<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<title>Thoughts from the Green Chair</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/"/>
<updated>2012-02-12T12:23:33-07:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
</author>
<id>urn:uuid:Thoughts from the Green Chair-http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/-894090075010261301</id>
<entry>
<title>Cartoon - Is Government Muscling in On Our Religious Freedom?</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=Cartoon---Is-Government-Muscling-in-On-Our-Religious-Freedom?" />
<updated>2012-02-12T12:06:47-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Our Court System is NOT Broken Our News Media Outlets Are</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=Our-Court-System-is-NOT-Broken-our-News-Media-Outlets-Are" />
<updated>2011-08-08T19:44:54-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	

	I saw this today on my way to work. Two, not one but two stickers hating Michael Vick. I ask, what is the point of serving time as a convicted criminal? We sentence people to serve time and they do their time and they come out as criminals. Better yet, they don't get convicted and they are still treated as criminals. Since when is the court of public opinion higher than a court of law?

	I believe that these high-profile court cases like Michael Vick or Casey Anthony are tried and convicted in the court of the media. The general public doesn't sit in the court room every day. Sure the Anthony trial was broadcast live but did you really watch it? Even if you did, she was still acquitted by a jury of her peers. If we can't accept that then what are we saying about our court system? I believe our juried court system is still the fairest in the world. I also think it's right more times than it's wrong.

	Some of you try to avoid jury duty like the plague but yet you critize others who give up their time to make these decisions. If you are one of those people, you can shut up now. I admire the people on these juries. They have a hard decision to make and they know the world is watching them. Once they make their decision, it's not over for them. Every media outlet on the planet will be knocking on their door looking for the inside scoop. There should be a rule about the media bothering these people and these people talking to the media. Which leads me to the other problem I have with these types of cases and that is the media no longer reports they opinionize.

	I have a general distain for news outlets. They are bias. Don't believe me? Would they do a scathing expose on one of their major advertisers? I doubt it. Worse yet, they put talking heads in prominent positions in front of millions of viewers to help propogate their view points. For some reason they're promoted as &quot;trusted&quot; sources of news but yet they only seem to give one point of view, their own. Watch what happens when someone tries to present an opposing view. They cut them off. They either talk over them or cut to commercial to end the segment. Yet we end up counting on their opinion rather than formulating our own.&nbsp;

	As for the car that was infront of me this morning, I think that person needs to remove those stickers as well as their hatred. It upset me not because they were against Michael Vick but rather they continue to hate him after he did his time. What else do they want from this man? Worse yet, I'm sure they bought those sticker from someone which means that there is someone out there who made money off this crime. That should be a crime in and of itself! I'm sure if was their son, they would feel the same way. &nbsp;
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>My First Published Work: Snow</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=My-First-Published-Work-Snow" />
<updated>2011-08-05T14:08:46-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	 The other day I finished a short story and published it on&nbsp;Amazon. I've been working on it for the last few months. I chipped away at it, little by little and now I am proud to say, it's published!&nbsp;

	Click here to download the Amazon Kindle version.

	Click here to download the Barnes &amp; Noble Nook version

	&nbsp;
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Wisconsin Legislature is Demonstrating How Not to Be Democratic</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=Wisconsin-Legislature-is-Demonstrating-How-Not-to-Be-Democratic" />
<updated>2011-02-21T09:15:13-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	The events unfolding in the Wisconsin legislature fascinate me. Here is a governor who has put his foot down and caused a major upheaval in the state. The governor, in an effort to balance the state budget, has made the union make concessions in pension contributions but what has them all in an uproar, he has taken away state workers right to collective bargaining. The union workers then marched on the state house and the Democratic senators fled to Illinois.&nbsp;What fascinates me is two fold. The first is suddenly government is waking up to the fact that they have been held hostage by unions who have demanded more money year after year and the second is the Senators hiding in Illinois.

	I believe there is a place for unions in this country. What has happened over the years is that they have become too powerful for their own good. Now governors like Wisconsin governor, Walker and New Jersey governor, Christie have told the unions too bad, it's time to pay up. The unions are now diverting the real issue that their members have received the lion's share of benefits over the years while non-union workers have only had their salaries and benefits stagnate. The unions claim that the governors are trying to break the unions which is not the case. In many cases, the governors are just asking them to pay their share and have the same rights as everyone else. They see this as trying to break the union.

	The senators from Wisconsin running to Illinois is sending the wrong statement. They left so they couldn't vote on the governor's proposed budget. What has happened in their state legislature is that now it is divided amongst party lines. What the senators have shown is that if you don't like the game you just take your ball and go home. They are acting like children!

