Charlie Hebdo Attack: Dogma and Divisions

I don't hate the Charlie Hebdo attack because people were murdered, which is a tragedy.  I also don't hate the Charlie Hebdo attack because it was perpetrated by "radical Muslim terrorists."  Rather, I hate the Charlie Hebdo attack because the division it creates between me and those who either cannot comprehend or are intolerant of my disbelief of accepted dogma.  This is what has been created by media crisis events - accepted dogma.  And if you don't accept the dogma, you're alone.  There's the dogma and there's the conspiracy theory - and I happen to be one of the people unconvinced by the immediate dogmas conjured up by the machinations of man.

Call me what you will, but there's a precedent of lies and false flag events that are constantly paraded around as definite history.  When the onion is peeled, though, layer after layer reveal a different story than the one told by it's husk.  At the core, all these events are somehow rotten.  Indeed, the real reason I hate the Charlie Hebdo attack is the divisions it creates between those who are satisfied with the patent, digestible scenarios portrayed as utter truth and those who look beyond the prima facie explanation.  Why the intolerance?  Why the outrage?  Blasphemy, that's why.  We've made something God on this earth, and it's not the truth and it's not justice.

I don't have to allude to facts and examples to prove any reason why I distrust what I'm offered as incontrovertible truth.  In fact, that, I believe that is the task of those who challenge the naysayers.  In common conversation, I do not want to undertake the task of challenging your dogmatic worldview - there simply isn't enough time in the day and I have other things to do.  If you want to understand anything, look it up for yourself.  But if you're barking up the wrong tree, it's ultimately not my responsibility to stop you.  I'm getting my food elsewhere, I guess.  But, regardless, if you insist, a police commissioner suiciding himself in his office and a brilliant ID drop in the car by one of the assassins is enough to raise questions about the veracity of the whole event.  Forget all the internet people analyzing the onslaught of other discrepancies - an investigator's death in this situation easily raises red flags.

It's a monumental task to dissect a media event consisting of outright propaganda and distortions.  Like every other manufactured crisis event that is fobbed upon us, divisions dot the social interactions of people at odds with each other over a personal battle they cannot lose.  This shit is real, we all think.  Nobody wants to lose an inch, and its easier to keep it that way.  But do we really know anything?  Maybe the astute researchers do, the government and private employees given access to deep classified information, maybe the sleuths.

But for me, all it takes is my history of challenging dogmas to initiate people's defenses from these crisis events.  I don't even have to be made very aware of any crisis event anymore before I'm attacked by the dogmatics who have been given their truths.  At this point, it's hard to figure out how to diffuse these situations when they are constantly triggered by events far afield and under no control of mine.  In a sense, it's between me and people right next to me more than anything else.  It's just a fact of existence that the crisis event managers are going to go about fucking everything up around me.  Including my relationships, including my friendships, including the fabrics of my basic community.  Then my days become long with blowhards and bloviators, and my nights long with dalliances and escapism.  Nothing towards anything, but at least I'm not standing still.  Someday, I'll be seen as someone who I actually am rather than someone somebody thinks I might be.

GMO's in the USA: Box Food, Science Snacks, and the Monsanto Bots

There's a strain of thought in the food world that GMO's are fine, the science is good, and you have no real education on the matter if you protest their benefits.  Then there's another strain that believes they are questionable at best, dangerous at worst, and are only the baby of corporations like Monsanto.  I fall on the side of avoiding them, but this habit apparently requires an encyclopedic memory and a biology degree.  You basically have to be a granola to not eat GMO's.  If it comes in a box, you probably should not eat it.  Box food is all the rage, if you think about it.  It's a logistical luxury and signifies the successes of man, but also gets to the root of the food problem - the abstract nature of food production and the supply chain.  GMO's are taking us way down the rabbit hole, so that we can tinker our way into heaven instead of being properly let in when the door opens.  Open sesame is what GMO's and box food is all about.  There's a bit of je ne sais quoi when you get into box food - feels good for some odd reason, almost exciting.  Could it be our collective ascent to becoming a race of Monsanto bots, happily saturated with GMO's?  Or is it the joy we experience that the next step in our evolution as humans is arriving with each science snack we experiment?  Whatever's going on, Monsanto sure doesn't want anything to upset their apple cart, and we all know what happens when Monsanto bots don't get a square deal on their apple drink.

