Photo from angrytwinsblog
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
WOT alert
Note: Most of the deaths are communists, not Isamofascists, and note that they didn't include police deaths, or civilians assasinated by the NPA...
Toto, I think we're not in Kansas anymore
If things are this wierd, we must be in Florida....
Heads up from Dave Barryblog....
Warning: Don't read while drinking coffee...
Heads up from Dave Barryblog....
Warning: Don't read while drinking coffee...
Dogs and cats and gerbils, oh my
Take your insulin and then check out the link...
they also have Cat photos...
And here are some Gerbil photos to make you say AHHH...
Right now, we have two guard dogs, two puppies (Puti and Blacki) and a lap dog named Elaine...plus one male cat called Sophie...(the maids named him without checking it was a male)...
We used to have two turkeys, but one disappeared...we figure that it was "liberated" into someone's stew pot for Christmas...
Friday, December 30, 2005
Manila Wedding
We got back last night.
Dr. Angie's son married in the Cathedral there...a society wedding.
Most of the family went down the day before (including our cook, who is part of the family), and stayed at her townhouse.
We went down the day of the wedding, and asked Angie to get us a reservation.
Traffic was terrible thru Bulacan (must have been having a fiesta)so we arrived late.
The hotel didn't have our reservations...so we went thru everyone's name and found that it had been reserved under the Groom's name...since it had two beds, we figured Sidney hadn't intended using it for the Honeymoon, so we moved in.
By this time, Lolo was exhausted and took a nap, and we arrived in the middle of the service.
Then came the good part. PARTY TIME...
Food, food, and more food, music, dancing, games etc....
Since only wine f0r toasting the bride was served, a lot of the men disappeared to the bar nextdoor.
And came back looking happier than they looked when in the church.
Luckily, although it was "formal" and all the women wore gowns or party dresses, the men could wear Barongs, which are white embroidered shirts that are traditional here...
Lolo and I hit the sack after a couple dances, but the party continued til midnight...and we went home the next day, to find that no one fed the dogs while we were gone...(luckily the turkey stayed out of their way and was okay)...and the water pump was broken again...
Oh well, washing from a bucket is something I learned to do long ago....
But if I had known that the water pump would keep breaking, I would have brought one of THESE...
Dr. Angie's son married in the Cathedral there...a society wedding.
Most of the family went down the day before (including our cook, who is part of the family), and stayed at her townhouse.
We went down the day of the wedding, and asked Angie to get us a reservation.
Traffic was terrible thru Bulacan (must have been having a fiesta)so we arrived late.
The hotel didn't have our reservations...so we went thru everyone's name and found that it had been reserved under the Groom's name...since it had two beds, we figured Sidney hadn't intended using it for the Honeymoon, so we moved in.
By this time, Lolo was exhausted and took a nap, and we arrived in the middle of the service.
Then came the good part. PARTY TIME...
Food, food, and more food, music, dancing, games etc....
Since only wine f0r toasting the bride was served, a lot of the men disappeared to the bar nextdoor.
And came back looking happier than they looked when in the church.
Luckily, although it was "formal" and all the women wore gowns or party dresses, the men could wear Barongs, which are white embroidered shirts that are traditional here...
Lolo and I hit the sack after a couple dances, but the party continued til midnight...and we went home the next day, to find that no one fed the dogs while we were gone...(luckily the turkey stayed out of their way and was okay)...and the water pump was broken again...
Oh well, washing from a bucket is something I learned to do long ago....
But if I had known that the water pump would keep breaking, I would have brought one of THESE...
The Happy Couple
For more photos go to my Frappr site and scroll down to the bottom left...if you click on the photo, you will get a larger version...Alas, I only have a palmpocket camera, so they are not "good" photos...
Too cute knitting
Jess Hutch's craft webpage has lots of cute things to knit...(heads up from the cuteblog)
....hmm..Jessica also has a nice blog HERE
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Humpty Dumpty
I checked Dustbury blog to see if he was near the fires in Oklahoma, and he says nothing about them...
But he does have a link to a site explaining the facts behind nursery rhymes...
Then I went to Ragemonkey, and again, no note of the fires, but a link to the recipe for the fruitcake from heaven (or hell, if you hate Christmas Fruitcake)...
I've been thru grassfires when I lived in Idaho, and they tend to be local and lowgrade, but then you have to remember that I lived in New Mexico the year that state burned down...and we had a forest fire a couple miles away...indeed, our fire hardly made the news, because Los Alamos was burning down...
