Katruje's Creative Debris

Economics 101 - The Great Lie

2012-01-03T11:17:00.002+08:00

This topic is for something I call The Great Lie.

I call it this, because everyone in America, and much of the Western World, has been lied to about some basic facts of life. These facts concern an idea fundamental to Western thought in the Modern Tradition, and that is the idea of progress.

Basically, we're all told things will get better with time. Science advances, society becomes more progressive, and the economy grows, so your standard of living will be better than that of your parents, and that your children will have it better than you did.

Without going into the philosophical arguments for this, I want to point out one simple fact: since the early Clinton Administration, we've been lied to about the growth of the economy.

Source: http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/gross-domestic-product-charts

So, what does this graph show? Simply, it shows the old measure of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in blue, vs. the new measure of GDP, in red. GDP is used to measure if the economy is growing or shrinking. Basically, the Clinton Admin changed the way GDP was measured, so that the economy looked better than it really was.

What does this mean for you? It means for the last 20 years or so, (look at the blue line) the economy has been declining, and in recession for almost all of the 21st Century. This decline was hidden during the 1990s. The 'average' of the red graph is almost a straight line, showing constant growth, while the 'average' of the blue line shows a steady decline. The red line starts to give up after 2000 and the average can't hide the decline anymore, while the blue line continues the steady decline into negative growth.

So, in practical terms, things have been getting worse. But living with the belief that things get better, many people have had to rely on credit cards and refinancing their homes in order to MAINTAIN a standard of living from 20 years ago!

Don't believe the lies! The mainsteam media wants you to believe that the bubble and housing crisis was purely the result of people being too excited, and greedy, and wanting more and more. Yes, this is true for some people, but many others were living at the same standard they always did, not realizing it was getting harder and harder to maintain that standard.

Why didn't they know? Because a bunch of economists decided to change the methodology of economic measures.

Want to see another one? Here's inflation.

Source: http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts

What does this chart represent? It shows inflation, which is the change in prices over time. For example, something that cost $1.00 in 1990 now costs roughly $2.00.* Things get more expensive with time. Look at that graph! Using the old measure, (the blue line), inflation has been approaching 10% for the entire 21st Century.

What does this cart mean for you? Well, the Clinton Administration also changed the way inflation was measured. Before, they'd take a bunch of food, and things people typically need to live (called a basket of goods) and measure how much it cost. Then, each month, they'd compare the cost this month to the cost last month, and tell you how much more expensive things are. That's inflation. They were measuring changes in the cost of living.

But now, with changes in the methodology, they use several techniques to change the measured rate of inflation. I'll explain one of them here, called substitution.

In a free market, people choose how they spend their money. Economists believe that if something gets too expensive, you'll switch your buying habit and buy something else. So if butter gets too expensive, you'll buy margarine. If steak gets too expensive, you'll buy hamburger.

Well, this makes sense. It shows how people behave, and how much money they're spending, right?

WRONG! While it may reflect consumer behavior, it's no longer measuring the cost of LIVING, now it's measuring the cost of SURVIVING. Making substitutions of better quality foods for lower quality foods means you're just surviving. There's a big difference. They actually changed what they're measuring, but didn't tell you.

There are other things they do, but this is a big one because it's easy to see how you're being lied to!

As the story goes:

A little before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was told that the peasants couldn't afford to buy bread, because of the heavy taxation.
She callously replied, "Well, let them eat cake."
Soon after, the French Revolution began.

Well, The System is telling the American people is exactly the same: can't afford butter? Eat margarine instead.

Want to learn more about basic Economics?

John Williams' Shadow Government Statistics.
http://www.shadowstats.com/

Chris Martenson's Economic Crash Course.
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

* I pulled this is off the top of my head for the sake of example. People in the know, please don't shoot me over the specific value of this number.

Economics 101 - The Money Problem

2012-01-03T11:08:00.001+08:00

There's a problem with money, and no, it's not the root of all evil.

Money is called a fiat currency, because it's used in place of something of value.

In the old days, people traded goods. Sugar for meat, or horseshoes for people shoes. You made something, and you traded away your surplus for other goods you wanted.

Well, if you grew corn, and the cobbler didn't like corn, you were out of luck...you couldn't get shoes. So, you'd have to trade corn with someone who had what the cobbler wanted, so you could trade that with the cobbler instead.

So, we switched to gold and silver, since everyone agreed that they had value. But gold gets heavy, so after awhile, we switched to pieces of paper that represent the gold or silver. 1 piece of paper can mean 1 cob of corn, or one shoe, or whatever. This is the purpose of money...to make trading easier than trading the things themselves.

But in our modern world, the money has been taken control of in two fundamentally corrupt ways. Compound interest-bearing debt, and the creation of money from nothing. Let me explain:

Let's imagine that we're going to create a new society. Let's make our society 10 people, and each person needs 10 pieces of paper to swap with other people so we can do trade.

But in this society, we can't just make the paper. We're forced to BORROW the paper from a central bank. Where do they get it? The same place anyone would. They print it FROM THIN AIR. Now, we have to go into debt to get that paper, and pay the debt back, with interest.

So we borrow $100 for our society, at 10% interest, and we'll pay it back next year. But when it comes time to pay it back, we owe the bank $110! That's more money than exists in our entire society! We pay back the original $100, but still owe $10 to the bank. AND our society has no money again! So we borrow $110 this time, and give $10 to the bank (for what we owed them) and keep the $100 for our society to use this year.

At the end of the second year, we owe the bank the original $110 (remember, we gave them back $10 instantly and kept $100 for our society), plus $11 in interest for the loan. So we have even more debt! Now we owe the bank $121 for the $100 in our society!

But of course, we only have $100, so we need to borrow the extra $21, just to pay them back. And we need $100 again for this year. It's not hard to see how the Central Bank can come to own and rule a country very quickly using this system.

So, there are two equally important, corrupted aspects of money supply:

Eliminate Interest-Incurring Currency
Earning interest for pieces of paper that say IOU is just plain WRONG. It's the ultimate business, and totally unethical. Government needs to take control of the issuance of money, and make it free for us to use (i.e. there's no cost associated with creating it). So money is a public service provided by the government, and no profit is made from the creation of money. No interest-bearing money creation means no ponzi scheme, and no built-in collapse.

Responsible Control of the Supply of Currency
The amount of money in system effects how well the system can do business. Too much money, and prices go up, and bubbles form. Too little money, and recession kicks in, because nobody can get the money (IOUs) they need to engage in trade. If it gets really bad, they start to barter, but that's the whole reason money was created in the first place...to make barter unnecessary. So the amount of money is very important to make sure the economy runs smoothly. Central Banks create boom/bust cycles by controlling the amount of money in the system.

Many people believe in the gold standard because they believe nobody can be trusted with creating money from nothing. It's too great a power. If you can print money from thin air, then you can do that to buy or control anything. By tying money to gold, you have some 'objective' way of controlling how much money is created. This is a separate debate.

One last thing about money in the US:

The US dollar is the "Reserve Currency". Basically this means that the US forced the world to use its money to buy and sell oil. This means the Federal Reserve can print lots of money to fight wars, pacify its citizens, and buy anything it wants, without making the money worthless. Countries are forced to buy US dollars to buy oil, or other goods. This creates additional demand, and keeps the US dollar stronger than it would otherwise be.

Want to learn more about Money and Economics?

The Money Fix - A Documentary on Monetary Reform.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/money-fix/

Chris Martenson's Economic Crash Course.
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

Some Ideas from Bruce Lipton

2011-07-04T23:12:00.001+08:00

Need to jot these down, and this seems as good a place as any:

Scientific materialism has offered four tenets in the dominant basal paradigm that, until recently, have been accepted and regarded as indisputable scientific fact:

Only Matter Matters--the physical world we see is all there is.
Survival of the Fittest--Nature favors the strongest individuals, and the Law of the jungle is the only real natural law.
It's in Your Genes--we are victims of our biological inheritance and the best we can hope is that science finds ways to compensate for our inherent flaws and frailties.
Evolution is Random--life is basically random and purposeless, and we got here pretty much the same way as an infinet number of monkeys pecking on an infinite number of typewriters over an infinite amount of time might produce the works of Shakespeare.

Really Awake?

2011-06-10T23:32:00.003+08:00

Conspiracy theorists unite!

Well, not really. More of the same: a video that's over an hour long, with people talking about how 'awake' they are:

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Unfortunately, what I see here are a bunch of people talking about how they're not stupid, and know what's going on (whether it's conspiracy theory, truth, or something else). Fight the New World Order or whatever....but what I'm seeing is just more division between us and them, awake and asleep, the good and the bad. I still argue that the number one mechanism at work in the world is the attempt to keep people isolated and afraid.

If fear and love really are only two emotions in the universe, the 'awake' seem to be functioning mostly on fear. The truth of the plot of one-world government, financial collapse, Nirbiru, or depopulation though Agenda 21, none of this really matters. These are all externalities. The only thing that matters is your response to these things.

Take anthropogenic global warming. If you believe in it, you react with fear. If you don't believe in it, you react in fear of a conspiracy or agenda. In both cases, those who are in power get the desired response: fear and division.

If you're living in fear, and feel divided between us and them, then you can't focus on loving compassion, and bringing the right energy to this world.

Because in the end, the only thing that can save us is love....

Anyways, if you're interested, here's the video:

Oh yes, I almost forgot. One of the most famous of all statements in philosophy was made by Descartes:

I think, therefore I am.

What he meant by this was that the ONLY thing he could EVER KNOW to be unquestionably true, was NOT that he was awake, but that his consciousness exists. He knew it exists because it's there to question (i.e. think about) his own existence. "I think, therefore I am."

What I'm arguing is that I CAN'T BE SURE I'M AWAKE. In fact, I can NEVER KNOW if I'm awake. I can only know that I'm questioning.

Socrates said it a different way:

All I know is that I do not know.

So before I go around telling everyone I'm awake because I believe an alternate theory of something, I should spend a little more time thinking about what being awake really is.

And if you don't understand what I mean, think of it this way: if Keanu Reeves broke out of the matrix, how could he know he was in 'real life'? What if the matrix was just running in a second matrix? And what if that matrix was in a third matrix? How many matrixes (no, I'm not going to write matrices) are there? It can go on forever....So, you have to come to the conclusion that you'll NEVER know if you're in the matrix or not. But you CAN know that you're aware of that possibility, and that's all you can really know!

Ultimately, you're left with the conclusion that everything is just really in your own mind, and that nothing external can really be identified as true, or real. When you understand this, you can start to focus, not on the things outside of you, but the things within you....

And this is the only hope of escape from the matrix: that no matter what conditions are imposed on you from external 'reality', you can remain true in your core understanding of the inherent 'falseness' of these external things, and instead focus on the internal.

And, if you can get that far, the only truly important 'internal' thing you can look towards is loving compassion. Learn to feel love and compassion (positive emotions) for all things external, regardless of their external effect on you, and you have found God.

Bodyworlds and Meat Bags

2011-06-08T14:24:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was my birthday, so Danielle and I went to Bodyworlds & The Cycle of Life, which is showing in Taipei this summer. I've always wanted to go to Bodyworlds, so this was my chance!

It was pretty darn good, I must say, although sometimes you forget you're looking at actual people, and not just models. There was a bust of a man with all his skin and everything still intact, and that was pretty real. He was bisected down his center line so you could examine his brain, mouth and nasal cavity. Also, I'm not sure the exhibit did as good a job as it could have, at really presenting the concept of "Cycle of Life". Sure, we saw plastinated fetuses, and diseased body parts (if the 'healthy' and 'smoker' lung comparisons don't get you to quit smoking, nothing will), but I didn't get a strong sense of continuity, as much as an anatomy lesson.

Particularly, I would have liked more details on the specifics of the specimens (or plastinates, as they're called) like age, gender, and cause of death or other pathology. I'm not interested in "personal tragedies", but the specific pathology of the individual specimen. One plastinate, in particular, was extremely interesting. From what I could tell, this person had an artificial hip, knee joint, shoulder, a grafted jaw, and two steel reinforced bones. I would have really like to have known more details. Was this blunt trauma (a car accident) or part of a degenerative process? Another platinate was claimed to have arthritis, but I had difficulty seeing the specifics.

Regardless, these are small complaints. Overall, the exhibit is excellent, and I would suggest it to anyone interested in the human body, biology, etc.

However, the exhibit really got me thinking about our physical body, and the nature of a spirit, or consciousness. I find it pretty hard to believe that these 'chunks of stuff' are all there is to being human. I just can't believe in the reductionist model that says everything a person ever is, can be fully encompassed and explained by the meat bags (as Bender puts it) I saw yesterday.

It also got me thinking a bit more about abortion. When you see actual fetuses (a.k.a. human beings) in various stages of development, you have to wonder about the ethics of deciding to terminate that life. Congressman Ron Paul is against abortion. He's also an OBGYN who has delivered over 4000 babies. When he speaks of watching a doctor pull a fetus out of a woman, and put it in a bucket to be disposed of...well, that speaks volumes to me.

NEways, as Osho so wonderfully points out, there's a difference between knowledge (i.e. having a moral stance based on imperative or some intellectual idea) and knowing (i.e. experiencing something in the reality of it). In this case, Ron Paul knows something which I suspect I'll never know, and I defer to him.

The Use of Depleted Uranium Ammo

2011-06-06T14:17:00.001+08:00

Danielle and I watched a fantastic but disturbing documentary the other night. Beyond Treason is about Gulf-War syndrome, and the US Military's willingness to medically experiment on its own troops (with or without their knowledge or consent). Clinton's Executive Order 13139 gives the President the ability to force-vaccinate military personnel, without their consent. Hundreds of National Reserve pilots have already resigned (i.e. given up the chance to fly totally cool fighter jets) rather than be vaccinated.

Surprisingly, there are more US casualties from the Gulf War than from the Vietnam War. Like with so many other things, the change methodology used to measure causalities between the Vietnam and Gulf Wars has hidden this fact from the public.

But far more disturbing is the US Military's continued use of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition which makes troops sick, causes all sorts of birth defects, and leaves a land contaminated with nuclear reside for all eternity. So, the use of DU ammo will create environmental toxicity that cannot be cleaned up and will last forever.

Why would any army ever use such weapons, which slowly kill the people who use them and the people who live where the weapons are used? They render the land where they're used uninhabitable. This seems completely insane to me? What's the point?

Radiant Energy and Free Energy

2011-06-06T13:31:00.001+08:00

My Bedini 3-pole monopole motor running off a 12V power supply and charging a battery. The top generator coil is also driving the bank of LEDs just for fun.

Here's a pretty good site with lots of info on the Bedini SSG. A number of people have replicated the motor, and achieved a Coefficient of Performance (COP) greater than one (more than 100% efficient):
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Bedini_SG:Replications

One very good report, with multiple, repeated overunity results:
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Bedini_SG:Replications:oneness

Now, the trick here is that we need to understand that of course, the system isn't more than 100% efficient. Just like a solar cell or wind generator, there is an external source of energy being put into the system.

With this system, the same phenomena applies. We use energy to get the wheel spinning and generating the pulsed DC voltage spikes (seen to be as high as 200 V on a small apparatus like mine). This is a replication of Tesla's gap discharge experiments. This involves a poorly understood form of electricity that Bedini calls Radiant Energy.

We achieve a COP>1 though capturing and utilizing the radiant energy spikes. Much more radiant energy can be captured in the battery and subsequently used to do work (run a fan or light, etc.) than the energy used to rotate the motor.

It turns out that we simply don't have a suitable theoretical model for the radiant energy obtained by this system. And because so much science has gotten ass-backwards, if there's no theory, then it's impossible and won't be investigated. Good lab results are ignored if they don't fit an existing framework.

This is precisely the situation that's occurred with Cold Fusion. The scientific community derided the work of Pons & Fleischmann, and they were forced to leave the US to continue their study. Turns out that there's something to cold fusion. Except you can't call it that now, and it's called Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR).

Of course, you can just read/watch the 60-minutes piece on cold fusion's new lease on life....
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/17/60minutes/main4952167.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4955212n

Nice to see that scientific evidence will prevail. Too bad it took 20 years, and made pariahs out of those who wanted to do the work....

Thinking about 'truth'.

2011-06-06T01:14:00.000+08:00

This is a hard pill to swallow for a lot of people: what we call truth, hardly ever is. We have now come to put our total faith in science. Don't believe me, watch James Burke's Connections. The first episode The Trigger Effect, demonstrates this in some of the clearest terms I've ever experienced.

Point is, science provides us with facts, not truth. If you've done first-year stats in college, you know that nothing is ever proven in science, only that it's more probable. There's a big difference between the two.

I just really wish people would stop watching Survivor or Dancing with the Stars, and start paying attention to things that matter. I wish people understood the difference between opinion, fact, and truth. Then, if we could stop judging and comparing each other to one of these three metrics, and let go of our own egos...we could get down to the business of understanding and caring for each other.

This is one of the few truths that I know: that if we could just develop a bit of empathy and understanding for OTHERS, instead of trying to prove them wrong or impose our own values on them (our values of course, are the only TRUE values, right?).

Just moaning right now. Having another 'crazy pills' day...

