Bucket-head Nation

A look into Arlington's community: bicycles, gardens, and business as usual

2011-02-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

Arlington is not what it appears to be at first glance. On the outside, it’s a city of sprawling strip malls with large roadways connecting cars to the larger DFW metroplex. On the inside, it’s a city of beautiful and well-established neighborhoods, friendly local businesses, and a diverse and growing activist community.

Arlington is infamously known as the largest city in the U.S. without public transportation, making personal vehicle transportation nearly inevitable. UT Arlington reached a record enrollment of almost 33,000 students this year, making Arlington a college town by definition, but not by practice. Almost 35% of its population is under the age of 25, yet it’s quintessentially a commuter city with a large proportion of the University population opting to live in neighboring cities. However, a growing number of concerned citizens, community activists, business owners and students are working hard to change Arlington from the inside out.

Bike Friendly Arlington (BFA) is a group of cyclists organized to promote bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure within the city. The group is composed of people from a diverse background, including UTA students and local business employees. The group is modeled after Bike Friendly groups started in Oak Cliff, Denton, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Bedford, and others sprouting up all over the metroplex. So far, BFA has been successful in supporting the Bike & Hike Master Plan and the Thoroughfare Development Plan, which will function over a 30 year time scale to delineate bike lanes and implement and/or refurbish sidewalks along some of Arlington’s lesser-congested roadways.

BFA has also been successful in incorporating businesses into the cause. Downtown Arlington establishments, such as Mavericks Bar on Main Street, have served as meet-up spots for the group. Potager Café, and Health & Harmony House have hung BFA signs at their establishments and even offered a discount to bikers to show their support. These establishments, among others (1851, JR Bentleys, Tanstaffl, Plaza Pub, Cave’s Lounge, Tin Cup, and J&D’s Saloon), have seen their weekend business triple because of the popular bicycle “pub rolls”, which have attracted over 35 riders, including cyclists from Fort Worth and Dallas. The group, which has grown since its creation a year ago, will convene to show their support for the Bike & Hike Master Plan at the City Council Hearing on March 22, 2011, and are expecting a record number of supporters.

Arlington’s citizens are also organizing around gardens and the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market. Chowgene Koay, the President of the Environmental Society, has been volunteering at the Farmer’s Market introducing interested passers-by in his personally engineered aquaponics systems, which he builds at no charge from re-purposed materials. His dedication to the UTA Environmental Society, which is rooted in his vision of an ideal community, is indispensable to Arlington’s growth as a sustainable city. He has brought students, residents, and business owners together by freely discussing his passions and ideas about permaculture design, aquaponics, and community sustainability and has found that many people excitedly share his vision. The Environmental Society has held garden installation potlucks and has been working to propose a Green Fund initiative to the Student Council in order to fund student-led projects in sustainability.

Another initiative that has gotten a lot of positive attention is the establishment of the City of Arlington community garden, which will be built by Parks and Recreation officials and University volunteers this Thursday, March 3^rd through Saturday, March 5^th. Many of the same people involved in the bicycle movement and in UTA’s Environmental Society will be lending a hand. The community garden will serve as yet another place for Arlington’s citizens to come together with ideas for a brighter future. Arlington is not exactly what it appears to be at first glance. The city has a lot of heart on the inside and its citizens are working hard everyday to show that to the world outside.

Inaugural Pub Roll: January 29, 2011

New Article on Wordsprout

2011-02-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

A look inside Arlington’s community: bicycles, gardens, and business as usual

What it means to have bicycle

2011-02-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

My mom used to tell me a wonderful story about the "bicycle" quality. She and her friend were out walking in their neighborhood when they noticed a cute shirtless guy working on his bike. They giggled and gawked at his attractiveness until they realized he was their quiet, nerdy classmate. Yet, my mother maintained that there was something utterly alluring about him when he fixed his bike. She coined the term "bicycle" to describe his ability and confidence in that moment. It's an idea I've retained and it comes to mind when I see a person do what they do best. Say, for example, cooking "bicycle", singing "bicycle", or public speaking "bicycle" (the latter of which I envy the most, by the way).

