Istvan the Mad

Logic, meta-analysis, and the media

2011-04-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's April 30. On this day in 1789, George Washington took the oath of office and became the first elected President of the United States.

In 1952, Mr Potato Head became the first toy to be advertised on television.

In 1973, President Nixon announced the resignation of several key White House aides, including H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, in the wake of the Watergate investigation.

We've come a long way.

Strange, but these days no one disputes that our political system is broken. We all agree, and shake our heads in dismay or disgust, and... life just goes on.

As a nation, we are faced with these hugely serious challenges: to our credit and credibility internationally, to our basic infrastructure, not to mention to the social safety net our ancestors built for our elderly and unfortunate, but the only change that occurs is further acceleration toward greater inequality (the very condition that brought us to the two previous Great Depressions: those of 1890's and the 1930's).

This congress now in session, whose majority rode in on a promise of more jobs, has yet to introduce a jobs-related bill. Instead, they've proposed more tax cuts for the very people who sent American jobs overseas, and proposed severe -no, draconian-- cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other programs to pay for those tax cuts (programs which in fact don't contribute a penny to the 'problem' that Congress is supposedly addressing: the deficit). As if that wasn't enough: a full year has passed since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and the only policy change in regards to drilling in the Gulf has brought an increase in deepwater drilling permits.

But you've heard little about any of that in the news. And what little you may have heard, has likely been eclipsed by more exciting headlines about celebrities or "new" "doubts" about the President's country of birth, or what Newt Gingrich or Glenn Beck or some other washed-up loser has to say.

What the hell is going on?? You may well ask.

It is indeed a complicated mess. It's the economy, it's Congress, it's the Democrats, it's the Republicans, it's the lobbyists, it's Big Oil/Pharma/Agriculture... you name it, it's probably contributing to the problems we face as a country.

But there is a real elephant in the room, as the saying goes, and it's not the GOP.

Follow me here:
Businesses exist for one reason- to make money for their owners. These owners make decisions about their businesses on the basis of two things alone: profitability and personal preference.

Broadcast media companies are businesses. Their owners make decisions about who to hire as producers, editors, and directors, and often even which stories to run -or kill-- on the basis of two things: profitability, and personal preference. Not to demonize anyone, but for example: Rupert Murdoch started FOX News, and hired Roger Ailes to run it -not only because Murdoch felt that Ailes would run the company profitably, but also because Murdoch liked Ailes, and felt that Ailes would respond to Murdoch's direction.

Ailes in turn commissions shows, accepts or declines proposals for shows, and ultimately hires Producers, whom he trusts with the company brand, name, and reputation, to make those shows. As this brand is regarded as a key to profitability, anything that demeans it or detracts from it significantly is naturally discarded or ignored. This is business. No company will ever do anything (in this case, publish a story) which it feels might somehow ultimately damage, or lead to the demise of, the company.

Everyone has a point of view and an opinion, and all of that comes out -however subtly- every time we express ourselves. If you read it, hear it, or see it, it has a bias. Broadcast media companies are in business to do business. It is not good business to promote one's own faults or misdeeds. For this reason, broadcast media will not report on their own faults or misdeeds, or -excepting especially egregious cases-- the faults or misdeeds of their advertisers.

They are inherently, inevitably, biased.

Now.
Broadcast media, what people used to call 'the news,' is the ultimate in trendiness. Publishers and editors view the world as stories waiting to be told, and their job is to get the story first (or failing that, to get a unique-enough lead on the story that 'control' of said story is regained). If FOX runs a great story first, then everyone else has to follow, or be seen as unreliable or out of the loop: a death sentence for the trendy.

Even if it's not true.

That's right: For some people in media, the competitive urge is so great that, if no hot stories are to be found, they'll make one up so as to guarantee that they beat everyone else to the punch. Weapons of Mass Destruction, anyone?

Before 1996, it was not legal for one entity to own more than one 'voice' in any medium, in any market. In other words, if you owned a newspaper in Portland, you could not also own a radio or TV station in the area. Because, obviously, if you own all the media in a market, you are in complete -monopoly-- control of that market, and that is supposed to be fundamentally un-American. Erm, apparently unless you're rich.

Thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 though, there are now no limits to how many media outlets you can own, or where. And so now we have a grand total of six people -six! six Rupert Murdochs-- ultimately controlling everything we read, hear or see in the news.

This is precisely the reason that conservatives so vastly outnumber liberals (or progressives- do you even know there is such a thing?) on news programs and talk shows, and why AirAmerica failed as a network: these media conglomerates are all owned or controlled by wealthy Republicans, without exception, and it is simply bad business to publicize your opponent's views.

So.
Remember that people will always act in their own interests.
Remember that people start businesses to make money.
Remember that all media is business, and that that business is first advertising, and then sales.

Let that sink in a second.

Consider now that it is possible to publish any story you like, about any thing you like.
And that it doesn't have to be true, at all, even if you say it's true, or publish it as news. Remember that Americans have very short attention spans and memories for news.
And that if you're wealthy enough, that you can reach hundreds of millions of people with that .
That means hundreds of millions of eyes seeing your advertisers' products.
That means money for your company, and that's all that counts. It pays your bills.

So you publish what you need to publish, in order to keep your company going. That means, you publish stories that support your point of view.

And in a country such as ours, in which lobbyists daily dine with legislators, you hire lobbyists to influence said legislators to write bills in your favor. And then you decline advertising from your opponents (hey, it's bad business to promote your competition!), while hiring producers, directors, editors and writers who will produce, direct, edit and write the stories you want to see, in the way you want to see them.

My point here is that the media is calling all the shots.

And so ends the American dream of representative democracy. Good morning, America. Now get to work or you don't get your porridge.

Ice, ice, baby!

2011-04-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

It's a great day for the movies. Oscar-winning actors Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, and Gregory Peck were all born on this day. And the events immortalized in Sergei Eisenstein's *&@%! awesome film Aleksandr Nevsky happened on this day too. Oh sure, it's a bit propagandistic, maybe a little heavy-handed in favor of the Russians, and certainly a bit cheesy by today's standards, but it's still a good flick. A great underdog/winning against the odds story.

And yes, it's based on a real battle. In 1242, Prince Aleksandr Nevsky actually forced an invading Teuton army onto the ice on Lake Peipus, where the weight of the army caused the ice to give way. FTW!

Peter Pan moment

2010-12-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

Two years. Two years since I last posted here- I just noticed that this morning. What happened?? I asked myself.

Well...
I tried to swear off politics after the 2008 elections, for one thing. I used to enjoy listening to news on the radio, and it never failed to give me something to rail about, but over the past ten years, news radio has increasingly morphed into political talk radio, and in spite of the fact that politics is sometimes news, the larger fact remains that not all politics is news, and not all news is politics. Programmers just like it because it is constant conflict, and conflict sells.

I also got a little self-conscious after writing so much about religion. I have a lot of religious friends, and that's sometimes tough for me: I do have strong feelings, and I do express them ...exuberantly sometimes... because I like to think and communicate my thoughts. I don't feel that I should have to apologize, but at the same time I really, honestly, don't want to offend. I have many relatives and friends who walk peacefully and quietly on what they believe is Jesus's path, and I respect them for that. I do not take issue with them. What stopped me was that I let myself worry about whether those people would or would not see the difference I saw, between them and, say, Pope Benedict or Rev. Hypocrite at the stadium 'service' every sunday. I suppose I worry too much. Socrates said 'the unexamined life is not worth living,' and I agree wholeheartedly, but I find that it is possible to be too reflective.

All that aside, it's just been a tremendously busy period for me. I've designed sets for three musicals (Seussical, Bye Bye Birdie, and She Loves Me), three plays (Our Town, You Can't Take It With You, and Antigone), and traveled to Kansas, California, Tokyo, and Disneyland. I've silk-screened t-shirts and paper, cut- and printed four or five different wood- or lino-blocks (I'm not even sure how many) and several mixed-media projects as well. I taught myself Photoshop, and have completed gobs of different original projects for several different clients. And that's to say nothing of all the drawing and calligraphy and carpentry and photography and sewing etc... it's hard to remember all at once. Wow, I rock!

True to form though, I've neglected a part of myself. and the yard, hello? Partially by not writing here, and partially by using work as an excuse to sequester myself away. I don't mind being alone, sometimes I like it, but too much is just bad for me in the long run. Self-expression is healthy.

Who

2010-01-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

Two very interesting takes on crisis: look on the bright side VS this is not OK. Really, these are great reads. One author details the year after she got laid off and decided to buck the system. The other talks about how positive thinking may have affected the progress of 'her' cancer. Fascinating contrasts.

* * *

Who's in charge here? I mean in America. President Obama invites the heads of the country's six biggest banks to a lunch ...and they blow him off- More Important Things To Do and all that.

Now consider that American-employed mercenaries are apparently immune to prosecution.

Do a little math. Mercenaries work for security companies. Banks like security. They employ huge numbers of security agents. That's right: mercenaries. Now, who's in charge here?

Security should be left to the commons, the people's government.

* * *

Yeah, yeah: I'm a nut. You just go on thinking that.

* * *

This is something I've been trying to say for a long time. Paul Krugman writes about the latest media frenzy: the deficit. He makes some very insightful points, but if you don't read between the lines, you're missing the force of his argument. Ask yourself: who determines what's news? Someone is calling those shots- 'will we report on Republican obstructionism in the Senate, or will we instead call attention to ...something we conveniently ignored under a different administration?' It makes a big difference.

Democracy will not survive an uninformed electorate.

industrial disease?

2009-12-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

This is why using robots on the battlefield is not as good an idea as it might seem.
I think that story pretty much speaks for itself.

* * *

Innocent until proven guilty. Say it with me: 'I am presumed innocent until proven guilty.' That is, unless you're accused of being too smart. Er, I mean, knowing something you're not supposed to know. Erm, I mean, "having information about a potential terror threat."

I have such trouble with torture, because it seems like punishment before the crime. Hell, it's more than that: it's trial, conviction, and punishment, even before any actual crime was committed. Thoughtcrime is still in the future.

Having information...Potential (not actual) ...Threat (not action). Seriously? We're still prosecuting people for this?

Let's say it again: Innocent until proven guilty. You'd want that for yourself, wouldn't you?

**************************

We're approaching a tipping point. I think we're approaching a point at which a significant number of Americans will realize -personally and viscerally-- that they (we) just can't go on living in economic conditions like this. Imagine: you and your partner own a house and two cars. You lose your job, and can't find a new one because unemployment is over 10%. You can still make ends meet, thanks to unemployment benefits, but eventually they run out. You still don't have a job, so making ends meet is a bit harder, though not yet impossible. Then, one of your cars breaks down. Clearly, you can't afford to fix it, and this puts serious limits on your ability to not only find work, but take care of daily business like grocery shopping and the various other errands we get in to. Never mind entertainment, or buying new clothes: that will have to wait til you can somehow get a new job. That is, if you can still get a new job in those old clothes.

Fast-forward a month or two. You're not starving yet, but you're hungry: you haven't had a good meal since the car broke down. You're paying more for gas because you're having to drive the spouse to work and pick them up, so you can use the car during the day to look for work, etc. And now the extra wear-and-tear on the second car begins to show. You're both stressed because you can't pay all of your bills at once, every month. Creditors are calling. Your mortgage payment is late. The bank is upset. The tension mounts.

Our society is this situation, writ large. Right now, it's like a pot of water waiting to boil. The water is getting hot- individuals have been reacting to this socio-economic 'heat' for years (in the form of post-office shootings, road rage, Columbine, Waco, 911, Ted Kaszinski, John Allen Muhammad, the Anthrax incidents, ), but at this point, most of us -individually- are OK. But the water is getting hotter all the time, and at some point a tipping point will be reached: the pot will boil. What happens when we start to realize -collectively- that it's not all OK? I wish I knew.

The election of President Obama seems to have been the equivalent of dropping an ice cube into the pot: it cooled part of society down considerably, allowing them to believe that the pot might actually be cooling again. But like adding cold water to a near-boiling pot, it also served to exacerbate the situation just a little. Now, many of those who looked to Obama to lead us out of the wilderness, are doubly angry because they feel duped.

What's a guy to do, when he thinks he's out of options? Apparently, make a mess on his way out.

In possibly unrelated news: this very morning, as I was walking through a nearby park, I saw a man dressed in a leopard-spotted teddy, playing disc golf. I kid you not. I was returning from the bank. It was just around dawn, very foggy. It was 30 degrees. And he was in a teddy. Full-figured guy, too. Not surprisingly, he tried to hide from me. Don't worry man, I wanted to say, I understand: We all deal with pressure differently.

I was just happy he wasn't using explosives or a gun.

goin crazy over here!

2009-11-28T04:50:00.000-08:00

I'm goin crazy over here! So much to do. It's times like these that really make me feel like I have Multiple Personality Disorder, and that my personalities don't share information very well: I am working my way through several different 'To-Do' lists, each with different tasks, but all on the same deadlines. And here's the rub: when I'm thinking about something on one of these lists, I can't even think about -or remember- what's on the others. Ugh! Ack!

I'm goin crazy over here! Everybody's talking about Afghanistan, and the consensus seems to be that we invaded Afghanistan "to capture Osama Bin Laden." This could not be further from the truth.

Our invasion of Afghanistan was announced in June of 2001. Read that again: June. Not October. Three months before 911, not a month after. Tempting as it might be, I won't here try to pretend to know why we invaded Afghanistan, and why we continue to bomb the poop out of them, but the fact remains: we were staging our invasion three months before 911. It is sufficiently safe to say that our invasion of Afghanistan was not a reaction to the events of 911. Stop it already. Just- stop.

Originally, I wrote this:

Our invasion of Afghanistan had nothing to do with Bin Laden, our argument was with the Taliban. Our argument, in fact, was that we wanted one of 'our' oil companies to put a pipeline through their country, and they were becoming reluctant. We said, essentially, "This will make you rich! Let us do it, or we'll do it by force. We'll give you a carpet of gold, or a carpet of bombs." Being the fundamentalists that they are, they chose their fundamentals over our money. We said, "your religious beliefs are more important than money?!?! That's unacceptable!" And we bombed them to pieces. Because, of course, our religious beliefs are not more important than money.

but then, while I was vetting the 'carpet' quote, I found good evidence that no one actually ever said that. And further, basically, that our relations with Afghanistan and the Taliban are very very murky (meaning, we're doing things there that we don't even want to admit to ourselves), and have been for a while. While we do seem to be very interested in Central Asian fossil fuel resources, I keep thinking about all the other world powers who have tried to capture and hold Afghanistan.

Was Alexander the Great interested in natural gas? Were the British (in the age of cheap, abundant whale oil)? If Afghanistan is just the cheapest way for us to put a pipeline through the region without having to go through Russia, then why would the Soviets have been so interested? There's something I'm missing, here. (yes, the spoils -or in more contemporary terms, the profits).

But anyway- we were already invading Afghanistan when the two towers came down on 911. It takes months to stage an invasion. I just think it's important that we remember the correct order of events. It's important. It's important because it shows the 'war on terror' to be the lie that it always was: it was not a response to anything but the defense industry clamoring for more money. Of course Tony Blair was lying. I just hope Dick and George get brought up in trial, too. And Condi, and Alberto, and John, and Don, and Paul, and...

Oh yes, the truth will out. The truth will out.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you

2009-10-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have a new motto: "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

This is the last week before production week of Our Town. I'm working on the program: editing photos, setting 'type,' writing ...stuff. And waiting til the cash flow turns around so I can get some work done again. I'm on the 'volunteer plan' on this planet, apparently: I get to work as much as I want! I just don't get paid for it. Or maybe I should call it the Soviet plan, coz so many Soviets worked without paychecks so frequently, and for so long. Yeah, I hear you: you don't believe me. Ok. I know already.

So while you're disbelieving, enjoy a little story:

On this day in 1943, the Philadelphia experiment may or may not have happened. Seems the U.S.S. Eldridge was fitted with equipment that was believed to confer invisibility. Reports from the Naval Yard in Philadelphia suggest that the hypothesis was found to be generally correct, but with unexpected consequences: some sailors did not reappear, some others reappeared partially embedded in the ship. All reported severe nausea and later, psychological disturbance. At the same time as the disappearance from Philadelphia, the Eldridge was seen for a few minutes offshore of the Naval Yards at Norfolk, VA, over 600km away. More here and here ...if you're inclined to believe things you read on the internet, anyway.

What a difference etsy makes

2009-10-23T04:37:00.000-07:00

OK, geez. After an embarrassingly long time of trying to have a website of my own, not-doing-so-well, trying again, still not doing so well, trying yet again but this time a different approach, and still not doing so well... I think I have found It. The Way. The Way that I can A) maintain an online shop, B) keep new goods coming, and C) have a life, all at the same time, and without having to 1) learn HTML and keep up on all of its constant revisions and updates and new doohickeys, 2) rent and keep a domain name, 3) rent web-hosting, 4) rent and maintain a checkout/payment system, or 5) develop a brand and independent marketing strategy (!). The answer? Etsy.com. Although I guess I still have to do #5.

Many thanks to my friend Steph for pushing me in that direction for so long, and thanks also to my old buddy Tracy for the final push. Here I am: www.tedfleming.etsy.com ...check it out!

So let's get up to speed. I like to work in a variety of media- I'm an artist, after all, not some single-minded specialist. Some Muse or other will tug at my ear or knock on my head with an idea, and pretty soon something is taking shape, it just can't be helped. Just two weeks ago, an old (old!) 1x12 that had been half-buried in the yard when we bought this place, told me it was actually a shaker-style bench (no screws, nails, or glue) waiting to happen. It just needed a little help, it said, so I grabbed my saws and chisels, and now it's serving as a prop on stage for Skyview High School's production of Our Town. It'll be back on our front porch again after that. I must say, I'm a real novice at woodworking, but my first mortise-and-tenon joints work just fine. Aya.

Right now, I'm doing a lot of sketching and drawing- card designs, t-shirt designs, set design ideas (for Bye Bye, Birdie), and ruminating on a couple of design problems, one in terms of shoemaking, the other in terms of block printing: how can I evoke [this particular texture]. Among other things. I juggle design problems while I drive, ride my bike, hike, garden, clean, wait in line at the grocery store, ...whatever, and the pieces eventually fall into place. Oh sure, sometimes I have to apply a little force, or spend some time concentrating on a particular problem, but usually, I'm juggling. Not everything I try, works, but that's why I juggle.

Today is the 25th of October, St Crispin's Day (patron saint of shoemakers). Thanks for reading.

