Language(s)

Up, Down.



a few weeks ago i had a yen for pork hocks, pattes de cochon, and i went all the way over to the big supermarket to buy some - and they had none! but later on in the day when i was in my local i was surprised to see that they had some, and i said as much to the girl who works behind the meat counter, and she nodded and smiled, and away i went with my pork hocks, and made soup and so on ...

and i have not seen them there since, so today i asked when they might have some more and i am sorry i did, she has no idea what a pork hock is, doesn't understand the word, after a few minutes we got as far as 'pork chop' and then she made me ask the other girl, who had no more idea, so then i had to repeat it a third time to some man who was there, and he said, just a minute i'll go get the manager

and i walked quickly away.

this could be a Gogol story, except instead of turning into a nose i have turned into Maxwell Smart's Cone of Silence!

and it all reminded me of something i had read in Charles Taylor's A Secular Age so i thought i would go and see, but a half hour in the index and eventually going through my sidebar markings one-by-one and i got nowhere, eventually i did, he was talking about what he calls Subtler Languages (which is in the index, what i did was to just read the index, being as i was unbeknownst looking for 'S' i nearly read the whole thing and when i catch my breath i will scan a few pages, maybe enough to make it clear

clear? no idea what that even means anymore ... none,

it struck me the other evening as well, i was listening to music for organ and saxophone, Northern Landscapes (2006) by Derek Healey (b. 1936) - A Suite inspired by "Group of Seven" paintings, i don't know anything, it seemed very modern to me and i could not get a handle on any of it, once in a while there would be a thing recognizable as a phrase of music, i sat through it because i did not want to offend the performers, the piece was in 6 sections, each 'inspired' by a Group of Seven image, and there was one image which touched me, Lawren Harris' Grey Day in Town, although now that i have a copy i see that it was only because the room was dark and i mistook what turns out to be a fence for an earth bank, it all reminded me strongly of Great Paradise where there was a similar configuration of houses when i was living there, and in the fog and as dusk approached on certain nights in early spring when snow had been melting it looked like that, had that 'mood' or maybe that crookedness and the resemblance of the gable-end of the house to a face, but a twisted face speaking out of the side of its mouth ... but so what? when i trolled the image up today with Google, it turned out to be something else altogether, and even look at the differences between these two images, doh!

seems to me there has to be some vernacular overlap at least, the music can be a chore to listen to, alright, but there has to be some kind of payoff, no? some hook into consciousness beyond mere cartesian symmetry?

here, look at this smile, is it seraphic? to me it is, subtle, a subtle mysterious smile containing all possibilities like wazzerface ... right, Leonardo Da Vinci's La Gioconda, Mona Lisa, but someone else i know looked at it and said it's a teenager, an adolescent, unformed ... who can fucking well say!?

Stories:
     Herbert de Souza, O Betinho: I am doing my part.
     Amos Oz: the Order of the Teaspoon.
     Somerset Maugham: Mr. Know All.
     John Galsworthy: Quality.
     Rudyard Kipling: The Butterfly that Stamped.
     Jay Williams: Everybody Knows What Dragons Look Like.
     Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm: Briar Rose.
     Hans Christian Andersen: The Snow Queen.
     Rudyard Kipling: How The Whale Got His Throat.
     Thomas Pynchon: Entropy.
     1 Kings 1: Abishag the Shunammite
     Luke 10, 29-35: The Good Samaritan.
     Franz Kafka: Before the Law.
     Oscar Wilde: The Doer of Good.

Teddy Bear's Picnic

If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears,
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily dance about.
They love to play and shout.
And never have any cares.
At six o'clock their mommies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

If you go out in the woods today,
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely out in the woods today,
But safer to stay at home.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Every teddy bear, that's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of wonderful things to eat
And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

the day began thinking about Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and another of hers, Reflections in a Golden Eye, i wish it would end with a tired little teddy bear getting tucked into bed, but in fact the song always frightened me as a child.

half-pack yesterday but already working on #2 here now ...

wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dyin'
but it's all right ma, if I can't please them

Down.

