Long live lexical creativity! Enter the PORTMANTEAUS!

Are you familiar with words like "brunch", "Sitcom", "Brexit", "Pokemon", "podcast", "cyborg"? I'm sure you are. Well, they are examples of "portmanteaus", words stemming from the combination of different ones, in order to describe a new meaning/ reality. That's part of what's called "lexical creativity" and which contributes to English (in this case, but also Spanish or any other language for that matter) being an ever changing and evolving language.

Check this SUPER interesting and funny article!

24+ Brilliant new words we should add to the dictionary

Whatsapp on Trial!: 10 Signs you are addicted to Whatsapp

Hey!

I'm copying here an interesting article I found on the web. Pretty much like the naked truth. So true it hurts. Check it out!

10 SIGNS YOU ARE ADDICTED TO WHATSAPP

Come on, let's admit, we spend more time on WhatsApp in a day than we actually spend in front of our computer screens at work or home. Chatting, exchanging texts, forwarding jokes and sometimes, just teasing each other with non-sense talks, that's most of us all day long.

But are you addicted to it like REALLY? Read these 10 signs and tick mark on what suits you and then decide how much WhatsApp has affected your life and how close you are to addiction!

1. If you cannot resist the urge to pick up your phone and check the message each time WhatsApp rings, you're certainly addicted to it. So much that even if you are sitting in the middle of something really important, you would make a point to check the new message first. 

2. Checking your WhatsApp messages for any new messages each time you get up in the middle of the night is a clear sign that you have surrendered your life to it. Also, if WhatsApp is the first thing in the morning after you wake up, you are in no better situation.

3. Checking "last online" of your contact list is something that is uncalled for, yet most of us do for no reason whatsoever. If someone has to message you, they will. By checking the last time they were online won't make you get a ping from them instantly. So, why bother so much?

4. Frequently checking your friends' profile pictures on WhatsApp is nothing, but a clear indication of you being inquisitive about your friends and fancy lives they are leading, which is reflected through their display pictures. Not just this, once you have seen the pic, you want to compliment them by sending a quick text. Ah, wasn't Facebook enough for this?

5. Changing your status and display pictures on WhatsApp almost every second day is a clear sign that you are addicted and cannot survive without it. It is like you have to announce it to the world whatever you are doing and, honestly, there is nothing wrong about it. Just you tend to take it a bit too seriously at times.

6. You are addicted to WhatsApp if you have a habit of continuously checking your phone again and again after you have sent someone and haven't received a reply from them for a few minutes. Is waiting that tough? Strange we don't even want to give the benefit of doubt to that person, who may genuinely be busy. 

7. If you love to forward all jokes- text, images and videos- with many in your contact list, well, you are definitely addicted. Even if the other person never acknowledges any of your forwarded messages, that won't prevent you from continuing doing so.

8. Keeping a tab on everyone's status updates on WhatsApp is another indication that you have all the time in the world to know what is happening in others' life and what is going in their mind. We do tend to judge the person on the basis of what they have posted, and also on the basis of their WhatsApp status, and if not this, then take the sarcasm as if it was aimed at us.

9. If you HAVE picked up fights or arguments with friends for a reason that, despite being online on WhatsApp, they didn't respond to your message or didn't ping you, clearly you have given your life to it. Understand it only leads to more confusions and misunderstanding.

10. Driving, eating, sleeping, working or whatever you are doing, if you reply to a WhatsApp message as soon as you receive it, clearly shows that you are addicted to the medium. Even if that means disturbing your sleep or taking the risk while driving or getting distracted from work, does not really bother you. Well, in this case, you most certainly have a problem.

FORGIVE ME LORD, FOR I HAVE SINNED

I have to say that I'm quite shocked after reading this list since, at some point in my life I might have done all of those questionable behaviors! Like an adolescent suffering from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) who just cannot focus! Shame on me!

Therefore, I will say my prayer, in the seek of my personal redemption (and for the sake of maturity):

Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned:

Not only have I done all of the aforementioned at a point in my life,

but I have also indulged in Facebook narcissism and megalomania.

I confess that I only put up pictures of me- and what's worse, even Selfies- looking really good, when my everyday appearance may have little to do with said photos. Wanting to make a certain impression on female FB users may or may not have been related to such a demeanor.

Yes my Lord, I have indulged in FB photo imposture.

Also in many an occasion I have posted some line, message or text which I thought witty, sharp and ingenous with the intention of being complimented by other users, by means of comments of approval or just "likes". 

