Black Friday Roundup/ America’s Love of Bacon Edition

Hello to all and welcome back,

Just a couple of links for today. The holidays really took the starch out of me and I might not have a proper 1,300 word post in me till next week (collective sigh). Yeah, I know, it’s upsetting. Anyway, since I scour the Interwebs, I always have something cool for your guys & gals, even if I didn’t write it myself.

First up, a site called “Adbusters” put together a really great roundup of some of the occupy movement’s direct action around the country, from this past Friday. Adbusters attempted to have people take part in an action called “Buy Nothing Day.” The day after Thanksgiving we would collectively spend time with our families and/or protest outside of some of the big box stores (if you wanted), but basically vow to purchase nothing on the day. Check it out, it’s enough here to give you a good look at the creativity used around the country last week.

Commenters to the post, also posted pics, videos, and links to their own local direct actions. There was a sit-in in front of a Macy’s store, where shoppers joined the protesters, as the cops came in to clear them. In another mall, protesters held signs saying “Buy More Stuff” and “Hurry.” Others had a serious message, encouraging people to at least buy local. There were flash mobs in multiple Wal-Mart stores. The funniest most pathetic thing I saw was this. If you don't want to click, a woman at a Wal-Mart store pepper-sprayed a couple of other shoppers to gain an edge, in getting whatever item. Insert your own “cop/shopper/peaceful protester joke here.” It’s too easy. I’m gonna lay off.

UPDATE 10:20AM, 11/29: I just checked that Adbusters link again and it looks like the site has changed since I posted this (some of the links and videos were removed). Anyway, here is a sample of a flash mob at a Wal-Mart in San Diego. If you check the “Related Videos” of this clip, you can see examples of other actions in some of the large well-known stores. These clips are similar to what was originally on Adbusters “Buy Nothing Day” roundup. Biggest apologies for that. And, the photos and posters in this post, were all featured on the site I linked to, before it was changed.

Sadly, all of these action were not able to dent Christmas sales. Black Friday spending was up 15% over last year. Cyber Monday’s sales growth was very close to that as well. My only hope is that the action served to at the very least raise the consciousness of a number of shoppers. Shoppers sitting in with Macy’s protesters really warmed my heart. These were people who were possibly inconvenienced by the protesters (being stuck in the store or couldn’t get inside) and still chose to help them. So, please check that first link, some pretty cool things went on around the country and world (Buy Nothing Day had international support).

Now, we go to America’s Love of Bacon. I don’t think I hide my feelings on where I think I this country is headed. I’m of the mind that the empire is crumbling without major changes (debt, climate, joblessness, healthcare costs, unjust wars and occupations, banks, corrupt politicians, take your pick really). Oh sorry, this was supposed to be about bacon.

And, this can only be considered as further evidence. You might think you’ve seen it all with our infatuation with bacon. There is something called “BaconFest.” It happens yearly in a number of US towns. Also, I think we’ve all heard of Denny’s Bacon Sundae (see, right). If sundaes aren't your bag, you can have a bacon milkshake (1081 calories) from Jack In The Box. The folks AT Jack In The Box even encourage you to "marry bacon" in their new ad campaign. You can even get drunk with bacon flavored vodka. But, today I stumbled upon something that even surprised me. I give you, bacon scented perfume. As always, no embellishment is needed here. I do wonder where does it end. I'm going to get to work on a bacon-scented body wash/shampoo, that has to be the next big thing. I'm looking to market it by saying it has no calories, but bacon will still seep into your pores. That has to be a winner, in this country. It will be our next product, right after Amorphous Thoughts Inc. finish our “protest goggles.” (reference from an old post)

For historical reference, just before the Roman empire fell, they also had an unhealthy addiction to bacon. (that’s not true).

See you next time,
James

Week In Review: OWS, Dorli Rainey, Personhood Amendments, & Floating Islands

The Bat Signal Of The 99%

Hello to all and thanks for checking in.

I'm thinking of making this is a regular thing, where I can post articles that I couldn't fit in elsewhere during the week. It was a busy week, with this pesky little global revolution going on. Let's get to it:

We have to start with yesterday's International Day of Action. Simply too much happened to list here. There was the standard police brutality in NYC. Here is a guy that is bleeding from his head and mouth, after being thrown to the ground (this one is somewhat graphic) by the NYPD. Eyewitnesses said he lost 3 or 4 teeth in the attack. The reason for the beating: one report said he kicked a barricade another said that he flipped the cap off of an officer. You can decide if either of those actions are worth a cracked skull and missing teeth.

