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Entertaining America The Staggering Cost in Dollars and Lives

Movies are now produced at costs that rival the gross national product of some small nations. Media including TV, music, internet, games, and casual cell phone use cost as much as it would to feed nearly every person in Africa. But there is another cost that cannot be calculated in dollars.

It seems like a competition between film producers that has no top end. The Da Vinci code cost a whopping $125,000,000 while Harry Potter cost $150,000,000. The Chronicles of Narnia comes in at 180,000,000 but falls short of the heaping price tag for King Kong which was $207,000,000. This is big money but after all it is only money.

All media has a by product that costs far more than money, they all pedal influence. That product costs more than the unsuspecting American may ever know and in many instances is more than they want to know. It is hard to believe that the debate about how media influences our young still rages. Hollywood remains aloof while it awaits the final definitive scientific study that proves that our children are worse off for the influence of media. Their fear is that a final answer would at last make them culpable. If they really cared perhaps theyd be willing to give up the cost of the next big movie to do a study of their own, say about $200,000,000. Not likely you say? You would be right about that.

It takes no rocket science to look at Hollywoods record. It is hard to deny the effect even if you can vociferously defend the cause. The effect is the raping of the minds of our youth and people with a low capacity to discern what is moral, decent, safe, and in some cases healthy. While Hollywood still insists that not all the facts are in on this subject lets peruse what is known about it.

Children see between eight and ten thousand murders on TV and films before they graduate from elementary school. Add to that upwards of one hundred thousand acts of violence and aggression. These figures are doubled by the time they are eighteen. Actors and movie makers claim they cant make the connection between those pictures and the behavior of our children even while countless studies and reports have concluded in no uncertain terms that they do adversely affect our children.

Do the sponsors ascribe to the movie producers view of how much their movies, TV programs and games influence youth or the weak minded? Not for a second. If they did they would not foot the average $10,000 dollar a minute cost of producing a commercial. They would not pay upwards of $500,000 for a thirty second spot on the next TV broadcast of the Super Bowl. As Hollywood waits for science to prove whether their wrecking young minds the sponsors are using the humble science of mathematics to influence the buying habits of millions of people throughout the world. Put another way, can a thirty second spot influence millions of consumers while one hour and a half of murder, pummeling, dismemberment and slaughter have no effect on a young persons mind and spirit? I think we all need to do the math here!

Studies dont need to prove what has run parallel in equal and direct proportion to the pro-active influence Hollywood has had on our children and our childrens collective behavior. Hollywood pushes sex and close behind that rape, molestation and pornography run rampant. Switch to violence and kids start killing each other at an alarming rate. Witness Columbine and similar incidents. All the best minds in education and science are debating what if any the negative influences of a few sharply defined and explicit images have on our children. As if it was just not possible to find a real and tangible connection. An obscure Chinese man only one generation behind us was not so nave. Mao Tse-tung mustered the youth of the most populated country in the world in a revolutionary rage that brought to dust centuries of previous dynasties and culture. He did this with a little book full of comic figures. A far cry from TV and films but this little doctrinal comic book nevertheless raised the youthful ire of an entire continent to act in unison against everything the Chinese once held dear. Why didnt someone tell Chairman Mao that youth wouldnt be influenced by his little picture book? Maybe someone from Hollywood should have volunteered to tell him that he should wait until the definitive study was in from the halls of science. They could have saved an entire nation from the ensuing mayhem. Another not likely goes here.

Not just hiding behind their feigned ignorance of the facts, Hollywood often resorts to the old Its just entertainment excuse to wrangle out of any responsibility. I doubt that I didnt know the gun was loaded will make a very good defense when all the dust has settled. I received an e-mail recently from someone who took exception to an article I wrote on Dan Browns movie The Da Vinci Code. He said Surely you must be joking when you ask how so many people can believe whats in the Da Vinci code. Putting aside the fact that I have seen no numbers on how many people actually do believe whats in Dan Browns entertaining bit of historical fiction, I find what he has written no more or less believable than another bit of historical fiction has been translated and retranslated by countless authors over the centuries

Twenty four major translations later the book I believe he was referring to still has only one main message. Last time I looked it was the same as it was in the first century, put simply For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life John 3:16 Hollywoods message should be this immovable, this hopeful, and this comforting. On last check I heard only death, sex, and mayhem coming from the entertainment bunch.

Whether someone believes in the bible or not it doesnt alter the fact that the best Hollywood has ever done cannot make up for the wholesale damage it does to the collective psyche of a nation. But lets get more specific. If even one life is adversely affected in the flimsy name of entertainment isnt that one too many? Or have we become so comfortable with statistics that we can allow media to ruin the lives of just a few people, because after all its just a few. Is it OK to accept the percentages or are all people equally important in this land where Abraham Lincoln dared to think that all men are indeed created equal.

