FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Friday, March 08, 2013
Stuff below the fold (Friday edition)
Heh. Tagle made Drudge, with photo and this link.
He must be causing a buzz because Reuters already had a local "photographer" write a hit piece about the church falling apart here. The reporter repeats the meme of "abuse", but hey, many of the families running the place are descended from Spanish priests, most politicians and businessmen have "second wives", sleep with the help, and Nolo me Tagere is taught in all the schools.
As for the church falling apart: It's not true, of course: but the middle class is embracing a rule oriented/pentecostal type evangelical religion, that approves of making money; but this isn't from a problem in the church per se, because it's also happening in atheistic/Buddhist China...
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Beware of barefoot shoes: You might end up with broken foot bones.
uh: shoes go back 30 000 years (at least) for a reason, and I doubt 40 year old Cro Magnon men were running on concrete every day.
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Want to know about the Second Amendment? University of Oklahoma has a course on the Constitution, (started by the late professor J. Rufus Fears, and now continued by his collegues). They are now up to the reason for the second amendment.
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So what can you do if you live where you aren't allowed to own a personal handgun for protection?
KNIT
------------------------------------------------------Hundreds of pom-poms and knitted items have been strung from trees and lampposts to help reduce the fear of crime in an area of Leicester.Leicestershire Police hope the "guerilla knitting" or "yarn bombing" will encourage more people to use Bede Park and Great Central Way.
Some of the park's users told BBC Radio Leicester the items - including tree warmers - do not make them feel safer.
Asking the really important question of the day:
Did Tarantino steal the plot of Django from...Blazing Saddles?
-----------------------------
Bookmarked for later reading: What Fracking means for SouthEast Asia.
(headsup Instapundit)
--------------------
Facebook now allows you to get your news feed there.
the bad news: It's about Ads...super ads...
My question is if it lets them monitor your choice of stories, so that reading a wrong story leads to a "headsup" to some secret government office.
It's bad enough with Youtube "advising" me about what films I'd like to see...meaning they are keeping an eye on what I watch. So there is a computer somewhere that knows I am watching subversive films such as Blazing Saddles or Monte Python, or romances from the Hallmark channel?
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An idea whose time has come: A 3D printable dress.
Duann Scott of Shapeways told Wired:
This would be a great idea for those of us who have different sized tops and bottoms or are short waisted/long waisted. Few women's shops will alter your clothes, unlike shops that sell men's suits.Once we have the machines better suited to doing clothing, we can do custom fits. It's very very possible to go into a change room, get a 3-D scan, and get a garment printed exactly to your fit. Traditionally, all garments are either a weave or a stitch. And with 3-D printing, we can … introduce something completely different. So we can grow designs rather than just using something that's centuries-old technology. It's a whole way to move forward in fashion and clothing and textiles.
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The "What Could go wrong" article of the day:
Russian scientists have claimed the discovery of a new type of bacterial life in water from a buried Antarctic lake.---------------------------------
Canada's space mission: Monitor garbage (with the help of an Indian rocket).
Includes this factoid:
---------------------------------------
There are many such debris swarms up there that have to be watched and avoided. These debris swarms are usually the result of accidents.
Father Z reminds you that traditionally, during the end of Lent, the bells that ring during mass are replaced by a rachett (A "crotalus") or a wooden hammar that makes a clicking noise...
and yes, you can buy one at Amazon...on sale for less than $9...
----------------------------------
Feeling down? the happy story of the day:
On Tuesday the implant was switched on, marking the end of a two adoption process for Jayde after she spent the first four-years of her life in a Chinese orphanage after being abandoned in a town square at the age of eight-months.
The joy on Jayde Scholl's face is clear to see
as she comes to terms with being able to hear for the first time after
her cochlear implant was switched on this Tuesday
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Stuff below the fold
My relatives in Philly are in the "anti bullying" mode after a local schoolboy died after beaten by thugs.
My comment? Maybe if the locals had paid more attention to the terrible bullying incidents against Asians in nearby South Philly High a couple years ago, and instituted a No violence" policy, that the attacker might not have felt free in punching another kid out in the school yard.
full rant at BNN..
My comment? Maybe if the locals had paid more attention to the terrible bullying incidents against Asians in nearby South Philly High a couple years ago, and instituted a No violence" policy, that the attacker might not have felt free in punching another kid out in the school yard.
full rant at BNN..
Asking the really important questions of the day
why do Dwaves hate Elves?
TORN links to Michael Martinez' answer...but his site is down so it looks like a lot of geeks crashed the link.
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ThorinOakenshieldBlog links to a website with high resolution captures of the hobbit.
