“Minister Wong sure has some explaining to do. First of which is how a limping middle-aged man could escape from an ISD run facility?”
“Do us all a favour, Selamat Kastari (what kind of a name is that, some kind of self-named holiday?), and get therapy. Talk through puppets or blow up aliens on a computer. Take up sky-diving. Go get laid. Why in the world do you need to kill other people in order to work through your personal issues?”
Full story...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Another Obama video hits the Net...
Why are Finnish students smarter than the others?
Finland's teens score extraordinarily high on an international test. American educators are trying to figure out why.
High-school students here rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7.
Yet by one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world. They earned some of the top scores by 15-year-old students who were tested in 57 countries. More...
High-school students here rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7.
Yet by one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world. They earned some of the top scores by 15-year-old students who were tested in 57 countries. More...
Microsoft to cut Vista prices...
Microsoft va baisser le prix de Vista...
Microsoft has said it plans to cut the cost of its Windows Vista operating system sold at retail outlets.
Although no exact date has yet been given, Microsoft said price cuts would be introduced in 70 countries.
In the US, the cost of the most expensive version, Vista Ultimate, will be reduced to $319 (£161) from the current retail price of $399. More...
Microsoft has said it plans to cut the cost of its Windows Vista operating system sold at retail outlets.
Although no exact date has yet been given, Microsoft said price cuts would be introduced in 70 countries.
In the US, the cost of the most expensive version, Vista Ultimate, will be reduced to $319 (£161) from the current retail price of $399. More...
The man walking to India gives up...
A man who planned to walk from Bristol to India without any money has quit, after getting as far as Calais, France.
Mark Boyle, 28, who set out four weeks ago with only T-shirts, a bandage and sandals, hoped to rely on the kindness of strangers for food and lodging.
But, because he could not speak French, people thought he was free-loading or an asylum seeker.
More...
See also...
Mark Boyle, 28, who set out four weeks ago with only T-shirts, a bandage and sandals, hoped to rely on the kindness of strangers for food and lodging.
But, because he could not speak French, people thought he was free-loading or an asylum seeker.
More...
See also...
Kenya: the return to sanity?
Everybody in my parts is wishing everybody a Happy New Year.
Today is when 2008 begins for us.
I read from Oyunga Pala that Dr Frank Njenga, probably Kenya's most reknown pyschiatrist had listed 'not being able to stop talking about politics' as one of the symptoms of post-election trauma in Kenya.
Well, then, Traumatised Are Us.
But now, we have a deal. The journey to healing can begin. Full story...
Read also this and this ...
Israel goes on the rampage in Gaza Strip...
Israeli forces have kept up attacks on the Gaza Strip, where they have killed at least 32 Palestinians, militants and civilians, since Wednesday morning.
Four Palestinian boys were killed in an Israeli attack as they played in a field in northern Gaza on Thursday. More...
Four Palestinian boys were killed in an Israeli attack as they played in a field in northern Gaza on Thursday. More...
They always act ... when it's too late.
My mouth went dry and my fists clenched when I heard about the remains found in Jersey.
I felt sorrow and rage that police are once again belatedly investigating a huge paedophile ring based on care home kids, and expect to dig up more bodies.
A ring of evil men exploited the most vulnerable children imaginable for up to 40 years, and no one stopped them. More...
See also...
I felt sorrow and rage that police are once again belatedly investigating a huge paedophile ring based on care home kids, and expect to dig up more bodies.
A ring of evil men exploited the most vulnerable children imaginable for up to 40 years, and no one stopped them. More...
See also...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Want to enlarge your breasts? Here's how...
Karla-Rae Morris is getting an $8,000 boob job for free – and she owes it all to bosom buddies she befriended on a controversial website.
Since the fall of 2005, the petite 26-year-old Fort McMurray mother has been racking up donations on www.MyFreeImplants.com – a California-based site that allows men to invest in breast augmentation surgery for flat-chested women who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. In exchange for donations, the women chat online with the charitable men and send them photos and videos of themselves. More...
Since the fall of 2005, the petite 26-year-old Fort McMurray mother has been racking up donations on www.MyFreeImplants.com – a California-based site that allows men to invest in breast augmentation surgery for flat-chested women who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. In exchange for donations, the women chat online with the charitable men and send them photos and videos of themselves. More...
The Moment of Truth? Holy Shit!!!
Is this supposed to be entertaining? Or could you say the whole thing is ... grotesque? I think it's faked or staged but still, pretty disgusting. But then again, I suppose you could say that if presidential candidates don't hesitate to fling mud at one another in order to win the White House, why should we blame these people for doing the same here for $200,000?
Microsoft unveils Worldwide Telescope...
Oh my God! Pets are now getting depressed...
Increasing numbers of British pets are being given Prozac to help them battle against depression, a leading veterinary expert has revealed.
Tropical birds such as parrots are the worst affected by depression, according to television vet Romain Pizzi.
Mr Pizzi, who presents Creature Clinic on BBC3 and is a specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said pets are affected when owners leave them alone for hours on end. More...
Tropical birds such as parrots are the worst affected by depression, according to television vet Romain Pizzi.
Mr Pizzi, who presents Creature Clinic on BBC3 and is a specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said pets are affected when owners leave them alone for hours on end. More...
Young girls ... and strange allergies
This is really strange. I’m not an expert or anything but why do such weird allergies seem to affect only young, teenage girls? This girl here has been eating only chips for the past ten years, this one is allergic to water, and this poor kid is allergic to almost everything! There are probably other cases like these, but what the hell is going on?
The Horrors of Abu Ghraib...
Here are some new images of the infamous Abu Ghraib, images that show how "normal" people can turn into monsters. Could this happen to you and me?
Voici quelques nouvelles images de la tristement célèbre Abu Ghraib, des images qui montrent comment les gens “normaux” se transforment en monstres. Est-ce qu’une telle chose pourrait arriver à vous et à moi ?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Al Muhamasheen, the Untouchables of Yemen..
By day, they sweep the streets of the Old City, ragged, dark-skinned men in orange jumpsuits. By night, they retreat to fetid slums on the edge of town.
They are known as "Al Akhdam" - the servants. Set apart by their African features, they form a kind of hereditary caste at the very bottom of the Yemeni social ladder.
Degrading myths pursue them: they eat their own dead; their women are all prostitutes. Worst of all, they are reviled as outsiders in their own country, descendants of an Ethiopian Army that is said to have crossed the Red Sea to oppress Yemen before the arrival of Islam. More...
They are known as "Al Akhdam" - the servants. Set apart by their African features, they form a kind of hereditary caste at the very bottom of the Yemeni social ladder.
Degrading myths pursue them: they eat their own dead; their women are all prostitutes. Worst of all, they are reviled as outsiders in their own country, descendants of an Ethiopian Army that is said to have crossed the Red Sea to oppress Yemen before the arrival of Islam. More...
The world is cooling? What! It's not warming?
Twelve-month long drop in world temperatures wipes out a century of warming.
Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile -- the list goes on and on. More...
Read also
Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile -- the list goes on and on. More...
Read also
L'UBS sauve sa peau...
Malgré la colère des petits actionnaires, UBS a réussi à imposer sa stratégie mercredi à Bâle. L'assemblée générale extraordinaire a accepté l'augmentation de capital qui verra l'arrivée du fonds d'Etat singapourien GIC dans la banque. Ils avaient auparavant rejeté la demande de contrôle spécial et accepté le versement du dividende en actions. Mais l'ambiance a souvent été tendue. Suite...
What really happened that night...
Nine experienced cross-country skiers hurriedly left their tent on a Urals slope in the middle of the night, casting aside skis, food and their warm coats.
