Special Gig: Camp Moomba Yogathon Sat July 24

I’m excited to play at the Camp Moomba Yogathon on Saturday July 24 at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium. Stoked to be playing with Niko Friesen on Drums and Cory Curtis on Bass.

Summer Camp is such an important and memorable time for anyone. It sure was for me. Camp Moomba is summer camp for kids impacted by HIV/Aids:

Camp Moomba is a specialized summer camp program for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. Recognizing that isolation and discrimination are among the greatest challenges facing these children, we strive to give them a brief respite from their illness in a camp community based on equality, friendship, and support. For children whose lives are filled with instability and suffering from grief, loss, and illness, it is a place where the stigma of HIV/AIDS does not exist. 112 children, ranging from ages 6-17, attended Camp Moomba last year. Each year our wait list grows. Currently, we are the only camp in Canada for kids impacted by HIV.

Please consider joining in, or pledging a participant, or stopping by for the music and good vibes.

OF INTEREST:
Just watched this controversial and powerful documentary: House of Numbers.
Worth checking out:

House of Numbers Trailer from houseofnumbers on Vimeo.

Bicycleness

Lots of bicycleness on the radar lately. Hints at getting my bicycle repaired and back on the road for the simple but true pleasure of cycling around. I’m recalling that it’s a great complement to yoga as well.

Some cases in point:

1) I enjoyed the excerpt of David Byrne’s new book “Bicycle Diaries”:

On a bike, being just slightly above pedestrian and car eye level, one gets a perfect view of the goings-on in one’s own town. Unlike many other U.S. cities, here in New York almost everyone has to step onto the sidewalk and encounter other people at least once a day–everyone makes at least one brief public appearance. I once had to swerve to avoid Paris Hilton, holding her little doggie, crossing the street against the light and looking around as if to say, “I’m Paris Hilton, don’t you recognize me?” From a cyclist’s point of view you pretty much see it all.

2) I follow @larrybrillliant on twitter and took note of his recommendation of the Pi Bicycle:

3) Ran into music business entrepreneur Derek Sivers’ interesting post on biking and his plans to bike around India.

4) Here in Vancouver, a new bike lane was created on the Burrard Bridge:

5)  Reminds me of a moment near the Burrard Bridge several years ago. I saw a south-bound cyclist take the curve onto Cornwall Ave at the scariest speed I’d ever seen there. The thin-wheeled, old school 10-speed was being ridden by a physically aero-dynamic and very focused individual. To my surprise as he whipped by me, I recognized he was William Gibson, whose books I’ve enjoyed.

6) I recall the wonderful Coco Love Alcorn’s bicycle art. She has a song about bicycles too – new album previews sound fantastic.

7) copenhagenize.com “Building Better Bicycke Culture” found via radiohead.com

I just ran into this interesting video of a bicycle maker below:

So, I will endeavour to get the wheels rolling again.

And Monty Python’s “Bicycle Repairman”

UPDATE: MARCH 18, 2010

Boing Boing: Michael Musto on the joys of urban cycling

Ram Dass Interviews Thicht Nhat Hanh

nice one.

Enlighten Up! A Skeptic’s Journey…

I featured this podcast in the weekly digest on Reality Sandwich: Visions of Cody interviewing Kate Churchill about her film: Enlighten Up! – A Skeptics Journey Into The World of Yoga. Looks like a great independent film worthy of supporting. Two thumbs up already from Nancy Gilgoff and Patricia Walden. I bet we can get a good audience for it here in Vancouver…

The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby

A nice little wave of extra synchronicity lately…a couple of weeks ago, I finally started Jeremy Narby’s important book “The Cosmic Serpent“. Several chapters into it, I browse over to Reality Sandwich and see Jonathan Phillips doing a great interview him. Last 2 walks into the forest with the book, I’ve seen snakes. (Only other time that has happened was when I was reading a Zoe 7 article.)

I find his discussion of “defocalizing” very powerful.

Here is a short summary interview on the book. Get it at Banyen

Oh, and Psychonautica has just podcast a lecture by Mr. Narby:
psychonautica042.mp3

…looking at Australian Aboriginal art differently now, and wishing you the same…

Yogic Laughter > Cleese > Palin > Idle > Harrison

John Cleese investigates “Laughter Yoga”. While we’re at it, how about “The Ministry of Silly Walks” and The Lumberjack Song at the Concert for George Harrison. “…British Columbia…”!

And I’ve just run into this video of Eric Idle speaking at the George Harrison Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony and he reveals something I had not known and find very touching about George & Paul…

Dogs That Know

Alex Tsakiris of the Skeptiko podcast, and Open Source Science Project, has launched trials to investigate the phenomenon of seemingly telepathic dogs. This is inspired by Rupert Sheldrake’s book: “Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals” (available on Amazon here) What do you think?

Here’s a podcast interview of Tsakiris interviewing Sheldrake.

And here’s a video clip of Tsakiris’ Trial #1:

Walter Cruttenden, James Earl Jones: The Great Year

Here’s an interesting documentary called “The Great Year”. Precession of the Equinox, the Yuga system, time cycles, Earth wobble. Heady stuff, headier than me (!), but the impressive animations help. James Earl Jones narrates well. Some Vedic information too.

Sita Sings The Blues

Some time ago Robert sent me a link to a remarkable film – “Sita Sings The Blues” by Nina Paley. Amazing and clearly heartfelt animation and storytelling, but I’ve only seen the trailer and some interview material. I hope it comes to Vancouver, or is released on DVD soon.

“Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epicRamayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.”

Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within

 

Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within
A great film screened at Luminance IV

Am interested to see Rod Mann’s next film, I think it’s called ‘Eschatology’…

 

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