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If the boy in the Life of Pi hadn't faked you out with his romantic story of a tiger, what really happened would probably have resembled the Essex...
the writer in the Smithsonian mentions the "harrowing fate of two teenaged boys" which is a euphemism that the much older Captain arranged for them to be killed and eaten (chosen by "lot") instead of volunteering for the fate himself, which is what a good man would have done.
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TORN links to Michael Martinez' answer...but his site is down so it looks like a lot of geeks crashed the link.
-------------------------------
ThorinOakenshieldBlog links to a website with high resolution captures of the hobbit.
-----------------------------------------
If the boy in the Life of Pi hadn't faked you out with his romantic story of a tiger, what really happened would probably have resembled the Essex...
the writer in the Smithsonian mentions the "harrowing fate of two teenaged boys" which is a euphemism that the much older Captain arranged for them to be killed and eaten (chosen by "lot") instead of volunteering for the fate himself, which is what a good man would have done.
----------------------------
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Rejoice!
Despite all the headlines of deep cuts in the budget that will bring a financial armageddon, you should be happy to know:
of course, this is how squirrels actually communicate with snakes:
They tell the snakes is that they belong to the NRA:
.jpg)
photosource
As budget axes begin to fall, lines grow at airports and federal employees prepare for furlough days, one taxpayer-funded project has emerged unscathed: the robosquirrel, a $325,000 experimental biorobotic animal, which will continue to receive its funding from the National Science Foundation as scheduled.headsup DaveBarry. this is very important information on how squirrels protect their babies against rattlesnakes:
of course, this is how squirrels actually communicate with snakes:
They tell the snakes is that they belong to the NRA:
.jpg)
photosource
Timbuktu
The headlines proclaimed that the ancient books in Timbuktu's libraries were burned by "islamic" terrorists, but like the "Baghdad" museum kerfuffle, it turns out that locals actually rescued most of the artifacts/books before they could be destroyed...The Australian tells the story of how the books were saved ( with a litltle help of German diplomats)...
headsup Archology.
This BBC program discusses the libraries.
headsup Archology.
This BBC program discusses the libraries.
Family news
Joy and Ruby left for Manila at 3 AM: Ruby for a school function (She homeschools but her classes are monitored by a private school in Manila) and Joy for getting supplies and delivering a rice order to clients.
Chano's infection is getting better, but it still hurts so he is staying home.
Lolo and I are doing okay.
"Tag Init" (the hot season/summer before the monsoon starts) is almost here, so some days we end up staying indoors all afternoon. Last year I fixed up the spare bedroom and we got it's airconditioner fixed so we don't have to sit in our bedroom all day.
My main annoyance is that increased "security" is making it hard for me. I have been told to send checks for my CME audios, and to send in a letter with my CME credits, because the computer systems won't let me log them on line.
And my bank log in crashed again: Don't know if I typed wrong or if the connection was reset or what.
Sigh.
Chano's infection is getting better, but it still hurts so he is staying home.
Lolo and I are doing okay.
"Tag Init" (the hot season/summer before the monsoon starts) is almost here, so some days we end up staying indoors all afternoon. Last year I fixed up the spare bedroom and we got it's airconditioner fixed so we don't have to sit in our bedroom all day.
My main annoyance is that increased "security" is making it hard for me. I have been told to send checks for my CME audios, and to send in a letter with my CME credits, because the computer systems won't let me log them on line.
And my bank log in crashed again: Don't know if I typed wrong or if the connection was reset or what.
Sigh.
Poetry Corner
DarkSpeechBlog has a series of essays imagining the lyrics to the beloved folk song "The Hokey Pokey", as if the lyrics rewritten by famous poets.
here is one example:For Non Yanks, they refer to this song, and folk dance, danced to at summer camp and at old fashioned weddings:
Dylan Thomas:
Now as I was young and silly among the rustic dancers
About the country farm and happy as the wheat was high,
The moon above the meadow milky,
Time let me shake it all about
Golden in the Sundays of his gaze
And honored among haystacks I was lord of the hokey-pokey
And once upon a twist and turn I boldly had the trodden grass
Bend with the lyric breezes
Down the paces of the quaint and curious motion.
Stories below the fold
Freakonomics says the stock market is at a new high, but no one wants to talk about it.
Maybe because most of us think it's a bubble that's going to explode.
----------------------------
StrategyPage has a podcast on Syria's end game, and if you check their main site, several articles on the Middle East's Shia/Sunni fight.
-------------------
Hmm...FARC still is killing folks by using landmines because they didn't sign the "anti land mine" treaty. And it's not just FARC:
---------------------------------
Afraid of robots? give them dimples.
-----------------------------------------
the 911 planes were hijacked, not with guns but with boxcutters.
So the TSA just decided "small knives" are okay to bring aboard.
but it's still unclear if I can bring my knitting needles on board.
