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We
are in great need of reality in our time - Julian Beck
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| Discontents Nagaijin Grande Talk Softlogicmonkie
Kansai
Poets Vol.1
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The
truth unmasked Every year in cold and flu and hayfever seasons, some Japanese people don dinky little surgical masks of cotton or paper. They stop the spread of germs, they say, they protect others from your bugs and keep you safe and uncontaminated if you're healthy. Recently, the arrival of swine flu has had everyone, but everyone done out like Dr. Kildare. Now read on. Straight off, I hate masks and
I’ll tell you why. They represent
blind authority, bad science, magical thinking and baseless
fear. This brings me to my problem with the mask. Is it the mask itself that bothers me so? On reflection, I think not. Given the whole aerobic nature of our species, the mask is filtering out about as much as it can without killing us. If we were to start wearing the costly and uncomfortable, but relatively bad-ass N-95 respirators you see in the movies, this mask properly fitted to our face would still be stopping an unimpressive 95% of the particles larger than 300 nanometers. Unimpressive because the H1N1 virus is about a third of this size and is definitely getting through the N-95’s inadequate defense. As much as I’d like to avoid this conclusion, I simply can’t. I have a problem with people who wear masks….but not all of them. Not the allergy sufferers. Not the students and office workers ordered to wear them. Not the convenience store employees just following the memo from the Regional Manager. Not the health care workers who have plenty of good reasons to wear them. Not the moistened and mucous-laden, walking sick. Not paid actors wearing them in a mask manufacturer’s promotional video. Not any of them. Just pretty much the rest of you….and you know who you are. May 25, 2009 Organ
donated to il Presidente New president, new war? Before even taking office Saint Obama was contemplating his first military action against another country. In this case, it is Sudan. Read the story here. The given reason for the possible incursion into Sudan is the terrible and undeniable plight of the people of Darfur, and military action is one of a number of actions being contemplated. The people of Darfur have been subject to violent persecution for a number of years. However, I am reminded that way back in 2001, General Wesley Clarke let slip that the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were just the first two steps in completely reshaping a number of mineral rich and strategically important countries to the convenience of the US. One of those countries was Sudan. Admittedly, the country had links with arch-enemy Bin Laden but it also has huge amounts of oil and Khartoum for decades has refused to admit US companies, preferring to do business with the US's strategic rivals, China and Russia. In 2004 Just before Bush's efforts in Sudan stalled, I wrote an article for The London News Review about hidden agendas in the region, which is archived here. It might be that Obama is sincere about tackling the humanitarian mess in Sudan, but with a Clinton back in the White House it is worth reminding ourselves of who fired missiles at the country in 1998 — or could it be the case that someone is continuing Bush's work and that it's all change at the White House for more of the same? Feb 1, 2009 Bush gives head to hecklers George Bush's address at a July 4 event was interrupted by hecklers denouncing his occupation of foreign countries.  As the hecklers were dragged away one by one by security personnel, Bush told the audience that it was OK because the USA was all about free speech. Eventually, a frustrated member of the audience vaulted the podium and ripped Bush's head off. 'Turns out,' lamented the protester, "It wsa all waxy. He was just a big dummy." July 6, 2008
Weed reappears on Psipook The extract of this novel, considered by the author to be the most important, funniest and only one he has ever written, was removed some months ago for a re-write. The extract returns to this site refreshed, spruced and even weedier than it was before. June 9, 2005
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 Announcements A soft touch at Sofmap In July (2005) I bought a secondhand but pristine iBook at the Denden Town, Osaka, branch of Sofmap. At the time I bought the machine the staff told me that for an extra 4,000yen I could get a Sofmap guarantee for three years on my purchase. I paid up and was given the paperwork. In November, the power adaptor failed. A connecting cable was evidently broken. So off I went to Sofmap with the guarantee and the malfunctioning part and the rest of it — only to be told by the staff that the guarantee only covered the computer and not the accessories. Eh? In the end I had to pay out another 5,000yen for a new power adaptor — a generic brand and not even a Mac. I have bought three computers, one monitor and all sorts of peripherals and disposables at this branch of Sofmap over the years — in fact just about all my computer stuff comes from Sofmap, and the first time I want to use a warranty I have paid for, it's "bugger off, mate, the warranty was just a form of extortion". That's OK. I shall just stick to Bic Camera and the Apple Store in future. Dec. 4, 2005 PS While in the UK recently the power adaptor I bought above went pop and died on me, requiring a 6,000yen replacement. The defective power adaptor was made by Power to Go and explicitly states on its case that it can handle Britain's 240v mains.
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Psipook is an online magazine for satire, fiction, poetry, and polemic, featuring the writing of Christian Page, (Chris Page), Jerry Gordon, Evan Hay, Psilocybe P. Pook (No Relation) and anyone who wants to contribute. This dweeby little note exists to aid search engine visibility. |
PsiSite updated every Friday. Possibly. Just you see.
email Psilocybe P. Pook:
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