Hey! Wait a minute! These pomegranates aren't organic.
Damn! I'm out of fresh ground organic peanut butter too!
WFP: 100 Million People Worldwide Going Hungry
By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
28 December 2008
The United Nations World Food Program is appealing to governments to come up with the $5.2 billion it needs to feed 100 million hungry people next year.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports high food prices have pushed 40 million more people into hunger this year, bringing the total number of those going hungry to nearly one billion.
"A mere one percent of the money that has been spent for financial bailout packages in recent weeks would completely fund the World Food Program's 2009 budget. And, in addition, permit us to provide hot meals in school for 59 million children around the world, which is what we would aim for in our school feeding program," she said. "Our school feeding program now feeds about 19 million children around the world. But, it is about 59 million who need it."
The WFP spokeswoman says money also is needed to boost the agricultural production of small farmers who can no longer afford to buy seeds and fertilizers. She says the price of these commodities has more than doubled since 2006.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Jackson Browne and "The Rebel Jesus"
Beyond the rewards of humble discipline, can there be an honorable reason for me to write? So many before me and around me have said so much, so often, so well.
My words form but a thin and tepid broth when served alongside the rich, subtle flavors, the nourishing, steaming word stews of the masters - words that warm the blood and bones.
"The Rebel Jesus" was written by such a master - Jackson Browne. I find amid his warm and wintery word images, a clear, honest and gentle - yet razor edged - observation of our human-ness.
Recently, with pleasure, pride and a watchful eye, I witnessed my son, Mick, stand alone before the Sunday morning congregation of a local church and perform Browne's song "The Rebel Jesus". This rebel lad stood alone and sang out strong, clear, and without apology, the masterful words of the rebel Jackson Browne - in honor of one of the greatest rebels - the rebel Jesus.
Another master and rebel, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the 1800's wrote sage and cautionary counsel to souls like Browne and Harris. From his essay "Illusions" Emerson warns:
"Society does not love it's unmaskers"
The risks inherent in "societal unmasking" - the risks of being isolated, marginalized, demonized - and the risk of retribution are all risks that each honorable rebel soul - known or unknown - past, present and future - must accept. Many have already paid dearly.
God bless the loving and compassionate-rebel souls of Jesus, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jackson Browne, Mick Harris and so many others.
THE REBEL JESUS .... by Jackson Browne
The streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
They call him by the "Prince of Peace"
And they call him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to him upon the sea
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
My words form but a thin and tepid broth when served alongside the rich, subtle flavors, the nourishing, steaming word stews of the masters - words that warm the blood and bones.
"The Rebel Jesus" was written by such a master - Jackson Browne. I find amid his warm and wintery word images, a clear, honest and gentle - yet razor edged - observation of our human-ness.
Recently, with pleasure, pride and a watchful eye, I witnessed my son, Mick, stand alone before the Sunday morning congregation of a local church and perform Browne's song "The Rebel Jesus". This rebel lad stood alone and sang out strong, clear, and without apology, the masterful words of the rebel Jackson Browne - in honor of one of the greatest rebels - the rebel Jesus.
Another master and rebel, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the 1800's wrote sage and cautionary counsel to souls like Browne and Harris. From his essay "Illusions" Emerson warns:
"Society does not love it's unmaskers"
The risks inherent in "societal unmasking" - the risks of being isolated, marginalized, demonized - and the risk of retribution are all risks that each honorable rebel soul - known or unknown - past, present and future - must accept. Many have already paid dearly.
God bless the loving and compassionate-rebel souls of Jesus, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jackson Browne, Mick Harris and so many others.
THE REBEL JESUS .... by Jackson Browne
The streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
They call him by the "Prince of Peace"
And they call him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to him upon the sea
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning
Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ized it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ized it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning
Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Gift of Denial
What is denial?
denial
2 entries found.
1. denial
2. self–denial
Pronunciation:
\di-ˈnī(-ə)l, dē-\
Function:
noun
1: refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1): refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge)
2: assertion that an allegation is false
b: refusal to acknowledge a person or thing : disavowal
3: the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
4: self-denial
5: negation in logic
6: a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality
— in denial
refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant - a patient in denial about his health problems.
I wish to focus on definitions 2-a, 2-b, #5 and #6.
Admittedly, denial gets a bad rap in our society. Denial, or "being in denial" has in our culture, taken on a negative stigma.
