I can’t get this story out of my head.
On Wednesday, I happened to read a story in the International Herald Tribune on the income of hedge fund managers. It turns out that the top 50 managers collectively made $29 billion. The top manager, John Paulson, made $3.7 billion last year.
Think of it. $3.7 billion. Net. In one year.
Now, to put this in perspective, to make $3.7 billion in a year, you would have to rake in over $10 million per day, for 365 days. Or $1.35 million per hour of a “working man’s day.” How about $375 per second?
This dude made more money in one year than the entire GDP of any of 58 countries last year. I’m not sure that I’d want to brag that I made more money than the Central African Republic, but less than Kosovo. But I could say that I made more money than Monaco and Liechtenstein put together. Now, that's class!
Setting aside the ethical and moral issues around one person making such a horrendous amount of money, how can once conceivably spend it all? I dunno about you, but think I could get by with a few million a year – maybe less, who knows – but how would I spend the rest? Event if I was to keep $100 million for myself, what do I do with the remaining $3,600 million?
Well, maybe I could by a basic Toyota Prius ($29,000) for everyone in who lives in in the city of Nepean, where I live (population ca. 123,000) with enough money left over to buy everyone a tank of gas.
If I was feeling really philanthropical, I could buy 30 kilos of rice (at $0.50 per kilo) for every man, woman and child in the Philippines and Bangladesh. Think of it. Thirty kilos of rice for 245,000,000 people!
And this is the amount of money Paulson made IN ONE YEAR.
I can’t help but think that there is something seriously wrong with our Western capitalist system. Capitalism reminds me of Science. There’s nothing wrong with the system itself, but I think there is something seriously wrong with the values of a group of people that get plugged into the system.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
75 Years ago: A democracy destroys itself
It was 75 years ago that the German Reichstag (the parliament at the time) passed the Enabling Act. The passing of this Act effectively destroyed what remained of Germany's democracy at that time.
This Act enabled the Reich government, and more specifically Hitler as Chancellor and his Cabinet, to promulgate and implement laws without referral to its Parliament. It allowed the implementation of the Nazi government's racist and repressive laws.
One should stop a moment and think about this...
This Act enabled the Reich government, and more specifically Hitler as Chancellor and his Cabinet, to promulgate and implement laws without referral to its Parliament. It allowed the implementation of the Nazi government's racist and repressive laws.
One should stop a moment and think about this...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
75 years ago: Death of a democracy
Today is the 75th anniversary of the Reichstag Fire Decree. I scanned the web for a mention of the Decree, and I couldn't find any other than yesterday's article on the Reichstag Fire.
I find it odd and sad that the item of greater import, the slaying of the Weimar Republic by Hitler and his cronies, was outweighed by the media reporting the 75th anniversary of the Reichstag fire itself. For sure, the fire precipitated the Decree, but the Decree inscribed in law the restriction of "...rights of personal freedom, freedom of opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property." It enabled abuses, physical and moral intimidation and violence, the persecution of minorities (especially the Jews), and of murder - all in the name of keeping order in the State.
Today, we take so much for granted. I think it's an injustice to all those who were tortured and killed that we do not take the time to remember what happened 75 years ago.
The maws of hell opened...
I find it odd and sad that the item of greater import, the slaying of the Weimar Republic by Hitler and his cronies, was outweighed by the media reporting the 75th anniversary of the Reichstag fire itself. For sure, the fire precipitated the Decree, but the Decree inscribed in law the restriction of "...rights of personal freedom, freedom of opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property." It enabled abuses, physical and moral intimidation and violence, the persecution of minorities (especially the Jews), and of murder - all in the name of keeping order in the State.
Today, we take so much for granted. I think it's an injustice to all those who were tortured and killed that we do not take the time to remember what happened 75 years ago.
The maws of hell opened...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
75 years ago, Hitler got his chance
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Reichstag fire, caused by arson. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutchman, and unemployed Communist, was accused of the crime, convicted, and executed in 1934.
The fire provided Hitler and his cronies the excuse he needed to seize power, within 24 hours, then Reichspresident Paul Hindenburg issued the Reichstag Fire Decree, which was written up by the Nazis, and which suspended most of the civil liberties enjoyed by German citizens at the time.
A memorial to van der Lubbe is to be unveiled today in his home city of Leiden, Netherlands. It’s interesting to note that at the time of the arson, the maximum sentence for setting fire was eight years imprisonment. The law was changed as a result of the Fire Decree to a death sentence, and that in January 2008, German authorities annulled Lubbe’s 1933 court verdict.
Deutsche Welle has an informative article on the Reichstag fire on its website.
The fire provided Hitler and his cronies the excuse he needed to seize power, within 24 hours, then Reichspresident Paul Hindenburg issued the Reichstag Fire Decree, which was written up by the Nazis, and which suspended most of the civil liberties enjoyed by German citizens at the time.
A memorial to van der Lubbe is to be unveiled today in his home city of Leiden, Netherlands. It’s interesting to note that at the time of the arson, the maximum sentence for setting fire was eight years imprisonment. The law was changed as a result of the Fire Decree to a death sentence, and that in January 2008, German authorities annulled Lubbe’s 1933 court verdict.
Deutsche Welle has an informative article on the Reichstag fire on its website.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
75th anniversary of Hitler's installation as Chancellor
I’m a WW II buff. In today’s RFF feed of “On this day,” I read that on January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was named the German Chancellor. Today is the 75th anniversary of Hitler’s installation.
I didn’t see this written up anywhere in my local paper, but a quick search with GoogleNews revealed that at least some people in the rest of the world had not let this anniversary pass unnoticed. Der Spiegel has a well-written article describing the context of Hitler’s accession to power.
It’s hard to believe, but within seven months of Hitler’s accession to the Chancellorship, people’s rights were curtailed or eliminated, people thrown into prison for their political, religious, or other beliefs, and opposition parties were abolished. Within these short seven months, a democracy was transformed into a dictatorship, and the seeds were sown for the persecution of the innocent, be they Jews, homosexuals, Gypsies, or anyone else which did not conform to the Nazis’ ideals of the “German race.” And a world war would follow.
The next important 75th anniversary days are:
· 27 February: The burning of the Reichstag
· 28 February: Hitler’s proclamation “Decree for the protection of the people and the state”
· 23 March: The final meeting of Germany’s parliament (the last until 1990)
· 1 April: The beginning of the persecution of the Jews in Hitler’s Germany
· 2 May: Outlawing of labour unions
Lest we forget…
I didn’t see this written up anywhere in my local paper, but a quick search with GoogleNews revealed that at least some people in the rest of the world had not let this anniversary pass unnoticed. Der Spiegel has a well-written article describing the context of Hitler’s accession to power.
