tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post2858899941265729517..comments2024-03-17T03:42:21.277-05:00Comments on LEARNING CURVE ON THE ECLIPTIC: Weekend Pics & MixesTwilighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-18682684161313618342013-11-04T00:12:50.157-06:002013-11-04T00:12:50.157-06:00mike ~ Interesting link! Thank you.
"our cho...mike ~ Interesting link! Thank you.<br /><br />"our choice of leaders" though - we don't have much choice as I see it.<br />If only.....<br />Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-34121865316284488142013-11-03T19:44:14.204-06:002013-11-03T19:44:14.204-06:00Raymond Merriman:
"This is the era of the Ca...Raymond Merriman:<br /><br />"This is the era of the Cardinal Climax (2008-2015). It’s going to end with a bang as the most potent geocosmic signature of our lifetime unfolds: Uranus in waxing square to Pluto, 2012-2015. We are in the middle of it right now, November 2013. We are living in a time of historic social, political, and economic transformation. If you are a spiritual-minded person, then you might wish to contemplate: Why now and why us? There is a reason why you are here now. And it is not to let the world be destroyed. We are responsible and we are accountable. And we need to reestablish trust in one another, which can be accomplished by our choice of leaders who earn our trust by their intentions, words, and correct actions on behalf of the greater whole."<br /><br />http://www.mmacycles.com/weekly-preview/mma-comments-for-the-week/mma-comments-for-the-week-beginning-november-4,-2013/mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-19965552132205384602013-11-03T17:53:17.337-06:002013-11-03T17:53:17.337-06:00mike ~ Re less divisive times - maybe aj means BT ...mike ~ Re less divisive times - maybe aj means BT (Before Twilight). ;-)<br /><br />Yes, we're rotting down nicely, festering away, bubbling up occasionally. <br /><br />I've been preparing my knitting needles for years, ready to do my Madame Defarge bit beneath the old guilly. :-)Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-19655925349344283482013-11-03T17:01:40.760-06:002013-11-03T17:01:40.760-06:00Walmart has been publicly traded since 1972. Much...Walmart has been publicly traded since 1972. Much like "BC" and "AD", we can say "PW" (pre-Walmart) and "AW" (after-Walmart)! LOLmike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-87607421419997675842013-11-03T16:46:01.173-06:002013-11-03T16:46:01.173-06:00anyjazz, your comment: "But they bring the pa...anyjazz, your comment: "But they bring the past a little closer at least to remind us there was a simpler time when folks were less divisive about nearly everything."<br /><br />This from from Wiki:<br />"The tintype process became very popular in United States, particularly during the Civil War."<br /><br />LOL I'm not sure there have ever been less divisive times! Maybe any time in the past seems so, when compared to any extant point in time that one chooses as a vantage point.<br /><br /><br />Twilight, I agree that our current pickle probably isn't solvable quite yet...not ripe enough or festered enough! The astrology of our decade is one of fermenting in escalating distress...to the breaking point...off with their heads!<br /><br />I hope that your faith in Russell Brand is rewarded.mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-83868230044239261342013-11-03T13:59:34.629-06:002013-11-03T13:59:34.629-06:00anyjazz ~ "S of M": The very serious bac...anyjazz ~ "S of M": The very serious background story was smothered in the icing sugar of twee. :-/<br /><br />Russell Brand: He has indeed.<br /><br />Warmalt: I didn't know the town in those days, it sounds to have been a much better place then.<br />You didn't count the numerous churches.<br />;-)<br /><br />Great job on restoring that lovely tintype, anyjazz!<br />Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-20580549628655294022013-11-03T13:47:42.757-06:002013-11-03T13:47:42.757-06:00A family escapes the Nazi oppression. Set to musi...A family escapes the Nazi oppression. Set to music. It’s hard to believe that anyone would miss the point.<br /><br />Celebrities know that free press coverage is priceless. Russell Brand seems to be doing what has usually made notoriety (and money) for him before: Pick a subject, be outrageous. He probably believes in his cause. But even if he doesn’t, he has started a discussion. <br /><br />When Warmalt (think Chinese accent) came to our town, we had five grocery stores, three or four tire shops, three bakeries, a handful of boutique dress shops and shoe stores, four pharmacies and a thriving indoor mall. Now there are two grocery stores, one tire shop, no bakeries, no boutiques and the mall is a desert. The only businesses that seem unaffected by the invading giant are the pharmacies, the drug stores. There were four now there are six, and big ones too. But that’s another story isn’t it?