Saturday, May 31, 2008

Baby Darth

Cupcake


crochet your own tiny cupcake.
.

.free registration needed.
.

Should poetry matter?

A novel about Gerald Manly Hopkins leads the reviewer to quote poetry....

...(there) was the conversation I had while sitting next to a sophisticated lady-poet at a literary lunch. "I've been reading the most amazing book about Gerard Manley Hopkins," I said, "but I can't seem . . ." " That guy!" she answered. "Once he gets his claws in your brain, you're a goner!" Involuntarily, I began, "The world is charged with the grandeur of God./It will flame out like shining from shook foil." But she had already chimed in with "I caught this morning morning's minion, king-/dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon." And we went on like that for maybe six or eight more lines each, caught respectively in "God's Grandeur" and "The Windhover," and then stopped, a little flushed and embarrassed. It was like making love with words, and we didn't know each other all that well.

News you can use

Want to win at bowling?
Try scratching up your bowling ball.

---------------------------
Want to make money?
Obama's famous waffle was placed on ebay....he got 99cents for it.
Seller claims he plans to donate it to Hillary's campaign fund.

----------------------
The future of War: Warbots.
actually, most will be used to detect or remove mines/IED's...

--------------------------
the Science of Scotch...mp3 discussion.

--------------
Why worry about Homeland security when the copyright police are out to get you....LINK1 ....LINK2..

-------------------------
Google Earth without the download?

---------------
And rumors hat Mr.Tumnis will play Bilbo Baggins...

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

Friday, May 30, 2008

Nun joke of the day

Sister Mary Ann, who worked for a home health agency, was out making her rounds visiting homebound patients when she ran out of gas. Fortunately, an Exxon station was just a block away. She walked to the station to borrow a gas can and buy some gas.

The attendant told her that the only gas can he owned had been loaned
out, but she could wait until it was returned. Since Sister Mary Ann was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to wait, and walked back to her car.

She looked for something in her car that she could fill with gas, and
spotted the bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful,
Sister Mary Ann carried the bedpan to the station, filled it with
gasoline, and carried the full bedpan back to her car.

As she was pouring the gas into her tank, two Baptist ladies watched from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said, "If it starts, I'm turning Catholic."

(headsup grouchyoldcrippleBlog)

air car




The new MDI economy/utility car is one in a series of vehicles to be developed by MDI for production in various markets throughout the world. The vehicle is powered by the Compressed Air Engine (CAE) invented by Guy Negre, CEO and founder of MDI. Compressed air vehicles feature zero tailpipe emissions and high energy efficiency and represent an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to conventional gasoline powered vehicles and hybrids.

(headsup Dilbertblog)g

musical interlude



Arian Band, from their latest album just released in Iran.

(Headsup Engineer Hamid)

because life is more than politics and strife.

Harvey Korman

Carol Burnett's costar has died.

he also was in Blazing Saddles



I think there is a special place in heaven for those who make us laugh.

Teaching kids to die for Gaia


The state funded ABC (Australia) website has instrutions to teach your kids that they need to die for Gaia.
I should have died at age 7 and a half.

(Headsup MoonbatteryBlog)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Sad Story of the day


one casualty of the midwestern storms last week was a woman in an iron lung...when the electricity went out, and they couldn't get the generator started, she just was too weakened from her disease to keep going despite the family's best efforts.

But the real story is not that she died, but in her life.

From a local reporter, Roy Exum
.



as an infant before she contacted the disease, but Dianne could never remember that. So in the 58 years that would follow, she became a light to the entire town of Jackson....she wrote a children’s book from that Iron Lung called “Less Light,” which is about “Blinky,” a dim star that always wanted to be a wishing star. In doing so, Dianne became a star herself. Get this; she wrote her book by using an ancient voice-activated computer that was so rudimentary that to write the word “cat” she would have to say, “Charlie-Alpha-Tango.”...

Her dogged determination and irrepressible will to live soon became legendary and, in an interview several years ago, she said it was all because of her parents.

“I think God looked at me and said, ‘She is going to have a rough time so I’d better pick good parents.’”

So the Odells did have fun and laughter, foregoing any idea of a vacation elsewhere or ever leaving Dianne alone. They had constant parties and Christmas was always a big thing....the trick to making it in life was the Three Fs - faith, family and friends. “You can’t have one without the other,” she was quoted in the Jackson newspaper. “I would also tell others who are facing situations to never give up because there is always something over the horizon. God knows what that is … you can’t give up.”

Attention Osama

That's not fly, that's a nano reconnisence vehicle...

a ten gram, nanovehicle that flaps it's wings...and spies.

