Hello Good People of The World

 

Holy crap, the last time I spoke on this it was like 5 months ago. Anywho, an update is in order.

 

Well, I have my own office on Main St. right above Tims, work is going well there and I actually may be able to create some lasting order in all of this chaos. Other then that my animals, Sasha and Loki and doing great. Sasha had to get some minor surgery on her foot for a boil, but it healed up great and she is doing fine.

 

45 Fairview got a face lift this past month. Thats right, Dick and Betty and helpers have stripped the old paint off, and put on a fresh new layer of bright yellowy goodness. Which made me happy because I have grown to like the yellow over the years, it gives our house further..... character, shall we say.

 

The love life has been all over, and if you know me well enough feel free to enquire but its largely something best saved for Tea. Sadly some great people have moved away, Matt MacIntrye, formerally of 45 Fairview and Highland Multimedia is up in TO living the good life. Being the urbanite I always knew he was. Ray Gallant, got a great position down in Halifax with Irving, and as such not around as much, and good old Gord Richard, friend of 45 and myself has made er out west to strike some of that labor gold and will come back to be with us in the fall.

 

But for every character that leaves another comes back, or shows up for the first time to replace the others. So I keep happy and keep the faith that as each door closes another opens.

 

I hope everyone who even cares to check my MSN space is doing well, and if you havn't talked with me in a while, pick up the phone or send an email to smeaton@gmail.com . I would be happy to get back to you. Cheers everyone.

 

Hello Good People of the World

 

Ok, so there is a lot to tell as I have been out of touch with this blog o mine for quite some time. So here are the broad strokes.

 

#1) Saufan Is Coming
Yup, your eyes did read that right, my baby, at long last is making preperations to haul ass to Canada. Wihout putting a jynx on it, I will say no more.

 

#2) Highland Multimedia / Stone Bridge Office Is Opening
Since May 5th, I have cleaned, painted, and planned HM/SB office. Tomorrow, the 18th of May, I get my desk, my internet and my phone setup, and consquently drag all the cool digital toes into the place. This represents a great moment for me in the entire scope of my life as it is the first truly professional enviroment that I will be able to run my OWN business out of. The boys will show in Sept. and start into Stone Bridge, but even still there is a powerful sense of finally being able to control my destiny. I hope I do well with this new found oppurtunity.

 

I now have at least 8 of my close friends playing Battlefield 2 with me. My damn computer keeps shutting down though, so I am not so impressed with that, but there is nothing like blasting pixels while your buddies spread over the globe are there to help. heheheh. Ah fun with video games.

 

Well, since the beginnning of April I have been walking the dogs every day around the neighbourhood. Nothing major, just short 20 min walks with each dog, one at a time. This enables the dogs to have some alone time with me, and vice versa as well it gives me the chance to actually train the dogs with a clear connection between cause and effect. With both dogs at the same time it was very hard to explain this concept to creatures which already have a hard time with english. But otherwise both dogs are doing REALLY REALLY good. I can walk both of them now with very little pulling through the walk, and when they encounter other dogs they are more likely to just want to pull forward then pull towards that animal. Anywho, I love my puppies, and thier doing well. On a side not you cannot believe how excited they are to go on walks. Sasha goes in circles, and Loki just cries looking out the window until I get back to walk him.  heheh so cute.

 

#5) Boys R Gone :(
Matt MacIntyre is hitting the road soon, Ryan and Brad already left, which pretty much leaves myself and Travis to man the fort. This is both bitter and sweet. Bitter because the life that good friends bring to the house and sweet as it gives a chance to improve various things which are otherwise hard to do while people are "living" together. For example, the fridge and freezer. In order to clean it out, you need permission or oversight from people to identify who owns what. Which means 5 guys need to get together to simply move food around, it sounds easy but is kinda hard to do. Sooo, in reference to the "Sweet" being able to simply get these things taken care of is cool. And having more time to read and do other boring stuff that exciting room mates tend to kibosh with good times.

 

#6) America.... Your Fucked
In studying the stock market, interest rates, the price of gold, and the price of a barrel of oil, as well as escalation in Iraq and Afganistan I can tell you that the US economy is going to take a nose dive anytime now. I have been saying something to this effect since January on www.jamessmeaton.com but largely the evidence is now loaded in the system and is just waiting to be digested. Also, I was really pissed to hear they released Pentagon footage yesterday of the 757 hitting the pentagon. The sad truth is it was complete bullshit, a) the video never showed a plane, its shows the moment of impact, b) this footage was already widely avaliable on the internet for about a year now. Long story short, there is still no footage providied to show a plane hit the pentagon, even though there are 20 + cameras which would have seen this event.

 

How is it that footage which would end all questions is still not avaliable when so many sources were collected? And when a source is released it does not show a plane, rather it only shows the moment of impact. I am tired of sick parade of innocence when a idiot can see a cover up has clearly been conducted. Don't believe me, then ask yourselve who stands to benifit from keeping this all under wraps. Try eveyone in the defense industry. Companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Haliburton, Private Secruity Forces (Hired Mercanaries), and all other companies that supply the war machine. Folks there is a simple logic at work, WAR = Gov. Contracts.

 

Therefore, if you are GE, or another mega conglomerate, who happens to own thousands of media outlits, your message is going to be pro war, because WAR = Gov. Contracts. Gov. Contracts = Easy Money.

