hedwig

saksalaiset_hedwig
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

if you started reading today, and read fifteen or sixteen pages a day, then you will get through all five harry potter books in time for the release of book six in july. that's only about a chapter a day.

this way, you can get through the rest of winter entertained and by the time your done it will be summer again!

sally and jack

mountainjack
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

ten songs on the current playlist...

monks - i hate you
mr bungle - carousel
the clash - hateful
pixies - crackity jones
monks - shut up
wipers - born with a curse
misfits - hollywood babylon
the hives - no pun intended
queens of the stone age - song for the dead
system of a down - know

in retrospect, this is a little negative.

stanley park petting zoo

the vancouver park board in british columbia has announced that it is considering closing the stanley park petting zoo. the vancouver humane society has publicly supported the closure of the petting zoo, stating:

"such facilities do not represent a modern, effective, safe way to educate the public, especially children, about animals. moreover, we believe petting zoos are completely inappropriate environments for animals. they are stressful, provide little opportunity for animals to engage in natural behaviours and are breeding grounds for disease."

not only are petting zoos bad for animals, they can also be extremely unhealthy places for children. outbreaks of e. coli at two different petting zoos in greater vancouver last year made at least six children sick. the bc centre for disease control has issued warnings about the health hazards presented by petting zoos.

the vancouver park board is accepting comments on this proposal. please write polite letters in support of closing the petting zoo:

Susan Mundick, General Manager
Vancouver Park Board
2099 Beach Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6G 1Z4
pbcomment@vancouver.ca
604-257-8400
604-257-8427 (fax)

lost

i'm late again...why do i always have exams on thursday?

anyway, i will do my best to stay positive this time because it was a really good episode, but i am always wary of shows that have one intense episode and then forget about major plotlines for weeks. but many secrets revealed there were and there was mystery and suspense. there was romance but where did that music come from? out of the blue he has a discman with batteries?? anyway...and i guess the major symbol for female liberation is a small blue bikini.

my favorite part was seeing locke so happy about the raft being destroyed. now him and walt will be together forever.

i like how michael said that nice little speech to walt about having setbacks etc etc (but not, sorry for that huge display of violence, sorry i was so quick to judge...)

anyway, has anyone noticed how long claire has been pregnant?...but like ryan said, it is a magical island. maybe if the producers are lucky, she wont have it until the season finale.

goodbye, gonzo

hunter_200
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

"we left about midnight and walked down the hill in silence. the night was muggy, and all around me i felt the same pressure, a sense of time rushing by while it seemed to be standing still. whenever i thought of time in puerto rico, i was reminded of those old magnetic clocks that hung on the walls of my classrooms in high school. every now and then a hand would not move for several minutes - and if i watched long enough, wondering if it had finally broken down, the sudden click of the hand jumping three or four notches would startle me when it came."

the rum diary, hunter s. thompson. 1959.

hit me with your best shot

i am not going to let a couple of losers ruin my blog experience so i am once again allowing anonymous posts on my blog. but i must emphasize...when you are being slanderous, at least put a little effort into it this time. "poo" is just not going to cut it anymore. (and i can still see you out there, you lurker.)

the paul martin pollution counter

if you haven't seen it yet, you should check this out.

ten songs on the current playlist...

(you might have noticed that i finally got my hands on the life aquatic soundtrack)

sven libaek - shark attack theme
scott walker - 30 century man
seu jorge - starman
the clash - guns of brixton
sven libaek - open sea theme
seu jorge - rock n' roll suicide
giant sand - glum
the strokes - automatic stop
stephen malkmus - jo jo's jacket
elvis costello - radio radio

hooray for housesitting

tonight i have to say farewell to my loaner house. no more taking care of nice, big and bright someone-else's place. it's back to the basement for me. i am really going to miss being able to stretch my arms above my head any time i please. i am going to miss waking up and being able to tell if it's morning yet, just by looking at the window. ah...windows. how have i ever lived without them before? and i am going to miss charlie, my new friend (the neighbours dog who came over a couple of times when the neighbours had to go out).

but i do miss my fish. and i miss my gigantic bathtub and i will be happy to be back on my own computer - my own piece of junk instead of someone else's piece of junk.

