
the new world
9 02 2010Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: canadian poems, margaret atwood, poems, poetry
Categories : poetry and photography
pigeons
8 02 2010Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: p-words, pigeons, poop, power poles, proof
Categories : the other stuff
new poem
8 02 2010The illusion is
the present
stealing from the
past for the
future.
Its neatness a
buffet for the
mind; certifiably
sane and willing
to stand straight-
faced in a court
of law. Willing
to go out fighting.
Determined.
When asked of
evidence though,
there is none.
Hearsay and
speculation.
Case after case
of ‘if’ and ‘when’ -
time-stamped
‘approximate’.
And the courts,
knowing too their
precariousness,
have set bail
at reasonable
doubt.
Proceedings
are presently
adjourned.
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Tags: alberta poetry, canadian poetry, illusions, perceptions, poem, poetry
Categories : poetry and photography
on the menu…
5 02 2010I’m not a vegetarian. I’m not a vegan. I do eat meat and have done so since my parents fed me various pieces of cow, pig, chicken and fish as a kid. Do I feel like changing my eating habits to become more like a vegetarian or a vegan? No. Am I some sort of unenlightened monster who, based on the meat-eating penchant of my prehistoric ancestors is unwilling to break primordial ties in hopes of attaining some higher level of being partially supported through the concept that eating another living creature constitutes some barbaric act? No.
I don’t think so at least …although I am barbaric in many other non-nutritional ways.
My philosophy, if I can maintain one long enough to have it registered as such, is that all living things are living things. It’s kinda simple. For example; an apple lives like a cow. Both can be growing or dying or both can be dead. And what of the idea that a cow is more alive than an apple? …well, let’s just call it a matter of opinion at this point. And aside from the fruit and mammal varieties of food, let’s also mention the delicacies of insects, fish, reptiles and various microbes that exist between those comfortable ‘alive’ and ‘dead’ zones that many seem to find solace in. So I suppose the idea that I’m eventually trying to get to is the question …”what is life?”
There’s no answer of course …at least not to completely satisfy our complex assessment of the situation. We humans, differing from those other lesser forms of life (of which all are, and in which case we wouldn’t differ as much as we’d reign supreme) have taken it upon ourselves to set the rules and ordering of life according to our perspectives, which again, is of the greater and more advanced position, if you take that position that is. And this of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, for we generally look after some of those lower forms of life, partially out of a genuine care and concern and partially out of a self-serving ‘we need food!’ mentality. My point being though, is that no matter how you decide to organize life …you organize it – and in doing so you provide the justification for how you live yours. Hence, my slightly weird justification that follows…
I eat apples. When I eat them, I kill them. Do they suffer in my mouth? Probably …but I don’t hear them scream, feel them wiggle or encounter any sort of defense being put up at that moment (although, truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise me if that one Spartan intentionally lodged his torn skin around my back molar in an attempt to elicit pain upon my unsuspecting gum line ..but that’s another story). And why do I have no problem eating a live apple? Partially because I’ve gotten myself used to it. It’s a habit, but I also find comfort in knowing that the apple has given its life so that I can live on – its energy has been taken by me and as a result, that apple is now, in some small way, a true and real part of me. The apple’s life has become mine. As far as mammal, bird type beast go however, I only eat them when they’ve been pre-killed and prepared in advance. Would I eat them raw and still alive as I do apples? Well I might, if it weren’t for the fact that they’d put up a struggle, scare my face, taste awful, demonstrate horrible pain as I’d interpret it, and provide me with a generally poor dining experience. But pre-killed …no problem.
I would have one concern that is, and this is probably quite similar to the concerns shown by both vegetarians, vegans and assorted animal rights groups, and that is that I’d wish my prepared animal of choice to have lived some sort of regular animal life and was put to death in some sort of humane (from the word ‘human’ of course), non-barbaric way. With this concern satisfied, the energy from that animal would, like my apple friends, become a part of me and I would live on – feeling no guilt or remorse for my actions. The proverbial circle of life.