It’s hard to believe, but within seven months of Hitler’s accession to the Chancellorship, people’s rights were curtailed or eliminated, people thrown into prison for their political, religious, or other beliefs, and opposition parties were abolished. Within these short seven months, a democracy was transformed into a dictatorship, and the seeds were sown for the persecution of the innocent, be they Jews, homosexuals, Gypsies, or anyone else which did not conform to the Nazis’ ideals of the “German race.” And a world war would follow.
The next important 75th anniversary days are:
· 27 February: The burning of the Reichstag
· 28 February: Hitler’s proclamation “Decree for the protection of the people and the state”
· 23 March: The final meeting of Germany’s parliament (the last until 1990)
· 1 April: The beginning of the persecution of the Jews in Hitler’s Germany
· 2 May: Outlawing of labour unions
Lest we forget…
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Our Common Future: 20 years later, it's a joke
Gawd knows that I'm busy, too busy in fact to take the time to update my blog. (It's a shame, really, I quite enjoy writing.) Perhaps it's the fact that nothing has happened lately that has motivated me to write. But something did happen to change that.
I read a story in the International Herald Tribune entitled "UN issues 'final wake-up call' on population and environment" outlining the fourth report in the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4) assessment which was published back in October 2007. (Why write about it now?)
The article mentioned that it was over 20 years since Gro Harlem Brundtland's landmark report Our Common Future was published. I didn't dissect the article, just skimmed over it, and realized that things really haven't changed, at least not in a way that that would substantially reduce mankind's impact on the global ecosystem. In fact, things are worse, and it's not hard to see that given the way things are going that we are going to deplete fish stocks on which we depend, eliminate biodiversity in much of the world, reduce forests to tree nurseries, and increase the rate of climate change. That's if things don't change. Predictably, the article reports:
"The program described its report, which is prepared by 388 experts and scientists, as the broadest and deepest of those that the UN issues on the environment and called it 'the final wake-up call to the international community.'"
Hah. "Final wake-up call" indeed! How many more "final wake-up calls" will we need, collectively, before we take action? Too many, since I think that things will have to get worse, a LOT worse, before any real action will be taken. And by that time, it will be too late.
I realize that in the 20 years since Bruntland's report, the only thing that changed was me. Twenty years ago, I was optimistic. I had faith in people, and that decision-makers would act with foresight and in the best interest of all.
Since then, I've learned a little bit about human nature and about politics. I now realize that nothing can beat 99% of people's appetite for apathy and greed, and that everyone is in it for themselves. And the 99% of the remaining 1% who think that they can "make a difference" in the world are simply deluding themselves since they cannot carry out any real effective action. And that little that remains (the 1% of 1%) that CAN make a difference, will get corrupted, co-opted or otherwise brought into line with the group-think of the decision-makers.
All this to say is that I'm betting that, in about 50 years time, mankind will be on the "endangered species list."
'nuff said. Time to get back to work.
Friday, October 19, 2007
...then the other end
Ugh. Again.
I had my colonoscopy today, part of the Government of Ontario's Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, and let's just say that it was a memorable event. Heh. But first some background.
Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in Canada, but it is preventable if detected in its early stages, so it makes sense that the Government is in investing $193.5 million over the next five years to implement and expand the program to increase access to colorectal cancer screening for Ontarians aged 50 years or older. (See press release.)
I got a call for my screening in early summer, and on the advice of my physician, he advised me to get a colonoscopy. I agreed. I met the gastroenterologist later that summer, and he explained the procedure. He said the colonoscopy would take about 15 to 20 minutes in total.
Yesterday, I fasted all day (well, liquid diet only), interspersed with two doses of sodium phosphate solution. My afternoon was spent running to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. By 9 PM last night, there was nothing left in my gut. I know that for a fact. I didn't mind that so much as not being able to eat for a whole day.
Since Cheryl was very busy at work and preparing for her upcoming trip to Brazil, I had asked my sister Françoise if she could pick me up from the hospital. Not only did she agree, but she offered to drive me there in the early morning. What a sister... ;-)
The documentation that I had from the gastroenterologist and the Ottawa Hospital indicated that I should show up half an hour before my appointment. Clearly their literature was out of date, because when I got there at 6:30 AM, the sign on the clinic door said that it opens at 7:00 AM. Damn, we could have slept in an extra half-hour...
After my check-in and exchanging my clothes for an open-backed gown and bathrobe, an IV stent into a vein on the back of my hand (for sedation), and a 30 minute wait, I was admitted into a small cubicle with a large TV. My gastroenterologist greeted me, and proceeded to sedate me. After about 30 seconds, I got to feeling pretty good...
I then lay on my left side like this and then introduced the colonoscope. The first 5 to 10 minutes weren't bad - just the discomfort of feeling bloated with gas. Unfortunately, the doc had difficulty navigating the ascending colon (see diagram), and it took him extra time (and me, extra sedation) before the 'scope made its way down to the caecum. Finally, the exam was over and he withdrew the scope. The doc then told me that my bowel looked okay. I barely heard him, because by this time I was exhausted and the drugs were running strong... I don't even remember how I got to the recovery room. I just felt drugged-up and bloated. In the recovery room, the nurse removed the IV and I was allowed to leave after a 40-minute wait, at about 9:30 AM.
I'd hoped to have my first decent meal in 4 days at a Cora's restaurant on the way home, but the drugs still had hold of me and I asked Fran to drive me home. Once arrived, I had some yogurt and Fran tucked me in before leaving at about 10:30. I slept with the dog and cat curled up beside me for a couple of hours.
I don't feel too badly now, though I still feel the effects of the drugs. Mostly, I just feel tired and "out of it." Before I left the hospital, the nurse told me that I should be fine by Saturday morning.
I can't say that it was a pleasurable experience, but I'm glad I had the colonoscopy done, if only for my peace of mind about colorectal cancer.
And, it was kind of neat, really, being able to see the inside of my gut!
I had my colonoscopy today, part of the Government of Ontario's Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, and let's just say that it was a memorable event. Heh. But first some background.
Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in Canada, but it is preventable if detected in its early stages, so it makes sense that the Government is in investing $193.5 million over the next five years to implement and expand the program to increase access to colorectal cancer screening for Ontarians aged 50 years or older. (See press release.)
