Loop Out

Been a while.  Lots to think about and be busy with.  Big changes personally.  But the story continues.  

Summer is here.  Floods.  Surveillance.  Welcome to the Long Emergency.  

Thank god there are still some amazing people out there.  Puts one to shame. 

That's it for now . . .  I wonder what Prism thinks of me?

Fennel

I just got this email urging me to take action because Nestle is patenting the fennel flower (in fact another friend forwarded me the same email).  I can't say I'm surprised by this ridiculous attempt but I'm not really outraged.  At least not enough to write and forward and do all the things the email urges me to do. 

The sad thing is that until capitalism or civilization (since they aren't really separate) collapses we're going to writing a lot of emails and bothering our friends with forwards.  Nestle might give up on this one but in a few months Cargill will patent burdock roots and we'll do it all again.  And then Mitsubishi will patent rice and then we'll do it all again.  And again.  And again.

I just don't know what all this achieves.  How do you change a mindset that allows the owning of life?  Is this just more evidence that we are completely bonkers? 

I'd rather say fuck you and start growing fennel and giving away the seed to everyone I meet. 

Lovely Song

Shame

Irreplaceable

Life imitated Easter last weekend.  But up to now there has been no resurrection.  My life is lonelier because of it.  

We were away and a dear friend was looking after our house.  One might be tempted to say looking after the cats as well but in many ways they look after us.  But they would be pissed if they didn't get their food in time.  On Saturday, Buddy, our special cat, went out for the day as he has been since the days became less cold.  He never came back.  

Our friend discovered very large coyote tracks near our house (a little too close).  This is actually a desperate time for those unlucky to not have human benefactors.  Winter is ending sure but it's been a hard one.  I'm sure the creatures that inhabit the wild places groan in their own ways with minus 20 windchill.  When it's so cold you need to eat to keep yourself warm enough.  Even if spring is on the horizon you have to chance a trip close to the unnatural animals.  

 

I imagine that Bud acted as he always did when he met a dog many times his size.  He probably walked right up to that coyote and tried to claw his or her eyes out for daring to set foot on his territory.  We weren't there to interfere like we normally are.  I wonder if the coyote lost an eye or has a big scar to remember our ferocious (never to us, never) Bud.

I keep imagining the scene.  He has inspired me to write again actually.  Maybe the coyote just came to recruit him for the fight against clearcutting and other human crimes.  Maybe Bud saw the suffering of this coyote and realized he should give himself up so another might live.  I suppose that last one is more appropriate for Easter.  I wouldn't put it past him he was so wise.



All our days are numbered I guess.  Even the most wonderful of us.  One of the first blog pieces I wrote was about Buddy.  I'll miss you Buddy.  Thank you for sharing your life with me.  I'd give anything to have you sleep next to my head just one more time. 

Close Shave

A month or so ago we got Albert Nobbs out of the library.  A good movie, sad, but good.  I dread movies where someone works hard only to have their money (and sometimes their life) taken away from them by someone with more power or muscle.  Ever since the first scene where Nobbs opens the secret compartment where he has hidden his earnings over the years I knew what was coming.  I was so weary I actually couldn't watch. 

But this shit happens all the time.

So I was somewhat surprised to see the banksters and their politicians trying to fleece the people of Cyprus.  They wanted to go into everyone's account and take a percentage of the contents to fund, get this, a bailout of the banks.  So they'll take people's money and give it to the bank that was previously holding it for them?!  This economist stated it pretty plainly and clearly:



Now not only are they planning on cutting important social programs and handing tax cuts to corps and various rich folks but now they want to take money out of our accounts.  I say our accounts because the dumbass Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem says fleecing people will be the order of the day from now on when bailing out banks.  It won't be long before it's policy in Italy and then Spain and maybe one day the UK and even Canadia (after 2015 of course).  

Now I know that not everyone worked hard squirreling away their earnings.  Some folks who would be fleeced would be the crooks who usually steal from the hardworking.  But to steal from everyone is a bad idea.  But it's also a great idea if you get my meaning. . . 

Anyway they're only getting people's money over 100,000 euros but that's still a bad precedent.  I wonder what the price of gold will be tomorrow morning.  Maybe it's a good time to get our money out of our accounts?

BitCoin?