These are two versions of "Song on a Winter's Night" by Gordon Lightfoot. Totally different renditions, new (old) flavours and entirely pop-sy.
This is a version by Joseph Cormier. Very lovely too.
The version by the Robins, from their Christmas CD 'The Robins Sing Christmas Songs' (2007). The Mannheim/Heidelberg based band sing and play their version of Gordon Lightfoot's 'Song For A Winter's Night' with leadsinger and guitarist Daniel Brauch plus Robert Langer (drums), Mani Hurth (bass) and Willy Brauch (guitar, vocals).
The song is mesmerising, I don't know why. But since I found more about it, why not enjoy?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Ramblings
Without dismissing the tragic nature of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, I was surprised to read that she was killed when her head knocked into the sunroof lever while dodging bullets. She was not hit by any bullet or shrapnel. Another source claimed, however, that she was shot in the neck and abdomen.
Apparently, she "could not resist standing up and waving to her supporters through the sun roof". Now I wonder if vanity or shrapnel did her in.
Apparently, she "could not resist standing up and waving to her supporters through the sun roof". Now I wonder if vanity or shrapnel did her in.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Pussies with Guns
What the reviewer for the movie "Shoot 'em up" forgot to mention was how the lactating prostitute ripped out a PA from a guy's dick without removing the ends, while trying to extract information.
I'd even think that the hired assassins were like the the baddies in the Matrix - they are killed in one scene and yet new ones keep coming back in each continuing scenes. There were in total 80 stuntmen for the whole movie and I think some of them had to die many times in the show.
My only complaint - the movie was not gory enough. The usual, I guess. But still a good show if you just want to give your brain a rest and your eyes a visual treat.
Utterly brainlessly enjoyable.
- - -
"Do you know what I hate?" asks Mr Smith (Clive Owen). "Pussies with guns." That's not all he hates in this fast-paced over-the-top Tarantino-esque action extravaganza. There are 40-year-old Jack-holes wearing ponytails ("The pony tail doesn't make you look hip, young, or cool"), parents who hit their children, men with earrings, people who park in handicapped zones, unkempt toenails, those who slurp their coffee, and reckless drivers in luxury cars. Dogs and carrots are just about all he likes.
In short, the homeless man with a shady past is one pissed off son of a bitch. So when he is unceremoniously dumped with a newborn baby, who for some reason is the target of an insane hit man (Paul Giammatti) and his seemingly endless army of goons, Smith becomes the most badass carrot-chewing British nanny the world has ever seen.
Aided by Donna Quintano (Monica Bellucci), a lactating prostitute (yes, really), he sets out to keep infant Oliver safe and find out why exactly this child is so important. Of course, in the process our gun-toting anti-hero uncovers a conspiracy that would leave the US of A reeling.
Naturally, this is all just a big excuse for over-the-top action sequences, (including a shootout at 10 000 feet, while in freefall) clever Macgyver-esque tricks and witty one-liners.
It's a ludicrous movie, ridiculous in every aspect from Owen and Giammatti’s Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd interplay to makeshift 'hand' guns to the (quite literally) orgasmic gunfight that adds new meaning to the phrase shooting your load.
But 'Shoot 'Em Up' never tries to be anything else — in fact it's proud to be so damn silly and that's exactly what makes it great fun to watch. After all you don’t watch 'Looney Tunes' cartoons for the depth of the storyline.
Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride — just don’t expect James Bond or Jason Bourne. They’re only pussies with guns anyway.
Review from: http://www.iafrica.com/pls/cms/iac.page?p_t1=5&p_t2=32&p_t3=176&p_t4=0&p_dynamic=Y&p_content_id=633718&p_site_id=2
I'd even think that the hired assassins were like the the baddies in the Matrix - they are killed in one scene and yet new ones keep coming back in each continuing scenes. There were in total 80 stuntmen for the whole movie and I think some of them had to die many times in the show.
My only complaint - the movie was not gory enough. The usual, I guess. But still a good show if you just want to give your brain a rest and your eyes a visual treat.
Utterly brainlessly enjoyable.
- - -
"Do you know what I hate?" asks Mr Smith (Clive Owen). "Pussies with guns." That's not all he hates in this fast-paced over-the-top Tarantino-esque action extravaganza. There are 40-year-old Jack-holes wearing ponytails ("The pony tail doesn't make you look hip, young, or cool"), parents who hit their children, men with earrings, people who park in handicapped zones, unkempt toenails, those who slurp their coffee, and reckless drivers in luxury cars. Dogs and carrots are just about all he likes.
In short, the homeless man with a shady past is one pissed off son of a bitch. So when he is unceremoniously dumped with a newborn baby, who for some reason is the target of an insane hit man (Paul Giammatti) and his seemingly endless army of goons, Smith becomes the most badass carrot-chewing British nanny the world has ever seen.
Aided by Donna Quintano (Monica Bellucci), a lactating prostitute (yes, really), he sets out to keep infant Oliver safe and find out why exactly this child is so important. Of course, in the process our gun-toting anti-hero uncovers a conspiracy that would leave the US of A reeling.
Naturally, this is all just a big excuse for over-the-top action sequences, (including a shootout at 10 000 feet, while in freefall) clever Macgyver-esque tricks and witty one-liners.
It's a ludicrous movie, ridiculous in every aspect from Owen and Giammatti’s Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd interplay to makeshift 'hand' guns to the (quite literally) orgasmic gunfight that adds new meaning to the phrase shooting your load.
But 'Shoot 'Em Up' never tries to be anything else — in fact it's proud to be so damn silly and that's exactly what makes it great fun to watch. After all you don’t watch 'Looney Tunes' cartoons for the depth of the storyline.
Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride — just don’t expect James Bond or Jason Bourne. They’re only pussies with guns anyway.
