"So you people think
Washington is a zoo now?
Wait till I get there,
here comes the circus!
And wait till you see
who I'm bringing with me".
Monday, February 8, 2010
Run Sarah Run
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I love candy
What is the meaning of life?
Candy, candy, candy!
Space is the empty void,
the power of nothing.
From the nothingness,
something is pulled.
...Patience...
Something from nothing,
voila.
From the singularity,
to the multiverse,
all has been given for free,
everything is free because,
"God" is a liberal.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Oh, Squiggly Line
Friday, February 5, 2010
Cross-Word Puzzle
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Fear Factory
"War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength"
George Orwell-1984
------------
Some guy on the news told me I should expect
a "terror attack" to happen anytime soon now.
I was surprised by involuntary spasms of fear,
as if splashed with buckets of ice cold water.
I thought to myself, this is how they do it,
it was beginning to sound like they had it all
planned out like some kind of perverse TV show.
Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country...Hermann Goering.
Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so...Unknown.
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever...George Orwell.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Whole Earth Catalog
The Whole Earth Catalog was an American counterculture catalog published by Stewart Brand between 1968 and 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998. Although the WECs listed all sorts of products for sale (clothing, books, tools, machines, seeds -- anything for a self-sustainable "hippie" lifestyle) the Whole Earth Catalogs themselves did not sell any of the products. Instead the vendors and their prices were listed right alongside with the items. This led to a need for the Catalogs to be frequently updated.
Apple Inc. founder and entrepreneur Steve Jobs has described the Catalog as the conceptual forerunner of the World Wide Web.
The title Whole Earth Catalog came from a previous project of Stewart Brand. In 1966, he initiated a public campaign to have NASA release the then-rumored satellite photo of the sphere of Earth as seen from space, the first image of the "Whole Earth." He thought the image might be a powerful symbol, evoking a sense of shared destiny and adaptive strategies from people. The Stanford-educated Brand, a biologist with strong artistic and social interests, believed that there was a groundswell of commitment to thoroughly renovating American industrial society along ecologically and socially just lines, whatever they might prove to be. (read more)
Whole Earth Catalog
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Breeding War
Sri Lankan kids inside the jungle
Taking shelter from the bombs
Stand beside the rebel soldiers
And watch their daddies kill their moms
Haitian children live in huts
Don’t go to school, can’t read a book
Their parents cannot feed them - ever
But we can’t see if we don’t look
In Gaza, secret army soldiers die
For children shot, and killed, and terrified
So posters now display the losses
They’re peppering the countryside
Chinese teens have been detained
For remembering the fight
That failed to bring their honor back
That failed, again, to show what’s right
The Belgian painted killer who
Could hear the voices in his head
Rode his bike into a town
And left a score of toddlers dead
And when their lifeblood jobs were lost
A Californian man and wife
Knew desperation, thought long and hard
And then they took their children’s lives
These are the headlines – all today
Death, destruction, blood, and war
So when these kids grow up to hate
I’ll bet you’ll wish you had done more.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lettuce Prey Four Whirled Peas
("let us pray for world peace")
is my first blog and the inspiration
for "GlobaLove Think Tank".
Apparently, several people thought my
photographs and ideas were "objectionable"
and let Google know they were "offended".
I find this fact a vindication of my assertion
that some people are "offended" by the truth.
http://lettucepreyfourwhirledpeas.blogspot.com/
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Illustrated Man
The Illustrated Man is a 1951 book of eighteen science fiction short stories by Ray Bradbury that explores the nature of mankind. While none of the stories has a plot or character connection with the next, a recurring theme is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people.
The unrelated stories are tied together by the frame device of "the Illustrated Man", a vagrant with a tattooed body whom the unnamed narrator meets. The man's tattoos, allegedly created by a woman from the future, are animated and each tell a different tale.
