Mato's Blog

It is still raining nearly every day and, looking out the window and listening to the pouring rain, the reports about drought stricken areas in Africa and the Middle East are hard to comprehend. Also hard to fathom and grasp are reports about violence and war in the Middle East and other places.

Social tensions exist here too, psychopathy and other mental disorders exist, injustice and inequality exist, but the social framework is still stabile and solid enough to absorb the negative forces.

Shall I feel guilty for living a privileged life of peace and security in a rich country? Am I allowed to write about the ills of the world under these circumstances? Does it make any sense to write against the horrors of social chaos and conflict, against violence and war, when I personally never have experienced war, never looked into the barrel of a gun, never was shot at? Does it make sense to write against ecologic destruction when I live in a place where the environment still is largely intact?

I don’t know, but my occasional blog posts will not do any harm and may present new ideas and inspiration to some of the readers.

I try to extrapolate and transfer observed developments of my little local world to the wider world, I try to extract hard facts from the rich assortment of mass media propaganda, fake alternative media, conspiracy, sensationalism, nutcase sites, government funded misinformation blogs, and the precious and much too few honest and well intentioned unbiased bloggers who just want to inform and educate.

It’s not easy.

Feline news:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36772515
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/9612986/In-pictures-David-Camerons-cat-Larry-Chief-Mouser-of-Downing-Street.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/12/at-last-some-stability-larry-the-cat-will-remain-at-10-downing-street/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/wheel-chair-bound-one-eyed-8384615
Now come the bad news.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-36774841
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/07/11/is-it-dangerous-to-give-a-cat-an-ice-cream-brain-freeze/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sick-cat-killer-batters-11-8316142
http://exclaim.ca/music/article/metallica_gets_feline_makeover_for_meowtallica

Environmental news
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/buddhist-monks-buy-600lbs-of-lobster-to-release-them-back-into-the-ocean-a7129696.html
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/stories/they-murdered-my-mother-for-defending-the-environment-help-me-seek-justice/ Justice will only happen, after the US imperium disappears from the face of the earth, which could be a long way off.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/06/deadliest-year-record-environmental-activists
http://in.reuters.com/article/china-protests-idINKCN0ZK083
http://time.com/4394051/deodorant-antiperspirant-toxic/
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.6b02569 We live in the Plastic Age, every year consuming 260 million tons of plastic (made from 8 percent of world oil production).
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/insect_numbers_declining_why_it_matters/3012/ I wouldn’t mind the disappearance of mosquitoes, but bees and butterflies I will miss.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/14/the-diversity-of-life-across-much-of-earth-has-plunged-below-safe-levels-scientists-say/
https://news.mongabay.com/2016/07/bornean-orangutan-declared-critically-endangered-as-forests-shrink/
http://www.ecowatch.com/how-the-worlds-most-fertile-soil-can-help-reverse-climate-change-1906689975.html Pyrolysis could create dioxins and furans and is not necessary, because microorganisms do a pretty good job of converting organic waste into humus. A decent garden grinder and a repurposed concrete mixer to homogenize materials will be helpful.
http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/07/13/osgata-leaves-organic-trade-association-over-gmo-labeling-betrayal/#.V4ey8igg-Wh The article may be a bit bothersome and boring to read, but it clearly documents the deception, misleading, lying, on which food industry marketing is based. Don’t trust, don’t believe, make your own judgement, follow the money.

Economic news:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/karl-marx-on-financial-bubbles-much-keener-insights-than-contemporary-economists/5533830 One of the rare articles about economic theory that make sense.

