have you heard these lately?

musically, this weekend for various reasons these oldies appeared:
American Pie
Good Vibrations
Earache My Eye
Garden Party

I'll update with some lyrics soon. in the meantime, ponder (or plunder?).

update 6/19:
American Pie - simple song that's easy to sing along with in a group ('cause the chorus repeats at least 5 times). the lyrics sound Dylan-esque, but I think they're just bad poetry. I did think this line was poetic; apparently I misheard it, but I like my interpretation better: "fire is the Devil's home and friend" -- interesting idea isn't it? something warm, comfortable, inviting and destructive - the metabolism of life. this was a bit hit in jr. high, made into a movie, covered by Madonna and is still getting radio play.
whatever!

Good Vibrations - Beach Boys classic with like 9 chords, resulting in "good frustrations" by other musicians trying to play it. their harmonics were great and I'm thankful Brian Wilson was able to write songs like this regardless of the marketing pressures. this song came together with luck (it was recorded in three studios). according to a BB documentary I saw on father's day, the love theme was put in the lyrics later - the original inspiration was spiritual "vibrations" felt from the family dog. another whatever!

Earache My Eye - Cheech and Chong classic that I again recall from jr. high. haven't heard it on the radio, but was explaining it to my sons and had to get it -- will play for them tonight. now that summer's here, they can appreciate the luxury of staying in bed till whenever. the song itself is played by obviously good studio musicians; here are some credits I found:

Written by: Chong/De Lorme/Marin

David Sanborn - Saxophone
Gene Page - Horn Arrangements
Steve Katz - Engineer
Stanley Sheldon - Bass
Waddy Wachtel - Drums
Jai Winding - Keyboards


These are the credits given on the album sleeve,
but there were a number of rumors that Clapton
played guitar and Billy Preston played the B3
Hammond, but I have no evidence to support
it.

hmm!

Garden Party - another 70's pop song getting exposure lately and I don't know why. all I know is "you can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself".

so there ya go!

ensoulment entrapment

drawing lines on imaginary slippery slopes to preserve human dignity...

this story is timely, but of deeper consequence than PH news. I'm referring to the recent mouse experiments which achieved creation of embryonic stem cells without embryos (Scientists Use Skin To Create Stem Cells).
scientists have:

"coaxed ordinary mouse skin cells to become what are effectively embryonic stem cells...all adult cells, including easily retrieved skin cells, carry dormant genetic instructions for turning themselves back into embryonic cells."

notably, the first word I heard from the church was positive:

"Morally and practically, this new approach appears to be far superior," said Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

his blessing is of course for the eventual avoidance of human embryo destruction while pursuing miracle cures for the already born. politically religious types applaud because human lives (the innocent, almost microscopic type) will be saved.

this opens an avenue of acceptance for therapeutic cloning.

it also points out the crumbling foundation of moral reason the church must now logically dance around.

why? because according to doctrine, people are not supposed to "play God"; yet science is shoving into our faces the fact that we do and must "play God".

if we oppose advances in modern medicine we'll tend toward the extremes like the Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse even blood transfusions, prefering to let "nature take it course". but soon, for us in the mainstream, we will be able to "preserve human dignity" and also avoid debilitating illnesses.

hopefully, sometime in the near future, I will have the option of using my own skin cells (hundreds of which I destroy daily one way or another), to generate new organs for my aging body so like a classic car, I can keep going a long, long time.
as my different parts wear out I'll grow new kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, intestines, skin, bones, brain cells... where does it end?
like the story of the ancient ship whose rotted wood was replaced piece by piece until none of the original boards remained, I'll still retain my "me-ness" throughout. I won't even be a chimera, because all these new organs I grow will have my own DNA - just as the food I eat becomes "me", so will these new parts be incorporated.

so after all my parts are replaced, what's happened to the "me" that was conceived and grown in my mom decades ago?
the answer lies in viewing personhood as not a discrete object (or particle) in time, but switching to the "wave theory" view of being like my buddy Ray Kurzweil, the "patternist" describes. he sees personhood as a bundle of memories of experiences interacting with other bundles of consciousness and describes in analogy the view that "being" is less like a unit of water, and more "being" the pattern or shape of water flowing over rocks in a stream.

but back to the question about playing God...
as was explained to me, the church's philosophy is that "life begins at conception" (pro/con) because, without better evidence, that is the earliest possible moment the soul, or personhood as it were, could be incarnated. therefore, to be on the safe side, it's immoral to destroy human zygotes (the church looks at intent - if you are willing to murder what may be a person, then you for all intents and purposes are guilty of homicide).

but soon, with embryo-less therapeutic cloning there is no murder... only creation anew and the continuum of life is maintained without conception.

isn't this a problem?
well, what we're talking about is these embryonic stem cells (traditionally made via sexual reproduction). one problem with placing personhood or "ensoulment" at conception has been the fact that after a few divisions the little bundle of joy can split up and become twins. hmm, so there was one soul, one person, now two...that's a bit of a problem. but what's worse, what about of all the skin cells I'm destroying? please realize that with this newfangled procedure, each one of them will have the potential to become an embryo!
in other words, a cell of me can revert back to embryonic stem cell status from which it can proceed to become another person. so much for starting life at conception. this discrete view of being is going to be as antiquated as the view of the universe revolving around the earth.

you could say skin cell destruciton is not murder because "well it's only a potential"... yes, but isn't that what the pro-choicers have said all along? and yet the church seems to now agree!

