short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2004-10-09
COMMUNITY
During a recent ride Milan made note of how many houses are up for sale in the part of town where he works | This got me thinking about the difference between being in a community and just living somewhere | He further noted how some of the newest houses seem to have the highest turnover in sales | My reply was to contrast folks who just look for a borrowed bedroom for a couple of years from those who look for a community to move into |
Me, I'm generally inclined to become a part of where I live | always been that way | So I don't take kindly to someone who has no intention of staying coming in and imposing their opinion of "...how things ought to be..." and then skedaddling out of town | Kind of like the politico who showed up one day, joined the gun club, had his wife muscle in on school board meetings then announced he wanted to be state Assemblyman | We're talking less than six months now | Once he lost the election, he and wifey moved away | I could cite other examples of folks who move into town and immediately tell everybody how what they've been
pursuing as a collective vision is all wrong | Arrogance, pure and simple | These are not examples of people finding how they fit with what's already there, but pushy snots who think life revolves around themselves |
This is not to say that every place is perfect | At times constructive criticism is warranted; presented diplomatically, the fresh outside perspective can be incorporated quite nicely | When it comes down to it, it's downright unreasonable to move downwind from a dairy farm and then complain of the smell of manure | It was there for years! | What were you thinking? |
How a body holds such points of view is a bafflement to me | To move in and right away verbally trash the place or the people who've lived here all along just begs the question "Well, why did you move here, anyway?" |
Perhaps part of the problem is the rootlessness of Americans in general | For nearly 500 years people have come to this land and, when dissatisfied, up and moved away | That's the lazy way of doing things | Building community takes time | Making yourself part of a community may seem like it takes half a millennia, but it doesn't have to be and usually isn't | Some folks fit in immediately | Others always seem like outsiders | When one moves into a community, it behooves them to find out what's already going on, figure out where they might "fit" and then contribute their part | Simple as that |
During a recent ride Milan made note of how many houses are up for sale in the part of town where he works | This got me thinking about the difference between being in a community and just living somewhere | He further noted how some of the newest houses seem to have the highest turnover in sales | My reply was to contrast folks who just look for a borrowed bedroom for a couple of years from those who look for a community to move into |
Me, I'm generally inclined to become a part of where I live | always been that way | So I don't take kindly to someone who has no intention of staying coming in and imposing their opinion of "...how things ought to be..." and then skedaddling out of town | Kind of like the politico who showed up one day, joined the gun club, had his wife muscle in on school board meetings then announced he wanted to be state Assemblyman | We're talking less than six months now | Once he lost the election, he and wifey moved away | I could cite other examples of folks who move into town and immediately tell everybody how what they've been
pursuing as a collective vision is all wrong | Arrogance, pure and simple | These are not examples of people finding how they fit with what's already there, but pushy snots who think life revolves around themselves |
This is not to say that every place is perfect | At times constructive criticism is warranted; presented diplomatically, the fresh outside perspective can be incorporated quite nicely | When it comes down to it, it's downright unreasonable to move downwind from a dairy farm and then complain of the smell of manure | It was there for years! | What were you thinking? |
How a body holds such points of view is a bafflement to me | To move in and right away verbally trash the place or the people who've lived here all along just begs the question "Well, why did you move here, anyway?" |
Perhaps part of the problem is the rootlessness of Americans in general | For nearly 500 years people have come to this land and, when dissatisfied, up and moved away | That's the lazy way of doing things | Building community takes time | Making yourself part of a community may seem like it takes half a millennia, but it doesn't have to be and usually isn't | Some folks fit in immediately | Others always seem like outsiders | When one moves into a community, it behooves them to find out what's already going on, figure out where they might "fit" and then contribute their part | Simple as that |
Thanks also to Victoria for her reminiscence You know you're from a small town when... which prompted me to write this entry |
¶ 23:59 0 comments
ENVIRONMENT
Energy independence is an essential element to acheive if we truly wish to protect the planet Gaia | Yet there's no getting any sense that the powers that be have any clue that is important, much less possess any understanding as to what that means | USA's Senator John Warner's recent efforts to scuttle off-shore wind generation plants so he wouldn't see them from his vacation home provides but one example of what I mean by "not a clue" | NIMBYism hinders energy independence efforts |
Energy independence is not, and can not be, merely no longer relying on Middle East oil reserves | And it is not something that any single soverign nation can achieve on it's own | No, to be independent all nations have to arrive at this end point pretty much simultaneously | No simple feat | We must, therefore, cede the illusion of sovereignty and work together on the problem |
Energy independence calls for freedom from Corpornations* controlling the production and distribution of electrical power and of the means to acheive this | So the technological advances made in solar power generation now held by C-nations such as BP and Grumman [for example] shall need to be shared so as to benefit all |
Energy independence requires a dramatic re-appraisal of our needs as a society, and contrasted from our desires and gluttony for convenience |
No disrespect meant, but ~to quote the Corporanational front man Dubya~ "It's hard work"!