Over 200 were arrested in New York, including some journalists and a retired police chief (formerly of the Philadelphia PD).

NYPD estimated 32K people in the protest. Protesters also did march along the Brooklyn Bridge again (pedestrian walk section). My favorite pic from the day might be this one (above). A group called "The Other 99%" took responsibility for projecting "99%" onto the Verizon building. At the time of posting, there were 3 videos of this on YouTube. It's an awesome sight, there were rotating occupy-related messages. Overall, it seems the best coverage has been from a network called RT America. They've been on top of the Occupy story from the beginning. You can see RT's live blog as it happened in NYC here.

Here is the scene from Greece, courtesy of RT as well. Greece saw more clashes and riots yesterday. It was an incredible day all around. If you wanted more information on a specific town, just Google "International Day of Action and (whatever city)." The most active US towns seemed to be: Chicago, Washington DC, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Portland. Occupy California got around their orders to not pitch tents, by strapping balloons onto them and floating them above their campsite (pretty cool). And, you can check here, for direct links to happenings in Madrid, Belgium, Germany and Japan.

These are some facts to throw out to your conservative friends (and/or family) if you get into an argument over the holidays next week. Any Republican will tell you about the evils of Obama's stimulus package and the need to cut to spending. Every normal economist, including the above-mentioned Paul Krugman, says stimulus is the way to go. Here is some proof. It is a comparison of the U.S. vs U.K. economy, from before the recession to now. After three and a half years, U.S. GDP is just about returning to the pre-recession level. It's not great to be even in size with a few years ago. But, it's worlds better than the U.K., where GDP is still five percent below its pre-recession level. Full article is here. So, if you get into an argument, tell the person that yes cutting spending is important, but after the recession is over and economic growth has resumed.

Earlier in the week, I put up a post that looked at the effect of inequality on society as a whole. Within it, I talked about research that showed that wealthy people have more fear of the poor in these societies. And, there have been proven links and research, showing elevated stress levels in unequal societies. So, with that as the backdrop, consider this. Billionaire, Peter Thiel, has revealed a plan to launch a floating country of the coast of San Francisco. The researchers I mentioned here, were definitely onto something, linking inequality and stress. This guy wants to check out of here completely and create his own country. It must be stressful. What will he name the new country? Who will be President? Will they have people to do the stuff that rich folks won't want to do (clean, mow the lawn, etc)? I'm being facetious. But, what is more far-fetched, my questions, or someone that wants to create a floating country? And, aren't those called islands? I thought we had them already.

Here is a picture that I think sums up the police overreaction to the occupy protest. Here is an 84 yr old woman, after getting pepper sprayed in Seattle. In the Occupy Seattle raid, a pregnant teenager and priest were also pepper sprayed. The elderly woman is named Dorli Rainey. She's still very active politically at her age and was not at the protests by chance. Below is an interview with her, from Keith Olbermann's Wednesday show. She's truly an inspiration.

You may have also heard about the craziness at Occupy Wall Street from early morning Wednesday, concerning their eviction from Zuccotti Park. One tidbit from the OWS episode, that was pretty scary, was that over 5,000 books that were thrown away from their library. For those unaware, the Nazis destroyed literature during their rise to power. And, it's a tactic that is dotted across history. Those in power feel that it's useful to keep new information and ideas away from the public (especially during times of unrest). I don't think that was the intention of the raid, but the similarities of the end result were not lost on the protesters. Here is an expansive list of book burning incidents across time.

2 more things before clearing out and this was actually from Election Day on November 8th. I now have a sliver of hope for that little bit of land, south of the Mason-Dixon line. You know them as separate U.S. states. I lump it all together and just call it "The South." It's faster that way. On Election Day, voters in Mississippi said no to an amendment to the state Constitution, that would have given a fertilized egg the same rights as a human. The ramifications of this passing would have been far-reaching. All abortions would have been illegal (and possibly considered murder). Some forms of birth control would have been considered murder too. In-Vitro fertilization would have been treated the same. Late-term abortions (done to save the mother) would get the same treatment. The idea was patently insane, but the voters thankfully said no to it.

