Ham

even if they are *less* confrontational.. and what does that mean anyway? We'll just beat you with a bare fist instead of using brass knuckles? How does that "entitle" them to love, respect, and financial support? the real "kicker" is the kind of hoops one has to jump through before they would even take one's money.. maybe they just know it.. if one won't jump, one won't "abundantly" give.. no money? well.. youre a pimple on the debil's rear or something.. don't want to "waste" their time..

what with the very *public* talk by Ralphie and public challenge by John Juedes.. he runs to the safety of whatever nest it is they've got to offer over there.. it's really pathetic.. if all else fails, go where you aren't challenged. forget the "real world".. I dunno.. a lot of those guys were in his days of corps training, were they not? Perhaps he got them "conditioned" like circus animals to the point he just has to say the right kind of keywords and display certain mannerisms, and they automatically slobber all over him with praise and throw him money..

some of them probably exclaim with tears in their eyes.. *Garsh.. a cewebwity, fwom the good old days..*.. well.. he seems to fit in SOMEWHERE.. just "somewhere" appears to be an awkward hybrid between a country club and a "retirement" home..

Is this the same gal in a graduate program, or am I mistaking her for someone else?

developing enough solar and wind and bio plants might be part of the answer.. of course that would almost require an effort not too much less than entirely replacing infrastructure to begin with.. the wind farms do appear to be popping up, but not so much around here. I don't think people have a clue at times, how much WORK use of cheap foreign oil circumvents. We are like junkies, addicted to cheap energy.. then there's the "mental" aspect of it too.. cheap, foreign oil.. it turns off the imagination.. the exercise of intellect to come up a rationalization to live with a more expensive option.. and as long as there's the "good life".. there's no reason to even think about it.. or research real alternatives, for a lot of people anyway.. steel industry would have to retool.. to more effecient methods. We have for the most part, seventy year old formerly energy sucking foundries lieing waste.. government itself seems to be addicted to cheap oil.. and do what is necessary in the world to procure it.. a threat to oil is a threat to national security.. and some little regime somewhere better not get in way of the bully's next "fix".. I think the people want change.. it's easier to change one step at a time.. rather than face extreme circumstances one is not prepared for. Although that might be what's in store. So you go to the store.. and there's a choice.. a cheap, chinese 100 watt tungsten light bulb for fifty eight cents.. it is more useful as a heater, than producing visible light. Then there's a cheap, fancy chinese florescent equivalent, that uses one third the energy, and produces practically no waste in terms of heat.. and it will last longer than it's energy hoggish neighbor.. but it costs $2.99, and will last five times longer or more.. of course we'll have to figure a way to recover the mercury out of it.. just not dump it in the landfill or something.. "mister, mister.. give me the CHEAP one.. come on.. gimme the cheap...." The new little white LED's are pretty nifty though. They are even more expensive.. but they produce NO heat. Just light.. enough of them ganged together and one can have the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb, operating costs roughly one tenth or better, and.. with normal use, they will probably last fifty years.. I look at it more like an investment. Twenty to fifty bucks, depending on the size.. for the last light bulb you will ever buy.. if they are poor, the grandkids will be fighting over who gets it in the will..

anybody who hasn't had their world turned upside down.. haven't lived yet.. :) I've had something like that happen.. God bless you friend..

It's Clapton, unplugged.. I used to think Clapton was "dirty".. then my world view changed.. :) What'll you do when you get lonely And nobody's waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long. You know it's just your foolish pride. Layla, you've got me on my knees. Layla, I'm begging, darling please. Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind. I tried to give you consolation When your old man had let you down. Like a fool, I fell in love with you, Turned my whole world upside down. Let's make the best of the situation Before I finally go insane. Please don't say we'll never find a way And tell me all my love's in vain. :) and.. nobody loves you.. when youre down and out.. Patty could have told him to go screw himself.. well.. it's a chance we take..

"don't trust anyone over thirty.." I hope I get an exemption..

sorry. the board must be schizophrenic tonight.. honestly, I hit the post button once..

now if there are better options, now is the time to hear them..

I hear they start shifts by group chants.."the customer is ALWAYS right.. the customer is ALWAYS right.." this "customer" says.. "you are working for a company that is run by a**holes".. "the customer is ALWAYS right.. the customer is ALWAYS right.." I feel like we're living in times more significant than the sixties..

