Siddhartha

"I am telling you what I have discovered. Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. In every truth the opposite is equally true. A truth can only be expressed and enveloped in words if it is one-sided. Everything that is thought and expressed in words is one-sided, only half the truth; it all lacks totality, completeness, unity. But the world around us, is never one sided. Never is a man or a deed wholly Samsara or wholly Nirvana; never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner. This only seems so because we suffer the illusion that time is something real. Time is not real."

3rd anniversary

The Iraq War began four years ago March 18th. Here are the numbers:

Minimum Iraqi Dead: 33638
American Dead: 2311

Total Minimum Dead: 35,949

Portland is holding protests on March 19 and I intend on joining them. If you don't support this war, I encourage you to get out in your town and vote with your feet. Stand up and be counted and call for change.

it's getting hot in here...

Probably the single most atrocious act the Bush administration has committed is ignoring the worldwide scientific evidence that the world is warming up, it is our fault , and we're not doing anything about it.. It's not sad that we will cease to exist as a species. Everything that lives must die. What is sad is that if we and the rest of the planet cease to exist because we didn't change our behavior to be more in tune with the laws of nature and we could have done so. Don't wait for the government to sign on to these treaties. Don't wait for Ford to come out with a green car. Take action, yourself, now.

why we fight

a film by Eugene Jarecki. This documentary explores the idea that America is controlled by what President Eisenhower saw as a growing "industrial-military complex." That is, since WWII America has used the industrial revolution primarily to build the biggest army in the history of the world. This is not news. What is interesting about this film is how it explores the motivation for war from a business perspective (the defense industry operates on an average profit margin of 25% and is rife with sweetheart deals) and the ideologies that purport that America should be the lone super-power in the world. Most Americans don't know why we are at war in Iraq, yet it is tolerated. Just as it was tolerated in any previous war - the original reasons for going to war eventually evaporate in a cloud of lies and secrecy.

Who is to blame? We are, essentially. We elect congress and they sit idly, ignoring these problems. So called "liberal democrats" constantly support funding of defense contractors because their constituents are employed by these same contracts. The contractors intentionally distribute the manufacture of their goods across the states to build political clout.

The federal budget for 2007 is 2.2 trillion dollars. Depending on what you're counting as military expenditure (and I'm inclined to agree with the latter number) somewhere between 20-50% of federal taxes are spent on the military. I pay $246 a month in federal taxes. This means that I'm donating somewhere between $50 - $123 a month to kill and influence people. That makes me physically ill.

The real reason we're in Iraq? To extend American imperialism. How does one do that? Insure that the military remains strong. Iraq is a strategic target in that it contains the world's second largest oil reserves. This oil is for your cars, sure, but its also to secure our place as the number one super-power. If the oil goes away, so does the ability for us to operate our armed forces.

What are we afraid of? What do we think will be taken away from us if we are suddenly not the superpower we are now?

If you disagree with me, you should be able to answer this question.

Cal Rugby!

A funny thing happened when I was in New Zealand hitch-hiking around the south island. I was standing literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a car about every 30 minutes and I wasn't getting picked up. After an hour (although you wouldn't bat an eye at an 0-2 record in the states, its worth mentioning that the kiwis always pick you up), this small RV pulls up and two americans ask where i'm headed. We're going to the same place so I jump in. These two guys turn out to go to Cal and are on the Rugby team! Even when you're down under its a small world. I'll hopefully be in seattle at the end of march to watch them cream washington.

Here's their schedule.

administration spying

so, i'm concerned about all this hubub about the administration spying without warrants. i'm not a lawyer. i have no idea whether it was illegal or not, and at some point that will be decided. but i do know that if it isn't illegal, it sure as hell should be. we have these checks and balances in place for a purpose, and the spirit of the law as i understand it is that this type of warantless spying should be illegal. if there was a loophole that was exploited i sure hope we close it. and quick.

still life with woodpecker

by tom robbins. this has truly been a year of tom robbins. and he is genius. still. this is my friend sam's favorite book of all time and i read it on his recommendation. it did not disappoint. there are a lot of really great nuggets in here, and i bookmarked many pages to remind me, but instead of quoting them all i'll just say go read it your damn self and be your own explorer. its better when we're told that there's gold in them thar hills and we risk finding it ourselves. even if it turns out to be fool's gold.

