From 28 March to 11 April, M. D. Benoit will be going on a virtual book tour to promote her upcoming alternate reality novel, Synergy. During that period, ten people (myself included) will host her on their blog for one day. There will be discussions on the book, interviews with the author, and so on. Every day during this period, on her own blog, Life’s Weirder than Fiction (http://mdbenoit.com/blog), she will announce where she will be that day, as well as talk a bit about her host.
Synergy’s Virtual Book Tour will culminate with a Virtual Book Launch, on 14-15 April (http://mdbenoit.com/synergy). M. D. can be contacted at mdbenoit (at) gmail (dot) com.
I'll be hosting the Benoit Virtual Book Tour April 4th. Please be sure to come by my blog on that day, as she will attempt to respond to whatever comments you leave on my blog that day.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
This is how you make a point
Welcome to the UK Home Shopping Network. Amazing what you can get, innit?
Stealth
Apparently these explosively formed penetrators are causing a certain amount of grief to the Amerikan troops overseas. Not hard to see why; they're formed out of plastic, filled with plastique, and have only a couple of metal bits, but are tremendously effective. This Discovery Channel vid raves about them (the hardon this guy gets from things that go boom is one of the reasons I don't watch FutureWeapons), but I have to say, this is the sort of thing that makes a large military force terribly vulnerable. The whole clip amounts to a sales/training manual for guerilla fighters.
Monday, March 12, 2007
They Report, We Deride
Welcome to Pottersville has posted a whole bunch of faux pas by Fox News. Most are deliberate, although I would hope that some of the most outlandish are mistakes.
But I doubt it.
Here's three of my favourites, click here for more of Fox's best moments.
But I doubt it.
Here's three of my favourites, click here for more of Fox's best moments.
The Tyee
Some articles of note in The Tyee today.
In the interests of fairness, a positive review of 24 and Jack Bauer--quite a bit different than my take on the series....
A savage review of 300--the new comic book treat in the vein of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorow.
"Some might say this policy is anti-women, anti-poor people and
anti-child. But I think this ignores the policy's subtle genius.
Finally, we have a conservative policy that is pro-environment."
An enraged article by Terry Glavin, I writer I deeply respect, defending the seal hunt. I must say, this gave me pause for thought. "It's long past time for conservationists to make a clean, clear, open
and unequivocal break with crystal-gazing animal-rights eccentrics and
all their camp followers. For them, the conservation of wild resources
was always just a flag of convenience. They're dead ballast, so over
the side with them."
And remember that day when the RCMP shut down th offices in the Legislature and cleaned out all those boxes of documents, arresting Basi, Virk, and Basi? Well, "In a nutshell, the defence has alleged that there was an internal
political decision by the B.C. Liberal government to "fix" a $1 billion
dollar deal and pay off the losing firm with another deal worth up to
$100 million. And it seeks internal RCMP and government information on
whether the B.C. Rail deal should have been rescinded." It looks like this might be a very interesting chapter in BC political history--and that's saying something!
And when it comes to a democratic deficit, there ain't any place that does it better than Alberta. Liberal leader Kevin Taft, another writer I very much respect, details many of the Alberta Conservative's scandals in his new book Democracy Derailed. Check out Jeremy Klaszus' review.
In the interests of fairness, a positive review of 24 and Jack Bauer--quite a bit different than my take on the series....
A savage review of 300--the new comic book treat in the vein of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorow.
"Some might say this policy is anti-women, anti-poor people and
anti-child. But I think this ignores the policy's subtle genius.
Finally, we have a conservative policy that is pro-environment."
An enraged article by Terry Glavin, I writer I deeply respect, defending the seal hunt. I must say, this gave me pause for thought. "It's long past time for conservationists to make a clean, clear, open
and unequivocal break with crystal-gazing animal-rights eccentrics and
all their camp followers. For them, the conservation of wild resources
was always just a flag of convenience. They're dead ballast, so over
the side with them."
And remember that day when the RCMP shut down th offices in the Legislature and cleaned out all those boxes of documents, arresting Basi, Virk, and Basi? Well, "In a nutshell, the defence has alleged that there was an internal
political decision by the B.C. Liberal government to "fix" a $1 billion
dollar deal and pay off the losing firm with another deal worth up to
$100 million. And it seeks internal RCMP and government information on
whether the B.C. Rail deal should have been rescinded." It looks like this might be a very interesting chapter in BC political history--and that's saying something!
And when it comes to a democratic deficit, there ain't any place that does it better than Alberta. Liberal leader Kevin Taft, another writer I very much respect, details many of the Alberta Conservative's scandals in his new book Democracy Derailed. Check out Jeremy Klaszus' review.
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Now THAT'S Different!
Israel is replacing its ambassador in El Salvador
after the current envoy was found in a street, drunk, wearing only
bondage gear, officials said.
Sad thing is, there's no pictures to accompany the BBC article....
after the current envoy was found in a street, drunk, wearing only
bondage gear, officials said.
Sad thing is, there's no pictures to accompany the BBC article....
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Sunday, March 11, 2007
Spin? Slant? Fear?
The shrub has been having a rough ride during his tour of South America, what with the thousands of demonstrators in each country, and Hugo Chavez dogging him. The BBC and CBC both cover Chavez's comments on the shrub and Amerika. Interesting how the Beeb is superficially harsher in its coverage, while the CBC is gentler on Bush, but adds more of Chavez's comments--which are far harsher than the one's in the Beeb report. I suspect this might reflect the underlying Canadian attitude towards Amerika: the visible appeasement of the bully masking a very critical and angry attitude.
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Friday, March 09, 2007
Why I Watch Stephen Colbert
This is a classic. Not only the Fox reaction to the death of Captian America, but listen for the last line of The Word; it sum things up exactly.
News Bites of the Day
Our asses are being handed to us on a plate:
European Union leaders have agreed to adopt a binding target on the use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, officials say.
The downside is the 10% biofuels target; yes, lower greenhouse gases, but even at current rates of biofuel conversion, we've seen an international rise in the price of cereal grains, making them less affordable for the poor around the world. Also, a lot of oil palms are being planted to be used for biofuels. And that process is neither environmentally sensitive nor carbon neutral. In a related bit of news, Bush is touring Latin America this week. His first stop is Brazil, which is the poster child for alternative fuels--specifically ethanol. But according to the Guardian, there is a bit of a dark side to this particular revolution.
Europe's food watchdog is to assess whether meat and dairy products from cloned animals are safe to eat.
Of course, the FDA in the US has already concluded that it is, but considering that the FDA is now run by Cargill, Monsanto and other food manufacturing concerns, they really don't have a lot of credibility, do they?
It is likely--or at least possible--that the EU will use the results of this study to restrict imports of EU produced meats (much as they have done with GMO cereals and oilseeds), but I certainly can't say that's a wrong thing. Carbon neutrality demands the reduction of food imports and a rise in local production for local consumption. Andrew Nikiforuk's new book Pandemodium details many of the biological costs of our international trade--particularly in food, animals, and plants.
An internal justice department investigation has documented multiple abuses by the FBI in obtaining the private records of U.S. residents.
I guess that it's not really news when a department dedicated to control of a population and the maintenance of the current order goes beyond what is legal. But it is still disturbing to me, which is why I think CSIS and the RCMP both need strict non-political civilian oversight.
It's nice to know that Bush still has God on his side. Hate to think what would happen if it was the Great Liar whispering in his ear.
Microsoft said it will not issue its scheduled monthly software security fixes in March after a report said its security suite ranked last of 17 tested. Man, ain''t that a kick in the slats? An Austrian project found that Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security suite didn't meet the minimum standards to even be included in the testing regime. Wonder why the majority of software on my machines is open source? Look no further....
The cost of justice is beyond the reach of many middle-class Canadians, the chief justice of the Supreme Court said Thursday. That would be chief justice Beverley McLachlin. She makes a number of points about the current status of the justice system in Canada. Who can use it, who gets screwed, and who shouldn't be involved in the first place. A short but interesting report on her talk.
With the increased number of women serving in the US military, something else is on the rise too: rape and sexual assault by their male comrades. I'm really not suprised. There's something wrong with the way we train and treat our soldiers. I'm not sure what it is, but I keep looking at the Dutch military and admiring them for at least trying to change things.
European Union leaders have agreed to adopt a binding target on the use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, officials say.
The downside is the 10% biofuels target; yes, lower greenhouse gases, but even at current rates of biofuel conversion, we've seen an international rise in the price of cereal grains, making them less affordable for the poor around the world. Also, a lot of oil palms are being planted to be used for biofuels. And that process is neither environmentally sensitive nor carbon neutral. In a related bit of news, Bush is touring Latin America this week. His first stop is Brazil, which is the poster child for alternative fuels--specifically ethanol. But according to the Guardian, there is a bit of a dark side to this particular revolution.
Europe's food watchdog is to assess whether meat and dairy products from cloned animals are safe to eat.
Of course, the FDA in the US has already concluded that it is, but considering that the FDA is now run by Cargill, Monsanto and other food manufacturing concerns, they really don't have a lot of credibility, do they?
It is likely--or at least possible--that the EU will use the results of this study to restrict imports of EU produced meats (much as they have done with GMO cereals and oilseeds), but I certainly can't say that's a wrong thing. Carbon neutrality demands the reduction of food imports and a rise in local production for local consumption. Andrew Nikiforuk's new book Pandemodium details many of the biological costs of our international trade--particularly in food, animals, and plants.
An internal justice department investigation has documented multiple abuses by the FBI in obtaining the private records of U.S. residents.
I guess that it's not really news when a department dedicated to control of a population and the maintenance of the current order goes beyond what is legal. But it is still disturbing to me, which is why I think CSIS and the RCMP both need strict non-political civilian oversight.
It's nice to know that Bush still has God on his side. Hate to think what would happen if it was the Great Liar whispering in his ear.
