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| I'm bored. Why won't they let me lick myself? I guess I'll just read ITGK6! |
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
My First Real Concert
The first half of the concert was Bob alone with guitar.
After intermission he went electric with the full lineup of what was later known as "The Band" playing those great songs that can be found in his opus from "Bringing it all Back Home" through "Highway 61 Revisited".
The old time folkies in the crowd performed the pro-forma walkout in disgust.
(It was already a sad cliché by then.)
It was their loss.
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| In Boston, 1965 |
After intermission he went electric with the full lineup of what was later known as "The Band" playing those great songs that can be found in his opus from "Bringing it all Back Home" through "Highway 61 Revisited".
The old time folkies in the crowd performed the pro-forma walkout in disgust.
(It was already a sad cliché by then.)
It was their loss.
Monday, December 13, 2010
"For the very first time the young are seeing history being
made before it is censored by their elders."
-Margaret Mead, Cultural Anthropologist
Anthropology Group Addresses Furor Over Deleting ‘Science’ - NYTimes.com
The American Anthropology Association has engulfed itself in a furor over its supposed redefining the mission of the discipline. Some have said that Anthropology has retreated from calling itself a science. The anthropologists have responded with (what else?) a paper clarifying the position. Called "What Is Anthropology?" it reads like a tedious ANTHRO 101 paper. The first paragraph:
"Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of four areas: sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their research, teaching, and professional lives."
The Times article may exaggerate the differences between the more scientifically oriented anthropologists and the more humanistic ones. It is a description of a tempest in a teapot. However it must be understood that Anthropology is concerned with nothing less than the full range of human behavior and development through all time and space. Much of this interest, it must be admitted, is impervious to the scientific method as we know it. And I think, on a certain level, every anthropologist must admit this, even the physical anthropologists who spend their time extracting bones from the earth. Anthropologists, even the most scientifically oriented, must be concerned with interpretation and extrapolation, which, in my opinion, is an art, not a science.
Anthropology Group Addresses Furor Over Deleting ‘Science’ - NYTimes.com
The American Anthropology Association has engulfed itself in a furor over its supposed redefining the mission of the discipline. Some have said that Anthropology has retreated from calling itself a science. The anthropologists have responded with (what else?) a paper clarifying the position. Called "What Is Anthropology?" it reads like a tedious ANTHRO 101 paper. The first paragraph:
"Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of four areas: sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their research, teaching, and professional lives."
The Times article may exaggerate the differences between the more scientifically oriented anthropologists and the more humanistic ones. It is a description of a tempest in a teapot. However it must be understood that Anthropology is concerned with nothing less than the full range of human behavior and development through all time and space. Much of this interest, it must be admitted, is impervious to the scientific method as we know it. And I think, on a certain level, every anthropologist must admit this, even the physical anthropologists who spend their time extracting bones from the earth. Anthropologists, even the most scientifically oriented, must be concerned with interpretation and extrapolation, which, in my opinion, is an art, not a science.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Final Part: The Cry of the 16th Aethyr, Which is Called LEA, taken from The Vision and the Voice by Aleister Crowley.
"Hegel remarks somewhere that all great historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He forgets to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce." - Karl Marx
"The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented Hell."- Bertrand Russell
"Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself-that is my doctrine."- Thomas Paine
There is hope for England yet. The crowd, agitated about the doubling of tuition costs in the UK, chanted "Off with their heads!"
Undoubtedly if the mob got its wish the royal serpents would simply grow new ones.
"The interest of the State is in intimate connection with those of the rich individuals belonging to it."-Alexander Hamilton
There is hope for England yet. The crowd, agitated about the doubling of tuition costs in the UK, chanted "Off with their heads!"
Undoubtedly if the mob got its wish the royal serpents would simply grow new ones.
"The interest of the State is in intimate connection with those of the rich individuals belonging to it."-Alexander Hamilton
"We warned it would happen and it happened as we warned. "Off with their heads! Off with their heads!" chanted the angry mob as they attacked the Royal Rolls Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. "Off With Their Heads 2.0" read the headline of our Autumn Trends Journal predicting the outpouring of outrage that would accompany the harsh austerity measures inflicted upon the general public, while governments doled out generous bailouts and rescue packages for bankers and financiers.
Since the onset of the Greatest Recession, I’ve been informing readers to expect uncontrolled unrest that would roil markets and destabilize governments. When people lose everything and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it. And the spontaneous attack on the Royal couple was the first salvo in what promises to be a long war between the people and the ruling classes. Anyone questioning the intensity of the people’s seething anger is either out of touch or in denial. This was the worst show of violence directed towards the Royals since the days of Irish/English hostilities." -Gerald Celente
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
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| Punching the Clock for the Last Time |
This is my last day as a wage worker, 'though not the end of being productive, I hope. I retire from the Postal Service today. I will work the entire day and make my last sweep of the time clock at 4:30 (unless I take them deep on overtime just once more). This space should display a few more posts now that I have more time.
Transcript of my parting words to the assembled multitude at the Portland, Maine Post Office
What I always say about working at the post office is that when times are good maybe it's not so good working here, but when times are bad they are not so bad either. We all know that it's a good job [delivering the mail] but that it's a hard job. We all know what it's like. Remember your brothers [shout out by Zora, I think, before I could finish my pregnant pause "and sisters!"] and sisters, of course. So help each other out the best you can.
And the number one thing I've found in here to take away the stress is to be safe. I was safety officer here for a long time and I found out that as soon as I made my first priority being safe, the job became a lot easier for me in that way; I didn't feel stressed so much. Please remember that.
I know that everybody here probably at one time or another I've pissed off, so for that, I apologize.
That's it! Thank you very much.
[The End]
The Tsar never got a chance to retire but he did "go" in the sense of Longfellow's verse.
I'm sure he had a good run while it lasted.
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| The Assembled Multitude |
Transcript of my parting words to the assembled multitude at the Portland, Maine Post Office
I do have a couple of words to say; don't worry Tim [clock watching postal manager]; it won't take too long. It's just a few things. I'm not going to say everything here [shuffles many pages of notes].
When I started working here people asked me, "Why are you going to work for the post office?" Partly it was, well, when I was a kid I had a dream that I would be a mailman. So you could say that I'm living the dream.
When I started working here people asked me, "Why are you going to work for the post office?" Partly it was, well, when I was a kid I had a dream that I would be a mailman. So you could say that I'm living the dream.
What I always say about working at the post office is that when times are good maybe it's not so good working here, but when times are bad they are not so bad either. We all know that it's a good job [delivering the mail] but that it's a hard job. We all know what it's like. Remember your brothers [shout out by Zora, I think, before I could finish my pregnant pause "and sisters!"] and sisters, of course. So help each other out the best you can.
And the number one thing I've found in here to take away the stress is to be safe. I was safety officer here for a long time and I found out that as soon as I made my first priority being safe, the job became a lot easier for me in that way; I didn't feel stressed so much. Please remember that.
I know that everybody here probably at one time or another I've pissed off, so for that, I apologize.
There are probably three kinds of people here but everybody here should be happy this morning and it should be good for you.
If you didn't like me you are happy I'm leaving.
If you liked me you are happy that I'm getting to retire.
If you don't care one way or the other you're getting some justification for a little more help or overtime and a piece of cake.
So I'll just leave you with a quote from a local guy, Hank Longfellow, who used to live around here, and he said [pause] You know actually I'm a little more nervous than I thought I'd be. I really am nervous. He said:
“They who go
Feel not the pain of parting; it is they
Who stay behind that suffer.”
So I'll just leave you with a quote from a local guy, Hank Longfellow, who used to live around here, and he said [pause] You know actually I'm a little more nervous than I thought I'd be. I really am nervous. He said:
“They who go
Feel not the pain of parting; it is they
Who stay behind that suffer.”
That's it! Thank you very much.
