Scott Chisholm Lamont, RN.

The purpose of this blog is to post interesting, day to day tidbits that touch upon at least one of the eclectic topics of my pages, ranging from nursing to politics. I will try to avoid those traps of the blogosphere, where this becomes either part of an echo chamber or the posts are so self-involved that they aren't worth your time to read. Mainly, I am hoping to get people to think a little, maybe challenge some assumptions. I will also try to watch my spelling while I'm at it.

Comments? Thoughts? Rants about my rants? You can use the convenient comment tabs found at the top of each item, and I promise to read them and to leave them up for others to read (within reason, of course - plain old flames are boring, and I'm not going to waste server space on them). If you just want to say something to me, you can e-mail me.

Posted Friday, January 28, 2005 @ 1439 PST
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Time for a little follow-up.

In my frantic daily life, I've managed to let a couple of things go by that should have some follow-up, so here I am, doing the housecleaning.

First, I never got a reply from Peter Brown regarding his article in the Jewish World Review. I guess I'll just have to write him again - after all, them was fightin' words.

The NRA, alas, does not appear to love me. Or hate me, for that matter. Despite my attempt to get my name on their blacklist, so far, no joy.

Alas as well that I did not finish my values rant that I was working on. Nor my piece on the meaning of wealth. I'll get those done and posted as soon as I've got some school work out of the way. I want to post some information on family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures, a topic with which I have a lot of familiarity. I have some slides on the subject, so need to learn how to mount a slideshow on a website. I am also working on a proper memorial page for Albert. I will, of course, post when all of these items are up.

I had also stated that I would try to get more stuff up on these pages, like poetry, environmental stuff, rituals, etc. Well, I've managed to get some up. I've put an update of what's new down below.

I did manage to meet my promise to Shirazi and add his site to my blogroll. He posts on an environmental topic every Friday. My blogroll really needs an update, because I have more sites that I follow now. I'm going to try to categorize it a bit too, like which blogs are political, which are environmental, and so forth.

Finally, I've really tried to avoid the whole inauguration thing, but I do have to share this site. It has a long list of pictures, and an even longer list of comments. These pictures, BTW, were not to be seen in the mainstream media. I wonder why that is - not.

Bon-vivants, rejoice!

The Nurses' Health Study, an on-going longitudinal study of womens' health, has found more good news. Light to moderate consumption of alcohol (also known more popularly as 'drinking') may have a protective effect on the cognitive abilities of women as they age. This report states that even controlling for other factors, the women "who consumed half a drink to one drink each day for at least four years were about 20 percent less likely to have an impairment in their thinking abilities and about 15 percent less likely to experience a decline in their mental powers over the two years they were studied". This may also apply to men. So, booze is not just cardio-protective, but also brainio-protective. I feel good. If I recall correctly, I have a little Viognier tucked away that will make me feel even better.

Bad blogger, no doughnut.

Talk about falling down on the job. When I set out to do this blog, I intended to post everyday, or at least every other day. This week has left me with little time, and no blogging. I understand from one of the directories I'm listed on that this is a ta-ta no-no. People stop dropping by if you don't post something new to read. Much of my recent traffic has been from search engines, interestingly enough. I hope that folks have enjoyed what they've found.

So, I'll do my best to keep up. There's been plenty worth writing about in the last week. For example, check out this piece on a past global warming disaster (this one caused by volcanic activity). I don't know about you, but I think I would like to avoid this, if I can.

I have several essays, rituals, stories, and assorted other items ready to post on the various pages associated with this blog, and will do my best to start getting them up. I also have new Wingnut sites to post here, so I best get crackin'.

I could use a laugh.

It's been a grim week, and so a couple of funny tidbits in the inbox were a welcome relief, and I thought I would share. The first is from my wife, who found this story on the About website about a clothing label that didn't read quite the same way in French as it did in English (they are in both languages because the American company sells their products in Canada too). Here is the translation of the French portion, the accuracy of which I can attest to:

Wash with warm water.
Use mild soap.
Dry flat.
Do not use bleach.
Do not dry in the dryer.
Do not iron.
We are sorry that Our President is an idiot.
We did not vote for him.

That's what I would call being sensitive to your market.

The second was from another family member, who sent some great Dave Barry quotes about things that took him more than 50 years to learn. My favourites:

Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant, unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

Never lick a steak knife.

Your friends love you anyway.

Have a good week.

Happy MLK Day.

