Friday, October 21, 2005
Lord of the Beans
Lord of the Beans follows the fantastic journey of a wide-eyed Flobbit named Toto Baggypants (Junior Asparagus) who inherits a bean with amazing powers from his Uncle Billboy (Archibald Asparagus). In this moving story, young Toto learns that he has been given an extraordinary gift -- but what is it for?
Together with Randalf, fearless ranger Ear-A-Corn, sharpshooting elf Leg-O-Lamb, and surly dwarf Grumpy, Toto forms the Fellowship of the Bean and embarks on a dangerous quest to find the answer to his question....
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Rebuilding homes in Biloxi
But "the folks sitting in their front yards don't have to stay there," he said.
FEMA is trying to get trailers to everyone and knows people are frustrated. Seigal said 3,915 units have already been delivered to the six southern counties in Mississippi, including Harrison where Biloxi sits.
He estimates the state will need a total of 30,000 units. He didn't know how many would be required in Biloxi. FEMA was trying to distribute 500 a day.
"We're not there yet," he said.
And another article on Biloxi is HERE:
LINK
However, the church people are helping quietly... LINK LINK LINK
Prince is one of hundreds of Kentucky volunteers who were quickly trained in disaster relief in the weeks after Katrina and have continued to help.
Prince went to Louisiana through the disaster-relief arm of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, which has sent 662 volunteers to help clear trees and branches, clean out homes and prepare meals by the tens of thousands. Many of them are rotating in and out for one-week stints.
The convention has trained more than 2,400 disaster relief volunteers who signed up after Katrina, and hundreds more are expected to train by the end of the year, convention spokesman Robert Reeves said. The training has been slowed somewhat, he said, because many of those who would normally lead the classes are busy doing disaster relief. ...
Personally, I like THIS STORY:
WOODBRIDGE — The students of Our Lady of Peace School in Fords are donating several hundred backpacks filled with crayons, pens and pencils to their peers in Bay St. Louis, Miss., whose school was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
The 250 backpacks are on their way to the Bay Catholic Elementary School, which is a school of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in the Diocese of Biloxi, said Elaine McAndrew, who teaches eighth-grade social studies and is the Student Council advisor at Our Lady of Peace.
“There are five Catholic schools there, of which three were destroyed,” she said. “But the principal there said that even though so many had lost everything, it was amazing that the parents were back at school working to get it open and functioning again.”
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
-CPR in Manila
The Arroyo administration has openly defended the hosing down of last Friday’s demonstrators because it claimed they have violated the permit for a religious march that limits the areas where they can hold procession.
Ermita appealed to television networks to show the video footage taken by three policemen to "convince the public" whether the action taken by the government to hose down Guingona and other protesters were justified or not.
Translation: We will continue to hose down elderly nuns and priests who pray in the streets while protesting a corrupt govenment...
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
History of Americas may have to be rewritten
Or at the least, they were on to something more than 20,000 years old that would throw American archaeology into further turmoil over its most contentious issue: when did people first reach America, and who were they?...
...................
Then you have this:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/sasalum/newsltr/spring04/amazon.html
A lot of this was in an Atlantic Monthly article called 1491...I used to subscribe to that magazine before I moved here and had to watch my budget...and it pointed a lot of this out...http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200203/mann
And lots of archeology links can be found HERE: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1173106/posts?page=295#295
It's a right wing site, but has stuff like this and on religion that give me a headsup...If the daily Kos had articles on the clovis point, I'd probably read that too....
excuse the links...blogger or my computer is on strike again.//
IMELDA! the musical
Of course...Imelda and her shoes...of course, you could make a good movie about Nino, Corey, people power, and our Lady of the EDSA, but that wouldn't be riciPC...a million people facing death to encourage democracy? How gauch...Imelda and a thousand shoes: Yup that's the way to portray our superiority to these third world types...
As I said earlier: We in the Philippines aren't eve non the fringe of the news...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Is it real, or is it Clairol?
Gee, I guess AlQuada doesn't have a "don't ask don't tell" policy after all...
(heads up from CampKatrina)
Andrew Sullivan, call your office...
And who does the UN let address their Food Summit?
For more infor, check my "evil mugabe" link on the left...
Separation of state and ---devil?
Years ago, a Neil Diamond song about revival was banned, and of course, coaches can no longer pray with their students before games... it implies God might take sides....
My favorite story about pregame prayer was of a football game between Notre Dame and a secular school...the chaplain gave a long prayer asking God for help and safety, and at the end, he reminded everyone that "God does not take sides"....and then the priest from N.D. came up and ended his prayer with "and I want all of you to remember: God does not take sides...but his MOTHER does...go Fighting Irish"....
Sunday, October 16, 2005
BURGER TIME
No, I'm not hypomanic...we have a brown out, so I can't watch TV and it's too damn hot do do anything else...
Luckily I have a five hour battery...on my two pound laptop...
Dr. Honeydew, call your office
You are Dr. Bunson Honeydew.
You love to analyse things and further the cause of
science, even if you do tend to blow things up
more often than not.
