Two videos about the "Atheist sign"controvery.

Both very interesting!! Gotta love free speech!

Shopping addiction driven by credit cards, unmet personal needs and social stigmas

There are 15,000,000 shopaholics in the U.S. according to the home page of StoppingOvershopping.com. Many over shoppers fuel their addiction and worsen their debt by using a credit card. New research has shown that shopping is being used by many people as a way to fill a void in one’s life, and that a lot of people are afraid to admit to their debt and addiction.

Ben Woolsey, media spokesman in charge of content on the website CreditCards.com said that there is definitely a link to debt and the use of credit cards. He said that the relationship between acquiring a product and actually paying for it are not linked in consumers’ minds. Swiping plastic just isn’t the same as handing over hard-earned cash.

“It feels less sacrificial to use your credit card,” said Woolsey.

Woolsey gained knowledge from working at JPMorgan Chase, a financial services firm.
He said that the addiction is not about the merchandise, its about shopping and looking. People are trying to compensate for some sort of a void in their life by shopping, he said.

Ithaca College sophomore Kate Zaleski, an avid shopper, may just be one of those people looking to meet a personal need by visiting the mall.

“I’m not addicted to buying things, I’m addicted to wanting to look,” said Zaleski.

Zaleski said that she’d drive to the mall right after leaving work five days out of every week during the summer of 2008. She said that walking around looking, and sometimes buying things, was a stress relief and a relief from boredom. Zaleski used the act of shopping as a way to brighten her mood.

Zaleski said she does not use a credit card and has not gotten into debt, but knows she has a slight obsession with clothes. She said she thinks her love of window-shopping comes from her hate of “looking grungy”. She said that if she doesn’t pick out her outfit at night, she can’t fall asleep.

“I’m just not in as good of a mood when I don’t try to look good for class,” said Zaleski.

Marcela Torres, a contributor to the “Stopping Overshopping Manual”, has experience counseling those with a shopping addiction. She said that many addicts search for a high when stepping into a store.

“If it’s a store that you like and that prompts your desire to buy, a lot of over shoppers experience what they describe as a “rush”, excitement for being there and thinking about all the “deals” that they wouldn’t be able to miss,” said Torres.

Torres obtained her degree in psychology from the Universidad de Los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia. She is currently working full time at The Children’s Aid Society, a non-profit agency aimed at preventing children from being placed into the foster care system. Torres said she believes that there is a link between debt and credit cards.

“Credit cards are tricky because they create the illusion of having the ability to spend and get some things that normally if we based it in our actual income, probably we wouldn’t be able to afford,” said Torres.

Torres said that over shoppers tend to shop to try to meet a personal need that truly cannot be met by acquiring material goods.

“For example if you have a need for belonging and you go to the store once you feel lonely…you can be occupied while you are looking for something you don’t need, but that purchase won’t make you feel a sense of belonging,” said Torres.

Patrick, creator of the personal finance web page “Cash Money Life”, agrees that credit cards can cause different problems for many people. He said that most people do not need multiple credit cards, and that many do not know how to handle them.

“I think people do get in trouble with credit cards because they are unaware of how much they spend and don't keep track,” said Patrick. “They think that because they can afford the payment (it's only $25 per month!), then they can afford it. Paying off credit cards at the minimum payment will take years. Add compound interest in the credit card company's favor and you have a recipe for real trouble.”

Patrick, whose web site he said is for informational and entertainment purposes only, agrees that addicts often shop due to personal issues that need to be worked out. He also said he knows that many people do not see this bad habit as an addiction.

“I think spending addiction is a little known problem in our society, and is probably dismissed by many as "harmless,” said Patrick. “Our culture (and economy) is built on consumption. Everywhere you look, people are telling you to spend more money.”

Many experts agree that some people have a hard time seeing shopping addiction as a real problem. There is a stigma around the problem, because our society is based on economic achievement. Many shoppers guilty of getting themselves into debt are embarrassed to admit what they are doing because of the stigma.

“With credit card debt, its hard to blame anyone but yourself,” said Woolsey.

A survey conducted from June 27-29, 2008, by GfK Custom Research North America on behalf of CreditCards.com revealed that credit card debt was the topic people were most unlikely to talk about with someone they just met. Debt beat out love life and weight to be the clear winner of most uncomfortable topic.

Photo from BarnesandNoble.com

So where's that change everyone was talking about?

Journalist Jeremy Scahill came into my "Global Flow of Information" class yesterday and it was a great experience for me. He was giving a talk in Park last night and decided to chat with my class for a bit. I had never heard of him or any of the work he had done, but I was instantly very intrigued. He began talking about how for the last 8 years he has been critical of the Bush administration. He said that now that Obama is going to be taking power, he has began to write critically about him. He said that he has never gotten so much hate mail! The point he was making is the exact reason I hate politics most of the time. Obama said over and over that he was going to change so much, and now he has chosen to surround himself with the people that agreed with the Bush administration! That does not make sense to me. And because Jeremy chose to be an OBJECTIVE writer and be critical of Obama, people were angered. But isn't that the point of journalism?? To hold ALL people in power accountable? Even Obama!

He is a very inspiring person. He is a real person willing to take risks to get the TRUTH. He is someone with political opinions- but also understands that all politicians can have faults, and must be held accountable. He opened my eyes and showed me that there are people out there that aren't afraid to do anything to make a difference.

This post may be a little over the top, but it is just rare for me to see a political journalist that I actually can respect and look up to! Jeremy had an article in The Guardian on December 1, 2008. Check it out!

He has an interesting history and has written a book, too.

Girls from Ithaca Area Dance in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Although I am from Trumansburg, most still consider that the "Ithaca Area". Four girls from Ithaca's Armstrong School of Dance got to dance in the parade in New York City, and one of them was from my hometown. She's actually in my sister's class. It was the talk of the town and I thought it was pretty cool. The Ithaca Journal's story is short and easy to read, and has a bunch of good quotes. Tessa Cannon is the girl from my high school.