The SoCal Byte

John Steinbeck said, “Socialism never took root in America, because the poor there see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” Socialism aside, the have-nots always find ways to fantasize about the haves. In their have-not imaginations, even while poverty was at its highest level ever, the economically poor saw themselves as soon-to-be resurrected financially rich. That’s right. Poverty peaked, but the poor, somehow saw themselves not as downtrodden, but simply waiting their turn at Donald Trump won the lottery riches.

Eighty-year old Cecilia Gimenez made a mistake. Thanks to her, a 120 year-old image of Christ with a crown of thorns was transformed. Located in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Borja, Spain the painting Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), by Elias Garcia Martinez, became, in the hands of Cecilia, a desecrated trending mess — Ecce Mono (Behold the Monkey).

December 12, 2012 is the end of the world. That’s a big story. December 12, 2012 is the date that the 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar ends. That calendar belongs to the Mayans, who apparently forgot to make it infinitely long. Because of this oversight, some people, who like stories, think we’re doomed.

When I was 5, I lived next door to a pyromaniac named Allen. He was 8. We floated boats in my kiddie pool, played with my train set, climbed on stacks of wood in the lumberyard, and eventually learned about original sin from his Baptist church.

You’ve been a very attentive audience. Thank you. I like praise, too. In fact, I’d like some praise for here, and some to go. But please be certain it’s praise you’re giving me, not butter-up, brown nose, peer-hopping, lip-service.

My life has been a battle with impatience. Sometimes my exasperation with the pace of progress boils down to the way people cross the street in front my car. I like to imagine that everyone wants the gears of transportation (and forward momentum) to move smoothly and effectively. This is not always the case.

Ten years after his death, Ruth’s mental facilities began deteriorating. Senility, you might say, brought her to live with my parents. Their house was never the same. In Ruth’s eyes my father Frank was her Uncle Harry. My mother, her daughter, Betty Lou was Aunt Elizabeth. Harry and Elizabeth were long dead, but that didn’t stop Ruth from enjoying an afternoon with them — and she didn’t stop her imaginings at swapping the dead for the living. She imagined settings, situations, livestock. My parent’s Laguna Niguel tract home back yard filled with fantasy cows and chickens. “Did you milk the cows, Harry,” Ruth would say to Frank. Reality became negotiable.

Fat friends and friends of the fat, a new future awaits us. Today, one-third of America — grown-up America — is obese. About 17 percent of our children and teens are also obese, which is triple the rate from a generation ago. If we triple again, we will all be obese. Even conservative estimates predict that by 2030 about half of men and women in the U.S. will be obese. However you look at it, big times are ahead.

Our state of quantum ethics is a reason to not condemn our past and not condemn our fathers. Like the ancients said, “when you reach the top of the mountain, don’t curse the path that brought you there.” You can’t accurately examine a 20th century father through 21st century eyes, and so on, ad so on.

Acute Schizophonia is the fastest growing disease in the US. The condition is caused by a dislocation between what you hear and what you see. Think of a dog barking at a pair of speakers amplifying cat sounds. That’s a minor case of Schizophonia.birds.mp3