So wow, Al Gore got the Nobel Peace Prize. Amazing!

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 03:08 pm:

The 10 Commandments of Driving

1 - You shall not kill.

2 - The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3 - Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4 - Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

5 - Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6 - Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7 - Support the families of accident victims.

8 - Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9 - On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10 - Feel responsible toward others.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/06/19/vatican-drivers.html?ref=rss

By Who is the (Knight_Hawk) on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 04:38 pm:

Hmm Maybe they should have shown this to our Govener here in Jersey a few months ago.

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Thursday, October 18, 2007 - 03:44 pm:

Now here's an interesting one - Incandescent Bulbs - going the way of the Dinosaur? Soon?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/42018/page/1

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Monday, November 26, 2007 - 04:08 pm:

So I heard that the lead singer of Quiet Riot died this past Sunday. Can you believe it? I used to rock out to their hits many times in the past. It will be sad to mourn the loss.

Everyone, a moment of Quiet (Riot) for Kevin DuBrow.

Peace out,
Sol

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, December 06, 2007 - 11:50 am:

divorce is bad for the planet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301485.html

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - 01:12 pm:

Santa's Chopper Shot over Brazilian Slum

Drug traffickers in a Rio slum opened fire on a helicopter carrying a Santa to a children's party, apparently mistaking it for a police helicopter, police said on Tuesday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22309678/?GT1=10645

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 04:15 pm:

Celebrated artist also a crack whipper
Best known as a printmaker, he'd rather be known as 'someone with a special talent for the whip'

Nathan VanderKlippe
CanWest News Service


Sunday, December 18, 2005


BAKER LAKE, Nunavut -- The 10-metre dog whip hardly looks like a deadly weapon, coiled around the arm of this white-haired Inuit elder with the gleaming dentures.

But as 71-year-old Simon Tookoome takes a few practice lashes, the whip -- fashioned from the leathered skin of a bearded seal and covered with strips of old denim -- strikes the floor with a resounding thwack.

Then his body tenses and his arm arcs toward the ceiling, sending the whip snaking toward a cigarette that's barely visible on the floor several metres away.

The cigarette is still standing as he recoils the whip, but only half is left. The top has been cleanly sheared away. Tookoome tenses again, and his next lash strikes away all that remains of the cigarette but the filter.

And this is just a warmup for a man who has hunted caribou with his whip and has three times used it to chop a cigarette in half from nearly 15 metres away -- while it was sticking from a man's mouth.

Tookoome is best known as a celebrated Inuit artist and printmaker. The walls of his apartment in Baker Lake, Nunavut, are covered in awards and tributes, and one of his pieces was featured on a Canadian stamp. For the past few decades, he has made his living from his art and creates numerous prints every week.

But even before his art began to grow in popularity, Tookoome was the most skilled whipper among the Inuit, and possibly in the country.

"I don't know if I should have this thought, but I often wonder if I'm the only one in the world who can whip like this," he says, talking through his daughter because he only speaks Inuktitut.

"I'm proud of being recognized as an artist, but I really want to be known as someone with a special talent for the whip."

Tookoome was born on the tundra near the modern-day Nunavut community of Gjoa Haven to parents who lived the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Inuit. Like most Inuit of the day, the family travelled by dog team, which they drove using whips fashioned from the animals they harvested.

Tookoome began using his own whip at the age of seven.

"It was the only toy I ever had," he says.

Playing with it, he soon realized he could do things that no one else could. While his friends practised striking caribou antlers, he sought moving targets such as mice and ptarmigan. He soon grew so proficient that he was killing 30 ptarmigan a day and bringing them home to his family to eat.

"My mother asked me one day how I was catching all these ptarmigan," he says. "I was afraid that if she found out, she wouldn't let me use the whip anymore. So I told her that I was hunting the ptarmigan with rocks" -- the traditional, although difficult, way to kill the fast-moving birds.

But she grew suspicious when she saw the severed necks on the ptarmigan he was harvesting, and followed him one day. When she saw what he was doing, she confronted him.

"I was afraid, but I couldn't hide the truth any longer. So I said, 'Yes, I've been using the whip.' She was very happy, and told me to use it as much as I could."

Tookoome took the advice to heart and began hunting bigger animals with the whip, even after his family acquired a rifle and a snowmobile. He took down several caribou, and once even used it to kill a wolf that he had shot and injured. He kept the whip with him because operating a rifle was too expensive.

"We never had enough bullets," he says. "And I felt I was good enough to hunt and feed myself as long as I had my whip with me.

"Had I tried, I could probably have even hunted a polar bear, because they're a lot slower than the wolf."