The way I look at it.. government isn't going to enact any kind of tarriff.. on petroleum, durable products.. basically nothing.. the chinese government isn't going to significantly change anything, other than (literally) axe a few scapegoat "officials".. the ONLY GUY IN THIS SITUATION.. who has ANY kind of power- is the poor palooka who struts into walley world.. it's really pathetic.. but I think that's the way it is.. I fight the bastards fifty eight cents at a time..

and industrialists goods are stained with blood. At least one chinese government official took the blame for an environmental release of tons of benzene and equally nasty stuff in the Songhua river.. basically because the China power company was operating on a shoestring.. didn't have enough infrastructure built to circumvent it.. cheap power. that's what fuels a lot of this insanity.. and one official paid for it with his life.. that's what an "official" is there for.. when something goes wrong..

true.. government intervention would change a few things.. but the likelihood is rather slim.. in the face of disaster, we still have bigwigs standing loudly praising the virtues of (supposed) free trade. I'm not against world trade as such.. it's unethical "trade". Without trade, I couldn't enjoy a banana once in a while.. or hazel nuts, coffee.. It's just the unmitigated practice of capitalism on it's quest for the "holy grail".. FREE labor. Not overworked, underpaid.. mistreated.. just free- and it will have it if it can, even at the public costs in terms of welfare, subsidies, tax breaks.. or even labor that pays for the "priviledge" to be there.. the "real" problem with China is.. EVENTUALLY, they will pull out operations for greener pastures.. and what will they leave behind.. basically a destroyed way of life.. it may have been bad before, but the worst is yet to come- they'll leave behind parched lands, unusable water- they won't be able to use it to irrigate farms.. or even climate change that would circumvent any form of agriculture to begin with.

yeah.. life can "suck".. In China, there wouldn't be a phone call to begin with.. they were interviewing some sweatshop workers, asked them "who do you go to when there's a 'problem' with *management*.." they couldn't understand the question.. the concept was so foreign, so non-existent..

maybe not sewage.. it's more a witches brew of phenols.. mercury, chromium and only God knows what else.. I think that Dow might be unfairly targeted for every problem known to man.. they have their own skeletons though. What about the other big chemical company that was in (I think) St. Louis, Michigan? If I'm not mistaken, they are upstream of Dow.. and they were a heavy polluter. They have been out of business for DECADES. The fish here do have a high level of mercury.. and the problem with mercury is cumulative. It goes in the environment, and generally stays there. Was it from Dow, or the other company? Who knows.. but look at this little treat: I can't believe he's letting his dog drink whatever it is.. maybe it isn't his dog.. just what IS in the water? Red food dye? Maybe that's it.. they are making red "designer" water to sell to the elite in europe.. oh yes.. you like fish? Mercury from china and india is now detectable in waters off of New England.. and there is no political entity whose feet to place the blame at.. we are doing this to ourselves..

there is a store here, I haven't checked to see if it's still open.. they are called "Play it Again, Sam". My kids ended up with a couple of baseball gloves from there. they buy, recondition, and resell athletic goods for less than they originally sold. Sure, the original item may have been produced in the far east.. but if it's life can be tripled- that's one-third the amount of sulphur in the air, and less junk in the landfill.. So.. the consumer is happy.. he has a usable, decent product, less than what he could buy a new glove for.. the guy who owns the little shop is happy.. he's just turned more profit on selling a used glove than what he would if he sold overpriced junk.. the environment is at least happier.. Now I'd draw the line SOMEWHERE. Used athletic protection cups? I don't think so.. shoes? I don't know if there are any good options other than just breaking down any buying them.. point is, there is generally a better choice.

Naw.. I've got enough rude comments about *them* there as it is.. I'd like to see this thread evolve into some discussion about how to make the world a little better.. maybe increase a little global self-awareness.. I don't think there's any real political blame to pass around. Conservatives can pollute just as efficiently as Liberals.. besides- it has been shown that at least one rather large political entity cannot be forced to act in favor of it's own common good..

Tomato products are probably the number one staple at my house.. I buy bushels of tomatos in the fall from a local small time farmer. Of these, I have about twenty five or so gallons of tomato product that I canned for the winter, and they'll probably be enough for half of the following year.. sure, he uses a tractor, that uses foreign oil.. but he doesn't need a big truck or trailer to haul his vegies to market- people come to him. For a better price- and there is less pollution produced. Not to mention that he also has a vested interest in his land.. he won't deplete it with overly heavy production. He uses far less pesticides and fertilizer.. so there's less junk leaching off in the ground water.. The tomatos aren't genetically engineered, with spliced in fish dna.. so they are perishable. That's the whole point of preserving them in jars.. it's a better product, and after heating costs to cook them and can, the cost is still radically less than what one would buy the same product in a store (even wally mart) in the dead of winter. I don't can beans, or corn, except to consume a little in the summer. I just don't consume enough yearly to justify the labor and expense putting them away. So I'm happy.. I've saved a considerable amount of money, gotten a product better than can be outright bought, the farmer is happy- he's gotten more profit from his crop than if he were forced to haul to market, or sell to the big corps.. the environment is far happier- everybody is happy. I actually gave him a dollar more per bushel than he asked.. and I'm still way ahead.. I really WANT him "happy".. I'd like to see him around next year..

