tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8437787781190504502024-03-13T00:48:38.210-07:00the spitting vesselAn invitation to spit your mind out, in disgust or in jest, so long as you feel it is a wrong that must be corrected.durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.comBlogger315125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-51897265744118015362009-01-15T08:10:00.000-08:002009-01-15T20:51:41.783-08:00The Growing Graveyard in Gaza<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOCxI1AUIMNZ06Yu905zwACwrlSbix0KDBhCa_MXHHlYhIfPM333pFevbD5cGUCVYNKBqW_EsbM_eSyuqf9jjwixXl8sj6zDyE5JxRlI62xxn4ox9bhnZ6S3ARZl0hUvYABZUe5dymaPB/s1600-h/gaza_mother_dead_children.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOCxI1AUIMNZ06Yu905zwACwrlSbix0KDBhCa_MXHHlYhIfPM333pFevbD5cGUCVYNKBqW_EsbM_eSyuqf9jjwixXl8sj6zDyE5JxRlI62xxn4ox9bhnZ6S3ARZl0hUvYABZUe5dymaPB/s200/gaza_mother_dead_children.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291547714230739314" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >In that small strip of land called Gaza, it has become the problem of the living to bury the dead. Dying is such a regular occurrence that outstrips birthing and aging, and the Palestinians have run out of graveyards. Those buried by the rubble from the bombs and big guns of Israeli tanks may be retained where they perished</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. And if the Jewish State offensive continues, the entire Gaza may become a graveyard - not only of the mangled bodies of civilians, but also of the dreams of young Palestinians for a better existence and a place to call their homeland.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoEQxtjghxE4bHczaeZCB-3UHUei8q0LhPrwJGME7U9_nm10a5DYYBjVcdrOIQFYFIxLjUsShQxeHTgkd1VOewkkfgEZSsIKTMPpdx_5NoliJcbz4Ec01QxEOu0sdtGw9c58wNaDCBYZR/s1600-h/0303-gaza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoEQxtjghxE4bHczaeZCB-3UHUei8q0LhPrwJGME7U9_nm10a5DYYBjVcdrOIQFYFIxLjUsShQxeHTgkd1VOewkkfgEZSsIKTMPpdx_5NoliJcbz4Ec01QxEOu0sdtGw9c58wNaDCBYZR/s200/0303-gaza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291550075360392994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As of the 12th of January, 971 Gazans have been killed - one third of them children. Those that will eventually perish from diseases, wounds, and starvation brought on by the humanitarian crisis now engulfing the area, have yet to be factored in.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> The latest is that Israeli bombs have struck a United Nations aid storage facility, aggravating the already volatile and inadequate aid supply in the city. Israel has also struck the office facilities used by foreign journalists. Both bombs have been confirmed to contain phosphorous - a fact Israel has consistently denied.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNqd-Ta94f1mRVCj4CJ0HejqViOt0VMPqBXUl3JhWPApviuQeLcFfkVAmgXZVaE9nI5ZGcxCBtv9d4KwbeBzpj_6mjho3K4r04gOxucNnkNUpFW_xbGisDtDj6SID8l1Dui_K0ZUCCHUt/s1600-h/gaza-bombed~s600x600.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNqd-Ta94f1mRVCj4CJ0HejqViOt0VMPqBXUl3JhWPApviuQeLcFfkVAmgXZVaE9nI5ZGcxCBtv9d4KwbeBzpj_6mjho3K4r04gOxucNnkNUpFW_xbGisDtDj6SID8l1Dui_K0ZUCCHUt/s200/gaza-bombed~s600x600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291550488444463426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Israel's claim of self-defense is not all that plausible. Prior to its recent barrage in Gaza, it has not suffered an armed attack, which in the UN Charter preserves the right of a state to retaliate. What Israel has initiated is a war of aggression. Since the rocket attacks versus Israel in 2002 commenced, about two dozen Israelis have perished. These attacks by Hamas may be considered war crimes; yet in the same period, Israel's retaliatory strikes have killed 2,700 Palestinians.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C7ERe215V6Fzd_eQmzJhrmCCGa1g_CkjKr-yT_sZVVXx9PxXM07AKwmPvxUrxoAd9-TG28rX6tutRXTPkRBBLVgzl1eYJmCqtObO38lGDr8R7puXfN8fVNg8N4VBbkpdiDoP66DbshLV/s1600-h/090111-saad-hizballah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C7ERe215V6Fzd_eQmzJhrmCCGa1g_CkjKr-yT_sZVVXx9PxXM07AKwmPvxUrxoAd9-TG28rX6tutRXTPkRBBLVgzl1eYJmCqtObO38lGDr8R7puXfN8fVNg8N4VBbkpdiDoP66DbshLV/s200/090111-saad-hizballah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291550980215911650" border="0" /></a><br />In June 2008, both sides agreed to a 6-month truce which neither party fully complied with. Hamas fired rockets into Israel after the Jewish State killed or seized Hamas members in the West Bank, and Israel's refusal to ease the blockade that effectively starved and suffocated Gaza. Israel then broke the truce in November 2008 and killed a Palestinian. The resulting Hamas rockets killed no one - but Israel then killed 5 more Palestinians. The current conflict was thus initiated by Israel's violation of the truce - and it cannot claim self-defense against this escalation because it was provoked by its own abuse.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdHscHqhgYEn3rki32N5EkCyV4BozzVxkNF0lKQRQTX1sYYvWUnTUEifkP2uqZBW6OYx6PAcjLGBRir3pzlpNyWBoqAxtcE7tJmTZfYUIBrQKrbq1TynEnyfCbduGwNAwz0ztafrs1lZv/s1600-h/Gaza_1214116c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdHscHqhgYEn3rki32N5EkCyV4BozzVxkNF0lKQRQTX1sYYvWUnTUEifkP2uqZBW6OYx6PAcjLGBRir3pzlpNyWBoqAxtcE7tJmTZfYUIBrQKrbq1TynEnyfCbduGwNAwz0ztafrs1lZv/s200/Gaza_1214116c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291551540037425746" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">This armed attack by Israel, unjustified as self-defense, is a war of aggression; and definitely a war crime. And although it has withdrawn its soldiers and settlers in Gaza since 2005, Israel continues to strictly control the coast, borders and airspace, making the Jewish State an occupying power with the legal obligation to protect the civilian population. Hamas can be charged for its violative tactic of using civilians and governmental facilities as shields in launching attacks on Israel, but it is not as serious as Israel's crime of launcing a war of aggression against the civilian population.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-vlfrqm7t7-5SeVqsN1ohcxdRqycV_2B3ep-1eg-Ai0E2o2B5T0_D7u5wuYLiVO1GnuFeV3VULBjUM4PyiPMKcC28fdnovwX1m3nS4l-x4whOJOUtYhGFq7hA_MOJ6WICy4oCZG2Z-tK/s1600-h/israeli-fire_1215685c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-vlfrqm7t7-5SeVqsN1ohcxdRqycV_2B3ep-1eg-Ai0E2o2B5T0_D7u5wuYLiVO1GnuFeV3VULBjUM4PyiPMKcC28fdnovwX1m3nS4l-x4whOJOUtYhGFq7hA_MOJ6WICy4oCZG2Z-tK/s200/israeli-fire_1215685c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291554365917662962" border="0" /></a><br />The idea that the constant battering of the Palestinians will soften them and accept the peace Israel wants to impose on its own terms, is unrealistic. It will only fuel hardened hatred and rage against them. The statements by Condi Rice and George Bush admonishing Hamas to desist from firing rockets is a subtle way of projecting that Hamas is the aggressor. It is both laughable and incredible, since Israeli tanks are inside Gaza bombarding the city to rubble, its planes dropping bombs, while its ships blasting at Gaza from the coast - yet no admonishing is given to Israel. The lopsided statements have resurfaced America's ugly and obnoxious image in the Middle East.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF4QDj3bYw08beiVkiSnZzdJndKfosxNAxEje47mS-_mNTwvPXPIMtQVWuC-WnNk2eOCLrUEjk6Vy97EqD4UVfTSAYOkxbVitalVM60g54IOVMClahUXrgcaX842QcpEajHKx7dpcAuQp/s1600-h/2106342428_1716020425_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF4QDj3bYw08beiVkiSnZzdJndKfosxNAxEje47mS-_mNTwvPXPIMtQVWuC-WnNk2eOCLrUEjk6Vy97EqD4UVfTSAYOkxbVitalVM60g54IOVMClahUXrgcaX842QcpEajHKx7dpcAuQp/s200/2106342428_1716020425_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291555315504366882" border="0" /></a>Talks of a truce have been initiated, but the latest bombardment that burned the food, medicine, fuel, and water supplies of the UN to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, puts into question Israel's idea of peace. It may be that Israel's concept of peace is an exact copy of America's pacification campaign in the old west against the native Americans - that peace, as a goal of the Jewish State means no Palestinian left standing alive - either by bullets, bombs, disease, starvation, or intolerable misery. And that no possible regeneration will ever take place. Gaza will then be recorded and renowned in history as the graveyard of Palestinians, and the burial site of their dreams of a Palestinian State.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Haaaarrrrrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Source: Johann Hari, The True Story Behind the War is not the One Israel isTelling</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">George E. Bisharat</span></span>, <span style="font-size:78%;">Israel is Committing War Crimes</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">news.bbc.co.uk</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com176tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-57593306992630117272008-12-25T21:24:00.000-08:002008-12-26T09:17:58.483-08:00Nativity<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Merry Christmas To Everyone</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:180%;" >!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf0XVBD0zoZYxt5uTMizWvsouTxFwcI8wfzehPvt1YkIae80a46iOjW1R0ByDjAAf3B0oqaXok5gknxXbd8u2GhrHqIhnOz5SH0T_GNJ7fXy-6mA6Lx3pTKuvcp80epkPZtPp6S-89QhI/s1600-h/NativityScene.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf0XVBD0zoZYxt5uTMizWvsouTxFwcI8wfzehPvt1YkIae80a46iOjW1R0ByDjAAf3B0oqaXok5gknxXbd8u2GhrHqIhnOz5SH0T_GNJ7fXy-6mA6Lx3pTKuvcp80epkPZtPp6S-89QhI/s400/NativityScene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283976941998871650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >To all my dearest friends, readers, regular commenters, Entrecard droppers, and all those who at one time or another</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> participated in the discussions on this site; thank you and may the blessings of the season be with you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For all those still struggling with tyranny and the oppression of their leaders, may the hope generated by the holidays uplift your spirits to continue the efforts for freedom and a better life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To those we've known who suffer from hunger, disease, and deprivation that are aggravated by the wanton corruption, denial, incompetence, and abandonment by their leaders - may the joy of the Savior's birth heal you, nourish and strengthen you, and guide you to the fulfillment of even your simplest dreams.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For those who have lost their homes, property, savings, and the many more threatened by the same fate; may the essence of the holidays give you the endurance to proceed towards a life lived in simplicity, kindness, and the realization of the plight of those with a lot less than what you've had; and may your generosity towards your fellowmen, of whatever nation, race or religion, be enhanced by this experience that would lead to better understanding and co-existence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For those who live in areas of war and conflict, may the spirit of Peace grace your orientation and settle into your sense of humanity, and make you realize that all races or religions have a lot more in common than differences - and that these differences are not threats to the existence of others if tolerance and understanding prevails in the spirit of Peace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And may citizens of this planet we call Earth finally move as one under the realization that we are all brothers; and that this small piece of rock in the universe we call home, which is under attack from the abuse and unabated wasteful consumption of some of the most profligate members of mankind, finally find the light and guiding star to unite as one and save the only home we will ever have, and the only home we will ever know.</span><br /></div></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-27138104023267790632008-12-18T04:06:00.000-08:002008-12-18T09:00:56.459-08:00Capturing Consumers via the Cold and the Crisis<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6s4W-vwah-BPa4UNIU054hNwGHgzK27qz3yBTp8EGJ_W6pdIkfCQ1slf83A0B9LYYte24xmTSJ5JUCqwYOgTBdRAZVSeE0GzTp0KloM8Ew9aJg82O-KZsYK0MHYNvWoxj4zJYLHeu5Ie/s1600-h/siberia001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6s4W-vwah-BPa4UNIU054hNwGHgzK27qz3yBTp8EGJ_W6pdIkfCQ1slf83A0B9LYYte24xmTSJ5JUCqwYOgTBdRAZVSeE0GzTp0KloM8Ew9aJg82O-KZsYK0MHYNvWoxj4zJYLHeu5Ie/s200/siberia001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281108760828043778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">In the minds of most people, the mere mention of Siberia produces images of an eternally snow covered and vast wasteland, known to be the final destination of Russian dissidents during the communist regime; where they were frozen in time from the memories of the people, or merely froze to death. It comes as a surprise that this once barren and forsaken expanse has a Capital in Novosibirsk, with a population of over 1.3 million people. The bigger surprise is that it is the home of Inmarko, a company that is the biggest ice-cream maker in the entire Russian nation.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxAVHCReTomJx_269q7hmu2FDXHgbTXlW0F50jBHWUCkpksES4g67HgiuviAaEoZ8K4gCXmG9d_diRCAR35c8kagiJokqJSatM8O9MqYN9NkZ_AJWdlk6vAMSYemnDbTVEoh-IZ90DQNz/s1600-h/250px-Novosibirsk_Kommunisticheskaya_50.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxAVHCReTomJx_269q7hmu2FDXHgbTXlW0F50jBHWUCkpksES4g67HgiuviAaEoZ8K4gCXmG9d_diRCAR35c8kagiJokqJSatM8O9MqYN9NkZ_AJWdlk6vAMSYemnDbTVEoh-IZ90DQNz/s200/250px-Novosibirsk_Kommunisticheskaya_50.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281108993218789378" border="0" /></a><br />The city was established in 1893, and was named after Tsar Nicholas II. It has none of the natural resources that the country is heavily dependent upon for its economic engines, and no industrial areas nor factories either.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">What it has are universities and research institutes that produce a lot of creative ideas from people who refuse to be cowed, intimidated, nor demoralized by a global financial crisis. They are happy to meet the crisis head on - despite the minus 25 degree weather almost all year round.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZHXWgauKMsYGPN4yvNwZs6pLs9u_AfX25dkGsfZ1uqxTZpHXueSeSbNjXy_ZXHuz4z8EXEDae-SRT2tUL5RYkG1V5GlmHiMmMrk-Nk3Psod4cGuOiFeFmOnfNP4aZ7RODe5fXKK_fh6M/s1600-h/_45256956_1431dae9-79fc-4f0e-87ec-10442afb4581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZHXWgauKMsYGPN4yvNwZs6pLs9u_AfX25dkGsfZ1uqxTZpHXueSeSbNjXy_ZXHuz4z8EXEDae-SRT2tUL5RYkG1V5GlmHiMmMrk-Nk3Psod4cGuOiFeFmOnfNP4aZ7RODe5fXKK_fh6M/s200/_45256956_1431dae9-79fc-4f0e-87ec-10442afb4581.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281109866166812178" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">However, after 118 years of existence, its small population may be an indication of a cold and calculating race of people. They may not be a very romantic lot - cold to one another and having difficulty warming up to a relationship - or are terribly inhibited by the cold that they fail to remove their clothes when in the process of fully expressing their love for each other. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZMFcSW64X8nsUftx4x5w2ls0_GjxuQjsdHtlHuph6L-MBr2Rs5evphiTKB5LCfXYswrQLvtbweePOgkFpDnNjg6c_opcjf8Bp1GKOkRsXvsgti0B7ooPg2xn_57BgVk0o86rSXKRjGOw/s1600-h/_45256957_ad1b232d-b240-4bf3-b4f3-adc2552252a8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZMFcSW64X8nsUftx4x5w2ls0_GjxuQjsdHtlHuph6L-MBr2Rs5evphiTKB5LCfXYswrQLvtbweePOgkFpDnNjg6c_opcjf8Bp1GKOkRsXvsgti0B7ooPg2xn_57BgVk0o86rSXKRjGOw/s200/_45256957_ad1b232d-b240-4bf3-b4f3-adc2552252a8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281110390277198002" border="0" /></a>Unless of course they prefer to preserve their respective reproductive cells for the day when global warming finally brings the heat to the place.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To outsiders, their fondness for ice cream (a $200 million company business) presents a stunning image (300 shops in Novosibirsk alone selling nothing but ice cream). But it should come as no surprise since the land was buried in ice and that's all their grandparents had to live on for sometime, flavored by whatever comes with it. To this end, Inmarko pays tribute by coming up with popular flavors such as black pepper, ice cream with fish, and a flavor called Vampire - a small stake of aspen wood stabbed into the ice cream. It wouldn't be surprising if the highest priced flavor is cannabis and cream.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">However, the world should credit them for going into such a venture in the midst of all that ice, and nurture a company that has dominated the Russian market.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">It lends credence to the concept that similarities exist within people from whatever part of the world.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eKinVYsikTqg4ijx7R8Dudj_1zWjXhyludlaZT_lvoyEF18USb8rToHoigRf38s5m-DVrzU-X_FfJmH-5WJnt5LFpKdyi4B2tXUk47b2AQscepKiKWOiXPlM9VOPfLym7gKm139XwrF4/s1600-h/_45256958_9bcb876d-024e-4e16-8347-27b1a06c8229.