Google experiment No. 1: Update

Okay, December 31, 2006 at 3:23pm (local time), the Google querry "Bustifer P. Jones" returns this blog, and only this blog. I'd say that is pretty quick indexing on their part. Keep a look out for Google experiment No. 2, Rustifer P. Nose.

Le Boulanger de Bagdad

With the recent demise of Saddam Hussein I’ve been forced to reconsider my post of December 17^th, “A New Filk”. Obviously, the events of the past few days have put a knot in Saddam’s singing career and the Hussein-Rumsfeld “power duo” that I hoped for is not going anywhere fast. But there is still hope for Mr. Rumsfeld. Indeed, this maybe why Don Rumsfeld was born to this world…

Let’s step back and look at the big picture. It is clear that a unified Iraq requires a strong alpha-male leader. But the country is currently wracked by in-fighting and sectarianism. These problems cry out for reconciliation and forgiveness, characteristics not typically included in the personalities of most tyrants. But as is so often the case, Don Rumsfeld is the exception to the rule. Here’s a man who lives these contradictions every day. He is the grand-fatherly tyrant, the man with a heart of gold and fists of iron, an honest-broker just trying to make the world a better place and willing to crush anyone who gets in his way. So, where many see chaos and civil war, I see opportunity and, in particular, a job opportunity for Mr. Rumsfeld. Let’s replace the Butcher of Baghdad with the Baker of Baghdad.

What image could bring more hope, more optimism, more compassion than the sight of Donald Rumsfeld—former military leader of the occupying forces—dusted in flour, kneading dough, and making bread for the children-loving people of Iraq? There’s so much fear about a “Shia crescent”, but what about a “Shia croissant”? And why not a “Sunni Napoleon”? Let’s replace the pain-loving Sadam, with the pain-amant Rumsfeld.

Here’s the milestone I want to see: Don Rumsfeld exiting off the back of a C-130 sporting a French beret, a baguette tucked under his arm, and wearing a tee shirt advertising his new Bagdad bakery with the slogan—in English, French, and Arabic—“Buy my bread, or else…”

Google experiment No. 1

Bustifer P. Jones

SFO, NYC, SDF, DIY-G

Here is a story about a social experiment currently going on in the Bay Area. I'm posting it for two reasons. First, I think it is an interesting example of how some folks are trying to live their convictions and learning how difficult it is to try and do something perfectly. I also think the story can get folks to think about consumerism and community and to what extent they are compatible and incompatible.

The other reason I'm posting this story is because I think it is a great example of the American DIY spirit. The article reminds me of a news story reported on French TV about a group of NYC residents who got together to fight hunger. The group, a collection of NYC-DIYers with good intentions and presumably progressive-leaning political tendencies, raided restaurant and super market trash bins and then prepared pretty fancy meals for a few homeless folks lucky enough to know about their "program." It is commendable that the group would undertake such a radical plan, but I wonder why they are so dismissive of using their governments--local, state, or even national--to address what is clearly a social problem.

By contrast, for the past two weeks there have been about 250 tents lined up along the canal Saint-Martin in Paris protesting the national government's failure to improve conditions for the country's SDF ("sans domicile fixe"), the homeless. The tents are attracting quite a lot of attention in print and TV media. They've also gotten results: the national government has agreed to increase the number of beds in shelters from 1,100 to 4,000 in the next few months and to 10,500 by the end of 2007. Also, the existing shelters will open earlier in the afternoon and allow folks to stay later in the morning during the week, and will be open 24 hours a day over the weekends. Not a bad "first step" as the organizers of the sleep-out are describing it.

It seems to me that Americans are fixated on a DIY approach to all problems, even social ones that, by definition, require collective action. The thinking seems to be, "We can do it on our own and we don't need your stinking government." The SFO & NYC approaches have a lot of things in common, not the least of which is that the two groups are working in two of the wealthiest cities in world. But the other thing, which I think is a general trend even among traditional lefty-types, is the writing-off of government as an instrument of social improvement.

I'm all for individual initative, but does it have to exclude collective action? It's as if some someone has updated the old Hippocratic aphorism and applied it to the body politic: first, Don't Involve Your Government.

