Palestinian Children Demonstration

Palestinian schoolchildren participate in a demonstration in support of the new Palestinian coalition government in the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, March 18.

Children. Have you ever seen such a group of young children in a political outcry like this? It's actually the perfect segway for the next series of serious pieces you'll see from me. I did quite a bit of studying on the Muslim/Islam community, including portions of Palestine and the West Bank....and have intentions of writing out some pieces, along with offering some excerpts from some amazing books. I couldn't resist posting this one, though....take a second to really look at some of the faces. The one I saw was actually almost full screen (you can click to get a little bit larger view), so it was much more powerful, but you get the idea.

Do's and Don'ts of Using Banana Mask

This is a soothing face mask and great if you have bananas around the house.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tbsp honey
• Lemon or orange juice

PREPARATION:

Mix the banana and honey together.
Add a few drops of orange or lemon juice.
Apply to face for 15 minutes before rinsing.

DO give yourself a homemade facial once a decade. Sure, some people have the money to have it done weekly, and some people have the time to do it themselves monthly.....but for the rest of us, it's kinda nice to set aside 20 minutes once every few years to do something like this.

DON'T do it while kids, husbands, wives, or even blind grandmothers are home. The first 3 are going to laugh at how you look....and the last is going to try to lick your face because it smells delicious.

DO microwave the banana for 45 seconds or so if it isn't ripe. Most of us don't leave bananas lying around until they're technically 'ripe' anyway, and if we do, they're going to have gnats flying around them and we don't want to touch them anyway. Just toss it in the microwave and it'll get all mushy for you.

DON'T think that you'll get by with only half a banana. I don't care how tiny your face is, it's not going to cut it because the stuff is thick and goopy.

DO taste it. Yes, you're getting ready to put it on your face, but this stuff smells like fresh banana nut bread right out of the oven (after all, you just heated the banana, didn't you?). You don't have to tell anyone....just dip a finger in and enjoy the warm bananas and honey.

DON'T add nuts and eat like you would banana nut bread batter. I know it's tempting, but you don't have time to make a full loaf right now.

DO dry your face first. You should give it a quick wash before putting this stuff on, but if you leave your face wet, it's going to slip and slide right off your face.

DON'T move away from the sink immediately after putting it on. Dry face or not, it's going to slip and slide right off your face....

DO use the last 10 minutes (remember, spend the first five over the sink, heh) to do something else, but...

DON'T use that time to paint your fingernails. This is a facial...not a spa treatment. Your face is going to itch at all the wrong times and then there'll be banana goop all over the place....not to mention that your nails will be ruined.

DO reuse the bowl you mixed it in to toss the globs of banana back into. You don't want that stuff stuck in your bathroom sink.

DON'T eat it out of the bowl afterward. Trust me, you're going to be standing there, leaning over the sink, thinking about how you won't want to admit that you ate your facial leftovers in your blog later. Just throw it away and the world will be fine. You can make more later, 'after' you blog and won't have to think about it while blogging.

DO rinse your face afterward. It's gonna be slimy, but refreshing once it's off.

DON'T think that you didn't get any in your hair. You did. It just hasn't dried yet and you can't tell. Your blind grandmother will still be able to tell when she hobbles into the door. Give yourself an extra 5 minutes to find the random chunks of banana in your hair before the family gets home. It's worth it.

DO heed these warnings. I tried it first hand, and minus the nail painting and grandmother sniffing, I experienced it all. It's fun...but only worth doing once a decade. :P

Shaped Ice Part II--Shot Glasses

Remember when I blogged about spoon shaped ice? Well much to my surprise, apparently frozen chunks of ice in the shape of spoons just isn't for everyone. Nope, the next big thing is shot glass shaped ice. Who knew? Now at your next big party, instead of wondering who peed on your carpet, you can rest easy knowing that it is just the remainder of your shot glasses.

(They can be found here. And for $6.99, don't forget that you can freeze other liquids in here and add flavor to every shot...)

