always have at least 10 dollars with u at all times lol
Best purchase of the year was definitely a meat thermometer. For an inexperienced cook like me who never could get my meats just right--either hte chicken was too dry, or the beef too rare. This little $30 investment has resulted in less eating out, more eating in, and more experimentation with cooking!
Great great purchase.
It was on sale for under twenty dollars. We'd recently moved, and although this kitchen is much bigger, it has quite a bit less storage space. More floor area doesn't mean more walls, after all.
I also have fibromyalgia, and really can't creep about on the floor to reach the things in the back of the bottom cupboards. And being only 5'3" I can't reach the higher shelves. And having a toddler who learned to climb before she learned to crawl, a stepstool is a hazard.
But now I have this pot rack! It's a shelf that we put onto the wall beside the stove. The shelf itself is a broad wire mesh, and S shaped hooks connect to the mesh and dangle where you want them to be.
I have pots, and a frying pan, and our collander, and a bag to hold the bags to recycle, and a bag to hold the produce bags that are so good for other things, and our fruit hangs there so I don't lose track of it on the counter, and our bread hangs there too so it doesn't get squished, and our tea towel hooks on any of the convenient little ends already being used for something else. On the shelf itself is a basket of those odd baking things that don't see much use, the extra wooden spoons etc. that either will make their way into the countertop set or will be freecycled away, and my plastic measuring cups.
Maybe I could get all those items onto one of our two countertop spaces, but probably not. And they're pretty much in my range of accessibility, without being in my toddler's reach!
Your article sort of makes it sound like the new agers have been taken up with this stuff, well I can tell you that a lot of Christians that ought to know better have fallen into this trap also. It's derisively referred to as the "name it and claim it" philosophy, that sort of makes God out to be a giant vending machine, where you put in your wishes and prayers, and God gives you whatever you want.
I personally don't have a problem with the idea that prayer or "focused intent" works - even some scientific studies have given evidence to that (for those that don't realize it, prayer to a Christian is the same thing as "focused intent" to a new ager, it just different terms for what is essentially the same thing, and it's the reason why people of all faiths/beliefs sometimes get their prayers/wishes answered). What I do have a problem with is that so often these teachings are in a "service to self" vein, rather than "service to others" - or, to put it another way, they promote selfishness, rather than love for others.
Another comment mentioned the boy who THOUGHT SO HARD about getting on the rides without waiting. Of course what he didn't consider was that because he was able to skip the line, someone else (probably several other people) had to wait longer in line. And I think this is exactly why most of us cannot master these techniques - most people, if they could really manipulate the universe through their thoughts, would work it to their own advantage (or possibly that of a small group, such as their own family) without regard to the effect on others. In our reality, things are rarely a win-win proposition. I heard a late-might radio talk show host say that he'd considered asking his listeners to focus on keeping a hurricane from coming ashore. But then he wondered, what if they succeeded, but then the hurricane looped back out into the ocean, gathered additional strength while over the warm waters, and came ashore someplace else, now as a category 4 or 5 instead of of a 1 or 2?
In other words, the problem is not so much that teachings like "the secret" are a bunch of nonsense, as that it ISN'T nonsense but is usually taught in a destructive manner (also you may note that usually someone is making money hand over fist by selling related books, tapes, videos, etc.). The highest calling of humanity is to be of service to one's fellow humans, not to sit around and wish for more money, possessions, etc. (which don't bring lasting happiness anyway). Those who learn the secret of focused intent (a.k.a. "earnest prayer") but misuse it for their own selfish desires may in the end wish they'd never heard of it at all - if not in this life, then perhaps in the next.
It's not just the fact that it's a guitar. It's the fact that it's a guitar that I bought with the money that I made from my first job. It's the fact that I spent hours at the store before finally noticing it and knowing, without a doubt, that it was meant to be mine. It's the fact that the clerk gave me a huge discount so I could get everything else I needed to actually play ($1200 down to $930).