Braidwood Inquiry, testimony ends

Up, Down.

maybe Thomas Braidwood will have something to say "by the fall," say, October 14? that would be two years ... two years of travail which could have been made unnecessary by the merest display of honour by any single one of the RCMP goon squad, that's to say any one of the some 25,000 of them walking around, disgraceful!

meanwhile, in late June there will be "final submissions" by Ravi Hira and David Butcher and Reg Harris and Helen Roberts, and such like dishonourable maggots in defence of their dishonourable maggoty client viz. the Government of Canada in its daemonic incarnation as the RCMP, not clear if this folderol will be published with the Braidwood Site transcripts

Taser inquiry testimony ends, Stunning attitude, Police could have avoided inquiry - lawyer.

speaking of maggots, here's another one, Grant Fredericks, a "forensic video expert," another Taser International shill spinning desperate and far-fetched lies and fabrications to shore up the official RCMP lies, pardon me, LIES(!):



Fredericks is closely associated with LEVA (Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Video Association), who count among their Corporate Sponsors (surprise, surprise), Taser International, Inc., well to remember that some people will say anything if you pay them, this Grant Fredericks fellow is not only an "expert" but is apparently "a pioneer in forensic video analysis," you can watch him lying at the CBC Dziekanski site, Thomas Braidwood, God bless his heart, does not seem to be buying what the BBB (baffle-their-brains-with-bullshit) crowd are selling

and thank goodness that there is the odd honourable one in the bunch, here is Mike Webster's recent letter to the Braidwood Commission: (I have posted his previous testimony here: Braidwood Transcript)



April 17,2009

Braidwood Commissions of Inquiry
Art Vertlieb QC
Commission Counsel
980-T500 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6G 2Z6

Dear Mr. Vertlieb,

You have asked me for my opinion in the case of the death of Robert Dziekanski that is before the Braidwood Commissions of Inquiry. I am a Registered Psychologist (in private practice) that has worked in the area of police psychology for over 30 years. I completed basic police training at the RCMP Training Academy (Depot Division) in 1988. I specialize in the area of crisis management and have experience in the application offeree across a broad array of police tasks including: hostage/barricade incidents; kidnappings; incidents of public disorder; and crisis intervention. I have been instrumental in the creation and delivery of crisis intervention, crisis negotiation, and incident command courses from the Canadian Police College (Ottawa, Ontario) to the B.C Police Academy (New Westminster, B.C.). I have been an adjunct lecturer at the FBI 'Gaining Academy. I have consulted internationally with several law enforcement agencies including: Colombia, Mexico, Singapore, Brazil, the United Arab Emerates, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden, Australia, and Europol. I have consulted operationally at a variety of incidents including: the old BC Penitentiary (hostage takings); Waco, Texas; Gustafsen Lake, B.C.; Jordan, Montana; Ft. Davis, Texas; the G8; the G20; Apex Alpine; and numerous kidnappings from Iraq to Indonesia, and Kashmir to Colombia. I am familiar with both Use of Force Models; the RCMP's Integrated Model of Incident Management and the National Use of Force Framework.

In forming my opinions I have reviewed the following materials:

• Transcripts on 2 dispatch calls (DRIP Dl 3.WAWD RIP D I 5.WAV)
• Transcripts on hearings dated February 23, February 24, February 25, February 26, March 2, March 3, and March 4; and, March 23, March 24, and March 25 2009
• Robert Dzfekanski - Circumstances; and,
• The Pritchard Video and enhanced audio by Sharpe.

In my opinion the RCMP members mishandled this call and responded inappropriately in the following ways:

i. Only "Fools Rush In"

All the RCMP members agreed in their evidence that this was an unusual call. It should have been apparent to them that it would require a different approach than their usual general duty fare. Mr. Dziekanski wasn't going anywhere and none of the public was in immediate danger. It is difficult to believe that Cpl. Robinson, nor any of his members, had a plan. (All Use of Force models begin with some form of "assess-plan-act")- It is equally difficult to believe that he would have left the "lead" or "contact" position to such junior members, considering the nature of the call.

A well trained and well experienced NCO i/c would remember to take a moment to formulate a plan. (In their basic training these members would have heard me old adage "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" many times from their instructors). In my opinion, he would have "verbally contained" Mr. Dziekanski after putting the "rule of ate" (or whatever ft was called in his training) into motion. The rule is: "locate", "isolate", "evacuate", "communicate". The subject had already been located. One of the members could have been dispatched to the Customs Hall to ensure no one was allowed to enter the IRL (subject isolated), while another evacuated the public from the area (scene evacuated). Now the "contact" member could take bis time to communicate with a hyperarouscd subject.

ii. "Low and Slow"

I'm sure these members in then1 basic police training had some conflict resolution instruction. Part of that instruction would have focused on how it's much easier to increase the intensity of approach than decrease it On a scale of 1-10 it's much easier to come in at a 3 or 4 and then increase if need be. It's next to impossible to come in at an 8 or 9 and then expect to defuse an emotionally distraught individual. Vaulting the railing (not one but all four) was inconsistent with coining in "low" and creating a safe non-threatening environment (which they should also know from their training is the best way to calm an agitated individual).