Our Lady of Good Voyage


The most dangerous job in the world...

Captains Courageous is of course about the fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Story of New England fishermen at link.

The Glouster Catholic church has this famous statue of Mary holding a fishing schooner... a lot of the fishermen were Portuguese Catholics.

Audiobook of the week

HGWells the Time Machine, at Librivox. Download the book, or by chapter a day podcast...

Right now I'm listening to Captains Courageous...

Cat photo of the week

(headsup Misscellania)

Dog Vader

Stuff below the fold

Article on Native American tribes trying to keep their language alive.
LINK is the Osage tribe language program website

WORD OF THE DAY

Mouth

More on the Osage/Ponca phonetic alphabet HERE.

-------------------------------
Was the "judas gospel" mistranslation due to secrecy and haste, because they wanted a scoop?

----------------------
The UKTelegraph reports ...

The row over the new EU Treaty meanwhile took a new turn yesterday after José Manuel Barroso, the Commission President, warned Irish voters that they will “pay” if they reject the document in a referendum next month.

------------------------------
WTF article of the day: Mugabe isn't as bad as portrayed, since he did allow a free election.....but he won't make that mistake again, and the list of deaths grows...

----------------------
Another book blasting Bush ...same thing happened to Reagan in his last term...
And with things improving in Iraq, time may do a similar turn around on Bush...

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

CRAFT ITEM OF THE DAY


STICHDIVA has a series on how to make broomstick lace at Youtube...this is part one.

buckyballs


good news: They can sneak into cells, bringing medicines along.

Bad news: They like to stick to DNA and mess it up.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Craft item of the day


How to draw a cartoon hippo...

Start with an oval...

add some more ovals...and then fill in.

Top link has the instructions...and the site includes instructions on how to draw all sorts of cartoon animals.

Hippo humor take two

G rated joke for the day

What do you call a hippo that swears?





Answer:
Hippopottymouth.

(headsup hotcarmelsundaeblog)

Thanks for the French Fries

JR Simplot has died...

Agribusiness pioneer. If you've eaten Frozen French Fries, thank JR...

Why there is a rice shortage

ABS CBN report notes that only 30 percent of irrigatable land receives irrigation...and that it might be more profitable to make the dry land farmers grow alternative crops...and shows the need for gov't to fund more irrigation efforts.

One of our projects is to start organic veggies on our high fields that we can't irrigate...we use a small pump to get water to irrigate, but since the seedlings are grown indoors, and are transplanted to fields with plastic mulch, it saves water and we don't use herbicides.

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

Contrast this to "playing green" at college...I'm not sure if they want to save energy, pretend they are poor, or just feel good about themselves. Sounds like number three.

green idea of the week


Instead of a windmill, try a Sky Serpent...
Rather than a single giant rotor with 50-foot-long blades, Doug Selsam´s "Sky Serpent" design uses several small rotors attached to a single shaft. By placing the rotors in precise positions and angles, each rotor can harvest its own wind, and avoid simply stealing the wake from the adjacent rotor. The entire turbine is hooked up to a single generator, which produces about the same amount of power as a turbine that uses 10 times as much blade material, Selsam says.

no tailgaiting

craft item of the day

LINK

Randall, a 17-year-old senior from Wayne, started collecting Wrigley gum wrappers three years ago to make the dress. Friends, relatives and co-workers saved wrappers for her.

Pistner, who lives in Manchester, said he was just glad she got the dress done in time. She started sewing it together only a week before their recent prom.

Randall said she reinforced the dress with duct tape inside along the edges and used elastic braids around the straps and collar and in between some of the chains down the back so she could easily slip into the dress.



headsup takato.mon

Monday, May 26, 2008

BCCC in the news

Our family's organic rice/sugar/veggie business got mentioned in the local paper.

Some excerpts from the article, which is about several organic based businesses:


MANILA, Philippines – Natural, sustainable, earth-friendly. That’s essentially what organic products are, not only in substance but in the production process. As such, they become safer and healthier.

The market for organic products, both locally and abroad, has grown rapidly over the past few years. The burgeoning awareness on the need to preserve the environment and the ecological balance and the pursuit of healthier lifestyles through natural food have encouraged the development and production of organic products in the country.

Notes Paciano Reyes, president of Better Country Community Corporation’s (B3C), which grows and markets unpolished rice varieties: "The idea is to produce crops using processes that promote sustainability—by building the soil structure and maintaining a balanced nutrient-rich environment in which plants, animals, and microorganisms can grow together harmoniously.”....

