Politics. Life. And Stuff.

Previously posted on my Facebook page.

I REMEMBER an 18-year old daughter of a friend in Long Beach CA who went to Haiti for “fun and adventure” to help earthquake victims and came home totally a new human being. Now she questions dishwashers and washer-dryers (“Can we do these with our bare hands?”) cars and SUVs (“Walking is exercise”), cellphones (“There were 5 public phones in an entire village of 1500) video games (“We played soccer in the mud! Awesome!”) and television (“TV was like a moviehouse, scheduled for 35 villagers to watch one movie each week”) etc etcetera.    

       Come to think of it, that's how I grew up. I may have gone old still a crazy dude, but I am proud to say that all my kids—although they use the internet and got cellphones—are still relatively old-school. Still, there are issues to deal other than a wireless abode, right? I'd rather worry about those... 

       When a child responds to, “Hey, did you check your Facebook today?” with, “I will for few minutes, I just need to finish this watercolor painting and I need to sleep early today for the volleyball game tomorrow,” then there is hope. No need to hire an “internet safety” tutor. Believe me, they know what “safe” is if their minds are working as natural reflex than brains that is so quick at electronic response. 🗽🏦🗽

IF we dig deeper and try to get off the Hitler horror cloud a bit and figure out how come the dude was able to convince minions to gather on his beck and call, we can see a parallel in current times. People are disgruntled and frustrated mainly by virtue of the One Percent's (eg Corporate World) machinations in complicity with governments. That is the kind of sociopolitical environment that a quintessential demagogue thrives. A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument. That is why elections are about winning and the best (or worst?) demagogues win. Many times strategists play around a certain effective rah-rah slogan that goes with charismatic leaders—and that spell victory. 

       In the US, I believe that the ruckus that ensued between camps of polar extremes (Trump against Sanders mainly) reflect a painful truth. Americans are pissed. As per a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, voter discontent has reached a fever pitch: 72 percent say their elected officials can’t be trusted, and two-thirds believe the nation’s political system is dysfunctional. Some 21 percent of people want the eventual president-elect to employ drastic makeover of government structures and start over from scratch. Such utter disillusionment mutates into two polar extremes that howl, “We need complete redress of the system!” which makes Republican frontrunner Mr Trump's “Bring back America to Americans!” battlecry and Democrat Bernie Sanders' “Power to the people!” chant seem very alluring and palpable—at least to the heart that bleeds. 🗽🏦🗽

       

MANY compare Donald Trump with The Fuhrer. True, The Donald's politics could be a bit blurry, uncontrollably assymmetrical mostly. He claims to run on a platform of populism, nativism, protectionism and authoritarianism—with strong opposition to immigration, free trade and military interventionism. Meantime, many detractors find his fiery espousals as white supremacist/racist and misogynistic—sending shivers of a Hitlerian blueprint. 

       But then, remember, the Adolf fella gained popular support in 1924 by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory. He denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. The kicker was his first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression. Hence, he lured back ethnic Germans to return to nativeland. Germany back to the Germans. And then he got really fucked up. Rest of horrible history.

       Trump's glib albeit straight-through rhetoric infers that the ills of current America is ushered by an immigrant community in connivance with giant corporations. And when we talk about the American who lost a factory job to overseas outsourcing and then sees Chinese products flooding retail shelves then comes home to an injured soldier kin languishing in alcohol, what do we see? Then Trump promises, “I will give your life back.”

       I refuse to sweepingly judge those who gravitate to Trump as idiots or morons. These are disenfranchised citizenry relegated to the background of a largely elitist, politically-correct and educated social enclave. Their woes and hopes accentuate “popular desires and prejudices rather than rational arguments.” Bottomline, the people want change. And Trump minces no words in saying, yes he can. Do I like him? No. I am just pointing some factors why he seems so popular. 

