FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Blocking shipping lanes? What shipping lanes?
the MSM is pushing Miss Piggy as an election issue in the US, and few Americans think that defense is a major issue.
FormerSpook writes:
italics mine. This is why President Duterte is trying to make nice with China and blasting the USA.
Presumably Hillary would do the same if elected, but what exactly is Trumpies' plan?
But Hillary's plan is: Push human rights, make nice about trade and military aggression:
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and Asia is not the biggest problem:
wait til they hit Mosul and you will have to cope with 1.5 million refugees...
lost thanks to Obama wanting a headline saying he pulled out all US troops from Iraq.
AlJ has a report here.
FormerSpook writes:
This may come as a surprise to members of the Obama national security team, but east Asia has devolved into a strategic mess during their watch.
North Korea's nuclear program has stoked new fears in South Korea, Japan and even Taiwan, raising whispers that some of those countries--perhaps all three--might develop their own nuclear weapons in response.
Further south, China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea threatens trade routes used to carry trillions of dollars in raw materials and finished goods each year.
Outside of diplomatic rhetoric--and a slight increase in military patrols--there has been little response from Washington. And that's a major reason regional tensions are boiling over from the Korean peninsula to the Malacca Strait. With American leadership largely absent, hostile regime are aggressively pursuing their agendas.
Meanwhile, our allies feel betrayed and alone, forcing them to consider options that were unthinkable a few years ago.
italics mine. This is why President Duterte is trying to make nice with China and blasting the USA.
Presumably Hillary would do the same if elected, but what exactly is Trumpies' plan?
Hmm... would a nuclear Japan prevent China from blocking the trade routes in the West Philippine sea?
He would also expand the U.S.’s military presence in the South China Sea as a deterrent to China’s territorial claims to artificial islands there. He said he would toughen rules against the theft of intellectual property and combat subsidies China offers to boost exports. He opposes the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade agreement which includes the U.S., Japan and 10 other countries.
 |
| http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/spratly-ship.htm |
But Hillary's plan is: Push human rights, make nice about trade and military aggression:
Mrs. Clinton has been a constant critic of China’s human-rights record. She has called the current U.S./China dynamic “one of the most challenging relationships we have,” but she has also said the two countries share a “positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship.” During her time as secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton said she pushed hard for China to agree to new greenhouse-gas emission standards. She also gave a 2010 speech that focused on internet freedom and criticized China
--------------
and Asia is not the biggest problem:
wait til they hit Mosul and you will have to cope with 1.5 million refugees...
lost thanks to Obama wanting a headline saying he pulled out all US troops from Iraq.
AlJ has a report here.
More signs that the end is nigh
I'm feeling paranoid today, so aside from the fact that a lot of pious folks now answer "no" to the question: Is the Pope Catholic?, there are a lot of other bad news headlines out there that might worry you.
Freakonomics asks: Why are we still using cash?
most of the answers cite the BigBrother is watching you problem (or for Christians, the Mark of the Beast).
But I pointed out: What happens when we get an EMP, Solar flare, major hack job, or even a local disaster?
NPR report here. reports what happened when a typhoon hit Tacloban....
-----------------------------
LATimes has a report on mass graves and "disappeared" in Mexico.
the report suggests the problem is the gov't war against drug cartels, but a closer reading suggests the problem is corruption: a corrupt government/police that is allied with the drug and criminal element is the problem.
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Don't look now: India just bombed Pakistan.
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they kill Indigenous people, don't they?
Metis (and ex MP) Mrs Gay Caswell (and the Catholic bishops of Alberta) are pointing out the legal irregularities of how the Suicide bill there was mandated by their courts and then rammed through the Parliament with little discussion by Baby Trudeau....
The Indigenous people and poor immigrants of Alberta were victims of the Eugenics movement in the early 20th century, so like the Black Americans who remember the Tuskegee project, they tend to be suspicious....
but I found this interesting:
she points out there is a clause that lets parliament overturn court decisions (section 31 of the Canadian Charter).
of course, it is rarely used...
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Homosexual rights activist's speech is canceled by bomb threat.
Nah, it's okay: It's only Milo upsetting the snowflakes.
----------------------------
Commuter train accident in NYC area not long after a bomb was found on the tracks.
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Colombia makes peace, maybe, but one wonders if the SJW who loved every Communist inspired insurgent known to mankind noticed that Venezuela is what happens when someone like FARC takes over...
how bad is it? Well StrategyPage reports even the Chinese are getting out...even though they would love to get their hands on the oil...
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Ignore Duterte's anti American plans.
The Chinese are more hated here than Yanks, but under Obama, the Chinese were left alone to destroy shoals and reefs to make artificial islands.
So he will offer peace to China. If China is smart, they will cooperate, but on the other hand, given how China is also pushing around the Indians, the Japanese, the Vietnamese and the Koreans in similar "border disputes", one doubts a foul mouthed Duterte will budge them.
Look for him to become lovey dovey when Trump takes over...
Trump's son is running his business setting up a big apartment/business center in Manila. His name is behind a lot of businesses here in Asia, so he has connections all over the place.
Hillary's latest complaint about a tiny amount of money that might have gone to Cuba almost 20 years ago is laughable. 68 thousand dollars on a factfinding trip to investigate putting a casino there by a multimillion dollar international company? Presumably looking to see if it was worth investing there when sanctions lift.
compare and contrast: Michelle Obama's 100 million dollar working vacation.
but of course, it's about making the Cuban American community in Florida turn against him.
It's like the kerfuffle about Miss Piggythe porn star ...oopps i mean the topless playboy bunny....uh, even Snopes admits she gained 42 pounds after winning...and this was Twenty years ago. But just ignore Monica and that blue dress...
but the bad news is that intelligent people fall for such things: Heck Professor Beard actually is naive enough to believe CNN fact checking of the debates.
---------------
it's not much better here: our lady vixen is complaining that two high level drug dealers were killed in a prison riot to intimidate her.
----------------------------
Freakonomics asks: Why are we still using cash?
most of the answers cite the BigBrother is watching you problem (or for Christians, the Mark of the Beast).
But I pointed out: What happens when we get an EMP, Solar flare, major hack job, or even a local disaster?
NPR report here. reports what happened when a typhoon hit Tacloban....
-----------------------------
LATimes has a report on mass graves and "disappeared" in Mexico.
the report suggests the problem is the gov't war against drug cartels, but a closer reading suggests the problem is corruption: a corrupt government/police that is allied with the drug and criminal element is the problem.
----------------
Don't look now: India just bombed Pakistan.
-----------------
they kill Indigenous people, don't they?
Metis (and ex MP) Mrs Gay Caswell (and the Catholic bishops of Alberta) are pointing out the legal irregularities of how the Suicide bill there was mandated by their courts and then rammed through the Parliament with little discussion by Baby Trudeau....
The Indigenous people and poor immigrants of Alberta were victims of the Eugenics movement in the early 20th century, so like the Black Americans who remember the Tuskegee project, they tend to be suspicious....
but I found this interesting:
she points out there is a clause that lets parliament overturn court decisions (section 31 of the Canadian Charter).
of course, it is rarely used...
-----------------------------
Homosexual rights activist's speech is canceled by bomb threat.
Nah, it's okay: It's only Milo upsetting the snowflakes.
----------------------------
Commuter train accident in NYC area not long after a bomb was found on the tracks.
---------------------------
Colombia makes peace, maybe, but one wonders if the SJW who loved every Communist inspired insurgent known to mankind noticed that Venezuela is what happens when someone like FARC takes over...
The new socialist government diverted necessary investment in maintaining and expanding the oil production facilities and infrastructure (power, water, roads) in general. The oil company workforce was purged and that replaced a lot of competent managers and workers with people known mainly for their loyalty to the new government. This meant that as the oil prices fell so did Venezuela’s ability to even maintain production. Now there are electric power blackouts, bad roads, unsafe bridges, undependable water supplies and much more. Criminal activity has soared to give Venezuela the highest murder and robbery rates in the world. The socialist politicians gained and retained power for over a decade by appealing to the poor, but the government has lost that and many poor communities are now controlled by criminal gangs, which offer more protection from crime and starvation than the government can.
how bad is it? Well StrategyPage reports even the Chinese are getting out...even though they would love to get their hands on the oil...
-------------------------
Ignore Duterte's anti American plans.
The Chinese are more hated here than Yanks, but under Obama, the Chinese were left alone to destroy shoals and reefs to make artificial islands.
So he will offer peace to China. If China is smart, they will cooperate, but on the other hand, given how China is also pushing around the Indians, the Japanese, the Vietnamese and the Koreans in similar "border disputes", one doubts a foul mouthed Duterte will budge them.
Look for him to become lovey dovey when Trump takes over...
Trump's son is running his business setting up a big apartment/business center in Manila. His name is behind a lot of businesses here in Asia, so he has connections all over the place.
