How Open is You Mind?

So yesterday I went to hear former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright give a lecture and answer some questions at the Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland in Pittsburgh PA. There was something she said, among others, that certainly got people's attention. She said, "The only completely open mind is an empty mind". There is of course the very simple idea behind this that no matter how much we may try to open ourselves to things, take in different perspectives and try new things we will always have the things that have shaped us. It is true that everyone has a different background, a different perspective, and different emotional responses to things. To be completely open we would have not to have taken in anything. So now my question is just how open to we really want to be? We hear people say, "keep an open mind" and "my mind is always open to new things" but at what point should yes be yes and no be no?

Why Blogs Suck...

Short mini rant...

When trying to write a paper and needing to cite credible sources I don't need everyone's blog popping up! I like blogs heck I even have one  but blogs are not acceptable forms of information when it comes to academia, that isn't to say a blogger isn't well versed or professional, its just to say I can't legitimately put it in a citation so stop crowding my search engine!!!!!

(Laughing at this myself LOL!)

99 Problems

I find myself at this moment frustrated to no end with no one answering the phone and on an entertainment media fast (and hence no mind-numbing outlets). So here I am with all these thoughts, no one to talk to and nothing to curb the incessant workings of my mind when it occurs to me...I have a blog, why not use it?

Well here I am and I am going to tell you some things that quite possibly you haven't really given much thought to before (or maybe you have).

I am finally back in the US and studying at one of the finest educational institutions money can buy (a lot of money that is....try around 53,000/yr). I can say I haven't been quite this challenged in some months and as exhilarating as it is it has its frustrations. Here goes...

I have spent my entire day trying to understand the Federal Reserve, the American banking system in conjunction with how our money is valued and I have come to the conclusion that either I have an intense deficiency in learning or the information that is out there and readily available to the public is insufficient. I know that there are scholars who spend their lives studying such things, however, what I want to know is what stands in the way of the reasonable observer from being able to understand his or her own system in the country which they live.

There are many opinions out there about whether the Federal Reserve is a profiting institution, the Fed controlling the economy, how the Reserve is truly not a governmental institution answerable to Congress and how it does not actually have reserves. I find that I am certainly not well versed enough to tackle all of this yet but when I can we will certainly discuss it in greater detail. Where I am at the moment is simply trying to figure out what is true about our economy and can the average person be truly well informed on the subject.

In 1913 the third attempt at a national bank (The Federal Reserve) was put into place stemming from the Panic of 1907. This is pretty well known information but its going from here that causes problems. We could use prisoner's dilemma or utility to try and understand how the men (or companies?) who run our economy should act but the truth is so many of their actions are hidden from the public that we'd really be grasping at straws unable to greatly substantiate such conclusions.

 Insufficient information...that is why I am angry.

I have a headache after having spent my weekend in this room first reading on the Realist, Liberal, and Marxist theories of International Relations and now American economy. I don't know if this little rant has prompted any thought but I will say that I believe it a necessary to understand these types of things.

At the end of my life I'd rather say "what I had was at my discretion" than "they really screwed me over" (that's just a small unrelated jab at the people who rely on the government to be their security).

*** Have I mentioned the the US Mint has the most annoying website EVER!

No seriously. I understand that what they do is supply and sell coins but someone needs to tell them that supplying substantial information (like how much they produce and what governs their production) instead of boasting about how pretty their coins are would be very useful. I'M JUST SAYIN!

Check out: The Money Masters- How International Bankers Gained Control of America

Things you didn’t know about Rome but should…

So as I am adjusting to life in Rome there are a few things that I have found exceedingly fascinating. These thing may apply only to Romans or to many Italians or even on a broader scale to many Europeans but as I have only been here in Rome that is what we will talk about.

The food is amazing!…ok no, its true but you already knew that
The real number one is a warning, NEVER SIT AT THE TABLE! Here there exist service charges simply for sitting down in some places and if you are just ordering something small like un cornetto e cappuccino this sitting fee could be more than twice the price of what you ordered. You will notice when in Rome that Italians do not walk and eat, they stand. Unlike in America where we walk to our destination coffee cup in one hand sandwich in the other, Italians stand at the bar (what we would call a café) and eat, drink their little espresso then leave.