Hmmm...come to think of it, a lot of disasters happened in places where I've worked, either while I was there or shortly after I left...the Red River Flood, the Oklahoma City bombing, two African wars, a major school shooting...
Nothing yet in the Philippines, however...
But he does have a link to a site explaining the facts behind nursery rhymes...
Then I went to Ragemonkey, and again, no note of the fires, but a link to the recipe for the fruitcake from heaven (or hell, if you hate Christmas Fruitcake)...
I've been thru grassfires when I lived in Idaho, and they tend to be local and lowgrade, but then you have to remember that I lived in New Mexico the year that state burned down...and we had a forest fire a couple miles away...indeed, our fire hardly made the news, because Los Alamos was burning down...
Hmmm...come to think of it, a lot of disasters happened in places where I've worked, either while I was there or shortly after I left...the Red River Flood, the Oklahoma City bombing, two African wars, a major school shooting...
Nothing yet in the Philippines, however...
Oklahoma wild fires
It has been very dry in my old home town in Oklahoma...and now there have been several bad grass fires...
And note: National guard called out to help LINK
And note: National guard called out to help LINK
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Party time
WE are headed to Manila for a wedding... will be back tomorrow...maybe even with photos for the family to see here...
No news to blog about anyway...
No news to blog about anyway...
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Cute Overload
Great weblog full of cute photos...Warning: Take insulin before viewing...
This is a cute hamster, posted for Alice...
(heads up via RelapsedCatholic blog)
Prayer to the Christ Child...
Little Jesus, was Thou shy
Once, and just so small as I?
And what did it feel like to be
Out of Heaven, and just like me?
Didst Thou sometimes think of there,
And ask where all the angels were?
Go to Hound of Heaven Blog has the whole poem...
I didn't know that it was written by Francis Thompson, who also wrote the poem Hound of Heaven...)
Catholic devotion to the Child Jesus reminds us that God came as a little helpless child, and that when we too are helpless and small, we can identify with him, and He with us...
My two previous posts on Christmas had the same theme, because in these days when abortion, financial exploitation of embryos, and infanticide of newborns is legal in many places, it is important to remember that God himself was "once a child like me"...
In the Philippines, they have a devotion to the Holy Child...LINK....
In the USA, they usually use the Infant of Prague, where the Child is shown as a king...
But in Spanish countries, the child is dressed like a shepherd lad, with a big hat and a staff...
The Spanish legend behind it is that the Christ child, dressed as a shepherd, rescued some Spaniards from a Muslim jail...
And so the Mexican American silver miners in New Mexico often pray to the Christ child for safety... "Many New Mexican survivors of the Bataan Death March attribute their survival to the intercession of the Santo Niño de Atocha. He is a patron of travelers, prisoners, and the ill and crippled. "
And, of course, the EL NINO weather phenomenum is named after the Christ Child
because it occurs in December...(although the US press, being politically correct, often merely translated it as "the boy" ...)
Here in the Philippines, Christ and Mary etc. are not high up in the sky, distant from your cares and worries, but like members of your family...Kuya Jesus and Mama Mary are the way many Philipinos refer to Jesus and Mary...
So I was amused but not surprised when we went to the Florist, and saw the statue of El Nino which had been dressed in denim shorts and tee shirt like a Filippino child, and draped with flower necklaces...
And a happy birthday to you, Baby Jesus...
Why Spoons run away
LONDON (Reuters) - Australian scientists have proved what is common knowledge to most people -- that teaspoons appear to have minds of their own....
Regretting that scientific literature was "strangely bereft" of teaspoon-related research, the scientists offered a few theories to explain the phenomenon.
Taking a tip from Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books, they suggested that the teaspoons were quietly migrating to a planet uniquely populated by "spoonoid" life forms living in a spoonish state of Nirvana.
They also offered the phenomenon of "resistentialism" in which inanimate objects like teaspoons have a natural aversion to humans.
On the other hand, they suggested, people might simply be taking them.
Regretting that scientific literature was "strangely bereft" of teaspoon-related research, the scientists offered a few theories to explain the phenomenon.
Taking a tip from Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books, they suggested that the teaspoons were quietly migrating to a planet uniquely populated by "spoonoid" life forms living in a spoonish state of Nirvana.
They also offered the phenomenon of "resistentialism" in which inanimate objects like teaspoons have a natural aversion to humans.
On the other hand, they suggested, people might simply be taking them.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Aunt Carrie, who used to write letters to the editor...way back when
I thought I'd use her photo for my "photo"...instead of my 10 year old photo that I had in the past...
The ethics of Cloning
(headsup from AmyWellborne)
.
