lying lies lie lied.

a lot of speculation surrounds the area of our condition known as human drama (a.k.a. tragedy). the consequences of succumbing to either the justification of inflicting, or a passive acceptance of subjecting any human, or geographic group of humans to any form of tragedy, has proven to be both devastating and detested. but it still happens. every single day, tragedy is doled like it's an inescapable destiny for some purely unfortunate individuals, yet allegedly most of us citizens in the western and european nations, can't stand to observe injustice in our world. whether it be war, poverty, starvation, disease, persecution, prejudice, genocide, assaults, oppression or even environmental deterioration, the fortunate folk constantly have some reason to bitch.

where am i going with this? is this some paranoia ridden diatribe, trying to convince you everything you've ever been told was a lie? maybe. that depends on your perspective at the moment of reading this. or maybe just your willingness to step outside media, with corporate and/or social propaganda, for only a moment. if you can, then i will continue. if you cannot, then i hope you return when you feel ready to do so... okay, you're still here right? i'll get to my point now, in case the title wasn't clear enough. it is humankind's propensity to obscure, distort, glorify, or spin our true experience, for whatever reasons, which keeps our species from understanding, unification, peace, love and, obviously, truth. lies retard our evolution, while breaking down the benefit and possibility of our astounding communication abilities, even the innocent, or "little white," lies. let me be perfectly clear though, i am not exempt from committing such indecencies, and i believe very few conscious people indeed are. like all of our bad habits, we tend to solve this issue with a few simple and utterly useless words: that's life. or c'est la vie, for you kitschy bastards.

but no, it most certainly fucking isn't life. lies are a part of being human, and humans are a part of life. but like humans, life is the sum of all its parts... again, to be clear, neither humans nor life is solely dictated by a single part of their wholes. that's called influence, and yes, different parts have different influences, but their existence and portion is dictated ultimately by the whole. we decide our behaviour. yes, sometimes this requires a conscious effort to do so because there are genetic grooves each of us tend to express, but genes are pliant blueprints, not decisive stories set in stone. and they grow with each generation, for better or worse. and the worst thing for human history, past, present and future, is to be misinformed at any level of communication. this isn't to say we need to subscribe to answers available immediately, or to make any current truth concrete, but to reject new and old lies, and demand to the point of expecting relative, relevant truth as honest as it may possibly be perceived. this, perceptive honesty, will take effort and time, but with a healthy seed it will grow. trust me.

the bull-shit game has been established as such: either government or private groups fund research and investigations designed to uncover "truths" in various aspects of life (especially human) processes and occurrences, which is then distributed by our governments which to try to keep as much information from their public as they can, while releasing as little as they must... but they release this insignificant amount of info to other private or government branches of media, which then place their own spin on the report, if they report it at all, in order to promote a bull-shit agenda that only benefits an extreme minority, and more often than not damns a vast majority to an unnecessary amount of strife and tragedy... then, we the people, take the scraps of scattered morsels that remain, and turn them around with our own lazy embellishments to entertain or disgust our friends and family... who then relate incorrect information and more embellishment... and so on, and so forth until no one believes anything and we all fall to something ignored. we need a unified agenda, for the good of earthbound life, and to reject the idea that individual agendas could ever truly accomplish what human existence, with evolution, is really capable of.

in current culture there has been a lot of talk about socialism, or of government being too involved with social affairs, and many are conflicted, confused or outright hypocritical about what this actually means for society. we get so caught up in the flash of conflict and debate, that it seems impossible to look beyond and see what's truly going on behind designated distractions. this is nearly an exact opposite to what true socialism invokes as a perspective for human politics. instead of being in the dark, or worse, being lied to, each individual would be involved directly with their societies, and would be privy to the same information, utilities, and treatment as everyone else. e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e else. so this leaves really only two reason (excuses) someone may possibly have with such structure:
1. you are less evolved than the rest of us, and you actually still believe that you, or any other person or even group of people, are intrinsically more valuable than anyone else. i hope i am the last to tell you, that you are not.
2. being that involved in your own world and fellow kind is "too much work," and your own mental laziness is more powerful a proposition than ending unnecessary human confusion and suffering for millions to billions of people. either way, you're just an asshole.

