It is still there … my blinkers are unable to keep out the 24/7 streaming of imagery and strange activity that bombards us from all around. But long before I found that I had no allies in the sound government camp amongst the hard metal people and that they were revealing themselves as hard-right, Christian bigots to a large extent intent on hatred and preaching doom to their listeners, who profited neither in pocket nor in soul, I had also been coming to realise that the news and pundits depended on outrage and anger to peddle their wares. That people flock to bad news is just the way it is, but it is tragic that they will seek far and wide for that horror or injustice, not satisfied until something has made their blood boil that day. But how to continue to write and not take advantage of that inherent instinct and find things that anger me and write about those? Do you read editorials? Aren’t they always about something that one should be outraged about?
There was a standard opening to letters to the editor in The Times in London in the 1800’s, when it really was an extremely widely read publication and very indicative of its times [ha … ha, ed.], “I am shocked and appalled …,” and so they would get published of course. The letters that began, “I had a very solid day and appreciated the efforts of my neighbours …,” not so much. Indeed there was a book published called Shocked and Appalled about letters to the editor of The Globe and Mail, a Toronto daily.
I helped my father do research for an exciting book about the question of whether it truly was better to marry or burn, or as the Victorians were debating it, marriage or celibacy, that generated a fascinating series of letters to the editor of the Times, so I read a lot of letters to the editor. I still remember one that basically said, when poverty comes in the door, love flies out the window.
The letters were very revealing because people had widely different ideas about how much money you needed as income in order to afford to marry – class revealed and so many assumptions. Pure gold for the social historian. And then it gets funny – I went to see if I could find a link to dad’s book but couldn’t quite remember the title, and stumbled across what really shouldn’t exist, or should be even less visited than this inane blog, a subcategory, Best Selling Letters to the editor Books, which does indeed list dad’s book. Best cellar indeed. It ages well. I assume all Letters to the Editor Books are on there. The one about The Globe is, although it doesn’t have an attractive picture of the cover, unlike my pop’s. But I am digressing into the pleasant instead of explaining why I am digressing into the pleasant.
I don’t want to write about shocking and appalling things, and somehow want this blog to be a break from that for me as well as for you … an escape into the personal and the philosophical … a look at the deeper academic aspects of a question without being hopelessly polemical – a coffee shop on the cyber street of information.
Or maybe a tea shoppe … pets and pet peeve’s allowed, but you have to breathe deeply and take off those shoes. That is how I am trying to treat my own cranium after all and it would seem a disservice to not extend the same courtesy to all and sundry. Especially sundry.
Dang I wish I wrote that on Sunday … but have a sundry Friday or an all Friday, whichever you would prefer. The tea is on the house.
Distracted and scatter brained in a good sorta way. Watching the clowns on “Gold Rush”.
Computer starting to act better..perhaps just tired and worn and now rallying a bit.
As Haze used to say: Juke On.
Liked this guy first time I heard him (his voice/vocals, not really sure why I like him so much) and to me his lyrics are top notch.
See, this always sounded like Little Feat even though it’s listed under Robert Palmer (currently deceased) on u-tube..now I know why, Lowell George in on guitar and quite a group of musicians brought together.
Anyway, this is for you Xty. Just because, and just because I think you’ll like it.
Extremely Little Feat. I guess Robert Palmer had friends!
Managed to fall back asleep … astonishing.
Good Morning.
nice Neil video m44. makes me want to buy a red canoe.
http://towndock.net/news/village-gallery-marks-four-years
hope everyone has an awesome weekend. thanks all.
http://www.canoemuseum.ca/canoe-love/
i would have linked directly to the authors site, but the comments after the article here are excellent.
the point i want to make is that it takes real effort to be informed. the media is captured. question everything and assume nothing.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/01/ilargi-brussels-bunch-criminals.html#comments
random, but astonishingly effective:
And good morning.
Yes, the squeeze on the Greeks continues and nobody understands economic theory, or practice. And I did read through many of the comments – but I just can’t bring myself to argue with people about deflation and inflation when the terminology isn’t even agreed upon, and it tends to turn into a general argument about socialism versus capitalism, and nobody understands the capital part of capitalism so they denigrate the wealth that they want to share out …
The Greeks have to leave the Eurozone … there is no other answer, and it is sickening that they have allowed this to happen … but I don’t see how we can help them, other than not to ignore their plight.
I was thinking (don’t hurt anything, my hubby would chime in) the other day about how we in the west have returned to dynasties despite our apparent throwing off of monarchy. We are faced with an empty suit with the right last name, Trudeau, probably going to be Prime Minister, and has been groomed for same from childhood without having the sense to notice, because the ego stroking is so enjoyable. And you are possibly faced with a third Bush running against a second Clinton … and those darned Kennedy’s.
Ideas are hard to promote when just a last name can be a satisfactory selling sound-bite.
