Well,   I will be gone for a few days.  No more posts til then!

Just thought I would pass on to readers the name of this organization.

I first heard of this organization from a friend in college who worked on environmental issues.  This was before I was really even familiar with NGOs.  We were both concerned about environmental issues and I was curious about which organizations were working to protect the rainforest.

For a few years I have been getting e mail alerts from them, and they often inform me about interesting issues.  Today for example, I am reading about mountaintop removal mining in the US, a few days ago I was reading about indigenous demonstrations in Peru against land exploitation.

Their website is www.ran.org.

I’ve been happy to see how many readers have read my previous post Stop Deforestation By Reducing Timber Product Consumption.  It shows how many people are concerned about the forest/ rainforest, and that they want to do something about it.

This article features Barry Diller (an expert?) claiming that in the future users will have to pay to use much of the internet. This is something which doesn’t seem in the ordinary person’s interest, and would certainly put a damper on one of the late 20th/ early 21st centuries’ bright spots.

But what is this person really trying to say? And who does he represent?

What he actually seems to be referring to is people having to pay for some high quality sources which require significant resources to produce. The New York Times is specifically mentioned, which was previously a newspaper for which the reader had to pay.

It seems a bit more a of a stretch to think that many sites such as blogs and small sites (which are often what makes the internet interesting) would require payment.

And Diller also mis-states something when he says that the internet is free- don’t forget people have to pay for their connection. It is just like cable TV- you have to have a TV (the corollary of the computer) and then you pay for the cable connection and a standard package of TV channels (the corollary of access to the internet).

Which reminds me of another gloom and doom item about the internet: in this case, on one Indy Media Center site, an organization was alleging that corporations have plans to make people pay to use a limited range of websites, marginalizing and perhaps making it impossible to access smaller independent sites. The person/ group posting this claimed that the discussions were all secret among major corporations. I was concerned about this and wrote to the group posting it asking for more details. But they didn’t reply, making me doubt the validity of the original post.

We can certainly hope that these claims are false. Limiting the internet or making it more expensive to use would certainly be an unpopular move, and against the popular interest.

China, meanwhile, has announced that at the end of July, all computers sold in China will have to be sold with a program installed which the authorities claim will be to prevent viewing violent and pornographic sites. This makes their controls over citizen’s online activities potentially even more complete. (See this link) Ironically however, I thought it may lead to a decrease of computer sales in China as people may deliberately purchase computers abroad to avoid the program installation.

In any case, it seems like attacks on the internet, and attempts to limit its impact and influence are continuous; and these challenges need to be addressed by people to protect their right to access to information and maintain the free nature of the internet medium.

Meditation I think is a very beneficial practice. So even though this blog is usually about different issues in the world, I want to write about how to do meditation because I think that practicing it can actually be helpful to people in the world, and there would be a beneficial effect if more people practice it. The problems in the world come not only from larger external factors, but from the personal relations between people and the internal experiences of people.

I want to start off by saying that I am certainly not an expert of meditation, and some may criticize me even for writing about it in that case. Further, I don’t actually practice a single type of meditation, and have never focused on meditating with one group or sect of meditation. The things which you are about to read may be full of errors of which I am unaware. If any reader comes across any thing which they think is an error, or has a difference of opinion, please leave a comment.

A Few Reasons to do Meditation

Body Posture

Breathing

Starting: Different Meditation Practices

Flexibility and Time

Preliminary Stretches

Many people practice meditation because they find that it deepens their spiritual or religious practice. Meditation brings a clarity and focus, a calmness of mind that may be a refreshing change from the rush of living that many people experience in the world today. Meditation can also be practiced from a strictly secular position, focusing on the physical and mental benefits, which have been shown by several scientific studies. Practicing meditation can help people to become more grounded, more aware of their bodies, and to develop healthy breathing patterns.

So where to begin?

It may be helpful for some to do some stretches before meditation. The instructions are a bit lengthy so they are included at the end. (Click here to read preliminary stretches)

The Body Posture

The body position is one of the most important parts of meditation. Having a good body position allows energy to be transmitted more easily along the spine. A person generally should try to sit on the floor, in either the cross legged or half lotus position. (1- Sitting in a chair) Before settling into sitting, a person should try to open the two bones of the buttocks apart to have a more solid seating position.

Then arch the back to stretch it out and be more straight when relaxed. Then straighten the lower back from the pelvis and try to extend the spine as straight as possible up to the shoulders. Extend the straightness of the spine up through the neck and as if through the top of the skull. The face should be straight ahead, with eyes closed. Maintain this position.

