Active volcano Krakatau between Java and Sumatra
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Black Holes et al cont'd.
10: Earth swallowed by a black hole
Richard Wilson is Mallinckrodt Research Professor of Physics at Harvard University in the US:
"Around seven years ago, when the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider was being built at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, there was a worry that a state of dense matter could be formed that had never been created before. At the time this was the largest particle accelerator to have been built, making gold ions crash head on with immense force. The risk was that this might form a stage that was sufficiently dense to be like a black hole, gathering matter from the outside. Would the Brookhaven labs (and perhaps the entire Earth) end up being swallowed by a black hole created by the new accelerator?
"Using the information we already know from black holes in outer space, we did some calculations to find out if the Brookhaven particle accelerator was capable of forming such a black hole. We are now pretty certain this state of matter won't form at Brookhaven and that the Earth won't be swallowed when these particles collide."
Chance of Earth being gobbled up by a black hole in the next 70 years: Exceedingly low
Danger score: 10
• Naked Science: Clash of crises, is a free event at the Science Museum's Dana Centre on Wednesday April 20. The event is free but tickets should be prebooked on 020 7942 4040 or tickets@danacentre.org.uk. Please see www.danacentre.org.uk for full details. You can also take part in the Dana Centre's survey, investigating the nation's biggest fears for the future at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
SOMETHING VEDIC THIS WAY COMES
"In this age of nescience, men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky, and above all, always disturbed.
"Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of ignorant behaviour. Wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behaviour, and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.
"Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction , and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be considered and will be judged according to one’s expertise in sex .
"A person’s spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols and a person’s propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue, and beauty will be thought to depend on one’s hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the whole of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as one who is truthful.
"As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power. Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought they will become completely ruined. The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety.
"The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence and the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level. Clouds will be filled with lightning and homes will be devoid of piety and all human beings will have become like asses.”
–from the Vedic Scripture, the Shrimad Bhagavatam, circa 3000 B.C.
GEORGE’S NEW WORLD ORDER MARCHES ON…
With the likely acceptance of the proposed candidate for Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, George W Bush’s agenda for bullying the world continues apace. This Bolton fellow has a history of unleashing disrespectful remarks about the United Nations and has recently said, “Where the U.S leads the U.N will follow.”
Richard Wilson is Mallinckrodt Research Professor of Physics at Harvard University in the US:
"Around seven years ago, when the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider was being built at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, there was a worry that a state of dense matter could be formed that had never been created before. At the time this was the largest particle accelerator to have been built, making gold ions crash head on with immense force. The risk was that this might form a stage that was sufficiently dense to be like a black hole, gathering matter from the outside. Would the Brookhaven labs (and perhaps the entire Earth) end up being swallowed by a black hole created by the new accelerator?
"Using the information we already know from black holes in outer space, we did some calculations to find out if the Brookhaven particle accelerator was capable of forming such a black hole. We are now pretty certain this state of matter won't form at Brookhaven and that the Earth won't be swallowed when these particles collide."
Chance of Earth being gobbled up by a black hole in the next 70 years: Exceedingly low
Danger score: 10
• Naked Science: Clash of crises, is a free event at the Science Museum's Dana Centre on Wednesday April 20. The event is free but tickets should be prebooked on 020 7942 4040 or tickets@danacentre.org.uk. Please see www.danacentre.org.uk for full details. You can also take part in the Dana Centre's survey, investigating the nation's biggest fears for the future at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
SOMETHING VEDIC THIS WAY COMES
"In this age of nescience, men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky, and above all, always disturbed.
"Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of ignorant behaviour. Wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behaviour, and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.
"Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction , and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be considered and will be judged according to one’s expertise in sex .
"A person’s spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols and a person’s propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue, and beauty will be thought to depend on one’s hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the whole of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as one who is truthful.
"As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power. Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought they will become completely ruined. The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety.
"The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence and the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level. Clouds will be filled with lightning and homes will be devoid of piety and all human beings will have become like asses.”
–from the Vedic Scripture, the Shrimad Bhagavatam, circa 3000 B.C.
GEORGE’S NEW WORLD ORDER MARCHES ON…
With the likely acceptance of the proposed candidate for Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, George W Bush’s agenda for bullying the world continues apace. This Bolton fellow has a history of unleashing disrespectful remarks about the United Nations and has recently said, “Where the U.S leads the U.N will follow.”
Marching on...
With ex-Pentagonian Wolfowitz in place as Chair of the World Bank and now Bolton as shadow leader of the United Nations, the American leader’s pro-business version of globalization is taking form. Soon, we’ll see better what precisely that form will mean for all us more meek sorts sitting on the sidelines. When our water rights have been usurped and our military policies cajoled, and our oil and mineral reserves traded into trans-national programs our protestations may well be too little too late.
HORRORSCOPES
With Ms Urble
HORRORSCOPES
With Ms Urble
Read at your own risk
ARIES
Focus on your inner child and anticipate its next outburst. When Jupiter aligns with Mars and the Star of Bethlehem inclines to gluttony, give the little fart a good whack.
TAURUS
Overhearing the domestic troubles in the House of Aries, you are not allowed to lull into lassitude and submission. Pay extra for the role of Domintrix this Monday p.m. and all will become clear. Shopping tip: Camilla has spurs on sale til Wednesday.
GEMINI
The twins are at it again. To placate their disagreeabilities take two Atavans on Monday a.m. and play a diversionary tactic by accessing your Cardinal’s ethereal configurations in the Akashic Sky. Tell him you’ve got three to one on Tattrazini in the fourth.
CANCER
Just shave. Thank me later. Who loves ya baby?
LEO
Give media appearances a rest. Too much intensity in Saturn’s third lip-ring will prove to be an eating disorder… and you know how the press just love it when you go anorexic. Borrow some chocolate from Mars and stay in this week with coco-buttered popcorn and Michael’s throw-offs. (Don’t keep his underwear.)
VIRGO
On the cusp of the Rising House of the Sun-Drenched Cancer of the Colon, ask to switch with Capricorn. Can’t hurt to wear those shoes for a week. Use in-soles to prevent lesions.
LIBRA
Feeling half-hearted? That’s because your moon is not shining where it counts. But the sun is. Now is a good time to schedule a colonoscopy. He who hesitates is apt to go astray, darkly.
SCORPIO
The passing owl missed its moment. Lucky you. More fur on those legs might help too. The sun changes signs on Wednesday so make up your mind: For Sale by Owner or Not Hiring? Or flip over, wiggle those furry jobs and use neon: This Place For Rent.
SAGITTARIUS
Striving to make sense of it all dimishes the good humour. With your Moon in retrograde and Marjorie’s House in view, buy a truck and sell ice cream. Try not to salivate.
CAPRICORN
Borrow a bunion from Virgo and exercise your authority with an extreme sense of caution as you navigate around the debauched detritus emanating from Leo’s House. DO NOT borrow the panties.
AQUARIUS
When the moon is in the seventh sun, you’ve been watching too many retro movies and munching on Leo’s popcorn was a serious misplay. Stay up on Sunday to watch pro football to rekindle your sense of machismo and timing, then risk it all watching another moon passing over the ambisexual content of Footballers' Wives.
PISCES
You’ve been passed over by the gruntisaurusly-sexual nature of an episode of Desperate Rugby Players. Wait until your House in is Leo’s undies before asking him “What’s it all about, Leo?" (accent on “O"). If you hear Hey Jude, you know you’ve been eclipsed by David Cassidy’s moonwalking impersonation of Frank Zappa. Another toke?
THE DAY BEFORE A NEW POPE
Well with all this punditry and guesswork going on as to who the next Pope will be, Allow Yours Truly to throw in his uneducated wild guess: Dionigi Tettamanzi. He’s Italian and in a way that’s a safe bet for a traditional institution, charming, and non-threatening. The radical shift to a South American or African Pope can wait a few years yet.
Focus on your inner child and anticipate its next outburst. When Jupiter aligns with Mars and the Star of Bethlehem inclines to gluttony, give the little fart a good whack.
TAURUS
Overhearing the domestic troubles in the House of Aries, you are not allowed to lull into lassitude and submission. Pay extra for the role of Domintrix this Monday p.m. and all will become clear. Shopping tip: Camilla has spurs on sale til Wednesday.
GEMINI
The twins are at it again. To placate their disagreeabilities take two Atavans on Monday a.m. and play a diversionary tactic by accessing your Cardinal’s ethereal configurations in the Akashic Sky. Tell him you’ve got three to one on Tattrazini in the fourth.
CANCER
Just shave. Thank me later. Who loves ya baby?
LEO
Give media appearances a rest. Too much intensity in Saturn’s third lip-ring will prove to be an eating disorder… and you know how the press just love it when you go anorexic. Borrow some chocolate from Mars and stay in this week with coco-buttered popcorn and Michael’s throw-offs. (Don’t keep his underwear.)
VIRGO
On the cusp of the Rising House of the Sun-Drenched Cancer of the Colon, ask to switch with Capricorn. Can’t hurt to wear those shoes for a week. Use in-soles to prevent lesions.
LIBRA
Feeling half-hearted? That’s because your moon is not shining where it counts. But the sun is. Now is a good time to schedule a colonoscopy. He who hesitates is apt to go astray, darkly.
SCORPIO
The passing owl missed its moment. Lucky you. More fur on those legs might help too. The sun changes signs on Wednesday so make up your mind: For Sale by Owner or Not Hiring? Or flip over, wiggle those furry jobs and use neon: This Place For Rent.
SAGITTARIUS
Striving to make sense of it all dimishes the good humour. With your Moon in retrograde and Marjorie’s House in view, buy a truck and sell ice cream. Try not to salivate.
CAPRICORN
Borrow a bunion from Virgo and exercise your authority with an extreme sense of caution as you navigate around the debauched detritus emanating from Leo’s House. DO NOT borrow the panties.
AQUARIUS
When the moon is in the seventh sun, you’ve been watching too many retro movies and munching on Leo’s popcorn was a serious misplay. Stay up on Sunday to watch pro football to rekindle your sense of machismo and timing, then risk it all watching another moon passing over the ambisexual content of Footballers' Wives.
PISCES
You’ve been passed over by the gruntisaurusly-sexual nature of an episode of Desperate Rugby Players. Wait until your House in is Leo’s undies before asking him “What’s it all about, Leo?" (accent on “O"). If you hear Hey Jude, you know you’ve been eclipsed by David Cassidy’s moonwalking impersonation of Frank Zappa. Another toke?
