Signs of Spring

Ok...the kittens in the garage are also adorable. And smart as kitten-sized whips. I put a box for them to snuggle in, and they do and they are also using the litter box I just added.

I'm watching the sun set behind me...it was raining all day, but the sun came out and was just beautiful, cold, but beautiful.


Decisions are damned difficult, maybe this would explain why I seem to be having problems spelling this word..or so says the spell check. And this blog feels fit for the compost.

But on the brighter side..I have made some break- throughs with the kittens! I spoke with someone fromThe Humane Society who said I need to try and socialize them, and voila, I got to actually pick one little monkey up today. S/he was eating and the others had scampered away and this little one was so engrossed in the eating, that s/he didn't run away, and so I gently picked her/him up and held ( I'll just say her from here on in, ) her and petted her, and then she realized. " Hey, I'm not on the ground eating!", and just like that she leaped out of my arms and back to the waiting food.


And since that initial snuggle I've given a pet to someone else, and they all don't seem as timid anymore. Skinner I am not. But socialized they are a gettin'! Apart from them, I am also looking after their mom, and the other homeless kitty, C.P, plus my own kitty..that's 7. It's a lot, but I feel blessed that they have chosen our garage to live in!

I also saw a baby raccoon on my porch the other night.

Dreaded Misfits

"Me and you, your momma and your cousin too
Rollin down the strip on vogues
Comin up slammin Cadillac doz"

Awah!

Patriarchal words and expressions to reclaim
Below this first list you'll find all the corresponding reclaimed words

1. Seminal
2. Penal
3. Mankind, Man made
4. the verb "To Man"example: "someone to man the door"
5. Erect, Erected
6. Gay
7. Spunk or Spunky
8. Husbandry--meaning farming ,economy
9. Genocide-w/ reference to the females or witches (let's reclaim this one too, shall we?) who were killed in the Spanish Inquisition
10. Manhole Cover
11. Penmanship
12. Sportsmanship
13. Workmanship
14. Walkman/Disc man
15. Manager
    

The Reclaimed!!!!

1. Vulvic, Ovic, Oveal or Ovarian
2. Vagic, Ovaric,Vaginal
3. Womankind, Womanmade
4. To look the fuck after, to watch, To oversee, To guard
   
5. Raised , Built
6. Queer, Sexy Mutherfucker
7. Passion(ate),Tenacity
8. The art of Farming, Farm labouring
9. Gynocide
10. Utility hole cover
11. Writing
12. Athletic/ A good Athlete
13. Work ethic
14. Portable cassette/CD player
15. Supervisor
    

And now, a wee excerpt from a zine I used to write...

"I'd like a nice , Jewish( which is an adjective) girl, w. dreads, who
loves cooking and cats ...kissing and the rain...mmmm, sounds dreamy,

I think people have a genuine allergy, its a medical condition really. It's called emailum phobilaius, honest ingin it's a real and true condition. It dates back to the time of the pen; that awkward utensil used for both stabbing a random opponent in their ocular cavity or for writing handy things down like cute girls #s, thoughts, film reviews, whatever...

Well, at first this new, fandangled instrument of both destruction and joy was praised and loved...but then...as time grew on, people started getting ill, a girl would see a hot girl in the street, and instead of getting her number---they'd talk!!! right there in the open public!!!
the horra! People would go to see plays and other cultural
things...and instead of writing their requisite review in the local cultural rag... they would sit for extended periods in mead halls and coffee shops and discuss these plays, films, what have you, together! People were becoming ill, the disease was taking over...the deadly hand cramp was causing people to become extroverts!!!

Social interaction was becoming the norm.!!(insert mad gasp here!) Needless, to say, when the Internet was invented and we were given the fine
technology of email, people thought "Oh look, a better and ?? faster way to communicate my thoughts, hopes, dreams, wishes and desires; better than the lowly pen." Well, this is not an entirely accurate portrayal of people...becuz actually no one could remember the name
for the pen...all they remembered were the stories their grandparents
had imprinted on them about the deadly and lethal "handius
crampius". And thus, after a short time people began to first, lose interest in the new technology...emails would go unanswered for days then weeks, and then finally people started catching "the disease" --emailum phobilaius --the common thought was "why email when I can
talk.".. plus , people, started saying, "it isn't that speedy,there are glitches in this so-called new technology...we're tied of it, we want to start a revolution!!"
And so the brilliant sheep herd all thought they were so cool coming
up with their very revolutionary anarchist mores, cuz none of them had
evidently heard of their far more intelligent precursors...
The Luddites!( sheesh!)

I bring you this little cautionary tale, kind readers, as a reminder:
we are given the gift of technology to use as a means of communication,
if we don't use what we have , we lose not just the forms (the net,the
pen, zines!!!) but we soon forget their basic function, (to link
people together) and the deep, pensive , inward thinkers of the world,
will be forced to make polite conversation at parties, smoke cheap
cigars, and only hope that their cute dreaded misfit still values the
importance of community built through the written word!"