The hands can be kept in several positions. I change hand positions during meditation, but not too often. A good starting position, is with the arms extended restfully away from the body, and hands resting upwards on the knees. The thumb can be held touching the middle finger, forming a loop in the hand. Another common hand position, is to relax the two hands, with palms facing upwards, just below the belly, with the knuckle of the right hand lying on the inner knuckle of the left hand. A third position, which may be difficult to sustain, is to press the two palms together in front of the chest, fingers pointing upwards (similar to a Thai or Khmer wai).

Now that the body posture has been attained, review the different parts of the body and check to make sure they are in good, straight- backed position. Also check that the position is comfortable enough to maintain, since you will be sitting this way during the length of meditation.

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Returning to breathing: Breathing is very important for meditation. The first form of meditation, in fact, will just consist of concentrating on breathing. Gradually allow the breathing to slow down and relax, but not in a forced way, or unnatural way. During and before meditating, the person can allow more breathing to pass into the belly- diaphragm area, which is beneficial. But again, the person need not force it, and this form of breathing can progress at a slow degree of change.

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Now, with this position and breathing, meditation can start.

Breathing- concentrate the mind on the breathing only. Focus the mind only on the process of breathing, observing the flow of respiration in and out. Observe the mind and if others thoughts come up, let them to pass out of consciousness, and return attention to the breathing process. Sustain as long as possible or comfortable.

Mantra- The person meditating chooses their own mantra. It can be some word or phrase from their own spiritual practice or religion, such as “God”. Or it can be a neutral phrase such as “peace”.

Then concentrate on the phrase chosen. Remain concentrating on this mantra, allowing thoughts of other things to flow out of the mind, leaving only awareness of the mantra.

Heart chakra- Locate the heart chakra, an energy center, one of the seven chakras. Concentrate focus on the heart. Take the right hand, place it on the heart chakra. Focus attention on the heart. Remain focused on the heart, allowing thoughts of other things to flow out of the mind. Allow the heart to relax due to this attention. (2-Note on persons)

Egolessness- Based on the concept, as in Buddhism, that there is no ego. Empty the mind, allow openness to come into the mind. With the mind envisaged as a circle, empty the circle, so that there is only emptiness in the circle. Then allow the circle to dissolve, into nothingness, and purely open consciousness to remain. Maintain this moment.

Chanting- Choose a phrase or word to use for chanting. Choose a single pitch which is comfortable. Inhale and chant the word for a whole exhalation, maintaining the same pitch. Focus the mind on the sound of the pitch and mantra. Repeat as preferred.

Mindfulness- Different from other forms in that it is not concentration. Simply observe consciousness, the flow of consciousness. One process to be mindful is to name thoughts and sensations as they enter into and become the focus of consciousness. It is also possible to be mindful and observe without any verbal element. The flow of consciousness may become slower, allowing the person meditating to understand and observe consciousness more closely.

Finishing meditation: When the person or group resolves to finish up the meditation, they may wish to continue on for a moment or two to try to reach a better sustained level of focus. They may wish to attempt to reach a focus and degree of meditation which they had reached earlier in the session, but had lost in the length of it. Then slowly come out of the meditation, opening the eyes and moving the body around more freely, relaxing. Feel the effects of the meditation.

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Flexibility and Time: I take a very flexible approach to meditation, and feel that it’s most important for the meditator to have a positive experience and enjoy meditation. While keeping an eye on the goal, the meditator will realize, for example, that the body cannot be maintained perfectly indefinitely. Especially when beginning, the person can be realistic about initial challenges, and adjust accordingly. Again, some striving is positive, and experience gradually accumulates.

From my view, even meditating as little as 10-15 minutes per day could have a positive effect on the person. There is no rush. The meditator need not feel stressed when a regimen could not be met, but enjoy when the time to practice comes again. In support from religious texts, the Bhagavad Gita says that any effort to meditate at all will have a positive effect.

It would be interesting to hear from other people and hear what techniques they use and how those work for them. The key thing with meditation, if you’ve never tried it before, is to try it the first time. It all comes with practice. Hopefully someone will find this useful or leave a comment providing feedback!