(read more)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Howard Zinn passed away today
The historian and devout activist Howard Zinn passed away earlier today from a heart attack. This saddens me greatly because he was a man whom I respected greatly and learned a lot from. I first heard of Zinn via Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting” where he mentions to Robin Williams that he was reading the wrong books, he should instead read “A People’s History of the United States” he claims that “it will knock your fucking socks off!” Now some claim that the only reason he said this is because they were neighbors when he was a young lad (Damon that is). I think this may be true to an extent but it is clear that Matt Damon has great respect for him. He narrated his biography and helped with Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States.” I have only read about half of one of his books, but learned a great deal from “The People Speak” and have read bits and pieces of him online. His thoughts are very important but what I respected is that Zinn practiced what he preached. For example “On his last day at BU, Dr. Zinn ended class 30 minutes early so he could join a picket line and urged the 500 students attending his lecture to come along. A hundred did so.” (taken from one of his obituaries, most of the quotes are taken from various obituaries except for the one's near the end)
Zinn was greatly respected by many people “His writings have changed the consciousness of a generation, and helped open new paths to understanding and its crucial meaning for our lives,” Noam Chomsky, the left-wing activist and MIT professor, once wrote of Dr. Zinn. “When action has been called for, one could always be confident that he would be on the front lines, an example and trustworthy guide.” Even Alice Walker said he was “the best teacher I ever had.”
I will end this post with some of Zinn’s very own words, if anyone is reading this you will find comfort in knowing that Zinn lived a full life and that he did his best to make reforms and inspire people, and that makes him an extraordinary man.
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
“What matters most is not who is sitting in the White House, but “who is sitting in” — and who is marching outside the White House, pushing for change.”
“If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves”
“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism”
“I suggest that if you know history, then you might not be so easily fooled by the government when it tells you you must go to war for this or that reason -that history is a protective armor against being misled”
“The challenge remains. On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater than money or weapons: the truth. Truth has a power of its own. Art has a power of its own. That age-old lesson – that everything we … do matters – is the meaning of the people’s struggle here in the United States and everywhere. A poem can inspire a movement. A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think, when we organize with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no government can suppress. We live in a beautiful country. But people who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back”
He will be missed, but his dream of a better world may one day be actualized if we all work together toward it. Zinn did his part now it is our turn.
Freedom Fighter or Terrorist?
"Terrorism" is a tactic...not an enemy
It's just a matter of time before "terrorists"
will be able to kill us all, maybe it is time we
begin to address the root cause of "terrorism"
war
racism
poverty
starvation
corruption
subversion
nationalism
exploitation
homelessness
overpopulation
religious intolerance
corporate imperialism
-------------------------------
"Terrorism is the war of the poor
and war is the terrorism of the rich"
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov, CBE
(April 16, 1921 – March 18, 2004)
Round Peg In A Square Hole
Operation Northwoods is especially notable in that it included proposals for hijackings and bombings followed by the introduction of phony evidence that would implicate a foreign government, namely Cuba.
The plan stated:
"The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere."
Several other proposals were included within the Operation Northwoods plan, including real or simulated actions against various U.S military and civilian targets.
Operation Northwoods was drafted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Northwoods was signed by Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer and sent to the Secretary of Defense.
Journalist James Bamford summarized Operation Northwoods in his April 24, 2001 book Body of Secrets:
"Operation Northwoods, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war". (read more)
The following photographs are of various airline crash sites. This is what real crash sites look like.
Now take a look at the Shanksville "crash site".
2,973 people were murdered on 9/11
More are dying from WTC "dust"
Investigate 9/11
The Supreme Court and Corporate Power
The recent decision by the Supreme Court has further exacerbated this essential inequality between individuals and powerful corporate structures by affording "free speech" rights to corporations. Furthermore, this right to free speech has been equated to monetary donations to political causes. This decision has effectively swept away any constraints upon the ability of the powerful to exert enormous influence in the determination of public policy through the use of the vast financial resources available to them. On account of the enormous discrepancy between the economic resources available to living and breathing individuals and corporations, it represents a further consolidation of power into the hands of the very few, and is yet another nail in the coffin of our nearly moribund democracy. I believe that the five ultra-conservative members of the Supreme Court, concerned about the rising tide of populism, knew exactly what they were doing.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Liberal Media?
Ha!...
In the United States, movie production is known to be dominated by major studios since the early 20th Century; before that, there was a period in which Edison's Trust monopolized the industry. The music and television industries recently witnessed cases of media consolidation, with Sony Music Entertainment's parent company merging their music division with Bertelsmann AG's BMG to form Sony BMG and TimeWarner's The WB and CBS Corp.'s UPN merging to form The CW. In the case of Sony BMG, there existed a "Big Five" (now "Big Four") of major record companies, while The CW's creation was an attempt to consolidate ratings and stand up to the "Big Four" of American network (terrestrial) television.
