winter of discontent

“let it, however, not be spring, nor summer, nor autumn…but winter, in his sternest shape…this is a most important point in the science of happiness…and i am surprised to see people overlook it, and think it a matter of congratulation that winter is going; or, if coming, is not likely to be a sever one…on the contrary, i put a petition annually , for as much snow, hail, frost, or storm of one kind or another as the skies can possibly afford us...surely everybody is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a winter fireside: candles at four o’clock, warm hearth rugs, tea, a fair tea maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies on the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without” thomas de quincey. “confessions of an english opium eater”___________________________________________ The thermometer in the back yard has moved since yesterday afternoon…it has edged up a degree or two…I am not content…it is not natural…it is anomalous ...it is surely something of an index to deeper issues that will deepen in the anthropocene ( deniers scoff here )…old tom was an addict who had serious ulterior motives in wishing for foul weather…no one dropping by to interrupt his tea and laudanum…I have ulterior motives for wishing for a winter as well and, while I no longer share some of tom’s reasons, the outlook is still much the same…I am looking towards spring and confused plants, the possibility of drought, and some fears of insect infestations because of a mild winter that didn’t kill enough larvae…a massive overshoot in japanese beetle and cabbage looper populations…ther has been a summit in paris about “climate change” and, as usual when politicians are in control, a lot of platitudes were spouted, the agreement was “hailed” ( got an email from old barry saying exactly that…but he’s a politician…what else would he say but “we done good”…I see ”business as usual” with some sop bandaids..they are all whores )…via campesina disagrees vehemently: http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climate-change-and-agrofuels-mainmenu-75/1934-cop21-the-curtain-falls-on-a-masquerade i am inclined to agree vehemently…still hoping for a winter…in serious doubt…things are not as they seem…politicians always lie…one of the very few absolutes I will countenance.

war on...

