New Year, Same Old Resolutions

Alright, here's my list of goals I want to achieve in the new year.

1. Quit Smoking. How: Read positive reiforcing books such as "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking," and "The Road Less Traveled. And, of course, STOP SMOKING!

2. Move into a new job which is authentic to my needs -- both work related (social services) and monetarily (earn at least 10k more than I currently earn). How: By continuing to send feelers out, keeping my eyes open for job postings and continually revisit the interview in my mind and possible questions that may arise. Hopefully, this will mean I am ready to go to an interview within a moment's notice.

3. Save more money (no more lunches out on a regular basis even if this means P-B-and-Jay every day. Also, by quitting cigarettes, I will save $9.00 every two days).

4. Plan a trip to Freeport, Bahamas to scuba dive as a reward for follwing through on #1 and #3.

5. Write an article (an article, one article, on a topic -- any topic) and submit for publication to a paper ( a paper, any paper). Getting published is not the goal, writing an article good enough to submit is the goal.

Okay, that's plenty for now. Any advice? I'm reaching out here, people -- throw me a bone!

Animals!

We visited the Toronto Zoo with the kids on boxing day.

I always enjoy my visits to the zoo, but also come away with mixed feelings. This visit was no different.

I should back up and explain that on the way to the zoo, I ran over a squirrel which darted under the car. It was too late to hit the brakes and I felt a small bump as the rear tire ran the little guy over. My eyes immediately darted to the side view mirror and I saw the squirrel on its back twitching as if it was having a grand-mal seizure. I drove on without stopping.

At the zoo we saw a single Sumatran Rhinocerous standing in an indoor enclosure about the size of my living room. In other words, not that big of an enclosure. He simply stood there for the seven minutes that we were there. The floor of the enclosure was cement and the walls were not adorned with anything resembling a natural setting. At some point, the rhino turned his face away from the crowd and seemed to be "mooning" us.

Later, I went to a fast food restaurant at the zoo and ordered a hamburger.

If these animals actually had the capacity to reason, what a cruel, callous bunch of boors human would seem to them. Not only do we trap them to show our appreciation of nature; not only do we cage large and small creatures in solitary (sometimes group) confinement very unlike their natural habitats; but we actually put a restaurant in the middle of this carnival where we proceed to EAT some of their brethren.

We are truly fucked. At some point in the past slavery was acceptable. And for the Romans, sacrificing humans for entertainment was also acceptable. Is it really okay to capture and keep trapped hundreds of animals for a few minutes of my entertainment? I think not. If I truly loved animals and nature, wouldn't it make more sense to go see them in the wild?

There is a great article examining this issue at goodzoos.com A site that promotes itself as "the essential guide to the best zoos, wildlife parks and animal collections on the planet."

A Ghazal For You - Merry Christmas!

apne haathon kee

apne haathon kee lakiron mein basa le mujhko
main hoon tera to naseeb apna bana le mujhko

mujhse too poochne aaya hai wafa ke maani
ye teri sadaa-dili maar na Daale mujhko

khud ko main baant na daaloon kahin daaman-daaman
kar diya tune agar mere hawaale mujhko

bada fir bada hai main zehar bhi pee jaaoon 'qatil'
shart ye hai koi baahon mein sambhale mujhko

What Am I Reading Now?

I have been desperate to read something, anything, that will hold my attention and last longer than a week. I didn't even know the name of the Da Vinci Code guy, wasn't interested in seeing the movie or reading the book. The masses are almost always wrong, too much hoopla around the book, I'm too literate for that crap, who knows...anyways, didn't read the Code. Walking through Wal-Mart yesterday, and desperated for something to read I came upon Dan Brown's, Deception Point. Yes, the same Dan Brown.
It's thick (752 pages...yep, size matters) and after the first 3 pages -- I'm hooked.

Leaving

Don't disappear. . . . Give me your palm.
I am written on it--this I believe.


Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Remeber Darfur

This is 85-year-old Abu Hamid Omar. Not only was he burned and branded in an attack by the Janjaweed and Sudanese Government forces, but his village was burned to the ground. Abu Hamid Omar was the ONLY villager to survive the persecutory assault. Photographed October 11, 2004, by Benjamin Lowy.


So This Is Christmas

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young.

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The road is so long

And so Happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight.

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so Happy Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young.

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

US Mulls Measures on Darfur

"Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Washington is exploring a range of measures relating to the troubled region of western Sudan.

The options include exacting travel bans on Sudanese officials, freezing assets and imposing a no-fly zone in Darfur.

"There are already standing sanctions resolutions in the [United Nations] Security Council," Dr Rice said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he would support a no-fly zone as part of a sanctions package if Sudan continues to refuse to allow in a hybrid force."

AND SUDAN SAYS:

"Statements like this ... do not enhance peace," said Al-Samani al-Wasiyla, the Sudanese state minister for foreign relations. "They prolong the crisis," he said.

Sudan has rejected a UN Security Council resolution authorising the deployment of 22,500 UN troops and police in Darfur, where experts say around 200,000 people have been killed since the conflict flared in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglect.

Sudan says Western media have invented and exaggerated the crisis in Darfur and only 9,000 people have died there.

AND THE U.N.?

In the latest indication of how bleak the situation is, the United Nations recently evacuated its staff from El Fasher, capital of northern Darfur, one of the two major centers for its relief operation to what the world body itself has termed "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

(The above report was written by J. Peter Pham (director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University), and Michael I. Krauss (professor of law at George Mason University School of Law). Both are adjunct fellows of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The full article is worth a read as it gives a good synopsis of the current situation in Sudan.

Aegist Trust on Blair's Blather

The Aegis Trust is a United Kingdom-based anti-genocide campaign founded in 2000 by Drs James and Stephen Smith. In response to Blair's comments (see my previous post below) the Aegis Trust has issued the following statement:

The Sudanese Government and the rebel movements ‘will be judged on the basis of actions, not just words’, the Prime Minister says in his statement on Darfur today. That applies to Britain and the International Community too – so merely hinting at possible sanctions against Khartoum ‘if rapid progress is not made’ shows that he still has no new plans for action, just more words.

Blair on Sudan -- Again!

Saturday, 09 Dec 2006

Tony Blair has hinted that sanctions could be imposed against the Sudanese government if progress to resolve the situation in Darfur is not made.

"If rapid progress is not made, we will need to consider alternative approaches with international partners," Mr Blair warned.