 

Anywho, if you have grain of insight, you will see that if you follow the money, in most all crimes/wars. You will always find a select group of companies which benifit. Rarely and I mean rarely can your find a community that will say so.

 

Breakfast Time
Haven't found that women to call my own
My heart seems left to roam and roam
Over the hills and far away
Loves keeps running and it don' stay
Not like a post, a tree, a log
Kinda leaps like a frog
Not into my arms like that lover
But lives in the sky and likes to hover
Within my view and in my sight
Sadly untouchable cause its height
Is it wings that I do lack?
Not enough strength in my back?
To fly or float or leap or hover
My smile is wide but it don't cover
The faded eyes worn with time
Just looking for a heart to find

Hello Good People of the World

 

Today I want to write about a very top level topic, that being the status of myself in relation to what I have discovered about the larger planet about me. Frankly its looks as if we (Canadians) are going to lose our current way of life. Reports over the news, both main stream and otherwise and from the academic community all suggest massive changes in our enviroment, economy, war and the ways by which we govern and vaule ourselves.

 

As these changes do not happen in a vaccum it means that the interalations are too numerous to predict an accurate account of what will happen first. With great certainity I can tell you that the United States will be catalyst for most of this change. With its propped up dollar, soaring national debt and growing police state mentality, and billion dollar a day army, it will be less then 5 years for the curtain to be lifted and hopes to be dashed for the majority of Americans and consquently all countries that depend on or work with the U.S.

 

I say these things not scare people, but rather inform them that NOW, today, is the time to start laying plans for a future with more Hurricanes, less money, less power, less groceries and more expensive everything. NOW is the time to start studying our species history to see that today is not like the 60's or 70's, but rather a hyper accelarated roller coaster ride of proportions never experienced on this planet before.

 

To bring this back to solid reference points I suggest studying the US National Debt, CO2 levels in our atmosphere, the price of gold for the past 10 years, the number of media companies that fall under 1 of 7 major umbrella corporations, the % of the U.S budget given to war, Glacier levels in the artic, the PEAK OIL crisis, the Patriot Act and finally and most importantly the distribution of the wealth on this planet.

 

No better advice has ever been written then "follow the money". Sadly our planet is a cash and carry place, and when trends occur which defy public explanation one only needs to dig at the dollars and a clear picture emerges.

 

Wealth, and the concentration of it are largely what is causing most of the problems on this planet, due to structure of how corporations outsource morality through share holders. With this structure it is very easy for the moral buck to be handed until eventually the connection between assasinated native leaders in Mexico or some other third world nation and your share price in Shell, or The Gap have no relation. Yet it is the very drive by executives to satisfy, the board, which takes care of the shareholders that leaves the most powerful institutions in this world without morality or anyone at the top to feel bad about all the exploitation and violence. Please read NO LOGO, it will get you informed.

 

How this connects to me is basically what to do with this knowledge. How much can I "change" vs "prepare for". Should I care simply about my family, my friends, my commmunity or my province and country, or should I simply care about the entire world. Indeed, I have come across no easy answer at the current time, however what is clear is that education, vast, endless hours of reading and understanding is key to truly seeing the patterns beneath the presented image of this world. I can think of no greater enemy to man kind then ignorance, and acceptance of it.

 

Therefore, if I have a goal, I guess it would be to teach. Not as if I had the answers but rather instead that I have the questions. Is the unexamined life not worth living. I suspect so.

 

Be well, my fellow planet. Read and study and choose carefully. The days run short.

A soul born of a universe whole
Seems to be guided with a goal
To touch, and feel and join together
To insult and hurt forever and ever
Time does give the flow to think
But what does come from that drink
Lonely moments rendered strange
A mind so full its lost its range
Thoughts are good with a friend
Thoughts without friends do descend
A place by which only I know
A place by which only I go
Left with choice in a million directions
It hard to conduct firm inspections
Of what should be done at the moment
When my human logic has not shown it
Horizontal in time I make my stand
Not to be great, and not to be grand
But to keep with light I see in this place
And leave this world a better space

- James Smeaton (March 28th, 2006)

Good day Folks

 

Indeed it has been a high energy day, today I awoke to the tune of 8:45am or so. I remember a lot of light flooding my room, and giving me a pleasent feeling as I awoke. As was typical my first stop was... the can. Heheheh. Truly as odd as it may seem, it is where my mind tends to awake during the day.

 

Regardless, having not suffiecently parted with the warmth of my queen size lonely ass bed, I laid down again under the cover and proceeded to read Dark Ages ahead,  a cool book lent to me by George Sanderson, a belated friend of mine. Either way, its about cultural decline and how we are on the verge or at least showing the signs of another dark age coming. Interesting and I just started it, so who knows, hopefully that will broaden my view of the world from a culture perspective. Kinda like a society wide memory lesson, heheheh.

 

Either way , after a half hour of reading it was time to motivate my ass into the shower, then into a bowl of 4 fruit grainy heady ceral, then up stairs to do some email work on the internet, I stated with a little askjustin stuff then moved into some emails associated with Highland Multimedia, then some billing stuff. By the time I lifted my head up it was 12am and time to go. Travis stopped in before I left and we had a quick chat. As I went outside earilier in the day to put the dogs out I noticed it was a balmy six degrees and very comforatable, this was going to be  a good day.

 

So, I got my ass to the RDA for 12pm, and to my pleasent enjoyment everyone was relaxed, in conversation or hard at work. I assumed the usually position of sitting upright in a chair stairing at florecent pixels.

