Modern Slavery

My Nissan® Frontier truck and I were on our way to Hawai'i Kai at 8:40am this morning. The agenda was slightly different because moms had a doctor's appointment at Queen's Hospital. On the way back to Hawai'i Kai, we stopped off at Kahala Mall. Moms shopped at Longs®. Then, we ate lunch at Panda Express®. We made one last stop at Foodland in Koko Marina. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I kept moms company until 2:30pm. The rest of the afternoon followed the same routine as always when I am in Hawai'i Kai.

I have been giving a bit of thought lately to modern slavery. I am speaking specifically of the class of rank-and-file peons who are in subjection to the moneychangers and powers-that-be. In the days of old, slaves were "savages" who were abducted and forced into menial labor. A major problem with traditional slavery was the possibility of a violent revolt. The slaves would have to be "put down," which resulted in myriad problems including the need to replenish the workforce. Modern slavery has circumvented that problem by several means, including the illusion of the "ownership society," employment as a "professional career," consumerism, and financial encumbrances (i.e., taxes, loans, and so forth). The modern slave believes that he is in total control of his life. He has been indoctrinated. The moneychangers and powers-that-be control the slave class using nefarious methods, one being the "boom/bust" cycles prevalent in "serial bubble" economies. The latter method exploits the creation of money by debt. The slaves do what slaves do best and aid in the creation of money and wealth during the "boom" times. They build their little sand castles on the beach. Then, like the waves during high tide, the ocean pummels the sand castle, and the grains of sand of the former edifice drifts out to sea. That, my friends, is the wealth transfer that occurs during the "bust" times. The slaves are needed to create more money and wealth. Then, the upper echelon takes it away through means which leave the slave believing that he was at fault for his loss. Because the slave has no one else to blame but himself, he will strive to better himself as a slave. Thus, the cycle continues.

In a nutshell, modern slaves are needed to create the wealth and add value to "things" prior to all of it being stolen by the moneychangers and powers-that-be. Giving the slaves the illusion of self-determination insures the slave's tenure. That is, of course, the reason why money is made out to be a scarce resource for the slaves. Yet, money, by definition is a joke whether the latter be fiat currency or "precious" metals. Money is not simply a medium of exchange. Money is the glue that keeps slavery intact.

Well, I have finally located the Library of Halexandria site, albeit by a circuitous route. I was specifically looking for "ancient" history, notably about the Sumerian society. Yes, I am embarking on my plan to find some basis in the Creation that has a commonality in various myths, legends, oral traditions, and written accounts from ancient times. The Halexandria site is quite elaborate and fairly comprehensive. Upon reading some of the material, I was quite taken aback. Simply stated, an open mind is required prior to navigating the site.

Invisible Monk

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was devoid of the usual stupidity. Everything went like clockwork. I could not have been more pleased. The itinerary? We all know the drill.

I am beginning to feel that I have discussed in both the old journal and the "blog" everything that needs to be discussed. There is little new content. As an example, I contemplated the discussion of the detestable nature of certain guys with respect to babes as applied to George Sodini. However, I have discussed that matter from my own perspective ad nauseam in the old journal. To compensate for no content, I have resorted to the timeless method of redundancy, currently exploiting the "urban nomad" theme. Heck, the only novel discussion so far has been my cheesy exposé of bad religion. Little wonder why there have been absolutely no legitimate readers of the "blog" in well over a month.

As useless as it is, the "blog" will continue in its daily format. However, I must rethink the use of redundancy. Yes, I have thought of just discontinuing the "blog," but I recollected that the "blog" is mandated to continue until the exodus is completed. I could put more of my thoughts into writing, but I actually think about very little these days. And, now that I have determined the futility of seeking spirituality, there is one less venue of discussion.

Well, I suppose that the outcome was predictable. After all, I have almost completely removed myself from the so-called "mainstream" and of human life. I have voluntarily cut off all contact from friends and family (with the exception of moms). I know absolutely no babes. I have no connection to the working world. I spend most of my time at the library. My only real interface with the outside world is the gym, which is marginal at best. In the evening, I lock myself in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I no longer leave the door of my squalid room open. Seemingly, claustrophobia no longer afflicts me.

I find that I already have difficulty in maintaining even superficial conversation. I don't even care to talk, which is why my cell phone has been powered down for about a year. I have no desire to call anyone or to receive calls. I feel no regret for my inaction. Frankly, I feel nothing. I am nothing. I am the Invisible Monk.

