Green eggs and Lembas

FRODO:
I have the ring. I have it here.
But, mercy me! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!
I fear the ring is very bad,
The golden ring that Bilbo had!
Tell me, will you take the ring?

GANDALF:
I will not take that evil thing!

FRODO:
Would you, could you, by the fire?
Would you, could you, in the Shire?

GANDALF:
I would not, could not, by the fire.
I would not, could not, in the Shire.

FRODO:
Would you, could you, in a tree?
Would you, on the road to Bree?
Would you, with an orc or troll?
Would you, in a hobbit-hole?

GANDALF:
I would not, could not, in a tree.
I would not, on the road to Bree.
I would not, with an orc or troll.
I would not, in a hobbit-hole.
I will not take it here or there,
I will not take it anywhere!

go to link for entire poem....

The secret life of a cell

the link is to a short film on the secret life of a cell...done with computer animation.
I studied cytology 40 years ago in college, and they were just starting to replace a magical fluid called "protoplasm" and the state of the art on our knowledge of cell physiology was popularized by Raquel Welch...>

Headups from blueteablog and I believe it was on boing boing last week.

Medical photography

this is actually a cerebellar nerve cell grown in culture...
Heads up from BlueTeaBlog, who also links to other websites with microscopic photographic art.

Philippine news

Typhoon passed, and Manila is getting their lights back on.

We only blacked out here a few hours, and now everything is fine...just water in the streets, but not flooded.

The place is full of craftsmen and craftswomen...I'll try to post photos later, but still have to figure how to join my palmpocket to this new computer. If Chano has more photos, I'll post them instead and get you the link.

No excuses for terror

Harry's place and Yourtube has the BBC special in four parts.
Headsup Pajamamedia

And Dick Meyer at CBS asks:It appears that many of our politicians just kept on cycling, through the spin cycle, that is. Statesmen and stateswomen are supposed to do just the opposite. They are supposed to guide the citizenry past emotion to reason and debate. Quaint notion, isn't it?

Debate? You mean stop mudslinging against the fascist evil bushychimphitler? YOU must be kidding... No one wanted the war except Bush, so no one except the cops and intelligence agencies who confront terrorism every day seem to want him to succeed...

Liquid sculpture

headsup from SolomoniaBlog

the Maps of War

Why diets fail...

Science headlines

There is a satirical website GodHatesShrimp

Now, I eat shellfish all the time, but the deaths of two women from eating raw oysters from a cholera like bacteria reminds us why the patriarchs (and probably not the deity) forbad eating certain foods...

And now for the newest hit on TV: CSI Beruit...A tooth found at the scene of the Hariri murder suggests that his death was from a suicide bomber, and the dental work on the tooth suggests that the bomber was NOT Lebanese but had lived abroad...

You heard that cows cause global warming? Well, now it seems that bacteria emit methane, a cause of global wamring...

Injecting beta pancreatic cells into type one diabetics works for only about a year...LINK

And if you really want to be paranoid, remember: It's everywhere it's everywhere...
Many everyday objects touched by dirty hands are harbouring and spreading the common cold virus, say scientists.

But don't despair...just pass the garlic and the Redwine

Alas, now the food police are trying to insist that chocolate is evil...Right.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CHOCOLATE

Oh well...guess I have to post a chocolate video...sweet overload warning...

Quote of the day

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended Bill Clinton on Wednesday over the former president's counterterrorism efforts, saying recent criticism on preventing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is wrong," reports the Associated Press:

"The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton is just wrong for many, many reasons, not the least of which is I don't think he deserves it," Giuliani said in response to a question after an appearance with fellow Republican Charlie Crist, who is running for governor. "I don't think President Bush deserves it. The people who deserve blame for Sept. 11, I think we should remind ourselves, are the terrorists--the Islamic fanatics--who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it." . . .

Giuliani said he believed Clinton, like his successor, did everything he could with the information he was provided.

"Every American president I've known would have given his life to prevent an attack like that. That includes President Clinton, President Bush," the former mayor said. "They did the best they could with the information they had at the time."

Family News

Lots of workers here doing crafts to present to the trade fair next week. Mostly Chano's new designs, which we are hoping to get someone to buy and/or subcontract so our workers will have work again...and if it is our design, we may actually make a profit (The livelihood is a program for people to do crafts in the villages, to make extra income...usually we sponsor the program and supervise and deliver raw materials and then deliver the objects, but rarely make a profit...it is part of our charity outreach, so we figure if we break even it is fine).

Last year, Christmas balls and wicker furniture. This year, christmas balls and better designed wicker furniture, and maybe Capiz shell decor...all of which is upscale so should get a better price for all involved.

Typhoon hit yesterday, but we are inland enough that all we got was rain. Luckily, the land here is flat, but our house is high and has good drainage...and what is even better is that the gutters worked, so we only flooded a little in the living room and one of the guest bedrooms.

Lolo is fine. Ruby is doing well in school...Chano and Joy are so busy we rarely see them.

Chicken joke of the day

There was this farmer lady who had a prize laying pullet.
Every day she'd go to the chicken house and check the hen's nest and find a huge, brown,double yoked egg......day in and day out....for years.

Well,One day she went to get her egg but instead laying in the nest the was a nickle, 2 pennies and 4 quarters..........."hmmm, what the?" She thought but she was glad to get what she did and time went on.

Every day for the next couple of weeks she collected her nice eggs till one day there in the nest were 4 pennies, a dime , two 50 cent pieces and 2 quarters. Stymied the lady just went ahead and put the money in her apron and went on her way....

Time went on again she got her nice eggs.

Till about 4 days later...She checked the nest and there was 4 dimes ,2 pennies, a quarter and 6 nickles... Not knowing what else to do she put them in her
pocket and went on her business.........

Well,
One day she had to go to town to get chicken feed..........and while at the feed store she decided to tell old Fred about the pullet and what she had discovered in the pullet's nest....

Fred thought for a contemplative few moments......and said..
---
---
----
---
"The way I figure that pullet of yours surely must be goin' through the
change".

Your Okie joke of the day from Dr. Chesbro.

Classic insults.

When Insults Had Class

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
-- Winston Churchill

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
-- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
-- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."
-- Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
-- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."
-- Winston Churchill, in response

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
-- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."
-- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."
-- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure."
-- Jack E. Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt."
-- Robert Redford

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
-- Thomas Brackett Reed

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them."
-- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily."
-- Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
-- Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
-- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts...for support rather than illumination."
-- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
--

---Your email of the day from Col. UPdraft

Adult stem cells help hearts

Stem cells from one own's bone marrow has increase the ability of damaged hearts to pump. The increase is low, (average 7%) but enough to get some people out of heart failure, and there are hopes that it will improve with each treatment.

