Horses don’t tweet. Written By: Attila Farkas “I believe that it is important to use social media as a tool and not as a constantly dripping intravenous digital chocolate.” Most of you may not remember the days when you had to walk to your friend’s house if you wanted to talk to her or him. You had to call out his name, wait for the dog to stop barking, call out his name again and hope that someone has heard you. When I’ve lived in Hungary over fifty years ago, riding a bicycle, or a horse, or simply walking to meet with someone was the norm. Today, Facebook, Twitter, texting or chatting can connect you to anyone instantly. The speed of communication can save lives; however, it can rob you from delivering a well-thought-out message that crystallized during that five-minute walk to your friend’s house. When was the last time you thought about a tweet or a Facebook post? Your thoughts are processed much faster than you can speak and your first impulse to reply to a text or a tweet may not be the best one. The continuous flow of virtual communication and the feeling of instant satisfaction from a like on Facebook or a favorable tweet can be just as addictive as coffee, sugar, or junk food. Social media is like fire. You can use it to cook amazing meals or you can use it to burn down the house. I use social media to cook amazing meals, to educate people, to light up someone’s spirit, build a network of knowledge, and also enjoy it as entertainment. The secret to using social media effectively is that you have to unplug, unwind just as often as you log in and stare at the screen or your phone. Go for a walk, talk to someone face to face, without holding your phone in your hand, waiting for the next groundbreaking text or status update to arrive from your friend, Jillian. When the text arrives she is just letting you know that she had to puke from the organic protein powder drink that you have suggested. I think a course should be offered that can teach people how to separate from their phone and focus on what another human being has to say. You should master social media, but don’t let social media master you. When was the last time you have sat quietly and consciously tried to focus on slowing down your racing thoughts? Look at the clouds, the trees, the snow, or another human being and just give your attention to the present moment. From this stillness and quiet relaxation, you may have a thought or an idea that will seize the opportunity to break through the sub-conscientious and present itself. Now you can go back to your computer and tweet about it or write an article like this. Don’t let electronic pollution and wireless congestion confuse your thinking and cloud your judgment. Fifty years ago that ten-minute walk or+ bicycle ride to meet someone automatically presented the opportunity to distill your message and select the best option. You have to find the same opportunity today in the form of exercise, gardening, meditation, or just listening to another person without holding a phone in your hand. Remember, horses can’t tweet, but sharks can. If you don’t believe me, just Google it.

A Thank You Letter from the President of the United States Written By Attila Farkas