Now now. I'm not suggesting an "Amish" way of life here.. I think they are in "survival mode" to be honest. Holed up waiting for the end of the world.. I think it's like twi circa 1976.. I don't really object so much about growing their own vegies.. it's just everything else that comes with it.. I don't think the battle is an "us vs. them" scenario.. it's an "us vs. us".. we are the ones who fund the corporations.. every purchase of a useless bauble is another vote of confidence.. all of that sulfur, unburned hydrocarbons and God only knows whatever else that's slowly wafting across the Pacific ocean- technically, it's not *them*, it's US.. we are doing it to ourselves..

Maybe the whole point is: when you get the stimulus check, don't have a bank account or don't want to open one.. go ahead, wally mart will cash it for you.. get in, cash it for a small fee, get your meds.. or ESSENTIAL items, and walk out. Of course after paying for them.. I think a close second to wally world- the dollar stores. They exist to sell trinkets.. little pieces of plastic manufactured under the same conditions.. I can't dictate my personal plan to others.. I might suggest it.. If I pick up ESSENTIAL cleaning supplies.. I'm in and out. No walk down the useless tool aisle.. what am I going to do with another set of screwdrivers.. I've already got a dozen of all makes and sizes.. no trip down the "artsie" trinket aisle.. no gadgets.. the last time I purchased three cheap flashlights.. within six months none were usable. I mean.. they wore out, just sitting on the shelf.. the maglite I have is still fully operational.. and it has one of the LED bulbs in it, a big one.. the bulb cost about seventeen dollars, but the flashlight has the same set of alkaline batteries in it that I originally put in it three years ago.. even with use, they will last over their rated shelf life- which expires in something like 2012. It likely will NEVER go to the landfill. the three cheap ones did..

I still think our destiny is basically in our own hands.. I can't blame or criticize people for living as they must.. the three dollar a month drug plan and all.. if that's what you have to do to live..that's not exactly discretionary spending. I had to pull out of my local drugstore and go to kroger's seven dollar a month plan. I won't go to walmart unless it's the last resort.. if I can't afford to pay the additional four dollars a month to pick up medicine at a place within walking distance, I think I'm in trouble.. it's the spending of discretionary income.. buying little trinkets made in china, india.. Equador..manufactured with sulfur and slave labor.. I can't buy it and keep a clean conscience.. the big question to the class was, given a choice, if you can buy a widget produced for fourteen dollars, vs. one for three dollars, manufactured unethically, which would you choose? Only one person said they'd buy the three dollar version. Simply because that's all they could "afford".. I didn't beat them up over it.. it's your money.. do what you gotta do.. but there really is a different scenario here.. the "widget" isn't exactly ESSENTIAL to life, is it? choice one: buy the fourteen dollar widget.. choice two: buy the three dollar widget... choice three: DON'T BUY THE DAGGONE WIDGET!!! I know.. it's "unamerican" and all..

I dunno.. it very well may be a dog eat dog world.. but isn't that kinda canabalistic? I mean.. if one HAS to do it to survive, that's one thing.. but gorge oneself at the banquet with one's neighbor's flesh .. roughly 400,000 chinese die prematurely yearly due to respiratory failure to pay for the banquet.. and we're not even looking at what's happening in India.. Equador.. Mexico.. one day, America's largest employer very well may be the largest non-voluntary contributor to some form of a global superfund to clean up the mess and make restitution.. it happened here. The local chemical company just dumped raw dioxin contaminated sewage into the river, without giving it a second thought.. now they are paying.. you'd think we'd learned something.. but nooooo.. I

I've actually considered that. well.. if the economy tanks, it's a moot point anyway..

I gave a nice power point presentation in my world politics class last night.. after seeing slides of the towering sulfur laden pollution, sweat shops, and other horrors, I would estimate 28 or 29 out of thirty students will never buy at walmart again.. well, I think they would, provided the big corp chooses to "play nice"..