Web Search Request Filled--World of Our Own

For the person who searched for "60s song words we'll build a world of our own that know one else," I believe you were looking for Tim Springfield/Waylon Jenning's World of Our Own (Westlife has an acoustic version on YouTube, also). Here are the 'words' for you, too. ;-)

We’ll build the world of our own that no one else can share
All our sorrows will leave far behind the stairs
And I know you will find there’ll be peace of mind
And we’ll live in a world of our own.

Close the door light the lights we’ll stay at home tonight
Far away from the bustle and the bright city lights
Let the world fade away just leave us alone
And we’ll live in a world of our own.

We’ll build the world of our own that no one else can share
All our sorrows will leave far behind the stairs
And I know you will find there’ll be peace of mind
And we’ll live in a world of our own.

Oh, my love oh my love I’ve cried for you so much
Lonely nights without sleeping while I long for your touch
Now your lips can erase the heartache we’ve known
Come with me to the world of our own.

We’ll build the world of our own that no one else can share
All our sorrows will leave far behind the stairs
And I know you will find there’ll be peace of mind
And we’ll live in a world of our own.

And I know you will find there’ll be peace of mind
And we’ll live in a world of our own...

World's Smallest Horse--Thumbelina

So while I'm on the subject of small body parts, how about a small animal? This is Thumbelina (creative name, eh?), the world's smallest horse (both living and in history), measuring in at a whopping 17.5 inches tall. According to yahoo, this picture was taken in October '06 and she's 5 years old.

Chinese Foot Binding vs. Boob Jobs

Most people have heard of feet binding in China. Most of those people likely think of it as an ancient practice that no longer occurs, too. What people tend to forget, though, is that traditions like this don't just 'go away'....even when made illegal. Here's the caption for this particular photo:

Zhou Guizhen, who is 86-years-old, shows one of her bound feet where the bones in the four small toes were broken and forced underneath the foot over a period of time, at her home in Liuyi village in China's southern Yunnan Province, February 2007. Villages in China where women with bound feet survive are increasingly rare but the millennium-old practice nevertheless took almost four decades to eradicate after it was initially banned in 1911.(AFP/File/Mark Ralston)

Fortunately, it is definitely on the decline and it is rare for a young girls to have their feet bound now...partly because it is becoming increasingly important for women to work, also, and it is nearly impossible to walk on bound feet for very long (such is one of the reasons why it was so popular....if you could afford to have your women/wives/daughters not work, then showing this by disabling them to a certain extent further showed off your wealth....another was because it was seen as beautiful/graceful)....and hopefully, part of the reason it was eventually banned is because they realize how torturous it is. (I could talk for hours just about this....did research on it a few years ago and I couldn't possibly sum up the physical facts, much less the psychological/sociological possibilities....if you want a brief history run down, check here.)

Unfortunately, however, many people who hear about this sort of thing find it absolutely horrendous.....but fail to see any of the things that our own societies do. I know I have some readers that aren't from America/Canada/England....but I'm sure they can relate to one degree or another. We have women so obsessed about their weight that they starve themselves or do horrible things to their bodies in order to reach the ideal image...that their bodies are not meant to reach. We have women who go through multiple surgeries and procedures to suck fat from some areas and put fat in others. Do you have any idea on how much an incline that breast augmentation has gone in the last decade? Hell, it may not physically compare to breaking bones in the feet and binding them pain-wise....but many girls start burning their flesh/tanning early in their teens in hopes of achieving the 'perfect' color. It's not just women, of course.....men are bombarded with ads to increase their size (ok, so the women are, too, but it's only because bots can't tell the difference between men and women by their email addresses :P). While men here are striving for more than 4 inches....women in China were striving for feet that were smaller than 4 inches.

Isn't it funny (read--'sad'), though, that as places like China put an end to practices like this....we're increasing them and it's perfectly acceptable? Oh sure, people of all generations talk about the young girls in their short mini skirts and tank tops and how bad it is. Those are usually the same people who are on their 5th diet of the year, though, and don't think anything of it. Yeah, there are exceptions to the rules and some people truly do just want to be healthy....but even many of those people don't realize that their image of 'healthy' is really the image of the 'perfect person' that society has gradually put into their heads. One side is saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and the other is saying "Barbie is perfect....why don't you look like Barbie?"

