OT - 10-22-15...what's the use? Is there any?

Let's face it, life used to be better. There was that thing about if you have $10 and no debt you're ahead of 25% of the country. Maybe life was better way back then because of that "no debt" business. I remember thinking "if I only had $10,000..." or "$100,000" or some figure. I'd be set! Life would be cushy! Of course in retrospect that life seems pretty good. We had no money to speak of but our rent was $50 a month. The food co-op was only 25 miles away and if the car didn't work we could always walk to town for a banana split.

I read this thing from David Rawlings.

Rawlings and Welch have been on the road for going on 20 years. It's creatively invigorating, Rawlings says, and he's good at it. He travels light. A couple of instruments—he likes to have a banjo along with the guitars—a notebook, and a change of clothes. "I can travel like that for months and it wouldn't ever dawn on me I wanted stuff," Rawlings says.

Geez...this is a long video. I like 'em 2 and a half minutes. Oh well! Here's Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Yes, I think I prefer this sound of theirs...

anyway, my point is it doesn't dawn on him that he wants stuff. That's a really good way to look at life. There's a certain amount of stuff that's needed. Beyond that....well for a long time I've thought we need a maximum wage. Set it high! 'Cause who needs (pick a number) more than $5 million a year? Get a minimum wage and a maximum wage. Like Ben and Jerry had that policy of the bosses only making a certain amount compared to the rest of the workers in the company...until it turned out 2 legs were better and then they sold out.

Ok, where was I? I have this idea that there were other things that were better before total greed took over. Little things started bothering me about 20-25 years ago. I noticed that the disdain for commercialism had vanished among young people. I thought it was a wonderful thing that the Beatles or Dylan didn't go around endorsing products...well, other than what they actually used. In the early Beatle days they lent their names to Vox amplifiers. In the late '80s, early '90s suddenly the goal of every young person (it seemed) was to be in a Nike advertisement. All of these rock shows became promotional events for nasty corporations. McCartney eventually joined that crowd but then again, he might as well, not having written a decent tune since 1970-something. He doesn't have to go back to being super-great, just something like this would do...

Then there was the day in ...January? February? 1993 when the sleazy used car saleman, Bill Clinton, had just taken office. At least it wasn't that Daddy Bush! I was curious what Clinton would do in his "honeymoon" period. That's the traditional 90 days when the losing party admits they lost and goes along with the new President. Except in 1993 the Gingrich Congress decided they would fight Clinton from the very beginning. I guess I was naive but I was shocked that they'd be so nasty. This was before I learned they're *all* nasty and all of them are killers. It's easy to blame it on Bush or Reagan or Nixon or "the Birchers" (that might apply to everone named in the sentence) but we've learned it's true of the Dems too. Was it always like that? Or were we just too young to notice? Or maybe we knew and stopped caring about politics, letting the worst element gain control, or consolidate control.

So...how do we get ourselves back to the garden?

(Is it funny that I prefer The Hollies, The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield better than Crosby, Stills and Nash (with or without Young)?)

This is what I'm pondering these days. How do I get out while still being in it? I like certain things that don't cost a lot of money but happen to be in town, where the cost of living is going crazy. And I wonder if it would be relatively as costly to live on the coast near the beach, away from the city. And what about food? We like to eat healthy food. Which brings me to the slow disintegration of our local market, New Seasons, from a happening health food alternative. It's now more like Safeway. They stopped carrying what we consider good bread. They chose to push bread from a company called "Franz", which is pretty ordinary, and Dave's Killer Bread. Dave's was just bought by the company that owns Wonder Bread. So there you go. Great. New Seasons was seen as socially responsible and yet...! They've got these comment cards and they haven't quite figured out not to post negative remarks, at least not at all stores. At our local store I explained why a certain display area was a bad idea and that particular card hasn't shown up on the board and it's been months. But at a different location people will write things like "product X is dangerous to the environment and you should not carry it". I've seen more than one like that and the response knocked me out. The gist was "it is so good of you to care. You're our kind of people! And you should vote with your wallet. When more people feel like you we'll stop carrying that product." eh, what? You know it's bad but you're going to keep carrying it as long as you can make money off of it?

I seem to be on my usual rant. Things are getting worse. Things that start out well get bad. Not enough good stuff comes along to take its place. I think about revolutions throughout history, violent or not, and notice that there's a brief period when people actually think, when artists do good work, when things are fairer...and then that window closes and Napoleon takes over or the priests declare that no one should speak the name Akhenaten....or whatever. And when I think about how the worst tendencies of humanity overwhelm the good, so quickly, it feels like it's not worth it for us to put our lives on the line. Why be in a violent revolution where people will be killed if it only results in 5 or 10 years of a better world?

