Jimmo

Recently, I’ve made the decision to take on a teaching stint in the area, imparting literacy skills to those who need them most. This will be rather difficult since I’ll be working at my full time job and continuing with my university courses while I'm teaching. The typical student I’ll be teaching has been processed by the public education system, much like grass through a goose, emerging with inadequate literacy levels and limited cognitive skills. To my mind, this is a lot like throwing someone into the cold without a jacket and then bolting the door behind them.

Having myself been a victim of the public education system, I empathize with these people. It's my hope to reach these marginalized ‘victims’ of state-run “education” in a very direct way. From what I have observed, most of these people possess remarkable latent capacities, however, these skills usually don’t fit within the parameters set out by the corporate world. Let’s face it, public educations’ sole concern is in turning out uniform, compliant, well-behaved drones to work the many trivial, mundane and unpleasant jobs in society. Did I say drones? My, that is an insult to bees everywhere. The model more closely resembles a termite colony with its workers and soldiers. Keeping the ‘product’ immature, unenlightened and obedient toward authority is the objective of the corporate…..err….I’m sorry….public education system. Anyone who doubts the the veracity of this statement should read the following article (see link below). One must conclude that public education is structured to produce partially developed minions who are in fact, slaves in every way but name.

http://www.spinninglobe.net/againstschool.htm

In teaching those who represent the ‘off scouring' of the public system, my hands will be somewhat tied and I will be unable to impart all of my ideas to them. I will, however, teach them to be critical of a system which leaves people vulnerable and unable to cope in an often harsh and unjust world. A critical mind, able to see the grand deceptions and injustices in the prevailing social order, will be my ‘gift’ to those who are yet awake enough to realize what has happened to them. Although taking on this additional work will be exceedingly difficult, I can no longer sit idly by while so many fine individuals have been given virtual lobotomies by a system set up after the prison model. I have long had the ability to inspire and motivate people…so I say…it is time to break some chains!
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9 comments

University of Western Ontario - Student Beating

Sunday, October 25, 2009 7:59:39 PM

I’m sickened and appalled, but hardly surprised, at the video posted on You Tube depicting police brutality against a distraught student at Western University here, in Ontario. The student could have been in an out of control state and delusional for any number of reasons: breakup with a girlfriend, news of the death of a loved one, possibly a misadventure with narcotics, a physio-chemical imbalance, nervous breakdown, etc.

Having studied police sciences informally in the past, I feel that the officers in the video appeared unprofessional and clearly lacked appropriate training in restraining and subduing the individual in question. My theory…for what it’s worth? : The police repeatedly shout "stop resisting", but I detect no resistance...only the autonomic and kinetic responses to the blows they are inflicting upon their victim. Each corresponding blow produces a reflexive and automatic response, creating the illusion of 'resistance'. This is well known to police. In raining blows to a persons head, groin, etc., the individual will instinctively move to cover their head, groin, or to attempt escape. This of course, makes it impossible for the police to ‘cuff’ you….something which they know only too-well.

The utterly stupid "stop resisting" mantra is a ploy to dupe bystanders into thinking the police are somehow justified in using violent brutality against an individual who is greatly outnumbered, unarmed and untrained....and....who is not in fact, "resisting" at all. Here is a brief explanation: The instinctive center (which we all possess), and which is much faster than the thinking or intellectual center and, having its own 'mind' or intelligence, is merely reacting in a fundamental way to the countless blows it is being subjected to. A similar effect occurs when a doctor taps a patients knee and their leg raises automatically, reflexively and without the involvement of their minds. It's a part of our 'fight or flight' automatica. Taken in this light, the 'stop resisting' BS is a blatant and thinly-veiled PR attempt by the police to justify their actions to bystanders...i.e. 'potential witnesses'. It allows them to apply their heavy-handed tactics relatively unimpeded and with impunity. "Stop resisting", indeed!

