story

Most read story on BBC World News website this morning:

jasonsteeghs — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:25:03 GMT

A 70-year-old US woman has been left bruised and bloody after an unexpected clash with police who came to arrest her because her lawn was dry and brown. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6282348.stm

stumbling upon perspective

jasonsteeghs — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:05:36 GMT

I installed the Stumble Upon toolbar to see what kind of stuff I'd find. I'm always interested in checking out cool stuff..so I spent five minutes selecting my interests and while I dislike the fact that it takes up a whole other level of vertical space, the stuff I've found has been worth it. http://www.stumbleupon.com There is a*lot* of stuff going on out there in the world, and I find checking out stuff on the web is the most pontent reminder of that. Check out this guy's images for an incredibly eye-opener to scale...as in...just how much volume of everything is going on! http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=7 Then trip out to this visual explanation of the tenth dimension! http://www.tenthdimension.com/medialinks.php Anyway...perspective is an interesting sensation. Anyone have any more?

more about the bees...cellphone radiation?

jasonsteeghs — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:45:11 GMT

a while ago I posted a blog about honeybee Collony Collapse Disorder...and today I came across this: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070416/bees_cellphones_070416/20070416?hub=TopStories Personally I suspect GM crops...but cellphone radiation seems like a definite possibility

balance

jasonsteeghs — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:19:54 GMT

...to offset the shitty news about bees dying... http://www.freehugs.org/

the birds and the...?

jasonsteeghs — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:03:43 GMT

"It may be that the honeybee has become the victim of these insecticides that are meant for other pests," he said. "If we don't figure this out real quick, it's going to wipe out our food supply." [appologies for sad news...I'll find something happier to post too] Vanishing bees threaten US crops By Matt Wells BBC News, Florida, USA http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6438373.stm It is officially called Colony Collapse Disorder, but a more pithy way of describing it would be Vanishing Bee Syndrome. All over America, beekeepers are opening up their hives in preparation for the spring pollination season, only to find that their bees are dead or have disappeared. Nobody, so far, knows why. The sad mystery surrounding the humble honeybee - which is a vital component in $14bn-worth of US agriculture - is beginning to worry even the highest strata of the political class in Washington. "Hillary Clinton's got interested in this in the last week or so," said David Hackenberg, the beekeeper leading the drive to publicise their plight. "And she's not alone," he said. "There's a lot of Congressmen have called...wanting to know what's going on. It's serious. "It's not just affecting the beekeepers, it's affecting the farmers that produce the food, and in the end it's going to affect the consumer," he added, sighing deeply. What makes our interview slightly surreal is that we are standing next to an orange grove, in rural Florida, while about 70 hives of bees buzz angrily behind us, as if to emphasise their predicament. [...more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6438373.stm ]

2006: the end of "The Project for a New American Century"

