Quick scan of headlines below the fold

Today is housecleaning day, and Lolo is in the shower/bathroom giving our puppies their first bath...so just a few quick links.

Good News: VietNam has been removed from the list of countries that persecute religion...bad news: It's about opening Viet Nam for trade.
Worse news: Saudi is still on the list, but no one cares.

Good News:20 world leaders call to bridge Muslim/West divide and call for peace in the Middle East

Bad news: summary of their statement: It's all the Jews's fault...the difference between this group and Mel Gibson is that Gibson retracted his statement when he sobered up.

So now the new Palestinian president will be chosen by two terrorist groups, and Hezbollah is destablizing Lebanon...

Five Myths of Asian HIV. Summary: Good news: It's mainly in injection drug abusers and prostitutes. Bad news: Big shots acting as if it was Africa, where great white father aka NGO's takes care of you. In Asia, things work thru families, so civil society is not as developed, so you only need to target small groups of "Outsiders", and stop trying to push "they are innocent" on Asia, their behavior makes them outsiders.

Gift idea take 13

Cinnamoroll "Donburi" Bowl w/Lid

send one to your favorite Republican to cheer him up.

Gift Idea take 12

Tired of limp sandwiches and microwave soup for lunch?

Amazon now sells Bento Boxes.

It will carry a four course lunch. You can find some Recipes here

Archeology update

The "GodsGravesGlyphs" discussion on FreeRepublic (caution: right wing site blocked at many worksites) has a couple interesting links. I'll link to the newspapers too.

This old BBC link shows a crater that might explain why Constantine saw a light in the sky...The Freepers have links that update and photos.

And The Sea Peoples are a mystery for ancient history...long link that I'll have to read later.

Finally, an update on buying kidneys in India Pakistan...original link HERE.

Signs of the times

Veterans day take two

Yes, I'm a little late ...blame the weekend blackouts.

Veterans Day

Veteran's day was Saturday.
And yes, I kissed a Veteran on Saturday.
Lolo is a Veteran of World War II.

News below the fold

Stephen King interview HERE
What is interesting in his novels is not the horror but the character bits. If someone a hundred years from now wants to read how regular people lived, King is more accurate than, say, Updike or Wolfe.

Stem cell experiment cures mice of diabetesBone marrow stem cells that is...shhhh....don't publicize that you can get stem cells from all sorts of places that are cheaper and easier than killing embryos...

Mark Steyn discusses how the Islamofascist media strategy has won...not pretty reading.

Powerline wonders what is in the drinking water of those who think Syria and Iran, who are funding terror groups to destablize Iraq, will actually cooperate in decreasing that terror, especially when they are interpreting the election as giving them the win.

On the other hand, a Zimdaily reporter says that the US and the earlier Canadian election shows Africans a lesson on the peaceful change of power by citizen feedback...something he wished Mugabe would have learned 20 years ago.

and the good news: A Pinoy won the world pool championship.LINK.
Today, pool, tomorrow, boxing.

And finally, watch out Tiffany's...Imelda Marcos is launching a new designer line of jewelry, based on her vast collection that she amassed as First Lady...

The "human" Bond? Why?

The hype about the new Bond on TV shows an ugly faced actor who (if we should believe Time magazine ) shows off his muscles.

The right stuff? Daniel Craig and Sean Connery as James Bond

Great. A gay icon. Pumping Iron II.

James number two: Connery.
Caption: YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE ME ANGRY.

James Number One: The "new" Bond"
Caption: Where is my pacifier, mommy?

Euthanasia confusion in language

Wesley Smith clarifies the statement of the Anglican church on fragile infants. Smith posts links and says the paper got it wrong.
Their statement is similar to what Catholics have long believed: If extraordinary treatment increases suffering, it may be withheld.

This is not the same as killing, although many "ethicists" who support euthanasia often confuse the two.
However, THIS article confirms that it's about money.

The problem with all this discussion is what one surgeon reminded us when we had a debate on whether to operate on children with spina bifida: That treatment improves both their quality of life and lets them live longer, albeit handicapped lives. But "non treatment" does not always result in death, and these children who live have a much greater handicap that could have been prevented.

Paying for organs, bah humbug

I wrote an essay about those saying paying for organs is a good idea are naive.
I'm old enough to remember when blood banking in slums was commonplace, and how middle men made a fortune on it.
And, of course, exploiting the poor is a crime that cries out for God's justice.
Check the link for the entire sermon that will make your eyes glaze over.

Everyday heroes

GODE, Ethiopia - The U.S. Air Force delivered food and relief supplies Friday to flood victims in eastern Ethiopia...

The crew of the C-130 cargo plane was making several deliveries of food, water containers, plastic sheeting, bedding and water purification materials in a two-day operation near the Somali border...Ethiopia's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency said flooding had killed least 80 people and left more than 217,000 homeless in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. More than 360,000 people have been affected.

Gift idea take 11

Showing Mohammed is a no no, but Christ, AKA the God incarnate, as a dog...ho hum....no problem...

Headlines below the fold

Another day, another typhoon.
We just got thunderstorms with winds and rain. But it is harvest time, and rain means not being able to cut rice, and of course the rice already cut can't be dried before selling.

Local news: Leftist leader killed...but so are two government officials, and two people at a wake of a reporter. Luckily no one can blame it on Bush, so CNN is ignoring the news.

Church of England report agrees it's okay to kill newborns, showing the increasing moral collapse of a once great church.

War on Terror, blamed on Bush...but Eleven of our Muslim allies are backing the Islamicists in Somalia...which was abandoned under Clinton's watch...

After two years of attacks by Saddam's henchman allied with Sunni Alqaeda and backed by Saudi money, the Shia are fighting back, with help of Iran...the bad news is that killers are increasingly "independent" thugs, but since they are scaring the pants off the Sunni community, it looks like revenge is the rule of the day.

Iran also is offering their long range missiles to Israels' enemies...but they figure the election means no real US threat...

Toothpick art

via boingboing

Always do what you are told

Open Range

Headlines

Well, headlines look lousy from here.
Alqaeda and Iran are reading the Democratic victory as a victory for them, so are getting aggressive.

The European search for "peace" seems to be appeasement, since they insist that they have to accomadate Hezbollah, so they will suckup to Syria and Iran, and insisting that the US pacify Iran to get peace in Iraq...I guess that means it is Iran's fault, not Bushs?

As a result, Israel is threatening to destroy Iran's nuke program.

Drudge says Germany will put Rumsfeld on trial...for what happened at AbuGarab, with the main witness the female general who actually was in charge of the place, who claims she didn't know what was going on so it's Rumsfeld's fault...guess this makes sense.

Hint to Germany: watch what you ask for, you might get it.

What is even more interesting is what is under the fold: the unrest in oil rich Kazahkstan,

The church related Asianews notes two things about this: One Nancy Pelosi is big on pushing civil rights in China...I hope so, since Santorum lost someone has to keep an eye on these things.

And Jack Palance died...

Family news

The older dog had puppies this morning...six. Now we know why she was so huge.
This is the third litter she has had since she was "fixed"...guess it didn't work.

The black dog has three puppies, and they are old enough to eat so we are getting her fixed this morning.

It's harvest season. Some of the crops were damaged by the last typhoon, but our fields seem okay and we harvest next week.

So everyone is okay now.

Signs of the times take two

Start by teaching spelling...