banana peels and carrot peelings

on being civil

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:40:34 GMT

hi. hope you're all well. just read a good piece about the importance of maintaining civil society. as in, civility in everyday thought and discourse. if only the corporate tv networks would dump reality tv garbage.

http://energybulletin.net/node/46468

US City Sustainability

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:42:07 GMT

US City Sustainability
Originally uploaded by whiterice

see

Gas crunch bitecha in the ass?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:22:05 GMT

Do tell, is the gas crunch hurting you?
I am glad for it, even though it hurts me. I think our society will now have to be less wasteful as compared to the rest of the world, and we will be healthier for it. But if things go too far, we'll all be feudal serfs working on plantations again.

See: CNNMoney coverage of people's gas pains

My housemates drive cars which aren't the most fuel efficient. I formerly owned three but sold my last unit in 2006. (Yay.)

Sell your car while you can?

Writer's Block: Gaming From Young to Old

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:45:15 GMT

What was your favorite game as a child? What's your favorite now?

View other answers

ok i'll bite. i think checkers because i beta my dad at it. but i felt bad for it. i wonder if he let me.

i don't play enough games now. :\

i need to get back into soccer. it's so fun and lots of ppl play in berkeley!

hardly anyone plays here in oak town.

Oakland's drug dealing violence. got solutions?

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:57:57 GMT

here is the 40 year old problem that we as a society need to fix. what solutions do you propose?

THE PROBLEM:
drug-related violence in west oakland, east oakland, SF, richmond

"Driveby shooting caught live by CBS at Eastmont Mall, 11/07"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hct6pbboNk&feature=related

"Gangs of SF and Oakland"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=574NtwfScuI&feature=related
a semi-glorifying documentary. what the rowdy CMS kids are doing (ie forest street today and how they dress and act), is emulating their idols. all of us copy our idols. think about your idols at adolescence, and in what way you tried to be "cool"

"Hunters Point Jungle" from residents'/ victim's POV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s2xDIPmDGU&NR=1

Reality: parents on crack, kids growing up without good parents, what is YOUR solution? I'm listening. Pat and Jane are listening. More police aren't the complete answer, but they are definitely a BIG part of the answer, since none of us are able or willing stepping up to the plate.

People in the poorer drug-addled, gunshot-ridden neighborhoods think nobody outside cares. And it seems true based on the federal budget. "Boys and girls clubs aren't enough" says someone in one of the above films.

This didn't happen overnight, and I'd say the people involved didn't do this to themselves, at least in the beginning.

OBSTACLES TO SOLUTIONS:
If we weren't wasting $1 Trillion on the Pentagon every year (protecting world trade of our "allies" and rivals, aka fleecing america of its industrial base, going bankrupt as a nation in doing so), we'd have some real money to spend on improving our society. But why wait for the feds to protect us Katrina or 9-11 style?

and don't forget how this all started, with the CIA distributing cocaine into inner cities to fund Iran/Contra/black ops:
truth: Crack the CIA
From the Wilderness: the real drug problem
john kerry-led coverup: USDOJ report finally released 1997

(and the CIA wasn't even original- they copied the british empire's opium wars in China over 100 years ago--how else are the UK royals that rich? duh, NOT through hard work and scrimping!)

after US invaded Afghanistan, opium/heroin crop there skyrockets to 95% of world supply. After "NATO" (US-funded EU defense) invades to protect this heroin, we now funnel more low-interest rate capital into wall street. hooray for the hedge fund boyz and the corporations. Wachovia Bank was caught last week laundering drug money. Hello? Taliban had outlawed opium growing...

is uhuru blind to all this? they think racism is the problem. we are all a little racist and more than a little tribal. tell me something new. that is not the fundamental problem!

http://news.google.com/news?q=wachovia%20drug%20laundering

There never was a "war on drugs". That is a 100% joke.

HYPOCRISY:
Why do we hammer poor kids and their older relatives for dealing drugs when
(1) the industrial school system teaches kids little of useful daily life skills (cooking, finance, work life);
(2) there is no legitimate economy for them to gainfully participate in, which is why their parents are now on crack and plastic bottled vodka;
(3) and most importantly, we ALL continue banking with these big tapeworm banks who launder drug money?

If you bank with a BIG BANK (citi, wells, bofa, wachovia, chase, ubs, uboc, etc) yet protest against war you are part of the problem. You unknowingly enable corporate drug money laundering. Do like I did and join a credit union, get away from these multi-tentacled big tapeworm banks. In fact, the SF Fire Dept credit union reimburses you for ALL your ATM fees, even from big tapeworms! Imagine that.

And if you don't switch banks this week, knowing all this, then you are now knowingly enabling social decay. This is way above any of the presidential candidates. Another one of those non-issues for them. They can't even mention it.

