Friday, August 14, 2015

Metaphors Motivate Movements -



One of the most difficult tasks for a supervisor or manager is to find the right combination to motivate an employee to perform better, to be more capable and to help them along to find better skills and improve their abilities. Motivation is and can be the instrument that invokes conviction to do better.
Since motivating someone takes a mind conscious atmosphere, it must also be addressed to the subconscious in order to circumvent critical thinking and make the impulse more instantaneously available to move them along. Thus we have to focus on emotional drivers and key words that trigger such a desired response.
Metaphors or the use of metaphors as motivational tools has been done for centuries. One can recall “We are Spartans” as a battle cry that allowed 300 battle ready warrior to face an enormously outnumbered enemy and fight with the kind of spirit and courage that put the enemy at awe of their opponents.
Battle cries are often motivating metaphors. There are no photographs, no long stories, scripts or plays yet a single word can do what no book could ever imagine doing. One must only be certain these metaphors do not create false convictions and thus key on the positive provocation of such actions desired.
Provocative, motivating metaphors do not deal with statistics or facts. It has no relativity whatsoever to evidentiary or truth based notion. It is pure emotional provocation power that drives the mind to a higher level. It is called creating branded content that each and every one involved understands instantaneously and readily without more than a few words spoken.
There are no preludes, no foreplay or preparation for the mind to rise up from the unconscious into action. It must have the impact of a sudden adrenaline rush and cause the body to quiver and tense up to know they are ready to face the need and challenges given. Because of such tenacity and sudden strengths, it is important to take notice and advice that such potentially insidiously inflicted device [metaphors] it can spread the energy across a contagion of legions and become a powerful force to reckon with at that moment.
Motivational metaphors are exclusively designed to do battle, as they can be refined and orchestrated into softer toned responses with such emotions as kindness, compassion or empathy. The learned trick is to know which words stimulate the subconscious mind into action without the critical thinking process kicking in. It has to be a direct infused trigger with momentary impulses that create the desired thought or stimulation.
Eloquently spoken words can trigger softer and more symbolic uplifting of the mind and soul. One such motivator was Dr. Martin Luther King, a man who knew how to use words for his civil disobedience actions and unification of many races of people around the country. His mere word, “I have a Dream” has changed the lives of many people and continues to do so every day.
Thus we are all hard wired in the mind to use and accept metaphors as trigger impulses to change our behaviors or thinking patterns. How we create these changes depends on how creative we are. The more creative, the more effective metaphorical thinking is. Think of the brain as a grid of electricity and how it blends these impulses through the brain that has a lattice like pattern of nerve fibers.
There is less cross-wiring of the mind and this condition allows better synthesis with our sensory preceptors. You can see how creativity is instrumental in the mind when the word is pictorial or transformed into a thought, concept, idea and then, an eventual action. The more creativity, the more overlapping of the senses thus the better the stimuli to act upon it with clarity and understanding without saying a whole lot of words.
This bridging of our senses is created inside the mind because the mind itself is a metaphor. It contains all our thoughts, feelings, ideas and processes them as a direct result to the environment and comprehension of the message given. Remember some messages are or can be provocative or evocative in the form of a tangible or intangible communication.
The knowledge how to use these and not allow the translation to get lost is an art and designed to trigger an automatically generated emotion or emotions. Using metaphors to motivate is all about the meaningful innovative method of introducing the right words and phrases and make them meaningful to the mind to stimulate thoughts, ideas, feelings and actions.

Honorable Legislators, the eleventh hour on the Kingman report



Months from now, when our elected public officials, the media and the public, evaluate the prison management style of Charles L. Ryan, what will they find and what will they say? Did the man who came from Abu Ghraib do a good job or did he sell the state prison system down the river in the name of private prison expansion and exploitation? Was it worth the hundreds of lives lost for neglecting the mentally ill, the chronic and acute medically dependent prison population and was it worth the millions paid out in litigation settlements?

