The Map Magazine

Freedom for all species and people, and freedom of stress; is it possible? Could the Internet be a tool to getting there?

Freedom, what is it? I am an Internet writer whose job is to write about the Internet. Does that mean I am locked into this one area? Am I allowed to write about other things? Well today I am going to test out my supposed freedom, by writing about freedom. Some people say freedom is a state of mind, but I don’t know. What if you are a refugee locked away in a mandatory detention center waiting years for governments to process bureaucratic rigmarole? What if you live in a democratic society where you have to sign and have documents for everything from dog licenses to foreign visas? Are we really free, and if we are, how free are we?

Life on Earth for the privileged nations has become quite a comfortable existence. Or has it? Materially we have more than we could have ever imagined, but spiritually, how are we doing? If we are honest, each one of us has to live with the knowledge that for every creature comfort we have, someone in the world is having a little bit less; and then there’s the effect we have on the environment. So how free can we be with all this on our collective consciousness? The fact that we have more stress, anxiety and youth suicide today than ever before is a testament to the fact that life isn’t necessarily wholly better than our previous generations.

So why think of freedom? Why think of the problems of the Earth if I don’t have the answers. Everybody wants to hear solutions, but not many people are giving them. I once heard a guy called Professor Peter Sellars say,

“I’m now proposing the new period is the ‘Culture of Focus’, you find something that needs to be done and you do it.”

Could this be our ticket to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual freedom? If we focus our intentions as a society in an altruistic fashion, maybe all our strict social doctrines and rules will become less apparent in our minds and thus in our reality. If we are all thriving on the fact that we are doing our little part to make the world a better place for all concerned, maybe we wouldn’t be so obsessed with some of the issues that seem to pervade our minds today: war, greed, economics, racial and religious differences; all these may just become focuses of our past perception of reality.

I’m not pedaling easy answers and I’m not giving many examples of how all this change will come about; and I’m definitely not saying it shall be an easy task, nothing worthwhile ever is. The fact is, humans are always evolving and changing and it is easy to see that we still have a way to go before we live in a sustainable, positive global community. These thoughts are on my mind and I’m sure as I’ve spoken to many others, that it’s on a lot of our minds.

O.K., my job is to write about the Internet so I guess in the end I’ll follow orders. I mean hey, these words could incite a few positive thoughts out there in our collective community across the globe. The Internet is a pretty cool tool for communication across present borders and boundaries of our constructed systems. Just think about how much information and knowledge is now available at your fingertips. You can find out about nearly anything imaginable. For instance, if you did want to research the question about whether you are free or not, it’s the perfect place to start your search. It actually could take a large part in the development of true freedom for all species. That’s all I am going to say about that. Maybe we are already free, but could we become freer? Think about it my brothers and sisters.

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer

http://www.m6.net

Jesse S. Somer is a human wondering when freedom will, if ever, reign supreme in our world and in our minds.

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With the unstoppable globalization of economy, careers and
culture are breaking barriers and making a borderless world.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in careers. Internet has
literally become the window to the world. As information and
opportunities abound, the choice in careers is no longer limited
to a region, but spread wide across the world. This has opened
the field for newer pastures and wide range of job
opportunities. Consequently, the need for learning foreign
languages has become necessary. Besides, in the highly
competitive business world that we are in, knowing additional
languages invariably gives you the added edge.

But learning a foreign language has its own subtle intricacies.
The pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and the use of proper
syntax are just some of the major problems confronting any
learner. However, there are some sound techniques for mastering
a language. Ideally they are best done using memory techniques.

One of the basic methods is to associate the foreign word with a
similar sounding word in the language you are very fluent in.
For e,g., the French word for rug/carpet is ‘tapis’. You can
associate the word with tap in English. Similarly, the
equivalent of grump in French is ‘grogon’. By associating
‘grogon’ with the word groggy in English, which means sleepy and
tired, you will be able to remember the French word.