What is puzzling is that the hearts in the study weren't that bad to begin with: Average ejection fraction of 37%...usually 20 is considered the cut off for end stage heart disease...

We'll know it is a good treatment when Dick Cheyney gets treatment...his EF is reportedly low...

They are already doing this procedure in Asia. Don Ho got his treatment last year in Thailand..

Genesis: The Program

No wonder the world is so messed up...God is still using MSDOS...

Headsup from Ursi

Neanderthal alert

Well, since the MSM posts news of Iraq from hotel rooms, we shouldn't wonder about this first person report on the last of the Neanderthals...

The campfire was crackling by the time the group of hirsute men, dead turtles and skinned seals thrown over their shoulders, returned from the hunt. Their hands still bloody from the kill, they roasted the day's delicacies over the fire on sticks, sending a tall plume of smoke to the roof of the huge cave...

And then there is this LINK about DNA studies in Native Americans.
Or maybe not...the "link" cited was traced to a lady who immigrated to California in 1788, and was baptised there...so not exactly an ancient ancestor.

Attention OCC

headsup from those nutty Freepers

First they came (take Three)

First they came for our cigarettes, then they came for our gooseliver pate, and now they are coming for our french fries...

First they came (take two)

First they came for our pesticides, then they came for our dolphin endangering nets, and now they come for our ....LINK
(caution PDF FILE) Original link here...

Follow up

The secret intelligence report was leaked, so Bush, noting the suspicious timing of the leak, has released the whole thing. FormerSpook cherrypicks some quotes the NYTimes seemed to have overlooked, and Blackhawk asks pointed questions to critics HERE

Cucaracha alert

PETA is protesting "EAT A ROACH" Day at Six Flags..."...A spokeswoman for the animal rights organization says the contest at the amusement park's FrightFest is "gratuitously cruel." ..."
First they protected the endangered species, then they protested keeping pets, now they're protecting Ipis...
They are welcome to come here and collect our 100 000 cockroaches and let a good home adopt them. If not, our monthly insect spray is next week...

(headsup SecondhandsmokeBlog)

Life, illustrated....

your email of the day from Col. Updraft

One reason for poor MSM coverage of the war

It may not be bias...StrategyPage writes:

...few of these journalists are reporting much. On any given day, fewer than a dozen reporters are embedded with combat units, and actually out there.... Most journalists are in the Green Zone, or some well-guarded hotel. There, they depend on Iraqi stringers to gather information, and take pictures for them....

Nothing new about using local stringers in dangerous areas. .... The problem is, the pool of available Iraqi talent is mostly Sunni Arab. Many of these folks side with the bad guys. And all Iraqi journalists, especially those working for foreigners, are subject to intimidation, or bribery. While some of the foreign reporters may be aware of all this, some aren't, and many of the rest don't care. The truth won't set them free, but supplying stories their editors are looking for, will. It wasn't always this way, but that's the way it is these days.

Censorship in the News

First they came for the cartoons, then they came for the Pope, and now they came for Mozart ...

The new film about the Dixie chicks downfall make it clear their fall from grace is not a free speech issue, but because the main singer is openly contemptuous to her fans...which is why an anti war, anti Bush, drug using ex con Willie Nelson is stil beloved, and the Dixie Chicks are now into...whatever they are singing now...


And Salon has an expose on a Republican who I never heard of is running for office: He said the "N" word in 1970....or at least 3 of 19 fellow classmates say they sort of remember him doing so...
The story relates that an ex classmate "when he heard that Allen was a possible candidate for president in 2008...began to write down some of the negative memories of his former teammate. He provided Salon excerpts of those notes last week."
thereby proving the proverb "Revenge is a meal best served cold"....

Philippine oil spill

LastingNews has an update and links...

The news here is that overloading probably caused the ship to sink...and rumors the overloading was because they were "smuggling" oil but this part is unconfirmed.

and to make things worse, the sprays and chemicals used for the cleanup may have negative impact on the environment LINK

Well, there is some good news: Mayon volcano settling down...

But we still have Dengue and politics as usual and the usual crime...another Local politician killed.

And now the fight in Mindinao is increasing, there is a rumor that they will pull troops from here LINK

However, we saw a truck of soldiers in front of the "Waltermart" Mall yesterday, so security is still high, and the harvest is starting in six weeks...

Why did the chicken cross the road? Amazon version

It was doing the Chicken dance Polka

it wasn't trying to cross the road... and you can buy your very own Chicken dance stuffed chicken toy here at Amazon...

List Price: $23.99
Price: $9.40
You Save: $14.59 (61%)

Why did the chicken cross the road? Navy version

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWARSYSCOM): The "stovepipe" chickens of today will be replaced with a multi-function, supported, affordable, integrated and interoperable world-class chicken to warriors and supporting elements, enabling them to dominate the roads of today and tomorrow, as we move "Forward...From the Sea." Comptroller holds and corporate taxes, however, will require delay fielding for two years, unless Congressional plus-ups are approved.

Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR): The purpose is not important. What is important is that the chicken remained under the OPCON of COMSIXTHFLEET and did not CHOP to the theater on the other side of the road. Without Chopping, the chicken was able to achieve a seamless road-crossing with near perfect, real-time in-transit visibility.

Naval Intelligence: What chicken?


(note to John: ARMY RULES)

Why did the chicken cross the road? Egghead version

Albert Camus: It doesn't matter; the chicken's actions have no meaning except to him.
Gilligan: The traffic started getting rough; the chicken had to cross. If not for the plumage of its peerless tail - the chicken would be lost. The chicken would be lost!
Timothy Leary: Because that's the only kind of trip the Establishment would let it take.
William Shakespeare: I don't know why, but methinks I could rattle off a hundred-line soliloquy without much ado.
Java Chicken: If your road needs to be crossed by a chicken, the server will download one to the other side. (Of course, those are chicklets)
Richard M. Nixon: The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did not cross the road.
Machiavelli: The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The ends of crossing the road justify whatever motive there was.
Mr. Scott: 'Cos ma wee transporter beam was na functioning properly. Ah canna work miracles, Captain!
B.F. Skinner: Because the external influences, which had pervaded its sensorium from birth, had caused it to develop in such a fashion that it would tend to cross roads, even while believing these actions to be of its own freewill.
Sir Isaac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest. Chickens in motion tend to cross the road. ...