THE DAY BEFORE A NEW POPE
Well with all this punditry and guesswork going on as to who the next Pope will be, Allow Yours Truly to throw in his uneducated wild guess: Dionigi Tettamanzi. He’s Italian and in a way that’s a safe bet for a traditional institution, charming, and non-threatening. The radical shift to a South American or African Pope can wait a few years yet.
"Soul-ripe emerging market?"
And while we’re on such mind-staggering matters as papabilia, how’s this for a strange remark used when describing one papal candidate, “- qualities highly valued in the modern Catholic church, where the competition is tight from other faiths in the soul-ripe emerging markets of the developing world.”?
Death by injection: the last lie
“This won’t hurt.”
Recent studies have shown that for all these years that death by injection has been considered painless and humane, findings indicate that in fact not enough anesthesia has been administered to the death row inmate to insure a peaceful passing. For that last few moments of his life, while his face may be paralysed showing no grimacing he is acutely aware of extreme pain. And probably conscious, thinking that ‘this is no accident.’
Death by injection: the last lie
“This won’t hurt.”
Recent studies have shown that for all these years that death by injection has been considered painless and humane, findings indicate that in fact not enough anesthesia has been administered to the death row inmate to insure a peaceful passing. For that last few moments of his life, while his face may be paralysed showing no grimacing he is acutely aware of extreme pain. And probably conscious, thinking that ‘this is no accident.’
This won't hurt?
Imagine being one of the unlucky few who were innocent at a time when DNA wasn’t available to prove your case? And then enduring this last few minutes?
This form of final punishment is so cruel and unusual that it easily surpasses the gravity of the crime of even the correctly accused.
The Hit Counter
This counter was placed before this issue and after the press re the beginning of the Boycott. A more likely reading would place it at approximately 1400. When I figure out how to reset this reading, I will. If you enjoy this magazine be sure to mention it to all and sundry (and the rest of the weekdays too); and for a real reading treat of 400 pages involving codes and mysteries, see LightStream ad below. "A perfect Christmas gift."
The Donation Button
Popular among American bloggers, this button allows readers to support the effort of creating this magazine, almost akin to buying a subscription. Every Sunday, The English Bay Banner (to include a compendium culled from international stories) will appear here with a new 20 - 30 pages, still free to all but now with this added option.
This form of final punishment is so cruel and unusual that it easily surpasses the gravity of the crime of even the correctly accused.
The Hit Counter
This counter was placed before this issue and after the press re the beginning of the Boycott. A more likely reading would place it at approximately 1400. When I figure out how to reset this reading, I will. If you enjoy this magazine be sure to mention it to all and sundry (and the rest of the weekdays too); and for a real reading treat of 400 pages involving codes and mysteries, see LightStream ad below. "A perfect Christmas gift."
The Donation Button
Popular among American bloggers, this button allows readers to support the effort of creating this magazine, almost akin to buying a subscription. Every Sunday, The English Bay Banner (to include a compendium culled from international stories) will appear here with a new 20 - 30 pages, still free to all but now with this added option.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
The English Bay Banner, Number 3
CALL FOR WITNESSES
Have you ever witnessed beatings around the Davie Street Super Valu store, possibly related to accused shoplifters? If you have any information you would like to impart either anonymously or otherwise, please contact the publisher of The English Bay Banner by posting your message here.
All related correspondence can be managed electronically via this site.
SUPER VALU BOYCOTT NEWS IN BRIEF
Mr John Lederer, President of Loblaws, has been contacted for a comment as to why his suppliers, including President’s Choice, continue to supply and thereby allow to profiteer, this Super Valu store while it is owned by a member of the Hells Angels.
Chairman of Loblaws, Mr Gaelon Weston, has deigned not to comment after several attempts to reach him and leaving messages. Obviously he has more important things to do than worry about how the operation of that outlet affects our spiritual climate here in the west end. Perhaps he is consulting the Hells Angels Guide to Ethics and Morals (ghost-written by Martha Stewart) before responding to our queries.
ROT AT THE TOP
(As this commentary will be touching upon politics, don sewage suits please)
The trickle-down effect was a term once favoured by bankers and economists who actually expected all us plebes to anticipate that once the mega-corporations declared their obscene profits the wealth they generated would disseminate all the way down to benefit the lower classes. This term, as applied to that economic theory, has become laughable in the last decade but it does suit very nicely what’s happening in the rot department.
Now that we are all witness to the grotesque goings-on of the Liberal Party and its desperate and illegal kickback schemes in Quebec, and while we can still recall with a putrid taste in our mouths the corrupt shenanigans of the Mulroney regime, is it any wonder that young people think nothing of lying and stealing; or are becoming so despaired that suicide appears like a rational act in this age of ignobility?
Kiddie thugs engaging in park beatings and swarmings and high school mass murderers can seriously claim to be victims of the slithering goop trickling down into their lives from the remnants of the Chretien and Mulroney regimes.
(cartoon below by Graeme MacKay of Hamilton Spectactor)
Have you ever witnessed beatings around the Davie Street Super Valu store, possibly related to accused shoplifters? If you have any information you would like to impart either anonymously or otherwise, please contact the publisher of The English Bay Banner by posting your message here.
All related correspondence can be managed electronically via this site.
SUPER VALU BOYCOTT NEWS IN BRIEF
Mr John Lederer, President of Loblaws, has been contacted for a comment as to why his suppliers, including President’s Choice, continue to supply and thereby allow to profiteer, this Super Valu store while it is owned by a member of the Hells Angels.
Chairman of Loblaws, Mr Gaelon Weston, has deigned not to comment after several attempts to reach him and leaving messages. Obviously he has more important things to do than worry about how the operation of that outlet affects our spiritual climate here in the west end. Perhaps he is consulting the Hells Angels Guide to Ethics and Morals (ghost-written by Martha Stewart) before responding to our queries.
ROT AT THE TOP
(As this commentary will be touching upon politics, don sewage suits please)
The trickle-down effect was a term once favoured by bankers and economists who actually expected all us plebes to anticipate that once the mega-corporations declared their obscene profits the wealth they generated would disseminate all the way down to benefit the lower classes. This term, as applied to that economic theory, has become laughable in the last decade but it does suit very nicely what’s happening in the rot department.
Now that we are all witness to the grotesque goings-on of the Liberal Party and its desperate and illegal kickback schemes in Quebec, and while we can still recall with a putrid taste in our mouths the corrupt shenanigans of the Mulroney regime, is it any wonder that young people think nothing of lying and stealing; or are becoming so despaired that suicide appears like a rational act in this age of ignobility?
Kiddie thugs engaging in park beatings and swarmings and high school mass murderers can seriously claim to be victims of the slithering goop trickling down into their lives from the remnants of the Chretien and Mulroney regimes.
(cartoon below by Graeme MacKay of Hamilton Spectactor)
Recognizing righteousness cont'd.
This country has been seriously leaderless for a lot of years and couple that fact with the war-machine recently re-elected just south of our porous borders, and you’ve got a very tenuous foundation for any form of civilization.
A people can always inherently recognize the presence of moral indignation in a man of righteousness. He has a kind of steady passion for the truth and a drive to do the right thing. His integrity is visible somehow, and a nation will warm to him. His words become beacons of hope and give good reason for young people to believe again that their efforts to change the world for the better are not in vain. Young people can still be impressed and deeply influenced by the seeing and the hearing of such a leader. We have all seen that recently in the attention given to the life and passing of Pope John Paul II. No matter what anybody’s arguments might have been as to his policies and dictates, no one could legitimately deny that man’s sense of commitment and personal pleading for the welfare of the world. Young people responded to that presence. That manhood. They spied something in themselves that they wanted to see enlivened. Could it be they were seeing what their birthright is all about: a growth into magnificence, living a life of purposefulness and meaning? And the real desire to discover others of similar appetite?
As we remain leaderless in this country, with no examples of human splendor to be showcased in this time of insatiable media, we squander our young people and allow them to be threatened by the influences of, for example, moronic biker gangs.
(One has to wonder: Where are the fathers in these biker gangs and how do they explain to their 12 year olds precisely what they’re doing? What heroes do they offer their children?)
CUE THE SACRED FLUTE
It was during the ‘90’s that the Nuu Chah Nulth native group of the west side of Vancouver Island regained control of some of their lands and were then empowered to husband it the way a true aboriginal nature lover would. Shortly after, the Hesquiaht band, one of their member tribes, clearcut its timber just north of Tofino in the general Clayoquot area.
The Cheam Indian band have been front and centre in the act of diminishing the salmon stocks of the Fraser River due to their untraditional use of nets cast across the river. The salmon stocks on this river are at risk of becoming extinct. This event would be an ecological disaster of extreme proportions.
The native salmon fishers on the west side of Vancouver Island, due to a favoured status, have an extended fishing season and plunder with gusto, uninterested apparently in stock counts.
A people can always inherently recognize the presence of moral indignation in a man of righteousness. He has a kind of steady passion for the truth and a drive to do the right thing. His integrity is visible somehow, and a nation will warm to him. His words become beacons of hope and give good reason for young people to believe again that their efforts to change the world for the better are not in vain. Young people can still be impressed and deeply influenced by the seeing and the hearing of such a leader. We have all seen that recently in the attention given to the life and passing of Pope John Paul II. No matter what anybody’s arguments might have been as to his policies and dictates, no one could legitimately deny that man’s sense of commitment and personal pleading for the welfare of the world. Young people responded to that presence. That manhood. They spied something in themselves that they wanted to see enlivened. Could it be they were seeing what their birthright is all about: a growth into magnificence, living a life of purposefulness and meaning? And the real desire to discover others of similar appetite?
As we remain leaderless in this country, with no examples of human splendor to be showcased in this time of insatiable media, we squander our young people and allow them to be threatened by the influences of, for example, moronic biker gangs.
(One has to wonder: Where are the fathers in these biker gangs and how do they explain to their 12 year olds precisely what they’re doing? What heroes do they offer their children?)
CUE THE SACRED FLUTE
It was during the ‘90’s that the Nuu Chah Nulth native group of the west side of Vancouver Island regained control of some of their lands and were then empowered to husband it the way a true aboriginal nature lover would. Shortly after, the Hesquiaht band, one of their member tribes, clearcut its timber just north of Tofino in the general Clayoquot area.
