or so said one individual in the movie that i watched with dan f tonight, why we fight. i should note that the quoted person next said something to the effect of "and americans have not been vigilant," referring to their acquiescence in relation to an unjustified war in iraq. i had been wanting to watch the film for quite some time, and saw it in the movie store yesterday. a fascinating picture. i don't know if i liked it quite as much as errol morris' 'the fog of war', but it was close. it's centered around the exploration of the "military industrial complex" today in America, and what that means for war. it also explores parts of the formation of the iraq war.

it has a definite bias that's quite evident, but, well, how could you not have a bias when making a film about a topic like that. it is frightening to think of the incestuous relationship between the american government and the legion of defense contractors vying for her attention.

one of the most poignant moments in the film is when jarecki (the director) talks about different protests. pointing out the protests that went on all around the world when america began its offensive in iraq, and then showing footage of vigils the day after 9/11. thousands of people went to a vigil for the united states in tehran, iran the day after the world trade center went down. imagine. what an opportunity. what could have been done if instead of embracing more bloodshed the leaders of the greatest military the world has ever seen had instead decided to stay their broad and poorly aimed revenge?

the film ties several stories together - the stealth pilots who dropped the first bombs of the iraq war, a new recruit signing up, eisenhower's presidency and legacy, an immigrant from vietnam who now designs smart bombs for america, think tank head honchos, peace group leaders, and a man who had his son's name written a bomb destined for iraq to remember him (he died on 9/11). that last one, was really telling, especially the moment where he recounted watching the press conference where bush stated that sadam and the iraqi government had nothing to do with 9/11. his consternation was very telling.

that movie made me think very highly of eisenhower as well. has anyone ever read a good biography of him? if so, let me know.

"Modern weapons take food from the hungry and shelter from the homeless"
- President Eisenhower



also, today the pei canadian forces came to charlottetown. we (malcom, derrick and i) went because they were giving free helicopter rides. alas, i did not get a helicopter ride, but i did get to hear the army band. they were playing beatles tunes. hrm. i wonder what peace-loving john would have thought of that.

things you probably already know, but i didn't before moving to this eastern island.

> the dirt really is red, like those shirts
> they sort their garbage into compost, waste, and recycling island wide (the stages of cardboard still confuse me)
> slippy = slippery ("watch out, that floor is slippy")
> bet = beat ("we sure bet that other team")
> they don't have pop in cans or plastic bottles - only glass (to save the jobs in the pepsi bottle factory)
> you can drive from the south side to the north side in 20 minutes in the skinny parts
> gas prices can only change on the 15th and 30th of each month
> most locals do not have a sweet clue about when the tides come in or out

copious amounts of cash     fantastic guitar playing skills     a large corporate conglomerate at my beck and call     donald trump's hairpiece     a shinier car     a meeting (world-ending duel?) with chuck norris     a free movie pass     pam     a trip on a sailboat     muscles that would make charles atlas cry like a fearful schoolgirl     lunch     fancy computer gadgets     a blue sailboat     a charlottetown library card    

there is only one thing i want.

before you decide to move 1348 kilometers away from the girl you love, there are a few things you should carefully consider.
> your stupidity for even entertaining the thought of accepting such a position
> the price of flights to and from aforementioned girl

most hours of the day i am glad that i am here - the people are nice, it is very worthwhile, i'll get to learn and try new things, pei is a beautiful province. but there are definitely a few hours every day where i'm just really sad that i'm so far away.

today's confession: i experience a secret and yet undeniably tangible feeling of validation when a vehicle passes me that makes worse engine noises than mine.

vehicular insecurity. sigh.

linus pauling, and i, that is, at least as far as massive amounts of vitamin c keeping you healthy (i have yet to get my own nobel prize, but, those scandanavians will be giving me one too if things go as planned).

so, i've been on the island a few days now. all's well so far. living with a nice family in stratford. nice to be by the sea. hard to know what to do to start off this job. i think i'm going to start by trying to work my way into the community. i've been reading the irresistable revolution by shane soemthing or other. it is hard to ignore. really hard. more later.

sleep now.

it's been nice staying at 1270 these past few days (on my way out east). i forgot what it was like to live with so many people, always something to do, always something going on. today was a day of firsts for the gents here, including:

1. First baby delivered - Jason
(Jason is in his second year of perimedification at 'the gonk'. Pretty incredible I would say. His description was graphic enough to convince me that he was telling the truth. Apparently it's pretty easy.)

2. First load of laundry done by self - Bruce
(Impressive, I know. Ladies, he's available - and he knows how to sort his colours! Also, while unrelated, Bruce gets points for having the same last name as me.)

3. First car purchased - Dan
(A 99 Volks Golf with 225K. Seems nice enough for $3500, though tomorrow will be the real test. Here's hoping I didn't buy a lemon.)

internet denziens - hello.

it has been quite some time since my last report. a lot has happened. i spent a lot of time at summer camp, read a few good books, brushed my teeth a lot, spent some quality time with pamJ, and did some other things too boring to mention (the fact that they didn't rate as high as 'tooth brushing' should be some indication to you).

anyhow the reason for this blog's resurgence is that i am going to PEI. sad to leave pam, excited to explore the world and learn new things. so i, um, just thought i should have one again. rock steady.