5/31/2006
More New Species
I don't think that we have been cataloguing new species at this rate since the age of exploration. These new species were identified in a quarry in Israel.>>
5/30/2006
I Can Hear Thunder (Far Away)
This song by an artist I won't name is another song that has stuck in my head since 1979. Every time I hear the thunder and the smell of the air changes to say "rain is coming", this song starts rolling.
I also did have a bamboo fishing pole when I was a little boy. It had a green cord attached to a red and white plastic bobble to let you know when you got a nip. I was pretty much a country boy until I moved to Toronto at 18.
I was taken by surprise by the thunder
Sit and stared out at the rain
Taken back, I was younger
In a vacant lot day
And the fall brought an Indian summer
And plenty of places to play
I can still hear 'em calling (far away)
I can hear thunder (far away)
Well the summers are hot and the winters get cold
Not a lot smarter, but another year old
Sometimes I'm still at the fishing hole
And you never needed bait where we used to go
Just a safety pin hook on a bamboo pole
Take the big ones home; let the little ones go (far away)
And I can hear thunder
Walking down the alley
And it's not as easy as it used to be
Finding time to let my mind wander
I can still hear 'em calling
Indian summer
I also did have a bamboo fishing pole when I was a little boy. It had a green cord attached to a red and white plastic bobble to let you know when you got a nip. I was pretty much a country boy until I moved to Toronto at 18.
I was taken by surprise by the thunder
Sit and stared out at the rain
Taken back, I was younger
In a vacant lot day
And the fall brought an Indian summer
And plenty of places to play
I can still hear 'em calling (far away)
I can hear thunder (far away)
Well the summers are hot and the winters get cold
Not a lot smarter, but another year old
Sometimes I'm still at the fishing hole
And you never needed bait where we used to go
Just a safety pin hook on a bamboo pole
Take the big ones home; let the little ones go (far away)
And I can hear thunder
Walking down the alley
And it's not as easy as it used to be
Finding time to let my mind wander
I can still hear 'em calling
Indian summer
Harping Bizarrely
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head so badly you want to sue the person who wrote it? I've had Elvis Costello's Harpies Bizarre running through my head all day.
Usually when a song is running in the background like that if I stop and think about I find there are some lyrics that apply to my life and mood or thoughts. In this case it just doesn't. In fact I couldn't tell you the words to it.
Usually when a song is running in the background like that if I stop and think about I find there are some lyrics that apply to my life and mood or thoughts. In this case it just doesn't. In fact I couldn't tell you the words to it.
Very Interesting Proposal
Special people deserve special treatment (even if the citizens have to pay for it). Yes it's the royal treatment Harper style >>
5/29/2006
Week 4: Oregano Basil and Rosemary
You can follow the weekly progression of Oregano Basil and Rosemary from the link in the vertical right menu >>
5/28/2006
Short Story
The post I called A Short Story has turned into something else but I'm sticking with that name. I've given it it's own page and I've decided to present it as a string all on one page. There are two navigational links, one at the top that takes you to the latest installment and one at the bottom that takes you back to the beginning.
I want to keep this presentation because it reflects how the story is coming to me. If the story has nonlinear breaks then I may also make the navigation reflect that. There may be panels that are three aside rather than one after the other. We'll see. That's what makes it fun. It's an adventure I've set out on. Follow if you will. >>
I want to keep this presentation because it reflects how the story is coming to me. If the story has nonlinear breaks then I may also make the navigation reflect that. There may be panels that are three aside rather than one after the other. We'll see. That's what makes it fun. It's an adventure I've set out on. Follow if you will. >>
Tweedledee or Tweedledum?
What do conservative or liberal mean? Conservative certainly doesn't mean 'an opposition to change' if you take a look at this National Review list of supposedly "Conservative" songs. If anything 'conservative' in its political sense seems to mean a kind of loosely associated set of prepackaged ideas. take the ideas as handed down and paste them over whatever cultural artifact you want and make it your own. The same could be said of 'liberal' of course" where 'pagans' eco-friendly? So that leaves the rest of us.