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eKinVYsikTqg4ijx7R8Dudj_1zWjXhyludlaZT_lvoyEF18USb8rToHoigRf38s5m-DVrzU-X_FfJmH-5WJnt5LFpKdyi4B2tXUk47b2AQscepKiKWOiXPlM9VOPfLym7gKm139XwrF4/s200/_45256958_9bcb876d-024e-4e16-8347-27b1a06c8229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281110644374986306" border="0" /></a><br />The Russian taste buds are just different from the rest as attested to by preferred flavors. But the world can find comfort in the fact that on major issues, similarities are more pronounced - especially among the more powerful nations and those emerging powerful ones. These are : domination, hegemony, political expediency, self-interest and greed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Perhaps nations of the world should share their ice cream instead - whatever flavors these are made of.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Haaarrrrrrwwwwwwk...Twoooooooooph...Ting!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-88795204340335643802008-12-16T00:33:00.000-08:002008-12-16T18:07:31.649-08:00Shocked, Shamed, and Shooed by a Shoe Thrower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgps_RJtb4cp7_0ye8sOk_41uR1G-9Qw6eWAHmemqQLNTVZk_8ziHTFHG_kpgXxYsj7hZEHVyAgHKN4A_oOOt2rSGy9-PnWM-BYDp0SfzwhltvSHbEmIGpeHnymZ2kSiKjRjtHVSL7-Lx_/s1600-h/00221917e13e0ab1358908.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgps_RJtb4cp7_0ye8sOk_41uR1G-9Qw6eWAHmemqQLNTVZk_8ziHTFHG_kpgXxYsj7hZEHVyAgHKN4A_oOOt2rSGy9-PnWM-BYDp0SfzwhltvSHbEmIGpeHnymZ2kSiKjRjtHVSL7-Lx_/s200/00221917e13e0ab1358908.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280321358602442722" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The United States Secret Service have always dedicated themselves to the idea of taking a bullet for the President, sacrificing their lives to save the most powerful man on earth. This has been proven many times throughout its history. Security arrangements for the US President always precedes the visit by at least 2 days, to ensure utmost safety, and to assure that all precautions are taken with all factors considered, and activities moving with pinpoint precision. While the US Secret service are willing to die, they may not be willing to take a shoe, and leave it up to their President to be agile enough to duck. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1No13nbWKGQz1T7ajUzLfQMhKyHYjEZk0lvkd7Jql_WLfdfcE-L70byEP-U-n1XRiBELWaw8YIe4axQbnDwA30qQFyeHcLJMuKHV6vxehCW5MIGDvRtH26dQy0NNu4LZRzZYewKkwqS6B/s1600-h/_45298098_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1No13nbWKGQz1T7ajUzLfQMhKyHYjEZk0lvkd7Jql_WLfdfcE-L70byEP-U-n1XRiBELWaw8YIe4axQbnDwA30qQFyeHcLJMuKHV6vxehCW5MIGDvRtH26dQy0NNu4LZRzZYewKkwqS6B/s200/_45298098_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280321662010802770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The good news is that President Bush knows how to duck, it's what he's been doing for the last 8 years - ducking all the exposed actions and machinations of his administration that are immoral and illegal with falsified reports, spurious constitutional arguments and outright lies. But the Secret Service has been caught napping by Iraqi reporter and shoe thrower Muntandhar al-Zeidi. What is most embarrassing is that the Iraq trip was supposed to be top secret, where they even released a schedule of activities for the President, only to be seen on a news video being shooed with a shoe, followed by the words " Take a farewell kiss you dog".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27IF5TDcaVo6o8rYw7xJLfQQsKUgjso6ST5r4Nd6rBQ2o0v9zHrl_DzdwWLX_3F02YdQD0yO95gRleMf7gX1mVeGUYRUUByWa6LhEsm3PNsc1rSRRnehXkePW3RPWDG6nUtNZvsD-IIpA/s1600-h/_45298115_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27IF5TDcaVo6o8rYw7xJLfQQsKUgjso6ST5r4Nd6rBQ2o0v9zHrl_DzdwWLX_3F02YdQD0yO95gRleMf7gX1mVeGUYRUUByWa6LhEsm3PNsc1rSRRnehXkePW3RPWDG6nUtNZvsD-IIpA/s200/_45298115_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280322448274082162" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7783608.stm">news conference </a>with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was held in the green zone - the most heavily secured part of Baghdad - which turned out to be of questionable safety since the Secret Service and those securing the zone had not checked the background of the Al-Baghdadiya reporter who had been kidnapped as a result of the conflict and has always hated the US presence and Iranian interference. The Secret Service failed to thwart the shoe throwing which was done twice, and could have made the President of the United States kiss corrugated rubber or worn out camel leather with a dash or Iraqi sand. Or, have a visible external lump on his head from the sole of a smelly, dirty shoe - not that he has no internal lumps on his head from constant knocking with the fists from all his superiors and father for mangling the English language - but such a violently caused lump is a shame that all Americans would feel.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXp8sGLPphptk5pq5QgODQ2-54qS50yhdKjql2NcaiMr6G0vN8y_R0zt5XYF0N1DFUnfrEYiEbbREJEXsqL7KzZQxygED5JxgFJ2zJzF0omJildOpnRfDL8p_QhOhxUoXFME4UWTDuLr2/s1600-h/_45298702_iraq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXp8sGLPphptk5pq5QgODQ2-54qS50yhdKjql2NcaiMr6G0vN8y_R0zt5XYF0N1DFUnfrEYiEbbREJEXsqL7KzZQxygED5JxgFJ2zJzF0omJildOpnRfDL8p_QhOhxUoXFME4UWTDuLr2/s200/_45298702_iraq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280323205808795794" border="0" /></a><br />While it represents accurately what many Iraqis feel about America and Bush in particular, shaming Americans is too much of an additional burden for the already economically punished citizens. They have been embarrassed enough by 8 years of bungling and cover ups, by the loss of their homes, jobs, and incomes, by the disposal of their very personal belongings to pawnshops to generate needed cash for required expenses to keep themselves afloat. Bush is still the President, a choice many regret after two terms, but any humiliation he gets in a foreign country is a humiliation for Americans. This secret trip should not have been made, and perhaops President Bush should simply be locked up somewhere until Barack Obama's inauguration - to prevent any more miscues and untoward incidents that would only add to his long list of inanities.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqrrBzihexBTQY_FlIp-Xoef1NsIRthjJ5N6ROfhP8WfT9Sk8mpe9rJjapb7wgQYNTOdWl8rHkraQ5yJktFiTPi4Qps8C7Nvzt0RCxFCWtUmKEyOPjgvKu-lT9wtWTv6N2DLL9SFothJv/s1600-h/_45300796_alzeidi_ap220.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqrrBzihexBTQY_FlIp-Xoef1NsIRthjJ5N6ROfhP8WfT9Sk8mpe9rJjapb7wgQYNTOdWl8rHkraQ5yJktFiTPi4Qps8C7Nvzt0RCxFCWtUmKEyOPjgvKu-lT9wtWTv6N2DLL9SFothJv/s200/_45300796_alzeidi_ap220.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280323975254943506" border="0" /></a><br />The shoe thrower has become a hero, hailed by Arabs and Iraqis who rallied in the streets asking for his release - invoking the freedom of expression provision in Iraq's American made constitution. He has risen from obscurity to become a symbol for Iraq's self governance and interference free political and economic life. A big difference a pair of shoes make - and it is not surprising if many Arabs and even Americans would want to be in al-Zeidi's shoes - or rather have the sole of their shoes caress the face of the outgoing President as a going away relief from all the anxieties brought by the policies and management he has employed. This would perhaps lay to rest their confused predicament, and put an end to their arduous soul searching for what went wrong - and find solace in the sole act of letting their shoes fly.<br /><br />As to the Secret Service, well the incident on video cannot be kept secret, and their service to an outgoing President has lapsed into disservice. These assigned people need to be retrained for they may have been infected by the incompetence virus of Bush and company after 8 years of exposure.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrrwwwwwk...Twooooooooooph...Ting!<br /></span></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com176tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-22123352967662134332008-12-08T04:47:00.000-08:002008-12-08T07:51:45.104-08:00Devastating Defeat for De la Hoya<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQahWzwEGu4udNM_pWcF0JHxGggGW-Z_7mYL0fZAvjBACOlqFvckOn9jz2uSio70ei_i3h3C4qL_MxFKmYYXJ2CCje-mwmZIpJk1f7-G5EVkQ5_a43RGbSChD70XVEjhLO2SAtXSVn6w-/s1600-h/IMG_75.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQahWzwEGu4udNM_pWcF0JHxGggGW-Z_7mYL0fZAvjBACOlqFvckOn9jz2uSio70ei_i3h3C4qL_MxFKmYYXJ2CCje-mwmZIpJk1f7-G5EVkQ5_a43RGbSChD70XVEjhLO2SAtXSVn6w-/s200/IMG_75.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277429416595911858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Saving a cherished reputation of never being knocked out in a legendary 10 year career that brought him an unprecedented 6 titles in as many divisions, Oscar de la Hoya managed to accomplish only that, nothing else. Yet his surrender after the 8th round made that same reputation hollow and meaningless. Touted as a true warrior who faced many fierce battles, de la Hoya's failure to fight to the death, like a true warrior, cast serious doubt on his spirit and substance as a tested fighter who never loses heart. On this fateful night, de la Hoya lost everything.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQEuYmNZxxtLtsYSD_XqN7hwuon3FCOuR4cLq4_fukTDgbQkQUWEOj2sZRLRluN97aIS_yaqS99OvDCEkUCa9NN40fLSXpEJiymbRnzfO4l7_IZIIOP6gBRFJ9nVaLcBNdEIib_w0pQ0l/s1600-h/oscar_001_003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQEuYmNZxxtLtsYSD_XqN7hwuon3FCOuR4cLq4_fukTDgbQkQUWEOj2sZRLRluN97aIS_yaqS99OvDCEkUCa9NN40fLSXpEJiymbRnzfO4l7_IZIIOP6gBRFJ9nVaLcBNdEIib_w0pQ0l/s200/oscar_001_003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277429774519893282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the fight top billed as the Dream Match, Oscar lost the agility in his legs, his penetrating jabs were neutralized, his power punches blocked or evaded, his surgical approach dismantled, his speed was jammed into a halt - until the fight in him vanished. He didn't do this to himself, but was masterfully executed by Manny Pacquiao, who had triumphed over all Mexicans put in front of him until they could no longer find a match for his superior fighting skills. The last Mexican standing was a legend who was bigger, heavier, with longer reach and a reputation to protect - all the elements that bolster an advantage which made the Pacman the underdog. What Oscar did to himself was to lose heart and give up to evade an outright knockout. In the process, he also lost his reputation as a true warrior.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWDAVaCCRGD9g7n-KHNhTrGUIr0J6htbQEXNMW1kGYHw3dHyCDimMpCBeLLm8uq4aqJJ7JRDE3ejfEQt42g25AhJeGgguhBzqvj8D-ZzzEREoZ5cdLAIM0EJNcJKb6LBM6BSr_1k_WXa4/s1600-h/oscar_fight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWDAVaCCRGD9g7n-KHNhTrGUIr0J6htbQEXNMW1kGYHw3dHyCDimMpCBeLLm8uq4aqJJ7JRDE3ejfEQt42g25AhJeGgguhBzqvj8D-ZzzEREoZ5cdLAIM0EJNcJKb6LBM6BSr_1k_WXa4/s200/oscar_fight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277430053372399138" border="0" /></a><br />Ringside statistics attest to the domination by Pacquiao in the lopsided fight that made Oscar looked anything but old and retireable. His speed, power, agility, and fight strategy proved beyond doubt that he is the world's best pound-for-pound fighter there is. Pacquiao pummeled de la Hoya like a permissive punching bag, hitting him at will with 224 out of 585 punches landing, as against Oscar's 83 out of 402. He also gave Oscar 45 power punches in the 7th round versus only four received by the Pacman which threw de la Hoya at the center of the ring. Two of the 3 judges gave Pacquiao all the 8 rounds except for one judge who gave Oscar the first round. Manny Pacquiao put on a spectacular display; while Oscar de la Hoya, who was a mere shell of his old self, put on a pathetic performance.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittosIJDr0B1mJdz6cyLGguWwK7XeNyH5HyaV9-GrrspSIoHCxRiMpLnEWfPDhrRRJtRRzXSSu4CYBb65vJnUaDr0LqNZfpBwbQaO-pRbjFAqvhPVb2Ke_mviNd1EPCwgWNv9Mj20rW-YY/s1600-h/dela534445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittosIJDr0B1mJdz6cyLGguWwK7XeNyH5HyaV9-GrrspSIoHCxRiMpLnEWfPDhrRRJtRRzXSSu4CYBb65vJnUaDr0LqNZfpBwbQaO-pRbjFAqvhPVb2Ke_mviNd1EPCwgWNv9Mj20rW-YY/s200/dela534445.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277432338232561490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Manny Pacquiao has unwittingly put an end to a remarkable story, one that began in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when a young Oscar de la Hoya won the gold in a skillfully executed bout. He went on to become the biggest box office draw in boxing. In the last 6 years however, he has not won a major bout. In this match, he no longer had the elements to mount a counter attack to win the fight. He was all spent and wasted. His only other stoppage came via a referee's decision, this time, he concurred with his handlers.The decision was his, and he opted to end it standing up. All is not lost for he earned a substantially sizeable amount for his closed left eye and swollen face. Perhaps pride can be covered with money, which seems to be the main reason for this battle. Oscar de la Hoya has come full circle, from a fighting legend to a shrewd businessman.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG24Gmh4cfEtcywWSvpNAukjyMzJD9PyeaJjOSskwq4kFrwPFxJK4Y4GuhLAouFH5HuyDAsgoNIBdoLF3oMXqWOkr6Efe3OEwTHq7uAXG_npO0b7zdPvwuxSQ04E2vPqmz6btruVnbHaR6/s1600-h/pac4234334.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG24Gmh4cfEtcywWSvpNAukjyMzJD9PyeaJjOSskwq4kFrwPFxJK4Y4GuhLAouFH5HuyDAsgoNIBdoLF3oMXqWOkr6Efe3OEwTHq7uAXG_npO0b7zdPvwuxSQ04E2vPqmz6btruVnbHaR6/s200/pac4234334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277433078869497586" border="0" /></a><br />The power of Pacquiao's punches may be greatly aided by his faith and augmented in large part by his prayers and those of around 50 million of 82 million Filipinos. He has defeated a legend, and has himself become one. He bears the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders whenever he goes up the ring, and dedicated each of his fights to the people of his country. He prays before and after a fight, win or lose; and refuses to give up even when badly beaten, heavily cut, and profusely bleeding - much like his idol Oscar de la Hoya some years ago. Perhaps a fighter loses part of his spirit with every punch received over the years - all because of their stubborn refusal to stop. The addiction to glory in a viciously violent encounter boosts their ego and makes them deny their diminishing power and strength, in an event so primitive yet continues to salivate a supposed civilized world in watching two men rearrange each other's face and bones; and become ecstatic at seeing blood and gore.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhS2mMKbv4gOuTRL8Siu5DXnBFcOVwrtjvrWBbdYKFAM4qNfBJMt3Xwg5bVuWfQxxFe9vUxhYjTsqOVQH81TyHNK7b3sJkkgtrJdZhGlWMHQF8tY__Vj_RatPESbdsOAHHHSX9yPl2w6I/s1600-h/pacquiao-flag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhS2mMKbv4gOuTRL8Siu5DXnBFcOVwrtjvrWBbdYKFAM4qNfBJMt3Xwg5bVuWfQxxFe9vUxhYjTsqOVQH81TyHNK7b3sJkkgtrJdZhGlWMHQF8tY__Vj_RatPESbdsOAHHHSX9yPl2w6I/s200/pacquiao-flag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277433495010443730" border="0" /></a><br />The Filipino people and the Filipino nation should be prepared to pray that Pacquiao cease this brutal sport while he is in one piece. He has done more than enough for the country and to the upliftment of the Filipino psyche' and spirit, more than any politician ever has. Pacquiao's humanity and sacrifice has encouraged unity and peace - the least the Filipino nation can do is to honor him in peace and let him enjoy the fruits of his very excruciating labors. The peak is the best place to end a quest. Pray that he isn't knocked senseless by all the adoration and the summer acquaintances who shower praise - yet disappear when the rains pour.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrwwwwwk...Twooooooooph...Ting!<br /></span></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-40062617104637470972008-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:002008-12-02T07:39:55.005-08:00Ilumina : Investing in Inovention<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_8neLmUDRqgRpeNy8lU_3R2NrqkW8lk46SRl_OgoxN3f7SZrG3Z-OVE3wP0WXyNJzJGl4ZvPHss52QINudHMDLSV2JPTu__QkniQihj64KKWN8CDGp-33TpmE-jN7a1LFRJTTEA49pzt/s1600-h/n576341734_1437622_1320.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_8neLmUDRqgRpeNy8lU_3R2NrqkW8lk46SRl_OgoxN3f7SZrG3Z-OVE3wP0WXyNJzJGl4ZvPHss52QINudHMDLSV2JPTu__QkniQihj64KKWN8CDGp-33TpmE-jN7a1LFRJTTEA49pzt/s200/n576341734_1437622_1320.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275061343136121554" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Revolutions belong to the young, those who refuse to yield to the boundaries and limitations laid out by elders who hold power; and who stifle their freedom to express their concept of what is right for their generation. These are achievers who are not content with choices dictated by commercial interests, but rather adhere to function and adaptability; yet are denied the power to access resources that would fulfill their dreams which defy long held assumptions and conventions. These young revolutionaries are the Inoventors.