When told, "You're in denial" the implications are:
You're dishonest with yourself and others.
You're a coward who can't face the truth.
You're potentially so ignorant that you can't recognize the truth.
You can't even face your own cowardly and ignorant capacity for denial.
You're the problem.
You're the reason for the problem.
You're at least part of the problem and not the solution.
Being in denial is sometimes considered an active or passive form of resistance toward those brave and honorable souls who "face the truth". Being in denial can be construed as passive aggressive behavior. People in denial can often be blamed for everything that's wrong with our lives, our society and our world. It's easy to imagine that we're all in denial, to some degree, about something.
There's more of course, but that's enough to get the idea.
Let's assume, for the moment, that all the criticisms of denial are valid.
Despite all that's "bad and wrong" about denial, would so many of us practice it so freely and diligently without a payoff? No.
In all fairness, let's not deny the considerable value of denial.
Let's reflect upon and acknowledge the genuine rewards of denial. Let's look at the obvious advantages of "refusing to admit or acknowledge the truth about an unpleasant problem or reality".
Denial allows us to avoid bad feelings.
By denying an unpleasant reality, problem, challenge, limitation or neglected moral obligation, we don't have to feel bad about it. Feeling bad is something we all understandably want to avoid.
Denial saves time. Much time and effort and upset goes into squarely facing what are (or might be) unpleasant realities.
Denial allows us to be happier. When we're not feeling bad about things, we're generally happier.
Denial enables us to be more "fun to be around". People in denial can be lots more fun than people who are burdened with the often disturbing (even depressing) weight of facing unpleasant realities.
Denial liberates us from so much extra worry. There are already enough things that we can't deny, presented in our faces, every day. To confront things that we can deny only adds to our worries.
Denial makes us healthier. Denial minimizes stress. Stress is known to weaken the immune system and subject us to increased dis-ease.
Denial may let us live longer. By being less stressed, less worried, our overall health is potentially increased and thus we may live longer.
Denial may make us less critical or judgmental toward others. If we are not conscious of flaws and/or shortcomings within ourselves, we may not see them in others. This would enable us to see others, as we see ourselves, as being A-OK.
These are a few examples of why denial is a good thing. I'm sure there are more.
We each live only so long. There's only so much that we can do. To take on the burden of feeling bad about the problems and challenges that face the world, (particularly if we believe that we can't do anything to correct it) only brings us down. What's the point in that?
If we don't know or acknowledge that something exists, if we deny it's existence, then for us, in fact, it does not exist. If I don't know of the existence of the snow leopard, then for me, there is no snow leopard. The same principle applies to all of reality. If I don't know it or can effectively disavow it, then for me it does not exist and I am not affected by it.
Is there anything wrong with focusing on the wonderful elements of reality as we perceive them? Is there really any reason to incorporate the unpleasant if we don't have to? Why not deal only with what's right in front of us? Why not simply find the good in everything and focus on that good? Why shouldn't we avoid thoughts and feelings, information and perspectives that make us unhappy?
Example: We find a good sale on T-Shirts. Wonderful, soft, white cotton T-Shirts at a great price. What could possibly be bad about that?
Well, if you don't deny that cotton is one of the most herbicide, pesticide and chemical dependent crops on the planet - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that most of the people making the T-Shirts are paid sub-poverty wages in appalling sweatshops, near slavery, abusive conditions - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that cotton crops are largely owned by giant Agri-Corps that are destroying the planet with pollutants, poisoning air and rivers and seas, driving small farm families off their land and into the very sweatshops that make the T-Shirts - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that by supporting the Agri-corps you're enabling them to give more money to politicians who will do their bidding at the expense of the people they've been elected to represent - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that you're perpetuating the "dollars for policies" practices of corporations and politicians, and that those practices and policies reach across the entire spectrum of government and have adverse effects upon everyone on the planet - that might bother you.
And so it goes. And so it goes.
So not being in denial ruins the wonderful feeling of slipping into a brand new 100% cotton T-Shirt. Why would we do that to ourselves when we can't stop the Agri-corps, or the politicians?
Or, can we? Suppose we were to boycott all the things in the consumer food chain that are created and marketed in bad ways, by greedy people?
We have the power of the vote. We have the power of choice. We can choose to refuse participation in consumption that harms people and planets.
