Conservatism in power. The UK example.

Sang Tan - AP

When Americans talk about British politics there is one refrain I hear again and again, "The Conservative Party is like the Republican Party, but more liberal, like how Democratic Party acts." I hear that a lot. And it is amusing, as it sticks it, in some way, to Republicans about how far to the right they've gone.

The trouble is, it isn't the best representation of what's happening in the United Kingdom. Under the modern Conservative Party, lead by David Cameron, they've continued many of the agenda bullet points of the old Thatcher era.

The main one I want to bring up is the old term, privatization. (Yes, I know, the British spell it differently.) Privatization has continued to be a part of the Conservative agenda for the British Isles. What have they been going after? What has been tried, though thankfully, not always successful for Cameron?

Tearing down the public infrastructure can be fun.

• Privatizing many road.
• Privatizing parts of the police force. (All part of opening up the public services to business, To end "the state's monopoly over public services"...that is the point of being a public service. But Cameron and the Conservatives know this well.)
• Selling off forest.
• Privatizing the libraries.
• Privatizing the postal service. They said you, the average person could buy shares in the new company, but uh oh. Looks like Cameron's, and the Conservative Party's, powerful friends got most of the loot. Funny that.
• Next up on the agenda, the National Health Service. When the NHS stumbles, the Conservatives will announce that it's time to put the old girl done, and sell her for parts. Just like the rest of the infrastructure.

THIS is what British Conservatism is up to. Yes! They are more openly friendly to gay people and Muslims. Yes! They are not being guided by the likes of the Tea Party and Rush Limbaugh. (But they do have Rupert Murdoch around. -- But he's not having the best time in the UK these days.)

But we sometimes forget the other side of the grander conservative agenda. The economic side. We do see it hear in the United States. The push to prevent the ACA from coming online. The fight over the survival of the US Postal Service. And then we get to the states! See what is happening in Detroit? And across Michigan? They are selling off chunks of it. And other Republican governors are acting much the same. They are mini David Camerons...without the years at Eton. (I don't want to leave out the Democratic mayors of Chicago in all of this. The sale of the parking meters in the city was a stunning act of personal greed, bolstering the conservative viewpoint.)

The country is under pressure and threat. And ideas that go back to Margaret Thatcher, and on back to the first angry conservative opposition to the social safety net, are at the root. Conservatives foster these ideas. And they then ignore the repercussions of these ideas.

But in the UK...The Conservatives seem to be winning that economic fight. People are pissed about a lot of it. But they aren't tossing them out, yet. (It would be nice if Labour was currently more competent and could actually lead a proper revolt in debates in the Commons.) I can only hope Brits are able to preserve their nation against the grabby hands of David Cameron's friends. 

And here in the US, let's realize what comes if the GOP does get the White House, or full control of the Congress. Heck, the power they swing in the courts is damaging enough as it is. We need to push them out before they do too much damage to this country.

And it pissed me off when I see Democrats or pundits forget this reality. They often get chummy with the idea of bolstering some

____


And if you wonder, yes, the UK has it's own weird characters that look almost destined to rise to power they should never have. Meet Boris. Or, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

It blithers and dithers. And when he isn't doing that, he's off quoting things in Latin. Then he races off on his bicycle to his latest affair. ...And some think he could be a future leader of the Conservatives, and Prime Minister.

He's that annoying sort of affable. He looks like such an idiot, so people think he's charming and harmless. Look at him, at the London Olympics.

First they laugh at him. Then they love him. It's terrifying. Because he's a rich, privileged, highly connected, highly educated conservative. But he manages to camouflage it. (His full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. -- Not that we should judge people based on their name.) He's developed a look and style.

Let's hope Conservatives in the United States don't learn from him. But, say, does he at all remind you of Chris Christie. In Christie's case, conservatism masked under a few moderate position, and an angry "in your face" demeanor. It seems to sell somewhat in the United States. People do seem to ignore his troubling side, and troubling ideas. Perhaps in another post.

The Misplaced Horror Of Bats

Detective Comics # 27 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane

Bats.

"Creature of the Night. Black. Terrible...A bat!"

Wow! Bats sound horrible. Terrifying! They must be terrible things, a blight on us! What will we do ?! How can we hope to fight back?!


PANIC!!!


...No. The reality of bats is far less scary. But, come on. Look at them. You shouldn't be surprised.

They are upside down puppies!


