The soul has greater need of the ideal than the real for it is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Brave (?) New World

In this freelance world we're about to enter in which the corporations place the risk solely on those it hires to do its bidding, I find myself conflicted.

I also find myself poking about for the place to fit in.

A few days ago I sent off a writing sample for a freelance writing job with a site that deals with the Arts.  Mind you it's not my preference, but I thought I'd give it a try since I like eating and living indoors and the capability to do both is in question at this time.  So I dashed off a little missive and atached a sample that I thought was pretty good, a piece from this blog about Showtime's season ending episodes this past year.

There were a few hitches though.

In my zeal to get this job and impress with my "abilities" I may have written myself out of a job, we'll see.

Yesterday I got an email:

I'm paraphrasing here  but :
You know...we want housewives from Topeka to be able and willing to read this stuff.  So, if you wouldn't mind could you send me something I could submit to the editors?
Was the gist of it.

I guess all the talk about straight guys and using the  word Shit, isn't what they're looking for. See, too excited, I went off my head.

So now I have to learn to write for the masses, not just the four five of you who read this blog.

Oy!

And so it goes:
 

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

To the point

Yesterday I failed to make my point I think.

The current, and obvious plan by the GOP to prevent passage of any bill that might (and I say might with much trepidation) lift us out of the current Great Depression is meant to weaken the democrats in November, thus returning the GOP to power in congress, and THEN they'll attempt to open the floodgates of relief to help create jobs etc. and then claim they're our heroes.

Fuck them.

If the education system in America worked and Americans were smart, which they've proven time and again they're not, they'd keep all the Democrats and see what they can actually accomplish instead of believing the old lies about Democrats fiscal irresponsibility.

I might add that the deficit was increased more by George Bush, (the worst President in over 100 years, probably ever) in his administration than it has been by the Democrats, we just didn't know it because of all the prestidigitation that was going on.

So let's not blame the guy who's spending money to help us when the other guy spent not only all our money to wage unjust and illegal war, but invited his friends in and helped them sack the treasury!

November will tell the tale of whether we're as stupid as I fear, it'll also be one of the deciding factors on where I spend my retirement years. If the people of Mexico think it's so great here then I say they can have it, I'll move to the country they're abandoning and live in peace.

Having the worst time at the wheel this summer, it's like I've never done this before, making all the rookie mistakes in the book. Can't understand it.

Ran across a fb post by an old friend about a show we were in more than a few weeks ago. Though I hadn't forgotten about the show I had forgetten what it meant to us all, and apparently by the comments still does. I'm so proud to have been a part of such things.

And if I'm lucky...

And so it goes:

Monday, June 28, 2010

Common Sense

On the rare occassion in this day and age when it appears common sense is actually being applied to the culture and it's dilemmas I feel I need to acknowledge it so that perhaps it might continue to be utilized.

It's a rare commodity these days.

First I wish to acknowledge the Chicago Blackhawks and their appearance (WITH the Stanley Cup) in the Chicago Pride Parade this weekend. To an old geezer like me, the only thing that comes to mind is the question, "How fucking cool is THAT?"

Hockey players in the Pride parade, whoda thunk it? Back in the day, we were lucky to be able to get a straight person of any stripe in the damn thing. And it doesn't really matter why they were there. THEY WERE THERE!

So, to Brent Sopel and the Blackhawks I say a personal thanks, you re-affirmed my terminally shaky faith in people this weekend. (And whether or not you are aware of it THAT'S quite an accomplishment.)

And let's not forget the apparently still cool city of Seattle that flew the gay flag on top of the Space Needle.

Sometimes when you see things you never thought you'd live to see it gives you goosebumps a little.  I'm so proud to be a gay man this year.

And while honoring the tradition of common sense, let's talk about my new love.  Let's first be clear, I've never met him, and he's likely straight.  But Thom Hartmann is my new love.

Thom is an economist.  Now economists are rarely known for talking in terms of common sense, and often not even in terms most of us understand.

Thom however, made an incredible point about a year ago which I wish I had seen during my unemployment, it might have given me solace to know that someone was actually thinking about my plight at the time.

I've considred quoting Thom and I've considered paraphrasing Thom, and in the end I think it best to let him speak for himself,

Cash for Geezers? Lower the Retirement Age to 55 Now!