jasonsteeghs — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:54:50 GMT

[ http://www.newamericancentury.org/ ] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6189793.stm By Paul Reynolds (World Affairs correspondent) The neo-conservative dream faded in 2006. The ambitions proclaimed when the neo-cons' mission statement "The Project for the New American Century" was declared in 1997 have turned into disappointment and recriminations as the crisis in Iraq has grown. "The Project for the New American Century" has been reduced to a voice-mail box and a ghostly website. A single employee has been left to wrap things up. The idea of the "Project" was to project American power and influence around the world. The 1997 statement (written during the administration of President Bill Clinton) said: "We seem to have forgotten the essential elements of the Reagan Administration's success: a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States' global responsibilities." Among the signatories were many of the senior officials who would later determine policy under President George W Bush - Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Elliot Abrams and Lewis Libby - as well as thinkers including Francis Fukuyama, Norman Podheretz and Frank Gaffney. The neo-conservatives were called that because they sought to re-establish what they felt were true conservative values in the Republican Party and the United States. They wanted to stop what they felt were the isolationist tendencies that had developed under President Clinton, and even under the pragmatic President George Bush senior. They saw the war in Iraq as their big chance of showing how the "New American Century" might work. They predicted the development of democratic values in a region lacking in them and, in that way, the removal of any threat to the United States just as the democratisation of Germany and Japan after World War II had transformed Europe and the Pacific. Since so much was pinned on Iraq, it is inevitable that the problems there should have undermined the whole idea. "Neo-conservatism has gone for a generation, if in fact it ever returns," says one of the movement's critics, David Rothkopf, currently at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, and a former official in the Clinton administration. "Their signal enterprise was the invasion of Iraq and their failure to produce results is clear. Precisely the opposite has happened," he says. "The US use of force has been seen as doing wrong and as inflaming a region that has been less than susceptible to democracy. "Their plan has fallen on hard times. There were flaws in the conception and horrendously bad execution. The neo-cons have been undone by their own ideas and the incompetence of the Bush administration. "George Bush is about the last neo-conservative standing, Cheney as well maybe. Bush is not an analytical person so he just adopted the neo-cons' philosophy. "It fitted into his Manichean, his black and white view of the world. After all, he gave up his dissolute youth and was born again as a new man, so it appealed to his character." The fading of the dream has led to a falling-out among the neo-conservatives themselves. In particular, two leading neo-conservatives, Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman, attacked the Bush team in Vanity Fair magazine. Both had been on a Pentagon advisory board. Both had argued for war in Iraq. In an article called "Neo Culpa", Richard Perle declared that had he known how it would turn out, he would have been against it: "I think now I probably would have said: 'No, let's consider other strategies'." Kenneth Adelman said: "They turned out to be among the most incompetent teams in the post-war era. "Not only did each of them, individually, have enormous flaws, but together they were deadly, dysfunctional." Donald Rumsfeld "fooled me", he said. He declared of neo-conservatism after Iraq: "It's not going to sell." Other neo-conservatives defend their record, arguing strongly that the original idea had an effect, and pressing the point raised by Perle and Adelman that it was the execution of the idea not the idea itself that was wrong. Gary Schmitt used to be a senior figure at the "New American Century" project. Now he is director of strategic studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and he says the project has come to a natural end. "When the project started, it was not intended to go forever. That is why we are shutting it down. We would have had to spend too much time raising money for it and it has already done its job. "We felt at the time that there were flaws in American foreign policy, that it was neo-isolationist. We tried to resurrect a Reaganite policy. "Our view has been adopted. Even during the Clinton administration we had an effect, with Madeleine Albright [then secretary of state] saying that the United States was 'the indispensable nation'. "But our ideas have not necessarily dominated. We did not have anyone sitting on Bush's shoulder. So the work now is to see how they are implemented. Obviously it makes life difficult with the specific failure in Iraq, but I do not agree with Richard Perle that we should never have gone in. "I do argue that the execution should have been better. In fact, I argued in late 2003 that we needed more troops and a proper counter-insurgency policy." Indeed, not all neo-conservatives have given up all hope in Iraq. The AEI, which has become the natural home for refugees from the American Project, is promoting an article entitled: "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq". The article calls not for a withdrawal of US troops but for an increase. President Bush's decision is expected in early January.

Self-actualization

jasonsteeghs — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:06:03 GMT

From now on... I wake up each day and feel excited to start my day. I see clearly what I want to accomplish today. I understand that there are unlimited options for what I could do, yet I remain focused on doing that which brings me closer to actualizing my full potential. I love the work I do. Each moment is an opportunity to grow, to reflect on the nature of reality, to feel gratitude for all that I have been given, to assist others in achieving their goals, and to just revel in the full experience of being. By creating this reality in my mind, it becomes my waking actuality. The possibilities are endless. The universe is abundant. Everything is energy. The base form of energy is love.

time perspective

jasonsteeghs — Sun, 21 May 2006 20:15:25 GMT

A short timelapse video showing the growth of a massive slab or rock out of the Mt. St. Helen crater. http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Video/MSH/MSH06/MSH06_MOVIE_spine_from_brutus_04-28_to_05-03-06_compressed.avi Set your media player to repeat and watch it a few times... you can watch the formation of mountains, as this slow eruption pushes this piece of rock into the sky more than one meter every day! (Watch the very tip of the slab...it disappears midway through the five or six day timelapse...it must have fallen off!) from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060509.html