Why did the checken cross the road? Classic versions

Q: Why did the chicken run across the road?
A: There was a car coming.
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road halfway?
A: She wanted to lay it on the line.
Q: Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?
A: She wanted to stretch her legs.

Why did the chicken cross the road? War on terror version

Halliburton: We were asked to help the chicken cross the road. Given the inherent risk of road crossing and the rarity of chickens, this operation will only cost the US government $326,004.

Muqtada al-Sadr: The chicken was a tool of the evil Coalition and will be killed.

US Army Military Police: We were directed to prepare the chicken to cross the road. As part of these preparations, individual soldiers ran over the chicken repeatedly and then plucked the chicken. We deeply regret the occurrence of any chicken rights violations.

Peshmerga: The chicken crossed the road, and will continue to cross the road, to show its independence and to transport the weapons it needs to defend itself. However, in future, to avoid problems, the chicken will be called a duck, and will wear a plastic bill.

1st Cav: The chicken was not authorized to cross the road without displaying two forms of picture identification. Thus, the chicken was appropriately detained and searched in accordance with current SOP?s. We apologize for any embarrassment to the chicken. As a result of this unfortunate incident, the command has instituted a gender sensitivity training program and all future chicken searches will be conducted by female soldiers.

Al Jazeera: The chicken was forced to cross the road multiple times at gunpoint by a large group of occupation soldiers, according to eye-witnesses. The chicken was then fired upon intentionally, in yet another example of the abuse of innocent Iraqi chickens.

Blackwater: We cannot confirm any involvement in the chicken-road-crossing incident.

Translators: Chicken he cross street because bad she tangle regulation. Future chicken table against my request.

U.S. Marine Corps: The chicken is dead.


Headsup from HERE via OneHandClappingBlog

The Five W's of journalism

The five Ws of journalism are: Who, What, When, Where and Why.

So let's take the NYTimes story on an Intelligence report. okay, fellows, who, why, what, when where and why? Fellahs? Yooo hooo..THIS gives a few more details, but still no context, such as how negative one sided reports of atrocities and failure to cover good news in Iraq help the jihadi's ....here is formerspook's assessment.
Full bitch essay HERE
--------------------------------------

Then there is oil: Most of Europe's oil comes from Iran and the Middle East.LINK Today's BBC reports that there is a pipeline from the Baltic and Barent's sea and it's almost done..now they can get it from Russia...China and India are getting a pipeline from Iran...and the Alberta oil rush for oil that goes to the USA..And here is an old BBC report on oil in Africa.

We hear lots of rhetoric about "blood for oil", well, , and I'm sure that there is an article that pulls all this together, but where is it?How does all this fit into the global economy, the WOT, etc? What where why when and who?
----------------------

Finally, I read that the new Mel Gibson film was previewed, not at Sundance or at Canne, but in...Oklahoma...and Texas..
OKLAHOMA? WTF? What,why when where who?

Well, there is a method to his madness...before "The Passion..." he screened Christian audiences, and out went the word of mouth...it was a grass roots hit.

Well, Gibson's new film is about Native Americans, so he screened it for...Native american audiences.

And then there is another group that saw and reviewed the preview: an Austin Texas website called Ain'tItCoolNews...
and Harry gives it a thumbs up, as do two of three other reviewers. He is probably more influential with the slasher/horror/scifi types than is Roger Ebert....if you have a bloody action film and want to let fans know about it, you call Harry...and if he likes it, the result is: Kaching.

Remember, you read it here first.

Been there....done that....

Tripoli six: Killing nurses

The daily Kos is worried about several Italian nurses threatened with death for spreading HIV via needles...accused of doing it deliberatly.

However, the dirty little secret is that a lot of HIV in Africa and in Eastern Europe was spread thru dirty needles and unscreened blood transusions.

It is NOT the simple reuse of needles, but the inability to resterilize them properly.

You can kill HIV with chlorox bleach...but in some areas of Africa, you simply don't have enough needles to use for all your injections. So you reuse them.

This is who it was done in our smaller African clinics 20 years ago.

For example, you fill an oldfashioned 10 cc glass syringe with Procaine penicillin. Everyone comes in gets a shot...broken arm? penicillin shot. coughing? Penicillin shot. Back pain? Penicillin shot. One syringe, ten shots. Then you wash out the syringe and needles, and sterilize them by boiling over a propane tank stove for 15 minutes...if you are really short of supplies, you simply refill and keep shooting.

Penicillin for broken arms is not as crazy as it sounds, since you could always identify where it hurt because of "muti cuts"...pain was treated by making shallow cuts and rubbing herbs in the cuts...leading to infected cuts.

And remember: Muti cuts and other scarification done by traditional healers who did not sterilize their knives...and often, local healers would include penicilin and vitamin B shots with their other treatments.

The good news is that unlike HepatitisB, HIV is not easily spread thru needles and blood...nevertheless, it may be ironic that the spread of HIV may have been made worse by modern medicine.

(link from Instapundit)

Beaver Burkha

Manolo says: hello Fuller brush lady

How to overclock your toothbrush

Headsup from Pajamas media who says: These nerds have way too much time on their hands.

Sunday Morning Religion news

While dressing for church, I glanced up and saw CNN has Christienne in black holding a discussion on about god and violence or something or other...in the middle of my screen is a leering Bill Clinton.
Yup...that's right. Pick a backslidden Baptist con man to discuss God...(and Yes, I did say a prayer for him in church this morning...like most children of alcoholics, he's still trying to prove himself).

As Blogfather and PajamasMedia point out, only a tiny numbers attended the days of "muslim outrage" demonstrations. The rest of the 8oo million Muslims who see Islam as reminding them that there is a benevolent God who blesses their daily work , giving meaning to their daily lives, stayed home and prepared for Ramadan.

Other Religion news: Thich Quang was honored in Norway...he was given the Rafto prize for peace, for his peaceful 30 year opposition to communism in Viet Nam...next stop, Nobel Prize...

But the good news of the day: SPACEBALLS: THE CARTOON
MAY THE SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU!

Can you feel the Love?

Yes, it's nice being an evil dark Lord that terrorizes the empire...but after hours, Darth Vader REALLY wants to be...Elton John. Pho
Photo from CostumeBlog, which has other pics from DragonCon...headsup from techrepublic.

