Tonite is NewYear's Eve...Lolo bought a bunch of firecrackers yesterday at the Palenke...no sleep tonite...already the kids are setting them off...
Above link is the my BNN essay on the celebrations.
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Craft item of the day
Got bored kids at home?
Got a couple of empty milk jugs?
Have them make one of these:
Everyone liked him...except her dog
LINK is a story of how this nice mom ended up writing crime stories.
The most interesting fact? She worked phones for a suicide crisis line, with a handsome and popular young man named Ted Bundy...the only one who didn't like Ted was her dog, who growled everytime Ted got near Ann's desk.
The most interesting fact? She worked phones for a suicide crisis line, with a handsome and popular young man named Ted Bundy...the only one who didn't like Ted was her dog, who growled everytime Ted got near Ann's desk.
Another indication that the end is nigh
Hello Kitty turns attention to young men
" The cute cuddly white cat, usually seen on toys and jewelry for young females, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men, company spokesman Kazuo Tohmatsu said Friday....."Saturday, December 29, 2007
It's a bird, it's a UFO, it's a government conspiracy...
Actually, it's a photo of a giant tooth in Sarasota FL...posted on the Coast to Coast website...and don't forget...the show on future predictions are coming up on the Dec 30/31 broadcast, now on line.
Educational stuff
The WGBH Forum is now available as mp3 or podcasts (In the past, you had to watch via streaming audio, which was a pain when the internet connection goes on and off).
Mere Christianity
Sonitus Sanctus has links to lectures on CSLewis....and at the bottom, a link to the audiobook Mere Christianity.
Happy Christmas story of the year
Filipinos living in Vienna prepare dinner and gifts for the homeless.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Headlines below the fold
I wrote two essays on BNN so as not to bore you:
Number one: Bhutto's murder and two humanitarian disasters that t newspapers ignore
-----------------------------
Light blogging today: We visited Mading's home...he will be buried next week, due to the Jan 1 Holiday...
Number one: Bhutto's murder and two humanitarian disasters that t newspapers ignore
-----------------------------
Light blogging today: We visited Mading's home...he will be buried next week, due to the Jan 1 Holiday...
Family News
Cousin Mading died.
He had a fractured hip, and they never did operate: They hospitalized him twice for surgery, but both times the money sent by family and by Lolo was used to stablize his pneumonia etc. and they never got him strong enough for surgery, and the money went for the hospital bills anyway. So the family decided to take him home.
(Medical note: These fractures do heal after a few months, but rarely do the people walk again.)
He had a fractured hip, and they never did operate: They hospitalized him twice for surgery, but both times the money sent by family and by Lolo was used to stablize his pneumonia etc. and they never got him strong enough for surgery, and the money went for the hospital bills anyway. So the family decided to take him home.
(Medical note: These fractures do heal after a few months, but rarely do the people walk again.)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Headlines below the fold
The top stories you never read about...
We're number Eight: Dengue fever. it's a major problem here, not just the Philippines but all of SE Asia... but not that many deaths. And it's always been low grade in Latin America but is surging there too...
And their number one story is cyberwars starting.
In a related story, ZDNET reports the Army is using more MACS.
We're number Eight: Dengue fever. it's a major problem here, not just the Philippines but all of SE Asia... but not that many deaths. And it's always been low grade in Latin America but is surging there too...
And their number one story is cyberwars starting.
In a related story, ZDNET reports the Army is using more MACS.
Recipe of the day
How to Make Edible Glowing UV Reactive JELLO
Glowing Edible Jello - video powered by Metacafe
(headsupEpicurious)
Glowing Edible Jello - video powered by Metacafe
(headsupEpicurious)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Headlines below the fold
Top ten archeology stories of the year from Archeology magazine.
The most unusual stories? Prehistoric Polynesian chickens found in Chile...
-------------
International list of tongue twisters HERE...tagalog here...more HERE...Video of people trying to say tongue twisters HERE.