"military campaigning was a defining feature of roman life, and roman writers organized the history of this period...around its succession of wars...when sallust called his essay on catiline's plot 'the war against catiline', or 'bellum catilinae' , he was reflecting, and maybe slightly parodying, , the roman tradition of seeing war as the structuring principle of history." mary beard. "spqr:a history of ancient rome."_____________________ COUNTRY OR STATE Dates of intervention Forces Comments SOUTH DAKOTA 1890 (-?) Troops 300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee. ARGENTINA 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected. CHILE 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels. HAITI 1891 Troops Black revolt on Navassa defeated. IDAHO 1892 Troops Army suppresses silver miners' strike. HAWAII 1893 (-?) Naval, troops Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed. CHICAGO 1894 Troops Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed. NICARAGUA 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields. CHINA 1894-95 Naval, troops Marines land in Sino-Japanese War KOREA 1894-96 Troops Marines kept in Seoul during war. PANAMA 1895 Troops, naval Marines land in Colombian province. NICARAGUA 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto. CHINA 1898-1900 Troops Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies. PHILIPPINES 1898-1910 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos CUBA 1898-1902 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base. PUERTO RICO 1898 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues. GUAM 1898 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, still use as base. MINNESOTA 1898 (-?) Troops Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake. NICARAGUA 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur. SAMOA 1899 (-?) Troops Battle over succession to throne. NICARAGUA 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields. IDAHO 1899-1901 Troops Army occupies Coeur d'Alene mining region. OKLAHOMA 1901 Troops Army battles Creek Indian revolt. PANAMA 1901-14 Naval, troops Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone; Opened canal 1914. HONDURAS 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution. KOREA 1904-05 Troops Marines land in Russo-Japanese War. CUBA 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election. NICARAGUA 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up. HONDURAS 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua PANAMA 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest. NICARAGUA 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto. HONDURAS 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war. CHINA 1911-41 Naval, troops Continuous occupation with flare-ups. CUBA 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war. PANAMA 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election. HONDURAS 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests. NICARAGUA 1912-33 Troops, bombing 10-year occupation, fought guerillas MEXICO 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo. COLORADO 1914 Troops Breaking of miners' strike by Army. MEXICO 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists. HAITI 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts. TEXAS 1915 Troops Federal soldiers crush "Plan of San Diego" Mexican-American rebellion DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation. CUBA 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate. WORLD WAR I 1917-18 Naval, troops Ships sunk, fought Germany for 1 1/2 years. RUSSIA 1918-22 Naval, troops Five landings to fight Bolsheviks PANAMA 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections. HONDURAS 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign. YUGOSLAVIA 1919 Troops/Marines intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia. GUATEMALA 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists. WEST VIRGINIA 1920-21 Troops, bombing Army intervenes against mineworkers. TURKEY 1922 Troops Fought nationalists in Smyrna. CHINA 1922-27 Naval, troops Deployment during nationalist revolt. MEXICO HONDURAS 1923 1924-25 Bombing Troops Airpower defends Calles from rebellion Landed twice during election strife. PANAMA 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike. CHINA 1927-34 Troops Marines stationed throughout the country. EL SALVADOR 1932 Naval Warships send during Marti revolt. WASHINGTON DC 1932 Troops Army stops WWI vet bonus protest. WORLD WAR II 1941-45 Naval, troops, bombing, nuclear Hawaii bombed, fought Japan, Italy and Germay for 3 years; first nuclear war. DETROIT 1943 Troops Army put down Black rebellion. IRAN 1946 Nuclear threat Soviet troops told to leave north. YUGOSLAVIA 1946 Nuclear threat, naval Response to shoot-down of US plane. URUGUAY 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength. GREECE 1947-49 Command operation U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war. GERMANY 1948 Nuclear Threat Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift. CHINA 1948-49 Troops/Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory. PHILIPPINES 1948-54 Command operation CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion. PUERTO RICO 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce. KOREA 1951-53 (-?) Troops, naval, bombing , nuclear threats U.S./So. Korea fights China/No. Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, and against China in 1953. Still have bases. IRAN 1953 Command Operation CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah. VIETNAM 1954 Nuclear threat French offered bombs to use against seige. GUATEMALA 1954 Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalized U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua. EGYPT 1956 Nuclear threat, troops Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners. LEBANON l958 Troops, naval Army & Marine occupation against rebels. IRAQ 1958 Nuclear threat Iraq warned against invading Kuwait. CHINA l958 Nuclear threat China told not to move on Taiwan isles. PANAMA 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation. VIETNAM l960-75 Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; one million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969. CUBA l961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails. GERMANY l961 Nuclear threat Alert during Berlin Wall crisis. LAOS 1962 Command operation Military buildup during guerrilla war. CUBA l962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union. IRAQ 1963 Command operation CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba'ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service. PANAMA l964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return. INDONESIA l965 Command operation Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1965-66 Troops, bombing Army & Marines land during election campaign. GUATEMALA l966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels. DETROIT l967 Troops Army battles African Americans, 43 killed. UNITED STATES l968 Troops After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities. CAMBODIA l969-75 Bombing, troops, naval Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos. OMAN l970 Command operation U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion. LAOS l971-73 Command operation, bombing U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside. SOUTH DAKOTA l973 Command operation Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas. MIDEAST 1973 Nuclear threat World-wide alert during Mideast War. CHILE 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president. CAMBODIA l975 Troops, bombing Gassing of captured ship Mayagüez, 28 troops die when copter shot down. ANGOLA l976-92 Command operation CIA assists South African-backed rebels. IRAN l980 Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution. LIBYA l981 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers. EL SALVADOR l981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash. NICARAGUA l981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution. LEBANON l982-84 Naval, bombing, troops Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions. 241 Marines killed when Shi'a rebel bombs barracks. GRENADA l983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution. HONDURAS l983-89 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders. IRAN l984 Jets Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf. LIBYA l986 Bombing, naval Air strikes to topple Qaddafi gov't. BOLIVIA 1986 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region. IRAN l987-88 Naval, bombing US intervenes on side of Iraq in war, defending reflagged tankers and shooting down civilian jet. LIBYA 1989 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down. VIRGIN ISLANDS 1989 Troops St. Croix Black unrest after storm. PHILIPPINES 1989 Jets Air cover provided for government against coup. PANAMA 1989 (-?) Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed. LIBERIA 1990 Troops Foreigners evacuated during civil war. SAUDI ARABIA 1990-91 Troops, jets Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel. IRAQ 1990-91 Bombing, troops, naval Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military. KUWAIT 1991 Naval, bombing, troops Kuwait royal family returned to throne. IRAQ 1991-2003 Bombing, naval No-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south; constant air strikes and naval-enforced economic sanctions LOS ANGELES 1992 Troops Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising. SOMALIA 1992-94 Troops, naval, bombing U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction. YUGOSLAVIA 1992-94 Naval NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro. BOSNIA 1993-? Jets, bombing No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs. HAITI 1994 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup. ZAIRE (CONGO) 1996-97 Troops Troops at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins. LIBERIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. ALBANIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. SUDAN 1998 Missiles Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant. AFGHANISTAN 1998 Missiles Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies. IRAQ 1998 Bombing, Missiles Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions. YUGOSLAVIA 1999 Bombing, Missiles Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo. YEMEN 2000 Naval USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed. MACEDONIA 2001 Troops NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels. UNITED STATES 2001 Jets, naval Reaction to hijacker attacks on New York, DC AFGHANISTAN 2001-? Troops, bombing, missiles Massive U.S. mobilization to overthrow Taliban, hunt Al Qaeda fighters, install Karzai regime, and battle Taliban insurgency. More than 30,000 U.S. troops and numerous private security contractors carry our occupation. YEMEN 2002 Missiles Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen. PHILIPPINES 2002-? Troops, naval Training mission for Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into combat missions in Sulu Archipelago, west of Mindanao. COLOMBIA 2003-? Troops US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline. IRAQ 2003-11 Troops, naval, bombing, missiles Saddam regime toppled in Baghdad. More than 250,000 U.S. personnel participate in invasion. US and UK forces occupy country and battle Sunni and Shi'ite insurgencies. More than 160,000 troops and numerous private contractors carry out occupation and build large permanent bases. LIBERIA 2003 Troops Brief involvement in peacekeeping force as rebels drove out leader. HAITI 2004-05 Troops, naval Marines & Army land after right-wing rebels oust elected President Aristide, who was advised to leave by Washington. PAKISTAN 2005-? Missiles, bombing, covert operation CIA missile and air strikes and Special Forces raids on alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban refuge villages kill multiple civilians. Drone attacks also on Pakistani Mehsud network. SOMALIA 2006-? Missiles, naval, troops, command operation Special Forces advise Ethiopian invasion that topples Islamist government; AC-130 strikes, Cruise missile attacks and helicopter raids against Islamist rebels; naval blockade against "pirates" and insurgents. SYRIA 2008 Troops Special Forces in helicopter raid 5 miles from Iraq kill 8 Syrian civilians YEMEN 2009-? Missiles, command operation Cruise missile attack on Al Qaeda kills 49 civilians; Yemeni military assaults on rebels LIBYA 2011-? Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation NATO coordinates air strikes and missile attacks against Qaddafi government during uprising by rebel army. Periodic Special Forces raids against Islamist insurgents. IRAQ 2014-? Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training Iraqi and Kurdish troops. SYRIA 2014-? Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training other Syrian insurgents.______________________________just a short list of u s interventions around the world since around the time my grandparents were born...a couple of generations of "interests"...we have "interests" that seem durable...almost permanent...alas we cannot say the same for allies, much less "friends"...wonder why that is...surely we are above reproach...reacting only when threatened...our "interests" are pure...innocent...who wouldn't agree with that? certainly our foreign policy owes a huge to debt to john dewey and pragmatic naturalism...but who pays attention to all that philosophy stuff? results are what matter..and those we have achieved...and the lexicon is not confined to foreign adventures..we have the war on poverty...the war on drugs ( thanks ron and nancy! )...and the increasingly shrill war on christmas emblazoned across the face of the kulturkampf to go along with the war on terror...is this a replay of rome? no...the whole history repeats itself is as simplistic as the idea of historical inevitability ( time to dust off your isaiah berlin )...but there are common threads to imperial adventures and one of them is an increase in declining returns on the complexity need to maintain empire...eventually it stops being a cost effective way to turn a national buck and it collapses...and collapse, as tainter reminds us, is not de-evolution...it is a return to simpler economic and governmental forms that are less costly and effectively a "better deal" than remaining part of the imperial center...perhaps a better deal for everyone...then again...we are only human.