I also plead guilty to checking way too often (like every five minutes or so), if my new publication has more "likes" than the last time I checked.

Yes, I have been a compliment-seeker

I confess that all of the previous may be the result of vanity, conceitedness or self-admiration, all of which I know are capital sins, hence, with the present prayer I make a plea for your mercy and possibility of redemption and further salvation as, at this very moment in my life I strive for personal integrity and transcendence.

Without further ado, your servant,

J.

What about you? How much of an addiction to WhatsApp and the social media have you got?

Please, your insights on the comments box!

Top 10 Media Manipulation Strategies by Noam Chomsky

Ever heard of the American linguist, MIT professor, philosopher, and political activist? Chances are that you have. As any person who's radical, intense and passionate about their ideas, he is not likely to please everyone, nor did he have that intention in the first place, me thinks. 

As you will find out by reading the article below, he does not regard big media corporations very highly, but rather the opposite. Have a look at it, anyway; there are way worse ways to spend your precious time!

Top 10 Media Manipulation Strategies by Noam Chomsky

The job of media is not to inform, but to misinform: Divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by the political and economic elites, by the technique of flood or continuous flood of distractions and insignificant information.

The 10 Strategies:

1. The strategy of distraction

The primary element of social control is the strategy of distraction which is to divert public attention from important issues and changes determined by the political and economic elites, by the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.

Distraction strategy is also essential to prevent the public interest in the essential knowledge in the area of the science, economics, psychology, neurobiology and cybernetics.

“Maintaining public attention diverted away from the real social problems, captivated by matters of no real importance. Keep the public busy, busy, busy, no time to think, back to farm and other animals” 

2. Create problems, then offer solutions

This method is also called “problem -reaction- solution.”

It creates a problem, a “situation” referred to cause some reaction in the audience, so this is the principal of the steps that you want to accept.

For example: let it unfold and intensify urban violence, or arrange for bloody attacks in order that the public is the applicant’s security laws and policies to the detriment of freedom.

Or create an economic crisis to accept as a necessary evil retreat of social rights and the dismantling of public services.

3. The gradual strategy

Acceptance to an unacceptable degree, just apply it gradually, dropper, for consecutive years.

That is how they radically new socioeconomic conditions (neoliberalism) were imposed during the 1980s and 1990s:

• the minimal state
• privatization
• precariousness
• flexibility
• massive unemployment
• wages
• do not guarantee a decent income,

...so many changes that have brought about a revolution if they had been applied once.


4. The strategy of deferring

Another way to accept an unpopular decision is to present it as “painful and necessary”, gaining public acceptance, at the time for future application.

It is easier to accept that a future sacrifice of immediate slaughter.

• First, because the effort is not used immediately
• Then, because the public, masses, is always the tendency to expect naively that “everything will be better tomorrow” and that the sacrifice required may be avoided

This gives the public more time to get used to the idea of change and accept it with resignation when the time comes.

5. Go to the public as a little child

Most of the advertising to the general public uses speech, argument, people and particularly children’s intonation, often close to the weakness, as if the viewer were a little child or a mentally deficient.

The harder one tries to deceive the viewer look, the more it tends to adopt a tone infantilizing.

Why?

“If one goes to a person as if she had the age of 12 years or less, then, because of suggestion, she tends with a certain probability that a response or reaction also devoid of a critical sense as a person 12 years or younger.” 

6. Use the emotional side more than the reflection

Making use of the emotional aspect is a classic technique for causing a short circuit on rational analysis, and finally to the critical sense of the individual.

Furthermore, the use of emotional register to open the door to the unconscious for implantation or grafting ideas , desires, fears and anxieties , compulsions, or induce behaviors …

7. Keep the public in ignorance and mediocrity

Making the public incapable of understanding the technologies and methods used to control and enslavement.

“The quality of education given to the lower social classes must be the poor and mediocre as possible so that the gap of ignorance it plans among the lower classes and upper classes is and remains impossible to attain for the lower classes.” 

8. To encourage the public to be complacent with mediocrity

Promote the public to believe that the fact is fashionable to be stupid, vulgar and uneducated…


9. Self-blame Strengthen

To let individual blame for their misfortune, because of the failure of their intelligence, their abilities, or their efforts.

So, instead of rebelling against the economic system, the individual auto-devaluate and guilt himself, which creates a depression, one of whose effects is to inhibit its action.

And, without action, there is no revolution!