Cash for Geezers? Lower the Retirement Age to 55 Now!

Submitted by Louise on 25. August 2009 - 11:09
retirement imagesOne of the most powerful forms of stimulus we could apply to our economy right now would be to lower the current Social Security retirement age from the current 65-67 to 55, and increase the benefits back to where they were in inflation-adjusted 1960s dollars by raising them between 10 to 20 percent (so people could actually live, albeit modestly, on Social Security).
The right-wing reaction to this, of course, will be to say that with fewer people working and more people drawing benefits, it would bankrupt Social Security and destroy the economy. But history shows the exact reverse.
Instead, it would eliminate the problem of unemployment in the United States. All those Boomers retiring would make room in the labor market for all the recent high-school and college graduates who are now finding it so hard to find a job.
If enough Boomers left the job market, it would even flip the current dynamic of too-many-people-chasing-too-few-jobs upside down, and create a tight labor markets. Tight labor markets drive up wages.
And as wages go up, tax revenues – which are paying for Social Security (among other things) – would increase.
Additionally, these new-into-the-workforce people can then pay off student loans, buy new houses and cars, and otherwise drive the economy from the bottom up. Which will further increase tax revenues further strengthening the Social Security system.
To further tighten the job market and drive up wages (and tax revenues), modify the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 – which tightened the labor market and reduced unemployment by establishing the 40-hour work week – to include all hours worked by a person. We could also, like in France, drop the 40-hour maximum-workweek threshold to 35 hours (used by the Mitterrand government to successfully lower unemployment and stimulate the French economy). A final step would be to emulate the rest of the developed world and require by law that every worker get at least two to four weeks a year of paid vacation – further tightening the labor market.
In Uganda, Joseph Okwakoi gets it. He’s the president of the National Youth Council in that nation, a group that has considerable political power (and an affiliated Member of Parliament, the Central Youth Party’s Joseph Kasozi).
Earlier this month, Okwakoi called on Parliament and President Museveni to lower the age of retirement for government workers (the country’s largest employer) from the current 60 years of age to 55. This single act would instantly create about 15,000 job openings in the country, which could be filled by currently unemployed young people.
President Museveni replied that he’d consider it seriously, pointing out that, “The retirement age was actually 55 when we came but because of manpower shortage we put it at 60.” Now that the manpower shortage has eased, wages are falling, and unemployment is rising, he noted, “We shall study it.”
What Joseph Okwakoi understands is that there is a marketplace for labor. When the supply of labor exceeds demand, the price of labor (“wages”) falls. On the other hand, when the demand for labor is at or greater than the supply of labor, the price of labor – wages – increases.
This is the main reason why the labor movements of the 18th and 19th centuries fought so hard against child labor; they knew that if children were removed from the labor marketplace, then the supply of labor (the number of people available to work) would decrease and the price of labor (wages) would increase. And, sure enough, that’s exactly what happened – and it began the creation of a blue-collar middle class.
It’s also why the labor movement pushed for an 8-hour day and a 40-hour maximum workweek. By reducing the amount of labor available from each worker from the average 60 hours a week or so people were working before 1938, the labor market tightened up, increasing the number of people who could be employed and raising wages.
Of course, this is the exact opposite of American labor policy ever since the Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush era. Reagan drove down wages by busting unions (which tighten a labor marketplace); declared an amnesty for millions of then-illegal immigrant workers to increase the supply of labor and depress wages (particularly whacking the carpenters and other construction trades unions); and began the process (completed in a big way by Bill Clinton with NAFTA and GATT/WTO) of dismantling tariffs, taxes, and laws that made it expensive or illegal to export American jobs.
Reagan also put into the chairmanship of the Fed Alan Greenspan, who openly declared that his most important job as chairman of the Fed was to prevent “wage inflation” – a term which he exclusively applied to working-class people. Greenspan is still preaching that now-discredited and anti-American philosophy he learned from Ayn Rand, in fact.
Having already largely wiped out the ability of a blue-collar single-wage-earner family to have a middle class lifestyle over the past 30 years, Greenspan now wants to go after white-collar workers by eliminating limits on H1B visas for skilled workers ranging from computer programmers to physicians to scientists. The investor class would always be protected, in the Greenspan world, but the working class – regardless of skill level – should always be the working poor.
In September of 2007, in an interview on C-SPAN for Book TV, Greenspan said:
“We pay the highest skilled labor wages in the world. If we would open up our borders to skilled labor far more than we do, we would attract a very substantial quantity of skilled labor which would suppress the wage levels of the skilled, because the skilled are essentially being subsidized by the government, meaning our competition is being kept outside the country.”