       We have to take note as well—elections aren't really about who is the most deserving, or right, or just candidate—it is all about winning, no matter what. It's all about numbers. Hence, the most popular ones, with the most formidable One Percent backer, win. How do the people conter that? Advocate to non-believers instead of pushing them away. 🗽🏦🗽

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And some little jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

DOGS dream. Scientific research demonstrates comparable brain wave patterns in humans and dogs which validates this assumption. The conclusion is that dreams are part of the normal sleep cycle, and dogs do indeed have them! Arrow, in fact, talks in her dreams. A lot. Fizz takes note, analyzes them and texts those interesting findings to Arrow afterwards. 🐕🐕‍🦺😴

THERAPIST, a person who treats mental conditions by verbal communication and interaction; a psychotherapist. In these cellphone/texting times, we should double/triple-check what we text before the auto(in)correct (in)corrects us. For example, when you respond to a text question, “Where are you going?” Elaborate and (re)check. Don’t just type “...to therapist.” It may be sent as “...to the rapist.” It happens. 📱🥹📲

DO dogs like baths? Like most answers to grooming questions, it depends on the dog. Some dogs get anxiety when it's bath time, and others are just as happy to jump in a bath of water as they are in a pond or pool. But you should know. You don’t need to visit a dog behaviorist for that query and spend $150. Save the money for another fancy toy for your dog, okay? 🦮🛁🐕‍🦺

ONE thing common to all drama queen dogs (and hoomans) is that they want you to buy into their drama. So if you start yelling or panicking or getting all worked up when your dog is overreacting, then you will just be fanning the flames. So you two might as well make a Netflix series drama series. Why don’t you stay calm, no matter what. So the cat won’t ridicule you again on Facebook for all the silly drama that you and your dog do, 24/7. You dig? 🐕🥵🐩

WHY is a bank teller called “teller.” The term “teller” is from the Olde English, meaning “to count.” Okay, that makes sense. The person behind the counter “counts” the money that is being exchanged. While customers still call them “tellers,” most financial institutions have moved away from using the term. Fizz The Wiz told me bank tellers are also tellers of tales on Facebook when they are on a coffee break. I guess. 👩‍💻🧑‍💻🧑‍💼

DOGS read more into our tone and body language than our actual words. They focus on us and observe our physical clues to determine what we want them to do or not do. They watch our facial expressions, posture, and body movements. They listen to the tone of our voice. Reason why, lately, there’s been a 75.9 percent spike in depression among dogs. But not with cats. 🐕🥴🐕‍🦺

CATS are typically very stoic animals, so if your cat suddenly seems to be in distress–howling, crying, tossing the TV remote around–it is a cause for concern. Ching and Fizz aren’t whiner cats though. When Ching wants a backrub, she just cooly walks to the mat, no word, and we take heed. When Fizz wants to play with her spring toy, she calls us out for 3 seconds. Then she quiets down. When both ask how to find a new bird video/show on Netflix or YouTube TV, they send me a text or IM. 😸😼🙀

INTERROGATION, the action of interrogating or the process of being interrogated. In the very near future, police interrogation will be done by an AI that is programmed by a cat. Imagine that! 🗣👤🤖

DOGS read our body language and listen to our tone as we speak to them, which helps them decipher what we are telling them. This indicates that they also use both sides of their brain to understand human words. So yes, dogs are capable of knowing their name and nicknames. Cats though are a lot smarter. They know our names, nicknames, passport names, bitch names, TikTok names, 17 Facebook names, and passwords. 🗣🐕🐈

HIGH MAINTENANCE, of a person or relationship, or dog and cat, demanding a lot of attention and financial/luxury needs. Arrow: “I need 7 more minutes of sniff-sniff time every 30 minute interval on a day’s time. That’d be apart from morning bathroom and afternoon walk and evening bathroom. Ching: “My backrubs should be at 10:30 PM, to the dot. Not a minute late! And I want a larger TV screen for my bird video watch.” Fizz: “Don’t argue, that’s what our AI told us! Just do it!” 🐈👑🐕

Compilation of short MORNING THOUGHTS on Facebook.

Reading news requires “more reading.” For days, most that I read are Left-wing media exalting the Midterms “victory” of the Democrats. Yet the numbers, today: Senate: Red 49, Blue 48. House: Red 217, Blue 205. Governor: Red 25, Blue 24. Tight race; GOP leads. Yet while there’s not much talk about the loss of popular Blue rep Stacey Abrams, shaming royale hit Republicans who lost. Whoever wins, my issues: War, inflation, mass shootings. End it, fix it! 🤨🗣👥

A subtle kind of racism that pervades here, there, and everywhere: When other people, especially those from perceived “poor” countries, are categorically dismissed, treated, or ignored as dumb, clueless, or “backward.” You see, the Uber driver could be a former finance minister in Egypt; the gardener was a doctor in Laos; the subway busker was a physicist in Cuba; the Red Lobster kitchen help was an English teacher in India. Yet they opt to stay quiet and refuse to argue. 🤨🗣👥

