A Novel Idea Canadia...

Okay fine, Dion, Layton, et al. You have lost confidence in the government. As has most of the disenfranchised population of Canada...uh...wait a moment...you are the government. So you have lost confidence in yourself and are therefore agreeing to get along to put yourself in the top spot...um...okay that is creative. I give it 8 points for style (and 2 for Jack Layton's Johnny Hancock).

In simple terms its a great idea, parties with different platforms agreeing to work together to find ways to bring up and empower our country! Rock on! I love it. It is so Canadian. It reflects beautifully on how democracy (not political democracy, but the democracy of life) works in Canada. All over the country divergent groups work in so many different ways (at hospitals and schools, in the entertainment industry, in the factories and on reserves) to help bring up and bolster our beautiful home.

But I have an even better idea...why not recognize and include the whole of the government you have lost faith in. Why not ally with the conservatives, use all the elected officials and rather than throw out the government, throw out the opposition.

Who needs an opposition anyway. I understand that its supposed to be a check and balance to be sure that decisions affecting Canada aren't made in haste without proper thought for all the implications and possible alternatives...but come on...We have been in a political stalemate for half a decade now...Canada is stuck because no one (not one leader in the opposition or in the current government) is fit to represent all Canadians. But we must be represented, we need our government to help spend our money and make our lives compicated so we have a reason to watch the news or something to talk about at the office.

Really, it is high time for political revolution. But rather than throwing out the old, lets shape it up, let's ally our whole government to one purpose (not multiple campaign platforms, not empty election promises) to serve the interest of our country. To build up foundations that will see Canadian prosper, not economically we have plenty of money even if on paper it looks like less money than this time last year, but morally, socially, let Canadians prosper as a people. Let our health prosper. Let our hearts and minds prosper. Let our whole government be one team.

Suggestions of how to do this. The PM should appoint Cabinet ministers from the whole government, not just his own party; every Cabinet should have some members that are of each political persuasion; rather than having strict seating, you sit with your party, have people sit freely with whom they wish to speak most closely to; and encourage the flinging of marshmallows during session. its the only way. well thats my dream anyway.

the epoch changer

I find it interesting that Mr Obama is being called an epoch changer, when he hasn't done anything. It is the "we the people" who should be getting credit for this positive vote on epochal changing...it is the citizens of America who chose to vote, and who chose to vote for a democrat who have instigated the possible change we see looming like a great lumbering shadow.



I forgot about shadows for a while.

Symbols

Symbols are wonderful things. Don't doubt that. They capture for us the emotions, meanings, ideas, desires, dreams and intentions in just, well a symbol. In one susinct space they communicate so much than these phonemes strung together will.

Today I am struck by today's remarkable symbol and the irony and the implications of its association with today. That is, of course, the rememberance day (Armistice Day) poppy. It is iconic for me and many Canadians (I'm sure for many other people around the world too, but I'm learning in my travels not so universally as I once misbelieved), and brings to mind that John McCrae poem. And school assemblies where we sang the national anthem and gave wreaths to old people.

But more than that. The poppy evokes devotion, bushido, duty, honour, a willingness to sacrifice the self for an idea. The poppy evokes a debt, a living challenge, and a call to action. The poppy is a we must and a we will.

But how ironic that the poppy would become the symbol of this late November holiday. A flower that blooms in the spring. A flower that is fragile flower; their blooms last only a few days. And yet this flower, which you will never see in November (except perhaps somewhere in Australia...but who wants to go to Australia to see a poppy...aside from an Australian), which is so subtle and lilting and delicate is the hardend symbol of memory, or respect and thankfulness to those who came before us. Is this emotive symbol. I think that is wonderful!

If you have ever touched a poppy, gotten its purple pollen on your fingers, you know how it can mark you. If you have seen a field of them you know the silence and contemplation they can evoke. But study them, the symbol itself, and we can respect the implication and impact of this flower. We should listen to the fragile things. We should hold them dear, and let them represent us. We must protect them, lest they are forgotten and carelessly destroyed. We must honour them, lest they are neglected and dismissed.

Poppies are slow things, that in this every accelerating world should not be missed or forgotten.

I have to find or write a poem

I don't know how i feel about that...


Marvelous. I'm perfectly giddy with this right now. I just stumbled by a little friends Facebook page and saw one of her other friends had posted that on her wall. "i have to find/write a poem for writers craft...I don't know how i feel about that"

It's possible she was talking about two different things, as often conversation is a multitasking activity. It covers many topics simultaneously without warning (particularly the online conversations of adolescents and extra particularly of adolescent girls) so its possible they were unrelated comments. But that is the most marvelous little observational poem you have read in a while.

I have to find or write a poem...and i don't know how i feel about that.

Wonderful... i love it!!

We have no idea what is going to happen

I was in a stationary store walking through an aisle of notebooks. Thinking how nice they all looked. Clean, organized, potential. Isn't it? A notebook is that potential. What could I do in that note book? As though the many notebooks I already own could never live up to that potential...they couldn't I think I know, because I have already used them, and nothing great has come of them. At least so I delude myself to believe, when walking through an aisle of delightful shiny new red notebooks.

And it reflects on life, I think. We are so ready to throw away perfectly good and usable tools for a newer shinier version of the same because for some reason we believe the newer shinier version of the same will give us more potential, greater potential, and maybe this time help us actualize that potential into heaps of money happiness ego satisfaction etc etc...

But in reality we have no idea why we are compulsed to want and want that newer newer thing.

I think this is about hating my cell phone. I really didn't want to buy it. Really didn't want to need it. But bought it believing that somehow owning one would make my life better. And well now i see that it is a lie. That it was a waste of time and money and that really only I can improve my life. Can change my life. Can inject and actualize potential. Not this piece of garbage cell phone.

Sigh, life is a little more transparent today.

Moral Ambiguity

Some time ago I wrote an entry about make it a law. I don't remember what the law was about or the entry, just that it was extolling the powerful effects making laws have on us. At the time I didn't have much to say about why that might be, just that it could be a very good think, and so we should think about stop thinking about things and just make nice laws to follow.

The post never quite sat right with me, but perhaps I have muddled out why. It is this question of moral ambiguity. Laws eliminate moral ambiguity. In many ways. They set out what we should think, do, how we should and shouldn't act etc. They take away the doubt that our actions are morally dubious. Law is affirmation of our discomfort with moral ambiguity.

Recently there was a court ruling in the UK, or rather an upholding of current law, regarding assisted suicide. The case I'm fuzzy about, but for me it has raised curious questions about the moral ambiguity of life.

Isn't life a morally ambiguous thing? This must be why we want so many laws to help us sort through these various ambiguities--to help us cope with the ambiguities. And this comes just over a month before the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights. An important milestone, as many different parties are trying to use it to add new and expand existing human rights. The call is for the UN to declare and add to the Declaration the moment of the beginning and end of human life.

Of course the implication of stating in perhaps scientific or legal ways will end the debate and the ambiguity in questions of euthanasia and abortion. At least so many people believe. If we can finally legal decide life and therefore human rights begin at x and ends with F then F(x) would be the duration of life, the time during which an entity has UN charter rights. Therefore during that time no measures can be taken to end or stop that life. It would be a violation of human right.

But this is a bit of a call for moral ambiguity. It is from ambiguity that we find freedom. That we find creativity. And that we enjoy life. From trying to sort out for ourselves each of us individuals where our internal moralities fit into the complex web that is a moral philosophy of humanity. If we end that ambiguity we face the danger that we will stop asking certain essential questions about our being. There are some who will not wonder what am I...they will see according to law from F(x) they are human with certain inalienable rights. Rights they have legal recourse to enforce justice when violated.

It is difficult to say it is okay to end a life or prevent a life...and I don't think that is what I am saying. (at least that isn't the intention of this post) rather that each time we are uncertain about the moral position we should have the freedom to assess and examine it. to consider and dissuade the particulars of each situation. (dissuade is the wrong word....hmm...it's something like dissuade)...that life itself is different in every case, that the point of being human is more than a mathematical start and end point. [i hope]. and that moral ambiguity, while creating mostly all of the conflict in our world, is necessarily good for our continuation, our growth and development.

So i guess this is my request, not to end ambiguity. Embrace it, even though it is confusing and difficult. Cherish and nurture it, even if you are repulsed by it. It is a great source of inspiration and creativity. Be generated in it. I know I am.

Moral Progress

I am currently wondering about the growing lethality of hatred. I had a strange dream last night about being trapped in some situation and the only way I could think to get out of it was through violence. It was a very impotent dream as well, in that in not wanting to act violently I continued to be stuck in the situation I didn't want to be in. Which is fine seeing I wasn't actually aware of what the situation was, I just knew I didn't want to be in it.

For me this is nice, it comforts me that, in my dreams at least, I won't go nuts and kill a bunch of people. Well in the case of this dream. Dreams are funny things. Even that we call them dreams is funny, considering some of the other connotations of the word dream. Anyway... lethality as I was wondering.