I wish I had to confidence to believe that most any of the planet's present leadership caste has any interest or intent in actually pursuing energy independence | So, given that they probably don't, it's up to the rest of us to live by example and that, eventually, our leaders will follow |
Responsible opposing viewpoints welcome |
Energy independence is an essential element to acheive if we truly wish to protect the planet Gaia | Yet there's no getting any sense that the powers that be have any clue that is important, much less possess any understanding as to what that means | USA's Senator John Warner's recent efforts to scuttle off-shore wind generation plants so he wouldn't see them from his vacation home provides but one example of what I mean by "not a clue" | NIMBYism hinders energy independence efforts |
Energy independence is not, and can not be, merely no longer relying on Middle East oil reserves | And it is not something that any single soverign nation can achieve on it's own | No, to be independent all nations have to arrive at this end point pretty much simultaneously | No simple feat | We must, therefore, cede the illusion of sovereignty and work together on the problem |
Energy independence calls for freedom from Corpornations* controlling the production and distribution of electrical power and of the means to acheive this | So the technological advances made in solar power generation now held by C-nations such as BP and Grumman [for example] shall need to be shared so as to benefit all |
Energy independence requires a dramatic re-appraisal of our needs as a society, and contrasted from our desires and gluttony for convenience |
No disrespect meant, but ~to quote the Corporanational front man Dubya~ "It's hard work"!
I wish I had to confidence to believe that most any of the planet's present leadership caste has any interest or intent in actually pursuing energy independence | So, given that they probably don't, it's up to the rest of us to live by example and that, eventually, our leaders will follow |
Responsible opposing viewpoints welcome |
* Definition: Corpornations [also C-nations] refer to [1] legal entities who purport to be mere "individuals" but who possess resources and power disproportinate in scale to any single person [2] corporations whose annual GNP equals or exceeds that of many land-based nation states [3] entities whose governing boards or bodies exercise power and authority with similar governing bodies in land-based nations yet disproportionate to their number of group members [i.e. their "population base"]
¶ 23:48 0 comments
IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL PROTEST
While at MASS MoCA I picked up a couple of books that I'm still reading but want to share | Essentially, they all speak to the critical need of social protest and how such effort has a restorative effect on all of us | Rather like the pain of healing; we don't want to deal with it, but when it's over we are the better for it | And now to what I found |
• Cass Sunstein, writes a book titled Why Societies Need Dissent | Published by Harvard University Press |
One review of the book says "...shows that organizations and nations are far more likely to prosper if they welcome dissent and promote openness. Attacking "political correctness" in all forms, Sunstein demonstrates that corporations, legislatures, even presidents are likely to blunder if they do not cultivate a culture of candor and disclosure. He shows that unjustified extremism, including violence and terrorism, often results from failure to tolerate dissenting views. The tragedy is that blunders and cruelties could be avoided if people spoke out."
Couldn't come at a more opportune time |
• Rhymes of a PFC by Lincoln Kirstein | Link Kirstein was internationally famous for his contributions to modern ballet, particularly with George Balanchine | Much less known, probably, was a collection of prose and poems recounting his experiences in World War Two | Written in balladic style, the images ring clear | One brief example:
• A Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark | A fresh look at class warfare | Yeah, I recognize that some find this very term unsettling, but that doesn't mean the phenomenon isn't real | The text may seem dense, but it isn't if you think about it | And we must give this author [and others like him] due regard | ...or ignore them at our own risk |
¶ 02:33 0 comments
While at MASS MoCA I picked up a couple of books that I'm still reading but want to share | Essentially, they all speak to the critical need of social protest and how such effort has a restorative effect on all of us | Rather like the pain of healing; we don't want to deal with it, but when it's over we are the better for it | And now to what I found |
• Cass Sunstein, writes a book titled Why Societies Need Dissent | Published by Harvard University Press |
One review of the book says "...shows that organizations and nations are far more likely to prosper if they welcome dissent and promote openness. Attacking "political correctness" in all forms, Sunstein demonstrates that corporations, legislatures, even presidents are likely to blunder if they do not cultivate a culture of candor and disclosure. He shows that unjustified extremism, including violence and terrorism, often results from failure to tolerate dissenting views. The tragedy is that blunders and cruelties could be avoided if people spoke out."