the dangers of socio-biology

“…just under the surface of western politics, the dimly remembered conflict between cicero and catiline still acts as a template for our own political struggles and arguments. cicero’s eloquence, even if only half understood, still informs the language of modern politics.” mary beard. Spqr: a history of ancient rome.__________ “a second diagnostic hereditary trait of human behavior is the overpowering instinctual urge to belong to groups in the first place, shared with most kinds of social animals…a person’s membership in his group…his tribe…is a large part of his identity. it also confers on him to some degree or other a sense of superiority.”_____ ___ “we are addicted to tribal conflict, which is harmless and entertaining if it is sublimated into team sports, but deadly when expressed as real world ethic, religious, and ideological struggles.” e.o. wilson. The meaning of human existence_____________________ i have been reading a lot of e.o. wilson of late and it has ruined me for social sciences i fear…I have always been fairly skeptical of history…it’s written by people after all and we all have viewpoints and biases…so does the history people write ( cicero anyone? self- promoting…arrogant...mouthpiece of the roman elite of the late republic )…mary beard maintains that the late roman republic and that same cicero “inform” modern politics…she also talks about the “tribes” of rome…the divisions to which roman voters “belonged”…and I have to wonder if it is the romans who “inform” modern political language ( and I must admit that there is a lot of neo-classical architectural kitsch in the capitol…but Hamilton was talking about “empire” in the federalist papers and they all had rank classical educations…pretty much all there was to have…not that that is defensible as far as I can see )..or if the romans and the pathetic, insulated, dogmatic lackeys of oligarchy we find in today’s national capitol are responding to some deeper past…that they are both “informed” by the same evolutionary past that has become hardwired over manifold generations…a grandiose expression of a hunter-gatherer ( forager, coach? ) past that is somewhat at sea in a swamp of technology it is not evolved to utilize responsibly…I will continue to read beard’s book…looking for similarities in the political structures of the two empires separated by two millennia…e.o. Wilson will be looking over my shoulder and whispering in my ear all the while saying “look deeper.”

you're more alike than some want you to believe

because they have a fucking agenda and want your participation________________________________________________________________ Human Universals: environment, adjustments to binary cognitive distinctions pain likes and dislikes food preferences making comparisons time time, cyclicity of memory anticipation habituation choice making (choosing alternatives) intention ambivalence emotions self-control fears fear of death fears, ability to overcome some risk-taking daily routines rituals sexual attraction sexual attractiveness sex differences in spatial cognition and behavior mental maps territoriality conflict self distinguished from other sweets preferred tabooed foods childbirth customs childcare females do more direct childcare preference for own children and close kin (nepotism) weaning childhood fears childhood fear of loud noises childhood fear of strangers pretend play play toys, playthings play to perfect skills practice to improve skills husband older than wife on average sexual regulation includes incest prevention incest between mother and son unthinkable or tabooed incest, prevention or avoidance hygienic care family (or household) biological mother and social mother normally the same person attachment mourning affection expressed and felt gestures empathy food sharing turn-taking group living sexual jealousy kin, close distinguished from distant kin groups kinship statuses anthropomorphization interest in bioforms (living things or things that resemble them) critical learning periods murder proscribed males dominate public/political realm males engage in more coalitional violence males more aggressive males more prone to lethal violence males more prone to theft males, on average, travel greater distances over lifetime dreams symbolism social structure dominance/submission leaders cooperation coalitions collective identities conflict, means of dealing with conflict, mediation of decision making, collective good and bad distinguished distinguishing right and wrong judging others fairness (equity), concept of economic inequalities economic inequalities, consciousness of envy envy, symbolic means of coping with etiquette insulting interpreting behavior reciprocity, negative (revenge, retaliation) redress of wrongs resistance to abuse of power, to dominance rape rape proscribed pride taboos rites of passage cultural variability dispersed groups visiting sickness and death seen as related healing the sick (or attempting to) medicine sucking wounds snakes, wariness around sexual modesty copulation normally conducted in privacy diurnality thumb sucking tickling property materialism prestige inequalities trade tools tool dependency tool making tools patterned culturally tools, permament tools for pounding weapons lever directions, giving of aesthetics customary greetings generosity admired gift giving stinginess, disapproval of self-image, awareness of (concern for what others think) self-image, manipulation of manipulate social relations self-image, wanted to be positive self is responsible shame psychological defense mechanisms shelter nonbodily decorative art right-handedness as population norm onomatopoeia fire spear tools for cutting death rituals body adornment hairstyles containers tying material (ie, something like string) intertwining (eg, weaving) measuring cooking tools to make tools music music related in part to dance music related in part to religious activity music seen as art (a creation) music, vocal musical redundancy musical repetition musical variation melody rhythm dance ________________________________________ not yet sorted actions under self-control distinguished from those not under control conjectural reasoning continua (ordering as cognitive pattern) corporate (perpetual) statuses coyness display crying culture decision making differential valuations entification (treating patterns and relations as things) ethnocentrism feasting government groups that are not based on family hope hospitality identity, collective imagery in-group distinguished from out-group(s) in-group biases in favor of institutions (organized co-activities) interpolation jokes logical notions logical notion of ‘and’ logical notion of ‘equivalent’ logical notion of ‘general/particular’ logical notion of ‘not’ logical notion of ‘opposite’ logical notion of ‘part/whole’ logical notion of ‘same’ magic magic to increase life magic to sustain life magic to win love weather control (attempts to) marriage meal times mentalese mood- or consciousness-altering techniques and/or substances moral sentiments moral sentiments, limited effective range of normal distinguished from abnormal states Oedipus complex past/present/future planning planning for future possessive, intimate possessive, loose role and personality seen in dynamic interrelationship (ie, departures from role can be explained in terms of individual personality) sanctions sanctions for crimes against the collectivity sanctions include removal from the social unit self as neither wholly passive nor wholly autonomous self as subject and object senses unified socialization socialization expected from senior kin socialization includes toilet training statuses and roles statuses, ascribed and achieved statuses distinguished from individuals succession triangular awareness (assessing relationships among the self and two other people) violence, some forms of proscribed clusters semantic components, sex sex (gender) terminology is fundamentally binary sex statuses sexual regulation sexuality as focus of interest statuses on other than sex, age, or kinship bases numerals (counting) one (numeral) phonemes, range from 10 to 70 in number pronouns, minimum two numbers two (numeral) black (color term) white (color term) cooperative labor division of labor division of labor by age reciprocal exchanges (of labor, goods, or services) division of labor by sex age grades age statuses age terms male and female and adult and child seen as having different natures mother normally has consort during child-rearing years music, children’s baby talk belief in supernatural/religion beliefs, false beliefs about death beliefs about disease beliefs about fortune and misfortune classification classification of age classification of behavioral propensities classification of body parts classification of fauna classification of flora classification of inner states classification of kin classification of space classification of tools classification of weather conditions nomenclature (perhaps the same as classification) classification of sex classification of colors face (word for) facial communication facial expression of anger facial expression of contempt facial expression of disgust facial expression of fear facial expression of happiness facial expression of surprise facial expressions, masking/modifying of oligarchy (de facto) recognition of individuals by face abstraction in speech & thought discrepancies between speech, thought, and action figurative speech music, vocal, includes speech forms special speech for special occasions stop/nonstop contrasts (in speech sounds) symbolic speech antonyms conflict, consultation to deal with contrasting marked and nonmarked sememes (meaningful elements in language) culture/nature distinction divination dream interpretation explanation father and mother, separate kin terms for folklore future, attempts to predict gossip grammar hand (word for) inheritance rules insulting jokes kin terms translatable by basic relations of procreation language language employed to manipulate others language employed to misinform or mislead language is translatable language not a simple reflection of reality language, prestige from proficient use of law (rights and obligations) law (rules of membership) linguistic redundancy marking at phonemic, syntactic, and lexical levels meaning, most units of are non-universal metaphor metonym morphemes myths narrative nouns overestimating objectivity of thought person, concept of personal names phonemes phonemes defined by set of minimally constrasting features phonemes, merging of phonemic change, inevitability of phonemic change, rules of phonemic system poetry/rhetoric poetic line, uniform length range poetic lines characterized by repetition and variation poetic lines demarcated by pauses polysemy (one word has several meanings) precedence, concept of (that’s how the leopard got its spots) private inner life promise pronouns pronouns, minimum three persons proper names proverbs, sayings proverbs, sayings – in mutually contradictory forms semantics semantic category of affecting things and people semantic category of dimension semantic category of giving semantic category of location semantic category of motion semantic category of other physical properties semantic components semantic components, generation sememes, commonly used ones are short, infrequently used ones are longer synesthetic metaphors synonyms tabooed utterances taxonomy true and false distinguished units of time verbs vocalic/nonvocalic contrasts in phonemes vowel contrasts world view___________there are people who want you to believe you are less alike than you really are_____ based on "human universals" by donald e. brown. temple university press 1991

