Stop slamming U.S., Washington warns Martin
Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:14:35 EST
cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/12/13/wilkins-051213.html
The U.S. ambassador to Canada has rebuked Prime Minister Paul Martin, saying he risks damaging relations between the countries by dragging the United States into the federal election campaign.
David Wilkins, U.S. ambassador to Canada at a Canadian Club luncheon speech in Ottawa, Tuesday, Dec 13.
Wilkins didn't name Martin directly but left no doubt that he was talking about the prime minister when he warned against scoring cheap political points against Washington.
"It may be smart election-year politics to thump your chest and criticize your friend and your No. 1 trading partner constantly," Ambassador David Wilkins said in a speech to the Canadian Club in Ottawa on Tuesday.
"But it is a slippery slope, and all of us should hope that it doesn't have a long-term impact on the relationship."
He said Canada and the United States have one of the best relations in the world, but warned that he often wouldn't know it by comments made in the election campaign or stories in Canadian media.
"It's easy to criticize the United States; we're an easy target at times," Wilkins said. "...But the last time I looked, the United States was not on the ballot."
Martin irked Washington with Kyoto comments
During the fall, Martin has angered Washington by criticizing a number of U.S. policies, including its position on softwood lumber duties.
A few days earlier, the White House officially complained about comments the prime minister made at the UN climate change conference in Montreal.
FROM DEC. 7, 2005: Martin urges nations to get tough on energy consumption
In a speech, Martin singled out the United States and, in particular, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse-gas reductions.
Martin also urged the United States – estimated to produce one-quarter of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions – to listen to the "global conscience" on climate-change issues.
On Dec. 9, Jim Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, chastised Canadian Ambassador Frank McKenna over Martin's comments.
He told McKenna they were the worst slight against Bush since Germany's Gerhard Schroeder suggested Bush's stance against the Kyoto Protocol was responsible for hurricane Katrina.
FROM DEC. 9, 2005: Washington furious over Martin's climate change comments
U.S. better than Canada on greenhouse-gas emissions: Wilkins
Wilkins noted the United States has a better track record on cutting its greenhouse-gas emissions, as a percentage of its total, than Canada does.
Since Kyoto was signed, Canada's emissions have gone up 24 per cent over 1990 levels, while U.S. emissions have climbed 13.3 per cent from 1990 to 2003.
"I would respectfully submit to you that when it comes to a 'global conscience,' the United States is walking the walk," Wilkins said.
'I will defend Canada,' Martin says
Martin rejected Wilkins's criticisms, denying that he had attacked some U.S. policies to score political points.
"I have not made the United States or any country a target in the campaign," Martin told reporters as he campaigned in Surrey, B.C., for the Jan. 23 election.
He said it was his job as the leader of the country to tackle issues such as the softwood lumber dispute, which has been the main trade irritant between Canada and the United States for several years.
Martin noted that he had staked out Canada's stand on the lumber dispute and climate change long before an election was called.
"The position that I have taken on softwood lumber, that the Americans should honour their agreement, is a position I took long before any election was contemplated," Martin said.
"We do expect our partners to honour their agreements.
"And I will defend Canada. Period."
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
defend canada
Monday, December 12, 2005
yes virginia there is
this is still one of my all time favorites
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus?Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
shop, shop, shop
this woman told me that the world can tell that she does not get out of the village very often. she went chritsmas shopping with her children. tho, shopping ended to be more of popping in and out of stores she had never been in. only to hear the constant echo of one child, that he had been there before or no not another bed and bath store ... . to one child nudging the other child, to agree, 'yes that looks good', so a final decision would be made instead of more agonizing and contemplating over bedding choices.
to being in one kitchen shop, and one child asking the mother 'have you ever had sex on the beach' ... even tho the mother had heard other inquisitive question or statements from one child before, this one had her baffled on what answer to give. not recalling the turn of events, but the daughter was looking at shooter glasses, therefor asking about the drink called 'sex on the beach' ... ! so the answer was 'yes, i've had sex on the beach'!
contrary to the belief of my children, i was not a child all that long ago. but it seems that they do not dress up stores and malls as much as they once were ... with frosted or painted windows, to walk ways spiced up with trees sparkled with lights and other holiday decorations hanging from the ceilings, to christmas music playing various tunes. the season now, turned quickly into the buying power, they have you there by submission and guilt. no need to lure you in with any great festive magic to entice. almost seems easier to find a parking spot, than to hear even after the purchase, 'merry christmas or another seasons greeting'.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
home for the holidays
Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.
Carol Nelson
Friday, December 9, 2005
wipe your tears
bush’s dead-heads complained to our ambassador that martin’s comments ‘there is such as thing as a global conscience’, earlier in the week at the un conference on climate change ... and that martin’s comments are the worst comments since germany’s schroeder comment earlier in the year on bush’s stand against the kyoto protocol ... and yada, yada, that these types of comments will affect any talks.
grow up bush! if you can't listen to others, perhaps you should read a few international papers (those papers where you are not paying and planting own fabricated stories), many articles reference worse comments about you or the u.s. foreign policy or your definition of torture or form of democracy.
thumbs up to martin, for calling a spade, a spade!
according to the CBC, (Washington furious over Martin's climate change comments) 'CBC News correspondent Neil MacDonald said he has been told that the Americans are watching the election campaign, and if there is too much anti-U.S. rhetoric, that it would an impair progress on sensitive political issues between the countries.’
well bush, what progress?
bush, you keep watching, and remember the whole world is watching you!
from the UN Wire:
U.S. increasingly a lone state, snubbing global deals Whether it's a treaty to protect children's rights, the creation of an international court to prosecute genocide or a deal to guard cultural diversity, the U.S. over the last several years has opposed many United Nations treaties and conventions, often against a vast majority. As the U.S. continues to opt out of global agreements, including those that fight climate change and ban land mines, it is "increasingly being seen in the world as a lone state," IPS reports. Inter Press Service News Agency
Annan defends Arbour's torture comments United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday defended the UN's high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour, after she faced criticism by U.S. ambassador John Bolton for her comments on torture and detention. "The secretary general has absolutely no disagreement with the statement she made yesterday, and he sees no reason to object to any of it," Annan's spokesman Stephane Dujarric noted the day after Arbour said the secret detention of terror suspects hurts the international ban on torture. The New York Times
Thursday, December 8, 2005
season to be jolly
days are counting down against my will. a list a little longer than the days left. decorations to be fished out of the cupboard. and fall into the trappings of the commercial aspects of shop, shop, shop and shop. and just perhaps pick up all the ingredients for cookies, and hope that cookies can be baked before some consume the cookie dough. and send one out into the forest for a tree. only to take up the pain staking event of cussing and swearing that the tree will not fit into the stand properly, let alone stand up straight. to getting much pleasure of instructing grown children on the art of putting tinsel on the tree. no, not throwing it, or having gobs of it hanging lifelessly on the end of branches! one would think, that after all these years, doing it my way would be much easier on them.
xmas morning
There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
Erma Bombeck
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
climate vs oil
another, all for the sake of oil ... when will we ever learn?