---------------------------
Giant Camels once lived in northern Canada.
--------------------------
for Full Figured gals:
Everything you wanted to know about bras but were afraid to ask.
(headsup Davebarry)
------------------------------------
Jeb Bush immigration compromise: Let kids without papers become citizens, but let the parents be ineligible for citizenship unless the immigrate legally.
Sounds good to me. What people forget is that many of us don't want to throw out those entering the US without papers to get jobs, we do resent giving a free pass to those who don't follow the rules, when those of us who obey the rules are punished for doing so.
My son from Colombia lost his green card because he overstayed a visit to his native country (technically, you have to live one day each year in the US to keep your green card), and now the powers that be won't even give him a visitor visa, even though he has family in the US and owns a business in Colombia.
for some reason, my Filipino relatives have found getting a visa easier...
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Cross cultural advice: How to screen your daughter's boyfriends to see if they "are from a good family"...
Marty McFly take note....
-------------------------
Cats1 Scribe zero: 1420 AD.
-------------------------------
Maybe because most of us think it's a bubble that's going to explode.
----------------------------
StrategyPage has a podcast on Syria's end game, and if you check their main site, several articles on the Middle East's Shia/Sunni fight.
-------------------
Hmm...FARC still is killing folks by using landmines because they didn't sign the "anti land mine" treaty. And it's not just FARC:
---------------------------------
Afraid of robots? give them dimples.
-----------------------------------------
the 911 planes were hijacked, not with guns but with boxcutters.
So the TSA just decided "small knives" are okay to bring aboard.
Also under the new policy, billiard cues, ski poles, and lacrosse and hockey sticks will be allowed in aeroplane cabins in carry-on luggage.
but it's still unclear if I can bring my knitting needles on board.
---------------------------
Giant Camels once lived in northern Canada.
--------------------------
for Full Figured gals:
Everything you wanted to know about bras but were afraid to ask.
(headsup Davebarry)
------------------------------------
Jeb Bush immigration compromise: Let kids without papers become citizens, but let the parents be ineligible for citizenship unless the immigrate legally.
Sounds good to me. What people forget is that many of us don't want to throw out those entering the US without papers to get jobs, we do resent giving a free pass to those who don't follow the rules, when those of us who obey the rules are punished for doing so.
My son from Colombia lost his green card because he overstayed a visit to his native country (technically, you have to live one day each year in the US to keep your green card), and now the powers that be won't even give him a visitor visa, even though he has family in the US and owns a business in Colombia.
for some reason, my Filipino relatives have found getting a visa easier...
-------------------------------------
Cross cultural advice: How to screen your daughter's boyfriends to see if they "are from a good family"...
Marty McFly take note....
-------------------------
Cats1 Scribe zero: 1420 AD.
-------------------------------
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Another sign that the End of the world is nigh
Honey Boo boo is selling Girl Scout Cookies.
so now she's selling them in person (photos at link) but she's still not a girl scout (?!)
The trouble starting getting cooked up when Honey Boo Boo started selling the snacks on her Face book page for a friend.
After receiving more than 450 requests for the delicious snacks, the page posted a photo showing the cookies in their boxes and then another as they were about to be shipped.
But the girl scouts association soon put a stop to the youngster's entrepreneurial ways.
According to TMZ, a rep for GSUSA in Georgia said they contacted Honey Boo Boo's site administrator and explained that selling the cookies online was not allowed.
so now she's selling them in person (photos at link) but she's still not a girl scout (?!)
News you can use
If you want to eat Trigger, what parts taste the best?
actually, horses were originally hunted for their meat, or herded for milk, meat and hides, and only later domesticated for travel.
and now Saudi archeologists are finding clues saying horses were domesticated 3000 years earlier than was believed:
actually, horses were originally hunted for their meat, or herded for milk, meat and hides, and only later domesticated for travel.
and now Saudi archeologists are finding clues saying horses were domesticated 3000 years earlier than was believed:
Saudi officials say archaeologists have begun excavating a site that suggests horses were domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula.The vice-president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities said the discovery at al-Maqar challenged the theory it first took place 5,500 years ago in Central Asia...
Wikipedia article here.
The first undisputed evidence for their domestication dates back to 2,000 BC, when horses were buried with chariots. By 1,000 BC, domestication had spread through Europe, Asia and North Africa.
Conspiracy stories below the fold
Headline of the day:
Jailed Schoolboy takes IT class, hacks prison computer.
quick: hire him to stop China's army of hackers.