Instant Vindication?

2011-06-02T00:36:00.000+08:00

Interesting. The day after I change the philosophy of posting on my blog, things show up to help reflect why I'm making the change. The blog isn't about or for anyone except myself. It's an online diary, designed primarily for self reflection.

On that theme, I came across a wonderful TED Talks by Stefan Sagmiester called 7 rules for making more happiness. In it, he describes some of the things that he found about happiness, and I'll outline them here:

Happiness does not correlate with:

Gender
Geographic location
Income (above a certain subsistence level)
Race
Physical Appearance
Overall health (as long as problems are manageable)

However, happiness does correlate with:

Personality and sociability
Marital status

Specifically, Sagmeister points out that knowledge does not create happiness, but being in a community and engaged with others, does make a difference. People who are involved in charity and have a circle of good friends are happier than people who are more individualistic and detached.

For me, this is particularly interesting because I've spent so much of my life in the pursuit of knowledge, and I've reached the point where I understand that knowledge can actually be an impediment to happiness. Not that ignorance is bliss, but that fixating on ideas or facts, and ignoring people and feelings, will lead to unhappiness.

Another interesting point in the talk is the element of self reflection, and the keeping of a diary or journal. This is precisely the purpose of what I'm doing here. This is also about a greater sense of gratitude for thing people and things around me. I want to express this in a more tangible way, rather than the brief nod I've given things in the past.

If you're interested, here's the TED video.

A New Philosophy

2011-06-01T00:15:00.000+08:00

I don't blog nearly enough, which is strange because I have so much to say, and I'm often saying it. Why I don't blog more often is a bit of a mystery.

So, I'm going to start using this as an online journal, or a diary. Since I don't keep a diary, but would like to start, I'll do it here.

First topic? I don't know. I guess we'll see.

A Little Food for Thought

2010-11-21T13:02:00.000+08:00

A little crypto-knowledge from Jordan Maxwell

Origins of the word "Church"

Comes from a Scottish word “kirk”.
Kirk come from the Romans: The Roman Goddess Circ.
Circ goes back to the Greek goddess Mother Circe.
The Templars took it to Scottland and called it Mother Kirk and the English call it Mother Church.

Now, in Greek Mythology, Circe was able to lure men into her house and transform them into dumb animals which she could eat.

I think it's very important for every person to be able to make a clear distinction between the church and spirituality.

A Fourteenth-Century Japanese Samuri wrote:

2010-08-31T02:55:00.002+08:00

I have no parents

I make the heavens and earth my parents

I have no home

I make awareness my home

I have no life or death

I make the tides of breathing my life and death

I have no divine power

I make honesty my divine power

I have no friends

I make my mind my friend

I have no enemy

I make carelessness my enemy

I have no armor

I make benevolence my armor

I have no castle

I make immovable-mind my castle

I have no sword

I make absence of self my sword.

A Little Fortune Telling...

2010-07-21T00:09:00.000+08:00

Okay, here we go..

Business as 'usual'. Euro towards 1.50 by the autumn. Once the US dollar starts to fail again, (EUR/USD > 1.50) look for an event to bring interest back in to the USD via safe haven flows.

What will trigger this? Danger in the midterm elections, and some terrorist attack? A re-breaching of the Gulf Spill? Something to cause war in Iran (my best guess).

This will keep the US dollar alive a little longer, while nations look to get out of the US dollar.

Cheers.

The state of things.

2010-07-17T02:39:00.002+08:00

Dear Customer:

Today, I want to personally say THANK YOU for your past business and ask you to take advantage of our largest sale ever. For the past 37 years Cruisin' USA/ BowlingShirt.com has produced hundreds of thousands of quality, fun, screen printed and embroidered items. We receive letters daily from you, thanking us for providing you some FUN.

This past year has been especially difficult as the banking rules have changed, unemployment continues to be a nagging problem, and business has slowed down, we have decided to SLASH our PRICES with a whopping 50% off. We are doing this for one simple reason - WE NEED CASH. Our warehouse is full and our long time employees want to keep working.

On behalf of the 21 families who are supported by your purchases, I am asking you to TAKE ADVANTAGE of this ONCE-IN-A LIFETIME SALE.

Thank you so much

Sincerely,

Alan Spetner,

CCO (Chief Cruisin Officer)

Cruisin' USA / BowlingShirt.com

Too Much Chatter Not to Blog!

2010-04-06T01:38:00.003+08:00

Okay, there's just too much chatter on the net, from some of my major sources of information. As a result, I'm gonna blog it here, for posterity.

The talk is that 2010 is going to be the Year of Terror.

Now, I've believed this, cause I was expecting "Operation Safe Haven" which has seen the US dollar appreciate in the range of 25% over the last few months. I didn't trade my belief, because it was 'conspiracy theory', but it's totally held true. I did soften up my positions, so I took the safe route, and haven't taken a significant draw-down during that time.

However, new talk is emerging about April being a big month. More and more about the militia, and little things here and there about terrorism. Is something about to happen?

My belief is the powers were poised this fall to pull the curtains on the whole thing, but nobody bought the nonsense about Swine Flu, and the whole thing backfired. The US dollar was poised for collapse, but the failure of the swine flu hysteria meant the police state was untenable, and the US dollar had to be saved. Enter the Underwear bomber, body scanners, Tea Party violence, and all the rest. This breathed new life into the US dollar.

So here we sit...the US dollar is balanced for the time being. Still, lots of shorting of the Euro against the dollar (how long can this run). Volatility rules...maybe take some more traders out? The only safe play these days seems to be shorting the Yen. This is my strategy. Either normalcy or depression should help the Yen strengthen...just some certainty in the market will cause that!

So what happens next? Israel in Iran? The US in Iran? An Iranian terrorist hits a US city? Bombs going off every day in Russia isn't enough....but what's next?

I'm just afraid of something big...something nuclear. Chapman and Celente both think it can happen any day, and it's pretty much what's needed to get things rolling in the direction they're 'supposed' to be going...

2010-01-07T06:38:00.003+08:00

OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY

Click here to read full length version.

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

Some kind of truth?

2009-12-05T04:54:00.002+08:00

It's interesting to see...things are changing fast.

The people know that there's always been something foul, and distrust most politicians, and what they hear in the news, but when it came to the big things, they thought they wouldn't be lied to. They believe that the government and the media wouldn't really lie to them, or hurt them.

But I think for a lot of people, this climategate thing will really change their outlook. When the story was first breaking, none of the mainstream media were covering it, and if you watched TV news, you'd have no idea what was going on. And as time went on, instead of picking up on the ever-increasing discussion around the story, the networks went on, happily reporting on Tiger Woods and the couple that crashed the White House party.

But their unwillingness to address a real issue has just resulted in a loss of credibility. CNN looks like a joke now. Fox News, while mildly better, has had to talk more and more about the truth to avoid losing credibility. Beck and Limbaugh are trying to let out just enough truth to keep their listeners, and undermine the real change that's beginning to occur.

The more that the mainstream ignores important issues, and tries to whitewash the truth with lies, the more they lose their viewers, and their credibility. Between 9-11 Truth and Climategate, the mainstream has pretty much lost any authority it may have had.

So, as a response, people are starting to look for the truth. Jesse Ventura's new show had record numbers for TruTV, because people will seek out the truth, wherever it is. Remember, this from the only guy I've ever heard on TV talk about the simple truth of same-sex marriage.

And for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's time to wake up and get a clue!

What's going to happen

2009-11-27T07:17:00.002+08:00

Well, I don't blog often, but I want to write something here for the record. We'll see what the future brings, and if I have any idea what's really happening in the world.

The US is in a pickle. 0% interest rate has reinflated the stock market and led to a USD-based carry trade that's helping fuel asset bubbles in the emerging markets. This isn't making the world happy, to say the least, but the measures are necessary to try and avoid that double-dip recession (or more properly, an extended recession). Ultimately, there's huge pressure on the USD right now, and gold is poised to break $1200 any time, and the markets are beginning to set up for high inflation in the US.

So to avoid the failing US dollar, the traditional method would be to raise interest rates in the US. However, that is next to impossible with unemployment at +10% and an economy struggling to grow. So the US is in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation.

Webster Tarpley is proposing that the US is poised to engage in what he calls "Operation Safe Haven", where a dramatic world event will cause a flight to safety (i.e. buying of US dollar and exiting from risky markets) similar to what we saw during the height of the crisis. Of course, this risk event will be US orchestrated. He suggests three possible scenarios:

1. Israeli attack on Iran
Tarpley claims this is the least likely scenario because Israel lacks the ability to sustain a war with Iran, and thus the desired result will be unachievable.

2. Proxy War in Yemen
Turns out, the civil war brewing in Yemen serves nicely for a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the Saudis backing the government while the Iranians are backing the Houthi rebels. This would prove advantageous for the US, since it doesn't require any direct intervention on their part.

3. Proxy War in Pakistan
This might be the most likely event, particularly if the the Pakistani Taliban start to pose a real threat of gaining access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. However, this has the makings of a proxy war of economics between the US and China, and threatens China's oil imports. Make no mistake, there's a serious economic battle occurring between China and the US.

Further, it's a widely held belief in Pakistan that much of the terrorist attacks that have been blamed on Al Qaeda are actually the responsibility of the CIA. Not only does full out civil war in Pakistan provide the risk event to help drive a new 'flight to safety' and a strengthening of the US dollar, it also provides a the opportunity to gain extended US influence in Central Asia. This gives the US the ability to apply pressure on both China and India.

This is where we stand. Exciting times, huh? While this is all speculation at this point, I think it comes from a pretty educated viewpoint. For me personally, this is all sorta new, as I come to understand the mechanics of false-flag events and the geopolitical elements which create the economic atmosphere in which I trade.

Interestingly, Brazil and Taiwan have both put laws in place that limit the amount of speculative hot money coming into their countries in the form of USD-based carry trade. Brazil has also put controls on the Real-US Dollar exchange rate.

Lots of fun things to keep me thinking and busy for the future. Looking forward to our move back to Taiwan, this time for the long run!

Fall Of The Republic - The Presidency Of Barack H Obama - The Full Movie

2009-10-24T00:08:00.001+08:00

A Must-Watch!

Quantum Gravity Unification of Strong Nuclear Force

2009-10-18T03:22:00.001+08:00

This is just excellent craziness. Freakin' awesome!

A View of Government

2009-10-15T22:42:00.002+08:00

Just throwing a few thoughts out there for your consideration....

Why do we assume that governments act in our best interests? Why do we expect politicians to make decisions which are good for the people in general, particularly when there are options open to them which serve their own interests much more?

We've become completely dependent on government, and it's supposed benign goodness. We're out of touch with our humanity, and our own basic survival instinct. We depend on modern technology and expertise, and various organizations, all for our very existence.

Ask yourself what would happen if the power went out for a week. What about a month? What if it were longer? What if there were no food in the grocery stores, or if a pandemic hit, and we were quarantined in our homes for an extended period. What would you do?

The point I'm getting at is that we're really very dependent on our society for our survival, and we rely on our governments to take care of us.

While we understand that people are corrupt, and that there are problems with governments, we don't see them as malicious, and against us. But what if that weren't the case? I think this is one of the greatest differences between Canadians and Americans, or at least how Americans once were....

Only the US Constitution starts from the assumption that governments will NOT act in the best interests of people, and that people need tools to give them power over their government. Only Americans are armed, with the right to arms. The Constitution sets out the responsibility of the people to defend themselves against their governments.

After everything that's happened, with the economy and taxation and government corruption, do you really feel that government has your best interests at heart?

Swine Flu Vaccine Ingredients

2009-09-14T13:29:00.004+08:00

Just in case you wanted to know, here's what's in the swine flu vaccine.

Full story is here.

Biological Index:

chicken embryos
influenza virus, H5N1
virus culture

Chemical Index:

alpha-tocopherol
aluminum adjuvant
AS03 adjuvant
Daronrix
disodium phosphate
formaldehyde
magnesium chloride
octoxynol 10
polysorbate 80
potassium chloride
potassium dihydrogen phosphate
sodium chloride
sodium deoxycholate
squalene
thiomersal
vitamin E

Chemtrails over North Bay

2009-09-14T10:43:00.005+08:00

Today was a pretty bad day for chemtrails. There were multiple crosses over the city, where by evening, we no longer had a clear sky. No astronomy tonight.

So, what's up with all the spraying?

Here's the link.

Chemtrails over North Bay

20 Minutes With The President on 9/11

2009-09-09T03:18:00.011+08:00

Interview between Charlie Sheen and Barack Obama

Reported by Charlie Sheen
Original Article available at Infowars.com
Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with our 44^th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, while he was out promoting his health care reform initiative. I requested 30 minutes given the scope and detail of my inquiry; they said I could have 20. Twenty minutes, 1200 seconds, not a lot of time to question the President about one of the most important events in our nation’s history. The following is a transcript of our remarkable discussion.

Charlie Sheen – Good afternoon Mr. President, thank you so much for taking time out of your demanding schedule.

President Barack Obama – My pleasure, the content of your request seemed like something I should carve out a few minutes for.

CS – I should point out that I voted for you, as your promises of hope and change, transparency and accountability, as well as putting government back into the hands of the American people, struck an emotional chord in me that I hadn’t felt in quite some time, perhaps ever.

PBO – And I appreciate that Charlie. Big fan of the show, by the way.

CS – Sir, I can’t imagine when you might find the time to actually watch my show given the measure of what you inherited.

PBO – I have it Tivo’d on Air Force One. Nice break from the traveling press corps. (He glances at his watch) not to be abrupt or to rush you, but you have 19 minutes left.

CS – I’ll take that as an invitation to cut to the chase.

PBO – I’m all ears. Or so I’ve been told.

CS – Sir, in the very near future we will be experiencing our first 9/11 anniversary with you as Commander in Chief.

PBO – Yes. A very solemn day for our Nation. A day of reflection and yet a day of historical consciousness as well.

CS – Very much so sir, very much so indeed…. Now; In researching your position regarding the events of 9/11 and the subsequent investigation that followed, am I correct to understand that you fully support and endorse the findings of the commission report otherwise known as the ‘official story’?

PBO – Do I have any reason not to? Given that most of us are presumably in touch with similar evidence.

CS – I really wish that were the case, sir. Are you aware, Mr. President, of the recent stunning revelations that sixty percent of the 9/11 commissioners have publicly stated that the government agreed not to tell the truth about 9/11 and that the Pentagon was engaged in deliberate deception about their response to the attack?

PBO – I am aware of certain “in fighting” during the course of their very thorough and tireless investigative process.

CS – Mr. President, it’s hard to label this type of friction as “in fighting” or make the irresponsible leap to “thorough,” when the evidence I insist you examine regarding 6 of the 10 members are statements of fact.

(At this point one of Obama’s senior aides approaches the President and whispers into his ear. Obama glances quickly at his watch and nods as the aide resumes his post at the doorway, directly behind me.)

PBO – No disrespect Mr. Sheen, but I have to ask; what is it that you seem to be implying with the initial direction of this discussion?

CS – I am not implying anything Mr. President. I am here to present the facts and see what you plan to do with them.

PBO – Let me guess; your ‘facts,’ allegedly supporting these claims are in the folders you brought with you?

CS – Good guess Mr. President.

(I hand the first folder of documents to the President)

CS – Again sir, these are not my opinions or assumptions, this is all a matter of public record, reported through mainstream media, painstakingly fact checked and verified.

(the President glances into the folder I handed him)

CS – You’ll notice sir on page one of the dossier dated August of ‘06 from the Washington Post, the statements of John Farmer, senior council to the 9/11 commission, his quote stating, “I was shocked how different the truth was from the way it was described.”

PBO – (as he glances down at the report, almost inaudible) …. um hmm….

CS – He goes on to further state “The [NORAD Air Defense] tapes told a radically different story from what had been told to us and the public for two years….”

(the President continues to view the documents)

CS – On pages two and three, sir, are the statements, as well, from commission co-chairmen Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, commissioners Bob Kerrey, Timothy Roemer and John Lehman, as well as the statements of commissioner Max Cleland, an ex-Senator from Georgia , who resigned, stating:

“It is a national scandal. This investigation is now compromised. One of these days we will have to get the full story because the 9/11 issue is so important to America. But this White House wants to cover it up.”

He also described President Bush’s desire to delay the process as not to damage the ‘04 re-election bid. They suspected deception to the point where they considered referring the matter to the Justice Department for criminal investigation. Mr. President, this information alone is unequivocally grounds for a new investigation!

PBO – Mistakes were clearly made but we as a people and as a country need to move forward. It is obviously in our best interest as a democratic society to focus our efforts and our resources on the future of this great nation and our ability to protect the American people and our allies from this type of terrorism in the coming years.

CS – Sir, how can we focus on the future when THE COMMISSION ITSELF is on record stating that they still do not know the truth??

PBO – Even if what you state, might in some capacity, begin to approach an open discussion or balanced debate, I can’t speak for, or about the decisions certain commission members made during an extremely difficult period. Perhaps you should be interviewing them instead of me. Wait, don’t tell me; I was easier to track down than they were?

