the Purpose of Windows

Living where I do

I might be forgiven the thought

that the purpose of windows

is to allow the neighbors across the street

to see into my flat....

Obama's Change--small change for you and me

Small change for you and me

BIG BUCKS for wall street

that seems to be the state of the US government

lets change the country's name to the United States of BANKS

If you want to know the details of the corruption

the crooks in question are called Geitner and Sommers--

follow this link

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/04/04-9

((thanks to Brian Leiter at his Leiter Reports for providing this link)

Wien like Blava even Petrzalka

my apartment in Wien is beginning to remind me of...

Petrzalka....

the city of concrete high rises built by the communists

one feature of Petrzalka in the summer is incessant noise

people shouting

cars

idiot children prattling

etc

since it's spring and the windows are open I've only just noticed this

demi-Petrzalka perhaps

but still that claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by people making noise

pounding with hammers

shouting....etc.

Dog's revenge

Today I met a little dog.

Small round body.

Pug face.

Short legs.

Damn friendly

The dog's revenge.

Wanted to ask: but aren't you a little shitty?

forgot to ask...

A Responsible Employer

Gotta love capitalism

The Austrians I meet are so proud of their social system

they've tamed capitalism

My boss said something wise the other day

I said

"Oh I thought you were going to pay for my health insurance"

And she said, with a shocked and surprised expression on her face,

"Why should I do that?"

BANKRUPTCY

So, the rulers of the world are meeting in London.


And the police are bullying peaceful protesters.

Is that news?

And the world rulers are financially bankrupt.

they stole our money and they want to steal more.

nothing new there.

Jared Diamond calls it KLEPTOCRACY

They've been MORALLY bankrupt for an eternity.

So, now the economic situation reflects reality.

Wien-City of Dog Shit

Warning: See Apology below
Really!
But what do these people think? Oh, my dog is going to dirty this sidewalk..

But, hey, that's normal. Everyone does it.

Do they like the smell?
The color?

The way it sticks to your shoes?

But, I know WHY they do it. I discovered why in the local homeless paper...

in a quote from Bertolt Brecht:

and BRECHT SAID

THE HOUSE OF CULTURE IS BUILT OF DOG SHIT

Note (added 21 October 2010)
The source for the above:
AUGUSTIN, Nr. 248, 11.3-24.3.09, "Ohne Ablaufdatum special"
"Der Palast der Kultur ist auf Hundescheisse gebaut."
--Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)

FURTHER NOTE/APOLOGY
added 28 October
I've just found out a little bit about the fuller context of Brecht's words.
That changes my picture of things, but I let this comment stand despite the erroneous
understanding which produced it--as a kind of warning about how selective quotation distorts meaning.

Added note; 25 January, 2011:
I gather that Brecht made this remark referring to Auschwitz; I do not know the full context, though I wish I did. When originally writing this entry I had in mind Vienna's fame as a city of culture--which, for me, stood in ugly contrast to my own degraded employment situation, the dogshit I saw on the streets, as well as the clear division between those who enjoy full employment with benefits and those who work to survive and do not enjoy full benefits, not to mention the hardships endured by the homeless--but all that, ugly though it is, is a far cry from Auschwitz.. Consequently, I was pulled up when I came to find out a bit about the fuller context. I continue to leave this entry as it is to provide a warning about the dangers of partial understanding...

Recommended Reading:  the April 4 entry (above)---"The Dog's Revenge" is itself a sort of note or after-thought....