some kind of conspiracy?

just an observation ( not even really a rant..sorry to disappoint )...yesterday was the fifty-second anniversary of that giddy, hubris filled massachucetts brahmin's assassination by a dishonorably discharged ex marine with a surplus mail order fascist rifle and, search as i might ( admittedly not in the lunatic fringe of the interweb...although it so permeates the damned thing it is hard to tell where the fucking fringe is...possibly somewhere between trump's twitter account and blake's "proverbs from hell" ) through a mix of media ( the closest i got to the true fringe was a harrowing trip to yahoo,,i am still shaken...and did whomever named it read swift? ) i couldn't find any reference to the historical event...from the staid ( and elitist ) new york times to the aforementioned yahoo...nada...zilch...zip...nil...could it be that an entire generation of conspiracy theorists have passed away in a single year? or is it that the youth most media is aimed at don;t give a rat's ass about some ancient history that hasn't touched them directly..or have the events of the moment pushed the jabbering freaks to the margins where they belong while the rest of us try to come to terms with current events ( including the circus that is the 2016 presidential race...i have purchased a newly minted history of rome and its eventual collapse to serve as a primer )...i can't say i will miss the lame and self-promoting band of geeks and the fucking "open mike theory"...useless waste of time...he's dead...let it go...there are more immediate things to concern us.

the unwary and uniterested

"the convention...have directed the president to be chosen by select bodies of electors to be deputed by the people for that express purpose; and they have committed the appointment of senators to the state legislatures. this mode has, in such cases, vastly the advantage of elections by the people in their collective capacity where the activity of party zeal, taking advantage of the supineness, the ignorance, and the hopes and fears of the unwary and uninterested, often places men in office by the votes of a small proportion of the electors." the federalist LXVI ( john jay )____________________pardon me, but if i read jay's ravings correctly he has laid out the exact blueprint for every election this country has seen in the last 226 years...he joins in propagating a disdainfully low opinion of the capacities of the "electors" ( you and me folks ) and their herd-like mentality which allows them to be led by the nose with demagoguery...something of a vanguardist approach whereby the wiser heads of the elite keep things running in a manner that equates their interests with the interests of the nation and behooves the rabble to do its bit to protect those prerogatives without foolish populist disruptions...one wonders how they might react to an alleged member of that elite relying on demagoguery and populist resentment to run a campaign for high office..not that the rest of these "candidates" are any less members of that elite...could you have stopped river traffic on the hudson for two hours for your daughter's wedding reception? hillary did...a direct interference with interstate commerce...the holy of constitutional holies...she is no more representative of my interests than than fucking reagan was...none of them are...and that is the point of the whole system...to insure the elite is the only class represented in politics and that their interests continued to be pursued at any and every level...it's just that this round's crop of whores is so blatantly dead set against the interests of the majority that even the unwary and uninterested are beginning to take notice...could go one of two ways...an influx of newly energized voters...or a resounding apathy...either way the elite wins...the system is rigged...it was rigged in 1789...hamilton beams down from whore heaven.

decomposability

"a true system is 'decomposable' into subsystems...that interact with one another. individuals in one subsystem do not have to interact with individuals in another subsystem on the same level." e. o wilson_____________this fits in pretty well with joseph tainter's view that collapse is not a descent into chaos ( although increased violence is probable ) but rather a simplification of complex systems as a reaction to the diminishing returns of increased complexity...subsystems that can operate independently could cushion the event depending on how much direction actually came from the center and how well the subsystem could re-adapt itself to local conditions and limits in terms of self-support rather than those of meeting the center's needs._______________"in their dynamics, hierarchies have a property, near-decomposability, that greatly simplifies their behavior. near-decomposability also simplifies the description of a complex system and makes it easier to understand..." robet a. simon___________how interconnected are the subsystems? even if individuals in subsystems need not interact the subsystems in a complex organization do...and how many of these interactions are controlled ( or even monitored ) by the center? does the center's use of "near-decomposability" simplify the system or just simplify the center's understanding of the system? do some of the subsystems' interconnections subvert the center's control? probably...people are always looking for a better deal...cooperating subsystems could fission off and become competitors of the center...human cognition has its limits and causality in non-linear...made up of literally billions of decisions and actions undertaken by individuals on a daily basis...even the best informed among us can have only the most general idea of what's actually going on...i can't help but think that simon's "near-decomposability" only simplifies the center's understanding of the system..the system remains interconnected, complex, and non-linear...that simplification of understanding is only an invitation to hubris