[The End]
I'm sure he had a good run while it lasted.
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| Tsar Nicholas II on summer holiday |
Friday, October 22, 2010
Sacrifice killings lend push for bill to eradicate blind faith - Mumbai - DNA
The Daily News and Analysis of Mumbai (click link above photo) reports that the Maharashtra Eradication of Blind Faith Bill has been given a boost by two recent "child sacrifices" in Nalasopara. Apparently this bill would make it illegal for a man to claim he is "God". It seems that this law might be a little overdue if such "God Men" are encouraging credulous parents to kill their children. Here's a bit of news to worried parents concerned about possessed children. All kids get evil from time to time. Don't freak out. It usually works out.
"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."- James Baldwin
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| Hindus of All Castes and Sects Gather to Fight Proposed Laws Against Blind Faith |
"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."- James Baldwin
Thursday, October 21, 2010
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| Diego Rivera, Human Sacrifice Before Tohil, illustration for the Popol Vuh |
The Observer - Ritual murder cases hit snag, Police lose morale
“arrests are made before investigations yet the law says arrests must be made upon reasonable suspicion.”-Justice Vincent Kibuuka-Musoke
Yes, human sacrifice is out of control in Africa. But ritual murder can also serve a more practical purpose. Read to the bottom of the link and you will find this astonishing fact:
"What is common, however, is some fishing tribes using the body organs to catch fish. He gave an example of a case in Oyam district where a body was discovered without a heart and liver, another in Kakira, and another in northern Uganda."
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Now that New England Sports Ventures has completed a very problematic purchase of the Liverpool Football Club let us fervently hope that the highest expectations of that ancient team's fans are fulfilled. Some followers of the Boston Red Sox are concerned that money will be diverted to this enterprise from their beloved franchise. I am of the opinion that a successful football operation in Liverpool will only increase the fortunes of the Boston Red Sox. John Henry is no fool. I suspect the recent spike in commodity prices has only benefited him in his base business and that is source of the cash for this purchase. As a Boston native I am curiously interested now in the fortunes of Liverpool. I suspect we will be enjoying regular presentations of LFC on the New England Sports Network. Red Sox fans should ignore the few soccer-hating cretins in their midst to band together and welcome Liverpool's supporters to an organization dedicated to mutual success.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
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| William Hogarth, First Engraving from "A Harlot's Progress" |
I loved perusing the Dictionary of American Slang when I was a youth and I wasted many hours pretending to study while reading it in the library. I have continued to enjoy dictionaries of obscure and vulgar words. Here are some interesting selections given us by Captain Grose.
JIBBER THE KIBBER. A method of deceiving seamen, by fixing a candle and lanthorn round the neck of a horse,one of whose fore feet is tied up; this at night has the appearance of a ship's light. Ships bearing towards it, run on shore, and being wrecked, are plundered by the inhabitants.This diabolical device is, it is said, practised by the inhabitants of our western coasts.
GAYING INSTRUMENT. The penis.
BUG-HUNTER. An upholsterer.
BUM TRAP. A sheriff's officer who arrests debtors. Ware hawke! the bum traps are fly to our panney; keep a good look out,the bailiffs know where our house is situated.
BUM FODDER. Soft paper for the necessary house or torchecul.
BUNTER. A low dirty prostitute, half whore and half beggar.
BUTCHER'S DOG. To be like a butcher's dog, i.e. lie by the beef without touching it; a simile often applicable to married men.
CAPRICORNIFIED. Cuckolded, hornified.
CUNDUM. The dried gut of a sheep, worn by men in the act of coition, to prevent venereal infection; said to have been invented by one colonel Cundum. These machines were long prepared and sold by a matron of the name of Philips, at the Green Canister, in Half-moon-street, in the Strand. That good lady having acquired a fortune, retired from business; but learning that the town was not well served by her successors, she, out of a patriotic zeal for the public welfare, returned to her occupation; of which she gave notice by divers hand-bills, in circulation in the year 1776. Also a false scabbard over a sword, and the oil-skin case for holding the colours of a regiment.
RESURRECTION MEN. Persons employed by the students in anatomy to steal dead bodies out of church-yards.
RIDING ST. GEORGE. The woman uppermost in the amorous congress, that is, the dragon upon St. George. This is said to be the way to get a bishop.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
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| John Trumbull, The Declaration of Independence |
It depends on what you mean by "Christian". Most were members of the popular denominations of the day.
Let us consider the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, the members of the First Federal Congress, and the non-signing Constitutional Convention delegates as "Founding Fathers". Allowing for duplications, there were 204 members of this set. The majority were Anglican, then Presbyterian, and Congregationalist. The rest were scattered amongst the Quakers, Dutch Reform, Unitarians, Catholics, Huguenot, Calvinist, and Lutheran. I think few would be considered fundamentalist Christians who believed in the literal truth of the Bible as we now know them.
Tuesday, a Facebook friend who is also a co-worker, a sincere Christian, and a good man, posted the following, which led to an interesting discussion.
"If reincarnation was real, our Founding Fathers would come back as Flag-waving, Bible-thumping, gun-toting Patriots..Oh, Wait..THAT'S what they were originally!"
I had to reply.
"Mark most of the founding fathers were deists. They were educated men of the Enlightenment. They weren't Bible thumping Christians at all. Jefferson created his own version of the New Testament that did not include Jesus' miracles, which he felt were myths. It did include Jesus' philosophy and words. Deists believed a supreme being created a logical universe and rejected miracles. The First Amendment would not have been written by Bible thumping Christians. Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Adams, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine and George Washington were more or less Deists. Most were Masons."
This led to someone else linking to a You Tube video featuring a preacher who made a somewhat convincing (but wrong) superficial argument that the founders were indeed Christians. Perhaps they were, but not the kind of Fundamentalist Christians who dominate the political landscape today. I replied again.
"If you need to believe that the founders were bible thumping Christians in order to reinforce your faith, that's fine. But the kind of Christianity that preaches the literal truth of the Bible, an imminent second coming, along with Book of Revelation apocalyptic events and a rapture of the faithful is a mid nineteenth century development that would be alien to Christians that populated the USA at the time of the Revolution. They were thoughtful people of a liberal minded type who abhorred the thought of a state religion and religious tests for office."
Perhaps that last sentence was a bit of a generalization. Then there was the typical back and forth of some supporting my position and some skeptical. Then the starter of the thread said.
"Tom that is Johns opinion, view but provided no references. so what makes it informative?
Agree with the point of abhoring state religion. The state should not be involved with religion"
"Mark most of the founding fathers were deists. They were educated men of the Enlightenment. They weren't Bible thumping Christians at all. Jefferson created his own version of the New Testament that did not include Jesus' miracles, which he felt were myths. It did include Jesus' philosophy and words. Deists believed a supreme being created a logical universe and rejected miracles. The First Amendment would not have been written by Bible thumping Christians. Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Adams, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine and George Washington were more or less Deists. Most were Masons."
This led to someone else linking to a You Tube video featuring a preacher who made a somewhat convincing (but wrong) superficial argument that the founders were indeed Christians. Perhaps they were, but not the kind of Fundamentalist Christians who dominate the political landscape today. I replied again.
"If you need to believe that the founders were bible thumping Christians in order to reinforce your faith, that's fine. But the kind of Christianity that preaches the literal truth of the Bible, an imminent second coming, along with Book of Revelation apocalyptic events and a rapture of the faithful is a mid nineteenth century development that would be alien to Christians that populated the USA at the time of the Revolution. They were thoughtful people of a liberal minded type who abhorred the thought of a state religion and religious tests for office."
Perhaps that last sentence was a bit of a generalization. Then there was the typical back and forth of some supporting my position and some skeptical. Then the starter of the thread said.
"Tom that is Johns opinion, view but provided no references. so what makes it informative?