Hillary's latest complaint about a tiny amount of money that might have gone to Cuba almost 20 years ago is laughable. 68 thousand dollars on a factfinding trip to investigate putting a casino there by a multimillion dollar international company? Presumably looking to see if it was worth investing there when sanctions lift.
compare and contrast: Michelle Obama's 100 million dollar working vacation.
but of course, it's about making the Cuban American community in Florida turn against him.
It's like the kerfuffle about Miss Piggy
but the bad news is that intelligent people fall for such things: Heck Professor Beard actually is naive enough to believe CNN fact checking of the debates.
---------------
it's not much better here: our lady vixen is complaining that two high level drug dealers were killed in a prison riot to intimidate her.
----------------------------
Culture wars? We haz that
Two articles that say the Pope is weakening the church and sowing confusion, so just ignore those polls that find him "popular".
yup. I am a sinner: I use an airconditioner and sometimes even a car.
There is a difference between mercy, and being a patsy... or a co-enabler...
In other words Catholics who want to remain Christian and faithful are like battered wives or the families of alcoholics who are told they were the real problem, while the one sinning is told hey, you are forgiven, so interprets this as a wink he can sin over again and get away with it.
What is going on is that Francis would like to make the Catholic church "Episcopal church lite" and go along with the elites of the world, but too many faithful bishops are stopping him. So instead he doesn't change things, appoints bishops who will go along with his changes, and hints to bishops who agree with him to change things locally and sows confusion among the lay people.
how bad is it? Well, even the usually lax US Catholic bishops are pushing back against Francis' priorities... although they still don't have enough guts to make political statements or punish open sinners by denying them communion...Hey, they don't want the NYTimes to call them evil.. for supporting the "religious right" in the culture wars....and the culture of death is busily morphing from abortion to killing grandmom (and deformed babies)....
Nothing new here: St Athanasius, stopped a similar popular "reform" movement pushed by the government in the good old days.
--------------------------
LINK: NYTimes
Summary:his repeated attacks painting raditional Catholics as bad and rigid has not led to more people joining the church, and his weakening of dogma has only caused confusion...
and no, he has not cleaned up the Vatican finances either.
and then there is this:
from Catholic world Report:
Summary:his repeated attacks painting raditional Catholics as bad and rigid has not led to more people joining the church, and his weakening of dogma has only caused confusion...
and no, he has not cleaned up the Vatican finances either.
not mentioned in the article: The child abuse problem is not being addressed.... more here....
When he was elected, Francis promised a cleanup of the Vatican’s corrupt finances. Three years on, he has started to retreat in the face of opposition, giving up an outside audit and taking powers away from his handpicked point man.
and then there is this:
from Catholic world Report:
it is the unease and bewilderment of Catholics who know or suspect that accomodation, compromise, and sentimentality disguised as "pastoral" kindness are not good for the Church or the world.and he adds:
Thus, references to "sin" are avoided. But when it comes to the environment and global warming, which Francis has strong emotions about, there appears to be plenty of black and white, and almost no grey at all.
yup. I am a sinner: I use an airconditioner and sometimes even a car.
"Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality," warned Benedict XVI, "Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way." Mercy is not something that can be redefined in an arbitrary way, however good or appealing the sentiment involved.
There is a difference between mercy, and being a patsy... or a co-enabler...
In other words Catholics who want to remain Christian and faithful are like battered wives or the families of alcoholics who are told they were the real problem, while the one sinning is told hey, you are forgiven, so interprets this as a wink he can sin over again and get away with it.
What is going on is that Francis would like to make the Catholic church "Episcopal church lite" and go along with the elites of the world, but too many faithful bishops are stopping him. So instead he doesn't change things, appoints bishops who will go along with his changes, and hints to bishops who agree with him to change things locally and sows confusion among the lay people.
how bad is it? Well, even the usually lax US Catholic bishops are pushing back against Francis' priorities... although they still don't have enough guts to make political statements or punish open sinners by denying them communion...Hey, they don't want the NYTimes to call them evil.. for supporting the "religious right" in the culture wars....and the culture of death is busily morphing from abortion to killing grandmom (and deformed babies)....
Nothing new here: St Athanasius, stopped a similar popular "reform" movement pushed by the government in the good old days.
--------------------------
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Utopian novel podcast
The podcast from Mythgard, which discusses scifi/fantasy novels, this weeks starts a discussion on the Dispossessed.
I had the book in the US but didn't bring it with me to the Philippines.
However, you can listen to the audiobook by visiting Youtube.
part one
Part two
I usually download these to listen to at my leisure, but lately the downloads won't work on my webbrowser, so I use youku downloader.
so far, no problems with it. and it means I don't have to rely on an iffy wifi to listen.
The Dispossessed describes the twin worlds of Anarres, an anarchist world, and Urras, a world much like our own with countries of varied political systems, including two very large countries with systems that are at odds with each other. Told from the perspective of the Anarresti scholar Shevek, the book provides a thoughtful and shrewd look into the various political systems that Shevek encounters, including the one into which he was born, and finds both merits and faults in each. The Dispossessed is part of Le Guin’s larger Hainish cycle, which explores a variety of worlds and social systems.
I had the book in the US but didn't bring it with me to the Philippines.
However, you can listen to the audiobook by visiting Youtube.
part one
Part two
I usually download these to listen to at my leisure, but lately the downloads won't work on my webbrowser, so I use youku downloader.
so far, no problems with it. and it means I don't have to rely on an iffy wifi to listen.
Family news
A low pressure area has caused flooding in Manila, but we have only had heavy thunderstorms.
No, it's not global warming, it's the sewers....just the usual typhoon season, and the fact that there is inadequate drainage of Manila, and often the pipes get clogged with garbages, especially plastic bags...
We have had most of our rice harvested, but the rains postponed Ruby's trip to her homeschool base and to get her paperwork done for her trip to Japan.
The problem with the trip to Japan is that although her team of 4 won the trip, only three are funded to go, and now it turns out that they need passports ASAP and alas things are too slow for those who don't have passports.
I might accompany Ruby since Joy is busy and I need a vacation.
Hmm....I wonder if I can find the subzero Parka that Lolo wore here to the Philippines...
No, it's not global warming, it's the sewers....just the usual typhoon season, and the fact that there is inadequate drainage of Manila, and often the pipes get clogged with garbages, especially plastic bags...
We have had most of our rice harvested, but the rains postponed Ruby's trip to her homeschool base and to get her paperwork done for her trip to Japan.
The problem with the trip to Japan is that although her team of 4 won the trip, only three are funded to go, and now it turns out that they need passports ASAP and alas things are too slow for those who don't have passports.
I might accompany Ruby since Joy is busy and I need a vacation.
Hmm....I wonder if I can find the subzero Parka that Lolo wore here to the Philippines...
Invention of the century
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7174051/pizza_saver.0.gif)
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pizza_saver.JPG |
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Gut reaction or logic?
I am old enough to remember the Kennedy-Nixon debates before the election in 1960.
Nixon won on points, but ironically lost because he had a bad day (he had been sick) and had been given a bad makeup job.
So there you had a laughing and healthy looking JFK versus a sick looking, anxious looking and sweating Nixon, and although Nixon won the debate on points, he lost in image.
Kennedy, who was portrayed as a youngish unexperienced kid, came out looking presidential, whereas the very experienced Nixon came out looking frail and sick.
all of which was perception, not real (Kennedy's problem with chronic back pain and Addison's disease were not an issue at the time, but his inexperience almost led to WWIII, since Kruschev figured he was a wimp and after successfully putting up the Berlin wall, tried to put missiles in Cuba... one doubts he would have tried this with Nixon in office).
So I didn't watch the modern debates like my politically savvy granddaughter or step son.
But AnneAltouse has a long discussion by her commenteres: and this one sort of says why Hillary has a problem with white Males:
and she links to Dilbert, who says:
DavidWarreb is Canadian and also notes that Trump will win because he is less scary.
well, that doesn't make me very happy.
The dirty little secret is that if Trump wins, we're all gonna die, says Mom Jones, because: CLIMATE CHANGE. They note the problem got 82 seconds in the debate...
On the other hand, if Hillary continues Obama's policies, America will end up with medical rationing and euthanasia and a persecution of churches and church related institutions.
I'm in the Philippines, and my granddaughter wonders if the US will be like our last election, where the polls suggested one of the mainstream candidates would win, because a lot of Duterte voters were not admitting it to pollsters, or were not internet savvy.... but the presence of Duterte posters in the windows of small businesses and on tricycles here suggested that he had a huge grassroots support that hadn't been noticed by the Manila elite who run the social media...
Nixon won on points, but ironically lost because he had a bad day (he had been sick) and had been given a bad makeup job.
So there you had a laughing and healthy looking JFK versus a sick looking, anxious looking and sweating Nixon, and although Nixon won the debate on points, he lost in image.
