Onward, Vegan Soldiers

I hear the #occupiers in Niagara Square have released a request for food donations.  Among the items they “desperately need” (their words, not mine) are “fresh tomatoes” and other assorted bourgeois white-people food, most notably Veggieburgers.  As crunchy as the Square’s new residents appear to be, they know absolutely nothing about the Earth they inhabit, and they are embarrassing themselves and everyone around them.  This post, for what it’s worth, is primarily directed to the #occupiers; I believe they have a “media tent” wherein they can access The Intertubes, so they may, in fact, actually hear what I have to say.  I could present the following at a weekly General Assembly, but this way is much easier, since I will neither have to deal with The Consensus Model™ nor my words being repeated (my words being repeated) two or three times (two or three times) so that those in the back can hear (so that those in the back can hear).  I’ve been in theater productions, I can project just fine without the crowd helping me along.  Let’s begin, then!

KBUF-ESIDE

REPORT
00h44 EDT 2011-10-19
Rolling thunder, probably cloud-to-cloud or intracloud, couple crackles.  Bands of rain.  Likely lake-effect.
Radar shows cluster of five large storms crossing WNY area @ 40-50 mph.
Exercise caution if reading this blog via RSS on your mobile, while driving.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese of the Gods

For the strength to defeat your enemies, begin with bacon.

Specifically, fry up two slices of thick-cut bacon in a big cast-iron frying pan[FN1]. When they’re done, put them aside and turn down the heat as low as it’ll go.

While the bacon is cooking, in a smaller non-stick pan, fry an egg to your liking in olive oil. When the egg is done, cut the heat and put the egg aside with the bacon. Then pour the eggy olive oil into the cast-iron pan. Don’t worry, it won’t spatter; hot oil + hot oil is safe, unlike hot oil + water, which will really f*ck up your day.

Alternatively, you can also fry the egg in the bacon grease if you’d prefer not to have to clean two pans.

Anyway, now you’ve got a fried egg, two cooked strips of bacon, and a whole lotta grease. What shall be done with the latter? That’s the clever part. Take two slices of bread and place them into the frying pan. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Move the bread around so it soaks up the melted oil. Then place slices of cheese on one of the pieces of bread. When the cheese starts to melt, put the egg and bacon on top of it, followed by another slice of cheese, followed by the other piece of bread. If you’re particularly skilled with a spatula, you can flip the sandwich to evenly melt the cheese and seal in the bacony, eggy goodness. (I am not this skilled.)

Enjoy, but slowly; when such immense power is concentrated in such a small space, our human digestive systems will have trouble handling it.

———-

[FN1] A well-seasoned cast-iron frying pan is an indispensable part of any kitchen. You can cook practically anything in it, and as it builds up seasoning, it will never rust. They’re practically indestructible, and won’t give you Alzheimer’s like aluminum cookware will.

Popular Sovereignty

The Declaration of Independence teaches us that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. Thus, a government that operates without any meaningful consent of the governed is not a legitimate one, regardless of what form it takes. It could be an absolute monarchy, a military junta, or a garden-variety corrupt banana republic in which the elections are just for show.

It could also be a nation where there is little, if any, actual difference between candidates of the two major parties; where the choice posed to the electorate is between a sociopath who lies, cheats, and steals, and a sociopath who lies, cheats, and steals slightly less, and the outcome is effectively determined by how much money is poured into the race, usually by large corporations to whom the candidates have pledged their fealty, rather than the people they claim to represent.

Homework: Assignment #1

Reading:

“Hollow States and a Crisis of Capitalism” by John Robb

“The Studen Loan Debt Abolition Movement in the United States” by George Caffentzis

“The Glass Bead Game” by John Michael Greer

Extra Credit:

Listen to “The Fall of the American Empire” by Dmitry Orlov

Why I pass on new rappers

Because they cannot compete with the old rappers. Don’t take that state- ment as the grumpy complaint of a fan of “true hip-hop” or “old school rap” who is just bitching about new rappers messing up the game. What I mean is that rappers are in constant competition akin to athletes in sport. Rappers battle each other, in person or on records. Rappers boast of being the King of New York, the King of the South, the Queen Bee, the guy with the biggest watch, the guy with the chick with the biggest butt- cheeks and so on. Rappers claim to be the Greatest Rapper of All Time (GOAT). Rappers compete.