HOBBIES:
Scientific inquiry, Looking through microscopes,
Recombining DNA to create decorative art.
QUOTE:
"Now, Beakie, we'll just flip this switch and
60,000 refreshing volts of electricity will
surge through your body. Ready?"
FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST:
John Cougar Melonhead
LAST BOOK READ:
"Quantum Physics: 101 Easy Microwave
Recipes"
NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
An atom smasher and plenty of extra atoms.
What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Mr. K, you need a new name
famous in Asia, drilling math and English reading.
The name comes from Mr. Kumon, the Jpanese founder...But I wish that the poor man's name was different...sounds like a porn site.
Now for the good news
You can eat them with your SPAM...(see previous post)
Kobe musicians hold Katrina Concert
The Biloxi Sun Herald has lots of non headlines to keep you informed on the cleanup...
My favorite is:
|
And articles on where to get grants for chain saws and generators, and articles that volunteers are staying in an old army barracks
All of this stuff is the trivia of cleanup...not "sexy" like the untrue reports of murders in the NOLA superdome...
Gloria pulls a "marcos"
MalacaƱang yesterday justified the use of water cannons to break up the protest rally heading towards Mendiola last Friday night, saying that the protesters disregarded warnings to stay within the designated rally sites.
"We can avoid this kind of incident if they coordinate with the city government. It was clear that they had a permit for a rally at the Plaza Miranda... but we don’t know why they went against the prior agreement," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview.
Before the police dispersal, Bunye recalled that Manila Mayor Jose "Lito" Atienza Jr. repeatedly appealed to the group of priests, nuns and opposition leaders to stay within Plaza Miranda and not to proceed to nearby Mendiola where the organizers failed to get a permit.
Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. and opposition Sen. Jamby Madrigal were among the people hurt when riot police hosed down the protest march towards MalacaƱang after holding a prayer rally in Plaza Miranda earlier last Friday.
Don't ask me about any of this...we don't live in Manila...
Millions defy death to vote...
A triumph for democracy? Nope, because it was due to the Evilbushy, the headlines in the LA TIMES say:
Polls Close in Iraq's Constitutional Referendum
And the NYTimes says:
Turnout Is Mixed as Iraqis Cast Votes on Constitution
By DEXTER FILKINS and JOHN F. BURNS 4:56 PM ET
The Sunni turnout appeared to be insufficient to defeat the new charter, and Iraqi officials predicted that it would pass.
Two Sides of the Sunni Vote: Deserted Polls and Long Lines
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
and EDWARD WONG 4:23 PM ET
Contrasting scenes in Anbar province reflected the fractious nature of Sunni Arab sentiments toward the charter.
At least they noticed it in their headlines....
CNN reports:
Planned neo-Nazi march sparks violence in Ohio
Although on a tiny side bar they notice:• Gupta: NASCAR ride 'more than a little terrifying'
However, for the first time since I moved here, CNNI actually presented balanced coverage of the election...and their website has this headline:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- After decades of repression and years of war and insurgency, millions of Iraqis let their voices be heard Saturday, voting in a historic constitutional referendum whose results could significantly alter the way the country is governed.
Even the BEEB managed to notice a lot of people turned out:
| |
| Polls close in Iraq where millions voted on a new charter and insurgent attacks were kept to a minimum. |
HMMM...
Ah, but yesterday was not free of terrorist violence...a bomb killed four people...in IRAN...
I will not eat green eggs and SPAM
Not coincidentally, Spam is also popular in Hawaii, the Philippines, Okinawa, Guam and Saipan, all places with a history of a U.S. military presence. The "Miracle Meat in a Can," as it was touted after its launch in 1937, was a staple of the GI diet during World War II and the 1950-53 Korean War.
Until 1987, South Koreans had to buy black-market cans of Spam that had been diverted from U.S. military bases. Then CJ Corp. bought the rights from Hormel and began producing its own version at a factory south of Seoul.
In the postwar years, Spam was a special treat for South Koreans, who could rarely afford meat and didn't have refrigeration at home. It is harder to explain its cachet today in the world's 11th-largest economy, where there is no shortage of fresh meat and things associated with the U.S. military are considered low class.
Hint: It's nostagia. And if you aren't a snob, and you didn't have to eat it in K rations, the dirty little secret is....that it's delicious...
And here in the Philippines, in the past, if you were a visitor, you would be given SPAM which was for holidays and guests...
Here is a link to Dan Garcia's Spamworld page:
Lots of poetry like:
SPAM, SPAM a wonderful food,
It looks like it's already been chewed.
If it once was alive,
I hope it's not now.
Maybe I'll feed it to my cow.
And if my cow dies,
Then I'll know,
Spam is the way to go...
and links to the SPAM museum...
Yum...hog fat...
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Yes, and Dewey beat Truman
of course, the MRC seems to be a right wing group, but all I can note is that the people at CNNI keep asking eager questions about "civil war" and seem happy about "insurgent" attacks and casualties...and even their two minutes interviews with experts seem to have questions aimed at supporting this point of view. (Christienne Amanpour's "interview" with the pres of syria didn't help matters....ummm....did she really think he'd tell the truth? DUH.)
