rebelpleb

One of the few creatures we have found in New Zealand is the eel and his cousin, the lamprey. Over the course of my stay here, I’ve run into a practice unique to New Zealand that links the lamprey to human health. People who practice this sort of science, called Preying, use the lamprey to balance nutrients within human blood. There are a number of blood tests that can be done to determine the optimal levels of all the amino acids and other nutrients needed for good human health (if anyone doubts that I need the Preying procedure, I’d be happy to provide the conclusive evidence born out in these tests). These are not simple blood tests that look for particular flags like in normal blood screening. Rather, these tests reduce the blood into its components. It isn’t at all difficult to determine what these components should be for a healthy person. From there, Preying strives to regulate blood, to remove excess nutrients and leave nutrients that are correctly balanced. In this way, the ch...

Though most people are vaguely aware of the numerous ills that plague the global landscape – poverty, social unrest, disease, metal illness, ecological devastation, climate change – they often complain: “I’m so tired of hearing about all of the problems. What can I do about them?” I believe we cannot fully comprehend the severity and enormity of what troubles us without opening up our eyes and minds to grasp the full extent of our predicament. Each and every problem is wholly connected to the other, and to solve them, we need individual and collective systemic change, in behavior and paradigm. I also do not think people will be willing to sacrifice their superficial contentment and comfort without the full knowledge of why it so critical to do so. This blog is devoted to elucidating global truths about our lives and the life of the earth, however painful and negative those truths may seem to be. Writing about them will take volumes and fully comprehending them will take years of readin...

Civil disobedience in not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience ... Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity and war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty theives, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem. -- Howard Zinn (Sometimes when you are at a loss for words, you ought to just defer to the master.)

I feel I have a moral obligation to leave as little of a footprint on this earth as possible. Though I still use far too many energy sources for far too many gadgets, I have made a concerted effort to cut back over the past dozen years or more, and continually strive to do better. My personal commitment is far from perfect and far from over. This is the only way I can live with myself. I am not a fascist, socialist, communist, or idealist. I am a realist. Life on earth is struggling to survive (for billions of related reasons that can only be covered in many subsequent writings), and since it is quite likely that it’s lifespan may be shortening at a more alarming rate than any of us had imagined , the least I can do is help to extend it’s life expectancy. To that end, I have only been in a motor vehicle once in the past month and a half. I have been spending all of my time on foot. Walking is a fine way to get around when you can. Zero-emission, environmentally friendly. Free; no money...

I’ve been reading about people like Ray Anderson , the carpet manufacturer who is trying to “climb Mt. Sustainability” by making carpets that reuse 100% of their materials, are tracked and reclaimed by the company at the end of the product’s life, are made with solar power rather than being plugged into the grid. The architect William McDonough specializes in making eco-friendly factories for businesses like The Gap and Ford so that the output from those factories produces fewer or no toxins (really?) in the design. He even creates scenarios where river water used by factories is pumped out at the “waste” end with even cleaner water than the river had originally. Let’s put this in perspective, first of all. These guys are freaks . Regular businesses laugh and point at these guys . Immediate profits are everything to just about every company in the world, and this is even a legal mandate for a corporation, who (yes who, corporations are legal people , remember) cares nothing for you o...

Look, I was no fan of Bill Clinton, but does it not seem absurd that he was impeached for having extra-marital sex while George W. Bush continually commits crimes against his own citizens and the rest of humanity and still rides high, no questions asked? African-Americans all throughout America know that the “justice” system is nothing of the sort, but how can anyone believe in the law after this charade? I was appalled as I listened to the misogynist words of Samuel A. Alito at his Senate confirmation hearings . But beyond that, he was questioned as to whether he believed that the President was above the law. At which time it occurred to me, does it really matter what anyone believes with regard to this issue? Clearly, the President IS above the law, since he just committed a national crime against Americans’civil liberties . In addition, he has engaged in an illegal war which is violating UN international law and has committed war crimes both directly and indirectly with methods...

As a teenager, just getting my footing in regards to socio-political issues, I considered myself a liberal Republican. My knowledge of history and current events was clouded by family tradition, education, and media. Not by an education or media with a dichotomous political bent, mind you. That dichotomy is immaterial compared to the singular world view that actually exists. My knowledge, as everyone’s in the western world, was biased toward a particular way of life: a way of life that is destroying the planet and all of its inhabitants , a way of life that is physically, psychologically, and emotionally fatal , a way of life that is usurping the globe . I didn't have a single epiphany and suddenly discover I was a Democrat. I had a lifelong learning curve (still in progress) that has led me to understand that the only solution to our problems exists far outside the simple, contented duopoly we have created. Our model for living is not sustainable for us as individuals and certai...

The wealthy and the government are at it again, stealing from the poor to give to the rich . As if they don't already do that every year with a thing known as income taxes . I won't go into the fact that every single human in every industrialized nation, including you and I, owes all that we have to the detriment of others around the world. Yes, we are all guilty by virtue of our collusion with the system (and all of its components) in which we choose to live. But I will have to go into that further at another time with more proof, since it takes mounds of evidence for us all to face clear and common sense facts. We are not absolved because we donate to charity. Ours is a world where the rich are quenched by the sweat of the poor, confined to slave labor, jail, or death . Maybe we should start reading to our kids from the Book of Bizarro Fairy Tales , beginning with a story of Bizarro Robin Hood . Perhaps that might prepare them for the real world .

Can you believe the audacity of this guy ? Quick! Someone alert Homeland Security!

For those of you in the Midwest and Northern part of America, it is already promising to be a frigid winter. With the rising costs of energy this year due to natural disasters (and, of course, gouging ) you might be looking for ways to save. I don't blame you. And your government is certainly not going to help you. If not for Venezuela , the low-income populations in many major cities would probably be falling in droves due to frostbite. Here's one thing we do: We have a wee washing machine in our wee cottage but not a dryer . Considering that we need to do a wash about every other day, and considering that it has been rainy here for the past week, it has been pretty crowded while the clothes dry on a rack in the house. However, the other day the sun came back out, and we rushed to do all of our laundry. Hanging clothes out on the line is really common here, but the practice seems to be fading in America. We hung stuff out in the morning sun, and our clothes were nearly dry in ...