The second thing you should know is that what goes in must also come out and when it does you’ll see that the tank of the toilette is above your head. This isn’t really anything important but I found it amusing. Don’t waste time looking for a knob to flush, there is probably a button somewhere.

Thing number three: When you’re all done in the bathroom and you are walking to where ever it is you are headed and you find people staring, don’t be alarmed or angry. No, you do not have toilette paper on your shoe and your fly isn’t down. In Italy and possibly other parts of the world staring is not rude its more like a pastime. In the States I have my space and you have yours and we don’t invade that space even with looks from far away. Here in Rome I have learned from my Professor (a Roman) that staring shows interest it is a way of engagement of people and surroundings, don’t just randomly start a conversation with someone because now you are being weird.

This next one is for women…There exists a stereotype in Rome that foreign women are easy. Unfortunately there are women who go abroad and think “I’m only here for a short time, no one will even know” and have flings with the Italian men. Act as the Italian women do in the case of Italian men, when they yell out “ciao bella” just keep walking! Also, don’t find yourself at a bus stop with out male companions, apparently that is where women are “working” and I doubt you want someone coming up to you asking “how much?”

Numero cinque: The streets of Rome are for lack of better words orderly chaos. They have their system and you’ve gotta work with it. It will be very intimidating because Vespa, cars and busses are coming from everywhere at high speeds but if you start walking out into the street and shrink back the driver who has already calculated that at the pace you are walking he can make it right before or after you could be thrown off. Italians will tell you that the driving conditions make them good drivers paying attention, either way be confident but don’t push it. When in doubt follow the Italian across, they have been doing it much longer lol.

One for the men…if you ever come to Rome for a short period of time and think hitting on an Italian woman will work the way it does in the States, just give up now. Remember Italian men hit on women all the time so they are pretty much immune apparently. There is a process and just being a flirt won’t get you far.

The final cool thing you should know is that I found all this out and more after only three and a half weeks of being here! There is a great deal to see and learn in the city. The people, the places all have so much to offer and also things that are needed. I could most certainly write a list of negative things as well but the  important thing in all of this to me is that after taking all these things in I have something to give back. I’m not sure what it is yet but I know those who take without ever giving back are gluttons of life and I will be back with stories of balanced living.

Roma -Week 1

              This is the end of my first week in Italy and so far I have taken over 300 pictures (288 of them today in the agricuturismo of Todi and of Titignano). It is 9pm here and just 3pm back home in Philly but this week has been so amazing I don’t even know where to start. Classes begin Monday and I figure I’d better start talking now or forever hold my peace. So far I have seen the Vatican (which I live, at most, 15 minutes away from, the Spanish Steps (also very close),as well as the beautiful hill towns mentioned above both located in the Italian region of Umbria. I could tell you how the sky is more vast or the how you feel when you realize you are literally walking on history but instead all I am going to tell you is that through all my explanation and all the words I could come up with you would never understand unless you’ve seen it and felt it for yourself. Since I’ve been here I have only begun to learn about the Italian concept of Bella Figura. You’ll notice the moment you meet an Italian woman that they carry about themselves an air many American women have yet to discover. Its self-confidence and outward conscientiousness but not only that an etiquette of how one should be in public. I think there is something to learn there but that is another topic for another day. This is ONLY an update and summary.
              There are some things that are different (ie. euros the toilet flusher…the language!) but when it comes down to it Rome is still just a city with people and places to visit and get to know. Its all an experience to take in and with all the challenges I have found here so far I am more than excited to see what these four months really have in store. More than touring a city I am for the next few months a resident in Rome and I am excited to see where it is I will be by the time this is all over. So I’ll keep you updated and you tell me what’s new or old or different with you!

Less than 24 hrs until Departure…Bye Familiar; Hello Adventure

So by now I am all packed to go to Rome, Italy. With less than 24 hours to go before I leave I am both excited and exceedingly nervous. I have never been so far away from home in a place where I know very little of the language or the culture. In Rome I will be studying Sculpture, Digital Photography, Italian and two other Italian culture and history courses. I won’t know who my roommates are until I arrive and the experience is going to be amazing. I’m not use to having roommates nor am I use to being in a foreign country so there is no lack of things to grow from. I don’t know exactly what will be different four moths from now when I get back to the states but what I know is that it won’t be the same. This is my first post in the year 2011 and from here its all forward moving.