Sunday Meditation
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Up, Down.
If all the things you see ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
Richie Havens, Follow.
1. Global Warming.
"The world is already at or above the worst case scenarios in terms of emissions. In terms of emissions, we are moving past the most pessimistic estimates of the I.P.C.C., and by some estimates we are above that red line."
Gernot Klepper, Kiel Institute for World Economy, Germany.
Summary of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report ($@*%! pdf!).
U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change, Source.
Climate change panel too slow to react?, Source.
A 4th Climate Warning. Anyone Listening?, Source.
Either the governments will not react with any effect whatsoever, a global cluster fuck; or they will react with nuclear power plants and spraying trillions and quadrillions of tiny bits of tinfoil into the upper atmosphere. Either way ...
Can things change without governments? They are bureaucracies, their only tool is fiscalização, nothing much happens either because of or in spite of them but they have all the power - so the answer is, probably not.
The picture is of Kangerlussuaq glacier in Greenland, from Andrew C. Revkin at NYT.
2. Tupi Oil Field.
Economist, All this and oil too, Source.
Jornal do Brasil, 'Deus pode ser brasileiro', Source.
Of course they have known about it for some time so the release of the information is probably as the editorial writer at Jornal do Brasil says, a tactic to divert attention from recent stockmarket losses.
Still, if God really is brasilian ... :-)
20/11/07, Lula: está provado que Deus é brasileiro, Source.
Someone always goes and spoils things, turns out it is the devil who is Brasilian ... oh well, good while it lasted ...
3. Burma / Myanmar.
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, interesting guy. In the tradition (for me) of Sérgio Vieira de Mello a Brasilian diplomat killed in Iraq, Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar a commander in Haiti who suicided, and José Maurício Bustani who was negotiating access to Iraqi chemical weapons installations (if there were any) (rather than bomb them back to the stone age) and got fired by Bush for his trouble.
"In interviews I am almost invariably asked at some point whether I feel optimistic or pessimistic about some contemporary situation. The answer is that these imbecile words are euphemisms for manic-depressive highs and lows, and that anyone who struggles for sanity avoids both."
Northrop Frye, The Double Vision.
Follow, Richie Havens, words by Jerry Merrick
Let the river rock you like a cradle
Climb to the treetops, child, if you're able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.
And close your fingertips and fly where I can't hold you
Let the sun-rain fall and let the dewy clouds enfold you
And maybe you can sing to me the words I just told you,
If all the things you feel ain't what they seem.
And don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The mocking bird sings each different song
Each song has wings - they won't stay long.
Do those who hear think he's doing wrong?
While the church bell tolls its one-note song
And the school bell is tinkling to the throng.
Come here where your ears cannot hear.
And close your eyes, child, and listen to what I'll tell you
Follow in the darkest night the sounds that may impel you
And the song that I am singing may disturb or serve to quell you
If all the sounds you hear ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The rising smell of fresh-cut grass,
Smothered cities choke and yell with fuming gas;
I hold some grapes up to the sun
And their flavour breaks upon my tongue.
With eager tongues we taste our strife
And fill our lungs with seas of life.
Come taste and smell the waters of our time.
And close your lips, child, so softly I might kiss you,
Let your flower perfume out and let the winds caress you.
As I walk on through the garden, I am hoping I don't miss you
If all the things you taste ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The sun and moon both are right,
And we'll see them soon through days of night
But now silver leaves on mirrors bring delight.
And the colours of your eyes are fiery bright,
While darkness blinds the skies with all its light.
Come see where your eyes cannot see.
And close your eyes, child, and look at what I'll show you;
Let your mind go reeling out and let the breezes blow you,
Then maybe, when we meet, suddenly I will know you.
If all the things you see ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
And you can follow; And you can follow; follow...
(and Jesse Winchester's Nothing But A Breeze on the sidebar)
4. Robert Dziekanski, (see below).
Failures ... of the Canadian Immigration service not to have forseen the difficulty of a man with no english; of the Vancouver Airport authorities for not noticing what was going on; of the individuals at the scene who did not have sufficient compassion to interfere effectively, though at least one of them tried; of the airport security forces specifically for not dealing with Robert - surely this can't have been the first time such a person presented; of the RCMP both as an organization and in the individual actions of the four nameless bullies; of the man himself for not learning the rudiments of the language of his new country; of his mother Zofia for giving up and going home and for trusting that all would be well ... ai ai ai.
The RCMP should bear the brunt; the four goons should be behind bars waiting for trial on murder. But in another sense that would make them scapegoats for the culture of ignorance that we have, each and every one of us, allowed to flourish, and not only in Canada.
Thank goodness for Paul Pritchard; not only that he was there with a camera, but that he is articulate and engaged and self posessed and stayed with it to the extent of hiring a lawyer to help him get the video back. God bless him, and God bless Robert and his mother Zofia.
Down.
If all the things you see ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
Richie Havens, Follow.
