quotation of the week
«i am. therefore i think.»
~ayn rand, atlas shrugged
~ayn rand, atlas shrugged
Labels: quotations
28.7.05
diddly squat
«it really doesn't do diddly squat» said a favourite reporter at 103,5 fm here in washington, dc earlier this morning regarding the latest study on echinacea's reputed powers to help combat a cold.peace, at last
the IRA has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign against the crown and pledges to pursue exclusively peaceful means. prime minister blair has recognised the unparalled magnitude of this event, which i see as the inevitable result of political recognition, growth and maturity. disenfranchised groups without political representation historically see few options beyond armed struggle through which they expect to at least be heard but end up also trying to impose political objectives often at odds with democratic principles. as a unionist sympathiser and as an atheist, who has found the protracted fight between protestants and catholics in the uk abhorrent, absurd and ridiculous (as all religious-based strife), i rejoice in this momentous occasion and am hopeful the IRA will keep their word.pax et bonum!
human achievement day
as the new shuttle mission continues, with a 21st-century captain janeway at the helm, commander eileen collins, one can't help but share in the absolute awe and brilliance represented by the human achievement of space flight.
once again, i point to edward hudgins for further thoughts in praise of reason, individuality and achievement.
«on 20 july let's each reflect on our achievements -- as individuals and as we work in concert with others. let's recognise that achievements of all sorts -- epitomised by the moon landings -- are the essence and the expected of human life. let's rejoice on this day and commemorate the best within us with, as rand would say, the total passion for the total heights!»
and so αι (belatedly) co-declares 20 july human achievement day.
the london massacre
i'd like to recommend a short and poignant article/editorial written by edward hudgins for the objectivist centre in which he shares his thoughts on the london massacre of 07 july, islamist extremism and terror as it stands against reason, individualism and liberty.27.7.05
hackers skip windows to embed new infections
jonathan krim, staff writer at the washington post reported on an internet safety study released yesterday by the sans institute of bethesda, maryland, a cyber-security research and education centre, noting that the online security climate continues to deteriorate, as computer hackers continue targeting an increasing number of popular programmes such as the iTunes music service and software used to backup data. the report, issued quarterly, said that flaws in software that can be exploited by hackers are on the rise, which is unwelcome news for consumers and businesses hoping for relief as software makers such as microsoft work to improve the security of the operating systems that power computers and networks.hackers now often bypass operating systems, staying one step ahead in the ongoing cat-and-mouse warfare between those trying to protect computer systems and those trying to infiltrate or damage them. yeah, tell me about it!
overall, sans reported 422 new flaws discovered in the second quarter of this year, a 10.8 percent increase over the first quarter and a nearly 20 percent increase from the second quarter of last year.
source: the washington post via hack in the box.
19.7.05
support bacteria..!
«...they're the only culture some people have.»~steven wright, funny man and visionary
for the love of... pigs?!
there's certainly more to anyone's mood than could be gathered from having a quick look at their blog's sidebar, for instance. and proving that "even when you feel you've reached the bottom of a bottomless pit someone can still make you laugh" is not just a bromide i've just authored is what seems to be a fifteen-year-old asian girl (in the philippines perhaps?) who describes herself as «sum1 who will devote my whole life into findin' ways to stop world hunger and pollutions if thr's a way. (real serious kaes.....) just a simple gal to blog my day here, and simply wishes to c the whole world's elderly esp my granny to be happy...yup! and well, a serious pig lover who wish to marry blacks in the future».«wait, what?» i hear you say... please read on...
she also writes that thinking of pigs is the only comfort she has when sorrow and emptiness engulf her. i figured she might be on to something and so i look round her site a bit more and find this, which i have edited:
«life for me was like soaring in the sky but with tired wings.
my life was totally changed from the moment darkness filled my world.
i can't run, i can't hide. there's nothing i can do.
seeing these pigs just relieves my sadness.
thinking about these pigs loosens my tight heart.
laughing out loud oftens bring about my tears...
i want to escape, but thre's no help.
i can feel my heart sinking each day, sinking into sorrows.
the only moment i feel safe is when i return to eerie darkness.
i am really tired.
i walk in darkness, with emptiness devouring me...
yet i'd rather remain in this darkness.
to stay in darkness with my love for pigs?»
my life was totally changed from the moment darkness filled my world.
i can't run, i can't hide. there's nothing i can do.
seeing these pigs just relieves my sadness.
thinking about these pigs loosens my tight heart.
laughing out loud oftens bring about my tears...
i want to escape, but thre's no help.
i can feel my heart sinking each day, sinking into sorrows.
the only moment i feel safe is when i return to eerie darkness.
i am really tired.
i walk in darkness, with emptiness devouring me...
yet i'd rather remain in this darkness.
to stay in darkness with my love for pigs?»
i asked the same question, really... but please, do read on, her blog entry is hilarious!
