We can laugh because we made it through another week...

At least they were NOT talking on their cell phones – cuz that would have been unsafe!!

Police nab Norwegian pair during high-speed sex

To all my fellow yoga enthusiasts:
http://video.gaiam.com/services/player/bcpid1896788996?bctid=15257780001

I’m hiring...

and seriously... at what point does one use the microwave? Am I doing this wrong?

Please!! Come to you senses!!

please people... pay attention! the cartoon speaks the "twooth".

There is a disclaimer on this post...

Disclaimer: I fully support the Girl Guides... buy their cookies when you can.

However, I need them to be available at my convenience* rather than the current sales schedule... and the fact that I have very little freezer space left .... oh, and I'm also incredibly evil *grin*

so to tide us all over until the next time a pint-sized salesmaven knocks on your door:

Mock Thin Mints

Samosa-like bars



*because let's face it - it IS soooooo all about me. Really.

in the lane snow is glistening...

Il neige en avril.
È neve nel mese di aprile.
Está nevando en abril.
Det sner i april.
Ito ay may snow sa buwan ng Abril.
Det är snö i april.

SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT

Thank you Google Language tools

Earth Hour

I had assumed that the Earth, the spirit of the Earth, noticed exceptions -- those who wantonly damage it and those who do not. But the Earth is wise. It has given itself into the keeping of all, and all are therefore accountable.

Alice Walker
Living by the Word

Those Canadians who participated in Earth Hour are shamed by those who participate in the barbaric seal hunt.

Stop the Seal Hunt

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley

close to home...

There is no catching the early bus - when it's not your time to go, it simply is not your time to go.

Man joins short list of leapers who lived

Dig it...up

Archeology has been exciting of late. *big grin*

'Vampire' discovered in mass grave

'Some things never seem to change'

Online users now can virtually tour Oetzi's body




[ / serious geekfest! ]

more true on some days than others...

The Universe doesn't give you the people you want in your life; instead we are given the people we NEED - To help us, to hurt us, to leave us, to love us and to make us into the person we were meant to be.




So? who am I supposed to be?

DailyOM

February 27, 2009

Universal Messages

Signs

The universe can often relay messages to us through signs. Often, we are too busy to stop and consider what may or may not be a sign. We may ask the universe for guidance, yet fail to recognize the sign it sends us in response. Learning the subtle language of signs can help you interpret the guidance the universe sends your way. We all have been blessed with a connection that allows the universe to communicate directly with us. To be able to understand the information relayed over that connection, however, it is necessary that we learn to pay attention and know what to look for.

To see and correctly interpret a sign, you must open your heart and mind to the universe and invite its guidance into your life. Many of us are blind to the signs we receive because we expect angels or our spirit guides to speak to us in a booming voice and tell us exactly what we need to hear. But signs are usually of this earth and therefore easier to encounter. A song lodged in your mind or a number that seems to pop up everywhere you look after you’ve asked the universe for guidance can both be signs. Signs may come through the animal world, from strangers, or jump out of a book in the form of an insightful passage. A sign may be a direct answer to one of your questions. Other signs may point you in the right direction, warn of impending difficulties, or show you a different way. If you want the universe to send you a sign, tell it that you are ready and willing to accept its guidance.

Not everything you hear or see will be a sign. If you are receptive and patient, however, the signs you receive will become easier to recognize. It is important to listen to your intuition. A sign can mean many things to different people, and only you can decipher a sign’s meaning is for you. As you practice reading the signs and following their guidance, the universe will send more of them your way.

Sure! Why not?!

How to make a VHS video toaster

The world never ceases to amaze me...
Why would anyone do this?
But then again... why not?

Dear World,
I'm usually very grateful that you are filled with crazy, silly, wacky people...
but sometimes it makes me wonder... alot

you've got to be kidding me...

This is why you're fat!!!






just because you can doesn't mean you should.

why didn't you tell me??

Why did nobody tell me what Thursday was????

OMG!!!!

I missed World Nutella Day

oh well... next year maybe

Thought for the Day

'Knowledge' is knowing a tomato is a fruit; 'wisdom' is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Go sign the Petition

Stop Using Live Dogs as Shark Bait

Sign the petition to stop this.