	The senators claim that the governor is unwilling to negotiate. They hope to stay in exile long enough to gather public support to have the governor cave under the pressure. This wasn't the right approach. This is not how democracy works. You stay and fight. You negotiate and gather support from within. You don't run.&nbsp;

	Apparently there is more to the bill than Republican leaders have told the public and they want a quick vote on the bill. What are they hiding? This is not how a democracy is run either. Bullying a bill through without public debate is not the way to do it either. Republicans who hold the majority in Wisconsin are using their numbers to play the system. The Democrats can't stop the bill from passing and they know it.&nbsp;

	Where does this leave Wisconsin? Eventually, the governor will have to bring the Democrats back. If they just let the bill run it course the right way, they may have been able to get the bill passed without all this public attention. Now any vote on this bill in it's current form will be tainted. Both parties have egg on their face and the only resolution to this mess is to start over again. They already have the union workers conceding on the additional financial obligations. It's a starting point for all parties to come together and negotiate through the process. A successful negotiation is when all parties get something and walk away feeling like they been screwed.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Look to yourself for your successes and don't compare yourself to others</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=Look-to-yourself-for-your-successes-and-dont-compare-yourself-to-others" />
<updated>2011-01-28T18:23:56-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	For some reason, we, as a human race, have developed a hatred toward one another. I can only speculate where this comes from, but if I were to take a guess, it's because we think it is always the other person's fault for our lack of success in life.

	That guy cut you off because he's a jerk. There's some schmuck in the corner office who has half your abilities and twice your pay. There's always someone trying to screw you. Well I got news for you, the only person in charge of you is you.&nbsp;

	Without getting all Deepak Chopra, you control your feelings. If I call you a name, you decide to be hurt by it. If I get the promotion over you, you decide that I kissed more ass. We always assume negative intent. For some reason that has become human nature. &quot;It's not my fault,&quot; has become the new mantra for the human race. Well maybe you're partly to blame.

	We need to take responsibility for ourselves. You're fat because you eat too much. McDonalds did not shove food in your mouth and they are not to blame. It's not that your job sucks, it's the fact that you are too lazy to move on that sucks. I believe we all need to change our way of thinking.

	As I said before, only you can change you. We can take life's little mishaps, learn from them and make ourselves better. If you need bigger biceps, go to the gym. If you hate your job, get a new one. There are a million reasons about how you can't do something but how about asking how can I do something? The solution is not always an easy one but there is a solution if you are determined to look for it.

	Overcoming any adversary takes determination. For some reason, we've become lazy and feel we are entitled to whatever it is we want. Here's a news flash, you are not entitled to anything you have not earned. Not from me, not from your government and not from anyone. To earn anything takes time and effort. I'm not sure when this core value went off track but I would like it to come back.&nbsp;

	What's more, it seems lately that we are no longer required to work hard to earn status, fame or money. (Hey, Jersey Shore kids, I'm looking at you!) The worst part is that we are now rewarding the slackers. They have book deals, clothing lines and TV shows. Where we should be holding them up as examples of what not to do, we instead reward them for being jackasses. How do we teach our kids to do the right thing when the wrong thing will earn you more money, fame and fortune? No wonder we have such hatred for ourselves and others. Most of us work our butts off to get by only to see Kim Kardashian, who has no real talent (or real boobs for that matter) gather so much of the spotlight. We sometimes think, where did we go wrong?

	I say to hell with them all!

	Look to yourself for your successes and don't compare yourself to others. If you raise a family and your kids turn out right, you're a success. If you love your spouse and have a successful marriage, you're a success. If you set an example for the next generation to do right and live well, you're a success. You may not have your own Wikipedia page, but a legacy that will live on in the hearts and minds of those who lives you touched in a positive way, is a success that will last longer than most of the flash in the pan &quot;success&quot; stories in the news today. Learn to love yourself first and the rest will follow quickly behind.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>A woman is suing McDonalds because they market to children. No duh.</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=A-woman-is-suing-McDonalds-because-they-market-to-children.-No-duh." />
<updated>2010-12-19T10:49:10-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	This woman is suing McDonalds because they market to children.

	&nbsp;

	&quot;We have to say no to our kids so many times and McDonald's makes that so much harder to do. I object to the fact that McDonald's is getting into my kids' heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat.&quot;

	&nbsp;

	Let me come right out and say that this is insane! Why not sue Kellogs? General Mills? Hasbro? Why not just sue every advertiser on every family channel? Let put it another way, this is insane!&nbsp;

	&nbsp;

	Being a parent I think I have the right to weigh in on this. Um, lady, turn the TV off. Better yet, have a conversation with your child that they can't have everything they see on TV. It's called discipline. Even if all this is against everything you stand for, do you really want the court system to have this much control.&nbsp;

	&nbsp;

	If they can regulate advertising why not food? They can regulate what types of food and where they come from. They could mandate that genetically modified food is better for children because they're infused with vitamins that help your child grow. Heck, why stop there?&nbsp;

	&nbsp;

	They could create laws on when your child sleeps and how much time they dedicate to play. Heck, why should we even bother to parent? We can all be a part of a birthing farm. You produce just enough children as to not over populate. Children can be taken away at birth and raised under controlled conditions. Like cattle. Those that don't make the grade are removed to make room for ones who are better suited. This would benefit the country as a whole because only the best would be allowed to live. Why would we even need parents? We can the courts and the government do that for us. We know how good they are at making decisions.

