Sunday, March 26, 2006

watch your back

from Discover magazine, January 2006, p. 25 ...

"A reputation for elegance and order in Hamburg, Germany was fractured in April [2005] by an alarming outbreak of exploding toads. Local amphibians swelled up to triple their ordinary size, then burst -- audibly and always at night -- with enough force to propel their parts up to three feet...all the animals had curiously identical incisions in their midsections. Further inspection revealed the cause: Aggressive crows had developed a taste for toads' livers and were plucking them out in lightning-quick strikes. The toads had apparently tried to frighten off the predators by puffing themselves up, and the crow-beak punctures had caused the toads' blood vessels and lungs to rupture...The residents of Hamburg remain on guard. Two years ago, a flock of crows attacked joggers in a city park, pecking at one woman's head as though under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock."

Saturday, March 25, 2006

local crime spree

March 16: A person reported he had been harassed by another but did not want to proceed with prosecution. An officer warned the individual that the harassment needed to stop immediately, and if it continued he would be arrested for the offense. The man stated he understood and officers cleared the area. About an hour later the victim reported having been harassed again. This time the suspect was arrested for harassment and booked into Whatcom County Jail.

March 16: An anonymous caller in the 300 block of Alder Street reported hearing two people arguing in an apartment and things being thrown against a wall. Officer arrived and met with a woman inside the residence who said she and her daughter had been in an argument. During the argument the 17-year-old daughter caused damage to property inside the house. The girl was arrested on charges of domestic violence, malicious mischief and was booked into juvenile detention facility.

March 18: A resident reported loud music was being played in the 9800 block of Parkview. An officer responded and advised the music lover to turn the volume down. The resident complied and the officer cleared without incident.

Friday, March 24, 2006

don't push print



awww ... that's so cutePosted by Picasa

low ceiling

30 years ago, we were somewhere. The problem was, I wasn’t exactly sure where we were, except that our altitude was about 700 feet above the ground and we were skimming the bottom of an innocent-looking, solid cloud cover which could very likely cause our deaths. Since we were miles and miles from civilization and not on anyone’s radar at that altitude, I was doing some serious sweating.

We had taken a little trip in the single-engine plane -- a weekend and couple of days to a remote location. It had been ‘one with nature’ time, away from phones, tv, and people. Recharging the batteries with good food, great sex, and no worries had been the plan and it had been smooth sailing until we met this grey overcast on our way back.

There were worries now. My navigator, Miss Greatest-Sex-I’ve-Ever-Had, was supposed to be keeping track of where we were so we could put down if the ceiling descended any lower, not to mention keeping track of all the metal towers scattered out and about, willy-nilly, hither and yon. And some of those towers were higher than 700 feet.

I hadn’t been too worried until I asked her how much farther we had to go to waypoint ANW. “Hmmm ... actually, I don’t know,” she had casually replied, “I can’t tell where we are.” Great, just great. “But,” she had said, “if we have trouble we can just land in one of these fields down there.” So sayeth Miss Pilot who has zero hours fly-time and no idea of how deadly landing in a plowed field would be. “But I’ll figure out where we are, don’t worry.”

No problem, I won’t worry. There are only tall towers out here, uneven ground with hidden arroyos and creek beds, and a plane that is going to need gas pretty soon. No, I don’t mind not knowing our location and not having alternative landing options.

Sheesh! Why was I worried about dying? My navigator was already dead. Brain-dead, anyhow, and how had that happened? She had said she KNEW how to read a sectional chart. And I knew she wasn’t dumb, but that wasn’t going to make me feel better if I found myself in front of the Pearly Gates.

