Today is 22nd Duodenia, 11AS...a Oshunday

"Oshunday is The Second Day. Oshun is a Yaruban Goddess of Love and Sweet Waters, worshiped as a River Goddess in Nigeria and as a Orisha in Brazilian Candomblé. She is chosen chosen because She gets the week to 'flow with Her Love and Beauty'."

Addendum D [Calendar for A New Matriarchy]

Why Networked Resilient Communities won't need China

http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2011/12/links-december-11-2011.html
posted by John Robb

Here's the simple version of the message.

Big changes are coming. How you fare will be a function of the choices you make.

1. The threat is the ongoing breakdown of the global economic and political system. Things are already bad for many of us, and they will get worse for nearly everyone as the decades wear on. In almost all cases, if you stick with the current economic system: you and your family will suffer.

2. The opportunity is to build something new at the local level. A networked resilient community that produces most of what it needs and shares/sells/buys the rest virtually. An economic and political environment that you can have a say in.

One of the key parts of this opportunity for networked resilient communities? Local fabrication. The ability to make locally, using simple/inexpensive machines and designs downloaded from the Internet, the products we currently buy from China. This is a big idea. It's hard to get your head around. Once you do, it will change the way you think about the future. Here are three attempts to explain the idea.

Here's a pretty good video on the future of local manufacturing (fab labs, 3d printing, etc.).

Phillipe Torrone: Is it time to rebuild and retool public libraries and make them tech shops?

NPR story on how libraries have the potential to reinvent themselves by building hackerspaces.

Her Prophet Plays Games On The Internets

~Faux-enlightened crypto-fascist Gonzalo Lira has posted another purposefully inflammatory entry: Why Gay Marriage Doesn’t Make Sense—and Isn’t Fair. I'm not sure if he really believes half the shit he writes. It may just be to 'get his numbers up'. But whatever, I'm perfectly happy to piggy back on his bullshit.

My comment: “There is biotech already in the pipeline whereby two women could have a child who is the product of both of their DNA: bone marrow stem cells used to create sperm and egg-to-egg fertilization. There was some clearly politically motivated back tracking on the former, but the researcher had already said it would work with both genders oblivious to the shitstorm such a statement would invoke.

So, there is your 'for the children' justification. I also note that the few political attempts to 'un-marry' childless hetro couples are derided as cruel and immoral.

The bottom line here is that as long as the govt is in the Marriage Business it is Constitutionally required to provide Equal Protection Under The Law and all the various 'social custom' and 'for the children' arguments are just so much tribal bullshit. This also applies to Polygamy and Polyamory. As long as the participants are Consenting Adults, let folks marry however they choose to do so.

By the same token, if a religious organization does not condone a particular form of marriage, then they should be free from any obligation to perform it.

PS On the flip side, it is theoretically possibly for two men to have a child using both of their DNA. Strip the DNA out of a donated egg and have one man's DNA implanted in the 'empty' egg and then fertilized by his partner. I believe this has already been done with two women. For now a woman would have to carry the child to term, but a temporary 'manwomb' implanted in a male abdomen is also theoretically possibly. We're just not there yet.”

No response yet...from him or anyone else.

Weather or Not

~Storm coming in. Solid overcast with drizzle. Rain probable. Snow possible. Did a quick run to the store to grab a few things. Roads are largely empty. I'll shall endeavor to stay home until this has past, which should be roughly forty eight hours.