Health is an equally motivating factor as religion, B3C’s Reyes adds. The company’s unpolished rice in three colors (gold, red and black), which is marketed as Gilded Grains, is far superior in nutrition, flavor and texture, to polished varieties.

All organic manufacturers admit that quality does come with a price—but also with a guarantee....

Reyes’ organic rice produce that can cost up to P80 per kilo says its best. Organic products may be more expensive, he says, but they’re really an investment people make on their future and of their loved ones in terms of better health and an even healthier earth. •...

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Corpus Christ




this is the hymn we sing every week at the start of Mass.

And today is Corpus Christi...

but the parade was the Santa Cruzan parade.

We ate at a friend of Chano/distant relative's house for his birthday no photos

Band of Brothers



headsup Belmont club

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

FYI: My husband Lolo is a WWII veteran.

Friday, May 23, 2008

SaoPaulo Japanese

TokyoMango blog has photos of the Japanese section of SaoPaulo Brazil...complete with cute octopusses on the take out vendor stands.

Wikipedia has the history HERE. There are 1.5 million ethnic Japanese in Brazil alone...although the third and 4th generation tends to intermarry.


Some of them have been recruited to work in Japanese factories in the 1980's...I once had to translate for a Peruvian at the Manila airport...he had a Pinay girlfriend and was trying to get through customs.

And some have migrated to the US:

n the 2000 US Census, 119,829 Hispanic or Latino Americans identified as being of Asian ancestry alone.[5] In 2006 the Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimated them at 154,694,[6] while its Population Estimates, which are official, put them at 277,704.[7]

And this doesn't include the Koreans, Chinese or Filipinos...

The first person of Latin American descent to go into space was Franklin Chang Diaz, a naturalized American from Costa Rica...

pets!

photos of one of the four puppies and the kitten.
The other photos are of Ruby's art class..
pets 508

It's not all war and politics

My stepson has started an organic veggie project, with local famers...he has the training farm, and we get these huge and fresh veggies to pack and take to Manila every other day. We also still have the chicken farm, although we now rent it out to another family.

So I get various agriculture newsletters, which is almost like being in another world.

The earthquake in China was bad for their poultry industry...

Korean chickens have been infected with bird flu, so that country is building a human bird flu vaccine factory.

All that hype about biofuels? Has only a small influence on food prices. It's the improved diet, and local cold spells etc.
And then there is Jatropha plantations for biodiesel...which grows on waste land...

Bengladesh is starting to export fresh veggies and fruit to the Middle East and Europe, via airplanes.
Similar reports from Africa's budding agricultural exports.

But in nearly every report, there are complaints of inflation. It's due to the increase in Oil prices, of course...

Recycling idea of the day

100% renewable sorghum is combined with intricately woven, vibrant handles by artisans in Thailand to produce durable brooms colored with nontoxic dyes. Crafted one at a time, this attractive broom and dustpan handle any sweeping assignment with style and efficiency...


........
or you can make one on your own: Instructions here:

Indy news

Harrison Ford was elected into the Archeological Institute of America.

He's not an archeologist but he plays one on TV.

And his archeology technique leaves lots to be desired.

Other than Indy's brief classroom scenes, the closest thing to authentic archaeology in the "Indiana Jones'' flicks is done by the bad guys, whose elaborate, systematic digs in "Raiders'' resemble actual excavations.



Thursday, May 22, 2008

The "we're all gonna die" headline of the day

Nanotubes....

the new asbestos...

Chocolate


Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can.

WifelyStepsBlog has lovely photos of....chocolate...sigh.

Gift Item of the day

HellkittyBlog says: The Hello Kitty armoured personnel carrier would effectively nauseate the enemy into submission...

A gift for the Obama supporter in your life.
My take on Obama vs Hillary is the same as Joyce on the View....

Headlines below the fold

Colombia contiues to win against FARC...more here.

Zimbabwe continues to implode LINK

Iraq is settling down, with their own soldiers taking over the fight. But don't expect the media to notice LINK
Even the NYTimes notices, but tries to spin it...it's not perfect so it doesn't count...

Mark Steyn against Canada's "human rights" commission...how dare he quote the immans...

And just because she leads in the popular vote, Hillary has lost....so why talk to those ignorant voters why they dislike Obama?

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Flores de Mayo

this week's Nuevaecijajournal has photos of the Flores de mayo festival...

another storm and internet and electricity going off and on so light blogging

Courts gone wild

Courts decide money is "unfair" to the blind...

