Ourselves and our environs

[waldopaper]

What’s left of us… where we’re coming from… and where do we go? Post it under here. Did you just think of underwear?

[Mouse]

Oh, and Waldo,
"Did you just think of underwear?"
Not then, but isn't it an interesting subject. Have you read The History of Underclothes by C.Willett and Phillis Cunnington?
Neither have I. But I have a copy which I dip into from time to time.
A lady with a well turned ankle should never wear her petticoats too short; cheap exhibitions soon sink into contempt; a thousand little natural opportunities occur to disclose this attraction without ostentatious display.

[pan]

Don't use iphoto - much prefer the Adobe Creative Suite - so there is no use for it.
.
Have used imovie for simple editing. I have Final Cut Studio - which, like Adobe software, is industry standard. But imovie is OK for very simple assemblages that I want to do very quickly. It helps that Ms. Medusa taught Digital Photo/Videography in a high school that used that software. She always tells me when I get frustrated with iMovie that it was made for idiots and you have to forget what you know from previous experience editing. The commands are not intuitive if you have edited video before. They have been dumbed down.

[curt]

Dear Mouse,

curt is a bad boy, has not yet obtained said book. Back pains were still there on the flight to the US. I was afraid I couldn't complete my tour as I had planned it. Not sure where the change came in, may have been the rib I bruised or cracked. The pain from that was trump over any back pains I had had. The rib pain kept me going until I *almost* suffered a heat stroke, at 47°C / 117°F out on the bike. That then took over as trump and kept me occupied all the way up to the day I returned the bike to the dealership in Tucson. That same day, we had a killer of a family reunion and I attended my 30th highschool class reunion the same evening. The very next day, although I crashed on a schoolmate's couch....all pain was gone. I was not in heaven but very much in need of some serious medicine : 70s rock hits. My mate was prepared for the situation. His stereo pounded it out at my favorite volume (louder than the constant ringing in my head) for a good hour. All pain was gone, even that of standing face to face with my highschool sweetheart and hearing her say "who are you?" ...shortly before she turned her back on me. Broken hearts never mend. Ribs and backs and ears and heads and..........eyes do.

Thanks for thinking of me...the bad boy I am.

[curt]

looks like a distorted sun dog, distorted by kerosine and very thin cloud cover, or both. Nothing to get home about.

[waldopaper]

"standing face to face with my highschool sweetheart and hearing her say "who are you?" ...shortly before she turned her back on me."

dude- ye shur know how to break this fukker's heart. that's all ye need to know to be a "writer."

see ye in a week or so.

[Mouse]

Happy holidays Waldo.

We're not used to sun dogs here, I saw my first last year over the house and was amazed for ages staring at it and taking photos.
Had my suspicions about that journey of yours Curt. Sounds like you could do with a nice rest.
This is my holiday now. Small friend away for four weeks therefore I can focus on getting something reasonable done, maintain attention.

Really frightened myself yesterday. Started talking about the Bilderberg Group to an assistant in local hospital pharmacy. She stepped away for a moment and a butch woman dispenser in army uniform with a crewcut told me that she would not be returning and it would be best for me to go. She was very cold. I hadn't realised the army was in our little local hospital too. The communities round here used to use the army hospital, but they closed it and the army is all about the local health service now. It's disconcerting in times like these.

Failed to keep my lip completely buttoned on the way home. Accosted a group of workmen who told me where to go. Dreadful compulsion to speak.
Little old lady pursued me pushing shopping and bike up hill, having noticed me doing this for many years. I started telling her that the situation is very grave etc and she invited me have a cup of coffee and tell her more...
I left after the tick under her eye had got up a good head of steam. We parted amicably.

[curt]

indeed, for someone who could do without such a journey, I tried my best to make it a positive and memorable one. In retorpspect, I prefer to believe in success. It was anything but easy. Our cat, Gypsy was very happy to see me return. Cats are special. I take it as a compliment.