I've noticed my own kind of bicycle lately, and ironically, I have found it within a bicycle activist group. I've become a member of Bike Friendly Arlington, a non-profit bicycle awareness group in North Texas. I've met up with them to go on group rides, I've attended public hearings in support of the group and publicly defended the city's bike lane master plan. I organized a successful pub roll to gain local business support for bikers, which drew in longtime bike activists from a neighboring city. I was even featured in a photo for the University Bicycle Program (above). Through all of this, I've realized something that I had paid little attention to before. I have activism "bicycle". I have organizational "bicycle". I have meeting people "bicycle". I have movement follower "bicycle"!

I watched a great talk about this topic on TED, Derek Sivers: How to start a movement. He humorously says, "the first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader". Being a leader is a lot of pressure, but being a follower of a worthwhile movement is as easy as being myself, as easy as a bike ride in the park.

What kind of bicycle do you have?

Photo feature

2010-10-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

My Beetle photo featured on the animal blog!

The rats race into the Malthusian trap

2010-10-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Howdy, bucket-heads.

A new article by Emmanuela Mujica, The rats race into the Malthusian trap.

Love,

Lady Bucket-head

Check it.

2010-05-27T23:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you interested, I'll be permanently changing my blogging over to my own website. I have articles about politics, posts about the project in Ecuador, and links to websites some of you might find interesting.

I'd love to keep up with (collaborate on) the projects/organizations/blogs that any of you are involved in, so drop a line inside my bucket anytime.

Keep it real bucketeers!

echo-love from inside the bucket,

Emma

Lady Bucket-head

This Earth Day, it's about Hip Hop and Hard Hats — Green For All

2010-04-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

This Earth Day, it's about Hip Hop and Hard Hats — Green For All

Posted using ShareThis

Ecuador's wide open... so come on in!

2010-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Big News: I got the internship in Ecuador! I will be helping to set up an organic farmer's market in the coastal village of Camarones. I’ll be working with organic growers and community members alike toward a cohesive, self-sufficient economic goal. I couldn't be more excited. Words failed me when I found out... but I did break out into several versions of a happy dance.

After the initial excitement-shock subsided, I paused for a brief second in my decision to go to Ecuador. I knew that accepting this internship meant leaving behind what I’ve built on my own soil so far: my community of family and friends and my lovely garden. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled, but I’m equally nervous because I don’t know how ready I am to face this challenge alone.

Of course, I know that I have to seize this opportunity. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live among and learn from a people that practice a solid kind of community cooperation. It seems that neighborly cooperation is almost non-existent in our society these days, in part, because of modern technology, with which I have a like-dislike-love-hate relationship. Guy McPherson makes a great argument for the lack of community in the “Age of Entitlement” in his latest post.

What I’m hoping to gain from this internship is a sound knowledge of what it means to be a part of a true community. I believe latinos know how to do this best, but I’m clearly biased in my opinion. You see, I’m writing this post as I eat reheated left-overs of arroz con gandules, my Puerto Rican grandmother's specialty.. it reminds me of home. We're growing pigeon peas, cilantro, onions, garlic, Cubano peppers, love and nostalgia in the garden, so we will soon have nearly all key ingredients for the freshest version of the dish. I decided to cook up this traditional food for dinner last night as something of a celebratory offering, as a spiritual food-connection to my heritage (and also because it's delicious-AND-nutritious). During this exciting time in my life, within the prospect of having this A-mazing life-altering journey, I give thanks to my loving parents and husband. Eric was teaching me self-defense moves last night, just in case (“hi-YAH!”) and my mom and dad have given me helpful advice and unconditional support. But when I’m out there in the coastal jungle, I will only have myself to rely on, so I’m preparing a mental bucket of tricks:

1. Learn Ecuadorian terminology. (can’t get by with Puerto Rican lingo there)

2. Be trusting, but always aware.

3. Self defense is about out-witting your opponent, not out-fighting them: Maintain my balance, use my hypothetical international assailant’s forcefulness against him/her, and pull him/her towards me instead of away from me. (It’s sort of counter-intuitive).

4. I will most likely get sick in my 2 mo. stay in the tropics, so when I do, I will remember what my mom always said, “you know you’ll feel so much better when the pain stops”.

5. Be open-minded, listen to people, and become humbled and appreciative of a new culture and way of life.

6. Focus on my past successes and use my current self-knowledge to guide me steadily, and confidently, through this spiritual and physical journey.

