the power of the internet

the power of one

thanks fred for the story

i guess i wonder at the drones who work the phones- i don't understand showing up simply to get a paycheck so that you can go out on the weekends and drink. really.

why?

nbc hires jenna bush

because 8 years of inarticulate bushspeak wasn't enough? one more reason not to tune into msm.

monday, monday

anyone else ever wax nostalgic for a time period you weren't even born in? or probably even thought of in? i was born in 1971- so, that makes me...... close to middle age ;) sometimes i look at old news reel footage on various shows and it looks like simpler times were happier ones. now, i am not naive enough to think that the folks who came before me were problem free and perfect- human nature being what it is- i am sure they had the same issues we face but for their particular time period. i think that there's something to be said for 'innocence' though. take the 1950's- segregation was still enforced and women rarely worked outside the home. shades of june cleaver leading up to the 'revolutions' of the 1960's. but one of my buddies sent me an email with a clip of high schoolers 'rippin' it up dancing their butts and everything else off- and they were having fun. you could tell. my mom talks fondly of the school dances she went to back then- the music may have been a bit bubblegum but it had a beat. and while there was plenty of 'petting,' there wasn't the simulated sex going on where you knew that was the main objective.

anyhoo, there's really no particular point to this post other than me- longing for a time before global climate change and overpopulation. i guess i look back to a time before i was born because that's when the ball started to roll downhill. i have a bit of an upper respiratory issue going on- first time since i moved out of the old, damp apartment, so, i am under the weather. the summer is winding down and i have a few odds and ends to finish up before the weather gets cold. so, september will be the catch up time-- weather permitting. it isn't supposed to rain for the next few days- so perhaps i can get the outside work caught up a bit.

i am looking forward to autumn.

birds heading southward
leaves changing colors; nights chill-
autumn skies turn gray.

branching out

yeah- so i joined facebook to promote my etsy site. can't say as i am impressed for myself anyway. i can see the allure- you can find anyone who wants to be found almost instantly. i prefer ning as a social site myself- it's more limited but facebook is too chaotic for me and has too many distractions. it gives me a headache.

i will definitely not give up my day job :)

pass it on

thanks to bz over at intrepid flame for this find

only the good friday

another week is ending- and i have to say that i am grateful that the summer is winding down. i am a bit depressed that i have no fruits of my labor to report from the garden. the season was simply too wet. i may or may not have tomatoes and corn- but surely no peppers and very few potatoes. the bright side- the only blight i have suffered thus far has been my beans. all of my beans succumbed to mildew and mites. my own fault for not keeping a closer eye.

business is slow at etsy- but i made $80 at the downtown festival last week- and i am signed up to do an honest to goodness craft fair in november. fingers crossed- i'd like to earn some yarn money. i am planning to join facebook for my business and link etsy to that- i'll keep ya posted. i am still not into twitter though.

life here- still rough. the fam pow wow went ok- i posted on my thoughts last week. my mother is searching for inner peace and driving me nuts because she repeats herself over and over. big work party this weekend here- hubby's office party. supposed to rain so we are planning for an inside party. moving the tv upstairs with a couple of the game systems- for rock band and wii sports :) we also have card games and board games so we should be fine. i am planning a yard sale for the first weekend in september to hopefully unload the crap i didn't sell at the festival. fingers crossed. then- a few outside projects before it gets cold- and the usual winterizing stuff.

i don't know if that's 'good'- but it is what it is. check out spadoman, thornie and shelly for their friday posts- and if you want to- leave a link to your own. namaste.

different perspective

from my email...

Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women are happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'

fyi

at the tree today

update from glenn greenwald on the torture flap

nice weekend here

not bad- i'll catch up throughout the week- another busy one for me. suffice to say- spent it with family doing good stuff and although it rained a bit- the weather was cooler. not bad. i am currently reading the complete poems of walt whitman- and i will share some of his poems i find particularly relevant to me. i find poetry to be an interesting insight into the poet's mind- and that appeals to me as a student of psychology. i updated etsy- i finished another blanket project. if anyone is interested- take a peek. i also started a crochet companion blog on blogger. i find the repetition of the stitches is a great way to unwind- and i generally listen to 'my' music at that time- jazz, van morrison, george winston, mozart, james blunt, etc.. i am pretty happy that summer is going to be winding down soon.

important info

h/t to rambling woods- on honeybees

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has named Aug. 22 the first national Honey Bee Awareness Day.
“Honey Bee Awareness Day will help highlight this important role,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a news release, “as well as the significant threat honey bees now face from the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder.”