In 1970, he learned that his unique skill could become a source of entertainment when he flew to Yellowknife as an athlete in the Arctic Winter Games. A child urged him to show off his whipping skills to Roland Michener, the governor general of the day, who was in attendance.

"The child asked me if I could whip the cigarette from close to his feet. I warned him that I didn't want to do it because there was a chance if I missed that I could easily rip off his toes," he says. "But he told me, 'I trust you.' "

After he successfully plucked that cigarette, his reputation began to grow across the North. Three years later, someone dared him to whip a cigarette from his mouth.

"I was really scared to do it because the guy's nose was pretty big," he said.

"But as soon as I hit the cigarette and got it off the guy's mouth -- that's the happiest time I've ever had with my whip."

Tookoome, who prays before every performance, attributes his skill to to his faith.

"I've been asked if I'm a shaman," he said. "But I'm not. I'm a true Christian."

He has repeated the cigarette-in-the-mouth feat twice, including once in New York City after watching another performer with a whip who left him unimpressed.

"I said, 'I'll show you who's better,' " he says. "The guy must not have noticed the cigarette being snapped away from his mouth because he had his eyes closed and was just shaking."

At his prime Tookoome was using a whip that was nearly 15 metres long. But age has begun to sap his strength and his current whip, which he still uses to perform at events across the North, is about half that length.

However, the whips are still hand-made: He finished his latest early this winter. But he worries that it might not work as well. Without real teeth, he can no longer chew the whip's seal leather to make it supple. That may be why, when asked for a demonstration, Tookoome missed several times before slicing the cigarette in half.

Tookoome knows that he's growing older. But he says he doubts there will be another Inuit whipper to follow in his footsteps.

"When I was a child I had all the time in the world to practise my whipping," he says. "But it's different now. There's so much to do today, and people are busy with other things."

nvanderklippe@globaltv.ca

© The Edmonton Journal 2005

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Monday, January 21, 2008 - 10:26 am:

Your Cell Phone Kills Sheep

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23083688-29277,00.html

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, February 07, 2008 - 02:56 pm:

••••. I just read the news report confirming that Mitt Romney is withdrawing from the Republican party race leaving McCain a clear path to get the nomination.

••••. ••••. ••••.

Now my party is telling me that I and my fellow republicans have to unite behind McCain in order to prevent Hillary or Obama from winning the white house.

To me thats like being asked:

Do you want to be kicked in the arse or kicked in the balls?

I'm disappointed.

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 10:01 am:

Vote green! That'll show 'em!

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 11:17 am:

A moment of silence for perhaps the greatest man of all. Dead before his time. I guess we eventually all run out of hit points. Gary, we wish him well.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_en_ot/obit_gygax

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 01:03 pm:

Indeed. May his next adventure onward to the planes of existence beyond this mortal plane grant him 20's on all attack hits and 1's on all ability score checks.

He was the original dungeon master.

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 10:45 am:

The Senate is poised to vote in June on legislation that would reduce U.S. emissions by 70 percent by 2050; the two Democratic senators running for president, Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.), back an 80 percent cut. The Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), supports a 60 percent reduction by mid-century.

Can the warming of the Earth be stopped in time?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23552526

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 01:12 pm:

So anyway, if cameras at intersections save lives by deterring speeders, isn't that a good thing?

Ah ha, even though accidents are definitely down, some governments are getting rid of the cameras! Why? You guessed it - money. Lost revenue from tickets.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23710970/?GT1=43001

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 10:05 am:

Vatican declares that believing in Aliens is not a sin

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24598508/?GT1=43001

Meanwhile, Einstein calls the Bible "childish"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24598856/

By Houdini (Houdini) on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 11:31 am:

See, this is why I like McCain better then Obama.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080623/D91FQ6L81.html

An X prize for advanced battery research. I'm behind it.


And where... is the obama man? He's at home washing his tights!

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 04:54 pm:

I have to say, though, that whatever green technology is chosen for our future, it will need to be put into place before the planet's fossil fuels becomes too expensive to buy. If we don't have a new infrastructure in place before oil/coal run out, we will be incapable of producing the energy necessary to put a new system into place.

Or at least the cost will go way, way up to do so. If we wait until the economy grinds to a halt before acting, it may already be too late.

This X prize sounds like a good idea. But it relies on the current free-market system to create a solution by relying upon business and R&D to magically come up with a solution. And it may well take so much money to develop the technology in the first place that the "prize" may barely be enough to offset the cost.

Since there are already technologies out there now that reduce our dependence on foreign oil (the hybrid!) wouldn't it make sense to further strengthen this infrastructure with government funding right now? The impact would be definite and immediate. If a new factory were put into place, for example, demand would see it cranking out at max production as soon as it was finished. Every hybrid on the road DOES help to solve the fuel crisis... one car at a time. This is only reasonable, since this is how we got into this mess - one car at a time!