welcome to oligarchy

it's been a while since anything has prompted me into a caustic response...the presidential race is such an obvious joke that it is, for the most part, beneath comment...it does, however, represent the final death of what small piece of representative democracy the framers of the constitution were forced to throw in to make the whole deal go over and assure the continued existence of a government safe for the elite ...that death will be the fulfillment of the vision of hamilton and company...and so..in a small way this screed does tie into that...today.s n y times "t" style magazine is all about what the the issue title names "the greats"...that clown in the photo is karl lagerfeld...a fashion designer and a great either because he has a fashion sense that draws the elite like moths to a flame...or because he's worth $125 million...along with old karl ( who is on only some of the magazine covers...i got lucky...the rest of the "greats" grace the others )there's rihanna...songstress extraordinaire and culture baron worth $140 million...then there's quentitn tarantino who's some sort of film maker and who holds $90 million in assets...we have the artist ( not the actor ) steve mcqueen who is worth $30 million ( who says you have to starve for art ? )...then there's the writer johnathan frazen worth a paltry $10 million...carmen almon is an artist whose net worth i cannot find but given mcqueen's i bet it''s comparable...and then there's the chef jeong kwan...who is also a buddhist nun and so probably not nearly as wealthy as the others...at least presumably...so what do the "greats" have in common beyond the obvious wealth held by some? they all do things that pander to the pretensions of the elite eager to enhance their wealth with some sort of cultural status..it certainly explains the wealth held by these people...anything to help the appearance of the nouveau riche wall street extortionists polish the tarnish...that the n y times is an elitist newspaper is beyond question despite their denials...that wealth rules and that most wealth defends itself against the mob is equally true...it has been so since beyond 1789...that's only when it became official policy in this nation...let the slime ball whore politicians deny it...even bernie sanders is of the system...it's just his rhetoric that makes him unelectable...fuck these people.

international luxury conference

"Hosted and moderated by New York Times fashion director, Vanessa Friedman, and award-winning New York Times journalists, the International Luxury Conference addresses the most critical challenges — and unexpected opportunities — in today’s luxury battlefield. Rigorous analysis and lively cross-border debate among top C.E.O.s, prestigious economists, technology mavericks, entertainment and sports icons, and artists will provide crucial insights, fresh ideas and new strategies for winning the hearts and minds of luxury consumers. ​To participate in this unprecedented event — where you will join interactive sessions led by global experts, dine in the spectacular Chateau de Versailles and connect with luxury influencers from around the world — please request an invitation today."____ http://www.luxurybeyondproduct.com/ _______ i have been perusing the four pound behemoth sunday new york times at a leisurely pace...and a good thing too or i might have missed this howler...they are hosting the "international luxury conference" in france ( where the fuck else? ) at some pile called the"chateau de versailles" to discuss the" luxury battlefield"...sponsoring a conference aimed at strategizing ways to relieve the wealthy elite of as much lucre as possible is just another nail in the coffin of their non-elitist stance...and who is this group of "jet set" grifters? ceos from gucci, addidas, chanel..an"artist" a "film maker" a "professional polo player"(!) and style predator victoria beckham...and i had to laugh like hell at "prestigious economists"...still chuckling over that one...this is a long haul from peoria...in reality it is a lang haul form most of new york beyond that rarefied atmosphere in parts of manhattan where wealth scoffs at the rest of us and the kids call the nanny "mom"...the "winning [ of the ] hearts and minds of luxury consumers" is tops on the agenda and one wonders what "luxury beyond product" actually means...my best bet it that is a groveling sycophantic approach that repels the elite but drags them back with status goods with a hefty price tag to insure everyone knows how much luxury it really represents...shrewd as wealth may be in the game of speculation ( with other people's money whenever possible...QEII? ) they are suckers for ostentation..( just have a hard look at the whore moron trump as he makes an ass of himself all the way to trump dc ) and nothing says ostentation like price...so there is a grifters' conference in france in november ( 17-18 )and my firm contention is it isn't going to be cheap to attend either...you can go to the url above and "request an invitation" but you'd better be prepared to present your bona fides and fork over some filthy lucre...you have to spend money to make money...rip n y times credibility...this ices you as being whores in waiting.

elitism is a subjectivist position

a ways back the new york times ran an editorial titled "priced out readers" in which it denounced its reputation as an elitist newspaper...it was a fair shot at propagandizing the paper's alleged populist stance but their actions continue to belie their position...today's paper is over four pounds of elitist pretension including ( but not limited to ) a t magazine "men's style" issue that weighs in at over a pound...aside from the obscene amount of money this behemoth generated for the times through advertising the aim is in some doubt as far as the ass of citizens is concerned...most "men: in their right minds wouldn't wear ( or could afford to wear ) most of this stuff and besides...every feminist i knows insists men have no style...so why bother...for me though, the center piece of this utterly disconnected issue is the gigantic fold out of headshots of the main cast members of yet another film about fucking steve jobs and his apple swindle...a goad towards a "must see" film about the rightness and wholesome goodness of venture capitalism, technology, and the human need to further splinter its already shattered attention span with more novel gizmos that make other people wealthy...yep...the nyt is a "paper for the people"...as long as your people are those of wealth

the vilest of all traps

"my mind revolts, in many instances, against the constitution of the united states. indeed i am afraid it will turn out the vilest of all traps that ever was set to ensnare the freedom of an unsuspecting people" william maclay from his journal of the first congress 14 june 1789________________________________________________________________________"it is with difficulty that i refrain from giving the most severe language to some of our senators. king vapored this day at a most unaccountable rate. the opponents to the constitution were blind...the business was now complete. we need not care for opposition. henry of maryland joined with him; said the constitution of the united states implied everything; it was a most admirable system. thus did the heroes vapor and and boast of their address in having cheated the people in establishing a form of government over them which none expected." william maclay journal entry 14 february 1791_______________________bill was a veteran of pennsylvania politics as well as the french and indian wars and served in the continental army...this marks him out as both a radical ( pennsylvania = radical...unicameral legislature...no upper house in that state...then there's the pennsylvania line mutiny...find that in your history books ) and as a member of the cadre of political operatives who wrote and , ostensibly, believed in, the declaration of independence and its focus on the individuals right to political self-determination...that as opposed to the cadre of second tier political operatives who framed the constitution and had the living shit scared out of them by shay's rebellion and, more so, by what the voters of massachucetts did after the rebellion was quashed by, among others, elitist students from goddamned harvard...the authors of the federalist papers were not writing in support of the political will of the masses as a beacon for legislative action...no..they were all about a glib disenfranchisement with a veneer of democracy that, in the end, reflected the political will of the elite as the "will of the people"...the political system we celebrate today is still functioning in that way..." that damned ass" hamilton would be pleased..so would jay and "his littleness" madison...i will celebrate the declaration...i will continue to denounce the constitution and fereral politics as the ponzi scheme to feed the elite that it is...quantitative easing for whom? fuck these people.