Which leads me to the best joke I saw, a day before the vote:
"Pregnant ladies of Mississippi: you might be able to drive in the HOV lane as soon as tomorrow!"

Oh, the laughs you get from personhood amendment jokes!! Truth be told, I did love that. The law was so ill-conceived, that if you can try a doctor for murder for a late-term abortion, a mother-to-be should be able to use the carpool lane. Seems reasonable.

We'll leave it there for the week.

See you next time,
James

Field Report, Times Square, Global Change Day

Hello to all,

Thanks so much for checking in. It should be a pretty long post. And, welcome to anyone that may have found the blog through the Plutocracy Files. This posting will appear on both of our sites. I have quite a few pics from the Times Square demonstration, a few videos I took of the cops rolling in, and headlines from some of the other major demonstrations that took place yesterday.

I Think This Was My Favorite Sign Of The Day

Ok, I had the longest of days yesterday, but it was so very worth it. I had to go into the office (in Syracuse mind you) for a few hours in the morning. I packed everything I thought I would need for a demonstration. I wore my contacts to start. My glasses were with me, in an unbreakable case. I had them as a backup, in case I got maced and slammed to the ground. I wore comfortable shoes, figuring I'd be there a while. And, I had loads of vegan-friendly snacks in case I couldn't get to any food joints. I had fruits and bottled water. I even brought gum, figuring I'd be in close quarters with other protesters. I didn't want a fellow protester to think I have bad breath. Now that's being prepared and polite. I wasn't even a Boy Scout as a kid.

I got on the road about 11am and got to into New York about 3:30, arriving at Times Square about 4pm. When I arrived, it was tough to get a sense of how many people where there. You just can't get a sense of it when you're in the middle of it. As you looked around though, you see that you are engulfed by people all on sides, on the edges of Times Square. The police shrewdly put up barricades to continue to allow traffic through and to separate the crowd. But this tactic, I felt, really put a cap on the crowd's enthusiasm, their ability to start chants, get riled up, etc. I'm guessing there is a "Riot Prevention" handbook out there and this maneuver falls under "Crowd Dispersion."

After settling into where I was, I took in the scenes for a while. We were all waiting for the march from Washington Square Park to join us at Times Square. While waiting, I was interviewed by a network from the Far East (pretty sure it was from Japan). I'm really hoping I can track it down and post it. But, it's not looking likely. A friend did record me getting interviewed. So, you can see me, but not quite hear me.

After the interview, I continued to take in the scene. The signs, denoting grievances, ran the gamut. Someone created a pretty nice model of a Predator Drone, to protest all our wars. Someone held a Che Guevara flag. Signs asked for investments in public works projects, others asked to end corporate person-hood, some for investments in education and green technology, and others to raise taxes. The list goes on. But, if you've followed this occupation story closely, you're aware of the main issues.

The day also had an international feel. I saw a sign stating that a particular group was made up of "Belgian, French, and Flemish" people and sided with the protestors. I witnessed two different groups flying the flag of Canada another with Puerto Rico's flag. Later in the evening, I also met two women from Denmark. I know Times Square is called "The Crossroads of the World", so the international feel was expected. Passers-by on double-decker buses also showed support. There were people waving, "thumbs up" signs given, peace signs, etc. Buses honked their horns in supports as they went by as well.

From there, I tried to get to the edges of the protest to get a feel for how far it all stretched. That was probably not the best idea at first. It took the better part of 45 minutes to go 3 blocks. Because we were all barricaded in, it felt like there was a chance of people getting trampled if someone fell over. As you walked, you passed under scaffolding that people literally climbed upon to get a better look at the scene. Photographers climbed atop payphones and stand alone traffic lights to better to get their shots.

