Why You Pay Less

Oh my, I really don't mean to be picking on China again. It's just impossible not to when it seems their entire economy is based on the absent minded American consumer.
I'm not really sure if anyone is paying attention to the recent reports that the melamine contamination in their pet food was no accident. It turns out the melamine additive is a cheap coal byproduct, which happens to be easy to disguise & add to feed. Then all one needs to do is sell it on to big food companies (with a wink) and pretend the protein got their naturally.
Can you really blame the Chinese for this little trick?? Their whole super fast development is largely unregulated and a success mainly because Americans don't care to know how or where their products are made- as long as they are cheap, cheap, cheap!!
I mean heck-- if we really wanted quality standards, workers rights and environmental responsibility- would we have driven all the manufacturing companies right out of the US and Europe?? No, we didn't care why things cost more to make, we just wanted them made cheaper.
And it's not because Americans are poor and can't afford a loaf of bread, it's because we like to have closets stuffed full of payless shoes, homes filled with plastic toddler furniture and gigantic lawn chair sets--and did I mention, we want them cheap?

Slaughter or Slapstick ?

A recent article in Time magazine reported that today's television and movie audiences expect to see more blood, violence and torture than ever before. I can understand that folks become jaded and need to see the envelope pushed. However, I am perplexed as to why the human psyche can possibly find enjoyment by seeing their fellow humans maimed.
Ok, obviously there is some sort of adrenaline rush from the suspense, but if scenes of torture are considered entertainment, what does that really say about us as human beings?
We often say that we are beyond public hangings or throwing someone to the lions-but how is it different to watch "actors" experience the same misery?
What the heck is the evolutionary purpose of this kind of morbid curiosity??? Are you just glad it's not happening to you??
My plan would be to take over the major movie theaters and instead of the expected flick, show images of Iraq, Darfur, or any other war torn place on earth. Plenty of violence, torture, and mutilation there. But oh no, then everyone would lament that I was "bringing them down" with my reality images. So bring on the "actors" and torture them instead--now that's entertainment........

The Secret Lives of Airline Blankets

I had heard speculative musings that airline blankets do not get washed, only repackaged. However, I always disregarded this tidbit as myth or fluff.
Nevertheless, I recently happened to have an airline blanket in my possession. It was actually given to me by an airline carrier, as padding for my dog in her crate.
As I would never simply toss a perfectly good blanket away, I proceeded to throw it in the wash like I would any other acrylic blanket.
This is when the ugly truth revealed itself. This was no ordinary blanket, but an impostor. Although it looked and felt snugly soft before washing, the aforementioned item proceeded to fall apart in my gentle cycle. Not only did weird blue blobs of cloth & lint fill the rinse cycle, but when I took the former "blanket" out of the machine it looked like some sort of nasty oil rag. The formerly soft surface had now become a rough, lint ball covered, raggedy mess.
Now, unless the airlines are actually dry cleaning these things, I can certainly vouch that those dark blue blankets can not survive an ordinary washing. Which leaves one to wonder how many lovely folks are we sharing them with???

If I am Running Am I Being Chased?

I recently spoke to my dubious relative Ratboy. He informed me that by leaving the East Coast I had left behind the impression that I had "run away".
Run away from what I asked? Ratboy thought for a moment and stated, "all this, the East Coast". What exactly does that mean? I am not one of those Alaskans that came to Alaska in order to evade the law. As far as I know, no crime was committed.
Yet, the other East Coast inhabitants are perplexed--how could she not like traffic congestion, pollution and playing 'Keep up with the Joneses'?
As far as I am concerned, they are just trapped. Trapped in a world where you are drowning in debt to impress your neighbors. Where kids mock each others outfits at school. And everyone needs to believe this is good--otherwise why would they be putting up with all the stress??
I am the space alien who got on the space ship and left mars, because I finally realized that it was just a dusty, dry planet after all.....