I have always admired the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a Canadian, I had only a vague idea of the realities he faced as he fought for justice using non-violent means. I confess that a large amount of my knowledge of the civil rights era in the US came from movies like "Mississippi Burning". Despite the obvious shallowness of a Hollywood education, I recognized the courage that it took to not only defy an entrenched system of hatred and oppression, but to lead the movement against it. Along with Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, I think that I would model my actions upon Dr. King's.

Now that I live in the US, my appreciating for Dr. King has only intensified. His passion and his oratory are inspirational. I learn more about him all the time, like his opposition to the Vietnam War. Go read this. Would that there were more like him.

Speaking of those who I would follow as examples, I've posted a memorial picture of my friend, priest, and mentor, Albert Webb here and here. The picture is of him casting the circle in his garden in which Shara and I were married. As mentioned earlier this week, he died very unexpectedly while traveling to a retreat. A large empty space rests uneasily in my heart.

I'm speechless.

So, I'm nonplussed. The Left has been accused of bringing up things that others would rather just gloss over - like torture and death squads, and this is a problem - as in worse than the torture and murder brought up. Check out this post. This is coming from that "values" side, where moral certainties are supposed to be the trump card. Could it be that they are certain that gay marriage is bad, and murder (in the name of freedom) is good?

Add to that the news that Bush admitted to a mistake. Like others, I just don't know what to say. Some are still willing to provide encouragement though.

I did manage to find something to say about the Wingnut Site of the Week, if nothing else.

Posted Thursday, January 13, 2005 @ 1121 PST
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Looking for the bright spots.

So, I'm sure that you'll understand that I've not posted over the last few days. Albert's death has really hit Shara and I hard. We are still in shock. I'm going to post a little memorial statement on my family and spiritual pages tomorrow or Saturday. I'll post a note when they are up. In the meantime, life has inevitably carried on (as it does when you have a toddler), so I've tried to pick out some bright spots in the gloom.

First, I promised to report the fallout from my very overdue paper. Looks like I'm still a grad student, even if not a very good one. I still have to finish it (and move on to other pressing matters), but I've survived thus far. We'll see how it goes.

Next, I wanted to say thanks to Shirazi of Pakistan, who visited my site and left me a nice note. His environmental blog, Green Sweep, is very thoughtful. Go check it out. He recently posted a piece on attracting butterflies to your garden. He is quite right about working with whatever space you have. I mentioned in my post about Albert that he attracted an amazing number of hummingbirds just with choice of flowers and hanging and maintaining feeders for them. It is a joy to fill your space with life and beauty, and a treasure to have memories of such joy.

Finally, something about being open to each other's voices. An interesting thread appeared on one of the lists I'm on, about one person's trepidation about conflict of political opinion within spiritual community. There was an impression that the Pagan community was of a single political mindset. I want to say that this could not be further from the truth. In my experience, the various Earth-based spiritual communities have every conceivable political stripe and opinion represented, including Libertarian, Anarchist, Green, curmudgeonly contrarian, don't give a damn, and others. Many of my dearest friends in the communities I have belonged to do not share any of my political views, but we get along wonderfully, sometimes debating about our different thoughts, sometimes just enjoying our time together. Politics is but one dimension in our lives. Another is the warmth and caring we have for each other, which is very much a part of being in community.

A spiritual community should be welcoming of all who wish to follow the path. Within a community setting, it is important to demonstrate sensitivity and open communication. Political actions and thoughts can be interpreted and critiqued through the lens of spiritual understanding and ethics, but it is critical to remember that beliefs are not monolithic things, but rather are threads that intersect with each other in many different ways for every person and every community. Sometimes threads bend around others in surprising ways, sometimes one will show off another in stark relief. Much like the fates weave lives and events around us in a way that becomes the tapestry of our existence, our beliefs, individually or collectively, can sometimes only be appreciated by stepping back to try to see the whole cloth. The beauty of what is woven is the appreciation for diversity, in all its messy glory. You cannot see or value it if you keep your nose so close to the threads in your hand that you see nothing else. I would also suggest that you cannot see it if you clutch your threads close to you in fear of exposure and ridicule. Beauty, growth, and learning all require risk - sometimes profound risk. It is entirely worth taking that risk.

I recognize that beliefs are intensely personal, and shape our sense of self and shape our actions. While we may disagree, and even question the validity of each other's beliefs and opinions, I hope that it is always within a context of fundamental respect for the person holding those beliefs and their right to express them. Most importantly, I hope that we all recognize that none of us hold all the answers, and that you can learn things from anyone. I welcome your comments and thoughts.