But then I think maybe there's a non-violent way to improve things, even for a short while. That'd be ok. Maybe more music..I dunno.

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lotlizard's picture

Your personal concern should be less about what you can do to change any of this in the wider sense and more about what you can do to change it in the personal sense. You are a part of this all to the degree that you are influenced by it… and granted or denied the things you seek, according to your complicity or opposition to any of it. Love casts out fear. They cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Ergo, the force of your Love must be greater than the force of your fear and if this is so, you become an agent of change simply by being. You cannot insist on change. You cannot demand that one thing become another because there is no certainty of how it might turn out. Of course it will change, or your relationship to it will change, or its relationship to you will change but… it could well not change the way you wanted it to. We have seen the tragic result of this many times in the stories left to us in the histories that precede the moment we are in. Change yourself and the world changes and remember, this may not happen immediately and it might actually get worse in the process, for a time, because things are never so hard as when you are trying to change. Think of the tensions that occur when you are trying to kick some habit. Even long after you may have accomplished it, the memory of former pleasures will come upon you out of the blue, like some recollection of an old lover. You can escape the company of old lovers, but have you escaped the patterns of being that brought about these contacts in the first place? The past calls out to us in a seductive voice and it is the voice of the grave. The future cries out and it is the voice of whimsy and want that is always there, like the voices from the rocks at the islands of the Sirens of Ulysses. Once the eternal present is established there is no past or future anymore. This is the island of immortal divinity. This is that place where your parts come together as one.

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mimi's picture

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lotlizard's picture

Feeling centered in that state whenever possible, as I go about the day's activities — that's what keeps me going. That's what gathers the pieces back together when I find myself falling apart.

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Real news?

Qatar who has been a major sponsor of jihadist groups fighting in Syria for years, now is actively considering a direct military intervention in the country, according to its officials.

Throughout Syria’s bloody civil war, the government of Qatar has been an active supporter of anti-government militants, providing arms and financial backing to so called "rebels." Many of these, like the al-Nusra Front, were directly linked to al-Qaeda. That strategy has, of course, done little to put a dent in terrorist organizations in the region.

But as Russia enters its fourth week of anti-terror airstrikes, Qatar has indicated that it may launch a military campaign of its own.

"Anything that protects the Syrian people and Syria from partition, we will not spare any effort to carry it out with our Saudi and Turkish brothers, no matter what this is," Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah told CNN on Wednesday, when asked if he supported Saudi Arabia’s position of not ruling out a military option.

"If a military intervention will protect the Syrian people from the brutality of the regime, we will do it," he added, according to Qatar’s state news agency QNA.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad was fast to warn the Middle Eastern monarchy that such a move would be a disastrous mistake with serious consequences.

"If Qatar carries out its threat to militarily intervene in Syria, then we will consider this a direct aggression," he said, according to al-Mayadeen television. "Our response will be very harsh.

Sputnik is a Russia propaganda source, so I don't trust it, but this is worth investigating.

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Reuters

Qatar, a major supporter of rebels in Syria's civil war, suggested it could intervene militarily following Russia's intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad but said it still preferred a political solution to the crisis.
The comments by Qatar's foreign minister, made in a CNN interview on Wednesday, drew a swift reply from Assad's government with a senior official warning that Damascus would respond harshly to such "direct aggression".
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lotlizard's picture

Everyone's just going ahead and invading Syria. Have they all declared war on Syria? Does what is still the recognized government of Syria under international law get to put up a defense?

Say what one will, the simple fact remains that the only forces in Syria by the recognized government's request are the Russians.

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like the Second Congo War.
And I'm betting that it ends much like it - when all the belligerents are exhausted, and not before.

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lotlizard's picture

World War III, with an interim Lavrov-Kerry pact where the two invading blocs split Syria down the middle?

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enhydra lutris's picture

violate it, so it has become a fiction.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

link

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public approval rating has reached a record 89.9 percent since he ordered his military to begin air strikes in support of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, according to a state-run polling center.

Putin is the ex-KGB head, which makes him an evil f*ck by definition. However, unlike our corrupt leaders, he appears to honestly care about the future of Russia. Even if his methods are evil.

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lotlizard's picture

Seems like everyone's condemning everyone else for the exact thing they themselves are doing (or would do in a minute if they thought it was to their strategic advantage).