When the Omega Wolf Bites

I am quite fascinated by wolf behavior. One of the more well-known characteristics of a wolf pack is that they fight for status. The top of the pack are the "Alpha" male & female, and at the bottom is the "Omega".
It's actually very sad that the other wolves pick on and ostracize the omega wolf--often for no particular reason, except to prove "at least I'm not him". By keeping one at the bottom, it establishes that the others are still on top.
I actually find it quite maddening that human beings don't recognize this wild characteristic amongst their own kind. It's as if humans feel they have "evolved" beyond a need for such cruel pack behavior. Yeah right, ever been to high school??
Schools today have all these "anti-bullying" curriculums and so forth. But I honestly don't know if it can keep kids from truly being cruel to one another.
Now in the wild, the Omega wolf really has no way besides snarling and snapping to fight back the rest of the pack. Often they just give up. But what if the Omega wolf got really angry? What if he had access to mind-numbing violent video games & TV? And then what if he decided to walk into his local, lenient gun shop and buy a gun?? What if is plan was to hunt down the pack? Is there some way to check that the friendly wolf is not really a pissed off Omega?? (the proverbial wolf in sheeps clothing)
Just a thought--if we can't keep people from acting like wolves, can we at least keep the guns away from them???

The Hunter and the Bear

I honestly don't have a bias against folks who go out and hunt a deer or moose purely for the sake of feeding their family. It is actually much more humane than torturing chickens and hogs in our horrible factory farm system.
Yet, there is another type of hunter, the "sport" hunter. They hunt for the sake of hanging a animal head or skin in their home, and for the thrill of kill.
Just yesterday, the Anchorage Daily News reported of a local Alaskan man out on a sport hunting trip with his buddy. They had the grand idea of staking out a grizzly bear den in order to kill whatever came out. Unfortunately, what came out was a grizzly bear cub. Of course, hunter man shot it right on the spot. Unbeknownst to him, mamma bear saw the whole thing and proceeded to rip said hunters head off. Hunter actually survived the ordeal, as his buddy took care of the angry mom.
Lesson of story: leave the children alone!!!

My Right to Own a Cannon

Alright, I'll admit--I don't really want to own a cannon. Yet, there are plenty of folks out there that will fight and argue for their right to own a gun. After hearing about the latest mass shooting today, I spent some time wondering--are their really any GOOD resons why an average citizen should have access to or own guns?

Dubious gun reasons:
#1- Right to protect home and family. Well how many people really chase villains from their homes? Wouldn't pepper spray, an angry dog, numchucks, flare gun, tazer or other menacing item serve this purpose just as well?? I have often heard the statistic that by having a gun at home, you are more likely to injure a family member than an evil stranger.

#2- Protection from wild animals. Another uncommon situation for most folks. Here in Alaska, wild animals are more frequent-- however I still find two opposing thought groups. Those that seem to think every bear is out to get them and can barely leave their car without a gun, verses the hiking folks who swear by simply using bear bells or an air horn. I tend to think that the regular gun toters simply have a small you-know-what and need the extra weight.

#3- Target shooting. Get a pellet gun. Or pin the tail on the donkey.

#4- Hunting. In Alaska, opposing hunting would be like opposing air. Therefore, this might be the only somewhat legit reason for gun ownership. Yet there are ways to hunt without guns. Believe it or not, I have heard that bow and arrow shooting (when done well, with lots of training) is actually pretty effective & humane. Simply because the arrow does not scare the prey away--so you can catch it in case of non-lethal injury. Meanwhile, gun shots sometimes scare off injured animals, so they can not be killed and they run off to die or live in pain.

Don't Cry for Me Ratboy

When we left for Alaska, I left behind a few relatives on the East Coast. One relative in particular was quite close to me, yet was even closer to the life of opulence he chose for himself. He had bought the myth of the rat race prize- hook, line & sinker. There is a direct line between self-worth and a home's square footage in this world of the rat.
He admits he is miserable with his life of dual income commuting and the shuttled away child that eventually becomes a stranger. But -hey, did you know the neighbors house cost 1 million?

When rat race boy came to visit my humble abode in Alaska, I think it scared the pretentious pants off of him. Our small home in the woods is an old saw mill, put together by bits and pieces without any particular plan or building code. The result is a work in progress, and I am aware of the need for various upgrades. However, the biggest shock for my East Coast visitor was probably the lack of "you've made it" square footage.

He flew back to his land of snobs and envy to report that we were struggling. That we must be having some sort of financial problems.

It is pretty incredible to me that someone would miss that I am rich with mountain views, fresh wild berries, a river full of salmon and familial harmony. That I love my home and feel happy here.

So listen up: If you want to spend your time keeping up with the Joneses, so be it. But please don't pity me, as I am much too busy being content with my life.

