"God. Thank You. for Good Health... for Good Food... for Clean Water" My Mantra... I Say this While Breathing Deeply and Relaxing... a How to Guide to Finding Balance...

(Inhale) God... (Exhale)

(Inhale) Thank You... (Exhale)

(Inhale) for Good Health... (Exhale)

(Inhale) for Good Food... (Exhale)

(Inhale) for Clean Water... (Exhale)

Repeat... 

Of Course... This can Be Expanded to Many Things I'm Grateful For... In a Way, This is a Traditional Saying Called "Grace" done before meals... 

I Tried doing a Mantra Written in Sanskrit, a Language I Don't Speak and Cannot Understand but It Just Seemed WRONG... So I wrote this One In English... I Usually Repeat the "God, Thank You" Part before every Item I'm Grateful For... 

Another Statement I say While Breathing Deeply is: "My Mind is Completely Relaxed, My Body is Completely Relaxed. and I'm Going Deeper and Deeper into a Hypnotic Trance..."

Link to All My Buttons for Sale at Zazzle Gregvan

I Just Watched a Positive Uplifting Movie Called "The Secret" - Well Worth Watching... and Applying it's Meaning to My Life... Can't Possibly Hurt... SO, I'll continue Eating Good Food, Taking the Medicine that my Doctor Prescribes... Reading, Writing and Pondering the Meaning of Life, The Universe and Everything!

What IF "The Secret" was True? What is the Effect of TV News Where The Entire Nation Focuses Our Attention on Horrible Things? Talking Heads Endlessly Screaming "Danger Danger" and Promoting ANGER?

The Secret is a 2006 Australian-American spirituality documentary consisting of a series of interviews designed to demonstrate the New Thought "law of attraction", the belief that everything one wants or needs can be satisfied by believing in an outcome, repeatedly thinking about it, and maintaining positive emotional states to "attract" the desired outcome.
The film and the subsequent publication of the book of the same name attracted interest from media figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Larry King.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_(2006_film)

I've heard this same message often before... 

"Every Day in Every Way I'm Getting Better and Better." 

and then...

There's the Song: "You've got to accentuate the Positive, eliminate the Negative, Latch on to the Affirmative, Don't Mess With Mister In- Between..." Johnny Mercer... 

and then There is "The Balance" by the Moody Blues... It's the Answer to the Question of Balance on that Classic Sixties Record... 

After he had journeyed
And his feet were sore, he was tired
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested
And he lay in the cool
And while he rested, he took to himself an orange and tasted it
And it was good
And he felt the Earth to his spine and he asked
And he saw the tree above him
And the stars
And the veins in the leaf
And the light
And the balance
And he saw magnificent perfection
Whereon he thought of himself in balance
And he knew he was.
Just open your eyes and realize the way it's always been
Just open your mind and you will find the way it's always been.
Just open your heart and that's a start
And he thought of those he angered
For he was not a violent man
And he thought of those he hurt
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man
And he understood, he understood himself
Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear
It was because he was not understanding
And he learned compassion
And with his eye of compassion
He saw his enemies like unto himself
And he learned love
Then he was answered
Just open your eyes and realize the way it's always been
Just open your mind and you will find the way it's always been.
Just open your heart and that's a start
Do you, do you, do you, do you realize?
Just open your eyes and realize the way it's always been
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Just open your mind and you will find the way it's always been.
Just open your heart
Just open your heart and that's a start...

Yes... Quite a lot of Wisdom there,

Speaking of Health:

I've heard so many people say that they don't get a flu shot because they rarely or never get the flu. I don't understand why people view this as a reason not to get the flu shot. I hardly ever get the flu either, but I get the flu shot every year because on the off chance that I DO get the flu, I want to do whatever I can to make sure I don't get extremely sick from it. I don't understand the logic of "I don't get the flu shot because I never get the flu." Do people say this about everything they get vaccinated against? "I never got a polio vaccine because I never get polio." "I never got a measles vaccine because I never get the measles." It's an illogical argument.