Kennedy, who was portrayed as a youngish unexperienced kid, came out looking presidential, whereas the very experienced Nixon came out looking frail and sick.
all of which was perception, not real (Kennedy's problem with chronic back pain and Addison's disease were not an issue at the time, but his inexperience almost led to WWIII, since Kruschev figured he was a wimp and after successfully putting up the Berlin wall, tried to put missiles in Cuba... one doubts he would have tried this with Nixon in office).
So I didn't watch the modern debates like my politically savvy granddaughter or step son.
But AnneAltouse has a long discussion by her commenteres: and this one sort of says why Hillary has a problem with white Males:
She was the bitchy ex-wife in divorce negotiations, and I don't think it will play well with the rest of America.
and she links to Dilbert, who says:
Trump needed to solve exactly one problem: Look less scary. Trump needed to counter Clinton’s successful branding of him as having a bad temperament to the point of being dangerous to the country. Trump accomplished exactly that…by…losing the debate.
DavidWarreb is Canadian and also notes that Trump will win because he is less scary.
well, that doesn't make me very happy.
The dirty little secret is that if Trump wins, we're all gonna die, says Mom Jones, because: CLIMATE CHANGE. They note the problem got 82 seconds in the debate...
On the other hand, if Hillary continues Obama's policies, America will end up with medical rationing and euthanasia and a persecution of churches and church related institutions.
I'm in the Philippines, and my granddaughter wonders if the US will be like our last election, where the polls suggested one of the mainstream candidates would win, because a lot of Duterte voters were not admitting it to pollsters, or were not internet savvy.... but the presence of Duterte posters in the windows of small businesses and on tricycles here suggested that he had a huge grassroots support that hadn't been noticed by the Manila elite who run the social media...
St Michael
Usually St Michael the Archangel is portrayed as a Roman soldier defeating Satan, who is portrayed as a dragon.
The problem is that often in "modern" art, the image is prettified, so it makes him look like he is wearing a skirt, and often since he doesn't have a helmet, he has a pageboy cut so looks like a woman.
On the other hand, in one of (Father) Andrew Greeley's novels, when St Michael appears he is dressed lie a Navy SEAL. However, one suspects such an image would not get past the PC in the Vatican, who seem to forget history and go around saying "No more War" and "war doesn't solve anything".
So I am happy today (The feast of St M. is this week) that Father Z posts this:
This is a nice sentiment, but as I learned in Africa, that doesn't stop the bad guys from killing unarmed nuns and priests and villagers, even when the "insurgents" were funded by the World Council of (left wing liberal) churches....but that is another story for another day....
The problem is that often in "modern" art, the image is prettified, so it makes him look like he is wearing a skirt, and often since he doesn't have a helmet, he has a pageboy cut so looks like a woman.
On the other hand, in one of (Father) Andrew Greeley's novels, when St Michael appears he is dressed lie a Navy SEAL. However, one suspects such an image would not get past the PC in the Vatican, who seem to forget history and go around saying "No more War" and "war doesn't solve anything".
So I am happy today (The feast of St M. is this week) that Father Z posts this:
 |
| Michael as Samurai Warrior by Daniel Mitsui |
This is a nice sentiment, but as I learned in Africa, that doesn't stop the bad guys from killing unarmed nuns and priests and villagers, even when the "insurgents" were funded by the World Council of (left wing liberal) churches....but that is another story for another day....
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
That's not a knife....
UKMail remembers Crocodile Dundee... and where they are today.
The film added this phrase/ meme to American vocabulary
this was in the "Death Wish" era of high crime NYC, before Mayor Guiliani cleaned up the place up...
President Rody call your office...
The film added this phrase/ meme to American vocabulary
this was in the "Death Wish" era of high crime NYC, before Mayor Guiliani cleaned up the place up...
President Rody call your office...
What to read while the debates are raging
AlasNotMe has an essay on the history of Elves: these are not the elves you are looking for.
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a review of the latest Harry Potterbook play.
I have trouble reading plays, but some fans have read the book/play on line for your listening pleasure
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TeaAtTrianon links to a page discussing the real Eleanor of Aquitaine, as opposed to the legend.
on the other hand, her life as queen of France, Queen of England, and mother of three English kings, not to mention going on the crusade is quite a shock for those who learned in school women of the middle ages were powerless.
You might have seen her played by Katherine Hepburne in a Lion in Winter.
InOurTime discusses her HERE.
--------------------------------
SenseOfEventsBlog: Remembering Irene Sendler
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As for me, I am reading the Poldark series on Scribd....they also have the audiobook there...
I am up to Warleggan, book 4. Presumably this will be on Season 2.
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a review of the latest Harry Potter
I have trouble reading plays, but some fans have read the book/play on line for your listening pleasure
------------------
TeaAtTrianon links to a page discussing the real Eleanor of Aquitaine, as opposed to the legend.
on the other hand, her life as queen of France, Queen of England, and mother of three English kings, not to mention going on the crusade is quite a shock for those who learned in school women of the middle ages were powerless.
You might have seen her played by Katherine Hepburne in a Lion in Winter.
InOurTime discusses her HERE.
--------------------------------
SenseOfEventsBlog: Remembering Irene Sendler
--------------------------
As for me, I am reading the Poldark series on Scribd....they also have the audiobook there...
I am up to Warleggan, book 4. Presumably this will be on Season 2.
Monday, September 26, 2016
family news
There was a huge thunderstorm yesterday in the early evening. I heard it hit somewhere near, but we didn't get a brownout. Apparently it hit a transformer in SanLorenzo because that neighborhood had an 8 hour brownout last night.
The harvest is still in full swing, although much has been cut.
It used to be by hand, but now we have a harvester/thresher so it takes less time.
And we have our own electric drier. Usually the rice is dried on the streets/driveways or on a tarp on a flat area, but when we got badly hit by a typhoon we had to wait and get the rice mill to dry the rice. The delay meant the rice was of poor quality, only good for animal food, not to sell as gourmet organic rice. So Lolo invested in an electric drier. This was put on our land on a small hill where we can't irrigate but it doesn't flood.
Joy and Ruby spent much of their day with their church activities. Lots of social life there. I stayed home with the dogs and cats.
the spare bedroom is full of kittens right now: Not only the two that I rescued but three yellow kitties that a visitor had in the closet there.
One of these days, we will start leaving the door open to discourage the cats from staying there, but I don't have the heart to let in the dogs when the sweet kitties are roaming around.
Finally: There is supposed to be a debate in the US. I don't follow the election, but Kuya says he will come down to watch it on our TV so we can throw popcorn at the screen when the candidates lie.
Heh.
The harvest is still in full swing, although much has been cut.
It used to be by hand, but now we have a harvester/thresher so it takes less time.
And we have our own electric drier. Usually the rice is dried on the streets/driveways or on a tarp on a flat area, but when we got badly hit by a typhoon we had to wait and get the rice mill to dry the rice. The delay meant the rice was of poor quality, only good for animal food, not to sell as gourmet organic rice. So Lolo invested in an electric drier. This was put on our land on a small hill where we can't irrigate but it doesn't flood.
Joy and Ruby spent much of their day with their church activities. Lots of social life there. I stayed home with the dogs and cats.
the spare bedroom is full of kittens right now: Not only the two that I rescued but three yellow kitties that a visitor had in the closet there.
One of these days, we will start leaving the door open to discourage the cats from staying there, but I don't have the heart to let in the dogs when the sweet kitties are roaming around.
Finally: There is supposed to be a debate in the US. I don't follow the election, but Kuya says he will come down to watch it on our TV so we can throw popcorn at the screen when the candidates lie.
Heh.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Chinese in Roman London?
I saw reports of a possible skeleton found in London that some said looked East Asian.
Prof Mary Beard discusses. They might have been East Asian, or maybe their ancestors were East Asian...
Prof Mary Beard discusses. They might have been East Asian, or maybe their ancestors were East Asian...
in other words , they attest to the multicultural world of the Roman empire. But they do not mean that these are a pair of people who made their way, in one generation, from China to Rome.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Drugs and terrorism: a marriage made in hell
The old leftie, retired Archbishop Cruz, notes the link between drug gangs and the Islamic terrorists in the southern Philippines that was behind the recent bombing in Davao City, which was done to warn the president to keep his hands off them.
He calls them the ShabuSayef.
he notes sadly that the result will be more checkpoints and less freedom.
Well, we already had them a couple years back during a push against the NPA. so this is nothing new.
---------------------------------
DuterteSpeak: A guide for foreign media.
Here are some tips: “Fuck you” really means “I reject strongly your position on this matter and am expressing my intense displeasure with your pronouncements.”...
“Putangina” really means “I firmly believe you are mistaken.” ...
“Gago” really means “It is unfortunate that you have embraced a viewpoint that is contrary to mine.”
-------------------------
The Philippines is in danger from Shabu (meth) epidemic associated with gangs using us as a transport point to the rest of Asia.
compare and contrast: Iran's murderous anti drug war.
the article is shocked, shocked that they are persecuting drug pushers, and that the west if helping them do it with money.