Will he claim victory in giving the governor and the governor before, as well as all the elected conspirators, their share of the profits in selling human beings for labor and slavery camps? Will he secure a place in Arizona’s Hall of Shame or worse, was he the prelude to far greater horrors yet to come? The eleventh hour for the report has a great impact on the future. Whether the truth be told or hidden, will only be disclosed if you scrutinize the entire report carefully.

My hope, your hope, should be the fact that history would instead view this riot at Kingman was a catalyst; a second calling if you want or an awakening of the human mind and conscience.  This madness has to stop somewhere and now is the time for good men and women to stand up with courage and ask, no demand, the truth.

It should be your hope that this Kingman report makes you all stronger, wiser and more vigilant in the end. It is my hope it fully prepares you for future disturbances to come, if things don’t change. Don’t be afraid to ask difficult and tough questions. The report deserves nothing less and must stand on its own merits.

After all is said, what good is struggle if there is no change? What good deed  or purpose does a riot serve,  if those responsible for public safety and government integrity are not made stronger? Don’t let the means justify the end. There is more than is ever told and it’s your job to protect the public, your constituents and your government from further harm.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Sitting on a rock, wasting time



Sitting on a rock, wasting time
I have walked all the railroad tracks between here and yesteryear while looking for tomorrow
I have felt the vibrations of the train as it passes by taking my breath away
I can feel the breeze and see the trees swaying with the coming storm and darkened clouds
I hate the life I am living, just walking along, headed for nowhere
And listening to nature’s sounds, it all comes together as life goes by

Just so the world know who I am and where I’ve been in my time
I have traveled the oceans, climbed some mountains and sowed some wild oats and seeds
A bit of love was all I ever needed, a little inspiration brought me to my knees
But no matter how deep the pain or broken spirited I might have felt
I never cared for the inspiration of weed or the needle in my vein as the devil never dwelt
Inside my soul where I would sell it to the lowest bidder, for even those evils couldn’t get rid
Of the hurt and pain in life that I most distained

But through it all, I took the fall, and got back up, with pain and despair following close behind me,
I closed my eyes and kept on walking, until the sun went down and shadows no longer followed me
I can hear the owls in the woods shrieking their calls, the moon is rising, the cold air falls
As the lonely country road came to an end and the dirt road get nearer
I looked for a spot with a rock, so I could clear my mind ever clearer

Resting my weary bones, just sitting here wasting my time
Listening to a song in my head with words that always rhymes
A little bit of love was all I ever needed, but it seemed to escape me well
And on the misery of love, my broken heart continues to swell
I know why my girl left me, I know it too well
It was because I couldn’t give up my passion from hell so here I dwell

I was selfish, materialistic and difficult to please in my persistent mind
It seemed so simple but my girl left me, saying I was not what she needs
So I am sitting here thinking on a rock, wasting time
In my pocket you will be lucky to find a dollar or even a dime
But just sitting here thinking, wasting time
I can free up my soul, my heart and free my mind

Never a tough guy, never a fighter or a warrior for duty and country never came
I am free to do what I want and sitting on this rock is making me insane
A pawn I life, I don’t guess I have much more left to do
As I tie my laces on my well traveled shoes
So I didn’t think too much about the pain I brought to others

And last night, when the stars were bright, I even had a pleasant thought
I don’t have much to say anymore, I kind of like it that way
But when I sit here wasting my time on this rock,
My life seems worth something, just sitting here wasting time
The moon is full, the meteors are falling to earth
As I sit here meditating , and woke up to beat the clock

Perhaps after tomorrow’s sunrise, it is time for me to rise and yawn
And find another road, another rock and stop wasting my time
And put some money in my pocket so I can ease my mind
I think I can make it better, for all I really needed was some free time
To make my heart well again, mend it solid and make it whole
For my spirit and inspiration has recaptured my soul

