The Miami Herald | 04/27/2003 | Getting the inside story on health of your colon DAVE BARRY - So there I was, on hands and knees, crawling through a 40-foot long, four-foot-high, human colon.
It wasn't a real colon, of course. No human has a colon that size, except maybe Marlon Brando, and I'm sure he has security people to prevent media access.
It wasn't a real colon, of course. No human has a colon that size, except maybe Marlon Brando, and I'm sure he has security people to prevent media access.
Libertarians plot takeover -- The Washington Times A movement called the Free State Project has registered some 3,100 people who would help choose a "candidate" state and move there in hopes of canceling laws against drugs, prostitution, guns and other individual liberties, while privatizing current state functions such as schools.
"Rather than change the whole nation, it makes sense for all of us to gather in one place," said Elizabeth McKinstry, 33, of Hillsdale, Mich., the project's vice president.
The project identifies 10 candidate states — Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware and Vermont. All have populations below 1.5 million.
The project is the idea of Jason Sorens, 26, a doctoral candidate in political science at Yale University. After the 2000 elections, he said, he felt Libertarians needed a new way to promote their cause.
When the number of registered Free State supporters reaches 5,000, likely by the end of the year, they will vote on which state to target. Then supporters will have five years to move, with a goal of 20,000 Free Staters living there.
"Rather than change the whole nation, it makes sense for all of us to gather in one place," said Elizabeth McKinstry, 33, of Hillsdale, Mich., the project's vice president.
The project identifies 10 candidate states — Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware and Vermont. All have populations below 1.5 million.
The project is the idea of Jason Sorens, 26, a doctoral candidate in political science at Yale University. After the 2000 elections, he said, he felt Libertarians needed a new way to promote their cause.
When the number of registered Free State supporters reaches 5,000, likely by the end of the year, they will vote on which state to target. Then supporters will have five years to move, with a goal of 20,000 Free Staters living there.
CNN.com - Teacher suspended for showing 'R'-movie excerpt - Apr. 24, 2003 - Glad to see we've got our priorities straight ...
'Dissidents' Were Informers (washingtonpost.com)
Cuban Trial Reveals Duplicity of Writers, Activists
By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 24, 2003; Page A01
MEXICO CITY, April 23 -- Vladimiro Roca, fresh from five years in prison for criticizing Fidel Castro's government, was invited to talk about his experience last May at the home of Vicki Huddleston, then the top U.S. diplomat in Havana.
Roca recalled that Manuel David Orrio, a gregarious and accomplished dissident journalist, stood up to thank Huddleston for hosting and encouraging peaceful opposition to Castro's authoritarian rule.
"He was very well-spoken, talkative and well-educated, and seemed very convinced of what he was saying," said Roca, the son of a Cuban revolutionary hero who split with Castro years ago, in a telephone interview from Havana. "It never occurred to me that he was a spy."
Cuban Trial Reveals Duplicity of Writers, Activists
By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 24, 2003; Page A01
MEXICO CITY, April 23 -- Vladimiro Roca, fresh from five years in prison for criticizing Fidel Castro's government, was invited to talk about his experience last May at the home of Vicki Huddleston, then the top U.S. diplomat in Havana.
Roca recalled that Manuel David Orrio, a gregarious and accomplished dissident journalist, stood up to thank Huddleston for hosting and encouraging peaceful opposition to Castro's authoritarian rule.
"He was very well-spoken, talkative and well-educated, and seemed very convinced of what he was saying," said Roca, the son of a Cuban revolutionary hero who split with Castro years ago, in a telephone interview from Havana. "It never occurred to me that he was a spy."
Yahoo! News - Jane Goodall Gives Chimpanzee Cry
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Primate expert and wildlife champion Jane Goodall pant-hooted like a chimpanzee at the State Department on Tuesday as she teamed up with Secretary of State Colin Powell to fight deforestation.
"We tend to spend so much time talking about the environment, talking about conservation, but we very rarely actually get the feeling during these meetings of the animals themselves, so here's a greeting for you from a chimpanzee:
"Whoo whoo whoo oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh ooh ooh oooh oooh," Goodall bellowed in the State Department's Dean Acheson Auditorium, drawing laughter and applause from the diplomats and environmentalists gathered to mark Earth Day and to discuss the issue of deforestation.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Primate expert and wildlife champion Jane Goodall pant-hooted like a chimpanzee at the State Department on Tuesday as she teamed up with Secretary of State Colin Powell to fight deforestation.