Simple Minds isn’t happy with the success of “Breakfast Club,” the 1985 film where the Scottish band’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me” was the theme song. Fact is, the John Hughes movie pumped up the song to #1. As of July 2022, the video with clips from the movie, had been viewed more than 240 million times. Whiners for more attention? Like John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten whining about “Pistol.” How many suddenly clicked Sex Pistols after viewing the Hulu series? 🥺🎼😭

Never I’ve been so annoyed with following election results till this Midterms. How media drive, muzzle, and push you to their preferred “insight” of who actually won, regardless of the tally numbers—is irritating. Raw figure, 11/12/2022: Red leads Blue albeit very close. So call it that way. Very close. But no, coverage is opinionated-nasty, self-righteous, misleading. This election is a showcase of how America widened its divide in a bonanza of partisanship hate. 😏🗽😒

The “antisemitic book, docu” that Kyrie Irving got in trouble with are now bestsellers on Amazon. Sales of most recent “banned” book “Maus” by Art Spiegelman soared 753 percent in 1 month, following the hoopla. You dig? Anyhow, pro/anti thoughts by people are fine with me. Life. What pisses me off is when giant corporations trumpet that they cut their endorser/s because they “stepped over the line.” Come on, Nike! You’ve been stepping over line for decades! 🤨🗣👥

Basketball is the Philippines’ top sport pastime. In the 1930s, the country of my birth was #3 in world ranking in basketball (yes!) Till we deteriorated. The Philippines’ performance in the last FIBA was the worst that I’ve ever seen! Again, we are vying for a slot in the next FIBA and possibly, Olympics. What country watches the NBA the most? The Philippines! 63 percent! Hmmm. We watch basketball as a community. No politics talk in front of basketball. No way! ?⛹️🇵🇭

Midterms. Republicans win the House. Senate, a tight race. Some politicians of either side, who are only “good” for online flash or internet “fame,” lost. Good. The GOP victory is not supermajority. Traditionally, that is fine for participatory democracy. But with the current schism of hate, not good. Weakens America and Washington loses clout, globally. Yet only half of the U.S. vote. Doesn’t matter. No need for a referendum on today’s economy. Clear as daytime. 🗽🇺🇸🗽

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And Other Little Jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

PRIMORDIAL, existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval. Soon or already, I am primordial. Are you primordial? Can you pronounce primordial? Pri-mor-dial. Pri-mor-de-yal? /prīˈmôrdēəl/ Okay. 🥸🧙‍♂️👴

CATS love to snuggle in one tiny space because they have an instinctual need for protection and to stay warm. They also like to avoid environmental stress and conflict so they look for a tight space to hide. Lastly it may remind them of being a kitten snug against their mother in a confined space. Also, since they are also very smart in economics, they want to tell us to take it easy on purchasing more cat stuff on Temu. Save money for their health care. One cat bed is enough. 🦊🧺🐺

CATS can read body language of other cats and human companions. They can read/interpret human vocal intonations. But most cats cannot read words on a laptop or cellphone. But they can read cursive and words in a book. Fizz though can read anything on the internet, including emojis and stickers. 🐱📰🐱

PROPRIETORSHIP, the state or right of owning a business or holding property. In case you have already sold your soul to the devil and the devil now owns copyright of your soul, there’s nothing you can do about it. But you may still vote next year. 😈🤠👿

THERE are plenty of laws in effect to protect dogs and cats, or animals per se, from abuse and neglect. Most states have passed laws that make severe animal cruelty cases a felony. However, each state defines animal abuse differently. Most of these laws were actually introduced by hoomans who were cats in their past life. 🐕⚖️🐈

CATS have different sleep-wake cycles than other animals and are often busy at night. This is because cats are crepuscular, which means they hunt and are active in the evening or early morning. Get that? Crepuscular, crepuscular, crepuscular. Kickass word! Crepuscular. 🐱😴🦊

REAL MAN is a dude who has been through different experiences in life and does not let those experiences limit or define him. He has lessons from the past only to humble him rather than dwell on insecurities or in fear of those experiences. He looks at life not wanting to define it, judge it or to put it in a box. Pretty much like a cat. 🦹🤴🦹‍♂️

FETCHING the newspaper is a task your dog is likely to enjoy. But lately dogs have been refusing to fetch the paper and instead hands hoomans a piece of paper with links to the day’s news. Dogs learned this trick from, who else, cats. 🐈🗞🐕