CS – Not exactly sir, but let’s be honest. You’re the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, the buck stops with you. 9/11 has been the pretext for the systematic dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Your administration is reading from the same playbook that the Bush administration foisted on America through documented secrecy and deception.

PBO – Mr. Sheen, I’m having a difficult time sitting here and listening to you draw distorted parallels between the Bush/Cheney regime and mine.

CS – Mr. President the parallels are not distorted just because you say they are. Let’s stick to the facts. You promised to abolish the Patriot Act and then voted to re-authorize it. You pledged to end warrantless wire tapping against the American people and now energetically defend it. You decried the practice of rendition and now continue it. You promised over and over again on the campaign trail, that you would end the practice of indefinite detention and instead, you have expanded it to permanent detention of “detainees” without trial. This far exceeds the outrages of the former administration. Call me crazy Mr. President, but is this not your record?

PBO – Mr. Sheen, my staff and I authorized this interview based on your request to discuss 9/11 and deliver some additional information you’re convinced I’d not previously reviewed. Call me crazy, But it appears as though you’ve blindly wandered off topic.

CS – Sir, the examples I just illustrated are a direct result of 9/11.

PBO – And I’m telling you that we must move forward, we must endure through these dangerous and politically challenging years ahead.

CS – Mr. President, we cannot move forward with a bottomless warren of unanswered questions surrounding that day and its aftermath.

PBO – I read the official report. Every word every page. Perhaps you should do the same.

CS – I have sir, and so have thousands of family members of the victims, and guess what; they have the same questions I do and probably a lot more. I didn’t lose a loved one on that horrific day Mr. President and neither did you. But since then I, along with millions of other Americans lost something we held true and dear for most of our lives in this great country of ours; we lost our hope.

PBO – And I’d like to believe that I am here to restore that hope. To restore confidence in your leaders, in the system that the voting public chose through a peaceful transfer of power.

(An odd moment of silence between us. Precious time ticking away).

CS – Mr. President, are you aware of the number of days it took to begin the investigation into JFK’s assassination?

PBO – If memory serves I believe it was two weeks.

CS – Close. Seventeen days to be exact. Are you aware sir, how long it took to begin the investigation into Pearl Harbor?

PBO – I would say again about….two weeks.

CS – Close again sir, eleven days to be exact. Are you aware Mr. President how long it took to begin the investigation into 9/11?

PBO – I know it must have seemed like a very long time for all the grieving families.

CS – It was a very long time Mr. President – four hundred and forty days. Roughly 14 months. Does it bother you Mr. President that it only took FIVE HOURS for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after the initial attack to recommend and endorse a full scale offensive against Iraq?

PBO – I am not aware of any such purported claim.

CS – I have the proof Mr. President, along with scores of documents and facts I’d like you to take a look at. Here.

(I hand him another file – much thicker than the first)

PBO – I see you came prepared Charlie.

CS – No other way to show up Mr. President. When in doubt over prepare I always say.

PBO – Now you sound like the First Lady.

CS – That’s quite a compliment sir.

PBO – As you wish. Please continue.

CS – Sir, I’d like to direct your attention to the stack of documents in the folder I just handed you. The first in from the top is entitled “ Operation Northwoods“, a declassified Pentagon plan to stage terror attacks on US soil, to be blamed on Cuba as a pretext for war.

PBO – And I’d like to direct your attention to the fact that the principle draftsman of this improbable blueprint was quickly denied a second term as Joint Chiefs chairman and sent packing to a European NATO garrison. Thank God his otherworldly ambitions never saw the light of day.

CS – I wouldn’t be so certain about that Mr. President.

PBO – I could easily say the same to you Charlie.

(the President checks his watch)

CS – The next document reads “Declassified staged provocations.” Now, Honestly Mr. President I wish I was making this stuff up. I’m certain you are familiar with the USS Maine Incident, the sinking of the Lusitania, which we all now know brought us into WW1, and of course the most famous, the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

PBO – Of course I am familiar with these historical events and I’m aware that there’s a measure of controversy surrounding them. But to be quite frank with you, this is all ancient history.

CS – Mr. President, it has been often said; “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” And I concede to you sir, these events are the past.

PBO – A vastly different world young man, shouldering a radically disparate state of universal affairs.

CS – No argument sir, I’m merely inviting you to acknowledge some credibility to the pattern or the theme. Case in point; the next document in your folder. It was published by the think-tank, Project For a New American Century and it’s entitled “ Rebuilding Americas Defenses“, and was written by Dick Cheney and Jeb Bush. To quote from the document sir – (the President interrupts)

PBO – “Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.”

CS – Touche, sir. Your thoughts on this statement Mr. President?

PBO – I would call this a blatant case of misjudgment fueled by an unfortunate milieu of assumption. For some, the uninformed denial of coincidence.

CS – Interesting angle sir. Nevertheless, Vice President Cheney didn’t stop there. In early 2008, Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh and MSNBC, both reported that Cheney had proposed to the Pentagon an outrageous plan to have the U.S. Navy create fake Iranian patrol boats, to be manned by Navy Seals, who would then stage an attack on US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. This event was to be blamed on Iran and used as a pretext for war. Does any of this information worry you Mr. President? Should we just ignore it, until these realities can be dismissed years from now by our children, as ancient history as well?

PBO – Of course this information worries me, yet it’s not nearly as worrisome as you sitting here today suspiciously implying that 9/11 was somehow allowed to happen or even orchestrated from the inside.

CS – Mr. President I am not suspiciously implying anything. I am merely exposing the documents and asking the questions that nobody in power will even look at or acknowledge. And as I stated earlier, I voted for you, I believed in your message of hope and change. Mr. President I have come to you specifically hoping for a change. A change in the perception that our government has not yet made itself open and accountable to the people. These are your words Mr. President not mine. The lives of thousands were brutally cut short and those left behind to suffer their infinite pain are with me today Mr. President. They are with me in spirit and flesh, and the message we carry will not be silenced anymore by media fueled mantras insisting how they are supposed to feel. Deciding for them, for 8 long years, what can be thought, what can be said, what can be asked.

PBO – And I appreciate your passion, I appreciate your conviction. In spite of your concerns, in spite of what your data might or might not reveal, what you and the families must understand and accept is that we are doing everything we can to protect you.

CS – Mr. President , I realize were very short on time, so please allow me to run down a list of bullet points that might illuminate some reasons why we don’t embrace the warm hug of Federal protection.

PBO – We’ve come this far. Fire away.

CS – Please keep in mind Mr. President everything I’m about to say is documented as fact and part of the public record. The information you are holding in your hands chronicles and verifies each and every point.

PBO – You have five minutes left. The floor is yours. Brief me.

CS – Thank you Mr. President. Okay, first; On the FBI’s most wanted list Osama Bin Laden is not charged with the crimes of 911. When I called the FBI to ask them why this was the case, they replied: “There’s not enough evidence to link Bin Laden to the crime scene,” I later discovered he had never even been indicted by the D.O.J.

CS – Number 2; FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, was dismissed and gagged by the D.O.J. after she revealed that the government had foreknowledge of plans to attack American cities using planes as bombs as early as April 2001. In July of ‘09, Mrs. Edmonds broke the Federal gag order and went public to reveal that Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban were all working for and with the C.I.A. up until the day of 9/11.

CS – Number 3; The following is a quote from Mayor Giuliani during an interview on 9/11 with Peter Jennings for ABC News. “I went down to the scene and we set up headquarters at 75 Barkley Street, which was right there with the Police Commissioner, the Fire Commissioner, the Head of Emergency Management, and we were operating out of there when we were told that the World Trade Center was going to collapse. And it did collapse before we could actually get out of the building, so we were trapped in the building for 10, 15 minutes, and finally found an exit and got out, walked north, and took a lot of people with us.”

WHO TOLD HIM THIS??? To this day, the answer to this question remains unanswered, completely ignored and emphatically DENIED by Mayor Giuliani on several public occasions.

CS – Number 4; In April 2004, USA Today reported, “In the two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercises simulating what the White House says was unimaginable at the time: hijacked airliners used as weapons to crash into targets and cause mass casualties.” One of the targets was the World Trade Center.

CS – Number 5; On September 12th 2007, CNN’s ‘Anderson Cooper 360′, reported that the mysterious “white plane” spotted and videotaped by multiple media outlets, flying in restricted airspace over the White House shortly before 10am on the morning of 9/11, was in fact the Air Force’s E-4B, a specially modified Boeing 747 with a communications pod behind the cockpit; otherwise known as “The Doomsday Plane”.

Though fully aware of the event, the 9/11 Commission did not deem the appearance of the military plane to be of any interest and did not include it in the final 9/11 Commission report.

CS – Number 6; Three F-16s assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, ten miles from Washington, DC, are conducting training exercises in North Carolina 207 miles away as the first plane crashes into the WTC. Even at significantly less than their top speed of 1500 mph, they could still have defended the skies over Washington well before 9am, more than 37 minutes before Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, however, they did not return until after 9:55am.

Andrews AFB had no armed fighters on alert and ready to take off on the morning of 9/11.

CS – Number 7; WTC Building 7. Watch the video of its collapse.

CS – Number 8; Flight 93 is fourth plane to crash on 9/11 at 10:03am. V.P. Cheney only gives shoot down order at 10:10-10:20am and this is not communicated to NORAD until 28 minutes after Flight 93 has crashed.

Fueling further suspicion on this front is the fact that three months before the attacks of 9/11, Dick Cheney usurped control of NORAD, and therefore he, and no one else on planet Earth, had the power to call for military sorties on the hijacked airliners on 9/11. He did not exercise that power. Three months after 9/11, he relinquished command of NORAD and returned it to military operation.

CS – Number 9; Scores of main stream news outlets reported that the F.B.I. conducted an investigation of at least FIVE of the 9/11 hijackers being trained at U.S. military flight schools. Those investigations are now sealed and need to be declassified.

CS – Number 10; In 2004, New York firefighters Mike Bellone and Nicholas DeMasi went public to say they had found the black boxes at the World Trade Center, but were told to keep their mouths shut by FBI agents. Nicholas DeMasi said that he escorted federal agents on an all-terrain vehicle in October 2001 and helped them locate the devices, a story backed up by rescue volunteer Mike Bellone.

As the Philadelphia Daily News reported at the time, “Their story raises the question of whether there was a some type of cover-up at Ground Zero.”

CS – Number 11 – Hundreds of eye witnesses including first responders, fire captains, news reporters, and police, all described multiple explosions in both towers before and during the collapse.

CS – Number 12; An astounding video uncovered from the archives shows BBC News correspondent Jane Standley reporting on the collapse of WTC Building 7 over twenty minutes before it fell at 5:20pm on the afternoon of 9/11. Tapes from earlier BBC broadcasts show news anchors discussing the collapse of WTC 7 a full 26 minutes in advance. The BBC at first claimed that their tapes from 9/11 had been “lost” before admitting that they made the “error” of reporting the collapse of WTC 7 before it happened without adequately explaining how they could have obtained advance knowledge of the event.

In addition, over an hour before the collapse of WTC 7, at 4:10pm, CNN’s Aaron Brown reported that the building “has either collapsed, or is collapsing.”

CS – Number 13; Solicitor General Ted Olson’s claim that his wife Barbara Olsen called him twice from Flight 77, describing hijackers with box cutters, was a central plank of the official 9/11 story.

However, the credibility of the story was completely undermined after Olsen kept changing his story about whether his wife used her cell phone or the airplane phone. The technology to enable cell phone calls from high-altitude airline flights was not created until 2004. American Airlines confirmed that Flight 77 was a Boeing 757 and that this plane did not have airplane phones on board.

According to the FBI, Barbara Olsen attempted to call her husband only once and the call failed to connect, therefore Olsen must have been lying when he claimed he had spoken to his wife from Flight 77.

CS – Number 14; The size of a Boeing 757 is approximately 125ft in width and yet images of the impact zone at the Pentagon supposedly caused by the crash merely show a hole no more than 16ft in diameter. The engines of the 757 would have punctured a hole bigger than this, never mind the whole plane. Images before the partial collapse of the impact zone show little real impact damage and a sparse debris field completely inconsistent with the crash of a large jetliner, especially when contrasted with other images showing airplane crashes into buildings.

CS – Number 15; What is the meaning behind the following quote attributed to Dick Cheney which came to light during the 9/11 Commission hearings? The passage is taken from testimony given by then Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.

During the time that the airplane was coming in to the Pentagon, there was a young man who would come in and say to the Vice President, “The plane is 50 miles out.” “The plane is 30 miles out.” And when it got down to “the plane is 10 miles out,” the young man also said to the Vice President, “Do the orders still stand?” And the Vice President turned and whipped his neck around and said, “Of course the orders still stand. Have you heard anything to the contrary?”

As the plane was not shot down, in addition to the fact that armed fighter jets were nowhere near the plane and the Pentagon defensive system was not activated, are we to take it that the orders were to let the plane find its target?

CS – Number 16; In May 2003, the Miami Herald reported how the Bush administration was refusing to release a 900-page congressional report on 9/11 because it wanted to “avoid enshrining embarrassing details in the report,” particularly regarding pre-9/11 warnings as well as the fact that the hijackers were trained at U.S. flight schools.

CS – Number 17; Top Pentagon officials cancelled their scheduled flights for September 11^th on September 10^th. San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, following a security warning, cancelled a flight into New York that was scheduled for the morning of 9/11.

CS – Number 18; The technology to enable cell phone calls from high-altitude airline flights was not created until 2004, and even by that point it was only in the trial phase. Calls from cell phones which formed an integral part of the official government version of events were technologically impossible at the time.

CS – Number 19: On April 29, 2004, President Bush and V.P. Cheney would only meet with the commission under specific clandestine conditions. They insisted on testifying together and not under oath. They also demanded that their testimony be treated as a matter of “state secret.” To date, nothing they spoke of that day exists in the public domain.

CS – And finally Mr. President – Number 20; A few days after the attack, several newspapers as well as the FBI reported that a paper passport had been found in the ruins of the WTC. In August 2004, CNN reported that 9/11 hijacker Ziad Jarrah’s visa was found in the remains of Flight 93 which went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

At least a third of the WTC victim’s bodies were vaporized and many of the victims of the Pentagon incident were burned beyond recognition. And yet visas and paper passports which identify the perpetrators and back up the official version of events miraculously survive explosions and fires that we are told melted steel buildings.

(The Senior aide appears again beside the President whispering in his ear. He then quickly moves off).

PBO – Well Charlie I can’t say this hasn’t been interesting. As I said earlier you’ve showed up today focused and organized. Regardless how I feel about the material you’ve presented, I must commend your dedication and zeal. However, our time here is up.

(the President rises from his chair , I do the same).

CS – Mr. President! One more second!

(The President starts towards the door – I follow him quickly step for step).

CS – Mr. President, I implore you based on the evidence you now possess, to use your Executive Power. Prove to us all Sir, that you do, in fact, care. Create a truly comprehensive and open Congressional investigation of 9/11 and its aftermath. The families deserve the truth, the American people and the rest of the free world deserve the truth. Mr. President -

(He pauses. We shake hands).

CS – Make sure your on the right side of history.

(The President breaks the handshake).

PBO – I am on the right side of history. Thank you Charlie, my staff and I will be in touch.

(I watch as he strides gracefully out of the room, the truth I provided him held firmly by his side; in the hand of providence.)

ORIGINAL Elephant Painting

2009-07-15T00:56:00.001+08:00

Danielle loves this painting. Beautiful gestures. She says she can see the elephant using its right brain in the creation, and its though process.

Jessie Ventura GETS IT!

2009-05-14T09:24:00.003+08:00

Wow!

Jessie Ventura gets it. He understands the Gay Marriage debate. It's a category mistake, based on the lack of separation of Church and State!

Think of it this way:

Marriage began as a religious ceremony, where a man and a woman were united before the eyes of God. This is the definition of marriage. Saying gay marriage makes no sense! Regardless, somehow though time, legal rights were ascribed to marriage. But legal rights can't (or shouldn't) be granted by a private institution (i.e. a church). Governments should be the only institution giving legal rights.

Cut to the government, issuing marriage licenses. Why should government be responsible (or allowed) to be involved with something which is based in religion?!? The government should only be concerned with issuing legal status, and having no dominion over marriage whatsoever.

So, if you want to get married, you'd go to your pastor or rabbi, etc., and have a wedding in a church. Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we are free to practice religion, and government has no place dictating what marriage is or isn't. It should remain a purely religious institution. For legal rights, you'd apply with the government for a civil union. Your gender or sexual orientation has no basis for the application of a civil union between two people. A straight couple would get a civil union, as would a gay couple. There is no distinction at the legal level. At the end of the day, the government is responsible for the issuance of legal rights, and the church is responsible for granting a marriage.

This is the proper separation of Church and State. If we had this system, and government was uninvolved with these religious institutions, then our whole 'gay marriage' debate would be, de facto, a non-argument.

So, kudos for Jessie Ventura, as being the first public commentator I've witnessed, to actually understand this and state it publicly on Larry King last night.

We're amazing at making things more difficult than they need to be!

Swine Flu

2009-05-07T05:02:00.005+08:00

You know, everyone's been raving about this Swine Flu thing. The media has been telling us all sorts of horror stories, and how bad it is, but really, we all know that the Swine flu isn't a problem at all, and this is just all media hype.