Okay, okay, I’m not being nice, but it had been a pretty frightening 45 minutes. We finally made it to a small airport where we got gas, had lunch, and took off into sunshine a little later. Really I guess she wasn’t too dumb -- the following year she married me.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

i don't understand

i am a very confused person.

common sense (loosely): n. manners, prudence, good judgment.

do i have any common sense? i don't know. did i ever have any common sense? i wonder. is there any common sense? it's not always obvious.

it used to be that you didn't swear unless you were totally in the company of friends. close friends. now you see swear words online all the time. okay, maybe just in blogs, but still ... they are there. and they don't bother me in the least, i mean, hey, i'm all for swearing. it's just that you never would have seen it 'before'.

and concepts. i see things online, okay, mainly blogs again and places like hedonistica, that i haven't ever even known about let alone talked about with close friends. i mean, sure, i know about the whole 69 concept, menage a trois, etc. but 'fisting'? this is relatively new to me -- sounds interesting, sorta, i think. i mean, i never considered myself a prude.

but what i mean is i see stuff like that online ... okay, yes, on blogs. so ... swear words, new concepts ... and then i get ready to put a blog together about a funny but questionable joke -- a slightly risque joke -- and wonder if i should. hmmm, really? should i even wonder? or should i just lay it out there?

maybe it's not that things have loosened up and i am free to put whatever i want up for everyone to see, as much as it is an age-related thing, huh? am i supposed to not put different stuff on, since i'm approaching my 60's and it wouldn't be proper? if that's true, what about the whole idea of throwing caution to the wind and wearing purple?

i'm just confused.

oopsy

Due to poor eyesight, Lucy thought she bought a yellow scarf ...



gawd ... stuffonmycat can be sooooooo funny! Posted by Picasa

hear ye, hear ye ...

be it hereby known to freonds and familie that march 22 of each year be World Water Day as was decreed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 22 in the Year of Our Lord 1992.

furthermore and wherewithal, the 10-year period commencing 2005 unto and until 2015 in toto was thereby and hitherto declared the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" by the loquacious General Assembly on December 23, 2003.

be it further known that these actions were declared "...to remind everybody that concrete efforts to provide clean drinking water and increase awareness world-wide of the problems and of the solutions, can help make the difference." additional info at http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/water/ a web site of the Dag Hammarskjold Library of the UN.

to wit, World Water Day was established to increase awareness of the sanctity of water, and how to have or have not water impacts the lives of all earth's people -- to cherish, respect, preserve, use, celebrate, cleanse, protect, share, manage, and sustain water is a worthy goal leading toward world health and human continuity.

so sayeth i, the kpy.

Monday, March 20, 2006

we're not in kansas...

our county newspaper, the Whatcom Independent, has an interesting article on page 2 this week (march 16-22): Sex ed changes - Faced with skyrocketing teen pregnancies, abortions and STIs, Planned Parenthood adopts European approach. quoted highlights from the article by Melanie Valm follow.

“...participated in a European Study Tour sponsored by Advocates for Youth...takes participants to France, Germany and the Netherlands to help them understand why the United States has significantly higher rates...than other industrialized nations.”

“In the European cities they visited, the schools, television, billboards, films, internet, pharmacies and health care provider offices provided information and education campaigns that were widespread and consistent. The message wasn’t ‘Don’t have sex until you’re married.’ Instead the information focused on how to have safe sex, respect yourself and your partner and act responsibly.”

“When you give young people rights and respect, they are more responsible...”

“...with a hyper-sexualized culture such as ours, how can we...turn around and tell teens not to have sex?”

“...will help teens to have conscious sex...thinking about the decision to have sex before the moment arises, and not using drugs or alcohol as a crutch...confidant enough in their decision to tell mom and dad.”

“When we talk about rights, respect and responsibility, we are talking about family values.”


i agree, i agree, but it’ll never fly in the midwest.

today is ...

today is World Frog Day! i'm not sure who decides these things, but my online 'calendar information' site says it's true, along with petroleum day in iran and legba zaou day in haiti and voudon -- http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php .

and in keeping with World Frog Day, if you feel the need to have a frog and you don't have one, at
http://www.herparts.com/ there are a large number of froggy items you can purchase, such as a froggy tie, earrings, socks, pencils, stapler, pin, thermometer, book, pot hanger, picture frame, flip book, inro, cookie cutter, and bumper sticker plus many more glorious items!

