Vince Gets Opinionated

As much as I'm proud and willing to show off the various injuries inflicted on me in the past few weeks, I know I'm light years ahead of what some other people have gone through in other parts of the world. By most accounts, the world is not a nice place. By now, the world around is aware of a 27-year old Brazilian living in the UK that was mistaken for a terrorist bomber and shot by British police. This is a shock to most sane people, especially when you consider that the British police force have not relied on firearms between 1936 until being formally re-introduced in 2000. Even more shocking is that they shot the poor bloke seven times in the head.

On one hand, there is the need for public security. Understandably, if a person was indeed a suicide bomber, attempting to incapacitate the bomber by shooting the arms and legs would not have the desired effect, as they can still set off an explosive device. Also, if the suspect had the police themselves, it may place the public at greater risk. In these frightening times, if a person doesn't stop when told to and is wearing a thick jacket in the middle of summer, you can't be too careful, right?

But still, seven times?

The other side sees this as sliding down the slippery slope into a police state. When the police are given a shoot-to-kill directive and can freely execute somebody that they suspect as being a terrorist or suicide bomber. From reports, Jean Charles de Menezes was wearing clothing that put him out of place (thick baggy clothing that could conceal explosives). Since the guy was Brazilian, there is the possibility that he is more used to warmer climate.

By all accounts, anybody could be a terrorist. Small explosive devices would be placed in backpacks, suitcases...why not just have everybody go around naked? I mean, hey, it's summer, isn't it? But then, you could always hide a small explosive device in your rectum, but it probably wouldn't cause enough damage (plus, suicide bombers would likely survive...without an asshole). That, and it might be tough to hide wires, unless the thing was detonated by remote.

I've always been under the impression that if there was a democratic nation at the highest risk of becoming a police state, it would be America. With the PATRIOT act giving the government authorities carte blanche to do whatever the hell they want, definitions of terrorists could extend to just about anybody that steps out of line.

But the UK? I guess it's understadable, in some respects, especially given the nature of the attacks. As a result of 9/11, we've seen some pretty weird security measures in American airlines, such as banning nail clippers and forcing a woman to drink her own breast milk to prove that it wasn't contaminated with weaponized bio-agents. Had a suicide bombing attack occured on US soil, we'd likely see the more like what happened in the UK.

This world is clearly not a nice place anymore. Paranoia has gripped the "free" nations like a vice, where the people are now afraid to go on with their lives and the collective trigger fingers of law enforcement have developed a serious case of hives.

The way I got it figured, the world is going to come to an end whether we want it to or not. When that happens, I want good seats. And a beer. And a shotgun to make sure no one tries to take my beer.

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Stitches come out on tomorrow. Do chicks really dig scars? Stay tuned.

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Three stitches. You should see the other guy. Not a scratch on 'im!

After these past couple of weeks, I have come to the inescapable conclusion. My face is a magnet for rocks, street signs, and other people's feet.

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Superheroes need not fear the hazard signs!


Ache, Bumbaye!


Groupo Ache Brasil, Vancouver and Calgary academy


Cobra vs. Grandao


Nighttime roda


Mestre Eclison vs. Adam


Mulher-only Roda


Workin' the camera with Ballarina and Morena


King of the mat. I lost.


John C. vs. Superhomem


Barboleta (Bush Girl) vs. Toquinha (Charlie Brown)


'Round the camp fire


Fire...fire...FIRE...


outdoor roda


Costume roda (Sushi, Morena, Ballarina)

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I got my first real six-string / Bought it at the five-and-dime / Played it till my fingers bled / It was the summer of '69
-Bryan Adams, "The Summer of '69."


right thumb: Literally played guitar until my fingers bled (Sunday night).


left arm: rope burn from game of tug-o-war on Saturday. Our team, "The Hatchets," came second place.


