Hot stuff!!

Food is a good place to start. So let's begin with condiments. Hot sauces and spices are the difference between bland and bravisimo for most meals. But hot isn't the end: each pepper, each sauce has its own flavour and appeal. It's like fine wines. Spicy wines, true... but still wonderful. Read my thoughts on hot peppers.

www.chilepepperzine.com/
Chile Pepper magazine
Fire Girl is at: www.firegirl.com/
Chileheads is at: chileheads.netimages.com/
And some hot resources at:
www.tpoint.net/%7Ewallen/chili/resources

Cool drinks

For lovers of real beers (not that homogenized, chemical-laden sludge produced by the major breweries... you know, that mass-produced, pasteurized swill tastes like fermented cardboard or alcoholic dishwater...), here is the address for Creemore Springs Brewery, makers of Ontario's best lager: www.creemoresprings.com
Creemore Springs. They also make a rich traditional Christmas beer, urBock, a ruby red nectar with a smooth, hoppy finish. try and find it. You'll enjoy it. Creemore is a small community in the Purple Hills south of Collingwood. Worth a visit - stop at the tea house for a nice cuppa while you're there.

If your tastes run to spirits, check out my site on tequila and mezcal - a comprehensive look at the spirits of Mexico.

Dilbert:

Dilbert is a documentary cleverly  disguised as a cartoon so that the bozos who scoff at comics will overlook its depth and acuity. Under the humour, Dilbert is hardcore truth about corporate environments, and as such it's a subversive message. Such truths upset and frighten managers who consider humour a challenge to their authority. This is the stuff of revolutions - or at least revelations. 

When your boss takes down all the Dilbert cartoons around the office, watch out! You're either on the way out or he/she has finally got a glimmer of the meaning, and Dilbert is cutting too close to home for comfort. Or maybe it's just punishment for knowing something he/she can't comprehend... the first sign that you're getting under the management's very thin skin. The next thing you know, you're being booted out the door under the guise of "reorganization." Happened to me!

Check out United Media's Dilbert Zone, where you can read more about Dilbert, his creator Scott Adams, join Dogbert's new Ruling Class and try to fathom the message in this medium. NOTE: Dilbert is copyright United Media. While you're there, check out Pearls Before Swine.

Tea

Why can't most North American restaurants make a good cup of tea? Instead of a hot, refreshing cup of the amber gold, we get a tepid, dull liquid, often in a metal pot that slops water all over, with the tea bag floating in it like a dead fish. Probably because they don't understand that it needs boiling water to steep properly - not lukewarm water from a pot perched on a coffee machine. Have you ever tried to explain steeping to a counter person in a coffee shop? Almost daily I have to repeat the lesson: the tea has to sit in the hot water while the essential oils and aromatics emerge, for at least two minutes - not get dowsed with milk the moment the bag hits the water, otherwise it's just a cup of hot, watery milk. Sigh.
If you're a tea drinker, or would like to learn about the 5,000-year history of tea, the many (many!) varieties and brands, plus how tea is manufactured, start your search here. On the way you'll learn about tea pots, tea ceremonies, tea recipes, and read reports from the tea industry itself. My personal favourite is Lapsang Soochong, a smoky, almost peaty flavoured tea.

The Hot Zone

I've developed a keen interest in virology, especially the filoviridae like Ebola. Scary stuff, but fascinating. Are viruses alive? Or are they bio-nano-technology? Are they remnants of evolution's start? Do we carry hibernating viruses in our genes? How do they work, how do they infect us - and how does our immune system help save us? When is the next pandemic going to hit and what will our response be?
There are a lot of sites to check out in this field, many very technical, but even if you don't have the scientific background, it's worth a visit. Good reading abounds in this field, including Laurie Garrett's excellent, wide-ranging masterpiece, The Coming Plague (as well as her recent book, Betrayal of Trust, which is not about viruses per se, but rather about "the collapse of global public health"), Frank Ryan's Virus X, C. Peters' Virus Hunter and  Joe McCormick's Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC. Of course, Richard Preston's The Hot Zone is a good - if somewhat operatic - read, as his 'sequel' The Demon in the Freezer. Richard Rhodes' Deadly Feasts will also open your eyes about CJD, BSE and the dangers of eating meat in a factory-farm world. All of these are available through Chapters, Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