I got a call for my screening in early summer, and on the advice of my physician, he advised me to get a colonoscopy. I agreed. I met the gastroenterologist later that summer, and he explained the procedure. He said the colonoscopy would take about 15 to 20 minutes in total.
Yesterday, I fasted all day (well, liquid diet only), interspersed with two doses of sodium phosphate solution. My afternoon was spent running to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. By 9 PM last night, there was nothing left in my gut. I know that for a fact. I didn't mind that so much as not being able to eat for a whole day.
Since Cheryl was very busy at work and preparing for her upcoming trip to Brazil, I had asked my sister Françoise if she could pick me up from the hospital. Not only did she agree, but she offered to drive me there in the early morning. What a sister... ;-)
The documentation that I had from the gastroenterologist and the Ottawa Hospital indicated that I should show up half an hour before my appointment. Clearly their literature was out of date, because when I got there at 6:30 AM, the sign on the clinic door said that it opens at 7:00 AM. Damn, we could have slept in an extra half-hour...
After my check-in and exchanging my clothes for an open-backed gown and bathrobe, an IV stent into a vein on the back of my hand (for sedation), and a 30 minute wait, I was admitted into a small cubicle with a large TV. My gastroenterologist greeted me, and proceeded to sedate me. After about 30 seconds, I got to feeling pretty good...
I then lay on my left side like this and then introduced the colonoscope. The first 5 to 10 minutes weren't bad - just the discomfort of feeling bloated with gas. Unfortunately, the doc had difficulty navigating the ascending colon (see diagram), and it took him extra time (and me, extra sedation) before the 'scope made its way down to the caecum. Finally, the exam was over and he withdrew the scope. The doc then told me that my bowel looked okay. I barely heard him, because by this time I was exhausted and the drugs were running strong... I don't even remember how I got to the recovery room. I just felt drugged-up and bloated. In the recovery room, the nurse removed the IV and I was allowed to leave after a 40-minute wait, at about 9:30 AM.
I'd hoped to have my first decent meal in 4 days at a Cora's restaurant on the way home, but the drugs still had hold of me and I asked Fran to drive me home. Once arrived, I had some yogurt and Fran tucked me in before leaving at about 10:30. I slept with the dog and cat curled up beside me for a couple of hours.
I don't feel too badly now, though I still feel the effects of the drugs. Mostly, I just feel tired and "out of it." Before I left the hospital, the nurse told me that I should be fine by Saturday morning.
I can't say that it was a pleasurable experience, but I'm glad I had the colonoscopy done, if only for my peace of mind about colorectal cancer.
And, it was kind of neat, really, being able to see the inside of my gut!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
First one end...
Ugh. What a day.
Work is going well, I just wish I was more on top of things. Now that I have my own scholarships committee to take care of, I have around 70 apps to process. I figure it should take me a couple of days straight, not counting breaks etc. Plus, the Doctorals have come in, and that will take a couple more days just to process... So in theory, I might have about a week's worth of work, but deadlines are tight, etc. I just wish I had more time.
On top of that, I managed to snap the root of my oldest root-canaled tooth, a lower incisor, last Saturday. The one I had fixed when I was 11 years old. Surprising, really, that it has lasted this long. So I had to part with it this afternoon, and it hurt. It really hurt - I've had a LOT of dental work done in my life, and this was by far the most painful experience I've ever had. All told, the dentist injected me at least half a dozen times (7 inside the lip, 3 on the inside of my lower jaw), because the deeper he dug, the more painful it got. The dental hygienist had to unclench my hands that had dug into the armrests for me: I hadn't even noticed I was doing it. I noticed as I was going through the pain that I would sweat. After a half-hour of this, the back of my jeans were wet with sweat, and I had a sheet of perspiration on my arms and chest. Really wierd.
At the end of it, the dentist told me it was one of the more difficult extractions he'd ever done. (He's my age, and he's been doing this a while.) So now I have to look at 3 options: to go for a partial palate, a bridge, or an implant. I have another 4 to 6 weeks of healing, and in the meantime I will have an appointment with a periodontist to help me determine the next steps.
While I was sitting in the dentist's chair, I became acutely aware of my body's ageing. Yes, the body does start to wear out and doesn't renew itself like it used to. It was just a question of time as to when my root would snap and someone would have to dig it out. I felt like my nose was being rubbed into my mortality once again.
Now, I can look forward to starving tomorrow so I'll be prepared for my colonoscopy on Friday. Oh joy, I can't wait - the happiness of being in my fifties!
Work is going well, I just wish I was more on top of things. Now that I have my own scholarships committee to take care of, I have around 70 apps to process. I figure it should take me a couple of days straight, not counting breaks etc. Plus, the Doctorals have come in, and that will take a couple more days just to process... So in theory, I might have about a week's worth of work, but deadlines are tight, etc. I just wish I had more time.
On top of that, I managed to snap the root of my oldest root-canaled tooth, a lower incisor, last Saturday. The one I had fixed when I was 11 years old. Surprising, really, that it has lasted this long. So I had to part with it this afternoon, and it hurt. It really hurt - I've had a LOT of dental work done in my life, and this was by far the most painful experience I've ever had. All told, the dentist injected me at least half a dozen times (7 inside the lip, 3 on the inside of my lower jaw), because the deeper he dug, the more painful it got. The dental hygienist had to unclench my hands that had dug into the armrests for me: I hadn't even noticed I was doing it. I noticed as I was going through the pain that I would sweat. After a half-hour of this, the back of my jeans were wet with sweat, and I had a sheet of perspiration on my arms and chest. Really wierd.
At the end of it, the dentist told me it was one of the more difficult extractions he'd ever done. (He's my age, and he's been doing this a while.) So now I have to look at 3 options: to go for a partial palate, a bridge, or an implant. I have another 4 to 6 weeks of healing, and in the meantime I will have an appointment with a periodontist to help me determine the next steps.
While I was sitting in the dentist's chair, I became acutely aware of my body's ageing. Yes, the body does start to wear out and doesn't renew itself like it used to. It was just a question of time as to when my root would snap and someone would have to dig it out. I felt like my nose was being rubbed into my mortality once again.
Now, I can look forward to starving tomorrow so I'll be prepared for my colonoscopy on Friday. Oh joy, I can't wait - the happiness of being in my fifties!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
1,000+ km and a new cat
I'm finally getting around to posting on a couple of newsworthy items (at least they are for me).
