Infinity

I love my World War II classes and the little interesting tidbits of history that I get out of them. Here's some from my Hist 144 course and the Warlords book Scott got me for X-mas:

• Before Germany's invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941, Joseph Stalin had received numerous reports of Hitler's movements along the border to attack the Soviet empire - reports from trusted officials in his own government. In response, as any rational leader would react, Stalin told his Soviet spy in the Luftwaffe to "tell the 'source' in the Staff of the German Air Force to fuck his mother!"
  
• More commonly known, but largely ignored, the country Iran received its name during World War II for the purpose of appeasing Hitler. Meaning "the land of Aryans", Iran was originally known as Persia, until an anti-Semitic, Nazi-symapathizing shah took control and changed its name to show its support of Hitler and his war on the Jewish population.
  
• Now this one, my teacher himself isn't all too sure of, but I'm going to go ahead and say its true and backed up by many sources: When the Germans invaded Greece (Crete), they made a grave mistaking - by using paratroopers. In one instance, a German floated right into a tree and became entangled in some branches. While struggling to cut himself free, an old Greek woman simply came out from her house and slit the German's throat. At the same time, another paratrooper facing a similar problem (the tree) was found by an old Greek man, who, defending his country with merely a stick (a wooden instrument of some sort, I'm assuming), beat the unfortunate German to death. Not so comical at the time when hundreds of Greeks were being bombed and machine-gunned to death, but I enjoyed it in class nonetheless.

So very, very racist, but I posted only by the influence of the others...and I find it funny. Only a little, though. I swear.

Countdown

Return I will to Old Brazil, by The Real Tuesday Weld, great animation by Alex Budovsky:

The Benefits of Insomnia

Took another midnight to 8 a.m. shift tonight. Otherwise, I would've just spent money doing something else. It seems like that's all I do nowadays - if I want to have fun, I have to be willing to lay down some green for it. Yes, I'm willing to sacrifice some cash now and then in exchange for a good time, but that good time doesn't have to be all the time. There were instances, i.e. my high school days, where my friends and I didn't need to burn a hole in our pocket - we didn't even think to. We just liked being in each other's company, and that was good enough. And ideas were put in by every person of the group, so the decision on what to do was unanimous. I often feel now as if I'm pulling teeth, or even dragging someone into something they don't find "fun". While I fear pulling all the strings will make me seem like a selfish individual or that those decisions won't measure up to shrouded standards, I'm then instead blasted for being an "indecisive" person, for not thinking of enough to do - a vending machine full of candy with no coins going through the slot.

There, my rant about Skittles is finished. Now onto...death! Actually, this tiny excerpt is taken from another article on Noel Martin, the paralyzed man seeking assisted suicide from an attack of neo-nazi youngsters in Berlin in 1996:

Figures obtained by 5Live shows he is one of 725 British people registered with the clinic. The UK now has the third highest number of people on the suicide list - after Germany and Switzerland

Seven hundred and twenty-five people. I was floored by this number, so I did a quick search on this clinic based in Switzerland. On my way, I came across an article discussing the concern with the area's appealing "death tourism". The article also mentions that the clinic has euthanized 453 people from the clinic's foundation in 1998 to November 2005.

Here's another article with the founder of the Swiss facility, speaking about his job as Doctor Death: Explaining Assisted Suicide

If you're digesting these madly like I am, here's another with 60 Minutes and their report on Switzerland's Suicide Tourists, focused on Ernst Aschmoneit, an 81-year old retired German engineer with Parkinson's Disease, and his final journey to the other side at the "infamous" clinic.

In an extremely rare and random find, it appears that Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have agreed on a suicide pact, saying they have "drawn up plans to go to the assisted suicide flat in Switzerland" in case either of the pair is afflicted by any kind of brain disease.

"If Ozzy or I ever got Alzheimer's, that's it - we'd be off," said Sharon in the Daily Mirror report. Sooner than you think, Mrs. Osbourne. Read the article here.

Travel back, if you will now, to the period surrounding the French Revolution. Did you know Marie Antoinette's husband, Louis XV, suffered from a disorder known as phimosis? This malady of the penis causes the foreskin to wrap tightly around the penis, which does not loosen when the organ stiffens - this, as you will have guessed, leads to very painful sex. The French ridiculed Louis for his inability to conceive the next heir for the throne and the situation certainly did not benefit Marie either. Hooot.

Since I've been randomly whirling through cyberspace, I thought I might share this as well: The War of Jenkins' Ear/English-Spanish War. You've probably heard of it when you were little, but, like me, you might need a refresher. While it wasn't the cause of the declaration of war between the two powers, Jenkins' ear did stir up some existing friction between England and Spain. Then again, I've heard of more ridiculous things that have sparked wars between countries. Once again, HowStuffWorks.com is amazing.

Just couldn't resist...





"...living on a diet of Spam and Cinnabuns.” Love that man.