Quote: "Innocent stray dogs are being skewered alive and being dragged behind boats as shark bait. Help us sign a letter to the French government to ask for an end to this inhumane practice in Reunion Island (French-controlled). We are asking the government to make sure that this practice never happens again!"

From the National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1019_051019_dogs_sharks.html

Canada - where history comes from! :)

Canada's Stonehenge: scientist says Alberta sun temple has 5,000-year-old calendar

Thu Jan 29, 4:53 PM

EDMONTON - An academic maverick is challenging conventional wisdom on Canada's prehistory by claiming an archeological site in southern Alberta is really a vast, open-air sun temple with a precise 5,000-year-old calendar predating England's Stonehenge and Egypt's pyramids.
Mainstream archeologists consider the rock-encircled cairn to be just another medicine wheel left behind by early aboriginals. But a new book by retired University of Alberta professor Gordon Freeman says it is in fact the centre of a 26-square-kilometre stone "lacework" that marks the changing seasons and the phases of the moon with greater accuracy than our current calendar.
"Genius existed on the prairies 5,000 years ago," says Freeman, the widely published former head of the university's physical and theoretical chemistry department.
Freeman's fascination with prairie prehistory dates back to his Saskatchewan boyhood. He and his father would comb the short grasses of the plains in search of artifacts exposed by the scouring wind. That curiosity never left him and he returned to it as he prepared to retire from active teaching.
Looking for a hobby, he asked a friend with an interest in history to suggest a few intriguing sites to visit. On a warm late-August day in 1980, that list drew him to what he has come to call Canada's Stonehenge, which is also the title of his book.
A central cairn atop one of a series of low hills overlooking the Bow River, about 70 kilometres east of Calgary, had been partially excavated in 1971 and dated at about 5,000 years old. But as he approached it, Freeman strongly felt there was much more there than previously thought.
"As we walked toward the hilltop, I saw all kinds of patterns in the rocks on the way up. As I walked around the hilltop, I could see patterns that I doubted very much were accidental."
Freeman photographed what he saw and showed the images to archeologists. They told him the rocks, some of which weigh up to a tonne, had been randomly distributed by melting glaciers.
But those rocks and rock piles, Freeman said, had been "highly engineered," shimmied and balanced and wedged in ways he couldn't believe were natural. And so began a magnificent obsession - 28 years of photographing the site in summer and winter, observing the alignment of rocks and how they coincided with the recurring patterns of sun, moon and stars.
Freeman estimates he and his wife Phyllis have spent a total of seven months living at the site. Twelve thousand photographs with precise times and dates are neatly catalogued in his files.
What he found:
The central cairn is surrounded by 28 radiating stone lines, four of which align with the cardinal points of the compass. Those lines are encircled by another ring of stones.
A few metres away lies a stone semicircle, with a large stone between it and the central cairn. The left edge of the semicircle lines up with both the central stone and the right edge of the cairn, and vice versa.
To Freeman, those features represent the sun, the crescent moon and the morning star.
As well, there are secondary cairns on nearby hills and rock assemblages that seem to correspond to constellations.
And after years of rising before dawn, in all seasons and weather, to carefully photograph the positions of the sun, Freeman found the rocks once thought to be simply strewn across the prairie instead mark the progression of the year with uncanny accuracy.
The rising and setting sun on both the longest and shortest days of the year lines up precisely with V-shaped sights in the temple's rocks. The spring and autumn equinoxes, when day and night are equal, are similarly marked. They are not the equinoxes of the Gregorian calendar currently used, however, but the true astronomical equinoxes.
Freeman is convinced the temple contains a lunar calendar as well, because the 28 rays radiating from the central cairn correspond to the length of the lunar cycle.
"I thought I would complete that study in a couple years," says Freeman, a laughing, vigorous 78. "Twenty-eight years later we're still making discoveries."
Mainstream archeology hasn't been exactly welcoming. Despite being highly regarded in his own field, Freeman says journals have rejected his papers and conferences have denied him a platform.
Professionals in any field resist interlopers from other disciplines and archeology is no exception, he says. But he suggests conventional wisdom can restrict insight.
"If you have preconceptions, you're never going to discover anything."
Although he hasn't read "Canada's Stonehenge," University of Alberta archeologist Jack Ives is familiar with Freeman's theories.
He says recent research suggests some astronomical knowledge developed in Central and South America flowed north to the plains, where it was adapted by people for their own purposes.
"There is some basis for thinking there was sophisticated astronomical knowledge," says Ives.
But what exactly is manifested in the medicine wheels?
"They may certainly reflect solstices and equinoxes. How much more sophisticated beyond that has been a subject of debate."
But Ives points out the terrain in question is an ancient glacial moraine, full of naturally occurring rocks.
"You have to be very careful about what you line up."
Freeman, however, is convinced. He looks forward to the academic debate to come.
"I know my song well before I sing it," he says, quoting Bob Dylan.
Meanwhile, Freeman hopes to use any publicity generated by his book to push for preservation of the site. Part of it is privately owned, but most is Crown land and open to both the energy industry and casual, possibly destructive, visitors.
"The place is so far away from anything that it's not adequately protected."
Freeman is a man of science, trained to trust hard data and believe evidence over sensation. But after 28 years unravelling a message in mute stones, the wind in his hair and the sun on his face, absorbed in ancient mysteries, the site has come to evoke in him something akin to reverence.
"I can go down there with a headache and within a day everything is gone. It's just like a cure. There is something down there. I just don't know how to describe it.
"I just feel very comfortable there. I just feel comfortable."