why is a social government better than a government which panders to private companies or corporations? because no matter what anyone ever tries to tell you, whether it's politicians, lawyers, judges, police officers or even your resident know-it-all, government in its very nature, is accountable (lawfully, economically, medically, etc.) to us, the people which its entire creation and existence are based upon. in case you can't bridge the gap, private is the antonym for public. companies don't care about anyone, and they are almost completely unaccountable to we the people. all companies want is our recognition, our money and to control what we come to believe is needed. yet, it's people behind these companies, and they have become wrapped in this perverse course to a future that not even they would ever truly want. these are usually very intelligent individuals, who are either raised in hopeless greed, or become bitter then desensitized as a result of an inability to cope with overwhelming ignorance and pain. but what we are all seeking is comfort, and to some that's peace, to others money or power, but all of it is an attempt to be comfortable. this longing is actually a far greater picture than most are capable or willing to admit, because the true root of it is so intricate and encompassing we rarely see through the pattern. because life does not appear to constantly take directions we see fit, most of us find ourselves acting like evolutionary children, taking solace in petty, selfish endeavours for mindless indulgence of immediate comforts. the privilege of true and universal comfort takes an absolute shit-load of rational thought and even more painstaking work, but again, trust me when i say, it is most certainly fucking worth it.

i'm in love with mary-jane.

marijuana. pot. reefer. green. weed. grass. ganja. cannabis. whatever name you use, you know what it is. you undoubtedly know that people indulge this controversial substance, in various forms, nearly all over the globe. what you may not know (though i'm sure many do... i hope), is that it's controversy is rooted in hypocritical agendas & political fabrication. quite literally, nearly all information taught by north american governments, from the 1950's through to only the last decade or so was based on intentionally skewed evidence & bold faced lies.

ever told that pot kills brain cells? i remember that one. what i didn't know (until recently) was that this "fact" was recorded by government appointed scientists, and only after placing gas masks on chimps & subjecting them to long exposure intervals of straight marijuana smoke. this means, that during periods with the mask on the animals brains were receiving very little (if any) oxygen. and for those of you that don't know, prolonged oxygen depletion causes brain cells to die. in severe cases, even mental retardation. in fact, some preliminary observations show that elements of cannabis may actually stimulate cell growth in brains. but good luck receiving a grant to do that study, and if you do, best of luck getting your government to listen.

how about that it makes you lazy, stupid, and essentially a menace to society? the first covers basically anyone who doesn't seek, or desire more than three days of strenuous physical activity per week (or the equivalent of). if you're a lazy person, then that's an obstacle you alone can conquer. and if you're stupid, then you're stupid. pot heightens the sense of enjoyment you feel, in nearly any activity. so if you're stupid and lazy... maybe you should resolve at least one of those issues before inhaling. as for menace to society, i have to call the bluff. the entire stereotype of the chronic toker is a peaceful, goofy, sometimes paranoid or neurotic, but always benevolent character, who wants nothing more than a bag of chips. no one has a story of the menacingly angry pothead, no one. now, if you apply alcohol to any of these accusations and you've really got something, but i'm not here to bash booze... that's another post.

oh, oh, oh! pot leads to cancer?... um, nope. you may have been told something as ridiculous as one joint being the equivalent to five cigarettes (sidetrack: if you've also been told that each cigarette takes five minutes off your life, that stat is simply a representation of the average time it takes for the average smoker to suck back one cigarette, not minutes off your death-clock). the truth is, marijuana is a denser substance than tobacco, resulting in the smoke being thicker. but unlike cigarettes, some alcoholic beverages, most of the food we consume, and all the wave-emitting gadgets we coddle, pot does not serve as a cancer causing constituent. can you over do it? sure! if you live a healthy life, and occasionally enjoy some nice, organic greens, will it riddle your lungs with cancer cells? fuck no! if you have preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or chronic bronchitis, should you be a habitual smoker? obviously not, but to think you will die from a joint, or live forever from avoiding one... is pretty damn stupid. maybe you should stay away from the stuff.

i could go on, and on, and on, and on, and... i'd rather you just hear from varying sources, especially ones more pragmatic than i. a suggestion, if i may, is to start with a canadian documentary titled the union: the business of getting high. you can stream it here. i'm not saying to instantly believe everything you hear, but be open and if you're skeptical, google that shit. i'm not telling everyone to light up, but there's no reason doing so should be a crime... though years of lies and misinformation (on a lot of topics) from our governments definitely should be.

something to talk about.

