This is simply a short post to let my few readers know that I'll be taking a break from blogging for a little while.  I had a health scare on the weekend and spent a few days in hospital.  I'll be spending the next few months getting my health back in order and will likely not have the time to post here.  It seems Tony Lynch's top ten is not as figurative as I at first thought.  I'll still post up some of my Uni work as that's quite popular and something that gets done outside of this site anyway.

Until sometime in the near future, see ya.

My final grades for semester one are starting to filter back in and I have to say I'm pretty happy with how I've gone.  This is the first semester that I've studied both externally and on-campus, and with the overlapping dates, something that I was quite concerned about, I seem to have had it under control (the constant hair-pulling aside while attempting to balance my calendar!).  The grades so far include: (updates to this post in red)

REL22: Buddhist Meditaton Traditions.

Essay One: HD
Essay Two HD

Overall: HD

PHI350: Philosophy and Cinema.

Tutorial Participation: HD
Journal: HD
Film Review: D
Final Essay: HD

Overall: HD

ABT31: Comparative Indigenous Studies.

This week I found listed on eBay an iPod nano first generation (4gb) that the seller reported as broken.  It was experiencing (can I use that word for an electrical device?) the famous infinite reset loop problem.  This is when the iPod won't boot, asks to be reset in iTunes, and after being reset simply asks to go through the entire process again.  I thought I'd have a go at fixing it, if I could get it for a good price.

There was quite an interesting protest in Brisbane today by animal rights activists campaigning at the world poultry congress.  I don't think I need to articulate the exact concerns of the various animal liberation activists as the response from the Australian Chicken Federation (ACF) is much more interesting.

Dr. Dubs of the ACF claims that up to eighteen chickens reside in each square meter of factory farm.  The total quantity of animals allowed in a given square meter, in this case chicken's, is set by "industry standards".  Dr. Dubs states that eighteen chickens per square meter of factory farm is below this "industry standard" and, I would guess, this makes it OK to farm chickens in the way we do - in factory farms.

Well the title was nearly neatly alliterated.  Anyhow, the following video should appeal to all you Aussie philosophers who don't mind a drink - I assume that's all of you -.

This Saturday is Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi, an auspicious day within the Vaisnava calendar where we Vaisnavas fast from everything, including water, from sunrise to sunrise.  I'm often asked about Ekadasi, especially Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi, so the following is a short outline for those who don't know.  This will be quite long so do be patient.

This is an excerpt describing the phenomena of Ekadasi from the Padma Purana, "Kriya-sagara-sara".