I like the idea of a cash prize as an incentive. But the government needs to do a LOT more if it intends to play an active role in solving the US energy crisis.

Where Obama is:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 10:49 am:

You know what? I have to say McCain is actually a pretty cool guy, too. If he becomes president, I think we will be doing better than we are now. I'll admit, I'd kinda like Obama at this point, but McCain will be a good candidate and a strong president, too, I think.

A far cry from a few years ago when NOBODY seemed right for the job, eh?

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Friday, August 29, 2008 - 10:33 am:

Quote from McCain - I have to respect a man who can compliment his opponent. He said this about Obama's historic nomination on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech.

“Too often, the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, ‘Congratulations.’ How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day,” McCain says. “Tomorrow, well be back at it. But tonight, Senator, job well done.”

You know, to me, Obama actually sounds a lot like MLK. If you believe in reincarnation, perhaps, just perhaps, the great leader has returned. Of course, King died in '68 and Obama was born in '61, so maybe not, but still, the great Reverend's influence is clear today.

By Houdini (Houdini) on Friday, August 29, 2008 - 04:41 pm:

This is proving to be a presidential election year of breaking down old barriers.

Barack Obama - First black presidential candidate.

Susan Palin - First female vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party.

By Houdini (Houdini) on Friday, August 29, 2008 - 05:13 pm:

The choice of Alaska Govenor Susan Palin is a good one for John McCain. Consider me impressed.

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 - 10:00 am:

I agree that it was a good choice. McCain is wisely trying to prove to Hillary Fans that the Republican Party is willing to shatter the Glass Ceiling. I mean, in a couple of years, who knows? Susan could be the President as a follow-up to McCain.

By I, (Ranger) on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 - 02:16 pm:

Sarah, actually.
She likes moose stew.
Her record is pretty impressive for a 40- something year old. That and she has twice as much executive experience the freshman congresman, Obama, even if her international resume is as thin as his. But than there is a difference; a VP can reasonably expect to get her training on the job, but a Prez to get his there...not so much.

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 12:29 pm:

The political views expressed by me are not necessarily the views of Lev Society or its management. Lev society does not specifically endorse any candidate. Everyone is free to examine the issues and make up their own minds independently. It is advised that you research the candidates and make your own informed voting choices. Voting is your right. Use it. In other words. I'm not speaking for the "company". Got it?


Ahem.. with that little legal disclaimer out of the way..

McCain/Palin ! Yeah, that's the ticket!

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 12:39 pm:

Again.. this is my view, not the forums.

Among the the best quotes of Sarah Palin's speach:

"And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

You go girl!

By I, (Ranger) on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 03:20 pm:

I thought it was a good speech, well executed. I also like the way she told an unscripted (bad) joke, and took a few cheap (but telling) shots. My God, she is one of us!

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Monday, September 08, 2008 - 09:51 am:

Since McCain is trying to come off as the team with the best experience, I am surprised that he didn't choose a running mate with more significant experience. It would have solidified his domination in this area. I can see how he felt it would be advantageous to play the Gender Card, however, with Sarah.

Still, Alaska is practically like a foreign country - it is so far removed from the politics of the continental USA. Because of this and also because of Sarah's relative inexperience (compared to McCain) I am starting to think the fact that she is female is the only reason she was chosen.

By I, (Ranger) on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 01:55 pm:

I don't think so. Look at the way this unknown, this outsider, if you will, has electrified his campaign. Before it was slogging along, dogging Obama's tracks. Introduce a cipher and all of a sudden they have cornered the media market for the whole week, scaring the crud out of the Democrat campaign. I think the fact that she's a woman is immaterial.

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 09:55 am:

Well, not exactly immaterial. I think that's what has been causing the buzz this past week. I do agree that it was a brilliant political move. I am just not clear yet on what it is exactly that she's offering the country - what it is that she's bringing to the table. I think that it is very clear what McCain is bringing. I need to be educated a bit more on what Sarah is bringing.