I could continue to ramble, but you all have heard this stuff before. It'll go in one ear (and some of you, like Dave, will analyze and obsess over it for a few minutes) and then it won't cross your mind again for a while. So instead, I'm off to fix lunch for the little ones, hehe.

Child Molestation....On Me

~Warning~ Once again, my apologies if this starts to resemble a mommy blog for a while. I take pride in my girlies and can't help writing about them every now and then.
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"Foof!" I flopped down on the couch after dinner, hoping to grab a few minutes of peace before starting the next task.

"Foof! "Hmph!" "Uuuggghhh..." The sounds come almost simultaneously as a 4 year old jumps on my back, causing the couch to sink even further and my stomach to groan after a large meal.

"Baby, my belly, it's so full....you can't jump on me like that," I try to explain while forcing her off of me. "See? It's full," I say, patting my belly and closing my eyes, hoping she'll just go away.

"Can I see those, too?"

"Hmm? See what?" One eye peeks out at her, catching a glimpse of her pointing finger.

"Those." She pokes my chest with a not-so-gentle prod.

"No!" I shriek, as she starts poking them both. "Hey, hey! I said 'no'..." Grabbing her hand, I push her away and try to ignoring her insistent questions.

"But why? I just wanna see them. Can I see them? Why won't you show me?"

"Gah!" I think to myself. "Because they're mine and I don't want to." Then of course, my mind goes through the series of thoughts about how it's a natural part of the body, blah, blah, blah....but no!

"I'll show you mine. See?" She pulls up her shirt and I'm blinded by a pot belly and what she calls "boobies." Baby boobies.

"Pull your shirt down, goof. I don't want to see them." I grab her and tuck her into me, realizing that my mind is incapable of changing the subject.....so I begin tickling her until she can no longer talk. "Ha!" I think to myself. "I've won and her four year old mind has forgotten the awkwardness that every four year old seems to put me through." After all, it's not the first time my chest has been examined by little ones. It's not the first time I've been poked and prodded unexpectedly by some curious child. But still...no.

I haven't won, though. Oh no, of course not....

"Ah!! Stop that!" I shriek yet again....this time, only vaguely aware of how high pitched my voice has become. After a few minutes of tickling, wrestling, and getting tangled in each other, she's flipped around to where her feet are near my face....and consequently, her hands are in range to shove up my shorts.

"Hehehehe." She can't stop giggling....and I'm not tickling her now. She's getting some sort of sick pleasure out of watching me squirm, grabbing wildly at her hands, attempting to get them out of places they shouldn't be.

"No really, stop it." She can't hear me. She can barely keep her hands in place because her giggle has turned into a full fledged giggle.

"But..but...but. I...just....I just want to.....but I just want to...." She's laughing and wiggling too much to put together a full sentence. Eventually she spits out something about just wanting to see my panties. I cringe at the word alone, but I don't even notice because every time I get her hands out, somehow they find their way back in.

"Hey!" This time it's her screaming out. I found her weak spot in between laughs and pinned her down with both legs. I sit up, grabbing both her hands and she's done for. To make matters worse, the couch is leather and she's sweating so badly now that she's sticking to it.

"Gotcha." Finally, victory is mine. My chest has been violated and my underwear has crept to unknown places, hoping to find safety from invading fingers....but I win.

You see, children are much like dogs when you first meet them. The first thing they want to do is shove their nose up your butt, and no matter how many times you shoo them away, they come right back, making things awkward when in the company of others (which, if you're meeting a new dog, it's likely at someone else's house, and of course you're going to have witnesses). You can push and shove and shriek even, but they won't give up until they're ready.

The only difference is, kids take a lot longer to get used to you....and they'll even ask awkward questions at the most inopportune moment. Their curiosity is not only physically intrusive, but verbally, they can turn anyone's face red in a split second.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some creeping underwear that needs to be coaxed out of hiding.

