Confessions from the Killer Mime Cult

I've decided to resurrect my series on Polish musicians. This is from the genre of Sung Poetry and this is Jacek Kleyff, whom I actually met at Christmas (he's married to the aunt of an acquaintance) a few years ago. We had a discussion about Leonard Cohen and he played some of Cohen's music.

Labels: jacek kleyff, polish music

Yeah, don't think I don't know why you come here. You're looking for mime porn. Tsk. Tsk.

Labels: rainbow boy

Books and movies: This feature disappeared from this blog, because I put it on the radio show, but I don't think people want to hear it there, so it's returned here. A lot of catching up to do. First was 'A Mathematician Plays the Market'-a had higher hopes for this book, like it would be an attempt to prove or disprove the strategies of making money on the stock market. Instead, it revolves around the fact the author lost a lot of money, following no rules whatsoever. He does try to disprove everything, but he does so intellectually, not through any rigourous testing. 'Planet of the Apes'-also a mixed bag for me. When I first started to read it, I was disturbed by statements made about apes which were clearly unscientific, but then I kept telling myself that it was written in 1963 when people didn't know alot about them. Like gorillas are meat eaters. Another minor irritation is the reference to apes as monkeys throughout the book. The title is, 'Planet of the Apes', you would think that they would be refered to as apes. Another minor problem I had with the book was that it scretched my disbelief almost to the breaking point because a planet is supposed to exist two light years away with people and with apes. And then the same fate which befalls people on that planet, befalls people on this planet. Despite these irritations, I think it is a good book, but it isn't clear what the author was trying to say. I get the feeling he was trying to say something, but whether it's that we shouldn't be so arrogant as a species, or whether we should reconsider animal testing, I'm not sure. Plato 'Apology', and 'Crito' both are about the trial of Socrates. Apology is supposedly an account of Socrates self defense. He was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens. His defense is that he is just doing his job, and you can't say that he has corrupted the youth more than any other person. 'Crito' deals with an attempt by one of Socrates' friends to spring him out of prison. He basically says that he can go because it would be a betrayal of the laws of Athens, which he has accepted before. It would be hypocritical for him to run away from the law now that it has been used against him. Interesting argument, but what I find most interesting about it, is the idea that the community is more important than the individual. Socrates seems to think this was true, but then again, so did Hitler.

This will be hockey, again. Thank god that the Polish version of TSN decided to broadcast the world championships. I watched the quarter final match ups between Sweden and the Czech Republic and Canada vs Norway. The first game wasn't exactly a feast for the eyes, but at least both teams played fair and were evenly matched. The Norway-Canada game was attrocious though. The players from Norway are all semi-pro, meaning they have to have other jobs to play hockey. Team Canada, on the other hand, couldn't play in the NHL, because their salaries would be by far to large (about 14 million over the salary cap). Obviously Canada was going to win this one. But Norway tried their best to kept it competitive. The problem I have is that for some reason Canada in the middle of the second period started to physically intimidate the Norwegians. I don't think that it was fair at all. The Canadians are bigger, stronger and faster. On one play a Norwegian had a breakaway, two Canadian players hooked him from behind and then all three crashed into the net, and once in the net they proceeded to beat him up. They problem went home and patted themselves on the back for attacking a guy who plays the game for the love of it, while they make millions. Also alot of unnecessary checking. Somebody should have stopped it. That's way hockey isn't very popular. People think it's barbaric, and sometimes, like last night it is. I couldn't bear to watch the last period, which Canada won, of course. 8-2. So, I'm now cheering for every team, but Canada.

Labels: world championship catasrophe

So I got this idea from 43 things, the website when you list 43 things you want to do with your life. I've decided to start such a list. There are a couple of rules I've imposed on the list, and on myself. The first is things that are included can not be things which are relatively easy to accomplish, like buying a car. Buying a cheap car is easy, buying a lamborghini is altogether some else. The second is like the first, these things can not currently be imposible. I would like to live a thousand years, but it isn't going to happen soon. The final thing, is if I put it on the list I seriously have to take concrete steps to achieve that goal. Here's the list, in no particular order.

