Rangoon - Tens of thousands of monks on Tuesday defied a military ban and warnings of reprisals in sixth day of barefoot marches in the streets of Rangoon.
Troops involved in the 1988 massacre of pro-democracy protesters and anti-riot police moved into Rangoon, and a showdown appeared inevitable.
The monks' marches, defying the order of the Burmese clergy which is controlled by the military dictatorship, have rocked Rangoon for more than a week.
The monks, arriving in small groups in buses and cars, first congregated at the Shwedagon Pagoda before starting to march to Sule at 2pm where they flooded the traffic circle around the downtown pagoda, a flashpoint for past protests and crackdowns.
The demonstration, exceeding 50,000 monks and laymen, was in open defiance of a government order to end their daily marches that started a week ago Tuesday, and escalated Monday with up to 100,000 marchers in Rangoon and other cities.
On Monday night, Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung, the minister of religion, issued a televised warning to all monks to obey Buddhist rules that prohibit the clergy from engaging in political activities.
Trucks with loudspeakers prowled Rangoon's downtown area Tuesday morning warning that anyone caught watching the marchers will be liable to three years in jail and anyone who participates in the marches faces 10 years imprisonment.
Some monks have tried to depoliticize their protest, carrying placards that read, "Loving Kindness Wins All," and "Untruth will be overcome by Truth," but many laymen joining the rally were less discrete.
"The people's desire must be fulfilled," was a common cry. On Tuesday, for the first time, some protestors unfurled the Fighting Peacock flag, a symbol associated with the 1988 uprising. Others carried pictures of Aung San, Burma's independence hero and the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation's democracy heroine.
Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since May, 2003. A confrontation seems inevitable, foreign observers said.
Representatives of the government-controlled Buddhist clergy organization, the Sangha Nayaka Committee, met with abbots of Rangoon Buddhist temples Tuesday morning and instructed them to prevent all monks from marching and to send visiting student monks back to the provinces.
"They told us to prevent a repeat of 1988," said an abbot of a temple in Rangoon's Yankin township.
In 1988, Burma was rocked by nationwide demonstrations against the military regime's incompetent rule, which had dragged the country down from one of the wealthiest in Asia prior to World War II to an economic basket case by 1987.
Economic hardships are partly behind the recent protests.
Without warning or consultations, the government more than doubled fuel prices on August 15, exacerbating the plight of the impoverished Burmese people overnight. The country has been suffering from double-digit inflation since 2006.
"What right do the military have to tell us not to protest?" said the Yankin temple abbot. "The monks belong to the laymen, so if the (Burmese) people are poor, the monks are poor, too."
Anti-inflation protests started building in Rangoon on August 19, led by former student activists and opposition politicians. Earlier this month, the movement was taken up by the monkhood.
The 400,000-strong monkhood has a long history of political activism in Burma, having played a pivotal role in the independence struggle against Great Britain in 1947 and the anti-military demonstrations of 1988, which ended in bloodshed.
Observers have been amazed that the military rulers have waited so long to suppress the monks' rebellion and attribute it to the influence of China on the pariah state.
"I can see no other explantion for their restraint," one European diplomat said. "They've shot monks in the past."
China is one of the few countries allied with Burma's military junta, having used its veto to prevent the United Nations Security Council from further pressuring the regime last year.
"China always adopts a policy of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing when asked about the protests.
"We hope and believe that the Myanmar government and people will properly handle the current issues," she said, using the regime's name for the country. (dpa)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Earlier report:
Monks fear crackdown
Rangoon - A military ban on the monk-led protests that have rocked the former capital of Burma for a week persuaded thousands of Buddhist clergy to remain in their temples Tuesday morning, but a hardcore group marched to the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda.
About 100 monks arrived at the famed pagoda about noon in open defiance of a government order Monday night to abide by Buddhist "rules and regulations."
The order, which was repeated by state media Tuesday morning, has signalled that the Burmese junta is ready to crack down on the monks' barefoot rebellion, which climaxed Monday with up to 100,000 marchers in Rangoon and other cities.
On Monday night, Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung, the minister of religion, issued a televised warning to all monks to obey Buddhist rules that prohibit the clergy from engaging in political activities.