Imperial news:
The economic recovery is on track, they say, but most US-Americans’ savings continue to decline, and millions of US households not only don’t have any money left over to save away, but are forced to resort to credit to fund day to day expenses. Nearly half of all Americans have not seen an increase in salary over the last seven years, and another 28 percent have seen their take-home pay even reduced by higher medical insurance deductions.
http://www.defenddemocracy.press/obama-era-suicide-rate-highest-30-years/
www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-education-funding-idUSKCN0ZN2L2
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/military-industrial-election/ Breathtaking open and unashamed institutionalized corruption. No back-room deals, no dark money flows needed. This is “democracy for sale” or “the best democracy money can buy.”
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176160/tomgram%3A_nick_turse%2C_revolving_doors%2C_robust_rolodexes%2C_and_runaway_generals/ US-Americans also excel in corruption the old-fashioned way.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/legalized_murder_and_the_politics_of_terror_20160710 Powerful words, but no solution, because the wakeup call will not be heard by those who decide our fate. The text ends with a call to revolt, rise up, overthrow the current rulers. But how can this be done in a nonviolent way, without bloodshed and destruction?
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/07/13/baton-rouge-put-those-damn-weapons-down
http://www.globalresearch.ca/police-murder-because-they-are-trained-to-murder-the-militarization-of-law-enforcement/5535399 Hitler had the jews.
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/2016/07/10/man-who-posted-alton-sterling-shooting-video-arrested-24-hours-later-on-fabricated-charges/
https://theintercept.com/2016/07/12/after-dallas-shootings-police-arrest-people-for-criticizing-cops-on-facebook-and-twitter/ First amendment abolished.
https://ourfuture.org/20160713/baton-rouge-falcon-heights-dallas
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/11/alton-sterling-witness-cops-took-my-phone-my-surveillance-video-locked-me-up.html Wow! This is the police state, this is fascism, one cannot call it differently.
http://www.workers.org/2016/07/12/no-more-racist-police-killings/#.V4ZObygg-Wg
US-America is not a harmonious society and the USA should not be a model (the shining light on the hill) for any other nation.
Five policemen dead in Dallas, three in Baton Rouge — does the Second Amendment level the play field? Or does increased violence allow the rulers to curb civil rights even more?
What will come next? More mass shootings? Increased disobedience and economic sabotage? Mass riots which leave whole quarters of inner city estate burned down? Emergency laws? FEMA internment camps?

“When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”
John  Lennon

Imperial conquest news:
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/russian-harassment-and-other-fables/ The voices of reason exist, but are drowned out by the mindless mass media propaganda machine.
http://news.antiwar.com/2016/07/01/white-house-substantial-increase-in-military-aid-offered-to-israel/
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/07/09/nato-j09.html NATO war preparations.
http://www.workers.org/2016/07/12/nato-summit-talks-peace-plans-war/#.V4ZPMSgg-Wg
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/07/11/paul-craig-roberts-vladimir-putin-is-the-only-leader-the-west-has-if-we-do-not-support-him-washington-will-destroy-life-on-earth/ Paul Craig Roberts’ articles over time have become more and more defiant and rebellious. Most other US dissidents show the same tendency and it is only a matter of time when a comprehensive crackdown will end the harsh criticism and talk like this will be declared “material support for terrorism” (US Patriot Act).

A Western journalist, concerned that Russia is bombing the moderate opposition in Syria, called the Russian Ministry of Defense to specify the Russian Air Force approach. A secretary connected the journalist to an officer who politely explained the Russian practice:

“The Russian Federation made a responsible decision to follow the principles of law and differentiates the Syrian military operations accordingly. All our weapons are divided into two categories: common and moderate. We use the common weapons against the common rebels. Against moderate rebels, we use only the moderate weapons. Our aviators carefully follow these instructions. You can be absolutely sure that we take into account the rebels level of moderation.”

The journalist was very much relieved after these words, yet, as a final confirmation he asked: “Do you really use only moderate weapons against the moderate rebels? Is that true?”

The interlocutor answered:

“An officer’s word!”

As the journalists worry slowly disappeared he asked a concluding question to completely clarify the situation: “How do your moderate weapons differ from common weapons?”

“Our common weapons differ from moderate weapons as common rebels differ from moderate rebels. They have different colors. Moderate weapons’ colors are lighter and moderate.” the officer said and hanged up the phone.

Uncategorized news:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/07/14/a-stark-nuclear-warning/ Chilling.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/the-grim-task-awaiting-teresa-may-preparing-for-nuclear-armageddon-214049 Chilling and incomprehensible for a sane person. But Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed, that she is prepared to authorize a nuclear strike, as parliament debated wether to renew Britain’s nuclear weapons system Trident.
http://theduran.com/threat-war-hangs-eastern-ukraine/

Local sources only get you that far.

I called a friend in Nice after the carnage there but he said that they already slept when it happened. He only became aware of the disaster when he turned on the computer in the morning. They live not so far away from the beach but didn’t hear the police shooting, and if they would’ve heard it they would have probably thought that there were a few firecrackers left from the big celebratory fireworks of Bastille Day or that it came from a biker oldies meeting with their ancient two stroke engines constantly misfiring.

In Germany a 17-year old Afghan refugee, shouting “Allahu Akbar,” attacked and wounded 18 people with an axe and a knife in a train, before he was shot dead by police.

All this will strengthen right wing parties, increase islamophobia, increase the stigmatization, alienation, and radicalization of muslims. This will lead to muslim ghettos, to the closing of borders for muslim refugees, to civil war.

As I turn on the computer only every other day and don’t own a radio or TV I could miss events like this completely. I could also be left unaware if Word War III starts and escalates into a nuclear exchange or if a nuclear reactor in a neighboring country has melted down. In the first case this would be positive because it would allow me to spend another two or three happy and unbothered days, in the latter case though it would prevent me from packing the cats into pet carriers and instantly drive south to escape the radioactive fallout.

