January 2008 archive

Mexican Corn Field

Yesterday, both the US and Mexico publicly praised NAFTA while Mexican farmers begged for help.  According to Reuters:

U.S. officials trumpeted an end to farm trade restrictions under NAFTA, the controversial North American trade deal, on Friday, while Mexican farmers vowed to take to the streets to protest liberalization they fear will run them into the ground. /snip

Mark Keenum, U.S. undersecretary for farm and foreign agriculture, said the agreement had been a win for farmers in both countries, “creating not only dramatic growth in two-way agricultural trade, but providing our farmers, ranchers and processors with the potential (for) new export opportunities.”

This is some kind of a malicious joke.  NAFTA is no “win win”.  It’s really a disaster for Mexican subsistence farmers, US immigration policy, and bio diversity.  The only winner is US agribusiness.

Join me across the Rio Pequeno.

Language is an indicator of what people think… how they think. And some small insight into the strategies they use for living next to, working with, and sharing a country, a continent, and planet with all other creatures. Jumping all over them for exposing their thinking is, imo, the wrong thing.

Any time anybody gives me a marching order, without any reasons why, my first instinct is to ask “why?”

When that person responds “Because I said so,” it tends to rub me the wrong way to say the least.

That approach doesn’t even work with my five year old, and it sure as heck doesn’t work with anybody but authority-lovers like Fundie Christians.

Yet that’s what we’re supposed to swallow from the likes of Kos and his little bully “enforcer” DHinMI over at Dailykos.

“Oppose a recount in New Hampshire BECAUSEE WE SAID SO” is what they’re saying over there.  Do they really think that’s gonna work?

And the reason it’s really suspect:  Why would you oppose something that would ultimately PROVE THAT YOU ARE RIGHT?

You can really tell that any products that are geared toward aging are trying to promote the idea that aging is just fantastic and with a few extra consumer products we can have exactly the same lives as we age. After all who wants to see commercials about pureed food?

This one is irksome because the damn song got in my head but it manages to both bash and embrace technology. If you have a basic inability to grasp modern technology and like to gripe about this modern world we live in here is the cell phone for you!!!!

Leaky bladders are no big deal….

I have a question about the Viagra commercials….. notice how they always show eager but very monogamous couples gearing up for a little whoopee di doop? Notice how attractive they are?? How come the commercials never show balding, overweight, sweaty, guys trying to impress women much younger than them? Apologies to balding, sweaty, overweight middle aged men because I am not exactly a beauty queen myself. But one gets the idea from the “boner” commercials that the only people who want to have sex when they are older are in serious committed relationships and are very, very, attractive. I’m thinking well  as I age, I am doomed as an average looking middle aged woman, apparently unless I look like Sharon Stone I won’t even think about sex, never mind actually have any.

Nor will I see any full frontal male nudity on American TV or in movies unless it is classified as porn because for some reason in our society the sight of a penis is far more taboo than somebody’s brains spilled out on the pavement. I can only guess there is some feeling among the ruling classes that if women actually see such things on TV or in movies they might run wild and ferment revolution.

That is OK I will be too busy wearing my serenity diapers while doing fun and socially acceptable sports activities while chatting up my girlfriends on my “jitterbug” to worry about sex and nudity. Why with the book club and the volunteer work I will be just too busy to fit it all in.

Please don’t rec pony party.

Hang out and chit chat and then go read some of the excellent offerings on our recent and rec’d list.

PS, I will be late  to this pony party because I am at the feline salon getting my coat groomed.

PPS, next week I will be without the internet tubes in Canada and won’t have time before I leave to construct some pony parties so you might just get a break from the Saturday pony parties.

cross posted from Daily Kos

The frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for president are a woman, Hillary Clinton, and a black man, Barack Obama.  Both are United States Senators.  Nominating either would represent a major advance for a group that has been under-represented in the national government.  This relatively brief diary, which is Not A Candidate Ddiary because it does not advocate for or against a presidential candidate, will examine the history of both groups – blacks and women – in the United States Congress.   If we think that underrepresentation is an example of injustice in a Democratic system, and IF we wish to consider making a statement about equity as part of our decision making about for whom we will vote knowing the history of representation in Congress might be useful.   Even if we intend to ignore issues of race and gender in our own voting, it might serve some purpose to be aware of the history, and hence this diary.

An optimistic fanciful and interesting view of robots…..

A slightly darker yet still funny view of robots…..

Kraftwerk!!!! I liked them in high school, I don’t exactly remember why.

Did you think we were going to have an involved and intricate ethical/philosophical discussion about the de-humanizing and potentially oppressive impact of technology on humanity???? Don’t be silly.

Please don’t rec pony party.

Hang out, chit chat and then go read some of the excellent offering on our recent and rec’d list.