2005

happy new year everyone! i feel so blessed to have had the year i did. i was going to write something summarizing 2005, but every time i try words aren't cutting it.

best to you all in 2006.

christmas ships

my boss invited me out on his big boat for the annual running of the portland christmas ships. basically a bunch of boats cruise up and down the willamette river at night with a bunch of lights on their boats. there's food and drink and good times. it was freezing cold but we had a really beautiful clear night. there were about 14 boats in total. portland is such a beautiful city and seeing it from the water and cruising underneath all the bridges was a real treat.

i've posted some pictures of the ships and my new face. people were worried after those last pictures, but as you can see, its healing nicely.

happy holidays everyone!

the kite runner

by Khaled Hosseini. This book is on the NYT bestseller list and has been for awhile, and for good reason. Though the overall devices and structure that Hosseini uses are a bit simplistic for my tastes, the subject matter was riveting and haunting. His descriptive powers are intense - actually his non-descripritve powers are intense. Instead of detailing horror he alludes to it just enough to send your imagination flying off into the possibilities and as the novel climaxed I found myself more and more wanting to put it down because it seemed a bit too terrible. But I was engrossed, and would highly recommend the read. While the middle east is in the news spotlight daily, this novel serves as an important cultural and humane insight that is so often lacking in the daily orgy of journo-politicking of the region.

my new favorite site

just when you thought the internet wasn't impressive anymore, another example of collective amazingness emerges.

the most important posting

i met a beautiful canadian couple while travelling in new zealand (and we randomly ran into each other in thailand too) named laura and chris. as it turns out, chris personally knows one of the peace workers who were recently kidnapped in Iraq.

please take 30 seconds and sign this petition by clicking here.

i've included chris' email here:

You know that I do not like to send email blasts with frivolous messages, but this is very personal and important, so please take a look at this forward and the link below.

Many of you will know that four peace workers were recently kidnapped in Iraq. It just so happens that I (Chris) know one of them well from my days at Columbus Boys' Camp and Sault Ste. Marie. His name is James Loney and he has been an advocate for peace and social change locally in Toronto and globally as well. Knowing that's being held captive has really brought the horror of the Iraq war home. The charges laid against him for spying are absurd and we must do something to help.

We've all felt helpless with this war, and now Lara and I are hoping that by signing the petition and sending an email to the Muslim media outlets, we can make differenc ein the war. By freeing Jim we are allowing him, and others that are as brave as he, to continue their work with the real victims of the war, the poor and forgotten in Iraq.

Jim was the kind of guy who helped the poorest of the poor. One summer at Columbus Boys' Camp, where we helped underpriviledged boys in the GTA, Jim felt so passionate about helping even needier boys, that he went to the inner city in New York. He brought back a group of kids who needed our kind of love and care. That's just the kind of person he is, selfless and kind. Please take a few minutes to help him out.

turkey day smackdown

so i woke up on monday afternoon in the ER with people stitching my face together. painfully. i didn't know how i got there, but when i asked they said i fell off my bike. i hit a pothole they said. the only thing i remember is going to bed sunday night. the next thing i know i'm in the ER. weird. i'm ok, minus the scars and swelling and concussion. if you have a strong stomach you can see what i looked like the day after here.

happy thanksgiving everyone.

i'm thankful i'm alive.

why density?

being raised in suburbia i sometimes long for the backyard to throw the frisbee around (or in the fall, a football). then i remember that i've read things and walk my ass down to the park.

from Better Dead than Red:

The population of New York City is larger than that of 39 states. But because dense apartment housing is more energy efficient, New York City uses less energy than any state. Conversely, suburban living--with its cars, highways, and single-family houses flanked by pesticide-soaked lawns--saps energy and devastates the ecosystem.

strangers on a train

if there was ever a time to support cheap, efficient forms of transportation, you'd think now is the time. Apparently, the administration doesn't think so. From the New York Times editorial today:

The sudden firing by the Amtrak board of David Gunn, the best president in years of the nation's only passenger railroad, was a body blow to anybody who cares about long-range passenger trains.

Mr. Gunn has done a masterly job in the last three years of holding down costs without dismantling the railroad. That, apparently, was his problem. Mr. Gunn was trying to save Amtrak, but the Bush administration wants to privatize it, bit by bit.

The battle between Mr. Gunn and Amtrak board members - all of them appointed by President Bush - intensified in recent weeks when the board took steps to break off the more profitable Northeast Corridor, putting it into its own division and sharing its control and costs with the states. Senator Frank Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, called it a "fire sale" intended to break up the nation's railroad system.

So last week Senator Lautenberg and Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, managed to get a 93-to-6 vote to authorize $11.6 billion for passenger rail service in the next six years - as close to an all-out endorsement of Amtrak as you can get.

But while senators were trying to help Amtrak move forward, its board took a step backward. It complained yesterday that Mr. Gunn - who has greatly increased ridership, improved management and upgraded equipment - was moving too slowly. After his firing, Mr. Gunn said, "Obviously what their goal is, and it's been their goal from the beginning, is to liquidate the company."