Review from: http://www.iafrica.com/pls/cms/iac.page?p_t1=5&p_t2=32&p_t3=176&p_t4=0&p_dynamic=Y&p_content_id=633718&p_site_id=2
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Introducing Sarah Mclachlan
Hauntingly beautiful "Song on a Winter's Night". Sublime performance, lovely beyond words.
"Song For A Winter's Night"
[Written and first sung by Gordon Lightfoot in 1975]
The lamp is burnin' low upon my table top
The snow is softly fallin'
The air is still within the silence of my room
I hear your voice softly callin'
If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter night with you
The smoke is rising in the shadows overhead
My glass is almost empty
I read again between the lines upon the page
The words of love you sent me
If I could know within my heart
That you were lonely too
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter night with you
The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim
The shades of night are liftin'
The mornin' light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are driftin'
If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
And to be once again with with you
To be once again with with you
River is another wonderful recording by the songbird.
I wish I have a river to skate away on. The imagery is so vivid that one could almost feel inside the song.
Sarah Mclachlan really has a voice most suited for the winter. Poignant and superbly expressive. Her voice seems to just penetrate and reverberate in the emptiness that you never thought you had.
Simply divine!
Why don't people understand?
Was at the Upper Pierce Reservoir on 20 Dec. There were many signs asking visitors NOT to feed the monkeys.
These monkeys have become so dependent on hand outs that they are not beneath staking out in the middle of the road to stop cars so that they have a chance of getting something.
Yet there are people feeding the monkeys on the sly. Such flagrant disregard of the signs.
Driving along the road to avoid the monkeys and stopped cars is definitely hazardous to your health and well-being.
Every living thing has a place - the place of the monkeys is in the forest and the forest has more than enough to keep the monkeys fed and full. Why are we playing the food provider here? Once these animals forget how to forage, they will die.
Keep them alive by not feed them.
These monkeys have become so dependent on hand outs that they are not beneath staking out in the middle of the road to stop cars so that they have a chance of getting something.
Yet there are people feeding the monkeys on the sly. Such flagrant disregard of the signs.
Driving along the road to avoid the monkeys and stopped cars is definitely hazardous to your health and well-being.
Every living thing has a place - the place of the monkeys is in the forest and the forest has more than enough to keep the monkeys fed and full. Why are we playing the food provider here? Once these animals forget how to forage, they will die.
Keep them alive by not feed them.
Friday, December 21, 2007
2007 Gathering
What: Annual 4/6 '04 gathering.
When: 21 Dec 5 pm.
Where: 510233
The Menu
1. Salad - Vege-stick salad - cucumber, celery, tomatoes with thousand island dip.
2. Finger food - Modified "tapas" and bagels with prawn roe cheese, liver pate and scallion cheese. Pringles potato chips!
3. Mains - assorted sausages, honey baked ham (oven warmed), char siew pork.
4. Carbohydrates - potatoes, pasta.
5. Desserts - Honeydew pudding with canned fruits. Possibly chocolates.
6. Drinks - coke, coke light, H&E green tea. Alcohol - BYO.
7. Halal station - pizzas.
Help needed
Cleaning up, milk runs (to clear rubbish) after the party.
Others
Please don't bring gifts and food; bring a hearty appetite, good humour and be ready to have fun.
When: 21 Dec 5 pm.
Where: 510233
The Menu
1. Salad - Vege-stick salad - cucumber, celery, tomatoes with thousand island dip.
2. Finger food - Modified "tapas" and bagels with prawn roe cheese, liver pate and scallion cheese. Pringles potato chips!
3. Mains - assorted sausages, honey baked ham (oven warmed), char siew pork.
4. Carbohydrates - potatoes, pasta.
5. Desserts - Honeydew pudding with canned fruits. Possibly chocolates.
6. Drinks - coke, coke light, H&E green tea. Alcohol - BYO.
7. Halal station - pizzas.
Help needed
Cleaning up, milk runs (to clear rubbish) after the party.
Others
Please don't bring gifts and food; bring a hearty appetite, good humour and be ready to have fun.
Cold Storage Meets Hot Dude Part 2
My complaint letter.
Cold Storage Online has provided me the single, most unparalled, and defintely most imbecilic service I have ever experienced.
After my order on 12 Dec, there were many calls between then and 17 Dec regarding items which were not available. I had to agree time and again to wait but still the items were not available. I really question the inventory control processes of the company.
During the first delivery, the delivery guy left my stuff in the rain and stepped into my place without removing his shoes (he did not ask for permission). Your manager, Kelvin, called to apologise and promise that everything would be settled today (21 Dec). The "things to be settled" include exchanging the wet items for dry ones and delivering items owed to me.
Even on 19 Dec, I got calls that a certain replacement item was not available. What? Is Cold Storage a mickey mouse company that I'm dealing with?
This morning (21 Dec), customer service called me and said I provided the wrong address to their delivery guy. How can this be when the first delivery was done successfully?
I checked for your delivery van from my corridor but I don't see anyone. I tried calling your hotline and time and again I could never get through.
Finally, your driver called me and told me he had trouble locating my block, "Block 233 Pasir Panjang". I nearly died - of shock, disbelief and amusement. Never expected my heart to hold out but it did. I am at Block 233, Pasir RIS.
I read and laugh about your CEO's comments about providing service. I quote "“In this highly competitive world, we all need to remember that there is always someone willing to delight your customer if you don’t.” Cold Storage CEO " - (http://www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge/2003_07/focus/services.html)
I guess making innocent customers like me angry and providing us with untimely humour is part of your unbelievable service.
Would I ever shop with you again? Probably after the shock and disappointment wears off, but not before bad mouthing a whole lot about you during my upcoming Christmas parties.