</span><br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuZGLgNwaALtMl5Ad-QQuLVUVIxLDM4TTEW63HH4Talp_ARKCzgtRGW_wM7d4gQ-6aosIvtT2ZVgrXfLyMAUDxyYXrwv0nDPnrqt-TWUNXJSsXa3LDladn4dIV8JfVyahXTCHEqxQHSbF/s1600-h/n576341734_1511757_5884.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuZGLgNwaALtMl5Ad-QQuLVUVIxLDM4TTEW63HH4Talp_ARKCzgtRGW_wM7d4gQ-6aosIvtT2ZVgrXfLyMAUDxyYXrwv0nDPnrqt-TWUNXJSsXa3LDladn4dIV8JfVyahXTCHEqxQHSbF/s200/n576341734_1511757_5884.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275075707286710242" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">A core group of very young, talented, and adventurous Filipinos whose audacity is molded in idealism and tempered by nationalistic fervor have launched an <a href="file:///E:/Blog%20Items%20with%20Photos/theinoventrevolution.htm">Inovention Revolution</a> that will install the Philippines to a position of global leadership in consumer electronics technology. Innovation and invention are their driving forces, and they have set up a company (Inovent Inc.) that unveiled the first true LCD Interactive Television. These young men see only a future where true convergence exists, unbound by various meshes of business ecosystems catering only to specific interest groups. Their optimism generates enough energy to break whatever challenge is brought their way; their enthusiasm and belief in what they have begun is more than enough to raise a groundswell of adherents and supporters.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6snke30f2qnh3MtM0BoiX3QTeqv8uiGX92C5AiRIiomC2a8FGDCx2mVXNnhfuCcaArxT_enzEzNLVyzSkg-vKu70KjBv5YBYeeiqj_slj1x5PRLdoJxJP-jKOYafxR4wGJKvFR661tdr/s1600-h/0+ilumina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6snke30f2qnh3MtM0BoiX3QTeqv8uiGX92C5AiRIiomC2a8FGDCx2mVXNnhfuCcaArxT_enzEzNLVyzSkg-vKu70KjBv5YBYeeiqj_slj1x5PRLdoJxJP-jKOYafxR4wGJKvFR661tdr/s200/0+ilumina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275076346848632658" border="0" /></a><br />The product, dubbed "ilumina", is a television set with the power and brain of a personal computer. It has a flat 32 inch LCD display screen, a 1 terrabyte hard drive, and a multimedia center that allows owners to listen to music, see movies, watch and record TV shows and surf the web. It has a USB port, is wifi enabled, plus a video camera that eliminates the need for separate players and multiple connections. It is compatible with any type of keyboard including the mac wireless keypad. The "gadget" represents the changing lifestyles of today's generation and those emerging multimedia users of the future. It is a revolution in industrial design spawned by functionality, substance, divergence and physical <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfAmHnNCqHDQu-AFMvglL4oHJ-651FT_zYOjjRG-0CESRbBZfV6HQQRGCm-JG_LRSjgy8jSVtaDOEmghRUKTpJEarzoWciPZn0-bMYTVLpTFZ_MK_gOJxqqF2o36yCZKzgsgAnrFecNN_/s1600-h/6400855_30b194e940.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfAmHnNCqHDQu-AFMvglL4oHJ-651FT_zYOjjRG-0CESRbBZfV6HQQRGCm-JG_LRSjgy8jSVtaDOEmghRUKTpJEarzoWciPZn0-bMYTVLpTFZ_MK_gOJxqqF2o36yCZKzgsgAnrFecNN_/s200/6400855_30b194e940.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275076966568814530" border="0" /></a>aesthetics that addresses the unspoken demands of an undefined constituency; large enough to create a major market, but ignored by traditional manufacturers whose concerns are focused on the mutual benefits shared with their ecosystem partners.<br /><br />Exponents of the Inovent Revolution who created the "ilumina" targeted the 30th of November for the unveiling of the product, for it represents the anniversary of the Birth of the Philippine Revolution against foreign domination represented by Spain in 1896. The launch was held at Fully Booked on Bonifacio Avenue in Global city. The leader of the 1896 Philippine Revolution was Andres Bonifacio, for whom the street was named - who was a young and idealistic Filipino who dared raise the cry for freedom more than a century ago. The choice of Global City may not be coincidental as this revolutionary product is destined for global leadership.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIPmQ36PbdFWhe-6jW-3I8a8glIzphvvmK9nybSgy3Qt80TIhDK_ACMklEMDh01h5VC5MRQl0UYwVbu-GXnKE3L-mtyG8OYXZbmIIsrrMXBRBKV3fiG6IxbRM2JvGFl4wn8h_smtKtr0D/s1600-h/baonifaciosculpure.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIPmQ36PbdFWhe-6jW-3I8a8glIzphvvmK9nybSgy3Qt80TIhDK_ACMklEMDh01h5VC5MRQl0UYwVbu-GXnKE3L-mtyG8OYXZbmIIsrrMXBRBKV3fiG6IxbRM2JvGFl4wn8h_smtKtr0D/s200/baonifaciosculpure.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275078421814358034" border="0" /></a><br />The first revolution was a failure, and Filipinos had to endure American and Japanese rule which ended in 1946, but only on paper. Its economic policies, foreign policies and commercial activities remain foreign dominated. The "ilumina" is a historic inovention that champions the Filipino idea, the Filipino ingenuity, capability, creativity, management expertise, and multi-disciplinary harmony in creating synergy that is competitive and world class. These revolutionaries seek support and ask Filipinos to invest in inovention, invest in ilumina, and to invest in Filipino pride.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMsBZc8D1aSwfDuIT-PBwAsCvTsbE6xhyphenhyphen551-zkeJv5Mfs_0wnGAxTLhPH6TwjExMar0c7__fnkF_sw-iSrC1VhCjCyolL3McrfLLM7IQDfutPgJd2EvFChMWGmQHzA6ckjJq4Yk2k5p2/s1600-h/6400868_1754c0d7c1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMsBZc8D1aSwfDuIT-PBwAsCvTsbE6xhyphenhyphen551-zkeJv5Mfs_0wnGAxTLhPH6TwjExMar0c7__fnkF_sw-iSrC1VhCjCyolL3McrfLLM7IQDfutPgJd2EvFChMWGmQHzA6ckjJq4Yk2k5p2/s200/6400868_1754c0d7c1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275079245659825538" border="0" /></a><br />The revolution has begun and it is headed towards a victorious destination. All it requires is the sustaining power that comes from the patronage of its countrymen in terms of venture capital and subsequent product acquisition. Success is imminent, freedom is on the horizon, and honor for Filipinos globally is at hand. It cannot be prevented. Unless, Filipinos themselves turn their backs and opt for foreign created products that will once again abandon the revolution and leave its proponents to become orphaned non-entities. Should this transpire, the Filipinos shall be doomed to enslavement for one hundred more years. Heaven forbid!<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrwwwwwwk...Twooooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-366803662415065842008-11-25T23:56:00.000-08:002008-11-26T05:52:28.527-08:00Bringing the Bees Back for Breakfast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYzgeHIGcc8rxAfgQDRNLoiJXr5Bdq5BxBJ5NwTSICfUaaJdCwFKmJvif5-HCDgenJLU6XvwdfzgL4vLzfWCtv5zJhczWz6OBZ0VJc9PRDmWeZjsZBU6VslMfvXdh9bZtKNSCyh9py_DL/s1600-h/_45171458_22e37af8-7606-42cf-aae9-1104f1b41309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYzgeHIGcc8rxAfgQDRNLoiJXr5Bdq5BxBJ5NwTSICfUaaJdCwFKmJvif5-HCDgenJLU6XvwdfzgL4vLzfWCtv5zJhczWz6OBZ0VJc9PRDmWeZjsZBU6VslMfvXdh9bZtKNSCyh9py_DL/s200/_45171458_22e37af8-7606-42cf-aae9-1104f1b41309.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272960011565709250" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">The phenomenon of the continued decimation of bee populations signals an additional burden for the already difficult times ahead. The pollination of edible plants and vegetation is largely dependent on these busy insects whose efforts impact on food supply, including those that are used for animal feeds that breed livestock for human consumption. It would not matter one bit if the population of politicians globally were the ones being decimated, there's more than enough of them to endanger global harmony. But the bees are the better breed whose quiet productive activities and sustained contributions are not bound by race, country, ideology nor political party.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8INFMZB8A5CrY8uOGYi0gSzSsndVUZFRmGrEwEJ6M6rbZ1WFuWO3GzDQY6gbdXgT3WWiKG_WykqJSJKWfKmMxs_5d5SavKcPnVGZT80diw02CNQZEI9h5naM9KZfGQ_nWgmt6HSotGR6e/s1600-h/MeetingwithMEPs_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8INFMZB8A5CrY8uOGYi0gSzSsndVUZFRmGrEwEJ6M6rbZ1WFuWO3GzDQY6gbdXgT3WWiKG_WykqJSJKWfKmMxs_5d5SavKcPnVGZT80diw02CNQZEI9h5naM9KZfGQ_nWgmt6HSotGR6e/s200/MeetingwithMEPs_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272962003415206434" border="0" /></a><br />Members of the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7739798.stmhttp://">European Parliament</a> have raised the alarm over the critical actions needed to save the world's bee populations, joining a growing number of scientists, non-government institutions, and citizen's organizations who have echoed the concerns of bee keepers all over Europe. The threat to Europe is very alarming as two of their largest beekeeping countries (Italy at 1.09 million hives and France at 1.2 million hives) have registered a bee mortality rate of 40% to 50%. These are countries with industrial scale bee keeping industries that have been reduced to about half of their normal production output. The threat is so serious that a name has been given to it: Colony Collapse Disorder.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfZfAwHzJ7uKnvxY-86QnrYgO6Xu0MQZsyYJnZ6pihv7711-6goUdT-K-e6Lbl6O0H3xQiX7wrbDN4GI2PmAUK9SnPEVXARwuSYQ0Yf6VbD5jVeqNYkAPiwFOA8IAx-LJJWIgBJHWZDz7/s1600-h/_45224399_croissantgetty226b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfZfAwHzJ7uKnvxY-86QnrYgO6Xu0MQZsyYJnZ6pihv7711-6goUdT-K-e6Lbl6O0H3xQiX7wrbDN4GI2PmAUK9SnPEVXARwuSYQ0Yf6VbD5jVeqNYkAPiwFOA8IAx-LJJWIgBJHWZDz7/s200/_45224399_croissantgetty226b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272962250539650626" border="0" /></a><br />Decline in bee populations does not only affect the supply of honey, but also the much heralded European institution known as the Continental breakfast - which could become a bleakfast. Bees pollinate almond trees whose nuts provide the filling for almond croissants. The one Euro cup of coffee, as well as the orange juice would increase in price since bees pollinate the majority of coffee plants and orange trees. Bees also pollinate most types of plants used for animal feed, and if livestock producers resort to cereals, the price of milk would also escalate.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuDhqK0tEZvR5AqlyMecazJNHecuW39YkGonM4kdpfgG3vfchGPoYG8PZl8OFNFHJal_nmAt34cyUqOoErI0StGd1ysBCV3rXf1zyHhwE73PM1phd6JfbHttJAGFd7ZKke5FFJ9Hv3Bi_/s1600-h/bee_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuDhqK0tEZvR5AqlyMecazJNHecuW39YkGonM4kdpfgG3vfchGPoYG8PZl8OFNFHJal_nmAt34cyUqOoErI0StGd1ysBCV3rXf1zyHhwE73PM1phd6JfbHttJAGFd7ZKke5FFJ9Hv3Bi_/s200/bee_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272962589490313378" border="0" /></a><br />Scientists suspect a kind of mite that suck the blood of bees as the culprit behind the bee mortality rate. Also considered are changing weather conditions such as the amount of rainfall in the last two summers. The Members of the European Parliament are looking at the creation of special recovery zones of arable land full of nectar rich plants that could help the bee populations to recover. Although a bit late, the beekeeping industry is happy with the attention obtained from the European <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHzJKKI9uegdXA-Dc8Y4hxcaJ79b3a0bBvBQGq-0nL_wDQF6j87ozbbGP8plILIEBUiXxTh72GejygVvzx3_x7lhyZT6KbHoWznwGTidVeag7W7PBzWm_emPd0QwqyBox4N5Ci0yquQPt/s1600-h/honeybee460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHzJKKI9uegdXA-Dc8Y4hxcaJ79b3a0bBvBQGq-0nL_wDQF6j87ozbbGP8plILIEBUiXxTh72GejygVvzx3_x7lhyZT6KbHoWznwGTidVeag7W7PBzWm_emPd0QwqyBox4N5Ci0yquQPt/s200/honeybee460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272962969866863506" border="0" /></a>politicians.<br /><br />If the European politicians would busy themselves with this threat and work as hard as the bees they intend to save, the Continental breakfast will surely survive. However, if they take their normal pace, Europeans will be eating dead bees for breakfast - and the politicians will be eaten alive by the people because of it.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-85567668205610003102008-11-24T23:39:00.000-08:002008-11-24T23:39:00.831-08:00Bewildered By A Blank Belly Button<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMjVsPGjAsNDLkh9TglyyzTC6QtT_J0yCjaXQQp1hriJiviETRXiouqO5dEF4o-vgYtuDRxyYHlkIxAf0QnPSHE7WoTrIcVIidfkWWM_lfHxvfCZUF43tO38sW56nTpY0Zw9YMuaecG0n/s1600-h/laun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMjVsPGjAsNDLkh9TglyyzTC6QtT_J0yCjaXQQp1hriJiviETRXiouqO5dEF4o-vgYtuDRxyYHlkIxAf0QnPSHE7WoTrIcVIidfkWWM_lfHxvfCZUF43tO38sW56nTpY0Zw9YMuaecG0n/s200/laun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272489588569578962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The fixation people have about what is normal is a powerful framework that often generates bewilderment when confronted with a deviation from an accepted standard. The absence of something as minor as a belly button could trigger wild speculations in an attempt to find a suitable explanation that would placate their mindsets; or satisfy their mischievous and derisive nature.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIbwjGM5d1P548SaBmpN8HA8xaj2hx4DcRT7Kw4JHPgmcaeHAnZ_K2SrZjX_N705dlPcJouIdDZbW-Vf5VJtz74zbNcNa8LC8ILFiU9mjfanUbsxVNNMEmN_2xYRNtQefQ8t9NIyBUPiv/s1600-h/karolina_kurkova_06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIbwjGM5d1P548SaBmpN8HA8xaj2hx4DcRT7Kw4JHPgmcaeHAnZ_K2SrZjX_N705dlPcJouIdDZbW-Vf5VJtz74zbNcNa8LC8ILFiU9mjfanUbsxVNNMEmN_2xYRNtQefQ8t9NIyBUPiv/s200/karolina_kurkova_06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272490229223151314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This was the furor that greeted Czech Supermodel <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7738144.stm">Karolina Kurkova</a> when she climbed the catwalk to model the underwear line of Victoria's Secret. Her non-existent belly button puzzled the audience and sent the press into a frenzy of conjecture that prompted the model's agent to declare that she's not an alien. Questions like "How was she fed when she was in the womb without an umbilical cord"? "Was she a test tube baby fed intravenously"? " Did she have it erased because it was unsightly"? Or, "Is her belly button located somewhere else that remains unseen even when wearing only undergarments"? "Isn't that freakish"?</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEkg0pb7RMqUfHlGaWTuDrI0OdN_8CatPRbTRL6VyoXxtEx7_T7kLlQwxBX-W6YbQuJKpHW1n3HCl_dlyxj7YmJkSVJ6P-Ic_RS1mOv_vI8p40aDW4KPSuwK4mb4zERnTbUoMFKQ5FFZx/s1600-h/karolina_lg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEkg0pb7RMqUfHlGaWTuDrI0OdN_8CatPRbTRL6VyoXxtEx7_T7kLlQwxBX-W6YbQuJKpHW1n3HCl_dlyxj7YmJkSVJ6P-Ic_RS1mOv_vI8p40aDW4KPSuwK4mb4zERnTbUoMFKQ5FFZx/s200/karolina_lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272490711269032354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Scientific explanations have been put forward about the phenemenon of the missing belly button or navel. One speaks of a weakness in the abdominal wall after developing a small hernia, which requires removal; or as part of a tummy tuck procedure. Ms. Kurkova herself has not offered any explanation why her abdomen is smooth and without any trace of where an umbilical cord used to be. Some argue that a belly button coud be made surgically to complete the body structure, as if one would be an incomplete individual without it. Others say it has much lesser sex appeal, elevating the belly button to the stature of a sex organ when it is merely the severed skin from which chewed food passed through direct to the infant's stomach.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6yDodnIyQ-kL7_6uAObL4UsykgGg5NZCoTjguo3yz6fSAVmqeu89haJRs6gRa3lX-RQ8WY2kze7wPeWbqxtWySpIelHqHfLjRwsOPvBv8uzyVf8V59VAam9ZmRhxOSwCylHeXFHbj7X-/s1600-h/Kurkova_JS4237.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6yDodnIyQ-kL7_6uAObL4UsykgGg5NZCoTjguo3yz6fSAVmqeu89haJRs6gRa3lX-RQ8WY2kze7wPeWbqxtWySpIelHqHfLjRwsOPvBv8uzyVf8V59VAam9ZmRhxOSwCylHeXFHbj7X-/s200/Kurkova_JS4237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272491208545571266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Other people's notions of what should and what must be present need not be dictated upon those who choose to be without these "natural" body elements. Besides, she's modeling outer wear and undergarments, and there's no such thing as a garment for the belly button, unless they begin to invent one. Kurkova is withinn her rights not to reveal any reason for its absence, even if she happened to swallow her navel at a point in her life when she was hungry and without means.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRC6-jiKCmrz1xQZZLlKgAiz_i0dszchCAktKLjrqO_8C4ZGslCW8HdiS836qsdH8IYI_maX1qG2lWsR6GCSsQfo3YKauO4MLFhL9FlHOjehvmmQO7nFAEdgG8fpEGeS_FqjS43VWHn_J/s1600-h/karolina_kurkova_victorias_secre-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRC6-jiKCmrz1xQZZLlKgAiz_i0dszchCAktKLjrqO_8C4ZGslCW8HdiS836qsdH8IYI_maX1qG2lWsR6GCSsQfo3YKauO4MLFhL9FlHOjehvmmQO7nFAEdgG8fpEGeS_FqjS43VWHn_J/s200/karolina_kurkova_victorias_secre-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272492367959544754" border="0" /></a><br />The missing navel has not diminished her career one bit, but has even enhanced it. It is not far fetched to expect other models to follow suit. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">At the rate she's earning from her modeling career, around 2 million pounds a year, she could easily have a navel or two crafted if she wants to, or even fill her entire body with belly buttons for those who are interested in "pressing her right buttons".