"We tend to spend so much time talking about the environment, talking about conservation, but we very rarely actually get the feeling during these meetings of the animals themselves, so here's a greeting for you from a chimpanzee:
"Whoo whoo whoo oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh oogh ooh ooh oooh oooh," Goodall bellowed in the State Department's Dean Acheson Auditorium, drawing laughter and applause from the diplomats and environmentalists gathered to mark Earth Day and to discuss the issue of deforestation.
The Onion | Christopher Hitchens Forcibly Removed From Trailer Park After Drunken Confrontation With Common-Law Wife -
Oh, this is good. Best thing I've seen on the Onion in a while. Via the Rat.
Oh, this is good. Best thing I've seen on the Onion in a while. Via the Rat.
Wife-Subduing Air Raid Siren Confiscated
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 73-year-old man who used an air raid siren to stun his wife into submission has had it confiscated by German police.
"My wife never lets me get a word in edgeways," the man identified as Vladimir R. told Mannheim police. "So I crank up the siren and let it rip for a few minutes. It works every time. Afterwards, it's real quiet again."
A police spokesman said neighbors had complained at the noise from the 220-volt rooftop device, believed to be an old-fashioned air raid siren.
Rosina, Vladimir's wife of 32 years, said she sometimes had to yell to get his attention. "My husband is a stubborn mule so I have to get loud."
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 73-year-old man who used an air raid siren to stun his wife into submission has had it confiscated by German police.
"My wife never lets me get a word in edgeways," the man identified as Vladimir R. told Mannheim police. "So I crank up the siren and let it rip for a few minutes. It works every time. Afterwards, it's real quiet again."
A police spokesman said neighbors had complained at the noise from the 220-volt rooftop device, believed to be an old-fashioned air raid siren.
Rosina, Vladimir's wife of 32 years, said she sometimes had to yell to get his attention. "My husband is a stubborn mule so I have to get loud."
Ananova - Train conductors need hospital treatment after headbutting contest A group of Russian train conductors needed hospital treatment after smashing their heads repeatedly against a train window to find out who had the strongest forehead.
The conductors came up with the contest as a way of passing time on the 3,000 mile journey from Novosibirsk in Siberia to Vladivostock.
The men were treated in hospital after stopping the train midway through the journey at the town of Vyazemskaya and demanding medical help, Pravda reports.
The conductors came up with the contest as a way of passing time on the 3,000 mile journey from Novosibirsk in Siberia to Vladivostock.
The men were treated in hospital after stopping the train midway through the journey at the town of Vyazemskaya and demanding medical help, Pravda reports.
Ananova - Forehead billboard campaign launched A marketing agency has launched a scheme to pay students who turn their foreheads into advertising billboards.
Bernstein's 'Mass,' in All Its Glory at Catholic University By Gail Wein
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, April 8, 2003; Page C05
When the administrators of Catholic University sought a cultural event for the inauguration of the Edward J. Pryzbyla student center, they reached back to a work commissioned for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" has been the focus of a week-long symposium, culminating in two performances last weekend in the Great Room of the new building.
The title doesn't tell half the story. Based on the Catholic liturgy interspersed with words by Bernstein, "Godspell" lyricist Stephen Schwartz and even four lines by Paul Simon, it's far more accurately described by its subtitle: "A Theater Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers." The work employs three choruses, symphony orchestra, blues-rock band, six dancers, a boy soprano and the lead role of Celebrant.
Bernstein seems to explore every musical genre he'd ever encountered, from classical aria to circus march. The result is sometimes purposefully cacophonous and often riveting.
While it was painful to watch all 300 performers of the university's symphony orchestra, chorus and women's choir squeezed into the Great Room, stage director Michael Scarola (imported from the New York City Opera for the occasion) made the most of the all-purpose space, and conductor Murry Sidlin kept balance problems to a minimum.
Overall, the singers, among them Suzanne Fleming-Atwood, Danny Tippett and Kurt Boehm, proved their talent again and again. Boy soprano Gleb Drobkov was confident and clear, managing to keep a straight face as he led the women's choir in a kazoo serenade. Brian Cali was a convincing preacher at a gospel revival meeting. Douglas Webster was unquestionably the star of the show as the Celebrant, essentially the master of ceremonies. Webster has performed the role numerous times, initially at Bernstein's 70th birthday celebration. From his first appearance onstage in the guise of a folk singer ("Simple Song") to the core of the work as a priest and finally as a defeated man ("Things Get Broken"), Webster commanded audience attention with his expansive range of emotions and ardent voice.