Happy Froggy Day, everyone!!!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

things and stuff

on march 29 there will be a total solar eclipse, but you won't see it unless you're in the middle east or northern central africa -- you can see the map of the particulars at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2006/TSE2006.html

have you ever wondered what 2 billion degrees kelvin looks like (see below)? not only can we see what it looks like (in plasma form), it has existed right here on little ole' earth -- right in our very own new mexico, just outside (s.e.) of albuquerque, and it has existed many times over the last 14 months! for the article, go to
http://www.sandia.gov/news-center/news-releases/2006/physics-astron/hottest-z-output.html or for a briefer blurb and bigger picture go to http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060313.html .



naturally, i had to figure out how much 2 billion degrees kelvin was in farenheit. none of the three conversion bookmarks i have in my favorites would convert it for me, although one of them at least tried -- it said "degree Fahrenheit (F), kelvin (K): tk = (tF+459.7)/1.8"
( http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/reference/metrics/factors.htm ) since i needed the reverse of that formula, i sat and tried to figure out how to do it, like, did i invert and multiply, then add or subtract, but i got confused so my brain threw up.

then i googled it and came up with this -- "To convert a temperature in Kelvin to Farenheit, use this formula: Temperature in Farenheit = 9x(Temperature in Kelvin - 273)/5 +32." ( http://ganymede.nmsu.edu/tharriso/ast110/class11.html ) oh, okay ... so take 2 billion and subtract 273 ... hmmm, well, we can probably forget the 273 ... then take 2 billion and divide by 5 and take that times 9 and add 32, or do i divide by 5, add 32, then take it times 9. probably divide by 5, forget the 32, and multiply by 9. at any rate, the answer is around 3.6 billion degrees farenheit. pretty hot, huh. and they're not even sure how it happens. hmmm ..... i wonder if that means they should quit doing it?!

my allergies -- are driving me crazy!!!11!1111!
Jeff Woodall -- Sand World

Friday, March 17, 2006

i kid you not...

like i said, reading through other people's blogs can be interesting. and sometimes one of your favorite blogs will reference someone else's blog who will reference someone else's and there you are, hours later, trying to remember what you were doing when you started.

the following list (spelled accurately) is taken from http://www.rahoi.com/2006/03/may-i-take-your-order.php -- i have included some of the entries listed on the menu of a chinese place he went to recently (but didn't include his comments which were great) -- i wonder who had translated the menu for the owners?

Color hot pepper fries the chicken
domestic life beef immerses the cabbage
Fragrant spring onion sauce explodescow son
Fragrant bone in garlic in strange flavor
Big bowl gold mushroom cowboy meat
Big bowl flower immerses pork kidney
Big bowl bow of immerses from fish head
1 article pot : home town
Fried Beef rice W/Scorn and egg
Salty egg king steams the vegetable sponge
Add a peaceful
Saute Small Cattlefish with Ginger GarcicBlack Pepper
French Crips
Man fruit braise the north almond
Cashew Not
Brazil The Carbon Burn A Meat (send the 1 cup red wine)
Carbon burns black bowel (A)
Cowboy leg
Gold silver lotus root silk fries shrimp fucks

Thursday, March 16, 2006

the end of the world

every-once-in-a-while i remember the end of the world. it's at http://simonc.f2o.org/south/ or at least it has been.



this adventurous fellow has been keeping a blog of his time and activities spent (784+ days) at Halley Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf near Coats Land and Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica.



but now his tour is done and he is in the process of heading back home to great britain. it's been fun to read about his life down there and i don't know how long his blog will be available. it's worth checking out, if for no other reason than to see what the end of the world looks like.



top o' the mornin' to ye

the state of Iowa has a good fitness program going: monday through friday you can receive a little blurb from Tim Lane containing a bit of interesting information and a reminder to do some walking. it's a pleasant way to start the day and the reminder to get active is helpful, too.

if you'd like to receive these notices, send a blank email to join-fitnet@lists.ia.gov. today's message includes the following delights:

May the sun shine all day long,
Everything go right and nothing go wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true!
-Irish blessing


May your day be filled with blessings
Like the sun that lights the sky,
And may you always have the courage
To spread your wings and fly!
-Irish blessing


