HAPPY HALLOWEEN & DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS
....Bill


  ¶ 20:35

 


DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS


By Barbara Kastelein

The attitude towards death evidenced in the quintessentially Mexican holiday of Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead) might be puzzling for some. It isn't difficult for foreigners to interpret dancing skeletons, candy skulls and general drunken revelry as disrespect for the dead and grief at human loss. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For those accustomed to hushed voices, formal clothing, a solemn priest and an absence of children as fitting for the graveside, this festival flies in the face of propriety. Bright flowers, loud music, colorful decorations and seasonal sweets are characteristic of a popular cemetery in Mexico City on the first two days of November.

This tradition has been relished in the past as uniquely Mexican. Nobel laureate Octavio Paz said, "The Mexican . is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his toys and his most steadfast love."

and by Dale Hoyt Palfrey

Mid-October through the first week of November, markets and shops all over Mexico are replete with the special accoutrementsts for the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). These include all manner of skeletons and other macabre toys; intricate tissue paper cut-outs called papel picado; elaborate wreaths and crosses decorated with paper or silk flowers; candles and votive lights; and fresh seasonal flowers, particularly cempazuchiles (marigolds) and barro de obispo (cockscomb). Among the edible goodies offered are skulls, coffins and the like made from sugar, chocolate or amaranth seeds and special baked goods, notably sugary sweet rolls called pan de muerto that come in various sizes invariably topped with bits of dough shaped like bones and, in some regions, unadorned dark breads molded into humanoid figures called animas (souls). All of these goods are destined for the buyer's ofrenda de muertos (offering to the dead).

At home members of the family might use the purchases to elaborate an altar in honor of deceased relatives, decorating it with papel picado, candles, flowers, photographs of the departed, candy skulls inscribed with the name of the deceased, and a selection of his or her favorite foods and beverages. The latter often include bottles of beer or tequila, cups of atole (corn gruel) or coffee, and fresh water, as well as platters of rice, beans, chicken or meat in mole sauce, candied pumpkin or sweet potatoes and the aforementioned breads.

and Me

For the past 2 years I have setup my own offrenda to celebrate this holiday and this year I will as well. After traveling in Mexico quite extensively and often at this time year I have celebrated many aspects of this holiday. It is a joyous way to remember the departed in your life. Mike and I spent many a Halloween/ Day of the dead/ and also his birthday, participating in this uniquely Latin American festivity which has also incorporated Halloween into the mix along with the more solemn Catholic All Souls Day. It is an interesting mix of the sacred and the profane, mischievous fun and the solemnity of remembering the departed in your life. More from Mexico Connect....Bill
  ¶ 20:32

 





Fog Eclipsed

I missed the eclipse last night but not for the want of trying. The old town was obscured in heavy fog off of Lake Ontario and there was a light cloud overhead. The moon distinguishable as only a hazy blot in the eastern sky and then for awhile dim and then just not there. So I supposed I did see it in a manner.

It was not a disappointment at all, the swirling foggy night on this unusually warm evening, for late October, had charms of its own. I decided to walk in the mysterious damp and instantly was transported to another time. Was I suddenly in a leafy Autumn square in Victorian London. For a moment I felt I was in, maybe, Bloomsbury not to far from the British Museum. The night was quiet, the leaves a soft rustle under foot. The normally ugly glare of the yellow sodium lamps softened to a golden gas light glow, helped by the amber leaves still on the trees. I heard the clip clop of the horse drawn tourist caliches returning to the stables, not too far from my house. The town clock struck ten, melancholic bells resonating louder then ever in the quiet of the night. I walked on confused and lost in thoughts of another time. Wait was that? A fog horn. On the River Thames. No, Port Weller closer to home, the Lake Ontario entrance to the Welland Shipping canal. I walked on seeing nobody except for the occasional skunk as suspect of me as I was of it. Lost again in thought, then suddenly at home. The cat waiting at the end of the drive. Meow, meow There you are. Mew, mip, mip, Open the door, I am hungry. I did, Jack ran in, straight to his dish, his sister, Josephine bounded from the foggy shadows and into the house, a brown leaf hanging from her puffed up tail. Later in bed. I woke glasses still on and book in hand. I turned out the light. The fog now gone and the sky clear. The bright cold light of the full moon shot across my bed lighting the two sleeping cats. I drifted off again to sleep….Bill
  ¶ 21:31