Stemming from a recent conversation I had with my friend, Jess, I found a great video discussing Che Guevara and his wide-spread popularity here in America as a t-shirt hero. Definitely watch this short, Killer Chic, to get a better understanding of who Che was and what exactly he stood for.

Apparent with the last two videos, I'm really starting to like the website http://reason.tv/ . Check it out - it has a lot of different things to get into.

My Waterloo

A lot of things piss me off, like people who insist on spelling it rediculous, Ben Stiller's comedies, the idea of mullets being cool some day - the list goes on endlessly. However, my biggest tick today happens to be idling vehicles.

Idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 compared to restarting the engine. But will turning off the vehicle to avoid idling result in higher maintenance costs and extra wear and tear for the starter and battery? Actually, the break-even point to offset any incremental maintenance costs is under 60 seconds. You'll save money on fuel that should more than offset any potential increase in maintenance costs. And your vehicle won't produce unnecessary emissions of CO2, the principle greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Here's an article from Natural Resources Canada on Idling Wastes Fuel & Money. Yes, it's Canada and yes, I love Canada and will believe anything they tell me.

While I allowed Lucy and Leila to poo in every crevace of my apartment, I trainspotted into the web and came across some random things, some old and some new.

If you've never heard of Noel Martin, there's no need to feel bad - I had no idea who he was. Fully paralyzed from an attack by a couple of neo-Nazis in Berlin and some years following his wife's death from cancer, Martin decided to call it quits, requesting assisted suicide from a clinic in Switzerland. Although it's dated 2007, this article, Why I Just Can't Go On Living, explains the details fairly well.


BBC broadcaster and comedian Liz Carr, who is also paralyzed (though only partially), sat down with Martin to discuss why he chose his planned premature death. The interview is very awkward, but it's an interesting exchange between two people of similar disabilities with such different views on the world around them.
Because I like stealing so much, I found some interesting things on the moon from A Majority of Two, another blog I'm following. (And loving!) I'll be on the lookout for crazy lunar activity in the next two days. Just follow the link for Majority of Two and read the Thursday, January 22nd entry.

السَلامُ عَلَيكُم

Accounting for a considerable proportion of The Gambia's GDP, groundnuts have been a vital crop ever since the country's independence from the British in 1965.

Here, a Gambian woman wades through a mountain of groundnuts, or peanuts, with a large bucket for collection.

Hoopoe! Not the joyous cry of someone finding the perfect peanut, but a bird native to the area. Apparently, the nest of the hoopoe is "easy to identify by its foul-smelling accumulation of fecal matter." It also has inspired bands, like Flock of Seagulls.

Another creature I found equally disturbing is the African Tree Pangolin. It is said that, when threatened, "it will roll into a tight ball, exposing only a shield of scales. The pangolin lives high in the trees of the rain forest. Toothless, it uses its long snout and 7.1-inch tongue to probe for ants and termites." Again, disturbing.

What The Gambia lacks in size, it makes up for in its diverse mix of languages. The country's official language is English, but other tongues include Mandinka, Soninke, Wolof.

Cadillac, Cajuns & Crazy Blue Dogs

It's not like me to be this reminiscent, but I found myself falling through the universe, back in time to another place still swilling with memories, strong and faint. Most of them came back to me, however, as I looked at a few blog entries I wrote during my trip down to New Orleans with Jess. Now it seems like yesterday, when my adventurous partner and I were drawing that fateful line down the middle of America, mapping out our fantastic journey of unforgettable moments that, up until now, I've let slip through my fingers like water.

Last Days of New Orleans

As we cruised along the stretch of highway ‘cross the State of the Beautiful, faint traces of New Orleans still lingered in the air around me -- the distant sounds of a jazz ensemble playing it hot in the market square, the steady trot of an old horse named Cadillac, and the sultry sounds of violin strings somewhere on a corner in the streets of the French Quarter. Scents of the city lingered as well - the fresh baked smell of beignets at the Cafe Du Monde, the aphrodisiac aroma of plants along a swamp's edge, and even the strong odor of booze slopped over drunken tourists parading down Bourbon Street.
After spending nearly a week in Louisiana, Jess and I knew we couldn't put off leaving forever. It was time to move on and attempt to recall three days' worth of experiences to write this blog. Impossible.

Tuesday morning, the sun gave us a rude awakening, clearly not understanding the sort of troubles the night had offered. Several of our hosts' friends had generously provided us with entertainment by turning on loud music, cooking god-knows-what in the kitchen, and, every few minutes or so, shrieking out the phrase, "Couuuuch Suurrrferrrs!"

Fortunately, exhaustion overtook annoyance, and I was soon sleeping like a baby. Jess, on the other hand, did not have it quite so lucky. Nevertheless, our hosts were beyond generous and gave us a warm departing as we took off on several wrong streets before getting on our way. Earlier that morning (I actually woke up feeling productive), I had made some calls for a swamp tour our last interviewee suggested, and soon we were barreling across the Mississippi River Bridge to take an exotic ride through the bayous of Louisiana.