On this day in 1415, sorely outnumbered English troops defeated the French at Agincourt.
In 1825, Johann Strauss ("Blue Danube Waltz," etc) was born.
In 1838, Georges Bizet (Carmen, etc) was born.
In 1881, Pablo Picasso was born.
In 1917, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky seized power in Moscow, from the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky, who had assumed power in July, indirectly following the abdication of Nicholas II in March. Yes, it was a mess. Nicholas had turned power over to his brother Michael, but all hope was already lost for the Romanovs, even by the earlier 1905 uprising. Michael hoped to hold an election, with “universal suffrage,” in which of course he would be elected leader of Russia, of course, but the dice had been rolled long ago. Historians differ as to whether Michael was ever actually Tsar. If he was, it would have been for only a day.
In 1972, Eddie Merckx rides 30 miles in an hour on his bike.
In 2002, Senator Paul Wellstone (D) was killed in a light-aircraft accident under mysterious circumstances in the midst of a hotly contested election.

And of course, in 2005, then-Vice President Dick Cheney was revealed to have been the leak of Top Secret information regarding the identity of a deep-cover CIA operative.

How American

2009-08-06T04:52:00.005-07:00

Let's talk about cell phones.

I'll start: I hate them. They are bad for us, and I'm not talking about ear cancer.

They make us increasingly insensitive to the needs of those around us, as you can see here in a particularly egregious and disgusting example. She is not only oblivious to her child, she is oblivious to everyone else in the store: no one else matters. Other examples are everywhere, and hardly newsworthy anymore- people text while driving (!!!), talk on the phone in movies, libraries, and restaurants, as well as intentionally social situations like at the mall or in line at the grocery store, where we could more easily be connecting with the other humans around us. We are social animals: we need multi-dimensional (verbal and visual at the same time, maybe even to include tactile) social contact in order to maintain our internal balance. Hermits and recluses have never been known for their likability. Cell phones are -at best- one dimensional social contact.

This flat one-dimensionality contributes to, and encourages, our feelings of alienation and rejection, while feeding our own egos with the notion that 'I am the center of the universe!' Those feelings are what led this guy to do what he did, and I assure you, he wasn't alone in feeling that way. Those feelings are also squarely to blame for most high school massacres, "post-office" shoot-ups (though they're not in post offices so much anymore), and road rage. When you don't think of the people around you as 'real' people, they're that much easier to dispense with. Life becomes a video game. Shoot 'em up.

Frankly, I think that heightened insensitivity has also led us to this:

5 facts about the anti-reform mobs

1. These disruptions are being funded and organized by out-of-district special-interest groups and insurance companies who fear that health insurance reform could help Americans, but hurt their bottom line. A group run by the same folks who made the "Swiftboat" ads against John Kerry is compiling a list of congressional events in August to disrupt. An insurance company coalition has stationed employees in 30 states to track where local lawmakers hold town-hall meetings.

2. People are scared because they are being fed frightening lies. These crowds are being riled up by anti-reform lies being spread by industry front groups that invent smears to tarnish the President's plan and scare voters. But as the President has repeatedly said, health insurance reform will create more health care choices for the American people, not reduce them. If you like your insurance or your doctor, you can keep them, and there is no "government takeover" in any part of any plan supported by the President or Congress.

3. Their actions are getting more extreme.Texas protesters brought signs displaying a tombstone for Rep. Lloyd Doggett and using the "SS" symbol to compare President Obama's policies to Nazism. Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil was hanged in effigy outside his district office.Rep. Tim Bishop of New York had to be escorted to his car by police after an angry few disrupted his town hall meeting -- and more examples like this come in every day. And they have gone beyond just trying to derail the President's health insurance reform plans, they are trying to "break" the President himself and ruin his Presidency.

4. Their goal is to disrupt and shut down legitimate conversation. Protesters have routinely shouted down representatives trying to engage in constructive dialogue with voters, and done everything they can to intimidate and silence regular people who just want more information. One attack group has even published a manual instructing protesters to "stand up and shout" and try to "rattle" lawmakers to prevent them from talking peacefully with their constituents.

5. Republican leadership is irresponsibly cheering on the thuggish crowds. Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner issued a statement applauding and promoting a video of the disruptions and looking forward to "a long, hot August for Democrats in Congress."

Cell phones aside, I see two realistic ways to interpret these events:
1) Lobbyists for the insurance industry and Big Pharma have ginned up the propaganda machine in order to instill fear and agitate low-information voters and conservative conspiracy theorists (you know the ones- John Birch society members, Glenn Beck/Michael Savage/Sean Hannity/FOX 'news' fans, people who see "black" helicopters and attribute them to an armed UN presence, etc), or

2) the people involved are really scared- of African Americans, of low-cost easy access to health care, of losing Whitey's place at the top of the socio-economic ladder.

It may be a little of both.

It seems that our opponents -the Old Guard-- now know that their time has come; that they're now outnumbered; that they're boxed in to a corner. Force your opponent into a corner, and he will come out fighting, and that's what we're seeing. It is a last-ditch effort, and as such will almost certainly fail. But, then again, it's their last gasp, so they're going to try their hardest to make us feel it. American politics are about to get uglier than they have ever been. And I mean ever. I'm not looking forward to it. Violence will ensue; 'conservative' talking heads are already advocating for it in their broadcasts.

This is not a revolution. This is not grassroots organizing. This is top-down, centrally-planned (Soviet-style) demonstration. The exact opposite of grassroots. The exact opposite of Democracy.

They are the organized ones, but their side is a weak coalition of unethical moneyed interests, and moralistic evangelicals and church-goers. We simply need to pit the inherent religious/moral objections to wealth and greed, against the wealthy, greedy insurance industry.

Almost no one disputes that the American health-care delivery system is broken. Almost no one disputes that it is not the hospitals, or doctors, or nurses that are broken- no, we all agree that the problem is insurance: affordability, coverage, dependability, timeliness, and yes, bureaucrats putting profit margins before quality of life.

So why are we talking about 'fixing health care' and not 'fixing insurance'? Because the same people who own the news sources, also own the insurance companies. In other words, insurance reform is about as likely as media reform: ain't gonna happen.

Our only recourse against the insurance industry appears to be, to ignore it. Starve the beast. But, can you afford to drop your coverage and depend on the charity of hospitals? I don't know about you, but I can't afford not to: I simply can't pay what they're asking.

Are you aware that we've been trying to get public health care in the U.S. for a hundred years? A hundred f*cking years! Teddy Roosevelt first proposed this. A Republican! What is so wrong with trying to make sure that your neighbor, or your grandma's neighbor, can go to the doctor to see about that nasty cough (which might actually be communicable tuberculosis)?

Why are we being so resolutely, selfishly cruel to each other? Someone is going to come between you and your doctor- would you prefer a greedy insurance rep, eager for that christmas bonus based on how many claims he turns down, or a salaried civil servant who won't profit from your pain? Your choice.

Finally, how "American" is it, to try to make the country fail? Is that really patriotic? Is that really what you want, Republicans? Really?? Just because you didn't win an election?

If one of us is sick, none of us are well.

2009-08-03T16:43:00.004-07:00

Kansas, you are embarrassing your country. Seriously: do you care so little for your neighbors? Stop being heartless. This is inhumane.

Did Jesus sell insurance during his 'lost years,' or something? I must be missing something. I just can't understand why any Christian would support the current 'pay or die' system. Didn't He say 'care for the least among you as you care for me' or something like that?

In an age in which a single disease-carrying agent can potentially infect a new person on every continent in a day (diseases including Bird Flu (H1N1), communicable TB, Ebola, West Nile, etc, ad nauseum, no pun intended), if one of us is sick, none of us are well.

Get the facts about the issue already. Inform yourself. And call your congresspeople, Senators included. Now is the time.

If we hadn't implemented the Marshall Plan after WWII, we would never have experienced the phenomenal growth spurt of the 1950s and '60s. We prospered, because our neighbors prospered with our help. Think of affordable health care as a Marshall Plan for America. Without it, we -collectively, as a nation-- will suffer a slow death from a billion cuts.

Mark my words. Unless we all have guaranteed basic health care, I give us twenty years, at best, before the slow death begins.

And in the meantime, we'll have a war in our hemisphere to worry about. With no health care for civilians caught in the crossfire.

Just for fun, imagine a nation of Kansas, in which only the employed or wealthy could receive health care. Small businesses not large enough to afford health care plans for their owners' families would simply have to shut their doors. No entrepreneurship would be possible; no new businesses could be started by individuals, unless they were wealthy to begin with. Citizens not fortunate enough to get a good job would simply be out of luck, when their health went sour. In all my years in Kansas, only one employer ever offered me health care coverage.

First, I suspect we'd see life expectancy drop a decade or so, on the average. Infant mortality would almost certainly rise as well. But things would really get ugly in an epidemic. Those homeless people on the corner? They'd be disease vectors, on every major corner, as would every job-seeker, at every lively business. How long before children are exposed? And retirees, and other elderly people?

Pardon my French, but

2009-07-16T06:16:00.004-07:00

Don't give me this "health care rationing" bullshit. That's right: it's bullshit.

Health care is already rationed in the United States. We call it "billing." It works like this: If you can't afford to pay for the care, you don't get your ration.

It's rationing by virtue of wealth, as opposed to rationing by virtue of need. In other words, the system says "if you can pay for it, then you deserve it. If you can't pay; suffer."

Is that humane? Is that Christian? Is that American? Is that what Jesus would do??

And then there's this. It's not really news, but do you really come here for news?
Unidentified flying objects photographed from the Apollo capsule in orbit and from the surface of the Moon.
and this:
140 years of UFOs in photographs. Thought-provoking stuff!

Manipulation Monday

2009-07-13T07:21:00.003-07:00

Watch this. Note how the "scientist" insists that, while he can't identify the object, it is not a "UFO," or in other words, NOT an UNIDENTIFIED flying object.

Wow. The stupidity of that statement just blows me away: do you have no capacity for reflection, sir?

Also interesting is how the Vacant Smiles demean the witnesses ...until they mention that a cop saw it too.

Don't you just love how you're being manipulated?

It's in his kiss (that's where it is!)

2009-07-09T05:27:00.003-07:00

Today is the Fourteenth of July. True story: on this day in 1990 the small uninhabited island of Eynhallow off Rousay in the Orkneys played host to 88 tourists. According to the ferry crew, only 86 returned. A thorough search by police, coastguards and helicopter failed to find the missing people. The island was long regarded as a spooky 'vanishing isle', a sort of marine Brigadoon. Alternatively, superstitious locals speculated the couple were actually mermen or mermaids, returning to their ancestral home; it was easy to mistake the Fin Folk for ordinary humans.

Happy Bastille Day, France!

Some recent UFO activity has really caught my attention:
http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/yellowufoorbs.html Watch this video. It gets pretty eye-popping at about 4:30 or so. I went from mildly-interested to riveted in the blink of an eye. Pretty damn weird.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2363-UFO-Examiner%7Ey2009m7d6-20-baseballsize Scroll down just a little, to read the report from the Indiana witness. Multiple, unrelated witnesses report a close encounter.

And this short video from the archives is pretty interesting, too.

No one is above the law

2009-04-22T05:02:00.003-07:00

I'm sensing a really fundamental problem here, in the way President Obama is handling the Bush administration's admission of having tortured prisoners.

"Looking forward" is not justice.

Are we to just "look forward" every time a crime is committed? If not, why not? Is this some new kind of "American exceptionalism"?

Crimes were committed. War crimes. Crimes against humanity. Crimes for which others before had been hanged to death (by us! not even 50 years ago) because of their severity.

A clear admission has been issued: "We did it," it said. Torture was committed by American personnel under orders from Americans. In legal circles, this is called a Confession.

And now... we're looking forward?? Looking forward to what? A world in which the likes of Karl Rove and Harriet Miers can simply ignore Congressional subpoenas; a world in which crimes against humanity -if committed by the right people, apparently-- can be just overlooked?

Is this the world you want your children to inherit?

Write or call your congressperson, Senators, and the President, now please: Torture is illegal and unAmerican, and no one is above the law.

Serfs up!

2009-03-21T05:21:00.003-07:00

Because things haven't been quite weird enough lately...
One weirdness!
Two weirdnesses! Ah, hahaha!
Three weirdnesses! Ahahahahaha!
And more to come tomorrow, too. Hang on to your hat.

Now the news.
Oh, wait- that's not news, that's Dick Cheney, the EX-vice president. And he's not dead! In other words, he's not news. Also not news: Tom DeLay, Lynn Cheney, and Newt Gingrich. Gingrich hasn't been news in ten years; DeLay in five, and Lynn Cheney has never been newsworthy! Why are they still on TV?

I'll tell you: because their buddies run the networks.

And those buddies decide what you see, and therefore what you end up believing to be newsworthy and entertainment-worthy. And not only that- they decide how you should spend your money (on their subsidiaries of course, which advertise profusely on their networks, of course, so all the money spent on advertising is actually recirculated through the networks' vast system of accounts until it makes its way to the top and gets spent overseas or on stock options. None for you!).

We're headed for a cultural landscape that would look more familiar to Catherine the Great than Catherine Zeta Jones: severe, extreme disparities of wealth, crowned by an upper-class with all the power. None for you!

These may be the darkest hours America has ever faced, and there may be no democratic dawn to follow. If we lose independent newspapers, and thus independent reporting, we will have lost all hope of reform in government, short of armed revolt. And since we all know that the USGovt's firing power is significantly greater than that of any individual, or any other group for that matter, things are looking a little bleak.

Yes, newspapers are so old-fashioned. Embarrassing to even be seen reading one, I know.

But get this: Democracy is engagement. Democracy is simply The People Being Their Own Government: the people being engaged with each other, and with the issues.

What we have, on the other hand, is Mediacracy (say "mee-dee-AH-cruh-see"). Media outlets shape and inform our opinions by running certain stories, and ignoring certain others. What's that you say? You don't have strong feelings about the unrest in Urumqi? That would be because your news producers and editors don't want you to think that 150 or so people killed in riots is newsworthy. They would rather you think about something else. Like, their products! Or yourself. Or better still: how their products! might enhance your life. Just- don't think about rioting. Or organizing, for that matter. Just spend your way to happiness. It's at the bottom of your bank account- just keep looking, spend that money out of the way and you'll see it!

We have become everything we've ever despised. As in Mussolini's Italy, industry rules the roost. Just like King George's Britain, we colonize and pillage. And now we're headed the way of Stalin's USSR, in which all the 'news' came directly from the State.

'Coz we're not calling the shots anymore. Notice how responsive the Senate has been, to recent polls indicating >70% support of a public health care option in the reform bill? Oh, you didn't notice? Ahh, that would be for two reasons: 1) primarily because the Senate is beholden to Big Pharma and the industrial Medical-Insurance-complex, and 2) because the Media doesn't want you to know. They don't want you to know, because their insurance-exec buddies reap huge profits, and then spend lavishly on advertising to support friendly senators' campaigns (to ensure that their companies can still reap those huge profits).

That's right: over 70% of Americans polled believe that some sort of public option should be included in any health care reform bill. And yet, we have nothing, because public health care would be bad for the economy. No wait, I mean it would be bad for The Industry. Erm, wait- I mean, it would be bad for Management. Oh, no, hang on-- I meant, it would be bad for The Wealthy.

And we can't have that. Oh no.

Saint Bernard's Day

2009-03-13T05:19:00.004-07:00

Expanding Consciousness... is this consciousness? In a sense, I'd have to say: yeah. Looks like a bad day to be a vegetarian -for moral reasons, anyway.

News from the Southern Front: the Global War on the Poor (no, 'class warfare isn't just a domestic thing anymore).

Saint Bernard? Yeah, you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this, but listen: Bernard Madoff is being martyred, as a sort of metonym or symbol of our collective greed. He will be forever sainted as a result, and this is part of the plan. Yes, The Establishment -specifically, the future existence of The Establishment As We Know It-- requires and demands a sacrifice, in order that the greater whole may continue. If Madoff was not sacrificed, the whole system -The Establishment- would have to take the blame instead. And of course, as anyone in charge will be happy to tell you, we simply can't have that.

It seems that all complex systems evolve to protect themselves.

Friday the 13th begins the martyrdom of St. Bernard. Is this supposed to be funny? Is this irony?

Why? Why now?

2009-03-11T05:19:00.003-07:00

You've probably heard by now that some guys locked up in Gitmo have claimed credit for 9/11. From the very instant I heard the 'news,' I smelled a rat. "Why now?" I wondered at first, and that remained the most solid question I could muster for a while, because my head was just spinning with all the unlikelihoods and impossibilities of the situation: unlikely, because we've been giving credit to so many others for The Deed -and persecuting them for the past seven years with a fervor unmatched since the Inquisition; unlikely because they've been in custody for years already and had apparently said nothing of the sort, before; impossible because they're in Gitmo, so they wouldn't have been allowed to confer with each other; impossible because they were not allowed to communicate with the press.

Larisa Alexandrovna offers a very well-informed analysis, far better than mine. As she writes, the real question here is not of their guilt or innocence, but: why are we being fed this story?

I want to know

2009-03-03T08:42:00.004-08:00

Today is the Third of March. On this day in 1972, police officer Ray Schoke was on his way to Loveland, Ohio, when he spotted a three-foot-tall upright creature with leathery skin like a lizard and the face of a frog near the Little Miami River. It was later spotted by fellow officer Mark Matthews and a local farmer. Both officers have since changed their names because of the ridicule, and Matthews moved to Florida. Then in July 1985 two boys saw a 'frog' in the river. 'I thought it was a boulder at first', said an 11-year-old who didn't wish to be identified. He described it as being about the size of a big dog. Ohio is weird.

I'm not about to say that frog critter was an alien, but Phil said something about 'all the UFOs and abductions in the news' the other day, and it made me think. The way he asked the question implied a direct connection between the two phenomena (naturally, you might think). But no such connection appears to exist, outside of the popular media.

Reliable statistics are hard to come by in the field of UFO- and abduction research. This is for a lot of reasons of course, not least of which is the number of what I affectionately call kooks collecting the data, but another very significant reason is that so few of the reports agree in enough details to be reliably linked or grouped together. In the same way that we can't compare apples and oranges in order to speculate about the Nature of Fruit, we just don't have enough case reports which are similar enough, in enough ways, to make comparison study -well, fruitful. That being said, the abduction reports I've read only occasionally include descriptions of the insides of rooms (which may or may not be aboard a 'spaceship' or 'UFO'), and even more rarely were either preceded or followed by a sighting of a Unidentified Flying Object.

In other words, people see UFOs, and people report being abducted by non-human-appearing creatures, but few if any report both as part of the same event.

It's a subtle distinction, I'll admit, but I think it's very significant. For one thing, it suggests that the two phenomena may not be related after all. We see things in the air that we can't identify (UFOs), and we see what we call 'aliens' (in many different forms, but incidentally never -not once in the literature- 'little green men'), but we only see them together perhaps 1% of the time. Linking them inextricably is akin to defending spontaneous generation.

It seems that we link them together in our heads, only because we heard it that way from someone else. I've gone looking for that person, some original source, for years now with no good answers. "Little green men" seems to have appeared out of nowhere in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, in a farcical newspaper story. UFOs have been reported since we started writing. Abductions seem to have started in the 1960s (unless you count the apocryphal reports of villagers disappearing under 'fairie mounds,' which go back almost as long as UFO reports).