Clad in their sleepwear, the young people dashed headlong down a snowy slope toward a thick forest, where they stood no chance of surviving bitter temperatures of around minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Baffled investigators said the group died as a result of “a compelling unknown force” — and then abruptly closed the case and filed it as top secret. More...
Clad in their sleepwear, the young people dashed headlong down a snowy slope toward a thick forest, where they stood no chance of surviving bitter temperatures of around minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Baffled investigators said the group died as a result of “a compelling unknown force” — and then abruptly closed the case and filed it as top secret. More...
Is it really YOUR money?
Silly Bill. He thought Bank of America would let him spend $5,800 on a home theater system just because he had over $10,000 in the bank. He tried to charge the system to his Bank of America Visa Platinum Check Card but was declined. Confused, Bill called Bank of America customer support for an explanation and had the sort of conversation that makes you want to drive a fork through your ear. More...
Child abuse: see no evil, hear no evil...
Former residents at a Jersey care home where police are searching for the remains of up to six children described yesterday how they were repeatedly drugged, raped and abused while supposedly under the protection of the institution's staff.
Testimonies, including one from a leading local trade unionist, painted a horrifying picture of life inside Haut de la Garenne, where more than 1,000 children were housed in the decades before it was closed down. More...
Testimonies, including one from a leading local trade unionist, painted a horrifying picture of life inside Haut de la Garenne, where more than 1,000 children were housed in the decades before it was closed down. More...
Qui a peur de YouTube?
«Danser en slip sur la table, si je peux éviter...» Yvan Perrin, vice-président de l'UDC, sait qu'il peut se retrouver sur le net au moindre écart de conduite. Comme c'est arrivé ce week-end à Nicolas Sarkozy, filmé au Salon de l'agriculture alors qu'il traitait un visiteur un peu agressif de «pauv'con». Un risque croissant depuis qu'une majorité de la population a en permanence une caméra sur elle, ou plutôt sur son téléphone portable. De plus, la scène est susceptible d'être diffusée, non pas une ou deux fois, dans quelques bêtisiers, mais des millions de fois sur internet. Suite...
Kenya and the Kikuyu...
If Kenya is ablaze, it's almost possible to miss that fact in Central Province. A few hours' drive west, machete-wielding youths blockade roads, shops have been looted, and refugee camps spring up like mushrooms. At first glance, the country's most serious crisis since independence has barely dented the banal routines of daily life.
There's a reason for this. Central Province is the home of President Mwai Kibaki—his Othaya constituency lies just south of Nyeri. While his Kikuyu kinsmen have been burned alive and lynched across the rest of Kenya, punished for his suspected rigging of the December elections, only a madman would dare lift a hand to a Kikuyu on his home turf. More...
There's a reason for this. Central Province is the home of President Mwai Kibaki—his Othaya constituency lies just south of Nyeri. While his Kikuyu kinsmen have been burned alive and lynched across the rest of Kenya, punished for his suspected rigging of the December elections, only a madman would dare lift a hand to a Kikuyu on his home turf. More...
Mr.H and Guantanamo..
According to Smith, Mr. H's comment about these events "was poignant and simple: 'It was wrong what we did.'" While still at Guantánamo , he responded to being a participant in torture "with guilt, crying and tears. But of course it was forbidden to talk with anyone about what he was experiencing." He "became more and more depressed." Apparently, so did other military personnel. Smith said Mr. H told him that in the first month he was at Guantánamo , two guards committed suicide. Full story...
Related story...
Related story...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Eric Clapton to perform in North Korea?
Legendary rock guitarist Eric Clapton has been invited to perform in Pyongyang, capital of the most isolated state in the world, it has been reported.
According to The Financial Times, Clapton, the man behind hits such as Layla and Cocaine, has "in principle" agreed to perform in North Korea at some time in 2009.
Such a performance would be unusual since, despite classical music being common and popular in the country, rock and pop are forbidden due to their western influences. More...
According to The Financial Times, Clapton, the man behind hits such as Layla and Cocaine, has "in principle" agreed to perform in North Korea at some time in 2009.
Such a performance would be unusual since, despite classical music being common and popular in the country, rock and pop are forbidden due to their western influences. More...
What the f... marriages...
Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t figure this out. I do know that we live on a planet where strange things happen, where a man is forced to marry, say, a goat. However, in many places, even an inter-racial marriage creates problems, let alone a union between two persons of different faiths. But in India, apparently, there’s a lot of tolerance for some weird marriages! You get a woman here marrying a snake, a guy over there hitching himself up to a dog, and now they are pairing off two monkeys!! I’m not even sure if this deserves a what the f…! Oh well, I suppose I just have to shrug my shoulders and say to myself, this could only happen in India…
The Ice Age is back!!
Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.
The U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) reported that many American cities and towns suffered record cold temperatures in January and early February. According to the NCDC, the average temperature in January "was -0.3 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average." Full story...
La «sarkophobie» s'empare de l'Hexagone
«Le principal ennemi de Nicolas Sarkozy, c'est lui-même.» Ce diagnostic avait été posé par Jacques Chirac, alors président, à propos de celui qui était encore son ministre. A cette époque, on avait mis ce jugement sur le compte du dépit ressenti par un chef d'Etat en déclin devant l'irrésistible ascension de son futur successeur, honni qui plus est. Actuellement, ce jugement prend toute sa valeur. Multipliant les écarts de comportement, Nicolas Sarkozy ne parvient pas, neuf mois après son élection, à revêtir ses habits de chef d'Etat. La «sarkophobie» s'étend en France, même auprès des citoyens qui votent à droite. Elle se fonde sur quatre types de conduite, ou d'inconduite, personnelle. Suite...
Monday, February 25, 2008
WTF! Stage 6 is shutting down!!
Shit! Shit! Shit! I used to like this site. It had so many interesting videos which were of a much better quality than those found at YouTube. Damn it! I suppose nothing good lasts forever. Sigh.
The CIA's Current Account Balance ...
This is the CIA's report on the Current Account Balance for the various countries of the world. It's a pretty interesting list and one has to wonder why countries like Spain, France, the United States, etc. are right at the bottom...
Voici la balance des acomptes pour le monde fourni par le CIA. C’est une liste intéressante car on se demande pourquoi certains pays comme l’Espagne, la France et les Etats Unis se trouvent tout en bas de l’échelle…
Voici la balance des acomptes pour le monde fourni par le CIA. C’est une liste intéressante car on se demande pourquoi certains pays comme l’Espagne, la France et les Etats Unis se trouvent tout en bas de l’échelle…
How to pick up chicks ... Japanese style !!!
Satoshi Fujita is not a good-looking man. He has oily skin, beady eyes, short legs and a boy-band wig to cover his balding head. But that hasn't stopped him from becoming Japan's most sought-after dating coach for geeks.
Fujita's Pickup School for Men Who Can't Get Any teaches geeky, insecure men of all ages how to gain confidence, score dates and get laid -- all based, he says, on a proprietary "science" he discovered after a decade of careful research.
"I always teach my students that sex comes first," he says. "Then you figure out whether the woman is worth marrying later." More...
Fujita's Pickup School for Men Who Can't Get Any teaches geeky, insecure men of all ages how to gain confidence, score dates and get laid -- all based, he says, on a proprietary "science" he discovered after a decade of careful research.
"I always teach my students that sex comes first," he says. "Then you figure out whether the woman is worth marrying later." More...
3 ans ferme pour un faux compte Facebook...
Fouad Mourtada a été arrêté début février pour avoir créé sur le site Facebook un compte sous le nom du prince Moulay Rachid, un des frères du souverain Mohammed VI.
Une simple plaisanterie dans de nombreux pays mais pas au Maroc ; le jeune homme a été arrêté le 5 février par la police. Suite...