Now, what does it mean when everyone knows we're being hyped? How do we behave? Is anyone taking precautions over the H1N1 virus this time around? Nobody I know is....but like being a day-trader, when everyone knows the answer to a question, I know it's time to get out.

By analogy, if everyone seems to understand this is all just hype, and not to pay attention to the mass media (not to mention the CDC and WHO), what does that mean?

Now, I'm not one for conspiracies, so to speak, but I'll tell you one thing...I'm going to start being very careful the next time something like this comes around, because last thing we need is a populous to ignore the authorities when a really serious bug does hit.

It's best to be well informed, people!

I'm Excited!

2009-05-06T06:39:00.007+08:00

Went to the Independent Grocers today, and wow, was I impressed. They have a whole section of organic foods, including a good amount of vegan friendly foods.

We also got our bread maker today, so we're gonna start making our own bread. I'm really excited about that too.

A Call To Action

2009-04-20T14:31:00.004+08:00

Well, not really.

I've been reading/watching/thinking too much about a lot of things lately. Tons of conspiracy theories, Aliens, and something called the New World Order. Add to that Global Warming, energy and food crises, potential economic collapse, health in the 21st century--are there really aircraft spraying chemicals on the population and electomagnetic attacks on various populations--and the fact that it's scientifically possible that the US could have caused last year's earthquake in China (totally insane, I know!)...

Point is, in this world, there's so much 'out there' to make you feel totally helpless about your situation and your place in the world. If you read my last post, you have some insight into why I've gone Vegan. Well, how does one respond to all of the other things in the world. I can try and inform people about the obvious things like how modern fractional-reserve banking (i.e. The Federal Reserve) is by design, doomed to failure and eventual collapse, how certain food additives and GMO foods are harmful, etc...people will listen if they want to, or won't if they don't want to, and sometimes, there isn't anything anyone can do to change that.

So, I'm left with the following conclusion: the only thing I can do is to adjust my own living to conform with my moral beliefs, and live a life that I can be comfortable with. By not living in fear, I can free myself from those things in the world which seek to control or dominate me. If there are only really two states of being (love and fear), then I choose love and not fear. This means that I choose to love, and not live in fear, and I will demonstrate that through my actions and my choices. By simply being the best I can be, and not responding to the world or others with fear, I can live a full and content life.

And just maybe, by living in a morally correct way, and with love and compassion, I can pass on some of these traits, or at least a desire to transcend fear, to those around me, and somehow, maybe make the world just a little bit better. My goal here is, for the first time in my life (I tend to be somewhat confrontational and difficult), to create harmony in my relations with other people and with my environment. Relations devoid of aggression and violence may lead to a better world, at least for me and those around me.

This is how I choose to live my life.

Veganism, all the way

2009-04-15T06:33:00.002+08:00

Alright, so here's the story.

When I was younger, I loved to fish. Ice fishing, boat fishing, casting off the rocks in Sudbury with David Winsa. I loved to fish. However, one day, sitting in the boat with my dad, I just saw a fish, lying in the bottom of the boat, and felt, this is wrong.

Cut to my first year of college (1993/94) and I was living in Toronto with Aaron Thompson. Riding my bike like a bat out of hell, spitting on cars in anger over their drivers' irresponsibility towards the world and environment. I had decided to become a vegetarian to try and make the world better. And it was good. But when I moved back home with my parents, I gave up vegetarianism because meal planning was difficult.

As I got older, I became more mellow, even as I saw with greater clarity, the injustices which occur in the world. I had become more comfortable with my place in the world, and I felt that for the most part I had found an uneasy peace with things. My depression has come and gone, and come again, and I've dealt with it best I can, with and without medication (although medication makes it a lot more tolerable).

But lately, since I've left the store, and have had more time to research things and think about the world and my place in it, along with my Buddhist belief in non-violence, I've just come to realize that the meat industry is just that--an industry. And animals, which I love, are but commodities in that industry. The treatment of most modern industrial animals is deplorable, and a cause of great suffering.

So, no longer am I willing to be complicit in the cruelty inflicted on animals though the consumption of meat products. Further, because I am against violence, I do not wish to partake in anything that exhibits violence against any other living, feeling, creature. Thus, I have decided to go completely vegan, absorbing, and avoiding the use of any animal-derived product whatsoever.

Further, according to the UN, the meat industry is a greater emitter of greenhouse gases than transportation, so going vegan also greatly reduces my carbon footprint. It's a nice added benefit. Regardless of where the rest of the world is going, I can at least feel confident that I'm taking my own steps to actively pursue a better world, and let my conscience rest with my place in the world.

My Hackintosh

2009-04-13T04:42:00.004+08:00

Well, well.

I've done something pretty cool in the computer world, and I have to say, I'm feeling great about it. In fact, I'm downright proud of what I've done. And what have I done, you may ask....Well, I've turned my PC into a Mac. Or, more specifically, my PC is running Mac's OS X operating system.

Yes, that's right, my computer is now a 'mac', so to speak. The OS is really fast and smooth, and I'm not lacking anything I had with my windows machine, and it runs about 20% faster than my system did under Windows.

It took a bit of trial and error to get it running because my hardware isn't very mac-friendly, but after some research and a bit of sweat, it's up and running. Two weeks now.

For the record, I've completely ditched Windows, and I'm only running a single OS on my computer. Very happy about that too. If you check out my YouTube page, you'll see some videos that I made, inspired by the creative tools built into a Mac, and how easily content can be created.

Since then, I've done a second computer (a store-bought HP system) which was really easy to do. Now, the owner has the option of booting into Vista or OS X 10.5.6

Sweet!

Misc Ramblings

2009-03-24T01:45:00.002+08:00

Hey.

Been playing around with Mac OS X and it's awesome. I love how much faster my computer is with OSX than old Windows (XP, Vista, or 7). Still trying to get every little element working well, but I think iDeneb will be the one.

Starting to get more involved with online culture. I stayed away from it for so long, I don't know why...this was always the way I did things in the old days, and I'm comfortable with it, so why not go with it. Now, everything's crosslinked, so this shows up on my facebook profile, and I do all my status updates via twitter now...

I've been thinking a lot about mindcasting, and what it might mean. I don't know who's going to read my mindcasts, but I'm going to go for it and see what comes of it. I'll also be posting my vlog on Youtube for the hell of it (once my OSx86 system is up and running), and maybe someone will catch something of interest.

I guess I'm going to be pontificating on a lot of random things, and telling you about what I'm learning, and how trading is going (well).

The internet: love it or fix it.

Reclaiming the Blogs!

2009-03-12T15:23:00.002+08:00

Well, it's about time I did it. Back from Taiwan for awhile, and looking to get reconnected online, so I'm going to be working on my blog again. More to follow.

Enjoy, if you choose to.

The 'Gong Zai' Collection

2008-01-01T13:45:00.001+08:00

Promotional collections from convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven or Family Mart are extremely popular in Taiwan. So as to participate in the local custom, we jumped on the bandwagon and accumulated the entire traditional Chinese gods 'Gong Zai' (figurine) set offered at Family Mart this past spring.

This particular collection was interesting to us, for its cultural and educational value, as it allowed us to learn more about common religious customs and beliefs that are so integral to the daily lives of many Taiwanese families.

The mere fact that gods are used as a promotional mechanism is intriguing, and perhaps even a completely foreign concept to us Westerners. Imagine the sacrilege of 'collecting all Twelve Apostles, for a limited time only!' It kind of reminds me of 'Buddy Christ' from the Kevin Smith film, Dogma, where the traditional image of Jesus being crucified on a cross is reworked to appear more uplifting and friendly to the modern masses. In the latter rendition, Jesus is 'one of us'.

This is essentially the Taiwanese perception of their Chinese gods. It seems that Chinese gods are prayed to with respect, but are regarded as peers. Just think of the relationship between Greek Gods and the Ancient Greeks, and you'll get the picture. Chinese gods, however, are said to have been mortals at one time on earth, just as the Catholic Patron Saints were.

I was told by my Taiwanese friend, Nancy, that Chinese gods are generally prayed to in order to reap personal benefits, rather than to bless other people outside of personal or family circles. During a lunch with Nancy, she explained to me the meaning and powers of the various Chinese gods in my 'Gong Zai' collection.

First of all, I should emphasize that temples abound in the various regions of Taiwan. Worshiping to multiple gods is efficient and convenient as each temple holds a variety of idols to meet all of your prayer/worshiping needs. Though each temple displays a number of different shrines, one god is generally featured in each, reflecting the primary needs found within a particular geographic region. For example, because Taiwan is an island, many coastal regions in the country have temples featuring 'Ma dzoh' (the woman figurine with the hanging jewel hat, third from the left in the above 'Gong Zai' collage). This goddess is often prayed to by fishermen and their families. From lighthouses, she guides ships safely home and protects their communities. At one time in history, she was a real woman who lived in a coastal fishing village and she did some great things that lead to her eventual transition to goddess sometime after her death.

In the top left corner of the above Chinese gods picture is 'Nwah jah san taie dzuh' ('Nwah jah' the Third -- a prince). Though the figurine looks like a girl, it is actually a little boy. Nancy explained that because little boys don't like it when things are unfair, it follows that this little god helps people to escape situations of injustice.

Beside him is a goddess (in blue clothes) who I think resembles a would-be wife to Spock (Star Trek Spock, that is). Her name is 'Gwan een'. Idols of her can be found in the homes of Buddhists who worship her daily. As a mortal, she was very much like Mother Theresa in her generosity, kindness and love, as she would help people in need. She was also very spiritual. For these reasons, it is now said that if you worship her she will bless you and bring you luck, etc.

The little bald guy in the top row of 'Gong Zai's is the Eastern equivalent of Cupid. His name is 'Yueh sha laow ren' (old man under the moon). He is basically a matchmaker who can help you find a suitable mate. If you want to get into a good relationship or marriage, this is the guy to talk to. He unites couples using an invisible 'red line' (oxymoron?), as they say in Chinese.

Next, is 'Tooh dee gong', the little Elfic fellow dressed in green. In the land of the afterlife, he acts as a mayor/public servant. Each region/jurisdiction in Tawain has its own public servant to pray to, so this type of god is quite common. Temples built to house 'Tooh dee gong' shrines are often quite small and gazebo-like and can be found on street sides. However, this god appears in temples of all sizes. People pray to 'Too dee gong' for security and safety in their neighbourhood/community, to prevent burglary, or to make money while doing business in a specific area. When visiting or moving to a new location it is always a good idea to pay a respectful visit to your local 'Too dee gong' to avoid being smited during your stay.

And in the bottom row is a bearded character bearing a striking resemblance to James' brother, John. This god's name is 'Jong Quai' and his job is to force evil spirits back into the afterworld. Think of him as a Ghost Buster. If you worship him, he will protect you throughout your life, so he is the god to pray to when you want to ensure safe travel.

The red-faced one is called 'Gwan Gong', the warrior god. Statues of Gwan Gong abound in local businesses in pursuit of riches. Policemen, judges, politicians, and employees seeking promotions often worship this powerful and noble god. Mr. Lou's real estate agency, which helped us find our first apartment, boasts an imposing wooden statue of Gwan Gong. With it's long, flowing beard and staff, this monument is the reason that expats call Mr. Lou's business 'Gangster Realty' (well, that and the owners look really tough and shady).

Now for my favorite of the 'Gong Zai' collection! His name is 'Tchai Soun Yueh' and his powers lie in his ability to fill pockets with riches. The robust golden brick that he holds says it all.

Next to 'Tchai Soun Yueh' is the scholarly god, 'Hwun Chang'. Given the Taiwanese 24-7 addiction to cram schools, I would assume that Hwun Chang is the most worshiped of the Chinese gods. Students will pray to him for wisdom in their studies and successful grades in examinations. The examination registration centre in Taiwan (where high school and university students must go to pay and register for all of their exams) provides copy registration forms that students may bring to the temple during this ritual.

Finally, there is 'Mee luh foh' whose job is, above all, to make you smile and laugh. He brings happiness and positive 'chi' into your life. People worship him for luck and smooth sailing, and to receive help through difficult times.

Now, for a test to see what you learned from this blog entry...
Which Chinese god does the following picture resemble?

A Few Random Points

2007-10-19T14:05:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted in a long time, and Danielle has posted the last few times, so I figured it was time. Our friend William, was on the news... good for him!

Somewhere in the city, Danielle is supposed to have her first billboard, but we don't know where. We'll post pictures if we find it. You can see us on the Columbia website along with Sergey, and the TutorABC website, and a bunch of times on YouTube now. We're Specical Session Stars, and many clients come to hear us lecture, so we have ads on a bunch of Taiwanese websites, including Yahoo. Exciting.

Looks like we'll be moving to days soon, which is a welcome change from working nights. The role that Danielle and I have comfortably settled into consists of managing Tutor's Special Sessions and editing teaching material.

Temperature is cooling off, so I think Typhoon season is over. We finally got one! It wasn't the end of the world or anything, but the wind was pretty strong at times. Also exciting.

I've also got the Purdie Shuffle down pretty good. I can play Rosanna without much difficulty, and make it 'feel good'. Trust me, click on those links! So my shuffle is working well (I'm really proud of that) and I've got a good Moeller triplet going now. I'm very pleased by that, and it's made my speed increase so much! Add a good double stroke on the feet and hands, and things are working really well. I might even consider going back to teaching drums sometime in the future....

See, I've been pushing hard to get things done, and make my first million dollars. Danielle and I have a couple of things we're working on (we'll keep you posted) but I realized that we're on a very good path with the real estate, and really, we need to find work we like, and enjoy ourselves now, and everything will follow though in time. In a few more years, our passive income will be enough to pay our OSAP, and we'll be free of financial burden. So I'm not sweating things too much. Going to focus on interesting and rewarding work, and just be patient. The beginning takes time (the first million is always the hardest they say).

So, I guess that's where I am. If you really want to know about Taiwan and whatnot, email me. I'll give you details.

We took some pictures, and I'll try and get them posted on here soon....

The Fifth Wisdom Tooth

2007-08-31T13:02:00.000+08:00

One of the great advantages of being in Taiwan is that some things are just cheaper. Take for example my recent fifth wisdom tooth removal which cost about 3 dollars Canadian altogether. Dental clinics are as common in Taiwan as Tim Hortons shops are in Canada, so I guess that explains it.

...Yes, as some of you are already aware, I am the missing link between the Homosapien and the Neanderthal -- I have... or had a fifth wisdom tooth, which I was quite proud of, but had to have removed at some point due to the slight swelling it was causing. And so, last week, I went for a 50 NT dental checkup (the equivalent about about $1.50 Canadian) and had the tooth removed this morning for another mere 50 NT.

As I bite down upon the gauze the dentist applied to my wound, I am pleased that we decided to come to Taiwan... for many reasons. I will have to keep my lucky tooth close by as it's wisdom has served me well in the past.

The Vacation that Wasn't

2007-07-27T14:56:00.000+08:00

I apologize for the delay of this blog entry. Yes, it is high time that we blog about our company 'vacation' to Manila, which occurred over a month ago, in June.

Really, it should have been a trip to Phuket, an island off of Thailand, but the organizers failed to book enough seats... or to book all of them... or to spend money on the 'real' trip. Bait and switch.

And so, last minute changes were made due to a "tidal wave." Our trip was postponed until a week later. This, of course, was after employee spouses had already booked time off from their respective places of employment for the initial trip date.

As always, our company's thriving competitor, jumped on this opportunity to de-'face' (face is a big issue here) our company by booking their own excursion to Phuket on the exact week when we where supposed to have went. Hum, I wonder how it went. As for our vacation, well, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

It all began after a long night of work and overtime, which lasted until 11:30 p.m.. First, we had to go home, finish packing, take a nap, and go back to work at 2 a.m. to catch the bus to the Taipei airport. The bus ride took a few hours, and the plane trip to Manila took a couple more. Not to mention, there was waiting time in between.

Upon our arrival in Manila, we came to realize why Taiwan is only 'subtropical'. The intense Filipino humidity and sweltering heat swallowed us as soon as we set foot outside of the airport.

The next step was the long bus ride to the beach (left photo) where we'd then take a boat to the resort. Along the way, we stopped at a few convenience stores. Every door was guarded by an armed policeman.

The convenience stores demonstrated the Americanization of the Philippines... or at least their aspiration for the American way of life... or their desire to project that they can afford the American way of life.

While we in Canada generally scorn brand names, Asians seem to celebrate them, especially in the Philippines. In China and Taiwan, I know that brand names, such as LV (which I didn't know about before coming here!), are badges of success. It seems, however, that American culture has more intimately permeated the Filipino existence, even more than in Canada. The food, products and television shows made that apparent.

On the bus ride to the beach, country roads were lined with tin-roofed shacks. Stores were covered with small signs bearing icons of the American dream, faded by the Filipino sun. Colour televisions flickered through the window of almost every home, and most families seemed to own a descent vehicle, or at the very least a quasi-bike/scooter. It was an unsettling coexistence of poverty and of American 'comforts'. Ironically, the comforts intended to shroud their poverty only seemed to magnify their desperation... or perhaps, their denial.