There may also be some large-scale owners in an industry that are not the causes of monopoly or oligopoly. Clear Channel Communications, especially since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, acquired many radio stations across the United States, and came to own more than 1,200 stations. However, the radio broadcasting industry in the United States and elsewhere can be regarded as oligopolistic regardless of the existence of such a player. Because radio stations are local in reach, each licensed a specific part of airwave by the FCC in a specific local area, any local market is served by a limited number of stations. In most countries, this system of licensing makes many markets local oligopolies. The similar market structure exists for television broadcasting, cable systems and newspaper industries, all of which are characterized by the existence of large-scale owners. Concentration of ownership is often found in these industries.
In the United States, data on ownership and market share of media companies is not held in the public domain. Academics, for example at MIT Media Lab and NYU, have struggled to find data that show reliably the concentration of media ownership.
On June 2, 2003, FCC, in a 3-2 vote under Chairman Michael Powell, approved new media ownership laws that removed many of the restrictions previously imposed to limit ownership of media within a local area. The changes were not, as is customarily done, made available to the public for a comment period.
Single-company ownership of media in a given market is now permitted up to 45% (formerly 35%, up from 25% in 1985) of that market.
Restrictions on newspaper and TV station ownership in the same market were removed.
All TV channels, magazines, newspapers, cable, and Internet services are now counted, weighted based on people's average tendency to find news on that medium. At the same time, whether a channel actually contains news is no longer considered in counting the percentage of a medium owned by one owner.
Previous requirements for periodic review of license have been changed. Licenses are no longer reviewed for "public-interest" considerations.
(read more) (read more)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Secret Astronauts
An early photo of the first MOL crew, the "Magnificent Seven".
They were the "Magnificent Seven" of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, some of the best pilots the U.S. military had to offer the officials who were making the first MOL crew selection in 1965. Two more crews would follow, including that of Bob Lawrence, the first African-American astronaut. These men, 17 in all, were set to make history in space as the first military astronauts, performing covert reconnaissance from orbit. Yet while NASA's astronauts were gracing magazine covers and signing autographs, the MOL teams were sworn to secrecy; most of the program's details remain classified even today. And MOL was canceled in 1969, before any of its astronauts went into space. To learn more about some of these secret astronauts and their subsequent career achievements,
click here.
The Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL) was part of the United States Air Force's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled X-20 Dyna-Soar project. It was announced to the public on the same day that the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled, December 10, 1963. The program was supposedly intended to prove the utility of man in space for military missions. However, this was just a cover story for the Russians and the public.
The program was developed as a space station used for reconnaissance purposes (KH-10). The space station used the Gemini B spacecraft that was derived from NASA's Gemini program. The contractor for the MOL was the Douglas Aircraft Company. The Gemini B/MOL craft was externally similar to NASA's Gemini spacecraft although it underwent several modifications. The most obvious was the addition of a circular hatch through the heat shield to allow passage between the spacecraft and the laboratory.
(read more)
Do you really think there are no more "secret astronauts?" (link)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Kill the Messenger Syndrome
Despite these kinds of disturbing data, there still exists a strong and irrational response to this pervasive reality. Underlying this behavior is a fear of the change in our collective behavior that would be required to protect the future health and safety of the human species. As a result, true human progress is constantly stymied by this fear, for fear impairs reasoned analysis and fruitful discussion. It is this fear that holds science suspect in a feeble and misguided attempt to kill the messenger.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Regarding the Race for the Senator of Massachusetts
We are constantly being manipulated not by the news of events, but rather by the way we are expected to interpret what is happening. The fundamental problems that lie at the core of the current dilemma are to be avoided at all cost. Instead, we are encouraged to throw ourselves headlong into the vortex of empty-headed logic and overblown conclusions.
We are a people extremely out of balance; we seem to be unable to do what is best for our future generations. Our economic and political systems are essentially bankrupt - based on the premise that the individual is supreme and that profit is the essential guiding principle for behavior. Without major overhaul on our perceptions and worldview, we can only expect that our prospects will worsen. Are we prepared to live in a society where a majority of our people will have inadequate health care, education, nutrition and meaningful employment? Can such a culture thrive and prosper? I suppose history will be the ultimate judge.