DOGS are born to be in the spotlight and really love being photographed. Other pups may be less willing to hold still and look at the camera though. Paying attention to your dog's body language will help you learn the difference: When it is okay to snap a picture and when they would rather be left alone. Usually, when there’s a cat in the house, the dog would ask the cat first if it is okay for another photo-op. The cat is their manager or agent. 🐕📸🐩

THE major characteristic of vampires is not that they eat humans, but that they FEED on human blood. Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam at night, searching for people whose blood they feed upon. So that popular thinking that vampires eat humans is fake news. Although vampires trade humans that they kill and drain blood from with zombies who, of course, dine on humans–in exchange for intel where to find humans with healthy blood situation. 🧛‍♂️🧛‍♀️🧟‍♀️

Seven ways to say I love you without saying it…

[1] KISS. A kiss is a most intimate gesture of human warmth towards the other that even nature does it on an ethereal and transcendent way: A feline streak of sun light that gently crawls its lips upon a morning glade. Try to kiss that way… Many times it’s the most endearing, lasting sexual bliss there is—better than the hottest sex—because a kiss lasts, conveys, connects longer than a 3-minute orgasm. So kiss that way—kiss like it’s a need than obligation, pleasure than ritual. But be sure to brush your teeth and gurgle first… No human being deserves to kiss another human being with a KFC morsel in between their front teeth.

[2] DOMESTICATE your love and affection. Cook for her—cooking is a profound personal expression of connectedness and compassion. You are feeding the body as well as the spirit—besides the quiet fact that eating dinner together means you are really together. Or wash her clothes, if need be—iron them, as well. Don’t be embarrassed to include her undies, too—that is, if she allows it. Just be sure that you know how to segregate this and that fabric or clothes, and use the right detergent (is she into non-toxic stuff, respect it!) and be extra certain that you are pretty knowledgeable how to operate the washer-dryer. Don't mess up the machine... More importantly, you don’t want to ruin her Gucci, Prada, and Valentino! THAT is a cardinal sin!

[3] SURPRISE her with little, silly, corny gifts: a garden-plucked magnolia with a line from a Lisa Gilbert book, ham sandwich or hummus salad (if she is a vegetarian, respect it!) placed on her car’s companion seat as she goes to work, a red red rose on her pillow (cut off the thorns and briers, dude!)—sometimes, a flea market-scored flower vase or antique nightstand or scarf from a consignment store works good or a Pekingese cat at an animal rescue center. Elicit that smile and hug, these sweet little somethings matter. But don’t surprise her with a baby boa constrictor pet atop the TV set as she goes home: that is pretty much a shock—bigtime shock, get it? (Well, not unless your GF is Lady Gaga… that’d be fine, I guess.)

[4] CLEAN her car or fix her bed. These are some of those tiny tasks or seemingly nonsensical chores that don’t get notice as we feed our insatiable thirst for obligatory toil so we could sustain our hold at life’s physical comforts. We jump out of bed to keep up with the rush and adrenalin of daily grind; we hop in and out of the car and nonchalantly trash the day’s litter all over the car floor and back seat as we drive and text—knowing we could attend to these little things later, and so before we know it, the car has been stuffed with Bojangles chicken bones and Mickey Dees boxes, and the bed looked like a WWF arena. It’d be cool that when she comes home to rest, the bed looks like a Holiday Inn suite that smells like lovin’, and when she drives back to work, her car looks like the inside of a limo to Shangri-la.

[5] Those three words could be articulated better via a POEM, song, artwork—so you don’t need to be such a trying-hard jerk who says I love you in between quick glances at your Blackberry for NFL updates. Everybody texts as they interact so how do you know your man (or woman) is paying attention at all? This is not a 100 percent guarantee of unmitigated attention or focus but at least you could convince her that you spent all night writing her a sonnet, you dig? But don’t you ever commit the stupid mistake of copy-pasting a Neruda or Shakespeare love poem at poemhunter.com and say it's yours– you must know that that everything can be googled anytime. One click and you’re dead!

