to my blogger friends

It makes absolutely no sense to run "word verification" on your blogs, unless you are a hard core hippie and wish to have everybody have a flashback of psychedelic times. The thing is useless, shut it off. I did run my blog for six or seven months now without it and never got advertisement or spam. Just consider turning this thing off for a week and see what happens. You see, I am just tired to type in a warped code before I can post my comment, it is annoying. This would actually be one of the reasons why I did not frequent your place lately.
Happy New Year!

Hanukkah present to Gaza

It is probably one of the more (or most) complex scenarios which happened in 1967.
First I am going to argue for Israel.
The six day war in 1967 was warranted and a success. Israel had at that point been attacked and then responded with surprising force and determination. All good you think, but maybe not.
The mistake after the just victory Israel made is such. It seized water rights originally originated on Arab territory feeding people in need, destroyed olive trees and fruit plantations dating back to the birth of Christ, and worst of all, sprinkled illegal settlements all over to make the occupied territories look like an Ementaler Swiss cheese.
And then they started to build "the wall" to protect those settlements right through Palestinian territory. Reminds me of the wall the Russians build way back then in Berlin...

Now, Hamas in Palestine is and has been understandably mad, so are many people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. So what can they do? In their despair they launch hand made rockets continuously and shoot them to bordering Israel or the enclaves of settlers within their own land. Fair enough but not very successful. I understand their rage, I would be outraged too if I lived there. But it is futile to oppose the 4th strongest military power of the world with "Molotov cocktails".

So the tragic melodrama continues with no end in sight. Israel pounds onto the lands and people that have been there for centuries, before even a Jewish state was ever in site (just an other invention of the Brits for all your smooth talk doubthers).

What's the solution?
Israel will have to take down all the illegal settlements, rip down that "Berlin" wall, let people travel freely to and fro within their orchards and settlements, restore the water and land rights, and then - only then - bomb the living shit out of Hamas and it's cohorts if they still choose to shoot homemade rockets.
_________________________________________________________________

but as some of you already have commented, "my" solution will never happen. Palestinians will never aspire a state above martyrdom, and Israel will never give up lands they already have acquired. So there you go, a perfect concept for an endless conflict and war. Hallelujah!

pensive and no images

I had this dream,
and then I was lost
underneath rubble unforeseen.
The pages turned unpredictable,
movements that scattered the air scarcely made a difference.

Life is a loom where butterflies interfere at random, remind us to sway
run away from the gloom of eternal boredom that society uses on us every day.
But we always seem to miss this straight path and instead take that windy road.

So if that sparkle in your eye is still valid
that tear that drops is heartfelt and not a fake commotion
then my dreams will come true
that you and I will fill this cavity
and bestow an essence of light
to spaces that live in darknes.

All right, I'll admit defeat

OK, first I have to admit something. When I turn on the computer and then go to my "homepage" - it directs me to the BBC news. So far so good. They have a well organized web-front-page, not too much commercials, and graphically pleasing (compared to others, like CNN). So while I have my morning coffee, I browse through the head lines. It's all right, somewhat informative for a news junky like me.
But lately I noticed a bias, or a trend in the British newscast. The focus was dominantly directed towards reporting the misery in Africa, most of them former colonies or protectorates of the British Empire. This got me thinking a bit.
Why is it that wherever the Brit's tried to rule in the past, the countries after they left and "found" independence turn into chaos and quagmire? What is it with these English conquistadors, that all they can do is leave chaos behind?
There is something very sick about this. The collateral damage that the Brit's infused all around the globe is pretty heinous, they are actually responsible as well for the dilemma in the Middle East, as they were the ones who sliced up the cake, drew the borders for essential countries around the rivers of Euphrat and Tigris, the tribal area which once was known as the greater Persia.
It is this time of year where the Christian world calls for peace and celebrate Christmas. That is all very well. But it makes you wonder what this festival means in past and present tense. The ghosts of past misdoings, and I particularly mean the British (former?) Empire still haunt us to this very day. The artificial borders drawn up during and after WW2 became the reason for the rivalry of peoples both in Africa and in the Middle East, hence the killings, the grotesque stubbornness between tribes, the looting and so on...
I wish that some day the queen will take of her crown, stand in front the House of Commons (or Lords, who cares) and admit that the so Great Brittan has utterly failed history. In essence say: Wherever we previously had a colony, our mandate has failed and was only dictated by greed. And the countries we once occupied are therefore suffering and in utter chaos.
So BBC, I am tired to hear about famine, tribal slaughter, government incompetence and all the other details. It is the British Empire who brought it up unto themselves. Instead of lamenting - fix it!

Merry, merry Christmas to you all,
and a happy new year!