Thinking about moral progress, that move over that past several thousand years--I don't really know time wise how long it took so i just throw out a large amount of time--the move from when someone not in my family wasn't human, to when everyone from my city state was human but someone not from my city state wasn't (as we might consider the case between Sparta and Athens); to the time when someone not from my country is not fully human, to maybe blacks or Jews or midgets weren't fully human, to our (i think) current condition where more or less we pretty much agree that every person is human. Maybe the nuances of that statement are somewhat problematic...what is a person? but whatever it is I will take it to be human...at least I can say for sure that every human is a person and more or less you will agree.

What does that mean? That somehow we have evolved morally to recognize that those people around us in some way deserve to live as we do. That in the same way we don't much want to be murdered, tortured, raped, abused, outcast or neglected we can see they don't either.

This is big progress! But now what has gone along with this moral progress? At every step, war, and increasingly more lethal war...but perhaps even as war has become more lethal it has become less violent.

Demographically more people are involved in war than ever before. This is necessary there are just more people around nowadays. Perhaps if we looked at the total percent of the global population involved in war, we could get a better idea of the comparison. Although even then it is difficult to say, the very definitions of, motivation for, and practice of war has fundamentally changed. I don't know I have never experience war. But it seems setting lookouts for the Mongol Hoard only to be overrun by fire arrows, raped and butchered as they sweep past is more violent than silently huddling in houses as bomb fall about like rain drops.

The aggressor in the first act is enacting far greater violence against another human than the latter aggressor. Even though the latter aggressor may be more effective and more lethal, maybe cause greater trauma in her actions that the case of the Mongol aggressor. She doesn't act in violence, she is calculated, strategic, planned, and approved through a complex chain of authority in her act.

I think the Mongols considered their opponents to be human, they must have because of their acts of colonialism. You wouldn't ask non-humans to join your human kingdom. And I know soldiers today try to dehumanize targets but always struggle with the knowledge that they are enacting aggression again other morally human entities like themselves. So we can make the comparison.

How is the latter act less violent? I think in increasing efficiency in warfare the need for individual aggression has far diminished. Lately I have been reading a fair amount of novels from the Forgotten Realms. In these stories often individuals with less efficient weapons are forced to dig deeper into themselves to find the will, the strength and the ability to continue enacting violent acts against those who threaten their existence.

As was has become less violent though it has increased in the weight of moral responsibility it thrusts on those involved. That is knowing that war is more lethal we are (or should be) more hesitant to engage in it. Our moral positioning in the world should stay our fingers and force us to look for other ways to resolve our conflicts. And don't we? internationally we work to help countries resolve conflict, to force countries to desist hostilities and to help other nations grow up survive and eventually thrive.

War may be more lethal, but we now strive to avoid it. It is when hatred enters the scene that we now need to progress our morality. With violent acts so efficient and lethal as they have become can we justify this hatred. Can we find no otherway to sublimate its effects? We must try. As we work into Humanity 2.0 we must continue ou progress, and expand our ever growing morality.

Lost and Found

Can you imagine a world without strangers? Would you know what to do without a computer? Could you last a day, a week, a month without a phone?

What would you do with one litre of water? What would you do with one set of clothes? What would you do with one meal a day?

What would you do for an hour without electricity?

What an innovated person you could be! I recently started a "What would I do?" challenge. Each week I ask myself "what would i do if..." And i think of one of the luxuraies in my life. Then I try for a week to be without that luxury.

The most amazing thing has come of it, too. After the week ends, and i start to think of the next luxary I am finding I don't need to return to that old habit.

It all started when I was posed the question: What would you do for one hour without electricity? It is a great environmental campaign started in Sydney Australia call Global Earth Hour. I challenged my students too it, to great sucess. And myself too. Now At least once I week, I try to live one hour (after dark) without electricity. I go for walks, or bike rides, I do yoga, or talk with a friend under the moonlight. It has become great fun.

But after GEH, I started asking myself what other things might I give up for one hour? Well I found the time constraint less important. And tried things like, what would I do with 1 litre for bathing per day. An amazing experiement that has seen the amazing revitalization of my skin and hair, as I use far fewer commericial chemicals now allowing my body to be responsible for oil levels etc.

Then I asked, what would I do without cars, buses or taxis. While this one is difficult because sometimes my friends aren't comfortable with my "making my own way there," I have astonished myself with 10 and 20km bike trips in 30 minutes, with the development of wicked legs and improvement of overall stamina.

Next I asked, what would I do without an alarm clock. I set myself the challenge to wake up at 6:15 every morning without an alarm, and am astonished to find not only can I wake up at 6:15 without the alarm, but i can wake up at 6:30, 7:15, 5:49 and many other times fairly precicely (and well rested) simply by planning before i go to sleep when I want to wake up and what i want to do when i wake up. Of course it helps that it is summer time so I have the sunrise to help me, it will be interesting if the training will stick through the winter months (I'll let you know).

Of course there are dietary things too. I am told we only need about 8 oz of protein a week. So I tried. I left of pork, then beef, then chicken. Now i eat meat about once a week, and am seriously enjoying the improved health, weight loss, sink condition and bank account for the simple shift in diet.

Same went for alcohol, chocolate, coffee...juice, PET bottles. It is amazing how easy it is to let go of these things...just try one. Ask yourself. What would you do for one week without spinach? then experiment...and find out.

It is always the wrong choice.

My friend messaged me with a dilemma. She is one of four sisters. Third from the top. Her sisters get along like sisters, fighting as often as they play together. And she is scared to get stuck in the middle (or third from the top of) a brewing feud betwen her two older sisters).

The story: Her second sister just broke up with her long term partner. And not two days later her eldest sister has set up a date with the ex.

Ladies...this is always the wrong decision. There is only one exception, which I will get to. But please, for the sake of everyone everywhere, accept that this is always the wrong choice. In this situation, sisterly fialty wins...

Your sister needs your support. And also she needs space and time to heal after the fracture of a long friendship. Everyone needs that. It isn't fair to force your hurting sister to be happy for you and your new beau. And for those other siblings who get trapped in the feud...ie my friend, tell your sibling that they are being blinded by temporal desires and potentially creating a lifelong schism in a family to satisfy a temporary curiosity...Of course this is the place of exception.

If it turns out that your sister was dating the one true love of your life, and you marry her/him and spend the rest of your days in loving blissful paradise, make beautiful babies and bring joy and happiness through your union to those around you and the rest of the world. This is absolutely possible, and in the event that this is the case, then you have made an acceptable decision and in time the goodness of your love will heal the wounds of betraying your sisterly obligations...this is the only exception. (Oh this and if you are from an inbreeding family where the ex is also a brother or first cousin yada yada yada...)

But to the second sister, there is little to say...her relationship is ended. If the partner goes on to do whatever its not really her concern...the relationship is ended. Express your feelings, your hurt and frustration, followed by a long silence until the sister in the wrong either apologies or marries the ex and makes beautiful babies and heals all the world with her love...

Right. Enough gossip column for one day...

Giving thanks

I am not sure where it came from, but this morning I noticed it, sitting by my desk while I was wondering what to do with myself. All things are heading madly off in all directions. Life is full of bumps and jumps just now and it is really very hmm, challenging. And I was sitting at my desk, and suddenly the feeling of being watched, and then of watching.I thought for a moment I was having a dream about my mum. It felt like I must be looking at my mum. But I wasn't...I was looking at someone else. It was me. I was sitting there, but I looked so exactly like who I thought I was. It was a strange sensation. To see myself, and to see what I expected. And in that same moment be entirely thankful for the strong and beautiful woman I am becoming.

I have a big exciting move ahead of me in the coming weeks. I'm relocating from Korea to Japan. I am so sad to leave Korea. I have met some inspiring people, and really started to mak such a wonderful home here.

Last spring I had many conversation about finishing school. About how while at school my ultimate goal was to build my mind and develop my intellectual self. Further, that upon leaving school it was time to turn to my other selves, to build my emotional, spiritual and physical selves. At first, this quest created great anxiety for me. Particularly, since I moved to Asia alone, without any teachers by my side, and had to spend much energy and time finding new teachers and guides, new advisors and advesaries.

Now I am sad to so quickly leave my new friends and family, and to strick out again into the world. But in that eerie moment this morning, I knew it was right. That as this time drifts past I am who I think I am.

Busan the balancing city of the south

What an appropriate weekend vacation, That felt like a month-long retreat in my physical, emotional, spiritual being! I travelled with some friends to the south coast of Korea for a surfing adventure in Busan. And in three short days I feel like I have rejuvenated my mind, body and spirit with months of meditation, relaxation and stress/worry free living.

I am definitly taking pages out of this weekend's diary to help me reorganize the next two months of potential anxiety. The choice between staying and going has been on my mind for months. Since I arrived in Korea, I have battled with myself over whether to stay here or not. I have embrassed so much here and been shy of many other things because of the fear of estabilishing attachments I intend to break. And in the past two months I have had dreams and nightmares almost nightly over the decision to stay where I am, to explore here more, or to move on to Japan. About two weeks ago I made my decision, and it seems since then all parties on all sides of that decision have been trying to convince me otherwise.