Of Course, Logic is not used by the Anti-Vax Crowd... They make decisions by following orders given by FOX NEWS and other QAnon FREAKS... and... THOSE PEOPLE DIED more frequently from COVID 19 than people that Got the Vaccine... WONDERFUL! We Certainly Don't Need PEOPLE LIKE THAT in the Future. Thank you for dying!

Everything Everywhere all at Once . GREAT MOVIE. Psychedelic Inter Dimensional Science Fiction. Watch Trailer Here.

A film from Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., with James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE – In Theaters March 25, 2022! #EverythingEverywhere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxN1T1uxQ2g

For the First time in a Decade I've Actually seen a Movie that was Nominated for an Oscar... The Last time I went to a Movie Theater was for Lord of the Rings... This Movie is on my TV... I guess we pay for a Service... I Just Spoke the words "Everything Everywhere" and It Played for Free... EXCELLENT!

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ leads Oscar nominations with 11. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/entertainment/oscar-nominations-list-2023/index.html

The strange and sentimental film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” led among the films nominated for the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday, scoring 11 nominations. “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” followed with nine nominations each.
Blockbusters “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” each landed nominations for best film, and there is plenty of star power among the nominees. Both Rihanna and Lady Gaga were nominated in the original song category (for tunes from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” respectively), as veterans in the industry were recognized as well.

An ‘Everything Everywhere’ Visual Effects Artist Has Delivered One of Sundance’s Most Gorgeous — and Stomach-Churning — Love Stories

https://variety.com/2023/film/festivals/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-vfx-supervisor-horror-a-folded-ocean-ben-brewer-1235497199/

Shoplifting: A Sure Cure for Inflation. "If You See Something, Say Nothing!" WALMART Plans to ROLL BACK PRICES Because Americans are Refusing To BUY.

 

Remember: at 3AM The Grocery Store has only One Checker and They are Also Stocking the Shelves... Can YOU Run Faster than Them? Will They Chase You at all? Why Would They Care? They are Working Class Poverty People Themselves! 

Jeff Bezos Just Raised All Prices on Amazon and Blamed Biden. "See What You Made Me Do?" Prices are Selected Voluntarily by the Owners of the Corporations... and to Confuse the Public, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos Released a Newpaper Article Blaming Inflation on The Coronavirus Checks that Trump and Biden Mailed to Millions of Starving Americans... That's Just ABSURD! There is NO Way Those Checks are The Cause of Inflation but... No One Has a Time Machine so No One Can Check to See IF That's a Valid Theory... 

Shoplifting Is Scaring Retailers. Wall Street Should Worry, Too. Retail theft is a good indicator of consumer sentiment — and distress. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-01-05/shoplifting-concerns-rise-alongside-inflation-covid-wall-street-should-worry

Target and WALMART Miss Sales Goals and then the Stock Market Loses a Huge Pile of Money... Americans Have Stopped Paying Outrageous Prices and WALL STREET Noticed.

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Drama Free Zone Buttons & Free Drama Zone Gear Too! For Sale on Zazzle gregvan

https://www.zazzle.com/store/gregvan/products?qs=drama

Zazzle gregvan

Drama Free Zone & Free Drama Zone Gear!

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

How Does Bubble Up Economics Work? Raise Wages and People Will Spend the Money at American Businesses. Increasing Profits. Everyone Wins! Raise Social Security Checks TOO!

With a $15.00 an Hour Minimum Wage people 

will have money to spend on things that they 

cannot afford to buy now. The Money will 

BUBBLE UP Through Out the Entire 

Economy. Corporations will get more sales... 

More Profits... and they will have to HIRE 

more employees to handle the increased 

business. More Stock Clerks, More Cashiers, 

More Truck Drivers... and those people will 

spend their paychecks at American 

Businesses... all boats rise on a tide... 

Employers Win, Employees Win, 

Stockholders Win... 