Agree with the point of abhoring state religion. The state should not be involved with religion"
So I presented some quotes from the founders to support the argument that they were Deists.
"Mark, deism isn't exactly a religion. It is more of a philosophical viewpoint. Therefore it is difficult to create a list of prominent deists. One has to infer from the writings and statements of a person to determine if someone is a deist since there is no formal membership roll of deists. There are organized “deist” groups today but that is a modern development. If one believes that there is a creator of the universe and that the universe then operates under rational laws without the miraculous interventions of said creator then one can be said to be a deist.
Some quotes that may be inferred as deist by famous Americans:
"God helps them that help themselves." -Benjamin Franklin
"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." -Benjamin Franklin
"Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion."-George Washington
"The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."-John Adams
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"-John Adams
"The creation is the Bible of the Deist. He there reads, in the handwriting of the Creator himself, the certainty of His existence and the immutability of His power, and all other Bibles and Testaments are to him forgeries." -Thomas Paine
"Those who invalidate reason, ought seriously to consider, whether they argue against reason, with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principle, that they are laboring to dethrone; but if they argue without reason, (which, in order to be consistent with themselves, they must do,) they are out of the reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument." -Ethan Allen"
And I can find hundreds more quotes from the Founders that show them to be Deists or Christians very different from the kind we see today in the United States. The misconception that the founding fathers were Christian of the modern fundamentalist sort and that they brought some kind of Favor of the Lord on America is a dangerous belief. They were practical merchants. They understood that extreme or religion taken seriously gets in the way of business. The Constitution is a mercantile document, more accurately described as a contract in which the people, in general, have little standing. This nation was set up as a business enterprise. Look around you.
The Informer, at Against The Grain Press (no longer available), puts this all out there in excruciating detail. Download and listen to his great interviews with Keith Hansen at the Classic Grassy Knoll here while they are still available.
The complete interviews on CD are available here:
http://thinkorbeeaten.com/theknoll/
"Mark, deism isn't exactly a religion. It is more of a philosophical viewpoint. Therefore it is difficult to create a list of prominent deists. One has to infer from the writings and statements of a person to determine if someone is a deist since there is no formal membership roll of deists. There are organized “deist” groups today but that is a modern development. If one believes that there is a creator of the universe and that the universe then operates under rational laws without the miraculous interventions of said creator then one can be said to be a deist.
Some quotes that may be inferred as deist by famous Americans:
"God helps them that help themselves." -Benjamin Franklin
"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." -Benjamin Franklin
"Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion."-George Washington
"The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."-John Adams
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"-John Adams
"The creation is the Bible of the Deist. He there reads, in the handwriting of the Creator himself, the certainty of His existence and the immutability of His power, and all other Bibles and Testaments are to him forgeries." -Thomas Paine
"Those who invalidate reason, ought seriously to consider, whether they argue against reason, with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principle, that they are laboring to dethrone; but if they argue without reason, (which, in order to be consistent with themselves, they must do,) they are out of the reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument." -Ethan Allen"
And I can find hundreds more quotes from the Founders that show them to be Deists or Christians very different from the kind we see today in the United States. The misconception that the founding fathers were Christian of the modern fundamentalist sort and that they brought some kind of Favor of the Lord on America is a dangerous belief. They were practical merchants. They understood that extreme or religion taken seriously gets in the way of business. The Constitution is a mercantile document, more accurately described as a contract in which the people, in general, have little standing. This nation was set up as a business enterprise. Look around you.
The Informer, at Against The Grain Press (no longer available), puts this all out there in excruciating detail. Download and listen to his great interviews with Keith Hansen at the Classic Grassy Knoll here while they are still available.
The complete interviews on CD are available here:
http://thinkorbeeaten.com/theknoll/
Monday, September 20, 2010
We just got back from a weekend on Cape Cod. This is the time to go unless you need summer heat. Traffic is thinner and dining establishments are less frenzied. Our compliments go Tom and Rick, the proprietors of Captain David Kelley House Bed and Breakfast in Centerville. Thank you for the exquisite breakfasts and superb lodging.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Summer 2010 edition of Vyzygoth's Inside the Grassy Knoll is now available. As usual, Angie Riedel has done a magnificent job with the graphics and preparation.
I was pleased to be able to contribute an essay on the origins of petroleum, "Where the Hell does All That Oil Come From Anyways?" from my poor unprofessional perspective. I hope it stimulates some thought.
Link HERE
The "Oil Is Mastery" blog follows the abiotic oil argument closely. The following link from that blog is a video of L. Fletcher Prouty on "Fossil Fuels" in which Mr. Prouty makes the point that Rockefeller interests had strong ulterior motives in declaring petroleum as a rare resource derived from dead organisms.
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| "The growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest."-John D. Rockefeller Sr. |
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
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| "Lovely Poppies" John Bonanno photograph, June 26, 2010 |
"Recruits! Before the sacred servants of God and in sight of this altar, you have sworn loyalty to me. You are still too young to understand the true meaning of what has just been spoken. But be diligent and follow the prescribed regulations and teachings always. You have sworn loyalty to me. That means, children of my Guards, you are now my soldiers. You have given yourselves to me, body and soul. There is for you but one enemy, and he is my enemy. With the current socialist machinations it can happen that I order you to shoot your own relatives, brothers, even parents--may God prevent it--but even then you must obey my order without a murmur."-Kaiser Wilhelm II at the Swearing-in of New Recruits in Potsdam, November 23, 1891, according to the Neisser Zeitung
Congressional reform can only be achieved if measures are taken to prevent any citizen having inordinate influence over the body. No foreign entities should have any influence over Congress. Only citizens should have the ability to petition Congress.
Idea: One may not petition a politician who does not represent the district in which that citizen resides.
Professional Lobbying would become almost prohibitively expensive.
Idea: Make it a felony crime for a citizen to accept payment from a corporate entity or any other organization to "lobby" Congress.
Lobbying, the influence of Congress by proxy, would disappear.
Idea: Increase the size of Congress. Each representative should represent 50,000 citizens as it was at the founding of the republic. It would cost a lot of money to buy the majority of 6,000 congressmen; it would be even more difficult to keep all those members quiet about special arrangements that may occur.
A much larger Congress would be difficult to buy.
Idea: If Congress wants to pass a law, it must abolish an old one first.
There are more laws in existence than any one person can know or understand. This makes "ignorance of the law" the natural state of any citizen, therefore making him vulnerable to the authorities for crimes of which he is ignorant. We all know the adage "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse." This is unacceptable in a democracy. The garden of Law must be weeded out.
Idea: Choose Congress by lot. It would be a better, more representative group than the bought puppets we watch now.
The farce we call "the electoral process" gives us corporate whores. Congress must represent the people.
Professional Lobbying would become almost prohibitively expensive.
Idea: Make it a felony crime for a citizen to accept payment from a corporate entity or any other organization to "lobby" Congress.
Lobbying, the influence of Congress by proxy, would disappear.
Idea: Increase the size of Congress. Each representative should represent 50,000 citizens as it was at the founding of the republic. It would cost a lot of money to buy the majority of 6,000 congressmen; it would be even more difficult to keep all those members quiet about special arrangements that may occur.
A much larger Congress would be difficult to buy.
Idea: If Congress wants to pass a law, it must abolish an old one first.
There are more laws in existence than any one person can know or understand. This makes "ignorance of the law" the natural state of any citizen, therefore making him vulnerable to the authorities for crimes of which he is ignorant. We all know the adage "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse." This is unacceptable in a democracy. The garden of Law must be weeded out.
Idea: Choose Congress by lot. It would be a better, more representative group than the bought puppets we watch now.
The farce we call "the electoral process" gives us corporate whores. Congress must represent the people.
Idea: Make it a felony crime for anyone to "lobby" politicians on behalf of anyone but themselves or their immediate family.