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

cybrestrike's picture

I'm going to have to avoid Twitter and Facebook today. It's been inundated with posts and retweets about this stupid Benghazi hearing. Unfortunately this is going to give Clinton a huge bump. The sympathy card, the tough-gal card, etc have been played, and the people will fall for it.

Larry Lessig is kind of ridiculous.

Interesting article that I stumbled on today.
Attacks on Sanders, Progressives Falsely Depict Obama As Lefty Failure as Opposed to Neoliberal Success

Obama is trying to circle the wagons on TPP. I don't think he's going to get any more Dems to support him on this. Clinton's cynical reversal may have helped things.
Obama Does Damage Control After Hillary Defects on TPP

In my crazy life, one of my best friends was hit by a car over the weekend (by a possibly drunk driver) and probably tore some ligaments in her left knee. Spending a few days at her place to help her get around and handle things that can't be handled by someone in crutches. I swear, she's got the weirdest bad luck...and I don't believe in luck. But she's seriously snake-bit. Some people's lives are like a soap opera, and hers is one in spades. My life is more of a truncated version of the 1990's movie Go.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

crusade.

In the past, I've posted articles showing Lessig's strong and repeated affiliation with groups which can only be described as having a neoliberal agenda.

(Americans Elect, and other organizations which show Former US Comptroller David Walker, and other fanatic fiscal austerians, as members.)

The incredibly toxic "austerian" organization known as No Labels back most of Lessig's proposals. As do many corporatist neoliberal Dem politicans. They all cleverly frame their crusade in terms of "democracy."

However, if one follows the money (their backers--mostly libertarian billionaires), it seems that their true agenda is to eliminate the 'special interest' groups which stand in the way of the One Percent's austerity agenda.

(Special interests also include those interest which represent the masses--such as teacher's and nurse's unions, senior's organizations, environmental groups, etc.)

Clearly, they are careful not to say this. But what they really seemingly hope to accomplish is to pass the campaign election tab to the common folks or masses, at the same time, continuing to ignore the voices of the American Electorate by ramming through the 'austerity' measures that have thus far eluded them--such as the final leg of a "Grand Bargain"--sweeping tax reform that further slashes tax rates for 'the wealthy,' and for corporations.

However, Lessig's 'solution' would only make matters (of a lack of democracy) worse, since he is working to help eliminate the power of all so-called 'special interests'--which includes all unions, seniors' organizations, environmental groups, etc.

So, when you hear the Bipartisan Elites talking about a "broken system" and/or "gridlock," bear in mind that they are simply bemoaning the fact that they have not been able to ram through the final leg of the GB--slashing their taxes, and dismantling Social Security and Medicare, as we know them.

Actually, they have partly achieved this, in regards to Medicare.

But, they are not finished.

I implore everyone to keep their ears open regarding all the 'budget' deadlines. I cannot believe that lawmakers won't finally get through a substantial Social Security 'reform.' Partly, because PBO is dying to make this a part of his legacy; not to mention that he doesn't stand for election again.

And, I 'suspect' that FSC has instructed him to get it out of the way, so that she doesn't have to come into office and spearhead this effort--wrecking her chances for a second term (in her mind).

If they follow the Bowles-Simpson proposal, the cuts to the monthly benefit could be as high as 42%. I posted this table at a 'Google Group' last summer. I recall that someone over there was going to post it at DKos. BTW, the table was published by the left-leaning Social Security Works organization. (Cuts that deep would be accomplished only if most of the Fiscal Commission's proposed cuts come to fruition.)

Good luck to your friend, Cybrestrike!

Thanks for today's OT, Shah.

Everyone have a nice day!

Bye

Postcript: A good moniker for "No Labels" would be--"Civility Is Their Name, Austerity Is Their Game." This organization, and several others like it, are truly wolves in sheep's clothing, IMO.

Mollie


"Integrity and courage are powerful weapons. We have to learn how to use them. We have to stand up for what we believe in. And we have to accept the risks and even the ridicule that comes with this stance. We will not prevail any other way."

Chris Hedges, Journalist/Author/Activist, Truthdig, 9/20/2015

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

enhydra lutris's picture

it owns you. One of the best comments ever on endorsements was an album cover - you know the one:

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

"Two shelves where none are needed, and: close the door and the light stays on!"

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shaharazade's picture

one other thing....