Late as usual, we jumped on a tour boat, avoiding impatient looks from the other tourists.
Captain Allen, ironically the man George Rodrigue had sent us to see, gave us a worthy tour of the bayou labyrinth. But this was no ordinary captain -- no, this man could summon the very alligators of the wild. With a few calls reminiscent of those grunted by the carriage drivers to their mules in the French Quarter, Cap'n Allen brought these misleadingly terrifying creatures up from the depths to swim alongside the boat. The ancient lizards glided through the water in a surprisingly graceful manner as the captain began throwing them marshmallows. Who knew these beasts were so fond of them? As our pontoon forded the narrow passages, he named various plants along the river bank, entertained questions from the tourists, and even offered a few lame jokes even I enjoyed. I whipped around to ask Jess what she thought of this character, but it was apparent -- we had to interview him.

Following the excellent tour, I sidled up to the captain and casually asked if he had time to talk with us at the dock. Instead, he suggested a small restaurant some way down the road and asked us to stop by his house. It only got better from here. The restaurant was a treat (delicious crab meat and catfish) and the captain’s house was the epitome of comfortable living. He talked endlessly (we enjoyed this) of his experiences with alligators, his love for the job, and authentic Cajun cooking. What we weren’t expecting, both from Mr. Rodrigue and Captain Allen, was the rich history each had to offer on the Cajun people. Captain Allen explained to us that the city had taken the history and name of the Cajuns to profit on, misleading much of society’s now accepted beliefs of a falsified style of Cajun cooking and way of life. He stressed the idea of preserving the respect for and cohabitation with nature. Only take what you need was this captain’s motto. “It’s in my blood,” Captain Allen said animatedly when we asked him why he chose the life he did.

As he continued to hand down generations of authentic Cajun stories, another unexpectedly joined the group, Captain’s Allen’s wife, Wendy, to add her own experiences living on the bayou.
This couple led an entirely different lifestyle – Wendy working at the casino downtown as Allen offered three to four tours a day – and appeared to be very happy leading their passions in life. If I took anything from this interview, it was the fact that no matter what you do – as long as you love doing it, have someone to share both the pain and happiness inevitably thrown at you at every curve, and strive to open up to others and share that lifestyle – you will lead the life of the truly blessed.

Before we could say our final goodbyes, a seven foot alligator waded toward us through the murky strip of bayou alongside the house. As I was watched the Alligator Whisperer toss marshmallows to his “child,” I couldn’t help but think: This has got to be the coolest interview we have had yet. On quick reflection, however, I admit it paralleled the interview with George Rodrigue in excellence.

Time to hit the road again. This time, our Couch Surfing ambassador (Jess) found a younger pair of friends living in a small apartment full of character off St. Charles Avenue, just minutes from the city. Aislinn, our host’s roommate, was the first to introduce us to their humble abode. A public transportation driver who has traveled extensively around the U.S., she made us feel at home as we exchanged stories of obscenities and travel experiences. Later on that night, our actual host, Ryan, took us to a karaoke bar in the neighborhood where I admittedly – and ashamedly – participated in singing the Beatles’ song Dear Prudence. A full night, as a friend would say. After making some pancakes and fighting off a few cockroaches during the night, we solemnly left what had become our second home and made our way north to Atlanta, Georgia.

Eight months have passed since our 10-day excursion into the Deep South, and I can now single out the little moments that first sparked our ambitions to create our RoadTripNation team, BurningMaps. Jess's destiny-labeled deodorant stick, the computer lab in the basement of the Willard building, our fingers trembling as we submitted our team name and picture, and the emotional two-day limbo, when the trip seemed to fall down all around us as my parents delivered a temporary death sentence on all our hopes and dreams.

And while RoadTripNation may be blamed ruthlessly for losing most of our blogs, not posting pictures of the trip, and overall, doing an utterly horrible job on our profile, we managed to come out of it all with some great experiences and even "some penny."

Memories

St. Vincent, with Jesus Saves, I Spend:

The Gambia Gamble

I've chosen a risky country to cover this time, owing to the fact that I know absolutely nothing about it. I even had to look it up on the map. (Not that that's different from any other country I've done) At first, I thought "The" was an error of some sort, or perhaps there was another Gambia trying to pose off the "real" one. "Oh, you're from Gambia, you say?" "Yes, yes - the Gambia. Not that other one." Not funny, I realize, but I do find the shape of this unusually named province somewhat humorous.

According to the Bureau of African Affairs, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to visit an African country while in office, making two stops in Banjul in 1943 during the Casablanca Conference. The Gambians fought with the Allies in Burma.

Don't know what the hell the Casablanca Conference was? Me, either. (Is there a comma there?) So, I did some research, and found this nice, lengthy, detailed work on Churchill, Roosevelt and the Casablanca Conference. (It's actually not that long) Good reading!