 

After preparing some ads, holding some consultation meetings and shooting the shit for a brief couple of minutes I was ready to go home at 3pm and start into a Red Rock meeting with the boys. Between the jigs and reels things got pushed back a little which gave me time to make the famous MEGA sandwich. Note: The MEGA sandwich is not famous, however if you wish to use the term MEGA sandwich it is very important to use all caps in the MEGA. hehehehe. Eitherway, one sandwich and a relaxation session later, I was ready to meet with Red rock, prepare some audio for the website, and have a general meeting about some speacifics in the company. Yup, a general meeting.... about speacifics.... only in business. Further to that meeting I had to leave as I was late for my 5pm meeting with the fellow shareholders of AskJustin.com It was a rough meeting where I think everyone came away a little more upset then when they entered. Either way, this is business and sometimes it's not all roses, thats why not everyone is a business man or women. Much more attention goes into the realtionships of a business then many an outside would suspect. Products and number can be deceptively difficult when compared to the the thorny issues of human relations.

 

Moving along from that meeting, my good friend Matt MacIntrye and I headed for a drive/chat to discuss the movements of the day and ended back to Sobeys and the liquor store for some beer and some snacks to drop off to Sameer, some Coffee Crisp ice cream bars to be exact. immm, tasty.

 

Moving along, came home to get a little snack on the go, a little soup and sandwich combo, furnished by a pat's place Club compliment of Kevin. Then headed on down to Sameers, chilled for a couple hours, had a nice chat with the Birthday Boy, dropped him, Divia, and Don at Pat's for a tuesday night blast and headed home.

 

There I was visited with a phone conversation from the Legendary Andrew Macdonald, or Ace, to those in the know. My buddy is cruising on the snows of northern bc doing survey work and dropping lines in the snow. This was followed by a nice little msn chat with Ms. Lee in Hong Kong, every the unfolding mystery of our relationship together. Lets leave that there, and then.... and then there is bed. ....as I write these last words it is coming to 11:26pm, I reckon a conversation is left in me yet tonight, follwed by, what I hope to be.... sweet merciful dreams of a simplier time, and a simplier place where love is unquestioned, and loyalities equally dividied. Good night, much love.

 

 

Hello Good People of the World

 

I have just had a thought. Actually a few. hehehe. First thoughts first, as I sat here at my desk today minding my own and everyones elses business a younger man walked in looking for directions. Keep in mind I work with a government funded agency for local development and people "pop in" all the time.

 

Back to the point, this cacusaian gentleman of about 22 - 26, years old was wearing a large brightly colored wool cap, and complimentary earth tone loose clothing. In his hat the guy housed a large collection of dred locks leaving me to assume this fellow had some rastafarian roots in his soul. Either way, what most caught my attention was his smile, the genuineness of it, and how comfortable he seemed to feel in his own skin, cloths and most notably his Rasta Hat. Keep in mind this whole summary is based on a 20 second visit and only once did our eyes meet where I pointed to my own head, and said "love the hat". To which he smiled at me, nodded and refocused on his piece of information and left after saying thanks.

 

Seemingly this interaction would mean nothing, however a very important thing happened, in his smile and nod, and by the way he wore his "hippish" "outfit" I saw a confidence that I see missing in so many of the people I work with/hang around on a regualar basis. It was this comfortablness with himself, that generated such warmth from his smile and projected immeadate calm and happiness on to me in a single nod. 

 

At this point, I suspect some readers are thinking of the homosexual overtones of my comments, to which I ask you to grow up for a second, and consider that appreciation of a fellow man, does not translate directly into sexual desire, so yeah, just bare with me.

 

My point, the whole reason I wrote this is because I felt good and confindence come from this man, a good which was so clear in his clothes, in his smile in the forming of his question and his exit. It is through this event that I must reflect on what my own state of mind has become. My mentality hardly seems to be as crisp and at peace as this stranger, who strangely enough is not strange to me.

 

In the end, his energy was a reminder to me that my own energy and knowledge of self has so far to go. I wear business cloths, and they give me confidence, however after seeing a man in his finest hippy gear, which ultimately will bring many judging eyes, I realised in 4 seconds that what I have learned in my head for many years is wrong.

 

In all the world I do not believe I have heard a more deceptive bit of advice.... that being "the cloths make thy man". Indeed this would seem to be the words of man always wearing a disguise and is use to judgeing his interactions on the quality of an opposing disguise. Indeed, based on my experience today it would seem quite the opposite.

 

 It is the man who makes the cloths, and in such cases where the reverse is true I think it is the beholder who makes the cloths, not the man. For a man, in his truest sense shines confidence through the most torn rags. A real man is afforded little confidence from fabrics, but rather draws his confidence from within himself.

 

That is what the happy man in the multicolored hat taught me. So now, I have taught you.

Hello Tuesday

 

What a truly unsual day to make a blog post. I can understand Monday, things start then, I can understand Wednesday, things usually looked summed up by then, even thursday has a a certain amount of blog appeal due to Friday coming up, and the usual expectation of some plans for the weekend, Friday is always a good post because your excited and full of energy, also its short and sweet cause you got move on Friday.

 

Saturday, now there is a post, usually hung over, lots of time to write, and those funny stories of your best friend somehow ending up in your bed get to make it online. hehehe, Then last but not least there is the Sunday post. On this day, your head is usually its clearest, life seems to slow enough on Sunday to make sense of it, so people who post on Sunday tend to be philisophical and actual produces true nuggets of reality about themseleves.