Cold Storage Online has provided me the single, most unparalled, and defintely most imbecilic service I have ever experienced.
After my order on 12 Dec, there were many calls between then and 17 Dec regarding items which were not available. I had to agree time and again to wait but still the items were not available. I really question the inventory control processes of the company.
During the first delivery, the delivery guy left my stuff in the rain and stepped into my place without removing his shoes (he did not ask for permission). Your manager, Kelvin, called to apologise and promise that everything would be settled today (21 Dec). The "things to be settled" include exchanging the wet items for dry ones and delivering items owed to me.
Even on 19 Dec, I got calls that a certain replacement item was not available. What? Is Cold Storage a mickey mouse company that I'm dealing with?
This morning (21 Dec), customer service called me and said I provided the wrong address to their delivery guy. How can this be when the first delivery was done successfully?
I checked for your delivery van from my corridor but I don't see anyone. I tried calling your hotline and time and again I could never get through.
Finally, your driver called me and told me he had trouble locating my block, "Block 233 Pasir Panjang". I nearly died - of shock, disbelief and amusement. Never expected my heart to hold out but it did. I am at Block 233, Pasir RIS.
I read and laugh about your CEO's comments about providing service. I quote "“In this highly competitive world, we all need to remember that there is always someone willing to delight your customer if you don’t.” Cold Storage CEO " - (http://www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge/2003_07/focus/services.html)
I guess making innocent customers like me angry and providing us with untimely humour is part of your unbelievable service.
Would I ever shop with you again? Probably after the shock and disappointment wears off, but not before bad mouthing a whole lot about you during my upcoming Christmas parties.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
So it's real!
I'm lifting extensively from T F's blog because I don't think I can do any better than him, partly because I never saw these so frequently or in such gory details. My favourite parts are in bold.
The first incident was early on in the shift, around three or four in the afternoon. When my senior partner and I arrived the emergency ambulance crew was hard at work putting a bandage wrapping on the survivor’s head; he’d been shot in the middle of his forehead, the bullet followed his skull around to the back of his head and exited creating a small flap that had minimal bleeding.
His “significant other” had been shot with the same pistol they’d been fighting over. The bullet entered near her wrist, traveled along the bones in her arm, bounced around inside her rib cage for a while prior to slicing her lungs and heart; she was dead before she hit the ground. Does that strike you as even a little odd; the one being shot square in the head was the one doing all the talking while the one shot in the wrist was dead on arrival?
Later in the same shift we were dispatched to another family disturbance where the step dad had begun beating his wife and step child. The little girl was around four years old if memory serves and there had been other calls regarding abuse reported. The wife grabbed a small 25 caliber pistol and emptied it into her husbands chest to get him to stop beating the little girl.
I was new to the business, having been a Houston Police Officer for only a couple of months at the time; I didn’t know how thick blood could look as the newly departed lay in a pool of his own fluids. I remember clearly that you could have dropped a half dollar on the points of entry and covered each bullet hole; great shot group, very efficient use of a small caliber pistol.
My favorite of all husband and wife disturbances was almost surreal in nature. We got to a small single family house, the husband was sucking wind from having been shot several times in the chest as he sat on one side of the living room; an interesting word to describe that portion of the house where they tried to kill each other off. The wife sat in a folding metal chair, similar to the kind found in almost any church or overflow auditorium. Her head was resting against the wall, the back part as flat as the black cast iron frying pan which had been used as a club on her; a large red spot dripped down the pale green painted wall.
We entered the house cautiously and wondered why the ambulance crew was just standing around outside. The two combatants were too proud to admit the need for medical assistance, to the point of making it a chicken match; “first one to pass out or die is the looser”, kind of thing. I almost forgot, the woman’s dear sweet mother was sitting on the sofa in between the two cheering for her daughter as we entered, “Shoot him again, shoot him again!”. A lovely home full of such devotion should have warning signs posted. We did manage to get a second ambulance so that both could be treated and transported at the same time without having to admit defeat.
I could go on and on; the time my partner and I made a shooting where a “threesome” had been living together; husband, wife and girlfriend, all under the same roof. It may have worked for a little while, at least until the wife came home from work and found the two locked in fond embrace in her bed; that was the straw that broke her camel’s back.
I could mention the wife beater who expired, his hands still gripping his wife’s hair in his fist. He neglected to remove her purse prior to beating her half to death in the kitchen, the purse that was on the kitchen counter, the purse she kept her pistol in. That pistol made breathing a new art form as we heard his last breath gurgle out; he sat upright, his eyes all glassed over with nothing left to say, in one of those tubular metal kitchen chairs popular in the late 50’s, chrome with two tone red and white plastic seat and back cushions. I don’t recall getting in a hurry to call for an ambulance as we made sure the scene was safe first, removing the pistol, cuffing the wife, bagging her hands to preserve gunpowder evidence and then we asked the dispatcher to send an ambulance; no, husband and wife shootings are nothing new.
So what we see about family violence on TV shows are pretty close to what really happens. Spouses who are head-bashed against the walls, premeditated murders where spouses use their other halves for arms zeroing, blood and gore, injuries... Only one thing did not impress me - if one assailant used the M16 on the other, the bullet would have created an exit wound the size of a man's palm. That would invariably be more exciting. But that's me.
After witnessing TF's excellent writing and style of humour, I am left with one question - why is T F not writing for Desperate Housewives?
The first incident was early on in the shift, around three or four in the afternoon. When my senior partner and I arrived the emergency ambulance crew was hard at work putting a bandage wrapping on the survivor’s head; he’d been shot in the middle of his forehead, the bullet followed his skull around to the back of his head and exited creating a small flap that had minimal bleeding.