Bucket-head traitor

2010-04-03T22:06:00.001-07:00

I've stared a new mini blog for poetry, short thoughts, and creative endeavors: PERMA.EMMA.CULTURE
I may or may not be considered a traitor to my own blog, but have no fear... lady bucket-head is forever.

Emma la Exploradora de Ecuador?

2010-03-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

...Ok, so not quite yet.

But let me start from the beginning. As you may or may not have gathered from my posts (or by knowing me personally), my passion lies in creating a self-sufficient lifestyle. Ideally, this life would exist within a like-minded community of people who treat the Earth kindly and responsibly. Recently, my husband and I went on an expedition to visit Guy McPherson at his homestead. It was a great opportunity to see and experience some of the challenges and rewards of living a self-sufficient, durable lifestyle. It's more difficult than I ever imagined to live a "simpler life", but I welcome the challenge. Fueled with our desire to live resourcefully and responsibly, we have since been trying to accommodate ever-bearing rabbits and broody hens into the yard of our rental house while preparing the garden for the spring and summer months.

I have been teaching myself permaculture techniques from Bill Mollison's text and reading Fukuoka's "One Straw Revolution". Mollison, the father of permaculture, stresses a life of permanent productivity within a sound community (see my last post for more on Mollison). Fukuoka, in an intellectual connection with the Earth, formulated a non-invasive heavy mulching gardening technique to mitigate the problems caused by pests. Fitted to larger scale production, Fukuoka's techniques might even relax the evolutionary arms race between pesticides and pests. This Red Queen effect is a problem in agriculture noted by many scientists and authors, but dismissed and/or used for profit by agro-corporations such as Monsanto (who conveniently have one of the largest monopolies on seeds, fertilizers, AND pesticides! But I digress). Fukuoka became loyal to his philosophy by quitting a scientific research position studying plant pathogens. He left the microbiology lab to move back to his family farm to grow organic foods. Along with Mollison and Fukuoka, I've been time and time again inspired by Barbara Kingsolver, author of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and alumnus of UA (just like me!). What I like about Kingsolver is that she puts the self-sustenance ideas and practices within the reach of ordinary American people. Kingsolver herself moved to the Appalachian Mountain region from the nearly-waterless, hustling-bustling city of Tucson, Arizona, to craft a self-sufficient lifestyle for herself and her family. The point is: I aspire to the kind of life all of these authors believe in, the type of low-impact occupancy the Earth deserves from the human species.

So what about Ecuador? Well, I've applied for a permaculture internship at the Jama-Coaque Reserve in Western Ecuador. Not only is this the perfect chance to refine my Earthen philosophies and permaculture techniques, but it is the chance to be among people that believe in the same givebackwhatyoutake future that I believe in. I could finally put my degree in Ecology and Evolutionary biology into practice by studying native plants and animals... No, not to bring samples back to the lab, but to gain a practical understanding of an ecosystem while establishing a pure appreciation for it... to literally coexist in an ecosystem (I think Fukuoka would give me a high-five or say "良い仕事").

How is it that we humans have fallen so far from our ancestral tree that we mimic nature so poorly? The answer to that, I may never know. But Ecuador may be step closer to my own ancestral bearings. LIVING SUSTAINABLY in the RAINFOREST! A dream come true. Now, I anxiously await for my dream to become a reality.

I might as well be productive at home while I wait for the invitation to go abroad. The hubby and I are finally building a chicken coop this weekend! Buckets of nails, dirt, and sweat should get me through the weekend just fine.

When "Food Futures" fail to focus on nature's past

2010-02-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

I’ve been researching and reading several books on the topic of permaculture, agriculture, and ethnobotany. According to Bill Mollison’s (pictured) Permaculture Designer’s Manual, Permaculture is a form of permanent sustainable agriculture that aims to “foresee results or to design integrated systems” in accordance with their natural ecology. One could argue that anticipating outcomes is one thing modern Scientists endeavor to do best. Scientists specializing in Evolutionary Biology and Population Genetics*, spend their time delving into the unknowns of a tantalizing molecular world for answers to questions like: “How did organisms arise and proliferate?” “How are past and present organisms dispersed and distributed?” and “How did their operation in their past environments lead to their existence in current environments?” These scientists experiment with the genetics of model organisms to understand everything possible about them, to attain a seemingly unattainable knowledge from the past for the future. One could argue that this tinkering force, the quest for the truth for innovation, is a purely human attribute and is what has created powerful technologies and industrialized economies. I am not blaming these particular scientists for endeavoring this feat, but I take issue with the dissemination of knowledge about the genetics of organisms. I disagree with the way government, policy-makers, crop scientists, and engineers have used scientific knowledge and innovations to cater to an ever-excessive global demand for food resources.