Another memory technique is to use images for improving your
foreign vocabulary. So for the above two words in French -
‘tapis’ and ‘grogon’, you can imagine taps being open and water
running on a rug or carpet, and use the image to reinforce the
meaning of the word ‘tapis’. In the same way, you can use a
grumpy looking sleepy face to remember ‘grogon’ to convey the
meaning grumpy. The image of drooping eyelids and mouth can be
visualized to remember ‘grogon’ as grumpy.

Yet another well-known technique is using town language
mnemonics. Since the basic vocabulary of a language pertains to
everyday things - things that you will find in a town, village
or city - you can use the different areas and objects to link
the images and the corresponding foreign words. You can
associate all the food-related words by visualizing a familiar
supermarket and substituting the images and the words of food
items sold there with the corresponding foreign language words.

Likewise, all foreign words concerning animals and birds can be
remembered by imagining a zoo, and linking the images of
different animals and birds in the zoo to the corresponding
foreign words. In this way, you can cover different working
zones of a town, village or city such as library, park, shopping
mall, etc., and master the related foreign words associated with
each sphere of activities. This way you will reinforce your
foreign language vocabulary thoroughly.

Incidentally, Tony Buzan in his book ‘Using your Memory’ lists
100 basic words that are elementary to any language learning.
This could be used to learn the primary words of the foreign
language.

In all these methods, it would be obvious that memory has a
chief role to play in learning a language, more so for
increasing your vocabulary. You need to be familiar with the
words in order to use them effectively. Since Mind Mapping
technique was born out of the need for enhancing memory, Mind
Maps serve as an indispensable memory tool. Indeed Mind Mapping
is the most ideal method for improving your memory. Using Mind
Maps to learn foreign language is a highly useful and proven
technique for mastering a foreign language. Many people are
using Mind Maps as a vital tool for learning languages.

As the Mind Map technique is based on information processing
abilities of the brain, Mind Maps have a crucial role as a
memory-enhancing process. And deploying this technique for
mastering foreign language can only speed up the process of
learning. The simplicity of the technique and the efficacy of
its process, gives Mind Maps not just a clear edge but in
elevating it as a time-tested method for mastering any language.

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Ladies,

Spring has come for some of us and will happen soon for others. Here
are some tips for creating a new spring/summer fashion to your wardrobe.
Go to your favorite fabric store and purchase a 1/2 yard ( 18″ by
54 to 60″ wide) of stretch fabric.

This will be enough to make a tube top and cover a pair of thong
sandals. If you have three or four pairs, pruce them up by covering
them up with other different types of print stretch fabrics.
Now make the tube tops to match them and you have a new
spring and summer look. Take those old flip flops sandals out of
the closet.

1. You start by covering the sides with your new
fabric (the stretch fabric), you can use a spray adhesive (3M
Supper adhesive) you can purchase at a hardware store. Cover the
top and bottom part of the sandals so you don’t get any adhesive on
those areas.

Cut a wide strip of fabric that will wrap around the sides of the
body of the sandal and cut away the excess hanging over the top edge
and bottom edge.

2. Now cut a strip to cover the top part of the thong.
Make sure you protect the area where you feet sits onto the sandal
by covering the part where your feet rest on the insole. Use
brown paper bag with masking tape. Spray the thong and spray the
inside or wrong side of the fabric and press it onto the thong material
part of the shoe. Have a new sole put on those that need it.

3. Tube top blouse are very simple to make. Just cut the fabric 3″
less than the size of the width of your waist. Example, if your
waist is 28 inches cut the fabric 25 inches wide,
fold and sew edges together, 1/2 inch on the seam.

A good stretchy fabric that stretches both direction is what you look
for in a good stretch fabric. It will fit comfortably on
your bust size as well.

Enjoy your new fashion. Also suitable for young teens and little girls.
For a step by step illustration go to: http://www.deyostudios.com
You’ll see swatches of new spring stretch fabrics we sell. We also
sell cement adhesive kit with brushes. This cement gives a better and
tigher final attachment. It’s sold by the ounce (2 1/2 oz).
You can also see other creations and designs that may be of interest.

Designer

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