First, I achieved a minor milestone last week (well, almost two weeks ago, but who's counting) of having gone over 1,000 kilometers in the course of my daily commute to work. I have an odometer on my bike, which I attached a couple of weeks after I started my commute, so I have racked up maybe 100 km more than what it registered. No matter, it was kind of neat to see the numbers tick over from 999 to 1000.
The other event is that we welcomed today a 3-year old, chocolate point Siamese cat named "Joey" into our family. He's a real cutie, and once he calms down enough for me to take some pictures, I'll post some in my blog.
First, I achieved a minor milestone last week (well, almost two weeks ago, but who's counting) of having gone over 1,000 kilometers in the course of my daily commute to work. I have an odometer on my bike, which I attached a couple of weeks after I started my commute, so I have racked up maybe 100 km more than what it registered. No matter, it was kind of neat to see the numbers tick over from 999 to 1000.
The other event is that we welcomed today a 3-year old, chocolate point Siamese cat named "Joey" into our family. He's a real cutie, and once he calms down enough for me to take some pictures, I'll post some in my blog.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
RIP: Bamse 926 and Severus Snape
I was shocked to learn this morning that one of the people I have regularly played Raven Shield with and chatted with over Ventrilo has died.
This person, whom I got to know as "Bamse" (which I learned today means "bear" in Norwegian) had been pretty much a fixture for the past year in the RvS clan to which I belong. I had gotten used to hearing his low, gravelly voice greeting me and other clan members as we joined the Ventrilo channel before we would begin gaming. In-game, I would greet him as "my socialist friend" given that the Norwegian and Canadian forms of government tend to be more left-leaning than the government of the American players who host the clan server. He would even invite me on occasion to come onto the Red side as if to reinforce the appearance of socialist solidarity and to tease our American friends. It might have been lost on everyone else, but I had the feeling Bamse and I shared that little bit of fun.
His death hit me all the harder as I biked home from work today. I had zoned out climbing a hill and I started thinking how unfair it was that Bamse was gone. Now, I didn't know much about his personal life, but I couldn't help but get the feeling from the time I had spent listening to him on comms that, sure, he had his share of warts, but that he was fundamentally a good person - and that if the opportunity had presented itself I would have met him in person, if only to get the measure of the man.
It saddens me greatly that I will not have the opportunity to hear him again and to know more of him. His death pushed me to ask the usual meaning-of-life and why-are-we-here questions, and I really hate when that happens, because my thinking ends up in why-can't-we-all-get-along and why-can't-people-see-that-other-people-are-important questions, then I get angry and disappointed and frustrated with humanity and my life, and I'd rather go live on a desert isle... And a fat lot of good that kind of thinking does, anyway. Sigh. It's just that Bamse's death is so damn tragic.
So Bamse, wherever you are, resquiat in pace, brother.
I guess what made it worse still was that I had read, and re-read, and re-re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have to say that when I got to the end of the chapter entitled "The Elder Wand" and read through "The Prince's Tale," I cried. Really cried. Imagine, a 52-year old man, crying because a character in a kid's book dies.
Well, for anyone who know the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape is one of the least likeable characters. Even before the book came out, I was sure that Snape would not survive the series, but the way that JKR filled in the backstory on Snape took me completely by surprise, and made Snape, in my mind at least, someone for which I felt deeply. I felt anger at the way Snape had been treated by many of the main characters, but most of all, I was angry at the way life had treated him - how his childhood and the bullying had shaped his personality, or at least in the way that he would react to situations. For sure, Snape tread down the wrong path, but in the end his heart was in the right place and he was redeemed by his love for Lily. I guess I feel that kind of anger against life for the way Snape was dealt a crappy hand. I can't help but think that if circumstances were different, the outcome would have been quite different. I think of the scene where Dumbledore says to Snape: "Sometimes I think we Sort too soon." This leaves Snape looking "stricken." What if Snape had been sorted into Griffyndor?
So I'm left struggling with the same issue for Bamse and Snape. I grieve for both, and I'm angry at the injustice of seeing the lives of good men that come to a premature end.
I'll miss them both.
This person, whom I got to know as "Bamse" (which I learned today means "bear" in Norwegian) had been pretty much a fixture for the past year in the RvS clan to which I belong. I had gotten used to hearing his low, gravelly voice greeting me and other clan members as we joined the Ventrilo channel before we would begin gaming. In-game, I would greet him as "my socialist friend" given that the Norwegian and Canadian forms of government tend to be more left-leaning than the government of the American players who host the clan server. He would even invite me on occasion to come onto the Red side as if to reinforce the appearance of socialist solidarity and to tease our American friends. It might have been lost on everyone else, but I had the feeling Bamse and I shared that little bit of fun.
His death hit me all the harder as I biked home from work today. I had zoned out climbing a hill and I started thinking how unfair it was that Bamse was gone. Now, I didn't know much about his personal life, but I couldn't help but get the feeling from the time I had spent listening to him on comms that, sure, he had his share of warts, but that he was fundamentally a good person - and that if the opportunity had presented itself I would have met him in person, if only to get the measure of the man.
It saddens me greatly that I will not have the opportunity to hear him again and to know more of him. His death pushed me to ask the usual meaning-of-life and why-are-we-here questions, and I really hate when that happens, because my thinking ends up in why-can't-we-all-get-along and why-can't-people-see-that-other-people-are-important questions, then I get angry and disappointed and frustrated with humanity and my life, and I'd rather go live on a desert isle... And a fat lot of good that kind of thinking does, anyway. Sigh. It's just that Bamse's death is so damn tragic.
So Bamse, wherever you are, resquiat in pace, brother.
I guess what made it worse still was that I had read, and re-read, and re-re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have to say that when I got to the end of the chapter entitled "The Elder Wand" and read through "The Prince's Tale," I cried. Really cried. Imagine, a 52-year old man, crying because a character in a kid's book dies.
Well, for anyone who know the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape is one of the least likeable characters. Even before the book came out, I was sure that Snape would not survive the series, but the way that JKR filled in the backstory on Snape took me completely by surprise, and made Snape, in my mind at least, someone for which I felt deeply. I felt anger at the way Snape had been treated by many of the main characters, but most of all, I was angry at the way life had treated him - how his childhood and the bullying had shaped his personality, or at least in the way that he would react to situations. For sure, Snape tread down the wrong path, but in the end his heart was in the right place and he was redeemed by his love for Lily. I guess I feel that kind of anger against life for the way Snape was dealt a crappy hand. I can't help but think that if circumstances were different, the outcome would have been quite different. I think of the scene where Dumbledore says to Snape: "Sometimes I think we Sort too soon." This leaves Snape looking "stricken." What if Snape had been sorted into Griffyndor?