Well, let's deny that for a moment. We can just say: Sure What are we gonna do? Live in the mud? Unless we earned enough money in the very same system of corruption we're objecting to, to buy our land outright, we're either going to be trespassing or renting from someone else who supports the "evil" system.If we do own our patch of mud outright, we still must pay property taxes to the evil system or they'll take away our patch of mud.
Be naked? I guess we could lash fallen leaves or grass fibers into clothing. Good enough perhaps for summer. What of winter? Back to buying clothes, or wearing the skins of other mammals who've been murdered and stripped of their own skins.
Eat grubs and grass? Try it for a week, I dare you. Walk everywhere and carry everything on your back? Try it for a week. I dare you.
Should we refuse our children any and all amenities like clothes, food, transportation, books, medicine, education and entertainment?
Well then am I a hypocrite! Oh my god! If I'm a hypocrite about this stuff, what else am I a hypocrite about? Jesus Christ! I'm a hypocrite!
Damn! Let's deny all that and just wear the T-Shirt and shut up! It's an unjust world. It's not fair. That's just the way it is. Be grateful for what you have. Be thankful that you and your children aren't working in one of those sweatshops for 10 cents a day.
But why me? Why am I one of the lucky ones? Who knows? Maybe it's "God's Will". Stop worrying about it. Enjoy your life. Once you open the mind to all the elements, once you stop being in denial, everything sucks!
All of the stress in the scenarios above comes from not being able to deny or disavow one's role or responsibility in something as simple as a T-Shirt.
Damn, it feels soooo good to forget about it all. It feels soooo good, to deny it and just enjoy this new T-Shirt. How can feeling soooo good, be a bad thing?
Embrace denial. Denial is the key to happiness. If you try to hold all the truths in one moment, if you try to account for everything that comes together to create reality, if you try to be responsible and accountable and honest about it all, you may well lose your sanity. What good will you be to yourself, your family or society then, huh?
Denial is your friend. Denial keeps people from imploding. Denial will help you get up in the morning and feel like every thing's going to be OK. Denial will help you believe that life has purpose and meaning. Denial numbs the pain of consciousness. Sometimes a good stiff double shot of denial is just what the doctor ordered.
Denial keeps us sane.
I just might arrange a "denial party" for all my friends. We'll get together and see how great if feels to simply deny anything and everything that might keep us from feeling good and having fun. Wow... We'll have a great time. I think we could all use a party like that.
And for now, I'm just gonna slide into this freakin' T-Shirt and forget about it.
Yeah! I like that a lot!
denial
2 entries found.
1. denial
2. self–denial
Pronunciation:
\di-ˈnī(-ə)l, dē-\
Function:
noun
1: refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1): refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge)
2: assertion that an allegation is false
b: refusal to acknowledge a person or thing : disavowal
3: the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
4: self-denial
5: negation in logic
6: a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality
— in denial
refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant - a patient in denial about his health problems.
I wish to focus on definitions 2-a, 2-b, #5 and #6.
Admittedly, denial gets a bad rap in our society. Denial, or "being in denial" has in our culture, taken on a negative stigma.
When told, "You're in denial" the implications are:
You're dishonest with yourself and others.
You're a coward who can't face the truth.
You're potentially so ignorant that you can't recognize the truth.
You can't even face your own cowardly and ignorant capacity for denial.
You're the problem.
You're the reason for the problem.
You're at least part of the problem and not the solution.
Being in denial is sometimes considered an active or passive form of resistance toward those brave and honorable souls who "face the truth". Being in denial can be construed as passive aggressive behavior. People in denial can often be blamed for everything that's wrong with our lives, our society and our world. It's easy to imagine that we're all in denial, to some degree, about something.
There's more of course, but that's enough to get the idea.
Let's assume, for the moment, that all the criticisms of denial are valid.
Despite all that's "bad and wrong" about denial, would so many of us practice it so freely and diligently without a payoff? No.
In all fairness, let's not deny the considerable value of denial.
Let's reflect upon and acknowledge the genuine rewards of denial. Let's look at the obvious advantages of "refusing to admit or acknowledge the truth about an unpleasant problem or reality".
Denial allows us to avoid bad feelings.
By denying an unpleasant reality, problem, challenge, limitation or neglected moral obligation, we don't have to feel bad about it. Feeling bad is something we all understandably want to avoid.
