This is too choice! In the safest city in the world, the US Embassy is now warning Americans to stay away from Roppongi. This story was circulating widely on Twitter yesterday, and I laughed out loud. Based on the photo above, I guess the warning only applies to Americans (^_-)

From Kosins Attorney at Foreign Law blog, I must quote the entire post:

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo reissued its July 10, 2009 warning advising American citizens from frequenting bars and clubs in the Roppongi area of Tokyo due to drink-spiking incidents. As stated in the American Citizenship Services (ACS) Newsletter, the U.S. Embassy “continues to receive reliable reports of U.S. citizens being drugged in Roppongi-area bars.”

The U.S. Embassy continues to receive reliable reports of U.S. citizens being drugged in Roppongi-area bars. Most reports indicate that the victim unknowingly drinks a beverage that has been secretly mixed with a drug that renders the victim unconscious or stuporous for several hours, during which time large charges are fraudulently billed to the victim, sums of money are charged to the victim’s credit card, or the card is stolen. Victims sometimes regain consciousness in the bar or club, while at other times the victim awakens on the street. Assaults on Americans have also been reported in connection with drink-spiking.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security.

I have been invited to talk at a well-known cultural space/bar next week in Roppongi. Do you think I should only invite Japanese and Europeans?

People are advised to be careful when they go out in flooded areas as water levels in Lough Erne continue to rise…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: seawater. The blog is also related to: Keywords.

This insanity plea isn’t too far from the truth.  Islam is the contrivance of a schizophrenic, megalomaniacal, pedophile, so it’s logical that those dumb enough to follow it suffer from a form of  psychosis (a mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations, that indicate impaired contact with reality).

Psychotic people are a danger to society, and must be rendered harmless.  What steps must be taken to render them harmless depend on the depth of their psychosis.  What do you do to make sure a psychotic doesn’t hurt you?  First you have to keep an eye on them all the time.  If they do anything dangerous, you lock them up.  If they try to hurt you or others, you defend the innocent and shoot the nut.

Are all muslims dangerous psychotics?  Probably not, but there is always the possibility.  I have witnessed muslims, whom our side thought could be trusted, for one reason or another turn on us with deadly results.  I was there when an American patrol training Iraqi security teams came back with 3 dead soldiers because one of the Iraqis they trusted turned out to be al-Qaeda, shot three of our soldiers, and ran away.  I have witnessed the dishonesty and deceit in their culture.  I’ve read enough of their satanic verses to know that a fervent follower believes that I am an infidel, a kafir, and must be killed. How can I trust someone who professes a religion that makes us sworn enemies?

More importantly, why should our military or government trust them and allow them to infiltrate the ranks of our institutions? The truth? They shouldn’t.

Alleged Fort Hood shooter might plead insanity

November 23, 4:57 PMLA Military Headlines ExaminerMark Nero

The attorney for the alleged Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, says his client may cop an insanity plea.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, will not plead guilty to killing 13 people at the Texas Army post on Nov. 5th, his attorney, retired Army Col. John Galligan has told the media over the past two days.

During an interview on “Good Morning America,” however, Galligan said that an insanity plea is possible.

Hasan’s first court hearing was Saturday in his hospital room at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where Hasan is recovering from gunshot wounds received in the incident.

Galligan, whose private practice is in nearby Belton, Texas, met with Hasan for the first time Nov. 9. He has asked that his security clearance be reinstated so that he can review all the evidence against Hasan.

Les informo que se ha detectado un nuevo virus para los Iphones, desbloqueados.

El gusano que infecta el teléfono celular de Apple fue descubierto al propagarse en Australia; los expertos temen ver más ataques en el futuro; no afecta a equipos que no fueron modificados

El programa cambia el fondo de pantalla tradicional del iPhone por una fotografía de Rick Astley, un cantante inglés de la década de los 80, con el mensaje “ikee nunca te va a abandonar”.

El gusano, conocido como ikee, sólo afecta a los teléfonos desbloqueados (o jail broken), en los que el usuario ha eliminado los mecanismos de protección de Apple para permitir que el aparato pueda ejecutar cualquier software.

Los expertos dicen que el gusano no es dañino, pero que podrían aparecer variantes más maliciosas. “El creador del virus ha publicado el código fuente completo de las cuatro variantes existentes del gusano”, escribió Mikko Hypponen de F-Secure, una empresa de seguridad.

“Esto significa que pronto habrá más virus que podrían tener una carga más desagradable que simplemente cambiar el fondo de pantalla”, agregó.