The Cheam Indian band have been front and centre in the act of diminishing the salmon stocks of the Fraser River due to their untraditional use of nets cast across the river. The salmon stocks on this river are at risk of becoming extinct. This event would be an ecological disaster of extreme proportions.
The native salmon fishers on the west side of Vancouver Island, due to a favoured status, have an extended fishing season and plunder with gusto, uninterested apparently in stock counts.
Disappearing feathers cont'd.
And now it has been reported that the poacher of dozens of eagles (supposedly sacred to native people) is indeed a native who has been selling the parts to other natives for use in sacred dances and other holy rituals. It is simply not plausible to believe that this poacher has been slaughtering all these eagles all this time and widely reported about in the press without the knowledge of other reserve natives in that area bordering North Vancouver.
The holier-than-thou-native keeper-of-the-sacred-environment image is now getting seriously tarnished.
For halo polish, order soon from that arthritic snake-oil salesman before it’s all gobbled up by Quebec Liberals and that strange lawyer acting for Ahenakew.
THEY’RE AT THE POST!
Scientists have reported on two-headed toads, the unusual and inexplicable deaths of whales, the extreme negative impact on the world environment of the harvesting of the Amazon forests, rainfall so polluted it causes the head fungus which creates dandruff, the dramatic increase in the numbers of asthmatics, and how we can expect more extreme weather situations thanks to all this greenhouse gassing we’re doing to ourselves. Specifically, that would be the mega-corporations doing to it to us, who have refined the business of industrialization to a deadly T.
The holier-than-thou-native keeper-of-the-sacred-environment image is now getting seriously tarnished.
For halo polish, order soon from that arthritic snake-oil salesman before it’s all gobbled up by Quebec Liberals and that strange lawyer acting for Ahenakew.
THEY’RE AT THE POST!
Scientists have reported on two-headed toads, the unusual and inexplicable deaths of whales, the extreme negative impact on the world environment of the harvesting of the Amazon forests, rainfall so polluted it causes the head fungus which creates dandruff, the dramatic increase in the numbers of asthmatics, and how we can expect more extreme weather situations thanks to all this greenhouse gassing we’re doing to ourselves. Specifically, that would be the mega-corporations doing to it to us, who have refined the business of industrialization to a deadly T.
Horse race cont'd.
Soon the cows won’t be coming home, due to smog inhalation.
So the industrialists are using scientists, new technicians and engineers to improve their raping capacity while other scientists are trying to use their power to alert the world of a coming calamity if we don’t pull back our industrial claws.
The thoughtful, conscientious scientists are inventing alternative means of transporting and entertaining ourselves which doesn’t leave a massive footprint on the delicate face of earth while the other private researchers are inventing ways of hurrying everybody’s demise in the name of “protecting our shareholders.”
Well, to all you shareholders: Take a good look at your portfolio and if you have or hope to have any grandchildren now is the time to divest yourself of any suspect stock which may be contributing to these rationales for strangling our earth. No shareholders = no poisoning activity.
See? You really can change the world. Just don’t buy or keep stock in these outdated crony-driven companies that are irresponsible to our earth.
This is one horse race mankind must win.
AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS
The appearance of hundreds of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square, and entire cities like Rome closing for a religious purpose and whole countries like Poland praying to God, gives this writer reason to rejoice.
In the witnessing of this outpouring of desire for holiness and the coming to life of communal goodness on a vast scale, it appears as though we as a global civilization are only a few baby steps away from acknowledging the real meaning of monotheism.
One God the celestial father and one people as His children. (And even atheists can be happily brooked in an enlightened world).
So the industrialists are using scientists, new technicians and engineers to improve their raping capacity while other scientists are trying to use their power to alert the world of a coming calamity if we don’t pull back our industrial claws.
The thoughtful, conscientious scientists are inventing alternative means of transporting and entertaining ourselves which doesn’t leave a massive footprint on the delicate face of earth while the other private researchers are inventing ways of hurrying everybody’s demise in the name of “protecting our shareholders.”
Well, to all you shareholders: Take a good look at your portfolio and if you have or hope to have any grandchildren now is the time to divest yourself of any suspect stock which may be contributing to these rationales for strangling our earth. No shareholders = no poisoning activity.
See? You really can change the world. Just don’t buy or keep stock in these outdated crony-driven companies that are irresponsible to our earth.
This is one horse race mankind must win.
AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS
The appearance of hundreds of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square, and entire cities like Rome closing for a religious purpose and whole countries like Poland praying to God, gives this writer reason to rejoice.
In the witnessing of this outpouring of desire for holiness and the coming to life of communal goodness on a vast scale, it appears as though we as a global civilization are only a few baby steps away from acknowledging the real meaning of monotheism.
One God the celestial father and one people as His children. (And even atheists can be happily brooked in an enlightened world).
Good News cont'd.
All we need to learn is how to behave in such a way as to invite a more obvious presence of the celestial Father. Would you expect Him to appear in a dishevelled home where despair is blithely served on a sullied plate? In a home where the television competes with the violent video games and the parents are scheming for another adulterous escape?
All we need to learn is how to permit godliness in every human interaction and we’ll have arrived. And enough of us arriving at this new holy setting will assure the acceptance of our invitation of that much neglected personality who will fill our need for a father figure, and then some.
“And there shall be no more death
Neither grief, nor crying nor pain any longer,
And I who sit upon the Throne say,
Behold! I am making all things new!
To the elect of righteousness
I am made a banner.
And a discerning interpreter of wonderful mysteries.”
-Krishna, from the Baghavad Gita splitting type with
The Righteous Teacher of the Dead Sea Scrolls
HORRORSCOPES
With Ms Urble
All we need to learn is how to permit godliness in every human interaction and we’ll have arrived. And enough of us arriving at this new holy setting will assure the acceptance of our invitation of that much neglected personality who will fill our need for a father figure, and then some.
“And there shall be no more death
Neither grief, nor crying nor pain any longer,
And I who sit upon the Throne say,
Behold! I am making all things new!
To the elect of righteousness
I am made a banner.
And a discerning interpreter of wonderful mysteries.”
-Krishna, from the Baghavad Gita splitting type with
The Righteous Teacher of the Dead Sea Scrolls
HORRORSCOPES
With Ms Urble
Eyes Agog on the Blazing Stars
ARIES
The sun is in your rear view mirror blinding the Gemini driver behind you who is raging at Mars for a war with his wife when he gets home. Pull over.
TAURUS
Your husband is blinded by his house in Mars. Tell the Scorpio to crawl out the back door. Now.
GEMINI
Pass this moron in front of you and catch the duplicitous Virgo in the act.
CANCER
Name change application declined. Sue an Aquarius bureaucrat.
LEO
There is an Italian element of risk in Libra’s House. Don’t make waves or risk another Titanic. Take wing! Aries needs you! Go straight.
VIRGO
Far too busy dearie. Lie, and live longer.
LIBRA
An awkward Sun Saturn this Tuesday means Wimpy still isn’t paying for the burger.
SCORPIO
The sun is currently moving through the area of the chart which determines how fast you can crawl the hell out of there. Given Gemini’s state of fervor, Mercy is a passing owl.
SAGITTARIUS
The most important (and urgent) thing right now is that you contemplate realistic targets. Sleep in, think about it but Scorpio’s looking a little weak.
CAPRICORN
You are the leader of the free world today. That would be your deceased mother. So be nice.
AQUARIUS
The moon is at right angles to your left ankles so your planet is in restriction until you get the bracelet removed. Send Martha a post card.
PISCES
Listen to what others tell you today because you are desperate for material for your internal monologues. When the Sun is in its fourth house and aligned with Mercury’s Leo, return to abstract thinking.
The sun is in your rear view mirror blinding the Gemini driver behind you who is raging at Mars for a war with his wife when he gets home. Pull over.
TAURUS
Your husband is blinded by his house in Mars. Tell the Scorpio to crawl out the back door. Now.
GEMINI
Pass this moron in front of you and catch the duplicitous Virgo in the act.
CANCER
Name change application declined. Sue an Aquarius bureaucrat.
LEO
There is an Italian element of risk in Libra’s House. Don’t make waves or risk another Titanic. Take wing! Aries needs you! Go straight.
VIRGO
Far too busy dearie. Lie, and live longer.
LIBRA
An awkward Sun Saturn this Tuesday means Wimpy still isn’t paying for the burger.
SCORPIO
The sun is currently moving through the area of the chart which determines how fast you can crawl the hell out of there. Given Gemini’s state of fervor, Mercy is a passing owl.
SAGITTARIUS
The most important (and urgent) thing right now is that you contemplate realistic targets. Sleep in, think about it but Scorpio’s looking a little weak.
CAPRICORN
You are the leader of the free world today. That would be your deceased mother. So be nice.
AQUARIUS
The moon is at right angles to your left ankles so your planet is in restriction until you get the bracelet removed. Send Martha a post card.
PISCES
Listen to what others tell you today because you are desperate for material for your internal monologues. When the Sun is in its fourth house and aligned with Mercury’s Leo, return to abstract thinking.
The LamaKing Under the Ping Pong Table
On one occasion in this balmy sunshine of Peru, Patrick and I had to share the ping pong table with a visiting lama (not quite as important as a dignitary but close in the imperious deportment department). So Lama-King was regally crouched under the table at Patrick’s end and being the friend of all furry creatures he took it upon himself to pet the thing and slobber some false sentimentalities all over it. LamaKing thought this was splendid of course. Then Patrick having won the noble beast’s friendship with his two step petting bit decided to get friendlier which of course LamaKing balked at in a most surprising way, apparently interpreting the friendliness as a nuisance. Quite at ease, it just lifted its head ever so and eyeballing the Patrick boy almost imperceptibly inhaled and fwatted this stream of lama-drool arcing into the air in that kind of motion artsy filmmakers use to show lovers running toward each other trying not to look imbecilic. That saliva shot looked like it might weigh a good pound while it was wending its way toward the hapless Patrick who was obediently staring at the critter.
LamaKing cont'd.