His “significant other” had been shot with the same pistol they’d been fighting over. The bullet entered near her wrist, traveled along the bones in her arm, bounced around inside her rib cage for a while prior to slicing her lungs and heart; she was dead before she hit the ground. Does that strike you as even a little odd; the one being shot square in the head was the one doing all the talking while the one shot in the wrist was dead on arrival?
Later in the same shift we were dispatched to another family disturbance where the step dad had begun beating his wife and step child. The little girl was around four years old if memory serves and there had been other calls regarding abuse reported. The wife grabbed a small 25 caliber pistol and emptied it into her husbands chest to get him to stop beating the little girl.
I was new to the business, having been a Houston Police Officer for only a couple of months at the time; I didn’t know how thick blood could look as the newly departed lay in a pool of his own fluids. I remember clearly that you could have dropped a half dollar on the points of entry and covered each bullet hole; great shot group, very efficient use of a small caliber pistol.
My favorite of all husband and wife disturbances was almost surreal in nature. We got to a small single family house, the husband was sucking wind from having been shot several times in the chest as he sat on one side of the living room; an interesting word to describe that portion of the house where they tried to kill each other off. The wife sat in a folding metal chair, similar to the kind found in almost any church or overflow auditorium. Her head was resting against the wall, the back part as flat as the black cast iron frying pan which had been used as a club on her; a large red spot dripped down the pale green painted wall.
We entered the house cautiously and wondered why the ambulance crew was just standing around outside. The two combatants were too proud to admit the need for medical assistance, to the point of making it a chicken match; “first one to pass out or die is the looser”, kind of thing. I almost forgot, the woman’s dear sweet mother was sitting on the sofa in between the two cheering for her daughter as we entered, “Shoot him again, shoot him again!”. A lovely home full of such devotion should have warning signs posted. We did manage to get a second ambulance so that both could be treated and transported at the same time without having to admit defeat.
I could go on and on; the time my partner and I made a shooting where a “threesome” had been living together; husband, wife and girlfriend, all under the same roof. It may have worked for a little while, at least until the wife came home from work and found the two locked in fond embrace in her bed; that was the straw that broke her camel’s back.
I could mention the wife beater who expired, his hands still gripping his wife’s hair in his fist. He neglected to remove her purse prior to beating her half to death in the kitchen, the purse that was on the kitchen counter, the purse she kept her pistol in. That pistol made breathing a new art form as we heard his last breath gurgle out; he sat upright, his eyes all glassed over with nothing left to say, in one of those tubular metal kitchen chairs popular in the late 50’s, chrome with two tone red and white plastic seat and back cushions. I don’t recall getting in a hurry to call for an ambulance as we made sure the scene was safe first, removing the pistol, cuffing the wife, bagging her hands to preserve gunpowder evidence and then we asked the dispatcher to send an ambulance; no, husband and wife shootings are nothing new.
So what we see about family violence on TV shows are pretty close to what really happens. Spouses who are head-bashed against the walls, premeditated murders where spouses use their other halves for arms zeroing, blood and gore, injuries... Only one thing did not impress me - if one assailant used the M16 on the other, the bullet would have created an exit wound the size of a man's palm. That would invariably be more exciting. But that's me.
After witnessing TF's excellent writing and style of humour, I am left with one question - why is T F not writing for Desperate Housewives?
Monday, December 17, 2007
Cold Storage Meets Hot Dude
Cold Storage delivery made me wait from 2 pm to 5 pm before their guy came.
It was raining and guess what?
He took his time to unload and left my items under the rain.
When he came up, many things were wet. The delivery guy entered my place without removing his shoes. He should have at least asked if he could do so. I would have said ok and not made a fuss of it.
The items in carton boxes were relatively unscathed from the rain but items such as my Coke and Coke Light and Pringles were all wet. It's worse than that, but I don't need to bother about stuff in plastic wrappings. That I can accept but not cardboard-y stuff. How do I store them if the cartons are wet? These will make the larder unnecessarily humid and there will be mould!
Hands-up those of you who would like mould to go with your coke!
Eh, hurry up! How come I still see no hands? So you don't like mould with your coke? Neither do I. And so guess what? If you want a mould free can of coke, I would have to wipe them down because some fellow did not keep my goods dry when he delivered them?
No way, Jose! I am so not going to take this lying down and of course, I blasted at the manager for the delivery section.
Wow! It certainly feels good to unload. How unprofessional to mess up the entire delivery. And how incompetent is their inventory control - the supermarket changed my delivery from Friday to today because they were out of stock.
Even at noon today, they called me and told me that they were "only" short of my Olive oil. When I said I could wait for that single bottle of olive oil but they should send the rest of the items, suddenly, they were also short of carrot juice and green tea.
Oh my god! "How do I live life when the convenience I need - which I actually pay for - turns out to provide me with more inconveniences than convenience?" I asked Kelvin the manager.
This is indeed one sucky experience that I'll gladly broadcast to the world - "open your ears, the Bitch has come, let Earth receive his news! (tune to Joy to the World)". This would be easy cos Cold Storage's recent advertisement says "You've got the whole world in your hands, you've got the whole world in your hands..." And the dancing green apple leads the grocery and greengrocery in a cartoony dance - and I thought the jumping cows had the mads - which makes me feel that my broadcasting ain't going to take too much effort.
Kelvin said that they will "settle everything by this Friday" between 9.30 am and 11 am. Let's see what happens then.
Open your ears, the bitch has come
I got the whole world in my hands
Let Earth receive his news
I got the whole world in my hands...
It was raining and guess what?
He took his time to unload and left my items under the rain.
When he came up, many things were wet. The delivery guy entered my place without removing his shoes. He should have at least asked if he could do so. I would have said ok and not made a fuss of it.