Une simple plaisanterie dans de nombreux pays mais pas au Maroc ; le jeune homme a été arrêté le 5 février par la police. Suite...
Chaine humaine à Gaza...
Des milliers d'écoliers palestiniens ont commencé lundi à former une chaîne humaine dans la bande de Gaza pour protester contre le bouclage imposé par Israël, ont constaté des correspondants de l'AFP.
Des écoliers de différentes villes, auxquels se sont joints des adultes dans certains secteurs, se sont alignés sur l'axe Salahedine qui traverse la bande de Gaza de Rafah au sud jusqu'à Beit Hanoun au nord sur près de 40 kilomètres. Suite...
Human chain at Gaza Strip...
Thousands of Palestinians are staging a protest in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli blockade of the territory.
The demonstration's organisers say they expect up to 50,000 women and children to form a 40km (25 mile) long "human chain" from Rafah to Beit Hanoun. More...
75 hibernating tortoises in her fridges!!!!
In most refrigerators, you don't come across living things. Except maybe some yoghurt or a spot of mould.
But open up Shirley Neely's two fridges and you'll find them teeming with life.
On every shelf, wrapped in tea towels, are slumbering tortoises. The smaller ones are snuggled up in a biscuit tin, but the bigger fellows are laid out side-by-side in their makeshift sleeping bags. More...
But open up Shirley Neely's two fridges and you'll find them teeming with life.
On every shelf, wrapped in tea towels, are slumbering tortoises. The smaller ones are snuggled up in a biscuit tin, but the bigger fellows are laid out side-by-side in their makeshift sleeping bags. More...
Obama the Messiah! Spooky stuff!
"... a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany ... and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama" Gosh! This is really scary...
Heads I win, tails you lose...
This man’s entire life has been ruined because of a mis-carriage of justice. How does one punish such a flagrant disregard for a man’s life? Should the judge or the jury that made this awful decision to condemn an innocent man be made to face the consequences of their own misjudgment? Full story...
Pakistan and YouTube:do not anger the Internet gods...
The telecom company that carries most of Pakistan’s traffic, PCCW, has found it necessary to shut Pakistan off from the Internet while they filter out the malicious routes that a Pakistani ISP, PieNet, announced earlier today. Evidently PieNet took this step to enforce a decree from the Pakistani government that ISP’s must block access to YouTube because it was a source of blasphemous content. Full story...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Pakistan blocks YouTube ...
Pakistan's government has banned access to the video-sharing Web site YouTube because of anti-Islamic movies that users have posted on the site, an official said Sunday.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the country's 70 Internet service providers Friday that the popular Web site would be blocked until further notice.
The authority did not specify what the offensive material was, but a PTA official said the ban concerned a movie trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who has said he plans to release an anti-Quran movie portraying the religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals. More...
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the country's 70 Internet service providers Friday that the popular Web site would be blocked until further notice.
The authority did not specify what the offensive material was, but a PTA official said the ban concerned a movie trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who has said he plans to release an anti-Quran movie portraying the religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals. More...
A new colony in the Balkans?
In evaluating the recent “declaration of independence” by Kosovo, a province of Serbia, and its immediate recognition as a state by the U.S., Germany, Britain and France, it is important to know three things.
First, Kosovo is not gaining independence or even minimal self-government. It will be run by an appointed High Representative and bodies appointed by the U.S., European Union and NATO. An old-style colonial viceroy and imperialist administrators will have control over foreign and domestic policy. U.S. imperialism has merely consolidated its direct control of a totally dependent colony in the heart of the Balkans. More...
First, Kosovo is not gaining independence or even minimal self-government. It will be run by an appointed High Representative and bodies appointed by the U.S., European Union and NATO. An old-style colonial viceroy and imperialist administrators will have control over foreign and domestic policy. U.S. imperialism has merely consolidated its direct control of a totally dependent colony in the heart of the Balkans. More...
La Coop lance la guerre des prix ...
Lundi prochain, Coop appliquera une baisse massive à 120 produits Prix Garantie. Dès lors, Coop a en rayon quelque 200 produits au niveau de prix des hard discounters. Cette démarche permet à Coop de transmettre une partie de son succès à ses clientes et ses clients. Suite...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Like a Thief in the Night ...
I recently lost someone close to me, an older brother. I was over here in the West; he was over there in the East.
Death strikes as it wishes, when it wishes. The Great Equalizer, as they say, has no respect for space or time, for persons high or low, for feelings or emotions. It just strikes, like a thief in the night, and we are left bereft, like lost souls on a raft, seeing nothing but the ocean stretching into infinity.
And we try to find refuge in the usual havens, religion and tradition and customs, but they don’t really help. At best, they cover us with a comforting illusion that enshrouds the mystery even further. They comfort us for a while … until we forget … until the next time. And it starts all over again, this comforting, this forgetting.
Losing someone close to you is not easy to bear. All kinds of emotions and memories are stirred up. And one does not always know how to cope with them. But that’s not all. Someone dies, and your own vulnerability comes into question, pushed to centre-stage from the back rooms of your mind. Before the forgetting and the comforting sooth you back to sleep again, you are forced to be aware that your own death is there on the horizon. The Great Reaper is lurking there somewhere waiting for you. You are forced to realize that Death is not something that happens only to others. It also happens to you. And that’s a sombre thought. Until you start forgetting again.
And, above all, you wonder; what happens after? Aye, there’s the rub! Death is not just passing away from this world, from loved ones and cherished memories; it is also the question: do we pass into something else? Is there anything after? Or is Death the end of everything?
What wouldn’t I give to know the answer to this enigma! My entire life would take on another meaning if I knew the answer to that. Even if I had the absolute conviction that Death meant the end of everything, it would be better than not knowing. But there seems to be no way of knowing. My Catholic upbringing filled me with the promise of a heaven or the threat of a hell, childish notions that reduce an all-powerful God to the level of a pagan witch doctor. And my reasoning mind could not accept that an all-loving God would amuse Himself with sacrificing His Son for my sins and then calling me to render an account of myself, as if my petty faults and peccadilloes could make any difference to Him! Can a child sin against his parents? I finally dismissed this entire religious set-up as nothing more than bewildering nonsense and turned my back on it.
And I used to read a great deal about life after death, and it was always comforting … for a while. But it did not take me long to realize that everything I read had been written by people whose knowledge came from sources that were no more reliable than the ghost stories that adults used to tell me when I was a kid. It was nothing more than a rehash of second-hand information dished out as truth. Pure gobbledygook masquerading as truth, the unconvinced trying to convince themselves by convincing others. How can you be sure of a life after death when there’s nothing to show for it? I don’t wish to be flippant, but wouldn’t it be a lot simpler if a defunct came back from beyond to inform us as to what it’s all about and what to expect? And if that has never happened, isn’t it because there’s probably nothing beyond, or that, if there is, it’s unknowable at our present level of understanding?
Mind you, I’m not saying that there’s nothing beyond death. I’m simply saying that I just don’t know, and that I cannot allow any religion or custom or tradition to lull me into a mindless torpor of forgetfulness, with fake hopes and false promises. I’m simply saying that I cannot allow the most important mystery of my life, Death, to be hijacked by quacks and charlatans, no matter how great their number, or how great their power. I’m simply saying that, if I don’t have an answer to the greatest mystery of my life, neither do they. In the realm of the Unknown, the middleman is just an illusionist, trying to bamboozle me into accepting the claim that he has an exclusive key to the Truth. He doesn’t.
But perhaps I am missing the most important point about Death. Maybe it’s not the after-death that matters but the before-death, the way I live NOW. What if the only lesson that Death teaches us is that life is short, that nothing lasts forever, that, for all our yearning and longing, we cannot add one second to a life that is destined to evaporate into oblivion? And that, consequently, it is in our best interests to live quietly in peace with ourselves, not hurting anyone, negotiating your path through this planet as best as you can? And maybe, just maybe, if we did that, whatever happens after Death --- whether we call it heaven or hell or reincarnation or nirvana --- maybe that would be nothing more than an extension of how we have lived this life?
