vancouver webcam

Photo: Vancouver, fall 2004












Vancouver is the most beautiful city in the world!! View the fog rolling in and out of our lotus landscape! RIGHT CLICK and choose PLAY.


If your just not that into Vancouver, then have some fun with MuffinFilms, animations 1-12 (some are interactive!!).


And finally...what you've always wanted: an endless supply of poppable bubble wrap!!

ENJOY!

Welcome to you who has come to Zombocom

Photo: Lillooet Lake campfire at Strawberry Point (August 2006)












VERDICT: I like it!
Zombo.com

good listening

Photo: My roommate Rhonda, sticking to the man! Crytal Method Concert (Vancouver, April 2005)



You know, I am really pissed off that Jian Ghomeshi had a short stint as the summer time host of Sounds Like Canada on CBC 1. He was fucking awesome. THE BEST EVER! Edgy but not Howard-Stern-assholely, creative but not artsy-farsty, sarcastic but not completely cynical and just a little bit insecure. Sounds like Canada?

He rocked my summer with his punchy, lyrical intros and kick ass music selection. And then, one day, I turn on my radio and there's Shelagh Rogers with her Martha Stewart chuckle, acting like she's the cat's pajamas, playing some fucking crap song from the small town Canada folk fest that no one attended, trying to represent, yo, trying to be the voice of Canada. "Oh", she says on air, "isn't that precious? ha -ha -ha! how delightful. (chuckle, chuckle, ha ha)" Um, I don't think so! I want Jian back! I've even sent letter to CBC demanding they give him his own show!

I guess I'm not being very Canadian. I should be writing something nice about Shelagh because I'm sure she us very nice. She has to be, her name is Shelagh.

My advice? ('cause I know ya want it!): Search out the internet. You can listen to what seems to be every single interview EVER with Chomsky at www.chomsky.info. Or, head over to Democracy Now for great news reports and interviews on streaming video.

For those who want to read, you'll find some great journalism on the New York Times website (it's free to register!). Check out the Guardian and some local BC stuff at The Tyee website.

And many more...

Surveillance

Photo: Mendhi- symbolism? (October 2005)











This is ridiculous. And terrifying. Public surveillance policies are being pushed through in the US and UK.

Surveillance came in the form of intimidation by the US coast guard towards a NYC student wearing a shirt that said "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic script.

While the Coast Guard is an official state body, 'informal' monitoring was conducted by employees of JetBlue, a US airline, who prevented Raed Jarrar from boarding his flight wearing the same tshirt. You can read the transcripts and/or watch the video in which Amy Goodman (Democracy Now anchor) interviews both the student and Raed Jarrar: Does Tee Stand For Terrorist?

In the UK, the Guardian reports that universities are being asked to report on any 'suspicious' activities by any people who might be "Asian-looking". Read the article here "Universities Urged to Spy on Muslims".

SHAM-pooh

Photo: portrait of an artist with a rats nest (December 2004)












Great news about shampoo- we don't need it. It is damaging our hair. It is a waste of money and time. Use some natural soap instead!!

People have been telling me for years that I didn't have to shampoo my hair; that all I need to do is rinse it (YUCK). My roommate only shampoos once a week but conditions regularly and his hair looks great (long, curly, shiny!). I've been trying to only wash my hair twice a week but it just gets so damn greasy. Well the following article sheds some useful light on the why and how!

The great shampoo scandal

no bravery

Photo: monks and prayer wheel (Dharamsala, India, Nov 2005)




A video called "no bravery" was sent to our geography and gender class from a student. We've been talking about body counts and 'who counts'? We've also been discussing the role of emotion and activism in academia (and citizenship?!). And soon we'll be talking about militarization and hypermasculinity. I think this video is fitting:

No Bravery: A nation blind to their disgrace

The song by James Blunt is haunting and so very fitting. Some may call the film partisan and cast it off as sensationalism-- a tear jerker. But I think this is the value in it. It is partisan, it is emotional, it unsettles and forces reaction. We should not be comfortable with Iraq or come to terms with so-called collateral damage. We should feel disturbed.