So I'm left struggling with the same issue for Bamse and Snape. I grieve for both, and I'm angry at the injustice of seeing the lives of good men that come to a premature end.
I'll miss them both.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
On the road...
I'm blogging from my first-ever series of site visits to some Quebec universities: Rimouski, Sherbrooke, Laval... I enjoy it, but the schedule is EXHAUSTING. At the end of a 2 hour visit (1 hour presentation, Q&As) I'm emotionally drained and I've had to drive for at least 3 hours a day for the past 3 days... thankfully, my last day is tomorrow (Laval), and I can look forward to a 5-hour drive home. Ugh.
I've become painfully aware of my lack of intimate familiarity (as opposed to nodding acquantance) of our postgraduate scholarships - our briefing notes are excellent, but it seems too much to cram into my small brain in so little time...
Anyway, I'm looking forward to administering my own committee competition. I'll finally be able to translate abstract information on our programs and integrate it into some concrete experience.
D'autre part, ça été toute une expérience de parler et de travailler complètement en français depuis quelques jours. D'une part, j'ai dû m'habituer à un environnement où l'anglais était complètement absent, et d'apprendre à communiquer uniquement dans une langue... mais dautre part, j'ai été surpris à comment rapidement je me suis ajusté à travailler dans l'absence de l'anglais. Intéressant.
Anyway, there's been lots more going on in my life, and I hope that I'll have the time to write about it later on.
I've become painfully aware of my lack of intimate familiarity (as opposed to nodding acquantance) of our postgraduate scholarships - our briefing notes are excellent, but it seems too much to cram into my small brain in so little time...
Anyway, I'm looking forward to administering my own committee competition. I'll finally be able to translate abstract information on our programs and integrate it into some concrete experience.
D'autre part, ça été toute une expérience de parler et de travailler complètement en français depuis quelques jours. D'une part, j'ai dû m'habituer à un environnement où l'anglais était complètement absent, et d'apprendre à communiquer uniquement dans une langue... mais dautre part, j'ai été surpris à comment rapidement je me suis ajusté à travailler dans l'absence de l'anglais. Intéressant.
Anyway, there's been lots more going on in my life, and I hope that I'll have the time to write about it later on.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Very scary story...
Here is a contemporary story of human rights abuse in
Imagine being a political prisoner BY BIRTH… born into a concentration camp, not having had any knowledge or experience of the outside world other than in the camp.
Frightening.
Even more frightening: that regimes exist today that foster such systems.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Harry Potter 7: My 15 hours of Deathly Hallows...
NOTE: NO SPOILERS! (Well at least, just a couple of spoilers related to two of the characters - I give a little bit on their characters and what happens to them in the book.)
I've just completed a marathon session of reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HP7). The book is, in one word, amazing.
I decided I would take my time and read it at leisure, so it took me 15 hours to read 600+ pages, which makes my reading speed 40 pages an hour, or about a minute and and a half per page. In the months leading up to the release of the book, I re-read all the previous books at least once (and the last 3 books at least twice). I also discussed aspects of the series with Klara and discussed various predictions of HP7. I'm glad I did, as it was with a prepared mind that I read this book.
Deathly Hallows is without question the "darkest" book of the series. Whereas there was much lightheartedness in the earlier tomes, this book is the reverse - there is much seriousness puctuated only occasionally by lightheartedness.
The previous 2 books Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince seemed "slow" at the time I read them initially - not much appeared to be happening in spots, and the books seemed to drag. In contrast, the action in Deathly Hallows starts very early and does not stop until the last chapter. It's been a long time since I've wanted to finish a book in one sitting, and I had no problem doing that with this book!
I had heard that JKR said that 2 main characters would die. In fact there are more than two deaths, and depending on how one defines a "main character," the body count is much higher than that. I successfully predicted the death of one of the characters, but I was suprised by the death of others. Some HP fans might be upset by the high body count, but anyone who is familiar with recent history (especially the rise of Nazi Germany - See Coming of the Third Reich and Third Reich In Power 1933 1939 by Richard Evans) can see to what extent ruthless people such as Voldemort and his Death Eaters will go. I can't help but think that JKR's time spent working for Amnesty International must have helped frame Voldemort's rise to power in her stories.
I couldn't help but be amazed by JKR's ability to weave complex but continuous story lines in the series, to throw in new plots and subplots for HP7, and to tie everything up in the conclusion. New materials and new characters appear in this book, and some characters that were present in previous books re-appear, so there is a pleasant combination of old and new.
I was also impressed by the moral and spiritual depth of the book. After reading the previous 6 books, and in discussions with Klara, I couldn't help but wonder how JKR regarded love, courage, death, and the afterlife in this book. I must say that each of these topics is addressed in some measure in the book, but I had hoped to read more of her vision on each of these. (Obviously, I've ignored the fact that this is a book meant for a younger readership!)
HERE BE AMBIGUOUSLY WORDED SPOILERS ===============
Two of the elements I enjoyed the most in the book relate to Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
We learn more about Dumbledore in several parts of the book - there was a darker side to Albus than what we knew through the previous 6 books. We learn not only about his fallibility, but of his egotism, his selfishness, his ruthlessness, and his manipulativeness. As a result of this, I was not repelled by Dumbledore's character, but it made him more human and less of the (unreal) kind, gentle, grandfatherly figure from the earlier books.
On the other hand, Severus Snape, who appears to be a villain (and quite nasty in in HP7) redeems himself in Harry's eyes quite late in the book. I had suspected that Snape was not as evil as he appeared, particularly through his actions near the end of HP6, and HP7 fills in gaps in our understanding of Snape's motivation and his internal struggles.
END OF SPOILERS =========================
Perhaps the most important lesson that JKR wishes to teach us is that people are not what they seem, and that people change their philosophies and beliefs over time. Some people, like those mentioned in the spoiler, learn from the error of their ways, but others persist in error or even deepen their error as a result of a desire of power or importance. It's a lesson that should not be lost on us.
I also can't help but feel that JKR have written a series and most particularly this novel, for our times. The rise of Voldemort can be equated to the rise of Al-Qaeda or the early years of Nazism, where a small group of people use intimidation and terror to achieve the goal of instilling fear in the populace, fostering the distrust of their leaders, and culminating in the overthrow of government and seizure of power. This is another lesson for us to learn.