Real people are often faced with contradictions: Believing in freedom of choice but being against the morning after pill for instance. Loving where one lives but hating nationalism. Wearing a label like conservative or liberal can help a person gloss over these contradictions by providing a prepared set of responses to any given situation. Dialogue however must be avoided as it might reveal the contradictions that one has been trying to avoid.
One of the things these labels do very efficiently is negate the idea that common values exist between group A and B. Thus only conservatives can love small town life and only liberals appreciate the big city. It is through this polarizing technique that one can claim the songs "Small Town" John Cougar as being Conservative and the Pretenders "My City Was Gone". At the time of its release it was interpreted as a reaction against the devastation of Reagonomics on heartland America.
Said Chrissie Hynde that notorius vegan conservative:
I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY PRETTY COUNTRYSIDE
HAD BEEN PAVED DOWN THE MIDDLE
BY A GOVERNMENT THAT HAD NO PRIDE
THE FARMS OF OHIO
HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SHOPPING MALLS
AND MUZAK FILLED THE AIR
FROM SENECA TO CUYAHOGA FALLS
What the authour of the National Review piece points to but then walks away from is that their are contradictions to be found whenever experience is painted over in left or right colours. Maybe Chrissie Hynde is a Vegan conservative?
Does being against change make you a reactionary conservative or a luddite liberal? As if there were just those two choices. That's largely what we are offered however; by pundits, by writers, by journalists by people we interact with in every day life. Tweedledee or Tweedledum.
In the end these labels are not very useful when it comes to solving problems but they are a nice short cut if you don't want to think things through.
Real people are often faced with contradictions: Believing in freedom of choice but being against the morning after pill for instance. Loving where one lives but hating nationalism. Wearing a label like conservative or liberal can help a person gloss over these contradictions by providing a prepared set of responses to any given situation. Dialogue however must be avoided as it might reveal the contradictions that one has been trying to avoid.
One of the things these labels do very efficiently is negate the idea that common values exist between group A and B. Thus only conservatives can love small town life and only liberals appreciate the big city. It is through this polarizing technique that one can claim the songs "Small Town" John Cougar as being Conservative and the Pretenders "My City Was Gone". At the time of its release it was interpreted as a reaction against the devastation of Reagonomics on heartland America.
Said Chrissie Hynde that notorius vegan conservative:
I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY PRETTY COUNTRYSIDE
HAD BEEN PAVED DOWN THE MIDDLE
BY A GOVERNMENT THAT HAD NO PRIDE
THE FARMS OF OHIO
HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SHOPPING MALLS
AND MUZAK FILLED THE AIR
FROM SENECA TO CUYAHOGA FALLS
What the authour of the National Review piece points to but then walks away from is that their are contradictions to be found whenever experience is painted over in left or right colours. Maybe Chrissie Hynde is a Vegan conservative?
Does being against change make you a reactionary conservative or a luddite liberal? As if there were just those two choices. That's largely what we are offered however; by pundits, by writers, by journalists by people we interact with in every day life. Tweedledee or Tweedledum.
In the end these labels are not very useful when it comes to solving problems but they are a nice short cut if you don't want to think things through.
My Lovely Horse
Here is the video of My Lovely Horse that Leslie referred to in her earlier comment. It's from Father Ted and was Dougal and Ted's entry in the Eurovision song contest. Funny thing is it sounds like a Magnetic Fields song.
5/27/2006
We Are the Weiners
If you need a good belly laugh this performance by Lithuanias entry in Eurovision should do the trick
Defending Freedoms
Harper has had to back down on one of his recent Bushifications. Having placed a ban on allowing the press to record the repatriation of fallen Canadian soldiers, Harper has been publicly criticized by the families of some of those same slain soldiers. As a result the families will now be allowed to decide if they wish the press to be in attendance or not.
5/26/2006
Let's Just Join the States Stephen
Latest Harper harping is that we need to have fixed election dates every four years. To be set on a day in the fall. Jesus can it be any more obvious that he wants to be the President. It's embarrassing.