The military-controlled Buddhist clergy, the Sangha Nayaka Committee, met with abbots of Rangoon Buddhist temples Tuesday morning and instructed them to prevent all monks from marching and to send visiting student monks back to the provinces.
"They told us to prevent a repeat of 1988," said an abbot of a temple in Rangoon's Yankin township.
In 1988, Burma was rocked by nationwide demonstrations against the military regime's incompetent rule, which had dragged the country down from one of the wealthiest in Asia prior to World War II to an economic basket case by 1987.
Economic hardships are partly behind the recent protests.
Without warning or consultations, the government more than doubled fuel prices on August 15, exacerbating the plight of the impoverished Burmese people overnight. The country has been suffering from double-digit inflation since 2006.
"What right do the military have to tell us not to protest?" said the Yankin temple abbot. "The monks belong to the laymen, so if the (Burmese) people are poor, the monks are poor, too."
Anti-inflation protests first started in Rangoon on August 19, led by former student activists and opposition politicians. Earlier this month, the movement was taken up by the monkhood.
The nation's 400,000-strong monkhood has a long history of political activism in Burma, having played a pivotal role in the independence struggle against Great Britain in 1947 and the anti-military demonstrations of 1988, which ended in bloodshed.
Observers have been amazed that Burma's military rulers have waited so long to suppress the monks' rebellion and attribute it to the influence of China on the pariah state.
"I can see no other explantion for their restraint," one European diplomat said. "They've shot monks in the past."
China is one of the few countries allied with Burma's military junta, having used its veto to prevent the United Nations Security Council from further pressuring the regime last year.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
No gays in Iran according to PM
HA HA i probably shouldnt laugh but but in the face of such denial and ignorance what can i do
IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad skirted a question about the treatment of homosexuals in Iran, saying in a speech at a top US university that there were no gays in Iran.
"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country," Mr Ahmadinejad said to howls and boos among the Columbia University audience in New York. "In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who has told you that we have it," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad was challenged during his appearance on Amnesty International figures that suggested that 200 people had been executed in Iran so far this year, among them homosexuals. "Don't you have capital punishment in the United States? You do too. In Iran there is capital punishment," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad took the stage at Columbia University after a blistering welcome from the school's president, who said the hard-line leader behaved like "a petty and cruel dictator." Ahmadinejad smiled as Columbia President Lee Bollinger took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel. "Mr President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause. He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and ignorant. "When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history." Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation said Bollinger's opening was "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here." "There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully," Ahmadinejad said, accusing Bollinger of offering "unfriendly treatment" under the influence of the US press and politicians. Mr Ahmadinejad has been using his trip to convince sceptical Americans Tehran doesn't need nuclear weapons and is not heading to war with the US. He is to address the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to ask for an end to sanctions against his regime. He is also expected to once again taunt President George W. Bush, who will push the Security Council for tougher sanctions. Two resolutions have been imposed against Iran for its refusal to renounce its disputed nuclear program. Mr Ahmadinejad defends the nuclear program as solely designed to generate electricity. On the eve of his departure he struck a defiant tone, saying warnings of military action and more UN sanctions would have no effect on the nuclear drive. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes Mr Ahmadinejad denied Iran was secretly trying to build nuclear weapons and was continuing to enrich uranium despite UN Security Council objections. "Well, you have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" he said. "In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use. "If it was useful, it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union. "If it was useful, it would resolve the problem the Americans have in Iraq. The time of the bomb is past." He also said: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the US are walking towards war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing." He dodged questions on whether Iran had blood on its hands by providing weapons, including missiles, to insurgents in the Iraq war. "I'm very sorry that because of the wrong decisions taken by American officials, Iraqi people are being killed and also American soldiers. It's very regrettable," he said. The US military made fresh accusations yesterday that Tehran was supplying insurgents with sophisticated ground-to-air missiles to attack American troops. The President, who controversially asked for permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Centre site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, expressed disbelief Americans found his request offensive. "Usually you go to these sites to pay your respects. And also, to perhaps air your views about the root causes of such incidents," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust denier who has said Israel should be "wiped off the map", has ignited protests after he was invited to speak at New York's prestigious Columbia University. Columbia has said he has agreed to take questions. New York City council member David Weprin said the invitation to speak was a "slap in the face to all New Yorkers and especially to those families who lost loved ones on September 11 right here in New York City". New York assemblyman Don Hikind said: "There is no excuse to have this madman, this little Hitler who is running around all over the world killing our soldiers. This is immoral. This is outrageous. "This is sick."
IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad skirted a question about the treatment of homosexuals in Iran, saying in a speech at a top US university that there were no gays in Iran.
"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country," Mr Ahmadinejad said to howls and boos among the Columbia University audience in New York. "In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who has told you that we have it," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad was challenged during his appearance on Amnesty International figures that suggested that 200 people had been executed in Iran so far this year, among them homosexuals. "Don't you have capital punishment in the United States? You do too. In Iran there is capital punishment," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad took the stage at Columbia University after a blistering welcome from the school's president, who said the hard-line leader behaved like "a petty and cruel dictator." Ahmadinejad smiled as Columbia President Lee Bollinger took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel. "Mr President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause. He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and ignorant. "When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history." Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation said Bollinger's opening was "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here." "There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully," Ahmadinejad said, accusing Bollinger of offering "unfriendly treatment" under the influence of the US press and politicians. Mr Ahmadinejad has been using his trip to convince sceptical Americans Tehran doesn't need nuclear weapons and is not heading to war with the US. He is to address the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to ask for an end to sanctions against his regime. He is also expected to once again taunt President George W. Bush, who will push the Security Council for tougher sanctions. Two resolutions have been imposed against Iran for its refusal to renounce its disputed nuclear program. Mr Ahmadinejad defends the nuclear program as solely designed to generate electricity. On the eve of his departure he struck a defiant tone, saying warnings of military action and more UN sanctions would have no effect on the nuclear drive. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes Mr Ahmadinejad denied Iran was secretly trying to build nuclear weapons and was continuing to enrich uranium despite UN Security Council objections. "Well, you have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" he said. "In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use. "If it was useful, it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union. "If it was useful, it would resolve the problem the Americans have in Iraq. The time of the bomb is past." He also said: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the US are walking towards war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing." He dodged questions on whether Iran had blood on its hands by providing weapons, including missiles, to insurgents in the Iraq war. "I'm very sorry that because of the wrong decisions taken by American officials, Iraqi people are being killed and also American soldiers. It's very regrettable," he said. The US military made fresh accusations yesterday that Tehran was supplying insurgents with sophisticated ground-to-air missiles to attack American troops. The President, who controversially asked for permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Centre site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, expressed disbelief Americans found his request offensive. "Usually you go to these sites to pay your respects. And also, to perhaps air your views about the root causes of such incidents," he said. Mr Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust denier who has said Israel should be "wiped off the map", has ignited protests after he was invited to speak at New York's prestigious Columbia University. Columbia has said he has agreed to take questions. New York City council member David Weprin said the invitation to speak was a "slap in the face to all New Yorkers and especially to those families who lost loved ones on September 11 right here in New York City". New York assemblyman Don Hikind said: "There is no excuse to have this madman, this little Hitler who is running around all over the world killing our soldiers. This is immoral. This is outrageous. "This is sick."
i MAY BE a dReaMEr bUT woUlDNt iT BE nICE iF We COulD lIvE AS oNe
John Lennon - Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Friday, September 21, 2007
PLEASE HELP L.A. TO FIND THIS MAN AFTER HE MURDERED HIS WIFE AND DUMPED HIS CHILD
..FUGITIVE murder suspect Nai Yin Xue's hopes of blending quietly into the US's vast Chinese community have been dashed.
Xue's face today was plastered across the biggest-selling Chinese language newspaper in the US.
The sad tale of the murder of Xue's wife Anan Liu in New Zealand and the dumping of his three-year-old daughter Qian Xun Xue at a Melbourne railway station made the front page of the LA-based Chinese Daily News.
The story, which continued to page three, included seven photos of Xue and his dead wife and abandoned daughter.