left leg: multiple mosquito bites incurred on Sunday that didn't show up until Monday. Currently treating with Benadryl antihistamine cream. Not pictured: mosquito bites on right leg, right shoulder, back of head (!).


right leg: Saturday afternoon, attempted a backflip off of an inflatable floating platform into the Okanagan, but instead of landing in the water, bounced off the platform and THEN landed in the water. One witness likened it to a pinball. I made a small laceration on my leg, after which I proceeded to bleed on the PVC raft. I had to quickly wash it off because they might be returning it to the point of purchase.


face: Saturday morning, failed to realize how sharp the rocks are at the bottom of the Okanagan. Currently treating with a combination of topical antibiotics and wet bandages.

Not pictured:

left hand: blood blisters from gripping Maculele (Brazilian fighting sticks) too tight
back: sebaceous cyst, popped and drained (one fellow camper got the whole thing on video). Will likely have to go to a doctor to have it completely removed.

Conclusion: I am DEFINITELY going for next year's camping trip. More non-injury related photos of the camping trip to come.

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I'm heading out to the Thompson Okanagan area to go camping. Chances are that the weather is going to completely suck and I would've been better off staying at home, but that's not going to stop me from having fun. Photos to come.

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It's what I call the Brazilian equivalent of birthday bumps (see July 5th 2005 entry under archives).

In my Capoeira group, we have a tradition called the Birthday Roda. Roda (Portuguese for circle), which involves people (other Capoeiristas, observers, etc.) gathered in a circle while two players do their moves (kicks, sweeps, flips, etc.). In the Birthday version, you have to go against everybody.

My body frickin' hurts from being taken so many times. I probably spent more time on my ass than on my feet. I can barely type this because I fell on my right wrist and I'm probably going to be walking funny for the next day or two. And I've got a camping trip with my Capoeira group this weekend. More pain.

Speakin o' which, one of the traditions at the Capoeira camping trip is the Costume Roda. I designed a t-shirt as part of my costume (photos to come) and asked my mom to help, given her level of expertise (she makes a lot of her own clothing). After watching me painstakingly cutting out the patterns I wanted to attach to the shirt over the course of two hours, my mom got frustrated and took over. I will never, ever complain about the price of clothing ever again.

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RANT:

What's wrong with this picture?

Ever get the feeling that we're evolving ourselves to death?

We live in a bizarre world. A population that recently went past 6.5 billion people lives in extreme disparity between haves and have nots. The poor people live in conditions that Westernized nations refer to as squallor without basic needs while Westernized nations are driven by consumption, diverting further wealth from the so-called third world countries. Meanwhile, alarm bells from all directions are signalling that the so-called "American Dream" is non-sustainable, as population growth ensures that there is not enough to go around, oil prices threaten to collapse economies, and global climate change threatens everything else, but we all blindly follow our world leaders that assure us that everything is okay as they proceed to march us off the nearest cliff before they steal our wallets.

Look at the so-called "problems" that we face every day and compare them to the type of problems we faced hundreds of years ago, thousands of years ago, or even millions of years ago. We get bored, we have psychological problems, we fill the void by consuming more, we get fat because we aren't exercising enough or eating too much crap, we get old and wait for death to release us from the mechanical drudgery of our existences. There's nothing good on TV. Nice guys can't get laid. While I'm not necessarily advocating returning to an era where males used to club prospective mates across the head and drag them back to the cave for some neanderthal lovin', it's food for thought. Has progress really gotten us very far? Antibiotic abuse has left us succeptible to diseases while cheap food delivery has encouraged expanding waistlines of the people, while sedentary occupations (most of which are office or computer based) ensure that in order for us to remain physically healthy, we have to go hit the gym.

Within the animal kingdom, we no longer have natural predators, so nothing keeps the herd in check. Natural resources get consumed at a rapid clip while the population continues to expand, although it is slowing down. On the other hand, people aren't dying as fast as they used to, ensuring that the population won't be going down any time soon, unless the long promised Alaska-sized asteroid comes by and decimates a healthy portion of the human race. Best thing about natural disasters is that they don't tend to discriminate among the haves and the have nots.