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shaharazade's picture

I like it this morning. It's a new day and we've got some accounts receivable due in, the laundry's caught up, almost, the heats gone and yet the deluge hasn't started so the roofs okay for today. I'm going to accomplish something what thing I don't know but I feel confident I will. Thanks for the OT it cheered me up. I think it is the nature of things the ongoing yin and yang. It may seem worse then it was because we are virtually wired in and know about it all in the here and now. We're artificially intelligent as there is way too much data, and nothing is revealed. The murderous evil fucks are out of hand which is what they always do if left unchecked.

Something nastier will eat New Seasons as they are too busy with growth for corporate profit to deliver anything their customers want. They will just change the demographic of the shoppers and cater to the life style and culture of corporate loving, SUV driving, screw or get screwed crowd. Apparently there are hundreds of thousands of these 'climate change refugees' arriving any minute. We can still walk to People's, a great little co-op and buy food. On the way home we can get some expensive hipster ice cream, salted caramel? We can wind our way home and while walking watch the bulldozers ripping out trees and houses to build tall skinny Mac Mansions and slums of the future. Infill that's the green ticket, kinda like the white crappy expensive New Season's bread. Give those rich hipsters what they want they are our new affluent community. And the beat goes on. Don't it always seem to go...

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lotlizard's picture

http://www.jdjournal.com/2015/01/23/clinton-dershowitz-flew-on-sex-jet-w...

Who knows what creepy realities are behind stories like this? This is one rock I'm not sure I even want to turn over.

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lotlizard's picture

Climate "Reparations" for Poor Nations? Not So Fast

On the Lawyers, Guns & Money blog, Erik Loomis takes that argument of Sunstein's apart:
I Guess Imperialism and Colonialism Never Happened

And who is Cass Sunstein?

A close friend and associate of Obama who served as his "regulatory czar" and also came up with this:

Obama confidant's spine-chilling proposal: Cass Sunstein wants the government to "cognitively infiltrate" anti-government groups

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MarilynW's picture

I think I am in the same place. Very recently I just got so tired of caring about things around me, like the trees, birds, the air. The city is cutting down big trees for developers and they replace them with tiny topped trees that couldn't support a bird's nest. Luxury buses and cruise ships are allowed to power up running diesel for 20 - 24 hours at a time. We have a group who are making plans to go to city hall about our concerns but they won't listen to us the way they listen to developers. So I decided not to fight it anymore, I just go for a walk down a beautiful green area, it's full of mature big leaf maples and it's so relaxing to walk down the middle of them. It's a little far but well worth the effort. It was created by the first mayor of the city who must have had dreams for this place that have long since been forgotten. I think things will reach a crescendo before people realize what we are losing and only then will things really change. In the meantime, in order to survive, I console myself with what's left.

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To thine own self be true.

Shahryar's picture

created parks along the river, decided against tearing up a section of the city where they were thinking of putting in a freeway...

but that was years ago. I think now the people running the city wouldn't mind if the entire town got demolished so a new one could be built, one that paid off well for developers and (coincidentally) city representatives.

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mimi's picture

might be obvious to you. I just read this article: Hawaii just ended net metering for solar. Now what? - How demand flexibility and storage can preserve solar PV's value.

My son tried to explain it to me, but I don't get it, no matter what.

Now, new customers will have a choice to make between two new tariffs: a "grid-supply" option and a "self-supply" option.
...
And on Monday of this week, the PUC approved (PDF) those proposed tariffs with some modifications:

The “grid-supply” option is much the same as the existing net energy metering arrangement, except that instead of offsetting solar customers’ grid use with energy exported from their rooftop PV, it pays customers a reduced amount for any energy exported to the grid ($0.15–0.28 per kWh, compared to the state’s average residential rate of $0.38 per kWh in 2014).
The “self-supply” option, in contrast, does not allow customers to export any rooftop PV energy back to the grid, except very limited amounts for a short duration. Any exported solar energy is not compensated by the utility, even though customers under this tariff will be subject to an expedited interconnection study.
...
but under both of these new tariffs, exported energy is worth either less or nothing depending on the tariff.
...

If new customers take advantage of demand flexibility alongside their solar systems, they can save 33 percent on their electricity bill. (me: only 33 percent, that's not much)
...

