Reads

Blowback: This is (who. we. are.) r.o.e to the homeland after they exported Democracy.

Conservative Kevin Phillips on a goose we all know and love: cooking the books.

What's for dinner?

Take a deep breath, but be choosy where.

the excellent new Orion's Gospel of Consumption

the Webby's are back!!!

Last month they did comedy sketches, now it's commercials. Ya gotta laugh too.

Internet reads I have enjoyed

This is far too rational for CBS News. "Waking Up From the American Dream"(?!?)

Peak Honey. So that's the mother lode! You saw it here first.
Not that you'll have toast to slather.....

Fun with opressors! O yeah, you've been embedded. How does it feeeeel?!?!?

Passing through the homeland: from the EFF. Another way the Feds keep ya safer.

Not even your shoes are safe, I tells ya! And this is fascinating anyway.

Owwch ! Dmitry Orlov:
"Many people in the United States don’t even bother to shop and just eat fast food. The drive to maximize profit while minimizing costs has resulted in a product that manipulates the senses into accepting as edible something that is mainly a waste product. Under strict process control procedures, agro-industrial wastes, sugar, fat and salt are combined into an appealing presentation, packaged, and reinforced by vigorous advertising. Once accepted, it beguiles the senses by its reliable consistency, creating a lifelong addiction to bad food. The chemical industry obliges with an array of deodorants to mask the sickly body odor such a diet produces. Immersed for a lifetime in a field of artificial sensory perceptions, dominated by chemical, man-made tastes and smells, people recoil in shock when confronted with something natural, be it a simple piece of boiled chicken liver or the smell of a healthy human body. Perversely, they do not mind car exhaust and actually like the carcinogenic “new car smell” of vinyl upholstery.

Since good taste is no longer on the menu, the focus shifts to quantity, resulting in appallingly sized portions of undifferentiated protein and starch drowned in fat, administered in national festivals of pathetic gorging, of which Thanksgiving seems to be the main one. But this is all good for business and keeps the cancer, diabetes and heart disease industries humming. This is all very unhealthy, and the effect on the nation’s girth is visible clear across the parking lot. A lot of the people, who just waddle to and from their cars, seem unprepared for what is coming next."

And on that (talking about what we can yet hardly let feel) note; there should be hope.

Last but (in other forums, all there is) not least. For the funny bone; someone's list of the worst music bequeefed by man or woman, on video....Though its smartly limits to the sixties and seventies.

So many frivolities, so little time

This is 'fun'. Before and after, without the in-between. I believe you say Fresh!

And just to counter the rabid intellectual freedom lovin, library geeks in the house:

OPEN ACCESS

Get it while it is!

The internet's quite a thing! And while we're looking at pictures, here are some good ones I've enjoyed of late......

Landscapes

Nature's Creep

What you don't know can't hurt ya

Unless it clubs you over the head, and takes your mocha latte.

NYT: "In Haiti, where three-quarters of the population earns less than $2 a day and one in five children is chronically malnourished, the one business booming amid all the gloom is the selling of patties made of mud, oil and sugar, typically consumed only by the most destitute.

“It’s salty and it has butter and you don’t know you’re eating dirt,” said Olwich Louis Jeune, 24, who has taken to eating them more often in recent months. “It makes your stomach quiet down.” "

And in the most densely populated areas of the world (China, Indonesia, India), New Zealand is brokering unprecedented trade agreements.

And also from the NYT:
“It is unprecedented,” Mr. Holle said. “Nobody saw these kind of market prices coming.”

No one my arse. The bulk of the United States, maybe. Where (for instance) despite journalism for once covering the effects of the corn boom and biofuels, people still are warming to ethanol as fuel! This in a nation where it is not daily survival, but health insurance and retirement that is worth our attention. {"Sicko, this is Whatever Happened to the Electric Car?; I believe you two have some things in common"} By the time Americans get used to (the outrage!) $4 gas, people in nations where it's seven dollars have already moved on with their blessed lives.

The "bitter" thing. Sidestepping the grandstanding press...So there's some good dialogue going now surrounding the 'bitter comments'--and none of it positively inspired by ABC and their debacle--I mean debate. Let's face it--there are a number of words that are off limits in certain political frames. This is one of them (denial, extinction, paradigm, evolve also come to mind--the use of them more strictly governed than we'd like to admit). Our collective lexicon is a more 'vaccum sealed' environment than it seems. O for shame a black man speak of a nation's prevailing reality--which the media have refused to acknowledge since they traded their best intentions for political favors and advertising dollars. Bitter? Well I miss decent television, good journalism and many of the values found outside DC, Vegas and Walt Disneyville. Is that so wrong?

What do Fido and Charlie the Tuna have in common?