It’s shocking that ideologues like Greenspan, Reagan, and Clinton believe this, but they do. And the only way to reverse the past 29 years of Reaganomics/Clintonomics is to tighten up the labor market again. While a great start would be to pull out of our insane trade treaties and begin again protecting American manufacturers, that will take a decade for the impact to be truly felt even if we were to go back to our 1980 tariff levels today.
But providing space for a good chunk of the 16 percent of the American workforce over 55 years old will immediately take us to nearly zero unemployment and dramatically stimulate the economy. Then we can begin to bring our manufacturing jobs back home from China and the other important steps (Medicare For All and Card-Check for unionization) to restore the strength and integrity our nation and national economy once had.

And so it goes:








Sunday, June 27, 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Santayana, if only we knew how right he was,  we MIGHT stop making the same damn mistakes over and over.

A century ago we found ourselves in the throes of corporate takeover.  They owned towns, stores, in essence people, and no one thought it inappropriate.  Until they got too greedy that is. (my research tells me company towns are not outlawed, and the way things are going I expect to see Verizonville any day now. P.S. in 2010speak it's called privatization, we'll have covenants restricting who can live where again if the trend continues.)

Does that sound familiar?

Corporations are doing it again.  They're getting too greedy, they don't want more, they want it all.  If they can't get their money one way, they'll find a way to get it another.  Look at credit card companies, (mine incidentally, is a paragon of virtue, they haven't gouged me at all during any of the recent changes, well the one I still have that is, the other one tried to fee me into the poor house. they got paid off and cut loose I'll take the credit hit.)  they lose the ability to charge a certain fee, and they raise an existing fee or create a new one. Phone companies, as though they didn't learn the lesson the first time, charge you for calling to ask a question.  Wall Street gets a crackdown, they raise fees across the board on 401k's. 

It's coming, maybe not soon, and maybe not as swiftly as it should, but the backlash is coming, the people will rise up and demand it be stopped.  That they be protected from the usury they invited in the first place.

There is no such thing as Shangri-La, but if we keep inviting disaster in the form of corporate malfeasance we're courting the exact opposite.

We get the government we deserve.

And so it goes:

Monday, June 21, 2010

What you put out there

It's funny, when you put stuff out into the universe and it answers. It's not always going to say, "Hey! Great idea, here's some stuff with which to accomplish that goal." Sometimes it'll tell you to sit still and keep your mouth shut, but that isn't my experience.

The universe has a tendency to tell me to move, to explore, to create. Sometimes I listen. And when I do it usually rewards me with rich experience I wouldn't trade for anything.

Yes, there are aggravations, there are moments when I think it would have been oh so much better to stay at home in my comfy little apartment and not dealt with the hassle, but I'm wrong, it's always worth the trouble.

Sometimes, as one gets older and a little less afraid of the world one feels like exploring a little further afield, and sometimes the universe encourages that.

So I highly recommend that you put your dreams out there, that you stretch a bit, and make yourself a little uncomfortable. The rewards you'll get are immeasurable, and the friendships that carry you through these adventures are priceless.

Say it! Say it out loud, write it on your blog, put a note on your fridge, make it your screensaver, whatever it takes, just let the universe know you're ready and willing to take the next scary and exploratory step. I bet it brings you some interesting news.

And so it goes:

Friday, June 18, 2010

Thursday, June 17, 2010

wanderlust and the lure of security

Being a Gemini is a bane and a boon.  We love that there are myriad things to do because we get bored, that's why we have to have two jobs usually.  We love the infinite variety  of things that comes our way, and the posibilities that are endless in this life.  (we aren't speaking of ourselves in the third person, but rather in the fashion of a gemini since there are two of us.)

However!

I'm not getting younger and I'm pretty comfortable here in my little apartment. Besides some new opportunities are about to present themselves I think...more on that when/if it happens.

