Just keep swimming

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.

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...

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.