Um, fellahs, LIFE is unfair to the blind...let's have some common sense.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

itsy bitsy computer

Craft item of the day


make yourself a pincushion...links to half a dozen designs...


photo is ladybug pincushion


Or go to Martha Stewart's teacup pincushions.... includes video.

Lecheflan

yes it will raise your cholestrol but you will die happy...

a Pinoy custard that uses full cream, eggs, and egg yolks and sugar....YUM.

Another recipe HERE.

When Lolo makes it, he adds lime rind to add flavour...as in this recipe...

Snow dance



headsup Princess haiku

Good news stories you might have missed

Actually, a lot of these I tried to post Sunday but the internet went off and on...

NYTimes story of the Pastor to the Hardhats."...Four construction workers were known to be dead, and the bodies of two more workers would be found days later (along with the body of a woman who had been visiting from South Florida). Their surviving comrades lifted off their hard hats as the priest sprinkled holy water amid the wreckage and prayed that God would grant the souls of the departed eternal rest...."

In RedLake, our clergy would always come and help comfort families in cases of accidents...or violence....and were a great comfort...

---------------------
Irena Sendler has died...AgainstTheGrain blog has links....
, Mrs. Sendler’s group of about 30 volunteers, mostly women, had managed to slip hundreds of infants, young children and teenagers to safety. “She was the inspiration and the prime mover for the whole network that saved those 2,500 Jewish children,”


---------------------------
Not a "heartwarmer" but important: Glaxo licenses bird flu vaccine...

Yup. Evil big business drug companies are like Tommy Atkins:

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;


or in this case, Bird Flu, with it's high mortality...
----------------

headlines below the fold

Hillary says Not So Fast....
Women feel the press loved Obama and keeps writing her off...

----------------------
South Africans murdering Zimbabwe refugees...LINK2.. The second article also has information about those who come down to buy groceries. LINK3 has more.

----------------
Locals object to the old Trapp family villa in Salzberg being made into a hotel...are they worrying about the traffic, or the gays?

--------------------------
White House objects to selective editing at NBC...heh...they should try watching CNNInternational...
------------
Should adults get chicken pox shots to stop shingles? it works only half the time and costs $16o a shot...
--------------
The photo that embarasses Gloria...nope, just because she golfed with the ZTE doesn't mean she knew about the kickbacks...

Saturday, May 17, 2008

THE BUTTERFLY SONG


I just downloaded these lyrics for my granddaughter to sing:

THE BUTTERFLY SONG
(If I Were a Butterfly)
Words and Music by Brian M. Howard

If I were a butterfly
I'd thank you Lord for giving me wings
If I were a robin in a tree
I'd thank you Lord that I could sing
If I were a fish in the sea
I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

CHORUS
For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

It goes on for two more stanzas.
Another sign the apocolypse is nigh. Oh well, it's a cute song if you are six...


Audio clip here.

Family News



Andree's birthday party.
Theme: Highschool Musical 2.
Clowns and games for the kids, food for us. Alas, it started to rain lightly.

Today we have lots of rain, thanks to the latest Typhoon off the coast, so they were lucky they didn't do it today.

Podcast of the week

Celtic music podcast...

Actually, I used to download this last year until my computer crashed and I lost the link...the website also links to a site with free Celtic music downloads: SongHenge.com

Thanks to Endicott Redux for the headsup...and they also have links to a celtic myth podshow....if you are into stories...

Craft item of the day


ORIGAMI CUBE CHARACTERS

(headsup Fourcolorrebellion)

Friday, May 16, 2008

How to tat

The Tatting Goddess Blog has listed lots of links on how to tat...

I never could do it well...too klutzy I guess...so I stick to crochet...

and here is a video on tatting


-------------
and for those of you who knit, check out BarefootNoKnickersBlog's collection of weird knitting

Thulcandra

The link is to the very nice Wikipedia article on CSLewis' space triology...

I am familiar with all the webpages on Elvish languages, but LINK is about the Languages of the space trilogy...

Stuff below the fold

Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the Nachez Trace...and the mystery of Merriwater Lewis' death...

---------------
Climate Change threatens Norway's moose....Poor guys. Guess they'll have to stick to sticking it to horses...

--------------------------------
A letter can be burnt and destroyed but hard drives are forever...LINK2
Gateway pundit reports

"Interpol confirmed documents today showing that US Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.) (pictured), a leading opponent of the Colombia free-trade deal has been working with a go-between, who has been offering the FARC terrorists help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government....
...and what's that Obama connection?

-----------------
The California courtsessentially legalized gay marriage for the entire US by judicial fiat...
It's nice to be king...

------------------
ET PHONE HOME....the Vatican says it's okay...