Face immobilized just so the slop hit him rather just between his eyes. Oh dear. The irritable Irish temper in Patrick was busy in the escalating mode while removing his greasy glasses and looking for something of substance and area to wipe his face with. While fulminating with a wicked expression on his face he decided he’d inform the LamaKing that that was in the no-no dept, especially in the domain of pissed off Irishmen. So while wagging his finger rather furiously at the face of Lamaking, the imperious beast interpreted this as a gesture for an encore and so nonchalantly obliged. Another perfectly executed zinger to replace the slop from the last one. At this event, the battle ended unceremoniously with the deposed formerly sentimental King Patrick beating a retreat to the med building, leaving his ping pong opponent in a heap on the grass laughing convulsively, risking an ‘accident.’ LamaKing was kind and left the heaving thing alone holding his stomach.
“Laughter among earthlings is the triumph of an infinitely patient cosmos.”
RESOLUTION TO THE PRINT MEDIA FRENZY
Now in this province of the globe, we can take receipt from the courier who crossed the shimmering Georgia Straight under the afternoon sun to offer a dose of something to make us west enders feel better within 24 hours (especially after reading all those mundane celebrity stories repeated in that common media), and then actually enjoy reading one thing and that would be The English Bay Banner.
Take a stand. Raise a Banner.
AN INTERESTING QUERY
A visiting psychologist was seated with us in our Choseca dining room and our conversation led to a reflection on the quality of knowing. The specialist of the human mind enquired of me, “Why do you think knowing brings with it a sadness?”
This was a question to contemplate and it kept me up that night. The next afternoon I showed the doctor these words.
“Laughter among earthlings is the triumph of an infinitely patient cosmos.”
RESOLUTION TO THE PRINT MEDIA FRENZY
Now in this province of the globe, we can take receipt from the courier who crossed the shimmering Georgia Straight under the afternoon sun to offer a dose of something to make us west enders feel better within 24 hours (especially after reading all those mundane celebrity stories repeated in that common media), and then actually enjoy reading one thing and that would be The English Bay Banner.
Take a stand. Raise a Banner.
AN INTERESTING QUERY
A visiting psychologist was seated with us in our Choseca dining room and our conversation led to a reflection on the quality of knowing. The specialist of the human mind enquired of me, “Why do you think knowing brings with it a sadness?”
This was a question to contemplate and it kept me up that night. The next afternoon I showed the doctor these words.
Grave Acknowledgement
In its inexorable flux the personality of the infinite creates and knows more. And this knowing bears a price, even of the divine. The acknowledgement that its intimates are becoming grist to afford the boast, “Behold! I make all things new again!”
Man’s increase in knowing reflects this quandary. The sadness of loss tempering the thrill of knowledge gained.
Perhaps sadness is too sentimental, eschewed in the fierceness of divine action. It is more a grave acknowledgement of the vagary of being that one hears in the lawgiver’s declaration, “I am that I am.”
But to whence are the former intimates dispatched? All to places in a sky of their own custom, in weirdly embroidered raiment about their newly robust bodies, formed over millennia by the utterance of each compassionate syllable driven to God. Such is the bounty of Light.
Man’s increase in knowing reflects this quandary. The sadness of loss tempering the thrill of knowledge gained.
Perhaps sadness is too sentimental, eschewed in the fierceness of divine action. It is more a grave acknowledgement of the vagary of being that one hears in the lawgiver’s declaration, “I am that I am.”
But to whence are the former intimates dispatched? All to places in a sky of their own custom, in weirdly embroidered raiment about their newly robust bodies, formed over millennia by the utterance of each compassionate syllable driven to God. Such is the bounty of Light.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Now boys and girls...
Now boys and girls, read ALL the way down to Issue #1 logo because quite apart from the fact that this issue is brim full of intrigue, drama, and mystery, THERE’S GOING TO BE A QUIZ!
For me, it’s time to take five, and have a happy makeover! Thanks to Continental Airways, five hours to L.A. then another four to Lima (see stroll below). I get to choose down here from an assortment including green eye contacts, a variety of brown (real alpaca!) wigs, 28 different lipstick shades…
For me, it’s time to take five, and have a happy makeover! Thanks to Continental Airways, five hours to L.A. then another four to Lima (see stroll below). I get to choose down here from an assortment including green eye contacts, a variety of brown (real alpaca!) wigs, 28 different lipstick shades…
38-B?
But do you think hoisting 38 B cups might be over the top? And no way am I shaving my leg hair (a man really must have something left to support his vanity). Besides, these legs are truly brewmesisters having won many a hairy leg contest in Canadian pubs. But not to worry, fans. My secret agents are well placed to keep me posted.
Super-Throat
Speaking of whom, let’s start with our very own Super-Throat.
According to this former employee of the Davie Street Super-Valu, he alleges that employees there are often paid illegally low wages, are encouraged to beat shoplifters; the Hells Angels shop for free there and when one disgruntled ex-employee was discovered to have brought his grievance to the Labour Relations Board, he was beaten.
Does this have the ring of truth?
Anonymity in this light is all the more understandable here and also even in the case of the authors of the comments posted here. Isn’t it nice to know we live in a community where we have to hide our identity while practicing our right of free speech?
I was interviewed on CKNW last Thursday during afternoon rush hour by Philip Till (see their CKNW web site and visit their “Audio Vault” for a hearing) and he really didn’t seem to approve of this boycott business. He wanted to know if I had any evidence that Ross McLelland was indeed a member of the Hells Angels. After badgering me with other questions of a huffy nature (as he struggled to emulate a tough journalist), I, feeling somewhat exasperated, stated for all and sundry, “I'm certainly not going to go do my grocery shopping at a place that's owned by a Nazi." I wanted to ask Phil of the silvery voice, “Would you send your boy child to a pedophile to buy his candies?” The general point here is simple: any tolerance of criminal activity or association is tantamount to tacit support. We live in the society we create.
According to this former employee of the Davie Street Super-Valu, he alleges that employees there are often paid illegally low wages, are encouraged to beat shoplifters; the Hells Angels shop for free there and when one disgruntled ex-employee was discovered to have brought his grievance to the Labour Relations Board, he was beaten.
Does this have the ring of truth?
Anonymity in this light is all the more understandable here and also even in the case of the authors of the comments posted here. Isn’t it nice to know we live in a community where we have to hide our identity while practicing our right of free speech?
I was interviewed on CKNW last Thursday during afternoon rush hour by Philip Till (see their CKNW web site and visit their “Audio Vault” for a hearing) and he really didn’t seem to approve of this boycott business. He wanted to know if I had any evidence that Ross McLelland was indeed a member of the Hells Angels. After badgering me with other questions of a huffy nature (as he struggled to emulate a tough journalist), I, feeling somewhat exasperated, stated for all and sundry, “I'm certainly not going to go do my grocery shopping at a place that's owned by a Nazi." I wanted to ask Phil of the silvery voice, “Would you send your boy child to a pedophile to buy his candies?” The general point here is simple: any tolerance of criminal activity or association is tantamount to tacit support. We live in the society we create.
The Role of Gaelon Weston
So who is actually responsible for actively supporting this business besides the shoppers? The suppliers. And one of those suppliers whose posters you can find regularly on its windows there on Davie Street is President’s Choice Foods. I attempted to contact a spokesperson for President’s Choice and as I was surfing around the net to ascertain to whom I should speak, I discovered that Loblaws was the parent company of this brand name. Loblaws is a huge corporation of assorted national grocers which include the SuperCanadian stores and Westfair Foods out of Calgary. So it seemed I would need to discuss this issue of supplying this specific Super Valu with someone from Westfair or Loblaws. But after a few more minutes of surfing, I discovered that actually Westfair is a subsidiary again of Loblaws. And that particular Super Valu franchise was arranged through Westfair Foods.
And the man behind Loblaws is Canadian magnate Gaelon Weston out of Toronto. Now part of the mandate of the Loblaws organization is to communicate effectively with the public but having tried now several times to reach Mr Weston and ask him how he can justify having sold this franchise to a Hells Angel and continue supplying him to this day, Weston has deigned not to respond. So while Weston lounges around in Florida ignoring these calls to take responsibility for what’s transpiring at one of his franchises, our community must put up with this shadowy blot of an enterprise. Thanks Mr Weston.
I remember his bread trucks in Toronto. They featured a lass of about 10 with her blonde hair tied in two cute curlies, chomping into some yummy white bread. Where, I wonder, might she be these corrupt days? On the back of some hog, maybe?
If you feel that Mr Weston should be made accountable for this state of affairs on Davie Street, maybe you’ll have better luck reaching him. His office number in Toronto is 416-922-2500, and here’s his home phone number in Florida: 772-388-4072
While you’re on the horn to him, you might ask, as I will if I get a chance, if he would be prepared to guarantee the jobs of the current employees of this Super Valu until its ownership issues get resolved. Why, after all, should these workers at the bottom of the creepy power chain here be victimized by the questionable moral status of their boss and the sloppiness of the parent group in selling that franchise to him?
So to make it perfectly clear:
CALLING MR GAELON WESTON. CALLING MR GAELON WESTON.
WILL YOU GUARANTEE THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES OF THE DAVIE STREET SUPER VALU WHILE YOU SORT OUT THE OWNERSHIP ISSUE OF THIS FACILITY?
There you go, Philip. Now you can go back to your mirror stroking that lovely voice of yours.
And given the current state of significant indifference, is it too ludicrous to consider that coming soon to a food shelf near you might be…
And the man behind Loblaws is Canadian magnate Gaelon Weston out of Toronto. Now part of the mandate of the Loblaws organization is to communicate effectively with the public but having tried now several times to reach Mr Weston and ask him how he can justify having sold this franchise to a Hells Angel and continue supplying him to this day, Weston has deigned not to respond. So while Weston lounges around in Florida ignoring these calls to take responsibility for what’s transpiring at one of his franchises, our community must put up with this shadowy blot of an enterprise. Thanks Mr Weston.
I remember his bread trucks in Toronto. They featured a lass of about 10 with her blonde hair tied in two cute curlies, chomping into some yummy white bread. Where, I wonder, might she be these corrupt days? On the back of some hog, maybe?
If you feel that Mr Weston should be made accountable for this state of affairs on Davie Street, maybe you’ll have better luck reaching him. His office number in Toronto is 416-922-2500, and here’s his home phone number in Florida: 772-388-4072
While you’re on the horn to him, you might ask, as I will if I get a chance, if he would be prepared to guarantee the jobs of the current employees of this Super Valu until its ownership issues get resolved. Why, after all, should these workers at the bottom of the creepy power chain here be victimized by the questionable moral status of their boss and the sloppiness of the parent group in selling that franchise to him?
