On the future of Democracy, which seems in peril to some, the writing of Zizek (my latest passion, although I see his limits in vision with his seeming anti-Semitism, sexism so I hear, and vulgarity that is readily apparent and could never be contested) points to deeper, older issues that might point us to a different framing of our situation.  This snip is from a piece on Haiti...

Noam Chomsky once noted that "it is only when the threat of popular participation is overcome that democratic forms can be safely contemplated". He thereby pointed at the "passivising" core of parliamentary democracy, which makes it incompatible with the direct political self-organisation and self-empowerment of the people. Direct colonial aggression or military assault are not the only ways of pacifying a "hostile" population: so long as they are backed up by sufficient levels of coercive force, international "stabilisation" missions can overcome the threat of popular participation through the apparently less abrasive tactics of "democracy promotion", "humanitarian intervention" and the "protection of human rights".

And the "dumbing down" of our society certainly makes for an un-threatening democratic form--one any hegemonic system would be comfortable presiding over.   If you feel at a loss about how to resist, there is this movement called Move To Amend that has a petition asking we amend the constitution to push back the Supreme Court decision. Go ahead, sign the petition, lots of smart people are on board.

First is a reaction to the Obama Administration's decision to tax some of the banks that had fed at the public trough a year ago.  Some feel Obama is missing a chance to put the squeeze on these folks, and taking matters into their own hands (by using their feet) are committed to moving their money to local banks and community credit unions.  The founder of this action made the case this morning on Joy Cardine's WPR program, also via Huffington Post and at their website.

Below is another important view--the video presents (at about 5 minutes) a woman recounting her family's bank that was bought (after the father was fired) because they were running it ethically and had quality assets. This suggests a strong case for credit unions, that stay local and are owned by depositors. 

The commentary in the video is provided by Slavoj Zizek, who is not someone to agree with all the time, but he will make you think...

The whole 6-part series with Zizek is presented on Mariborchan website and it loads all the eight minute sections automatically.

And finally Jay Smooth speaking in an inspired and surprising way on Haiti--a country in need of so much from the world right now....

Of course you can create an account and log in to track your submissions and make comments.  So far, so good, but the more who step up, the better we will have as a collection/collective.

Links will be on the Front Page of KickTime.org and also will be on the Kickapedia directory of the valley.

"All in good time, my pretty," as they say...

Here is a beautiful project, Significant Objects,  that auctions off items of no value for big money.  Their latest update on phase II:  "Just a quick note to observe the completion of the first auction of Significant Objects Volume 2, which actually happened on Tuesday: The Rabbit Candle + Story by Neil LaBute, went for $112.50 (original price $3). An auspicious beginning!"

It is so clear that the story we tell ourselves about objects that leads to desire, trumps most everything.

On the other extreme we have the 7 Japanese aesthetic principles to change your thinking that may help as an antidote to holiday excesses.

Our mania at holiday time is not restricted to "things", but also reaches into relationships and our way in the world with family.  Kurt Vonnegut provides sage advice about the drama in our lives (or lack thereof) and it is illustrated beautifully here by Derek Sivers.

And finally if you want some high quality drama in the new year, please do not forget about the Metropolitan Opera performances in LaCrosse via HD video theater.  The details below are from a LaCrosse Trib article.

What: "The Met: Live in HD" schedule at Marcus Cinema in La Crosse
When: Noon start for Saturday live telecasts; 6:30 p.m. start for Wednesday performances
Tickets: $22; $20 for senior citizens and $15 for children; go to the Marcus Cinema box office or go to www.marcustheatres.com

Dec. 19: "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" (encore Jan. 6)
Jan. 9: "Der Rosenkavalier" (encore Jan. 27)
Jan. 16: "Carmen" (encore Feb. 3)
Feb. 6: "Simon Boccanegra" (encore Feb. 24)
March 27: "Hamlet" (encore April 14)
May 1: "Armida" (encore May 19)

Happy Holidays all...

The originator of the site did a video about its purpose (below), and click here to see my first contribution about the plight of small towns.  There were some helpful insights and collaboration on the question.  It is an easy website to use, and well-tended even with that easy-to-use openness (no spam in other words.)

Hey, this is a nice addition to the mix and so nearly local I'm loving it.

Of course I should not leave out of the web picks  our local coop in Viroqua that also occasionally offers up recipe ideas like these.