The Red Brick Times

From a Wall Street Journal editorial by Peggy Noonan:

"I think there is an unspoken subtext in our national political culture right now. In fact I think it's a subtext to our society. I think that a lot of people are carrying around in their heads, unarticulated and even in some cases unnoticed, a sense that the wheels are coming off the trolley and the trolley off the tracks. That in some deep and fundamental way things have broken down and can't be fixed, or won't be fixed any time soon. That our pollsters are preoccupied with 'right track' and 'wrong track' but missing the number of people who think the answer to 'How are things going in America?' is 'Off the tracks and hurtling forward, toward an unknown destination.'"

Off the tracks indeed. Not wanting to be thought an alarmist wacko I very rarely admit my true feelings about the state of America today, that our country, our government, is a juggernaut whose fate is now out of anyones control. It's not Bush, the neocons, the religious right, or even the PACs who are responsible. They're just a symptom. Things got too big and too out of control before they came along. I never thought I'd live to see the Berlin Wall come down, much less the USSR disintegrate. I think maybe I'm going to live to see a change that dramatic in the USA too. My best guess? Either a regional breakup into separate countries ala the USSR or a centralized martial law style takeover. Reading the above editorial made me feel, for the first time, that I'm not alone in my thinking.

Posted 6:24 AM by whatley (3) comments

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Too big indeed and out of control. You're right. I'm the wacko sitting next to you. When I call my (local) insurance agent to report a claim and he tells me to call an 800 number where I am finally connected (after much button pushing) to a woman who can barely speak English and resides in Austin who then calls someone in Boston who calls the local (Elyria) glass repair place to set up an appointment so I can have my window replaced (some moldy-assed bastard broke it in the library's parking lot the other night, looking for something to steal - from a librarian? idiot) then yes, that's absurd and things are outta hand. Just how does that make sense and save anyone any money?Too big. 2badd. Stupid.

# posted by  ralph : October 29, 2005 10:28 AM
 
Rome’s Empire lasted for 500 years and echoes through our lives 1600 later, but things moved more slowly in the old days. The techniques for extracting and purifying salt did not change for 4000 years until the arrival of mechanization in the 20th century. Since WWI the pace of technological change has increased exponentially, but our social institutions are mired in prehistoric tribalism tempered by a 200-year-old philosophy that is still under discussion.

When Rome fell the lack of central authority created what the Enlightenment termed the Dark Ages (nice symmetry there, don’t you think). As the closest thing to Rome in modern times, a technologically dominant culmination of Northern European history, the fall of the US will probably lead to a very well equipped Dark Ages. The things we use and the demand for will them not disappear only the government’s ability to regulate the nature of that commerce. Localities will be at the mercy of roving corporations extracting tribute in return for empty promises of imaginary security. The current politics is just the warm-up. We will prove to be a culture of shared values (real ones) or we will leave ourselves subject to the whims of Wal-Mart and Disney because they give the tribe a few trinkets and some soap.

The old saying “Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Chastity” illuminates the point that utilization of the tactics currently in vogue only perpetuates the current trend. Karl Rove isn’t invalidated by finding a better Karl Rove to work for us, but touting some jargon laden failed ideology from the past or blindly supporting some untried remedy simply because we like its progenitor won’t do it either. Somehow we must start here with the way things are and have been and try to move ourselves toward a rational future. If we do not think a future based on the old rapacious industrial model is viable then we must not used the things it produces and accept the discomfort that entails. Or can we find a similar level of comfort through more benign processes of production, distribution and social regulation?

The option is to buy guns and prepare to fight over scrapes of rat meat. What’s it gonna be, boys?

# posted by  A. O. : November 01, 2005 11:17 AM
 
Back in the late 60's I looked around at the landscape in early spring and wondered why the leaves were not coming out and why the flowers were not beginning to bloom. I had read 'Silent Spring' and believed that nature was going on strike to teach us a lesson.
Spring came eventually but summer brought a flood that no one could believe (July 4, 1969). We have not hosted bears in Cascade Park since. I have thought ever since that a great apocalypse was rife. The chemicals, the nukes, the military/industrial complex. I was young, idealistic.
Today we wonder about the far right when they are hoping for armegeddon to begin in the Middle East in our generation, terrorists of all stripes, Yucca Mountain.
I think they had it right in the movie 'Men in Black'. There is always a mother ship on its way here to destroy the planet and life as we know it. Socrates thought that kids were disrespectful and out-of-control.
I still wonder if the flowers will bloom next spring. I think my gardening skills are not a passing fancy or hobby, but a Mad Max plan for survival after the fit hist the fna. I am old, skeptical. The dangers are still there, more horrible, more likely. How will six billion people endure a pandemic?
I hope my kids are ready to handle change on a scale beyond my imagination.