Just as I write these words I’m discovering that the internet is not working, something which didn’t happen in years. The ISP has a reputation to be very reliable. Who knows if this blog post will ever be published — maybe this is the last text which I write on the computer…

The internet works again and I read:

Harakat Nour el-Din Zenky, one of the main “moderate” rebel groups defending eastern Aleppo, CIA vetted and recipient of US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles, just posted a video showing the beheading of a 10 to 12 year old boy who allegedly was accompanying the Palestinian militia Liwa al-Quds and was captured on the frontline in Handarat camp (a Palestinian refugee camp before the rebels took it). I didn’t look at the video (I would not be able to stand it) but it has caused a storm on internet forums with not many people defending the “moderate” rebels.

Al-Manar reports, that the Turkish intelligence agents and consultants, who were training and leading Harakat Nour el-Din Zenky, have been ordered to leave Aleppo and have returned to Turkey. 

In Turkey after the failed coup the Interior Ministry fired nearly 9,000 police officers. 6,000 military personnel and 103 generals have been arrested, 3000 judges suspended. 15,000 teachers have been fired, 1,500 university deans been ordered to resign, the licenses of 21,000 teachers working at private institutions have been revoked.

Such an extensive purge of opponents is only possible if detailed plans and lists of undesirable persons were already in place to be executed at the next best chance. The acrimony between Turkey and Western countries is increasing, a development which could frustrate or even terminate ongoing regime change efforts in Syria.

News from cat land:

Rosy is now 12 years old and all these years she spent together with me. I still can remember the moment when I first saw her as a tiny kitten laying in a basket together with her siblings Mary and Paul. Well, they had no name then, and the farmer woman who held the basket asked us if we would take them, because otherwise they would be killed instantly.

It is common practice in rural areas to kill unwanted kitten by either throwing them against a wall or drowning them in a bucket of water. I wonder how far a step of brutalization and desensitization it must be from killing a few kitten by drowning to killing a child by beheading or if one absolutely cannot compare and correlate these two kinds of actions.

Empathy can be very selective, restricted to members of the own species, race, nationality, gender, clique, family. 

Rosy just came in, jumped onto the computer table and sat right on the mouse. She knows that this is the best way to get my attention. She looks at me disapproving and tells me: “I know that I’m not your favorite cat, I’m old and not as pretty as Lucia or Princess Min Ki. But I need also a bit of attention and first and foremost I need now a piece of French Brie.”

Rosy gets her piece of cheese and after that I gently touch and stroke her and talk with her. She instantly starts purring and kneading and she also licks my hand.

Still kneading after all these years! — which reminds me of Paul Simons remarkable song “Still Crazy After All These Years.” I prefer Afro American artists, but Paul Simon made the absolute best of his talents and I especially admire his African adventures. N’kosi Sikeleli Africa.

Miriam Makeba has died in the meantime….

Rosy is not right with her complaint and I often try to make clear to her that she indeed is my favorite cat. Every member of the cat family is my favorite cat and I would love to spend as much time with them as they want, but that is difficult because I have also other things to do (garden work, cleaning, writing blog posts for instance) and there are seven cats who vie for my attention.

Seven cats is a bit much, I know, and I would consider two cats as sufficient for psycho hygiene and four cats as the absolute maximum, yet, I cannot simply expel the surplus cats. They can leave at any time, if they want to, but they stay because they love the place and trust me, maybe even like me, or at least find me bearable. There is not much I can do to remedy the situation.

Rosy is a bit overweight and the veterinarian once disrespectful said: “She is quite a chunk,” warning me of possible diabetes and heart problems. I have the impression that Rosy is healthy and that there is no danger of sickness as long as she is running and jumping around in the garden and forest.

Of course with increasing age she has become a bit lazy and occasionally misses the daily walks in the forest, but she still can climb up fences, roam the roofs of tool sheds and green houses, and catch mice.

Rosy is the grand aunt of Gandhi Jr. and she was the aunt of Gandhi’s mother Mia, who unfortunately one year ago died from cancer. Rosy doesn’t know about these relationship, because her sister Mary, the mother of Mia, moved away to Munich when they were four month old. Yet, the three consanguineal cats always had a special relation, were friendly to each other, and often laid together.

Rosy is now aunt Rosy, which reminds me of the children song “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.” the old gray goose is dead. Which reminds me of the ducks Susi and Wulliwu, who in 2008 were part of the family for half a year. Only half a year, and it didn’t end so well, but that is another story for another day and another blog post.