Recjoice!

What is great dipped in chocolate?
made into Cupcakes? Donuts? And even Martinis?

The Ingredient of the Year!!!!

Bacon!

And if you’re in the San Fran area in March you can go to : BACONCAMP!!

(all proceeds go to the American Heart Association* )




Try the Bacon Brownies!!!



*Seriously!

It makes sense...

Lily Bollinger of Bollinger was asked "When do you drink champagne?", and replied:

I only drink champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty.


sounds like a good rule of thumb to me! ;)

Terminology 101

Penthouse publisher Larry Flint is asking for a bailout package for the pornography industry as people are too financially strapped to pay for porn …

[ insert appropriate snickering here ]

Just wondering here… would that be a financial ‘stimulus package’? Or a financial ‘package stimulus’?

you, my friends, are invited...

THE INVITATION

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing.


It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.


It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.


I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.


It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true, I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.


I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from its presence.


I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.


It doesn't interest me who you are, or how you came to be here- I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.


It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.


May 1994

May all yer hang-overs be tolerable.

for Pete's sake, if you drink - take a cab! Stay off your broom!!

*raises a toast to the New Year*

May 2009 be the morning of prosperity that shines on the evening of 2008’s adversity.

New Year's Eve Play a thin tune on a paper horn Old is dying New is born.... Scatter confetti over the floor Sweep an old year Out the door.... Blow up a wish in a bright balloon Whisper dreams To a midnight moon.... Play a loud tune on a paper horn Old is dying New is born.... by Myra Cohn Livingson....

Merry Merry!

and lest someone find that offensive

A Politically Correct
Holiday Greeting

Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

Additionally,

a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great , (not to imply that our society is necessarily greater than any other society or is that ours is the only "society" in the western hemisphere or any other hemisphere), without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, sexual orientation, choice of computer platform , or other preferences of the wishee


Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting the following terms this greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher, however, it implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit. It is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Whatever you celebrate, wherever you are - I wish you peace, good health, and good cheer.
Party safely my darlings!

Mistletoe & Chocolate,
Me

Disturbing and disgusting.

yet another reason that I have no love or affection for "all that is Asian"
(infact their culture is starting to make me queasy)

this is disturbing ...
seriously... if you click here it will hurt. => Anything is possible with enough cash

I share because ..

I like you.

Food for Thought

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the
night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the
little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the
sunset."

- Crowfoot, Native American, Blackfoot.

Perhaps this is a good time of the year to remember this? non?