The more I read, the more questions I have. Something is happening, whether it's happening in conventional (shared) reality or not. People are seeing UFOs: hoax-detecting technology is improving, the reports are remaining unexplained, and the frequency of multiple unrelated witnesses of single events is increasing. At the same time, other people seem to be honestly debilitated by encounters with intelligent non-human entities in a startling variety of forms, so varied as to suggest that we are under surveillance by at least a dozen different cultures and/or species, but sometimes similar enough to suggest that those reporting the encounters simply focused on different aspects of the creatures, or were confused by their surroundings.

I'm not ready to offer any theories or hypotheses, yet. For the record, I'm more interested in UFO reports than abduction studies, but if you feel you've been abducted and you'd like to talk about it, I'd love to hear about it and I'm a good listener. I won't pass judgment; I won't try to tell you it didn't happen, or didn't happen the way you say it did. I'm really, genuinely curious.

Even if it's not happening in our conventional, shared reality, then something interesting is happening in those abductees' and witnesses' heads. I want to know.

Happy Quirinalia!

2009-02-17T07:41:00.002-08:00

Today is the Seventeenth of February. Happy Quirinalia! In ancient Rome, a celebration of Quirinus, the deified form of Romulus, one of the founders of Rome. The name derives from co-viri, meaning “men together.” We don't know how they celebrated it, no records survive, but hey, they were Romans; use your imagination. Go ahead, get carried away. They did.

In 1598, Boris Godunov was chosen to be Tsar, following the death of Ivan Grozny’s invalid son Fyodor. He would ascend to the position a few days hence. Is that a verb tense problem?

In 1600, Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for having the gall to suggest, among other things, that God might have also created life on other planets.

Rings and roses

2009-02-16T04:25:00.005-08:00

In 1923, Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun.

In 1943, students belonging to the White Rose Society posted a sign in Munich reading “Out with Hitler! Long Live Freedom!” (They were caught two days later in the midst of another subversive act, and beheaded on the 22nd).

So... I was digging around this morning, looking up some Pope Gregory or other, because I had it in my notes that today was the anniversary of his commandment that his people say "God bless you," after a sneeze, to protect themselves and each other from the oncoming Black Plague.

Not so. We've apparently been blessing each other after sneezing, for longer than that.

But I found something more interesting as I read along. Apparently, everyone's favorite Plague-inspired nursery-rhyme, "Ring Around The Rosey," is not so, either. The Wikipedia entry I've linked to there is fascinating. Amaze your friends! Bore your co-workers!

In the news:
International law was undermined? Hell, if you ask me, the very Rule Of Law was raped, beaten, and left for dead like a -well, like nothing I can say politely. Many authorities believe that crimes were committed on a global scale by governments and private operators alike. It's time for investigation and prosecution.

In fact, we know crimes were committed, because they broadcast them on the news, bragged about them in press conferences, blabbed about them in OpEd columns and from the podiums in our halls of Congress.

The wheel turns

2009-02-15T06:14:00.002-08:00

Last day of Lupercalia (ancient Rome).

In 1564, Galileo Galilei was born.

In 1571, Michael Praetorius was born.

In 1764, the city of St. Louis was established as a trading post where Pierre LaClede and his stepson Auguste Chouteau had notched a couple of trees to mark their landing on the bank of the Mississippi.

In 1898, the U.S.S. Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor, now widely believed to have been a false-flag operation intended to start a war with Spain.

In 1905, composer/songwriter Harold Arlen was born (“Paper Moon,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Stormy Weather,” among some 400 others).

In 1954, Matt Groening was born.

In 2002, over 300 corpses were found in buildings and woods on the property of Tri-State Crematory, in Georgia. Only four years later, Tri-State was implicated in the mis-handling of bodies recovered from Hurricane Katrina by Service Corporation International. The lawsuit accused SCI-owned funeral homes of sending bodies to the unlicensed, unregulated crematorium. Ahh, gotta love that unregulated capitalism, eh?

Happy Sts Cyril and Methodius day!

2009-02-13T09:32:00.006-08:00

Today is the Fourteenth of February. Why do we spell 14 "fourteen," but 40 "forty"? It's not a joke, it's a legitimate question. Anyone want to offer an answer?

The number 4o is different from the number 4 in Russian, too, but even more so than in English: for 4, they say "ch-tir'-ee," while for 40 the word is simply "sor'-ok." No apparent semantic relationship: no roots in common, not even any letters in common. I don't speak any other languages- if you speak any aside from English, I'm interested in how they deal with 4 and 40. Ask your friends! Is this just a European thing? Is it just a Romance thing, which happened to somehow also get reflected in a Slavic language? I'm genuinely curious! Also, if you speak Russian and happen to have some insight into the 4/40 thing, I'd love to hear about it.

Support Senator Leahey's Bush Truth Commission! We need to at least air that dirty laundry.

I Hate Banks news: Microbusiness on the rise! This in particular is very exciting news for anyone who's ever disliked banks. Go, Zopa!

Bang the drum

2009-02-11T04:08:00.003-08:00

Today is the Eleventh of February. On this day in 1355, the St. Scholastica’s Day Riot continued in Oxford, England, after a dispute between students and locals over a beer escalated into armed conflict. The riot raged for two days in all, leaving 63 scholars and as many as 30 locals dead. The dispute was settled in favour of the university with a special charter, according to which, on February 10, the town mayor and councillors had to march bareheaded through the streets and pay to the university a fine of one penny for every scholar killed. The penance ended in 1825 when the mayor refused to take part.

In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous saw the figure of a woman in white, whom she later identified as the virgin Mary, near Lourdes, France. The two girls who were with her, saw nothing.

Bang the drum-make some noise! It's good for you! ...I wonder if it matters if the rhythm isn't musical? I mean, does it count if you're just drumming your fingers on the steering wheel? Would it help as much if you were using a wooden spoon on a frying pan? How about a metal spoon on a cymbal? Don't laugh- this is someone's doctoral thesis waiting to happen! Alas, I'm only curious enough to generate the questions; nowhere near motivated enough to go through with the research. Music therapy isn't exactly my field.

Instead, I'm thinking about picking up my work on -yes, you guessed it-- Moche nose ornaments again. Actually, new findings re: the Nazca have given my old theory new life. Remember, Ted: don't get it right; get it written.

Feast of St. Carmen

2009-02-09T04:51:00.002-08:00

Today is the Ninth of February. On this day in 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected President, in the first election to be decided by the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1895, Wm. G. Morgan invented a game called Mintonette, for those who thought basketball would be too strenuous. This game involved hitting the basketball over a rope; it would later be known as Volleyball.

In 1909, Carmen Miranda was born.

In 1913, a group of three or four luminous bodies with tails moved across the sky with a 'peculiar majestic deliberation', according to the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Another one followed, and another. There were 30 or 32 in all, according to one observer, in strict formation. Some compared them to a fleet of battleships in the air. They were seen in Canada, USA, Bermuda and from the sea. There was another procession over Toronto the next day, only this time there were seven or eight dark non-luminous bodies, which moved across the sky and back.

Sardines

2009-02-06T07:01:00.002-08:00

Waitangi Day (New Zealand- marking the 1840 signing of a Maori-Britain treaty).

In 1564, Christopher Marlowe was (probably) born.

In 1895, George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born.

In 1945, Bob Marley was born.

In 1989, thousands of tiny dead sardines came down in a heavy rainstorm about lunchtime in Rosewood, near Ipswich in Queensland. 'It was quite frightening. We didn't know what was happening. All I heard was a noise I though was hail,' said Debra Degen. When her husband Harold called her to go out onto the veranda, she saw the fishy carpet stretching for 50 yards between the house and their mailbox. There were more coming down, some bouncing off Harold's head. They gathered a bowlful for their cat and to keep as a souvenir; the rest were 'gobbled by kookaburras.'

Sage advice from Paul Krugman.

The world of tomorrow

Got milk?

2009-02-04T05:00:00.003-08:00

Today is the Fourth of February. Scott Palmer, 26, Californian author and golfer, hit a hole-in-one 18 times between June 1983 and the following January. Besides that, his drives hit the pin on 50 other occasions. He collected affidavits to this from 65 witnesses. Four of his holes-in-one came on consecutive days in October, seven were par-4 holes and the average length of all 18 was 209 yards. He hit all but one of his aces with the same ball - a Spalding Top Flite XL No. 2, for which he turned down a £7,000 offer. At the moment of his charmed strokes, he got the image of a faceless woman pouring a glass of milk.

Weird.

Buddy Holly-day

2009-02-03T04:54:00.003-08:00

Today is the Third of February. On this day in 1943, four US Army chaplains aboard the then-sinking USAT Dorchester gave up their lifevests, and their lives, to save the lives of other soldiers and sailors aboard. In 1948, Congress recognized their heroism and designated today as Four Chaplains Day.

In 1809, Felix Mendelssohn was born.

In 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in an airplane accident.

Endings

2009-01-30T13:09:00.002-08:00

Today is the Thirtieth of January. Big day in history, though you might not know it: to begin with, in 1661, Oliver Cromwell was officially, formally executed. He had been dead for over two years. Just in case, ya know. He was a bit of a rascal.

In 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, but both his pistols misfired. President Jackson instead beat him with his cane. This was the first known assassination attempt on a U.S. President.

In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born.

In 1948, Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi was shot and killed.

In 1969, The Beatles performed together for the last time, in an impromptu concert on the roof of Apple Studios, London, at No. 3 Saville Row. It was broken up by police, because of the traffic problems it caused on the streets below (go figure!).

In more current news, the Danish Air Force has opened its UFO archives to the public.

And a UFO was documented by Germany's air traffic safety office.

And Israeli Prime Minister Olmert was taken to task at Davos by Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, before he left the building in disgust. (Good video).

Owls for breakfast, hippos for lunch

2009-01-28T07:48:00.003-08:00

Today is the Twenty-eighth of January. On this day in 1887, snowflakes measuring 15” across x 8” thick fell on Fort Keough, Montana.

Someone's come up with a very interesting answer to the honeybee problem. I hereby promise to leave the hornets' nest in the eaves of my shop, alone. Pollinate away, little critters! Fly! Be free!

And here's an interesting answer to our energy troubles, at least to some degree. Go, Norway!

Alberto Gonzales is a worm. Watch him squirm. Disgusting.

Bring on the shackles, indeed: let's watch these guys squirm too. Jail is too good for the likes of these folks, 'cos I don't think there's much doubt about their guilt anymore.

Future pink

2009-01-27T06:44:00.002-08:00

Today is the Twenty-seventh of January. On this day in 1757, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born.

In 1832, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was born.

In 1947, the Los Angeles Times (and later, Time magazine) reported that the crew of the oiler USS Caliente weighed anchor from nine fathoms and discovered that an overhand or lover's knot had been tied in the chain twenty feet from the anchor.

In 1984, filming for a Pepsi commercial went terribly awry when Michael Jackson’s hair product caught on fire.

Computers serve two basic purposes, in terms of economy: they create demand for more disposable goods (computers, programs, accessories), and they reduce the need for new employees by facilitating paperwork and book-keeping. More jobs are lost to computers, than created by building them or programming for them (and that's to say nothing of work lost to computer-controlled robots, eliminating jobs at twice that rate, or higher). Different kinds of work, to be sure, but employment all the same. The net effect is a loss of jobs. Computers just aren't helping.

Teaching kids to use computers in school is early job-training. Worse- it's free job training for industry, because business taxes rarely (if ever) go to schools. Ask yourself: why should you pay for your kid to be trained to do data entry? Even if they're learning to code: don't fool yourself- the days of madly-wealthy computer programmers are gone-daddy-gone. Ahh, the roaring dot-com Nineties! They're as gone as the roaring Twenties.

We should not give them computers in school- we should give them classes that teach them to use tools that make things and fix things: wood shop, metal shop, plastics, even electronics shop; cooking, accounting, home economics, sewing, design ferchrissake. They should be using their abundant imaginations to be making new things and developing skills that will be usable "across multiple platforms"- what we used to call being handy. It's a good thing to be, useful. Java, flash, and C++ are not usable across multiple platforms: they are skills related to a very, very limited range of jobs. They will not help your kid when the power goes out and he still needs to eat, or when the alternator goes out in her car when she's between jobs, or when the kitchen table, the toaster, or the TV goes down.

Bottom line: teaching kids to use computers will not help them do anything except find a job as a desk jockey or a 10-key operator. Is that really what you want for your children? A career as a Customer Service Specialist at a call center? That's what's coming, if we stay on this track. Mark my words.

This much is certain: there is no going back to our consumption-driven way of life. We simply have to change: economy will demand it. Businesses can not think of themselves first as profit-making machines- they must reconsider their places within their communities (of whatever size). A business is inseparable from its community, in the same way that your hand is inseparable from your body.

That's a better metaphor than you might think, actually. If the body represents a community, then the blood is its money, the brain its government, the heart its industry. Wait a sec, you might say- where is the service sector? We here in the US are all about service sector jobs, after all. In terms of the body, the service sector would be things like the immune system, the glandular organs, the skeletal system. In other words, a very significant -but very small (in terms of volume) segment.

Now, in terms of this metaphor, what the hell has happened with our economy? Think of it this way: growing population means a growing body. When the body grows but the blood supply doesn't match its growth, then blood becomes more precious (prices go up). The credit crisis? Something in the body (the banks; our veins and arteries I suppose) decided that the flow of blood wasn't fast enough (because, of course, population has grown while manufacturing capability has dwindled- the body grew but the skeleton hasn't produced the blood to fill it), so they demanded more than they were giving. Organs couldn't keep up with the demand- they can't pump more blood out than they get in, and they can't make it themselves-- so they atrophied as a result (homeowners defaulted on mortgages, businesses defaulted on payrolls, millions of jobs lost).

The problem is that money is pooling, not flowing. Blood clots in the brain and heart are threatening the health of our national community (execs are pulling in oversized salaries and not spending the money locally, ultimately leaving banks in the lurch). We need manufacturing jobs- jobs that produce real goods and real wealth. In a short time, this will stimulate spending and buying- and saving! --because there will be things worth buying, and people earning paychecks to buy the stuff with. Blood will fill our veins; savings rates will start to rise again, banks will be happy, and credit will loosen up again.

Now let's get back to the new economy -the one that will work for your kids and grandkids, the one we need to build. Disposability is simply no longer an option. Our landfills are -well, filled. Most of the stuff we use today can't even be safely disposed of in a landfill anyway, yet frankly was made to be thrown away. Raw materials are dwindling, and rising in cost. Disposability is not a sustainable way of life, and we're coming up against the final wall.

We need to demand reliable appliances, fixable appliances, and to settle for nothing less. Industry, instead of preparing to meet those demands, is running in the opposite direction: making goods that are cheaper to buy at first but more expensive in the long run because you're buying three disposable items for every one fixable item you might have bought instead. This amounts to a race to the bottom, as GE, Sony, Philips, etc, run themselves into the ground. In ten years, these industries will be hemmoraging, as consumers revolt by buying from more local, more accessible companies whose products are more reliable and ultimately repairable. Pink slips will flow by the thousands as these huge manufacturers of crappy 'goods' have to cut back. This is the economic crisis to come, and there's no stopping it: the only thing we can do is change course, now.

Bright new day

2009-01-21T05:07:00.002-08:00

Today is the Twenty-first of January. It's National Hugging Day.

In 1824, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was born.

In 1924, Vladimir I. Lenin died. Almost immediately, Josef Stalin began to purge his rivals, to clear his way to Premiership.

On the home front, this is encouraging news from the Obama administration. I can't think of a better way to start. Realistically, anyway.

Don't stop: just keep running.

2009-01-19T04:51:00.003-08:00

Today is the Nineteenth of January. On this day in 1808, Lysander Spooner was born.
In 1809, Edgar Allen Poe was born.
In 1839, Paul Cezanne was born.

In 1935, the first brief was displayed in a Marshal-Fields department store window in Chicago, during a blizzard. The display was ordered to be taken down because it was silly to show such skimpy underwear on such a cold day, but before the display could even be taken down, six hundred pairs were sold. Thirty thousand would be sold in the next three months. The world would never be the same.

In 1977, snow fell in Miami, Florida, and the Bahamas. First time ever.

You know, I am optimistic about Obama's presidency, but I'm no fool. In spite of my rhetoric here, I am realistic about the future.

I'm not expecting single-payer, universal coverage health care. No, the homeless and poor are still going to suffer and die of ultimately-curable illnesses.

I'm not expecting gay marriages. I'm not expecting a roll-back of Bush's abuses of the environment, or of the Endangered Species Act, or marked improvements in air quality, or water quality, or even gender equality in the workplace.

I'm not expecting him to handle Afghanistan any better either: he has, after all, promised to "win" there, whatever that means (hint to President Obama: ask Alexander the Great about central Asia).

I'm just excited because -for the first time ever-- we have a visible, tangible reason to believe that anyone can make it here.

When you hear the dogs behind you, just keep running.

That being said about my beliefs, I remain fascinated by, but agnostic about UFOs, especially in light of the recent flap of sightings. I'm so intrigued by them: if they are from space, then that's interesting in and of itself. And if they're not from space, then that's more interesting still: what the hell are they? If they're illusionary or hallucinations, then what is it in the human makeup that makes us see them? And then makes us interpret those visions as Visitors from Space? And if they're not hallucinations or visions or visitors from space, then what the hell are they? Honestly people, I can't see how anyone could not be interested.

Here's another.

"Playing into each other's noses" he said.

2009-01-18T06:59:00.003-08:00

No, I can't keep my mouth shut: news happens, and I feel compelled to talk about it, even though I said I was ignoring it until Tuesday. First and foremost: North Korea is actively threatening South Korea. It's not a conflict I follow closely, but hey, nuclear weapons are everybody's business. We all need to know.

Today is the Eighteenth of January. On this day in 1671, Captain Morgan captured Panama from the Spanish.

In 1843, a report appeared in The Times (London) that two young girls were out picking leaves at Livet in France when stones of different colors showered down on them, slowly and harmlessly. They called their parents, and stones fell on them too. Respectable witnesses were called, priests, doctors, and all were gently and colorfully stoned (sic). It only happened in one spot, and only when the girls were there. After a few days it stopped.

In 1892, Oliver Hardy was born.
In 1904, Cary Grant was born.
In 1913, Danny Kaye was born.
In 1932, Robert Anton Wilson was born.

In 1943, Soviet officials announced that they had broken the Nazi-led siege of Leningrad (started Sept. 8, 1941- some 900 days!).

In 1964, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” entered the Billboard pop chart at #45, marking the entrance of The Beatles to the U.S. market. It would be at #1 by the end of the month.

A letter to Obama that I wish I could co-sign (a bit long, but worth it). I'm optimistic, but not foolish.

Just keep swimming

2009-01-16T05:00:00.002-08:00

Today is the Sixteenth of January. On this day in 1547, Ivan Grozny ('the Terrible;' the IVth Ivan) proclaimed himself first Tsar of Russia.

In 1605, the first edition of Book One of Don Quixote was published.