Canadian Media Landscape
Jeffrey Simpson is a longtime columnist with the Globe and Mail. While I don't always agree with everything he has to say I do find that he is not (as?) ideologically driven in his opnions like a lot of other opinion columnists. He tends to actually stop and think before he leaps.
Todays column is in reference to Stephen Harper's belief that "the media" (as if it were of one mind) is against him. Simpson correctly points out that the media bias is in fact more conservative than anything else >>
Todays column is in reference to Stephen Harper's belief that "the media" (as if it were of one mind) is against him. Simpson correctly points out that the media bias is in fact more conservative than anything else >>
5/25/2006
Lloyd We Hardly Knew Yee
February 11, 1921 - May 23, 2006. A four-term United States senator from 1971 until 1993 for Texas. The Democratic Party nominee for Vice President in 1988. The man who let Dan Quayle do what he did best.
President Harper
Continuing his implementation of the Bush playbook Prime Minister Harper has decided that he will only speak to reporters that his staff chooses. As a result a number of reporters walked out of the press gallery in protest. Thankfully he still has to speak to the opposition in parliament.
Introducing Rosemary
You can follow the weekly progression of Oregano and Basil and their new friend Rosemary from the link in the vertical right menu >>
5/23/2006
5/22/2006
Leslie and Audi
This is the father of Leslie's pony Sian.
Photo by Catherine Greene. Enhancement by James MacDougall.
Oregano and Basil: Week 03
You can follow the weekly progression of Oregano and Basil from the link in the vertical right menu >>
5/21/2006
Electrical Language
Q: What do Roxy Music and Gary Numan and the Stranglers have in common? A: BeBop Deluxe. BeBop Deluxe were a UK band in the 70s. You can actually hear the moment glam percolated into new foaming with punk. be Bop Deluxe never had any commercial success of note, but they sure sound cool now. Pick up the compelation called "Drastic Plastic" and you will hear what I'm writing about. Glam and New Wave all at once in a rare sonic moment circa 1977.
Porn Star or Pony
The loveable (?) little pony toys of the 1980s had names that for some reason sound like the names of porn stars. This quiz asks you to answer the question "Pornster or Pony?" Have fun Leslie ;)
Old Rag
When Leslie first came to visit last summer she left a t-shirt behind. Luna adopted it and would carry it around and sleep with it. Eventuallu it also became a kind of tug toy. She is still playing with it today. I had to tie it into knots though to keep it together.
5/20/2006
The Finnish Line
The bizarre Finnish cartoon satanic band Lordi, won the Eurovision contest today, making this the first time Finland has won the contest.
The World's Cleverest Criminals
This panel is from an old issue of the Phantom Stranger. Two young thieves are about to make off with the loot (they speak Portuguese in Brazil, not Spanish).
Monkey Seen, Monkey Doomed
it seems that there is a new monkey species discovered every few months. This time it is a golden-yellow fellow called 'Cebus queirozi'. He was found inf the rain forests of Brazil. I tak e this frequnecy of discovery as evidence of just how fast we are expanding our human territory. The last frontiers are giving way. We document it and on we go.
5/19/2006
Love to Lovecraft You Baby
Here's an amusing transference of H.P. Lovecraft's world into that of a Jack Chick Tract :
Who Will Be Eaten First? >>
I especially enjoy how quotes from Lovecraft's stories are given as if they are spiritually authoritative.
Who Will Be Eaten First? >>
I especially enjoy how quotes from Lovecraft's stories are given as if they are spiritually authoritative.
5/18/2006
Poem Generator Type II
Rob's Poem Generator which I have been playing with to generate "poems" takes a url and then uses all the words in the source code to build a poem. From this I strip out any garbage like css and e-mails. What I do is take the good chunks that seem to have a reasonable syntax and some degree of character.
There is another kind of poem generator at angie mckaig.com that draws the first line from a database of public domain poems and strings them together to create a new "poem".