Q: Why is there no inflation despite the deficit spending?
Q: Why is there no inflation despite the deficit spending?
A: The Fed prints the money, not the government.
The government borrows these fiat dollars from the Fed. There is no way the big banks want to be paid back in inflated dollars, although this would benefit the people who would pay back loans with cheap dollars, therefore, the money in circulation was limited.
In recent decades, until the precipitous collapse of the game in 2008, unlimited money for lending was made available to banks by the Federal Reserve at low interest. This easy money was lent out at hight interest for credit card purchases and exploding mortgages with slight qualification attached. Actual money supply (which now seems to be a state secret) was not increased, that is, greenbacks were not printed to represent the funny money being loaned out. There were not enough dollars printed to allow the economy to service these loans. The people never had a chance make good on all the money borrowed because the moderate inflation that would have been required for this was intolerable to the banks. Wages actually fell even taking into consideration the limited inflation allowed by the system. The banks preferred the prospect of repossessing properties rather than being paid back in cheap inflated dollars. They also influenced Congress to "reform" bankruptcy law to prevent the average worker from claiming bankruptcy protection in any meaningful way. This march to the neo-feudalism continues.
Idea: Make stockholders personally responsible for the crimes of the entities they own.
The most immediate reform that would save lives and money: abolish all drug laws.
But I know none of these things will happen. The rulers of world would rather plunge it into chaos than lessen themselves.
War is the greatest of all crimes yet there is no aggressor who does not color his crime with the pretext of justice.-Voltaire
In recent decades, until the precipitous collapse of the game in 2008, unlimited money for lending was made available to banks by the Federal Reserve at low interest. This easy money was lent out at hight interest for credit card purchases and exploding mortgages with slight qualification attached. Actual money supply (which now seems to be a state secret) was not increased, that is, greenbacks were not printed to represent the funny money being loaned out. There were not enough dollars printed to allow the economy to service these loans. The people never had a chance make good on all the money borrowed because the moderate inflation that would have been required for this was intolerable to the banks. Wages actually fell even taking into consideration the limited inflation allowed by the system. The banks preferred the prospect of repossessing properties rather than being paid back in cheap inflated dollars. They also influenced Congress to "reform" bankruptcy law to prevent the average worker from claiming bankruptcy protection in any meaningful way. This march to the neo-feudalism continues.
Idea: Make stockholders personally responsible for the crimes of the entities they own.
The most immediate reform that would save lives and money: abolish all drug laws.
But I know none of these things will happen. The rulers of world would rather plunge it into chaos than lessen themselves.
War is the greatest of all crimes yet there is no aggressor who does not color his crime with the pretext of justice.-Voltaire
Sunday, August 01, 2010
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| An Insolent Chipmunk's Garbage |
Animal Angst
This year has been the very apex of animal devastation in my gardens since I have lived here in Hiram. That is twenty-six years of gardening.
Deer routinely have entered the vegetable garden despite the use of various repellents. They have utterly destroyed my cabbage, broccoli, fennel, beet, bush bean and carrot crops. I planted two dwarf pear (Keiffer), and three dwarf peach (2 Redhaven 1 Elberta) trees this year that seem particularly attractive to them; they enjoy stripping new leaves and breaking tender branches in the process. I just purchased three semi-dwarf apple (MackIntosh, Liberty, Fuji) , two dwarf plum (Santa Rosa) and another dwarf peach (Bartlett) that need to be planted today but the prospect depresses me. A three year old purple smokebush is browsed regularly, keeping it at a height of less than two feet. Beth's hostas are being munched.
Chipmunks have acquired a taste for the cherry tomatoes growing in pots by the back door. They climb the plants breaking them. They eat the fruits as they ripen and leave the skins (which they reject) on the back step as a flagrant challenge to human authority.
Groundhogs devastated the strawberries in the spring.
For the first time, birds devoured every last blueberry on six bushes that have yielded well for ten years.
As usual, bears ripped down our bird feeders in the spring and took them into the woods for a leisurely dismantling. There is nothing like a seed snack after a long hibernation.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Romantic Afghanistan
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| King Amanullah Khan 1919-1929 |
"The average man does not know what to do with his life, yet wants another one which will last forever." -Anatole France
66 American soldiers died in July in Afghanistan, the most since the invasion of the country on October 7, 2001. Things have not gone well and are getting worse.
The British fought three wars (known as the Anglo-Afghan Wars) in Afghanistan in the 19th and into the early 20th Centuries. During this period what was known as "The Great Game" was played in Afghanistan between the Russian Empire to the North and the British Empire to the South, in India.
The First Anglo-Afghan War 1839-1842
Notable Event:
In 1842 the British were forced to withdraw a column of 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers from Kabul. Only one, Dr. Brydon made it to Jalalabad. A few prisoners were repatriated later. The rest were lost.
The Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-1879
This war was precipitated by the Emir Sher Ali's refusal of entry of a British diplomatic mission into Afghanistan at the Khyber Pass. The Brits were in a snit because an uninvited Russian mission had entered Kabul. The British had previously rejected Sher Ali's requests for advice and support about Russian incursions into his country after the Russians and the British had seemingly settled their differences at the 1878 Congress of Berlin.
The Third Anglo-Afghan War 1919
Afghanistan achieved "independence" after a short conflict when Amanullah Khan took advantage of British exhaustion after The Great War. Afterwards the Brits, in a snit again, refused to address Amanullah, the Amir and later Shah and King, as "Your Majesty." Amanullah instituted a liberal constitution and his wife was a champion of women's rights. Reform was predictably unpopular and it precipitated the Khost rebellion of religious fundamentalists in 1926. In 1927, probably at the instigation of the British, the country revolted while Amanullah traveled in Europe. He abdicated in 1929.
The "Game" continues.
The First Anglo-Afghan War 1839-1842
Notable Event:
In 1842 the British were forced to withdraw a column of 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers from Kabul. Only one, Dr. Brydon made it to Jalalabad. A few prisoners were repatriated later. The rest were lost.
The Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-1879
This war was precipitated by the Emir Sher Ali's refusal of entry of a British diplomatic mission into Afghanistan at the Khyber Pass. The Brits were in a snit because an uninvited Russian mission had entered Kabul. The British had previously rejected Sher Ali's requests for advice and support about Russian incursions into his country after the Russians and the British had seemingly settled their differences at the 1878 Congress of Berlin.
The Third Anglo-Afghan War 1919
Afghanistan achieved "independence" after a short conflict when Amanullah Khan took advantage of British exhaustion after The Great War. Afterwards the Brits, in a snit again, refused to address Amanullah, the Amir and later Shah and King, as "Your Majesty." Amanullah instituted a liberal constitution and his wife was a champion of women's rights. Reform was predictably unpopular and it precipitated the Khost rebellion of religious fundamentalists in 1926. In 1927, probably at the instigation of the British, the country revolted while Amanullah traveled in Europe. He abdicated in 1929.
The "Game" continues.
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. 1979-1989
The Russians returned to Afghanistan to support an unpopular Communist government.
The United States got involved in a big way at this time, funding much of the resistance against the Soviets, including elements led by Saudi rich kid Osama Bin Laden, which, in retrospect, may have not been a good idea.
American Invasion 2001-?
The British are back again, with us. No one seems to be able to explain the purpose of this war other than to get the vaporous Al Qaeda, which flits from place to place. This was part of the "War on Terrorism" which was cited by the Bush regime to justify all kinds of destructive and oppressive activities. Al Qaeda camps located there were said to be imminent threats of terrorism and the training grounds of the 911 hijackers. Saudi Arabia, which, we are told, spawned and trained the majority of the presumed terrorists themselves, was not invaded and the question of invasion was never addressed or even contemplated. President Obama has escalated this war while at the same time trying to convince us there is a timetable to leave. The existence of vast resources of minerals and oil have been confirmed in Afghanistan recently.