When I've received a thank you letter from former president Bill Clinton and an autographed picture, along with some excellent advice from Dr. David Suzuki; I knew that the project I have started was something special. It was not an overnight success; I started it with painting an oversized oil painting titled Mother Earth. It’s not what you think, it’s not peaceful, and it’s not something you would put in your living room. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this painting was worth a million words and a million dollars. I hope you are intrigued and would love to see the painting and allow me to tell you a short story about how this all started. I promise it will not be very long. I have graduated from Teachers Training College with a double major, biology, and physical education. I was also a karate instructor and considered myself somewhat of a tough guy. As far as I know, tough guys didn't paint oil paintings or got too involved in art in any shape or form. If you would've told me in the eighties that one day I will pick up a paintbrush and create landscapes and other modern paintings, I would've laughed in your face. It all started when one day I accidentally switched over the channel to Bob Ross and his popular lessons on oil paintings. He was painting landscapes, snow-capped mountains, pine trees, and lakes. I was instantly hooked on the show and a few weeks later I bought a paint-set from Bob Ross and started painting landscapes. A few months went by and something has changed... I had an inspiration or a vision so compelling that I knew painting landscapes was just a warm-up. First I've made a giant frame and stretched the canvas over it. It was over six feet tall and five feet wide. Big enough for the concept I was working on. When I displayed my artwork at a local art show in Caldwell, New Jersey my Mother Earth painting stopped many people in their tracks and some visitors stared at it for several minutes. Then they came back and stared some more. The painting has the potential to express the concerns of global warming, environmental degradation, and the threat of wars around the globe in a way that everyone can understand. Instead of explaining what it is, I will let you decide for yourself. Here it is. The title is Mother Earth and I bought the copyright for it in 1991. The following posters were born from the same concept and in 2002 I've organized the first International Environmental Art contest on www.enviroartist.com It was a tough battle to convince companies to sponsor artists that can create solution-oriented digital media with an environmental theme. The first cash prizes came from my own pocket, and the contest was judged by a Toronto based design company, Pylon design. After the initial success, I knew I could not stop. I had to create a contest, where grade school students, high school students and even those that attend colleges and universities can compete for prizes and recognition. When they create and submit solution oriented digital media the contest can serve as a catalyst to develop new ideas and speed up hundreds of existing opportunities. I don’t want global warming to high-jack other significant challenges that humanity is facing. We should not focus on global warming alone. The biggest problem with global warming is... The warming part. The word warming itself does not describe or represent the complexity and dangers resulting from the toxic by-products of worldwide manufacturing processes, fossil fuel burning, transportation, and other man-made production. Mother's milk is warm, or if it is not you should warm it up. Warming up to a new idea, or under your favorite blanket, next to a campfire. Butterflies warm up their wings in the morning sun before they collect nectar from your garden. Warming does not rhyme with Hydrochloric acid, Mercury, Sulphur dioxide or Hexachlorobenzene. I believe that the next breakthrough can come from a ten-year-old with an open mind and a vivid imagination. I want to give kids and young people a chance to improve their own future, using the unlimited power of creativity and digital media. Millions of kids carry the unbroken spirit of hope and love in their heart and they think they can manifest the fruits of their imagination. Let’s give them a chance and I know that the next contest will benefit us all.

DIY wooden picture

TEDxMaastricht - Simon Sinek - "First why and then trust"

Just click the bird!

Create Your Own Road Signs... Written by: Attila Farkas Your environment is what you look at, breathe in, touch, consume as food, drink as a form of a liquid, absorb in the form of radio or microwaves and other forms of natural or man-made energy. Everything around you is interacting with 37 trillion cells that make up your body. Your entire being is either nurtured or tortured by your surroundings and this is where the true meaning of living comes from. A living is an expression of your being and a reflection of your environment. If your environment is pure and supporting your basic needs, such as clean air, water, and food than that reflection are going to be a healthy biological entity. If your environment is saturated with trillions of man-made substances, that reflection is going to be distorted, damaging, and genetically unstable. Our natural environment is the result of millions of years of progression, creating an interdependent, complex web of life. This biological system has an all-encompassing intelligence that we can learn from, or it will teach us many painful lessons. The old business models had taught us that it is acceptable to ignore these lessons. The first rule of business is to generate profit. Profit is not associated with basic human needs and a healthy ecosystem. Profit is associated with anything that is shiny, has built-in computer chips, can be purchased in a store, or order online with a credit card. It doesn’t matter that during these interactions we humans produce enough toxins, visible and invisible pollutants and disruptors that they can clog up the intricate roadways that form the web of life. These roadways and channels were clean and life-supporting only a thousand years ago. We have to find ways to model healthy, natural interactions between humans and the environment and integrate this change into our modern society. Profit should be associated with the benefit of preserving the genetic building blocks of humanity and stop disintegrating it with the by-products of greed, ignorance and worshipping the artificial world. We have to provide our kids with the cleanest air, water, and natural food that is available. If you can do that, then you are doing something right. If acquiring these basic needs seem impossible then roll your sleeves up, because we have a lot of work and a long road ahead of us. The good news is that you can create your own road signs and put them up on your journey, so future generations can follow along with on your path. My question is: What is your first road sign? Thank you for traveling with me... www.enviroartist.com

Art gallery

Drinking Buckley’s with a Smile on my Face.