It is a hard decision to make, and even more difficult to explain. It doesn't mean staying or going, but my decision is to act in ways to fulfil my desires. And it is hard when I am constantly butted with the wishes and desires of others. I like to make people happy. I like to help others fulfil their dreams. It is one of the greatest joys of my existance. I like to help others succeed, and if I believe my presence can do that, it is hard for me to withdraw.

Anyway, this weekend let me finally feel free to make my own decision. I was finally free to enjoy my life today and not worry and agonize over tomorrow. What I can do tomorrow to help those around me feel the joy of this life will be sorted when tomorrow becomes today.

It's not that it was breath-takingly beautiful, or that I had an epiphany, or that it was mind-blowingly awesome, it wasn't an adventure to end all advenutres where friendships and loves were forged stronger than ever before. It was just a weekend, in another country, in a different place. Surrounded by the familiar and unfamiliar. Water and air, cars and people, music and earth, couples shirts and bikinis, skinny dipping and hypothermia. Just a weekend away.

And I think the turning point was this hanja (kanji...). Which has appeared several times in the past few weeks. But, I saw it again this weekend and it just made sense. It just looked balanced. It, I guess, has many meanings but literally can be the middle. Our centre, our in between, the division in half, half way...this sort of stuff. 중 or naka in Korean and Japanese...But it also looks like a dragonfly. An important symbol of balance, guidance and fear of the unknown. It just looks right. and it's a great meditation point for me. i think.

So there it is. Balanced. Centred. So stop asking about what I am going to do. I am living. And it feels good.

Stop making school easier, please.

Is this the danger of naming things? The more names we have for things the more effort we have to put into learning things names, rather than learning things. But at the same time, it can be fairly easy to learn a list of names, and it's dangerous because to often we stop at learning the name and don't go on to learn the thing as well.

We came up with a name for the faculty of inquiring, asking questions, genuinely wondering...we called it critical thinking. We reified the faculty, made it into a thing we can post on blogs and in mission statements and then forgot to figure out what it means and even worse forgot that this faculty is most exciting and intriguing in our educations in the world.

We want to categorize and label, list and stabilize knowledge, but forgot that the concrete concept-word refers to an unstable thing: to an idea, a flow of energy or sound, or communication. Education is dumbing down into these stabilized things, becoming a learning about what it is to have an education, and less about inquiring into the world. Not that Emile had an ideal education, of course such an education can hardly be mass produced or made available to everyone (or can it? Don't knock it till you have tried it...); but there must be balance, and time and space to inquire. Not to learn the concept-word inquire: how to spell it, what it means when calling the phone company. But, to actually just ask, wonder, be amazed.

But, still the move (caused largely by unqualified teachers like me teaching in standardized settings--rather than organic setting where our lack of qualification/knowledge about how to teach, is made up for by our natural knowledges and abilities to inquire) to replace education with test prep is the greatest tragedy of our generation. More and more courses dictated, replicable, equal opportunity, the same experience repeated and repeated. Stamped, standardized we can now compare what we know this year to what student knew last year, and if the program is really old to what students knew the year before.

But standardized, curved and fitted so we never have a real measure of growing knowledge. Children are our greatest sources of novelty and yet we are putting them through 15 years of replication to stamp out all that novelty.

Education should be a vehicle, not number. It should be a blank sheet, not a letter of congratulations. Education should be life long, not hold your breath and wait to finish puberty...This is one under qualified and over-frustrated teacher.

A Serious Case of the Wonkies

I think it would be pretty funny to have a case of the Wonkies. Who knows what it could involve. Maybe one leg would spontaneously grow two inches longer, while the opposing are become 2 inches shorter. Maybe one foot would grow wider while on hand narrower. Or maybe all your clothing would change in this manner while the rest of you stayed just as you are. The result would no doubt be an amazing eye opener for some and mostly a confusing (and possible expensive) inconvenience for others.

If I had a serious case of the wonkies, I know I would spend a lot of time thinking about how my body was fitting the world in a different way. As I learned to do things in new and better ways, I would wonder how I had ever managed before. When my hand easily slips down the drain to reach a lost ring, or my foot helps propel me like an platypus through the water at swimming, what fun it will be. As I spend time cutting up old strangely shrunken misshaped clothes to make new exciting apparel inventions, I'll wonder why I hadn't done it sooner.

Why wait till you catch the wonkies to fit in the world in a different way. Maybe the wonkies is one of those illnesses that is just in your mind, but better than schizophrenia or something you gt to control it. It might be the worlds only enabling disease, well the wonkies and sickle cell anemia...

Just imagine.

ps. I fell out of bed this morning. Surely an early symptom of the wonkies.

Sorry Guys but Viacom is right...sort of

Viacom's lawsuit that supposedly threatens the web is hopefully finally going to help us face facts about what and how we should access information on the internet. The lawsuit is against YouTube over copyrighted material that is uploaded on the website.

Obviously, Viacom made this stuff and as things have worked until now if you make something it is yours and if you want to share it you are allowed to charge or not as you feel fit. To make a profit and be able to survive in the world. Well obviously this is true and Viacom is right, people are regularly violating the company's copyright on the web in general, but particularly through web services like YouTube.

But the question is, what should be done? YouTube asks you if you have copyright of what you post. They close accounts of people who violate copyright laws. Both users and YT employees can flag videos for removal. But there really is little way to hold users accountable for their violations. Not only should accounts be closed but fines against violaters be levied. Repeat offenders should face jail, like current copyright laws dictate (nb. I don't know if copyright laws ever say jail is required, but perhaps if fines exceed ability to pay a person goes to jail...I don't really know)

However, I don't think YouTube should be responsible for this prosecution (in the same way record companies can fine DJs for playing music at a wedding for which copyright isn't paid). But YouTube should perhaps develop a mechanism to make it easier for record companies to track down where their music/movies etc are being used/distributed illegally. And contact those users who are violating copyright. I know perhaps it begs some interesting privacy questions, but IP addresses can be tracked, so personal computers can be found (i think). If you're breaking the law, tough shit. Don't break the law and you don't have to worry.

But maybe, media companies need to be more proactive about the whole Web 2.0 revolution and find ways to get their media available for people who want to watch tv on the subway or listen to Canadian Indie Music in Khazakstan. The fact is it's easier for people to move around this vast globe of ours and we clearly want to take our media with us. Companies like Viacom should stop bitching and get to work, from grammaphone to CD through what ever music/media transmission is now (I'm still at somewhere just after CD but I know my luddite ways have kept me well behind current trends) keep innovating new ways (like YouTube) to share media, to be creative and entertain each other. And people will pay for it, but you need to be proactive about it, the fact is if 1.5billion people are watching a film (you have already made a profit on) you can't possible expect them to even pay 1$ for that privelege. Perhaps membership fees, limited access to certain stuff.

I think the porn industry has it about right. Access to a certain amount of media, some free stuff, but membership fees to those who want to use their services heavily. I mean, come on people.

The drug that's got to go

More and more I am finding myself surrounded by and deeply effected by alcohol. And I have had just about enough of it. I look at my aging generation and all I see are a bunch of kids who can only entertain themselves with this drug. And my regular choice of sobriety is further and further alienating me from my peers.

It's frustrating because I am the one who gets ragged on for "not having fun" hanging out with a bunch of borderline alcoholics. Get chastised for only attending daylight rugby festivities, or opting to stop dancing and catch the last train home (for $1.60) rather than anti-up the $25 cab fare. I talk with friends online and can smell their acrid breath over the internet they are so stinking drunk. And it's just gross. And I have had enough of it.

People say, it's not just your generation, alcohol has always been used like it is now, it's just that now you are old enough to be part of it. Further, people always died of all sorts of liver disease and alcohol related stuff, but before it was called demons, a weakness of spirit, or just accounted to whatever, "God said it was his time." And these are very true and valid point, of course I was never part of the alcohol using society until 19 or there abouts, so I am fairly new on the scene.

But its getting gross. The NHS in England is stepping up efforts to help people drink smarter not harder (uhh...) so I guess I'm being exposed to a lot of media just now about alcohol, use and abuse. Media that is of course affecting my thoughts about the drug. But I'm sure that there is more going on in my life and the worlds of my close friends than media hysteria. It's difficult to gage, knowledge, surveys, stats can be overwhelming without help interpreting them, putting them in context and stuff.

But even this media is troubling. It talks about younger people being admitted to hospital with various liver diseases etc, about how much different age cohorts drink and how it compares to surveys from the past. And it talks about what individuals should do. Of course William Pitt, the youngest Prime Minister of England, died of "liver disease."