Posted Monday, January 10, 2005 @ 2123 PST
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Lost.

My brother Kyle is a composer and the founding artistic director of the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble in Calgary, Alberta. A few years ago, he wrote a piece called “Lost”, a truly wrenching musical experience. Listening to it leaves you feeling like someone has reached out of the speakers, hauled your heart out of your chest, and stomped it to small pieces on the floor in front you. I've experienced that feeling again today, ten-fold.

Albert Webb, High Priest of Wicca, Shaman, Wise Elder, Master Gardener, Teacher, Mentor, Old Soul, Engineer, Father, Husband, Lover, Child of the God and Goddess, has passed from this realm. He departed his home Friday to go on a retreat in the Gila Mountains, and never arrived. He likely died that night, but I don’t know. We were called last night to say he was missing and requesting prayers. The call I was dreading came this morning.

Here is the official announcement from the Covenant of the Goddess (slightly edited) as released today:

It is with great sorrow we write to announce the passing today of Albert N. Webb, a great person and COG Second Officer. He was a founding member of Chamisa Local Council, and been a great moving force in the growth of Wicca in New Mexico. Albert was noted for the power of his laughter and his keen perceptions about life and magick.

He and Sylvia were leaders of Circle of the Winter Moon Coven, and teachers of Wicca in the Western Eclectic Tradition.

Albert was traveling to visit Loba & Jesse Wolf Hardin’s Earthen Spirituality Project and Sweet Medicine Women's Center when his truck became stuck in high water in a river. When he didn't arrive on time, a search was started, but hampered by darkness. He was found this morning upriver from where his truck stalled, apparently trying to go for help. ESP is remote and the only connection to the area has been by e-mail via satellite, so the details are still not known

All of us here at CLC are greatly saddened by his passage. We know all those who knew Albert will be also.

Albert is one of the best friends I have ever had, and I’ve valued his time and teaching more than I think I could ever say. He and Syl offered up their home for us to retreat to when we adopted Micaela. He helped us move to California when I started grad school, including a 1200 mile trip in a cantankerous old 26 foot U-Haul. Albert attracted more hummingbirds to his garden each summer than I even knew existed. We were married in their garden, with him and Syl officiating. One of my favourite pictures of him in the world is that of him kilted, sword in hand, laying the foundation of the circle in which we tied the knot. He modeled for me what it was to be a priest.

I’ve just realized that as I recount this, I’m going backwards in time. I don’t want to – I want to go forward, with him, with things that we’d discussed and planned, like him teaching Micaela to ski next Thanksgiving. But I can’t. He is making a journey I cannot join. All I can do is send my love with him.

I’m going to miss that tough old gnome, the solid way his body felt when I hugged him, the depth of his knowledge, the way his eyes glinted when he smiled. He is gone from us, and it's not fucking fair. It's just not fucking fair at all.

I’m going to bed, and I’m going to hold my wife close. I suggest you all do the same, with whomever you care about, and do it now. You just have no idea when it will be the last time, and the people you care about are all that really matters. Crap like papers for grad school, the job, the BS politics in the various capitols, well, it's all just crap.

* updated Jan 28 - internal links added *

I have posted a small memorial, including a photo, on both my family and spiritual home pages. I will be building a more fitting memorial page for Albert, and will add the link here when it is up. I know that others are doing the same.

Posted Sunday, January 9, 2005 @ 1634 PST
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Living the good life.

That’s what a bon-vivant is supposed to do, right? So I took a break from writing (sort of, I actually brought a copy of my paper to edit while on the road). We rented a car (Epona, my trusty ol’ white Toyota pickup, won’t seat five) and headed for Napa to do a tasting at our favourite local winery: Swanson Vineyards. They have a wonderful salon in Rutherford, CA, and Sean, the host, is great. The folks had a good time, and we all enjoyed the wines thoroughly. Then it was to dinner at Brix, right down the road. Very tasty – especially polished off with three types of crème brulé.

So, no blogging yesterday. Not much time today either. I’ll leave you with this link to a post at The Wildhunt, the info on which he got from Chas Clifton, about a mural that was discovered in Europe. I like Jason’s take on this. Guess I might wind up as a poster child on the next “warning”.

Posted Friday, January 7, 2005 @ 2036 PST
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Nasty things in the air.

