July 30, 2008
When Your President Is a Dumb Cluck
We are all quite ennured to having an uninformed idiot for our president, one of those men who got by on his good looks alone, a "C" student tolerated by fine schools as a favor to his father, an man with serious brain dysfunction - do we need yet another?.
It is becoming clear that McCain's understanding of the most rudimentary aspects of the troubled parts of the world has proven sketchy. After graduating 894th in his Anapolis class of 899, we can probably conclude that studying hard is not his strong suit. He's a sloppy scholar who flies by the seat of his pants, as evidenced by crashing 5 Air Force planes before taking up his new vocation. He recently flunked his own "Commander in Chief Test.
Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad having an uninformed, out of touch idiot for President, but having one of those leaves room for unknown forces of darkness to step in to fill the void. The intentions of said void fillers, as we see in this administration, are often questionable if not criminal. At least we can impeach an idiot president, what the hell do we do with McCain's invisible Addington, that is if we can figure out which villian has his hand in the puppet that we're electing before his term is up.
Photo note: A dumb cluck found serendipidously in the archives.
July 22, 2008
Cheap Gas In Your Neighborhood
Since we're all in a flap about gas prices (why, pray tell, has the extra $35 most of us will pay this summer for gas caused such apoplexy, when our underwear should have been in gordian knots about fossil fuel ten years ago) here's gas price finder"> a handy dandy guide to cheap gas prices in your neighborhood, so we may all save a pittance while we continue to ruin the environment and warm the globe.
If we really want cheaper gas, we would all do well to pressure those oiliest of men, Bush and Cheney, to stop threatening Iran with military action.
Need more immediate gratification? Join your local Carrotmob.
Photo note: only a piece of the whole picture, with an automotive theme -- therefore a metaphorophoto -- the wheel housing of a muddy red truck
July 18, 2008
Surfacing
Just a little
flower picture
to jump start
bloggish
production
show off
the remarkable
capacities of
my new camera
and distract me
from writing
way too much
about
the criminal
activities
of our
government
which seems
to have
clogged up
the old flow
this week
tra la
Photo note: emerging hydrangea
July 11, 2008
Skewered
One of the few things we have in common with John McCain, our jowls not withstanding, is our abject ignorance about the economy. With the thought of plumping up a few atrophied brain cells. we have gathered some economically related tidbits for your perusal.
First, the official word -- the administration is nervous (forgive the ad, meditate for 14 seconds -there's simply no getting around it)
Although we've all heard that the sub prime mortgage crisis is responsible for much of this anxiety, how many of us understand what it is, how it happened and why it affects the world economy? As always, Wikipedia comes through, completely and succinctly, but perhaps you'd prefer a more visually based information package - a cartoon or a movie or two.
The somewhat mysterious escalating price of oil is another baffling economic phenomenon that confounds the econaif. We all understand the increasing world demand as China and India modernize, we also know that the Bush administration has had their heads where the sun don't shine around energy policy, but what's this about speculators? In his excellent piece for the Beijing Star (of all places), Michael T. Klare offers this view of why oil prices are so high
But the Bush administration's greatest contribution to rising oil prices is its steady stream of threats to attack Iran, if it does not back down on the nuclear issue. The Iranians have made it plain that they would retaliate by attempting to block the flow of Gulf oil and otherwise cause turmoil in the energy market. Most analysts assume, therefore, that an encounter will produce a global oil shortage and prices well over $200 per barrel. It is not surprising, then, that every threat by Bush/Cheney (or their counterparts in Israel) has triggered a sharp rise in prices. This is where speculators enter the picture. Believing that a U.S.-Iranian clash is at least 50 per cent likely, some investors are buying futures in oil at $140, $150 or more per barrel, thinking they'll make a killing if there's an attack and prices zoom past $200.It follows, then, that while the hike in prices is due largely to ever-increasing demand chasing insufficiently expanding supply, the Bush administration's energy policies have greatly intensified the problem. By seeking to preserve an oil-based energy system at any cost, and by adding to the "fear factor" in international speculation through its bungled invasion of Iraq and bellicose statements on Iran, it has made a bad problem much worse.
..... it is only by reducing demand that fundamental market forces can be addressed.
This is best done through a comprehensive program of energy conservation, expanding public transit and accelerating development of energy alternatives. It will take time for some of these efforts to have an impact on prices; others, like reducing speed limits and adding bus routes, would have a more rapid effect.
And if this administration truly wanted to spare Americans further pain at the pump, there is one thing it could do that would have an immediate effect: declare that military force is not an acceptable option in the struggle with Iran. Such a declaration would take the wind out of the sails of speculators and set the course for a drop in prices.
You noticed that this was published in Beijing.