  One of the things I have been doing this week is interviewing real estate agents in preparation to selling my house. It has been difficult just reaching the decision, that this is a necessary step for me to take. It has been a tough choice not withstanding my changed situation. I have lived in this house 22 years just a few years longer then Mike and I were together. It is the longest I have been in any one place and the memories are deep and strong. It has been an interesting experience having the cold calculating eyes of others looking over your home and putting a value to the place you consider your sanctuary from the world. I should be comforted that my financial investment has substantially improved and my expectations when I sell will be met. It has in fact been a period of things involving money, taxes etc coming together in a satisfactory way. It has also been a time for cleaning up loose ends and starting new beginnings. There is lots more to do, at least things are underway.

I should be feeling more positive about it all, but I honestly just don’t. The necessity for change is imposed and not chosen and that is what gets me down. I have not fully accepted the hand that fate has dealt me and I may not resolve my feelings of un fairness any time soon, an unfairness that includes a lot more then just Mike’s death. So I just plod away dealing with things intellectually, I create more turmoil in my life, that I hope ultimately will put me in a happier place later. I am feeling emotionally frozen to the past, present, and the future. That is bad and, I know that intellectually, too…Bill
  ¶ 21:18

 

At home taking care of business....Bill  ¶ 20:37

 





I will be away from my blog for a few days….Bill
  ¶ 13:32

 


Who would Jesus pick?

Mark Kelly of the CBC National News goes to Toledo Ohio and asks the Question. Who would Jesus pick? On Nov 2 . He spoke to church leaders and pastors of many different Christian persuasions all spoke eloquently on why they thought Jesus would pick either Kerry or more often Bush. Not yet satisfied with his answers he went to the ladies gospel aerobics class at a Baptist church and asked again. Who would Jesus pick? With out a moments hesitation one women answered. “He would not pick either of them. He would ask them to pick him instead” Now was that so hard.

Blowing Smoke!

With great fanfare the Premier announces today that he would like the province of Ontario to have a thousand new policemen. To support his new initiatives on fighting crime his “new initiatives” included all the usual sort promises one would expect to hear from a politician and none that address any of the needs the police seem to be expressing. Yeah so, Ok yawn . What else is new. He also has some tricky funding formula up his sleeve to off load half the cost of this scheme on to the municipalities. Thoroughly bored yet? The corner stone of his announcement was the need to crack down on the number of marijuana grow houses, often located in good suburban neighbour hoods, (ie his constituents), who according to the Premier, these operations are a serious fire hazard, steal 75 million dollars worth of electricity a year and gasp! are endangering the youth of this province, he did not explain how he arrived at any of these “facts”. The announcement was greeted with general boredom by the CBC and a reminder that crime rates are continuing to fall in Ontario.

In further news today, the police report that on a recent raid of a grow house operation all of the highly specialised equipment they seized had police evidence I.D. stickers on them from some previous raid elsewhere. Police misconduct? No. When the case was concluded the evidence became the property of the province, who then sold it off in a general surplus equipment auction. Enterprising criminals bought the whole lot up dirt cheap and promptly put the stuff back in business. Police say they will be attending future auctions. There has been no comment from the province….Bill
  ¶ 01:00

 

Man Booker Prize winner, Alan Hollinghurst

I am embarrassed to confess that this years Man Booker Prize winner, Alan Hollinghurst and his novel “ The Line of Beauty” had completely fallen under my radar and apparently my Gaydar as well. Now as a form of slight redemption I have at least heard of both author and book. My failure was and is, I tend to just skim the literary supplements in the newspapers and read only what catches my eye. A novel about Thatcherism, the greedy excess of the 80’s and some guy who some how becomes involved in it all, probably sent me running to another section of the paper. For example maybe the Arts pages and the Latest Tracy Emin installation at the Tate, rumored to be up for a Turner Prize and creating shock and disquiet amongst more conservative gallery goers; had me running to jump into her rather dirty bed and caused me to miss what would have probably been a much more satisfying romp. I will now right this lapse. Here is a brief synopsis of “The Line of Beauty”