And that comment was meant to start out with something about European reverence for Brussels and their strange acceptance of a landed aristocracy leading to a political aristocracy, to this day.
i do not think people understand what is meant by capitalism. if all the rules of fair play are removed you no longer have capitalism.
i think that an informed public is powerful. we may not be able to help Greece directly, but it gives us a perspective. the exact same rhetoric that justified the situation in Greece is pervasive here. in fact the corporate PR campaign was launched and perfected here in the USA. i will go as far as to say i live it every day. 30 some years of this crap – ever since Reagan. and it isn’t a partisan thing at all. with democrats like Obama, who needs republicans? neocons, and neolibs… the illusion of choice.
but i ramble. 🙂
“radical leftist” Syriza party may take a controlling majority in Greece parliament.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11368361/Greek-election-Syriza-expected-to-seize-victory-live.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/11365587/If-I-were-Greek-Id-be-tempted-to-vote-for-the-Marxist.html
Tune re-fresh, and a bow to the weed goddess who has been so kind to me lately.
Pete.
semi obscure Greg tune…computer much better, bunches of sun here, quite nice.
this one is always good.
duplicate post
zurück zu den schönen Herr Grün…
And a belated good morning. Off to cope with life in this frozen, but sunny, wasteland.
I dunno. Still trying to figure it out. Emotions very much still in flux.
I feel like I’m closing the book on an era, turning the page to the next.
The whole 2008 to 2014 thing feels like a cohesive whole. A bubble led to a crash, led to a bubble, led to a crash, and a new bubble? A new-to-me world of blogs and comment threads needed to be used and abused until they cried for mercy, and became tired, boring, and forced. Learned a few things about the world and about myself. What I could tolerate, and what I could not.
And now it feels different. Like it’s over. And I’m liking that feeling. I want more of it, and I mean to get it.
It feels amazingly awesome not feeling like I am duty bound to come up with something to say for any given day or news item. Liberation.
One thing I’m sure of though. All the doomer/goldbug blogs are totally retarded. And I’m not going to spend another minute of emotional energy on them.
Oh, but such fine and good times we have had.
for Woodpecker,
nice Mayer tune:
and so now i’ve trailed myself off into more Mayer tunes, his lyrics i like,..really can play hell out of that guitar, and the group around him. anyway,..good tune. imo.
I remember feeling a compulsion to post at the swamp, but it fled long ago. But what I don’t understand is why you, EO, had to abuse, to use your own words, the comment sections of people’s blogs? When I talk about honey versus vinegar do you understand what I am trying to say? If you want people to listen to you, then you have to like them first, and if you don’t want them to listen to you what is the point? But if it was an important personal catharsis I am happy for you, but I am sorry for all the bitterness. I agree with Pete that we had good times and I will take the good with me, not the bad.
I don’t really do regret, it seems such a waste, even of a bad experience. Live and learn and find the balance again … but you have to let go of your anger, which is still palpable. It is forgive and forget, not forget and forgive.
Sorry to lecture, but this has been painful for me to witness and participate in.
And good morning – let’s hope we can discuss the day’s events over a cup of tea and with our shoes off – and without vitriol.
if no one complains, i would like to discuss real world events here. this is not my blog. i am a guest here. so Xty has first and final say, but then i must consider the other posters here. so far only one person has been critical to the point of me feeling unwelcome here.
i am not one to beat around the bush. in fact, i hate deception. say what you mean, mean what you say. that is not the same as disrespecting others for their opinions. we all are a product of circumstance and environment. we all are right, we all are wrong. it is when people are too confidant in their beliefs that progress stops, and the sole idea chosen, the single path taken is as wrong as can be. all assumptions need to be examined.
enough said.
i think that the events in Greece will mark a historic turn. i find it ironic that the over the same weekend the most politically extreme potential candidates for POTUS 2016 met their sugar daddies (Koch Brothers) at their annual corporate greed fest. people may not notice the exact moment when the pendulum stops swinging – theoretically the moment in time is infinitesimally small. but i will go out on a limb. not one of those Kochsuckers will ever be elected president. and if allowed, i will do all i can to make sure, including posting opinions and links here.
so have a great day all, and please be kind. cooperation and competition, in moderation.
watch out Xty. you are not the only refreshingly honest Canadian woman with a blog…
http://jugglingdynamite.com/2015/01/26/bankers-nervous-as-greeks-review-impossible-debt-deals/
AND THIS!
http://jugglingdynamite.com/2015/01/27/democracy-mocked-koch-brothers-to-spend-near-1-billion-in-2016-election/
check it out… more “doom porn” and right wing propaganda from Zero Hedge and Automatic Earth. except that it’s not, not even in the slightest most convoluted way.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-01-27/it%E2%80%99s-not-greeks-who-failed-it%E2%80%99s-eu