Gentlemen, I hope I'm not too late... A Public Service Announcement

Beware the Doghouse!

Proposition 8 - The Musical.

Brilliant! Star-studded.
If you haven't already seen this you should...

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

even I have my limits...

Anthony Bordain may have described it the best when he said, “its taste can only be described as…indescribable, something you will either love or despise. …Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.”

durian and 9 other weird gourmet "delights"

Time to haul out the bean recognition manuals...

Your result for The hey good lookin' whatcha got cookin' test...

Sous Chef 75%

Superb result! You must really know your veggies. Either you are already a chef, or perhaps you just love to cook. You seemed to do well with several of the more obscure vegetables. Most of the vegetables used in this test came straight from the garden. They were so much fresher than those that are shipped across the country. For more recipes and pictures feel free to check out my blog "straightfromthefarm.net".

Here's how you did compared to others...

Executive Chef

Sous Chef

Sauté Chef

Vegetable Chef

Fry Cook

Maître D'

Bus Boy

Wendy's Bun Toaster

Please visit my journal if you wish to check your answers.

Take The hey good lookin' whatcha got cookin' test atHelloQuizzy

for shame...

One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our need from our greed.
~Author Unknown

and evidence of that greed? HERE

I participate in Buy Nothing Day

Food for thought

and sage fashion advice.

Never wear anything that panics the cat.

~P. J. O'Rourke

Thanks for the warning...

Aries Horoscope for week of November 20, 2008

Fifty-five percent of Americans not only believe in guardian angels, but testify that they have been actively aided by the intervention of those divine helpers. Commenting on the results, one religious expert said that "Americans live in an enchanted world." The 55 percent figure may rise even higher in the coming weeks. A majority of Aries all over the planet, regardless of their religious orientation, could have a mystical experience that will spook and delight them. If you're one of the chosen ones, don't get fixated on or distracted by the sheer amazement of the visitation. Make sure you're alert for its eminently practical guidance.

Freewillastrology


Oh pick me!! pick me!!

From the files of the surreal...

Ghetto-Fabulous Ghenghis Kahn

Scroll down, read the cooking instructions... very funny (at least it was before coffee this morning)

The voice of reason...

Bravo! Well said sir!

Read the Original at HellBlazer.net

I’ve had enough. I have had it up to here. I tried to play it the right way, I did. I would rationally and carefully try to explain the issue. I would refuse to sink and play by the terms of the opposition. I was a good guy, for the most part. Now? Mmm. Fuck that.
You want a fight? Fine, let’s lay out some damned ground rules here. Come on! It’ll be fun!
You want to tell me who I can and can’t marry? You want to have say over whom my friends and loved ones can fall in love with and share their lives with?
You sure about that? Let’s take a look.
First a bit of rational thought for you: If marriage is a religious thing and not a state sanctioned and defined object then why do you care? Oh wait, that’s because it isn’t. At all. See, when I can go before a judge and get legally married, not “civil unioned” note but married - with a certificate and everything - it means your precious little deity ain’t in the room.
So if you don’t like it then ban it in your churches. But that is the only place you get to say no to things. See, it’s a secular country. Sorry but it is. “One Nation under God” - not until the 50’s it wasn’t. This place wasn’t founded on that. Oh sure God got some lip service in the Constitution, but so did a separation of church and state. So pick it. In or out, motherfuckers. In or out.
But regardless, you want to push forward with this! You want to demand your so-called right to use your religion as a battering ram into my home. Into my family affairs. Then I call fair play!
You have to play by every other religions rules as well. So we all go Kosher. All of us. Yup. We all also give up medical care. It goes against what Christian Scientists believe in after all, right? It’s only fair and right.
You want to deny rights based on religion then so will I. I will pick whatever religion I feel like at the time, though. Because they each have as much bearing on you as yours does on mine. See, isn’t that equality?
So you get to ban gay marriage and I get to deny you penicillin! Now we’re getting somewhere! I can feel the fairness spreading out and touching each of us in our very hearts!
Look, you want to deny me your Heaven? Go for it! You want to tell me I’m a sinner, a heathen and a bad, bad man? Hallelujah and pass the ammo! But I am going to fight just as hard against your rights.
Come on. Social chicken. Wanna see if I flinch? Bitch, I’ve played chicken with busses going 40 m.p.h. on NY City streets and won. Bring it. Bring your lies, your hate, your unconscionable intolerance and moral sickness and I will wipe my ass with each one and thank you and ask for more.
Because you’ll get worse.
You want a war? Fine! Let’s play it your way! You want to protest and hold signs and tell us how we’re going to hell? Let’s see how you like it when we protest your churches and ceremonies. Let’s find out. I’m game.
Because I’m sick of this. I am sick and truly fucking tired of each and every one of you who can’t see your way to respecting your fellow humans enough to grant them the same rights you do simply because they don’t think your invisible man’s paperback is all that smooth.
Get over your self-importance and do the right thing. Or else. No more chances, no more Mr. Nice Guy, no more understanding. You started this bullshit fight. Don’t be surprised when you get punched in the face.
Are we clear?

