The RAPE of America: You will never guess by whom.

It started with cries of “We must end our dependence on foreign oil” and mutated into “DRILL BABY DRILL”, a thinly veiled attack on the moderates of the country who wanted to make oil and gas exploration more environmentally safe. They said, often and loud, “WE NEED THE OIL TO BRING DOWN GAS PRICES!!!”  The drum beating was never as loud as during the 2008 elections. They threatened “IF WE DON’T HAVE A MORE EXTENSIVE KEYSTONE PIPELINE TO DELIVER CANADIAN TAR SAND OIL TO TEXAS GAS PRICES WILL NEVER COME DOWN!!!”

Ok, so the moderates went along and issued more oil and gas drilling permits than any previous government. They approved fracking for oil and gas. They loosened some coal environmental regulations. Oil and gas were released in historic quantities. So much in fact that in many places where gas was found, it is being burned off in a process called “flaring”. To relieve the pressure on the wells, and because there is not enough pipe to carry the new gas supplies. And the oil began to flow.

Ok, gas prices you ask? Why, they went UP!!

But here is the ugly truth behind the calloused use of the American Public to get into America’s vast and strategic energy reserves: EXPORT SALES. Right. Along with the vast new supplies of energy coming on the market, was the parallel push to permit natural gas EXPORT terminals, to sell our precious energy on the world market. And to increase refinery capacity at the expense of the environment to increase EXPORT of refined products and to increase the EXPORT of crude oil.  And to build vast new coal EXPORT facilities on the West coast to feed the polluting furnaces of China.

Who benefits from all this drilling and exporting? The same RAPISTS who screw you every time you buy gas at the pump, or want really cheap natural gas, or fill your propane tank. The BIG INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANIES and the politicians they subsidize.  The companies, by the way, who don’t pay their taxes, or really invest in America, or even clean up their spills. And yes, they want the Keystone pipeline finished to deliver Canadian tar sand oil to Texas for export. We all take the environmental risk of getting the oil, a very energy intensive process, and the environmental risk to the country as a whole if the pipe breaks (they always do) and they get the PROFIT.

Men used to say to women “if RAPE is inevitable, lay back and enjoy it”. Like that? No. Well, if you don’t get off your collective asses and fight the RAPE OF AMERICA BY ENERGY CORPORATIONS AND THEIR MINIONS, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, and then you might just as well get used to it.  Until Americans really take back the country from the greedy pigs currently trying to RAPE ALL OF US, you are going to get gang banged forever. Learn to enjoy the high price of gas, the crappy water and air quality and the changing environment.

And remember always: “WOODY TOLD YOU SO”.

The High Desert Strikes Again*

You ever find good beer in an unexpected place? A café?

We had a B&B in Cedar Crest New Mexico and the host suggested the Greenside Café for supper. Good local food and they had beer and wine. Being hungry and tired we decided to go there without the usual discussions. So, we went. First good sign: A chalkboard outside the front door with a list of local/regional beers on tap. Second good sign: in a crowded small café a table for 4 in a quiet section. Third good sign: friendly and helpful staff. Fourth good sign: the café smelled good.

Fun at La Cumbre Brewery

I asked about the “Elevated IPA”, was told it was a local (Albuquerque 10 miles down the road) brew and popular. Got a pint. My friend Ken got a pint. Yummm. Orangey and a bit cloudy, good lacing, nice mouthfeel, great front, middle and back taste of all kinds of things including but not limited to pine, a couple of different citruses, baking bread and of course hops (the IBU is 100!) .

The second pint came with the perfect meal, and with an ABV of 7.2 two was quite enough for the driver. The brewery is La Cumbre Brewing Co., and BeerAdvocate rates this brew with a well-earned 97, World Class!! I agree.

Now to the other High Desert Gem: The Greenside Café . The chef, Jay Wulf, is also the owner. He has got it exactly right. The menu is not huge, but offers something for everybody, and all of it made on site. All fresh ingredients, served on perfectly warmed plates by excellent staff. The manager was attentive, helpful and friendly. Nobody was intrusive.

