Sunday, September 28, 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Gift item of the day

This is the alarm clock that pounds its fists and opens its mouth while "shouting" its alarm. As your selected wake-up time approaches to within five minutes, its feet and body will begin to glow, and when the alarm sounds, it begins tapping its arms lightly, but if you are dilatory in touching its snooze sensor by more than one minute, it launches into its full tantrum routine (turns off after an hour of unabated whining).

It also smiles when you pet it, and dances to a radio or MP3 player...

(headsup ShinyShiny)

No, we didn't feel the earthquake

We didn't feel the earthquake...only a loud rumble...I thought it was the guys fixing our leaking roof or a truck doing something downtown.

Podcast of the day

WGBH is putting more lectures on line. The link is to the astronomy lectures: some are streaming video or audio (hard for me to use with our on and off internet connection) but some are MP3 downloads, like this one on string theory and Einstein or this one on the night sky.

Literary anniversaries

SF celebrates Saroyan...LINK

It's also the centenary of Lucy Maud Montgomery...alas her family prefers to "out" her suicide which gets headlines instead of celebrating her life....she suffered from severe depression at the end of her life, probably because of her childhood suffering...like many authors, she "rewrote" the story the way she wanted it to be, not how it was.


NYTimes celebrates books...hmmm...wonder why so many are PC political books?
We once got a bunch of used books from a friend who was moving into a smaller apartment...lots of books of the month...and the "topical" ones were out of date, and often inaccurate...so paint me skeptical about these...

Cartoon contest

"You got that? Three bottled waters, two sodas, one coffee, and six straws."
Robin McCauley
Newport News, Va.


I found this while googling for Latte...
Did you know the NewYorker has a cartoon caption contest? (Link is above)
Enter a caption, and you too can become immortal....

Cat photo of the day

cat
more animals

sigh. Our old male cat died, leaving us with one pregnant cat...she is sleeping on our bed for safety from the three dogs who sleep under the bed to stay safe from our large watch dog who is let loose at night to keep out prowlers but tends to beat up the smaller dogs...

Friday, September 26, 2008

Paperwhite Narcissus


For those of you who aren't lucky enough to live in a tropical paradise, ScribbitBlog has an article on how to grow the wonderful smelling paperwhite narcissus in your home during the winter.

I used to do this all the time when I lived in Idaho...

I also used to "force" other bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips...but these types need time in a cool dark place for the roots to grow if you want them to bloom...when they sprout up an inch, you can bring them out and let them bloom...

attention Conspiracy theorists: What was on that ship?

Somali pirates are hijacking and holding for ransom a lot of ships, and a lot of the sailors on them are Filipinos

But InFromTheColdBlog has a bunch of links about an Iranian ship that was hijacked...

But a routine arms shipment wouldn't explain the sudden illness and death among the pirates who commandeered the vessel. As one official told the LWJ, "there are a lot of people interested in the MV Iran Deyanat and its cargo."


I'm mainly linking this for later reading when our internet connection and electricity is more stable, but you can read and invent your own conspiracy about it...

Quote of the Day

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"


Original link the Politico...

and they thought Dan Quale was dumb.
..

Insomnia alert

Librivox has audiobook download for Last of the Mohicans...

Play it at bedtime, and let Hawkeye and Chingachook's adventures bore you to sleep...
;-)

Science headlines below the fold


no, it's not a flower, it's a maganese Oxide Nanoflower capacitor...
a way to store electrical charges for small portable electronic devices...
----------------------

Can Chamolille tea help prevent complications of Diabetes?
-----------------------

another cause of global warming: Ammonia from seabird poop...
--------------------------------

No, you don't have to drink chianti to get those health benefits...grape juice works too...
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another history book rewrite:
Those huge Ohio Shawnee earthworks weren't forts but irrigation projects...

Nacho Libre Kitty!

Why put up with an ordinary mask when you wrestle? Try the HelloKitty Mexican Wrestling mask instead.
(from HelloKittyHell)

Got Milk?

link to my article on Chinese milk on BNN...

It only took two days, five reboots, and 18 hours to get it posted...

There has been lots of rain on and off from 2 nearby typhoons/low pressure areas...with brownouts and internet going on and off...will go on for two minutes, then off for another hour or two then on again....shessh...

Monday, September 22, 2008

Cat Photo of the day

Too much politics...
need a kitty photo....quick!

cat
more animals

We now have one cat in the bathroom who is recovering from a bad mauling by our dog...
and another cat who is highly pregnant...

The Jawas dig up the sockpuppets

The Jawas, who claim they didn't take Osama off line, have a long post digging up the link between a video and a PR firm that lies about Sarah Palin...after they connect the dots (and speculate) they summarize it thus:

The production value of the ad indicates that it was produced by a professional firm. The family that runs that company has extensive ties to the Democratic Party, the netroots, and are staunch Obama supporters.