Unfortunately NHS's advice is know your limits and know your units. But there seems to be very little suggestions about what to do with this knowledge. It's great to know I drank 15 units of alcohol last night; sweet some kids will think, I'm going to see if I can beat it. And what are "my" limits? Most people think of a limit as the outward boundary, the final edge of ability. Feeling hungover or puking might be, by some, considered a limit, but it can often take more than 15 units of alcohol for people. This 15 units seems like way over a healthy intake limit. Becoming so drunk as to fall and get injured, or get alcohol poisoning and require tax-payer dollars in medical establishments to have bones set and stomaches pumped, is definitely a sign that you have had too much to drink and "reached your limit". But again this is takes well more than the recommended 4 units a day. So talking about limits should not really be about the limits of your body.

Rather it's a long term limit these media watchdogs are referring to. Maintaining a level of consumption that will not cause long term irreparable damage.

Really the message needs to promote and build up people's strength to make a choice. To choose to drink less. To choose to engage activities that are not consuming drugs and sitting around. To choose to support their friends and family members who want more from a clearer vision of the world. One that is unblocked, unfuzzied by drugs. Maybe even empower us to choose to drink. For too many it isn't even a choice, its just a default state of being.

I think globally we need to help empower each other to recognize that we get to choose. We get to choose to pray. We get to choose to work. We get to choose to dance on Fridays. We get to choose to find means of empowerment. And we don't have to fully bend to the will of other people choice, that we can choose to find out more about other peoples reasons. Other people choices.

But we need to begin freeing ourselves from the attitude "I'm free to choose how I live my life and you can't belittle me for that choice, and you can't take the choice away from me" If our choices are affecting emotions on other people, so strong that they would take legal measures to take away your choice, you should think carefully about how you force others to live with your choices.

Mareux update

My poor puppet, I think she is more than a little shell shocked after her hostage situation. I thought she was just tired, but she isn't talking or anything. Just lying on the chair watching the sky. But it is a bit rainy today so maybe its just a grey day.

Anyone got any tips for picking up a depressed puppet let me know.

Honk Kong Debrief

So Hong Kong was pretty sick. Absolutely gorgeous, packed sweaty filled-to-the-brim skyscrappers 7th story gardens, wrap around sidewalk escalator alley ways through the third story of the city of new old colonial futuristic nonscape and land sences twisted like emotions in every direction. Wow. What a ride.

So we lost, but it was bound to happen. I'm not to impressed with my play. Totally not seizing the opportunity on the field, conserving too much energy and not communicating well. But a good game. Saw some great ideas, nice thinking and good development.

Highlights: picking up jellyfish, pouncing Mel (the pillow thrower) in the middle of the morning, singing, shopping (not that I did much of it), dancing, hanbok wearing, eating chicken butt (I heartily do not recommend it), junk boat tour (sweet food, people and a boat to jump off and swim with), swimming, totally sweet ginger pineapple smoothy, did I mention rugby...oh yea...RUGBY!!! totally sweet.

Only one minor incident involving a terrorist attck and hostage situation. But I think Little Roo will pull through. She was pretty quite when we got in this morning, but I think she was probably tired of all the trravelling, and with having to deal with the stress and anxiety of being taken hostage so far from home.

Oh, tip for anyone carrying sweaty rugby kit through customs, sniffer dogs do not like sweat...so our kit bag got a big buzzing pad lock on it. So I took it for Xray where the man put his hand into the twoday old sweaty kit and pulled it out quick saying eerr...before i could explain it was two day old sweaty kit...oh well.
Another great weekend for the books.

Do we believe yet that Capitalism has failed?

Why are world food prices so suddenly on the rise? I mean, I know it can't be so suddenly as it seems, but it is suddenish. Is this rise unusual? I mean as I understand it, prices should rise, that mean the capitalist economy is working...doesn't it. Of course they shouldn't raise too quickly. That's like dropping a frog into boiling water. But slowly slowly, the value of symbols should decline, as thus we should require more of these valueless things in exchange for goods. Of course it is an exponential rise, isn't it. Things move like the Yeatsian gyre, slow at first from side to side extreme through extreme turning over, each time a little fast, a little further. Maybe I am only just noticing the gyre for the first.

But are things, like the increase in agricultural space being used for biofuels, really a cause? What about the rapid deforestation leading to the desertification of much of the globe? And why is deforestation happening? To make room for people, and for homes, and to make wood for pencils and chopsticks...of course there are just more people. We are, like the deforstation, like the desertification, like population growth, like the capitalist economy, all growing exponentially in our different directions. Maybe we just need a good alpha predator to come and make living more difficult for us.

I think it is interesting to think that any alpha predator to attack humans would have to be invisible to human sight. If we can see the source we seem pretty good at doing something about it. Spontaneous combustion might work. It's these things we can't see. Like what is causing the appaerntly sudden upward spiral in the price of food.

And at the same time it seems easy. Our own hubris led to this.

It good to be back!

My goodness, what a total high!!! So i played 7s today. How totally awesome! All the greatest parts of rugby, with 7 minute halves! Score 7 for the good guys.

So of course, I am not one to shirk any tradition, and came off 3 minutes into the first game with a nose bleed. I love it, that would be the first game of every season of rugby i have ever played has begun with the traditional nosebleed...granted this time there were no tampons involved. So once we got the guizer under control, it was back out to rock and run it hard.

It was a pretty physical game as we are mostly new to the sport, or 15s converts, so it was a pretty rough game! But wow, how sweet it is to be tearing it up on the mudtracks once more. And i do mean mud tracks. As perhaps I have mentioned, there is no such thing as grass in Korea, its just one of those things like cheese that they just don't understand how to use. I was at a plant shop today and they had stacks of dry yellow sod cut into 4x4 inch squares...i don't know what they were to be used for... but clearly they don't really know either.

So we played on a mud/sand pitch. Which I actually quite liked, except that spandex have this amazing funneling power, what ever gets into a pair of spandex always seems to funnel right into the crotch...I must say, in that respect i wish we had been playing on grass. But I can't compain. Course my boots were too small, so I sold them and borrowed a pair. But that's fine.

As for the play. It was awesome, went for a couple awesome runs, scored a couple tries, set up some nice play and had a smashing time.

Ahh...what a high. Right. I need a beer and then its off to bed (there is more rugby in the AM!!!)

All the wrong reasons

I get all hot and bothered when I read about the incredible damage humankind all by themselves are doing to this planet. I mean I know we suck and all, but we are not the only factor...I mean how could we be. And this is what gets me so upset. The fact that it seems we scientists, academics and people who want to know more can't quite accept. No matter how much more we know, we can't know everything. We can't account for it all.

I think if we could accept that one point, or concede that one point, or somehow manage to bring within our grasp that one point, we would recognize that we should just proceed with caution. This doesn't mean, stop progressing. That is dumb.

Don't just stop using oil, or stop using electricity, or stop buying everything, or stop being part of the human race. It just mean's procede with caution. With each progressive step assess does this work, how well does it work. Does this put myself or my family under unnecessary risk? Does this put my city or country at risk? Does this put strangers at risk? What about the water I drink...does it affect that? Does it impact on my favourite places to walk and play?

If my answer is I don't know...well I should have a look around as see. If the answer is maybe...well then I should have a look, but also keep in mind I should look for new ways too...just in case. If the answer is yes...well then I should ask then do I really want to be using it. And if the answer is proudly loudly no, then I should still look around, continue finding new ways, because everything is always subject to change, or rather everything is change. Always.

But here is the thing. We need to be real about that...we need to start globally embracing the possiblity that we can and do change. Maybe. That whatever our impacts and affects, big or small, they are subject to change. They are going to change. So lets stop arguing about the affects and impacts and look for the most exciting ways to going about changing. It's evolution baby.

All this noise is depressing me.

Sigh. What a low! I've been looking forward to Friday all week, and now that its is here I'm ready to just go home. To do standard transmission type classes: ask a question, look at tired sleepy faces, listen to the silence of bored children, grudge it out and go home.

I had a really good day too...I woke up, just predawn, and watched the sunrise. I had really good Oatmeal (hmm I sound like a bit of a hippie...) went to yoga (a lot like a hippie). I exchange English lessons for yoga lessons and i always enjoy them. But today especially so, my yoga teacher bought me a Korean vocabulary book. So now we have a real language exchange going. It was a lot of fun. Yoga was great. That's i suppose when things started to get noisy.

The whole way home it was like there were just people everywhere, noise everywhere, thousands of construction projects, motorbikes on sidewalks, cigarettes, honking impatient drivers, cars doing 140km/h on city streets. Just noise noise noise. Even when I got back to my apartment it was filled with humming buzzing noise. My one neighbours television, the others instant messenger. More construction, more cigarettes, more cars, more children...now usually I like the sound of children, but it wasn't laughter and shrieks it was demanding voices balli-wa, balli balli...

Now I'm trying to find something nice to do on a spring Friday to give the students new ways of using language, and all I can find is noise. Videos ordering people to act. News stories complaining about the ineffectiveness of protest. Nothing just posing a question to talk about, only opinions, orders, demands and reprimands.

Sigh. It is such a battle against all this global and personal hopelessness.

