Shini's World

Charles Adler on Vimy and Canada

2010-04-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Charles Adler, I like to listen to. Agree sometimes yes, and at times disagree. This episode , brought on by the death of the last Canadian to serve in World War 1 moved me, as it clearly spelled out some of the sense of frustration I feel when our country (Canada) goes unappreciated.

When some Americans think we should show them gratitude for their generous benevolent protection or when, like Fox news's red eye, openly laugh at us and are completely disrespectful, I simple cringe. Even outside the Military aspect of this commentary, Canada has been enormously generous.

People around the world know the maple leaf, but little of any particular act by us is widely known. Don't get me wrong, some out there have been very forthcoming in their gratitude and it is appreciated. I beg you to listen despite it's length to the complete commentary and grasp what is said.

RJ sent me this this morning and I think makes a lovely addition to this commentary http://www.flickr.com/photos/museemccordmuseum/sets/72157607788026604/

Where can one go for Justice??? Japan of course!

2010-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Super Justice!

Burning Man

2010-04-21T19:34:00.001-07:00

I had a vision for this but it never fully materialized as I wished it to be. I lacked the skills and the software in machima to fully bring this to fruit, so it sort of sat on the shelf for a long time. Today I decided to post it in its raw state and see how you people like it.

Terroristic threat: Level four !!!!!!

2010-04-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Law makers across America are afraid, very afraid. Apparently it has been revealed that large numbers of disgruntled youth are carrying concealed finger guns! Discussions are already underway on how to reign in this new threat American security. Domestically speaking, some beleive it may be too late but are willing to try to curb it, but internationally....well that is a whole different ballgame. Obama has remained firm that America has not nor will not develope Finger guns of mass destruction, but the rest of the world does not seem to be listening. A potential new cold war could be just around the corner as rougue nations, lacking the finances, may opt to ignore any pre-existing UN limits on finger guns and start developing these terroristic weapons of the future.

Sarah Palin, never one to shy from controversay, vowed America and her security were paramount, and in an open display of disregard for the potential explosive nature of the subject, watched happily as her husband Tood pulled his finger gun out from a concealed location. She smiled with an evil grin saying to the finger "Go ahead, make my day"

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2010/04/19/dnt.finger.gun.suspension.cnn.html

Collateral murder in Iraq

2010-04-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

I have seen this now posted several places, including reality zone. I am reposting it here to assist in giving this the widest possible coverage. I leave the video to explain itself, and for viewers to draw their own conclusions.

The Boxer

2010-04-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well just wanted to post this. It is my favorite of all their tunes, though I do enjoy a great deal of their work.

Well, on May 01,10, I will be attending a Simon And Garfunkel concert here. Don't ask how much I paid, it is rather high even for a retro act. Still, if people will pay it, and I did, I guess thats free market. I figure, what are the odds I would ever get this chance again. I know, they are considerable older now than when they first recorded this, and perhaps they don't have that pep in their step anymore, but some of their tunes were truly timeless and this is my way of touching a bit of history.

Above is a few years ago on the David Letterman show, below is the sound you better rememember.

Random house clearing photos

2010-03-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

I was doing some clean up today of my computer and had all these photos kicking about that I decided, why don't I post the darn things. They were shots all taken relatively in the local area, give or take a hundred miles or so. No theme, no continuity, rhyme or reason. Just they are what they are. I take lots of photos in my world, and so these are actually the cast offs more or less. Enjoy, and in a small way, I guess you get a glimpse of my world.

Genius that baffles us

2010-03-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

I totally got lost tonight on these two individuals. It is staggering the gifts these two have while displaying the disablities as well. Genius levels occassionally go even beyond our simple ablity to understand and leaves us in awe. Watch both and enjoy and by all means follow it up with video connections and web searches. It will be worth the trouble, beleive me.

Coulter run out of Ottawa

2010-03-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ann-coulters-speech-in-ottawa-cancelled/article1509793/
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Right+wing+firebrand+Coulter+will+file+grievance+with+rights+panel/2713903/story.html

Well gee..Ann is not lovingly embraced for her caring free speech moment. She failed to tell anyone in this Bush league university to go ride a camel, or something equally ignorant, as the speech is shut down over fears of violence. Ann loves to mix it up and has no clue about Canadian Law, or what spreading hate means since she has been given such a free run of it in the U.S. I suppose there is irony in that this little incident will help to sell her books down south and assist keeping her on the front page.Almost like she should be grateful that Canada thinks she is a horses ass.

No this is not about free speech or even Conservatism. We let George Bush speak, and he is not exactly loved here either. Ann, this is about you and your continuous spewing of verbal diarrhea that creates anger in people. You do it out of personal belief (which alone is scary enough) and out of some twisted sense of need to make a living from being an ignorant bigoted right wing mental case.

At any given event you will get protesters but at this one, the number of them easily out numbered your supporters. Your mesasge was not welcomed and it had nothing to do with denial of freespeech. You want to roll over Canada now? It would be easy you know. Almost as easy as it would be for Canada to sign a military agreement with Russia and cut off the oil and other natral resources. Ann, I do not advocate violence. But one who spreads hate has to accept some responsablity for the anger generated. Some of which may result in violence.

Game of Death

2010-03-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

Can't happen again? Of course it can..and is. People, even intelligent ones, can be manipulated into doing terrible things. Psychological tests abound showing this phenomenon. This example is new. Using the premise of televion/gameshows to torture people.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7457780/French-contestants-torture-each-other-on-TV-Game-of-Death.html

So while people wag their fingers and sigh in a way that suggests it could never happen here, guess again. Good people really want to do good, but primal instincts of survival still kick in. Even if that survival instinct is basically wishing to not stand out and be accepted by a group of peers. Very sad comment indeed upon humanity.

Paralympics no less inspired

2010-03-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

With the closing of the Vancouver Winter Olympics the world has now looked away, looking now towards Russia for 2014..but wait..is that all? Is it over? To many it is. I however say its not, as the paralympics starts up.

Problem I think for most fans of sport is they are not as big into sports as they think. They are just into specific sports, or specific things. We for instance have a top quality junior hockey team in town and tickets very reasonable. But people want to see the elite and so numbers are generally low to these events. Same with the Olympics. They want to see the elite..the fastest, strongest. Not those who tried the hardest or sacrificed the most.

The paralympics is no less inspired though. No less exciting to me. The members of our national team, like other national teams have made commitments to excellence and should be properly recognized by government, news sites and the people themselves, rather than be a fringe deal. In some ways, I think this Paralympics in Vancouver may set a new standard in this. But we have a long way to go.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/paralympics/index.html

Skye Galaxy sings "Mad World"

2010-03-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Some here of course have seen my simple slideshows chronicling my trips through Secondlife. Thoses shows are pure amateur when compared to the real machinima artists who produce stunning pieces.

The above machinima was filmed using a webcam. For the fill story, see New World News Post on this. For my tastes, this is one of the most stunning I have ever seen.

Shini thanks NBC

2010-02-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

I never heard of this till today. NBC ran this brief film about Canada prior to the Olympic start I am told. So Now it is posted. Over the years I have heard so much crap come out of Americans mouths over Canada. Uneducated crap. They have flaunted their military, pushed their protectionism, made fun of us, and have through economic clout, dealt with us unfairly in trade situations. Still through it all, we remain friends with them. I guess the biggest complaint I have ever heard up here over America is that the majority don't even know who we are. We are too far under their radar to care. That is sad. This video is a great over view of us, that though hardly complete, and a couple of tiny errors, the message is still very kind. It says we are friends. I hope one day that this will be true for all of us and not just a few. That America as a whole can come to respect us and viesa versa.

'84 Bolero Torvill & Dean

2010-02-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Wild costumes and interesting routines. The Olympics again has not produced the next Torvill & dean and its now 2010. Thats like 25 years in the waiting. You I am sure have seen it, but I must post it anyways and remind you. I present Torvill and Dean' Bolero. They set the bar for all others who would follow. 25 years after the fact, this routine still stands the test of time for perfection.

Tilt Shift Photography/video

2010-02-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Tilt Shift is a cool effect that makes a video or photograph almost look toy like. The above is a picture I did using this technique. It is a square in San Francisco. Just a slow day I guess with me playing about. If your curious to try this go to the following link and in a few short clicks you too can be a master of this.

http://tiltshiftmaker.com/photo-editing.php

Now for those with more talent (which currently I do not have) you can always try doing the same thing with video, where the effect can be very amazing. Below is a video demonstrating this.

Enjoy

"We are more" by Shane Koyczan at Olympics.

2010-02-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

I am an Olympic junkie. I make no excuses for that. The chance to cheer on a national and individual level for our nation. To showcase who we are; that in the Olympic spirit, present a common face to those around the world that we can place our differences aside briefly and meet face to face in sport.

Those who protest this event have had their chance to say their piece when organizers began to take this road years ago. Now, all they hope to do now is highjack this event for international attention. Ok, they are free to do so, as we do live in a free country, but when the anarchists delibrately step outside what one could call civil behaviour, begin to take people and businesses freedoms away, the law should prevail and hopefull in a harsh way. Smashing windows is not a sign of positive social advocacy. We are more than that.

I am presenting the transcript to "We are more" by Shane Koyczan as I settle in to watch the whole of the Olympics.

We Are More - For more of the funniest videos, click here

We are more

by Shane Koyczan

you might shake a tree in the fall

and call a red leaf Canada

you might rattle off some celebrities

might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie

might even mention the fact that we've got a few

Barenaked Ladies

or that we made these crazy things

like zippers

electric cars

and washing machines

when defining Canada

it seems the world's anthem has been

" been there done that"

and maybe that's where we used to be at

it's true

we've done and we've been

we've seen

all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine

and turned into theme parks

but when defining Canada

don't forget to mention that we have set sparks

we are not just fishing stories

about the one that got away

we do more than sit around and say "eh?"

and yes

we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One

who inspired little number nines

and little number ninety-nines

but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines

off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes

and some say what defines us

is something as simple as please and thank you

and as for you're welcome

well we say that too

but we are more

than genteel or civilized

we are an idea in the process

of being realized

we are young

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

we are an experiment going right for a change

with influences that range from a to zed

and yes we say zed instead of zee

we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy

we dream so big that there are those

who would call our ambition an industry

because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

we do more than grow wheat and brew beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear

because we believe in generations beyond our own

knowing now that so many of us

have grown past what used to be

we can stand here today

filled with all the hope people have

when they say things like "someday"

someday we'll be great

someday we'll be this

or that

someday we'll be at a point

when someday was yesterday

and all of our aspirations will pay the way

for those who on that day

look towards tomorrow

and still they say someday

we will reach the goals we set

and we will get interest on our inspiration

because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks

more than backpacks and hiking trails

we are hammers and nails building bridges

towards those who are willing to walk across

we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss

we are not the see-through gloss or glamour

of those who clamour for the failings of others

we are fathers brothers sisters and mothers

uncles and nephews aunts and nieces

we are cousins

we are found missing puzzle pieces

we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are more than summers and winters

more than on and off seasons

we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay

because we are more than what we say or do

we live to get past what we go through

and learn who we are

we are students

students who study the studiousness of studying

so we know what as well as why

we don't have all the answers

but we try

and the effort is what makes us more

we don't all know what it is in life we're looking for

so keep exploring

go far and wide

or go inside but go deep

go deep

as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss

and suddenly there was this location scout

trying to figure some way out

to get inside you

because you've been through hell and high water

and you went deep

keep exploring

because we are more

than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

we are more than hills to ski

or countryside ponds to skate

we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait

we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes

a country that is all the ways you choose to live

a land that can give you variety

because we are choices

we are millions upon millions of voices shouting

" keep exploring... we are more"

we are the surprise the world has in store for you

it's true

Canada is the "what" in "what's new?"

so don't say "been there done that"

unless you've sat on the sidewalk

while chalk artists draw still lifes

on the concrete of a kid in the street

beatboxing to Neil Young for fun

don't say you've been there done that

unless you've been here doing it

let this country be your first-aid kit

for all the times you get sick of the same old same old

let us be the story told to your friends

and when that story ends

leave chapters for the next time you'll come back

next time pack for all the things

you didn't pack for the first time

but don't let your luggage define your travels

each life unravels differently

and experiences are what make up

the colours of our tapestry

we are the true north

strong and free

and what's more

is that we didn't just say it

we made it be.