The timing of the comments seems to indicate that the video's promotion was done on xxxAssociates company time. At least one employee, xxxx, appears to have been instrumental in its dissemination. A concerted effort was made to distribute the video in such a way that it would appear to have gone viral on its own. There appears to be corporate sponsorship and organization behind a new "grassroots" smear campaign.

So, the million dollar question is who, if any one, paid xxx to produce this ad?

AudioBook of the day

Librivox has downloads of ten ghost stories...to give you nightmares...

Stuff below the fold

Good news:The NYTimes discovers free podcasts and vodcasts by university professors...LINK
Bad news: with an"on and off" broadband I prefer audio to streaming videos ...
--------------------------------------
Good News: StrategyPage reports the story behind the recent fighting in Mindanao...200 000 displaced Christians might return home soon...
Bad news: it means fighting.
But this is actually good news, since if the military keep things under control, the local militias won't reform....

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The good news: Even the NYTimes notices Baghdad is back to normal.
The Bad News: bored US troops are getting into mischief...

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Phrase of the week: the lumpen intellectuals of Europe
Yes, LevyStrauss is at it again,

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Stem and root

Most people get their information about Senator Obama's parents from his books or from articles like this one in Vanity Fair...

SavageMindsBlog links to two articles in Honolulu newspapers about the work of the mother of Senator Obama.LINK LINK2

And THIS ARTICLE on his father gives a much more nuanced picture of an African trying to make his country better, but frustrated by tribalism and a socialist government that wasn't above eliminating the opposition...his drinking has to be put into the context that his life was in danger...as for his complicated family life: I never worked in Kenya, but this type of arrangement was pretty common among professionals when I worked in Liberia...

----------------------------
And to give equal time to the opposition, a reporter chased down one of McCain's more famous girlfriends in Brazil LINK...she remembers him as a good kisser....

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Whoops

That Hadron Collider was supposed to destroy the world.
Instead, itself went kerplunk.

The failure on 19 September - described as a "massive" magnet quench - certainly seems dramatic: it caused the temperatures in about 100 of the LHC's super-cooled magnets to soar by as much as 100C.

The fire brigade had to be called after a tonne of liquid helium leaked out into the LHC tunnel....

the Cause? a pipe seal leaked...so the end of the world has been put off for another couple of months.


Yup. Sounds like me

Halleluja brothers and sisters

Photo by
: Igor Siwanowicz | View Full Portfolio (778 images)
and for more bugs, check HERE

Stuff below the fold


the Neanderthal code
This young lady is called Wilma
....................

DarkRoastedBlendBlog has an article on the Darien gap, the jungle between Colombia and Panama.

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Interesting ad for bread...LINK..

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The LEGO minifig turned 30 last August...

Did you know Lego Minifigs has a fansite? LINK

More HERE.

and then there is this Minifig generator...

Green alert

It hasn't hit the US news, but there is a big "tainted rice" scandal in Japan...rice imported from China (and maybe VietNam) was known to be tainted with pesticide and a bad fungus. The rice was to be used for industrial purposes (e.g. to make alcohol, glue or fertilizer) but instead was sold and fed to children and old people in institutions.

One result? A ban on imports, including US wheat...
and more food inspections...there has been other problems with meat and fish and out of date items being sold...

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Coral Reef life photos


Zooilogix has photos of new creatures photographed on the Australian Great Barrier reef

This one is the Christmas Tree Worm Photo: John Huisman, Murdoch University, 2008

More photos HERE; the webpage for the Census of Coral Reefs is HERE.

Happy birthday NASA



and NASA vodcasts here.

Pirates


Well, did you celebrate "National Talk like a Pirate day"?

MissCellania has more cat pirate stuff HERE.

Savage Chicken cartoons HERE

And pirate timewaster of the day HERE

Dave Barry's essay on this important holiday HERE. He includes these instructions:

To prepare for Talk Like a Pirate Day, you should practice incorporating pirate terminology into your everyday speech. For example, let's consider a typical conversation between two co-workers in a business office:

BOB: Hi. Mary.

MARY: Hi, Bob. Have you had a chance to look at the Fennerman contract?

BOB: Yes, and I have some suggestions.

MARY: OK, I'll review them.

Now let's see how this same conversation would sound on Talk Like a Pirate Day:

BOB: Avast, me beauty.

MARY: Avast, Bob. Is that a yardarm in your doubloons, or are you just glad to see me?

BOB: You are giving me the desire to haul some keel.

MARY: Arrrrr.