Microsoft said it will not issue its scheduled monthly software security fixes in March after a report said its security suite ranked last of 17 tested. Man, ain''t that a kick in the slats? An Austrian project found that Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security suite didn't meet the minimum standards to even be included in the testing regime. Wonder why the majority of software on my machines is open source? Look no further....
The cost of justice is beyond the reach of many middle-class Canadians, the chief justice of the Supreme Court said Thursday. That would be chief justice Beverley McLachlin. She makes a number of points about the current status of the justice system in Canada. Who can use it, who gets screwed, and who shouldn't be involved in the first place. A short but interesting report on her talk.
With the increased number of women serving in the US military, something else is on the rise too: rape and sexual assault by their male comrades. I'm really not suprised. There's something wrong with the way we train and treat our soldiers. I'm not sure what it is, but I keep looking at the Dutch military and admiring them for at least trying to change things.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Don't you love Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a faggot? And don't you love that her new BFF is Cpl. Matt Sanchez--oh wait. Isn't that Rod Majors from Glory Holes of Fame 3 and Donkey Dick? Or Pierre LaBranche from Jawbreaker, where his "11-inch uncut monster cock" earned him legions of fans? (Okay, the photos show a much more reasonable 8"). Why, yes it is! They're all the same guy!(totally NSFW!) It's Jeff Gannon all over again--including the escort business!
Pretty Big Brother
AT&T, of course. The deathstar is back after being forcibly broken up in the seventies. IANd the payback for being allowed to re-assemble?
"In the name of fighting the "war on terror," the Bush Administration has secretly enlisted the help of telecommunications agencies across the nation to do "datamining" -- using pre-programmed criteria to sift through the private information of Americans on the web and telephone lines in search of clues." Check out the story and video.
"In the name of fighting the "war on terror," the Bush Administration has secretly enlisted the help of telecommunications agencies across the nation to do "datamining" -- using pre-programmed criteria to sift through the private information of Americans on the web and telephone lines in search of clues." Check out the story and video.
New World Order
I think it is symptomatic of the rapid re-arrangement of the world order that while Amerika released it's worldwide human right report this week and, as is usual, targeted China as a major offender, China is feeling strong enough to call Amerika on it's own record.
"Relying on its strong military power, the United States has trespassed on the sovereignty of other countries and violated human rights in other countries," Xinhua quoted the document as saying, released by the State Council, or cabinet.
It cited foreign media reports in detailing the number of civilian deaths in Iraq.
"The document says the United States has a flagrant record of violating the Geneva Convention in systematically abusing prisoners during the Iraqi war and the war in Afghanistan," Xinhua said.
(Reuters news agency)
"Relying on its strong military power, the United States has trespassed on the sovereignty of other countries and violated human rights in other countries," Xinhua quoted the document as saying, released by the State Council, or cabinet.
It cited foreign media reports in detailing the number of civilian deaths in Iraq.
"The document says the United States has a flagrant record of violating the Geneva Convention in systematically abusing prisoners during the Iraqi war and the war in Afghanistan," Xinhua said.
(Reuters news agency)
More Evidence That Amerika is a Failed State
As if you need it.... Attorney general Alberto Gonzales is under pressure for his firings of several US attourneys last December. Of course it turns out that they are attorneys who have either prosecuted Republican corruption, failed to deliver indictments against Dems early enough to influence the November elections, or in the case of the US attorney in Arkansas, "was thrown out to make room for a crony of Karl Rove who specializes in opposition research. (Could that possibly be related to the presidential candidacy of a certain former Arkansas resident?)" Check out the Truthdig article....
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Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A Coalition of the Unwilling
Over at Truthdig, Sarah Stillman confronts her American ignorance on climate change. "Why," she asks, "are the Brits kicking our [American] arse on climate change awarenness?" The resulting article is interesting and informative, and well worth a read.
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Tuesday, March 06, 2007
We're Number One! We Are! Really!
According to this BBC poll, Canada was viewed as having a positive influence in the world by 54% of the respondents, top in the poll. Japan was also viewed as having a positive influence by 54% of the repsondents, but Japan also had a slightly higher number of people who said that it had a negative influence, 20% to Canada's 14% negative influence score, the lowest in the poll.
At the other end, The United States had a postive rating of only 30% and a negative rating of 51%. Only Iran (54%) and Israel (56%) had lower negative scores, with North Korea close behind (48%). Israel also had the lowest postive influence score at 17%.
At the other end, The United States had a postive rating of only 30% and a negative rating of 51%. Only Iran (54%) and Israel (56%) had lower negative scores, with North Korea close behind (48%). Israel also had the lowest postive influence score at 17%.
The Long Recovery Week 15
It's hard to believe that 15 weeks ago, almost four months, I was just coming out of surgery on my shoulder. Range of motion is still an issue, and as yet I'm still not doing any real strength training, but that should start any time now.
Today my doctor said that everything was as it should be. He ordered up another set of xrays, but he figures this will be the last set because the bone and the titanium look good. Now it's just a question of how well the soft tissue comes back.
Here's one of today's x-rays. This is from the side -- a profile shot, if you like.
Man, that's a lot of titanium.
Today my doctor said that everything was as it should be. He ordered up another set of xrays, but he figures this will be the last set because the bone and the titanium look good. Now it's just a question of how well the soft tissue comes back.
Here's one of today's x-rays. This is from the side -- a profile shot, if you like.
Man, that's a lot of titanium.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President
Very funny and sharply satirical video on Susie Bright's blogsite. You have to go about halfway down the page to find it (sorry I couldn't link directly to it...), but it's definitely workth watching. Oh, the video is probably not work safe, eh?
Of course, the rest of the site contains some pretty good reading as well.
Of course, the rest of the site contains some pretty good reading as well.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....
I recently read in Boulevard Magazine and interesting bit of news. Something I do every day but didn't really think about. I look in a mirror daily...so what..only what I am seeing is not what others see. I don't really see "myself". The image is reversed....how in the future this may change and I will truly see myself. How? By looking into a true mirror....read below from the site I found on the True Mirror.
For all of our history, when people think they see themselves, they are always seeing themselves reflected backwards. Recently, with cameras and video, they can get a sense of what they look like forwards, but its a static or non-eye to eye view. However, as it turns out, the backward images and person we see in a mirror is profoundly different from what is real. The backwardsness distorts not just our features, but the information in our faces and personalities as well. No wonder we see ourselves differetnly than others see us!
A True Mirror is surprisingly more than an amazing novelty. We are excited to promote as a new source of self-discovery and enlightenment.
The introspective use of the True Mirror can be an important boost towards your own self-acceptance and greater self-esteem. This happens by authenticating your own actual image and expressions as you exist in real life, and as your are seen by everyone else.
In contrast, the incorrect view seen in a traditional mirror can be major source of self-doubt and self-criticism - simply because it is not the "real you" when your eyes meet in the mirror. How can you understand yourself, your emotions and your expressions when there is such distortion?
We've discovered some fascinating aspects of human nature that arise when people see their true appearance. Because it is very challenging to confront new information about one's self, the responses are usually very dramatic...some love it, some hate it, and some will not even look! But we feel its just a matter of time to become familiar with the new image, and most people will begin to prefer the new look. Its natural, after all.
www.truemirror.com
the photo attached at the top of this post are comments from people who have truly seen themselves....A True Mirror is surprisingly more than an amazing novelty. We are excited to promote as a new source of self-discovery and enlightenment.
The introspective use of the True Mirror can be an important boost towards your own self-acceptance and greater self-esteem. This happens by authenticating your own actual image and expressions as you exist in real life, and as your are seen by everyone else.
In contrast, the incorrect view seen in a traditional mirror can be major source of self-doubt and self-criticism - simply because it is not the "real you" when your eyes meet in the mirror. How can you understand yourself, your emotions and your expressions when there is such distortion?
We've discovered some fascinating aspects of human nature that arise when people see their true appearance. Because it is very challenging to confront new information about one's self, the responses are usually very dramatic...some love it, some hate it, and some will not even look! But we feel its just a matter of time to become familiar with the new image, and most people will begin to prefer the new look. Its natural, after all.
www.truemirror.com
The world's largest nation...
is expanding outward. Talk about your "Great Leap Forward," China figures to have a man on the moon in 15 years. The future just keeps looking more radically different than ever, doesn't it?
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I'm not sure what this means
....but I'm pretty sure it isn't good.
"Industrial pollution coming from Asia is having a
wider effect on global weather and climate than previously realised,
research suggests."
But what it does tell me clearly is that nobody lives alone on this planet. We're all connected in the most unexpected ways.
"Industrial pollution coming from Asia is having a
wider effect on global weather and climate than previously realised,
research suggests."
But what it does tell me clearly is that nobody lives alone on this planet. We're all connected in the most unexpected ways.
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Monday, March 05, 2007
The More You Know, The Worse It Gets
If you're not regularly reading George Monbiot, you should be. The smell of bullshit drives him crazy, and he's willing to do the legwork to show exactly how the power structure is lying to us. Back in December, he pointed out just how Amerika is torturing Jose Padilla, and how that torture is used in Amerikan civilian prisons as well. Horrifying? Yes. But essential to know what the future looks like for all of us unless we manage a revolution of democracy both here and in the rest of the world. With Amerika now heading down a path that is taking it back to pre-Copernician times, we should all be digging in to defend modernity.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Is Progress Possible?
Jeffrey Feldman writes about Dinesh D'Souza's latest book, The Enemy at Home, and discusses the pressure on the Right in Amerika to recognize Osama bin Laden's allies in Amerika--the progressive Left--and to begin the taking up of arms against them.
"While he never comes right out and says that Americans should kill liberals, D'Souza's book shuttles his reader swiftly to that conclusion. By defining liberals as a "hidden" second front of terrorism, D'Souza's book invokes a very simple, widely held idea in America: that "War on Terror" means first and foremost, "kill terrorists." Thus, The Enemy at Home gives intellectual legitimacy to a widely accepted, rapidly growing Republican tendency to frame national security in terms of killing Democrats."
