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My youngest brother turns 14 today. Happy birthday, Daniel!
This is extraordinary: A tugboat gets pulled under a bridge and pops up on the other side, amazingly unharmed. And, yes, there are pictures!
Looking for a new host for your weblog? Upsaid is a new 'blogging service. It looks pretty good. I'm thinking of using it for my upcoming booklog.
The musical guests for the Olympic closing ceremonies sucked, in my opinion. N'Sync, Christina Aguilera...and KISS? Not to mention John Bon Jovi. Ugh.
From Astronomy Picture of the Day: Comet Ikeya-Zhang, discovered on 2/01/02, could become visible to the naked eye between March and April of this year.
I've linked to Book-A-Minute before; but since I just finished reading Emma, by Jane Austen, I found this even more amusing than usual.
I'm listening to The Fellowship of the Ring on tape. Normally, I'd prefer to read the book, but when I tried to read FOTR years ago I got bogged down in the details. It's much more pleasant to hear it read. I'm already on tape two (there are 15 tapes!) and am thinking of getting the other two books on tape or CD also.
Are you tired of the LOTR? Then here is the perfect book for you: Bored of the Rings.
I'm 55% addicted to the internet:
You seem to have a healthy balance in your life when it comes to the internet and life away from the computer. You know enough to do what you want online without looking like an idiot (most of the time). You even have your own Yahoo club or online journal! But you enjoy seeing your friends and going out to enjoy life away from your computer.
I protest! I can do whatever I want online without looking like an idiot. Oh, maybe posting these results is idiotic, though. Heh.
Hmm, no one has called me a goldfish...yet ;)
If you want to take lots of online quizzes, go here. She has listed many! Will it ever end?
For those of you interested, Apolo Anton Ohno is scheduled to be interviewed on Jay Leno Tuesday night (February 26). You know what I'm going to be watching!
The Human Virus Scanner. Oh dear, it looks like I'm infected with some rather serious memes! My results:
Viruses you suffer from:
Junkfood (100%)
Eat some real food. Something which you can identify the source of every ingredient, not the point of manufacture.
Religion (120%)
Read "God's Debris" by Scott Adams (yes, the Dilbert guy)
Politics (165%)
Stop caring!
Brand Names (135%)
Having a well-known name doesn't make it good.
Conspiracy Theory (105%)
Face it, the elected government is in control. Actually that's quite scary.
Environmentalism (103%)
Consume more stuff! It's easier to buy new stuff than to recycle.
Viruses you might suffer from:
Linux (80%)
Install the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Learn to love it.
USA (70%)
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves. [repeat]
British (60%)
No need for cure. Benign virus.
Hippyism (80%)
Free love is passe and potentially dangerous, and patchouli smells like cat piss.
A note: Just because I recognize certain symbols does not mean that I necessarily agree with them or use their services/products!
[via wonderful remark]
Friday, February 22, 2002
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Today's Word of The Day gave me a chuckle:
Throttlebottom (THROT-l-bot-uhm)- noun: A purposeless incompetent in public office.
Just discovered this great news site: News Is Free. Check it out!
Winter Olympic fans ordered to cheer on cue. I'm not surprised.
There is always more going on in the background than is widely known:
Nevermind bin Laden, Here's the Arms Trade. Side note: the U.S. was number one in arms sales in 1999. So, when the U.S threatens other countries for selling arms, that's like a parent saying to their kids, "Do as I say, not as I do." Hmph.
I just found an article written by Robert Scheer in May, 2001, which was published in the LA Times. It has some very unsettling things in it:
Enslave your girls and women, harbor anti-U.S. terrorists, destroy every vestige of civilization in your homeland, and the Bush administration will embrace you. All that matters is that you line up as an ally in the drug war, the only international cause that this nation still takes seriously.
That's the message sent with the recent gift of $43 million to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the most virulent anti-American violators of human rights in the world today. The gift, announced last Thursday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, in addition to other recent aid, makes the U.S. the main sponsor of the Taliban and rewards that "rogue regime" for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God. So, too, by the Taliban's estimation, are most human activities, but it's the ban on drugs that catches this administration's attention.