---------------------------------------------
For some reason a local man who thinks he is the Sultan of something or other (or maybe two other men are the Sultan) has invaded Malaysia and is getting his "followers" killed. PNoy wonders who is behind this "spontaneous" invasion (place conpsiracy here)
but Santiago says: It's about only about money.
but it has resulted in a mini cyberwar between Pinoy and Malaysian hackers.
quick: Hire them to stop China's army of hackers.
--------------------------------------------------------
Now we are being told Facebook is "leaking" our cellphone numbers.
Already I suspect Lolo is getting emails from some Democratic party organization because they accessed our facebook account, which uses his email.
So it's not just China who ishacking obtaining email addresses from someone.
They keep telling us to change our passwords to something more difficult to remember, so we can't be hacked, but then hackers get into THEIR computers and steal the information, or maybe they are selling the information without asking us.
I had to change my twitter password once, and my yahoo mail password twice after finding those places had been "hacked" and I was sending junk emails to my mailing list.
And yet every time I log into yahoo or gmail, they want my cellphone number "to notify me" in case of problems. Uh, but if the problem is a hack, won't the hackers get the cellphone number?
--------------------------------------
The latest Vatican Conspiracy theory is that the latest report on the infiltration of the Vatican by X...(Fill in the blanks: the latest conspiracy theory is gay cliques, but you could also put the Masons or communists or the Mafia or the evil NWO into the blank).
The theory is that, since when the Pope resigns, everyone in the Vatican has to put in his resignation (similar to the changing of the guard at the exective branch when the US changes presidents), the theory goes he resigned because it is easier just not to rehire them than to try to fire them one by one.
Presumably Dan Brown is working on a book about the problem right now.
Most Catholics (but not the media) know that Ratzinger was called the German Shepherd and hated deeply because he was the hit man in cleaning up the Vatican bureaucracy and the bishops who were heretics or ignored moral problems in their clergy, despite a lot of opposition from the bishops and even the laity who "loved" these "popular" priests:
Tea At Trianon links to an essay about it, and Cardinal Arinze's video here.
Leon Poodle has a lot of information here.
and then there is the Father Kunz scandal...and don't forget the various Malichy Martin conspiracy theories on Coast to Coast am...
My take? well, if you think this is bad, watch the Borgias.
But for every "bad" priest and bishop, there are probably 80 good ones, and a couple saints. So do I judge the church because of a news story about a bad priest, or do I remember the heroic priests who I actually knew who were martyred for defending human rights?
This film is about El Salvador, not where I worked in Africa, but it could be a dozen other countries, including the Philippines. I can't watch it because it brings back bad memories....
---------------------------------------
Jailed Schoolboy takes IT class, hacks prison computer.
quick: hire him to stop China's army of hackers.
---------------------------------------------
For some reason a local man who thinks he is the Sultan of something or other (or maybe two other men are the Sultan) has invaded Malaysia and is getting his "followers" killed. PNoy wonders who is behind this "spontaneous" invasion (place conpsiracy here)
but Santiago says: It's about only about money.
but it has resulted in a mini cyberwar between Pinoy and Malaysian hackers.
quick: Hire them to stop China's army of hackers.
--------------------------------------------------------
Now we are being told Facebook is "leaking" our cellphone numbers.
Already I suspect Lolo is getting emails from some Democratic party organization because they accessed our facebook account, which uses his email.
So it's not just China who is
They keep telling us to change our passwords to something more difficult to remember, so we can't be hacked, but then hackers get into THEIR computers and steal the information, or maybe they are selling the information without asking us.
I had to change my twitter password once, and my yahoo mail password twice after finding those places had been "hacked" and I was sending junk emails to my mailing list.
And yet every time I log into yahoo or gmail, they want my cellphone number "to notify me" in case of problems. Uh, but if the problem is a hack, won't the hackers get the cellphone number?
--------------------------------------
The latest Vatican Conspiracy theory is that the latest report on the infiltration of the Vatican by X...(Fill in the blanks: the latest conspiracy theory is gay cliques, but you could also put the Masons or communists or the Mafia or the evil NWO into the blank).
The theory is that, since when the Pope resigns, everyone in the Vatican has to put in his resignation (similar to the changing of the guard at the exective branch when the US changes presidents), the theory goes he resigned because it is easier just not to rehire them than to try to fire them one by one.
Presumably Dan Brown is working on a book about the problem right now.
Most Catholics (but not the media) know that Ratzinger was called the German Shepherd and hated deeply because he was the hit man in cleaning up the Vatican bureaucracy and the bishops who were heretics or ignored moral problems in their clergy, despite a lot of opposition from the bishops and even the laity who "loved" these "popular" priests:
Tea At Trianon links to an essay about it, and Cardinal Arinze's video here.
Leon Poodle has a lot of information here.
and then there is the Father Kunz scandal...and don't forget the various Malichy Martin conspiracy theories on Coast to Coast am...