i think i am just really sad that reading week has come and gone and it's time for school once again. usually i am raring to go back, but third year has been a lot harder than second year (which was a lot harder than first year) and where am i going with this? well i guess i will stop because i am going nowhere. just back to school and i promised myself that my blog was not going to be some long and futile rant. so less ranting and more r2-d2.

lost

no really big advancements this week, except sawyer hearing the voices in the woods. yup...sawyer got another back story. it looks like the writers forgot there were other characters on the island. episode highlights include: a little baby boar that was really cute and a really short cameo by robert patrick (i miss agent dogget). these highlights do tend to be very subjective but i can't really think of much else to say considering that most of the episode involved kate trying to be all cool and bad-ass - like its some big revelation that she likes sawyer and is only PRETENDING that she is repulsed by his reptilian repulsivness. charlie was only in it for five minutes and i think watching charlie deal with killing a guy is a little more interesting than watching sawyer deal with killing a guy and it is definitely more interesting than watching kate deal with killing a guy. hey...

one of those days

r2d2_dagobah_main
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

ten love songs on the current playlist...

the breeders - do you love me now
bob dylan - man in me
john lennon - oh yoko
the cure - just like heaven
dinosaur jr - in a jar
devo - girl u want
mr bungle - pink cigarette
pulp - babies
lou reed - romeo and juliet
leonard cohen - dance me to the end of love

valentine

May19035
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

happy valentine's day, everyone! (even though it is a bit of a hallmark sham)

and nan, we really miss you

lost

i know, i know...i'm late but i had an exam last night. maybe if the episode that we waited weeks for was a little bit more exciting, i would have posted sooner but jimmy kimmel spoiled the twist on his show the night before so yeah, we all knew claire had amnesia. there was plenty of action, but was there? i mean they did have guns - lots of guns and they did run into ethan a couple of times (not to mention that one of those meetings was fatal) but i thought there was really something lacking in the episode.

maybe if they killed of a real character instead of scott "sorry i called you steve", it would have been worth waiting so many long wednesdays. i'm sorry for being so negative. it was a very freaky episode. they couldn't have picked anyone more creepy and wierd than ethan to hunt people down with his gang of croneys. i understand that claire needs to have retrograde amnesia because they are delaying the charlie-claire love fest and i literally screamed when boone woke up in the middle of the jungle. and locke looks pretty happy with a gun so overall i was entertained, but still - who is scott?

where's technikill?

116_1636
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

i know there are some band members reading this right now. i implore you one last time...reunion tour.

the world needs technikill and it is your responsibility to use your powers for good.

page fourty-five

"if intellect and will do indeed pertain to the eternal essence of god, one must understand in the case of both these attributes something very different from the meaning widely entertained. for the intellect and will that would constitiute the essence of god would have to be vastly different from human intellect and will, and could have no point of agreement except the name. they could be no more alike than the celestial constellation of the dog and the dog that barks."

ethics, baruch spinoza. 1677.

tenzin deleg rinpoche

tenzin deleg rinpoche
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

the suspended death sentence passed against religious leader tenzin deleg rinpoche, a religious and community leader from the traditionally tibetan area of sichuan province, china, has been commuted to life imprisonment, according to reports by china's state news agency, xinhua. however, amnesty international remains concerned that his conviction is a serious miscarriage of justice.

tenzin deleg rinpoche was sentenced to death suspended for two years on december 2, 2002, charged in connection with a bomb explosion in chengdu, the provincial capital of sichuan in april 2002. lobsang dhondup was sentenced to death at the same trial on similar charges.

following a failed appeal hearing on january 26, 2003, lobsang dhondup was executed immediately, even though senior chinese officials assured US and EU diplomats that the case would receive a "œlengthy review"€. there had been serious concerns that tenzin deleg rinpoche could have been executed on or soon after january 26, 2005, when the two-year period of suspension on his death sentence expired.

amnesty international believes that trial of tenzin dleg rinpoche and lobsang dhondup fell far short of international fair trial standards. both men were reportedly tortured for several months before their trial in november 2002, and were not given access to their lawyers or families for eight months. official documents claim that both men "œconfessed"€ to the crimes, but at his sentencing on december 2, 2002 tenzin deleg rinpoche reportedly shouted his innocence in court.