Meanwhile....my wounds are healing very good.

As for our speaking our minds....

we could (!) let it be. Aint no one listening any old how. Let us....consider ourselves .....

silent observers. Not any easy job. On the other hand, we save ourselves a load of problems trying to convince the unconvinceable. Short & sweet little hints should suffice. A lot like salting our puddings. I trust that if we can find that balance in the amount of info / warning we emit, we can make a dent. A big dent. The louder we shout, the smaller the dent. Silence is no option. Strange, no?

Personally, my garden grows. All is well. We live, we learn.

Scabs drop off and are eventually replaced by scars. ;-)

[curt]

Speaking about underwear.....

I WANT YOUR MEAT !

[pan]

[curt]

Subject : H1N1

"Officials still don't know a lot about the new virus. What they do know is that the strain is not as deadly, for now, as the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed so many millions - though that flu started out fairly mild in the spring and returned with a vengeance during flu season.

At this point, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have seen very little mutation. If the virus remains stable, a vaccine would likely be effective.

But Pekosz said the longer the flu strain stays in circulation, the more chance it has to change and become better at infecting people and better at making them sicker. It is unknown how the virus will interact with human proteins and every time it enters a new person, there is a chance that it will evolve to create a more serious illness.

"The prudent measure is to prevent exposure if at all possible," he said.

But, he added, "the people who are getting infected now ... would most likely be immune to any second wave coming through."

Some even wonder if it wouldn't make sense to expose healthy people to the virus while it is mild, rather than wait for it to possibly turn lethal come fall. While that makes sense biologically, experts say, having "swine flu parties" modeled on the "chicken pox parties" of the 1970s and 1980s where children were intentionally exposed to that disease, would be irresponsible, given how little is known about how the virus will behave."

"swine flu parties"??



source and the rest of the article

[waldopaper]

Bageant: "There are no geniuses in the outhouse." Pootie's starting to get it.

Laying this on the stoods for final week... no "grades" or nothin.
...by Joe Bageant: http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2009/04/there-are-no-geniuses-in-the-... a fine writer... who once asked me, "...so you're in 'education,' tell me this... why are so many college graduates dumber than a bag of... hammers?"

Because people don't go to college to get smart, Joe. They go to college to get rich.

and soon... to the ol "left-right" duff-up (AGAIN)... left wants glorious peoples' collective (run my them, o' course)... right just wants to smash anybody that gets outta line (THEIR hierarchy is already in place- just needs a few more brutal substitutions). Glorious peoples collective has been done... but people gotta vote, they gotta have REAL choices..the votes gotta count. The opposite extreme has been done too.

How bout this:
1. we ration electricity. the grid and all utilities are "municipal," and everybody gets X Kw- FOR FREE. above that, you pay.
2. special loans and programs to install wind turbines and solar panels on every building (both made locally). All electricity is collectively owned (just like the airwaves supposedly are).

Coming next... all flush potties gone in X years. plenty of jobs for electrical workers and compost workers... where does the compost go?

Between power and potties... local food reserves... farms and livestock owned by municipality. Food is rationed... you get X amount FOR FREE. more? you gotta pay. This really aint fukkin rocket science.

[pan]

I just gave my History of Modern Dance final. I am really fuckin' depressed...you can lead a stood to facts but you can't make 'em think. They bombed the mid-term essay questions so badly that I gave in and gave 'em matching/identification/all you have to do is remember what the famous people are famous for section....even worse than the essay.

They did learn some things about the 20th century and actually did OK with their "study guide" presentations about what was going on that might have had an impact on what kind of art was being made. Haven't graded this question yet: Discuss how Dance reacted to the social upheavals/concerns/activisms of the late 20th Century. (e.g., Atomic Age, Cold War, Civil Rights, Viet Nam, Feminism, Gay Rights, AIDS, etc.). Provide specific examples of dancers/dances when possible. Hopefully there were a few windows opened for them this semester.