Would've been nice if we got to reach the stars and discover life on other planets, but chances are that they wouldn't like what they see. Once peak oil hits and civilization crashes, the only ones to survive us will be the primitive bush tribes and any other people that have managed to maintain some level of balance with nature. Looks like it's time to go and rent The Gods Must Be Crazy to see if I can pick up some language tips.

A friend commented that I should've gotten into politics, but I suffer from an excess of personal ethics and idealism which makes it a dangerous occupation. That, and I came to the realization that as an individual, I can't save the world, but I can merely save myself and whoever's next to me.

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WARNING: RANDOM, POORLY THOUGHT OUT, AND PROBABLY EVEN MORE POORLY RESEARCHED WRITING AHEAD

After my mom came back from a 3-week European vacation coupled with news of oil inching towards $60/barrel, it suddenly occured to me that we have it way, way too easy here. We simply have become accustomed to the fact that we can just get water out of a tap when we get thirsty, crank up the heat when it gets cold, turn on the air conditioner when it gets hot, or just drive down to the local fast food outlet when we get hungry.

I'm not as well travelled as I'd like, the farthest I've ever ventured out being New York (something I intend to change really soon, before air travel becomes cost prohibitive). But, what I'm hearing about life in other countries leaves me wondering why we have it so easy.

Among the stories I've been hearing:
-UK: While people have laundry dryers, most of them lay dormant as electricity is expensive. In general, cost of living appears to be much higher (Debbie, if you're reading this, care to comment? You can probably lay on a little better insight than I can).
-Europe: Beer and wine is cheaper than water in most places, plus cars are much smaller, given the fact that gasoline is much more expensive.
-Hong Kong/China: "Westernized" toilets are restricted to hotels catering to non-Asians (ie: you gotta squat everywhere else). I'll leave out the details as to what you're supposed to do with toilet paper after you're done.

All this, and it's a small wonder why Americans tend to generate the most pollution and energy usage per capita on an international level (let's face it -- everything we do hurts). The price of gas shoots past $1/litre, and people complain, but it's still a fraction compared to outside of North America.

Once again getting back to the true cost of doing business, it very much appears to me that somebody is going a long way to ensure that we don't pay too much. All black-helicopter conspiracy theories aside, when the price of stuff goes up while wages stay the same, the economy slows down. But clearly, that isn't happening here (yet).

While I hestitate to say that there should be more rioting in the streets, we're not that far off.

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So, the King of Pop has just been cleared of all child molestation charges. I haven't quite decided what's worse: the idea of children being molested by a pop singer or the media circus that surrounds it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play that Michael Jackson baby-drop game while we await the next big celebrity scandal.

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All the side effects, none of the fun.

As I type this, I have to mostly look away from the screen because it's way too bright for me to look at. Having made the decision to get all the health check-up stuff out of the way, I went to the dentist and had my eyes examined. Good news: my eyes haven't changed since last year, even though I've been spending a lot more time staring at a computer screen. Bad news: They discovered two cavities which I had repaired the same day. Five hours later, stuff still doesn't taste right.

Gotta love the stuff they put in your eyes to make your pupils dilate (although it might be kinda hard to tell from your monitor...it's a lot easier for those that don't have brown eyes). Makes it tough to read up close or looking at anything bright. This screen appears to be flashing and flickering (which it is, actually, it's just that your eyes typically filter that stuff out and then your brain fills in the gaps to make it look seamless). It's a good thing that I know where all the keys are so I can type this without looking at the screen. Three horus later, I still look like I smoked a whole bag of marijuana all to myself.

Good thing that I wasn't pulled over for speeding, or else I would've had DUI tacked on to that.