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See notes on preliminary stretching and sitting in a chair, following:

Preliminary Stretches

Before conducting meditation, it’s often a good idea to loosen up the body, because the body often holds stress from previous experiences in the day. Taking about 5 minutes in some of the following stretches, helps to prepare the body to sustain the sitting position during meditation:

- sitting on the ground cross legged or in a half lotus position, twist the spine while holding it in a line, to both directions, and hold in the extreme of the twist.

- sitting on the ground cross- legged, or in a chair, with the spine straight, slowly roll the neck carefully in a clockwise direction at least two times. Reverse and slowly roll the neck in the opposite direction the same number of times. Be careful not to do this stretch too strenuously until confident of muscle ability.

- sitting or standing, pull back the hands behind the back, and clasp them together. When they are clasped, hold them and pull the hands backward away from the back, stretching the shoulders, arms and loosening up the chest. Hold the hands there for a sustained period, arching the back, stretching the spine.

- the belly or abdomen region often holds a lot of stress. Breathe into the belly region of the diaphragm, enlarging it. Do not breathe into the chest. This may be a very different way of breathing for some people, and usually takes time to develop. For the stretch itself, breathe all the way into the belly region, enlarging it. Then hold the air (do not exhale), and press outwards against the belly, stretching the stomach muscles, for 5 or 10 seconds. Repeat. (For smokers and people with heart problems, take this stretch easily, as it can press on the cardiovascular system.)

People who practice yoga or others used to stretching may add in other stretches which they find limbers up the body before meditation.

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1-Sitting on Chairs- If a person cannot sit on the floor, because of social norms or because of knee problems, they can sit on a chair or stool, with both feet flat on the ground, knees apart the same width as the pelvis. Most importantly, the person sitting in a chair must hold their own back and spine upright, and not relax against the back of the chair.

2- Note on Persons- It may be natural during the heart chakra meditation to have images of, or feelings towards various people. This is ok, but the meditator should not focus thoughts of the heart to a person who may not want that attention. The heart chakra meditation may also make it easier for others to take advantage of the meditator, so the person who conducts this technique regularly should adjust accordingly.(Return to text)

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Some things seem to come around in cycles… It’s funny that as someone who has lived overseas for a such a long time, that I should keep experiencing the same river again and again.

As a child, it was the Ohio river… when I was a child my best friend and I used to tow soda pop bottles about two miles in our wagon to the nearest little town where we could cash in the bottles for their deposit and gorge ourselves on candy while gazing at the mighty Ohio flowing by.

In 2002, I landed on the Mekong river in Vientiane, Laos, during the height of the flood season. Every day the residents of Vientiane would congregate by the Mekong to see how close it was to flooding on that particular day. Today seemingly only a few centimeters away, tomorrow seeming to recede a bit. The Mekong became a kind of spiritual body to me, not merely an inanimate object, but actually a living thing, with a spirit, like a god. Those were hard times, and I confided in the river about the troubles in my life.

Just a few months later, in Phnom Penh, I began a long period near the banks of the Bassac, a massive tributary just a short distance from the Mekong. The Bassac is odd in that it actually flows in two directions depending on the time of the year. For most of the year, the Bassac flows into the Mekong (left to right from the vantage point of the Phnom Penh riverside). But when the rain fills the Mekong to such massive levels, the water from the Mekong flows into the Bassac, changing its direction (from right to left), where the water flows all the way up into the Tonle Sap lake.

Somehow imagining the riverside in Phnom Penh to be analagous to the riverside in places like Varanasi (Benares) in India, I took to meditating on the river bank in Phnom Penh. People may surely have thought I was a bit crazy, as the riverside in Phnom Penh is extremely dirty. Yet even a few Cambodian people joined me while I was doing meditation.

A long time passed there in Phnom Penh- so many conversations were had at the riverside- so many friends met.

Now even more years later, I sit perched atop a chair, guitar in hand, microphone pointed to my mouth, with the Mekong before me. The river flows by illuminated by the lights of the town, the great bridge lit up to my right. From time to time, I stop concentrating on the melody I am singing for the audience enjoying their drinks on the patio, and the spirit of the Mekong penetrates me in a brief instant before I forget which chord I should be playing. A perfect place for a song.

Last night it struck me how odd that I should be here again, this time looking over the river while performing. Life is a series of cycles and repetitions, but these cycles are something that someone who travels and moves around often loses- since there is no permanence, and the locations are always changing and shifting.