My take? well, if you think this is bad, watch the Borgias.
But for every "bad" priest and bishop, there are probably 80 good ones, and a couple saints. So do I judge the church because of a news story about a bad priest, or do I remember the heroic priests who I actually knew who were martyred for defending human rights?
This film is about El Salvador, not where I worked in Africa, but it could be a dozen other countries, including the Philippines. I can't watch it because it brings back bad memories....
---------------------------------------
Monday, March 04, 2013
Stuff below the fold
Sherlock post of the day:
Studies in the literature of Sherlock Holmes.
a satire by Ronald Knox, who "analyzed" Sherlock in the way that Biblical scholars "analyze" the bible....audio HERE.
--------------------------------------
Sherlock post of the day take two:
Giant mutant rats have invaded Tehran.
So are they real? Are they mutants? or is this Coast to Coast territory?
This Israeli discussion board says they will blame the Mossad no matter what, but one comment also notes that Iran fought the same problem back in 1987.
Wikipedia has a list of giant rats here.and yes, they includ a Sherlock Holmes mention of giant rats:
------------------------------------
Taiwan has HelloKitty suites in their hotels, but IncredibleThings reports China has a Panda themed hotel for your sleeping pleasure.
Taiwan also has a HelloKitty themed maternity hospital.
-------------------
Of course, Taiwan also has a HelloKitty airplane.
Imagine spending twelve hour flight with HelloKitty pillows and headrest covers, and you may need a hello kitty barf bag.
oh well, it could be worse: You could be looking at Bombur on your barf bag:
no, I didn't spot any Bombur themed barf bags, but they do have Hobbit footsies to keep your feet warm on the long flights.
---------------------
Blame Radagast:
Bunnies destroyed the Neanderthals.
--------------------------------------
And DaveBarry links to the "there'll always be an England" story of the day:
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4817741/Man-plans-to-drag-giant-boobs-across-Antarctica.html#ixzz2MWslJ34X
since this is a family rated blog, I enclose this photo from the Huff post, which shows the sled wearing a bra:
Studies in the literature of Sherlock Holmes.
a satire by Ronald Knox, who "analyzed" Sherlock in the way that Biblical scholars "analyze" the bible....audio HERE.
--------------------------------------
Sherlock post of the day take two:
Giant mutant rats have invaded Tehran.
So are they real? Are they mutants? or is this Coast to Coast territory?
This Israeli discussion board says they will blame the Mossad no matter what, but one comment also notes that Iran fought the same problem back in 1987.
Wikipedia has a list of giant rats here.and yes, they includ a Sherlock Holmes mention of giant rats:
Perhaps the best known giant rat in fiction comes from the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who in The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire has Sherlock Holmes declare, as an aside, to Dr. Watson:
Quite how the ship, the mammal, and the Indonesian island are associated is not specified. There are a number of species of large rats on Sumatra, with one, Sundamys infraluteus, actually being referred to as the "giant rat of Sumatra". Rats commonly colonise ships, and so there is an obvious line of speculation.
- Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson, ... It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.
------------------------------------
Taiwan has HelloKitty suites in their hotels, but IncredibleThings reports China has a Panda themed hotel for your sleeping pleasure.
Taiwan also has a HelloKitty themed maternity hospital.
-------------------
Of course, Taiwan also has a HelloKitty airplane.
Imagine spending twelve hour flight with HelloKitty pillows and headrest covers, and you may need a hello kitty barf bag.
oh well, it could be worse: You could be looking at Bombur on your barf bag:
no, I didn't spot any Bombur themed barf bags, but they do have Hobbit footsies to keep your feet warm on the long flights.
---------------------
Blame Radagast:
Bunnies destroyed the Neanderthals.
(headsup DaveBarry)
Now, John Fa of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Trinity, Jersey, says Neanderthals eventually bit the dust because they were unable to adapt their hunting to small animals like rabbits.
--------------------------------------
And DaveBarry links to the "there'll always be an England" story of the day:
ADVENTURER Geoff Wilson is preparing to cross Antarctica pulling a sled moulded into the shape of his wife's breasts.
The Australian hopes to raise £650,000 for a breast cancer charity and break the world record for the fastest solo crossing of the frozen continent - currently set at 64 days
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4817741/Man-plans-to-drag-giant-boobs-across-Antarctica.html#ixzz2MWslJ34X
since this is a family rated blog, I enclose this photo from the Huff post, which shows the sled wearing a bra:
Stories below the fold (rant)
StrategyPage article on the Arab world points out the "invisible people" are the ones actually running the place.
Most of the smaller countries allow them to practice their religion as long as they don't cause a nusense, but Saudi makes you throw your bibles and rosaries away on entering the country, and can deport you if you attend church services (usually they don't, but they can).