There are 3.5 million Chinese Americans, so the report and photos could spark sightings and leads in the hunt for Xue in the US.
"Police say he could be in Los Angeles so it is a big story for us," newspaper spokesman Albert Chen said.
US authorities have confirmed Xue landed at Los Angeles international airport on Saturday.
The Los Angeles affiliate of US TV network ABC reported today that Xue caught an airport shuttle bus to Chinatown near city's downtown region, adding to the theory Xue hoped to blend into the large Chinese community.
Xue also knows the area well after spending time in Los Angeles in 2000.
The FBI, US Marshals, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and US immigration officials are involved in the hunt for Xue.
An alert, called a red notice, issued by international crime fighting agency Interpol yesterday gave the official green light to American authorities to pursue Xue.
"We're currently working with the FBI, Immigration and Custom's Enforcement (ICE) and the US Marshal's office to try to locate him," LAPD officer Karen Smith said.
Most Los Angeles TV stations, in their news bulletins last night and this morning, aired the the story about the hunt for Xue.
They showed the security footage of Xue walking with his daughter before dumping her in the Melbourne railway station.
Footage was also shown of the car in Auckland where Xue's 27-year-old wife was found dead in the boot.
A post-mortem examination of Ms Liu's body was carried out yesterday and preliminary findings found she died during a violent episode.
Xue's face today was plastered across the biggest-selling Chinese language newspaper in the US.
The sad tale of the murder of Xue's wife Anan Liu in New Zealand and the dumping of his three-year-old daughter Qian Xun Xue at a Melbourne railway station made the front page of the LA-based Chinese Daily News.
The story, which continued to page three, included seven photos of Xue and his dead wife and abandoned daughter.
There are 3.5 million Chinese Americans, so the report and photos could spark sightings and leads in the hunt for Xue in the US.
"Police say he could be in Los Angeles so it is a big story for us," newspaper spokesman Albert Chen said.
US authorities have confirmed Xue landed at Los Angeles international airport on Saturday.
The Los Angeles affiliate of US TV network ABC reported today that Xue caught an airport shuttle bus to Chinatown near city's downtown region, adding to the theory Xue hoped to blend into the large Chinese community.
Xue also knows the area well after spending time in Los Angeles in 2000.
The FBI, US Marshals, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and US immigration officials are involved in the hunt for Xue.
An alert, called a red notice, issued by international crime fighting agency Interpol yesterday gave the official green light to American authorities to pursue Xue.
"We're currently working with the FBI, Immigration and Custom's Enforcement (ICE) and the US Marshal's office to try to locate him," LAPD officer Karen Smith said.
Most Los Angeles TV stations, in their news bulletins last night and this morning, aired the the story about the hunt for Xue.
They showed the security footage of Xue walking with his daughter before dumping her in the Melbourne railway station.
Footage was also shown of the car in Auckland where Xue's 27-year-old wife was found dead in the boot.
A post-mortem examination of Ms Liu's body was carried out yesterday and preliminary findings found she died during a violent episode.
Friday, September 14, 2007
26 years old dies from solarium use--------------------------dont say i dont do anything for ya
AnD thIS iS her STORY, i yoU wiLL ListeN buT I knOw mosT wOnTI AM at peace.
But if I could go back and talk to myself when I was 19 I would tell that girl not to use a solarium -- that melanoma is not a small cancer that you just have cut out and you will be fine.
I may pass in another week or it could be two. If I really fight it out, I may even have six weeks left.
It's scary, because I feel myself getting more tired, and each time I feel sleepy it worries me that I might not wake up.
So far I have lived 25 years. If I am lucky I will reach 26 because my birthday is on Saturday.
It is a short life, but I have lived it.
Subconsciously I did know that cancer was involved with solariums because I was aware of UV A and UV B rays.
But when I was 19, I saw a cheap offer of "buy 10 sessions and get 20".
The girl working at the tanning salon told me the fastest way to get a tan was to come in every second day and use speed cream.
My mum told me it was abnormal to get in a box and fry myself, but I told her it was cool and everyone was doing it.
After the 10th session I was starting to burn and it hurt, so I stopped. But I guess I stopped too late.
