I have gone dark on my blog for nearly two weeks. Of course it was in solidarity with furloughed unpaid Federal employees, some working under duress (considered volunteers by the administrative leotards*). Or it was just my inner sloth coming out to play.
Anyhoo....... today I am relieved that Individual 1 has declared a victory by signing the legislation that was (nearly unanimously) passed by Congress on Dec 18th. His victory is apparently being stubborn and clueless from Dec. 18th until Dec. 25th when he weaponized stubborn and clueless with a shut down that lasted 35 days. Only 42 days to agree to something he was VERY unlikely to be able shift. What a stable genius.
So, even though this offers some relief, we have only bought 3 weeks for further negotiations with this effing moron. I am far from hopeful. Needing a feel good moment, I revisited this video depicting a stunning display of coordinated competence.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0z9HRC7hlU
People are capable of so much, <deep, deep sigh>
*In 2009 Dan Savage was chastised for using the term "retarded" as it alludes to people with mental disabilities. He vowed:
From now on, instead of saying “retard” or “That’s so retarded,” I’m going
to say “leotard” and “That’s so leotarded.” I won’t be mocking the mentally
challenged, just the physically gifted. I will pick on the strong—and the
limber—and not the weak.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Monday, January 14, 2019
40 ways the world is getting better ?
Here is the article to which I refer: https://reason.com/archives/2017/07/18/40-ways-the-world-is-getting-better.
Most of these do seem good, but there are problematic exceptions:
11. The size of new US homes increases every year. Wow! I would opine that this is not good by ANY measurement.
13. The aerospace industry adds billions of dollars of value to economy.
14. Tourism accounts for a growing share of world GDP.
16. More people than ever are traveling by air.
19. There are more cellular subscriptions than people.
20. Less regulation of credit, labor, and business has increased economic freedom.
30. The global satellite industry revenue increases by billions every year.
31. Tourism increases as travel becomes easier.
32. Car ownership rates have hit an all time high.
34. US families are adopting new technology at a quicker pace than before.
25% of the full list is deeply problematical. For the most part these measures represent increased standards of living world wide which while surely good for those where this is needed, is disastrous for planet earth. I am not advocating that those with less continue to have less. The needed positive trends would be reduced use of resources by the usual suspects, and reduced population world wide.
Many of these are measures of economic growth. Continued worldwide economic growth is, again, disastrous for planet earth unless all future economic activity is less polluting and less resource intensive.
#20 encompasses this reality: when it is better for some, it will be worse for others. In this case business wins at the expense of labor and often the environment. Remember what more "credit freedom" led to only a decade ago?
#30 begs the question what are all these satellites doing?
#34 sends chills down my spine. Evidence suggests that people have only so much time and mental/emotional band width. Many new technologies have proven to consume these at the expense of more enriching and connecting activities. Also, gleeful adoption of drone technology is already proving to be a widening problem like a stone thrown into a pond.
Boy do I sound like a curmudgeon. However, it is possible to sound this way while actually being the canary in the coal mine. Future generations, if not the next few decades, will be my judge.
Most of these do seem good, but there are problematic exceptions:
11. The size of new US homes increases every year. Wow! I would opine that this is not good by ANY measurement.
13. The aerospace industry adds billions of dollars of value to economy.
14. Tourism accounts for a growing share of world GDP.
16. More people than ever are traveling by air.
19. There are more cellular subscriptions than people.
20. Less regulation of credit, labor, and business has increased economic freedom.
30. The global satellite industry revenue increases by billions every year.
31. Tourism increases as travel becomes easier.
32. Car ownership rates have hit an all time high.
34. US families are adopting new technology at a quicker pace than before.
25% of the full list is deeply problematical. For the most part these measures represent increased standards of living world wide which while surely good for those where this is needed, is disastrous for planet earth. I am not advocating that those with less continue to have less. The needed positive trends would be reduced use of resources by the usual suspects, and reduced population world wide.
Many of these are measures of economic growth. Continued worldwide economic growth is, again, disastrous for planet earth unless all future economic activity is less polluting and less resource intensive.
#20 encompasses this reality: when it is better for some, it will be worse for others. In this case business wins at the expense of labor and often the environment. Remember what more "credit freedom" led to only a decade ago?
#30 begs the question what are all these satellites doing?
#34 sends chills down my spine. Evidence suggests that people have only so much time and mental/emotional band width. Many new technologies have proven to consume these at the expense of more enriching and connecting activities. Also, gleeful adoption of drone technology is already proving to be a widening problem like a stone thrown into a pond.
Boy do I sound like a curmudgeon. However, it is possible to sound this way while actually being the canary in the coal mine. Future generations, if not the next few decades, will be my judge.
"Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist. " Kenneth Boulding
Friday, January 11, 2019
Brief blog: silent scream into the web
I just finished an article about the current state of our government's cyber security capabilities: https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/government-shutdown-cybersecurity-dhs-nist.html?via=homepage_taps_bottom
Everywhere we look these days we find evidence that critical Federal security activities (and many others) are sub par. Today, our security is only partially supported by the ever growing military budget. Much of it is in other departmental budgets that are at the mercy of anti government pressures from within. On top of that, we now have a chief executive who is, putting it kindly, a fucking moron. It has been proven repeatedly (and just yesterday) that Americans can be stirred into heights of concern over security fears (accurately presented or not) and willing to trade security (real or implied) for extreme (and perhaps off target) "solutions".