We need to believe...

We are the ones for whom we have been waiting.

~Hopi Elders

Samhain Blessings & Hallowe'en Treats!

THE THIRTEEN DAYS OF HALLOWEEN *
*sung as best you can to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas...

On the first day of Halloween
My postman brought to me,
A Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the second day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the third day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the fourth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the fifth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the sixth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the seventh day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the eighth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Eight freaky franks,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the ninth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Nine reapers reaping,
Eight freaky franks,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the tenth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Ten skulls a-smoking,
Nine reapers reaping,
Eight freaky franks,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the eleventh day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Eleven coffins creaking,
Ten skulls a-smoking,
Nine reapers reaping,
Eight freaky franks,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the twelfth day of Halloween,
My postman brought to me,
Twelve skeletons a-dancing,
Eleven coffins creaking,
Ten skulls a-smoking,
Nine reapers reaping,
Eight freaky franks,
Seven scary pumpkins,
Six hooting owls,
Five witches riding brooms,
Four spooky ghosts,
Three black cats,
Two walking mummies,
And a Gho-o-o-ul in a dead tree.

On the thirteenth day of Halloween,

Before this could happen ...

... I Moved!

This was Posted by: FaerieDragon on The Enchanted Society Yahoo Group .



However you celebrate today, whatever your plans - may it be a safe and happy day !!

I almost forgot!

We need to celebrate the little things in life too ... especially these days.

Gas is Good!... apparently.

Flatulence's stink may be linked to lower blood pressure

The gas responsible for the foul odour of flatulence and rotten eggs may play an important role in regulating blood pressure, Canadian researchers say in a study released Friday.

24/10/2008 12:44:47 PM

CBC News

Hydrogen sulphide - a toxic gas that, among other things, is made by bacteria living in the human intestinal tract - relaxes blood vessels and allows for easier blood flow, according to the study in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

It is hard "not to overestimate the biological importance of hydrogen sulphide or its implications in hypertension," writes Rui Wang, a physiologist at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. Wang co-authored the study with Lingyun Wu, a pharmacologist of the University of Saskatchewan and other researchers from the Johns Hopkins medical school in Baltimore.
The five-year mouse study found that an enzyme called CSE produced the gas in cells lining the walls of blood vessels throughout the body.

That finding confirmed earlier research that suggested a link between the enzyme and the gas.
In the study, researchers bred mice with lower-than-average levels of CSE and found that the engineered animals had significantly depleted levels of hydrogen sulphide compared to a group with normal levels of the enzyme.

The researchers also found that the mice with CSE deficiencies had blood pressure levels that were 20 per cent higher than the normal mice.

However, when the mice bred for lower CSE levels were given methacholine, a drug given to relax blood vessels, their blood pressure levels were not significantly different than those with normal levels of the enzyme. The researchers said this suggests the gas is responsible for the change in blood pressure.

The findings could lead to new treatments for high blood pressure in humans, said the study authors.

"Now that we know hydrogen sulphide's role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension," study co-author Dr. Solomon H. Snyder, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, said in a Johns Hopkins news release.