So to make it perfectly clear:
CALLING MR GAELON WESTON. CALLING MR GAELON WESTON.
WILL YOU GUARANTEE THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES OF THE DAVIE STREET SUPER VALU WHILE YOU SORT OUT THE OWNERSHIP ISSUE OF THIS FACILITY?
There you go, Philip. Now you can go back to your mirror stroking that lovely voice of yours.
And given the current state of significant indifference, is it too ludicrous to consider that coming soon to a food shelf near you might be…
Gay Heads in Sand?
Interesting to note: the highly visible, politically active gay community of the west end has had absolutely nothing to say on this boycott issue. Too preoccupied as to their next parade route?
Some interesting correspondence…
Dear Members of the Davie St Business Improvement Association,
In deference to the good works of your organization, especially here in the west end, I ask all your thoughtful members to boycott Super-Valu on Davie Street until it is no longer owned by a Hells Angel and has no more affiliation with that organization.
I have asked Gaelon Weston, the proprietor of Loblaws, the seller of the franchise and one of the chief suppliers of Super Valu, to guarantee continued employment of those employees there until this ownership matter is resolved to the enhancement of our community.
See www.ebaybanner.blogspot.com for details.
Sincerely,
R H Langen, west end, Vancouver
From: Davie Village BIA
To: ides
Cc: Steck, James
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 9:44 AM
Subject: Response to request to Super-Valu boycott
Dear Mr. Langen,
This correspondence is in response to your email dated April 1, 2005, in which you request that all of our "thoughtful members boycott" the Super Valu on Davie Street.
Firstly, we do not have a mechanism in place to forward correspondence to our members. Our newsletter is used to communicate to our membership, but there is not a place in that vehicle in which we include any form of solicitation. It is not our mandate to boycott our members.
Secondly, since receipt of your email we have been in touch with both the Owner and the Manager of the Super Valu here on Davie Street. Mr. McLellan, the owner for the past 30 years, has also confirmed for me that there is no ownership matter that is presently unresolved. I would like to bring to your attention and make reference to our mission statement and our core values. Should you provide a mailing address, I would happily send the same to you. They will soon be posted to our website, which is currently under construction.
Specifically, I refer to Core Value 1. "We respect both the dignity of individuals and the rights of all the members of the Society regardless of sexual orientation, gender, gender choice, cultural or ethnic background, age, physical or mental ability, socioeconomic status or political, religious or social affiliation or beliefs. In this we seek to identify and remove barriers to participation in the activities of the DViBIA."
One of the many purposes of the BIA, according to the Constitution, is to develop, encourage, and promote, business in the Davie Village Area. To this end we assist the merchants to increase business, not force them out! As we are unable to assist you in this matter, I would suggest that you follow up with another form of media involvement or communication tool. Indeed your website refers to "helping people have their own voice on the web". Perhaps that could be the vehicle for your campaign.
For your information, your letter has been forwarded to the Board of Directors, many of whom are merchants on the street within our designated BIA boundary established by the City of Vancouver.
Respectfully, Lyn Hellyar, Executive Director, Davie Village Business Improvement Association.
Dear Ms Hellyar,
See below for information you may also like to pass on to your membership. After reviewing this material and perchance even reading these books or the Sun editorial about how "These Angels are Devils", you might want to consider a re-evaulation of your "core values" and the company you keep.
An interesting excerpt:
"...how a few citizens stood up to the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes."
By the way, how thoughtful of you to ask for my address. -R H Langen
Some interesting correspondence…
Dear Members of the Davie St Business Improvement Association,
In deference to the good works of your organization, especially here in the west end, I ask all your thoughtful members to boycott Super-Valu on Davie Street until it is no longer owned by a Hells Angel and has no more affiliation with that organization.
I have asked Gaelon Weston, the proprietor of Loblaws, the seller of the franchise and one of the chief suppliers of Super Valu, to guarantee continued employment of those employees there until this ownership matter is resolved to the enhancement of our community.
See www.ebaybanner.blogspot.com for details.
Sincerely,
R H Langen, west end, Vancouver
From: Davie Village BIA
To: ides
Cc: Steck, James
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 9:44 AM
Subject: Response to request to Super-Valu boycott
Dear Mr. Langen,
This correspondence is in response to your email dated April 1, 2005, in which you request that all of our "thoughtful members boycott" the Super Valu on Davie Street.
Firstly, we do not have a mechanism in place to forward correspondence to our members. Our newsletter is used to communicate to our membership, but there is not a place in that vehicle in which we include any form of solicitation. It is not our mandate to boycott our members.
Secondly, since receipt of your email we have been in touch with both the Owner and the Manager of the Super Valu here on Davie Street. Mr. McLellan, the owner for the past 30 years, has also confirmed for me that there is no ownership matter that is presently unresolved. I would like to bring to your attention and make reference to our mission statement and our core values. Should you provide a mailing address, I would happily send the same to you. They will soon be posted to our website, which is currently under construction.
Specifically, I refer to Core Value 1. "We respect both the dignity of individuals and the rights of all the members of the Society regardless of sexual orientation, gender, gender choice, cultural or ethnic background, age, physical or mental ability, socioeconomic status or political, religious or social affiliation or beliefs. In this we seek to identify and remove barriers to participation in the activities of the DViBIA."
One of the many purposes of the BIA, according to the Constitution, is to develop, encourage, and promote, business in the Davie Village Area. To this end we assist the merchants to increase business, not force them out! As we are unable to assist you in this matter, I would suggest that you follow up with another form of media involvement or communication tool. Indeed your website refers to "helping people have their own voice on the web". Perhaps that could be the vehicle for your campaign.
For your information, your letter has been forwarded to the Board of Directors, many of whom are merchants on the street within our designated BIA boundary established by the City of Vancouver.
Respectfully, Lyn Hellyar, Executive Director, Davie Village Business Improvement Association.
Dear Ms Hellyar,
See below for information you may also like to pass on to your membership. After reviewing this material and perchance even reading these books or the Sun editorial about how "These Angels are Devils", you might want to consider a re-evaulation of your "core values" and the company you keep.
An interesting excerpt:
"...how a few citizens stood up to the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes."
By the way, how thoughtful of you to ask for my address. -R H Langen
Brave Writers
Hell's Angels
Written by Yves Lavigne
Category:
True Crime - Murder
Publisher: Seal
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Pub Date: August 2000
Price: $10.99
ISBN: 0-7704-2858-4
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Hell's Angels: Taking Care of Business is the ground-breaking book that launched Yves Lavigne's investigative series into the Hell's Angels. This book traces the growth of the Hell's Angels organization from the early, rowdy "club" to the insidious, far-reaching superstructure that now exists. Today's Angels still value the grinning death's head, but they keep it for funerals, runs, initiations, and laying heavies. Angels, like the undercover policemen who tail them, prefer street clothes to blend with their surroudings. In a world of drugs, prostitution and pornography, the shadow the Angels' wings falls on all of us. Hell's Angels: Taking care of Business is a fascinating and startling read.
REVIEW QUOTES
"A searing account of violence and underworld business"--Winnipeg Sun
"Alarming reading"--Toronto Star
"Lavigne's book is an original. He writes in a way that compels the reader to feel, sense and taste directly what motorcycle gang life is all about."--Clayton Ruby
Written by Yves Lavigne
Category:
True Crime - Murder
Publisher: Seal
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Pub Date: August 2000
Price: $10.99
ISBN: 0-7704-2858-4
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Hell's Angels: Taking Care of Business is the ground-breaking book that launched Yves Lavigne's investigative series into the Hell's Angels. This book traces the growth of the Hell's Angels organization from the early, rowdy "club" to the insidious, far-reaching superstructure that now exists. Today's Angels still value the grinning death's head, but they keep it for funerals, runs, initiations, and laying heavies. Angels, like the undercover policemen who tail them, prefer street clothes to blend with their surroudings. In a world of drugs, prostitution and pornography, the shadow the Angels' wings falls on all of us. Hell's Angels: Taking care of Business is a fascinating and startling read.
REVIEW QUOTES
"A searing account of violence and underworld business"--Winnipeg Sun
"Alarming reading"--Toronto Star
"Lavigne's book is an original. He writes in a way that compels the reader to feel, sense and taste directly what motorcycle gang life is all about."--Clayton Ruby
True Stories
The Road to Hell
How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada
Written by Julian Sher and William Marsden
Category: True Crime; True Crime - Murder
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Format: Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Pub Date: June 2004
Price: $22.00
ISBN: 0-676-97599-2
Also available as a paperback.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
In this definitive, up-to-the-minute account of the Hells Angels in Canada, two veteran journalists investigate why the recent imprisonment of feared biker leader, Maurice “Mom” Boucher, is too little, too late.
By the spring of 2002, Boucher was safely in prison but the Hells Angels had grown to 37 chapters with close to 600 members across the country. They had taken over the drug trade and continued their rapid expansion into Ontario with a recent, high-profile enlistment -- or patchover -- of 168 members from other gangs. In Winnipeg, gang warfare turned ugly as the Hells muscled out the competition and firebombed a policeman’s home. In Vancouver, they secured a stranglehold on smuggling in the all-important West Coast port.
The Road to Hell is the story of how the Hells have taken over the Canadian crime scene: how politicians dithered while overburdened prosecutors burned out and lost major cases; how police brass squabbled while a handful of dedicated cops worked years to amass their evidence; how a few citizens stood up the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes. In gripping prose, the authors tell all about Boucher’s war on the justice system; how he finally lost in Quebec, thanks in part to Danny Kane, a reluctant biker turned informer; but how across Canada the Hells have succeeded in building a national crime empire.
The RCMP and then the police in Montreal would run Danny Kane as one of the most successful -- and most secretive -- agents ever to infiltrate organized crime. Kane would climb all the way to the top: from a lowly hangaround to a trusted confidante of the Quebec Nomads, the elite chapter led by the top Hells Angels lieutenants of Maurice “Mom” Boucher. And through his entire six-year-career as a spy, few people -- even inside the police -- would ever know about his dangerous double life. -- from The Road to Hell
From the Hardcover edition.
REVIEW QUOTES
"(A) tremendous work on the Hells' Angels .... that will raise needed public awareness and denunciation of this threat to our communities."
—Honourable Gord Mackintosh, Minister of Justice/Attorney General, Manitoba
“The Road to Hell … brings into sharp focus why sophisticated outlaw motorcycle gangs must be a concern for everyone, from the suburban soccer mom to the Bay Street broker.”