It's been a long eight years. I still get apoplectic when I think about the 2000 selection, ferchrissake. It's been a long eight years, and that's all I'm going to say about it, right now.

I'll breathe more easily after the inauguration. I've felt like I was in limbo since the first of the month. Sure, you're thinking "whoaa, he's taking this all way too seriously," and maybe you're right, but I've just got a lot of (metaphorical) balls in the air right now (juggling balls -get your head out of the bed, sheesh), and I'm waiting to see which ones come down first. Of course I'm optimistic about the new administration and the new congress, but I'm also optimistic about the projects I've got going, and their prospects in the new year and the phoenix of our economy.

News is on hold.

2009-01-14T07:21:00.004-08:00

Today is the Fifteenth of January. As far as I'm concerned, the news is on hold until some time next week. Citibank breaking up to better face the crumbling economy, you say? My retort, complete with my fingers in my ears:

"LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU...."

I know that a new administration won't turn the economy around overnight. I know that a President Obama won't instantly restore bankers' faith in borrowers, and that even with a Democratic-controlled Congress, real legislative change will not be coming in a hurry...

but...

I do know that the mere presence of a good leader can do a lot for morale. And further, I know that morale is very closely related to faith, and to confidence. Faith (that cash will once again flow) and confidence (on the part of banks, regarding their clients' ability to pay them back in a timely manner, as well as confidence in our leadership) are at the core of our economic difficulties right now.

More importantly in the short term, though, is the sense of optimism and possibility that Obama seems to signify to so many. That hope and optimism will start to show, almost immediately. It will be the first sign of the Big Thaw.

It will start out subliminal: maybe a little more courtesy between strangers, a little more patience on the roads. Maybe tithing will go up. I suspect that bars, restaurants and grocery stores will feel it first, as the most-common-denominators of our culture. That money- a significant amount of it in the form of cash tips-- will spread out into the wider mercantile culture and stimulate other businesses. Bigger changes will have to be helped along from above: banks will need to free up credit for businesses so those businesses can expand their payrolls again, but that will happen as sales go up again. Good, healthy changes are on the way. I can feel it.

And- oh this is the best part-- the Rule of Law might just prevail again. I say "might," because I'm almost afraid to hope, for fear of disappointment. It is the government, after all.

And yeah, I know I said the news is on hold, but this caught my attention, and it seems like it could develop into something important. It always seems just a bit strange when a denial precedes the accusation.

Whatever else happens, we still have to cope with our national shame: a legacy of torture.

On this day in 1919, a "tidal wave" of two-and-a-half million gallons of molasses killed 21 people in Boston.

Recent British UFO flap, condensed version

Remarkably similar events reported in Indonesia and Argentina

V-shaped craft low flying over Chicago

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale...

2009-01-09T04:53:00.003-08:00

Oh geez, it's already the Ninth of January. On this day in 1683, Charles II set aside the day for the ceremony of Touching for the King's Evil (a sort of scrofula, or suppurating tumour), so called from a notion prevailing from the reign of Edward the Confessor that it could be cured by the royal touch.

In 1905, some 200,000 Russians rallied behind Father Georgiy Gapon to present their grievances to Tsar Nikolas II. Troops on the scene panicked and fired into the crowd, igniting the 1905 revolution which broke the Tsar’s hold on power. He consented to the adoption of a constitution, and election of a Duma to advise him. (Julian calendar date).

In 1935, Bob Denver was born. I had a strange and unflagging fascination with Gilligan's Island as a kid. I had more than one dream in which I was Gilligan on the show. And I never dreamed about any other TV show. Can you say, "fixation"? Maybe the island setting reminded me of Montserrat (we didn't live in grass huts or sleep in hammocks though). Maybe it just appealed to my radical jungle hippie, back-to-nature, almost-anarcho-primitivist freaky style, I don't know. I still sing snippets of their "Hamlet," as set to "Carmen." To myself, of course. ...Neither a borrower nor a lender be/ Do not forget- stay out of debt...

Sign of the times?
More on it here, and a more prosaic explanation offered here. I notice there's no reportage on the condition of the blades; whether or not they show evidence of impact. Watch the video though, and tell me what you think. Also, my knowledge of geography of the UK is somewhat limited- but is this related?

...There's just one other thing/
You ought to do-/
To thine own self be true!

Distaff day

2009-01-07T08:37:00.002-08:00

Today is 7 January (already!?). It's Distaff day: Get back to work, woman! Traditional day in many European cultures on which women get back to “women’s work” after the Yule festivities.

In 1598, Fyodor I of Russia died. Fyodor was the only surviving son of Ivan IV ('the Terrible'), and was -well-- an imbecile. It's an interesting date because Boris Godunov, who had been acting as Regent since Ivan's death, took this opportunity to fully assume the throne. Fyodor’s only son Dmitri had died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1591; when Fyodor himself died, Boris took the throne until his death in 1605. Godunov's 16-year old son then assumed the throne as Fyodor II, but was imprisoned and murdered six months later by representatives of someone who fashioned himself Dmitri Fyodorovich (son of Fyodor I). He lasted six months before the Boyars killed him too. Welcome to the Time of Troubles. Maybe the W years weren't so bad....

In 1899, Francis Poulenc was born.

In 1904, the distress signal “CQD” was established. Two years later, it would be replaced by “SOS.”

Put out the light.

2009-01-06T04:59:00.003-08:00

Today is 6 January. Rastas celebrate Haille Sellasie’s birthday today, though it's not actually his birthday (reminds one a bit of Christmas, no?).

In 1883, Khalil Gibran was born.

In 1915, Alan Watts was born.

In 1919, Teddy Roosevelt died. His last words: “Put out the light.”

In more current news:
The truth about snowmen
The truth about pirates

White knot?

2009-01-04T05:59:00.003-08:00

As my friend Kevin would say, it's a meaningless gesture, but hey- can't hurt, right?
Go ahead, tie one on.

Insert pun here

2009-01-02T17:39:00.006-08:00

Dead Soles? Of course I had to say something. Forget the rains of frogs and fish and corn and what-not: this is the best Fortean event, ever. No one knows where they came from. Apparently no one saw them fall? Who would load a truck up with used shoes, anyway? I wonder if they were in pairs. I wonder if any of them belong to any of those feet that keep washing up on the shores of British Columbia? Wrong ocean, I know, but when you're dealing with events like this, can you really rule anything out?

Yellowstone

2008-12-30T07:07:00.002-08:00

Today is the Thirtieth of December. On this day in 1865, Rudyard Kipling was born.

In 1922, the USSR was formed.

In 1978, two large geese prevented customers from entering the Birdhouse Inn in Edinburgh. After they had chased away customers all morning, the manager was able to lure them into a van with cheese sandwiches.

It's probably nothing, but still- Yellowstone caldera is a real hot spot. When it goes up, as it will at some point-- it's going to be big.

Elephants in the room

2008-12-29T06:40:00.003-08:00

Today is the Twenty-ninth of December. I can feel the days getting longer, already. On this day in 1852, Emma Snodgrass was arrested in Boston for wearing pants.

And in 1936, Mary Tyler Moore was born.

Interesting idea here. Not entirely sure I agree, but by the same token, I'm not entirely convinced that it couldn't (or won't) happen. After all, no one took seriously the possibility that the USSR could collapse, in 1988. The part I really don't agree with, is Panarin's assertion of foreign control over what's left. Cute, maybe even quaint, but Canada's history hardly suggests a future as a colonial power, and Mexican control of Texas is -well, at this point, laughable. Mexico can't even control Tijuana, not to mention Chihuahua, or Chiapas.

Still, how might this come to pass? Panarin offers some theories, but one thing he doesn't consider is the impending water crisis. The entire southwest quarter of the United States is problematic in this sense: it is a desert by any standard, populated relatively densely by people who are very fond of green lawns (which need a lot of water) and swimming pools. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix... all of these major urban centers get their water from the Colorado River. At one time the largest river west of the Rockies, the Colorado River is now so diverted for agricultural, industrial and personal use that it no longer reaches the sea. In some sense, we have reached its limit -our limit. Any further growth in the region now is tentative and completely reliant on borrowed time. We're looking at a future water bubble, and the inevitable crash is not going to be strictly financial. There will be blood. Right here in river city.

But it's a big world, and we don't exist in a vacuum. What happens in Africa, Iceland, the Caucasus, the Carribbean, and the Hindu Kush, is going to have a big effect on what happens in the U.S. over the next couple of years. China is already heavily invested in Africa, and is increasing its presence in South- and Central America- oil and agriculture weigh heavy on Chinese minds these days as its population begins to exceed its ability to provide for itself (nascent colonialism). Canada is building multiple new naval bases on their Arctic coastline. An independent Greenland (with reserves of both petroleum and fresh water) would change the political dynamic of the Arctic, Europe, and NATO alike.

It may be a big world, but resources are limited. Populations are generally not inclined to limit themselves passively, and we all need the same things, so heightened conflict is coming. The only question is, when?

If it's possible to avert this scenario, it will be through slow and natural population reduction. Homosexuality is the answer: we don't make babies. And yes, I'm a recruiter. Sign up now!

Happy winter!

2008-12-28T06:11:00.003-08:00

Today is the Twenty-eighth of December. On this day in 1832, Vice President John Calhoun resigned, due to difficulties with the President, Andrew Jackson.

In 1849, M. Jean Baptiste Jolly discovered dry-cleaning with a little help from his maid, when she spilled a mixture of turpentine and oil on his dirty clothes and he noticed a cleaning effect.

In 1869, William Semple filed the first patent application for chewing gum, though he didn't invent it.

In 1889, F.W. Murnau was born.

In 1895, the Lumiere brothers had their first paying audience for their motion pictures, at the Grand Café.

I may never fly again. Right before the storms hit here, I rode the train down to San Jose to see my friend John. He had offered to give me his old car if I could drive it home, so off I went. It was a great excuse to get away and see a good friend.

But as I said, I may never fly again. Riding on the train was a blast. From the very beginning it was nice: even the architecture of the train station was comforting somehow- details to take in everywhere, so unlike airport architecture (designed to keep you looking straight ahead and moving along like cattle in a slaughterhouse). I stood in line for about a minute until I reached the ticket counter, where the clerk printed my ticket and directed me to another queue. This one was a long one; I expected to be waiting there for an hour, but it moved quickly and within ten minutes I was crossing the tracks to my train, seat number in hand.

If you haven't ridden on an Amtrak train, they might surprise you. Seating is very roomy- I'm not sure I could have reached the seat in front of mine with my feet, while sitting down. Lots of room overhead. The bathrooms were spacious too. And unlike the Balkan Express, Amtrak trains have running, potable water on board. Not to mention a dining car AND a snack bar. With beer and wine!

Not enough room in your seat? Or maybe you don't like who you're sitting next to? Take a walk to to the lounge car- big huge windows, and even roomier seats -these facing out so you can take in the scenery without turning your head. It's like a moving coffee house (coffee available downstairs in the snack bar). One guy was just sitting there, sketching other passengers and giving them the sketches.

Never mind that it took 19 hours. It was 19 pleasant, effortless hours during which I didn't have to worry about airport security, getting bumped to another flight, missing my flight because my connecting flight was late or canceled, losing my luggage, losing my lunch due to turbulence, outrageous ticket prices, confusing airport design, being treated like livestock, not making it off the runway or tumbling out of the sky. Or even getting uncomfortable in my seat, because you can walk around the train all you want.

And it was only a little late getting in to San Jose.

John and I had a great time; it has been way too long since we got to really hang out. We drove in to San Francisco after he showed me their house. We had a little lunch in the Castro district, then explored a little more before we found the park where the hang-gliders play. We poked around there for a few minutes, met an older guy who answered some questions we had, before one guy strapped his glider on and walked up to the edge of the cliff. I guess the wind that day wasn't ideal, so he stood there for a few minutes gauging it, flexing his knees, and then he just started running toward the edge of the cliff. Step, step, step ...then he was flying, right there. I think it might have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen a human do. To this day, I don't have the words to describe it. I'm not sure I could do it myself, but I'd love to watch again. Incredible.

We drove across the Golden Gate with the top down. It was a little chilly, but very sunny in the city, so that was great.

He even got me to play a video game, believe it or not. Yes, I played "rock band," and I have to admit, it was really fun. I did not know how social and interactive a video game could be; now I'm perhaps not quite so anti as I was. Don't get your panties in a bunch though- I'm not running out to buy a Wii or anything, and my (nearly antique) GameBoy Advance (or whatever it's called) is still packed away safely, and not going anywhere, haha.

I had to leave the next morning, ready or not. John had work to do (and a volunteer art-teaching gig at his daughters' school), and I had to get home in time to meet Jeremy at the Portland airport. Storms were hitting the Oregon-Washington coast as I left San Jose, so I knew that the trip home might be tricky. Reports from northern California/southern Oregon said lots of snow, so I ended up buying tire cables in some little town just south of the mountains in California.

I drove in to the mountains expecting the worst, though the weather in the valley was clear and relatively warm. Turns out, it stayed that way well into the mountains- clear skies, and though there was a lot of snow on the ground, there was almost none on the road. Until Oregon, anyway.

Almost as soon as I crossed the border, the weather turned, but it didn't get really bad until I passed Salem or so. After that, the roads started to get snowy and icy, but the main issue was traffic. I hadn't thought about it before, but I realized that I-5 is the only north-south corridor west of the Rockies and north of Sacramento, so everybody driving north in Oregon was on I-5 at the same time, and I think they were all rushing to get home to Portland. More than even the snowy mountain roads, that part of I-5 was the part that made me think I might not make it home.

But I thought about Phil, and Kava and Socrates and even Raoul; I imagined myself pulling up to the house and unlocking the front door, and soon enough, there I was. It might have been the happiest solstice ever.

Thawing, melting

2008-12-26T05:13:00.002-08:00

Today is the Twenty-sixth of December. Forget Boxing Day-- Wren Day sounds more fun, and Junkanoo might be even more fun than that.

In 1791, Charles Babbage was born.

In 1893, Mao Tse Tung was born.

In 1921, Steve Allen was born.

In 2004, a tsunami was caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. Over 200,000 people were killed.

Blood diamonds; blood gadgets. The cost of that convenience may turn out to be the existence of wild gorillas. Doesn't seem worth it, to me.

So this is christmas

2008-12-25T04:54:00.002-08:00

It's the Twenty-fifth of December. Christmas was first celebrated on this day in 354 CE (common era). No, it's not Jesus's birthday.

It is Humphrey Bogart's birthday, though (1899, and note the great portrait by Yousuf Karsh on the Wiki page), as well as that of Rod Serling (1924), Carlos Castaneda (1925), and Jimmy Buffet (1946).

In 1776, Gen. George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River, to win an engagement against Hessian troops.

In 1868, Andrew Jackson granted unconditional pardons to all persons involved in the “southern rebellion.”

Richard Starkey got his first drum kit on this day in 1959.

In 1985, James McDonnel of NYC returned home after 15 years, having been believed dead for at least seven. His fugue started in 1971 after two car accidents: he complained of a headache, went for a walk, and did not return. He found himself in a Philadelphia street, knowing only that his name was James, and took the name 'Peters' off a nearby store sign. On Christmas Eve in 1985 he bumped his head, his memory returned, and he looked up his wife's name in the phone book. She, luckily, was still living in the same house.

In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. The USSR would dissolve the next day.

I hope you enjoy your holiday.

Night of the Radishes!

2008-12-23T07:37:00.003-08:00

Today is the Twenty-third of December. Night of the Radishes!

In 1908, portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh was born. See some of his brilliance here.

In 1980 a Saudi Arabian Tristar flying from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan had a hole blown in it by a retracted wheel exploding, and the sudden decompression sucked out two children, Samina, 10, and Ahmed, six. An immediate search was made for them with no result. Three years later, a Pakistani visiting a small Saudi port met the two children, who had been found floating in the sea by a fisherman who thought they were a gift form God and cared for them. The Saudi authorities were alerted about the children, but the fisherman and his charges had moved on.

Politics and small aircraft mix like oil and water. Maybe more like oil and fire.

Melissa Etheridge meets Rick Warren. Good news. Good readin'! This is still a bit troublesome, but I'm now willing and prepared to listen to his explanation.

Benny the Rat: Church needs money. Keep making babies!
Me: Homosexuality is part of the ecology of man. There are simply too many of us already- the human population on Earth is unsustainable, and homosexuality is a natural, ecological response. We don't reproduce.

I know this sounds foolish, but I had cash to spare right now, I'd consider stock in Ford. Call it a hunch, I dunno, but it's cheap, and my hunch says Ford isn't done yet. I've been right before, you know.

Jesusism and the cult of human sacrifice

2008-12-22T05:19:00.007-08:00

Today is the Twenty-second of December. I have returned from my mission. It was an adventure (meaning, I thought I might die. It's not a real Adventure until you think you might not make it through).

On this day in 1849, the execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky was cancelled at the very last second (that would count as an adventure, yes). Some sources suggest that this was a mock execution, designed to scare the proto-revolutionaries, but the Tsar (Nicholas I) was known to be prone to paranoia and autocratic whims.

In 1990, Lech Walesa was sworn in as President of Poland.

Paul Krugman steps up to the plate, to answer my question about the difference between Madoff's crime and the economy at large. Thanks, Professor! (Quick answer: there is no difference. I was right!)

If you're wondering how I feel about Obama's choice of pastors to swear him in to office: yeah, I was a little miffed. Warren is a homophobe, plain and simple. Caring for gay people in order to change them, is homophobic. Caring for gay people because you think you're supposed to care for 'the unfortunate' is not only homophobic, but self-righteous and prideful.

But...

As the President-Elect has said, America is a country of opinions, and we should be boisterous with them. Warren is entitled to his opinion, however much it might contradict his supposed religious beliefs. Obama is assembling a 'cabinet of rivals,' a group of advisors who openly disagree, not only with Obama but also each other. Why, then, shouldn't he pick a pastor with whom he disagrees on a point or two?

I suppose my problem with it, is that Obama himself doesn't openly support my side in the present civil rights struggle. Mr. President-Elect, what part of "separate but equal" don't you understand here?

To my Christian friends: best to stop reading here today, unless you're extremely open-minded. Skip to the green stuff at the end. I am not implicating you in anything written below; what follows is a critique of modern, contemporary religiosity, and not your personal beliefs and practices. I do not believe that any of my friends practice or condone human sacrifice. But I do know that contemporary Christian parents have been known to try to kill their children in the name of God. It happens, and this is why.

Christianity is digging its own grave, while money-grubbing and power-hungry charlatans are taking over the pulpit. Rev. Warren: as far as anyone knows, Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Jesus never said anything about caring for the less fortunate but only if they try to be more like you. In fact, I think he said something like "judge not, lest ye be judged," right? Hmm.