Like many lifeforms that people misunderstand, the bat receives a good deal of fearful hate. They get presented as evil creatures. Creature that are out to get you.

As a result, they don't get the respect or understanding that they deserve.

So let's get to know a little about the bat.

First, the legends. In the history of legends and folk tales, we have a far better track record with the bat.

• In China, bats have long been a symbol of good luck through history.
• In Ancient Egypt, bat talisman were hung over doors to keep illness away.
• In Navajo folklore the bat is an ancient being from early in time, when all was dark, who mentored the night. 
• One Ojibwa legend tells of the bat coming into being do to it's efforts to save the sun.
• Among the Bakairi of Brazil, the bat is a form the goddess of night takes.
• In many pre-Columbian tribes the bat held important symbolism for the sky and/or the underworld.
• In some cultures the bat was a symbol of change and upheaval in one's life (not necessarily bad, but changes to your life).
• Of course, in the European medieval period the bat was tied to witchcraft and witches, and were much reviled.
• Of course there are the tales of the trickster to. Like in one Nigerian tale where the bat tricks a rat he's jealous of into boiling itself. (The fact the bat is an animal of the night lends itself to tales of a thief or one that is hiding. Aesop even uses this idea. Also the fact it flies, but isn't a bird, lends to the idea that it is an outsider in some tales. Sometimes it's existence was treated as a punishment.)

Now, let's get to the modern age and the science.

Bat Facts:

• The fear of bats is called chiroptophobia. This comes from the Classification Order bats are under, Chiroptera (meaning "hand wing").
• The bat is the only flying mammal. (No. Flying squirrels don't fly. But that is another story.)
• Bats are not rats with wings. They are more closely related to hedgehogs, giraffes, and whales.
• Bats range in size 1.7 meters to .29 millimeters (the smallest mammal alive today).
• Bats are found on every continent, except Antarctica.
• There is a vampire bat. But it only resides in South America, and some parts of the southern regions of North America. So if you live in Yorkshire, New York, New Dehli, etc, that isn't a vampire bat in the sky.
• The diet of bats consists mainly of small insects. Bats aid in controlling pest levels. (In fact bats play an important ecological role. A single bat can consume 600 mosquito in an hour. This can be vital to many crops.)
• Other species of bats feed on fruits, veggies, nectar, and pollen. Can you face the terror?!
• These bats activities are exceedingly important to pollination, In fact the local varieties of these bats are vital to spreading local seeds. The Amazon rain forest keenly relies on it's bats. 
• Some bats also feed on tiny animals, like small frogs and fish.
• The vampire bat does feed on blood, but primarily there targets are large slow moving animals (cows, seals, etc.). A human has the pesky ability to slap them off, so we aren't desirable.
• Bats use echolocation (like dolphins). It is a primary tool of most bats to navigate around. It's immensely useful in the night, and deep in dark cave. But bats are not blind. And most fruit bats do not even rely on echolocation, having very keen sight.
• As the weather changes some bats migrate to nicer locales (like butterflies and geese). Others hibernate (like cuddly grizzly bears).
• Some bat species actually nest upright, instead of upside down.
• The Hardwicke's Woolly Bat of Borneo nests amongst a species of carnivorous plants. That's right the bat seems less scary then it's plant neighbor. These bats receive shelter from the plant, and then partially support the plant's needs via it's feces.
• There is a weird myth that bats fly into people's hair. Bats don't do this. It would be hard to make this even happen by accident. And bats wouldn't even want to get in your hair. (They aren't into you!) I have seen this has been a concern going back into ancient folklore, like with the Celts, who warned of a dark end if a bat snatches one of your hairs. That's how silly the fear is.
• Bat saliva has been found to carry anticoagulants. Research on this has lead to advances in treatment of heart disease.

Bats are amazing. Still bats shouldn't be played with. They are wild animals.

• Bats aren't interested in biting humans. It can happen (if it is sick -- like with a raccoon or dog), but we aren't on the diet.
• Bats can carry rabies, but the rate is .05%. Though sick or injured bats are slightly more likely to carry it. Hence why you shouldn't touch them, or other wild animals. Particularly don't touch them without proper protection.
• You will have a good idea if it is sick, it will be out of place. If it is sitting alone on the ground or on a wall, and is quiet, you should stay away from it. And if you need to move it, use protection.
• If you are bitten by a bat, you should go to a doctor, to be checked out and get rabies treatment. (As they don't attack humans when they are well, it is a necessary precaution.) But if you can catch the bat, it can be tested first.