It would be irresponsible of me to blame it just on solariums, because I grew up in St Kilda and went to the beach a lot.
But you can't tell me the Government doesn't realise the dangers of solariums.
Young girls need to go out and educate themselves about solariums before they make any decisions.
Obviously my decision has been made, and I think they should be banned. But now that you know my story and the resulting risks involved, hopefully you will realise it is not worth having a golden tan.
I am angry at myself mostly, but I can't believe how much the industry is booming.
A lot of friends tell me I still have a lot of life left in me, but I just live every day as though it is my last.
I was 22 when diagnosed. I had just finished a Bachelor of Media and Communication and a Master of Cinema at the University of Melbourne and started work as a sports journalist at SBS.
I was on top of the world.
But I only got to work for three weeks and then I found out about my cancer.
I will never get to climb the so-called ladder, and even now I complain about not being able to run the rat race with everyone else.
I know I would be good at it -- I think I would be great at it.
I wanted to go to the top, but now feel I have so much potential that will be unused.
It was 2004 when they found a tumour under my left armpit, which they treated with immunotherapy.
In July 2005, it came back and this time they treated me with radiotherapy.
I was cancer-free for a year and seven months, and then in April I found a lump in my neck. I thought they could just cut it out, but it turns out there were seven tumours in my chest and one in my lung.
Now they have stopped counting how many there are.
I had all these ideas and in the end I was ready to accept that two years would be more than enough time left.
But I have accepted it, especially now that I am nearing the end and I am at peace.
When you are someone like me you realise that life is everything and you grab it with both hands and embrace it.
If there is something that you feel needs to be done, go and do it, and do it wholeheartedly because life is short.
People ask me how I can still be so happy with all this on my plate. But I have lived my life as a spark. I don't want to live a life where I am living until I am 100 and just flat boring.
I have always lived my life with compassion and passion. I have never been one to keep my silence about anything I have felt passionate about.
Melanoma is no joke. And I will keep championing this cause till the day I take my last breath.
But if I could go back and talk to myself when I was 19 I would tell that girl not to use a solarium -- that melanoma is not a small cancer that you just have cut out and you will be fine.
I may pass in another week or it could be two. If I really fight it out, I may even have six weeks left.
It's scary, because I feel myself getting more tired, and each time I feel sleepy it worries me that I might not wake up.
So far I have lived 25 years. If I am lucky I will reach 26 because my birthday is on Saturday.
It is a short life, but I have lived it.
Subconsciously I did know that cancer was involved with solariums because I was aware of UV A and UV B rays.
But when I was 19, I saw a cheap offer of "buy 10 sessions and get 20".
The girl working at the tanning salon told me the fastest way to get a tan was to come in every second day and use speed cream.
My mum told me it was abnormal to get in a box and fry myself, but I told her it was cool and everyone was doing it.
After the 10th session I was starting to burn and it hurt, so I stopped. But I guess I stopped too late.
It would be irresponsible of me to blame it just on solariums, because I grew up in St Kilda and went to the beach a lot.
But you can't tell me the Government doesn't realise the dangers of solariums.
Young girls need to go out and educate themselves about solariums before they make any decisions.
Obviously my decision has been made, and I think they should be banned. But now that you know my story and the resulting risks involved, hopefully you will realise it is not worth having a golden tan.
I am angry at myself mostly, but I can't believe how much the industry is booming.
A lot of friends tell me I still have a lot of life left in me, but I just live every day as though it is my last.
I was 22 when diagnosed. I had just finished a Bachelor of Media and Communication and a Master of Cinema at the University of Melbourne and started work as a sports journalist at SBS.
I was on top of the world.
But I only got to work for three weeks and then I found out about my cancer.
I will never get to climb the so-called ladder, and even now I complain about not being able to run the rat race with everyone else.
I know I would be good at it -- I think I would be great at it.
I wanted to go to the top, but now feel I have so much potential that will be unused.
It was 2004 when they found a tumour under my left armpit, which they treated with immunotherapy.
In July 2005, it came back and this time they treated me with radiotherapy.