—National Post
“Julian Sher and William Marsden present a thorough, colourful, enlightening account of how various missteps by the justice system helped the Hells [Angels] become the first organized crime organization to operate coast to coast... . With a cast of characters that includes blunt-talking police investigators and dozens of bikers, the book offers a multi-faceted perspective of what was going on behind the scenes among the bikers and those working to bring them to justice during the past decade.”
—Canadian Press
“Surprisingly detailed…. Chilling.”
—The Daily News (Halifax)
“Pulling no punches…[a]uthors Julian Sher and William Marsden detail Nova Scotia murder plots, contract killings and twisted revenge-filled biker politics, fuelled by the gang’s insatiable desire to control turf.”
—The Chronicle-Herald (Halifax)
“The Road to Hell: How Biker Gangs Conquered Canada by Montreal journalists Julian Sher and William Marsden…is clearly a case of…truth being stranger than fiction, and Sher and Marsden tell [the] story very well. … Road to Hell is a triumph on several levels. The authors are clearly comfortable with their topic and there’s a sense of indignation and zeal that fuels their story. … Sher and Marsden have managed to write an “important” book that moves with the power and style of a Harley Electra Glide.”
—Toronto Star
Yes, the Club President might have his choices but we as a people have something else.
We are the Kings of spring in Paris!
Sparkling meadows find there us!
The hope of every child we drive!
Look out! Regardez! Our bees will sting you alive!
Our white birds are true and fast.
In their song the words everlast!
In your ears we will ring! Ring! Ring!
Love is king! Love is king, king, king!
We have all of that.
How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada
Written by Julian Sher and William Marsden
Category: True Crime; True Crime - Murder
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Format: Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Pub Date: June 2004
Price: $22.00
ISBN: 0-676-97599-2
Also available as a paperback.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
In this definitive, up-to-the-minute account of the Hells Angels in Canada, two veteran journalists investigate why the recent imprisonment of feared biker leader, Maurice “Mom” Boucher, is too little, too late.
By the spring of 2002, Boucher was safely in prison but the Hells Angels had grown to 37 chapters with close to 600 members across the country. They had taken over the drug trade and continued their rapid expansion into Ontario with a recent, high-profile enlistment -- or patchover -- of 168 members from other gangs. In Winnipeg, gang warfare turned ugly as the Hells muscled out the competition and firebombed a policeman’s home. In Vancouver, they secured a stranglehold on smuggling in the all-important West Coast port.
The Road to Hell is the story of how the Hells have taken over the Canadian crime scene: how politicians dithered while overburdened prosecutors burned out and lost major cases; how police brass squabbled while a handful of dedicated cops worked years to amass their evidence; how a few citizens stood up the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes. In gripping prose, the authors tell all about Boucher’s war on the justice system; how he finally lost in Quebec, thanks in part to Danny Kane, a reluctant biker turned informer; but how across Canada the Hells have succeeded in building a national crime empire.
The RCMP and then the police in Montreal would run Danny Kane as one of the most successful -- and most secretive -- agents ever to infiltrate organized crime. Kane would climb all the way to the top: from a lowly hangaround to a trusted confidante of the Quebec Nomads, the elite chapter led by the top Hells Angels lieutenants of Maurice “Mom” Boucher. And through his entire six-year-career as a spy, few people -- even inside the police -- would ever know about his dangerous double life. -- from The Road to Hell
From the Hardcover edition.
REVIEW QUOTES
"(A) tremendous work on the Hells' Angels .... that will raise needed public awareness and denunciation of this threat to our communities."
—Honourable Gord Mackintosh, Minister of Justice/Attorney General, Manitoba
“The Road to Hell … brings into sharp focus why sophisticated outlaw motorcycle gangs must be a concern for everyone, from the suburban soccer mom to the Bay Street broker.”
—National Post
“Julian Sher and William Marsden present a thorough, colourful, enlightening account of how various missteps by the justice system helped the Hells [Angels] become the first organized crime organization to operate coast to coast... . With a cast of characters that includes blunt-talking police investigators and dozens of bikers, the book offers a multi-faceted perspective of what was going on behind the scenes among the bikers and those working to bring them to justice during the past decade.”
—Canadian Press
“Surprisingly detailed…. Chilling.”
—The Daily News (Halifax)
“Pulling no punches…[a]uthors Julian Sher and William Marsden detail Nova Scotia murder plots, contract killings and twisted revenge-filled biker politics, fuelled by the gang’s insatiable desire to control turf.”
—The Chronicle-Herald (Halifax)
“The Road to Hell: How Biker Gangs Conquered Canada by Montreal journalists Julian Sher and William Marsden…is clearly a case of…truth being stranger than fiction, and Sher and Marsden tell [the] story very well. … Road to Hell is a triumph on several levels. The authors are clearly comfortable with their topic and there’s a sense of indignation and zeal that fuels their story. … Sher and Marsden have managed to write an “important” book that moves with the power and style of a Harley Electra Glide.”
—Toronto Star
Yes, the Club President might have his choices but we as a people have something else.
We are the Kings of spring in Paris!
Sparkling meadows find there us!
The hope of every child we drive!
Look out! Regardez! Our bees will sting you alive!
Our white birds are true and fast.
In their song the words everlast!
In your ears we will ring! Ring! Ring!
Love is king! Love is king, king, king!
We have all of that.
Culture of Grief and Death
The Common Media are setting new lows for squeezing out every drop of grief and misery from the THE POPE AND TERRI SHOW.
While the absolutely brain dead Terri Shiavo was squirming about in her bed, the cameraman was seemingly trying to shove the lens right into her mouth. Thank God she was brain dead. That her parents so gratuitously used the media to showcase their daughter’s condition was not, in my view, a very gracious act. Every medical scientist equipped with the inarguable scans of her brain stated emphatically that she was not aware of anything whatsoever; not even discomfort in her death throes – the morphine administered more for the placating of her relatives than for any relief for Terri Shiavo.
The press, especially the American press, which the rest of the world is so sheepishly trying to emulate, made hay from her tragic situation for a solid two weeks and will continue now through the family’s grieving process.
Did I not call this a culture of grief and death (back in 1996)? How exactly though are we supposed to sate our need for human joy through this weird sentimentalizing process? Quite hysterical really, all those poor sods lined up in Florida praying like hell, and for what? To keep those tubes snaking in and out of improbable orifices in the body of a person who has been repeatedly declared brain dead?
Pope John Paul II, bless his soul, was declared dead before his time by the Italian media and Reuters on Friday, not wanting to be scooped by anyone, all of whom having a zillion cameras and commentators all over the Vatican.
As an ex-devout Catholic I watched his Papal career with intense interest. He wrote and spoke with a true fervor and an intimate awareness of his audience. How close he came to being truly an emancipated man of power and light. I suggest his stubborn commitment to orthodox dogmas related to priestly celebacy and restrictions against the use of condoms (appallingly naive in this age of AIDS) had a negative impact on massive numbers of his flock and possibly even infringed upon his own absolute enlightenment. But as to his powerful presence as a man of principle and one thoroughly committed to bettering the lot of the human family, I am supremely impressed and thankful to those Cardinals who found him to be Papabile 27 years ago.
In this instance of his death, the common media have been entirely correct to devote so much time and airspace to the intellectuals of the spiritual house of Catholicsm as they offer their stories and pay homage to Pope John Paul II.
While the absolutely brain dead Terri Shiavo was squirming about in her bed, the cameraman was seemingly trying to shove the lens right into her mouth. Thank God she was brain dead. That her parents so gratuitously used the media to showcase their daughter’s condition was not, in my view, a very gracious act. Every medical scientist equipped with the inarguable scans of her brain stated emphatically that she was not aware of anything whatsoever; not even discomfort in her death throes – the morphine administered more for the placating of her relatives than for any relief for Terri Shiavo.
The press, especially the American press, which the rest of the world is so sheepishly trying to emulate, made hay from her tragic situation for a solid two weeks and will continue now through the family’s grieving process.
Did I not call this a culture of grief and death (back in 1996)? How exactly though are we supposed to sate our need for human joy through this weird sentimentalizing process? Quite hysterical really, all those poor sods lined up in Florida praying like hell, and for what? To keep those tubes snaking in and out of improbable orifices in the body of a person who has been repeatedly declared brain dead?
Pope John Paul II, bless his soul, was declared dead before his time by the Italian media and Reuters on Friday, not wanting to be scooped by anyone, all of whom having a zillion cameras and commentators all over the Vatican.
As an ex-devout Catholic I watched his Papal career with intense interest. He wrote and spoke with a true fervor and an intimate awareness of his audience. How close he came to being truly an emancipated man of power and light. I suggest his stubborn commitment to orthodox dogmas related to priestly celebacy and restrictions against the use of condoms (appallingly naive in this age of AIDS) had a negative impact on massive numbers of his flock and possibly even infringed upon his own absolute enlightenment. But as to his powerful presence as a man of principle and one thoroughly committed to bettering the lot of the human family, I am supremely impressed and thankful to those Cardinals who found him to be Papabile 27 years ago.
In this instance of his death, the common media have been entirely correct to devote so much time and airspace to the intellectuals of the spiritual house of Catholicsm as they offer their stories and pay homage to Pope John Paul II.
Catholic concerns cont'd.
Catholic concerns about him slipping into a coma and leaving the church without a spiritual leader were bandied about no end and all of this public ruminating about the mortality of these two individuals leads one to wonder: When is a person no longer a human being? What qualifies humanity? When does our humanity begin, and end?
Never being at a loss for an opinion, allow me to share with you (briefly) my perspective. An entity becomes human when it is thrust into the light. A child is born. It engages and is engaged by the outside cosmos. Its first relationship is with mother, whose love is undeniable and of critical support.
That individual then may begin to take responsibility for its humanity after he* has been exposed to the vagaries of human life and hopefully adequately educated to determine between that which is right and wrong. So the presence of the moral mind helps to qualify the individual as uniquely human. The mechanism for free choice distinguishes the man from beast then and those choices begin to create the moral composite which may lead to an enlightening, the absolute emancipation and triumph of that individual or, as is mostly the situation, his death in darkness, unfinished in his growth, psychologically fastened to the state of juvenile thinking and anxiety (much affirmed by video games and modern adult amusements).