Jay, Chef and Owner of Geenside Cafe

My wife and I had meatloaf, seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes. All perfect. Huge portions. One friend had a Sloppy Taco Salad with steak and there was the only problem that night. Her salad came with ground beef instead of steak, but she liked it and didn't mention it. Probably a communication issue somewhere. Her husband had a Turquoise Trail Green Chile Cheese Burger minus the cheese (his request) and that was perfectly cooked to order with plenty of green chile on the side. For dessert,  Sally and I shared a good-sized dish of homemade cinnamon vanilla ice cream while Barb and Ken shared a generous slice of cheesecake of some kind, also made in-house. Both were excellent. I would go back for the ice cream alone.

Everybody was happy and pleasantly surprised by the quality, quantity and excellent service at this local café.

When you visit Albuquerque, take a few minutes to drive out to Cedar Crest and check this “Gem in the High Desert”. I personally guarantee that you will be delighted and will want to go back.

Thanks, Jay, for doing a fabulous job. You deserve all the kudos you have already gotten, and all that are yet to come.

Images http://www.greensidecafe.net and http://lacumbrebrewing.com
*Originally published in the Southern Beer Magazine

A Fisherman’s Tale.

A fisherman was far out in the ocean when Neptune appeared: “Because you have always been an honest fisherman, I will warn you that your boat is leaking and you will drown if you don’t fix it.”

The fisherman looked around and said “No, that isn't a leak. It is morning dew settling on the bottom of the boat.”

A little while later Neptune again appeared and said “The dew has dried away, and your boat is leaking. If you don’t fix it you will drown.”

Again the fisherman looked around and said “No, that isn't a leak. A few waves have lapped over the gunnel.”

Still later Neptune appeared again and said “This is my last warning: your boat is leaking and you will die if you don’t fix it now.”

And once again the fisherman looked around and said “No, the boat isn't leaking. That water is from the rain storm that just ended.” The fisherman was tired from bailing the waves and rain water and decided to take a short nap, and when he awoke the boat was nearly full of water and about to sink. He cried out “NEPTUNE!! Help me. My boat is sinking!! Save me, please.”

Neptune appeared and said “You ignored my warnings, although you should have seen with your own eyes that your boat was leaking. Now you must die from the consequences of your ignorance. You are a very foolish man.”

And so the fisherman died on the ocean, warned in plenty of time to fix his boat.

Image: http://wkiri.com/comphist/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/neptune-150x150.jpg

The Chinese are At It Again

(This was written in April just before our trip to China. I decided to delay publication until we got back and forgot. Here it is, late but still timely.)

Tiger penis, powdered Rhino horn, bear gall bladders and gods know what else the Chinese eat to improve fertility and erectile function. They must think they have a fertility/performance problem and they are eating their way through endangered species at an alarming rate. Now it is fish swim bladders. Read this:

The totoaba's swim bladder is a tube-shaped organ that fills with gas to help control the buoyancy of the fish, which the U.S. Attorney's Office said can grow over 6 feet long, weigh up to 220 pounds (100 kg) and live to the age of 25.

The United States listed the totoaba as an endangered species in 1979 and they are also protected in Mexico. Officials said the fish's bladder was seen in some Chinese cuisine as a prime ingredient in a type of soup and prized for its supposed ability to boost fertility and circulation. (1)

For a country with billions of people, and cheap Viagra the eating of exotic and endangered species makes no sense at all. I have known many Chinese people over my lifetime, and none seems to have problems with “getting it up”, so to speak. So what is the fascination with eating rare meats. And the growing middle class in China is buying Ivory at an alarming rate. Of course this is illegal trade as well.

It makes me sad to see a great nation like China, with many wonderful people and traditions give in to the demand for these exotic products. The good news is there is a thriving market for fake exotic parts, and they seem to work just as well. Hmmm. The “placebo effect”?


1. http://news.yahoo.com/california-authorities-target-smuggling-bladders-endangered-fish-035423364.html

Image: Same as above.

Sowing and Reaping: We are Sooooo Screwed.

“At 10 p.m. on Jan. 26th, 2014, the temperature in Homer, Alaska of 54 F (12 C) was warmer than any other place in the contiguous United States except southern Florida and southern California.”(1)

And so the discussion of Global Warming and Climate Change moves on to the end game. The warming of the Arctic and melting of sea ice over the past decade has brought the predicted meandering of the jet stream and the consequences also predicted.

PREDICTION: Proposing some future event will/might occur.