I guess is the best defense is to keep having good intentions. that should keep us out of hell, right?

references:
"Ordinary cells reprogrammed to mirror stem cells" (LATimes)
HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS: A PRIMER

the visionary is reading...

my friend Jennifer at goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com invites us to "blog about your vision of what is possible" because "We need to imagine a world healed from its illnesses. We need to allow the images of peace and goodness to enter our consciousness, our minds, and our souls. We need to believe a world of compassion and care is a real possibility."

keeping that in mind, I was planning on doing a little book report today anyway and it kind of ties in with that meme.

"The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham, 1944:
as Jeffery Leach writes, "'The Razor’s Edge' really has a simple message. It asks us to reflect on how we lead our lives. Do we follow the masses or seek inner fulfillment? Is it right or wrong to drop out of society and follow our inner selves?".
I can identify with Larry Darrel, the main character to some degree; however we are in very different situations. my path to enlightenment has not led me to a guru in India for one...

an excerpt dealing with reincarnation:
'Am I right in thinking that it means that the soul passes from body to body in an endless course of experience occaisioned by the merit or demerit of previous works?'
'I think so.'
'But you see, I'm not only my spirit but my body, and who can decide how much I, my individual self, am conditioned by the accident of my body? Would Byron have been Byron but for his club foot, or Dostoyevsky Dostoyevsky without his epilipsy?'
'The Indians wouldn't speak of an accident. They would answer that it's your action in previous lives that have determined your soul to inhabit an imperfect body.' Larry drummed idly on the table and, lost in thought, gazed into space. Then, with a faint smile on his lips and a reflective look in his eyes, he went on. 'Has it occurred to you that transmigration is at once an explanation and a justification of the evil of the world? If the evils we suffer are the result of sins committed in our past lives we can bear them with resignation and hope that if in this one we strive towards virtue our future lives will be less affected. But it's easy enough to bear our own evils, all we need for that is a little manliness; what's intolerable is the evil, often so unmerited in appearance, that befalls others. If you can persuade yourself that it is the inevitable result of the past you may pity, you may do what you can to alleviate, and you should, but you have no cause to be indignant.

they also made a movie from the book (starring Bill Murray) if you are so inclined.

the mechanic's uncertainty principle

best illustrated when you take your car to the mechanic and it doesn't make that nagging noise anymore. usually described as "unable to duplicate the problem", I come across the mechanic's uncertainty principle frequently at work helping people with their PC's: a printer doesn't work, a document won't format correctly, a file won't save, a database error, etc... they call IT for help, I look at what's happening and magically, just using my laserbeam eyes or a few simple keystrokes, the problem disappears. "what did you do?" and "of course it works for you!" are the normal praises I get. that's ok; my magic with computers is the main reason they keep me around, put up with my abuse and feed me doughnuts.

I'm surprised to see nobody else has given this phenomena a good name yet. so allow me to make my contribution to the vernacular. Dr. Sam the dentist called it "threat therapy" and "The Magical Curative Power of the Threshold", but I prefer my more generic term... it ties in with the related Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle which explains in part why the universe fundamentally needs some randomness and why focused attention can sometimes change (and fix!) things. now if I can just get my new term to catch on. digg this or something people!

you're mormon or a member...

...to have fun in Salt Lake City that is, according to someone in our party. I'm definitely not mormon and agree with Groucho Marx that "I'd never join any club that would have me as a member". yet here I was last weekend at Murphy's Bar newly bestowed with a lifetime membership (drinking only allowed in "private" clubs in Utah) and slamming down car bombs with the "wild cousins" in celebration of the impending wedding of a family member. (earlier, during enjoyment of a few microbrews at Squatters Pub and being asked my relationship to the wedding couple numerous times, I figured out I was the bride's-aunt's-step-son-in-law.)

it was a fun, whirlwind weekend trip in crazy Utah. now and then it's nice to feel like you belong, to be inside and included. I'm not the bar hopping gregarious type. my normal state is one of peaceful solitude. that's where I'm most comfortable and productive. but it's good to get dissolute once in while... and what better excuse than a new marriage?

while I claim to be religious, my religion is not organized. sunday afternoon as we toured the spotless gardens, buildings and statues in Temple Square and I read the official proclamations chiseled in stone, I kept wondering out loud "why was Joseph Smith murdered?" (story here). how else is my religion disorganized? I enjoy reading the gutsy athiest reasoning and debates by the likes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens (skewering the corpse of the recently departed Jerry Falwell).

