Published in Fear of Monkeys, June 2011

Middle Class Aspirations in an Ominous Economy

By Alison Ross

So, my quasi-hypocritical disdain of the perennially infantilizing Facebook aside, there can be some good things about it. For one, social justice causes and groups are rife at the networking site, and often more liberal-minded friends can post provocatively progressive links.

Case in point: recently a friend posted a link entitled, "The Middle Class in America is Radically Shrinking. Here are the Stats to Prove it".

There have been many such articles written in recent years about this disconcerting, disheartening phenomenon. But when I think a little deeper about this topic (and if you're not careful, Facebook has a way of deriding and deterring deep-thinking proclivities), what perturbs me most about these articles is that they all act on the presumption that it's "normal" and "healthy" to have class hierarchies at all.

If that sounds like I am courting a socialist dogma, so be it. I'd rather be accused of fondling socialist ideologies than fellating fascist ones. Pure socialism has its detractions, to be sure, and ultimately I espouse a more modified approach - social democracy - because it marries individual autonomy with communal justice.

So yeah. It's no snarling secret to those who are even peripherally interested in social and economic matters that the middle class in America is eroding at an alarming pace and in an alarming way.

The erosion of the middle class has been going on forever, and it is a deliberate tactic, if stealthily employed. Because, you see, the only way that radicalized capitalism can sustain itself is through cultivating stark rich-poor disparities. The middle class, of course, has always been the buffer between rich and poor. If you're poor, then the existence of a middle class is tantalizing "proof" that you too, can "make it," if only you stop breeding and boozing and start trying a little harder. And perhaps maybe even use your eventual middle class status as a stepping stone toward the upper classes.

And for the middle classers, the existence of a wealthy economic realm is "evidence" that one day you too might climb toward prosperity, through your "tenacious" work ethic. The existence of a rich class tempts one toward wild and perverted fantasies of affluence. The upper caste is the most economically erotic class.

And for these middle classers, the existence of a poor class "signifies" abject failure - it's what happens when you lapse into a more cavalier (i.e., "lazy") approach to life. So the middle class is really almost one of the more desirable places to be in a culture that nurtures the dastardly rich-poor polarity. It is the blissful purgatory between economic heaven and economic hell.

Never mind that we are made to THINK it's our fault that we are not all multi-gazillionaires living in Texas-sized mansions with diamond-encrusted commodes and driving vehicles on steroids that span five lanes. Never mind that it's through various menacing methods that we are being bled dry by the elitist one percent.

And never mind that middle class should be the ONLY class that exists, from an economic justice standpoint. But we'll get to that in a minute.

So anyway, the middle class is being eroded in order that rich-poor polarities will be that much more bluntly ubiquitous.

But why, you might ask? Because, DUH: The best way for governments (and their cunnilingus cronies, corporations) to control the masses is through economics. When there is a massive poor class, as in Haiti, we are that much more easily subjugated to the sinister whims of the affluent.

I am not going to pollute this polemic with statistics, though, to prove my point. You can read those statistics in that article I linked to and find further stats online.

No, instead, I am going to beat you over the head with the Excruciatingly Overtly Obvious. Because while some people may not require a simplified sermon on How Things Should Be, others are too swirled up in the vortex of their own petty nonsense to be able to penetrate through to the vivid veracity of things. I don't fully blame anyone, mind you, because part of the genius of the system is how, primarily through media, it seduces us into a state of blurry-eyed benightedness, how it obfuscates reality and gives it a shimmer and shine, as though all is well in the world, and any economic problems we as individuals might have are self-generated, rather than structural and systematic.

But it is frustrating, too, that otherwise intelligent people allow mental mushiness to prevail when deliberating socio-political/economic matters.

I mean, how fucking hard is it to discern that it's simply more HUMANE that everyone have a level playing ground from which to operate, and that NO ONE's labor is worth millions, and that NO ONE should have to work two and three jobs just to be able to afford a roach-riddled rathole, and that NO ONE should have to starve in the vermin-infested gutters, while others are gorging themselves on caviar d' foie gras.

It's just common freaking sense, and common fucking humanity to ensure equal economic opportunity among all. And common freakin' sense that the only "class" we should have is the middle class. The Buddha preached the middle way as the most sensible approach toward living - a reasonable equilibrium between two offensive extremes. The middle class might be seen as economic limbo by some (namely, the poor and rich who purchase the inane ideology of "persistent economic ascendancy." Though I blame the rich for perniciously perpetuating this ideology; the poor are pawns, however you slice it).