------------------
LATimes has an interview with Dr.Oliver Sacks. His latest book is on neurology and music
----------------
Congress passes resolutions to honor every minor holiday, but let them try to honor Christmas and the PC clerics of the WAPO have a cow...And their commentators are even worse.
Delawi yes, Ramadan yes, Christmas no?
-------------------------
The most unusual stories? Prehistoric Polynesian chickens found in Chile...
-------------
International list of tongue twisters HERE...tagalog here...more HERE...Video of people trying to say tongue twisters HERE.
------------------
LATimes has an interview with Dr.Oliver Sacks. His latest book is on neurology and music
----------------
Congress passes resolutions to honor every minor holiday, but let them try to honor Christmas and the PC clerics of the WAPO have a cow...And their commentators are even worse.
Delawi yes, Ramadan yes, Christmas no?
-------------------------
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Diet hints for the Holidays
For those of you who watch what you eat,
here's the final word on nutrition and health..
It's a relief to know the truth
after all those conflicting
nutritional studies!
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than
Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
--------------
your email of the day from TiaMaria
here's the final word on nutrition and health..
It's a relief to know the truth
after all those conflicting
nutritional studies!
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than
Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
--------------
your email of the day from TiaMaria
Monday, December 24, 2007
Guess who's on YouTube?
Queen Elizabeth now is on You Tube...link
Film is her first Christmas speech on Television...
Ironically, you can't embed the film from her site, but someone else posted an "embed" video with code.
Film is her first Christmas speech on Television...
Ironically, you can't embed the film from her site, but someone else posted an "embed" video with code.
Art idea of the day
painted egg ornaments for your tree....Check the site for a whole collection of these...
,,
.
.
From our family to yours: Merry Christmas
(Col Updraft's Christmas tree...here we just hang a Filipino Christmas star on our highest wall)
Christmas news
The CSMonitor has a series on military Chaplains...LINK
Epicurious has lots of suggestions for parties, including Asian Christmas recipes from Chef Ming Tsai for your feast, with the suggestion you post photos and donate to a good cause at your party.
One brown nose posted an essay wondering if feasting was the proper way to celebrate the birth of a poor Savior: I replied back that since His first miracle was to provide wine to keep the guests at a wedding party happy, that Christ must have enjoyed the simple pleasures of the world.
A more proper way to approach the season is to give to your favorite charity, but also maybe to invite your neighbors without families to your feast. Nursing home patients without famlies come to mind, as do many single people who work and can't get home, including foreign students at the nearby colleges.
Epicurious has lots of suggestions for parties, including Asian Christmas recipes from Chef Ming Tsai for your feast, with the suggestion you post photos and donate to a good cause at your party.
One brown nose posted an essay wondering if feasting was the proper way to celebrate the birth of a poor Savior: I replied back that since His first miracle was to provide wine to keep the guests at a wedding party happy, that Christ must have enjoyed the simple pleasures of the world.
A more proper way to approach the season is to give to your favorite charity, but also maybe to invite your neighbors without families to your feast. Nursing home patients without famlies come to mind, as do many single people who work and can't get home, including foreign students at the nearby colleges.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Gift item of the day
A slingshot flying chicken....
They work like a slingshot and scream while flying. They are approximately 11" long and fly well over 50 feet. The harder you pull back, the further they will fly. Slingshot Chicken flies with a cockadoodle scream Sound!
That oughta scare off any theives or murderers who break into your house.
-----------
And for readers of LittleGreenFootballBlog, they also have slingshot flying pigs...
Local news
I wrote an essay on BNN about what's going on here in the Philippines: essentially nothing dangerous here except the traffic: My tricycle was sideswiped by another motorcycle on the way to the post office last week. No one hurt, thank God.
But I'll be glad when the Palenke is rebuilt and the streets aren't full of shops.
But I'll be glad when the Palenke is rebuilt and the streets aren't full of shops.
Star Gifts
You can name a star for your loved ones HERE.
Or how about a prepaid telescope card?
Slooh is a revolutionary product that provides individuals with the amazing opportunity to use their web browser explore planets, galaxies, nebulas, and much more by accessing a high-powered observatory located atop a mountain off the coast of Africa.