If you wish, you can share your fondest holiday memories here, any anecdote, happy, sad, hilarious, whatever...

now comes the tricky one

Sorry, haven't finished my real Christmas card yet, a block print with three angels on it holding a chalice of light. I hope it turns out alright, I am sort of picky these days.
Will be done tomorrow or so... according to the "master-plan".
If you intend to receive an original hand made print, let me know by e-mail. But as I sensed before, there is a good bunch of people among you who don't care about this event.
I do understand very well, that Christmas has turned into a commercial zoo over the years, replacing shopping instead of giving heartfelt presents of trust and beauty, little pebbles to make known to the beloved that you care for someone beyond the borders of egotism.
I am sorry that it turned out this way, but there is still time to change it around. Perhaps the latest economic global crisis will assist you in this and nudge you to reconsider how you deal with festivities like this.

In any case, Merry Christmas to you all!

As you all know, I am not a big fan of organized religion, it always smelled like trouble to me. But I am a big believer that each persons individual path can lead to spiritual enlightenment.
And consider this, it is presently the turning of the year of 2008 to 2009 - a turning point. A turning point in the respect that over 2000 years ago a so called god gave his life in form of a human being, a remarkable deed indeed. Did it alter the course or destiny of karma of the earth? I do believe it did... in many ways, Even the world of Islam recognizes this event and uses to this day the "Christ Calendar" as we speak.
So now, when we celebrate this festival of the "Jesus-baby-born" , with all the wrapping paper, the food, the candles, the unnecessary obese presents and the electronic gadgets we supply to each other, it is worthy to remember that someone died to resurrect in order to convince the ones who would not be easily assured. It is that deed of Christ as a human, that sacrifice, which eventually made him a god to the peoples of this earth.
The churches obliterated this being, stigmatized it, run the fake imagery for power purposes, propaganda and profit. But that is not what we celebrate this year. The compassion of my heart knows no limits. It is easy to become a person who believes in nothing these days, or just "spirits" who haunt the woods. But is this really the answer?

PS. Sorry for being so "dense" - but I had to get this out of my system

Days of hibernation

Despite the one foot of snow yesterday, I decided to join the locals at "happy hour". Sipping on a Bloody Mary...
My niece Jess showed up with her male-friend John, the electrician; and a to me unknown local dude separating the two.
Jess is a lovely woman who I once taught woodcarving when she still was a kid and I still was employed as a teacher at a Rudolf Steiner School in Great Barrington. Now she has evolved to be an excellent landscaper, beautifying the surrounding of these houses of the riches.
Lately she is complaining about a sore back and wishes to become a secretary of sorts. I guess we all slave and overdo it.
A quick shot this morning. Pico is excited about the snow, but since she is a prairie dog of more southern hemispheres, she doesn't "last" very long in the cold before begging to get back into the somewhat warmer climate of my studio.

Happy 65th birthday Keith!

I was never a big, big fan of the Rolling Stones, but I did pick and choose and really liked some of their songs. But what might have fascinated me most was their professionalism, endurance and dedication to whatever they did.
Keith Richards, the guitarist of the Stones, turns 65 today. Pretty crazy how time flies by! I think that one of Keith's virtues was to be able to "serve the band", blend in ... instead of being a selfish egomaniac.

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for my brother, the cello man

check this out this is cool, simultaneous life cast around the globe, synchronized by some freaks with a mixing board somewhere in the US, everybody is chipping in, all the tramps and street musicians, a choir from Africa, a cellist from Russia and many more... (uTube link)
This is pretty amazing stuff...

ice and dog days

As some of you might know or heard about, there are an estimated 500,000 households without electricity here in the North East of the US, affecting millions of peoples life. People are running generators (the ones who have one) others who are fortunate enough to have a fireplace are burning wood.
OK, so gradually the mess of this ice-storm is being cleaned up. But it is a slow and cumbersome process. A few ten thousand homes have their power back by now, others will have to wait until next Wednesday at least, using candles as their main illumination source. That's a week in deep freezing temperatures without electricity.
Last evening we were invited to friends to eat "Sauerbraten" and even the main County road was like a major slalom obstacle with fallen down trees, downed power lines and all. When I drove home in the dark, it was even more challenging. Later I found out that the county had declared a state of emergency and had imposed a non-driving curfew after dark... Wish I had known!
I am lucky like something. Our little town was spared out as if it was an oasis. Four miles away chaos, here we have electricity and all to run the oil burners and the water pump.
So it is approaching Christmas, and all the churches have closed. That's odd. The generators are running out of fuel, because there is no fuel to be pumped at gas stations around, unless you are willing to travel some unusual distances. Pretty messy all around.
I pray for the elderly people who have no clue what to do. I hope that this event will spur amongst others, that what I always preach: Community solidarity!
On an other note, Pico the prairie dog got a winter coat. Pretty, don't you think?

wheels

Christmas 1963
by Joseph Enzweiler

Because we wanted much that year
and had little. Because the winter phone
for days stayed silent that would call
our father back to work, and he
kept silent too with our mother,
fearfully proud before us.