"As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found
himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect" Franz Kafka


A tree in Ireland near the Hill of Tara

The weather

Just a wee note about the weather, its raining and dark and so cozy. Every single person I saw outside today was dressed for dry and warm weather. I, on the other hand was dressed for the rain, full stop. Rain boots, rain pants, my rain proof parka...no water touched me. I love the rain..and so does my cat, she loves venturing forth in it. Though today she's snuggled in her basket...

Trip preparations are underway!



The roots of a Rowan tree...from a fairy glen..Scotland!!!

Karma is a _____________?

I hope everyone is signing the Harb Seal Bill: the anti-seal slaughtering petition. If you haven't yet, then please do it now. It takes just a minute, and your voice is important in, hopefully getting my ass government to realize that karma is a screaming banshee, when provoked.

Bottom line: Sign the seal petition.

In other news, crocuses are a bloomin', so are the lovely hyacinths and daffodils...and I have seen many a chubby robin of late, I've even seen cardinals..pretty good!


My kitty is the quintessential hockey player..with some cord.

And travels are in the air for yours truly.


Here's a thought; many people who don't want to consume a steady flow of negativity choose to not watch the news or read the paper, but what about all the "reality television", and the misogyny disguised as entertainment via shows or magazines?

People who imbibe the news never say: " Hey, I'm gonna tune out and turn my brain off out for an hour and watch world politics."

The light, fluffy stuff is actually more lethal than watching the shit go down in Gaza.

Think about it.

The G20 and all that jazz

"Rap is like a set up. A lot of games. A lot of suckers with colourful names. I'm so-and-so. I'm this and that. But they all just wick wick whack."
( K.R.S One, My Philosophy)

I'm not sure when it leap frogged from merely the G8 to a whopping 12 extras to quickly gain more allies against the clawing, angry unwashed, poor, anarchist masses?

Though, I must say here that I don't agree with the tactics of the 'protesters'; throwing shit through windows and burning plastic and doing all the things that they are rallying the leaders to not do. What I dig is the art that came out of it. The life-size monopoly board with people as the game pieces, among other photos I saw that were creative.

And just so we're all on board here, anarchy means "without rulers" not, as most people tend to think : without rules. There is a big distinction. It's funny how 1 letter can make the world of difference, really. Well, I've just finished writing a letter to a guy at a paper who did a "thing" , for lack of any thing decent to call it, on what the wives of the leaders of the world were wearing.

Just a random p.s. here, does Good Friday mean anything to you? Well it doesn't for the Huichols either, but they do recognize Jesus the Light or Christ (Greek: Chrystos) as a shaman and healer, and during Semana Santa, Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, they involve his statues in processions. Pretty synchretic huh? Who knew?

I always knew them as very animistic, pagan, and deeply spiritual, versus religious people. Though, it isn't strange, because most, 'new world' cultures, (even to some extant the First Nations people here in North America) and religions are blends of Catholicism and much older, earth-based spiritulaities. We can also see evidence of this in other religions, like Santeria or Condomble, and in RastafarIansim; the I and I consciousness ,which is also referred to as a "movement-culture".

"Jah free the people, over hills and vallies too..../Through this mystical communication within, we keep on getting together. I love to see brothers and sisters looking out for one another."

"Although mainly converted to Christianity, the Huicholes are polygamous and usually pray to deities of nature, such as the sun, fire, water and fertility. Their celebrations include the local change of headman around January 1st, Carnival, Holy Week and various festivals connected with the harvest. They are all linked by special rituals, including particular foods, drinks, music, dances, sacrifices, etc." ( from http://www.planetware.com/nayarit/huicholes-mex-nay-hch.htm)

Here it is, for your reading pleasure: Two things to note, before we begin reading. One, I used his first name on purpose, women are always being referred to simply by their first names.
___________________________________________________________
This letter is in response to the article from Friday April 3rd, 2009 in the Living section.

