farmer and philosopher, i love thee

monday evening, i spent with a highly intelligent man. one who uses his hands and his mind, as well as, his heart. his name is joel salatin. the man speaks directly from my inside me. during his talk (at ubc - with 200 other people, unfortunately) all i could do was nod my head in agreement and it took every ounce of my non-religious self to not get up and cry, "amen!! Let the pig express it's pigness!!"....ja, ok - so i had a holy moment.

a bit of background:"...the farm [polyface farm] arguably represents America’s premier non-industrial food production oasis. Believing that the Creator’s design is still the best pattern for the biological world, the Salatin family invites like-minded folks to join in the farm’s mission: to develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world..." (http://www.polyfacefarms.com/story.aspx)

i love that this man - his family and community - have managed to bring together the ultimate wholeness of farming: happy (!!) animals, grassy fields, forest, humans, community, education, innovation, love, honesty and - arguably joel's favorite, the earthworm. the story of polyface farm is one of a marriage of philosophy, hard work, passion and humanity.

i know...i will turn down my gushing enthusiasm and admiration a bit now - but honestly - we need more men (and it takes a real man, to be a sissy farmer) like him, who share their passion and make a change. even if it is just a local one ;)

all about the feel good music -- clearly.

bones

"never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be"
-- clementine paddleford

the age of stupid

i used to get really worked up about politics. like really worked up - anyone who's sat at a round table with me and a few drinks (and even without booze) can attest to this. over the years, the more i learn about human beings, 'the system' and the world in general, well, let's just say i no longer quite see eye to eye with my old self.

america was my nemesis, along with any gov't, system or view that oppressed, discriminated and enslaved people, in the open or secretly. don't get me wrong - i still don't accept this as morally correct or in anyway justifiable, but my view of 'things' has become more clear. it wasn't that i was specifically racist (for lack of a better term) against americans; au contraire - america was built by rebels, fearless men and women, with great revolutionary ideas - opposition to the old. until, well, the old system of greed and money took over, and things turned to shit ...andrew jackson, was probaby the last truly courageous man to stand in the way of the poisonous corruption that came with the modern monetary system....and all those who did (and do) stand its way, don't last.

anyway, back to my point: it just so happened that while my friends and i were growing up, trying to figure out what our opinions were of the world, where we stood and who we were, america was fucking up pretty badly. 9/11 was probably one of the biggest events of our short lives, and impacted us quite heavily since we, as canadians, are so close knit with america. so a lot of our energy was spent discussing america, its politics, its ideals, its wars, etc. mostly i think this was also because none of us, so called 'educated university students' had much a of a fucking clue what was going on in our own gov't and, well, it's just a lot more interesting trashing and taking apart another party than your own. 'not in my own backyard'--- anyone remember that from high school??? canada is just more low key, over all (not a bad thing), but america was just so much easier to dislike.

i was never one to really believe what we are served on the silver media platter and was raised to challenge ideas or rules put in front of me, but ten, twelve years ago, i didn't yet have the mental capacity to distinguish between bs and absolute bullshit. it takes time, endless conversations with friends, family, complete strangers, people of all races, all religions, all political views and a good long time with yourself, to figure life out. not that i have, but i think i am getting better at life the older i get (just an idea).

so, i have come to the conclusion (and this could easily change over the years - again) that nothing is as it seems. canadians, americans, africans, chinese, israelis, germans, russians, danes, english, and yadi yadi yada - we're all the same. we're all in the same fucking boat, if you really look into things. wars, btw, are all created for monetary reasons by people who can do so and profit immensely (but we are either too blind, ignorant - or choose not to see this) are fought for some romantic ideal, such as patriotism, or religious beliefs, are just part of a bigger picture where we are all being played against each other....like pawns. of course, to everyone's defense, we are kept busy, with fear-installing broadcasts, advertising, reality tv, mortgage and car payments, investments, retirement plans, taxes (don't get me started) and so much countless bull that we don't see what is really going on around us. i don't think there is one country or gov't (if you can even still believe in such an institution) that is doing a good job -- if you know of one, please notify me immediately, my bags are ready.