Riders on the Storm

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day waited in anticipation of nothing. At the library, I completed reading Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse." I happened to discover that Bart Ehrman's book, "God's Problem," was finally back on the shelf. So, I will complete its reading. The rest of the day followed the formulaic routine. By the way, the weather has been quite nice, even as we anticipate the arrival of Hurricane Felicia (now downgraded to a Category 1 Tropical Storm).

Diamond's book, "Collapse," was quite interesting, although he tended to downplay the current global situation (read: crises). Frankly, I believe that a quiet storm is emerging, aside from Hurricane Felicia. Humanity is on a collision course with its own destruction as Peak Oil and global climate change accompany massive greed to create a whole slew of cascading problems. We are probably past the "tipping point" (or the "point of no return"). Everything in the "system" is operating at "bare bones" efficiency. Just one glitch could bring the whole global "house of cards" down including our access to food and water supplies. A sober supplement to Diamond's book is an article written by Richard Heinberg that appeared on The Oil Drum site titled, "Temporary Recession or the End of Growth?"

Well, there's something new at TheBus site, namely the GPS-enabled bus arrival time calculator called HEA (Honolulu Estimated Arrival). It appears to be formatted for mobile devices, so I will bookmark it in my Palm® TX's browser. In theory, I should be able to determine the exact time that the bus will arrive at a particular bus stop. Well, at least we got something for the recently raised $50 bus pass fee. Incidentally, I checked HEA for accuracy. I inputted the stop number ("205" for Kawaikui Beach Park) into the search field (street names are also allowed). Then, I looked out the window of my squalid room in Slob Manor (read: rental housing) to confirm the time with the actual arrival of the bus. The HEA time was correct. Ain't that somethin'?

Quiet Storm Redux

My Nissan® Frontier truck and I spent most of the day in Hawai'i Kai. Just before moms and I departed to make the rounds at Koko Marina, my sister-in-law drove up. She was apparently taking the day off after a dentist appointment. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's before shopping at Foodland. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I also helped moms carry a package of fruit to a neighbor's house. Then, I departed earlier than usual for obvious reasons.

I was very fortunate to find shaded parking when I drove back to Koko Marina. My gym workout was executed at a leisurely pace because the whole place was surprisingly not crowded. I did my own food shopping afterward. Subsequently, I drove back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing).

Hurricane Felicia is apparently heading directly to Hawai'i from the East. It is supposed to arrive on Sunday evening or Monday morning. At this point in time, the hurricane has been downgraded to a "Category 2 Tropical Storm." I suspect that there will still be heavy rainfall even it fully downgrades to a quiet storm. People are frantically stocking up on emergency supplies, according to the local news. I am doing nothing to prepare. Stocking food is useless, especially if the electric power goes out. Perhaps an inventory of "emergency" cheap booze is in order.

Bad Religion

"Tent cities springing up all over America are filling with the homeless unemployed from the worst economy since the 1930s. While Americans live in tents, the Obama government has embarked on a $1 billion crash program to build a mega-embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, to rival the one the Bush government built in Baghdad, Iraq." -- Paul Craig Roberts from "The Expiring Economy" on the Counterpunch site

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was once again punctuated by nothing. And, absolutely nothing differentiated today from any other urban nomad kind-of-a-day. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.

By the way, did you notice the similarities between George Sodini and the ol' lavahead? Both workout at a gym, are detestable to babes, are loners, own property, don't watch the tube, have decent bank accounts, spend too much time on the computer, and have exodus plans (although Sodini's "exit plan" was much more gruesome). Sodini's greatest fear ( aside from not finding a babe) was forced emancipation from wage slavery. The ol' lavahead has already been emancipated. Sodini was 48 years old at the time of his demise. When the ol' lavahead was that age, he was gallivanting around with young hotties. You may also recall his foolish obsession with the Persian hottie (read: "former friend") at that time, although the latter account had to be purged from the old journal.

Seriously, though, the most disturbing part of Sodini's journal (link in yesterday's "blog") was the following entry:

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

None of the "mainstream" news sources included the quote. Belief in flawed doctrines of religion really seem to empower the weak and oppressed masses, often causing them to commit atrocious acts. Is that not the same kind of mindset observed in early Jewish and Christian (read: Pauline) martyrs? Do we not see this today with Islamic martyrs and Christian dispensationalists?

My tolerance for organized religion is rapidly waning. Already, I have gauged the credibility of the Good Book as negligible. Now, I am moving from a pseudo-agnostic to a pseudo-atheist. While I am still certain that there is a Creator, I am even more certain that the latter is not God (of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam). Religion creates the false hope for Divine Justice. When justice is not dispensed by the Almighty, the victims of injustice take matters into their own hands using Scripture as their justification. We have seen this happening time and again throughout history. We humans would have been far better off without the invention of religion.

