Philippine news

Rain this morning for the Aquino inauguration.

Lolo's watching happily on TV.

There's a "no fly" zone over the ceremony...
No, he's not paranoid, but he's been shot before...

alas, in a land of flamboyant leaders, he suffers a "charisma" deficit...(in English, he's a bit of a nerd...he even sponsors a blog). But this works for him: he appears serious.

Oh yes: His new "nickname" is not Noynoy, but P-Noy (pronounced Pinoy).

and don't forget to buy a booblehead doll of him to place on the dashboard of your car:


A new era of "clean" government?
The fact that extrajudicial killings against two reporters, the murder on a whistle blower in the Ampatuan massacres, and an attack on a priest activist in the last week suggest he will have a lot of corruption to clear up...

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As for local news: According to our cook, the new mayor is holding a party for all, with lechon...

We are hoping that the ex mayor will get his day in court,...
(rumors of missing city funds going to encourage court delays are rampant, but unsubstantiated rumors).
He was indicted for getting hit men to scare off a rival, and the hitmen killed the rival's two sons and our nephew, who was standing next to them.

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

But there is good news: Erap the "testtube" caribao.

Photo from the PCC shows ‘Erap’ with a caretaker at the Philippine Carabao Center’s bull farm in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.

Erap will be used for artificial insemination of female caribaos, to improve the local stock.

Fewer and fewer waterbuffalos are used to plow, replaced with hand tractors (large rototillers) in most farms. (we have two caribaos for our vegetable farm, but the work in tilling rice fields is easier using a handplow).

But they are now being bred to produce milk, to replace imported milk.
and yes, we drink carabao milk ...it's higher in fat than cow's milk, but delicious.

Stuff to think about

Are all those "psychological" studies biased because they rely on WEIRDO's?

WEIRDos. That is, they are people from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic cultures. In a provocative review paper published last week, a pair of researchers argues that WEIRDos aren’t representative of humans as a whole and that psychologists routinely use them to make broad, and quite likely false, claims about what drives human behavior...
(headsup FirstThings)



Individualism and egotism mar the studies: In most non western societies, the importance of the family and assisting those who have connections with you are more important than your own selfish desires...and life is not about happiness, but duty.
LINK
Similarly points out the problem in the discussion of caring for the elderly:


Economists configure caregiving as "burden." Psychologists talk about "coping," health-services researchers describe social resources and healthcare costs, and physicians conceive it as a clinical skill. Each of these perspectives represents part of the picture. For the medical humanities and interpretive social sciences, caregiving is a foundational component of moral experience. By this I mean that we envision caregiving as an existential quality of what it is to be a human being. We give care as part of the flow of everyday lived values and emotions that make up moral experience. Here collective values and social emotions are as influential as individual ones. Within these local moral worlds--family, network, institution, community--caregiving is one of those things that really matters...



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Lombardo reading from his Iliad translation:



the bad news is that I could never read it before listening to lectures (via ItunesU) that explained the nuances, which includes sympathy for those being killed in battle and the idea of honor that spurs on the fight.


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

Similarly, hearing Anne Russell explain Wagner's Ring cycle will help you enjoy the "giant economy size" 4 part opera.

Headlines below the fold

One problem with studies that show disease x is more common with condition y is that it might be a marker rather than a cause of the disease.
One such "marker" was homocysteine with heart disease. You can lower homocystiene levels with high doses of B vitamins.

the bad news: They tried this and a 7 year study showed it didn't lower the rate of heart disease.

==========================

The "good news" of the day:
Housework lowers the rate of breast cancer.

that's because housework is, uh, work...

--------------------------------
afghan law: controling women by jailing them for "bad behavior".
-----------------

Maternal child health money okedged at G8 falls below what NGO's wanted.
Of course, in the past, the pledges weren't given anyway...and I suspect a lot of it was diverted by corruption. Which is why Harper wanted a more modest goal than flooding in money.

But if you read the article you will find the "real" problem according to the elite funded NGO's: it doesn't push abortion enough for those who want fewer "poor" people being born.
-----------------

Welcome to socialized medicine!
NYTimes propaganda piece about "overtreating" Americans. I suspect we'll see a lot of this in the future.