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"I have killed two people since midnight. I haven't slept in over 24 hours. So maybe you should be a little more afraid of me than you are now. " -Jack Bauer, 24

Having finally recovered from spending more than 24 hours awake between 10:30 PM on Sunday and Monday night midnight (20% of which was spent nodding off), I'm starting to realize that we could get so much more done if we didn't need to sleep.

No, I'm not masochistic. It all started on Sunday morning when I was called to the set of Live Feed, an independent horror flick directed by Flesh and Fantasy SFX guru Ryan Nicholson. Only there for a few hours wasn't enough to get good material (that, and I had to go to my other job immediately after), so I had to come back the next day. But, being that this is an independent flick, most of the people working on it are doing it solely for the love of the craft (ie: they're doing it all pro bono), so they're doing it outside of regular working hours.

So, after getting home from my weekend job, I immediately go to sleep (6:00PM, not an easy thing considering that it was a really bright sunny day) and wake up at 10:30PM, shower, eat breakfast, and hop on a bus. Not realizing that the Skytrain won't take me all the way to Vancouver before shutting down, I am waiting at New Westminster Station for the better part of 4o minutes, shooting the breeze with the locals while the bus takes its sweet-ass time showing up.

Upon arriving at the set, the Venus theatre on Main street (yes, where they show old porno flicks), I enter, making sure no one sees me enter. Getting interviews for the next few hours, I get some good soundbytes out of everyone, but two actresses aren't there, so I'll have to follow up at a later time. Running on barely three hours of sleep, I trudge off to UBC where I begin another 8 hours of work.

As I'm only semi-concious and running on about three cups of coffee mixed with hot chocolate powder, I request that I am given the most mindless administrative task imaginable. I also apologize in advance if I start nodding off during conversations, need to have things repeated, or if I go into shock if there are any loud noises.

For the first hour, I am photocopying. Nice mindless tedium. Sadly, this does not last long, as I am back to more stimulating work (NDA NDA NDA NDA). The rest of the day is a complete blur. After getting my requisite six hours of sleep that night, today I am still nodding off.

I wonder how I'm going to last with my new responsibilities at my weekend job. I swear, every time I contemplate quitting, my boss gives me more responsibilities and a pay raise. Perhaps I should start thinking more about getting promoted so the opposite happens.

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Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method


The Sonar @ 66 Water Street (experimented without flash)


What's up with the guy in the bunny suit?


Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, working the crowd.


Shake it, baby.


Self-portrait under the least optimal lighting conditions. L-R: Melissa Choo, Vince Yim


Scott Kirkland playing "Bad Stone" from the album Vegas, while politely asking everyone to make their way to the exit. "Good night, Van-City!"

Being that I had the foresight to wear earplugs this time, there is no equalization period for my hearing to return back to normal. Very kick-ass show at an itty-bitty venue with lots of great tunes played. Many tracks from Community Service 2 as well as some out-of-left-field surprises, such as remixed bootleg of Blur's "Song ^2". Open-toed footwear is not recommended.

Decided to show my stuff with the b-boys by mixing a little Capoeira onto the floor, pulling backflips and stuff (never mind the fact that my breakdance skills are minimal). Before I know it, someone shoves a ticket for the upcoming Hybrid show into my hands. He must know the promoter or something.

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Fangoria Magzine issue #244, on stands May 24th, 2005.



I've run out of clever, inventive, and political things to write about for the past week (that, and I'm a little burned out from writing every day because I didn't give myself a break between a grueling second semester at school and my work experience), so I'm just gonna plug the latest issue of Fangoria magazine because it's got my latest article in it.

I covered the direct-to-video techno horror flick, Devour, starring Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale, The Order) and Jensen Ackles (TV's Smallville and Dark Angel). Everybody go out and buy one. And no, I don't get royalties for it, but buy one anyway.