So, what can one person DO to get this 

Economic Plan Enacted? Well, Like and Share 

this Post... Copy and Paste the images and 

Ideas... Write your own Blog... 

Rant on Facebook and Twitter... 

What we need to do is spread valid ideas in 

order to counteract the propaganda spewed 

by Corporate "Think Tanks" like The Cato 

Institute or The Heritage Foundation... They 

will make up any story to enrich the Upper 

Class. 

They work on the Backwards-World Scientific 

Principle... Write conclusions first then find 

"Facts" to support what they want to sell.

Real Science collects Facts first, then looks at 

them to find conclusion. The exact opposite to 

Cato & Heritage... 

Bitcoin is Bogus: I Would Prefer to Buy Real 

Gold Coins instead... Gold Can be used to 

Conduct Electricity and It Does Not Rust... 

Copper Turns Green... Silver Tarnishes...

 MD Said: I have always been a skeptic on bitcoin no matter how high it goes. Some investors I follow like Ric Edelman and other financial hosts I respect are advocates and big investors in it. At the Berkshire Hathaway Meeting, Warren Buffet said this:

"I would "not spend $25" even if I was offered all the bitcoin in the world."

Ok, now I wouldn't be as extreme as that. If offered all the bitcoin in the world for 25 dollars, I would certainly take it, but he was trying to make a point here.

According to Buffett, he does not believe in investing in bitcoin as "it does not produce anything". An asset, he added, has a real value only if it can "deliver something to somebody".

Note: That is also why I don't invest in gold.

Of course, the crypto world went crazy -

but for me I will stay out of crypto currencies. I don't understand it. It makes no sense to me and I don't ever see it replacing our current fiat currency at least not in my lifetime.

LL Replied: Being of the IT and not finacial mindset, crypto currency looks like a pyramid scheme and a scam. A lot of computer resources and hence electricity going towards "mining" for small nuggets.

On the other hand, Megan Millions is at 57 million, est cash value 33.9 million.

I'm absolutely of the opinion that it's just a long-running ponzi scheme. Nothing but hot air behind it and your ability to find a greater fool to pay you more for it than you paid.

CL Said: I feel the same way about NFTs. Every generation has to learn. There’s a lot of predators out there….

I said: I think Bitcoin is Bogus Also. I don't Own any. Won't Own any. I would like a Gold Coin... Just to Rub it... and admire the color... maybe bite it too... One thing about Bitcoin is that if You Lose your Password Your Money is Gone. Totally Gone... a Gold Coin is still valuable even after a forest fire... and I have a Fondness for Gold because it conducts electricity and does not rust. Every connector used in Computers has Gold Plating. You can see it on the fingers of a card that plugs into a motherboard... 50 micro inches is standard. Enough to get the job done but not enough to recycle.

SG Said: yea it's crazy. There's no forgot password mechanism, there's absolutely zero consumer protections. If you accidentally send some coin to the wrong destination address, even if that destination is invalid or is a wallet nobody has ever used, your money is gone - no way to get it back. If you're a victim of fraud your money is gone, no bank can issue a chargeback for you.

SM Said: I agree, where does the "buck" stop? Nobody is liable, it is arguably backed by the "black market" at some level, but who do you call, nobody to answer to and for.

RW Said: It’s money being invested in the hope of an increased value of something that produces no service or product and creates no jobs. It’s money that can better be invested in reality

I Said: The Other Reason I want to Buy Gold is History... The California Gold Rush of 1849 etc etc etc... Like my Mom Said: "The Miners Came in '49 the Whores in '51 and When They Got Together, They Made the Native Son." - Bitcoin Doesn't have any History Like That...

and VK Said: Then maybe you've never heard of Silk Road! https://freeross.org/what-was-silk-road/

and I Replied: I have heard of it. It was an International Illegal Drug Store... I never Used it because I always bought my Illegal Drugs from People... My Favorite Place was the Parking Lot of a Grateful Dead Concert... I was also worried that a Silk Road Merchant would Take my money and Sell me something that was NOT Illegal Drugs... or Bad Quality... like If I Ordered LSD they Might Substitute DOM... Easy to Make, but a Three Day Nightmare trip...