Why should the public care about honey bees?

Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion in added crop value, particularly for specialty crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits, and vegetables. About one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.

only the good friday

They mocked me when I was singing the songs
Trying to get back to something more simple than we have
They mocked me 'cos I told it like it was

Wrote about disappointment and greed
Wrote about what we really didn't need in our lives
Make us feel alive and whole

Illusions and pipe dreams on the one hand
And straight reality is always cold
Saying something hard edged is off the wall
And it might seem too bold

Mocked me when it got out of hand
Nobody tried to understand
Now we got to keep it simple and that's that

Illusions and pipe dreams on the one hand
And straight reality is always cold
Saying something hard edged is off the wall
And it just might be too bold

Well I'm down here on the running board
Where I've been many times before
But we got to keep it simple to save ourselves

Mocked me when I tried to get back
Said the train was completely off the track
And we got to get back to something simple to save ourselves

Whoa we got to get back to something simple just to save yourselves
Well got to get back to something simple just to save yourselves
Well you got to keep it simple, keep it simple just to - and that's that

Whoa you got to keep it simple nowadays and that's just that
Whoa you got to keep it simple nowadays and that's just the way it is
And you got to keep it simple these days 'cos that's the way it is

Well you got to keep it, keep it simple and that's that

take a peek over at shelly's- and if you want to- throw a link here to your posts also

human beings

i haven't been around much for a variety of reasons- one of the larger ones being my fam. it's tough having a fam. anyone who has a fam knows why- different people coexisting with each other and sharing the same genetic makeup doesn't mean it's easy to navigate the relationships. i can see the appeal of being marooned on a deserted island for an indefinite period of time even though i love my fam. but family makes me sad. i look at my immediate family and my extended family and i see folks who have completely blown their potential and worse. i see horribly unhappy folks eaten up by lonliness and/or addiction who have pockets of peace at best. i see folks who could have been really decent, generous people waste their lives chasing affection from the wrong people and choosing a life that hasn't led to happiness.

and it makes me sad. on top of the world issues- it makes me sad. and i am dealing with what everyone has to at some point in their lives- parental mortality. and so are they. sigh. difficult enough in 'normal' fams- tougher in dysfunctional ones. but, i have to say, they did pretty good today at the fam pow wow. my mom has been exploring emotions and the complexities of the human mind- we had a real nice talk about psychopaths last week- and trying to figure out how to reach inner peace. boy, if i had that answer...

i think my father is finally coming to grips with his mortality. he has always had something to prove- always fought battles he didn't need to in order to prove he was young or strong- or perhaps worthy. not easy growing up with alcoholism and it doesn't get easier with age. there are times when he has a real sense of humor or when he has moments of introspection- and then the bravado or stories take over and he's back at me, me, me again. and it makes me sad.

someone said that 'all politics are local' and i think we can extrapolate to 'the weight of family issues is equal to that of the world'- not an exact match but you catch the meaning. i am exhausted emotionally but the fam is reaching a state of forgiveness and peace that i never thought they would in my lifetime- much less theirs. and for the moment, i am working through the sadness of wasted time and moments- mourning the loss of the family i didn't get. and when i get done, i will continue to be thankful for the family i have.

fyi

at the sirens today

but for grace...

this could be you or me

you would have to be crazy to be proud to be an american these days. all we do is round people up and jail them or start needless wars for profit and blow entire countries to smithereens. what is there to be proud of these days? anyone?

fantastic

the republican party ranks are going to swell

oh- and enterprise car rental- decided to delete the airbags in rental cars to save a few bucks

oh- and the fbi and phoenix police- well, i don't know who should investigate them- i don't know that there is anyone left

fbi trained white supremacists to incite others

phoenix police helped the gun toters at obama's event

anyone else a wee worried at where this country is headed?

um... fyi... these are the folks with the guns

just wanted you to get a good night's sleep

great- now the sharks have to learn english

barry white songs used to encourage sharks to mate

no surprise here

h/t to dusterella- gun toter at obama event was a setup

tpr has a good article

interesting lineup

republicans and the triumph of stupidity- i mean unreason

true believers and the prosperity gospel- because the preachers can't resist fleecing the sheep

money is god, greed is king and corruption runs the game

the right's trouble with violence

is there any point in staving off industrial apocalypse?

is it ok to fire folks who smoke or who are obese?

endless summer

no- i am not going to play richard marx now :) interesting summer with reading walt whitman's complete poems and listening to van morrison's early stuff. the talent is just mind blowing. it's actually tough for me to take it all in. so, i continue to contemplate. i'll save robert frost for the fall :)

indeed

"The only thing I love is the music. The rest of it is pure shit." - Van Morrison, Village Voice



did i mention he writes his own stuff?