But in reality, the middle class lifestyle is the most logical way to live. It is the most comfortable and liberating of all the classes. Living in the wealthy caste means you are always wanting to acquire more luxuries, thereby creating a perpetual draining desire that can never be sated. You are constrained by your lust for compulsive acquisition.

Living in the poor caste means you are doubly cursed. Living in the poor caste signifies that you don't even have the means to acquire basic essentials, let alone luxuries. You are severely constrained by both by your severe fiscal limitations, which preclude sound living, as well as a lust to acquire the luxuries that the rich caste so blithely affords.

So the middle class should be pervasive to the point that the other two extreme castes are eradicated. A pervasive middle class does not want; it exists contentedly, even complacently. Material concerns are immaterial. A pervasive middle class has all it needs because there is no looming nagging idea of "more more more."

A pervasive middle class means radically diminished crime. White collar crime breeds blue collar crime - meaning, the rich caste, which achieved its privilege disingenuously (on the backs of everyone else), creates economic neediness on behalf of the masses, which in turn gives birth to criminal action such as break-ins, armed robberies, etc. But without the existence of a rich caste, there is no poverty. A pervasive middle class razes the rich class, which as a by-product of its demolition, causes the extinction of the poor class.

I'd rather not have burglar bars and an alarm system in my house to protect me from the gangs of poverty-ridden thugs engendered by the throngs of affluent thugs. I'd rather live in a society founded on economic parity, an ideal which organically flows forth from standard human rights tenets. I'd rather not be besieged by free-roaming corporate criminals who rapaciously prey on us with their profit-promiscuous libidos, through their abundant scams and frauds posing as benevolent gestures. It's an elaborate costume party and the real thugs are the ones wearing the happy-face masks.

Our political system harbors a sociopathic economic system and it WILL implode. Rapid middle class erosion is the first step toward that implosion. It's an economic armageddon, and only the rich have the means to survive.

With the release of the Dreamzzz theme and a near identical copy of Duke Exeter's sword from LEGO Universe in a few of the sets, I decided to make the Nexus Force faction leaders in real bricks. I've obfuscated some of the designs a bit, as a few of the parts are rare and I don't want people stealing my idea exactly! (These figures will be built hopefully soon, maybe after the current projects are done.)

From left to right we have the four Faction leaders:

- Duke Exeter, champion of the brave Sentinels

- Dr. Albert Overbuild, the genius behind inventive Assembly

- Vanda Darkflame, ninja master of the mysterious Paradox

- Hael Storm, captain of the daring Venture League

...However, wherever there is unbridled imagination, there can also be chaos lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike! I wonder what form it will take?

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

The term ‘resolution’ is a determination of functional settings in the technological domain. While the term is often conflated into a standard numerical quantity or a measure of acutance, such as samples per inch, the term also entails a space of compromise between different actors (objects, materialities and protocols) in dispute over norms (frame rate, number of pixels, etc.). Generally, settings either ossify as requirements and de facto standards, or are notated as standardized norms by organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). A resolution - or rather the resolving - of an image thus means more than just a superficial setting of width x height, or frames per second.

Besides a width and height, a screen also has a ‘thickness’ and ‘depth’ (Gonring, 2011). This thickness of the screen acts as a membrane, that shrouds the technology from its audience, while its depth can be understood as the space where protocols behind (or beyond) the screen organize settings, that in their turn inform the image politically, technically and aesthetically. Resolutions should be understood as a trade off between these standard settings; actors (languages, objects, materials) that dispute their stakes (frame rate, number of pixels and colours, etc.), following set rules (protocols).

The more complex an image processing technology is, the more actors it entails, each following their own ‘protocols’ to resolve an image, all influencing its final resolution (think: liquid crystal, CPU, compression, etc.). However, these actors and their inherent complexities are positioned more and more beyond the fold of everyday settings, outside the afforded options of the interface. This is how resolutions do not just function as an Interface Effect (Galloway, 2012) but as hyperopic lens, obfuscating some of the most immediate stakes and possible alternative resolutions of media. When was the last time you saw or thought about a video with 8 or 3 corners?