That IS a Good History! Totally Worthy... I also wonder why Russia doesn't Ignore all Sanctions by the USA and Sell their Oil and Gas For Bitcoin... The USA opinions on Bitcoin is Unimportant... as they say: "Honey Badger Don't Care."

and VK Said:

Bitcoin is important to breaking free from government control of the economy. Just like gold, it is NOT an investment but a HEDEGE against inflation. Like gold, it's "price" fluctuates, but this is an illusion — what fluctuates over time (macro) is the "price" (value) of a fiat dollar. As the dollar is inflated away, its value declines and Bitcoin/gold/commodities in general "rise" in price because it takes more dollars to buy the same item. And ounce of gold is always an ounce of gold. A Bitcoin is always a Bitcoin. Only the dollar changes its value. Just like gold, one should not watch the daily (micro) fluctuations as individuals enter and leave the market for personal or psychological reasons.

The major drawback of Bitcoin is not that it looks like vaporware (it isn't). It's major drawback is that it is not truly anonymous. Our Enemy, The State, can unveil pseudonymous users (in my PhD research, I found many technical papers on how one could backtrack from the blockchain to the timing of transactions to the addresses used to the user. It's complicated, takes a lot of effort, and would probably be used to "make an example" of some high-end user.

There are other digital currencies aiming for complete anonymity. But none of them are "investments" from which you should expect to "profit." They are Counter-Economics style self-defense methods ofd escaping the stranglehold that governments have on fiat monetary systems. Someone bribing a border guard with a Gold Eagle to escape a tyranny is not thinking about what he paid for the coin at the time of purchase. It was a life-saving purchase, just like a first-aid kit.

MD replied to VK:  hmmm Bitcoin is touted as an inflation hedge but its not an inflation hedge. Look at its chart in the last month. Bitcoin will never be the currency to break free from government and yes the FED is an imperfect system but we have not had the major crashes or depressions that were continuous before the establishment of the FED. Be careful what you wish for.

NB Replied: "what fluctuates over time (macro) is the "price" (value) of a fiat dollar. "

WHAT?? Are you saying that from 2019 to 2021, when the value of a bitcoin rose from $9.2k in Oct 2019 to $61k in Oct 2021 (an increase of 563%), that we had annual inflation in fiat currency of 281%? That's absolutely absurd.

Everyone buying bitcoin is doing so as a speculative financial instrument, not as a hedge against inflation. In fact, as fiat currency increases in supply and decreases in purchasing power (inflation) - bitcoin has been decreasing in value. The exact opposite that you would expect if it were to be used as a hedge against inflation. You want an inflation hedge, buy series I-bond stocks from the us treasury.

"No Such Agency - Project TEMPEST" - Absurdist Fiction by Gregory Vanderlaan

Chapter Zero: 

In Fact, It is possible to use a Specially Designed Radio 

to Read the Words on Other People's Computers. 

Eavesdropping. Spying. The US Military and I Spent a 

Lot of time and effort keeping our communications 

secure. The NSA has Recently Declassified Project 

TEMPEST and it is NO LONGER a Felony for Me to tell 

my Tale. 

Looking back at those years when Ronald Reagan was 

President It seems to me that we really didn't need to 

fight the Russians and the "Cold War" was just a 

Marketing Tool of the Military Industrial Complex. 

However, I was glad to take the money being handed 

out by the Pentagon. And as my Dad Said, While you 

are Busy Questioning Authority, be sure to Take the 

Money... What IF you are wrong and you missed out 

on all that dough?

But Then... I started hanging Out in Lafayette Park across 

from the White House and talked to all those NO NUKES! 

& Anti-War Demonstrators and... My Attitude changed... 