	&nbsp;

	My point is that if you decide to be come a parent, you have to be willing to make tough choices. Get this, your children aren't always going to agree with you. The idea is to teach them to do the right thing in any situation. Teaching that it is not their fault will give us a generation of prissy, namby-pamby whiners were nothing is their fault and the world is against THEM. I try to teach my son that if you make a decision, you will have to deal with the consequences. Good or bad. Is that so hard? To allow organizations that only have a stake in charts and stats to dictate how a child should be raised is borderline communism.&nbsp;

	&nbsp;

	I WANT to make these decisions for my child. I want him to see things that aren't the best to teach him the difference between wrong and right. I want to instill values that I believe are right. What are we teaching our children that it is not their fault and someone else is to blame?

	&nbsp;

	Marketing has it's place. Marketers don't always use the best practices, but we have a choice as individuals to hear the message or to ignore it. What this woman seems to have a problem with stems from the fact that she is getting lazy. Too bad. So you have to say &quot;no&quot; a few more times. Eventually, children learn and they repeat back what you say to them or what they learn. They get it. Why are we so afraid to be forceful with our children? They are not going to grow up and hate us. If anything, they may thank you for instilling the proper values in them.&nbsp;

	&nbsp;

	One last thing to keep in mind. These are YOUR values and not MINE. You should not have control over me. If you cannot handle something that is out there in the public doesn't mean that I cannot. Because you don't want your children to be marketed to doesn't mean I don't. YOU need to stay out of MY business. I can raise my child fine, thank you, &nbsp;and for the same reason you don't want me to tell you what is good and right for your child is the same reason I don't want you to tell me. I believe if we all stay out of each other's business then we will all be better off. &nbsp;
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>I have had enough of crooked leaders stealing and taking bribes</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=I-have-had-enough-of-crooked-leaders-stealing-and-taking-bribes" />
<updated>2010-10-23T13:40:36-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	When is it going to end? I have had enough of crooked leaders stealing and taking bribes. Really, how much money do you need? These selfish hypocrites are completely ruining the reputations of good, responsible leaders. Truthfully, can you honestly say your thoughts are not jaded by nearly daily reports of corrupt politicians and leaders? It seems to be getting worse.

	Just in the last few days, the superintendent of the Toms River School District, one of the largest school districts in New Jersey, surrendered to the FBI on&nbsp;charges of taking bribes&nbsp;from the districts health insurance broker. Michael Ritacco who now is in FBI custody was the vice-principal at the elementary school I attended! I was proud when he was named the superintendent. I felt like &quot;I knew him when&quot; and now I feel ashamed. He joins a long list of corrupt officials from this area.&nbsp;

	I think about this and it makes me wonder about the people who serve &quot;the people&quot;. How many more are doing the same thing but haven't been caught yet? Here's another thought, can you truly rise in politics without getting in bed with some corporation who is willing to fund your rise in return for favors later on? I beginning to think not.&nbsp;

	My &quot;problem&quot; is that I am willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe in the positive intent of people's actions until proved otherwise. I have to do this otherwise, I will lose faith in the human spirit and I can be pretty cynical given the opportunity. I don't like being that way and I choose not to be.

	Those who have chosen the path of corruption and greed, I believe, will eventually pay the price for their misdeeds. The unfortunate part is that there is usually someone right behind them to take over their spot.&nbsp;We live in a world where you seem to be judged by your possessions and not your actions. People tend to react more to wow, nice car rather than wow, nice action. Besides we typically hear more about the bad than the good because it sells newspapers and keeps people glued to the TV. Until we are rewarded more for being good than being bad, nothing will change.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>I am my father's child</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=i-am-my-fathers-child" />
<updated>2010-03-18T02:49:10-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	I sat at work today listening to music from the 1980's on the computer and I was reminded of my childhood. It was a two-fold memory. First it was the thought that I remembered when the music was new and I listened to it on this device called a radio. The second was that my father, to this day, listens to the music of his childhood all the time and on the Saturday night oldies show. The strange parallel is that I now do the same thing to my child. I listen to the music of my childhood while my son rolls his eyes and asks if so and so is still alive.