I believe many species today are threatened by extinction or proliferating ruthlessly in part because of the human “intellectual conquest”. Humans have sent species spinning on an unforeseen evolutionary trajectory because of a hunger for knowledge and an uncontrollable need to tinker, to constantly experiment and manipulate the natural world. Inevitably, humans are enticed to create "good solutions" to bad solutions to naïve solutions for unforeseen, self-created problems. One frustrating example of this is the introduction of invasive species, many of which have been introduced as potential solutions to human errors or demands, and have responded by taking over key habitats and driving out native species. Another example is mono-crop agriculture, which I want to focus my attention on at the present. Mono-crop agriculture, as any good permaculturalist will attest, has ravaged soils and eroded land resources in many key agro-producing countries. I argue that the problem in the modern agricultural system lies in the lack of organismal diversity. Scientists, economists, commercial agriculturalists, and crop scientists don’t have to look far to realize that what they are constantly attempting to replicate is a success that already exists in the natural world. This success has been perpetuated for over a millennium through complex interactions between organisms within diverse environments.

The abstract of a recent article in Science caught my eye because it seemed to be focusing the gaze of agricultural science in a direction I could agree with. Entitled Smart Investments in Sustainable Food Production: Revisiting Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems (Herrero et al. 2010), this seemed like a paper I could sink my teeth into. Mistakenly, I took it for a science-clad and camouflaged version of a permaculture text. Instead, it was an article calling for increased policy and management for mixed-crop agricultural systems on small farm lands, which were not projected to be as mixed as I expected. Herrero and his collegues blame the governmental conduct, lack of federal aid, and political schemes for amplified worries about food security. Predominantly, the authors site a general “failure to appreciate the differences in diverse agricultural systems” as the cause of food scarcity and decreased crop-yields (Herrero et al. 2010). I agree heartily that governmental agencies and politicians in the U.S. not only neglect the small farmer, but also bow down to the large-scale commercial producers who benefit from the increasing urban demand for cheap food. Excitedly, I thought, “What we need is more than just an ‘appreciation’ for diversity, we need to put this idea into practice once and for all!” In an injured economy with a fast-growing population, the answer seems clear: modern agriculture must focus its attention on plant and animal diversity as it occurs naturally in forested environments.

As I read on, I became more discouraged by Herrero's article. What I expected was a message to the policy-makers to promote small-scale natural community farming and a call to the state’s Agricultural Department to relax their strongholds on subsidies and move away from their intoxicating relationship with corporate producers. As it turned out, the article was a weak message about mixing a few grain crops together, figuring out more efficient fertilization and watering methods for bigger crop yields, and deregulating research of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). As I have already said, mixing crops is a good idea, but mixing needs to occur to a greater extent than 2-3 grain species. Secondly, fertilization already occurs naturally and efficiently, through nitrogen-fixing leguminous plants, decomposing organisms, and animal feces. In such a diverse, naturally fertile, and productive food-forest, precipitation also increases naturally. Finally, to suggest GMOs as a potential solution to viruses, pests, and diseases seems to me a proposition that is missing the point. Permaculturalists and other “synergistic gardeners”, such as Masanobu Fukuoka and Emilia Hazelip, have been saying for years that plants and animals act symbiotically within a naturally-rich, diverse environment to ward off pests and diseases. In an article regarding so-called mixed-crop agriculture and livestock, these scientists may like to focus their gaze a little more closely and perhaps take their own proposition more seriously. This type of sightless behavior reminds me of a passage I read in The Cosmic Serpent quoting the late Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu saying that, at times, answers can be found simply by "objectifying one's objectifying relationship" (Bourdieu). Becoming aware of their own words and focus, these scientists might actually realize that what the mixed system they are proposing is a watered-down version of a knowledge that indigenous peoples, small farmers, and permaculturalists have been using all along: in order to use mother nature's resources efficiently, one must follow her lead.

*I use Evolutionary Biologists and Population Geneticists as examples of scientists in this case not in an attempt to blame them specifically for the world's trouble, but only because it is the type of scientific study I'm most familiar with.