A basic understanding of a simulacra or simulation of the truth



A basic understanding of a simulacra or simulation of the truth

In an attempt to seek the relationship between reality and symbols in our society, we have to understand what simulacra is and how it works as a means to simulate or copy the reality and transforms into a truth when in fact, it has no truth but rather conceals the truth. The only reality is this act of simulacra or simulating what was never original to begin with and is a mere imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system.
Basically, if you don’t attempt to seek the truth, you will chase these simulacra or a simulation that basically leads you on a wild goose chase as you will never find the truth you are looking for. Symbols are easily created by creative minds. It’s a means to demonstrate, illustrate or show something the illusionist wants you to see and accept. Charts are symbols or figures of identity and can be easily created without any reality of substance attached to them. One has to be cautious when viewing and interpreting a chart or symbol of any kind and ask, where did it come from and how was it created.
For the purpose of human experience, simulations of reality are deceptive tools for those who want to hoodwink or lull you into a stage of contentment of satisfaction. They are simply used to hide the reality and conceal the truth. The basis or backgrounds for such illusions are culture and media. If you can explain the culture and manipulate the media, you have the ability to acquire a simulacra which constructs a meaning with no real basis but offers a make believe solution to a proposed problem.
Most political reports are saturated with such simulacra and merely cast shadows on the truth. It is the saturation of these simulacra that projects the meaningless meaning but serve the purposes to fool the reader into believing whatever is read or printed before them. Other examples are photographs that are Photoshopped, and illusions of realities type of movies such as the Matrix that create dimensional existences of substances involving time and space.
There are four stages to simulacra or simulation:
The first stage is the faithful saturation of an image, or a copy of an image we believe may be a reflection of the profound reality.
The second stage is the perversion of reality where we become to believe this copy is an unfaithful copy of the reality but through saturation is made into a believable copy rather than a false reality.
The third stage is the absence of a profound reality, where the perverted image or simulacrum pretends to be the faithful copy but is in fact, not an copy of the original symbol or sign.
The fourth stage is pure simulation, in which the simulacra has no relationship to any reality whatsoever and is merely a reflected sign or claim to reality on the part of the images or symbols presented in the order of such claims.
The transition from signs which dissimulate something to signs which dissimulate that there is nothing, marks the decisive turning point.

A basic understanding of a simulacra or simulation of the truth



A basic understanding of a simulacra or simulation of the truth
In an attempt to seek the relationship between reality and symbols in our society, we have to understand what simulacra is and how it works as a means to simulate or copy the reality and transforms into a truth when in fact, it has no truth but rather conceals the truth. The only reality is this act of simulacra or simulating what was never original to begin with and is a mere imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system.
Basically, if you don’t attempt to seek the truth, you will chase these simulacra or a simulation that basically leads you on a wild goose chase as you will never find the truth you are looking for. Symbols are easily created by creative minds. It’s a means to demonstrate, illustrate or show something the illusionist wants you to see and accept. Charts are symbols or figures of identity and can be easily created without any reality of substance attached to them. One has to be cautious when viewing and interpreting a chart or symbol of any kind and ask, where did it come from and how was it created.
For the purpose of human experience, simulations of reality are deceptive tools for those who want to hoodwink or lull you into a stage of contentment of satisfaction. They are simply used to hide the reality and conceal the truth. The basis or backgrounds for such illusions are culture and media. If you can explain the culture and manipulate the media, you have the ability to acquire a simulacra which constructs a meaning with no real basis but offers a make believe solution to a proposed problem.
Most political reports are saturated with such simulacra and merely cast shadows on the truth. It is the saturation of these simulacra that projects the meaningless meaning but serve the purposes to fool the reader into believing whatever is read or printed before them. Other examples are photographs that are Photoshopped, and illusions of realities type of movies such as the Matrix that create dimensional existences of substances involving time and space.
There are four stages to simulacra or simulation:
The first stage is the faithful saturation of an image, or a copy of an image we believe may be a reflection of the profound reality.
The second stage is the perversion of reality where we become to believe this copy is an unfaithful copy of the reality but through saturation is made into a believable copy rather than a false reality.
The third stage is the absence of a profound reality, where the perverted image or simulacrum pretends to be the faithful copy but is in fact, not an copy of the original symbol or sign.
The fourth stage is pure simulation, in which the simulacra has no relationship to any reality whatsoever and is merely a reflected sign or claim to reality on the part of the images or symbols presented in the order of such claims.
The transition from signs which dissimulate something to signs which dissimulate that there is nothing, marks the decisive turning point.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