I want to go places and live in other cultures but I am loathe to give up my creature comforts. A notion I know is silly, because I've filled place after place with completely new furnishings and started over more times than I care to count.  So I know that it can be done, I've just grown attached to some of these things, they came from people who have passed through my life and I want them around. But can they be safely stored and retrieved at a later time?

For instance, I'd let all this furniture go if necessary. Let's say I got one of those jobs I've been courting in another country and I had to go.  I'm not taking all this stuff!  Besides i am NOT a fan of this living room furniture, so it'd definitely go.  The dining room stuff, though i like it, could go, and though I love the bedroom furniture and would prefer to keep it, I've had it for 15 years and it would be a fond memory, so yes I'd let it go too. There's the matter of a pottery wheel and some equipment, but I've come to look at that stuff as a commodity worth money that would help with a relocation rather than necessities.

So here's the list:

Artwork, books,Cd's, clock (inherited), electronics, bedroom furniture if possible, China, keepsake box,  a few baubles like the crystal bowl and vases and the vase of Buddy's ashes.

I'd take the electronics and the bike if I could, but other than that I'm done with it.  I want to say sometimes "If it fits in the car it can go with, other than that it goes to the curb." (the bike of course, would get a carrier on the outside)

I know what this is.  I'm not chasing anything right now.  There is no goal that's tough to reach, and we're bored.  Poor us.

Ah wanderlust, it pulls like a tide.

And so it goes:

Update-

I wish I'd seen this first this morning I'd have ranted about not wanting to live in a country where some texan  who thinks we should all belong to corporations and is certainly in their pocket apologizes to the very people who hvae decimated the gulf coast of the United States with their greed and carelessness.

This isn't a pciture of the guy in question, but probably one of his relatives:




 hmmm- well on tp the story it's incredible that someone would say he doesn't want to live in a country that would make a company pay for their mistakes, Personally I don't want to live in a country that would allow this guy power of any kind, yet he's not in a minority, sad.

Well, that was fast. Barely 10 minutes into Thursday's landmark congressional testimony — where BP CEO Tony Hayward and other leading company executives are revisiting the Gulf Coast oil spill before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — the first controversial statement has entered the record.
And no, it didn't come from the gaffe-prone BP brass. Instead, GOP Rep. Joe Barton of Texas — the ranking member on the House Energy Committee — made a decisive splash in his opening remarks. A staunch conservative who has a long record of backing oil industry interests, Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the "shakedown"  the Obama White House pulled on the company. (Barton has received more than $1.5 million in campaign donations from the oil industry, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan watchdog group.) You can watch the video here—the apology occurs at the 1:45 mark:
 

  "I'm not speaking for anybody in the House of Representatives but myself," Barton explained, "but I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown. In this case a $20 billion shakedown."
[Photos: Obama meets with BP executives
Wrapping up, Barton said: "I apologize. I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong, is subject to some sort of political pressure that is, again, in my words — amounts to a shakedown, so I apologize."

msnbc.com

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Oh Come on!

I think SOME political correctness is necessary. There are those who would just say stuff to be offensive if no one called them on it, like oh, say Rand Paul, or John McCain, who likely says it out of our earshot but certainly says it.

But!

It appears that there, as always, are people who think political correctness is license to take things to a ridiculous extreme.


For instance:
KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Kansas City greeting card giant Hallmark has been pressured to remove a " hoops&yoyo " greeting card after the NAACP found it politically incorrect.
The card, which has been sold for the past three years, features the witty duo in an astronomy themed setting. The printed text congratulating the graduate for an out of this world job well-done was fine. It was the audio recording inside the NAACP representatives found insensitive. hoops&yoyo recite the following:
“Hey World, we're officially putting you on notice. Yeah! You'd better watch out because this graduate here's kicking rear and taking names. This graduate's going to run the world, run the universe and run everything after that... whatever that is. And you black holes, you're so ominous. HA HA HA OHHH. Congratulations. YEA!!! Nothin' like taking over the world. And you planets, watch your back!”
The phrase “you black holes,” was thought to come off as “you black hoes,” a reference the NAACP said is demeaning to African American women.
Hallmark has pulled the card from retail stores and issued an apology, which reads in part:
“We believe that in the context of the outer space theme and the copy itself, the intent of the card is clear: that after graduation, there is a universe of opportunity, and this graduate is ready to take it on. However, when it became evident that there was confusion, we took steps to remove the card from stores shelves, an action we felt was in the best interest of our retail partners and of consumers who perceived our words in ways we never intended.”
Hallmark says the card has been out for three years and this was the first time they received a complaint.
The NAACP will hold its convention in Kansas City next month with some 10,000 attendees.