But I don’t know, I really don’t. However, I do know one thing, though. I know that as the sun is setting over here in the West, it is rising … over there in the East. Maybe my brother’s life, having set over here on Earth, has risen … over there, Elsewhere.
Death strikes as it wishes, when it wishes. The Great Equalizer, as they say, has no respect for space or time, for persons high or low, for feelings or emotions. It just strikes, like a thief in the night, and we are left bereft, like lost souls on a raft, seeing nothing but the ocean stretching into infinity.
And we try to find refuge in the usual havens, religion and tradition and customs, but they don’t really help. At best, they cover us with a comforting illusion that enshrouds the mystery even further. They comfort us for a while … until we forget … until the next time. And it starts all over again, this comforting, this forgetting.
Losing someone close to you is not easy to bear. All kinds of emotions and memories are stirred up. And one does not always know how to cope with them. But that’s not all. Someone dies, and your own vulnerability comes into question, pushed to centre-stage from the back rooms of your mind. Before the forgetting and the comforting sooth you back to sleep again, you are forced to be aware that your own death is there on the horizon. The Great Reaper is lurking there somewhere waiting for you. You are forced to realize that Death is not something that happens only to others. It also happens to you. And that’s a sombre thought. Until you start forgetting again.
And, above all, you wonder; what happens after? Aye, there’s the rub! Death is not just passing away from this world, from loved ones and cherished memories; it is also the question: do we pass into something else? Is there anything after? Or is Death the end of everything?
What wouldn’t I give to know the answer to this enigma! My entire life would take on another meaning if I knew the answer to that. Even if I had the absolute conviction that Death meant the end of everything, it would be better than not knowing. But there seems to be no way of knowing. My Catholic upbringing filled me with the promise of a heaven or the threat of a hell, childish notions that reduce an all-powerful God to the level of a pagan witch doctor. And my reasoning mind could not accept that an all-loving God would amuse Himself with sacrificing His Son for my sins and then calling me to render an account of myself, as if my petty faults and peccadilloes could make any difference to Him! Can a child sin against his parents? I finally dismissed this entire religious set-up as nothing more than bewildering nonsense and turned my back on it.
And I used to read a great deal about life after death, and it was always comforting … for a while. But it did not take me long to realize that everything I read had been written by people whose knowledge came from sources that were no more reliable than the ghost stories that adults used to tell me when I was a kid. It was nothing more than a rehash of second-hand information dished out as truth. Pure gobbledygook masquerading as truth, the unconvinced trying to convince themselves by convincing others. How can you be sure of a life after death when there’s nothing to show for it? I don’t wish to be flippant, but wouldn’t it be a lot simpler if a defunct came back from beyond to inform us as to what it’s all about and what to expect? And if that has never happened, isn’t it because there’s probably nothing beyond, or that, if there is, it’s unknowable at our present level of understanding?
Mind you, I’m not saying that there’s nothing beyond death. I’m simply saying that I just don’t know, and that I cannot allow any religion or custom or tradition to lull me into a mindless torpor of forgetfulness, with fake hopes and false promises. I’m simply saying that I cannot allow the most important mystery of my life, Death, to be hijacked by quacks and charlatans, no matter how great their number, or how great their power. I’m simply saying that, if I don’t have an answer to the greatest mystery of my life, neither do they. In the realm of the Unknown, the middleman is just an illusionist, trying to bamboozle me into accepting the claim that he has an exclusive key to the Truth. He doesn’t.
But perhaps I am missing the most important point about Death. Maybe it’s not the after-death that matters but the before-death, the way I live NOW. What if the only lesson that Death teaches us is that life is short, that nothing lasts forever, that, for all our yearning and longing, we cannot add one second to a life that is destined to evaporate into oblivion? And that, consequently, it is in our best interests to live quietly in peace with ourselves, not hurting anyone, negotiating your path through this planet as best as you can? And maybe, just maybe, if we did that, whatever happens after Death --- whether we call it heaven or hell or reincarnation or nirvana --- maybe that would be nothing more than an extension of how we have lived this life?
But I don’t know, I really don’t. However, I do know one thing, though. I know that as the sun is setting over here in the West, it is rising … over there in the East. Maybe my brother’s life, having set over here on Earth, has risen … over there, Elsewhere.
Adieu, mon frère!
UBS: la chute du dinosaure
Elevé au rang de dieu de l'Olympe à la faveur de dix années de succès ininterrompu, le Bâlois de 58 ans aura mis seulement 10 mois pour tomber de son piédestal. A son apogée, le succès l'avait rendu autoritaire et arrogant, selon divers témoignages. Pourtant, dans les années 1990, lors de son ascension à la Société de Banque Suisse (SBS), il avait encore le sourire bonhomme. «Il était d'un abord ouvert et accessible, et la presse a fait de lui la vedette de la nouvelle génération de banquiers», se souvient Dirk Schütz, rédacteur en chef de Bilanz et auteur d'une biographie de Marcel Ospel, «Herr der UBS».
Aujourd'hui, le «seigneur» Ospel est isolé, critiqué de toutes parts, et aucun de nos interlocuteurs ne se risque à parler de lui. La descente aux enfers de l'homme fort de UBS prend des allures de tragédie. Suite...
Aujourd'hui, le «seigneur» Ospel est isolé, critiqué de toutes parts, et aucun de nos interlocuteurs ne se risque à parler de lui. La descente aux enfers de l'homme fort de UBS prend des allures de tragédie. Suite...
Out of Africa; cool fashion show...
Inspired by the wild trees, exotic flowers and lush vegetation of the area bordering Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, these tribal people have created looks that put the most outlandish creations of Western catwalk couturiers to shame. Full story...
Un défilé de mode à l'africaine plutôt géniale. Suite...
Flirting can be dangerous in some places...
How does one behave in a country that has a Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice? Full story...
10 things you should know ... hilarious!
Spontaneous anal sex often involves small amounts of feces.
Yes, yes it does. This point is mainly aimed at straight guys, who seem to have a frighteningly widespread lack of understanding on this issue. If you want your backdoor action all nice and sanitary, you need to plan ahead. Buy a little something called an anal douche, and find a way to gracefully suggest she use it before bed if you want a little booty nookie. If you just swap holes in the middle of the action, without such careful forethought, things often get messy … because guys, it's a butt, and [big secret]there's poop in there[/big secret]. And as long as we're on the subject of anal …Full story...
Yes, yes it does. This point is mainly aimed at straight guys, who seem to have a frighteningly widespread lack of understanding on this issue. If you want your backdoor action all nice and sanitary, you need to plan ahead. Buy a little something called an anal douche, and find a way to gracefully suggest she use it before bed if you want a little booty nookie. If you just swap holes in the middle of the action, without such careful forethought, things often get messy … because guys, it's a butt, and [big secret]there's poop in there[/big secret]. And as long as we're on the subject of anal …Full story...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Are you a Credit Card slave?
It's one of the most wonderful times of the year for the banking industry's most lucrative business: credit cards. In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will reach into their wallets and use plastic to buy an estimated $100 billion in holiday gifts. But at what cost? More...
Young geeks, and it's not what you think...
THE prototypical computer whiz of popular imagination — pasty, geeky, male — has failed to live up to his reputation.
Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls. More...
Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls. More...
A Million English Words! Wow!
English always has been something of a mongrel language, but thanks to e-mail and the Internet, the spread of English around the world and a playful response to changing times, new words and phrases are cropping up so quickly that one language watcher calculates that English is bearing down on a milestone -- its 1 millionth word. Full story...