The items in carton boxes were relatively unscathed from the rain but items such as my Coke and Coke Light and Pringles were all wet. It's worse than that, but I don't need to bother about stuff in plastic wrappings. That I can accept but not cardboard-y stuff. How do I store them if the cartons are wet? These will make the larder unnecessarily humid and there will be mould!
Hands-up those of you who would like mould to go with your coke!
Eh, hurry up! How come I still see no hands? So you don't like mould with your coke? Neither do I. And so guess what? If you want a mould free can of coke, I would have to wipe them down because some fellow did not keep my goods dry when he delivered them?
No way, Jose! I am so not going to take this lying down and of course, I blasted at the manager for the delivery section.
Wow! It certainly feels good to unload. How unprofessional to mess up the entire delivery. And how incompetent is their inventory control - the supermarket changed my delivery from Friday to today because they were out of stock.
Even at noon today, they called me and told me that they were "only" short of my Olive oil. When I said I could wait for that single bottle of olive oil but they should send the rest of the items, suddenly, they were also short of carrot juice and green tea.
Oh my god! "How do I live life when the convenience I need - which I actually pay for - turns out to provide me with more inconveniences than convenience?" I asked Kelvin the manager.
This is indeed one sucky experience that I'll gladly broadcast to the world - "open your ears, the Bitch has come, let Earth receive his news! (tune to Joy to the World)". This would be easy cos Cold Storage's recent advertisement says "You've got the whole world in your hands, you've got the whole world in your hands..." And the dancing green apple leads the grocery and greengrocery in a cartoony dance - and I thought the jumping cows had the mads - which makes me feel that my broadcasting ain't going to take too much effort.
Kelvin said that they will "settle everything by this Friday" between 9.30 am and 11 am. Let's see what happens then.
Open your ears, the bitch has come
I got the whole world in my hands
Let Earth receive his news
I got the whole world in my hands...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I too remember...
Never forget this dark and barbaric event in the modern world.
And NEVER ALLOW HISTORY TO REPEAT ITSELF.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Snowball Aussie's case dropped
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22923032-5001021,00.html
By Stefanie Balogh in Breckenridge, Colorado
December 14, 2007 07:36am
AUSTRALIAN student Andrew Thistleton is preparing to celebrate with a beer and return home after assault charges in the US against him were dropped for the farcical crime of throwing a snowball at a co-worker.
A relieved Mr Thistleton, 21, smiled and hugged his mother Kim Anderson outside the Summit County Court in Breckenridge, Colorado, after the case that stunned Australia was dismissed at the 11th hour on Thursday morning US time.
Dr Anderson has spent about $20,000 on legal fees, flights and accommodation to fight her son's case over the last 10 months.
Mr Thistleton refused to accept a plea deal on lesser charges because he was determined to clear his name, saying all he had done was throw a snowball.
What's wrong with people these days? Suing a colleague just because he tossed a snowball at you? Well, might as well - with the wonderful global warming, very soon all you get to toss are plastic bags of rain water bombs.
By Stefanie Balogh in Breckenridge, Colorado
December 14, 2007 07:36am
AUSTRALIAN student Andrew Thistleton is preparing to celebrate with a beer and return home after assault charges in the US against him were dropped for the farcical crime of throwing a snowball at a co-worker.
A relieved Mr Thistleton, 21, smiled and hugged his mother Kim Anderson outside the Summit County Court in Breckenridge, Colorado, after the case that stunned Australia was dismissed at the 11th hour on Thursday morning US time.
Dr Anderson has spent about $20,000 on legal fees, flights and accommodation to fight her son's case over the last 10 months.
Mr Thistleton refused to accept a plea deal on lesser charges because he was determined to clear his name, saying all he had done was throw a snowball.
What's wrong with people these days? Suing a colleague just because he tossed a snowball at you? Well, might as well - with the wonderful global warming, very soon all you get to toss are plastic bags of rain water bombs.
Rock attack ruined my life
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22923723-5001021,00.html
December 14, 2007 01:29pm
BRAVE rock-throwing victim Nicole Miller today spoke for the first time about how her life was ruined by a vicious attack that has left her unable to leave her home alone.
Choking back tears, a fragile Ms Miller gave a moving victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing for rock thrower Peter Lachlan Hodgkins at Wollongong District Court.
The 22-year-old beauty therapist told how she was unable to work, could not properly use her left hand and arm and was left with a constant ringing in her right ear following the attack from a highway overpass at Kiama Downs on July 22.
"Prior to this incident I was very outgoing and looked forward to social occasions," Ms Miller told the court.
"I was a competitive Latin dancer, had modelled bridal gowns ... and was popular local beauty therapist.
"Now I struggle to go into the wider community because of my appearance.
"Often when I dwell on the incident and my injuries I become upset and cry."
Ms Miller was a passenger in a friend's car when a rock thrown by Hodgkins went through a window and struck her in the head, fracturing her skull.
Critically injured, she was in a come and spent months in hospital recovering. She now has a titanium plate inserted in the right side of her head to protect her brain.
Ms Miller's appearance in court today was the first time she had come face to face with Hodgkins, 24, who has pleaded guilty to maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
World War 3 has not even taken place and people have resorted to Flintstone era weapons! Looks like Einstein's prediction of stone age to return after WW3 was wrong!
December 14, 2007 01:29pm
BRAVE rock-throwing victim Nicole Miller today spoke for the first time about how her life was ruined by a vicious attack that has left her unable to leave her home alone.
Choking back tears, a fragile Ms Miller gave a moving victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing for rock thrower Peter Lachlan Hodgkins at Wollongong District Court.
The 22-year-old beauty therapist told how she was unable to work, could not properly use her left hand and arm and was left with a constant ringing in her right ear following the attack from a highway overpass at Kiama Downs on July 22.
"Prior to this incident I was very outgoing and looked forward to social occasions," Ms Miller told the court.