On a positive, less critical note: I've been sprouting tomatoes, romaine lettuce, marigolds, and garlic in the closet from seed (yikes!) and they are all doing well. More seeding and preparations tomorrow for the spring garden! Also, a couple of dominique layer chicks may be coming home to roost! The only buckets I can control are those that hold seed bombs, chicken feed, and fragrant soil. Spring can't grace me with it's bees and blossoms fast enough.

When buckets are empty, they echo.

2009-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

E. echoes.

Biological tick-talking, his voice comes and goes
Resistant only to the societal woes and it echoes
Echoes in the pit of my gut, shunting words, and yes
Shutting doors of past preoccupations, in digress
Confessing the intimate secrets of the skeletons, these
Hidden here in front of my closet, an illogical mess. 10/18/2009

My poem is about my life-career paradox. Should I continue on this semi-comfortable path I've been developing for the past couple of years or should I start on a new, potentially more fulfilling career? My mind is acting like I'm running out of time. But I am running out; every second of every day. You are running out and the world is running out.

I have been having a time of it lately with this decision. I used to be so certain of my career. That was high school. In college, I pursued a degree in Psychology, so that I could become a Primatologist. I discovered that the field was filled with warm-fuzzy, "Save the Chimps!" propaganda-happy women working for a cause that was a mere blip on the radar of issues in the global community (no offense, Jane Goodall). At the time, I felt that I needed something harder, something edgier, something that would impact more than just a few primates at the zoo. So, I took a turn down Science Ave. For three years, I worked in a lab doing genetic work on endangered species of frog and graduated with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Because of my experience in molecular genetics, I landed a job in a lab in Texas working on an endangered lizard's genome. The problem is that I don't enjoy being in a lab all the time because I miss out on one thing about life I enjoy most: being surrounded by nature. Moreover, it's hard to compromise my resource-conservation ethics with a job that requires the disposal of thousands of plastic tips, the use of environmentally-detrimental chemicals, and consumption of non-renewable energy. Does my many months of work on the Texas Horned Lizard genome cancel out this resource waste? Should it matter this much?
I struggle. I struggle every day now with this decision. Examining and re-examining the potential paths that my career could take. I blame my indecisiveness on multiple childhood readings of "Maybe you should fly a jet!" by Dr Seuss (1980). I also blame my psychology, and the paradox of choice. Young people, now more than ever, are faced with almost infinitesimal options daily... from seemingly irrelevant decisions to life-altering choices. Which one of 100's of cereals, which one of 10000's of partners, which one of 100000's of jobs? Which ONE will you choose?

I echo: "Why only one?"

My dilemma is this: If I continue on to graduate school in the same field, will I be shutting doors to potentially-more fulfilling opportunities?

Is my bucket empty or is it too full?
Is the grass really greener or am I hallucinating under here again?

let's pause for some old Bucket-head poems

2008-12-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

The America impoverished
Bright stinky plastic
covered a jar with metallic money
As threads of yolk-mold grew
in the corners of their mobile home
a poor American family formed
hidden scales, all unstable
Papa forked his largest fare--
floatin' gun smoke, dust, & eggshells
So saddle up poor child,
No more feedin' on grass spores today.
Emmanuela Mujica, 2007

Untitled
When dirt filled slippery shovels, time dropped through
the painting's grime, through Cuban movements
When dirty rugs were beneath old men and cigars
mosquitoes swarmed through the cigarette burns
stubbing their wings on adventure and light posts
The park lit by the broken moon, a glistening peach
It was the summer, and the ocean breeze threaded us
with cool. Oiling our humid inner bubbles.
Eric Watson, 2007
(permission to publish)