Couldn't come at a more opportune time |
Mr. Sunstein has also written about the future of free speech, a lengthy essay well worth reading as well |
• Rhymes of a PFC by Lincoln Kirstein | Link Kirstein was internationally famous for his contributions to modern ballet, particularly with George Balanchine | Much less known, probably, was a collection of prose and poems recounting his experiences in World War Two | Written in balladic style, the images ring clear | One brief example:War leaves some half-shot young men
Who wage it, get wounded,and then
Take long aimless walks through the night.
• A Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark | A fresh look at class warfare | Yeah, I recognize that some find this very term unsettling, but that doesn't mean the phenomenon isn't real | The text may seem dense, but it isn't if you think about it | And we must give this author [and others like him] due regard | ...or ignore them at our own risk |
¶ 02:33 0 comments
WEBSITES
Here's Looking at You! The focus today is on sites with visual imagery | Using the "...picture is worth a thousand words..." point of view, these site's creators speak volumes |
• Frozen Images | Eric, from Anchorage, Alaska has an eye for high-contrast visuals and provides more than average number of stunning photographs | One per day |
• Stu Savory's Skyline Meme | One of my favorite perapetetic blog writers has branched out by encouraging others to share panoramic perspectives [or at the very least, links to them] on his site |
• Sidewalk Chalk Guy | An amazing illusionist, his guy is in a league of his own | When I was a kid about the only think we did with chalk on the sidewalk was make hopscotch squares |
• Albino blacksheep | An extensive video and picture gallery of sites and works worth diverting precious time for | "high tech" layout and design |
• the red horizon | more sumptuous photography |
• Geocaching is a sport, of sorts | Seems to have evolved from the letterboxing phenom only can be more complex | Essentially, it's the challenge of using GPS tracking various clues, artifacts and objects left behind by someone else and adding to that or cataloguing your find online | Though I gotta tell you, I'm disappointed that the site's organizers find the sport "inappropriate" in fund drive efforts for worthy causes |
¶ 01:57 0 comments
Here's Looking at You! The focus today is on sites with visual imagery | Using the "...picture is worth a thousand words..." point of view, these site's creators speak volumes |
• Frozen Images | Eric, from Anchorage, Alaska has an eye for high-contrast visuals and provides more than average number of stunning photographs | One per day |
• Stu Savory's Skyline Meme | One of my favorite perapetetic blog writers has branched out by encouraging others to share panoramic perspectives [or at the very least, links to them] on his site |
• Sidewalk Chalk Guy | An amazing illusionist, his guy is in a league of his own | When I was a kid about the only think we did with chalk on the sidewalk was make hopscotch squares |
• Albino blacksheep | An extensive video and picture gallery of sites and works worth diverting precious time for | "high tech" layout and design |
• the red horizon | more sumptuous photography |
• Geocaching is a sport, of sorts | Seems to have evolved from the letterboxing phenom only can be more complex | Essentially, it's the challenge of using GPS tracking various clues, artifacts and objects left behind by someone else and adding to that or cataloguing your find online | Though I gotta tell you, I'm disappointed that the site's organizers find the sport "inappropriate" in fund drive efforts for worthy causes |
¶ 01:57 0 comments
2004-10-08
DEBATE?