[wednesday, 13 july 2005: boy oh boy...]
«hmm... finally made it to wake up at 6am today, usual cases, finding myself unable to open my eyes, and having goosebumps caused by the morning coldness...
yup, thn i forcibly on the lights, realised my room had become mre spacious now, cos' ystd evening i shifted my brother's table to the wall, and mine to the wall near the window... resulting the center of my room being hollow, which i think had really been mre spacious, and could haf been mre spacious if not for my double decker bed... sigh...
thn when i finally got the washroom to haf my usual morning bathe, jeez! i found my 11-year-old brother's yellow underwear lying so triangulary on the toilet floor, while he is happily eating his breakfast away....(having a morning shock in the morning ish never good fer health)... so, he expect me, his older sis to pick his underwear up? c'mon... no way... so, i screamed fer he to come back to the washroom to pick up his underwear and throw it into the laundry basket... fantabulous... already 11 yrs old yet still discarding his dirty wear anywhr... sigh... didn't pri schs haf health education? and yup, it's obvious his t'cher should be improving his cme, cos' he is obviously not improving in his moral!!! when he's been fighting wif me fer thgs and giving me shocks... fantabulous ...
finally, i bathe peacefully... and yup, tt incident in the washroom deprived me of breakfast cos' it happened tt my breakfast is sandwich, which is triangular, and reminds me of my stupid bro's disgusting yellow underwear...fantabulous...»
she's so funny! hahaha...
and for the life of me i can't find the blog's url! i hope to update later. cheers.
16.7.05
the challenge
«the true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.» ~samuel johnsonpredictions...
danish physicist niels bohr (wrote? said?!) that «predictions can be very difficult - especially about the future», haha, and one imagines that as a scientist, he knew what he was talking about, considering that for instance, about, what?, sixty-three percent of statistics are made up on the spot... ;-)new reasons/passions to rise in the AM/PM?!
who doesn't know someone in need of a job, or perhaps more accurately, searching for a new opportunity, new horizons, the road less travelled or "simply" (!) a satisfying, rewarding (not just soulfully or just remuneratively) career or adventure? to help us all the ever so brilliant vitamin q offers a list ofthe sixty strangest job titles in the usa:
acrobatic rigger ~ sets up equipment for acrobatic troupes
air hole driller ~ operates machine which makes holes in smoking pipes
babbitter ~ adds alloy to metal workpieces
back washer ~ operates machine for washing sliver (a continuous textile strand)
bed rubber ~ operates machine which smoothes stone blocks
bit shaver ~ smoothes mouthpieces of smoking pipes
bobbin loose-end finder ~ finds and ties broken thread on winding machines
brilliandeer-lopper ~ uses a machine to cut and shape diamonds
bucket chucker ~ operates machine for smoothing inside surface of buckets
cake stripper ~ operates a machine used in the cottonseed oil business
carroter ~ conditions fur for use in felt hat manufacture
chick sexer ~ inserts illuminating tool into baby birds to determine gender
debubblizer ~ operates equipment which removes bubbles from plastics
dolly pusher ~ moves camera equipment around scene of tv recording / broadcast
end frazer ~ operates machinery used in manufacturer of stems for smoking pipes
flatcar whacker ~ maintains and repairs logging rail cars
fur blower ~ runs machinery for fumigating and cleaning furs
gambreler ~ hangs animal carcases on hooks ready for preparation
gang knife fish chopper ~ chops fish into pieces for canning
getterer ~ applies solution to wires in lamp manufacture
grizzly worker ~ breaks rock and ore on quarry conveyor belts and chutes
hair-boiler operator ~ operates high temperature vats for curling animal hair
hand nailer ~ assembles wooden boxes, pallets and packing cases
horse identifier ~ verifies horses at racetracks
jet wiper ~ wipes spinnerettes through which strands of rayon are produced
lag screwer ~ inserts bolts in table legs
last putter-away - sorts and stores shoe moulds
lingo cleaner - cleans metal heddles used in jacquard loom harnesses
mother repairer ~ improves metal phonograph record matrices
napper tender ~ operates machinery which gives socks a fluffy appearance
nut steamer ~ immerses almonds, pecans etc in hot water to soften shells
odd bundle worker ~ arranges tobacco leaves on conveyor belt
odd shoe examiner ~ examines shoe uppers for defective parts
oyster floater ~ spreads shellfish in container to keep fresh / remove impurities
poultry offal icer ~ shovels ice into chicken waste parts to avoid spoiling
quill buncher-and-sorter ~ arranges feather types for use in dusters
redye hand ~ sorts and bags hose and panty hose for redying
roving sizer ~ checks output of woollen carding machines
rug hooker ~ operates device to make piles on rugs and carpets