What Feldman mentions, but fails to see, is D'Souza's linkage between "traditional" cultures around the world and what he wants to see again in Amerika; the return to an unquestioned faith in external authority.
"From the American founding until World War II, there was a widespread belief in this country that there is a moral order in the universe that makes claims on us. This belief was not unique to Americans. It was shared by Europeans since the very beginning of Western civilization, and it is held even today by all the traditional cultures of the world. The basic notion is that morality is external to us, and it is binding on us. In the past, Americans and Europeans, being for the most part Christian, might disagree with Hindus and Muslims about the exact source of this moral order, its precise content, or how a society should convert its moral beliefs into legal and social practice. But there was little doubt across the civilizations of the world about the existence of such an order. Moreover laws and social norms typically reflected this moral consensus. During the first half of the twentieth-century, the moral order generated some clear American social norms: Go to church. Be faithful to your wife. Support your children. Go when your country calls. And so on. The point is not that everyone lived up to the dictates of the moral code, but that it supplied a standard, accepted virtually throughout society, for how one should act." (The Enemy at Home, Introduction)
That history can be seen as the struggle against such imposed authority is so far out of view as to be invisible. That this struggle against imposed authority is the foundation of democracy, self-determination, and individual freedom is equally ignored by D'Souza and missed by Feldman. But the discussion of the book and the social climate in which it has appeared is very interesting. Definitely worth a read.
"While he never comes right out and says that Americans should kill liberals, D'Souza's book shuttles his reader swiftly to that conclusion. By defining liberals as a "hidden" second front of terrorism, D'Souza's book invokes a very simple, widely held idea in America: that "War on Terror" means first and foremost, "kill terrorists." Thus, The Enemy at Home gives intellectual legitimacy to a widely accepted, rapidly growing Republican tendency to frame national security in terms of killing Democrats."
What Feldman mentions, but fails to see, is D'Souza's linkage between "traditional" cultures around the world and what he wants to see again in Amerika; the return to an unquestioned faith in external authority.
"From the American founding until World War II, there was a widespread belief in this country that there is a moral order in the universe that makes claims on us. This belief was not unique to Americans. It was shared by Europeans since the very beginning of Western civilization, and it is held even today by all the traditional cultures of the world. The basic notion is that morality is external to us, and it is binding on us. In the past, Americans and Europeans, being for the most part Christian, might disagree with Hindus and Muslims about the exact source of this moral order, its precise content, or how a society should convert its moral beliefs into legal and social practice. But there was little doubt across the civilizations of the world about the existence of such an order. Moreover laws and social norms typically reflected this moral consensus. During the first half of the twentieth-century, the moral order generated some clear American social norms: Go to church. Be faithful to your wife. Support your children. Go when your country calls. And so on. The point is not that everyone lived up to the dictates of the moral code, but that it supplied a standard, accepted virtually throughout society, for how one should act." (The Enemy at Home, Introduction)
That history can be seen as the struggle against such imposed authority is so far out of view as to be invisible. That this struggle against imposed authority is the foundation of democracy, self-determination, and individual freedom is equally ignored by D'Souza and missed by Feldman. But the discussion of the book and the social climate in which it has appeared is very interesting. Definitely worth a read.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
In Search of Cheney's Brain
The Vice-President, Dick Cheney, spoke to members of the American media on Air Force Two during his recent Middle East visit. But he insisted that he would speak only as long as he was indentified just as a "Senior Administration Official," not as "The Vice-President." Apparently he doesn't want to be associated with his own quotes.
However, the ploy backfired because he identified himself, and then spoke of himself in the first person during his opening statement, pretty much destroying his attempt at being anonymous:
Why Cheney, who has always spoken on the record as the Vice-President since February 2001, now wants to be an anonymous Senior Administration Official, is unknown, although there probably have been many times in the last six years when Bush had wished that Cheney had spoken anonymously.
Jeffery Feldman comments more on this story here, and the offical White House version (of an Interview with a Senior Official, released by the Office of the Vice-President no less) is here.
However, the ploy backfired because he identified himself, and then spoke of himself in the first person during his opening statement, pretty much destroying his attempt at being anonymous:
"Let me just make one editorial comment here. I've seen some press reporting says, "Cheney went in to beat up on them, threaten them." That's not the way I work. I don't know who writes that, or maybe somebody gets it from some source who doesn't know what I'm doing, or isn't involved in it. But the idea that I'd go in and threaten someone is an invalid misreading of the way I do business."
Why Cheney, who has always spoken on the record as the Vice-President since February 2001, now wants to be an anonymous Senior Administration Official, is unknown, although there probably have been many times in the last six years when Bush had wished that Cheney had spoken anonymously.
Jeffery Feldman comments more on this story here, and the offical White House version (of an Interview with a Senior Official, released by the Office of the Vice-President no less) is here.
Friday, March 02, 2007
viral advertisment
Okay, this is one of the wierder things I've seen. Check it out at your own risk.
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Thursday, March 01, 2007
O Sinnerman
I cannot say how strongly this video affected me this morning. My only wish is that the message spelled out was something less US-centric and a little more globally aplicable, but that's a small caveat. The music and pictures work well together. I highly recommend it.
O Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Better than the B5 use of the song.
O Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Better than the B5 use of the song.
Something Ugly?
It looks like something ugly is going on--more than just an illegal and immoral war based on lies. A year and a half ago, a 19-year-old Florissant woman became the first female from Missouri to die during the Iraq war. Now questions are being raised about how she died, and it looks like the Amerikan military is covering up a rape and murder.
After two WaPo (Washington Post) writers exposed the truly horrific conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army brass responded with the application of a lot of white paint. Seriously, a whitewash.
And then the responses to the story. Check out this bit of lunacy--why did it take so long for reporters to become aware of the conditions at WRAMC? Because they had to figure out (or be told) that they could "attack this administration from the right." (approximate quote). Really. Check out the video. It can't be an incompetent administration, so it has to be the fault of the reporters for reporting the story.
But occasionally the chickens come home to roost (and I don't mean 9-11). Sam Fox would like to be this administration's appointment to the post of ambassador to Belgium. To achieve this, he has to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and answer a few questions about his suitability. No big, eh? Except that after the last election, it happens that Barack Obama is chairing the meeting, and Fox has to face questions from John Kerry. Particularly questions about how Fox had given $50K to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to disseminate lies about....John Kerry. Depending on which side of the room you're sitting on, this can be, or won't be, a whole lot of fun.
Meanwhile, over at the Guardian:
"An elite team of officers advising the US commander, General David Petraeus, in Baghdad has concluded that they have six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat."
The fact that once again the US military has faced a Viet Nam, not in public or political support, but in defeat by a vastly less-well-equipped foe, seems to be going un-noticed. Like the British in India, the Amerikans can be defeated. Guerilla tactics work against the US military (and, as Afghanistan showed, the Russian military as well), because the majority of the Amerikan public have no stomach for wars of empire. And, like Viet Nam, Iraq bids fair to finally have a chance at creating its own destiny free from Amerikan imperialist involvement albeit at the cost of a million or more dead and the complete destruction of its infrastructure. If only Canada had the same opportunity, just without the death or destruction. Hell, if only the nations of the world had the same opportunity, free of any imperialist interference from any country. Self-determination could be the rallying cry for a better, or at least freer, world.
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After two WaPo (Washington Post) writers exposed the truly horrific conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army brass responded with the application of a lot of white paint. Seriously, a whitewash.
And then the responses to the story. Check out this bit of lunacy--why did it take so long for reporters to become aware of the conditions at WRAMC? Because they had to figure out (or be told) that they could "attack this administration from the right." (approximate quote). Really. Check out the video. It can't be an incompetent administration, so it has to be the fault of the reporters for reporting the story.
But occasionally the chickens come home to roost (and I don't mean 9-11). Sam Fox would like to be this administration's appointment to the post of ambassador to Belgium. To achieve this, he has to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and answer a few questions about his suitability. No big, eh? Except that after the last election, it happens that Barack Obama is chairing the meeting, and Fox has to face questions from John Kerry. Particularly questions about how Fox had given $50K to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to disseminate lies about....John Kerry. Depending on which side of the room you're sitting on, this can be, or won't be, a whole lot of fun.
Meanwhile, over at the Guardian:
"An elite team of officers advising the US commander, General David Petraeus, in Baghdad has concluded that they have six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat."
The fact that once again the US military has faced a Viet Nam, not in public or political support, but in defeat by a vastly less-well-equipped foe, seems to be going un-noticed. Like the British in India, the Amerikans can be defeated. Guerilla tactics work against the US military (and, as Afghanistan showed, the Russian military as well), because the majority of the Amerikan public have no stomach for wars of empire. And, like Viet Nam, Iraq bids fair to finally have a chance at creating its own destiny free from Amerikan imperialist involvement albeit at the cost of a million or more dead and the complete destruction of its infrastructure. If only Canada had the same opportunity, just without the death or destruction. Hell, if only the nations of the world had the same opportunity, free of any imperialist interference from any country. Self-determination could be the rallying cry for a better, or at least freer, world.
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Commencement Address at Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois
This transcript is fascinating, as it also transcribes the catcalls, heckling and horn-blowing(??? Who takes a horn to a commencement?). What becomes clear is a total inability on the part of the graduating hecklers to understand a nuanced arguement. Clearly detailing the inellectual arridity of the Christian Right and its footsoldiers in Amerika, Hedges words would be taken as boringly mainstream anywhere else in the world.
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Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges is the author of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, and has been getting a lot pf press recently. Understandably so--here's
a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School calling the leaders of the
Christian Right in Amerika non-Christians (okay, maybe a no-brainer for
anyone with some non-Amerikan theological training, but still
remarkable for being don "in-house"). This interview (available in both mp3 and transcript), is an interesting introduction to his arguments.
a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School calling the leaders of the
Christian Right in Amerika non-Christians (okay, maybe a no-brainer for
anyone with some non-Amerikan theological training, but still
remarkable for being don "in-house"). This interview (available in both mp3 and transcript), is an interesting introduction to his arguments.
