Equity isn't fair--vote republican

You can get so far in the university and still ask questions like: "Capitalism makes technological innovation happen. Is that super duper great or just super great? Discuss." Not is it true? or can this statement be complicated? but a only the marginal issue of how much?

I often find that my mouth is open but I cannot speak because I'm too confused. I can't comprehend that even in the hallowed institution of higher learning, the premise is so richly debatable. Did you know capitalism saved the miners? It's so like capitalism to build a crappy mine and ignore safety regulations just so it can save some trapped miners later and look like the big hero. What a bitch. But that seems irrelevant to the conversation when they put the question like that.

And then (in a different class) when we're pondering the undisputed side effect if globalization that it leads to monoculture the prof asks: "Should we rather decide not to trade and keep people in other countries poor because we want to be able to visit a place without a Gap?" So many assumptions there. It assumes people people in poor countries's lives will improve if we trade with them and we assume our desire to visit a place without Gap is a valid argument and the only argument against the free market.

And did you know that 95% of economists believe that free market is best for the economy? Every section of that statement is a segment of a centipede gently inching into your ear where it will burrow into your brain and teach you to equate "healthy economy" with "good for people" because, well, it's in the book and you want to get an A and a recommendation letter.

The future is a lot the same as the present

I have revelations sometimes in my statistics class. But not too often, because I'm usually concentrating really super hard. And still not understanding.

Trage-Badge

There are so many distractions at school. You think that when you sit down in a computer lab reserved only for graduate students in your department, you'll experience only focused, blazing, hemorrhoidal silence, but then the kids from urban planning start discussing their mapping project that uses BART as its subject and they're talking about how some people can't afford to use BART because they charge a progressive fee based on starting point and destination and they wonder why is the West Oakland station is all red on the data map. I know why, it's because of the bloody blood blood blood that's everywhere, that's why. Blood from a ruined community that was thriving before planning type official aliens tore it down to make way for BART, you know that already. How can I concentrate at a time like this? Talking about my town in such a clinical, dispassionate tone is just fucking with me really. It's a double tragedy—cry now and now later too. And throw a few more in more in there just for the hell of it. Cry way back when too and some in between cries if you have a chance. I was cracking up at Disneyland on the way out of the Indiana Jones ride when I thought about this adjusted drama masks symbol. What a fine tattoo! Tragedy all over the place just like real life. Helen says to proceed with caution because it's too funny and that's bad sometimes. But she's one to talk with "you break it, you buy it" on her ass. HELEN. You've got a lot of nerve.

I was trying to draw some pooh characters from my mind during my economics class. The above is the result. It's kinda scary or whatever. The pooh with the hunny pot ain't bad if I don't mind saying so myself.

P.S. Megan says our transit is racist because the richest people ride Caltrain and get a $12 subsidy per ride and the poorest people ride and the poorest people ride the bus and get a .25 subsidy per ride and the justification is that if the rich, white people on Caltrain start feeling good about how nice transportation is, they'll spend more of their own money of the other kinds too. Racisttttttttsssssssssss. Just make the bus free instead, duh. Like a civilized place.

What's under Shamu?

A. More Shamus

B. Villain's secret lair

C. Nothing but net

D. God is under my beard

E. Empty, silent, perfectly black space

F. All of the above

Fun with tracing AKA your new chest piece

The Man, Myth and Magic encyclopedia and the Sexual Symbolism: A History of Phallic Worship (written in 1776, with original plates) book are providing me with excellent fodder for tracing and designing your new tattoo. I'm warming up the gun right now. I call this one "Mind Lost in Spiritual Battle with Mystical Dickasus Army". Word. If you care to hear the new SMS album it is available for you to download here. Merry Xmas. Associated art and a physical package with a cassette tape will soon be available on our bandcamp page. The lyrics are already there, as well as stills from the 6 new music videos that we made over the summer for this album. Soon they'll start popping up on youtube/vimeo/etc. I'll be sure to let you know.