Family news

We are fixing our computer system with a new modem and trying to fix our router. So after three weeks, I can use the wireless router again with my laptop, so I can sit in my easy chair.

Chano is busy with his designs outside.

Lolo is busy feeding the dogs desert and sweets. The two kittnes are sleeping on the bed (it's okay...after being bitten by fleas they got a bath).

And Christina is sitting watching Lilo and Stich on Disney channel Asia.

I tried to change to the "easier" template, but alas it won't keep my five thousand links...sigh. I was hoping to shorten them with widgets, but I can't figure out how to add them to a non html system.

If the world blew up, we haven't heard about it...

testing

this new beta blogger sucks

Family news:Trade fair part two: New designs

and Ruby always loves to ham it up at the fairs...

Family News: Trade fairs are a-coming..

Rice anyone?

High fiber, high vitamin r

Your safety tip of the day

Your email of the day from Col. Thermal Updraft.

War of Religion update

Headsup from TheAnchoessBlog...

Photographs as art

Instapundit linked to a photo of an Amish buggy in front of a wind farm...
I used to live in Pennsylvania and shrugged...but the main link shows a lot of nice photos of West Virginia...

And Ursi's subcategory of beautiful photographs is HERE

War on Terror, good news

The battles in Afghanistan...the Taliban are in retreat...

The Battles in Jolo: Also good news. They got one of the masterminds of the Bali Bombers...Way to go, Pinoy Marines...

Lolo comments: Huh...I worked there in 1952...
He suggests they find peace and open a resort...beautiful beaches, beautiful women...ah, he was single and sexy back then (he's still sexy, but never mind)...

Did you read about the 35,000 at the pro Israel, anti Ahmadinejad Rally yesterday at the UN? NO? Well, Meryl Yourish has a report...

35,000 people protesting against a man who wants to “wipe Israel from the map”? Not newsworthy at all. John Bolton speaking? Who? Elie Wiesel? George Pataki? Who?

FrankWarnerBlog asks: Where are the stories of Heroism? He blames both the MSM and the Pentagon for not getting the stories out...well, that's why there are Milblogs...

There have been a lot of complaints about Hollywood's bias agains the WOT...however, although you can watch Farenheit 911 on HBO, most people watch B movies and regular TV...

Our cable channels have ERING and TheGrid and of course Jack Bauer...and the Palenke has lots of Steven Segal and other war type movies...so although the elites tend to echo the opinions of the NYTimes (the Manila Bulletin even has a NYTimes supplement to emphasize their love) the masses still prefer kick ass marine movies...

Of course, that doesn't mean they won't hide uncle charles of the NPA from Cousin Bang who works for the police, but that's family...

The unanswered question

If human embryonic stem cells can grow in mice and allow them to see,
then why couldn't we use mice (or baboon or chimpanzie) embryonic stem cells to allow humans to see?

Inquiring minds want to know...

New sports

<---First there was EXTREME IRONING
Then there came the sport of Lawnmover Drill Teams

(Heads up Instapundit)

But the winner of best game of the year is...

Trivia of the day

Researchers found that the plague of Periclean Athens was typhoid...now they are planning to check what caused the Justinian plague, which just about killed off the strength of the western Roman Empire and weakened the eastern Roman Empire to outside attacks by Persians and ArabMuslims... it is assumed to be Bubonic plague...the Freepers discussion, with links, is here...(political website so don't open at work)...

Naples is okay for another year, says their saint...

Birth control patches contain more estrogen than the low estrogen birth control pills that most docs prescribe, so guess what? they cause blood clots, just like the old high estrogen birth control pills.
Well, duh.

Microwaves...they're not just for hotdogs anymore...

Austin Bey writes about the CBS AMBUSH...no not the network, but Coordinated Blood-spilling plus Sensationalism... so much for "fair and balanced"...

Rapunzels are not just in Lebanon... Saudi Students are in fear of being prosecuted because a man in Denver was sent to jail for raping and imprisoning his maid..Al-Turki, 37, said that US authorities were persecuting him for “traditional Muslim behaviors”. He blamed anti-Muslim prejudice for his conviction and the severity of the sentence. ...(via LGF)..

Of course, the Subic Marines are using the claim that a prostitute can't be raped as their defense...
where is Gloria Steinum when we need her?

Haliburton is evil, right?
Ah, but do you know any of the details of what the evil H and other companies have been doing in Iraq? GatesofVienna pundit links to someone who was there ... the MSM didn't only ignore the story, but seemed oblivious to the fact any reconstruction was going on..."The size and complexity of the work being undertaken in Iraq was something not seen since the post-World War Two rebuilding of Europe and Japan."

Yup...if it bleeds it leads, so ignore the call centers in Makati and other positive developments...
Here in the Philippines, only mudslides and Imelda's shoes make the headlines...STRATFOR has an update on Mindinao...alas, battling AbuSayef has imperiled the MILF peacetalks but may have saved the SM mall from being bombed...up here, however, the NPA is the problem...

But don't worry, be happy....and visit Baguio, city of pines...and the two mile long sausage...

Space news take two

IN honor of Mrs. Ansari, the above link is to make the Spaceship Enterprise...by Origami..

And TheHappyMagpie has a lot of links to tieFighters etc. that are easier to do...

Eileen's site has lots of ships and stuff LINK

And Dr.O'Hanlon has a lot of models, and instructions for beginners...

Space news

Refugee who fled Iran's mullahs becomes first woman space tourist shouts the UKTimes...but I guess you can't say that on American TV either, since MSNBC , ABC, and the WaPo merely call her a "female space tourist"...

From the LondonTimes:

AS A young girl in Iran, Anousheh Ansari would stare in wonder at the stars and dream of joining them in the blackness of space. Yesterday, a week after her 40th birthday, she made her dream come true. ... As the first Iranian-born astronaut was circling Earth last night, her remarkable journey from Tehran to the International Space Station was being hailed also as evidence of the continued power of another dream: the American one.

Mrs Ansari was 16 when her family emigrated in 1984 as the Islamic Revolution in Iran was at its peak and girls faced a strictly limited future. Her parents said that they wanted her to be able to pursue her passion for science....

