I am Sam; Sam I am

During my shift tonight, I found a heart-breaking story about a kid named Sam, born with a facial disfigurement that led to near-impossible surgeries and complications over the years. It was written in 2000 and won a Pulitzer prize. It's four pages, but it is a wonderfully composed piece of work and really tugged at my heartstrings...here it is, The Boy Behind the Mask (There are four parts to The Oregon article)

Squeeze Your Buns!

Out of the thousand books I'm required to read for classes and give reports on, I'm excited about a particular one, Hitler's Riad To Save Mussolini. I was having difficulty finding a book that was both up-to-date, well-written and interesting, but this one did the trick. I came across the book by accident, and I had no idea Operation Oak, Hitler's mission to rescue Benito Mussolini, even existed. The roughly 300-page text reads like a narrative, includes interesting and often hilarious side-notes on the journey of Mussolini's rescue and even provides an appendix listing all the sources on which the author, Greg Annussek, structured his story.

Yes, I've finally posted pictures of the buns! These were taken some time ago, but the devils themselves haven't changed - unless you consider going from an appetite for newspaper stacks to Scott's roommate's cell phone charger. Also, they gotten bigger, obviously, but it's hard to believe how much they've grown. Unfortunately, we had to buy them separate cages - apparently, Ashley witnessed an unfriendly scuffle between the sisters, so we decided to give them some space. These furballs of fire are costing an ugly penny, but you gotta love 'em. And while I've trusted Wild Side Pet Store a good deal so far, I'm not sure about the pooping situation -- I just thought by this time they would've stopped taking a nice little dump in their food bowls or, perhaps on their stuffed animals meant to keep them company...sexually. Anyhow, maybe they'll stop sleeping in their poop trays and start actually using them for their real purpose. In time. With hope. Obama, can you help me?

Nice segway to the next topic, Lee. Thanks, Rob. No problem, Robin. Stay out of this, Rob. Right, this Obama character: superman or guy-thrust-into-mess-of-last-presidents-and-expected-to-make-everything-good-again. I brought it up some weeks ago, but my teacher on Tuesday hit the nail right on the head: When has there ever been a president we've actually praised or even liked when they left office? Our class went through the list and wouldn't you know it, not one. They've either died too soon, left office in the midst of a scandal, faced impeachment, departed in shame on a certain issue they couldn't solve,...the list goes on. Some presidents even refused reelection when approached.

Why do we fall for this everytime? A new one steps up, we eventually put him down. This reliance on one person to solve all our problems is getting, and has been, out of hand. Sure, we don't expect him to take more vacation days than actually working in office, especially during crises, but what happened to what we can do for the country? I know it's ever cliche, but Kennedy (while also regarded too much as a hero and sadly dying much too young) was on to something when he said those famous words. I don't understand the economy as well as I should, and I realize there were many who were forced to play the market game because they lacked the money, but from what I've been seeing and hearing, it's a lot of overinvesting, embezzling and cupidity.

On a different track, it's baffling to think of the idea of "surplus" today, just as it was back in the late 1920s and early '30s. We're making too much crap, so we need to find markets overseas. But on top of making crap, we're not exactly the most popular country and never have been. It's nice to live in a democracy and to be surrounded by so many choices, but what happened to living within means? The Golden Rule? I'm not a paragon of virtue myself, but I do try to live within my means and work at the school in order to buy things I need.

I'm out of my depth, and I'm neglecting studying for French and my other classes, so with that and my shuffled train of thought, I'm off!

Loony Moonies

Midway? What the hell is that?

If you've ever seen Nicholas Hytner's The Madness of King George, starring the ever-talented Ian Holm and Nigel Hawthorne, you have an idea of the insanity poor George suffered throughout the end of his reign as king of Great Britain in the mid-1700s. While most believe he suffered from a disease known as porphyria, an affliction that attacks the nervous system and can induce many terrible symptoms, George III became an unpopular figure to both the people of the newly independent United States of America and of Great Britain as well.

In a final declaration to his people, King George's last debut was recorded in history as so:

"... there he was sitting on the Throne with his King's Crown on, his robes scarlet and ermine, and held his speech written out for him, just what he had to say. But, oh dear, he strode up and made a bow and began "My Lords and Peacocks'".

Crazy Claude Francois, with his hit song, J'avais un marteau:

Also, see if you can recognize this song in French - and then ask yourself, "Pourquoi, mon Dieu, pourquoi?"



Speaking of people off their titties, (James, Scott's roommate being one of them) bootleggers and moonshiners were a main topic in my class today and, as it spiked my interest, I wanted to know the exact origins of the idea of "moon shine." Now bootlegger, of course, gets its name from the boots worn and used to conceal alcohol during the times of prohibition. Moonshine, as I am told by HowStuffWorks, simply received its name from illegal operations of selling alcohol at night in backwoods to ensure a safe transfer of the outlawed subtances. Originally a term coined by the British, moonshining was defined as "any job or activity that was done late a night." Technically, I am moonshining by writing this blog. I'm also drunk, which makes this one a double-whammy. Hoot.

Phony Phoney

Outrage. I just learned that Novia Scotia's life-solving wonder-machine, the Pomegranate Phone, is nothing but a hoax- a cheap marketing ruse! You listen here, Nova Scrotum: either go back to your pine lodges and make the damn thing or stop cockteasing me with beautiful alien technology ads. I'm very upset with you, Canada.

