why bother with a title, when the theme is obvious

As hurricane Gustav is approaching, there is an other oddity. The Republican convention finds itself pulled out of the limelight, this time no political strategist was able to prevent mother-natures course of destruction.
But as most people evacuate from New Orleans, it is worthy to mention that simultaneously to this event, an other flood of disastrous dimensions is taking place in Asia, somewhere close to India, which countries name I do not remember on the spot. I only know from the news-feeds that the damage is vast and that the misery of thousands of peoples are severe, displaced, miserable.
My fiends all over, the ones in Australia who presently experience an exceptional drought, the ones on the West-Coast in the US who are deprived of water both for irrigation and drinking, the folks up the North Eastern coast who just are lucky, the people in Europe who just feel crammed. We have one thing in common. To work for sustainable agriculture and use our resources wisely.
Katrina might have been a bitch, but Gustav is an asshole.
The ringing sound of that Led Zeppelin song "When the levy breaks" does not wish to escape my mind.
Time to re-build, but this time conscientiously. It is not only about physical levies you know, though those must be supported also.
(PS - all images are stolen)

Give me a spaceship - NOW!!!!

This is odd. The Vice president nominee for the Republicans is a woman who is from Alaska, a place of the earth where oil rules, icicles are considered nourishment, and reindeer's stored for Santa to ride around next Christmas.
As much as I hate conspiracy theories (although they sometimes carry a kernel of truth) I must point out that the Republican party in the US has shot themselves into the foot. But worse, shot the country into it's head.
Now, this is my personal "conspiracy theory".
There is a gang of influential people who just don't want to see the US become "healthy" again. Why that is so I do not know.
So there are two scenarios.
McCaine (his 72nd birthday as of today) suffers a heart attack one or two years down the road, the Tootsie-Muzzie vice takes over and runs the country further to oblivion (with a little help of some Rep. friends, which she didn't even had a clue about that those drones were around in the first place (she'll learn)).
Obama gets elected (as he should 'cause he is just more intelligent) - gets shot Kennedy style and then Biden grabs the rudder.
Perhaps the second scenario is a bit less frightening, even though murder is involved.

Look, I am playing with words. But the "conspiracy" is completely translucent. McCaine is now set up to loose, masterminded by his own Republicans, so the Repubs can take the benefit to reconfigure themselves in four years to come, and come back with force.

I surely don't know anymore what I shall think of Duocracy -
Let's go back to "sex in the city" - better contentment? ...perhaps!
(I don't know if that was correct - I do not watch television)

the young ones rule the sun

I am not quite finished with "the season", sipping in the last rays of sunshine.
I feel depressed, on one side, on the other - relief of knowing of what will lay ahead.
Will this be the last summer - do I need to collect my thoughts in a real paper diary, with that worn down pencil, and without the convenience of spell-checking?
Perhaps that's the way to go, at least a parallel avenue.
Sometimes I am worried that our interactions have become so de-fragmented, that the digital data transfer does not reach our analog brains anymore.
Time to brush your hands and arms into stinging-nettle; it's actually a healthy thing to do.
Oh, the girl above (picture) - wasn't my take, sorry! But she looks like a good representative of these vining days of summer. I have some other model up the sleeve, but only will tell you about it when it becomes reality.

Iraq withdrawal? - my ass YoYo!

"On Friday, a senior Iraqi official said a draft security agreement included the withdrawal of US forces from all Iraqi urban areas by June 2009.
The 27-point agreement reportedly includes a compromise allowing US soldiers some immunity under Iraqi law.
It is thought some US troops could remain beyond 2011 to train Iraqi security forces."
(end pasted quote from the BBC)
___________________________________________

Now that is a lousy solution, read this thing carefully. It says "Urban areas".
I guess the five major military bases outside of Baghdad are not affected by this, which are "Non-urban" by nature, including the presence of all McDonald outlets there, the airport strips, the Hallmark picture card store for the soldiers...

OK, that stuff above is probably not "news on the edge".
Instead we might look at the Democratic convention in the US, which starts tonight. Billions of dollars spent so far on this adventure. Fairly interesting, but maybe not.