My backyard - what a fracking mess it was

My backyard, what a fracking mess It was on an early Sunday morning, near the town of Lancaster, in the central part of Ohio, where my buddy Ethan, lived in a shack, a two room home built with his own two hands shack. This abode, as humble as it was, sat on a two acre piece of rolling grasslands with tree covered hills and a small stream running smack down the middle of it. Up above, you could see the birds making their nests in the trees as water was aplenty and the stream provided fresh spring water all year around. I suppose my friend was one of the lucky ones. He was in the middle of nowhere back in the days when people minded their own business and what he did or what he saw was totally his own and nobody else cared. It was fly-fishing country, with a herd of cows nearby and a field filled with dung that made you watch where you stepped when you went for a walk. His shack was rain proof and didn’t get wet inside even during the strongest storms. He got his groceries once a month as he loaded his Ford pickup truck and gassed it up to last him a week or two if he didn’t have any chores to do. Mesmerized by the unspoiled beauty of his land, he sat there at night, counting stars and watching meteors streak through the sky. Down the stream was a small clean and free-flowing river that linked up with the big one down the stretch. He got his water right here from the land. He was lucky to have a clean underground watershed that gave him fresh clean water as he pumped it out of the ground, every morning, filling up his barrels that gave him enough water to drink for weeks at a time. Unmistakably heaven, he drove these country roads to the city not as often as he used to but there were no reasons for him to do so since he retired and no longer worked. A retired prison guard, he worked in the city. He had so many years behind those stone cold walls, he often felt he was in prison even when he was off duty, so he found this piece of land and build himself a two room shack with the outhouse close by to give him comfort. Down the road there were large swaths of land-private land and public land. Filled with quail, pheasants, and other fowl, he took his shotgun out a few times a week to feed his desire for meat so he and his dog, Axel, could eat. Life was simple for a very long time. The dusty roads were empty most of the time and he didn’t have to worry about people stopping by. Why, a week or two would go by, before someone would stop and ask for directions. Ethan was a pleasant fellow, never said a bad word about anyone and he treated his dog, Axel, like it was a member of the family as all he had was him and the dog. One day, Ethan woke up to a loud and vibrating noise down the road. Annoying as it was, there was a lot of questions why such a convoy of trucks were coming down this road that passed the shack located about a quarter mile from the turnoff. Something told him there was trouble and as he looked with suspicion at the convoy traveling by, he found himself with a tear in his eye. He had moved from town to avoid the crowds and noises. He felt an intrusion that would leave him shocked and awed at what was happening nearby. A day or two passed by as he noticed his hand pump had run dry and the water he had relied on was no longer flowing as it did before the convoy of trucks came down the once empty road, now filled with dust a flying and deep ruts where the big trucks drove through the dirt as the rain caused the sandy wash road into a mud filled pond stretching a few miles before it became paved. The real shock came when his neighbor up the road stopped by and asked him if he had trouble with his water. Seems the problem was plaguing every house around and it appeared the underground aquifer had been tampered with for those who relied on the fresh water for everything they had including babies and livestock. Weeks went by and the water that had undergone a metamorphic state in smell and looks, was coming out brown, smelly and sometimes very distasteful when you drank it even in a cup of strong dark coffee. It didn’t taste at all like it did before. Then he noticed the duck were dying, the birds were leaving and the cows were laying down on the grass, like never before. Not long ago, a rumor was told in town, that the brown water had sickened a pregnant woman and that the horses, the pets and the chickens were losing their hair and feathers. Ethan was concerned about his dog, Axel, as he had not been himself for a while now as he slept more than usual and his eyes were getting glossy. Sensing it was the water, Ethan bought four cases of bottled water and loaded them in his truck as he went about his business to buy some groceries and head back home before dark. One day, a man came by