(after College) Mrs Ansari joined a telecommunications company, where she met her husband, Hamid. In 1993 she persuaded him and his brother to pool their savings and set up Telecom Technologies, a supplier of communication networks, just as the industry in America was deregulating. The start-up grew rapidly to employ 250 people and turned the Ansaris into telecom tycoons when the business was sold for hundreds of millions of dollars in 2000.
------------------

Now, read previous post...the part about "While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country's shortcomings.

Holy Shit, I don't believe he said that...

Imagine what it's like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You're 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your government. While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country's shortcomings. And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence and terror and martyrdom. For many across the broader Middle East, this is the dismal choice presented every day.

Catholic news of the day

A local Oklahoma diner is naming their bacon cheeseburger honor of one of the Ragemonkies....

The Hamilton will be a hamburger patty, topped with sauteed, caramelized onions, hickory sauce, cheese, and (this is the key ingredient that makes it "The Hamilton") hickory smoked bacon.
Sigh...wished they served that at Jollibee...
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On a more serious note, theAngryTwins report Bishop Wu has been released...

Trivia of the day

Beware of Cows in Norway... maybe they are protesting THIS

Father Jonathan's take on those who didn't bother to read either the Pope's message or his so called "apology"...he includes street people (who don't know better) , many government officials, and the NYTimes...
Prime Minister Howard dares to say what the rest of us have been thinking...LINK
And the NYTimes should reprint this editorial from the Australian...

Garrison Kiellor's book was nominated for a Quill award....You can listen to his radio show online link on left...

I often figure book awards are for uppity snobs, but I actually have books by three of the poets...and any award program that nominates Janet Evanovich has my vote...
But then, as a girl from the neighborhoods of Philly, I identify with the character of Stepanie Plum...whose antics makes me laugh out loud...

And, 40 years after I learned that tobacco caused small for dates kids who sometimes had smaller brains and lead from gasoline and eating paint caused brain damage, the press finds someone who rediscovers there facts...LINK.

And Houston, you have a problem...I'm not sure which is worse, poor people who threaten crime if they don't get freebies, or radio hosts who say get a gun and shoot to kill if attacked...

And don't forget:

IT's NATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

ARGGHH...

Children of Hurin

Tolkien's tales about the children of Hurin have been edited and collected in one volume by his son, and will be published separately.

Many have been published in various volumes but this will give some continuity and editorial insight into the tales.

Philosophical thought of the day

  

Daily humor

  

One million Catholics without churches

There possibly were as many as one million Catholics in the country of Saudi Arabia....

Ah, hear the silence...hello....where's the protest? Try to make a utopia without beer, sex, parties, or fiestas (Pinoys see nothing wrong with any of these), and humans being humans, the result is not quite what one expects...

For an "undercover" (pun intended) look at how "fun loving" Pinoys cope in Saudi, check this article out...Jergens anyone?

Killing Sister Rita

Michelle Malkin and others are politicizing that Islamofascists killed Sister Leonella.

Now, I am not a friend of the radical fascists hiding behind Islam to make a utopia...be they Saudi Sunni officials who make Pinay nurses throw away their rosaries, Saudi charities that fund schools teaching jihad but no practical skills, or Shiites who persecute Bahai's and impose a dress code on women in Tehran.

But the other 800 million who seek to follow God and live moral lives following the prophet are not to be confused with these ideologues. As a Catholic, we see Islam as worshipping the same God, but with an imperfect idea of who and what God is. Indeed, except for the AcidTongued Spengler, few western reporters noted that Benedict was trying to point out the need to see God as rational and not someone who supports killing innocent people in his name.

The problem of charities supporting those who murder innocent people under the guise of ideology is not limited to Islam, however.

When I was a missionary in Africa, we had a bad government and freedom fighters. Alas, the World Council of churches ignored the reality of the "freedom fighters" and gave them money for "humanitarian" reasons.

Alas, like the NPA here, too many "freedom fighters" in their spare time found they could rape, kill, and murder people without impunity, since they had guns and civilians did not.

The result was the murder of quite a few missionaries, many of whom I knew. Many were killed in the course of robbery, but not all. And some, like Sister Rita and the wife and daughter of an English missionary, were not as lucky as Sister Leonalla who was merely shot to death.

So, where are the headlines complaining that Christian groups need to decry terrorist organizations funded by their churches?

I suspect that there are some people in Haifa who would like to know the answer.

The real winner of the war on civilization: China

I have a blog that posts news stories on Zimbabwe.

One of the quiet stories there is that, although the US and UK are sending aid, they also have sanctions on business investment...paper sanctions, of course, since multinationals would move thru South Africa, but even SA is getting their investments stolen or confiscated in that economy.

Now, last year, Mugabe destroyed a lot of "illegal businesses" in his "operation Cleanup". Now, this was aimed at destroying his opponants in those areas, and ended up destroying a convent in KweKwe and an HIV clinic in Harare that were run by my friends...but much of the cleanup was of people running small shops without full papers... selling veggies they grew, or fixing and reselling used objects like clothing.

The rumor was that by destroying the reselling of good quality "used" goods, his actions would please the Chinese who sell poor quality new goods.

The Chinese' action in Zimbabwe propping up their government could allow them to get a stranglehold on Chrome mining..and the Chinese actions in Dafur are to allow them to get oil. (the next oil well rush will be Africa...remember this next time you invest).

So if the west destroyes itself and Islamofascism takes over the middle East, look to China to rule. After all, someone will have to manufacture and sell stuff...

Stuff to do on a bad news day....

Need some fun on a bad news day?

Well, Hoops and yoyo have a podcast...

And print THESE OUT (Caution PDF)


Or if you want a serious origami, try this Japanese Golden Eagle...

censor the cucumber!

Ifilm has a link to show you how dangerous the Veggies are for your children...

Steve Erwin Tribute

Bob the Tomato has been censored

Free speech for Howard Stern, but Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber are too risque to pass NBC's board of "standards and practices"....

Terry Mattingly (tongue firmly in cheek) suggests : head over to their local NBC affiliates with signs and bullhorns and march around and around in a peaceful, non-violent manner, chanting: “God made you special and he loves you very much! God made you special and he loves you very much! God made you special and he loves you very much!”
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Alas, when elderly nuns are killed and churches fire bombed, one wishes that the Tyrannies of government and religion had such a sense of humor and a sense of proportion in protesting imaginary slights...and the BBC isn't helping matters..

Frisbees of Death

via Improbable research

China-Vatican "spat"? BBC clueless again

At the end of an earlier post, I noted that Bishop Wu had been arrested...