Well Buy Nothing Weeks are still going well at least. I'm really enjoying it a lot, in fact. It's so easy now to just say, "No I don't need (or really even want) that." It's probably not good to remove myself so much from everything, but it's nice to live in a world where consumerism isn't the normative writ. Where there are choices, and they each feel valuable, like they matter. So it's cool if other people think it is weird. I'm enjoying myself. I suppose I should just teach TOEFL and get on with it. If they do well we can have a debate about hair cuts or something...

Any ideas?

Can you imagine a world without strangers? Could you function without doubt? Would you know what to do without a computer? How long would you last without a phone? What would you do with one litre of water? What would you do with one set of clothes? What would you do with one meal a day? What would you do for one hour without electricity?

These are all the wrong questions, I think. Because it doesn't really matter what you would do. I have to ask myself first.

As I continue to read and prepare for Earth Hour on Saturday I have stumbled on many different and interesting questions. Each of which I am posing again and again to myself. What would I do? Could I do it? The more I think and wonder about these questions the more I am sure that thinking and wondering won't get me very far. I will have to try. So I took the stairs. I get 1 hour on the computer, to make three class handouts, a report about my classes, check the news and email and write this blog. Then its power down again. It's loose leaf tea in my reusable strainer.

But I keep coming back to this last question. What will I do for one hour without electricity? I think, go for a walk, or to play rugby in the dark. I could pick up garbage. Or just sit around in my apartment. Maybe I will invite a friend over, light a candle and talk, about something or other. I could read, because there is a lot of light pollution in my apartment. I'm just not sure...not yet. Any ideas, suggestions?

Earth Hour

Join the march. Join the chorus. Do it for and hour. Do it for a day. Do for the rest of the week or month. Heck, do it for life. Do it for yourself. Do it for your friends. Do it for me. Just do it. This March 29th is global lights out. At 8pm local time(s) in at least 29 cities globally, people will be participating in a lights out protest. They will be turning out the lights, turning of computers, cell phones, ovens, other electricity consuming devices. For one hour we are challenged to make greener choices and to try to avoid wastefulness.

But don’t get swept up in the rhetoric.

Don’t just mark the cursory occasion a novelty, think no lights for an hour... but to take to heart the message. We don't stand against waste...we work with every choice we make to reduce it, recycles it, reuse it and replace it with a new way of thinking. A new way of living and interacting with the world. We can't really protest environmental abuse with a 60 minute commitment, but its somewhere to start.

In myself I am slowly kindling the belief that every hour is Earth's hour. I am super excited for the big Earth hour celebrations this week. Granted, I'm sure nothing is happening here in Korea; in my own little world there will be. A class in the dark. A day without computers, ovens and other nonessential. A challenge to myself and to those around me.

I don't want to spend sixty minutes inconvenienced by darkness, but 60 minutes thinking about a new way of working. A new way of thinking about how I will and should and could interact with this earth to help keep it beautiful. To help make it a place of continuous health and positive growth. I want to challenge myself to make the choice...take the stairs...go for a walk...buy local...buy organic...put my money where my mouth is, and put my actions ahead of my words.

So how has my adventure been? For the past few weeks I have been working on a buy nothing scheme. My aim to buy nothing I don't need. It seemed amazingly difficult, and there are some things that get me often (chocolate for example). But it has been an amazing experiment. Already I've noticed I'm putting out less garbage. I have more recyclables because I'm choosing to buy foods in recyclable packaging, if packaged at all. I now always carry bags with me to the grocery store. I'm choosing to buy less and be sure to use all the food I buy, wasting as little as possible. And the biggest surprise, I don't want things as much. Every day it gets easier to buy nothing.

It was amazing to me at first, how many times a day I would think, oh I'll just get this or that. Or I'd buy a snack on the way home from work or yoga, instead of eating the food I already have in my home. How I would have to tell myself forcefully "no" and would usually argue with myself at length that it was essential enough, or it was silly to deny simple things like chocolate bars, notebooks, pens. But I have enough of these things at home, I would eventually agree.

But the greatest lesson is this ongoing lesson about choices. There is never one choice to make and that's that. It is a continuing process, a thousand choices everyday. So I hope you all have a beautifully peaceful Earth Hour. Send someone your love. And think about the choices you get to make today.

Love you all!

A Little Prayer

My thoughts are with you Jessie. That we caught this early, that you recover swiftly and shine on with the grace and strength, with the beauty that your cousins wish they had! Love you always!

Cous.M

Someone has to pay

What is criminal justice? Two interesting cases in the papers today. In Indonesia three men have had death sentences commuted to life in jail over drug smuggling charges. Their lawyers argued that they were first time offenders and not likely to repeat, thus death was a rather steep way to pay for their crimes. In Canada a man who murdered his neighbours, brutally, was found guilty but not criminally responsible for the deaths. The court has agreed that Despres who lives with schizophrenia , was delusional at the time of the attck, and thus cannot be found responsible for his actions. A member of the family is quoted as saying "I just think that you're responsible for your actions regardless of what you do. If you're not responsible for your actions, who is? Someone should pay for these two people being murdered, and I don't think we got justice today."

I find criminal justice one of the strangest ideas we ever came up with.

Patience

How long does it take to forget your history?

As a supermix of nations my siblings and I stand in a unique position, none of our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born in and grew up in the same country. We have, for generations, been a globally dispersed family. We have moved for all sorts of reasons from prejudices to royal orders, because of military or individually driven free spirit. My parents stumbled into Canada I guess nearly 2 decades ago, and my siblings and I did most of our growing up there.

We often ponder and talk about our history, or our confusion about our history. There are many races in conflict in our genealogy, so it's hard at times to hold part of our history as valid and important because it directly conflicts with another part of that history. But, in the end, we usually agree it doesn't matter too much; what matters is what we do now and next and after that.

I recently stumbled on a pleasantly bigoted Facebook group striving to keep Canada Canadian. Purporting that there is a proud history that must be upheld, that is being diluted and forgotten by us newbies. Not only must the new guy adapt to the entirely new world, but he must do so to inculcate in himself the old stories and beliefs, the mythologies and semiotics of this thing called Canada. "Learn the language," the group argues, "get a job, stop sucking on the government for handouts."

Come on people. I know we have the freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of press in whatever form press might take. But that doesn't mean we should use those freedoms to further divide our country, to generate antagonism, persecute new Canadians, to scapegoat the government and anyone else we can for our own lazy uninformed opinions about the woes of our land.

Some of the best signs that this idea of the "Canadian Canada" is that the national anthem was written in English and shouldn't be sung in any immigrant languages. Well, first off, English is an immigrant language. Second, our anthem was written in French. Thirdly, at many time throughout its history it has been sung in different language, in native Canadian languages at NHL games and other official events. And who cares what language it is sung it, especially when that translation helps make O Canada dear to the hearts of even more Canadians. It the act of singing a song that symbolizes our unity and pride as a nation that is of importance...isn't it? I mean you'd think this group would be more offended by the regular booing of the anthem at NHL and CFL games in Montreal...maybe.

A friend just sent me a youtube or googlevideo or something from the Ellen Degeneres show about little billy and bobby somewhere in the US. Billy killed Bobby because Bobby asked Billy to be his Valentine. Ellen's message that it is not alright that we are perpetuating the message that it is wrong to be (different). It is not okay that we make being different the punch lines in our jokes. That we can hate difference so deeply so vehemently that we can commit heinous crimes in an attempt to stamp out difference around us. Degeneres is talking specifically against the message it is wrong to be gay, but it has deeper implications.

We must change the message that it is wrong to be different. What is more it is our responsibility to find ways to make our differences what makes us strong. We must find ways to use our conflicts to generate positive change. And find ways to accept that sometimes that difference will be difficult to understand. Sometimes that difference won't make sense, especially when we are unwilling to ask for or to offer help.

But mostly we need a little patience. I learned the most wonderful expression while I was in Japan Shogyo mujo (諸行無常). It means All things in the world/phenomena are impermanent. I.e. all things change. The philosophy promotes the idea that things change so we should wait and watch, observe and delay so we can see what will change and what needs our intervention or help. We must accept that our history that was will not repeat, but create a new and different self as it continues to move forward in time, and these changes are for us to experience and embrace, for us to enjoy and be challenged by. For us to protest and for us to challenge. There may be similarities and redundancies, things we can avoid by knowing and not forgetting our past, but that past is a greater memory and a greater tool, when it is out diverse and diverging pasts used to help those who are new to the situation.

Facebook you Frustrate me

Here I am again. Again facing this apparently growing sentiment that the world is not welcome in Canada. That if you are not of the majority you can stay where you are, my home is not your home. And the source of this confrontation, a group a colleague joined on Facebook. It may just be time for me to leave that monstrosity of a creation. It's a useful tool for networking and communication, but there is no order to it, you can say what you want and not have to care not what other's think about it, but the reality it creates for others.