1. Get my driving license.
2. Buy a house, or a bigger apartment.
3. Start my own company (to teach, of course)
4. Have a child.
5. Get my M.A.
6. Get my Phd.
7. Make the Byen Vidnasa successful. (I've turned it into a cross between the Mason's and a meditation course).
8. Travel to all the countries of the world. Perhaps this falls into the impossible category, but I've already traveled to many more than some other people.
9. Make and keep more friends. That's pretty hard for me, anti-social loner that I am.
10. Learn how to cook.
11. Learn how to dance. I hate to admit it, but I am a big fan of shows like Dance with Stars.
12. Improve my Polish. (pretty obvious. I was watching the Polish version of who wants to be a millionare and only understood half of the questions)
13. Improve my Spanish. Shame to learn something and then never use it.
14. Improve my French. Ditto.
15. Publish a book of poetry.
16. Become economically independent. I don't mean rich, but I wouldn't scoff at being rich. I mean that I have enough money to do what I want, and I don't have to worry about being fired.
17. Publish a book of poetry.
18. Write a book, not necessarily a novel. Probably something I'm interested in, like apes or trees.
19. Speaking of apes, have a personal encounter with another non-human ape.
20. Learn how to swim.
21. Learn to skate better.
22. Exercise more.
23. Eat healthier.
24. Buy a guitar and re-learn how to play it.
25. Sing more in public (a la karioke)
26. Have a garden.
27. Learn to make alcoholic beverages such a wine, beer, nalewka.
28. Learn to make cocktails.
29. Buy all of the coins from the second Polish republic 1923-1939 and then sell them, or donate them to a museum.
30. See an NHL game, live.
31. Open a high interest bank account and save money either for retirement, or for my children. (I already have a mutual fund, but the way the economy is right now, I'm losing money on it.)
32. Give an hour of my time to some sort of volunteer work.
33. Give some money every month to some sort of charity.
34. Read all of the books listed in the 'Great Books Course' I had this book as a kid, and I came across it recently, and I remember that I had a list something like this when I was around 15, and that was on it, so I'm putting it on this one.
35. Finish the renovations of this apartment and sell it.
36. Give Ola a tour of Canada.
37. Re-learn the basics of math.
38. Try to think one positive thought a day.
39. Update this blog more often and with more personal information.
40. Try not to feel superior to people just because I am more creative and have experienced more in my life.
41. Try to be a positive influence on the development of humanity. Perhaps this, too, falls into the impossible category, but I think that it is good to have a very challenging goal like this.
42. Be remembered kindly and fondly. Really this is out of my control, but it would be nice.
43. Laugh more often.

Labels: 43 things-goals

Labels: rainbow boy

So, I know that I usually only talk about hockey once a week, but I very tired, because I stayed up last night to watch the Canada vs U.S. game last night. It was great. It was hockey of the highest calibre. But it lead me to think about a couple of things about hockey.

NHL and generally hockey would improve if the offside rule was done away with. It's crazy that a player who has the puck has to circle around the red line, waiting for his team mates to get back onside.

Icing should be done away with. The idea is that it is a punishment for one team dumping the puck, but it leads to a face off. So one team, if they lose the face off are punished for the transgressions of the other. The first team should be punished by having the other team get possession, which usually happens.

No fighting. At the end of last night's game, there was a bizarre hugging fest. I think the players were angry, but then they realized it was an international game, and then started to hug. A little cute, I guess.

I don't think this should be a rule change, but I don't understand why coaches continue to use the dump in. Ninety percent of the time, it ends up that the opposing team keeps the puck. You shouldn't give up the puck unless you are shooting or are passing.

Another issue which is floating around, is the fact that the NHL rewards medriocrity, and it's true. One idea was to turn the NHL into a more European-like league, where the last place team is forced into the second league. Another idea is to make the draft completely random, like a lottery. The way the system works, is that bad teams are rewarded and then gradually get better, where the better teams gradually get worse, because they can't draft higher.

I really like Danny Heatley's style of playing, but I haven't actually ever seen a full game with him in an Ottawa uniform. I've listened to a lot, but discriptions don't due his style justice. It's very inelegant, but he's a master of small spaces. I don't think I've seen anyone score goals from tight places more often.

Spezza is too creative, and when he plays with uncreative players, this can cause problems. He tries to be a playmaker. He should shoot more. That's all about hockey this week...Really.

Labels: more hockey news

First of all, let me say thanks to all the people who have dropped by the blog lately, to those I know, I appreciate the updates, and those I don't, I appreciate that you took the time to write about something I wrote it seems like hundreds of years ago. Now, on to hockey....round two of the playoffs is finished, and my success rate has gone up to 8/12. Here's what I predicted:

Montreal vs Philadephia. I predicted that Philadephia would win, because I thought the expectations of Montreal were unrealistic, and Phildephia proved it had what it took to beat Washington, and I was correct.

