Monkey in the Machine

Doc Oc lives -- in monkey form!

B.C. Supreme Court: Drug laws unconstitutional

Canada's laws prohibiting possession and trafficking of drugs were struck down as unconstitutional Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court, in a case focusing on the plague of drug addiction in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

However, Justice Ian Pitfield gave Ottawa until June 30, 2009, to fix the law and bring it in line with the constitutional principle of fundamental justice.

The ruling, in a case challenging the federal government's jurisdiction over Insite, Vancouver's controversial safe-injection site, goes well beyond the site itself.
...
"The court ... affirmed the right of people with serious addictions to access the health care they need to deal with the addictions and the coincidental health affects of those addictions," Monique Pongracic-Speier said.

My hope is that this is the beginning of a new way of legislating drug law. Eventually, I'd like to see this attitude prevail throughout North America. I think it will. For one, possession laws have to change: the States is running out of room in the prisons!

Nepal abolishes 239-year-old monarchy

The world is a changing place...

KATHMANDU, Nepal – The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic today as Nepal's legislators, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years.

A great auteur passes on

Sydney Pollack has been perhaps one of my favourite filmmakers and actors since I was a teenager. He imbued everything he did with his own sensibilities and I always respected his gently no-nonsense approach to his actors.

Here's a peek inside this wholey human, incredibly poignant master of capturing the human instinct to be recognized.

The Dawn of a New Era

I wasn't all that interested in the mission to Mars until I saw this slideshow and read this:

A scoop on Phoenix Mars will dig 20 inches into the Martian soil, into a layer of ice. For a decade, NASA's mantra on Mars exploration has been "follow the water." This will be the first time that instruments will actually touch some of Mars's water. Phoenix Mars does not have any instruments for directly detecting life, but it will be able to detect chemical signals that might indicate whether Mars was habitable for life.

Very cool! It's amazing to me how simple and yet fundamental water is to life, as we perceive it.

Kudos, NASA!

Lenny Bruce iñ Africa

Word up from Mozambique. I canºt really write long because internet here is expensive and I have a bus to catch. Just wanted to say hi. Im in Nampula now, the main city in the north of Mozambique after having taken the train yesterday from Cuamba. Im off to Ilha de Mocambique today, then Pemba and Ihla de Ibo before flying from Pemba back to Dar. Malawi was really amazing. Iºll post photos when I get back. Word.

Oh yeah... the best thing about Mozambique so far... being able to greet Africans with ªHola Amigoª

How has no one thought of this yet??

Finally, someone's invented a urinal-based video game!

I strongly believe that every urinal in the world should have some sort of video game technology included. It just makes sense.

R Kelly trial

Just in case you were wondering, R Kelly has a significant mole on his lower back (refrain: "ohhhhhh, a mole on his baaa-ack!") Yes, that's right, the R Kelly child porno case is still going on. And the "child" in question is 23 now--and an R Kelly fan.

"You piss; we'll hit you"

Apparently, peeing in public is NOT okay.

That according to Abidjan, where they're trying to rein in public peers.

The city is full of home-made signs urging people not urinate in public.

"My brother, don't urinate here," reads one.

Others are more forceful in their warnings: "You piss; we'll hit you."

But the notices seem to have done nothing to deter those apparently unconcerned about relieving themselves in full view of passers-by.

Blog Shout-out

You guys should all check out a blog that my friends have, Lenin's Beard. It's mostly links to hilarious/shocking/fascinating/fun/unbelievable websites and videos and such. Very enjoyable.

True, this site was my secret source for that "Obama doing comedy" video. But they stole the "younger than McCain" thing from me! (Probably not, but I still found it first).

My buddy Danny who is a contributor to Lenin's Beard also did this project recently where he secretly taped his roommates' drunken conversations, then made animation to provide a visual accompaniment to the recordings. It's the funniest shit ever...check out one "episode" here.

Joined at the hip

Just how much do you love me, Brad? :)

Actually, the real question is just how much do you like me?!

These two Buddhist teachers have vowed to never be more than 15ft apart physically. They also live in a yurt.

Obama doing stand-up comedy

What can I say, this is hilarious.

Professional Trend "Forecasters"

I freaking hate these people.

They are why, when I (or any of my other creative friends) purposely wear something that is not trendy, it ends up becoming saturated in "mainstream-ity-ness" (trend spot THAT, bitches). Sucks. Happened with bandit-style bandannas in NYC when I was there; I was wearing that shit mismatched with prettiness back in 2001. Same with wearing scarves for belts. I was just in a store in North Vancouver that had a whole shelf of "scarf belts" and "kimono-style belts". And you can't walk a block these days without snotting on someones neck hanky... sucks. It feels like stealing. That's why my style has progressively become more simple--I'm sick of getting ripped off. Especially because "creative style" is about expressing yourself and interpreting your environment and culture. And as soon as it become trendy to do that, the whole thing gets diluted and gross.