One more thing they would have learned in their conflict resolution training was the ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes (i.e. to empathize). Not one of the members appeared to have placed himself in Mr. Dziekanski's shoes and considered how, in his state of hyperarousal (fear?) Mr. Dziekanski would have perceived four heavily armed policemen jumping a barrier to get to (at?) him.

iii. "Too Many Cooks ..... "

In their basic training, likely during conflict resolution and arrest procedures instruction, these members would have been informed about the interaction between arousal and cognitive process. They would have learned that during hyperarousal someone's cognitive process is disrupted and disorganized. They would have been told that a highly aroused person does not process instructions well, can't make good decisions, doesnt use good judgment, and is not a good problem solver. In other words, they should have known that Mr. Dzjekanski (language difficulties aside) would not be able to respond to them until he bad been calmed down. UK fact that, at feast, two different sets of instructions were given to him, each inconsistent with the other, would have served to bom confuse and frustrate him.

iv. "First Impressions...."

As put of their basic training these members would have learned (conflict resolution basics) dial before you get someone else under control you must get yourself under control. This means using neutral, non-threatening body postures and calm, non-confrontational tones. These members had this situation resolved when they first arrived (despite vaulting the barrier). Just like it's supposed to, "presence" and "communication'' worked like a charm. Mr. Dziekanski dropped his hands to his sides and engaged the "contact'' member. Everything they did after that was absolutely inconsistent with their conflict resolution training. Following the contrary commands came the pointing of (at least one) black leather clad finger. I understand that these "slash" gloves are worn for protection but they could (put yourself in Mr. Dziekanski's shoes) be interpreted as threatening by a frightened individual If you were faced by policemen with bare hands, hats, ties, and concealed body armour alongside the four members in question which would you turn to for help?

v. "Circle the Wagons"

Once again "put yourself in the subject's shoes", what do you think that a man in a state of hyperarousal (likely frightened by what has transpired to this point) is going to think when surrounded by four policemen with their hands hovering around their duly belts? (I believe the Taser had been unholstered by this time and he may have caught a glimpse of it). What would ever make us think that this would calm him down or allow us to control him? During their training these members would have been taught that the genesis of human behaviour is interactional not dispositional (perhaps different words were used but the idea was the same). The notion that Mr. Dziekanski was in charge and trie police were responding to him is illogical and unscientific. Mr. Dziekanski and the police were locked in a dance of behaviours and responses; each being influenced by and influencing the other all at the same time. People will respond reactively to the use of "heavy tactics". Trapping someone (especially a frightened someone) in a circle is bound to stimulate defensive behaviours. If the four policemen had done something different, chances are Mr. Dziekanski would have responded differently. And no, it would not be Mr. Dzieksnskj's responsibility to calm down first and create a different dance. He is the "client". The police are the authorities and it is their responsibility to change the dance and take control (they are trained and he isn't).

vi. "Is it, or isn't it?"

One final comment. There has been much discussion both in and outside these proceedings with regard to the stapler as a weapon. While I believe that anything can be used asa weapon, it is interesting that not everyone (including police people) regard the danger posed by the stapler in the same way. During the proceedings those who see the stapler as a credible threat have focused on the policemens' perceptions, and quite rightly have stated that the policemens' perceptions were their reality. I want to point out that perception and tactical considerations are inter-related (in all use of force models). These concepts hold equal status in the models. Tactical considerations, in this case, would include such factors as containment, position, backup, proximity of the public, police tools available, condition of the subject, and nature of his weapon. In my opinion, the tactical considerations during this incident were significantly in favour of the police. Arguably this could make the deployment of the Taser an excessive use of force. In light of the "one-plus-one" rule it could be argued that there was no reasonable relationship between the degree of threat and the amount offeree applied to it. The amount offeree applied was "precise" in nature rather than proportionate to the threat, Moreover, these tactical considerations emphasize the excessive nature of the multiple taserings, following the first (that took Mr. Dziekanski to ground), in both the probe and drive stun modes.

Thank you for consulting me on this matter. I hope these opinions will be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Dr. Mike Webster
Centurion Consulting Services Ltd.