good riddance to bad rubbish

too bad the right wing 'schools' and foundations pump out a hundred more like him every day.

fyi

at the peace tree today

why the powers that be don't like the internet

my buddy diane sent me a link to an interesting article. the topic is psychopaths at the top of the food chain- and if you know what a psychopath is- then you know why i believe it to be true. in fact, mom and i were talking topic last week- not only is it my hobby- i went to school to study the crazies amongst us.

there is little doubt that the neocons are psychopaths- and there is less and less doubt that the dumbocrats are cut from the same cloth. how else to explain the absurd lack of accountability for anyone connected to the cheney/rumsfeld regime? evidence has existed since before impeachment was taken off the table by madame speaker- and yet, the only head to somewhat roll was scooter libby. think back to the scapegoats oliver north or g. gordon liddy- well, they got rewarded with their own media shows.

it is only going to get worse- please don't buy into the 'change' crap- when you have lobbyists and foundations and whoever writing the health care reform- and big oil buying the presidency- well, ain't gonna have much of that there change. besides, if you read the first article, you will note that it states that psychopaths are only out for their own security and domination. well, that makes this all the more ominious:

pulling the troops out of iraq is making that country safer- but it's my guess those troops are going to end up here on american soil. aren't ya glad obama didn't do away with that bush era mandate?

american stories in british news

i have no idea what the rest of the world gets for news- but this should be an embarrassment nonetheless:

us hacker- former secret service- nabbed

oh, yeah- different paper- identity theft charges for us hacker and russian accomplices

tex-ass judge in the hot seat over denying dying man's rights- 'we close at 5pm'

cocaine residue on 90% american bills

milwaukee mayor clubbed breaking up domestic dispute at the state fair

i can't view my own blog

anybody else hate google? it's giving me some bullshit about sending out automated queries whatever the fuck that means. apparently, it's against google's terms or whatnot but i have no idea what that means. so, please let me know if something looks untoward with one of the blogs- i'll at least be able to access the comments in my email until i figure out what the fuck google is talking about.

it has occurred to me

that there must be some way to live moment by moment- as the buddhists claim to work towards. i haven't figured out that technique yet- or at least not to the point where i can still see a future. yes, i realize that no one knows what the hell i am talking about- but that's ok. the brain is trying to make sense of the world at large and it's issues; mortality and life issues, and family crap. sigh. being an adult and being responsible sucks big time. i can see why so many folks avoid it- or try to. perhaps that's what i should try to do instead. happy hot monday.

human beings have certain rights

my thought is that euthanasia should be legal. yep. people should have the right to die if they wish it- provided that they are adults who make that clear ahead of time. it shouldn't be up to anyone else whether i live or die- it should be my decision and i should be able to make my wishes clear ahead of time in the even i should become incapacitated. whose right is it but mine to decide how i want to live my life- or end it should the time come? i also believe that access to more painless ways to die should be made available. mr. rossiter gets to choose to starve to death over a more direct method. while that is his right--- now--- is it humane?

i find it ironic that we seek to euthanize prisoners in the most humane way possible but we force folks who are terminal or otherwise incapacitated to linger in a quality of life that we don't even force upon our family pets or livestock. i also find it ironic that we don't bat an eyelash about killing and maiming thousands in senseless war for profit- but when someone we love is in pain- we suddenly become 'moral'- anyone care to explain that one to me?

dogs days of summer

i haven't been around much but i gather most of the regulars around here haven't. it's summertime- that time of year when folks sweat their asses off and pretend to like it because they are supposed to. it is also a time to 'vacation' whatever that means and a time for family togetherness as the kids are out of school. i chuckle because families bitch a blue streak whenever school districts talk about cutting the outdated amount of time off and hauling the kids in to learn, learn, learn! but then they bitch a blue streak because the kids are bored stiff and they don't want to deal with them. we don't farm anymore folks- you don't need to have the kids off of school for 2 months. trust me.

as you can probably gather, i am not a summertime person. i prefer autumn out of any season but i do enjoy late spring/early summer when everything turns green and the mud is gone. january and august are my two least favorite months out of the 12 because they seem to stretch on forever. even in my youth- i never really liked summer. i don't like hot weather and i hate to sweat because of humidity. really. it's bad enough that it's hot but when it's coolish and i sweat because there's 110% humidity- ooh, it makes me curse!