Written by: Attila Farkas

I have decided to drink my portion of Buckley’s without making a face. My son, Peter was standing in front of me with a big smile on his face, ready to enjoy my misery after I drink down the liquid and turn my face into a fist. You are allowed to make any kind of facial expression when you drink liquid Buckley’s. It tastes awful and it shows. OK, the exact advertisement says: It tastes awful and it works. I've had the flu or the man-cold for two weeks now and I still haven’t missed a day of work. I am a computer instructor and I teach twelve adult ladies who are extremely satisfied with the progress we are making and I can’t disappoint them. I can’t take a day or two off and allow substitute instructors to take over my class and break the cycle of awesomeness. I am taking my vitamins, drinking hot tea with honey and Buckley’s from a shot-glass. My son is standing in front of me grinning from ear to ear because he has permission from Buckley’s to laugh in my face. I consider myself a tough guy. I have practiced Kyokushin karate for over a decade and developed a high tolerance for pain. He is thirteen and he used to ask me if I would cry if a mountain lion would bite me, or someone punched me in the face or stepped into broken glass, stabbed with a knife and other imaginary misfortunes. He just wants to know if it’s OK for a real man to cry from pain. My answer is always the same. No, I wouldn't cry. When you cry, you have tears in your eyes, they blur your vision and you lose the fight. I remember two recent episodes when I was tested by two accidents to see if I am a real tough guy or not and he witnessed both. The first one was in North Carolina on the first day of our family vacation. We were enjoying the shallow waters of the low tide behind our cottage that we rented for the week. Our kids were running after small fish in the knee deep water, I was looking for signs of clams that I wanted to collect for clam chowder. It was around noon when my wife yelled out with her outside voice letting us know that we should get inside for lunch. Everyone heard and we made our way in from the water when something unexpected happened...

As I was walking in the water and reached the wooden steps that lead up to the pier a crab has attacked my toes on my left leg. Just from pure reflex and without thinking I jumped away, right into a bed of dried-up oysters. They were sticking out from the bottom of the peaceful lagoon, like a dozen razor sharp knives. My right foot landed in the middle of them and bottom of my foot was stabbed in a half a dozen places. As I jumped away again I didn't even make a sound. I carefully hopped up on the wooden steps and examined my wounds. Blood was pouring out from several of the deepest wounds and yet I remained silent. I had washed out the wounds in the ocean water, and then carefully hopped into the house; put a large band-aid on it and a few hours later went fishing from shore.

The second time I demonstrated how to handle pain was during pike fishing when a spinner bait treble hook got stuck in my leg and I was able to rip it out without any damage to my leg and also without a sound. In my son’s eyes I had proved to be a tough guy and yet drinking a dose of Buckley’s gives me the shivers, makes my face into a cartoon of Grinch and start moving like a two-year-old just before a full blown hissy fit. It was time to show off again. As I drank the next dose of Buckley’s I decided to play a joke on my son. I was not sure if I am going to able to pull it off but it was worth a try. As soon as I drank it, I started smiling and said that it tastes really good now; maybe it changes after a couple of days.

“Really?” Peter has asked with wide eyes. He kept checking my face for any sign of trauma. I kept smiling and was really proud of my new invention.

“It really doesn't taste that bad anymore?” he asked again, probing for any revealing signs of conflict in body language.

“No it tastes the same,” I said.

“Then how come you are not shaking and dancing and making faces. You are smiling.” He observed.

“I decided,” I said and the newest lesson was over. I hope he’ll remember it when he needs to...

Just in case you are wondering, I am not sponsored by Buckley’s. Not yet.

salmon fishing in Canada

http://www.youtube.com/v/271KCsYUkJM?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=8fGGkKOJj35SangFPC-sqw&autohide=1&showinfo=1&feature=share

Lake Simcoe double header perch and bass

http://www.youtube.com/v/mvLrFC0Da7g?version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&autohide=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=tzb0F2GRqN2pe5sWFlj5WA&autoplay=1