And from the Wild North country, where freedom's still free and (Police)"do what police do"...(clues: transit fare + taser)

At least they're talking about the difference between BE-ING citizens, and consumers.

If you're feeling really brave.....ArtVoice. It ain't all cubists and nudes....

Many years ago Winston Churchill said: "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities."

Convergence

If you've got a half an hour, Al's at it again. Laying it out there for anyone not yet 'embedded' with official truththink. I highly recommend it.

O, if instead I was paid to blog I'd spend hours fruitlessly casting stones at the zeppelin of fantasy that's replaced living. Beam us some sunshine, Today!

Upon the adding of another cell phone to the household:
Toys that make adults act like children and children feel like adults: Cellphones! Not just convenient! Cancerous! WooHoo--I'm modern!

Scrawled on the Wall

Now math was never my strong suit, but the language in this seems pretty clear.
"98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success."
Bushwhacked

Mike Wallace

So sure, Mike lobbed softballs (whiffle balls actually) at Roger Clemmens this year in an interview. But at least history has all of this

Not sure what Americans are concerned with

Anymore, but I know John McCain hasn't any clue

The Big Dipper

takes a nap

Time, time, time.

Reading between the lines till it's back in style

Latest from Lovelock, 'genius', grandfather, and all around nuklear hombre

With all of the guides to manhood out there for all to consume, you'd think by now we'd be have ascended to some higher plane of sexiness, but here is where Men are. Truth is funnier than fiction. And fiction is what we do. Fullstop
You'd think for a culture that prides itself on seeing into the crystal ball of a glamorous future that the cliffhanger wouldn't seem so plain.
Ole!

Our Commander in Chief like to wax presidential by endlessly suggesting that one day, just you wait and see, we'll all look back and see how right he was. I think the lives lost and the billions of dollars he sent 'over there' might sing a more morbid hymn for the ages.
Seals in the sands.

Ma Rainey and Columbus?

Harlem to Anatarctica? Wouldn't be the first time they saved the world.



B-ball is back!!!!! Apple pie had Jason Biggs. Roger Clemmons is apparently as much a hero as Mark Twain. The 'where at least I know I'm free' crowd growls over this bone. What could possibly come next? Hookers and wrestling? Casinos with stomach pumps? Opting in while tapping out?
Think I'll hit the showers before they cut the power.

Who took my marbles, dammit?:
Solastalgia
That explains my adult life...

Yeah, once I was shy. That was before illness(es) had chemical correctives so sanctioned, leaving the country became the crazy thing to do.....

It's summer here

Well here we see the intrepid travelers in their native element. Locutionary evidence of their location include the straits ferry, ponga trees, fennel, wine and abundant sunshine.
And hills, calf crunching, leisure defying, topographically messy hills.
Riotous vegetation. Possums, fer sakes.

Tilting Leeward

Lenny Bruce: “We all live in a happy-ending culture, a what-should-be culture. . . . We are all taught that fantasy. But if we were taught ‘This is what is,’ I think we’d all be less screwed up.”

And more able to change, adapt, let go?!?

Getting a little foggy in there? Wise old Kurt Cobb calls this the Cult of Continuity. 'I've got mine'

Three trillion and change on wars and this is can't make the newspapers? And don't say it ain't interesting, true to life, thriller material.
There are a lot of smart people connecting the dots, despite the blather that passes for entertainment coming out of the squawk box. And the media? Please....

There Will Be Blood.
As long as as it's not spelled out in my bills

A fellow Peak Oil kook over at Survival Acres puts living on this literal and figurative island it this way:
I personally believe that Americans are in very serious trouble regarding several factors, such as:

a) situational awareness — they have no idea what is going on around them and have no interest in it either;

b) comprehension limitations — they are so brainwashed that anything out of the ordinary is completely lost to them;

c) cognitive dissonance — they are quite unable to perceive anything outside of their comfort zone and will continue to vehemently deny their own suffering as long as possible;

d) they actually prefer their own bias, ignorance and laziness, it’s preferable to them because it does not require of them any personal responsibility or accountability

And I leave once more with words that speak more than well enough for me.

What do you think?

"If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time" --Chinese proverb

the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry!

or MAF, has hired me to fix the records system within their Policy Department. Whooda thunk they'd Lettuce? Now Beth's in Social Development and I'm in 'primary industries'.

MAF'S Mission is:

Enhancing New Zealand's Natural Advantage.

Through our purpose:

Leading the protection and sustainable development of our biological resources for all New Zealanders.