"...While Christmas reveals the Incarnation to the rest of us, it had already happened back then. Mary was the first to know; and her cousin Elizabeth's unborn baby John (the Baptist) was the first to bear witness. His leaping in the womb was the first act of Christian testimony, a fetal response to a gospel first preached by an embryonic Jesus (perhaps two or three weeks old). ...
"God took human form; and he took it not simply as a baby, but as the tiniest of all human beings, a mere biological speck, so small and so undeveloped that it could be mistaken for a laboratory artifact, a research specimen, an object for human experimentation. But this speck was God....
"As the 21st century progresses, it becomes more obvious with every controversy that the fate of the future hangs on these two questions. First, is there dignity in human nature, or is human nature something we can shape at will? This was profoundly addressed by C. S. Lewis, in his remarkable essay "The Abolition of Man." Second, is the earliest human life really "human"? ...."
Hate to tell them, but now the policitically correct in medical bioethics say that others, including the brain damaged, the mentally ill, and children under age 2, "lack the criteria for personhood"...
Don't believe me? Check out Wikipedia HERE
.
"...While Christmas reveals the Incarnation to the rest of us, it had already happened back then. Mary was the first to know; and her cousin Elizabeth's unborn baby John (the Baptist) was the first to bear witness. His leaping in the womb was the first act of Christian testimony, a fetal response to a gospel first preached by an embryonic Jesus (perhaps two or three weeks old). ...
"God took human form; and he took it not simply as a baby, but as the tiniest of all human beings, a mere biological speck, so small and so undeveloped that it could be mistaken for a laboratory artifact, a research specimen, an object for human experimentation. But this speck was God....
"As the 21st century progresses, it becomes more obvious with every controversy that the fate of the future hangs on these two questions. First, is there dignity in human nature, or is human nature something we can shape at will? This was profoundly addressed by C. S. Lewis, in his remarkable essay "The Abolition of Man." Second, is the earliest human life really "human"? ...."
Hate to tell them, but now the policitically correct in medical bioethics say that others, including the brain damaged, the mentally ill, and children under age 2, "lack the criteria for personhood"...
Don't believe me? Check out Wikipedia HERE
Christmas music
(heads up from Badhairblog and the anchoress)
Or if you have DSL, BBC 4 has a wonderful program HERE
alas, can't download..but they have a nice "fast forward one minute" so you can skip the sermons (heads up from Absinth andcookies blog)
Or you can try downloading Lilek's Podcasts on Christmas trivia
( no RSS feed yet, so you haveto download them the old fashioned way).
Right now I am into Podcasts...PBS has a bunch about their programs (i.e. not the programs, just a summary short discussion)...and some music sites have short discussions...and I have the feed for a Tagalog site (there is a full Mandarin Chinese podcast lesson if you are interested...right now I'm too busy with Tagalog to bother).
And Itunes has downloads from Stanford, but don't know how good they are...
I copy them to disc and then listen on my Mp3-cd walkman...
So far so good...
Right now, I'm working my way thru Peter Kreeft's lectures, (not RSS, old fashioned downloads)...he is a philosopher who wrote a book on CS Lewis...
However, for Christmas, here it's party time...and we went to Dr. Angie's party last night...Kareoke singing, dancing, and lots and lots of food...
Or if you have DSL, BBC 4 has a wonderful program HERE
alas, can't download..but they have a nice "fast forward one minute" so you can skip the sermons (heads up from Absinth andcookies blog)
Or you can try downloading Lilek's Podcasts on Christmas trivia
( no RSS feed yet, so you haveto download them the old fashioned way).
Right now I am into Podcasts...PBS has a bunch about their programs (i.e. not the programs, just a summary short discussion)...and some music sites have short discussions...and I have the feed for a Tagalog site (there is a full Mandarin Chinese podcast lesson if you are interested...right now I'm too busy with Tagalog to bother).
And Itunes has downloads from Stanford, but don't know how good they are...
I copy them to disc and then listen on my Mp3-cd walkman...
So far so good...
Right now, I'm working my way thru Peter Kreeft's lectures, (not RSS, old fashioned downloads)...he is a philosopher who wrote a book on CS Lewis...
However, for Christmas, here it's party time...and we went to Dr. Angie's party last night...Kareoke singing, dancing, and lots and lots of food...
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas take two
Usually Christmas' theme is good will for men...
But in these days of new age "I'm ascending to a higher power by doing such and such" theology (or "I said the magic formula and Jesus is in my heart so I will be succesful in Business), the meaning goes beyond the Oprah version of peace.
Ratz said it best...