 

Which brings me full circle to Tuesday (note that I slickly slide Monday in at the beginning, ehehe).

 

What does Tuesday mean? Who really gives a shit? No me, I can tell you that much, in fact, I have always generally disliked Tuesday because of its unattractive position in the week. I mean, perhaps by itself it does ok, but againist the other days of the week, not a chance. I mean, you still have lots of work to do, Monday allowed you to realise exactly how much that was, and Tuesday really allows you to feel the frustration of knowing you cannot do it all. Then , ..... then to top it all off, the popular media we depend on to distract us from our lives produces NOTHING, I mean absolutely nothing. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do like a nice single hour every night of crashing in front of the tub with friends and man nothing clears a room like Tuesday night TV. Mon = 24, Wed. = Lost, Thur. = OC, Fri.= Drinking, Sat. = Cops, SNL Sun = Simpsons or Family Guy.

 

Tuesday, tuesday gives you shit. How about some Wife Swap, and maybe some Biggest Loser.

 

Either way, outside of TV, food sucks on Tuesday too. If you buy on the weekend, when you have time, then you ate the best, and because of the hectic day Tuesday produced you have no time to prep. a good home cooked meal. So there you are, no cash for take out(thank you weekend, hahah) and no time to cook something good. So left-overs, or no-overs tend to take the place of what would normally be on any other day a fine meal.

 

Now look, I know the beatles wrote Ruby Tuesday, and supposedly that is going to make the day better, but in fairness, it is still not that good. Yes, Tuesday, I could hang a name on you. That name would be "Runt Day".

 

A runt is traditionally the smallest, last or worse offering of a given topic. So, tuesday to me, would be the last, smallest crappiest day of the week.

 

Now, just so you don't go getting too jaded, I am happy today. I am actually very happy, but over all I felt the need to write, and I have been saving my thoughts on Tuesday for far too long.

 

P.S Tuesday is also the day when garbage needs to go out, which also sucks.

 

Hello Good People of the World

 

Not much of a post to make today. Just a little catch up, but hey, you don't care about my life so please, visit www.jamessmeaton.com and read something that will actually add a new chunk onto your reality.

 

Otherwise, read on. Tomorrow I will go to see the Vagina Monologues, which is pretty cool play that will be going on. I met with some very cool characters today Edmund and Jeremy and we may be able to start something BIG.

 

AskJustin.com is coming along, it getting a littler busier everyday but I did learn that the ads are not represented the way we had hoped. Shawn is back, so fire under feet and all that so we will tie up the loose ends in the next week and get to see a true picture of what this site can do.

 

The doggies are great, both Sasha and Locki are getting even bigger, hahah which puts Sasha at about 95lbs of loveableness. And locki is at about 120lbs, which makes him the big friendly giant. heheh, love them both so much, and the other day they got to play in a snow storm when I took them out back, they loved it.

 

The house is doing great, all five guys are amazing and really things are running pretty smooth, we got some utility bill issues, but everyone is pulling together to make it work.

 

Otherwise, James is still "eyes open" for a mate, but a girl for me will come as a friend first, and relationship second, only because I have kinda realised for me to have a long term relationship with anyone, including a girlfriend, will require a pretty good conversation-abliity between us. I like to yap, and occassionally its really nice when someone wants to "yap" back , and as long as were both having fun I am sure some sex related stuff can be worked in there, hehehehe. But I am sure you all know what I mean, basically physical attraction can only go so far, and two people have to actually converse in spending their time together, if this element is forced, then.... yes it can still work! but not for long. heheheh

 

Anywho, on to other things, OH MY GOD , the OC kicks ass, and so does 24 . Don't get me wrong, I don;t watch a lot of TV but those two shows in addition to LOST make up for all the other crap on the channels.

 

Outside of that, the family is good, Nan had her B-Day not to long ago, me and Pops are have a planned chat tomorrow over pancakes, I suspect we will both make them at opposite ends of north america and yeah, I give great thanks to the world for bringing me the love of so many good people.

 

Cheers. Now for friday.....     ;)

Hello Good People of the world

 

Ok, here is the long and short of the long and short. This week was a gong show, yesterday I was sick cause I ate to much junk food, stayed up late, and passed out on the coach. However, I have been able to motivate this week more then a lot of weeks since New Years. Anywho, the washer and dryer in the house are fixed today, and that is great cause we have had so many troubles with those items, we also got the junk pile out of the back year, the recycleables are out of the shed and the dogs are no longer shedding due to these really cool yeast and garlic pills I am feeding them ever day.

 

Last weekend I went to Wintersleep also saw this amazing band Layers of Policy and really had a great time chatting with friends and meeting some great new people. You know who you are! Other then that, just talking with Mom, and Nan, it was my nans birthday yesterday, happy birthday Nan!

 

Other then that, my brothers have all been doing well, Don went off the road by his place, but everyone and the vehicle was fine, just got to watch those roads. Also lots is happening in the business, Highland Multimedia.

 

New jobs popping up left and right, but I think I have the mindset to make it all work. The next step is EXERCISE, the body needs it, the mind needs it, the ladies need it, all I got to do is get off my ass and make it happen.

 

Otherwise I am lined up to eat right, think right, and smile right, with a little exercise thrown in there I should be able to look right. hahahah.