Latest Tony Blair Pronoucement on Darfur

On October 31, 2006, (see my previous post) Reuters reported on British Prime Minister Tony Blair thusly:

Blair met Sudanese Vice President Salva Kiir in London and (Blair's spokesman told reporters)Blair said..."We are reaching the crunch point. It's important that the Sudanese government be in no doubt at all of our seriousness.

Blair told Kiir there must be (clear progress by November 24 when African Union leaders meet to discuss Darfur.

On November 22, 2006, (see my previous post) Reuters reported that Prime Minister Blair told Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir:

to implement a U.N.-brokered agreement aimed at ending the Darfur crisis or face a response from the international community...Before the phone call, Blair told parliament that there was international diplomatic support for "tougher measures" if Khartoum fails to implement the agreement. But he did not specify what such measures might be.

Currently, a press briefing dated December 5, 2006, on the 10 Downing Street site states that British Prime Minister Tony Blair's press secretary said,

"the Prime Minister hoped to drive forward the promises made by G8 leaders on Africa at Gleneagles in 2005. On Darfur, he said the Prime Minister will argue that pressure must be maintained on the Government of Sudan and President Bashir.

I know I've said this before but I REALLY REALLY think Blair means it this time.

Current number of people dead: "A U.N. agency's survey cites at least 200,000 deaths, but other studies say the death toll could be closer to 400,000 or more." (Source: (Associated Press)

People currently at risk: "Overall, the U.N. says, 4 million people in Darfur are in desperate need of aid." Source: (Associated Press)

How Long?

"How long will you assault a man? ...this leaning wall, this tottering fence?"

Psalm 62

X-Mas Indian Style

This is hilarious!

I Think He Really Really Means It This Time!!

Please see my previous post in the West's brinkmanship with Khartoum here Tony Blair was said to have, "told Sudanese Vice President Kiir there must be "clear progress" by November 24 when African Union leaders meet to discuss Darfur."

Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:54 PM GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair told Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Wednesday to implement a U.N.-brokered agreement aimed at ending the Darfur crisis or face a response from the international community.
...
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced...last week that Sudan had agreed in principle to a joint U.N.-African Union force in Darfur, where three years of conflict have killed 200,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes.

But Khartoum has objected both to the size of a peacekeeping force and any U.N. sharing of command with African troops.

Before the phone call, Blair told parliament that there was international diplomatic support for "tougher measures" if Khartoum fails to implement the agreement. But he did not specify what such measures might be.
...
"I think it is very clear from the work that we've done and from the statements from the United States of America that if the government of Sudan do not seize this opportunity, we will have to look at tougher measures to take against them," he said.

Washington's special envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, said this week the United States and others could resort to an unspecified "plan B" if Khartoum did not make progress on Darfur by January 1.

Racist! Who Me?

First Mel Gibson, now Kramer - or whatever his real name is.
Let's admit it, we're all racists. We can't help ourselves. Skin colour is an easy way to tag a person or, for a time, a whole group of people. It feels good dammit!
I just saw an old episode of ER that had the medicos chuckling at a WASP-ish couple, (Episcopalian to be precise) who have difficulty communicating or showing much emotion. Stereotype? Yep. Funny? Oh, yeah!
I am a racist, like all the rest of you, (YES YOU!) with a great capacity for bending my own rules; turning any race related dictum on it's head as the situation warrants. Sometimes its all those Chinese, until I actually meet a Chinese person and than all those racist thoughts melt away in the face of the humanity of the one real person I am in contact with. Sometimes, every damn thing is lucky with those people and at other times, the beauty of a film about some red lantern or some damn dragon makes me want to travel to China and see if, as Paul Theroux put it, the bra is the most superfluous garment in China.
Do these fleeting dichotomous thoughts make me a racist? I think so.
Do you think I'm a racist?
Are you a racist?

The Stomach Flu

The family has been covered in germs for the past week-and-a-half. The virus or virii (if there is such a word) masquerades as a simple cold for two days. It then proceeds to give you a slight fever, achy muscles and bones for another day. By this time, you may be forgiven for thinking the cold bug is actual a simple case of the flu. Next, this slow moving, pugilistic little bug, punches you in the stomach resulting in nausea and some purging through your oral and nasal cavities. And, as if this wasn't enough, the bug then begins to kick your ass! All the way to the toilet...where you once again purge yourself through your kicked-in part.
The bug moves slowly and case histories in our home, and from anecdotal evidence, show this case of the stomach flu is mild but long lasting -- about a week to a week and a half.

What Am I Reading Now?

By melding love, science, and religion into a primer on personal growth, M. Scott Peck launched his highly successful writing and lecturing career with this book. Even to this day, Peck remains at the forefront of spiritual psychology as a result of The Road Less Traveled. In the era of I'm OK, You're OK, Peck was courageous enough to suggest that "life is difficult" and personal growth is a "complex, arduous and lifelong task." His willingness to expose his own life stories as well as to share the intimate stories of his anonymous therapy clients creates a compelling and heartfelt narrative.

I'm guessing that I am going through a mid-life thingy. So...instead of getting a motorcycle and a tattoo-ed girlfriend, I went out and bought this book and am writing my eulogy. You know, for fun and introspection. What? What!?

Source: Amazon.com
Also see the Wikipedia article on Peck.

Rest Your Eyes

Exit Iraq?

Its official: Withdrawal or disengagement as the bureacrats and spin-doctors are sure to call it is just around the corner! Withdrawal is the right thing to do for innumerable reasons. Here are just two:
1) American citizens are getting killed over a conflict for Iraq....there is no Iraq, there are, in fact, at least three states (Sunni, Shia and Kurdish) and further fractures along these bigger fault lines. For a great debate on the partitioning of Iraq, see Peter W. Galbraith's debate on the The New Republic's site. Galbraith is the first U.S. Ambassador to Croatia and the author of the book, The End of Iraq: How American Competence Created a War Without End. Galbraith debates Reuel Marc Gerecht, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and an advisor to the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Survey Group.
2) It's costing American taxpayers and eventually the current debts will come home to roost in an awful way, which inturn will be sure to effect the world economy. But don't take my word for it. Everyone who's anyone is suggesting a withdrawal of some sort:

Fareed Zakaria writing for Newsweek: November 6, 2006

But today, more than three years into the American-led invasion of Iraq, there is little question that we stand at, well, a critical moment. The policy we are pursuing—maintaining 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and hoping that things improve—is not sustainable either in Iraq or in America. President Bush has three tools at his disposal that he can (theoretically) apply to the mission at hand—more troops, money and time. At this point, none of these will make much difference.