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Who? What? Where?: The Board Game

Gameplay: You are given three cards, each depicting a person (celebrity, public figure, or famous fictional character), an action, and a location. For example, if you are given "Albert Einstein", "Playing Football", and "On the Moon," you will attempt to draw a reasonable likeness of Albert Einstein playing football on the moon, but you can get creative. In three rounds, draw the person doing whatever action in the specific location. You have four minutes to draw. Upon completion of the drawing phase, pass your drawings around to the other players, who must guess who you are trying to depict.

Doing boardgame night at a friend's place, we got to put our drawing skills to the test. This is what I ended up drawing. Let's see if you can figure out what I'm trying to draw. Click on the image to see a larger version. Highlight the text to see the answer. Ready? Let's go!

NOTE: Answers are discussed below.


#1: Who? Michael Jordan. What? Rock climbing. Where? Statue of Liberty.


#2: Who? Snow White. What? Bobbing for apples. Where? Nuclear power plant.


#3: Who? Tina Turner. What? Doing a belly flop. Where? On an airplane.

(And just for fun, please leave a comment with your answers!)



Discussion: Psychology is not my area of study or expertise, so any analysis to do with the human mind remains speculative. Still, it's interesting to see how we tend to associate things, especially when we can't quite get images across due to limited art skills. Admittedly, my art skills aren't the best, even worse when I'm given an extremely short time span to come up with an image.

Drawing faces can be challenging, especially if you lack formal art training or practice. So, if you were to Bill Gates eating a hero sandwich in the Sahara dessert and your drawing skills are only slightly above stick-figures, what do you do?

The Sahara dessert is simple enough, just draw a few stick figure camels and a cactus, and you're done. Hero sandwich might be tough, but if you can figure out how to depict eating (e.g.: a long sandwhich with a bite out of it), then you got that nailed down too. But if your caricature skills are lacking, Bill Gates becomes tough to render. That's when associative skills come in handy.

A common technique in the game is to have a thougth-balloon depicting a few images that one can associate with Bill Gates. A big fat dollar sign would work (universal symbols are permitted by the game rules), a huge bag of money, a computer on fire, or whatever comes to mind.

Some players get fairly inventive. One guy had to depict "Julius Caesar," and not being able to get a dead-on likeness, simply had thought balloons coming from his head with two somewhat familiar icons: a drink cup (representing "Orange Julius") and a salad (representing "Caesar Salad").

It was easy enough for the second round - Snow White bobs for apples on a nuclear power plant. Being that I couldn't remember for the life of me remember what the Disney version of Snow White looked like, I drew seven little stick figures around her glass coffin with a guy coming up to her on a horse.

Some made some amusing visual clues where drawing skills were lacking. One player in particular depicted a male and female stick figure standing side to side, with a thought balloon from the male stick figure depicting the American flag...and a female stick figure on her hands and knees performing oral sex on the male stick figure. The connection is fairly obvious. Unfortunately, the player in question didn't have the foresight to have an arrow pointing to the right stick figure...her "who" card said "Hilary Rhodam Clinton," but everone else guessed either Bill Clinton or Monica Lewinsky.

I thought I was in for some real trouble with the third round. Not knowing how to properly depict Tina Turner's haircut, I just drew a music note coming out of her, to imply that she's a musician. Not knowing what else, I drew another music note with a heart next to it. Then it hit me. I then drew an stick figure giving the female stick figure a black eye while she's singing a love song (music notes next to a heart symbol). Almost everybody got it, although one player guessed "Whitney Houston."

It's somewhat amusing and sad at the same time that it's harder to associate famous people with what they're supposed to be associated with. We don't associate Bill Clinton with a American presidency during a robust economy and prosperity among the people, instead we associate him with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We don't always associate Tina Turner with a successful music career that spans many years, instead we associate her with getting beaten up by Ike Turner.