Media may indulge itself by touting the low percentage of people who actually did their worst because of the medias influence, but is that acceptable. The media influenced Charles Manson through a Beatles song to engage in one of Americas goriest murders. John Hinckley influenced by a Jodie Foster movie tried to murder one of our most beloved presidents Mr. Ronald Reagan. In 1994 Oliver Stone released his movie Natural Born Killers after which a young couple from Oklahoma deeply inspired by that film went on a killing rampage. One person was killed and another was left paralyzed before they were stopped. This extreme behavior was undoubtedly caused by the media but it is tucked away in the Hollywood conscience by the soothing idea that its just a few extremist, just a very few people out of a nation of three hundred million souls. Lets examine this kind of thinking.

In Luke 15:7 Jesus said I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth Conversely can anyone argue that if one sinners repentance brings joy, then one sinners final demise would bring sorrow? Would we try to placate Gods sorrow over the loss of one of the creatures he made in his image and offered his Sons life to redeem by saying it was just one or perhaps a few out of the whole bunch. If a woman had six children she loved dearly and you destroyed just one could she be assuaged or comforted by the fact that after all it is only one sixth of her family.

No, a whole nation is not likely to go awash because of the Da Vinci code movie. The God of this world will get whatever mileage he can squeeze out of it. Someone who is teetering between decision and indecision about Jesus Christ will be made to doubt. Some souls somewhere will start down a path to judgment because of this film. How many may do this is not certain. What is certain is that if only one is lost it is far too many.

To lead even one of Gods creatures to perdition has a price tag no one in media could ever imagine. The online Wikipedia encyclopedia has a list of over one hundred of Hollywoods most expensive movies. Those top one hundred are in the list only because the spent $100,000,000 or more. Millions of people along with the media crowd have chosen to hide behind the old adage that the Bible is open to too many interpretations. I will offer yet one more interpretation for them to doubt. Luke 15:7 is clearly saying that in the end the price of all one hundred of the most expensive films cannot cover the loss of even one lost soul.

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How to Get out of Credit Card Debt Using Self-Help Techniques and Positive Thinking

Debt induced stress is one of the most problematic plagues that weaken both the mind and body of those it affects. Managing a busy life, keeping a family together, dealing with inherent health problems all these are things that can become quite overwhelming. When we add the constant stress created by being in debt, the feeling that everything you own is in danger of being lost, anxiety, depression and chronic stress are often experienced. Credit cards are of course, a useful and benefic economical element, a tool that helps us make our lives easier and more convenient. But they do come with a price tag that is often neglected – the interest rates and the freedom to buy without any limits are often too tempting, and many people end up owing large amounts of money to their creditors.

Debt related stress and anxiety

The repeated notices, calls and visits from your creditors remind you just how stringent your problem really is. However, you can use anxiety in your favor, once you learn how to master it. Letting it dominate your every move and combining it with depression is the exact opposite of finding a solution to your financial difficulties. But stop for a second and examine your anxiety, try to see beyond the immediate effects it has on you. You will notice that anxiety and aggravated credit card debt related stress have an irrational side that is completely blown out of proportion by our own minds. Many self help techniques recommend escaping anxiety by transposing your mind into a different reality. From one perspective, this works, since it gives you the peace and quiet you need to gather your energies and channel them towards achieving your goal and paying off the debt. However, there are many who never want to return to their own reality and prefer to stay hidden in the imagined universe and this will soon turn into a completely detrimental factor in their lives.

Turning anxiety into an ally

The opposite method is to accept your fears and see them as a whole. Dont try to avoid the situation, dont shift blame on others. Rationalize the reality around you, see why your credit card problems escalated and brainstorm for ideas on how to solve them. If you run away, they will only grow stronger. Jot down a few ideas and consult with your friends or family, as well as with financial advisors. There are always solutions of getting out of credit card debt, but more than often you will have to invest some energy in finding the one that is perfect for your individual case. The moment when you feel your stress levels reach their peak, when your debt related anxiety seems to be close to bursting, you should put your foot down and start walking your way, the rational way – the “getting out of debt way”.

Affirmations and positive thinking

One of the characteristics we all share is the impression that, at certain points during our lives, we are completely helpless. Thats not true and self pity is an immobilizing and energy draining disease. Positive thinking is the best medicine against such negative thoughts. It uses affirmations – phrases that define your personality or actions, phrases that you repeat over and over so that your mind can use them as weapons against self pity, low self esteem and anxiety. Repeating the affirmations turns them into beliefs and they become reality, not just some nice words that you would like to associate to yourself. Our beliefs are flexible and we can change them. “Im never going to repay my credit card debt” is often some of the phrases you hear from those who are having financial problems. This negative thought, repeated, out loud or in their minds, becomes their belief, and their actions are doomed to fail. If the same person were to say “I WILL repay my debt” – and complement this saying with the appropriate actions, such as better finance management, a more economical life style and so on – he or she would turn the tide in their favor. Try to set a few goals for yourself and turn them into short but symbolic affirmations, which you will then repeat as often as possible. Correlate your thoughts and actions and you will soon start seeing the first signs of success.

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