I have also been reconsidering my dream of visiting the "Cradle of Civilization" or other ancient world sites. Why bother? Why would I want to see the crumbling ruins of what were once monuments or tombs of deified human rulers, or visit the moldy temples of imaginary gods? I am better off seeking out the natural wonders of the world, unspoiled by human foolishness. Just to see something not defaced or ruined by human hands would be nice.

Going "Janitorial" (Reprise)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was punctuated by nothing. Incidentally, the Pure T 'n A site never came back on-line last night. What a pity. As for the day, can you say, "Same ol' shit"?

The only deviation from the mundane was the restoration of my monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design. I also mailed the signed contract to Capital Pacific Group. Let's see what happens next. And, of course, I performed the dreaded laundry chores once I was back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I have been performing the dreaded laundry chores on Sunday and Wednesday every week, so I no longer need to mention this rote tidbit.

Well, wouldn't you know it? The clown who went "janitoral" at a gym in Pittsburg was upset about the babe situation. Here's an excerpt from Yahoo! News:

George Sodini seethed with anger and frustration toward women. He couldn't understand why they ignored him, despite his best efforts to look nice. He hadn't had a girlfriend since 1984, hadn't slept with a woman in 19 years. "Women just don't like me. There are 30 million desirable women in the US (my estimate) and I cannot find one. Not one of them finds me attractive," the 48-year-old computer programmer lamented in a chilling diary he posted on the Internet.

The quote is from Sodini's journal (also archived at LoserNet in case the site disappears). Had he read the ol' lavahead's journal and "blog," he could have spared himself the agony. He could have learned how to become a monk or an urban nomad instead.

Zero Putz

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... nothing noteworthy to report. The itinerary? We already know the drill, don't we?

I happened to see Les the putz walking around the library after I returned from eating my paltry lunch under the coconut trees in the Capitol district. He saw me and looked the other way. What a maroon! He's shunning me because I did not accept his solicitation to become a "born again" Christian. Les the putz is surely an odd fellow. You may recall how he belabored the point that he truly knows pain and suffering, as if he was some kind of martyr. He also wears an unusual pair of eyeglasses. The frameless lenses are big, thick, and perfectly round, like two spooky transparent circular disks hovering in front of his face. I have never seen anything like it. To be honest, I could easily imagine Les the putz going on a homicidal rampage (i.e., going "janitorial").

It's too bad that Les the putz did not want to chat. I could have shared with him my latest revelation ... there is no such entity as Christianity. In reality, the Christianity of the Gospels is really what I would label "Reformed Judaism," which historically comes after "Rabbinical Judaism," and "Second Temple Judaism." Followers of Jesus are therefore part of "Reformed Judaism." Christianity as we know it is the Church of the Apostle Paul. Should not such a religion be called "Paulinity"? I am not being sarcastic, by the way. One read of the Good Book quickly reveals that Paul's message is not always coincident with Jesus' teachings. In fact, Jesus was never concerned with establishing a church. Rather, he proclaimed that the "Kingdom of God is near." On the other hand, Paul's life was devoted to the founding, organizing, and maintenance of the church.

There have been a lot of good articles lately about the big rip-off of the rank-and-file peons. However, I and the rest of the rank-and-file peons appears to be quite content about being manipulated and robbed blind by the moneychangers and powers-that-be. So, I read the articles, then I put them out of my mind. The naysayers who have been warning us all along about the collapse of the "system" have ended up looking like idiots. There's a surge recovery going on right now even amidst massive unemployment. What the naysayers neglected to notice was the uncanny ability of the moneychangers and powers-that-be to "goose" the "system.

Well, the tracker on the Pure T 'n A site went down at about 7pm HST. Then, the entire site went down a few minutes later. The problems are seemingly going from bad to horrendous. What is interesting is that the Web site was migrated to new servers a week ago. The tracker was supposed to be migrated to a new server, but I am certain that it has been delayed. Tracker timeouts are continuous and often run up to an hour or longer. Of course, the addictive nature of hurdy-gurdies do not allow any of the users to stop uploading and downloading new "torrents," even though their ratios may be affected. And, the site hosts a "private" tracker, so any complaints from the rank-and-file are quickly squelched with threats of banishment from the administrators. All in all, a good time for everyone.