The Russians returned to Afghanistan to support an unpopular Communist government.
The United States got involved in a big way at this time, funding much of the resistance against the Soviets, including elements led by Saudi rich kid Osama Bin Laden, which, in retrospect, may have not been a good idea.
American Invasion 2001-?
The British are back again, with us. No one seems to be able to explain the purpose of this war other than to get the vaporous Al Qaeda, which flits from place to place. This was part of the "War on Terrorism" which was cited by the Bush regime to justify all kinds of destructive and oppressive activities. Al Qaeda camps located there were said to be imminent threats of terrorism and the training grounds of the 911 hijackers. Saudi Arabia, which, we are told, spawned and trained the majority of the presumed terrorists themselves, was not invaded and the question of invasion was never addressed or even contemplated. President Obama has escalated this war while at the same time trying to convince us there is a timetable to leave. The existence of vast resources of minerals and oil have been confirmed in Afghanistan recently.
No foreigners have prevailed in Afghanistan since Genghis Khan devastated the land in 1219. Kipling's poem reproduced below could have been written today.
THE YOUNG BRITISH SOLDIER
Rudyard Kipling |
| "Do you like Kipling?" "I don't know -- I ain't never kippled"-Elly Mae, The Beverly Hillbillies |
When the 'arf-made recruity goes out to the East
'E acts like a babe an' 'e drinks like a beast,
An' 'e wonders because 'e is frequent deceased
Ere 'e's fit for to serve as a soldier.
Serve, serve, serve as a soldier,
Serve, serve, serve as a soldier,
Serve, serve, serve as a soldier,
So-oldier ~OF~ the Queen!
Now all you recruities what's drafted to-day,
You shut up your rag-box an' 'ark to my lay,
An' I'll sing you a soldier as far as I may:
A soldier what's fit for a soldier.
Fit, fit, fit for a soldier . . .
First mind you steer clear o' the grog-sellers' huts,
For they sell you Fixed Bay'nets that rots out your guts --
Ay, drink that 'ud eat the live steel from your butts --
An' it's bad for the young British soldier.
Bad, bad, bad for the soldier . . .
When the cholera comes -- as it will past a doubt --
Keep out of the wet and don't go on the shout,
For the sickness gets in as the liquor dies out,
An' it crumples the young British soldier.
Crum-, crum-, crumples the soldier . . .
But the worst o' your foes is the sun over'ead:
You ~must~ wear your 'elmet for all that is said:
If 'e finds you uncovered 'e'll knock you down dead,
An' you'll die like a fool of a soldier.
Fool, fool, fool of a soldier . . .
If you're cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind,
Don't grouse like a woman nor crack on nor blind;
Be handy and civil, and then you will find
That it's beer for the young British soldier.
Beer, beer, beer for the soldier . . .
Now, if you must marry, take care she is old --
A troop-sergeant's widow's the nicest I'm told,
For beauty won't help if your rations is cold,
Nor love ain't enough for a soldier.
'Nough, 'nough, 'nough for a soldier . . .
If the wife should go wrong with a comrade, be loath
To shoot when you catch 'em -- you'll swing, on my oath! --
Make 'im take 'er and keep 'er: that's Hell for them both,
An' you're shut o' the curse of a soldier.
Curse, curse, curse of a soldier . . .
When first under fire an' you're wishful to duck,
Don't look nor take 'eed at the man that is struck,
Be thankful you're livin', and trust to your luck
And march to your front like a soldier.
Front, front, front like a soldier . . .
When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human as you are -- you treat her as sich,
An' she'll fight for the young British soldier.
Fight, fight, fight for the soldier . . .
When shakin' their bustles like ladies so fine,
The guns o' the enemy wheel into line,
Shoot low at the limbers an' don't mind the shine,
For noise never startles the soldier.
Start-, start-, startles the soldier . . .
If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white,
Remember it's ruin to run from a fight:
So take open order, lie down, and sit tight,
And wait for supports like a soldier.
Wait, wait, wait like a soldier . . .
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier ~of~ the Queen!
1895
“What you see in yourself is what you see in the world.”-Afghan proverb
"The reluctant obedience of distant provinces generally costs more than it is worth. Empires which branch out widely are often more flourishing for a little timely pruning."-Thomas B. Macaulay, Empire
Afghanistan
(with apologies to Kipling)
Anonymous British Soldier, 2009
When you’re lying alone in your Afghan bivvy,
And your life it depends on some MOD civvie
When the body armour’s shared (one set between three),
And the firefight’s not like it is on TV,
Then you’ll look to your oppo, your gun and your God,
As you follow that path all Tommies have trod.
When the Gimpy has jammed and you’re down to one round,
And the faith that you’d lost is suddenly found.
When the Taliban horde is close up to the fort,
And you pray that the arty don’t drop a round short,
Stick to your sergeant like a good squaddie should,
And fight them like Satan or one of his brood.
Your pay it won’t cover your needs or your wants,
So just stand there and take all the Taliban’s taunts
Nor generals nor civvies can do aught to amend it,
Except make sure you’re kept in a place you can’t spend it.
Three fifty an hour in your Afghani cage,
Not nearly as much as the minimum wage.
Your missus at home in a foul married quarter
With damp on the walls and roof leaking water
Your kids miss their mate, their hero, their dad;
They’re missing the childhood that they should have had
One day it will be different, one day by and by,
As you all stand there and watch, to see the pigs fly.
Just like your forebears in mid, dust and ditch
You’ll march and you’ll fight, and you’ll drink and you’ll bitch
Whether Froggy or Zulu, or Jerry or Boer
The Brits will fight on ‘til the battle is over.
You may treat him like dirt, but nowt will unnerve him
But I wonder, sometimes, if the country deserves him.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
John Carpenter's They Live
Keith Hansen (aka Vyzygoth) and I have a go at John Carpenter's "They Live" found at Think Or Be Eaten, here: MP3LINK.
Ray Nelson wrote the original story, 8 O'Clock In The Morning, on which the film is based and Keith has a wonderful interview with him as well, found here: MP3 LINK. New LINK for Vyz's & my discussion at Internet Archive.
Keith Hansen (aka Vyzygoth) and I have a go at John Carpenter's "They Live" found at Think Or Be Eaten, here: MP3LINK.
Ray Nelson wrote the original story, 8 O'Clock In The Morning, on which the film is based and Keith has a wonderful interview with him as well, found here: MP3 LINK. New LINK for Vyz's & my discussion at Internet Archive.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sin and Tonic
In an attractive (in this photo it is an Ittala Ultima Thule on the rocks glass, made in Finland) 8 ounce glass put:
Crushed ice
A squeeze of a slice of lime
A slice of lime
1 and a half ounces of gin
One half ounce absinthe
Topped with tonic (quinine) water
Note the louche!
I use Whole Foods 365 Brand Tonic water containing cane sugar. No fructose!
Quote of the Day
"Tyrannical government is unjust because it is not directed to the common good but to the private good of the ruler, as is clear from the philosopher in Politics III and Ethics VIII. Therefore the overthrow of such government is not strictly sedition, unless perhaps when accompanied by such disorder that the community suffers greater harm than from the tyrannical government. A tyrant is himself, moreover, far more seditious when he spreads discord and strife among the people subject to him so that he may dominate them more easily. For tyranny is the directing of affairs to the private benefit of the ruler with harm to the community."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa of Theology
"Tyrannical government is unjust because it is not directed to the common good but to the private good of the ruler, as is clear from the philosopher in Politics III and Ethics VIII. Therefore the overthrow of such government is not strictly sedition, unless perhaps when accompanied by such disorder that the community suffers greater harm than from the tyrannical government. A tyrant is himself, moreover, far more seditious when he spreads discord and strife among the people subject to him so that he may dominate them more easily. For tyranny is the directing of affairs to the private benefit of the ruler with harm to the community."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa of Theology
In our present situation one must assume that the ruler is plural and hidden; and, that government is a distraction and a shadow show.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Abiotic Oil and the BP Gusher
Cushing asks if oil comes from dead things.