The dirty little secret is that they are fighting drug gangs from Afghanistan and that they too are a heroin transport point to ship heroin to Europe and Russia. They also have a huge heroin addiction problem.
a lot of those executed are Afghans or minorities. (Iran houses 3 million Afghan refugees, who have lived there for years: mostly from when the Russians or Taliban ran the place) and a lot of this is related to the Baluchistan militants who smuggle drugs (not just heroin but meth and hashish) to fund their insurgency against both Pakistan and Iran.
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StrategyPage has a long article on the violence in Mexico, and about the crooked politicians who help them.
StrategyPage also has noted that since 2006, 80thousand have lost their lives due to the drug gangs (some of them civilians).
In the meanwhile, two more priests have been murdered by drug gangs in Mexico. and notes 11 have been murdered and two have gone missing over the last three years.
Crux puts the total at 14 priests and 2 church workers over the last three years, 11 over the last decade, and several pastors have also been murdered in that country.
So poor the poor priest murdered by
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of course, such things would never occur in the USA...
Chicago magazine about the links between gangs and politicians.
Stories below the fold
Scientists figure out how to read a scroll that had been burned in 600 AD
using a micro CT Scan.
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Samsung batteries are exploding?
Follow the money: some cases in China are from owners burning their phones and claiming explosion.
Lastest scam discussed by Chinese netcitizens on Weibo.
more here at Global Times.
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The Sky is Falling!
well, not the sky but the Chinese space station.
-------------------
Quantum teleportation is real....
----------------------------------
Reporters write about NDE, leave religion and God out of the story.
----------------------
Climate change from earth's orbital wobbles might have resulted in humans deciding to leave Africa.
using a micro CT Scan.
--------------------------
Samsung batteries are exploding?
Follow the money: some cases in China are from owners burning their phones and claiming explosion.
Lastest scam discussed by Chinese netcitizens on Weibo.
more here at Global Times.
-----------------------
The Sky is Falling!
well, not the sky but the Chinese space station.
-------------------
Quantum teleportation is real....
----------------------------------
Reporters write about NDE, leave religion and God out of the story.
----------------------
Climate change from earth's orbital wobbles might have resulted in humans deciding to leave Africa.
Friday, September 23, 2016
World Peace!
From the Manila Bul: 26 countries pledge $151 million for world peace.
The co-hosts underscored the importance of the Peacebuilding Fund and the UN combined focus on sustaining peace. “A change of mind-set in how we go about doing the business of peace also requires a different kind of players, a different kind of willingness and commitment in how we invest in the peacebuilding complex, including prevention,” said Amina C. Mohamed, the cabinet secretary for foreign affairs of Kenya. “Today we saw a good initial step in that direction. There is still much work to be done.”
more money for rich NGO workers, and to be diveted into the pockets of local politicians.
one of the goals of the UNPeacekeeping funds:
The PBF constitutes an essential component of the enhanced UN architecture to provide for a more sustained engagement in support of countries emerging from conflict and will support peacebuilding activities which directly contribute to post-conflict stabilization and strengthen the capacity of Governments, national/local institutions...
yup. money for politicians.
we all want world peace, don't we? but the real problem is how one plans to do this....
Duterte is taking his advice from Gracie:
Viking Chickens
No, I am not joking.
Viking chickens.
Viking chickens.
Viking chickens are a breed of chicken from Iceland. These chickens were brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th century AD and were found on most farms for centuries. Indeed, one of their Icelandic names -- Íslenska landnámshænan -- means "Icelandic hen of the settlers." With the advent of the commercial type chickens, by the 1950s the Icelandic breed was nearly extinct. All the birds now existing (less than 3,000) are descended from a very small group of fowl saved in the 1970s.
Hammar of the gods met their match
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
Hammer of the gods, will drive our ships to new land.
To fight the hordes, and sing and cry.
Valhalla I am coming.
Always sweep with, with threshing oar.
Our only goal will be the western shore.
Ah, ah.
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
How soft your fields so green. Can whisper tales of gore.
Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your over Lords.
sorry, fellahs: Not True. The AmerIndians kicked your butts so after a couple of years you left.
Why were they so angry at the innocent immigrants? Maybe because they were poaching, or maybe because they attacked when they should have been trading. Or maybe because in these attacks you stole their women: DNA suggests you might have captured a local female to use as a slave and took her back with you.
The LedZepplin song was inspired by Icelandic history.
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
Hammer of the gods, will drive our ships to new land.
To fight the hordes, and sing and cry.
Valhalla I am coming.
Always sweep with, with threshing oar.
Our only goal will be the western shore.
Ah, ah.
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
How soft your fields so green. Can whisper tales of gore.
Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your over Lords.
sorry, fellahs: Not True. The AmerIndians kicked your butts so after a couple of years you left.
Why were they so angry at the innocent immigrants? Maybe because they were poaching, or maybe because they attacked when they should have been trading. Or maybe because in these attacks you stole their women: DNA suggests you might have captured a local female to use as a slave and took her back with you.
The LedZepplin song was inspired by Icelandic history.
The "Land of ice and snow" is Iceland, where the band played in June 1970. Robert Plant explained: "We weren't being pompous. We did come from the land of the ice and snow. We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission. We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik and the day before we arrived all the civil servants went on strike and the gig was going to be canceled. The university prepared a concert hall for us and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable and we had a great time. 'Immigrant Song' was about that trip and it was the opening track on the album that was intended to be incredibly different."
Viking Kittens!
Live Science: cats did travel with the Vikings. cats were domesticated in the Middle East, and also in Egypt... and in China. And the Egyptian cat DNA was found in cat skeletens from areas settled by Vikings.
so are Norwegian forest cats originally from Egypt??
does LedZepplin know this?
And then there is the mystery of the Maine Coon Cats....
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Tolkien essay of the week
LINK on northern courage, the Battle of Maldon, and Thorin Oakenshield
is the refusal to give up courage, or is it wrong since overwhelming pride can cause many people to die who otherwise had a chance to live?
Reminds me of the hothead hero in Heneral Luna.
Like Thorin, a man of honor who would not compromise.
ironically many in the US opposed the war back then, including Mark Twain... and ironically many of the civilian deaths were not so much atrocities but from malnutrition and infectious diseases due to displacement, although the Moros did get pay back massacres so might not agree with me here.
Of course, "independence" in 1901 would have meant letting the rich families rule the place. Heh. Sort of what they are doing now...
except American presence did lead to schools and the idea of rule of law and democracy, not the feudal system of Spanish culture.
A lot of the problems here in the Philippines today is that there is still a struggle between the traditional Asian/Hispanic values of noblesse oblige and extended families caring for themselves and a feudal system where who you know can get you ahead, and the US system where hard work and education will pull you out of poverty.
And the wild card is the OFW: Those migrating overseas to work and making money and then coming back.
Of course, an "independent" Philippines in 1901 was open pickings for other stronger superpowers of those days...would the Philippines have morphed into a French, British, Japanese or Chinese colony?
For that matter, with the withdrawal of US influence, will it now morph into a Chinese colony or controlled by Chinese big business instead of American Big business?
Neocolonialism, anyone?
Discuss, class....
is the refusal to give up courage, or is it wrong since overwhelming pride can cause many people to die who otherwise had a chance to live?
Reminds me of the hothead hero in Heneral Luna.
Like Thorin, a man of honor who would not compromise.
ironically many in the US opposed the war back then, including Mark Twain... and ironically many of the civilian deaths were not so much atrocities but from malnutrition and infectious diseases due to displacement, although the Moros did get pay back massacres so might not agree with me here.
Of course, "independence" in 1901 would have meant letting the rich families rule the place. Heh. Sort of what they are doing now...
except American presence did lead to schools and the idea of rule of law and democracy, not the feudal system of Spanish culture.
A lot of the problems here in the Philippines today is that there is still a struggle between the traditional Asian/Hispanic values of noblesse oblige and extended families caring for themselves and a feudal system where who you know can get you ahead, and the US system where hard work and education will pull you out of poverty.
And the wild card is the OFW: Those migrating overseas to work and making money and then coming back.
Of course, an "independent" Philippines in 1901 was open pickings for other stronger superpowers of those days...would the Philippines have morphed into a French, British, Japanese or Chinese colony?
For that matter, with the withdrawal of US influence, will it now morph into a Chinese colony or controlled by Chinese big business instead of American Big business?
Neocolonialism, anyone?
Discuss, class....
ExtraJudicial killings
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| copyright Joey Velasco |
the problem with extrajudicial killings is that they go too far.
But of course this one was a legal execution for political reasons, so I guess it is okay.
yes, I am being sarcastic.
Sigh. It is the poor who suffer no matter what.
So is Christ the drug pusher who is killed for our sins? Or is he the symbol of the many who have destroyed their lives taking drugs?
and where do the rich, who take bribes from high level drug dealers to look the other way, fit into the picture?