Women in politics and other crazy places:

Dirty Tricks Department: there is a lesson you can learn from the hacking of her email: Don't use a free email service...
----------------------------
From MissCellania:

How to Speak About Women and Be Politically Correct:

1. She is not a “Babe” or a “Chick.” She is a Breasted American.

2. She is not a “Dumb Blonde.” She is a Light-Haired Detour off the Information Superhighway.

3. She has not “Been Around.” She is a Previously-Enjoyed Companion.

4. She does not “Nag” you. She becomes Verbally Repetitive.

5. She is not a “Two-Bit Hooker.” She is a Low-Cost Provider.

-------------------------
Popular Mechanics is still not PC:
They have an article on "100 Skills every man should know"...
It Does include ironing a shirt.
It does NOT include field dressing a moose...
P.S. I know how to do 72 of them...
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Friday, September 19, 2008

Miscellaneous Stuff

Tea at Trianon has her mother's memoirs of growing up in Manila during World War II...LINK
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Alaska had a "bridge to nowhere"....the Philippines has a "road to nowhere"...

The main bone of contention in this controversy is a “double entry” of P200 million on the national budget for the extension of the C-5 road. Allegations are being hurled right now at Senate President Manny Villar that his company, which is engaged in the real estate development business has benefited from certain infrastructure appropriations and projects.

The budget has lots of "double entry" items...all honest mistakes...

------------------------------------------------

Sounds like the rarely used Altoona superhiway that included a special bypass so you could buy your car at the local congressman's car dealership...the highway is best known for the "tour de 'toona" bicycle race...may as well use it for bikes, since there are hardly any cars...

----------------------------------

Palestinians welcome selection of new Israeli PM...

And most Muslims condemn a Saudi Fatwa against cable Television station owners...

----------------------

Problems with generic medicines hits Norway...

Fake and substandard medicine(many from China, smuggled by the same ones who smuggle heroin etc) kills millions but mostly in Asia and Africa...one of these days, after the press is tired of mocking Palin's shoes, someone will notice the problem....


Amok Time!

imdb.com is streaming old movies and tv shows on line...

Alas, not available to the Philippines.

(headsup HouseholdHackerBlog
)

Gift item of the day


Don't you hate it in those romantic, darkened dining rooms when you can't figure out where you put down your fork?

Well, TADA

Self illuminating cutlery...

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Science headline of the day


Glowing fish have scientists seeing red

Summary: scientists always thought fish couldn't see red because sunlight in water lacks a red spectrum..
But then why do so many fish glow red?

Family News

It's harvest time.

Lolo just went with Joy to the farm to check on things.
The thresher broke and yesterday they spent all day fixing it.
The farmers came in...one of the older guys had fever and headache...either heat exhaustion from working or maybe Dengue...since dengue is treated with analgesics, I just gave him a few and said don't work too hard (but it's harvest so everyone but me is working hard).

Some VIPS are ordering organic rice packs for Christmas presents...our rice is sold in Manila, and usually Chano puts the rice in fancy decorated bags...so things are busy.

Magpies and Cows

http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/09/17/strange-discoveries-cow-magnetism-and-magpie-self-identity/ has the "weird science news" of the week at link...

Magpies recognize themselves....
Cows line up with the magnetic field of the earth...
-----------------
These two come from Medscape (reg required so no links posted).

Latest medical advice: If you are over 75, don't bother with screening for prostate cancer...you probably will die of something else even if you have the cancer...and the treatment makes the quality of life worse...
-----------------------

And yes, now plastic bottles not only can affect your kids brains but they might cause you to be fat, diabetic, and get heart attacks (i.e. metabolic syndrome).

Why my house is comfortable


and check link above.

Your email of the day from TiaMaria

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Jawas one, jihadis zero


There wasn't a big jihadi video threatening this world on 9-11...
So who hacked their site so they couldn't post a video?

Nope, the Pet Jawas say they didn't do it (and would deny if they had.)
And for some reason, the jihadi forums were down too...

Strategypage merely says:
there's the growing war by anti-terrorist hackers (individuals and groups) to shut down pro-terrorist web sites. Sometimes these vigilantes are exceedingly effective, and lately they may have shut down all of the few sites used as distribution points for important new videos.

You know that traffic is awfly slow...


when your car is passed by a hamster...



Electrical engineer Nick, 50, from nearby Wreay, said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – a hamster overtaking us in its plastic ball.

Ludicrous Speed!

Harry at AICN reports Spaceballs, the animated series...
Wikipedia has a report HERE>

If you are over 14, check HERE...
sounds like some of these ladies need one of these...

A bit behind

I've been busy on my "makaipa" blog, posting about Zimbabwe's new agreement for peace.

My take on BNN here...but PeterDavies is less optimistic...