By I, (Ranger) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 03:05 pm:

Control spending by request if possible; by veto if needed. (Sep 2008)
$7 billion savings plan for education & transportation. (Dec 2007)
Reduced general fund spending by $124 million. (Mar 2007)
Aim to reduce general fund spending by $150 million. (Jan 2007)
Firm believer in free market capitalism. (Nov 2006)
Coordinate state tourism marketing but no additional funding. (Oct 2006)
Safe Haven bill: allow surrendering newborns without penalty. (Feb 2008)
Adoption is best plan for permanency for foster care kids. (Oct 2007)
Pro-life. (Nov 2006)
If Roe v. Wade got overturned, let people decide what's next. (Oct 2006)
Opposes use of public funds for abortions. (Oct 2006)
Pro-contraception, pro-woman, pro-life. (Aug 2006)
Vetoed bill denying benefits to gays, as unconstitutional. (Aug 2008)
ADA brings expanded freedom to Americans with disabilities. (Jul 2008)
Recognize Juneteenth to celebrate the end of slavery. (Jun 2008)
HIV/AIDS among Alaska Natives is public health crisis. (Mar 2008)
Recognize Martin Luther King holiday. (Jan 2008)
Comply with same-sex partner benefits despite disagreement. (Dec 2006)
Marriage only be between and man and a woman. (Nov 2006)
Value our cultural diversity. (Nov 2006)
Register sex offenders; & investigate internet sex crimes. (Jun 2008)
Victims' rights are critical to "justice for all". (Mar 2008)
We are tough on crime and beefing up law enforcement. (Jan 2008)
Collect DNA samples from felons. (Jun 2007)
Gang members on probation must wear electronic monitors. (Jun 2007)
Maximum sentence for first-degree murder by police. (Apr 2007)
If legislature passed death penalty law, I would sign it. (Nov 2006)
Strong public safety presence, via police, courts & prisons. (Nov 2006)
Death penalty for adults who murder children. (Oct 2006)
No special hate-crime laws; all heinous crime is hate-based. (Jul 2006)
Produce more of our own oil & gas, for national security. (Sep 2008)
Gas pipeline:history's largest private-sector infrastructure. (Sep 2008)
More pipelines; more nukes; more coal; more alternatives. (Sep 2008)
Claimed major triumph: $500 million subsidy for gas pipeline. (Aug 2008)
Global warming affects Alaska, but is not man-made. (Aug 2008)
Resource rebate: suspend AK 8-cent fuel tax for one year. (Aug 2008)
Gasline Inducement Act: 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline. (Aug 2008)
Commercialize Alaska's North Slope natural gas. (Aug 2008)
Appointed an Alaska oil and gas commissioner. (Aug 2008)
To win, GOP must push energy independence. (Aug 2008)
Agrees with Obama on more Alaska oil & gas production. (Aug 2008)
Windfall oil profits tax prevents investment. (Aug 2008)
Lift moratorium on offshore drilling. (Jul 2008)
Convinced McCain to drill offshore; not yet on drilling ANWR. (Jul 2008)
Exxon-Mobil should pay $507 million for Exxon Valdez spill. (Jul 2008)
Unlock ANWR; we're ready, willing and able to contribute. (Jun 2008)
Energy relief plan: $100 per person monthly, for oil & gas. (May 2008)
Bush is right: drill ANWR & develop our own supplies. (Apr 2008)
Fully fund for the Petroleum Systems Integrity Office. (Feb 2008)
$250M for proven alternative energy, including wind & hydro. (Jan 2008)
Gas pipelines are approved if they meet Alaska's needs. (Jan 2008)
National energy policy not an either/or proposition. (Nov 2007)
Fund cellulosic biofuel research in Farm Bill. (Oct 2007)
Submitted legislation to build natural AGIA gas pipeline. (Mar 2007)
Stranded Gas Development Act no longer applies. (Nov 2006)
Get ANWR open. (Nov 2006)
Chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. (Nov 2006)
Pursue gasline plan that is best for ALL Alaskans. (Nov 2006)
Met with producers and employee groups for pipeline deal. (Oct 2006)
Firm start date as part of gasline incentive offer. (Oct 2006)
Opposes natural gas reserves tax--it's not earned income yet. (Oct 2006)
Analyze potential costs associated with climate change. (Oct 2006)

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 09:47 am:

Wow! Thanks, Ranger!

Sol

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 01:41 pm:

Palin has electrified the Republican Party's conservative base, which had previously been wary of McCain's more left of center views on issues such as immigration. McCain will still walk acrss the isle to work in a bi-partisan way as he always has (to the ire of most republicans), but with Palin they feel she will speak for some of the conservative bases interests, which McCain will of course still blaze his own bi partisan trail.. but it will be tempered slightly by Palin's presence. Palin has made McCain more palatable to conservatives. But make no mistake. McCain would govern like a moderate. Limbaugh will tear him a new one politically about 50% of the time if he's elected.

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 04:31 pm:

New Sarah Article:
"In first major interview as GOP's VP pick, she struggles with foreign policy"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26664074

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Friday, October 03, 2008 - 10:02 am:

Did you see the Biden-Palen debate last night? What did you think? Has Palen risen to the task? Is Joe Biden proving himself?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27001589/?GT1=43001