I was cancer-free for a year and seven months, and then in April I found a lump in my neck. I thought they could just cut it out, but it turns out there were seven tumours in my chest and one in my lung.
Now they have stopped counting how many there are.
I had all these ideas and in the end I was ready to accept that two years would be more than enough time left.
But I have accepted it, especially now that I am nearing the end and I am at peace.
When you are someone like me you realise that life is everything and you grab it with both hands and embrace it.
If there is something that you feel needs to be done, go and do it, and do it wholeheartedly because life is short.
People ask me how I can still be so happy with all this on my plate. But I have lived my life as a spark. I don't want to live a life where I am living until I am 100 and just flat boring.
I have always lived my life with compassion and passion. I have never been one to keep my silence about anything I have felt passionate about.
Melanoma is no joke. And I will keep championing this cause till the day I take my last breath.
Why do the media always have to bad mouth and put people down, what is wrong with us???
Now I'm not her biggest fan to be honest but i think its good to finally see Britney getting back on her feet after a couple of years bad luck, why cant the media just support her for once, and its not just with her, but loads of other famous people also, what is it about the media that they seem to enjoy being negative???
Can anyone help, young or old, professional or ametur, dreamsssss
Ive been having this recurring dream for about 15 years now, of falling i know its quite common, and for most of the time i just wake up very quickley in a pool of sweat breathing heavily, with the heebie jeebies scared out of me, but then about 2 weeks later i had the dream again and almost fell to thr ground and woke up just in a normal state with no fear at all and went straight back to sleep, but again just this morning i had the same dream again but this time i had a parachute on and actuallu landed the "DREAM" and walked away, but then i woke up so excited, and confused i couldnt get back to sleep, so could any one tell whats going on here????
Thai women voted the most dangerous and scary!!!
By other foreign women, according to a Thai newspaper. Now I have first hand experince of the wrath of a Thai women, the amount of severed penises in this country is phenomonal, so I'm really not surprised. But they are also well known for there ability to steal husbands, and are able to squeeze out money each month based upon promises of staying indoors. So its no wonder the women around the world think they are dangerous and scary and probably few other things, but I wonder what it is about Thai women that makes the so??? I mean you think being buddhist and all they wouldnt care so much???
Simpsons movie quotes
[Homer is whipping the dogs pulling his sled] Homer Simpson: Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Homer Simpson: [the dogs jump over a cliff] Jump! Jump! Homer Simpson: [the dogs land on the other side] Land! Land! Homer Simpson: [the dogs take a breather] Rest! Rest! Homer Simpson: [the dogs pull the sled again] Run! Run! Homer Simpson: [Homer sets up camp and begins removing the dog muzzles] Now I know we've had a rough day, but I'm sure we can put that all behind us and... Homer Simpson: [the dogs start attacking Homer, causing him to scream in pain] Ow! That's my whipping arm! Homer Simpson: [the dogs leave Homer stranded] Oh, why does everything I whip leave me?
Bart Simpson: I want a father who's the same in the morning as he is at night. Oh... what's that word... Todd Flanders, Rod Flanders: Consistency? Bart Simpson: Thanks losers.
Homer Simpson: I'll let you hold the bomb... Bart Simpson: The man knows me!
Ned Flanders: Thank you, Lord, for this bountiful... Ned Flanders: [screams] Ned Flanders: PENIS! Rod Flanders, Todd Flanders: [devoutly] ... bountiful penis. Todd Flanders: Amen.
Homer Simpson: We have a great life here in Alaska, and we're never going back to America again!
Ned Flanders: Look at that, you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky! Bart Simpson: Oh yeah.
[from trailer] Homer Simpson: Time to save my family!
Homer Simpson: [while choking Bart for laughing at him] I'll teach you to laugh at something that's funny!
Tom Hanks: This is Tom Hanks saying if you see me in person, please, leave me be.
Marge Simpson: Homer, you have to go out there, face that mob, and apologize for what you did. Homer Simpson: I would, but I'm afraid if I open the door, they'll take all of you! Carl: No we won't. We just want Homer! Homer Simpson: Well, maybe not you, but they'll kill Grandpa! Grampa: I'm part of the mob!