Monday, September 15, 2008

Podcast of the day


BATS

Musical interlude for today

Maria Callas...not the best voice, especially here at the end of her career, but a great actress when she sings..

the story behind the song can be found HERE.

The WAGD report of the day

The "we're all gonna die" story of the day:

LATimes reports how easy it is to find information on how to make a nuke...and buy the equipment needed to do it...

Strategy page has more HERE.....it's pakistan's fault...?

Science headlines below the fold

Walk this way alert....yes, people can tell if a man or a woman is walking, even when the body is replaced by dots...Video
Yet one wonders how much is cultural and how much is due to the pelvic structure...

----------------

The Japanese University that learned how to make adult stem cells act as if they were embryonic is patenting the process, to stop a drug company from doing the same to make a profit.

---------------------
The wart vaccine that stops cervical cancer also protects from Vulvar and Vaginal cancer.
Of course, in 40 years of medicine I never saw a case of these rare cancers, but never mind...it makes a nice headline, especially since last week the New England Journal was questioning the hype about the vaccine.

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Meth abuse is up in Asia
...it's a problem here in the Philippines too...
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Broccoli is in the news again as a health food...latest study shows that Broccoli helps one's lungs.
-------------------

News you can use

The world's longest Pastillas has been made in Bulacan!
It's 200 meters long...and weighed 4000 kg...

Afterward, everyone at the event ate it.

Pastillas recipe
:

Ed Quimson’s
Pastillas de Leche

1 liter pure carabao’s milk
3 liters carabao’s cream
2 c sugar
1 dayap, use only the thinly cut rind (this gives the mixture a wonderful citrus aroma)

Pour the milk and cream into a big pot or kawali. Mix in the sugar and stir to melt sugar. Place the rind in.

Turn on the stove. Use low fire so the liquid just simmers. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. Stir in one direction only. Make sure that nothing solid settles at the bottom and that the milk doesn’t curdle. The cooking may take some 3 hours. The pastillas is cooked if its consistency is like maja blanca but it’s still white.

Transfer the cooked pastillas to a bowl. Remove the dayap rind. Cover with a plastic wrapper and cool. The wrapper will prevent skin forming on the surface. The mixture thickens when cooled.

Usually the pastillas are sold wrapped in paper, measuring 1 cm by 3-4 cm.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Gift item of the day


Are you always mislaying your measuring spoons?

Hang them on your wall as a decoration...



(headsup FolkAndFairyBlog)

Musical interlude for today




When you are far away
I dream of the horizon
and words fail,
and, yes, I know
that you are with me;
you, my moon, are here with me,
my sun, you are here with me
with me, with me, with me.

LYRICS

sung by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli

Stuff below the fold

... a quarter million Parisians managed to come out to a meeting with the Pope. LINK

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For love of a child...your heartbreaking story of the day...Father leaps into septic tank to save his son...he later dies but son is alive. LINK

If you ever ran into Nokesville dad Thomas S. Vander Woude, chances are you would also see his son Joseph. Whether Vander Woude was volunteering at church, coaching basketball or working on his farm, Joseph was often right there with him, pitching in with a smile, friends and neighbors said yesterday.

When Joseph, 20, who has Down syndrome, fell into a septic tank Monday in his back yard, Vander Woude jumped in after him. He saved him. And he died where he spent so much time living: at his son's side....

-------------------------------
Music heals the soul LINK..

So how exactly does the body derive health benefits from music? At one level, it may work simply as a distraction, taking the mind off the pain. ...But distraction is not the only way in which symptoms are eased. One Finnish stroke-recovery study found that music is processed and handled in different parts of the brain, and one suggestion is that by holding the patient's attention, it stimulates nerve cells which go on to bypass the region damaged by the stroke.

One theory is that it works through the emotion circuitry of the brain, which has an effect on the production of key hormones, which in turn impact on body functions, from the repair of nerves to pain relief.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Rant stuff

Links to my rants at Bloggernews:

Musical interlude for today



Choral music by Tallis...
(Headsup DreadnoughtBlog)

Free sheet music (Public domain)

The Mutopia project lets you download free sheetmusic to print out...under a creative commons license.

now, if I only had a printer....the one upstairs is always out of ink...

Thank you, Jack Kilby

Fifty years ago today he invented the Integrated circuit board...

Recipe of the day



I didn't know you could marinate in coke...my husband used a variation of this recipe...he'd cover the steaks with oystersauce (check your Chinese ingredient section of the grocery store) and then grill under the broiler until they were done.

The bad news: the beef here is tough, so you cut thin, hammer it hard, marinate in soy sauce, and then fry...
If we want nice, tender steaks, you have to go to a major supermarket and buy them imported from Australia or New Zealand.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Real live Pikachu?


Someone in Japan is selling real live Pikachus....