At least I have the Mekong to remember- to remind me of years gone by, flowing by… “jaded by the years”…

Song of Thanks (Danyavad): Based on Indian Classical Music

Link to Quick Time Player of This Recording

(To listen to the recording above with the music player, click on the arrow facing right. However, this will lead to an interrupted version of the song as it downloads. To avoid this, first click on the arrow and then press the pause button. While it is paused, the computer will continue to download it, and after a few minutes (depending on the speed of your connection), you should be able to listen to the song uninterrupted.)

This song is a derivation of an Indian Classical music song which was on a cassette I bought in New Delhi. Since I no longer have that cassette on my person I don’t know the name of the original song, or even the singer. But the melody is so beautiful that it has long been in my mind, and I finally stumbled upon an appropriate chord for it.

I’m not even sure if the first word of the song is, in reality, “Danyavad” (which means “thank you” in Hindi). But it certainly sounded like it in the original recording. The rest of the “words” are not actually words at all- it is my form of “scat”, or vocal improvisation, which is vaguely based on the original sound of the words. In this case it is the feeling conveyed which is important, not the meaning of the words.

This is a live recording, which means it is not a multi- track recording.

Again, any comments or critiques are welcome.

“You’re a Big Girl Now”

Link to Quicktime Player of This Recording

(To listen to the recording above with the music player, click on the arrow facing right.  However, this will lead to an interrupted version of the song as it downloads.  To avoid this, first click on the arrow and then press the pause button.  While it is paused, the computer will continue to download it, and after a few minutes (depending on the speed of your connection), you should be able to listen to the song uninterrupted.)

This is a cover of a Bob Dylan song on his album “Blood on the Tracks”, which was released in 1975.  Most people have probably never heard it, but the sound of it appeals to me and so I learned to play it.  It is pretty different from the original because of Bob Dylan’s unique vocal style, which I could not, and would not want to imitate.  So, unlike some of my other covers, which are pretty close to the original, this one is more of an interpretation.

This song is a multi-track recording. I know it is not perfect- there is a lot of background noise, aside from the errors I made in playing it. But I enjoy putting my music online, and it might take me forever to perfect it, so I have put it online even in its imperfect condition.

I hope you enjoy, and please leave any comments on how it could be improved!  Happy listening!

41 years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest US citizens ever to live, was assassinated, allegedly by a white supremacist, James Earl Ray.

The only major US figure that I know of to advocate non-violence, King and his fellows in the Civil Rights Movement made great progress in achieving justice and equality for America’s African Americans. African Americans had first been subjected to slavery, and then to decades of discrimination, at least some of which still exists today. By using non-violent techniques such as boycotts, civil disobedience, and mass marches, King and his associates, as well as their supporters, demonstrated again how with persistence these techniques can lead to change. They used to their best advantage the political rights which are guaranteed in the US constitution and turned them into meaningful change to end some of the greatest injustices in US society.

Unfortunately, it seems that, unlike Gandhi in India, King’s message of non-violence has, at least to some degree, been lost in America. Violence remains pervasive in US society, especially in the form of violent crime, legal possession of weapons, and violence in movies, on TV and other forms of media. The US has failed as well, to eliminate, or even lessen violence in its foreign policy, as shown in the dual wars of the Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I fail to understand why there is still so much violence in US society, but it seems to me that it comes primarily from three things. The first is the continued advocacy by many groups such as the National Rifle Association for the “right” to bear arms. The second is the presence of violence in so many forms of media. While this does not necessarily make people violent in a direct way, I do think that it makes them more likely to support violent actions, as for example in foreign policy. The third reason that I see is that the US correctional system/prison system fails to rehabilitate prisoners, and in fact when prisoners are released they may be more hardened than they previously had been.

It’s hard for me to say how much discrimination against African- Americans remains in US society. For one thing, I haven’t lived in the US for many years. Secondly, it is often hard to empirically confirm that discrimination exists, since people with racist attitudes often hide them. (This by itself is an improvement, since in years past people would more openly express racism.) One’s perception of the degree of racism is often influenced by a person’s political positions, as well as anecdotal experience. There has probably been a lot of research done on this subject, but I have not looked at it. On the other hand, the existence of “racial profiling”, in which police admit that they pursue and interrogate people based on their race, is a clear sign that it does still exist, at least in that manifestation. If any readers have any comments on this or have access to such information, please leave a comment.