I shudder to think of what people would've come up with for Michael Jackson (a stick figure man dropping a stick figure baby out of a balcony), Kurt Cobain (stick figure with a guitar in one hand, a shotgun in the other, and a head that's half-missing), or Courtney Love (strung-out-on-heroin stick figure with very obvious plastic surgery, standing next to a stick figure with a guitar in one hand, a shotgun in the other, and a head that's half-missing).

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Work-At-Home-In-Your-Underwear-And-Don't-Bother-To-Shower-Or-Shave-Day

This is probably one day of the week I look forward to the most because I can actually sit down and do some work and get some cleaning in at the same time. The basement I'm living in is an absolute mess and the only thing that looks remotely clean and organized are the shelves and racks on which I keep my CD and DVD collections. As it stands, the shelf I put my DVDs currently has an unopened skin moisturizer dispenser on it and I have no idea why it's there, except it's been there for months and months and I haven't bothered to move it. There is a half-centimetre thick layer of dust surrounding my action figure collection and I really need to crack my computer open to vacuum all the dust out of it.

Heck, I still have my notes from last semester scattered in all directions, even though the semester ended in early APRIL. So, here's my to-do-list.

-Complete first draft for Fangoria magazine article
-Write two passages and one page of dialogue for my day job
-Tidy up basement to reduce fire-hazard risk
-Go to local store to grab bag full of top soil so I can start planting green/red peppers on the porch
-Hit the gym

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http://www.rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_iraq_letter_502

Well, if anything else, this only confirms what many people have already been speculating since the campaign for the whole "War on (T)error" began. Harkening back to a previous blog, you gotta wonder what would happen if everybody was aware this was going on. But of course, given the corporate sponsored media, it's no surprise.

Damage is done, though. It's not like they can simply go, "Hey, sorry, man. We kinda fucked up." Tell that to all those dead soldiers and their families. Tell that to all the people who are now homeless because they got their homes destroyed.

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The fruit(s) of my labour

Never quite looks as good as the picture, does it?

Having taken up a minor interest in home gardening, I've been maintaining a few pots of strawberry plants and romaine lettuce. After about two weeks, I have about one strawberry that is ready to pick and the romain lettuce has just sprouted, which means I'll have about a teaspoon of ceasar salad by the time the week is up. If I'm lucky, by the end of the month, I'll have enough strawberries to put over a bowl of cereal.

It's times like this that I realize that we all live a very subsidized lifestyle. Why wait two or three months for a head of romaine lettuce when you can go to the supermarket and buy it in less than fifteen minutes? Considering the time and expense that goes into each plant, it's not likely that it's going to yield the same results that industrialized farming does, when you factor in the cost. I mean, a single strawberry plant costs $0.88, but it's probably not going to yield the same number of strawberries as if you bought them at the supermarket, especially when you consider that the ones you get at the supermarket are specifically picked out for colour and size. Given the amount of fruit that tends to get wasted and discarded, that's a lot of strawberries.

Mind you, a single packet of romaine lettuce seeds costs about $1.59, whereas a head of romaine lettuce will cost you anywhere from $0.89 to $1.99, depending on where you get it.

A lot of this evokes notions of True-Cost Economics, where the final price we paid at the cash register reflects everything that goes into it -- environmental costs, transportation costs, marketing costs, manufacturing costs -- everything. I mean, where does all that money end up coming from anyway?

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"(September 11 was) an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world. Because it is always useful as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict. Not to have the courage to ask these questions of ourselves is to betray the victims of 9/11."
-Maggie Gyllenhaal

These comments and others have been enough to cause angry users to force a Maggie Gyllenhall fan website into shutdown. I wouldn't consider myself a diehard fan of her movies (although I do recognize her contributions to Adaptation. and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), but I can't help but wonder what all the fuss is all about.

This definitely proves that nothing is truly black or white. Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental rights and freedoms that are granted by democratic societies, but it goes far beyond that. As it stands, judging from the hostile reaction that Ms. Gyllenhaal's comments have received, perhaps our notions of free speech should be re-evaluated.