May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
-Irish blessing


May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.
-Irish blessing


tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! wear green or you might get pinched!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

amsterdam: accept it or leave it

i just found out that if you want to go live in the Netherlands, you must buy a $75 prep package that includes a controversial film, a cd, and a picture album of famous dutch people, then you pay $420 to take an entrance test. the film is controversial because it includes gay men kissing, and a topless woman on a beach. if you can't handle this stuff, you can't stay in the country. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11842116/)

a lot of people think the test is stupid or radical, but others support the test saying this is reality and people need to accept it or go elsewhere. the test is part of a movement, that has been building since 2001, to limit immigration. it must be working -- immigration has dropped by 1/3.

maybe we could control our border problem by requiring a film. now let's see, what would the film be about .... hardened criminals going free with paltry fines? white collar criminals, oops, i mean good ole' boys behind closed doors? drugs, real estate gouging, phishing/pharming, maternity belly fashions, piercings fashions, butt crack showings, reader's digest scams, homeless people, fundamentalist lifestyles, republicans, i.d. theft, religious wackoes, welfare fraud, jerry springer, rap music? there's a lot of reality in this country we could put into a film.

think it would scare anybody? hahaha .... naw -- who'd believe it?

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

my bad...

reading through other people's blogs can be interesting, illuminating, humorous, shocking, validating, etc. etc. etc. i know that when you quote another blogger you are supposed to give credit, trackback, or otherwise acknowledge the owner, but the person i got this from is someone i do not know, feel absolutely no connection with, have no desire to alert to my presence, and would never read except this person is an inadvertent friend of a friend and the posts are unavoidable inasmuch as they are displayed in the friend's area.

with all that qualifying out of the way, here is the post that i thought was funny simply because i've been in situations where things heard are not what was said:

"Sam walks by my desk on the way to the bathroom. He pauses and whispers to me, "My butt itches very much." I look up from my work and say, "WHAT did you say??? My butt itches????" I start to giggle and Sam replies, "No I said, my budget just went way up." Oh. I keep laughing about it for a while."

name changed to protect the guilty.

i'm feeling -- there but for the grace of god...
Global Dance Project -- Krishnamurti Groove

kind of like the Apaches

you may have heard of Pop-Up Stopper, a utility for keeping annoying ads from appearing on your screen. i have it and i understand it's from a reputable company. (Panicware -- http://www.panicware.com/ ) i also have microsoft's anti-spyware. i mean, there are a lot of bad guys out there, right?

anyhow, i discovered this nifty little program from Panicware called KeepIt and i installed the Full version. it's free, like Pop-Up Stopper, and is intended to be a suitcase for all your user names and passwords.

like a suitcase, you fill it with stuff and then lock it up -- you can only get in with the correct key. hubby has his passwords written on notes, and i have mine typed into docs. this program keeps them all in one place so you can access them without having to hunt. it is very simple and user-friendly, quick to set up, and a snap to work.

several times during the day i clean out my internet files (on IE go to 'Tools' 'Internet Options...' 'Temporary Internet files' 'Delete Files...' 'Delete all offline content' 'OK' ) , and while i was surfing around this afternoon, i read something that said the Cookies information was not only available to the people who put them there, but to others passing by. sure, i have been going into the system and deleting all cookies except the ones i needed to get on sites without having to redo my name/password. but -- if those precious cookies are providing information to a lot of snoopers ..... well, the hell with that. voila! KeepIt!

so now i am going to routinely delete my files and my cookies! take that, snoopers! er, rather .... you can't have that, snoopers!