Never mind that Osama bin Laden still operates the leading anti-American terror operation from his base in Afghanistan, from which, among other crimes, he launched two bloody attacks on American embassies in Africa in 1998.
Sadly, the Bush administration is cozying up to the Taliban regime at a time when the United Nations, at U.S. insistence, imposes sanctions on Afghanistan because the Kabul government will not turn over Bin Laden.
That was written four months before Sept. 11th. What was the government doing?! It makes me so upset to know that they continued to send money to the Taliban when they had to know that Osama bin Laden was probably getting some of that money!
Thursday, February 21, 2002
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I am now a fan of speed skating -- and here is the reason ;) Apolo Ohno is a very likeable guy and a fantastic skater! Yet his win yesterday was a bit questionable. Hopefully, he can win his next race out-and-out, instead of coming in second and winning because of someone being disqualified. [Added later: Now that I've seen more and have heard what the officials say, I think Apolo deserved to win the gold. Disqualifications and falls are part of the sport.]
If I ever form a band, I think I'll call it Ploidy. Hee.
This is disturbing, very disturbing:
A billboard for the German newsmagazine 'Der Spiegel' is posted on a downtown street in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday Feb. 19, 2002, showing George Bush sporting a machine gun in front of various cabinet members.
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
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I'd like to say thanks to all those who have linked me lately:
benhammersley.com, paisleycat.com, kookymojo, starry sheep, and fluffy battle kitten. You all rock. And thanks, of course, to everyone who has linked to me at any time!
I just signed up for the Peer-To-Peer Review Project. The idea is simple: You review another person's blog and then someone else reviews your blog. The project is open for submissions until March 20.
Yet another article about weblogs: Blog This. Is it just me, or do you find these kind of articles boring also? And why is Blogger always mentioned? What about Pitas or Greymatter or Moveable Type or Userland? What about coding your blog by hand, as I do? It's as if people think that you absolutely must use a weblog program to be able to have a weblog.
Pentagon Readies Efforts to Sway Sentiment Abroad:
"The Pentagon is developing plans to provide news items, possibly even false ones, to foreign media organizations as part of a new effort to influence public sentiment and policy makers in both friendly and unfriendly countries, military officials said...
The article goes on to say that some of the propaganda messages could get to the U.S. and be published as truth. That's obvious, especially with the advent of the internet! There aren't strong enough words for me to use to say that I totally disagree with the whole plan; not just because Americans will possibly be lied to, but because this country would be willfully lying to countries which are our allies. I'll never look at the "news" the same way, that's for sure!
A Novel Idea For A WTC Memorial: Tower-sized piers extending into New York Harbor. I actually like the idea. Visit Fred Bernstein's site here.
This is a bit on the technical side, but I thought some of you might be interested: Official Winter Olympics Site: Not Even Bronze:
Even though the Salt Lake City site won silver for its site map and bronze for its tweaked homepage, the over-all usability of the site is far from medal territory. Let's hope that Greek web designers take this lesson to heart and produce a better site for the 2004 games in Athens.
How embarrassing: British troops 'invade' Spain.
Macaroni and cheese, food of the future. (Well, for the military anyway.) Heh.
From The Way We'll Move:
If innovators have their way, by 2050 morning commutes will be swift and private inside personal "pod" trains. Shoppers will do their grocery runs by strapping on flying scooters and zipping over the treetops to the local market.
So, when will we ever get exercise? (I'll turn 70 in November, 2050. I wonder what it's truly going to be like.)
Justices uphold students grading each other's work. I remember grading other kids' work and having them grade mine. I have no horrid memories of it, but I guess that's because I was a "good" student. I know children can be extremely cruel to other students, especially to those who have some sort of handicap, whether it be lack of intelligence or height or being overweight. I'm not certain that the Justices made the right decision.
LOTR Sims Skins. Yay! :)
Silliness: Hair 101. I once wrote an article about my different hairstyles and colors (It was at least 2 years ago!). Didn't have pictures like she does, though.
F*CKEDweblog: Where weblogs go to die. Amusing in a morbid (virtual morbidity, I guess) sort of way.