“The Child lying in the manger is truly God’s Son. God is not eternal solitude but rather a circle of love and mutual self-giving. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But there is more: in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God himself became man....
God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenceless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendour and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us. This is Christmas...
“it is the breaking of God’s light upon a world full of darkness and unsolved problems”. ...The light is a source of life. But, in the words of the Pope, “light means above all knowledge; it means truth, as contrasted with the darkness of falsehood and ignorance. So light gives us life, it shows us the way.
But then, light, as a source of heat, also means love. Where there is love, light shines forth in the world; where there is hatred, the world remains in darkness.
Yes, in the stable of Bethlehem there appeared the great light which the world awaits. ...The light of Bethlehem has never been extinguished. In every age it has touched men and women, ‘it has shone around them’. ....
The Midnight mass was not a pep rally, but a rejoicing of families. The humble knew that Christ was poor, like they were, but that he understood and was with them...the peace that follows prayer is not an ego trip, but each person seeing him or herself as part of God's family, and so loved...and the parties after the Mass were not a contradiction ,but a mirror of the Eucharist...
But in these days of new age "I'm ascending to a higher power by doing such and such" theology (or "I said the magic formula and Jesus is in my heart so I will be succesful in Business), the meaning goes beyond the Oprah version of peace.
Ratz said it best...
“The Child lying in the manger is truly God’s Son. God is not eternal solitude but rather a circle of love and mutual self-giving. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But there is more: in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God himself became man....
God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenceless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendour and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us. This is Christmas...
“it is the breaking of God’s light upon a world full of darkness and unsolved problems”. ...The light is a source of life. But, in the words of the Pope, “light means above all knowledge; it means truth, as contrasted with the darkness of falsehood and ignorance. So light gives us life, it shows us the way.
But then, light, as a source of heat, also means love. Where there is love, light shines forth in the world; where there is hatred, the world remains in darkness.
Yes, in the stable of Bethlehem there appeared the great light which the world awaits. ...The light of Bethlehem has never been extinguished. In every age it has touched men and women, ‘it has shone around them’. ....
The Midnight mass was not a pep rally, but a rejoicing of families. The humble knew that Christ was poor, like they were, but that he understood and was with them...the peace that follows prayer is not an ego trip, but each person seeing him or herself as part of God's family, and so loved...and the parties after the Mass were not a contradiction ,but a mirror of the Eucharist...
The communities gathered around the Eucharist make up a kingdom of peace as wide as the world itself. When we celebrate the Eucharist we find ourselves in Bethlehem, in the ‘house of bread’. Christ gives himself to us and, in doing so, gives us his peace. He gives it to us so that we can carry the light of peace within and give it to others. He gives it to us so that we can become peacemakers and builders of peace in the world.
And so we pray: Lord, fulfil your promise! Where there is conflict, give birth to peace! Where there is hatred, make love spring up! Where darkness prevails, let light shine! Make us heralds of your peace!”
-----------------------------------------------
SHHHESHH...the PC press says that the pope's reference to a small defenseless child is merely touting the church's opposition to abortion...wait til they report the sermon of March 25th...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update two: Full text now on line HERE
Christmas in the Philippines
Fred managed to attend all nine days of the early AM mass, and the topped it off with Mass last night...it's really "midnight" mass, but at 9 pm...we arrived at 7:45 and got seats.
They had a children's orchestra! play Christmas songs for the Baby Jesus for an hour concert...they were quite good. Then we had Mass.
After the start of Mass, right before the "Gloria" was sung, there was a procession of people, including one girl carrying the Christ child, and a very small boy, looking about age 8, who played the flute...and he played it very well, all the way up the aisle...then the statue of the Child was placed in the manger, and the "angel" descended to above the manger, and the star went on, and everyone sang the Gloria in Tagalog...and later we sang "Happy birthday" to the Christ child...
A wonderful Mass...
And afterward, Lolo decided since he couldn't jog in the morning, to jog around the center square near our house...I talked him out of it after one round (1/8 mile)...the square was full of young folks, talking and flirting and playing, and throwing fire crackers.
And after we got home, our son and daughter in law had a big family feast (They go to the more staid Baptist celebration in the morning, but knew we would be hungry)...so we ate ham and chicken and fruit, and listened to Christmas carols...
This morning, everyone from the neighborhood (and some from other neighborhoods) who had "connections" with Lolo came to visit...Dita counted 100--and they all received a gift from Lolo... this is traditional on the holidays...
This evening, we have a supper at Dr Angie's house...
My "gift" was a fancy gown for our niece's wedding next week...
No photos of church, since my palmpocket camera won't take good photos at night...