Monday, March 13, 2006

computer fix

the laptop's been non-functional for the past two weeks -- its hard drive was making funny sounds. so our computer guru, greg, came up to see what he could do about restoring everything to its former glory.

greg, and his new driving-down-the-highway-with-the-top-down car, came early afternoon and didn't leave until late evening. whoa -- talk about commitment!!!




it was so much fun to hear about his trip to rome and amsterdam. he's a master story-teller on top of mystical guru and he brought the absolutely best bottle of wine which we had with dinner. he says whenever he sees this brand on the market, he buys up all he can get -- it's a small vintner with an excellent product. so the next time you see a bottle of Steele wine from Lolonis Vineyard, grab it. ours was a 1999 Mendocino Chardonnay which was butter yellow and outstandingly 'yummy'. not a connoisseur's word, but mmmmmmm, it was delicious anyhow!

thanks, greg, on all accounts!
Posted by Picasa

bad things happen

over the weekend, there were bad, bad storms in the midwest. at least i call it the midwest 'cause that's the way it was taught when i was growing up.

anyhow, south dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, kansas, indiana, illinois, missouri -- they all had some really crappy weather going on, causing monstrous damage and taking lives. one young man saw his neighbor die -- “The trailer came down right on top of her” -- and i had this confused vision: did a huge 18-wheeler fly down out of the sky? did a travel trailer come shooting down? did a little put-two-chairs-and-a-dresser-on-it trailer come blowing along into her? did a mobile home overturn onto her?

and then another image popped into my mind .... way back in the 60's or early 70's, there was a 'tea dance' at a new building in kansas city. it was a very upscale affair, with big honchos and their wives attending, everyone in beautiful clothes and best manners. there were airy walkways and balustrades two or three stories high, and a big open area if i remember right. anyhow, there were serious shortcomings in the underpinings and all of a sudden, everything started caving in. a lot of people died, but the image i retained is that when the emergency personnel came in and started trying to find people, a concrete column was raised and the woman who had the misfortune to have been under it was raised, too, because her face was embedded in the concrete. what a macabre memory.

well, now...

whew! all done!

that was frustrating but informative. i am now able to put pictures on (except not with my user name).


i am happy about 'adding pictures to posts' although i still don't have all the permutations figured out. and the 'not being able to put my picture with the blog' thing is because this is a family (multiple bloggers) blog. each of us can have our pix with our profile (you can add it, guys, if you want) but we can't have it on the main screen.

and i can't figure out a way to fix the code so that my picture will show up with any comments i make. oh well ... you learn a little bit of this and a little bit of that, then go shooting off in a new direction.

right-o ... wheeeeeee-heeeeeee -- here we gooooooo.........


oh yeah -- i downloaded Picasa 2 (Google's picture-handling software) along with Hello which is 'an instant messaging and sharing pictures at the same time' thing. both are free and in the beta stage. well, no wait ... i don't think Picasa http://picasa.google.com/ is beta, but Hello http://www.hello.com/ is version 1. Both seem to be pretty easy to use (unless you are 58) and will undoubtedly be used a lot by me. be nice.

Testing... Posted by Picasa

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Sunday, March 12, 2006

Free Range Human: Welcome!

the husband has finally told 'spaces' to get lost -- too much fumbling and bumbling and waaaaiting. so join with me in welcoming him to Google's blog arena.

check out his future posts at Free Range Human.

Welcome, honey ... and yay!!!

Saturday, March 11, 2006

yoo hoo, kansas ...

i just ran across this item dated 3/4/06 ...









*snerk, snerk* is Wiley great or what?

Friday, March 10, 2006

movin' to the groove

oh man -- Slusnik Luna is on and i just can't keep still when they're playing. Sun (Kossin Mix) makes my heart happy!!! (from The Chillout Session Ibiza 2002)

followed by William Orbit with Surfin' (Hello Waveforms)

way to go FrostByte Groove Lounge -- you're right on the money!!!!! http://overxposure.fm/

did you know this?

last tuesday i noted certain political entities think that having middle easterners in charge of six u.s. ports is a fine idea.

today i ran across this bit of information: great britain provides the security for a number of u.s. 'sensitive' areas. wh... what? here's what i read:

"In a residential area of Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security is fenced, gated and patrolled by armed guards.

The guards are employed by Wackenhut Services, a British company that provides security for many sensitive American sites, including many of the nation's nuclear power plants.