It's the fact that it has provided me an entryway into the interesting and supportive community of musicians. It's the fact that it's not about money at all, or even the fact that it's the best purchase I've ever made. It's only about the sweet, beautiful music.
Who HASN'T been exposed to the "think positive" motto at least once in their lives?
The thing that I find really funny about The Secret, especially when it comes to the 'finding love' part, is that I personally usually find love when I'm NOT looking for it. Sit around and long desperately for someone, and you'll probably come across as pathetic and needy.
Go out and make a good life for yourself, enjoy your own company and the company of good friends, and THAT positive energy will attract love (not always, but still). I hope the focus isn't simply on the current LACK of love/money/whatever.
I know I've linked to this before, but I'm going to do it again.
Wow, Dr. John Gray, huh? You mean the one who paid for his fake doctorate from a fake university?
Yeah, I'm going to run out and shun this book right away.
I had the same impression from The Secret. Mostly valid, but ego-centric focus on self-definition through thing fetish is not the path to happiness.
the amount of resources (water, fossil fuels, rainforests, land) and damage (pollution, cruelty, infections/bacteria, super bugs resistant to pesticides, world hunger) that current factory farming does to our environment is what we all should be outraged at. if these people think that vertical farming can alleviate and do less damage, then why trash them while they're the ones at least trying to do something better. why is it that the popular answer that no one is opposed to is simply stronger pesticides and more antibiotics, when it has been proven these things are harmful to us? technology CAN be used for good. we really don't have to go back to hunting and gathering, even though that might be the most moral route to go.
I got my first pair of glasses when I was 7, and my eyes got progressively worse for the next 15 years. By the time I was 23, my contact prescription was -7.5 (vision worse than 20/1000 for those of you who don't speak diopters). My contacts gave me trouble every day for several years and I had had enough.
In January I got PRK surgery (wasn't a candidate for LASIK) and after a bit of a tricky recovery, I am now seeing 20/15 (20/20 in one eye, 20/15 in the other). In the end it cost me $2600, and I'm paying for it with a medical reimbursement account through my employer-- this amounts to an interest-free loan as well as a tax deduction.
Those of you with good vision will never understand why, but this is easily the best money I've ever spent. It was worth twice what I paid for it, at least.
I totally agree with WaterGuy. Personal reverse osmosis systems are small versions of the systems used to make bottled water, but without the overhead of coca-cola, evian, etc, attached. A good system used at a decent clip (ie 50% or so of your daily drinking water) will pay for itself easily in the first year. And you can even give your pets some of that delicious water!
I have more info on my site, feel free to link to it.
http://www.homeosmosis.com
trent over at the simple dollar had a comment about that. About buying locally avoiding dangerous chinese food stuffs. And it's not just dog food that's full of position. Problem is even if you buy everything local so much comes from china that it's almost impossible to avoid.
The reason so many people have jumped on the secret bandwagon is because they've never heard the message in the movie before.
If you have oreviously been exposed to the ideas in the movie it is lacking and not filled with actual ideas on how to put the theories it proposes to use.
For many this is the first time they've been exposed to the concepts in the movie and it is naturally appealing so they are overly enthusiastic about an idea many have spoken more eloquently and practically about.
I had a chance to read half of "The Secret" at a bookstore. Absolutely a ridiculous book. I still don't understand how people can ever believe - if you think hard enough, you'll get whatever you want - and praise it like god's words?? An example given in the book was about a little boy finally had a chance to go to some theme park and wanted to play all the rides. However, there were so many people and it'd take you at least 1 hour to get on a ride. So this boy, before he went to sleep, he THOUGHT SO HARD about getting on the rides without waiting. The next day, miracle happened! He was given a special pass so he didn't have to line up and get to play everything whenever he wanted!! Isn't it a GREAT example? Just think hard enough and you'll get anything you want!
My new computer has provided a reliable, quick connection to my online courses so that I can work towards my degree. It also offers lots of memory for my digital pictures, and a DVD drive for watching movies. I am truly grateful.
