“Compassion, forgiveness, these are the real, ultimate sources of power for peace and success in life.”
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
   I have been told repeatedly throughout my life that I "cannot save the world." What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that no matter how much I give and no matter how many I give to, there will always be those in need. This is because humanity is a conglomerate of takers and not givers. Call it socialism if you must, I don't care, the fact is that we all could use a little more compassion. If being a socialist is best for humanity and you're all too brainwashed by the rich (the only people that socialism wouldn't benefit) to see it, then shame on you. I digress.
   We have all turned away a reaching hand... maybe you didn't want to live without a luxury, maybe you were just plain selfish, or maybe you legitimately had nothing to give (which is rarely ever the case). How many homeless people have you passed on the street that a dollar could have helped? Sure one dollar could buy one item off of a value menu, but what if twenty people gave one dollar? We abuse money on a daily basis, how many one dollars do you blow on random things? A pop in the pop machine (usually more than a dollar)... what if you "toughed" it by drinking water for a day. Would being healthy "hurt" you? What about skipping a candy bar, movie rental, fast-food meal or alcoholic beverage? We all enjoy those things, but if giving up one of those things a week allowed you to give even $5 and everyone else did the same, would that not benefit humanity?
   We all have blood on our hands. None of us are perfect, far from it. I have done my share of ill-deeds just as you have. Calling a girl a name in fifth grade, ignoring an annoying person in high school, exchanging harmful words with a now ex. We've all spilled the hypothetical blood of another... if we haven't literally. What if that girl in fifth grade grows up to self-loath, putting herself in hurtful situations due to lack of confidence? What if she is killed in an abusive relationship? What if the annoying kid in high school overdoses on some hallucinogens and gives himself a shotgun face-lift in the front seat of his car? What if that lover goes out to drink to get over you and crashes their car? These examples are not that far off... each of us effects people more than we know (we cannot help but be self-centered, I'm the only person I really know, and I'm stuck with myself from birth to end). Should we feel responsible? The answer is... yes. We all are responsible for each other. I'm all for population control, but lets control breeding and prevent harm. Be proactive!
   Don't regret the past. There is nothing you can do about it now. Forgive yourself, forgive others, and learn from the experience. Think about all of those ghosts you've hurt. Let them each come to the surface of your mind, review them, study them. How does it make you feel, to know that you have harmed that person? That feeling is compassion (well, hopefully it is). If nothing else, have compassion for yourself, and prevent any further occasion when you will feel like this. I know it's not realistic, but being a good person is not whether you do good things or not. Being a good person means you know when you have done wrong and you strive to correct those mistakes. Succeed or not, it's the attempt that counts.
   If we do not take care of each other, no one else will. We are all humans, we all have that in common. We are fellow Earthlings... so lets grow together. The only thing holding us back is us. Man has no natural predator other than himself. I do my best to give to you what I my talents allow, please appreciate my gift and lend what strength you have to another. Thank you.

  Last weekend I attended Southern Michigan Paranormals first Paranormal Conference in Kalamazoo. The event took place at the famous Kalamazoo State Theatre, renowned for all of the famous performances it held in it's time. The conference was held over Saturday and Sunday.
  Saturday morning I was greeted with open arms. I was able to setup a table for my newly released book, Illuminati and was able to meet many interesting people. I watched in from the balcony as different specialists took turns presenting on the paranormal field, from local groups to A&E celebrities the Paranormal Cops. In the early afternoon I was asked to interview on M.A.A.P.S. paranormal radio. In the evening, SMP hosted a wonderful meet and greet, followed by an energetic show by VICE. The night was topped off with a paranormal investigation of the old theatre. I was in a group with Denise (M.A.A.P.S., D&R Investigations, SMP), Randy (D&R Investigations, SMP), Jason Sullivan (MidWest Haunts), my wife and myself. We were able to explore every part of the miraculous theatre. At one point Jason Sullivan's thermometer reached well over a hundred and a door kept closing on him, so rather eventful for a hosted tour.
  Sunday morning the wonderful women of Choices Unlimited (where my book is available now) allowed me to play with their dowsing rods and pendulums. I was then able to sit down with 911 Paranormal Investigations and go over some energy work. At 1pm, I was honored with an allotted time for a presentation, in which I spoke about my experiences and rolls in the paranormal field. Afterword, I was able to spend ample time talking with Todd Clements about his ghost tours in Mackinac (he also presented after me). I was also drafted into Jason Sullivan's Paranormal Army. There were also several raffle prizes handed out, from expensive electronics to cases of Monster.

  In summary, the conference was well thought out and a great time. My only regret is that there was not a bigger turnout. Despite a lack in numbers, SMP performed immaculately. I appreciate anyone who came out and all those that I was able to meet face to face. Don't be surprised if you see more of me with Southern Michigan Paranormals.

Links of Interest: Southern Michigan Paranormals, Haunts of Mackinac, MidWest Haunts, 911 Paranormal Investigations, Choices Unlimited, Ghost Hunter's Investigation Group, In Nominee Paranormal