Auditory exclusion is another factor that must also be taken into account. The definition of auditory exclusion is as follows: Auditory Exclusion involves a loss of hearing that occurs as part of the fight-or-flight stress response during confrontation with danger. It is a sort of filtering out of unimportant external noise so that focus is maintained on the business at hand -- survival". There is no doubt in my mind that the victim in the video clip was unable to hear or mentally process the "stop resisting" commands while enduring severe physical trauma. This individual was clearly fighting for his very survival during this horrendous beating. Shouting "stop resisting" to a man which you are beating senseless is a lot like throwing gasoline on a person who is already on fire while yelling, "stop burning!!" In short, it is virtually impossible to comply to spoken commands or physical force while being beaten with such ferocity. Being unable to comply also allows the police to 'pin' an additional charge on the 'perpetrator'...that of 'resisting arrest'. The police, knowing that virtually everyone these days has some sort of recording device, must utilize every trick at their disposal to cover their tactics in this coming age of ‘sous-veillance’, or 'counter-surveillance'. One can only imagine what this individual endured afterward, while within the confines of the police station.

Few comprehend the true role of police in society, however, this is an article in itself. They are feared by many and often viewed as virtual demigods … or even as hapless individuals or pathetic ’victims’ themselves. They somehow ended up with a tough job to uphold, sacrificing themselves for our benefit and who deserve our undying admiration, support, respect…and yes…'adoration'. Personally, I view the police as a necessary evil, at best. By various methods, up to and including lethal force, they maintain the great injustices in the social order and exist primarily to do the bidding of their 'handlers'...corporate and governmental policy makers. Recently, I encountered an individual who feels police should have sweeping and unlimited powers to enter your home at any time, night or day, without a warrant or any probable cause or suspicion. His rationale is, “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”. Regrettably, he is a part of a growing number of people who yearn for a Gestapo-like police state…who are drawn to power…and who know what is “best” for the rest of us. The soon coming, biometrically enabled National Identity Card and random, roadside breathalyzer testing will soon be a reality, and sadly, these are but the beginnings of the dismantling of privacy rights in Canada and the broadening of powers for police.

Also, recently in the news, police Tasered and beat an unarmed man repeatedly in a Canadian airport terminal until he died…I’ve viewed the footage of police Tasering an inoffensive 72 year old grandmother on the side of the road….then a 5 year old girl was Tasered at school for being unruly....also, recent footage surfaced which showed a burly police officer taking down and then breaking the face of a diminutive 15 year old special needs student at school, who was complying and was NOT resisting in any way, he was simply tackled from behind and pummeled mercilessly…there is also the well-known case of British police beating a man to death and then claiming he died of a heart attack which was subsequently disproven when a bystander later provided video evidence of an unprovoked beating by police. The examples are endless. While growing up in Toronto, I personally witnessed nauseating acts of police violence against individuals who were compliant and inoffensive. With the government moving to brush aside individual privacy rights in Canada, thus granting themselves near omniscience, the police brutality and violence can only increase in this new environment of transparency and unaccountability. While this topic is outside the scope of this blog, my growing distrust and unease with anything related to the police has caused me to adopt the position to refuse reporting a crime or to volunteer information as a witness unless absolutely forced into the situation by my own conscience.

I was able to exercise my newly adopted personal policy of non-compliance when my car was broken into recently while parked in my driveway. Although some of my valuables and electronics were stolen, I didn't call the police since 1. They really have no interest in tracking down my items....not when they could potentially be breaking someone's head or sending someone to the Intensive Care ward, or maybe giving some poor slob a ticket, and 2. I've just gotten over a personal negative encounter with the police during a time when I also was a victim of senseless violence. After my experience, I no longer wish to draw them near me under any conceivable circumstances.

I continue to encounter evidence which shows that the type of 'law-enforcement' officers depicted in the video clip are rapidly becoming the 'standard' and very much the accepted 'norm'. The masses are gradually being desensitized to their brand of disproportionate violence and brutality each time the police can inflict such a beating on an unarmed person, with no fear of negative consequences or disciplinary repercussions. This serves only to further embolden and entrench this behavior from this class of "police officer". By our very silence, we, the 'sheeple' give virtual assent to these power-tripping Troglodytes with badges. Equally reprehensible in my view is the full, unwavering support for the actions of the police/security forces by school officials representing the University of Western Ontario. This is indeed a sad day for students everywhere.