[Note: this letter came to me as a pdf which I re-formatted to HTML using OCR. So, there may be some OCR typos I have not caught, and while the overall paragraph structure is consistent with the original, the actual presentation and spacing is a bit different - apologies, this technology is really, well, the word for it is 'the shits.']


***************************************************************************
Stunning attitude, North Shore News, May 27, 2009.

AS the inquiry into the Tasering death of Robert Dziekanski enters its final stages, it is hard to imagine what more the RCMP and its supporters could do to hurt their own officers.

Over the past several weeks, the force has offered up witness after witness whose purpose appears to be to defend the institution's good name. Each has succeeded in doing the opposite.

First there was the officer who claimed Dziekanski's stapler was a threat to the public. Then there was the superintendent who said allowing the media to be misled about the number of jolts was good for the investigation. Now, in testimony this week, we have an "expert" who claims the video of the incident showed Dziekanski moving toward the police. That expert, it would seem, is a former Vancouver police officer with no formal training in photogrammetry and whose organization counts Taser International among its sponsors.

Each of these witnesses, in attempting to justify a series of grievous missteps by those involved, has succeeded only in further damaging the institution's reputation. Instead of simply accepting responsibility and vowing to do better, the force is seen to be suppressing the truth and defending the negligent in its own self-interest.

In doing so, the RCMP's management is betraying its own members. Frontline officers rely on the trust and respect of the general public to do their jobs. The institution is undermining both.

The force must stop making excuses, take its lumps and move on -- if for no other reason than to help itself.


***************************************************************************
Taser inquiry testimony ends, May 27, 2009.

VANCOUVER - The public inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, which heard compelling testimony from the Mounties involved in his death and airport visitors who witnessed the tragic incident, ended with a bit of a whimper Tuesday as the last witness took the stand.

Engineer Duane MacInnis testified that amateur video taken of Dziekanski moments before he was stunned with an RCMP Taser could not be used to support the force’s claim that the Polish man was advancing on officers.

With that, the proceedings were adjourned until June 19 when closing arguments will be heard. A final report by commissioner Thomas Braidwood is expected in the fall.

Dziekanski died on the floor of Vancouver’s airport in October 2007 after he was shocked multiple times by an RCMP Taser.

He had wandered around the customs hall for hours, looking for his mother after arriving from Poland to start a new life in Canada.

Police were summoned to deal with Dziekanski after he began throwing furniture in the arrivals area of the airport. He was jolted by the Taser within seconds of their arrival on the scene.

The inquiry, which heard from more than 80 witnesses and stretched beyond four months, heard conflicting views about what actually caused Dziekanski’s death and about the actions of RCMP and airport officials.

The four officers each told the inquiry they tried to calm the man, but he came at them with a stapler. They repeatedly stunned him on the ground because, they said, he was fighting back.


***************************************************************************
Police could have avoided inquiry - lawyer, May 27, 2009.

Robert Dziekanski's mother, the public and law enforcement could have been spared a lengthy public inquiry if RCMP officers had only admitted they made mistakes shortly after the Polish immigrant's death, a lawyer said Tuesday as the Braidwood Inquiry neared an end.

I think that the public expected a proper and heartfelt apology to the family," said lawyer Don Rosenbloom, representing the Polish government at the inquiry, which wrapped up four months of testimony Thursday.

Had they come forward and been forthright in acknowledging that they had done wrong at the time, this wouldn't have been the story that it is . . . none of us would have been here."

Dziekanski came to Canada as a landed immigrant in October 2007, but he never made it out of Vancouver International Airport. The inquiry has heard Dziekanski spent hours wandering around the immigration hall and arrivals area of the airport, never connecting with his mother, who had come to meet him.

Dziekanski died after he was hit with an RCMP Taser weapon multiple times after being confronted by four officers.

The inquiry has exposed questions like why the officers' accounts of the events appear to differ in key ways from an eyewitness video; and why the RCMP a year to correct misinformation released after the event.

The many lawyers involved in the inquiry will reconvene in mid-June to make their final submissions. A final report, including any recommendations from Commissioner Thomas Braidwood, could take months.

Down.

Unbelievable

Up, Down.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

next strategy was to keep one in the pack and consider how right and beautiful it looked sitting there in the pack and just leave it there in the pack

worked till 1:30 pm ...

what kicks it is the overwhelming feeling of unworthiness, of being unloved, little flakes of attention can keep it on the rails but ... and there is a care package coming tomorrow too maybe, but the prospect was not quite enough given just a few real or imagined rejections, slights ... whatever ...