Secondlife Building..yea, I get it

2010-02-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

I make no secret that I am a Secondlife avatar with occassional real life leanings. I have been asked in the past why I do not open a virtual store, build more or perhaps do more videos about my travels. Really get involved. Welllll....

I make no secret that I do build but I do not necessarily build great things. A great portion of my stuff is de-engineered from other things,or me testing ideas, tinkering, and discovering. I could build things at a much higher quality I suppose, but the patience involved, advance software even, I just do not have. *sobs* . My friends are infinity polite (thankyou thankyou thankyou) about my stuff and for most part like the little do-hickeys I have make from time to time. Homes and things are not a big stretch for me. Still I wish I actually did have more drive.

You see, the the biggest disheartening thing for me is that I see what the truly gifted builders can do and feel almost embarrassed that I could possibly want to sell anything that is not even half as good. Some people will just blow you away with their talent.

Well today I saw this video and it prompted me to get back at it and build something. I mean something real cool, for myself. Okies, I have built some real cool things in the past, but I mean something of a higher quality that stands out, that I can perhaps one day sell, or , as I have done in the past, give away liberally to people I like. Watch the video (sorry..it is about 7 minutes) and you will see a simple build and how they go about it. It is all in fun really, and that is partly why I am there..all in fun.

WMSD : Weapons of Mass self distruction

2010-01-29T07:40:00.001-08:00

Cairo (AP) - United States secret special forces working in Africa have uncovered a new and very twisted plot. Somalian pirates have been quietly trying to acquire a nuclear device for the purpose of attempting to stage their own "special" earthquake.

The outpouring of internation aid for Haiti has been a awakening for some there, and the lessons they appear to have left with are shocking. "Our agents beleive several Somalian warlords were going to attempt to hijack the planets symapathy by destroying everything they had not already purposeful wreaked up to this point" spoke one agent off the record. The Millions on millions they could have scored for food and clean water is down right criminal. The President himself was involved in the delicate situation to stop this self distruction and has sought further UN sanctions against the improvished country. A staged earthquake could have destablised the whole of humanitarian concerns in this part of the world.

The initial plot appears to have failed when one Somalian national (pictured above) tried to trade a precious family pet ( and future BBQ center peice) straight across for a nuclear device. Apparently their sense of value is horrible off, but as they become more sophisticated they may make more daring attempts.

Recently a Walmart Flyer from Kansas City arrived dispite the UN embargo on all Christmas sale catelogs to this part of the world, which could turn the tide and unwittenly bring about a truly horrific biblical apocalyspe.

The Cat came back. Video internet rules

2010-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

The Canadian National film board had some classics. This I guess is a week of me relaxing and going over videos old and new. Between youtube and many other sites, there really is no shortage of great stuff. You can get really lost in it all.

but it doesn't just end in North America my friends..
Here is the whole Leno/Conan story as told from Asia. Amazing how detailed and accurate it is!

Rapping economic theory

2010-01-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

Suddenly the economy all makes sense !!

Big nod to Rjs

Should toys have more fun than you?

2010-01-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a Republicans sad attempt at a filibuster, or anyone you might know who likes being a Teabagger. No, in this case, this is our friend Tarzan. Just listen to him scream.

Fail

Accordians ? How about Flapjacks?

2010-01-22T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is here because I honestly didn't know that there were this many different types of accordians. Lets hope bagpipes don't come in half as many varieties. I am a puriest who loves the simply things in life.

Like Flapjacks.

Here..watch this again.. because Jane I think really loves this video (in case you missed it the first time round)

I personally find the flapjack story line thin and the acting terrible..but tell me what you think? Am I over looking something?

The whole of everything.

2010-01-21T09:04:00.001-08:00

nods to RJ for sending this by me.
This is seriously cool to watch.

Avatar gets boot in China

2010-01-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

Can't have too much of a good thing right? Well, China thinks so, so is pulling the plug on the 2D version of Avatar to make room for a Biopic of their own.

Maybe they don't like the message, maybe they dislike the popularity, or perhaps their biopic can't compete against Avatar fairly..who knows. China travels to a different drum than the rest of us.

Certainly Google found this out. Google threatening China to leave is hardly a threat to them. No, China, and China alone decides who comes and stays and who goes. You want to leave..go right ahead. We will keep on doing business our way. But over stay your welcome and we will help you to the door.

Well at least Avatar was there for a while.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/18/china-censorship-avatar-confucious

Obama could do the Tonight show

2010-01-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

Ok..this is as good an explanation and sounds reasonable.

I find it interesting though how utterly absorbed the general public gets in these sort of stories. Tabloids, hardline news, etc. It almost feels like we had to kill 100,000 + people in a quake in Hiati just to shake the public's attention back into focus.

How about this... Give Obama the Tonight Show and he can interview heads of state, various American Politicians, maybe even crack a joke or two. If anything, his ratings in the polls would go up and more of the Public will actually know what is going on from the White House point of view. Biden would make a great sidekick. I say let Bill head the Band and play some mean sax.

"Sexy" disaster helps Harper

2010-01-17T08:54:00.001-08:00

Sad but true. The disaster in Haiti, splashed across the headlines of the world, could not have come at a better time. The Canadian government in light of this horror has all the gears working (as it should) and walking reporters through the whole Canadian response.

http://www.canadaeast.com/news/article/923376

A mere week ago Harper was being challenged by bloggers across the country for his anti-democratic stance. Now his poll numbers are reflecting how short a memory an average voter has.

BTW... I am so sick of this, so why not get it off my chest. Harper in a Nazi suit being compared to Hitler. Serious..blow that crap out your arse! Harper is NOT Hitler. Nor is Obama, or any number of other politicians I have seen this done to. I get it. Shock value. Seriously though, the Hitler comparision not only is getting boring, it is highly inflamatory and inaccurate. It was 60+ years ago and the dead could tell a different story about dear old Adolf if they could speak. Last time I looked, our democracies in North America are not taking all your rights away, and they certainly are not feeding ovens with a given group of people deemed unworthy.

Ok..so Harper is heavy handed and now getting the numbers crawling back up. Somehow I think anyone in office would have done the same thing in light of the scale of the Haiti disaster, and probably too would have recieved the same results in terms of the polls. We are doing what is expected and totally necessary of us as a people and as a nation. Don't let it reflect though your vote when this group of thugs tries our patience in the next election.

Oh !

This I just got in my email from a friend and reader and had to share. Thanks R.J.! I will let the article speak for itself, which I find personally troubling.
http://www.gregpalast.com/the-right-testicle-of-hell-history-of-a-haitian-holocaust/

Spot the terrorist

2010-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

What a great party game. Can you find a terrorist in a line up? All your friends can laugh and drink as you aimlessly apply your own personal sensiblities to answer this age old question. Of course in the world of policing, this could be called profiling. Profiling is a no no I heard if it involves spotting a black man coming out a broken window of an electronic shop carrying a television but in terms of national security we find broad support for it.

We have no-fly lists that are clearly never ever wrong, as they use only the most reliable experts applying a tried and true method. The science behind it would be to boggling for our little brains to comprehend.

...but back to our terrorist line up. Seems the C.I.A., with the use of those million dollar salaried experts in their field, applying the latest cutting edge technology, have now given us a new Bin Laden picture of how he would appear to us today. All aged, wrinkly and grey hair.

Well it seems what they thought was simple, was not. They sorta "cheated" a little and snagged a reference shot from the internet. Naturally it was thought, unknown foreigner, who will know? Well the unknown foreigner found out. And even with the press he is sure to get, sooner or later, someone will throw him off a plane because of this, or worse, some loon will try to shoot him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8463657.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8462750.stm

Again, you hope your government gets most things right. You hope their agencies are always looking out for your best interests. They try, but as the saying goes, if your going to make an omelette some eggs are going to have to be broken. People will die, be inconvienced, rights trampled, finacially ruined etc. Not that that is a bad thing if your speaking non-americans apparently.

This and that..and a night out

2010-01-16T07:08:00.001-08:00

Pixel life is fine enough but sometimes one must escape it all and get out and take a breath. I have participated in Secondlife for a long time now, but make no mistake, it is no replacement for the real thing, no matter how important those friends are. Same goes for reading current events. The news can be depressing enough at times too.

So escape is my plan tonight.

Tonight we plan to see the movie AVATAR. This is the second time I will see it. The last time I saw a movie twice in the theatre was the original Star Wars. So if your in Edmonton tonight, come join us. We will go to the Cineplex Odeon northside for the 7pm show.

Also, to wrap everything up in a nice neat packaged single blog entry, here is another tune from the Thesixtyone.com

I have a friend who is feeling a touched stressed lately so sending it out to her.

kk, that should cover everything. Oh yeah..one more thing. We are also escaping tonight because we have given up our home to the kids. Both are having friends over to celebrate their birthdays that occurred in this last month. Sometimes you have to let them have their time and sometimes, just sometimes... you don't want to know what they are up to. So packing up the breakables, sending out for pizza, and away we gooooo......

Secondlife : Haiti relief

2010-01-16T04:51:00.001-08:00

A remarkable thing happened...again....

The residents of Secondlife pulled together to show not only their support for the Haiti disaster victims, but opened their wallets and purses in the name of this cause.

All over the grid I have seen efforts by numerous individuals to raise funds through ones means or another. Dancers, singers, merchants, clubs and everyday residents. They did services,sold product, performed and what ever else they could in support. Pictured above was Cafe Wellstones efforts. The organizers saw the need and Jesus General allowed the use of his dancing liberally location, and the rest is as they say is history.

Perhaps this is one glaring difference between all other virtual worlds and Secondlife. Other worlds have tried to raise funds in charitable ways, but no other platform does it like Secondlife. From Cancer to children's hospitals, the residents of Secondlife have shown again and again they are more than pixel fantasies, mindlessly roleplaying to kill time. WoW (world of warcraft) has nothing on this group for active real world advocacy and charitable donations.

So you need a reason to be here? Try a caring group of real people, prepared to shelve their shit for a day and open their hearts in collective support.

....late update. Jane sent me this. Four Bridges had a hand in the Wellstone event, and they dispersed the funds. Excellent group and ver transparent to their actions, in case anyone ever wondered about that. Here is the link for those who wish to see.
http://fourbridgesproject.org/FourBridgesEvents.aspx

Shini Central

2010-01-15T04:01:00.001-08:00

Because curious minds wanted to know. I saw a number of posts recently letting all who tuned in, just were they stood..or sat in this case. So, what the heck, I decided to follow the trend and throw on up my on little work space. Now for the really keen eye, do not tell me about the dust on the equipment! I have since cleaned that up.