While people in the city and in the country greeted us with broad smiles, the people at the resort were of another breed. Their spirits had been weathered by their need to depend on the wealth of foreign vacationers for their daily survival.

After disembarking from the boat that brought us to the resort, we had to haul our luggage through muddy alleyways infested with questionable tourist practices, and make our way to the hotel. Crowds of desperate locals surrounded us, hoping to sell one of their trinkets or necklaces... or themselves. Man, woman and trans-gender alike.

At long last, we arrived to our rooms. The design of the complex in which we stayed was quite organic. Stairs led to neighboring 'cabins' and the rooms gave the illusion that they had been dug out or formed by white clay. I am sorry to say that we can only provide you with photos of the outside of the complex, as we got food poisoning from the slop we were served at the only group meal that we chose to attend. I had planned to take more photos of the interior of our room, but alas, we were incapacitated for the remainder of the trip.

After leaving the island, we endured a day of travel on a hot bus, in ill condition. We didn't have the option of taking another bus or a 'Jeepnee' (a kind of jeep/bus that litters the crowded streets of Filipino cities) because we had to stick to the schedule... which was constantly being changed. But this was out of the hands of our diligent tour guide, Micheal...

The trip to the volcano sounded splendid. Participants in this activity had to ride horses with broken legs on a precarious path to the top, after taking a boat to yet another island. James and I felt too sick to go. Phweh! But, we did hear about it afterwards!

When we finally arrived at the hotel in Manila, it was after midnight. We were too sick and it was too late to do anything by this point. James and I only had a few small things that we wanted to do in Manila: James wanted to have a Quarter Pounder (which are impossible to come by in Taiwan) and I wanted a Wendies burger. We had also planned to visit the biggest mall in Asia and to get a haircut.

However, to the dismay of most trip participants, our tour of Manila consisted of us rushing to the hotel on a bus, as our tour guide frantically attempted to describe the sites that we passed at about 70 km/hr -- including the Filipino Cultural Center. Still, we did have the time for an unplanned stop in front of this building for a group photo op. Face -- the veneer of Asian society.

During our vacation, we only ate Chinese food... no Filipino food whatsoever, we did not participate in or witness any truly indigenous cultural activities (as we were relegated to the resort for questionable tourists and scuba divers... although the rooms were quite nice), and we did not have the opportunity to visit the biggest mall in Asia, or any other important structures / monuments for that matter.

We had to get to the airport early the next morning. And then there was the long trip home.

The islands in the Philippines are really quite beautiful and I feel that we did get a good feel for the Filipino identity, simply by being there. We also needed the time off work. I do wish I could say more good things about our vacation though... but there is just no denying what it truly was. Maybe that explains why we took so long to write this blog.

I think the next time we have a vacation, we'll plan it ourselves. No more group trips for us. Group trip? What WERE we thinking anyways?

My Taiwanese Hair

2007-07-26T15:59:00.001+08:00

I thought that this was a particularly noteworthy Taiwanese experience, and so, without further ado, here it is:

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got my hair cut. After a failed attempt to do so in the Philippines (see our blog entry to follow, 'The Vacation that Wasn't', for details), I needed to accept what fate had in store: a Taiwanese person would have to cut my hair.

Since having my hair cut in China Town, back when I was a student in Canada, I have been painfully aware that having an Asian hairstylist near my head is not a wise plan. If it is not enough that the average Asian is unfamiliar with my Western hair texture, there is also a completely different sense of aesthetics here in the East. Bangs cut at a forty-five degree angle are just not for me.

That being said, I realized getting a cut in Taiwan was a risk... but it needed to be done. The distinct line between my brown and blond hair colour was getting to be too much of an eyesore; it was time to take action! Well, that's what the girl at Geant (spoken [eye-my] in Chinese) seemed to think when she approached me with a small promotional package containing a flyer for her hair salon and tissues... Tissues? Okay. Anyways, I took the hint. The lady even asked in broken English/Chinese if I'd been here for a year, after more closely observing the length of the brown portion of my hair.

The salon was more like a takeout joint. First, I had to feed a 100 NT bill into a machine, which quickly spat out my haircut voucher. I was then let loose inside. Upon entry, I was led to the closest of the three available chairs. As I began to take a seat, the lady who gave me the flyer only moments before promptly began the hack job. It was an interesting and efficiently executed hack job, nonetheless. In a mere 4 minutes, I closely resembled 90% of the Taiwanese office girls where I work.

Upon completion, the 'hairstylist' vacuumed, yes vacuumed, the residual cut hair from my scalp with a long tube that hung loosely from the wall, and sent me on my way in order to make room for the next customer.

Ah, Asia. Well, at least the haircut is not beyond repair. After all, James and I trim each other's hair all the time.

And, hey... I did get free tissues.

Little Things

2007-04-12T15:05:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Danielle and I went to the tea house for lunch. The usual, really. We usually hit it twice a week, and this was a particularly good day--sunny, warm and bright.

Well, it was busy. We had to physically take a table from inside to outside, but there I can practice my drums. Well, at the picnic table was a woman with about 6 kids. They had tea and snacks. It's amazing, the cultural differences...

In Taiwan, it's very common to go and sit at a tea house for an hour or two, chatting or reading, and sipping cold tea. And here was this lady, with these six kids, aged about 6 to maybe 10, all sitting there sipping tea, reading.

Kids reading. Voluntarily. For fun.

They sat for about half an hour, reading. Then they got up and went and played for a bit. Then sat down and read some more. The read individually, all together, in total silence.

This is Asia...

Unbridled Hedonism

2007-04-06T04:14:00.000+08:00

Ah yes. Marie's drunken post has reminded me of something. Last week Nella and I took part in a real cultural milestone for Taiwan (and Asia as a whole). And it was an entirely unpleasant experience at that...

Well, let's start off at the beginning: we had a record sales month for Tutor. Yea for us. I'm hoping it had at least something to do with the new Demo that Nella and I developed for the sales department. I got the employee bonus this month, so kudos to me, I guess.

Anyways, the Dr. (our boss, Dr. Yang) decided that we had to celebrate by going to the KTV. If you don't know, it's karaoke. We went to the Golden Jaguar, the most ornate and expensive KTV in Taichung (the Vegas of Taiwan). Incredibly expensive, and incredibly tacky, just like Vegas. This is the kind of place that supplies the girls and the whiskey. And for a little extra, you can buy the services of the ladies for the evening. Even our servers were little Taiwanese girls dressed in Japanese schoolgirl uniforms, doling out the whiskey in jugs. You get the idea....

Anyone who knows me knows how well I deal with lots of people and loud cheezy music (not even real recorded music, but MIDI music recorded to CD...blech!). After half an hour, I was about to lose it. It was louder than any show I've ever played. It was some sort of Dionysian karaoke orgy. Just hedonism run amok. An utter assault on both my senses and my sensibility.

It's funny. Themes appear from time to time, what you learn you like and dislike. I know what I dislike about Asia. It's something that was easier to avoid in Canada (since I also disliked it there as well). It's the overabundance of noise, and loud, tacky music. Many shopping experiences here are mired in that sort of thing. Well...I guess it's a small price to pay, and not a big issue, if you know when to shop! It's confirmed. I'm not a party animal. I'll leave that to the office crew.

The enjoyment had by James is inversely proportionate to the product
of the number of drunken partiers and the decibel level of the music.

On a brighter note, one word: swag! For any Taiwanese reading this blog, swag is free stuff you get from other people who get it free from their company, usually as promotional or marketing material. Nella and I were the lucky recipients of a good amount of semi-swag (big discounts) because one of our clients designs for New Balance Taiwan. Danielle got some Yoga wear, and I got a sweet pair of runners/drumming shoes.

I love swag (hint, hint). I miss swag, not working at the music store....

Tomb Sweeping Day

2007-04-05T12:33:00.000+08:00

Happy Tomb Sweeping Day, everyone.

An unexpected holiday for us, so no complaints. We're gonna take it easy, cause it's cold out. Maybe have some delicious food....

Enjoy your life!

And on a funnier note, here's Danielle on Youtube....

Life's Guide Updates

2007-04-04T03:12:00.000+08:00

Just a quick heads-up that I've updated the Life's Guide site. It continues to grow little by little. Someday it may be a book. But for now, it's just for us.

I'm very open to comments, so I've added comments to the site. Please, feel free to comment. I'm looking for input and suggestions.

Our Trip to Maoli

2007-03-30T18:40:00.000+08:00

More pictures from another trip with Paul and family. This time we went to Maoli. Historical sights and lots of wood carving. We visited the wood carving museum, and did some shopping and sightseeing. Enjoy the photos...

The train bridge that fell after an earthquake. The station is deserted now and is a big tourist attraction. Giant-ass wood carving are all abound at the museum. This elephant is as big as a car, and it's carved from a single piece of wood. Very cool. This was an early industry for Taiwan, with master carvers producing works for export to North America, Europe and Japan.

We ate at an amazing noodle house. The best places are always very unassuming, and Paul knows where they are. Now we have to get better at finding the best places. We ate at the most tranquil vegetarian restaurant in the mountains. It was amazing. We talked philosophy and politics late into the evening. This place is the sort of place you dream about...and $4000 ($150 CDN) a night for one of the cabins.

Like I said, this place was a dream. The food was great and the atmosphere was even better. I loved all the ducks around, and the setting in the mountains was just amazing. Paul tells us that its very difficult to find land in the mountains that also has such a supply of water. They have their own septic lake for the restaurant and all the cabins.

NEways, we had a great time, and ate some fantastic food.

Odds and Ends

2007-03-03T02:25:00.000+08:00

Greetings!

1. Turns out, the fireworks are celebrating the reopening of business after the Chinese New Year. That's what you see on TV as the celebrations with the Dragons and whatnot. That explains some about the various times....

2. I'm working on a new blog. You can read it here. It's about alternative health (and what shouldn't be considered alternative). It's just begun, so give it time to mature. I'm going to try and inform everyone on what I've learned.

3. Moeller Technique. Really changing the way I'm thinking about drums. More on that later.

Chinese New Year - The Down Side...

2007-02-23T08:50:00.000+08:00

Okay, enough all ready!

Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days, and I'm wondering how long the whole 'firecracker' thing is going to go on....There's no sense to it. People randomly light firecrackers at random times, for no apparent reason.

So, you're lying in bed at 6:30 in the morning, and all of a sudden, there's a gun fight outside your window! Or at 11:17am, or at 3:37pm or at 7:44pm, or 2:26am....

And remember how I mentioned there was no insulation in Taiwan, well...insulation keeps more than just cold weather out...it also keeps sound out! Given the configuration of our apartment complex, there's a series of corridors between buildings, and it amplifies the sound. You never know when they'll go off (like right now!).

Enough already!!

Food Poisoning!

2007-02-22T02:09:00.000+08:00

Damn Subway Subs!!

I had Subway Monday night (my favorite, Italian BMT) for maybe the fourth time since coming to Taiwan. I usually eat in the markets or one of the local teahouses. Once or twice a week we'll eat Western.

Well, this one's for my family, so if you're otherwise, don't read on....(this means Danielle was smart enough to go veggie).

NEways, I've never been sick like this before in my life. Food poisoning really sucks! I mean, I puked all night (about 12 times) and just had the worst diarrhea ever!! Nasty stuff. Once when I was a kid, I was barfing non-stop when my dad took me to the hospital to see Dr. Leckie (thanks dad). I think this was worse. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. My chest is sore (two days later) from continuous vomiting. Danielle says it was like the puking scene from Team America....

At least I know my immune system is strong cause it got rid of everything. I drank a ton of Supa Supau (Taiwanese Gatorade) and the next day, I could eat again. It's taking my bowels a little longer to come back online, but wow, what a ride.

We eat at all sorts of places, market food, etc. in Taiwan, and it's a damn Western restaurant that makes me sick. Go figure. I can even drink the water....

BTW...I'm just looking for sympathy... *puppy eyes*

Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Pig -- A very lucky year!

2007-02-19T13:16:00.000+08:00

'Gong shee, Gong shee!' According to our friend/client, Paul, this is a New Year's wish that we must say whenever we encounter friends throughout the Chinese New Year holiday.

On the 17th of February, we were invited to Paul's house in Dajia, (大甲) in Taichung County (the country outskirts of Taichung) to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family and friends.This was our first time venturing outside of the city on our own. Thanks to Google Earth and Paul's directions, we arrived on our scooter with little trouble.

Paul's invitation was an opportunity that allowed us to gain a more profound understanding of the customs and meaning behind this celebration. I feel that in Canada, our interpretation of Chinese New Year was somewhat distorted as we were exposed to an adapted version of the Chinese New Year made to fit into a North American context.

In Canada, Chinese families seem to celebrate with other members of the Chinese community in their area to minimize feelings of isolation from family, friends and their homeland. This means parties in large halls, parades, huge fireworks displays, traditional performances and buffets.

The grandiosity of this event in North America gives the impression that Chinese New Year is really big. However, after our experience and discussions with Paul and his friends, we have come to realize that Chinese New Year is in fact a more intimate, humble celebration in its native land.

Before, I had believed that Chinese New Year evoked the same great feelings of anticipation and excitement that Christmas gives to people in my country. Now, rather than comparing the Chinese New Year to Christmas, I would say that it is more akin to Thanksgiving in the West...that is, an extended thanksgiving which lasts 15 days.

In Taiwan, anyhow, Chinese New Year appears to be a time when families get together and give thanks. This is a 'spring' festival, according to Paul, that traditionally fell after the harvest. There is no extensive gift giving, but children and employees alike can expect to receive red envelopes containing money from their relatives and employers, respectively.

One important custom is to give thanks to and to worship ancestors. Every home generally has a shrine, usually in a room called a temple, where food and burning incense are arranged on a table. Part of the Chinese New Year tradition is to bow before this shrine in worship and thanksgiving of ancestors.

Traditionally, ancestors are supposed to be located on the left side of a temple, but in Paul's temple they were located on the right, due to his ancestors' special status as generous people (this, historically, was decided by the emperor). Paul's shrine is also somewhat unique from the majority of the population because it holds a small box containing statues representing his great-grandmother and great-grandfather. His family must therefore worship two family names.

After worship, the meal is usually served. We enjoyed many 'delicious Taiwanese foods' (they like to use the word, 'delicious' here), including pig's knuckles, lemony chicken, angel hair pasta with Taiwanese pesto, seafood, and tofu with vegetables. The meal was prepared by Paul's wife and their Vietnamese housekeeper (Their housekeeper may later prepare for us a traditional Vietnamese meal, which Paul and his family have been reluctant to try on their own so far).

After the meal, we visited Maoli temple where there were large, paper mache pigs and other traditional symbols. The engravings and sculptures in this temple were amazingly detailed and historic. In history, Maoli is said to have been quite wealthy, according to the writings near the entrance of this traditional temple.

The behaviour of the people worshiping seemed casual in comparison to the solemnity practiced in many Western Christian churches. However, it should be noted that some of the traditions of worship have been forgotten here, as many contemporary worshipers unknowingly enter in the doors intended for the gods, according to Paul. In addition, 'Hell money' (traditionally burned to appease the spirits of ancestors) is now dumped into a trunk and burnt in an incinerator to reduce air pollution (traditional burning produced a lot of BAD smoke).

Later, we returned to Paul's house and continued to feast upon traditional snacks (nuts, shredded cheese and Taiwanese candies). At this time, we enjoyed the company of Paul's friends and family.

During our scooter ride home, the streets were lined with impromptu fireworks. The fireworks regulations are quite lose here, so people will set them off anywhere at any given time, especially during traditional celebrations. There were 163 fireworks related injuries this year.

I should add that Paul's house is located on the same property as his factory which produces 'puffed dye', and other water-based dyes, that they sell to companies like Nike and that are used on items such as runners. Paul gave us two traditional hanging mementos. One reads something like, 'luck and smooth sailing' and the other reads, 'prosperity and riches', in Chinese. It is a very personal gift from him, as the writing is printed using the puffed ink from his factory.

Paul is becoming a good friend of ours. A few months ago we all went hiking together
in the famous 'Shito Mountain'. It was a refreshing change from the densely polluted air of Taichung. We were sure to breathe deeply during our hike.

Before the hike, we met Paul's best friend, Alex, who was one of Paul's evening visitors during the Chinese New Year celebration. Alex treated us to some amazing soup at a small, but famous, Taiwanese restaurant in the foothills of Shito Mountain. He also took the picture of James and I. In the next picture (I took it) you can see Paul and his wife, Alex, Paul's son Michael, and some goon we don't know who just sat down at our table and started eating.

One thing that James and I have noticed during our time here so far is that everything is different, but at the same time, the same. Hiking up Shito Mountain was very similar to hiking in the North Bay area. With the exception of poinsettias, banana trees (with leaves the size of our bed), huge spider webs that could trap a bat, and other minor foliage differences, we felt right at home. It was very nice to get a glimpse of another part of Taiwan.

And what did we do for Christmas, you ask? Well, we attended a Christmas party thrown by one of our Columbia colleagues for homesick foreigners. There, we participated in a secret Santa gift exchange and enjoyed a turkey dinner with pumpkin pie and, of course, Christmas pudding for dessert.