[6] Criticize her mom’s Dolly Parton hair-do, junk her bestfriend’s love for Burger King dollar meals, lambast her hair stylist’s style—but don’t, DON’T, you ever diss her PET (may it be a babedawg, koolcat, alligator, or pterodactyl). That is a super-huge no-no. Instead, always appreciate the darn animal, okay? If she is a PETA member or anti-animal cruelty advocate, respect it! Bring the pet a treat—and better make it a “healthy” chow (remember, if she's into ethical stuff, respect it!). Sometimes, well—believe it or not, you must pet the babedawg/koolcat first before you go to lady. She will love you double for your sensitivity and sublimity.

[7] BE PRESENT. Value moments. In spite of or no matter how busy your respective social and work lives are, always have open-ended moments with her. There will always be workloads and neglected tasks to do or attend to—but there will only one love to nurture… Always think that she’s waiting and you are coming, and vice versa. Talk but make sure you have other subjects to talk about apart from an Occupy issue, GOP debate, or a Kardashian butt; and listen, listen to her no matter how loud and annoying her whinings and mopings are. Words that come out of human mouths are like music and poetry when both listen and talk. The heart listens good…
… and if all these don’t work, well—what the hell, say I LOVE YOU!

TEN Reasons Why I Unfriend…

MY Facebook is like my living room that is open to public—in all continents, seven seas, and Milky Way. A “living room”—which means, this place isn’t my bathroom or bedroom, so there! Although I am so fond of sharing what I just ate or cooked, or where I spent my last weekend (at least, I offer hints), or what sort of housework I just accomplished (yes, I do stuff apart from dishwashing and laundry), or what's up with my kids—it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all “reality FB” around here. There’s still a whole lot of details and infos about my little life and shenanigans that I don’t feel a tad comfortable to bare in here. You can still call me painfully reclusive and I will not argue it… And yes, although I have close to 4500 “friends,” I still unfriend people (if they’re actually “people” and not a few of Cyd’s clandestine MIBs).

[1] Bloated, overdrawn discussion that evolves into nasty ARGUMENTS. Although my intensely opinionated girth always gets caught in a quicksand of passionate debates and verbal engagements, it doesn’t mean I enjoy them. I don’t… I am done with those prolonged jousts about politics of the day and blahblah—that I so love to sink my tiny little brain into when I was younger. These days, I’d rather write my thoughts, one way, no arguments whatsoever—than negotiate a curb and preach my madness to the next soul. You see, there are people who simply are experts in acerbic provocations—they will argue why babedawgs bark 7 times a day, why winter is cold, why soda isn’t called pop, and why the hell they are alone and lonely yet their koolcat has a Friday night date… I like discussion with like-minded friends, albeit virtual—but once it gets a bit of a headbutting gig, I’d rather digress and unfriend. If you don’t like my stuff, why sit on my couch, right?

[2] Blurbs and quips that tend to be too PERSONAL… Again, as follow up to Item #1, I do enjoy sharing my virtual mung beans soup and if I agree with what Anderson Cooper just said or why am I the only human being watching Jerry Springer—but I don’t think I’d reveal the color of my underwear or who the beautiful lady that I last dated or why is it I never adjusted my status to Single, Married, In An Relationship, Imprisoned, or Simply Bored. So I am not at all amused with prying screwdrivers who dig in too much like the New Inquisition, and pick up a fight via my Wall… you know what I’m sayin’? Of course, you know what I am saying…

[3] PORNOGRAPHIC minds. I am not saying that I don’t surf a porno site once in a while, because I do. Yes, indeed—I do, but not the perverse type though (if watching ordinary-looking couples with imperfect bodies on intimate moments doesn’t qualify as “perverse,” then I am fine, right?) But I don’t like pornos sent via emails or FBs—apart from the fact that almost all of these nuisances are spam viruses. I mean, I don’t even welcome 4-letter f-words thrown like vodka vomit in here…

[4] As I just said on Item #1, I like discussion of daily matters, stuff and things—from Black Friday shopping madness to China’s domination of the world to a Kardashian frivolity to the Rolling Stones’ next tour… Kafka, Beavis and Butthead, Thai cuisine, sex in Brazil, global warming in Antarctica, Ayn Rand, Calvin and Hobbes. Stuff, you know. What I don’t favor are those who COMPLAIN a humongous lot about anything. They go online yet they complain about the internet, they drive a car yet they whine about traffic, they criticize smokers and meat-eaters yet they guzzle up alcohol like it’s water to a fish, they say they are lonely but they mope about their disgusting neighbors or moms and dad who call on Saturday afternoon, they want to help feed all inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa but they rant and rave about antibiotics and all that paranoid toxicity in food, etcetera etcetera. You know, people who always carry a pin to burst your bubble, or always come in handy with a negative retort to your positive wavelength… These are the kind of raincloud earthlings who doesn’t notice a flower standing aloft a phalanx of dead brush or a streak of sun coming through a weeping windowpane. They are so freakin’ morose!

