Doings Elsewhere

After my last words on the R.P. diversion, I took a long break from LRC. The only exceptions had been Butler Shaffer, and one of the columnists who focused on health issues; but, as the latter recently leveled “intellectual” property violation charges against some excerpts posted in my area at The Boondocks, I’ve stopped reading him. Then—silly me—I heeded the urgings of several people and started browsing the blog, primarily because Butler Shaffer posts there. However, after reading several posts like these, I’m done with the entire site. It’s one thing to encounter nationalistic, grossly oversimplified perspectives in political and media propaganda, but to find it permeating an allegedly pro-freedom web site is too much for me.

Over the years, several friends and Family members have encouraged me to read The Economist, ostensibly for the clear-headed and somewhat pro-market views. Yet every time I’ve browsed their site, I’ve come away disappointed. Not today.

Summer is in full bloom here on the prairie and with it, as every year, come back memories of my childhood almost always spent with either set of grandparents. They are my fondest memories from my childhood and interestingly they have something in common- a kind of freedom provided by the old and the wise in my family.

Not that the greenies have a monopoly on hubris—many humans seem to have the idea that what they have created, or what they value, must be preserved as is for all time. But environmentalists showcase the concept so very well, not only in their actions but in the fact that their most formidable opponent is often nature itself.

It was just a matter of time, what with all the data-mining possible, and the increasing commoditization of information. Still it is sad to see that banks—once staunch defenders of privacy—have sold their souls for a few bits of coin.

There’s been a lot of commentary over the USSA’s fall into blackness in the 2007 International Privacy Ranking, and rightly so. But when I look at their map, I see something far worse.

I really don’t have much to say beyond that. I have tried, numerous times over the past two days, to try to write something about the situation in Georgia and my thoughts and feelings in response to it. But I am in no way an expert on the geopolitical situation there, and my overarching concern is for the wonderful people we met while there. Doubtless some of them have been involved in the protests, as most made their dislike of Saakashvili clear. I have not seen any familiar faces in the numerous photographs I’ve studied ... so far.

I wish I could help them somehow. But I don’t know that I can. So I watch and hope, with my heart frozen to my ribs, and try to tend to the things I can do here.

მშვიდობა

You are a pirate

and talk like a pirate day comes tomorrow.

Still a small bit of time away, until then you might check out my latest movie review at Endervidualism, which also gets linked from my latest Ender's Review.

If you do, the first bit of information is now online. Mama Liberty published my essay titled Fanning the Flames of Freedom Abroad at The Price of Liberty today. As it’s a fairly detached and focused accounting, I will be filling it out with more personal observations served up here.

If I survive the tomatoes, that is. Every time I go outside, I seem to see more ripe ones beckon- taunting me. Today’s canning adventure is vegetable juice cocktail (or hobbit blood, as the snolfs call it) ... and back to it I go!

While searching for some information on Russian cuisine, I got sidetracked by a snippet of comment quoted in the sidebar. Following the link, I was taken to a transcript of one session of interviews with Russian people, wherein individuals can send questions to be asked of Russians (it’s unclear how respondents are selected). Some of the questions are silly, but sometimes they’re quite thoughtful—similarly with the answers. If interested, you’ll need to scroll down that page to see the Q&A I’m quoting:

Question: "now [sic] that you know the advantages and disadvantages of each sistem [sic] would you like to return to the socialist regime?"

A. Socialism? No, God keep me away from it. Bad capitalism is much better that [sic] good socialism!

At a guess, I’d expect that many Americans would say it’s obvious that bad capitalism is better than good socialism, but I’d also venture that most of us have really only seen the “bad capitalism” side. It’s what we have in the USSA now, and probably have had for decades, at least. What else can one call it when businesses can be weighted down (to name just a few stones) by subsidies, import/export duties, licensing and related regulatory follies, judiciary favoritism, and zoning and anti-discrimination laws?

I can’t claim to have seen “good socialism” either, but I’ll trust her word on the subject, and hope never to be subjected to more socialism than I already am. That said, I’ll provide something of a tease regarding my adventures: Your slitherin’ Snake, when tempted with an opportunity of a lifetime, swallowed it up; it involved getting a travel permission slip and visiting a few former Soviet states. Seeing its scars on the lands, and talking with some individuals, moved me deeply, and changed me. I’m still trying to sort it all out, actually; but I do hope to write something of a report on the primary mission of the adventure today. More personal observations—including pood!—will follow in this space.

That’s what ABC News is reporting, in O, Canada! More Americans Heading North; the subheading states that the number of Americans moving to Canada hit a 30-year high last year. And—absolutely no offense intended to any Canadians in the audience—I’m wondering why.

After some interesting and unintentionally exciting travels, we’ve arrived at another of our destinations. Never having been here before, and not being sure of our accommodations, I tried to be prepared for anything between First World and Third World conditions. That turned out to be rather wise.

Hi! Not much time here, but while I have access, I thought I’d share a few observations based largely on our adventures thus far.

I haven’t taken a blow to the head and embraced socialism or anything like that. But Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez have earned some thanks from freedom-loving individuals.

A King’s Cross platform 9 3/4 exists!



Cropped image from the King’s Cross Wikipedia entry.