Robert Kaplan writing on The Atlantics website: October 22, 2006

What we will not be able to manage is a genocide, mainly of the Sunnis, that we alone will be seen as responsible for. Any withdrawal—with all of its military, diplomatic, economic aid, and emergency relief aid aspects—has to be as meticulously planned-out as our occupation wasn't. Staying the course may be a dead end. But don't think for a moment that "redeploying" is any less risky than invading.

The Economist should be called The Optimist. They are still holding out for a (no, not a victory or even a positive outcome, but) "a more stable trajectory." Nevertheless, implicit in this argument is the idea of the end game.

For the politicians (and newspapers, like ours) who argued strongly for the invasion of Iraq, it is no longer enough to accuse those who want to head for the exit of “cutting and running”, as if using a pejorative phrase settled the argument either way. Cutting your losses is sometimes the sensible thing to do, even for a superpower, and even after paying a heavy price in lost lives and wasted money. If you genuinely believe, as many people now do, that the likeliest long-term outcome in Iraq is that America will end up cutting and running anyway, with no improvement to be expected even three or four years hence, why simply postpone the inevitable?
Because failure may not be inevitable.

Even Henry Kissinger's recent article at The Washinton Post's site entitled, "Lessons for an Exit Strategy," is trying to see its way to the exit sign:

American strategy, including a withdrawal process, will stand or fall not on whether it maintains the existing security situation but on whether the capacity to improve it is enhanced. Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy.

I Double Dare You!

Blair warns Sudan close to "crunch point"
Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:36 PM GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Sudan on Tuesday it was nearing the "crunch point" for Khartoum to enforce the peace in Darfur or risk isolation and unspecified action by the international community.

Blair met Sudanese Vice President Salva Kiir in London and told him "everyone must stop fighting and resume dialogue with the people who did not sign up to the peace agreement," Blair's spokesman told reporters.

"We are reaching the crunch point. It's important that the Sudanese government be in no doubt at all of our seriousness," he said at a briefing about the two leaders' talks.

Blair told Kiir there must be "clear progress" by November 24 when African Union leaders meet to discuss Darfur.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes to live in camps in Sudan and across the border in Chad since the start of fighting in Darfur in 2003.

A Different Take on Jan Pronk's Dismissal

Eric Reeves has recently written on his website regarding Jan Pronk's outspoken nature on the genocide underway in Darfur. Jan Pronk who was, in my eyes, doing the right thing by speaking out is, according to Reeves, a bit of a loose cannon. Reeves writes,

"At the same time, it must be said that Pronk’s tenure has been marked by egregious errors in judgment, perverse miscalculations, expedient disingenuousness, and a series of decisions that have had disastrous consequences for the international response to massive, ongoing genocidal destruction. He is sharply faulted by many, including many within the UN and the humanitarian community, and his imminent departure (he would not have survived the impending changes within the Secretariat) ensures that he can do no further damage (search “pronk” at www.sudanreeves.org for a series of critiques of Pronk’s performance over the past two and a half years). His expulsion also ensures, however, that there is very likely to be no senior UN diplomatic presence in Sudan"

To add an extra wrinkle to this, Media Monitors Networks has cast aspersions on Eric Reeves' credibility:

Dr Reeves' credibility as a commentator and researcher has already been extensively questioned in 'The Return of the 'Ugly American': Eric Reeves and Sudan'. (2) The credibility of his claims about Sudan have been undermined further by recent comments made by the United Nations World Food Programme which is active in those very areas of Sudan about which Mr Reeves makes his bold assertions.

I looked through Media Monitors website and I would rather trust Reeves and Jeff Weintraub when it comes to Darfur. Weintraub has written about Jan Pronk's expulsion from Darfur thusly:

Meanwhile, the Khartoum government has underlined its increasingly blatant contempt for the alleged "international community" by ordering the expulsion of the main UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk. As it happens, Pronk has been one of the high UN officials most accommodating to the Khartoum government's positions, but it seems that even some mildly realistic comments about what Khartoum calls "sensitive issues" are too much.

There's a Good Snake

For three weeks now a cobra, yes, a COBRA, has been on the loose in west end Toronto. YIKES! Even though I live in the east end of Toronto, this story always gives me the creeps when I hear about it. Apparently the cobra is a reclusive reptile which mostly dines on small animals such as mice. It is also, ahem, capable of killing a man or even the occasional woman within four hours. But it won't bite unless provoked. And who the hell knows what may or may not provoke a cobra...hell, I'm still trying to figure out what provokes my wife!

So anyways, the cobra escaped from a venomous reptile afficianado. The Globe and Mail has a good story on the snake and the effect its having on the neighbourhood where it now lives. Maybe. No one has seen the the little bastard in a few weeks.

Knowing that you, my two loyal readers, would be interested in more info. on cobras, I have found a site with a Cobra Quiz.

Nice snake, nice snake.

What Am I Reading Now

"This companion volume to Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction classic collects manuscript material, correspondence and cut chapters related to Dune as well as previously published Dune-related short stories coauthored by his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson. Particularly interesting are texts related to Dune's publication, including letters, reviews and press releases that acknowledge the dizzying scope of the ambitious novel."-- Publisher's Weekly

---

I don't often read The Walrus but after this last issue I will be keeping my eyes open. The article which initially attracted me to the October issue was Gerald Caplan's article entitled, "The Conspiracy Against Africa." As I flipped the pages I came accros Sarah Hughes' photographs. Here's the introduction from The Walrus:

"This past summer, Sarah Hughes travelled to Halifax, Quebec City, Victoriaville, Toronto, and Winnipeg to photograph women in two outfits of their choosing — the first one “comfortable and safe,” the second “attractive and sexy.” She then invited each of her subjects to talk about these dual identities."

What a great idea! The photographs shed light on dress, self-perception and the ridiculous amount of time we all spend on how we present to the world. In the case of women the extra twist of sexuality and safety adds a whole other dimension.

Sudan Orders Jan Pronk to Leave Country

New York Times
By WARREN HOGE

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 22 — Sudan’s government ordered the chief United Nations envoy out of the country today, saying he was an enemy of the country and its armed forces.
...
Victor Tanner, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advance International Studies who returned from Sudan a week ago, said the blog’s references to defeats suffered by the Sudanese army had caused a furor there.