[5] I don’t get much of these quizzes and game INVITES anymore, so it’s cool. Maybe I am one of those FB rats (or squirrels) who spend a fantastic amount of time on Facebook but don’t do any of the Yoville or Farmville stuff. I am too short-attention span dude to keep glued to an online game for three minutes… Also, I hate TAGGERS who don’t ask permission to tag. It’s pretty much a wild trespass or a random tag on your car or something. That is so unacceptable, man!

[6] Elongated exchange of RELIGIOUS sermons on the mount or IDEOLOGICAL speeches. I am pretty much aware of friends—real, “offline” friends—who use Facebook as an advocacy or propaganda tool. And I agree it is effective—after all, many claim that FB helped launch successful revolutions in the Middle East, as well as to jumpstart the Occupy movement. But my FB is not like that. It’s simply a frenzied cornucopia of this and that, it’s thrift store, a downtown flea market, it’s like a café for one and all. It’s cheap, it’s profound, it’s surreal, it’s intellectual, it’s corny, it’s funny, it’s scornful, it’s romantic, it’s angry, it’s sarcastic, it’s me. But I don’t like a long stream of super-political and “spiritual hallelujahs,” although a bit of these is fine…

[7] Well-meaning but overzealous people who invite you to a BILLION EVENTS, although you never show up at all. And I am not really good at attending events, parties, meetings, gatherings anyways. I’ve always preferred the quiet comfort of my room… I’ve always been this kind of “unsocial” dude who is actually kind of social, by virtue of so many community events and organizational projects/program that I have organized in my life. So to save the ink or whatever, better not include me in your 1 million people to invite list… although I will find it more thoughtful and sweet if you send me a one-liner, individual/exclusive note (I may show up).

[8] Hostile EX’ES. I have a number of former girlfriends in my Friends List—maybe they read me, maybe they don’t. But we are mutually quiet (with each other). I unfriended maybe two or three ex’es but the one ex that really pissed me off was the one who was so gracious in being my “friend” again, yet she made it a point to beat me up, clash with me like sneaky Scud missile, or wickedly criticize whatever I post. It’s the kind of person who comes to your house with a smile and then starts criticizing unwashed dishes on my sink, dust on windowsill, the Dollar Tree painting on the bathroom wall, the sort of magazines on my desk, and Cyd’s unmade litter box… yet still has the gall to say, “I only have compassion for you.” Ex’es who praised you to the heights of Mt Kilimanjaro and called you The Greatest when you were still dating, and then totally made a huge U-turn when you broke up—so any opportunity that’s open to them to lash out at you, they’d take it. UNf------gFRIEND them, pronto!

[9] People that you are certain you’d NEVER MEET in person or in real life. If these people are unnecessary in your life—online or offline—why befriend them, in the first place? There are a number of reasons why I create friends or reconnect with friends or maintain friends in my life: they could be business collaborations, project connects, really cool people with a diversity of interesting takes and insights about life and living, and just plain human beings who could be such gifts in real life. I don’t want to maintain or sustain an online communication with someone that I am sure I’d never meet in the real world at all—I don’t care if the person lives in Bosnia-Herzegovina or Tonga, I want to be sure that I am talking with a real person that I may share a coffee or beer somewhere in the future.

[10] People that are soooooooo IN LOVE with life and the world, that it freakin’ screams like a loud denial. These are the kind of people who doesn’t want to hear anything about people getting hungry, being killed, thrown out of houses etc. They believe that the world is one race, everybody has a full stomach, love is all that they see when they dance with fireflies in the quiet confines of their fancy idylls by the woods… Most often than not, these are the kind of immaculate urchins who’d rather cover their faces with masks of white as they pass by a phalanx of starving souls by an uneasy street. They believe that they will go straight to heaven because they are made to be pure and peaceful, loving and lovely. UNFRIEND them, is all.