"I was a competitive Latin dancer, had modelled bridal gowns ... and was popular local beauty therapist.
"Now I struggle to go into the wider community because of my appearance.
"Often when I dwell on the incident and my injuries I become upset and cry."
Ms Miller was a passenger in a friend's car when a rock thrown by Hodgkins went through a window and struck her in the head, fracturing her skull.
Critically injured, she was in a come and spent months in hospital recovering. She now has a titanium plate inserted in the right side of her head to protect her brain.
Ms Miller's appearance in court today was the first time she had come face to face with Hodgkins, 24, who has pleaded guilty to maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
World War 3 has not even taken place and people have resorted to Flintstone era weapons! Looks like Einstein's prediction of stone age to return after WW3 was wrong!
We will we will ROCK you...
Teens stone, kill singer
KAMPHAENG PHET :A cafe singer was killed by a 1.5kg rock thrown by two teenagers who flew into a rage at obscenities she shouted at them.
The attack took place fifteen minutes after midnight yesterday in front of Manida Cafe on Ratchadamnoen road in Muang district.
The victim was identified as Saowapa Phetlek, 20, nicknamed Bia.
Before the attack, Saowapa was sitting in front of the cafe when two teenage boys rode a motorcycle past shouting taunts at her.
In a fit of anger, the singer responded by screaming obscenities at them.
Ten minutes later, they returned and threw the 1.5kg rock which hit her chest very hard and made her lose consciousness.
She was immediately brought to Kamphaeng Phet hospital, but was pronounced dead around 2am.
Pathologists found a large bruise on her chest. They said the impact might have caused internal injuries, leading to her death.
(http://www.bangkokpost.com/131207_News/13Dec2007_news99.php)
Bizarre news one after another.
KAMPHAENG PHET :A cafe singer was killed by a 1.5kg rock thrown by two teenagers who flew into a rage at obscenities she shouted at them.
The attack took place fifteen minutes after midnight yesterday in front of Manida Cafe on Ratchadamnoen road in Muang district.
The victim was identified as Saowapa Phetlek, 20, nicknamed Bia.
Before the attack, Saowapa was sitting in front of the cafe when two teenage boys rode a motorcycle past shouting taunts at her.
In a fit of anger, the singer responded by screaming obscenities at them.
Ten minutes later, they returned and threw the 1.5kg rock which hit her chest very hard and made her lose consciousness.
She was immediately brought to Kamphaeng Phet hospital, but was pronounced dead around 2am.
Pathologists found a large bruise on her chest. They said the impact might have caused internal injuries, leading to her death.
(http://www.bangkokpost.com/131207_News/13Dec2007_news99.php)
Bizarre news one after another.
Can you believe this?
Two former employees of Mitsubishi Motors were found guilty of professional negligence Thursday in the death of a pedestrian crushed by a wheel falling off a truck later recalled by the Japanese automaker. (The Associated Press - 12/13/2007 6:36 AM)
I simply can't rid my head of the chorus of "Jesus Take The Wheel".
I simply can't rid my head of the chorus of "Jesus Take The Wheel".
Are we so gleeful of our doom that...?
Noted Sea Level Expert Accuses IPCC of Falsifying Data
Michael Asher (Blog) - December 11, 2007 4:48 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claims IPCC estimates are bunk; Observational data shows no sea level rise trend
Note: Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner has been studying sea level change for 35 years. He is the former head of Stockholm University's department of Paleodeophysics and Geodynamics. Dr. Mörner is and an expert reviewer for the IPCC, leader of the Maldives Sea Level Project, and past president of the INQUA Commission on Sea Level Changes.
A noted expert in sea level change has accused UN's IPCC panel of falsifying and destroying data (PDF) to support the panel's official conclusion of a rising sea level trend. The accusations include surreptitious substitution of datasets, selective use of data, presenting computer model simulations as physical data, and even the destruction of physical markers which fail to demonstrate sea level rise.
The expert, Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner, also raps the IPCC for their selection of 22 authors of their most recent report on sea level rise (SLR), none of which were sea level specialists. According to Mörner, the authors were chosen to "arrive at a predetermined conclusion" of global warming-induced disaster.
Sea level changes can be detected by a number of methods. Rotational timing is a very precise method, and is based on the fact that a change in the earth's radius will cause minute differences in it's rate of rotation. A rise in sea level increases the radius slightly, and can therefore be detected by precisely timing when the sun rises and sets. This method can detect changes in sea level as small as one millimeter. Data collected in this manner has shown the ocean to have risen and fallen slightly several times since the early 1900s, without any definitive trend.
Satellite altimetry is another method. Mörner says that, in 2003, The IPCC's altimetry dataset, which had previously displayed no clear trend, suddenly changed, with past readings modified to show a strong uplift. Though corrections to datasets are supposed to be clearly announced and identified, this was done secretly, and not labeled. When Mörner inquired about the discrepancy, he was told the readings had been adjusted by a "correction factor".
Where did this factor come from? The least precise method of measuring sea level is tide gauge records. These are problematic as the land under the gauge may itself be rising or falling. Hong Kong maintains six tide gauges, five of which show no trend. The sixth, located on land where compaction is causing the ground to sink, was chosen by the IPCC as the correction factor for global altimetry data.
Tide gauges kept in the sensitive areas of Pacific and Indian Ocean islands show a different story. In Vanuatu, Tegua, and the Tuvalu Islands, gauge records show no trend at all. In the Maldives, tide gauges kept from the 1950s show a small drop in the 1970s, and no change since.
More shocking is Mörner's claim of the destruction of evidence. A famous low-lying tree in the Maldives has long been a marker for sea-level change, and noted in several research papers. But when an Australian team visited the island on a data-gathering trip, they saw the tree and pulled it down, according to local eyewitnesses. Mörner's team later replanted the tree in the same spot.