(continued next post)
They had a children's orchestra! play Christmas songs for the Baby Jesus for an hour concert...they were quite good. Then we had Mass.
After the start of Mass, right before the "Gloria" was sung, there was a procession of people, including one girl carrying the Christ child, and a very small boy, looking about age 8, who played the flute...and he played it very well, all the way up the aisle...then the statue of the Child was placed in the manger, and the "angel" descended to above the manger, and the star went on, and everyone sang the Gloria in Tagalog...and later we sang "Happy birthday" to the Christ child...
A wonderful Mass...
And afterward, Lolo decided since he couldn't jog in the morning, to jog around the center square near our house...I talked him out of it after one round (1/8 mile)...the square was full of young folks, talking and flirting and playing, and throwing fire crackers.
And after we got home, our son and daughter in law had a big family feast (They go to the more staid Baptist celebration in the morning, but knew we would be hungry)...so we ate ham and chicken and fruit, and listened to Christmas carols...
This morning, everyone from the neighborhood (and some from other neighborhoods) who had "connections" with Lolo came to visit...Dita counted 100--and they all received a gift from Lolo... this is traditional on the holidays...
This evening, we have a supper at Dr Angie's house...
My "gift" was a fancy gown for our niece's wedding next week...
No photos of church, since my palmpocket camera won't take good photos at night...
(continued next post)
Saturday, December 24, 2005
If Christmas trees were outlawed, then only Santa would have a Christmas tree
It's been a bad year for Santa Clause...
Santa back with police protection
02 Dec 04 | Suffolk
Santa told to sack his gas-emitting team of reindeer
Scotsman, United Kingdom -11 minutes ago
... But Santa, making a personal appearance at the Glasgow branch of John Lewis, in the Buchanan Galleries, hit back at the untimely attack on his traditional ...
And it hasn't been a great year for the Christ Child either...
Vandals destroy manger, Nativity scene in Logan
Deseret News, UT -16 hours ago
Baby Jesus gone again
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -Dec 17, 2005
The life-size Christ Child doll disappeared between 1 and 4 am Saturday
Replacement Jesus found
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -Dec 20, 2005
... which sits in the front yard of an Auto Zone store, to be without a Christ Child. ... Baby Jesus - a keepsake she has had since she was 6 - was stolen Saturday. ...
Baby Jesus Statue Stolen From Second Nativity Scene
Channel Cincinnati.com, OH -Dec 16, 2005
Police in Hamilton said that Wednesday evening, someone stole a 100-year-old Christ child statue from a display outside a funeral home. Police Sgt. ...
But not is all bad:
Donor paying for Baby Jesus and two sheep
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -Dec 16, 2005
And a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all of you!
02 Dec 04 | Suffolk
| Santa Worm Hits Instant Messenger Users Local6.com, FL - ... friend. If a user clicks the link, an image of Santa Claus will appear and then the worm will attack the system. Instant Messenger ... |
Scotsman, United Kingdom -
... But Santa, making a personal appearance at the Glasgow branch of John Lewis, in the Buchanan Galleries, hit back at the untimely attack on his traditional ...
And it hasn't been a great year for the Christ Child either...
Vandals destroy manger, Nativity scene in Logan
Deseret News, UT -
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -
The life-size Christ Child doll disappeared between 1 and 4 am Saturday
Replacement Jesus found
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -
... which sits in the front yard of an Auto Zone store, to be without a Christ Child. ... Baby Jesus - a keepsake she has had since she was 6 - was stolen Saturday. ...
Baby Jesus Statue Stolen From Second Nativity Scene
Channel Cincinnati.com, OH -
Police in Hamilton said that Wednesday evening, someone stole a 100-year-old Christ child statue from a display outside a funeral home. Police Sgt. ...
But not is all bad:
Donor paying for Baby Jesus and two sheep
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH -
CHEVIOT - A stolen 20-pound piece of fiberglass is proving to be quite a unifying force.
The 42-year-old Baby Jesus figure - lifted from Cheviot's Nativity scene Dec. 8 - has united East- and West-Siders as well as Christians and Jews.
On Wednesday, a 12-year-old Anderson Township girl, Julie Hendricks, donated her life-size Baby Jesus to complete the city's display.
Early Thursday, Peggy Sullivan , president of the Cheviot-Westwood Community Association, received a call from downtown attorney Jeff Harris. He said he wanted to foot the bill for the $800 the association was going to pay for a fiberglass replica of the 20-pound Christ Child as well as a pair of fiberglass sheep.
"I was blown away by his generosity. This shows how something good can come from something bad," said Sullivan.