Probably they are Pikas, AKA rock rabbits,





whose fur has been painted to look like Pikachu.......
.
.
.
.


For more information see LINK.

WTF animals

From Cabinet of WonderBlog
This one I've actually seen. It's a tarsier monkey, and some still live in the central Philippines...


This one is a Blobfish...


and this one is a dumbo Octupus...


More at LINK

stuff you can use

LearnOutLoud has a bunch of links for education books LINK
For example, this link has lots of classic books for you to listen to while skateboarding instead of trying to read them while watching TV...
And grownups can play them at night, to bore you to sleep...

-----------------------
How to turn off that annoying CAPS LOCK button...

------------------
Make a food dehydrator...using your clothes drier tube and an old space heater...

------------------------
Make your very own Michele Obama Finger Puppet....LINK
No, they don't have Shotgun Sarah there yet.
(headsupTokyoMangoBlog)

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Make your cat his very own Chaise Lounge sofa...out of cardboard.
Nah, mine prefers to sleep on top of the TV...it's warm and the dogs can't get at her.

9-11 memorial links

The classic rememberance film LINK

SnagFilms has more, including a rememberance of Father Mychal Judge LINK.

More at PajamasTV LINK.
----------------------

One of my classmates was at the Pentagon doing triage...so conspirators can just keep quiet.

Years later, a relative showed me the wall that was hit...it had been repaired so you couldn't see the damage, except for one "memorial" block that used a fire stained block.

Science headlines below the fold


Since the world was destroyed by that European thigamagigi, (joke, fellahs, calm down) we probably need to know what the heck they were looking for.

One thing they might find is the Higgs particle...nope, never heard of it, but LINK explains what it is and what it means if they find it.

You might have heard it called by it's other name: The God Particle...

And they have a bunch of videos about the project on You Tube:

-----------------------------------

Trivia news of the day: The Hadron collider project uses a variation of Linux in their computers....

-----------------------------
And since we don't have to worry about the Hadron Collider destroying the world, LINK here's some more things to worry about.
Yup. Famine, epidemics, nuclear war, and mass extinction from global warming are still threats.

-------------------------
There are a lot of terrorists using various computer ways to communicate and recruit including youtube (The Saudis just took a bunch of geeks into custody).
But now the spies are getting into the act...LINK

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The sad story of Pitcairne Island

The final destination of the crew of the "Mutiny of the Bounty" was Pitcairn Island.

Most of the men killed each other off, fighting over women, but things settled down after that...or did they?
BBC has a report on the latest scandal there...

Some hope to make the isolated island an eco tourism site...

More on Jaunty Jackalope

Gizmodo claims:
Ubuntu 9.04's code name stems from its focus on zip-zoominess, with a goal of making "booting or resuming Ubuntu blindingly quick" and a "blurring of web services and desktop applications." So it'll be a fast hybrid, just like an, uh, real jackalope.

Hello Kitty Hog



more details at HelloKittyHellBlog...and of course, don't forget to wear your HelloKitty helmet...

Cat Photo of the day

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Hog, not Pig...

The Messiah Obama insists: "You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.."

Poor boy...he just doesn't know American slang...or American jurisprudence...

an Aug. 2 decision from the Seventh Circuit, holding that, while it is legal to use the term “hog” to refer to motorcycles in their marketing, it is not legal to use it to refer to motorcyclists.

The "lipstick" is not on a pig...or even on a hog...it's on the gal on the hog...

Uh Oh

Along with a lot of stuff on my sidebar, I have emergency buttons to warn me if the earth is still around.

Well, today I noticed:


And if you go to the link, you find:
It is our duty to inform you that as of 7:35:05am UTC on September 10, 2008, the Earth has been destroyed.

The destruction of Earth was first reported by Mr Jonathan Barber of Wisconsin, United States, who spotted that his home-made seismic Earth Detector had ceased to give readings at around 8:00am (2am local time). Several other amateur geocide spotters noticed this at the same time but Mr. Barber was the first to place a telephone call to the IEDAB's Geocide Hotline (+44 115 09Ω 4127, ask for Other Dave) at which point IEDAB officials performed an emergency check of their own instrumentation and verified Mr. Barber's report, as well as fixing the exact time of geocide.

Evidence is still being collated, but preliminary results suggest that the Earth was destroyed pre-emptively by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, before the commencement of their experiments to locate the Higgs Boson, as a precautionary measure to ensure that the experiment itself could not result in the destruction of the Earth.

-------------------
For those of you who read only the MSM's discussion of Palin's eyeglasses, this article should fill in the details..

The Large Hadron Collider, a massive particle accelerator 17 miles in circumference that will begin operation Wednesday, comes with its own apocalyptic possibility: teensy black holes with gravitational appetites voracious enough to swallow the Earth.