But the Homeland Security headquarters is anything but secure, according to more than a dozen former and current Wackenhut employees who signed statements citing everything from unmanned guard stations to inadequate training." quote from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11748408/

hmmm ... if we are the land of the bravest, the best, and the brightest, why do we keep doing dumb things? wouldn't you think we would be able to handle our own security? i can only imagine it's a money thing. and yes, i agree it is valid to consider costs vs benefits vs danger vs whatever. but security? of nuclear power plants? and yes, i agree that britain is our friend. but nothing is forever. let's just handle it ourselves, shall we?!

my feeling -- who's in charge here?!
16B -- Inbetween Your Choice

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

stone-age habits: no pins

we're one of those odd couples who have not opted to do the debit card thing. it's not that we don't trust new-fangled ways, it's that we tried to do a debit card twice and both times something got very screwed up so we said, "hey -- this isn't what the universe wants us to do!"

now i've run across an article which says Debit card thieves get around PIN obstacle -- all you hep cats who do the debit thing are prime for getting your bread ripped off, daddy-o. so put on your peepers, cool it, and read, then you'll be in orbit.

"...In recent weeks, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual and Citibank have all reissued debit cards after detecting fraudulent activity...many merchants incorrectly store PIN information they should be destroying...Consumers might be surprised to learn that their PIN numbers are stored by merchants they shop at, and can be stolen from merchants by hackers. While storing PINs is against network rules, many retailers inadvertently store the information..."

"...consumers concerned about the scam should avoid PIN-based retail transactions, and chose instead to make signature-based, credit-card-style transactions..."

"Debit card theft can be far more severe than credit card...different consumer protections apply. Account holders are liable for only up to $50 of credit card fraud — but consumers can be liable for the entire balance of their bank account after debit card fraud...money is instantly missing...can lead to bounced checks..." (information from
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11731365/)

this gig's bad news -- maybe you should think about splitsville!

i'm feeling --
cool, man, real cool ...
Beatlab:Digital -- Turning Point (featuring Piri)

the laugh's on us

a couple of great old-people jokes came across my desk today ... enjoy!

There were two elderly people living in Trailer Estates, a Florida mobile home park. He was a widower and she a widow. They had known one another for a number of years. One evening there was a community supper in the big activity center. The two were at the same table, across from one another. As the meal went on, he made a few admiring glances at her and finally gathered his courage to ask her, "Will you marry me?" After about six seconds of careful consideration she answered, "Yes. Yes, I will." The meal ended and, with a few more pleasant exchanges, they went to their respective places.

Next morning, he was troubled. "Did she say 'yes' or did she say 'no'?" He couldn't remember. Try as he would, he just could not recall. Not even a faint memory. With trepidation, he went to the telephone and called her. First, he explained that he didn't remember as well as he used to. Then he reviewed the lovely evening past. As he gained a little more courage, he inquired, "When I asked if you would marry me, did you say 'Yes' or did you say 'No'?" He was delighted to hear her say, "Why, I said, 'Yes, yes I will' and I meant it with all my heart." Then she continued, "I am so glad that you called, because I couldn't remember who had asked me."

Three old guys are out walking along Canal Way Drive. First one says, "Windy, isn't it?" Second one says, "No, its Thursday!" Third one says, "So am I. Let's go get a beer."

A man was telling his neighbor at bingo last Wednesday, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect." "Really," answered the neighbor. "What kind is it?" "Twelve thirty."

Morris, an 82 year-old, went to his doctor for his yearly physical. A few days later the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm. A couple of days after that the doctor saw Morris again and commented, "You're really doing great, aren't you?" Morris piped up, "Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.'" The doctor replied, "I didn't say that -- I said, 'You've got a heart murmur. Be careful.'"

what? what do you mean, who should you hire? i said, enjoy ...

sheesh!

south dakota's new logo ...

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

oh good grief ...

i could swear that i learned in high school (early-60's) that foreign entities could not own property in the united states. obviously i either remember incorrectly or the rise of mba's (read mega-greed) created a change which allows others outside the u.s. to own property here. i have no kind feelings about foreigners owning property anywhere in this country.

now i read that a Dubai (part of the United Arab Emirates) -owned company (Dubai Ports World) is slated to take over operations at six u.s. ports with bush's full approval, unless congress steps up and halts the process. not only does bush approve, but if congress tries to pass a law to keep this takeover from happening, bush has said he'll veto the law.