You've got to be fucking kidding me!

What do you want to bet if it'd sounded like they said fags, not a word would have been said by anyone. 

Does anyone else get sick of the double/triple standard? I certainly do.  Recently at work we received an application on which the applicant had obviously made a mistake, a hilarious one, but a mistake none the less.  Under the heading "What other skills do you possess" the applicant likely started to write that they were bilingual but forgot to finish the thought and wrote "I'm bi" this has illicited more than a few laughs at the office.

Yesterday the young man I work with was talking about it and mentioned that he had told his brother about it.  Brother, typically said, "Was it a chick?" Young man said, no, and brother said, "Did you throw it away?"  Young man said, "Yes! I mimicked like I was tossing it in the trash can! Dude, we're on the same wavelength!"

Now, in his defense he knew as the words came out of his mouth that he was insulting me by telling me, and it was way too late to stop.  So we both retreated to neutral corners for a few minutes and then changed the subject. 

I know where I stand with people almost always, and this guy is no exception.  beating that dead horse will produce no results and I know it. So were push to come to shove with this guy I'd lose because I'm gay.  Fair enough at least I know.

I could run to the boss about it and demand apologies and beat the political correctness drum, and what would come of it?  I'd be the bad guy.  There is a black woman at work who bullied her way into the office by playing the race card, and revealed  quite quickly that she was unable to do the job. She's pissed now that I'm in that position yet it has little to do with me.  She'd be mad about anyone that wasn't her in there.  What she doesn't see is that it isn't her race that took her out of the running it was her ability and willingness to do what the job requires.

But political correctness bullying is what got her in the door.

Perhaps what we need is to treat each other with civility and fairness ALL THE FUCKING TIME so we don't need to say "Hey! You excluded me because I'm gay-black-mexican-japanese-lesbian-bi-native american-whatthefuck ever" excuse we use to manipulate people into doing what we want.

Yesterday I read on Breaktheillusion.com a piece about the very real effects of this kind of exclusionary and dismissive thinking.  He says:

While researching yesterday’s talky blog, I came across an article written by Dr. John R. Diggs, Jr about “The Health Risks of Gay Sex” on the Catholic Education Resource Center’s (CERC) website. I was intrigued by the article’s disclaimer, which read as follows:
CERC will not publish articles which, in the opinion of the editor, expose gays and lesbians to hatred or intolerance.
The article basically makes the case against homosexuality based on gay men’s promiscuity, compromised physical health (increased likelihood of STDs), mental health (increased depression and suicide), decreased lifespan and inability to maintain monogamy.
By the end of the article, I was fuming. Here’s why.
Sure, some gay men are promiscuous. And some aren’t. Being gay doesn’t necessitate being a slut – as adults, each of us is able to make the choices about the sex lives that work for us. Furthermore, if someone does make the choice to have multiple sex partners, is that really something you can hold against them (let alone against an entire population of people)?
When it comes to physical health, the good doctor cites an increased risk of STDs due to the promiscuous lifestyles of gay men and women (yes, he’s against the lesbians, too!). I’m surprised he didn’t express the other stereotype that gay men are more physically fit than our apparently sex-starved straight counterparts.
When Dr. Diggs dug into mental health, I was in disbelief. He writes:
It is well established that there are high rates of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse, and suicide attempts, among gays and lesbians.
No shit, Sherlock. But doesn’t he realize that gay people are more likely to be depressed or suicidal because people like him make it harder for us to be accepted in this world? When my ex-boyfriend’s parents rejected him for being gay, he tried to kill himself. It wasn’t because there is something dysfunctional about gay people – it’s because as a fragile and young human being, he didn’t know how else to react to his parent’s rejection. Dr. Diggs is doing nothing but fueling the flames of prejudice that ensure a more difficult and less-loving world for gay and lesbian people across this planet.
The doctor also cites shortened lifespans in his case against homosexuality. With the high number of suicides in the gay population coupled with high HIV rates, I don’t doubt that gay men die younger. But maybe the answer isn’t renouncing gay people for their sexual orientation. Maybe the answer is educating gay people on HIV, and providing support for rejected or depressed gay people. It seems more productive to help lift the lifespan of people that identify as gay, rather then hold it against us.
And don’t even get me started on monogamy. Straight men are just as polygamous as gay men, we just tend to be a bit more honest about it since polygamy is somewhat accepted in our community. I’m sure that just as many straight men have extramarital relations as gay men, they just aren’t as vocal about it. And not that there is anything wrong with polygamy, but maybe we’d be more inclined to monogamy if we were given the option to marry.
The doctor, holding that gays and lesbians should be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity,” concludes that:
Approving same-sex relationships is detrimental to employers, employees and society in general.
Dr. Diggs is using facts to tell a story that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. His numbers may be right, but the picture he paints is far from accurate. Furthermore, he uses this narrative to make the case against homosexuality as if gay people have some viable alternative? Since we can’t turn straight, I suppose the alternative is celibacy (we know how that worked out for Catholic priests) or a closeted life of deception.
Dr. Diggs is an idiot. This isn’t a judgment. It’s a fact. And I will use this fact to tell my own narrative. Instead of expressing respect, compassion or sensitivity, Dr. Diggs has only made it harder for the gay men and women that are already up against so much. In the name of Christ’s love, Dr. Diggs is spewing hate. It’s repulsive, hypocritical and yes, it stings.