Because I was young that morning
in gray light untouched on the rug
and our gifts were so few, propped
along the furniture, for a second
my heart fell, then saw how large
they made the spaces between them

to take the place of less. Because
the curtained sun rose brightly
on our discarded paper and the things
themselves, these forty years,
have grown too small to see, the emptiness
measured out remains the gift,

fills the whole room now, that whole year
out across the snowy lawn. Because
a drop of shame burned quietly
in the province of love. Because
we had little that year
and were given much.

"Christmas 1963" by Joseph Enzweiler, from The Man Who Ordered Perch. © Iris Press, 2004
________________________________________________________________________________________________

All I try to say, don't spend a bundle on what you don't have anyway just in order to please your uncles and your aunts. Maybe "giving" will arise to a new level, a finer product, a heart gesture ... if we start to make presents again with our own hands... may it be cookies, cut out origami-style stars, self-made candles, a food basket, little things - a gesture!
Contentment is not bought by shopping in malls, joy begins with the touch of your hand, your hand that is connected to your heart.

I look at my kale and cabbage plants who are still sort of alive after several deep freezes. Problem is, I am tired of eating those greens. There is just so much you can handle.
The weather has been weird in Upper Hudson Valley of New York. Yesterday mild and springlike weather, today pouring rats and ass like crazy, gradually turning into sleet and snow. Tomorrow a snowstorm is in the forecast. Lots of it!
Was at a jury selection for a second degree murder case the last two days. Fortunately I was tossed out of the pool of jurors in the second round because I personally knew the defense-lawyer. Made me to be too biased I guess. I am glad though, my nerves don't assimilate brutality and gory details well these days.
You know, I had in mind to write something about the billions going to the big car companies again, but now I lost interest in it while I was rambling about my own surroundings.
So, this is a meager post, not much content, something you can fly over quickly and then dismiss it. And now, I am going back to carving...

troubadour days of past and future

So there he comes, running around the bend, unnoticed - still my friend. Picks up one of my guitars, starts playing a tune that sounds very sweet, a bit of blues - some portions of knowledge included. Age matures the mind, like well kept Parmesan cheese in the fridge. Bernt left me three songs, one of them I will put out here ... for you to hear.
We used to play together, and we played that night. He is living in Europe now since a while. It's a stretch to get there on a midnight call...
But unexpected droplets of nectar are precious. I love it when those donations do happen.

press play button to listen!
I switched off auto-play

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Arnold scores

The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a great statement the other day:
"Hwui must invest in the future, the infrastructure of this country. For four decades nooothing has been done." He is right!
So here I go, listening to my local Public Radio station, and the speaker announces that Vermont might shut down AMTRAK services because the states budget has no money left to subside the train. This is a sad move - and a bad move.
Why is it bad? Because the United States of America has forgotten how to invest into the future. The trains, once a viable network and grid, now appear to be in shambles.
Same with the roads and bridges, serving the "big three" and not the country, the automakers, who presently are begging for billions in Washington just like stupid little boys who got caught steeling lollipops. What will they truthfully get arriving this time in their hybrid cars in DC instead of private jets at the first meeting? It's a joke. Did they fly with their private jets anyway and "planted" their hybrids at the airport? Wouldn't surprise me. What is their bargaining chip anyhow, now that we all know that they let us down so many times before!
I don't want to sound like a "sensationalist" or a fiend of negative (re)evolution. But something has to be done now to shift this cooperate short term greed and transform it to a long term investment for the people, by the people. Otherwise this recession, that has merged into a depression, will swallow us all.
In the mean time, I don't give a rat's ass about GM and Chrysler. I care about Ford, because I drive their pick up truck. But this is just a sentimental statement and has nothing to do with factual values.

Wednesday musings

alternate ambitions

Natalie Portman and Hillary posing. Pico the dog I'm dog-sitting, showing off. All three are females no doubt. One is elected to be the Secretary of State by Obama today. The other is a fine actress with "fame" all written over her, and the last one is Pico, a girl that hunts moles and squirels.
They have one thing in common - they all are ambitious, hunting down the avenues of glory and adventure by avoiding to become prey themselves.
I just hope, that Hillary Clinton does not fall into the trap of "power-management" as Secretary of State. She is a tough cookie and an intelligent person. Nevertheless, most of the troubles aching US politics are framed in the Middle East (and now also the Far East). A woman will have a tough time to sit down with Arab leaders. Their culture is not very woman-friendly, tea maybe, but no diplomatic concessions. So, I wish all these woman good luck as they hunt Bin Laden, moles or fame.