Harris said he followed the story in The Enquirer.
"When I read about the community association paying $800 for the replacement, I thought they could put that money to a better use in the community. So, I decided to help out.
"I'm Jewish," added the 54-year-old Mount Lookout resident. "Many of my friends and colleagues are Christians. Through the years, they have helped me.
"This is my way of saying to them: 'Merry Christmas.'"
And a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all of you!
Friday, December 23, 2005
A mother's prayer
Lorie's joke page has this poem on it...
I Thank thee, Lord in Heaven above
For giving me a baby's love.
Those precious arms that hold me tight,
Those soft warm lips that kiss good night,
That baby chatter, soft and sweet,
The patter of those tiny feet.
I thank you for that love so true
Those sparkling eyes like shining dew,
that silken hair, that tiny nose,
Those cheeks like petals on a rose
That takes my breath away
And makes me love him more each day.
I thank you for that precious smile,
That seems contagious afterwhile,
And when I tuck him in his bed,
And gently kiss his curly head,
Only a mother's heart can know,
What makes me love my baby so.
I thank you for his loving ways,
His baby laughter through the days,
Those teeth of pearl, that heart of gold,
Please guide his steps as he grows old,
And help me, Lord, to worthy be
Of such responsibility.
And a merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good night...
How to give your cat a bath
Our cat fell into a vat of asphalt again...and came back black...
So I bathed him, until he got away, and then after Breakfast, Lolo caught him and bathed him with the help of our driver Etoy...
He is now hiding out in a box I made for him ( he was hiding in our closet, which now smells like tar)...
And I will probably have to throw out my teeshirt (lolo was smart, and cleaned him wearing only underware)...and we are now covered with scratches and tar...
So the link is to the famous joke about how to give your cat a bath...
Alas, he almost died the last time this happened...
So I bathed him, until he got away, and then after Breakfast, Lolo caught him and bathed him with the help of our driver Etoy...
He is now hiding out in a box I made for him ( he was hiding in our closet, which now smells like tar)...
And I will probably have to throw out my teeshirt (lolo was smart, and cleaned him wearing only underware)...and we are now covered with scratches and tar...
So the link is to the famous joke about how to give your cat a bath...
Alas, he almost died the last time this happened...
Rudolfus Rudinafus
Rudolphus rubrinasus fulgentissimo naso,
vidisti et si eum dicas quoque candere.
Omnes tarandi ceteri ridebant vocantes nomina;
non sinebant Rudolphum interessa ludentes.
olim crassa nocte Christi, Nicolaus it dictum:
“ Rudolphe, naso tam claro, agesne traham meam?”
Qui tum tarandis amor conclamantibus eum,
“ Rudolphe, rubrinase descendes historia!”
(heads up from the CurtJestor)
-----------------------------------
Or if you prefer, try THIS
sentimental lecture by Foamy the squirril on why we need Christmas...(heads upfrom itcomesinpints blog)
He knows if you're sending secret signals over the TV
"....Late last week, a Santa Fe District Court judge signed a temporary restraining order against talk-show host David Letterman alleging he has tormented a city resident for more than 10 years by using code words on his television program .....
"Nestler — who lived in Nevada, New Jersey, New York City, Maine and Santa Fe during that period — requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards from her and that he not “think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering,” according to the application.
"Nestler’s application was accompanied by a typed, six-page , double-spaced letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and “eye expressions” to convey his desire to marry her and train her as his co-host . Her story also involves Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelsey Grammer, whom Nestler says either supported or attempted to thwart her “relationship” with Letterman, according to the letter...."
Such delusions are common in schizophrenia...but why the judge bothered to go along with it shows the trivialization of the tort system...
"Nestler — who lived in Nevada, New Jersey, New York City, Maine and Santa Fe during that period — requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards from her and that he not “think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering,” according to the application.
"Nestler’s application was accompanied by a typed, six-page , double-spaced letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and “eye expressions” to convey his desire to marry her and train her as his co-host . Her story also involves Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelsey Grammer, whom Nestler says either supported or attempted to thwart her “relationship” with Letterman, according to the letter...."
Such delusions are common in schizophrenia...but why the judge bothered to go along with it shows the trivialization of the tort system...
He knows if you're naughty or nice, and if you are smoking
"....The move is the latest part of the Scottish Executive's ban on smoking in public places, which will come into force on 26 March next year.
"Ministers have told councils, health boards and social work departments that they should compile a "smokers' map" of Scotland, focusing on those who regularly receive visits from officials and carers. This would identify individual households where a smoker is resident.