There can be no doubt, however, that many African Americans still experience institutional racism. This means that impersonal forces of society continue to affect African Americans in negative ways that their white counterparts do not experience. For example, for those African Americans who are born into low-income communities, and attend the schools of poorer quality in their neighborhoods, they do not have the same opportunities as people of other races or of higher income levels. This still disproportionately affects African Americans because they have never been able to rise out of the poverty that discrimination put them in over those decades past.

While for most of my life I have been an advocate of non-violent philosophy, over the past few years I have come to see that it is limited in some ways. Generally it is limited by the society which it seeks to change. That is, if certain freedoms are not present in that society, or if the institutions of justice are not sound or independent, or if the ruling regime is harsh and authoritarian, there is little hope for non-violence to succeed. Non-violence relies on the conscience of the perpetrators, or of other members of society, to be affected. But, for example, in societies with strict censorship or control of information, non-violence is unlikely to work, since those people whose consciences would be stimulated cannot even get information about what has happened. In another example, in harsh regimes like Myanmar, where all resistance is ruthlessly quashed, there is little hope for non-violence to succeed.

Thus it is necessary to transform societies into ones where non-violence can be successful, by ensuring that certain rights, such as freedom of the press and the right to demonstrate, are guaranteed.

I honor Martin Luther King, Jr. for what he represented, as well as his affect on my own life. As a young high school student his ethic stirred idealism in me which still continues to this day, although in different forms as I have changed. When seeking inspiration in my life, the iconic image of King was one that I often remembered.

I hope that King will continue to be an inspiration to new generations of Americans, and that people will realize how great he was, and what a valuable legacy he left to the US. Hopefully as time goes on the message he espoused, of non-violence, will also be adopted by greater numbers of Americans.

The chief scientist for the UK government has warned that there will be more severe food, energy, and water shortages as the world’s population expands to 8.3 billion people by 2030.  Food and energy demand is projected to grow by more than 50% over current levels, while demand for fresh water is to grow by more than 30%. (See this link)

The scientist, Professor John Beddington, said that while food and fuel prices have fallen again since highs in 2008, the lower prices must not become a reason to ignore the problem, which demands urgent steps be taken.

I would predict that these problems will hit the world’s poor in the most severe way, as food prices will increase, cutting dramatically into the already meager budget;s of the world’s poor families.  Many rural people around the world already work long hours to attain water, especially affecting women and children who are usually the ones carrying out this work.  Of course, water shortages could also affect agricultural production by poor farmers.

Hopefully, this will be a wake up call for people who think that the size of the human population is not a problem.  At the same time, while pointing at population, this article does not raise the issue of overconsumption by the wealthier people in the world, which is equally a part of the problem.  It will be difficult, although entirely possible, to create ways for wealthier people in the world to reduce their consumption of these resources.

It is also rarely mentioned in the news media, but reducing consumption of meat, or becoming vegetarian altogether, can help to resolve these problems by reducing the amount of food eaten, as well as the water used to produce it.  (Meat usually takes large quantites of grains and water to produce.  Eating plant- based products instead of meat would reduce the amount fed to animals, leaving more to go around among humans, and reducing market prices.) 

In my observations, people generally assume that the situation will continue pretty much as it is now, or that people’s living standards will continue to improve in the upcoming years.  But articles like this show that many people may be in for a rough ride in this  century.

All the more reason why people need to get active, involved, and do something to solve this problem!

Today on BBC there was news that Russia is to increase its military spending to modernize its military.  In the last few weeks, the focus has been on China, which once again reported a significant increase in military spending.  Of course, the US has and continues to devote large expenditures to the military, and recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have increased spending further.

Now that China and Russia are also spending more on military, it means that some kind of arms race could be emerging again.    It is likely, and has already been seen, that some countries have taken notice, particularly of China’s increased arms expenditures. In recent years, Japan has taken moves to become more militarized, departing from a tradition in its “pacifist” constitution.

We should try to remember that all of this money, effort, and expenditure is actually a waste, which is the result of humanity’s inability to live harmoniously in the current nation state system.  It is a failure which is costing other humans dearly, as that money would certainly be better used to provide healthcare and food to all of the world’s people.  If the money spent on arms could be freed up, it would open the possibility for great improvements in human welfare.

As I noted before in a blog post about “World Government and National Competition”, one of the main drivers of this problem is competition between nations, especially major powers.  Lesser powers, as well, want to get in on the act and aim to become regional powers.  It is actually usually the political elites in the countries which are most interested in maintaining military power, since they are the ones with the power to potentially use it in global or regional political games.