Well, it's been nice knowing you...

Headlines below the fold

A green coal burning plant? LINK...

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Secrets your doc won't tell you...
and one reason for high costs is too many tests and giving too many medicines.
But why do docs do that?
Because you are more likely to be sued for not ordering a test or medicine than vice versa..

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Strangest Political headline of the day:

Thailand's prime minister forced to resign over TV cooking show

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Useless trivia fact for today:
Wooly Mammoths of Siberia probably came from North American Mamoths that migrated there.

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And the strangest headline of the day:

Tooth fairy gives less during credit crunch

Updates on lesser known wars

StrategyPage is a good way to keep in touch with what is really going on.

Their report on progress in Colombia....against the narco terrorists of FARC...

-------------
Another place of interest (to me) is this report on Liberia.
That country was a mess...and I worked there before the civil war started. Now after 20 years of chaos, there are UN peacekeepers trying to keep things settled down in the capital Monrovia, and the US has subcontracted with DynCorp to train officers for a reconstituted Liberian Army...

------
The UN Peacekeepers include almost 200 Philippinos.

Jaunty Jackalope

Every computer system has their own "cute" names.
The idea probably started with Steve Jobs, and his "Apple" computer, which sounded more consumer friendly than the TRS-80 or the Commadore 2000.

For Ubuntu, they use animal names for their upgrades.

Right now, I have Hardy Heron...

and Coming soon, Intrepid Ibex...right now in the testing stage, and to be released October 30th.


Now UbuntuGeek says they are starting to work on the next version, which so far has been named Jaunty Jackalope. LINK2

For those of you who never have lived in the Western US, Wikipedia has an article here about the mythical beast...
and check HERE for more information on the warrior bunny of myth and legend...
He traces the legend back to medieval Europe and Persia, and even furthur...
The probably origin of the legend? "horny warts" from the Shope papillomavirus...

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Guess who is banned in Russia?

the southpark site moans:

From Russia, With No Love

We are not sure how it happened, but it seems that South Park has offended the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians. Now the Crab People, on the other hand, they have a legitimate gripe.

Discuss this topic (67 Replies)

Insulting Christians, athiests, terrorists, Republicans, democrats and Hollywood...

on the other hand, you can find your favorite episode on line...LINK

Gift item of the day take 2 and take 3


Yes, you too can buy your very own Obama doll to hug at night when you feel tired or afraid...
FEEL THE HOPE!

On the other hand, Palin comes with her own Matrix costume and accessories...




Other dolls and action figures HERE....
The bad news?
No Joe Biden doll....

Gift item of the day



from TeapotsTeapotsBlog:

Bid on this TeaRex teapot here....

After all, isn't it something that you would love to see on your table every morning?

Happy International Year of the Potato

and check out the recipes, including this one for potato fudge...

Ingredients (4 servings)

- 65 g (½ cup) powdered milk
- 40 g (¼ cup) of potato powder
- 240 ml (1 cup) hot water
- 1 ground cardamom
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar

Preparation

Mix the hot water, potato powder and powdered milk. Cook over low heat. When mixture turns brown, add sugar and cardamom. Continue cooking on low heat until mixture sets. Spread on a greased plate, cut into squares while still warm.



(headsup Misscellania)

Headlines below the fold

With the increase in fuel prices, outsourcing to China becomes more expensive...so some jobs are coming back to the US. LINK
============

Amazon has a book review blog LINK

They include this story, that Robert Dahl was once a spy....LINK
The bad news? The author tends to love Pullman and nihilistic novels like "ORCS"...yes, I know, for the literati, only nihilistic books are considered "intelligent"....not stuff we really read like Danielle Steele....
The Good news? they link to a Danielle Steele interview...LINK

---------------------
Speaking of Amazon, they just signed up with the "one laptop per child" program...give one, get one...and the newer version will be even cheaper....
--------------------------
Don't want the opposition to be able to run the Parliement? Just jail them (or their wives)...LINK
More pretending in Zimbabwe by the gov't.

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Bush had signed an agreement for India to get fuel for it's nuclear power plants, but for some reason it was held up by an "international organization"...turns out it was China trying to screw India...but the deal was okayed anyway...

Another Bush triumph that won't get in the headlines, and another geopolitical item that will be ignored in favor of stories on Sarah Palin's eyeglasses.

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Got a "fat gene"? Just exercize 3 to 4 hours a day and you'll get thin...duh.

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That airman's body discovered in New Guinea turns out to be merely branches covered with moss...link includes photo...

Monday, September 08, 2008

Epidemic of fatty liver disease in kids?

we see lots of this in adult diabetics, and usually it is benign...