<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">In the lull between the much awaited end to the Bush Administration and the anticipation of the Barack Obama inauguration, the American press is trying to entertain itself with inanities that measure the depth of their mental abilities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Haaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-47383705812869140592008-11-20T15:08:00.000-08:002008-11-20T15:08:00.817-08:00Prelude to the Pied Piper's Peak Performance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqRK-7a49svPGQvAzXH3EUJg4RpJi5QJcftta3Hm58Cc7wNlIH6I92U7dteuLlNKulHphTQ6KvFqq4hVdH67CSp_coHhNiAO8d85bHLBYYy4rahno4uRIwyhQgBLACwmXr4p_X47CuFOb/s1600-h/_45220605_ratspa226b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqRK-7a49svPGQvAzXH3EUJg4RpJi5QJcftta3Hm58Cc7wNlIH6I92U7dteuLlNKulHphTQ6KvFqq4hVdH67CSp_coHhNiAO8d85bHLBYYy4rahno4uRIwyhQgBLACwmXr4p_X47CuFOb/s200/_45220605_ratspa226b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270635847725924754" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The resurgence of rats in the town of Hamelin, coming at a time when Germany's mighty economy slipped into recession, may be an ominous sign of unsavory events about to impact on the German nation. The rat infestation that plagued the town over 700 years before has reemerged from its legendary past, in an eerie development that seems to challenge the community's resolve to contest their existence. The rats have consolidated to do battle with the 21st century Pied Piper, and in the process, seek to alter the outcome of that classic deception and change the legend that has stood for more than seven centuries.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR_oji764mKnmJPhsStp-xZ1A3280aFVu3_MpnghnqgLnaJDvfOzpP2e5sFz4Y6xC2QmiuXzQ7qLstC5FUGX7vnj6yYoiQtucEoWLWlaRbYCGJl1hB-MEFR3i6iRsgUMFWA8NKnHUXoZw/s1600-h/_45220606_street226.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR_oji764mKnmJPhsStp-xZ1A3280aFVu3_MpnghnqgLnaJDvfOzpP2e5sFz4Y6xC2QmiuXzQ7qLstC5FUGX7vnj6yYoiQtucEoWLWlaRbYCGJl1hB-MEFR3i6iRsgUMFWA8NKnHUXoZw/s200/_45220606_street226.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270636243713749762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the year 1284, based on the legend that sprang from Hamelin, this German town was overrun with rats that wreaked havoc on the its growth, development and regular activities of daily living; creating dysfunctional social relationships, conflict among citizens, and misery for the entire population. A pied Piper was hired to rid the town of its misery with a promise of compensation. The Pied Piper played music that entranced the rats and lured them in the river to drown. After his success, the townspeople reneged on their promise to pay, which compelled the Piper to teach them a lesson by luring all of the town's children in a cave and locking them inside with him, never to be seen again.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwLBv6MWo70WXzeez8oksW_2Qlp4UG7iV4Af67cT3-iDKtjxbknPN234KJv2E2YN0h3KL9aiaa2aYI4ZoquKfEdx5NnZoYdgOFB0y_zGXhyphenhyphennsLfD4yU87ipt5jytqdOBO8pDvZxV4EC8I/s1600-h/1148.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwLBv6MWo70WXzeez8oksW_2Qlp4UG7iV4Af67cT3-iDKtjxbknPN234KJv2E2YN0h3KL9aiaa2aYI4ZoquKfEdx5NnZoYdgOFB0y_zGXhyphenhyphennsLfD4yU87ipt5jytqdOBO8pDvZxV4EC8I/s200/1148.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270637143364025602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This year's rats are in an abandoned allotment site at the edge of town, but threatens to spread to neighboring housing estates. The rat population has exploded on the site and the town has sought outside assistance for its control and elimination. Response has been coming in, but this battle is a mere speck that the people of Hamelin, and Germany as a whole, need to fight. Germany's enviable economy had been infested with rats in investment banking clothing who feasted on the bounty and wealth of the country. As the economy suffered by the sheer volume of their insatiable greed and growing numbers, they infected adherents in government as well. And when the collapse was declared last Thursday, these rats even attempted to take a huge chunk of what was left for the winter of their avaricious lives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A Pied Piper is indeed needed, not only for Hamelin <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5bzUcwUywIQJRUHcrxXacv02VLGT1o59pMz9xJ-SoIA-SeNUdKR_grg0svpx5H40LN2-RfSCu60fMGAUX6ZT_wh7aI3FT0HcMxb8mvTA_wXyqpj2sushqPcGA-gurpaxT_QY2ym8joNo/s1600-h/2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5bzUcwUywIQJRUHcrxXacv02VLGT1o59pMz9xJ-SoIA-SeNUdKR_grg0svpx5H40LN2-RfSCu60fMGAUX6ZT_wh7aI3FT0HcMxb8mvTA_wXyqpj2sushqPcGA-gurpaxT_QY2ym8joNo/s200/2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270637614454105394" border="0" /></a>but for Germany; to lure these dirty rats out into the open where they can be drowned - even from the spit of the entire German population. Next year, Hamelin plans to celebrate the 725th anniversary of the Pied Piper's conquest of the plague, together with a huge children's procession - even if the children were sacrificed by the Piper in the original story. Today, it is the citizens that are being sacrificed by allowing the rats to remain free and enjoy their spurious wealth. It would do well for the citizens and the government to celebrate the Pied Piper's anniversary by identifying these rats and locking them all in prison, never to be seen again. Or perhaps, to send them over to Hamelin, bound at the allotment site, to be feasted on by their ilk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Haaaarrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-32924525626734954552008-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:002008-11-19T20:05:55.111-08:00Beautiful Butterfly by the Blogsite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids4f_SUFLnNKUc18aOFUgHSEPOKylJRPoFvOfOvFX39YyLeuN648c3m-nFgV8N96SsLh834IV4u2RqsCiF3bcxszVjZJGl1RHh63nbNUF3WrKLnWErjGNY_Wq2gHPIk-zcDSEz3oxvQRb/s1600-h/award2+copy+butter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids4f_SUFLnNKUc18aOFUgHSEPOKylJRPoFvOfOvFX39YyLeuN648c3m-nFgV8N96SsLh834IV4u2RqsCiF3bcxszVjZJGl1RHh63nbNUF3WrKLnWErjGNY_Wq2gHPIk-zcDSEz3oxvQRb/s200/award2+copy+butter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270585224899449858" border="0" /></a><br /><div face="arial" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A butterfly has metamorphosed on The Spitting Vessel courtesy of Jenaisle, site owner of <a href="http://gewgawwritings.blogspot.com/">Gewgaw Writings</a>. The recognition is for being one of the "coolest" blogs known to the endorser of the award. Unknown to many perhaps is what a butterfly </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> symbolizes.</span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A butterfly in folklore is a keeper of secrets. Once a secret is whispered to it, the butterfly carries the secret straight to the ears of the Great Spirit. Butterflies freed helps restore the balance of nature, which helps fulfill man's wishes. It is also a symbol of change, and the dancing pattern of its flight is a reminder for man not to take things too seriously. The most powerful symbol a butterfly represents is transformation, an excellent imagery for one contemplating change or is in the midst of change; where change need not be distressing nor painful.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">Butterflies have also been used in many faiths and religions; as in a soul seeking reincarnation, or the soul of a loved one visiting family to send a message, or to provide warnings of impending danger. In its most profound form, a butterfly is a symbol of the transformation of the soul.<br /><br /></div> <span style="font-family:arial;">So to Jenaisle of Gewgaw Writings, the Spitting Vessel thanks you very much for the symbolism that this recognition represents.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Source: Vlinder, Butterfly Symbolisms.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.vlinder-01.dds.nl/butterfly-symbolism.htm</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-63159966755384965522008-11-16T13:31:00.000-08:002008-11-16T18:54:04.566-08:00A Communion of Church and Citizens<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFf1DJ0pPqy-MDi6gh2UxOXjk8ngN1NqZEdQKxKAuADkaFDNpw80IJzaxqe7QNv49JIyVRLkPpbQRsb5OvMb8j4GV7viuMVLLnWTXRq3R5D7-8q3ohft-obg0kBY1Y1r-wv1cLBd6fkmv5/s1600-h/6e0f1b81-4e07-41c0-be8b-42e6b6a750e7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFf1DJ0pPqy-MDi6gh2UxOXjk8ngN1NqZEdQKxKAuADkaFDNpw80IJzaxqe7QNv49JIyVRLkPpbQRsb5OvMb8j4GV7viuMVLLnWTXRq3R5D7-8q3ohft-obg0kBY1Y1r-wv1cLBd6fkmv5/s200/6e0f1b81-4e07-41c0-be8b-42e6b6a750e7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269166072165102882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Whoever brought up the idea that those people who were once under communist regimes were themselves godless have not been to Russia. In Komarovo, a small village located some 300 kilometers from Moscow, there is an acceptance of the fact that the Church is their savior - that it will deliver them from poverty and hunger - by keeping faith in the tradition of taking Church property and religious icons to sell to collectors; and using the structures to build their homes or sell it off as construction materials. It's durability tested by the number of decades or centuries it has survived.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qAG25T-8GSS-gwtQTsjX4ujIJoa60VEk8ONB_hJlrzoAPUaH7my-ZYJg3q3l85_mCaCgy13rQxO5ySqWdpoLG0mw0D1kTw8Bi2lCYi1_Xafys9bfLT4BNMzJnEyVAz5N_JK2w-NDLjrh/s1600-h/_45204772_church_bbc2262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qAG25T-8GSS-gwtQTsjX4ujIJoa60VEk8ONB_hJlrzoAPUaH7my-ZYJg3q3l85_mCaCgy13rQxO5ySqWdpoLG0mw0D1kTw8Bi2lCYi1_Xafys9bfLT4BNMzJnEyVAz5N_JK2w-NDLjrh/s200/_45204772_church_bbc2262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269165780894570290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Remote rural churches have been the favorite target of thieves, but this time their religious fervor seemed to have risen to great heights. A whole church, which was built in 1809 and owned by the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7728407.stm">Russian Orthodox Church</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, has disappeared. What was left of the 200 year old two-story building are the foundations and some wall sections. The Church of the Resurrection, as it was known, had miraculously ascended into Heaven. The structure was intact when last seen in July, but thieves must have dismantled it brick by brick after emptying its interior contents religiously. By October, the Church had vanished.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Investigations will not reveal what was done or who <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPT4XcVw_bjBQ0bHPc_X7XUrhtRGh0zWkjT3zRAnGhuTmp0LDii_3oAJ_9RSovVlUAky6zDwIVMzvpLfG7oDKBPo1cfgbwMn7_g8VKH_DcqHUZ1Yz5l2Ue48lrtw2GxqE2ELAWTcquQf1/s1600-h/RussianMkt341.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPT4XcVw_bjBQ0bHPc_X7XUrhtRGh0zWkjT3zRAnGhuTmp0LDii_3oAJ_9RSovVlUAky6zDwIVMzvpLfG7oDKBPo1cfgbwMn7_g8VKH_DcqHUZ1Yz5l2Ue48lrtw2GxqE2ELAWTcquQf1/s200/RussianMkt341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269169350654406898" border="0" /></a>took part in it, perhaps because all of the villagers have benefitted from its disappearance. No one is claiming any miraculous act of God about the now invisible Church, and all villagers could be solemnly praying that attention is drawn away from them and their village to ease whatever guilt they might have. The incident could be another unsolved crime as far as authorities are concerned. They are not hopeful that the Church would Resurrect in the same place or in other locations anytime in the future; but could appear in bits and parts in areas where the market for these items are faithfully sold</span>, <span style="font-family:arial;">miraculously presented, and spiritually priced.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">These have always been prized items that brought citizens closer to the Church, and which has proven the power of the motto "In God We Trust" - for their survival and well being.<br /><br />Haaaaarrrrrrwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-28458635214132126532008-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:002008-11-15T10:29:21.766-08:00The Practice of Promoting a Pleasure Paradise<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJl9klRPJNqRPTKvUxYSeu90uLUWBZ-gDzXj5ulCbCK1Qm_IrFiE-SlC04HFsKtGda1XsdkWvzGCXTgfcixR7LAvwbO4qnGbsVwqgM09xJmQQaHXMXQCmN2c0_VhQexYTQtr4oL_rs-UEc/s1600-h/_45203877_45203746.jpg">10<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJl9klRPJNqRPTKvUxYSeu90uLUWBZ-gDzXj5ulCbCK1Qm_IrFiE-SlC04HFsKtGda1XsdkWvzGCXTgfcixR7LAvwbO4qnGbsVwqgM09xJmQQaHXMXQCmN2c0_VhQexYTQtr4oL_rs-UEc/s200/_45203877_45203746.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268945645868832114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">If promoting hedonism in its most basic form is an excellent idea for combating the credit crunch and global recession, people will enjoy the pursuit of pleasure even if they're penniless. The question of how man can live in pleasure if he is without means can be achieved by enjoying life in abject poverty - it's one of the few things money can't buy and free for all to experience. As insane as this may sound, this is the same logic being promoted by a resort in North Queensland, Australia. The nudist resort is heralding a month long "anything goes party" in March 2009, to combat the current financial difficulties.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB70INIBcooOc9u_dkbPK3IZnGvRksJAqh2ActdKQM5m54LAIH6YXqiQhm_LoN_LVzAIcCfMed3EMira3mD0YhTdtODOVSD_GcXGWArH88KheH1N8BL-QSLtw7J9HY8SORl-ZZwxhwLVy/s1600-h/545-pic1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB70INIBcooOc9u_dkbPK3IZnGvRksJAqh2ActdKQM5m54LAIH6YXqiQhm_LoN_LVzAIcCfMed3EMira3mD0YhTdtODOVSD_GcXGWArH88KheH1N8BL-QSLtw7J9HY8SORl-ZZwxhwLVy/s200/545-pic1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268950773571450626" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7727818.stm">White Cockatoo</a> in Mossman is not to be confused as a place for whites only, regardless of its name. Cockatoo is a parrot specie, not a crotch appendage. Resort owner Tony Fox has lifted the three year ban on partner swapping "because tough times call for stiff measures". This obviously intended pun is perhaps part of his promotional practice. Yet the nudist paradise has been deluged with inquiries from couples who would like to escape from the harsh realities they face with nothing but their bare essentials and the basest of intentions. It may well be a release of tension by indulging the ups and downs of carefree living and pursuing the ins and outs of pleasure seeking - performed with a stiff standing capital and pushing ambition - even if the only results would be fatigue, jealousies, broken unions, unwanted pregnancies, dreaded diseases, and an exposure of their shortcomings.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8SqQSBTAki1QZ3iQwh3TnLfss2mwIc_dAmSMnPl4sBrTI7gLGC9btK56xtxZT_SZvSOTyLrEebzjzg9zTaICX8s72-G2XNQYJnB3p-c0w94D3LJSHGEyQBEMqqcoOJYVCOdsEZFl6BGU/s1600-h/160_BC_Nudists_080324.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8SqQSBTAki1QZ3iQwh3TnLfss2mwIc_dAmSMnPl4sBrTI7gLGC9btK56xtxZT_SZvSOTyLrEebzjzg9zTaICX8s72-G2XNQYJnB3p-c0w94D3LJSHGEyQBEMqqcoOJYVCOdsEZFl6BGU/s200/160_BC_Nudists_080324.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268952146286817986" border="0" /></a><br />Cairns Mayor Val Schier was not opposed to the month long feast for as long as "it is between consenting adults". Assuming they come with their real wives or husbands, both consenting to break their vows to each other, this alone is anathema to continue being married. And what of the partner others bring along, are these safe alternatives? Even while they have the opportunity to scan the menu with their naked eyes (not the only thing undressed though), the old adage of the "proof of the pudding is in the eating" can be a dangerous threat to healthy living. The irony is that these people profess to seek pleasure yet enjoy no real lasting satisfaction out of it. The concept is pathetically flawed. And so are the hedonists.<br /><br />Misplaced concerns were aired by Cairns Bishop James Foley (very close to Folly) about the code of moral behavior of people going to the feast. There is absolutely nothing to worry about in terms of moral code...they haven't got any.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrrwwwk...Twoooooooooph Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-59378605630208373232008-11-12T19:52:00.000-08:002008-11-13T00:58:41.716-08:00Performance for a Presidency in Peril<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-UMb5Whgk2npTgcT7aCZaj0bp2guVH06V6Vy7kNtS9KrZ6j20UlBYilxkWDHOwQ4KvMKLqKeOEIhtncQOQr9Yb-0gb44lzFHpae1nVkbRU6Q72DKaPmeg9pfSlTqy5XcOLewKXjR3mZT/s1600-h/_45199882_obama_226_getty3641878%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-UMb5Whgk2npTgcT7aCZaj0bp2guVH06V6Vy7kNtS9KrZ6j20UlBYilxkWDHOwQ4KvMKLqKeOEIhtncQOQr9Yb-0gb44lzFHpae1nVkbRU6Q72DKaPmeg9pfSlTqy5XcOLewKXjR3mZT/s200/_45199882_obama_226_getty3641878%5B2%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268059381638340514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Barack Obama's triumph was favored by history. The conditions that emerged at the precise point of his arrival and the sentiment of the youth long jaded by their disdain for politicians, joined by the more enlightened older citizens who risked the familiar standards for leaders, to invest in hope; have ushered him into the limelight of the global stage. His success or failure will determine whether or not a non-white will ever again be elected President of the United States. The times called for a historic moment, but the moment will come when it is time for his performance to be judged by history. And therein lies the peril.