<br /><br />The process that produces the tintype photograph is quite complicated and messy. It’s a wonder they survive at all. But they do and “antique” dealers place them at premium prices. Most have darkened so badly over the decades, (in some cases, a century) that one cannot always tell what the original subject was without the assistance of our modern Photoshop digital techniques. But they bring the past a little closer at least to remind us there was a simpler time when folks were less divisive about nearly everything. To quote the great Leon Russell, “…tryin’ to stay alive, and keep my sideburns too.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />anyjazzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03319237414264543250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-81916190490246908272013-11-03T13:02:49.636-06:002013-11-03T13:02:49.636-06:00mike ~ On this point of lack of suggesting a solu...mike ~ On this point of lack of suggesting a solution, I will not argue, except to say that I don't think time for a solution is yet ripe. <br /><br />Things aren't yet severe enough for a large enough mass of people in the USA/UK. It's still a time for wakening the sleepers, as circumstances in general continue to deteriorate very gradually for most of the 99%.<br /><br />There may not be any doable solution available as yet, other than raising awareness, continuing what OWS began. <br /><br />Your (and LB's) suggestion, that we be the change we aspire to is a noble one, and one I and most others admire. <br /><br />I don't see Brand or Hedges as a "I-am-a-victim" type though, mike. I don't feel like a victim myself either. Victim is a word I dislike. If I ever get to feeling like any kind of victim - I either fight back, or leave.Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-72178758654268347522013-11-03T12:14:36.656-06:002013-11-03T12:14:36.656-06:00We discussed Chris Hedges previously and I have re...We discussed Chris Hedges previously and I have reservations regarding his walking the talk. It's so easy to create a dissertation on what's wrong with the USA, world, or whatever. It's so much more difficult to apply those words to an action plan. A plan where all alternatives are explored an weighed...we don't want to solve one major fiasco, then create another.<br /><br />A major difference between Hedges and Brand is CREDENTIALS. Hedges is scholarly, religious, and has actually worked and viewed these problems from various angles. I respect his editorials.<br /><br />Hedges, like Brand, proffers the problems ONLY and not the way to get out of harms way. I'm much more comfortable with Hedges' statements, as they are not simply sweeping generalizations, but are meticulously ascribed theses. Brand reminds me of a used car salesperson...lots of words, fast talking, tawdry at times, hard to determine exactly what the details are. NEITHER deals with solutions.<br /><br />At my last company, meetings were a right-of-passage toward the conclusion of every day. Each meeting typically procrastinated decision-making to another, future meeting. The company finally cracked-down with an edict to MAKE DECISIONS...best decision possible with the information available to that point. Afterward, decisions were made...probably 90% good...things moved forward.<br /><br />I find that is no different in the political arena. A politician has two angles to play while campaigning. First is to identify the problems (with the other candidate!). Second is to present solutions for those problems. Romney was blasted for his lack of solutions to the problems he proposed to "fix".<br /><br />I find both Hedges and Brand use the I-am-a-victim approach. We need intellectuals, spokespersons, leaders, whomever, to identify a valid path forward. As we've all stated in the past, perhaps the best way forward is to be the change we aspire toward...at least the burden of guilt isn't on my shoulder as I transcend from victim to my own savior.mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-7540021073092355642013-11-03T11:31:00.442-06:002013-11-03T11:31:00.442-06:00LB ~ Perhaps if Russell Brand's words had bee...LB ~ Perhaps if Russell Brand's words had been left as stand-alone observations, separate from his on-stage persona, it would have led to more people beginning to think for themselves who hadn't done so, on the issues involved anyway.<br />I fear that now, with conservatives denigrating him - easily - due to his stage performances and other events in his personal life, his words are spoiled for many. Not for me.<br /><br />I do not see the truths he spoke of as only relating to some of us.<br />I'm also not sure that he has ever implied that he's going to try to change the world for the better. He has told it like it is - that's all. He has said there will (at some point) be revolution (of some kind). <br /><br />Chris Hedges said the same thing last week in his own article. Hedges obviously has a "cleaner" back story, and has walked the walk - yes, I know this. Both men's words were similar though. Why should Brand's words be of less value? To me they are not. Because they will reach into corners where Hedges' words would never ever reach. This is the value I continue to see in Brand.Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-76134545676746957762013-11-03T11:11:24.181-06:002013-11-03T11:11:24.181-06:00mike ~ Thanks for those examples. Your last comme...mike ~ Thanks for those examples. Your last comment appeared while I was leaving mine.LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-55872769519942110012013-11-03T11:09:07.529-06:002013-11-03T11:09:07.529-06:00mike ~ Yes, I know. But he's still telling th...mike ~ Yes, I know. But he's still telling the truth about the matters in his New Statesman Piece and the interviews.<br /><br />The UK's Daily Mail is a conservative rag of the nastiest type, by the way - it's in their best interest to put forward the worst image of Brand that's possible.<br />and yes, I do know he makes it easy for them.<br /><br />But he was still telling the truth, in his piece and the interviews - and people are talking about it, still. I wish he had a better reputation, I wish he told decent jokes and not the stuff he comes out with, bit it's stuff which attracts the types of people who need to hear his other stuff - the true stuff.<br /> Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-52206432399030992262013-11-03T11:08:29.046-06:002013-11-03T11:08:29.046-06:00Twilight ~ In response to your comment that we may...Twilight ~ In response to your comment that we may be over-thinking this, maybe the issue is that we all need to think more *deeply* and for ourselves. And to *act* on those thoughts in meaningful, peaceful ways.<br /><br />I'm not a feminist in the strictest sense of the word, being more concerned with how human beings treat one another - sexism is a symptom of a bigger issue. And I'm grateful for any voice who speaks out for the voiceless/invisible among us and who doesn't objectify those of us (ANY of us) who have been overlooked, abused and/or exploited through abstract objectification.<br /><br />Russell Brand is intelligent and articulate, with some truthful, worthwhile observations to share, and he has every right to speak and more importantly, to *act* to try and make a difference. <br /><br />But if the small truth he speaks only applies to some and fails to represent the greater Truth that serves us all, then his voice will remain part of the problem rather than the solution. At least for some of us. <br /><br />Let him try and change the world for the better. I hope he does and would support that. I'll be curious as to what he actually *does* next. He's just not someone I'll look to as an example of how to live a mindful, socially conscious life. Not at this point.<br /><br />We're all imperfect. To know and not care, not *do* is not Truth.LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-85643633441600879812013-11-03T10:58:31.343-06:002013-11-03T10:58:31.343-06:00Yes, Brand is just hilarious:
"Brand, rollin...Yes, Brand is just hilarious:<br /><br />"Brand, rolling a suggestive tongue round his overbite, whipped himself into a little rhetorical climax as he fantasised about penetrating his pet cat. He said that if the cat did not wish to arouse him sexually, it should desist from walking around his house ‘with its a***hole as the most prominent part of its body’ and its tail standing tall as ‘a furry f*** handle’.<br /><br />The audience almost wept with laughter, undergraduates’ eyes blazing with adoration as they watched their hero — yes, even as he envisaged having anal sex with an animal. Where is the RSPCA when you need it?<br /><br />Next, Brand went into a routine about the fast-food mascot Ronald McDonald raping young boys. He envisaged fictitious Ronald’s ‘hard, white clown c*** and bright red pubes’ as he ravaged some innocent.<br /><br />Brand, by now ranting into his microphone so crazily that the sound was distorted, screamed that the McDonald’s hamburger chain’s mascot deliberately marketed products ‘at young people, obese schoolboys, so you can waddle after them and f*** ’em in your clown shoes, you painted nonce’.<br /><br />Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2483933/Russell-Brand-revolutionary-messiah-Who-does-think-hes-kidding.html#ixzz2jbOuViI0<br /><br /><br /><br />"...the joke directed at Megan Fox goes beyond the pale.<br /><br />She has admitted she is a little bit cuckoo upstairs and I have trained in psychiatry. So Megan, if you do have a little dizzy spell love, I could probably drop you a little pill. You can go and have a lie down in my dressing room. You might get some crazy dreams about being visited by a scarecrow, a perfumed weirdo leaning over you. But let me tell you, that’s a common side-effect. Megan, take your medicine.”<br /><br />Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/rape-is-a-crime-not-a-punch-line.html#ixzz2jbPfGLPR<br /><br />There are many more examples out there. mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-91491011137314071802013-11-03T10:07:39.688-06:002013-11-03T10:07:39.688-06:00"Don't get me started on this...."