Discuss, class...
Stories below the fold
GPS blockers discussion on StrategyPage.
-----------------------------
SP also has these factoids about Shiites in Afghanistan:
MomJones recounts the debate if Roundup causes cancer, or if it is the ingredients added to the insecticide that are the problems.
First problem: What do they mean by "cancer"? This is like saying "germ" because there are a lot of cancers out there.
Apparently it is lymphoma... non Hogkins' lymphoma, according to the ambulance chasing lawyers.
This UK website says the cases have increased 180 percent since 1970's... but if you look carefully, you see the UK had 13 thousand cases in 2013, and half were over age 70.
my take: Fix the problem, but remember that the choice is starvation of millions or cancer for a couple thousand old people.
I am fairly certain that some cancers are environmental (smoked fish and stomach cancer, tobacco and radon with lung cancer, sexual promiscuity spreading HPV and cervical cancer to name a few). So I suspect some cancers are caused by chemicals in the environment.
But even since I studied in medical school, we have seen a shift in types of cancers and other diseases.
as for NHL remember: chronic diseases, autoimmune disease, and HIV, that affect the immune system are known causes of the disease.
and HIV was rare before 1980...
-----------------------
MomJones also points out that yes, California has a drought, but if Californians didn't waste so much water, but recycled it, there wouldn't be such a terrible water shortage.
believe in your horoscope? Well DavidReneke there is bad news for you:
more here.
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SP also has these factoids about Shiites in Afghanistan:
----------------
Only 15 percent of Afghans are Shia and these Shia are a particular target for Sunni Islamic terrorists (like the Taliban). Most of these Shia are the Hazara, who are ten percent of the population and the descendants of the hated Mongols who conducted several brutal invasions during the 13th and 14th centuries and destroyed more of the country and its population than any other conquerors.
MomJones recounts the debate if Roundup causes cancer, or if it is the ingredients added to the insecticide that are the problems.
First problem: What do they mean by "cancer"? This is like saying "germ" because there are a lot of cancers out there.
Apparently it is lymphoma... non Hogkins' lymphoma, according to the ambulance chasing lawyers.
This UK website says the cases have increased 180 percent since 1970's... but if you look carefully, you see the UK had 13 thousand cases in 2013, and half were over age 70.
my take: Fix the problem, but remember that the choice is starvation of millions or cancer for a couple thousand old people.
I am fairly certain that some cancers are environmental (smoked fish and stomach cancer, tobacco and radon with lung cancer, sexual promiscuity spreading HPV and cervical cancer to name a few). So I suspect some cancers are caused by chemicals in the environment.
But even since I studied in medical school, we have seen a shift in types of cancers and other diseases.
as for NHL remember: chronic diseases, autoimmune disease, and HIV, that affect the immune system are known causes of the disease.
and HIV was rare before 1980...
MomJones also points out that yes, California has a drought, but if Californians didn't waste so much water, but recycled it, there wouldn't be such a terrible water shortage.
believe in your horoscope? Well DavidReneke there is bad news for you:
NASA has declared that because of a shift of the Earth’s axis, the zodiac needs to be re-evaluated. They explain that in the 3000 years since the zodiac system was drawn up, “the sky has shifted because Earth’s axis (North Pole) doesn’t point in quite the same direction.” This, combined with evidence of a long-suspected 13th zodiac sign, has led NASA to propose a new zodiac.
more here.
---------------------
Democrats scouring overseas expats for votes
Drudge's headline points to this Breitbart article, which I have not read (I try to avoid political stuff on right wing webpages like Breitbart or the CNN).
But it is true.
I belong to the local Democratic overseas group here in the Philippines, but since they meet in Manila and I live elsewhere, I don't attend meetings. During the last presidential election they were helpful in sending us the information so we could keep our registration active in our home state and vote.
This year, our caucus backed Bernie, not Hillary.
But in the last few days, not only did I get an email asking me to volunteer to man the phones to urge people to get registered and vote.
They must have had other volunteers doing this since they called my contact number, which is my stepson's phone, urging us to vote, telling us how important this is, and instructing us where to go to the Embassy in Manila to get registration information.
I found this hilarious, since my step son, a Balikbayan like my husband, got the phone call, and like my husband, he is a rabid Republican and a Trump enthusiast.
So the end result is a vote for Trump.
Since there are over 100 thousand Expats living here in the Philippines, not to mention Balikbayans (returnees from the US with citizenship) it could change the numbers.
But it is true.
I belong to the local Democratic overseas group here in the Philippines, but since they meet in Manila and I live elsewhere, I don't attend meetings. During the last presidential election they were helpful in sending us the information so we could keep our registration active in our home state and vote.
This year, our caucus backed Bernie, not Hillary.
But in the last few days, not only did I get an email asking me to volunteer to man the phones to urge people to get registered and vote.
They must have had other volunteers doing this since they called my contact number, which is my stepson's phone, urging us to vote, telling us how important this is, and instructing us where to go to the Embassy in Manila to get registration information.
I found this hilarious, since my step son, a Balikbayan like my husband, got the phone call, and like my husband, he is a rabid Republican and a Trump enthusiast.
So the end result is a vote for Trump.
Since there are over 100 thousand Expats living here in the Philippines, not to mention Balikbayans (returnees from the US with citizenship) it could change the numbers.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Philippine news
The soap opera of Senatorial hearings is still going on. Don't bother to read the MSM: you are missing the part where he had to be coached.
And one of the latest casualties is the daughter of a "british Lord" (and drug kingpin) who was killed and left with a note saying she was a pusher. And indeed, if you read down ten paragraphs you find her realtives admitting she "took after her father" and of course she was arrested awhile back with a lot of drugs.
a lot of the murders are bad from a human rights angle: what is needed is rule of law and swift justice.
But when one sees one politician after another getting off, and when those crying "human rights" have lots of stuff, well, a lot of people think that maybe they are being paid off.
and the release of our lovely ex-president suggests that if you are rich, you can steal everything in sight (actually only 8 million dollars) but still get Clinton allies to go to the UN to get you off under the guise of human rights violations.
Duterte clarifies his remarks about telling the US to leave, and says he needs the US to help protect Philippine territory in the West Philippine sea (note: the US has been doing little to help)
StrategyPage has a good summary of what is going on here: read the whole thing.
excerpt:
---------------
also big news in the Philippines: the breakup of Brangelina.
He was once a big user of pot and other drugs, and TMZ reports is that he relapsed... which is why she doesn't want him caring for the kids.
The same yuppies who see tobacco use as the only sin left ignore the social effects of drug use.
And one of the latest casualties is the daughter of a "british Lord" (and drug kingpin) who was killed and left with a note saying she was a pusher. And indeed, if you read down ten paragraphs you find her realtives admitting she "took after her father" and of course she was arrested awhile back with a lot of drugs.
a lot of the murders are bad from a human rights angle: what is needed is rule of law and swift justice.
But when one sees one politician after another getting off, and when those crying "human rights" have lots of stuff, well, a lot of people think that maybe they are being paid off.
and the release of our lovely ex-president suggests that if you are rich, you can steal everything in sight (actually only 8 million dollars) but still get Clinton allies to go to the UN to get you off under the guise of human rights violations.
Duterte clarifies his remarks about telling the US to leave, and says he needs the US to help protect Philippine territory in the West Philippine sea (note: the US has been doing little to help)
StrategyPage has a good summary of what is going on here: read the whole thing.
excerpt:
they also discuss the war against terror and the upsurge in piracy in the south.
As president Duterte’s aggressive anti-crime approach has had immediate results for most Filipinos. Crime is down and it’s the criminals, not the average Filipino, who are now living in fear. That is enormously popular with most voters. Some local and many foreign critics consider these vigilante methods illegal, immoral and ineffective. That remains to be proven. In the meantime these methods have, since July 1st, left over 3,500 known or suspected drug gang members and addicts dead. Most were low level dealers but these are criminals the people see daily and hate the most. As a result a recent opinion poll found 91 percent of Filipinos approved of this new “shoot on sight” approach.
---------------
also big news in the Philippines: the breakup of Brangelina.
“The future will tell. The fact that she wants custody of the six children (with visiting rights for Pitt) possibly means that there is something behind this break-up. Maybe in the next few days we will learn there is another story,” she said.
He was once a big user of pot and other drugs, and TMZ reports is that he relapsed... which is why she doesn't want him caring for the kids.
The same yuppies who see tobacco use as the only sin left ignore the social effects of drug use.
who needs mindfulness when you have smartphones?
awhile back, I pointed out that the "mindfulness" craze being pushed on docs is nothing more than self hypnosis, and that "mindfulness" is merely deep concentration, where outside thoughts are stopped to concentrate on one thing. This mental ability is found when you do yoga, jog, say the Jesus prayer, say a mantra, say a rosary, surf the internet, or just plain read a good book or play/listen to music.