Riesgos.

“Ikee” hasta ahora ha circulado solamente en Australia, donde vive Ashley Town, quien aseguró que creó este gusano para que se debata el tema de la seguridad. El virus puede ser eliminado cambiando la contraseña del teléfono y eliminando algunos archivos.

Algunas estimaciones indican que hasta el 10% de todos los iPhone y los iPod Touch están operando bajo la modalidad “desbloqueada”. Esta práctica permite instalar aplicaciones que no han sido aprobadas por Apple.

Para Graham Cluley, de la firma de seguridad Sophos, “los usuarios del teléfono pueden precipitarse (…) para aumentar la funcionalidad que Apple les puede haber negado, pero si lo hacen sin cuidado también corren el riesgo de que su iPhone se convierta en el blanco de un hacker”.

“Mi predicción es que quizá veamos más ataques como éste en el futuro”, agregó Cluley

El nuevo ataque se basa en un ‘software’ que se instala en una PC o en un iPhone y luego, por medio de Wi-Fi, busca los celulares vulnerables en la zona. Una vez detectados, se conecta con ellos y se roba los contactos, mensajes de texto, correos electrónicos, fotos, música y videos almacenados en el celular.

Intego identifica a este conjunto de herramientas para hackear los móviles de Apple como iPhone/Privacy.A.

De la misma forma que el primer gusano, este nuevo virus ataca los teléfonos que han sido desbloqueados (jailbroken, en la jerga) y que tengan Secure Shell (SSH, por sus siglas en inglés) instalado con la contraseña predeterminada.

La primera medida de protección, si usted tiene un iPhone desbloqueado y con SSH instalado es cambiar la contraseña predeterminada para las cuentas root y mobile.

“The most demanding part of living a life time as an artist is the strict discipline of forcing oneself to work steadfastly along the nerve of one’s most intimate sensitivity.”
—Annie Truitt

Fuck it good or don’t fuck it. Don’t half fuck it. If you are already on the way, keep going. There is no point in falling from a first floor when you can fall from the top. Fear smells like shit. Kiss her or be her friend for the rest of your life. Live dangerousluy until the end. Be a Jean Paul Belmondo in Breathless.

Tunes:

Nothing really matters – Los Superelegantes

I had never been to Rome before. And not until I got there did I know what I had been missing. What a place! No city can be compared to it,   culturally, historically, religiously or artistically. This  means that you need at least a whole week to be able see everything. I didn’t have that, since most of my time there was spent at a conference – a very good one, by the way – but I was pleased to catch a few moments here and there to run into the city (and I was literally running) and take some photos.

Here are some night shots of the fabulous and dreadful Colosseum.

This last photo almost cost me my life… sort of.  As you can see I was standing in the middle of the street. And the Italian drivers weren’t so patient with me, especially the scooterists actually. They were the most angry ones, cussing and shouting when passing by. And of course, they drove as close as they could, just to make a statement. Kind of fun…

Sunny Rainy and Crappie D At in Pink Palace at SKATOPIA!

It’s been a while since I last got emotional.  I think that the meds I’m on has made me a better person.  I hate relying on medication, but what can I do?  I can always stop taking my medication, but what will happen to me if I do?  Should I find out?  I’m curious right now.  I want to know how I’ll act and feel if I stop taking my meds.  Will I end up in a hospital again?  I hope not because that will not benefit me at all.  I’m not a danger myself and I never was in any danger.

I read Matt’s post about the danger of trash to animals and I am definitely looking forward to the discussion we will have in his class on Tuesday. But before that, I will present some initial thoughts regarding Matt’s main topic of discussion, “If we believe in evolution, survival of the fittest, and that extinction is a natural part of life, then why do we feel the need to ‘save’ endangered species.” Firstly, I think there is a dichotomy between those who think that extinction is natural and those who feel the need to save endangered species. Therefore, “we” should be better specified. So from now on, I shall use “we” for those who want to save endangered animals.

Some might consider the people who want to save endangered animals as “good” and people who will not step into action due to the belief in the naturalness of extinction as “bad”. But I shall state otherwise. Those who want to save the animals are the ones who want to transcend nature. Similar to the popular idea of cheating death, these people hope of cheating nature’s principles of evolution and extinction. I found a TV show on Animal Planet called Orangutan Island, in which people are trying to save the endangered Orangutans by protecting them and giving them homes. The title of Season 2’s Episode 1 is “Cheating Extinction,” which pertains quite well to our discussion. The regular viewer would think that the Orangutans are cheating extinction, but actually we are the ones cheating extinction. Not our extinction, but the Orangutan’s extinction. So now, we play a key role in the fate of other animals. Quite a weighty responsibility, isn’t it? Of course. Attempting to invalidate nature’s inherent laws by replacing it with human power is no small deal.