However, it is not merely about Iraq...we saw the same thing about Katrina...and about the Catholic church...
As for the Philippines, furgetaboutit...
We're off the charts...
You see, without context, you can't see the whole picture...so the media decides one leaf tells the story about a tree, and then they paint the forest...
Which is why the only newspaper I susbscribe to is the Christian Science Monitor...which alas will probably go broke, because it ignores stuff like Brittany Spear's bra sale on ebay...
Friday, October 14, 2005
Death by caffiene
or if you prefer candy: LINK http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-penguin-mints
13,650.00 Hershey's Kisses + You = Death
Ah, yes, but what a way to go...
Your headline of the day
Hmmm...I never knew Mr. Ebay was a crossdresser...
(via davebarry)
Hey, Al, the guys at Katrina want a free copy of your book---not.
The bad news is that they plan to take over the world...
The Good news is that they are so unorganized that they lost Doctor Z's only manuscript...and he was so busy dodging daisycutters that he lost his backup discs...
You can read the entire thing, but the best "translation" into plain English is found HERE:
-Dear brother, God Almighty knows how much I miss meeting with you, how much I long to join you in your historic battle against the greatest of criminals and apostates in the heart of the Islamic world, the field where epic and major battles in the history of Islam were fought. I think that if I could find a way to you, I would not delay a day, God willing.
[I know if I left the cave, the Americans and Pakistanis would light me up like an infidel Christmas tree.)
I want to keep corresponding with you about the details of what is going on in dear Iraq, especially since we do not know the full truth as you know it.
[It’s hard to get good television reception this far underground, so no Olbermann for us]
Therefore, I want you to explain to me your situation in a little detail, especially in regards to the political angle. I want you to express to me what is on your mind in regards to what is in my mind in the way of questions and inquiries.
[Beheadings? Car-bombing civilians? Beheadings? Dude, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?]
Humor aside, every time I hear "this is Viet Nam" and "peace in our time", I don't think of the glorious Youth Uprising (ie of rich spoiled yuppie types) of the 60's (it's all about ME ME ME!), but of the boat people, of the Cambodians, of the "ethnic cleansing" of hundreds of thousands of Chinese from Saigon, and of Bishop Van Thuac spending twenty years in prison for believing in God, etc....
Similarly,the megalomania of Islamofascism reminds one of a certain Austrian painter...
But, as the late Alistaire Cooke pointed out, the same voices that poo poohed Mr. Churchill in the 1930's are the ones who ignore this dirty little fact...
......................................
Addendum: The letter might have been a fake...see POWERLINE
"This does not read like an Islamist text," a terrorism analyst at the conservative-leaning Hudson Institute, Chris Brown, said in an interview yesterday. "It only uses the word 'infidel' twice and makes five references to 'crusaders.'
Internet censorship
Bird flu alert...
New Invention announced
BOOK : Latest inovation from Apple (Who brought you the iPOD)
BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on.
It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.
Here's how it works:
BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKS with more information simply use more pages.
Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it.
BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, though like other
display devices it can become unusable if dropped overboard. The
"browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward
or backward as you wish.
Many come with an "index" feature, which pin-points the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers.
Conversely, numerous BOOK markers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.
You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).
Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.
-Author unknown
What will they think of next?
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Yes, Ruby, monsters do exist
But if you scroll down to the end of the link, you will find that they still exist...
The procedure was as follows: Once the box was filled with infants, it would be taken to the mountains and buried. Most of the babies would die within four days, but Lee Young recalled two particularly healthy ones who took longer...
Terri Schiavo, call your office...
Are you sure your noodles are fresh?
unearthed in China
Late Neolithic noodles: They may settle the origin debate
The remains of the world's oldest noodles have been unearthed in China.
The 50cm-long, yellow strands were found in a pot that had probably been buried during a catastrophic flood.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Who killed the dinosaurs?
(or if you are an evil neocon, you heard in on the Corner first)
Terrorism v martial law
But the real question about martial law is if it is about improving public safety, or if it is about stopping the Anti Gloria demonstrations in Manila...
Battle plans
By emphazing the terrain and geography, it shows a clear plan of battle against infiltrators from Syria...
And no, there has been little (except for Tony Blair's speech) about the Iranian made bombs that killed a couple Brits in Basra...
So remember that the best news is not from the keepers, but from the independent bloggers...
And worry very much about THIS...
"...So we need to look at ways of wresting control from the US, and here the only real option is the United Nations. "
And guess who is behind this move?
China, Iran, and "several African nations"
And, of course, China, Iran, and Zimbabwe have regulated their own internets to prevent political opponants and others from blogging freely...
Coincidence?
Yup. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale on Ebay...
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
MRE's
And now, CampKatrinablog is reporting that these MRE's are really useful...
LINKONE
LINK TWO
I love his comment:I'm glad the myriad uses for these versatile, well-preserved tools have been realized in posts other than Stennis International Airport. That's right, campers: MRE's are quickly becoming the duct tape of the military. You can do anything with them.