Pittsburg vs. the New York Rangers I predicted that Pittsburg would win and I asked the question-are they really that good, and the answer is, yes.

Dallas vs. San Jose I thought that Dallas would have no trouble winning this series, but San Jose started to play much better in the second half, it was to no avail as Dallas won last night a four over time game.

Colorado vs. Detroit I thought that Theodore would steal the series, and unfortunately he had some kind of sickness or crisis of confidence and Detroit won.

Round Three

Dallas vs Detroit. This is hard for me to predict. Both are very experienced teams, and both have great goaltending. I'm going to say Dallas, because they have managed to knock off two teams that were predicted to beat them, and the easy money will probably be on Detroit.

Pittsburg vs Philadephia. Philly is a team that flew under the radar all season and managed to get to the conference finals, probably because they out played their opponent in the first round, and because they were underestimated in the second. I think that their luck will run out in this round because Pittsburg is really that good. They have probably the best first line in the league with Crosby and Malkin, and Hossa on a killer second line, plus reliable goaltending with Fleury.

And if NHL hockey holds no thrills for you, I would recommend watching the world championships, which are currently being held in Halifax and Quebec City. This year, mercy of mercies, they are actually being broadcast on Polish television, and I've watched a couple of games. I've got to say, watching it is much better than listening to it. When hockey is good, there's a flow and grace to it which is missing from other games. I watched a game last night between Latvia and Canada. Canada won, of course, but the Latvians never gave up. They were outplayed, and outmuscled, but managed to keep on shooting the puck. Ola turned to me and said (after Canada scored its 7th goal) that if that had happened to her, she would just go home. But I like that determination. And Latvia's fans were amazing. Canada would score and they would cheer. So check it out, if you have a chance. A beautiful game. And no diving every three seconds.

Labels: third round predictions

No hockey this week, next week the second round should be finished, so I'll have more interesting things to write about, at least in regards to hockey. So, I've been a bit bummed, maybe not depressed by the reaction to Korpo Radio. Everyone who listens to it, says they like it, but so far, after working on it for over a month, only 96 people have visited it (including me, so the number is probably actually much lower). Rainbow Boy gets around 44 hits per day, with no promotion, and I spent weeks trying to promote it. I don't think that I will give up, but I guess I have to realize it is a hobby, nothing that's ever going to make me money. Part of the problem is the lack of material, so I'm just broadcasting the same stuff over and over again. It's boring, to say the least. I think that I will overhaul it completely. I've read a couple of interesting books, the first-Born to Kvetch, all about the contribution Yiddish has made to English, which is quite alot. It was also interesting to read about Jewish culture not from the perspective of victimhood. Which leads me to what I am currently read, The Lost, by Daniel Mendelson. It's the story of how, slowly over time, he discovers what happened to certain family members who died in the holocaust. I had two thoughts when I was confronted with this book-the holocaust was the result of economics. There's a bit about anti-semiticism in Poland before the war. I recently bought three coins, as I have started to collect coins. One is from 1933, one is from 1932, and the other is from 1938, just before the war broke out. The earlier coins are dignified. They show Jan Sobieski, the Polish king who saved Europe from an Ottoman invasion at the battle of Vienna in 1635. The other is of a woman's head, very much in the style of the 1920's, stately, and beautiful. The one from 1938 is completely different. It's of Jozef Pilsudski, the moderate dictator of Poland, the one who had finally managed to obtain independence for Poland. But by 1938, he had died, and Poland's leaders respected Adolf Hitler, and ennacted a harsh boycott of Polish Jews, trying to extract money from them. It backfired, leaving most Polish Jews impoverished by the time Poland was invaded. It is a chilling thought to think of where these coins were at that time. The Nazis, too, partly, financed the German economic miracle through the extortion of Jews. I think, this is just my impression, though, that the increasing harshness of these policies were an attempt to take money or property from them in the most efficient way. There's a part in the book, where Mendelson describes a massacre during which 1/6th of a town's Jewish population were killed, after which the parents of the victims were required by the Germans to pay for the bullets which had been used. But I have slowly come to realize, the biggest tragedy of the holocaust, is not the suffering of these people, which was horrible, but the absent present. Poland should be bustling with Jewish life, it should be a multicultural democracy. It should be the best place to live in Europe with a strong tradition of tolerance. Instead, it's a country where twenty five percent of the population was murdered. Sometimes by Germans, by often by their neighbours. Where those who survived were cheated out of their property.