I woke up to an NPR report on something that follows well on my post yesterday -- a train wreck that released a fatal cloud of chlorine gas. You can listen to it here, or read about it here. Chlorine is used in a huge number of industrial processes and is routinely shipped around the world, often passing trough densely populated areas. It is, however, quite deadly, as any survivor of World War I trench warfare would be able to tell you. I remember reading fairly recently about the possible rediscovery of four railroad tanker cars that sunk with a barge off the coast of British Columbia years ago. Part of the concern was that if the tanks ruptured suddenly due to corrosion or some other force, the potential catastrophic release of chlorine could create a toxic cloud that would drift to the heavily populated mainland. You can find a story here on the Globe and Mail (unfortunately, it is in a paid archive). Just as troubling is this information on chlorine dioxide published by the British Columbia Environmental Network, which I found while searching for the piece on the deep-sixed rail cars. Yet another smelly, deadly reminder of why we need to find environmentally sustainable practices to support those things that we take for granted – like paper.

From there the nastiness moved on to the nomination (and inevitable confirmation) of Alberto Gonzales. Bob Herbert has penned an excellent editorial on this, which has been quoted on the Left is Right blog site. The NPR piece that I listened to included the following quote by UC Berkeley journalism professor Mark Danner (also available at Left is Right):

By using torture, we Americans transform ourselves into the very caricature our enemies have sought to make of us. True, that miserable man who pulled out his hair as he lay on the floor at Guantánamo may eventually tell his interrogators what he knows, or what they want to hear. But for America, torture is self-defeating; for a strong country it is in the end a strategy of weakness. After Mr. Gonzales is confirmed, the road back - to justice, order and propriety - will be very long. Torture will belong to us all.

Charles Pierce might wish that the Senators involved in the confirmation hearing will rediscover their souls, but it won’t happen. The putrescence in the air is the scent of the ideals of justice previously espoused by America rotting on the White House lawn, masked only slightly by the dry rot of a moribund Democratic party.

If that isn’t enough to convince you of the odiousness of the Bush administration, how about this piece on their illegal foray into propaganda? Thanks to Atrios at Eschaton for his post on this.

Other bad smells arrived as the morning wore on. Stupid Evil Bastard led me to my Wingnut Site of the Week: The Family Values Party. What a piece of work. His site also led me to Obnoxious Bitch, who in turn helped me to find Theocracy Watch, a site that is all too familiar with the stink of the extreme religious right – they wade into it routinely for analysis. Must be like testing water quality at a sewage treatment plant. My favourite quote from them is their set of quotes from Rev. Joseph Morecraft:

In his book, and especially when speaking at the 1993 Biblical World View and Christian Education Conference, Morecraft discussed with relish the police power of the state. His belief in the persecution of nonbelievers and those who are insufficiently orthodox is crystal clear. Morecraft described democracy as "mob rule," and stated that the purpose of "civil government" is to "terrorize evil doers. . . to be an avenger!" he shouted, "To bring down the wrath of God to bear on all those who practice evil!"

"And how do you terrorize an evil doer?" he asked. "You enforce Biblical law!" The purpose of government, he said, is "to protect the church of Jesus Christ," and, "Nobody has the right to worship on this planet any other God than Jehovah. And therefore the state does not have the responsibility to defend anybody's pseudo-right to worship an idol!" "There ain't no such thing" as religious pluralism, he declared. Further, "There has never been such a condition in the history of mankind. There is no such place now. There never will be."

Pay no mind to the evidence that polytheistic societies supported religious pluralism, whereas monotheistic societies didn’t. Or that modern secular societies support religious pluralism, even tolerating his brand of vitriol. Morecraft isn’t likely to see anything outside his current world view. Neither is the person (I tried to figure out who at Paw Creek Ministries wrote this, but no joy) who penned this lovely sermon I found through Windy City Lefty, following up on that funny piece at the Swift Report that I mentioned earlier. Thankfully, this reminded me that there was humour in the world before I was overwhelmed by the urge to puke and take a shower. Here is the rose of the day: The Top Eleven Geek Break Up Lines.

I think that I’ll go laugh in the fresh air.

Posted Thursday, January 6, 2005 @ 1250 PST
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Disposing Of Poisons.

If you enjoy starting off the year by being scared, have a look at this San Francisco Chronicle article written by Gregory Dicum. This exposé of the nuclear contamination in the Bay Area left me cringing. I am all too familiar with the military’s local legacy. The island I live on used to be a Naval Station. They built the housing that I live in on a decommissioned ammo dump in the late 1960s, a time when “dilution was the solution” to pollution. Knowing that there were contaminants in the soil, Navy’s response was to spread the soil as thinly as possible before building on the site. Generations of naval families have lived in these homes, and I can't help but wonder if they are at all aware of the lead, PCBs, and volatile hydrocarbons that filled the soil they planted their gardens in. Now, entire sections of the housing are fenced off as unsafe for human habitation and residents are forbidden from digging in the dirt. So I am quite unsurprised to find out that there is probably plutonium in the sediment surrounding the island.