And when there's nothing to fix or build with them, rumor is you can even eat them..."
Semper Paratus
LINKONE at MiserableDonutsblog discusses how his National Guard unit is called up for all sorts of things, and comments:"2005 was almost a reprise of 1993, except that it was a huge amount of National Guard, from many places - alongside active component soldiers, the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. I see why the Navy was involved. The Coast Guard was a natural too. In fact, if anyone has been slighted in the whole Katrina relief effort, it has been the United States Coast Guard. The Coasties were saving people before anyone realized there was a major problem. They saved thousands and did not receive even a tiny fraction of the credit they were due. It was easier for the press to follow the 82nd Airborne around New Orleans. .."
Well, if the MSM bothered to hire veterans in the name of "diversity", maybe someone could point it out to them...
David Brooks, call your office...
rom Humor break
Try these links from BoingBoing;
LINK
A robot that makes waffles...
Or how about an Origami Batmobile?
It will give you something to do while waiting for the world to end...
Dengue hits southeast Asia
The Philippine government has asked local authorities to intensify educational campaigns about dengue fever, organize mosquito-control systems, ensure sufficient blood supplies for transfusions and increase surveillance of cases.
The disease has sickened at least 18,802 people in the Philippines — a 26 percent rise over last year. At least 259 have died.
But when it hits pristine Singapore, it gets in the news...
Because of this, I don't sit out in the evening with my husband, I wear slacks instead of my usual shorts around the house, and we spray the bedroom and keep the screens closed tightly...
But I'm still covered with bugbites (I'm one of those who gets bitten by any bug in town)...
So far, so good...
When they talk about Dengue, however, you have to remember that probably 80 percent of the infections are mild and don't see a doctor. I think my stepson had it earlier this year, but he improved before we took him to the doc...
Treatment is symptomatic anyway...it's a virus... but in bad cases, you develop bleeding and body shutdown...
LINK
The Lion of Munster
What, you never heard of him?
You didn't know that a Catholic bishop openly opposed Hitler?
Bishop Who Denounced Hitler Is BeatifiedOct 09 1:18 PM US/Eastern Email this story
By FRANCES D'EMILIOAssociated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY
A German bishop known as the "Lion of Muenster" for his courageous anti-Nazi sermons during World War II took a step on the road to sainthood when he was beatified Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica....Von Galen, who joins the Church's list of the "blessed" through his beatification, dedicated himself to "defending the rights of God, of the church, of man, which the national socialist (Nazi) regime violated in a grave and systematic way, in the name of an aberrant, neo-pagan ideology," Benedict said.
Ah, but we modern perfect people would never have eliminated useless eaters, would we?
David Brooks notes that Kass' report insists we need to acknowledge we are dependent on others...
And my post to Peter Singer's triumphant proclamation of a brave new world of euthanasia and eugenic elmination of non persons shows that we need modern VonGalens to remind us:
No, it is not for such reasons that these unfortunate patients must die but rather because, in the opinion of some department, on the testimony of some commission, they have become 'worthless life' because according to this testimony they are 'unproductive national comrades.' The argument goes: they can no longer produce commodities, they are like an old machine that no longer works, they are like an old horse which has become incurably lame, they are like a cow which no longer gives milk.
What does one do with such an old machine? It is thrown on the scrap heap. What does one do with a lame horse, with such an unproductive cow?
...No, we are dealing with human beings, our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters. With poor people, sick people, if you like unproductive people.
But have they for that reason forfeited the right to life?
Have you, have I the right to live only so long as we are productive, so long as we are recognized by others as productive?
If you establish and apply the principle that you can kill 'unproductive' fellow human beings then woe betide us all when we become old and frail!...
Ah, but of course, the "modern" version will be peddled under the idea of "choice"...and the only answer to that is the cross...
Monday, October 10, 2005
Whoops....
Petrellisblog says:
NYT Omission: Bush Flu Plan on the Web, More Than a Year
Psst. Hey, you. Can I interest you in a copy of the Bush administration's super-duper top secret plan to deal with a flu epidemic hitting our United States of America?
You've read the lead story in the October 8 New York Times, all about how the latest draft of the plan was obtained by sleuthing reporters of the paper.
What the Gray Lady forget to tell you is that a draft of the plan, from August 2004, that's more a year ago, is available on the web.
And so it is: LINK
It sounds like my earlier post, where I mentioned a WaPo editorial blasting the government for not having a plan to evacuate Washington, when the WaPo had posted the evacuation plan on it's pages a year earlier....
Can't expect MSM to be accurate, now, can we? I mean, all you would have to do is google it, or go to the HHS/CDC web page, where there are all sorts of plans, including how to vaccinate the population for smallpox, which could be modified to do the same for influenza...
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Practicing what they preach
But after living thru the Red River of the North floods, I know that the cleanup will take months.
So the link is about people helping others cleanup...
It's not as glamourous as SeanPenn with his publicist and photographer pulling people out of water into a leaky boat...in fact, it's damn nasty shoveling mud that smells like....fertilizer.