10. Getting to know the individuals better than they know themselves

Over the past 50 years, advances of accelerated science has generated a growing gap between public knowledge and those owned and operated by dominant elites.

Thanks to biology, neurobiology and applied psychology, the “system” has enjoyed a sophisticated understanding of human beings, both physically and psychologically.

The system has gotten better acquainted with the common man more than he knows himself.

This means that, in most cases, the system exerts greater control and great power over individuals, greater than that of individuals about themselves.

What do you think of these findings? Maybe you have been brainwashed, too?

Throwback Tuesday! Meet the true forerunner of the Crowdfunding phenomenon

Hey hey!

You know that a couple of weeks ago, when addressing the topic "money and shopping", we dealt with the pretty recent Crowdfunding trend, as a rather revolutionary and creative way of raising funds for different causes and projects.

Well, it is funny that a compatriot could foresee this trendy thing many years ago and be so ahead of her time; almost 25 years ahead of her time, to be more precise.

Yes my friends, not unlike Rap music or the molotov cocktail, it turns out that Crowdfunding was invented by the Spanish; more specifically by a Spanish woman. Do you not believe me? Watch the video below and judge for yourselves!

Crowdfund your way Up!

Hi there!

How familiar are you with the phenomenon of crowdfunding? Gosh, it is so overwhelmingly present nowadays! I get email alerts of crowdfunding campaigns like on a daily basis and I've contributed to a few of these money raising campaigns (the people behind those are people I know and like, and the projects they were trying to make come true were ones I found worth funding) of different kinds. But to be honest, just 2 years ago I was completely clueless about crowdfunding. Now it is one of the most popular ways of raising funds for whatever project (recording a record, promoting your photographies, art collection, making a short movie...) or actually making true your startup (that is, setting up your small business). You basically get people involved in contributing with some money to your project (they become, then, investors) and, in exchange, they get something related to that project (maybe a CD with a mention to the donors in the liner notes, a free ticket to an exhibition, becoming a shareholder of the new startup, etc...)

If you have ever thought of launching a crowdfunding campaign, here are some tips (5, to be more precise) about how to make the most of such a campaign:

And also, some insight on the origins of Crowdfunding, and also on the importance of this revolutionary phenomenon in today's world.

So, if you're really enthusiastic about making your dreams come true, but those dreams involve some economic investment and don't have the money yourself, just don't throw in the towel!. There is a way to do so! Crowdfund your way out!!!

Are you suffering from AFFLUENZA?

AFFLUENZA, a modern-day epidemic. 

Affluenza: How to be successful and stay; a review of Oliver James's top-selling book

In his 1997 book Britain on the Couch, Oliver James asserted that "advanced capitalism makes money out of misery and dissatisfaction, as if it were encouraging us to fill up the psychic void with material goods". In this book, he explores the idea further, and it's terrific. A lot of readers, wanting to put their finger on why the affluent world they live in makes them so uneasy, will want to cheer. Here he is saying, loud and clear, that capitalism is bad for your mental health. And then he tells us why this is the case, and what we can do about it.

"My focus," explains James, "is on why we are so fucked up, not with dangling a false promise of the possibility of happiness." He's right - he doesn't offer false promises. By the time you've finished this book, you, too, might be feeling pretty pessimistic. As if we weren't already - as James points out, almost a quarter of Britons suffer "emotional distress". "Cards on the table," he says, "I contend that most emotional distress is best understood as a rational response to sick societies."

So why are we, in James's words, so fucked up? It's because of what James calls Selfish Capitalism, or, more catchily, "Affluenza", a virus-like condition that spreads through affluent countries. In these countries, notably English-speaking ones, people define themselves by how much money they make. They are also ruled by superficial values - how attractive they look, how famous they are, how much they are able to show off. As the sociologist Erich Fromm would have put it, we have moved from a state of "being" to a state of "having". Now we are obsessed with what other people think of us, and we've lost touch with our own feelings.

It's a wonderfully clear and cogent thesis. Affluenza, as defined by James, is clearly recognizable as our way of life. It spreads because it feeds on itself; when you try to make yourself feel better by buying a car, or bulking up in the gym, or spraying on a fake tan, or having a facelift, you actually make yourself feel worse, which makes you want to buy more things. As James points out, the virus has spread to television - "most programs," he says, "are now barely concealed advertisements for classes of product" - and education. James sees modern education as "little better than a systematic method for spreading the virus".

