He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool [shall be] servant to the wise of heart. - Proverbs 11

The Miniture Earth (from Shawn)

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" --Gandhi

Today they brought in a guy to interview for the position that will replace me. I eyed him up real good. He seemed a bit squirrelly, but, in a pinch, I think I could take him. Might need to throw sand in his face first, but alls fair etc…"Thems some pretty big shoes to fill.", I implied with a furrowed brow as I eyed him up, and then glanced down at my feet. "You think you got the muster?", I conveyed with my cocked shoulders. I'm not completely sure, but It looked like fear in his eyes. "Punk!", I gestured with my sideways grin as I walked away. I think he got the point.

"Being replaced?" you ask. Indeed! Found an apartment out east, and leaving the Midwest behind…heading back to the land of drunken smoking Wilkies. Well, most of them are dead by now, but there's some Wilkie's left out there. No Sleep 'till Brooklyn.

I am officially excited...

With "The Two Towers" it seems very clear that we are in the midst of one of the great achievements in fantasy filmmaking and in epic filmmaking. - Salon

Evildoers are everywhere!

"Terrorists are hiding everywhere--in your doctor's office, your haberdashery, your toolshed..."

We were talking a little politics at lunch today, and one of my co-workers turned to me and said, "I like my small little world." He, in essence, was trying to get us to stop talking about politics and the world at large because it was upsetting him.

…I’m listening to is a discussion of sports…People call in and have long and intricate discussions, and it’s plain that quite a high degree of thought and analysis is going into that…They know all sorts of complicated details and enter into far-reaching discussion about whether the coach made the right decision yesterday and so on. These are ordinary people, not professionals, who are applying their intelligence and analytic skills in these areas and accumulating quite a lot of knowledge and, for all I know, understanding. On the other hand, when I hear people talk about, say, international affairs or domestic problems, it’s at a level of superficiality that’s beyond belief…

-Noam Chompsky

I think it involves, in some respect, the concept of engaging or disengaging with the world around you. Sports is a way to disengage from the world, an escape (not that that is a bad thing per say). Politics involves engaging the world, but to do so you have to look some hard truths in the eye. Unfortunately, I believe we live in a society that does not like to look at the hard truths…

Here's my x-mas list for anyone interested:

1. Padre Pio stigmata watch
2. George 'Dubya' Bush, a true action hero
3. World Peace Keepers Battle Station
4. Jesse Ventura bobble head doll (disclaimer: as much as the bobble head looks like, and mimics almost exactly the mannerisms of, Jesse Ventura, it is actually a toy and not the real governor.)
5. Light Bright

For the little war monger: World Peace Keepers Battle Station | Forward Command Post

"So you don't use the umbrella any more?" he said, breaking the silence.

She looked at him. "No," she said softly. "Not any more."

"No more revolts?"

"Oh, indeed!" said Maude, sparking back to her old self. "Every day. But I don't need a defense any more. I embrace! Still fighting for the Big Issues, but now in my small, individual way."

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5862/higgins.txt

Jimmy Carter receives Nobel Peace Prize.

…In order for us human beings to commit ourselves personally to the inhumanity of war, we find it necessary first to dehumanize our opponents, which is in itself a violation of the beliefs of all religions. Once we characterize our adversaries as beyond the scope of God's mercy and grace, their lives lose all value. We deny personal responsibility when we plant land mines, and days or years later, a stranger to us, often a child, is crippled or killed.

From a great distance, we launch bombs or missiles with almost total impunity, and never want to know the number or the identity of the victims…

…It's interesting to note that citizens of the 10 wealthiest countries are now 75 times richer than those who live in the 10 poorest ones. And the separation is increasing every year. Not only between nations, but within them.

The results of this disparity are the root causes of most of the world's unresolved problems, including starvation, illiteracy, environmental degradation, violent conflict, and unnecessary illnesses that range from guinea worm to HIV and AIDS.

From Mr. Kottke regarding yesterday's post - subvert

THANK YOU FOR FINANCING GLOBAL TERROR'

Make a subtle-but-powerful statement about the connection between rampant fuel consumption in the United States, and the financing of terrorism by certain oil-producing nations.

The 'Thank You' sticker is designed to be a subtle attention-getter. It is a 'word-virus' that will infect the mind of the gas consumer, and force them to think - then, and the next time they pull up to the pump. . . .

We have been watching the Band of Brothers series from HBO. One of the series focuses on the medic of Easy Company. In a point of isolated desperation, he sits in his foxhole reciting the Prayer of St. Francis

Where there is despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light;
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

…grant that I may never seek 
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved, as to love with all my soul

It has been stuck in my craw for the past few days...

...new ad campaign makes the Earth-stopping conclusion that if you buy drugs you might be supporting terrorism. People saying "My body, my choice" and "I was just having fun" are intercut with people saying "I kidnapped people's dads" and "I bought the bomber a fake passport." They equate drug use with helping hijackers crash airliners into buildings.

Truth is subjective…

I think it'd be safe to assume that a major source of funds supporting Al Quada, and a majority of Osama Bin Laden’s wealth, comes from middle eastern oil profits? Not to mention CIA funds derived from drug trades in South America. So who are we supporting with our drug purchases again? And who are we supporting every time will fill our bloated auto/SUV gas tanks?

I imagine a gift of $43 mill in May 2001 didn't hurt...

...in the end this alliance will prove a costly failure. Our long sad history of signing up dictators in the war on drugs demonstrates the futility of building a foreign policy on a domestic obsession.

As sprays of pinkish fluid expunged itself from my esophagus, I became vaguely aware that we had guest over for Thanksgiving, and my pants were wrapped unflatteringly around my ankles. What I thought would be a normal bathroom trip became something quite different. In a matter of moments, leaving me precious little to time to pull up my pants and barely lift the seat to gain access to a greater bowl mouth for vomiting, the contents of my stomach demanded exit. In the back of my mind the though of a guest opening the unlocked door and viewing my purging sweaty body splayed out on the bathroom floor hugging the commode for my dear life as my white clammy bottom peered up at them in disgrace slipped through my mind. I have had finer moments.

Needless to say, the stomach virus put a stop to my thanksgiving gorging, and I spent the day in bed. No sweet potatoes, no pumpkin pie, no stuffing. A few soda crackers and a glass or two of ginger ale constituted my holiday feast.

"Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state" - Noam Chomsky