In comparison they spend about two months of campaigning in Canada to promote a major candidate, then the people vote, after that you cross your fingers.

I believe our "Democracy" has become a whore, an ugly one that is.
What to do? Decentralize!

(Oh, I have no time for more of this now; got to get back to my brother to finish splitting wood, and he is a professional cellist by trade. Figure that one).

new post

one is a stagnant seat, the other one rolls...
Both are appropriate.
Sometimes it's "move" - sometimes it is "rest".
C'est la vie mon dieu (did I spell this right?)
Nevermind, we will be back to politics and olympics (uhhps, they are gone) sooner than later. In the mean time, ah - I keep saying this, the enjoyment of the last summer days scenario, sorry for repeating myself.
Jung would have something to say about this, these archetypal days of whining summer days and how they affect the soul. But he ain't around to give his comments anymore. So maybe I give you a Tarot reading instead, sort of the same thing.
And here it is: You got the star in the center, the hanged man above, the magician to your right and the fool to your left. Interpretation is all yours...

public alley - do not enter

I have no words right now, my brain sort of shut down. Maybe I should copy and paste a poem by Rilke, one of my favorites. But on the other hand, that doesn't do the trick either. You know him all so well already. Why waste this space to make something known that is already part of your collection?

This would be similar to an examination of a suitcase before you travel abroad, the toothpaste often missing. No big deal.

So yes, my wife, who insisted to take bagels along for the trip leaving Boston - came back yesterday. That is glorious. She made it forth and back to Europe in one piece. Good for her! My daughter on the other hand is still amiss, vanished with a brilliant renegade poet. Oh, life can be so interesting, scrupulous and sweet, when you are young!


Why is this post called "Public alley - do not enter"? Beats me, just enlarge the second picture - and it will dawn on you.

But, I am still worried also about the Brit's and their obsessions. Their recent verbal actions only stickle conflict in Georgia - not calm it down, by no means.
So this is politics again, we'll leave that for now.

For now, we will all enjoy the last days of summer, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.
Be well as always - Zee.

what the oil companies never want to discuss

I am researching ways to cut down gas-mileage. One of them is acetone as a gas additive, because it enhances cleaner combustion. I am also curious how this works on an oil burner for heating.
I will let you know some results shortly after I tried it all..
My first trial is using one ounce (a shot glass worth) of acetone per 10 gallons (somewhat like 36 liters) in my truck.
The trick I heard through the grape vines, is to use not too much - but just much enough!:)!:)
I will be your guinea-pig now, and I will report later.
The myths around it, have found savings between 30 to 400 percent.
That's worth a try in my book.

How to inflate religion

ROME (Reuters) - Catholic nuns and priests in Italy are following their flocks to the beach this summer, establishing an inflatable church and a beach-convent in the sands to lure sunbathers.
The 30-metre (98 ft) long blow-up church -- staffed by priests ready to take confession -- will debut on Saturday on the Adriatic coast in the Molise region, an organizer said. (end of quote)
________________________________________________________

Has religion become an inflatable blow up doll now? I guess the time has passed away when building faith was done stone by stone, like seen on this picture of Chartres, France. I am not a vivid churchgoer myself, and I do not cling to particular denominations. But "blow-up-churches" on the beach to convert sun-bathers is a bit over the top of my head.

"Ohh, the incense smells like vinal today, sorry about that. But we have this freshly blessed Adriatic sea water and it will wash away all your sins. Please come in barefoot, we do not wish to see a punctured hole in our blow up church. The spirit will not come, when the air deflates. You are serious about your faith, you must be on a beach pilgrimage. Your tan is vivid, don't loose true color. Better get married now, before you get the baby "

I could go on and on ...

Man, I fell asleep one day on a beach in Southern France, woke up the next morning with the rising sun, my body all covered with dew and salty air, slowly warming up to a beautiful day. That was the time, when God kissed me! (or vice versa, can't remember...)

What's wrong with the BBC?