It was an emotional book as well. I cried in many spots, not just when a character died, but when a "point of no return" was reached, for example, when Harry leaves Aunt Petunia's for the last time and their final goodbyes. (This is not really a spoiler since all this really is set up at the end of Book 6.) There are many points like this in the book, and it is all the more poignant when the reader knows that this is happening in the last book of the series. JKR brings an element of finality to the book and the series, not through a single climactic event (although there is one), but through a series of crises scatterered through the book.
This is a great end to a great series. I'm just sad that it's all at an end.
I've just completed a marathon session of reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HP7). The book is, in one word, amazing.
I decided I would take my time and read it at leisure, so it took me 15 hours to read 600+ pages, which makes my reading speed 40 pages an hour, or about a minute and and a half per page. In the months leading up to the release of the book, I re-read all the previous books at least once (and the last 3 books at least twice). I also discussed aspects of the series with Klara and discussed various predictions of HP7. I'm glad I did, as it was with a prepared mind that I read this book.
Deathly Hallows is without question the "darkest" book of the series. Whereas there was much lightheartedness in the earlier tomes, this book is the reverse - there is much seriousness puctuated only occasionally by lightheartedness.
The previous 2 books Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince seemed "slow" at the time I read them initially - not much appeared to be happening in spots, and the books seemed to drag. In contrast, the action in Deathly Hallows starts very early and does not stop until the last chapter. It's been a long time since I've wanted to finish a book in one sitting, and I had no problem doing that with this book!
I had heard that JKR said that 2 main characters would die. In fact there are more than two deaths, and depending on how one defines a "main character," the body count is much higher than that. I successfully predicted the death of one of the characters, but I was suprised by the death of others. Some HP fans might be upset by the high body count, but anyone who is familiar with recent history (especially the rise of Nazi Germany - See Coming of the Third Reich and Third Reich In Power 1933 1939 by Richard Evans) can see to what extent ruthless people such as Voldemort and his Death Eaters will go. I can't help but think that JKR's time spent working for Amnesty International must have helped frame Voldemort's rise to power in her stories.
I couldn't help but be amazed by JKR's ability to weave complex but continuous story lines in the series, to throw in new plots and subplots for HP7, and to tie everything up in the conclusion. New materials and new characters appear in this book, and some characters that were present in previous books re-appear, so there is a pleasant combination of old and new.
I was also impressed by the moral and spiritual depth of the book. After reading the previous 6 books, and in discussions with Klara, I couldn't help but wonder how JKR regarded love, courage, death, and the afterlife in this book. I must say that each of these topics is addressed in some measure in the book, but I had hoped to read more of her vision on each of these. (Obviously, I've ignored the fact that this is a book meant for a younger readership!)
HERE BE AMBIGUOUSLY WORDED SPOILERS ===============
Two of the elements I enjoyed the most in the book relate to Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
We learn more about Dumbledore in several parts of the book - there was a darker side to Albus than what we knew through the previous 6 books. We learn not only about his fallibility, but of his egotism, his selfishness, his ruthlessness, and his manipulativeness. As a result of this, I was not repelled by Dumbledore's character, but it made him more human and less of the (unreal) kind, gentle, grandfatherly figure from the earlier books.
On the other hand, Severus Snape, who appears to be a villain (and quite nasty in in HP7) redeems himself in Harry's eyes quite late in the book. I had suspected that Snape was not as evil as he appeared, particularly through his actions near the end of HP6, and HP7 fills in gaps in our understanding of Snape's motivation and his internal struggles.
END OF SPOILERS =========================
Perhaps the most important lesson that JKR wishes to teach us is that people are not what they seem, and that people change their philosophies and beliefs over time. Some people, like those mentioned in the spoiler, learn from the error of their ways, but others persist in error or even deepen their error as a result of a desire of power or importance. It's a lesson that should not be lost on us.
I also can't help but feel that JKR have written a series and most particularly this novel, for our times. The rise of Voldemort can be equated to the rise of Al-Qaeda or the early years of Nazism, where a small group of people use intimidation and terror to achieve the goal of instilling fear in the populace, fostering the distrust of their leaders, and culminating in the overthrow of government and seizure of power. This is another lesson for us to learn.
It was an emotional book as well. I cried in many spots, not just when a character died, but when a "point of no return" was reached, for example, when Harry leaves Aunt Petunia's for the last time and their final goodbyes. (This is not really a spoiler since all this really is set up at the end of Book 6.) There are many points like this in the book, and it is all the more poignant when the reader knows that this is happening in the last book of the series. JKR brings an element of finality to the book and the series, not through a single climactic event (although there is one), but through a series of crises scatterered through the book.
This is a great end to a great series. I'm just sad that it's all at an end.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Man with "tiny brain" is a civil servant
I couldn't pass this up.
In
In the course of getting his medical history, doctors learned that he had a childhood condition of hydrocephalus, and had a shunt put into his brain when he was an infant. The shunt was removed when he was 14.
Doctors decided to check on the condition of his brain and carried out a CT scan and an MRI.
They discovered "massive enlargements" of the brain ventricles (spaces that occur normally in the brain), and that the brain tissue itself was reduced to a thin layer lining the skull. Basically, this dude was working on 25% to 50% of what would be normal brain tissue space.
Would this lead to the generalization that civil servants have tiny brains?
;-)
Increased Cannabis use in Canada related to lower crime rate?
There was an article which appeared last week which stated that
And just this week, CBC reported that Canada's crime rate in 2006 was lowest in 25 years (in spite of the fact that youth crime rate had increased by 3%).
Hmm… I wonder if we're seeing a cause-and-effect here? If not, these observation MUST somehow be related to global warming, everything else is these days…
Monday, July 16, 2007
CWar LAN 2007 - An Odyssee
Just got back from the LAN get-together in Milford, Delaware, by way of Montreal. Like last year, I have waaaay to many experiences to be shared in my usual stream-of-conciousness way. Bear with me while I ramble.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Got the car at 3:00 PM. Then, mad dash home to finish packing and getting my things in order. Yeah, don't forget the Razer Mouse, headphones, and pillow. On the road to Montreal by 4:00 PM. Halfway to Montreal, I remember that I forgot the pillow. Crap. Fortunately, my sister lets me borrow one of her pillows.