What to do if a bat gets in your home? If you want to get rid of bats in your home/barn/etc,using lights and an easy open exit will motivate bats to leave, as it will be an unsuitable place to them. Then be sure there entry point is closed off. You don't have to resort to a broom and killing blows first and only.

Also, remember this. Bat populations are in decline. A fungus called White Nose Syndrome is attacking bats and killing them. It was first discovered in New York, but has spread west across the United States. It has killed millions of bats. And it may spread further threatening further populations. 

At present, half the species in the United States are listed as rare to endangered. 

It has been seen in the United Kingdom, but bats so far are resistant to it.

It seems a shame that we let myths affect our relationship with nature. Bats are like most of the world around us, uninterested in dealing with us.

We get afraid of this sight.

But we usually find this cute to nonplussing.

Bats. Yeah, they are mammals with wings. Yeah, they do sleep (mostly) upside down.  Yeah, they do have a habit of popping up in the dark, in odd places. But that's their charm. They are iconoclasts of the natural world, one of those species that just lives to break our preconceived ideas. The bat is a rock stars to the sullen teen that is the platypus.

We should not be fearful of the natural world. We should understand it. We should respect it.

But, seriously, don't touch bats, unless you are, or are with a professional. They're wild animals.


Now, some more bats being bats, and cute.

"Sorry. Couldn't hear you."

"I can haz hugs?"

nom nom nom

Dark Lord of the Salad Bar

"Mine?"

"Fear me!"

Diwali. On the Day of Lights.

The Golden Temple at Diwali

I am not one for religion, but I do enjoy a good compassionate tradition. Still, when it comes to religious tradition I always wonder if I should talk about them. On top of everything else, it isn't my tradition. Can I explain it well enough?

Yet for most of us, the traditions of the "other" religions are utterly alien, even when they consist of around one seventh of the world's population. (Yes, I am speaking of Hinduism. -- as well as Sikhism). So I hope I can, at least, bring some awareness and appreciation of these facets of our world.


Today is Diwali. the festival of lights

It is an interesting and enjoyable celebration. And it is a shame it's not more widely enjoyed and appreciated, for at least the spectacle it is.

Showkat Shafi - Al Jazeera

The point of the festivities is to celebrate the victory of light over dark, or good beating back evil. This ties into various Hindu beliefs and stories. For some, it's the return of Rama and Sita to rule their kingdom, Ayodhya, after a 14 year exile. In response to their return, the citizens lit lamps covering the city. (This occurs in the work, Ramayana.) Then there is the celebration of the victory of Krishna over Narakassura. Then there is the idea of celebrating Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Then there's the remembrance of Mahavira achieving nirvana. And in other places, it celebrates aspects of the goddess Kali. It has many meaning.

Yes, it has many religious meanings. But in the beginning it came out of ancient harvest celebrations. And that's something any culture should be able to grasp and enjoy. It also helps reflect South Asian culture, which too many of us are quite oblivious too, while all so concerned about what happen there.


What is Diwali?

Diwali means row of lighted lamps, or lights. And from the images that come out of the annual celebration, it is easy to understand just why.

Joe Mahoney - Times-Dispatch

To celebrate, every year at this time families and communities put on a celebration. Candles and lamps are lit, to bring the light into the night. (As per tradition, the lighted lamps draw in Lakshmi.) Decorations are put up. Sweets are made and gleefully consumed.

A rangoli.

Part of the tradition for many is giving the house a good cleaning, buying new clothes to wear, and drawing rangoli (patterns, often of a lotus) on the ground. As well, gifts of gold are often given. Gifts of fruits and sweets also can be given.

Gambling is another tradition. Diwali is said to be a time during which gamblers are looked down on positively. If one gambles, they will be blessed with prosperity in the coming.

And then there are the fireworks. In some traditions, it is meant to show higher powers how happy we are. But they also can help make the watchers plenty happy

Always remember, it's a festival, a party, a holiday! And every place populations celebrate, people bring their own style and sensibilities to the partying.

Reuters

In some countries, the house is given a good cleaning, new clothes are bought and worn as part of the celebrations, and gifts of sweets and fruits are given. Then, the communal celebrations. Lights are strewn all around. And fireworks are set off.

Hopefully this gives some of you a superficial, but interesting understanding of what many (around a billion people) are celebrating today. It can be such a happy time. It is a time for hope. It is a time to look at the world and see the good in it. It is a time to put a fresh foot forward as you step into a new day.