“Comments on the disarray that seemed to be reigning within the Sudanese armed forces was an amazing thing to see in the blog of a U.N. official,” he said. “Refreshing but wild.”
...
In what has become a tense standoff with the United Nations, Sudan has adamantly refused to accept the deployment of 22,000 United Nations soldiers and police officers despite public outcries over the increasing danger to the residents of Darfur.

Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has characterized the United Nations plan as an American-inspired plot to recolonize his country and plunder its oil, and he has threatened to attack any soldiers sent to Darfur.
...
At the United Nations in September, Mr. Bashir said the reports of deaths and displacements in Darfur were “fictions” spread by international aid groups and Jewish organizations to raise money to benefit Israel.

And commenting on the international campaign that has arisen to try to end the violence in Darfur, he said, “Those who made the publicity, who mobilized the people, invariably are Jewish organizations.”

Fouad Ajami

I first noticed Fouad Ajami during the Iranian Revolution. (Wikipedia also carries an extensive article on Ajami). He was a mainstay on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather at the time.

Ajami is eloquent, sharp, incisive and learned. His opinion cannot be ignored, but lately I have come to have my doubts about the Lebanese-born American university professor. He is a staunch supporter of the Bush presidency and its hawkish agenda. To get a taste of his lyrical writing style read his tribute to Bernard Lewis in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal.

Now I come upon an article on the Foreign Affairs web-site entitled, "The Falseness of Anti-Americanism." You may have to register to view this article for free or you can go to the"wired new york" web-site for a copy of the same article.

This article highlights for me the ridiculous lengths to which Ajami seems to go to interpret almost all American actions as benign. Is it any wonder that he is the darling of the Bush administration. "Condoleezza Rice has been known to summon him to the White House for advice." "(Wikipedia)"

Like him or not I just can't help reading his stuff. Judge for yourself.

That's Henry With an "H"

Lisa, finally found the poet we spoke of...it’s HENRY Dumas...not Alexander Dumas.
Below is the wonderful book I read almost more than a decade ago and still remember.


Knees of a Natural Man: The Selected Poetry of Henry Dumas

Here’s a link to a good website:

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/744

Rest Your Eyes

Stupid Beautiful Lies

I happened across a blog written by a truly gifted person entitled, Stupid Beautiful Lies.

Excerpt from said blog follows below...author of Stupid Beautiful posted a bunch of questions sent to him by his readers:

Stupid, where have you been? Why don't you post that much anymore?

It turns out that I've been asked to be a lead opinion writer on a new national publication that is set to launch this fall. As a result, I've been busy helping said publication get rolling and have had less time to devote directly to writing. The good news is that once said publication is launched, all of my writing that appears there will also be syndicated here. So Stupid Beautiful Lies really isn't dead, but rather I am simply evolving into my next natural manifestation as a writer. As for the identity of the publication, I'll give you a hint. It's not the National Post.

And there it is. I hope I've answered a few lingering questions, and have helped edge many of you back from the edges of your seats. While the seven of you regulate your breathing and pass the time until my resurfacing, I encourage you to get out and take in what's left of summer. Take down those Stupid Beautiful locker pin-ups, and perhaps even try to remove me from your nightly prayers. God blesses me automatically anyways, as I have established an inside deal.

Hi Lisa!!

;)

slave labour

Found this unremarkable photo here. The caption underneath the photo read: "Slave labor... however, the car was dirtier after her little "cleaning."

The MoodGYM

I have just started working through MoodGYM, a self-help website. MoodGYM is based on cognitive behavioural therapy. It seeks to make the user of this site more aware of how they think, how thinking affects a person's mood and how to undue your "wrong" or what they call "warpy" thinking.

Le Carre!!

Just read a review on John Le Carre's latest novel. I will stop typing now because I imagine you are already halfway to the local bookstore.

We Are Fucked

Source: imagination.org

---

Source: slate.com

Bishop Desmond Tutu on Darfur

"We should be suspicious when people say the ethnic cleansing of defenceless civilians is in fact a civil war. They really mean: "These exotic people are all as bad as each other." How can we be expected to put our soldiers in harm's way when there is no good side to defend?"

Read the full article at: Timesonline.

And Now For Some Other Reality

“‘In many ways we are in a freefall in Darfur at the moment,’ UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland [said]. [Egeland also said that] if insecurity forces aid agencies to pull out of Darfur, a region the size of France, hundreds of thousands of people would be left with absolutely nothing. ‘There is still a possibility to avoid that, but we have very little time, in my view, to avoid a collapse in Darfur.’ Egeland urged China as well as Arab and Islamic states to help convince the Khartoum-based government that ‘we need this UN force to avoid a collapse.’” (Associated Press [dateline: Nairobi], September 13, 2006)

Source: sudanreeves.org

John Prendergast is a Senior Adviser at the International Crisis Group. He worked in the White House and the State Department in the Clinton administration from 1996-2001 and has worked for a variety of NGOs and think tanks in Africa and the U.S. He has authored or co-authored seven books on Africa. What follows is his article which appeared on the Philadelphia Enquirer's web site philly.com on September 14, 2006.

"I just returned from rebel-held areas of Darfur on a trip with Scott Pelley of CBS's 60 Minutes, and I found that the crisis is spiraling out of control: Violence is increasing, malnutrition is soaring, and access to life-saving aid is shrinking. The Bush administration has made some noise about Darfur over the last two years, but it has made a series of deadly mistakes that have served only to make matters worse.

The administration's first deadly mistake is that while it helped broker a peace agreement in May, its negotiator left after only one rebel group signed, leaving at least two other rebel groups wanting more detail in the deal. The Khartoum regime is now partnering with the signatory group to launch a major offensive against the nonsignatories, thus deepening the divisions in Darfur.

Second, the United States and its partners did not make explicit in the peace deal the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping operation to oversee implementation. U.S. officials took verbal promises from Khartoum as sufficient, which the regime has since renounced. Without a U.N. force, Darfurian displaced and refugee populations have no prospect of protection.

The third mistake was not ensuring sufficient international involvement in the dismantling of the deadly Janjaweed militia structures. The task was left to the very entity that arms the Janjaweed, the Khartoum regime. Without real international participation in the dismantling, no displaced Darfurian will ever go home.

Fourth, the United States has politically supported the rebel group that signed the peace deal, including having President Bush meet the group's leader. This faction has since effectively become a government militia that has been responsible for gross human-rights violations.

Fifth, after the senior U.S. official who helped negotiate the partial peace took a job on Wall Street, almost his entire team departed. For these last four critical months, State Department officials have opposed the naming of a presidential envoy to clean up the mess and make Darfur a genuine priority.