Actually, I sort of agree, but the one sided ain't it awful piece ignores that some of those getting all this "overtreatment" actually recover and go home for months or years of fairly good life.
-------------------------------

European Union decides it's illegal to sell eggs by the dozen in the UK. You have to sell them by the Kilo.

Ever get the idea that some bureaucrats don't have enough to do?
---------------------------
the mathematics of that mysterious Beatle's chord.

Surely it's 30!

Yes, Airplane! is 30...and don't call me shirley.

Frog in space?

no, it's Hanny's Voorwerp

Located near the spiral galaxy IC 2497 some 700 million light years away in the constellation Leo Minor, it's known as Hanny's Voorwerp which is Dutch for Hanny's object.

What makes Hanny's Voorwerp astounding is that it's so unusual - a monstrous green blob with a huge central hole some 16 thousand light years across.

scientists now think it is a quasar light echo.

(photo:Dan Smith, Peter Herbert, Matt Jarvis, ING )

a huge gas cloud in space...

scientists now think it's

Craft item of the day

from Robotrish:

A HelloKitty amigurimi, with free pattern.

cute kittie item of the day

moar funny pictures

family news

slow blogging today.

The socket to our room burnt out last night
No aircon, but luckily it was cool (and we had a rolling brownout at 10 pm

It is now fixed.

Musical interlude of the day

Allan Sherman does Classical music.
Put down coffee, turn up speakers, and enjoy!

Move over Maxwell Smart

see more

your shoephone is now up to date

Pam Anderson, move over

Pam Anderson and David Hasselhof no more:


a new "girl" is saving drowning folks in Malibu: Emily, the Robolifesaver.


nah, won't replace her on tv:

Headsup Gizmodo

Music link for today

Free Public domain classical music HERE.

Stuff below the fold

Che Guevarra's Czech mansion, and the little publicized fact that over 1000 Latin American "revolutionaries" were housed and supported by the eastern block.

-------------------------------
The big news here is the planning to inaugurate NoyNoy (who now is pushing the idea that his nick name should be "P-Noy").
Will they clean up the courts?

and the extrajudicial killings go on.
A witness to the massacre of all those reporters has been killed:
he wasn't in the witness protection program, and the police are now claiming the murder was due to a love triangle, or maybe the MILF.

two more journalists killed, and
and a church was attacked in Aurora(the priest was a defender of the poor)

the problem: even when they find who did it, the witnesses "disappear", the hit men are eliminated, and the politicians/businessmen who paid for the kill bribe the courts to delay getting picked up and tried.

we're still waiting for justice.

If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em

hysteria about asian Carp in the Great Lakes.

Well, here is how to fillet them and cook them.


more HERE.

Timewaster of the day

headsup Davebarry

Stuff below the fold

In the Civil war, they used balloons to collect information on the enemy.

Now the US Army is planning to use blimps for long term surveillence.

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"Green" junk food?

TastyKake not only makes the most delicious junkfood in the world, but now it's bakery is the largest "green" bakery in the world.
more HERE.

------------------------------
From SavageChickens: Tech Support in the good old days.



Factoid of the day: The first abacus was invented in Sumer, in about 2500 BC .

------------------------
Need a "different" vacation spot?

The most extreme places are listed at webecoist.

Words of wisdom for today

Medical tip of the week

Weird Science blog has this link:Cure your sleep apnea/snoring by practicing on the Didgeridoo...

Puhan, M. (2006). Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: randomised controlled trial BMJ, 332 (7536), 266-270 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.38705.470590.55

alternative suggestion in the comments: Blow bubbles through a plastic straw while breathing in and out through your nose.

NERD GIRLS RULE

new TV reality show about nerdgirls.



Sigh. When I became a doc, only 6% of docs were women, and now they are 50% or more.
Maybe now the same thing will happen with other science careers.
headsup JoannaPool

Craft item of the day

Video library links for how to knit or crochet HERE.
or check out at YOUTUBE.

Your inspirational message of the day

Sitting by the window of her convent, Sister Barbara opened a letter from home one evening. Inside the letter was a $100 bill her parents had sent.