The group is called Let's Keep Canada Canadian. And is supports and propagates the idea that to be Canadian you must speak one of the two languages. You must not cost social security a nickle. You should not feel you can proudly display your religion unless it is of Christian roots. You should not proudly share your cultural heritage, unless its the food and its favourable to our Canadian palate. You should not expect the help of the government in settling, or of the community. You should not settle with others of similar culture/history/heritage unless you are a WASP (or former WASP), otherwise you are ghettoizing our country.

I am afraid of this growing community of Canadians who have this vision of Canada as an anglo-saxon pseudo christian nation that doesn't change. And yet if this is so, many of their complaints are actually cries for change.

Some of the complaints on this group: Canadians should speak the language of the land;immigrants must adapt; new Canadians should not expect handout from the government; new Canadians should not be a burden. When our colonizing forefathers never adapted, they didn't learn the language of the land nor the customs and beliefs of the people whose lands the emigrated to. Or when the government used to offer all sorts of incentives and bonuses to new settlers from cheap land to cash and food allowances. When it was their "burden" to come and settle and civilize the new world.

But lets think about the true implications of the person who we would all readily recognize as a new Canadian and how they behave in their new country. I'm talking about an infant born on Canadian soil. Infants don't speak the language of the land. It takes several years of immersion and constant education before they learn the language. There are numerous handouts and benefits and tax breaks for these non contributing new Canadians, and yet we never balk or brawn over paying for them, because we know they are an investment in the future of our country. Not only do these new Canadians not contribute economically often for 20 (even 30 in my generation) years (living off family and society), they are an enormous burden to the system requiring billions (probably 10s or 100s or billions) of dollars in education, childcare and social support. Yet, we have no problem making that investment for an infant, why? And why is it different for a new Canadian who experienced infancy elsewhere?

What more, who are these immigrants hurting? Are your taxes too high? You can't survive on what little the government leaves to you because of this hulking burden to our society? You can afford to surround yourself with pure luxury and stuff and stuff and more stuff. I don't understand this ongoing and ever growing aggression directed at the new guy. Get over it people. The fact that your grandfather established your family though hard work and sacrifice 50 years ago, doesn't give you any right to balk at this woman or that man who is working hard and sacrificing so that his grandchildren will be equally establish IN TIME!!!

And this is the greatest piss off about these opinions and voices that balk at the new guy. They don't even take the time to realize in the first generation their family was in Canada, their family too was a burden. Didn't know how to get education, work, food, money. Needed help from their neighbours and from yes even the government.

Self help

My supervisor gave me a book to read. Eek. It's a help your self help yourself book. Oh goodness. I have been trying to humour her, because she said she enjoyed it and thought I might like what the author has to say. But try as I might I cannot read more than a paragraph without the urge to launch the book across the room (Sadly it's not my book so I'm not allowed to trash it...its a good thing there are lots of pillows in my house). I'm not sure why she gave me the book to read (perhaps a favour returned as I lent her a Paulo Coelho book from my shelf). But i just don't think I can do it.

My problem with this book is not just that its a help your self help yourself but that the underlying message, the principle that drives the book is basically that old Lebeau adage that our spiritual satisfaction and our ego satisfaction are the same thing, and they are satisfied by the consumption of things. And, well, I guess I'm just too much of a communist or a socialist to believe that material things bring any sort of happiness. In fact, I'm quite certain it's the other way round: that the happier you are, the more happiness you will be able to elicit from material things (i.e. the more simple your needs for material things).

Material wealth does not equal Happiness.
Happiness equals Happiness.

At least my youthful optimism suggests to me that this is the case. Perhaps thats all it is. Youthful optimism. Perhaps my boss just doesn't know I'm not old enough to want things yet. People have never really believed I'm as young as I am. In fact lately the disparity between my assumed age and my actually age has been growing larger and larger. I try to console people "My Korean age is 25..." but this does little to cover embarrassment of people who assumed I was in my mid thirties. I don't mind, I'm a pretty serious person, not nearly as light hearted as those we assume are actually 23. And perhaps this is why I've been offered this book to read.

Still I hope that I will never benefit from this kind of help. God doesn't want you to have a bigger house. You want to have a bigger house. Learning to be honest about that sort of thing is a greater key to happiness than "just believe that God wants you to have it."

A New View

I just read a remarkable story, that I want to share and send out to as many people as possible. This is the story of a young woman with autism. She is non-verbal, and displays many behaviours that would upset any who are faint of heart, and lack the patience to accept someone who is different in so many ways from themselves. Check out some of Carly's writing to get a sense of this remarkable young woman.

After reading.

I think one particular lesson that Carly highlights is the power written language has for so many people who are unable (for many reasons) to express themselves. It is a way in, and out, for many of us. It is a way to stradel all sorts of language barriers. Many of my students tell me they prefer reading English than listening to it. Verbal English is very difficult, but reading you can see words, and start sorting what are the important words and what ones are less important.

In Carly's case, to be apraxic (to understand a language without being able to speak it), writing is an amazing way to see the normal in that distorting and challenging word abnormal. It is another way to find our many stigmas, to be reminded even, are once again unfairly placed to burden those who are not the same, in everyway, as us.

It took a law 2...

A month or two ago, I wrote about a Norwegian law requiring large corporations (200 employees +) to have a 50/50 gender divide on executive boards. I applauded the move discussing the belief that it takes a law to cause change, that it is in our interests and for our benefits that we create and attempt to follow laws. Further, that laws are one of our greatest tools for social change.

Today I popped into BBC hoping to find the Asian markets had picked up overnight, and instead I see several different stories making my earlier, very simplistic view explanation of the role of law in a society seems like nonsense. The first article is about a youtube I happened to have been sent, made by Saudi women protesting laws against women drivers in their country! This is brilliant, I think, and highlights what laws are, why we have them and how they work. Laws are temporary explanations about how we agree to behave. I.e. all laws must at all times be subject to change. As a woman of western/catholic socialization I cannot really understand how barring women from driving is for their benefit, to protect them and their families or any of that. But I can imagine in a volatile country it is possible that limiting the movement of people is of benefit to the society. But now as Saudi Arabia is far more stable, it is time to let go of that and allow for a new social order.

The next article was about the reaffirmation of mortal sin by the Vatican. A move that has been made perhaps as an attempt to demonstrate to people how to interpret words like avarice or sloth. As I read, I worried about the loftiness of these new interpretations though. There are surely no more than a million billionaires, and not more than a hundred million millionaires, but that leave 5.9-6.1 billion people on the planet who need moral guidance. Which is the problem for us when we create laws. They are often almost always to narrow in their scope, leaving more people without guidance than need it.

Then there was an article about 24 hour drinking in the UK. This seems to me to highlight the UKs endemic dependence on law to order their society. Guidelines are necessary, they help us understand and interpret ways to communicate with those around us. Particularly as we have less and less of a close common history with our neighbours as we move from country to country, it is important that we have ways to open communication, to network and build community.

Which brings me to the last article, which I haven't read and don't want to read, but which is titled "STDs rife among US teenage girls." I'm assuming there are going to be some horrible statistics about the big 4 (HPV, herpes, Chlamydia, tric) and talk about vaccinating them all against cervicle cancer. No talk about guidance, about a growing desire to talk about and think about giving our kids less information and more guidence in how to behave.

So we do like laws. They do help us figure out ways to behave, but we should also keep in mind Sir Thomas More's idea: In his Utopia there were no laws, and each time it seemed an injustice had occured, it was weighed and discussed. The society debated and thought about it, and even when they came to a decision, it was only about that one case. Laws must be flexible enough to act as real and useful tools in the greater functioning of society.

Missing conversations at What the Book? Used Books Shop, Itaewon, Seoul.

1.
"I mean, look at our fucking society!" Standing in front of the pop culture rack this late-twenty something exclaimed to his friend, "Fucking pregnant, pregnant, suspected pregnant, just had, broke up, broke down, broke out, got engaged, got divorced; this is our generation man and it sucks."
"Yea, i know what you mean. Look at this rubbish"

[Now, I suggest you take one step to your left, take a look at the alternative culture rack, Bitch, AdBusters; or two steps to the left for The New Yorker, Time, National Geographic. Or maybe turn around and se a tiny underground bookstore in the heart of Seoul packed with 20-30 something foreigners looking for something else to read on a Sunday afternoon. Yea, you're going to get a rather skewed and depressing perspective of our culture and generation if you judge it by the tabloid section. Open your eyes a little, delay judgement a moment, get a perspective from the girl behind you.]

2.
"I can't find the book I'm looking for, and its pissing me off," she claimed, her harsh south-central American accent grating against her sinus congestion.
"What book is that?" Her friend inquired, though I'm sure the question wasn't needed for the answer to come forth.
"The Kite Runner."
"Why do you want to read it, the film is coming out soon."
"Its just interesting the way things connect. Like the Russians in the 70s and now everyone in Afghanistan. Whatever. The computer says its here, but i can't see it. This is dumb. Let's go."

[Sigh. I thought, The Kite Runner tucked under my arm with a chuckle...I should give it to her, the film is coming out soon.]