On a personal note, I cleaned up major parts of my studio, eradicated trash and tidbits on my work bench, did a few other things that help me to breathe. So maybe, sculpting and carving will become my "Christmas passion"....

P.S. Don't you think Natalie is sort of gorgeous, the Hippie Tree Huger from Hollywood? Ah, nevermind...

Nemesis

Of course it is all right to have an opinion, that's a good thing. Of course you need to be biased, that is only human.
But all of this is only helpful if perpetuated towards what already is established, of where we are now. And it remains to be asked: How are we waltzing into the future? A lot of questions are unanswered, also by a charismatic person like Obama, who just got to be the president-elect of the USA.
As much as I like him, I am realistic about one thing. CHANGE (his motto) does not come with a lottery ticket or a mandate from above. There is more to it. My hope for change, is that he stays independent and doesn't bow his ass to the ones lurking around the corridor of power.
I am not sure I completely agree with PLATO in present times (as is depicted on the statement posted image) but I do share a lot of sympathy for that sentiment.
In the end (the bottom line) it is the small efforts of you and I, those things will make all the difference.
Just go out there, do the best you can and then enjoy the brilliance of small steps forward.

not done quite yet

The chill is on. A mile away from my homestead they create artificial snow for the slopes. Temperature is hovering around -10Celsius/5Fahrenheit. Some like this stuff - I don't anymore. I'd rather be in a hammock with Aggie, kissing sun rays and spilling drinks because the damn thing keeps moving back and forth. Who cares, we can clean up later.
So today I am doing this "personal" kind of post, let you in into my secret closet, there is no Time magazine, USA-today newspaper, Le Monde or any other kind of scary written stuff to be found. It is just me with a chewed up teddy bear, resting peacefully where the spiders like to dance.
Oh shit, I almost forgot what I meant to say, what I am actually talking about.
Some of you know my struggles, it is that education thing. Sometimes I am brilliant, and sometimes lousy. Depends what's on the menu.
To enlarge the possibilities, I decided to get certified as a teacher in New York State. It will take some random stupid facts of learning, funneled into my brain by bureaucrats and I will have to spit these tidbits back to them, to get the points I need to score. But so be it. I am willing to transfer from being a free agent in the private educational system, to an approved person who can walk the high-wire of public stardom.
Wish me luck.
P.S. I am working on that "fall" song. Need to figure out the details of sending audio files back and forth so they stay 'multitrack'. Some of the contributed lyrics will be incorporated ... deffinitely!!!!

I just have to do this

I understand that 86% of my blog visitors are females, and I know that they also don't like to hear all the time this "worldly-political-stuff". You know, the things that an other gangsta was hiding in this closet, financial breakdowns around the curb, filthy rich CEO's getting mullah to retire wherever they want to, and so on.... We, the club here, mostly stick to poetry and music. But sometimes music will not tell the tune.
So I can't help it. There are so many bizarre things happening around the globe. It is tough to keep up with them and with that overload of information in order not to become estranged, detached and insane.
This thing freaks me out a bit though ladies, and I will do this free hand since I lost my "cut and paste" stuff altogether.
So there are these pirates on the east coast of Africa, they capture any kind of vessel, even super-large oil-tankers and keep them for substantial ransom; and they get away with it. I can't believe this is actually happening.
All right, so the Pirates are coming in with speed-boats, well armed and such. Their aim is to mount the boat and get control. But with all the gadgets (gps, sound blasting canons, security wire around the premises and so on, why is this still an
issue? Now on top of it, Islamic extremists are searching for the hijackers in the Somali port of Haradheere because they believe that this Saudi registered ship is not to be captured, a sin against Allah. An Arab boat is not to be touched.
What the heck is this. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish etc. etc. boats?
A boat is a boat.
The other thing that bothers me, and then I will shut up, is the consistent misery found in Africa in general. I don't even want to go there where (again Muslim extremists) slaughter innocent people, but rather to the last cholera outbreak, the famine, the droughts, the incompetence of any - yes ANY - kind of political system to make any difference for the common people in that continent.
AFRICA is the lost ground, it all could be different - but it ain't.

Change

what are you going to say now, Aussie friend?