***

Group's Rejection of Consumerism Is Catching On
By Carolyn Jones
The San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday 27 December 2006

Three-thousand people attempt to get by without buying new things.

For Shawn Rosenmoss, the deal-breaker was a drill bit.

John Perry's worst temptation was a plumber's snake for his clogged drain.

Sarah Pelmas and Matt Eddy succumbed to the siren song of new white paint.

But aside from the occasional hardware crises, the Compact – an ever-growing group who have vowed not to buy anything new except food, medicine and underwear - is going strong on its first anniversary.

The Compact originated in December 2005 at a San Francisco dinner party, where guests decided to take recycling one step further and go for a year without new purchases. Consumerism, they said, is destroying the world and most of us already own far more than we need.

They called themselves the Compact as a semi-joking reference to the solemn commitment of the Mayflower pilgrims, but the concept is being taken quite seriously and has quickly spread.

They've been featured in newspapers across the United States and Europe and on the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," "CBS Evening News," TV news in China and Poland, and countless shock-jock radio programs. They were offered book contracts and at least two TV reality shows, all of which they turned down because it seemed contrary to the Compact principles.

Almost 3,000 people from six continents have joined the Compact group onYahoo, and chapters have sprung up around the globe from Alabama to New Zealand.

"It's been staggering," said Compact co-founder John Perry, who works in communications at a Silicon Valley technology company. "We never set out to start a movement or be holier-than-thou models of righteous behavior, but it's been very gratifying to see the impact."

There's also been a mild backlash. One Seattle radio host did a show called "The Compact: Bad for America," and others have logged on to the Compact blog and Yahoo group to accuse them of hypocrisy because they drive cars, fly in planes and otherwise consume nonrenewable resources.

"I was really shocked at some of the venom," Rosenmoss said. "I still don't quite understand it. Why would anyone else care what we do? We're not out to convert anyone."

But for most, participants say the Compact has been a rewardingexperience. Compacters are allowed to buy secondhand items and are encouraged to borrow and reuse whatever possible.

Kids' birthday parties? That's easy. Rosenmoss lets her daughters, who are not bound by the compact, spend their allowance money on new gifts for friends, or encourages them to make something. Instead of giving a gift, Perry, who has two children, makes a donation in the birthday child's name to a group committed to ending world hunger.

"The parents love it because it's one less hunk of molded plastic in their homes," Perry said. "It also gives them something to talk about with their kids."

Baby gear? Not a problem. Secondhand stores are filled with bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers, all of which can be easily sterilized.

Pelmas, a high school administrator, and Eddy, a high school science teacher, bought a house in 2006 and managed extensive renovations with only one trip to the hardware store. That was when they needed white paint for their ceilings. It's easy to find surplus paint in colors, which they used for the walls, but impossible to find surplus white paint. So they caved in and bought new.

Rosenmoss broke the Compact only twice, when she needed a drill bit and when she needed sleeping bags for her kids.

"I looked for used sleeping bags, but frankly the idea was so gross I just couldn't do it," said Rosenmoss, an engineer for the city of San Francisco. "It was like buying used underwear. So I gave myself a reprieve."

But Perry has not veered once from the Compact rules. His bathroom sink has been plugged for months, and it'll stay that way until he finds a drain snake at Thrift Town.

But overall, the year of anti-consumerism has been unexpectedly rewarding, they said.

"We've enjoyed the camaraderie and competitive spirit with friends," Perry said. "And it's been really good for us to think about what we need, as opposed to what we want."

The social aspect appealed to Rosenmoss as well.

"I've really felt part of a community," she said. "I think a big part of our consumer culture has to do with being independent, not asking people for things. But with the Compact you have to borrow a lot, and you realize it's OK."

Most of the original Compacters planned to renew their vow for 2007, but Pelmas and Eddy said they'd had enough - they're headed to Crate and Barrel on Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, Perry wants to turn the Compact up a notch and eliminate packaging. He and his partner already buy shampoo, laundry detergent, peanut butter, olive oil, pasta, spices and other foods in bulk, and he thinks they can go even further.

"The only problem has been toothpaste," he said. "We haven't found it in bulk yet, but we're trying."