 

Anywho, much love, got to go. - James

(8) Adlai Stevenson, speech, Springfield (24th October, 1952)

But I do not believe it is man's destiny to compress this once boundless earth into a small neighborhood, the better to destroy it. Nor do I believe it is in the nature of man to strike eternally at the image of himself, and therefore of God. I profoundly believe that there is on this horizon, as yet only dimly perceived, a new dawn of conscience. In that purer light, people will come to see themselves in each other, which is to say they will make themselves known to one another by their similarities rather than by their differences. Man's knowledge of things will begin to be matched by man's knowledge of self. The significance of a smaller world will be measured not in terms of military advantage, but in terms of advantage for the human community. It will be the triumph of the heartbeat over the drumbeat.

These are my beliefs and I hold them deeply, but they would be without any inner meaning for me unless I felt that they were also the deep beliefs of human beings everywhere. And the proof of this, to my mind, is the very existence of the United Nations. However great the assaults on the peace may have been since the United Nations was founded, the easiest way to demonstrate the idea behind it is by the fact that no nation in the world today would dare to remove itself from membership and separate his country from the human hopes that are woven into the very texture of the organization.

The early years of the United Nations have been difficult ones, but what did we expect? That peace would drift down from the skies like soft snow? That there would be no ordeal, no anguish, no testing, in this greatest of all human undertakings?

Any great institution or idea must suffer its pains of birth and growth. We will not lose faith in the United Nations. We see it as a living thing and we will work and pray for its full growth and development. We want it to become what it was intended to be - a world society of nations under law, not merely law backed by force, but law backed by justice and popular consent. We believe the answer to world war can only be world law. This is our hope and our commitment, and that is why I join all Americans on this anniversary in saying: "More power to the United Nations

Good People of The World

Need to smile? I thought so, check out this link.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4627950.stm
Thank you Matty P for this article.

The liberation of the U.S. Dollar in Iraq
Muckracker Report TeamLiberty.net
http://www.muckraker-report.org/id199.html

  

Oil, that bubbling crude, Black Gold, Texas Tea; no matter which country’s buying or selling it, all oil purchases around the globe are made with U.S. dollars only.  The greenback is the international currency of oil sales, all oil sales the world over.  Since the dollar is the money needed to purchase oil, every country around the globe must hold U.S. dollars.  By having to earn or borrow U.S. currency to purchase oil, the value of the dollar is artificially supported because of the demand for oil.  Supporting the value of the dollar is vital to the economy of the United States.

 

If the demand for the dollar overseas would diminish fifty percent, meaning that half of the U.S. currency floating around the globe would no longer be needed by foreign governments, every country and person holding U.S. dollars would quickly experience a fifty percent decrease in their monies purchasing power, or one hundred percent inflation. 

 

As long as the greenback reigns supreme as the international currency for oil purchases, catastrophic economic collapse of the U.S. economy will be prevented.  Even as the United States national debt approaches $8 trillion, and despite the fact that for all practical purposes the federal government of the United States has been legally bankrupt since 1933, the U.S. dollar has survived depressions and recessions, bull and bear markets, inflation and deflation, fluctuating interest rates, and every other pressure and strain placed upon it.  As with any other commodity, the reason the dollar has weathered the storms of the last seven-two years is directly attributed to demand. 

 

The currency of the United States is fiat money.  Fiat money is paper money decreed legal tender, not backed by gold or silver.  What that means is that any value the U.S. dollar retains in the United States is the result of the federal government enacting law that says it is legal tender.  Legal tender means that the dollar must be accepted in the United States as payment for all debts, public and private.  If the people living in the United States lost faith in the dollar and began to defy the legal tender law by only accepting gold coin to pay for debt, the value of the dollar would plummet.  If the people persisted and resisted the federal government’s certain forceful effort to make people accept the dollar to pay for all debts, the value of the dollar would completely vanish.  It would not be worth the paper it’s printed on.  It would be worth-less.

 

If people refused the dollar in the United States and started trading in gold coin, the big losers wouldn’t be the people, although they would know hardship and lean times. It would be the banking cartel, the Federal Reserve, and the federal government, because it is the borrowing of fiat money from the Federal Reserve that allows the federal government to spend money it doesn’t have on things it should not need.  The Federal Reserve is sustained by interest paid on fiat money and the global demand for the U.S. dollar resulting from the dollar being the international currency of all oil sales.  It’s as simple as supply, demand, and interest payments. 

 

...... visit link above  to finish reading 

 

You can now consider yourself forewarned. 

 

Hello Good People of The World

 

Considering the title of my blog today you may assume I am happy. If so, you assume correctly. But am I happy? Yes. Why? Read on....

 

This past week my mother had come from the USA to spend time with me and my brothers. This made me happy because I talk to my mother almost everyday via the phone, and that had went on for like the last 6 months, and while I love to hear from my mother and shoot the shit about daily life, it was really nice to be PART OF her daily life, if only for 10 days.

 

See, I don't know about most of you but I get to see my mother about 20 days a year on average, so out of a big whooping 365 days, I get 20, or about 5.4% of my year. Now I have also learned that my mother loves me more then anyone on the planet (minus dogs, other brothers). Perhaps I should have known this intuitively but it is really something that is born out of experience. Anywho, to have a person around you, if only for a little while, who understands and accepts you for who you are, and even better, actually wants you to be happier, it is pretty hard not to be thankful. Love you Mom.