Got the car at 3:00 PM. Then, mad dash home to finish packing and getting my things in order. Yeah, don't forget the Razer Mouse, headphones, and pillow. On the road to Montreal by 4:00 PM. Halfway to Montreal, I remember that I forgot the pillow. Crap. Fortunately, my sister lets me borrow one of her pillows.
Friday, July 13, 2007
After a leisurely breakfast, I hit the road at 10:00 AM, for a quick ride to the Canada-US border. Halfway there, I remember the date. OMG. Having remembered by experience with Homeland Security last year, I come fully prepared: Map, names, addresses, phone numbers of the people I'll be staying with.
Finally at the border, I wait 10 minutes in line for customs before it's my turn. All very organized, professional. I'm addressed by an elderly mustachioed border agent who would have looked comfortable in a Stetson and cowboy boots. All that's missing this the Remington Peacemaker.
I answer his questions with what I hope is a "relaxed" look. He goes around the car, inspects the contents of the trunk, and sends me on my way. WHEW. I got off easy!
Then it's 2+ hours of travel down I-87. Along the Adirondack State Park: spectacular vistas of mountains, lush forests, and deep valleys. Cheryl has been wanting to visit here, so I make a note of the places that we can visit. It must be spectacular in the fall.
Finally arrive in Glens Falls, and I realize as I'm driving that I put Snowdog's directions to his place in the trunk of the car. Fortunately, I have the map coordinates of his place in my GPS. Okay, so it's a simple matter of using the GPS to find his place, right? Well, NOT so simple. I travel for 20 minutes down the backroads before realizing that the GPS map does not include the roads in the area, so I'm driving "blind." Or rather, I keep one eye on the GPS and the other on the road. Not the best way to travel.
By this time, frustration get the best of me, and I pull over into a gas station. I look up, and by blind luck I had stumbled on the very road where Snowie lives! (Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky??) Five minutes later, I roll up his driveway.
I feel a bit awkward with Snowie at the beginning. Well, that's to be expected. After all, we've only chatted on Ventrilo, and have met each other for less than an hour last year. After a coffee, Snowie shows me around his place, and the room where I'll stay the night. I start to relax, and by suppertime (juicy pork tenderloin, salad and rice - mmmm....) we're chatting like we've been friends for years.
I feel a bit awkward with Snowie at the beginning. Well, that's to be expected. After all, we've only chatted on Ventrilo, and have met each other for less than an hour last year. After a coffee, Snowie shows me around his place, and the room where I'll stay the night. I start to relax, and by suppertime (juicy pork tenderloin, salad and rice - mmmm....) we're chatting like we've been friends for years.
Then he asks if I would like to go to that evening's gig, where his band "Mischief" is playing at a local bar. Well, how can I refuse, with all the beer I can drink? ;-)After a first set warm-up with some great songs by 70's and 80's artists like Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, and Boy George (!), the second set gets the crowd on its feet dancing with songs by artists like AC/DC, The Clash, and John Cougar Mellencamp.
Needless to say, a good time was had by all!
Of course, by the time I met him, Tin had found his heart... ;-)
It's too bad that he had to work the next day, otherwise I'm sure Tin would have been with us at the LAN.
By this time, we (and especially Snowie) were pretty tired. But not tired enough to talk. We talk about the Clan, about the U.S., Canada, Iraq, health care... and pretty soon it's closing in on midnight, and it's time for bed for an early start on Saturday.
I can't think of a happier Friday the 13th I've ever had.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
I wake up at 6:00 AM feeling like someone substituted sandpaper for my eyelids. Argh.
Snowie's up, and we decide to forgo a sit-down breakfast to get on the road more quickly. We're packed and out the door by 7:00.
On the way to the I-87, we agree that it's a good idea to have a bite to eat on the road. We pull in to "Dunkin' Donuts." While we're waiting to order, I decide to have a coffee, with milk, and bran muffin with raisins. Straightforward and to the point.
Well, it was not to be. There was, to put it politely, some confusion with regards to the order. After some back-and-forthing between me (with hearing problems) with a waitress (who was young and likely new on the job), we roll up to the window to get our order. I pass my travel mug for the waitress to fill with coffee, and she stares at me. The waitress asks if I want chocolate or strawberry milk. "With my coffee?" I ask. She stares again. Hmm. It's obvious that there was some miscommunication here. Meanwhile, Snowie is starting to crack up.
I tell the waitress that no, I wanted milk in my coffee. She closes the window, and there is some discussion inside the store. Then the girl passes me my travel mug with milk slopped over the side. She says "sorry" and passes me some napkins. I clean off the mug and Snowie is helping me and having a good laugh. Then a second waitress passes the bags of food to us, apologizes again, says "have a good day" and slams the service window shut.
Oh, did I not tell you that we haven't paid? It certainly didn't appear to be a preoccupation of the Dunkin' Donuts people to accept payment. Here I am, staring at a closed window, with money in one fist and a mug in the other. What am I to think?
Snowie laughs and says: "Why don't you just leave?" As a joke. Well, my mood was not the best, and I took him literally.
We zoomed off, and Snowie looks at me shocked and says: "I can't believe you left without paying!"
Well, the Dunkin' Donuts people can sue me. Snowie said that they probably have videocam evidence and they were probably going to get the State Police after us... No matter.
There not much to talk about regarding actual highway driving. Other than to say that the New Jersey Turnpike should be more properly called the New Jersey Parking Lot. I think that people take the NJT when they are bored and want to sit in a hot car for hours at a time and watch ants crawl past their cars. I foolishly ignored Snowie's advice to avoid it, while I smugly thought, "yeah, I wanna be able to say I drove on it!" Well, driving is hardly the word I would have used. More like crawling. Better yet, inching. Anyway....
Another highlight was when we pulled over at a gas station to ask for directions. You see, the I-95 and the NJT are not well signed (more about this later, on our way back). So we pull in, I jump out and blurt out to a station attendant: "How do I get to Delaware?"
Now, you have to appreciate it's like asking someone: "How do you get to Indiana? Or Ontario?" No duh. The nicest thing he did was to NOT burst out laughing. He politely gave me instructions and we went on our way. The ridiculousness of my question and his straight-faced response didn't hit me until I had gotten back on the freeway.