Now I sit in a large computer chair with a high back, and to my left is a printer and a scanner (all kinda out of sight of the picture). The second computer you see is only there as I repair the darn thing, nothing serious. It is also the current storage of my music collection. I lost last fall most of my music collection to a virus on a third computer (not pictured).

I got photoshop for Xmas, so yes the picture has been altered. I am on a project at the moment but is slow going. I am converting my fathers old slides into digital pictures. I have placed it aside while I learn Photoshop, so I can than properly correct the fading colours in the slides later.

See, nothing special...just a desk and a chair, and a place for my Wild thing to sit.

America's pre-emptive Hillary..OMG

2010-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Just another example of America's indifference to human suffering.

U.S. Condemned For Pre-Emptive Use Of Hillary Clinton Against Pakistan

Flapjack Flapjack Pancake Waffle

2010-01-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

I really don't know why I had to post this.

Sending it out to all my Tiny friends..maybe they "get" it

My Brilliant economic plan

2010-01-12T05:19:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that the true entrepreneur is one who can think outside the box. The ability to see an opportunity that perhaps others have missed and could potentially be the road to riches. Certainly the true innovators of our century have been people who either had an original idea or saw an amazing opportunity with an old idea that was missed. In this case oppurtunity is the key word.

Part of what I do is try to see things in current events, news or emerging technologies, that could give me an advantage. Connect the dots to perhaps unrelated points to create a picture quite filled with promise. It is not easy I will have you know. Well today I saw an opportunity. One so great, it could single handedly save America !

Porn

Yes porn my friends. I was reading today a little fluff piece I guess when I had this epiphany.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8451289.stm

Apparently in China, this one child policy thing and the advances in medical imaging has given rise to couples being very selective in choosing the gender of their child. Don’t like the babies gender, abort the pregnancy. Ok you may not like this part of the story, but the preference right now is for boys, and so a great deal of baby girls will never come to term. This will in due course result in a huge discrepancy of gender in China and many men will actually never get married for the soul reason of China not having enough women.

What can we do??? How can we help them??

Porn

Currently ( and correct me if I am wrong ), America is the technological leader and largest producer of porn. China will have all these poor men in need. Millions of them. All we have to do is send free porn to the party leaders there, get them all addicted, and have them allow for the mass import of sick and twisted movies and images of women (legal and of age of course). My god, we could have that massive national debt paid off in literally just a few short years. America could be the leader of sleaze.

Now I know what your thinking. What about prostitution or perhaps selling women into marriage like Russia seems to do (if those ads I see are true)? Well my friends, that just raises overhead, creates inventory issues, and the logistics of transportation would be a nightmare. In this digital age, the simplicity of my plan is no more than a click away.

The concept really is huge. Imagine the porn-nation possiblities. Taliban a problem. We could create a bomb that drops literally millions of degrading pictures of women in compromising positions. Screw the geneva convention !! The whole area would be in chaos and their movement would fall in days. On this level just what could Bin Laden offer his many followers to possibly entice them to stay?

Perhaps technology will in fact finally save our world. High definition Technology that is soon to be in 3D !!

Oh great..Suddenly winter sucks

2010-01-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Oh yea, were tough. I laughed when I poked fun at our Southern neighbours over sending them snow. I snickered at there cold weather. Declaring once again my patriotism for the land of snow and ice and our simple ways.

Well karma is a bitch hunny.

Pictured above is an ignitor. When this doo-hicky breaks down, your furnace does not work. Sure it has warmed up here in our fair city recently but that means little when your own home is plunging to outdoor temps. And it is now getting very cold in our home. Thank goodness for a gas fireplace, or we would be in deeper trouble.

Now repairing one of these is not big deal. Trouble is I have no idea for sure this is the problem. Cross fingers. If it isn't we will need a furnace repair man. Since the temps are not seriously low this won't be an emergency call, so I may have to wait till tomorrow before it is fixed.

I take this as a sign however that my blind patriotism and ego has to be put in check. Repent my ways. At least until the house warms up again. Till than, I wear sweaters and have nasty horrible thoughts like moving to Texas or something to enjoy warmer air.

All the stupid people

2010-01-10T17:04:00.001-08:00

I confess it sure is easy to bash America. I guess this is because of their place in the world. The fact that they muck around with the world so much, militarily, politically, we tend to think they should be as a people, better educated. We have had comediens go south from Canada and pull this same stunt as well.

Is this entirely fair though? Funny, yes, but fair? Canadians are more worldly in general knowledge I feel because we are completely overwhelmed by American media while still maintaining our knowledge of ourselves, but that does not entirely make us smarter. We might not be stuck so deep in our own little universe as our neighbours to the south but we have our moments.

In Europe, they are multiple cultures living tightly and this helps them to be more aware. It is exactly that. America is isolated and has no need to know what is happening elsewhere. The need does not exist for them to know. So when they decide to go out as a nation to deal with something, it becomes the medias job to educate them. North Korea is getting weird with nuclear technology..oh gee, maybe the press should tell Americans and show on a map where they are and explain why this is a problem. Until they do, they don't know Korea for Adam.

People in general are sheep and know what they need to know generally. If it is not important for their survival, who cares. Ask a resident of Bombay for instance where Chicago is and why they are building nuclear arms and risking world war with the U.S. I am sure your answers will be all over the map.

Its myGovernment, I can cry if I want to

2010-01-09T03:48:00.000-08:00

Ok..so now that I have gotten out of the way my love for Canada on you fine folks, lets just check out why I am embarrassed as hell by our government. Wait, scratch that. By Stephen Harper. Though honestly nothing is waiting in the wings or across in the opposition. We are a mess currently.

Our Navy's Piracy Mission is in trouble. If we all share uniforms, and have casual Fridays aboard ship, perhaps we can save some money.

Anti Prorogation campaign heats up. Does any one know what that means? Well till recently niether did we. It means things are complicated in the House of Commons, so lets take a vacation and not deal with it. Why get put on the hook for something serious that may cause a re-election issue.

Beauty queen (19) now sucked right into baby seal killings debate. This can't go good for her now.

Halle Berry is so cute and charming, Canadian officials just gave her a pass through security line ups and waved her on thru. See, it pays to have been a Bond girl.

At least Canada doesn't just jail women for being raped out fo wedlock. Gotta love those old fashion values in Dubai

I am Canadian and you are not.

2010-01-09T03:29:00.000-08:00

Yes I am proud and patriotic. I can laugh at myself and our politics. I don't own a gun, let alone know how to use one. When we are compared culturally to the United States I cringe. So while the cold blasts south from us, just remember..we sent it.

And this last one... I was at this game. When was the last time you saw this at an American Game?

Brrrrrr....cold all over

2010-01-08T08:55:00.001-08:00

Yes I have heard tell it has gotten brutal cold in England. That snow fell in the southern U.S. In fact some have been calling this one of the worse winters in a long time. I grasp perhaps this locations might not have proper insulation in their homes, or snow tires on the car. I grasp it all.. but.. secretly deep down inside.. as a Canadian, I delight in the aspect of someone else suffering through winter for a change. Maybe you'll all come to realized that ice hockey is a sport; you can't warm your hands from a lite cigarette, that a block heater should come standard on a vechicle, and that being warm trumps all potential fashion statements you may wish to make. Which I am surprised to note, I did see some chick in opened toed shoes during are -40c temps. Must have been a recent immigrant.

It is Cold sometimes up here, but at the end of the day... I am Canadian !

Let the Wild Rumpus begin !!!

They're in my Head !!

2010-01-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

I currently frequent the Sixtyone.com
I am also like many others, in that music can cause emotional responses. But the thing we all fear is the recurring song. The one we can't get out of our heads as it plays over and over and over and over....

You get that. For good or bad a songs plays over and you mull it's significance. Sometimes there is none. Sometimes its not even the whole song but just a single verse or a sound bite. Well luckily for me the current songs stuck in my head are pretty darn good. Well I think they are. So I have posted this so I may share them with you and perhaps, if I am lucky, they will be stuck in your head too. If not, I still encourage you to come visit thesixtyone.com.

General..been a long time since you were there..hint hint.

Hey Jane, listen to burning man and tell me what you think?

Johnathan and his stick

2010-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

So I am mucking about trying to get my poor old blog back together when I found this. Well actually I was not the one who found it, but rather my favorite robot Crap Mariner did, but gleefully I stole it and posted it here. Johnathan Winters has always been able to make me laugh. Even on days I didn't want to.

Some new looks....

2010-01-07T01:49:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it is obvious that I threw up a new look today as I re-conceptualize my blog and think where its going. In doing this I have accidentally wiped out all my contacts, widgets, followers, and trackers. Groan. This is why we hire IT people to do things like this. Lets just say its a work in progress, and I apologise for this site undergoing such a reconstruction.

On the lighter side, it is kinda cool, isn't it? hee.

Avatar sex scene cut?

2010-01-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/3209369/Avatar-sex-scene-cut-from-film

Yes its true. James Cameron cut the scene to maintain his PG rating. At 400 million I guess he needed to have the kids show up as well as the parents, but says it may very well be included in the special DVD version. Now pictured above is my AVATAR from the world of Secondlife. The non-sex model that is. I guess there will always be a core audience who need this, after all, the movie has to pay for itself at some point. I was considering seeing the movie again in the theatre but not for what is missing. I kinda liked it. What I don't follow is those $$ signs as they rank films and how well they are doing but I assume they are starting to drop off and Cameron has told fans about this to again generate interest.

Ok, so Captain Kirk was suppose to have had green alien sex, but this takes weird to new levels. In 3D I guess stuff just pops out at you from the screen! Ack! So now a specific core group has had their ears perked up and again, the movie is generating interest. Funny how sex does that isn't it. So I like to play now from time to time an Avatar in the world of Secondlife, which in a way is already a 3d emersion. Oh heck, the Emerald Viewer caught some attention when they gave the charachters bouncy breasts. So now I have that to look forward to..lucky me. Avatars having Avatar sex. How original is that.

Well just to show you that we perhaps don't want to see everything people think we need to see, let me share this secondlife photo of a special women on a beach I ran into.

Canadian cover up?

2010-01-04T06:12:00.001-08:00

In Canada we have a government very concerned over any kind of embarrassment resulting either by misreported facts or more importantly, untimely facts. They have tried to space information so as not draw too much attention themselves in a negative way. I won't rant on this, but the dirty little media control is a Stephen Harper thing and helps keep the lid of his governments actions from pouring out in a way that could cost him the next election. Not that we have a serious opposition to worry about. The house is a mess.

Now something I do (even after my anti war rant) is honor and celebrate the job our soldiers do. More than the U.S., our military is not appreciated. I mean, sure, the people respect them but the support I oft see from the government, I really wonder sometimes how much more we could give. Pensions, housing etc, for them and their families. I read a number of blogs relating to what is happening in Afganistan and try to stay tuned in. So I was surprised to see an article on a Canadian Cover up.
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/canadian-cover-up.htm

Is there a cover up? I hardly think so. What is more likely is a communication confusion issue. Really, what information should be shared or held back from the public? It is not just that but the fact that different nations have different levels of expected military secrecy. I know in Canada's situation, the government would love to control exactly when information becomes public, but the what of it usually gets out anyways.