 

So.... in considering my lack of writing on here, I should give you a little catch up on my life, including my time with Mom while she was up. hmmmmm, lets see, we will start right before Chrismtas. Ok, so yeah, I basically poured a WHOLE LOT of effort into www.askjustin.com which by the way is currenly avaliable to the public. Thus far since its unofficial launch demand has increased slowly and steadily, actual purchase's are somewhat low however we have yet to advertise in the newspapers and magizines, so once that happens we will get a true read on the demand for the service.

 

Anywho, most of my time before, and after christmas (especially my holiday week, was filled with working the bugs out of that system. So I would more or less drive 20 mins to the ocean (Star Office) and sit and work for like 9 hours on a computer, with tea and snacks in between (thank you Lora!!! for taking such good care of us) then I would come home, chat with the boys for a bit, and more or less pass out due to sheer exhaustion.

 

Then New Years came, which was kick ass. Truly I am blessed with amazing friends as Chris, Amy and Lee Anne all showed me a marvalous time in Halifax. We shot down to the big city on New Years Eve, caught a little buzz, went to dinner, got stuffed, got a little buzz and then showered and went to see Signal Hill at the upper deck.

 

For those of you who have never been to Halifax, let alone the Upper Deck let me describe..... The Upper Deck is like the most classic image of a pub you have in you mind, imagine dim lights, a top floor which overlooks the band and the dance floor and low cielings on the lower floor, now you pretty much have the most pituresque pub you can imagine. Now try to picture some of the happiest well put together firends who are also really happy just to share such a great time. THAT WAS ME. Dancing, drinking, jumping and jigging my way into 2006.

 

In one particularly cohearnt moment I recall dancing to "No Rain" by Blind Melon and really reaching Nirvana, just that state of mind where all the shit you have to do, or did do, just doesn't matter.... why? ..... cause time disappeared, and that song, with that guitar and those people were all I wanted. For a few very brief seconds of my life I had achieved what was to be my ultmate goal for this year. To totally immearse myself in the moment and in doing so understand that it is all I will ever need.

 

If a human can possibly achieve anything of worth it would be to constantly LIVE in the moment. I don't mean just sit on your ass and let the moment happen to you, but actually LIVE and be aware of how that moment and that feeling makes you feel GOOD AND ALIVE! and just let that goodness reach down and clean away a lot of that guilt, resentment and disappointment that seems to stick too and stain your soul.

 

So yeah..... basically my goal in moving into 2006 is to use the cosmic scrubber which is the "moment lived" to rinse away the bullshit that has built up in my body, heart and soul during 2005. I want to be honest with my feelings as they happen and leave them where they occured so the next moment, that next conversation or dog crap cleanup, or KD meal, or swimming adventure is as good as it can be, not because it has to be, but because it is being enjoyed without the baggage of tomorrow or yesterday.

In conclusion:  I want more of my moments to have less strings attached.

 

So look out next time I am talking with you, I have a big pair of scissors in each hand and I'm running.

 

Be well, in this moment.... or the next.

- James

 

P.S More on Mom's time down here later!

 

Entered your doors with a world of believe

Left your doors with a key to keep

Stored my big heart with a lover

Forgot those crumbs to help me uncover

Who was I underneath that bind

Was I weak or was I blind

A shiny new ride helped the answer

With a hint about pride and a hint about bantor

My outside it fell with too few swings

Due to the one I honored with my ring

But underneath the layers broken

An inner voice has loudly spoken

James your path is jagged and true

But if this life is up to you

Take your knocks and throw your blows

Life is hard and everyone knows

If it is a smile your after then look inside

Don't look for money don't look for pride

Stare your soul in the face 

Quicken your boots to a motivated pace

Dig your soul into the soil

Start a business and start to toil

Cause answers they never come form above

They come from home and they come from love

So if 2006 is a challange waiting

I see my that my song is clearly stating

Bring your best and then leave your worst

My animals are strong and my love is first

 

 

 

Hello Good People of the World

 

     Sadly, I am too busy to write because I am working on www.askjustin.com However, I will write about my christmas adventures once I get a loose moment. Merry Christmas to my family, friends and animals. Be safe on those roads.

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog." Senator George Graham Vest of Missouri (1830-1904).

 

Hello to the good people of the world, today's disscussion will be about Christmas in the year 2005. So what is there to say. What the fuck can I possible ring in your ears to rise above the deafening crecendo of commercialisim at its absolute peak. Chances are nothing, the mere fact that you are hear reading this is an event of cosmic randomness I cannot even begin to look into. Why aren't you shopping? Why are you not working from some sort of list and/or catalog frantically trying to get that speacial person a ................. a......... a....... what?

 

Exactly. What is it about our society that allows us to sacrafice everything we hold dear (time & money) to get that special someone an X-Box 360/ diamond earings/ a new TV.

 

My answer: Christmas Morning. I think everyone in some way is working towards a happy chrimstas morning. But what is it about christmas morning that allows this sense of defeat or success at having amassed enough "goods" for your significant others. I just don't know simply because I cannot even change my own behavior.

 

Just this weekend I went out and bought hundreds of dollars of christmas stock. (stock..hehehe). Why? Why did I go and do that, because I want my family to feel very cared about on Christmas morning, I want all my family and friends to know I thought about them, and prepared a little something to show thanks to them, that they are my companions in this life.

 

I think the concept got a little crazy when everyones expectation changed from a reminder of care from a loved one, to a SUPER FUCKIN BOWL of the latest and greatest in consumer goods. I mean like, I dont know about you, but I usually recieve somewhere in the area of 30 + gifts for christmas. It really is quite something else I must say. But how do you scale it down outside of being too poor to aford more? Should it be scaled down? All these questions march hard in my head as I try to grapple with high debt and high stress this holiday season.