Sixth, the United States and Europeans have left the African Union force in Darfur in a state of limbo, not giving it the requisite resources and political support needed to protect the people of Darfur.

Seventh, the United States crafted a U.N. Security Council resolution that authorized targeted sanctions in early 2005, but has since imposed sanctions on only one regime official, a retired air force commander. This leaves Khartoum with the correct impression that there will be no accountability.

Eighth, the United States has not provided information and intelligence to the International Criminal Court as the latter conducts its investigation of the war crimes committed in Darfur. Sharing such material could be a critical part of leverage on Khartoum as it would face the prospect of accelerated indictments of senior officials.

Ninth, the United States invited the security chief of the regime to CIA headquarters in Virginia, thus cementing the relationship with a man believed to be the architect of the ethnic-cleansing campaign in Darfur. This tells Khartoum that as long as they are "with us" in the war on terror, they can continue to pursue what the U.S. president himself has labeled genocide in Darfur.

Tenth, and most recently, the United States continues to offer incentives rather than pressures in its bid to change Khartoum's behavior and induce it to support a U.N. force. An administration official went to Khartoum recently and offered President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir a meeting with Bush and discussed the possibility of removing some of the U.S.-imposed sanctions. If we have learned anything over the last 15 years, it is this: Being soft on perpetrators of crimes against humanity does little to alter their behavior.

The administration's press statements and offers of incentives, and U.N. Security Council resolutions without real punitive actions have left the impression in Khartoum that Washington and the rest of the international community are all bark and no bite. "Constructive engagement" sometimes works, but it is making no impact here. Until the international stance, led by the United States, becomes much tougher, Khartoum can be expected to go on relentlessly targeting the civilian population in Darfur."

Wonderful Saturday

Today was a heaven sent day for me.

I spent time with Seth first at the dentist, then we had lunch together at Lick's. Tarah and Mom went out for their own walk. As usual, many questions were asked of me, some I could answer and others just fell by the wayside. After we came home and I had a proper nap, Seth, Tarah and I went out for a little walk so Marsh could have her nap. The day was summer warm and popsicles were had by all. On the way back, Seth discovered a new variety of ants...well, at least in our experience. Tarah did her best to give advice when she could. Went to the playground and came home to paint some of the rocks we had collected from the Rouge River earlier this summer. Tarah used her brush to paint her rock, then she tasted her paint, then used the brush to dig in the garden.

Gotta love Indian summer weather!

9/11

"O you who believe! when you go to war in Allah's way, make investigation, and do not say to any one who offers you peace: You are not a believer. Do you seek goods of this world's life! But with Allah there are abundant gains; you too were such before, then Allah conferred a benefit on you; therefore make investigation; surely Allah is aware of what you do."

The Holy Koran
Chapter: The Women (4.94)

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"And make not Allah because of your swearing (by Him) an obstacle to your doing good and guarding (against evil) and making peace between men, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing."

The Holy Koran
Chapter: The Cow (2.224)


Source: The Humanities Text Initiative, a unit of the University of Michigan's Digital Library Production Service.

The Outsider

I was just surfing the net and happened upon a free web-based comic book called Outsider. I don't usually go looking for web based comics, in fact, I was looking for recent titles by Jack L. Chalker, when Google sent me to the Outsider website. Anyways, the art work is great, some of the writing is hokey but the story line seems promising. Be sure to read the "about the site" section of this guys website.

What a Fool Believes

He came from somewhere back in her long ago
The sentimental fool don't see
Tryin' hard to recreate
What had yet to be created once in her life

She musters a smile
For his nostalgic tale
Never coming near what he wanted to say
Only to realize
It never really was

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
And nothing at all keeps sending him...

Somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can still believe there's a place in her life
Someday, somewhere, she will return

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There's nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees...

michael mcdonald/kenny loggins
Source: lyricsfind.com

9/11 Report

I have been reading a fantastic adaptation of the 9/11 Report into a graphic novel of sorts at slate.com











This is a telling snippet which reminded me of exactly how early in the great game (being played out in Iraq now) that the Bush administration knew that 9/11 and Saddam Husein were not really linked. Click on the graphic to see it in a readable size.

Miscellaneous

I have gone back to smoking my usual number of cigarettes. I blame it on the holiday in Philadelphia and my addiction to cigarettes.

Tarah now says, "manamana" for banana. Also, will pretend to cry and then laugh her head off. Will pretend to read (babble) while having a book open...if it is Seth's joke book, she will babble and then fake a laugh and then everyone in the room needs to laugh also. Generally, if you are eating something and she is eating something, she will want what you are eating. She says, "Hm-hmm" to say excuse me and thank you. If she farts (sorry, passes gas) she will say, "Hm-hmm." If someone else farts, she will say, "Hm-hmm." Which is kind of nice of her -- I think.

My garden has seen better days.

I still have to organize the basement.

I do not have a dog, nor is my neighbour named Azad. Sorry if I misled you burglars while we were on vacation. Although, we have some very vicious fish in our 10 gallon aquarium. And that's the truth, Ruth!

I am meeting with Tracey O and Sue (a friend of Rhea's) for lunch and then I will be meeting Sam and Bo for more lunch. Looking forward to the camraderie.

The boy wants to know if Satan is dead? If your shadow leaves you, will you die? How come tall buildings look like they're following you? How come Eren (girl next door) wears glasses and he doesn't? Could we visit New York City? When we visit New York City, can we see Spiderman? Some spiders are poisonous (true)...so, if a poisonous spider bites someone, would they die? What is ragweed? How does soap know what's dirt and what isn't dirt? And on, and on, and on.

Rest Your Eyes

My little boy speaks
with an accent.
I must remember sometime
to lean my head down
and whisper in his ear
and ask him the name
of the country
he comes from.
I like his accent.

Alexander Dumas

Beware!

Naguib Mahfouz died today at the age of 94. Mahfouz, a prolific writer best known for his Cairo Trilogy, became a literary force when he moved beyond traditional novels to realistic descriptions of Egypt's 20th century experience of colonialism and autocracy.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1988 for works which "formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind."

Declared an infidel by Muslim militants because of his portrayal of God, Mahfouz survived a knife attack in 1994 that damaged a nerve and seriously impaired his ability to use his writing hand.

"They are trying to extinguish the light of reason and thought. Beware," Mahfouz said after the attack.