my god of course allows suffering, hate and discontent, and a general lack of caring as well as good and love. the best evidence for my god is existence itself - "I am" is all I need. the proof of our existence is self-evident. another man's view of the probabilities of our existence happening as it is are
"The Incredible Design of the Earth and Our Solar System" or
"Probability For Life On Earth". take that with a bit of salt please.

anyway, the most religious conversation I had in salt lake was downtown sunday not in temple square where the pleasant zombies greeted me, but at carls jr -- one of the few places open on the sabbath. on the way to wash up I came across a paraplegic borderline homeless guy (looked rough but had bought lunch and had a cellphone). he was complaining about a hobo outside the restaurant begging and stealing from the salsa bar - "It's not right, him doing that...". I started to engage in conversation saying saying we all do what me must, we all have our crosses to bear. but he wasn't interested in listening, so I moved on. after lunch and exiting carls I was approached by aforementioned hobo at the corner. our conversation went like this:
"excuse me sir, I'm an american indian. you know, your father defeated Superman".
"Superman? my father?"
"your father defeated Superman. and he defeated Spiderman."
"are you talking about the great father?"
he paused and smiled. he didn't know what to say.
from behind me came a yell. "aaaaah! where you going?"
I turned and saw a mildly disabled (physical and mentally I think) guy pushed an overweight woman in a wheelchair. they had trouble coming up the curb because a concrete barrier and my body were blocking the way somewhat. the two started arguing. they were well practiced and quick about it. my american indian friend tried to intervene: "don't fight. please don't fight. I'm an american indian..."
they were gone quickly and the hobo came back to me. "I was hoping to get a quarter or maybe fifty cents".
"oh, feeling lucky are you?"
I placed a quarter in his thick palm and looked at his aged pocked face and cloudy eyes. he took the quarter and said "call it" with a smile.
"tails", I said. he deftly gave it a flip. I lost.

so where was god in all of this? where was god witnessed in salt lake city? in existence itself.. in each of the interactions described. that maya is my pantheistic heresy, part of my catholicus religion. like the tree falling in the forest with no one to hear, I tell my stories to the universe of the internet and say "yes, god was here. this did happen."

from the hobo's coin flip to the blessed union of Brad and Emily, God indeed was with us.

lastly, don't know how this all fits in, but it seems I just missed bumping into another religious leader in SLC: Rev. Al Sharpton was doing the mormon thang today (story). politics dontcha know. I think I prefer the Rev's debate with Christopher Hitchens. hmmm, that's all about book promotion, right?

Hillary to win: a backlash to violence

violence is it's own reward for men. that's my interpretation of a
1987 rat experiment by Swanson and Schuster where high testosterone mice were preoccupied with maintaining dominance hierarchies (fighting) and low testosterone mice cooperated in a democratic fashion to earn rewards.

while I myself admit to enjoying high energy testosterone induced levels of excitement, I sense that a shift is needed to foster real progress away from the current specter of Farfur the AK47 toting mouse.

in the emerging world order women are taking more control.
take the legal arena for example. yesterday I was introduced (in a sexual harrassment prevention seminar) to the "reasonable woman standard" of legal judgment -- that is, what the typical man thinks is not considered proper and sufficient in judging sexual matters; instead, what a typical woman would decide is how evidence is weighed. despite the recent supreme court ruling on "partial birth" abortions, women in general are going to get more of what they want, because they are better at cooperation and support.

so while the he/she ratio is still strongly biased towards male newsmakers, expect that to change as the new Clinton presidency formulates.

the competing view I have is that the best looking candidate always wins; there I thought, Edwards or Obama had it. not any more.

so reasonable women are the new standard bearers. but then what of reasonable men?
as George Bernard Shaw wrote: "The reasonable man adapt's himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man" (Man and Superman, 1903).

maybe that's why I don't play by the rules?

in light of this, to close, I must share a female perspective:
Heidi of Hollywood said "In general, I think men are great. I think they’re a lot like horses. Beautiful to look at and fun to play with sometimes, but at the moment I’m definitely glad I don’t have to take care of one."

mark my words people!

'on earth as it is in heaven' indeed...

Norman Mailer recently spoke about his latest book "The Castle in the Forest", a fictionalized biography of a young Adolf Hitler, a child loved by his mother who yet became history's evil incarnate as the unexplainable killer of millions.