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a failure to grasp the value of democratic oversight
Simon Jenkins, an insider and former member of the board of British Rail, discusses the limits and problems of privatizing public companies. What makes this interesting is that he's a strong supporter of privatization.
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Wolf as Underdog
That would be Josh Wolf, a blogger and indie journalist in the states, targeted by the Bush administration. He's been locked up for six months now--the longest any journalist has ever been jailed in the US for refusing to comly with a subpoena. Amy Goodman, the Democracy Now journalist and author, writes about the case over at Truthdig.
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Democracy Now
You don;'t even have to download the show, you can just read the transcript of the interview. Chalmers Johnson raises the question "do you have to sacrifice democracy to maintain empire?"
AMY GOODMAN: Today, we spend the hour with the former CIA
consultant, distinguished scholar, best-selling author, Chalmers
Johnson. He's just published a new book. It's called Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. It's the last volume in his trilogy, which began with Blowback, went onto The Sorrows of Empire.
In those two, Johnson argued American clandestine and military activity
has led to unintended but direct disaster here in the United States. In
his new book, Johnson argues that US military and economic overreach
may actually lead to the nation's collapse as a constitutional republic.
AMY GOODMAN: Today, we spend the hour with the former CIA
consultant, distinguished scholar, best-selling author, Chalmers
Johnson. He's just published a new book. It's called Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. It's the last volume in his trilogy, which began with Blowback, went onto The Sorrows of Empire.
In those two, Johnson argued American clandestine and military activity
has led to unintended but direct disaster here in the United States. In
his new book, Johnson argues that US military and economic overreach
may actually lead to the nation's collapse as a constitutional republic.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Working Class Bitch
So I was terminated February 5, picked myself up enough to start visiting personnel agencies on February 12, started a well-paid temp job at $21 an hour on February 15, was interviewed February 16, and hired February 21--a mere week and a half after beginning to submit my resume--and began work yesterday as an Executive Assistant to a VP at a large corporation. What a wonderful thing it is to be in a hot job market, to be sure! I was a little nervous, since EA positions don't come open as much as regular admin positions, but obviously I needn't have worried so much. Something in me that had been twisted very tightly began to loosen the day I got hired.
It's been interesting seeing what large corporations offer their employees to retain them right now. Salaries are only the beginning. The place where I temped offered employees a flexible work week which allows them one Friday off a month, and I was told that Shell Canada offers its people 17 flex days a year at present, to help retain them during negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell. 17 days--the mind boggles, not to mention envies. On the other hand, I became familiar with the people at Shell through my old position, and while I know nothing against them, I didn't want to risk meeting former colleagues through the connection. Oh well!
My place offers free coffee...and free pastries Monday and Wednesday, and free fruit on Tuesday and Thursday, at least on my floor. I get substantial discounts on the company's retail offerings (I heard 50%, but haven't seen the package yet), I will get my benefits on March 1st instead of having to wait till I am done probation--they don't even call it probation any more, but "an introductory period". The perqs vary from company to company, but there are some very sweet deals out there, to be sure. I'm happy, though, with a boss who seems like a decent person and in a company that has cheerful, helpful people working for it. Of course, there are some mistakes I plan never to make again...when all is said and done, I'm still just a working class bitch.
It's been interesting seeing what large corporations offer their employees to retain them right now. Salaries are only the beginning. The place where I temped offered employees a flexible work week which allows them one Friday off a month, and I was told that Shell Canada offers its people 17 flex days a year at present, to help retain them during negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell. 17 days--the mind boggles, not to mention envies. On the other hand, I became familiar with the people at Shell through my old position, and while I know nothing against them, I didn't want to risk meeting former colleagues through the connection. Oh well!
My place offers free coffee...and free pastries Monday and Wednesday, and free fruit on Tuesday and Thursday, at least on my floor. I get substantial discounts on the company's retail offerings (I heard 50%, but haven't seen the package yet), I will get my benefits on March 1st instead of having to wait till I am done probation--they don't even call it probation any more, but "an introductory period". The perqs vary from company to company, but there are some very sweet deals out there, to be sure. I'm happy, though, with a boss who seems like a decent person and in a company that has cheerful, helpful people working for it. Of course, there are some mistakes I plan never to make again...when all is said and done, I'm still just a working class bitch.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
The Long Recovery Week 14
Clearly, things are looking up -- last night I went through the drive-in at Wendy's.
Now before you get yer garters in an uproar about global cow warming and all that, consider this: I drove up to the order window, wound open my own window, and passed out money, then took back my change then took in my drink and meal.
I did it all with my left arm.
Slowly, very slowly, my shoulder is getting better.
It's still very weak, and mobility is still limited, but it is coming back. I keep finding myself able to do things that a week or two ago I couldn't.
And I must be feeling optimistic about my eventual return to the kayaking -- yesterday I ordered a waterproof VHF radio.
Now before you get yer garters in an uproar about global cow warming and all that, consider this: I drove up to the order window, wound open my own window, and passed out money, then took back my change then took in my drink and meal.
I did it all with my left arm.
Slowly, very slowly, my shoulder is getting better.
It's still very weak, and mobility is still limited, but it is coming back. I keep finding myself able to do things that a week or two ago I couldn't.
And I must be feeling optimistic about my eventual return to the kayaking -- yesterday I ordered a waterproof VHF radio.
Friday, February 23, 2007
They call it Colossal....
'cause you can't say big f**ker on tv.
Thanks to Lila for pointing out the footage.
Thanks to Lila for pointing out the footage.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
I Love This Woman!
Susie Bright, that is. this woman is the Molly Ivins of sex, the original Dan Savage. She regularly kicks ass and takes names. Today, she's talking about the use of the word scrotum in chlidren's books.
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George Takei
This freaking rocks! This is the way to deal with these redneck homophobic assholes! Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck!
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Hey! There She Is!
Heather Mallick, of course. Her As If column in the Globe was the best thing about saturdays last year. Now she's gone, and I've been wondering what she's been up to. Well, here she is! And boy does she sum up my impressions of 24.
And if you don't know who she is, here's her bio off the CBC site:
Heather Mallick has a nice old-fashioned M.A. in English literature from the University of Toronto. She has worked as a reporter, copy editor and book review editor at various Toronto newspapers and most recently wrote a column called As If for the Globe and Mail. She has won National Newspaper Awards for critical writing and feature writing. Heather writes a political column for the New York Times Syndication Service that runs internationally. Her first book, Pearls in Vinegar, based on an ancient Japanese form of diary, appeared in 2004. Her second, an essay collection called Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life, will be published by Knopf in April 2007.
And if you don't know who she is, here's her bio off the CBC site:
Heather Mallick has a nice old-fashioned M.A. in English literature from the University of Toronto. She has worked as a reporter, copy editor and book review editor at various Toronto newspapers and most recently wrote a column called As If for the Globe and Mail. She has won National Newspaper Awards for critical writing and feature writing. Heather writes a political column for the New York Times Syndication Service that runs internationally. Her first book, Pearls in Vinegar, based on an ancient Japanese form of diary, appeared in 2004. Her second, an essay collection called Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life, will be published by Knopf in April 2007.
TILMA?
Yeah, Tilma. The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) agreement between Alberta and BC comes into effect this April Fool's Day--and bids fair to make an april fool out of BC's premier Gordon Campbell's recent green conversion. Murray Dobbin writes a very interesting piece in The Tyee.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Other Blogs
In searching Food TV Canada, I noticed Canadian Food Blogs listed, which lead to Kayaksoup, which lead to Wild Coyote....and Wild Coyote's post. I don't know who made up the list, considering my bookcase a lot of books I own are not listed.
Here are the instructions:
Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole, put a cross in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk* the ones you’ve never heard of.
1. +The Da Vinci Code(Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Predjudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons(Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. +A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) and the other four volumes in the trilogy.
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True ( Wally Lamb)
39. +The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. +The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43.+ Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44.+The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible (parts of it)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. +Angelas Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. +The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. +Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. +Bridget Jones Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. +Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88.+ The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89.* Blindness(Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel(Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. +The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
Here are the instructions:
Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole, put a cross in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk* the ones you’ve never heard of.
1. +The Da Vinci Code(Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Predjudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons(Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. +A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) and the other four volumes in the trilogy.
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True ( Wally Lamb)
39. +The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. +The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43.+ Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44.+The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible (parts of it)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. +Angelas Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. +The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. +Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. +Bridget Jones Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. +Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88.+ The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89.* Blindness(Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel(Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. +The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
Lily Allen & a vid from England
Sent to mefrom my pal Clive. A little British music...catchy tune and hilarious vid....
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Long Recovery Week 12
This was a week of firsts.
Monday, I had my first bath. I decided that it was time to try to get in and out of the tub. Getting in was okay, but getting out still remains a little haphazard. However, I didn't fall, and it was very relaxing. Heck, I may even have another one tonight. (Long-time followers of my misadventure will recall that due to the tinyness of my bathroom and the awkwardness of my injury, I was forced to pee in the sink for a short while after my release from the hospital. I would like to state for the record that for some time I have been able to pee in the usual manner and into the usual bathrrom fixture, although I still occasionally pee into the sink because I am a lazy and gross bastard.)
Tuesday, I tied my shoelaces for the first time in three months. After getting home from my accident, the first phone call I made was to my niece who works in a discount shoe store to ask her if they had any sneakers with velcro instead of laces. And lo, they did, and they were delivered unto me, and I've been wearing them ever since. But after a recent long walk, I discovered that discount shoes aren't designed to be walked in over a lengthy distance, and since my plan is to walk home when I return to work, it was time for more comfy (and more expensive) shoes. And so it was that on Tuesday morn, I took my old expensive sneaks out of the closet, placed them on my feet and tied the laces with no discomfort in my battered left shoulder. Huzzah, huzzah.