Hmmm..give the article a read as it has some interesting observations. Me, well, I think it is one of those days I am just talking to hear myself think. And I think, regardless of your politics, or even your feeling about war and soldiers, that the average person within the military is doing a thankless job and deserves our respect. Sent by our government, they do their job in a less than ideal environment, with their very lives at stake.

http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/

On whose moral authority?

2010-01-03T13:27:00.001-08:00

http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/

On whose moral authority do we choose to go to war? What act must occur to define a grievance so horrendous as to warrant either a proactive or defensive attack? I personally do believe there is a place for war, but war and killing is not a definitively defined thing with me either. What I may wish and what is real are often two different things. History will always be the ultimate judge in the end over moral rights of this act, and as we all know, often history is written by the victors.

Think about that. Had George Bush Jr. found what he was looking for, would Iraq have than been justified? What if he never attacked Iraq, and later a massive chemical attack on a neighbor wiped out millions? We would have talked about the fact we had an opportunity to stop it but didn’t. It really is a sticky business. Proponents of direct action love to point to Nazi Germany as a great example of why we must be war ready. Look at how many Jews died, and the suffering they caused. Well, I am sorry to say, we never went to war because of the Jews. That all came to the surface at the close. We went to war because Germany attacked. Because of the groundwork laid down during the Bismarck era, and later, the world colonial power grab that made World War 1 shows really that WW2 was 100 years in the making. Now within the WW2 example, Canada actually declared war on Germany before the United States due to Americans not wishing to be involved. Even the Jewish problem of the time was being shunned by the U.S. That war clearly needed the U.S. and so their involvement helped win the war, but even within that war, policies were played out in politics as to how much involvement. Before the war was even over the powers that be were carving Europe up. The economic, and geo-political situation was never far from the core planners trying to win this thing against tyranny.

But is war necessary? That is more my question. Take Somalia now. No one wants to be responsible for this country. They rather would like to avoid it if possible but the pirates have made this difficult. No one wants to commit to going in militarily, or help the country economically. It is too much to ask maybe with no real economic, political, or geo-powering advantage to be had. War occasionally seems necessary to fight situations that economic hardship may have created, but that has not been a reason for a war. It has been an excuse in the past but not a core reason.

Part of any religion’s belief is that we will all be judged. That the very bad people out there will one day have to atone for their actions. This helps us to almost think, oh sure you raped and murdered a 5 year old for example but in the ever life you will get yours. A spiritual tit for tat I guess, because the alternate is to believe that other than death, a bad person shall never actually be held accountable. Lets face it, we will all die one day, so this is not the greatest threat you can impose on a bad person.

But bad people exist. Doing terrible things. What also exists are those who are not necessarily bad but following the beliefs of their culture. I cannot believe personally in whipping people for a moral crime like wearing a skirt above the knee, but such cultures believe this is a societal necessity. Is this enough to go to war? I know it isn’t enough to kill people to go to war. China among many countries have killed to maintain a level of control over its population, but no one would suggest we attack them. The outcome of that would generate far great casualties than the some of a few innocents deaths. The horrible nature of it forces us to examine the cause and effect of greater horrors.

War in defense seems noble enough but drastic differences in ideologies causes a great deal the world to go to the brink all to often. Funny when they say that in the name of God more wars and death have occured than for any other reason. No, I content God was the excuse, and that men of power seek to control populations and would have conveniently found other manners to gain their advantage had the God card not been played. I do not beleive in war but as long as we have conflicting states jostling for geo-political power, the imbalance between these powers will always generate them.

The U.S. has a far greater amount of blood on their hands for their direct and indirect meddling in world affairs, and have successfully dragged its own population as a whole through it by justifying their actions through a whole gambit of reasons. Is America great because of it, or dispite it. Canadians took pride when Prime Minister Pearson helped create the UN peace keeping corps. It seemed that Canada had a peace role to play and he would later receive a Noble award for this. This role we played however has become more illusion than reality over the years, and still we continue to believe ourselves to be noble in our actions. Our role has deminished and scandals have left even us questioning intentions, moral authority and basic Canadian self interests as it pertains to world affairs. So America takes the lead via Military dominance and can't grasp why the rest of the planet eyes them as both savior and devil. I can't help but wonder how different the landscape would have looked had they funneled their enormous wealth directly into their population over the years while only maintaining say 2/3rd of their military budget.

Some year end thoughts....

2009-12-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

This has actually been in many regards a remarkable year for my family and I. Both on and off the Internet we have seen many things happen. The year coming up actually will be more fulfilling as make more changes are on the way. More fulfilling? Well, who knows, but I know it won't be dull. From more trips to more home renovations, we intend to make more of a mark for ourselves in 2010.

For those who have followed my random ramblings on this blog over time, I thank you. Lately I have been giving this blog a lot of thought as to where it should go. The need for me to talk has unfortunately hit a head-on time crunch issue with all my other various activities both on and off the web. I have never been a great networker and at times I am socially awkward. A time constraint has already had me give up on Twitter (which truthfully I never quite got anyways), as well as a few other sites I have had to drop. If I am to accomplish more of those things that truly I find enjoyable, I will have to give up more things, or change the nature of how I approach them.

This means this blog will undergo a change to become more functional to my own needs but likely there will be a lot less posts, or at least posts regarding any real news. Part of me would like to end it and restart in a completely new site or completely new look. Hard to say how I will proceed. I enjoy the fluff pieces and when it comes to being truly insightful, I really do find more depth in other blogs I read. The Woodshed for instance. I have always found it clever with a healthy mix of real news and the absurd. So in the New Year, I intend to give the whole thing a hard look and decide what will happen. I do intend to keep my travel blog going (linked from this site) since it is part of something I already do anyways..explore that is...within my virtual existence of Secondlife.

Now the world has undergone many changes in a way that is awaking this year, but over all, the trend in 2009 was negative. There were of few positives and I hope things turn around, politically, economically and environmentally. I will wait and see. I have hope. My intention is to continue my work on reducing my eco-footprint, promoting cultural understanding, and keep up with science and emerging technologies.

I also intend to continue my Secondlife experience, which has been enjoyable for me. The friends I have made there are special. I intend some changes there as well, but that is to be seen later.

Something that I intend to do more of this year is watch and honor my core values, morals and ethics more. For the sake of conforming within a peer group, I have been very open minded and easy going, dispite my own personal issues with any given topic. No, I won't be stomping my feet waving flags at certain issues, but rather, I will distance myself from those issues. Sure, I could hope to change the minds of those around me, but I have come to discover those around me tend to be deeply entrenched in their beliefs as I am in mine. I am a person who hopes I can live a life by example than to necessarily be confrontational at all points. When truly unfortunate events happen I am involved but otherwise, most adults can decide for themselves what sort of life they will choose to live.

How to I state my core values/ethics and morals? Hmmm... Christians have become easy targets and now the bad example set by right wing extremes in the U.S. have me really in defense sometimes of who and what I am and what I beleive. I have never beleived that God fearing people are any more moral group than say relgious people, when studied as a population. My message though..relgious or not, is love thy neighbour. Intolerance comes in many forms. Even liberals can be hurtful. Jesus General runs a blog of political satire and I get that. It is not aimed at me, and I have the ablity to laugh at myself when I read his clever words and use of iconic images to illustrate a point. Somedays however, even I have to step back from it seeing a much too hard attack that undermines a core group of beleivers and my beliefs as well. With apologies to the General who I have always regarded as a very good friend and has a compassionate soul. To highlight this I use the following example...A wonderful friend found me using the grand Statement of discribing Americans in a global sense when highlighting a negative situation by their government. She made it clear not all Americans support this or beleive that. I took it to heart and have been very careful not to paint too broad a brush stroke over the American public. The same can't be said for others and their overly generalized attacks on my system of beliefs. I often come away with the sense that I am being discribed as a controlled sheep, or that I am soundly stupied for my beliefs. Neither is true, or any more true than the say the population as a whole. I would gladly be willing to compare who leads a more virtuous life, but that would be my ego talking. Ha ...a pissing contest over values and ethics should honestly be beneath anyone. Lets just say I sleep well at night.

...........looks over words and realises I am ranting again..ha ha... see, this is why I need a blog some days.

So steps back..ok..was talking about the year in review. Ok..I drank alot at Christmas, was completely unaffected by economic downturn, have a wonderful family, and got a brand new fancy smancy camera recently, so intend to take lots of pics and learn how to do photoshop. So basically..I am actually looking forward to a great year ahead, and looking back, dispite it all, had actually a pretty good 2009.

Happy New Year everyone. :)

Seasons greetings

2009-12-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

I wish to extend my blessings to all for the holidays. May you find you and yours happy, safe, and healthy.
I have again taken a stab at a video with a more wintery bend today in light of the season. The dancing girl is Michele, recently enjoying her rezz day party within Secondlife. Give her a big wave .

Merry Christmas everyone.

So long and thanks for all the Fish

2009-12-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the fish from Shinigamikayo on Vimeo.

Okies...
No, this blog has not ended. I was just wondering how many would click the pic of the whales with such a misleading title. I guess none. Oh well. So now I decided to edit this post and place up the actually video. It seems most of my viewers are passive web surfers and cryptic posts don't fly. lol. I should know better. Anyways, I really enjoy making videos though only a few people are really watching them. So till I get at least 10 hits on my last two videos, I am going into hiatus.
It is the holidays and using the break to enjoy friends and family anyways.

Meet our Premier Ed Stelmach

2009-12-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

As his popularity numbers drop, and the conservative dynasty stands on the edge of extinction, good old Ed decides to embrace modern media with his very own Youtube video! Wow..just look at what a hunk he is. Reeking of charisma, you know national politics are just a step away for this tower of charm and morality.

Really, I am kinda happy we don't have a picture of him in his bathing suit holding a gun like Sarah Palin, but he is not in the same fruit cake category as she is. No, Ed is more like the middle manager type who dropped the ball on his watch, as he waited for the next real Premier to come along. Bad timing Ed as we kinda needed you to act with vision. No worries.... I am sure you see the numbers now as much as everyone else. The Wildrose Party leads in the polls and could likely form the next government. Where were they last election. Oh yea, they didn't even exist.

It will take more than twitter and Youtube to fix this one Ed. You may have to actually develope a "plan". You know what those are right..they can be helpful in determining long range goals and budgets. Well, best of luck to you buddy, and think hard about making any long term decorating plans (there is that nasty word again) for your nice legislative office.

Voyage

2009-12-12T15:08:00.001-08:00

Voyage from Shinigamikayo on Vimeo.

Another installment from my Secondlife travels, enjoy.

Linus Hallmark decoration

2009-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

We shot this video last year of my favorite decoration. Thought I would share with you. We have so much fun with our tree. I may make a more comprehensive video or something of all our favorites in the future.

I am Canadian

2009-12-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

With the Olympics coming up, I suppose it is time to let people know more about Canada. Some years ago, there was a national cry (mostly bored politicians) for someone to clearly state what our national identity was. Who are we? What makes us Canadian. Committees and sub committees established by our own Government failed in their quest to discover this. But... a company came forward with an ad campaign. It became known as the Canadian rant. It went further than anyone before it showing who we are. Molson's Canada, a beer company, came closer than anyone before in establishing for all of us to see, our identity, and continue to do so with their commericals to this day.

Its kinda funny when you think about it. A beer company having a better finger on the pulse of a nation than the government. Even funnier that we are all familar with the rant, while their beer continues to slowly lose market share against micro breweries and foreign beers. 'eh I am Shinigami Kayo and I AM CANADIAN (but don't drink it)

Christmas Memories

2009-12-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

So here are my Top ten abbreviated Christmas memories (good and bad) through out my entirely life.. You can judge the circumstances for yourself and even write a story in your head.