In an interview w/Micheal Silverblatt, Mailer describes his religious beliefs which provide structure for the story:

"When George Bush speaks about 'evil', he speaks of an enormous sweeping force that we have to mass up with our own huge sweeping forces and face him, face to face and fight him down, knock him down. Let me speak about fundamentalism, because I happen to be religious, I happen to believe that God exists. I believe it because it's simpler for me to believe that there is a creator than there is not one. I was an atheist for many years and the problem I always had with it is how do we all begin, what are we all about? Here we are with our rich complicated lives, so moral, so immoral, so good, so evil, so sweet, so ugly, and all of that has come out of a couple of germs colliding with one another? It never made sense to me and so over the years I began to think that what if one were to see God as a creator; an existential God, a God who could succeed or fail, a God who has a vision. And this is a God with whom we are entwined. And I began to see Satan in the same way, as also existential. Satan doing his best (or her best, just as you'd see God as his or her), to diminish human beings, to destroy civilization, to end this creation of God's. Now, the fundamentalists are exactly opposed to all this. The fundamentalists believe that there is only one way to live and that way is found in the Old Testament and even more in the New Testament. And this was all written by God and that's all you ever need to know and to have any ideas that are outside the Old Testament and the New Testament you're in danger of heresy and evil and ugliness and so forth. So they're absolutely monotonous and uninspiring as thinkers. They are totalitarian in the extreme. I've gone so far as to say that fundamentalism could end up being the last weapon of mass destruction. In that sense, I'm opposed to that -- my little notion that God is existential. But following that out makes for a very interesting study of what the devil does and what God does in relation to us. Which is it's small acts with small people all the time. So it's as if each small personal life has their own notion of what they want to do and become and at the same time they are affected to the right and to the left (however one wants to describe it) by activities of small gods and small demons -- and there's a huge bureaucracy on either flank. Not to mention our own bureaucracies of corporate capitalism..."

so this is the sense Mailer has made out of the world in his eighty some years. is it right? what do you think? as someone once said, "there are no answers. there are only questions".

it's all new, it's all good...

I was doing a little searching and came across something I posted elsewhere quite some time ago. it's interesting and maybe correct as much as it is, but also quite incomplete if you subscribe to the notion that you have in your head a set of "rules to live by". so why do I post it (again)? well, like the "eternal return", some things just keep coming back and never really get outdated. and the possibility is it's new to you, my reader:

“If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!”. here’s a nutshell of that book that a reviewer on amazon gave:
1. This is it!
2. There are no hidden meanings
3. You can’t get there from here, and besides, there’s no place else to go
4. We are all already dying and we’ll be dead for a long time.
5. Nothing lasts!
6. There is no way of getting all you want.
7. You can’t have anything unless you let go of it.
8. You only get to keep what you give away.
9. There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.
10. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.
11. You have the responsibility to do your best nonetheless.
12. It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.
13. You don’t really control anything.
14. You can’t make someone love you.

so what was it I searching for? I googled "wonderland tomawesome" and wandered a bit. I searched because of a note from someone I've forgotten all about. she bumped into my profile on mybloglog and said "hi". (as a side note, I even have her on my blogroll -- see wonderland or not below). funny, when we keep forgetting (which I guess we must prepare for in old age), what tools we are left with to cope.that little mental jostle also reminded me to consider making a commitment to blog more often (courtesy of an idea podcasted by my pal Jason Calacanis a while ago "how to become an 'A-list' blogger"). I have no shortage of things to write about (could start by elaborating on my del.icio.us links), but the quality, I fear, would suffer. so what is my decision? for now, time and priorities dictate no changes. btw Alice, yr blog has mos def improved in the last two years and inspires (guilts?) me to somehow improve this blog. maybe :)
hey if this post inspires anyone, let me know and let's see what kind of connections reappear!

p.s. Jason, I may be linkbaiting you.

currently reading...

yes, it's time to post my reasons for not posting. besides taxes, here's what I've been spending time on:

Wicked
As reviewer: Growllingbear (Half Moon Bay, CA USA) - said in 1999:
Raises disturbing questions about nature of evil
If you can find a better bang for the buck than Wicked, please let me know. I picked up Wicked, knowing nothing except that its subject matter was the Wicked Witch of the West, to be drawn immediately into Maguire's splendidly imagined world of
sentient animals, multiple societies, and unique physical laws. Wicked is an enthralling, great read, hugely entertaining. On top of all this, Maguire has Bradbury's gift for creating atmosphere. The pages are heavy with dark, mysterious magic; its moral laws are ultimately incomprehensible.

Black Swan Green
I meant to include some good quotes from the book, but I've already returned it to the library. sorr, chum! I don't really like what the amazon reviewers say and much prefer the KCRW Bookworm interview of Micheal Silverblatt with the author (which got me interested): It's not a "coming of age" story; it a prequel to coming-of-age. It's easy and incorrect to pigeonhole it as being like "Catcher in the Rye" -- Jason Taylor is not Holden Caulfield. I was thinking of having my son read it, but he's a few years away yet from the terrors of early teenage years.

both fun reads which I recommend!

p.s. a little shout out (since we're on books) to my recently passed pal Kurt Vonnegut whom I mentioned a year ago. thanks!