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-ix5J-lx6Om7-VZl_Kj4cOrMlHQacZ0IK-lWkCsJp5XynxpOaeDhyphenhyphenVOJZpX_bg5QIXpefGOn3AnOMUWMx36CL6qY44zy7H1Qw6RORfdNxRUJ3Q_WRZ9VXe2i7r2gyWzyErVlQDzTuUcL/s1600-h/article-1083335-025B38F6000005DC-494_468x336.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-ix5J-lx6Om7-VZl_Kj4cOrMlHQacZ0IK-lWkCsJp5XynxpOaeDhyphenhyphenVOJZpX_bg5QIXpefGOn3AnOMUWMx36CL6qY44zy7H1Qw6RORfdNxRUJ3Q_WRZ9VXe2i7r2gyWzyErVlQDzTuUcL/s200/article-1083335-025B38F6000005DC-494_468x336.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268059756019884770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Today, he is a symbol of change, but transforming the symbol into more concrete and meaningful terms for a deeply divided society after a bitterly fought contest remains vague. Its timetable indefinite. Other sectors of American society have, like the African Americans, also experienced discrimination - perhaps not as extensive as the slavery and persecution of the other half of his race - but substantially significant. All these sectors have high expectations that his call for unity of all classes and races, genders and faiths will translate into a rebirth of American society that will afford them the equality that has long eluded them.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LOtA9Z9MgCdabRHUtcWkGQDFt9vthp3ZHFojY-Tc5GtBEEe-kXYh0JifxReey-C-RycMC1koKk532UqNBazEdJaBc0cowV6V1iOsa8HxFenWB9S7H0Dd2mCNi_3RjImKc_ZlYoVIi2Nq/s1600-h/afghanistan_war.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LOtA9Z9MgCdabRHUtcWkGQDFt9vthp3ZHFojY-Tc5GtBEEe-kXYh0JifxReey-C-RycMC1koKk532UqNBazEdJaBc0cowV6V1iOsa8HxFenWB9S7H0Dd2mCNi_3RjImKc_ZlYoVIi2Nq/s200/afghanistan_war.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268060266304775282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Obama's promised tax cut to 95% of Americans, access to better health care for over 45 million citizens, a huge number of teachers provided with better salaries to improve the school system, are all money draining efforts that go on top of a budget deficit of around $500 billion and a national debt that could breach the $11 trillion mark. Foreign policy is a defining area for any President, and here he will be faced with two wars that cannot be won conventionally nor ended definitely. Both wars burden the economy, yet he must fulfill the Afghanistan promise of an end to the conflict that has already spread to its ambivalent Pakistan ally. He must also mind the nuclear ambitions of Iran and seek a withdrawal from Iraq without unduly enhancing Iranian influence in the region. A task that requires the strength of Hercules and the wisdom of Solomon.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0mIeu02m1hrLp2cYC1WVUNWt0XLCnZLrM5Xkr4hp8uUjAik16uEXa9DIbJEySNB0TdNqXMoBkbkQkfFf7t-_mwpZBDAq-0Ktfd_bj-cYoGMlSNPLDAJ6fhgIHhhOmiuD1bT5U0d35Pn5/s1600-h/Flickr_Obama_Austin_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0mIeu02m1hrLp2cYC1WVUNWt0XLCnZLrM5Xkr4hp8uUjAik16uEXa9DIbJEySNB0TdNqXMoBkbkQkfFf7t-_mwpZBDAq-0Ktfd_bj-cYoGMlSNPLDAJ6fhgIHhhOmiuD1bT5U0d35Pn5/s200/Flickr_Obama_Austin_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268061336303961186" border="0" /></a><br />There are, however, two elements that could tide him over - the goodwill that he generated worldwide and his masterful eloquence in communication. How far that goodwill will take him by way of getting the international community to support his initiatives may be dependent on trade-offs he may have to negotiate. Whether these trade-offs would be acceptable to a yet divided but watchful nation deserves serious consideration. He will then have to use his gift for communication - especially when events turn dark, promises are deferred, or doubts persist - to synthesize situations and extract its essence; and to outline the country's directions to overcome any obstacle in its path to a just and humane society. He will need all the graceful eloquence of his words to uplift the spirit of a nation broken by the unconscionable acts of the high and mighty.<br /><br />For President Obama, failure is a gargantuan luxury, and there will always be those lurking behind dark intentions to see that success is kept at a distance, while <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik1ylH6D9eVWOWJZdgSygdGhwxBzXz9ruM3EPcyZYmPz2Dml1F7MShBJW_pWvygUrgro4pa28-CDlpbhwkwwPZiBktWUWuYdul1GP25kHJoIsgJ1AAlLbNtG3SbwPGRzruwDdqYO9Ys89/s1600-h/Karl+%28sniper%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik1ylH6D9eVWOWJZdgSygdGhwxBzXz9ruM3EPcyZYmPz2Dml1F7MShBJW_pWvygUrgro4pa28-CDlpbhwkwwPZiBktWUWuYdul1GP25kHJoIsgJ1AAlLbNtG3SbwPGRzruwDdqYO9Ys89/s200/Karl+%28sniper%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268061708284174322" border="0" /></a>scandal is a breath away. It would seem that an African American holding a powerful position would safely deliver all other ethnic groups on the road to equality. This is an illusion at worst and wishful thinking at best, for it will be a Presidency that will perform in constant peril. If not from the enemies of America, it will be from the enemies of hope and change.<br /><br />Harrrrwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-83837586625281041912008-11-06T04:48:00.000-08:002008-11-06T07:00:07.198-08:00NOTICE:<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t8iwBsCahRKCpKAYwxfsqTZO1eVupPN-HdzP444VNU_DoFrGRh_9CqZXdNwuhAUhy51GLevlcQD_xFu0uTmVolUgqXUp90RvZg5Ou_1K8ECbE7R8yR-5YtlVHEDEzTYG9TLhiSgM-NBD/s1600-h/34942.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t8iwBsCahRKCpKAYwxfsqTZO1eVupPN-HdzP444VNU_DoFrGRh_9CqZXdNwuhAUhy51GLevlcQD_xFu0uTmVolUgqXUp90RvZg5Ou_1K8ECbE7R8yR-5YtlVHEDEzTYG9TLhiSgM-NBD/s200/34942.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265529727672574066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Jenaisle of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://gewgawwritings.blogspot.com/">Gewgaw Writings</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> is collecting "Inspirational Stories from Bloggers All Over the World", which she will publish in a book of the same title. Bloggers interested in joining, or having their articles/posts included, may visit her site to submit their stories. </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The book is scheduled for publication on August 2009. The site provides a generous incentive for articles/posts submitted and accepted. She also posts each of the accepted stories.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For the past week, Gewgaw Writings has posted the Spitting Vessel's story published last May 2008 for Mother's day. The post title is "Memories for my Mother".</span></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-30844059401203062472008-11-04T23:50:00.000-08:002008-11-05T00:07:28.941-08:00History's Hour of Hope<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveMMOAkmaRLLlVfliHzYu2oke2Ie7jwHw9cDa-theDHhMPK7mTlbw5GLDdXIYj7rPhwbxbYLjnqs2D9T35YmwJ2zRTu2ysST_5MiS4HCLTNw58M8qIpdFjI24PpKWI4SpN4Sa3wNd6FIR/s1600-h/pan.ohio.win.gi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 86px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveMMOAkmaRLLlVfliHzYu2oke2Ie7jwHw9cDa-theDHhMPK7mTlbw5GLDdXIYj7rPhwbxbYLjnqs2D9T35YmwJ2zRTu2ysST_5MiS4HCLTNw58M8qIpdFjI24PpKWI4SpN4Sa3wNd6FIR/s200/pan.ohio.win.gi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265074973169959874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">At approximately 11:14 GMT on the 4th 0f N0vember 2008, amidst throngs of supporters drawing their last ounces of strength, history of undeniable global proportions was made with the election of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Nations of the world eagerly awaited the outcome, together with people of all races and social standing, because deep down, this election will have an impact on their lives and their existence. It was an exhausting contest that witnessed Americans speak with their votes, that in this period of its being, hope triumphed over fear.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMzs4eql1-oThEw7aHFQnV8U1L9y9zlOb8T2QpQ16fqHwcaeo-fwV0-unG3E_lfTMPwG_CZuVNhXPcslCHR80pw4mN_sssHjdly-5cENiP1MOrdN0hbrKhOKXTC32grw4PD_NZFBgrNs6/s1600-h/_45174941_grant_park_getty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMzs4eql1-oThEw7aHFQnV8U1L9y9zlOb8T2QpQ16fqHwcaeo-fwV0-unG3E_lfTMPwG_CZuVNhXPcslCHR80pw4mN_sssHjdly-5cENiP1MOrdN0hbrKhOKXTC32grw4PD_NZFBgrNs6/s200/_45174941_grant_park_getty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265071282556378914" border="0" /></a><br />This hope must however be translated into positive endeavors if it is to work for America. The promises made and the needs that must be filled are not dependent on one man alone. Hope must be grounded on the reality that not all can be achieved in a single term, nor could all goals be possibly attained. Americans face tremendous challenges which need to be dealt with when the euphoria of celebration dissipates, or the unimaginable disappointment of defeat is overcome. They must come together, be vigilant, and participate in the redirection of their country, its policies, and its resources; to restore its prestige in the community of nations.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsKX-tqgpnLFDEJatDguEf6Wxwpws43B9O6Rdb6_iJkjchzLzuVjWEV8SREhAjmTQg2OnmkURhiCaT0JfLGCJZCT0grxtCyMT1AtObJmfVOstY5CMyU18E77S99sSE1skgjnvbclC8tVO/s1600-h/_45174940_mccain_thanks_getty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsKX-tqgpnLFDEJatDguEf6Wxwpws43B9O6Rdb6_iJkjchzLzuVjWEV8SREhAjmTQg2OnmkURhiCaT0JfLGCJZCT0grxtCyMT1AtObJmfVOstY5CMyU18E77S99sSE1skgjnvbclC8tVO/s200/_45174940_mccain_thanks_getty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265075769572705106" border="0" /></a><br />It is in the interest of the victors and those defeated to heal the wounds that emerged from the hate, intolerance and ideological differences that may have been generated by the arduous and bitter campaign; and those wounds re-opened by racial, religious and gender prejudices should be laid to rest eternally. Americans must seek ways to unite the nation, rather than divide it; exert efforts to provide social justice, rather than social inequities; create the means for all sectors, segments, races, and opinions to be heard and considered, rather than quashed and discarded; in order to reclaim its title as the bastion of democracy.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uUg-3ZmdOj4eFKXJEWRw7SITYR0-caknLEjwuULYbOF0-VEeQQ3jMYY3ylTfzLYn-dv49qeJM5KmHyasGoPSzYtazHBIz3YHxM9OwytU3vaMp0CIcB5tdOPu74VGeslYbkt9dB_XqaEd/s1600-h/John_mccain_returns_to_NH.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uUg-3ZmdOj4eFKXJEWRw7SITYR0-caknLEjwuULYbOF0-VEeQQ3jMYY3ylTfzLYn-dv49qeJM5KmHyasGoPSzYtazHBIz3YHxM9OwytU3vaMp0CIcB5tdOPu74VGeslYbkt9dB_XqaEd/s200/John_mccain_returns_to_NH.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265077387264952994" border="0" /></a><br />Republicans must consolidate to rebuild their party and reinvigorate its base with new visions that are relevant for the 21st century, and ideals that relate to progress for all Americans, rather than the protection and preservation of a status quo enjoyed by a few. The GOP must reconstruct to fiscalize since there is danger for democracy in the centralization of power in a single , dominant party.<br /><br />It is up to Americans to muster their vaunted energies, natural resilience, national pride, and ability to close ranks - to harness their limited but enormous resources for a united purpose and meaningful set of objectives: their faith in themselves as a people, their dignity as a nation, and their decency as members of the human race. They must eliminate the fantasies that clouded their judgments and the myths that <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FeG4UPNddqvjD8jZ9Cw6EiZCmDLFMsvQhYil59eR6Jrtxc_Oj-t0fsTRg5arvmkWaZ0eZmtjgVzUnX0fECgurw-Sw8Mn9JVM8QUpbp0NScoSw2-Yie37lSnF_4FVrgWJPmXe3vj7OlDx/s1600-h/_45174863_vote_tally_afp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FeG4UPNddqvjD8jZ9Cw6EiZCmDLFMsvQhYil59eR6Jrtxc_Oj-t0fsTRg5arvmkWaZ0eZmtjgVzUnX0fECgurw-Sw8Mn9JVM8QUpbp0NScoSw2-Yie37lSnF_4FVrgWJPmXe3vj7OlDx/s200/_45174863_vote_tally_afp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265078651441322226" border="0" /></a>caused their recklessness. Americans have the capability to take their country to the heights of glory or the depths of despair. And whatever they do, whether they realize it or not; wherever they take their country, they will inevitably take the world with them.<br /><br />The United States may or may not emerge as the most powerful nation on earth, nor <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3IX9bhSS_WQ-XrP5hoJ58oSc_ApZn3HIZ2R1XGOJSWbrEGY2jq5qFTZlQWwE-Jvgtz8lGyV6jCxBxAkzlqxsqyo2XcYBKDmcMkkDcKJyfQgbTbCiknil_Ae1gItAhUbnV6DdlxneZtqm/s1600-h/_45174938_-7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3IX9bhSS_WQ-XrP5hoJ58oSc_ApZn3HIZ2R1XGOJSWbrEGY2jq5qFTZlQWwE-Jvgtz8lGyV6jCxBxAkzlqxsqyo2XcYBKDmcMkkDcKJyfQgbTbCiknil_Ae1gItAhUbnV6DdlxneZtqm/s200/_45174938_-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265079460554111298" border="0" /></a>the most prosperous, but it will continue to be a major player in the balance of power in the world, with the ability to influence how this balance is sustained for the benefit of peace and survival of the planet.<br /><br />Americans have spoken withn the selection of a new leader, but the message of hope <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xjO86NjD2fEUa0rZgHsckPlGrpirQOSV-TJ3PPS84pcfOU__5q8237mF_ktFeIhyLq5uPRedpVpGU9OZyIZUUNRt12qinqgqUorNV1QljyANkYKfoI8FuwTKwpPxMALor3-wGRdi6jxi/s1600-h/_45175008_obama_getty466x260.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xjO86NjD2fEUa0rZgHsckPlGrpirQOSV-TJ3PPS84pcfOU__5q8237mF_ktFeIhyLq5uPRedpVpGU9OZyIZUUNRt12qinqgqUorNV1QljyANkYKfoI8FuwTKwpPxMALor3-wGRdi6jxi/s200/_45175008_obama_getty466x260.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265080603378101890" border="0" /></a>awaits fulfillment. The single, most immediate, and most powerful message sent by its citizens to the world with the election of Barack Hussein Obama is that indeed, in America, all men are created equal.<br /><br />Whether they can remain equal, safe, and secure after their creation is the more profound message that needs to be expressed - in a future without uncertainty, in a world without inequality.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-5177315991459028262008-11-04T08:53:00.000-08:002008-11-04T08:53:00.582-08:00Gratitude for a Great and Generous Gift<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-L_aaqJ5aQxwCu4T0cdyjlsNA5-k0R_0XiSDzO5pCB64E5N1S0lY3PMhyL4sdo6Uf6-i_gPDkUSCnyBYQwose4GKS4HFymFnytwRLJkt1aw3Wou-59h_ITcaNfEs5nlIgAFHd03RlzYH/s1600-h/PROFILEAVA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-L_aaqJ5aQxwCu4T0cdyjlsNA5-k0R_0XiSDzO5pCB64E5N1S0lY3PMhyL4sdo6Uf6-i_gPDkUSCnyBYQwose4GKS4HFymFnytwRLJkt1aw3Wou-59h_ITcaNfEs5nlIgAFHd03RlzYH/s320/PROFILEAVA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264827547223214642" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">There is no greater honor than being recognized and awarded by one whom the Spitting Vessel has the highest regard for as a human being, a mother, a genteel woman, and artist of immense talent and generosity. Kim Barker of <a href="http://laketrees.blogspot.com/">Laketrees</a>, has conducted one of the most meaningful competitions on the blogosphere; and, for the third time, has offered a portrait of the winner's choice of subject, which she will execute herself and pay for its transport to the winner's location. Beyond the monetary value of the gift that goes into thousands of dollars is the priceless meaning of this creation that will last several lifetimes. The competition for this overwhelming Christmas gift this year was won by the Spitting Vessel.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The gratitude that this site has for this valued gift cannot be expressed in words, since the meaning and purpose of this victory represents a symbol between parent and child, father and daughter, baby boomer and generation X; where bonds of deep affection and respect will be enriched by trust and faith. Trust in the choice made for a lifetime partner and in the manner in which that choice was nurtured by discernment, resulting from sound parental guidance; and faith in the efforts exerted to provide the proper upbringing for children within one's capacity and means, regardless of how imperfect the provider is, or the number of missteps and flaws that transpired in the process. And in this symbol, the Spitting Vessel is privileged to to say that Kim Barker has serendipitously contributed much to its fulfillment. Her kind nature and innate generosity has crossed paths with the need to seal these bonds, to blend perfectly with the unspoken message that required a wordless representation.