Nov 28, 2006

Inner Power

Inner Power (God, Krishna, Christ Consciousness, Buddha, Higher Self, I Am, Cosmic Intelligence, Spirit)

Within each one of us there is an infinitely higher power. We may call it God, Krishna, Christ Consciousness, Buddha, Higher Self, I Am, Cosmic Intelligence, Spirit, or any other name we feel comfortable with.

This inner source of knowing, and of joy, has a transformational effect upon our entire being. Once embraced as a loving partner the ensuing bond brings forth growth, understanding, help and guidance.

Once we experience this kind and gentle presence, this feeling of returning, we shall know the true meaning of bliss - 'A sense of oneness that calls forth reciprocal love and joy between us and everyone we encounter.'

Nov 27, 2006

A singular sensation

San Francisco Chronicle
A singular sensation
YouTube, MySpace leading the 'look at me' movement

Jessica Clark


Americans are hams. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? The country's motto should be "look at me, look at me!"

It's too easy to dismiss such behavior as exhibitionism or acting out. Large swaths of the populace feel nonexistent without an audience.

This tendency to seek attention has accelerated with the recent explosion of social networking and video sharing Web sites. Ostensibly, these sites help us to connect with friends, families and the like-minded, but their names belie this. On MySpace and YouTube, making friends is secondary to generating a virtual fan base, an online altar to yourself.

Why has this compulsion to see and be seen overtaken so many of us? Anthropologist Thomas de Zengotita explores this question in his 2005 book "Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live in It." Although he finished the book months before YouTube was unveiled in February 2005, his analysis couldn't be more on point.

For those of you not keyed into YouTube, the site -- which allows visitors to upload, categorize and rate video clips -- is single-handedly changing media-viewing habits. Its audience is growing rapidly: From January through June, the number of unique visitors to the site increased 297 percent, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Users are watching more than 70 million videos on the site daily, and the largest percentage of those visitors is age 12 to 17. By posting a TV pilot rejected by the WB -- the ironically named "Nobody's Watching," a fake reality show -- fans generated enough interest to persuade NBC to pick it up, and the site was instrumental in feeding this summer's "Snakes on a Plane" mania.

YouTube's hodgepodge of clips includes a little of everything that can be squished into less than 10 minutes: snippets of commercial broadcasts, ads, music videos, bloopers, film trailers and even entire films segmented into short chunks. But content created and uploaded by amateur videographers on their own time and their own dime rules the roost.

Why all the would-be Woody Allens? De Zengotita blames this need to be center stage on the flattering nature of our media-saturated environment. All around us, billboards, televisions, computer screens and well-meaning experts address us as audience members and consumers. Media outlets serve up endless lifestyles, experiences and vantage points 24/7, bolstered by a "free to be you and me" celebration of diversity. Courted and pandered to at every turn, the audience becomes solipsistic and fickle. "The flattered self is spoiled," De Zengotita writes. "It never gets enough. It feels unappreciated. It whines a lot. It wants attention."

This state of being the center of everyone's solicitations is dubbed "MeWorld" by de Zengotita, who notes that one of its most pernicious effects is an inescapable self-consciousness -- a sense of always being "on." Such "method acting," as he dubs it, doesn't only undermine the feeling of having a real self, it also throws into question the reality of others. This dynamic played out this summer on YouTube, through the saga of lonelygirl15.

For those living offline: lonelygirl15 is Bree, a 16-year-old homeschooled blogger who hangs out in her bedroom with her friend Daniel and a puppet named Purple Monkey in a town that's "like really boring." Her nearly 30 posts, which began in mid-June, were fetching or irritating depending on your tastes, but they drew hundreds of thousands of viewers and even sustained attention from that arbiter of mainstream reality, the New York Times.

As Bree drew an audience, she also began to attract skeptics, some of whom posted their doubts about her veracity as video responses on YouTube, while others doggedly tracked each clue on blogs and discussion boards. Wasn't the lighting a bit too professional, her goofy face-making just a tad too cute, the story arc too neat? Was this a promotion for a film, an elaborate joke, a real-time role-playing game? Speculations, parodies and news stories proliferated, with one fan plunking down the 15 bucks to register the domain name www.islonelygirl15real.com, giving it the tagline "Tracking the results of the world's quest to find the truth!" By Sept. 7, the quest was over. A letter "To Our Incredible Fans" appeared on the discussion board at www.lonelygirl15.com from "The Creators," who wrote:

"We hope that you will join us in the continuing story of Lonelygirl15, and help us usher in an era of interactive storytelling where the line between "fan" and "star" has been removed, and dedicated fans like yourselves are paid for their efforts. This is an incredible time for the creator inside all of us."

"Bree," it turns out, was a 19-year-old film student, the star of a project hatched by three aspiring filmmakers in their late-20s. Cue media-wide hand-wringing and widespread fan disgust.