Climatologist and IPCC Expert Reviewer Dr. Madhav Khandekar, contacted by DailyTech in regards to this story, also believes SLR is being exaggerated by the IPCC. Khandekar says SLR over the next 100 years will be "insignificant" and pointed to recent research demonstrating SLR had actually declined in the latter half of the 20th century.
Dr. Mörner also had harsh words for the Maldives government. When the Maldives Sea Level Project concluded there was no threat to from rising sea levels, a documentary was made to reassure residents. The government, however, banned airing of the film. According to Mörner, the rationale for the ban was financial. The Maldives stands to gain hundreds of millions of dollars in climate change aid from Western governments. "Because they thought that they would lose money." He said, "They accuse the West for putting out carbon dioxide, so they wanted the flooding scenario to go on."
Mörner says it's becoming increasingly hard to perform objective climate research. In the European Community, a prerequisite for research grants is that the focus must be on global warming. Papers which don't support global warming aren't funded. "That's what dictatorships did, autocracies." He added, "They demanded that scientists produce what they wanted."
http://www.dailytech.com/Noted+Sea+Level+Expert+Accuses+IPCC+of+Falsifying+Data/article9978.htm
Fortunately for me, I am neither a believer of global warming - hey I'm in an aircon room most of the time - or a supporter of the green lobby - though I eat my vegetables without complaining. But to resort to falsifying records to bring incite irrational fear of infernal armageddon is really lowly.
Michael Asher (Blog) - December 11, 2007 4:48 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claims IPCC estimates are bunk; Observational data shows no sea level rise trend
Note: Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner has been studying sea level change for 35 years. He is the former head of Stockholm University's department of Paleodeophysics and Geodynamics. Dr. Mörner is and an expert reviewer for the IPCC, leader of the Maldives Sea Level Project, and past president of the INQUA Commission on Sea Level Changes.
A noted expert in sea level change has accused UN's IPCC panel of falsifying and destroying data (PDF) to support the panel's official conclusion of a rising sea level trend. The accusations include surreptitious substitution of datasets, selective use of data, presenting computer model simulations as physical data, and even the destruction of physical markers which fail to demonstrate sea level rise.
The expert, Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner, also raps the IPCC for their selection of 22 authors of their most recent report on sea level rise (SLR), none of which were sea level specialists. According to Mörner, the authors were chosen to "arrive at a predetermined conclusion" of global warming-induced disaster.
Sea level changes can be detected by a number of methods. Rotational timing is a very precise method, and is based on the fact that a change in the earth's radius will cause minute differences in it's rate of rotation. A rise in sea level increases the radius slightly, and can therefore be detected by precisely timing when the sun rises and sets. This method can detect changes in sea level as small as one millimeter. Data collected in this manner has shown the ocean to have risen and fallen slightly several times since the early 1900s, without any definitive trend.
Satellite altimetry is another method. Mörner says that, in 2003, The IPCC's altimetry dataset, which had previously displayed no clear trend, suddenly changed, with past readings modified to show a strong uplift. Though corrections to datasets are supposed to be clearly announced and identified, this was done secretly, and not labeled. When Mörner inquired about the discrepancy, he was told the readings had been adjusted by a "correction factor".
Where did this factor come from? The least precise method of measuring sea level is tide gauge records. These are problematic as the land under the gauge may itself be rising or falling. Hong Kong maintains six tide gauges, five of which show no trend. The sixth, located on land where compaction is causing the ground to sink, was chosen by the IPCC as the correction factor for global altimetry data.
Tide gauges kept in the sensitive areas of Pacific and Indian Ocean islands show a different story. In Vanuatu, Tegua, and the Tuvalu Islands, gauge records show no trend at all. In the Maldives, tide gauges kept from the 1950s show a small drop in the 1970s, and no change since.
More shocking is Mörner's claim of the destruction of evidence. A famous low-lying tree in the Maldives has long been a marker for sea-level change, and noted in several research papers. But when an Australian team visited the island on a data-gathering trip, they saw the tree and pulled it down, according to local eyewitnesses. Mörner's team later replanted the tree in the same spot.
Climatologist and IPCC Expert Reviewer Dr. Madhav Khandekar, contacted by DailyTech in regards to this story, also believes SLR is being exaggerated by the IPCC. Khandekar says SLR over the next 100 years will be "insignificant" and pointed to recent research demonstrating SLR had actually declined in the latter half of the 20th century.
Dr. Mörner also had harsh words for the Maldives government. When the Maldives Sea Level Project concluded there was no threat to from rising sea levels, a documentary was made to reassure residents. The government, however, banned airing of the film. According to Mörner, the rationale for the ban was financial. The Maldives stands to gain hundreds of millions of dollars in climate change aid from Western governments. "Because they thought that they would lose money." He said, "They accuse the West for putting out carbon dioxide, so they wanted the flooding scenario to go on."
Mörner says it's becoming increasingly hard to perform objective climate research. In the European Community, a prerequisite for research grants is that the focus must be on global warming. Papers which don't support global warming aren't funded. "That's what dictatorships did, autocracies." He added, "They demanded that scientists produce what they wanted."
http://www.dailytech.com/Noted+Sea+Level+Expert+Accuses+IPCC+of+Falsifying+Data/article9978.htm
Fortunately for me, I am neither a believer of global warming - hey I'm in an aircon room most of the time - or a supporter of the green lobby - though I eat my vegetables without complaining. But to resort to falsifying records to bring incite irrational fear of infernal armageddon is really lowly.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Go Green? Too late!
[In support of T. F. Stern's recent article.]
I believe people are barking up the wrong tree.
Why do we start bitching about going Green now?