I humbly suggest stirring this concern re: what Individual 1 is doing and will continue to do to further weaken our actual security. I am entirely at a loss to understand how the Senate Republicans can sleep at night, look in the mirror, piously pray, and everything else they are doing instead of acting to save our republic and perhaps our survival.
I will now go worry about what I am going to eat today, eat some of it, then crawl back into bed with a crossword and a cat to try to get back to my baseline level of anxiety.
Everywhere we look these days we find evidence that critical Federal security activities (and many others) are sub par. Today, our security is only partially supported by the ever growing military budget. Much of it is in other departmental budgets that are at the mercy of anti government pressures from within. On top of that, we now have a chief executive who is, putting it kindly, a fucking moron. It has been proven repeatedly (and just yesterday) that Americans can be stirred into heights of concern over security fears (accurately presented or not) and willing to trade security (real or implied) for extreme (and perhaps off target) "solutions".
I humbly suggest stirring this concern re: what Individual 1 is doing and will continue to do to further weaken our actual security. I am entirely at a loss to understand how the Senate Republicans can sleep at night, look in the mirror, piously pray, and everything else they are doing instead of acting to save our republic and perhaps our survival.
I will now go worry about what I am going to eat today, eat some of it, then crawl back into bed with a crossword and a cat to try to get back to my baseline level of anxiety.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
I may be losing it
Lately I have laughed more frequently and heartily when reading something in the non-comics portion of the the Register Guard. Two recent examples:
Tuesday in the Business section an AP article about Mastercard's (MC) decision to omit it's name from it's logo (2 intersecting circles in red and orange). The article covered MC's research, reasoning, and marketing strategy (skewing techie and younger). It was the last paragraph that made it funny. A quote from a university marketing professor: "I do not think it is yet iconic enough to successfully execute this new identity, but over time, they will learn if it was a mistake. Which I think it is."
--I LOL'd
Thursday in the Business section an AP article with the headline: US-China trade talks wrap amid cloud of optimism.
---So, what IS it like to be amid a cloud of optimism? Shouldn't it be either amid a cloud of confusion or under a cloud of (fill in the blank with something bad)? I'm going with Trumpism.
In case you missed the breadcrumbs, they are highlighted in green. It may not be me who is losing it. It may be that the business beat folks at AP are beginning to lose it. As anyone should have expected by now.
Tuesday in the Business section an AP article about Mastercard's (MC) decision to omit it's name from it's logo (2 intersecting circles in red and orange). The article covered MC's research, reasoning, and marketing strategy (skewing techie and younger). It was the last paragraph that made it funny. A quote from a university marketing professor: "I do not think it is yet iconic enough to successfully execute this new identity, but over time, they will learn if it was a mistake. Which I think it is."
--I LOL'd
Thursday in the Business section an AP article with the headline: US-China trade talks wrap amid cloud of optimism.
---So, what IS it like to be amid a cloud of optimism? Shouldn't it be either amid a cloud of confusion or under a cloud of (fill in the blank with something bad)? I'm going with Trumpism.
In case you missed the breadcrumbs, they are highlighted in green. It may not be me who is losing it. It may be that the business beat folks at AP are beginning to lose it. As anyone should have expected by now.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Brave new world
This is the actual headline given to a story from AP (by Anick Jesdanun) printed in my local newspaper. It is the title of a dystopian novel by Aldus Huxley about "human progress". What was my paper's headline trying for: clever, spot on, clueless? The author's story heading was: "Home items are getting smarter - and creepier - like it or not". Apparently authors who hope to be picked up by AP know that the published title is not theirs to dictate and so don't bother.
I say Like it NOT. I cannot believe folks are eager to offer up more aspects of their lives to possible (probable predictable inevitable) data gathering, storage, commercial use, misuse and hacking (see my post Dec. 21). To me this trend is a piece of evidence, in an avalanche of such, that Americans are if not actually getting stupider, at the least choosing stupider.
Of course I love being connected to the Internet in nearly every way. Used prudently it can inform, inspire, entertain, beguile, comfort, challenge, fill wait times, etc etc. But as I learned in one of the several 12 step programs for which I qualify (and now only occasionally frequent): any thing can be used as a tool or a weapon. According to my reading, folks connected to social media during nearly all waking hours are exposed to dangerous levels of self esteem krypton. As my default level of self esteem is sub par, I try to avoid places that are perfect fodder for eroding my precious store of such.
My boyfriend and I were discussing a new APP!! for smart phones which one can use to tell if one is depressed. I don't know any details, because I:
A. Do not have a smart phone and
B. Already have a robust system for monitoring my depression level.
This system has four key components:
1. An internal mantra: you, KissedTheEarth, are worthless
2. Unintentionally leaking to my intimates feelings that arise from this mantra
3. Being alerted to this slippage toward the abyss by such intimates
4. Believing THEM and doing something different
It only took me several (OK, more) rounds of the first 3 steps of this depression dance to add the fourth step. That lead to resuming my medication if I had stopped (I did not want to be "broken"), and/or getting real about where I really am. Drugs stop the "you suck" ruminating. My goddess what a relief that is.