1 Bowling game opened, played and broken before anyone is out of bed.

2 Father steps on nutshells in bare feet, slips and falls into Xmas tree.

3 “You kids are ruining Christmas” Lots of alcohol and now grown up children, frays mothers nerves.

4 Christmas dinner interrupted by baby vomit overflowing highchair tray. Brothers poke through it with a fork causing father to lose appitite.

5 First born arrives Dec 21, family gathers on Christmas to share. Including Grandmothers last visit before she passes.

6 I am found under coach in morning. Was going to spot Santa but fell asleep.

7 I fell asleep under Christmas tree alone. Family in Saskatoon but I had to work.

8 Drove 180 miles in 10 hours in Blizzard to get home for Christmas. Total whiteout, as I followed the red taillights of a transport truck whole way.

9 The Three Wise Flamingos watch over family playing lawn darts in backyard during Christmas Blizzard.

10 Hot Tub and Caesars!

Love to hear a Christmas memory good or bad from you guys..shout out to ya.

Toys that make you go hmmmmmm..

2009-12-06T10:39:00.001-08:00

Don't worry..these toys never made the cut after being yank some time ago off the shelves..I think sometime last August. Still, with the internet, somethings are almost forever. We copy, comment, repost and rehash old dead stories. In this case I was sent a list of bad Christmas toy ideas. Still, do I have to explain the above. I doubt it.

I just find it odd that some products, especially childrens toys, make it to market, dispite the heavy scrutiny and more often than not, extensive testing. That these two (among a great many) actually got that far is surprising. I understand a bit from my perspective. I live in a culture that would not have immediately identified the culturally racist reference of the little monkey. These toys however are created and marketed in a country that drips with political correctness. Always out looking for these things and exhibiting a very thin skin when they are discovered. I would not suggest for a moment that makes it right to over look it. Just that the racially sensitivity of your potential customers would make you very weary of just what you create. Especially, as in this case, for children.

Some companies live and die on the Goodwill of a brand name, and a flop like this can sink a company.

So file this under Failed

Grandma's Christmas dinner

2009-12-04T03:02:00.000-08:00

The Rev caught my bad spelling and had a good laugh at my expense. So, I present another tune for him he just might identify with for a good laugh.

Hinterland - The crack Spider

2009-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Every canadian grew up on these short educational videos from our wonderful government. Ah...well, not quite like this one.

2010 Olympics just around the corner

2009-12-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

With the international eye soon to be on Canada's winter Olympics, there is one thing you need above all else. SNOW!!! Well guess what. Whistler has just had a Novemeber of snow for the records there. 18 Feet of snow. Want a taste of what is to come... Vist the link and see

http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/photos/november/index.htm?crmcontact=12174134&crmnws=CRM_WB_SNR_03_E1_091201_1

Away in a Manager : Teresa Acquaviva

2009-12-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

It is December, and as many already know, it is an important month for me. Now just for the religious part of it, but also for the coming together of all people. During this month, I will endeavor to blog only on the positive or as much as able, on things Christmas related.

For my first offering I present Teresa Acquaviva. I found her on "Thesixtyone.com" with this absolutely lovely take on an old song.

Jesus General may have a calling.....

2009-12-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

I found this job offer at University of Leeds, and immediately thought of our friend the General. Who else could possibly approach this and remain as moral and strong as our friend. Saddly I suppose for him the idea of going to England would rub him all wrong, and in the wrong places. I mean, those brits probably would have the gall and try to pay for his healthcare too! Still, if he could put his damn American Pride aside, he could accomplish alot here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6670653/Leeds-University-advertises-for-lap-dance-research-officer.html

Research Officer - The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy
(Job reference: 316199 ) Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
School of Sociology and Social Policy (Full-time, fixed term 12 months from March 2010)
You will work on an ESRC funded study on the rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy. The post will involve qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. It is based in Leeds, although some travel to other cities may be necessary.

You will have, or be about to complete, a postgraduate qualification in the social sciences or relevant subject and some appropriate research experience. You will be mainly responsible for access and fieldwork. Good interviewing, communication and organisational skills are essential as is the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experience of interviewing and conducting surveys is essential, as is prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry.

It is anticipated that interviews will take place on December 14 2009 Salary: Grade 7 (£29,704 - £35,469 p.a)
The appointment will be made at £31,513 p.a or below since there are funding limitations which dictate the level at which the appointment can start. Apply using: Application form, CV and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form

e-crime division gets a bad guy Virtually stealing

2009-11-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

So now they have captured some fraudsters, who through a phishing scam, have been stealing virtual goods and virtual gold within the online world of Runescape.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8386003.stm

It is hardly a mystery and the law enforcement know it well. Anytime something has value, people come around and try to steal, or exploit. In todays world however, the law has been forced to address the very real value of virtual goods. Things that are pretty but in reality, are no more than a series of 1's and 0's in a data base somewhere. But those virtual items have value, and the law, government, and courts have been playing catch up for some years now.

The problem is the portablity of avatars, international laws governing commerce as they snake through multiple countries, and the ease which one can slip around the internet in relative secret performing smaller crimes. Like catching a pick pocket crammed in Vatican square during a service. No small job.

Some platforms, like Secondlife, which I am part of, have already been named in lawsuits, as not protecting the user or facilitating these crimes through inaction. A number now directly work with e-crime divisons or other law enforcement agencies. As the world becomes more and more connected, the real problem of an international commerical crime wave is real. Still, it is not entirely there yet, but continues to grow as a problem.

Dispite all this, credit card fraud is spinning wildly out of control in the real world, and I am told that your credit transactions processed on secure web sites , are actually safer from identity theft and other scams you could fall into at a simple corner store.

Is it any wonder the older generation is cautious. The ones who have not embraced new tech. They have no manner to grasp this new world order from the older traditional one they grew up with. Oh heck, I still use cheques, and own an encylopedia set, dispite e-commerce and web based reference material easily found.

Marriage as discribed like a horserace

2009-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the holidays

bright and Shini People :Carol Burnett

2009-11-27T14:51:00.001-08:00

Today I honor one of my favorite entertainers of all time. Not for all the Oscars she has won over the years (Zero last time I counted but I still say she should have gotten something for Annie) but rather for the countless laughs she has brought me while hosting the show that bore her name. She had an amazing crew working with her, but her own talent shone, even when being upstaged by her many friends. An actress, singer, dancer, comedienne and writter, she managed to make it all appear easy to her audience. How? Well, clearly by loving what she did. Her show set the standard for all and stood the test of time. My favorite TV moment and practically the funniest line I ever heard was present by Carol herself. In a Gone with the Wind spoof, she made a last minute dress out of the curtains in the living room to greet Rhett in. When he commented she replied," Thankyou, I saw it in the window and couldn't resist"

So hats off to Carol Burnet, My Bright and Shini person of the month.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Burnett

Mein Kampf in Dhaka

2009-11-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Mein Kampf as a book surprises me. Surprised in that it still sells. Oh yea, I have read it. Some of it. Parts I guess here and there. I found it to be lacking for numerous reasons which I won't get into. The author for me is not really the issue. Still, the author IS the issue in many places. In the U.S. for instance, when you need to really slam someone in the public, it is great to do a comparison fo said person in radio, posters, and percieved ideology.
Well on the streets of Dhaka, this book appears to be selling very well.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8382132.stm
Now that got me thinking...who owns the rights to this book or is it free domaine. See, I know little of the book industry, and these books by Hitler appear to be pirated copies. Does anyone care? Would you sue over illegal copies of Hitlers Mein Kampf. Hey you ! You can't make money off Hitler, only I can.

Uganda to solve gay problem.

2009-11-26T06:37:00.001-08:00

In Uganda the problem of AIDS and moral decay appears to have reach a point where officals must actively intervene.The Commonwealth convenes for a summit this week amid growing furor over a proposed law there that would impose life imprisonment on homosexuals in Uganda, whose President is chairing the gathering.

The law, proceeding through Uganda's Parliament and supported by some of its top leaders, would imprison anyone who knows of the existence of a gay or lesbian and fails to inform the police within 24 hours. It requires the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” – defined as any sexual act between gays or lesbians in which one person has the HIV virus.

So hunt, arrest, punish and kill seems the most civilized action to them I guess.
Well Pastor Warren seems to have Christian (?) support there for his ideas of rounding up those bad homos'

Again, another example of nations rolling back the hands of time. Killing social progress and promoting a twisted moral leadership founded on Religous teachings. The President of Iran feels lucky to not have to address this issue it seems since declaring there are no gays in his country.

I think all these maculine macho shits get this "ick" factor when they mentally picture men being with men. In the U.S., the supposed land of the free and most progressively social nation in the world, flaunting a non-existent seperation of church and state, they still can't get pass the issue. Especially marriage which is defined as "anything we wish it to be defined as so piss off" All this while girl on girl action still finds its way into pornography in a grand scale.

Isn't living in the modern dark ages fun?

Suport Ugandan Gay rights ! - http://www.gayrightsuganda.org/

Musicians love to self destruct

2009-11-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/music/photos/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=22704523
With luck the above link should get you to MSN and there little photo run on musicians that have done really strange or stupid things. MSN loves making these type of lists on a whole rich and varied type of issues/items and people. Pure fluff for the slow news day or just a way of killing a few moments.

For me, 3 were forgotten from the list. Well 3 off the top of my head, as I am sure there are more.

Sinnad ripping up the picture of the Pope = Career crash and burn.

Wilson Phillips singing on AMA and are totally flat, than repeating themselves at grammies - with such a great tune who knew they could not actually sing a clear note.

This was sad - Sheena Easton. She actually can sing but apparently she is also tone deaf. She sang her song flat at the grammies and her career almost totally tanks.

Honorable mention - Jewel. Such wonderful tunes, but than she started to talk, speak her mind and take over creative control. No one actually wanted to hear her speak her mind and tuned her out.

But at end of Day..ripping up the Pope has been the biggest crash I can imagine, in so much that she still is hated by some and recieving hate mail. An incrediable career derailed over a 10 second mistake of judgement.

I can’t care about everything. (and yes I talk in circles)

2009-11-25T06:17:00.000-08:00

Perhaps that is the mark of a moderate to a small degree. Like the common charity, we pick and choose our “favorite”, than donate money, or for the more ambitious, our time. Well, the world at times sure does seem like a massive dung heap, with the occasional flowers popping up. I see no need for the guilt to be poured on those who are choosing to back off these days. The day-to-day stress they suffer just by being in the proximity of all this crap is more than they can currently can take. The reality is I just can't care about absolutely everything.

Perhaps you could view this like one views a stranger vs. a family member. A stranger says something nasty and it sort of bounces of me. My family..well let me tell you. They say something and not two words out and I know the routine. I have already been down this road, and right off the get go, I get angry, or irritable. This can be seen as “knowing how to push my buttons”. Really, I don’t even have to have them speak, and my impending doom of yet another argument oncoming sends me round the bend. We develop slowly, a lower and lower threshold for these things, till be comes to a point that we no longer have any kind resistance to the build up. We are stressed by their very coming, despite our love for those said family members. We enter "the I don't give a shit" zone.

