My thoughts right now are about our ever-changing neighborhoods, physical or virtual, starting circa 2,000 after 33 years of living in the South. Our family returned to Pennsylvania so that we might live, work and engage in a local community. In the post paranoia of W's 9-11 presidency, I traveled internationally to see other cultures up close, became a grandmother, ran for and served in local government, and since not much changed after serving, sought human bonding elsewhere.

Food Fight All About Control

Kissinger: “Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”

US strategy deliberately destroyed family farming in the US and abroad and led to 95% of all grain reserves in the world being under the control of six multinational agribusiness corporations...Cargill Grain Company; Continental Grain Company; Cook Industries, Inc; Dreyfus; Bunge Company; and Archer Daniels Midland – all US-based companies.

The US long-term strategy was to dominate the global market in grain and agriculture commodities, as outlined in the early 1970s by Richard Nixon. This policy coincided with taking the dollar off the gold exchange standard in August 1971 to make US grain exports competitive in the rest of the world. However, in order for the US to become the world’s most competitive agribusiness producer, it had to replace traditional American family-based farming with the now-widespread huge “factory-farm” production. In other words, traditional agriculture was systematically replaced with agribusiness production through changes in domestic policy. For example, domestic farm programs that had previously protected smaller farm incomes were phased out during Nixon’s term in office. This policy was then exported to developing countries in a bid to make US agribusiness more competitive and to get a hold into foreign markets

And now they want all the farmland to control what is produced and what you will be allowed to eat. (18 min)

Don’t say we didn’t warn you – Symposium of China’s top think tank sends classic, pre-war warning to provocative Pelosi

Will the woman with a Michael Jackson nose create a military response from China?

The stock market just had its best month is almost two years. Now we all know that the stock market hasn't reflected the real economy for many years, but what's going on now is nothing short of "bad news is good news".

Afternoon folks!

This week I've uploaded a Roosevelt Sykes album and a whole bunch of blues-rock from some usual suspects: Savoy Brown, Rory Gallagher & Vinegar Joe. There's also some basic rock and roll from The (early) Small Faces and finally, a bluegrass masterpiece from Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, Sam Bush, Butch Robins, Vassar Clements, David Holland & Jethro Burns.

Check it out and have a great weekend!

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

The heat wave is going to continue the next few days. Some of livestock is a little stressed after several days of 100+ weather. A little extra animal husbandry which will continue for a few more days.

Current events have been extremely well covered by our various c99 contributors this week so I am going to shift gears and present a little history.

Astoria was the first permanent Oregon settlement by a New York City company in 1812. It was established a little more than 200 years after Jamestown, Virginia, the east coast's first permanent English settlement by a London Company. A British warship shows ups and claims the settlement for The Crown for a few years.

Up until this summer, the genocide happening in Yemen was mostly being conducted by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Nearly a quarter of a million people have died. America's involvement was largely limited to giving the Saudis logistical and naval assistance.
That changed this year.

Happy Friday everyone. As always, post any photos you like.

I was a little under the weather this week so I didn't get out with the camera, but I do have some more shots of my tiny friends from the last time I was out with the macro lens a few weeks ago.