Marge Simpson: Somebody throw the goddamn bomb!
Krusty the Clown: If you can find a greasier sandwich, you're in Mexico!
Martin: [walks up to bullies, picks up wooden board] I've been taking your crap all my life! [beats the bullies in one swipe] Dolph, Jimbo Jones, Kearney: Uggghh! Martin: Whoo! This feels good! No wonder you do it.
Russ Cargill: Springfield has become... Man: Woooo! Springfield!
Barney Gumble: Honey, I'm home.
Homer Simpson: [after being trapped in the dome] D'OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHME!
[Bart puts a black bra on his head] Bart Simpson: [in the voice of a cartoon mouse] I'm the mascot of an evil corporation!
Mayor Quimby: I hereby declare a state of emergency: Code Black. Lenny: Black? That's the worst color there is. [Lenny turns to Carl, his black friend] Lenny: No offense there, Carl. Mayor Quimby: I get it all the time.
Chief Wiggum: [after the Simpsons' house collapses into the sink hole] They're China's problem now.
Skull: Evil.
Ned Flanders: Ok, boys, when you meet Jesus, be sure to call Him Mr. Christ. Todd Flanders: Will Buddha be there? Ned Flanders: No.
Billie Joe Armstrong: We've been playing for three and a half hours. Now we'd like just a minute of your time to say something about the environment. [all goes quiet, followed by angry shouts and hurled debris]
Marge Simpson: Mmmm, best kiss of my life. Homer Simpson: Best kiss of your life, so far.
Squeaky-Voiced Teen: [during the end credits, mopping up the theater floor] Assistant Manager isn't all it's cracked up to be. Four years of film school for this?
[watching the credits] Bart Simpson: [to Homer] Come on, dad, let's go! I've been holding it since they put the dome on the town!
[about the Itchy and Scratchy movie in the cinema hall] Homer Simpson: I can't believe we're paying to see something we get on TV for free! If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker! Especially you! [points to us]
Homer Simpson: Stay back, I've got a chain saw! [fakes chainsaw sounds vocally]
Montgomery Burns: Smithers... I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it, it might cheer me up to watch.
Comic Book Guy: I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books... and now there's only time to say... LIFE WELL SPENT!
Todd Flanders: I wish Homer was my father. Ned Flanders: ...and I wish you didn't have the devil's curly hair.
Krusty the Clown: Perfect. Cut. Print. Kill the pig. Homer Simpson: What... you can't kill him if he's wearing people clothes!
[Bart claps] Lisa Simpson: What are you doing, Bart? Bart Simpson: Eh, just passing the time. [Bart claps, snow repeatedly falls on Homer] Homer Simpson: Aw, my boy loves Alaska so much, he's applauding it. Lisa, why aren't you clapping? Lisa Simpson: But Dad! Homer Simpson: Clap for Alaska! [Lisa claps along with Bart] Homer Simpson: [Homer is buried under an avalanche]
EPA Official: S-sir, I'm afraid you've gone mad with power... Russ Cargill: Of course I have. You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring. No one listens to you!
Homer Simpson: [while dreaming] Bananas are an excellent source of potassium! [a tree slaps him]
Bart Simpson: You just bought another load of crap from the world's fattest fertilizer sales man!
Cletus: [after showing Cargill a trick with his thumb] You want to know how I do it? Russ Cargill: Four generations of inbreeding?
NSA Worker: Hey everybody, I found one! The government actually found someone we're looking for! YEAH, BABY, YEAH!
Chief Wiggum: [sees Fat Tony and his mobsters dragging a body wrapped in a sheet to the lake] Uh sorry, sorry, no dumping in the lake! Fat Tony: Fine, I will put my *yard trimmings* in a car compactor. [he and the mobsters walk off with the body] Lou: Uh, Chief, I think there was a dead body in there. Chief Wiggum: I thought that too, until he said yard trimmings. You gotta learn to listen, Lou.
Marge Simpson: Thanks for coming over. Comic Book Guy: [happily] Thanks for giving me your pregnancy pants; I've never known comfort like this.
Tom Hanks: Hello, I'm Tom Hanks. The US Government has lost its credibility so it's borrowing some of mine.
