Mt. Chomolunga

Before we begin as usual, please continue to sign my petition asking the Canadian government to include animal rights in the constitution.

Here's the website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution


You know what I hate? The term summiting. Why does no one ever say "climb"? The people who climb Mount Everest always use such hardcore, and really aggressive language about getting up that mountain. It's such patriarchal, dominating language.

It's like as if all the people who are going to climb Mt.Everest, or truly any other mountain, want to conquer the shit out of it. Want to make it into a war, and at the same time drain their bank accounts. They also make it into a huge spectacle with cameras, websites, sponsorships.

Shit. Wouldn't the logical thing be to think like a mountain? And then instead of spending all that money on "hard-core gear", why not just go and live up in the mountain area you want to climb for a long time. Become one with the ebbs and flows of the mountain, enabling you to acclimatize slowly, and with time you will, depending on how long you live with the mountain, gain more red blood cells, allowing you to take in m0re oxygen, as all mountain-dwelling people can.

But this would never do to most "ascenders" as they are all in such a damn hurry to get there, and "summit". I could've called this piece, Zen and the art of Mt. Chomolunga, but think how ironic that would be?

What do the Sherpas say? Probably "climb" or maybe something even more beautiful, less "me" against "nature" and more Tibetan Buddhist, which is what they are, and perhaps, they say, "We are going to be one with the great spirit of Chomolungma"

The Tibetan word for Mt. Everest,Chomolungma, translates as Saint Mother. Isn't that beautiful? Instead of being named after some stupid colonial, white guy, a name which was chosen by another stupid,colonial, white guy.

the petition, what's going on?

My petition continues to inch along, as if it's kind of been mortally wounded, but struggling to stay afloat. Geez, why aren't more people queuing up to sign, I wonder?

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution

The Racism of Agatha Christie

Before we begin, please continue to sign my petition asking the Canadian government to include animal rights in the constitution.

Here's the website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution

Something weird: The petition won't register signer #286, and has jumped from # 285 to 287. What happened to the person, signer #286, who took the time to sign, where's her/his signature?


I like reading, and I also like reading well-written stories. Though, when I read a story peppered with racial epithets, I feel very uncomfortable to angry, and more times than not I stop whatever book it is I am in the throws of.

Agatha Christie is a major culprit. She always has characters, or just the tone of her narrator's voice, spouting what I would call racist crap. I try to think, "Well this is how the rich, WASP, British of a certain era behaved." But still I find it ??? what? difficult, no, because she, as the author is not at all reflective, so perhaps a better word would be, angry.

Reading about a character using the n-word to describe a type of fucking dessert, and have another character repeat the word, to understand what type of dessert was being described is sick.

Then, to have Christie as the narrator's voice, talk, always about so-and so the 'stingy', or 'wealthy',"Jew" or "Jewess". And btw, the adjective wealthy, is not used in positive way, it's meant in a smarmy way.

Disgusting.

She is the pre-eminent doyen of crime writing, but she also completely upholds the wealthy, WASP majority sensibility.

I hate the word "Jew". I find it anti-Semitic. I refuse to use it.

It's just tiring, having to put these books down, when I get all interested in them.

I think maybe the publishers could take more responsibility and put disclaimers on the covers of the books. Disclaimers like: " Caution, a lot of racial language and British, WASP entitlement involved."


What do you think?

keep on keepin on

Kitten steps I guess. Dear old Jack Layton won't, it seems, sign my petition. Though he assures me that he and the NDP are all deeply committed to the cause of animal welfare. And why won't he sign? He made some crappy claim that because a bill was already turned down in parliament by the current ass government and the opposition, he won't try again.

Pathetic.

I wrote back telling him how imperative his signing this bill is.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution

Wendie, it's your birthday!!

Happy Birthday Wendie!!!!!!!!!!!


See I kinda figured out how to post a hot girl!

Hope you dig her and your day is swell!

Same shit, different name

Lest we forget my petition to include animal rights into Canada's constitution:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution


This blog posting was from a piece I wrote called Globalized Apartheid, back in 'o5, I've done some little edits.

"Here in my city we had a large procession of police officers of colour parade through my Caribbean 'hood. Did the "media" even bat an eye, let alone toss one meager little scrap of mention about it anywhere. I was surprised as anyone to come home to a huge barricade of white and intimidating cops, only to later see that the parade contingent was by and large peopled with officers of colour. I think all of us watching let out a sigh of relief and, simultaneously, felt a surge of pride."

"However, the question begs asking, if we in Canada, pride ourselves,( at least I think we do) on being such a forward thinking society, then why the hell do we still need to mention the colour of someone's skin, their religion (always Jewish when the writer is clearly not) or sexual option!? Our new Governor General is an amazing Haitian born Canadian who is getting touted as being "the first black Governor General.” Does this not make anyone else feel like the shadow of jim crow is just behind the lurking tree, with the noose still blowing in the wind?"

What's the Apartheid like in your city?"

And, on that note, what's your ism?

Sobering stuff from H.H The Dalai Lama

First, please keep letting people know about my petition, here it is:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution

And now much needed perspective from one of my favourite humans, His Holiness, the lovely Dalai Lama.

I love him. He must be the most peaceful person.Whenever I look at a photo of him,
I feel so calm.

"The Dalai Lama made some powerful statements about the horrors and the inhumanity inherent in killing animals to eat them:"

"Hunting. Beef, sheep farms. Piggeries. Millions, billions die. We can be so cruel to animals."
"He went on to discuss vegetarianism—noting that he himself gave up meat, dairy, and eggs in 1965, though he has occasionally eaten meat since then "(taken from the PETA website)

"His Holiness's kitchen in Dharamsala is vegetarian. However, during visits outside of Dharamsala, His Holiness is not necessarily vegetarian. "
( from http://www.dalailama.com/page.52.htm)

And check out this article, about H.H The Dalai Lama attending a conference in supposedly post-Apartheid S. Africa. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/258287.html

I dunno, small tidbits but reaffirming and therefore important, at least for my heart!