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

belezoca

dedo de pé enroscado
cicatriz no joelho
até umbigo cabeludo
verruga no mamilo
cheiro de pescoço
sorriso e cabelos loucos
que adoro, sim
tem mais
cor de cobre cor de ouro
cabelos crespos na margem da testa
que adoro, sim

Unbelievable

It's unbelievable,
It's strange but true.
It's inconceivable
It could happen to you.
You go north and you go south
Just like bait in a fish's mouth.
Must be livin' in the shadow
Of some kind of evil star.
It's unbelievable
It would get this far.

It's undeniable
What they'd have you to think,
It's indescribable,
It can drive you to drink.
They said it was the land
Of milk and honey,
Now they say it's the land of money.
Who ever thought
They'd ever make that stick.
It's unbelievable
You could get this rich this quick.

Every head is so dignified,
Every mood is so sanctified,
Every urge is so satisfied
As long as you're with me.
All the silver, all the gold,
All the sweethearts you can hold
And don't come back with stories untold,
Or hanging on a tree.

It's unbelievable
Like a lead balloon,
It's so impossible
To even learn the tune.
Kill that beast, feed that swine,
Scale that wall and smoke that vine,
Feed that horse and saddle up the drum.
It's unbelievable,
The day would finally come.

Once there was a man
Who had no eyes,
Every lady in the land
Told him lies,
He stood beneath the silver skies
And his heart began to bleed.
Every brain is civilized,
Every nerve is analyzed,
Everything is criticized
When you are in need.

It's unbelievable,
It's fancy-free,
So interchangeable,
So delightful to see.
Turn your back, wash your hands,
There's always someone who understands.
It don't matter no more
What you got to say.
It's unbelievable
It'd go down this way.

O que esta fazendo Porco?
Eu me tornei especialista em abraços. Com esse aparelho, nos determinamos a quantidade de abraços no seu tanque de abraços. Se está baixo, nos enchemos você, porque conta baixa pode induzir infelicidade.
Toca em mim e eu te empurro pela escada.
Acaba.

I can change your death sentence into perpetual imprisonment, it will be enough if you just participate in tomorrow's group hug.
Candy?
Happiness has become a duty, a burden. I prefer death.
He prefers death, director.
Are you crying Jair? Did you forget to take your medication?

ahhh, here we go ...


Hello Base, I think I found what you all wanted so much.
Titties!!!
Titties and problems, guys.
I only fuck for love.

Voyage to the centre of the soul
LOADING
You will only be able to take one of these objects with you.
The panties are used?
No.
Then I'll stick with the bottle.
Men, they're all the same ...

Diego Samper, André Dahmer Malvados.

did i say,
"pack a day?"

Down.

more politics & ideology

Up, Down.

in the NYT this morning, caught my eye and seemed to bring a hint of light to it: With Billions at Stake, Trying to Expand the Meaning of ‘Renewable Energy’, Felicity Barringer.

there was another article a while ago on a similar theme, it has taken me a full hour to find it though it is not very far away at all: 5 days / or, more accurately, the 5th day, and the article is Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus, John M. Broder, May 1, 2009, and even another one i had forgot Dot Earth: Global Heating, Atmosphere Cancer, Pollution Death. What’s in a Name?, Andrew C. Revkin, February 18, 2008.

a full hour! and i already invest some time in maintaining the index to this pile of crap, so ... ok, it is well understood by myself that this craziness megrim is hard on the memory, in days gone by, when i was driving, i used to expect to miss a red light at some point and have the whole thing ended by simple distraction, or not-so-simple distraction maybe ...

or i can almost imagine a system to organize and find, such systems exist, the Microsoft Desktop Organizer was going in that direction, i thought it got scuttled by being owerwhelmed by the Windows infrastructure overburden, and i imagined at the time a simple database running on the kernel of Access or SQL Server Express or the like ... also scuttled by unimaginative interface designers ...

sitting on the boardwalk last night at dusk wondering what to do about having failed to quit smoking after 24 days, ai ai ai, and along came a big black man, i mean like six-foot-six, a veritable linebacker! hand-in-hand with a tiny black girl, not a child i mean, just tiny, his girlfriend apparently, and they sat on the next bench ten yards away and chatted for a while and then got up and walked past me again, and the guy nodded his head to me in passing, i nodded back, and i thought ... well, my first thought was, "maybe they are brasilian and will speak to me in Portugese!" eu estou FAMINTO de falar ... but i couldn't hear what language they were speaking, my second thought was obvious fluff about not judging people by their size

but later on as i thought of the various tiny incidents which had got me through the 24 days, many of them no more than that brief nodding of a head in greeting of some kind, and wondered if i had just seen these two a few days too late

reminds me of the joke about the guy who drowns on his housetop because he knows God will save him, and later on God says, well, i sent a helicopter and a rescue boat ... silly joke but the same territory




***************************************************************************
With Billions at Stake, Trying to Expand the Meaning of ‘Renewable Energy’, Felicity Barringer, May 24, 2009.