Conceived during the Vietnam War, the work met with much controversy at its premiere; many Catholics were shocked at the unorthodox context of the sacred text, critics despised it, and President Nixon's staff claimed coded messages were possibly hidden in the Latin text. There are indeed blatant antiwar sentiments, notably the insistent chanting of dona nobis pacem ("give us peace"), and it is quite possibly the only Mass to contain profanity.
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, April 8, 2003; Page C05
When the administrators of Catholic University sought a cultural event for the inauguration of the Edward J. Pryzbyla student center, they reached back to a work commissioned for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" has been the focus of a week-long symposium, culminating in two performances last weekend in the Great Room of the new building.
The title doesn't tell half the story. Based on the Catholic liturgy interspersed with words by Bernstein, "Godspell" lyricist Stephen Schwartz and even four lines by Paul Simon, it's far more accurately described by its subtitle: "A Theater Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers." The work employs three choruses, symphony orchestra, blues-rock band, six dancers, a boy soprano and the lead role of Celebrant.
Bernstein seems to explore every musical genre he'd ever encountered, from classical aria to circus march. The result is sometimes purposefully cacophonous and often riveting.
While it was painful to watch all 300 performers of the university's symphony orchestra, chorus and women's choir squeezed into the Great Room, stage director Michael Scarola (imported from the New York City Opera for the occasion) made the most of the all-purpose space, and conductor Murry Sidlin kept balance problems to a minimum.
Overall, the singers, among them Suzanne Fleming-Atwood, Danny Tippett and Kurt Boehm, proved their talent again and again. Boy soprano Gleb Drobkov was confident and clear, managing to keep a straight face as he led the women's choir in a kazoo serenade. Brian Cali was a convincing preacher at a gospel revival meeting. Douglas Webster was unquestionably the star of the show as the Celebrant, essentially the master of ceremonies. Webster has performed the role numerous times, initially at Bernstein's 70th birthday celebration. From his first appearance onstage in the guise of a folk singer ("Simple Song") to the core of the work as a priest and finally as a defeated man ("Things Get Broken"), Webster commanded audience attention with his expansive range of emotions and ardent voice.
Conceived during the Vietnam War, the work met with much controversy at its premiere; many Catholics were shocked at the unorthodox context of the sacred text, critics despised it, and President Nixon's staff claimed coded messages were possibly hidden in the Latin text. There are indeed blatant antiwar sentiments, notably the insistent chanting of dona nobis pacem ("give us peace"), and it is quite possibly the only Mass to contain profanity.
Clergy: Veggie Jesus Ad Is Sacrilegious
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Christian and Jewish clergy say a billboard that promotes vegetarianism by claiming "Jesus was the prince of peas" is historically inaccurate and sacrilegious.
The billboard includes a picture of Jesus with an orange slice in place of a halo and was erected by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, to coincide with Passover and Easter.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Christian and Jewish clergy say a billboard that promotes vegetarianism by claiming "Jesus was the prince of peas" is historically inaccurate and sacrilegious.
The billboard includes a picture of Jesus with an orange slice in place of a halo and was erected by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, to coincide with Passover and Easter.
CNN.com - Study: 5 percent drop in North American pollution - Apr. 17, 2003 Environmental pollution in North America dropped 5 percent between 1995 and 2000, according to a new study by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Program rams great firewall of China By Paul Festa, CNET News.com
The news and propaganda wing behind the U.S. government's Voice of America broadcasts has commissioned software that lets Chinese Web surfers sneak around the boundaries set by their regime.
The news and propaganda wing behind the U.S. government's Voice of America broadcasts has commissioned software that lets Chinese Web surfers sneak around the boundaries set by their regime.
Still No Gay Linguists (washingtonpost.com) I'm not making the joke, but it's still there!!!! And it's still funny!
Duke Turns Himself in to Begin 15-Month Sentence in Big Spring Facility (washingtonpost.com) Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke turned himself in to a federal prison Tuesday to begin serving a 15-month sentence for mail and tax fraud.
Critic's Books Go to Small College By DINITIA SMITH
Harold Bloom has always railed against what he calls "the school of resentment," Marxist, feminist, Afrocentric and deconstructionist scholars who, he says, deny the aesthetic and spiritual values inherent in great literature. So when it came time for Mr. Bloom, 72, to choose a place to donate his immense personal library and his archives, he bypassed several larger prominent universities that in his opinion house those very practitioners of resentment in favor of a small, relatively unknown Catholic college in Colchester, Vt.