Denial saves time. Much time and effort and upset goes into squarely facing what are (or might be) unpleasant realities.
Denial allows us to be happier. When we're not feeling bad about things, we're generally happier.
Denial enables us to be more "fun to be around". People in denial can be lots more fun than people who are burdened with the often disturbing (even depressing) weight of facing unpleasant realities.
Denial liberates us from so much extra worry. There are already enough things that we can't deny, presented in our faces, every day. To confront things that we can deny only adds to our worries.
Denial makes us healthier. Denial minimizes stress. Stress is known to weaken the immune system and subject us to increased dis-ease.
Denial may let us live longer. By being less stressed, less worried, our overall health is potentially increased and thus we may live longer.
Denial may make us less critical or judgmental toward others. If we are not conscious of flaws and/or shortcomings within ourselves, we may not see them in others. This would enable us to see others, as we see ourselves, as being A-OK.
These are a few examples of why denial is a good thing. I'm sure there are more.
We each live only so long. There's only so much that we can do. To take on the burden of feeling bad about the problems and challenges that face the world, (particularly if we believe that we can't do anything to correct it) only brings us down. What's the point in that?
If we don't know or acknowledge that something exists, if we deny it's existence, then for us, in fact, it does not exist. If I don't know of the existence of the snow leopard, then for me, there is no snow leopard. The same principle applies to all of reality. If I don't know it or can effectively disavow it, then for me it does not exist and I am not affected by it.
Is there anything wrong with focusing on the wonderful elements of reality as we perceive them? Is there really any reason to incorporate the unpleasant if we don't have to? Why not deal only with what's right in front of us? Why not simply find the good in everything and focus on that good? Why shouldn't we avoid thoughts and feelings, information and perspectives that make us unhappy?
Example: We find a good sale on T-Shirts. Wonderful, soft, white cotton T-Shirts at a great price. What could possibly be bad about that?
Well, if you don't deny that cotton is one of the most herbicide, pesticide and chemical dependent crops on the planet - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that most of the people making the T-Shirts are paid sub-poverty wages in appalling sweatshops, near slavery, abusive conditions - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that cotton crops are largely owned by giant Agri-Corps that are destroying the planet with pollutants, poisoning air and rivers and seas, driving small farm families off their land and into the very sweatshops that make the T-Shirts - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that by supporting the Agri-corps you're enabling them to give more money to politicians who will do their bidding at the expense of the people they've been elected to represent - that might bother you.
If you don't deny that you're perpetuating the "dollars for policies" practices of corporations and politicians, and that those practices and policies reach across the entire spectrum of government and have adverse effects upon everyone on the planet - that might bother you.
And so it goes. And so it goes.
So not being in denial ruins the wonderful feeling of slipping into a brand new 100% cotton T-Shirt. Why would we do that to ourselves when we can't stop the Agri-corps, or the politicians?
Or, can we? Suppose we were to boycott all the things in the consumer food chain that are created and marketed in bad ways, by greedy people?
We have the power of the vote. We have the power of choice. We can choose to refuse participation in consumption that harms people and planets.
Well, let's deny that for a moment. We can just say: Sure What are we gonna do? Live in the mud? Unless we earned enough money in the very same system of corruption we're objecting to, to buy our land outright, we're either going to be trespassing or renting from someone else who supports the "evil" system.If we do own our patch of mud outright, we still must pay property taxes to the evil system or they'll take away our patch of mud.
Be naked? I guess we could lash fallen leaves or grass fibers into clothing. Good enough perhaps for summer. What of winter? Back to buying clothes, or wearing the skins of other mammals who've been murdered and stripped of their own skins.
Eat grubs and grass? Try it for a week, I dare you. Walk everywhere and carry everything on your back? Try it for a week. I dare you.
Should we refuse our children any and all amenities like clothes, food, transportation, books, medicine, education and entertainment?
Well then am I a hypocrite! Oh my god! If I'm a hypocrite about this stuff, what else am I a hypocrite about? Jesus Christ! I'm a hypocrite!
Damn! Let's deny all that and just wear the T-Shirt and shut up! It's an unjust world. It's not fair. That's just the way it is. Be grateful for what you have. Be thankful that you and your children aren't working in one of those sweatshops for 10 cents a day.
