Dancing with the Universe

I think I've figured it out: the difference between Hillary Clinton supporters and Bernie Sanders supporters. It's not a question of feminism, or Millennials, or any specific political affiliation.

It's the difference between those who believe that our current political landscape is capable of carrying us into a bright future, and those who do not.

( I'm not going to bash either camp, but there really is a difference here. )

I just had an interesting cycle of events.

( Inspiration, action, consequence, disillusionment )


A tidbit of less personal, but positive, news: A virus-resistant (transgenic) strain of cassava has been developed just in time to save that staple crop from what the BBC reported as an epidemic of Cassava Brown-Streak Disease sweeping across Africa. This is similar to making papayas resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus in the mid-1990s. (Did you know that the vast majority of papayas grown in Hawaii are transgenic? Now you do.) It could save millions of Africans from famine, and the researchers want to pass on the technology to labs in Africa. Hopefully, by making the transformation process more transparent and accessible, they will avoid what happened with the GMO papaya strain. That was a bright spot in my day.

I'm unfamiliar with this guy, but I have to admit, this is the best, snarkiest synopsis of what's going on with Prop 8 that I've seen so far.

His "spontaneous generation" theory of AIDS wins the Internets.

Several other people have discussed various state propositions already... I thought I'd put forth my own thoughts as I try to figure out how to vote.

( Proposition 2: The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act )

I don't have a lot of conviction on this one -- it's not an issue close to my heart -- but I haven't heard anything that convinces me this is a Really Bad Idea, and the arguments for it sound reasonable. If I do vote on this one, and I may not, I'm likely to vote yes.

State cuts off Delta pumps

This whole situation pisses me off to no end.

( The most recent victims in the water wars are the fish. )

I'm getting pretty sick of the escalation off Iran's coast. I've called Nancy Pelosi's office -- (415) 556-4862 -- and left a message that in light of the events out there, I hope she'll reconsider her position on impeachment proceedings. I may also spend some of the day writing letters to Pelosi and George Miller.

This has gone on long enough. It's quite clear that we can't just wait out the last years of this administration; we need to either get them out of there or wrap them up so tight in red tape that they can't do any further damage.

I don't know who it was that first told me that Chipotle is a subsidiary of McDonalds Corp. It was a while ago. It hasn't stopped me from going there; it's still quick, tasty, healthy, and cheap. Their policy with regards to meat means that I can order any type of meat on the menu and not feel sick for most of a day afterward... I relish the fact that I can get a shredded pork taco without getting smacked by my allergy to antibiotic residues.

In fact, most of the policies I'm aware of there are ones I approve of. Recycling being one -- their paper products are largely post-consumer waste, and they do try to cut down on packaging. They don't buy local, but they do buy sustainably, at least more than almost any other chain I've been at. Not bad from a political point of view.

I know that some of the people at the co-ops, who are even more rabidly anti-corporate than I am, would frown on the fact that I'm giving McDonalds money. I've made a conscious decision not to ignore that fact -- rather, I deliberately give my money to Chipotle. If McDonalds is going to try branching out into the healthy, sustainable, free-range branch of food service, I want to send them the message that people want this stuff. We want healthy, ecological food that tastes good. If Chipotle does well, it serves as notice that there is a demand for this, and maybe McDonalds will consider changing its practices elsewhere as well. Pressure from consumers was what already caused them to give notice to Tyson that they want less antibiotic use in chicken farms, and Tyson agreed to put that into motion.

It's not many corporations that try to branch out into different philosophies, rather than just different areas of the marketplace. Chipotle is a good example of why more of them may want to do that. You get a much better sense of what people actually like and want, rather than what they will settle for.

I don't see quite what people are hollering about on this Supreme Court ruling, which states that law enforcement does not have to knock (i.e. announce its presence) before entering a building, so long as they have a valid search warrant.

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