# posted by  Ray : November 05, 2005 6:08 PM
 
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Wha be tha blake prevy lawe
That bene wantoun too alle tha feres?
SHAFT!
Ya damne righte!

Wha be tha carl tha riske is hals wolt
Fro is allye leve?
SHAFT!
Konne ye?

Wha be tha carl wha ne wolden flee
Whan peril bene all aboughte?
SHAFT!
Verray!

Alle clepe tha carl ane badde mooder-
SOFTE!
Speken of Shaft bene I.
THAN KONNE ALLES WE!

He be a man konne unnethes
Namo save is mayde konnes im.
JOHN SHAFT!

Can't figure out what this is? Check the comments.

Posted 12:00 PM by whatley (2) comments

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The lyrics from the Shaft theme in Chaucerian English.

Who's the black private dick
That's a sex machine to all the chicks?
SHAFT!
Ya damn right!

Who is the man that would risk his neck
For his brother man?
SHAFT!
Can you dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out
When there's danger all about?
SHAFT!
Right On!

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT!

He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
JOHN SHAFT!

# posted by  whatley : October 25, 2005 12:06 PM
 
Test comment.

# posted by  whatley : November 02, 2005 12:22 PM
 
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I added another set of Solstice pics this morning from summer at John and Michelle's on Island Road. Does anyone know what year that was?

If you'd like to share some of your solstice or schoolhouse (or whatever) photos but don't have access to a scanner you're always welcome to use mine. Give me a call/email and we'll work something out.

How do you like the gallery so far?
Posted 9:52 AM by whatley (1) comments

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Outstanding

# posted by  jeichenlaub : October 24, 2005 1:50 PM
 
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'Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.'

-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

This quote was all by itself on a page between chapters in the book The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford. I've read a number of first person accounts of the Iraq war and so far this one is my favorite.

Posted 5:24 AM by whatley (0) comments

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Ray and I got together this afternoon and started scanning photos for a year by year Solstice album in the new photo gallery. Yeah, you heard me, we have an RBT photo gallery. I put up a link (over there on the menu) a couple days ago but didn't post about it. It was supposed to be a surprise, a subtle little treat for the observant (never heard a word about it - either no one noticed or you're all the silent types). I installed the software last weekend and, being I knew that Mike had some shots he wanted to share, asked him to start a personal album and help debug it through the week, which he did (thanks Mike!). Ralph brought some old schoolhouse shots he had and we added those too. It's pretty nifty so take a look. There's a bit more info on our "about" page.
Posted 3:33 PM by whatley (0) comments

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Would you help totalitarian countries repress their citizens if there was a buck in it for ya? These guys would.
Study Says Software Makers Supply Tools to Censor Web - New York Times
Posted 6:45 AM by whatley (0) comments

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Welcome to the Hackocracy. The fifteen most incompetent Bush administration appiontments (from The New Republic - registration required).

If their list isn't good (or maybe sad?) enough for you then go play Find the Brownie.
Posted 12:46 PM by whatley (0) comments

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Goal!!!

After 144 weeks of Weight Watchers I have reached my goal of losing 200 lbs. If Russ gets the photo gallery up I will post before and after pics.
Posted 3:22 PM by Michael (1) comments

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WooHoo! Congrats Mike!

I'll get some sort of photo option going for us asap. We may have to experiment around a bit before arriving at a final solution and your pics will be just the thing to use in testing. I can't wait to see 'em and will let you know when and how to upload.

# posted by  whatley : October 09, 2005 7:52 AM
 
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As seen in the comment thread in the post below this years RBT is brought to you courtesy of John Eichenlaub and Mike Hagedorn. Thanks guys!

As part of my shameless solicitation for donations I made mention of the possibility of adding a photo gallery to tRBT. What I had in mind was something we could arrange in a logical format, maybe each user having an area, or album, they could upload to. Something along those lines. Before I go any further I'd better find out if anyone's interested in using a photo gallery. Well, are ya? Please let me know one way or the other. If you are interested here are two free software packages that I think would work well on our host:

Coppermine

Gallery

They both seem pretty feature rich. The downside is that more features usually means more complexity. Anybody have an opinion/preference?
Posted 12:02 PM by whatley (1) comments

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Another option is online storage through a free service. These two seem like possibilities:

Shutterfly
Snapfish

Flickr looks even better for our purposes but a yearly fee is involved.

# posted by  whatley : October 08, 2005 6:44 AM
 
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