"The book is divided into three sections, dated 1983, 1986 and 1987. The protagonist, Nick Guest, is a James scholar in the making and a tripper in the fast gay culture of the time. The first section shows Nick moving into the Notting Hill mansion of Gerald Fedden, one of Thatcher's Tory MPs, at the request of the minister's son, Toby, Nick's all-too-straight Oxford crush. Nick becomes Toby's sister Catherine's confidante, securing his place in the house, and loses his virginity spectacularly to Leo, a black council worker. The next section jumps the reader ahead to a more sophisticated Nick. Leo has dropped out of the picture; cocaine, three-ways and another Oxford alum, the sinisterly alluring, wealthy Lebanese Wani Ouradi, have taken his place. Nick is dimly aware of running too many risks with Wani, and becomes accidentally aware that Gerald is running a few, too. Disaster comes in 1987, with a media scandal that engulfs Gerald and then entangles Nick."~ From Publishers Weekly

"Hollinghurst's writing has a clarity, an unforced quality contained within the boundaries of a cool emotional reticence." ~Peter Bradshaw, New Statesman

"Alan Hollinghurst writes harsh but deeply informed social satire from within, just as Proust did ... He brings the eloquence of a George Eliot together with the sexiness and visual acuity of a Nabokov."~ Edmund White

When Mr. Hollinghurst was asked how he would spend the £50,000 prize, he is reported to have said he intends on going out and buying a new electric tea kettle. A man after my own heart. I have added his books to my Amazon wish list….Bill

  ¶ 01:00

 

Flu Season

I am going for my flu shot today. No big deal. I have been going faithfully now for 10 years and that is about how long it has been since I have had the flu.

During the last Presidential debate we all remember hearing President Bush speak of the possibility of the USA obtaining flu vaccine from Canada. That may happen yet. Although we only have about 1-2 million doses that we might be able to spare. It won’t make much of a dent on the 48 million doses the USA is said to be short. The upshot of the President’s comments has been the opening up of a whole new cross border tourism industry, with Americans coming to Canada for flu shots.

Here in Ontario flu shots are 100% covered by the province, so important does the province feel that everyone should be able to receive flu shots that clinics are set up everywhere, Pharmacies, Fire halls, Community Centres, etcetera, to ensure that any one who wants a shot can get one. The system has been informal and showing your Provincial Health Card or proof of residence has not been required. That is up until last week. When a directive came from the Ontario Health Ministry, stating that too many non residents are crossing the borders and are queuing up for free flu shots intended for and paid for by the citizens of this province. That does not seem an unreasonable request.

The Niagara regional health unit has a problem with this request and will not be vigorously enforcing the ministry’s directive their view point is that the flue will be no respecter of international borders and it is in the region’s best interest to give the flue shot to anyone who asks no matter what side of the Niagara River they happen to live. Should there be a flu epidemic it is most important that protection radiates out from the region in as large a circle as possible and to ignore half that circle because of the border is an ineffective strategy leaving everyone at increased and unnecessary risk. This makes perfect sense to me. The traffic on our border has many Canadians and Americans moving back and forth on a regular basis. The flu will most certainly travel with them. I do though understand the health ministry’s directive just like every where else health care dollars are scarce and we can barely afford to look after our own, let alone take on our American neighbours as well.

Should you live out of Province welcome to Ontario please get your flu shot we have enough. However play fair if you have the means to get here you can probably afford to pay. Our Pharmacies will be happy to sell you vaccine. If you go to one of our free flu clinics drop $20.00 each in a Red cross donation box or the Fire men’s benevolent fund, etcetera. Enjoy your visit, have lunch or shop at some of our local business that have suffered loss’s from a downturn in tourism over the past few years. A warning though if you like W ketchup on your freedom fries be advised that the parent company manufacturing our vaccine is the highly respected French owned Aventis, Pasteur company. Hey, everything is political these days….Bill

  ¶ 01:05

 

St. Paul’s during the Blitz

Yesterday from deep within the bowels of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London The Anglican Church released the Windsor Report. I could not resist wondering if the gathered Bishops were a where, of the irony of holding their meeting and releasing their report from what is the crypt of this venerable institution. A hand reaching out from the grave, and in the most polite of English manners, has attempted to slow down the advancement of Gays and Lesbians within its church.

It is a tricky issue for the Anglican church which takes it marching orders from the bottom up as opposed to the top down, the more usual method for most organizations. It is in fact a very progressive way to run an organization of any sort. The United Church of Canada is run entirely by this system, its leader known as the Moderator. It has created the most liberal yet moderate form of organised religion in the Canada. Their size and liberality having significantly contributed to the progressive values many Canadians hold dear.