Ah, but in today's world, it might mean using your cellphone 24/7.
Andrew Sullivan's column that notices he no longer has a human life, but is addicted to the internet.
Heh. Been there, done that.
But actually, Sullivan is so last year: It is smart phone addiction that is the problem now.
David Warren notes:
I have seen it myself all over, while walking and riding about the city; and moreover, I have seen it increase, dramatically, over the last few years. I would not call it a “zombie look,” for it conveys a certain alertness.
and two seconds in this zombie movie (at minute 1:34) sort of says it all:
"
Stories below the fold
DavidReneke posts an interview with the Vatican's astronomer from the NZHerald.
A good article that corrects a lot of misconceptions, from the conspiracy theories that the Vatican is in touch with ET trying to take over the world to the absurdity of the new atheists.
I laughed at this part.
and he explains why the pope, who has a degree in chemistry, is so involved in climate change.
his expertise is meteorites.
read the whole thing.
A good article that corrects a lot of misconceptions, from the conspiracy theories that the Vatican is in touch with ET trying to take over the world to the absurdity of the new atheists.
I laughed at this part.
....the reason that people think they are at odds is because most people stop learning about science when they’re 12, and most people stop learning about religion when they’re 12.
What does a 12-year-old know about science?
It’s a big book of facts, and they feel the same about religion; they learned it at Sunday school, so it must be true.
and he explains why the pope, who has a degree in chemistry, is so involved in climate change.
his expertise is meteorites.
read the whole thing.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Factoid of the day
I am quite ignorant of Middle East history, so I found this snippet of history interesting:
From StrategyPage in a discussion about the civil war in Yemen:
Then came oil to complicate matters and Yemen became the poor cousin.
I was not aware, however, that the Persians were not always Shiites: it was imposed on them.
so although the Persian/Arab conflict goes back to Darius' time, the Shiite conflict only dates back to 15th century... WIKIPEDIA has more details.
From StrategyPage in a discussion about the civil war in Yemen:
For thousands of years Arabia was largely poor and thinly populated. Most of the population and wealth (what we now call GDP) were in the south, where there was regular rainfall in what is now Yemen. During all that time Iran was the regional superpower.
Then came oil to complicate matters and Yemen became the poor cousin.
I was not aware, however, that the Persians were not always Shiites: it was imposed on them.
The Turks were relatively new in the region and had adopted Sunni Islam. Iranian rulers deliberately forced their subjects to convert and that process took over a century to complete. That produced an ethnic/religious divide in the region which is now triggering and sustaining several wars, including the one in Yemen and a larger potential one between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
so although the Persian/Arab conflict goes back to Darius' time, the Shiite conflict only dates back to 15th century... WIKIPEDIA has more details.
And they cared for her
WesternDigs has a report on an excavation on a Hohokum burial site, where the body of a young woman suffering from TB and scoliosis was recently uncovered.
and later it is noted that her teeth were perfect, suggesting she was fed specially prepared soft food.
the attitude toward the disabled varies from community to community and in many communities they are seen as special or holy and/or that the deity blessed you when you cared for them.
Alas, in today's society often "bioethicists" claim that in the past such handicapped children were simply killed or discarded at birth, so we should allow them to be legally killed,
and nowadays, "bioethicists– supported by friendly media stories–want to be able to force nursing homes to starve incompetent patients who willingly eat".
LINK.
in case you didn't notice, the "abortion laws" have passed by, and killing the dying is pretty well gone away: the debate now is about killing the handicapped LINK
Doctor Gallagher, call your office...
actually, he did more than write a biography of FDR as hiding his disability to lead the country.
Human remains found buried in downtown Tempe, Arizona, are revealing a touching story about one young woman’s painful life and the community that cared for her more than 800 years ago.....
For one thing, her skeleton was severely disfigured, likely from a combination of both congenital and contracted diseases.
And for another, her grave was one of the most richly appointed of all the burials that were studied.
and later it is noted that her teeth were perfect, suggesting she was fed specially prepared soft food.
“... they took care of her for decades. It wasn’t like she was taken out to a hill and left to die because she was never going to be a productive member. The community banded together and took care of this woman for her whole lifetime.”
the attitude toward the disabled varies from community to community and in many communities they are seen as special or holy and/or that the deity blessed you when you cared for them.
Alas, in today's society often "bioethicists" claim that in the past such handicapped children were simply killed or discarded at birth, so we should allow them to be legally killed,
and nowadays, "bioethicists– supported by friendly media stories–want to be able to force nursing homes to starve incompetent patients who willingly eat".
LINK.
in case you didn't notice, the "abortion laws" have passed by, and killing the dying is pretty well gone away: the debate now is about killing the handicapped LINK
Doctor Gallagher, call your office...
actually, he did more than write a biography of FDR as hiding his disability to lead the country.
Dr. Gallagher’s work in those posts led directly to the passage in 1975 of Public Law 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. The law, known today as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, mandated public education for every disabled child and affected well over a million children. “He was one of the major advocates who saw to it that this law was written and passed,” Dr. Coleman said. “He knew that children with disabilities would have unique learning needs that required specific educational support.” One of the law’s provisions, set forth by Dr. Gallagher, was the creation of individualized education programs, which remain in use today.
Beware the kittens
why worry about Afghans going amok, when the real enemy is probably living right next to you:
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| CREDIT: BETTINA STRENSKE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTo |
UKTelegraph discusses cat scratch fever:
Cuddling kittens can kill you.
ah but the real danger is toxoplasmosis. SciAm notes:
Feeling sociable or reckless? You might have toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which the CDC estimates has infected about 22.5 percent of Americans older than 12 years old. Researchers tested participants for T. gondii infection and had them complete a personality questionnaire. They found that both men and women infected with T. gondii were more extroverted and less conscientious than the infection-free participants.
actually, the real danger of toxoplasmosis is that if you are pregnant when you get infected, it can affect your baby.
So I always warned my pregnant patients not to clean the cat litter.
neonatal toxoplamosis
Sigh. Zika is not the only danger to you and your baby...
Congenital toxoplasmosis is caused by transplacental acquisition of Toxoplasma gondii. Manifestations, if present, are prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, myocarditis, pneumonitis, rash, chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, microcephaly, and seizures. Diagnosis is by serologic testing or PCR. Treatment is with pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and leucovorin. Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found worldwide, causes congenital infection in about 1/10,000 to 80/10,000 births
He wasn't a terrorist, he was just angry /s
AnnAlthouse (sarcastically?) notes the Jersey bomber might not have been a terrorist: He might just have been mad because the local city ordinance was passed to try to get their restaurant to close at 10 am, because locals were upset at their noisy patrons in the middle of the night... (or as one comment on her blog says: I'll bet you dollars to donuts that First American Fried Chicken was selling more than batter-coated chicken parts and the side items weren't on the menu.)
Yes, because everyone angry at local ordinances protests by bombing gay neighborhoods and commuter train stations.
the NJ bomb was found by homeless men, but one comment on her blog notes that one of the bombs in NYC was also taken out of it's suitcase and put in a trash can by two guys, who then stole the suitcase. LINK
Guess they didn't want the cellphone and pressure cooker.
Hmmm...I wonder if the bomb that went off in the dumpster also was discarded there by someone who stole the suitcase. Few were killed because the explosion was limited by the heavy iron dumpster walls...
If it wasn't for honest criminals reporting bombs to the cops, and obeying littering laws, more people could have been killed....
Yes, because everyone angry at local ordinances protests by bombing gay neighborhoods and commuter train stations.
the NJ bomb was found by homeless men, but one comment on her blog notes that one of the bombs in NYC was also taken out of it's suitcase and put in a trash can by two guys, who then stole the suitcase. LINK
Guess they didn't want the cellphone and pressure cooker.
Hmmm...I wonder if the bomb that went off in the dumpster also was discarded there by someone who stole the suitcase. Few were killed because the explosion was limited by the heavy iron dumpster walls...
If it wasn't for honest criminals reporting bombs to the cops, and obeying littering laws, more people could have been killed....
Who needs soap operas when we have Senate hearings?
My teenaged granddaughter was watching the afternoon soap operas on the TV: No, not the Korean dramas, but the Senatorial hearings.
Much of this is in Tagalog, so I didn't watch, but my granddaughter related this:
The witness was giving testimony on the President's many hit jobs. Like a previous LATimes article that quoted a hitlady who had a lurid story but no proof, the guy claimed he had killed 50 people himself... but when he was actually questioned, he got confused and seemed ignorant and easily confused. He must be the dumbest hitman in the Philippines.
When he got confused, DeLima, an opponent of the president, would interrupt and even coach him to answer. This annoyed the president's allies.
The Inquirer now notes that DeLima has been removed from her chairmanship.
DeLima has been on this from the beginning, and the president has already hinted at some of her secret life to shut her up. from the Manila Times:
The US press is doing hit jobs on the Philippines, and here people believe that the embassy and the US NGO's associated with the US Government are exaggerating the extent of the "murders" is not making US/Philippine relations better.