Inuit sue US over climate change
The Inuit people of the Arctic have filed a landmark human rights complaint against the US, blaming the world's No 1 carbon polluter for stoking the global warming that is destroying their habitat.
Global warming may boost oil industry
A top level report on artic climate change spurred by global warming has outlined possible oil industry benefits, but also many potential pitfalls.
i see, do you see
Pinter: Iraq war act of state terror
Thursday 08 December 2005, 5:49 Makka Time, 2:49 GMT
english.aljazeera.net
In a fierce critique ahead of the Nobel awards ceremony, literature laureate Harold Pinter has branded the war on Iraq "an act of blatant state terrorism" and has demanded the prosecutions of US President George Bush and Britain's Tony Blair.
"The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law," Pinter said in a pre-recorded lecture broadcast by the Swedish Academy on Wednesday.
The Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize, aired the interview, recorded on Sunday in London, because Pinter was too sick to travel to Sweden for the lecture or pick up the award in person at Saturday's ceremony.
"How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal?" Pinter asked.
"One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice," he added.
The 75-year-old British playwright was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in December 2002.
Criticism
In the recording made in London, he used nearly his entire lecture of almost an hour to criticise the US.
"The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War.
"I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile," he said.
"The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them.
"You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force of universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis."
Pinter's criticism of Washington is nothing new.
Although he won the 2005 Nobel Prize for his plays, which according to the Nobel jury uncover "the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms," he has recently focussed on political activism.
Literature and politics
In his lecture, he emphasised the difference between the separate worlds of literature and political life.
In literature "a thing is not necessarily either true or false.
"It can be both true and false," he said, adding however that "as a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false."
Politicians are not interested "in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power", according to Pinter.
"The justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction ... It was not true.
"We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Quaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11, 2001 ... It was not true," he said.
Pinter, born the son of a Jewish dressmaker in Hackney, east London, began as an actor and made his playwriting debut in 1957, with "The Room".
That play was followed by one of his masterpieces "The Birthday Party" and his conclusive breakthrough came with "The Caretaker" in 1959, followed by "The Homecoming" in 1964.
The playwright's publisher, Stephen Page, will accept the $1.3 million prize money, a diploma and a medal on Pinter's behalf at the ceremony.
AFP
shopping for the perfect gift
hallmark or similar, but describes somethings perfectly ...
I went shopping for your gift, and I got so frustrated because I just couldn't find anything that fit the kind of "closeness" we have -- (if you know what I mean ....) and said I know you like "unwrap" things, I looked & I looked, but nothing was jumping out at me saying "Here I am! Here I am! Pick me up!"
So I spent who knows how long in the stupid mall, and then I finally figured out (huh) that I had the perfect gift all along ... (one you could unwrap too) and I had it with me .... .... it was me ...!
kids tell santa
"Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it."
Richard Lamm
stories are the same
Media wars With the Pentagon planting "good news" stories in the Iraqi media, and al-Qaeda launching a sophisticated CD, the adversaries share a keen desire to communicate ...
Berlin's Double Standards in Terror War German ministers past and present are fast becoming embroiled in an affair over how much they knew about the CIA's kidnapping and detention of terrorism suspects. Some newspaper commentators smell a ...
War crimes made easy
"A Leaderless, Directionless Superpower" Lawrence Wilkerson, 60, was instrumental in helping then Secretary of State Colin Powell assemble the dossier against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Now, however, is one of the Bush Administration's sharpes...
"Torture" takes on new meaning in post-9/11 U.S.
Saddam trial witnesses tell of torture Witnesses gave harrowing accounts of being tortured, pistol-whipped and given electric shocks by Saddam Hussein's men as the trial of the ousted Iraqi dictator over a Shiite massacre 23 years ago continued.
Secret CIA Prisons Moved From Europe to North Africa The United States held captured Al-Qaeda suspects at two secret CIA prisons in eastern Europe until last month when the facilities were shut down after media reports ...
Palestinians cheer Saddam as a hero
Tyrant or hero, Saddam steals the show in trial Whether Iraqis hate or love Saddam Hussein they agree the toppled dictator has taken control of his high-profile trial with ...
US reshapes forces to pick up the pieces after war A broad Pentagon directive issued this week orders the US military to be sure, the next time it goes to war, to prepare more thoroughly for picking up the pieces afterwar...
Accountability not a part of Iraq strategy
Man sues CIA over torture claims
'Tortured' Australian speaks out
Rice says US does not condone torture* Claims US will work to rectify mistakes in terror war * Declines to comment on the alleged CIA abduction of a German man
Textbook withdrawn for praising Bush The Pakistan government has ordered school textbooks to be withdrawn after it emerged they included a crudely written poem in praise of US President George Bush.
Saddam invites court to 'visit my cage' after witnesses tell of torture Saddam Hussein shouted that he would not return "to an unjust court" after spending the fourth day of his trial listening stony-faced to a woman describe horrific tortures inflicted on her by Iraqi interrogators.
The questions Condoleezza must answer You say the US does not permit torture under any circumstances. So why are you bending the torture rules?
Bush speech to emphasize Iraq reconstruction gains U.S. President George W. Bush will detail progress in Iraqi reconstruction on Wednesday as he tries to counter deep mistrust of his Iraq policy before elections in the war-ravaged country next week.
al-Qaida Chief: Iraq Insurgents Must Unite
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
giving
living in an area of town, where the demographics compose mostly of seniors; solicited for nonperishable food donations for christmas baskets. ironic, here we have these seniors on fixed incomes, reaching into their cupboards, the poor - giving to the poor. the true essence of generosity, and what the spirit is all about.
justice
Charges dropped against Army officer accused of killing Iraqis
The News International, Pakistan
Tuesday December 06, 2005
-- Zeeqa'ad 03, 1426 A.H.ISSN 1563-9479
jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2005-daily/06-12-2005/main/update.shtml
(Updated at 0605 PST)TOPEKA, Kansas: The Army dropped murder charges against an officer accused of giving soldiers in his platoon permission to kill two Iraqi civilians.
Second Lt. Erick J. Anderson, 26, of Twinsburg, Ohio, could have gotten life in prison if convicted.
``Today's a pretty good day,'' Anderson said. ``Right now, shock and awe is pretty much still in effect.