The Lowell Observatory has a blog... did you know about LITTLE things?
LITTLE: Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes
Nasa websites: Track spacecrafts HERE. And the Astonomy photo of the day HERE.
Webcams of sky HERE
Become a webcam astronomer! basicsLINK LINK
and windows software stuff HERE.
And various Astronomy podcasts can be found HERE.
Or how about a prepaid telescope card?
Slooh is a revolutionary product that provides individuals with the amazing opportunity to use their web browser explore planets, galaxies, nebulas, and much more by accessing a high-powered observatory located atop a mountain off the coast of Africa.
The Lowell Observatory has a blog... did you know about LITTLE things?
LITTLE: Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes
Nasa websites: Track spacecrafts HERE. And the Astonomy photo of the day HERE.
Webcams of sky HERE
Become a webcam astronomer! basicsLINK LINK
and windows software stuff HERE.
And various Astronomy podcasts can be found HERE.
Doris Lessing
Ask any modern storyteller and they will say there is always a moment when they are touched with fire with what we like to call inspiration, and this goes back and back to the beginning of our race, to fire and ice, and the great winds that shaped us and our world.
The storyteller is deep inside everyone of us. The story-maker is always with us. Let us suppose our world is attacked by war, by the horrors that we all of us easily imagine. Let us suppose floods wash through our cities, the seas rise ... but the storyteller will be there, for it is our imaginations which shape us, keep us, create us — for good and for ill. It is our stories that will recreate us when we are torn, hurt, even destroyed. It is the storyteller, the dream-maker, the myth-maker, that is our phoenix, that represents us at our best, and at our most creative.
When Algore won his Nobel Peace Prize it was all over the TV and news.
But Doris Lessing also won one, in literature. And the silence was overwhelming...yet 100 years from now, I suspect her books will still be around when the tyranny of the global warming dictatorship has crumbled and we are again telling each other stories.
Full speech HERE.
Alas the USPostalService decided to stop the cheap book rate to overseas, meaning there will be fewer books for Africa or even for people like me who had to leave many of their books behind because of the cost.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to John and others far from home...and their families.
Video byFredthompson...hey isn't he the guy from LawandOrder?
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Recipe of the day
DesignSponge has a video on how to make your own marshmallow to put into your hot chocolate....if you prefer words to videos, ReadyMade has the recipe.
A Christmas Story
The link is to Classiccinemaonline.com...this week's movie is A Christmas story....
YUM!
Beer Jello...
SasuriSamuri reports:
Yes,… a tasty delight for the whole family to enjoy. What’s better than a gelatinized malt beverage after a long day at work?
"We're all gonna die" post of the day
That Russian asteroid was a lot smaller than scientists thought it was...and there's a lot of small asteroids out there...
FILM HERE>
FILM HERE>
Friday, December 21, 2007
The TRUTH about the SantaClaus coverup
The biggest conspiracy since Dick Cheyney shot a lawyer to keep him quiet.
(HeadsupScrewLooseChangeBlog)
Hello Kitty: Bah Humbug
all the reviewers hated the film:Reviewer Doug writes:
"...Our daughter has alot of "Hello Kitty" products, I will NEVER purchase another thing from this company again. It almost seems that the Japanese firm that produces Hello Kitty sadistically put this video tape out knowing that it could destroy the belief in Santa Claus to thousands of American children..."
so maybe you should buy one of these:
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
| |
Headlines below the fold
I didn't know that McCain had a son in Iraq...
Wonder how many other politicians can say the same?
Harry Reid's name-calling has even the NYTimes aghast.....poor guy, it's really bad when you bet on failure, and things get better....Gateway Pundit says it hasn't been this bad since the Civil war...
Legal case idiocy of the year awards HERE...
We don't get the View here in the Philippines, but it sounds like getting conspiracy theory Rosie back would be an improvement...
Wonder how many other politicians can say the same?
Harry Reid's name-calling has even the NYTimes aghast.....poor guy, it's really bad when you bet on failure, and things get better....Gateway Pundit says it hasn't been this bad since the Civil war...