And today another first: my first day back at work. What a, er, um, thrill it was to be back. Makes one hanker for the days when I could just sit home, rest, watch tv and get paid. And that was just last week!
Actually, it felt good to be back, if for no other reason than it represents another small step along The Long Road Back. The shoulder seemed to survive the day fairly well. And when I did my exercises in the evening, it seemed a lot less tighter than usual. Perhaps being back at work did it some good.
I stuck up a copy of my x-ray in my cubicle. Most people were shocked at the amount of metal in my arm.
"Is that permanent?" they gasped.
"Yes," I replied, "until someone figures that the going rate for titanium is worth digging up my cold and rotting corpse for."
I walked home, as per my plan, and although I was jealous of every bike rider that passed me and every kayaker in the harbour (there was only one, and he had to be crazy to be out on a stormy day like today), at the end of the day I feel a little more confident that one day soon I'll be back on my bike and in my kayak.
Monday, I had my first bath. I decided that it was time to try to get in and out of the tub. Getting in was okay, but getting out still remains a little haphazard. However, I didn't fall, and it was very relaxing. Heck, I may even have another one tonight. (Long-time followers of my misadventure will recall that due to the tinyness of my bathroom and the awkwardness of my injury, I was forced to pee in the sink for a short while after my release from the hospital. I would like to state for the record that for some time I have been able to pee in the usual manner and into the usual bathrrom fixture, although I still occasionally pee into the sink because I am a lazy and gross bastard.)
Tuesday, I tied my shoelaces for the first time in three months. After getting home from my accident, the first phone call I made was to my niece who works in a discount shoe store to ask her if they had any sneakers with velcro instead of laces. And lo, they did, and they were delivered unto me, and I've been wearing them ever since. But after a recent long walk, I discovered that discount shoes aren't designed to be walked in over a lengthy distance, and since my plan is to walk home when I return to work, it was time for more comfy (and more expensive) shoes. And so it was that on Tuesday morn, I took my old expensive sneaks out of the closet, placed them on my feet and tied the laces with no discomfort in my battered left shoulder. Huzzah, huzzah.
And today another first: my first day back at work. What a, er, um, thrill it was to be back. Makes one hanker for the days when I could just sit home, rest, watch tv and get paid. And that was just last week!
Actually, it felt good to be back, if for no other reason than it represents another small step along The Long Road Back. The shoulder seemed to survive the day fairly well. And when I did my exercises in the evening, it seemed a lot less tighter than usual. Perhaps being back at work did it some good.
I stuck up a copy of my x-ray in my cubicle. Most people were shocked at the amount of metal in my arm.
"Is that permanent?" they gasped.
"Yes," I replied, "until someone figures that the going rate for titanium is worth digging up my cold and rotting corpse for."
I walked home, as per my plan, and although I was jealous of every bike rider that passed me and every kayaker in the harbour (there was only one, and he had to be crazy to be out on a stormy day like today), at the end of the day I feel a little more confident that one day soon I'll be back on my bike and in my kayak.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Because It Wasn't Enough Fun Before
I got a note from my doctor while still on stress leave, saying I was cleared to return to work without limitations. I brought it in to the nice lady in HR at 8:00 am this Monday morning. She checked it, ushered me into theoffice of the Vice President of HR, and scuttered away while he terminated me for reasons that he said he would not be discussing with me.
Terminated. With a whole extra week of severance pay because I signed the agreement saying I wouldn't sue their asses off. I've met their pet lawyers...trust me, I wouldn't be suing anyhow, because I am sure if I did I would find myself in far worse trouble, and none of it illegal...just slimy.
I have revised my resume and my references, and have three personnel agency interviews lined up for next week so they can start telling new companies how fabulous I am. But I still think somebody deserves a punch in the head. For all I know, it could even be me...for trusting my former company to play fair....
Terminated. With a whole extra week of severance pay because I signed the agreement saying I wouldn't sue their asses off. I've met their pet lawyers...trust me, I wouldn't be suing anyhow, because I am sure if I did I would find myself in far worse trouble, and none of it illegal...just slimy.
I have revised my resume and my references, and have three personnel agency interviews lined up for next week so they can start telling new companies how fabulous I am. But I still think somebody deserves a punch in the head. For all I know, it could even be me...for trusting my former company to play fair....
Even Our Thoughts Are No Longer Private
This report in the Guardian newspaper details how scientists can now (allegedly) divine your intentions from your thoughts. Are you lying? a racist? this new technique claims to be able to be able to distinguish your intentions by scanning the activity in your brain. So even the privacy of our own skulls has been breached--soon to be owned by a major corporation near you.....
One Way To Quit
The only thing I can think is that Bart Jones has decided to quit--or maybe the managing editor has decided to. How else to explain this reasonable and balanced piece of reporting on Hugo Chavez in an Amerikan newspaper?
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Would I want these assholes on my street?
Check out this through-the-window video of a humvee negotiating the streets of Baghdad. This alone would make me start looking for a gun. Typical arrogance of the triumphalist invader.
America Christo-Fascism
We must attend to growing social and economic inequities in order to stop the most dangerous mass movement in American history -- or face a future of fascism under the guise of Christian values.
Dr. James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told his students that when we were his age -- he was then close to 80 -- we would all be fighting the "Christian fascists."
So writes Chris Hedges over on Alternet, and I believe him. If it's not too late already. This doesn't just concern Amerika, but after an experience I had in Mississauga this summer, it's clear that Canadians have a great deal to worry about also--and not just the "world's longest undefended border."
Dr. James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told his students that when we were his age -- he was then close to 80 -- we would all be fighting the "Christian fascists."
So writes Chris Hedges over on Alternet, and I believe him. If it's not too late already. This doesn't just concern Amerika, but after an experience I had in Mississauga this summer, it's clear that Canadians have a great deal to worry about also--and not just the "world's longest undefended border."
Are you fucking kidding me?!
12 BILLION dollars--that's the amount of money that disappeared from the CPA in Bahgdad. Check out the Guardian story here.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Long Recovery Week 10
It's funny how I can suddenly discover that I can do something without even thinking about it, or that I can still find that there are very simple tasks that I cannot do.
For instance, last week after physio, I ran for the bus. Not that the running itself was a surprising thing -- I'm not much of a jogger, but up until my accident I was riding my bike five days a week, so I was in shape enough to run if need be -- but the fact that I was running and my shoulder seemed pretty okay with it was an unexpected surprise. It wasn't until I got on the bus that I realized that I had run a couple of hundred metres with little discomfort.
Mind you, later that day I couldn't get my socks off. As I stood in front of the laundry hamper, I decided that the socks I was currently wearing were due a wash. So, still standing, I bent my left knee, lifted my left foot, reached down with my right hand and pulled my sock off. After lowering my left foot, I lifted my right foot and without thinking reached down with my left hand and did not have the strength to take off my right sock.
The good news is that I am feeling more and more human and I'm venturing out more. Here's me last week at Gyro Park. Dig the "physio beard."
For instance, last week after physio, I ran for the bus. Not that the running itself was a surprising thing -- I'm not much of a jogger, but up until my accident I was riding my bike five days a week, so I was in shape enough to run if need be -- but the fact that I was running and my shoulder seemed pretty okay with it was an unexpected surprise. It wasn't until I got on the bus that I realized that I had run a couple of hundred metres with little discomfort.
Mind you, later that day I couldn't get my socks off. As I stood in front of the laundry hamper, I decided that the socks I was currently wearing were due a wash. So, still standing, I bent my left knee, lifted my left foot, reached down with my right hand and pulled my sock off. After lowering my left foot, I lifted my right foot and without thinking reached down with my left hand and did not have the strength to take off my right sock.
The good news is that I am feeling more and more human and I'm venturing out more. Here's me last week at Gyro Park. Dig the "physio beard."
Monday, February 05, 2007
Battlestar Galacticons
Here's a great article on Neocons who use sci-fi and fantasy analogies, and how many of them are upset at the third season of Battlestar Galactica which depicts many of the Galactica crew as insurgents against a Cylon occupying force even going so far as to use suicide bombers against the first graduating class of human security forces police recruited by the Cylons:
The article goes on to mention further sci-fi allusions, including a writer who thought that:
National Review’s Jonah Goldberg, who writes regularly about Galactica’s politics on NRO’s group blog, The Corner, also picked up on parallels between the show and the war on terror. Goldberg took particular glee in attacking Galactica’s anti-war movement, which he said consisted of “radical peaceniks” and “peace-terrorists” who “are clearly a collection of whack jobs, fifth columnists and idiots.” Goldberg also praised several characters for trying to rig a presidential election. “I liked that the good guys wanted to steal the election and, it turns out, they were right to want to,” wrote Goldberg. Stolen elections, evil robots, crazed hippies … what more could a socially inept right-winger want from a show?
But alas, this love affair between Galactica and the right was not to last: in its third season, the show has morphed into a stinging allegorical critique of America’s three-year occupation of Iraq. The trouble started at the end of the second season, when humanity briefly escaped the Cylons and settled down on the tiny planet of New Caprica. The Cylons soon returned and quickly conquered the defenseless humans. But instead of slaughtering everyone, the Cylons decided to take a more enlightened path by “benevolently occupying” the planet and imposing their preferred way of life by gunpoint. The humans were predictably not enthused about their allegedly altruistic rulers, and they immediately launched an insurgency against them using improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. Needless to say, this did not go over very well in the Galacticon camp.
“The whole suicide bombing thing … made comparisons to Iraq incredibly ham-fisted,” wrote a frustrated Goldberg, who had hoped the struggle against the Cylons would look more like Le Resistance than the Iraqi insurgency. “The French resistance vibe … is part of what makes the Iraq comparison so offensive. It’s a one-step remove from comparing the Iraqi insurgency to the (romanticized) French resistance.”