In the Book of Genesis the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (and occasionally translated as the Tree of Conscience) was a tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) from which God directly forbade Adam (Eve having not yet been created) to eat (Genesis 2:17). A serpent later tempted Eve, who was aware of the prohibition, to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge (Genesis 3:1-6). Adam also ate, and they became aware of their nakedness (Genesis 3:6-7). After this, in order to deny them access to the tree of life (and, hence, immortality), they were banished from the garden and forced to survive through agriculture "by the sweat of [their] face" (Genesis 3:19-24).




Interpretations of the tree itself

Translation Issues

Gordon and Rendsburg have suggested that the phrase טוֹב וָרָע, translated good and evil, is a merism. This is a figure of speech whereby a pair of opposites are used together to create the meaning all or everything, as in the English phrase, "they came, great and small", meaning just that they all came. So the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they take to mean the Tree of All Knowledge. This meaning can be brought out by the alternative translations Tree of Knowledge of Good and of Evil (the word of not being expressed in the Hebrew) or Tree of Knowledge, both Good and Evil. The phrase occurs twice as applied to the tree, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 2:17. It also occurs twice as describing the knowledge gained Genesis 3:5 and Genesis 3:22 where it may be translated perhaps with knowledge, both good and evil.


In Judaism

According to the Jewish tradition God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree that was to give free choice and allow them to earn, as opposed to receive, absolute perfection and intimate communion with God at a higher level than the one on which they were created. According to this tradition, Adam and Eve would have attained absolute perfection and retained immortality had they succeeded in withstanding the temptation to eat from the Tree. After failing at this task, they were condemned to a period of toil to rectify the fallen universe. Jewish tradition views the serpent, and sometimes the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil itself, as representatives of evil.

Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism see no "evil" other than the evil actions of human beings. Eve's only transgression was that she disobeyed God's order. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden and had to live ordinary, human lives. Had they never eaten from the forbidden tree, they would never have discovered their capacity to act with free will.

Rabbi David Fohrman of the Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Studies, citing Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, states that "the tree did not give us moral awareness when we had none before. Rather, it transformed this awareness from one kind into another." After eating from the Tree, humanity's innate sense of moral awareness was transformed from concepts of true and false to concepts of good and evil. Genesis describes the tree as desirable (3:6), and our concepts of good and evil, unlike our concepts of true and false, also have an implicit measure of desire.


In Christianity

In Christian theology, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is connected to the doctrine of original sin. Augustine of Hippo believed that humanity inherited sin itself and the guilt for Adam and Eve's sin. By eating of the fruit of the Tree, Adam and Eve sought to be like God. For a debate about the Western doctrine of original sin and the Eastern doctrine of ancestral sin, see There is a minority of Christians that affirm the doctrine of Pelagianism, which believes every individual faces the same choice between sin and salvation that Adam and Eve faced.


Unification Church

The Unification Church's central book of teachings, Divine Principle, regards the tree of knowledge as symbolizing Eve, just as the tree of life symbolizes perfected Adam. The fruit of the tree of knowledge symbolizes Eve's love, The "fruit" could be good if principled and God-centered, or evil if unprincipled.

Eve had a sexual relationship with Lucifer. They "fell" and Eve became a "fallen woman". This was the "spiritual fall". When Eve "offered the fruit to Adam", this means that he and she began a sexual relationship prematurely and without God's blessing;[ this was the "physical fall".

Trees in other religions

Illustration from the Ockelbo Runestone, Sweden.Similar trees appear in other religions. In the closest, most relevant comparison, the iconic image of the tree guarded by the Serpent appears on Sumerian seals; it is the central feature of the Garden of the Hesperides in Greek mythology, where the guardian serpent receives the name Ladon. In Buddhism, the Buddha became enlightened under the Bodhi tree. While the biblical tree is usually interpreted as representing sensual pleasure, the Bodhi tree gave pure transcendent knowledge. In Vedic Hinduism, the Tree of Jiva and Atman is usually interpreted as a metaphor concerning the soul, mind, and body. In the Norse sagas, the ash tree Yggdrasil draws from the magic springwater of knowledge. To many who believe the Bible is filled with parables, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is actually a library or some other form of educational writings.