OK, so I am sort of halfway unemployed, an artists choice I guess. I could work for WallMart part time, Home Depot or Radioshack (if I shave first and then put a tie on) or the local grocery store if I handle to stack shelves with fried bean cans. I don't imagine my future to be this way.
OK, so here is my final proposition. I will open a Chinese restaurant, right here in downtown Hillsdale. I like to cook and I like Chinese people. What a combination!
All I need now is start capital. Would you please donate through the PayPal link below? You thereby could become a shareholder for my venture. It is indeed a viable thing to invest in local initiatives. You knew that, but I just would like to remind you of it.

So the Banking Situation is not fixed in the US, the DOW has dropped to 7500 something, Oil is below $50 a barrel, naughty executives fly from Detroit in three separate private jets to bargain with congress for a 25$ billion bail out?
Let's scrap the private jets - then talk!
Even Red Neck folks have no mercy anymore, and they should know...
Go to CNN and read the last articles.
Am I upset? Fuck no - I am devastated, and so will you be in the end.
Time to change gears. Time to invest locally. And I am not even going to be mad if you don't invest in my Chinese restaurant called "Golden Dragon"... Just be mindful to put effort into your own local community!!!

dog talk

Check this dog out her name is Gin. Never have I seen anything like it!

by the way, if you get sick and tired of that song, just click the pause button on the embedded player below! Will take it down eventually...

the eat out

They eat out
by Margaret Atwood

In restaurants we argue over which of us will pay for your funeral
though the real question is whether or not I will make you immortal.

At the moment only I can do it
and so I raise the magic fork over the plate of beef fried rice and plunge it into your heart.

There is a faint pop, a sizzle
and through your own split head you rise up glowing;

the ceiling opens a voice sings Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
you hang suspended above the city in blue tights and a red cape, your eyes flashing in unison.

The other diners regard you some with awe, some only with boredom:
they cannot decide if you are a new weapon or only a new advertisement.

As for me, I continue eating; I liked you better they way you were,
but you were always ambitious.
"They eat out" by Margaret Atwood, from Selected Poems 1965-1975. © Houghton Mifflin

naked tree "competition" for lyrics

As we approach yet an other week of labor and sweat, nature is whispering: Calm down!
Listen to the cranky voice of Tom Waits for a few minutes and it will make you kick your audio system into shambles and make flying little pieces flaring around in mid air in no time. Nothing against Tom per say. He got some good blues tunes worth listening to. But he is sooooo Monday; or was that so mundane? Without his back up band he would barely compete with a rooster having pneumonia. But hey, he's got some fine lyrics. Maybe that's what counts these days, and that's where you come in...
This is not a Haiku competition even though there is a Haiku on that photograph from my evening walk. This is a competition about you doing the lyrics - you write them, and I and my friends will come up with the sound. So, go ahead and be creative. A personalized mp3 version will be awaiting if you happen to be the "winner" of the lyric crafts contest!
Have an excellent Monday and a fair sailing in the week ahead!
Sharpen your pen and write something that makes a tune roll...
The final blockbuster hit will be published here - and everywhere else of course, let's make history!
Oh, I forgot to mention, the theme is: FALL !

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the music you hear was a totally spontaneous session between brother Pete (cello) and me on guitar, voice and violin on July 4th... There you go, you're up for trouble. Win this contest and become immortal. We will be doing a much better job than we did with these Dylan lines you listening to right now, maybe your own song therefore will sparkle and stand out like a gem ....

Hairy business ahead

I am still pondering what kind of "change" the new elections in the US will bring for real.
The Democrats are now talking about a bail-out of the "big three", GM, Chrysler and Ford - in essence rewarding them for their misdemeanors and mismanagement in the past and thereby giving them a green light to continue business as usual. I see no "change" in that.
In utter despair the government throws money here and there, not only for bank and other acquisitions, but now also as droplets to homeowners. Where does that money come from, where is the printing press to keep up with such a demand?
As much as I like Obama and his charismatic personality, I stay a skeptic of the course ahead. There is too much hairy business to wade through, entrenched in sieves above the drain.
Now that the USA per say has become a socialist country, I wonder when the knuckleheads in Washington realize that the present "free market system" has failed. But no, they are hanging onto it as if their lives would be saved on a magic raft, while their actions only prolong the inevitable course of drowning. Maybe that is a human instinct: Let's stay on the course we choose, no matter what happens.
But there is a way to avoid the iceberg and savor this moment of present uncertainty and turn it around to our advantage. People who are looking for "self regulated", decentralized, community orientated businesses, are definitely on the right track.
I happened to be in Detroit when Bush gave his speech To the Union. I also cruised around then, and all I saw was desolation and decay. The image was as vivid as a city seen after a war. The palaces of the "big three" were still there, but they turned into shopping malls on the ground level, cheap jewelery from China, leather belts from Mexico and twirling stands of postcards depicting times long gone. I thought right then, that I was participating involuntary in a SiFi movie.
The answer is not to bail out these aging giants so that their ruthless course will continue. Detroit will not benefit from it either. The unfortunate side effect is, that there will be colossal collateral damage, thousands of people jobless.
But so be it. Maybe we could focus on a brand new economy, one that serves the people of each country and not the top 2% of jerks running the show.