“Control, apparently, is not the answer. People who need certainty in their lives are less likely to make art that is risky, subversive, complicated, iffy, suggestive or spontaneous. What’s really needed is nothing more that a broad sense of what you are looking for, some strategy for how to find it, and an overriding willingness to embrace mistakes and surprises along the way.

Simply put, making art is chancy — it doesn’t mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.”

From Art and Fear, David Bayles & Ted Orland

Beautiful day!  Skies are clear, very little wind; temperatures are mild, in the mid fifties.

 Uriah was the first to notice the farm equipment pull into the field next door. He freaked! He climbed on the deck and cowered on the north side, farthest way from the equipment. 

The corn in the southern field was finally being  harvested. I stood outside and watched as the large tractor moved slowly into place. I could see the farmer in the cab and a child.

Farmer’s children will help them with the harvesting.  They watch for problems as their parent harvests the crops.The cab they sat in was sealed, heated and air-conditioned.

The winds were blowing away from me, so as the tractor passed by most of the dust spread out to the south.

Just as I thought, “Wow,  I am lucky the wind isn’t blowing in this direction.” The wind changed!  I started coughing, and blinking rapidly as the dust settled in over my head.

I choked out Uriah’s name and we headed towards the path to take a walk. The trees in that area blocked some of the harvesting dust. Well, sort of..

I crossed my fingers that the farmer would only be working on the lower part of the field at this time. I smiled, when I saw him hit the half way point near the drainage tiles and turn around.

 Uriah and I stopped sneezing long enough to watch the harvester.

With all the bare fields, the animals have been congregating in our trees. Last night, every hour, I was yelling out the doors for the coyotes to leave. There must have been close to a dozen howling and yelping very close to the house.

Coyotes don’t understand windows.  So, I had to insure the indoor cats stayed away from the glass. I really didn’t have to worry; they hid under the bed when the howling started.

Uriah, on the other hand, was whining and barking wanting to chase them. A dog barking won’t keep coyotes away from the house. It has the opposite effect. So, between trying to calm down Uriah, petting the cats and yelling at the coyotes, it was a fun night.

Halfway through the walk, Uriah disappeared with hackles raised, into the trees. Stupidly I walked in after him, calling and getting tangled in leafless under brush. After a short time, I headed back to the house. When Uriah reappeared  his tongue was trailing on the ground.  

The farmer took a lunch break and finished the back half of the field; I stood out on the deck and enjoyed the view.

This scene has to be a little boy’s dream.  A large tractor harvesting corn slowly chopping, crunching, and roaring through a field, as an equally large dump truck waits to be filled with the corn; such an impressive, unobstructed view of a real mid-western farm life.  

I love it out here.

446

“The people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.” – Hermann Goering

We have a mouse in the house. There were a number if sightings of said rodent by all three residents of our currently unnamed house, one of which was in my room and prompted me to order a mousetrap (a humane catch and release one that hasn’t shown up yet) and prompted fears that there were actually an army of mice in my room waiting for me to fall asleep and then eat me alive.

This morning Emily and I stumbled around the house feeling every so slightly worse for wear after a particularly riotous games evening where we learned that I can’t draw and there is no such person as Billie Jean Hucknall (yes, Dawn, I’m talking to you). I was in the lounge feeling sorry for myself while Emily investigated the oven pizza situation in the kitchen when there was a noise from the trashcan. A kind of rustling noise… like the scrabbling of tiny feet. I am ashamed to say we did what girls stereotypically do in this kind of situation… we stood at the doorway and squealed.

It’s not that either of us is afraid of the mouse. It’s approximately the length of my thumb. I can’t be afraid of anything that small… well apart from Parktown Prawns (see below) and everyone with any sense is afraid of Parktown Prawns, they’re like miniature velociraptors.

Anyway after the squealing and much ominous rustling from the bin we figured it was time to (wo)man up and face the furry demon. My ingenious plan was to put a black bag over the top of the bin so it couldn’t jump out and sink it’s rabid teeth into the jugular and then chuck it outside where it belonged. There was a mad scramble to get the front door open and get the dustbin on its side at which the poor little creature frantically scurried into the bushes, while Em and I screamed in horror at the sight of it.