``It's been a long 18 months that this has all been going on,'' he said. ``The reality of it still hasn't hit that it's done and over with.
''All charges were dropped after an Army investigator who presided over a hearing last month recommended that Anderson not face a court-martial. At the hearing, one soldier who had accused Anderson changed his story, and another refused to testify. Anderson was a platoon leader in an infantry regiment in August2004.
Four men in his 36-member platoon were convicted of murdering unarmed Iraqis during operations near Sadr City, a Baghdad slum.
information freeway
Rumsfeld criticises media coverage of Iraq
The News International, Pakistan
Tuesday December 06, 2005
-- Zeeqa'ad 03, 1426 A.H.ISSN 1563-9479
www.jang.com.pk/thenews/index.html
WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld criticised the media’s coverage of the war in Iraq on Monday, accusing it of a rush to report negative stories about the US military. He called on the media to hold themselves to account for coverage that he said has failed to provide the "full story" in Iraq by focusing on bombings and attacks or sensational allegations.
"We have arrived at a strange time in this country where the worst about America and our military seems to be so quickly taken as truth by the press and reported and spread around the world, often with little context and little scrutiny, let alone correction or accountability after the fact," he said.
Rumsfeld’s media critique in a speech at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies was the latest salvo in an effort by the Bush administration to turn around eroding public support for the war.
In a question and answer session with students and faculty, Rumsfeld acknowledged that the war has not gone as planned and that the insurgency was larger than expected. "There is no question that there were people who believed they would be met as liberators, and indeed they were for a period, and still are in a number of parts of the country," he said. "But anyone who had an optimistic view has confronted reality.
It is clearly not easy. War is never easy. You never heard a word like that out of my mouth, I don’t believe," he said. But he said that just as the government has had to make adjustments so should the media, suggesting it was contributing to pessimism among elites over the war that is at odds with military’s more optimistic view.
"The media serves a valuable-indeed an indispensable-role in informing our society and holding government to account," he said.
interpretation and expression
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC)
info.detnews.com/aaec/story/details.cfm?id=425
February 26, 2005
The controversy over a "raw and unpleasant" editorial cartoon by Gary Markstein and printed in the Record & Landmark spilled over into the Iredell (N.C.) County Commissioners meeting room in December.
Commissioner Steve Johnson introduced a resolution denouncing the paper for running a cartoon that he says was derogatory to the soldiers fighting in Iraq and their families.
The cartoon depicted flag-draped coffins, with the caption, "I’ll be home for Christmas."
The resolution passed unanimously.
Johnson said he decided to introduce the resolution after receiving numerous phone calls complaining about the cartoon.
"I am not altogether pleased with the way our soldiers and their families were treated in this cartoon," he said.
Although Commissioner Godfrey Williams had not seen the cartoon, he said he voted for the resolution because of the need to support the families of soldiers serving overseas.
"We need to do anything we can to make life easier for the families of the soldiers," he said. "I also understand that the editor offered an apology. I think it was just a bad judgement."
R&L publisher Tim Dearman suggested there are much more important issues in the county that need addressing.
"Now that commissioners have resolved the easy issues that require no money, no courage and no thought, I hope they will begin doing the job they were elected to do, including getting our children out of classroom trailers," he said.
Ted Arrington, head of the political science department at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, said he understands why the commission responded with such a resolution, although he said the decision probably wasn’t wise.
"My motto is never pick a fight with the person who buys ink by the barrel," he said. "With that said, I think the commission was pandering to its constituency."
The cartoon, Arrington said, gives a powerful message but it could also be interpreted as an anti-war statement.
"They are responding in terms of how they think they constituents feel," he said. "Newspapers are privately owned and they have their opinions and will do what they want. But that resolution was not a wise decision.
"Besides, the resolution means absolutely nothing. It has no impact," he said.
Since the cartoon’s publication on Dec. 1, the R&L has received more than 100 phone calls and emails. It published an editorial the following Sunday apologizing for any pain caused to service personnel’s families.
Contacted Wednesday, cartoonist Gary Markstein defended his work, saying that while he supports the troops, the cartoon makes a valid commentary.
"The cartoon is recognizing the fact that while many of us are singing carols, there will be some families that will not be so joyful," he said. "This is a terrible and heart-wrenching fact of this and all wars. Sure, the cartoon was raw and unpleasant. But so is the environment our brave troops are in."
Markstein’s cartoons are distributed by the syndication company Copley News Service.
"For every complaint we have gotten about this cartoon, we have gotten a lot more compliments about how sensitive it is," Glenda Winders, editorial director at Copley News Service, said. "I guess it’s all in one’s point of view."
Winders said the company does not censor its cartoonists because doing so would infringe of their freedom of speech. Only once has the news service pulled a cartoon from publication, Winders said. It depicted O.J. Simpson holding a knife in the place of a Heisman trophy. Since the cartoon was drawn just days after Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder, the company felt it would convict Simpson in the press before he had been tried.
"We feel it is their first amendment right to express their point of view," she said. "It is amazing that in this country, one of our best systems is freedom of speech, and people want to stifle that."
A few weeks later, a military family is asked the Tacoma News Tribune to apologize for the same cartoon.
The newspaper serves primarily Pierce County, which is home to Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base.
"My first reaction was I started crying and just got really mad," said Cathy Painter, mother of a son who has just wrapped up a year-long tour of duty in Iraq.
"That could be my reality this Christmas and I don’t need them reminding me of that," she said.
Painter’s son, Army specialist and medic Brian Nation was also seeing red. He’s about to be deployed again to Iraq. Both mother and son felt it was insensitive of the paper to run the cartoon in an area full of military families.
"I know people that have lost their lives over there and I thought it was very distasteful," Nation said. "The editor should write an apology letter not only to people over there, but also to people back here who have lost loved ones in the war in Iraq."
At the News Tribune, the editor of the editorial page, Dave Seago, said the drawing was placed in the paper’s weekly round-up of cartoons from across the country because Markstein made an important point.
"When I first saw it I said: ‘Wow, that’s powerful,’" he said. "Most of America is going about its business shopping and preparing for Christmas as always, while we have men fighting and dying overseas."
At the newspaper’s offices, managers admitted they received several complaints by phone and e-mail but expected some backlash.
"It certainly wasn’t our intent nor the cartoonist’s intent to be disrespectful as well," Seago said. But he said he would probably run the cartoon again.
Painter and Nation said they won’t buy another News Tribune unless the paper issues an apology.
"We all know that’s a reality of war – yes, it’s an ugly reminder – but we don’t need that thrown in our faces," Painter said.