Well, in a world gone mad (as if to suggest it ever wasn’t mad), we find the needs and concerns of people on the edge of ideological concerns, preaching to us with logic, guilt, fear and hate. How common is it for us to see the news displaying pictures of people who are for and against things and wish to change your mind. As moderates, we feel the stress and back away, which is kinda the opposite reaction these ideological advocates want. The sense of urgency starts to grip these advocates, realizing they are losing your attention and they renew their efforts to educate you for the better. This full court press now has us reeling back just trying to maintain some sense of sanity. I find at times I grow weary of some things, some issues, and certainly, some people. Everyone needs to find balance and learn how not to press their thoughts or else they may be losing the converted as well the ones they hope to persuade.

I have found in my life many who are not interested in the larger world or what I could offer. Not interested in being educated and certainly not politics. They are moderates trying to survive and don’t have always the ability to appreciate what is happening beyond their immediate concerns in their personal lives. When a smoker fails to quit though, we should be encouraging that they even tried, rather than pronounce them failures. Ok, your struggling to grab the attention from the limited audience against other messages out there. You use tactics like fear, doom, and exaggeration. It almost seems sometimes that certain bloggers out there have lost sight of the message and just live for the attention. Well I am an environmentalist. I don’t mean to say I lead a totally green life style. It means I am trying. It is a long road to change habits, and I have been progressing step by step. Still, for me, to take my views and force another to choke it down, when they need to disconnect from this is a lousy strategy. I keep my blog balanced in a way that is unbalance. I spew what ever comes to mind, what I find funny, and occassionally a personal social issue.

Now up here in Canada we are forced to see only the negative of the United States as presented by the popular media. It has us reeling back further and further, sometimes wishing you guys would just shut up or go away. Our proximity to the US alone gives us stress, and though many would be prepared to label the average voter here as being apathetic, I believe the average voter actually is going into self survival mode to maintain some sort of sanity while all around appears to be insane.

Lately I have seen a group of bloggers that for the most part just appear now to be a part of a self-serving community. I blog because I enjoy it, and do not believe I am actually educating anyone frankly. As people fall back from the world, the bloggers out there are reading more and more of their own work or within their own community - preaching to the already converted - while the people who are outside just further wish to disconnect. When on occasion people on the outside offer a personal opinion they get swamped by counter arguments nasty attacks that make any desire to return evaporate. Almost makes them wish they never said anything at all in the first place.

Down south, and surely around the world, issues – terribly issues, abound. It is a marathon of endurance. Proponents try to wear down their opponents, but more so, they try hard to wear down the very public who wishes the issue to once and for all just plain get resolved. America has a lot of very intense people in it right now over several economic issues and health care, but the middle ground moderates seem to be disappearing into the grass. They would like it simply resolved now, so they can go on with their lives. For a blogger or advocate, this becomes the serious paradox of trying to educate. How much is too much, what line can I cross, what can I not cross. Are there rules? Well the tact seems to just keep pushing and pushing. Doesn’t matter the issue, because there is always an issues. Push push push.

Well news flash..I care ! Just not about everything. I don’t have enough time to fall on a sword for each and every injustice that happens. It is not that I am unsympathetic, but I must focus myself on what I can do rather than feel bad for those things I cannot do. A human being was just not designed for a 24/7 stream of bad news on end days or drumming issues that never go away.

The blogs I like are ones not fixated on a topic, inject occassional humor, educate, and are written for the pleasure of the author and not necessarily the reader. I write my blog for my own pleasure and feel very fortunate that the few (ok..very few) enjoy it from time to time.

My own personal copy writter/editor though would be a nice thing to find in my christmas stocking. Oh hell..send me a ghost writter..than I could rant endlessly and he could jot it down and publish in a language that would make you beleive I was some kind of Einstein, or at very least, not a loon. Hee

Tiny's in Secondlife - Recipe for fun

2009-11-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

The majority of my readers are either political, or have somehow found me through some random find through google. This is nothing more than a place for me to occassionally rant, or perhaps say a piece or two about things I am currently interested in. One of those things I am interested in is Secondlife. A cartoon virtual world perhaps to a few, but to me it is a great place to escape the stress of the real world from time to time. I make no excuse for it, and have featured a random post from time to time on it. It is the focus of my virtual field trip (a link of which can be found in the upper left)

Well this weekend I took part in a Tiny Haz Talent show. I was the daredevil Hamster bike rider flying over a couple of Lindens and through a flaming hoop. I spent the day laughing, and totally enjoying myself. The Tiny community I have known for a long time but until recently have not greatly focused on it. Mistake. These people rock and they know how to enjoy themselves. In todays world filled with stress and future gloom, please explain why I can't escape it from time with total mindless fun! Raglan Shire, one of the major centers of this activity will be seeing more of me. As for the talent show..Total success for participants and audience as well. The larger pic above is Jane2 (Bunny) and Rocky (Husky), two of my friends who have made me feel at home.
http://raglanshire.com/

Trump gives fatherly advice

2009-11-20T18:43:00.001-08:00

I have no direct problem with Carrie Prejean

I mean..I feel she was totally set up to fail at that pagent with the gay question, and really, in today's society, who isn't making a sex tape? But to tell Larry King he was being inappropriate..whoa..now she is stepping over the line. Trump of course, not one to shrink from his moral and ethical journey to save all was quoted as saying to a Post source
“Maybe, she should become a major porn star, make millions of dollars and give it to worthy causes,” the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

Poor Donald..always put upon to give the straight skinny on things. Oh, speaking straight skinny on things, Donald help us. Sarah Palin is still out there. Oh god, why won't this story die?? And Sarah, if your reading, this isn't personal, just please go back to Alaska. Oh yes..and that sex tape thing..ah..when I said who isn't making one, I was not implying you should. Actually please don't, I have a weak stomach.

Road to Redemption in the NHL

2009-11-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

(opinion piece)

Theo Fleury has been the butt end of jokes, the center of controversay, and the lightning behind some amazing hockey. Due to alcholol and drug abuse, some seriously lack of ablity to made sound judgement calls, his train wreak of a personal life lead to finally, and literally, being run out of the National hockey league. His demons haunted him for years.
One thing though still holds true.He is possibly the most popular Calgary Flame player ever to have worn that team's Jersey outside of say Lanny Mcdonald. At times the smallest player in the league, his grit, intensity and determination became a symbol of what hockey should be all about for many people and to Calagry Flames fans, he embodied all they believed hockey could be. A sort of hero. He won on every level of his career. Juniors, NHL, and Olympics. His unique style, in your face, intense, won fans at home, and occassionally scorn from opposing teams and their fans. But than came the incident.
Sheldon Kennedy came out accusing coach Graham James of sexual abuse as a junior player. Though it would not be revealed than, Kennedy indicated another was involved. It was speculated but not confirmed that it was Theo.
For a few years now, Theo has been on a road to reclaim his dignity, correct wrongs, and find the peace he never knew as a youth. He came out to reveal he was the other junior player James had molested as a youth, and very recently decided to pursue the case legally.

As part of is stretch for redemption, after many years out of the NHL, Theo tried to return to the Calgary Flames. To some it was joke, and to others laughable that at his age he would even try. He did not make the team but by the end, he had turned every doubter around. HIs old style of grit and determination that had awed so many years back, was still there, and regained the respect of practically all who had slammed him on his exit from the NHL.
Please...read more about his career here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoren_Fleury

The time has come, for the League and the NHL to bury its grudge about Theo's situation, his substance abuse, etc.
It is time for the Calgary Flames to retire Theo's Number and one final class act and show how important this individual was, and what he brought to the ice.

Another Example why Canadians are tougher than Americans

2009-11-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Baby Falls out of window in Quebec and survives.

This is not a surprise to most of us up here in Canada. See, you take away all the tech from the Americans (and their beer supply if your talking the deep south) and what are you left with? Nuttin!!! Here in Canada we toughen up our children. Well, maybe not all of us , but many do. Due to our total lack of belief we even have crime up here, many leave their doors and windows open. Especially, as in this case, you live 3 stories above the ground or higher. Yup..we play hockey in the streets, climb trees to dangerous levels, ride sleds down sheer ice and launching into the air dangerously close to concrete or other type of barriers. Boy oh boy, that brings back memories. Yup..raised to be tough, and we liked it.

A new tune by Jeremy Fisher I found that has my heels clicking

2009-11-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

oh....and I will have Viagra for dessert

2009-11-15T06:59:00.001-08:00

It is yummy and could be just what the doctor ordered. Call it the love dessert, made from passion fruit. The Columbian chef hit on something and could be very popular. Can we expect the tables to have long table clothes or perhaps a spin off venture next door, like a motel? hee.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/colombian-cooking-school-creates-love-dessert-with-viagra/105296-2-7.html

Shini's Secondlife tour hits the 100th landmark

2009-11-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

So today, I have hit a landmark of sorts but there are all kinds of landmarks. Here in the virtual world of Secondlife I have taken up touring the grid in search of many wonderful creations. So far, there has been no shortage of these as I celebrate the imagination of so many creators. So today marks my 100th landmark!!!

Last night I attended another landmark. With Serenity, we celebrated the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down at the Cafe Wellstone. Those who attended listen to the wonder memories shared by Serenity herself, as we remarked on the changes that took place in Germany at that time.

Pictured above is the wall she built and also the cushion fort I hid in for the event. Secondlife has been many things for me, but the sharing of ideas, crossing cultural boundries, and opening my mind to events I may have in the past not fully appreciated, has given me an experience I am not sure I could have acheived anywhere else.

Cafe Wellstone is a gathering point in Secondlife for liberal minded individuals, hosted by my friend Jesus General, and has a really big open door to those who wish to come in and visit.

A neat little Afgan link

2009-11-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/asia/2009/11/11/military-numbers
For those who are curious, and because I like visuals here is a link with an embedded map of Afganistan and the military commitment. It shows the breakdown of the current national commitments and roughly where they are in the country.

Virgina added tax

2009-11-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.dallasvoice.com/instant-tea/2009/11/11/being-a-woman-is-a-pre-existing-condition/
My friend R.J. pointed me to this story. The pre-existing condition of women of having the audacity of being women..and like smokers, should be charged more for insurance. This of course all goes back to my belief that children should pick up the tab for their education as they are the primary users. The ungrateful tots can take it out of their allowance.

Since being a woman is a costly business no one I beleive would blame us for perhaps hanging our shingle and selling the services. And of course being a house call don't expect it to be cheap, unless your springing for the hotel and transportation. Naturally as an honest and simple merchant, we do reserve the right to refuse service.

Build it and they will vote for you

2009-11-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

Canada can be a funny place at times politically. Do we really like Stephen Harper as our Prime Minister, or are we lacking any kind of serious alternative right now? Events have handed the Liberals all the ammunition they need to make a serious run at the office and what do they do? Nothing. Their lack of plan, or basic leadership means they can not advance to step two where they could actually get to talk to ordinary Canadians, or hit the current government with real facts in the house. But no..we wander aimlessly here waiting for the next election election to happen..some of us, might even show up to vote for the next election.. *yawn*

BUT wait! whats this?! Quebec is musing over the idea of getting a NHL team? Who knows.. olympic bids..new arena..blah blah blah..But A NEW NHL franchise in Quebec city!! Swooon !!!

Yes a few business people started bantering this around, city council there got involved, and before you could pull at the romantic heartstrings of every hockey loving citizen, in comes the provincial and federal government offering up their desire to help and be involved. Of course offering up and empty promises doesn't mean they have actually ponied up a penny for this (yet).