Not a bad idea. So, Happy Diwali to those that celebrate it. And to everyone, a hope that you take the spirit of doing good to heart, see the good around you in the world, and realize there is always time and an opportunity to make positive changes in life.

Conservatives and their cold contempt for the poor, the sick, and the young.

Should we help the hungry? Should we help the poor? Should we help the jobless? Should we help children?

For generations these were easy questions to address. Of course we should be doing all these things.

Yes, when the Great Depression hit, there was often a coldness towards those in need. But that changed as the magnitude of suffering was understood. And this ethic and lesson stayed with us. And while conservatives resisted the change in the American viewpoint, they did slowly (oh so slowly) come around.

But then came the Reagan era of Conservatism. Suddenly it became complicated. Conservatives found they could sneer more freely at the poor. They could look at the question of feeding children, and think about ways to cut corners. Even the mentally ill were an easy target.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

The complacency of poverty. How do conservatives come up with this stuff?

They couch cruelty, incivility, and avarice in weasel words. They rely on everyone to keep the civil discourse going as they push on. And, over time, it has given them success. Sequestration. What cuts they have made to the social safety net of this country.

And the ease with which conservatives attack the poor and sick has only grown. They don't even need to rely on measured tones, they can let the wolves out to howl. The eager glee of the attacks is so common now. The welfare queens. The lazy. The leeches. The criminals. Conservatives have so many names that they've spent decades building up and storing for the days they could let loose their contempt.

And that contempt is astonishing...No. It's sickening. The argument is made that it is a matter of budgeting. But the actual economics tell a different story. The investment in helping the poor, the sick, and kids only strengthens the country and enriches our economy. But this is not acknowledged. Why acknowledge economic facts, when conservative ideology is giving them the answers that they desire? So, we are left with the weak gruel of their contempt as their answers to our serious problems. They find it so easy to just smirk and tell the poor to get a job already, and stop using up tax dollars. They don't even need to intellectually engage.

And that is convenient for them. The Congressional offices of the Republicans are full of men and women who have been full recipients of subsidies or medicare or medicaid or social security or food stamps at some point (or presently) and then, they turn to the country and tell us that it is best if the rest of us do without aid. They, apparently, are wise enough to not overuse it, or become complacent.

But for the rest of us?

Well, Republicans thinks it's best if they just cut it, shift the money to defense, and we'll all be fine. These Republicans sadly continue to persist in pushing their failed policies from decades past. Sometimes they do us the small dignity of renaming or rebinding their ideas. But usually they don't bother, as to many of their supporters aren't actually paying enough attention to notice what they are getting peddled. Or if they are living in a state that is relying heavily on federal support.

And inroads continue. Into Social Security. Into Medicaid. Into SNAP.

What can be worse is how many Liberals slowly begin buying into the myths. Let's make a bargain. It is a sad state when these dangerous myths are treated as truths. They should be revealed for what they are.

And they should finally be discarded.

Taking away a kid's meal, with a SNAP! *UPDATED*

November has arrived. And with it money from the 2009 stimulus, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is being withdrawn in certain areas. In particular, money that was going to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or food stamps. $5 BILLION. (This is on top of the sequester cuts already in place on SNAP.) This is the equivalent amount to all the charity that goes into the Food Bank (to aid those in poverty get food) system over an entire year. What more can charities do, as they are already strained before the cuts are factored in?

This is a troubling situation. As it is, many families using SNAP struggle to afford meals past the third week in every month. Now, $36 a month will be taken from families, on average. For some of us, $36 is nothing. But when you are living in poverty, when you are stretching your budget to just sustain you and your kids, when you have to send your kids to school hungry, it's everything.

Sadly, conservatives don't see this. As it is, if you are in poverty, and have ANYTHING (a phone, a computer, a car, microwave) you are judged cruelly. You are mocked. Ir is a vain disinterest in the needs and troubles of your fellow citizens.

If you listen to these people trying to survive, you will hear about the jobs they aren't hired for, or the disabled kid they are spending their days nursing, or the fact they are working at a place like McDonald or Walmart and are expected by bosses to survive on SNAP and Medicaid support.

The end of this stimulus aid will hurt so many. And it will mean money that won't get spent on commerce. 47 million are now being affected by these cuts. And as the economic conditions in this country continue to be rough, more may needs it. But everyone is expected to do with less...Well, everyone poor (or in the middle class) is. This seems like a horrible time to cut this investment in this country's future.