The Institute for Molecular Virology is here: www.bocklabs.wisc.edu/Welcome.html and the Outbreak page (not the movie, the real thing!) at
www.outbreak.org/
Hanta virus is here: www.hantavirus.net/. Hanta virus has been found in Ontario, only 60 kms from my home.
Here's the world of diseases site: www.diseaseworld.com/ and several links to news and info about ebola is at: www.infowire.net/brett/personal/eframe.html

Mail Boxes Etc.:

In July, 1999, Susan and I purchased the local (Collingwood) MBE franchise. We'll have our own site here, sometime. MBE Collingwood is an authorized shipping depot for UPS, Fedex, DHL and Canpar couriers. We also offer packing and shipping services, business services such as word processing, resumes, business forms and cards, bulk mail services, photocopies - black and colour - image scanning, graphic design and specialty printing, specialty papers and office supplies, laminating and binding, retail packing supplies, computer rental, document finishing, fax receiving and sending (705-446-2188), and mail box rental services. We have courteous, efficient and friendly staff to serve you. If you're in the area (115 First Street, Collingwood), please drop in and say hello. Our store email is: mbe@georgian.net

Skin art

An ancient and fascinating culture. Skin art goes back to neolithic times and is practiced worldwide, one of the few cultural practices that binds us across borders and time. In some places it is a highly respected art, in others it is the stuff of undergrounds and secret societies. I've had five tattoos inked into my flesh: an allosaur skull, a mosasaur and a pterosaur represent my interests in vertebrate paleontology. I also have a trilobite and a small personal logo. These are things that have had a meaning in my life. They're also good art, done by a master needler (I provided the designs, that's one on the left). I got all but the logo done by Perry at Pushin' Inc., in Barrie, Ont. I recommend his work without reserve. For surfers who have interests in tattoos, piercing and body art, you may find these sites worth a peek:

Dinosaurs

Did someone mention dinosaurs? I have a passion for paleontology I've kept alive and thriving for five decades. Share the passion and help defeat the evil overlords of 'creationism' in their quest to bury the truth about evolution under religious claptrap and pseudoscientific jargon. Here are some sites I've enjoyed:

Good Reading

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."
Jorge Luis Borges

Can anyone live a full life without reading? I don't believe so. I read 2-12 books a week, from sci-fi to virology, from Shakespeare to detective novels, astronomy to English, history, paleontology, theology, politics, fiction, travel, language - anything to continually learn and increase my understanding and appreciation of the world. I read voraciously, consuming almost everything I can find. My biggest problem is finding the time to read - so I carry a book or two to work, in the car, to the bathroom, in my coat pocket, to breakfast, to dinner... everywhere. Even have one in my motorcycle bags.

Shakespeare can be found online in many places, including the "complete" works at: tech-two.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html (although it doesn't have Two Noble Kinsmen, Edward III and some minor pieces). Is there any better read than the bard? Okay, aside from science fiction... But did Shakespeare actually write those works? Or was it someone else? Read my own thoughts on the debate. Start here to get both sides of the debate at...
www2.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shakespeare/index.html
Here's the Oxfordian side of the story:
www.shakespeare-oxford.com/
Then the Stratfordian side:
www.bcpl.net/~tross/ws/will.html
Or maybe even Francis Bacon?
fly.hiwaay.net/~paul/outline.html
Check out  the Shakespeare authorship sourcebook:
home.earthlink.net/~mark_alex/
and the Shakespeare resource centre:
www.bardweb.net/
Another good site is Mr. Shakespeare and the Internet:
daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/
Are there cyphers in the Bard's works? Read:
http://home.att.net/~tleary/
Finally, teachers can check here for help in building lessons on the Bard (and other topics): www.edhelper.com

sophia.smith.edu/~lkleinbe/dante/home.html
Dante's Inferno. A good site. Here's the Clickable Inferno: martin.carthage.edu/departments/
english/dante/. Some online resources: www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/
literature/world_literature/dante2.html.
Personally I prefer Robert Pinksy's modern translation, but these are good places to start in your exploration of this classic work.