alright, here's a hypothetical scenario i'd like you to imagine. yes, you. it will take no more than fifteen minutes of your time, probably less than ten. so put on your favourite ambient or contemplative album, and explore a plausible, but not definite, possibility. granted, the plausibility level of this scenario goes up if you are capable of imagining that you're living as a member of future generations. but if you insist on being you, so be it. you'll just have to pretend what i'm about to describe is real, which, judging by today's "reality tv" content, shouldn't be too difficult.


you wake to neighbourhood cries, which seem to be coming from everywhere. confused, you turn on your television. there's a terrible infomercial on the screen... you fell asleep watching the shopping channel again. after a moment of orientation, you realize that what appears to be a knife with three vibrating blades, could not possibly be reason for all this commotion.

changing the channel, you're instantly bombarded with fast scrolling headlines and flashing news updates. through what can only be described as syndicated chaos, four words instinctually pop out from all the mess: END OF THE WORLD!... commence phase one of this scenario. what's you're initial reaction? seriously. turn off you tv, and on the black screen imagine reading that headline, but not in any possible media/marketing gimmick sense. instead, in the truest use of these words, ever. what is your first thought? it doesn't matter how you answer... yet, because at this exact moment you're body & mind would probably be paralyzed by instinct.

so the apocalypse is imminent and, surprise surprise, it's not four archaic, christian dudes on horseback. instead it's something much more tangible, and essentially believable. i always like to fantasize that for some reason the moon begins to draw nearer to earth, leading to an eventual collision... but seeing as i just gave the followers of christ, shit, i'll go with something even more believable. a cosmic disaster hollywood has made millions ($) from: meteor strike!

now, let's be somewhat hopeful and imagine a bit of cosmic mercy for homo sapiens, not that we necessarily deserve it, but for the purposes of this scenario. let's say, fifteen years before it's estimated impact, most leading world governments have discovered but not shared, this looming catastrophe. the sporadic leaks by various sources are covered up, or smeared to detach validity, and economies keeping humming. i'm not a political expert, but i would imagine most of the preliminary plans put in place during this period, would not include the vast majority of not only our human populous, but very little of all life currently on the planet. still love capitalism? if you, and your family, and your friends and your friends' family have the money, or maybe just the status, you could be fortunate enough to qualify for inclusion in the very select, early stages of operation salvation. but i wouldn't sit comfortably just yet. for starters, if you find yourself in this position and you know any other person that isn't, don't expect a lot courtesies when they're inescapably informed. not that this need bother you, shit, you will survive! ...or will you?

regardless of government plans, ten years before impact the story breaks, and the evidence is undeniable. this is the very morning you've awoke to. breaking news of direct, indisputable proof that this world will cease to exist. wishing you would have watched that triple-bladed knife ad, just a little longer? for a large number of people, it's around this point that god enters, either as a question, or sense of faith. being an atheist, i'm not entirely sure how most would experience or express this situation. obviously there are extremes, such as abandoning god or handing yourself over to it (them). but i am not equipped with the tools of blind faith, and do not qualify to truly speculate on the minds of superstitious believers. *as a disclaimer, if you know for certain that you are someone who will simply "give their self to god", you probably won't be interested in the rest of this post's contents. sorry if i've wasted your time and i wish you all the best. you're crazy religious antics will not be forgotten, as survivors set off to write a brand new chapter in history. instead, your zany acts would make wonderful bedtime stories, and colourful rhymes for children, as they adjust to life in space.

for those of you still with me, welcome to phase two of this scenario, or how i stopped worrying and learned to adapt. sometime after worldwide realization, a key series of events will unfold, resulting in the single largest revolt ever. this globalized revolution will be strongly defined by the previously mentioned series of events, and will serve as a potential final test for humanity. picture how you believe the world will react, and how the ensuing revolt(s) would ravel. can you imagine peaceful, rational & intelligent considerations, or are you bound to accept the doom of humans, and the fall of earth & all known life.

bringing us to this scenario's third and final phase: zero hour. at the moment life on the planet is extinguished, there will only be two possible outcomes. either some life managed to escape oblivion, or it all went down together. which would you rather have invested your time and faith in? which would you rather fight for, even if it meant dying a little before everything else? that being said, a fight fueled by ignorance will only lead to failure, and in all likelihood the end of human history (most especially under these circumstances).