We can be sure Republicans in the Congress will not be acting to help them people. Because it doesn't stop there. In the Senate they are working on ways to CUT another $4 BILLION from SNAP. And in the House, they are eager to cut $39 BILLION.

Here's a map of how the November cuts will hit states. Feel free to imagine what another $4-$39 billion will hit your state, and the whole country.

Republicans sneer and call the people using SNAP lazy. They call them leeches. They call them freeloaders. 1 in 7 Americans?

Is that what this looks like to you? I can't help but remember the condescending and low brow piece Tucker Carlson had done for his website, where he had an intern "live on" SNAP benefits. He didn't really, but it was an excuse to mock people like those above. Republicans have gotten very use to punching down at those without power.

Some Republicans even have called SNAP (funds to help people in poverty pay for food) is a cruel abuse of the poor...Imagine that? Imagine the mindset that embraces that thinking, and then goes on TV to declare it?

And they get enough votes to go to Congress.

The crassness towards the poor is not new from conservatives. It's just gotten louder and more effective at leave those in need out in the cold.


Here's Chris Hayes look at this dire problem.



I am at a lost of patience with the GOP's cold indifference to these people.


_________
UPDATE:

A reminder about the economic impact of SNAP.

Every $1 returns $1.79 to the economy. How can this not sound like a good investment to the GOP? It helps feed kids and others in poverty and funnels money right into the businesses on Main Street and around your neighborhood. Is it because it isn't going straight to the top of the largest corporations to be trickled down? (The way all is born and blessed to travel. So sayeth the Board.)

It makes economic sense AND helps those in need. The GOP response? Where's the punishment? Where's the humiliation?

The Horror Of...Return of the Killer Tomatoes, In Short

Halloween is over. So some of you are probably eager to get over pumpkins (Weirdos). What better way to do that than with tomatoes. Terrible tomatoes! And, a ridiculous movie.

It's a 1988 movie that knows what it is, and takes nothing about itself seriously. From beginning to end it hopes you will join in the laughing.


Return of the Killer Tomatoes

This movie follows 10 years after the events of first movie when there was an...attack of the Killer Tomatoes. (The names of these two movies are pretty apt.) And the world has been changed.

It's an America where the tomato is banned contraband. And, pizza are mad things that not even Domino's Pizza would dare. (People! Have you not heard of Alfredo or Pesto?)

And in this world, a mad scientist has come up with a plan to guarantee that, at last, the tomatoes will be victorious. And, part of this plan involves the tomatoes taking human form. And it falls to two guys working at a pizza parlor to save everyone.

It is a ridiculous and amusing movie. Though it is also very much of it's time and it's sort of B-Movie, with it's attitudes about women. But if you can get passed this, it is a treat.


From it's willingness to mock the movie making, and comment on how it was changing...

to it's silly battles, ...

...Have I mentioned how ridiculous this movie is?

And if they isn't enough of a temptation, then we have a cast that includes...

John Astin, as a mad scientist.

George Clooney as a smarmy guy desperate to attract women. (Yes, one of these two men is stretching their acting chops.)

And also Fuzzy Tomato as FT.









Can you survive the when the tomatoes make their move against us, again?  You'll have to see.

The Horror Of...Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror Title Sequences - First 20 years

Closing out the Halloween review of the Treehouse of Horror annual episodes, we take things up to the 20th anniversary...20 years...







Well, to go to the earlier posts:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

To go to any of the previous years covered directly

1990 Treehouse of Horror 
1991 Treehouse of Horror 2
1992 Treehouse of Horror 3
1993 Treehouse of Horror 4
1994 Treehouse of Horror 5



1995 Treehouse of Horror 6
1996 Treehouse of Horror 7
1997 Treehouse of Horror 8
1998 Treehouse of Horror 9
1999 Treehouse of Horror 10



2000 Treehouse of Horror 11
2001 Treehouse of Horror 12
2002 Treehouse of Horror 13
2003 Treehouse of Horror 14
2004 Treehouse of Horror 15



And now to take us through the 20th...

2005 Treehouse of Horror 16
2006 Treehouse of Horror 17
2007 Treehouse of Horror 18
2008 Treehouse of Horror 19
2009 Treehouse of Horror 20






Well, that it for this year. We'll come back next year and take on the rest of the run of annual, culminating in the 2014 show, which will be the 25th anniversary for the show. Come flying back then.