Actually, there already is a lot of Catholic philosophical discussions about ET life...and CS Lewis' space triology comes to mind...
Trivia note about the trilogy: The character Ransom is partly based on JRR Tolkien...

I see fat people take two

Now we know who to blame

Fat people cause global warming...

They eat food, and food contributes to global warming...

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Traditional values and other trivia

"Confucius said: “A young man should be a good son at home and an obedient young man abroad, sparing of speech but trustworthy in what he says, and should love the multitude at large but cultivate the friendship of his fellow men. If he has any energy to spare from such action, let him devote it to making himself cultivated.”

When the US removed bible reading they also removed education about responsibility and self control, substituting tolorence and self esteem...yet as the above quote points out, traditional ethics need not be "religious".

Alas, the audiobook, a summary of Confucius for scholars, is only available in Mandarin, Cantonese and Hakka...but Confuscius' Analects are available as an ebook in English HERE and HERE
---------------------------

A lecture about America in 1491...before the smallpox/influenza/TB/typhoid/measles epidemics hit...
Of course, not everything was honky dorey, thanks to climate change...
-------------------------------------

Some people have too much time on their hands...LINK is the world's tallest lego tower.

Gift Item of the day

A HELLOKITTY SINGING ROBOT:


the sad part about it is this:
Hello Kitty had release this fabulous Hello Kitty Robo. This robot can communicate with your using the Hello Kitty's voice. It can chat with you in 3 different situations: 1 As a close friend; 2 With the family; 3 Guessing game. This is a perfect robot for whoever does not have a lot time to stay with child. Hello Kitty Robo can help you to stay with your child to keep them from being lonely.

Sigh... hello kitty for when you are too busy with more important things than to hug a small child.

LOL BOTS

(headsup Misscellania)

Headlines below the fold

It's not all Black and white to explain Hillary's success:
"Clinton got more popular votes than Obama in Arizona, California and Texas, and she won the Nevada caucus because of her huge margin of support among Latinos."

and the ratio is even more impressive among Asians...

and some Catholic sites are noticing: Obama is not only "pro choice", but in the Illinois Senate stopped a bill mandating basic medical treatment for those born alive after abortion...

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

On the other hand, ordinary folks are haunted by killing embryonic mice coats...
where is PETA when we need them?
----------------------------
Need to recharge your cellphone? Just plug it into your bra..

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

McClane for President
...yippee kay yay M***** F*****s.
----------------------

Prince Caspian is being marketed to conservatives and geeks. ...conservative review here, and the geeks at Aintitcoolnews will be having a sneak preview on the 15th.

And Eddie Izzard is doing the voice of Reepicheep...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Don't criticize the short skirts, bishop

In the US, bishops are criticized for playing politics when they tell politicians who back abortion on demand and partial birth abortion is a sin.

In the Philippines, they play hard ball.

Bishop Cruz, one of the major critics of the Arroyo administration, has been arrested for "libel" because four years ago he wrote that women at a convention were told to dress sexy.

From the Inquirer:


The libel case stemmed from a statement that Cruz made on June 28, 2004, wherein he slammed the birthday party for the President's husband Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo for its "exploitation" of "women (government) employees" who were made to "entertain" the celebrator and "close associates" like "pitiful GRO (guest relations officers)."

Cruz said the women, who were marketing assistants at Pagcor, were instructed to "dance with them" and "don't wear your wedding rings" before they were brought to Malacañang to entertain guests during the birthday party for Mike Arroyo on June 26, 2004.

The Manila city prosecutor's office had previously dismissed the complaint filed by the women against Cruz.

But the Department of Justice reversed the Manila prosecutor's decision.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, upon review, said the Church leader had defamed the women. Last month, he ordered the refiling of libel charges against Cruz.

Gee, imagine what would have happened if the libel law had been used against Matt Drudge?

family news

The last storm took out our router, so we finagled a bit to figure out what was wrong and got the modem so one computer at a time is working...

Maybe tomorrow I'll catch up on boring stuff.

We are well otherwise.

Thought for the day

What's wrong with Medical Ethics

If people knew what medical ethicists were actually proposing (and have been proposing since at least the 1970's) they'd throw up.

The latest report in FirstThings magazine: the author stresses the civility of the discussion, and that it was so nice and polite...

Ummm...so was the Wansee conference...

Monday, May 12, 2008

NOLAF

Check out link...the National Organization for Legislation Against Fun

(Headsup Epicurious)

Yes, it's a joke.

But this one isn't: Fast food causes liver disease...and transfat is probably the cause.