FLEXIBLE LOADS AND BATTERIES CAN OFFER MUCH MORE THAN SOLAR SELF-CONSUMPTION
By de facto incentivizing future solar customers to install batteries and demand flexibility with these tariffs, HECO has effectively directed all future solar customers to turn their buildings into dispatchable grid assets.
...
Moreover, our research shows that batteries deployed for solar self-consumption typically are only used for one-third of their useful life. That means they can be re-dispatched to deliver other services to the grid much of the rest of the time.
...
GRID DEFECTION? OR GRID INTEGRATION?
HECO’s new tariffs could lead to two high-level outcomes. First, customers could begin cost-effectively defecting from the grid entirely. This is a real possibility: SolarCity has announced an off-grid, solar + battery solution for Hawaii customers wanting to profitably disconnect from the HECO grid with installations expected to start next year.

What I don't understand: When you use you solar PV system and use your own batteries, why wouldn't you want to go off-grid completely and be a "self-supplier" all the way? (That's what Solar City seems to offer) I would expect that you wouldn't have to pay anything for your electricity, as you are not connected to the grid and not feeding into it. At least I would think that to be the best solution for single homes.

What's the reason and/or advantage to choose the "self-supply" option, but still connected to the grid and respond to demand flexibility for the electricity supplying HECO ? You can't earn cash money by selling your surplus energy your system produces, right? They just give you another lower rate, or not? (I think Tesla is offering that to sell their Wall battery systems, if you ask me. But what do I know.

GRID DEFECTION? OR GRID INTEGRATION?
Unless you are not in a densely populated area I don't see a need or reason to not defect the grid. For a 33 percent reduction of your electricity costs, I guess, I wouldn't go through the hassle.

What did I not understand ? I want to be a defector and have all my electricity for myself, greedy me. I don't want a middle man between the sun, my panels, my batteries and my consumption? Am I nuts or not?

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mimi's picture

that here reflects what's going on. From the Craigs list:

OK ITS ONE THING THAT MAUI HAS A SHORTAGE OF HOUSING TO RENT BUT TO POST A AD UP FOR ONE PRICE AND GO AHEAD AND SHOW OTHERS THEIR HOME....AND NEXT DAY YOU SEE A TOTAL DIFFERENT PRICE!!! IS JUST NOT RIGHT.....WE LIVE IN A STATE OF ALOHA....AND TO BE GREEDY AND MONEY HUNGRY IS JUST PLAIN WRONG....TOP IT OFF .....IT SHARED ELECTRIC/ WATER WITH OTHER OHANA??? REALLY...AND THE HOMES BUILT IN THE 1930'S.....IM BORN AND RAISED HERE....AND ITS JUST SAD TO SEE HOW MONEY IS THE ROOT TO ALL EVIL...... NO HOMES...NO ALOHA...AND NO RESPECT......I UNDERSTAND ALOT OF OTHER PEOPLE DESTROY ALOT OF HOMES AND DRAMA COMES WITH RENTING OUT YOUR HOMES....BUT THATS WHAT COMES ALONG WITH RENTING OUT YOUR HOMES.....YOU GOTTAH SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY BUT AT THE SAME TIME WHY RIP OFF THE LOCAL PEOPLE AND PAST JUDGEMENT ON THEM CAUSE OF THEIR CREDIT SCORES??? YOU THINK LIFE IS EASY FOR EVERYONE? YEAH WE ALL FALL SHORT SOMETIMES IN LIFE...AND THATS LIFE....BUT WHY BASE YOUR PICKING OUT WHO TO RENT TO AND WHO NOT TO????? OMG.....JUST OVER IT......IF YOUR GONNA POST A AMOUNT TO RENT YOUR HOUSE AND CHANGE IT THE NEXT DAY OF COURSE PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET UPSET!!!! WELL ANYWAYS SORRY BUT I JUST NEEDED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW, FAMILYS KNOW BE CAREFUL....THIS KINDS OF ACTS OF LANDLORDS REALLY QUESTION....IF WE SHOULD BE RENTING FROM PEOPLE LIKE THIS.....ANOTHER NOTE....THIS OTHER LANDLORD IVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ISNT SURE ABOUT WHAT SHES GONNA DO...IF SHES GONNA RENT HER HOME OUT OR NOT...LIKE REALLY???? WHY POST OR EVEN WASTE PEOPLES TIME!!! TO YOU LANDLORDS, HOMEOWNERS.......THERE ARE STILL A HANDFUL OF HONEST, RESPECTFUL, CLEAN FAMILIES OUT THERE JUST LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO CALL HOME.....IF YOU HAVE A HEART PLEASE DONT OUTCAST THE ONES WHO DESERVE A CHANCE!!!! MAUI, IS NOT THE SAME ANYMORE!!!!! SO SAD!!!!!!!!

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