Dubya and Kerry are speaking as I write | The first 40 minutes preoccupied with the war in Iraq | Some of the issues are old saws with Dubya defending his stance of why things occured in the first place and John Kerry on the attck |
Then they come to the draft; Kerry arguing that the draft is unaccecptable Dubya assuring that there will be no draft | Yet, it sems to me that, assuming that the war in Iraq continues, there is no way a daft can be avoided | Welkl, my own though is then so be it | But if we are to have military conscription, then it ought to be without execption | Rich kids [such as the children of Dubya and Kerry] and the progeny of senators, ought not be exempted | ALL classes should be included in the draft |
Then there's the question of health care | Frankly, its laughable to assume that drugs coming from Canada are "third world grade" | Given the strong support of the drug pushers known as the pharmeceutical industry it seems unlikely that such is a valid defense | I gotta admit I find the idea of giving the general public the same medical benefits as Congressional reps is appealing |
Tax cuts | I find it difficult to belive the Bush arguement at all on this | Making benefacants of the super-rich the entire time of his administration is morally represensible | I guess, personally, I hold to the premise that "
Mind you, I'm not all that much more comfortable with Kery and direct connections to Corporanationdom | But his administration might ease back on class warfare's gluttony ...but I digress |
To be honest, I broke track here and just went and listened as the two of them spoke | Bush was more glib and facile that the first debate | One of my friends [whom I judge to be more in step with how the guy-on-the- street might see things] thought that Kerry did a poor job on presenting the issues | That's troubling | I didn't bother to keep the talking heads on after for the debate post-mortem |
Dubya and Kerry are speaking as I write | The first 40 minutes preoccupied with the war in Iraq | Some of the issues are old saws with Dubya defending his stance of why things occured in the first place and John Kerry on the attck |
Then they come to the draft; Kerry arguing that the draft is unaccecptable Dubya assuring that there will be no draft | Yet, it sems to me that, assuming that the war in Iraq continues, there is no way a daft can be avoided | Welkl, my own though is then so be it | But if we are to have military conscription, then it ought to be without execption | Rich kids [such as the children of Dubya and Kerry] and the progeny of senators, ought not be exempted | ALL classes should be included in the draft |
Then there's the question of health care | Frankly, its laughable to assume that drugs coming from Canada are "third world grade" | Given the strong support of the drug pushers known as the pharmeceutical industry it seems unlikely that such is a valid defense | I gotta admit I find the idea of giving the general public the same medical benefits as Congressional reps is appealing |
Tax cuts | I find it difficult to belive the Bush arguement at all on this | Making benefacants of the super-rich the entire time of his administration is morally represensible | I guess, personally, I hold to the premise that "
O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH!From the Bush record, there IS no trust in the poor | Only to feed the coffers of the rich indefinitely |
The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.
Mind you, I'm not all that much more comfortable with Kery and direct connections to Corporanationdom | But his administration might ease back on class warfare's gluttony ...but I digress |
To be honest, I broke track here and just went and listened as the two of them spoke | Bush was more glib and facile that the first debate | One of my friends [whom I judge to be more in step with how the guy-on-the- street might see things] thought that Kerry did a poor job on presenting the issues | That's troubling | I didn't bother to keep the talking heads on after for the debate post-mortem |
¶ 21:42 0 comments
2004-10-07
ART CLASSES
Tonight I go to watch a watercolorist whose work I admire conduct a "hands-on" class exhibiting his technique |
I fault [or credit, actually] my friend and neighbor Joyce with this | To be honest, she has been more aggressive about prodding me to paint than
I ever seem to be myself | In fact, the photo on the left is a still from a cooperative extension class I took a year ago at her insistence | The image to the right is from one of those classes | Thank you Joyce, keep on me about painting | I need a "discharge plan" from my present line of work |
Fisherman | By the way, this is the piece I donated to the Moodus Sportsman's Club raffle a couple of weeks ago | I did it for my Dad, who passed away in 1996 | He loved fishing and when I was a kid saw to it we got to share his love of the sport, even if we didn't get to go out very often | I hope it is now with someone who loves fishing as much |
¶ 09:42 0 comments
Tonight I go to watch a watercolorist whose work I admire conduct a "hands-on" class exhibiting his technique |
I fault [or credit, actually] my friend and neighbor Joyce with this | To be honest, she has been more aggressive about prodding me to paint than
I ever seem to be myself | In fact, the photo on the left is a still from a cooperative extension class I took a year ago at her insistence | The image to the right is from one of those classes | Thank you Joyce, keep on me about painting | I need a "discharge plan" from my present line of work |
Fisherman | By the way, this is the piece I donated to the Moodus Sportsman's Club raffle a couple of weeks ago | I did it for my Dad, who passed away in 1996 | He loved fishing and when I was a kid saw to it we got to share his love of the sport, even if we didn't get to go out very often | I hope it is now with someone who loves fishing as much |¶ 09:42 0 comments
2004-10-05
ENVIRONMENT
“It’s safe, doesn’t pollute, doesn’t explode, it’s not poisonous and it’s not expensive” | So say the developers of a new vehicle said to run on compressed air |
Inside the Air Car, an electric pump compresses air into a tank. The air in turn pumps pistons that take the vehicle up to 70 mph. The car can travel 50 miles at top speed on a full tank, and farther at lower speeds.
The company plans to make two versions — a three-seat compact priced at $9,850 and a six-seat sedan for $16,000. The air pump that fuels the car plugs into an ordinary household socket and takes four hours to recharge.
“When you get home you normally plug in your cell phone,” Braud said. “Well, now you do that with your car, too.”
There's more... ¶ 23:12 0 comments
pic credit Indianapolis Star
“It’s safe, doesn’t pollute, doesn’t explode, it’s not poisonous and it’s not expensive” | So say the developers of a new vehicle said to run on compressed air |
Inside the Air Car, an electric pump compresses air into a tank. The air in turn pumps pistons that take the vehicle up to 70 mph. The car can travel 50 miles at top speed on a full tank, and farther at lower speeds.
The company plans to make two versions — a three-seat compact priced at $9,850 and a six-seat sedan for $16,000. The air pump that fuels the car plugs into an ordinary household socket and takes four hours to recharge.
“When you get home you normally plug in your cell phone,” Braud said. “Well, now you do that with your car, too.”
There's more... ¶ 23:12 0 comments
MASS MoCA TRIP
We went to see Bill T Jones Dance Company do a new work based on Flannery O'Conner's controversial short story Artificial Nigger which I shall discuss | But we also took a number of pictures | Some related to censorship and others just becase we liked them |
We went to see Bill T Jones Dance Company do a new work based on Flannery O'Conner's controversial short story Artificial Nigger which I shall discuss | But we also took a number of pictures | Some related to censorship and others just becase we liked them |on this journey Bruce drove
| We plan on adding this picture to the Mirror Project's site |
| stopped to eat in Northampton, Mass |
| ...and saw things ordinary people are afraid of [books!] censored books |
| Once in North Adams we were greeted by Ian on Main Street |
| We almost stayed at Porches [better luck next time] |
| We walked around the town |
| ...looked at works in MASS MoCA that stimulated thought [from the spurse exhibit] |
| Found out that the FBI censored an exhibit before the presenters even had time to display it |
| saw that Bush was running with McDonalds on the Corporate Ticket
[big surprise, eh?] |
| While we were heartened to see that some folks are not afriad to express themselves |
| by the end of the trip, were glad to be back home |
¶ 09:33 0 comments | We plan on adding this picture to the Mirror Project's site |
| stopped to eat in Northampton, Mass |
| ...and saw things ordinary people are afraid of [books!] censored books |
| Once in North Adams we were greeted by Ian on Main Street |
| We almost stayed at Porches [better luck next time] |
| We walked around the town |
| ...looked at works in MASS MoCA that stimulated thought [from the spurse exhibit] |
| Found out that the FBI censored an exhibit before the presenters even had time to display it |
| saw that Bush was running with McDonalds on the Corporate Ticket
[big surprise, eh?] |
| While we were heartened to see that some folks are not afriad to express themselves |
| by the end of the trip, were glad to be back home |
2004-10-04
ROUTINES
Fog and work on the bridge slows the morning commute | Many complain of the bridge and the delays it poses during its frequent openings | I enjoy them |
Once, I listened to a man who bought a house not 1000 feet from the bridge | He expressed some bitterness about it taking over 45 minutes to cross the bridge just to get a sandwich and a bottle of milk at a store up the road from the bridge | He ventured the opinion that "...something ought to be done" about the boats that traverse upriver | That opening the bridge every half hour was, he believed, excessive | I could only laugh |
"You live in a small river's edge village without shopping and the conveniences of the city," I responded | Why didn't you plan ahead of time buy your things before you'd come home?
"Oh, it's not that, he replied, I just don't like being inconvenienced."
Somehow, I think he missed my point | As for me, I always keep a crossword puzzle or a book in the truck so I can pass the time while I wait | Besides, as my friends well know, I'm not likely to get upset too much about getting someplace late when confronted with the unexpected | ¶ 18:31 0 comments
Fog and work on the bridge slows the morning commute | Many complain of the bridge and the delays it poses during its frequent openings | I enjoy them |
Once, I listened to a man who bought a house not 1000 feet from the bridge | He expressed some bitterness about it taking over 45 minutes to cross the bridge just to get a sandwich and a bottle of milk at a store up the road from the bridge | He ventured the opinion that "...something ought to be done" about the boats that traverse upriver | That opening the bridge every half hour was, he believed, excessive | I could only laugh |
"You live in a small river's edge village without shopping and the conveniences of the city," I responded | Why didn't you plan ahead of time buy your things before you'd come home?
"Oh, it's not that, he replied, I just don't like being inconvenienced."
Somehow, I think he missed my point | As for me, I always keep a crossword puzzle or a book in the truck so I can pass the time while I wait | Besides, as my friends well know, I'm not likely to get upset too much about getting someplace late when confronted with the unexpected | ¶ 18:31 0 comments