anyhoo, with all of the rain and whatnot- keeping up with the yardwork has been a bitch. i am fairly irritated that my garden has not done well with the rain and whatnot- and, while i am not alone, it bugs the crap out of me that i have to continue to eat the bullshit that passes for food in this country. i have a lead on poultry and lamb- and i hope to talk him into raising a pig or two for next year. once i can get a rhythm down there- no more bullshit packaged in styrofoam masquerading as meat. i actually am thinking of turning vegetarian anyway- hubby is the carnivore.

yep. i am crabbing it up in august. i am torn between wishing it away and not wanting to wish my life away. don't even get me started about these damned 'townhall meetings'.......

remember mel gibson?

yeah, i had just about forgotten about him too- i haven't watched anything he's been in since lethal weapon 2. i guess mr. 'i am as catholic as i wanna be' gibson knocked up the mistress he cheated on his wife with and is now 'reviving' his career through her. an odd way to do it perhaps since she doesn't really seem to have much talent other than picking the right guy to knock her up. shades of tom and katie......

the party of new ideas- yeah right

so much for the image overhaul. ever since the gop announced their image overhaul strategery- we have seen more of the same- lies, deceit and adultery. at least they are consistent. of course, they are the party of 'no change' and it comes as no surprise that they are raking up old ideas to repackage. at least we have a head's up. oh- and if you go to a town hall meeting- mind the guns...

even more ethics and values

from the corporately owned media and the party of family values. huh. who knew?

i am out of the loop

i guess that it's ok to carry a loaded gun at a presidential function these days. i mean, allegedly, this guy wasn't anywhere near the prez- but really...

the tea baggers have moved on to townhall meetings but they damned sure don't want to be called a 'mob'!

i guess the house judiciary committee has decided that they can release shit from the cheney era because we all know nothing will be done about any of the abuses anyway...

and, if there is a god- god bless chris rock! may he live a long and charmed life because he is quite a man. even if you don't agree with his viewpoint or delivery- he is a decent human being.

update: right wingers really do want to eliminate the entire left

checkin' in

hotter than hell today and then we had a huge thunderstorm that dumped tons of water in a short time-- flash flooding all over. i had mini flood in the back yard and as soon as the lightening dissipated- i went out back and started shoveling out the water diversion ditch on the side of the house. sigh. the neighbor diverts water from his yard into it also- and it was running down into the ditch and then down ankle deep on the side of my house. we had some very minor water seepage downstairs.

that was my day. i am tired. thank you.

how'd i miss this one?

'cause i haven't been online probably. thanks and a h/t to dandelion salad for keeping up with the relevant

sibel edmonds is rolling heads

dilemma

i am not a business person. i really don't have the patience or tolerance for the marketing stuff. i understand the need for it- i mean how do folks know you are selling something if you don't tell them? as some know, i recently started a shop on etsy.com- my shop's link is on the sidebar. and i really hate hawking wares. i really enjoy making things- not so much what feels so foreign to me. my husband asked me what my demographic was- and i was and am stymied. i have no idea.

people who are looking to buy a cozy blanket for home and hearth? folks who need a baby shower or new home or wedding gift? isn't that pretty much everyone? and he said no- many folks go to target and get a fleece for the couch or walmart and get a crib blanket. it's cheaper. and that got the wheels turning.

i have no idea how to market myself to the folks who believe in value; believe in handmade; believe in passing down a blanket made by grandma and hanging on to it as a link to where we came from; believe in investing in something that lasts and doesn't change with the whim of fads. how would i market that? where do i market that?

is there even a market for that?

i like to believe so. i want to believe that someone somewhere in america still believes that we don't have to shop, shop, shop for cheap crap that doesn't last. i want to believe that somewhere someone wants to return to the days where folks recognized value and craftsmanship and not just price. i just don't understand demographics and where to find them.

ideas?

sorry

haven't been online much- between being busy and hubby sucking up airtime- perhaps santa will bring me a laptop for the holiday this year :) although i have been a wee naughty... ;) perhaps i will be back soon- otherwise- feel free to talk amongst yourselves or visit some of the folks on the sidebar... apologies all around...

a bit of a feather in the cap

for clinton- bill that is...

happy monday

a quick note- i am currently reading poems by walt whitman. i can see why he was considered, well, a bit risque in his day. i want to say he published the first edition of 'leaves of grass' circa 1855 or so- and well, let's just say that more than a few well cultured ladies got titillated from reading poetry. i never knew. i don't think my eyebrows left the ceiling until i put the book down.

that's my summer reading right now- anyone else reading anything good?