..."Don't get me started on this...."<br /><br />Well....you can trust me that I will not get you going on this, by golly! LOL<br /><br />As a very liberal male, I am very aware of disparity between the sexes in various forms. I don't think a guy can be a feminist, so I'm off the hook on that count. Too many of my female friends have conveyed molestation and rape scenarios for me to ignore the induced pain of such situations.<br /><br />And, as I've indicated in your previous posts, when a man molests a girl, it's a crime...when a woman (usually teachers now-a-day) molests a boy, it's entertaining fodder regarding how fortunate the boy. Only very recently are women prosecuted for this and I'm sure it's vastly under-reported, but even so, there's still a smug "way to go, dude" directed at the boy. Something's amiss.mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-46983418874810194822013-11-03T09:30:09.566-06:002013-11-03T09:30:09.566-06:00Juno~~ Re Paxman - I've just seen this:
http...Juno~~ Re Paxman - I've just seen this:<br /><br />http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/01/jeremy-paxman-admits-he-agrees-with-russell-brand-on-the-graham-norton-show-4170468/<br />Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-23701607327257439112013-11-03T09:14:52.470-06:002013-11-03T09:14:52.470-06:00LB ~ I think we all (and all the journalists and p...LB ~ I think we all (and all the journalists and pundits out there) may be over-thinking this.<br /><br />Let's just be glad of a new voice reaching out to many who are still asleep to what's going on? Let's not try to denigrate, or reduce the volume of that voice, which after all, <b>was</b> telling the truth.<br />Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-43552002738140464762013-11-03T09:11:37.606-06:002013-11-03T09:11:37.606-06:00mike ~ Thanks for the links.
As I said to Juno, I...mike ~ Thanks for the links.<br /><br />As I said to Juno, I'm revising my former poor opinion of Russell Brand - he's on our side, he's a voice reaching those who otherwise would not bother to listen. That is very very valuable to the left....in my opinion.<br /><br />The hypocrisy jibe doesn't ring true for me. I do not see him as any kind of hypocrite.<br /><br />The sexist rants from feminists annoy me a lot. The women who get involved with men like Brand know exactly what they are doing, and what they risk. <br /><br />Don't get me started on feminism. I'm for equal rights and equal opportunities, always.<br />I'm not for this current whining and moaning from professional "feminists". I fell out with a long time friend of this blog some time ago over just such an argument....in that case it was about something Seth MacFarlane had said/done. <br /><br />Don't get me started on this....<br /><br />Back to Russell Brand. The guy was asked to edit an edition of The New Statesman. He did so and wrote a long piece outlining what he sees as injustices going on in 2013. He was invited to do an interview on British TV. He presented himself well, showed himself to be a quick thinker, good speaker, and I believe 100% sincere. Why does the chattering class of pundits and journalists have to investigate the guy's faults to such an extent that any good his remarks might have been capable of doing for the left, in both the UK and USA become dilute? Is it because he's a danger to them?<br /><br />Why can we, on the left, not be satisfied that he has voiced for a massive audience, the very things we complain about ourselves day by day.<br /><br />Shouldn't we be grateful for his voice? I am. <br /><br />If he's a pain in the ass to women - women should by now be well aware of that. If some types of women want to be involved with him - it's up to them, and it's not up to those pain in the ass professional feminists to complain on their behalf.Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-58199359776043096212013-11-03T08:53:26.217-06:002013-11-03T08:53:26.217-06:00Juno ~ I can well imagine the type of town you de...Juno ~ I can well imagine the type of town you describe - makes the blood run cold just thinking about it!<br /><br />I understand your dislike of Brand - I used to feel much the same. I'm revising my opinion, though - based on how he continues from here on. <br /><br />I got the feeling that Paxman agreed with most of what Brand was saying, but had to put on a front for the show.<br />Towards the end of the interview Brand mentioned something about one of Paxman's relatives/ancestors who had been mistreated in some way (maybe he'd been on that TV show "Who Do You Think You Are?" delving into family history of well known peeps.) That seemed to get to Paxman quite a bit I thought.Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-38958712657235914932013-11-03T00:31:34.614-05:002013-11-03T00:31:34.614-05:00Regarding my last comment, keep in mind I'm no...Regarding my last comment, keep in mind I'm no expert on philosophy, so I'm sure I've oversimplified Buber's thoughts in a way that makes the most sense to *me*.LB (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-76388453890845568832013-11-02T23:48:13.294-05:002013-11-02T23:48:13.294-05:00mike ~ More than being about sexism (or, in the ca...mike ~ More than being about sexism (or, in the case of Brand's remarks about not being bothered by the plight of Chinese workers - classism/racism), I think this speaks to the issue of self-interest and objectification.