–Sources: Record and Landmark, michaelmoore.com
(cartoon published around the beginning of 12/2004.
similar articles also published at wcnc.com/news/local/stories/121004ccjrwcnccartoon.2cab2017.html
statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL%2FMGArticle%2FSRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779586719&path=!news )
Monday, December 5, 2005
a barbie world
advertising; ya, right said this mom. commenting on how the upcoming tv victoria secret fashion show was advertised with the added blurp of the show being educational – rolling her eyes, knowing that her son would justify watching it, all for the sake of learning!
what if
"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"
Theodor Seuss Geisel
Sunday, December 4, 2005
holiday season greetings
"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"
Dave Barry
i believe
Robert Fulghum's Credo
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - That myth is more potent than history,I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts -That hope always triumphs over experience - That laughter is the only cure for grief.And I believe that love is stronger than death."
Saturday, December 3, 2005
little angel
One particular Christmas a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip... but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones, so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.
Then, Mrs. Claus told him that her Mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. Then when he went to harness the Reindeer, he found three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress.
Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground, and scattered the toys. So, frustrated, Santa went back into the house for a cup of coffee and a shot of whiskey. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had hid the liquor and there was nothing to drink.
In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the coffee pot and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw it was made from.
Just then, the doorbell rang and Santa cussed his way to the door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas Tree. The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas Santa. Isn't it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you, Isn't it just a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?"
Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas Tree!
Friday, December 2, 2005
what the pagan's started
be it myth, folklore, legends, cultural customs or family traditions; take the religious condemnation with a grain of salt and continue calling it a ‘Christmas Tree’.
Parts extracted from the:
All About The Christmas Tree
Pagan origins, Christian adaptation, & secular status
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-DEC-29
Many Pagan cultures used to cut down evergreen trees in December, moved them into the home or temple and decorated them. Modern-day Pagans still do. This was to recognize the winter solstice -- the time of the year that had the shortest daylight hours, and longest night of the year. This occurs annually sometime between DEC-20 to 23. They noticed that the days were gradually getting shorter; many feared that the sun would eventually disappear forever, and everyone would freeze. But, even though deciduous trees, bushes, and crops died or hibernated for the winter, the evergreen trees remained green. They seemed to have magical powers that enabled them to withstand the rigors of winter.
Not having evergreen trees, the ancient Egyptians considered the palm tree to symbolize resurrection. They decorated their homes with its branches during the winter solstice.
The first decorating of an evergreen tree began with the heathen Greeks and their worship of their god Adonia, who allegedly was brought back to life by the serpent Aessulapius after having been slain.
The ancient Pagan Romans decorated their "trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a fertility god]. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god" Their mid-winter festival of Saturnalia started on DEC-17 and often lasted until a few days after the Solstice.
In Northern Europe, the ancient Druids tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, in honor of their god Woden. Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life. This is the deity after which Wednesday was named. The trees joined holly, mistletoe, the wassail bowl and the Yule log as symbols of the season. All predated Christianity.
One Christmas tradition was that St. Boniface (675? - 755; a.k.a. Winfred) cut down a deciduous tree in the presence of some newly-baptized Christians. The tree was an oak -- once sacred to the former Pagans. It miraculously split into four pieces, revealing an evergreen tree growing from the center of the oak stump. This symbolized the death of Paganism and the establishment of Christianity.
Another is that Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) was so impressed by a forest scene that he cut down a small fir tree, took it home, and decorated it with lighted candles. This is probably a myth, because the earliest documented record of a Christmas tree in Germany is dated to almost 60 years after his death.
The Christmas tree tradition dates back to Western Germany in the 16th century. They were called "Paradeisbaum" (paradise trees) and were brought into homes to celebrate the annual Feast of Adam and Eve on DEC-24. They were first brought to America by German immigrants about 1700. Christmas trees became popular among the general population about 1850.
invert the christmas tree
so ya think this is a new trend, do ya ... think again!
The Upside Down Fir Tree
www.eldrbarry.net
During the 7th century, a monk from Devonshire spent time there preaching the word of God. Like any good instructor, he used props. The story goes that he used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that makes up the Holy Trinity.
By the 12th century, the Fir tree was being hung upside down from ceilings in Central Europe as a symbol of christianity at Christmas time.
Thursday, December 1, 2005
literacy-jammies-boxers
went grocery shopping. a cart later and a dent with the debit card. so much for running in for just a couple things.
while waiting in line, this woman picked up a magazine and read the bi-line to whom i presume was her daughter '15 you will dump before you are 30'. mockingly suggesting that it was information that every girl needed to have. and then dashed off, only to return with another magazine, this one in cellophane. validating the magazine by way of the cellophane, which it would probably interest the other; i would presume her son. the check out clerk was a little lost on how to respond, and then finally got it and laughed along.
amazing, the years have gone by. still seems not so long ago, last minute items i would have picked up would have been a hot wheel car or crayons and a colouring book or a package of assorted barbie shoes or an archie comic book.
however, as they say, knowledge is power, and whatever gives incentive for one to read, then so be it!
and then this woman told me how she had sometime to kill, and made her way over to the department store. picked up a couple pairs of jammie bottoms for her kids. knowing that one would not be over overly joyed by the purchase. however, as she saw it, the boy has to realize he might enjoy sleeping nude. but when he visits other places, it is not so cool to be flashed at his age.
and the other, just happy to have new jammie bottoms. i always thought girls wanted the tops, but times have changed. tho the girl wasn't impressed when the mom figured she would enjoy the bottoms more so if she altered them. altered to have bunnie slippers attached to them or to have bells on the toes, just like days gone by.
and without the boy around, a quick decision to purchase some boxers was decided. oh she has been versed on the art of selecting boxers; who would have known, she says. she learnt that certain flannel has the tendency to leave lint in the wrong places. buttons or snaps, one has to look carefully, often in the wrong place or kind. some closures get too cold or too warm. will the fly close properly? or get one with the fly sewn up, but then that creates a whole other dilemma of pros and cons. some are too long, too short, too wide, too narrow. some material slides in the wrong places or direction or skids on the body or bunches up in all the wrong places. certain flannel or cotton is warmer or cooler than others. and the fabric, to thin, too thick, too hard, or too soft. then there is the print design. cute he says, if you want to get laughed or teased in a change room. so you look at solid colours, too dark, too light, too bold or the colour is just not appealing. then you get into the checks and plaids, too big, too small, too bright, too dull, too plain, too fancy. this one is good to wear with pants, this one is good to wear with shorts ... four hours later, a lesson learnt never-never ask 'just please tell me why you do not like these'.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
for all the wrong reasons
almost an entire day in bed.
fever, loss of appetite, sore throat, sniffles, coughing, body aches, fatigue, chills, headache, sore eyes ... . influenza. next year, i break down and get a flu shot.
and just how many days of this? like clock work. i pick up the germs every year!
and who will be next. the one that picks it up, goes into their room and suffers it out in silence, or the one that whines and complains with details and specifics. so when i get little sympathy, i know why, i should eat those words! or maybe i just complain a little louder and a bit more often.!
saddam/bush better/worse
Saddam 'urged' to contest elections
Aljazeera.net
Wednesday 30 November 2005, 17:07 Makka Time, 14:07 GMT
Saddam Hussein's defence team has been inundated by requests from Iraqis to have the ousted leader run in Iraq's upcoming elections, a member of the team says.