Found: new species living in untouched beauty

jasonsteeghs — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:18:24 GMT

An international team of scientists says it has found a "lost world" in the Indonesian jungle that is home to dozens of new animal and plant species. [Just when you start feeling that the planet is doomed, you find something like this...] "It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the group. The team recorded new butterflies, frogs, and a series of remarkable plants that included five new palms and a giant rhododendron flower. The survey also found a honeyeater bird that was previously unknown to science. The research group - from the US, Indonesia and Australia - trekked through an area in the mist-shrouded Foja Mountains, located just north of the vast Mamberamo Basin of north-western (Indonesian) New Guinea. The researchers spent nearly a month in the locality, detailing the wildlife and plant life from the lower hills to near the summit of the Foja range, which reaches more than 2,000m in elevation. "It's beautiful, untouched, unpopulated forest; there's no evidence of human impact or presence up in these mountains," Dr Beehler told the BBC News website. For the full story, see... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4688000.stm

US plans to "fight the net"...

jasonsteeghs — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:13:36 GMT

The United States [will] seek the ability to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum". US forces should be able to "disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm Check out the entire article. It's very revealing. From the same article: Late last year, it emerged that the Pentagon had paid a private company, the Lincoln Group, to plant hundreds of stories in Iraqi newspapers. The stories - all supportive of US policy - were written by military personnel and then placed in Iraqi publications. _____________________________________ At the same time: http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/01/25/internet-social060125.html Internet helps boost social networks: report The internet is helping people to expand their social ties not just online, but also by phone and in person, according to a new report. The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed more than 4,000 U.S. adults in February and March of 2004 about their use of the internet. The study's findings dispute suggestions that people who use internet a lot could fail to interact socially. ______________________________________ One province over, in the home of our new government: "EDMONTON (CP) - The Alberta government is moving ahead with its long-stated intention to allow more private-health care, saying it will most likely bring in legislation as early as this spring. " And while Stephen Harper was admited to the hostpital yesterday for respiratory issues and asthma-related cold complications (air quality!)... "Alberta is seeing record-breaking high temperatures while Winnipeg is on its way to having its warmest January ever, amid a winter that has been exceptionally mild in much of the country. [But...] Environment Canada meteorologist Dale[...]Marciski dismissed some people's fears that the year's odd temperatures were due to climate change." (whew! Good...I was starting to worry.) On the national front: The shareholders of Hudson's Bay Co., the oldest company in Canada, have agreed to allow the company to be acquired by South Carolina billionaire businessman Jerry Zucker in a deal worth more than $1 billion. And for the wierd factor: A Thai woman who set a world record by spending 32 days in a cage with 3,400 scorpions is to marry a man who holds a similarly creepy record for centipedes. Her fiancee, Bunthawee Siengwong, set his record by spending 28 days with 1,000 centipedes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [I scan mainstream news media quite regularly. I aviod stories about personal tragedy that are not related to my life and try to keep a feeling of empowerment about the whole process instead of loosing all hope (which is often my natural reaction to the state of the world.) I find that mainstream news media offers a glimps, not only of what is going on in the world, but also what people think is important in the world, and what the vast majority of people in power are reading about all over the globe. I usually read the CBC and BBC news websites.]

For my west-coast community to get to know me more...