scarf gluer ~ joins together plywood panels
sea-foam-kiss maker ~ makes candy kisses and puts them on wax paper to harden
ski topper ~ operates machine that fits plastic strips onto skis
skull grinder ~ cleans ear and nose passages of brained pig heads
smash hand ~ repairs broken yarns on a loom
smoke jumper ~ parachutes in to endangered ares to combat forest fires
snailer ~ operates machine which polishes and inscribes clocks and watches
soft crab shedder ~ helps crabs to shed hard shells so they can be sold as soft-shell crabs
sulky driver ~ takes charge of two-wheel, horse-drawn carriages in races
sumatra opener ~ unbales and stacks tobacco
targeteer ~ tests accuracy and functionality of weapons
top waddy ~ organises groups of cowpunchers on a range (also known as top screw)
trip follower ~ posts positions of aircraft on a flight-following board
tubber ~ tends tumbling machines which clean items to be used as jewellery
unscrambler ~ controls movement on food processing conveyor belts
wax-ball knock-out worker ~ removes wax forms from insides of new basketballs
whizzer ~ operates felt-hat drying machinery
winterizer ~ operates chilling machine for removing stearin from vegetable oils
worm picker ~ patrols grassy areas to find worms for fishing bait
wrinkle chaser ~ uses various tools to remove defects from new shoes
yeast pusher ~ transfers yeast from fermenting cellar to storage tanks
15.7.05
emancipation
a man who had fallen among thieves
lay by the roadside on his back
dressed in fifteenthrate ideas
wearing a round jeer for a hat
fate per a somewhat more than less
emancipated evening
had in return for consciousness
endowed him with a changeless grin
whereon a dozen staunch and Meal
citizens did graze at pause
then fired by hypercivic zeal
sought newer pastures or because
swaddled with a frozen brook
of pinkest vomit out of eyes
which noticed nobody he looked
as if he did not care to rise
one hand did nothing on the vest
its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt
while the mute trouserfly confessed
a button solemnly inert.
brushing from whom the stiffened puke
i put him all into my arms
and staggered banged with terror through
a million billion trillion stars
~e.e. cummings
lay by the roadside on his back
dressed in fifteenthrate ideas
wearing a round jeer for a hat
fate per a somewhat more than less
emancipated evening
had in return for consciousness
endowed him with a changeless grin
whereon a dozen staunch and Meal
citizens did graze at pause
then fired by hypercivic zeal
sought newer pastures or because
swaddled with a frozen brook
of pinkest vomit out of eyes
which noticed nobody he looked
as if he did not care to rise
one hand did nothing on the vest
its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt
while the mute trouserfly confessed
a button solemnly inert.
brushing from whom the stiffened puke
i put him all into my arms
and staggered banged with terror through
a million billion trillion stars
~e.e. cummings
one times one equals us
if everything happens that can't be done
by e.e. cummings
if everything happens that can't be done
(and anything's righter
than books
could plan)
the stupidest teacher will almost guess
(with a run
skip
around we go yes)
there's nothing as something as one
one hasn't a why or because or although
(and buds know better
than books
don't grow)
one's anything old being everything new
(with a what
which
around we come who)
one's everyanything so
so world is a leaf so a tree is a bough
(and birds sing sweeter
than books
tell how)
so here is away and so your is a my
(with a down
up
around again fly)
forever was never till now
now i love you and you love me
(and books are shuter
than bookscan be)
and deep in the high that does nothing but fall
(with a shout
eacharound we go all)
there's somebody calling who's we
we're anything brighter than even the sun
(we're everything greater
than booksmight mean)
we're everyanything more than believe
(with a spin
leap
alive we're alive)
we're wonderful one times one
by e.e. cummings
if everything happens that can't be done
(and anything's righter
than books
could plan)
the stupidest teacher will almost guess
(with a run
skip
around we go yes)
there's nothing as something as one
one hasn't a why or because or although
(and buds know better
than books
don't grow)
one's anything old being everything new
(with a what
which
around we come who)
one's everyanything so
so world is a leaf so a tree is a bough
(and birds sing sweeter
than books
tell how)
so here is away and so your is a my
(with a down
up
around again fly)
forever was never till now
now i love you and you love me
(and books are shuter
than bookscan be)
and deep in the high that does nothing but fall
(with a shout
eacharound we go all)
there's somebody calling who's we
we're anything brighter than even the sun
(we're everything greater
than booksmight mean)
we're everyanything more than believe
(with a spin
leap
alive we're alive)
we're wonderful one times one
to be or not to be... food.