That's the reason behind the transfat ban in New York City...

Ironically, even Lard is safer than transfat for frying.

But there is good news about fast foods:another UK study shows that kids who only eat "healthy" foods aren't as healthy...

It's called Muesli belt Malnutrition...high fiber foods fills the kids' stomachs so they don't eat enough milk/eggs/meat/protein and end up with protein malnutrition and lacking Zinc and Vitamin A...

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Recipe of the day


If you are planning to either storm chase or go down to Oklahoma to help in the cleanup, mosey over to Pawhuska for the Indian taco championship on May 17th...

The difference between regular and Indian tacos is that instead of Tortillas, Indian tacos use fry bread...

Fry bread is a Navajo recipe, taking bread dough and frying it in lard. It's actually delicious...

THIS LINK
has the history of fry bread, a recipe on how to make it, and a recipe for Indian tacos.

Alas, with modern food, Diabetes is now a major problem for Native Americans, but when I was in the IHS, our dieticians had rewritten favorite recipes to make them low fat and low calorie. LINK

Oklahoma news

Prayers for those in Oklahoma and Missouri that were hurt by the tornadoes.

Actually, watching out for tornadoes is something you do in Oklahoma...and when you live in small towns, often you have to watch the sky while you put the kids in the basement or shelter.

The local joke is that you can identify the Okie because he's the one who stands outside in a thunderstorm...

But it was no joke trying to wake up and move Lolo to the neighbor's shelter while it was hailing and raining.

Gift Suggestion for mom


a HELLOKITTY ROBO MOP

Actually it uses a swiffer pad not a mop...

But here in the Philippines, no swiffers...we have maids...
(headsup HellokittyHell)

Happy Mother's Day

Podcast of the week

The BBC reports that the Vatican is trying to revive Latin, partly because the church has forgotten it's roots with the "reform"...and at the end of the article they mention Father Reginald Foster, describing him as the Pope's Latinist.

I thought that his podcast would be dry, but think "car talk meets history channel" and it's closer to it...

And besides, where else would you learn about Pope Pius IX's cigar factory?

Glenariff Waterfall




And to the left a torrent, which as it thundered
To new depths, downpoured unstoppable,
Elemental, white scattering light.

~"Glenariff Waterfall" by Ann Murray
The Blueness Above


-----------------------------
Headsup TeaAtTrianon blog

Photograph from DavidPorter...check out his Ireland shots HERE.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

bugs



misscellan1a has a post full of bug jokes today..

Thought this photo was cute.

Physics jokes

go to link...

and more sophisticated physics jokes found HERE.
SATTINGER'S LAW
It works better if you plug it in.


1) Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account."

2) Morton's Law: "If rats are experimented upon, they will develop cancer."

3) Epstein's Axiom: "With extremely few exceptions, nothing is worth the trouble."

4) Mathis' Rule: "It is bad luck to be superstitious."

5) Laura's Law: "No child throws up in the bathroom."

--------------------
and don't miss the MIT NERD TEST

String theory

PBS special on string theory and the theory of everything is on line.

The bad news? It's stream, which means a bumpy on and off video for me.

The good news is that someone posted part one and part two on line as a torrent...science

A Hero joins his buddies



One of my classmates, Michael Crescenz, will be laid to rest in Arlington on Monday.

A group of my classmates plan to join the convoy that will take his body from the local cemetary to Arlington. The above link is in the local Catholic paper.

Here is another link:

and HERE...

He was a winner of the Medal of Honor...

Family news

A storm two days ago knocked out the internet yesterday (second time this week). Monsoon season coming early...

We are fine...Chano has all sorts of meetings with big shots about the area organic veggies/greenhouse project.

The organic veggies are huge and we are delivering them to high priced supermarkets in Manila every other day.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Light Bulbs!

Link is to a huge collection of light bulb jokes.

This is for Col.Updraft:

Q: How many software people does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: None. That's a hardware problem.

Q: How many data base people does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Three:

One to write the light bulb removal program,

one to write the light bulb insertion program, and

one to act as a light bulb administrator to make sure nobody else tries to change the light bulb at the same time.

----------

And this is for those of use who are real women:

Q: How many `Real Women' does it take to change a light bulb?

A: None: A `Real Woman' would have plenty of real men around to do it.

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

And then you have this

Q: How many women with PMS does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. Only ONE!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CUPBOARD for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle, actually find them 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE STUPID @*!#$% LIGHT BULBS CAME IN! WHY? BECAUSE NO-ONE EVER CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE 12' DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE. THE HOUSE! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS #@*$!#@ HOUSE!