1 comment

Comments On Cuisine – Cooking As Though Your Life Depends On It

Sunday, October 25, 2009 7:12:26 PM

One of my great and long-time passions is the preparation of Mediterranean foods whenever my schedule allows me to indulge in this pursuit. My personal cooking style strikes a balance between the extravagant complexities of Stefano Cavallini and the simplified, (yet brilliant) creations of Byron Ayanoglu and others.

In the kitchen, I'm able to observe sides of myself that simply don't manifest in any other surroundings or circumstances. I become intense, fanatical, passionate and emotional while cooking…in short, a raving ‘control freak!' Those who know me will attest that this is completely opposite and contrary to my nature, which makes the phenomenon somewhat puzzling to myself and others. Anyone milling about in the kitchen is likely to be commandeered by me and immediately pressed into service with the irresistible force of a maelstrom. No one is exempt! There is no negotiation! Another curious observation is that I seem to lose all sense of time during the food preparation process... and yet paradoxically, timing is everything!

I simply will not tolerate nibbling or 'sampling' the ingredients by anyone…my carefully prepared ingredients are not hors d'oeuvre s and 'sampling' will bring a sharp reprimand in the first instance and banishment from the kitchen upon a recurrence of the ‘offense'. I have yet to toss anyone out of my kitchen by the seat of their pants, although this wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities for a repeat 'offender.' Casual observers, (who I categorize as ‘gawkers’), people who wish to chat, ask questions, offer commentary, advice and the like, soon realize that I find their unsolicited 'contributions' and endless faux pas annoying in the extreme! These types are cheerfully ignored and/or routinely dismissed from my presence with the wave of a hand.

While preparing food, I move quickly, often and erratically. I feel that a great meal is created much like a world-renowned and finely-tuned orchestra rendering a famous symphony.... layer upon layer...imperceptibly moving toward the final, deafening, crashing crescendo. It would be most foolhardy to stumble into an orchestra pit during such a rarefied, vivified moment and equally inadvisable and reckless to stumble into my kitchen at a moment of parallel ferocity.

Many have commented that to be near me in the kitchen during the cooking process is much like dodging traffic while attempting to cross a busy six-lane highway. I tend to concur, since apparently, I take on the appearance and attributes of virtual ubiquitousness! So fast and spinning are my movements in the kitchen, I'm convinced I've occasionally experienced something similar to the higher-state of enlightenment spoken of by the Mevlevi Order of Whirling Dervishes! While some may scoff at this assertion, one cannot deny that attaining the vaunted state of the 'enlightened culinary despot' can be taken lightly, regardless of the methods used to arrive there!

Obviously, in such a highly charged and feverish environment, not a single detail can be overlooked during the process of meal planning and preparation. Ingredients must be of the first order...the very finest and freshest obtainable, knives must be razor sharp, people must know their duties and respective roles - there is no room for 'ego' in my kitchen! Everything must be laid out properly, nothing can be left to chance!

I'm baffled at the transformation which occurs in me at these times, yet part of me knows that this is an ‘act'…a role that I play. Not a role I formulated or rehearsed…but something which seemed to be part of my repertoire from birth. I'm also amazed at the way people will endure the endless tirades and petty slights... along with the countless insults, ribalds and 'injustices' of a 'mad-man,' merely to sate and appease their gastronomic cravings. Further proof that often, we are but little more than slaves to our appetites. In playing this role, I am able to see the specific 'types' of sleeping people and, in so doing, I can learn a great deal about my own particular forms of 'sleep', hypnosis and the 'inner slavery' which defines my life.

To summarize, this is ‘essential cooking....or, if you will.... ‘Cucina Essenzial!’

Ciao!