head's up

the task of race

Now that the big wave of orgasmic election days are done, ripples of water trickle into the ground, the leftovers of that ejaculation.
I am cautiously optimistic and that does not make me a "true blind believer". But you see, this nomination has great merit. Two hundred years ago, the United States raised its wealth and existence on the bleeding backs of imported slaves from Africa and they called them niggers. Now such a man of color is president-elect of same country. A marvelous transformation indeed. Only in America such a transformation is shown to be possible in such a short span of time, historically speaking. (could you for example envision a woman or man of color as president or leader in Sweden? See, you can't - the question therefore is, why not!)
So the present road ahead is not without obstacles. Obama will face challenges unprecedented compared to any other US leader before him: The "western-capitalism-model" is in shambles, there are multiple wars still dominated by US-forces, nature takes its toll each day and little is done to reverse that trend.
It will be tough to reverse some, if not all of these issues within four years of presidency.
Now that said, I have confidence that Obama will try his best. He has a good heart after all, one that seems to be uniquely human, a heart that reaches out to all people!

(photo, Vinalhaven, Maine)

the song: This is your victory!

I had a night, that was not blessed with lot's of sleep
but I guess the sheep
whispered
I took no time to count them,
others did.

The miracle is not in the making anymore
the janitor has already cleaned the floor
Obama must now carry the sun
undo what others have begun

The hope is high, the hope is slow
what will turn out, you only know
the leaves will fall this autumn day
and that's as much I dare to say.

Hallelujah

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth the fitht
the minor fall, the major lift
the battled king composing Hallelujah.

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
she broke your throne, and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah...

(LEONARD COHEN, and five more verses after these two)


I had the luxury today to recline outside on a stretcher, nah - you don't call it that, some kind of mobile steel tubed sofa for 45 minutes. What the heck, you get what I mean. So I gazed up into the sky and followed the tracks of hypersonic-fat-ass-military planes scratching artificial clouds into the sky. To some extend it was pretty how the patterns evolved - and then dissolved again. There is something poetic about momentary existence, be it in clouds, or the pulse of the heart of a reclining person staring at the sky.
Sometimes life can be so simple, even hours before a groundbreaking general election.

what fear is yours?

You can take the poll above, leave your comments here, or do both...
Fear is a powerful ingredient of the human soul. It should not be underrated. Partially fear is the destructive behavior that shows up at the threshold of anything that previously is unknown to you. Eliminating fear is rather difficult. It is as tough as eradicating predestined opinions of gender, race and all kinds of other garbage lying around. Dreadful - fearful...
So on this beautiful, sunny, Halloween day - you might as well ask yourself what it is, that unknown thing, that throws you eventually off course. The fear you never admitted to previously.

I'll scrap the poll, it's a nuisance..,

Hellowhat?

Ok, the festivity of Halloween is upon us tomorrow (for some it is already happening today, down under...).

There is not much I can say about this "vacation" - "holiday". Can I fly through the spiders web? Well. the Celtic folks invented this festival, to chase away the demons, or so I've been told. My pub, the other one, downtown keeps up with the spirit. They put up some spiderwebs for kicks.

Well, the poem will come tomorrow...
or an other day.

Billy Joel - The Downeaster Alexa

Billy Joel - The Downeaster "Alexa" This video/soundtrack was ment to be downloaded somehow at "Put your lipstick on the Face Book website". I messed up, and it got double posted, both here and there. But since the link is now here, I might as well deal with it. It is a beautiful pop song, and by all means, pop songs are not my only favorites. But this one in particular carved through my sentiments, leaving tear drops behind, or in my eyes, because I know the issue first hand... Most of you don't know - that I do know someone closely who depends to catch pray in the North-East Atlantic. The pain and agony he goes through these days, would be worth some paper to scribble on, a novel of sorts, a short story with sad endings, or rays of hope if you wish! Be well, be good, and save all your forces to further healthy coexistence within our fragile civilization and environment.
PS - did anyone else had a problem to listen to this song besides Aggie?
© 2008 YouTube, LLC

no more new posts until this US election is over

Until then, post whatever you want in the commentary section. (I might reply, I might not)
You see, I just happened to roll out of steam these days, sorry for the inconvenience.

