"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Website Wednesday

After listening to the US Senate hearings yesterday (and moving beyond grandstanding) I think my top banner is quite appropriate. Some day I'll explain why I think an analogy to capitalism as an economic system is an abusive relationship. But not today.

Today, I must electronically send my newsletter to our property manager for printing. Yes, another month and deadline has passed. Just minutes before my deadline yesterday (12 am) I got a long article for inclusion. Jesus H. Christ! What was this woman thinking? Of course, I didn't see the e-mail until early this a.m. I sent her a nice e-mail (well, it sounded nice to me) telling her she would have to wait for next month.

So with that done and I can concentrate on getting ready for a traveling day today. A traveling day with kids. This should be fun. I, who have been re-reading Breaking Dawn for Monday's posting (have you ever heard such a lame excuse to re-read that book?) am bringing it along because the girl has expressed interest in re-reading it. Don't quote me, but I have a feeling that when an 11 year old reads Breaking Dawn for the first time, she's skipping all but the "sex" (and even more on this Monday) so this is could really be considered a first, full reading.

On to my website pick:

http://www.utne.com/daily.aspx

Utne says of itself: Utne Reader and Utne.com are digests of independent ideas and alternative culture. Not right, not left, but forward thinking. We're most interested in creating a conversation about everything from the environment to the economy, politics to pop culture.

For more than 20 years, Utne has functioned as a guide to the alternative and independent press. That's because we've created our own library, which takes in 1,500 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies, zines, and other lively dispatches from the cultural front; the sorts of cutting-edge publications you won't find at the average bookstore or newsstand. Our editors glean this material for compelling, delightfully written stories, interviews, and cultural criticism, then edit and reprint the most essential. Instead of buying dozens of magazines to find a few good articles, you can buy one packed with the best of the best.

My first meeting with Utne Reader was where? Garage sale? No idea. But I do remember the article I read: Why Men Love War? It's pretty impressive after all this time that I can remember that title.

I was hooked on Utne after that. Their current on-line magazine has articles on US prisons, Iceland volcanic pictures, Facebook privacy, racism and a quiz on Iran - and, that's a partial look.

This is how Utne works and why it is so interesting: Take the article, Having An Honest Conversation About Racism. Click the link and you get a paragraph summary at Utne. Click the hyperlinked last line of the paragraph: Check out his simple tips for starting your own dialogue. and you are sent to the source article in Yes! You can read the entire article here

But here's the very neat part: Under each synopsis in Utne, you see: "Source:" followed by the hyperlink to the current issue of the source material. So, for racism, the source hyperlink sends you to the current issue of Yes! and this opens a whole new world of reading.

As you may know, I eat most home meals at the computer (OK, I'm an animal! But a high-tech one.) I eat, knit, read the computer screen, and watch TV, not all at the same time since that could be messy.

Utne.com is a great companion while I do this multi-tasking. Go take a look. You won't be disappointed.