I borrowed the below from SiGHS:
Believe it or not but 8.02pm on February 20 this year will be an historic moment in time.
It will not be marked by the chiming of any clocks or the ringing of bells, but at that precise time, on that specific date, something will happen which has not occurred for 1,001 years and will never happen again.
As the clock ticks over from 8.01pm on Wednesday, February 20, time will,for sixty seconds only, read in perfect symmetry 2002, 2002, 2002, or to be more precise - 20:02, 20/02, 2002.
This historic event will never have the same poignancy as the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month which marks Armistice Day, but it is an event which has only ever happened once before, and is something which will never be repeated.
The last occasion that time read in such a symmetrical pattern was long before the days of the digital watch and the 24-hour clock - at 10.01am on January 10, 1001.
And because the clock only goes up to 23.59, it is something that will never happen again.
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
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The FBI has a weblog called Media Roundup. Nothing much there, just links.
[via rebecca's pocket]
This has to be the worst personality test/quiz ever. Heh.
Prepare to be disturbed. ;)
According to this site, pink used to be the color for baby boys; while blue was considered the girls' color:
A woman's magazine in 1918 informed mothers, "There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is pertier for the girl."
[via marginalia]
Cult leader prophesies end of world. What a wacko! He also said that Denver, CO would be destroyed by an earthquake in 1998.
Bloodthirsty sheep seen eating chicks. Weird.
The film starring the late Aaliyah, Queen of the Damned,
was released on Friday. I didn't know this:
Her older brother, Rashad Haughton, voiced the unfinished parts of her script.
He is said to have the same tone of voice as his sister - and was able to record some words and lines that were missing or too poor quality for the film.
That's just creepy, if you ask me!
Monday, February 18, 2002
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Another way to find new weblogs. This little script will load up a new weblog each time you visit the URL. Pretty neat.
[via mefi]
A new Sims expansion pack: Vacation. I haven't bought the Blind Date pack yet, so I doubt I'll be buying that one anytime soon.
Which is the Greater Artist? Rather interesting. But putting Britney Spears up against Shakespear. What were they thinking?!
Well, I gave into temptation and took a bunch of personality tests:
You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and belive strongly in your personal morals.
Find out your color at Stvlive.com!
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If it has to do with LOTR, I've got to take it. Heh.
I love to FROLIC with the elves
[via quiddity]
More elvish stuff: My elf name is Celebtaurwen. Nice.
I'm a Wind Spiriti
[via SiGHS]
Sunday, February 17, 2002
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I thought that this would happen, all the while hoping it wouldn't:
Sept. 11 Dramas on Film, TV. While doing a little research, I also came across this, from 11/01: Sept. 11, the movie is coming soon, experts say. It's wrong, I feel. I'm going to boycott those movies and shows. It's just too soon to be fictionalizing the events -- there are people still buried in the WTC rubble!
Hitler's newphew moved to America in the late 30s, changed his name, married and had children. The children decided not to perpetuate the family. Wow.
Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure Books? Well, now you can Choose Your Own Relationship (Well, if you're a guy or a lesbian or bisexual, that is.). Heh. Here's another choose your own adventure story, and another.
A contestant in a Norwegian version of Fear Factor had to undergo surgery after he tried to swallow a cow's eye and it got stuck. Ugh!
Friday, February 15, 2002
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The world's first cloned cat is named CC:. I must admit the name is cute, but I hope the cat lives a normal and healthy life. It's said that cloned animals don't live as long as normal animals and develop medical problems early in life.
Want to learn more about cloning? NewScientist.com has a whole section devoted to the subject.
If I were a pattern, I'd be tye-dye: groovy, funky and mellow. Sounds like me ;)
Oldest fossilised vomit pile uncovered. That makes a pretty picture. Heh.
Welcome to the American Olypmics:
A sociologist could probably find something compelling in U.S. media's obsession with proving that no matter what we do or who among us does it, America really is #1. It reeks of an insecurity, or immaturity, not befitting a great nation. But the simpler truth is, it's probably what the networks think American audiences want.
It's so hard not to be cynical about stuff like that!
