AAAAHH

A common criticism of Democrat run governments is inefficiency. Guess what? It is true. The wealthiest cities in the country waste money like it is water (and even that isn’t infinite anymore). As you can see, the money is all there! The state legislature, however, needs to step up to the plate and choose to invest it in projects that will lead to a better society.

The MBTA has a lot of problems. Nobody wants to work for the MBTA because the pay is minimum. The rails don’t receive proper maintenance because they are too expensive to repair. The cars are dirty because nobody can afford to clean it. The fact is, if we want a world class transit system, we need to PAY FOR IT. And here is the secret…. there are a lot more conservatives in the Mass state legislature than you probably think, and they really don’t like trains.

Corporations are already reaping profits while lower and middle class Americans pay incredible taxes and incredible sticker prices to keep it all afloat. What does lowering taxes on profitable corporations have to do with inflation? In my mind, increasing the amount of money in circulation could only lead to… more inflation? Or, at best, no impact on prices at all while Nestle and Co get bigger and bigger at our expense?

Republicans are bought. Their messaging is a transparent lie, and their policy is worthless to anybody but the ultra rich. I hate Democrats as much as you do, but a Republican vote is money directly into Nestle’s pocket. I cannot stress this enough.

We don’t know what kind of backroom negotiations go on in congress, but it strikes me that the wealthy corporate overlords might just be manipulating our politics here in order to benefit themselves even further. Just a hunch. IDK. Just saying.

FELIZ JUEVES MUCHACHOS!!!

I have heard it argued that, if not for the increasingly restrictive immigration laws of the 1920s, America would have been what Israel is today. O history!

“Anything and anyone can fail, but brave good friends help.”

-Leto II, the God Emperor

I am so tired of the rehashed politics of the 21st century. No, Mexicans aren’t going to kill your family. No, the deficit isn’t going to squash our economy.

We need to talk about things that are real and meaningful. Making healthcare accessible to everybody seems like a great goal. It would prop up small businesses that can’t compete with corporate benefits packages. It would prop up people in dangerous or intense lines of work that put themselves at greater risk of harm. It would put a stop to the rampant price hikes that our already-subsidized pharma companies reap huge profits from. We need to stop bickering and start talking about the policies that actually make a difference.

HAVE IDEAS! BE CREATIVE! Democracy puts this power in our hands. We shouldn’t be so easy to pass our decision making powers off to bureaucrats. Do we want to live in an America that makes the impossible happen, or an America that can’t get out of its own way long enough to see the writing on the wall?

We are addicted to burning fuel. We are addicted to cheap labor. We are addicted to convenient electronic devices. What will happen when we run out these things?

Americans have made a lot of enemies in the past half century, and they are catching up to us.

In 2019, mere months before the pandemic changed everything, I was contemplating throwing away my literary research path in favor of becoming a tree hugger. Yes, I was in love with my field biology class! The product of this class was a 60+ page field guide containing information about upland and wetland sites within Sachar Woods. It also contains journal entries that I wrote while spending time in the woods. I fancied myself a modern Thoreau. I was active, contemplative, and very happy. That semester was far and away the best one I served at Brandeis. The guide itself is very readable: it details the geological history of the forest as well as the life that supports it. I tried to imbue as much humor as possible.

If you would like to learn about Massachusetts trees, give my field guide a read!

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FIELD GUIDE]

“Only fools prefer the past!”

– Leto II

Copies were probably made and distributed.

At long last, I am beginning to make older versions of AAAAHH.com accessible again! This is accomplished through the power of SUBDOMAINS. Hurray! Hurrah!

http://ben.aaaahh.net/

This is the only vintage website I have on hand at the moment. When I get back from SHINE 2022, I will dig through my HDD and see what else I have buried. I want to put up my old point+click adventure games, but I am not sure if my flash projects will run anymore. It is a pity Flash died–so many great games were created using it!

If you frequent this website, you might notice some unsettling memes titled PROPAGANDA. It is election season, for better or worse, and that means doing your part to affect the discourse surrounding politics. We live in strange times. So many opinions, so much ideology! It is important to remember my golden rule: VOTE CORRECTLY! My propaganda will serve as your gentle guide, elucidating a path through this age of darkness. Like a warm candle!

Hopefully this spurt of effort portends future upgrades to the site. It is frankly quite outdated at this point. There is enough content now that users need a sidebar in order to navigate it all. Blogs, art posts, and political memes are all heaped into a single archival page! You readers deserve better.

Putting this here for my own reference. I wrote 7000 words for this wacky fantasy adventure game: https://ariannaarguetty8.wixsite.com/mysite

Good time to have student loans.

(But we should be working together!)