For Amtrak's 25 million passengers, this should be a call to arms. Amtrak should be a public transportation trust. It will never be self-sufficient, nor show a conventional profit, any more than the airline industry can fly without federal help. The Bush administration long ago threatened to disassemble Amtrak. Yesterday it began at the executive suite.

autumn

the weather is definitely changing here in portland, and so i thought i'd share something from the Neijing, the classical text of chinese medicine:

In the three months of autumn all things in nature reach their full maturity. The grains ripen and harvesting occurs. The heavenly energy cools, as does the weather. The wind begins to stir. This is the changing or pivoting point when the yang, or active, phase turns into its opposite, the yin, or passive, phase. One should retire with the sunset and arise with the dawn. Just as the weather of autumn turns harsh, so does the emotional climate. It is therefore important to remain calm and peaceful, refraining from depression so that one can make the transition to winter smoothly. this is the time to gather one's spirit and energy, be more focused, and not allow desires to run wild. One must keep the lung energy full, clean, and quiet. This means practicing breathing exercises to enhance lung qi*. Also, one should refrain from both smoking and grief, the emotion of the lung. This will prevent kidney or digestive problems in the winter. If this natural order is violated, damage will occur in the lungs, resulting in diarrhea with undigested food in the winter. This compromises the body to store in the winter.

*a simple and effective breathing exercise is to sit upright and breathing through the nose, imagining energy beginning at the perinium crawling up the back of the spine to the top of the head on an in-breath and on the out-breath tracing down the front midline of the body to the genitals. touch the tongue to the top of the palette to complete the loop. you will find that you generate saliva while doing this. this is the good stuff and should be swallowed in three tiny sips as it occurs.

happy halloween!

halloween is one of my most favorite holidays.
i went to some hipster house party where a couple cool bands (narwhal and show me the pink) rocked the house.
i dressed up as a cast and had people sign me with various colored pens.
best signage, "have a great summer!"
my pumpkin is also pretty decent this year.

nam prik gaeng kheo wan (thai green curry)

thai green curry is the hottest, most fresh tasting curry i've ever had. the thai green chili (a.k.a., bird's eye or bird shit chilis) is really really hot. pick firm and small chilis. the smaller and greener the hotter. for this paste, you can freeze it so it will last about 6 months, or you can fry it in oil and jar it in the fridge for about 3 months.

Thai Green Curry (Yields 4-5 T)
dry ingredients:
1 t coriander seeds (roasted until brown)
1/2 t cumin seed (roasted until brown)
1/2 t black peppercorn (warm em up just for fun)
1/2 t salt

fresh ingredients:
1 t ginza/siamese ginger/galangal (skin removed & chopped)
3 T lemongrass (lower 1/3 only, chopped)
1 t kaffir lime peel (chopped - can substitute local lime peel)
2 T coriander root (chopped - can substitute coriander stalk)
2 T shallots (chopped)
1 T garlic (crushed)
1 t shrimp paste (ignore the awful smell and use it!)
1 t tumeric (skin removed & chopped)
20 small, green chilis (stems removed and chopped)
1 C sweet basil leaves

Make a powder of the dry ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Then add all the fresh ingredients and pound to a paste. This takes a while, 15-20 minutes of heavy mashing. But its totally worth it. The smells of all the ingredients will create this beautiful complex relaxing aroma. Its a very meditative process. The paste should be very very smooth and should stick to the pestle. If you'd rather use a food processor you can add a little water, but for some reason it just doesn't taste the same. Use immediately for best results.


Gaeng Kheo Wan Gai
Green Curry with Chicken (serves 4)
this dish is also good with tofu

1 1/2 C chicken breast (thinly sliced)
1 C thick coconut milk
1 C thin coconut milk
4 T green curry paste
3 long eggplants cut into 1 cm pieces
1/2 C small eggplants
2 T palm sugar
2 T fish sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves torn into pieces (discard the stem)
1 C sweet basil leaves
1 big green chili
1 big red chili

Heat a wok over high heat. Fry the thick coconut cream until the oil begins to crack out of the cream. When you see the oil, add the curry paste and fry until fragrant (about a minute). Then add the chicken or tofu and fry quickly until it turns white. Since tofu is already white i guess you can just keep going. Add the thin coconut milk and when it boils add the egg plants. Simmer until the eggplants are slightly soft. Add palm sugar, lime leaves, and fish sauce. Stir until the palm sugar dissolves. Add half the basil leaves. Garnish with the red and green chilis and the rest of the basil. Drizzle some coconut cream over the top if you have any left for a nice effect. Eat. Marvel at your genius.

yay, democracy!

American troops dead: 1979
Coalition dead: 198
Civilian dead: 272
Iraqi dead: 26,661 - 30,018

tao no. 49

Sages have no fixed mind;
they make the mind of the people their mind:
they improve the good,
and also improve those who are not good;
that virtue is good.
They make sure of the true,
and they make sure of the untrue too;
that virtue is sure.
The relation of sages to the world
is one of concern:
they cloud their minds for the world;
all people pour into their ears and eyes,
and sages render them innocent.