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcy9juhv0xiQTkmrI8N_XXmfIN2Dy1mW9j35_6nxddd350QCj13EgI4hb3xftpa4KCXjZHiz7pJxDYymQ154vwnpQK-EGDtrdnKumlVIo5KSm7e-RQC4u8warrPEWn-DeBGAlDpoXhx0v/s1600-h/Jan_Dean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcy9juhv0xiQTkmrI8N_XXmfIN2Dy1mW9j35_6nxddd350QCj13EgI4hb3xftpa4KCXjZHiz7pJxDYymQ154vwnpQK-EGDtrdnKumlVIo5KSm7e-RQC4u8warrPEWn-DeBGAlDpoXhx0v/s320/Jan_Dean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264827964176079330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To Kim Barker and Laketrees, thank you very much. To Jan Dean who judged the <a href="http://laketrees.blogspot.com/2008/11/portrait-for-christmas-and-love-on.html">entries,</a> the Spitting Vessel realizes it was a difficult choice and anyone could have won. But this site thanks you for the criteria you made and for the decision you have arrived at.</span> :-) --<span style="font-family:arial;">Durano, done!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-17891956889626538562008-11-01T02:07:00.000-07:002008-11-01T02:19:06.708-07:00A Masterful Maltreatment by McCain<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">NOTE: This was received via e-mail today. It is a first person encounter with John McCain by Mary Kay Gamel, a literature and classics professor at UCSC. She is asking people to disseminate this letter</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >to shed light on the character and attitudes of candidate John McCain.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >My Holiday with John McCain</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It was just before John McCain's last run at the presidential nomination in 2000 that my husband and I vacationed in Turtle Island, in Fiji, with John McCain, Cindy and their children, including Bridget (their adopted Bangladeshi child).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was not our intention, but our misfortune to be in close quarters with John McCain for almost a week, since Turtle island has a small number of bungalows and their focus on communal meals force all vacationers who are there at the same time to get to know each other intimately.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He arrived at our first group meal and started reading quotes from a pile of William Faulkner books with a forest of Post-Its sticking out of them. As an English Literature major myself my first thought was "If he likes this so much, why hasn't he memorized any of these yet"?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I soon realized that McCain actually thought we had come on vacation to be a volunteer audience</span> for his "readings" which became a regular part of each meal. Out of politeness, none of the vacationers initially protested at this intrusion into their blissful holiday, but peoples buttons definitely got pushed as the readings continued day after day.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Unfortunately, this was not his only contribution to our mealtime entertainment. He waxed on during one meal about how Indo-China women had the best figures and that our American corn-fed women just couldn't meet up to this standard. He also made it a point that all of us should stop Cindy from having dessert as her weight was too high, and made a few comments to Amy, the 25 year old wife of the honeymooning couple from Nebraska that she should eat less as she needed to lose weight.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">McCain's appreciation of the beauty of Asian women was so great that David, the American economist, had to move his Thai wife to the other side of the table from McCain, as McCain kept aggressively flirting with her and touching her. Needless to say I was irritated at his large ego and rude behavior towards his wife and other women, but decided he must have redeeming qualities as he had adopted a handicapped child from Bangladesh. I asked him about this one day and his response was shocking. "Oh that was Cindy's idea - I didn't have anything to do with it. She just went and adopted this thing without even asking me. You can't imagine how people stare when I wheel this ugly black thing around in a shopping cart in Arizona. No it wasn't my idea at all".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I actively avoided McCain after that, but unfortunately one day, he engaged me in a political discussion which soon got us on the topic of the active US bombing of Iraq at that time. I was shocked when he said, "If I was in charge, I would nuke Iraq to teach them a lesson". Given McCain's personal experience with the horrors of war, I expected a more balanced point of view. I commented on the tragic consequences of the nuclear attacks on Japan during World War ll - but no, he was not to be dissuaded. He went on to say that if it were up to him, he would have dropped many more nuclear bombs on Japan. I rapidly extricated myself from this conversation as I could tell that his experience being tortured as a POW didn't seem to have mellowed out his perspective, but rather had made him more aggressive and vengeful towards the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My final encounter with McCain was on the morning he was leaving Turtle island. Amy and I were happily eating pancakes when McCain arrived and told Amy she shouldn't be having pancakes because she needed to lose weight. Amy burst into tears at this abusive comment. I felt fiercely protective of Amy and immediately turned to McCain and told him to leave her alone. He bacame very angry and abusive towards me, and said, "Don't you know who I am"? I looked him in the face and said, "Yes, you are the biggest asshole I have ever met", and headed back to my cabin. I am happy to say that later that day when I arrived at lunch, I was given a standing ovation by all the guests for having stood up to McCain's bullying.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Although I have shared my McCain story informally with friends, this is the first time I am making this public. I almost did so in 2000, when McCain first announced his bid for the Republican nomination, but it soon became apparent that George Bush was the shoo-in candidate and so I didn't act then. However, now that there is a very real possibility that McCain could be elected as our next president, I feel that it is my duty as an American citizen to share this story.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I can't imagine a more scary outcome for America than that this abusive, aggressive man should lead our nation. I have observed him in intimate surroundings as he really is, not how the media portrays him to be. If his attitude toward women and his treatment of his own family are even a small indicator of his real personality, then I shudder to think what will happen to America were he to be elected as our President.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >Mary-Kay Gamel</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >Professor of Classics, Comparative Literature and Theater Arts</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >Cowell College, University of California, Santa Cruz</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >Santa Cruz California 95064</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >831-459-2381 (office); 831-429-8803 (home)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-family:arial;" >mkgamel@ucsc.edu</span><br /></div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-27198628884836540682008-10-31T19:00:00.000-07:002008-10-31T19:00:00.456-07:00The Hideous Horrors of the "Hero"<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-family:webdings;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(-:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Halloween</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">:-)</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuLjUPFyI1_LRFrJxr1Y7nBKSECkZWWDguGxMdOhM8lKdt7ppJshAHGndzekpZ8gZAPGSfFIp7WyE6nXivn5lpxpFEHKVguvNslgRmA3wAuaGQ7jXIRrD656RGwzURAEQd89ltT52J4LJ/s1600-h/john_mccain_miserable.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 441px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuLjUPFyI1_LRFrJxr1Y7nBKSECkZWWDguGxMdOhM8lKdt7ppJshAHGndzekpZ8gZAPGSfFIp7WyE6nXivn5lpxpFEHKVguvNslgRmA3wAuaGQ7jXIRrD656RGwzURAEQd89ltT52J4LJ/s400/john_mccain_miserable.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263371629771817122" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Isn't he scary?</span></span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-77037306046734734472008-10-30T22:50:00.000-07:002008-10-31T00:32:17.578-07:00Pope Pushes Psychoanalysis for Priests<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nZpYhqgSzDc_3oE9dFXr8h8PCHoJtGfJHxKsXq2q2K2NvRcugr8gbJtaG3bEJy_Q2-XMqvPKIrP855h7wZTh8w4-7xhFzgU1x2vGiM69sdUAmln908sFTYOLeQU7WqULxZt2OzOUdLcZ/s1600-h/250px-Rome_basilica_st_peter_011c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nZpYhqgSzDc_3oE9dFXr8h8PCHoJtGfJHxKsXq2q2K2NvRcugr8gbJtaG3bEJy_Q2-XMqvPKIrP855h7wZTh8w4-7xhFzgU1x2vGiM69sdUAmln908sFTYOLeQU7WqULxZt2OzOUdLcZ/s200/250px-Rome_basilica_st_peter_011c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263212377093123186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After almost 2,000 years, the Roman Catholic Church has learned little about why it is a magnet for homosexual priests; and the fact that heterosexual members engage in intercourse, even rape of young women, to satisfy a sexual appetite that has long been suppressed until it explodes in illicit ecstasy. The sudden transformation of a well respected and highly regarded priest into a sexual beast is noted as a result of a mentally deranged mind. But it is never attributed to celibacy. The church believes the mental condition of the mind to control sexual urges can be found in those worthy to serve God.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25BVKlpNJTuFec5epMODjNCLkeGSbP98GTUL166dOE6m9YNBZI-oOeOzOi4TwW3J7KuylXPrd0LmVQ0iUQ9S_dn3I2DBcT1sADX7ehei1GUtE9FMkH0n074-HVwZcvH8O_vGcu_V5KJiO/s1600-h/_45159227_-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25BVKlpNJTuFec5epMODjNCLkeGSbP98GTUL166dOE6m9YNBZI-oOeOzOi4TwW3J7KuylXPrd0LmVQ0iUQ9S_dn3I2DBcT1sADX7ehei1GUtE9FMkH0n074-HVwZcvH8O_vGcu_V5KJiO/s200/_45159227_-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263212759704771058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Pope has approved the new guideline for the screening of future priests by providing <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7700710.stm">psychological tests</a> to weed out those that have "psychological defects, deep-seated homosexual tendencies, uncertain sexual identity, excessive rigidity of character, and strong affective tendencies". It bars seminarians who see celibacy as a heavy burden that it "compromises their affective and relational equilibrium". Priests selected must have a "positive and stable sense of their masculine identity".</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1CmmEGjiFNCNEl-dPb7ICUcGZ8eE15aj14bld4H9qyohUaub_-QqnFNGzkbyYcwXiOeaNJhzLn3XAn0A8dwQrk565Ur_tiNGWcQ_1Nsv9eG3DuoV8QqImoiXo1ytamLbgNOPfj1LXzQN/s1600-h/240px-Gesupietrochiave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1CmmEGjiFNCNEl-dPb7ICUcGZ8eE15aj14bld4H9qyohUaub_-QqnFNGzkbyYcwXiOeaNJhzLn3XAn0A8dwQrk565Ur_tiNGWcQ_1Nsv9eG3DuoV8QqImoiXo1ytamLbgNOPfj1LXzQN/s200/240px-Gesupietrochiave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263213260081175970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Catholics are made to understand that celibacy is a reflection of life in heaven, but it makes them go through hell first. It is actually based on guilt originating from false religious beliefs developed to control people. There is clearly no biblical basis for this practice and it may be used for concealing deeper fears of intimacy. The qualifications for future priests sought by the Church are those that are detached from any sexuality. How they can have a stable and positive sense of masculine identity without expressing their manhood, or at least their human masculine emotions, is a tall order. There may be no priests qualified over the long term for such demands. Applicants may pass and be celibate for some time, but it cannot hold for the long haul, and the same problems will emerge.</span><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkHENkzBWpwFqcmTzK1yeAK_XDXs1RqCwMqIUD8JjmsI7GO3h7dRWfGVKaR7ZeURUlHb3oHdm9G1jONX8aZwrTnHrZVRhm44IhmBsyocCx9Ts5wkEdfJn5gAN9yJvKxK4n9qimhT9wurd/s1600-h/Innocent_II.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkHENkzBWpwFqcmTzK1yeAK_XDXs1RqCwMqIUD8JjmsI7GO3h7dRWfGVKaR7ZeURUlHb3oHdm9G1jONX8aZwrTnHrZVRhm44IhmBsyocCx9Ts5wkEdfJn5gAN9yJvKxK4n9qimhT9wurd/s200/Innocent_II.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263214395730227890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Priests have been allowed to have wives and concubines before the middle ages, until Pope Pelagius I made new priests agree offspring could not inherit church property; Pope Gregory followed by declaring all sons of priests illegitimate; Pope Benedict VIII banned marriages and concubines for priests; and Pope Innocent II voided all marriages, and for all new priests to divorce their wives. It had nothing to do with morality, it was all about money and the protection of Church property. Even Peter the Apostle was married. Celibacy is physically unnatural and can result in several physical and mental problems. When even masturbation is denied under this vow, the body cannot be used for what it was intended. Prostate blockage and painful wet dreams are the most common reactions of the body to this unnatural imposition.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyj4d0QtliHeo3oIMt7oiwElx3DTL5EHJRdlrFnZk34gDwCOVJ2eIcAHCGMgSb5i6twCl6-fppgtEXqi9Lsu2K9fEthYU7gBt6KTiiQii_w83kT8xeF6HLMaN1wsCrggcQ60X4gLsgiCw/s1600-h/Jesus_Christ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyj4d0QtliHeo3oIMt7oiwElx3DTL5EHJRdlrFnZk34gDwCOVJ2eIcAHCGMgSb5i6twCl6-fppgtEXqi9Lsu2K9fEthYU7gBt6KTiiQii_w83kT8xeF6HLMaN1wsCrggcQ60X4gLsgiCw/s200/Jesus_Christ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263215394354364642" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jesus was a practitioner of natural law, and He wouldn't impose an act so unnatural among his followeres and members of His Church. The entire celibacy issue was the result of middle age Gnostic influence that preached falsely that the body and its needs are dirty and unspiritual. To be serving God in a spiritual sense, natural sexuality must be avoided. This is the basis for the "derangement" of priests. If a priest is stable upon ordination, the years of sexual avoidance will certainly result in intense mental imbalance - borne of need and guilt - until he can no longer ignore the explosive release of this natural hunger. Having an illicit heterosexual relationship is the least of his sins. Pedophilia and rape are the most grevious; but resorting to homosexual <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi5qR6ERiVVkP9h3h7xg5U6pTF-w-KYsTNyNR4k18URka3qtTf_kmeuYL1cVxp8rH7sY7uLU86bZ5uXMaDw_XBpB8G3rKMU_SEUK6PdwNzvgXkHzu4H85N4DDi6Gs1xHGKMMLtUxBicMW/s1600-h/_41068096_ordinationafp203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi5qR6ERiVVkP9h3h7xg5U6pTF-w-KYsTNyNR4k18URka3qtTf_kmeuYL1cVxp8rH7sY7uLU86bZ5uXMaDw_XBpB8G3rKMU_SEUK6PdwNzvgXkHzu4H85N4DDi6Gs1xHGKMMLtUxBicMW/s200/_41068096_ordinationafp203.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263216331678678914" border="0" /></a>relationships for a straight priest is an option. This starvation for sex of male priests is the very reason why the Church is a magnet for homosexuals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, rather than providing all these tests which will not remove the problem at some future date, the Church has two options: to require all priests to be castrated; or allow them to marry. Otherwise, the problem of priests with their sexual drives will be a recurring one. Should priests be allowed to marry, the Church should also follow the Anglican example of ordaining women priests. Then, having a couple who are both priests would produce a holier generation.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">While they're at it, why not make the seminaries co-educational, so they can start early on the Heavenly experience here on earth? By the time of their ordination - when they are launched to serve God - they would have gotten used to the mantra they recite at the coed seminary: "Oh God, I'm coming"!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Haaaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!</span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-61513635527006800502008-10-29T22:41:00.000-07:002008-10-30T06:12:02.276-07:00Gigabyte Gamble of Global Giants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXpnGJSYRDerJeD6FUmdzWhiNSeac21472ImOfbPSpXUnzVcJvmoZsWyv3CiE4iMfig1JmEyGksb5wAF-tYLObmQy5z4mmyqlXPvXnskJBKcM-yWRTSOdcXvreGESSBiXR0wmv37D4_Er/s1600-h/yahoo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXpnGJSYRDerJeD6FUmdzWhiNSeac21472ImOfbPSpXUnzVcJvmoZsWyv3CiE4iMfig1JmEyGksb5wAF-tYLObmQy5z4mmyqlXPvXnskJBKcM-yWRTSOdcXvreGESSBiXR0wmv37D4_Er/s200/yahoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262854221330907698" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">A challenge has been mounted by the technology giants against the economic giants on the global digital battlefield, in the name of online free speech protection, privacy of communication, and against governmental intrusion. Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft have joined forces to enforce a Code of Conduct that would govern the Global Network. How this will be received by countries alluded to in the enactment of the code; or how it will resist powerful political pressure at the local level by partners of the business behemoths, has not been detailed. Enacting a code is one thing, enforcing it is another.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7e7ArPIt1PDotVh1KgNPRd5uVrwSZLv5PDIjpjDfMIm7ql3dU-CUweUpi1q78go4yhPsXtlHwk2dbLz0vQy4Y0gvsXOQNvJpt8JnjKFIV3sir51YFhHbJqXhaJ6LlRSIE0eKuTSatM6f/s1600-h/yahoo-to-google.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7e7ArPIt1PDotVh1KgNPRd5uVrwSZLv5PDIjpjDfMIm7ql3dU-CUweUpi1q78go4yhPsXtlHwk2dbLz0vQy4Y0gvsXOQNvJpt8JnjKFIV3sir51YFhHbJqXhaJ6LlRSIE0eKuTSatM6f/s200/yahoo-to-google.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262854750769931234" border="0" /></a><br />The signing of the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7696356.stm">Global Code of Conduct </a>attempts to end internet censorship and other forms of government witch hunts and interference. It seeks to limit what data should be shared with authorities where the integrity of free speech may be threatened. Human rights groups have hailed this as a recognition of the need for a collective response and more aggressive stand versus unwarranted demands on user privacy and restrictions on free speech. Google had been accused of agreeing to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dGZdXnVX7SRI11reWdi1_L12itONTdNT0IzGMVIu_E7NiQQrlj7JE0vWkVkyN7uuaF2fqxVc1YNh1e088IdnoraHZWPpu50O7g7-65ozZzv_Auvdlb0ps5JhICUFRjv5MVNKsWwfYECm/s1600-h/_44871553_44179813.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dGZdXnVX7SRI11reWdi1_L12itONTdNT0IzGMVIu_E7NiQQrlj7JE0vWkVkyN7uuaF2fqxVc1YNh1e088IdnoraHZWPpu50O7g7-65ozZzv_Auvdlb0ps5JhICUFRjv5MVNKsWwfYECm/s200/_44871553_44179813.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262855355097810450" border="0" /></a>filter searches for such topics as democracy or Tiananmen; Microsoft had been pilloried for blocking the blog of a media practitioner who posted on the management purge at the Beijing News Daily; while Yahoo's disclosure of personal information led to the 10 year jail sentence of reporter Shi Tao.<br /><br />Their alliance under the Code provides a certain clout for the implementation of its provisions. It seems that, as Jerry Yang of Yahoo puts it, their actions match their values. The tech giants are gambling on the fact that internet users in China are <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXeoIoUaCOHBxfSqQorYZX1XYPrptPXb7vvX1ukqvoh9_60b3IQisvCh3C3l3jclLGQSs3HDhUF-NSOnLTdU1lsaEysPPQX-VdRhhgReeJJkB0mn9leSxwZdof5zl25qU2egNoL5emHBH/s1600-h/_45074050_25616780-5a50-4ce0-932d-28041e6e92a5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXeoIoUaCOHBxfSqQorYZX1XYPrptPXb7vvX1ukqvoh9_60b3IQisvCh3C3l3jclLGQSs3HDhUF-NSOnLTdU1lsaEysPPQX-VdRhhgReeJJkB0mn9leSxwZdof5zl25qU2egNoL5emHBH/s200/_45074050_25616780-5a50-4ce0-932d-28041e6e92a5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262856055125015762" border="0" /></a>the youth , students, and young professionals - the generation that will sustain the country's powerful growth. The massive number of users is being staked against China's political will to interfere and protect what they feel is their secret. China's non-acceptance will create discord and distance between the government and people, putting their future in jeopardy. But China's acceptance will not be a victory for the alliance either, they will simply enforce their willful interference clandestinely, by pressuring or threatening the local partner quietly into submission. Having declared their acceptance of the Code to the world, coercion would then be rampant. Any disclosure of these threats can be claimed as an "isolated case".<br /><br />The millions of users in China may also be used by the authorities against the alliance. Can these three giants afford to lose such a massive market? Also, what if China puts up a similar operation as they have that will serve their country's needs - reaching out beyond the urban areas where these giants operate? After sometime, they could terminate the operations of 2 of these tech companies with the one remaining becoming vulnerable to pressure. The Code's absence of an implementation mechanism weakens its resolve to accomplish what it claims it will. Perhaps they <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR70JWk3O_5FW0In1VNSvUUliJMB55l0ksR7zTNb6DAx_e7TicLZD621bO_rzXhrJRvsY0wraLpnmCmCz82VPCA-wdBAS3EdEyEnYEbQqnJElQPwwaFXOGOw962GIcGkoJc7RTbhoHe-K/s1600-h/_44634647_internet_afp_226b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR70JWk3O_5FW0In1VNSvUUliJMB55l0ksR7zTNb6DAx_e7TicLZD621bO_rzXhrJRvsY0wraLpnmCmCz82VPCA-wdBAS3EdEyEnYEbQqnJElQPwwaFXOGOw962GIcGkoJc7RTbhoHe-K/s200/_44634647_internet_afp_226b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262856825898312546" border="0" /></a>have realized it is unenforceable, and merely went through the motions to assuage human rights groups. There are strong indications that this alliance is merely a gesture that will cast these tech companies in a good light, after the bad image generated by past actions. Nothing more.<br /><br />The fact that China seems to be singled out is also disturbing. Other countries are equally guilty of interference such as Russia, Serbia, Nigeria, and most of all the United States. It was the USA that removed privacy of communication as part of its intelligence gathering efforts for the War on Terror. That whole package of lies to spy on its own people has more cases that warrants investigation than China. On the other hand this whole alliance on the Code of Conduct is also being used to preempt whatever regulatory oversight may be initiated by a likely Obama government, because of how they assisted the trampling of America's civil rights in support of the War <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9Tzl9sSphFAbt2DXoZl0TuDjB57NrSxGpyM6BODIohhtR70FTPHIzn-yPPdTuzxDzGFfCWE8OW7ShX_FNtDQZI7uK0ZsFGLYfMdbg5yhrv1Q4ydDgng13qamOcReXVs3Bad9LrpmyFFD/s1600-h/_45155965_obama2_afp226i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9Tzl9sSphFAbt2DXoZl0TuDjB57NrSxGpyM6BODIohhtR70FTPHIzn-yPPdTuzxDzGFfCWE8OW7ShX_FNtDQZI7uK0ZsFGLYfMdbg5yhrv1Q4ydDgng13qamOcReXVs3Bad9LrpmyFFD/s200/_45155965_obama2_afp226i.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262857994953530370" border="0" /></a>on Terror.<br /> <br />It's just so uncharacteristic for these companies to initiate actions that will damage their relationships with their major markets. Secondly, it does not make sense for them to dive into ideological issues that would virtually be imposing a political philosophy on a sovereign country, regardless of how universally righteous that philosophy is. Their business in service, not politics. This Code is a dangerous gamble if they are truly serious.<br /><br />In the political battlefield, the tech companies are mice by comparison. Three mice that roar, even in blended three part harmony, cannot be that powerful in the real world. Against an army of more than a hundred million, all they can do is squeak!<br /><br />Haaarrrrwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!<br /><br /><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-78182381541710686682008-10-28T23:49:00.000-07:002008-10-29T06:47:57.734-07:00Tragedy of the Toilet Trapped Train Rider<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExjOXwBmtOSjsRrIbKOI2sUWXzWkmNmyLHprPhASmpr-JvFzLkQCbvlkEmOBTjY3zlE-iiNz_brCmtYi9EInlsgQPgDMj0KH28z7zjwilZdHF5_tCbRYuY4mshjtKwhCA6BhpflbN1SC3/s1600-h/a330-tn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExjOXwBmtOSjsRrIbKOI2sUWXzWkmNmyLHprPhASmpr-JvFzLkQCbvlkEmOBTjY3zlE-iiNz_brCmtYi9EInlsgQPgDMj0KH28z7zjwilZdHF5_tCbRYuY4mshjtKwhCA6BhpflbN1SC3/s200/a330-tn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262427551350516738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">There are people whose misfortunes lead them to the conclusion that "life sucks", or that "life stinks". There are those who suffer the unbearable shame of being in situations that find them in crappy circumstances, in an environment that's full of excrement. But for one 26 year old Frenchman who took a train ride from La Rochelle to Paris, it is all of these. Getting inside the on-board toilet and having his hand sucked and trapped inside the toilet bowl is not a daily occurrence of bad luck, but a rare incident of hilarity. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzevvl32aQiDJgSF63JH-KeFf4aBJXsCytgw1zb4N_TfzNkoy5uVFXatZmAcSkvj7d7HiO7NEHuU-cFWut-sdeK7jagIyePHn_9sy4WW4wYpkDeVl_CdYGnJ2irnNopRhDSDYhznweguX/s1600-h/Image3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzevvl32aQiDJgSF63JH-KeFf4aBJXsCytgw1zb4N_TfzNkoy5uVFXatZmAcSkvj7d7HiO7NEHuU-cFWut-sdeK7jagIyePHn_9sy4WW4wYpkDeVl_CdYGnJ2irnNopRhDSDYhznweguX/s200/Image3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262428043101583650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Frenchman was not identified, to prevent further embarrassment to him. His <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7693386.stm">hand was trapped</a> when he reached for his mobile phone which fell into the toilet bowl, and was subsequently scooped up by the toilet's suction system. The high speed TGV train had to stop for two hours to allow responding firemen to rescue the filthy Frenchman from the seemingly monster toilet, by cutting through the train's pipework. The man was carried away by the Emergency services with his hand still jammed in the toilet seat. It is a tragedy to see such a promising young man get stuck in a shit hole.<br /><br />The instinctive reaction of picking up a dropped mobile phone, and/or an inadequate <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6hW0bkGNtgB05UpuTSSk724OSU0reFtkJPyqqVBHh2e0GpyPCP1Imu8Ox9bCIjWZEfeZvSnckfZzEhGRqL3xxx9d5L3KSFyhBl0uo4ZlZknZZUtXqtHgB9IWGFDHkHL1O58JtbNnG1Vo/s1600-h/_45146608_59229780-1d93-4190-9350-436831699bac.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6hW0bkGNtgB05UpuTSSk724OSU0reFtkJPyqqVBHh2e0GpyPCP1Imu8Ox9bCIjWZEfeZvSnckfZzEhGRqL3xxx9d5L3KSFyhBl0uo4ZlZknZZUtXqtHgB9IWGFDHkHL1O58JtbNnG1Vo/s200/_45146608_59229780-1d93-4190-9350-436831699bac.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262429332494364194" border="0" /></a>knowledge about how powerful the suction systems of on-board trains are, led to this humiliating result. On the other hand, a phone dropped in water with the power on will be short circuited, and therefore ruined. He probably hoped he could pick it up fast enough to prevent its ruin. The question remains as to why he had his mobile phone in his hand as he entered the on-board toilet, knowing that he will need both hands, one more than the other, to get his task done. The answer may be very simple, he failed to pocket his phone immediately after "answering the call of nature".<br /><br />Haaarrrrrwwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-47967729104247131372008-10-27T23:48:00.000-07:002008-10-28T07:17:40.191-07:00Palin's Pricey Persona<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGRPRxdVrUUJSklei_2NsGbvblYok65O7YALlr_mzqb2NS-ziVu29mA8YYMcLSSmk23G26aLxuQBLIkeduq5bBAUV0eGewJrlc9JB6ZDRy2xDj4tN9WrVtWB82TbtMEi_1NKQ5nOHLe87/s1600-h/main2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGRPRxdVrUUJSklei_2NsGbvblYok65O7YALlr_mzqb2NS-ziVu29mA8YYMcLSSmk23G26aLxuQBLIkeduq5bBAUV0eGewJrlc9JB6ZDRy2xDj4tN9WrVtWB82TbtMEi_1NKQ5nOHLe87/s200/main2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262203859248730178" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">The finished product that is the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, was manufactured under a most lavish image building plan that would make paupers of many of the women she hopes to identify with, or those she hopes would want to identify with her. The knowledge that money donated by Republican supporters was used to glamorize and clothe the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzoIML1JSq90FTh76fgI_MU4M6RGefr1UyqxY76oO38WdwwU-wJoZZ0gzeZJnDzO-HmavHMpYMAxf-TKgUQNEXL7kUx8AwWD_CR8AuTW3CdAXpHfzIMzO_S1FhvdDB1kBA4h7u7xZlt1j/s1600-h/sarah_palin2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzoIML1JSq90FTh76fgI_MU4M6RGefr1UyqxY76oO38WdwwU-wJoZZ0gzeZJnDzO-HmavHMpYMAxf-TKgUQNEXL7kUx8AwWD_CR8AuTW3CdAXpHfzIMzO_S1FhvdDB1kBA4h7u7xZlt1j/s200/sarah_palin2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262204182359844450" border="0" /></a>"Hockey Mom" did not sit well with many of them; and the whopping $150,000 spent for her image was the last thread for some to abandon the party and switch to the democrats.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">But it wasn't just the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQB-SKiXiieNTVUbwOC7ZX881IVE-s45xhwHtSpRt8xvMog81VwLNSC4apZpl6o3fHkXljr-rzP9DtGkvDnH4ZFKjPEE3TxQwtlzNiGD1BH0Kx-_TVZF930A3GCy3K1CMGerRXuFl0N7E/s1600-h/palin-in-the-car.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQB-SKiXiieNTVUbwOC7ZX881IVE-s45xhwHtSpRt8xvMog81VwLNSC4apZpl6o3fHkXljr-rzP9DtGkvDnH4ZFKjPEE3TxQwtlzNiGD1BH0Kx-_TVZF930A3GCy3K1CMGerRXuFl0N7E/s200/palin-in-the-car.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262204931454150386" border="0" /></a>clothes. It included the attitude, the delivery, and the scripts she was made to memorize that went well with the frozen fresh look from the snows of Alaska. The crash course she took at the John McCain Institute of instant political candidates included a "cutesy" wink meant to go with her expensive spectacles. Palin was given a persona that was intended to win women and youth votes for the battle scarred POW. She was therefore encased in stylish and expensive Neiman Marcus apparel which would put her target audience in abject poverty and turn them into bag ladies wearing pricey clothing if they went along with it.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">The idea that hard earned <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcUrr0yR8mGM2H7PfcrwA9R6GvoZAvt94pMYKV_M9v0hu_Ek4DOWVEWpEavMmQ-8-E8lViVtz4BbAJ3m5GuSgZNooWOaroueZzhOkJdSY-n86GsnUnf5Ho-UN7Jjdjow1FUs5W-2NqDfA/s1600-h/sarah_palin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcUrr0yR8mGM2H7PfcrwA9R6GvoZAvt94pMYKV_M9v0hu_Ek4DOWVEWpEavMmQ-8-E8lViVtz4BbAJ3m5GuSgZNooWOaroueZzhOkJdSY-n86GsnUnf5Ho-UN7Jjdjow1FUs5W-2NqDfA/s200/sarah_palin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262205746646846850" border="0" /></a>money was spent to transform a pitt bull into a poodle with lipstick raised a howl from the party base. McCain and Palin were compelled to say that the snazzy outfits would be donated to charity. But knowing the Republicans, they wouldn't want to see such fortunes go to waste to be used and abused by the poor, whom they so gleefulully impoverish. It wouldn't be surprising to see these garments auctioned on E-Bay with the added value of having been worn by the darling of the GOP. If she wins, it will go up in value; if she loses it will drop like the sub-prime mortgage. And what pervert could resist wearing her used undergarments or fantasizing about what was once on it? That alone could fetch a high price. It should be auctioned soon to add to their campaign funds. These could sell higher than $150,000.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYkvgKIadhQ4Zoz3iH2xzLAiEs0NyF0R0f_Q-BZnGlcU8zM2gNGyRbZxoFgnn_o5y7zd0V182pZazmDpu5rhfZxK87JtZ-wYiVhD4RumGz_KEN3O6tVJm4NRGZySenuoxLz7LEc1mt1OX/s1600-h/0_61_palin_sarah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYkvgKIadhQ4Zoz3iH2xzLAiEs0NyF0R0f_Q-BZnGlcU8zM2gNGyRbZxoFgnn_o5y7zd0V182pZazmDpu5rhfZxK87JtZ-wYiVhD4RumGz_KEN3O6tVJm4NRGZySenuoxLz7LEc1mt1OX/s200/0_61_palin_sarah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262206214350097842" border="0" /></a>Amidst all these makeovers, Palin is still being used as an attack dog, stopping short of calling Obama a communist. She kept repeating the word "socialist", and described situations where Obama's governance would make all decisions for individual Americans, including personal ones, which was not socialist by any stretch but actually a picture of communist practice. Yet it was McCain who made all the decisions for her, including what to say, how to deliver, what to wear, how to smile...all personal ones; making McCain the communist rather than the Democratic candidate by her own standards.<br /><br />The fashion does not fit the statements. There are only two occassions left for Palin to express her fashion statement: One is election day itself where her attire may be eagerly awaited. To show that they put "America First", she could wear a white gown made of cashmere and silk, cut like the statue of Liberty, topped by a crown and a torch to light the way for the voters to go with the GOP candidates. It will be the second time she will wear this gown as she would have worn it four days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DC_iDF3c0LdpAdvmKgeV87gTFVmc5qtKqzIpS_2-JWaF1elXwGZg9Vxw7NYU5BqF0sz__o5rjdCBCgG7pZ7zHNoppG2dy93fMdyFVJPsTIP0IU7eAQZnLTsu-Q-JbENM0CENr0ZdDTTT/s1600-h/Ku-Klux-Klan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DC_iDF3c0LdpAdvmKgeV87gTFVmc5qtKqzIpS_2-JWaF1elXwGZg9Vxw7NYU5BqF0sz__o5rjdCBCgG7pZ7zHNoppG2dy93fMdyFVJPsTIP0IU7eAQZnLTsu-Q-JbENM0CENr0ZdDTTT/s200/Ku-Klux-Klan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262207177336704530" border="0" /></a> earlier. But in lieu of a torch she would bear a wooden cross; and in place of a crown, she would have the same material as her gown cut into a pointed hood that will cover her entire head - with holes for the eyes and nose. An apt fashion statement for Halloween.