vox populi

There is a strange dichotomy between the revolt raging in the Middle East and in the protests in the former powerhouses of agriculture and industry in the US. The organization and hierarchy of needs are of course substantively different, but there is precious little that separates the movements--maybe an empty shaft or the ventilation causeways that have become a plot-device in all sorts of capers, and the two are like service-elevators, parallel, and on the descent, on the ascent. Illusory, desultory freedoms are a fair diversion, and could be so much more meaningful, but count for little to a citizenry and government in hock to a few corporate magnates that have turned welfare and gainful employment to a Ponzi scheme of incubating funds until the whole game collapses. Those struggling for their basic rights should not have such a grasping avarice to look forward to after facing such challenges. Solidarity is profound for both movements, but there are comparable, though one decidedly more insidious, propaganda machines that try to turn support and opinion.

There's the daffy, convoluted censorship of some of these nervous dictatorships and the more innocent seeming sting of debate that the US is pushing: instead of all workers fighting for the same benefits as those in the civil sector or investigating for themselves the possible motivations and maneuvers behind the debate. Undermining the those traditional totems of partisan powers, union reciprocation the liberal parties, may be more politically expedient--inciting division, rather than discussing concessions and compromise.

Though in a supposedly civil and advanced society, it is difficult to see beyond the greed of the game, but insuring that there is no choice in future leadership--and work and mobility are likewise constrained--and power is more and more concentrated in the few.

International Workers of the World commissioned artist Eric Drooker to design them this terrific poster for what's surely to come if dialogue cannot be encouraged.  The choice of mascot makes quite a statement--reminescent of that 9-volt battery cat or Le Chat Noir.

ersatz or informed consent

Last week, the local featured a brief article on the practice--seemingly more the custom rather than the breach, of German physicians to prescribe placebos (from the Latin for I shall please) to treat a narrow range of ailments rather than genuine medications. Just as treatment and healing can be spurred by the belief and trust of the patient in the sugar-pill can have subtle, complex and powerful results, the debate that this disclosure raises is equally complex.

German physicians, rather than being pressured by the insurance and pharmaceutical industry, as such a widespread practice is litigiously contentious and would never be condoned by the business, and have better intentions when it comes to deception for medical intervention. Some patients certainly demand drugs and treatment, and I imagine doctors sometimes have little choice but to placate them, and if minor discomforts can be cured (by the patient's mind) without the risk of promoting over-conditioning where antibiotics are made ineffective by being prescribed too freely or of side effects (Nebenwirkung), which are less culturally tolerated than in over-the-counter societies. It is, however, a bit dangerous to sow distrust, as the distinction between real and trick medicine becomes blurred, and any pharmaceutical's efficacy could be compromised by lack of faith.  The strength of medicine is in large part lent.  Doctors are not infallible and there's a lot of guesswork and intuition involved, but insisting on treatment against solicited advice is ignoring the physician's years of training and experience. Contemporary medical practice could be seen as snake oil and quackery by future generations. There was never a control-group for leech-mongering. As long as the patient is not endangered, and the physician must not only know what medicine to prescribe or not prescribe but also must have the skill to foster a relationship with the patient, which is unmatched by just dispensing what's fashionable, I would not suspect one to feel deceived but rather honoured that the doctor could help the patient heal himself.

parsley thief

Gourmand and recipe blog Food 52 (via Huffington Post) shares an array of dishes with sophisticated taste yet very simple to prepare, provided one can overcome the dual hitches of unfamiliarity and cooking languor. Recipe searches that can round-up, given a list of ingredients at hand, dinner ideas are clever things and sometimes motivational, but perhaps without an assigned challenge, one is too quick to fall back into old habits. I like how this one site takes the extra step, to ensure excuses are at a premium, of listing substitute items--acceptable alternatives instead of just shopping to the recipe.

Maybe the more obvious draw-back--hitch, however, is that these meals are poised to promote the vegetarian agenda--at least that's what the take-away is. Food is political and politicized enough without the appeal to meatless Mondays, which to many sounds like a dire austerity, an anachronistic sacrifice, and not like the invitation it really is to take smaller steps. Despite whatever flurry and preponderance of facts about sustainability is heard or ignored and whatever the individual's belief and convictions, attitudes and not the means, like so much genetically modified cropstuffs, climate change or fields of grain diverted as fuel-filler, should be what's weaponized. Quinoa will always seem a bit exotic and inaccessible, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but experimentation won't be broached with something on such a short and divisive fuse. Cuisine should not be ceded to the apothecary or potentate--or vice-versa. The art and activity of cooking is an achievement, regardless of one's talents and propensities, and expression but should not be mobbed with opinion and vitriol. There are a good deal of recipes that can reflect one's stance and conduct, without alienating the conscience and scruples of others, just by what's omitted. Menu reduction and replacement might also be interesting food experiment.

sunday drive: fantasery

After managing to revive the Bulli from her Winter’s hibernation without much effort or hardship, we took her for a calisthenics drive through the woods and over the mountains to the fair city of Fulda. We had explored the historic part of town with its impressive abbey transformed into a basilica as a reliquary for the remains of Saint Boniface, apostle and patron of the Germans and founding archbishop of Mainz, which was constructed as a tribute to the original St. Peter’s in Rome (not the one today at the Vatican), and baroque adornments, so we also visited the abbot’s Propstei (Provostship) at Johannesberg.