straight from a friend's private phlog in new zealand:«well, we missed this one. sometime in 2004, zoo weekly, some publication in the uk, evidently had this competiton offering a jungle holiday with a tribe of cannibals. the winner would be whisked off to the baliem valley in papua new guinea to spend two weeks (if luck doesn't run out) with the korowai tribe, who sport tusks in their noses and piercings, wear nothing but long penis gourds ... and eat people.
from the traveller's companion: "on the up side the lucky person would be accompanied by a mr barker, who has known the tribe for years. on the down side, they would be travelling without maps or phones. but, mr barker was very reassuring on the subject: 'it should be ok. the really bad ones are the korowai's neighbours, the asmar, and they haven't eaten a westerner for 4o years.'"
entrants had to write 25 words or less saying why they should go. funnily enough, only two words leap to mind.
eat me.»
14.7.05
testing ground
as i continue to develop web design skills (certainly not in evidence here, since the site is still based on one of blogger original templates and stems from a time i'd never heard of web standards) i thought i might add pages and/or entries ti this site which i'd also use as tests and for practice. i was interested in how the world's press reacted to the recent and horrendous terrorist attacks in london and so posted this entry on the subject.i thought i'd pick some additional samples and show them in my "testing ground" for arcana imperii-related web design/coding. i'm happy this one first page has validated, yet it's in no way perfect nor an accurate reflection of what my ultimate goal for the page would be. i'm also aware the code still needs some cleaning up and that there's certainly better ways to accomplish the same design, which in itself is very basic.
here's the front page of poland's Głos Szczeciński for 08 july 2005.
13.7.05
quotation of the week
«and there never was an apple, in adam's opinion, that wasn't worth the trouble you got into for eating it.»
~from good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchett
~from good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchett
Labels: quotations
et mon/ton cœur en prend plein la/ma gueule
«je jette un œil par-dessus mon épaule
quelqu'un me suit, quelqu'un me frôle
je crois bien l'avoir vu quelque part
avec son air qui m'donne le cafard
je presse le pas, je rentre chez moi
les escaliers semblent si froids
je referme la porte à double tour
on est jamais trop prudent en amour
mais soudain je me fige devant la glace
moi qui ai toujours cru vivre seule
je vois comme une étrangère à ma place
et mon cœur en prend plein la gueule
la nuit je fais des rêves qui m'emportent
loin de mon lit loin de ma porte
et je ne m'endors plus sans déposer
mon cheval blanc sous mon oreiller
surtout qu'il a des ailes qu'il déploie
et je fonce comme un oiseau de proie
et j'arrache l'amour à d'autres bras
on est jamais si bien trompé que par soi
soudain je me réveille le cœur glacé
mes draps collent à moi comme un linceul
je suis comme un oiseau emprisonné
et mon cœur en prend plein la gueule
j'ai rangé ma folie dans mes tiroirs
avec plein de choses à oublier
j'ai pendu ma jeunesse dans une armoire
dont j'ai vite égaré la clé
j'ai gardé les épines, jeté les roses
on ne va jamais trop au fond des choses
c'est bien que l'amour rime avec naufrage
on est jamais trop prudent en voyage
mais voilà que tu débarques sans t'annoncer
que tu viens barbouiller mon image
tu me distrais de ma réalité
et tu me fais perdre ma page
je suis prise dans ma toile d'araignée
et je n'ai plus envie d'être seule
tu me voles mes nuits et ma santé
et ton cœur en prend plein ma gueule»
~isabelle boulay
[paroles et musique : daniel deshaime]
quelqu'un me suit, quelqu'un me frôle
je crois bien l'avoir vu quelque part
avec son air qui m'donne le cafard
je presse le pas, je rentre chez moi
les escaliers semblent si froids
je referme la porte à double tour
on est jamais trop prudent en amour
mais soudain je me fige devant la glace
moi qui ai toujours cru vivre seule
je vois comme une étrangère à ma place
et mon cœur en prend plein la gueule
la nuit je fais des rêves qui m'emportent