On December 25th, our families were missed, but it didn't quite feel like Christmas. I have to say, I think that both James and I felt that the Chinese New Year took on a greater significance and that we felt more festive during Paul's Chinese New Year celebration than we did at Christmas. It goes to show you, a holiday is not a holiday without family and friends.

Best wishes for the New Year and 'gong shee' to everyone back at home!

Earthquake MkII

2007-01-27T12:37:00.000+08:00

My internet hasn't been working since we got another earthquake. A 6.2 is never fun, even when it's a couple of hundred km away. So my internet's been messed.

Just if you were wondering...living in an apartment is kind of like living in a tent. No insulation, so if you heat the apartment (the heaters here are nothing but giant toasters), at night you get a lot of condensation when things cool down, and everything gets wet (like the inside of a tent). So you have to keep the windows open. Makes it even harder to heat....it's a losing battle.

IF you're interested, I'm teaching mostly online now. Notice all the women are first? That's Asia for you....

90 years old and cold

2007-01-24T23:38:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to Ernest Borgnine, or as I remember him, Dominic Santini, or as dad remembers him, Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale.

NEways, just to let you know, Taiwan is FREAKING COLD!! Colder than Canada, in fact.

Don't believe me? Well. when it's 10C outside, it's 10C inside too. Taiwan has no heating or insulation, so you can't escape the cold. In Canada, you bare the cold for awhile, but once inside, you're tosty. There's no escaping it here.

It's damn cold in the morning!!

Dad....

2006-12-29T07:58:00.000+08:00

I woke up just now with a thought....

When I was maybe 7, I remember dad waking me up in the middle of the night to take me to hockey practice. He arranged free ice time when everyone else was done playing for the night, and we'd go out and work on my goaltending. I guess this is what fathers do. I just never said thanks. Thanks dad.

And then some odd 25 years later, I move my sorry ass to the other side of the world, leaving all my responsibilities back in Canada, and my dad takes care of them. Thanks dad.

And then, a week before Christmas, I get the crazy idea to ship drums to Taiwan, and my dad and brother stay up late for my crazy request to put them in one box (as it turns out, two boxes would have been a bit cheaper--sorry guys). Thanks a lot dad and Jon (I'll never really be able to call you Jonsey)

So, just thanks to everyone in my family for always putting up with me. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope to be able to hug all of you sometime in 2007.

Earthquake

2006-12-26T23:07:00.000+08:00

Fun. We had a boxing day earthquake today. Actually, we had 4. Two of them were rather serious, and had many of our clients worried and scared.

We had what the Japanese (and CNN) called a 7.2 and the Taiwanese called a 6.7 at 8:26 that shook the building pretty good. Not enough to knock stuff off the shelves, but enough to let you know the earth is moving. We're on the 42nd floor, and it was swaying side to side pretty damn good. Enough to make you want to hold on... I guess it lasted about a minute. Then 8 minutes later at 8:34, we got a 7.0/6.4 which started as a jackhammer (up and down rather than side to side) for maybe 20 seconds before switching to a swaying motion that caused the building to make some nasty sounds as the glass and steel creaked rather loudly.

The epicenter of both of the big quakes was about 200km to the south, so the reported intensity at Taichung was somewhere between 3 and 4. I was having fun until I saw the look on the faces of my clients. Guess I'm too stupid to know better....

The 'P' Party

2006-11-14T23:21:00.000+08:00

On October 27th, Columbia held its annual Halloween Party. This year's theme was the letter 'P'. James and I were assigned the task of organizing and managing activities, including Hang 'P' Man, The 'P' Idiom Relay, The Peter Piper Prize Pick (tongue twister game), the Purple People Eater KTV (Karoke), and Pin the Pun on the Pig-u ('ass' in Chinese... snicker!).

When clients arrived, they were served a glass of punch at the door. After the 'P' activities came to a close, clients and consultants alike gorged themselves on Pizza and other 'P' snacks, and socialized in the lobby. Meanwhile, animated
++++++++++++++++++++++++Halloween shorts played in the background.

The client who won the prize for the best 'P' costume wore a most impressive handmade peacock creation! Of course, James and I coordinated our costumes -- I was dressed as Paradise and James was Purgatory!

Star Wars Lego

2006-10-10T02:11:00.000+08:00

Check out this link. Or click on the title above!

The Moon Festival

2006-10-07T18:37:00.000+08:00

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, yesterday (October 6th, to us Westerners) was the Chinese Moon Festival. So, everywhere in China and Taiwan, people exchanged moon cakes, enjoyed barbeque, watched traditional Chinese puppet shows, drank beer, and set off fireworks in the streets and on the sidewalks. James and I, the party animals that we are, could not help but partake in the festivities. Below, we have posted photos of our local friends and foreign colleagues participating in the Moon Festival. We will also attach a couple of video clips. Last of all, we have included a few traditional stories that are told during the Moon Festival.

The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon.

The Hare - Jade Rabbit

In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."

The Cake - Moon Cake

During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm

Taiwanese Construction

2006-09-23T17:00:00.000+08:00

Danielle got her new cell phone. These are the first pictures (taken by me, of course) to be posted to the blog. Really, these are for dad. This is how it's done in Taiwan!!

And here's a few more of us wandering about...

More Teacher Appreciation

2006-09-16T14:59:00.000+08:00

And without further ado, it is high time that we introduce our beloved student, Pover. We have not yet taken a photo of him (but I guarantee that we will, as soon as we can), however, you will find an image below of the notebook, gift box and cell phone ornament that he made for me completely by hand as belated birthday gifts (well, he made the notebook and box, but only 'assembled' the cell phone ornament).

Pover is an incredibly keen student who struggles with English but makes every effort to communicate with us as much as he can. He seems to be a very spiritual person who has experienced incredible things in his life -- such as being run over and dragged by a truck. Perhaps as his English improves, we will eventually be able to communicate more effectively with him and get to know and understand him a little better.

The next two pictures that you will see below are of a beautiful creation by Patty, the cellist (who is also a student of ours, as noted in an earlier blog). It is essentially a thank you card (or should I say, poster?) to James and myself, the captains of her Sports-Day team, the Gazelles. (By the way, if you want to see more photos of Sports Day, go to Ling's Sports-Day Photos. Ling, as you know, is yet another one of our students).

I cannot conceive of the energy and time that both Patty and Pover put into our gifts. I can say, however, that teaching can be a highly fulfilling profession when your students communicate their appreciation in such meaningful ways. Thank you, Patty and Pover!

In other news, James and I had a lovely visit with our former Columbia student, Rita, who will be leaving this week to Taipei to begin a university degree. She brought us to the Taiwan Banana New Paradise Restaurant, where we enjoyed a Dim Sum lunch in a Traditional Taiwanese atmosphere. This restaurant is, in fact, also a museum that contains many displays of Taiwanese memorabilia and antiques/artifacts. Below, you will find a couple of links that will bring you to an image of an old-style Taiwanese ticket booth, displaying Japanese movie advertisements, and to a picture of a traditional roadside shop/vendor display -- both of which can be found in the restaurant that we visited. If you want to find out more about this restaurant/mini-museum, you can also visit: www.vernaldew.com.tw

If any of you back at home, in Canada, come to visit us in Taiwan, remind us to bring you to the Taiwan Banana New Paradise Restaurant. It is a truly a historical Taiwanese experience. The restaurant focuses on a time period in Taiwan, when 'white terror' (when the government would take care of you if you were dissident) was rampant and warnings of Chinese/mainland spies were posted everywhere in the city.

The Power of Scooter!

2006-09-10T00:53:00.000+08:00

At long last, we now have a scooter. We purchased it from a departing colleague, Justin. It is a 125 cc black Yamaha Fuzzy and gets us where we need to go with little hassle. The most difficult part of owning a scooter is remembering where you parked it, since it tends to blend in with all of the other scooters. Therefore, it is important to have a defining marker that makes your scooter stand out from the others. Our scooter can be easily identified by the sticker on the front which reads, "Folly" (refer to scooter images below and at the bottom of the posting and note, the speedometer has both Arabic and Roman numerals!!). We also purchased helmets at the 24 hour store, which stocks virtually everything you can think of... and more. James' helmet is black and mine is pink with Pepsi knock-off logos on each side.

When Ben and his wife, Joo (the owners of our favourite tea shop), found out that we bought a scooter, they invited us out to the infamous 'Fungja' market. So, after they closed up their shop, at about 12 a.m. one night, we all drove on down to the market. They led, as we had never been there before, and kept their speed down to about 40 - 50 kph, since it was virtually the first time James had ever driven a scooter.

At the Fungja market, Ben and Joo kindly treated us to the popular 'stinky tofu' (it kind of tastes like sweaty hockey gear if it is steamed or boiled, but we had the fried kind -- chow dofu -- which had a yummy crunchy crust and only a mild stinky tofu flavour on the inside) and foot-tall ice cream cones.

While at the Fungja market, James and I purchased scooter masks. James', of course, is plain black. My mask, however, reads, "Happy Cookies". Many of the captions on posters, signs, t-shirts, pollution masks, and the like, often make no sense whatsoever, or contain grammatical or spelling errors. I have therefore made it my goal to only purchase casual clothing that bears these traits of Taiwan, so as to carry the memories of our stay here to Canada when we return in the distant future. Note the image of me wearing my, "I'm happy I of you" t-shirt below.

In other news, on September third, Columbia held its first annual 'Sports Day'. Consultants were assigned to either referee or team captain positions. James and I were the captains of the "Gazelles" -- though you'd never know it, given that our team flag bears only Captain James' name. For our team, James and I created 'Gazelles' name tags and activity schedules. Everyone received (and wore, during sports day) free Columbia t-shirts for their participation. Team captains were given black Columbia t-shirts. We got to keep our flag as well.

Our team was eaten alive by the other animals (as Gazelles usually are, in the wild), but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. In spite of the mid-afternoon thunderstorm (which seems to occur everyday at approximately 3 p.m. this month), the barbecue also seemed to go over well.

And last, but not least, today marked our first visit to 'Jimmy's House' (a place where musicians go to practice and jam). Shaun, from work, showed us where it was and joined us in a quasi jam session. James bought a practice pad and some drum sticks while we were there.

Gained in Translation!

2006-09-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

Because we live in Taiwan, so much of what I search for is in Chinese, so I have to translate.

Take a look at the phone we're considering. Be sure to read the title closely...

Oh, I LOVE translators!!

We've decided to get a video phone. Now that you've regained your composure, let me explain. There are SO MANY things here that we're so blown away by, and we constantly say "Oh, we HAVE to take a picture of that!" but we never have a camera with us, so we're buying a camera with a built-in phone.

And wait for the pictures to pour in on the blog....

Happy Birthday Nella (Part II)

2006-08-28T01:17:00.000+08:00

Again, it is a wonderful feeling to be appreciated. Today, James and I went into work and I was greeted between classes by one of my students, Patty, who gave me an incredibly appropriate birthday gift.

Between teaching sessions earlier this month, I was discussing Jacqueline du Près, a famous, deceased cellist with Patty (Patty being a cellist, herself). Patty then headed to Canada for a family vacation and purchased a collection of Jacqueline du Près CDs, along with a little 'Russ' teddy bear keychain and gave them to me for my birthday (see photo).

She also wrote me a letter (an impressive feat for an ESL student) and personally brought the gift into Columbia today, even though she was not scheduled for any sessions. From what I understand, Patty is a fairly strong cellist herself. I will have to go see her perform this year at her music school.

Happy Birthday Nella

2006-08-26T22:25:00.000+08:00

Today we went to a Japanese restaurant in celebration of my birthday. The food was delicious and incredibly healthy. Our meal consisted of hors d'oeuvres that looked like ice cream cones (seaweed rolled up like the cone and a mashed potato/fish filing), miso soup, a bowl of rice and ground salmon, sashimi, the proper term for what Westerners know as 'sushi', by the way. Sushi is actually those little rice roll things that are wrapped in seaweed and filled with rice, and pieces of fish, etc. We also had beef fondu, tofu and clams, Japanese tea, and fruit for desert, along with a glass of prune juice.

After dinner, we proceeded to explore one of the markets, where we finally encountered electronics street. We then caught the bus home and bought a Chinese-style black forest cake. As you will see in the pictures that we posted today to the blog, the cakes here are rather decorative. And, as with everything you buy here of course, the cake came complete with accessories: a question mark candle and candle holder, disposable plates, forks and a cake cutter/spatula.

We have been doing A LOT of overtime lately, since summer is Columbia's busy season, so it was a well-deserved outing.

I'm a bad person

2006-08-19T03:23:00.000+08:00

It's true.

I should be posting to the blog more often. I should be taking lots of pictures. I should be documenting and taking in all of what I'm doing here in Taiwan, and then communicating it with all of you back home.

But I'm not.

Instead, I'm working tons of overtime, and eating at 7-11 too much because by the time I'm off work, everything's closed. I'm sick because of the pollution, and I have to walk in it, sucking it all in, instead of buying a scooter like everyone else, and contributing to the pollution. But at least then I can wear a helmet and pollution mask.

I don't know. Sorry. I'll try and get on the pictures soon. We FINALLY bought a fridge. A wonderfully nice client from where I work drove us out to the 'used' section of town (because I can barely read a map), and spoke for us, and read, and bartered for us, and now we have a fridge.

I'm completely illiterate. I can't read or write. I can't speak the language. I can't take care of myself here. I can't buy food, let alone a fridge! I guess everyone should experience illiteracy at least once in their life, but I've got to get off my ass and figure this shit out now!

Truth is, Danielle and I have been working at our Chinese as well as our 10-hour workdays will allow. I'm beginning to understand the written aspects, and Danielle the oral aspects, of Chinese. We joke that together, we make one Taiwanese person....Truth also is that most expats here never bother to learn Chinese at all. One guy we bought a few household things off of has a Taiwanese girlfriend and has been here 5 years, but is unable to say "He's coming" in Chinese. That says so much about foreigners' own arrogance and insensitivity. Because Danielle and I can say "bichon lu cha" (passionfruit green tea) and "gee pai" (chicken chop, a type of 'boxed lunch'), we're considered "hardcore" at Ben's restaurant.

Actually, all of a sudden, Danielle can say and ask all sorts of things. It happened overnight. She can ask questions about when or where the bus is going, and how much something costs, and she usually understands the answer! I'm in awe. Just don't tell her!!

NEways, enjoy your many days, and pray for rain here. It keeps the pollution down and temperatures low.

It's Nice to be Appreciated...

2006-08-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

Here's a quick post of some pictures from Ling, one of our clients. She's a sweetheart with a great sense of humor, and she really reminds me of my mom....

The typhoon turned out to be a dud. Too bad. Maybe we'll get to see one, but Taichung is very safe because of the mountain range.

Also, something cool happened. Danielle was rewarded for all her hard work. She was ranked second at work, and we both got bonuses (red envelopes of money). Further, she received a free day off (after the busy season), gift certificates to the fancy department store SOGO (it's Japanese) and some passes to the movies. Gotta love private business.

Danielle, as wonderful as she is, promptly gave the passes to Ben. Remember him? He's the guy from the tea house that we eat at EVERY DAY. We called his place "Luke's" after Luke from Gilmore Girls. Now we know his name is Ben, so it's "Ben's" now! Anyways, his photo is below. He gives us free food and great service, so he's more than earned them (not to mention he's taught us pretty much all the Chinese we know so far).

Well, that's about it for now. We're just working and waiting to get paid so we can buy a fridge!!

Typhoon Update

2006-07-24T11:31:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone...

I didn't mean to get you worried. There's nothing to be afraid of for me. I may just be house-ridden for a day or two. The storm track has diverted south, so we might only miss one day of work. High winds and lots of rain, that's a typhoon. Can cause mud slides in the mountains, but nothing to worry about here. Some places have flooding, but again, not much to worry about here. I live in a concrete building on the 4th floor, so we're fine.

We'll probably go out for a bit to a typhoon party somewhere in our complex. Or maybe we'll just lay low. Big thing is to have plenty of water and food in case you can't go our or nothing is open. Have candles in case the power goes out....you know, the usual.

No worries. I'm anxious. Typically there are 4 storms a month until about October. It's a way of life here..

2006-07-24T01:11:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone,

I've been busy with work and such, so I haven't blogged...sorry. However, I'm blogging this, because it's pretty much a certainty. We're going to get hit pretty hard by Typhoon Kaemi.

Click on the map above to track the storm. It's going to hit us hard. We've got to get ready. This is the real deal apparently. It's much stronger than Bilis (which killed about 200 people in the Philippines and China) and produce prices are going to shoot through the roof afterwards.

In other news (literally and figuratively) we got our TV finally. We have 4 channels. The news here is very different. I saw a report about a bad car accident, and the news shows everything. And when I say everything, I mean it. Blood, guts, bodies, you name it. No censorship here! VERY graphic. As I type, I'm watching a report where someone drowned, and the cameras are directly over the person trying to resuscitate this drowned boy. VERY graphic.

Well, I'm going to run, because we need to be up early to get supplies for the storm.

This Just In!!

2006-07-13T00:46:00.000+08:00

Check this out! A University professor teaching that 9-11 was an inside job! There's been lots of fringe talk about this, but on CNN?!?!