After arriving on at 47th and Broadway, the protest really started to heat up. The portion of the crowd, right up against the barricades, wanted to move further into the street the relieve the bottleneck. The cops beat back a few people, as tensions rose. One of the police horses fell over. I heard (from an eyewitness) that one man was cracked pretty good by a police baton and had to go to St. Luke's Hospital. At this point, I was getting nervous for public safety. All of this is going on, right in the middle of the tourism capital of the US. I saw quite a few people with kids in strollers, small children, and a few elderly people. It could have easily gotten out of hand, with pedestrians, unaware of the day's events, getting hurt. My own opinion is that the NYPD would have done anything to keep the protestors from filling the streets, because there would be no way to control them from that point. In the process, they did seem to create a safety hazard. And, did I mention, that across Broadway on the other side of 47th street, was a large Bank of America branch. It's probably not a coincidence.

Check out Lucy Kafanov's report, for RT America, she's been great during these protests. She was right on the barricades with protestors.

From there, the NYPD shuttled us east towards 6th Street to disperse the crowd. I also noticed some cops positioning themselves behind us and I also saw the orange netting make an appearance. As I went down 47th I saw this, and I really knew it was time for me to go.  Before I got out of there, I did have someone write the Lawyer's Guild phone number on my arm, in case I got hemmed in with the large group. So, I did get my first piece of protest swag. Bonus!

Then I saw this follow the cops in:

After I tried to loop back around, I saw these guys come up 48th street, and I got the hell out of there:

2nd Favorite Sign Here

All in all, I was about 98% sure we live in a police state. And, now I'm at 100%. These measures from the cops will not quell this movement. You can't kill an idea (see, terrorism). And, so many of these people have nothing to lose. Right now, I do have something to lose. I had to get out of there. But, a few weeks back 700 people were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. There were around 70 last night. With each, more vow to come back and fight even harder. I don't know where this all goes. But, it's amazing to have just a little part in it. If you can get to a large protest, I suggest you do. There's a feeling you get, that you can't get in too many other places. It's the feeling that you're a part of something bigger than yourself.

Full disclosure on me: my wife is from Germany and I can get out of the US, to a place with virtually free education. A place where everyone has health care. A place with strong unions and better  income equality, a plan on renewable energies, etc. So, me being in New York, or sleeping outside in Syracuse, isn't really about me. I'm lucky enough to be working and have health care now. I don't feel personally aggrieved. But, this is about a better, fairer world, some greater good. May sound corny to some, but you do truly feel it when you're there.


Before I go, just a couple of the major headlines from yesterday's "Global Day of Change":

-500,000 people marched and sat in Madrid's main square, the Puerta Del Sol.

-Reports estimated 350,000 in Barcelona.

-Here is the scene from Paris.

-Cops violently removed campers from outside the Reichstag in Berlin (Reichstag = Germany's equivalent of the U.S. Capitol building).

-200,000 hit the streets in Rome and it got pretty violent, including a burned out riot van and civilian vehicles, looting, etc  (story and amazing video, only 1:35).

- 25 people were arrested at Citibank for trying to close their accounts, including one lady who was just standing on the street.

-About 200 people were arrested in Chicago.

Very last thing, before I finish. I know I gave you a lot today. It was a multimedia posting, and about 1700 words. But, this last thing just warmed my heart. It comes from Madrid's Puerta Del Sol square. A symphony plays Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", but at the end all the people raise their hands, with their palms open, saying, "these are our weapons (in Spanish)." It moves me, to no end, each time I watch it.

Until next time,

James

Urban Camping With Occupy Syracuse (Part II)

Hello again,

Thanks so much for checking back in. And, it’s a habit of mine to always thank everyone at the start of a post. What can I say? I’m polite, get used to it. We kill you with kindness at “Amorphous Thoughts”. Before I get started, just one quick housekeeping item on the layout of the blog. The last 5 postings will now always appear on the homepage. You just have to keep scrolling through. Anything older than that, you can get to through the archives. Today, I wanted to touch upon the rest of my time at Occupy Syracuse (OS). We left off at me giving you the layout of the occupation, how they mirrored many of the things Occupy Wall Street are doing, and there was a march and rally happening on the day.