The bad news is that now the Islamicists in Libya are arresting "christians" for "proselytizing": meaning ordinarly migrant workers are being arrested for having a Bible.
Don't hold your breath about this being publicized. If the US had forcibly intervened after Benghazi, there would have been a "headsup" that Uncle Sam is watching. The coverup however sent a message (similar to the message sent by the Blackhawk Down incident) that no one will stop the bad guys from taking over.
Sigh.
And when Drudge reports Ann Romney blames the press, maybe you should remember how Candy Crowley stopped Romney from bringing up this issue in the debates....
If you read the entire article at StrategyPage, you will note that this discusses the problems of Arab culture: The Iranians are not Arab, and closer to the west in culture. So even without the bomb, the Iranians are probably a better bet than the Saudis for taking over the place.
Which is why the fight in Syria is a proxy fight between the Saudi backed Sunni Arabs and the Shiite/Druze/Christians. The Russians are backing Iran, because of ties with the Orthodox Christians in Syria, whose rights were protected under Assad, but will disappear in a Saudi inspired Muslim state.
The Turks are in the middle.
If Obama encouraged fracking, the US could tell the Saudis to go to hell, but he would lose the adoration and money from the greens.
But none of this has anything to do with us in the Philippines, except that our workers are coming home from Syria, meaning things are getting pretty bad there...
Thus 90 percent of employed Saudis work for the government. In the non-government sector of the economy, 90 percent of the jobs are performed by foreigners. These foreigners comprise 27 percent of the Saudi population, mostly to staff all the non-government jobs and actually make the economy work.and that doesn't include the maids. A million Pinoys work in the Middle East: Remember that when you read about the "Christian exodus": they are driving out local Christians (many reports of this being done in Iraq, Syria, and Egypt) but the "temporary" migrants are never seen and counted. About a third of these overseas workers are Christians.
Most of the smaller countries allow them to practice their religion as long as they don't cause a nusense, but Saudi makes you throw your bibles and rosaries away on entering the country, and can deport you if you attend church services (usually they don't, but they can).
The bad news is that now the Islamicists in Libya are arresting "christians" for "proselytizing": meaning ordinarly migrant workers are being arrested for having a Bible.
Don't hold your breath about this being publicized. If the US had forcibly intervened after Benghazi, there would have been a "headsup" that Uncle Sam is watching. The coverup however sent a message (similar to the message sent by the Blackhawk Down incident) that no one will stop the bad guys from taking over.
Sigh.
And when Drudge reports Ann Romney blames the press, maybe you should remember how Candy Crowley stopped Romney from bringing up this issue in the debates....
If you read the entire article at StrategyPage, you will note that this discusses the problems of Arab culture: The Iranians are not Arab, and closer to the west in culture. So even without the bomb, the Iranians are probably a better bet than the Saudis for taking over the place.
Which is why the fight in Syria is a proxy fight between the Saudi backed Sunni Arabs and the Shiite/Druze/Christians. The Russians are backing Iran, because of ties with the Orthodox Christians in Syria, whose rights were protected under Assad, but will disappear in a Saudi inspired Muslim state.
The Turks are in the middle.
If Obama encouraged fracking, the US could tell the Saudis to go to hell, but he would lose the adoration and money from the greens.
But none of this has anything to do with us in the Philippines, except that our workers are coming home from Syria, meaning things are getting pretty bad there...
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Stories around the net
When the gentle Anchoress refuses to be a dupe, maybe the press has a bias problem. She explains why....
and even the Lutherans are mocking the press:
transcript of the video HERE.
Source:Ubipetrus.
---------------------------------------------------
Sign of the Apocalypse? The waters are turning to blood.
Apparently a drought in Texas has resulted in dead fish and the overgrowth of a sulfur loving red bacteria.
Of course, another reason the waters turn blood red is the acid mind run off reacting with pyrite, causing red streams similar to what we had near our house in the Appalachians. There were trout and beaver upstream, but once the slagheap appeared, the stream changed colour and the fish died.
----------------------------------------
CelticMusicMagazine has an article about modern Irish Myths and popular stories.
includes this factoid:
and oh yes; Leprechauns before the 20th century wore red, no green...
--------------------------------------------
Your ancestors probably had better teeth than you do.
no sugar to cause cavities.
Well, considering my ancient ancestors were probably long dead before they reached 65, that's probably right.
-------------------
Earth has not one, but three "van Allen Belts".
CREDIT: NASA/Van Allen Probes/Goddard Space Flight Center
more HERE.
heh. they already updated Wikipedia's article.
-----------------------------------
TYWKIWDBI: Answering the really important questions of the day: Why does my roast beef have rainbows?