SCIENTIFIC PREDICTION: “In science, a prediction is a rigorous, often quantitative, statement, forecasting what will happen under specific conditions- - “(2)

I did say the “end game” didn't I? Because that is precisely where we are in this perturbation of the climate. We have passed the tipping point of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses, we have reached the point of jet stream wandering and we have passed the point of ocean stability (temperature going up, acidity going down, and volume going up).

What is left to us and the future generations is to pick up the pieces of the broken world and move on. The consequences down the road are chilling to say the least and surely include war, famine, genocide and disease. Not pretty is it? The “climate change deniers” will continue to spew their misinformed points of view, some downright lies while others are just ignorant, and the rest of us will suffer with the knowledge that we are all screwed.

The power industries and manufacturing industries of the world will continue to produce more and more pollution while justifying their actions by demand and denial of problems.

If you seriously don’t believe that human kind has ruined the earth for a long time to come by unrestrained production of energy and the pollution of the air and water that results from this, and the unchecked population growth that will be checked by the dire consequences outlined above, then you are among the most pitiful and ignorant humans on earth. You don’t deserve what you will get, but as you sow, so shall you reap.

Image: U.S. National Weather Service Alaska

1. http://news.yahoo.com/does-polar-vortex-mean-39-much-global-warming-003940054.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction

Why is Woody so Quiet?

It has been a while since my last blog post. Why? The easy answer is “overwhelmed”.  With what? 

Well, hell, the list of things to comment on is long and often but not always involves the really stupid and/or dangerous stuff the government is doing. The ongoing distortions from Fox News(?) is pretty discouraging from the perspective that the founder and CEO of Fox, Roger Ailes, stated from the beginning that he loved the propaganda mechanism of the Nazis in the 30s and wanted to influence the American public to his very conservative point of view using the same Nazi techniques. And it worked and is working.

Morons increasingly deny climate change in the face of escalating problems relating to it. Morons blamed the current President for the chemical spill in West Virginia, even though: A; they hate government regulations and regulators and B; the regulation of that operation was under the STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!!

Morons in Florida love Rick Scott. Misguided FSU fans monopolized the internet for days around and during the big game. Big Deal. And the list goes on.

So I have been catalyzed into inactivity with the plethora of problems to write about. So what about good news? Yes, there is some. Great food to report from Vienna, and some interesting beer as well. The unusual cold weather may kill off some of the bugs that are killing northern forests. I have a clutch of very good students this term. Trip planning for future travels are going well. And that list goes on too.

I guess the problems really relate to the issue of “Zadarum” (http://searchesworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/zadarum.html) and the persistent feeling that what I say and know to be true makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. Things will loosen up a little in the near term, but really guys, the long term is seriously bleak. You conservatives better start praying now more than ever. And it will do about as much good as it always did. None.

Image: http://www.livinginmillington.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Give-Up.jpg

Religious Freedom and the Public Space or, Be Careful What You Wish For.

 
"Very Interesting", said Artie Johnson. And it is. The Constitution proscribes the support of any Religion by the "State" but guarantees the freedom of religion in public and private spaces. Your home, church, mosque or even the street corner. You can wave signs touting your religion, hand out literature, get a soap box and harangue until the end of times. You just can't do it on any "State" property. Now we both know this is an oft overlooked situation. Prayers start almost everything that is a "State" function. The congressional sessions, the swearing in of most officials etc. Even icons affixed to "State" buildings.
Now enter the age-old manger with the Baby Jesus, Mary, Joesph and a bunch of animals, children and men. Clearly a Christian symbol. Now enter Florida. In order to legally display such an icon on "State" property, the property must be declared a "Public Space". The legislators, a majority of whom are conservative and Christian, designated the Capitol Rotunda of the State of Florida a "Public Space", clearing the way for the crèche. One was immediately installed and when the ACLU was asked, they said it was fine. No problem in a public space. But they also said that the State better be prepared to extend the same, the EXACT SAME access to anyone asking for it. And now the gates have opened, and how they opened indeed: Jews, Atheists, and a Festivus worshiper have asked for and gotten access.
Now a legitimate Satanic Church has asked and the conservatives are going batty. Next the Flying Spaghetti Monster will petition for a slot. And there will be more. And, they must be granted access by the same rules that allow the others.
I can't wait to see how the conservative members react to their constituents when the Anointed Ones visit the Rotunda and see Satan next to Jesus next to a pole of PBR.