A quote I liked from this article by our good friend, Winnie, speaking about keeping cautious relations with the U.S. when they finally entered the war:

"Oh, that is the way we talked to her while we were wooing her; now that she's in the harem, we talk to her quite differently!"

BFFs Roosevelt & Churchill at the Casablanca Conference

The article also mentions Stalin's fear of flying - I wasn't aware of this or how credible it was, so I did some research because it piqued my interest. Apparently, the Soviet leader did have such a phobia, which prevented him from attending the Casablanca Conference with Roosevelt and Churchill. Here's a neat article on the History of Flying: Von Hardesty's Despots Aloft. (Clever title!)

Churchill originally suggested that the conference be held at Marrakech, the capital of Morocco. (I've already secretly decided that will be my next country) This photo is reminiscent of another place that I went to last summer.

And, while we're on the topic, and while I'm getting far too distracted from actually covering The Gambia, this excerpt from Simon Appleby's project (posted above in Roos., Church. & the Casa. Conf.) really cracked me up:

The prospect of the trip excited both men enormously – Roosevelt always relished the idea of hoodwinking the press and public as to his whereabouts, while both men had great fun creating code-names for themselves: Roosevelt suggested Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, an interesting choice which Churchill, with characteristic attention to detail, rejected, perhaps lest the conference be dubbed 'quixotic'. He suggested Admiral Q. and Mr. P., noting with a typical touch that 'We must mind our P's and Q's.'

If I may, which I can because it's my blog and I'm undoubtedly the only one reading it, I'd like to offer a quote by Miss Piggy that I stole from the Cheeky Quotes gadget on the side of my blog:

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."

So wise. Continuing my reign of ADD, I'm happy to announce to myself that I won a 1937 1 Reichspfennig on eBay! And by won, I mean buy, because I lost to some douchebag bidding on another one - but, he was unable to front the money, so I did get offered a second chance, but I gave my middle to that shady scam! Good for me, good for me.

Imma shine this baby up for a collection. Oo, child.

Forget The Gambia for today. Here's something I found hilarious/interesting, taken from the Useless Knowledge gadget:

The female Adelie penguin, desperate to obtain the stones she uses to build her nest, visits the nest of a bachelor Adelie, goes through the entire courtship routine, and mates with him. But once the two have had sex, the female collects the stones she came for as a sort of payment, and waddles back home to her actual mate, who’s been keeping the nest nice and warm for her return! She then stays with him for the rest of her life. Sometimes, especially cunning females engage in the courtship ritual, minus the mating part, grab the rocks, and dash home. Luckily, the males of this species, unlike humans, do not seem to bear a grudge.

Hussy

Fresh Air

Of Montreal, with my favorite of their songs, Oslo in the Summertime:

Grand Poobag

New music! I found a band yesterday - O.K., so I didn't find it myself, but I discovered it through my new French professor. However, I don't trust her, so I do still take full credit. Here's Dionysus, with Song for a Jedi.


If you like them, I also suggest the song, Coccinelle. Just love their unusual music videos, and I can actually understand what they're saying! Must be learning something at this university...

Another international terrorist of pudgy proportions and twitchy tendencies: Leila. Leighla. I'll go with Leila. Her name at first was Noodles, but Ms. Fattykins (that's the last name I gave her) took offense. Thus, Leila was born out of nowhere. Now, it's double the poop, double the terror, and half of what was in my bank account. Pictures tonight? tomorrow? You know what? "We'll do it when we're ready."


Speaking of explosives, the Lower Chindwin area of central Burma contains several explosive craters, along with many vents, domes and nearby cones.

Fortunately, these craters have had no recent activity.

Before the surgery

Saying farewell to Burma, or Myanmar, there is one item of architecture that must not be forgotten -- the Insein Prison. This facility, operated under the military junta, was once notorious for its inhumane management, poor sanitation and unconstitutional detainment of individuals, among them, Aung San Suu Kyi. On March 17, 1951, Insein central was launched as a model jail and eventually opened later in 1871.

From the Correctional Department, on Insein central prison:

Whenever persons under 19 years of age are not committed to a Senior Training School will be committed to a jail. In the case of young offenders under 19 years of age, sentenced to imprisonment for two years and above, nominal rolls of such young offenders shall be forwarded to the Director-General. Young offenders, who have been convicted for a period of less than two years but not less than three months, and who have been classified as habituals, should be transferred to the Insein Central Prison. Young offenders, who have been convicted for a period of less than two years, but not less than three months and who have been classified as casuals, should be transferred to the Meikhtila Prison. Meikhtila Prison is a "B" grade prison which has minimum security. The young inmates who do not fulfil any of the conditions in above mentioned shall be kept in the prison to serve out their sentence and shall be kept altogether separate from adult inmates.

Now, I'm not completely sure of the credibility of this, but I found a personal account of a former prisoner of Insein, provided by a human rights group in 1993. Check out Saw Winston Htoo's description of the conditions of Insein prison.