But God bless them.
Harvest time
There are two trade fairs going on...in Manila.
Then the rice is being harvested.
To make things worse, our jeep thresher got stuck in a field. (pointing out why water buffalo are more practical)
Lolo is helping. And I am blogging...
Narnia report
And, perhaps more importantly for filmgeeks, Harry at "ain't it cool"news loved it too
And here is an interview from Christianity today...
LINK
Promoting it as "christian" will clue a lot of parents, but such a lable turns me off...
The difference between airplanes and women
1. Airplanes usually kill you quickly - a woman takes her time.
2. Airplanes can be turned on by a flick of a switch.
3. Airplanes don't get mad if you do a "touch and go."
4. Airplanes don't object to a preflight inspection.
5. Airplanes come with manuals to explain their operation.
6. Airplanes have strict weight and balance limitations.
7. Airplanes can be flown any time of the month.
8. Airplanes don't come with in-laws.
9. Airplanes don't care about how many other airplanes you've flown before.
10. Airplanes and pilots both arrive at the same time.
11. Airplanes don't mind if you look at other airplanes.
12. Airplanes don't mind if you buy airplane magazines.
13. Airplanes expect to be tied down.
14. Airplanes don't comment on your piloting skills.
15. Airplanes don't whine unless something is really wrong.
However, when airplanes go quiet, just like women, it's usually not good.
Classes for men who don't understand women
HOW TO FILL ICE-CUBE TRAYS. Step by step with slide presentation.
TOILET PAPER: DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS? Roundtable discussion.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LAUNDRY BASKET AND THE FLOOR. Practicing with hamper. Pictures and graphics.
THE AFTER-DINNER DISHES AND SILVERWARE: DO THEY LEVITATE AND FLY INTO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES? Debate among panel of experts.
LOSS OF VIRILITY: LOSING THE REMOTE CONTROL TO YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER. Help line and support groups.
LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS, STARTING WITH LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PLACE INSTEAD OF TURNING THE HOUSE UPSIDE DOWN WHILE SCREAMING. Open forum.
HEALTH WATCH: BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH. PowerPoint presentation.
REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST. [ EDITORS NOTE: No We Don`t ] Real-life testimonial from the one man who did.
IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS? Driving simulation.
LIVING WITH ADULTS: BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR WIFE. Role playing.
HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION. Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques.
REMEMBERING BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, OTHER IMPORTANT DATES AND CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE. Bring your calendar or PDA to class.
GETTING OVER IT. LEARNING TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME. Individual counselors available.
TV over internet
One thing I miss is that we don't get CSpan, for Booknotes and Book TV...
But I just found I can watch it/listen over the internet, even though the connection is slow as molasses...
Thank you, Brian Lamb
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Recipes, recipes
Yah, it's Oktoberfest time

"O'zapft is!"
And the local beer, San Miguel beer, is holding an Oktoberfest Festival...LINK
Photo is from the OldOligarch...
What's the link between St. michael, Tolkien, Beowulf, Hobbits, and Philippinos? Beer, of course...
Finding monsters
Last of the Dragons
What's the truth behind the dragon myths of the East and West? A captivating look at the origins of Monitors, Lizards, Crocodiles and Snakes: They are descendents of animals that survived the Jurassic period and have unique survival skills, which surpassed those of the Dinosaurs. Exciting sequences show the brutal habits and fearsome hunting techniques. Computer Graphics and action footage bring out the similarities between ancient dragon myths and modern animal reality.
And the WSJ has this article about finding legendary animals LINK
The greatest monsters in western Literature list can be found HERE
Probably Grendel was a bear (Grizzleys reach ten feet tall, after all) and Beowulf probably means Bear-wulf, i.e. skin changer, a man who is a bear.
Attacks of the innocent by monsters is an ongoing theme in ancient literature, and attacks on isolated villages by outlaws, and the people's rescue by great warriors, is a story that goes from Beowulf to St.George to the Seven samurai...
Friday, October 07, 2005
Attention: The IgNoble Prizes are out...
Inquiring minds want to know
however, local blogger Dustbury has a poll up showing most Okies think he was just suicidal...which is my ignorant take...
And Malkin has lots on the Philippine American spying in the white house
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003676.htm
including this link:
http://politicaljunkie.blogspot.com/2005/10/drudge-instapundit-and-michelle-malkin.html
His take is the same as mine:
Unfortunately, this will only help Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a corrupt president (worse than estrada) who really did steal the last presidential elections in 2004. She will use this news to dismiss those who are calling for her resignation (since June because of GLORIAGATE) as "coup-plotters," "destabilizers," and "power grabbers."
This is only going to make it worse for our country since it will probably prolong her stay in Malacanang.
Which do you worry about the most?
However, few political opponants noticed THIS:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_4135358,00.html
"One doomsday scenario under consideration is mass quarantines. At his Rose Garden press conference, Bush said, "It's one thing to shut down airplanes. It's another thing to prevent people from coming in to get exposed to the avian flu. And who best to be able to effect a quarantine? One option is the use of a military that's able to plan and move. So that's why I put it on the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have."