Sister Barbara smiled at the gesture. As she read the letter by the window, she noticed a shabbily dressed stranger leaningagainst the lamp post below.

Quickly, she wrote, "Don't despair. Sister Barbara," on a piece of paper, wrapped the $100 bill in it, got the man's attention and tossed it out the window to him.. The stranger picked it up, and with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street.

The next day, Sister Barbara was told that a man was at her door, insisting on seeing her. She went down, and found the stranger waiting.

Without a word, he handed her a huge wad of $100 bills.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That's the $8,000 you have coming Sister," he replied.

"Don't Despair paid 80-to-1."

your email of the day from Tiamaria

Narnia update

The hobbit is still on hold, but the Narnia trailer is on line: still scheduled to come out at Christmas and in 3D.

Musical interlude of the day

turn up speakers and dance!

Cat item of the day

Tired of tabby rubbing against you and leaving hair all over your good suits?

Well, try one of these:
a self groomer for cats

Gift item of the day

Star Wars Blueprints
The Ultimate Collection

"Ever wonder what Vader is hiding beneath his clothes (other than a charred Hayden Christensen)? Or, maybe you've always wondered what floor of the Death Star the ice cream factory is on. Well, time to have your world set right and all your questions answered. We present to you Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection."


From ThinkGeek:

Headlines below the fold

DIY: Building a nuclear reactor in your basement.

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Strom Thurmond's son lost a primary for Congress to the candidate backed by Sarah Palin. Her support probably also helped the candidate for governor win the primary.

Hmm...the facebook kingmaker from Wasilla.


----------------------------
The BBC explores why To Kill a Mockingbird is so popular 50 years later.

-----------------------------
and yes, Glee is big here in the Philippines.

OliverOliveros reports that "the Great Glee Sing off" contest in Manila was won by the Northwind Singers of Trinity University of Asia:
sorry, the only YOUTUBE link is poor quality:

Religion post of the day

headsup Madwillie

Classic video of the day

Watch at YOUTUBE before the copyright police find it's there.
Sigh. Despite the famous stars, I'd love it if they remade this one with more emphasis on characters, using actors who can act...

Stuff below the fold

No, the Mayans never said the world would end in 2012.

Just get over it and get a life.
--------------

the Music of the God Particle
---------------------

The "maybe we are'nt all gonna die" headlines of the day:
Emerging economies will grow lots more food.
prices will go up but diets will "diversify"...as long as oil doesn't get too expensive.

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

article about those who speak Klingon, Esperanto, and make up languages.

Yes, what the world really needs: The Bible in Klingon.

and here is a nostagic video in Klingon:

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

Ducktape: Is there anything it can't do?

Green item of the day

from Yankodesign
each of those bubbles store a different piece of food.

lesson for today

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark .
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

your email of the day from Tiamaria

Stuff below the fold

Photo of the day:
the Southern Lights, taken from space.
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Latin Lesson at The Corner:

In his chapter on names in Romans and Aliens, J.P.V.D. Balsdon notes the following cognomina: Lofty (Maximus), Baldy (Glabrio), Warty (Verrucosus), Slowcoach (Cunctator), Wise-Guy (Corculum), and Glutton (Gurges). Colleen McCullough, in one of those splendid appendices to her Roman novels, explores the further shores, offering Never-Smiles (Agelastus), Buck-Toothed (Brocchus), Knock-Kneed (Vatia), and An-Arsehole-and-a-Half (Sesquiculus).

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via DigitalWorldTokyo:
These boots are made for walking:

the Orange Power Wellies (rubber boots)converts heat from your feet into an electrical current.”

--------------------
SisterMary Martha has advice to guys being intimidated by amorous witches at the office
(Answer: Hex her back with a green scapular).

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McD isn't the only foreign fast food franchise in China.

Pinoy owned Jolibee is the noodle king there...And is expanding...
and FYI: Here, ramen noodles are called mami...

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from webecoist:
House plants for the rest of us.



actually, I usually had luck with coleus.


when it started getting straggley or sickly, I'd cut off a branch and stick it in water: after it got a root, I'd pot it in dirt and throw away the old plant.

