I cannot get the theme from "Six Pack", starring Kenny Rogers and the left-over cast from The Bad News Bears, out of my head. I believe the sentimental credit roll tune was titled, "Love Will Turn It Around".
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kenny's Six Pack
I cannot get the theme from "Six Pack", starring Kenny Rogers and the left-over cast from The Bad News Bears, out of my head. I believe the sentimental credit roll tune was titled, "Love Will Turn It Around".
Sunday, December 24, 2006
36. Simple Solution
You need not strain for solutions in love or marriage or anywhere else. Strain means you want to use old thoughts to handle new moments, which is like using last week's weather report. The only way to solve a problem is to see your own unclear mind as the cause and nothing else. Your birdbrained friends won't do this because it means dropping their precious hatreds and accusations. Do right for yourself. Don't hesitate. It brings life to your life for the first time.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Tittle Me This
Okay. I have officially found my new favorite show: public access' Tittle In The Middle, starring TV/Radio personality, LaDonna Tittle. With Jason Robards' voice and the sassiness of Monique, LaDonna takes us into her home and her big, cholesterol-ridden heart. This episode brings us closer to the Tittles. Ragu sauce and all.
Cookin' Wit' Tittle: Secret Blend
LaDonna makes spaghetti with 83-years young Aunt Marguerite.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Vallium
From Fando y Lis, Jodorowsky
built hemispheres
around you
an ontological
transmission vocale
is where you meant me
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Lithuanian National Anthem
Lithuania, my homeland, land of heroes!
Let your Sons draw strength from the past.
Let your children follow only the paths of virtue,
working for the good of their native land and for all mankind.
Let the sun banish all darkness from Lithuania,
with light and truth always guiding our steps.
Let the love of Lithuania burn in our hearts
and for the sake of our country let unity blossom.
Crap With A Star!
Sometimes I feel like Ed Wood.
"Why woould he make a picture with you?"
"Because he's my friend."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
96. Sick Humans
"Still think people are nice? Just wait until you finish seeing the entire horror show. Men and women are depraved beyond description. Example: the devilish degenerate who tries to esacpe his self-caused trouble by deliberately trying to get someone else into trouble. Think it happens rarely? This sick act occurs millions of times daily, unseen by its victims. Hypocrites don't like an exposure like this, not because it is shocking, but because it is true."
---"Vernon Howard is an island of sanity in a confused world."
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Birds of the Baltic: An Orinthological Travelogue, E.J. Barnes (Drowned Town Press, 2005)
This unique peek into bird watching across the Baltics is done in an accessible, comic book format, complete with light-yet- compelling narrative. The characters visit the Baltics for vacation (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia), and their first stop is the Lithuania's captial, Vilnius. During their tour around Gediminas' Pilis (Grand Duke Gediminas' Castle), the female character spots unusual birds gathering around which she likens to "crows with gray vests". These birds seem to resemble mockingbirds to her, although they are not indigenous. Their distinct mannerisms set them apart from other birds, namely the repetitious bobbing of their tails. This little bobbing-tailed bird perplexes the travelers for the remainder of their trip through the Baltics.
She asks a Lithuanian inn-keeper who does not seem to know, then, when in Latvia, asks a Latvian tour guide. A "lapwing" is suggested along the way. Finally, an English-speaking Estonian tour guide who happens to have on her person a multi-language nature guide solves the case of the mystery bird--it is a White Wagtail.
The illustrations in this comic are pleasant and clearly tell the story, even to this reviewer's liking, without many explanations. Points of interest most notable necessitating the monologue: a stop in Estonia, Tartu, which highlights a ceremony of Midsummer's Eve, or, Jannipaev. Once a pagan sun holiday, it became Christianized as St. John's Day, a time for men named John, (Janis, Jons) to wear wreaths of oak leaves upon their heads.
"You stay up all night and go hunting in the woods for fern blossom. This is really an excuse for spending the night drinking with your friends around the bonfire and rolling in the bushes with your sweetie. It is, after all, a fertility ritual."
This is a fun little comic with heart. As much of an orinthological lesson as it is a charming documentation of a trip to the Baltics.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
"Poetry makes nothing happen"
Auden.
Altering perception so one does not face reality.
Freedom issues. Is man truly free?
Pride. A man is truly a man?
Survival. Man expresses himself.
Man cannot express himself.
Never cry in town.
The holy communion of the heroine
the skin of a pear. An arsonist.
Altering perception so one does not face reality.
Freedom issues. Is man truly free?
Pride. A man is truly a man?
Survival. Man expresses himself.