"We received scores of verbal and written requests from Iraqi citizens, the man-in-the-street kind, appealing to have President Saddam run for elections," said lawyer Issam Ghazawi on Wednesday.
Ghazawi was one of three lawyers who attended Saddam's resumed trial in Baghdad on Monday.
He said the Iraqis who approached the defence team also had expressed frustration with the current violence and poor conditions inside the country.
Ghazawi's claims could not be independently verified, but some Iraqis are known to still support Saddam, and Iraqi expatriates in Jordan have voiced similar complaints and feelings.
Ghazawi said the other lawyers who were approached by people in the hotel, airport, restaurant and the street were former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ex-Qatari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi. All three serve as advisers to Saddam's lead Iraqi lawyer, Khalil Dulaimi.
Clark told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had met Saddam in Baghdad on Monday and had found him in "very good spirits".
Saddam lawyers contend that he is still the legal president of Iraq.
Legal validity
Ghazawi said the legal team might at some point examine whether it is legally possible to have Saddam run for elections.
He said the requests from Iraqis that he and the other lawyers received on the issue "may not be valid, considering that under Iraqi law, Mr Saddam is the legitimate and current president of Iraq and it's unlikely that he can be re-elected in the midst of his rule".
"It is possible that we may consider at some point examining the legal aspect of having Mr Saddam run for elections, although there is no previous precedent to have an Iraqi leader get re-elected during his reign," he said.
appauling
U.S. Military Planting Stories in Iraqi Newspapers:
Report By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
11/30/05
The U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to print stories written by U.S. soldiers in an effort to polish the image of the American mission in Iraq, a U.S. newspaper reported Nov. 30.
U.S. military “information operations” troops have written the articles, which are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based defense contractor, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Many articles are presented to Iraqi newspapers as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists, the daily said, citing documents it obtained and unnamed U.S. military officials.
The stories denounce insurgents and tout the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops and the US-led effort to rebuild Iraq.
The United States has paid Iraqi newspapers to publish dozens of articles, the L.A. Times said. ”The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military,” it said. The Lincoln Group helps translate and place the stories. The contractor’s Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance journalists or advertising executives to hand the stories to Iraqi papers.
Some senior U.S. military officers in Iraq and at the Pentagon have criticized the operation, saying it could ruin the U.S. military’s credibility in other countries and with the U.S. public.”
Here we are trying to create the principles of democracy in Iraq.
Every speech we give in that country is about democracy. And we’re breaking all the first principles of democracy when we’re doing it,” a senior Pentagon official who opposes the planting of stories was quoted as saying.
Much of the effort was being directed by the “Information Operations Task Force” in Baghdad, part of the multinational corps headquarters commanded by Army Lieutenant General John Vines, the newspaper said.
The task force has even bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, a military official said, refusing to name the outlets to protect their staff from insurgent attacks.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
place an X
minority government falls. an election campaign over the holidays. in my humble opinion, what a waste of time. i predict liberals will hold power again; and harper, the wanna be prime minister will fall flat on his face ... and be tossed.
Monday, November 28, 2005
cook books, i think not
some of our best dinners have come from other sources other than the take out menu. or from the frozen food section, where we toss wrappings to the depths of the garbage container, to give the illusion that it was prepared from scratch. or meals created on the fly, the ones where ingredients are limited and creativity really has to come into play. and a bonus when we can recreate and simulate the meal at another time. where gourmet dinners consist of a little more than pouring a good third or more of a bottle of wine to make a sauce or dripped over to give a delectable aroma.
last night another story. a stuffed chicken that took forever to cook. that chicken came in and out of the oven more times than trying to keep a live chicken in pen with the door open. to the point of having been teased enough by the smells lingering through the house. to slicing this perfectly browned bird, and tossing it back in the oven to finish cooking so we could eat before we went to bed. all said and done, was a really decent meal.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
mittens
about a year ago, Bush thanked Canadians who waved a welcome to him "with all five fingers" on his first official visit to Canada ...
however as reporter Antonia Zerbisias from the Toronto Star commented ....
"Yeah, well, we used all five fingers because that's the way our mitts are made".
priceless!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
freedom of expression
Revolution
By John S. Hatch11/26/05 "ICH" -- --
President Bush was recently criticized for not being forceful enough in denouncing Chinese human rights abuses during a trip there. Excuse me? This is the torture president. How on earth can the United States preach to anyone in the world about human rights or the rule of law, or morality? In even raising the question, has Mr. Bush abandoned any claim to sanity? If it is wrong for China to abuse human rights (and it’s true that their record is horrible) how is it acceptable for the US in Iraq to sexually torture imprisoned children as a means to coerce their (probably completely innocent) parents to disclose information they most likely don’t have?
There is within the mythology America finds so indispensable something so sick and downright evil, but so pervasive that even after all the revelations of torture and rape and murder sanctioned at the highest levels of government, even now the numbness persists, and writers still insist on thinking that America is somehow a shining example of decency to a world which needs its sanctimonious preaching. Who in their right mind would want to emulate America in this century? Who on earth would want to be an American in this darkest of times? America is like a born-again Christian fundamentalist—mean, ignorant, full of hate and rage and superstition, but utterly convinced of his own righteousness. In short, insane. Dangerously insane.
In Iraq American sanctioned and trained elements of the Iraqi military are back to using electric drills on ‘insurgents’, an old Saddam phenomenon. Drill for oil, drill for blood. They’ll drill your knee, or your arm, or your head. You are innocent. Doesn’t matter. Think George cares? White phosphorous. Depleted uranium. Shock and awe. Cluster bombs. Etcetera. Where are those photographs and videos of children undergoing torture at Abu Grahaib that a judge ordered released months ago? Whatever happened to the rule of law? Where did accountability go? Where the hell is the outrage? Why are Bush and Rumsfeld and Rice and a bunch of others not in jail cells? Where is the outrage?