Unknowingly, the user and audience suffers from technological hyperopia. It has lost track of the most fundamental compromises that are at stake within resolutions. The question now is, have we become unable to construct our own settings, or have we become blind to them?

Determinations such as standard resolutions are as dangerous as any other presumption; they preclude alternatives, and sustain harmful or merely kippled ways of running things. This is why any radical digital materialist believes in informed materiality: while every string of data is ambiguously fluid and promiscuous, it has the potential to be manipulated into anything. This is how a rheology of data can take form, facilitating a fluidity in data transactions where actors themselves are at stake.

Resolution theory is a theory of literacy: literacy of the machines, the people, the people creating the machines, and the people being created by the machines. But resolution studies is not only about the effects of technological progress or the aesthetization of the scales of resolution; which has already been done under the titles such as Interface Effect or Protocol. Resolution studies is research about the standards that could have been in place, but are not - and which as a result are now left outside of the discourse.

Through challenging the actors that are involved in the setting of resolutions, the user can scale actively between increments of hyperopia and myopia. This is why we need to shift our understanding of resolution as the setting of disputable norms, which compromise more and move actively to the setting of more diverse resolutions.

Galloway, Alexander R. The interface effect. Polity, 2012.

Gonring, Gabriel Menotti MP. Movie/Cinema: Rearrangements of the Apparatus in Contemporary Movie Circulation. Diss. Goldsmiths, University of London, 2011. p. 227.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Unfortunately, this headcode was obfuscated and I am unable to find a source for this headcode. 077B 16:02 Carlisle New Yard to Hardendale Quarry

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat. Here's Tim DeChristopher on the mic. Tim endured a rather underserved stretch in Federal prison for peacefully trying to prevent the further desecration of Utah wilderness by the resource extraction industry. Check out the movie "Bidder 70".

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► Click for an updated table with figures from 2011/12.

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I took this photo on 7 March 2007. It shows one of the so-called "consultation" leaflets about Haringey's (then) proposed "Environmentally Friendly Parking Charges".

Click here to enlarge the text. Back button returns to this page.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Obfuscation

Back in Spring 2007 Haringey was "consulting" people who live in the Borough's Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs). Residents were guinea pigs in an experiment aimed at encouraging them to own vehicles with a lower carbon emission rating. So Haringey proposed banded charges for parking permits based on the carbon emissions figures for each car.

Politicians and bureaucrats are often rightly criticised for failing to use Plain English to tell people the plain truth. Do you find the leaflet in the photo difficult to follow? Did you spot that it left out a key piece of information: the increased cost?

For most people this scheme meant the cost of a parking permit doubled or even trebled.

Haringey Council left out this bad news. Instead it used upbeat words: "friendly" and "environmental". The leaflet referred not just to consultation but "an enhanced consultation period".

In my personal view, Haringey councillors were never going to pay serious attention to the views of residents. This "consultation" was going through the motions to comply with legal niceties.

"We are firm in our belief."

In 2007 former Labour councillor Brian Haley was the "Cabinet" Member for Environment and Conservation. He said:

"We are firm in our belief that grading parking charges according to carbon emissions is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal in the fight against climate change". (Full quote below.)

In 2010 Brian Haley was still hanging around the Haringey political scene - but as a member of the Liberal Democrat Party. I've no idea whether he asked if his "firm belief" was corroborated by any evidence.

I did ask.

► See below for the figures I originally got from Haringey.

► Click here for the October 2011 update.

► And click here for a cumulative table with twelve monthly figures up to June 2012.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Facial Weaponization Suite (2011-14)

Facial Weaponization Suite protests against biometric facial recognition–and the inequalities these technologies propagate–by making “collective masks” in community-based workshops that are modeled from the aggregated facial data of participants, resulting in amorphous masks that cannot be detected by biometric facial recognition technologies. The masks are used for public interventions and performances. One mask, the Fag Face Mask, generated from the biometric facial data of many queer men’s faces, is a response to scientific studies that link determining sexual orientation through rapid facial recognition techniques. Another mask explores a tripartite conception of blackness, divided between biometric racism (the inability of biometric technologies to detect dark skin), the favoring of black in militant aesthetics, and black as that which informatically obfuscates. A third mask engages feminism’s relations to concealment and imperceptibility, taking recent veil legislation in France as a troubling site that turns visibility into an oppressive logic of control. A fourth mask takes up biometrics’ deployment as a border security technology at the Mexico-US border and the resulting violence and nationalism it instigates. These masks intersect with social movements’ use of masking as an opaque tool of collective transformation that refuses dominant forms of political representation.