Man cannot express himself.
Never cry in town.
The holy communion of the heroine
the skin of a pear. An arsonist.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Potassium
Here are some selected, pertinent facts about potassium courtesy of Wikipedia.
With a density less than that of water, potassium is the second least dense metal after lithium. It is a soft, low-melting solid that can easily be cut with a knife. Freshly cut potassium is silvery in appearance, but in air it begins to tarnish toward gray visibly and immediately. Potassium must be protected from air for storage to prevent disintegration of the metal from oxide and hydroxide corrosion. Often samples are maintained under an inert medium such as kerosene.
It has the symbol K (Arabic: al qalja → Latin: kalium), and atomic number 19. The name "potassium" comes from the word "potash", as potassium was first isolated from potash. Potassium is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal that occurs naturally bound to other elements in seawater and many minerals. It oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive, especially towards water. In many respects, potassium and sodium are chemically similar, although organisms in general, and animal cells in particular, treat them very differently.
• Potassium is an essential element for all living organisms.
• Potassium and its compounds emit a violet color in a flame. This fact is the basis of the flame test for the presence of potassium in a sample.
• Potassium compounds generally have excellent water solubility, due to the high hydration energy of the K+ ion. The potassium ion is colorless in water.
• Potassium may be detected by taste because it triggers all the types of tastebuds, according to concentration. Dilute solutions of potassium ion taste sweet (allowing moderate concentrations in milk and juices), while higher concentrations become increasingly bitter/alkaline, and finally also salty to the taste. The combined bitterness and saltiness of high potassium content solutions makes high-dose potassium supplementation by liquid drinks a palatability challenge.
• It is primarily used in fertilizer as either the chloride, sulfate or carbonate - not as the oxide.
• Potassium hydroxide is an important industrial chemical used as a strong base.
• Potassium nitrate is used in gunpowder (black powder). An older term for KNO3 is saltpeter.
• Potassium carbonate, known as potash, is used in glass manufacturing.
• Glass treated with liquid potassium is much stronger than regular glass.
• NaK, pronounced "nack", an alloy of sodium and potassium which is liquid at room temperature, is used as a heat-transfer medium. It can also be used as a desiccant for producing dry and air-free solvents.
• Potassium is an essential component needed in plant growth and is found in most soil types. In animal cells potassium ions are vital to keeping cells alive (see Na-K pump)
• Potassium chloride is used as a substitute for table salt and is also used to stop the heart, e.g. in cardiac surgery and in executions by lethal injection in solution.
• The superoxide KO2 is used as a portable source of oxygen and as a carbon dioxide absorber. It is useful in portable respiration systems.
• Many potassium salts are very important, and include: potassium bromide, potassium carbonate, potassium chlorate, potassium chloride, potassium chromate, potassium cyanide, potassium dichromate, potassium iodide, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate.
Solid potassium reacts violently with water, and should therefore be kept under a mineral oil such as kerosene and handled with care. Unlike lithium and sodium however, potassium cannot be stored under oil indefinitely. If stored longer than 6 months to a year, dangerous shock-sensitive peroxides can form on the metal and under the lid of the container, which can detonate upon opening. DO NOT store potassium, rubidium or caesium for longer than a year unless stored in an inert (argon) atmosphere or in a vacuum.
The extremely alkaline potassium hydroxide (KOH) residue on the surface of potassium which has been exposed to moisture, is a caustic hazard. As with sodium metal, the "soapy" feel of potassium metal on skin is due to caustic breakdown of the fats in skin into crude soft potassium soap, and represents the beginning of an alkali burn. Potassium should obviously be handled only with careful skin and eye protection.
Potassium fires are exacerbated by water, and only a few dry chemicals are effective for them. For a fire discussion which applies to alkali metals in general, see the precaution section for sodium.
Potassium is an essential mineral micronutrient in human nutrition; it is the major cation (positive ion) inside animal cells, and it is thus important in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. Potassium is also important in allowing muscle contraction and the sending of all nerve impulses in animals. See action potential for an explanation of the interplay of sodium and potassium in all excitable animal cells. Because of the interaction of the charge on a potassium ion and its surrounding water molecules, K+ ions are actually a little smaller than Na+ ions, and ion channels and pumps in cell membranes can easily distinguish between the two types of ions, actively pumping or passively allowing one of the two ions to pass, while blocking the other.
A shortage of potassium in body fluids may cause a potentially fatal condition known as hypokalemia (see article for detail), typically resulting from diarrhea, increased diuresis and vomiting. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness, paralytic ileus, ECG abnormalities, decreased reflex response and (in severe cases) respiratory paralysis, alkalosis and arrhythmia.