"With two wars on their hands, the Army and Marines do not need the distraction of planning and training for mass quarantines. If - and let us hope it is a remote and improbable "if" - the nation must use armed force to prevent Americans from traveling freely because of a public health crisis, the job properly belongs to law enforcement, the National Guard and, yes, FEMA."
Typhoid Mary, call your office...
http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa062900a.htm
Beowulf of Bali
endured the dole in his dark abode,that he heard each day
the din of revelhigh in the hall: there harps rang out,clear song of the singer.
He sang who knew tales of the early time of man,
how the Almighty made the earth,
fairest fields enfolded by water,set, triumphant, sun and moon
for a light to lighten the land-dwellers,
and braided bright the breast of earthwith limbs and leaves,
made life for allof mortal beings that breathe and move.
So lived the clansmen in cheer and revel
a winsome life, till one beganto fashion evils, that field of hell.
Grendel this monster grim was called,
march-riever mighty, in moorland living,
in fen and fastness;
fief of the giantsthe hapless wight a while had kept
since the Creator his exile doomed.,,,
But the evil one ambushed old and young
death-shadow dark, and dogged them still,
lured, or lurked in the livelong nightof misty moorlands:
men may say notwhere the haunts of these Hell-spells be.
Such heaping of horrors the hater of men,
lonely roamer, wrought unceasing,harassings heavy.
Am I the only one who sees the bombing of innocent feasting tourists in Bali as reminding one of Grendel killing the feasters of Herot halls?
Of course, the "modern" paraphrase study notes has included Grendel's point of view, and the novel Grendel is more famous than the original poem...
But perhaps Beowulf has the last laugh...because, even if few read the poem today, nevertheless, a professor who taught Beowulf and who used many of the motifs of the poem in his own fantasy was the basis of a movie that won 17 academy awards...
And Froda, father of Ingeld, is mentioned in Beowulf...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Evolution commercial
Happy New Year!
Shofar Idol....
Bird flu update
This is why there is so much hysteria about Bird flu in Asia...Indonesia, the fourth country to suffer human cases of H5N1 flu, reported a seventh death yesterday, of a 23-year-old man, though only three of these are confirmed to have been caused by the virus.
LINK The Aussies are worried about flu in nearby Indonesia, since like the philippines, birds from there fly to here...
A team of Australian emergency and medical experts has been sent to Indonesia to help fight the outbreak there.
Mr Downer, announcing that a regional summit would be held in Brisbane on October 31 to devise a strategy to combat bird flu, said he did not want to speculate on how Australia would respond to a "worst-case scenario". "(But) obviously all steps would be taken to ensure the virus didn't spread into Australia, because if it mutates and it's transmissable between human beings, it could spread very quickly, including into our country, with devastating consequences," he said.
Mr Downer said the summit with representatives of 21 countries would aim to come up with contingency plans to aid each other and respond promptly in the event of an outbreak.
BIG SPY SCANDAL
But now we find:
....Officials say the classified material, which Aragoncillo stole from the vice president's office, included damaging dossiers on the president of the Philippines. He then passed those on to opposition politicians planning a coup in the Pacific nation. ...
According to friends, in addition to his work for Cheney and Gore, Aragoncillo claimed he also worked with President Clinton and Condoleezza Rice when she was the national security advisor.
Here is the Philippine take on all of this: LINK
Inquiring minds want to know
Since the boy had a German name, it was assumed that he was merely psychotic or depressed...but now it turns out he had a Pakistani roommate...
Michelle Malkin is all over it LINK
The reason this is interesting is that my last US home was Oklahoma, and at the time of the OKC bombing, I had just come back to the Philippines from a small town near OKC...and knew some of the rescuers...
There is a large muslim community in Oklahoma, and many rumors that the "third man" was either a German ex military type at a white supremicist farm, or a local Iraqi with connections with Saddam Hussein...and the Filippinos think Terri McNichols met with AlQuada in Makati to learn to make bombs...
Conspiracy theories anyone?
My guess is the first...but the suspicion that there was a government coverup for political reasons is strong enough that the second conspirator, Terri McNichols, was not given the death penalty but merely life imprisonment, by not one but two juries---the federal jury and even the local Oklahoma jury...And since Oklahoma, like Texas, believes in the death penalty, one must conclude that the jury wanted to keep him alive...
Maybe in twenty years we'll find out the entire story....
--------------------
Update: LINK
hmm...curiouser and curiouser...
wonder when the MSM will pick it up?
Opus Dei, the book
I had once read an "expose" on the organization, written by ex members, and it seemed to me a bit, how should I say, hysterical? Reminds me of ex wives telling about the horror of their husbands...but looking objectively, the horrors were merely commonplace things exaggerated...