Casanova's journals are truly enjoyable reading for a good look into 18th century European politics and society. Get a taste of them at www.idiom.com/~drjohn/intro.html. The Casanova research site is at: www.dickinson.edu/~emery/Casanova.htm and the online Casanova magazine is at: www.giacomo-casanova.de/home.htm. I recommend you read the Trask translation because it's far better than anything else (at present - although a new translation is apparently coming out, with excerpts in a new paperback from Penguin).

Here's Modern Library's best book lists: www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best/list.html. Here's a story about responses to that effort from Wired: www.wired.com/news/topstories/0,1287,14090,00.html and the National review's list: www.nationalreview.com/100best/100_books.html. Waterstone Bookseller's made its own list at: www.california.com/~rpcman/TOP10.HTM. You'll find more lists here: www.bookspot.com/

The quote at the top was lifted from A Passion For Books: A Book Lover's Treasury edited by H. Rabinowitz and R. Kaplan (Times Books, 1999)

Dogs.

I love 'em. Most of them, anyway. It's just their irresponsible owners I detest, the ones who let their dogs run loose, the ones who are too ignorant or arrogant to have their pets neutered or spayed, the ones who don't train or socialize their dogs and leave them as prisoners in backyards, a life in chains, a holocaust of pets... humans treat dogs so damn poorly it always saddens me. Treat your dog like a family member, enjoy its company, share your home with it. They will give you love, devotion and endless enjoyment in return a thousandfold. And what kind of lame idiot doesn't pick up after his or her dog? Anyone that stupid and inconsiderate should not be allowed to own an animal. Anyway, enough of the soapbox. Here are some canine links:

Puppy Mills

Puppy Mills are concentration camps for dogs, run by sociopaths who are the animal world's equivalent of the SS camp guards.
They are brutal, dirty places, often violent and fatal to the animals who are prisoners there. Animals are often inbred, fed garbage and scraps, kept in filth and feces, living lives in tiny cages and forced to breed. Unproductive animals, or those too old are usually killed, or sometimes sold to other sociopaths who use them in training dogs for pit fighting.
The people who run puppy mills are as evil as sexual predators and serial killers. They are as welcome in a community as pedophiles and rapists. But our legislators tolerate them by refusing to make their punishments equal to their crimes. And they are encouraged by chains of pet stores where money is money is more important than the animal's health or well being. 

Puppy mills are about cruelty to animals, NOT about breeding loving pets for the home. They are inhumane, mass breeding factories. They are a moral blight on our civilization, a degradation of any community where they reside.
To avoid supporting puppy mills, NEVER BUY A DOG OR CAT from a large pet store. Always make sure any dog you buy comes with proper papers (AKC or UKC in the USA, CKC in Canada - pet store dogs with AKC papers in Canada are NOT purebred: they are mutts from puppy mills!).
Make sure any pet you get is fully vaccinated, has a veterinarian's health certificate and proof of worming. And has a guarantee of health!
Don't encourage backyard breeders who let their pets have random litters, either: they are only small-scale puppy mills. Only buy from certified CKC breeders (in Canada). 
Unless you are part of a recognized, certified, purebreed breeding program, always spay and neuter your pets to avoid unwanted or unnecessary litters. Don't become a backyard breeder yourself!
Educate yourself about these horrors! Here are some links to puppy mill information sites. Some have very graphic images.
www.nopuppymills.com/
www.canismajor.com/dog/puppymil.html
www.readersdigest.com/rdmagazine/
specfeat/archives/scandalofamericaspuppymills.htm
www.hsus.org/programs/companion/pet_cruelty/
puppymill_facts.html
www.stuffandsuch.com/wagntails/mills.html
www.thevoicefordogs.org/petland.shtml
kittykapers.tripod.com/puppymills.html
www.critterhaven.org/victims.htm and also www.critterhaven.org/puppy_mills.htm
www.cybrtyme.com/personal/dogpak/puppy_mills.htm - links
www.golden-retriever.com/mill2.html - good links
www.turner.com/planet/promotions/puppies/prisoners.html Very moving article
www.hua.org/Prison/Puppymill.html - Prisoners of greed article
www.bogartsdaddy.com/bouvier/Bouv_Pages/
article-nypost-pa-puppymills.htm NY Post article