loin de mon lit loin de ma porte
et je ne m'endors plus sans déposer
mon cheval blanc sous mon oreiller
surtout qu'il a des ailes qu'il déploie
et je fonce comme un oiseau de proie
et j'arrache l'amour à d'autres bras
on est jamais si bien trompé que par soi
soudain je me réveille le cœur glacé
mes draps collent à moi comme un linceul
je suis comme un oiseau emprisonné
et mon cœur en prend plein la gueule
j'ai rangé ma folie dans mes tiroirs
avec plein de choses à oublier
j'ai pendu ma jeunesse dans une armoire
dont j'ai vite égaré la clé
j'ai gardé les épines, jeté les roses
on ne va jamais trop au fond des choses
c'est bien que l'amour rime avec naufrage
on est jamais trop prudent en voyage
mais voilà que tu débarques sans t'annoncer
que tu viens barbouiller mon image
tu me distrais de ma réalité
et tu me fais perdre ma page
je suis prise dans ma toile d'araignée
et je n'ai plus envie d'être seule
tu me voles mes nuits et ma santé
et ton cœur en prend plein ma gueule»
~isabelle boulay
[paroles et musique : daniel deshaime]
reminder
«dóna'm el fil, dóna'm la llum que il·lumini el camí que em tregui d'aquest laberint.»
~j.m. serrat
~j.m. serrat
12.7.05
12 july 2005
today is my birthday. my hope is that it will be my BIRTHday. but that's out of my hands...happy birthday me!
how dare they?
someone has to be able to help, to illuminate and guide. i have never in my life come in contact with what i understnd to be passive-aggressive personalities, bi-polars, manipulative people and am sorry if i'm mixing it all up... but how does a person who hurts another, the guilty party, the aggressor in a conflict DARE ask to be "left alone" when they should be bending over backwards to rectify the situation and even make ammends. this is their responsibility and obligation. i see how it's a tactic to deflect and gain support while blaming the victim, which i guess is rather commonplace...8.7.05
today's front pages
view some of today's UK newspaper front pages at my phlog and up to four hundred twenty-one from forty-seven countries at the newseum.7.7.05
in memoriam 07.07.05
four explosions ripped across central london thursday, killing more than fifty people and injuring seven hundred.
in what appears to have been a co-ordinated attack, there were blasts on three underground trains and a bus, as the morning's rush hour drew to a close. the capital's public transport system was halted and a high-level emergency procedure swung into action. all hospitals were full by mid-morning.
the first explosion happened on an underground train just outside the busy Liverpool Street station.
further blasts hit a train heading from Russell Square station to King's Cross and another at edgware road station. the final explosion ripped through a double-decker bus outside the British Medical Association, while travelling from Hackney to Marble Arch and following a diversion from its normal route.
source: the beeb.
6.7.05
the bayonet constitution
06 july 1887 - King David Kalākaua of the Kingdom of Hawai'i was forced at gunpoint to sign the bayonet constitution, giving americans more power in hawai'i while «stripping native hawaiians of their rights».source: wikipedia's main page (link for today's edition). bonus: an article on the hawaiian language.
4.7.05
amor bandido
hadn't heard this song in years, one of miguel bosè's most enduring as remixes, like usual, continue to improve the original.«yo seré el viento que va
navegaré por tu oscuridad
tú, rocío, beso frío
que me quemará
yo seré tormento y amor
tú, la marea, que arrastra a los dos
yo y tú, tú y yo
no dirás que no
seré tu amante bandido,
bandido corazón, corazón malherido
seré tu amante cautivo,
cautivo seré
pasión privada, dorado enemigo
huracán, huracán abatido
me perderé en un momento contigo
por siempre
yo seré un hombre,
por ti renunciaré a ser lo que fui
yo y tú, tú y yo
sin misterios
sin misterios
por siempre, seré tu heroe de amor
seré tu heroe de amor
seré tu heroe
seré el amante que muere rendido
por amor por amor malherido
seré tu amante bandido,
bandido seré
en un oasis prohibido
prohibido por amor
por amor concebido
me perderé en un momento contigo
por siempre seré tu heroe de amor»
~amor bandido