I don’t see vegan or vegetarianism as a ‘better’ way of living from a health perspective. There are many studies both for and against meat based diets, and over time I’m sure ones body adapts to what you consistently put in it …which would provide both diets a certain measure of health. But from my perspective, to base a meatless decision on the idea that life is somehow saved, doesn’t quite hold water. I, as a concerned advocate of animal rights, can choose to eat animals that have been cared for and have lived healthy lives, and being assured in that, can find a certain contentment in my consumption of them. A vegan on the other hand, could hope to see that the animal they saved has died a peaceful, natural death …yet only to be buried and have their bodies, nutrients and/or energy reabsorbed by the earth, transferred into various vegetables or ironically deposited by the roots of a nearby apple tree. The proverbial circle of life again …just a little wider.
Following this logic, and this may be the ‘icky’ part of my rant, I wonder if I could apply the same ‘circle of life’ principals to human meat? Could I, a person who compares apples to oranges cows, make the same argument and find it in my stomach to stomach an order of meaty, 2oo lbs. muscled, male ribs or a finely sliced calf from a young, 110 lbs. girl? Perhaps with a side of fava beans and a nice chianti? Cannibalism, thanks to early European expansionism, is an evil and savage term in the West and is usually reserved to describe barbaric peoples and tribes outside of the developed world. It happens in the modern world for various reasons though; war, in tribal customs and certainly in times of deep famine. It’s a mainstream faux pas and a Hollywood taboo that spurs craziness, the shakes and the complete disassociation from all that is good in humankind. I mean, nobody wants to be a cannibal …right?
Hummm….

Fruit meat, much like human meat, keeps longer when it's chilled.
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Tags: cannibalism, circle of life, diet, dietary habits, food choices, vegan, vegetarian
Categories : religion, spirituality, philosophy, sports, fitness and health, the other stuff
fitness post #32.467
1 02 2010I used to do pullovers quite often when I worked out at home. I think it was because I didn’t have a lot of equipment and needed to get enough variety to keep the muscles from getting bored -so to speak. Anyway, I decided to add them to my routine tonight and liked them so much, I think they’ll find their way back into regular service.
The movement is great for the chest tie-in parts …to your torso as well as your shoulders, and help to give some fullness that’s more natural than some other chest exercises that target the pecs a little more directly. That’s my experience at least. Heavish weight is good, and the key is to keep your arms in the same position (slightly bent elbows) from start to finish. ShapeFit has some great images as usual, and although this guy is using the whole bench, you could just as well put your body at 90 degrees to it with your feet on the floor. This is helpful with heavier weights because you can position the weight on the bench right beside you …which means you simply have to lean over to grab it and then you’re ready to go. Watch your back in this position though, as your bum won’t be touching anything and you may have a tendency to arch too much …which means you may be straining the lower back.
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Tags: chest exercises, dumbell pullovers, exercise, fitness, gym, pullovers, shapefit, shapefit.com
Categories : sports, fitness and health
Pinatubo …option?
29 01 2010While visiting this blog, I came across an interesting article that, as in the aforementioned blog, also makes me a little uneasy.
It seems we’ve been contemplating (and indeed have already carried out on a small scale) ways of reversing/countering the threats of global warming. There’s a few methods of ‘geoengineering‘ that scientists are reviewing to help with this reversal, one of them is known as the ‘Pinatubo Option‘, which reproduces the effects one might experience through natural volcanic activity as it interacts with the atmosphere. In regard to this approach, scientists are at odds deciding which method of deployment might provide the more accurate results – a gradual release of particles or a full-scale one …”only a dangerous, full-scale deployment can shed light on the crucial issue of how effective a particular dose will be.“
I would assume the point of a full-scale approach is that the ensuing results would be easier to detect and would take much of the guess-work out of the procedure. Along with that, the results would be gathered in a short period of time and would yield a convincing, unanimous consensus on its environmental impact. Somewhat like throwing the switch or not throwing the switch in a way …akin to the luxury of working in a closed laboratory environment perhaps. Counter to this is the gradual approach; more difficult to measure and harder to reach a unanimous agreement upon as the effects are small and only evident over long periods of time.
Kinda like anthropogenic warming?
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Tags: climate change, geoengineering, global warming, pinatubo, pinatubo option
Categories : current events





