PROBE

Mai 'ena i ke kanaka i lak aku
(Do not shy away from a person who is attracted to you)

Personal Research on Being Everywhere has led me to believe we are nowhere.

Having studied mystics from all walks of life and religions for many years, this is not a conclusion I come to lightly. But I am also a bit media obsessed, and finding quality information, opinion and entertainment in whatever format is simply getting harder all the time. What passes for most mainstream news (msn in blogger jargon) today seems no more than canned audience-grabbing devoid of any real passion and urgency. A few periodicals withstanding, it takes some time hunting through the internet to find the quality. Maybe I shouldn't care so much, and just read what I can get to. Books have often been described as "the most powerful weapons available", and I couldn't agree more. There just seems a bit more at stake these days. Or, maybe it's just me.

However, once in awhile, the whole inquistive nature thing has its rewards, as in the Annual Cartoon and Comic Book Art Festival, which features an 8yr old prodigy, churning out the comic strips as fast as she can think them up. You go girl! The clip comes courtesy of a video blog named Rocket Boom, which apparently has a nice young woman giving the news she feels comfortable sharing. Well done to you both. I knew that my curiosity would be satiated at some point with something both creative and enjoyable.

The Melbourne Herald Sun reports the earth is the hottest it has been in 400 years, and again, I would always wonder about the record keeping back then... but whatever.However, The Friends of the Earth site in Australia has some very useful links if you are so inclined to help with the cooling...It really is nice to know that former presidental candidate Al Gore is making an impact with his road show and documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which I am looking forward to seeing. The warming has not yet reached New Zealand however, as the whole country shivers under major snowfalls and power outages. Meanwhile, they argue in Parliament over whether dogs should be microchipped, and send off an 85 yr old serial shoplifter to jail. Gimme a break. Or him.

By the way, if you work in downtown Sydney, (and most likely in many metropolitan cities), you will have been told to pack a map, a flashlight and some food under your desk, just in case of well, you know what. But don't worry, we have your security in mind. It's just that fear works so well.

And if you are a fan of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, or Anderson Cooper of CNN, then you will enjoy this lively interchange between two of the rising stars in American media. One is a comedian, thankfully. I mean if we can't laugh at some of what is going on then well, er, maybe it's time to do something else, or go somewhere else. I am about as far away as I can get at the moment, but any suggestions will be listened to.

Right now there is some warm lentil dal on the stove, and for a cold Friday, when the World Cup is just getting interesting, well then maybe this is somewhere after all. Who knows?