Involuntary euthanasia is a risk to be taken when "enlightened" society adopts legalized medical killing.

The president of the Right To Die Society of Canada says that these types of

"accidents" can be prevented by laws which would require psychological assessments and allow "cooling off" periods to think things over by the individuals.

She also said "Perfection is not something we strive for." What she was carefully obfuscating or avoiding to say clearly is that once euthanasia is made legal

the law legalizing it can be changed at will by the lawmakers at any time and it has

happened many times before.

21 May 2013. I watched a Haringey traffic warden

(Civil Enforcement Officer*) ticket a car showing

a "blue badge" - meaning the driver was disabled.

I asked him why. He explained that the car was parked in a bay which was "suspended" while Thames Water did some works. There was no exemption for blue badge holders.

The Plain English Campaign began in 1979 when its founder Chrissie Maher publicly shredded hundreds of official documents in Parliament Square, London.

For many years it seemed to be gradually winning the battle against bureaucratic jargon and vagueness. But some deeply old-fashioned organisations are still fighting a rearguard action against clarity and transparency.

So please be aware that Thames Water Will endeavour to obfuscate information in a timely manner so as to cause the maximum doubt and confusion. Thank you for your undue incomprehension in this matter.

___________________________________

§ * Or as I prefer to think of them: Haringey Charm Ambassadors.

First of all, can I offer my most profound thanks to sheriffmitchell ... what an awesome frood for inviting me to anything. Just to reiterate, I'm available for groups, sets, international parties and soirees, you tag me, I'm there. So without further ado, my sixteen things.

1. The chicken came first, clearly.

2. I once bought a macbook pro with Nick's credit card, I convinced him he'd won it in a competition.

3. My favourite quote is by Ogden Nash ... "The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk." Nick wanted me to say it was "Do not allow your children to mix drinks. It is unseemly and they use too much vermouth" by Fran Lebowitz, well swivel Nick, this is my sixteen get your own.

4. I like to sleep at least 12 hours a day, don't tell the guys because I've been invoicing 9 hour days since 2006.

5. When I grow up I want to be a designer like Nick and Jeff so I can just mess around on the internet all day, uploading pictures and playing computer games. Failing that I'd like to be an astronaut, food critic or travel writer ... anything that means a lot of jollies for not much work.

6. I'm allergic to fruit, vegetables, and salad.

7. Whilst I like to tread my own flickry path, I'm not without colleagues, associates, rapscallions and ne'erdowells. Aside from the guys I've also been known to associate with a shabby band of characters. A forgiving cow named Marvin (there was an altercation involving an art project and a hacksaw) a sheep ... Sheepy, Oink (a frankly weakly conceived promotional item, but nevertheless a all-round salt-of-the-earth type) and an equally commercial addition, the John West bear.

8. Today I walked past David Walliams in Soho, he doesn't know, and frankly I don't care.

9. I'm a Londoner, culturally and socially, and don't get me wrong, a part of my heart is always going to belong to Devon and Cornwall. That said, my favourite holiday destination will always be the Canary Islands. The guys took me there once, they hated it, but everything from the tacky decor, to the inclusion of bacon in every single aspect of their diet (bacon cornflakes FTW) can't be beaten.

10. I'm a well travelled swine, I have visited France, Belgium, Belgium, Prague, Belgium, Devon (is that a country?) and Fuerteventura.

11. I'm afraid of finding myself in the charity clothes bin. Sure, rumours about these places pass from person to person, but you're never really sure how obfuscated the line between myth and reality really is. Let me tell you, the rumours are all true. Once you've been placed in the shute, there's no way out, you're on your way to becoming part of an Afghan cardigan, or some sort of rubber shoe destined for Bosnia. Don't get me wrong, people need cardigans ... but this pig ain't for repurposing.

12. I'm not fond of hard work, the pay tends to be appalling.

13. I'm nearly four years old, it was a pretty arduous few months getting here from China, and it took 3 months for Nick to rescue me from the polyethylene bag, but its been an amazing few years since.