The Friday Five:
1. What was the first thing you ever cooked?
I think it was probably scrambled eggs (one of the easiest foods to prepare!). It might have been french toast, though.
2. What's your signature dish?
I don't have one, but my mom taught me how to make her signature dish: potato salad and I make that quite well, I think.
3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe.
Uhm, yeah...but I don't think I want to go into that. Heh.
4. If skill and money were no object, what would make for your dream meal?
I'm not sure; I've never thought about a "dream" meal, but I guess it would include some really yummy pasta, baby veggies, fresh french bread and a delectable chocolate desert.
5. What are you doing this weekend?
Probably going to watch some of the Olympics, read, just relax.
Thursday, February 14, 2002
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Since it's Valentine's Day, you might want to know (or maybe not!) how kissing got started.
Good reference: Who Controls the Media? I believe I've linked to something like that before, but it's always good to keep informed.
Lots of weird stuff today:
Stange frog discovered near Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Interesting.
Flight attendants to learn to fight. It seems to me that flight attendant should have been given personal defense training even before Sept. 11th!
Real-life Mowgli found in Romanian forest. Stories like that have been around for thousands of years (see Romulus and Remus).
Since my ethnic heritage is half Irish, this is quite interesting to me: Did Saint Brendan discover America?
Of all the peoples credited with the discovery of the Americas, the Irish usually come way down the list. This is unfair, argues Simon Young, as the sea-going exploits of Irish monks a thousand years before Columbus took them across the Western Ocean, beyond the known edge of the world.
(Of course, Native Americans truly discovered this land! I guess people forget about that.)
I just added to eclectica to wanderlust: "Wanderlust is a way to put your readers in touch with what's happening outside their normal loop. When a reader clicks on the Wanderlust button, a site is chosen at random from our list and your reader gets to visit someone new."
Here it is:
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
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Big Brother is watching you read:
Increasingly, the government is demanding that bookstores reveal what books their customers have purchased.
That's just wonderful.
[via quiddity]
A reality check: The Minature Earth.
If you feel like sharing where you where when you learned about the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01, you can go to WhereWhereYou.org and submit your story.
John Walker Lindh, "The American Taliban," pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a 10-count indictment that includes charges he conspired to kill Americans abroad.
Related to the above: U.S. Students Drawn to 'Pure' Islam in Yemen.
Media is Biased Toward Simplicity and Sensation. I agree with the article except for this part:
"...This is why so many reports about Enron tell the human interest tales of individual, defrauded stockholders and so few portray the bigger, more important picture of corporate corruption and deceit."
The human interest stories are crucial -- they need to be told. It's not that the more personal stories are less valuable than the stories that go into the business side of things; it's that each kind of story must be given equal time and focus.
Fox has cancelled Futurama. Sign the petition to get it back on the air!
Another baby boom? American women are having more children than they've had in 30 years.
Some strange toys: Queasy Bake Oven, Prenatal Mozart,'N Stink Trading Cards, and Mullet Head Dolls. Too bad none of those were around when I was young ;)
The A-List of Celebrity Scandal. Proceed with caution. Heh.
[via scopophila who got it from quiddity who found it at lukelog!]
Wow, Utahns sure like their lime Jell-O!
Have you ever received one of those Nigerian scam e-mails, where they say they will give you a cut of the profit if you will let them use your bank account, etc? Well, the author of this article got an email like that, except it was from Serbia, the first of its kind, she thinks.
Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay and his wife have sold a cottage for $10 million. Now he should give most of that money to their former employees!
Sometimes things on TV are so absurd that you don't even think about them until they're pointed out to you. I've never heard of the show; I have seen those silly commercials, though: Relic Hunter and AbTronic.
Milk Bottle of the Week:"...where you will find some of the world's most bizarre, beautiful and sexy milk bottles." Heh.
A mysterious, low humming noise has been heard in Kokomo, Indiana; they call it the "Kokomo Hum." Very weird. I wonder if there are HAARP antennae nearby.