Legal case idiocy of the year awards HERE...
We don't get the View here in the Philippines, but it sounds like getting conspiracy theory Rosie back would be an improvement...
All I want for Christmas is....
A small nuclear reactor....
No it's not a hoax...Instapundit has a report.
No it's not a hoax...Instapundit has a report.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Headlines below the foldU
Science Daily reports:
U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Fossil Fuels Declined By 1.3 Percent In 2006
And Instapundit links to this Article.
But of course, Bali and Kyoto are about paper agreements, not about actually doing anything.
--------------------------
John Allen's editorial in the NYTimes hints that the Pope has a problem being understood because the reporters get it wrong.
Gee, d'ya think?
----------------------
Stop global warming! Stop the burps! A new vaccine is being tried to eliminate methane forming bacteria in ruminates....
Today the burps, tomorrow the f*rts...
-------------------
It's official: Guiness is good for you... black beer prevents heart attacks better than aspirin
U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Fossil Fuels Declined By 1.3 Percent In 2006
And Instapundit links to this Article.
But of course, Bali and Kyoto are about paper agreements, not about actually doing anything.
--------------------------
John Allen's editorial in the NYTimes hints that the Pope has a problem being understood because the reporters get it wrong.
Gee, d'ya think?
----------------------
Stop global warming! Stop the burps! A new vaccine is being tried to eliminate methane forming bacteria in ruminates....
Today the burps, tomorrow the f*rts...
-------------------
It's official: Guiness is good for you... black beer prevents heart attacks better than aspirin
Hello Whaley
Tim Blair reports:
Yesterday, to illustrate an article by Samantha Williams, I asked artist Tom Jellett: “Give me Hello Kitty as a whale.” A few hours later ...
Bird flu...tick tick tick
more cases of human to human bird flu transmission...this time in Pakistan...this is "Stage Three":the jump from bird/human to human human transmission...several other suspected "jumps" of the virus in Indonesia..and China.......next step: Pandemic...tick tick tick
Think you're safe? The Pakistani family's cousin visited them last month...he lives in NewYork.
And now they have found the Birdflu genes in Swine influenza
genome. Since pigs are mammals, most human influenza evolves because it jumps from pigs to humans...
Think you're safe? The Pakistani family's cousin visited them last month...he lives in NewYork.
And now they have found the Birdflu genes in Swine influenza
genome. Since pigs are mammals, most human influenza evolves because it jumps from pigs to humans...
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers have identified a new strain of swine influenza -- H2N3 -- that belongs to the group of H2 influenza viruses that last infected humans during the 1957 pandemic. This new strain has a molecular twist: It is composed of avian and swine influenza genes.
Bird flu is also bad news for poutry farms in Asia...Poultry is about 1% of the economy, but farmers who have to cull their poultry can end up bankrupt...not to mention the anguish in being forced to kill one's favorite fighting cock....and in the UK, turkey culls to prevent spread have made the traditional Turkey dinner expensive..
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Gift item of the day
The website describes it:
It's a cat bum pencil sharpener!
Insert your pencil where the sun doesn’t normally shine and it meeeeeows. Well, you would too!Headlines below the fold
Here, kittykittykitty...
Cats were tamed 10 000 years ago...
/\_/\
=^..^= meeeowww
...(_)
------------------------------------
China's problem: An aging population...
No problem. Lots of Pinoys willing to migrate back there...
-----------------------------------------
Her majesty's science adviser acknowledges the real problem with the Prius....it's easier to pick up girls in a Ferrari...
--------------------
Castro says:"My basic duty is not to cling to office, nor even more so to obstruct the rise of people much younger," was his surprise message, read out on state television.
heh....you could've fooled me...
------------------------
The next health fad: The Medieval Diet...
"If you put this together with the incredible work load, medieval man was at much less risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes than we are today," said Dr Henderson.