An Open Letter to SustainAbility

The letter below was recently sent to SustainAbility, a business that "advises clients on the risks and opportunities associated with corporate responsibility and sustainable development." While I am generally supportive of these kinds of business endeavors, I am often taken aback by how exploitative these "doing-well, by doing-good" companies can be. For a full account of the "risks" associated with this particular brand of sustainable development, click on the job link below.

****

December 18, 2006

Dear Maddy Rooke-Ley:

I write in regard to your job "Associate Director, Research and Advocacy", which I saw advertised on the Ethical Corporation web site.

I worked for several years as the director or research at a not-for-profit organization that promoted community development-oriented venture capital. My politics are left-leaning though my experience has taught me that properly managed markets can have positive social and economic outcomes. I'm generally a high-tax, high-services kind of guy, which is one of the reasons I live in France. I'm perfectly willing to pay higher prices for energy, food, clothing, etc, if I know that these items are being produced in a sustainable manner. One could say, I am a fellow-traveler and it this proximity of spirit--this shared vision for a better future--that inspires me to write to you about your job advertisement.

I don't want to come across as flip or insensitive, but I think the job that your advertising for the Associate Director position sounds like part of the problem and not part of the solution. I am telling you this because my guess is that no one who actually wants the job can do so, even though what I'm going to say is far more truthful than 95% of the cover letters that you are likely to receive.

The problem is that the job you are advertising is at least a 70 hour per week position. In other words, the work your are proposing is completely unsustainable. I understand that, on one side, your company is working to solve immense and complex problems and, on the other side, your clients are pressing for good, cheap, and fast--a trifecta which they themselves, of course, could never win. However, the work you are giving to this one position is enough to squeeze the life out of even the most dedicated of work horses. You will, of course, find someone to fill this position and they will be excited to work on these interesting and worthwhile projects. But given the litany of responsibilities, he or she will not last more than a few years and is likely to leave looking like Jimmy Carter circa 1981. Is it too much to ask that a company whose stated goal is to promote sustainability try and create a sustainable work environment?

Please don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the objectives of your organization. I support your goals whole-heartedly and accept the inevitable imperfections that go with all human endeavors. Nor do I mean to single out SustainAbility, except in so far as your organization has revealed itself as being particularly concerned with sustainable solutions. The fact is that many companies (and even more not-for-profits) with good intentions pursue equally unsustainable working conditions. My unsolicited advice: hire one person to do Research & Writing and hire another to do Outreach & Networking. Don't try and get one person to do both.

Good luck with your organization and good luck hiring the right folks.

Regards,

Brian T. Schmitt

A New Filk

With all of the talk about the Iraq Study Group, "going forward," and the Decider's victory plans, I am inspired to write another filk. This one is special in that I've written it for a particular person. I am trying to get the former dictator and American ally Saddam Hussein to sing it and I am hoping to get Donald Rumsfeld to help produce and market this sure-fire hit.

The filk is titled "Time is on my side" and it's based on the Rolling Stones' song "Time is on my side", which was released on their 1964 album 12x5.

UPDATE (30 December 2006): While time may no longer be on his side, we can be sure that if the Bush administration thinks it was a good idea to hang Saddam then it must be a bad idea. And every time you hear George use the word "milestone" try replacing it with "mill stone" and the image of a mill stone wrapped around George's neck. This gives a more accurate picture of the situation.

Time is on my side

Time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is

Now you always say
That you want to be free
But youll come running back (said you would baby)
Youll come running back (I said so many times before)

Youll come running back to me
Oh, time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is

Youre searching for good times
But just wait and see
Youll come running back (I wont have to worry no more)
Youll come running back (spend the rest of my life with you, baby)
Youll come running back to me

Go ahead, go ahead and light up the town
And baby, do everything your heart desires
Remember, Ill always be around
And I know, I know
Like I told you so many times before
Youre gonna come back, baby cause I know
Youre gonna come back knocking
Yeah, knocking right on my door
Yes, yes!

Well, time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is cause I got the real love
The kind that you need
Youll come running back (said you would, baby)
Youll come running back (I always said you would)
Youll come running back, to me

Yes time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
Time, time, time is on my side, yes it is

Oh, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
I said, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is

Oh, time, time, time is on my side
Yeah, time, time, time is on my side