Blissful news ignorance, Powell, Wangari Maathai, and Natural Capitalism

My quest for ignorance continues... at least political ignorance. Thankfully, I have not heard a single pundit in what seems like a lifetime. I have not watched nor listened to a single political show. I have changed my homepag from the bbc news online to thefreedictionary.com. I am calmer and more productive for it.

Still, I got to the gym and I learnt that Colin Powell has resigned. My reaction, never has one significant act been more "a day late and a dollar short." Don't care, let me know when his memoirs come out. I want to see dirt.

Anyway, my news diet is restricted to the Alternet and James Wolcott and Guardian, but only in irregular and limited doses.

Last night, I went to the alternet and found an article by Nobel Peace Prize winner and enviromentalist, Wangari Maathai, "Nature, Nurture and Culture." In it she argues that a cultural revival may be the only thing that stands between conservation and the destruction of the environment. I am fascinated by her "systems approach" (i.e. holistic) to environmental issues. Since, I am also currently reading some material on "natural capitalism" and The Natural Step framework, which also take a systems approach to market economy, development and sustainability - I am doubly-fascinated. The latter clearly is a product of a purely western experience. But, taken together....

My favorite observation in her essay reads,

"People without culture feel insecure and are obsessed with the acquisition of material things, which give them a temporary security that itself is a delusional bulwark against future insecurity. Without culture, a community loses self-awareness and guidance, and grows weak and vulnerable. It disintegrates from within as it suffers a lack of identity, dignity, self-respect and a sense of destiny."

Sound like anybody you know...

So, I ran the Richmond Marathon today

Madonna! Besides the fact that I presently walk like a 75-year old woman, I am alright - just don't ask me to stand up.

This was a rather unplanned excursion on my part --- I just suddenly realized I won't be in Richmond this time next year, so I signed up on the 11th...... A Marathon is a perfect way to cement a relationship with a City. Richmond, we are now forever bound in both pain and ecstacy.

I'll post details later: time, pictures, whimsical weather conditions.

The laughing cavalier

There's noting funny about the decline in academic standards, so says David Starkey, the laughing cavalier.

When I grow up, I want to be him.

Jonathan Steele- argues Europe and America: allies no longer

For those of us still smarming over the potentiality of Four More Years this article: Nato is a threat to Europe and must be disbanded is something we saw coming. When Bush invaded Iraq without the consensus of major allies, it was pretty darn obvious that the normal reaction would be to reject the notion of a special relationship between the US and Europe. Europe seeking its independent sense and force of security is a natural outcome of US unilateralism. Some may have hoped that this was a temporary state of affairs, but Dubya's re-election serves to extend the shelf-life of this un-allied stance to foreign ventures and self-interest.

UPDATE: Today (Nov-15) Tony Blair found jesus- apparently, he doesn't believe in unilaterilism for its own sake. What is he? nuts. he is urging the US to reach out, duh. A case of: Thousands of dead civilians too late, and billions of dollars short. Go to fucking hell, Tony.

Ailing Arafat deserves fair judgement

Guardian From the Guardian- Ailing Arafat deserves fair judgement

Like I said, I am sick of what I keep hearing about Arafat, but this article captures more or less, how I feel about the matter.

e-Vote Audit Trail? Glitch gave Bush extra votes in Ohio

According to cnn.comNov 5, 2004

When is somebody going to certify these elections? and can they do so without the semblance of an audit trail. I am going out on a limb here and alleging that unless anyone can prove otherwise: this election, too, was in all likelihood stolen. The lack of audit trails for these e-voting machines alone is grounds to dispute the results wherever they were used?

This too was stolen; the only difference is this time they planned it well. How else do we explain the exit polls? All of them were wrong? Highly, improbable. And if they were wrong, then why do they choose to believe the "values voters" thing, which comes from the exit polls. I am sick of it.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE
I actually taking sabbatical from the news, I am experimenting with the pursuit of ignorance, knowing this stuff just seems like a waste of time, right now. But, people keep sending me shit like this (Thanks Dr. O-B). And if I have to hear one more thing about Yasser Arafat being dead, or undead, or not quite dead, I'll scream. A man is either dead or living, never both or half of each. I am sick of it.

I won't be posting for a while. I am jobing hunting and trying to complete some analysis for a potentially huge grant, we hope.

I am numb.

Guardian : Bush on course for victory

I am just numb, empty, without a thought.
The media - characteristically - are druming the concede beat. They have been at it for some time now.


I can't fucking sleep. Why the fuck is everyone sleeping?

4 more years - Unfuckingfathomable!