But why me? Why am I one of the lucky ones? Who knows? Maybe it's "God's Will". Stop worrying about it. Enjoy your life. Once you open the mind to all the elements, once you stop being in denial, everything sucks!
All of the stress in the scenarios above comes from not being able to deny or disavow one's role or responsibility in something as simple as a T-Shirt.
Damn, it feels soooo good to forget about it all. It feels soooo good, to deny it and just enjoy this new T-Shirt. How can feeling soooo good, be a bad thing?
Embrace denial. Denial is the key to happiness. If you try to hold all the truths in one moment, if you try to account for everything that comes together to create reality, if you try to be responsible and accountable and honest about it all, you may well lose your sanity. What good will you be to yourself, your family or society then, huh?
Denial is your friend. Denial keeps people from imploding. Denial will help you get up in the morning and feel like every thing's going to be OK. Denial will help you believe that life has purpose and meaning. Denial numbs the pain of consciousness. Sometimes a good stiff double shot of denial is just what the doctor ordered.
Denial keeps us sane.
I just might arrange a "denial party" for all my friends. We'll get together and see how great if feels to simply deny anything and everything that might keep us from feeling good and having fun. Wow... We'll have a great time. I think we could all use a party like that.
And for now, I'm just gonna slide into this freakin' T-Shirt and forget about it.
Yeah! I like that a lot!
More "UNEXPECTED" Figures
Again, we're met with more UNEXPECTED news.
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON December 11, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
New Unemployment Claims Surge Unexpectedly
New unemployment claims rise more than expected as layoffs continue amid recession
New claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, exceeding even gloomy expectations for an economy stuck in a recession that seems to be deepening.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits in the week ending Dec. 6 rose to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 from an upwardly revised figure of 515,000 in the previous week. That was far more than the 525,000 claims Wall Street economists expected.
How bout'
" Man unexpectedly loses his head while looking down the barrel of a rapidly firing cannon."
Or,
" Woman experiences unexpected financial setback after waving a handful of 100 dollar bills in the face of armed crack addict in dark inner-city alley at midnight".
New York Times
By LOUIS UCHITELLE, EDMUND L. ANDREWS and STEPHEN LABATON
Published: December 5, 2008
This article was reported by Louis Uchitelle, Edmund L. Andrews and Stephen Labaton and written by Mr. Uchitelle.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits in the week ending Dec. 6 rose to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 from an upwardly revised figure of 515,000 in the previous week. That was far more than the 525,000 claims Wall Street economists expected.
More significantly, the unemployment rate does not include those too discouraged to look for work any longer or those working fewer hours than they would like. Add those people to the roster of the unemployed, and the rate hit a record 12.5 percent in November, up 1.5 percentage points since September. Gee, who would have expected any of that?
Would it be too boring to write or read:
"Actual unemployment figures reached the expected 12.5% in November and analysts expect the economy to worsen rapidly, expect it to be completely trashed by the time Obama takes office and hold the expectation that the economy (as we know it today) will be effectively "beyond salvage" by June 2009."
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Good Shepherd and The Wolves
I find that the Obama Cabinet selections help me improve my rationalization skills.
My best efforts yield only:
1) They knew how to break it, they know how to fix it?
2) Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
3) Wolves readily protect sheep from other wolves?
4) Dog shit in a designer can is yummy and nutritious?
It's not much to go on.
I'm concerned about the "hopenosis" effect. I'm concerned about rationalizing the complacency and apathy that enabled the madness of the previous administration. I think it's easy to fall back, relax and assume that President Obama is gonna make everything OK.
Trusting "them" to run the show has resulted in the engagement of the most catastrophic foreign and domestic policies in American history and "they", key players in the creation of the madness, are being reappointed/repositioned with the ability to implement another slaughter of the flock. President elect Obama is surrounding himself with wolves, while declaring his intent to be a good shepherd.
I hear in his speeches that he intends to solve our problems, to bring new values to America and then the world. That's genuinely reassuring. Yes, I want to believe.
Yet, when was the last time you heard a president say anything else?
I'm holding on to my hope, but I am not going to succumb to hopenosis.
It's not fun, but I think we have to amplify, not ease our attention. If this change in America is to come about, it seems increasingly apparent that we the people are going to have to demand the real change; to vote with our voices, our feet, our checkbooks and our civil disobedience. But can the sheep herd the wolves?