............. Oy Vey.

THE YEAR 1908

The year is 1908.
One hundred years ago.

Here are some statistics for the Year 1908:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called Medical Schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
Pneumonia and influenza
Tuberculosis
Diarrhea
Heart disease
Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.' (Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE! U.S.A. !

Now get this…I received this from someone else without paper…
I’m passing it on to you with out typing it myself, and it is being seen by you, and others, all over Canada, the U.S.A, and the world, in a matter of seconds!

We’ve come a long way baby…now try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

THE YEAR 1908

The year is 1908.
One hundred years ago.

Here are some statistics for the Year 1908:
· The average life expectancy was 47 years.
· Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
· Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
· There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
· The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
· The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
· The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
· The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
· A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
· More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
· Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called Medical Schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
· Sugar cost four cents a pound.
· Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
· Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
· Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
· Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
· Five leading causes of death were:
o Pneumonia and influenza
o Tuberculosis
o Diarrhea
o Heart disease
o Stroke
· The American flag had 45 stars.
· The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
· Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
· There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
· Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
· Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
· Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.' (Shocking? DUH! )
· Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
· There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE! U.S.A. !

Now get this…I received this from someone else without paper…
I’m passing it on to you with out typing it myself, and it is being seen by you, and others, all over Canada, the U.S.A, and the world, in a matter of seconds!

We’ve come a long way baby…

now try to imagine where we are going....

again the internet quiz speaks true

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

26 Impressionist, 22 Islamic, 15 Ukiyo-e, -25 Cubist, -26 Abstract and 4 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

LOL - not always be deemed socially acceptable?? I can live with that

Food for Thought series

I thought this was a lovely, thought-provoking quote...

It may be that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.

Wendell Berry, Collected Poems

apologies to those who read me elsewhere, ima gonna cross-post leik whoa
LOL

I have often wondered...

Oh would some power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us!

Robert Burns






I'm vain enough to have wondered... are you?

Go Vote!

WHO you vote for is none of my damn business,

THAT you vote is my great concern.

I want to point out to both Americans and Canadians, that whether or not you support the war effort, it is claiming the lives of sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. They are fighting and dying for freedom and democracy in foreign lands. Our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers (and beyond) fought and died for our freedom and democracy here at home – exercise that right of democracy they bought for you by voting.

Dear Americans,

If you want Obama in as the first African-American President (or for any other reasons) – go vote!! …….He won’t necessarily win if you don’t.

Don’t want Palin? Want to make sure she doesn’t get close to that Red Button? Go Vote

You want McCain in? You think the Republicans are the way of the future? Go vote.

Dear Canadians

You want Harper and Harper-nomics out? You want to get rid of Dion? Want the Green Party to finally get official party status?? Mad about the loss of jobs, programs, the continuing war, taxes, and health care?? Go vote TOMORROW!

For PITY SAKE - VOTE

Don’t let THEM speak for you.

Many people you vehemently disagree with WILL be voting. Why let them dictate what kind of world you will have to live in? Get informed and get your ass out there.

“Why should I vote? My vote won’t count anyways”

QUIT WHINING YOU BIG PUTZ! Sure “we” may not win. But “we” definitely won’t win if “we” don’t vote. Even if “we” lose – quit sniveling like a sulky spoiled git – “we” tried! And “we” will keep trying.

No Vote. No Complaints.

None. Not one word. Just shut up.

If you haven’t voted, you have no right to bitch about the price of gas, the taxes, crappy health care, the lack of student loans, public transport, policing, the conditions of the roads, crime, schools, guns laws, drugs, unemployment, immigration, the closure of parks, pools, libraries, the repeal of the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, abortion laws, or anything else the government does or doesn’t do.

If you haven’t voted – then STFU.

If you did take the time to vote – feel free to be as critical as you can be; bitch to your heart’s content.

Thank you for your attention – this was an unpaid politically inclined rant brought to you by PMS and the Association of Those Tired of Apathetical Whiners.

…….. and now back to your regularly scheduled internet usage.

P.S. HAPPY TURKEY DAY to all my Canadian friends.