Source: The Washinton Post

Rest Your Eyes

Ted Kooser

Untitled

What I would do for wisdom,
I cried out as a young man.
Evidently not much. Or so it seems.
Even on walks I follow the dog.

-- by Ted Kooser and Jim Harrison
From Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry

Global Day for Darfur - Toronto: Sept. 17th

In exactly 30 days time campaigners will hold the biggest campaigning day for Darfur since the start of the conflict. Thousands of people in dozens of cities will call on their governments to do more to protect civilians in Darfur.

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Please click on the title of this post to go to the website.

Rest Your Eyes

Algonquin Park...I really wish on days like we had in Toronto today, that I could be out there in a canoe.

Flickr

You can now view my pictures at Flickr.com. I have added a couple of family pictures and many pictures from our Philadelphia trip. Go here to see the both set of pictures.

Bumper Sticker

Spotted the following bumper sticker in Utica, NY:

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier."

Back in Toronto

We stayed at the nicest hotel in Syracuse: The Marx. I booked this hotel on Priceline.com, where you can name your price in the hopes that your offer will be accepted by a hotel in a given place which has a certain star rating. You have no other control over which hotel you will end up at. Neverthless, The Marx was wonderfuly decorated and thoroughly pleasant to stay at. We paid $80 for a night at this 4 star hotel.

4th Day in Philly

Went to the Please Touch Museum yesterday. A fun half-day for the kids. The "museum" is really just a big playground with many interesting things for kids to do.

Later, went to a mall in the downtown area and had lunch and returned home for a shower and naps for the kids. For dinner we went to a really nice Thai restaurant just north-west of downtown -- Lemon Grass.

Today: Went shopping in the area around the hotel...Gap Outlet, BCBG, Victoria's Secret, J. Crew, Bath and Body Shop and on and on...had a great Indian fast food lunch and then lost Tarah and Marsh. We later met up at the hotel and saw Dwayne to have dinner at a cool little restaurant in the west village district on their wide and sunny patio...very nice. Later still, visited Andrea's new coffee shop which is still being renovated and will open soon.

Tomorrow: Drive to Syracuse and then on Friday -- Toronto

Keep Them In Crisis Mode

Whatever happened to the "population bomb?" Stopped ticking? Never blew up? Or just plain forgotten?

Remember Noriega, Khomeini, Khadafy, the U.S.S.R? What about the "war on drugs?" Did the "free" world ever manage to win that particular war. There always seems to be a bogey-man. Always a crisis on the horizon. Some monolithic threat that is sure to engulf all us good people of the west.

Now: Islamo-fascists, terrorists, alliances of evil, invade Grenada, worry about Cuba, if not Cuba, Al-Qaeda. What about Iran? Never mind that Israel, India and Pakistan all have nuclear weapons...Iran must simply be stopped at all costs.

A cost increasingly at the expense of real simmering crises: AIDS, the greenhouse effect, inequities in global trading despite all promises to promote free trade.

Try not to get swept away in the CNN induced deluge...just try.

2nd Day in Philly

Started the day fairly early by buying breakfast across the street at a little 24 hour diner called Little Pete's.

Took the Phlash trolley for $1.00 to Penn's Landing and then a ferry across the river to Camden, New Jersey to visit the Adventure Aquarium. A great site for the kids.

It was a very hot and humid day...at least in the low 30's (celsius) and very humid.

Came back to the hotel to shower and then head north to Meet Marsh's cousin, Dwayne, to have my nose and Marsh's infected ear examined by the good doctor Dwayne...he's an ENT. There's a problem with Marsh's ear...not a damn thing wrong with my nose. I just enjoy having men look up my nasal passages.

Finally, nightime and the sleep will be good...chiefly due to the air conditioner which was left on for the day to keep the room nice and cool.

Philadelphia...Finally!!

Finally arrived in Philly after a 6 hour drive and one 30 mile detour. We went east when we should have gone south. Then, in order to get back to our planned route, we had to use a 2 lane highway which cut through some very scenic parts of Pennsylvania.

The route yesterday from Toronto to Niagara Falls was also a pain due to bumper to bumper traffic from Oakville all the way to the border!

On arrival: I walk up to the front desk and ask the receptionist (a young Black guy), "How come there are so many Black people holding doors and pushing vacuums?" A smile and a look that said, "Now you know I can't talk about that here."

Very hot here...must be close to thirty...but the room is nice.

No Fear

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Frank Herbert
Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
"Dune"

For Jon's Eyes Only!

Hey Jon (B),

Tried e-mailing you, only to have the damn thing bounce back. Thanks for dropping in on my blog AND commenting. Unlike some of the other surfers who only seem to lurk.

Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky...a road trip? Do they still treat Blacks like shit down there? Any interesting pics? Need to get together with Bo, Jen and whoever...I am parched. Will call when I get back. Say hi to Dinny.

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!

Zap

Dune...Arrakis!!

The late Frank Herbert, author of the original Dune series, just keeps on giving. There are not many authors that have gripped my imagination and aided my growth as much as Frank Herbert has throught his Dune trilogy and beyond.

I first read Dune in high school -- sitting at the back of the cafeteria engrossed in the feudal universe that revolved around the all important spice.

After Herbert's death, his son (Brian Herbert) and co-author (Kevin J. Anderson) wrote 6 prequels to the original series of novels. While these novels were good mostly due to my familiarity and nostalgia for the originals, it is to my great pleasure that I have come upon this news:

Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of the Butlerian Jihad to the original Dune series and beyond. Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in a safe-deposit box for a decade, these two volumes will finally answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades.

Are you kidding me? Did someone put melange in my coffee? Run people, run to your nearest bookstore!

This from Amazon.ca: This title will be released on August 22, 2006.

Philadelphia Bound

The wife and I are in full battle mode...getting ready for the annual summer trip. This time, as you may have guessed, we are going to Philly.

As usual, I am flying by the seat of my pants and Marsh has three different lists: one for herself, one for Tarah and one for Sethy. Me, I need toiletries, underwear, shirts and shorts...what more do you need?

Greebacks, of course. We leave Saturday and will leave Patches (our trusty German Shepherd) behind to watch the fort...fortunately, Azad (our neighbour) will be taking him out for walks and hopefully feeding him.

50th Anniversary Pics (1)

Tarah with Aunty Rayane and below, I really like this pic of Nehemiah

Write to Your MP Regarding Darfur

Hey You!
Do Something Dammit!!

Write to your Member of Parliament to encourage them to do more for the people in Darfur. Here's a great background article on Darfur at the The New Republic magazine's website.