The Beeb dismisses persecution of Christians and the resistance of the Catholics to being taken over by the government's puppet bishops as a mere "spat" in their headlines...

Hmmm...wonder if the BBC knows who Thomas a Beckett and Thomas Moore were? Both died over the question if the government could run the church...

Rapunzel update number six: It's old news, Gloria

In previous posts, I linked to local papers noting the high rate of abuse of Pinay maids in Lebanon, that led to several jumping out of windows to escape after being locked in by employers to prevent their leaving during the war (i.e. Rapunzel).

Well, Amnesty International Report
from 2001 notes this:
Many female migrant domestic workers work excessive hours, face restrictions on their freedoms of movement and association, and do not receive pay that is due to them. An unquantifiable number also suffer physical and sometimes sexual abuse. A consequence of discriminatory laws forbidding them from changing their employers is that they remain more vulnerable to abuse while their employers are effectively guaranteed impunity. There are also reports that some female domestic migrant workers are forbidden from marrying a Lebanese or foreign national while in Lebanon.

At least five female migrant workers died during 2004 having reportedly suffered abuse. Of four Filipinas who fell from buildings to their deaths, three were reportedly trying to escape from abusive employers, while autopsies on the fourth discovered that she had been recently sexually abused. A fifth female migrant worker, a Nepalese, hanged herself after reportedly being beaten by her employer. Amnesty International is not aware of any prosecutions being made in any of the five deaths.

Ah, but instead of stopping abuse of Pinoys in the Middle East or stopping local corruption that prevents businesses from investing here, Gloria is busy drinking tea with the prince....worthwhile if it actually leads to investments...

You can't say that part three

Blogfather has links on the Pope's discussion...including links on how the press distorted what was actually said...as theAnchoress points out:

some in the press - not all, but some - could not resist the urge to provoke precisely these violent and angry reactions and these predictable, camera-ready burnings in effigy from a people the press knows they can rouse to fury in less than three notes.

I mean, when isn’t the “Muslim world” furious, enraged, raising its sword and setting fire to flags or images? When isn’t some Muslim cleric demanding a retraction of what he perceives to he “harsh” words? When a few cartoons can be turned into worldwide protests, resulting in death to too many and literally cowing the media into relative silence, does the press not understand that a snarky headline or a careless phrase can cost lives?

A secondhandconjectureBlog notes the press also distorted the demonstrations...
So out of a religion numbering its adherents in the vicinity of 1.2 billion, only about 200 at most showed up to protest?
And he goes on to note that the speech was aboutfaith and reason (i.e. the moral absolutes of Greek Philosophy and a criticism of a secular humanism that ignores reason and faith in favor of moral relativism and the latest intellectual fads...-------
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Furthur analysis of the history of forced conversions to Islam HERE

My Pirate name...

My pirate name is:

Iron Anne Bonney

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

GrouchyOldCripple's New Truck

It's a hybrid...

Cute na cute

flower puppies...

Your photo of the day

From

Col. UPDRAFT

A drug to prevent Diabetes?

Rosiglitizone works partly by helping the body use insulin more efficiently...and theoretically would stop the slide to full blown Diabetes in those with Insulin resistance...full discussion HERE.

Global Day for Dafur

Sept 17...

You can't say that

Is the Pope allowed to be Catholic? This reporter says no...

In clinging to theology and orthodoxy, the bookish Benedict has shown little regard for media management in getting his message across, unlike the communications-savvy John Paul II. (IN CLINGING TO THEOLOGY AND ORTHODOXY? HOW GAUCHE!)....LINK to speeches HERE

and HERE and HERE...it's about using both faith and reason in our understanding the world.

Not that the below bozos bothered to read the speech...

In other religious news, TheAngryTwinsblog reports that Bishop Wu has been arrested..

At 10pm of the day, in Zhouzhi county of Shan'xi province (陕西周至县), just as people fell into sleep, Bishop Martin (Qinjing Wu) was also in sound sleep, suddenly about 20 to 30 young men came by driving four vehicles, when the gates of the church had already "safely" locked, they enter into the church by crossing the wall, they woke up Bishop Martin (Qinjing Wu) and took him away by violence..

Good morning!

having trouble with internet again....will be back tomorrow.

The 10 Commandments - Texas Style

People in Texas have trouble with all those "shalls" and "shall nots" in the Ten Commandments.

Folks there just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language:

The Cowboy's Ten Commandments

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin.'
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Origami popehat

If you can't afford $29.95 to buy the previous popehat, this link will show you how to make one.

Your craft of the day

Pope in a Hat take four

If you too want to be pope, just buy your BIG popehat at HatsintheBelfry store...
Or if you prefer to imitate pre Christian Shamans, try this one:

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aaaahyaaaah!

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Pope in a hat take three

This one is called the "saturno" since it reminds the Italians of Saturn and it's rings..
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Pope in a hat take two

Popehatblog, anyone?..

Pope in a Hat

Here is B16 pretending he is MattDrudge...

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Clueless bishops, wise Pope

The Pope notices the elephant in the Living Room, and the press gasps that the Pope is Catholic.

And CNNInt is showing footage from a reporter who wants to "understand" the Taliban so embedded with them...and is reporting that Europe is whining they can't send more troops to Afghanistan...hmmm...America attacked, and NATO can't send more than a few thousand troops? Oh, and after a long breathless report on the increase of Taliban activity, (no context) they give the Democratic talking points: The need to get out of Iraq so that presumably we can replace NATO troops...so the only context is American politics.

Michal Yon has a similar take on the increase in violence, but blames their funding on Heroin addicts...and on the failure of those pledging money for reconstruction for not coming thru on their pledges...and notices that the "war against poppies" is a scam, not real...and that too many NATO countries are not committed to stay, so locals sense they need to back the strong horse...

When I said "Clueless bishops", I am commenting on both the pacifist types and the New Zealand bishops who moaned about global warming without noticing that it is caused by cattle and sheep...
You see, heroin addiction and drug abuse IS a major problem, and it is a moral problem.

Quick: When was the last time you heard a sermon on drug abuse? Or heard a bishop condemn drug use among their congregations?

End note: The Pope also blasted the European elite for ignoring and denigrating Christianity....that part didn't get much coverage...

Update

A thunderstorm took out the network and the main computer disc.
So only one line works at a time. There will be slow blogging, since I can only log on at 3 am.

