Just a Question

Pie Charts and Tax Breaks...

Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill held up a pie chart showing how the Bush Tax cuts were distributed. Approximately 70% went to the wealthiest 1% of Americans, another 20% went to the next 9%, leaving about 10% of all of Bush's tax cuts to be shared by 90% of Americans.

M&M Distribution...

Lately, I've been thinking about how wealth is distributed in the US. I was never interested in accounting, though I do have great math skills. I like a more graphic analysis. So I imagine that all the money available to Americans is like a bag of M&Ms. Just a regular bag, with, say 50 pieces. Now, if we imagine that 90% of the wealth in America belongs to only, say 5%, (in reality, it is a smaller number,) and there are 20 people that want to share this bag of M&Ms, then ONE person will get 45 pieces, and the other 19 people have to share the FIVE left. Well, more likely, another person will get one, and the four pieces left will have to be shared among the 18 people who are like you and me.

Tinkle Down...

So that has made our lives better how? Paper billionaires aren't building businesses. They aren't putting their money into job building enterprises. For the last decade, or so, they played at being Wall Street TYCONs. And those of us just trying to raise a family, and put something aside for later, well we just got pissed on.

...My Question

Will we be able to really fix our economy with this huge wealth imbalance? Seriously, if we only have four M&Ms between us, and Wally Bigbux has 95, who decides?
I just feel so helpless.

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Favorite Animal: Warthog

Hog Wild
Originally uploaded by Three Dog Knit

This one's for J. You were one weird kid! Your favorite animal, for a time, was the wart hog. And that predated Disney's Lion King! I don't know what little boy J would have thought about this, but hopefully the young man can appreciate it.

This Hog head hangs in the Cal Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (here).
You can only go in to look at it once a year. That, and dead birds, critters in jars, and a really cool T-Rex.

T-Rex and Pteri
Originally uploaded by Three Dog Knit

New Kitty Troubles

Kitten
Originally uploaded by Three Dog Knit

I have been battling the feral cats in my yard for a good many years, but now it is war. They are winning. (With a little help from a do gooder neighbor who believes in catch and release.) Problem with that is she doesn't feed them enough. Or catch them all. Last night, when I went to take out the recycling, I spied a mother cat with three kittens nesting in my compost bin. (It sits against a short wall next to some bushes.) Nice place to keep a litter.
Well, as soon as I walked over to get a look, one of the wee ones scrambled over the side. I went to get my camera. The others were under the bushes by the time I returned. This was the last one to leave.

Alpacas in the Poppies

I was out on the river road this week, enjoying the drive, as usual, when these bright orange poppies caught my eye. Surprise! I was thrilled to see the alpacas as I slowed to admire the view.

With sublime content, I drove on to conduct my business; On my return to the office, I pulled over to take these pictures. I really wanted to get a panoramic shot, but a couple of those beasts were very curious about me,

and walked up to the fence.

So pretty!

Do Ya Really Need That Big Screen TV?

I have many discussions with co-workers about the environmental imprints we make. As I left work tonight I was drawn in to a very passionate discourse that included politics, civil rights, economics, and environmentalism; all within the course of a few minutes. I couldn't stop thinking about the last part of the discussion-that we are selfish, greedy people who are unwilling to make sacrifices-after I left, and while I ate dinner.

It was as if he had been reading my thoughts during my noon walk. How can I become a better citizen? Can I give up driving my car? What kind of sacrifices would I have to make to take the bus to and from work? What kinds of sacrifices would I have to make to save enough money to replace my drafty windows with energy efficient windows?

And, the third thing today.

I wanted to update my links, but couldn't remember the address for this blog, so I Googled it. Here is what I found:

You Are Connected to the Mountaintop


READ IT. Please. Then ask yourself, "Can I make some small sacrifice?"

Blocking on the Carpet

I read another "How to Block" that suggests using the carpet. UGH!!!!

Honestly, why would you take a clean piece of handwork and lay it on the rug? Dogs (not very clean ones, I might add) lie on the carpet. Shoes walk on the carpet, and the gross stuff the shoes walked on I'll leave to your imagination. Why, just the other day I went for a walk on the beach and came away with tar on my shoe. Disgusting, smelly, gross.

Oh, silly me. Ya put a CLEAN sheet down first. DUH.

So where was all this going? I don't even have carpets any more. (Once I discovered hard wood floors under that crappy brown seventies shag, there was no holding me back.) I was trying to figure out how to block a particularly large shawl. Here is where I ended up:

On Blocking Boards

Spring Weaving - and California's Budget Woes

We couldn't make a go of it at 12 people, and I'm pretty sure that we won't with six. Rumor has it that the state superintendent of education is to blame. (Should that have been capitals?) Yeah, we need a scapegoat.
I had a couple of offers from guild members for individual lessons. Of course, I'm
grateful for that, but I need something more structured.
The fates need to realign themselves, and nine more people will show up Wednesday night.

Cute Newt

I just had to share this picture. W took it when he was visiting the botanical gardens above UCB. It is safe to love newts, once again. Not that I ever stopped loving those cute four legged creatures, but a certain two legged one cast a pall on the name forever. Thankfully, now, he is almost forgotten.