The next time I got laid off from a defense job I started 

working in the engineering department of the US Postal 

Service... It was a much better feeling to work all day 

DOING GOOD instead of DOING EVIL... We designed 

machines that Sold Postage Stamps and Sorted Mail... 

That's Morally OK...

Did you ever stop to realize that real eyes see real lies? 

Keywords: EMI, RFI, Echelon, Mugwump, Sigint, EIEIO, 

MIL-TFD-41, LBJ, IRT, 4th Street, USA, The Youth of 

America, LSD, Hair, Musical, USAF, OZ, Wizard, KARMA, 

DOGMA and DARPA

"OMG!" Said Susan, "I'm Talking as if I was Texting! 

WTF!!!!" - "Relax" said Bob "It's only the lingering effects 

of your (~);-} training. - "Wow," said Susan "I never heard 

(~);-} pronounced before... It reminds me of a Story... " 

Chapter One: READ MORE HERE!

BOYCOTT EVERYTHING UNTIL PRICES COME DOWN! ... Corporations Will Keep on Raising Prices Higher and Higher and Higher UNTIL PEOPLE STOP BUYING. They Would Charge You $100 for a Quart of Milk if They Could Get Away With It!

Prices are not Accidentally Set... Corporate Drones Do Careful Math to Determine the Highest Price the Public will Allow... They Call It: "Whatever the Market Will Bear." 

MEME - Until Prices Come Down...
A Nationwide Boycott on Everything!

OK... You Have to Eat Every Day BUT... as We Learned in the Sixties... It's Possible to Eat Veggies and Brown Rice... The Entire Nation Needs to Become Organic Earth Mothers... or a Friend of an Organic Earth Mother... 

It's Possible to Pay Cash or Barter for Food at the Farmer's Market in Town... Sometimes They Will Trade... and then You're NOT a Part of that Corporate System that's Destroying America... 

Simply Refuse To Buy Their Chinese Junk... No Buying New iPhones, No New Video Game Consoles, No New Clothes, No New Cars, No New Trucks, No Boats, No Airplane Tickets, NO AIRPLANES! No New Diamonds, No New Kitchen Machines, No Plastic Toys, No New Records, No Concert Tickets, No New Walk In Bathtubs, No New Houses, Your Generation Will Never Be Able to Afford a House... You've Got That Student Loan to Pay Off First! ... NONE OF THAT!

AND... As a World We Need To Reduce Miles Driven to the Absolute Minimum... Have You Seen The Price of GAS? $5.00 a Gallon... Dang! I'm Gonna Keep That Thing PARKED!

Anyway... You Don't Really Have a Choice... 

At These Prices Who Can Afford it? 

Free Coloring Book: Print as Many Copies as You Like and Share With Friends. Color with Felt Pens or Pencils... ALL FOR FUN! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/04/peace-and-love-free-coloring-book-art.html

California's Governor, Gavin Newsom Attended this Wedding but Couldn't Go To COP26 Climate Change Summit...

Remember... Their Entire Way of Life Depends on Americans Consuming... Especially Poor Americans Using Credit Cards... So You End Up Paying MORE MORE MORE... The Same People That Own the Businesses that Sell the Merchandise Own the Banks... and they are Out of their Minds With Greed... Compulsive Hoarding of Money Syndrome! and They Own the TV Stations Broadcasting ADS that Brainwash People into Believing that Happiness Can Be Found by Buying Plastic Crap!

Just Look at All Those Dancing People Experiencing Total Bliss By Consuming... 

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Remember: If the GOP Wins the House in 2022 they will Impeach Biden. Remember: Biden would not have to Actually Commit an Impeachable Offense...

He would only need to be ACCUSED by Republicriminals! A Majority VOTE!

and then He will Not be Convicted in the Senate. So They will Impeach Him again... and again... and again... Many Many Many Times before the 2024 election... and Biden Will Not Run in 2024... Exhausted by Endless Attacks and OLD AGE.