We should have started such efforts doggedly once we realised that we will run out of oil in 2050 thereabouts.
We are pathetic! We don't even realise that success comes at a price - a price that is beyond our ken to repay.
What I propose is simple - in our final glory years, burn! Harvest and burn all the bloody oil there is on planet earth. Let Earth burn in the wonderful atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Let the temperatures rise and the airconditioners go at full blast. Let the Arctic ice caps melt. Let the water levels rise. Let the plates rumble with unabashed glee and welcome the cleansing tsunamis with open arms.
Rejoice! For after that, when we have nothing left, the world will correct the imbalances by itself.
We, yes we, will form the seed of the new oil deposits for the new world. Our children, yes them, will survive the harshest ice ages. Our grandchildren will rediscover new trade routes, our great grandchildren will start colonising the backwaters and erode the traditions of the very people they view as different from them.
One of our descendent generations will go to war and some nation will reinvent the nuclear weapon to use on the perceived perpetrator of war.
We, yes we, will eventually be all used up and our children of millienia in the future will come full circle when the earth next corrects itself.
So, doggone it! I'm living life in abandon. No one can stop me. As I have always believed, the world will only get better after it hits rock bottom. We are still a long way off!
I believe people are barking up the wrong tree.
Why do we start bitching about going Green now?
We should have started such efforts doggedly once we realised that we will run out of oil in 2050 thereabouts.
We are pathetic! We don't even realise that success comes at a price - a price that is beyond our ken to repay.
What I propose is simple - in our final glory years, burn! Harvest and burn all the bloody oil there is on planet earth. Let Earth burn in the wonderful atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Let the temperatures rise and the airconditioners go at full blast. Let the Arctic ice caps melt. Let the water levels rise. Let the plates rumble with unabashed glee and welcome the cleansing tsunamis with open arms.
Rejoice! For after that, when we have nothing left, the world will correct the imbalances by itself.
We, yes we, will form the seed of the new oil deposits for the new world. Our children, yes them, will survive the harshest ice ages. Our grandchildren will rediscover new trade routes, our great grandchildren will start colonising the backwaters and erode the traditions of the very people they view as different from them.
One of our descendent generations will go to war and some nation will reinvent the nuclear weapon to use on the perceived perpetrator of war.
We, yes we, will eventually be all used up and our children of millienia in the future will come full circle when the earth next corrects itself.
So, doggone it! I'm living life in abandon. No one can stop me. As I have always believed, the world will only get better after it hits rock bottom. We are still a long way off!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Damned oranges
Was at the wet market on Saturday to buy some oranges before going to the temple for ancestral prayers.
Bent forward slightly to pick those globes and I heard a tearing sound at my lower back.
I've done my chiropractic round but the pain is still lingering. I'm getting better but still I need rest.
Visited the doctor just now. Sigh!
Bent forward slightly to pick those globes and I heard a tearing sound at my lower back.
I've done my chiropractic round but the pain is still lingering. I'm getting better but still I need rest.
Visited the doctor just now. Sigh!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Singapore hit by Ella
Salmonella, that is.
A well-known Singapore bakery chain, PrimaDeli, was hit by salmonella. More than 140 Singaporeans have fallen ill after eating the tainted cakes.
Apparently, the hazelnut cream and chocolate cream are laced with the bacteria and 4 (or was it 6) workers were carriers.
Let's hope those who have fallen sick get well soon and PrimaDeli can resume selling its cakes. I think the bakery's business is going to take a hit for some time. But they make great cakes and so I'll still patronise them. (Who would be cleaner than them after the stringent rounds of health checks?)
(But somehow, I think some quarters thought we are hit by Ebola.)
A well-known Singapore bakery chain, PrimaDeli, was hit by salmonella. More than 140 Singaporeans have fallen ill after eating the tainted cakes.
Apparently, the hazelnut cream and chocolate cream are laced with the bacteria and 4 (or was it 6) workers were carriers.
Let's hope those who have fallen sick get well soon and PrimaDeli can resume selling its cakes. I think the bakery's business is going to take a hit for some time. But they make great cakes and so I'll still patronise them. (Who would be cleaner than them after the stringent rounds of health checks?)
(But somehow, I think some quarters thought we are hit by Ebola.)
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
On Heathrow
Question: I heard Heathrow is thinking of adding a third runway.
Reply from top gun of a well-regarded airline: They think too long.
Well, it is already 10 years and counting.
Reply from top gun of a well-regarded airline: They think too long.
Well, it is already 10 years and counting.
My favourite bureaucrat
His replies to three questions.
"No authority."
"No capacity."
"No interest."
The Hokkien/Teochew equivalent would be:
Bo guan.
Bo eng.
Bo hew.
When is it my turn to reply in this manner?
"No authority."
"No capacity."
"No interest."
The Hokkien/Teochew equivalent would be:
Bo guan.
Bo eng.
Bo hew.
When is it my turn to reply in this manner?
Speaking Across Cultural Barriers
Mrs Who-who:
"For an airport like yours to be so successful, I notice you have added new infrastructure like terminals. It is important that it's not just the hardware but about the "software" (the people, their work ethics, workplace culture etc)"
An hour later, an airport top-brass said during his presentation to Mrs Who-who:
"So Mrs Who-who is right. Software is very important to the airport. We invest heavily in our computer systems to stay competitive..."
Me: Palm slapmark (own doing) on forehead...
"For an airport like yours to be so successful, I notice you have added new infrastructure like terminals. It is important that it's not just the hardware but about the "software" (the people, their work ethics, workplace culture etc)"
An hour later, an airport top-brass said during his presentation to Mrs Who-who:
"So Mrs Who-who is right. Software is very important to the airport. We invest heavily in our computer systems to stay competitive..."
Me: Palm slapmark (own doing) on forehead...
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