On the other hand:"...Many, especially adult women who had entered menstruation, given birth to babies and so lost considerable amounts of blood on a regular basis, were anemic. An unbalanced diet low in iodine led to goiter, thyroid malfunctions, and contributed to a high percentage of miscarriages and birth defects. Lack of vitamin-rich vegetables during much of the year led to bad teeth and crooked legs (rickets), as well as a host of skin diseases such as beri-beri and scurvy. A diet low in protein resulted in weak bones and muscles...."
Break out the Beer!
Jackson's making the Hobbit...
The Ringers are so happy they're having a party....
And what about that lawsuit over the LOTR profits? Disappeared...Instapundit wonders if the Golden Compass thud has a lot to do with it.
The Ringers are so happy they're having a party....
And what about that lawsuit over the LOTR profits? Disappeared...Instapundit wonders if the Golden Compass thud has a lot to do with it.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Jesus is watching you tailgate....
From Cartalk:
I know they say that Jesus is always with us, but this is ridiculous! Whenever my car gets foggy and the defogger hasn't kicked in yet, Jesus appears on my back window... I guess just to make sure I'm not driving recklessly...
Cartalk podcast HERE
along with other NPR podcasts
Global warming: Fraud or bad math?
"Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity" as the saying goes.
So is Global warming a big conspiracy for an evil One World Order to take over the world, or is it just that scientists who can't tell a mean from an average find it easier to publish articles that agree with the latest fad?
Link 2
s the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... bases its analyses on peer-reviewed research, but it does no checking of that research itself. Yet most peer-reviewed research is not properly checked prior to its publication. ..
One example is at Link3.
Nature published a study that used the ripening process of Pinot Noir grapes as an indicator for the warmth of the climate.....
The work aroused Keenan's suspicion, and he wanted to test its mathematical foundations. (when he finally got it, after many requests he discovered)... The authors had smoothed the data for their study, confused standard errors with standard deviations, used incorrect parameters, and confused daily temperatures with average temperatures....
... the Nature editors hadn't noticed anything, since the data was never put at their disposal, and they never asked for it either. ... The mere fact that the grape harvest model gave a temperature for 2003 that was 2.4 degrees Celsius above the temperature actually measured by Météo France should have made the editors suspicious.
------------------
Stuff like this happens with medical journals, which is why we GP's rely on secondary reports (Family practice articles, summaries, lectures) rather than the hard stuff in the fancy journals...which often has similar problems not noted in the original publication....things like "increase rate of heart attack up 50%" might mean a tiny increase from 5 to 8 out of 100 000 population years...
So is Global warming a big conspiracy for an evil One World Order to take over the world, or is it just that scientists who can't tell a mean from an average find it easier to publish articles that agree with the latest fad?
Link 2
s the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... bases its analyses on peer-reviewed research, but it does no checking of that research itself. Yet most peer-reviewed research is not properly checked prior to its publication. ..
One example is at Link3.
Nature published a study that used the ripening process of Pinot Noir grapes as an indicator for the warmth of the climate.....
The work aroused Keenan's suspicion, and he wanted to test its mathematical foundations. (when he finally got it, after many requests he discovered)... The authors had smoothed the data for their study, confused standard errors with standard deviations, used incorrect parameters, and confused daily temperatures with average temperatures....
... the Nature editors hadn't noticed anything, since the data was never put at their disposal, and they never asked for it either. ... The mere fact that the grape harvest model gave a temperature for 2003 that was 2.4 degrees Celsius above the temperature actually measured by Météo France should have made the editors suspicious.
------------------
Stuff like this happens with medical journals, which is why we GP's rely on secondary reports (Family practice articles, summaries, lectures) rather than the hard stuff in the fancy journals...which often has similar problems not noted in the original publication....things like "increase rate of heart attack up 50%" might mean a tiny increase from 5 to 8 out of 100 000 population years...
Worst Christmas songs to enjoy
Teeny Manolo Blog has links to the worst Christmas songs...complete with lnks.
My vote is this one:
My vote is this one:
Christmas stuff
Craft item of the day
Link is to make a popup christmas tree card...
and has instructions for an origami angel.
and has instructions for an origami angel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)