For those who think that change is coming in ’06 or ’08, think again—these people cannot relinquish power, whatever further lies and outrages they must commit to retain it. There are simply too many crimes against humanity and war crimes for which to avoid accountability at all costs. Lives depend on it. Many more crimes are yet to be reported. Do not for a moment consider that this bunch would not, if they saw it in their interests, engineer another deadly 911 incident (blamed on Muslims, of course) to once again terrorize the populace into meek submission. It may be pathologically manipulative and barbaric, but that’s Straussian politics. To them it’s not only acceptable, it’s business as usual. It’s probably going to happen, as Bush’s numbers continue to decline.
America has seen bad times—slavery, the civil war, McCarthyism and communist hysteria, never-ending racism, Nixon and Kissinger, the unheralded horror of Reagan, but Bush has brought disaster on a completely different level. Bush is a dupe, if an evil one, but there are truly ugly, nasty people pulling his strings. Nothing short of a second American revolution is going to rescue your nation. Even now Bush is making plans to violently stop such a thing from happening. We’re going to see once and for all if Americans stand for the vaunted values to which they give such eloquent and loud lip service. If so, then I fear they will have to pay in blood. It’s come to that. I’m sorry.
John S. Hatch is a Vancouver writer and film-maker.
who makes the rules
Iran president in war charges call
news.scotsman.com
Sat 26 Nov 2005
Press Association Ltd
Iran president in war charges call Iran's hard-line president has called for the Bush administration to be tried on war crimes charges related to Iraq and denounced the West for its stance on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
"You, who have used nuclear weapons against innocent people, who have used uranium ordnance in Iraq should be tried as war criminals in courts," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an apparent reference to the US.
Ahmadinejad didn't elaborate, but he was apparently referring to the US military's use of artillery shells packed with depleted uranium, which is far less radioactive than natural uranium and is left over from the process of enriching uranium for use as nuclear fuel.
Since the 2003 start of the Iraq war, US forces have reportedly fired at least 120 tons of shells packed with depleted uranium, an extremely dense material used by the US and British militaries for tank armour and armour-piercing weapons. Once fired, the shells melt, vaporise and turn to dust.
"Who in the world are you to accuse Iran of suspicious nuclear armed activity?" asked the Iranian president during a nationally televised ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of the establishment of the volunteer Basij paramilitary force.
Iran has been under intense pressure to curb its nuclear programme, which the US claims is part of an effort to produce nuclear weapons. Iran denies such claims and says its nuclear programme is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity. But it insists that it has the right to develop its nuclear programme, including enrichment of nuclear fuel.
On Thursday, the 35-board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency met on Iran's nuclear file after the US and Europe warned of UN Security Council action, accusing Iran of having documents that show how to produce parts of nuclear warheads.
Iran has temporarily stopped its enrichment programme, but negotiations between it and Britain, France and Germany broke off in August after Tehran unfroze another part of its programme - the conversion of raw uranium into the gas that is used as the feeder stock in enrichment.
Iran has also rejected European calls to halt work at its uranium conversion facility near city of Isfahan in central Iran.
Ahmadinejad rejected Western concerns over his country's nuclear programme.
Friday, November 25, 2005
for the sake of fashion
snowing again. still.
dressed in layers of clothing. matching snow suit, hat, scarf, mittens and boots. arms sticking out horizontally like a mummy to go to school ... is how a six-year-old described the winter experience.
later refusing to wear much of the winter attire. the mittens did not match the outfit and more so interfered with pressing the play buttons on the diskman. wearing a hat would mess up the hair. and surely wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a scarf. boots were tossed to the back of the closet. runners were well worth the risk of potentially falling down.
the trend has not changed very much. technology has given way to the ipod. apparently, not cold enough to rest the hoodie for a winter jacket. shoes have replaced the runners. gloves come out now and then ... .
Thursday, November 24, 2005
personal advertisements
a friend placed a personal on one of the boards ... curiosity got the best of me, and ventured over to look. not all, and granted not everyone is a writer, but i would think one would take a bit of time, at least run it through a spell checker, add a bit of creative flair, and get rid of the clichés and maybe delete the double ads.
“interested in trying new things," glad that they clarified, seeing how doing all the old things is a bit uneventful.
“love to people watch," would suggest to me, don’t mind me, i’m looking for something better to come along!
“looking for the right lady or wanted one happy woman ...," just wouldn’t be fair to say i’m looking for someone depressed and the wrong one!
“not into the dating scene ... but wanting a relationship ... ," think one dates first, then a relationship!
“not into head games ... honest ... loyal ...own skin ... faithful ..... ," and the baggage hasn’t left the door yet!
“mother ...," i would think that anyone that mentions their mother in a personal ad, well they are either looking for a mother or be prepared to date both him and his mother.
“divorced for almost ...," here comes the baggage, they have counted the days!
“dream date ...," what he is really saying, is you will never live up to my expectations!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
the hour glass turns
a woman i know, says she stands in the middle. like the shift in time. the sandwich generation they call it. parent on one side, kids on the other. more like a paradox . she sees the marbles roll, and hopes the table shifts back each time; and another has the marbles to play.
the woman asks, no trick question, but who is the daughter and who is the mother - who is the mother and who is the child?
double standard
US intelligence classified white phosphorus as 'chemical weapon'
WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
By Peter Popham and Anne Penketh
Published: 23 November 2005
The Italian journalist who launched the controversy over the American use of white phosphorus (WP) as a weapon of war in the Fallujah siege has accused the Americans of hypocrisy. Sigfrido Ranucci, who made the documentary for the RAI television channel aired two weeks ago, said that a US intelligence assessment had characterised WP after the first Gulf War as a "chemical weapon".
The assessment was published in a declassified report on the American Department of Defence website. The file was headed: "Possible use of phosphorous chemical weapons by Iraq in Kurdish areas along the Iraqi-Turkish-Iranian borders."
In late February 1991, an intelligence source reported, during the Iraqi crackdown on the Kurdish uprising that followed the coalition victory against Iraq, "Iraqi forces loyal to President Saddam may have possibly used white phosphorous chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels and the populace in Erbil and Dohuk. The WP chemical was delivered by artillery rounds and helicopter gunships."
According to the intelligence report, the "reports of possible WP chemical weapon attacks spread quickly among the populace in Erbil and Dohuk. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled from these two areas" across the border into Turkey.
"When Saddam used WP it was a chemical weapon," said Mr Ranucci, "but when the Americans use it, it's a conventional weapon. The injuries it inflicts, however, are just as terrible however you describe it."
In the television documentary, eyewitnesses inside Fallujah during the bombardment in November last year described the terror and agony suffered by victims of the shells . Two former American soldiers who fought at Fallujah told how they had been ordered to prepare for the use of the weapons. The film and still photographs posted on the website of the channel that made the film - rainews24.it - show the strange corpses found after the city's destruction, many with their skin apparently melted or caramelised so their features were indistinguishable. Mr Ranucci said he had seen photographs of "more than 100" of what he described as "anomalous corpses" in the city.