Yes, I'm preaching at you. Sorry about that.

Peace.

obama_borat_parody

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:04:03 GMT

obama_borat_parody
Originally uploaded by lotterypres

yoyo

"rage fatigue"

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:36:26 GMT

"the audacity of depression"

http://www.counterpunch.org/bageant04032008.html
by http://www.joebageant.com/

Rich Men Behaving Badly

Meet the super-rich, the dysfunctional class threatening American values.

http://www.slate.com/id/2187571/
by Daniel Gross

Politics in Money...
http://www.opensecrets.org/

Iraq Status Report, March 2008

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:50:37 GMT

"In a few weeks, General David Petraeus will tell the President and Congress that violence is dramatically reduced in Baghdad, that there are signs of political progress inside the Green Zone, and that these gains will be lost if the United States does not “stay the course.” He will not say that Baghdad is an urban desert of half-destroyed buildings and next to no public services, dotted by partially deserted, mutually hostile mini-ghettos that used to be neighborhoods, surrounded by cement barriers reminiscent of medieval fortifications."

from

"Recent" Photos:

Peaceful Civil Disobediance Protest, 11/03

Undated photo,

how to destroy Iran without bullets

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:07:19 GMT

GlobalResearch.CA discusses How the US will Destroy Iran's Economy, and thus, it's people.

I think this application of force is being used simply to pressure another nation which isn't fully subjugated to US corporate and elite power.

As well, Iran can challenge the US in Iraq and Middle East generally by being a regional hegemon. However, if we destroy their economy, that won't happen.

And, we'll have control of all the happy oil fields without having to fight another ground war.

Historical situations where similar force occurred:

* 1930s: the US under FDR starts an embargo of crude oil shipments to Imperial Japan, affecting Japan's economy and ability to conduct war in East Asia. (Japan struck out at the US)

Given that context, it seems likely that Iran would not want to go down without a fight. I doubt they have nuclear weapons capabilities at this point, although I wouldn't put it past the Russians to give them a few to even the odds against the US's local sherrif Israel.

Given the US doctrine of nuclear first-strike with "safe for cities" nuclear bombs, I wouldn't be surprised if Israel lobbed the first one. I really doubt that the US powers-that-be (PTB) would wnat a nuclear war in the northern hemisphere, but it wouldn't be completely surprising.

US becoming trade colony of G7

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:28:06 GMT

According to Elaine's blog, the world's industrial powers are weakening their currencies relative to ours, so that we can afford to buy their goods.

This is similar to how Britain made cheap factory-made cotton cloth and sugar and sold it to Indians and Chinese in the time of Ghandi... which killed the domestic industrial base and jobs... causing riots and revolt against imperial Britain.

Sound familiar? Just like Japanese cars and Chinese walmart crap is destroying US industrial jobs... what value-added Things of lasting value do we make in this country now?

- lawyers?
- hedge funds?
- vinyl and plywood seas of housing?
- loans and securities made of bundled housing loans?
- fried chicken?
- starbucks and target every 2 miles?

Are these truly "assets"?

Have you bought an American-made anything lately? T-shirts from Bangladesh and India, socks from Pakistan, polyester women's fashion shoes from China, Korean cars, Panasonic TVs, Samsung phones, Chinese "Haier" brand washer dryers... and what is America exporting besides jobs? Only commodities like coal and corn and beef. We do have to import that commodity called "oil".

We are becoming the 1930s India... the US is becoming a trade colony!

We are becoming what the Founding Fathers didn't wnat us to be... a colony of England and France... during the 1700s, during the 1900s...

On the other hand, you could say that food will become more valuable than cars and TVs in the long-run. However, we still need oil and gas and water to grow all our food, and the former is running out, which means...

need to move blog soon

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:26:54 GMT

this one's not customizable enough! anyhoo...

America was Conned - Who will Pay?

Good UK editorial on wall street rigor mortis.

this and other juicy tidbits over at LATOC

fico and geo engineering

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:36:31 GMT

Money matters - for understanding the current markets, financial developments...

funny retro style vid on geo eng... because "technology will save the world!@$3#"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmOtjM9XPSE

what k-12 and college are for

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:00:17 GMT

producing... soft, feeble-minded, consumers!

http://www.violentacres.com/archives/235/

hooray.

Private Corporations operating for-profit Prisons

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:37:23 GMT

Is it any wonder 1 in 99 Americans is in jail?

Or that whole families are now in jail??

What the fuck??!

Shaking Snowdrop

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:48:59 GMT

Shaking Snowdrop
Originally uploaded by flickrolf

shaky flower

Oscar Shakes The Camera

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:46:01 GMT

Oscar Shakes The Camera
Originally uploaded by kompressor

world shaking

quote

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:41:06 GMT

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

Or as we say in Hawaii: "Wot, you thik you're goin' live forever, auntie?"