"The smokers would then be sent letters asking them not to smoke for one hour before a council worker or health worker called round. Public bodies have also been advised to use the smokers' map to ensure that any workers who suffer from breathing problems are kept away from the homes of smokers. ..."
Ah yes, the major sin of the PC, Smoking....
"Ministers have told councils, health boards and social work departments that they should compile a "smokers' map" of Scotland, focusing on those who regularly receive visits from officials and carers. This would identify individual households where a smoker is resident.
"The smokers would then be sent letters asking them not to smoke for one hour before a council worker or health worker called round. Public bodies have also been advised to use the smokers' map to ensure that any workers who suffer from breathing problems are kept away from the homes of smokers. ..."
Ah yes, the major sin of the PC, Smoking....
Thursday, December 22, 2005
The Pope in the Hat
The British press is calling it a "santa Hat"...but in Italian it's called a Camuaro...
Why I am not blogging about medical news
Because it mostly nonsense...
Headline: Avian Flu Deaths Linked to Tamiflu Resistance
translation: We're all gonna DIE!
Headline: Drug Survey of Students Finds Picture Very Mixed
The good news: The kids aren't smoking as much..the bad news? They are snorting Oxycontin instead...
Since smoking cigarettes is one of the only two sins known to the NYTimes (the other sin is being a registered Republican) this is supposed to be a "mixed" blessing? Hello... (THIS is what happens when you smoke...snorting Oxycontin merely kills you)
Then there is a new drug for Renal Cancer...LINK
Ah, finally some good news...but since I don't give chemotherapy, I know little about the drug...
Then we read: Large number of unfit teens leaves doctors disheartened
Actually, I worry more about my teens sniffing Oxycontin and getting pregnant or catching HIV than I do that they don't exercize...but not exercizing is probably a third "sin" for the PC...
(and Yes, I do tell my patients to exercize)...
Tap water contains hundreds of chemicals
AGGH we're all gonna die...but since some of the chemicals kill Shigella, salmonella, E Coli, Amoeba etc. we will only die of chronic chemicalitis, not dystentary like in the good old days when tap water only had fecal bacteria in it...
Chest X-Rays Often Wrong About Lung Cancer
Hmmm. I remember that study when I was in medical school in the 1960's...lungs have so many lumps in them, you can't tell if they are cancer or not...and by the time you figure it out, the person will probably die anyway...CNN is more optimistic: That Chest X rays pick up lots of early lung cancer...and discusses that they were merely trying to reconfirm the earlier studies...the big question is will CT scans improve early diagnosis...a chest x ray costs $75 to 150 each, and a CT 600 plus...
The positive predictive value for chest x-rays -- the percentage of positive screens that led to a diagnosis -- was 2.1%, with 1.9 lung cancers detected for every 1,000 radiographs.
So to catch 2 cancers, it would cost $150000...and the real question is if you could catch it early enough to make a difference in the cure rate...
Finally the headline: A chocolate a day keeps the doctor away...
Finally, a health tip that I can follow...
Milton Hershey, call your office, your stock just went up...
Headline: Avian Flu Deaths Linked to Tamiflu Resistance
translation: We're all gonna DIE!
Headline: Drug Survey of Students Finds Picture Very Mixed
The good news: The kids aren't smoking as much..the bad news? They are snorting Oxycontin instead...
Since smoking cigarettes is one of the only two sins known to the NYTimes (the other sin is being a registered Republican) this is supposed to be a "mixed" blessing? Hello... (THIS is what happens when you smoke...snorting Oxycontin merely kills you)
Then there is a new drug for Renal Cancer...LINK
Ah, finally some good news...but since I don't give chemotherapy, I know little about the drug...
Then we read: Large number of unfit teens leaves doctors disheartened
Actually, I worry more about my teens sniffing Oxycontin and getting pregnant or catching HIV than I do that they don't exercize...but not exercizing is probably a third "sin" for the PC...
(and Yes, I do tell my patients to exercize)...
Tap water contains hundreds of chemicals
AGGH we're all gonna die...but since some of the chemicals kill Shigella, salmonella, E Coli, Amoeba etc. we will only die of chronic chemicalitis, not dystentary like in the good old days when tap water only had fecal bacteria in it...
Chest X-Rays Often Wrong About Lung Cancer
Hmmm. I remember that study when I was in medical school in the 1960's...lungs have so many lumps in them, you can't tell if they are cancer or not...and by the time you figure it out, the person will probably die anyway...CNN is more optimistic: That Chest X rays pick up lots of early lung cancer...and discusses that they were merely trying to reconfirm the earlier studies...the big question is will CT scans improve early diagnosis...a chest x ray costs $75 to 150 each, and a CT 600 plus...