Cats

I also like cats. Cats have a dignity and independence dogs lack. We've had as many as seven at a time, plus many more foster care cats and kittens. We "only" have five at present - all strays. I can't imagine a home without a cat. Is there any more gracious sign of contentment than a cat sitting on a summer porch, eyes closed, face into the sun? Or a more trusting sign than a cat curled on a lap, sleeping? Or gently purring? The image shown here is the one we developed for Susan's newest tattoo. Check out the cat links at:

And this very amusing cat page:
www.geocities.com/bad_pets/BadPets/BadKitty.html

Kitten Mills

These are the feline version of the puppy mill (see above), as brutal and ugly as their canine counterparts. They are factory farms where cruelty to animals is institutionalized. Do not encourage or support them. Never get kittens from pet stores or backyard breeders. Always spay or neuter your pets to prevent unwanted litters - most unplanned kittens never find a home: they are put to sleep in shelters, abandoned, drowned or die of illness or starvation. Read about kitten (and pet) mills at:

www.sharif.com/spay.html
brannaway.cattery.net/articles/article04.htm (a rebuttal)
www.stuffandsuch.com/wagntails/mills.html
www.catsunited.com/html/kitten_mills.html
www.listnow.com/helpingpaws/articles/article_62.html Sad story

Ferrets

I also really like ferrets. They are remarkably intelligent, affectionate, curious and entertaining. I used to have quite a few ferrets, and even ran a ferret shelter until it bankrupted me to have them all spayed, neutered and vaccinated! At one time we had 23 in our home. What a zoo - they ran around, got into furniture, into cupboards, into the bed... poor Susan almost divorced me over that one. But I don't have any now, although I'm interested in getting some again but haven't any local contacts for them. Ferrets are a constant amusement: fascinating, intelligent and playful creatures, perfect pets for apartment dwellers. Check them out at: www.ferretcentral.org/ and www.ferret.net/ and here: www.cdfa.com/ and here: www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/3819/

Sadly, there are also ferret mills, where animals are factory-bred in appalling, inhumane conditions. Read about some of them here:
www.newrainbowbridge.com/rescue/rescue.htm
www.spsac.com/
www.interking.com/m/p/ferret_owner.html
www.ohioferret.org/GoodBad/MFarms.asp
www.wuzzles.com/ferrets/documents/generalferretinformationf.htm

Celts

Deep in my bloodline, I have a Celtic heritage (that's pronounced "Keltic". Anything pronounced "seltic" refers to a basketball or soccer team, NOT the people or anything vaguely related to Celtic culture...). I'm concerned that the popular "Celtic" revival has little to do with their culture, but a lot to do with marketing. And that more myths are being perpetuated about the Celts as a result. Still, some of the revival is entertaining, fun and a its grassroots pleasantry.

My ancestors are from Scotland and northern England, although I can also trace my heritage in Canada back 120+ years when my Scottish ancestors arrived here after the great Highland Clearances. It's probably why I ride an English motorcycle, too. There are many good Celtic sites online, but start here. Don't forget to attend Collingwood's Celtic Continuum festival every summer.

Music

The glue that fills the cultural spaces between us. I like pretty much all types of music - opera, heavy metal, blues, reggae, psychedelia, rock, baroque, electronic, dance, Japanese, Mexican, Indian, Gregorian chant - except most country and western (it gives me hives) and rap (too much percussion, self-indulgent, often violent misogynist lyrics). There are many, many good music sites online, but here are some jumping off places:

Miscellaneous links