$4.99 and rising

Across the bay and down the coastline (Big Sur way) lies the town of Gorda Springs by the Sea. Established as a stagecoach stop in 1878, this rest stop of a town has, in recent times, gained notoriety for selling the most expensive gasoline in the United States.

In 2008 the price of premium rose to $5.40 a gallon and last night it rose to $4.99.....I smell the makings of a new continental record, or maybe that's just the smell of gasoline....or maybe it smells like VICTORY!

Being 25 miles north of Hearst Castle and 65 miles south of Carmel makes AmeriGo gas the only fill for a long stretch of that beautiful, rocky section of coast where the Pacific Ocean ends but that's not the reason owners give for jacking the petro pricing. All the electricity in town is harnessed from a diesel powered generator. This expense is passed along to the tourist who stretches the logic of supply and demand with every precious drop of refined dino rot pumped.

People will pay though and one crazy on Yelp proclaimed, "I don't feel scammed, in fact, i feel a bit accomplished. i mean who else can say they have had the most expensive gas in the US pumped into their car? Probably not many people."

wow, I wonder if people are traveling to Gorda just to say they got ripped off?

This seems to be just the beginning of this story so don't be surprised when you see a lot more of 'Gorda-watch' in the mainstream news. Of course I see it as a harbinger. In Asmara, Eritrea gasoline costs $9.59 a gallon (american)....and people pay it!

How much will you pay, BTW?

The heavens of change?

I knew when they stripped planetdom from Pluto it was just the beginning. This is old news by now....it's really old news.

It seems astrology is changing man! The star forecasting world was recently spun on its axis when astronomer Parke Kunkle claimed, "that due to changes in the Earth's alignment the dates of many zodiac signs have changed....The Earth's position has changed vis-a-vis the Sun in the last 3,000 years when astrological signs were first allocated and there is a new sign called Ophiuchus". The dates of rule for this new zodiac sign (if you buy this) is from Nov. 29 - Dec. 17.

Astrologers who align themselves to the tropical zodiac rather than the sidereal zodiac don't buy this '13th zodiac bullcrap' and claim nothing has changed and even go on to assert this "news" was well understood back in 130 B.C.....please disperse, there is nothing to see here.

The astronomers and astrologers will squabble for certain but isn't it interesting, the shaky foundation we build our metaphysical temples on, and how fragile our social conventions are? Forget an earthquake...this is a freakin' starquake of curious magnitude. Richter....you're fired, It's time to abide by the Kunkle Scale!

All those ideas, beliefs I had about being Capricornian, OUT THE WINDOW! I'm a Sagittarian now, the 'most philosophical of all the signs' (thank you Jim Morrison). I climb mountains no more and my knees are fine. Goodbye reserved, practical, bossy me! My goatfish days are over...yep, now I'm half man, HALF HORSE!!! Look at my hooves!! LOOK AT MY IDEALISTIC, PASSIONATE, RESTLESS HOOVES!!

(Glad I never got any damned Capricorn tattoos I tell ya.)

Well, that is one way to think about it. Or maybe I could just embrace everything I am, all the 'starstuff' inside me (thank you Carl Sagan). I can be all my signage, all my glory, all my pain...in his twisting and turbulent book of poetry the 'Lizard King' goes on to scribe:

But anyway, I don't believe in it
I think it's a bunch of bullshit, myself
But I tell you this, man, I tell you this
I don't know what's gonna happen, man, but I wanna have
my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames
Alright!

Alright!!

The waves of change?

Apparently the Santa Cruz City Council members didn't get the memo either. Headline in today's Sentinel: Santa Cruz officials seek stronger regulations on surf schools, bikes

The City Council on Tuesday will consider more closely regulating two of Santa Cruz's treasured pastimes: Surfing and bicycling....officials will seek permission to expand and enforce controversial restrictions on surf schools to increase safety in the water. And to promote safety on the street, police will request a new rule that requires bicyclists to display licenses.

In sum, the city wants to fine surf schools that dominate the waters of Cowell's Beach and bored cops want to issue more revenue-making citations to bicyclists. Bike and surf police....that's just what this town needs! Ya!!!!!

I don't think federal, state, county or city law should apply to the ocean btw. Once you're off shore, you are in the lawless waters where anything goes....total anarchy! You want to ride a surfboard on your head or mount a sea lion, go for it you pirate you! Step on the sandy shoreline and you must abide by their damned laws.....you damned law breaker you!

Just kidding. Only corporations should be unaccountable for their crimes and heinous behaviors. Thank you for saving us from ourselves city council. Us citizens will be too passive to revolt, you win, where's the clerks office and do you accept the Discover card?

I'm moving to Malawi with Turbo!

The winds of change?

I've always wondered what the 9th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was really about?

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people

I took it to mean if enough people firmly believed they had a right (whatever that is or means) the government couldn't step in and take that right away from those people. Of course, that's is not at all what the amendment means but my romanticized vision seems the perfect recipe for chaos and/or a framework for localized control of government, ya chaos! Don't ever speak about the 9th amendment btw....no one wants to talk about it.

In Malawi the 'Local Court Bill of 2010' is under debate in parliament.

The proposed bill seeks to introduce a new genre of courts, the Local Courts, primarily to dispense familiar and affordable justice for the ordinary Malawian in line with the spirit of the Constitution.

again, I have no idea what this even means...I think I'm beginning to understand nothing which makes me think I'm becoming old and irrelevant. I think what this means is that Malawi is trying to create a system of local courts that will expedite justice as it pertains to the country's constitution. I imagine before the colonialists arrived, the locals had their 'systems of justice' firmly established. Fast forward to 2010 though and it seems Malawi needs a new way to punish the lawbreakers.

This sweeping legislation will enforce a myriad of new laws (I'm having trouble collecting)...and will criminalize:
- fortune telling
- insulting the modesty of women
- writing or uttering words with intent to wound religious feelings
- setting fire to crops
- challenging to fight a duel
- disturbing religious assemblies
- publication of false news likely to cause fear
- fouling up water
- destroying evidence
- escape and removal of property under lawful seizure
- common assault
- possession of stolen property
- trespassing on burial places
- fouling the air

The last offense listed includes burning trash, tires and also farting in public. Farting will soon be against the law in Malawi.

In the wake of growing pro-democracy movements in North Africa you can certainly project where this is all heading. I've already read about the call for a, "Fart In" if this draconian legislation is enacted and enforced. In a time when dictatorial governments are being challenged and dismantled by fed up citizens, it seems the parliament of Malawi didn't get the memo.

Hey, if the majority of citizens of a region want to hold it in, outlaw the reading of the stars and put padlocks on the cemeteries I have no problem with that. But we, the citizens of earth, might just be entering an age where governments that craft law which infringes upon certain rights retained by the people, get shut down by those people.

Better read that memo senator!

My favorite.....

....superbowl XLV commercial!