The US State Department and the Pentagon have shifted their position repeatedly in the aftermath of the film's showing. After initially saying that US forces do not use white phosphorus as a weapon, the Pentagon now says that WP had been used against insurgents in Fallujah. The use of WP against civilians as a weapon is prohibited.
Military analysts said that there remain questions about the official US position regarding its observance of the 1980 conventional weapons treaty which governs the use of WP as an incendiary weapon and sets out clear guidelines about the protection of civilians.
Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association in Washington, called for an independent investigation of the use of WP during the Fallujah siege. "If it was used as an incendiary weapon, clear restrictions apply," he said.
"Given that the US and UK went into Iraq on the ground that Saddam Hussein had used chemical weapons against his own people, we need to make sure that we are not violating the laws that we have subscribed to," he added.
Yesterday Adam Mynott, a BBC correspondent in Nassiriya in April 2003, told Rai News 24 that he had seen WP apparently used as a weapon against insurgents in that city.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
bundles of joy
always somewhat amused, when i see a parent in the grocery check out with their new born baby. i have noticed that women holding their babies rock back and forth - right to left, and seems more often men holding the baby, are almost bouncing up and down or backward and forward. however, what is more amazing, is when the checkout line is going slow, and others behind start to follow suit, and mimic swaying or bouncing, and soon follows all the way down the down the line-up.
i look at those sweet bundles of joy, and a tenderness takes over. i remember someone telling me, one never knows the love for a child until they have one of their own. how true. and now, later in life, i look at those new parents, and try to recall what it was like to hold one of mine. a memory there. so far in the distant past. almost hard to remember that mine were once so very small. the years went by far to fast. on the other hand, i'm glad i'm at the stage where mine are at the ages they are.
kid test
KID TEST
How to know whether or not you are ready to have kids:
Mess Test
Smear Peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.
Toy Test
Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (you may substitute roofing tack if you wish). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold and take off shoes. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream as this would wake a child a night.
Grocery Store Test
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.
Dressing Test
Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.
Feeding Test
Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.
Night Test
Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 3:00pm, being to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00pm. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00pm. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00am. Set alarm for 5:00am. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.
Ingenuity Test
Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube and turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Use only scotch tape and a piece of foil. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty box of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Automobile Test
Forget the BMW, and buy a station wagon or mini van. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it into the CD player. Take a family-size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a rake along both side of the car. There, perfect!!!
Physical Test (Women)
Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Then remove the beans. And try not to notice your closet full of clothes. You won't be wearing them for awhile.
Physical Test (Men)
Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.
Final Assignment
Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the LAST time you will have all the answers.
surprise me not
Blair reportedly persuaded Bush not to bomb Al-Jazeera
Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Posted at 10:33 AM EST Associated Press
London — A British civil servant has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking a government memo that, according to a newspaper report Tuesday, suggests that Prime Minister Tony Blair persuaded President George W. Bush not to bomb the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera.
According to the Daily Mirror, Mr. Bush spoke of targeting Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha when he met Mr. Blair at the White House on April 16 last year. The U.S. government has regularly accused Al-Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for anti-U.S. sentiments.
Mr. Blair's Downing Street office would not comment on the report.
In Qatar, Al-Jazeera said it was aware of the report but did not wish to comment immediately.
Cabinet Office civil servant David Keogh is accused of passing the memo to Leo O'Connor, who formerly worked for former British MP Tony Clarke. Both Mr. Keogh and Mr. O'Connor are scheduled to appear at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court next week.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Mr. Keogh was charged with an offence under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act relating to “a damaging disclosure” by a servant of the Crown of information relating to international relations or information obtained from a state other than the United Kingdom.
Mr. O'Connor was charged under section 5, which relates to receiving and disclosing illegally disclosed information.
According to the newspaper, Mr. Clarke returned the memo to Mr. Blair's office. Mr. Clarke could not immediately be contacted for comment on Tuesday.
Critics jumped on the report, saying it raised questions about U.S. military attacks on Al-Jazeera offices in Afghanistan and Iraq that Washington said were accidental, as well as on other reportedly accidental U.S. attacks on journalists in Iraq.
In April 2003, an Al-Jazeera journalist died when its Baghdad office was struck during a U.S. bombing campaign. Nabil Khoury, a U.S. State Department spokesman in Doha, said the strike was a mistake.
In November 2002, Al-Jazeera's office in Kabul, Afghanistan, was destroyed by a U.S. missile. None of the staff was at the office at the time. U.S. officials said they believed the target was a terrorist site and did not know it was Al-Jazeera's office.
Peter Kilfoyle, a former defence minister in Mr. Blair's government, called for the document to be made public.
“I think they ought to clarify what exactly happened on this occasion,” he said. “If it was the case that President Bush wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera in what is after all a friendly country, it speaks volumes, and it raises questions about subsequent attacks that took place on the press that wasn't embedded with coalition forces.”
Sir Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Liberal Democrats, said that, if true, the memo was worrying.
“If true, then this underlines the desperation of the Bush administration as events in Iraq began to spiral out of control,” he said. “On this occasion, the Prime Minister may have been successful in averting political disaster, but it shows how dangerous his relationship with President Bush has been.”
all for the oil
Report: Iraqis losing out on oil fortune
Aljazeera.net
Tuesday 22 November 2005, 15:39 Makka Time, 12:39 GMT
An NGO report says oil majors are exploiting Iraq's instability
Up to $113 billion in Iraqi oil revenues are going to multinational oil companies under long-term contracts, and not to the Iraqi people, says a social and environmental group.
In a report, the group known as Platform said that oil multinationals would be paid between 74 billion pounds ($43 billion) and 194 billion pounds, with rates of return of between 42% and 162% under proposed production-sharing agreements, or PSAs.
"The form of contracts being promoted is the most expensive and undemocratic option available," said Platform researcher Greg Muttitt on Tuesday.
"Iraq's oil should be for the benefit of the Iraqi people, not foreign oil companies."
New and weak
Muttitt added: "Iraq's institutions are new and weak. Experience in other countries shows that oil companies generally get the upper hand in PSA negotiations with governments.
"The companies will inevitably use Iraq's current instability to push for highly advantageous terms and lock Iraq to those terms for decades."
The report, titled Crude Designs: The Rip-Off of Iraq's Oil Wealth, said the majority of Iraqis were against the large-scale involvement of foreign companies in the post-Saddam era.
"Iraqi public opinion is strongly opposed to handing control over oil development to foreign companies," it said.
"But with the active involvement of the US and British governments, a group of powerful Iraqi politicians and technocrats is pushing for a system of long-term contracts with foreign oil companies which will be beyond the reach of Iraqi courts, public scrutiny or democratic control."