irony, coincidence, or just the way things are?

i bought a used copy of "dragnet nation: a quest for , privacy, security, and freedom in a world of relentless surveillance" by julia angwin ( a pretty good read so far coming as it does from someone who was a staff writer for the yellow rag called the wall street journal )from better world books for about eight bucks...published in 2014, this particular copy was " withdrawn" form the boulder public library ( why? multiple copies? dead wight on the shelf? too hot a topic for a public library? ) after about a year there...it has the official "withdrawn" stamp in it and a heavy duty binding and an institutional dust jacket..a superior product...anyway i was skimming through the book and ran across the patch-like device in the back cover...i took it for some sort of magnetic device used to trip a sensor if someone was trying to swipe the book from the library...it's my book now so i figured i could remove it if i wanted and i was curious to see just what was under there...so i peeled it off and , being the curious great ape i am, i held it up to the light...something of a surprise...not exactly a magnetic device...more of a printed circuit...wonder what could energize it...wonder what it was for...surely not some sort of transponder...high tech overdue book tracking? or just some sort of device to tell the circulation desk what's on the shelf? don't know...but it's taped up to a window in my office at work..it isn't riding around with me anymore.....6-20-2015...okay...it's a radio frequency identification tag used to scan books in and out and prevent book theft...not readable at any great distance...just another organizational tool to see what's where and who has what..buy books at used book stores for cash would be one solution...it's still not going back into my book.

anticipatory

"union leadership" may not be an oxymoron but stuff like this makes me wonder...i received a ponderously worded letter of explanation about this "non-binding" straw poll ( mentioned at the bottom of this more succinct post card covering the same subject ) so possible candidates for the job of business agent that is opening up can "test the waters" and see if it might be worth the effort of actually running...someone has obviously jumped the gun as this sign appeared today planted outside the plant...not bad placement really since we are a union shop and all but the ( now ) "red twelve" would be eligible to vote...but there are a few issues here...first i am told by someone more knowledgeable in these things that the placement of this sign on an interstate highway's right of way is illegal and that the highway department will...eventually, this is a bureaucratic institution...remove it and, possibly, fine the offender...secondly what's gorski's first name? if indeed this is legitimate and not some practical joke ( albeit an involved and reasonably expensive one...but that sort of thing doesn't matter to the scum sucking lame useless and self-absorbed fucks who perpetrate them ) it should turn up at the "straw poll" but why anticipate the eleventh? name recognition? well...attention whores are all about being first...and nothing says "whore" like running for office..one last thing...i'd say i hate to harp on a point be we all know that would be a lie so let's drop any pretense and cut to the chase...when i was in an industrial union we had shop stewards and grievers...in the thirty-five years or so that i have been in the craft union i find myself mired in we have had "business agents" what's that say? the union is run like a business and local leadership had more in common with management than with rank and file...been said before...that there is precious little advocacy for workers has been pointed out as well...so my last question is who does gorski have a "backbone" to stand up to? management or rank and file...i believe i know the answer...success in the craft union world is all in how it's answered.

hope? change? where?

eight points of light to the right in the second photo...a utility pole...another point of light and then a dark spot that used to be a working coke plant...it is shuttered now ( third photo ) and another 300 northwest indiana union jobs are flushed into the lake...more economic worries for working families...more debt ( which the elite who own the debt love...it creates money..debt is the norm here...but when it becomes the only form of exchange can debtors' prison be far behind? ) more belt tightening...well...this country has been living too high off the planetary hog anyway but i had imagined a more leveling sort of belt tightening...and how is our esteemed president reacting to this? well you can tell he's a damned lame duck because he has aligned against his won party to foster fast-track approval of some ponzi scheme called the trans pacific partnership...a partnership of wealth no doubt..meant to impoverish the many at the benefit of the few...standard capitalist stuff...but what did you expect form this bozo? change? if you did you were fooled weren't you? for the umpteenth time..where did this shyster get his advance degree? harvard law ( what he got it in is self explanatory )...what was he...no matter how briefly..before h was elected president? a senator ( from illinois no less )...he is of the hegemonic culture...he wasn't going to change a fucking thing...he was going to aggrandize himself and his handlers...like virtually every president before him and every one that will follow...who's next in line? clinton? old bubba clinton did so well at it they have decided to try to double dip at winning the presidential lottery ( wealth can stop river traffic on the hudson for their daughters wedding...could you? )...there is a large group of sods eager to have the ability to print money after they retire...wealth is the birthright of presidents...and you foot the bill..fuck these people...comparisons to rome are passe and probably grossly inaccurate ( despite the evangelical bullshit the snake handlers howl at the moon on hot summer nights )but you have to wonder how the guys who were detailed to clean up after one of caligula's orgies or the guys that cleaned the scum off the back scrapers at the baths really felt about the empire...what did they do during the collapse?

the intervention of money

“As everywhere, the elections, from being nominations of class representatives, have become the battle-ground of party candidates, an arena ready for the intervention of money, and…of even bigger and bigger money. The greater became the wealth which was capable of concentration in the hands of individuals, the more the fight for political power developed into a question of money.” Oswald Spengler. The Decline of the West.______________________________________________________________________it took ozzie to explain german romanticism to me in a way that fostered an understanding of how both nietzsche and hitler could both be the same brand of romantics...they are...even though they were in profound disagreement about militarism and the place of the jews in europe, they were both german romatics in their sense of the flow of history and the part individuals, cultures, and nations play in it...i have once again been perusing ozzie on a rainy april afternoon and he has seemingly hit the fucking nail on the head again...don't believe me...then you are living under a rock or a complete dimwit...money so permeates the electoral process in this country that it almost goes unnoticed...especially at the local level...we all know the koch brothers buy elections and propagate their political viewpoint because being elected to congress or to the presidency requires cash beyond most people's means so candidates have to suck donors' asses to be put in office and then the real toadying can begin...but the mechanism ( here's one for all you reagan fans out there...i will refrain from editorializing...you all know my views on the miserable dotard ) trickles down to the local level as well...there is an off-year mayoral election this year in my town and the primary is may fifth ( cinco de mayo!!! )...this small burg is literally plastered with political advertizing...on street corners...in people's yards..in my mailbox...in my door...every damn place you look there's a sign for somebody that wants my vote on the fifth and again in november..admittedly it is a hotly contested election in view of the sitting mayor's federal indictments ...but still...every election a cottage industry in signs and flyers crops up and it isn't free...someone has to pony up and it serves two purposes...it vets candidates and eliminates those that might actually consider acting on the needs and desires of the political mass and it insures a crop of indebted politicians...an effective disenfranchisement of the "will of the people" in favor of the "will of money" on whatever level of american politics you care to look at...you can call me cynical if you like...but you cannot prove me wrong.

