Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich 

Website Wednesday 

As the drums beat for more destruction in the Middle East, I'm beyond wondering if this insane desire which is bred in our human bones to kill, and then to justify these killings, can ever be changed. Wars achieve nothing. Seriously saying that wars will never occur again and then doing the back-breaking work needed (and probably the money also) to reach this goal would be a worthy accomplishment for humans. Much more worthy than dragging out our aged veterans and high school bands at every national holiday so we can honor the death and carnage which keep us "free."

And in this same frame of thought, I'm also re-evaluating my take on the Luddites. Perhaps, there is a brick wall which can be reached as humans allow the technology, the machines, to control their lives. The technology can easily jump this wall; humans can't.

In keeping with these nascent thoughts:

http://www.mrpilgrim.co.uk/inventive-urban-art-cool-street-art/#.Uh21N38YOXt  

There's a lot in urban graffiti that I love. I love the talent it displays. I love its "in your face" approach to authority. I love the "you build it, but I still own it" chutzpah. Take a look at this cool street art. It's amazing and only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to brilliant graffiti.

And in pursuing my lifelong goal of recycling the world, there's: 

http://scraphacker.com/ 

Scraphacker tells us she began her projects because she lived in an apartment in the city, without a car, far from the lumber yards. I love people who think out of the box. If you liked the IKEA hacks, this is the place for you. Not current (2012) but chocked full of ideas.

And now for some reading, and pictures also: 

http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

This is one colossal project. Brandon Stanton says of his project: I thought it would be really cool to create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants, so I set out to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map....But somewhere along the way, HONY began to take on a much different character. I started collecting quotes and short stories from the people I met, and began including these snippets alongside the photographs. 

You must take time on this web site and I came away thinking of the works of Studs Turkel and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the Great Depression opus by Agee and Walker. Stroll around, look at the pictures, read the stories. And don't forget to click on a big surprise, Iran, for a long photo-journal piece on that country. 

OK, let's come back to my world: 

http://www.weightlossforall.com/ 

because weight loss is seriously on my mind as I rationalize the big jar of Utz pretzel bits (oh, so good) I'm rummaging through. As you know, I've decided to heed my reptilian brain and eat the entire world, rationalizing that my stress needs food to soothe it. No frigging way! I even know that I'm lying! So, I read weight loss blogs. I even downloaded an iPad app which has you doing 7 minutes of strenuous exercise for 7 months. (I did this only once since I realized that if I dropped to the stone floor during my wall squats, I might be kissing my ass goodbye.) 

Weight Loss For All seems like a good pick for a eating right/losing weight site. The advice in their fall fitness tips: get a checkup, dress for the weather, stay safe, shows me that it's a sensible site. So if you're thinking about losing some weight, this may be a good place to start. Take a look.

And now, let me end in complete wackiness:

http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml

Remember Cliff Notes, etc., which, of course, you would never use to cheat with on an English assignment? Well, Book A Minute Classics is the antithesis of those. While CN would bring tears to your eyes with minutiae (and something incorrect minutiae), BAMC just gives you a passing nod at plot, theme, characters..... as you can see from their summary of The Sun Also Rises:  

Stock Hemingway Narrating Character: It was in Europe after the war. We were depressed. We drank a lot. We were still depressed.

Haven't read TSAR? Then you don't have a clue as to the above but it pretty much sums up the plot and theme. There are zillions of entries on BAMC and the entries are witty, wry, and right-on. Take a look. Get a laugh.

That's it for this week. See you next Wednesday.