BBC also provided a short feature on Inside Burma's Insein jail. Check it out, it's an interesting, and unsettling, description of the facility, including the gallows and the suspected location of Aung San Suu Kyi when she was imprisoned.

Today, Insein prison is apparently still up and running, though the media hasn't made it easier for the facility to conduct business as usual. Remember the comedian arrested for remarks against the ruling junta? Here's the November 2008 article on the trials of Zarganar and sports journalist Zaw Thet Htwe: Insein Prison Trials

There's Burma in a nutshell. A poorly-constructed, half-eaten one that's been shit out by the world's ugliest squirrel. A sad, larely-ignored country - but also a country of great culture and certainly worth a visit - definitely near the top of my list for places to go. Take that, New York Times.

Bye-Bye, Buddha

Beautiful. This word doesn't do these wonders of Burma justice, but it certainly is true. Here, hot air balloons drift lazily in the haze high above a large pagoda, or stupa, and its adjacent temple in Burma.

Housing the country's largest religion, Theravada Buddhism, these holy pyramids often enshrine ancient relics and, common in all the stepped stupas, a monolithic statue of the Enlightened One himself, a smile on his face, seeming to imply his infinite understanding of the universe - or the fact that you passed gas, and tried to get away with it.

*sniff* Oh! What the-! Goddamned tourists...

Random fact: $1 USD = 6.45790 MMK (Burma's currency is the kyat)
My classes this semester:

History 144 The Second World War
History 452 Foreign Relations, History of FR
History 103 History of Madness, Mad Mental Psychology
History 446 America Between the Wars
Comm 462 Feature Writing
French 003

Of Toddlers & Terrorists

"It's the first day of your last semester at PSU." That's what I've been hearing all day, and I have to say - I don't like it one bit. (Truth #1) Don't get me wrong, I'm ready to move on (Lie #1) and I'm ready to finally be an adult, take on more responsibilities and realize I can't hold on to youth anymore. (Lie #2) But, what if there were a way to hold on to youth's precious items? What if we could steal them right out from underneath her perfect, youth-y nose? (Delusion #1)

You might say I'm merely talking about "cheating death" or, as the idea goes (Uncertainty #1), moving a chess piece in a different place when Death isn't looking at the board. But I'm not. (Truth #2, Delusion #2) I believe that death is merely a disease we haven't cured -- and the people who are dying from death are actually going missing! Imagine, all those "MISSING: Last Seen At Playground Eating Sand" signs you see everywhere - and now imagine that those earth-munching minis are no different than anyone who has ever died! Do you know how many people that is? Well neither do I, but Google does assure me it's a high number...between 69 and 110 billion. (Horrifyingly Inaccurate Source #1)

Little Tommy never did make a full recovery that day

Anyhow, back to my morbidly obese fascination with a terribly abused topic, these missing people, as I'll know refer to them, need to be found. Sure, we still have their lifeless bodies, but where did all those thoughts, emotions, personality and delusions of grandeur (Personal Attribute #1) go? No one knows. Even worse? We're not funding this project to find any of these people! It's an outrage. We spend billions - no, trillions - of dollars on something called "National Security" and other things like heart transplants (Uncertainty #2) -- but for what? Just so we can safeguard ourselves and prolong our seemingly inevitable disappearance?

I don't like this. And neither should you. I propose that someone - someone other than myself -begin a serious movement, a fundraising campaign of sorts, to show people the seriousness of the situation. While I myself am usually busy with classes and writing for publications (Lie #3), a search for "the missing" must begin. (Stolen Movie Title #1) This search should preferably take place immediately, because God knows (Lie #4) who will die tomorrow. In reality, I more concerned about my death than anyone else's, but put in a global perspective, it could be anyone. (False Hope #1, Hidden Selfishness #...)

Just think - you could die tomorrow. A speeding bus with a bomb on it, the overshot of a long drive at Hole #15, or a nasty fall headfirst into your pre-heated 425 degree oven - it can happen to almost nearly practically anyone. This isn't a crusade to stop Death from collecting me (Lie #5, Plea to find old cat, Oreo #1), but it is a calling to stop this rampant disease that we merely see as a common, everyday event. Help The Missing, and may you find a way before the disease finds out where I live. Fargo. (Complete Loss of Reality, Unnecessary Stolen Movie Title Use #2, Possible Ensuing Lawsuit)

In another part of the world, sewer dweller and succubus Ann Coulter made a beautiful debut on The View, promoting her campaign of hatred against single mothers and [Insert any topic here]. While I usually can't stand the sounds of a hundred screaming birds dying a painful hour-long death, I did enjoy this beat-down of one of America's top television terrorists. It gets petty toward the end, but it's definitely worth watching:

Thanks, Sierra!

While the world may be going mad today, there's always a barely 10-month-old ball of black fluff to ignore all of it. Scott's Lady Lucy Ball: a possibly retarded carpet/plant/anything-destroying poop machine. She's bound to kill us all, but the cutest rabbit I've ever known. Pictures tomorrow!