Yuk. Headlines below the fold

Reading the headlines tends to make my blood pressure go up: Here are some reasons why:
----------------------------
Top General tired of being dissed and undermined by the administration. Big deal: That is after all what Obama promised to do.
But why is the interview in Rolling Stone rather than the Mainstream media?
-------------------------------------------------

I refuse to link to the Huff posts: This is one reason why.

Yup. All those Baptists suicide bombings of Catholic bingo games are the main problem America faces.

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The PC theologians are at it again...nothing new about this...
More discussion at Father Z's corner.

Andrew Greeley called this the revolt of the middle management against the boss.
The bad news? The up and comers agree with the boss..

--------------------------------
The ideas of Malthus, which were behind justifying the failure to feed those starving in the Irish potato famine, are still with us. LINK

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Playing politics while New Orleans dies.
"...the first thing you do in a disaster is stop the ongoing harm. The second thing you do is try to repair the harm done. The third thing you do is figure out what went wrong. The fourth thing you do is try to prevent it from happening again.

Only after all that is done to you apportion blame and punish those whose misdeeds caused or enabled or enhanced the disaster..."

-----------------------------
ZDNet discusses the distortion by Wikileaks and their rabid pacifist followers.
Taking things out of context to spread the hatred...yup...sounds like the 60's redux.

Stuff below the fold

Hmmm...a city of the Hyksos has been dug up in northern Egypt.
Wikipedia has more here. Josephus the ancient historian says they were outside invaders, but Manetho the ancient historian some modern scholars posit them as the Jews of the Exodus.

----------------------------
The Tolkien Professor has lectures at website and entire course at Itunes, which is pretty good.

---------------------------
Natural Insect repellants.

I've tried everything...OFF usually works if I put it on constantly, but I hate to do that. Avon skinsosoft also works...but who wants to slather oneself three times a day?
Maybe I should use garlic, Vitamin B, or (if I could buy it here) Marmite...
----------------------------------

A natural nuclear reactor?

-------------------
via Dave Barry:
The heck with futbol: real men play rugby

----------------------------------------
and finally: The LOLCAT picture of the day:

moar funny pictures

Family news

I finally reformatted my "new" computer (with a newer bigger hard drive) last week, but now when I was connected, the internet cable disturbed Papa dog, so he bit it in half...so until I can replace it (it runs down from the second floor where the office is) blogging will be light.

Happy Fathers day ya'll. Lolo sends greetings.

Bento lunch

32 Bento box mealss for your delight at link

Ozzie Osborne



pikachu


Wallace and Gromit

Musical Interlude of the day

Weird Al of course.

Gift item of the day take three

a cellphone even I can use..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Gift item of the day, take two

A a







a working lightsaber:
And check out the comparison charts, which tell you how much power you need to:

Make holes in black trash bags

Pop dark colored ballons

Ignite wooden or paper matches

Cut black electrical tape

Light fireworks

Light cigars and cigarettes

Melt rubber and plastics

and a FAQ of lasers for dummies.

(actually it's just a laser, but never mind).

Gift item of the day

Hello Kitty Motor Oil.

Buy some for someone you love!

(HeadsupHelloKittyHell)

Humor for the day

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are
things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now
published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these
exchanges were actually taking place.

______________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you
forgot?
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, "isn't it true that when a person dies in his
sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?"
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
______________________________ ______
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
______________________________ _____________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney.
Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about 20, medium height, and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
______________________________ _______
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead
people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
______________________________ ___________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________ ___________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And, Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
______________________________ ______________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________ ________
And the best for last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a
pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you
began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No .
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive,
nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and
practicing law.

your email of the day from TiaMaria

Musical interlude of the day

Cat item of the day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

School Sports cartoon for the day

for my grandkids who are in swim teams.

Email of the day from Col Updraft

Stuff below the fold

Cellphones in San Francisco may now need "warning lables".
So if you text, you'll know how much radiation your thumb is getting.

---------------------------
Some of our moon rocks are missing.
and, of course, a lot of so called "moon rocks" are fakes.

---------------------------------------
Stem cell research continues to expand...
but this is adult, not embryonic stem cells...and the press seems to obscure this fact.