The article goes on to mention further sci-fi allusions, including a writer who thought that:
“[i]t’s time to institute Disintegration Chambers in our major American cities,” he said, referring to a Star Trek episode that featured two tribes who preferred to fight wars by disintegrating their own people rather than sending them into live combat. Even though the episode was actually an allegory about the perverse methods governments use to shield their people from the brutal costs of war, he took quite a fancy to the idea of forced disintegration, especially for his ideological foes.
“Here’s the deal,” he wrote. “We decide what constitutes torture, and identify it as the following: insufficient air conditioning, excess air conditioning, sleep deprivation, being chained to the floor, and other forms of psychological stress … Those who disagree with these techniques must sign a record that registers their complaints. When a terrorist finally spills the details on a forthcoming attack on, say, Chicago, the people who signed the register and live in Chicago are required to report to the disintegration chamber.”
Friday, February 02, 2007
Climate Change Unstoppable
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations issued a their latest report today, conclding that global warming is "unequivocal" and that human activity is the main driver, "very likely" causing most of the rise in temperatures since 1950. [See here, here, and here.]
The report, using their strongest language yet on the issue, said now that the world has begun to warm, hotter temperatures and rises in sea level "would continue for centuries," no matter how much humans control their pollution. "The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice-mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that is not due to known natural causes alone," said the report.
The report finds that sea levels will rise between 7 and 23 inches by 2100, and it also concluded that seas would continue to rise, and crowded coasts retreat, for at least 1,000 years to come (by comparison, seas rose about 6 to 9 inches in the 20th century).
The report also finds a new wrinkle in the climate change story: a drop in the pH of seawater as oceans absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide, which forms carbonic acid when partly dissolved. Marine biologists have said that could imperil some kinds of corals and plankton.
The President of the United States said, “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through . . . a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.”
Oh, sorry. That wasn't the current President speaking.
It was President Lyndon Johnson.
In 1965.
Living in his own private reality bubble, the current President, "President" Bush, is rejecting mandatory carbon caps, but likes the idea of giant space mirrors.
The report, using their strongest language yet on the issue, said now that the world has begun to warm, hotter temperatures and rises in sea level "would continue for centuries," no matter how much humans control their pollution. "The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice-mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that is not due to known natural causes alone," said the report.
The report finds that sea levels will rise between 7 and 23 inches by 2100, and it also concluded that seas would continue to rise, and crowded coasts retreat, for at least 1,000 years to come (by comparison, seas rose about 6 to 9 inches in the 20th century).
The report also finds a new wrinkle in the climate change story: a drop in the pH of seawater as oceans absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide, which forms carbonic acid when partly dissolved. Marine biologists have said that could imperil some kinds of corals and plankton.
The President of the United States said, “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through . . . a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.”
Oh, sorry. That wasn't the current President speaking.
It was President Lyndon Johnson.
In 1965.
Living in his own private reality bubble, the current President, "President" Bush, is rejecting mandatory carbon caps, but likes the idea of giant space mirrors.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Does Losing Mean Waking Up?
In a blog post on Alternet, Jan Frel raises some interesting questions about just what it might mean if Amerika acknowledged that it has lost in Iraq. He seems to suggest that people might recognize that the American government is broken and there might be no way to fix it. Don't really know why it should--after all, after their defeat in Viet Nam, the fact that no matter who occupied the White House, the rulers remained the same group of Fascist monsters certainly seemed to disappear from public discourse. ML King noticed, but they shot him and his successors decided to shut the hell up.
Weatherman decided "got to revolution, got to revolution," but funny, they found that the citizens weren't really behind them. And, as the Airplane said, "one generation got old/one generation got sold/this generation got no destination to hold" which is as true as it's ever been. No, any talk of revolution is now and only ever will be "sound[ing] like a whisper" south of the border. No, the way I see it, it's up to the rest of the civilized world to just wall off this cancerous tumour, and let it fester until they've finished eating their own young and sending each other to the ovens. Then we can salt the earth behind them and get on with our own unfinished revolutions--like democracy.
Weatherman decided "got to revolution, got to revolution," but funny, they found that the citizens weren't really behind them. And, as the Airplane said, "one generation got old/one generation got sold/this generation got no destination to hold" which is as true as it's ever been. No, any talk of revolution is now and only ever will be "sound[ing] like a whisper" south of the border. No, the way I see it, it's up to the rest of the civilized world to just wall off this cancerous tumour, and let it fester until they've finished eating their own young and sending each other to the ovens. Then we can salt the earth behind them and get on with our own unfinished revolutions--like democracy.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Long Recovery Week 8
After the swelling in my arm started going down, physio began in earnest. My first exercise was what's called the pendulum. It's exactly what it sounds like. I lean with my right arm on a table or counter-top and let my left arm out of the sling and let it hang like a pendulum. I swing it forward and back, side to side, then it circles, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise. I swing it for about three or four minutes, twice a day. The idea is that it gently pulls on the muscles that are now super-tight and holding my arm in my shoulder socket. All those muscles have been traumatized and many surgically reattached. They were, and are, extremely tight to say the least.
Funny things were happening with my arm. Suddenly my left arm began drying out and flaking. My right arm was fine, but my left arm suddenly developed a taste for vast amounts of moisturizer.
And I could feel strange sensations in my arm as all the new hardware rubbed against flesh and bone. Sometimes, it even feels like it gets caught against a tendon or ligament [shudder]. It's a strange, strange feeling.
Slowly, time passed. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years. My writing became a pattern of clichés.
But seriously, time did go by slowly as I was mostly housebound. If it wasn't for the fact that I had just ordered the first two seasons of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on DVD, I might have gone mad.
I couldn't even write or surf the Internet much as it was too uncomfortable to sit at my computer for very long.
Christmas rolled around and I began to venture out more. Thankfully I had done most of my shopping before the accident, and Amazon did the rest.
At physio, I got to do more exercises. I got to lie on my back and, gripping it with both hands, I had to raise a cane over my head. At first, I could barely raise in 90 degrees, or just above my head. Now I can get it about 150-160 degrees over. Still got a ways to go.
Next came The Violin. Still lying down and with my forearms straight out in front of me at a 90 degree angle, I gripped the cane and moved it from my right to left, trying to move my left forearm away from my body while keeping my elbow in place at my side. This works to stretch my shoulder were the Bankart repair took place and the flap of muscle was sown over my shoulder socket to keep my arm in place. This I can only do to about 35 degrees. More work needs to be done here, too.
You're not reading this over dinner, are you?
As long as you're grossed out, here's how my scar was doing after about seven weeks.
Other exercises were added to regime like Walking Up the Wall. Simply put, I stand in front of a wall, put my left hand on it and use my fingers to "walk" my arm up it until my shoulder screams out "Enough already!"
However, the physio is going slower than expected. All these exercises that I've been doing are passive exercises, meaning that the injured area is not doing any work during the exercises it's all being done by the other arm, gravity, or in the case of my physiotherapist, someone else entirely. The normal recovery protocol for a Bankart repair would allow for active weight-bearing exercise at this point; however my arm is still too sore and stiff for this, so we are continuing with just the passive exercise. This will make for a long recovery period.
At least now I'm out of my sling.
Funny things were happening with my arm. Suddenly my left arm began drying out and flaking. My right arm was fine, but my left arm suddenly developed a taste for vast amounts of moisturizer.
And I could feel strange sensations in my arm as all the new hardware rubbed against flesh and bone. Sometimes, it even feels like it gets caught against a tendon or ligament [shudder]. It's a strange, strange feeling.
Slowly, time passed. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years. My writing became a pattern of clichés.
But seriously, time did go by slowly as I was mostly housebound. If it wasn't for the fact that I had just ordered the first two seasons of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on DVD, I might have gone mad.
I couldn't even write or surf the Internet much as it was too uncomfortable to sit at my computer for very long.
Christmas rolled around and I began to venture out more. Thankfully I had done most of my shopping before the accident, and Amazon did the rest.
At physio, I got to do more exercises. I got to lie on my back and, gripping it with both hands, I had to raise a cane over my head. At first, I could barely raise in 90 degrees, or just above my head. Now I can get it about 150-160 degrees over. Still got a ways to go.
Next came The Violin. Still lying down and with my forearms straight out in front of me at a 90 degree angle, I gripped the cane and moved it from my right to left, trying to move my left forearm away from my body while keeping my elbow in place at my side. This works to stretch my shoulder were the Bankart repair took place and the flap of muscle was sown over my shoulder socket to keep my arm in place. This I can only do to about 35 degrees. More work needs to be done here, too.
You're not reading this over dinner, are you?
As long as you're grossed out, here's how my scar was doing after about seven weeks.
Other exercises were added to regime like Walking Up the Wall. Simply put, I stand in front of a wall, put my left hand on it and use my fingers to "walk" my arm up it until my shoulder screams out "Enough already!"
However, the physio is going slower than expected. All these exercises that I've been doing are passive exercises, meaning that the injured area is not doing any work during the exercises it's all being done by the other arm, gravity, or in the case of my physiotherapist, someone else entirely. The normal recovery protocol for a Bankart repair would allow for active weight-bearing exercise at this point; however my arm is still too sore and stiff for this, so we are continuing with just the passive exercise. This will make for a long recovery period.
At least now I'm out of my sling.
Harper and Kyoto
According to this CBC report, a leaked 2002 letter from current Prime Minister Stephen Harper (then leader of the now-dead Canadian Alliance party) to party supporters called the Kyoto Accord a "socialist scheme" designed to suck money out of rich countries.
Other choice Harper quotes from the letter include:
Harper also says that the accord is based on "tentative and contradictory scientific evidence" and it focuses on carbon dioxide, which is "essential to life."
There is the old notion that most politicians are generally 20 years - a whole generation - behind the general public in discovering the important issues of the day. Who'd've thought that Stephen Harper was a Neanderthal? (Okay, hands down - that was a rhetorical question, dammit!)
With leadership like this, it's a wonder we're not already dead.