Maybe the GOP Will Only Impeach Biden Three Times... So He will Hold the Record of the Most times Impeached... after all they will need to Impeach Kamala Harris as well... and SCOTUS Jackson... That way the Speaker of the House Becomes President! and they OUTLAW Voting, Crown Trump King and Pass more Tax Cuts for the Rich Laws, Steal all the Social Security Money, Throw all Old People OFF Medicare, Outlaw Abortion and Birth Control, Rewrite all History Books so White People are always Wonderful and Right! Imprison all the Gays, Declare Jesus is the ONE TRUE GOD... and Send all the Non-White Immigrants Right Back Where they Came From!

https://www.minds.com/gregvan/blog/help-democrats-running-for-congress-by-sharing-their-campaig-1371081005049319442

Headline: Video Shows Man Stealing Piles of Clothes From San Francisco Store Amid Shoplifting Surge... Another SYMPTOM of Insane Inflation and Corporate Greed is the Large Increase in Shoplifting... People Generally Pay for their Purchases at stores IF THEY HAVE MONEY... But With our Disaster Economy... Jobs paying Less than Survival Wages... People Will Do Whatever It Takes... https://www.newsweek.com/video-shows-man-stealing-piles-clothes-san-francisco-store-amid-shoplifting-surge-1648859

Headline: What’s Behind the Fascination With Shoplifting?

Retail theft has emerged has a hot issue in San Francisco as stores cope with a crime spike. But feelings about shoplifting can be complicated.  

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/behind-a-shoplifting-surge-a-long-held-fascination

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

You May Read More Blog Post by 

Clicking On The HANDY LABELS Below.

Buying Used Stuff at Thrift Stores DOES NOT CAUSE ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE Like Buying New Stuff Does. When You Buy a New Product, the Corporation Has to Replace It.

They Mine Raw Materials, grow plants (like cotton) using pesticides and herbicides, Log Forests, Employ Slave Laborers in the Orient, Burn Gasoline Shipping the Plastic Crap Here From China... and on and on and on... Used Products ALREADY EXIST and so Buying Stuff at The Eureka Rescue Mission Thrift Shop (my local store) does NOT Harm the Planet. Actually, They Hire Local People to Work as Clerks and Do Delivery. We Bought ALL our Living Room Furniture there. Three Chairs and a Sofa... and Men Delivered It Upstairs in Our Home. NO WAY could I Move those Heavy Objects Up That Staircase... I Tipped those Guys $10 Each... and they were really Thankful. Yes, I Could Have Spent a Fortune at Sears or KMART but... I Prefer to Keep The Money IN MY WALLET. I Like Employing Guys That Live At The Rescue Mission. The Mission Does Good Work Here in Eureka and I've Met a LOT of Real People That They Help. I did buy new Beds at Sears. Somehow, those were just too Personal to Buy Used... also, I Do Not Buy Used Underwear... BUT, Clothes? YES! It's actually fun to find thrift stores in Super Rich Neighborhoods and Live Like the TV Show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous..." A Great Place to Shop is North Shore Lake Tahoe... Snow Bunnies often Donate Extra Stuff When the Season is Over... and There is Also DUMPSTER DIVING in College Towns at the End of the School Year... FREE STUFF! 

Oddly, I Expressed These Opinions during a Group Discussion at an Ecology Class at Humboldt State University and ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS SAID I WAS WRONG... They said that Used Stuff Still Requires Ecological Damage to Exist at All... I tried to explain that the Manufacturing Damage Happened IN THE PAST and it is impossible to Change History but Buying New Stuff CAUSES Purchasing Agents at Corporations to Hire People to Create New Stuff IN THE FUTURE to Fill the Shelves At The Store. No One Grasped the Concept. But I Did Make The Other Students Think. and That's a Good Thing. It's a difficult concept... I Wish I Could Explain it in a Shorter Sentence... Maybe YOU can Re-Write the Concept Better and Post it in the Comments Section... Thanks!