And he's right.  if we educated people, which we don't do as I regularly rant about here, they'd have some sense of right and wrong, and when they speak they'd think of their audience before they do.

Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend about analyzing Shakespeare's Macbeth, and  he said "Macbeth is evil."  I disagree, but that's another post altogether,  what I said in return is that when looking at Mr and Mrs Macbeth one can't apply the common rules.  If you really want to find out what drives these two you can't approach their character with the notion in your head that they're evil.  I suppose the play is about murder but what do these two want so badly that they're willing to kill the king to get it.  That's the question.  Not their morality, that's obvious, not their sanity, that becomes obvious, but what do they want, and what are they willing to do to get it.

What do we really want, and what are we really willing to do to get it is the the question that should be posed to political correctness bullies. Looking at people for what they can do, for what they can bring to the table is the right thing to do, but we teach each other to hate on sight instead. Educating everyone that ability trumps everything, would answer so much of this. Yet we close schools and cut education budgets because we can't afford to make our populace smart. 




And so it goes:


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Wasn't there something in there about graven images?

In the continuing effort to completely disregard the notion of what the United states of America is supposed to stand for we have yet another example of the "faithful" not following their own rules.


Touchdown Jesus has burned down.

The Ohio Daily News-


"The statue was constructed of wood and styrofoam over a steel framework that was anchored in concrete and covered with a fiberglass mat and resin exterior, according to the church. It was slated to undergo renovations this summer. Gathered along Union Road were Franklin twins and storm chasers Levi and Seth Walsh, who said they were out in the thunderstorm when they heard about the fire through a Facebook update. 'It sent goosebumps through my whole body because I am a believer,' said Levi Walsh, 29. 'Of all the things that could have been struck, I just think that that would be protected. ... It’s something that’s not supposed to happen, Jesus burning,' he said. 'I had to see it with my own eyes.' 'I can’t believe Jesus was struck,' said his brother, who noted the giant Hustler Hollywood sign for the adult store across the street was untouched. 'It’s the last thing I expected to happen.'"

Why isn't is supposed to happen?  What world does this guy live in? What Christian rule is it that immunizes Christian statuary from nature?


Now, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to those nuns as they droned on about the rules and regulations at Positronics, er, Catholic school, but I'm pretty sure they, at one point, and likely several times thereafter, mentioned that there shouldn't be any graven images, or something to that effect.

Well, then I ask you, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?

Have these rubes never heard of Exodus?

of course, this notion of Jesus as a bearded long haired white guy are everywhere,  there's the Cristo Redemtor in Rio, the Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia, and of course the Charlie Brown Jesus in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. (the story i was told was that the FAA wouldn't let them build it any higher and they stopped there with the head rounded like Charlie Brown and put a red light on top, it's quite the sight.) 