More scary sci-fi-ish news:
When the military owns the weather:
A scientist from Wright Patterson Air Force Base acknowledges that planes are spraying barium salt, polymer fibers, aluminum oxide and other chemicals in the atmosphere to both modify the weather and for military communications purposes. The patent abstract specifically states: "The polymer is dispersed into the cloud and the wind of the storm agitates the mixture causing the polymer to absorb the rain. This reaction forms a gelatinous substance which precipitate to the surface below. Thus, diminishing the cloud's ability to rain."
Tuesday, February 12, 2002
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B-may.com: A weblog kept by a person working at the Olypmics. Some rather humorous stories there. Heh.
[via pcjm]
Many Dutch athletes didn't march in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies because it was too cold. I guess they forgot about it being the Winter Olypmics ;)
Have back problems? No worries, just drink crushed cockroach in Diet Coke!
To go with your green ketchup: Chocolate french fries. Seriously.
"...Bush often lifted his pinkie to the corner of his mouth to mimic the Dr. Evil character in the Powers flicks." Surprised, anyone? Hee.
This is just sad:
"A lot of times older women will come in with a pierced navel, and I'll ask them why they did it. They say it's because their daughters look so well. They still have a competitive thing going on. They've maintained themselves, and now they get the final touch."
It's not wrong that the older women want to look good, but how can you compete with someone years younger than yourself -- and why would you even want to?
Sunday, February 10, 2002
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Sometimes spam messages crack me up: Is it soup yet? was the subject line of the latest unsolicited email that I received. And yes, I did open it. How could I not? But, as expected, it turned out to be a stupid MLM message.
What's up with Amazon.com? The site hasn't been loading for the past couple of days! Ideas, anyone?
Lifehouse is going to be on the late night Olympics show tonight. The Dave Matthew's Band was on last night; but they only showed about 3 songs. They're only going to play one song by Lifehouse :(
Speaking of the Olypmics, do they support slavery?
Nutrition Scientists tell Smithsonian: "Say 'No' to McDonald's Junk Food!". Yeah, like the Smithsonian is going to listen. It's all about the money, folks!
Prison Coffee: Starbucks admits its contractor uses prison labor. I don't see why using prisoners to do work is wrong. They committed crimes, now they must pay for them. I don't believe in capital punishment. I think that it's punishment enough -- especially for those prisoners to whom death is an escape -- to have to be in jail for the rest of their lives, working to pay their room and board and maybe even giving some of the money to the victims' families.
From Shift.com: 100 Sites We Love.
All the news that's fit to post: The internet is definitely the place where I get news. There are many reasons why I like the internet for news gathering better than more traditional media sources. Here are some of them:
1) Speed. Many times, things are online even before they reach TV.
2) Point of view. I can have multiple webpages open at once, but I can only tune into one TV channel or listen to one radio station at a time. With the net, each site may have its inherent bias, but I have a plethora of sites to read, each with its own opinions.
3) As a corollary to the above, I can get the opinions of regular people via personal pages and weblogs. I'm not forced to believe that what they say on TV is what everyone else necessarily believes. And that's freeing.
Saturday, February 9, 2002
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Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill argued with Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd on Thursday about who grew up poorest. I wonder if they know how inane that appears?
[via quiddity]
From Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor:
Television can teach and amuse; it can reach aesthetic heights; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when people strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find themselves strangely unable to reduce their viewing.
Muhammed Ali is part Irish? Cool. So am I :)
Friday, February 8, 2002
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DEA Cracks Down on Hemp Foods Despite Negligible Content of THC. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Google is looking for programmers for it's "First Annual Google Programming Contest." If you win, you get $10,000, but keep in mind, Google gets to keep your program forever.
Oooh, how romantic: Valentine's Day dinner at White Castle! Hee.
File this under dumb criminals: Fugitive Arrested While Boasting On Phone.
I'm probably going to watch the opening ceremony of the winter Olypmics tonight. I'm not really interested in watching the much of the sports, though.
Wednesday, February 6, 2002
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How to be a thug (with what you've got). Heh.
If StopSatan.org isn't a joke, I don't even know how to explain the imbecility of it!
[the above two links via the presurfer]
The Olympics won't be aired live on the West Coast. Too bad. I hardly watched the 2000 Olympics because it was taped. Watching live makes it much more exciting, I think.