Seven Cool, Almost Funk-Free Alternatives to Banking Institutions…

[1] Try the Filipino group money lending concept called PALUWAGAN, a sort of a community-based or neighborhood mutual fund or small informal cooperative. I found this concept to be very effective, useful, and fun when I was in grade school. “Paluwagan” is a Filipino word—rooted from “magpaluwal” or simple money lending, and “nakaluluwag” which is synonymous to giving. This system has been so popular in the Philippines especially in the rural region. The “paluwagan” fund doesn’t go directly to a broker. The concept is to pool the participants’ money—by means of daily, weekly, or even monthly collections to be collected by a leader. The participants will cast lots to determine who will receive the total pooled money. There are other ways on how “paluwagan” system works. It’s up to the participants on how they should plan on what kind of rotation they will implement.
     Bottomline, in case you’d like to apply for a loan, you don’t have to beg a Wells Fargo or Bank of America and offer your soul as collateral—you can easily borrow the fund in the “paluwagan.” This, however, entails a lot of trust—hence, a fluid and solid community relations is imperative. You don’t just sign up a participant via a Tweet or Facebook email or an application from Klingon Planet… You need to first hang out and forge friendships, face to face, with people to be able to make this work.

[2] BARTER or trade. Ever wonder if there’s no money or what they call “legal tender” passing through hands after hands? When people just offer: “Hey, want me to repaint your awning in exchange for a sack of potato?” or “I will give you a ride to and from Westville Pub but can you look after my pet pterodactyl and boa constrictor tomorrow?” Or even simple transactions like, “I’ll give you foot massage, will you rub my back?” But, uhh… I think that’ll only work with a girlfriend or wife, right? But you get the drift… At least, you don’t have to go to a Citigroup bank and trade: “Mr Bank Manager, could you loan me some money to buy a new car so I can go to work—in exchange for my soul and my babedawg’s paw and my koolcat’s hair?”

[3] Explore the feasibility of microfinance in your community. What immediately comes to mind is GRAMEEN BANK—a community development bank in Bangladesh that makes small loans (known as microcredit or "grameencredit") to the impoverished without requiring collateral. The word “Grameen” is derived from the word “gram” which means "rural" or "village" in the Bengali language.
     The system of this bank is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer-pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. The bank also accepts deposits, provides other services, and runs several development-oriented businesses including fabric, telephone and energy companies.
     The Western world recognizes this banking system yet it doesn’t endorse it, for obvious reason. But Grameen Bank can be duplicated in the US, especially in small towns—where small, independent entrepreneurs could bond together to build a prototype.

[4] INVEST in your friends’ independent business. Help him and then he helps you—everybody happy, have a backyard barbecue! I mean, why entrust your money to so-called professionals or experts, ie Edward Jones or Charles Schwab—those names sound like New Wave singers high on Epoxy, anyways… Try someone that you actually know.

[5] COOPERATIVES. A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. A cooperative may also be defined as a business owned and controlled equally by the people who use its services or by the people who work there. I turned to Wikipedia to defined cooperatives—but you get idea, right? But then, with so many reasons for people to sever ties or fight (“Hey, I didn’t know that you’ve been using aluminum foil?!” / “Damn, you just chugged in a corporate Bud, I thought you’re an organic PBR dude?!?”)—how could this work? It will… just try forming one. If it doesn’t, I don’t know anymore…

[6] SURRENDER your money to your wife or girlfriend. I mean, I am sure this is not going to fly in this culture—but maybe some may agree. Back home, men are primarily tasked to provide livelihood through steady employment or business ventures to the family; women or housewives mostly control financial decisions—from small household/open market purchases to the children’s educational exigencies. In case hubby couldn’t earn enough or barely enough money to cover bills—sorry, dude! “No prime ribs tonight, sorry honey—we need to pay Netflix first!” / “What about my weed, sweety?” / “Www-what???? With this money and you still got the nerve to ask for weed money???” BLAM! “Now, you are sleeping in the babedawg house!”
     In fact, there is an existing labor law that specifically applied to overseas workers (mostly husbands who work in the Middle East). Their salary directly goes to a national bank (ah!) that only honors withdrawals transacted by the legal or common-law wife, none other. The hubby couldn’t even withdraw a cent from his pay… So it’s common practice that whenever men desire to, say, hang out with the boys on a weekend—he first has to try to apply for a little loan from wifey… Dig?

[7] Use CASH as much as possible, if you can help it—don’t use credit. Simple. Self-explanatory. Don’t spend money that you haven’t earned yet—especially when you don’t even have a job. But how the hell you got the credit card, anyway? Beats me…