And let us not forget the Sister Bertrille Jesus in Indonesia. (Indonesia?!?!)


Last week I got an email from my brother.  I always qualify these statements about my brothers faith by saying how much i love my brother, and i do.  He's been quite the brother these many centuries and though I think I'm incredibly lucky to have him in my life,(since it wasn't an accident of birth) there's the matter of his faith. The email was a forward from someone he knows at work and she had sent this email to people she knows.  It quoted a bible verse 1 kings 8:23, and then said "don't ask questions, just forward to eight good people and TRUST GOD!" and then below that had this symbol (8) eight times.  These were said to be money bags and the reader was exhorted to send them to eight good people.  I, of course, sent them to the eight most evil people I know.

Point being, do these people actually read what is written in that book they think is so holy?  They sure dont' act like they do. I'd swear i read something about money-changers being cast out, and graven images and such.

Besides, how do they know their Jesus was a bearded long haired white guy? He didn't live in a white neighborhood.


I'd also swear that there is mention that we're created in his image, which yet again goes to our assumption of what "God" looks like.  With that as the template, and considering where he lived, wouldn't it seem that this is a better notion of their god?


Not that I object, it just seems historically inaccurate, oh wait..history/inaccuracy, I get it now...


And so it goes:

Monday, June 14, 2010

understanding =unemployment

If we understood socialism all of our current politicians would be unemployed.  Socialism in Norway apparently means integrity, patriotism, fiscal responsibility, and following the golden rule. 

None of which, of  course applies here.

Understandably Norwegians don't want us to start emigrating in droves, they don't dislike Americans, but living with them...well, would you if you had a choice?

They have no debt, if you get sick you just walk into the hospital and they care for you, a budget surplus, oh, and their economy grew the last two years...did yours?

Contrary to popular belief, it is not cold all the time, day and night do get fucked with due to it's location, but you can't have everything. 

There are also 25 days of vacation each year, and everyone gets a pension. Plus 10 national holidays.

What the fuck are we so afraid of socialism for? 

Because our education system keeps us stupid.  If we really understood the benefits of socialism, and that IT IS NOT COMMUNISM, we'd be clamoring at the gates for it, and booting these greedy bastards we've got in office out in the streets. 

So see, it's really not in their best interest to educate us properly. 

I read this weekend that there are people going to jail for non-payment of credit card debt.  That's not exactly correct.  What's happening is that these people are apparently being sued by their credit card companies, or the collector, or someone, and they fail to show up for a court date, which generates a warrant for the arrest of their dumb asses.  THEN they go to jail and the bail is coincidentally the amount they owe. 

It's usury, it's debtor's prison, and we've effectively returned to the 19th century, but we asked for it.  We gave control of the country to the corporations and now we' get the government we deserve.

I don't dislike Barack Obama because he's black, or because he's  heterosexual, not even because he hasn't done much on gay rights.  I dislike Barack Obama because he's ineffectual. 

He has accomplished NOTHING.  The only thing I can think of that could possibly prevent him from being a one-term President, is if the Republicans do something nutso like run Sarah Palin against him next time.  THAT would not only bring the Democrats out in droves, but it'd bring tons of Republicans over to the Democratic ticket in an effort to prevent HER from being in charge...can you imagine? 

Well, it's apparently our job to figure out what kind of government we want, and it's our job to see to it that it's installed in the hallowed halls to our benefit.  Now the question is, are we smart enough to do it?

And so it goes:

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Thoughts on programming and HGS

Not much to say this week really, so I've abstained from blogging and spent more time in the real world instead. 

Last night I came across a not so unique study, I'm afraid, in regard to gay men who are programmed to fail because they think they're not worthy.

The ex wants to get back together, it's quite plain.  But the minute the prospect reared it's head he went to a dark place and now is difficult to get along with, makes snide comments, and is generally disagreeable, which is of course repugnant to me and makes me withdraw.  At the outset of this I made the conscious decision to make a real effort to include someone in my life, I've been functioning by myself a while and knew I had to be aware that someone else wanted to be around.  So I called several times that week and made sure we spent time together.  Then I got sick on birthday week and laid around recuperating.  At the end of that week I thought, "Well let's just let it sit a while and see what happens."  He has not called me once. When we started this little experiment he said "Where do we go from here?" and I said, "Whatever we do we should do it very slowly if we're smart." I didn't mean we should use smoke signals to communicate.