"Dear child," Mr. Bloom said in a telephone interview, using the appellation he applies to friend, stranger, male and female, alike, "with rare exceptions the universities and colleges in the English-speaking world that have sustained some sense of literature as a matter of powerful cognition and extraordinary aesthetic beauty tend to be the Roman Catholic institutions."
Harold Bloom has always railed against what he calls "the school of resentment," Marxist, feminist, Afrocentric and deconstructionist scholars who, he says, deny the aesthetic and spiritual values inherent in great literature. So when it came time for Mr. Bloom, 72, to choose a place to donate his immense personal library and his archives, he bypassed several larger prominent universities that in his opinion house those very practitioners of resentment in favor of a small, relatively unknown Catholic college in Colchester, Vt.
"Dear child," Mr. Bloom said in a telephone interview, using the appellation he applies to friend, stranger, male and female, alike, "with rare exceptions the universities and colleges in the English-speaking world that have sustained some sense of literature as a matter of powerful cognition and extraordinary aesthetic beauty tend to be the Roman Catholic institutions."
You are Alice.
As the only female engineer in the company, you are
an outcast. Nobody understands you, so you work
day and night. Coffee has replaced blood in
your veins and stress is your daily meal. You can
not take any criticism as you consider yourself
perfect. Idiocy blows your fuse.
Which Dilbert character are you ?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are French-press coffee. You are full of body
and sensuality, and you love to be sipped and
savored at leisure... though you can get cold
rather quickly.
What Kind of Coffee Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
In writing his bio for a publication, the Old Oligarch also considered lifting the description on the label of one of his favorite condiments, Thomas Sauce. Doing so would enable him to begin as follows: "Born in a bowl in North Carolina, the Old Oligarch ..."
Florida Judge Must Apologize for Remarks
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The state Supreme Court reprimanded a judge Thursday and ordered him to write letters of apology to 12 people he offended with belittling courtroom remarks.
The court said it would have taken even stronger action for the ethics violations, but Circuit Judge Sheldon Schapiro had admitted fault and was undergoing behavioral therapy.
The court's opinion cited 13 examples of the judge's misconduct.
Once, addressing a defense attorney, Schapiro allegedly said: "Do you know what I think of your argument?" and then pushed a button on a device that simulated the sound of a toilet flushing.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The state Supreme Court reprimanded a judge Thursday and ordered him to write letters of apology to 12 people he offended with belittling courtroom remarks.
The court said it would have taken even stronger action for the ethics violations, but Circuit Judge Sheldon Schapiro had admitted fault and was undergoing behavioral therapy.
The court's opinion cited 13 examples of the judge's misconduct.
Once, addressing a defense attorney, Schapiro allegedly said: "Do you know what I think of your argument?" and then pushed a button on a device that simulated the sound of a toilet flushing.
Internet via the Power Grid: New Interest in Obvious Idea The idea is to send Internet data over ordinary electric power lines. Proponents argue that it can be a competitive alternative to digital cable, telephone digital subscriber line and wireless efforts to connect the "last mile" between homes and Internet service providers.
SARS Forces Catholics to Halt Confessions
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic church has suspended confessions in Singapore due to the spread of the deadly SARS virus and priests will instead forgive all churchgoers for their sins, the church said on Wednesday.
"The Archbishop of Singapore has issued a directive to the priests that there will be no individual confessions and that they are to issue general forgiveness," said a spokeswoman for the Catholic News, which represents Singapore's Catholic church.
SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has killed at least 103 people worldwide, including nine in Singapore. The city state has the world's fourth-highest number of confirmed cases.
Singapore Archbishop Nicholas Chia said a general absolution, or forgiveness, without one-on-one confessions only can be given in times of "grave necessity" according to the Bible.
"This year in view of the SARS epidemic, I have obtained permission from Rome for our priests to grant a general absolution instead of individual confessions and absolution," Chia said in a letter to Singapore's 152,000 Catholics.
Catholics in multicultural Singapore are already banned from holding or shaking hands in church to prevent spread of SARS and holy communion wafers can only be issued on the palm of the hand. Usually, Catholics can choose to receive communion on the tongue.
Chia said churchgoers must be resolved to confess their sins in due time for the general absolution to work.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic church has suspended confessions in Singapore due to the spread of the deadly SARS virus and priests will instead forgive all churchgoers for their sins, the church said on Wednesday.
"The Archbishop of Singapore has issued a directive to the priests that there will be no individual confessions and that they are to issue general forgiveness," said a spokeswoman for the Catholic News, which represents Singapore's Catholic church.
SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has killed at least 103 people worldwide, including nine in Singapore. The city state has the world's fourth-highest number of confirmed cases.
Singapore Archbishop Nicholas Chia said a general absolution, or forgiveness, without one-on-one confessions only can be given in times of "grave necessity" according to the Bible.
"This year in view of the SARS epidemic, I have obtained permission from Rome for our priests to grant a general absolution instead of individual confessions and absolution," Chia said in a letter to Singapore's 152,000 Catholics.
Catholics in multicultural Singapore are already banned from holding or shaking hands in church to prevent spread of SARS and holy communion wafers can only be issued on the palm of the hand. Usually, Catholics can choose to receive communion on the tongue.
Chia said churchgoers must be resolved to confess their sins in due time for the general absolution to work.
Three Employees of Popular D.C. Restaurant Found Dead (washingtonpost.com) Three employees of a popular Brookland restaurant in Northeast Washington were found shot to death in a kitchen freezer this morning in an apparent robbery attempt that stunned community leaders and residents of a middle-class neighborhood near Catholic University.
The victims, two men and a woman, were employees of Colonel Brooks’ Tavern at 901 Monroe Street N.E., a neighborhood landmark frequented by students, faculty and nuns and priests from the university, as well as residents and city political leaders.
The victims, two men and a woman, were employees of Colonel Brooks’ Tavern at 901 Monroe Street N.E., a neighborhood landmark frequented by students, faculty and nuns and priests from the university, as well as residents and city political leaders.
U.S. Catholic Bishops - Committee on the Liturgy General Instruction of the Roman Missal Including Adaptations for the Dioceses of the United States of America
PARAMETERS, US Army War College Quarterly - Spring 1998 Spotting the Losers: Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States
Reflections on visiting with my mom:
I have learned that when I'm not using a browser with the right-click "Blog this" applet installed, such that I have to wait to go to Blogger, log in there, and then get to my blog admin screen, I have forgotten what the heck I wanted to blog about, which is really sad.
My mom's house is a total housekeeping nightmare. To remedy this, she wants to get a bigger house.
Visiting with mom is GREAT. Lots of good food, mom bought me lots of stuff for promotion/birthday, and we hung out with my fun uncle and aunt. No clients called me to request service. YAY.
I saw a wild turkey on the side of the road driving down here. It was alive, too - just hanging out on I-85, being its wild turkey self.
Oh, and I decided what I want for my birthday - to go see Matrix Reloaded. I am PSYCHED about this movie, I loved the first one.
Mom bought me lots of clothes. We will see if the Old Oligarch likes them. As far as I can tell, he wants me to dress like Julie Andrews playing Maria in "The Sound of Music." I, on the other hand, like to dress like a third-world dictator.
I have learned that when I'm not using a browser with the right-click "Blog this" applet installed, such that I have to wait to go to Blogger, log in there, and then get to my blog admin screen, I have forgotten what the heck I wanted to blog about, which is really sad.
My mom's house is a total housekeeping nightmare. To remedy this, she wants to get a bigger house.
Visiting with mom is GREAT. Lots of good food, mom bought me lots of stuff for promotion/birthday, and we hung out with my fun uncle and aunt. No clients called me to request service. YAY.
I saw a wild turkey on the side of the road driving down here. It was alive, too - just hanging out on I-85, being its wild turkey self.
Oh, and I decided what I want for my birthday - to go see Matrix Reloaded. I am PSYCHED about this movie, I loved the first one.
Mom bought me lots of clothes. We will see if the Old Oligarch likes them. As far as I can tell, he wants me to dress like Julie Andrews playing Maria in "The Sound of Music." I, on the other hand, like to dress like a third-world dictator.
My birthday is in May and I am already being asked what I want. I never, ever, know what I want. Sometimes I think my present should be not to be asked this question ever again, as it invariably provokes existential crises regarding the fact that I don't want anything, so I must have some sort of personal deficiency. The problem is most gifts are total junk that you never ever use, and it's often taboo to ask for money (even though it is hands down the best gift ever!!!! as it directly translates into leisure and/or financial security.) Usually I say I want some sort of dinner/food/cake. What should I ask for this year?
A Saintly Salmagundi Links not working, see "Nuttiness beyond compare." And read the comments. It's more wacked out Christianity!
Ananova - US man shoots at restaurant after he was refused curly fries. And you know, Greenville is a nice little town. Oh well.
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