At the time it seemed like a mission of great risk and importance… now sitting on the couch reading this I feel like a massive loser… and the mouse is still at large… or at small…

I wanted a bowl of chicken soup with carrots for lunch. So, I took an old colander out to the garden. Kneeled, and carefully pulled up the small carrots. Their tops were still green and healthy looking. The Taproot, a tasty dark orange

This past spring, I had planted a six foot long line of carrots. They grew slowly and perfect, except I planted them a little to close together. Next springs carrots will be spaced apart more evenly.

Carefully I wiggled them loose like a child’s tooth. I have only half a foot remaining in the row.

It was easier than I thought to grow carrots.

Water a little,  weed a little, and then leave them alone.

This year, I have sliced them thinly and cook them into canned soups, homemade soups, and packaged dry soups. I have made beef stews and ‘any vegetable on hand’ soup.

I added the vegetables,  the garlic along with the onions and tomatoes, parsley and potatoes. All were grown in my garden.

The potatoes were a surprise. I had mixed in assorted vegetable peels and egg shells from the kitchen.  I was amazed to see potatoes growing with a dozen strawberry plants. I didn’t plant those either! They came from a couple of fresh, rotting strawberries thrown in around July.

Using  tree leaves  I  covered a large part of the garden in preparation of winter. I planned on moving the strawberries to a different section this coming spring. That idea may change; I have all winter to mull it over.

I pulled out two dozen finger sized carrots; they were growing in a massive clump. I broke off the tops and tossed the them in the mulch pile.  I tried and failed to remove all the dirt. I scrapped off as much as I could. I really don’t need to clog my kitchen drains with mud.

We have had a few frosts already. I was surprised we haven’t had a foot of snow. Some of the carrots have some frost damage; they are a reddish orange color. I set those on the side to be mulched.

I creaked and groaned as I got to my feet, looked up at the blue sky and walked into the house to make myself some soup.

Uriah decided to stay behind and started  hunting  the rat that lives around his kennel.

Clean up and sliced carrots

A quarter of an onion chopped

Rive one clove of garlic from bulb

Relish with a Pinch of salt, and pepper

Olive oil to sauté, Swanson chicken broth

Two skinless chicken breasts simmer till done

Carrot picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrots

Interpol a rendu publics jeudi 19 novembre les résultats d’une des plus grosses opérations de l’année menées en partenariat avec l’OMS (l’organisation mondiale pour la santé) pour lutter contre les ventes illicites de médicament via Internet. Les services de police et les autorités sanitaires de plus de 24 pays étaient mobilisés depuis lundi et ont ainsi recensé quelque 800 sites illégaux. La plus part ont été aussitôt fermés. Et Près de mille paquets et 160.000 pilules ont été saisies.

D’après le Forum des droits sur l’Internet (FDI), la contrefaçon concerne trois médicaments sur cinq.C’est un véritable marché parallèle qui se créer désormais sur le Web, des milliers de pharmacies en ligne apparaissent présentant apparemment toutes les garanties de sérieux vendent toutes sortes de médicaments, sans ordonnance et à tous les prix. Les plus recherchés sont notamment les produits traitant les troubles de l’érection  Viagra ou Cialis par exemple, devant les médicaments à visée amaigrissante, les stimulants et les produits dopants.

Mais ces médicament peuvent s’avérer trés dangereux car les analyses révèlent de nombreux cas de mauvais dosages ou de mélanges douteux. Certaines médicament dit à base de plantes, et présentées comme entiérement naturelles, contiennent ainsi des principes actifs.

Sources:

Lefigaro, 20/11/2009

Lepoint, 24/08/2009

Its mid-morning, pale baby blue sky, painted with wisps of white clouds, the air is no longer cold, just cool. On the path the grass is about three inches tall and it shimmered in the morning light. Drew drops were everywhere, glinting along the gnarled fence post, to slipping slowly off bare branches.

If I had to describe this morning with one word, it would be ‘peaceful.’

I watched a family of Blue Jays glide noiselessly through the trees to the North. When I was spotted, a single long whistle announced me as trouble. Very similar to the whistle I use to call for Uriah. I whistled back at the bird, smiled and moved on.

I snapped my fingers at Uriah, and we headed for the path. Uriah ran in circles and headed into up the incline to the south, the scent he caught was over powering to him. He had to find it! He didn’t… I could smell a faint a faint musky order it lingered over the damp ground. I knew the animal was no longer here. Finally, Uriah figured that out and came back to me; immediately he pushed off in the opposite direction when a new smell caught his attention.