Now, I've been alone a long time and I'm used to it.  In fact I prefer it.  But disagreeableness is not something I'm going to invite into my life.  I carry enough heaviness, I don't need more.  I want someone who makes me smile when I think of them, who most importantly makes me laugh.  The ex does none of those things, suppose it's a sign?  Duh!

The other study is my best friend who is in a relationship that's lasted almost a decade. his partner is attempting to start a new business, which requires him to be the center of attention for a while during the very stressful process of getting the business up and running.   He's not getting that from my best friend, he's getting shit because he doesn't have a job.  This is straining the relationship.

What the fuck is wrong with people?  Shut the fuck up and support your partner!  Shut the fuck up and be nice to the guy you profess to love! In fact just shut the fuck up!

I have to wonder if it's not a gay men thing in which we're programmed not to be happy.  Are we so conditioned to fail that when we have a situation right in front of us that has the potential not only to benefit us materially, but emotionally and inevitably spiritually as well, that we are compelled to destroy it? 

Best friend is totally relationship oriented, can't function without being in one.  And yet here he is IN one, one that's rich in layers, rich in commitment, rich in so many of the things that people profess to desire, and he's messing with it's core by withdrawing his support at a critical time. Every material thing that best  friends partner has brought to the relationship has in some way benefited best friend. There's no reason to think this will be any different.

I realize I'm looking to assign blame here, and these people are sabotaging their own lives in stupid and destructive ways, and at their advanced age it's their responsibility. But what we're taught as we grow figures largely into our behavior as adults.  And when we're told we're worthless, that we shouldn't love, and that we don't deserve to be happy which we're told all the time in ways big and small, we, just like anyone else, start to believe the lie because it's been repeated often enough we think it truth.

Watch what you teach, make it positive, make sure the lessons you give are positive, and take care of those you love.

And since I spaced it out completely here's HGS

And so it goes:

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Spring!

It's a beautiful day to make pots!  I'll be in the studio all day.

And so it goes:

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I just wanna make pots

Hating this summer, it's too full of work.  I may have to make some changes to my living situation so i can live the way I want.  Not getting done what I need to.

There isn't a lot of time today to work in the studio, but I'm going to trim a few pots just to be in there awhile.
Still looking for a new situation in a new town/country/city/anyplace offering more than here.

And so it goes:

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Whodunit

Chris Brown can't bite anybody in the UK, but Joran van der Sloot goes about killing willy-nilly.

I'm no advocate of Chris Brown, I think he's a spoiled little child who acted hatefully to someone he professed to love, and he deserves what he gets. Not to mention that no one should be buying his records let alone attending his concerts.

But!

Why do you suppose that no one seemed to notice that Joran van der Sloot was capable of murder? Not once, but twice.

I mean, doesn't it suggest that someone somewhere wasn't paying attention? Or perhaps they were. I don't know it just puzzles me that no one came to the conclusion that he bore watching since he was already well suspected in killing one woman. But no, he was free to roam the planet killing whomever he deemed needed it. Odd, that.

Certainly there are odd people roaming the streets, there's no shortage of them, but those that are obviously over the top surely give clues, little hints to the possibilities that lurk in their dark minds. Maybe not, as I get older and think I've lived long enough to see everything I get proven oh so wrong.


I haven't read the whole article today yet, it's akin to watching a train wreck in my mind. We know we shouldn't look, but we're compelled. Not one, but two people had to die before someone somewhere finally said, "Hey, having this guy on the loose is NOT a good idea."

Two! Is that what money and influence can still buy?

Well, it's too bad, he's obviously intelligent, and talented at something however dubious, and as youngsters go he's quite handsome, and now he'll likely spend the rest of his life in a Peruvian prison.

I suppose what really interests me here is, WHAT could be going on in his mind? It's obviously a mess, and he apparently can't distinguish right from wrong, but is it organic? Is it something that was nurtured into him? What?

It's a puzzle really. And as far as his father's influence is concerned, it was apparent that it came to bear on the Aruba situation, but does Daddy's influence extend to Peru?

Brown's prison is somewhat more public.

I don't have to wonder which is worse.

Maybe we should ask O.J.

And so it goes: