pretty/absurd

I think of myself as a Thinker, then 
I think, "Let me think about that..."

If I have a thought, most of the actual 
thinking that occurs is post: rationalizing,
validating, or otherwise reasoning out a 
case for that thought.  So, it occurs to me

That I'm more of an Arguer than a thinker, 
prone to commit/defend arbitrary notions.

It's pretty absurd.

P.S. Merry Xmas

fe·ral - adjective

1. Existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.
2. Having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication: a pack of feral dogs.

o v e r g r o w

cui bono appétit

Been hankering to try cui (roasted guinea pig) for a while now. In mountainous Peru guinea pigs are raised for food in lieu of bulkier livestock (they reproduce quickly and require little space). The indigenous Peruvian cuisine has spread to neighboring countries, and supposedly is even served here in the States.

Imagine suburban America with a cui coop in every backyard... or better yet, guinea pens in which tri-color rodents run free until the day they become dinner. Geoff Manaugh (BLDGBLOG) recently suggested converting backyard pools for agri/aquacultural use; why not cellular edible-rodent farms?


"The Last Supper" by Marcos Zapata, 1753, hangs in the Cathedral of Cuzco (note the cui platter). I think bottom-right dude is Judas, clutching his quid pro quo below the table. He's the only person in the painting looking back at the viewer, a gaze that says: "We know something these guys don't."

Children of Men

Recently signed up for Netflix and have been blasting through my queue (is that really how it's spelled?). Netflix is great - opens the door to a long list of good movies I never got around to seeing.

My #1 pick so far:



Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

"The bleakest movie you'll ever want to see twice." Indeed, after viewing I forced my parents to watch the next day. The cinematography is dreary, but when "Bring on the Lucie (Freeda Peeple)" by John Lennon is reprised as the end credits roll... well, it just makes me want to dance.


Also, wow. I just read this article: "Legalize Drunk Driving". Don't let the *gasp* title turn you off, it's an interesting argument. The warning about giving the government "power to make the application of the law arbitrary, capricious, and contingent on the judgment of cops" struck a chord with me.

Prohibition

December 5, 2008
75th Anniversary of the
Twenty-first Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States

Amendment 21 repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, ending federal prohibition of alcohol (1920-1933). Teetotaling crusaders were the initiating force behind the 18th Amendment. The Temperance lobby constituted such a substantial influence on policy that the unpopular national ban stood for thirteen years.

Grass roots political efforts coupled with the blatant link between prohibition and a surge in organized crime led to the first and only full reversal of any amendment to our Constitution.

So drink up, and enjoy your freedom (to abstain, use, or abuse) that was won by the people for the people. One may observe, however, that such dynamic democracy exhibited in the repeal of alcohol prohibition did not conflict with any major corporate interests (other than the government enforcement agency). Nor was the institution of prohibition spurred exclusively by demagogues willing to propagandize the public and appeal to dehumanizing fear and prejudice.


Federal prohibition of cannabis-sativa: 71 years and counting...

True green, not industrial greenwash. Easy to grow; requires few chemicals for production and processing; beneficial to soil; absorbs CO2; abundant uses including bio-fuel, food, clothing, paper, construction material, almost infinite applications.

Cui bono? Who benefits from prohibition of this plant?

2009 A.D.

Is it real? Is it safe?

I'm afraid to get optimistic about this,
despite all the signs pointing to yes.

I've been hurt before.