Category Archives: Random Musing

John Cleese is STILL really funny.”Alerts to Threats in 2011 EUROPE”

There seems to be some argument whether this is John Cleese or not John Cleese. Whoever wrote it, it’s funny.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France ‘s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”

The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose.”

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is canceled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

— John Cleese – British writer, actor and tall person

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Poem of the Week: Go to the Limits of Your Longing: Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like a flame
and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Don’t let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

Weekly poems come via Alison McGhee– with a great deal of gratitude for her wonderful curation.

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Katrina Onstad: What’s Our Mania For Meat? Globe and Mail

I don’t often read Katrina Onstad but I liked this article or those of you interested in the ‘eat meat or don’t eat meat’ debate she dives right in there.

I’m not sure how it happened, but I now live in the Meat Unpacking District.

At the north end of my Toronto street are two sister restaurants, the Black Hoof and the recently-closed-but-soon-to-reopen Hoof Café. True to their names, the former is renowned for its “off-cut-centric” menu and pig-head tacos; the latter’s claim to fame was its “love letters,” envelopes of beef tongue and pork-belly pastrami. Walk east and there’s a porchetta sandwich shop. Further south is the home of the grass-fed gourmet burger, which isn’t far from the organic butcher shop. All this hacking and cleaving is greeted with long queues, critical accolades and rapturous testimony on Chowhound. Continue reading

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Gardening 001: What on earth are these?? Tulips, no garlic, no tulips

There is a great deal of wonder in gardening. The wonder of discovery, the wonder of seeing things grow, the wonder of connecting to the earth. You stick bulbs and/or seeds in dirt and the next thing you know they’re peeking their heads out, marching along in the big spring parade. But what I didn’t know was what an adventure gardening is. For example, planting things and having no recollection of what you planted. The leafy green things pictured above are supposed to be tulips. Clearly they’re not. So what are they? Garlic, onion, some other form of tulip?? Thoughts anyone?

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Yoshikatsu Hiratsuka

Great art for me, regardless of its form, has the ability to translate the specific and transform it into an iteration of the universal, so that it becomes something that is so essentially human that we are able to recognize it on a deeply visceral level. Dave brought this picture to my attention, and that is what this picture does for me.

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Calling All Book Lovers! Onehundredonebooks is a great literary blog

Hello Book Lovers,

Thanks to WordPress’s Freshly Pressed, I had the good fortune of coming across Robert Bruce’s blog, One Hundred One Books. There’s a billion and one book blogs out there, so to say it’s a crowded market is an understatement for sure. Most of us who write about books do so out of love for literature and any contributions to the love of great books is wonderful. Some people, however, do it better than others. And I think Robert does a great job.

First of all, what appeals to me is the fact that he is working his way through a list. It makes it easy and straightforward, you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. Second of all, the list he happens to be working through is Time Magazine’s 100 Greatest Novels since 1923 (plus Ulysses), so you know that the books on this list are practically required quality reading for the literary buff.

Thirdly, Robert is a good writer AND he delivers the goods. Contrary to popular blogging norms where less is more, I’m happy to say that Robert subscribes to the belief that more is more. He writes well and reasonably comprehensively (without killing you) on a book. No 140 characters for him, although I’m sure he does that as well.

So this is what you get when you visit his list of read and ranked Times 101 books:

Quick Facts
His Thoughts
Other Stuff
Highlights
Lowlights
Memorable Line
Final Thoughts

But I can talk about this all I want. Why not take a wander over there and enjoy it for yourself.

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Poem of the Week: The Snowmass Cycle (excerpt) – Stephen Dunn 1. Retreat


The sailor dreamt of loss,
but it was I who dreamt the sailor.
I was landlocked, sea-poor.
The sailor dreamt of a woman
who stared at the sea, then tired
of it, advertised her freedom.
She said to her friend: I want
all the fire one can have
without being consumed by it.
Clearly, I dreamt the woman too.
I was surrounded by mountains
suddenly green after a long winter,
a chosen uprootedness, soul shake-up,
every day a lesson about the vastness
between ecstasy and repose.
I drank coffee called Black Forest
at the local cafe. I took long walks
and tried to love the earth
and hate its desecrations.
All the Golden Retrievers wore red
bandannas on those muttless streets.
All the birches, I think, were aspens.
I do not often remember my dreams,
or dream of dreamers in them.
To be without some of the things
you want, a wise man said,
is an indispensable part of happiness.


For more information on Stephen Dunn, click here: http://www.stephendunnpoet.com/home.htm

Thanks to Alison McGhee for her weekly selection of poems.

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Vancouver Archives

[Northward view of Arbutus Street near 33rd Avenue showing an interurban stop, a car and houses]

[View of English Bay beach and pier showing Englesea Lodge, Sylvia Court Apartments and the bathhouse]

The city of Vancouver has a wonderful photo archive which they have made available on flickr. The above picture is a view of Arbutus Street near 33rd Avenue. There are lots of great shots of early Vancouver. I moved here in the early 80’s and the city has changed tremendously. This collection really highlights the incredible development (for good or ill) that the city has undergone in the last many decades. Check it out.

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Aw, I love my family

I want to thank my mother-in-law for taking our dog Reub this week so it wouldn’t be too hard for me to say goodbye to him.
I want to thank my brother for calling me almost every day to see how my new job was going.
I want to thank my sister Jokelee for phoning me the day I started work and letting me cry like a baby.
To my father-in-law who continues to be incensed that I gave up an office.
Another thanks to my mother-in-law for sending home a big home-made casserole of cabbage rolls.
To my other sister for getting us to do the snowshoe race which I’m looking forward to.
To my other, other sister for being inspirational.
To my dog for being my biggest warmest fan.
And to Dave for allowing me to unfold into life and supporting me 100 per cent of the way every day for the last seven years.

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Poem of the Week: The Times by Lucille Clifton

it is hard to remain human on a day
when birds perch weeping
in the trees and the squirrel eyes
do not look away but the dog ones do
in pity.
another child has killed a child
and i catch myself relieved that they are
white and i might understand except
that i am tired of understanding.
if this
alphabet could speak its own tongue
it would be all symbol surely;
the cat would hunch across the long table
and that would mean time is catching up,
and the spindle fish would run to ground
and that would mean the end is coming
and the grains of dust would gather themselves
along the streets and spell out:
these too are your children this too is your child

Thanks to Alison McGhee for her weekly curating of these wonderful poems.

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