He travels the world, interviewing rich, unhappy people. There is Sam, a New York billionaire who lives alone in a vast apartment. Sam was addicted to heroin and now seems to be addicted to casual sex with young girls. He has, we are shown, pursued the goals of affluenza to their ultimate point. He can have anything he wants, but nothing satisfies him. James also meets the trophy wife of another fabulously rich man - she is addicted to shopping and cocaine, and he is often away from home. Their relationship is based on mutual contempt: she spends his money with vengeful spite; he pays her back with coldness and abuse.

Well, he's convinced me. So, what can be done to prevent affluenza from invading our lives?

The Solution to Affluenza

According to James, the antidote is simple: look inward, not outward. Don't be a sheep. Try to be "beautiful" rather than "attractive". Embrace the family. Don't see life as a competition. Don't watch too much TV. Simple, perhaps. But will it be enough? Maybe too vague?

Let's break it down into more "tangible" and "doable" steps:

Wikipedia defines affluenza as:

1.    A painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more;

2.    The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to “keep up with the Joneses”.

So if you find yourself trapped in a state of desperately desiring that shiny new SUV, imagining how it will change your life, propel you to new career heights and bag you the perfect boyfriend, here are a few tips to help you overcome the dreaded affluenza bug.

·         Tip #1 - Use what you have. Take a closer look at all you have already accumulated. There is still life in that old table. There are still good times to be had in last-year’s sundresses. Mining your own treasures and breathing new life into your existing possessions can provide immense gratification.

·         Tip #2 - Give it a year, or a season. Buying the latest fashions or technological innovation at the top of the market is for suckers. Late-adopters fork out less cash and benefit from more reliable versions. Let other people work out the kinks.

·         Tip #3 - Get one, give one. It’s all about balance. If you must buy something new, make space for it in your life by giving up something old. There will always be people who have more than you and there will always be people with less. Many people would love what you have. As you bring new items into your home, donate your old ones to Goodwill in equal measure.

·         Tip #4 – Ye olde savings jar. Try this for a month or two: every time you are tempted to make a new purchase on something you suspect you don’t really need, but dearly want, take the cash and stash it in an envelope, jar, or money market account. Tell yourself that at the end of the month, if you still need the item, then you can buy it. You may be shocked when you realize how so many magazines, pairs of shoes, or dinners-out can quickly add up to the price of a Caribbean holiday.

·         Tip # 5 – Your home is an evolution. Do you find yourself looking around your rooms or garden, seeing only what needs to be bought, rather than congratulating yourself on what you’ve already achieved? When you move into a new space, it’s normal to want it to be perfectly furnished and decorated immediately. But the beauty of a home is that it is a reflection of your own evolution. Refining and building over time is a more natural and harmonious way to live.

·         Tip #6 - Don’t look fabulous, BE fabulous. No amount of expensive highlights or Louboutin heels can compensate for a bad attitude or an unhealthy lifestyle. A well-rested forehead is infinitely cheaper and more attractive than one filled with Botox. Bright eyes, glowing skin and a genuine smile trump expensive outfits every time.

·         Tip #7 – Wear your clothes, don’t let them wear you. A plain sweater and jeans from the Gap will do more to provide a backdrop for your beauty than expensive jewellery or a boldly emblazoned logo that commands all the attention. Would you rather have someone say, “wow, you look great” or “wow, that’s a great pair of shoes”? Take your pick.

·         Tip #8 – You are not what you drive. Yes, it’s lovely to enjoy a smooth ride in an elegant car now and then, but ultimately, it’s just transportation. Do not rely on your car to make a statement as to who you are. Not everyone will translate a message you might like. Save the drive for essential trips and get your family riding bikes and walking. Dispositions will magically improve without the opportunity for backseat arguments.

·         Tip #9 – Understand diminishing utility. When you’re really hungry, a carrot tastes much sweeter. When you haven’t had a vacation in years, a weekend at the lake feels amazing. The more you consume, the less satisfaction the next bit of consumption will give you. Take a break from accumulating for a while, so that when you do buy yourself a treat, the enjoyment will be much richer.

·         Tip #10 – Take pleasure in the state of desire. If you had everything you could possibly want, where would all that energy go? Would you look for new things to want? Or would you become restless without having anything to aspire to? By racing to quickly attain the things you want, you miss out on the excitement of desiring and earning your achievements over time.

Put your money where your mouth is!

You know? The other day I was thinking about Pink Floyd's super famous song "Money" and, more specifically about its lyrics, its words, its message. It is undeniably a really good tune (but by no means my favorite of theirs) and it is one of the first songs most people get to listen from the British combo (along with "Another Brick in the Wall", of course). 

