Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Yoni School (US) Election Watch Pt. 1

Larry Keiler Endorses Al Gore for President in '08!

Go here to read Al Gore's constitutional speech on Martin Luther King Day.

And go here to sign a petition requesting Al Gore to enter the race. (Don't know if Canadians are allowed to sign. I just thought it was interesting.)

Gore's MLK day speech is extremely thoughtful, insightful. He downright blasts the Bush administration for its handling of secret information gathering and the nasty implications for the health of the US constitution.

I think Gore's hiatus from elected position has been a blessing for him. It's given him time to reflect on larger, more historical themes, rather than allowing himself to be caught up in the day-to-day hurly-burly of partisan politics. Not that he's not partisan. But he's able to show himself as a thoughtful, intellectual analyst of the state of the union.

Remember: Vote Early and Vote Often!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Yoni School Election Watch Pt. 7

I heard a commentator on the radio today, a writer for the Mop & Pail I think, who said something I pretty much agree with. Canadians, in their roundabout collective way, managed to elect exactly the government they wanted.

Why? How?

They voted for change, but gave the Constipators a weak minority so that they wouldn't get big heads too fast.

They punished the Gliberals for woolly-headedness and corruption, but signalled the possibility of redemption sometime in the future. Also to keep a reasonable check on those dangerous Constipators...

They rewarded the National Deficit Party with more seats for running a good solid campaign and at least attempting to make the last Parliament do some work.

They chastised the Floc Quebecois (a little) by embracing another Federalist option, thereby reducing the likelihood of another referendum on Quebec separation.

Not only that, but the results mean that no one will be eager for an election very soon. Stephen Harpie wants time to consolidate his support and build more so he can get a majority. With the resignation of Paul Martinette, the Gliberals will not be prepared for an election for some time. Jack Layoff doesn't want to risk his gains too soon. And Gilles Deceit wants time to assess this new Federalist threat.

Still, I wish the Greens had won a seat. But, as Kermit well knows, it's tough being green.

Yoni School Election Watch Pt. 6

Break out the bran! Unpack the prunes! The Constipated Party of Canada has won the day. We are about to experience what it's like to be ruled by the spirit of the west.

I may have to move to Guatemala. Si.

Remember when Mike Harrass swept Ontario? Some of them same guys are now running Ottawa. I don't think I like that too much. But since it's only a minority government, we might be safe.

Keep yer head down and yer powder dry.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Mental Blog: A Tale of Two Clocks

Mental Blog: A Tale of Two Clocks

This is unbelievable. So unbelievable I'm going to leave it. A spam comment (just a few days ago) to a posting which is nearly eleven months old!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

The Year's Best (actual) Headlines of 2005

Sent to me by my friend St. Jude.
Crack Found on Governor's Daughter
[Imagine that!]

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
[No, really?]
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
[Now that's taking things a bit far!]
Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?
[Not if I wipe thoroughly!]
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
[What a guy!]
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
[No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-sos!]
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
[See if that works any better than a fair trial!]
War Dims Hope for Peace

[I can see where it might have that effect!]

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
[You think?!]
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

[Who would have thought!]

Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
[They may be on to something!]
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
[You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?!]
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
[He probably IS the battery charge]
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
[Weren't they fat enough?!]
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

[That's what he gets for eating those beans!]

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
[Taste like chicken?]
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
[Boy, are they tall!]

And the winner is.... Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Did I read that sign right?

Monday, January 16, 2006

Song of the Day

Crossroads by Voin and 2 Cents Left.

Another of Voin's originals, soon to be available on CD. Not to be confused with Eric Clapton's Crossroads, which is, I believe, originally Robert Johnson's Crossroads. Which, I believe, is where Robert Johnson met the Devil. The one who chased him for the rest of his life.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Danger, Will Robinson!

Believe it or not, there is a group of regulations covering the transport of rectal thermometers by air.

How do I know this? Because I spent Saturday attending a training session in order to be certified as a Dangerous Goods shipper/handler.

Rectal thermometers are Dangerous Goods? Yes. Because they contain mercury, which is a dangerous chemical. Well, element actually.

Wanna know what the regulation is concerning the transport of rectal thermometers by air? I haven’t got the slightest idea, even though it was one of the examples we went through. However, the book of regulations is more than 600 pages long. (It’s not all regulations, but classification lists, categories, instructions for packing and labelling.) It’s a set of prescriptions devised by and for obsessive/compulsive bureaucrats who have concluded that no stone can be left unturned in the hunt for sources of danger or mishap. It’s designed by the same kind of people as those who insisted we rip up the playgrounds and monkey bars in parks because kids might get hurt.