"Stolen Car" by Beth Orton

little change in direction here. this woman is a great vocalist and (I think) a pretty good lyricist too. may not make much sense to you, but who knows, maybe something will stick. here's the lyrics from a good 1999 song of hers:

You walked into my house last night

I couldn't help but notice

A light that was long gone still burning strong

You were sitting

Your fingers like fuses

Your eyes were cinnamon

You said you stand for every known abuse

That was ever threatened to anyone but you

And why should I know better by now

When I'm old enough not to?

While every line speaks the language of love

It never held the meaning I was thinking of

And I can't decide over right or wrong

I guess sometimes you need the place where you belong

Some may sing the wrong words to the wrong melody

It's little things like this that matter to me

Others feel that you should stand

For every known abuse to hand

And all the things that they could never see

You said you stood

For every known abuse that was promised to anyone like you

Don't you wish you knew better by now

When you're old enough not to?

When every line speaks the language of love

And never held the meaning I was thinking of

And I can't decide over right or wrong

You left the feeling that I just do not belong

One drink too many

And a joke gone too far

I see a face driving a stolen car

Gets harder to hide

When you're hitching a ride

Harder to hide what you really saw

Oh, yeah, you stand

For every known abuse that I've ever seen my way through

Don't I wish I knew better by now?

Well I think I'm starting to

While every line speaks the language of love

It never held the meaning I was thinking of

And I've lost the line between right or wrong

I just want to find the place where I belong

Why should you know better by now

When you're old enough not to?

I wish I knew better by now

When I'm old enough not to...

(this post inspired by a conversation on second life)

Vietnam: Johnny Walker, the B52's, Huey and the logistics

war story relayed to me the other day at a party. a true story in the spirit of "Apocalypse Now", "M*A*S*H" and "Catch-22":

it seems that in the military wherever you are there's always a shortage of something and too much of something else. it reminds me of a time in 'Nam when a buddy and I "borrowed" a helicopter (that is to say we took it without permission), in order to go make a pickup of some cases of Johnny Walker Red whiskey. this was near the end in '72 and it seems an officer's club was closing down and they had all this alcohol that was going to be abandoned or poured into the dirt. so we flew in and found out sure enough, it was there for the taking, so loaded the Huey full of these cases of Johnny Walker and headed back, feeling pretty good. small problem though. since we hadn't filed a flight plan, this all being "unofficial business", nobody knew about us and we didn't know what we were flying through. until it was too late and we saw the bombs falling. apparently we were going right through a bombing raid. a squadron of B52's five miles above was carpet bombing the area below us and we were smack in the middle of it. these were 500 pound bombs that exploded about 200 feet above ground for wide area impact (airburst?). we could see them dropping around us and my buddy was doing everything he could to dodge them. he was laughing crazy and I thought we were gonna die. any one of those bombs hit us and we'd drop like a rock. the worst part was when they exploded, the air concussion rocked and thundered and I thought we'd get blown out of the sky even if we did dodge them coming down. this kept going on and I was terrified; I won't tell you what I did in my pants. finally, against all odds, we made it back to camp and landed safely. we were really shook up but alive and unharmed. unfortunately the cases of whiskey did not survive. every bottle broke from the concussion of the explosions. that helicopter was soaked with whiskey and it all just drained out. nothing left but soggy cardboard and broken glass. the guys at camp were not pleased with our accomplishment. and to this day I cannot stand the smell of whiskey.

the Spanish-American war, Moro warriers and Colt .45

100 years ago radical Muslim extremists helped correct a U.S. killing policy

the Spanish-American War brought out plenty of man's brutality (maybe even helped bring about the Geneva Conventions?), but you can find that elsewhere. this is, instead, a war story about making death quicker and less brutal; it's well known among gun enthusiasts but much less so for the rest of us. being the eclectric trivia sponge I am, I enjoyed it and so pass it on here...

it seems that after the war was won and the U.S. gained several territories from Spain (Phillipines, Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc.) there was still a matter of imposing our new superpower will upon the local population. most acquiesed, but not the wild fanatic extremist Muslims -- the "Moros" who would submit to no outside authority.

the Moro juramentado were among the fiercest guerrilla's ever faced. on their own personal jihad, these dudes took the fast track to paradise. imagine being encamped in a dark jungle clearing and being surprised by a suicidal savage armed with razor sharp machete like knives (the "kris" and "barong")
running and screaming at you, the target, to be hacked and slashed to death. actually "suicidal" is semantically incorrect because muslims are not allowed to go on a "suicide mission"... even though they prepare and expect to die (they even bound their limbs tourniquet style to slow blood loss to keep fighting despite multiple gunshot wounds). the attack is for the purpose of taking enemy lives -- just like the car bombers of today. a shining example of how religions distort our perception of reality if ever I saw one.

the old Colt 45 "Peacemaker" SAA (single action army) revolver, famous as the gun that won the West (or was that the Springfield Trapdoor?), favored by cowboys, had been issued by the U.S. Army as the "Calvary" model. problem was by 1893 they were considered old technology besides being worn out.