Eating a variety of foods that contain potassium is the best way to get an adequate amount. Healthy individuals who eat a balanced diet rarely need supplements. Foods with high sources of potassium include orange juice, potatoes, bananas, avocados, apricots, parsnips and turnips, although many other fruits, vegetables, and meats contain potassium. Research has indicated that diets high in potassium can reduce the risk of hypertension.
The 2004 guidelines of the Institute of Medicine specify an RDA of 4,700 mg of potassium. However, it is thought that most Americans consume only half that amount per day. Similarly, in the European Union, particularly in Germany and Italy, insufficient potassium intake is widespread. Supplements of potassium in medicine are most widely used in conjunction with the most powerful classes of diuretics, which rid the body of sodium and water, but have the side effect of also causing potassium loss in urine. A variety of medical supplements are available.
Some people with kidney disease are advised to avoid large quantities of dietary potassium. End stage renal failure patients undergoing therapy by renal dialysis must observe strict dietary limits on potassium intake, since the kidneys control potassium excretion, and buildup of blood concentrations of potassium may trigger fatal heart dysrhythmias.
With a density less than that of water, potassium is the second least dense metal after lithium. It is a soft, low-melting solid that can easily be cut with a knife. Freshly cut potassium is silvery in appearance, but in air it begins to tarnish toward gray visibly and immediately. Potassium must be protected from air for storage to prevent disintegration of the metal from oxide and hydroxide corrosion. Often samples are maintained under an inert medium such as kerosene.
It has the symbol K (Arabic: al qalja → Latin: kalium), and atomic number 19. The name "potassium" comes from the word "potash", as potassium was first isolated from potash. Potassium is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal that occurs naturally bound to other elements in seawater and many minerals. It oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive, especially towards water. In many respects, potassium and sodium are chemically similar, although organisms in general, and animal cells in particular, treat them very differently.
• Potassium is an essential element for all living organisms.
• Potassium and its compounds emit a violet color in a flame. This fact is the basis of the flame test for the presence of potassium in a sample.
• Potassium compounds generally have excellent water solubility, due to the high hydration energy of the K+ ion. The potassium ion is colorless in water.
• Potassium may be detected by taste because it triggers all the types of tastebuds, according to concentration. Dilute solutions of potassium ion taste sweet (allowing moderate concentrations in milk and juices), while higher concentrations become increasingly bitter/alkaline, and finally also salty to the taste. The combined bitterness and saltiness of high potassium content solutions makes high-dose potassium supplementation by liquid drinks a palatability challenge.
• It is primarily used in fertilizer as either the chloride, sulfate or carbonate - not as the oxide.
• Potassium hydroxide is an important industrial chemical used as a strong base.
• Potassium nitrate is used in gunpowder (black powder). An older term for KNO3 is saltpeter.
• Potassium carbonate, known as potash, is used in glass manufacturing.
• Glass treated with liquid potassium is much stronger than regular glass.
• NaK, pronounced "nack", an alloy of sodium and potassium which is liquid at room temperature, is used as a heat-transfer medium. It can also be used as a desiccant for producing dry and air-free solvents.
• Potassium is an essential component needed in plant growth and is found in most soil types. In animal cells potassium ions are vital to keeping cells alive (see Na-K pump)
• Potassium chloride is used as a substitute for table salt and is also used to stop the heart, e.g. in cardiac surgery and in executions by lethal injection in solution.
• The superoxide KO2 is used as a portable source of oxygen and as a carbon dioxide absorber. It is useful in portable respiration systems.
• Many potassium salts are very important, and include: potassium bromide, potassium carbonate, potassium chlorate, potassium chloride, potassium chromate, potassium cyanide, potassium dichromate, potassium iodide, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate.
Solid potassium reacts violently with water, and should therefore be kept under a mineral oil such as kerosene and handled with care. Unlike lithium and sodium however, potassium cannot be stored under oil indefinitely. If stored longer than 6 months to a year, dangerous shock-sensitive peroxides can form on the metal and under the lid of the container, which can detonate upon opening. DO NOT store potassium, rubidium or caesium for longer than a year unless stored in an inert (argon) atmosphere or in a vacuum.
The extremely alkaline potassium hydroxide (KOH) residue on the surface of potassium which has been exposed to moisture, is a caustic hazard. As with sodium metal, the "soapy" feel of potassium metal on skin is due to caustic breakdown of the fats in skin into crude soft potassium soap, and represents the beginning of an alkali burn. Potassium should obviously be handled only with careful skin and eye protection.