Just recently, Nassim Taleb published a paper, "The Precautionary Principle (with Application to the Genetic Modification of Organisms)," in which he advocates avoiding GMO's based on its potential level of harm to crops and human health, which basically entails everything.  GMO's present a systemic risk, the variables of which are still both uncertain and unidentified.  In clear terms, Taleb states, "[a] rational consumer should say: We do not wish to pay—or have our descendants pay—for errors made by executives of Monsanto, who are financially incentivized to focus on quarterly profits rather than long term global impacts."  Makes sense to me, but this sort of common sense is long gone for the hungry masses.  They've been drinking the kool-aid for so long they've gone blind.

Take Proposition 37's defeat in California back in 2012 for example.  You had two sides fervently lobbying against each other, except the side that won hand over fist outspent the granolas.  The granolas just don't have the cash to go up against the gasoline pushers.  Monsanto alone, the largest source of financing against the proposition, contributed $8.1 million to its defeat, which is more than four times the amount of money contributed by the proposition's largest supporter, Mercola Health Resources.  It's no secret Monsanto makes large sums of money off their GMO corn strain and Roundup combo pack.  Labeling products with Monsanto packages in them just offers people the choice to either join in and be part of the gang or just be ho-hum on the sidelines.  What's so bad about that?  Let people make their own friends, right?

Then there are the people who have already consumed enough Monsanto gadgets to be considered owned by them - the ones strolling through grocery stores in pajamas, carts piled high with box food, soda, and other  high-tech science snacks.  Lots of technology goes into these people, yet you rarely see them forming words or emotions other than grunts and gasps.  Saturate yourself with GMO's and you're no longer considered human.  Instead, you're a thoroughbred Monsanto bot, living off the golden nuggets that fall from Mr. Keeblers treehouse and Pillsbury Doughboy's fat rolls.  You're something no one has ever been before, and that comes with a big old badge of courage.  They might be right when they say we're at the dawn of a new age.

If the gasoline pushers and their minions didn't have to run roughshod over everything, maybe the whole GMO thing wouldn't be a big deal.  Maybe it would be something we could work out nicely.  But they have to keep inserting their biotech into everyone's uncle and it's getting stale.  Why are GMO's being gleefully spewed everywhere?  Why are we incentivizing the the establishment of a new race of Monsanto people?  Shouldn't there be a way to stop this?  Oh, that's right, there isn't because Monsanto also owns the FDA.  Nevermind everything.  

We've almost tinkered ourselves to heaven, so let's just savor our wonderful assortment of snacks until we get there.  I leave you with a parting thought:  Ciao.  From the Italian word, schiavo, it means '(I am your) slave.  Bite by bite we are becoming slaves to something invisible, but there we are.  Ciao.

Bernie Sanders: Not Down With T.P.P.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Naughty By Nature have teamed up to revamp the classic "Down With O.P.P." to a slightly different tune:  "Not Down with T.P.P."  Sanders will be emceeing his way to the White House with a brand of in your face, told you so outrage.  Ok, not for real, but the specter of Bernie Sanders manning the mic is something the world could benefit from right about now.  The corporations, with cheerleading from Obama, want to shove the Trans Pacific Partnership down the world's collective throat and maybe the old hairy eyeball from Sanders is what its going to take to nail some shirts to the wall.

Sanders is considering a run for the White House.  He needs to be part of the debates somewhere.  The pols are trying to dish a Clinton/Bush election on the country, and somehow there are still people who think either of these people would be good choices.  Imagine a set of debates with only the inside political class.  What mindwashing madness.  Or how about imagining a Rand Paul/Bernie Sanders election.  Or a Paul/Sanders Republican ticket.  Something to think about.

Sanders recently released a statement on the Trans Pacific Partnership, which he condemns as the worst trade agreement imaginable, unless you are a major MNC carving out your niche in the cadaver of the global economy:  "The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world."