Other choice Harper quotes from the letter include:
"We're gearing up now for the biggest struggle our party has faced since you entrusted me with the leadership ... I'm talking about the 'battle of Kyoto' — our campaign to block the job-killing, economy-destroying Kyoto accord.
"Kyoto is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations.
"We will do everything we can to stop him there, but [Prime Minister Chrétien] might get it passed with the help of the socialists in the NDP and the separatists in the BQ [Bloc Québécois]."
Harper also says that the accord is based on "tentative and contradictory scientific evidence" and it focuses on carbon dioxide, which is "essential to life."
There is the old notion that most politicians are generally 20 years - a whole generation - behind the general public in discovering the important issues of the day. Who'd've thought that Stephen Harper was a Neanderthal? (Okay, hands down - that was a rhetorical question, dammit!)
With leadership like this, it's a wonder we're not already dead.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wild Westcoast Winter Weather
Here's a recap of this winter's wacky westcoast weather (as tabulated by the Victoria Times-Colonist):
But hey, no signs of climate change here! Just ask our Prime Minister!
NOV. 6
A subtropical jet stream known as the Pineapple Express brings warm, moist air from the south Pacific Ocean to the West Coast, setting rainfall records. Its impact is worsened by the remnants of Typhoon Cimaron, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in eight years. The storm floods hundreds of homes, closes roads and overloads the region's storm sewer system.
- The amount of rainfall received at Victoria airport: 38.8 mm
- The previous record for Nov. 6 set in 1975: 20.1 mm
- The amount of rain recorded at the Sooke Reservoir over 24 hours: 181.4 mm
- The high temperature for the day at Victoria airport: 17.1 C
- The previous record high for the day set in 1958: 15 C
NOV. 10
A vicious windstorm lashes every coastal area from the Alaska Panhandle to Vancouver, Victoria and the Gulf Islands. The brunt of the storm hits the capital region about 3 a.m., uprooting trees, knocking out power, and forcing the cancellation of flights and ferries.
- The reported speed of winds in the Strait of Georgia: 70 km/h to 80 km/h
- The record speed of winds at the airport: 50 km/h gusting to 70 km/h
NOV. 15
One of the worst rain and windstorms in recent memory slams into Vancouver Island, cutting power to thousands, closing highways, swelling rivers, and virtually sealing off the Island from the mainland. Port Alberni bears the brunt of the storm, with Highway 4 closed in both directions, cutting the town off from Tofino and Nanaimo. In Vancouver, the heavy rainfall triggers dozens of landslides that muddies the city's reservoirs and triggers the widest water warning in Canadian history.
- The amount of rain that fell in Port Alberni over 24 hours: 130 mm
- The speed of maximum gusts at Port Alberni: 105 km/h
- The amount of rainfall recorded at the Victoria airport: 40.1 mm
- The previous record for rainfall at the Victoria airport set in 1998: 35.2 mm
- The depth of mud covering Highway 19 north of Sayward junction: 50 metres
- The number of Island homes without power at storm's height: 50,000
- The number of homes without power across the province: 210,000
NOV. 19
For the fourth time in less than two weeks, a Pacific storm drenches coastal B.C. Victoria escapes the brunt of the blow, as the storm goes island hopping instead. B.C. Ferries shuts down service for several hours between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay until the winds begin to subside around noon.
- The speed of gusting winds at Saturna Island: 111 km/h
- The speed of gusting winds at Gonzales: 80 km/h
- The speed of winds at Victoria International Airport: 31 to 52 km/h
NOV. 25-29
A series of snowstorms sweep across southwest B.C. with record snowfalls and icy temperatures. In what is becoming a tired refrain, the storm that hits the Island downs more trees, knocks out power to thousands, and generally leaves Islanders reeling. B.C. Hydro says the storm caused more damage than the famed Blizzard of '96. Snow and ice contribute to as many as four deaths on Vancouver Island, and cause extensive damage.
- The amount of snow that fell at Victoria International Airport on Nov. 27: 15.6 cm
- The old record for snowfall on Nov. 27 set in 1985: 10.2 cm
- The amount of snow that fell at Victoria airport on Nov. 29: 7.3 cm
- The previous record snowfall set in 2005: 5.2 cm
- The number of homes on Vancouver Island left without power at one point: 44,000
- Number of B.C. Hydro crews working in the Greater Victoria: 30
- Number of B.C. Hydro crews usually working in the Greater Victoria: 12
DEC. 11
Bang! High winds hammer B.C. again, blowing down trees, killing power, and halting ferry sailings. On the lower Island, a tugboat crew pulls two people from the Inner Harbour after their small boat flips, and the wind severely damages the 120-foot tent and particle-board sets of the Bethlehem Walk in Central Saanich.
- Number of B.C. Hydro customers without power on the Island
and Lower Mainland: 190,000
- The speed of gusting winds at Victoria airport: 70 km/h
- The speed of gusting winds on Discovery Island off Oak Bay: 102 km/h
- The number of homes in Greater Victoria without power: 4,000
- The number of homes in Cowichan Valley without power: 14,000
DEC. 13
Bang! Bang! For the second time in three days, hurricane-force winds buffet the Island. More trees fall, more homes cut off from power grid. Gusting winds upend an unoccupied Cessna 150 at the Victoria airport and blow it 30 metres.
- The number of B.C. Hydro customers without power on the Island: 70,000
- The top speed of gusting winds at the Victoria airport: 94 km/h
- The spans of electrical line down between Bamfield and Port Alberni alone: 172
- Estimated minimum number of B.C. Hydro crews needed to repair Bamfield line: 25
DEC. 15
Bang! Bang! Bang! The third storm in five days, and one of the most powerful in history roars across the province. The winds shatter records, and destroy trees from Stanley Park in Vancouver to the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. Race Rocks records hurricane-force winds, and weather experts compare the storm's power to Typhoon Freda in 1962. Sooke and West Shore are particularly hard hit as fallen trees and power lines blocked roads, crushed cars and damaged houses.
- The speed of maximum gusts at Race Rocks off the southwest tip of Vancouver Island: 158 km/h
- The top speed of wind gusts at Victoria airport: 78 km/h
- The record for wind gusts at the airport set in 1967 and 1972: 109 km/h
- The number of people without power in Greater Victoria: 25,000
- The number of people without power on the rest of the Island: 10,000
- The total number of people across the province without power: 250,000
DEC. 20-21
Victoria and southern Vancouver Island dodge the impact of another windstorm; it strikes hardest in the north, knocking out power in Courtenay, Campbell River, and Port Hardy.
- Speed of gusting winds in Port Hardy: 83 km/h
- Speed of gusting winds in Campbell River: 75 km/h
- Number of B.C. Hydro customers without power: 20,000
- Number of days Bamfield had been without power before this storm hit: 9
JAN. 1-2
The Pineapple Express whips across the Island again, flooding roads and homes with record amounts of rainfall. Tofino is hardest hit, but the Sooke River also crests, putting nearby campsites underwater.
- The amount of rain at Ucluelet on Jan. 1: 181.3 mm
- The previous record at Ucluelet for Jan. 1, 2003: 75.8 mm
- The amount of rain at Victoria airport on Jan. 2: 46.5 mm
- The previous record at Victoria airport set in 1953: 45.2 mm
- The amount of rain recorded at Tofino over 30 hours: 270 mm
JAN. 7
Heavy rain again causes flooding problems in Greater Victoria. Thousands of people wake up to flooded basements and yards, and municipalities field hundeds of calls for pumps and sandbags. At the Home Depot on Shelbourne Street, people line up before the store opens to get the last few wet-dry vacuums the store has left.
- The total rain at Victoria airport: 34.6 mm
- The previous record set in 1953: 33.3 mm
- The total amount of rain that has fallen in capital region so far in January: 149 mm
- The rainfall average for all of January for the capital region: 115.2 mm
- The record monthly rainfall for January set in 1953: 358.9 mm
JAN. 10
In what is now a familiar pattern, snow follows rain into beleaguered Victoria, coating streets and slowing the morning commute to a standstill. The icy conditions lead to countless fender benders and jack-knifed semi trucks, including one that blocked traffic at the bottom of the Malahat near Goldstream Park where motorists trying to get into or out of Greater Victoria were left waiting for hours.
- Amount of snow recorded at Victoria airport: 12.2 cm
- Record for snow at Victoria airport set in 1980: 14.6 cm
- Number of car accidents in Parksville area alone in one afternoon: 22
But hey, no signs of climate change here! Just ask our Prime Minister!
Yvonne De Carlo
Vancouver girl Yvonne De Carlo passed away from natural causes on January 8th, 2007.
Born Peggy Yvonnne Middleton, she dropped out of high school to pursue work in nightclubs and theatres, and eventually moved with her mother to L.A. Considered by Paramount as the B-movie version of star Maria Montez (yeah, I know. Who?), Yvonne worked the early forties as a bit player. She finally had a breakout hit with Salome--Where She Danced in 1945.
She looked great in "harem dress" and made a number of "sex and sand" films over the next few years.
She also did a number of westerns, and eventually played Sephora, wife to Charlton Heston's Moses in De Mille's The Ten Commandments.
Of course, she eventually played the role she is most remembered for: Lily Munster in two seasons of The Munsters. The role was memorable, particularly for those of us who never got a chance to see The Addams Family, and she, like Caroline Jones, portrayed a compelling Gothic sexuality. But while The Munsters gave her some security, she remained a working actress for most of the rest of her life (even at 84, she was said to be only in "semi-retirement"), and continued to appear in films such as American Gothic and in Sylvester Stallone's Oscar.
Yvonne De Carlo. 1922-2007
Born Peggy Yvonnne Middleton, she dropped out of high school to pursue work in nightclubs and theatres, and eventually moved with her mother to L.A. Considered by Paramount as the B-movie version of star Maria Montez (yeah, I know. Who?), Yvonne worked the early forties as a bit player. She finally had a breakout hit with Salome--Where She Danced in 1945.