past too late

the new york times wants me to get cultured...and they want me to do it in a fashionable and elegant way...there should be no stinting on consumption ...we're talking culture here in a way only the times can present it...amidst the glossy pages committed to articles about haute couture and the simply marvelously creative works of interior designers and an artist creating an installation by printing out all the images uploaded to Flickr in a twenty-four hour period and dumping them on the floor for people to rummage through...ostensibly a work about "outsourced" memory but really about human voyeurism...and a longish article on kanye west because he would seem to have far more important things to say than the rest of us ( because he has more money? it why people read about fucking sports stars...more goddamned voyeurism...life is thick with it ) are the things the magazine is really about...fifty four full page color ads and five black and white for a total of $5,847,000 in advertising revenue for that section alone...they have surely confused culture with fine arts...but the message is clear anyway...if you can't make culture you can buy culture and it is the moneyed that have the important things to say...it's too late for the times not to be an elitist newspaper but when it comes to putting things in perspective it is unbeatable.

somewhat fallacious reasoning II

it just may be that the fallacious reasoning was on my part ( although i did make my statements conditional on an "if" and the "if" was if the union was trying to seduce the opt outs back into the fold...rad on ) since today's event made it clear that the list of non-eligible tee shirt applicants was just the opening salvo of a puerile "fuck you we never liked you anyway" from the local...the image of the signs they left for the taking was the second volley and it's intent is fairly unmistakeable...there is a serious lack of critical thinking on both sides of this impasse...no dialog...no exchange of viewpoints..no education to the underlying distortions and manipulations of hegemonic culture...just recriminations...the half-dumb nazi governor gets his ass ripped when he fuck with the gay community...why...because they and their straight supporters understand that their interests are mutually supporting in the face of an oppressive minority..unions and workers could take something of a lesson..he will fuck with them all he likes until they can see the situation for what it is...divisive.

somewhat fallacious reasoning

it's fairly well known that i have never been a particularly impressed by the level of advocacy for workers' interests evinced by the union i am a member of....it is a craft union and i am an industrial worker...the two never mixed particularly well...in the pre wagner act days they represented only skilled workers in industrial settings, leaving the unskilled and semi-skilled to fend for themselves...that mind set has proved durable and they seem to favor their journeymen and masters far more than the "industrial arm"...just prior when "right to work" legislation went into effect in indiana we had signed a contract that pretty much locked the bargaining unit into paying dues for the life of that contract...when i expired at the end of last january members began to "opt out" of paying dues, becoming "free riders" who were still represented by the union and covered by the contract...this upsets the doyens and doges at the hall and they began to publicly name names ( first at trane ) and asked that their peers "persuade" them to become "good" dues paying members in the quarterly journal clearly wanting the prodigals "back in the fold"....a few weeks ago the union powers that be were at the plant passing out union logo baseball caps to the "loyal" members and denying to the fourteen ( now thirteen...one opt out has recanted ) deserters...today they put up a sign up sheet fro a "free tee shirt!" for "union members only" and...in a clearly boneheaded move ala our esteemed half-dumb governor...posted a list of people who are ineligible for the free offer as if 1) they didn't know that already, 2) as if they cared, and 3) as if this was going to seduce them back into paying dues rather than just be a continuation of divisive behavior...the brains trust at the local needs a significant retooling...rather than attempting to educate the people who have opted out about the real motivations behind right to work and reason with them like the rational people they are ( most anyway...i know and have worked with some of these people for years and there are a number of them i genuinely like...they are not stupid and they have their reasons...some dialog might help...this does not qualify ) they pull some puerile bullshit that belongs in middle school...no wonder vast numbers of working people think unions are useless...this one could be a vehicle for the interests and needs of the members...not just economically but socially and politically...instead we get lame bullshit games...i will not be asking for a tee shirt...i am disinclined to ask these bozos for even the time of day much less cogent representation.

juden raus!

as i get older i sometimes lack the energy to really crank up for a good rant and my attitude becomes deceptively mellow about things like politics and the whores...but it's sunday morning ...i have slept...and the rat fucks are at it again...this time in ways that deserve a lecture form doctor tarr and professor feather...in a private ceremony...because the blowback from this has made anything public surrounding it political poison ( one ex governor said " even i wasn't stupid enough to sign a bill like that" ) and rightfully so...so the the half-dumb governor of indiana signs the bill in private with a smiling cohort of jihadis for christ who think they have the final ends of humanity sown up and if you don't conform to our vision then hard cheese for you you abominations and spawn of satan's hell...when will the reichstag burn? who will continue to formulate the new nuremburg laws? nazis gave homosexuals pink triangles to wear in their concentration camps...what's that asshole pence have in mind? religion poisons everything it touches and mixing teleology with politics is doubly poisonous...the fucktards are living high off the hog and howling like wolves barking at the moon...they smell blood and their lust for their "vision of faith" is running high...i'd puke if they were worth the effort...as it stands i will say "fuck these people"...steer clear of my neighborhood...i don't like nazis.

everything old is new again

the sight of "conservative" candidates as they court the yahoo vote and its money and a quick glance at the calendar tells me the awful, sickening descent into the foul presidential year of 2016 has already begun...i am a registered voter and i am inclined to make it to the polls at every opportunity ( there is a doozy of an off-year mayoral election coming up in my home town this year...a sort of dysfunctional warm-up...fine tuning the neuroreceptors to "bullshit" and bringing the loathing up to a fever pitch...there will probably be more on that in the next few months ) but that doesn't mean i believe the "interests of the people" are at the heart of the campaigns ( depending , of course, on how you define "the people"...i am inclined to believe that the elite sees themselves AS the nation so anything inimical to their interests is inimical to the national interest...but i am on the same page as gramsci ) so...in an all iww graphic post, let me say that there isn't anything new in the perception that politics is controlled by money or that the "political class" isn't anything more than a gaggle of hired whores...that goes back beyond the iww to 1789...washington was the first president because he was the richest guy in the country and madison, jay , and that "damned ass" hamilton were determined to squelch the political will of the mass with the counter-revolution they called the constitution..i would direct your attention to the journals of old bill maclay and to a close reading of the federalist papers if you have any doubts.