Doctors unveil updated Hypocratic oath. 2,500 years is a long time!
Full coverage from Yahoo! News: John Walker Lindh and Enrongate.
Speaking of John Walker Lindh, from What Really Happened?:
In my opinion, John Walker Lindh is a complete phony, manufactured by the US Government out of purest USDA choice bovine-excrement as a propaganda tool to try to convince the American people that a war of conquest into 50 other nations for mineral resources is somehow justified.
I don't know if I agree, but it makes you think, anyway.
I didn't watch the Superbowl, but I did catch part of the half-time show and this rings true:
It is all about "moving on." We are creatures of equilibrium. We like going back to "normalcy," so we have tried to put the horror behind us. Then, when we try to rekindle that emotion, usually out of guilt, we are unsuccessful, we have tried to suppress what we feel so much. To try to rekindle the shock of atrocity we felt on Sept. 11th we parade firefighters and flags and come off as silly and over-the-top trying to do it.
President Bush as seen through the eyes of the world. Heh, Pokemon. (Not funny really, more like scary.)
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
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I admit it, I'm a literature abuser; but I won't quit, no I won't! :)
You know there's something seriously wrong with TV news when the anchors have to have a bit of nip 'n' tuck before they can go on air. Not that I really care; I get most of my news online.
Forget the Segway, I want a SoloTrek Exo-Skeletor Flying Vehicle!
There are so many better ways to kill yourself... what was he thinking?
I think someone in Enron had a Star Wars fetish or something. (Side note: Was the British monarchy involved?)
Ok, so it might be mean, but G.W.'s expressions are so funny!
Beware the spyware!
If you didn't already know, raves are All-night
dance-Parties of DEATH!
These mistranslations had me cracking up with laughter!
Check out these intellectually challenged individuals. Heh.
Oooh, too bad I didn't know about MRML earlier ;)
If I were a psych ward patient, I'd be there because I had schitzophrenia. Scary.
Neato: Use this converter to turn pictures into ascii art!
The Making of a Restaurant. The guys running the 'blog don't even know if they're going to truly open a restaurant, but they may -- and the idea that they are recording the process online is intriguing. I'm going to definitely check up on them every once in a while to see how things are going for them.
I'm thinking of starting a booklog and so have been searching for other people's book review sites and/or weblogs. If you have one, let me know! Some booklogs I'm already aware of: Virtual Marginalia and reading & writing.
WTC victims' families greedy, say some. What, are those people smoking crack?! I think if they put themselves in the victims' families positions for just one second, they'd know how wrong they are!
Sunday, February 3, 2002
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This brings back memories of playing with paper dolls when I was little: My Virtual Model. I made a model of myself:
My hair isn't quite that long, though; and normally I don't wear skirts, but the build does look like me. If you make a model of yourself and put it online, sign my guestbook and let me know the URL, if you want. I'm curious! :)
[Note: You have to take a screen capture if you want a pic of your model.]
Saturday, February 2, 2002
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I've cut back on the personality quizzes (most of them suck), but I couldn't resist this one:
Daria is the poster child for "teen misfit," and holds in high contempt what she sees as the shallowness and superficiality of the world around her. She is also cynical -- though she'd say she's "realistic" -- and mistrustful of authority, and doesn't hesitate to make her opinions known when she sees fit. She has a talent for writing, a sharp intellect, an even sharper tongue (her sarcasm could cut tempered steel), and a wit so dry it makes the Sahara look like a rain forest.
[via scopophilia]
If it could find the right partner(s), Salon might start a print editon. Sweet.
When the Babes Beat Up the Boys:
Fury may be a potent weapon in ripping old structures apart, but to build anything new and satisfying, there's got to be love.
The Turd Twister. Grossness! (And yes, it's real!)
The stupidity of some peole is mind-boggling: Two women "...said they were deceived by a fundamentalist church whose leaders promised to produce Jesus Christ in the flesh."
The sale of illegal drugs fuels terrorism? Hmm. I find that unlikely. Well, actually, I don't, since you could also say that buying oil fron Saudia Arabia finances terrorism.