Menu Pet Food Recall Update--Rat Poison

I blogged about the pet food recall the other day, but there have been new findings. During their investigation, they were focusing on the change in wheat gluten...which wheat gluten itself wouldn't cause kidney failure....but what they found in the contaminated foods would...

Rat poison.

Yep, they don't know how it got there either because it wouldn't make sense to spray a crop with rat poison. Aminopterin is the name of the toxin discovered. Actually, it's not used as rat poison here in the US, but rather as a cancer drug. Even the tiniest amounts of it in food would cause kidney failure in pets (which lead to deaths, of course, and the number is up to 16 at this point...but likely higher because not everyone has heard about the recall and wouldn't necessarily report their pet's death as being linked). In humans, aminopterin, inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system, so it's beneficial as a cancer drug. Otherwise, it's highly toxic and is quite tragic that it got into millions of cans of pet food.

You can read an updated article here.

So Apparently I'm a Potential Terrorist

http://nofly.s3.com/index.jsp

So when I type in my name, it highlights in red. Beware. ~shifty eyes~

According to published reports in the Washington Post and elsewhere, the federal government is using an algorithmic software product known as Soundex to search databases for potential terrorists. Developed in 1918, Soundex removes vowels from names and applies numerical values to remaining consonants. Names are matched according to those resulting numerical values.

The results generated in this demonstration are a product of a compilation of the best available data regarding suspected and known terrorists. Publicly available terrorist names from various reliable government and non-governmental sources were merged to create a comprehensive list. Because federal investigators are constantly adding and deleting the identities of terrorists on various lists provided to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) there is no simple method for the taxpayer to easily acquire immediate information regarding suspect names.

S3 compared the Soundex software to its proprietary TeraMatch® software. TeraMatch® matched with 96% accuracy compared to Soundex's 15%. Importantly, TeraMatch® only matched 4% false positives-innocent people incorrectly identified-to Soundex's 85%. For more information on TeraMatch®, visit www.S3.com

(On second thought, do you think a subject line like that could get me in trouble? After all, I'm neither confirming or denying it, and it's kinda like those kids in high school or make a side comment about bringing a gun or bomb to school.....and the next thing you know, they're in the principal's office or the school is being evacuated....)

Cuts And Gravy Pet Food Recall

And here's where I step back in with another public service announcement. Menu Foods has recalled all 'cuts and gravy' cat and dog food (produced under various brand labels) manufactured between December 2006 and March 2007. The company announced that an unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and another 10 have died after eating the effect food. Snopes confirms this, links to the company press release, and also gives a list of the 48 dog and 40 cat brand names (including Iams, Eukanuba, Ol'Roy, Special Kitty, and all those off brands sold by Wal-Mart, Save-A-Lot, Food Lion, etc). If you have pets and you feed them any sort of 'cuts and gravy' pet food, please check into this.

It's Not Juice in Her Cup!--Beach Webcam

The Bucuti Cam zooms in to the area indicated by the sign between 9:00 and 9:15 am every day.Have your photo taken at Aruba's most expansive beach and wave to friends at home! If you missed it, you can see the photos from Today’s Zoom or the archive of past zoom photos and even order prints if you like.~~description on the Bucuticam site

The description that led me to the site, though, read:

Freezing your butt off up north? Wanna feel even worse? Tune in to this live webcam perched above Bucuti Beach in sunny Aruba and watch people heading out for the day of fun in the sunshine while you get to sit at your desk all day!

Real nice, huh? Anyway, I was expecting a 'live' webcam, but after my immediate disappointment, I checked out some of their archives anyway, hoping to find something of interest, and that's exactly what I did. Many of the people in the archived photos are holding up signs like the above, most often saying things like "Happy Birthday Meg!" or "We're not coming home!" I couldn't help but giggle at the guy on the bottom of this picture, though, with a sign that says: It's Not Juice In Her Cup"......