It's an interesting exercise:
The Poem
sweet splendor
we lay
calm as that second summer
risen from the dead
how like the stars are these white, nameless faces
i flung my soul to the air like a falcon flying
my mother taught me that every night
renew the vision of delight
you can set the number of lines. I like this one I set to 5:
dear wife
i sometimes wonder if it’s really true
long ago, in the young moonlight
the old west, the old time
two rows of cabbages
There is another kind of poem generator at angie mckaig.com that draws the first line from a database of public domain poems and strings them together to create a new "poem".
It's an interesting exercise:
The Poem
sweet splendor
we lay
calm as that second summer
risen from the dead
how like the stars are these white, nameless faces
i flung my soul to the air like a falcon flying
my mother taught me that every night
renew the vision of delight
you can set the number of lines. I like this one I set to 5:
dear wife
i sometimes wonder if it’s really true
long ago, in the young moonlight
the old west, the old time
two rows of cabbages
Poem Generator Does Filbert
There are two
kinds of cavorting with many dark
corners in the lyrics
Two kinds of people
There are two
kinds of Greaseway From Mike
There are two kinds of cavorting with
interns or funneling tax dollars to
visit my buddies
All enjoy.
There are two
kinds of people
There are two kinds of
cavorting with telemarketing appeals
and Melissa tomorrow.
all the flames
leap higher burnt
alive in the roni foods:
macaroni, pepperoni, .
kinds of cavorting with many dark
corners in the lyrics
Two kinds of people
There are two
kinds of Greaseway From Mike
There are two kinds of cavorting with
interns or funneling tax dollars to
visit my buddies
All enjoy.
There are two
kinds of people
There are two kinds of
cavorting with telemarketing appeals
and Melissa tomorrow.
all the flames
leap higher burnt
alive in the roni foods:
macaroni, pepperoni, .
Joke Book
Leslie and I are putting together a joke book for my nephew's 7th birthday in August. Leslie digs up the jokes and I illustrate. Later I will colour them. Here's a sample.
5/16/2006
Oregano and Basil: Week 02
You can follow the weekly progression of Oregano and Basil from the link in the vertical right menu >>
5/15/2006
Dated
A 2,000 year old seed found on the site of King Herod's palace in Israel was planted over a year ago and actually has grown a date tree. What's even more amazing is that this particular variety of date tree had been extinct.
5/14/2006
Poem Generator Does Gnatterings
Gnatterings
And dip her home.
They called their servence
named Lenny
found
in the
morning
The
local cat
hospital for
the program
After The best husband
to school
doing my
attendance, said I
have captured your gorgeous
husband.
Love, you!
the ruler.
of course they smiled at
7am and hit
me....pictures almost like
cancelled.
And dip her home.
They called their servence
named Lenny
found
in the
morning
The
local cat
hospital for
the program
After The best husband
to school
doing my
attendance, said I
have captured your gorgeous
husband.
Love, you!
the ruler.
of course they smiled at
7am and hit
me....pictures almost like
cancelled.
Jealous dogs
Jan went away for the weekend and left me with her dog and my Luna.
Do you think dogs don't get jealous? They do. Like human kids. Sedona lets Luna sit on the couch and now Luna smiles and gloats I see it in her expression and behaviour. Almost as if she knows that she has usurped Sedona. Sedona in turn comes and lays her head in my lap and looks forelorn at Luna up in her former spot. Luna continues to look like the Queen bee. Sedona paws me and cuddles me as if to say "I am important too". I can bet you a fortune when Jan returns that this will not continue.
Do you think dogs don't get jealous? They do. Like human kids. Sedona lets Luna sit on the couch and now Luna smiles and gloats I see it in her expression and behaviour. Almost as if she knows that she has usurped Sedona. Sedona in turn comes and lays her head in my lap and looks forelorn at Luna up in her former spot. Luna continues to look like the Queen bee. Sedona paws me and cuddles me as if to say "I am important too". I can bet you a fortune when Jan returns that this will not continue.
Solid Rock
One thing I have noticed playing all thes old records this afternoon is that in general the older the pressing the better the sound. Does anyone know why that might be? I don't know enough about the materials and production to have any comments beyond what I hear coming out of the speakers.
