hmmm...

doin' some laundry...always have a ton of whites. i probably should've done it earlier in the day...but (i'll admit) i prefer using the dryer. maybe there's a little guilt there...when it's warm outside, it's probably better to save the energy and hang out the clothes for that 'fresh' clean smell...BUT i'm too damn lazy to do all the hanging and the collecting...so in the dryer it is ;)

so what was i going to rant about...

two things...articles in the paper yesterday.

to the protesters in Montreal, Canada who are breaking the windows of Gap stores in protest to the mini-summit meeting of the World Trade Organization...get a grip! these people are attacking any U.S. symbol that they deem to be evil.

granted, i am certainly no rabid flag-waving American who = arrogant + dumbass...but these pseudo(neo?)-terrorists are just punks. sure, the USA has done and will always do some things for the sake of capitalism, believing that a country can be 'saved' by trying to emulate our business beliefs or 'civilized' ways...and we're rarely right. and the Gap is guilty of charging exorbitant prices for things that they paid quite little to the people who made the garments...in 'more humane' sweatshops around the world, but bashing in the windows of a Gap or going in and throwing paint on clothing does NOTHING!

if these people really want to make a difference, they should go out and get an education and join the Peace Corps. get involved and take donations to these foreign countries that you want so badly to receive more aid. if yer country ain't doin' it...chip in, dammit. or try making a difference in your own community circle.

and yes, there are some scary corporations that infiltrate other countries and implement their tourism industry upon the natives. one good example is any beach resort in Mexico. these companies don't discriminate against location...pacific or caribbean...as long as there is sand.

unfortunately, pristine locales are becoming more scarce everywhere, not just in mexico either. colorado has grown at an alarming rate in the last 15 years as well. too many people have discovered what a cool state we have. as americans, we want WAY too many toys. last i checked, the average family had: mom and (occasionally) dad...two computers...2.5 SUVs...one child...a boat that they only use a handful of times a year...a FUCKIN' loud harley that they use to annoy the hell out of everyone when they pass ('loud pipes save lives'...bullshit, just be a responsible rider, you prick!)...and a house that is WAY too damn big for even their egos!

i'm not advocating that we go to communal living or flock to the third world countries to 'help out,' but we need to step back and take another look. people who have money and go to the resorts in third world country are not always contributing what they think. by having all of the best resort conveniences at our disposal, why do we even bother to go on vacation? you have all that shit at home! do these people even tip their maids? what's 50-cents or a buck to you...nothing? well, the majority of people in third world countries earn less than $10 a day for 12 hours of work! drop a little money on yer pillow when you leave! and bargaining IS expected when you buy souvenirs, but stop being such a cheap ass! you think we would even sell if they bargained as hard as we? NO, we'd laugh in their faces and tell them to get lost!

i agree that it's nice to be pampered...but if you just go and stay in the AI (all-inclusive)...tan...party till you puke...and never take in the culture or the sights, you should be shot. we are the some of the most hedonistic bastards on the earth. Dionysus and Nero would be strait-laced geeks compared to some of us.

there are also the 'nature' do-gooders who go to mexico and stay there, exploiting the cheap prices in the indigenous areas, and staying until their money runs out. some of them just want to find cheap weed...never bathe...and become one of the 'natives.' they make me mad because they think that they'll learn the culture and language by just staying there for six months. true...but why don't you do a little homework on the culture, language, and history before you go? that way, you'll greatly lessen yer chances of committing a major cultural faux pas...and why should anyone speak english to you when you're not even trying to speak spanish? we are so english only in some states (excluding CO) that it's sickening...you think that we ever give anyone foreign (or darker skinned) in the US a break?

and the pseudo-terrorists who think they are sending SUCH a message...

you destroy a GAP store...fine...their clothes...and they way they were manufactured...prices too...are plain eeeeeevil. but tell me, did you make those clothes and shoes that you are wearing? until you are self-sufficient with what you eat, wear, and use, you can't say shit about big business because you have bought into that 'lie' too.

you wanna make a difference? go volunteer at a shelter...there are needy people in the US too. go visit a home for the elderly and hang out with them...the generations before us made it possible for you to be so 'worldly' and 'open-minded'. walk, bicycle, or take public transportation more...your vehicle, unless it's a hybrid, ain't doin' nothing if it can't pass emissions or guzzles gas. need more clothes or books? go buy secondhand and recycle what you've finished using. you've saved enough money to travel to a poorer country? take school supplies to their rural schools...take all old clothes and leave them behind when you come back to your american utopia. damn, there are much more constructive things than breaking windows and burning posh hotels that are being built...you could even start out by being nice to more people...and how 'bout dropping your 'ish' from your 'self'?

yeah, i know...i could be nice in this rant too...but i haven't gone out and kicked anyone's teeth in yet, have i? you're just lucky we're not face-to-face...you would have drowned in all the spittle that would have flown ;)

i know that i said i would comment on two articles...but the second will have to come later...my laundry is done!

hasta pronto