**NEW**

I can't link to the video. It's javascript! Goto cnn.com and search for "University of Wisconsin" and check the videos section.

Typhoon!

2006-07-13T00:26:00.000+08:00

Well, typhoon season has arrived earlier than anyone expected. We're on a watch cause Typhoon Bilis is about to make landfall. Apparently we're going to get hit pretty hard, so we've bought extra food and water in case we can't go out tomorrow. But maybe we'll miss work!

You can follow the storm track at the Central Weather Burreau in Taipei.

We'll keep you posted....meanwhile we're battening down the hatches!

Pollution

2006-07-08T23:48:00.000+08:00

Heads up folks!! Multiple posts here. Scroll further down for the apartment.

But right now, I want to talk about the single worst problem here. The pollution is aful. I mean, it's really bad. You can taste it. You can see it. People need to wear pollution masks when going outside. I'm glad there's decent air filtration in buildings and air conditioners, or else we'd all be goners.

Typhoon season is coming, so lots of mixing of air masses, which means lots of wind. Very brisk this morning. Kept things moving along nicely. The picture below is a nice one of the southern mountain range. Not often that we can see it, since it's usually obscured by smog.

Below is a picture to the south of Will's apartment. It's the scene we see every day, except today (Saturday morning) it was clear.

Here is the same photo a few hours later, when things picked up in Taichung (people woke up). This is typical of many days here. The smog you see is not fog, but pollution. Yes, it's THAT bad....

Here's a photo to the southeast of Taichung. Just to the right of the white building in the photo above. Notice the clouds of pollution being blow eastward where they become trapped by the mountains. This is how it is in Taichung. Fortunately, most of the pollution blows past us since we're central. But I'd rather be west....

So if our time in Taiwan is shortned, this will be the only reason. We're going to have to learn to deal with it....

We're In!

2006-07-08T23:12:00.000+08:00

Yes, we moved in today. Photos shown are of the empty (what's considered furnished) apartment. It's semi-furnished. I wish they would have given us a fridge, and the A/C would have been in on time, but we've got our own place!

First, some photos from Will's, which everyone agress, is the best apartment held by an expat in the city, as well as the best deal anywhere.

Can you believe this? I love the elevated rooms. We sleep up high, and live below. The celing is about 7 feet high, so like a basement apartment. This room is the result of high celings.

Another view to show you what's going on. This is the spare room, which Sass uses to do laundry.

The bar in Will's apartment. LOVE the 12' celings!!

Now, without further ado, our new apartmen in Taichung City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

What we wanted most: a smaller place with lots of wood and high celings. We both
agree that we like the look of the darker Oak better than the lighter maple.

A view of the living room and enterance from the elevated floor (less useful than in Will's apartment). I think we'll use the floor to meditate.

Another view, from the stairs. The master bedroom is the door to the right, and the second bedroom is the door on the left. So the second bedroom has the low celing, and the master bedroom has the high celing. Directly behind me is the bathroom, and to the left of the master bedroom is the kitchen.

See? Here's the kitchen. The fridge is supposed to go to the left of the counter. Nice touch is that almost all stoves (nobody really has ovens here) are gas. Schwing!

My office. Small but functional. Notice again that there's no shower curtain, and a drain on the floor. Every bathroom here has a hand-held shower head (like downstairs Morin) so water gets everywhere....

The master bedroom. This is our furnished apartment. Actually, a lot of people sleep on the floor like this. But not everone. We'll splurge for a bed sometime. What's cool is the matress, which is reversible. The top is wicker to keep you cool in summer, and the other side is regular, to keep you warm in winter.

Here's the wardrobe that's in both bedrooms. Nice, functional, and intigrated. No complaints.

Well, that's the new apartment. We'll post more pictures as it develops, and we can afford some basic furniture (in a few months).

Gotta love Taiwan...

2006-07-08T00:14:00.000+08:00

Yep. Sore throat today. We walked to 3C to buy a printer and the pollution was so bad today (literally coughing on exhaust) that my throat is sore now.

But in better news, we signed for our apartment. I signed the contract, and then dipped my thumb in red ink and 'marked' my signature with my thumbprint. Here, everyone has what you could think of as a seal, which they use to sign contracts, cheques, etc.

So we can move in tomorrow. Watch for pictures....

Pictures Galore

2006-07-01T20:44:00.000+08:00

Well, here they are. The long-awaited Taiwan photos (or at least some). We'll be posting more, based on subject (funny, spelling, etc). Be sure to click on the photo to get the full-size version. And without further ado...

The Northern lights, and the horizon. It stayed like this for hours, as we tried to outrun the rising sun.

This is the same photo taken many hours later, once the sun had finally caught us.
Notice the clouds about 25,000' below us, and the ocean another 10,000' down.

The view from Will's apartment facing the south of the city and the mountains,
which are totally obscured by the pollution and humidity.

The court inside Will's (and soon to be our) apartment complex.
Note the tropical vegetation and suprisingly clean apartment structures.
Few apartments in Taichung are this clean on the outside.

Moden Chinese skeleton key and magnetic pass. We need both of
these to get into the apartment (or activate the elevator).

The parking outside of our building complex. Yes. NONE of these vechiles are running or have drivers inside them. This is typical of Taiwanese drivers--Anything goes.

The view of our complex from across the road. There are many small complexes within the larger. It's nice because we can walk between the buildings for almost a block without any traffic, and often in the shade. Shade is our friend. The ground floor of the buildings are all various types of businesses, from restaurants, laundrymats, real estate agencies, cell phone store, music teaching studio, clothing store, to a scooter repair shop. Underground was a department store, abandoned after the big quake of '98.

The Family Mart across the street. Our first landmark when we arrived, which we called "Happy Star". There are Family Marts, 7-11s, Hi-Lifes, 12-24s and various other c-stores on almost every corner. There are more 7-11s on the island of Taiwan than in the entire U.S. Bakeries, scooter shops, and English Buxibans (cram schools) are just as common.

The walkway between blocks of our apartment complex.

Our favorite Tea House, we've decided to call Luke's. We don't know the real name, but that's okay. It's like Friends, or Cheers, where we go almost every day. Good food, decent price, and they have an English menu (that's a BIG plus for us). Very frendly, and right below our apartment. Actually, there are many places to eat within a block of our apartment.

The owner of Luke's. Should we call him Luke? He is very friendly and helpful, and helps us learn how to order in Chinese: "Lew Cha" is our favorite (Green Tea). Hopefully, we'll be able to learn his, his wife, and his daughter's names, who all serve us good food and cold drinks. They are, after all, very patient with us. Note the hand-written (by their daughter) English menu.

The view of our complex from the north, walking west.

The 'Twin Towers' of Taichung. Among the tallest buildings in Taiwan (but dwarfed by the largest building in Taiwan, and the world, the shopping mecca, Taipei 101). We work in the left building, on the top, and luckiest floor, 42. We'll post pictures of the city from there (stunning) in a future post.

A funky building dowtown, where the real action is. We live
in the southern section, which is more residental.

See what I mean? A woman yelling what sounds like Communist Propaganda at us through a huge megaphone. Of course there are no Communists here, so she's probably selling something. In case you fail to notice her, she's followed by a caravan of yellow taxis with flags.

A street vendor selling food. About a thousand differnt types of meat, almost all of them pork.

A side street in the market district. Very crowded and loud.
Plenty to buy, and lots of bardering going on.

Another c-store. Notice the scooter parking. They're a
pestilance pretty much everywhere you go.

A typical example of Taiwanese traffic. Try crossing the street here.

However, there are a few places to get away from the noise and comotion
(if not the pollution) of the traffic. Taichung city park.

A Quick Update (before a long one)

2006-06-30T11:33:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the delay in writing, but we've been busy. Started working, and put in some long hours to get upto speed. Days off are Friday and Saturday, so we work Sunday (a quiet day). We work in one of the tallest buildings in Taiwan, on the very top floor (42nd). Job is good and pretty easy, so we like it.

Hopefully we've found an apartment (we see it on the 6th). But since we won't see our first full pay until Aug 10, we've really got to count our beans so we can afford to move in. It's in the area we want, and it's very nice, and it's cheap, so we don't want to pass it up.

It's funny. It's very hot here, and so I'm really drained at the end of the day. Our 15 minute walk to work leaves us totally drenched in sweat, so we leave for work an extra half-hour early, and change at work. Umbrellas help a lot in keeping you cool, so many people here use umbrellas in the sun, as well as the rain. I just never thought I'd see the day when I'm setting the A/C to 27 or 28 C to keep cool and refreshed!

We spent a day taking photos of various things, and they should be posted this weekend, so keep your eyes open....

Too Much Sugar!!!

2006-06-22T09:46:00.000+08:00

Well, so much for my 'special diet'. Everything here is loaded with sugar. The other day, I had a drink from the vending machine which had the consistency and taste of liquid pudding. They seem to like their pudding here (it tastes very much like my grandma's English custard... mmmm!). Bubble teas are also infused with a load of sucrose/fructose (you can see them pour it in -- it is syropy and clear). You have to request that they don't add sugar by saying, "Wu boo laow tang," which means, 'I don't want sugar', or "Boo tang," which means, 'no sugar'. James has commented that even the spaghetti sauce is sweet here (and gingery).
On a more positive note, we don't have to do our own laundry anymore! :) We just picked up our laundry from downstairs, where a lady did it for us for 210 NT (about seven bucks Canadian -- the same as we would have spent in the laundry room in our apartment building in Ottawa, where we had to do our own laundry). We see no reason why we should do our own laundry in Taiwan -- if we have a local do it for us, we are giving them business, and, of course, it reduces our own work load for a very low price.
Apartment hunting is proving to be quite challenging. Many of the apartments we see are either too small or too large (and therefore more expensive than what we're looking for). Others do not have furnishings or air conditioning -- things that we don't want to buy ourselves, as we will have to try to sell them and take a loss later when it comes time to get rid of everything too large to bring back to Canada. Some apartments are dirty or need fixing up. Yesterday, we saw a perfectly-sized apartment with just the right amount of character. Unfortunately, within about five minutes of being in the apartment, we also saw three large roaches (which promptly scattered and hid behind garbage that had been left by the previous tenants). It seems that the neighbours to this apartment were also taking over the halls... and by the looks of the amount of shoes on the shoe racks outside of the door, we would have had about 20 neighbours!
Well, this is Danielle signing off. Have to get our advance from work and get motivated to buy some work clothes.
Later!

One Stuffed Duck

2006-06-21T18:10:00.000+08:00

Hi.

Just got back from the market near Will's place, and D and I are both stuffed. We had roasted duck, which was amazing, with greens and fresh baking, mango and watermellon for dessert. For around $8.00. Stuffed full. The heat is really affecting my appetite (but not my thirst...I must drink 4 L of water a day) so I'm especially full.

We walked down from San Min road, which is the happeningist road in the universe. Imagine Young St or St. Catherine's, and you've got the idea. TONS of people. However, there's a catch. You walk off one of the little side streets, and you're thrown back to an old movie set in Hong Kong. Little shops, and street vendors, and no room for cars whatsoever. And the stuff is cheap, cheap, cheap. Danielle found a skirt she really liked for $190, which can be bartered down to $120 (that translates to about $4 CDN), and the shoes! If you like shoes, this is the place to be....

Finally, there are lots of stores for men too. Lots of variety in men's clothes, and in my (ever shrinking) size! Many very light, cool fabrics, suitable for the heat.

Yes, I think we're going to like it here....

Nuclear Armageddon?

2006-06-15T14:49:00.000+08:00

Well, we just experienced our first air-raid drill. The sirens go, and everyone stops everything they're doing. The streets are void of traffic, with the exception of two oblivious 'whities', who walk along the barren streets with reckless abandon. Apparently, this is a big deal in case China invades. Most people here just drive down the back streets instead.

Anyways, looks as if Danielle and I are going to accept 'office' jobs, consulting for english learners (it's not teaching, but sort of tutoring) which require a strict dress code. It's easy work, and close by, so we're not going to stress trying to find 'good' jobs...pay is okay, so we're happy.

We'll keep you posted.

Danielle's Addendum

2006-06-13T15:40:00.000+08:00

Danielle wants to add some stuff to the blog....

The Good

Garbage trucks play music here. Fur Elise, to be specific. You can hear them early in the morning playing electronic Bach. They remind us of Ice Cream trucks. We think it's to balance Chi....
We got complimentary socks on the plane. They smelled like mint.
Incredibly beautiful mountains over Anchorage.
Plenty of inexpensive clothes to fit both James and I. Clip-on earings and funky shoes.
The most disgusting looking, awesome tasting Gelatenous Pork and Tendon with gravy.
Hello Kitty scooters and automobiles (and any other consumer item imaginable).
The first thing we learned to say in Chinese translates as "I don't want. I'm full". There is SO much food here, much of it very cheap.
Cost of living: Will's 3-bedroom luxury apartment costs about $350CDN/month
The markets. This is the way everyone should shop.

The Bad

It's very dirty here. Black mold on lots of buildings, roads, etc. What few sidewalks exist can't be walked on because of the green slime that covers them. Nature is trying to reclaim the city at an incredible rate.
The bathrooms. No shower curtains, but a drain on the floor. You shower with abandon, getting water everywhere, and just mop it in to the drain when you're done. A bonafied petri dish for molds, spores, and fungus, not to mention tiny exotic ants with white butts.
Sharing the sidewalks with cars and scooters (both parked and in motion), street vendors and giant cockroaches. In fact, when walking, you take your life in your hands. There are no sidewalks, really, so you walk on the road with with an army of scooters whizzing past you at 40 km/h and a half-metre away.
Scooters. Nobody walks. Nobody bikes. There's no transit to speak of. Everyone uses these little scooters. They're very polluting, and every intersection looks like the start of a race. If you're rich and crazy enough, you get a car, then you can bully your way through the scooters. Pedestrians try not to get hit.

We're going to Columbia tomorrow to interview and observe for teaching jobs. Sounds pretty lucrative. Good pay for little work. Tutoring adults in english. We'll likely work evernings. Work, like food, is plentiful here.

Greetings from Taiwan

2006-06-10T09:09:00.000+08:00

This is a shorter post, just to let everyone know that Danielle and I have made it to Taiwan safe and sound.

The flight over was amazing. Everyone warned us about problems with circulation, and how long the flight was going to be, but for me it went in a flash. I LOVE flying....There was a lot of turbulence over Japan, and really crazy flying Hong Kong to Taipei. My food floated in front of me, literally, and I had to keep my plate from flying away. The airline fed us like royalty.

Getting to Tai-Chung was a piece of cake. We've been so luck with helpful people and awesome friends. Many thanks go out to Will and Sandra for helping us get over, and giving us a place to stay. However, I'm glad we didn't bring our bikes, because trafic is insane, and it's constantly raining and will continue to do so for another couple of weeks, and then the heat hits. The food here is plentiful and cheap, but very few people speak english, and the signs are all in Chinese, so we better get up to speed, FAST!

I'll be posting photos and more details once we've settled a bit more (and get my computer connected). We already have beats on 3 potential jobs, just from being at the bar last night, listening to Will's band. (He has a guitar, and KNOWS how to play it)

Also, I have to thank my parents, for whom none of this would be possible, Thanks dad, for taking care of my apartments, and I promise, I'll make it up to you tenfold.

Peace,
~J & D~

No internet connection....

2006-05-11T02:22:00.000+08:00

This is what happens when you don't have an internet connection. You don't blog for a very long time, or post on other people's blogs.

Moved in to Morin. I hate Morin. It's dirty and full of mold. Cleaning and demolishing as I write (nearly).

I really love carpentry. We're leaving June 7 for Taiwan. Wish me and Danielle luck!

Besides that, not much else new.

I Felt My Chi!

2006-04-23T22:51:00.000+08:00

I did. It was really very moving. I guess I can do it too. Now, it wasn't like The Force in Star Wars or anything, but I've been studying, learning about the sources of external chi, and the major meridians in which the flow within the body. And during the description of the Universal Chi, I could feel it running down my spine. It's a slightly warm feeling, with waves, not tingling, but waves. Gentle waves moving down my spine. Now I'm trying to work on a cct that brings it back up my front, but I haven't been able to feel that yet.

Studying a bit of Tai Chi on my own (working on basic forms), but I haven't been able to feel my chi since that first time. I'm going to keep at it, but at least I know it's there!

Oh yeah, Natalie Portman

2006-04-22T10:05:00.000+08:00

Oh, I forgot to mention, Nat was on SNL a few weeks ago, and was totally amazing.

Here's a preview...very sweet.

More on Conscious Robots

2006-04-16T09:08:00.000+08:00

Here's what my dear Auntie Sheila had to say about the Conscious Robots article....looking for opinions. Her response was far too good to leave in the comments page. BTW the original link I followed stated "$10,000 to whomever can disprove this theory"...maybe there's some money in it!

NEways, I haven't the time at the moment to really analyze the article (or her counter argument) since I'm immersed in a research project in Chi, as well as doing a bunch of rewiring at Duke St.! Oh, and this was for Matt because he's in a degree program in Artifical Intelligence at SFU.