  Google, one of the largest growing companies in the world, is looking to create a experimental fiber internet service for test communities up to 500,000 users in size. This experimental internet would be one-hundred times faster than the standard broadband offered locally, with an estimated 1 gigabyte download speed. Grand Rapids appears to be an ideal candidate for Google's experiment and has a lot of support towards the project. Google plans on having an active decision in the process, but the best way to support the possible upgrade is through the official site. Grand Rapids just recently setup a wifi network through WiMax and was a test market for a fiber ring years ago, but the speeds currently offered are not much better than the typical cable package at a much more expensive price, hundreds to over a thousand dollars per month. Experts expect Google's prices to not be any better. The project is estimated to cost half a billion dollars, which would yield prices in the several thousand dollars range. However, it's not too far off to consider Grand Rapids as a test choice for the California based Google considering they already have a center in Ann Arbor.
  Google's internet is far from the only news the over a decade old multi-billion dollar corporation. Google this past Wednesday donated two million dollars to Wikipedia.com, the online encyclopedia. Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder had this to say about the donation "[Wikipedia] [is] one of the greatest triumphs of the Internet…this vast repository of community-generated content is an invaluable resource to anyone who is online." The two million dollars is a fifth of Wikipedia's target revenue for the year.
  With all that has been said about Google, they just keep growing. With the offer of their first droid phone through Motorola to the countless internet services they provide for free, many corporations are having a hard time competing with the big G. Microsoft and Yahoo! have announced a Search Alliance. The two companies are looking to merge efforts for the time being in an attempt to steal back some of the advertising power that Google has dominated. The companies hope to have their new searches up and running in the United States by the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2011.

References: GR hopes to be lab for Google, How Much Will Google's Fiber Network Cost?, Google Gives To Wikipedia, Wikipedia:Google, Search Alliance

Christmas can be a touchy time of the year for the Pagan Community. Due to a long history of persecution from the religion that stole the Pagan holiday, many Pagans look unfavorably on Christmas. It doesn't help that after Thanksgiving (if you're lucky) everywhere is decorated with the capitalistic decor of Santa, Frosty, and Lights. It gets worse yet when December hits and every store you step foot into plays Christmas music, and usually of the Christian kind. And of course, people have an innate ability to act very foully during a holiday designated to treating people well. All of this said and done, the holidays are what you make of them. Far from a time to unwind, with the constant stress of deadlines and relatives that you only see on holidays for good reason, it's important to enjoy the little things. Whether the people you meet over the holidays are your brothers, sisters, best friends, or an annoying cousin from out of town, be appreciative of them. Sometimes telling yourself that the people in your life have only the best of intentions can make dealing with the stress of the holidays that much better. Also, remind yourself that everyone is just as stressed as you are right now. But most importantly, take some time to treat yourself. If you received gift cards or cash you could buy yourself a gift. It doesn't have to be extravagant, but something that you want that you may not normally buy for yourself. Perhaps lay in bed someday and read a book or watch a favorite movie. The holidays can be a pleasant time of the year if you attempt to balance it. Thank you all for a wonderful year and Happy Holidays.

   On 9/11 of this year I posted an article called "Who Is Defining You?" The article was about the Hip-Hop artist Baby Bam and his slandered definition of Paganism. After writing that article, I didn't feel it was enough to just bring it to my reader's attention, but instead attempted to contact both Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Below I have inserted the confirmation e-mails that I received from both sites which include my initial message to them. At this point in time (two months in a week from my initial contact), I have heard no response and their websites still remain unchanged. If you are Pagan, or perhaps just a supporter of equality, and you want to benefit the Pagan Community by preventing the misinformation that has been plaguing our cause as human beings, then please follow in my footsteps and send these two sites an e-mail. They may just be two in a sea of uninformed, but it is a start. Thank you!

http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/contact.htm

Send Message to: Language Research Service

Your name: Brandon Baranowski

Your e-mail address: thebaron@witchmoot.com

Subject of your message: The Word Pagan

Please type your message below:

Your online dictionary ("Open Dictionary") defines the word Pagan as " one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pagan). Not only is this a completely inaccurate statement, but is very insulting to me and my own. There is a large number of active practicing Pagans alive today who are not Neo-Pagans (as defined by your site). A Pagan is an individual who gives grace to the planet usually through the practice of folk-religions such as those immortalized in the current mythologies (Greek, Roman, Norse) and usually believe in more than one God (polytheism). The Gods of Paganism are the personification of man's relationship with nature. Pagans are known as the "Children of the Planet" and promote anti-materialism in an attempt to preserve the planet that has given birth to humanity. Throughout history, despite the conviction of Christianity labeling Pagans as "uncivilized heathens," many power-minded individuals, philosophers, and wealthy were indeed Pagan (where as Christianity initially was a religion that was famous among the poor). I would appreciate it if you would change your definition, since your current promotes discrimination.

Successfully submitted Sept 13, 2009

Thank you for taking the time to write to us! A Merriam-Webster representative will respond to you shortly.

http://dictionary.reference.com/help/contact.html

Contacted Incorrect Information on Sept 13, 2009.

Your Name (First and Last)

Brandon Baranowski

Your E-mail Address (e.g., user@example.com)

thebaron@witchmoot.com

Your Message:

I looked up your definition of Pagan (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pagan). Your first two definitions are correct. However, how can someone who is polytheistic also be irreligious? And as far as being hedonistic is concerned, Pagans do not lack morality just because they don't believe in sin or a hell. They do believe in enjoying life to the fullest, which incorporates moderation. The synonyms which include Godless, Impious, Atheistic, Idolatrous, etc. and the antonyms of religious and believer are incredibly insulting to those of the Pagan faith, and promotes discrimination. I would greatly appreciate it if you could correct these injustices. Thank You.

Thank You!

Your message has been forwarded to the proper department at Dictionary.com.

Please note that we are unable to reply to any questions or comments that have already been addressed in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). You may wish to review the FAQ to see whether your question or comment has already been addressed there.

While we cannot guarantee a reply, we do read every comment, and we sincerely appreciate your feedback.

   I don't know if we have enough of a following at Witchmoot yet for this, but I would love it if anyone who does contact one or both of these sites could copy & paste their letter into the comments of this article. If you share that you too have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, perhaps you could inspire others to do the same!

  Feel free to use what I have written for your letters or write your own. We don't all have to agree on what it means to be a Pagan if we can at least agree to stand up for what it does not.
Thank You.