Owning your sustainability

2008-12-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

An article I read a few months ago on NPR, “Are you sure you own your stuff?”, talked about the idea that Americans don’t actually own anything because everything they own is disposable to them. This so-called “Maker movement”, in which people learn how to repair and improve products they acquire, is battling against the “Throw-away culture”, that sees no issue in deeming possessions as junk after transitory usage. In his second volume of Endgame, Derrick Jensen talks about behavioral patterns in humans caused by trauma to explain why humans have destroyed the planet. He equates the inner conflict suffered by those that are abused to the inner conflict that civilization has always known. Perhaps the ever-present human conflict is the vast void that is created by the realization and evasion of one’s own death. One way that individuals remedy the void is by over-consuming, a practice in which Americans have become extraordinarily adept. What Jensen and many others have pointed out is that consumption is a temporary, external solution to the void. How does the human void relate to true ownership? Having true ownership goes beyond the temporary pleasure felt after buying something new. In realizing one’s potential to be a crafter and creator, a distancing from the thoughtless consumption and disposal patterns of civilization occurs. The human void may not ever be filled and the problem of civilization will never be remedied, as Jensen fervently points out, but individual sustainability can be partly attained with true ownership. Personally, I enjoy that most Americans don’t “stop and think before they toss” because I make good usage (and banana bread) out of discarded goods. But most of what myself and the other “dumpsterteers” miss or can’t use, gets put in landfills, which makes it that much easier for humans to forget their wasteful, detrimental behavior. Thus, I will take further steps in my sustainable journey to become a crafter, a creator, and a repair woman because I may encounter a time when constructing or refurbishing goods to be durable is the only way to survive. Now, I must go figure out how to craft a bucket for my head…

Global human experiment

2008-11-25T14:59:00.001-08:00

How far can humans go? That is the question navigating the experiment us humans are conducting on the world. Certainly, the human brain has immense cognitive, psychological capabilities, and our achievements are nothing to belittle. We have succeeded in creating vast areas of study such as the sciences, and have made great discoveries in our short time on the Earth. The price tag attached to the global human experiment is great. Human advancement threatens the existence of everything that preceded us: the atmosphere, the land, the oceans, and all of the species of flora and fauna that once thrived in these regions. Derrick Jensen professes that civilization is killing the world time and time again in his two volumes of “Endgame”. He blames “the whole damned culture”, and I’m not very far behind him in my outlook on the world. The problem is that Jensen’s solution to the human global experiment is to bring civilization toward a swift, violent demise. I cannot find it in my mind to agree with such an idea. So, he wants us to continue on in our consumptive, violent human existence so that we can get just what we deserve? Atrocities we have caused, yes, but do we have to ramp up the atrocities to make a point? I’d like to die knowing that I tried completely stopping my own participation in the global human experiment rather than join Jensen’s revolution, which seems to be structured on a foundation of hatred and devoid of ethical principle.

Technological axes of evil

2008-11-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

“How is it conceivable that all our lauded technological progress--our very Civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal?” Albert Einstein.

Derrick Jensen agrees profoundly with the comparison Albert Einstein made between the horrific, destructive potential of humanity armed with technology and fortified by civilization. It is a shame that these two individuals did not have a chance to meet. I suppose Albert Einstein would have a great deal more to say today about civilization’s role in the current state of the global economy. Increased potency and effectiveness of oil extracting technologies led to massive booms in petroleum demands, which led to expedience towards the oil peak. The current global oil situation is a good example of our pathology towards increased demand armed with the “oil extraction axe”. We effectively diminished global non-renewable petroleum reserves while contributing climate altering CO2 gas to the atmosphere. 2008, 53 years after Einstein’s death, the United State’s is experiencing the backlash of the “technological axe” in many more respects. Einstein saw the damaging potential of technological advance during his lifetime, but why is it so hard for Americans to see it today? Besides the bucket-head, it might probably be because the average American’s IQ is 98, while Einstein’s was reportedly between 160 and 265 (and I doubt he could fit a bucket over his beautiful gray locks). The United States is not notorious for genius insight, so we are not likely to realize the faults of civilization until falters and falls.

The Fall of America

2008-11-12T11:30:00.001-08:00

A funny thing just happened as I was eating my reheated spaghetti lunch. I glanced over at my bookshelf and noticed "The Fall of America" a collection of poems written by Allen Ginsberg. Since I have been contemplating the fall of civilization, it felt rather appropriate to pick it up. As I closed my eyes and opened the book to a random page, two $20 dollar bills fell out from between pages 90 and 91. This satisfying surprise made the reading of the poem "Crossing Nation" that much more significant. The end of the poem reads:

"Vietnam War flesh-heap grows higher,
blood splashing down the mountains of bodies
on Cholon's sidewalks --
Blood boys in airplane seats fed technicolor
Murderers advance w/ Death-chords
thru photo basement,
Earplugs in, steak on plastic
served--Eyes up to the Image--

What do I have to lose if America falls?
my body? my neck? my personality?" June 19, 1968

Ginsberg was not talking about the fall of civilization, but he was speaking to the atrocities caused by a war that was both pointless and unsuccessful. I did not live through the Vietnam War, but I feel similar resenting undertones of the War in Iraq. With the American economy in upheaval and a future of deep recession, America is falling; The U.S. is falling hard and fast to its knees. What would Ginsberg write if he was here right now?