Profits and plunder
Under PSAs, foreign companies provide capital investment, including drilling and the construction of infrastructure, and a proportion of oil extracted is allocated to the companies.
"Iraqi public opinion is strongly opposed to handing control over oil development to foreign companies"
But Platform's report alleged that financing oil development could be done instead through government budgetary expenditure, using future oil flows as collateral to borrow money, or using international oil companies through shorter-term and less lucrative contracts.
Louise Richards, chief executive of aid charity War on Want, said: "People have increasingly come to realise that the Iraq war was about oil, profits and plunder."
"Iraq's oil profits, far from being used to alleviate some of the suffering the Iraqi people now face, are well within the sights of the oil multinationals."
AFP
Monday, November 21, 2005
mouth of babes
a mothers recollections of her children,
he told me all the things i could do, not the things i couldn’t.
or
you taught us to play nice and be fair,
big mistake,
the world isn’t like that.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
freedom
i shake my head, civic elections held yesterday, and only 39.1% turn out in our community. to over hearing a woman, her child, from baby steps to voting. elated that the child could put an x on paper, something that counts, that does not purely represent the x for kisses! did it all on her own the child said, voted without the training wheels! we should all exercise the democratic right and simultaneously the privilege to vote.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
credence
given under creed,
Friday, November 18, 2005
just about sums things up
Arab News: (16, Shawwal, 1426)
The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily
Editorial: A War Built on Lies
18 November 2005
The US military began the week with vigorous denials of claims made by Italian TV that phosphorus shells had been used as weapons in the battle for Fallujah. They had only, announced the Pentagon, been used to illuminate the battlefield and create smoke. The week ended, however, with the admission this had been a lie. Proof positive that phosphorous shells had been fired at targets in the battle was found in a report on their effectiveness written by a serving officer and published in a US artillery journal.
It has been the same story with napalm, which the Americans denied using during the Iraq invasion. When confronted with reports from embedded journalists, quoting US officers, that napalm indeed had been used in a bombing raid on a Tigris bridge, the military denied it had actually been napalm. Napalm, said the spokesman, was petroleum-based. The cloud of fire caused in the Tigris raid had been caused by a kerosene-based weapon. Given these revelations, it is barely credible that Washington continues to protest that it is not using “chemical” weapons, as if phosphorous or napalm or , if they insist, kerosene were not chemicals but soft drinks. Yet it was the alleged existence of chemical as well as nuclear weapons that was the original excuse for the start of George W. Bush’s Iraq debacle. In the end, Saddam was found to have absolutely none. Unfortunately the United States has all too many.
More important, however, than what US troops are actually doing on the battlefield is what Washington is saying. The Bush White House went to war on a lie, is still fighting that war with lies and if it stays true to form will end its involvement on a lie. The final falsehood will perhaps be that Americans can hold their heads up high because their sons and daughters have fought and prevailed in a noble cause. They are marching proudly home from Iraq, leaving the country on the threshold of freedom and prosperity, with its destiny now entirely in its own hands.
It has happened before. After eight years of fighting, at one time involving half a million US troops, America pulled out of Vietnam in 1973. Saigon and the South Vietnamese government it had left behind, fell to North Vietnamese forces. America lost that war because it failed to win hearts and minds. This failure stemmed directly from appalling incidents like the My Lai massacre, coupled with the constant lies the world was told about why the US was fighting the war and how it was winning it.
Thirty years on and America seems to have learned nothing. They have brought to Iraq the same profound cultural ignorance, the same imperial arrogance and the same hopeless total reliance on main force. And all the time, they busily forfeit what little trust exists among Iraqis by piling one untruth upon another.
Iraq was invaded because of the WMD lie. US troops poured into Vietnam because of the Gulf of Tonkin incident in which North Vietnamese torpedo boats allegedly attacked US destroyers. That was a lie too.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
a little humour
A woman was waiting in the checkout line at a store. Her arms were filled with a mop, a broom, and other cleaning supplies. By her actions and deep sighs, it was obvious she was in an extreme hurry and was not happy about the slowness of the line. When the cashier called for a price check on a box of soap, the woman remarked indignantly, "Well, I'll be lucky to get out of here and home before Christmas!"
"Don't worry, ma'am," replied the clerk. "With that wind kicking up out there and that brand new broom you have there, you'll be home in no time".
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
routines
conversed with a friend. in touch. out of touch. yet each conversation infusions inserted here, there and between different dialogues, and one is quickly caught up to speed, without noticing any time had passed. conversations transform from out right comical, to then mocking of our own lives, and then back to serious. conversations that one can just blurt out anything, without hesitation, without repercussions of a judgmental response in return. or if the occasion rose to having each other just to listen, without advice or intrusion or to critiques; so reciprocal. treasure her always.
thought of doing the laundry. and dismissed as quickly as i peered into ones room. thought if the heap got just a bit higher, picking up would be easier and if that does not come to pass, then i am sure when one is completely out of clothes, they will realize the notion of putting the clothes in a bucket.
thought, perhaps vacuum. then if one vacuums, one has to dust. if one goes through that much trouble, one might as well clean the bathroom. and then the floors. seemed a little too demanding ... quickly rid myself of that notion. can sit on the seat, can walk without tripping or sticking to the floors, so tomorrow perhaps.
however, knowing that i actually prepared dinner early, so we could eat early was an accomplishment in its self. wasn’t dinner out of a box, out of the freezer or from a take out menu. actually fairly creative, was more than eatable, and a nutritious, absolutely amazing.domestic skills are just not one my better attributes.
though, in years gone by i did the routines regularly as expected. maybe one needs a maid or one good old fashioned wife. so the balance of the day was spent, reading and then doing a bit of meditating. much more satisfying.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Monday, November 14, 2005
till the end of time
Accompany me through unknown journeys,
Sight hands to follow life desires,
Acquisition the heart's excursion,
Partake and illuminate each others world.
Your ambitions may not be mine,
My aspirations will not always be yours,
Permit the experiences of our growth,
Season the changes that come with time.
Flourish together, change the obstructions,
Celebrate the accomplishments,
Elevate the other through the deficiencies,
Collectively as two people should.
Not to condone each others growth or thoughts,
Let us not be frightened to reveal the darkest phobias,
Tolerate each other to confide our wildest dreams,
Preserve each other to travel bountiful days.
Listening to the words conveyed,
Not the echo's one hears,
Never to humiliate by thought,
Or paralyze the emotions.
Stand side by side,
Share the journey with me,
Love, and let me love,
Through the clouds and the sun.
No need for circles to pronounce the oath,
Only prerequisites of the bonding of two,
Precious boundaries within the soul,
Till death do we part.