In Vancouver, "quirky" is in now. Stealing, that's what I call it. Stealing other people's personality and selling it (the style, the trend mentality, the sense of belonging) to people who've had the creativity beaten out of them.

And the thing about trend forecasters is that when they see me and my friends walking down the street in our me-inspired outfits, they report back to head office and get the factory warmed up to start churning out thousands of whatever it is. THEN it becomes a trend. So it's not so much trend "forecasting" as stealing and then trend "inciting."

Bastards!

Spasmodic Fantasy

“The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.’’

spasmodic
spas·mod·ic
Pronunciation:
\spaz-ˈmä-dik\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
New Latin spasmodicus, from Greek spasmōdēs, from spasmos
Date:
circa 1681

1 a: relating to or affected or characterized by spasm b: resembling a spasm especially in sudden violence (a spasmodic jerk) 2: acting or proceeding fitfully : intermittent (spasmodic activity) 3: subject to outbursts of emotional excitement : excitable
synonyms: see fitful

In comments to reporters after his speech, Mr. McCain insisted that his speech should not be interpreted as setting a date for withdrawal, and that he was simply projecting victory in Iraq. He took issue with a reporter who characterized his speech as a “magic carpet ride,’’ saying: “I don’t think it has anything to do with fantasy, I think it has everything to do with setting goals and achieving.’’

Obviously not earthquake proof

The disasters that have struck China and Myanmar are incredibly sad. All the attention has been on the junta in Myanmar's response (or lack thereof), but I wonder if the conversation will turn to China's level of preparedness (again, or lack thereof) for such a quake. Anyone seen any articles about this?

My question comes after having lived in Japan, the site of another recent quake. There, the buildings are all built on springs that absorb the shock of a quake, minimizing damage and cost of lives. And I'll note, there was minimal damage last week, and no loss of lives.

Dream Team

For all this talk about if an Obama/Clinton ticket would be a good or bad idea, it's surprising that no one has actually polled it. My instinct is that it would actually be a pretty solid ticket but I'd like to see a national poll that puts Obama/Clinton against McCain and a generic Republican VP candidate.

Mississippi

I've decided that I'm going to keep up these occasional posts about why McCain can't win, just to piss off certain blog contributors. And here's the latest.

While all the attention (okay, scratch that, nobody really cares anymore) was focused on the West Virginia primary, there was a much more important and consequential election taking place in Mississippi. Think about it for a second - MISSISSIPPI - and you'd be surprised that there is an election at all instead of just a Republican coronation for whatever office happens to be up for grabs.

But no - yesterday's election for the Mississippi 1st Congressional District went to a freakin' Democrat. This was a "safe" Republican seat that the Republicans have held since 1974. Dubya won this district by 25 percentage points in '04. This just goes to show how favorable this year is to Democrats. Don't believe the polls, the only reason there's anything close to a tie is because the Democratic race is still going on and half of the party currently hates each candidate. And even considering that, the latest poll out has both Clinton and Obama easily defeating McCain. That's right. Clinton has a 0% chance of even being the nominee and she STILL would win.

You hear that? It's the sound of me ordering everything on the menu at Buddhas and having someone else pay for it.

I think I'm magic

I am freaking out. I don't even have the words to explain. Other than to say that I think I'm magic.

Read this.

I JUST had a conversation last night that was point-by-point exactly what David Brooks writes about here. Exactly. And over the weekend, I watched (twice) a movie that sets out to explain all of this in the context of quantum physics.

Freaking out.

I also had a conversation about this and the Entanglement theory with a Polish physicist on a plane from Vancouver to Toronto last December. We talked "science and spirituality" for four hours straight while he helped me untangle a knot in my crochet work. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

Freaking out.

True, you find what you seek out. But c'mon...

Freaking out.

Old Man McCain

Funny little blog about various things that are younger than John McCain.

The chocolate chip cookie?? McDonalds?? The Golden Gate Bridge?? Wow.

Baby horses

Baby horses are c-raaaazy! Since they can get up and go within moments of popping the placenta, how is it they don't just gallop around inside their mama's bellies?

This little one is named Taylor and he's the newest addition to my coworker's stable of horsies in 100 Mile House, B.C.

C-raaa-zy!

China earthquake kills more than 7,600

What is happening to the earth?! The earthquake hit Sichuan province in western China, destroying 80% of the buildings and killing thousands. This is following, of course, the cyclone that hit Myanmar and the earthquake that hit near Tokyo last week. These are all very densely populated areas.Is the planet angrily trying to expunge us from its outermost layers?