I got to admit it, when I start up the computer every morning, that thing brings me to the front page of the BBC's international edition. Fine, get over it, I am a news-junky, slap me if you wish. I don't care - ouch, that hurt!

But what is it that is happening to the BBC the last few days (and a little more than that) is it that they are obsessed, consumed, addicted, sucked in, paralyzed by the conflict in Georgia.
Every fucking day I wake up and turn on my laptop, there is GEORGIA and that little disputed triangle they all got so hot about. Russian troops will pull out tomorrow, Russia signs cease fire, Russians don't follow cease fire agreements, Russia will always protect Russians - and so on, and so on... What is it, that makes the BBC so tunnel minded? Isn't there other things to report about everyday and be put on the head-lines?

When the US bombed Panama to get Noriega and killed hundreds of civilians due to that sly adventure, nobody gave a shit. It was a two day event in the daily news, that was it.
So what is this darn obsession by the Brits now? What kind of clarification or redemption do they seek? Why do they "hammer" on Russia's obeseality? I mean, give me a break. This would be like Texas claiming independence (what I wish they would do) and then the US government troops trying to secure back the premises and everybody in the whole wide worlds screams: Oh no!

I am just asking questions, and I don't speak very clearly here at this point and time. The only thing I know for sure, is, that at the treaty in Versailles at the end of WW1, the Anglo-Saxon "wing" contributed strongly to impose sanctions on Germany which were humanly and physically impossible to satisfy, hence lay the breeding ground for the Second World War and Hitler's reign to become. The Brits basically saw to, that the Weimar Republik went down the road of self-extinction by not letting it strive to become a fully democratic entity.

Back to Georgia, Russia, the Brits and the BBC.
No, let us not go back there, I'm too tired now. But I tell you one thing, I get notoriously suspicious when one "outlet" (BBC in this case) of a particular country gets sucked into a vortex of repetition, of any kind that is...

Tomorrow, or the day after, I will speak again about how the green grass is growing, the dismantling of my pubic hair is proceeding, the shores of islands are splendid and that coming of fall, or autumn - or any other of those other trivial matters.
Until then, be well, be good and behave!
Cheers, Zee.

how come I have to cut my pubic hair?

You know, the answer is quite simple. There are sooo many infested deer-ticks in this region that it will make you itch and go through convulsions by simply thinking of them.
If you let them harbor your blood (what they so much like to do for breeding) it may put you on "slow death row". Your joints will get crappy (no more Phelps glory or medals here) your brain might get damaged (bye, bye that Einstein) and your general health will deteriorate in pace with the present crumbling housing markets. In other words: You suffer and fall, and become an invalid stinking mushroom. (Oh, the politically correct word might be: "A slightly differentiated human being"). Whatever, so this is just a management issue, has nothing to do about having kinky sex, it is only attempted pest control. You see them ticks better without hair, believe me, - and now it is time to cut this lawn.

Ok, I will have to clean up my act and talk to you later, while the corn grows even higher

... that stuff, you know well, that verbal stuff, it will come back later, at least that is what the master said, that master who keeps the veils dropped (or drooped) in front of my face. So whom am I to know and judge this situation fully? Can't tell.

Look gals and guys - I follow the meandering ways of politics as they come and go. That is one kind of journey. But I also fear for the resurrection of the human heart, and that is not even a religious plea, not a selfish plan.
All I can say, as I read your posts, is: Be truthful to your heart, in the mean time, watch the corn grow. The stocks have arisen to unimaginable dimensions this year, and I don't even know why ....


(read Seraphine's comment below, it splashes a vivid journey of a tale to be remembered )

Now, this makes me smile!

BBC NEWS | Americas | Man buys Chevy with small change

An Ohio man with a hatred of paper money slapped down $8,000 in coins at a car dealership to buy a Chevrolet pick-up - then paid the rest by cheque.
James Jones, 70, produced 16 coffee cans full of coins to buy his new Chevrolet Silverado in Cincinnati and staff spent 90 minutes counting it.