AC Transit #1

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:53:17 GMT

I rode the AC Transit bus three days ago... I'm going to use it as much as possible before my pass expires on 3/22! The second half of the articulated "Rapid" busses have a really short wheel base and are super bumpy. But that could also be Oakland's 85-year repaving cycle communicated through the tires. Which is why I rode the bus in the first place--my bicycle wheels are getting "trued" at Tip Top Bike Shop today. Easy solution: sit in the front half of the bus. It's great to have public transit and not have to worry about driving. The Rapid doesn't follow a schedule and just goes as fast as it can.

corporate shilling

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:57:23 GMT

save money and time - avoid college - Financial times

white conservative exurbia - built on paradox and hypocrisy - Asia times

avoid this oregon company's aerial pesticide: StoptheSpray.org

films to watch

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:49:59 GMT

Soylent Green

a crude awakening

dirty harry

----

reviews as of late:

miss sunshine: it was pretty okay, i enjoyed it. R says it's sentimental. well, sure, but it feels more real to life than any escapist teen flicks. although some of those are fun. examples:
enchanted
john tucker must die
those cheerleader flicks i'm forgetting

some like it hot: still funny after a second viewing, 10 years later.

hot links

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:24:38 GMT

with basil, red pepper, etc.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

http://oakland.crimespotting.org/#lon=-122.265&dtstart=2008-02-07T13:18:16-07:00&types=AA,Mu,Ro,SA,DP,Na,Al,Pr,Th,VT,Va,Bu,Ar&zoom=16&lat=37.841&dtend=2008-02-09T13:16:34-07:00

http://www.google.com/search?q=Oakland+Police+Officers+Association

Dubai: The Next Las Vegas

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:00:38 GMT

Las Vegas and Walt Disney World can kiss their richest customers goodbye--and why would the ultra-rich ever go there?

No, for the unrepentent, who must show off their vaulted "status" there is a new, bigger attraction.

It's where all of our gasoline pump fillup bucks are going....

Dubai.

<a href=http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/02/where-is-all-oil-money-going.html>See photos and artists renditions HERE</a>.

The new B-movie honeymoon destination is nearly ready. Start saving up your shriveling USD and RMB! (Mmm, home cooking...)

New gig

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:14:35 GMT

Check out some of my latest web design here: Common Current -- Strategic Sustainability Consulting.

Also happens to be my new work project, besides OPF and other interwebs.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:42:32 GMT

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98846,00.htmlself employ tax
sched se.

http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=96114,00.html
private foundations

http://www.cof.org/Action/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1648

public foundation

From truthout.org

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:13:37 GMT

Oil Crisis Will Lead to 10-Year Financial and Political Crisis
Energy Tech Stocks

Thursday 07 February 2008

A growing chorus of voices is screaming for the United States to undertake a Manhattan Project-type program to wean America off its oil dependency. But as Charles T. Maxwell, the "dean" of Wall Street's energy analysts, looks into the future, he deeply fears that Washington won't do anything to head off the oil crisis he sees rapidly developing starting in 2010. He says this will make the financial crisis he fears even worse. Also, because Washington will be seen by angry voters (who will be paying $12 to $15 for a gallon a gas) as the cause of their "Nightmare on Main Street," Maxwell sees the American political system being shaken to its roots.

Princeton and Oxford-educated Maxwell believes that if the Democrats are in power, their core constituencies - farmers, workers and intellectuals - will be ranged against one another, resulting in an impasse. If the Republicans are in power, he expects whatever "solution" they come up with to be politically untenable because it will be premised on people with money continuing to consume as before, with the have-nots expected to do without.

Seeing no chance of a timely political response to America's looming oil calamity, Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co., expects an oil-induced financial crisis to start somewhere in the 2010 to 2015 timeframe. He said that, unlike the recession the U.S. appears to be in today, "This will not be six months of hell and then we come out of it." Rather, Maxwell expects this financial crisis to last at least 10 or 12 years, as the world goes through a prolonged period of price-induced rationing (eg, oil up to $300 a barrel and U.S. pump prices up to $15 a gallon), while waiting for new technologies that can wean nations off their oil dependency to take hold in the marketplace. (It will take time to change over the world's one billion or so oil-consuming cars and trucks.)

As this combined oil and financial crisis worsens, Maxwell would not be surprised if the U.S. government started functioning the way it did in World War II, when the democratic dialogue was often put on hold so that unilateral decisions could be made by people given special powers. He described them as little tyrants who will be able to cut off debate, effectively weakening the democratic process. Not a pleasant prospect, Maxwell emphasized, but one that may be unavoidable in the oil-scarce world that's coming.

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