too late III

a short post to take notice of today's "new" new york times magazine...new columns...new features...new writers...new paper stock...new puzzles...all crammed into today's "biggest issue ever"...218 pages...103 of which are full page ads ( didn't count the half or quarter page ads ) and 100 of those are color worth $10,700,000 in advertizing revenue for today all on their own...some things never change..remember the post on the daily telegraph? ditto here.

a critical lack of objectivity

there was a news flash on the bbc as i was driving into work this morning that almost made we serve off the road... i had to pull over and breathe deeply for a few minutes until the amphetamine-like palpitations passed and the raw, intrusive facts could be processed by my ape's brain...evidence has surfaced that the prestigious london newspaper the daily telegraph had suppressed information obtained by its reporters concerning hsbc's money laundering and tax evasion services it provided to wealthy customers because of ( scandalized tone from the newsreader to punctuate the fact that the bbc does adhere to strict standards of objectivity ) the volume of hsbc's advertizing in the telegraph! say it isn't so! a corporate media outlet tailoring its content to pander to advertisers? what has become of objective journalism in this world...if this continues people may even begin to question the news on fox...some things should remain inviolate and certainly corporate media wants consumers to believe they are 1) objectively reporting ALL the information from both sides of a story and, 2)that the reliability of the information would never be distorted to enhance their financial position relative to the competition or to brand consumers to their organizations through manipulated news content...the daily telegraph will be heavily censured for this by its corporate peers...no good can come of this information becoming widely known...fortunately for the media only cranks listen to the bbc.

vermin

“…cleansing the Russian land of all vermin, of scoundrel fleas, the bedbug rich and so on. In one place they will put into prison a dozen rich men, a dozen scoundrels, half a dozen workers who shirk on the job…In another place they will be put to work cleaning latrines. In a third they will be given yellow tickets after a term in prison so that everyone will know they are harmful and can keep an eye on them. In a fourth one out of every ten idlers will be shot. The more variety the better…for only practice can devise the best methods of struggle.” V.I. Lenin from How to Organize Competition. 1917__________ Lenin’s title makes it sound somewhat harmless…but it is not…he certainly didn’t invent the process of dehumanizing enemies…that has a history that goes back well before 1917…i’ve never been a particular fan of lenin’s ( http://chemicalpariah.blogspot.com/2014/03/im-right-youre-wrong-why-are-you-still.html ) and surely without a lenin there never would have been a stalin…then again, perhaps there would have…only with another rname…it seems autocracy is a human habit…i am always struck by the “special” vocabulary used to distort and demonize the “other”…vermin figure heavily in this, “fleas” and “bedbugs” here…the Nazis were no strangers to vermin allegories…they seemed to fixate on rats as opposed to insects…memories of the plague perhaps…but all to the same effect…it still goes on today…have a look at the news…the world is full of new sub-humans…clerics and warlords denouncing “infidels” and “apostates”…vilifying, marginalizing, and beheading those who don’t share their brand of belief…on the other side late adolescent and early post-adolescent gamers firing missiles from drones at “terrorists” and “extremists”…all in a struggle to better the human condition…how ironic that they spread such misery…and it isn’t only on an international or even national scale…beyond religious, ethnic, and economic divisions some people in everyday life seem to work at expressing their own superiority by denigrating others…stereotypes…profiles...superficial judgments…humans have a habit of comparing themselves to others and finding others lacking…sorry sort of thing when we are far more alike than different…each with a set of strengths and weaknesses…each more complex than stereotypical thinking will allow…unique and yet the same…no “others”…just “us”…how do we get past that? the answer seems elegantly simple…everyone gets to tell their story and everyone has to really listen and find the commonalities, not the differences…the universals, not the specifics…how likely is that?

media war

have you noticed the cost of gasoline going up over the course of the last month or so? i have and it can be easily attributed to a small rally in the price of a barrel of oil...fair enough i suppose when a supplier has a panoply of transport addicted customers to manipulate and no credible objective oversight...i want to establish that fact a priori because it is germane to what comes next...refinery workers in 11 refineries across the country are on strike, including those at the bp/ammoco refinery in nearby whiting...they are on strike for some economic reasons but the main union contention is safety factors brought on by employee fatigue due to long shifts...concerns even a manager should be able to see...but obviously oil companies are spooked by an oil glut and employee safety ( not to mention the surrounding neighborhoods' ) are of a secondary nature in these troubled economic times ( did i say that? don't i know the government says things are improving? well...who believes lying whores? )...the corporate ( liberal my alabaster ass...they all have advertisers and editorial boards dominated by said advertisers...they are in business to make money and will sell what you buy and what those boards would like you to think...that is another post and a continuing theme however ) media will take up sides and, in the end, the commuting herd will blame "those greedy union workers" and not the profiteering oil companies...it is the way of hegemonic culture....only their world view is correct ( fucking margret thatcher and " there is no alternative"...someone should have sent that woman a copy of isaiah berlins' essay on "historical inevitability"...she is gone now..but it wasn't soon enough ) and anything that dissents from it is either fiction or treason...i wonder if i can avoid purchasing gasoline until this strike is over...worth a try...no day jaunts into the fields for awhile.

corvee labor II

corevee labor is an indirect form of taxation by which labor is extracted from citizens through statutory obligations...is there a statute in this town that demands i clear snow from the street? well...they mayor's name is on every garbage can in town and he has eleven federal indictments to deal with so it wouldn't come as much of a shock...however, the municipality has simply delivered me the accomplished fact the, for the fifth time in two days, my driveway and front parking area have been plowed in as they cut a passable lane down the street...so, for the fifth time in two days, i shoveled it out thus completing the municipal task of snow clearance...there is little justice in the world and i expect none here...but where is the damned tea party on this issue? oh..yeah...off doing what they are really about...protecting elite interests..i surely do not qualify for that sort of attention....and in my bitter angst i neglected to add that the bottom two photos are my street and house debilitated by "lake effect" snow