The positive predictive value for chest x-rays -- the percentage of positive screens that led to a diagnosis -- was 2.1%, with 1.9 lung cancers detected for every 1,000 radiographs.
So to catch 2 cancers, it would cost $150000...and the real question is if you could catch it early enough to make a difference in the cure rate...
Finally the headline: A chocolate a day keeps the doctor away...
Finally, a health tip that I can follow...
Milton Hershey, call your office, your stock just went up...
The story of the Christmas truce
Last survivor of 'Christmas truce' tells of his sorrow
The First World War's horrors still move us but one man recalls his moment of peace amid the bloodshed
Lorna Martin, Scotland editor
Sunday December 19, 2004
The Observer
The words drifted across the frozen battlefield: 'Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht. Alles Schlaft, einsam wacht'. To the ears of the British troops peering over their trench, the lyrics may have been unfamiliar but the haunting tune was unmistakable. After the last note a lone German infantryman appeared holding a small tree glowing with light. 'Merry Christmas. We not shoot, you not shoot.'
It was just after dawn on a bitingly cold Christmas Day in 1914, 90 years ago on Saturday, and one of the most extraordinary incidents of the Great War was about to unfold.
Weary men climbed hesitantly at first out of trenches and stumbled into no man's land. They shook hands, sang carols, lit each other's cigarettes, swapped tunic buttons and addresses and, most famously, played football, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using their caps or steel helmets as goalposts. The unauthorised Christmas truce spread across much of the 500-mile Western Front where more than a million men were encamped. ....
The First World War's horrors still move us but one man recalls his moment of peace amid the bloodshed
Lorna Martin, Scotland editor
Sunday December 19, 2004
The Observer
The words drifted across the frozen battlefield: 'Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht. Alles Schlaft, einsam wacht'. To the ears of the British troops peering over their trench, the lyrics may have been unfamiliar but the haunting tune was unmistakable. After the last note a lone German infantryman appeared holding a small tree glowing with light. 'Merry Christmas. We not shoot, you not shoot.'
It was just after dawn on a bitingly cold Christmas Day in 1914, 90 years ago on Saturday, and one of the most extraordinary incidents of the Great War was about to unfold.
Weary men climbed hesitantly at first out of trenches and stumbled into no man's land. They shook hands, sang carols, lit each other's cigarettes, swapped tunic buttons and addresses and, most famously, played football, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using their caps or steel helmets as goalposts. The unauthorised Christmas truce spread across much of the 500-mile Western Front where more than a million men were encamped. ....
ancient footprints in the sand
the runners of ancient Australia left their foot prints in a drying lakebed...(heads up from the Gods Graves and Scholars Ping list of FreeRepublis, which is a right wing political site)
It's a wonderful life
Link is to an MP3 of the radio broadcast, via Boingboing...
A disc with more Lux radio programs HERE
A disc with more Lux radio programs HERE
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Do you drink with your cat?
Boy, do I have a link for you...
Try singing this to your cat:
When kitty eyes are smiling
All the world it is their play
With a leap a cat is soaring
Now your shoe lace is his prey
When kitty hearts are happy
Against your leg, you'll feel them rub
And when kitty eyes are smiling
Sure, you can't help falling in love.
Yum...Roast Cuy for Christmas
Every country has different animals that they eat...Here they eat all types of fish and lots of shrimp/shellfish/squid etc, and lots of chicken, some pork, and waterbuffalo meat (and if you can afford it, beef imported from NewZealand)....
In Africa they might eat chicken, goat meat, some beef and fish, but a seasonal "treat" (not a usual source of protein) would include caterpillers and flying ants, but shrimp/crawfish were taboo...
But in the Andes, where my sons lived until I adopted them, along with chicken and goat, they ate Cuy...aka Guinea pigs (although the Cuy were larger than the guinea pigs you see in the stores)...
In the USA, some rural people keep rabbits in their garages to eat and to sell the fur for extra money...
Well, in Colombia, their birth mom kept a breeding female in the kitchen, and when the smallcuys were larger, she would kill a couple and make stew.
They are Colombian, but their town was near the Ecuador border...
So I have linked (above) to Ecudorian recipes for Cuy...
And the answer is YES, I have eaten Cuy...and they taste like Pork...and Yes, I have eaten squid (tastes like chewey shrimp), Aso (tastes like beef), but no, I did not eat flying ants...but my mom did, and said they tasted like chestnuts...
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