OWS - I Love That You’re Doing Stuff

I love reading the posts about Occupy re-taking houses that were illegally foreclosed upon. I love hearing that Occupy helped prevent an illegal foreclosure.

I love that, despite all the setbacks and prohibitions rising up against it, the People’s Library is still going strong.

I love that people are sharing ideas to get their communities pointed in one direction against a common foe.

But, as I always tell myself [and others] when cleaning up a big mess - there’s always more.

The 1% stopped you from feeding and sheltering the homeless, but you can still feed them. You can still work together with them to take over foreclosed homes and use them for shelter.

You can still band together and shout, “Show me the mortgage!” in the yards of homes that are about to be foreclosed upon.

You can (probably) walk amiably up to Mayor Bloomburg’s(?) house and then whip out the castanets and start making noise.

You can hang out in the public areas of City Hall.

You could possibly file a complaint against the city while you’re there.

You can occupy the lobbies of every last evil corporation in your area and stay there until you’re seen by the people in charge. And always - remember to be polite and civil when voicing your grievances. Remember to point out that being evil is just sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Be logical and coherent. And if you’re afraid you’re not either, hand them a copy of How and Economy Grows and Why it Crashes with a sincere, “You really need to read this book. It’s important. Your life and livelihood depends on it.”

And if they agree with you - ask them what they’re doing to solve the problem. Ask them how they think it’s going to work. Share the results.

I love OWS. It’s doing something to solve the problem it sees. Even if it’s not enough, it’s better than the nothing that was being done previously.

When

When we can look at another and not see their skin
Or their gender
Or their tattoos
Or their piercings
Or their hairstyle
Or their personal preferences
Or their politics
Or their social status

When we can talk to another and not argue
But accept
That everyone has a point of view

When we can see a task that needs to be done
And roll up our sleeves
And pitch in
Regardless of our own status
And get something done

When we can understand the needs of another
And offer what help we can

When we can stand up for what is right
Regardless of how much
It is going to cost
Or how hard
It is to do
Or how long
It will take to accomplish

When we can stand united against a great wrong
And defeat it
Just by being its opposite

When we live by what we say
Because it is right
And the right thing
To be done

On that day
We will have peace.

–Catherine Allan [Me] 

Glop

This is a family recipe that can be traced back to MeMum [Hi!] who could not make tuna rissoles to save her life. After a very trying day, she just gave up and fried the entire mess and called it Tuna Glop.

I’ve changed things around a bit and created All Purpose Glop

You will need these tools:

1 mixing bowl
1 method of mixing
1 satisfyingly enormous frying pan
1 spatula or big spoon
1 handy heat source, like a cooktop

You will need these ingredients:

Any leftovers you happen to have hanging around that will go together
Some variety of carbohydrate [rice or mash is a favourite]
Some variety of binder [eggs are good, but if you know an egg replacement, let me know!]
Cooking oil
Vegetables, herbs, spices and/or sauces to taste

Method:

Break any proteins up into small pieces [same for larger veg]
Mix carbohydrates and binder in a bowl
Add proteins and vegetables
Mix in well
The goal consistency is thick cake batter, not bread dough. Add ingredients until you get there
Oil pan and heat it to medium heat
You have two options at this point - (1) Fry serving-sized patties/pancakes of the stuff or, (2) bung it all in and stir/flip bits until it’s all cooked

Whether you serve this as a side or on its own is entirely up to how long a day you’ve had.

Do occupy wall street protests represent your views economy?

They allow you to reload and re-vote.

Re-vote often. I think that’s how the right wing has their view in the lead.

I love the personification of Corruption in this cartoon. It says it all.

(Source: shakeafist)

Please sign! It's still important.

The world - especially the Fox-News-ignorant world - needs to see that military grade pepper spray is not as harmless as this brainless bint would have you believe.

A Poem - not mine.

Australia

When the shearing sheds are silent and the stock camps fallen quiet

When the gidgee coals no longer glow across the outback night

And the bush is forced to hang a sign, ‘Gone broke and won’t be back’

And spirits fear to find a way beyond the beaten track


When harvesters stand derelict upon the wind swept plains

And brave hearts pin their hopes no more on chance of loving rains

When a  hundred outback settlements are ghost towns overnight

When we’ve lost the drive and heart we had to once more see us right


When 'Pioneer’ means a stereo  and 'Digger’ some backhoe

And the  'Outback’ is behind the house. there’s nowhere else to go

And 'Anzac’ is a biscuit brand and probably foreign owned

And education really means brainwashed and neatly cloned


When you have to bake a loaf of bread to make a decent crust

And our heritage once enshrined in gold is crumbling to dust

And old folk pay their camping fees on land for which they fought

And fishing is a great escape; this is until you’re caught


When you see our kids with Yankee caps and resentment in their eyes

And the soaring crime and hopeless hearts are no longer a surprise

When the  name of RM Williams is a yuppie clothing brand

Not a product of our heritage that grew off the land


When offering a  hand makes people think you’ll amputate

And two dogs meeting in the  street is what you call a 'Mate’

When 'Political Correctness’ has replaced all common sense

When you’re forced to see it their way, there’s no sitting on the fence


Yes one day you might find yourself an outcast in this land

Perhaps your heart will tell you then, 'I should have made a stand’

Just go and ask the farmers that should remove all doubt

Then join the swelling ranks who say, “Don’t Sell Australia Out!” 
 

Author unknown

F*king Cashmas Carols

I usually refer to the Great Christmas Shopping Push from October to December as “Cashmas”. It isn’t the slightest bit about celebrating the holiday season, it’s about getting your money.

Buy a tree. Buy decorations. Spend a fortune on rellos you hardly ever see because it’s that time of year and you have to show them you care and why not use that credit card until it smokes?

Yeah. How about fuck off?

I have rellos who are hard to shop for at the best of times. Thanks to obstreperous neighbours, this is not one of those times. I almost have zero money [MeMum bailed me out and I insist on only spending that cash on needs, not wants] and difficult rellos.

My usual yuletide fallback of gingerbreads for everyone, or Molasses cake-bikkies, has fallen over because sugar’s on a whole bunch of folks’ verboten food lists. Sigh.

So the one high point of my current fix is that I haven’t been going to the shops a lot. Why is this a high point?

Cashmas Carols.

From October until January, all you hear is twenty-seven squillion versions of every last Christmas song there is. Some of them are nice enough, but most of them just make my blood boil.

One year, I was trapped in the zombie shopping herd and subjected to hours of every last rendition of The Little Drummer Boy. To this day, even one phrase of it will make me twitch.

Another year, they insisted on every last Christmas Song For Charity. In a row. Feed the World was right next to a song for the kiddies whose Christmas got wrecked by a cyclone in Darwin. When I was FIVE.

In yet another year, I was tortured by every last rendition of Winter Wonderland. This in a country where the summer heat sucks the soul out of you in less than a second, should one dare to step outside of the AC.

This year, in so far as I can tell, it’s Reggae Christmas Hits mixed with the world’s most annoying and whiny singers warbling atonally up and down the scales at every last opportunity and a few that didn’t exist before.

All I Want For Christmas is You is not a dirge, people!

Cashmas shits me off.

I do my utmost not to support it.

And every year, they make it so easy to do so.