India is a poor country? No kidding!!
The US secretary of defence, Robert Gates, arrives in the Indian capital, New Delhi, next week to promote a $10bn jet fighter contract, underlining the country's emergence as one of the world's biggest military markets. To update its Soviet-era arsenal India says it will need to spend $45bn in the next five years, and it has been courted by western states that are barred by arms embargoes from selling to China, the other expanding Asian military power.Full story...
Want to be healthy? Own a cat...
A new study suggests cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than people who, well, don't own cats.
And no, dogs don't do the same trick.
The study, by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats. Read on...
And no, dogs don't do the same trick.
The study, by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats. Read on...
The Father of Pinyin
Wow! This is one great man! 102 and still going strong! These are my heroes.Do take a look at this superb video of this wonderful guy.
Gros coup de filet au Québec
C'est une première au Canada. Hier, mercredi 20 février 2008, la Sûreté du Québec a indiqué au cours d'une conférence de presse avoir mis fin aux agissements d'un important groupe de pirates informatiques spécialisé dans le vol de données privées.
Dix-sept personnes, résidant de la « belle province » et âgées de 17 à 26 ans (dont trois mineurs), ont été réveillées à l'aube par une centaine de policiers. Elles sont suspectées d'avoir piraté les données de milliers d'internautes dans le monde entier.
Plus d'une centaine de pays, dont la France, la Belgique, la Suisse, ont été les cibles des attaques, qui auraient causé plus de 45 millions de dollars de dommages. Sur les dix-sept pirates présumés, huit ont été présentés directement à un juge d'instruction, les neuf autres ont été relâchés sous conditions. Suite...
Dix-sept personnes, résidant de la « belle province » et âgées de 17 à 26 ans (dont trois mineurs), ont été réveillées à l'aube par une centaine de policiers. Elles sont suspectées d'avoir piraté les données de milliers d'internautes dans le monde entier.
Plus d'une centaine de pays, dont la France, la Belgique, la Suisse, ont été les cibles des attaques, qui auraient causé plus de 45 millions de dollars de dommages. Sur les dix-sept pirates présumés, huit ont été présentés directement à un juge d'instruction, les neuf autres ont été relâchés sous conditions. Suite...
This is one sick guy...
An internet stalker who encourages children to kill themselves has been uncovered by a Berkshire woman.
Historian Celia Blay, from Maidenhead, said she came across the man when speaking to a troubled teenager.
He makes contact with vulnerable children and encourages them to take their lives while he watches them through a webcam, she said. Full story...
Historian Celia Blay, from Maidenhead, said she came across the man when speaking to a troubled teenager.
He makes contact with vulnerable children and encourages them to take their lives while he watches them through a webcam, she said. Full story...
WTF! Rape victim takes 5 exams in a day!
Officials of the Patan DIET-PTC made a scramble on Thursday to convince the gangrape victim to get back tocollege for just one day to take her internal examinations and secure the academic year.
Result: The tormented girl wrote five papers of the examinations on Thursday.
Result: The tormented girl wrote five papers of the examinations on Thursday.
Earthquakes and gays...
An Israeli MP has blamed parliament's tolerance of gays for earthquakes that have rocked the Holy Land recently.
Shlomo Benizri, of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas Party, said the tremors had been caused by lawmaking that gave "legitimacy to sodomy".
Shlomo Benizri, of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas Party, said the tremors had been caused by lawmaking that gave "legitimacy to sodomy".
Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones...
Martin Scorsese's new documentary about the Rolling Stones shows a clip from a 1970s interview with a youthful Mick Jagger. He is asked whether he can imagine still being on stage at 60. "Yeah," says Jagger. "Easily."
And here he is - here they all are: Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts, playing at the Beacon Theater in New York in 2006. Scorsese filmed two concerts for a small but exclusive audience including about 30 members of the Clinton clan. Bill is there, too, and gets hugs from the band members (as well as a lame joke from Richards: "Hey Clinton, I'm bushed. . .") Full story...
And here he is - here they all are: Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts, playing at the Beacon Theater in New York in 2006. Scorsese filmed two concerts for a small but exclusive audience including about 30 members of the Clinton clan. Bill is there, too, and gets hugs from the band members (as well as a lame joke from Richards: "Hey Clinton, I'm bushed. . .") Full story...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The world is about to collapse? Wow!
Make your wills, folks! The world and its cities are going to go down! Boy, I sure love these guys! They really seem to enjoy making us squirm and wriggle like frightened rats.
And just look at the options; there's one for every taste...
And just look at the options; there's one for every taste...
Britain's biggest brain drain ...
Britain is experiencing the worst "brain drain" of any country as highly qualified professionals settle abroad, an authoritative international study showed yesterday.
Record numbers of Britons are leaving - many of them doctors, teachers and engineers - in the biggest exodus for almost 50 years.
Over a quarter of qualified professionals who have moved abroad had health or education qualifications
There are now 3.247 million British-born people living abroad, of whom more than 1.1 million are highly-skilled university graduates, say the researchers.
Record numbers of Britons are leaving - many of them doctors, teachers and engineers - in the biggest exodus for almost 50 years.
Over a quarter of qualified professionals who have moved abroad had health or education qualifications
There are now 3.247 million British-born people living abroad, of whom more than 1.1 million are highly-skilled university graduates, say the researchers.
Don't mess with old Chinese women!!!
I grew up in San Francisco. Moved out several years ago due to all the ridiculous changes, taxes and unbelieveably undesireable political atmosphere.
Here's one of the reasons which has made (me) HATE San Francisco:
About 18 years ago I was riding the 30 Stockton bus heading downtown, standing room only (as usual). I am tall, so I could see over the largely (probably 95%) asian population inside the bus, who all seemed to be hacking their lungs out without covering their mouths (nice). Full story...
Here's one of the reasons which has made (me) HATE San Francisco:
About 18 years ago I was riding the 30 Stockton bus heading downtown, standing room only (as usual). I am tall, so I could see over the largely (probably 95%) asian population inside the bus, who all seemed to be hacking their lungs out without covering their mouths (nice). Full story...
La Palestine comme le Kosovo?
"Notre peuple a le droit de proclamer son indépendance comme le peuple du Kosovo. Nous avons été occupés bien avant que le problème du Kosovo ne surgisse", a déclaré à l'AFP Yasser Abed Rabbo, secrétaire général du Comité exécutif de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP).
"Il faut que des mesures soient prises en vue d'une proclamation unilatérale d'indépendance comme le Kosovo l'a fait et le monde devra ensuite se charger de mettre fin à l'occupation de notreterre", a ajouté M. Abed Rabbo.
"Il faut que des mesures soient prises en vue d'une proclamation unilatérale d'indépendance comme le Kosovo l'a fait et le monde devra ensuite se charger de mettre fin à l'occupation de notreterre", a ajouté M. Abed Rabbo.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Life smiles at some, it sucks for others. Why?
Certains peuvent sourire, d’autres sont crucifiés. Pourquoi ?
La glas a sonné pour le streaming?
La récente arrestation du webmestre de Chacal-Stream, un grand site français proposant de visionner des centaines de films, séries et animations en streaming (sans téléchargement), semble avoir porté ses fruits. De nombreux sites similaires, dont le célèbre r4v3n, ont en effet fermé leur s portes suite à cette affaire.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Microsoft et le Télescope Mondial...
Rappelez-vous de cet article dont je parlais il y a quelques jours, comme quoi Microsoft allait changer la façon dont nous regardons le monde ? Et bien, le géant de Richmond va lancer un Télescope mondial qui va nous faire voyager parmi les étoiles!
Microsoft to launch Worldwide Telescope...