Your result for The Classic Dames Test...

Katharine Hepburn

You scored 14% grit, 29% wit, 43% flair, and 17% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the
Take The Classic Dames Test at HelloQuizzy

Your result for Reincarnation Placement Exam...

Atlantis

48% Intrigue, 73% Civilization, 59% Humanity, 55% Urbanization.

Score! The civilization of Atlantis!You must have done something right. You've been assigned to a civilization so idyllic, it's been relegated to legend. The grass is green, the weather is serene, the neighbors are clean. Your culture is technologically advanced at a time when the world is still young and fresh. There are lots of interesting things to do, and good people to enjoy life with. The only downside is that it's not very complicated, none of that messy trouble arising from chaos, intrigue and unnecessary adventure. You know... it's a lot like Switzerland, only... more awesome.

Life doesn't get much better than this!

We recommend you invest in a life vest. You know, just in case.

Take Reincarnation Placement Exam at HelloQuizzy

to dream of things not yet imagined...

Amen!

Dust If You Must
Rose Milligan of Lancaster England

"A house becomes a home when you can write, 'I love you' on the furniture."

I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING! I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect -"in case someone came over". Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!

Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short. Enjoy it!

Dust if you must,

but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake a cake or plant a seed,

ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must,

but there's not much time,

with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

music to hear and books to read,

friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must,

but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes,

the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must,

but bear in mind,

old age will come and it's not kind.

And when you go - and go you must –

you, yourself will make more dust!

It's not what you gather,
but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

Wisdom! Let us attend!

Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so.

Gore Vidal - US author & dramatist

WWJD ?

"NASTY BAD PAGANS?" Protesting hate speech on NBC

On Wednesday, June 25, 2008, during a live broadcast of a wedding reception on the TODAY Show, Kathy Lee Gifford gratuitously referred to Pagans as "nasty, bad Pagans." Ms. Gifford's hate speech has done harm to American Pagans' ability to live in peace with our neighbors of other faiths. By allowing her hate speech to be broadcast, her direct employer the TODAY Show, and their network, NBC, participate in that hate speech.



This is a petition calling for, at the very least, an on-air apology. A TODAY Show program devoted to dispelling misconceptions about Pagans and Paganism would go a long ways toward undoing the damage..

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/quotnasty-bad-pagansquot-protesting-hate-speech-on-nbc

Clicking the link below will take you to the site to view the video:

http://today. msnbc. msn. com/id/21134540/vp/2536821625368216Pass this on...

Believe it!

more cat pictures

Don't rock the boat

After an orange cloud — formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara and caught up by air currents — reached the Philippines and settled there with rain, I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat.

~ Vladimir Kovalyonok (Astronaut)

A belated Blessed Mid-Summer Solstice to all...

Opportunity knocks.

Let's assume that each person has an equal opportunity, not to become equal, but to become different.

~John Fischer

I believe it was Mahatma Gandhi who said “Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress”.

Personally, I think some people try too hard, don’t you?

Don't be late...

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.

~Rumi

an explanation...

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.
- Emily Dickinson

... and currently I am very startled.

an answer...

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across
the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
~ Crowfoot

Wisdom of the Ages

''Dance, as though no one is watching,
Love, as though you've never been hurt before,
Sing, as though no one can hear you,
Work, as though you don't need the money,
Live, as though heaven is on earth. ''

~ Rumi

Happy Mother's Day

for all the Moms, Mothers-to-be, and Mothers who live on in our hearts...

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

a blessed Beltane

Food for Thought

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.

~Arthur C. Clarke

Impossible!

Things are only impossible until they're not.
Jean-Luc Picard, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

may it be...

May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being.

~Apache Blessing

I'm not a fan...

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.

~Author Unknown

I don’t believe you can plan romance… romance is spontaneous.
Honestly, when I look back on all the romantic moments I’ve experienced NONE was planned, orchestrated, or involved roses, chocolate, or heinous poetry in a sappy card.

Food for thought

When the pearl is cast down in the mud it does not become dishonoured the more, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil will it become more precious. But it has its worth in the eyes of its owner at all times.