The definition of renewable energy seems clear cut: The sun continues to shine, so solar energy is renewable. The wind continues to blow, so wind turbines churn out renewable power.

But industries are now pushing to have a growing number of other technologies categorized as renewable — or at least as environmentally advantageous. They include nuclear power plants and the burning of garbage and even the waste from coal mines.

The lure of the renewable label is understandable. Federal tax breaks for renewable energy have been reauthorized, and quotas for renewable energy production have been set in 28 states, accompanied by extensive new grants, loans and other economic advantages. And legislation is moving through both houses of Congress to establish national quotas for renewable energy sources, including the climate bill passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.

With billions of dollars at stake, legislators have been besieged by lobbyists eager to share in the wealth.

“They’ve been queuing up outside staff offices, everyone with all their ideas as to what should be included,” said Bill Wicker, the spokesman for the Democratic majority on the Senate energy committee, which is considering a national quota.

In some states, the definition of “renewable” or “alternative” has already expanded. In Pennsylvania, waste coal and methane from coal mines receive the same treatment as solar panels and wind turbines. In Nevada, old tires can count as a renewable fuel, provided microwaves are used to break down their chemical structure.

About half of the 28 states with renewable mandates include electricity generated by burning garbage (the District of Columbia also has a quota for renewable energy). In Florida, the nuclear power industry is lobbying to be included but has not yet succeeded.

Government incentives for renewable energy were intended to give an economic boost to technologies like wind and solar power that were not yet economically competitive with coal and natural gas, which together provide more than two-thirds of the country’s electricity.

The benefits that go with the designation include renewable energy credits, which promise to be a valuable commodity if a national renewable energy standard becomes law and utilities with high levels of renewable sources can sell credits to those with less.

If a source of electricity already widely used by some utilities — hydropower or nuclear power, for example — is deemed renewable, it allows utilities to meet the new renewable-energy requirements while doing little to add wind or solar power to the electrical grid. House Republicans tried unsuccessfully last week to have nuclear energy included under the climate bill passed by the House committee.

Environmental groups like the Union of Concerned Scientists, Environment America and the Natural Resources Defense Council say they are frustrated by the increasing elasticity of the word “renewable” in legislators’ hands.

“Usually this is a very political process, and not driven in any way, shape or form by any strict scientific or ecological definition of renewables,” said Nathanael Greene of the N.R.D.C.

But some of the industries that have claimed the renewable mantle argue that they deserve it.

“A banana is renewable — you can grow them forever,” said Bob Eisenbud, a vice president for government affairs at Waste Management, which receives about 10 percent of its annual revenues of $13.3 billion from waste and landfill energy generation. “A banana that goes into garbage and gets burned,” he added, is “a renewable resource and producing renewable energy.”

But environmentalists argue that one of the goals of renewable energy is to cut back on the heat-trapping gases emitted from burning most things, whether fossil fuels or bananas. When there is no fire, there are no emissions. The waste-to-energy technology described by Mr. Eisenbud was not included in the original draft of the climate legislation that received House committee approval, but it was contained in the version that moved out of the committee, thanks to language inserted by Representative Baron P. Hill, Democrat of Indiana. A new $227 million waste-to-energy plant was already planned in northern Indiana, outside his district.

On the Senate side, an effort to get the benefits of the renewable designation for advanced coal-burning technologies failed, however.

Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico and chairman of the Senate energy committee, said that if too many new technologies beyond core renewable sources like wind and solar were to be included, “the whole purpose of the renewable electricity standard is defeated.”

The goal, he said, is “to encourage the development of some of these newer technologies and bring the price down.”

He added, “If you throw in everything else” and call it renewable, “then your numbers get way out of whack.”

Leon Lowery, a Democratic staff member for the committee, said that both environmentalists and industry had tinkered with the common-sense understanding of renewable sources to make definitions fit policy goals.