The Three Outcomes we are working to achieve are:

Economy:	Sustainable economic growth and prosperity for New Zealanders
People:	Healthy New Zealanders and a vibrant rural community
Environment:	Maintained and Enhanced economic, social and cultural benefits for New Zealanders from the natural environment

Most importantly, this gives a second wind to the income of our 'beach-head' here in Aotearoa. Simultaneously my head will vacate the cozy confines of my brain, where it's been stuck far too long.
It's the best thing to happen since a Library Card! At least.
The last few weeks, the term 'draw-down' reached critical nature. Corresponding to an upswing in summer happenings, t he full-court press of the work search tested the best of me. Once again, I'd like to thank Beth for her loving kindness and initiative.
But it's over. Now I get to dig around in the files and documents of the agriculturally richest nation in the world!

Want a better view?

Victoria Falls
At least wear a bungee cord....

Please pass the Salt.
It's an Institute, fer sakes.

American Dreaming

Montel Williams

More muckraking, troop defendin', sick making, part-time warrin' blues.

O the tangled web gets thinner by the day....

Nothing at all

to Listen to

Good Lord. If only there were more ways to entertain...

While waiting on a train...

Many wonderful photographs of the not so distant past. And wooden bicyles where carbon has carved a future in the present

Iraq has a better handle on what democracy means to voters than.....the American Press?

Homer Dixon once more, this time from the cool clear skies of Canada

From the Not Alone category, this time on the Loux:
"The people in my country, I am afraid to say, have somehow gotten the impression that we deserve the finest things in life, no matter from where, or from whom, we get them. The last president to tell the American people to stop acting like spoiled brats and to take some responsibility for our lives was replaced by an actor. Point taken. All subsequent politicians from then on understood that the American people wish for entertainment, not reality."

Our allies in Britain don't seem to know any better. Except a hardy few, the Lush-es. At least in the absence of Burts Bees (which had suddenly multiplied virally in the last year) we can go to Lush here in Wellington!

San Francisco is on notice
I find that more and more are able to talk about such matters.
RU?

World without men? A double-edged sword, and fascinating to boot.

New Zealand not quite removed from the ravages of cancer. You just can't get away from these wacky enviros, Even in Eden

At least there is, via the magic of web: Eva Cassidy

Dateline, summer?

Yep, I have to say it finally feels like summer here. Wellington is seeing some consistent sunny days--and I'm told this season "is a good one". After several not so good.
Among other things, this is really teasing me to ride a bike. To do that, I have to pay someone for it in a 'transaction'. I've been rationalizing not getting one as I continue to look for work. But these sunny days! There are a lot of cyclists here in Wellington, and some good looking rides. We'll see.
That said, job options are looking up, way up. The number of raw ads has nearly doubled since the holidays--and the actual content, the quality of those jobs is fantastic. Luckily, I have a very patient and smart wife (I believe you've met Beth) who's sticking out my search. I am fortunate as well to have a work permit that enables me to choose my employer. Woe to Beth; she can only work for her current employer, MSD. So I must secure as a-Q-uality a contract as I can--within a reasonable timeframe. As of today, I am aiming higher; toward positions in Archives New Zealand or the National (libraries). Or government agencies similar to the one for whom Beth works that pay well and reward those who may get them.
We'll see.
That said, an odd normality has become the days here in En-Zed. That piece of the (forward) puzzle, good work, would have it all make sense.
Tell then, I am mad, I tells ya.

EPI Rankings (2008)!!

What? Excited over this stuff?!? Just call me Geo-man. No big surprises here. I just find it fascinating that this treasure can be got. This, to my mind, is about as accurate a measurement of quality of life as you can get from a bunch of numbers. It's damn good, too.
You may find that those countries near the top have an intact social lifestyle that values (profits from) their environment, and historically has taken steps to protect it. Their social capital reflects well. Other nations may have valuable resources (mineral, timber, precious metals) but have recently or otherwise sold the future for a better (?) present. History is the best judge; yet the EPI index is a great gauge, for the direction many nations will go.
For those who'd prefer otherwords:
"The 2008 Environmental Peformance Index (EPI) ranks 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Pollution, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Climate Change. The EPI identifies broadly-accepted targets for environmental performance and measures how close each country comes to these goals. As a quantitative gauge of pollution control and natural resource management results, the Index provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decisionmaking onto firmer analytic foundations."

Kiwi money

Been meaning to write about these beauties for awhile, but I guess it's just easier to spend them. PLAY MONEY!

No, they're painfully real(they have that real-O-clear seal). And beautiful, I think.

There's the queen of England, and Katherine Mansfield, who's childhood home is just down the hill from ours. And Edmund Hillary, whom they canonized before he'd passed.
Vultures!
And penguins and some type of duck.

On the dollar coin is the beloved kiwi. There's a two dollar coin (no bill) as well.

They start at ten (cents-it looks like an American penny), twenty, fifty. Here they round up or down to the nearest denomination of ten cents.

At least this way I hold on to them for a bit longer....