But now there is an epidemic in kids, along with other manifestations of metabolic syndrome...

Is it the omega 3 vs omega 6 trans fats, or the BisphenolA in the plastic bottles?

Enquiring minds want to know...

Feminism

Christine Hoff Sommers has an essay about feminism: the conservative type, that lets women be women, and the "modern" type that makes women deny their feminine side to stay equal.

The former type of feminism is common in the Philippines...

Photos of the Tsinalis festival

photos at NuevaEcija journal at link...

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Story of the day

Last month, some Vietnamese Americans going to a shrine/festival in Missouri were in a terrible bus accident, killing 17 and injuring over 40.

from WhispersInTheLoggiaBlog:

With another 43 pilgrims injured in the wreck, as the month-mark approaches today's Dallas Morning News visited with those still recovering in area hospitals, and the local folks who've been "knocking themselves out" in the effort to help:

Every day, for example, volunteers deliver plates of Vietnamese food to sons and daughters of 78-year-old Hoa Pham, recovering from head trauma at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Ms. Pham's children also have received help with hotel and gas costs. They've had regular visits from priests and lay people, who pop into their mother's room for prayers and counseling.

"I would like to thank the Catholic community of Dallas," said Son Vu, a Houston machinist and one of Mrs. Pham's 13 children. "They have given wonderful support."

Those who have been a part of the effort say they've been inspired by the survivors and family members.


The DallasNews coverage is found HERE.
The Chronical story of the memorial mass is here and HERE.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Women give more than they get

Quote for the Day
'Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.'

So - if you give her crap - you will receive more s--t than any one
human being can handle.

(headsup maxedoutMama)

Musical interlude for today



Turn up speakers and dance....

No I'm not making a political statement...this is just one of the songs played for the city's Taibo exercize class the other day that is held in the town square where we jog...

Cat Photo of the day


(headsup Miscellania)

Science headlines below the fold

First they came for the scientists who use animals to cure people.

Now they are going after physicists trying to destroy the earth...not. LINK
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Despite the spin, the percentage of kids now vaccinated is at a record high (77%).
Must be Bush's fault...

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It's global warming melting the ice caps, not the volcanoes under the ice which only dribbles out....LINK...
except of course when it doesn't...
Robert Reeves-Sohn of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and his colleagues discovered jagged, glassy fragments of rock scattered around the volcanoes, suggesting that explosive eruptions occurred between 1999 and 2001.

More HERE..
deep under water volcanos, another threat to worry about...if the floating black holes don't get us first...

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Beware of maurading parrots
. Sounds like they don't like their birdhouses.

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Like jokes?
It's not your fault...you have too many funny cells in your brain...LINK

When Homer, Marge et al appeared, the firing rate went to more than 15 times per second, compared with a couple of times per second for other clips, or blank periods. This firing lasted for several seconds and even beyond the actual time that the clip was on the screen.


Miscellaneous tips

A follow up on getting rid of roaches, using boricAcid with sugar...keep away from pets. LINK

Make wool balls to fluff in your drier instead of fabric softener...no, this one I haven't tried (as I noted below, we don't use clothes driers). LINK

Tips for today...laundry

How to make a cheap version of odor removing spray for clothes LINK..
two thirds strength fabric softener?
I used to replace drier sheets with FSoftener on a cloth...worked, but if it was too wet, it left stains on some clothing...

or to remove odor from your laundry....bleach, lemon, and....cheap cola?

For (white) bedsheets, bleach works best...and if you can you leave them in the sun....

We don't have a drier in the Philippines: usually you wash in a big basin under a spigot...and soak the sheets/underware/towels before you wash and rinse.

Usually we use powder, and a thick soap for stains and scrub. The soap is stong...I once did my own stains and was left with chapped hands (we docs used to call this "dishpan hands" in the days before gloves and dishwashers).

We did buy a washer and drier...the US versions cost a fortune, so we have a washer, and a spinner/drier...it spins the sheets and towels, which makes it a lot easier for the ones doing the laundry...and then we hang the clothes out (under a roof if it is raining).

So in rainy season, you have to iron the clothes to get them really dry...

Friday, September 05, 2008

Science headlines below the fold

Making the desert bloom and produce solar energy...LINK

The Mozart effect...music is like chocolate...all the music myths are true but exaggerated.

Reports of plastic in bottles might affect babies brains are worrysome, but one wonders if these studies might point to all chemicals...but this study wonders if plastic bottles might be causing the world wide epidemic of metabolic syndrome/obesity/ diabetes... LINK


The latest pseudo "addiction": tanning beds.

And podcast of the week: Science has a podcast via RSS or Itunes LINK

Musical interlude for today



Choral music...
hmm...sounds like a commercial....

Classic music download of the day

The link is to the Vatican music site.