the world has become enslaved by our greed and disregard for one another and our planet - happiness is based on money (or debt, really)... and we seem to have forgotten that we all share the fundamentals of life with one another. why do we hate those who are different to us? why do we cause so much pain and are in constant competition with one another? where have our values as human beings gone? or did we ever have any? i dunno the answers or the solutions to any of these questions, and i don't mean to lecture anyone, but i think it is good to think about things once in a while....reevaluate and challenge ideas, otherwise how do we progress?

more money is spent on warfare (one tiny example: frickin' jets that patrol our canadian skies - $9 billion just for these 65 aircrafts) than on our children's education. i'm sorry, but if our children don't get proper education, who will be flying those jets in the future -- or maybe a bit less tom-cruisey might be the question of maintenance or engineering and creating these jets in the first place. but i guess we don't have to worry about that since we can just contract these sorta jobs out to companies in other countries (you know, that's what friendly connections are for -- not real market competition or fueling our own economy).

i don't think slavery ever ended; our chains are just less visible now.

take a look at what's going on in your country, your city, your neighborhood, your institution, your family, yourself. stop pointing fingers, hating, blaming, criticizing other countries, cultures and people. i have. i have come to the realization that america is no different to germany, to canada, to england, or china - all countries play by the same rules, we have all been infected - and the only change comes from within.

i do believe in the power of the people. we just have to start thinking for ourselves, as humans....but maybe that's expecting too much.

please challenge me on this, if you like - it's helps set the wheels in motion - or keeps them going :]

"when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want"

-- from 'waiting on the world to change'

zenaida kwong

i love her work, always have. i remember years ago in university, when we first met - she was working on a glitter painting triptic of pop images, one was of audrey hepburn - i immediately like her [after all i loved marilyn - and who doesn't like glitter]. where zen really excelled though, was with her photography, and i am happy to see she has chosen to follow her calling and her talent seems to have served her well...

the modeling photographs have an innocent sexuality about them; soft girlie faces, sheer light, romantic sparkle. in contrast, there are some edgier ones too, but i prefer the more sensual ones, they seem more honest to me.

most of all, i love zen's 'personal work' - pictures of her travels through the world. great color, contrast, composition, all that jazz and they are different. it's how i imagine she actually sees the world.

anyway....since a picture is worth a thousand words, i'll let them do the talking...

http://www.zenaidakwong.com/index.html

john and i

heartbreak warfare - ouch



waiting on the world to change - pretty much



f r e e fallin' - cause tom and i go way back ;)



who says? - no comment



clarity - goosebumps, still

perhaps

Photograph of Moira Forjaz by Sam Haskins from 'Cowboy Kate'.


When a diplomat says yes, he means ‘perhaps’;
When he says perhaps, he means ‘no’;
When he says no, he is not a diplomat.

When a lady says no, she means ‘perhaps’;
When she says perhaps, she means ‘yes’;
When she says yes, she is not a lady.

Voltaire (Quoted, in Spanish, in Escandell 1993.)

clearly the devil's work.

i have come to the conclusion that shoes, especially high heels, are a perverse and torturous invention [just like bras, but that's a whole other rant]. since i am not the 'preferred' - and unrealistic - height of a fashion model, most of the pants i own are too long. today i wore one of said pairs, with appropriately high heels, to minimize the amount of fraying that occurs when you walk on your pant hems. well, not even half the day has passed and i am ready to have several toes amputated. my feet feel as i imagine they would after years of traditional chinese foot binding. i'm sorry mr. loubouton, jimmy choo and whoever else the modern wizards of shoe making are, i prefer my birkenstock or even better: au natural. maybe with the prices that designer shoes cost nowadays, they should just stay encased in glass, on a pedestal as the pieces of art that they are, where they cannot inflict pain on anyone.... so as i type, i am sitting at my desk with my stupid stilettos discarded in the corner and my bare feet happy and free. my high heels are retiring anyway....

notes to self

No One is Perfect. The quicker this is realized the faster you can get on with being excellent. Start every morning ready to fight harder than you did the day before and run further than you ever imagine.