Image: http://www.robertbenchley.org/2012_competition/arte-as-german.jpg

Drill and Export? Gas Should be CHEAPER!!!

Does it strike anybody else as wrong? What? Well this: for years we heard "drill baby drill" to get American Oil and Gas to get us off of foreign energy.
And now the big oil companies, having found oil and gas and ruining OUR LAND getting it out, are EXPORTING it over seas. To FOREIGN POWERS.

What the HELL is WRONG with this picture? Is it me or are the oil companies of the world raping us and laughing while they do it?
Oh Yeah. I hear them laughing.
Image: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-03-04-Oilspillwink.jpg
Image: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLVQJou_RV0ikPw94ChRrSCzP9UX5tqbi-SVIery0_abMVF9ny8A 

Certainty: Where Does a Bear Sh**?

Fresh Bear Poo, about the size of a small cantaloupe

When I was growing up (not so long ago and still growing) we used two expressions to indicate certainty. “Is the Pope a Catholic?” and “Does a bear shit in the woods?”.

The Pope, the latest one anyway, is certainly a Catholic. And he is a simple Christian man as well. I think he knows exactly WWJD, and does his best to do it. I like the guy. Now about the bear.

Certainly most bears shit in the woods. But where they roam the streets of Lanark Village they most definitely shit anywhere they want. So maybe we should change the old certainty to “Where does a bear shit?” You know the answer. Just outside our gate in Lanark (Gulf Terrace actually) yesterday sometime just before 9AM we saw a large black bear walking down our street, quite far from our gate. No sign of poop anywhere in sight. Later in the day, around 3, we returned to find the pile pictured above right by the gate. In fact, not far from our dog Millie, lying on the other side of the gate. If only she could talk. From the size of the pile, the wetness of it, the feel and smell, it was very recent and deposited by a large animal. Probably the one we saw earlier just coming back down the road.

So I know at least one bear who doesn’t shit in the woods. (just kidding about the feel and smell).

Image: Bear Pile at the Gate at Lanark.

Remembering the gang

I got an e-card from an old high school friend and was reminded of my co-conspirators again. In another posting (http://searchesworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/last-man-standing.html) I reminisced a bit about the core group of friends who hung around in High School. For some reason the fab four came to mind today. Maybe it was the card from Harriet and the death last week of Steve E., a nice guy but not one of the core. Maybe it was the report this morning about the actor, Richard Griffiths (played Harry Potters Uncle Vernon), dying at age 65. Don’t know. But here is another part of the tale of the foursome, promised in an earlier post. The Great B & E escapade. Leaving out the details, let’s just say that the four of us attempted a b&e of friend's house when they were away on vacation. We wanted something his father had. Two of us got caught, Me and Max (aka John, but we called him Max to avoid confusion), and John and Murph didn’t. Since we were under 16 and the father spoke up for us, the penalty was a kind of probation and very stern warning not to get into trouble ever again. None of us did. John and Murph died in their early 20s, Max in his late 60s, and I am still going. That incident, the b&e, left us all with a profound sense of something akin to fear, but not really fear. We knew for sure that one more brush with the law and we would be up to our eyeballs in trouble. The fear was unknowingly doing something and getting “caught”. We walked a much different line after the trial, all of us, and to the day they died and I didn’t, we were better for the experience.

Of course, John and Murph didn’t have “strike one”, but they were sobered just the same. Now both are dead. Neither had children and probably their parents are long dead, so I am probably the vessel who holds their stories.  At least some of them. Max did marry and we stayed in touch to the end. His wife never wanted to discuss our “bad boy” days, and didn’t want their children to know the stories. Pity really. Max was a good man, father and husband, and part of why was his history. My children probably know most of the stories of the old days, some of which are in this blog in other places. And they probably have heard some about me and the old days that aren’t true. In any case, we are who we are precisely because of our history. Total history. The good, bad and ugly.

So on the eve of Easter and well into Passover I remember my mates fondly and sadly. Fondly because of all we experienced together and sadly because they are no longer here to remember with me. Just a thought for the day.

Image: http://www.mptv.org/pics/shows/i_remember/i_remember.jpg