I've linked to them before, but they have new music posted, Organ Improvisations by Theo Flurry.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Bug Control

How to get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen using celophane sweet wine and a beer glass... LINK

How to get a mosquito trap with sugar, yeast, and an old soda bottle .....LINK

However, in this one, to control ants, I'm in trouble...they come in everywhere...LINK

And here is how to make a flea trap....LINK

all using ordinary things and non toxic chemicals.

On the other hand, for cockroaches, try these tricks....LINK

Heh

Lolo just turned on the TV, and there was Wolf Blitzer saying a kind word about Palin's speech...and then he interrupted a hack to say "we have to stand because they are singing the National Anthem".

Education headsup

Berkeley just posted it's Fall 2008 courses that are available via podcast.

Madelines


The salmon recipe below is in a collection for afternoon tea.

Also included is a recipe for Madelines...

YUM.

Bring on the fish

EpicuriousBlog discusses that the press seems to overlook the fishing industry in Alaska.

Ah, but even Epi overlooks the Alaska Salmon

LINK is a recipe for Salmon with Cream Cheese and caviar on Pumpernickel bread

It uses fresh salmon to make a spread and the caviar is also salmon eggs...

Headlines below the fold

This time, NOLA hospitals sent their sick out.
The reform mayor (DEM) now has a reform governor(REP) to help him care for his city...

It's not the party, it's the entrenched elite versus the people.

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The Borking of Palin isn't all from feminists...some of the worst NYTimes rumors came from the corrupt Repuclicans that she fought...
Newsweek liked her before they decided to hate her (via Drudge)

It's not the party, it's the entrenched elite versus the people.

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MSNBC lables Palin a "breeder"...
this term is the equivalent of using the N word...and yet no one notices it...

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I put up with a lot of this type of prejudice when I went to medical school in the days before feminism. So I'm mad, but never mind.

Recipe of the day

NYTimes has a recipe for grilled eggplant sandwiches.
After grilling the eggplant:

Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of the bread slices, both bottom and top, with olive oil. Grill five minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the panini. Serve hot.

not something we'd eat here: We use only the slim Japanese eggplant, and rarely eat sliced bread.

Dog Photo of the day


Smile and say cheese!




and check out other photos at above link

darkroastedblendblog.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Craft item of the day

from xtreme knitting blog


Knit your own dinosaur
Click here for a pdf of the pattern.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Musical interlude for today



(headsup Misscellania)

Craft item of the day


How to knit a dissected rat.

Headlines below the fold

Good news: Anbar province quiet and Iraqis will take over it's security.
Bad news: Don't expect the MSM to make a big deal out of it. They prefer the bodycount headline...

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Good news: So far, Gustav is not as bad as forecasted
Bad News: Hannah is on her way. And so is IKE...
Best news: Right now, in the Philippines, no typhoons this week

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Good News: Zimbabwe, after stopping NGO's from feeding people since March, say it's okay to give out food again.
Bad News: Lots of red tape, lots of the NGO's are still prevented from doing so, and the government will control who gets the aid

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Supai still flooded...
IHS and tribal clinics still underfunded...so what else is new?
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Monday, September 01, 2008

Minestroni soup

Surlatable store has recipes on their website, including this one for Minestroni...

As a working mom, I would make a variation of this by cutting up the veggies,opening a can of beans, cut up beef left overs, and add a can of broth. Put on in the morning in your crock pot...at the end of the day, I'd add the sphaghetti and turn up the crockpot and boil until soft.

Unless, of course, my kids were hungry and ate it with their friends when they got home from school.

Campaign trivia

I'm not following the campaign very much (CNN and the NYTimes are so pro Obama that most overseas news organizations assume he will will).

But with the leftwing nuts who hated Hillary now going after Palin,(and I won't mention the rumors) (More listed HERE) I decided to check for photos of her baby...

I found the photos on a blog that is run by one of McCain's daughters...


heh...

Chicken joke of the day

Philippines news below the fold

Canada donates NBC protection equipement to the Philippines....Strategypage notes that so far the terror groups haven't tried to use such things, but the equipement can also be used for chemical industrial accidents....

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Ferry bomber (2004) caught in Bahrain...he also was behind setting up bombs in Manila...

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They underplayed that Quantas flight that had to make an emergency landing in Manila...
As it punched through the floor, it damaged electrical wiring and fractured cables used by the first officer to operate wing panels needed to turn the plane.The cylinder took out all three instrument landing systems, the left VHF omni-directional radio range navigation instrument, the left flight management computer and the aircraft's anti-skid braking system.

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Good news: Malaysian peacekeepers will stay in Mindanao..
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Lecture by one of the Magsaysay Award winners who promotes tolorant Islam in Indonesia...