“This and that from re Thai r ment. March 17, 2010
For the past three or four days the burning of the rice stubble and THE out of control grass fires in the area have left me with a sore throat and burning eyes. The sky, a hazy grey with the air as thick as Jello has turned the sun into a baleful and threatening orb…Of course it is not baleful at all. The particulate matter in the air just interferes with the blue portion of the light spectrum leaving the sun to appear a hazy red. I guess baleful is more poetic.
It seems Poets and those who make money off them (does anyone make money off of writing the poetry? Did they ever? Is Rap poetry?) often claim poetry is some form of truth-telling. Baloney (or bologna or even salami), poets, like the adjectives they use, are accomplished liars. Think about it, poetry began as some sycophants telling lies to flatter the proto-biker gangs that ruled the prehistoric cave dwellers with terror and rape. Did you ever notice most legends about heroes or even about the Volk are glorification of rape, slaughter robbery, lying and corruption of the peaceful and productive by the worthless and unproductive. I have never heard of a poem or legend glorifying a guy who grows a great zucchini or who invented the vibrator. The only positive legend I can think of is the one about the guy bringing fire to the people. But he was really only a sneak thief and liar and probably deserved to be chained to a rock and have birds tear out his liver for all eternity.
Hmmm..you are probably wondering whether I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or if there is trouble in paradise. Well, neither really, a slight cold and a rampant allergic reaction to the air pollution has diminished my normal sunny disposition and after all, think about what one could say about paradise if one did not exaggerate the annoying minutiae of existence. “Today I sat on a cloud, played my harp and was happy,” “Today I sat on a cloud, played my harp and was happy” and so on. Not only would that be intolerably boring but also insufferably smug. On the other hand, “Today, I sat on a cloud, played my harp and was happy until a god-damned fly started buzzing around my head and landed on my nose”. Then, I can sit back and say to myself, “It serves you right you smug bastard” (I like the word “smug”).
Now where am I going with this? I intended to write that my illness and allergies have restricted me to spending most of my time in my bedroom which has air-conditioning.
Mac’s (I have settled on Mac as his name) father has taken over the day-to-day chore of entertaining both children. As a result little of interest to me and I assume you has occurred since I last wrote. I don’t even have a new photograph of insufferably cute children to annoy you with. But I did locate the attached advertisement that may amuse you.
And here I thought crack was just a cheap high.
Ciao
FROM MY JOURNAL LEADING UP TO ABOVE POST:
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010 9AM
Took Hayden and Mac/Max to school, gassed up car, had coffee with Mac/Max’s father. Yesterday went to Night Safari, Hayden running around from exhibit to exhibit not remaining before any one for more than a second or two, Mac/Max cried throughout the visit, I believe because he was frightened by a peacock on the path, father quiet and withdrawn as usual and me truly dying from the heat.
Did some research on Braudel yesterday. His view on capitalism is similar but far better developed than mine. What surprised me, although it shouldn’t be so, was the resistance by traditional economists to his conclusions. Basically, he separates “Capitalism” and “Capitalists” from “Free Markets” and “Competition.” His claim is that, “Capitalism” is a social phenomena that predates the rise of the “Free Market” in 14-15 century Italy.
“Capitalism” as he defines it is the search for the highest rates of returns and is not connected to or based upon a particular means of production. And usually the highest returns are produced by monopoly (or price-fixing). Capitalists will resist competition to the last penny.
My aphorisms written to Gates and Schatzman in recent emails:
“You can lead a horse to honey but you must account for the bees”
and;
“It is easier to get Mc Donald‘s to sell more Chicken McNuggets then to get a power company to close down a single coal-fired power plant”
In part, attempt to address a practical response to this phenomena. (although more accurately is addresses the problem of vested interests).
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COMMENTS RECEIVED ON POST:
From Irwin:
roses are red
violets are blue
what a remarkable guy
for the zucchini he grew.he sautéed it in butter
gave some to the poor
remarkable fellow
but really a fool.
Joe’s response:
Ok, try one about the vibrator.
Irwin’s response:
she stuck it inside
then licked it with glee,
i only wish that
it could have been me.
Papa Joe's Tales, Fables and Parables 