"Bush has said security concerns were unwarranted. He said security at the ports would remain in U.S. control, and that Dubai, a member of the United Arab Emirates, has been a strong ally in his war against terrorism." (quote taken from
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11715006/from/RL.1/ ) When it comes to the mercurial nature of many nations, especially the Middle East, our allies of today can be our enemies of tomorrow. how incredibly stupid can president bush be?! wait, i already know the answer to that.

pardon me while i display my getto i.q. and panic-crazed mob mentality by stating that if they allow this to happen, this country will be one step closer to 'creeping foreign take-over' or 'massive and fatal dependence on others'.

*sigh* i just can't stand it.

my feeling --
depressed

very black

we saw an extremely strange flick today -- Sin City. i guess i could say i loved it. not the gross violence, but the weirdness of the concept. the way it was part animation and part real actors. part black-and-white and part brilliant splashes of color. the way it was dark ... like, film noir is to white as Sin City is to black. hey man, it's just waaaaay darker than black.

i enjoyed mickey rourke the best -- i don't think i've ever seen him in anything that i liked, so this was a great surprise. bruce was great as always and clive owen's american english was another surprise. del toro has a fabulous voice, and jaime king was beautifully excellent.

the first Star Wars was different, Memento was different, Hellboy was different, and Sin City is different. if you aren't into different, don't bother.

i'm feeling --
different
-- Honeyroot -- Summer Sky

moral issues

i noticed an article yesterday about advances in diagnosing alzheimer's. the dilemma that doctors are finding themselves struggling with is this: should we tell the patients they are going to get alzheimer's or not? tell them or not?! it seems to me the real dilemma is figuring out a way to help people with alzheimer's gently end their lives.

if someone tells me i have an early diagnosis of alzheimer's, i am going to want to understand, as accurately as i can, how much longer i will still have a good grasp of reality. and then i want to throw a party and say good-bye to people. then i want my family to gather around and say good-bye while i take the 'transition' pill. no pain, no suffering, no huge expenses, no autopsy. i DO NOT want to go through everything my dad has gone through. and that includes the part before he was moved to the assisted living facility.

i don't know if a person who knows they have alzheimer's can tell that their reality has changed. if i have that diagnosis, will i realize i can't remember stuff? will i realize i'm confused and making poor choices? will i remember i want to end my life rather than muddle on 'til i succumb naturally?

just so we all have the same understanding here, loved ones of mine, i do not want to live with alzheimer's in an assisted living unit. i want to say good-bye when i still know who everyone is. if there isn't a legal way to do that, we have to figure out how to do it the easiest, most painless way possible, and without getting anyone in trouble.

sure, oregon has a legal way for people to end their lives, but that is only if they have been certified to have 6 months left to live and have been examined by two different doctors.

the netherlands, belgium, and switzerland all allow ending of one's life, legally (without regard to condition or expectancy, as i understand), and they are not evil nations. we ought to be able to have that right as well.

i wonder if the baby boomers still have the same stuff they were made of back in the 60's -- they were changing the u.s. back then, are they going to be able to effect changes about a person's right-to-die now?

i'm feeling --
concerned
-- Deep Dive Corp -- Walker

make this a habit

i really like listening to OverXposure.FM whenever i'm on the computer -- there are NO commercials and the listening is slow jazz, sexy, easy-on-the-nerves vibes. i don't know how in the world this guy can afford to do this dedicated work -- buying all the cd's, putting everything online -- but he pays for everything and only asks for contributions with a dignified note on his web site. (Worf would definitely like this guy -- he has honor therefore is definitely a Klingon!)

i've contributed a couple of times (being retired slaps limits on things) and if i won the lottery, i would give tim quigley a lot of it. his music makes my day, soothes my soul, and helps me have 'happy feet' whenever i'm on the computer or nearby. i encourage you to check him out and enjoy yourself!
http://overxposure.fm/ or, as it's affectionately known to us regulars, FrostByte Groove Lounge.

i'm feeling --
in love with FrostByte Groove Lounge
-- Max Melvin -- Sometimes