On one hand, this is yet another trivial story of new-media micro-celebrity. On the other, it poses these questions: Why were viewers so drawn to Bree and her saccharine performances of precocious teenage girlhood? Why were they so quick to tear at her facade? So obsessed with finding answers? And why does this minor incident mirror so many of today's fan-star dynamics, in which viewers raise up celebrities only to revel in details of their divorces, breakups and drug habits?

It comes back to MeWorld. We want badly to identify with those we hope to emulate, while simultaneously rejecting them for their obvious artifice. Dissatisfaction with the star system then drives viewers to seek their own spotlight. Attention is the currency that powers the new economy. Why should it all accrue to those freaks and strivers currently celebrated as stars? To the barricades -- better yet, to the camcorders.

Unwanted attention is the problem for some, elsewhere. Politicians -- long known for being stage-managed, photo-opped and poll-tested -- are particularly challenged in MeWorld. The rise of the progressive blogosphere demonstrates both a longing for authenticity and the ascendance of the audience to center stage. But politicians are still trapped by the conventions of their trade.

"They face the threat of diminishment by comparison with virtual personalities on the one hand, and, on the other, incessant pressure from journalists angling for a gotcha moment because that's the only interesting thing they can do," de Zengotita writes. "So politicians package themselves for protection -- and end up looking phony as well as flawed."

By allowing videos of gaffes to be isolated, posted and repeated, YouTube has intensified and hastened the cycle of building up and tearing down. This summer, Sens. Conrad Burns , R-Mont., George "Macaca" Allen, R-Va., and Joe Biden, D-Del., found themselves at the mercy of the newest of the new media for making statements that critics characterized as racist. In these cases, bad publicity really was bad publicity.

Ryan Lizza of the New Republic dissected the new political moment in an Aug. 20 New York Times article. "If campaigns resemble reality television, where any moment of a candidate's life can be captured on film and posted on the Web, will the last shreds of authenticity be stripped from our public officials?" he asked. "Will candidates be pushed further into a scripted bubble? In short, will YouTube democratize politics, or destroy it?"

Over on the Personal Democracy Forum, a Web site devoted to exploring "the tools powering the new civic conversation," contributing editor Ari Melber put in a plug for the benefits of bottom-up media. "It's not surprising that political aides are wary of user-driven technology," he writes, "since it might force new information and scrutiny on conventional campaigns. Campaigns aim to deliver a message through several mediums, and campaign managers prefer top-down mediums that they can control or influence."

Politicians are no longer able to tailor their messages to finite audiences: state fair attendees, senior citizens, the party faithful. Each appearance now holds the possibility of being captured and rebroadcast to the larger public. This means that politicians and their handlers need to develop forms of communicating with a cynical and empowered audience.

Jessica Clark writes for In These Times, where this piece appeared. Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.

Nov 26, 2006

Passionate Self Belief Is The Key To Your Success
Most of us have many ideas about what it takes to get ahead. Ask 100 people what they need to succeed and you'll hear: more education &/or training, lots of money, loans, contacts and luck. Wouldn't you agree?
True, having one or more of those things could help you along the path to wealth. But, quite frankly, you don't need any of them to succeed. That has been proven time and again by thousands who have possessed none of those advantages and yet found a way to earn millions in very little time.
The KEY 'ingredient' necessary for your success is Passionate Belief in the power of YOU. When you know and believe that You can succeed through the power of your own actions, you will. Fact. Remember those old sayings, "Showing up is 98% of success", and, "What you believe you perceive". They're true. Those who consistently do their very best are eventually going to succeed. And those who believe in their success will find a way to succeed. Despite the obstacles.
You know, when I look for people to join one of my businesses, I'm really seeing if they have that passionate self belief that will propel them to the top. Of course, it's always great to have a helping hand along the way. Passionate self belief alone can get you to the top, but you'll get there MUCH faster with three more main ingredients. Do you know what they are?
The first is a Mentor. Someone who has been where you are. They've found the best way forward, and can help propel you in the right direction. You get to learn from their mistakes. Let's face it we all want an easier life don't we?
Talking of an easier life, the second ingredient we need to get us speedily to the top is technology. The right tools for the job. Top notch automation, websites, tracking...all on 24 hr autopilot. So you are free to focus on what you're best at.
Finally, something magical happens when you combine many people who all understand their unique personal power, and how to harness it. A large group of motivated people working for a common goal can be a powerful force for wealth creation and maximization. Find such a group, and you'll be well on your way to riches.
Combine all these ingredients: Passionate Self Belief, Mentoring, Technology and Goal Oriented Team Working and what do you get? Sweet Success. You even get to choose the flavor of the icing on your cake!
Written by Temenuzhka Draganova


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About the author
Use Temenuzhka Draganova's amazingly simple and proven cash flow system and enjoy hundreds to thousands of dollars daily. For more information please see: http://www.wealthandsecure.com