As I mentioned in the first post, I arrived at their setup around 8pm on Friday night and got a good look at how things worked.  That night, I went to bed (if you want to call laying on concrete “going to bed”) at about 1AM. But, in those 5 hours there, I got to speak with others staying overnight and passers-by. And, in that, I saw the true value of what these occupations can do in small and mid-size cities. First off, we were ABLE to talk politics freely. I thought about this, and could not come up with another time where this is socially acceptable. Think about it: you can’t talk about it at a bar, at work, at a sporting event, you might even get in trouble bringing it up at Thanksgiving dinner. There might be some safe place where you can talk about it, where it’s not taboo. But, I haven’t thought of it yet. Although, at these occupations, it’s the sole reason we’re all there. It’s really torn down these fake walls we put up, and allowed people to look for answers. I noticed a sign at the location, that said (and I’m paraphrasing), “Don’t Let Them Divide and Conquer Us.” These protests have forced us to focus on what we have in common, instead of what separates us.
Let’s take a look at today’s major political parties. I can ask someone a question on where they stand on gay marriage, guns, religion, the environment, abortion, taxes, regulations, etc. And, based on their answers, I can tell which political party they will invariably vote for. Even worse, when they elaborate on their answers, I can tell where they get their news. Then, based on those answers, we are immediately divided and the conversation stops and nothing gets settled. But, it does not happen at the occupation locations.

In my time I had before heading going to sleep, I just talked to people. The experience was wonderful in its simplicity. I spoke to a gentleman, who was maybe 20-25 years older than I am (I’m 35yrs old for any new folks). In our talk, I spoke of great websites I use as resources, books I’ve read and  documentaries I’ve seen. The whole time he was writing everything down to research later. First time that has ever happened to me. Family members don’t care this much about what I have to say. Unlikely, that this would not have happened in a pre-occupied world. And, I’m going to register “pre-occupied” as a phrase. Don’t even try to beat me to it. Prior to the Wall Street protests, this gentleman and I would have probably argued each of our points, got upset, and then ended the discussion after not getting anywhere. But, there is this new willingness to come together, learn, seek solutions and find common ground.

With this newly found common ground, I think you will also get a more educated voting public. At the OS, there is literature on voter registration. They’re reaching out to local unions to spread the word. And, this is where I think the value is, in some of these smaller occupations. There is even a Twitter account called, “OccupytheHood” that is getting at community outreach and educating/helping disaffected minorities. I feel that large policy changes will come from what is happening in New York and Washington DC. But if after that, you have a more engaged and knowledgeable public, that knows what to demand of lawmakers, then these protests become massive successes.

The other thing you learn, and probably the biggest thing, is empathy. Also in my time there, I met a couple of people with stories that would break your heart. It was the “We Are the 99%” Tumbler site, from yesterday’s post, brought to life. One person I met was unemployed, 5 months pregnant, and homeless. She spent as much time as she can at the occupation. Afterward, she would take the bus to the shelter she was staying at. She was also a college graduate with a degree in IT. And, of course, she did not have a health insurance. I meant another gentleman that needed heart surgery at a time when he was not working. The cost (hope you’re sitting down) was $500,000. He had to file for bankruptcy, because who has 500K lying around. Meeting these folks makes you see through the numbers. According to the American Journal of Medicine, 62% of bankruptcies in 2007 , were caused by medical debts. I knew the percentage was pretty high, but this was the first time I met an affected person. I can tell you, it is very different.

Another under-rated aspect of attending an occupation is that it’s strangely relaxing. It’s tough to explain, but when you get there, you’re just there. You’re not burdened by whatever stresses you have at home. There is a really great energy at the meetings. You see and feel the kindness of others. They feed you. You don’t have to clean. I understand I’m starting to sound pretty lazy with those last two. But, it’s tough to describe not having any worries, even for just a short amount of time. If you haven’t been to one, I would suggest attending and experiencing it for yourself.  With over 1,300 cities taking part in some way, I think we’re all within a few miles of one by now. I promise you will find it tough to leave.

The march and rally were held early Saturday afternoon. To be honest, I was surprised at what they were able to accomplish in 6 days. I mentioned there was only local hero “Scoot” on Day 1. And, the march/rally had between 100-150 people attend. The rally had some public speaking (using the People’s Mic, like in New York).  Here’s a clip, if you’ve never seen it done.

And, in true democratic fashion, everyone was given an opportunity to speak, if they wanted too. There was one conspiracy theorist and he brought this sign. No protest is perfect, you always get a couple of nutters. As you can see in the pic, the group tried to calm anyone attending the rally.