Philip the Gnostic, translated by R. Wilson
The Gospel of Philip

May you...

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

~ Kurt Vonnegut

A little green IOU...

Microlending.
Give it some thought

Wisdom of the Ages

You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape.

• If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40.
• If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

work it baaaaaaby

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

~Duke Ellington

Arrogance is a kingdom without a crown

Nothing can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.
~Sidney J. Harris

Where would we be without such amusing diversions? While sanity may be soothing, this madness makes the day more delightful.

;)

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung

Dammit.

Ring out the old; Ring in the New

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.
~Hamilton Wright Mabie

If we're fools whether we dance or not, then we might as well dance... so get out there and dance my lovelies!

Blessings of Light...

May all the joys of the season be yours...
and may there be peace and light in the coming year.

Whatever you're celebrating, may it be happy, healthy, and safe.

See you next year.

Food for Thought

We can't control our destiny, but we can control who we become.

Anne Frank

'Tis the season

art credit: Jackie Ocean

For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Food for Thought series

For all that has been, thanks; to all that will be, yes.

Dag Hammarskjold

How old are you?

Girls leave their schedule wide-open and wait for a guy to call and make plans.
Grown women make their own plans and nicely tell the guy to get in where he fits.

Girls want to control the man in their life.
Grown women know that if he's truly hers, he doesn't need controlling.

Girls get upset with you for not calling them.
Grown women are too busy to realize you hadn't.

Girls are afraid to be alone.
Grown women revel in it-using it as a time for personal growth.

Girls ignore the good guys.
Grown women ignore the bad guys.

Girls make you come home.
Grown women make you want to come home.

Girls worry about not being pretty and/or good enough for their man.
Grown women know that they are pretty and/or good enough for any man.

Girls try to monopolize all their man's time (i.e., don't want him hanging with his friends).
Grown women realize that a lil' bit of space makes the 'together time' even more special-and goes to kick it with her own friends.

Girls think a guy crying is weak.
Grown women offer their shoulder and a tissue.

Girls want to be spoiled and 'tell' their man so.
Grown women 'show' him and make him comfortable enough to reciprocate without fear of losing his 'manhood'.

Girls get hurt by one man and make all men pay for it.
Grown women know that was just one man.

Girls fall in love and chase aimlessly after the object of their affection, ignoring all 'signs'.
Grown women know that sometimes the one you love, don't always love you back-and move on, without bitterness.

....It's too bad for all the grown women out there that there are so many Boys dressed up as Men

use it...

When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.

Audre Lorde

Affirmations

I love my strange beauty and amazing pain
I love my hungry soul and entertaining games
I love my flaws, my gaps, my fears
I love my mysterious, dazzling frontiers

I will never forsake, betray or deceive myself
I will always adore, forgive and believe in myself
I will never refuse, abandon or scorn myself
I will always amuse, delight and redeem myself

Beauty and truth and love will always find me
Chaos and wilderness will always sustain me
I'm the fire and water and earth and air that are forever fresh from eternity
I'm a perfect creation and everything alive is naturally in love with me

from Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia, by Rob Brezsny
(found on mysticmirth's LJ)

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.

Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

Sometimes it does pay to open your email...

Food for Thought series

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
and things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art; to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Food for Thought series

Honor the tradition but expand the understanding. That's what religions must do right now if they hope to be helpful to humans in the years ahead.

Neale Donald Walsch
Tomorrow's God

Food for Thought series

You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can decide how you're going to live now.

Joan Baez

Choose well!
Namaste

Happy Father's Day

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.
~Clarence Budington Kelland


HAPPY FATHER"S DAY
to all the Dads out there!

ashes to ashes...

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

They say that nothing endures but change; that change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix…

But just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed, does it?

Vote thoughtfully.
Act responsibly.

Who knows what will rise from the ashes

...and there it is

I have a right to my anger, and I don't want anybody telling me I shouldn't be, that it's not nice to be, and that something's wrong with me because I get angry.

Maxine Waters, in Brian Lanker, I Dream a World, 1989

Food for thought...

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

~Anaïs Nin