But his coin hoard only covered half of the $16,000 (£8,500) price tag.
The man's son said the most amazing thing for him was his father deciding to replace his 1981 pick-up at all.
As far back as he could remember, Dennis Jones told the Cincinnati Enquirer, his father had always had coins.
“He gave me lunch money in coins and each time he ever gave me money it was in coins,” he recalled.
Paper money will burn, but it is hard to damage coins he said.
_____________________________________________________________________

In his paranoia way, Dennis Jones still has a point. There is no gratification about paper money, especially if you have the means (the government) to print tons of it and schmooze the tax payer into submission simultaneously . What is it worth when you lite a match to it (the paper money) and observe a small ash pile on the ground thereafter. Where did the value go, up in smoke, where does it consolidate? I believe to do such a thing is a capital crime, destroying funds of the federal government (who's assets weren't there in the first place - just a reminder!) it is almost as bad as burning the flag!
I might be a stinking liberal at heart, but that is only because I have not many choices. Probably Jones was a Republican, the old fashioned kind, the one who believes in independence, independence from the "washer & dryer" routine of present central government in Washington.
Good for him, he deserves his new Chevy, paid with coins!
(In the mean time - I'll drive a Ford F-150 1996, straight V6 and reliable, that is, only when I don't use my moped which gets 100 miles a gallon easily. )

Gold swims in water ... for a price!

Swimmer Michael Phelps broke the record for Olympic gold medals won by a single person, taking his 10th and 11th in a double victory today. He thereby bypasses Mark Spitz and others who did win multiple gold medals for the US in those water contests in the past.
Isn't that Michael sexy in his speedo's?
The Speedo LZR Racer, introduced in February this year, is one reason world records continue to be broken in swimming. The science behind the suit includes "ultrasonically welded" seams and panels of drag-reducing fabric tested by NASA.
Why bother you might think, but here is the catch. Those suits cost around $600 dollars and have a life expectancy at peak performance of only ten times in water when used for a race, then they have to be discharged!
Now, when all is done and said: Some countries can afford this, others can't and will suffer an disadvantage.
Question: Do you think that is fair competition?

Noah's Arc

I hope you have better weather where you are...
Don't worry, I am not thinking of the Olympics today, the contortions of human flesh in speed do not attract me anymore, I am too old for this. It's all a game anyway, but not very Olympic in nature.
Back in the days, ah - I do not wish to go there.
But today it is all about swimsuit-technology.
Boring.
And as it rains here, as it has not ever rained here before, I start to comprehend the motto of "global warming". Basically what global-warming does in my observations, is to create extreme weather patterns all around the world, both locally and nationally (or continentally for that matter).
If we don't watch out, a Noah's Arc will not subsidize this time around.
I don't think a spaceship would be an adequate alternative either.

Lindenwood bowl 1983

For sale for $1800 - uhps, oh no - I'm just kidding; it's not for sale. But I am always open to take comissions!
Was that the point? No! I wanted you to observe the lines, follow the lines and touch the curves. It is a simple bowl, nevertheless it aims to capture the theme of giving, taking and containing. Linden wood, sparse in the United States.
Some of my work, intuitively or not, embraces the forms of the human body, you could say this is an other word for "organic".
This bowl is an example of this.

Summer in the city

... hot summer in the city

The link above brings you to a fine dance performance on uTube.



'Pilobolus'' is an amazing dance group, where sculptural form and movement join as one entity. The link I placed is a clip which is done behind a curtain, shadow shapes.

<--- they actually can do this stuff for real (picture), it ain't fake!

Help me!

Help me clean up this mess, I will pay you $25 an hour. All you need to do is give me a hand. Some wall painting is involved with this. If you can handle that, be my guest.

24 hours later and no response -
Are you all saturated in doe? Is earning a little cash on the side your smallest concern in life? Well, so be it, I guess I am doomed to do it all alone again, seems to be my karma anyway.
But listen, I would have been perfectly fine to pay someone $12 an hour just to clean the brushes and tell me some stories why I'll work my ass off. Silence is silver, but conversation is gold.
It is seriously time for me to learn some Spanish.
A crew from the town came by the other day to cut tree limbs beside the road and I could hear them laugh, making jokes, plow through the day with light spirited hearts. Of course they were Mexicans!
Time to understand their lingo.
And despite contrary beliefs, they (the Mexicans) work hard for every penny they earn.