It appears that the never ending and expanding gusher in the Gulf is bolstering the abiotic oil theory. That is: oil did not form out of dead plants and animals. Abiotic or abiogenic oil theory holds that hydrocarbons were present at the formation of the earth and were trapped in abundance in its mantle. One may consider that the atmosphere of the gas giant planets contains methane in relatively large quantities. Carbon and hydrogen are plentiful elements in the solar system and the universe. Both must have been present in large quantities in and on the Earth at its formation; our kind of life is based on it. Under pressure and heated within the Earth these elements joined as hydrocarbons. Therefore hydrocarbons were present in a relatively pure form on earth before there was carbon-based life. Organic chemicals led to organic life. It is difficult to explain deep wells six and seven miles below the surface of the earth gushing oil at thousands of PSI using the biological hypothesis. So we must begin to accept the possibility that life came from petroleum; not the other way around.
Peak oil theorists tend to get a bit perturbed by abiotic theory. I am in sympathy with their desire to end dependence on oil consumption to power the world for many reasons; but facts are facts. Biogenic oil is looking more and more ridiculous. It seems that the big dirty secret is that there is more oil than can be imagined deep below the surface. I am researching this issue and will post more on it in the future. It is interesting that this theory is quite well accepted in Russia and they are drilling deep wells and selling as much oil as they can. Perhaps they understand that the 'oil is scarce and running out meme' has run its course and they are cashing in as much as possible before we all catch on. Meanwhile I think we can expect abiotic oil theory to become more and more accepted and discussed as BP's oil gusher destroys the Gulf and beyond.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
or, the Law of Markets
la loi des débouchés
"Aggregate supply creates its own aggregate demand."
[Inherent in supply is the wherewithal for its own consumption.]
"Aggregate supply creates its own aggregate demand."
[Inherent in supply is the wherewithal for its own consumption.]
-Jean-Baptiste Say (5 January 1767 – 15 November 1832)
Traité d'économie politique, 1803
Say was a French economist. His Law has been variously interpreted. But it is not so simple as it appears. It is obvious that there can be no consumption without a product that may be consumed. But it is also obvious that there are limits to consumption no matter how much supply may appear in any market. We have seen an example of an unbridled real estate supply generated by unscrupulous banks willing to loan money for mortgages to almost anyone. Government policy implicitly insuring the banks against loss turbo charged this supply. Housing is still a desirable and necessary commodity but the public's ability to pay for this commodity which was also seen as an investment could not keep up with rising expectations. The same social elements that desired to profit from this market also suppressed the wages of those who were expected to pay the price of the endlessly rising housing valuation.
Traité d'économie politique, 1803
Say was a French economist. His Law has been variously interpreted. But it is not so simple as it appears. It is obvious that there can be no consumption without a product that may be consumed. But it is also obvious that there are limits to consumption no matter how much supply may appear in any market. We have seen an example of an unbridled real estate supply generated by unscrupulous banks willing to loan money for mortgages to almost anyone. Government policy implicitly insuring the banks against loss turbo charged this supply. Housing is still a desirable and necessary commodity but the public's ability to pay for this commodity which was also seen as an investment could not keep up with rising expectations. The same social elements that desired to profit from this market also suppressed the wages of those who were expected to pay the price of the endlessly rising housing valuation.
So we see that a desirable commodity may not always create its own demand if the price is too high and the market is based on an unsustainable easy credit.
We also know that undesirable and inferior commodities do not create an aggregate demand. Say also had no experience with our consumer culture that magically and alchemically turns vast quantities of useless, or ephemeral objects into desirable accoutrements.
But Say wrote in a time when money was real. It was gold or silver. Or one paid for product with product.
Today money is a ghost. It is created by banks out of nothing by decree. The old Laws do not apply and economists have fallen through the looking glass.
Say on the need for good government:
"When public authority is not itself a spoliator, it procures to the nation the greatest of all blessings, protection from spoliation by others. Without this protection of each individual by the united force of the whole community, it is impossible to conceive any considerable development of the productive powers of man, of land, and of capital; or even to conceive the existence of capital at all; for it is nothing more than accumulated value, operating under the safeguard of authority. This is the reason why no nation has ever arrived at any degree of opulence, that has not been subject to a regular government. Civilized nations are indebted to political organization for the innumerable and infinitely various productions, that satisfy their infinite wants, as well as for the fine arts and the opportunities of leisure that accumulation affords, without which the faculties of the mind could never be cultivated, or man by their means attain the full dignity, whereof his nature is susceptible."
But Say also felt that there was a potential for replacing government with a kind of private system of security. However he had no experience with the modern gigantic corporation (which is in itself a creature of bad government) that cares nothing for anything but profit.
"Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt." Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House
My Maxim of the Day
Corporations are created by government; men are created by God.
Say on the need for good government:
"When public authority is not itself a spoliator, it procures to the nation the greatest of all blessings, protection from spoliation by others. Without this protection of each individual by the united force of the whole community, it is impossible to conceive any considerable development of the productive powers of man, of land, and of capital; or even to conceive the existence of capital at all; for it is nothing more than accumulated value, operating under the safeguard of authority. This is the reason why no nation has ever arrived at any degree of opulence, that has not been subject to a regular government. Civilized nations are indebted to political organization for the innumerable and infinitely various productions, that satisfy their infinite wants, as well as for the fine arts and the opportunities of leisure that accumulation affords, without which the faculties of the mind could never be cultivated, or man by their means attain the full dignity, whereof his nature is susceptible."
But Say also felt that there was a potential for replacing government with a kind of private system of security. However he had no experience with the modern gigantic corporation (which is in itself a creature of bad government) that cares nothing for anything but profit.
"Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt." Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House
My Maxim of the Day
Corporations are created by government; men are created by God.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
John Bonanno photograph, June 6, 2010
My Martini recipe:
1 3/4 ounces of gin (in this case it was New Amsterdam Gin, a surprisingly good offering with a distinct citrus flavor from Gallo)
3/4 ounce of Lillet
A Dash of Orange Bitters
Tossed in a shaker half full of crushed ice.
Shake and pour into a martini glass.
Enjoy. And resist the urge to gulp it down quickly.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
John Bonanno photograph
(God of Fire, Child of the Sun-Mother)
O PANU, Son of the Sun!
Offspring thou of the dear day.
Lift the fire up to the sky.
In the middle of the golden ring,
Within the rock of copper,
Carry it as a child to its mother
Into the lap of the ancient mother.
Place the fire to shine by day,
And to rest at night.
Let it rise every morning!
Let it rest every evening!
from the Kalevala
found in Pagan Prayers by Marah Ellis Ryan, 1913
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Finnish Prayer of the Sower
BLESSING to the seed I scatter,
Where it falls upon the meadow,
By the grace of Ukko mighty,
Through the open finger spaces
Of the hand that all things fashioned.
Queen of meadow-land and pasture!
Bid the earth unlock her treasures.
Bid the soil the young seed nourish,
Never shall their teeming forces
Never shall their strength prolific
Fail to nourish and sustain us
If the Daughters of Creation,
They, the free and bounteous givers
Still extend their gracious favor
Offer still their strong protection.
Rise, O Earth! from out thy slumbers
Bid the soil unlock her treasures!
from the Kalevala
found in Pagan Prayers by Marah Ellis Ryan, 1913
BLESSING to the seed I scatter,
Where it falls upon the meadow,
By the grace of Ukko mighty,
Through the open finger spaces
Of the hand that all things fashioned.
Queen of meadow-land and pasture!
Bid the earth unlock her treasures.