We arrived at the LAN at 3:30 PM. Which isn't bad, considering we had wasted nearly and hour and a half at the New Jersey TurnPike/Parking Lot. When we had called in to Mengis/ette that we were going to be late, we learned that OmegaMan had gotten into an accident only an hour out from Delaware. We were pleasantly surprised to see him there at the LAN! Fortunately, he was able to drive his damaged vehicle to the hotel and take part in the LAN. I just hope he was able to get repairs done and get home safely!We played from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM, with short breaks for meals. It was fun to be able to play with no lag, and to meet old faces (Snowie, Beagle, Mengis, Mengisette, Long) and some new ones: RisingAngel, Rash, Greenhouse, SuBNoiZe, BoNgInATOr, and Mengis's brother. DroopyDawg and Tree showed up later to say hello - a nice surprise! I can't impartially comment on the play, since I was too busy to avoid getting fragged or nailed by my opponents. We all did well at at one map or another. It was the first time I went through a whole map "cycle" in one sitting!
At 11:00 PM, we called it a night and went to Mengis/ette's place for refreshments (i.e., more beer) and a late night snack (burgers, hot dogs, ice cream cake). We digested our meal while chatting about politics and the best way to raise teenagers. Then, a hardcore group (the younger people) went back to the hotel to play some more (!!!), while the elders went to bed at around 1:00 AM.
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
Snowie and I greeted the early morn (7:00 AM) by Mengis/ette's two parrots (or macaws?) with a series of squawks, cackles, whistles... which insisted on tearing me from my blessed unconsiousness... I know now how Capitaine Haddock of TinTin felt when he gave his famous dirty looks to the parrot in the Bijoux de la Castafiore... I still have to get my revenge on these birds... Though the birds became fascinated with Snowie's snoring (or scared, maybe?), to the point that they kept quiet and gave us another 2 hours sleep...
Finally, everyone woke up and we made our way to the Milford Diner for a late breakfast. We were introduced to scrapple , a local culinary delicacy, by Mengisette. While I did not partake of this savoury victual, others at the table did, and Snowdog found it difficult to describe the taste and texture... I leave it to your imagination.... (Hehehehe...)
After our farewells, Snowdog and I drove back. I'm grateful that he drove, as I didn't feel up to it. He seemed to take particular delight in pushing the Grand Prix I rented to its limits - I doubt the State Police would have caught up with him if they wanted to...
By mistake, we actually avoided the NJT and made excellent time to Glen Falls after a 7-hour drive. I met Snowie's wife Theresa and his daughter Hannah - it was wonderful for me to meet them!
I took my leave of Snowdog and his family early, as I had a 3-hour drive to Montreal to stay at my sister's, and I had to go through Canadian Customs - an ordeal that added another hour and a half to my trip! (Note to Canadian Government - Hire more Customs Officers.) My only consolation was to have bought a litre of Grand Marnier at the duty-free, at half the price of retail in Canada.
Sunday, July 16, 2007
I made it home by noon, in time to say goodbye to my wife who is travelling for the balance of the week.
As I write, the kids are visiting friends. My dog Tessa is at my feet, with her eyes closed, while I type. The house is empty for once, and it's quiet, and I have had the time to write all this down.
I find it soo hard to put into words my feelings around this weekend. I guess it's really about having met the faces and the people behind the voices and the CWar characters, and to find out that behind the virtual façade there are warm, generous, and helpful human beings that I am honoured to know.
Until next year, frag on, bruthas!
;-)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
'No sun link' to climate change
Of course, my climate-change skeptic friends will roll their eyes and say: "Here we go again, the Klimat-Khange Kabal prophesying doom!"
Well, the skeptics can ignore another piece of evidence supporting the anthropogenic source of climate change and global warming. They might also choose to agree with the tobacco companies in arguing that smoking IS NOT PROVEN to cause lung cancer.
As for me, I would argue there is less proof for the existence of God than there is for climate change. In fact, what proof is there, really, that the Earth is round? Maybe it's just a big conspiracy.
For those deluded tree-huggers like me (who happen to believe in nuclear energy as a source of power), click on the following link: 'No sun link' to climate change.
Well, the skeptics can ignore another piece of evidence supporting the anthropogenic source of climate change and global warming. They might also choose to agree with the tobacco companies in arguing that smoking IS NOT PROVEN to cause lung cancer.
As for me, I would argue there is less proof for the existence of God than there is for climate change. In fact, what proof is there, really, that the Earth is round? Maybe it's just a big conspiracy.
For those deluded tree-huggers like me (who happen to believe in nuclear energy as a source of power), click on the following link: 'No sun link' to climate change.
500+ km!
This is my first year regularly commuting to work by bike (that is, when it doesn't rain!)
As I was biking back home, I noticed that my odometer had gone over 500 kilometers. In fact, I probably went over 500 km a week or two ago, because I replaced the battery of my mileage computer last April. But it doesn't matter, it feels good having passed this milestone...
As I was biking back home, I noticed that my odometer had gone over 500 kilometers. In fact, I probably went over 500 km a week or two ago, because I replaced the battery of my mileage computer last April. But it doesn't matter, it feels good having passed this milestone...
Friday, June 22, 2007
Getting by on less sleep...
Argh. I hate this time of year.
I'm tired from trying to get by with about 4 hours sleep per night.
Why, might you ask, am I getting so little sleep?
Well, it's hard to get a good night's sleep when:
1. The dog decides it really wants to try to sleep on the bed. This particular Sheltie knows enough not to bark in the middle of the night (and plaster me to the ceiling like in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon), but she's adept at uttering barely audible growls, grunts and whines – just enough to pull me out of sleep;
2. Outside my window, the cardinals, robins and assorted feathery creatures decide, yes, it's TIME TO ASSERT OUR TERRITORY! There be some bad-assed mofo birds out there, and they WILL let you know that they have staked their claim!
3. Sunrise at my latitude is about 5:15 AM and sunset about 9:00 PM. Add an hour of light at dawn and dusk, so the night is quite short, and so is my sleep. Curtains? Yeah, I have them, but they don't work, really – I just know it's light out there…
4. My spouse's uvula and soft palate start to vibrate. You'd think that after 20+ years of living with the little lady that I would be used to it by now, but nope, I'm not!
The net result is that I wake up tired, and it doesn't get better during the day. Some days, I feel like I'm wading through molasses, I'm so tired.
I can't wait for August where things realign themselves…
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Online kookery
I have to admit, but this article by WIRED's Lore Sjöberg entitled "Narcissistic Blog Disorder and Other Conditions of Online Kookery" made me both laugh and cry at the same time, 'cuz I'm guilty of some of the disorders – particularly of the "Pugilistic Discussion Syndrome".
Anyway, it's a good read!
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