Potassium fires are exacerbated by water, and only a few dry chemicals are effective for them. For a fire discussion which applies to alkali metals in general, see the precaution section for sodium.
Potassium is an essential mineral micronutrient in human nutrition; it is the major cation (positive ion) inside animal cells, and it is thus important in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. Potassium is also important in allowing muscle contraction and the sending of all nerve impulses in animals. See action potential for an explanation of the interplay of sodium and potassium in all excitable animal cells. Because of the interaction of the charge on a potassium ion and its surrounding water molecules, K+ ions are actually a little smaller than Na+ ions, and ion channels and pumps in cell membranes can easily distinguish between the two types of ions, actively pumping or passively allowing one of the two ions to pass, while blocking the other.
A shortage of potassium in body fluids may cause a potentially fatal condition known as hypokalemia (see article for detail), typically resulting from diarrhea, increased diuresis and vomiting. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness, paralytic ileus, ECG abnormalities, decreased reflex response and (in severe cases) respiratory paralysis, alkalosis and arrhythmia.
Eating a variety of foods that contain potassium is the best way to get an adequate amount. Healthy individuals who eat a balanced diet rarely need supplements. Foods with high sources of potassium include orange juice, potatoes, bananas, avocados, apricots, parsnips and turnips, although many other fruits, vegetables, and meats contain potassium. Research has indicated that diets high in potassium can reduce the risk of hypertension.
The 2004 guidelines of the Institute of Medicine specify an RDA of 4,700 mg of potassium. However, it is thought that most Americans consume only half that amount per day. Similarly, in the European Union, particularly in Germany and Italy, insufficient potassium intake is widespread. Supplements of potassium in medicine are most widely used in conjunction with the most powerful classes of diuretics, which rid the body of sodium and water, but have the side effect of also causing potassium loss in urine. A variety of medical supplements are available.
Some people with kidney disease are advised to avoid large quantities of dietary potassium. End stage renal failure patients undergoing therapy by renal dialysis must observe strict dietary limits on potassium intake, since the kidneys control potassium excretion, and buildup of blood concentrations of potassium may trigger fatal heart dysrhythmias.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
"I like philosophy as an anonymous job"
Zizek circumnavigates one ideology within this short-yet-inspiring documentary. It is a document, yes, of Zizek going from one speaking engagement to another, decrying the attendance to his lectures by students and budding philosophers alike and observing his son as essence: the natural form of un-love.
It is a deception, this idea of love. What we do not know about Zizek is all we need to know. It is his exigence: this idea of anonymity combined with the idea of utterance pronouncing existence.
Not being one who clearly understands the Marxist bent/Lacanian analysis, but one who intends to further my study, I took away from this documentary:
1. "anti-metaphysics, [that is] the absurdity to theorize the All, because something will always remain un-theorized."
2. Pleasure with constraint, i.e. his example of the Dostoevsky model: "If God doesn't exist, everything permitted. If God doesn't exist, everything is prohibited."
I must return to my surrealist domain, I must further study his philosophies as these are but small representations of the ironic "whole" which he denounces. I like the idea of an anonymous philosophy, that is, one that shifts its position for proper metaphysical suicide and Uber-Freudian submersion. If I am a woman who comprehends parallel universes, I at least understand that a non-revolution occurring in another dimension is my anonymous revolution for mankind.
Zizek
Lacan
It is a deception, this idea of love. What we do not know about Zizek is all we need to know. It is his exigence: this idea of anonymity combined with the idea of utterance pronouncing existence.
Not being one who clearly understands the Marxist bent/Lacanian analysis, but one who intends to further my study, I took away from this documentary:
1. "anti-metaphysics, [that is] the absurdity to theorize the All, because something will always remain un-theorized."
2. Pleasure with constraint, i.e. his example of the Dostoevsky model: "If God doesn't exist, everything permitted. If God doesn't exist, everything is prohibited."
I must return to my surrealist domain, I must further study his philosophies as these are but small representations of the ironic "whole" which he denounces. I like the idea of an anonymous philosophy, that is, one that shifts its position for proper metaphysical suicide and Uber-Freudian submersion. If I am a woman who comprehends parallel universes, I at least understand that a non-revolution occurring in another dimension is my anonymous revolution for mankind.
Zizek
Lacan
Monday, November 13, 2006
Slim Goodbody, Chef Brockett, and Doug Henning
These three men are of mystical realms, they have magic prowess and, of course, peanut butter balls. Let's not forget sutra magic love, new age theme park plans, and a tight body-stocking with huge intestines painted upon it.