The Anglican Church of Canada, to a lesser extent is on its way down this road as well. As is the Episcopalian Church in the USA. Unlike the United Church the Anglicans in Canada have a world wide synod to which they belong and that is, where in the problem lies. The Anglicans in North America have come head to head with shall we say the less progressive views of the primarily African diocese, whom still hold these views;
"Ordaining homosexuals is heresy, unbiblical, should never have been done and should be reversed," Archdeacon Odubogun told Reuters news agency. "Homosexual behaviour is deviant, unbiblical, un-Christian and unnatural," he added.

These views have not been spoken out loud in Canada since Pierre Trudeau announced that the nation has no business in the bedrooms of the nation way back in the 70’s. The essential problem for the Archbishop of Canterbury is, Africa contains the second largest congregation, after only Britain. The number of Canadians and Americans represent a smaller portion of Anglicans, but hold close spiritual and cultural ties to the Church of England. The Archbishop cannot afford to offend either wing of its church and has therefore decided to sit firmly on the fence and use the politest of language in censuring the North American congregations which will no more back down then will many of its African adherents in their views. He hopes to buy time and avoid a total schism within the church.

The dialogue will continue and though it may mean the Anglican Church appears to be moving ahead at a frustratingly slow pace in the advancement of rights, the dialogue is at least taking place. That is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this report. Archdeacon Odubogun’s offensive ignorance is less maddening when it comes from within an organization that is at least attempting to grapple with highly divisive social issues. I wonder if Rome is paying attention?….Bill

  ¶ 01:35

 




Cloud maps shift across
a windy sky, as unknown
countries ebb and flow.

Francis Howell


….Bill
  ¶ 13:44

 




Un noche bueno! Un deseo para Sabados.


….Bill
  ¶ 11:58

 

Eastern Redbud ~ Cercis canadensis


What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies with in us. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog about visitations from the afterlife. The author spoke of a dream he had had and what he considered a visitation from a deceased family member. Over the past couple of weeks two people mentioned that they thought that they had been visited by Mike when something unusual had occurred. I flippantly responded. “Well lucky you because he has not been around here much” that stopped the conversation cold, which was my intention. I do not believe in the afterlife, visitations, manifestations or any of that afterlife twaddle that many religious and non religious people seem to find comfort in.

I do believe in the synchronicity of events and one of Julia Cameron’s goals in her book ‘The Artist’s Way’ is to recognize and use these synchronized events as a spiritual path for well being and expanded creativity in our daily lives.

True life is lived when tiny changes occur. ~ Leo Tolstoy

Last week I spent a certain amount of time in the intervention of a friend who had fallen off the wagon. It was not a happy experience. It was not a negative experience though, his health and his employment were in peril. Some thing needed to be done, it is not easy to help an individual who suffers from substance abuse and intervention depends on co- operation, timing and dumb luck. Through the persistence of myself and one other person we succeeded. I am distressed though that my union failed M completely in recognizing and providing the help he needed, I was more then happy to jump in and stick my nose into affairs that were none of my business in helping this friend and colleague. There is nothing I like better then the chance to “Whack the hive” Especially when righting a wrong is involved.

Truly, it is in the darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us. ~ Meister Eckhart

I have been lucky in that I seldom have trouble sleeping. I sleep deeply and dream vividly. Monday night after a long weekend of holiday celebrations with family and friends mixed with work and dealing with M’s crisis I fell into bed exhausted but content. Sometimes when I dream it is my subconscious mind coming forward and often, I am faced dealing with problems that I have either suppressed or just plain ignored. I have for some time been having a reoccurring dream which would not resolve. The plot and theme always the same. My unresolved anger, confusion and sense of abandonment at Mike’s death. Over the months in a conscious manner I have been addressing these feelings and working away slowly at resolution. My dreams a constant reminder of another part of that puzzle that needed solving. Monday night I dreamt again of Mike and for the first time in the dream we were content with each other, the anger the confusion the feelings of abandonment gone. We sat in a roadside restaurant during a break from our travels holding hands (safe, secure and comfortable), cognizant that our journeys are different now, each on a different road but still there spiritually for each other. Resolution.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. ~ Albert Einstein