The conservatives lie entrenched in a minority government situation and nothing has happened to change this one bit across the country. They could sure use ten more seats in enemy territory to turn their fortunes around, and oh..lookie...within driving distance of as yet an unbuilt arena or even a make beleive NHL franchise are enough seats to make up this difference. Cool. After bashing things up pretty bad, selling out to America, rolling over in semi secret negotiations on digital copyrights(look out music downloaders), freewheeling around with happy (useless) talk on the environment, etc...the Conservative government has an opportunity that may change things around, ( potentially at the expense of Winnipeg..sucks to be you guys...again.)

Oh heck..this is even better than passing out stimulus cheques to groups from the government with the Conservative logo all over it.

So, perhaps our love of the game will bring to power a majority government. Is this a sell out on our behalf or a complete money for votes deal? Wait and see I guess.

Stupid people caught on Video

2009-11-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this may just be a technological advance that is good. People for instance like Elizabeth Lambert that gets caught on video misbehaving on the soccer field. Had this been back in the day of no video, her actions may have become ignored. Since the advance of affordable and portable video, feeds from everywhere have popped up. Sex tapes, crime tapes, elected officials, brutal street beatings, people talking like fools, heroic stances, or the lame set up stunts for the 15 minutes of fame people. Youtube has done very well I think. An easily accessible place for all this crap so the public can bear witness. It is almost information overload some days.

We have been given unprecedented views of people doing what perhaps people have always been doing. But getting it on video now somehow validates, vindicates, or vilifies those involved. Take the information we currently get from American politics. Match this to video and you can fry politicians so early or sit on it till your moment presents itself. This makes it almost necessary for a career politician to be thinking of the next election not ten minutes after he was just elected. We have seen this now where years of quotes, off remarks are reborn years later on the campaign trail. It is almost like they are not allowed to make mistakes or change their opinions.

The positives may however easily outweigh the negatives, as situations unknown to general pubic and garner interest by effective use of the audiovisual format. The example that comes to mind is West Virginia’s Mountain top mining practice.

We are also living in the instant information age. The President makes a verbal misstep and News sites online as well as blogs are quick to publish and blow out of proportion to exaggerate the moment.

Now... all that is needed is positive action on these social and environmental issues, rather than growing a generation of passive apathetic viewers who are become descentatized by the very images that could liberate them.

Pope allows discussion on E.T.

2009-11-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601899.html

If the Vatican can bend on the concept of life on other planets..at least be open to reviewing the science, than perhaps there is hope for so many things.

Like the idea of the catholic religion spreading to alien worlds. I think it could happen..at least the possiblity of it is better than say...having a global understanding of peace, sound enviro policies and finding Hoffa. Of course the Christian right would never accept this nor would the Muslims..so the universe, from a tactical point of view, could be the Catholics for the having. Not sure how Mormans view this.

Elizabeth Lambert - Role model

2009-11-09T09:48:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Lambert---suspended indefinitely. Oh sure, she apologised so its all ok. Right. I am no mental health expert, but someone has aggression issues. Elizabeth..go hook a rug, plant a garden, maybe even do a paint by numbers, but soccor? hun, your finished!

Healthcare goes to the Senate..will it die there?

2009-11-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

"It was bill written by liberals for liberals, and people like Joe Lieberman are not going to get anywhere near the House bill . . . It is a nonstarter in the Senate."
(thanks for the support)
He said he firmly believes "the public option will destroy private health care."
(that would be nice woudn't it?)
The House-backed bill would expand coverage to nearly all Americans and bar insurance practices such as refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.
(oh now I get it, we don't want to help "actual" sick people)
But in the Senate, moderate Dems have balked at Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan for a public option, an insurance plan run by the government rather than private companies.
(Balk balk balk....sounds sorta something I would Kentucky Fry, or a coward)

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/obamacare_legislation_in_trouble_n12JvzOZLO36ngE5VaFVmI#ixzz0WNMwUaP3

Virtual content theft continues but people are getting involved

2009-11-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

For your enjoyment, a youtube demonstration of copybot

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/11/the-heartbreak-of-content-theft.html

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/11/benjamin-duranske-on-sl-content-theft.html

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/11/unclean-hands.html

http://stepupsl.wordpress.com/

Well, Content theft in secondlife continues unabated as the deabte grows as to what can or will be done. Linden labs has not really laid out any plan nor have a plan to be policemen of the virtual world they oversee. The legalities of virtual property is still a new extension of law being tested in the courts, but the money is real. That may surprise those not involved in these virtual environments.

I considered getting myself deeply involved in this war, if I can call it that, but find, because of my limited time and lack of direct involvementm perhaps I shall keep my nose out. Still if I was do get involved, her is a couple of things I would consider.

1) Start a blog for merchants to report (with pic) items they have filed stolen claims over. No names, as that could lead to possible complications on possible false claims. With each Pic of product, we can simple say where lindens took action or not, and generalize the kind of action. The idea is to make as public as possible to the general virtual community what in fact is getting stolen.
2) Advance our cause to those corporations who have decided to get involved in secondlife, whether behind a firewall or not. The larger entities have to be involved for action to take place. This would be an attack on the good will the lindens are trying to create to further their corporate interest. IBM anyone?
3)A complete list and details of who is selling the most dangerous equipment/tools capable of stealing. This may be letting the horse out of the barn but if your not transparentm you can not stop the situation. I would love purchasers having to register having bought such tools, but doubt the sellers of these would be willing to cooperate.
4) Use the blog for direct positive solutions to consider to solve the situation. In my world, I have known that prevention is far more effective and effiecient than conviction.
5) Contine the step up program

Any ways..its all food for thought. I wish them well trying to resolve this matter to everyones satisfaction. I will still float about spotting stolen content for friends.
http://shinigamikayo.blogspot.com/2009/10/secondlife-content-theft-my-thoughts.html
(my past post on this as well as one idea I had)

2009-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Creating a sustainable world is not entirely about signing a treaty, grabbing photo ops, and smiling like a Cheshire cat over a perceived political coup establishing you as the "Green" advocate. The studies have been done now the government must sell the program. Till now, advocates have been doing the sell mostly, and slowly the political winds changed. Sell..isn't the government already doing this?

Well, the world has more issues than just global warming. What is required now is a population helped, nudged, and guided away from long established patterns of behaviour. Traditonal lifestyles have to wake up and realize the future must change and will change. Population growth continues and advances in science continue to push the our capacity to strip the earth more efficiently. Science allows us to push our capacity towards growth while maintaining our sustainablity. But growth has traditionally out stripped science and continues to do so, and so we continue the slow march towards a clear posioning of the planet to our peril.

To sell is to change our long standing patterns of behaviour. I will tell you now, I can't go without electricity. I can how ever cut back. I live in an urban environment, with a substainially higher amount of waste than should be allowed. I look for ways to reduce THAN reuse THAN recycle. That means how I live my life must change. This game of move, switch and hide, does not solve nothing, but puts off the reality. If I take all my garbage and put it in the garage, my eco footprint really is quite low, since technically my garbage has not been realized as a statistic by heading to the curb and later the landfill. So Our home is making efforts. Little efforts. Baby steps. We will reach our target I beleive in a few years where I think we will be comfortable. In regards to our planet my efforts will do nothing. If my community follows our lead..it too, will not be felt in the world. Our city does, and now we are seeing local improvements to our immediate surroundings. Each piece helps, but each person plays a part, and after time the global intiative will turn things.

The government MUST play a lead role now though. Shuffling carbon credits here and there will only hide the issues so long, and a long standing supported initiative must take place. The time has also come to independently act as well, since we can not wait for others..even if we are placed in a disadvantage economic sistuation. Lead by example, and not be the last one on baord should be Canada's action. No more feel good programs that do not go the distance. Changing habits of a population is not an over night action. It may take generations, but it has to start with real initatives. So naturally, we take action at home, while the government leads industry towards a real future of sustainablity. I still think its possible. But daily now we read how regions are collasping and some regions are now fully expected to collaspe in the near future. We know what is coming, stop pretending it isn't. And if global warming is not your bag...I will gladly list off 20 other environmental disasters with clear cut evidence of human impact that have in turn put those same people at a survival risk.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/722486#article

Baloney detection kit

2009-11-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

If you blindly read and beleive your doing yourself a disservice. Watch this video and see if perhaps you can apply it to the world around you.

Examining your world beyond your nose

2009-11-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

...again I revisit the concept of cross reading. The idea that to get a proper view of the world one must read a broad range of thoughts and digest them based on both facts and personal belief. Facts are actually a hard thing to come by to be honest when a news story can be spun so many ways.The American people for instance I find at times ignorant of world affairs beyond what is directly relevant to them. Yes, America casts a large shadow, like ripples in a pond, they can and do influence in one form or another virtually every country in the world. What thus becomes relevant to them is actually a clever use of editing of words and headlines put out by the likes of Drudge report or Glenn Beck, or even their own liberal media.

Editing of news is saddly necessary I think for this reason I beleive. Like 11 trillion in debt, the common man truthfully has no expertise let alone the ablity to grasp the nature of it and must have the concept broken down for them. This too is the same for news. Since so much comes at you, you must pick and choose your poison,and depend on others to compile and report it in terms than can be understood and probably fit your own personal ideologies.

As a friend likes to remind me, not all Americans are like this and I should never over generalize a population. Still, every population is stuck to some degree, within their own nationistic selfish interests. So I go out and buy a loaf of bread and return home to play music on my computer, what does the Taliban battle in the Swat valley got to do with me. Well, our world grows smaller and smaller daily and events, sometimes unimportant events, have national, internation, and global effects. Sheep can follow and complain I suppose, feeling powerless to affect the world around them.I beleive it doesn't have to be this way. You can make a difference, even if it is small. Small things can become big things.

So in reading, you become educated. Knowledge is power as they say, but no, that is half of an action. Whether your relgious or not, your time is limited upon this world. You can selfishlessly ignore the world around you, or you can better yourself, better the world, or even better just your community. Reading will always be that first step.Cross reading especially, since this can open your mind to new concepts and ideas, often which is shielded from the general public at Large.

Today I hightlight two sites I only recently started following.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/

The people and power section of Aljazeera

http://realityzone-realityzone.blogspot.com/

The reality Zone, a relative new blog, I have also placed on a permenent feed on my sidebar .

This is not about whether you agree with these views, but that they both provide a unique view that you will generally not see compiled as it is, elsewhere.

I'm just a public healthcare Bill

2009-11-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

I was wondering today just how many down south still chirp this song when they read the news and try to comprehend what is happening in Washington. What an excellent series this was. Ponders all the missing parts that poor Bill had to go through. Like being leaked to any special interest groups so special riders can be considered. The board rooms of large multinationals, or lobbists with deep pockets. Not fully knowing your system, perhaps you could suggest more missing points of interest on Bill's epic journey.......

Why wasn't it Glenn Beck???

2009-11-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck

A little Boilerplate and Steampunk discussion

2009-11-03T05:32:00.001-08:00

Secondlife can be a centre not only for entertainment but learning as well. Last night I enjoyed a book reading and discussion hosted by Jackson Street Books that centered on Boilerplate. Hell, let her tell you all about it and maybe even buy the book.

-------------------------------

http://jacksonstreetbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/department-of-book-reports-boilerplate.html

Next Shini Slideshow : I'm still here

2009-10-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just putting some of my recent travels into a slideshow. All should be able to be found on my travel blog.