New York still rocks, whatever you say

I know, I posted these images before, albeit in a different format. I was going to post the whole history of the US at war since its conception after I listened to an interview of the blue-eyed house speaker Pelozzi this morning on the radio. She is so naive; she doesn't understand that the United States has been continuously at war throughout its existence and nothing seems to alter that fact. The US is comparable to the Mongols in that respect. She doesn't understand that "pulling out the troops in Iraq" means five or six military bases remaining and the largest embassy of any country in the world in Baghdad. She doesn't understand that peace is an obscure word you can only look up in the dictionary in the US.
So I was thinking of posting that continuous thread of wars and make it graphic and simple. While getting all my material lined up, I suddenly felt disconnected and my interest to do so faded.
The only solution I can see in the future for the US to succeed, is cutting the pie into pieces. Texas a country for themselves, as well as the East Coast, The West Coast and the Midwest.
So that makes four independent countries, or at least some kind of federation where Washington only plays a minor role.

...so please
lets take these broken hearts, and use
lets use only what we really need
you know we only have so little, so please
take these broken hearts and leave

Jack Johnson

this is not cynical or gloomy

A decade ago I walked the path of spiritual and sensual love. It was exhilarating, though when it ended, the affair almost broke my heart - physically!
Now she is pregnant and will marry her mate coming up in September. I never thought much of him in the past, but I corrected my mind in the present and embrace all his follies.
It is just odd how time flies by. I was her mentor once, send her to Germany to embrace a different culture, to learn things abroad. More or less I made her go, though she carries the stamina to do this quite well all by herself. Probably this was one of my least selfish moments in life, to let go, and to know that it is for the other persons good to do so as well.
In any case, I am going to her wedding to deliver my blessings - a journey through geographical space, time and also emotions. A journey to encompass past and future.

When I worked on the island the last few weeks, I stayed with a fisherman who had lost his son due to medical complications. It was his only son (or heir). This happened two years ago, and he is in grief ever since.
It is (retrospectively) a blessing to let someone go, but only willfully - and see that person then thrive and bloom to maturity down the road. The fisherman's loss on the other hand, is undoubtedly severe, while mine was a pathway of transformation and learning.

PS - I usually don't like to gossip about my state of soul too much, sometimes you do have to make exceptions...

episodes of dual entities

Lennon was wrong.
"Imagine" is not enough to save anything of value.
Lennon was wrong because he kept deducting from the equation until nothing was left to take away, you then end up with absolute zero content.
"I might be a dreamer", but there are different kinds of them...
"Living life in peace, aha -" very cute.
Paul's answer to peace and love was: "I wanna hold your hands" - better choice! And he didn't got shot dead for it either.
The Beatles still fascinate me now and then, a pivotal point of pop-culture in their times, still valid today.
Paul and John were the perfect twin. Once they had separated, the magic bond got broken. Paul grew a beer-belly and put out mediocre songs of overproduced stuff, and John was sitting in his living room in Manhattan with Yoko, recording these under-produced boring Lennonescian lullabies.

What does this have to do with Barrack Obama and John McCaine?
Absolutely nothing. They are just jet an other odd twin couple, and once they are separated, mean little to the common man.

"Live or let die" (Wings, Paul McCartney, song for the James Bond movie) sums that dualism up, and resembles McCaine's philosophy.

I don't know what Lennon would have said, because he is dead.
Maybe it would be, "you better run for your life, little girl - hide your head in the sand, little girl...
Is that Obama's philosophy?

We will never know, because for three decades the House of the Bushes and the House of the Clinton's ruled this merry country.

Time for a change, Obama declares in return. Very well, just don't you get yourself shot in the process, hit by bullets like all of the Kennedy's before your time.

Dualism is a tedious and obnoxious concept.
It is about time that we have at least three ore more viable parties participating in the USA.
After all, we claim to be "the" Democracy, not "that" Duocracy!