Today Thursday I went with one of the gardeners from The Shaw to buy the memorial trees for Michael we selected three of his favourite trees. The three Eastern Redbuds we bought will go in to restoring a section of gardens that was completely destroyed during the theatre's renovations over the past two years. The trees will be planted in a favored garden located between the Stage door and what is now the crew room patio. It is in a highly visible location to both staff and the public alike. It will be welcomed by all to see this woodland garden restored to something like its original beauty. After I left the theatre, I went to the post office. A letter was waiting for me from the government, my widowers pension has been approved and in the synchronicity of things working in threes, M called for the third time to say he would be back to work next week and thanks again for your help….Bill


  ¶ 01:00

  DUCK & COVER




How close is the election? So close that they dressed almost identically with virtually the same red tie, for tonights debate. Both candidates showed quite well tonight and if I was fence sitter the decision would be a pretty tough one. Full marks to Mr. Bush who has made the best recovery from his very poor start a few weeks ago. I wonder where they hid the “mystery box” that was so evident in photos last week. I don’t think we learned anything particularly new this week from either candidate. Kerry’s positions were stated with clearer conviction then Mr. Bush’s, who to his credit did not speak in incomprehensible gibberish nearly as much as other weeks past. My eyes glazed over at any discussion of health care as there is simply no understanding period by either party or candidate on what it means to run a health care system. Bush’s remarks on government run health care is as stupid as his flip flop on importing flu vaccine from Canada when just last Thursday he condemned Canada as possibly not being a safe source of drugs. Kerry, best of a rather ignorant pair on health care. Both totally failed on the equal marriage issue, however President Bush answered more honestly I felt. Not better, but more honest. What can you expect though, amongst a lot that think the word liberal is a derogatory word. And Ted Kennedy is considered extreme leftist. OH PLEASE! They haven’t a clue. Will Bush solve the serious economic problems facing America? Not likely. Will Kerry win the high ground with his views on the Iraq war and the need to repair international relations. Also not likely? It will be a nail biter. I am sadly predicting four more years of the same regime. A more dangerous world coupled with an imperilled US economy can only mean interesting times ahead for all of us. It could be dark days in the USA until a new administration is in the White house. It matters not which party. Only that change needs to be made, probably not for, four more years. It may take America that long to figure that out....Bill  ¶ 01:24

  A QUICK NOTE

A long day in the Courthouse grid; I had a couple of ideas I was going to write about today but they shall have to wait. Since I thought some dinner before the last of the Presidential presentations starts tonight. I, like CNN don't really consider them debates in the true sense of the word so presentation it shall be. Which probably means if I can stay awake it will be another final view from Canuckastan on why America should dump Bush and damn fast. Sorry Brent....Bill  ¶ 18:44

 







Of course I ate too much this holiday weekend and will now have to eat nothing but salad for the rest of the week, and for additional punishment I have to spend the next 16 hours, in my harness, in the grid of the Courthouse Theatre(shown above) as we begin the load out. Silver lining - overtime rate today, plenty of cute extra hands called in....Bill  ¶ 11:33

  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!







...and thanks for two turkey dinners this weekend and secret double overtime at work and a whole bunch of other stuff, including guys that look like this,
....Bill







  ¶ 22:11

  THE VIEW FROM CANAUCKASTAN





I watched the second presidential debate Friday night with perhaps even more interest then last weeks offering. As general comment I think I have followed this particular election campaign with more interest then any I have ever followed in the past I suppose it is mainly because the peace, security and economic well being of the world as a whole has never before hinged as much as it does now on the choices our American friends make on Nov. 4th. The exceptionally close race has only made these last few weeks all the more interesting. Mr. Bush seems to have recovered some what from the alarmingly dopy performance of last week. Mr Kerry continued to show a stronger grasp of real politic as he continued to reach out to Americans about the very genuine need for America to move beyond the distraction of the Iraq war and onto the importance of a true international collation of nations to resolve the security problems facing many nations. America will not win the war on terror by taking an isolationist approach. President Bush’s excuses for the war in Iraq are increasing becoming indefensible even amongst prominent Republicans.

Americans are beginning to understand what many outside the USA have known for quite some time now. The Invasion of Iraq was a flawed enterprise which never should have taken place and has proved a dangerous distraction from the war on terror. It is my hope that Americans as a nation will come to realise before it is too late that the current administration is not equipped to resolve the very serious economic and security problems it is facing. It will take a new administration with different ideas to win the peace so many desire. In a nation that divides itself so rigidly along party lines it may well be impossible for many Republicans to admit that the policies of their President has failed them as a nation and has left them isolated and almost alone among world nations.

