Gun control - NOW!

About time to get serious about US gun control, not? I mean SERIOUS!
All we can hope is that this terrible tragedy in Newtown 3 weeks before Christmas can result in the gift of cooler heads than the National Rifle Association's taking over.

And while you're at it, Barack my hero, how about a carbon tax to show that Americans are actually aware that we're part of the problem facing the environment & grownup enough to take some responsibility? Won't be easy, but it's about time!

Israel & Palestine

Doesn't it bother Israelis that they are treating the Palestinians exactly the same way they were treated when they roared for their own turf!?

I'm sure it bothers a few people, unfortunately not the ones in power.

I was understanding for a long time - national paranoia & all that. I discovered how long gone that feeling is when I almost put back a perfectly good avocado yesterday because it was from Israel.

THANKS again to the UN for recognizing Palestinian statehood!

Israel - you are now as big a tyrant as all those you claimed were persecuting you. That probably makes you proud.






Generer det mon israelerne, at de nu behandler palæstinenserne lige så slemt som de selv blev behandlet da de brølede op om eget turf?!

Det generer formentlig nogen, men ikke nogen med magt.

Jeg var forstående i lang tid - national paranoia og alt det der. Igår opdagede jeg hvor lang væk den følelse er da jeg var ved at lægge en udmærket avocado på plads igen fordi den var fra Israel.

TAK igen til FN, der anerkender staten Palæstina!

Israel - du er nu lige så stor en tyran som alle dem du hævdede forfulgte dig. Det gør dig sikkert stolt.

SHOP SECOND HAND

I always shop at thrift shops, for almost everything except food, particularly clothes & kitchen stuff. With clothes it’s not only price, but also snobbism. I don’t want to wear what’s hot at the moment & see myself coming & going, especially not now. I mean, the thirty-somethings sporting the same rag are just bound to look a lot better in it than I do, not? I buy a lot of fabric at thrift shops too & sew my own. I have unique getups because of that & they cost almost nothing. Think of all the women who spend thousands & thousands to achieve a unique look. Hee hee. The scrappy old bat’s way ahead of them. Not that anybody notices –beyond my colleagues – but it’s a kick anyway, just to know. I like to sew, of course, otherwise I wouldn’t bother. It gets my head out of the computer. We’ve all got something. Sewing’s mine, as well as making figures, cards, CD & video covers out of cut paper. I save glitzy ads & magazine covers & clip & glue while I watch TV or haven’t got concentration for anything else in the evening. People go all gooey over the cards – much prefer them to the pricey mass produced, so there’s a moral there.

Reuse & recycling are absolutely necessary now. I live in a place where I can walk or bike almost everywhere, so when I’m pawing through a row of dresses in a thrift shop, the rack is illuminated by the gentle glow of my halo. Few people have that possibility, I’m well aware, & somebody else has to buy new stuff & give it away before I can buy it second hand. Even so.

Every time I hear the ‘growth’ mantra & how we have to create a million jobs for the unemployed masses, I want to stab somebody with my sewing scissors or clobber them over the head with my second hand frying pan. I wish we could all work fewer hours & share the jobs, lower our living standards & stop buying the latest unnecessary gadget or designer whatever. My generation probably could & some simple living disciples or many many people who don’t have much money to spend, but the young trendies who feel their job is their identity & the newest gadget their group acceptance insurance would put up a fight. It’s going to be necessary soon anyway, ready or not. I hope I’ll be ready. Hope I won’t just find out how much I shopped without even realizing it. Or if I do, hope I will be able to scale back for the good of the planet. Yes, it’s a cliché by now, but it’s the only one we’ve got.

SHOP I GENBRUG

Jeg køber næsten alt I genbrugs butikker, især tøj og køkkengrej. Angående tøj er det ikke kun prisen, det er også snobbisme. Jeg gider ikke have det sidste skrig og se mig selv alle vegne, især ikke nu.  Tit køber jeg stof og syr helt unikke ting for næsten ingen penge. Tænk på alle de kvinder, der bruger tusindvis af kroner for at opnå et unikt look og så er Scrappy Old Bat langt foran. Hihi. Ikke at nogen lægger mærke til det – udover mine kolleger – men det er et kick blot at tænke på. Jeg syr fordi jeg kan lide det, selvfølgelig. Ellers gad jeg ikke. Det får mit hoved ud af computeren. Vi har alle et eller andet. Jeg klipper og klistrer også – figurer, kort, omslag. Gemmer glittede reklamer og forsider fra blade at lege med. Folk bliver helt glade for kortene – kan meget bedre lide dem end de dyrekøbte, så der er en moral dér.

Genbrug er absolut nødvendig nu. Jeg bor et sted hvor jeg kan gå eller cykle til næsten alt, så når jeg gennemgramser en række kjoler i genbrug, bliver de belyst af den sagte glød fra min glorie. Ikke alle har den mulighed, er jeg godt klar over, og en anden skal købe nyt og give det væk så jeg kan købe det brugt. Alligevel.

Hver gang jeg hører ’vækst’ mantraet og om, at vi skal skabe en million jobs til de arbejdsløse masser, får jeg lyst til at dolke nogen med min sysaks eller slå dem i hovedet med min stegepande fra genbrug. Jeg ønsker vi alle kunne arbejde mindre og dele jobbene, sætte vores levestandard ned og holde op med at købe den sidste unødvendig dingenot eller designer dippedut. Min generation kunne nok gøre det, samt nogle simple living discipler og en masse mennesker, der bare ikke har mange penge, men de unge trendies, der føler at jobbet er deres identitet og det sidste nye deres gruppe forsikring vil stå imod.

Snart bliver det nødvendig – klar eller ej. Jeg håber jeg vil være klar, håber ikke jeg opdager hvor meget jeg shoppede uden at tænke over det – og i så fald håber jeg kan skære ned for planetens skyld. Ja, det er en kliché nu, men den er den eneste vi har.