Appeals To:

Governor of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government:
ZHANG Zhongwei Shengzhang
Sichuansheng Renmin Zhengfu
Duyuanjie, Chengdushi
Sichuansheng
People’s Republic of China
Salutation: Dear Governor

Director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Justice:
ZENG Xianzhang Tingzhang
Sifating
24 Shangxianglu
Chengdushi 610015, Sichuansheng
People’s Republic of China
Salutation: Dear Director
Email: adslscsf@mail.sc.cinifo.net

Minister of Justice:
Zhang Fusen
Sifaju (Ministry of Justice)
10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyangqu
Beijingshi 100020
People's Republic of China
Fax: 011 86 10 65 292345
Salutation: Your Excellency
Email: minister@legalinfo.gov.cn

Copies To:

Ambassador to the United States:
Ambassador Jiechi Yang
Embassy of the People's Republic
of China
2300 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 328 2582
Salutation: Dear Ambassador,


Sample Letter:

Dear [title],

I am writing to welcome the news that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche has not been executed, and that his suspended death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment, according to reports by China’s state news agency, Xinhua. But I still remain concerned regarding the trial of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, and fear that his conviction is a serious miscarriage of justice.

Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, a religious leader from a traditionally Tibetan area of Sichuan Province, was sentenced to death in 2002, charged in connection with a bomb explosion in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan in April 2002. Lobsang Dhondup was sentenced to death at the same trial on similar charges. Following a failed appeal hearing on January 26, 2003, Lobsang Dhondup was executed immediately, even though senior Chinese officials assured US and EU diplomats that the case would receive a “lengthy review.” There had been serious concerns that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche could have been executed on or soon after January 26, 2005, when the two-year period of suspension on his death sentence expired.

Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights organization that works to promote and protect human rights, believes that the trial of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche and Lobsang Dhondup fell far short of international fair trial standards. For example, both men were reportedly tortured for several months before their trial in November 2002, and were not given access to their lawyers or families for eight months. Official documents claim that both men “confessed” to the crimes, but at his sentencing on December 2, 2002, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche reportedly shouted his innocence in court.

Given that there are still serious concerns that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche’s detention, trial and sentencing are possibly serious miscarriages of justice, I urge the Chinese authorities to conduct a full and open review of the evidence and legal procedures used to convict and sentence Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, and Lobsang Dhondup. Based on the outcome of that review, I ask that Chinese authorities either retry Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche in full accordance with international fair trial standards, or release him immediately and unconditionally.

Sincerely,

green toronto awards

in spring 2005, the green toronto awards will honour and celebrate leading companies, organizations and individuals contributing to the greening of the city. the winners will receive a $5000 contribution to the environmental organization of their choice, recognition at an event on may 2 at city hall and profile in the toronto media so others can learn and be inspired by their successes. awards will recognize leaders in community process, green design, resource conservation, youth, environmental awareness and market transformation. nominations close february 25, 2005.

if you or anyone you know would be interested in nominating a person, group or business, click here for more information.

thanks to mark viitala, gta group chair, sierra club of canada

ten songs on the current playlist...

broken social scene - almost crimes (radio kills remix)
the misfits - bullet
the golden dogs - yeah
the hives - b is for brutus
nofx - i'm not insane
pere ubu - folly of youth
pixies - motorway to roswell
radiohead - life in a glass house
the velvet underground - she's my best friend
the shaggs - my cutie

nihil obstat

117_1747
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

hobbes haunts me wherever i go.

this is a (very blurry - no flashes allowed) picture of the original title page of hobbes' leviathan. as you can see the sovereign is holding the sword and the staff to symbolize his absolute rule, but in his chain mail are all the faces of people that make the body politic.

this book was condemned by the 1683 convocation of oxford university because it apparently denied the role of divine grace in individual lives.

thanks to pj for his incredible exhibit and letting us do things that the head librarian would have a cow over.

jesus is old

116_1687
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

this is a copy of the four gospels from 1050 and it was bound in 1100. the cover was thick wood and it had all these holes in it where worms had eaten through.