Today's 'christianity' has nothing to do with Jesus except fetishizing his image, which is why I call it 'Christianism,' or 'Jesusism.' Didn't Jesus throw the moneychangers out of the Temple? Didn't Jesus tell you to pray privately? Didn't Jesus preach tolerance and acceptance? Jesus never said "go worship me in a stadium every sunday and fork over the cash." No, he said "do it like I do," which is to say (being Jewish himself): don't work on Saturday, and quietly observe the (Jewish) holy days. Not Christmas, not Easter: Passover, Rosh Hashana. Maybe even Hanukkah. But never his own birth, and certainly not his own death.

How positively ghoulish.

The "God" of the Old Testament is a bloodthirsty monster. The "God" of the New Testament is invisible and has nothing to do with the world as we see it, unless you want to think of Him as the one who orchestrated Jesus's death, in which case he's still vengeful and bloodthirsty, and demanding human sacrifice. We're told to "worship" an image of a man being executed.

Jesus is rolling over in his grave.

All that aside, we have managed to do one good thing with this season, and that's to have turned it into a celebration of charity, the best thing we can do for each other. I hope your winter celebrations are filled with love and warmth and caring and consideration and respect for one another, whatever holiday you choose to celebrate (yes, even Christmas). May the next year be more peaceful and prosperous for us all (to the extent that we can all prosper at once).

Love!

Why is my finger twitching as I aim for the "publish post" button...?

Krampus

2008-12-17T03:38:00.002-08:00

Today is the Seventeenth of December. On this day in 1786, Karl Maria von Weber was born.

In 1903, the Wright brothers flew their unlikely contraption.

In 1977, a mystery blob of molten metal [PDF] fell at Big Lake Park, Council Bluffs, Nebraska. 'Officials' branded it a hoax, despite several reports of a 'bright trail' in the sky that night. A USAF test indicated 'it was neither meteor nor part of a space satellite'. Further blobs fell on Council Bluffs on 5 July and 10 July the following year. In the last case, firemen were called to douse a small blaze and discovered a mass of splattered metal about three feet in diameter lying in a small impact crater.

I'm leaving on a secret mission today. I'll report back on -no I can't tell you, haha!-- I'll report back later.

Anodyne

2008-12-16T03:22:00.002-08:00

Today is the Sixteenth of December. On this day in 1773, some 50-60 Sons of Liberty, dressed as Indians, dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor in defiance of the Tea Act of 1773 (which gave monopoly power to the British East India Tea Co. in the colonies). This monopoly power amounted to taxation without representation (because East India could then charge whatever it wanted, without fear of being undercut by the Dutch).

In 1811, the ground beneath New Madrid, Missouri began to shake. Tremors continued on and off until at least February of 1812, the most severe coming on February 7, later estimated to have been greater than an 8.0 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Boston, possibly even Maine. Among other startling results of this event, the Mississippi River flowed backwards for a while.

In 1916, Gregory Rasputin was killed.

In 1917, Arthur C. Clarke was born.

Rubicon

2008-12-14T14:39:00.005-08:00

Today is the Fifteenth of December. On this day in 1943, Fats Waller died. A year later, Glenn Miller was lost over the English Channel.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality is not mental illness (whew!).

In 1989 -one urban legend goes-- a huge effigy of Father Christmas was made with conscientious attention to detail for one of Tokyo's largest department stores. The staff were delighted, but got their western festivals confused. Father Christmas was put on the roof and crucified.

In 1990 members of the Truth Tabernacle Church in Burlington, North Carolina, staged a mock trial, charging 'Satan Claus' on 10 counts, including child abuse, impersonation of St Nicholas, Baal idolatry and falsification of Christ's birthday. He was found guilty and hanged in effigy.

The world is about to change dramatically, no matter the degree to which we succeed or fail to restore our hegemony after Obama takes office. The next few months are likely to be like the first few months of the Bushcheney regime, with news of radical changes to our social, foreign and economic policy coming every other day. Hopefully, this time around, those changes won't be the sort of draconian, nepotistic, fascist, self-serving changes that Bush and Dick made. Otherwise, we'll end up with more of this, and if that looks good to you, ask Greece how it feels.

Happy Days (with the Ponz)

2008-12-13T05:27:00.002-08:00

Today is the Thirteenth of December, the beginning of the Halycon Days, when kingfishers ('halycon' in Greek) nested on the calm waters and all sailors were safe. This period of tranquillity was supposed to last for two weeks.

In 1545, the Council of Trent convened.

In 1903, Italo Marcioni did not patent the ice cream cone. Rather, he patented a machine that made them.

In 1928, the clip-on tie was invented.

Keep an eye on Detroit: it is poised to become the new West Village, the new San Francisco, the new SoHo, the new Pearl District. Historically, low rent has drawn artists to certain areas (like the west village in NY, Soho in London, San Francisco in the '60s, and downtown Portland), and for this reason, I suspect Detroit could be the next big hipster city. Imagine the loft/studio space! The trick is always to beat the developers to the deal, but as I said, artists are frequently the first ones to re-colonize abandoned areas, making them habitable again by sheer force of artistic will. Meanwhile, I'm not so sure that civil war is really over: certain Southern Republican senators seem a little too eager to decimate the North's capacity for industry, not to mention the capacity of slaves -erm, I mean workers-- to stand up to the plantation owners. Erm, I mean "management." Of course. Of course.

Robots. Cool idea, scary reality? Or maybe this is evolution in process, and I'm just a backward-thinking Homo? I'll admit: some robots in some circumstances seem to be helpful. But many robots in many circumstances are not. Humans work; it's what we do, it gives our lives meaning. Robots work too, it's all they do, and they do it better, and without complaining about long hours or no overtime pay or insurance. They will take our jobs, even if some of those jobs are replaced by companies making new robots. This much is bad news for Homo sapiens. If robots make us feel threatened with obsolescence as a species or even as isolated populations, violence will result.

Breaking news: A Catholic Bishop makes sense! Seriously. What better reason to marry, than to establish some stability in your life? "Love" should be an active verb, not a noun used to signify a feeling or emotion, because feelings and emotions change of their own accord. Love actively, love urgently: let "love" be what you do, not just what you feel. And let's be clear: now more than ever before, sex is not Luv, it's just friendly affection. Get over it and have some fun.

Credit, debt, and money. Unless you function on cash alone, and keep your cash under your mattress, all you really have is credit and debt. So we all really play this big Ponzi scheme, in which we pay our debtors with credit, in the hope that we'll be able to keep the credit/debt balance in our favor until we die. Or in other words, we pay off one debtor with credit from another, just like Bernard Madoff did. Just like any other entity that plays in our economy. Madoff's mistake was that he bet on the wrong horse. So why is everyone so bent out of shape over this? Did a bunch of publishers and editors lose money here? Seriously- if you understand this differently than I do, and can explain to me how our economy is not a big Ponzi scheme, I'd love to hear it.

Hot times at the North Pole (and we're not talking global warming, for once)

2008-12-12T07:04:00.004-08:00

Today is the Twelfth of December. Catholics call it the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, because on this day in 1531, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared for the apparent benefit of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin.

It's funny- I started blogging because I found that I had to spend all day reading foreign news sources to hear anything substantial about what the Bushcheney administration was really doing. Now, though, they're even on the outs with their old lap-dogs at Fox, so the blackout on news seems to have been lifted. I really enjoyed harping on Bushcheney, too, damnit.

I'm saying this now so that you don't expect to find the same kinds of news here, after the Obama administration takes over: I started blogging to dis on Bushcheney, and to help my friends find some real news. In one sense at least, my job here is done.

In 1792, Ludwig van Beethoven took his first composition lesson from Franz Joseph Haydn.

In 1857, a ship passing St Helena on its way from Liverpool to Bombay saw what appeared to be an enormous sea serpent. The captain and senior officers noted the creature's appearance as 'a huge marine animal, which reared its head out of the water, within twenty yards of the ship...we conclude that it must have been over two hundred feet long. The boatswain and several of the crew who observed it from the top-gallant forecastle, stated that it was more than double the length of the ship, in which case it must have been five hundred feet.'

In 1863, Edvard Munch was born.

In 1939, Finland defeated the Soviet Union in the Battle of Tolvajärvi, in the Winter War.

In 2000, the Bush junta took power in the U.S. when the Supreme Court decided to hear a private citizen's complaint about a matter of Florida election law. The Court decided for Bush in Bush v. Gore, sidelining the populace and the Electoral College, instead of allowing the election to proceed.

Nice, but is it art? Could be. I mean, often when humans perform obscure, indecipherable activities for no apparent reason, other humans call it art.

Our entire economy is a Ponzi scheme. Let's back up a few steps and take a look: Credit is not money. It's a promise of money, nothing more. We borrow credit from one source to give to another- no one has any money anywhere: it's all fluid credit unless you're buying with gold coins. Who is innocent here, anymore?

This is huge. Right now, five countries have claims on the Arctic Ocean: Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the U.S. Until now, this hasn't been a big deal, but when the Northwest Passage opens up (as it will in future ice-free arctic summers), the world of shipping will change forever. Who controls the Arctic Ocean, controls trade between Europe and East Asia, because this trip will shave months (and thousands of dollars in portage fees at the Panama Canal) off a previously very long and expensive trip. Add a sixth player to the game, and the complexity of the problem increases. If this independence move doesn't go smoothly, things could get very hot in the Arctic, very soon.

Water for Elephants

2008-12-11T04:33:00.002-08:00

Today is the Eleventh of December. On this day in 1803, Hector Berlioz was born.
In 1882, Fiorello LaGuardia was born.

I've been buried in administrative work around here; it's not very exciting to talk or write about, so I haven't had much to say. When I've had a chance to break from that, I've been doing similarly unremarkable things like pruning the fruit trees, and printing cards. Lots of activity, but not much to talk about.

I did just finish a fantastic book though- Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. I'll just say it takes place mostly in the 1930s in a train circus, but is told as a flashback. The history is fascinating and vibrant, the present is crushing, and the characters spring right off the page. It'll make you gasp with surprise. It made me cry, but in the end I was crying because it ended so well. I'm now trying to steel myself enough that I can force my way through the last Harry Potter book. No, I'm not one of those who think Rowling's a good writer- frankly I think she needs a good editor, haha, but her stories and ideas are fun, even if getting through them can be a chore. Still, she's the one with seven (oops- now eight) published books under her belt, so maybe I'm not the one to be offering criticism.

I've done a good job this year of not opening too many boxes at once. By 'boxes' I mean projects, of course, and so by limiting myself, I've been able to be much more productive and organized. As a result, I'm looking back at the last couple of years and wondering what the hell I was thinking. All I can say is: Just because I forgot what I was doing ten minutes ago, doesn't mean I was finished ;)

It might look like a deficient memory to you, but I assure you, it's all there. It's just not organized conventionally.

Just the facts

2008-12-10T06:11:00.002-08:00

It's the Tenth of December. Happy birthday to the metric system! (sort of). Following a scientific conference in 1799, France adopted permanent standards for the meter and the kilogram as based on models made from platinum.
In 1822, César Franck was born.
In 1830, Emily Dickinson was born.

Ol' Brer Goat

2008-12-09T04:51:00.002-08:00

Today is the Ninth of December. In Sweden, it's Anna’s Day. Everyone named Anna is celebrated. Don’t forget to start the Lutefisk now for Christmas Eve!
In 1842, Peter Kropotkin was born.
in 1848, Joel Chandler Harris was born.
In 1872, P.B.S. Pinchback becomes Governor of Louisiana, the first African-American Governor of a U.S. state.
In 1905, Dalton Trumbo was born. He wrote one of the best books I've ever read: Johnny Got His Gun. If you haven't read it, I cannot recommend it too highly. Unlike any other book I've ever read.

Party on Earth, pass it on!

Goo goo goo joob

2008-12-08T05:05:00.003-08:00

Today is the Eighth of December. On this day in 1879, Paul Klee was born.
In 1941, Japan invaded Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines and Singapore. The U.S. Congress declared war on Japan.
In 1980, John Lennon was murdered (by a Manchurian Candidate?). Immature elements in our society have altered the Wikipedia entry on John Lennon today (harmless stuff- changing his middle name; attributing "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" to him, etc), so I'm directing you elsewhere.

We sail tonight for Singapore

2008-12-07T04:55:00.002-08:00

Don't fall asleep while we're ashore...

Today is the Seventh of December. On this day in 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States.
In 1917, the U.S. declared war on Austria-Hungary.
In 1928, Noam Chomsky was born. If you only know Chomsky on the basis of his political commentary, you're missing the big story of how he almost single-handedly changed the fields of Linguistics and Psychology in one fell swoop. Not the most stimulating writer ever, but a truly massive figure in terms of philosophy and legacy.
In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
In 1942, Harry Chapin was born.
In 1949, Tom Waits was born. Rain Dogs remains my favorite of his work, and one of my favorite recordings, ever. Check it out.

This land war in Asia that we're losing... I still don't know what the hell to make of it. Why is Afghanistan so important? Seems it's been 'important' since Alexander the Great tried (and failed) to take it. The British wanted it too (and couldn't take it). Given time, the Nazis would have tried (Hitler had suspicions about supernatural activity in the Himalayas). Lord knows the Soviets tried to control it, and we all know what happened to them. I know we're not there because of 9/11, because I know that we were staging an invasion of the country in June of 2001, three months before the event (I read about our preparations in the India Times in 2001, but can't find the link anymore -and that's to say nothing of the fact that none of the supposed hijackers were from Afghanistan, and that we were in negotiations with the Taliban government at the time). So, what are we doing there, and why are we so intent on staying? It doesn't appear to have any vitally necessary resources; it doesn't appear to be on any major trade routes; it doesn't appear to be key to any material strategy at all. This situation has the potential to break us, in the same way that it broke the Soviet Union. How difficult is it to imagine a post-United States world? It's bound to happen, some day. I'm sure Konstantin Chernenko didn't forsee the collapse of his country, when he turned the reins over to Gorbachev. This is trouble brewing, folks. Mark my words.

And speaking of brewing, I've been trying to distill my thoughts on marriage rights for a long time now. It's a very complex situation, given everyone's emotional attachments to their particular versions of Marriage, but this Newsweek article handles it well, and beat me to the punch on most of the points I'd have wanted to make. Love and respect, people: all we ask is a little love and respect.

Capitalism is bad for children. I've said it before; I'll say it again, and no, I'm not being sarcastic.

We have a President again. I know that's not news, in and of itself, but it's nice to see someone taking charge. I haven't slept this well in eight years.

What this radio really needs is a fuse...

12/6

2008-12-06T05:39:00.003-08:00

Today is the Sixth of December. On this day in 1239, Batu Khan’s Mongols swept into Kiev and burned it.
In 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified, outlawing slavery in the U.S.
In 1933, Henryk Górecki was born.
In 1964, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” first aired on TV.
In 1973, House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford (R-MI) was sworn in as Vice-President, after the resignation of Spiro Agnew.

Too much happening to write about, at home.

Day of the Ninja

2008-12-05T04:17:00.003-08:00

It's the Fifth of December: Day of the Ninja!
On this day in 1901, in presumably unrelated incidents, Walt Disney and Werner Heisenberg were born.
In 1933, the 21st amendment was ratified, repealing the 18th amendment. Prohibition was over (except in Kansas).
In 1945, Flight 19, a squadron of Navy bombers, disappeared off the coast of Florida, in what would become known as the Bermuda Triangle.

Lava Canyon

2008-12-04T04:34:00.004-08:00

Lava Canyon, Washington. This canyon was created long ago, then hidden for ...who knows how long, under a blanket of ash and mud. When St. Helens erupted in 1980, mudflows from the eruption swept through the area and cleaned out the canyon, making it visible again. No one knew it even existed until then. It's not an easy place to photograph. Challenging. Significant portions of the trail were closed when we were there last week, presumably because of winter. We'll be checking it out again this summer (the road leading to it has been closed since we moved here, three years ago).

Today is the Fourth of December. On this day in 771, following the death of King Carloman of Austrasia, his brother Charlemagne, King of Neustria, assumed sole rulership of what became the Frankish Empire.

In 1866, Vassily Kandinski was born.

Flat Stanley goes to Voodoo Doughnuts

2008-12-03T07:06:00.003-08:00

Flat Stanley loves Voodoo Doughnuts (official site here).

Today is the Third of December. On this day in 1803, Hector Berlioz was born.
In 1857, Joseph Conrad was born.
In 1883, Anton von Webern was born.
In 1961, Julianne Moore was born.

chemistry

2008-11-29T19:31:00.005-08:00

Today is the Second of December. Happy St. Bibiana's day! It's also Georges Seurat's birthday (1859).

Blow up your TV.

2,700 year old stash http://www.torontosun.com/news/weird/2008/11/27/7557641.html

More natural than alcohol; more natural than corn ferchrissakes*. And no, it doesn't kill brain cells; it actually helps make them.

The closest wild relative of modern maize is "too small and hard to obtain to be eaten directly, as each kernel is enclosed in a very hard bi-valve shell" (wikipedia).

It's NOT a 'bailout,'

2008-11-19T14:17:00.002-08:00

it's a loan. The domestic auto industry is asking for a commercial loan, and make no mistake about this: it is essential for the short- and long-term health of our country and its economy.

If we were in better times, I might agree that we could let the industry fail, so that the workers might seek employment in other, newer, greener industries. But there are a few problems with that scenario:
1) Times are hard already. There are no other jobs for those millions who work in and support the auto industry (machinists, assembly-line workers, engineers, management, sales staffs in every small town in the country, parts manufacturers, etc). And not only are there no jobs, there is no viable social support network left after eight years of Bushcheney mismanagement. Most of those people are living paycheck-to-paycheck already.
2) Other jobs aren't there for them because these new greener industries haven't been given infrastructure support from government, for the simple reason that we've given all of that infrastructural support to the auto industry for the past eighty years or so. It would be great if all those people could find work making and selling wind turbines, or in recycling, or green energy, but let's face it: there are simply not enough jobs in those industries to go around. Yet, anyway: maybe if our government started showing some long-term support for such industries, this would change, but that's not something we can bank on in the short term. And here, the short term matters. Should these millions of workers suddenly find themselves out of work, it won't be long before they'll be unable to feed themselves and their families, and soon enough they'll be on the street, unable to care for even a common cold. It's not hard to imagine the impact of a potential flu epidemic on a situation like that. Not hard to imagine, but terrifying all the same. Remember 1918.
3) A collapse of our auto industry will affect every corner of the country, no matter how remote. Nearly every town in this country has a car dealership, not to mention automotive supply stores. Every state in this country depends desperately on taxes from new vehicles and vehicle sales. Unemployment will go through the roof, everywhere, while tax revenue will dwindle. That of course means a rise in demand for government support exactly when the government will be least able to provide it.

No one -I repeat: no one- would be served well by letting this industry fail. Don't get me wrong: I'm no fan of cars or big industry. But the magnitude of the short-term disaster would be such that we as a country might never recover. Millions of jobs will be lost. Millions of families will be affected- losing their health care, their health, their homes, their sense of well-being. These CEOs are not asking for a handout. They're not looking for free money. They're asking for a loan, something they can pay back (like Chrysler did, and quite unlike AIG or Goldman-Sachs ever will). How can we deny them that?