There was also a Ron Paul sign hung in plain view. But, in keeping with the spirit of the movement, they do not support individual candidates. The march and rally itself was exciting. We marched around and through the Downtown Syracuse area. Along the way, lots of horns honking, thumbs up from people, messages of support, etc. I yelled a bunch, lost my voice too. The chants were along the same lines as the ones used on Wall Street. “We Are the 99%!” being the main one. Following the lead of the New York folks is the common thread. These occupations that have followed are like franchises of Occupy Wall Street. They are “Mc Occupations”. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean that derisively. It actually helps them create these communities everywhere with a proven blueprint. I heard a crazy fact yesterday, that there are occupations are every continent, except Antarctica. Ok ,so, they’re not EVERYWHERE. But, they’re on every continent, that has more people than penguins. You can’t knock what’s working.

I checked in on OS today and they are growing even further. There was another welcome table set up, more tents, more signs. It was encouraging and I’m going to pass by a couple of times this week. But, I don’t think I will spend the night. Scoot and the others are way tougher than me. If interested in any updates, keep checking in. And, I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

Last thing, then I am out of here. Next week, October 18th, is the next GOP Presidential Candidate Debate. If I’m friends with any of you on Facebook, you know this is my favorite TV show. I watch it like it is fiction. For readers/friends that are new to today’s GOP, I will be previewing all 8 candidates in the coming week (yes, 8!). So, you’ll be properly prepared for the freak show. The preview will shock, horrify,and appall you. You might even get a little nauseous, knowing that one of these moops will be a coin flip away from the presidency.

That will do it for today, thanks so much checking back in, see you soon,
James

My Time At Occupy Syracuse

Hello to all and thanks for checking in,

Here is what I saw at Occupy Syracuse. But, before I go into my experience at Occupy Syracuse (O.S. from here on), we should start at its beginning. To paint a picture of where the occupation happens in town, it sits about 100 yards from a high traffic bus stop/ transfer point. The occupation also sits about 50 yards from the entrance to a Chase Bank (Chase would be behind and to the left of the occupation setup). It is also facing a Merrill Lynch branch (the 4th pic was taken from in front of Merrill's building), and 3 blocks from a Bank Of America. Syracuse is a small to midsize town, but we have our evil financial center, just like the big guys.

O.S. started just last Sunday, with a man who goes by the name of "Scoot", staying there with one other person that first night. I didn't ask for any ID, but I'm thinking that is a nickname. That being said, he is the man who started it all off and has stayed every night since. I passed by the setup a few times during the week and talked to Scoot. Each time I visited, the operation seemed to grow a bit more. Its placement is really helpful in this regard. Being on a main thoroughfare and close to many businesses helped. In my visits, I would see people who have passed by during their lunch speaking to them. Bus drivers would stop to speak, if they had a break and people who were waiting for buses, would come to the O.S. desk as well. This bus stop is a great microcosm of the folks most in need. You have union bus drivers there, people on their way to school, people who may not be able to afford a car, etc. It's probably the best location in town to occupy and get your message to those who most need to hear it. Thanks to this, the setup matured quite quickly.

I follow many of the protests across the country and world over Twitter. I'm just addicted to these stories and amazed by what is happening. But, what I have noticed, is that they seem to use the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) model as a guide. O.S. is similar in that regard. They have General Assembly meetings at 6pm each night and again at 9pm (if someone has arrived, who could not attend the first one). A small, but expanding library, is also a part of the setup. These steps were taken by the OWS folks and other occupations across the country. They have a media relations person as well (pic, bottom right). This was taken before Saturday's rally and march. But, more on that later. A focus is also put on education at the welcome desk of O.S. Literature is given out on a broad range of topics at the welcome desk. An artist even created a 3 dimensional representation of a pie chart to help passers-by understand the wealth divide. It involves sectioning off a portion (based on percentage of wealth held) of a patch of grass near the occupation and placing stick figures that symbolize a percentage of the population. The reaction in the community has been overwhelmingly positive. The police have been really helpful and supportive, even checking to make sure the occupiers are doing fine. The section they are staying in, is not in the best area of town. So, police support is welcome and appreciated. Because of this, those staying the night actually sleep in shifts. At the end of the night, they agree on whose sleeping first, what time that person is getting up, and no one stays awake by themselves.