----------------------------
Czech radio podcast is a dictionary for you to recognize communist distortion of language.
"...Professor Čermák says when people read newspapers, they read between the lines, trying to guess what was really going on; also, they would adopt some of the expressions, but use them in slightly different forms. "

----------------------------------
Cadmium in Shrek glasses...
naive comments blame McD, not the sophisticated criminals in China who find what to substitute that won't be detected by inspectors.

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for later reading:Santorini links at FR
The Armarna letters have long suggested a problem in chronology.

From a BBC webpage: The disappearance of Kiya and the parentage of Tutankhamun are among some of the mysteries surrounding the end of Egypt's Amarna Period. French archaeologist, Dr Marc Gabolde, offers his new theories.
LInk
-------------------

Bushmeat Smuggling?
Yuck. Dried monkey meat. the latest gourmet item.

------------------
Uh oh: Ramen noodles may lead to health problems.

They are high salt, and low nutrition, but never mind: they're cheap and easy to make.

Satire of the day

a "news story" at a satire page about animal rights activists:

Johnstown, PA (GlossyNews) – Local and state police scoured the hills outside rural Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after reports of three animal rights activists going missing after attempting to protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle gang rally this weekend. Two others, previously reported missing, were discovered by fast food workers “duct taped inside several fast food restaurant dumpsters,” according to police officials.

Of course, locals would know it's a satire: Johnstown is not known for it's motorcycle gangs. And they would not be met with a benign reaction such as duct tape if they tried these stunts...and the animal rights folks are busy going after the locals, who often supplement their diet with venison rather than go on food stamps.

On the other hand, one doubts they would bother to harass the ralley at Deadwood...

Father's day is coming

And Tipnut has instructions for making dad a project he would really enjoy, from laptop or Ipad sleeves to his very own Mustache cup.

--------------------
Of course, my husband Lolo is easy. I know exactly what he wants for Father's day:

Biology Lessons for today

your email of the day from Cousin Maddie

Sentimental art?

The Anchoress and Joe Carter over at FirstThings have their knickers in a knot discussing Thomas Kincaid.

JoeCarter is especially snide, not only dismissing Kincaid's art for it's sentimentality but saying:

What the artist fails to understand is that Vietnamese-Americans (as well as African-, Mexican-, Chinese-, and other hyphenated Americans) probably do not share the Anglo-American cottage fantasy. And his cottage scenes are precisely that: fantasies.

He's only partly right. Compare and contrast:
Thomas Kincaid:


Amorosolo's famous Philippine paintings:




No, personally I can't stand Kincaid (his paintings use cool colors and are cluttered).

Carter writes:

his cottage scenes are precisely that: fantasies. Adults hang paintings of Kinkade’s paintings of cottages in their living room for the same reason that little girls put posters of unicorns and rainbows on their bedroom walls. It is a pseudo-referential nostalgia, a longing for what does not exist in reality but exists in the fantasy realm of possibility.

Ah, true. But why do you feel that a painting, no matter how "sentimental" and idealistic, is wrong?

which brings us to Tolkien:

Tolkien maintains (that) critics of Fantasy are confusing “the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter” .
Critics would imply, without explanation or justification, that any escape from the world around us is necessarily shameful, and Tolkien resists that thinking strenuously, even going so far as to compare that line of thinking to .. totalitarian state(s) that considers departure from or even criticism of it treachery.

full essay by the Tolkien professor HERE.

and a longer vesion of this essay at BNN.

Stuff below the fold

Was the new world settled twice?

The two-migration scenario proposed in the study. Blue dots represent recent modern human populations. Red dots represent the Paleoamerican samples used. Image Copyright Mark Hubbe



Did Neanderthals think like us?
ScientificAmerican article, if you have money to subscribe.

• 
  
• But over the past few decades archaeologists have discovered a handful of enigmatic artifacts hinting that our cousins the Neandertals -- long dismissed as intellectually inferior -- might have engaged in symbolic activities, too. Experts dismissed the finds, however, attributing them to modern humans instead.
• The recent discovery of Neandertal jewelry and body paint from two sites in Spain provides unequivocal evidence of Neandertal symbolism and suggests that modern human behavior has ancient roots.