The pre 69 lps in particular sound excellent. Rich deep bass, brillinat horns bright piano keys and warm vocal sound.
The pre 69 lps in particular sound excellent. Rich deep bass, brillinat horns bright piano keys and warm vocal sound.
Rainy Day Dream Away
It's been rainy and damp as a clam since Thursday night. The other night the city was glistening under a black wet shell.
It's been good for the vegetation. Now everything is vibrant green.
My roommate, Jan, has this amazing set of speakers. They are like two more well dressed people in the room, slim and sleek and attractive.
So I've been trawling through my vinyl beds and came up with The Outlaws (Willie and Waylon!)
Elvis: Spike,
Tom Petty: that red 80s cover
Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby
Cheap Trick: Live at Budokan
Stars: K-Tel 1977 ( Don't Give up on us Baby, Year of the Cat, Fly at Night, Carry on Wayward Son . RICH LIKE CREAM CHEESE™
It's been good for the vegetation. Now everything is vibrant green.
My roommate, Jan, has this amazing set of speakers. They are like two more well dressed people in the room, slim and sleek and attractive.
So I've been trawling through my vinyl beds and came up with The Outlaws (Willie and Waylon!)
Elvis: Spike,
Tom Petty: that red 80s cover
Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby
Cheap Trick: Live at Budokan
Stars: K-Tel 1977 ( Don't Give up on us Baby, Year of the Cat, Fly at Night, Carry on Wayward Son . RICH LIKE CREAM CHEESE™
5/12/2006
New Monkey Genus
Another new monkey has been discovered. This one is in Tanzania and is known as kipunji locally and Rungwecebus as a genus. It's the first new monkey genus in 80 some years.
5/10/2006
Sprung
We have had some bountiful sunshine lately accompanied by lavishing rains. As a result the streets are fragrant with the scents of blossoms. It's a real spring.
Anthers and filaments
Bleeding hearts
Quebec style homes in Sandy Hill
Anthers and filaments
Bleeding hearts
Quebec style homes in Sandy Hill
Paul Simon and Brian Eno have collaborated on Simon's latest recording titled "Surprise". I haven't heard anything from it but it has been getting strong reviews. I will check it out. I love when artists open new doors and show us that the range of possibilities are only limited by our choices. Then again I haven't heard it. Perhaps the recording I am imagining is richer than what is on disk. What's to lose?
Peanuts: The Dark Years
Early Peanuts strips were sometimes unexpectedly dark
The first Peanuts cartoon.
The first Peanuts cartoon.
5/09/2006
The Poem Generator Does "Slow News Day"
posted by John :
Prine songs
Greg played a fork
in Oprah’s Book Club in frustration
like doing homework.
He did a walk back a
couple of South Parks
titled "A Mood For Us"
to
go
to
Los Angeles.
Poem Generation courtesy of Rob's Poem Generator
Prine songs
Greg played a fork
in Oprah’s Book Club in frustration
like doing homework.
He did a walk back a
couple of South Parks
titled "A Mood For Us"
to
go
to
Los Angeles.
Poem Generation courtesy of Rob's Poem Generator
5/08/2006
Book Buying
With the low American/high Canadian dollar it is actually cheaper right now to buy books from the US than in Canada. Some examples (All prices are quoted in $CDN):
| Title | amazon.com | amazon.ca |
| Please Kill Me : The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil | 11.51 | 13.46 |
Batman the Dynamic Duo Archives | 34.86 | 54.75 |
| Postwar by Tony Judt | 27.87 | 34.32 |
| The Creating Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius by Nancy C. Andreasen | 17.24 | 30.95 |
| The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988 by Efraim Karsh | 10.76 | 15.96 |
Oregano and Basil
I bought the oregano a week ago and the basil last Saturday. I'm going to try to document their growth by posting a new pic every Monday.
More Colorado
The grave of a neighbourhood cat in Nederland Colorado
Freedom of expression American style
Covered bridge in Nederland. Elevation 8233 feet
A postcard image of Nederland.