Colt brought out the "New Army" .38 model that had some technological improvements (double action) and was issued as the official sidearm for US officers for 17 years or so. big mistake if you were stuck in the Philipines with one of these though. that gun is infamous for not being able to stop the Moro warriors. sure they'd eventually die, but they could keep fighting and killing much too long with just .38 slugs in them. what worked was buckshot or big dum-dums.

quickly the US govt realized and dealt with the mistake. they refurbished and reissued the Colt 45, this time calling it the "Artillery" model.

that is the pistol you wanted to have handy if you were in the middle of the Moro rebellion in the 1890's.

so the .45 caliber became the new standard sidearm bullet for it's superior stopping power against the worst of 'em. later, the venerable 1911 semi-automatic govt model became the standard US military pistol for most of the 20th century all the way till 1985 when the beretta M9 (9mm) took over... but that's another story!

lessons learned: I was never taught any of this in high school american history. guess there was too many events to gloss over... I "remember the 'Maine'" but didn't get any of these gory details in school. but maybe someone will use this post as an inspiration for a theme paper or something! as for me, when I'm handed some weird 100 year old guns and get to hear their history while examining 'em (as I was)... that's what makes for an interesting history lesson.

References:
http://www.bakbakan.com/junglep/jp-17.html
http://www.bakbakan.com/swishk/swk4-26.html
http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2006/02/asymmetrical-warfare-1906.html
http://www.manatarmsbooks.com/excerpt.html
www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_166_27/ai_109265006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Single_Action_Army
http://www.antiquearmsinc.com/colt-new-army-revolver.htm

antiques roadshow moment...

Sidney Richard Percy (1821-1886), Victorian landscape artist extraordinaire


I'm no art expert, but I know what I like when I see it, and I saw quality.

as they say at richard-green.com:

"Percy was a master of his craft...The artist seduces us with perfection - in the composition, in his technique, in the overall effect of achieving sublimity. He captures the full interplay between time, place, the elements - and his own emotions. S R Percy has emerged as one of the most accomplished landscape painters from a gifted generation."

how much perfection? well Mark Murray galleries has one of his works on sale for $28,0000. many of his works can be found in English museums.

so believe it or not, last week I got my own personal framed Percy original oil "Meadowland Home" at a thrift shop (location to remain undisclosed) for $10 (check out the pic)! but it's not for sale. I just like having it and enjoying it. studying it at my leisure is an art lesson in itself. and fine art makes for good long term investments...

so should I be planning a trip to be on "antiques roadshow" next time they're in town? mmm, maybe, but probably not. you see, I did some close comparison of the signatures and pretty much decided that my Percy is not THE Percy so admired. a nice painting in any case. and you never know (compare my pic with the links and you'll see what I mean)... anyway, the real lesson is that thrift shops in the right locations can be very good places to find your treasures.

surfbeanies...

well since I'm in a promotional mood, check out surfbeanies.com. support the cause... here's a guy who works just enough to keep surfing. a friend of mine bought her surfbeanie at the Brea Farmers Market a while back and she told me about it. she thought he was living in Costa Rica, but from a quick glance at his blog it seems he is back in town. check it out and maybe do some xmas shopping... the beanie looked good on my friend :)

robot dog & regular dog

I just loves these cartoons... they're freakin' sweet!

Robot Dog & Regular Dog: Boom Boom Beach
Robot Dog & Regular Dog: Go Fly a Kite

I wish the creator Jim Mehsling would make more of them. OK, that's my plug, go check em out!

the Russian 'Tobacco Rebellion'

I heard first heard of this incident a couple weeks ago and did a little research. not a whole lot on the Internet about it; this story is from '96...

"In the summer of 1990, the Soviet Union's terminal economic crisis descended upon the product that many Russians considered their most irreplaceable: cigarettes. Faced with mass shortages of Soviet-made brands, angry smokers in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other Soviet cities staged the protests that became known as the tobacco rebellion. A desperate President Mikhail Gorbachev fired the minister in charge of the industry and pleaded with the West for help.

To the rescue rode Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds..."

read the rest of this article at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/tobacco/stories/global3.htm

something about this "strikes" me as an interesting seed for a story (fiction?)
imagine living in a place that is bearable only because tobacco and vodka are readily available.

perfect male scents...

cologne ratings season

now that gift buying time is here, check out these womens opinions about what they love on a man:

Perfect? I love Romeo Gigli Cologne by Romeo Gigli... and Fahrenheit by Christian Dior but whether they are perfect for men...

Fiona allessandro dell'aqua for man 4/4/2004 6:09 AM
is my best for now. it's very organised and i feel it's like bracing air. i like moderate ones for men.

Frederique what about... 4/5/2004 12:50 AM
Aqua di Parma?

Taner 4/6/2004 2:47 PM
Well I just put on some Venezia -Uomo while reading forum, I liked it very much for the first few seconds so why not.
I would say Very Sexy from Victoria Secret is also very tempting, not same kind of alchemy though.

Lobna 4/7/2004 7:41 PM
D&G has one that smells... intoxicating.. i love it- but i dont know what its called -one of my guy friends had it on

Frederique D&G... 4/8/2004 1:21 AM
Does it come in a silver top bottle, with a light greenish colour perfume?

Does it smell fresh, lemony and musky at the same time?
It could be D&G Masculin.

Indeed it is lovely.

Do you also know Déclaration by Cartier?
I'm sure you'd like it.

Carla 4/11/2004 7:33 PM
Definetly Chaleur D'Animale for men,it's devine!The best male scent ever!

Lobna 4/12/2004 7:31 PM
that sounds like it, i mainly remember that it was strong- reminded me of aramis

Anna 5/19/2004 3:06 PM
I really like Angel for Men. My husband uses that exclusively ever since it came out.

5/24/2004 1:12 AM
i still have to turn my head and follow the scent with my nose when i recognize it in any man in the street,Kouros, my unique, great and lost love's perfume (although he used it in excessive amounts and gave me headaches :OP)
here are my favs: 6/12/2004 9:01 PM
1) Kenzo pour homme (to DIE for)
NOTES: Marine, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Vetiver

2) Dior - Fahrenheit
NOTES: Hawthorn, Sandalwood

3) Dolce & Gabbana - pour homme
NOTES: Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, Lavender, Sage, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Cedar.

J. 6/23/2004 11:21 AM
Angel for men & Xerius Rouge Givenchy

Celso Issey Miyake 6/23/2004 4:27 PM
The best male scent is definetly L'eau D'issey by Issey Miyake, it's like THE parfume!!

Raquel 6/23/2004 8:59 PM
My favorite one is Boss in Motion- Hugo Boss...... it´s outstanding.
I also really like Ferrari Black and 212

Katrin 6/25/2004 4:07 AM
Laura Biagotti "Roma"...uhh it makes me crazy:)

Cha L´Eau d´Issey 6/28/2004 4:36 AM
That´s my favorite.

Juan 6/28/2004 11:24 PM
"Envy" by Gucci!

Cha Found out.... 7/2/2004 12:53 AM
that the "brand new" Polo Blue is really gooooooooooooooooooood!

Marta GREAT ONES 7/2/2004 9:26 PM
i love Mont Blanc (but just a few men wear it) and also a MOSCHINO, just don't know exactly which one...

L'eau d'Issey - Issey Miyake 7/8/2004 3:43 PM
simply wonderful!...
Le Male! 7/9/2004 7:21 AM
I idolatre "Le Male", from Jean-Paul Gaultier... I just LOVE that one... geeeeez, it seems to me that i feel that fragrance in the air...

Leonardo 7/10/2004 6:08 PM
Definitly the best parfum is Escada

Roberta 7/12/2004 7:43 AM
I simply love Carolina Herrera 212 for Men and Hugo Boss Elements. Polo Blue is also amazing! They are very sexy fragances...

Heloisa It depends..... 8/12/2004 3:15 PM
Herrera for men -by Carolina Herrera

DKNY for men - Donna Karan

Armani pour Homme - Giorgio Armani

Fendi- Uommo

CK - Calvin Klein
it depends who is wearing it!

Samara 8/12/2004 5:03 PM
oh I just LOVE Hugo Boss #1 and Angel for men

Berit simply the best.. 8/17/2004 5:08 AM
...perfume for men is carolina herrera 212, mmmmm all time favourite:P

Paula One of the best! 8/17/2004 11:10 AM
In my opinion, one of the best male scents is XS, by Pacco Rabane!

Cavanhaque HUMNN... 8/17/2004 11:16 AM
Aqua di Giò pour homme and Kenzo!!
:-)

Onaiza 8/21/2004 10:13 AM
Issey Miyake !!!!!!!! and ice berg isnt bad too !
perfect for the ones who seek for perfection!;)

Le Male is Incontestable !!! 10/20/2004 10:54 AM
Le Male by Gaultier is the best male scent in the "world of parfums" !!!

Will 12/16/2004 9:56 PM
MY TOP 4 cologne picks as of now ******
#1 . Aqua di Parma/BLU/Mandorlo di Sicilia

#2. Himalaya ( House of CREED )

#3. Comme des Garcon INCENSE series #3
"Avignon" it smells just like
a catholic church after they burn the Frankencense !!!! Totally UNIQUE !!!!!

#4. L'Occitane Vetiver !!!! YUM.
earthy but classy .

Gustavo 12/17/2004 9:04 AM
i dont know.. i really like my fahrenheit...

but.. this thing is not very exactly as we want it to be... each perfume has an unique smell for each person... not even talkin about personal taste...

dont you think?