3.
"Its supposed to be really good. Man Sherlock Holmes is brilliant. Do you know why?" No pause, "He sees the things that aren't there. He sees whats missing."
"Yea, maybe."
"Com'on you can tell its good! Look at it."
Look at the book in stunned silence.
"Thats how you find a good book at a used bookstore. If its all beat up, you know its been read lots."

[Other possibilities, it was written in 1986, published on crappy paper, with weak glue, and low grade ink, and it has moved from from some English speaking country to Korea, in someones carry-on. Or its been read by people like me, with a propensity for throwing books that are upsetting, crappy, uninteresting or full of plot holes. I'm sorry to say my copy of The Kite Runner now looks like a good book to read.]

4.
"I like to pick up a bunch of books then decide which one I want, I usually walk out of here with nothing, to be perfectly honest."

[So long as you put back those "bunch of books" where you found them, so those of us who usually walk out with a months supply can find them.]

If there is one thing I really miss about living in an country where I can understand what stranger are talking about, its listening to the nonsense that we strangers say everyday.

Smoking: I just don't get it.

A UK health advisory body "Health England" has proposed that smokers should require a permit in order to buy cigarettes. The permit could cost £10 and would need to be renewed annually. It would require completing an application form and supplying a photo. Health England suggests that the permit process would help deter first time smokers, and would aid those who want to quit smoking in quitting by making it that much more difficult to get cigarettes.

There are so many mind-boggling plot holes in this lovely idea its just wonderful. First, the people proposing it suggest the form will be highly complex, perhaps this could be seen as a form of discrimination against those of lower literacy levels. Second, you think tobacco taxation is bad in Canada, its batty in the UK. A pack of smoke that will cost $9 in Canada will cost £9 in the UK...ie $21 CDN. So on top of paying outrageous levels of tax their will be an additional annual fee, which HE claim will go to NHS, to help bolster the system, but surely the cost of developing and implementing the system, then of enforcing it will cost far more than the £10 surcharge. What about elderly people, like my grandmother, who barely can leave their houses, how will they register each year? At this time in her life, the negative health impacts of quitting might be more than her system could handle...is such a proposal discriminating against people in her situation. What about foreigners, who come for vacations in England for a week or two or three...will they have to pay ten-quid and get an id card, will their be exceptions...or will they be expected to give up smoking for the duration of their stay in England?

HE suggests that it is necessary to have tight controls on tobacco, but to be honest it seems absurd. I think many Muslim states have it right, just ban it...if its such a monstrous thing. I think a more logical step is much like the steps taken in Canada around alcohol. Take it out of stores. Don't cell cigarettes at every venue in the country. Have Tobacconists and thats the only place you can buy it, that makes it more difficult to get cigarettes, and enforces a tighter control to keep younger cohorts away from the drug. It also centralizes profits from tobacco sales, so only the government makes money from it, then the money can be appropriately directed towards NHS.

Or maybe, if we really believe that cigarettes are harmful to health, the energy should be put into putting pressure on cigarette companies, to produce less toxic products. Ban preservatives in cigarettes, ban the use of glue on the paper, enforce the use or organic locally grown tobacco, enforce the use of non-toxic filters, either cotton or recycled paper-fiber. If the government is really so concerned over the health impacts of cigarettes, then why not put effort and energy into reshaping how the drug is retailed, rather than continually punishing the consumer.

Personally, I agree there is more that can be done to help burn tobacco companies out of our lives, but i think that it has a lot to do with ignoring them. Rather than wasting money contriving new and exotic forms of punishment, create more real, tangible and realistic rewards for those who refrain. Scholarships for kids who have never had a smoke; discounts on food for people who don't buy cigarettes; taxbreaks for families that are committed to smoke free living. Why not?

Touchy Subject

The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.



A difficult time we are in: has been so many years since the Olympics were held in a controversial location we are not entirely sure what to do about it? Maybe we should remember the mission of the games...I know some people are leary of China, mostly out of pure ignorance, having no clue what goes on in the "Far East." [Its scary to not know] But well, these games are filling with touchy debates about things that have little to do with the games.

England is currently working on the Team Members Agreement, in which they want athletes to agree not to make politically sensitive comments or gestures during the games. Supposedly this is either because England is afraid of tarnishing its business relationships with China, or perhaps a more sinister fear that something might happen to its athletes should they speak harshly of their hosts. Of course Human Rights activists are upset about such a move, as it is their intention to use the games as a time to highlight China's human rights violations, and lack of intervention in Darfur, and suggest that moves like the possible anti-political speeche clause in the TMA is not only a violation of the freedom of speech, but also shows cowardice on the part of the UK in facing the ongoing problems in China.

Now Steven Spielberg has pulled out as an artistic advisor (i guess that means no aliens in the show this year) citing his conscience can't allow him to participate, when their are global catastorphies and human rights violations going on. [There is a little known film with animated puppets called "Team America" that sheds some interesting light on the role of actors and movie types in politics]

I'm not sure why we think that on one hand we can award the games to a country, and then think that is excuse enough to chastise and criticize the country into changing to be more like US. Who are we anyway?

While it is clear that it is probably problematic to force athletes or anyone to agree to be a-political during the games, perhaps it is an unfounded fear. The amount of physical, mental, emotional focus that an athlete needs to put into competing at an Olympic Game, should be enough, why would a government want to deliberately add more pressure to athletes by giving them reason to fear their behaviour could have them booted off the team. It's understandable, many democratic governments are nervous about what will happen when China welcomes the world this summer, but let's not forget the spirit of the games, and the motivation for reviving and for participating in them. It is not the athletes who need to be signing agreements to just play their sport... really its a move that creates unnecessary tension for athletes without doing anything to either promote open political dialogue with China about its human rights record...Further, why are we suddenly so concerned and putting all this pressure on China? Because the games are going to be there? That's silly. Human rights are an ever present and ongoing concern, YOU DON'T NEED A REASON TO BULLY SOMEONE ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. They are on their own, sufficient reason.

I'm glad Mr. Spielberg has a conscience. But how does his pulling out from participating in the games in any way going to benefit those persecuted in China, or the outrage that rages on in Sudan? If anything his actions further alientate the West and close means of creating meaningful and productive paths of communication.

There was an interesting debate about Canada's business relationship with China, maybe a year ago. Canadians were up set that we were doing business with a country with human rights violations (which i think is a bit posh to begin...but anyway). In the debate, the minister said we cannot do anything about problems in another nation,if we have no relationship with that nation. If we are not friends or partners in some respect, how can we even begin to talk about a nations problems.

But then it is in the Olympic charter that the mission of the Olympic movement is to place sport at the service of humanity, and thereby promote peace, to act against discrimination. So i guess its difficult (my new favourite word). Perhaps it is right to tarnish the sport in favour of the other political agendas that are catching fire on all sides. Perhaps.

Home Sweet Homeish

Wow, what an adventure. So I'm back from Japan! Totally sweet and wicked. Way better than the trip in September. I guess the stress of trying to function without being able to speak the language or communicate directly is becoming more and more apparent to me, and I guess I'm learning about being the linguistic minority (weird for an English speaker, but I must say a life lesson in patience). It's an interesting position though, working on different ways to communicate. Through infinitive verbs and gestures. Writing things down, carrying maps all these secondary communicative tools become primary. Then learning to speak in a simplified English. Shorter sentences, simpler tenses, basic adjectives, slow down, emulate Japanese pronunciation.

Anyway. Here's a sense of where i was, in a quiet mountain town. It snowed like a bastard. about 45 cm my second day there. And how do they handle the snow...not with salt, as that would damage the rice fields, nope...they use water. Even though it snows like a bastard, the temperatures rarely go below 0 C. So they have sprinklers basically, that run water to melt the snow and wash it away.

But i went to visit Nate's host family. The father is a 5th generation vinegar maker. Amazing! The factory is attached to the house (although now he has a second factory for the fermenting and bottling processes). Really amazing tour. Then great temaki...i had temaki twice, and maki three times...now I'm super sad to be in Korea where sushi is usually with kimchi and not fish :(

Also listened to some killer jazz. Built a tobogganing hill, even though the village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, the mountains don't really have any good sled runs.
Even the lack of heating in the houses was a small trifle, it was cold...don't get me wrong, but somehow a pleasant cold. I know i couldn't stand it back in Canada, but i suppose that is the difference when temperatures don't go below 0, or maybe at night get down to -5. Anyway, anyone traveling in Japan, a strongly suggest you forgo the big cities, for little Fukui prefecture. It's just a lovely little hideaway in what I had always thought of as a country of metropolitan cities stretching across the expanses.

Now that's interesting

This morning when I arrived at work and did my regular peruse of different news agencies I frequent when bored at work, an startling article appeared. Now i don't really know anything about business. I wish I did (maybe i will have to learn now). Anyway, a French bank suffers from a rogue trader I suppose trading away 5bn euros of bank profits.