I remember in grade school we all went to the Robert Crown Health center to learn about puberty. A clear plastic woman, probably related to the CPR dummy, Annie, lit her breasts up and discussed "mammary glands". The boys punched some girl's boobs to test her "mammaries".
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Premise of "Krull": Peter Yates' Psyche
After watching BULLITT from way back when, I have come to the conclusion that I have great admiration for a director that commands presence with silence, utilizes an emotional climax with only subtlety...the undertow of intensity. Wind-blown wisps of hair across porcelain foreheads and glazed horse-eyed gazes on the beach.
Like Jacqueline Bissett, I discover he is living in a crazy law-enforcement world of violence and our worlds have collided. Dialogue is moot in this instance.
Monday, October 23, 2006
I'm Sick of Symmetry
Viewed Buñel's 1974 classic, "Phantom Of Liberty". Have to note that I did the bougeoise thing and twice rewound a scene in which a police academy professor turns around only to reveal the age-old prank of having a piece of paper pinned to his back. Buñel masterfully weaves several subplots into one another, illustrating the artful statement of societal sublimation via the repressed mind. ***1/2
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
Safia Ama Jan
Who would I choose as my Woman of the Year?
Immediately I began trying to NOT think of Hillary. Not that I don't respect her strong will and attack on Rumsfeld on the Hill a few weeks back, but I saw her speak on CSPAN for Ann Richards' memorial service and I wasn' t the thrightest bit impressed. (I enjoy inventing superlatives). She seems bent on situationally creating herself. Richards was the real deal. To have HRC transform her midwestern accent to a southern twang to suit her purposes in the public light really made me question her sincerity. HRC is a smart, determined woman. She's just not my WOTY.
The first real candidate who then crossed my mind was Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Al Franken features her daily on his Air America talk show. Prior to starting CREW, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, where, from 1998-2003, she successfully tried cases before dozens of judges and juries. Before becoming a prosecutor, Sloan served as Minority Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, working for Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) and specializing in crime issues. Basically, she demands accountability, up to the prosecution of, those bi-partisan crooks and liars in Washington...which makes her job an indefinite, permanent position for as long as we exist & operate under a "free" democracy.
Then there's Cindy Sheehan, another wonderful choice. Sheehan has done so much to put a face on this war. She was chosen by tragedy, not because she wanted to be in this position. She is a powerful diplomat and is an inspiration. I grieve for her loss and all the mothers', sisters', fathers'...families' losses. Our young men and women deserve to come home. They are in harm's way, and our presence is creating and continuing to fuel radicalist, violent acts. They are in the crossfire of a completely unneccessary "war". A war fabricated for war profits and declared upon an abstraction.
However, after seeing this story, Safia Ama Jan has my respect and heart. This is why she is my Woman Of The Year.
Immediately I began trying to NOT think of Hillary. Not that I don't respect her strong will and attack on Rumsfeld on the Hill a few weeks back, but I saw her speak on CSPAN for Ann Richards' memorial service and I wasn' t the thrightest bit impressed. (I enjoy inventing superlatives). She seems bent on situationally creating herself. Richards was the real deal. To have HRC transform her midwestern accent to a southern twang to suit her purposes in the public light really made me question her sincerity. HRC is a smart, determined woman. She's just not my WOTY.
The first real candidate who then crossed my mind was Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Al Franken features her daily on his Air America talk show. Prior to starting CREW, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, where, from 1998-2003, she successfully tried cases before dozens of judges and juries. Before becoming a prosecutor, Sloan served as Minority Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, working for Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) and specializing in crime issues. Basically, she demands accountability, up to the prosecution of, those bi-partisan crooks and liars in Washington...which makes her job an indefinite, permanent position for as long as we exist & operate under a "free" democracy.
Then there's Cindy Sheehan, another wonderful choice. Sheehan has done so much to put a face on this war. She was chosen by tragedy, not because she wanted to be in this position. She is a powerful diplomat and is an inspiration. I grieve for her loss and all the mothers', sisters', fathers'...families' losses. Our young men and women deserve to come home. They are in harm's way, and our presence is creating and continuing to fuel radicalist, violent acts. They are in the crossfire of a completely unneccessary "war". A war fabricated for war profits and declared upon an abstraction.
However, after seeing this story, Safia Ama Jan has my respect and heart. This is why she is my Woman Of The Year.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
From "Song of Zazen" by Hakuin Zenji
"All beings by nature are Buddha,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddha."
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)