Anyway, it is the message we're discussing here:

"Money, get away"... "Money, get back"... "Money, it's a crime..." and so on, and so forth...

Basically a condemnation of money for being the root of all the evils of our ugly world. Hmmm... quite funny coming from a bunch of millionaires who probably live in some mansion in the French Riviera  and who would easily charge their fans between 50 to 100€ for a concert ticket and who would not hesitate to report them if they found out said fans were downloading their songs for free. Don't get me wrong, I love the Floyd, but a group  of philanthropic hippies these guys were not (Roger Waters even admitted in an interview that he was inspired to write The Wall after he spat at an enthusiastic fan in a gig and was disgusted by his repulsive behavior, but that is a completely different story!)

The thing is that I've always found the Rock Stars' hypocrysy about good deeds and especially about trying to pretend how little they care about money quite annoying; especially if they don't practice what they preach, they talk the talk but not walk the walk, etc. I mean, I'd rather have an artist (but also other types of professionals such as cooks, painters, etc.) who unabashedly admits he's only in it for the money than someone trying to convince me about artistic integrity and whatnot when his/her actions show otherwise. I just don't buy that BS, sorry.

That is not to say that true artistic integrity does not exist and that there are not people who have other much more important motivations than CASH in their careers and lives. Quite a few bands/individuals have risked much of their time, energy and investments in setting up record labels so as to help new, up-and-coming artists make their music (or whatever creation) available, and many have agreed to lower their fees so as to keep down the price tickets; all of it, out of pure altruism. So, of course, kudos to them!

Whatever, the issue I wanted to be discussed in this very post is MONEY; that is, how important money is in our lives.

I'll talk about myself, and expect you to do the same (as usual, in the comments box): I LOVE my job, but I really doubt I would do it for free. I've always thought that if you can make a living out of something you genuinely enjoy doing, then you're a lucky person. But of course, getting some money in exchange for that job which you love is an ESSENTIAL part of the equation; I mean, how could one live, otherwise?

The thing is that I reckon the money that I get for my job is pretty reasonable; sure, my job is a decently-paid one (especially when compared to most jobs in our country), and such pay would allow one to live comfortably (it pays the bills, for sure!), provided that person has some minimal money-management skills. In relation to this, I have to say that I wouldn't call myself a materialist; I'm not obsessed with money or whatever: I only see money as the vehicle for obtaining some goods, services or (more importantly, in my case) experiences/memories. Duh! you will say; EVERYONE uses money to buy things or experiences! Right, but what I mean is that I'm not that concerned about how much money I have in my bank account or about NOT SPENDING money (and consequently, saving it!) or about setting some private pension plan or saving it for a rainy day and stuff. 

The truth is that I'm a lousy saver: probably, having a job for a life has made me relax about having to amass some savings to fall back on if needed; it is quite complicated for me to set a budget and stick to it. Furthermore, I don't have kids, and things would be different if I had. On the other hand, I live on my own and all the expenses to meet (rent, utility bills, groceries, petrol, phone, internet), I have to do so myself. Periodically, some unexpected expense (municipal taxes, car repairs, car/house insurance, goddamned fines...) will come up, rendering the chance of saving some money a quite improbable one.

After paying bills and meeting my de rigueur expenses, there comes enjoyment; what a miserable life would it be if one could not treat him/herself after a long, hard work week, right? I'm not a capricious man and have little concern for cars or designer brands or expensive clothes but, I do have some interests and most of them are not free: I love music, and not just listening to it, but POSSESSING it, that is, buying vinyl records. I feel bad if I spend too much money on records (I try not to spend more than 5% of my monthly income on that), but sometimes I just give in to my record buying impulses. 

Eating out (and washing down a nice meal with an equally nice wine) is another of my personal pleasures, and I love doing it once a week at least (I hate being ripped off, though). So is craft beer (which is not exactly cheap). I also enjoy travelling quite a bit, and travelling can be a costly activity (I usually rely on others who are much better at finding travel bargains than me!).

I guess that, based on the previously stated, I'm more of a spender than a saver. I don't know, I don't really throw money away or spend money like water, but if with a decent pay, I  can barely make ends meet, then a saver I'm definitely not.

What about you guys/girls. What is your attitude towards money? How much money is enough money? (not a specific amount, but more of a description) Can you live on your income? Do you make do with what you have or would more money make a considerable difference?

Have your say!