Americas allies will never abandon them in their time of need. They are waiting at the door to welcome the USA back into the family of allied nations where mutual interests and strong coherent leadership will build a stronger safer world for all of us through co-operative planning and alliances that keeps a sharp focus on security and economics for the betterment of all our nations....Bill
  ¶ 19:23

  MORE THEN JUST WORDS

There are no secrets in a small town as Cindy and I wait for other friends, some one else in the resturant snaps a pic and sends it by e-mail to me, and today I figure out how to post pictures on my site not that hard really....Bill








  ¶ 13:10

  TWO POEMS BY RUMI

Or brackets for my week.

I asked, "What should I do?"
He said, That is the question.
I said, "Is that all you can say?"
He said, Seeker,always keeps asking,
"What should I do?"

--~--

Do not desert me,
be my friend, my help, beloved.
Be my enchanting nightingale, my garden.
Do not abandon your lonely friend.
Tonight the night is generous and merciful,
do not desert me!

"Sweet dreams are made of this"....Bill

  ¶ 00:00

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Talbot
To: XXXXX
Cc:
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 9:07 PM
Subject: Oy! What a day I had today.


Hello XXXX,
My day started when Norton Internet Security would not let me online. That took nearly 2 hours to sort out including cleaning up the light bulb that exploded in my desk lamp while I was sitting at my desk. The most restful part of the day was at the dentist when I had two fillings replaced. It was all downhill after that. When I went to book flights to go to my sisters for Christmas the price had increased by $150.00. arrgghh!. And to finish the day, Pete C and I have been keeping an eye on MXXXXX who had fallen off the wagon last Tue. When I went to see him today he had entered a Catatonic state, so poisoned was he from the alcohol, needless to say an ambulance was necessary and I got know MXXXXX better then I thought I ever would. Lets just leave it at, he is uncut and I am not really into watersports. There is some good news my computers firewall is working just fine, as some hacker has been trying to get into my computer this evening at regular intervals. Oh yeah the copy of "Luster" you burnt plays fine in both my computer and DVD player. I won't be watching that though, a stiff drink should be in order but, in lieu of my afternoon, I think it will be a Valium or two and some of my favourite fetish porn from, San Francisco Factory VIdeo. "SEX SO HOT YOU CAN SMELL IT" Sigh....Bill

Visit my Blog: bilbored
http://btalbot.blogspot.com/
Alt. e-mail
bill.talbot@gmail.com  ¶ 21:37

  ONE YEAR

My blog is one years old today. I think and hope it is as different as I am one year later. I started my blog primarily as a focused way to express my thoughts and feelings as a result of my changed life situation and wrote mainly for myself. I still feel that, that is true, a big difference now is others have decided to come along for the ride. It amazes me that, that is so and the support from regulars such as Brent, Patrick and the other silent readers who I am in touch with has moved me deeply. Like my own life this blog is still very much a work in progress and next year should be even more tumultuous then the past few have been for me. The main difference though, the choices are mine and made with hope in my heart rather than sorrow. I am happy that blogging has very much expanded horizons for me and is nothing like anti social geekdom, its ignorant critics would like to label us. I have been touched and moved by the many different blogs I have read. I am continually astonished, that this perhaps, the finest forum of free speech, devised since the invention of the printing press has allowed me to come into contact with both persons and ideas I would not otherwise encounter. I may not agree with everything I read just as others will not agree with me either at times. However for the most part courtesy and respect seem to be alive and well amongst the majority of bloggers I encounter. I truly believe we as bloggers have become an important bastion of free speech and it matters not weather a blog is weighty in its content or just some bit of mundane trip to the mall reportage. Each has merit to its author and its readers. More importantly is the sense of empowerment that has allowed every individual a forum of expression, restricted only by ones own sense of responsibility to the integrity of their ideas. A forum that for the most part supersedes restrictions that any government may wish to impose. Blog-ocracy! I look forward to another year of unexpected surprises, with the desire that I will continue to be astonished by friends old and new. Thanks for stopping by my small corner, on your journeys in cyber space….Bill