Remember this story I linked to a few days ago, that Microsoft is about to change the world? Well, this seems to be it, Microsoft is taking us for a ride among the stars...
Sarkozy et ses potes...
La Légion d'honneur compte un nouveau grand'croix, sa plus haute distinction: Nicolas Sarkozy a décoré vendredi le Canadien Paul Desmarais. Selon les chiffres de 2000, seules 61 personnes possèdent cette médaille. Méconnu des Français, c'est pourtant "en partie grâce à Desmarais" que Nicolas Sarkozy est aujourd'hui à l'Elysée, de l'aveu même du Président.
French actresses in the flesh! Delicious!
French movies don’t often find large audiences outside France. It’s partly a language question, of course. But it’s also the style of French cinema.
Compared with Hollywood-style blockbusters, French movies are more about people than about action. Another big difference between French films and Anglo-Saxon movies is that the French don’t shy away from erotic themes.
See also:
- Sophie Marceau and ... oops!!!
- Meet Mara Carfagna, Italy's new Equal Oppurtunities Minister...
- Kama Sutra for lesbians!! Oh boy! Oh boy!
- Would you like to be breast-fed by Maxi Mounds?
- Calling all men who don't like soccer: you will ... after watching this!!!
- Guinness: share one with a friend ... or two!
- Busty silicone lady wants 9th. boob job!!
- Can I squeeze your boobs? Hilarious!
- Sexy Emma Frain wii workout! Wow!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Do we need this sort of "entertainment?"
The crowd roars its approval as the chestnut stallion sinks his teeth into the throat of his opponent.
The terrified victim rears up on his hind legs and veers away in a desperate bid to escape, but it is no use.
Blood is pouring into his eyes and he can no longer see. His right ear is torn and bloody.
What's going on in Bridgend?
The death toll in a small town hit by a spate of suicides rose to 16 yesterday when two young cousins were found hanged. They died hours apart, leaving the South Wales community of Bridgend reeling from the continuing string of tragedies.
Nathaniel Pritchard, 15, was still alive when he was discovered in an attic room at the family home on Wednesday but died yesterday morning when his life-support machine was turned off.
Nathaniel Pritchard, 15, was still alive when he was discovered in an attic room at the family home on Wednesday but died yesterday morning when his life-support machine was turned off.
Dubai, a study in Superlatives...
What's going on in Dubai? It's all about the highest, the deepest, the largest, the biggest, the most, the best.
Let's hope the people there are the happiest as well.
Full story...
Let's hope the people there are the happiest as well.
Full story...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I Am Not My Tribe ...
To be Kenyan at this time and in this place is to go over your raison d’etre with a fine-tooth comb: to search your soul, deeply. We have been forced to revisit our presumptive identities, to unpack who we always thought we were, to grope for definition(s).
I for one have been unearthing childhood memories and dusting them off in an attempt to isolate the spaces that shaped me into this person that I have become.
I for one have been unearthing childhood memories and dusting them off in an attempt to isolate the spaces that shaped me into this person that I have become.
Sacrificing Facebook for Lent?
Instead of going without meat or sweets for Lent, some young Christians are suppressing their appetite for the Internet, forgoing social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and instant-messaging programs for 40 days and 40 nights.
For today's tech-savvy teens and college students, breaking their online habits is a way to make a sacrifice during a season when churches encourage prayer and fasting.
For today's tech-savvy teens and college students, breaking their online habits is a way to make a sacrifice during a season when churches encourage prayer and fasting.
An olympian nightmare for 2 million Chinese...
Gleaming and amazing, China's £200million Olympics stadium is shown to the world as a proud symbol of the country's dramatic change.
But two million people driven from their homes for this summer's Beijing Games could tell a different story... if they were allowed.
A tale of how their lives have been ruined for the sake of their rulers' Olympic dream.
But two million people driven from their homes for this summer's Beijing Games could tell a different story... if they were allowed.
A tale of how their lives have been ruined for the sake of their rulers' Olympic dream.
Sarkozy et la Shoah ...
"C’est inimaginable, insoutenable, dramatique et, surtout, injuste, tranche l’ancien ministre, déportée à 16 ans et demi à Auschwitz. On ne peut pas infliger cela à des petits de dix ans! On ne peut pas demander à un enfant de s’identifier à un enfant mort. Cette mémoire est beaucoup trop lourde à porter. Nous mêmes, anciens déportés, avons eu beaucoup de difficultés, après la guerre, à parler de ce que nous avions vécu, même avec nos proches. Et, aujourd’hui encore, nous essayons d’épargner nos enfants et nos petits-enfants. Par ailleurs, beaucoup d’enseignants parlent -très bien- de ces sujets à l’école." Suite...
Malaysia and its Indian citizens ...
Malaysian security forces have used tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest by ethnic Indians in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
More than 20 people taking part in the banned march were detained by police.
More than 20 people taking part in the banned march were detained by police.
WTF!! The KKK endorses Obama!!!!!!
Imperial Wizard, Ronald Edwards has stated that, "anything is better than Hillary Clinton."
White Christian Supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan has endorsed Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America.
Speaking from his Kentucky office in Dawson Springs, the Imperial Wizard exclaimed that anything or anyone is better than having that "crazy ass bitch" as President.
This is the first time in Klan history that any member of the KKK has ever publicly supported an African American candidate for the presidency.
KKK lodges all over America have been gathering and holding rallies supporting the black presidential candidate.
White Christian Supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan has endorsed Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America.
Speaking from his Kentucky office in Dawson Springs, the Imperial Wizard exclaimed that anything or anyone is better than having that "crazy ass bitch" as President.
This is the first time in Klan history that any member of the KKK has ever publicly supported an African American candidate for the presidency.
KKK lodges all over America have been gathering and holding rallies supporting the black presidential candidate.
Facebook can ruin your life...
In the judicial backwater of a New Jersey federal court, a case is being heard that nominally affects two families but should also make millions of Britons think twice about something they do every day: put highly personal information on Facebook, MySpace or Bebo.
An American insurance company, in defending its refusal to pay out a claim, is seeking to call in evidence personal online postings, including the contents of any MySpace or Facebook pages the litigants may have, to see if their eating disorders might have "emotional causes". And the case is far from a lone one. Suddenly, those saucy pictures and intimate confessions on social networking sites can be taken down and used in evidence against you in ways never dreamed of.
An American insurance company, in defending its refusal to pay out a claim, is seeking to call in evidence personal online postings, including the contents of any MySpace or Facebook pages the litigants may have, to see if their eating disorders might have "emotional causes". And the case is far from a lone one. Suddenly, those saucy pictures and intimate confessions on social networking sites can be taken down and used in evidence against you in ways never dreamed of.
Wikipedia et les images de Mahomet...
Un article sur Mahomet dans la version anglaise de Wikipédia est devenu l’objet d’une protestation en ligne au cours des dernières semaines en raison de ses représentations de Mahomet, reprises de manuscrits médiévaux.
Une pétition en ligne demande aux administrateurs de l’encyclopédie de retirer des images représentant Mahomet sur la version anglaise du site. Ils ont refusé de donner suite à la demande, invoquant leur politique de ne pas pratiquer la censure.
Une pétition en ligne demande aux administrateurs de l’encyclopédie de retirer des images représentant Mahomet sur la version anglaise du site. Ils ont refusé de donner suite à la demande, invoquant leur politique de ne pas pratiquer la censure.
Wikipedia and the images of Mohammed...
Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia, is refusing to remove medieval artistic depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, despite being flooded with complaints from Muslims demanding the images be deleted.
More than 180,000 worldwide have joined an online protest claiming the images, shown on European-language pages and taken from Persian and Ottoman miniatures dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, are offensive to Islam, which prohibits any representation of Muhammad. But the defiant editors of the encyclopaedia insist they will not bow to pressure and say anyone objecting to the controversial images can simply adjust their computers so they do not have to look at them.