The night I stayed was special (to me at least). An ex-Special Forces member of the military/occupier willingly stayed up the whole night. After waking up in the morning, I told him I felt really safe knowing he was out there. It's not the most masculine thing to say, I know. But, 2 things, I don't subscribe to social norms and I was sleep deprived, because I forgot my ear plugs. I don't even know if people sleep outdoors with earplugs. If they don't, please see my comments on my feelings about social norms. Have this happen to you, and if you react differently to specially trained military guarding you, then you can judge me.

Sorry, I got off track a bit. The support has been great from the community. When I was arrived on Friday, they were overflowing in food, clothing, and blanket donations. While I was there, a gentleman dropped off 3 pizzas. A couple of women dropped off a large pot of soup. There was a massive cake as well, with a support message for the group drawn in the icing. They are basically running out of room for food. And, there's a tent devoted to storing blankets and other assorted extra items.

Now, I know what you're thinking. I thought it. It's what everybody is thinking. It's the elephant in the tent. Where do these men and women go to the bathroom? As luck will have it, there is a local newsstand that is run by an Egyptian man, whose family protested in Tahrir Square. Bam! Nothing says solidarity like an Egyptian man, with relatives who protested in Tahrir Square, opening his heart and bathroom to you. But, it isn't a 24 hour store, so I guess you just hold it after the place closes. I didn't ask and I'm pretty sure I didn't want to know the answer. Let's just hope the current system is working.

Next up: power sources: Scoot, who is a local hero on par with Carmelo Anthony for me, has a solar panel on his tent that eventually provides power for all electric devices. A propane tank is on site as well. I guess for cooking? But, what do I know, I thought all tents had padded floors before my night with these guys. They have also gotten a mobile hot spot on site and created a PC network for the laptops.

Where are we now? I would say based on what I saw over my visits and stay, O.S. is an early success. I mentioned earlier that this started only last Sunday (10/2). It did get coverage from a couple of news channels when it was just Scoot at the beginning. But, let me quickly explain Syracuse for those not from around here. It snows a bunch up here, and not much else goes on. So, if there is a story that's not about an upcoming snowstorm, a current snowstorm, or digging out from the last snowstorm, it will probably make the news. That being said, there is no such thing as bad publicity. And, the numbers have swelled in the past week. The night I slept over, there were 10-12 people also sleeping on site. At the time of writing this post (Sunday 10/9), there are 1,031 likes to the O.S. Facebook page. And, the Facebook page wasn't even in place at the very start last Sunday. The rally and march also made the news. But, that I will tackle in part II.

Hope you enjoyed the post, check back, follow if you liked it. And, once we get past this global revolution, I can tackle more superfluous things.

See you soon,
James

We Are The 99%/ Working In Retrement Edition

Hello to all,

First off, thanks for the kind words about the blog's first post. It's all really appreciated. If you missed the inaugural post, you can see it if you keep scrolling down past this post. A link for it also appears at the very bottom of the page under "Archives." A quick apology as well. Yesterday's title was, "Welcome Back & Hello". I explained the hello part (people coming to the blog from Twitter or seeing my post on the "Plutocracy Files" blog).  The "Welcome Back" part I neglected to mention. I wrote a soccer blog last year, that I'm super proud of. There are around 40 posts, including one for every day of the World Cup. In some of the posts, I'm pretty sharp. A few posts are written in a drunken stupor, after returning home from the bars. But, give it a look, and relive the World Cup day by day. Some of my non-soccer loving friends enjoyed it. I didn't get too wonky on soccer stuff and all references were explained thoroughly.

I'm going to make this one a super quick post. I have another post in the works, detailing my experience sleeping overnight outdoors and the rally/march for Occupy Syracuse. I'm struggling with calling that post "urban camping" or "willing homelessness." Tune in tomorrow to see what I decided.

This post will be at both ends of the spectrum. I'll start you off with the bad news, so we can end on a high. I mentioned yesterday that I'm absolutely transfixed by these Occupation stories going on around the world. It paralyzes me at work. Last week I even joked with a Twitter friend, that if I don't focus at work, I'm going to have a lot more time to help out the protests. Anyway, we move on.
When you get a chance, please take a look at this Tumbler site. It's ultimately just pictures of folks from across America, holding a note detailing their current struggles. The site is incredibly powerful. You see something of yourself or someone you know in each picture/story. I did just realize Tumbler might not work on office PCs, so here is an example of the site. At the time of me writing this post, there are 75 pages of people and their individual stories. Each one just tears you up. It makes you realize why people are sleeping in the streets in over 1,300 cities around the world, to effect some kind of change.