Gee..is this really happening..YES

2009-10-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

I could spend hours and hours presenting ecological disasters and still, the population at large is either in denial, beleive it is someone elses problem, or are economically tied to it in way that they need it to survive. Dispite treaties and attempts to find a common ground, it is getting now to the point that individual nations will have to act agressively in a unilateral manner, and not wait for those who can't keep up. Canada use to think green, or pretend what we did was leading edge, but the vast size of our lands and low population hides that fact that in reality we are no better than the U.S. in our efforts. If anything, in some areas we are worse as we are a primaily a resource nation.

Canadian Invention :The Bloody Caesar

2009-10-28T01:57:00.000-07:00

Many would consider an uncertain future and economic hardship as a reason to turn to drink. Well Canada has a wonderful history of drink, often building on old lessons from some of the oldest distillers and breweries from around the world. So what were we thinking of when we invented the Bloody Caesar? Walter Chell managed to take a mixture of mashed clams, tomato juice, Vodka, Worcheshire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper and a celery stick for a garnish.
Working in Calgary in 1969, he was asked to create an original drink for the opening of an Italian restaurant. The drink was a hit and later another company called Mott’s created and started moving their product called Clamato Juice.

I never drank one of these until the 80’s, but my Father had his own little tradition surrounding it. He had a beat up outdoor camping pot he called his Caesar Can, which he would prepare his concoction. He would make it as the original recipe called for, or if time was tight, just use Clamato juice. Whether he was camping in the backwoods, fishing above the tree line, or socializing at home, the Caesar Can was always near by. You see he was at the ground floor of this particular innovation, having been one of the first to discover its unique taste. Years later, friends and family recognized it as his “thing” and always asked him to pull the can out if a party was going.

So today, Shini recognizes the mighty Canadian Inventor Walter Chell, and the Bloody Caesar.

Boys and their toys

2009-10-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this link about MAV’s (Micro Air vehicles) and pondered if I could write something regarding it. Looking over it and the associated video I realized that this tool would be quite useful actually but the threat to our civil liberties could scare a few off. At the end of the day though we would naturally roll over for the sake of national security. Just think of it, we send unmanned machines into dangerous situations with cameras. Lives could be saved! Men’s lives!

Well what could be a more dangerous situation for men than a women’s locker room shower? Somehow the idea that this military machine has a civilian (abet hormonal) application should not come as such a big surprise. I bet the Pentagon, once realizing the potential of such a machine, will be pushing their black ops budget to extremes. And you thought the Moon launch was man’s greatest accomplishment. With an unlimited budget, purpose, and potential for cheap thrills, men can be quite ingenious. I don’t doubt for a moment they invented the Internet just so they could get porn at home for free. This is of course brought to you by the same people working hard to bring us a fully functional invisibility suit.

Cannot work for the Canadian military until he also gets a penis

2009-10-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091023/transgendered_soldier_091025/20091025?hub=TopStoriesV2

Its the new army

Rick Paddle at the sixtyone.com

2009-10-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, I think I have mentioned Thesixtyone.com before and I even placed a link to it down my sidebar. I was listening to it tonight and again found myself replaying a Rick Paddle tune. This tune surprised me not because of the particular talent per say, but rather because I actually enjoyed it more than the orginal done by..ah.. Nicklsomething..who can rememeber yesterdays news. Rick seems to have put a hot rock sound into a song that seriously wanted and needed more heat. Burn it to the ground buddy!

Will the real Adolf Hitler please stand up, please stand up...

2009-10-23T03:38:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when I read our editorial cartoons, they are funny. Oh look, they made our Prime Minister have a big nose, or large ears. I rarely see our leaders rendered in a way that would suggest the embodiment of pure evil. Not saying it might not happen, but up here I just don't see it. Our leaders have been drawn as drunks, arrogant snobs, incompetent boobs and even as power hungry ankle biters. But Hitler? Come on. Sure I get it..a picture is worth a thousand words and your trying to create something for maximun shock value, but isn't this overboard. Down south, the idea that people will do anything to protect themselves from alternative ideologies is a real scary thought. Inflaming hate towards your leaders in a country with a clear cut gun culture easily keeps the secret service busy. Still, America has a long history of doing this, so I suppose I should hardly be surprised.

Secondlife gets a NY times write up ~~~ cool

2009-10-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yes..I live in the virtual (Secondlife), but it is sometimes difficult to explain the lure for me to others who are outside of this world. This is sorta why I created the Virtual field trip blog. Still, when main stream media does a write up, I am kinda juiced by the idea of others seeing it, and perhaps giving it a try.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?_r=1

Secondlife does not have as intuitive a site as one would like which perhaps makes the learning curve steeper than necessary, but in the end it is not as difficult as all that. Where it is different from say facebook or other social platforms (which are hugely popular) is that it isn't a quick on and off, I got my entertainment fix. I attend in world social events, educational forums, and other activities that match my interests. I still love plugging it though to the masses.

Shini Salutes .....My Dad

2009-10-22T02:56:00.001-07:00

Today, I salute the greatest inspiration in my life…. My father.

Today is not special. It is not an anniversary, Birthday, or other marked event. I just happened to be thinking of my Dad today and how much I have missed him. My father passed away from Cancer some time ago. So I thought I would reminisce a bit. Much of my moral character and flaws came from him.

My Father was a Saskatchewan man through and through. He grew up there, married my mother there, before, as a new family, ventured out to see the rest of the world. Many of my relatives still have ties to Saskatoon and the surrounding area.

My Dad was an extremely open and friendly person. He reached the top of his profession but remained grounded in many ways. He demonstrated a capability to mingle with the rich and famous as easily he could break bread with a homeless person. He placed family as a high priority, and regularly gave of himself without ever any expectation of return favor. A busy builder with ideas, but not a great fixer. Our home was always a mixture of well done projects sharing space with things that needed to be repaired but sat settling with the dust.

All his children developed his odd sense of humor, which some have remarked as one of the many striking features of the family. We laughed and teased each other often. Even when he knew he would die, he still managed a joke or two. IE: Requested he be buried in his Jeep in an attempt to take it all with him. Yup..bury the jeep in the back yard with all his belongings. And when it gets really cold as many Canadians winters can do, we could use the auto-start to keep him warm. Or we should have his head stuffed into a soccer ball, so he could play with his grandchildren. You get the idea.

My family is not perfect and we all know that each family goes through there trials. How you emerge on the other side is a testament to the closeness and support your family can offer. We have had our fights, and our share of tragedy, but always came back together.

Since his passing, my family has drifted. We stay in touch, but nothing seems the same. We have all changed, and find ourselves busy within our own families. Still, he taught many things to me in his time that I carry to this day. A caring of people, no matter what. A respect for nature and our roles as stewards of it. To give of yourself when you can and be able to humbly ask for help with out feeling shame. To always try, do your best, and be responsible for your actions.

Yes we all have role models in our lives that we could talk on and on about. But the first one could probably have the longest and deepest lasting influence. The first one that is often a parent or caregiver. My dad was always there for me. He always supported me, and challenged me to be a better person. He made me love knowledge, appreciate the past, recognize the gifts of life, and with his passing, a deeper understanding of my role to pass down to my own children these same gifts that I have received.

All my love Dad…I miss you.

Lego and the God particle: Physics and priorities

2009-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I like physics, so sue me. I mean the world of science in general fascinates me but physics really tests your perception of the world. When we look back, 100, 200, or even 500 years ago, people wrestled with ideas about the fundamental nature of existence. Every leap of understanding raised new questions as much as it answered old ones. Men and women on the leading edge of physics have had to accept that the universe is not simple and as puzzles go, it is a tough nut to crack. Still we are forever discovering things, questions things as we peer deeper into space or look closer into the building blocks of matter.

I currently follow the Soho project and the Hedron Collider close but many other things including deep space discoveries. If my math skills had been stronger, I am sure I would have had a career in this area.

I came across a niffy article from National Geographic from a few years ago, looking at the Hedron Collider. It is worth a read.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/god-particle/achenbach-text/1

I think one thing that always grasps me in these studies, the thing that awes me, is the vast sizes. Infinitely small or large. It is almost incomprehensible to sense it in anything less than an abstract relationship to us. Still, there it is.

We examine the infinite possibilities of existence, ask the questions that may be needed to open the universe, potentially prepare ourselves to shake hands with God himself.. but at the end of the day….
…Lego Rock band starring Queen will probably get more attention. *sigh

Ballooning your Children

2009-10-19T01:39:00.000-07:00

Much like the Ballooning of spiders, young couples all over the U.S. have been strapping in their children into homemade balloons in an effort to spirit them away to a country with adequate public health care. “We are a small underground network of concerned parents” spoke one anonymous source. “We have only our children’s future in mind when we do this. Given the prevailing winds it seems no matter what direction we send our children up into, they seem to always find an industrialized nation with public healthcare.” True to their cause, hundreds of false UFO reports have been made to distract authorities from the true situation. But now the cat may be out of the bag. A recent ballooning in Colorado have authorities scrambling, and may in fact be the undoing of the whole secret sky network. Federal, State and local law enforcement have been brought in to denounce the whole episode as a publicly stunt. A hoax. Again, certain parents know better, but they also worry now that escape from a "for profit" medical system, may now prove impossible.

It is here! Where the wild things are.

2009-10-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

As reported right here back some time ago..the time now has finally arrive.

Where the Wild things are !!!!!! In theatres everywhere !

OMG OMG OMG
This is the movie (well one of the movies) I always wished for and now it is here!

So..here is the official site http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/

And of course, here is an early review (which is a good one BTW).

http://www.411mania.com/movies/film_reviews/119169#

I won’t even bother telling you what it is about. Those who know, know. Those who don’t will be woken up, as from a dream.

Oh hell, just turn your computer off and go see this !

Torching boys seems a good pitch for private healthcare

2009-10-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

A boy being lit on fire is tragic, but what caught my eye in this recent article was the community pitching together to help with the expected medical bills. That’s true community spirit. Something us Canadians just don’t grasp. You see, when we torch our children, we seem content as the ambulance drives away, that it will all be taken care of. What a coming together event that helps people bond. Yet another reason for Canada to totally privatize: Private health care brings people together.

Or how about looking for the latest angle to profit from large scale issues. Like a pandemic. I know I have had many sleepless nights worrying I won’t get my cut of the government program dollars meant to stem disaster. It takes a true entrepreneur to figure out that the vaccines could be used to lure customers to your store and than sell them your latest widgets. Clever clever..I am so jealous I never thought of that first.

Just another day in Canada as we watch our Southern neighbours

2009-10-14T04:29:00.001-07:00

Funeral homes think the health care bill is a bad for their business, and Insurance Companies are saying the new plan will cause Insurance premiums to rise. This is all ok though since only 62% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. even involved medical bills. Geez…while America struggles with the public option on the table to off set private insurance, and while Canadians witness the on-going gong show debate with fresh examples of a system that has long gone sour for the consumer, we are just waking up to our own system. Our own system that we are so proud of is slowly being pecked away at, as governments try to say money during an economic bubble of bad news.

I guess the question, what exactly is the level of health care coverage that should citizens expect as a right versus extended benefits that are a perk.

Well here in Canada, it is all moot since, as a laid back people, it is far more entertaining to watch the Toronto trial over prostitutes challenging the governments right to make moral laws versus laws designed to protect the weakest portions of are society.

Thank God it is Hockey season and we have a place to park our apathy. Oh btw, Obama just won the Miss America Pagent.