And it’s used by airline shippers to play games with unsuspecting customers to throw monkey wrenches into their business. The regulations are so detailed that it’s easy to make a mistake. And the smallest mistake will result in your shipment being refused by the airlines. For example, every dangerous chemical has been assigned a classification number by the UN. When filling out your “Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods”, you must include this number. But not just the number. If you don’t put the letters UN in front of the number, your shipment will be refused. If you use the word “carton” instead of box, your shipment will be refused. If your declaration form does not have red hatch marks down both sides, with the hatch marks facing in the proper direction, your shipment will be refused. Some shipments require special UN-approved packaging. If you cover up the little UN symbol on the packaging, you’ve committed a crime.

These are all real examples of how detailed the instructions just for filling out the form are.

But I am being a bit hyperbolic. There are good reasons for extra scrupulosity when it comes to Dangerous Goods. They’re not called dangerous for nothing. Especially when it comes to air travel. I didn’t quite get the details, but it seems that the premise for the Tom Hanks movie Castaway was based on a FedEx plane which crashed because of an inappropriate shipment of dangerous goods. And one of FedEx’s rules now is that all Shipper’s Declarations must be typewritten or computer-generated.

So, back to the rectal thermometers. No, I can’t tell you the exact method of packing and labelling them so they can be shipped safely. But I have a pretty good idea now of where and how to find out.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Song of the Day

I Ain't Ever Satisfied
and
The Devil's Right Hand
both by Steve Earle

cuz I was listening to them on iPod last night.

Update June 5/07: And now! Two for the price of one!



Superseded in the last few minutes by one of Voin's originals, Looking For a Hero, soon to be available on CD.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Messiah Has Landed!

Picked up Messiah a couple days ago. Haven't watched it yet. Too busy with Lord of the Rings.

Guess what? It was cheaper than that bum Mozart's mangled Messiah!

With the extra I bought a sort of ambient jazz tango CD by Gotan Project. Because it has accordion in it.

Song of the Day

Turn Turn Turn by the Byrds

The lyrics a quotation from...Ecclesiastes? To everything there is a season etc. This song has resonated with me since I was an earnest Catlic spool boy. Now it resonates because I'm an earnest Buddhist acolight...the song's a collection of dualities. It also happens to be a masterfully constructed pop song.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Hey!

Anybody read Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters?

Also reading, for the first time, I think, Under Milk Wood. First thing I learned: the town in which it takes place, Llareggub, must be read backwards.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Two Pomes

He-who-shall-remain-nameless has asked me, none too gently, to post these pomes, which he wrote…I didn’t write them, they’re not my pomes, they’re his but they’re OK I guess.

Anyway, they came out of the potery afternoons at Netty’s, aka wild thing, aka Layton’s Loss…quite some few years ago now. It’s the least I can do, I guess, post the pomes, since it was He-who-shall-remain-nameless that published my first pome in the WaterWell.

So.

Two Pomes.

Straight Lines #1

Walk a straight line and the world
will come around.
Refuse to move and the world
will turn you upside down.
Standing still is not an option
in this whirling milky way.
The surface moves and slides,
position changes any way.
But find the still centre,
the point that is true.
Go where your heart leads
and the line moves with you

The Word

From a single word spoken
volumes grow.

In the beginning was the Word
and the Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to stone
and stone to iron
iron to silicon
silicon to thought
And the thought of the Word
was creation itself.

And the Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to family
and family to friends
friends to nation
nation to world
And the world of man
was the height of creation.

The Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to father
and father to son
son to daughter
daughter to wife
And the Word of the wife
was the mother of creation.

The Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to oil
and oil to fire
fire to greed
greed to war
And the war of the Word
was creation’s scourge.

The Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to envy
and envy to desire
desire to lust
lust to rape
And the rape of the Word
was the shame of creation.

But the Word became Flesh,
the flesh turned to hope
and hope to faith
faith to love
love to peace
And the word of peace
was creation’s gift.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Right Practice -- Steady Practice

If you indulge in your moods, spending the whole day letting your mind wander where it will, the next time you sit [in meditation] all you'll get is the backwash from the day's aimless thinking.
Ajahn Chah
Food for the Heart, p. 246

No kidding he thought aimlessly.

Digg! diigo it

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Help! I've written and I can't get up!