More than 180,000 worldwide have joined an online protest claiming the images, shown on European-language pages and taken from Persian and Ottoman miniatures dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, are offensive to Islam, which prohibits any representation of Muhammad. But the defiant editors of the encyclopaedia insist they will not bow to pressure and say anyone objecting to the controversial images can simply adjust their computers so they do not have to look at them.
Les majors du disque sont mortes? Déjà?
Grégoire, premier artiste entièrement produit et donc financé par des internautes vient d’atteindre les 70 000 € pour lancer son album.
Génial non ? Et tout ça grâce au site MyMajorCompany…
Je le dis et je le répète, c’est bien la preuve que les “gens” peuvent produire et faire émerger leurs artistes préférés sans qu’une major quelconque leur impose de la merde en disque !
Génial non ? Et tout ça grâce au site MyMajorCompany…
Je le dis et je le répète, c’est bien la preuve que les “gens” peuvent produire et faire émerger leurs artistes préférés sans qu’une major quelconque leur impose de la merde en disque !
Kenadie, smallest girl in the world...
Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley weighed 2 lbs, 8 ounces when she was born in February 2003. She was not expected to live more than a day, but she has survived. She continued to defy doctors expectations and at the age of 8 months, Kenadie was finally diagnosed with primordial dwarfism, a genetic condition that is believed to affect only about 100 people in the world. She isn't expected to grow past about 30 inches or weigh more than 8 pounds. Her special needs expenses are substantial.
Voici Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley, la fille la plus petite au monde...
Voici Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley, la fille la plus petite au monde...
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Saving Private Charlie ...
Wow! They sure went to a lot of trouble to save this guy and that's great; I have no problems with that. But, you know, what beats me is, how can this be the same entity --- that has so much sympathy for a dog --- that also produced the horrors of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, etc? Am I missing something here?
When Microsoft researchers make you cry...
Yesterday was one of those days. Curtis Wong and Jonathan Fay, researchers at Microsoft, fired up their machines and showed me something that I can’t tell you about until February 27th. I’m sure you’ll read about his work in the New York Times or TechCrunch, among other places. It’s too inspiring to stay a secret for long.
While watching the demo I realized the way I look at the world was about to change. While listening to Wong I noticed a tear running down my face. It’s been a long while since Microsoft did something that had an emotional impact on me like that.
While watching the demo I realized the way I look at the world was about to change. While listening to Wong I noticed a tear running down my face. It’s been a long while since Microsoft did something that had an emotional impact on me like that.
Microsoft va changer le monde?
« Ce n’est pas tous les jours que je vois un logiciel qui change vraiment le monde. C’est encore plus rare de voir un logiciel qui va changer le monde dans lequel mes fils vont grandir » lance-t-il en introduction de son article. Il rappelle sa découverte d’Apple II en 1977, puis d’Excel et de Photoshop, avant de déclarer que mercredi 13 février fut une des ces journées : « Curtis Wong et Jonathan Fay, chercheurs à Microsoft, m’ont montré quelque chose dont je ne peux pas vous parler avant le 27 février, mais trop inspirant pour garder le secret longtemps. »
Friday, February 15, 2008
Presenting Lilly, the 2 year-old geography expert...
Cette gamine, à peine 2 ans, est peut-être une exception. Mais elle pourrait être une indication que les enfants ont la capacité de maitriser les sujets difficiles … jusqu'au jour où ils commencent à être « éduqués ».
This kid may be an exception, but she could also be an indication that children have the capacity to master difficult subjects ... until the day the start getting "educated".
This kid may be an exception, but she could also be an indication that children have the capacity to master difficult subjects ... until the day the start getting "educated".
Just follow that dream, wherever it leads...
Barely nineteen, Renu bathed and dressed my newborn with the practised ease of a professional nurse. Her mother, she explained, was the village midwife, and by the age of nine, Renu was Chief Assistant. When they were not delivering babies, the two would work at the local quarry, loading stones onto trucks in the heat and dust. So this 24/7 job as my infant daughter’s nanny was doubtless the cushiest on our maid’s CV.
Human beings are the "ultimate resource..."
Too many people on the planet?
Too few resources?
Are we doomed?
Is the population bomb ticking away?
Not really! This is good!
Too few resources?
Are we doomed?
Is the population bomb ticking away?
Not really! This is good!
L'UBS: circulez, il n'y a rien à voir...
A part ça, c'est marrant, on plombe les comptes de la plus grande banque de Suisse de sa plus grande perte depuis des lustres, mais du côté des juges d'instruction ou des procureurs, on circule sans rien vouloir voir ni se poser de bonnes questions … alors que l'épicier du coin qui a dû fermer à cause de l'arrivée de la grande surface aura déjà été inculpé trois fois pour gestion fautive et pour la valeur globale de trois kilos de carottes.
Etrangement intéressés que ce silence et cette cécité soudaine du pouvoir judiciaire qui ne veut rien voir.
Etrangement intéressés que ce silence et cette cécité soudaine du pouvoir judiciaire qui ne veut rien voir.
The 10 most "wired" countries in the world?
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regularly conducts studies of 30 nations to measure broadband penetration. Broadband penetration refers to the number of broadband Internet subscribers compared to the overall population. The OECD usually breaks this down in a simple ratio: the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Full story...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Big Brother is Here, There and Everywhere...
It is just amazing at all the ways and the methods "they" use to watch us! But the thing that bugs me is, why do they bother when most of us are not really a threat to them, whoever "they" are? Is all this necessary?
Or maybe the aim is not the "watching" at all but something else...
Or maybe the aim is not the "watching" at all but something else...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Hillary response to Yes We Can...
Sushi strike in Israel!!
Asian restaurants in Israel are taking popular dishes off the menu in protest at government plans to cut the number of foreign chefs.
About 300 Asian restaurants refused to serve spring rolls on Tuesday, said the Israeli Ethnic Restaurant Organisation. Full story...
Le Petit Ecolier
Le petit Thomas demande à sa maîtresse s'il peut lui parler après le cours.
Elle accepte.
La maîtresse : Alors, que veux-tu me dire, Thomas ?
homas : Je pense être trop intelligent que pour rester dans cette classe, je m'embête ! Je voudrais passer directement au Lycée.
Sur ce, le directeur informé, demande à Thomas s'il veut bien passer des tests. Thomas accepte sans hésiter et le directeur commence le test.
Le Directeur : Voyons voir Thomas, 3 x 4
Thomas : Douze !
Le Directeur : Et 6 x 6
Thomas : Trente six, Monsieur le Directeur.
Le Directeur : Capitale du Japon ?
Thomas : Tokyo.
Le test continue pendant une demi-heure, Thomas ne fait aucune erreur !
A la fin du test, le directeur est satisfait mais, la prof demande si elle peut à son tour lui poser des questions. Tous deux acceptent, et la prof commence.
La Maîtresse : Bon Thomas ! La vache, elle en a 4 et moi j'en ai 2, qu'est ce que c'est ?
Thomas : Les jambes, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Correct. Qu'est-ce qu'on trouve dans tes pantalons et pas dans les miens ?
Le Directeur s'étonne de la question...
Thomas : Des poches, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Bien, Thomas. Qu'est-ce que les hommes et les femmes ont en plein milieu et qui est en double ?
Le directeur se prépare à intervenir lorsque Thomas répond.
Thomas : Les deux « M », Madame.
La Maîtresse : Où est-ce que les femmes ont les poils les plus frisés ?
Thomas : En Afrique Madame, répond le gamin sans hésiter.
La Maîtresse : Qu'est-ce qui est mou mais qui, aux mains d'une femme, devient dur ?