She looked great in "harem dress" and made a number of "sex and sand" films over the next few years.
She also did a number of westerns, and eventually played Sephora, wife to Charlton Heston's Moses in De Mille's The Ten Commandments.
Of course, she eventually played the role she is most remembered for: Lily Munster in two seasons of The Munsters. The role was memorable, particularly for those of us who never got a chance to see The Addams Family, and she, like Caroline Jones, portrayed a compelling Gothic sexuality. But while The Munsters gave her some security, she remained a working actress for most of the rest of her life (even at 84, she was said to be only in "semi-retirement"), and continued to appear in films such as American Gothic and in Sylvester Stallone's Oscar.
Yvonne De Carlo. 1922-2007And Thanks For Contributing!
I am presently on stress leave from my soul-destroying job. Such fun! My boss adored me until I told her I was going to see the doctor about taking stress leave, at which point I became something she couldn't wait to scrape off her shoe. Hey, boss? Thanks for contributing! Just for that I may take stress leave until the day I hand in my notice. And you really should test out that theory about turning lumps of coal into diamonds by using them as suppositories.
The great thing about Calgary (and yes, there are some) is that right now the job market is so hot that I will have no trouble finding another job. Still, the revolving door for the admins on the executive floor where I currently work is starting to generate a very nice breeze, and it would be nice if they would use my departure as a wake-up call. Most of the personnel agencies in town won't even work for my company any more.
However, the agency that does still work for my company (and through whom I found this job) once told a friend of mine that we Gen X folks, with our great work ethic, require three Gen Y workers to replace us. I find that rather shocking, but apparently it is documented in HR manuals all over the place. The Gen Y people don't work unpaid overtime, they take their full lunch break and all the coffee breaks they're entitled to, and I must admit I can see some merit in their point of view right about now.
I am still tired and feeling other physical signs of stress, but mostly when I think about returning to work. If my boss had been decent about my leave, it wouldn't be so bad, but I fully expect her to try to chase me out the door by being a complete beyotch when I return. Thanks for contributing, boss...hope you find some nice Gen Y workers in sloppy clothes to look down their noses at you and snort in disdain when you ask for a 60-hour work week....
The great thing about Calgary (and yes, there are some) is that right now the job market is so hot that I will have no trouble finding another job. Still, the revolving door for the admins on the executive floor where I currently work is starting to generate a very nice breeze, and it would be nice if they would use my departure as a wake-up call. Most of the personnel agencies in town won't even work for my company any more.
However, the agency that does still work for my company (and through whom I found this job) once told a friend of mine that we Gen X folks, with our great work ethic, require three Gen Y workers to replace us. I find that rather shocking, but apparently it is documented in HR manuals all over the place. The Gen Y people don't work unpaid overtime, they take their full lunch break and all the coffee breaks they're entitled to, and I must admit I can see some merit in their point of view right about now.
I am still tired and feeling other physical signs of stress, but mostly when I think about returning to work. If my boss had been decent about my leave, it wouldn't be so bad, but I fully expect her to try to chase me out the door by being a complete beyotch when I return. Thanks for contributing, boss...hope you find some nice Gen Y workers in sloppy clothes to look down their noses at you and snort in disdain when you ask for a 60-hour work week....
It Might Be Free pt. II
An interesting note on how news can be managed without actually being "suppressed" involving CBS in Amerika.
http://www.mediachannel.org/
http://www.mediachannel.org/
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Long Recovery Week 4
When I first came home from the hospital, my biggest disappointment was that I could not easily snuggle my cat Linus. Whenever I sat down, my busted left arm and shoulder needed to be protected and propped up with pillows. And my right arm needed to be beside the arm of the chair or sofa so that I could use it to push myself up. I couldn't lower myself down onto my bed at first because it's so low -- it has no legs and sits on the floor.
After a couple of days, I figured out a way to finally properly snuggle Linus.
Only then did I feel like I was finally on the road to recovery. For those first two weeks, Linus stayed near me and watched over me. There wasn't much he could do to help me, but knowing he was there made a difference. When I walked aimlessly around the house, he walked with me. When I came back from the doctor or from physio, he greeted me at the door to ask how I was feeling. When I rested after my exercises, he rested with me.
Three weeks into my recovery, Linus suddenly stopped eating. He seemed mostly okay, he just wasn't eating or drinking. Then he began staring mournfully at his water and food dishes as if he just couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. His urination, what little there was, became more painful. He became weak and his legs started giving out on him. The vet was stumped.
The only choice became sadly obvious.
Linus passed away on December 19, 2006. He was almost 17 years old.
I really miss him.
After a couple of days, I figured out a way to finally properly snuggle Linus.
Only then did I feel like I was finally on the road to recovery. For those first two weeks, Linus stayed near me and watched over me. There wasn't much he could do to help me, but knowing he was there made a difference. When I walked aimlessly around the house, he walked with me. When I came back from the doctor or from physio, he greeted me at the door to ask how I was feeling. When I rested after my exercises, he rested with me.
Three weeks into my recovery, Linus suddenly stopped eating. He seemed mostly okay, he just wasn't eating or drinking. Then he began staring mournfully at his water and food dishes as if he just couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. His urination, what little there was, became more painful. He became weak and his legs started giving out on him. The vet was stumped.
The only choice became sadly obvious.
Linus passed away on December 19, 2006. He was almost 17 years old.
I really miss him.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
News from Across the Big Pond
Here it is 2007, and it's a "Clive" year! Meaning my penpal Clive, who lives in Wiltshire, Salisbury, England is due for another visit. He travels Canada every two years since his first visit in 2003, visiting my parents, his cousins and me. We exchange emails every day and he keeps me informed of every day English life, Tony Blair's antics and what is going on over the big pond. Lately we've been discussing the storms in British Columbia and the mess in Stanley Park (a place he's visited). Today his email contained the impact of climate change directly on his field of employment. Makes one really stop and think.....governments need to stop thinking and start acting....
The temperature here in England has been very mild in the last few months, with the trend actually being in place for the last few years or so. Thing is Clive never really thought about this much on a global scale (except for hearing about the storms in B.C. etc) until today.
Clive works in timber design for sports halls, restoration for old churches and all sorts of other things, and today his office had a phone call from the firm they sub contract off saying with immediate effect all finished timber products would increase in cost by 40 percent ! Which is a huge hike in prices. This is high grade timber used in the making of glulaminated structural beams and timber decking, not so much the cheap softwood you'd use for stud walling etc. That isn't a 40 percent increase in design costs but the increase in the cost that the firm they sub contract to have will have to pay for the raw material when they bring it into the country.
Most of this timber comes from the Baltic States like Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Russian Federation etc and its the method of aquiring this timber thats caused a problem.
Basically teams go deep into the forests on foot and light vehicles to fell the timber late in the summer, then as winter sets in and the ground freezes in goes the heavy trucks and machinery on the frozen ground to get the timber out. Unfortunately though this year there has been a problem which is unheard off ! The average temp for winter around the Baltic States this year is up (just like it seems it is elsewhere in the world) and it's just enough to keep it above freezing, hence the ground can't be driven on, and its been compounded by higher than average rainfall as well. Consequently they've only been able to fell and recover the trees around the forest edges, and thus the price has been driven up for what is left ! Which is understandable if you live in the Baltic States (they still have to put bread on the table), but with China at the moment taking most of the world's raw steel output, it makes for an interesting year to come regarding costs for the building industry here in Western Europe, maybe not so much in the domestic home market (although it will have an effect) but certainly in all the other larger prestige projects.
The root cause of this though is of course the magic words 'Global Warming'. To compound this further, its the second price rise in about 6 months as at the end of summer there was a fear of this happening and the prices rose then to compensate.
That's Clive's email to me above (some editing of course). He wanted to know how Canada's logging industry is effected. I told him there are plenty of trees around, mostly for chipping after all our storms. Of course we've only heard about the trees visible to us. No one has reported on how many trees fell in the forest....
The temperature here in England has been very mild in the last few months, with the trend actually being in place for the last few years or so. Thing is Clive never really thought about this much on a global scale (except for hearing about the storms in B.C. etc) until today.
Clive works in timber design for sports halls, restoration for old churches and all sorts of other things, and today his office had a phone call from the firm they sub contract off saying with immediate effect all finished timber products would increase in cost by 40 percent ! Which is a huge hike in prices. This is high grade timber used in the making of glulaminated structural beams and timber decking, not so much the cheap softwood you'd use for stud walling etc. That isn't a 40 percent increase in design costs but the increase in the cost that the firm they sub contract to have will have to pay for the raw material when they bring it into the country.
Most of this timber comes from the Baltic States like Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Russian Federation etc and its the method of aquiring this timber thats caused a problem.
Basically teams go deep into the forests on foot and light vehicles to fell the timber late in the summer, then as winter sets in and the ground freezes in goes the heavy trucks and machinery on the frozen ground to get the timber out. Unfortunately though this year there has been a problem which is unheard off ! The average temp for winter around the Baltic States this year is up (just like it seems it is elsewhere in the world) and it's just enough to keep it above freezing, hence the ground can't be driven on, and its been compounded by higher than average rainfall as well. Consequently they've only been able to fell and recover the trees around the forest edges, and thus the price has been driven up for what is left ! Which is understandable if you live in the Baltic States (they still have to put bread on the table), but with China at the moment taking most of the world's raw steel output, it makes for an interesting year to come regarding costs for the building industry here in Western Europe, maybe not so much in the domestic home market (although it will have an effect) but certainly in all the other larger prestige projects.
The root cause of this though is of course the magic words 'Global Warming'. To compound this further, its the second price rise in about 6 months as at the end of summer there was a fear of this happening and the prices rose then to compensate.
That's Clive's email to me above (some editing of course). He wanted to know how Canada's logging industry is effected. I told him there are plenty of trees around, mostly for chipping after all our storms. Of course we've only heard about the trees visible to us. No one has reported on how many trees fell in the forest....
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