France, on the other hand, gets the award of the week. My co-worker suggested some more French music to listen to by Alizee. Gorgeous and talented, check her out:

Blunt and In Your Face

I'm really amazed at how quickly videos make it onto YouTube one day, and are transformed into the top viewed most popular remixes the next. Check out these two stupendous videos with the delightful Mr. Bale and the ever smooth-talking Stephen Colbert:






So I wasn't very into the Gambia, and the Gambia wasn't very into me. I came up with a few things on the culture, such as their music and an unverified claim that our Brer Rabbit was derived from some Hyena story, but I ended up failing this country - which is why we have other countries! Random country generator, go! Dominican Republic! All right! That's....that's - let's do another one for fun! Senegal! Yay, I...fuck it, let's go with Turkey.

Katie's Tea

I had the pleasure of meeting one of Scott's friends from art class who also loves french music. So now I'm back on the kick, and would like to suggest some great music:

Camille - check out Katie's Tea and Ta Douleur, my favorites so far. The artist has such an amazing voice, I find it rivals Spektor's and Apple's. You may have even heard Camille before - the track Le Festin is featured in the movie, Ratatouille. (Cute movie)

TTC - Travailler, French rap with a familiar beat to it...

Yelle - Ce Jeu and Trop Bonne Pour Toi, two very bubbly French pop tracks

Putumayo Presents/Paris Combo - Fibre de verre and Rendez-vous a St. Germain Des Pres Senor (Cafe de Flore), where class meets tango

Who could forget, too, Madame Edith Piaf. La Vie En Rose - crazy movie, crazier woman, but a wonderful and very intriguing artist.

Crying "Uncle!"

Once again, my classes provide a wealth of knowledge this semester. In the feature article, Tales of the Tyrant, Mark Bowden describes highlights and daily routines of the once notorious dictator of Iraq. It's very well-written and reads like a narrative, rich with credible sources and intimate perspectives of the infamous leader. I know it's 9 pages, but that's 9 internet pages, and the first one is as good as the last. Here's an excerpt I found interesting:

His wife, Sajida, is known to have gone on million-dollar shopping sprees in New York and London, back in the days of Saddam's good relations with the West... Saddam himself isn't a hedonist; he lives a well-regulated, somewhat abstemious existence. He seems far more interested in fame than in money, desiring above all to be admired, remembered, and revered. A nineteen-volume official biography is mandatory reading for Iraqi government officials, and Saddam has also commissioned a six-hour film about his life, called The Long Days, which was edited by Terence Young, best known for directing three James Bond films.

I find this passage even more incredulous:

Saddam sees the prophet less as the bearer of divine revelation than as a political precursor—a great leader who unified the Arab peoples and inspired a flowering of Arab power and culture. The concocted link of bloodlines to Muhammad is symbolized by a 600-page hand-lettered copy of the Koran that was written with Saddam's own blood, which he donated a pint at a time over three years. It is now on display in a Baghdad museum.

I do hate taking things directly from other blogs I'm following, but Majority of Two had a hilarious video posted from YouTube, and I feel that I must share it as well. Check out the Backstreet Bird...

And again, apologies for the overload of YouTube videos, but this Russell Brand character caught my attention, he and his Amy Whinehouse mane:

White Rabbits

The Hindenburg - Germany's pride and one of its worst disasters. It's hard to imagine the extent of the tragedy. The gargantuan aircraft included a dining room, cocktail lounge, a library and a sitting room equipped with a grand piano, and a promenade featuring large glass windows for its passengers to gaze out from. (Sorry, prep.) Here's a video clip, capturing the crash in 1937: The Hindenburg explodes. And yes, I do feel a little horrible for the picture - but more so for that poor manatee.


On a very different note, I came across some other tragic sites, one that stunned me, even with my knowledge of racism and its continued existence today. Don't follow this link if you're easily offended - the material is deplorable, but serves a point. Those like my father, who believe there are no problems in the world (He actually did say this.), can see for themselves that hate in every form is still well and alive. I don't hate this person - I just feel bad for them. Their hatred is probably so far advanced, it's likely they'll never see past the frivolous nature of prejudice. Unfortunately, their deep-seated notions are being passed on to their children as well. It's sad, because these people don't see how pointless it is to live out their little blip of existence with so much hatred. There's no need for it - it makes things harder for them and others, and no one gets ahead, and then we die. Anyhow, I digress, but here it is, the site I'm hesitant to have shown to anyone (also in light of the fact that I posted a questionable-in-taste video on my last blog entry), but keep in mind the point of posting it: Chimpout Blog

More blog-randomness: During World War II, movie star W.C. Fields kept $50,000 in Germany "in case the little bastard wins." I don't know if this is true - I found nothing to back up this claim, but it sounds like a delicious rumor that I'd like to spread anyhow.

And now - I must warn you, this could make your tits fall off: The Promegranate phone. This thing has a frikin' projector in it! Yes, it can project movies, pictures, charts - anything you want - onto a wall for larger viewing. Also, this clever device includes an electric shaver, coffee brewer, voice translator and - yes, it's finally possible - a harmonica. I normally don't get swept up in these new phone crazes, but this...this is amazing, and has got to be a fluke.

Now where was I? Ah yes! The Gambia...sort of dropped the ball on that one.

A popular instrument of Gambia is the balafon.