Remember: There are Two Ways to Get Everything You Want. Get More or Want Less. and... You Can Get More Stuff Per Dollar At The Eureka Rescue Mission Thrift Shop... or Your Own Store... Did You Know that There is a Fashion "Thing" where Corporations PRE-RIP Clothes? Intentionally Making Them LOOK USED! Really! They Hire People to Rub Jeans over Rough Surfaces to SIMULATE Wear and Tear of Normal Use... I'm Not Making This UP! All the Pathetic Dupes are Wearing Clothes Like That! On My Own Webstore... I Offer Hats that have been "Distressed" to look like they are Old... It's an Option... I wish I could write a Mocking Slogan Poking Fun at this Fashion Trend... Then I Could Sell a Hat with That Saying... Sort of like the Question: "Can You Imagine a World Without Hypothetical Situations?" or The Page that says: "This Page Is Left Blank Intentionally." A Cosmic Haiku Slogan... I do sell a Hat that says "PRESS" so people can wear it at Protest Marches and Avoid Being Bashed on the Head By The Police... I Do Not Really Know if It REALLY Helps Avoid Police Violence... I Do Know That People Made T-Shirts Saying "Backstage Pass - Shoreline Ampetheater - Bill Graham Productions" and Used them to sneak past Security Guards... I admire the Guy that Made a Sign that Says "This is a Sign." Was That Absurdist Theater or End Times Warning?

"Life is More Complex than a Slogan on a Hat."

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

SE SAID:

There is too much plastic in the world. Practically everything is packaged in plastic nowadays. Shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, vinegar, coffee, salad dressing, barbeque sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, hand lotion - these are just a few things I have here in my apartment which are packaged in plastic. Also, bottled water, soft drinks, and juices are bottled in plastic bottles...and of course we also have our plastic storage containers for food and other stuff. Plastic pretty much lasts forever, and it's lightweight and convenient, and those are some of the reasons why it's everywhere. But it's so bad for the environment. It ends up in the landfills where it doesn't degrade. Or worse, it ends up in the ocean. When you consider the fact that nearly everything is packaged in plastic all over the world, and plastic is filling up landfills and ending up in the ocean all over the world, it's really a problem. But I don't know what the solution is. Plastic is so convenient and lightweight, and if you drop it, it won't break, so people aren't going to want to go back to drinking soda out of glass bottles or bringing their lunch to work in a ceramic casserole dish rather than a plastic storage container. I don't know what the answer is.

I Replied: We can Make Plastic Out of Hemp.

https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/why-isnt-hemp-plastic-everywhere/

Boycott Plastic Garbage! Chicken of the Sea Tuna is Marketing "Infusions" with a Plastic Bowl, Lid and Fork. Trash that will pollute the Earth for 10,000 Years. REFUSE TO BUY PLASTIC CRAP.

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/09/boycot-plastic-garbage-chicken-of-sea.html

I Oppose Small PLASTIC Containers for Single Servings of Food. Since We Already Have the Technology to Make Milk Cartons, WHY NOT use Waxed Paper for Cheese, Coffee, Yogurt and Sliced Ham? https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/06/i-oppose-small-plastic-containers-for.html

I keep on seeing TV advertisements for Keurig Coffee that puts ONE CUP Worth of coffee grounds in a little PLASTIC container... Ridiculous! We have been brewing coffee for Hundreds of Years without Little Plastic Cups! You buy a two pound Aluminum Can and scoop a few spoonfuls into your percolator... or your drip coffee machine... using brown paper filters... simple, easy, clean, ecological and NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HAVE AN INVENTION THAT CREATES MILLIONS OF LITTLE PLASTIC CUPS!

Bubble Up Economics - Simply Raise the Minimum Wage and Social Security Checks and all that extra money will BUBBLE UP throughout the Entire Economy - In a Rising Tide, ALL Boats Float! - meme - gvan42

and Then on Facebook I read This Long Story...