Freepers joke and share more archeolinks:

• Romanian experts have discovered the most ancient cave paintings found to date in Central Europe, aged up to 35,000 years old PhysOrg
• A 12,000-year-old find in Keene, New Hampshire Union Leader
• Native site on Patuxent could date to 1000 BC-Was village visited by Ohio mound-builders? Baltimore Sun
• Fossils Reveal that Maya People Knew about Prehistory Art Daily
• The Thunderstone Mystery: What's a Stone Age Axe Doing in an Iron Age Tomb? Science Daily
• Mexican delegation in charge of conservation at the Theban Tomb 39, in Egypt, to begin 6th field season Art Daily
• The million mummy question: Why are there a million mummies buried near Snefu's Seila pyramid? Heritage Key

• Mithraic Mysteries and the Cult of Empire New American
• American archaeologists find ruins of four ancient castles in western Turkey Today's Zaman
• Behind the mummy: the real King Tutankhamun New Scientist
• Chinese Ancient Earthenware Found in Dieng-The discovery may reveal the economic situation in the Old Mataram kingdom VIVAnews
• Prehistoric pet? Dog burial found in Orange County California Orange County Register

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

Love is a Many Splendored Thing is one of Lolo's favorite songs (and movies).

The story is wonderful, the scenery and music is beautiful, and unlike a lot of movies, they get Asia right.

Tea at Trianon has an essay about the author.

So turn up speakers and try not to cry!

Points to ponder

>1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?
>
>2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?
>
>3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?
>
>4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?
>
>5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?
>
>6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
>
>7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
>
>8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?
>
>9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"
>
>When we are already there?
>
>10. Why are they called " stands" when they are made for sitting?
>
>11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?
>
>12.. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
>
>13.. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?
>
>14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?
>
>15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?
>
>16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?
>
>17.. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
>
>18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
>
>19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?
>
>20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?
>
>21.. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control
>
>When you know the batteries are dead?
>
>22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?
>
>23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?
>
>24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
>
>25.. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
>
>26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?
>
>27. Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a
>dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?
>
>28.. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway ?

your email of the day from Col. Updraft

Good news for us

We have been advertising our family's organic brown rice product for health reasons, and always noted it probably helped lower the risk of diabetes.

well, now studies affirm that.
it's the fiber content.

Stuff below the fold

The Alien in the White House? The WSJ suggests the White House is full of those holding the effete Anti American opinions of the salons of the left in Europe.
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Spengler gives advice:
ASK SPENGLER

Dear Spengler,
I won the Nobel Peace prize for reconciling Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. I'm presently on a ship in the Mediterranean trying to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the Israelis won't let me. What should I do?
Baffled from Belfast

Dear Baffled,
Load your cargo onto camels and head for Kyrgyzstan. They need it more there.
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More HERE.

June 14, 2010:... the general situation in neighboring Kyrgyzstan has gotten worse. Ancient animosities between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the southern Fergana Valley have turned more violent, with close to 200 dead so far. ...Uzbekistan has received nearly a 100,000 Kyrgyz Uzbek refugees so far

also check HERE.

Kyrgyzstan is of key importance to the major powers as both the United States and Russia have military bases near the capital of the Central Asian country. There is growing international alarm over the unrest.

China and Turkey sent planes to pick up their nationals in Kyrgyzstan.

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Suicide Terrorism is nothing new.

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A long discussion on false memories.

so a lot of studies on behavior and diet and health are not accurate.
Heh. most of us docs already know that. The rule is to ask how much a person drank, and multiply the answer by 10...and we all know pregnant virgins who forgot to tell us about that one little incident...

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and the latest cyberwar:

• Chinese web users — particularly World of Warcraft players — have launched a “virtual jihad” against the fan websites of K-pop fans after a stampede at a Super Junior concert in Shanghai. I have to say, though, for hackers, they seem rather polite — at least they left the databases alone. (HT to reader)

Gift item of the day

Mood Mugs



headsup homeqn

headlines below the fold

PersianParadox notes how thugs insulted the truly pious at a ceremony in Iran.

This is another sign, in the long string of events in recent years, that indicates a serious rift and distancing with the original line and thought of Imam Khomeini, now led by a minority that wills to cling to power by any means possible.