Usama 212 rocks 12/18/2004 3:06 PM
212's the best ................
coz its soo strong so gd so awesome..........i mean u just have to smell it to fall in love wit it
TRY it seriously

Carla 12/19/2004 7:01 AM
Escada Magnetism, Jill Sander, Chemistry by Clinique and Marc Jacobs for men.
platinum egoiste and d&g 12/22/2004 3:33 PM
chanel egoiste platinum! i can't tell if it's better than chanel egoiste non plat (which is harder to find, and more of an older man smell). platinum works well on guys who don't naturally have much smell of their own. (or in my experience- tall, skinny guys). it is SO YUMMY.

oh and d&g masculin is very good too. but i always associate it with this one guy i'm not attracted to- i think this works best on those that are a bit on the trashy side (with pretensions of elegance).
1/27/2005 5:01 AM
platinum egoiste by chanel and 1881 by cerutti!

Monica Safari, by Ralph Lauren 1/28/2005 2:52 AM
For me, Safari´s scent is unbeatable.If only all men could smell like this one! Pity I cannot have it always around - my husband is allergic to perfumes...

Le Male and Joop! (the red one) are second best. But not for men - I wear them!
I like... 1/28/2005 11:56 AM
Dolce & Gabanna pour homme
Mont Blanc Individuel pour homme
Herrera for men by Carolina Herrera
what do you think about l'instant pour homme? 2/15/2005 2:12 AM
i was just wondering about whether some of you or your partners are using the new guerlain l'instant pour homme... i thought it was surprisingly very sweet...


Jazzmin I just love it... 2/16/2005 7:28 PM
the best male scent is and always will be aqua di gio..... =)

Stephanie 2/19/2005 10:02 PM
I Think D&G
and 212

Suzanne 2/20/2005 11:59 PM
another vote for acqua di parma

i wear the classic one myself...

HELENA-REET For Men 3/22/2005 1:07 PM
I like Chanel "Platinum Egoiste"!

Patricia 3/23/2005 1:26 PM
Lolita Lempicka for Men, top best...sexy...delicious...

Ulli 3/26/2005 2:23 AM
For men..there's nth better than Higher Dior and Aqua Di Gio.I really love them!

Arsalan 3/26/2005 5:02 AM
Aqua Di Gio and hugo boss i like them

Sarah 6/8/2005 7:17 AM
HhhMmmm.... I really like

1. curve (liz calirborne)
2. very sexy (victorias secret)
3. armani (armani)

seriously, any guy who uses these perfumes, automatically looks hot..lol!

Usman hummm 6/14/2005 11:40 PM
1 . Aqua di Parma
2. safarai...

Wen KenzoAir 6/19/2005 10:47 PM
i am wearing it myself, i love it!

Shama 6/21/2005 4:43 AM
Safari.....
and and and
Blue Jeans

Zuraida 6/21/2005 5:15 AM
HUGO red for men and another all time fav is cool water by davidoff

Carlinha 6/23/2005 9:21 AM
Hugo Boss and 212 Men...
issey miyake! 6/25/2005 7:50 AM
i think itz da best

so what did my wife get me for Christmas last year? Perry Ellis 360 Red. it's described as "the refreshing essence of Italian Bergamot, Lime Zest, Sunburst Mandarin, and Ruby Orange, pulse with a warm radiance of Nutmeg, Red Cinnamon and Clove Bud. An aromatic masculinity of Parsley, Coriander Seeds and Lavender entice the senses to experience the background of Sandalwood Mysore, Red Cedarwood, Vetiver Root, Indonesian Patchouli, Oakmoss and Clean Musk."
so that is my smell, if you were wondering :)

file under: mens+cologne

cute pussy...

she just adopted us and is very friendly and playful. her name is Miss Cookie.
actually the purpose of post is to announce that I'm uploading to flickr again. and to maybe generate more web traffic :) anyway, click on the photo to see more of my better pics...

somethings for the reading...

I've been reading a lot and writing less (you may have noticed). This is just a list of what I've been eyeballing and absorbing these past few months. I can pretty much recommend any of them, but you ought to check out the amazon links and read the reviews to see if the subject holds your interest.

fiction-wise check out...





oh yeah, all these books are available at my library, so if you've got a decent one in your town, they should be there too. no need to take of more of your valuable personal space with more things, eh? actually, I have been buying, on ebay no less. the thrill of the auction, the chance of getting something at a bargain - an exhilarating activity I recommend if you've not yet tried it. a couple weeks ago I bought a nice nikon D50 for $410 (!) and just tonight, a used saxophone ($240) for my son. he's in the school band and seems to be sticking with it, so I decided to not pay $45/month rental and just sprang for a (hopefully) good used school instrument.

ok, so with this new camera you're probably expecting to see some better photos, right? patience, grasshopper!

caliper assessment test

my sister emailed me with a question from the test she found puzzling (this is an evaluation for a V.P. position at a fortune 500 co):

complete the sequence:

<< content deleted because I don't want to help you cheat :p >>

I found it absurdly easy... but I could still be wrong. can anyone explain why anything other than "D." might be correct?