 

So how can I change? Why just me? Cause I am the only one under my control, and I even doubt that sometimes. hehehe. But really, what can be done to reverse the parade of presents. Keep in mind, I am all about Christmas, and the TRUE spirit of giving, but I think the focus does not to come on to WHAT YOU GIVE as opposed to HOW MUCH YOU GIVE. On that note, I want to include personal letters with all my presents this year, so that I can least make one unique speacial connection for that person, that the latest furby or X-box 360 will never replace. So, to all you lucky enough to fall into my budgetary limitations, congratulations, you made it after a long list of cuts. To those which do not feel the vestiges of my capitalistic chrimstmas love, remember, my thoughts and best wishes are with you all..... just not my dollars.

 

For all that I do not recieve this christmas, I give great thanks for all that I have: A loving family thats trying to work the middle (hahah), loving animals which see through my bull shit, friends too numerous to list and last but not least I say thanks for my own peace of mind, which however battered, still has plenty to give.

 

Merry Christmas Everyone..... I Mean It.
"Christmas is about getting drunk & stoned with your family" - Ricky (Trailer Park Boys)

Ricky: Dad, I write letters every year, you know that. I mean, I'm sendin' a letter off to the big guy tomorrow. So, it's taken care of...done...no problem.

Ray: Huh?!

Ricky: The letters...you and Mom got me to write them every year at Christmas. I'm sendin' one off tomorrow again.

Ray: To Santa Claus, Rick?!

Ricky: Yeah, the big guy.

Bubbles: The big guy?! The big guy...that's God, Ricky.

Ricky: Yeah, God. That's what I said...Santa.

Ray: Ricky...come on...you know Santa and God aren't the same guy, right?

Ricky: Dad, you didn't know that? I mean, think about it...how would he get around the world in one night? Of course he's the same person. Right, Bubs?

Bubbles: No, Ricky. Santa and God...that's two different things.

Ricky: What? Oh my fuck! You know, I did maybe think that I fucked that up...wasn't sure...and I didn't want to say anything just in case Santa was God. Like, it would obviously, probably, wouldn't it piss him off that I got that mixed up like that?

Ray: Ah, Jesus!

Ricky: It'd piss him off.

Ray: Well, yeah, Ricky but...man!

Ricky: You never mixed that up?

Ray: No!

Ricky: Bubs, you never mixed that up?

Bubbles: No, Ricky. I've never mixed that one up. Ricky...wait now...were you countin' on Santa to bring presents to Trinity?

Ricky: Yeah. What, Santa's not comin' now?

Ray: No...Rick...no.

A dancing welcome does impress

My own soul could do no less

With four legs and smile hidden

Its a truly a pitty they won't be ridden

With golden fur and a jeweled heart

I've seen their character from the start

One of steel and one of cold

One of loyality and one of bold

Two with love I do fold

Into my arms and out of the cold

Larger then life and true and proud

My heart humbles at the sound

Of two souls tied to my own

A purity of which I have on loan

When years pass and clocks have turned

I hope my essence will have learned

Fur is messy and far from great

But this love is forever and tied to fate

 

This is going to be one of those selfish blog posts, where most of the content is focused on me. So if you don't care about me, move along. If so, pull up a chair.

 

Last week, was a gong show. In a good way. I was working Mon-Fri, 9am to 6pm @ Star Office, on www.askjustin.com project. Basically getting the final intial page design approved, the subsequent template, and preparing notes on the database to get it where we want and all the communications in between. To be honest though, it felt really good, cause I really feel like this project could be huge. However, there is still LOTS of work to go. Stay tuned to see how I deal with it all.

 

This weekend there was lots of snow Friday night, which meant Saturday made the town look like this winter wonderland. It also meant I could do parking lot donuts Friday night for the first time. hehehe. See I never drove in snow before cause I only got my car last spring. This being the case I am trying to be extra careful.

 

Otherwise, it was a good front with the ladies this past week. I managed to make friends again with a lady friend, chat it up with an ex-g/f and also touch base with the ex-fiancé, so overall, it was nice to see those relationships still on good terms, and I think it helps to grow me in terms of how I look at women, both in the short term and long term. Turns out, you women are ok. heheheeh.

 

Also, I had a long chat with Nanny Hynes, my Moms mom. She was very much herself, quite stern as always, but clearly softer and curious to know what myself and my 3 brothers have been up to. It actually marked the third time she every called me, so, I think perhaps everyone is looking at their life and trying to make improvements.

 

Oh yeah, traffic lights have been installed at the end of our street, ending what might have been the most dangerious intersection in vehicular history.

 

Saturday I went outside and had a nice long play with the dogs after doing some weekend work on askjustin.com. The photos are on this site, so check them out.

 

This weekend pretty much allowed me to conquer F.E.A.R (PC Game) and most of "24" season 1, but I still have Age of Empire 3 to beat, which by the way, is a pretty kick ass game.  

 

Oh my, long story short, it was a big long haul last week, and this week, Monday looking forward, will be much of the same. It is my hope that I can pay all my bills on time, and save enough coin for christmas, I got lots of gifts to buy, and little little time to send them out the door.

 

For those of you reading this, hopefully both of our journeys this week will go well and provide many smiles while we take care of our christmas duties. Merry Christmas folks, merry christmas.