One difference between athletes and rappers is that athletes can only truly be measured against their contemporaries. In basketball for example we know that Shaquille O’Neal was the greatest player in the world from about 2000-2004 by a pretty wide margin but despite having statistics and game footage it really is impossible to judge his abilities against those of Kareem Abdul Jabaar or Wilt Chamberlain.

Rappers, unlike athletes, can be compared across eras because we can sit down and play the best performances from each competitor and decide which rappers performance we like better. Rappers can also be compared to themselves over time in a way that does not make sense for athletes. Jay Z 1996 verses Jay Z in 2001 verses Jay Z 2007 is a fun debate. Those years coincide with the release of arguably his 3 greatest albums. The reason why it is possible to make these comparisons of rappers over a long period of time is that their performances are captured on record to be enjoyed forever. Now, back to competition.

Demands – Rob

In talking about the spreading Occupy protests yesterday, we at 26W wondered aloud about what our top five demands would be, were we the ones with the Occupy Wall Street bullhorn. I think it would be interesting if all of us here would articulate five demands that we have of the current system (the socio-politico-econo-cultural system that the protests are aimed at). To kick things off, here are mine in no particular order:

• Forgive all student debt
• End subsidies for unsustainable agriculture
• Cease all military actions overseas
• Institute a tax on all carbon emissions for every industry
• Close tax loopholes for corporations and their officers

Free Advice on How to be Happy

First, stop reading the newspaper, watching television, and reading on the internet.

Next, spend your time doing actual tasks and activities that require something of you beyond flitting your eyelids.

Surround yourself with good friends and family members and treat them well.

Don’t worry about things or other people because worrying does nothing.

Don’t take shit from anybody.

Eat pizza.

And finally, build a wood fired hot tub in the backyard to sit in with babes.

A Modest Proposal

All of this talk, both by Occupy Wall Street and by people mad about SUNY, of being betrayed by the system and institutions we have been conditioned to vest with our complete trust has got me thinking about what I think would actually be a good model for a public college. Here are some thoughts:

20 Years of Tuition Hikes

In the 1991-92 school year, in-state undergrad tuition at UB was $1,350, now it’s $5,270. That’s an average 7.95% hike a year for twenty years.

Grad school in-state tuition was $2,150, now it’s $8,870, for an average 8.2% hike every year for twenty years.

The med school at UB cost $5,550 in 1991. Now it costs $27,090.

UB Law in 1991-92 cost $3,150 a year. This year it costs $19,020, more than 6 times as much, with an average 9.75% tuition increase every year for twenty years.

How’s that for a “rational tuition plan”?

If you’re a UB student, chances are that you are the 99% as well. Walk out today at noon to let them know that you’re sick of being ripped off for the elite’s benefit.

Update (10/6/11):

People in my generation have had it hammered into our heads from as far back as we can remember that we MUST go to college in order to succeed. Every institution from the our parents and churches to Sesame Street to the White House to giant corporations have convinced people that, to have a fulfilling life, one must go to college by any means necessary. Take out loans, run up credit card debt, beg, borrow, or steal.

The result has been a watering down of the value of a college degree, skyrocketing tuition, and crushing debt, all while college administrators and the banksters lending the money get filthy rich.

Since I was accepted to UB Law School in 2009, tuition there has gone up 44%. There is no way that the class of 2012 has gotten a 44% better education than the class of 2009 (though in actuality, the number should be higher because the class of 2009 was subjected to tuition hikes during their time at the school as well). I wouldn’t mind paying more money for school if I realized some benefit from it. Instead the tuition hikes have amounted to nothing more or less than a tax on my generation for graft on the part of SUNY and UB administrators and for the malfeasance of the New York State government.