I guess they were
getting ready for the Superbowl. Heh.
Rat boutique?!
Fox News Channel overtakes CNN in viewership. I guess Paula Zahn wasn't sexy enough ;)
Alternet has put together a great section about the Enron debacle. Check it out if you're still not sure what it's all about, or if you want to keep up with the latest news about the scandal.
Love Between Men Is A Powerful Thing In 'Lord Of The Rings'. More about that here.
Awful, reprehensible, evil...there are so many words that describe it and yet, they don't do the horror justice: Child Slavery in Asia. I feel I live such a peaceful, protected life here in America, that I'm ashamed to admit that I can live my every day life while all that suffering is going on.
Taliban prisoners being held in inhumane conditions in Afghanistan: "Take Us To U.S.!" While I don't necessarily believe that they should be brought over here, I do believe that if they are being detained by the United States or by our allies, we need to make sure they're not going to die. It only makes sense: What good will they do us, if they're dead or so incapcitated that they can't answer questions?
Also from the above article:
"Will we be held here forever? No one can tell us," said an Afghan prisoner, Qari Habib Rahman. "We were simple fighters. We know nothing about the Taliban leaders."
That's what I've been saying all along: I think most of the Taliban fighters had little idea of what their superiors were doing most of the time. Remember: Most of the hijackers on the planes that crashed into the WTC, Pentagon, and that Pennsylvania field had no idea that they were on suicide missions -- and those men were among the "higher-ups"!
Friday, February 1, 2002
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Baby hatches:"In response to babies being dumped in bins, 22 'baby hatches' in German hospitals now offer desperate mothers somewhere safe to leave newborns." When I first read that, I could hardly believe it; but I guess it's probably best for the babies. Certainly is startling, though.
This is kind of cool: U.S. Surname Distribution. Find out where people with your last name live in the U.S. (Did you know that Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, and Brown are the top five surnames in the United States?)
Freakiness: Storms in Europe kill at least 17, leave thousands without power in northern Europe. Winds up to 120 MPH? That's hurricane force!
Olympics Ready for Earthquake:
"Seismologists predict a 1-in-750 chance of a magnitude 4 or greater earthquake within nine miles of a mountain venue during the games. Such a temblor could set off avalanches and landslides."
It looks like there's a U.K connection to the Enron scandal.
Hee: Enron ethics for sale on Internet
Bush asks Daschle to limit Sept. 11 probes. I think we need as many people as possible looking into the attacks.
The Lord, and the Rings: For film director Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien's God is in the details.
Blah Blah Blogger. Yeah, Blogger is an ok web publishing tool, but there are so many others out there. I think they need more coverage!
If you're really bored online, you can always play Googlewhack.
Speaking of boredom:
Here's the current Friday Five:
1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
Fortuitously, my teeth are naturally straight. My wisdom teeth haven't all grown in though, so I don't know if I'll have to get some of them pulled.
2. Ever broken any bones?
Nope.
3. Ever had stitches?
Yes: When I was 3 or 4 I ran in front of one of those metal animal swings (I can't believe they actually let them put those on playgrounds!) and got a gash under my left eye. I'm not sure how many stitches it required. I don't even remember getting the stitches in fact; I must have been in shock.
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars?
See the above question.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
Distributing Free Words.
Friday Five for October 12, 2001:
1. Do you have any rituals or ways that you celebrate autumn (or spring for those in the southern hemisphere)?
Not really.
2. Do you observe Halloween, Samhain, and/or All Saints' Day?
Nah.
3. Carve pumpkins or paint them?
Like I said above, I don't observe Halloween (or Christmas... Well, I do observe Christmas somewhat, I just don't go all out.)
4. If you observe trick-or-treating, what will you be handing out at the door this year?
See above.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
This question is excedingly annoying! ;)
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
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British Pop Band Blur to Take Music to Mars: "A musical sequence recorded by the mega-selling foursome will herald the arrival of a British space probe on Mars."
Jish asked me to say HI! to my webloggers
webring neighbors.
» to the left of me: erratic frog.
» to the right of me: Vicious Thinks.