Hysteria and false sentimentality are earmarks of juvenile reactions.
Every day I am constructing my own ethereal house, no better nor less than that of any other individual equally concerned about his private spiritual environment. And it is from this environment that we each may then extend ourselves into the world with a gentle force but some insistence for truth and peace, and a craving for goodness.
When I am no longer connected with willpower or the mental capacity to the promise of living meaningfully, I am finished, and am certain my body will acknowledge this and allow me to change form. Scientific interference at this point is misguided. A natural approach to this dramatic occasion and then the challenge to cross that plain of existence between lives (be they human again or spiritual) would not be emboldened by artificial means.
And in earnest I pray for the peaceful migration of Karol and Terri’s souls.
*as a male author, I use male pronouns throughout for grammatical simplicity and to avoid the awful "he/she" nonsense.
And now for a dip into the eternal sea of confusion, that diabolical ocean of maya (get yer sewage suit on)...
GLOBAL POLITICS
This week, your favourite saint and mine, St George W Bush (patron saint of born again rednecks, & military prison guards & visionary of WMD’s), having failed to oust the earnest and dedicated Kofi Anan as leader of the United Nations, has appointed former Pentagonian Wolfowitz to the rather critical position of Leader of the World Bank. This being the same establishment that recently attempted to affix security to one of its loans as to be measured in the value of their water, including the rainwater which occasionally was witnessed falling on the starving heads of the borrowing South American country. This privatization of water rights has an ominous feel to it, and threatens to awaken the pyschopathic corporations as to their next asset management portfolio. The people in South America had to revolt against the World Bank to win back their right to capture rain water.
Never being at a loss for an opinion, allow me to share with you (briefly) my perspective. An entity becomes human when it is thrust into the light. A child is born. It engages and is engaged by the outside cosmos. Its first relationship is with mother, whose love is undeniable and of critical support.
That individual then may begin to take responsibility for its humanity after he* has been exposed to the vagaries of human life and hopefully adequately educated to determine between that which is right and wrong. So the presence of the moral mind helps to qualify the individual as uniquely human. The mechanism for free choice distinguishes the man from beast then and those choices begin to create the moral composite which may lead to an enlightening, the absolute emancipation and triumph of that individual or, as is mostly the situation, his death in darkness, unfinished in his growth, psychologically fastened to the state of juvenile thinking and anxiety (much affirmed by video games and modern adult amusements).
Hysteria and false sentimentality are earmarks of juvenile reactions.
Every day I am constructing my own ethereal house, no better nor less than that of any other individual equally concerned about his private spiritual environment. And it is from this environment that we each may then extend ourselves into the world with a gentle force but some insistence for truth and peace, and a craving for goodness.
When I am no longer connected with willpower or the mental capacity to the promise of living meaningfully, I am finished, and am certain my body will acknowledge this and allow me to change form. Scientific interference at this point is misguided. A natural approach to this dramatic occasion and then the challenge to cross that plain of existence between lives (be they human again or spiritual) would not be emboldened by artificial means.
And in earnest I pray for the peaceful migration of Karol and Terri’s souls.
*as a male author, I use male pronouns throughout for grammatical simplicity and to avoid the awful "he/she" nonsense.
And now for a dip into the eternal sea of confusion, that diabolical ocean of maya (get yer sewage suit on)...
GLOBAL POLITICS
This week, your favourite saint and mine, St George W Bush (patron saint of born again rednecks, & military prison guards & visionary of WMD’s), having failed to oust the earnest and dedicated Kofi Anan as leader of the United Nations, has appointed former Pentagonian Wolfowitz to the rather critical position of Leader of the World Bank. This being the same establishment that recently attempted to affix security to one of its loans as to be measured in the value of their water, including the rainwater which occasionally was witnessed falling on the starving heads of the borrowing South American country. This privatization of water rights has an ominous feel to it, and threatens to awaken the pyschopathic corporations as to their next asset management portfolio. The people in South America had to revolt against the World Bank to win back their right to capture rain water.
Pentgonian cont'd.
Well, not to worry. Wolfowitz is here, the same dude who absolutely sanctioned the invasion of Iraq believing as he did in the existence of those stockpiles of super-weapons and whose intelligence services couldn’t prevent the arrival of a hijacked jet ramming into the Pentagon. Another bumbling emissary of the American agenda now on the move with dubious intentions. Hide your rain buckets, folks.
As to the Yankee mindset, it is sometimes helpful to take a micro view of the typical American upperclassman to get a fix on what’s driving their agenda or comprising their collective psyche. Here’s a hint: there is approximately 300 billion taxable dollars not being reported to the tax man. How’s that for a golden fleece of mythical proportions?
Now as soon as St George gets his man in at the U.N. helm, he can expect to increase his power in exporting those American values.
THE UNITED NATIONS
issues its
Milennium Ecosystem Assessment
Well, a critical mass of scientists in the world have finally gotten together and declared that the very globe upon which we live has been so thoroughly strangled, raped, polluted, exhausted of its resources in both its oceans and forests and just all tuckered out that they are warning of a tipping point when a complete ecological collapse is inevitable.
As to the Yankee mindset, it is sometimes helpful to take a micro view of the typical American upperclassman to get a fix on what’s driving their agenda or comprising their collective psyche. Here’s a hint: there is approximately 300 billion taxable dollars not being reported to the tax man. How’s that for a golden fleece of mythical proportions?
Now as soon as St George gets his man in at the U.N. helm, he can expect to increase his power in exporting those American values.
THE UNITED NATIONS
issues its
Milennium Ecosystem Assessment
Well, a critical mass of scientists in the world have finally gotten together and declared that the very globe upon which we live has been so thoroughly strangled, raped, polluted, exhausted of its resources in both its oceans and forests and just all tuckered out that they are warning of a tipping point when a complete ecological collapse is inevitable.
U.N. Report cont'd.
Now many of these same scientists were among the academic crowd who warned of global warming some 30 years ago and which was poo-pooed by much of the common media as apocalyptic and overly dramatic. We know now the poo-pooers were dead wrong. Witness the weird weather.
How many times and how many ways must these scientists, motivated only by their commitment to their science and an interest in surviving, repeat themselves until the world’s establishment finally gets the point… or is the corporate fix in so deep it’s beyond hope?
Do we all have to face the global tipping point first? And who would we blame? Those faceless bankers and transnational corporate leaders all so busy “protecting” their shareholders, and driven by their personal addictions to greed.
Our own corporate media here ran an editorial mentioning this report and suggested that it was over the top, saying “..such dire warnings have been heard so often in the past, it’s hard to take them seriously.” Well coming from an enterprise that features two automobile sections daily, is anyone surprised at this position? Their support of these scientists was half-hearted at best and raises the question, “What do these scientists have to say or do now to more illustrate the crisis the whole world is facing?” More than ever now the medium is the message and the fifth estate needs to exercise extreme caution in these cavalier declarations and nonchalant attitudes.
Canada and Vancouver are considered reasonably enlightened areas of this world. It’s literally a crying shame that the 200,000 readers here would be baby fed this right wing, pro-business pablum which results in more cars being sold, more advertising sales, more of the same rationalizing of the demolition of our world. Vroom vroom, we’re dead.
WAS THAT THE PROGRAM DEAR?
Chatting about corporate advertising and its insidious way of inveigling itself into our minds, has anyone (how could you not) noticed how the corporate logos of TV stations have planted themselves permanently onto our TV screens? Then you have your 12 minutes of irritating ads interrupting anything artistic going on and then add to that mix the corporate placements in the shows themselves – i.e. the FedEX truck drive by - and the line between editorial and advertising becomes seriously blurred. Which one was the program, dear?
Aldous Huxley was warning us all about this kind of intrusion into our lives when he wrote Brave New World. The pill everyone was taking to placate themselves to having their lives managed by the corporate global mind he called Soma. It could just as easily be called SitCom or PrimeTime.
And before leaving happinessland altogether, would someone please tell Godiva’s to put its clothes back on and go be edgy and push someone else’s envelope somewhere else. Another Canadian embarrassment.
YOUR HORRORSCOPES
by Ms Urble
I see I see with my little eyes all aglaze that you, Aries, will this week finally lose the airheaded one, and good riddance. Blow up a dance balloon gal. Hot air where its useful.
And now with your house in order in Capricorn and the rings around Saturn dancing circles around your halo, you Ford Taurus can finally get a one day pass to take one for a spin.
How many times and how many ways must these scientists, motivated only by their commitment to their science and an interest in surviving, repeat themselves until the world’s establishment finally gets the point… or is the corporate fix in so deep it’s beyond hope?
Do we all have to face the global tipping point first? And who would we blame? Those faceless bankers and transnational corporate leaders all so busy “protecting” their shareholders, and driven by their personal addictions to greed.
Our own corporate media here ran an editorial mentioning this report and suggested that it was over the top, saying “..such dire warnings have been heard so often in the past, it’s hard to take them seriously.” Well coming from an enterprise that features two automobile sections daily, is anyone surprised at this position? Their support of these scientists was half-hearted at best and raises the question, “What do these scientists have to say or do now to more illustrate the crisis the whole world is facing?” More than ever now the medium is the message and the fifth estate needs to exercise extreme caution in these cavalier declarations and nonchalant attitudes.
Canada and Vancouver are considered reasonably enlightened areas of this world. It’s literally a crying shame that the 200,000 readers here would be baby fed this right wing, pro-business pablum which results in more cars being sold, more advertising sales, more of the same rationalizing of the demolition of our world. Vroom vroom, we’re dead.
WAS THAT THE PROGRAM DEAR?
Chatting about corporate advertising and its insidious way of inveigling itself into our minds, has anyone (how could you not) noticed how the corporate logos of TV stations have planted themselves permanently onto our TV screens? Then you have your 12 minutes of irritating ads interrupting anything artistic going on and then add to that mix the corporate placements in the shows themselves – i.e. the FedEX truck drive by - and the line between editorial and advertising becomes seriously blurred. Which one was the program, dear?
Aldous Huxley was warning us all about this kind of intrusion into our lives when he wrote Brave New World. The pill everyone was taking to placate themselves to having their lives managed by the corporate global mind he called Soma. It could just as easily be called SitCom or PrimeTime.
And before leaving happinessland altogether, would someone please tell Godiva’s to put its clothes back on and go be edgy and push someone else’s envelope somewhere else. Another Canadian embarrassment.