Unusual Phobias--The Dreaded Diaper Deck

Phobias. We've all heard of them. Some of us even fears of our own. Many are afraid of heights or of flying. Some people are afraid of leaving their homes or are terrified of bugs.

And for the record, fears are not just something you are born with. There are sources that have taught those fears, even if people don't recognize them or can't pinpoint them their selves. Sometimes it's a bad experience as a child....and sometimes, it's as simple as being raised by someone else who has the same fear or similar fear (like someone being taught that snakes are horrible creatures to be afraid of).

Regardless, I've heard a lot of strange fears out there, but as I stumbled through the Unusual Phobias website, I came across one that I'd certainly never heard of.....a woman who is terrified of diaper decks. Refer to the picture up there if you're not sure what I'm talking about. If you've ever been into a public female or unisex bathroom, you've likely seen one. Fortunately, she knows the reason why she's afraid of them, but that doesn't help her any when she goes out of her way to avoid stalls with them:

One time I saw one in a bathroom that was partially open and had a horrible smell coming from it. I immediately thought that there must be a dead baby inside and I almost started crying. Now I'll go completely out of my way to avoid stalls with Diaper Decks inside them, even if it means waiting an extra 20 minutes in line.

I wonder what she does about the bathrooms that have them on the outside of the stalls like where the sinks are....or the bathrooms that are just a small room for one person?

I wonder even more if there was a dead baby inside that diaper deck.....because no matter how rancid a dirty diaper may be, and no matter how many jokes may be made about something having 'died in there'....it still seems like you'd be able to recognize if it was just a dirty diaper or not....especially considering most public restrooms are cleaned at least once a day, and it'd take longer for a baby's body to decompose enough to start smelling like that. That aside, I can't help but wonder if she felt guilty later for not checking to see if there really was a baby in there....

Yahoo Emoticoncert

So I was always a fan of yahoo messenger's emoticons. In fact, it was the 'sole' reason I stayed with them for so long, and now, even after they've changed their emoticons and I don't like them nearly as much, the only reason I continue to use it is because it's the one my mom uses. Frankly, I still like the smileys better there than the ones on MSN messenger, but it seems most of my friends tend to use MSN, and I'm stuck with crappy smileys no matter where I go anyway. (Don't even get me started on AIM...I refuse to even use it now).

That being said, I'm impressed by the effort these guys put out for their own music video using lyrics and emoticons. It's kinda spiffy and worth the couple minutes of time, in my opinion, just to see a good use of smileys, even if they're not as great as the smileys as before (although some have definitely improved in their animated 3D attempts).

After Abortion E-Cards

So I was posting this elsewhere online and realized that I should pass it along here, too....

Exhale has branched out into something that other places haven't even thought of. They've created a small series of e-cards, specifically to be sent to those who have had abortions....words of comfort and encouragement, of course, including one with a religious reminder that God will never leave. As they describe it:

Do you know someone who’s had an abortion?
Are you having trouble knowing what to say?
Do you want to let them know you care?

Send them an e-card.

Remember, each person’s experience with abortion is unique. These e-cards were created to address the range of experiences people can have with abortion. As you consider which e-card to send, think about the person you are sending it to. What do they need to know? What are they feeling? What message will provide the most comfort?

Each card is provided in English and Spanish. Click a link below any card to select the one which you would like to send.

See them for yourself here.

The iRack

Thanks to Nikki for this one. I want to laugh....then I want to cry....then I want to be angry....and when it's all said and done, I can't help but just laugh anyway, because what else is there to do?

Lemur Attack!! Babies vs. Cute Animals

Okay guys, I'm sorry. I told myself I wasn't going to post any cute animals for a while because I had 'so' much other content, and some of it is rather important in worldy, not-so-quirky ways.....but look at this guy!! Here's his quick little story.

One of two babies crowned lemurs (Propithecus verreauxi coronatus) born in early January 2007 is seen in this recent photo at the Parc Zoologique de Paris in nearby Vincennes. The birth of the two baby lemurs, part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programmes, increases the population to ten lemurs in captivity at the Zoo.