<br /><br />Philosopher Martin Buber theorized that individuals relate in one of two ways: I-It ("Ich-Es") or I-Thou ("Ich-Du"). Whereas I-Thou involves authentic, interactive dialogue, "In the Ich-Es (I-It) relationship, an individual treats other things, people, etc., as objects to be used and experienced. Essentially, this form of objectivity relates to the world in terms of the self – how an object can serve the individual’s interest." <br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Buber<br /><br />Rather than being fixed,Buber said most of us go back and forth between these two distinct ways of relating. In my experience, some of us objectify more frequently than others and are more prone to developing blind spots out of habit.LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-83695008649647356912013-11-02T21:25:14.352-05:002013-11-02T21:25:14.352-05:00This is an interesting article, centered on Russel...This is an interesting article, centered on Russell Brand, but applicable to many:<br /><br />A Discourse on Brocialism by Laurie Penney<br /><br />On Brand, iconoclasm, and a woman's place in the revolution: a dialogue with Richard Seymour on the question of how to reconcile the fact that people need stirring up with the fact that the people doing the stirring so often fall down when it comes to treating women and girls like human beings.<br /><br />http://www.newstatesman.com/laurie-penny/2013/11/discourse-brocialism-brand-iconoclasm-and-womans-place-revolution<br />mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-69879562935341163452013-11-02T20:26:04.340-05:002013-11-02T20:26:04.340-05:00Just a few of many comments from Rob Ryan's bl...Just a few of many comments from Rob Ryan's blog:<br /><br />"...Brand is still full of it and is no more a revolutionary than any first-semester college political science major discovering Marx for the first time. It’s disengagement masquerading as too-cool-for-school hipster “activism.”<br /><br />...Brand does list a few things the government shouldn’t do: Destroy the planet, shouldn’t create massive economic disparity, shouldn’t ignore the needs of the people, capping it off with “the burden of proof is on the people with the power.” Brand is right: Government shouldn’t do those things, and they should be held accountable for their actions. But this isn’t revolutionary; this is basic high school civics. In fact, it’s the basis for the modern system. If you don’t like the guys in charge and what they’re doing, vote them out. Or, if you’re Russell Brand, just sit back, don’t vote and complain.<br /><br />...There’s a big underlying hypocrisy in Brand’s argument: He has gotten very wealthy off of the capitalist, corporate system he’s decrying. The movie studios that finance and release his films are owned by some of the biggest corporate behemoths in the world: Time Warner, News Corp., Disney, Viacom, Comcast, Sony, etc. That same system allows him to charge whatever he wants for people to go see his live performances. For him to talk about socialism and equality while he’s one of the rich he’s speaking out against is gobsmackingly audacious and hypocritical.<br /><br />...Brand can wait for his revolution all he wants, but until it arrives, this is the system we have to work with. So rather than pretend to be too cool to get involved, he needs to shut up and start doing real work and activism. He can start with a voter registration drive."<br /><br />http://projections.blogs.gainesville.com/10759/russell-brand-is-a-moron-and-his-revolution-is-garbage/mike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-45188226894463120542013-11-02T18:48:12.078-05:002013-11-02T18:48:12.078-05:00Derps' comments are right on target. I grew ...Derps' comments are right on target. I grew up in a big city, but have since lived in some very small U.S. towns up north -- population less than 1000 -- and they functioned more like company towns of old. One in particular stands out. Within a few weeks I was told who the "power families" were that owned almost everything, what people to "avoid," etc. The place was a dying lumber town where the young people were leaving in droves and the only new legal jobs were at the retirement homes or the few government jobs, and then there was the illegal economy of meth dealing and growing pot. The town over age 45 seemed normal, under 45 it was falling apart. The strange thing is that many of the old timers would take pride in "running out of town" any person who did not meet with their approval by suddenly making this person's job disappear, or withholding necessary services like daycare. I felt like I was living in that short story by Shirley Jackson, The Lottery, and the stonings would commence shortly. A grim time. <br /><br />About Russell Brand, I don't like him. He speaks well, but he comes off as some sort of champagne socialist, or a new generation of Radical Chic that Tom Wolfe satirized back in the late 60's. Paxman usually comes off as an attack dog and here he was being very tolerant -- why is that? It makes me suspicious.Junohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08257525915245560613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-83962080585511232382013-11-02T16:23:13.342-05:002013-11-02T16:23:13.342-05:00Twilight ~ I'm not blameless either (at all), ...Twilight ~ I'm not blameless either (at all), though I do have a visceral reaction to the mistreatment of Chinese workers and feel deeply conflicted about some of my past purchases. I can make phone calls, write letters, sign petitions and keep the same cell phone and TV for years without replacing them, but in our free-trade, global economy where do I find ethically produced electronics when the old ones eventually stop working? <br /><br />It's slightly less challenging when it comes to other items, in that I can either do without or choose ethically produced, fair trade or used. Even finding ethically produced food is less challenging though still not that easy.LBnoreply@blogger.com