I'm sorry ... what did you ask me?


What a lightbulb!

107 years old and still working...
.
.
.

Busy busy busy

Here are a few links to my boring essays on BNN:

Weird stuff in the news

First it was Bill Clinton, then it was Spitzer...OH NO! Not the WeatherChannel!

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Bird flu has hit Korea...and they already reject US meat due to fear of madcow disease...The Marmot'sHoleBlog remarks:

The lesson of this story? Chicken and beef can kill. Eat dog — it’s good for you. And stock up on your kimchi.

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Did those Chinese arms get to Zimbabwe with the help of Malawi and Angola?


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NYTimes writer says: “The Americans are now Ansar al Sunna.” Protectors of the Sunni.

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Ralph Peters blasts the Saudis....thier increase in oil prices are making the world poor, while using the money to fund terrorism and religious bigotry throughout the world.
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What you can learn from commercials

A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God.

Here are some of the results: scroll down.

God is like BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like HALLMARK CARDS
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is likeGENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like SEARS
He has everything.

> God is like SCOTCH TAPE
> You can't see Him, but you know He's there.

God is like ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.


God is like VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him?
Don't you wish everybody did?

(that one is my favorite)
God is like
the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will
keep Him from His appointed destination.

God is like Bounty. . .
He is the quicker picker upper...
can handle the tough jobs. .
and He won't fall apart on you
----------------------

Your email of the day from Cousin Maddie

Madeline, Colonel and "friend"

Family news

The monsoon has come early. For the last ten days, we've had afternoon or evening rainstorms.

Yesterday, we had a brownout...I don't like to use the computer on generator, for obvious reasons of power surges, and the internet doesn't always work.

Last night we had a terrible thunderstorm. I moved the puppies into the bedroom, and all the other dogs came in because they were frightened of the thunder. We also have a cat and kitten in the bathroom.

Lolo is fine. On Tuesday, a teacher comes to teach Art class for Ruby and about a dozen other kids.
Today the greenhouse teaching is going on, so the staff will be making meals for 50 to eat at the farm.
The veggies from the project are good quality: Large and insect free. The seedlines are raised in the greenhouse, then tranplanted to a field with plastic mulch to keep down the weeds and irrigation.

So no herbicides, no pesticides, and only organic fertilizer.

Monday, May 05, 2008

How Global warming causes shark attacks

A reader emails the Corner on why:



1. Global warming causes temperatures to rise.
2. Rising temperatures make people feel hot.
3. Hot people go to the beach
4. People at the beach go in the water
5. People in the water are the Number One cause of shark attacks—
there has never been a shark attack that did not involve people being
in the water.

Cure the world: Be selfish

humorist PJ O'Rourke tells graduates:

Don't be an idealist!

Don't chain yourself to a redwood tree. Instead, be a corporate lawyer and make $500,000 a year. No matter how much you cheat the IRS, you'll still end up paying $100,000 in property, sales and excise taxes. That's $100,000 to schools, sewers, roads, firefighters and police. You'll be doing good for society. Does chaining yourself to a redwood tree do society $100,000 worth of good?...


So make your contribution by getting rich.

How to cure Global Warming


(headsuptimblair)

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Green stuff

I get the digital Christian Science Monitor, mainly because it has lots of background stories, not the usual "if it bleeds it leads" stuff, and although it is on line free, by downloading, I can read it at my leisure (our internet isn't always reliable).

They've had a bunch of articles on agriculture/ecology lately.

This is on Cambodia implementing the green revolution and becoming a rice exporter.

This one
is about Mozambique, where a farmer is replacing traditional forest destroying "slash and burn" agriculture with organic methods.

And this one is about making beautiful but tiny gardens for enjoyment.

On the other hand, they have the population explosion "we're all gonna die" folks HERE...I have some of their books from the 1970's...they're the same folks still saying the same things...

City dwellers and foraging

When I lived in Idaho, we always foraged the wild asparagus....it wasn't hard, it grew in the irrigation ditch behind my medical office.

But what if you live in a city?

Check WildmanSteveBrill's site....
And he is on this ScienceAndTheCity podcast MP3

Movies on line

miss C recommends...

Sunday stuff

An interview with MaryAnn Glendon, Harvard Law professor and now US ambasador to the Vatican.
Key idea: unlike the antireligion of the French enlightenment, in the US /England/Scotland it was compatible with religion and allowed religion to thrive along with rational thought.

-------------------
Why do ghosts wear clothing? more HERE.

-------------
Strategypage on the Philippine terrorism news.
Slowly slowly things are getting better.