as an alternative, we could begin to educate more vigorously, weeding out ignorance before we're forced to confront it on a global scale, with apocalyptic consequences. a lot of sacrifice will be necessary, but the majority of it will only be required from our apparently precious time. from this day forward i purpose that a new and singular divide be made, for us humans to cling to until we realize we don't need to divide things. this separation is to be made between survivalists and nihilists. let's be honest now, if you believe there is something better waiting for you in a mystical realm, than to be a part of the life which is capable of imagining such a fantasy, you are first abundantly naive and second ignorantly nihilistic. life becomes meaningless if it has no home, no matter what imaginary creator you hope to spend an afterlife with.

can we please stop tolerating extreme ignorance now? i'd like to know some remnants of life could have the opportunity of post earth survival, and that world war three won't be something my grandchildren have to live through... or worse, die as a result of. instead, let's send our story here...

vancouver canucks.

as a life-long fan of the canucks i can only assume that i am one of many, who wonder when it is that lord stanley's cup might finally be obtained by the franchise, making a long awaited return to the city. following this team has been a relationship of conflict, and this seems to speak for a generalization of the vancouver & west coast persona. it's a neutrality that exists in areas of acceptance toward freewill & free speech, but that lack a deep rooted history. maybe we're getting there though.


i am almost certain that at nine years of age, i suffered my first heart-attack witnessing the canucks '94 game seven loss vs the rangers. then we had to watch the rise and fall of the new canucks, a period in the team's history i will admit didn't receive my full support. and now, after a lot of beta testing, we have canucks v2.0 with some potential. but how much drive? roberto luongo is clearly a good goaltender, but obviously cannot win games alone. there are few goaltenders who that can significantly carry teams during either season or playoff (martin brodeur, patrick roy, et al.) and luongo just doesn't seem to fit the mold. he shouldn't have to either. plenty of teams have done exceptionally well, including winning the stanley cup, without a game-winning goalie in their roster. i would have to do some serious research, but feel safe assuming that there are less than ten goaltenders in nhl history that match this adjective. what our current captain needs is a strong team in front of him, something that eludes the organization every year.

but what's this? those quirky swedish, sedin twins are now leading a rag-tag team that's either a sheer last resort, or pure hockey genius. the canucks have amassed the most goals in the western conference, and henrik sedin is in a battle with alexander ovechkin for the art ross trophy. they've clinched their division title (again!) and have the best home record in club history. so can they do it? i don't know... i do know, that when i think about how teams like tampa bay, carolina, and anaheim have hoisted the cup i realize just how bad i want it as a fan. if i die before witnessing a vancouver hockey club win the top award, of the only sport i really care enough to follow, i will feel a slight remorse.

i'm trying to believe... but as i type this watching tonight's game vs the avalanche, we're down 3-2 starting the third period. i'm beginning to question our comeback abilities. it's no way to be the best, and probably won't win any 'cups.

analog bell service.

i'm a reclusive creature. my unbelievably understanding girlfriend puts up with a lot of down time, though i think she enjoys most of it... well, some of it anyway. i prefer to stay home, smoking pot and finding either something to laugh hysterically about, or to blow my mind. i prefer to have a decent home sound system and a good screen, for which I purchase the movies I want to watch, and avoid both renting & paying ludicrous amounts at theatres. it's okay, i probably think your life's sad too... jokes!

but there are some events i will venture out from my dwelling to partake, and usually those are concerts of various musical entities. even for these i have a theoretical equation to decide which concerts i will actually attend. the band, the price, the venue, the opening band, the band's last album released, and who i may run into can all factor in the solution, but each has a separate value. one exception i occasionally make is for local bands, and occasionally it really pays off.

admittedly, the first time i ever witnessed the band analog bell service my initial reason for being there was to attempt courting an attractive female, who knew the group members as she was a local independent, music reporter. so i wasn't totally out to take in a new band, though i did trust her musical taste. i did get a little drunk and can't recall the opener's name, but i do know i enjoyed them. then five guys took the stage and, instantly judging this book by it's cover, i liked them. then they started to play, and play and play. by the time they were finished, i loved them. i didn't get anywhere with the girl, but i'm going to say it was for the best.

now, their sound isn't anything totally new, yet it is distinct & extremely thought provoking. not to mention catchy as fuck! they're also pretty decent dudes. two artist brothers, a stand-up comic, an energetic multi-instrumentalist (who was absent the first show), a talented horn musician (occasionally) and an american drummer (w/ a sweet 'fro). there is so much life & enthusiasm when they take the stage, it's infectious.

story behind the name: the band practice(d) in an upper level loft, for which there is no doorbell. as way of alerting them to your arrival the guys rigged a long string out the window, attaching it to a bell that would ring in view of the members during jams. the result not just a functioning arrival alert, but a pretty great moniker.

not only do i hope this post brings you to investigate analog bell service but to perhaps head out and experience some of the local bands in your area. get away from those terrible clubs with talentless djs and find some real musicians making music you can connect to. they deserve the support and will appreciate it immensely.