Bid the soil the young seed nourish,
Never shall their teeming forces
Never shall their strength prolific
Fail to nourish and sustain us
If the Daughters of Creation,
They, the free and bounteous givers
Still extend their gracious favor
Offer still their strong protection.
Rise, O Earth! from out thy slumbers
Bid the soil unlock her treasures!
from the Kalevala
found in Pagan Prayers by Marah Ellis Ryan, 1913
Thursday, May 06, 2010
François-Marie Arouet known as Voltaire 21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778
Our priests are not what simple folk suppose;
Their learning is but our credulity.
-Voltaire, Oedipe, Act IV, scene i
Voltaire illuminated with the reflected wisdom of Newton by his muse, the Marquise du Châtelet. Frontespiece of Châtelet's translation of Newton, presented as Voltaire's.
"a great man whose only fault was being a woman"
-Voltaire on his mistress, the learned and brilliant Marquise du Châtelet
"History is nothing more than a picture of crimes and misfortunes." Voltaire, L'Ingenu
"God preserve me from my friends. I will take care of my enemies myself." -Voltaire
Our priests are not what simple folk suppose;
Their learning is but our credulity.
-Voltaire, Oedipe, Act IV, scene i
"a great man whose only fault was being a woman"
-Voltaire on his mistress, the learned and brilliant Marquise du Châtelet
"History is nothing more than a picture of crimes and misfortunes." Voltaire, L'Ingenu
"God preserve me from my friends. I will take care of my enemies myself." -Voltaire
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Maine Words of the Day ... All in One Place
Part Four
Part Four
Maine word of the day: "seventh wave" from the notion that every seventh wave is larger than the preceding six. It refers to something that finally breaks a thing down, or the straw that broke the camel's back. example: "You know postal management has done a lot of foolish things but ending Saturday delivery will be the seventh wave."
Maine word of the day: "Gun" replaces the word hunt. As in: "Tom is out gunnin' for old pictures at the antique shops this weekend." Or, "Tim is gunnin' for that new supervisor. He's just too nice a guy." Or, a selfish athlete can be a gunner. Or simply, one can go gunnin' for deer, in or out of season, dependin'.
Maine Word of the Day: "head in a bucket" derives from the clever pigkeeper who can lead the most recalcitrant porker wherever he desires using that oldest of farm implements, the bucket. The blinded Sus scrofa domesticus is much more amenable to backing into his sty. Example: "That letter of warning you got wasn't Bob's idea. Tim's got his head in a bucket and he can’t take a piss unless he’s led by the hand to the urinal."
Maine word of the day: "Coot" the American scoter, or saltwater duck. The old expression "crazy as a coot" comes from this bird's habit of never flying over land. He will fly hugging the shoreline of Maine coves and inlets for miles rather than hop a hundred yards over a spit to get where he wants to go. The coot is notoriously difficult to cook into an edible meal if you don't have a clue about what to do in the kitchen. Example of the use of the word "coot" when applied to a crafty letter carrier: "John the mailman is a crazy old coot. He never saw a shortcut he thought was safe to take no matter how much his supervisor insisted on it. He just said walking a little further was worth it to avoid an accident."
Maine word of the day: "Chopper" (not a helicopter) old timers' term for a man who works in the woods taking down trees. Lumberjack is a western term. A ravenous man is said to "eat like a chopper"
Maine Word of the Day "Robin Snow": a couple of inches that fall in the spring. It lands and departs quickly. It is thought to help green up the landscape. It is also known as "poor man's fertilizer”. Again, these terms are found (for the most part) in John Gould's Maine Lingo, recommended but out of print., and adapted by me, some more, some less.
Maine Word of the Day: "To catch a crab"-originally referred to a rower who mishandles the oars and creates a splash of water, then, any mistake or bungled attempt to do something. Example: "Tim filled in handling the Westbrook unit yesterday and caught a crab trying to pivot every Tom, Dick, and Harry in there. Most everyone ended up going overtime."
Maine Word Of The Day: "Gurrybutt" any receptacle placed on the dinner table used to collect clamshells, lobstershells, or any other debris or discards resulting from fine Maine dining. Example: "Last week when we had that lobster feed I noticed the gurrybutt was tippin' noticeably in Tom's direction. He's always had a gannet gut." The gurrybutt was also a large wooden cask in which cod livers were stowed so that the oil that rose to the top could be collected for curing what ailed you.
Maine word of the day: Canoodlin' - Casual sexual activity which may take place in the bushes or out by the woodpile or in the barn or, dangerously, in a canoe. It does not happen in the bed.
Maine Term of the Day: "sidehill winder" a piglike animal with legs shorter on one side of the body than the other, sometimes the right side, sometimes the left side (less common), an adaptation to grazing around the side of a mountain or steep hill. Those with legs shorter on the right graze clockwise, on the left, widdershins. Most "sports" at camp have never heard of them.
Maine word of the day: "sawdust sorter" a job that doesn't need doing and would require no competence to actually do would be assigned to the "sawdust sorter", a step below a "waste mail sorter" in the post office. If one wants to punish, demean, or degrade somone, or, relegate him to idiot status, one assigns to him duties fit for a sawdust sorter.
Maine Words of the Day: "tomalley" a "spider's" (lobster's) liver/pancreas, not properly pronounced like the Mexican tamale, one authentically says "Tom-alley" Personally, I'll give it to whomever desires the thing. PCBs and other toxins that may be in the water can collect in this organ, but we all know the Gulf of Maine is a pristine place, don't we?
Quotes To Note
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. -Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively, to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink."-George Orwell
Friday, April 09, 2010
More Maine Words Of The Day
Part Three
Maine word of the day: "Connections" - refers to relatives, as well as knowing someone somewhere with pull. example: "Howard has lots of connections at the Post Office and got that nice postmaster's job in no time."
Maine word of the day: "stivver" maximum amount, example: "My supervisor thought I should have an eight hour day but I let him know my volume was twice what I could stivver up to accomplish such a marvelous feat."
Maine word of the day: "Plummin'"- the act of berry-pickin', especially blueberries, done by hand, as opposed to "rakin'" a commercial activity done with a hand rake. Performed by women, children and "summercaters" A barely related sidenote: My new granddaughter's middle name is Plum.
Maine word of the day: "Dreen"- drain, Example: "Been a wet spring. My yahd won't dreen 'til August." Or, "How can they think about saving money at the post office by squeezing the carriers more when they haven't dreened that swamp upstairs where that plethora of ties and dresses loll about."
Maine word of the day: "Peavey" an improved canthook invented by Joseph Peavey a blacksmith of Upper Stillwater along the Penobscot, born in 1799. In 1858 while observing river drivers working logs on the Penobscot he had the bright idea of adding a pike and an improved dog mechanism that didn't flop laterally to the canthook. It was an instant success and soon he needed a small factory to keep up with the demand. The Peavey Manufacturing Company supplies the peavey to the logging industry to this day.
Part Three
Maine word of the day: "Connections" - refers to relatives, as well as knowing someone somewhere with pull. example: "Howard has lots of connections at the Post Office and got that nice postmaster's job in no time."
Maine word of the day: "stivver" maximum amount, example: "My supervisor thought I should have an eight hour day but I let him know my volume was twice what I could stivver up to accomplish such a marvelous feat."
A Clove Hitch
Maine word of the day: "Clove Hitch" a simple but secure temporary knot used to hitch a line to a spile (a pile on the side of a pier). In Maine parlance often used to denote an unwilling or unlikely attachment. As in: "How did that widdah Raymond get that clove hitch on Roger? Oh, don't tell me." OR "I siddout to be a lawyer and just temp at the PO but somehow I got this clove hitch on me for twenty five years."
An Antique Blueberry Rake
Maine word of the day: "Plummin'"- the act of berry-pickin', especially blueberries, done by hand, as opposed to "rakin'" a commercial activity done with a hand rake. Performed by women, children and "summercaters" A barely related sidenote: My new granddaughter's middle name is Plum.