Mozart, take two
Da Ponte never tired of dropping Mozart's name, but his time in Vienna as the poet of the Italian opera, appointed by Emperor Joseph II, was in truth only one exciting episode in a long and fantastically colorful life. After leaving Vienna in 1791 and wending his way through Europe for more than a decade, seemingly always on the run from creditors and plagued by financial woes, Da Ponte joined his unofficial wife and children in this country. He lived out his final three decades here as a tireless emissary of Italian culture, a poet of the European Enlightenment magisterially adrift in a young, rough-and-tumble America. He died in New York in 1838 at 89.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
The Cat in the Hat
Using a rich data set for the entire Swedish population born 1935-84, we find that children who start school at an older age do better in school and go on to have more education than their younger peers. Children from families with weaker educational tradition have more to win from starting school later. The long-run earnings effects are positive but small. However, since starting school later entails the opportunity cost of entering the labor market later, the net earnings effect over the entire life-cycle is negative.
I see how my granddaughter, at age 5, has "exams" and has to be drilled for what she learns at school...
Now, I support her preschool: She is an only child of older parents, and would have few friends if she didn't go to school. But the dirty little secret of all the "preschools" and "after school programs" is that they allow the mothers to work...and in urban environments, where there is danger all around, and where children have no chores to do and no older siblings or extended family to watch them, these things are badly needed....
However, what is lost is the idea of fun time, of sitting around dreaming, and the idea of doing your own thing...
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Peter Singer, prophet
"...By (2040), an increasing proportion of the population in developed countries will be more than 75 years old and thinking about how their lives will end. The political pressure for allowing terminally or chronically ill patients to choose when to die will be irresistible.
"When the traditional ethic of the sanctity of human life is proven indefensible at both the beginning and end of life, a new ethic will replace it. It will recognize that the concept of a person is distinct from that of a member of the species Homo sapiens, and that it is personhood, not species membership, that is most significant in determining when it is wrong to end a life. We will understand that even if the life of a human organism begins at conception, the life of a person—that is, at a minimum, a being with some level of self-awareness—does not begin so early. "
Translation: People with brain damage aren't "persons", the mildly senile are not "persons", children under two years are not "persons", and can be killed by their family's requrest (although right now in the Netherlands, many infant euthanasia are done without asking the families, and also this is done to adults, sometimes even by nurses) , and anyone with chronic illness (and in the Netherlands today, this includes the depressed, infants, and healthy people who are just plain tired of living) can kill themselves with the government's blessing...
The GOOD news is that by 2040, the Muslims will probably be a majority, and Islam forbids euthanasia...and abortion except for the life of the mother, and although the average Muslim would not opt for extraordinary therapy for many people, they forbid killing the disabled...
a Bunny?
You were almost a: Duck or a Bear Cub
You are least like a: Groundhog or a LambTake the Cute Animal Quiz!
Gee, I always thought I was a killer rabbit....
Don't mess with Mother
Smarting from her youth in a dysfunctional home, Rita knew one thing - she loved Jesus, and she wanted others to love him. Says Arroyo, "It's really the story of a broken girl who risks everything for the glory of God."
End of the sweet part. Bishops who object to her "orthodox" faith try to take EWTN from her: "I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it," she shouted at one priest from the national bishops' conference.
National Review flashback on Tolkien
Like his own Hobbits, Tolkien was an all but invisible man. He was orphaned at 18, became a philologist after serving in the Lancashire Fusiliers, and spent his life as a university professor. He also spent it as an artist of incomparable power. The Hobbit, published in 1938, was written, like so many splendid books, to read to his children. The Lord of the Rings set out that way; one son remembers receiving chapters of the great book when he was an RAF pilot. Publishers were not interested in the work, and it lay around until 1955.
Of The Lord of the Rings we can say easily that it is the best book of the century though the greatest is Ulysses, and Lewis' The Human Age is the book we deserve most to be remembered for. Its vision of harmony and simplicity, of honor and heroism, is an articulate symbol of our inarticulate yearning.
Well, at least it's legible
You are 'Gregg shorthand'. Originally designed to
enable people to write faster, it is also very
useful for writing things which one does not
want other people to read, inasmuch as almost
no one knows shorthand any more.
You know how important it is to do things
efficiently and on time. You also value your
privacy, and (unlike some people) you do not
pretend to be friends with just everyone; that
would be ridiculous. When you do make friends,
you take them seriously, and faithfully keep
what they confide in you to yourself.
Unfortunately, the work which you do (which is
very important, of course) sometimes keeps you
away from social activities, and you are often
lonely. Your problem is that Gregg shorthand
has been obsolete for a long time.
What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Another use for Duct Tape
By David Ponce
Grrr…
You’re one tough MoFo. You ain’t got no place for no pussy Band-Aids. Hell, you get cut, you get cut. If it bleeds, it bleeds. You got nails to hammer, two by fours to cut and cement to pour. There’s just no way you’re going to be seen wearing a Band-Aid.
Unless it’s a Duct Tape Band-Aid.
LINK2
Liquid air
This stuff has been around for awhile, for deep sea diving, but they have discussed using it for babies for at least ten years...