The steeples and towers rising up from the start of the Hessen Alleenstraße (manicured, tree-lined lanes) was quite something but the complex of buildings, though well preserved with the chapel still there, was converted to more of a office-park, with an information-technology company and a realtor there. Next we stopped at the Schloss Fasanerie (DE)—as in pheasant-hunting, although I insisted on mispronouncing it “fantasery,” as in some place fantastic.

This was an absolutely massive but typical German weekend hunting retreat. The façade of the main building of the lodge was undergoing restoration but it was neat to be able to stroll down the long, continuous corridor through the endless scullery, lager, weems and stables. For its size, it seemed a model of efficiency and industry for entertaining, and I was impressed with the bath for the horses after a long day of pursuit.

jet jaguar

‘Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.’ One of the very fine things that the democratization of the internet has spurred is that there is no limiting factor to subtlety in jokes and references. There is no pandering to mass appeal.  Only a few true fans need appreciate the allusion and there’s a venue and vehicle for insider merchandise, apparel and poster art especially. Threadless is a fantastic community of designers whose fashion is peer-reviewed and continuously revived by popular demand.

I was late discovering it, but Last Exit to Nowhere out of the UK specializes in the fictional corporate and souvenir merchandise mostly from classic sci-fi and horror films, producing memorabilia--though the source may not be initially apparent, that cannot be ignored even if one tries--as genius as vintage bowling league or obscure work shirts. The equally archetypal Mystery Science Theater 3000, I think, also operated on the principle that if one other viewer got the joke that was more than enough.

rehoboham, imperial, methuselah, mordechai, salmanazar, balthazar, melchior, nebuchadnezzar

By no means do I consider myself a connoisseur---though it is rather strange how most people over-estimate their abilities when it comes to common feats, like driving: most people estimate themselves as better than average, but are rather self-effacing when it comes to the usual or not-everyday sort of thing, like juggling, where even a mediocre or self-described bad juggler is better than most--but wine is a little vacation for the palate.  We have a lot of fun trying new vintages, and I have acquired some favoured varieties: Spanish Tempranillo, South African Pinotage, Austrian Blauer Zweigelt, French Muscat and a lot of regional rich destinations.  Though maybe my standards and discrimination are somewhat compromised, I find it a challenge not to find a bad, cheap wine but to find a decent one priced above that catagory.
Recently our neighbour clued us in on a trade secret, mentioning that a discount supermarket chain (this store is inconvenient and across town) carries an astonishingly and incongruously good selection of wines at a low price.  I wonder what buyer they have in retainer to orchestrate this coup.  Not ascribing to the by-laws of the Institute of Wine Drinkery, they carry a consistent selection of award-winning wines, the sort that let someone with not so refined taste get a fleeting taste of what's meant by all the protocols (burgundy and white wine glasses, letting it breath, temperature), acolades and descriptors.  The title, by the way, refers to overs-sized measures of wine, bottles with a volume of 4,5 litres on up.

bulli for you

After the successful launch of the reinvented Beetle (albeit more than a decade earlier but Fahrvergnügen takes time), Volkswagen has decided to reintroduce its Microbus, the Bulli, to new generation of drivers and nostalgic adventurers.

The design looks very flashy and I am sure a good work of engineering--however, I think this new model is no comparison with our classic: where is the VIP lounge, the little kitchen with cook top, refrigerator and sink? I am sure everything is sleek, clever and modular--but where is the place to sleep and stretch out? I don't think camping could be as much fun and would be more like just parking, adverse to getting this car too dirty. Also, there is the matter of all those dials and electronics and I am sure that this modern car couldn't be overhauled on the side of the Autobahn with a hammer, spanner and syringe, like our 1984 version, and without computerized diagnostic equipment. Plus, the face and eyes on the new model are a bit harsh and severe, more like a Decepticon's rather than your friendly neighbourhood Autobot's.

Still, I think this is a good thing to promote exploration and freedom and maybe recapture something genuine from that time. Personally, I can't wait for the Spring, when we can tinker with ours and take it out on the road again.

verbraucherschutz

 Everyone is a comedian. I am not sure if the authorities at the US Consumer Products Safety Commission are as well or if I just have an imaginative departure from the agreed-upon standard grasp of the language. We are kept too safe, I think, and who couldn't foresee some risk inherent in a Johnny-Jump-Up or a bucket seat to take one's baby for a run, but I think reading the bullet-briefs without going into the explanation is much more scary and treacherous.

Just after Christmas there was a recall notice on certain mittens due to strangulation hazard (that's a popular theme) and I envisioned some demonic possession that caused the wearer to channel some murderous spirit, but it turned out the seasonal appliqué work could come loose and someone might choke on them.

Caveat emptor--who would have thought that Tommy Bahama travel candles are a safe and viable product? Their advocacy, especially revealing hidden dangers and shoddy workmanship, is a welcome and necessary thing, even though many warning should come as little surprise.  Maybe the Consumer Safety Commission should have tried an iconic mascot. Most people that grew up with such characters as Woodsy Owl and Smokey Bear--or even Mister ZIP and Reddy-Kilowatt--would be too embarrassed to make a foolish mistake in their presence. A safety mascot might have dissuaded some of these items ever being brought to store shelves to begin with, shoppers instilled with a little more common sense.