The TPP is being pushed as de facto, going to happen, don't stick your foot in the mud by it's proponents.  A debate is needed, however, about the wisdom of entering into this agreement at all - regardless of the talking points over boosting GDP's and incomes.  These agreements do nothing but subjugate huge numbers of people, transfer jobs abroad, lower protections, and generally disempower people as a whole in the face of corporate dominance and control.  What is at stake is no less than another fundamental change, in a worse direction, to the world economy, one that will like a wrecking ball swing through the current system and be followed with a mafia development in its place.  The truth needs to be addressed, and Bernie Sanders is outspoken enough to get that message across.  Eyes on the Senator from Vermont.

Philip Glass - Metamorphosis

Pushing CHUSTIA: The China US Trade and Investment Agreement

Sean Miner doesn't reveal the name of the trade agreement he's suggesting the U.S. pursues with China, but it's name is CHUSTIA - The Comprehensive Bilateral China-US Trade and Investment Agreement.  You can learn all about it here, straight from the horse's mouth, in a presentation given by C. Fred Bergsten and Gary Clyde Hufbauer, coauthors with Sean Miner of the book, "Bridging the Pacific: Toward Free Trade and Investment Between China and the United States."

Bergsten mentions that job losses would be something like 150,00 per year for ten years in the United States, which he says will then be balanced by job growth in the industries with increased exports to China, most notably those in the services sector.  They refer to the job phenomenon as an "involuntary separation," but offer as a silver lining in their slideshow the fact that, "National economic benefits will reach $1.25 million in 2025 annually for each involuntarily separated worker."

The Peterson Institute for International Economics has a veritable roster of heavy hitting corporations, foundations, governmental types, and titans of finance and industry backing its research.  This is where real policy is created, Congress isn't even around half the time to pass this kind of legislation.  I mean, look at the TransPacific Partnership.  They want to give the Congress twenty hours to read the thing over before signing it.  Major international trade agreement - twenty hours.  And something like no revisions thrown into the deal, too.  Not to mention, there have been something like 800 special clearances granted for corporate and official access to reading the agreement.  But definitely not the Congress.  Why would you ever let the Congress read such an enormous trade deal like that?

Perhaps Bergsten and company envision one way the US might double its exports to China by 2025 is  by ramping up agricultural exports.  James Wolfensohn, ex-head of the World Bank was talking about this years ago, but his version of exports was allowing Chinese companies to start running large-scale agricultural operations in the U.S.

Like any of these broad trade deals, details and specifics are a must to understand what's being pushed and why.  Where are these trade negotiations removing Chinese barriers and why?  What U.S. economic sectors will experience the "involuntary displacement" Bergsten refers to and why?  Who, specifically, has earmarked funds for this research?  I'm sure some of these answers and more can be found here in the book.

CAN on T.V.

Experimental krautrock band from 1970's Deutschland, CAN, sharing a few observations of television and how much it sucks.  Enjoy.

 

9/11 Conspiracy Solved: Names, Connections, & Details Exposed!

 

(h/t AlienScientist on Youtube)

Biosphere - Sendai-1

Interesting note about this album, according to the Pitchfork review, "In early February, Biosphere's Geir Jenssen made an album inspired by the architecture and potential instability of Japan's nuclear power plants."  The Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred only one month later in March of 2011.  

Max Richter - Last Days

Papercuts - The Void

Yann Tiersen @ Irving Plaza April 27, 2012

Saw Yann Tiersen last night at Irving Plaza in New York.  Based on my limited familiarity with his Goodbye Lenin soundtrack, I saw that he would be in the city for a show last night, so I made a point of going.  Being a musician and student of many different musical styles, it was great to see the synergy and brilliance of his full band compositions.  I didn't know whether it was going to be a solo act or a full show, so Wednesday night I Youtubed his live footage from 2012 and found the following video.  Needless to say, the music is deep, visceral and cerebral, and moving.  Excellent to see talent and creativity like this, versatile and expressive of the breadth of experience and emotion.  Great show, happy that I found his music and didn't miss seeing it live.  Check out the video below, and delve in his catalogue further.  New ablum Skyline released on ANTI- records this month (released last year in Europe).