My speculative version:

Falling Economy

Economic crisis! Quick, hurry! Bail-us-out!
150 billion from tax pockets to AGI.
Help us! S.O.S. Economy wounded,
CEO men down --
Car industry dying --
Cries for blood money
from plush exec chairs
Bank predators biting
easy loans their sharp-teeth
Americans their prey

What do I have to lose
if the American economy falls?
my money? my job? my civilization?

The fall of civilization seems to be following me around wherever I go these days. Guy's latest blog entry was particularly snarly this week. He used the "change" theme of the Obama campaign to highlight the change America will likely face in future months and years with grand old inflation, a deep nasty recession, and the eventual fall of civilization. Everytime I was in pain, my mom said, "It feels really good when the pain stops!" So, part of me, the part that cherishes innocence and childhood, wants to feel hopeful that we will eventually pull through the hard times and everything will be okay. I have no way of knowing when the economic pain is bound to stop, since the real economic pain hasn't actually begun.
Part of me, the part that is drawn to the ideas of Ginsberg and other "gloomy guys", is prone to think that we are all royally fucked. But if civilization is going to collapse in my lifetime, why would I want to spend my precious time glooming it up?

Now I have a bucket-head conundrum: Do I take my bucket off and align myself with the national gloomiads over the current economic situation or do I keep my bucket on and live like the national ignoramuses?
At least for the time being I have a little extra unexpected cash to save up just in case I have to move to Canada. In that event, I will have to lign my bucket with protective thermal insulation.

Veterans & Native Americans

2008-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today was Veteran's Day; a day nationally gifted to all Veterans as well as governmental employees. This morning I thought to myself, "how nice that Veterans get a day decreed to them, but what about the other historically important peoples?" My husband and I visited Tohono Chul Park to honor Native Americans on this day. The United States' earliest Veterans defeated these first Americans, and so inhabitation of the U.S. continent by my ancestors was possible. No one nationally commemorates Native Americans for fighting for their designated rights to the land, and for persisting culturally despite the violent ways their land was taken from them.
An old docent at the park approached and directed us to an exhibit of woven basketry, and spent his time commenting on the few facts he remembered from his years of docent-hood. One comment he made struck me. He pointed to a Tohono O'odham basket called "The Man in a Maze", which consists of seven concentric semi-circles with a circular center and a man positioned at the top of the labyrinth. The docent said, "The 'Indians' think that if the Man ever makes it out of the Maze, it will mean the end of the world. This is the Tohono O'odham tribe’s symbol." For one thing, it was irritating to me that he called the Natives "Indians", but I accept that he may not be hip to the politically correct times. Aside from that, I thought it quite intriguing that the Tohono O'odham people tell a story that has a clause for the end of the world, instead of Christianity’s personal heaven/hell clause. I shall investigate further to find the real story behind “The Man in the Maze".
I have found that the old docent's interpretation of "The Man in the Maze" is a slightly distorted version. Of course, interpretations of the symbol vary from person to person and from tribe to tribe. The common thread among all stories deals with the struggle of the journey through the Maze towards death (the center). The Man could be the Tohono O'odham tribe or an individual life. To some anonymous persons I know, the man could readily signify civilization. According to the symbol, civilization can be viewed as an entity taking its course through the complex labyrinth of time. The clock ticks away as civilization makes its journey toward the center of the labyrinth, toward its eventual collapse and death. Maybe this is how the old docent interpreted the "The Man in the Maze" basket.
I wish I had talked to the docent for a longer time. Soon after leading us through the basket exhibit, I noticed he was wearing a Veteran’s shirt. How appropriate, I thought, for my theme of the day. I did not want to negate the observation and recognition of Veterans on this day, so I enthusiastically wished him a happy Veteran’s Day. He responded with a calm smile and said, “I had no choice… World War II, you know. France, Britain, Germany…” I could tell it was not a topic he wanted to go into depth about. After this uncomfortable exchange, he shuffled backwards semi-apologetically and pointed us toward the meditation garden. Meditate I did, meditate I have. I meditated over the heavy anti-war bucket on my head that made me under appreciate the Veterans, and the lack of choice most of them had in their service. I realize now that Veterans and Native Americans are much alike: both have struggled for rights, recognition, and bore no significant alternative to the place in which they found themselves fighting and struggling.