So the good news is that you can do something positive by being mindful about the poisons that you might release to the environment. Enviropundit has a post on disposing of computers and other electronic equipment, including helpful links. Old video monitors contain an amazing amount of lead – that’s why they are so heavy (I had an old 20 inch unit that could sub as a boat anchor). My thanks to Jacqui, and I'll be sure to put these links on my environmental pages as soon as I have some free time.

Even Jonathan Klein, Chief Executive Officer of CNN's US network is working hard to properly dispose of poisons. He has dumped Tucker Carlson (you can see an article on it here or here), hopefully not in the ocean -- bad for the fish.

Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2005 @ 2311 PST
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A paper shredding frenzy.

Well, now that folks are here, we proceeded with the much delayed opening of Yule presents. As predicted, the girl made out like a bandit. She was so worn out by the end of it that she started to refuse to touch the new presents as they were opened. As for me, I got a couple of cool things, including a new Indonesian mask (I collect masks) and a book that I have seen before and people seem to have enjoyed. It is “How the Scots Invented the Modern World” by Arthur Herman – hopefully I will have time to read it before the year is out.

Back to work I go.

Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2005 @ 1000 PST
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Blogless by the Bay.

No time to blog – trying to finish overdue paper number two (family nursing theory, trading on my favourite example of a family intervention: family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures). The folks arrive tonight from Canada, so we get to open our presents after a two week delay – yay!

Posted Saturday, January 1, 2005 @ 2210 PST
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WTF?

No, this acronym isn't the question that you think it is. Get your mind out of the gutter! It means "what's the fear?"

Why am I asking this question? Well, it's something of a New Year's Eve story. I went to a party at the home of my good friend Monica McLemore, to celebrate the birth of a new year, and coincidentally, the birth of Monica (a few years prior). Monica is brilliant, funny, and astute - great attributes to have in a classmate upon whom you rely for sound advice. So there's the confession. I went to her party not only to wish her a happy birthday and lift a glass of champagne; I went with a selfish agenda: I needed sensible grad school advice. My difficulties getting my papers completed were quite frankly driving me nuts, and I needed a sympathetic and knowledgeable ear.

Bless her heart, she came through for me. She poured me some champagne, and made time for us to chat. I won't go into details other than to say that she didn't disappoint. I needed advice, and she provided good, sensible advice. More than that, she provided some perspective on the biggest factor of my writer's block: fear. Grad school includes plenty of fear. Fear that you're not good enough. Fear that you can't cut it. Fear that you will be discovered as an impostor and asked to leave. Fear that it will never end. Fear that you will be bankrupt long before the process ends. Fear that your ideas will be laughed at. When you're writing on a subject knowing that the paper will be graded by a world renowned expert in the field, you can't help but wonder how they're going to judge you and your efforts. It was a relief to find out that I was not the only one experiencing these things. It was a gift, and it gave me something to think about.

Fear is that thing that tries to stop you from being yourself. It is the dark counterpart to joyful expression. In a universe of possibility, it is the limiting factor. I remember hearing of the theory that there are only two fundamental human emotions upon which all others are based: love and fear (this website says that it was psychologist Rollo May in his book, Love and Will). Sometimes, to write, to express, to grow, you have to deal with fear, because you are pushing against limits. Given an opportunity, fear will take the driver’s seat.

Fear, it seems, governs a great deal of our lives. Whether it is wondering how we will be judged, or wondering if someone who is different from us will offer us harm, fear is always there, like a dark Angel hovering at our shoulder. Perhaps this would be good work for the year - to learn to recognize our fear and to work our way away from it, towards its bright sister. Therein lays the path to hope.

If you don’t think others’ fears affect you, then think on this: How much do we spend a minute on war, versus health or education? That says something about fear, and where it leads. There are many who deliberately use fear both to motivate supporters and to cow opponents, yet they themselves are trapped in fear – they fear losing something. Next time that you react to a fear-based agenda, ask yourself: what emotion is this stirring up in me? Is there a different way I can see this? When all the voices around an issue, for and against, reflect the same fear, then all that is heard in the end is a single voice. Can’t there be more than one voice?

So that's my question for the year: WTF?