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Speaking of Iran, a bus full of tourists including some Iranian docs and medical students, when it lost it's brakes and plunged off a cliff in Cebu, killing 20. Our prayers for their families.
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Why are Iranians studying in the Philippines, you might ask:
A lot of non Pinoys study here, because of the high quality of our medical and nursing schools.

and when you hear rich New England Yuppies lamenting the "brain drain", just remember that a lot of folks here become docs and nurses in order to work overseas to support their families. Their families often pooled their savings to pay school fees.

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VJHansen writes a satire on the effete ivory tower types who have no practical experience but think they should tell the hoi polloi how to live.
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The "forgotten war"....

Well, maybe someone should say "thanks", and offer them a vacation in the vital, dynamic Korea. and show them how things have changed.


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July 12 was Philippine Independence day.

Turn up speakers and dance!


not much public celebration here.

In contrast, everyone in the US celebrates July 4th...


Maybe it's because there are so many different "independence" days to celebrate, or maybe it's because here in the Provinces "independence" only meant getting rid of outsiders who supervised the rich elites to run the country to letting the rich families run the country without interference...

One sign of this resentment was that although Erap lost to NoyNoy, Erap's VP won. The local farmers groups are pro Erap but figured Noy noy would be a better president. I suspect if Noy Noy hadn't run, Erap would now be president again (despite his poor health).

Presumably NoyNoy might be able to clean up the place, although with Gloria in the congress, she'll probably try to slow real reform down.

Eggs!

want some Green eggs and ham?

Do you like
green eggs and ham

I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.
I do not like
green eggs and ham.

Would you like them
Here or there?

I would not like them
here or there.
I would not like them
anywhere.
I do not like
green eggs and ham.
I do not like them,
Sam-I-am

Well, how about blue eggs?

...produced open range at a family farm in New Hampshire.


..

..
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and the invention of the week: Plastic chicken feather pluckers!

Buy one for someone you love!


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Engineer Ziayee now has his poultry blog back on line:

From engineerZiyaeePoultry

He runs a training farm in Iran and teaches everything you want to know about raising broilers, in English and Farsi.

( we used to raise chickens until we got too busy and subcontracted the farm elsewhere to concentrate on organic rice).

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more Poultry news LINK


Poultry is a good way to boost nutrition; which is why our hospital in Africa introduced hybrid egg laying chicks into our nutrition outreach program many years ago.

Craft item of the day

Crochet a unicorn hat for your cat.

Pattern can be bought at Etsy.

Korean Dramas

One of the joys here is watching Korean dramas...either on the Korean station with English subtitles or on the local stations, where they are dubbed into Tagalog.

The Latest? Queen Seon Duk:now at youtube

Curmudgeon podcasts of the week

At the FreeLibrary of Phila:

Interviews with Hirsi Ali, a prophet without honor in her own countries
How dare she speak openly of her rebellion against the genital mutilation, forced marriage and other "Islamic" customs (actually they predate Islam) of her Somali homeland.
No, it's not PC to speak of such things, Hirsi...
Repeat after me: There is no clash of civilizations...there is no clash of civilizations...
AbuFares points out the real problem with such "ain't it awful" books here.

A similar rebel voice is interviewed here:

John Walters, who gave us this:


('nough said)

Family news

two puppies went to new homes, and one of the small white puppies went missing and is presumed stolen.

The bad news: They get hungry and wake me during the night to let their mom out to nurse and take them out some softened dogfood to fill their little stomachs.

We exiled them from our bathroom into the area that used to be our garage but is now semi open and used to house our tools.

Mama Dogs puppies are still small, so still in the house...at night we have to watch where we step.

We keep them in the area where we have tiled or cement floors, but out of our bedroom which has hardwood floors and is harder to clean.

Grumpy take two

Maxine's webpage (at Hallmark)

and yes she is on Facebook.


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Famous Grmps, Grouches and Curmudgeons webpage.

and yes, Bill O'Reilly is there.

and don't miss the GrumpyKitty blog.

and the lovely LOL cats:

moar funny pictures
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of course, my cats eat catfood with their organic rice.
But they supplement their diet with what they catch.

This morning's fancy feast? An 18 inch snake...