So instead of having kids at some point, maybe I should just go into raising cute little animals. Yes, yes, I know they grow up...they 'always' do, but then they can be released, hehe. Been there, done that.....with squirrels, raccoons, etc.. Sure, it sucks when they've gotta be released, but it's also like sending your first child off to college.....you feel that sense of being overwhelmingly proud and happy for them, even if you're sad that they're leaving or scared about whether you raised them well enough to survive on their own. The main difference is that with your children, you see them again.....with the animals, you don't. Once they're gone, they're gone.

But look at him! Who could resist that face? (All you lemur-haters, go away....and all those who giggle at how weird of a face it is and at how adorable 'I' find it, well, just keep your mouths shut :P) So anyway, you guys are going to support me with donations, right?

Right?

You better. ~Evil eye~ I expect to see the checks in the mail....and I'll think about keeping you guys updated with cute photos....I'm not sure I'd be able to share without wanting to keep them all to myself. :P

The American Way--Ink Pens in Space

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside-down, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil. Your taxes are due again--enjoy paying them.

Enough said, huh?

(And fyi, if you were slightly skeptical like I was, go google 'space pen' and see what wikipedia has to say about it.....it doesn't give a cost of invention, but it does give all the specifications and how it's built....I'd link it, but hey, you've gotta put out some effort, too. :P)

Random Kitten Generator

Random Kitten Generator

So it turns out that I probably should've had a tag specifically for cute animal pictures. Yeah, we all know they're everywhere, but I can't help but pass along a few of them. This one will randomly give you kitten picture (hence the name, huh? :P), so it's a bit different than some of them I've mentioned before.

The Machine is Us/ing Us

I meant to post this before and forgot until it was just sent to me again. I really don't even need to say anything about it....just watch and let your mind follow what it's saying. Quite amazing really...

Dogs Take Yoga Lessons

Mayako Koyama practises yoga with her dog Rishell, a two-year-old Miniature Dachshund, during a 'Dog Yoga' lesson organised by Japan Dog Yoga Association at Nippon Ayurveda School in Tokyo February 28, 2007. The lesson is aimed at improving health and bonding owner and dog through yoga. REUTERS/Kiyoshi Ota (JAPAN)

Great. Now even dogs are more flexible than I am...*sigh*

Photo Of The Day

So recently fuelmyblog got a new look and with it came a set of forums....on those forums, there's a man by the name of BenSpark....and within BenSpark there was an inspiration once upon a time to take a photo every day....and with that inspiration, there was the intent to post each photo every day on a blog....and eventually, that blog grew to hold two year's worth of photos....and within those photos, there was enough of an interest from the outside world, that a widget was created....and because of that widget, you will now see a new section on my sidebar....and...

Okay, enough, enough. Anyway, I found several of Sir Spark's photos interesting. No worries...they're not always professional looking landscapes that fill you with envy. Within a few minutes, I had discovered the Wii, some cats, and a picture of a the top of a Ritz box side panel, with the serving size of 5 crackers stacked neatly above (now tell me that's not quirky worthy...)....

Baby Panda

Yes, yes, I know, enough with the cute pictures, but I'm trying to bribe you. After all, who doesn't like cute pictures? :P I'm moving in less than two weeks and I haven't even begun to think about packing, much less actually doing it. In less than 3 days over the weekend, I wrote 6 papers...one being 9 pages with full MLA citations and multiple outside research sources, and another 5 page one. It's been kinda hectic, and yet, at the same time, I've been doing other things outside of school that have been keeping my interest.....like tomorrow I'm meeting up with a long time friend that I met online, so I'm kinda excited about that.....and I'm meeting another in a month or so. I have tons of quirky things to talk about here, but I'm trying to prolong posting until I finish up with finals, papers, and moving. Trust me....I have a million notes and so many emails/drafts saved and marked to mention, link, and dissect like smelly frogs. I haven't forgotten about you....I'm just going to overwhelm you in a few weeks, and you'll love me all over again (well, until I leave for the summer, but we'll deal with that when it comes). Miss you guys!