SE SAID: The main issue I have with buying clothes online is that you end up losing money when you have to return stuff, unless it happens to be one of the rare stores that allows free shipping on returns. But unfortunately, most stores make you pay for return shipping. I don't know how many other women have this problem, but for me, I rarely know exactly what size is going to fit me because sizing is all over the place now. Sometimes I fit a 2, and sometimes I fit a 6. Sometimes I fit a small, sometimes a medium, and sometimes a large. I almost never get it right on the first try. If I'm shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, I can take several sizes into a fitting room, try them on, and buy the one that fits...or, if I don't feel like doing that, I can buy them all, try them on at home, and then return the ones that didn't fit, and I don't lose any money in the process because nothing had to be shipped. But when you order online and you aren't sure which size is going to fit, you need to PAY to return the ones that didn't fit, so basically you're paying to try them on! Also, sometimes you love the look of an article of clothing, but after you try it on, you realize that it's unflattering on you, or it just doesn't look as good as you thought it would look, so you decide not to buy it. This process is free when you shop in person, but when you shop online, this process ends up costing money because you paid for the item, tried it on at home, decided you didn't like the way it looked, and now you get to PAY to send it back. If more and more clothing stores continue to disappear, and we are eventually forced to buy everything online, it would be really helpful if ALL clothing retailers would offer free shipping on returns so people can try stuff on without losing money when they return the stuff that doesn't work for them. Otherwise, they'd better allow us to continue to have brick-and-mortar clothing stores where we can try stuff on for free before we buy it. 

I'm having this issue right now, as a matter of fact. There's a dress I'm eyeing online, but I've never owned anything in that brand before, so I have no idea if I would fit the 4 or the 6, and it's an expensive dress, so I can't afford to buy 2 of them and pay to return the one that didn't fit, or to find out that it doesn't even look good on me in the first place, so then I have to pay to return it. I'm probably not going to buy it in the first place because it's just too big of a hassle if I can't try it on ahead of time for free.

CF SAID: Have you tried a subscription service? I really liked StitchFit. They set you up with a personal stylist who you can text pictures and things to. (I loved mine; we would just chat randomly and she sort of felt like a friend.) And return shipping is free, and they keep shopping until they've found you looks you'll love!

SE REPLIED: I did try Stitch Fix a few times. I liked the way it worked, but I only kept one of the items they sent me, a blouse which I like a lot. But most of their stuff was either too expensive or just didn't work for me for whatever reason. I think I prefer picking out my own stuff rather than having someone do it for me. It's an interesting concept, though, and I can see how it might work for others.

I Said: I also buy clothes online... Big and Tall refused to tell me what size I wear... They COULD Have Just Looked Up what was Ordered Last Time but NO... It was a Gift and The Giver's Privacy is Top Secret... So I Guessed, Guessed wrong and Simply Gave the Pants to a Guy Who Lives Here... I was too Lazy to Figure Out How to Return the Pants... HOWEVER... Online Shopping DOES HAVE MY SIZE and Most Brick and Mortar Stores Do Not... So It was a Great Step Forward when online Shopping was Invented! The Best Place to Shop is at the Thrift Store... I Love the Eureka Rescue Mission Store... Not only do I Get Great Used Clothes Cheap but I'm Employing Homeless People That Live at the Mission... AND... When You Buy New Clothes the Corporations Automatically Order More New Clothes to be Created... with Slave Labor and Pesticides in the Orient, Dyes That they Dump Right into the River... Diesel Fuel for the Boats to bring them Here from There... an Ecological Disaster... None of that Happens with Thrift Store Clothes... AND... If You Shop in a Rich Neighborhood, The Clothes that are Donated are Super-Duper! North Shore Lake Tahoe is Excellent... All Those Ski Bunnies would Rather Donate their Extra Clothes Than Pack in a Suitcase and Fly Home... 

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