------------------------------
PGWodehouse is on Librivox....try not to laugh too hard...

They also have the childen's classic Captains Courageous.
-------------------

and HAND FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE has broken out in China.
Actually, it's quite a common illness,--usually seen in summer, where you get sores in the mouth and tiny blisters on the hands and feet--- and usually makes kids miserable rather than dead, but there's been quite a few deaths there, so I wonder if it's a more severe strain of the disease.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

ubuntu update

I finally got the latest Ubuntu update started. Since it was an update, it didn't erase my files (the last time, it partitioned my drive...but kept my downloads intact...this time it merely updated the ubuntu).

Agggh...my "del.icio.us" bookmarks didn't update on my toolbar.

Luckily, there is a beta extention for Firefox 3.0...discussion here

Download it here. Also, since this is prerelease software, please do not submit support requests via the normal channel- we have a Yahoo! Group for discussion of the Firefox 3 Add-on.

Now THAT would be news

Dustbury comments on Barbara Walters latest expose:

It occurs to me that if she'd boinked, oh, let's say, Jesse Helms, that would be news.

Teeshirt of the day

cat photo of the week

Friday, May 02, 2008

Hardy Heron is here

Ubuntu hardy heron is here...

now if I can only keep the connection on long enough to download it in one step...

Last time I ended up using a torrent download CD because our connection is unstable.

Beer and other foamy things


an article about Perkowitz is HERE..

Foamy facts you might not know:

A brief sampling of fun foamy facts gleaned from the chapter on edible foams: (1) No-fat, ice cold milk froths the best. (2) Non-dairy aerosol whipped cream contains polysorbate-60 and xanthan gum, both ingredients found in shaving cream. (3) You get a fluffier meringue if you beat the egg whites in a copper bowl. (4) Beers with smaller "heads" of foam actually taste better than those with more aesthetically pleasing larger heads. (5) Beer and bread are closely related; when beer is brewed, it produces a fermenting agent called "barm" as a froth, which is then skimmed off and used to make raised bread. (6) To retain its effervescence the longest, it is best to drink champagne from tall skinny glasses (and, adds Perkowitz, "as often as possible").



and he has a book about foamy things.LINK

Beer causes global warming

organic beer production emitted 12 percent more gasses than traditional pilsners. (LYT)


sewing machine bug


BlueTeaBlog
has links to mechanical bugs and other modern art.


this one is made from sewing machine parts.

for what it's worth department

While the pundits are hyperventillating about a paranoid minister, something is going on between Syria and Israel...Stratfor summarizes some seemingly unrelated stories HERE...and then notices the two countries might be trying to make nice about Lebanon HERE...and that this delicate negotiation could implode very easily...

Hmm...now the real question is if Jimmy Carter was part of this or just a busybody messing up what others were trying to do quietly...

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Needlework book

the encyclopedia of needlework can now be downloaded or read on line.
all sorts of patterns to knit...the online one has no illustrations but you can download a zip pdf which does.

(headsup NeedlesAndKnots)

The Sneeze

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium.
With their rich maroon gowns flowing .. and the traditional caps, they looked almost . as grown up as they felt.
Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.
This class would NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speech received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened.
All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!

The student on stage.. simply looked at the audience and said, 'GOD BLESS YOU, each and every one of you!' And he walked off stage...

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

..................
This is a true story; it happened at the University of Maryland .
>>
>>your email of the day from TiaMaria

terrorism alert

Israelis expect terrorism on their 60th anniversary May 8


Gizmodo will have film links later, but if you want to know what it's about, try David Letterman...

Headlines below the fold

That heparin contamination might have been a deliberate act...well, duh...
Something that I noted two weeks ago...

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Algaediesel?
whoa, partner, there's diesel in them thair ponds.
(Headsup FREEREPUBLIC)

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Witches stealing men's potency...the press has a field day ridiculing these primitive people, but as the link explains, the basis is an even more sinister practice: Killing for body parts.

When I lived in Liberia, they'd find bodies with parts missing, and everyone knew that someone was building a store, and that the body parts would be placed in the foundations.

Before you point fingers, remember we have equivalent paranoid customs and beliefs, from 9/11 "truthers" to Rev Wright's HIV paranoia, to aborting kids who are inconvenient...

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Growing heart cells from skin. Now the next step: getting them into a live heart and patching the damaged areas.
to grow a new heart, it will take a lot more: they are working with "Scaffolds" to position the cells in the right shape, but what about the electrical cells and the blood vessels?

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Mugabe accepts defeat.

Congratulations President Tsvangarai...