A note about links:
Last January when blogger ate my template I lost my links and in the restoration of my template my links list code was totally messed up. So I deleted them. Since then I thought long and hard about how a list of links impacted me psychologically, in terms of how I wrote. I came to the conclusion that for me a list of links made me think outwardly instead of inwardly when I wrote. It was and is imperative that I write first for me, and I felt I could not do that if there was a constant reminder of a specific audience. I understand the courtesy system of links and also the importance of building site traffic through links. However for me I could never find a comfort level that worked. I maintain a private list of links, of blogs I frequent and I thank those of you who have extended the courtesy of linking my site through yours.
  ¶ 13:00

  WHAT'S IN A NAME


. (thinking) . (of) . (you) . (always) Bill  ¶ 02:46

  CHANGES ARE SHIFTING….

I used to be a lunatic from the gracious days
I used to feel woebegone, and so restless nights
My aching heart would bleed for you to see

Oh, but now

I don't find myself bouncing home
Whistling buttonhole tunes to make me cry

No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's, changes are shifting
Outside the words

No one ever speaks about the monsters

I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire, despair, desire,
So many monsters

Oh, but now

I don't find myself bouncing home
Whistling buttonhole tunes to make me cry

No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me in silence
No more I love you's
Changes are shifting outside the words

And people are being real crazy
And you know what mommy?
Everybody was being real crazy
And the monsters are crazy.
There are monsters outside

No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me in silence
No more I love you's
Changes are shifting outside the words


Do be do be do do do oh
Outside the words
-------------------------------Annie Lennox, No More I love Yous

Thanks for being there….Bill
  ¶ 20:38

  A PLEA TO MY AMERICAN FRIENDS

With the US election fast approaching it is becoming depressingly clear, that it is likely that the world will be inflicted with another four more years of unstable rule from the world’s most powerful nation. I have in the past thought that it was not within my purview to comment on the political choices of another nation. That is not to say I have not let my feelings escape from time to time because I have. After watching the first of the debates last week it is with increasing alarm, that my belief is, that President Bush is completely unfit for political office and quite possibly he is mentally unstable as well.

He came into office under a cloud of suspicion and taint, right from day one, a stain on the democratic process. He has done nothing since to instil confidence during his tenure. Domestically we have seen a powerhouse economy falter, increases in unemployment, and tax cuts for the wealthy, plus spirally debt further crippling the already weakend economy, whilst the disenfranchised continue to suffer. His inability to separate church and state has meant many thousands of Americans have been denied their civil rights for the sake of political expediency. Internationally his fool hardy venture into Iraq has seriously destabilised world peace, and has fractured important alliances amongst “traditional” allies. This distracting war has completely hi-jacked the world agenda to a point, that genuine security and economic, policies are not receiving the attention they require. World leaders are walking on eggshells around this president not wanting to offend for fear of repercussions, all the while we all wonder when sane rational leadership will return to the USA.

We live in dangerous times and now more then ever it is vital that all nations work together to solve the enormous problems we find before us. It is incumbent on the USA as the dominant world empire to take on that leadership role. It has failed us all completely. The current administration has created an Orwellian atmosphere of fear and instability at home, blinding its citizens to many truths. It has demonstrated a complete in-ability to either understand or deal with the real problems facing us all. It is my great fear that should Americans re-elect this President world peace will be further threatened, as more nations are destabilised through either neglect or inappropriate aggression. If this President continues to neglect the domestic economy our entire western economies may suffer damages we might not recover from any time soon.

I don’t envy the choices Americans have before them on November 4. However I do believe maintaining the status quo will only isolate the USA from the world community further as nations seek other ways to solve genuine problems in our world that this administration has failed to comprehend. Without sane stable leadership from Washington that task may be impossible….Bill
  ¶ 13:53

  6" ?

I have a weakness for Kolbassa, a shocking surprise I know. It is something I like to treat myself to every now and then. If I can have it with a bit of cheese, all the better. Mind in the gutter yet? It should be. When I am at the deli counter the last item I order is often.. "6 inches of Brandt Kolbassa please", in the most serious face I can muster. Now just an observation. When a women cuts it, it is always the correct size wrapped and handed over right away. When a guy cuts it,it is always at least 8" and he always asks if 'this' is OK "Yes thankyou" 'Would you like anything else.' "No that is everything thanks"....Bill
  ¶ 18:51