It seems that the work has just begun.
I believe this is a tipping point that will likely influence the entire remainder of the human experience.
I just deleted a page of my understandably discountable views, to share instead some information/perspective from a person that most of us know and respect. I think it's worth a read or a listen.
Amy Goodman in print or audio podcast:
http://ia310842.us.archive.org/3/items/amy-goodman-column20081203/PODCAST_20081203_1-2.mp3
Chevron in the White House
Posted on Dec 2, 2008
By Amy Goodman
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”
Jones is the former supreme allied commander of NATO. He is president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century nergy. The institute has been criticized by environmental groups for, among other things, calling for the immediate expansion of domestic oil and gas production and issuing reports that challenged the use of the Clean Air Act to combat global warming.
Recently retired from the military, Jones has parlayed his 40-year military career into several corporate directorships. Among them is Cross Match Technologies, which makes biometric identification equipment. More germane to Jones’ forthcoming role in Obama’s inner circle, though, might be Jones’ seat as a director of Boeing, a weapons manufacturer, and as a director of Chevron, an oil giant.
Chevron has already sent one of its directors to the White House: Condoleezza Rice. As a member of that California-based oil giant’s board, she actually had a Chevron oil tanker named after her, the Condoleezza Rice. The tanker’s name was changed, after some embarrassment, when Rice joined the Bush administration as national security adviser. So now Chevron has a new person at the highest level of the executive branch. With Robert Gates also keeping his job as secretary of defense, maybe Obama should change his slogan to “Continuity We Can Believe In.”
But what of a Chevron director high up in the West Wing? Obama’s attacks on John McCain during the campaign included a daily refrain about the massive profits of ExxonMobil, as if that was the only oil company out there. Chevron, too, has posted mammoth profits. Chevron was also a defendant in a federal court case in San Francisco related to the murder, 10 years ago, of two unarmed, peaceful activists in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. On May 28, 1998, three Chevron helicopters ferried Nigerian military and police to the remote section of the Delta known as Ilajeland, where protesters had occupied a Chevron offshore drilling platform to protest Chevron’s role in the destruction of the local environment. The troops opened fired on the protesters. Two were killed, others were injured. (Rice was in charge of the Chevron board’s public policy committee when it fought off shareholder resolutions demanding that Chevron improve its human rights and environmental record in Nigeria.)
One of those shot was Larry Bowoto, who, along with the family members of those killed, filed suit in California against Chevron for its role in the attack. Just after Jones was named Obama’s national security adviser Monday, a jury acquitted Chevron. Bowoto told me: “I was disappointed in the judgment by the jury. I believe personally the struggle continues. I believe the attorney representing us will not stay put. He will take the initiative in going to the court of appeals.” I met Bowoto in 1998, just months after he was shot. He showed me his bullet wounds when I interviewed him in the Niger Delta. I also met Omoyele Sowore, who has since come to the U.S. and started the news Web site SaharaReporters.com.
Sowore has followed the case closely. Though disappointed, he said: “We have achieved one major victory: Chevron’s underbelly was exposed in this town. ... Also there is Nigeria: Protesters won’t give up. ... This will not discourage anybody who wants to make sure Chevron gives up violence as a way of doing business. American citizens are increasingly protective of their economy. ... Chevron played into fears of ... the jurors, saying these are people [the Nigerian protesters] who made oil prices go through the roof. This was a pyrrhic victory for Chevron. If I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t be popping champagne.”
Nigerians know well the power of the military-industrial complex in their own country. While Obama was swept into office promising change, his choice of Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser probably has U.S. corporate titans breathing easy, leaving the poor of the Niger Delta with the acrid air and oil-slicked water that lie behind Chevron’s profits.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. She has been awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, dubbed the “Alternative Nobel” prize, and will receive the award in the Swedish Parliament in December.
© 2008 Amy Goodman
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Everyone has a different view of the United Nations, yet here is something I think we can all agree with...
Sixty years ago, the memories of human madness fresh in their cells, a group of humans of good will made a valiant effort to re-direct our species...
Sixty years ago, the memories of human madness fresh in their cells, a group of humans of good will made a valiant effort to re-direct our species...
 | The Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948 |
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning
Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
certain destruction.
What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.
In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.
And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.
What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.
What would replace it? What would I discover?
When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.
If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.
If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...
Run away... Run away...
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