There, a slice of happy news - now cyclones, specifically the one that occurred in Burma/Myanmar last year. In Newsweek's coverage of the tragedy, it was estimated that 31, 938 people died, while the storm managed to cause over $10 billion. However, other reports suggested even higher counts, first 78,000, then around 84,000.

To worsen the picture, the ruling military junta was criticized for their slow response for aid, even initially blocking foreign aid for the people of Burma. It was then reported that Burmese coverage of the aftermath (controlled by the junta) showed the military regime distributing aid as if though they were the only ones to be supplying it.

While I didn't find a well-constructed compilations of events that took place during and after the cyclone, there are plenty of reports, articles and statistics available to get a good idea of the devastation that still continues today in Burma.

Newsweek's Interactive Map of World Catastrophes

School Begins, Blogs Suffer

Two, please...yes, 108 and 108B.

Aung San Suu Kyi

There are many reasons why I love howstuffworks.com and their new television show, first and foremost their abundant articles on very random topics, and today, I found a fun one on ghosts.

Apparently, TV host Regis Philbin "is among those who claimed to have seen Mrs. Whaley's ghost." The Whaley family had built this house on the land where a man known as Yankee Jim dangled from a poorly-composed noose for crimes of grand theft. (A boat) After at first suffering a blow to the head which left Y.J. Robinson nearly unconscious and with an infected wound, the convicted man swung for 45 minutes before finally dying of strangulation.



Gruesome. And exciting! Of course, nothing could be more exciting than a house with an unknown number of rooms owned by a woman taking orders from her haunters. If California is ever in the cards for me (Spring Break? Takers?), this is the place to visit. Check out the article on it - The Winchester Mystery House.

Myanmar! Burma! No, wait, Myanmar! Yes, this chunk of country is worth its weight in history, but I have to admit, it's a lot to cover as there seem to be so many problems there. But who could ever forget Aung San Suu Kyi? Seems like everyone - I hate to admit it, but I had to reintroduce myself to this famed leader of the National League for Democracy when her name came up synonymous with Myanmar/Burma in my research. Colleen herself just about fell off the map when I mentioned the woman's name - thought I was singing Christmas carols.

While she may not be a yule-tide favorite, this Nobel Peace Prize winner has been a huge figure in the fight for Burma's freedom from the rule of Myanmar's military regime. In and out of prison and detained, like many others, for voicing her views on the country's continuing oppression and massacre of its people, Daw (respectful title, "Madam") Aung San Suu Kyi was the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.


Here's some websites on Burma and its current situation today:

Aung San Suu Kyi Pages
US Campaign for Burma
Activists Sentenced by Unfair Courts
Burma Comedian Activist Arrested

Not sure what the deal is with the last video I posted for the US Campaign for Burma, but the site even lists that the videos are no longer available. Thank Buddha for YouTube.

Ah! Found a better explanation of the Myanmar/Burma naming confusion: "Locals call the country 'Myanmar' in their language since independence, even though early British called it 'Burma'. In 1989 SLORC changed the country's name officially to 'Myanmar' to synchronize it with the local language."

Lighter things on Myanmar for now (cyclones tomorrow), I searched for some national dishes of the country, but wasn't too successful. The Danbauk recipe didn't look too appealing to me (peas and yogurt, eugh), but Myanmar's common cuisine, Mohinga, didn't look too bad. Check them out if you're into this kind of food!

Tomorrow, I believe I will Gløgg it up. Finally. Wish me luck! (It'll all end badly, I'm sure, but I'm antsy to try out the kava!)

And what fortuitous circumstances be these? It's Kachin Manaw Festival time! Every January, the "Scots of Myanmar", the Kachin people, hold a week-long celebration recognizing the new year, past battle victories and the reunion of tribes.

Tribes such as the Thaisan, Kharku, Lisu, Rawang, Thaikhamt and Lacheik come dressed in their finest to show their gratitude and respect to ancestral spirits and pray for a bright future, especially for good harvests. Red, black and white totem poles loom over the grounds as the tribes join in dancing and feasting.

Also, the New York Times today listed off the Top 44 Places to go in 2009. Unfortunately, Phuket is on there. Damn you, Phuket! And Washington, D.C. was beat out by Berlin? Lame.

Then again, Alaska, too, is listed on the top places to go. Of course, that may just be for tourists to go and gawk into Sarah Palin's windows and ask, "Did she really run for vice-president?"
Inside tour: See Russia, too!

Still plowing through Warlords, but its an amazing read. A favorite part so far, in the year 1941 during the stagnant Nazi occupation, Hitler and his propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, sat and read through a book written on Winston Churchill. They made fun of Churchill as the author documented that the British prime minister "drank like a dish, wore pink silk underwear and dictated messages in the bath or in his underpants." Gotta love Winnie.