Moral compass?

2008-11-14T06:55:00.002-08:00

Branch of the Seine near Giverny, Claude Monet, 1897.

On this day in 1263, Aleksandr Nevsky died.

In 1840, Claude Monet was born.

In 1900, Aaron Copland was born.

In 1919, according to the Fortean Times, an inquest in Shoreditch, London, established that a needle had been found in the heart of Rosina Newton, aged 13 months. 'There was no skin wound to show where it had entered the body.' The parents had no recollection of any injury to her.

c'est la vie

2008-11-12T05:01:00.006-08:00

On this day in 1381, The Order of Fools was established by Adolphus, Count of Cleves. For centuries the members, mostly from the Flemish upper classes, held a week-long grand court every year and planned acts of charity. They wore the figure of a fool or jester embroidered on their mantles. The last reference to the Order is in some verses appended to Sebastian Brand's celebrated Navis Stultifera (Ship of Fools), published in Strasbourg in 1520.

In 1833, Aleksander Borodin was born.

In 1859, Jules Leotard performed the first Flying Trapeze act.

Smile

2008-10-30T06:12:00.003-07:00

I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it.
-- Voltaire

Ridiculous enough yet?
How about this?

Who is Ted Stevens?

Don't forget to vote. Vote early if you can- avoid the rush.

Going down.

Disturbing. Oy vey... first we ignored them and let them be raised by television and video games, then we relegated them to anonymous slots in over-crowded, under-funded classrooms, then sent them out into an economy that neither had enough jobs for all of them, nor paid them a living wage. So then we trained them to kill while telling them they were being trained as peacekeepers, then sent them to where they were utterly unwelcome and greeted with hostility, ...and now they're home. I'm horrified, but not entirely surprised at what's happening.

Here's the deal: we are all human, and we all need a little love. Maybe I'm being simple-minded, but people only act anti-socially when they feel excluded. Maybe I'm being naive, but it seems to me that -more than anything else-- these people need to remember that we're all human, and most importantly, all in this together. Reach out to someone who's not expecting it, today.

Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant? Um... I've always been a purist, as far as group identities go: minor changes in the lineup of small combos make for major differences. I suppose I see such bands as entities in and of themselves: Pink Floyd without Roger Waters is like watching a headless zombie: you have to admire how it moves, but it doesn't say anything worth listening to. Imagine the Beatles without John Lennon --what?? The Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger? Queen without Freddie Mercury? It's just not the same- it'd be like ...well, it'd be like listening to Van Hagar. I mean, why bother?

Like father, like son?

2008-10-29T09:22:00.003-07:00

Rather, like mother, like daughter. Though it does remind me of W's foreign policy...

The bubble to end all bubbles.

When I find I'm not as eloquent as my thoughts and ideas demand, I remain quiet.

On this day in 1787, “Don Giovanni” premiered in Prague. In 1884, Bela Lugosi was born. In 1923, Turkey became a republic, with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as its founder and first President. In 1929, this was Black Tuesday, the worst day of 1929's stock market crash. In 1969, the first-ever computer-to-computer link was established via ARPANET.

Lollipops and moonbeams

2008-10-27T04:36:00.004-07:00

Our economy, our entire material culture really, is a tower with a roof of solid gold, built on a foundation of balloons and soap bubbles. Now we're supposed to be surprised that it's collapsing.

You probably don't remember this, but for years and years and years, nobody called what happened in VietNam a war. "No no," they'd say. "It wasn't a war, it couldn't be; America doesn't lose wars." No, it was just a conflict. The VietNam Conflict. Isn't that nice? Nice.

I wonder when we'll stop calling this mess in Iraq a "war"? We're not winning anything there, and we never will, because of course it's not a war, it's an occupation.

Why didn't we call our engagement in SE Asia a 'war'? Lots of reasons: we had just recently fought a real war with real enemies (WWII) and the pain of loss was still tangible; we were still mired down in Korea (that other 'conflict'); we had just suffered a series of horrible tragedies (all the assassinations of the '60's- JFK, MLK, RFK, Malcolm X, plus the attempts on George Wallace and others); ...but primarily because it just wasn't war, and we knew it. It was an occupation, plain and simple (and that's what all those Hippie protests were about- not anti-war: anti-occupation).

On this day in 1838, in response to what he termed "open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon the people of this State,” Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs declared that “... the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description." This came three days after disaffected church leaders Thomas Marsh and Orson Hyde attested in an affidavit to Joseph Smith’s intention to conquer the world. Theodore Roosevelt was born on this day in 1858, and John Cleese was born in 1939.

A cautionary tale

2008-10-25T11:12:00.002-07:00

Where your $700 billion in bailout money is going:
banker's pockets
other bankers' pockets
And not at all to where we need it.

This is a fun one- I laughed out loud. Just scroll over elements and click on them ...you know the routine.

And this is just ...interesting. And I mean really interesting.

Today is St. Crispin’s Day. Saint Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers! *cough*

In 1825, Johann Strauss II -the Waltz King- was born.

In 1838, Georges Bizet was born.

In 1881, Pablo Picasso was born.

In 1917, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky seized power in Moscow, from the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky, who had assumed power in July, indirectly following the abdication of Nicholas II in March. Nicholas turned power over to his brother Michael, but even as early as the 1905 uprising, all hope for the ruling Romanovs was lost. Michael hoped to hold an election, with “universal suffrage,” in which he would be elected leader of Russia, but the dice had been rolled long before. Historians differ as to whether Michael was ever actually Tsar. If he was, it would have been for only a day.

In 2002, Senator Paul Wellstone was killed under mysterious circumstances in the midst of a hotly contested election.

In 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney was revealed to have been the leak of Top Secret information regarding the identity of deep-cover CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Our country is ill.

2008-10-24T05:15:00.002-07:00

It has cancer.

Is this what 'victory in Iraq' looks like? 'Coz it looks an awful lot like ignominious defeat, to me. Or maybe more like a dog running away from a fight with his tail between his legs.

From the New York Times:

As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.

Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation’s problems.

In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.

Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain’s campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.

Read the rest of that here.

Another intelligent conservative endorses Obama

Maybe, finally, a step in the right direction for the economy?

And some fun video:
Jon Stewart on Republican divisiveness
Ron Howard shows his stripes
The ultimate (un-)endorsement

On this day in 1260, Chartres Cathedral was dedicated.

In 1929, George Crumb was born. Economists call it "Black Thursday," but not because of Crumb; they wouldn't have heard his weird music yet.

In 1945, the UN was born.

Priceless

2008-10-23T07:05:00.002-07:00

Oh yeah, Reagan "won" the cold war. What's all this, then?

This kinda bothers me. How is it going to be helpful to erase memory? What will that do to the lessons learned from the experience? "This occurred without impacting the animal's ability to recall any other memories, the scientists say." How do they know? Did they ask the mouse? How would it know what it didn't remember? This is not only dumb science, it's dangerous: more like tinkering with your calculator to see what it'll do when you drag a screwdriver across the circuits than anything actually resembling Science, or intellectual analysis. The brain is not a toy. Not even a mouse's brain. Respect, people: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect consciousness in all its forms.

In 1752, Nicolas Appert was born. He would live to invent the bouillon cube, and develop a new method of storing food, in cans.

In 1940, Pele was born. 1,281 goals in 22 years of soccer.

In 1958, Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced the Smurfs.

In 1959, “Weird Al” Yankovic was born.

In 1998, Swatch Internet Time was introduced.

Apples

2008-10-22T09:32:00.002-07:00

Warm wishes to the Senator's grandmother and family.

Al-Qaeda endorses McCain while Ben Bernanke goes with Obama

Alaska funded Palin kids' travels

Keith Olbermann on fire

REPUBLICAN voter fraud ...the only kind anyone can find.

On this day in 4004 bce, at 6pm, God created the Heavens and the Earth, according to Bishop James Ussher.* Creation began at nightfall, around 6pm, but wasn’t official until the next day, a Sunday, natch. And in 1811, Franz Liszt was born.

We have apples coming out of our ears. These trees are dropping apples the size of volleyballs (well ok, not really volleyballs, but easily the size of croquet balls). I did not know apples would get that big. They do! We've tried two apple pie recipes so far, and made more applesauce than either of us thought we would eat (but we did, already). Admittedly, most of them have a bug or two, and a lot get nibbled by critters before we can get to them, but that still leaves us a LOT of apples to deal with. The city picks up yard waste every other week in a 60-gallon barrel- we've filled ours probably six times this summer, it's full now, and there are probably another 20 gallons of apples on the ground, and that's to say nothing of the big bucket of good apples I've picked that are just waiting to be made into something. I had been thinking that we might want to spray the trees for bugs next year, but now I'm almost afraid of getting more apples than we could even get rid of. As Phil said- at least they're not hedgeapples! Mmmm hedgeapplesauce....

No, still no pics of the new work yet: I've been busy takin care of more urgent business. Soon though, soon. I'm working on it!

El Dia de la Nacho

2008-10-21T08:01:00.003-07:00

Feast day of Saints Hilarion and Ursula (and her 11[000?] virgins).

International Day of the Nacho (U.S. and Mexico).

In 1760, Katsushika Hokusai (printmaker: “Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji”) was born.

In 1772, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (“Kubla Khan,” “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”) was born.

In 1805, Vice Adm. Horatio Nelson, leading the British fleet, defeated a French-Spanish alliance at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson was injured, but just lived to see the end of the battle, after which his crew preserved his body in rum.

In 1917, John B. “Dizzy” Gillespie was born.

I had the privilege of seeing Dizzy play once, in a park near 12th and Vine streets in downtown Kansas City. He had probably played in clubs within blocks of there, fifty years earlier when it was still the heart of the city (the neighborhood was just beginning a renaissance at the time I saw Diz). He walked slowly; you could tell the stairs to the stage weren't easy, but once he got up there, he smiled and lit up like a firework. It was a great time.

I'm still working on shooting my recent work. It's hard to do without proper lights!

You deserve a break

2008-10-20T08:52:00.003-07:00

So, no political news today.

Horse stuck in a tree. No kidding.

You got yer Neolithic, and yer Paleolithic, and then you got yer stone age...

On this day in 1890, Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton was born. In 1973, President Nixon, in a last-ditch, selfish attempt to save himself from exposure to “the whole Bay of Pigs thing,” that the Watergate investigation threatened to reveal, overstepped his reach and ordered the dismissal of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Ruckleshaus resigned in protest. Solicitor General Robert Bork later did the dirty work. This was the Saturday Night Massacre.

Coming up

2008-10-18T17:13:00.003-07:00

Why do scandinavian countries have smaller prison populations?

On this day in 1973, helicopter pilot Laurence Coyne and three crew noticed a bright red light that seemed to be pacing them. Then a cigar-shaped metallic grey object with a red light in the 'nose' hovered in front of them. From the bottom emanated a green beam which suddenly filled the cockpit with green light. Then the object shot off and made a 45 degree change of course. The sighting had lasted about five minutes, and the object had appeared on the radar screens at Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

Let the sun shine in

2008-10-17T06:11:00.003-07:00

About this Acorn thing.

Look for pics of some of my recent work tomorrow. I've been having some fun, playing in my scrap pile. I guess that means I need to shoot some pics today, though. I'll do that while the bread is rising. At some point, I have to climb up onto the roof and take a branch off the neighbor's walnut tree which is rubbing on our eaves.

We made a bunch of applesauce and a beautiful apple pie the other day. Yum! This year's garden was a bit of a dud, so it's been nice to have some produce come in. I hope next year's garden is half as productive as these apple trees have been: we'll be swimming in veggies! I've already gathered enough apples (in the three days since we baked the pie) to make as much applesauce again, and two more pies. We almost have to use them, too, because the yard-waste bin is full already (with bad apples and trimmage from some out-of-control shrubbery) and doesn't get picked up again for another week. Having found some plans online, I hope to build a small cider press next year. In the meantime, I expect to spend at least half the winter pruning the trees into a more manageable shape.

A major, major redesign of masteristvan.com is underway as we speak. It's finally in the hands of a professional. I have no idea what to expect, aside from something better/more functional/more accessible than I have now. I'm excited! Not only is it exciting to have the benefit of someone else's point of view; it's one less job I have to worry about doing by myself. She even understands marketing. Hallelujah!
Time for a new hobby!? HAHAHAHAA

On this day in 1931, Al Capone was convicted of two counts of tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years in prison. In an unrelated incident, Arthur Miller celebrated his 16th birthday.

And in 1967, "Hair" opened in an off-Broadway theater.

Un-FOX news

2008-10-13T03:59:00.005-07:00

Palin revels in her popularity among the base

Judge sez "Not so fast, Gov'nor, there's some unfinished business here..."

The Republican Legacy, or, How Trickle-Down Economic Theory Came Home To Roost
Lower federal tax rates lead to higher local tax rates, because the money's got to come from somewhere. Just because Congress or some President says we can pay less, doesn't mean it costs less to make roads, move your garbage, provide clean water, police your street, protect your house from fire, protect your children from avaricious capitalist thugs, or insure your bank deposits. I'm so tired of harping on Reaganbushonomics. TAXES MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK. Pay your damn share already, geez.

Thomas Friedman is a hard-right Conservative, bordering on Neo-Con. So the harshness of this criticism -by him, of Sarah Palin-- is more than a little surprising. Refreshing, even.

It's Grover the muppet's birthday today. Happy birthday, Grover!

On this day in 1066, Saxon King Harold took an arrow in the eye, losing his life –and his kingdom- to William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings.

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, former president and the Bull Moose Party candidate, was shot at close range by anarchist John Schrank while greeting the public in front of the Hotel Gilpatrick in Milwaukee during his campaign for the presidency. He was saved by the papers in his breast pocket and still managed to give a 90 minute address in Milwaukee after requesting his audience to be quiet because “there is a bullet in my body.”

In 1930, Ethel Merman held a high “C” for sixteen bars of “I Got Rhythm,” in her Broadway debut in George Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy.”

Gonna be a bright sunshiney day

2008-10-09T06:58:00.004-07:00

On this day in 1547, Miguel de Cervantes was born.
In 1813, Guiseppe Verdi was born.
In 1835, Camille Saint-Saens was born.
In 1855, Joshua Stoddard patented the first calliope.
In 1919, the Chicago White Sox “lost” the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in a fix that would later become known as the Black Sox scandal: eight members of the White Sox colluded with gamblers to throw games.
In 1940, John Lennon was born.
In 1986, “Phantom of the Opera” premiered in London.

Curses!

2008-10-06T08:15:00.004-07:00

This is scary, and it has nothing to do with politics or the economy.

High roller, or crap shooter?
Answer: crap shooter.

Breakthrough in Troopergate

On this day in 1600, Jacopo Peri’s “Euridice” premiered in Florence. It is the earliest surviving opera.

Damn the torpedoes

2008-10-05T05:43:00.005-07:00

source

Is she still talking? How embarrassing.

"Somebody hurt my feelings, so I'm going to punish the country."

Sarah Six-pack or Caribou Barbie?

Letter from Wasilla

That's right, Barbie: if you're gonna pull out that lame, already-debunked BS story about Obama having possibly associated with one guy who at one point might have had ties to a supposed terrorist organization, then I'm gonna have to tell the truth about your lying, skanky, pork-barrelin' ass. And here I was, trying to be the nice guy. Silly me, and I knew I was dealing with a Republican.

Republican Rule #1: break the law whenever possible, but accuse your opponent of doing so before he can accuse you.

Republican Rule #2: act unethically whenever it benefits you (your campaign, bank account, family, etc), and accuse your opponent of doing the same before he can accuse you.

On this day in 1829 the schooner Mermaid sailed from Sydney, Australia, but sank in a storm on the fifth day out. All hands survived, and were rescued off a rock by the Swiftsure, which was itself dashed on rocks five days later. The Governor Ready rescued both crews, but caught fire and was abandoned. Everyone was rescued by the Comet which sank five days later, and all hands were rescued by the Jupiter, which struck a reef two days later. Everyone was rescued by the City of Leeds. On board was Sarah Richley, sailing from England in search for her son. 'By chance' her son was one of the crew on the Mermaid.

And also, "Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble, tres bien ensemble..."

2008-10-03T06:10:00.003-07:00

I think the only thing that worries me now, is the counting of the votes. I found Sarah's performance completely indefensible. Charming, but pathetic. Well-spoken, but ill-informed. Let's be honest: she'd make a fine talk show host, but a very poor Vice President. Frankly, what sounded like her own opinion (as opposed to the talking points she so obviously parroted, or the vapid rhetorical "folksy"crap she tossed off) did not sound at all like what we hear from McCain. I think she is so poorly informed that she thinks she's a Republican because she likes their soundbites, when in fact her views (excepting those regarding her faith) are predominantly Democratic. Democrats take care of people after all, and her idea of herself as agent of government seems to be that of Mother, "taking care of things." On the other hand, she struck me as the perfect 21st century fascist's poppet: far too willing to let herself be used to subvert the Constitution ("take care of things" like Dick Cheney does), turning the government against the people in the process.

On an entirely unrelated note (of course, of course), pay no attention to that man behind the curtain or his radiological effects.
What worries me more is the likelihood of them just hiring that job out to Halliburton.

What "maverick" really means

Are you registered to vote? Are you sure? Check, or register here. And don't forget to vote!

In 1283, Prince Dafydd ap Gruffydd, of Gwynedd in Wales, became the first notable person in recorded history to be executed by being drawn and quartered.

In 1789, George Washington declared that November 26 would be the National Thanks-giving Day.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday (then in 1941 but not on this day, at the urging of President Roosevelt, Congress moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November).

In 1955, Captain Kangaroo premiered.

And in 1973, Eddie Webb was 'buzzed' by a UFO on a highway near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In the driving mirror of his tractor-trailer rig he saw the rapid approach of a silvery, spinning, humming, 'turnip-shaped' thing 30 feet in diameter, which shone a beam of light at his rear wheel. Looking out his window, he was blinded by the beam. He was hospitalized for a week, and afterwards started legal proceedings to get workman's compensation, but couldn't prove the legal existence of the UFO.

Mike's Rescue Plan

2008-10-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Here's How to Fix the Wall Street Mess

By Michael Moore

Friends,

The richest 400 Americans -- that's right, just four hundred people -- own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400 rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion -- the same amount that they are now demanding we give to them for the "bailout." Why don't they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They'd still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves!

Of course, they are not going to do that -- at least not voluntarily. George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not his, he did what the rich prefer to do -- spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt. Why on earth would we even think of giving these robber barons any more of our money?

I would like to propose my own bailout plan. My suggestions, listed below, are predicated on the singular and simple belief that the rich must pull themselves up by their own platinum bootstraps. Sorry, fellows, but you drilled it into our heads one too many times: There... is... no... free... lunch. And thank you for encouraging us to hate people on welfare! So, there will be no handouts from us to you. The Senate, tonight, is going to try to rush their version of a "bailout" bill to a vote. They must be stopped. We did it on Monday with the House, and we can do it again today with the Senate.