This is especially true at a time the US thinks legalizing Marijuana is okay, while ignoring that the same folks selling marijuana are now into meth and heroin.
One only has to see the situation in Mexico that has been taken over by the drug cartels now that Colombia has kicked them out. And the Philippines, like Mexico, is at risk for becoming a similar narco state..
We saw a similar elite/left wing outcry in Colombia for years against those trying to destroy the drug gangs, until the ordinary people started demonstrating by the millions against the narco gangs. And the election of President Duterte is a similar populist attempt to stop the criminals who run the country.
Remember, here in the Philippines, almost half the hits are payback vigilante stuff, by people frustrated by the slowness of the justice system, which is seen as easily manipulated by those who have money.
and the hit jobs are not being put into perspective: before this happened, every day there were bodies found after they were tortured to death, murders in robberies, or murders by hopped up boyfriends, not to mentions suicides.
The elite and college kids are up in arms, taking their cues from the international elites and the US, but the taxi drivers still are backing the president.
to understand this, read the CSMonitor article from 2015 about meth abuse in rural China.
or this VICE article about the spread in the Philippines.
Much of this is in Tagalog, so I didn't watch, but my granddaughter related this:
The witness was giving testimony on the President's many hit jobs. Like a previous LATimes article that quoted a hitlady who had a lurid story but no proof, the guy claimed he had killed 50 people himself... but when he was actually questioned, he got confused and seemed ignorant and easily confused. He must be the dumbest hitman in the Philippines.
When he got confused, DeLima, an opponent of the president, would interrupt and even coach him to answer. This annoyed the president's allies.
The Inquirer now notes that DeLima has been removed from her chairmanship.
DeLima has been on this from the beginning, and the president has already hinted at some of her secret life to shut her up. from the Manila Times:
DeLima makes Hillary Clinton look like a beauty queen, so everyone laughs at the president making out that she is a seductive vixen, but hey, this is the internet savvy Philippines, so her sex video is on line for your watching pleasure.
Duterte claimed the driver-bodyguard, whom he alleged had collected money from drug traders for de Lima’s senatorial campaign, could not have acted without her knowledge. The two were intimate, he said, based on recordings of their “lovers’ talk” over the phone.
The US press is doing hit jobs on the Philippines, and here people believe that the embassy and the US NGO's associated with the US Government are exaggerating the extent of the "murders" is not making US/Philippine relations better.
This is especially true at a time the US thinks legalizing Marijuana is okay, while ignoring that the same folks selling marijuana are now into meth and heroin.
One only has to see the situation in Mexico that has been taken over by the drug cartels now that Colombia has kicked them out. And the Philippines, like Mexico, is at risk for becoming a similar narco state..
We saw a similar elite/left wing outcry in Colombia for years against those trying to destroy the drug gangs, until the ordinary people started demonstrating by the millions against the narco gangs. And the election of President Duterte is a similar populist attempt to stop the criminals who run the country.
Remember, here in the Philippines, almost half the hits are payback vigilante stuff, by people frustrated by the slowness of the justice system, which is seen as easily manipulated by those who have money.
and the hit jobs are not being put into perspective: before this happened, every day there were bodies found after they were tortured to death, murders in robberies, or murders by hopped up boyfriends, not to mentions suicides.
The elite and college kids are up in arms, taking their cues from the international elites and the US, but the taxi drivers still are backing the president.
to understand this, read the CSMonitor article from 2015 about meth abuse in rural China.
or this VICE article about the spread in the Philippines.
Monday, September 19, 2016
The stranded workers in Saudi
MigrantRights has an article on overseas workers stranded in Saudi.
Some came and found they didn't get jobs, others were laid off due to a recession or because the gov't wants to hire locals instead.
And some could go home, but refuse because they are owed back wages.
the numbers sound large, but they are a small percentage of those working in Saudi Arabia, where an estimated 9 million foreigners find jobs. Some, like our relatives, are nurses or doctors, many women go to work as maids or nannies, and then there are construction workers, oil workers, drivers or running shops.
For example, some estimate one million Filipinos work in the kingdom.
Many of these are "contract workers" who go for a couple years and return home, but often go back and work again, or extend their contract.
there are human rights abuses against these workers, but that might be because the abuses get reported. Given the huge number of folks involved, one expects problems. And yes, there are a lot of people working there without proper papers.
Remember that many enjoy working there and rewew their contracts, despite the restrictions including restriction against freedom of worship for non Sunni Muslims.
which is why, if the war spreads there, or the Yemeni rebels hit something serious in Saudi with their Iranian supplied missiles, there could be a huge refugee crisis that would dwarf India's evacuation of their 170 thousand citizens from Kuwait.
Unfortunately, the foreign workers in the Middle East are pretty well invisible to the western MSM.
Some came and found they didn't get jobs, others were laid off due to a recession or because the gov't wants to hire locals instead.
And some could go home, but refuse because they are owed back wages.
The hashtag #NoIndianLeftBehind highlights the efforts of local Indian groups to provide relief to the over 10,000 Indians affected by the crises. Migrant workers from other nationalities have also been affected by the oil glut; over 8,000 Pakistani workers, 10,000 Filipinos, and at least 100 Sri Lankans are similarly stranded due to the economic crises. The Non-Resident Nepali Situation (NRNA) estimates that 10% of the 600,000 Nepalis working in Saudi have been hit by the kingdom's economic recession.
the numbers sound large, but they are a small percentage of those working in Saudi Arabia, where an estimated 9 million foreigners find jobs. Some, like our relatives, are nurses or doctors, many women go to work as maids or nannies, and then there are construction workers, oil workers, drivers or running shops.
For example, some estimate one million Filipinos work in the kingdom.
Many of these are "contract workers" who go for a couple years and return home, but often go back and work again, or extend their contract.
there are human rights abuses against these workers, but that might be because the abuses get reported. Given the huge number of folks involved, one expects problems. And yes, there are a lot of people working there without proper papers.
Remember that many enjoy working there and rewew their contracts, despite the restrictions including restriction against freedom of worship for non Sunni Muslims.
which is why, if the war spreads there, or the Yemeni rebels hit something serious in Saudi with their Iranian supplied missiles, there could be a huge refugee crisis that would dwarf India's evacuation of their 170 thousand citizens from Kuwait.
Unfortunately, the foreign workers in the Middle East are pretty well invisible to the western MSM.
The Battle of Britain: 76th anniversary
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
the famous quote from Churchill echoes the famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V: on StCrispen's day.
LINK
LINK2
LINK3
Before the war, there was a huge anti war movement in the UK among the elites, and the students in even took an oath never to fight for king and country. That changed when the German aggression against Poland and France made it clear that there was no choice in the matter.
The classic book, The Last Enemy, about a Spitfire pilot is on line HERE.
and the battle was not just that of the pilots: It was the people of London. From this book:
 |
| 75th anniversary stamp commemorating Battle of Britain |
the famous quote from Churchill echoes the famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V: on StCrispen's day.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
LINK
LINK2
LINK3
Battle of Britain Day occurred on Sunday 15 September 1940 when the German Luftwaffe launched its largest and most concentrated attack against London in the hope of drawing out the RAF into a battle of annihilation. Around 1,500 aircraft took part in the air battles that lasted until dusk. The day is seen as a major turning point in the Second World War as Hitler, having lost the battle, decided to postpone Operation Sea Lion – the amphibious assault by German armed forces intended to prelude an invasion onto the British mainland.
Before the war, there was a huge anti war movement in the UK among the elites, and the students in even took an oath never to fight for king and country. That changed when the German aggression against Poland and France made it clear that there was no choice in the matter.
The classic book, The Last Enemy, about a Spitfire pilot is on line HERE.
and the battle was not just that of the pilots: It was the people of London. From this book:
All this went on at a time when night after night the East End was taking a terrible beating, and it was rumoured that the people were ominously quiet. Could their morale be cracking? The answer was provided in a story that was going the rounds. A young man went down to see a chaplain whom he knew in the East End. He noticed not only that the damage was considerable but that the people were saying practically nothing at all. 'How are they taking it?' he asked nervously. The chaplain shook his head. 'I'm afraid,' he said, 'that my people have fallen from grace: they are beginning to feel a little bitter towards the Germans.'
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Don't kiss that chick
 |
| http://www.savagechickens.com/2007/02/kiss-me.html |
The CDC has issued an alert: Do NOT kiss your pet chicken..
According to the CDC's research, 13% of the chicken-related salmonella cases they studied from 1990 to 2014 were due, in part, to some human-on-chicken smooching. Of the cases they studied, the CDC says, "Most contact occurred at the patients' home, and high-risk behaviors included keeping poultry inside the house and having close contact, such as holding, snuggling, or kissing poultry."
headsup Dustbury
News you can use
Ancient Celts often wore a heavy medal ring around their neck, a Torc.