1. Global Warming.
"The world is already at or above the worst case scenarios in terms of emissions. In terms of emissions, we are moving past the most pessimistic estimates of the I.P.C.C., and by some estimates we are above that red line."Gernot Klepper, Kiel Institute for World Economy, Germany.
Summary of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report ($@*%! pdf!).
U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change, Source.
Climate change panel too slow to react?, Source.
A 4th Climate Warning. Anyone Listening?, Source.
Either the governments will not react with any effect whatsoever, a global cluster fuck; or they will react with nuclear power plants and spraying trillions and quadrillions of tiny bits of tinfoil into the upper atmosphere. Either way ...Can things change without governments? They are bureaucracies, their only tool is fiscalização, nothing much happens either because of or in spite of them but they have all the power - so the answer is, probably not.
The picture is of Kangerlussuaq glacier in Greenland, from Andrew C. Revkin at NYT.
2. Tupi Oil Field.
Economist, All this and oil too, Source.
Jornal do Brasil, 'Deus pode ser brasileiro', Source.
Of course they have known about it for some time so the release of the information is probably as the editorial writer at Jornal do Brasil says, a tactic to divert attention from recent stockmarket losses.
Still, if God really is brasilian ... :-)
20/11/07, Lula: está provado que Deus é brasileiro, Source.
Someone always goes and spoils things, turns out it is the devil who is Brasilian ... oh well, good while it lasted ...
3. Burma / Myanmar.
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, interesting guy. In the tradition (for me) of Sérgio Vieira de Mello a Brasilian diplomat killed in Iraq, Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar a commander in Haiti who suicided, and José Maurício Bustani who was negotiating access to Iraqi chemical weapons installations (if there were any) (rather than bomb them back to the stone age) and got fired by Bush for his trouble.
"In interviews I am almost invariably asked at some point whether I feel optimistic or pessimistic about some contemporary situation. The answer is that these imbecile words are euphemisms for manic-depressive highs and lows, and that anyone who struggles for sanity avoids both."
Northrop Frye, The Double Vision.
Follow, Richie Havens, words by Jerry Merrick
Let the river rock you like a cradle
Climb to the treetops, child, if you're able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.
And close your fingertips and fly where I can't hold you
Let the sun-rain fall and let the dewy clouds enfold you
And maybe you can sing to me the words I just told you,
If all the things you feel ain't what they seem.
And don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The mocking bird sings each different song
Each song has wings - they won't stay long.
Do those who hear think he's doing wrong?
While the church bell tolls its one-note song
And the school bell is tinkling to the throng.
Come here where your ears cannot hear.
And close your eyes, child, and listen to what I'll tell you
Follow in the darkest night the sounds that may impel you
And the song that I am singing may disturb or serve to quell you
If all the sounds you hear ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The rising smell of fresh-cut grass,
Smothered cities choke and yell with fuming gas;
I hold some grapes up to the sun
And their flavour breaks upon my tongue.
With eager tongues we taste our strife
And fill our lungs with seas of life.
Come taste and smell the waters of our time.
And close your lips, child, so softly I might kiss you,
Let your flower perfume out and let the winds caress you.
As I walk on through the garden, I am hoping I don't miss you
If all the things you taste ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
The sun and moon both are right,
And we'll see them soon through days of night
But now silver leaves on mirrors bring delight.
And the colours of your eyes are fiery bright,
While darkness blinds the skies with all its light.
Come see where your eyes cannot see.
And close your eyes, child, and look at what I'll show you;
Let your mind go reeling out and let the breezes blow you,
Then maybe, when we meet, suddenly I will know you.
If all the things you see ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.
And you can follow; And you can follow; follow...
(and Jesse Winchester's Nothing But A Breeze on the sidebar)
4. Robert Dziekanski, (see below).
Failures ... of the Canadian Immigration service not to have forseen the difficulty of a man with no english; of the Vancouver Airport authorities for not noticing what was going on; of the individuals at the scene who did not have sufficient compassion to interfere effectively, though at least one of them tried; of the airport security forces specifically for not dealing with Robert - surely this can't have been the first time such a person presented; of the RCMP both as an organization and in the individual actions of the four nameless bullies; of the man himself for not learning the rudiments of the language of his new country; of his mother Zofia for giving up and going home and for trusting that all would be well ... ai ai ai.
The RCMP should bear the brunt; the four goons should be behind bars waiting for trial on murder. But in another sense that would make them scapegoats for the culture of ignorance that we have, each and every one of us, allowed to flourish, and not only in Canada.
Thank goodness for Paul Pritchard; not only that he was there with a camera, but that he is articulate and engaged and self posessed and stayed with it to the extent of hiring a lawyer to help him get the video back. God bless him, and God bless Robert and his mother Zofia.
Down.
Interesting the two edged sword of global warming. Two commentators i have listened to many times, at any other time in the past would have strongly opposed nuclear power in debate now seem to sheepishly defer to it. Defer to it well of course over the so very prevailing villian greenhouse gases but what the cost, what the cost? If we were ever to be rescued by a new energy source this would be a good time. Hope you had a good thanksgiving.