Subversion

Photo: Smiling in Daultabad, India (Aug 2005)











I hope everyone has had a chance to view the free hugs video. It reminded me of an idea that's been stuck with me for ages and ages. I've always felt that it would be nice if people smiled at each other more. Sure, I can understand that people aren't always happy all of the time and I definitely don't expect people to be faking it with some "I'm happy as Hollywood" bullshit mask on.... But I still think it would be nice to give and receive more smiles. My idea was a website or online community devoted to smiling.

Now I've come to realize that smiling isn't just 'NICE', it's actually subversive in so many ways. If someone calls you a bitch or asshole or some other insult intended to hurt, then smiling is actually a refusal to engage in anger and violence. Then laughing is not giving into the bullcrap. It subverts the intention of pain.

I've always heard "you have to stand up for yourself" or that "one should fight back" or whatever, but really smiling and laughing is far more subversive and effective than engaging in a tit for tat argument. It's more powerful.

I know smiling sounds like a cheesy campaign and I personally have experienced the near-uncontrollable desire to hit people who are just too-fucking-happy... but to clarify, I'm not talking about grinning ear to ear like barbie and ken, but strategic smiling. Instead of giving someone the finger for road raging on you, why not wave, smile and lean out your window to say "have a nice day". Believe me, they will be thrown completely off guard and realize how out of place their anger is.

I seriously believe that there are too many people out there who are simply waiting for an excuse to blow up at someone. You are not the cause, but a simple an excuse for them to get their freak on. Really. The situation is diffused and displaced with smiling, chuckles, laughs and so on. Scrabbling for some smart comeback or simply yelling "fuck you too" or "get a life" is a perpetuation of the rage and dissatisfaction with life... those 'bad vibes'. Why get drawn into the anger of it all? Move on with your life.

Okay, so not all people are ragers. There are other types that could use some smiling at. Like those dissastified, so-called alternative, brooders who mope-strut around Vancouver with their too-cool-for-skool attitudes. I'm not saying this is wrong. I just wish it would be a sometime-attitude and not an everyday-everywhere-everytime- attitude. Those people need some smiling to too.

And while I'm at it. I'm sure there are times when I need to be smiled at...unsettled me and force me to re-evaluate my self, my actions and my beliefs. Okay, so that's the not-so-subtle caveat so you don't think I'm some holier-than-thou fuck head.

I'm trying here.

:)

creativity for the mases

Want to creat your own zoo but don't know how? Need some inspiration?

Check this out!

free hugs campaign!

PHOTO: my mom and Daniel hugging after their wedding (Vancouver, August 2006)









GOOD ON YA!!


Some brilliant person in Australia started a Free Hugs Campaign! It all began with the simple act of standing in an out door mall will a sign stating "free hugs" and the rest is history.

Watching the inspiring Free Hugs video set to "All the Same" by the Sick Puppies

To find out more background info, find videos and responses head over to the personal democracy form.

Stumble your way online

Photo: I stumbled upon this outdoor photo exhibit last October in Brussels (2005)


I'm not much of a techi or computer savvy person so maybe I'm a little late in discovering Firefox's Stumble software. First of all, I hope you're using Firefox or something other than MS Explorer. Okay, now we can move on.

StumbleUpon is freeware similar to Google and Yahoo, that lets you search the internet for uberesque websites, forums and so on. Instead of giving you the most trafficked webpages, it let's you stumble upon sites recommended by other stumble users. Are you following this? As a user you get to rate webpages as thumbs up and thumbs down instead of having some binary code feeding you pages that 'match' your search topic. Its big claim is that its democracy for the internet, as if the internet weren't already user driven. It does have a point though- now instead of just closing shitty pages, you get to tell everyone just how much they suck.

Want to give it a try?

Stumble is a free extension (something you can add on to your existing internet software) for people with Firefox, Mozilla or Sea Monkey. You can download it here.

You never know what you're going to find!