Le Directeur ouvre grands les yeux mais Thomas répond :
Thomas : Le vernis à ongles, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Qu'est-ce que les hommes et nous les femmes, nous avons au milieu des jambes ?
Thomas : Les genoux !
La Maîtresse : Bien. Et qu'est-ce qu'une femme mariée a de plus large qu'une femme célibataire ?
Le Directeur n'en croit pas ses oreilles !
Thomas : Le lit, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Quelle est la partie de mon corps qui est souvent la plus humide ?
Thomas : Votre langue, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Quel mot commençant par la lettre « c » désigne quelque chose qui peut être humide ou sec et que les hommes aiment regarder ?
Thomas : Le ciel ! Affirme Thomas.
(Merci Olivier)
Elle accepte.
La maîtresse : Alors, que veux-tu me dire, Thomas ?
homas : Je pense être trop intelligent que pour rester dans cette classe, je m'embête ! Je voudrais passer directement au Lycée.
Sur ce, le directeur informé, demande à Thomas s'il veut bien passer des tests. Thomas accepte sans hésiter et le directeur commence le test.
Le Directeur : Voyons voir Thomas, 3 x 4
Thomas : Douze !
Le Directeur : Et 6 x 6
Thomas : Trente six, Monsieur le Directeur.
Le Directeur : Capitale du Japon ?
Thomas : Tokyo.
Le test continue pendant une demi-heure, Thomas ne fait aucune erreur !
A la fin du test, le directeur est satisfait mais, la prof demande si elle peut à son tour lui poser des questions. Tous deux acceptent, et la prof commence.
La Maîtresse : Bon Thomas ! La vache, elle en a 4 et moi j'en ai 2, qu'est ce que c'est ?
Thomas : Les jambes, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Correct. Qu'est-ce qu'on trouve dans tes pantalons et pas dans les miens ?
Le Directeur s'étonne de la question...
Thomas : Des poches, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Bien, Thomas. Qu'est-ce que les hommes et les femmes ont en plein milieu et qui est en double ?
Le directeur se prépare à intervenir lorsque Thomas répond.
Thomas : Les deux « M », Madame.
La Maîtresse : Où est-ce que les femmes ont les poils les plus frisés ?
Thomas : En Afrique Madame, répond le gamin sans hésiter.
La Maîtresse : Qu'est-ce qui est mou mais qui, aux mains d'une femme, devient dur ?
Le Directeur ouvre grands les yeux mais Thomas répond :
Thomas : Le vernis à ongles, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Qu'est-ce que les hommes et nous les femmes, nous avons au milieu des jambes ?
Thomas : Les genoux !
La Maîtresse : Bien. Et qu'est-ce qu'une femme mariée a de plus large qu'une femme célibataire ?
Le Directeur n'en croit pas ses oreilles !
Thomas : Le lit, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Quelle est la partie de mon corps qui est souvent la plus humide ?
Thomas : Votre langue, Madame.
La Maîtresse : Quel mot commençant par la lettre « c » désigne quelque chose qui peut être humide ou sec et que les hommes aiment regarder ?
Thomas : Le ciel ! Affirme Thomas.
Le Directeur soufflant, transpirant comme un sauvage, décide d'arrêter le test et s'exclame : Ce n'est pas au lycée que je vais t'envoyer mais directement à l'université ! Même moi, je l'aurais complètement raté ce test...
Morale de l'histoire : C'est avec l'âge que l'on devient PERVERS !(Merci Olivier)
Obama City woos Obama!!
A Japanese city called "Obama", hoping to boost its profile at home and abroad as a tourist attraction, cheered Barack Obama's victories in three more Democratic nominating contests on Tuesday. Full story...
Lookin' good for Jesus? You can ... in Singapore!
A leading retailer in Singapore has withdrawn a cosmetics range with a Jesus theme after complaints from local Roman Catholics, local media report.
MSG and Aspartame: one man's story ...
Since my teenage years I endured excruciating migraines, a type of headache called Cluster Headaches. These are also known as “suicide headaches” because the pain is so intense you want to kill yourself. On many occasions I went nearly delirious with pain and beat on my own head in a frustrated, impotent rage. My doctor told me he knew of a patient who tried to claw his own eye out because of the pain. Imagine an “ice cream headache” -- when you drink a very cold, icy drink too fast and have a searing pain for a few seconds. A cluster headache is many times worse than that, but it lasts several hours. For these headaches physicians prescribed opiates and also put me on a cousin of LSD known as Sansert (Methysergide maleate). This drug gives you hallucinogenic dreams. The doctor told me I had to take it. The dreams were really wild, a Technicolor acid trip every night. So my doctor basically prescribed a mild form of LSD to prevent my headaches. What the doctor didn’t realize was that cluster migraines are not caused by a lack of Sansert. Full story...
Sunrise frappe! Il lance "Free Internet"
Sunrise lance une promotion unique pour attirer l’attention sur les économies que permettra le dégroupage du dernier kilomètre: les CHF 49.– auparavant facturés chaque mois pour l’abonnement ADSL 3500 sont offerts, tout simplement. Les clients qui profiteront de la promotion Free Internet jusqu’à la fin du mois d’avril 2008 économiseront près de CHF 600.– par an.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Les grands patrons ont le sourire...
L’économie est morose, nous dit-on, il faut serrer la ceinture ; mais les grands patrons n’ont pas de souci à se faire…
Mini muscle-man seeking fame...
At just 2ft 9in, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder.
Pint-sized Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India - for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9kg body weight. Full story...
Facebook; once you're in, you're in for good ...
“It’s like the Hotel California,” said Nipon Das, 34, a director at a biotechnology consulting firm in Manhattan, who tried unsuccessfully to delete his account this fall. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
And while we are on the subject of Facebook, check this out as well; it will make you squirm...
And while we are on the subject of Facebook, check this out as well; it will make you squirm...
Gosh! I admire these people, don't you?
These people are supposed to be "criminals" but you can't help admiring them. In a different world, they'd probably be rewarded for their intelligence and imagination. You just get the feeling that they were enjoying themselves tremendously. What a pity that stories like these don't make it into the headlines...
Bush's Pearls of Wisdom...
"Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled." Full story...
Monday, February 11, 2008
No Red Roses for Saudi Sweethearts!
No red roses for Saudi sweethearts! No problems, how about some blue ones....
Internet bientôt gratuit en suissse....?
Les rumeurs courent que l'Internet sera bientôt gratuit en suisse... A suivre...
John Lennon and May Pang. The Lost Weekend...
I really don't care much about celebrities or their antics, but I'm a John Lennon freak, so I'll make an exception, just this once...
Which are most expensive cities in the world?
Moscow is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates for the second consecutive year, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. London is in second position, climbing three places since last year. Seoul moves down one place in the ranking to take third place, followed by Tokyo in fourth. Asuncion in Paraguay is the least expensive city for the fifth year running.
Happy Birthday, Mr.Edison!
Today, Feb. 11th. is Thomas Edison's birthday, that genial inventor who gave us the electric chair! But here are a few things that I bet most of you didn't know...
(Warning: the video of the elephant being electrocuted is NOT for the squeamish.)
(Warning: the video of the elephant being electrocuted is NOT for the squeamish.)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
How to help Britney ... ?
Isn't political debate a wonderful thing? Democrat candidates Obama and Clinton spar over how to help Britney Spears! Of course, that's a vital political issue, isn't it? Why worry about the really important issues when, by focusing on Spears, you can touch the emotional strings of the American public and keep them entertained as well? Full story...
Living room flooded? Not to worry ...
As the guy (probably the husband) looks on in despair, our brave ladies seem to be perfectly at ease in a flooded room, serenely watching their favourite serial! Now I know why they call it the boobie box!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)