	Resisting growing up and being like my father was like a rubberband. The more I pulled, the stronger it snapped back. I made fun of the Saturday night 50's and 60's Do-wop shows and now I listen to 80's channels on AOL radio. My father was gradually balding since I was 7 or 8. I am now 40 and shaved my head because of my cul-de-sac, shaped bald spot. We both have extremely marketable skills. I'm a print and web designer and my dad is a skilled machinist. My father can sleep anywhere and now, all I need is to sit idle for 5 minutes and I'm out like a light.

	Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but I wanted to be my own man. I think it stems from always being told that I look just like him (I do). Maybe it was the rebellious&nbsp;adolescent&nbsp;that fostered these feelings or being know in the family as &quot;Ralphy's kid&quot; could have done some damage but in the end, genetics won over. I look, act and talk just like him. He is me and I am him.

	So here I am, truly my father's child and now that I'm 40, I don't cringe as much. I think it's more of a badge of honor. &nbsp;I love you, dad.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>How did this image become a black v. white issue?</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=how-did-this-image-become" />
<updated>2010-03-13T16:34:17-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	

	Maybe because I am not a minority this completely passes me by. Maybe because I understand how retail works this passes me by. For some reason, this did NOT just pass by. This image that was posted on a website called Funny Junk in a post called Wal-Mart Fail has caused quite a stir. The image portrays two types of Barbie dolls side by side. One set is&nbsp;caucasian&nbsp;and sells for $5.93. The other is a darker colored skin (perhaps to represent African-American or Latino) and red tagged at $3.00. If I just posted this image and asked what is happening in this picture, I'm sure I could almost draw a line between the responses of white and African-American. It's not to say that either side is right or wrong, it's about perception which is why this image has become such a big deal. Wal-Mart's response to the matter is as follows:

	&quot;To prepare for (s)pring inventory, a number of items are marked for clearance, &quot; spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said in an e-mail. &quot;... Both are great dolls. The red price sticker indicates that this particular doll was on clearance when the photo was taken, and though both dolls were priced the same to start, one was marked down due to its lower sales to hopefully increase purchase from customers.&quot; &quot;Pricing like items differently is a part of inventory management in retailing,&quot; O'Brien said.

	Others think that Wal-Mart should have been more sensitive.

	&quot;The implication of the lowering of the price is that's devaluing the black doll,&quot; said Thelma Dye, the executive director of the Northside Center for Child Development, a Harlem, N.Y. organization founded by pioneering psychologists and segregation researchers Kenneth B. Clark and Marnie Phipps Clark. &quot;While it's clear that's not what was intended, sometimes these things have collateral damage,&quot; Dye said.&nbsp;

	Other experts agree. Walmart could have decided &quot;that it's really important that we as a company don't send a message that we value blackness less than whiteness,&quot; said Lisa Wade, an assistant sociology professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles and the founder of the blog Sociological Images.

	While I can see both sides of the issue, I truly believe that Wal-Mart didn't intentionally do anything to discredit African-Americans. More than likely it was a blind retailing decision based on sales numbers. So why does this become a black v. white issue?

	Regardless of how we outwardly portray equality, for many people there is still an internal separation between black and white. Even with an African-American president, there is still a great divide in this country. Will this ever change?

	The media, which we look to for our information, is the biggest offenders.&nbsp;Watch the local news or read the newspaper and listen how they put a race to every criminal. An African-American male did this or a&nbsp;Muslim&nbsp;did that and is it any wonder why are children grow up racist? Children generalize things and unless they are corrected, they continue to do so. I remember driving with my young son in the back seat asking if all planes crash into buildings after he saw the images of 9/11 on the TV. He was three at the time.

	Perhaps if we, as parents, start to teach our children to look at everyone as an equal we can begin to close the gap. We can teach respect for others and ignore how different races are portrayed in the media. We can show them, through our own actions, to stand-up to others who treat people unfairly because of the color of their skin or their race or their beliefs. If we don't do something about it how can we expect anything to change. This goes for African-Americans, for whites, for Muslim, for Chinese, for Latinos and for everyone else. We are not born with any prejudice, we are taught it along the way.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Feel good tip of the day: Count your blessings and not your problems</title>
<link href="http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/?p=feel-good-tip-of-the-day-" />
<updated>2010-02-15T20:21:57-07:00</updated>
<summary><![CDATA[
	I saw that quote on a church sign near my house. I though it was a great paradigm shift. How often do we go through life saying how miserable we are? I think it's time, starting today, to go through life saying how good things are. What a fantastic way to go through life! The next time someone asks you how your are doing instead of giving them a litany of problems and complaints give them a positive thought. Who knows, it could get contagious.
]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Michael+Bellina</name>
<uri>http://www.thoughtsfromthegreenchair.com/</uri>
<email>mbellina@migmanmedia.com</email>
</author>
</entry>
</feed>