YOUR HORRORSCOPES
by Ms Urble
I see I see with my little eyes all aglaze that you, Aries, will this week finally lose the airheaded one, and good riddance. Blow up a dance balloon gal. Hot air where its useful.
And now with your house in order in Capricorn and the rings around Saturn dancing circles around your halo, you Ford Taurus can finally get a one day pass to take one for a spin.
Horrorscopes!
Gemini:
If you’re hearing voices on Thursday pass on my regards. That’s Lulu.
Sagitarrius:
Yoo hoo. With Scorpio passing wind over the third eclipse of Pisces, your version of romance is in the air this week.
Aquarius:
Your dreaming of your house in Virgo - fat chance.
Leo:
Eat your heart out, Lulu’s finished with Gemini by Thursday p.m. and she’s got your number.
Viva Quebec, Libra!
A French hottie coming your way.
Cancer:
name change hasn’t been approved yet. Patience is a virgo.
And Pisces:
do not join a religious cult on the ides of April and expect to be reminded of your own mortality when Cupid’s arrow goes awry on the eve of the festival of your circumcision. That messy Cupid will have rendered that occasion redundant anyway. And that’s all she wrote in the heavens. Ooo woo.
This is Ms Urble, all eyes aglaze signing off until next week. Send money!
If you’re hearing voices on Thursday pass on my regards. That’s Lulu.
Sagitarrius:
Yoo hoo. With Scorpio passing wind over the third eclipse of Pisces, your version of romance is in the air this week.
Aquarius:
Your dreaming of your house in Virgo - fat chance.
Leo:
Eat your heart out, Lulu’s finished with Gemini by Thursday p.m. and she’s got your number.
Viva Quebec, Libra!
A French hottie coming your way.
Cancer:
name change hasn’t been approved yet. Patience is a virgo.
And Pisces:
do not join a religious cult on the ides of April and expect to be reminded of your own mortality when Cupid’s arrow goes awry on the eve of the festival of your circumcision. That messy Cupid will have rendered that occasion redundant anyway. And that’s all she wrote in the heavens. Ooo woo.
This is Ms Urble, all eyes aglaze signing off until next week. Send money!
the english bay banner
WEATHER REPORT
And with no ado whatsoever we have a weather report from Big Bear Rubbing Butt, aided and abetted by his lawyer. “Look up.”
(And all those hypersenisitive, politically correct bores can return to the queue for those special discounts mentioned earlier. And if you need to get offended, just wait your turn.)
Strolling in Mira Flores
It’s autumn in Peru. When I arrived last night, driving from the airport I could catch only glimpses of the dark avenues and painted plywood walls everywhere. Just there to keep something out, or my eyes from witnessing the destitute. It was an ominous welcome.
I saw my first banana tree this morning, bananas and all. There are aloe vera trees, palm and date trees lining the boulevards, other tall hardwoods, their fingers splayed reaching out narrowly to the skies.
Lima is 8 million strong – well famished mostly, except for the upper classes who hobnob with tourists and European Peruvians in Mira Flores, a swanky suburb where you can find Yankee style malls and more arrogant bankers. Here the Peruvian women on the streets are trained to beg, borrowing doe-eyed babies for effect.
The swarthy cab drivers are nuts and so buckle up or die. Road rage doesn't seem to exist though, more like threat-driving. Honk honk and then lunge ahead again. Very tricky. It’s gassy as hell, fumes everywhere. Asthmatics are doomed.
And with no ado whatsoever we have a weather report from Big Bear Rubbing Butt, aided and abetted by his lawyer. “Look up.”
(And all those hypersenisitive, politically correct bores can return to the queue for those special discounts mentioned earlier. And if you need to get offended, just wait your turn.)
Strolling in Mira Flores
It’s autumn in Peru. When I arrived last night, driving from the airport I could catch only glimpses of the dark avenues and painted plywood walls everywhere. Just there to keep something out, or my eyes from witnessing the destitute. It was an ominous welcome.
I saw my first banana tree this morning, bananas and all. There are aloe vera trees, palm and date trees lining the boulevards, other tall hardwoods, their fingers splayed reaching out narrowly to the skies.
Lima is 8 million strong – well famished mostly, except for the upper classes who hobnob with tourists and European Peruvians in Mira Flores, a swanky suburb where you can find Yankee style malls and more arrogant bankers. Here the Peruvian women on the streets are trained to beg, borrowing doe-eyed babies for effect.
The swarthy cab drivers are nuts and so buckle up or die. Road rage doesn't seem to exist though, more like threat-driving. Honk honk and then lunge ahead again. Very tricky. It’s gassy as hell, fumes everywhere. Asthmatics are doomed.
Strolling in Lima cont'd.
For a brief moment in the sun and sweet breeze, a waft of a very lovely scent of exotic flowers swelled over me. What a stunning aroma! The flowers here are visually spectacular, tall and nobly tilting in the ocean breeze, and the apartment buildings are enlivened with bright colours - dark avacados, royal purples, oranges, greens, shades of reds, olives, yellows and other endless mixes. All akin to their Amazonian parrots and typical of the native Peruvian zest for life. Robust statements of colour telling me these people, despite their hardships, are so desirous to be alive.
The Peruvian natives, and the mingling of the Asian blood with Spanish and native, make for a gorgeous people. The natives though have the whitest teeth and the most disarming smiles I have ever seen. Black-haired and light chocolate skinned, they wear their colourfully embroidered shirts and dresses with an alluring naturalness and the men persevere in their hard scrabbling lives with with a fierce pride. There’s a happiness among them and a beauty that those jag-driving sneermeisters in Mira Flores will never understand.
The red-capped twirler dancing about precariously at the red light in the black gassy traffic was about 12 years old twirling his festooned baton by using another one as his base. He could actually get his baton quite a remarkable distance into the air, then retrieving it with the other one for more minor gymnastics. He was a sweet looking cherubic sort with those lovely teeth and youthful hope, but that tell-tale look in his eyes of resignation to some despair destroyed the knock-down beauty of his countenance. I tossed him a few solas -"Gracias Senor!" - and he went back to his starting place and began anew. Just no choice.
It’s always a great relief for me to travel. Canada can be so suburban, bland and uptight. Our politicians remind me of morticians. At least down here, when the people are upset with their leaders they march in hordes from their Amazonian villages and throw them out of the Presidential Palace and take their best shot with the next regime.
More from Lima next week.
The Peruvian natives, and the mingling of the Asian blood with Spanish and native, make for a gorgeous people. The natives though have the whitest teeth and the most disarming smiles I have ever seen. Black-haired and light chocolate skinned, they wear their colourfully embroidered shirts and dresses with an alluring naturalness and the men persevere in their hard scrabbling lives with with a fierce pride. There’s a happiness among them and a beauty that those jag-driving sneermeisters in Mira Flores will never understand.
The red-capped twirler dancing about precariously at the red light in the black gassy traffic was about 12 years old twirling his festooned baton by using another one as his base. He could actually get his baton quite a remarkable distance into the air, then retrieving it with the other one for more minor gymnastics. He was a sweet looking cherubic sort with those lovely teeth and youthful hope, but that tell-tale look in his eyes of resignation to some despair destroyed the knock-down beauty of his countenance. I tossed him a few solas -"Gracias Senor!" - and he went back to his starting place and began anew. Just no choice.
It’s always a great relief for me to travel. Canada can be so suburban, bland and uptight. Our politicians remind me of morticians. At least down here, when the people are upset with their leaders they march in hordes from their Amazonian villages and throw them out of the Presidential Palace and take their best shot with the next regime.
More from Lima next week.
Nolan Havas' Mesmerizing Rocks
With all these beach rocks down there at English Bay one can imagine that the talented Nolan Havas, a young Cree Indian artist from Saskatchewan who has spent much of his youth on Vancouver Island, will never run out of canvases. He’s the fellow placing the rocks on the boulders in such a way as to defy gravity, as they lean into the wind standing on a tiny point of their base. He displays his sketch work while he’s concentrating with the rocks and hopes to become a graphic designer soon.
The resulting leaning rocks have a mesmerizing effect as people seem to stare in disbelief. Fun to watch Nolan manage his little crowd of fans, a lot of whom are women who manage to say the most ridiculous things just to get him chatting.
So while Nolan creates these mini-marvels what say we dismantle that Eskimo stack of boulders which to me resembles a prehistoric jumble of monoliths, devoid of artistic sensibility altogether. Given that the space its occupying is really quite precious it seems to beg for a monument of some style and beauty, something grandiose even.
The resulting leaning rocks have a mesmerizing effect as people seem to stare in disbelief. Fun to watch Nolan manage his little crowd of fans, a lot of whom are women who manage to say the most ridiculous things just to get him chatting.
So while Nolan creates these mini-marvels what say we dismantle that Eskimo stack of boulders which to me resembles a prehistoric jumble of monoliths, devoid of artistic sensibility altogether. Given that the space its occupying is really quite precious it seems to beg for a monument of some style and beauty, something grandiose even.
Any Graphic Designers Up to a Monumental Challenge?
Just down the beach one finds the art deco bath houses, the beautiful Burrard Bridge on the other side and across at Kitsilano within view is the archtitecturally stylish Planetarium and the Centennial Museum, and that side of Kitsilano used to be a native village, so there are lots of design ideas one could work with to replace this rock jumble.
Rocks for Brains?
Designers are invited to send their sketches to harry@lightstreambook.com. Submissions will be posted for everyone to have a gawk at.
Who knows, maybe the city will take note and make a change. How ‘bout on time for the Olympics?
Who knows, maybe the city will take note and make a change. How ‘bout on time for the Olympics?
Mysteries to Unravel
A holy bloodline? A coded secret hidden in The Last Supper? The Atbash code used as a plot device and the connection of this secret bloodline to the Dead Sea Scrolls... does all this sound familiar? It would if you've read The Davinci Code and the fact remains, all these story and plot developments occur in The Dead Sea Revelation, written and published before The D Code! The original revelatory text and passionate drive for writing this material - the value of my life's work - has been obscured by my having to play the role of a complainant against Dan Brown for what I believe is a usurpation of my ideas. See for yourselves.
Read the original. Read The Dead Sea Revelation. Find it at www.deadsearevelation.com
Read the original. Read The Dead Sea Revelation. Find it at www.deadsearevelation.com
Humanity Expresses a Want for Father
The deep desire of the world’s population for a father has been manifest lately at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.
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