Photo credit:Atlantic magazine: Tim Dustrude/Friday Harbor, WA
USDA answer, via the atlantic:
From Freakonomics: asking questions no one else is asking:
Would you eat steak from a printer?
and even the Lutherans are mocking the press:
transcript of the video HERE.
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Sign of the Apocalypse? The waters are turning to blood.
Apparently a drought in Texas has resulted in dead fish and the overgrowth of a sulfur loving red bacteria.
Of course, another reason the waters turn blood red is the acid mind run off reacting with pyrite, causing red streams similar to what we had near our house in the Appalachians. There were trout and beaver upstream, but once the slagheap appeared, the stream changed colour and the fish died.
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CelticMusicMagazine has an article about modern Irish Myths and popular stories.
includes this factoid:
2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the song Danny Boy which was first published in 1913. Frederic E. Weatherley wrote the words in 1910 and set it to the Irish folk song Londonderry Air. The first known recording was in 1915. The tune itself has been set to hundreds of songs and Mr. Weatherley was an English lawyer who never set a foot in Ireland.not mentioned: the song Irish Eyes are smiling and the lament I'll Take you Home again Kathleen, were both written by Americans.
and oh yes; Leprechauns before the 20th century wore red, no green...
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Your ancestors probably had better teeth than you do.
no sugar to cause cavities.
Well, considering my ancient ancestors were probably long dead before they reached 65, that's probably right.
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Earth has not one, but three "van Allen Belts".
CREDIT: NASA/Van Allen Probes/Goddard Space Flight Center
more HERE.
heh. they already updated Wikipedia's article.
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TYWKIWDBI: Answering the really important questions of the day: Why does my roast beef have rainbows?
USDA answer, via the atlantic:
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According to the USDA, "When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow." This is something called a "diffraction grating," essentially what happens when light waves bend or spread around a surface and create a pattern. It's the same thing that happens to make rainbows on the surface of a DVD. It's understandable that folks mistake diffracted light as a sign of spoilage...
From Freakonomics: asking questions no one else is asking:
Would you eat steak from a printer?
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Factoid of the day
ancient Romans who were poor ate bird seed: Millet
longer article on LiveScience.
Millet at wikipedia discusses the various types. It is one of the crops that originated in Africa.
factsheet: the company selling it calls it America's supergrain,
I know it is easy to grow: we always had a large crop growing under our bird feeder.
Purdue Univ has a page on it:
when I lived in Zimbabwe, the major crop was corn, but most farmers grew millet as a backup crop, to eat if the rains weren't enough for the corn crop, and also to use in the local beer. We often instructed moms to grind it into porridge for young children, because it was more digestible and had more protein/vitamins than the maize porridge that was the usual staple for meals.
pdf on sorgham and millet crops in South Africa.
The problem is the lack of a market and the difficulty in harvesting/storing it.
Michael and Doria's Travel Tales describe how the locals brew beer.
longer article on LiveScience.
Historical texts dismiss millet as animal feed or a famine food, Killgrove said, but the researcher's findings suggest that plenty of ordinary Romans depended on the easy-to-grow grain.
Millet at wikipedia discusses the various types. It is one of the crops that originated in Africa.
factsheet: the company selling it calls it America's supergrain,
the site includes recipes.
- Gluten-free – ideal for celiacs
- Highly nutritious – ideal for children
- Great energy source – ideal for athletes
- Ideal for those with sensitivity to wheat or other grains that contain gluten.
- Complete protein source when combined with legumes – ideal for a vegetarian diet
Beneficial Nutrients
- 15% protein
- High amounts of fiber
- B-complex vitamins including niacin, folacin, thiamin, and riboflavin
- High in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium
- Calcium & zinc
- The essential amino acids methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E.
- Rich in photochemicals including phytic acid, which is believed to lower cholesterol, and phytate, which is associated with reducing cancer risks.
I know it is easy to grow: we always had a large crop growing under our bird feeder.
Purdue Univ has a page on it:
when I lived in Zimbabwe, the major crop was corn, but most farmers grew millet as a backup crop, to eat if the rains weren't enough for the corn crop, and also to use in the local beer. We often instructed moms to grind it into porridge for young children, because it was more digestible and had more protein/vitamins than the maize porridge that was the usual staple for meals.
pdf on sorgham and millet crops in South Africa.
The problem is the lack of a market and the difficulty in harvesting/storing it.
Michael and Doria's Travel Tales describe how the locals brew beer.
Stuff around the net
I got so frustrated with iTunes slow downloads and failure to update my podcasts that I removed it from the computer. The tipping point was when they refused to let me listen to iTunes Univ lectures unless I signed in to buy "additional materials needed" for the lectures.