(so I lied... sorry Bettina)
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The Dick is not in Cheney - 'cause they never found that thing on him...
I am cautiously optimistic. But the truth is, the "world" will not change dramatically if either McCain, or Obama are being voted into office. The US democracy is build up as such, that legislative control is not executed by the president ("commander in chief") very much at all. He or she follows the leads of advisers, committees and most of all two "chambers", the Senate and the Congress. I don't want to bore you with creamy details how this mechanism is all supposed to work. In many ways I do not understand particular aspects of it myself. It would be a waste of time to try to solely "pose" on that one...
All I know for now, is that the foreign-policy advisers from both Obama and McCain don't differ very much at all. They spawn all from the same pond of political breeding ground that will ensure the same course - as it always was, as it always has been.
As for Obama, he has some charisma. Maybe he will be able to use it to inspire legislative processes to find a new direction. Maybe he will achieve to be a steward to this nation, and not act as some warmongering idiot from an oil clan, running around in circles on a fortified ranch in Texas. You know Texas - the country that actually should not be part of the USA. That's an other story. But maybe there will be a grain of pride in this guy Obama, a spark, something that will him "move" (not change!!! I'm tired of that slogan...) things along for the better for this nation. That's where my hopes are resting, and that is why I will vote for him in the next few days.

what is religious tolerance?

My grandfather used to work in this city -Duisburg, a town close to Essen, a former industrial center, in the middle of Germany. What did he do? Well, he was responsible for iron-ore import for Thyssen and other companies, yes, also during WW2. Somehow he managed to keep his integrity, never joined the Nazi-party. He survived the massive "carpet" bombing of this city by the Allies, only to get into a car accident in the early 60's, lost his leg and died of incurable infections.
OK, that was a long preamble. Bloggers don't like that usually. But I had to attempt it this way. My point is, they are building the largest mosque in Germany, right in the center of what was once the "industrial-heartland" of this country. The thing is huge. Maybe it is the largest mosque in Europe yet.
So yes, I do have objections, otherwise I wouldn't mention it. The population there is 90% Christian, denomination 60% Catholics. (I don't particular care for Catholics, just so you know...). In any case, even though I don't have anything per say against mosques, I do though have a problem with "injecting" religion where traditionally faith was carried otherwise. The dimensions of a "Duisburg mosque project" would for example never be possible in a Muslim Arab country. Imagine a cathedral built, funded by Christians in Iran, or even Dubai! So there is a double standard here, and I don't like it. Muslims whining all over Europe to archive equal rights to follow their faith, build mosques and all, while denying "equal opportunities" in their homelands.
I am sorry to push this issue once again, but the Koran says, that all other religions will be tolerated only as long as the "nonbeliever" pays a price, namely monetary bribes to stay alive. All other nonconforming "infidels" will be killed if they can't be converted. It is as simple as that. Read the Koran (I have three different translations) and you can prove me wrong (if you can).
OK, I am ready to receive an avalanche of stabs from Arabic and Muslim friends. But you know, bottom line, I just want to see equality and a fair appeasement between religious orientations, in all countries!
The "Duisburg project" in this light, was a wrong move, just an accentuating of differences, and not the building of community.

(just a small afterthought: All Muslim countries around the globe have never achieved to be a secular society, except for Saddam Hussein 's Iraq. Now that the man got hanged, killed by the rope, with US conformity, spectacular videos, western style - Sunnis and Shiites will fight each other forever - a continuous tragedy in the making. )

does it matter if I vote?

Yeah, it actually does! McCain got me pissed off in recent days, severally hit my not so funny bones. What does he think - that I'm just an other stinking idiot who slides down the latex fibers of cheap rhetoric chutes? This man is in his 70's - he got to retire by now and put all the Cuban crisis and Vietnam struggles behind him. Time to find a condo in Florida - McCain. Because my "leader", you are not! It has become very annoying how you attacked Obama in recent days, the lies that spread like wild-fire.
" Obama spreads the wealth around..."
Bullshit, (Obama) said to "Joe the plumber" that people earnings exceeding more than a quarter million would have to pay 39% instead of the regular 36% in taxes. Why does McCain misquote him daily?
There is no "free for all spreading it all out" plan by Obama.
Get it? The Republicans who have run this country into debt, shoved us into wars that costs us a bundle each week, still claim that we are fiscally a superior nation. That is total bullshit!
OK, I am going to be real mean today. Whoever votes for McCain is for Armageddon, who votes for Obama might see a bit of light on the horizon instead. So even if this "electoral-pony-express-voting-system" of the US is a screwed up system, go out there and vote and make a statement, even if it is just to adjust the statistics!