It is clear, though, that we cannot simply keep protesting without proposing exactly what it is we think Congress should do. So, after consulting with a number of people smarter than Phil Gramm, here is my proposal, now known as "Mike's Rescue Plan." It has 10 simple, straightforward points. They are:

1. APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO CRIMINALLY INDICT ANYONE ON WALL STREET WHO KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COLLAPSE. Before any new money is expended, Congress must commit, by resolution, to criminally prosecute anyone who had anything to do with the attempted sacking of our economy. This means that anyone who committed insider trading, securities fraud or any action that helped bring about this collapse must go to jail. This Congress must call for a Special Prosecutor who will vigorously go after everyone who created the mess, and anyone else who attempts to scam the public in the future.

2. THE RICH MUST PAY FOR THEIR OWN BAILOUT. They may have to live in 5 houses instead of 7. They may have to drive 9 cars instead of 13. The chef for their mini-terriers may have to be reassigned. But there is no way in hell, after forcing family incomes to go down more than $2,000 dollars during the Bush years, that working people and the middle class are going to fork over one dime to underwrite the next yacht purchase.

If they truly need the $700 billion they say they need, well, here is an easy way they can raise it:

a) Every couple who makes over a million dollars a year and every single taxpayer who makes over $500,000 a year will pay a 10% surcharge tax for five years. (It's the Senator Sanders plan. He's like Colonel Sanders, only he's out to fry the right chickens.) That means the rich will still be paying less income tax than when Carter was president. This will raise a total of $300 billion.

b) Like nearly every other democracy, charge a 0.25% tax on every stock transaction. This will raise more than $200 billion in a year.

c) Because every stockholder is a patriotic American, stockholders will forgo receiving a dividend check for one quarter and instead this money will go the treasury to help pay for the bailout.

d) 25% of major U.S. corporations currently pay NO federal income tax. Federal corporate tax revenues currently amount to 1.7% of the GDP compared to 5% in the 1950s. If we raise the corporate income tax back to the level of the 1950s, that gives us an extra $500 billion.

All of this combined should be enough to end the calamity. The rich will get to keep their mansions and their servants, and our United States government ("COUNTRY FIRST!") will have a little leftover to repair some roads, bridges and schools.

3. BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOMES, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BUILD AN EIGHTH HOME. There are 1.3 million homes in foreclosure right now. That is what is at the heart of this problem. So instead of giving the money to the banks as a gift, pay down each of these mortgages by $100,000. Force the banks to renegotiate the mortgage so the homeowner can pay on its current value. To insure that this help does no go to speculators and those who have tried to make money by flipping houses, this bailout is only for people's primary residence. And in return for the $100K paydown on the existing mortgage, the government gets to share in the holding of the mortgage so that it can get some of its money back. Thus, the total initial cost of fixing the mortgage crisis at its roots (instead of with the greedy lenders) is $150 billion, not $700 billion.

And let's set the record straight. People who have defaulted on their mortgages are not "bad risks." They are our fellow Americans, and all they wanted was what we all want and most of us still get: a home to call their own. But during the Bush years, millions of them lost the decent paying jobs they had. Six million fell into poverty. Seven million lost their health insurance. And every one of them saw their real wages go down by $2,000. Those who dare to look down on these Americans who got hit with one bad break after another should be ashamed. We are a better, stronger, safer and happier society when all of our citizens can afford to live in a home that they own.

4. IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GETS ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A "BAILOUT," THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that's how it's done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank "owns" that house until I pay it all back -- with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk -- and necessary for the good of the country -- then you can get a loan, but we will own you. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.

5. ALL REGULATIONS MUST BE RESTORED. THE REAGAN REVOLUTION IS DEAD. This catastrophe happened because we let the fox have the keys to the henhouse. In 1999, Phil Gramm authored a bill to remove all the regulations that governed Wall Street and our banking system. The bill passed and Clinton signed it. Here's what Sen. Phil Gramm, McCain's chief economic advisor, said at the bill signing:

"In the 1930s ... it was believed that government was the answer. It was believed that stability and growth came from government overriding the functioning of free markets.

"We are here today to repeal [that] because we have learned that government is not the answer. We have learned that freedom and competition are the answers. We have learned that we promote economic growth and we promote stability by having competition and freedom.

"I am proud to be here because this is an important bill; it is a deregulatory bill. I believe that that is the wave of the future, and I am awfully proud to have been a part of making it a reality."

This bill must be repealed. Bill Clinton can help by leading the effort for the repeal of the Gramm bill and the reinstating of even tougher regulations regarding our financial institutions. And when they're done with that, they can restore the regulations for the airlines, the inspection of our food, the oil industry, OSHA, and every other entity that affects our daily lives. All oversight provisions for any "bailout" must have enforcement monies attached to them and criminal penalties for all offenders.

6. IF IT'S TOO BIG TO FAIL, THEN THAT MEANS IT'S TOO BIG TO EXIST. Allowing the creation of these mega-mergers and not enforcing the monopoly and anti-trust laws has allowed a number of financial institutions and corporations to become so large, the very thought of their collapse means an even bigger collapse across the entire economy. No one or two companies should have this kind of power. The so-called "economic Pearl Harbor" can't happen when you have hundreds -- thousands -- of institutions where people have their money. When you have a dozen auto companies, if one goes belly-up, we don't face a national disaster. If you have three separately-owned daily newspapers in your town, then one media company can't call all the shots (I know... What am I thinking?! Who reads a paper anymore? Sure glad all those mergers and buyouts left us with a strong and free press!). Laws must be enacted to prevent companies from being so large and dominant that with one slingshot to the eye, the giant falls and dies. And no institution should be allowed to set up money schemes that no one can understand. If you can't explain it in two sentences, you shouldn't be taking anyone's money.

7. NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN 40 TIMES THEIR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE, AND NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD RECEIVE ANY KIND OF "PARACHUTE" OTHER THAN THE VERY GENEROUS SALARY HE OR SHE MADE WHILE WORKING FOR THE COMPANY. In 1980, the average American CEO made 45 times what their employees made. By 2003, they were making 254 times what their workers made. After 8 years of Bush, they now make over 400 times what their average employee makes. How this can happen at publicly held companies is beyond reason. In Britain, the average CEO makes 28 times what their average employee makes. In Japan, it's only 17 times! The last I heard, the CEO of Toyota was living the high life in Tokyo. How does he do it on so little money? Seriously, this is an outrage. We have created the mess we're in by letting the people at the top become bloated beyond belief with millions of dollars. This has to stop. Not only should no executive who receives help out of this mess profit from it, but any executive who was in charge of running his company into the ground should be fired before the company receives any help.

8. STRENGTHEN THE FDIC AND MAKE IT A MODEL FOR PROTECTING NOT ONLY PEOPLE'S SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR HOMES. Obama was correct yesterday to propose expanding FDIC protection of people's savings in their banks to $250,000. But this same sort of government insurance must be given to our nation's pension funds. People should never have to worry about whether or not the money they've put away for their old age will be there. This will mean strict government oversight of companies who manage their employees' funds -- or perhaps it means that the companies will have to turn over those funds and their management to the government. People's private retirement funds must also be protected, but perhaps it's time to consider not having one's retirement invested in the casino known as the stock market. Our government should have a solemn duty to guarantee that no one who grows old in this country has to worry about ending up destitute.

9. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, CALM DOWN, AND NOT LET FEAR RULE THE DAY. Turn off the TV! We are not in the Second Great Depression. The sky is not falling. Pundits and politicians are lying to us so fast and furious it's hard not to be affected by all the fear mongering. Even I, yesterday, wrote to you and repeated what I heard on the news, that the Dow had the biggest one day drop in its history. Well, that's true in terms of points, but its 7% drop came nowhere close to Black Monday in 1987 when the stock market in one day lost 23% of its value. In the '80s, 3,000 banks closed, but America didn't go out of business. These institutions have always had their ups and downs and eventually it works out. It has to, because the rich do not like their wealth being disrupted! They have a vested interest in calming things down and getting back into the Jacuzzi.

As crazy as things are right now, tens of thousands of people got a car loan this week. Thousands went to the bank and got a mortgage to buy a home. Students just back to college found banks more than happy to put them into hock for the next 15 years with a student loan. Life has gone on. Not a single person has lost any of their money if it's in a bank or a treasury note or a CD. And the most amazing thing is that the American public hasn't bought the scare campaign. The citizens didn't blink, and instead told Congress to take that bailout and shove it. THAT was impressive. Why didn't the population succumb to the fright-filled warnings from their president and his cronies? Well, you can only say 'Saddam has da bomb' so many times before the people realize you're a lying sack of shite. After eight long years, the nation is worn out and simply can't take it any longer.

10. CREATE A NATIONAL BANK, A "PEOPLE'S BANK." If we really are itching to print up a trillion dollars, instead of giving it to a few rich people, why don't we give it to ourselves? Now that we own Freddie and Fannie, why not set up a people's bank? One that can provide low-interest loans for all sorts of people who want to own a home, start a small business, go to school, come up with the cure for cancer or create the next great invention. And now that we own AIG, the country's largest insurance company, let's take the next step and provide health insurance for everyone. Medicare for all. It will save us so much money in the long run. And we won't be 12th on the life expectancy list. We'll be able to have a longer life, enjoying our government-protected pension, and living to see the day when the corporate criminals who caused so much misery are let out of prison so that we can help reacclimate them to civilian life -- a life with one nice home and a gas-free car that was invented with help from the People's Bank.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Call your Senators now. Here's a backup link in case we crash that site again. They are going to attempt their own version of the Looting of America tonight. And let your reps know if you agree with my 10-point plan.

Higher!

2008-09-28T13:18:00.002-07:00

Wall Street Casino ...and McCain noshes while it burns.

The best I can say about Mr McCain Others -even old friends of his-- aren't so kind.

What does Sarah Palin have in common with Gray Davis?

Staunch conservative Carl Bernstein chimes in.

In 1963, New York city disc jockey Murray the K first played “She Loves You.”
In 1968, “Hey Jude” (the single) went #1, stayed there for nine weeks.
In 1978, Pope John Paul I was assassinated (poison) after 33 days as Pope, because he would not support the Vatican’s move into the banking industry. But you didn’t hear that from me.

Data points

2008-09-26T08:19:00.004-07:00

David Letterman: "I feel like an ugly date!"

"It's not based on any particular data point. We just wanted to choose a really large number."
-- Treasury spokes-woman on the $700B bailout figure

On this day in 1687, the Parthenon was destroyed, in a war between the Venetians and the Turks. The Venetians sent a mortar through a gable window, igniting a Turkish store of gunpowder.
In either 1775 or 1783, John Chapman, later known as Johnny Appleseed, was born. He did not wear shoes.
in 1898, George Gershwin was born.
in 1957, “West Side Story” opened on Broadway.
In 1969, the Beatles released “Abbey Road.”
In 2001, Enron president Ken Lay urged his employees to buy Enron stock. He had been selling his own for a year, for a gain of $146 million. Enron would file for bankruptcy on December 2.

The waiting is the hardest part

2008-09-25T07:40:00.004-07:00

Seems the bushcheney administration saw all this mess coming. And apparently let it happen on purpose. Gee, thanks, guys. I always knew you were looking out for ...yourselves.

So I agree with Naomi Klein: Now Is the Time to Resist Wall Street's Shock Doctrine.

Clearly, Republican John McCain doesn't know quite what to do. So he (wisely?) cancelled his appearance with the hard-hitting Dave Letterman so he could get back to Washington (I guess telephones and email aren't fast enough? what?), but somehow fell into an interview with softball pitcher Katie Couric. Hmm. Prepared to be president? Hah. Not even prepared to be a line cook.

On this day in 1906, Dmitri Shostakovich was born.

Just desserts

2008-09-24T16:09:00.003-07:00

This is so good I had to share it in its entirety. Michael Tomasky writes at the Guardian UK:

Since John McCain so desperately and obviously wanted to change the subject, permit me to begin by not taking the bait and not changing the subject.

Wednesday was the worst day of the campaign for McCain. The revelations about Rick Davis' firm doing lobbying work for Freddie Mac had the potential, and still may have the potential, to cost Davis his job. Certainly the story had the potential to eat up a lot of cable television time over the next two days. Over the long term, and most importantly, the story has the power, if used properly by the Democrats, to dissolve any morsel of credibility McCain had on the subject of dealing with the current fiscal crisis.

So keep that straight. The cable coverage of McCain's ridiculous gambit about suspending his campaign and delaying Friday night's debate is not making that link explicit, because that's just not the sort of thing television does except when it really slaps them in the face, like when Bill Clinton bombed Sudan the night the House of Representatives voted the impeachment articles.

But I can guarantee you, if you think the McCain brain trust wasn't manically trying to conjure up a way to wriggle out of the Davis mess and hand the media a new story to yak about, then I have a non-bridge in Alaska to non-sell you.

This was also the day when the Washington Post and ABC released a poll showing McCain nine points behind Barack Obama. On Hardball, Chris Matthews is, to his credit, making this connection: that McCain is changing the subject because he's dropping in the polls. In fact the desperation of McCain's move makes one think that maybe his own internal polls show a gloomier picture still.

What a joke. What an unserious and contemptible joke. And so typically dishonest. Now that Obama has spoken, we know that it was Obama who called McCain, first suggesting that the two issue a bipartisan joint statement on the crisis. This obviously got McCain and Steve Schmidt thinking. Hey, maybe we can put country first here and … oops, scratch that. Since we're in such a tight spot today anyway, maybe we can put naked politics first here and go public, steal his thunder, act like we were the white hats who came up with the idea. Yeah! And while we're at it, let's take it a step further. Let's don the sack cloth of piety and insist that we feel this is so important we even think the debate should be suspended.

Think about the kind of mind that's required to even think up something like this. I could never think up something like this. Most average people, of whatever political persuasion, could never do it. Some pundits are talking about desperation and Hail Mary passes and so on, but that doesn't really begin to describe the deviousness at work here.

This is like a man who gets caught cheating on his wife and then, with his back against the wall and with confrontation looming, goes out and intentionally wrecks the car, contriving to break a few ribs and get rushed to the hospital, all to delay the inevitable conflict and in the cynical knowledge that, in front of the doctors and until the wounds are bound, the wife will be forced to offer sympathy. Males are messed up creatures, but believe me, only a rather small percentage of us is really capable of thinking this connivingly.

Will it work? I don't think so. Granted, 98% of Americans don't know about the Rick Davis story, and probably around 90% don't know about the Washington Post poll. So some people may buy it. But I don't believe most will. It just looks too sneaky. Even if one doesn't smell desperation, the odor of weirdness is all over the move.

And it looks unpresidential. Obama came out and looked presidential. Presidents need to be able to handle two problems at once, he said. Now is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from us. We both have big planes. They can get us from Washington to Mississippi pretty quickly if need be. His press conference offered, in fact, a good look at how he would be as president. He seeks non-confrontation. But he slips his points in steadily and coolly. Pretty smooth performance.

And he seems to be winning. Perhaps inevitably, one polling outfit did a snap poll on all this. Results?

Hold the debate as scheduled: 50%
Hold it but focus on the economy not foreign policy: 36%.
Postpone: 10%.

Suspend campaigns: 14%
Continue campaign: 31%
Re-focus campaign: 48%

Oopsie.

The commission on presidential debates stated shortly after Obama spoke that the debate will go on. If the commission says it and Obama says it, it will go on, I suspect. But we have yet to see which chess piece McCain moves next. Who can imagine that? Think of the most cynical thing you can think of, then double it.

Abraham Lincoln ran for re-election while leading the Union troops in the civil war. Franklin Roosevelt ran for re-election in the midst of terrible depression in 1936, a far worse economic crisis than we have right now, and in 1944 while prosecuting the second world war.

If John McCain can't debate while thinking about the country's economy, then he's even more ill-equipped to hold the job than I think he is. But of course he is capable of doing both. His proposal is not serious. It is just a rancidly political act. That he goes before cameras and tries to pass it off as nonpolitical, hoping that people will buy it, is what makes it contemptible.

When Mario Cuomo was governor of New York, he devoted a speech to improving the lot of children in New York state. He declared "The decade of the child." When, after a year or two, it became clear that somehow child poverty rates had stayed more or less the same, a joke began circulating around Albany: but he didn't mean this decade.

We've reached a similar point today, but far worse, because Cuomo's intentions were at least decent. John McCain's intentions have to do with nothing loftier than the next news cycle. He is the man who said country first. He just didn't mean this country.

OUCH! That's gotta hurt

2008-09-23T17:40:00.003-07:00

Wowzers, Jimmy- even TIME thinks McCain has gone too far. Finally, I'm not an extremist! Yay!! Time to go a little farther left, I guess... haha
About Hanky-pank Paulson's bailout thing. People who are paid to know better, apparently deliberately over-extended their businesses. This was no 'accident.' They are bankers, ferchrissakes, they are paid very well to know how the business works. This was deliberate, and they should suffer the consequences, not us. This is criminal. I want to see people hang, at least metaphorically. I have no sympathy for thieves and bandits. None.

Here are some questions to ask (from Poynter Online):

"Do we need a bailout of American and foreign banks? Show us in detail the reasons for this, and the numbers: make the case.

Is there a market solution to this? If so, why impose a government solution? If not, what does that tell us about our entire economic theory?

Is there a less expensive solution?

How do we know this will not just be a downpayment on a much bigger bailout?

Is there a solution that provides direct help to those who took out these loans, rather than those who sold them?

If AIG and others are too big to fail, what does that tell us about government anti-trust policy and regulatory policy and inaction?

Why have both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley made clear that they want IN on this deal? Get skeptical and ask the basic questions -- who benefits, how much and what makes this plan so attractive that Goldman and MS want to participate? Ditto for GE. That they and others want to be included should prompt a great deal of skeptical questioning.

How does banning short selling of the stocks of 900 companies help the markets? (The markets are heavily biased toward the sell side, so why constrain the shorts, who often turn out to be right about stocks whose share prices has been artificially inflated?)

How is banning short selling of this growing list of companies show a commitment to "free markets," a stated goal of this and a long list of previous administrations?

During this short selling ban, why are there no parallel controls on insiders getting out of their positions?"

RESIST THE BAILOUT. It is a con.

AIG is not being bailed out because of bad debt. AIG is being bailed out because they are very, very closely tied to private security firm Kroll- the private version of the CIA, only more powerful and less restricted. Kroll does all the dirty work that the CIA used to do, back when Poppy Bush was in charge (and before, to be fair to ol' Poppy -don't have me anthraxed!). For this reason, and this reason alone, they say AIG "cannot be allowed to fail."

If you ever have trouble making sense of what a talking head is talking about, big red flags should start to wave in your head (metaphorically of course). If it doesn't make sense to you, then it probably doesn't make sense at all, and you're probably being conned. Lies are always confusing, and the truth always makes sense. If your questions aren't answered to your satisfaction; if you still don't understand the explanation, don't buy it.