14. I have a nemesis, his name is Kipper.

15. I'm all about the cheese. Lets be clear, we're not talking nostalgia, kitsch, or anything tacky-but-expensive. I mean cheese in the purest milk, curds, slicing, packaging, crackers, yum sense. I'm a crude pig and enjoy simple base cheesey pleasures. I also favour the oatmeal cracker.

16. I'm too lovable to be a copyright infringement.

Having downloaded the recent House Intelligence Committee Report on Russian Active Measures, I wanted to see if I could read the redacted sections. On the pdf document, it looked like a black marker had been used over the redacted text, thus giving me hope of peering through the marker to see underlying text. However, as you see from this picture, it seems the redaction is a more complex process, and is reasonably thorough in obfuscating the text.

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform during a meeting with families to discuss how the tax reform plan would affect them in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, December 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat. That's Tim DeChristopher on the far left, Reverend Lennox Yearwood second from left, Mike Tidwell of CCAN fourth from left and author Sandra Steingraber on the far right. Anybody out there who knows the names of the other three ladies holding up the banner?

>>Like the haunting chants and prayers to which I've never listened

thou shalt no longer live in chains or ever be imprisoned.

Ease my always throbbing heart, I shall no longer falter

as pupae to imagines all images must alter.

Let thy glory shine on me, disperse my obfuscation,

hide thy essence in myself, I need assimilation.

Stream thyself into my soul and flood it with thy yearning,

pour thy soul into my shell, erase my restless burning.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices in my head, echoing. <<

(A prayer for sanctuary by ASP

if you want to listen: youtu.be/QkJaCjtkSHo )

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

'There'll always be an England, while there's a country lane' or so the patriotic song made famous by Vera Lynn goes. Apparently it was written in the summer of 1939 and became hugely popular on the outbreak of World War II. Now whilst i'm not English I do live in London and have a certain affinity for England and, by extension, the English. It's heartening to know that all the brave British soldiers who laid down their lives to defend our green and pleasant land did so in order that their progeny could bring the country to a standstill by rioting in the street - all to get their hands on the latest 'free' stuff - trainers, computers, phones and the like. There's nothing like having a good cause to fight for...

Now whilst i'm not about to pretend that there aren't certain segments of the population who have a legitimate grievance over certain issues I'm pretty sure that rioting and looting is probably not the best way to get your voice heard in a democratic country. Maybe it was the voice of youth galvanised by the guerilla looting tactics employed by those who clearly only had financial gain in mind that led this to become a nationwide event. Or maybe the footsoldiers of capitalism were merely showing off their new found solidarity by rising up and showing The Man just how they run thing's round here. Either way it was an ugly episode and one worth examining.

For those unfamiliar with the song and to commemorate last year's youth rebellion I'd like to present Vera Lynn's version for your listening pleasure (complete with lyrics). I'm surprised the rioters weren't singing this en masse when they raised a people's army and tried to seize control of the state by storming the ancient seat of democracy. Oh wait a second, I'm getting confused again aren't I? They were just rioting for a laugh anad a new pair of Nike's. My mistake...

Vera Lynn - There'll Always Be An England

In order to maintain our membership of the urban artist elite we are legally obliged to do a couple of these 'social commentary with a cheeky twist' style pieces every year. My favourite touch is the tiny rioter conducting the burning of the local JD sports store. Keep your eyes peeled for the next one as it may have even more obfuscated meaning, sarcasm and hidden irony...

Cheers

id-iom

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat.

20150515 update: Government officials have requested this image to be taken down due to various security and/or safety related issues. I have updated it with a blurred version of the original (thanks, ImageMagick!).

I have obfuscated the KPN emergency phone number, I don't know if it's still active. If it is, I wouldn't want someone prank-calling it based on this photo.

I volunteered to help out the people of Alarmfase 026 (Stichting NCO Arnhem & Nationaal Noodnet) moving in some new historical artifacts for display and some spare parts salvaged from other bunkers. I couldn't resist taking some pictures as well.

The museum is located in the former PTT (PTT, Nederlands) NCO Arnhem communications atomic bunker, built under the "De Leuke Linde" playground during the Cold War (Koude Oorlog). After the Cold War ended, it was used as a high-secure relay station for the Nationaal Noodnet emergency communications network.