Here's a sample letter you can copy and paste into your e-mail...find your MP's e-mail at the House of Parliament website.

I urge you to provide adequate funding to protect the people of Darfur and to effectively implement the Darfur Peace Agreement that was signed in May.

The African Union peacekeeping force currently deployed in Darfur is woefully underfunded and undermanned. With no set timetable for a transition to a stronger UN force, this could cost tens of thousands of innocent lives in the coming year.

Yet with the situation on the ground becoming more dangerous, the need for an improved African Union force in the near term and a stronger multinational UN force in the long term is greater than ever.

Canada is failing to act decisively to help bring peace to Darfur. This is unacceptable! That is why I encourage you to work with your colleagues in Parliament to act on this most most important matter.

Thank you,


Insert your name here
Insert your address here
Insert your home number here

New Word

blo·vi·ate

To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner


Thanks to Hasdai Westbrook of small-d blog for increasing my vocabulary.
Source of Definition: Dictionary.com

Follow Mark in Iraq

I have been reading the blog of a U.S. Air Force officer, Major Mark M. Binkowski. Reading this blog is sure to give anyone a completely different perspective on what's going on in Iraq.

Here's an excerpt from one of his posts:

Dear God,

You suck. I miss my family and everything I do reminds me of them and you suck. I was running on the treadmill in the gym, because it’s the only place you’re allowed to use an MP3 player., when the song Cats in the Cradle came on. And I just started crying. That’s Jack, asking me to play ball with him. Or just to cuddle. How could I be so stupid? Now I’m so sorry for every time I ever said I was too busy.

This place isn’t worth it. It’s not ready for democracy. It’s full of fanatics who put ideology before people. They blow people up for an idea - they blow themselves up! The only reason I’d willingly give my life would be to protect my family or friends. And these people are neither.

Tracery At Work

For You

"The proximity of a desirable thing tempts one to overindulgence. On that path lies danger.

-- Frank Herbert

Wider Regional War in Middle East Unlikely

Found an interesting op-ed piece on the NY Times website written by Edward N. Luttwak, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"It is obvious by now that Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas is part of a larger conflict largely paid for and directed by Iran and Syria. To divert attention from its nuclear ambitions, Iran undoubtedly sanctioned Hezbollah’s adventurism into Israel last week. Syria harbors Khaled Meshal, the political leader of Hamas, and fully supports its actions.

So, could the fighting widen across the region? It is possible, of course, but not likely."

Find the full article here.

Currently Reading

The Eighth Continent, By Peter Tyson
"In The Eighth Continent: Life, Death, and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar, Peter Tyson recounts with humor and honesty marvelous stories, discoveries and adventures from separate research expeditions to "Le Grand Île Rouge" with a herpetologist, a paleoecologist, an archaeologist and a primatologist..." (Source: American Scientist)

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Next...
Dark Star Safari, by Paul Theroux

Sibbald Point

We met Aunty Tracey and Micky John at Sibbald Point

Ontario Place Pictures

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After the run we went to Ontario Place to "rest" and "relax." Below: mom and Tarah watch Seth on a gravity defying ride.

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Fun Run Pictures

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Pictures from the 3 km and 1 km (kids) run Seth and Marsh recently participated in...Below: Seth with his medal for completing the run. Click on individual pictures to see them in larger size.

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Word, Yo!

Credit: Clay Jones

Commencement Speeches by Two Very Funny Men

Since 1997, Stephen Colbert has been The Daily Show's longest-running and most diverse correspondent. The following is an excerpt from his commencement speech given at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois on June 3, 2006. He is speaking here about the U.S./Mexican border.


"So we must build walls. A wall obviously across the entire southern border. That’s the answer. That may not be enough—maybe a moat in front of it, or a fire-pit. Maybe a flaming moat, filled with fire-proof crocodiles. And we should probably wall off the northern border as well. Keep those Canadians with their socialized medicine and their skunky beer out. And because immigrants can swim, we’ll probably want to wall off the coasts as well. And while we’re at it, we need to put up a dome, in case they have catapults. And we’ll punch some holes in it so we can breathe. Breathe free. It’s time for illegal immigrants to go—right after they finish building those walls. Yes, yes, I agree with me."

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Here's the real prize. A commencement speech by Conan O'Brien to the Harvard class of 2000. Here's a sample...

"I'd like to thank the Class Marshals for inviting me here today. The last time I was invited to Harvard it cost me $110,000, so you'll forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious. I'd like to announce up front that I have one goal this afternoon: to be half as funny as tomorrow's Commencement Speaker, Moral Philosopher and Economist, Amartya Sen. Must get more laughs than seminal wage/price theoretician."

The Damn Jewish Diversity Apparatus!

Just came across a website edited by Bill White called overthrow.com.

Bill White, born 1977, is the administrator of the far-right, anti-Semitic website Overthrow.com, and its news service, Libertarian Socialist News (LSN), formerly the Anarchist News Service, which publishes news of extremist groups.

Came across this "story" on one of overthrow's pages.
My comments are italiziced:

Black College Students Are A "Zoological" Oddity
Idiot Niggers Protest Conservative Magazine At Vassar

9/26/2005 8:46:32 AM
LSN Staff

Vassar College, New York -- A group of idiot niggers, including Vassar College students Tiera Rainey and Angelic Sosa, has demanded that Vassar pull funding from its conservative campus magazine "The Imperialist", after the magazine published an article saying that black and homosexual cultural centers on campus are "zoological preserves" run for the dubious benefit of white students.
Mocking diversity, Graydon Gordian, the editor-in-chief, and a self- described white Puerto Rican, published the article along with a caricature showing an obnoxious (How can you tell she is obnoxious from looking at a drawing?)ridiculous ghetto black woman with a giant Afro and ridiculous oversized jewelry lecturing to a smaller, Pollyanna-ish white girl who is terrified to speak up because of "diversity".

Blacks on the campus were predictably outraged in the trite, inane manner in which the talking monkeys have been trained to behave.

The problem the blacks have with the article -- or really, that the Jews have trained the blacks to have with the article -- is that it shows them and their role in diversity up for what it is, and for what white people see it as -- ridiculous, ignorant, bizarre monkey people that no one is allowed to call ridiculous, ignorant or bizarre because of the punishments meeted (Thats METED not MEETED...here look it up) out by the Jewish diversity apparatus. (Ah, yes...that ominous Jewish diversity apparatus...damn the apparatus!! Power to the people!!)
The vaz (Once again VAST, not VAZ, here look it up) majority of white people are sick of listening to blacks whine about how they suffer from the consequences of their own behavior, and are equally tired of being censored by Jewish power structures in academia and the media which make any discussion of black absurdity verboten. (You know, if White people are so stupid that they can't compete to get those "controlling" position in the media or academia, than perhaps they don't deserve to be there. Obviously, the Jews have been in charge of and have been controlling world affairs for centuries...well then, take a hint...let your superiors call the shots and shut up already!)