Save the Animals, Save the Humans

To get straight to the point, there are plenty of folks out there that see little or no value in saving every darned species of animal on earth. I hear their arguments about how a few types of whales, or subspecies of this or that becoming extinct in the name of progress really won't make much of a difference.
Their argument is quite loud and powerful. Progress means jobs, cars and big beige houses for everyone. Now what's the big deal if some obscure wolverine or warbler gets trampled in the process?
So I've tried to come up with the proper rebuttal. It is true that we don't need every species on earth to eat as food, for obviously we are content with our factory farm swine. It also appears that many, many people really don't have an active interest in nature and if they want to see an animal, Winnie the Pooh will do. So what reasons are left??
I think there is an old saying: one can not live on bread alone. Or something similar. There are just certain things in this life that you may not need in a cognitive sense, but do need in an emotional way. Not many would argue that we don't need art, music, laughter or love in life- ok, some fools probably would. Yet, the point is, these things nurture the soul. And each person has their own soul food.
For me this soul food is the wilderness and all it's magnificent inhabitants. I believe my right to feel this emotion gets trampled on each time folks mock the importance of saving any type of wild creature. For others it would be like giving up laughter for the sake of "progress."
Yes, for some of us, the wilderness really is our daily bread.

Prevent Furniture Fatigue

A national furniture rental outfit has begun a fabulous campaign, by inventing a new capitalist ailment titled "Furniture Fatigue". It appears the symptoms resemble depression yet are easily cured simply by the act of acquiring debt via furniture rental.

Of course much has been written regarding long-term furniture rental hurting a consumer financially, but that is not my issue of contention. I am more concerned about spreading the disposable furniture mentality.

Why are home furnishings considered as disposable as diapers?? Have humans really become such a spoiled species that we throw away couches on a whim?? I believe the disposable furniture lifestyle began with the invention of particle board. Once this temporary building material was invented, cheap furniture sales boomed. Now everyone "appeared" to be well off by having matching new furnishings. Yet these furnishings made of particle board can barely tolerate a sprinkle of water, one klutzy child or being moved one too many times.

So if your furniture is going to fall apart anyway, why not just beat it to the punch by becoming bored of it first??

There is certainly an ecologically sound solution instead of filling up landfills with crappy, (not to mention toxic) broken furniture. What ever happened to good heirloom quality stuff? It's still out there haunting the corners of thrift stores, antique shops and if you are lucky enough to afford it, can find it new. Even if Big Daddy Capitalist has convinced you that your furniture is outdated, good items can be reupholstered to your hearts content! Plus- true quality does not go out of style.

Unimproved is Perfect to Me!

Here in development-happy Alaska, folks like to call undeveloped land "unimproved". Of course the improvements come when the otherwise desolate plot becomes the staging ground for a super-fantastic McMansion!
Yuck, yuck. I hate feeling like a freak simply for liking the vacant lot with its trees, birds, rocks and snowshoe hares better than the man-made "improvement". As a bonus, in Alaska they make sure to rub it in your face that this preference makes you into a "pansy-sniffing, tree- hugging, bunny-loving, greenie".
What's wrong with development people say?? Who is anti-jobs and beautiful living quarters??
Yikes! Why does the argument have to be so extreme? I doubt any "pansy-sniffer" is really pro full-time yurt living and unemployment for all.
It's just that these huge homes are so unsustainable. Nobody seems to be able to foresee what will happen 50 years down the road--when we run out of bankrupt farms to raze and trees to maul. Where is the room to put every "hard-working" American into a 3,000 square foot home?? Let alone every "deserving" person on earth??
If these folks really feel success equates square footage, then I really wish they would develop their monster homes on the moon.
At least there would be no trees and animals to displace....Yet, maybe there are "sissy-moon-crater lovers" who might just start fighting the moon development too??????

Send it back to China

I have a box of unintentionally disposable items I have collected at home. They are not advertised as such - because they are not diapers, napkins or other actual throw away goods. But instead the box contains an assortment of odds and ends that easily broke and ironically say "Made in China" on them.
Now I don't know what to do with them. As I do not intentionally shop at Big Box stores, most of these items are gifts or accessories that have somehow arrived here. So I can't return them, they aren't garbage, but look more like something out of "The land of the broken toys". So I have no other choice but to send them back to China.

My box contains:
1 badly painted, sharp wooden sled that once contained Holiday chocolates.
1 kid's microphone whose microphone feature never worked.
1 American Airlines freebie toy airplane with no way to change the batteries, so it sits mute.
1 set of child's pajamas whose stitching unraveled
1 metal serving spoon that is rusting (whatever happened to stainless steel?)
1 Fondue pot heating platform that emits a toxic odor each time it is used.

I hope Hu Jintao likes it!