 

Good Day

 

Thought I would share a quick discussion about the nature of the human soul. It seems to be a very popular topic amongst all people of all cultures and creeds. So, lets look up the definition for soul.

 

"The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. Such traditions often consider the soul both immortal and innately aware of its immortal nature, as well as the true basis for sentience (capacity for basic consciousness) in each living being."

 

So..... yeah, on this road to understanding what this force is, I have developed my own kinda definition which I will get to a little later. Related to this topic is the question

"James, why do you think you should question the nature of the soul?"

and I considered this just yesterday as I was vaccuming. Is it arogant for me to be asking questions better left to a more learned man? The answer, No, no it is not arogant, simply because any man, whether he be Plato or a street person has the capacity to critically analyze their exisitence, they might not be able to put it into words, which is what seperates the Plato's from the Bums, but there is still no less capacity to do an introspective look at ones self and in turn the engine behind the self.

Some would say you should examine your soul, ("the unexamined life is not worth living" - shakesomething) I would suggest that it's up to you, sometimes I can't stand to look into the deeper parts of myself. Consquently I believe that there is a balance in how much you should consider the parts which form the whole. As the whole tends to reveal value when viewed in a world where people consisit of multiple parts (body, mind, heart and soul)

However, to get back to the intial point, what do I, James Smeaton, think the soul is.

Simply put, the soul is energy. Similar to magnatisim more then electricity, which is probably what came to your mind when I said energy. However, I do believe as an energy, that our soul would still ahear to some of the base rules we as humans have discovered through the material world about energy. Which is to say, our souls, as energy, probably carry some the same traits as the energy we call "sound".

It is my belief that your soul has a harmonic, or a vibration that permates your entire being, and when you meet someone who makes you uncomfortable, the expression "I got a bad vibe from that guy" tends to be a common way for people to describe a negative reaction to someone without physical evidence (such as an insult or sneer). I think that this phenonom is directly linked to ones ability to actually feel the soul of other humans.

As the soul consists of energy, I would be very surprised to learn that some of it does not leave our physical bodies, or at least streach out, like the sun streaches its energy, only on a much smaller scale. So that, another human being, sensitive to these matters, can actually get a "reading" from the invisible, orderless, energy being generated by your soul.

 

Music was another key insight into the nature of the soul. There have been times, when tears and smiles were brought to my face due to the music I was listening to. Unbelievable amounts of tension have been realeased from my body, and connections with other humans (girl friends) have been solidified and made magically through its power. So why is it, that music effects the soul so much? My friend Matt MacIntyre (a muscian) was very kind to point out, that along this line of thinking, music, with it natural bend towards vibrations, probably interfaces with the frequency of our souls, in such a way as to have a greater impact on the structure of that soul at a given time.

 

Really think of music, and the events in your life. Chances are, you will come across times, when songs impacted you in an almost spiritual manner. Moments with partners, parties with friends.... for those of you who dance, consider, what makes you feel so good, when grooving with the music. I mean, look at people when they dance, it seems as if they enter a trance, and very rarely have I seen an unhappy dancer.

 

In fact, most everyone I have ever seen dancing is a blend between a meditative trance and somebody on a waterslide. It truely is amazing how well humans, and in my believe their souls, respond to the vibrations that match the structure of thier own soul.

 

Furthermore, and I will not go deep here, I believe that viewing the  soul as a unique form of energy applies of the rule of non-destruction (conservation) to it. Which is to say, "energy is neither created or destroyed, it just changes form". So, your soul, presumably made of energy, does not die. I do not believe this because it would provide some logical explanation to the phenomon of ghosts, past lives, and the the concept of angels.

 

So, if your soul does not die when your body ceases to function, what does happen? Sadly, no one has come back to tell us in any scientifically proven fashion. However, I would be willing to place bets, (which you can collect on when you and I die) that our souls, rejoin a collective pool of energy, from which we are drawn from when a human is born into this world.

 

In addition, humans are not unique in the fact that they carry a soul. I believe all forms of life have a soul, however the container by which it resides will inveitablly effect the options of what can be done to that soul. In this sense I do believe my dogs have a soul, and that they are capable of love, and understanding. However, choice, in the human sense, is very limited, especially with regard to morality, and that humans, bear a particularry unqiue gift and burder, which is the freedom, to make moral choices, to enhance or hurt your soul. Our containers, which related to those which dogs use, and plants, and horses , and so on, are special but only because our awareness of right and wrong makes it an option, which provides a decesion or choice.

 

A lion, or bear kiling a deer has relatively little choice in the matter, and more over makes the most use out of what it has killed. A human however rarely needs to kill to survive, and those who do kill, solely to life probably escape the majority of the soul based  chaos experienced by a flowen blown unnessecary murder.

 

Again, this theory, of the soul, and in particular the human soul, leads me to believe that if it does exisit we all have it, and if we have it, it must be somewhere, and given that its not matter, it must be energy, and even though we cannnot detect it, it does not mean it does not exisit. Consider infrared waves, it would have been a hard sell 200 years ago, but BAM! we developed a tool, to see this energy, in the universe which was previously only a theory (circa this post).

 

BUT.... and its a big BUT. We don't need to wait for a machine, and perhaps, we will never build one capable of seeing souls, however I do believe, we as humans, have built in Soul detectors, I think we use them every day, and I think as the human race comes together more, and starts to see the commonalities between us, that the soul might one day be viewed by humans as universal as it truely is.