 A Red-tailed Hawk screeched in the trees to the north. His call reverberated in the morning air. Blue Jays answered with their danger whistle and the Hawk screeched back at them.

Both are extremely beautiful birds. The bright blue of the  Jays and the intense pride of the hawk, for me, their voices carried the soul of the land.

That may sound corny. Yes! But standing here listening, takes me back to my grandmother’s house, and brought me peaceful feel to the day, to this moment.

Peace is more than a word, a thought, or a phrase. It is a way of living. In nature, animals come together to drink from the same pond without killing each other. Just for the sake of replenishing their thirst…?  Or, is it more than that?

Nature is calling out today! With the same whistles, growls, screeches and yelps as yesterday. A peaceful coexistence, caught in a split second where I can connect with the land.

Tomorrow may rage a storm so severe the trees could be ripped up from their roots. This moment of peace, this moment is all I have right now. I am enjoying it immensely.

I have been playing with acrostic poetry.

 Peace

Place yourself within nature

Embrace your creative arc

Actualize your personal Mecca

Confidence regained in solitude

Enliven a past friendship

Picture from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk

- John Adams

Deep waters noiseless are, and this we know. That chiding streams betray small depth below."  Herrick.

"Proverb lore; many sayings, wise or otherwise, on many subjects, gleaned from many sources"

foto – floods in ulmarra may 2009

Okay, it’s been getting on my nerves and seeing the line up yesterday really added to it.  What am I talking about?  The H1N1 flu shot.  Oh my goodness, there is going to be a shortage for everyone in the world.  Better get it now before we all die.  So far 6,000 people have died of the H1N1 virus, AROUND THE WORLD.  In Canada 6,000 to 8,000 die annually from the seasonal flu.  Worldwide, in 2007, 63,000 people died from the seasonal flu.  H1N1 hardly seems like as big a deal as the media makes it to be.

This is an excerpt of an article that I got from the Public Health Agency of Canada.  Click here for the link to the complete article.  But for your benefit, I’ll include a little passage.

“Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on their hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) antigens. Recently circulating strains have possessed one of three H and one of two N antigens, and the subtypes are designated accordingly (e.g., H3N2, H1N1).”  “Since 1997, two influenza A subtypes, H3N2 and H1N1, have been circulating in the human population.”

“Between 1996 and 2005, six of the nine seasons (1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05) were predominantly influenza A seasons (84%-99% of laboratory detections being influenza A). Two seasons (1996-97 and 2002-03) were considered mixed seasons (61% and 58% of laboratory detections being influenza A and 39% and 42% being influenza B, respectively), and one season (2000-01) was a predominantly influenza B season (68% of laboratory detections being influenza B). Influenza A is typically associated with greater morbidity and mortality than influenza B and typically affects the elderly, whereas influenza B is more often seen in young children. As well, influenza A/H3N2-like viruses tend to be associated with more severe illness than influenza A/H1N1-like or influenza A/H1N2-like viruses.”

So H3N2 tend to be associated with more severe illness than H1N1 or H1N2.  So it’s been around a while.  No big deal.  Furthermore, the preparations approved for use in Canada for the seasonal flu vaccine contains a strain of H1N1, H3N2 and a strain of influenza B.  People are being injected with the dreaded H1N1 virus.  This has been in a lab for long time, and people are getting injected with it!  And we’re all getting played like a puppet by the media to get “protected” from this harmful virus.

In this article from the Center for Disease Control, diabetes contributed to over 200,000 deaths in the USA.  Every year 1.3 million people in the US are diagnosed with diabetes.  In 2002, 6.3% of the American population or 18.2 million people had diabetes.  THIS isn’t a pandemic to you?  I’d be more worried about what I’m eating than getting the seasonal flu, hyped up by a media that has no news to report.

Anyway, thanks for reading.  I’m going back to taking pictures and reading blogs about photography.

Pain is useful unto man, for it teacheth him to guard his life. And the fetid vapours of the fen warn him to fly from danger : And the meditative mind, looking on, winneth good food for its hunger, Seeing the wholesome root bring forth a poisonous berry ; For otherwhise falleth it out that truth, driven to extremities, Yieldeth bitter folly as the spoilt fruit of wisdom. O, blinded is thine eye, if it see not just aptitude in all things : O, frozen is thy heart, if it glow not with gratitude for all things.

"Proverbial philosophy, in four series, now first complete, including the fiftieth edition of the two first series"

foto – debbie making sandwiches in the wide river cafe ulmarra nov 09