Opacity

Another Monday found me and my Nissan® Frontier truck out in Hawai'i Kai visiting with moms. The itinerary was the same as usual. For lunch, moms and I ate at Panda Express® in the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I kept moms company until 2pm.

I was able to find shaded parking at Koko Marina immediately upon my arrival. I walked to the gym to perform my usual workout. Just before commencing my cardio workout, I noticed that there was no liquid soap in any of the soap dispensers including the showers. I asked at the front desk and was told that a shipment was coming in sometime soon. Just in case, I took a short break to check out Foodland and Price Busters. I wanted to purchase a small travel-sized bar of soap. Nada. So, I walked back to the gym to complete my cardio workout and enjoy a soapless shower afterward. Fortunately, the emergency shipment of soap did arrive in time.

I left the gym at 4:40pm, which was much later than usual. Not to worry. Where else do I need to be? I shopped at Foodland. Just as I was exiting, I ran into Mark. I had not seen him in ages. We chatted briefly. I promised to stop by his workplace to visit. Well, I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) and immediately a wave of despondency hit me. Why do I continue to live in that dump? Why bother thinking about such nonsense when another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening is lurking around the corner?

Foolish Tidbits

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday ... nothing much to report. I happened to espy the hottie gym trainer for a few milliseconds. Baby was looking hot. The rest of the day was rote, just like last Sunday. Riding the Route 24 bus to Aina Haina was again a disappointment. The bus driver was going at such a slow pace that the Route 1 bus passed us by. So, to waste time until the next bus arrived. I rode through all of upper Aina Haina and alighted at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. The next Route 1 bus was 10 minutes late, so I still ended up waiting 30 minutes at the bus stop. A $50 bus pass sure goes a long way.

I was already in foul mood since I received in the mail a most distressing monthly report for the "condotel" unit. The dump was $530 in the hole last month. That's a full 44 percent loss, and the losses are rising every month. I am now essentially paying both the rent at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) and most of the "condotel" mortgage. I derive no benefit from keeping it in the hotel rental pool. In fact, it would be far cheaper for me to move back into the unit.

Yet, all I keep hearing about is the "recovery." No wonder that people are out in full force, and they are spending money like there is no tomorrow. Both Ala Moana Center and Kahala Mall were completely packed today. Perhaps they all feel more affluent since the stock market is surging, eh?

Incidentally, the landlord of Slob Manor is tentatively planning to an exterior staircase for the second floor. The idea is to seal off the first and second floors from each other. The landlord is currently seeking quotes for the construction work. If the plan goes through, then the Indian guy and I will be required to move to the first floor. Perhaps it's time for me to become homeless.

Robbed Blind

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day commenced earlier than usual. I departed for town on the bus at 8:15am. The reason? I could hardly wait to continue reading Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse." Yes, that's the culmination of the excitement in my life. Seriously, though, the book has been quite enlightening. I am certainly glad that I wasn't born a peon several thousand years ago. It's bad enough being a peon now. I am also grateful that I was not born into some of the wretched lands that exist today.

I have been contemplating why I am not a believer in "evolution" (i.e., the other side of the coin to creation). I once did believe fervently in "evolution." That's when I was a disciple in the church of science. However, "evolution" really makes no sense insofar as the human species is concerned. One would expect that humans would be vastly superior biological lifeforms given the alleged stages of "evolution." Instead, humans require much more in the way of resources than other lifeforms. We need clothes and shelter. We eat only certain kinds of food, much of which must be cooked. We also have a very tedious way of transporting ourselves. Only our minds are superior. Well, sometimes I observe people who make me want to rethink the evolutionary theory.

In reading "Collapse," I have come to understand how even a small population of humans can have an adverse and often irreversible effect on the environment. Yet, the rest of nature works together harmoniously sans humans. We humans are the anathema of "evolution." We may, in fact, end up destroying ourselves and most of the planet. On the other hand, why would the creator place foolish humans on the planet? To be honest, that question has me stumped.

I am attempting to adapt to a new "old man" routine at the gym. No, I am not just doing one set of exercises using ten pound weights. I have opted to do more sets (i.e., repetitions) by dropping the maximum weight by 20 pounds. I do something called the "pyramid" with increasing weight until the maximum, then I decrease the weight for a couple of sets. I am still maintaining my cardio workout. I have wanted to slack off, but I know that the heart palpitations would return with a vengeance.

Another urban nomad kind-of-evening awaits me. I will probably be "stewing in my own juices" because of the sad returns on my investments. Obviously, I and many others are being robbed blind by the "banksters." When money earns at a zero percent interest rate, that is indicative of a huge wealth transfer from the poor to the filthy rich.