Avoid over explaining yourself. Be confident with who you are.

Keep balance in your life. Write down what’s most important to you and show up. Sometimes we tend to do the things that are most important to us when it’s written down.

Play the hand you were dealt. Have the courage to face challenges head on it builds character. Start looking for a way through instead of a way out.

Be a student of life. Learn something new every day. The day you stop learning is the day you become obsolete so keep learning.

No Excuses. Stop making excuses replace them with ways to do better. Excuses are a waste of time and energy.

Let others know where you Stand. Be uncompromising and be up front when someone steps on your core values.

Never be afraid of a challenge. You put on your shoes like every other man. Now it comes down to who wants it more.

Service to others. Small, simple or important be a volunteer and give the very best of you.

Work like hell. Everyone has a job to do so do it. Cross every “T” and dot every “I”.

Discover You. Find your passion, life purpose, and take action.

Don’t take it Personal. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself self confidence shows that you’re comfortable in your own skin.

Manage your time. Our situation and environment is ever changing so be careful not to confuse the things that are urgent with the things that are important. Look for time wasters and eliminate them.

Ask for help. Life can be tough remember you never have to do it alone.

Do your homework. Know what you getting into before you start. Doing your homework reduces uncertainty and fear.

Day Dream Often. On the weekend when you are relaxing embrace a day dream. During the week take action to preserve your dreams.

Be A HERO. Cultivate a healthy dose of forgiveness and set someone free. Learn to forgive others and stop carrying those bags of hate, guilt or regret.

Stay One Step Ahead. Be proactive, Take the initiative, Brainstorm with the big picture in mind.

Self Love. Become your own priority. Strive to be the you, you want to be.

Finish what you started. Avoid the urge to stray.

A STUDY

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle. For example: if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest with a bat up his ass while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected on this subject.

no more fish - i pledge allegiance to the dolphin

i watched "the cove" last night. HEART BREAK! by the end of the documentary, i was balling my face off, sobbing and swearing to myself, i would never eat fish again. obviously, dolphin meat is not an ingredient in my delicious tuna melts, but i couldn't help think - what is this "dolphin safe" label on my tuna can - does it guarantee that no dolphin was hurt in the process? no. it doesn't. my guess, it's all marketing.

but this isn't the only reason why i am giving up fish, unless it is of a sustainable kind from our region. human beings are 'over-catching' all fish, meaning fish have no chance to reproduce fast enough, and eventually we will run out of fish. this is awful news, since 70% of the human population on earth depends on fish as their primary protein. that's insane - and the biggest threat to humans! yes, maybe even bigger than global warming.

mercury poisoning. we all know pregnant women should not eat seafood, since the effect of mercury on the brain of the fetus is extremely dangerous, but what about the rest of us? in addition to the other environmental pollution our bodies have to fight daily, we now add extremely toxic seafood. for example, have you ever seen the amount of plastic that floats in the world's oceans? google it, you'll be amazed. or how about the chemical cocktail that our oceans have become from industrialization? all this is absorbed by the fish in the sea, which we then happily gobble down, cause it's "good for us" -- low fat and full of omegas. sure, but the amount of toxins outweighs the goodness by a million.

think before you eat. think before you buy. the only real vote you have is how you spend your dollar (or insert preferred currency here).

this is my pledge to the dolphins and whales out there - i would rather give up all seafood (a huge deal for me) than know that i could be a part of the industry, that slaughters so brutally.

to view the film - for free: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cove/

no supernova here - just the future

i am going to be a farmer :] i am officially a student of applied biology, starting monday.

& one day i will have that wonderful, self sufficient, natural piece of heaven.....à la joe salatin's polyface farm. it will just takes a shitload of work to get there.

http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!

little boost - don't ever give up on your dreams - seriously, it's all in you [cheesy as it is]. of course, it helps to have someone who inspires you, supports you - like a mentor. i have found this person, and he wears a very unassuming straw hat and a huge grin.