The people of these countries have no real say in these decisions, except in countries which are more democratic.  Even in this case the impact is small.  The people of a country may be influenced to support militarism, including using nationalistic themes, however.  It is often actually not in the people’s interest to be involved in war, but in many cases the people in countries affected are powerless to prevent it or are influenced by the powerful so that they support it.

It seems that what is needed is less nationalism,  a more international perspective, and ways to reduce competition between nations.  If this means that greater multi-lateralism is needed, or new innovations in the international system tried, then so be it.  We must remember, despite the continuing military presence and its growth even into this century, that it is actually a waste of funds and human energy.

According to this article, US Attorney General Eric Holder has said that states will be allowed to make their own rules about medical marijuana, and that the US federal government will stop raiding medical marijuana dispensaries in California. (See article “Can Marijuana Help Rescue California’s Economy?”at this link)

In the 1990s, several US states passed referendums which allowed marijuana to be used legally for medical purposes. In a referendum, the registered voters vote directly on the proposed law, as opposed to the law being passed by the state legislature. Thus, when these states passed these referendums, it meant that the citizens of these states really wanted medical marijuana to be made legal.

However, in a blatant disregard for democracy and the people’s will, under the Bush administration, the national government refused to accept this law, and carried out raids of the medical marijuana dispensaries.

Its nice to hear that the US government will finally start respecting the will of the California citizenry. While I don’t feel that marijuana is harmless, it is probably no more harmful than alcohol, which is available legally, and even glorified in US culture. Continuing to send people to prison for possessing marijuana is a waste of government/ taxpayer money, and probably has a rather harmful effect on the person arrested, since US prisons are not good places to live (!) Taking a person who was previously a pretty normal person, and then putting them in a US prison, is almost guaranteed to have a negative effect on them.

Let’s hope the US government and Attorney General adheres to its promises!

I can’t avoid acknowledging that I hardly wrote anything here for so long. Writing is about communicating, so no writing means no communication- at least not via a blog, or via the internet.

When I started this blog I had so much to say and write about. And I do, but its just that those things don’t always surface at the time I’m sitting in front of the internet. And while traveling its hard to have enough time in front of the computer to write something.

Recently I’ve been using conversations as an inspiration, since so many interesting things come up in conversations. Yet so many interesting conversations go by that never make it to press.

I could write about current events in the news, but without doing a fair amount of research, would it really be any better than reading the news item itself? Only if I can add some interesting interpretation is it worthwhile.

Anyway, I have some ideas for writing, but just need to find some time to “put pen to paper”…

While I haven’t been able to write recently, people continue to view older posts from the site. So another marker was passed recently with the 6,000th view.

I’m still thinking about how to make the site more like a forum, whereas now it is mostly my own writing, with a few comments. I would like to invite readers to write something about an issue that is of concern to them, or that they would like to discuss. If any readers are interested in writing something, they can leave a comment or write to the e mail adress on the “About” page.

Another idea is to organize a live forum and then write here about what was discussed- possibly with pictures. This would link the local event with a wider audience, and maybe inspire someone to hold their own forum or discussion group wherever they are!

Thanks to all those who have left comments!

This word, socialism, and related words, like capitalism, keep coming up.

During the election campaign in the US, the word socialism was often used in attempts to try to criticize Barack Obama. And a few days ago, when I was flipping through the channels during Obama’s inauguration, Singapore news station Channel News Asia was discussing whether Obama is a socialist or not.

In all these discussions, there is often no real discussion of what socialism is, and so it is actually misleading, and depends on the mind of the viewer how they interpret this word. Often in the US I have read bloggers who attempt to call Obama socialist as a way to criticize him, and they use the word as a scare tactic. They use the word in a way to make the reader feel that, if Obama is elected the US will become like the Soviet Union, with the loss of all liberties, gulags, etc.

But the blogger won’t define what socialism is, which either reflects the writer’s ignorance, or is done deliberately to avoid real discussion which would reduce the fear they are using to manipulate people.

Words like “capitalism” often suffer the same fate. Last night I was having a talk with a person I met traveling recently, and he indicated that he was anti- capitalist. He explained that he doesn’t like capitalism because of how it increases the inequality between rich and poor. So I asked him what kind of system he would like. And he said he would like a system more like European social democratic countries, where the government uses tax money to re-distribute to the poor, or to pay for state provided healthcare.