I always wondered how they put them on.
Wonder no more: The British Museum discusses.
No, you don't pull the opening apart: essentially you twist them and slip them on. They are made of twisted wires that allow you to do this.
and other torcs were made with hidden hinges and clasps.
headsup TYWKIWDBI
 |
| The Snettisham Great Torc. Found in Snettisham, UK. Electrum, 150 BC–50 BC. Diam. 19.9 cm. British Museum 1951,0402.2. (Photo: (c) The Trustees of the British Museum) |
I always wondered how they put them on.
 |
|
Wonder no more: The British Museum discusses.
No, you don't pull the opening apart: essentially you twist them and slip them on. They are made of twisted wires that allow you to do this.
and other torcs were made with hidden hinges and clasps.
headsup TYWKIWDBI
Philippine news: Druggies, fiestas, and a miracle or two
from the Inquirer:
Commuting's safer now but paranoia takes over
summary: late night robberies on Jeepneys used to be common, but now people feel so safe they pull out their smartphones while riding.
Shabu addicts are now discouraged from robbing the innocent.
But the reporter worries he might be caught in the crossfire.
As if Shabu addicts never kill during a robbery (at least three elderly folks in our neighborhood were killed in robberies). And of course, our nephew killed in the crossfire when a politician ordered a hit on his rival.
related item: Female cop stops robbery on bus.
and not all murders are by cops: a lot of vigilante justice is behind murders, because of the slowness of the courts. LINK...So why was this guy on the street? Anyone? anyone?
And PhilHealth will now pay for rehab.
update: This CSM article about meth in China (from 2015) could easily describe the explosion of meth use here in thee Philippines.
in Health news, there have been a few cases of Zika here, but put it into perspective:
There were an estimated 100 thousand cases of Dengue last year plus 600 deaths.
the bishops tell Catholics to keep the environment clean and get rid of standing water that breeds moquitoes.
Of course, once we see Zika here, the SJW will use this to push abortion legalization.
--------------------
our sermon in church was about not being greedy and buying lots of stuff.
Ironically, this was the 5:30 am mass, mainly filled with poor folks who have to go to work.
But one of the major social problems here is that the working class and even the farmers whose kids went to school, have family members who go overseas to support the family.
--------------------
below I linked to a film that reports about pentecostal healings and "miracles".
we have lots of religious celebrations with bodily and mental healings here, but associated with various shrines: nearly every week there is a fiesta or festival for one saint or another, combining miraculous healings, mass, prayers, a parade and, of course, family reunions with lots of food.
This week they celebrate our Lady of Penafrancia, in Bicol.
Wikipedia link.
There is also a big belief in relics and holy water and oil for cures for ordinary aches and pains.
Well, my yuppie American types and the middle class here use Chinese herbs, message, and mindfulness to do the same thing, and they work just about as good as the holy oil of Saint whoever.
Me, I use Ibuprofen because my religion is science but never mind.
The films above discussed golden teeth, jewels, gold dust and manna appearing.
Well, given the "miracle" of rosaries turning gold in Medjugoje, I shouldn't mock (it's a natural phenomenum, of course, when the silver coating gets rubbed off the rosary wires from saying a lot of rosaries).
But similar things have been reported with saints or shrine: Such as the famous shower of rose petals at Lipa.
Andrew Greeley once quipped that once the Catholics drop something, the Protestants take it up. So Vatican II threw out miracles, (along with fasting, prayer, liturgy, and other non SJW activities) and God found others in the most unlikely places to revive the customs that help ordinary folks link with the supernatural.
Lots of "miracles" occur, albeit most of them have "natural" explanations, although often what is amazing is that they just naturally occurred after someone prayed.
I won't even go into the fact that saints need one or two certified miracles to see if God agrees with the enthusiastic public that a person is in heaven.
By certified, I mean something that science cannot explain.
So when some of our Indian nurses said the reason that Patricia WhiteBull woke it was because her family had just finished a novena to Kateri Tekakwitha. But for docs, it wasn't a miracle, but it was because she had been given an anti influenza medication that also is used for patients with parkinson's disease.
so Kateri has to wait (her certified miracle was a recovery from flesh eating bacteria)
Last week, the last half of this C2C am is a discussion with a doc who collected such "miracle" stories from other doctors.
My "miracle" story is a 2 pound premie who kept going apneic with bradycardia... we worked on her for almost an hour, with weaker and weaker responses, until we got no response at all, so I told the nurse to baptise her and we would stop CPR.
Nurse Petronilla baptised the kid "Mary" and voila, the kid took a deep gasp, and from then on was breathing normally. She even ended up going home (which is unusual: we lost nearly all babies born under 4 pounds...This was 30 plus years ago in Africa and our "incubator" was a wooden box where we used a 100 watt lightbulb to regulate the heat, and regulating the oxygen flow by giving enough for the kid to stay pink).
The local priest admonished me that I shouldn't have baptised her without mom's permission, but I figured hey, when nothing else works, WTF you try a miracle.
Commuting's safer now but paranoia takes over
summary: late night robberies on Jeepneys used to be common, but now people feel so safe they pull out their smartphones while riding.
Shabu addicts are now discouraged from robbing the innocent.
But the reporter worries he might be caught in the crossfire.
As if Shabu addicts never kill during a robbery (at least three elderly folks in our neighborhood were killed in robberies). And of course, our nephew killed in the crossfire when a politician ordered a hit on his rival.
related item: Female cop stops robbery on bus.
and not all murders are by cops: a lot of vigilante justice is behind murders, because of the slowness of the courts. LINK...So why was this guy on the street? Anyone? anyone?
And PhilHealth will now pay for rehab.
update: This CSM article about meth in China (from 2015) could easily describe the explosion of meth use here in thee Philippines.
in Health news, there have been a few cases of Zika here, but put it into perspective:
There were an estimated 100 thousand cases of Dengue last year plus 600 deaths.
the bishops tell Catholics to keep the environment clean and get rid of standing water that breeds moquitoes.
Of course, once we see Zika here, the SJW will use this to push abortion legalization.
--------------------
our sermon in church was about not being greedy and buying lots of stuff.
Ironically, this was the 5:30 am mass, mainly filled with poor folks who have to go to work.
But one of the major social problems here is that the working class and even the farmers whose kids went to school, have family members who go overseas to support the family.
--------------------
below I linked to a film that reports about pentecostal healings and "miracles".
we have lots of religious celebrations with bodily and mental healings here, but associated with various shrines: nearly every week there is a fiesta or festival for one saint or another, combining miraculous healings, mass, prayers, a parade and, of course, family reunions with lots of food.
This week they celebrate our Lady of Penafrancia, in Bicol.
Wikipedia link.
Well, my yuppie American types and the middle class here use Chinese herbs, message, and mindfulness to do the same thing, and they work just about as good as the holy oil of Saint whoever.
Me, I use Ibuprofen because my religion is science but never mind.
The films above discussed golden teeth, jewels, gold dust and manna appearing.
Well, given the "miracle" of rosaries turning gold in Medjugoje, I shouldn't mock (it's a natural phenomenum, of course, when the silver coating gets rubbed off the rosary wires from saying a lot of rosaries).
But similar things have been reported with saints or shrine: Such as the famous shower of rose petals at Lipa.
Andrew Greeley once quipped that once the Catholics drop something, the Protestants take it up. So Vatican II threw out miracles, (along with fasting, prayer, liturgy, and other non SJW activities) and God found others in the most unlikely places to revive the customs that help ordinary folks link with the supernatural.
Lots of "miracles" occur, albeit most of them have "natural" explanations, although often what is amazing is that they just naturally occurred after someone prayed.
I won't even go into the fact that saints need one or two certified miracles to see if God agrees with the enthusiastic public that a person is in heaven.
By certified, I mean something that science cannot explain.
So when some of our Indian nurses said the reason that Patricia WhiteBull woke it was because her family had just finished a novena to Kateri Tekakwitha. But for docs, it wasn't a miracle, but it was because she had been given an anti influenza medication that also is used for patients with parkinson's disease.
so Kateri has to wait (her certified miracle was a recovery from flesh eating bacteria)
Last week, the last half of this C2C am is a discussion with a doc who collected such "miracle" stories from other doctors.
My "miracle" story is a 2 pound premie who kept going apneic with bradycardia... we worked on her for almost an hour, with weaker and weaker responses, until we got no response at all, so I told the nurse to baptise her and we would stop CPR.
Nurse Petronilla baptised the kid "Mary" and voila, the kid took a deep gasp, and from then on was breathing normally. She even ended up going home (which is unusual: we lost nearly all babies born under 4 pounds...This was 30 plus years ago in Africa and our "incubator" was a wooden box where we used a 100 watt lightbulb to regulate the heat, and regulating the oxygen flow by giving enough for the kid to stay pink).
The local priest admonished me that I shouldn't have baptised her without mom's permission, but I figured hey, when nothing else works, WTF you try a miracle.
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