"This article may have been mostly for Matt, but I have a few comments on this fascinating topic.

First of all, it is certainly true, as you say, that if we don't have free will, there's no point in pondering it.

But what if we do? In that event, our own free choices are a prime factor in determining the quality and the eventual outcome of our lives. If we admit, then, that we may have free will (and it certainly can't be established that we don't), it follows that we need to ponder this question, along with all of our choices, very carefully indeed.

Secondly, I would like to comment on some of the statements made in the article.

The following quote is attributed to Stephen Hawking: "The initial configuration of the universe may have been chosen by God, or it may itself have been determined by the laws of science. In either case, it would seem that everything in the universe would then be determined by evolution according to the laws of science, so it is difficult to see how we can be masters of our fate."

There is an assumption being made here that I find improbable. If we are going to postulate God as a First Cause, why assume that he would start everything in motion and then leave creation entirely to the laws of science? (Trust a scientist to see no alternative!) Is it not more probable that he would have some purpose in mind in going to all that bother? And if so, then isn't it likely that he would continue to be involved with creation, guiding its evolution?

One of the contentions of Christian theology is that human beings consist of something more than a material body -- that at the right moment (in creation or evolution) for the emergence of human beings, God was actively involved in giving them a soul.

Postulating the existence of the soul gives us a way around the question of whether the human brain can be "the only structure in the known universe that has the ability to gain control of the chemical reactions that make it up," since the brain wouldn't be the source of our freedom to choose; free will would presumably arise from the soul rather than the physical brain.

This soul, being immaterial, could not be studied in the way that science studies the material world; and its existence could not be proven or disproven by science. This fact gives us an answer to the observation that "we've never measured this freedom scientifically, never proven it." If the soul, which we cannot study directly, is the source of our free will, then it follows logically that we would have great difficulty measuring free will or proving its existence with the tools available to science.

Finally, an important consideration in this whole debate is the strong temptation many might feel to believe that we have no control over our choices. How comfortable to imagine that all of our undesirable behaviour is something we really can't help! Such thinking certainly allows us to evade responsibility for change -- and I suspect that is the primary reason why there is any debate at all.

What do the rest of you think?"

Lego Escher

2006-04-16T07:44:00.000+08:00

Every once in a long while, you find the coolest thing in the world....

Conscious Robots

2006-04-13T10:46:00.000+08:00

Conscious Robots

This one's mostly for Matt. Not something I think about too much (wonderful paradox, free will is, cause if I've got it, then what's the point of pondering it, and if I don't, then I don't have to)

More on Chi

2006-04-12T09:27:00.000+08:00

Chi (or Qi) is the life force running through our bodies, according to Chinese medicine. It's called Ki in Japanese. Most people would be most familar with it through its cultivation in Tai Chi. It is also the basis of theory for Acupuncture.

Really, there is still a great debate around it, but I'm more insterested in results, regardless of their nature. There is so much science is still unable to explain, although String Theory might be able to provide a suitable method of action for such a force (amongst a million other things, including Time Travel, which I believe we will see in a practical application within my lifetime.

NEways, the point is, I need to learn more about this. I think I'm going to begin studying two forms of Martial Arts, traditional Tai Chi Chuan (Chinese), and Ki-Aikido (Japanese) once I'm overseas. Actually, I've sort of begun Tai Chi now, but there's only so much Danielle and I can do on our own.

For Alyson, I've come across this in a number of different ways, however, the main one was through a BBC Series which had a Western-Taught Kung Fu Master travel the Orient exploring many types of Martial Arts.

Crazy Martial Arts stuff!

2006-04-05T08:31:00.000+08:00

Who knows about Chi?

I've been watching and reading about some things...and I don't know what to say. I watched a man knock another man down with the power of his voice. No fooling. No tricks. No hocus-pocus. He was able to ring a cauldron with his voice, as if he were hitting it with a hammer. He could concentrate his yells, and focus them, at a specific point, to use his power against an opponent.

I've read about Chi before, but how real is this stuff? How does one find the power and strength to absorb blows from a wrestler, or maintain balance against 5 people pushing, or focus the power to push away an opponent without ever touching them....

This is obviously something I need to learn about

My car is gone

2006-04-05T08:24:00.000+08:00

Greetings all!

Thanks to everyone who posted or emailed me concerning my last blog; your suggestions and comments were welcome. Well, we've decided on Taiwan. We decided on Sunday. We're just going to go over and get a job. This is the advice posted on numerous sites, and after a shaky beginning to our job search (suspect practices and ever-changing details of the job), not to mention my friend Will, who will be graciously providing us with a place to stay until we get on our feet.

So, as a sign of our commitment, I sold the car today. It's gone, no longer in my possession, or under my ownership. It now belongs my family's long-time auto dealer, Gold Fleet Subaru (thanks Cliff). This gives us the cash to pay off some bills, book our tickets to Taiwan, and a little breathing space (money is always tight for us).

I guess that's it for the time being....I'm walking again. Hopefully this will help me lose weight, that being my goal and all. I just can't believe it's gone, in the blink of an eye!

I miss my car...

I know who Essie is! (and I'm graduating again)

2006-03-30T10:38:00.000+08:00

Does anybody know how much it costs to live in Japan (researching that right now).

Essie is my dear aunt, Sheila! Yeah...mistery solved (actually it was solved awhile ago, but I was too lazy, or slothful, to post a blog about it). Glad she's getting to see the dark side of the family. And yes, the freak is Alyson--it's a Hunter S. Thompson reference.

Nella and I are trying to decide on Korea, Taiwan, or Japan. The thought is that Korea is cleaner and more modern, and generally pays better (free housing, free flight) but according to web chatter and our new Korean friend Bo, much more dishonest. Taiwan is more Chinese, so it's more traditional, but also dirty, and doesn't pay as well. Japan is like Mecca, but pay is lowest of all (much like Canada) and we won't be able to save. Culturally, spiritually, we want to go to Japan the most, by far. But it may not be feasible.

I think we're gonna hit Dave's ESL Cafe, the de-facto site for ESL overseas teaching, to find out some more....

The Monster Computer

2006-03-24T21:31:00.000+08:00

The monster computer hiccuped and now isn't working.

There was a problem with the video card, which didn't seem to work. There was a related problem with the motherboard, which didn't seem to want to work. Together, they created a larger problem, and decided to commit suicide together, hence Danielle and I making an impromptu trip to Toronto to replace the motherboard. We await the verdict on the video card, which also needs to be sent back (via eBay), and is holding everything up.

But while I was in Toronto, I had sushi, squid and some other assorted seafood stuffs, and it was all pretty good. I need to get used to that stuff for when we go to Korea, since so much of their diet is seafood.

Actual Blogging...

2006-03-22T07:40:00.000+08:00

Lots of little things...Danielle says the lovin' is strong....

Um, what else? No Korean books in Chapters, so we'll have to look online. My guitar is totally sweet, and I'm actually learning to play it (first song: Hey Joe-Jimi Hendrix). This is the sweetest guitar in the whole universe. Much of it because it was free. Once again...it's here, 'cept that it's in black.

I've been downloading like mad. Lots of movies and music (thanks to my new, 250GB portable HD). Nella and I bought a totally sweet laptop computer to take with us to Korea. It's a Gateway with a 17" widescreen monitor. It'll double as our TV. We even have a webcam for it. I must be getting sentimental or something....

Building the monster computer for Jon. Imagine, 960GB of RAID HD space, 4GB RAM and $400 for the case and power supply, dual 19" LCDs and you've got a sweet computer!

Besides being good little consumers, we've been thinking about how I'm going to lose weight. (How about eat less!?!) Danielle's going to learn a martial art (which I think means I will be learning a martial art, oooh, I hope it's Aikido.

Well, that's it for now (kinda long). I'll try and blog more often (try tearing me away from my guitar)

Myspace Sucks!

2006-03-17T00:50:00.000+08:00

Yes. It does.

My sister posts her blog there, but nobody can comment on it unless they register with Myspace. What is that about? I'd like to comment on her posts without having to become a registered user at the single most-travelled website on the interent.

NEways, I guess I have to post something (here it is March 16th and this is my first post in March). What else? I don't know....if you do, let me know!

Assorted topics of interest.

2006-02-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been an interesting week...

Won my Tribunal hearing, and we've got our apartment April 30 (which is a month later than we originally wanted, but we'll go with it). Selling stuff on ebay these days, and apparently there's good money in cosmetics!

The snow has gotten crazy here, and I need to go on the roof and pull it off (at Duke St.). Can you believe that Danielle and are are able to subsist on my four days of work/week?! That's sweet.

Danielle got her passport, so mine must not be far behind.

Essie left a message on my blog. If you know who she is, please inform me! (I'm stunned that someone I don't know would post to my blog!)

What else? Anyone want to buy a used car? Um, can you believe that my heating/plumming guy has gotten over $5000 out of me since November. No wonder I have no extra cash! Oh, my guitar should be in any day now...everyone else has gotten their instruments, and I'm still waiting.

I guess that's it for now....toodles.

Wombats are cute

2006-02-23T01:54:00.000+08:00

Wombats are really cute.

Here's a photo of a wombat, in case you don't know what they look like.
Here's infromation about wombats, courtsey of Wikipedia.

As you can tell, I haven't got much to say.

I don't blog enough

2006-02-17T01:03:00.000+08:00

Still don't know how to preset the fonts....

Clearly I don't blog enough. NEways, going to Tribunal next week, so we can move into the 'cheap' apartment. Too bad about the tenants--they were nice. But since Danielle isn't working, we can't afford the bigger apartment. However, it's nice to think that we can survive on my 4 days-a-week at the store, and her not working at all. We've actually gained some freedom. I guess we're making some right decisions.

Looking at Taiwan and Korea pretty seriously. Good money, and we could really get ahead with the money we'd make there and invest in real estate here. We could be settled VERY nicely in 5 years. Plus we'd get an opportunity to see the world, and learn about some things outside ourselves.

Don't know...what else. Aly was referring to Valentines Day (blech) as VD. I thought she meant something else by "VD"....I guess it has about the same connotation.

Peace.

Why blog?

2006-02-08T12:53:00.000+08:00

First off, if anybody knows how to set Trebuchet and small font sizes as default, let me know ASAP!

Why do we blog? This blog has gone all crooked. I was supposed to document all my goals and successes. I have no idea what I'm doing. Rambling, I suppose.

I've been reading my sister's blog (hi Aly) and I've come to the conclusion that I've become old and outdated. Her writing is so much more sophisticated than mine, and yet cooler too. Something about being a grad student...she's left me in the dust, intellectually. I can barely get up in the morning anymore, and she's kicking ass....good for you kid!

However, I feel so stagnant. Perhaps Taiwan might help, but I suspect that after the novelty wears off, it'll be more of the same for me (anger, frustration, and an assortment of other negative emotions about the state of the world these days). Don't believe me? Just check out global dimming, GM foods and the current debate around asparatame, and the fact that Danielle quit what should have been a perfectly good job that turned out to be shit on all fronts.

North America is sick, and it's getting sicker. The Malaise of Modernity indeed. Maybe I should try and actually FINISH my philosophy degree in earnest. With my properties, I could AFFORD grad school. Maybe I'm just jealous of Alyson. I think leaving the continent for an extended period of time will be good for me. Get rid of my car and most of my lowly possessions. Rethink the way I view my life and the world, maybe actually get back to my Buddhist roots....

Ironically, it's the longing and the anger and frustration that have moved me from my center. Just as North America is sick (and getting sicker), so am I.

Addendum

2006-02-07T10:43:00.000+08:00

For the record, I won't be selling off anything of great personal value.

All the books, CDs and Movies will be put into storage!

Misc Ramblings

2006-02-07T08:30:00.000+08:00

"My brother and I used to say that drowning in beer was like heaven, eh. Now he's not here, and I've got two soakers. This isn't heaven--this sucks!" -

So, New Mexico is poised to ban the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Oddly enough, it was introduced to the consuming public by our good friend, Donald Rumsfeld.

So, for those of you paying attention. Danielle has opted out of teaching a brutally bad course schedule at Widdifield. It's sad the way the education system works, and the way in which they tried to dupe her into taking the position. We're just both feeling good, that though our choices, and our discipline, she was able to refuse the position without too much sacrifice on our part.

Given our restrained financial situation, we're moving, and liquidating many of our possessions. Longer-term, everyone around is (you know who you are, people!) are supporting us in going to teach overseas. Taiwan looks like the locale of choice (and I was just starting to get comfortable with the Japanese language!). We'll see how long this takes....

Some New Blogs

2006-02-01T09:56:00.000+08:00

Here's a couple of new blogs I've added to my links...

Ramblings of a Geek My great (and Geeky) ex-girlfriend

Freak Kingdom My Sister, who's doing her M.Sc. in Biology at Windsor

Check them out!

The New Conservative Government

2006-01-29T11:02:00.000+08:00

Well,

I've been thinking about this conservative government we've got in Canada now, and you know, it may not be as bad as we all think...

While, yes we have a conservative minority, we have strong parliamentary representation by four political parties. We can rest assured that Harper's "Conservative Agenda" won't go anywhere because of his weak minority, and I'm beginning to really like minority governments!

You know, this is real democracy at work here. A true democracy supports a wealth of opinion, from all over the political spectrum, where many ideas, representing many (if not yet all) Canadians can be heard. Our parliament now represents that, more than it has during the "Liberal dictatorship". I'm not afraid of Harper because of his weak minority. Canadians wanted change, but they were unsure of where to turn. Canada is not turning towards Harper's conservative views as much as we're punishing the Liberals. Canada has simply gone with whom we feel will do a 'good job' of running the country.

That said, we've given Harper's Conservatives a very short leash, balanced with a good compliment of NDPers. Hopefully, next time around, Jack will get the minority as the majority of Canadians (who I feel are more liberal than conservative) feel confident in the job his party is doing. Once the NDP forms the government, then I'll feel comfortable to move my vote from the NDP to the Greens--I'd like to never see another majority government again!

Most Depressing Day of the Year!

2006-01-24T01:16:00.000+08:00

It is.

Here's proof.

So many things seem to go wrong these days. Or as Danny would say: "The hits just keep on comin'!"

So, as it turns out, Danielle is without a job by the end of the month. That means no income. It's a blessing, really, but it just comes at a bad time for us, money-wise. I won't go into details, suffice to say that she was having a hard time at school.

However, I think we need to sell our car (I need the exercise) and sell off most of our crap (we have too much anyways). Good thing we have our real estate, and we can afford (just barely) to live on my wage alone. Too bad we woke up with no heat again (there goes another $500).

Oh, and the real estate we were looking at, it sold under our noses. And to add insult to injury, the people who bought it received an offer to purchase--on the same day they bought it--for $10k more than they paid. Nice way to make 10 grand for a day's work. We missed out on this one....

Today's the federal election, and the country's about to elect a Conservative government. I think that's the last straw! We're going to go teach overseas, and get the hell out of Canada!!

Stuff (Guitars, real estate and misc)

2006-01-15T08:09:00.000+08:00

Greetings to Jen, who's been checking out my blog....click on the post title to see the guitar (I didn't know how the link worked...first time and all)

Still kinda sick, but I went to work today (half day). To answer the question, I got a free guitar from Fender for selling so much Fender stuff over the Christmas sales season. It's a pretty nice guitar (not terribly expensive, but no cheapie either), and I'm going to re-learn how to play guitar now.

I'm also messing around with Japanese. Did you know they have three distinct alphabets? Crazy. But I'm starting to recognize characters in Japanese writing, and learning a few words too. All thanks to Shareaza (you can find ANYTHING on there).

Thinking about contacting my real estate agent this week...There's a couple of inexpensive houses D and I are considering....we might be able to get them with little down, and they would produce great income (nearly as much as I make at my job right now). They would put us on the fast track. Then we could get a house of our own in the summer....

But money's been tight the last few months, and we're just getting to the point now (recovering from buying the first two houses) where we'll have some extra cash to put aside. Just wondering about our 'comfort zone' and whether we should push ourselves as much as possible as quickly as possible. So far we've been safe, but these two properties (we'd only buy them as a pair, from the same seller) would put us outside of our safety zone (more mortgage than we could handle by ourselves, if we received NO rent whatsoever), but they're solid investments that would give us enough cash flow to get something good this summer, plus a property of our own....

So D and I will discuss it this weekend (she's loaded with work, and no prep time at all!) and I'll come up with a solution to the smoking tenant problem. If done right, these next two houses could really be the properties to push us forward over the edge and into financial freedom in only a couple more years....

Sick! (But I Get a Free Guitar)

2006-01-13T05:29:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm sick. No surprise, really. I've been feeling bad all week. Puked a couple of times, but c'est la vie. At least I'm getting a free guitar (follow the link). Kinda cool, since I've never gotten anything free before. Did get my stove. But too sick to use it. :-( Downloading software to learn Japanese with shareaza. Danielle is ticked off because Memoirs or a Geisha isn't playing in North Bay. Figures.

Slept some, did some bookkeeping, helped gradma with groceries, slept some more, watched Kids In The Hall. Going to get something for supper and pick up Danielle.

What excitement. This blog is straying somewhat. At least I can communicate with the world this way.