Now that many Universities have lectures on Youtube, or will download vs RSS feed, I figure I don't need it anymore for the few that don't.
But if you have more patience than me, and want to figure out how to get your older stuff back, AnneIsAManBlog has instructions HERE.
-----------------------------
I'm now on Firefox 18, but it still freezes when flash is used. Guess I'll have to erase it and go back to Firefox 4.0 again...
-----------------------------------------
Instapundit points out another White House Gaffe
Wired calls it a "nerd Fail"...
Hint: Jedi can only force "weak minds" to agree with them, but can't read minds or mind meld...
In constrast, Spock can mind-meld with anyone but he needs their permission, however, he does it to understand their point of view, and he cannot force them to change their mind.
--------------------------
Speaking of geekdom: Here is your Sherlock quiz of the day.
Sigh. I only got 90 percent: guess I missed an episode.
More Trivia: Sherlock quips that Mycroft runs the British Government, but in what book does Mycroft run the Moon? Answer.
---------------------
Linked for later reading:
Instapundit links to articles discussing the upcoming (possible) Comet strike on Mars next year, and the possibility that planet could be terraformed. More HERE.
related item: did Mars "sputter" away it's atmosphere?
-------------------------
The Dark side of Downton Manor: the rich American heiress marriage to keep the marriage alive may have worked in Downton and for Jenny Churchill (at least until her husband's syphillis destroyed his brain) but for other girls, it was a living hell.
From Tea AtTrianon a book review
of a new auto-biography:
-----------------------
Interest rates are so low that savers are essentially paying for the country's debts.
Yeah. Just got my IRA report back and essentially I'm losing money. The same thing happened in the Carter years, when I returned from Africa only to find my hard earned savings could buy only half of what I could before I left the country.
Heh...check Dilbert's cartoon
Now that many Universities have lectures on Youtube, or will download vs RSS feed, I figure I don't need it anymore for the few that don't.
But if you have more patience than me, and want to figure out how to get your older stuff back, AnneIsAManBlog has instructions HERE.
-----------------------------
I'm now on Firefox 18, but it still freezes when flash is used. Guess I'll have to erase it and go back to Firefox 4.0 again...
-----------------------------------------
Instapundit points out another White House Gaffe
Wired calls it a "nerd Fail"...
Hint: Jedi can only force "weak minds" to agree with them, but can't read minds or mind meld...
In constrast, Spock can mind-meld with anyone but he needs their permission, however, he does it to understand their point of view, and he cannot force them to change their mind.
--------------------------
Speaking of geekdom: Here is your Sherlock quiz of the day.
Sigh. I only got 90 percent: guess I missed an episode.
More Trivia: Sherlock quips that Mycroft runs the British Government, but in what book does Mycroft run the Moon? Answer.
---------------------
Linked for later reading:
Instapundit links to articles discussing the upcoming (possible) Comet strike on Mars next year, and the possibility that planet could be terraformed. More HERE.
related item: did Mars "sputter" away it's atmosphere?
Since Mars doesn’t have a strong intrinsic magnetic field, the atmosphere could have been eroded by interactions with the solar wind, and this video shows how that occurs.
-------------------------
The Dark side of Downton Manor: the rich American heiress marriage to keep the marriage alive may have worked in Downton and for Jenny Churchill (at least until her husband's syphillis destroyed his brain) but for other girls, it was a living hell.
From Tea AtTrianon a book review
of a new auto-biography:
An heiress of the Vanderbilt fortune, Consuelo was married as an unwilling teenager to the Duke of Marlborough, who needed her money for the upkeep of his ancestral estate at Blenheim Palace. Although Consuelo dutifully fulfilled her role as wife and mother as well as bountiful lady of the manor, her marriage to the Duke was one long misery, later to be annulled. Consuelo eventually married to her true love, dashing French aviator Jacques Balsan, with whom she shared many happy years
-----------------------
Interest rates are so low that savers are essentially paying for the country's debts.
In America and Europe, there is a silent transfer of wealth taking place, day by day. Cash-strapped and heavily indebted governments are desperate to hold down the interest rate at which they borrow. Unfortunately, this also means perennially low interest rates for savers: rates so low that they do not match the rate of inflation. Negative real interest rates imply that retirees must consume their wealth in order to pay the bills.
Yeah. Just got my IRA report back and essentially I'm losing money. The same thing happened in the Carter years, when I returned from Africa only to find my hard earned savings could buy only half of what I could before I left the country.
Heh...check Dilbert's cartoon
The Country's in the very best of hands.
I usually avoid politics on weekends, and since I have a life, I can't read enough to find my way around the political lies rhetoric, but when TPMBarnett says, hey you guys voted for them, and that all of this is good news for other countries, well, you know that the government is in the very best of hands.
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