I didn't fully understand the article because 5bn euros seems like a lot of money, but the bank didn't seem to be too worried...at least not as it was reported. Well just now as I checked back to try and better understand the situation...one how does any one perhaps have the power to control 5bn euros, two why would someone do something like that, three what is the impact of such an act of fraud I read a headline "Bank uncovers $7bn fraud". I thought, oh the plot thickens. But no, the reporting agency (the same one I read the first article at) had just changed the original article so the amount was reported in American dollars instead of Euros. Press...that is not your job! It was Euros that were lost, report the lost Euros, don't try to inflate emotions by misleading readers. Grr it makes me upset. As a non-money type, a little help Media, would be nice. Perhaps explain what was this trader doing..."massive fraudulent directional positions in 2007 and 2008 beyond his limited authority"...what is a directional position...it sounds like a bet. but do banks bet...i guess, they must, even the weathermen bet to try and keep their inability to demonstrate and real predictive force of the weather afloat. How can you bet 5bn Euro...who would take that bet...im sure not the local bookers...

I'm worried about this, it seems like the cash system is more delicate than even i had imagined.But so what....what should we do.

Anyway, any of you businessy types, if you can suggest places to get laymans explanations on this story I would appreciate it.

Gone with the wind on 'kite ship'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7205217.stm


Its as though, we forgot that ships used to be the greenest form of mass transport. I don't get it, check out the link for the full article, but look at the "kite" that is helping this ship...what happened to sails? Maybe i should do some research first. But I see this massive barge with a single kite to help if reduce fuel use.

I mean check out this barge from treasure planet, a remarkable ship that uses sails to catch galactic winds, the sails are made of a solar cell fabric, that catches solar radiation to supply a backup energy supply and uses a traditional furnace to keep transportation power consistent, supplying extra thrust when necessary.

And so far we have managed to add a kite.

Go team green. This is about as exciting as hydrogen cell fueled cars.

Correctness

I received a very hurtful, but perhaps well intentioned forward today, and I'm not really sure what to do about it. Looking down the back links its been forwarded from friend to friend down a chain of born and bred Canadians. So perhaps as an immigrant I'm a bit touchy on the subject of what is and should be expected of people moving to countries like Canada, America and Australia. ie. English speaking colonies founded in the past 300 years largely by Christians and neo-Christian politicians looking to change and reshape European values. I had an easy time, having moved from and English speaking country with very close values to Canadian values, and having moved at a young age that I did most of my growing up in Canada.

The main belief supported by the forward (and alleged speech by John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia...though a quick google will show it is a highly edited shoddy fabrication of sound bites and clipped together and given under the name J.H.) is that because the colonies were founded by WASPs that it is good and right that the main moral, legal and cultural code should be that of the former WASP. It lays claims such as "We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society. Learn the language!" and "It is immigrants, not Australians that need to adapt."

When did the rules change? Did the founding immigrants of our countries adapt? Did they learn the language of the land they came to? Did they even speak English? (in the case of Canada) Did those who wrote our constitutions and who continue to REVISE our constitutions adapt to their setting, or bring about and insist on change? Change is the most necessary and most exciting part of life. And especially for those of us who live in the new world--in countries whose cultural legacy can be remembered in its entirety, whose countries are a diverse fabric of people bringing to that table what they can--it is our identity.

As Canadian working in South Korea, helping students practice and learn to speak English, and as a Canadian who had to take those painful 10 years of French classes, I have a sence about learning a language. 1. it takes time. 2. its not easy. 3. Its not necessary to function in a society. Our three countries have the amazing benefits of having people from all countries in the world living in them, this means we may well have speakers of close to every language in the world. We have amazing knowledge in that, amazing power for communitcation and community. So how can we be so pig-headed as to insist all new immigrants be fluent in English? Especially when there are ways to function in a native language through family, friends and community. Granted, I'm only a migrant worker and not an immigrant here, but I've learned to function in a society that speaks mainly Korean, that there are many ways to function without being able to speak, or with only the most rudementary knowledge. Its a matter of support and networks.

And this question of adapting. If Australians don't want to adapt anymore thats for them to decided, I for one hope i never stop adapting, I hope that those adaptations are mostly for the better--for the improvement of my condition and of those around me--I hope Canadians and Americans and Australians and Saudi Arabians, and Sri Lankans and Koreans and Indians and Pakistanis and Mongolians and Brazillians and Europeans (as a whole and in their individual cultures) and Eritrians and Kenyans and all the rest of everyone continue to change and adapt to the many new and exciting posibilities that are presented to them.

Now the root of the problem. Sharia Law. And I agree here with the position Australia took, with the position Ontario took and with the position that you obey and follow that law of the land. WHATEVER that law is. If that means no pot in Korean, that is the law, and we must obey it. If that means I cannot enter Libya until I'm married or without my father, that is the law I must obey. If that means I must cover my body entirely in Saudi Arabia, that is the law and I must obey. If that means I can pay for sex in Amsterdam but not in Sweden, so be it. Those are the laws of that land, and I am obliged to follow them. That's what a law is, we agree to follow them, that is how they help all of us. Also that as a citizen of a country you have the right to challenge, ammend, rewrite the law, to introduce new law and to have old laws removed. A great example of this is the announcement today that women in Saudi Arabia can now stay at a hotel alone. Recognizing the great limits on women in this culture this is an exciting move towards recognizing the road to gender equity. It seems small but its how we go about making our countries better places. The government also allowed that it would consider allowing women to drive. Again, bit by bit we see who a government is moving to adapt to changing times, to better serve its citizens and to allow its citizens to better serve the government.

If there are laws in Sharia Law that can be used by all Canadians then it is for those citizens best versed in these laws to help bring them to legislation. Where we as a nation can decided if this is a law for our nation. But yes, in a country there is only one law and it applies in the same way to all citizens in that country. But that doesn't mean that we turn our backs on everything immigrants bring to their new homes.

Its scary how the rhetoric of things like this so easily sweeps us up, makes us forget to think for ourselves, to reflect on how much we owe our immigrant parents/grandparents who put up with the racist shit, so that we could have an easy life in these countries.

Which brings me to the title of this entry: correctness. Not political correctness. Political Correctness is not saying what you mean so as not to offend or exclude anyone. While its a practice that upsets many people because it reduces our ability to express our feelings and opinions, its a dangerous practice because it marrs the more important practice of correctness. That is speaking in ways that are considerate of the fact that we don't know everything, we can't take everything into account all the time, its also a way of speaking that is forgiving of difference, that helps us to recognize that we are all strangers trying to build this dream of a world that works, fully. I think it is blind, selfish and pig-headed to insist that the way things have been is the way things always will be. Instead of spending our energy writing and propegating hate speech, we should be working on solutions; rather than laying blame on the new guy, we should be working to recognize the problem; rather than engaging in empty rhetoric that affirms division of societies, that insists on the continued antagonism of different cultures, we should be opening our hearts and minds and affirming our beliefs while listening to new beliefs.

The Black Vote

I guess I'm late on this since the controversy broke days ago. But, I think my inclination to write comes from something lately inspired by the "race" issues in the Democratic campaign.

I don't understand how there is a black vote, but not a woman vote. Maybe because there are women ...well everywhere. We are innocuous even...but that doesn't change the fact. Why is Obama forced to run the campaign as a Black man relying on the Black vote, when Hilary doesn't have to run as a woman, or Edwards as a White man, relying on the White vote...its dumb. They are each running as a Democrat...that's all. Get over it America, Martin Luther King Jrs dream did come true when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Accept it, the law is made, now get over it and move onward and upward. The only thing that has stopped this dream coming true is the US's ass backwardness about laws.

It seems in the US a law is not made to affirm the desire to change; its made to scapegoat, deny and avoid; its made to be a place where US citizens can claim their rights are being infringed (uhh...hello, without laws you wouldn't have anything to claim you have rights beyond an instinct inside yourself that somehow you deserve something for stumbling upon this planet); a law is a thing that someone off in some hidden place invents and magically appears one day and disappears the next as the people with money decide it will make making money more difficult, as it will raise the price of ink for fabricating bills.

It took a law...

I was just thinking about this line from that film. "It took a law to get seat belts into cars. It took a law to get airbags too." I don't think we should doubt that. Particularly when you look at countries without those laws...are they going along...for the fun of it...no. They have seatbelt free air bag free cars. So lets not get to fussy about a law to force corporations to employ more women on their boards. It won't come about any other way, i think that it is almost wise too...it takes a law to instigate change...at least it does now. Lets hope we have the balls to stand by this law, to not let those with the money corrupt our desire to change. Okay maybe it isn't all of our desire, but its mine. and i think its also the desire of some of the norwegian law makers, which makes me think there are some norwegian taxpayers who agree. So some of us desire it. And feel its time has come. Let support this law...and not try to hack it down. It may, like seatbelts make us a little uncomfortable, maybe chaif our necks a bit...but its for our overall good...i think.

i wonder...want to reduce obesity...would a law with strict enforcement work? or stop alcohal abuse, or increase donations to those with less money than ourselves? Dunno...but its a brilliant move by norway to prove it true and possible. We like laws, we like to follow them, we like to have and to hold them in our hearts and minds...at least it keeps things orderly...