Fortune with Massive Joint

Fortune with Massive Joint
Originally uploaded by Dust Mason

What a party, eh?! I found this photo on flickr, while looking up where Brad is headed today (as I write): Nkhata Bay.

The merits of this photo are three-fold:
1. The suit. Brad and I were tickled by the "everyman" use of the suit in China (even when doing heavy labour!), and it's amazing to see that this trend transcends even continental differences.

2. The massive joint. What a party that guy's having! He seems so proud of his ridiculously phallic, bazooka-shaped j.

3. The people behind "Fortune." Did they not hear me say "what a party!"? Perk up and look lively, ya'll!

We can only hope Brad will take better advantage of such prime moments.

Pouring a little out for ya, B-rad!

Mock Masai Attack, anyone?

Haha, I'm just reading up on the lodge we're staying along the safari in Tanzania. One of them boasts the option to have an open air dinner in the bush, and for a fee, a mock masai attack can be arranged "to add on to the atmosphere."

Natural Mosquito Protection

I'm just looking up alternative to DEET products now for my upcoming journey through the Africa bush. Lots of articles suggest natural alternatives such as orange peel oil, lemongrass oil, lavender, etc. But here are some good avoidance tips as well:

Make Yourself Less Attractive to Mosquitoes

Ever wonder why a mosquito is attracted to you?

Mosquitoes are attracted to us through the carbon dioxide (CO2) we exhale when we breathe. The production of C02 production varies from body to body based on its metabolic rate; those bodies with high metabolism tend to burn more C02 and are therefore more attractive to mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are also attracted to lactic acid, which our bodies release after a workout or after eating salty and high-potassium foods. That would be bananas, pickles, potato chips and other snack foods.

Women are more attractive to mosquitoes than men because they like estrogen-based female hormones and the fruity and floral fragrances found in perfumes and bodycare products women use. But men may also carry these fragrances from scented sunscreens, fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

Mosquitoes prefer moist, cool bodies, wet from rain, perspiration or swimming.

They also like diabetics--yes, their blood is sweeter, but it's the high level of acetone in the blood mosquitoes love.

And if you are wearing light-colored clothing, particularly yellow, a mosquito will zoom right in on you.

So, to make your body unattractive to mosquitoes:

* eat less salt
* use unscented products
* dry off your body
* avoid sweets
* wear dark colors

Read the full article here.

Conventions

I've been kinda swamped with non-blogging stuff recently, but I will say this: I'm sure glad that this whole Democratic primary thing is just about done.


I'm looking forward to the brutal wakeup call coming to anyone who actually takes national polls seriously at this stage. Watch the bump. And that's just the beginning...I have a feeling that Obams will get the biggest post-convention bump in recent memory during the August Democreatic Convention. It's the 4-year anniversary of what was arguably his first "big" speech, and more importantly, the 45th anniversary (to the DAY) of the Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream" speech. To say "I think he can find something powerful to work with" is an understatement. Add Hillary and Edwards and Gore and just about every other "celebrity democrat" standing side by side, and you'll be witnessing the beginning of a big Democratic win (I'm looking at you, Porter).

Then think of the Republican Convention a month later...What are they gonna do? They have to spend a bunch of it doing the "Bush Tribute" thing...it's their funeral, but it's not like they can get out of it either. Then McCain will proceed to give his speech and look like a very old man on all the hi-def screens that Americans watch the major networks on. Then some B-list country star will play.

Shit's going down.

Who IS this woman?

What game is she playing? It's getting embarrasing.

Voting in Indiana

I just submitted my ballot via email for the Indiana primary. The system seems a bit porous but hopefully not too many people will have access to my (private) vote.

To learn more about each candidate, I used a great little website: www.votesmart.org.

My granddad's re-election page is here.

Here's a bit that Brad found about Broad Ripple, the neighbourhood I went to high school in. The topic is innane (Rev. Wright) but the responses aren't.

Portrait of an Indiana town

One great thing about this prolonged primary season is the chance each state (like Indiana) has for profiling. Here's a great piece on Martinsville, which is half way between the two places where I grew up, Indianapolis and Bloomington, and which has forever been known as one of the most racist towns in the Mid-West. Fair or not, that image has been maintained--actively and otherwise--consistently and it's interesting to hear that image dissected.

Have a listen...

(Oh, how I just loooove to hear that silken Indiana lilt!)

Gas Tax

I wonder if Clinton's support for the tax gas holiday is the right combination of blatant pandering and terrible policy that would convince Al Gore to come out for Obama.