London reads. He understands all conversations around him. He puts two and two together before the humans usually do. He never panics. He knows instantly what to do in any situation. He can remove a cassette from an audiotape or videotape recorder. He can chew a rope loose from a boat and use it to pull a distressed person in the water all of the way to shore. Herman Melville in Moby Dick suggested that if God could come to Earth in any form, He would be a whale. But perhaps a dog would be a more appropriate form to choose- a land animal, intimate with humans who need help, able to snarl and intimidate the ill-intentioned, to bark disapprovingly at basically good people about to illegally err, and to lick and pat the people that He cares for and wants to help. As the series progressed, the producers and writers, intentionally or otherwise, hinted more and more at London being far, far more than a conventional canine. A mutant dog with superior intelligence. A dog with noble human karma. A "Guardian Angel" in the form of a "spirit dog". A mythological hero reincarnated. Anything but an ephemeral German shepherd. Lassie and Benji cannot "hold a candle" to London's heroics. And London belongs to no one and to everyone! This series is mythical, as well as a Canadian icon!

In 1833, Edgar Allan Poe wrote his only published novella, a fairly ordinary work titled The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. In said narrative, Pym spends some time adrift at sea with two other unfortunates on the overturned hull of the Grampus, on which he was stowing away. One of those unfortunates was a cabin boy by the name of Richard Parker - and poor young Parker is gruesomely killed and eaten by his two companions, who thereby survive to be rescued.

51 years later, the three survivors of the wreckage at sea of the Mignonette, a yacht bound for Australian shores, are adrift for 19 days in a dingy. On the 16th day of the ordeal, the 17-year-old cabin boy, who the other two survivors blame for their lack of fresh water and food (they had only two tins of turnips), and who is near death due to the effects of drinking sea water, is killed and eaten by his two companions. The young boy's name? Yup.

This remarkable coincidence may never have been brought to public notice except that, upon their rescue, the two cannibalists were arrested for murder and brought back to the United Kingdom for trial. Cannibalism for reason of survival on the high sea was, in those days, not as infrequent as one might think, and had theretofore never been treated as a crime. The two were found guilty, and the case established the precedent that the only legal defense of murder is self defense. They were sentenced to death, but due to the nature of their ordeal, the sentence was commuted to a short prison stay. The story is recorded, among other sources, on the tombstone of Richard Parker's mother.¹

The tiger in the Booker Prize-winning Life of Pi was named Richard Parker in homage to this statistical blip. In somewhat less interesting coincidences, Peter Parker's father is Richard Parker, as was the British sailor who led the Nore Mutiny of 1793.

Richard Parker is a dangerous name, especially at sea.

what contorted environment lead you to make such an effort to state the bleeding obvious so very carefully

what contorted environment lead you to make such an effort to state the bleeding obvious so very carefully

Half Time

That was nuts; Gareth and Tom's readings went off more or less without hitch, though Tom was in the loo for when he was supposed to go on - but I played a record and it was all fine. Ace. Let's see what the second half holds! I'm nervous about playing the minidisk.

Poetry Night Develops

Now it's really getting going; Gareth's about to go on and I've got Wooden Shjips on the sound system. The - no, now he's on!

Blogging During "DJ Set"

This evening I am playing some tunes from out of my itunes at this night called Chlorine, which is Francesca's poetry night thing - and it's pretty nuts, I'll tell you that for nothing. So far I've been on this stool and letting my itunes play while the other people talk to one another. LUCKILY! There's the internet so that I can blog, wicked. So far the song that has gone down best has been a Panda Bear song that one person said to me that they liked it. Yes! And I'll get to have a go at playing the minidisk player later, wicked too. ACE

This off of Youtube

John Bolton for President! Bolton, president for fucking rednecks? yes! president for fucking AmeriCUNTs but not for Americans, such nasty language,is that the same mouth that you kiss your mother with? No! This is the same mouth that would spat on your shit-Bush-sucker FACE.
You are an AmeriCUNT not an American. A good American never say BOLTON for president.... becuase obviously he is a CUNT. You are a very foolish ,whatever you are,are you a Muslim?Atheist?or an everyday third world idiot?You may not like my comment,SO WHAT,Bolton would certainly be a better pick than the communist we have for president now.I would suggest that you go drink some camel urine for what ales you,just like Muhammad said. Why you mother fucking AmeriCUNTs jump instantly on Muslims for no reason? mother fucker how do u know whether i am amuslim or not? listen AmeriCUNT! your current president is half muslim, and he is black.... u cant do any thing about Hussein OBAMA but to fuck ur self