“If you try to assign a sort of conceptual definition, you find yourself in strange places,” Mr. Lowery said. “Anyone would acknowledge that hydropower is renewable, but do we want to give credits to the Grand Coulee Dam?”

To do so, he added, would give hydropower — which already benefits from rich federal subsidies that make it some of the cheapest energy available — the same status as solar or wind technologies.

Among states that have already adopted quotas for renewable energy, the standards vary from Wisconsin’s, which requires that 10 percent of all power come from renewable sources by 2015, to those of Oregon and Minnesota, which call for 25 percent from renewable sources by 2025. California is raising its mandate to 33 percent by 2020, though its utilities have already indicated that the existing quota — 20 percent by 2010 — will be difficult to meet.

In some states, quotas for renewable energy are paired with mandates for advanced technologies that are not necessarily renewable. For example, Ohio, which currently receives nearly two-thirds of its electricity from burning coal, requires that 25 percent of the state’s electricity must come from renewable or advanced technologies by 2025, but of that, half must come from core renewable sources, and some of the remainder can come from burning chemically treated coal.

Graham Mathews, a lobbyist representing Covanta Energy, another waste-to-energy company, said the political horse-trading on renewable energy legislation was typical of all energy measures. “Energy policy is balkanized by region, and that dictates the debate. The politics become incredibly complicated,” he said.

“Stepping back and looking at it,” Mr. Mathews added, “it sometimes doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

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Sunday Meditation - Abishag & Oxum

Up, Down.

i have no very good idea of what any of this is about but i have come across these things which seem to touch me and maybe my contribution will just be to organize a bit and present it in a more approachable format ...

Grandpa died last week and now he's buried in the rocks,
And everyone still talks about how badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen, I knew he'd lost control
When he, built a fire on Main Street and shot it full of holes.
        Bob Dylan, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, 1966.

the first four verses of 1 Kings are the nut of the story, the dying king, the end of a cycle and maybe the beginning of the next, more a spiral than a rigorous cycle of course: O Velhice de Davi / Abishag & King David, Dieter Ruckhaberle did two series of images & text around it: a draft at Skizzen / Sketches, comprising 8 images on 10 pages (2 repeated), and a series of 24 panels at Abisag von Sunem und der König David / Abisag de Sunem o Rei Davi, taking the story from Bathsheba to the grave, seems to be slightly more than the 4 verses, and he has taken the portugese text from a different translation, ok

1 Reis Capítulo 1		1 Kings Chapter 1
Ora, o rei Davi era já velho, de idade mui avançada; e por mais que o cobrissem de roupas não se aquecia. Disseram-lhe, pois, os seus servos: Busque-se para o rei meu senhor uma jovem donzela, que esteja perante o rei, e tenha cuidado dele; e durma no seu seio, para que o rei meu senhor se aqueça. Assim buscaram por todos os termos de Israel uma jovem formosa; e acharam Abisague, a sunamita, e a trouxeram ao rei. Era a jovem sobremaneira formosa; e cuidava do rei, e o servia; porém o rei não a conheceu.		Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

Sketches:


Panels:


some of it seems too trite; casting in #4, playing checkers in #18, i will have to see about translating the German, suddenly i am afraid the artist will be hurt by what i have done and object, who can say? maybe he will google one day and find it and tell me

Oxum/Oshun/Oshum:
i posted about Oxum once a while ago: It's over, it ain't goin' any further, about mermaids and such, there is much conflicting information about Oxum, many different names, as there should be about a beautiful woman, much of the confusion comes from so many candomblé adherents being illiterate, analfabeto, but this should never be mistaken for ignorance, traditions mix as well, Yoruba mixes with Catholic in Brasil and as communication (of a sort) increases via the internet there is mixing with Cuba and other places, here are the images and an Oxum legend which i included there:

Lenda de Oxum: Havia na África um país muito rico chamado Ijexá, governado por uma linda rainha-deusa chamada Oxum. Ijexá era um país harmonioso. Nele tudo era belo e perfumado; e no ar ouviam-se música que nunca se sabia de onde vinha. Certo dia, as damas de honra da rainha-deusa entraram em seu palácio aos gritos e prantos, dizendo que Ijexá seria atacada pelo temível guerreiro rei de Oyó, que soltava fogo pela boca e pelas narinas. Esse guerreiro era Xangô. Oxum não possuía exércitos, e os poucos guerreiros que possuía lidavam com a caça e a pesca para alimentar o povo de Ijexá. Primeiramente, Oxum tratou de acalmar seu povo. Astuta e grande estrategista que era, tinha um grande poder que somente poucos conheciam; o dom do oráculo. Através do jogo dos caurís (búzios) ela descobriu que Xangô tinha um ponto fraco: uma paixão arrebatadora por mulheres lindas e sensuais. Então, antes que Xangô invadisse Ijexá e a destruísse, Oxum foi encontrá-lo para tentar dissuadi-lo da invasão de seu reino. Vestida em traje amarelo-ouro e azul, enfrentou o poderoso guerreiro usando a arma da sedução. Ao deparar com mulher tão linda e irresistível, tão tranqüila e tão segura de si, Xangô não resistiu aos seus encantos. Louco de paixão, caiu-lhe aos pés implorando por seu amor. Oxum, dona da situação, como prova de amor, pediu a Xangô a acompanhasse ao seu palácio em Ijexá, mas ele teria que entrar na cidade sentado aos seus pés. E assim foi feito. Oxum vitoriosa retorna à Ijexá trazendo o temível guerreiro lançador de fogo, raios e pedras aos seus pés. A estratégia do amor venceu a ira implacável do poderoso guerreiro. E enquanto as águas correrem sobre as pedras e elas estiverem submersas nas plácidas águas do rio, Ijexá estará a salvo, pois Xangô estará prisioneiro do amor de Oxum. E como sabemos não há prisão mais doce e poderosa que o amor, pois entrasse nela e não se que mais sair.

A legend of Oxum: In Africa there was a very rich country called Ijexá, ruled by a beautiful queen/goddess named Oxum. Ijexá was a harmonious country. Everything in it was beautiful and perfumed; and on the air you would hear music without ever knowing whence it came. One day, the ladies of honour of the queen/goddess came into her palace with screams and weeping, saying that Ijexá would be attacked by the fearsome warrior king of Oyó, who breathed fire through his mouth and nostrils. This warrior was Xangô. Oxum did not have armies, and the few warriors that she had were leaders in hunting and fishing to feed the people of Ijexá. First of all, Oxum tried to calm her people. Wise and great strategist that she was, she had a great power that only a few knew about; the gift of foreknowledge. Through a game of shells she discovered that Xangô had a weak point: a ravishing passion for beautiful and sensuous women. So, before Xangô could invade Ijexá and destroy it, Oxum went to meet him to try to dissuade him from invading her kingdom. Dressed in golden-yellow and blue clothing, she opposed the powerful warrior using the weapon of seduction. Coming across a woman so beautiful and irresistable, so calm and so self possessed, Xangô could not resist her charms. Mad with passion, he threw himself at her feet begging for her love. Oxum, mistress of the situation, as proof of his love, asked Xangô to go with her to her palace in Ijexá, but he had to enter the city sitting at her feet. And so it was done. Oxum returned victorious to Ijexá bringing the fearsome warrior and thrower of fire lightning and stones, at her feet. The strategy of love overcame the implacable anger of the powerful warrior. And while water flowed over the stones and they were submerged in the calm waters of the river, Ijexá would be saved, because Xangô would be the prisoner of Oxum's love. And as we know there is no prison more sweet and powerful than love, only enter it and you may never leave.

there is more of course, as usual i expend all of my energy on trying to make things neat, don't even succeed at that except to become more accustomed to the limitations of HTML and the whole apparatus, and in the end do not tell the story i wanted to tell

smoking again, third pack bought this morning across the street and almost half-gone already, and sore lungs again, and bad arthritis in the night, ai ai ai, pure deathwish, it's like this you see - a specific connection through my name to the Abishag story, which came first the myth or the reality? and as long as you are indulging myth why not entertain a delightful goddess as well, Oxum governing (in my mind at least) rivers, sexiness, waterfalls, social know-how, and motherhood ... something like that.



Mulher vaidosa e muito bonita, representa a fertilidade e o amor, foi a esposa preferida de Xangô, filha de Iemanjá e Orunmilá, sua formosura denota uma mulher bela e frágil, mas se engana quem pensa assim, ela consegue tudo o que quer com seu poder de sedução. Habita os rios, representa a água doce e o ouro. Oxum deitou-se com Exu para conhecer os segredos dos Búzios. Sua cor é dourado e amarelo. Seu número é o 5 e seu símbolo é o espelho leque.

(fonte de imagem da jóia de Oxum)

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