The irony here is that this person at first said they were against capitalism. But the system he described is still an essentially capitalist system, the only difference between these countries and the more free market capitalist countries is that the state taxes people and uses that money to provide certain services. In these countries, the economy is still dominated by corporate enterprises, stock markets are in operation, private ownership of productive enterprises is still the norm- all of which are features of advanced capitalist states.

On the other hand, some people might still like to call countries like Sweden in the 1980s as socialist. The definitions are blurry, so it’s probably necessary in fact to talk about different kinds of socialism or different kinds of capitalism. But too often when there are discussions, no one is being clear what we are talking about.

As for those bloggers who try to use the word as a scare tactic- it’s a lame activity to try to influence people this way. Let’s have a rational look at capitalism and socialism without introducing fear or manipulation into the equation. And this could be said for both sides of the political spectrum.

So, out to the readers with a question- what is your definition of socialism and capitalism? What different kinds of socialism or capitalism do you think there are?

Its late here now, but perhaps in a future post I’ll discuss my interpretations of these terms more. Until then, people who are reading this, please leave your comments and thoughts…

A few days ahead of his inauguration, Obama has traveled to Washington in what is apparently intended to recall a similar journey made by Abraham Lincoln before his inauguration. (See BBC news link)

Its just another reason for me to like Obama. One of the greatest laments about the US is its absence of a reasonable train system. Now Obama has raised Amtrak’s profile just before the beginning of his Presidency.

I used to take Greyhound bus to travel around the US, but after a series of negative experiences, I decided to try Amtrak when I visited the US last January. Amtrak is only a little more expensive than Greyhound, and is about 10 times better in terms of comfort and service. Greyhound buses are one of the worst, if not THE worst, bus experiences that I have ever had in all my travels. (for readers who do not know me, I have been living overseas for the last 8 years, so have had many travel experiences abroad.)

The worst experience that I ever had with Greyhound was in New York City when I was returning home from Liberia in 2006. You can imagine the state I was in after flying from Liberia to Ghana, then waiting about 12 hours, then flying to Amsterdam and then onwards to New York City. Then I took the subway to the bus station in Manhattan. I had the final leg of my journey by bus to get to my hometown.

With Greyhound you have to wait in “line” before getting on the bus for about one hour usually, and there are no chairs at the bus gate, so you just have to sit on the floor. In this case there was no apparent line. When it came time to board the bus I, along with others, was told that I would have to get into the “line”. Being stubborn on some occasions, I argued with the Greyhound staff, but they refused to let me on the bus until I got in the line, which I finally did. (by this time I was the last one in line.) However, some rude young staff of Greyhound refused to let me get on the bus (even though there were places on it.) Further they called the police, who came over and talked to me. The police officer told me if I argued with the Greyhound staff any more I would be arrested.

Well, I couldn’t believe that they refused to let me get on the bus, although I had a ticket and there was space on the bus. I was just coming home from Liberia, where as UN staff we were always treated with a great deal of respect. I felt how some of the Vietnam War veterans must have felt when they returned to the US after their tour of duty.

I went to the service desk and discussed with the manager that I had a right to get on the bus. I think he understood the implication. He arranged for me to get on the next bus (a few hours later) and seems to have made sure the staff involved in detaining me were not around.

Then when I got on the bus, I went to the front of the bus to be sure the bus was going to my home city. The bus driver yelled at me, told me to sit down and shut up, or I would be thrown off the bus. I just couldn’t believe it. This is not the first time I have seen bad behavior from Greyhound bus drivers. Many of them treat passengers more like they are prisoners than customers.

It’s amazing to me that I received the worst treatment in my own country. And the incident with the police reveals how much of a “police society” the US has become. Try to question something and you will be arrested.

In contrast, my experience on Amtrak trains has been very good. Its a little slow, but is very comfortable, since you can walk around to many different cars. I’ve had nice conversations with people in the dining car or with the train staff. In 2008 I took Amtrak from Ohio to Florida, and from San Diego to San Francisco.

Unfortunately, since the US has been such a auto-based society, the Amtrak train system is not as developed as it should be. The US needs to expand the rail system in order to get ready for the inevitable gasoline price increases, as well as to reduce the contribution the US makes to global warming.

A new priority for the Obama administration!

So if you are reading this and are considering whether to take Greyhound or not- I would say don’t take it. Or if you do, get ready to be very patient and potentially be subjected to abuse.

Cheers to Obama for taking the train to Washington! Let’s hope he will do something while in office to reduce the US’s dependence on oil which has caused so many problems!