To add to upcoming economic concerns, Robert Silverberg reminds us that oil isn't the only non renewable resource that will be depleted all too soon. In his article The Death of Gallium, he points out that we are running out of elements -- perhaps we can do without gallium, but we will be in tough shape when zinc and copper go. So if you want to speculate on metals futures, consider that a tip.
We don't know about you, but our brain cells are sufficiently fluffed.
Photo note: an elusive metaphorophoto - whale (of a problem) skewered by a pole wrapped in vestiges of the American flag, stretched thin.
July 09, 2008
We got you covered - AT&T
View crisper, more readable image
View unfocused proof that this was actually attached to a plane on a cloudy day at the beach
AT&T has got you covered all right -- and just when you thought you could relax. Recently, they purchased a shitload of politicians (sadly Barack is among them) who, in turn, have sold their souls to the ding-a-lings. The new FISA spy-on-everyone-there-will-be-no-consequences bill passed by a wide margin today. Bush, it is rumored, is eager to sign it
Tata Constitution. From now on you can simply assume that anything you write, speak, whisper, or care to keep under your hat for any reason whatsoever, is public information. This is why all of us here at Dakota are so circumspect about our views.
If this blog drops out of sight suddenly one day, search for us in the Halliburton detention camps.
Photo note: A banner attached to an airplane flying over the beach in the terrible weather on the Fourth of July weekend. A prescient message from the universe.
Note to readers: Go back to the clickie under purchased politicians, scroll down and watch the video if you missed it
July 08, 2008
Don't Be a Purple Petunia
Senator Jesse Helms has done this nation a favor by kicking the bucket in the first place, and, in the second place, by having his funeral land precisely on July 8, thereby postponing the FISA vote in the senate until tomorrow, so that his colleagues will be free to attend thus showing him the respect that he doesn't deserve.
This gives you an extra day to email the traitorous Barack at My Barack Obama and register your protest, as well as contact your own senators - find them, and what to say at The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Finished? Now you get to watch the movie. Daniel Ellsberg--- remember him from the Pentagon Papers, no? well you should -- speaks eloquently to the issue of FISA and telecom immunity. If you're interested in continuing to live in a democracy it would behove you to devote a few minutes to preserving it.
As Thomas Jefferson once said "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Photo note: Twisted bunting and pansies - oops they're petunias, but if they were pansies, this would be a metaphorophoto
July 07, 2008
The Fourth of July
Our new camera
comes complete
with a fireworks
button especially
for the Fourth
of July
too bad there
were no fireworks
until the Sixth
of July
due to
perpetual
inclemency
then we couldn't
stay to shoot
this was
a drive-by
a happenstance
way off in the
distance in
some other town
shot with our
new apparatus
you will be
pleased to
note that
we're not having
even one iota of
separation anxiety
this time around
we're actually shooting
up a storm
and most of it's
in focus
that's what happens
when you buy a
camera with
a fireworks
button pre installed
and a button
for almost
everything
else too
where you
can find it
Photo note:View larger image if you want to see just how out of focus we can get now
July 03, 2008
Garlic Scapes
Much to our delight, we encountered a new vegetable taste sensation yesterday at the Farmer's Market - garlic scapes. We were drawn to their snake pit likeness, imagining them plated next to a tofu portion. However. at six dollars a pound it did seem an extravagance. When we mentioned to the dashing young farmer (they're all dashing these days, if you haven't noticed) that the scapes didn't seem to be selling like hotcakes, he said it was because the impact of the New York Times feature on garlic scapes was dying down. That did it. We sprang for a half pound.
For purposes of culinary purity, we decided on a simple saute in olive oil. The resulting vegetative experience proved to be rather like eating those tough blades of crab grass one pulled from the lawn as a child, and strung through one's front teeth. Not entirely unpleasant, but for the money, artichokes would have been a better investment. Perhaps making the more time consuming soup would have been a better choice, since overall chewiness was definitely a problem.
Our only regret is that we didn't take more raw pictures, since garlic scapes will be out of season momentarily and we'll have to wait for next year for some more artful shots
Photo note: Garlic scapes on first sighting
July 01, 2008
Shriveling Hope
There's a new term floating around out there, which we're sure you would never want applied to you-- It is: "the low information voter"
In order to avoid becoming one, you had best read about the FISA legislation immediately -- Glenn Greenwald is a good place to start, or, if you are unable to concentrate on the written word Keith Olbermann, has made a video for your perusal.
Finished? Now send Barack an email before Monday to let him know how betrayed you feel by his "centrist" switch supporting immunity to all those telecommunications companies that let George W. Bush and god knows who else read your email and listen to your phone calls to their hearts content. It doesn't matter whether you were sharing state secrets, simple beliefs about preserving the environment can get you on a list somewhere that you simply do not want to be on these days.
Photo note: Curling up into something unrecognizable - a metaphorophoto
Addendum: how to get off a government watch list