Family news

Here are Dr. Angie and her granddaughter, Sophia Angelina....

Sorry it's not a good photo.

the second photo is of our newest livelihood project: Capiz shell orchids.
Chano designed them and took some to use as table decor at a big luncheon yesterday at a Senator's house...

He's hoping to get more orders...they are "upscale" quality...very nice.

God gave him talent as an artist...

Waking up the vegetables

As a doctor who has worked with brain damaged people, I always ridicule the term "Persistant vegetative state" since it is overdiagnosed 40% of the time according to the British Medical Journal, and I've had too many people diagnosed with it who were alert and could recognize and communicate, but were misdiagnosed by neurologists at a one hour examination...

So now the UKGuardian has a report on the sleeping pill Ambien waking them up.
Across three continents, brain-damaged patients are reporting remarkable improvements after taking a pill that should make them fall asleep but that, instead, appears to be waking up cells in their brains that were thought to have been dead. In the next two months, trials on patients are expected to begin in South Africa aimed at finding out exactly what is going on inside their heads. Because, at the moment, the results are baffling doctors.

Ironically, many people with Dementia get agitated with benzodiazepams, so that may be why a drug that's been around awhile hasn't been widely used for brain damaged people....but it does make sense...after all, stimulants like Amphetamines calm people with ADD related hyperactivity by stimulating the "self control" parts of the brain. In contrast, sedating medicines like valium and sleeping pills, even cold pills, make young kids and grandmoms hyper because they calm down parts of the brain, allowing the active parts to take over...

Developing...
Headsup from BoingBoing

Watch tv over the internet

the new Democracy player is here...

First Muslim in Space

LINK2 for spaceblog LINK3 to biography
She was born in Iran, and made a fortune in computer related business...and will fly with the Russians as a Space tourist.

When Barry Goldwater was running for president, comedian Harry Golden remarked: Barry Goldwater: I knew that the first Jewish President would be Episcopalian...

So maybe it's not ironic that the first Muslim in space would be an American woman...

Headsup from Lileks

ABS CBN report: Philippine connection to 9-11

did you know the Bali bombers trained at a terrorist camp in the Philippines? LINK

that a plot to fly airplanes into Buildings was thwarted by Pinoy policemen in 1995? LINK

That Kalid Shiek Mahommad, one of the planners of 9-11 lived in Manila in the 1990's pretending to be a rich Saudi Shiek LINK

That BinLaden had a Moro brigade in Afghanistan, and preyed upon the marginalization of Philippino muslims?Ben Laden's brother funded "charities" that aided in the Al Quada network here... LINK

That the JI terror group in Indonesia has sent instructions to Philippine terrorists instructing them on how to make biological and chemical weapons? LINK

The Falling Man

Garrison Kiellor on 9-11..
"...on September 15, 2001, the Times began publishing portraits in a section called "Among the Missing." The title was eventually changed to "Portraits of Grief." The journalists involved decided that they would try to write portraits of every victim of the attack whose family they could reach. And they decided that the stories would focus on how the victim lived, not how he or she died.

The portraits were shorter than the average Times obituary, at about 150 words, and they skipped things like college degrees, jobs held, and names of surviving family members. They just tried to capture some detail or anecdote that would express each person's individuality. There was a firefighter who wore size 15 boots; a man who put toothpaste on his wife's toothbrush when he got up before her, almost every day; a grandmother who wore pink rhinestone-studded sunglasses and a metallic gold raincoat..."

go to link and click on Listen Link

Clueless bishops

moved to screedblog...


If the weather channel discusses global warming, I listen. I don't listen to bishops who wouldn't know an air inversion from a cyclone....

and I wonder if they know that half of New Zealand's emissions come from...livestock...LINK...so maybe they should rewrite their letter thus:

REPENT! Ye EVIL GREEDY METHANE PRODUCING COWS!!

Thoughts to ponder...

Here are a few things to think about that you probably have never thought about;

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. . but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where did that extra penny go?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane? !

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If Wiley E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride; he sticks his head out the window?

---your email of the day from Col. Updraft.

Family News

9-11: A feeling of no control

The link is to the story of an air traffic controller.

But it could also be the story of the US, and the response to terrorism.
You see, in the US, although we say we are "religious", we are actually children of the enlightenment, and feel we are the "captains of our souls", and have to be in control.
So if things are out of control, we shoot the messenger (Bush Derangement syndrome) or devise strategies to get thing back in control (war on terror, holding demonstrations for peace, devising conspiracy theories that let us "understand").

We docs see these types of coping when we treat someone with illness...rage, bribery, depression, lashing out at caretakers, flattery, manipulation, etc. But it is part of our job to bring people past those immature coping mechanisms into real coping, with humor, patience, and heroic acceptance of the illness so they can live their lives, or in the case of a terminal illness, that they can live the life that is left to them fully and heroically until death comes.

Dr. Sanity had lots of articles explaining how these coping mechanisms are the cause of much of the paranoid hatred of Bush, a paranoia that has invaded the European elite and the Democratic party... Ironically, except for Dr. Krauthammar in the WAPO (who invented the phrase "Bush derangement syndrome) few commentators have bothered to separate the psychological needs from the reality.

As for BDS: All those who insists Bush is the cause of this ignores that AlQuada had targeted the Philippines in the 1990s, and also ignores that Europe hated Reagan...without the internet few Americans knew the depth of the hatred back then, but those of us who lived overseas and were ridiculed in public by strangers are aware that anti Americanism too is a psychological need for Europeans who lost their manhood to the more aggressive American "cowboys"...it didn't start with Bush.The war started years ago and will not stop with President Clinton number two, or even president Bush number three...

Family news

Dr. Angie's grandchild (Sidney's first child) was baptized Sophia Angelina. Big party yesterday. I probably gained five pounds. YUM...Lechon...
I'll try to post and email photos later.

9-11 anniversary

Most bloggers are mentioning 9-11.
My "memories" of that day are hearing about the second plane, and we immediately knew it was terrorism. I put on my radio, but too many patients were getting upset so was ordered to turn it off and get to work.
Between patients, I hit the internet, only to find many of the usual sites had crashed...so we found out about the collapse of the towers on the BBC news site.

There is a joke of "six degrees of separation". Well, my link is one: One of my medical school classmates was at the Pentagon and helped triage and treat patients. And a friend of my brother's best friend was badly burned there.

So, like all Americans, the attack was personal.