Yann Tiersen - Summer 78, From the Goodbye Lenin! Soundtrack

Round of Applause for the Globalizers, Iran and Syria Sabre-Rattling, Dr. Graeme MacQueen's "The Fictional Basis for the War on Terror"

(note:  reading and watching the following should involve using one's prefrontal cortex)

Just wanted to take a moment to put my hands together and give the globalizers of the world a round of applause.  They have succeeded in their purpose to initiate unending repression and misery.  Let's give these fucks a round of applause.  And then, now, let's work to dismantle the repression, the misery  This is a process which involves acquainting yourself with difficult and complex ideas that will challenge preconceived notions.  I hope we are suited to deal with it.

Let's reflect on little reported facts, thought.  There's no telling how deep the rabbit hole goes, but the Pentagon has been planning to initiate regime change throughout Middle East since at least 9/11.  For the uninitiated, Iran and Syria have always been part of this plan.  Here's General Wesley Clark making it clear this has been the plan since day one, whenever that might have (truly) been:

 

It's troubling, right?  Hopefully this information isn't new.  But, you also could just be shutting out this information and rationalizing it somehow.  This will not work, in the end.

9/11 is the coup.  This fact cannot be dealt with any other way.  The stench permeates throughout several governments (U.S., Saudi Arabia, Israel, Pakistan) and government agencies, the mainstream media, and among many investors (record United Airlines put options pre-9/11).  Please watch below Dr. Graeme MacQueen's presentation at Harvard on "The Fictional Basis for the War on Terror":

I write about these things because they are of grave importance.  I hope people will wake up to these facts and also that the information culture will improve soon, because the alternative has dire implications. 

Deepak Chopra on Leading @Google, Observations

I have noted the failure of leadership in this country.  I have pointed to propagandized institutions and culture.  I have indicated that we live in a post-modern dystopia.  The question has been, what do we do about this?  Deepak Chopra offers his perspective on how power resides in individuals to "be the change they want to see in the world," and he touches on many other subjects like biological evolution, leadership qualities, consciousness, and universal characteristics of life in this field of existence.  Good questions asked by Google employees, too.  It's a given that Google employees are smart, but it's reassuring to see that first question relates to the failure of leadership in this country.

Let's take stock of 2012.  Over 7 billion people on the planet, and growing.  This has dramatically changed the dynamics of both society and ecology and will continue to do so.  The challenge we are experiencing is reconciling the polluting, repressive, failed neoliberal model with a more inclusive and sustainable system.  This begins with individuals, but we can't do it alone, first of all, and we also need to learn, listen, and talk with one another about how we have to go about this.  If it seems like we are living in a post-modern dystopia, let's do something about it, yes?  Divisions are one thing, but it's the acceptance of these divisions to prevent unity that is a personal choice.  In 2012, we are realizing that the assumptions we have made about the world are only that, assumptions, and there is absolutely no guarantee they are true.  Like Dr. Chopra says in his presentation, the human body is based on processes rather than functions.  So it is with life, that process trumps function, which is why we are collectively confirming the fact that meaningful work takes priority over neoserfdom, why organic is better than conventional, and why we need to go out and "play", like Deepak suggests is fundamental to human development.  Watch the video below for the entire presentation.

Andrew Breitbart Dies: Natural or Unnatural Causes?

The question of whether Andrew Breitbart has died of natural or unnatural causes gets to the heart of the current media climate.  Many people scoff at the mere idea that he might have been killed, but this mentality just comes across as being close-minded and willfully ignorant.  Politically motivated assassinations are a fact of history, yet it seems we suffer from a historical amnesia today, choosing to believe that things are different now, there are no secrets, everyone is always trying to tell the truth.  Things are not different, though.  Breitbart may well have been murdered, even though I cannot say and am not taking a judgment.  However, I am open to the fact that this may be the case.  Immediately, however, I become a conspiracy theorist in today's climate of hyper-sensitized, uber-PCness.  In any death like this, autopsies, medical examinations, and, perhaps, investigations yield the results, not immediate press releases or media corporations.  It is a forfeiture of one's intellect and reason to dismiss the distasteful notion of suspicious activity.  But, this is the environment we operate in today.  Maybe it's because such views threaten one's ability to continue operating in whatever work environment they find themselves in.  Maybe people avoid discussing and exploring unpleasant truths because the personal troubles it causes.  Obviously, there are psychological walls being constructed.  Let's take those walls down.