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-67209299513950771232008-10-22T21:18:00.000-07:002008-10-23T04:54:43.659-07:00Screened, Scanned and Stripped for Security<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMBRODeXkDOeCQPuG6SS7idgcELsTrnd1Nq5kqFPgSG8cSw-1yTvPkA0fV9CgHXJdN-L3ZKhUYlKU386NH2wlw3bKc-Wu2_zzO3liUrynRmud9-iUTkeRNtIOo_JV5kZ5J3mD0gF0RaT6/s1600-h/Backscatter_X_Ray_Scanner_Anti_Terrorist_Device.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMBRODeXkDOeCQPuG6SS7idgcELsTrnd1Nq5kqFPgSG8cSw-1yTvPkA0fV9CgHXJdN-L3ZKhUYlKU386NH2wlw3bKc-Wu2_zzO3liUrynRmud9-iUTkeRNtIOo_JV5kZ5J3mD0gF0RaT6/s200/Backscatter_X_Ray_Scanner_Anti_Terrorist_Device.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260226723707106642" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The European Commission is moving to get to know all visitors and travelers in and out of the continent in a very intimate manner - beyond what travelers would consider a transient acquaintance - by viewing every inch of their visitors' anatomy in all their naked glory. What used to be the exclusive province of some perverted minds of the human race, those who figuratively undress people by their lecherous looks at curves and bulges of other individuals, will soon become the official greeting method at airports in the continent.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6mwtLfVvTJNHOXdHu_Q2xua1bFn7oCGJMjZKfV9uWen8kB39-bEOqf-3sE0A4mPA6MZjRkO95A3eW7I8hsesXY540sIUXnFieVMuFM41Aa0Y4HpYNSbitk_8m6CvpOASD_vUQdbbVWZR/s1600-h/1138151037_5c93bb3fb6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6mwtLfVvTJNHOXdHu_Q2xua1bFn7oCGJMjZKfV9uWen8kB39-bEOqf-3sE0A4mPA6MZjRkO95A3eW7I8hsesXY540sIUXnFieVMuFM41Aa0Y4HpYNSbitk_8m6CvpOASD_vUQdbbVWZR/s200/1138151037_5c93bb3fb6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260227170157432370" border="0" /></a><br />The plan put forward by the European Commission involves <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7683096.stm">scanners</a> that will virtually strip search each passenger regardless of the layers of clothes they are wearing, and flash their entire body on a screen only in their birthday suit. The proponents argue that the images produced could be modified to eliminate positive identification, but the images produced nonetheless leaves very little to the imagination. The airport security and staff would therefore know every curve of a passenger's body way beyond what these passengers would want. Issues on human rights, data protection and personal dignity are being thrown out the window.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzI2KL1OMr6fihtDmSQQElsmGZENJGNr3S0jsme1U_gVQG1yKCY7X-DZeMWDGGCMpvO49v59-LjOlOfA4tAqV4e6_UWgE69AEiiPOhZi06RYYs6qC82ioKrgNaLo3Ht6aGZE_2blHMN_V/s1600-h/_45130294_18b27d19-e4d4-48f8-8b76-98b3960af5a9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzI2KL1OMr6fihtDmSQQElsmGZENJGNr3S0jsme1U_gVQG1yKCY7X-DZeMWDGGCMpvO49v59-LjOlOfA4tAqV4e6_UWgE69AEiiPOhZi06RYYs6qC82ioKrgNaLo3Ht6aGZE_2blHMN_V/s200/_45130294_18b27d19-e4d4-48f8-8b76-98b3960af5a9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260227615742037410" border="0" /></a><br />A number of countries have cautioned against the plan, calling it ill-conceived and without a thorough assessment of its impact on fundamental rights nor human health - regardless if it is cost efficient. Even the plan to draw up a rule book for how these devices will be used is a mere justification for an unjustified and invasive procedure. What's worse is that some of these devices are already being used in a number of airports. What if hackers mount an attack on these systems and then post all those naked bodies on the internet? Even if the images were altered, hackers would know how to enhance the image to elicit the true identity of the individual, and soon these photos will be used like paper dolls being plastered with different types of clothing perhaps for commercial value, or worse for prurient purposes. A new class of paparrazzi will emerge from these band of hackers who can single out celebrities and politicians.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMmzK6Z3z0ixJ0Rvgd6ng_xnIQ7P6O_bTGc3q1vqN1QnM5m_BJiubXIlLfI2sRcbPxQ-dNJ8iwmePCC1SEhRh5TC42PbV1cehVf1yw2Xhy9j9HanEkBMxKh4xAokESNvqTg0M3-7FTXbq/s1600-h/airport_xray_scanner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMmzK6Z3z0ixJ0Rvgd6ng_xnIQ7P6O_bTGc3q1vqN1QnM5m_BJiubXIlLfI2sRcbPxQ-dNJ8iwmePCC1SEhRh5TC42PbV1cehVf1yw2Xhy9j9HanEkBMxKh4xAokESNvqTg0M3-7FTXbq/s200/airport_xray_scanner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260228072453524978" border="0" /></a><br />This plan, if not modified or carefully studied, would put George Orwell to shame for being less invasive and less security conscious. And unless travelers to and from Europe have a predilection for nudist colonies and would like to mingle with more of their cohabitants in a more formal or "dressed manner", traffic to the continent <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEJwZe96qRbCqLbut4MMJoPEs-ABfD4nExOrhvAEGlyLAHBvHMnWyTlNabQhi7OxiVACRI6IMBDDWGdTknctgp3XwzRMnKV-olxpUesb4-pemdXU3kZ6L2anKXVhGuev7PzEQq3G2yfi0/s1600-h/_45130295_ce1c13e1-ca29-490b-804d-19e5961d90aa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEJwZe96qRbCqLbut4MMJoPEs-ABfD4nExOrhvAEGlyLAHBvHMnWyTlNabQhi7OxiVACRI6IMBDDWGdTknctgp3XwzRMnKV-olxpUesb4-pemdXU3kZ6L2anKXVhGuev7PzEQq3G2yfi0/s200/_45130295_ce1c13e1-ca29-490b-804d-19e5961d90aa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260229245055887170" border="0" /></a>would be greatly reduced. Perhaps the plan should be used for government functionaries, officials and their wives first, to set an example - Carla Bruni Sarkozy is certainly no stranger to nudity. Perhaps the world will be witness to what makes Gordon Brown resolute, or what makes George Bush ramble incoherently.<br /><br />The other point is that it may be applied to the elderly only as a test, since no enhancement of the images could possibly be used commercially nor for prurient intentions. It wouldn't be very enticing. As the famed comedienne Phillis Diller once said "the best contraceptive for the elderly is nudity".<br /><br />Haaaarrrrwwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!<br /></span></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-73320747470442695062008-10-19T16:41:00.000-07:002008-10-19T09:37:48.801-07:00The Social Skills of Surgeons<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">There has to be a respite from politics. What used to be referred to as the art of the possible has become the art of the incredible; and the mountain of half truths, embellishments and overstated claims have become exhausting and downright disgusting. The revelation that Joe the Plumber was a Resident of Arizona in 2001, is a delinquent taxpayer, whose former address is at Keating Street and in the same building where a terrorist resided at <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgHxBFXQY43CHBT_9Xy8gzqwJCnYcZEJVUE1kj3uoVHRUuixx3YC5WzkoqUFPWiz-Y5pP221DXqfjYdHWRkyuPnpLyIDukBYZR9oHvLlv5d2s-Jn9BgOLGQfDFnoR1EC7fvAcZ_H3bZu4/s1600-h/About-podiatric-surgeons.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgHxBFXQY43CHBT_9Xy8gzqwJCnYcZEJVUE1kj3uoVHRUuixx3YC5WzkoqUFPWiz-Y5pP221DXqfjYdHWRkyuPnpLyIDukBYZR9oHvLlv5d2s-Jn9BgOLGQfDFnoR1EC7fvAcZ_H3bZu4/s200/About-podiatric-surgeons.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258902095413164738" border="0" /></a>the time he was there, and who isn't really a plumber; is troubling enough to consider this man a Republican plant precisely placed to discredit the Democratic candidate. What lengths would politics go to just to win? There seems to be no limit.<br /><br />There's a story being spread via e-mail which concerns 5 surgeons who attended a Medical Conference, and who found themselves sharing a table during one of the breaks. They started discussing who the best patients to operate on were.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifiyQcYlDVP_MIpnvfDq05Ppyg_L4OnEX55r6_AyZaz4s8J4sIihbsPdzjZnuHIrTeGO3ZG6nBZ-uB9gBkZ1Wbwve0OCVvCQ2j11S6RYMWccA_Tu7ukl5PY9tJi_2kRoq8eGKp1MFiVtL/s1600-h/accountants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifiyQcYlDVP_MIpnvfDq05Ppyg_L4OnEX55r6_AyZaz4s8J4sIihbsPdzjZnuHIrTeGO3ZG6nBZ-uB9gBkZ1Wbwve0OCVvCQ2j11S6RYMWccA_Tu7ukl5PY9tJi_2kRoq8eGKp1MFiVtL/s200/accountants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258902429336577570" border="0" /></a>The first surgeon from New York City said: "I'd like to see Accountants on my operating table. When you open them up, everything inside is numbered".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4uPY0pfrHaBrm9v09WrbsQX1gLl-KoN2eaAFwUU2u_27Q4vNBNtjnxSvqEftt-dynd9AiB7zuMM4_-6AkgEvIZx_BkUIZLkwXXi1JNx1nbpey4pgcZvC_Y4cFHzKQqLa1GqT268Fnsld/s1600-h/blt2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4uPY0pfrHaBrm9v09WrbsQX1gLl-KoN2eaAFwUU2u_27Q4vNBNtjnxSvqEftt-dynd9AiB7zuMM4_-6AkgEvIZx_BkUIZLkwXXi1JNx1nbpey4pgcZvC_Y4cFHzKQqLa1GqT268Fnsld/s200/blt2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258902952355775026" border="0" /></a>The second from Chicago responds: "Yes, but you should try electricians, everything inside them is color coded".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLg3zJ0GSME73OdaR9KjslQ2DBnCbAZ1iVVRSa8yrrLDg9kxW_cXsMF4yDEQu_O8rt9vBsykudJwaLmXPoWMifW00VqIAwdsvyNlqgReXVNyVygjgMCLvhLz4elS4nxOVgrp6bON3An6w/s1600-h/lge_Library_071212122340933_wideweb__300x300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLg3zJ0GSME73OdaR9KjslQ2DBnCbAZ1iVVRSa8yrrLDg9kxW_cXsMF4yDEQu_O8rt9vBsykudJwaLmXPoWMifW00VqIAwdsvyNlqgReXVNyVygjgMCLvhLz4elS4nxOVgrp6bON3An6w/s200/lge_Library_071212122340933_wideweb__300x300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258903218065066402" border="0" /></a>The third surgeon from Houston remarked: No, I really think librarians are the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincZ41GIRG3H77lsTg_Vvshikea4cgJtL3NMGgtI8F3ITw8NgRdQQeAx07Ve6VHRlUbxYMR7G4xcMhYGm_ngTV9TgiZ-Nmz-m3EsJ-jPPkHQtwErbVHQVYKGyG3_QLCU7RzYpp-5VwM7SN/s1600-h/construction_workers_lg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincZ41GIRG3H77lsTg_Vvshikea4cgJtL3NMGgtI8F3ITw8NgRdQQeAx07Ve6VHRlUbxYMR7G4xcMhYGm_ngTV9TgiZ-Nmz-m3EsJ-jPPkHQtwErbVHQVYKGyG3_QLCU7RzYpp-5VwM7SN/s200/construction_workers_lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258903470434409986" border="0" /></a>The fourth surgeon from Los Angeles chimes in: "You know, I really like construction workers. Those guys understand when you have a few parts left over".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOoACpx1mZ-mEdbLll1ov-xUok-5rW-QCdTbnabmcMLnkxwy8HD062ZOOZoV1C3sACXJSjT9lf4iVr7cDTXvVQyPMqtc_t19PtE5kvLkEbwg9lNxrz4ppS9BCUTa6_LNTxgwm1c8GZ24-/s1600-h/john_mccain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOoACpx1mZ-mEdbLll1ov-xUok-5rW-QCdTbnabmcMLnkxwy8HD062ZOOZoV1C3sACXJSjT9lf4iVr7cDTXvVQyPMqtc_t19PtE5kvLkEbwg9lNxrz4ppS9BCUTa6_LNTxgwm1c8GZ24-/s200/john_mccain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258903767096746450" border="0" /></a>But the fifth surgeon from Washington DC shut them all up when he observed: "You're all wrong! Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no brain, no balls, and no spine; and the head and the butt are interchangeable!<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Happy Weekend Everyone!</span></span><br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843778778119050450.post-43268997041694141412008-10-18T19:09:00.000-07:002008-10-19T07:21:44.532-07:00The Argument Against the Almighty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCh9ITahz3ERsaeKuAZ5sGrLzGex9UA0FjPXlsAbG3vkR6u73KIim1PmXPxa4D406AchqCxvqEmSoO8rA56apBT63UChpDbolXb69CrWsgOZKbBTP03R7JN9hbO-iYQuwrACVo9NcAvII/s1600-h/_45113869_-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCh9ITahz3ERsaeKuAZ5sGrLzGex9UA0FjPXlsAbG3vkR6u73KIim1PmXPxa4D406AchqCxvqEmSoO8rA56apBT63UChpDbolXb69CrWsgOZKbBTP03R7JN9hbO-iYQuwrACVo9NcAvII/s400/_45113869_-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258702401378042594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">The extent to which politicians will go to pursue their mindless machinations of madness is beyond any limits imaginable, in a world where lunacy seems to be the rule and sanity is a victim of roadkill. In what is seen as a frivolous lawsuit to prove a point that anybody can file a case against anyone, including God; a case was filed against the Almighty by Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers (Ind.), seeking a permanent injunction to cease certain harmful activities and making terroristic threats.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.ketv.com/news/14133442/detail.html">lawsuit </a>adds that God goes by several aliases and recognizes the fact that He is omnipresent. Chambers also argues that he has attempted to contact God to reveal himself several times, to no avail. The lawsuit asks the Douglas County Court to recognize the peculiar nature of the case and waive personal service, because being also omniscient, God is already aware of the case and further argues that his omnipresence makes Him present everywhere, even in the courtroom.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4oFKINJDFvAGqX3tRkIdOZqiEPFt42rsMqwsuh4xvufruUPHR-rjyLr4mAG2LlWkAAySuAeLs7XcSmBa91uVIlZ5pogTr3q2ThQMo1UCIyRntQuiibCLuQ_dH3x85pSSrG8q2hiotz_J/s1600-h/417pkchambers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4oFKINJDFvAGqX3tRkIdOZqiEPFt42rsMqwsuh4xvufruUPHR-rjyLr4mAG2LlWkAAySuAeLs7XcSmBa91uVIlZ5pogTr3q2ThQMo1UCIyRntQuiibCLuQ_dH3x85pSSrG8q2hiotz_J/s400/417pkchambers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258702536065866738" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Chambers">Ernie Chambers </a>has been a State Senator for 38 years, and would have won reelection had he not been barred by a constitutional prohibition enacted in the Nebraska Legislature in 2000, providing two 4 year term limits for public office. He believes that the Legislature had to change the state constitution to get rid of him. Chambers is considered one of the Legislature's most passionate, controversial, and colorful members, frequently using rules and filibusters to block proposals, inviting friction with colleagues. He opposed the death penalty and introduced a bill to repeal it, but it failed to override the Governor's veto. He remains well respected by past and present politicians in Nebraska, who recognize his intimate knowledge of legislative rules, persuasive skills as an orator, and his attire of t-shirts and denim pants even during sessions in the state senate.<br /><br />The lawsuit he brought up against God is full of assertions that would not be proven <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q_C0X2VyZF5ZbN_Be3hmB63IIoNdPhHvB-KitlauoVpGvSTZH7TIZQqo0_-Qexnb5EwdoU_9xF7FM4-2vNSnc4xqJ_UkT96S8vSx509n7FKDVzJuuNLkfaQsjLEYk5yoBlzhm37a8QCl/s1600-h/ernie_265x270.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q_C0X2VyZF5ZbN_Be3hmB63IIoNdPhHvB-KitlauoVpGvSTZH7TIZQqo0_-Qexnb5EwdoU_9xF7FM4-2vNSnc4xqJ_UkT96S8vSx509n7FKDVzJuuNLkfaQsjLEYk5yoBlzhm37a8QCl/s400/ernie_265x270.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258702873408017202" border="0" /></a>beyond reasonable doubt. Besides, even God cannot testify against Himself, nor aid and guide the testimony of those who witness against Him even if they swear unto His book "so help me God". And as the court itself, as well as other institutions and instruments used in the US, have signs that proclaim "In God We Trust", wouldn't this be enough to force an acquittal? For if trust in God is denied, the social impact of not having faith in a Supreme Being will definitely be catastrophic for all the relationships, (personal, professional or political) of mankind. And who will be called upon to serve as the Jury of His peers? The biggest problem is, if God is guilty, what sort of punishment could be meted and how will it be enforced? Withdrawal of belief is possible, but who should mankind have faith in, Satan?<br /><br />After 38 years as a State Senator, Ernie Chambers must have allowed success to go <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRLWjORZwq4EUEeOQt8xFlA1so3RT7pq70WJavgqD0BiCDf6-TTKCprGXrM4Z4QO1Nq3VaEEX2pEi1g__Gb7AaKvrx3zCmglgfuhXgNzl5U2WPpzT6Kc40HQYH2K6F9zM-ZmowXjfWOjg/s1600-h/chambers_vs_god_new.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRLWjORZwq4EUEeOQt8xFlA1so3RT7pq70WJavgqD0BiCDf6-TTKCprGXrM4Z4QO1Nq3VaEEX2pEi1g__Gb7AaKvrx3zCmglgfuhXgNzl5U2WPpzT6Kc40HQYH2K6F9zM-ZmowXjfWOjg/s400/chambers_vs_god_new.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258703136599513698" border="0" /></a>over his head, has become messianic, or has delusions of being equal with God. Being a law graduate although not a member of the bar, he is argumentative and forceful, but even a frivolous case filed for its own sake would have limits, yet this seems to have escaped him. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7673591.stm">Judge Marion Polk</a> rightfully threw the case out since notice to the defendant could not be served - no known address. However, Ernie Chambers is preparing to file an appeal. Apparently, he is still basking in the glory of being known as "The Maverick of Omaha".<br /><br />Does this somehow remind voters of another politician who prides himself as a "Maverick"? Heaven help the world..... that is, if God has not been convicted and sentenced yet.<br /><br />Haaaarrrrrwwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!<br /></div>durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com10