Ampalaya

Inourkitchen blog has an Ampalaya recipe.
Ampalaya is bitter melon.
It is used in Asia to treat diabetes, but I haven't run into any thing on western Herbal medicine sites about it.

LINK

How to knit a Princess Leia Wig

Pattern HERE
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Hey Fred:

Your Boobies' Names Are...

Love Muffins

Boobie Name Generator

Moonbats, secrecy and conspiracy theories

I usually don't read the WaTimes, but someone linked to this post.

Unlike the moonbats who ignore facts (see LINK and LINK2) , There are indeed a lot of questions about the hijackers and their supporters. Where did they stay, who did they stay with, and who paid their bills? (read Saudi Charities, and Bush family loves Saudi Arabia).

Follow the money

The misreporting of the company ACT's embryonic stem cell research has generated lots of hype but few corrections. Wesley Smith has been connecting the dots.

LINK LINK2 LINK3

It's about money money money...by moving an office branch to Calfornia, ACT will be able to get money from that state's stem cell initiative, and by misstating their stem cells did not kill embryos, they will get money from the feds, and by hyping their experiment in the press, they will get money from investors...

Not bad for a story full of lies.

Hold the oysters

Oyster eating kills two elderly Frenchmen...and the locals riot to protest that oysters might be banned and shut down their businesses.

Oysters have a whole list of diseases that they spread...Cryptosporidium...Norwalk Virus...Vibrio bacterial infections (i.e. cholera varients) and viral diarrhea...
When gay wags mock the bible with "God hates shrimp", I wonder if they realize that shrimp and shellfish carry lots of lethal diseases...

Mad honey disease

No, it's not a jealous finace...

Bees that feast on poisonous rhodadendrums pass the toxin to their honey and a few people have been poisoned from it.

Not mentioned in the article is that Honey is a real danger to babies. You see, some honey carries spores of botullism. Most people have bacteria in the bowel that protect them but babies do not and there have been several reports of paralyzed babies who turned out to have botullism toxin paralysis.

CDC link HERE

Rapunzel update number six

Center for Philippine Journalism has a report on maid abuse and the jumping Filipina maids...
Flores is one of around 20 Filipinas in Lebanon so far who have taken a leap — literally. Like Jezebel Guillermo, a 31-year-old domestic helper from Isabela, Flores is grateful she survived her fall. But at least one other worker has not been as lucky; in another case, it's not clear whether the worker jumped or was deliberately pushed to her death. Five others are feared to have gone mad.

Flores and Guillermo's decision to jump came largely from fear of being war casualties. Yet according to nongovernment organizations, Filipino workers in Lebanon have been jumping off buildings even before the recent war broke out.

In 2004, six Filipinos working in Lebanese households died under "mysterious" circumstances after falling from buildings — "mysterious" because while their employers claim the workers committed suicide, their fellow workers say some of them may have been thrown off the buildings by their employers. Apart from the Filipinos, 47 Sri Lankan workers are also reported to have committed suicides in 1997 alone.

Helen Dabu, who is with the Kanlungan Center Foundation, an organization that has dealt directly with victims of abuse from Lebanon and elsewhere, says the women jump off buildings out of despair. In 2000 alone, the last year a database was compiled by the Lebanese Pastoral Committee for Afro-Asian Migrant Workers, there were over 400 reported cases of physical and sexual abuse against migrant workers, half of the victims Filipinas.

Filipino workers suffer from abuse all over the world. But while it is difficult to accurately say whether Filipinos are better off or worse off in Lebanon than in other OFW destinations, Dabu says that the Middle East (including Lebanon) is the region from where they receive the most number of complaints about abusive employers. Such cases outnumber those reported in Hong Kong, Singapore, or Malaysia where the complaints involve more contract violations rather than rape or maltreatment. Dabu's assessment is supported by Philippine labor attaché to Lebanon Ma. Glenda Manalo, who says this is also the view of many other diplomats working in the region.
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Persistant Vegetative State: A diagnosis in search for reality

The dirty little secret about "persistant vegetative state" is that it is a misnomer.

It is a deliberatly crafted term to dehumanize people with brain damage.

And the dirty little secret is that it is highly overdiagnosed, and the diagnosis is used to "withdraw unwanted medical treatment" from people: Read feeding tubes.

But the dirty little secret is that many people on feeding tubes could eat, but the nursing home lacks staff, so pop goes the tube. And the other dirty little secret is that Neurologists often recommend removing tubes from those who are aware of their surroundings.

I once had a Native American patient with severe frontal lobe damage and who was paralyzed. Like many people with frontal lobe syndrome, she cried when she felt joy, and screamed as in pain when she watched something she enjoyed on TV.

So we had a routine Neurological evaluation, asking if any of the new tranquillizers would work for her emotional outbursts.

Instead the Neurologist spent the entire 45 minutes pressuring the family to remove the tube and "let her die" (FYI: She could eat, but we supplemented with tube feedings).

The family being Native American didn't say anything, but on leaving, one of the younger relatives turned and said: We Indians don't kill our elders. We're not like you white people.

Deleted scene from ABC miniseries

Heh...

What I find interesting is that no one has ever speculated on what would have happened if Clinton had resigned, and President Gore took over and was elected in 2000...

Iranian leader in Washington

When LittleGreenFootballs posts a postive post aboutCAIR and an Iranian leader, it should get publicity.
Excerpt:
Here’s his take on Khatami (briefly).

He’s not a politican, he’s a theoretician/philosopher. He picked up a lot of this thinking from the rationalist German philosophers (he named a few - I’ve never heard of them and I was a philosophy major). The major reform he wanted for Iran was to move it away from oppressive theocracy to what the West would describe as pluralism. He NEVER EXPECTED to win the election. He campaigned simply to get the national discussion moving about his ideas. But win he did. The cabinet he put in place was comprised of absolutely brilliant people. But they too were of the ‘academic/theory’ bent, ‘elitists vs. populists’.

So why did his reformist agenda fail? My dinner companion was blunt. “Theocratic thugs”. There was an assasination attempt on a cabinet member that left him w/permanent brain damage and it went downhill from there. Many in his gov’t wanted to strike the mullahs and strike hard but Khatami was afraid it would tear the country apart “he didn’t trust the strength of the social fabric”.

Also, I asked everyone what they thought Khatami wanted to accomplish during his visit. Unanimously, they all thought he wanted to show Americans that dialogue w/Iran was a real possibilty.