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It is a bit confusing for "outsiders" - believe me it took me a while as an "insider".
I will cast my vote no doubt, even though my vote will count shit since I happen to live in a "Democratic" (blue) state. So if I voted Republican or Democrat, it wouldn't matter at all. The State of New York will still be counted as a Democratic state and send its precious electorates to make up the tally on a national level.
Unfortunately, the "popular vote" is not part of US democracy.
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For those who wish to follow the election in the US firsthand, without fuss and advertisements,
my brother ALexander has put up a neat website with polls, statistics and all. Here it is again, written out and not as a sole hotlink as I placed it above:
http://www.voteprojections.com/

It is Monday - on that week day we should not work at all

I just came across this, this rambunctious poet who later in life chooses to be a merchant (hired killer) in Africa, throwing away his mental genius for the sake of guns and war, then further down the road (early 40's?) dies of cancer.

"Genius is the recovery of childhood at will"... he said

Brilliant! This Rambeaux person (did I spell this right?) was ahead of his time, a visionary of sorts.

You know this stuff, the "Facebook thing". You browse around and suddenly you get entrapped on pastures of the past. So here it is, no censorship, no bias. Came across this fine picture. It is a lovely woman from years ago, holding a toddler who I once took care of. Now this kid has her own kids and lives close by. Bizarre. (yeah - I did also care about the mother, no worries).
I think I am a bit dumbfounded to have turned 50, not realizing how time went flying by.

(Oh, you might wonder where this above picture was taken - in the suburbs of Bergen, Norway around 1980)


Maybe I confuse people, therefore I added this picture below of the above baby, now all grown up, holding her own child...
My point was merely, that time runs fast, like quicksand through bony fingers.

Capitalism versus Capitalism

All the big honchos are comming together (from the G8 and also a few delegates from "deprived" nations) to discuss how to fix the "global-economy-crisis" while the IMF boss intermediately will be questioned about favoring his former lover, who happened to be a an employee at this International Monetary Fund institution . Good luck with that. Guess who is hosting this storm-braining session? W. Bush, after the November election that is. This reminds me of a bunch of pigs. They are locked into their stable and the warden has left. The key buried under heaps of manure, or shall I call it growing piles of shit? No Exit. What the swines don't understand, is that they are on their own now - trapped. And so they grunt for pity, for resurrection, help from us common folks to take a shovel and clean up their shit, clean up the stable - and by a miracle maybe find the key, unlock the doors and let the pigs out again to let them all ravage on some untouched, virgin pastures?
This ain't no Animal Farm a la Orwell, this isn't an experiment of sociological studies. This is bluntly a bloody mess, and I will have nothing to do with it! But I'll give you just an example though of the "French pig", and what he said today:

Sarkozy said, the hedge funds, tax havens and financial institutions operating without supervision should all be re-thought."This is no longer acceptable," he added. "This is no longer possible... This sort of capitalism is a betrayal of the sort of capitalism we believe in."

This (the French minister) was his stereotype answer: This sort of present capitalism is not longer my capitalism, because I only gain shit. Therefore this capitalism is not the one I can believe in. But what is the kind of capitalism YOU personally believe in? Maybe we should ask the plumber Joe (or was it Bob) for the answer. After all, that dude is neither licensed as a professional plumber, nor did he pay his taxes in time and presently owes $32,000 to the IRS. Ah, it is exciting to be a celebrity for 15 minutes once in your life, but the risk is that all the shit you didn't want to talk about arises to the surface and becomes starkly available then to all the other six-pack buyers. Unclog them drains.

No, seriously - I am actually interested what your thoughts are about capitalism. Obviously the coloration of present schemes are not working out at all, neither does Fundamentalism in the Arab world or elsewhere. So, what will it be - a constant repair and continuum of present misdemeanors, or is there at some point, a new outlook and a focus beyond the stables of greed and destructive martyrdom?

It rained and then...

It rained all day - and then for a brief moment the sun came out, just before she was gobbled up by the horizon.

Joe the plumber - I want to see his (him) crack

After all the expenses, the pipes, the vehicles, the pay for the employees, all the other stuff you can write off - if then, you would still earn a net of more than $250,000 (a quarter million Dollar) annually, only then you would see an increase in taxes according to Senator Obama's financial plan. I found McCain's rhetoric last evening to be less than amusing, bringing up "Joe the plumber" more than a dozen of times.
The fact is, if McCaine will be elected, unheard of amounts of tax brakes will go out to the Fortune 500 companies, repeating the useless theorem of the "trickle down economy", invented by a charming third grade Spaghetti-Western actor called Ronald Reagan.
If Obama gets elected, there is still some hope that greed and bribes will slow down somewhat. Not entirely, but somewhat...
If he doesn't get elected, because of the ignorance of some "Joe the plumber dudes", it will be a sad day in USA history.