jasonsteeghs — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 05:50:40 GMT

Picture: Mom, me, my brother Aaron, his girlfriend Tina Tonight I phoned my mom's house. My family, home for Christmas holidays, is gathered for my step-father's birthday. Drinks, home cooked meals, cold and snow outside offset by the warmth of the ever-present wood stove and cozy atmostphere that seems absent in the rainforest culture of the west. My brother was obviously sincerely missing my presence - probably more than I was missing being there, and definitly more than I would have expected. We talked at length about choosing to live away from our parents and place of birth, about how we can be who we really are when we're not labled as "so-and-so's kids" or with old preconceptions of who we used to be in highschool. I finally feel, after twenty seven years, that I am able to connect with my brother in a sincere and deep way. I was surprised at how much he wished I was there. Needless to say my mom was also lamenting my absence this year. It feels good to be missed. But it makes me sad and melancholy. My west coast life is free of nostalgia - by choice, as it is my least favorite emotion. Somehow it is more present in all aspects of daily life back home, a landscape laced with traditions and heritage and generational lineage. My family always try to entice me home with hints of jobs that are coming up, descriptions of how much they miss me and what I could be doing if I were home...my mom even mails me cinnamon rolls and cookies! Not to make me feel guilty or regret my choices, but because they really do love me and want me around more. There is nothing in the world that is like your family. No community can replace the intricacies of the relationships of blood. As progressive as my community is here, it lacks the roots and depth that come from growing up in a place and knowing everyone in town. This tug between the family and home back east, against the evolved community, natural beauty and frontier exploration in the west, is only one facet of the perpetual rift I feel in my entire being. It is more than two sided...multi-faceted aspects of my personality pull me in uncountable directions and excite very different parts of my personality. I feel however, that this characteristic of me is borne of the divide between the two sides of the country I call home. Both coasts offer unique beauty and diverse social stimulation. There is something grounded and real in the east that will always be part of me...and maybe always keep me out of the inner loops of west coast culture. But there is undeniably a part of my being that yearns for the ideological cutting-edge, the conscious community, and the freedom from family connections and old ideas. I have ventured away and been pulled back many times to this beautiful community on the Sunshine Coast. I love my Elphinstone friends and dwelling and I plan to be here for a long time. But I wish Nova Scotia was within driving distance! I have tried countless times to put into words these feeling, to describe to friends on either side of the country why I feel connected to the other. I have come to accept the lack of resolution and relinquish the feeling of forever that comes from settling in one place, knowing it will be your home for the rest of your days. Music is an interesting indicator of the differences: tonight friends on the east coast are sitting around a kitchen table, drinking beer, laughing, and playing celtic reels on guitars, fiddles and penny whistles. Friends on the west coast gather at a retreat to dance to deep electronic beats and teach eachother about community-building. I am equally at home and outside in each situation. Both nourish my soul and inspire me. As always, I write about ideas that intrigue me, and anyone wishing further dialogue or perspective I encourage to engage. Am I destined to be an outsider on both edges of the country, or can I - as I always dream of - capture the essence of both and incorporate the best of each into my existence? * * * "I do my utmost to attain emptiness; I hold firm to stillness. The myriad creatures all rise together And I watch their return. The teeming creatures All return to their separate roots. Returning to one's roots is known as stillness. This is what is meant by returning to one's destiny. Returning to one's destiny is known as the constant. Knowledge of the constant is known as discernment. Woe to him who wilfully innovates While ignoring the constant, But should one act from knowledge of the constant One's action will lead to impartiality, Impartiality to kingliness, Kingliness to heaven, Heaven to the way, The way to perpetuity, And to the end of one's days one will meet with no danger." -Tao Te Ching, Verse XVI

Just internal reflections from bright star Sigma Orionis

jasonsteeghs — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:56:19 GMT

Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is some 1,500 light-years distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. About five light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023 is visible on the lower left. In this gorgeous color image, both Horsehead and NGC 2023 seem to be caught in beams of light shining from above -- but the beams are actually just internal reflections from bright star Sigma Orionis, just off the upper edge of the view. {full size: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051130.html}

Spontenaeity

jasonsteeghs — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 04:11:24 GMT

Its a windy day on the Coast. Rain is coming out of the dark sky at a sharp angle when it gusts. In front of me, out on the ocean, only meters from where the dark green waves turn white on the rocks of the shore line, a large flock of sea birds had decended from winter migration to wait out the squall. They seem content to bob jaggedly in the choppy waters, often a small group of them almost getting caught by a crashing wave, but they just duck under it and pop back up on the other side of the foam unphased. This harsh edge between two worlds is their home and they are comfortable in heavy surf. Their random chaos of density is unified by the single direction of their colorful beaks leading each black body head first into the wind. Surfers imitate the way they navigate the waves, sailboats, the wind. But these birds never contemplate their actions, only live the eternal moment, riding the wave of now.