October surprise? Don't forget this...

Financial terrorism

2008-09-23T06:31:00.004-07:00

More on the Russia-Venezuela situation: Russia engages in 'gangland' diplomacy as it sends warships to the Caribbean.
Financial terrorism:
Randi Rhodes is pretty damn sharp. Go Randi! Listen to her show, it's great fun. The whole bailout plan sounds like antisocialism, to me. Unfettered capitalism is antisocial. Not only that, it's anti-human.

Wilbur Ross is "disturbed about the slippery slope that we have gotten into, where if you're stupid but really big the government will bail you out; if you're stupid but medium-sized, you die. That's going to encourage very bad behavior by very big institutions. I think that's a terrible pattern to set." I find it interesting that he's still planning on investing in industries that have been hit hard by the oil crunch. I'm trying to divine the wisdom there: he's probably counting on prices rising even farther, which implies that he's counting on a continued rise in demand for the oil as well. He may be right about demand, but that being said, I don't think we're going to burn the last of our precious petroleum in our gas tanks. More likely, it will be used in plastics, pharmaceuticals and pesticides/herbicides. Rising oil prices are going to hurt, bad, unless we find alternatives. And I'm not talking alternative fuels.

Please consider taking some action on this buyout: Call Congress, or send this letter, or write a letter to the editor of your local paper, hell- just talk about it to your friends and neighbors. This is OUR problem: the pigs have broken into the corn silo. WE need to stop them, 'coz they sure as hell won't stop themselves. "We're not going to chart a new course with the same pilot."

John McCain was a joke in the 2000 election, he was a joke in the 2004 election, and he's still a joke. I will never forget, however, that George Dumbya Bush was a joke in 1999 too....
McCain's personal fleet of cars
McCain's 'transition coach' lobbied for Freddie Mac as it collapsed
CNN gets fed up with McCain's bullshit
CNN gets fed up with Palin's bullshit
McCain trips and stumbles over his own bullshit

On this day in 1930, Ray Charles was born.
In 1932, the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd merge to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In 1949, Bruce Springsteen was born.
And in 1969, the headline “Clues Hint at Beatle’s Death,” in the Northern Star (Northern Illinois State [Hi Valerie and Rob and family!]), propelled rumors of Paul McCartney’s untimely demise by reporting on a story published in Drake University's newspaper (the Times-Delphic) reporting Paul's death.

Hunches

2008-09-22T11:29:00.003-07:00

Trouble with a capital T ...and that rhymes with V and that stands for Venezuela. This could get very hot, very fast. It is, after all, our nation's standing policy that America IS the primary power in the western hemisphere. A president like Dumbya or Cheney (or Grampa or Caribou Barbie, for that matter...) will not let this go without comment or response. Honestly, I doubt Obama or Biden would either, but the critical difference is that the Republicans have demonstrated their willingness to meet diplomacy with force. One wonders where they'll get the soldiers.... Oh! Maybe they'll just get the Fed to print some more! Oh wait, that's money....

A couple of persistent hunches are bothering me today. Something tells me the airline industry and possibly the media industry as well are in for a big shakeup in the next few years. Airlines are almost obvious- with fuel prices rising, their already-precarious profitability will be put severely at risk. Maybe that recent spate of accidents will make passengers look twice at Amtrak or something, I don't know (I know I'm not eager to fly anytime soon, if ever again). Add to these accidents the massive scheduling problems they had such a hard time with earlier this year, and people may begin to see the value of the alternatives. If it takes three hours to cycle through two airports, plus an hour or so in the air (assuming no in-flight delays... hah!), suddenly a five-hour drive or three-hour train ride might not seem as bad. Ticket prices sure as hell aren't coming down. "Competition" in the airline industry is only a matter of how little they can get away with paying their employees.

Insurance might play a part in this, too. As health care approaches a single-payer solution, insurance companies will have to either raise their rates or find a replacement for all those lost health-care dollars. Keep an eye on your home and auto insurance rates for clues.

I'm not sure how a media industry collapse would be caused, or transpire, but experience sure shows us that massive consolidation of industry -apparently any industry-- is unhealthy. Significant difference between this industry and most others is that the media don't rely on us as customers- we're mostly irrelevant to them until their advertisers start to balk.

The fiscal recklessness of a(nother) Republican BushCheneyMcCain administration just might ensure that my hunches come to pass.

One step forward VS two steps back

2008-09-22T06:12:00.005-07:00

Obama on taxes. Specific enough for ya? Federal income tax is important (duh?)- it mostly comes back to you in the form of local infrastructure- police, fire departments, roads, water supply, fun things like that. Lower taxes at the federal level always means higher taxes at the local level: property taxes, state income taxes, and sales taxes. The money has to come from somewhere, after all.

Obama on the economy. Yeah, it's a trifle dry, but hey, that's economics. The point is, he has specific plans, with good strong justification for his ideas. McCain ...has nothing but more of Bush's mess in store.

McCain on the economy
McCain on health care. Stunning.
McCain on ...honesty.

Remember: Obama graduated from Princeton, then graduated top of his class at Harvard Law, where he was also the first black President of the esteemed Harvard Law Review. McCain barely graduated, landing fourth from the bottom of his class at a military academy to which he was probably granted admission based on his military legacy.

On this day in 1776, Nathan Hale was hanged. “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
In 1869, Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” premiered in Munich.
In 1964, “Fiddler on the Roof” opened on Broadway.

On the home front: I'm not sure I can believe it yet, but I'm actually working on a new serigraph. What am I thinking?!?! Actually, in part, I'm being a little superstitious: I did the last one four years ago- a set of elephant 'portraits.' Yeah, elephants. Elephants are cool and all, though I don't fixate on them (as one might say I fixate on, say, goats, or cats); I did it in response to a conversation I had had with a friend who was really into elephants (he died of brain cancer before I could finish the print), but they're also the Republican "mascot." And of course, the Republican candidate "won." I'm not doing donkey portraits this time though. Or asses.

No, I'm doing a circle. Just a brushstroke. There's a work in the Spencer gallery in Lawrence KS, a Japanese ink painting on a large screen. It's so simple, so beautiful- a big circle, so spontaneous, so perfect: one big brushstroke with black ink. One of my favorite art objects, ever. I've ogled it for hours, thought about it for years, and finally decided to do a little homage: so I'm trying to imitate it with a serigraph. Very VERY different medium, in that the original was completely spontaneous and 'accidental,' whereas mine is sort-of rehearsed-spontaneous, a little practiced, but still largely accidental (that comes with doing circles freehand). I think the beauty of doing it with a serigraph is that screen printing is at once very controlled and rehearsed, while at the same time the results are very variable, depending on the qualities of ink and screen and paper, the skill of the artist-printer, and the environmental conditions (hot/cold, humid/dry, etc). I don't claim to be any good at screen printing: there's TONS I don't know; I probably don't even know enough to ask good questions about it, but I try anyway. Can't hurt, right?

Wake up! You're in the presence of your future

2008-09-19T06:34:00.003-07:00

From XinJua

From Alaska's biggest-ever protest rally. Thanks Jeannette!!

Yes, thanks! she said.

McCain's pants catch fire

National health care is not about you, or me, or our taxes. It's a matter of the public health. Think of it this way: If your neighbor is sick, you are more likely to get sick, yourself. If that homeless guy you pass on your way to work gets sick, then everyone he's exposed to is more likely to get sick. Maybe it's not a nightmare if all they have is a cold, but what happens when Ebola crosses the Atlantic? It's a small world- given time, it's inevitable. It seems so obvious to me... how can people continue to think that they live in a safe little bubble? We all need health care. When one of us is sick, all of us are sick.

Plants and pain. Careful with that sprout, vegans!

Things that make you go "hmm..."

On this day in 1783, the first hot air balloon passengers were sent aloft, at Versailles: a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. Science! And in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev was denied entrance to Disneyland. Damn commies.

Let's make happy time

2008-09-18T08:19:00.002-07:00

Great picture It's good to see a genuinely smiling face.

I'm tired of harping on Republicans John "W" McCain and Sarah Palin. Yawn. So, what happens when a nation's economy collapses? I guess we'll find out. I suspect we'll lose credibility on the international scene- not only economically, but also politically, militarily (because we can hardly afford what we've got goin on already, if at all), and -worst of all-- culturally.

I say 'worst of all' because culture is the only thing we really export in mass these days. Movies, TV and music. Why will this suffer as the result of electing Republican John McCain? Because we will be trying so hard to keep our little fantasy-world inflated that nothing of any value or relevance will come out. Conducting diplomacy with America will be like trying to have a conversation with a sweaty child molester in a Barney costume.

The rest of the world will shortly become just as disaffected with our political system as we already are. In other words, no one will care about the US. The eyes of the rest of the world will stop caring about what we do; they'll turn to other channels, for the same reasons we don't care about what our country does, either: because we don't feel that our voices count. And that's voter apathy.

I'm still holding to my prediction that the Republican party is coming apart. McCain will take the election, but it'll be dubious at best, and hopefully contested, but the truth of the matter will be that economic conservatives will split their votes between Ron Paul and Bob Barr, while evangelicals will split theirs between dinner at home (not voting) and Sarah Palin. It's conceivable that Palin could be the last Republican president, if she follows McCain.

Her presidency will be largely ineffectual, though, because the voting public won't elect another Republican majority in congress for a while, even if the party doesn't disintegrate, so congress won't be the lap-dog that it has been of late. I hope.

Today is the Feast Day of St Joseph of Cupertino. Joseph (1603-63) was barred by his Franciscan superiors from public worship due to his habit of levitating, utterly disrupting the service and distracting the congregation. Once, according to a witness, he 'flew like a bird on the high altar, where he embraced the tabernacle.' On another occasion, he flew into an olive tree and remained kneeling on a branch for half an hour.

Why I make shoes

2008-09-17T06:07:00.003-07:00

Not my work- the photo is from Jill Greenberg, who's having some difficulties with The Atlantic right now, apparently (I'm not sure if she added the text or not, but it's true). Give 'em hell, Jill.

I make shoes because I saw this economic collapse coming 25 years ago. No lie: ask my friends from then if they remember (are you guys out there?)- during Reagan's first term, I said that if things continued as they were going (de-regulation was becoming very fashionable, which I saw then and still see as nepotistic Authority-encouraged selfishness), that eventually people would get carried away with the greed and the screwing of each other, and then we'd all be fucked. I wasn't sure how exactly it would happen, but I knew that you can't screw your neighbor without getting screwed yourself, eventually.

And I was right: We're fucked.

And there's more to it than the authorities are letting on, because they're not ready to let go of their control yet. This is not just a liquidity crisis, not just a stock market crisis- this won't be fixed by financial instruments alone, kids. We won't see our way out of this mess until Americans are making things for themselves again. Even if it's infrastructure; even it it's being done on assembly lines in factories: a purely service economy is not viable, especially when the society in question is based on disposability. Why pay your neighbor to fix [that thing] when you can just go out and buy a new one (made in China) for less? Well, because your neighbor needs that money, so that one day he can in turn patronize your business. Dumbass.

I quit a good job back then, cold. I was a retail marketing agent, it was a total cake job: sweet, easy, completely unfulfilling. Just walked away from my desk; I was disgusted, I didn't even wave. It took me a few years to find my calling, but I listened to my heart (and to the people who saw me trying it and wanted me to do it for them, too), and I found myself.

I make shoes because I wanted to be able to put my hands on what I do and say "this is how I contribute to the betterment of my society." I could not -can not-- bring myself to sell something I don't believe in, or work for a company so big that the owner can't recognize his employees. I wanted to contribute to society creatively, but constructively- art for art's sake is a luxury of wealth. I wanted a job I could not lose to outsourcing, a company that would not lay me off in hard times, an occupation that would still be viable after the fall. We all need shoes. We'll always need shoes. And I make them, myself.

Microbusiness is the way of the future.

On this day in 1179, Hildegard von Bingen merged with the infinite.
In 1859, Norton I proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, in his capital, San Francisco.
In 1862, the battle of Antietam commenced. It would be the bloodiest day of the war; roughly 25,000 dead today alone. Sgt. William McKinley and a single volunteer drove a wagon of hot coffee and warm food through Confederate fire to the men of the 23rd Ohio regiment. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes promoted him to lieutenant for his bravery and initiative.
In 1964, the Beatles played in Kansas City, for a then-record $150,000.00.

Memory banking

2008-09-12T07:07:00.002-07:00

I love election politics. I hate loving election politics. I love the hating. I hate that loving....

Gutter Politics: McCain Campaign Called Out For Half-Truths
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/10/gutter-politics-mccain-ca_n_125291.html

McCain Interview On Palin Riddled With Errors
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/mccain-interview-on-palin_n_125743.html

Palin leaves open option of war with Russia
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Palin_leaves_open_option_of_war_with_Russia_/articleshow/3473711.cms

In a protocol breach, Brown backs Obama
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/In_a_protocol_breach_Brown_backs_Obama/articleshow/3468913.cms

Palin's ABC Interview: Stumped On Bush Doctrine, Seems To Contradict McCain On Pakistan (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/palins-abc-interview-stum_n_125818.html

Palin Drops Reference To "Bridge To Nowhere" In Speech
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/palin-drops-reference-to_n_125786.html

Defense

2008-09-12T06:42:00.002-07:00

We need to talk about that word. It's being horribly abused.

Defense is not offense.
Do I really need to explain? I certainly don't need to define the terms, but it appears that I certainly do need to differentiate between the two. Defense is a response to an Offense-ive action. Unprovoked attacks, like ours upon Iraq, can not be said to be "defensive." As noble as our soldiers' intentions may be, we are not defending anything with our occupation. The invasion itself was offensive. In both senses.

Guns are not defensive.
Guns are a deterrent, not a defense. The gun is not going to block the incoming bullet, or the sucker punch, or the knife, unless you are extremely lucky. Rather, you pull it or carry it in the hope that you will be able to use it to either deter/intimidate or deter/kill your opponent. There is, therefore, no sensible or logical argument for concealing a gun on your person. As a deterrent, it is only effective if the rest of us know it's there. Oh hell, I'm starting to sound like Dr. Strangelove...

secrets

2008-09-12T04:32:00.005-07:00

Lies, doublespeak and more lies from the Campaign to Nowhere

On this day in 1866, the first musical theater show ("...that conforms to the notion of a ...book musical" -wiki) opened in New York City, a four-act performance titled “The Black Crook.” It ran for 474 performances.
In 1940, four teens followed their dog down a hole near Lascaux, France, and found a gallery of 17,000+ year-old cave paintings.

Campaign to Nowhere

2008-09-11T09:30:00.002-07:00

Interesting day in history today. Verrrrry interesting. Follow me...

In 1297, William Wallace defeated the English at Stirling Bridge.
In 1609, Henry Hudson began the colonization of the island of Manhattan.
In 1857, 120 men, women and children –all settlers-- were massacred by Mormons at Mountain Meadows, Utah. The Mormons, led by Brigham Young’s adopted son John Doyle Lee, were under the impression that these families represented an impending invasion by the U.S. Army. He offered them safe passage if they would leave their horses, wagons and weapons, and then killed all but seventeen children under the age of seven.
In 1941, ground was broken on the new Pentagon office building.
In 1973, democratically-elected Chilean President Salvador Allende shot himself after CIA-aided troops of Augusto Pinochet surrounded his fortress of La Moneda in Santiago,
Chile.
In 1990, George H. W. Bush first intoned the phrase "New World Order."

It's not the war anymore,

2008-09-07T05:29:00.002-07:00

It's the economy, stupid. McSame has no plan, and "Dickless Cheney" won't be much help either. Are you better off now than you were eight years ago?

Palin's not qualified to be in charge of trash pickup in DC, and I don't think any thinking person in this country would dispute that. She's a vindictive game-player who thinks that political power comes from "God;" who thinks that 'creationism' should be taught in schools; and that abstinence-only education will prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies (in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, including her own daughter!).

In short, she's a high-functioning idiot.

Was anyone else surprised when the RNC crowd started shouting "Drill! Drill! Drill!" during her speech? They weren't talking about oil, folks: this was a crowd of 80% white adult males, and the speaker was a beauty queen. Think about it.

I don't think evidence is going to be much good in this contest, but what the heck, here's some against her if you want it:
A letter from someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992
The lie she told about the plane she "sold on eBay"
Stalling the "Troopergate" investigation
Palin's pastor
Shocking Open Microphone Comments about Sarah Palin (scroll down a bit for the video)
Karl Rove explaining just how unqualified she really is (thanks Jon Stewart!)

And for those of you really interested in real issues, here's the motherlode

Sonny & Cher?

2008-09-05T06:45:00.002-07:00

No, Johnny and Sarah! John, the sad little old guy who tries -and fails- to tell jokes and lead the show, while his trophy wife -er, trophy beauty queen- --oops sorry, trophy VP candidate-- bests him with her outrageously expensive designer outfits ...and better lines.

Written lines I mean, geez -not lines of coke. As far as I know, anyway. They do have a lot of snow in Alaska though.

Are you better off now than you were eight years ago? Gas prices are way up. Food prices are way up, and rising. Property values are down, but rent and mortgage costs keep going up....

I hear she's Commander of the Alaska National Guard. Though that's not a thing to brag about right now.

As Mayor of Wasilla, Sarah was all about reform. Re-forming the city with federal money, that is. In her own words: "We did well!" I'll say. You don't get to be a VP nominee without having a few friends in DC. Only two steps away from ex-powerhouse lobbyist Jack Abramoff!

And who knew there was more than one Bridge to Nowhere?! This one has her full support. Those kooky Alaskans...

One last thing. Y'know, our Founding Fathers were community organizers. We'd have had no revolution without organization at the community level. Jeezus, are you people even thinking? And speaking of Jesus, He was a community organizer, too. Watch your step there, folks- you might step on some unintended toes....

That girl can shop!

2008-09-05T03:41:00.004-07:00

I didn't make that- I just thought it was funny. I don't like her one bit, and don't trust her at all.

Wasilla: Meth capitol of Alaska
And if that wasn't enough, after taking office as Mayor with a budget surplus, she left her town of 6000 people $22,000,000.00 in debt. Twenty-two million dollars! Yowza, that girl can shop! And that's to say nothing of the many millions in congressional pork that she landed, thanks to her good friendship with disgraced Senator Ted Stevens, currently under indictment on seven charges of taking bribes.

Lipstick on a pitbull-

What this guy really means is "I can't believe I got caught!"

Sorry about the short political posts lately. I have been extraordinarily busy of late, happily, blissfully working on a big huge project. (I'm drafting patterns for pre-sized shoes, if you must know. Yes, I do it by hand. No, I don't use a *@#%ing computer; computers have no sense of style.)

I've also been dealing with money problems and more relevantly, people problems. And when I have intractable problems, especially people problems, I tend to get a little introspective, just in order to make sure that it's not all me.

It's not. But I'm not sure I'm done introspecting; it's kinda nice in here.