Freudian (psychological) interpretation

A rather Freudian interpretation is that knowledge of good and evil, or simply good and bad, refers to the recollection of a memory with an implied judgment. This is a natural process for neurological systems (humans and animals) to make to avoid pain or gain pleasure. However, human consciousness includes extensive recollection and teaching such as by the use of books, which could be called a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It is clearly distinguishable from the simple awareness of other animals. This allows human beings to make deliberate choices that they consider beneficial even if they include an element of pain.

The process of maturation occurring in the incidents around the tree describes, in an abstract way, the splitting of the human consciousness into the limited context of conscious thought and the underlying all-aware subconscious.


Symbolic interpretation


In mystical traditions of world religions (mysticism), sacred texts are read for metaphorical content referential to the relationship between state of mind and the external experience of reality. As such, the tree is a manifestating/causal symbol; the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is not independent from the reference to the Tree of Life in the same allegory in Genesis. With the Tree of Life representing the coveted state of eternal aliveness (fulfillment), once the ego experiences shame - having been tempted to absorb/believe in duality (eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil), we are protected from living eternally in that limiting ("fallen") experience by the cherubim guarding the gate of return to paradise (symbolic of the innocent self or true nature in control of purification of ego faith and return to being). Acculturation in this rulebound reality of good and bad is primarily familial, with not only the effect of confusion and misperception (illusion), but more critically the effect of displacement and psychological misery. The mystic attempts the return journey to Self and Unity with committed effort and practices that vary between individuals, religions and cultures.

Also, symbolically, the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil calls to mind the practice of dividing the acts of man into discrete categories (Right or Wrong, Good or Evil, Lawful or Unlawful) with dramatically distinct consequences for each case. The Genesis story contains a warning against that accepted cultural practice, predicting that it will lead to undesirable outcomes. In that regard, the story is remarkably prescient, as four millennia of history have confirmed that the Crime and Punishment Regulatory Model tends to produce dysfunctional outcomes. Modern technical and analytical research confirms that finding both theoretically and empirically.

According to George M. Lamsa, "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is an Aramaic idiom that means moral law, the knowledge of good and evil. If so the fruit of the tree might be using moral law as a tool to break the commandment "Judge not."

Fruit of the tree

The Book of Enoch 31:4, purporting to be written by the antediluvian prophet Enoch, describes the Tree of Knowledge: "It was like a species of the Tamarind tree, bearing fruit which resembled grapes extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance. I exclaimed, How beautiful is this tree, and how delightful is its appearance!" In the Talmud, Rabbi Meir says that the fruit was a grape. Another Talmudic tradition suggests that Eve actually made, and drank, wine.

Also in the Talmud, Rabbi Nechemia says that the fruit was a fig. Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover themselves after eating the fruit (Genesis 3:7). Perhaps this was because the leaves were nearby, or perhaps it shows God creating the cure before the illness, i.e. the same tree that caused the problem was then used to remedy it. Another explanation lies within the "fruit" of the fig tree, the fig itself, which is not actually a fruit but rather a flower of sorts, serving as the tree's genitalia.

Another Talmudic interpretation, expressed by Rabbi Yehuda, is that the fruit was wheat.

In Western Christian art, the fruit is most commonly depicted as an apple, although apples were unknown in the ancient Levant (they originated in central Asia). One possible reason for this would arise from a medieval pun if it were shown that a source of humor to monks lay in consonance of the Latin words for evil and for apple, and thus by eating the malum (apple), Eve contracted malum (evil). There is, however, no textual or historical evidence by which to argue the usage of this image. It may simply be that apples were the most common tree fruit in most parts of Christian Europe.

Proponents of the theory that the Garden of Eden was located somewhere in what is known now as the Middle East suggest that the fruit was actually a pomegranate. This ties in with the Greek myth of Persephone, where her consumption of seven pomegranate seeds leads to her having to spend time in Hades.

The fruit can also symbolize intercourse, because it is looked at as a "sin", as the sin of the flesh is. When Adam and Eve gained the knowledge from this fruit, they were given death, as they were now mortal. It's human nature to engage in sexual activity, so in some aspects, this fruit can have the underlying meaning of sexual activity.

Some ethno-botanists have proposed the iboga plant (Tabernanthe iboga) as the Tree of Knowledge. The bark of the root contains a dissociative substance, ibogaine, which has been traditionally used in Bwiti religious ceremony in Central Africa. Other hallucinogens, in particular the Fly agaric mushroom, have also been proposed as (fruits of) the Tree, by scholars such as in R. Gordon Wasson and Clark Heinrich.

Labels: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Rainbow Boy

Labels: rainbow boy