Soup of the Evening

A few final things I found on Fiji, thanks to the Discover Fiji, if you ever find yourself visiting the locals there:

• Do not wear a hat in a village as it is considered an insult to a chief.
• Do not wear shoes into people's houses.
• It is considered an insult to touch someone's head.
• Speak softly. Raised voices are interpreted as expressing anger.
• Be cautious with praise. If you show too much liking for an object, then the Fijians will feel obliged to give it to you as a gift, whether they can afford to or not.

From everything I read, however, Fijians seem to be some of the friendliest people in the world.

The women of Namuana are all dressed in mourning
Each carries a sacred club each tattooed in a strange pattern
Do rise to the surface Raudalice so we may look at you
Do rise to the surface Tinaicoboga so we may also look at you.

This song is chanted by Fijian women to bring up turtles from the depths (and they actually do to hear the singing!), celebrating an ancient ritual based on the Legend of The Sacred Turtles Of Kadavu. Definitely give it a read, it's pretty amazing.

Watched Goodbye, Lenin with Colleen today. I give it 4 out 5 stars. Interesting plot, decent acting, but a little long and drawn out.

While I'm still working on Warlords and can't wait to get to Soldat, I couldn't resist swiping my sister's book, The Kite Runner. I hear it's pretty interesting - based on a teenager's life in Afghanistan. (Or at least that's what I was told)

Still haven't made my German desserts - might attempt them tomorrow depending on whether or not I go back to State College.

Also, I was reading newsweek and found this: "Tone-deaf GOP-chair candidate Chip Saltsman mails out a CD with a song titled, 'Barack the Magic Negro.' Still don't get why you lost, guys?" Rated as "truly undignified," while I rate it utterly retarded. Nice one...Chip.

Chip in all his glory

"Tastes like a hospital!"

Cup of Kava

Browsing through my out-dated 2004 Newsweek Encyclopedia Britannica, I found some other interesting things on Fiji.

New Recipes! Kava, or yanggona, is said to have a relaxing effect on the drinker and is a beverage part of the everyday life of the Fijian people. While I still have to make my Gløgg, I'll post these two sites on how to make your own kava:

Kava Recipe 1
Kava Recipe 2

Although I'm ashamed to admit it, I never knew exactly what a mongoose was until I searched Google yesterday.

And now, I'm terrified.

These hybrids of foxes, cats and radiation-enlarged rodents of terror (it's fine if you don't share the opinion, but I'm adding it to Wikipedia) were actually introduced to the Fiji islands to prey on snakes and rats. Nice tie-in, wasn't it?

Also an interesting note about Fiji, taken, again, from NEB '04: Sugar is by far Fiji's largest export and accounts for more than one-half of all exports. They must be off their tits down there with all that cane. Or just a lot of Type 2 diabetes.

Ever want to learn how to speak the language of Fiji? No? Too bad! I found a site that gives a little taste of what the language is like: Check it out here.

The underwhelming Fiji flag

Also, check out this blog based completely on the Fiji culture - cool stuff in there about firewalking!

http://explorefiji.blogspot.com/
Featured artist of the day: Hawksley Workman

I love his music. I was listening to "You and the Candles" today, and it never fails to bring me to tears. His lyrics are so beautiful, I must've listened to it at least five times driving in my car on the way home.

Other songs of his I recommend:

The City Is A Drag
Paper Shoes
Is This What You Call Love?
We Will Still Need A Song
Hey Hey Hey (My Little Beauties)
Safe And Sound
Striptease
Smoke Baby
Jealous Of Your Cigarette (very fun song - check out the YouTube video, it's hilarious)

I'd add Beautiful & Natural to that list, but Jess would kill me. :p Also my shoutout to Melli for that one. But the best thing about this is? I get to see him in concert again on the 26th in NYC! Can't wait. Last performance in Canada was a show/trip to remember. Adam Popper, where in the world are you now.

Don't...touch it.

I'm not entirely sure if it were junk/spam posted to my last entry, but the comment left coincided very well with the episode of Scrubs tonight. Leave it to me to connect trivial comedy sitcoms to such a topic, but [Warning: Almost, sort-of Spoiler Alert] tonight's episode of the new season ended with the topic of death, and people's never-ending fear of it.

Now, like I said, either it was spam or Colleen preying on my rampant and often excessive fear of dying, but the article (which the link led to) was very compelling to me. I don't find any solace in religion and I'm certainly far from believing in a crazy-concocted story tale of any kind of life after death, but I admit, it would be a fascinating thing to research.

Needless to say, I'm still being cryo-frozen when I'm young. There will be no dying here. Just need to find that sponsor...I wonder if Fiji Water will do it...

Anyhow, here's the website, reposted if the poster doesn't mind: Many Lives, Many Masters

Last Night, watched Burn After Reading. I can't express my disappointment, though I do blame myself for over-anticipation and high expectations. Still, they were reaching with that one.

On a better note, I just finished watching Blame It On Fidel. Excellent movie - I suggest it to anyone, especially since it's free to watch instantly on Netflix!

www.netflix.com

Bula Blogging!