Maine word of the day: "Dreen"- drain, Example: "Been a wet spring. My yahd won't dreen 'til August." Or, "How can they think about saving money at the post office by squeezing the carriers more when they haven't dreened that swamp upstairs where that plethora of ties and dresses loll about."
Croze, a tool for cutting a croze
Maine Word of the Day: "Croze" The groove on a barrel stave that fits the head. "Shook" (pre-cut lumber) for casks was shipped knocked down, "staves croze, hoops shaved, and headings ready". A person who is non-conformist, or a little different was said to have some "croze" trouble. Example: "Ever since Joe got hit by that aircraft carrier his croze has been a little bit off."Maine word of the day: "Peavey" an improved canthook invented by Joseph Peavey a blacksmith of Upper Stillwater along the Penobscot, born in 1799. In 1858 while observing river drivers working logs on the Penobscot he had the bright idea of adding a pike and an improved dog mechanism that didn't flop laterally to the canthook. It was an instant success and soon he needed a small factory to keep up with the demand. The Peavey Manufacturing Company supplies the peavey to the logging industry to this day.
The Peavey
This And That (Some Obvious Points)
Thoughts Riding the Wheel
Any law that is more than a few sentences long is designed to serve more as an employment program for lawyers than as any kind of a solution to a problem.
The function of the police is more than ever to control the populace than to protect them.
Etymological analysis of the word "religion" reveals a truth:
Religare (Latin v.) bind or rebind
Ligamen (Latin n.) a binding
The most hard core religionists are actually revealed as overcompensating faithless atheists who do not believe that God can carry out his Will without the assistance of Man. Indeed, they doubt that God can do anything without the bludgeon of Man's religion.
We now begin to see Europeans revert to their default setting: Hate and Blame for Jews in ways large and small as shown in this example:
The British Advertising Standards Authority has banned ads for tourism to Israel that depicts the Wailing Wall or the Temple Mount because those sites are not part of Israel, taking the politically correct side of the Arabs. In their bureaucratic verbiage: "We understood, however, that the status of the occupied territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute, and, because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead." Link
Now that corporations are unbound in their political activities, well, spending, thanks to an undemocratic Supreme Court, can they take a depreciation deduction on the politicians they own?
Union officials who spend enough time listening to management eventually start to find themselves in sympathy with them to an extent. It is a form of the Stockholm Syndrome. This also happens to those who watch Fox News.
When they first ascended to power in their lands, the Muslims preserved knowledge, understanding its value. When later the clerics attain power they destroy knowledge, having become ignorant in the understanding of their religion by then.
People like big government when it acts in the interest of the people. Corporations therefore attain double benefit by manipulating government to help themselves exclusively: The direct benefit of government aid and the indirect benefit of the resentment of the people for government, which is the only shield they have against the depredations of these same corporations' irresponsible amoral capitalism.
The World must change when God's attention is attracted to the World. But God chose to be ignorant, to withdraw full attention from the World in order to make a place of Mystery.
Any law that is more than a few sentences long is designed to serve more as an employment program for lawyers than as any kind of a solution to a problem.
The function of the police is more than ever to control the populace than to protect them.
Etymological analysis of the word "religion" reveals a truth:
Religare (Latin v.) bind or rebind
Ligamen (Latin n.) a binding
The most hard core religionists are actually revealed as overcompensating faithless atheists who do not believe that God can carry out his Will without the assistance of Man. Indeed, they doubt that God can do anything without the bludgeon of Man's religion.
We now begin to see Europeans revert to their default setting: Hate and Blame for Jews in ways large and small as shown in this example:
The British Advertising Standards Authority has banned ads for tourism to Israel that depicts the Wailing Wall or the Temple Mount because those sites are not part of Israel, taking the politically correct side of the Arabs. In their bureaucratic verbiage: "We understood, however, that the status of the occupied territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute, and, because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead." Link
Now that corporations are unbound in their political activities, well, spending, thanks to an undemocratic Supreme Court, can they take a depreciation deduction on the politicians they own?
Union officials who spend enough time listening to management eventually start to find themselves in sympathy with them to an extent. It is a form of the Stockholm Syndrome. This also happens to those who watch Fox News.
When they first ascended to power in their lands, the Muslims preserved knowledge, understanding its value. When later the clerics attain power they destroy knowledge, having become ignorant in the understanding of their religion by then.
People like big government when it acts in the interest of the people. Corporations therefore attain double benefit by manipulating government to help themselves exclusively: The direct benefit of government aid and the indirect benefit of the resentment of the people for government, which is the only shield they have against the depredations of these same corporations' irresponsible amoral capitalism.
The World must change when God's attention is attracted to the World. But God chose to be ignorant, to withdraw full attention from the World in order to make a place of Mystery.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Enemies of the People
"You can't mine coal without machine guns." Richard B. Mellon, March 19, 1858 – December 3, 1933, Testimony before Congress, quoted in Time Magazine, June 14, 1937
Mellon as a huge stockholder in the Pittsburgh Coal Company was a great enemy of John L. Lewis and the United Mine Workers. He was also a great donor to the Presbyterian Church.
Blankenship Quotes:
"Turn down your thermostats? Buy a smaller car? Conserve? I have spent quite a bit of time in Russia and China, and that’s the first stage. You go from having your own car to carpooling to riding the bus to mass transit. You eventually get to where you’re walking. You go from your own apartment and bathroom to sharing kitchens with four families. That’s what socialism and the elimination of capitalism and free enterprise is all about.”
"We don't pay much attention to the violation count."
"Some fear we are entering a new Ice Age. We must demand that more coal be burned to save the Earth from Global Cooling."
But, he added, "I don't like to see trade associations refer to global warming as "an issue" because it supports the idea something needs to be done about it." He said he has pressed Mr. Donohue [corporate flunky, former Postal Service Executive and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce] to take an even tougher stand against proposals in Congress to require companies to pay for their emissions. He said high emissions "mean you've got a better, more productive economy."-Wall Street Journal, Nov. 2, 2009
"He paid the market-price for politicians. Up in Western City I happen to know a lady who was a school-commissioner when he was buying school-lands from the state--lands that were known to contain coal. He was paying three dollars an acre, and everybody knew they were worth three thousand."
"You can't mine coal without machine guns." Richard B. Mellon, March 19, 1858 – December 3, 1933, Testimony before Congress, quoted in Time Magazine, June 14, 1937
 |
| John L. Lewis |
 |
Don Blankenship, member, board of directors, US Chamber of Commerce, CEO of Massey Energy, operator of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, where twenty-five died this week, Mr. Blankenship is also a huge contributor to the "Tea Party/Tea Bagger" movement. |
"Turn down your thermostats? Buy a smaller car? Conserve? I have spent quite a bit of time in Russia and China, and that’s the first stage. You go from having your own car to carpooling to riding the bus to mass transit. You eventually get to where you’re walking. You go from your own apartment and bathroom to sharing kitchens with four families. That’s what socialism and the elimination of capitalism and free enterprise is all about.”
"We don't pay much attention to the violation count."
"Some fear we are entering a new Ice Age. We must demand that more coal be burned to save the Earth from Global Cooling."
But, he added, "I don't like to see trade associations refer to global warming as "an issue" because it supports the idea something needs to be done about it." He said he has pressed Mr. Donohue [corporate flunky, former Postal Service Executive and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce] to take an even tougher stand against proposals in Congress to require companies to pay for their emissions. He said high emissions "mean you've got a better, more productive economy."-Wall Street Journal, Nov. 2, 2009
Quote of the Day
"Well," said Cotton, "if you don't buy the politicians, you wake up some fine morning and find that somebody else has bought them. If you have property, you have to protect it."
Upton Sinclair, King Coal
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