The beginning of my life as a social critic

2008-11-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of hours after my first social criticism on Guy's blog and already I have an opponent to my views of the conflict in the Congo. I realize is difficult for people to listen to issues that are not pleasant, and for which they feel no responsibility. When I tell people that our privileged lifestyles are connected to larger global problems, they scoff and disagree right away. "It's not my fault," they say. I don't blame them: it is a burdensome state of being to feel responsible for the world's problems. But if I'm not responsible, who is? I don't have the power or money to change the practices of major American corporations, or the governmental leaders who sanction them. I do have the power to do small things to protest the aspects of the American culture I disagree with. I have given up convenient trips to inexpensive all-in-one stores in exchange for the more expensive, local businesses. I have made a pact with my bicycle to ride it as often as possible. I will vote tomorrow, and be a proud participant of the process. These actions are both helpful and positive, but insignificant in the face of the major global issues of the modern world.
One step at a time...
My newest step is to become a committed social critic. So here I am, in my thick 12-point font armor, ready to write on high about the world as I see it and explore it. Won't you join me as I lift this bucket off of my head?

Bucket-head Nation

2008-11-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

I have new vision of the United States. I call it "Bucket-head Nation." My inspiration came from a humorous scene in Werner Herzog's latest film, Encounters at the End of the World. The scene portrays students in an Antarctic survival class wearing buckets on their heads to simulate the zero-visibility, white-noise conditions of the Antarctic tundra. The leader of the bucket-heads had the objective of leading the other bucket-heads to a location specified by the instructor. They failed this task twice because the leader of the bucket-heads misguided them. The scene ends with a shot of the disgruntled bucket-heads in a confused, clustered entanglement. Sound familiar?

Lately I've been having recurring conversations about the bucket-head nation. I had a conversation the other day with a good friend, who admitted that he wasn't registered to vote because the United States government and everything that spawns from it does not affect him. This is the bucket-head dilemma. People tune out of what's really going on in their neighborhood, in their community, in their city, in their state, in the United States, and in the world. The mentality is this: "What goes on doesn't affect me, and I can't affect anything as an individual." I am devastated to realize the bucket-head mentality is ubiquitous. The bucket-heads are my peers, my friends, my professors, and my family. I am a bucket-head, and you are a bucket-head.

When you deny the homeless man down the street of your spare change, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

When you drive your car a distance you could ride a bicycle, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

When you buy cheap products, regardless of their sources or their manufacturers, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

When you relinquish the right to vote or to become an activist, because you think you can't change anything, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

When you continue to support corporations and governmental leaders that have created our devastating economic crisis, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

When you support a war, declared with falsehoods, that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, you are a bucket-head. I am a bucket-head.

Why are there so many bucket-heads in this nation? To quote Guy's latest blog entry: "the truth is damned inconvenient." The truth that the United States funds and perpetuates a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for control of metal and mineral resources is inconvenient. Freeport McMoran needs those resources for the 2.6 billion cell phone batteries the American public demands by the end of 2009. Our cell phones are a convenient mode of communication and we need them. Would you still need your cell phone if I told you that high demand for cell phones and other electronic "goods" is responsible for the death of 6 million Congolese people since the resource war started in 1996? You would probably shrug and admit that you won't give up your cell phone; it's just too inconvenient. What if I told you life is a hell of a lot more inconvenient for the Congolese women being raped and assaulted every day than it is for the average American? I haven't given up my cell phone yet. The blood of the Congolese people is on my hands, and it's on your hands. If this information has hit you in the gut, lift your bucket off and become a friend of the Congo. Chances are, your bucket is steadfast on your head and you won't take it off for 6 million men and women you've never even met. The truth is that the citizens of our country are not willing to give up their convenient, inexpensive lifestyles to relieve people around the world of their hardships and suffering. We have the power to make conscientious choices when we take off our buckets and fully realize that our individual actions do create ripples around the world. When more people become bucket-less, attuned to their potential to affect change, the travesties of greed, violence, and selfishness may be more difficult to sustain.