and asked Ethan to sign a petition. It was a document that stated clearly the purpose was to have the trucks stop rolling, the water start flowing again and the land returned back to where it was before the trucks came down this road. His shack, his outhouse, his dog, and his land was all he had and today, he realized how close he was to losing it all. That man’s name was Charlie, a neighbor who carried a sign on his truck that opposed a thing called “fracking.” It seemed there was a process going on down the road situated about five miles down that impacted the entire valley and landscape. He started to talk about this “fracking” business and how this company, a natural gas and oil business was setting up shop down the road, using this fracking method to make the money as they were buying up mineral rights left and right up and down the road. Charlie asked Ethan, if he had signed a lease, and with wide open eyes and a very solemn face, he nodded no saying softly, “no sir, I haven’t signed anything and nobody has come by here to ask me to either.” Charlie started to explain the problem and told Ethan how this “fracking” works but what really got Ethan mad was when Charlie told him that if he refused to sign a lease, gas would be taken out from under their land anyway, since under Ohio law a well drilled on a leased piece of property can capture gas from neighboring, unleased properties. He added, they were offering the land owners a one-time fee payout of $3,000 dollars or $300 an acre whichever was more plus royalties on each producing well. “Fracking,” as it’s commonly known, involves injecting millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals, many of them toxic, into the earth at high pressures to break up rock formations and release natural gas trapped inside. Ethan was worried about his two room shack, his hand pump that was failing him on an occasional basis, the sometimes brown water and the landscape around him down the road was changing into a scarred, barren, square-shaped clearings, jagged, newly constructed roads with 18-wheelers driving up and down them, and colorful freight containers labeled “residual waste.” Drilling operations nearer to his property commenced in August of that year. Trees were cleared and the ground leveled to make room for a four-acre drilling site less than 1,000 feet away from his privately owned land. Ethan could feel the earth beneath their home shake whenever the well was fracked. Ethan knew, sooner or later, his shack and land would be worthless and unsafe to live on. All his neighbors were up in arms as their water had become tainted and contaminated. All the land around him, all of which sit atop large repositories of natural gas trapped in shale rock deep underground were targets of the drillers down the road. An army of concerned residents and activists marched in protest to show how fracking is an example of what can go wrong when this form of drilling is allowed to take place without proper regulation. Some are pointing to a wave of groundwater-contamination incidents and mysterious health problems out West, in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, where hydraulic fracturing has been going on for years as part of a massive oil-and-gas boom, and saying that fracking should not be allowed at all in delicate ecosystems. Conventional vertical drilling cannot retrieve shale gas in an economical way, but when combined with hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling—whereby a deeply drilled well is bent at an angle to run parallel to the surface of the Earth—changes the equation. Meanwhile, the returned fracking fluid, now called wastewater, is either trucked off or stored in large, open-air, tarp-lined pits on site, where it is allowed to evaporate. The other portion of the fluid remains deep underground—no one really knows what happens to it. Fracking is an energy- and resource-intensive process. Every shale-gas well that is fracked requires between three and eight million gallons of water. Fleets of trucks have to make hundreds of trips to carry the fracking fluid to and from each well site. In Ethan’s neck of the woods, there were more than 60 gas wells were drilled in a nine-square-mile area, all kinds of ugly things transpired after that drilling outfit came to town. Sadly, the shack was eventually abandoned as Ethan had moved back to town. His dog, Axel, had passed away from an unexplained illness and the water he once bragged about as being clean, pristine cool spring water, was now smelly, brown and filled with chemicals and contaminants, all approved by government officials who reaped the profits and lived in big stone walled houses far away from the smell, the shaking and the destruction of what turned out to be a fracking backyard mess.