I consider myself liberal in my leanings, so I'll accept (but not necessarily agree with) any speech or sentiment, just as long as it doesn't promote hate, violence, discrimination, or ignorance. So, blatantly ignorant statements on same sex marriages and the denial of the holocaust get the kibosh. Stuff questioning the War on (T)error? Go for it.

Using celebrity status in order to promote causes is important, although a slightly more informed opinion would be nice. How do we know that entertainers know anymore than what they're trained to do? But, I must say, seeing Brittney Spears' endorsement of the current Bush administration while chewing gum on Fahrenheit 9/11 is actually quite amusing.

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Lt. Dan Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Nathan Jessep: You can't handle the truth!
-A Few Good Men (1992)

It occurred to me one day that we spend the better portion of our lives being lied to. It happens from the beginning from the day one, where little boys and girls are taught that good behaviour will be rewarded. Give them a few years, and the teachers and parents will be telling them, "It's what's inside that counts" and "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

This follows them into their teenage years, where they are told that hard work and perserverence pays off in the long run. If they're part of the North American school system, they'll likely be told about the dangers of pre-marital sex and recreational drug use, especially with marijuana.

And then they'll go into their adult years. You'll have politicians promising bigger and brighter things if they're elected into office, television ads promoting the American dream, and people that you work with telling you that a task will be accomplished with a specific time frame.

All of these things work in theory, but not in practice. In the long run, people will generally gravitate towards those who are good of heart and kind in spirit. But more often than not, these people get swallowed whole by people with less than honourable intentions. Professional athletes have bad attitudes towards fans and the media, yet are awarded millions of dollars in promotions and contracts. People who are good looking generally make more money than more plain looking people. Products designed to make our lives better and brighter end up just making us fat and poor. Politicians send troops to foreign countries to war over false pretenses.

Lies and truths will eventually be uncovered, but by the time it happens, it's usually too late and the damage is permanent. But on the other hand, if everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) told the cold, hard, and honest truth, the world would would not necessarily be a better place. As it is, it seems that it is in our nature to deceive each other and people would prefer to live in a lie than the cold hard truth.

If children were told the truth about everything, it'd be crushing. For children to have nothing to believe in would likely do serious harm to their development. What motivation would there to be a good, kind hearted person if they knew it wouldn't get them anywhere? Why would they want to even leave the house if they weren't pleasing to the eye, knowing that everybody would be judging them without even taking the time to know them?

If there was truth in advertising, the economy would shut down. We don't need the fanciest anti-bacterial soap, the biggest SUVs, the perfect body, or the latest fashion. But, the 500-channel universe tells us otherwise. People wouldn't be buying the latest and greatest, financial growth for corporations would shut down, and a lot of people would be unemployed.

If the government told the truth all the time, there'd be anarchy. The truth is tanamount to political suicide. History has proven this. Former US president Jimmy Carter's administration was in the middle of an oil crisis. He promoted conservation, wore a sweater on live television to set a good example among the American public and even had solar panels installed in the White House. Ronald Reagan promoted a Pollyana attitude of hope and optimism, and then would later go onto win the American presidency and then dismantle everything that Jimmy Carter had set in motion. Now we find ourselves in a bigger energy crunch than before. We had about 20-30 years to do something about it, but instead, we just bought bigger houses, bigger SUVs, and ended up with bigger waistlines.

If people told the truth in relationships...well, it's hard to say. There'd be a lot more trust, for starters. But would people take risks? Would people even want to be with each other if they knew the truth about each other? But, I can tell you one thing...women won't be asking men the ever dreaded, "Honey, do I look fat to you?" Plus, it would save the guys a lot of time because women won't be telling them, "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now."

But as much as our lives are built around lies, truth is necessary...even though it can only be administered in extremely small doses. But, it does keep the world in some level of balance, even though it is constantly teetering on the head of a pin.

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