Check out some new music by Ok! Ryos, from the Fiji Islands:


Wondering where in the world Fiji is? If you're familiar with Indonesia and the thousands of islands speckling the vast Pacific Ocean, you'll get a general idea of where this small paradise is. If not, the map should definitely help. (Faintly circled in the very bottom right corner)

Surrounded by coral reef, the islands of Fiji were the result of volcanic activity and sit atop a submerged platform.

Originally named Viti by its inhabitants, Fiji is composed of over 300 islands and was once known as the "Cannibal Isles," a threatening label given by its ancestors.

In fact, some time in the mid 1800s, Reverend Baker of the Methodist Church, excited for the potential spread of Christianity to the Pacific islands, was eaten by the natives. Needless to say, it wasn't his religion they found all too appealing.

Today, of course, it's much different.

Fiji lovo feast! I found this great site on what exactly a Fijian lovo feast (lovo meaning "earth oven") is and even how to have one! Dig in!

Completely unrelated to Fiji, I found a brilliant article in the New York Times today describing Kyoto's celebration of Lady Murasaki and her most famous piece of literature, The Tales of Genji, popularly considered to be the world's first novel. If you're familiar with the game, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego, this character plays a role in capturing one of Camen's henchmen. However, the game also does a good job illustrating the valuable legacy Murasaki (which is merely a nickname) left behind.

Check out Michelle Green's article on the experience here!

Unfortunately, everything can't be sunshine and daisies, though Fiji certainly appears to fit the idea of the ultimate paradise. According to CIA World Fact Book, trafficking is a continuing problem in the country - women used for labor exploitation as well as trafficking children for commercial sexual exploitation.

Fiji bottled water is also a core concern among scientists and the locals. This "natural artesian water" bottled for our convenience not only causes problems with recycling, but also saps fresh drinking water from the Fiji native's own back yards. While the locals are deprived of their own water, the coastline, too, suffers a great deal. You can read the details on these sites:

True Price of Fiji Water
Will Fiji Step Up in 2009?
Bottled Insanity
Current Song: Sleep To Dream, by Fiona Apple

Also, saw Valkyrie last night. Excellent, excellent movie! Loved Eddie Izzard's role in it. Brilliant. I'm glad we still have intelligent historical movies coming out.


Next movies in theatres I'm intending to see:

Milk
The Spirit
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves being a trade-off)
Bedtime Stories (stupid, but looks like a fun movie)
The Unborn (I need a scary movie)

About to watch: (Thanks, Netflix)
Goodbye, Lenin!
Blame It On Fidel
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Amadeus

Fast Oslo

Home to many famous works of art, Oslo also boasts the National Gallery of Norway. Here, Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893) can be found along with other priceless paintings, such as the Madonna.

In 2004, the estimated £50 million painting was stolen, only to be recovered much later in 2006!

Found a great band -- Frigg-Oasis, from Norway. Check 'em out on National Geographic!


So far, my favorites: Jokijenkka & Daavid Ja Mina

Nat'l Geo Frigg


Norway's Laerdal Tunnel, completed in 2000, stretches from Laerdal to Aurland for 15.3 miles. It's the longest road tunnel in the world!

Fiskeboller Recipe

Gløgg Recipe

Two recipes I found that looked fairly easy to make (especially compared to other Norwegian cuisine) I'll be trying the Gløgg out first!

Vel bekomme!

Farther up North live the indigenous people of Norway known as the Sámi. Everything from their attire to the language differs greatly from that of the modern Norwegian way of life. Not only that, but reindeer herding is a common practice among the inhabitants of northern Scandinavia as well!

Here's a good read on the Sámi culture

Arctic Army

Currently listening to Human Behavior, by Bjork

One-of-a-kind Icelandic sensation - she's weird, but that's what makes her music so good


World War IV

What the --!


Israel-Palestine Conflict

Good read if you don't know the history of the situation that's blowing up right now in the Gaza strip, but a little tricky to get around the site with all the hyperlinks



Reading up on Norway, the country with the highest standard of living in the world. Crazy 'wegians have whale blubber, fish farms and oil & gas fields. The country is among the world's largest exporters of fuels and fuel products and they restrict spending of oil revenue - the surplus is then invested for future generations. No wonder they're not in the European Union. Harpoon those whales!

The reason for world wars

Hot tubs. are fun.
-Colleen Masula

She is right, though. Hot tubs with psychedelic colors and frothy bubbles are even better. And we have one. Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeabring! Bring me my stool softener!

Australia isn't the only country with a wicked opera house. Norway's new opera house, in Oslo, was finished in 2007 by the same architects who designed the large library in Alexandria, Egypt.

Norway & the EU

Another random fact about Norway: A total of 10,262 Norwegians lost their lives either during the war (World War II) or while they were imprisoned.

http://www.norway.org/history/after1814/ww2/ww2.htm

Of course, after all's said and done, this is the real reason I want to go to Norway. I can't imagine seeing something this breathtaking in person. A Scandinavian paradise awaits.