It makes me feel so good to know that someone else sees what I do. If I read any more tomes (and they are also prevalent in the Christian book niche) about "visualizing mansions", I am going to throw myself out the window. Good thing I live on the first floor, because this seems to be a trend.
Positive, focused and confident is good, materialistic and deluded is not.
I really don't think it's as threatening as you make it out to be. This is NOT on the same level as GMOs. These people have taken into consideration some of the problems with current farming, such as deforestation and pollution. They do address that the best solution for over-farming is to let the land rest for a while, and leave it to cure itself. This is one of their stated reasons for vertical farming. As for the animal bit, let me get one thing clear - I don't commend factory farming. And, while the farm is indoors, there are supposed to be fields inside to accomodate SMALL livestock. Is this a good idea? I don't know! But that's why I emphasize that this is all theoretical.
As for the ethical issues, with any radical idea such as this there is bound to be uproar and aversion. As I said before since it hasn't been tested, there may be issues that can arise that weren't thought of before, as Andrea mentioned, some animals MAY be infected. But as a whole, I think it's fascinating because it is an idea that incorporates social consciousness with design. They go through this quite well in their two essays. Is it perfect? No. It is a good point you make about the materials that will potentially be involved. But wouldn't the same crticism also be applied to Hollywood celebrities who want to install solar panels in their homes to be more 'eco-friendly'?
As for the proof, I welcome you to send those readings over.
much of it IS proven--to be bad. that's the point. animals raised in such a building would suffer the same ethical and physical problems as a factory farm--because it's a factory farm.
food can be grown outdoors, enough for all--without a single bit of the technology described. it's PROVEN.
and--NO BUILDING IS SELF SUSTAINING. the materials required to build it require fossil fuels to manufacture. the replacement parts require fossil fuels to produce. and so on.
do you not get it? do you not understand that what we need isn't "more technology", but less of it? treating nature as a "design problem" is one of the greatest fallacies we have.
and please, if you would, tell me--how can a thing have clear ethical problems...yet be "fascinating"?
do you read?
I don't necessarily think that people will all live in urban centers in 50 years but...there is momentum building toward getting agriculture closer to people. I keep reading about it anyway so I am thinking this is a developing change -- instead of using tons of fossil fuel to move strawberries or broccoli or asparagus or grapes cross country or overseas, farmers are trying to sell the value of locally grown produce. Although North Carolina has lots of strawberry farms (and I can pick them on the farms or have them picked for me), the grocery store carries strawberries from California (the sign says USA but the fine print says CA), which means quite a haul from farm to store to table. So we may start using indoor facilities (I buy hothouse lettuce and tomatoes often) and/or eat seasonally (that is don't expect strawberries year-round) -- it's a trade off perhaps from using fresh air but we will have more fresh air if the food that we eat is produced closer to home.
I copied the link and wrote a bulletin about it for people to read (and then link back here to read your blog). Hope you don't mind Paul...I think this is a really urgent issue, and I want as many people to know about it and do something about it as possible.
I'm kicking myself over the fact that my stairs weren't built like that. I'm about to redo one staircase, and I wonder if I should consider this - it's already going to cost a pretty penny as it is.
Thanks, Joann, for addressing the animal aspect. I'm pretty animals can't, and shouldn't, be raised in such quarters, but I don't see a problem growing vegetables that way. As it is, much of what we eat is grown in hot houses anyway.
I mean, for people who live in moderate climates, who can get farm-fresh produce year round, these might not be so enticing, but maybe if you live in, say, Minneapolis? And you can get fresher produce by growing it in towers (rather than, say, shipping it in from Peru?) - sounds like a possibility.
I have found some amazing music through Internet radio that is just not played on regular stations. It is absolutely a friend of the music business. Whether it's a friend of big business, and the backers of Britney's next crappy album that will get a gazillion hours of airtime, is another story.