P.S. Some of my best friends are WASPs.

Rest Your Eyes

Photo Credit:Fabio Sabatini

gorgeous Weekend

Friday

• Completed painting the hallway and basement after work with Mike's help.


Saturday

• Went to the HBC Run for Canada, or something like that, at Ontario Place. Marsh ran 3 kilometres and Seth ran the one kilometre race. Tarah made several friends...one of whom took a picture with her...who the hell was that lady?
• Also spent time on Kiddy Rides inside Ontario Place
• Went by my parents home to visit with the kids. Harassed my sister who has me on her shit list.
• Came home to clean up the mess in the backyard, created a small garden on the east side of yard, took apart the fort/slide, weeded while the kids slept in the living room
• Went to the pool at 7:30 p.m. with Seth and returned home hungry and tired. The boy was happy.
• Slept


Sunday

• Went to Malvern church
• Ate lunch at Wendy's...this is becoming a sunday afternoon tradition.
• The Turton sisters visited as Carol was in town. Had dinner in the backyard...very nice. Seth sent to his room due to spazzy behaviours. He's much better now.
• Came home and took a nap.
• After dinner, went to see Adam Sandler's latest piece of crap movie...Click.Why? Why? Why did I even think this movie would have some redeeming qualities. Hey Adam, you are not funny, can't act and you suck!





Monday

• Yet another day off due to Saturday being Canada's birtday. Went to a nearby McDonald's to work on stats for, well, work. What did you think it was for?
• Came home to find Leela and Sethy a little bored. Went swimming with the boy. Marsh and Tarah took a nap.
• Marsh cooked a wonderful chilli dinner and later, went to Swiss Chalet for dessert with the familia. Came home...all fell asleep soon after.
• Have gone 8 hours without a single cigarette. Using Nicorette inhaler to help me through the rough spots. Determined to save my lungs and some money as a pack of smokes now costs anywhere from $8.50 to $10.00.

New Words

far·ra·go
An assortment or a medley; a conglomeration: “their special farrago of resentments” (William Safire).

quis·ling
A traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.

Thanks to Lord (or is it Arch Duke) Conrad Black, who recently referred to allegations made by the IRS, SEC and others, as a 'farrago of lies...' Black also went on to describe Canadian officials as 'quislings.'

Source of Definitions: Dictionary.com

If You Are Following Darfur...

If you are in any way interested in the UN and the so called international community's response to the crisis, NO, tragedy unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, you must regularly visit Jeff Weintraub's web log

!

Credit: Stuart Carlson (slate.com)

Bryce's Moisture Farm

This is the second time I have come across Bryce's Moisture Farm. This guys idea is phenomenal...he writes a blog from the point of view of a moisture farmer on the dunes of Tatooine...The planet where Anakin Skywalker was born and discovered to be the Jedi that he eventually became.

Don't roll your eyes (Marsh, Tracey O, Tracey D, in fact all you Traceys!) Here's an excerpt:

"Hi, my name's Bryce. I own a moisture farm. You probably got all that from the title of the blog. I've got a lot of free time out here in the Dune Sea. My closest neighbor is about a full parsec and a half away. So anyhow, I thought I'd look into... "

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

"Today the interface on my condensors stopped working. The machines were on, the control panel was blinking and responding to simple commands, but I couldn't change the levels or get any kind of status report."

Unfortunately, there have been no posts since his last one on June 4, 2005...I wonder if a visit earlier that month by the jawas and rhrro'rhis has anything to do with his sudden disappearance. But then again, a coriolis storm may just have stripped the poor man's skin from his body. Have sent him a missive on sub-space to try and raise his station. More on this when and if I hear from him.

Rest Your Eyes

What a Cutie!!

This is (supposedly) a real ad...To see where I found this posted click on the title of this post. Here's the ad:
"I have references you can call. Yes the pic is me. I have others that I can trade. I have one where I am wearing a thong. You must also have pics. I am highly selective with regard to who I choose to rub in an erotic manner. We must also talk on the phone before meeting so I know you aren't a guy. I don't want to rub down a guy. It's against nature.

You decide what you want massaged. Buttocks, Boobs, Genitals, Boobs, Genitals, almost anywhere you like. All you have to do is ask. You can ask for anything. I respect boundaries and I will stop rubbing you somewhere if you don't want me to rub that place. I am very easy to talk to though my hearing is poor."

"Not On My Watch."

From an editorial in the New Yorker by Philip Gourevitch author of an in-depth account of the Rwandan Genocide and a New Yorker staff writer.

"Shortly after Bush took office, an adviser gave him a report on the Clinton Administration’s policy of inaction during the Rwandan genocide, and on it the President wrote, “Not on my watch!

...the janjaweed militias sponsored by the Sudanese government are reported to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, raped a great many of the women they left alive, and driven some two million from their homes to live—and to be hunted—in desert refugee camps, where potable water is scarce and disease widespread. Despite the Sudanese government’s acceptance of a cease-fire agreement last month, the violence has continued apace.

...Now there are plans to deploy as many as twenty thousand United Nations peacekeeping troops to Darfur at the end of this year. It is not clear that the Sudanese will permit such a force or that the U.N. can muster it—but, assuming that it happens, this is a decidedly lax timetable in the face of a steadily mounting death toll."

The estimated number of deaths to date are backed up by the BBC which reports an estimate of estimate200,000. An additional 2 million, the BBC agrees, have been displaced.

And now the UN has decided to do something about this appaling situation. It seems UN sponsored troops will be going in immediately...well, not immediately...more like 6 months! Yep! By the end of this year, for sure, the UN will step-in. Nevermind that the killings sponsored by the Sudanese government have been going on for 3 years. For some reason, the UN can simply not go in till after christmas.

Where the fuck is Bob Geldoff? What am I doing for my summer vacation you might ask? Where will you be this Christmas? Please pass the salt.

Rest Your Eyes

To view more REAL wallpapers for your desktop click on the title of this post, it will take you to NASA's website...the images are out of this world. (sorry).