Ok, that was tough, let's end on an high note. A little while back I stumbled upon the most random/awesome story. I promise you, it's not a fake. There is a 69-year-old DJ from the UK, who is so popular she tours Europe, and has a massive following. She goes by the name of DJ Mamy Rock. There's no word if all her appearances end before 5pm. Mamy Rock is of course her stage name. Her real name is Ruth Flowers. When I first saw her, I thought she had this weird "Weekend at Bernie's" thing going on. But, the more I thought about it, she's more Mrs. Doubtfire meets Kanye West. I'm not married to that assessment though. If you can think of another cool old lady she more looks like, feel free to leave it in the comment section. I also thought the big glasses were maybe because she has cataracts, turns out they're just regular shades. And, yes, I'm all out of "she's really old" jokes.

Speaking of Kanye West, he visited the folks at Occupy Wall Street today. And, that my friends, is what we call a literary boomerang (I think I'm the only who calls it that). We started with Occupation related news, then to a DJ that can collect retirement benefits, and finish back on Wall Street. We should end here, because that was a neat little bow.

And, just because I was poking fun at DJ Mamy Rock, don't think I'm not a fan. She's actually pretty good. Check her out here:

Thanks so much for checking back in, remember you can subscribe to the blog, and you'll get an e-mail only when a new post goes up (no spam). And, you can follow me on Twitter, my handle is @LeftBehind_CNY. I've been told that I can be pretty hilarious.

See you soon,
James

Intro To Amorphous Thoughts

First off, welcome to all, especially if you found the blog through Twitter or the Plutocracy Files, where I guest posted on Occupy Syracuse.  Big thanks to Taryn for letting me post there.  And, even if you fell asleep on your keyboard and Googled "amorphous" accidentally with your forehead and found us, hello to you as well. It really doesn't matter how you got here, just thanks for checking in.
By the way, if you're wondering what "amorphous" means, please grab a dictionary (wait, people don't have dictionaries anymore), better yet, check a dictionary app for the meaning of that word. You know what, double-check "plutocracy" while you're at it. It'll help you going forward.

I guess introductions are in order, if you just found the blog. A quick rundown of me: Beer/wine elitist, liberal, recent 1/2 marathoner, training for a full marathon, info wonk, soccer fanatic, bikram yoga newcomer, vegan, occupier, & on a quest to become bilingual (w/ German). And, since these protests have begun, I really want a Guy Fawkes mask. To hell with it, I'm ordering one. The heart wants what it wants, right? I'm not fighting it anymore. And, can I just say, that the Guy Fawkes mask is now up there with "killer from Scream" mask for me. Whenever I see it, I assume the person behind it is up to no good. And, yes I realize I sound like someone's grandparent right now. I did almost use the phrase "rabble-rouser" to describe the mask wearers. But, I would have lost all readers born after the Korean War.

Anyway, I have loads of random interests, things I follow each day, off-beat things I stumble upon, etc. And, these interests are so far-reaching and different from each other, I'd be writing 8-10 blogs to cover each thing, if I separated them out. And, I can't remember that many web addresses. So, on any given day here, you may read cathartic rants on our political system, something random in the field of sports, climate/environment, science, travel, news from abroad, news that misses the mainstream here, vegan stuff, funny and/or informative clips and videos, books and documentary reviews, quick posts on some things that may have popped into my mind, hilarious tweets from people I follow, live blogs of the freak show that is the GOP debate...the list goes on. But, since we may be teetering on global revolution, I have a hunch most posts will be on that for the foreseeable future (just guessing though). I do promise to keep it topical, light-hearted, funny, sarcastic, irreverent, and informative. My other goal is to keep them rather short. I tend to go off-road when I write. But, tangents notwithstanding, you will leave knowing something you probably didn't the day prior. The random nature of all the topics led me to think of the blog's byline:

"You never know what I might write about, neither do I."

So, stay tuned, more posts will be up soon,
James