While the world is economic turmoil, and the G20 summit has allowed a flood gate of anarchy to reign with issues of environmental torture and capitalist oligarchies front and centre, you grace us with what the women were wearing.
Did you ever stop to think that if those same women were running the show in their full-on own right , perhaps the G20 , a big boys club if ever, and all it's ensuing riots wouldn't have been as bloody?
Naturally, you mention none of these heavy topics, because, one assumes , you are aiming your article, if it can even be called that, at women, am I right? And therefore in keeping with these assumptions, keep it "fun" must be your motto?
To that end, let me begin with saying how disgusted I am Derek, by your reduction of women to nothing more than mannequins. You begin the reductionist insults right off the bat in your title, wherein you use the word Mrs., assuming that all the women in that group want to be recognized as belonging to a man,which is what Mrs. entails; there is no male equivalent Derek. These "wives-of" are professionals with degrees, thoughts, emotions and power, and yet you, like all men in patriarchal societies who have imbibed the misogyny hook and all, see women as nothing more than an appendage to someone or a clothes-horse. Because you write a pithy column about fashion, read: enslavement, you think your brand of sexism won't look as crass and degrading as a catcall, but it does. You feel it's your place to make sure that these women are seen and ogled as 'good' and 'dutiful' wives in order to keep up appearances, and therefore not to be heard. Won't it be interesting, Derek, to have the world run by women?
We would parade you sorry lots around in tiny clothes, comment on your hair, bodies and teeth, and your only job would be to act as "arm candy".
It wouldn't matter how many doctorates you had, research papers written, court cases won, surgeries performed or lectures given, your gender would still be here to keep our houses clean, our food cooked and to receive low wages and no rights, sounds about right, doesn't it? Oh, and if men were quiet and didn't make too much fuss, we might let you vote. Though, we wouldn't want you to concern your pretty, little heads with the big, scary world of politics, so maybe in a hundred years! These women, Derek, the partners of the men leaders, do not deserve to be displayed and commented on like Barbie Dolls. I suppose no one's taught you that a woman's worth is not, at all, based on appearance, though your club, patriarchy would have us believe otherwise. Derek, you need to step into 2009.

Our Precious Seals

If you click on the title, "Our Precious Seals" you will be taken to my animal rights website

This is an email I got from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), who are doing amazing work, and the email asks for donations to help end the cruelty. It's pretty brutal, what's happening, and I wish that each human who causes torture and or death to a seal with get terminal cancer, that will eat them alive.

This barbaric hunt, or slaughter is being dubbed "humane" by my fucking piece of shit government. How the fuck can any kind of murder/slaughter be "humane"? That's akin to saying the Holocaust was 'just a war'.
______________________________________________________________________________________
"I have a shocking story to tell you.

Just last week, our hunt observers personally witnessed an injured, bleeding seal escape into the water before a sealer could finish killing it. The sealer tried to pull the seal out by the hind flippers but it slipped out of his grip and into the icy water. This wounded seal most likely suffocated or bled to death under the ice - and yet this needless loss of life won't even be counted in the official number of seals killed.

And that's not even the shocking part.

What's shocking is that this is expected to happen 15,000 more times during this year's Canadian seal hunt! In recent years, as many as 26,000 seal pups - many not yet old enough to know how to swim - have been mortally injured, and then lost or left behind.

They call the seals who die these unnecessary deaths, the "struck and lost." It's heartbreaking enough that a seal dies to make a fur hat or gloves - but to die for no reason at all? It shows how inhumane this hunt truly is...and it leaves me profoundly saddened and speechless.

So I'm reaching out to you again to please help us put an end to this brutal and wasteful slaughter. You can make their deaths mean something.

Please make a donation now for the forgotten victims of the seal hunt.

The Canadian government claims that the annual seal slaughter is "a humane, professionally run hunt." But our evidence shows that this simply isn't true!

The latest report from the ice proved it with this chilling story:

"We also saw seal pups which had been killed and then left frozen on the ice - without their skins removed. Thousands more had been skinned, but their carcasses were just left there - abandoned on the ice amid pools of blood."

Can you imagine going for a walk in the woods and finding dead animal carcasses rotting on the forest floor all around you? The government would never allow such horrific and wasteful killing - the police would be called in, and arrests would be made. But for the seal hunt - they not only allow it, they subsidise it!

Of course, the ice eventually melts or floats off to sea, and the evidence of this dreadful cruelty is gone forever. And that's why it's vital that that our seal hunt observers remain on the ice gathering video footage and evidence. We use this proof to tell the REAL story. But we need your help to keep our team out there and to alert the world to this tragedy.

Please send an emergency donation now to help us keep our hunt observers at the scene of the slaughter.

The world is intensely watching this year's hunt, and I'm certain that the evidence we are gathering will speak for itself:

• It will help convince the European Parliament to pass an EU-wide ban on the trade in seal parts.
• It will help gather support for Canadian Senator Harb's historic Bill to end the commercial seal hunt forever. Thanks to IFAW's efforts, Russia recently banned the killing of seals less than one year old - a great step forward for seals - and now it's time for Canada to enact their own seal hunt ban.
• And it will help convince other countries to follow the lead of the US, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and many other nations who have already banned seal products or announced their intention to do so.

Please help us honour the forgotten victims of this brutal and senseless hunt by making a donation today. Any amount you can spare will help.

...For the "struck and lost," and the hundreds of thousands of other seals that will be killed this year,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Fred O'Regan IFAW CEO