And today's thought for today from A.Word.A.Day is like water in the desert to my self esteem:
One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion. -Simone de Beauvoir
I say Like it NOT. I cannot believe folks are eager to offer up more aspects of their lives to possible (probable predictable inevitable) data gathering, storage, commercial use, misuse and hacking (see my post Dec. 21). To me this trend is a piece of evidence, in an avalanche of such, that Americans are if not actually getting stupider, at the least choosing stupider.
Of course I love being connected to the Internet in nearly every way. Used prudently it can inform, inspire, entertain, beguile, comfort, challenge, fill wait times, etc etc. But as I learned in one of the several 12 step programs for which I qualify (and now only occasionally frequent): any thing can be used as a tool or a weapon. According to my reading, folks connected to social media during nearly all waking hours are exposed to dangerous levels of self esteem krypton. As my default level of self esteem is sub par, I try to avoid places that are perfect fodder for eroding my precious store of such.
My boyfriend and I were discussing a new APP!! for smart phones which one can use to tell if one is depressed. I don't know any details, because I:
A. Do not have a smart phone and
B. Already have a robust system for monitoring my depression level.
This system has four key components:
1. An internal mantra: you, KissedTheEarth, are worthless
2. Unintentionally leaking to my intimates feelings that arise from this mantra
3. Being alerted to this slippage toward the abyss by such intimates
4. Believing THEM and doing something different
It only took me several (OK, more) rounds of the first 3 steps of this depression dance to add the fourth step. That lead to resuming my medication if I had stopped (I did not want to be "broken"), and/or getting real about where I really am. Drugs stop the "you suck" ruminating. My goddess what a relief that is.
And today's thought for today from A.Word.A.Day is like water in the desert to my self esteem:
One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion. -Simone de Beauvoir
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Starting the year stupidly
Yesterday I confirmed a text on my dumb cell phone from my psychologist reminding me of my Tues. session at noonish. I texted back "Thx" and proceeded to write it in my non digital pocket calendar on Jan 1st (a Tuesday). I then resumed my day looking forward to the visit tomorrow. Holidays always mess with my slim grasp on what day it is (retired and forgetful). I ignored text alerts from my phone that came in mid day, as these are always spam or folks who know better (and also, my psychologist). When I finally looked at my phone hours past my session start, I was appalled. Of course it had not occurred to me that she was working on New Years Day. I was bereft.
In atonement (in addition to offering to pay for the session in full, outside insurance) I decided to lift the shroud of shame and privacy around my presence on the internet diet site: Fat Secret (FS). I have been there in the past but only lurked and never connected with others. This is a long standing default setting of mine that (as pointed out gently many times by intimates and professionals) serves my tendencies toward self-sufficiency, shame, and depression. In short: bad for me.
Hence I offer to my surely small circle of readers this added window into my reclusive life: on Fat Secret my name is "Kisses The Earth" as it is here.
The history of this name I gave myself is humorous and a little non-PC. A friend of mine had what she called her "Indian name" (and calling it "native American name" does not erase the tinge of appropriation therein). I will not share it here, as I do not have her explicit OK. I knew in a flash of inspiration that mine was Kisses The Earth, as I had taken several falls of late, the last one actually resulting in a bit of dirt in my mouth. (I could not find the nutritional details for dirt on FS, so I will try mightily to refrain from further indulgence.)
I shall end this earnest and silly posting with an apt and true quote, which I have annotated:
CDC definition of falling: "Unexpectedly coming to rest on the floor or other lower level."
Had we failed to intuitively understand and agree to the meaning of "falling"?
In atonement (in addition to offering to pay for the session in full, outside insurance) I decided to lift the shroud of shame and privacy around my presence on the internet diet site: Fat Secret (FS). I have been there in the past but only lurked and never connected with others. This is a long standing default setting of mine that (as pointed out gently many times by intimates and professionals) serves my tendencies toward self-sufficiency, shame, and depression. In short: bad for me.
Hence I offer to my surely small circle of readers this added window into my reclusive life: on Fat Secret my name is "Kisses The Earth" as it is here.
The history of this name I gave myself is humorous and a little non-PC. A friend of mine had what she called her "Indian name" (and calling it "native American name" does not erase the tinge of appropriation therein). I will not share it here, as I do not have her explicit OK. I knew in a flash of inspiration that mine was Kisses The Earth, as I had taken several falls of late, the last one actually resulting in a bit of dirt in my mouth. (I could not find the nutritional details for dirt on FS, so I will try mightily to refrain from further indulgence.)
I shall end this earnest and silly posting with an apt and true quote, which I have annotated:
CDC definition of falling: "Unexpectedly coming to rest on the floor or other lower level."
Had we failed to intuitively understand and agree to the meaning of "falling"?
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