Anne Heche's weblog. Hee!
I'm not sure if this eBay auction is real or not, but it is hilarious!
The story is silly, but the illustrations are adorable: I am Kogepan.
Oh, puh-leeze: : "If film studio MGM has its way, ``Rocky: the Musical'' may just be Broadway's next big hit..."
Keep your eyes on the sky: Defunct satellite set to scatter debris on Earth.
This is quite depressing: "The average college student will graduate owing over $15,000 in student loans, and nearly $3,000 in credit card debt, according to federal statistics." How are young people supposed to start out life with that much debt, especially since the older you get, the more you begin to spend: on cars, houses, children, etc. If the superfluous spending continues, it seems that everyone will be in perpetual debt:
"The messages are mixed. We are in a time of crisis, and our government is not telling us to tighten our belts and grow a victory garden. Instead, in order to be good Americans, we are being told to spend. Yeah for consumerism. In the face of company layoffs and a recession we are being told that greed is good. Oh, but don't forget kids, debt is bad. "
The Stinkers: The Ultimate Bad Movie Awards!
Jet passenger's transatlantic toilet trauma. Hahaha. (ok, so it wasn't funny to her...but how ridiculous!)
The man who took credit for turning the domain name Sex.com into a multimillion-dollar porn empire now says he is too poor to afford toilet paper.
[the above two links via a newly discovered weblog: my blue house]
A beautiful poem: Ode to My Shoes. The author is embarking on a journey through Asia and India this year to foster "compassion and understanding at the grass roots level by bridging the gap, which exists between Western societies, and the third world."
Next 'Survivor' finale pitted against 'X-Files'. My first reaction: "No, they can't do that to us!" Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to record Survivor.
If you haven't yet, sign my guestmap and let me know where you're from!
If I were a font, I'd be Redensek:
[via the presurfer]
Friday Five for October 5, 2001:
1. What's on top of your refrigerator?
A cannister with Nutrasweet packets in it and some misc. dishes.
2. What's your favorite meal of the day?
I've never really thought about it, but I guess, dinner.
3. Wash dishes by hand or in the dishwasher? What detergent do you use?
By hand. Detergent? Uhm, whatever is around.
4. How often do you eat out compared to eating in?
I eat in 98% of the time.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
I'm going to try to distribute as many Free Words as I can.
Tuesday, January 29, 2002
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I was going to wait until February 1st to put up this new layout, but I got impatient. Plus the old look was beginning to grate on my nerves. Make sure to check out the archives for December and January!
Quote o' the day:
We need a reason for speaking; we need none for keeping silent. - Pierre Nicole
I got my shipment of books from Free Words yesterday. It's going to be a blast placing them, yet wonder why it seems like an almost criminal thing to do, when all I'll be doing is putting free books in libraries and book stores? Hmm.
For the love of God, NO!
Mighty Big TV changed it's name to Television Without Pity. I wonder why...
Ernest and Bertram: Finally, the truth! ;)
The third installment of the Austin Powers movies can't be called Goldmember, says MGM and DANJAQ.
This is a nifty little tool. Check it out and let me know where you are!
I'm Hestia. Sounds somewhat like me. [Take the Greek Goddess test]
Friday Five for Sept. 28, 2001:
1. Laying on your back and facing the ceiling, which side of the bed do you sleep on?
I have a twin bed; there really aren't sides to it.
2. Do you have to have covers (blankets and/or sheets) at all costs, no matter the weather?
In the summer I usually only use a sheet.
3. Sleep nekkid or no? Why?
No sleeping in the nude for me! I just don't feel comfortable doing that.
4. What's under your bed?
Dust, books, miscellaneous things that I probably threw under there while "cleaning" :)
5. If you have pets, do you let them sleep with you? Why or why not?
I (and my family) have 7 cats (Yes, seven! I can hardly believe it either!), but I usually only let Chills sleep by me, because she'll actually stay on the bed. The others are always getting into some sort of mischief.
Today is my dad's 49th birthday, so Happy Birthday, Dad! :)
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eclectica, a weblog copyright (©) 1999 - 2002 by joanna blackwell. mine, not yours! ;)