Monday, October 03, 2005
Bali bomb comments
However, the rest of the politics is still about Gloria's Hello Garci hit CD...and also about the new railline that will displace a couple thousand people...and benefit her family...link
Piglet banned in Britain
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Mouse grounds plane
MANILA, Philippines -- Passengers were buckled up when a crew member spotted a mouse darting across an aisle, triggering a chase that grounded a Qatar Airways plane at Manila airport for more than 12 hours.
The airline asked the 243 passengers to disembark, unloaded hundreds of pieces of luggage and brought the Airbus 330-200 to a hangar for a two-hour fumigation, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star reported. The rodent was never found, so it either escaped or there's a dead mouse aboard the plane.
Gloria
In the meanwhile, aside from DenguLINe and floods, there have been a lot of diarrhea cases, which are now said to be due to cholera LINK
And we are getting more peacekeepers for Mindinao lINK
But what about the malls in Manila? LINK
Security forces have uncovered a plot by the extremist Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network to carry out bombing missions in Metro Manila and key cities in the country with the help of Abu Sayyaf bandits.
A ranking intelligence official said yesterday the attacks are supposed to be carried out before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this month.
But the real problem is that gas prices are going up...no riots here (as there were in Indonesia) probably because overseas money keeps the middle class going...LINK
Anglican bishops and priests disappear in Iraq
Just like I bet you didn't know about this: LINK
The cycle of deadly violence and atrocities that gripped Algeria for more than a decade is at the heart of a referendum Thursday that asks: Is it time to forgive and move on?
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika says his Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation is aimed at closing the wounds of the battle between Islamic extremists and security forces that left an estimated 120,000 people dead and thousands missing.
The large turn out and high percentage of yes votes makes one suspicious....but the civil war in Algeria is merely a looking glass into an ongoing struggle between tyranny vs religious fanatics...
Convoy of Hope
When 17 members of my church loaded luggage and supplies into a 30-foot RV, a 20-foot camping trailer, an SUV and a 15-passenger van (with the two rear seats removed) in the pre-dawn hours of September 19, none of us knew quite what to expect from our journey to Slidell, Louisiana. To fully comprehend the nature and magnitude of the disaster, you have to see it for yourself.
Over 100 miles from the gulf on Interstate 59 in Mississippi, we began to see obvious storm damage. Large trees uprooted, exit signs blown down, tarps covering damaged roofs. As we came closer, the musty smell of newly-exposed earth and decaying vegetation became stronger. And we weren't the only ones headed toward the disaster area. We passed (or were passed by) a variety of church groups, heavy equipment trailers, and even a convoy of several dozen brand-new white Chevy pick-up trucks with FEMA signs in the back windows.....
(go to link for rest of story)PINK Controversy
As part of an $88 million remodeling job at the stadium, designers retained that color motif, splashing pink across the walls, carpet, showers, sinks, metal lockers and even the urinals.
Last week, an Iowa law school professor received death threats after criticizing the university for using pink paint. The professor, now joined by others across campus, says using pink demeans women and perpetuates negative stereotypes of women and homosexuality.
But actually the reason the walls were pink was this:
Soft pink hues were added to the visiting locker room at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium by former football coach Hayden Fry in the late 1970s. Fry believed the color had a calming effect on people.
And, indeed, many still make that claim...pink calms people, especially "drunk tank pink"
LINK
Hmm...I wonder if Feng Shui is sexist also...LINK
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Really bad jokes
#761 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- Why are crocodiles brown and flat?
- Because if they were yellow and round, they'd be lemons.
#762 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- What do fish say when they hit a wall?
- Damn!
#763 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- Why don't blind people like to skydive?
- It scares the heck out of the dogs.
#764 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- What did the Momma Buffalo say to her child as he left for school?
- Bison!
#765 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- April showers bring May flowers, but what do May flowers bring?
- Pilgrims.
#766 ![[New!]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJhk3mcL7_Vfgdq7cRVYExtrH9D_fS7zNuMVZyRrG8IPoYM1P_xWl-qDyFIAtowKgJ0PFM1-f4HacVSuzGA5oEZw=s0-d)
- What do they use frozen band-aids for?
- Cold cuts.
St Theresa's feast day today
Catholics know her as "the little Flower" but she is called that because she speaks to those of us who don't do "great" deeds, who are not mystics ascending to a higher power, or who don't serve as missionaries or great leaders.
To be holy, she said, all we have to do is little deeds, but with love...
Sounds easy? Well, not if you follow, like she does, St Paul's definition of love:
Love is patient, love is kind,Love knows not jealousy,Love is never boastful, nor proud, nor unseemly.Love is not selfish nor easily provoked.Love knows nothing of wrong and does not rejoice at the misfortune of others. It only delights in the Truth.There is nothing love cannot bear, no limit to its faith, its hope, or its endurance.
one of the "great deeds" that she did was not to tell off a nun who kept accidentally splashing her with water when they did the dishes together...another was that she ate with relish the delicate dishes that her older sister prepared for her, even though the rich dishes gave her heartburn and she would have preferred bread and cheese...
With such "little" deeds, anyone can be a saint...