S.O.S. (save our species)

this is my case for change. for revolution. for progress & evolution.


the clear & inescapable truth is that this planet cannot be saved. different species and elements from it can be preserved for varying lengths of time, but in the end all we can really save is ourselves. this isn't nihilistic thinking, actually it's a genuinely positive way to perceive life.


having gratefully experienced what can only be described as a relatively fortunate adolescence, during which i was afforded opportunities of both luxury and austerity, i understand if my perspective toward the "value" of life is questioned. and if i felt i could keep anyone (including myself) reading, as i discussed my myriad musings/theories/arguments or retorts (basically arguing with myself, online) i would most certainly do so. but it isn't going to happen. instead i simply ask that my views not be discarded from possibility or worse, condemned. rationality, education & awareness are our future's greatest allies, and we really need to utilize these evolutionary wonders.


and that's what we are. what everything that finds away to survive on this planet is. wonders of evolution. miracles of life. there's constant debate over what constitutes as tangible evidence of evolution, the irony being that the idea of evolution is evidence of evolution itself. if there is any sort of "path" or "plan," evolution is precisely what would validate this prehistorically ingrained notion & generally agreed upon feeling. it only makes sense.


but the planet which spawned and nurtures each of us cannot not evolve. planets are not alive, they have life. life has two options: live, or die. and even then, it isn't exclusively life's decision. given the opportunity and gradually expanding probability of survival though, do we not, acting as our own proof of possibility, owe it to ourselves, our past and our future to clarify & claim enlightenment? i can't see how not. if you can honestly tell me that you disagree, i would honestly tell you, you're wrong. because you would be.


so where does this leave earth? it leaves it exactly where it belongs, as the single most astounding, remarkable location we have yet witnessed in all the known universe. and if that doesn't impress, i couldn't imagine what would. we have the greatest classroom in existence. let's appreciate it. learn from it. grow with it and preserve it. in short, let's love it. but let's also understand it's cosmic fragility & limits of endurance, thus requiring some form of contingency plan for as much of life's potential as possible. in other words, at some point our species will need another option(s) if we have any hope of keeping life from this terra firma alive.

i get to thinking.

hey! no, i didn't die from the flat or a whole twenty-eight day stint of pure alcoholic behaviour. but i did stop writing. i haven't written much for a long time. months. a few words here and there, but nothing notable.


here i am though. back to typing. more words. i might as well, otherwise i'm just talking to myself... and my poor girlfriend.


so, what have i been thinking, you don't ask? a lot. it's what i do. it's what i like to do. usually. i indulge the comforts of ignorance at times, but regardless, i do not condone it. hypocritical, you say? yes. but unfortunately, contradiction is an ignorance of mine. i am certain that contradictions are central to the experience of contrast in consciousness. but observing and theorizing how/why on a consequential scientific level, and in completely comprehensible language, is difficult. to say the least. and so, my mind is drowned out by sounds of expression through extremes and impressions i feel ignorant towards, in an overlay of unification that only seems too probable not to exist. it's shades of grey, but knowing this and experiencing it two different roads. black and white is a difficult genetic trait to shake, but as of recently i've witnessed episodes of life which appear promising that this very evolution could be taking place. in "free" thinking/practice countries, of course. that's all i can truly observe.


at any rate... what the fuck am i saying? i'm saying we all need to keep ourselves in check. no one's going to do it for us, and no one should have to. and the only real way we can ever progress as a species is to quite literally "come together" (not cum, you perverts) and evolve.


we will not always be human. by that, i mean future generations (given enough time) will not continue to be classifiable as homo sapiens. we will evolve. we must ensure this is done with the utmost care, attention and foresight as currently, and continually possible. we've got to love ourselves and each other to do so.


until next time...