Homer Simpson: Thank you, boob lady!
[Moe sports a bathrobe and a traffic cone on his head] Marge Simpson: Why are you dressed like that? Moe: Well, I don't like to brag, but I am now the Emperor of Springfield.
Ned Flanders: [surprised by the pink mutated multi-eyed squirrel] Well, this certainly seems odd, but, heh, who am I to question the work of the Almighty? Oh, we thank you Lord for this mighty fine intelligent design! Good job!
Grampa: [shouting from church floor] Twisted Tail... A thousand eyes... Trapped forever!
Bart Simpson: [poking mutant squirrel's eyes] Jabby-jabby-jab-jab-jab! Male EPA Worker: Hey! Jab one more eye and it's a federal crime!
Marge Simpson: Wait! There's something I have to get! [Runs into house, unlocks "Keepsake Cabinet", grabs tape, washes dirty dish, and races out, mere steps ahead of fireball] Homer Simpson: [Marge gets back into car] What'd you get? Marge Simpson: Our wedding video. Homer Simpson: We have a wedding video?
Homer Simpson: [Pig nudges the plank the Simpsons are using to escape] No, Plopper. If you push that, daddy will die. Pig: [looks at Homer and pushes plank] Oink.
Marge Simpson: [grimacing at the overflowing 'Pig Crap' silo] He filled up the whole silo in just two days? Homer Simpson: [proudly] Well, I helped.
Robot: [robotic voice] So much pressure! Pressure! [grabs Chief Wiggum's gun and shoots itself in the head] Chief Wiggum: He'd been talking about it, but... I didn't take him seriously.
Bart Simpson: [blushing] Did you at least bring my clothes? Homer Simpson: Shirt, socks, everything you need. Bart Simpson: [covering up privates] You didn't bring my pants! Homer Simpson: Who am I, Tommy Bahama? Bart Simpson: [face is completely red, sobs] This is the worst day of my life. Homer Simpson: The worst day of your life *so far*.
Lisa Simpson: [during end credits] It looks like Maggie has something to say! Marge Simpson: Oh my God! Her first word! Maggie Simpson: [takes pacifier out of mouth] [pause] Maggie Simpson: Sequel?
Marge Simpson: Bart, are you drinking whiskey? Bart Simpson: I'm troubled.
Russ Cargill: Anyone can pick something when they know what it is; It takes real leadership to pick something you're clueless about. President Schwarzenegger: Ok, I pick 3! Russ Cargill: Try again. President Schwarzenegger: 1! Russ Cargill: Go higher. President Schwarzenegger: 5? Russ Cargill: Too high. President Schwarzenegger: 3? Russ Cargill: You already said 3. President Schwarzenegger: 6? Russ Cargill: There is no 6. President Schwarzenegger: 2? Russ Cargill: Double it. President Schwarzenegger: 4! Russ Cargill: As you wish, sir.
Colin: I'm Colin. Lisa Simpson: I haven't seen you at school Colin: Just moved from Ireland. My dad's a musician. Lisa Simpson: Is he...? Colin: He's not Bono. Lisa Simpson: I just thought because you're Irish and you care about... Colin: He's NOT Bono.
Homer Simpson: More than two shakes and it's playing with yourself?
Marge Simpson: [to Lisa] Honey, that's great. But the very best thing is that he listens to you. Because nothing means more than for a man to... [looks up in surprise] Marge Simpson: How did the pig tracks get on the ceiling? [cuts to Homer holding a pig to the ceiling] Homer Simpson: [singing Tune to Spider-Man Theme Song] Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig. / Does whatever a Spider-Pig does. / Can he swing / from a web? / No he *can't*, / He's a pig. / Look out! / He is the Spider-Pig!
Homer Simpson: Homer do good? Bart Simpson: Actually, you've doomed us all. Again.
[from trailer] Announcer: Wait a minute, you're just repeating everything I say! Homer Simpson: [cuts to Homer] I know, it's WEIRD!
Ned Flanders: The Good Lord is telling me to confess to something... Homer Simpson: [whispering hopefully, with his fingers crossed] Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay
Homer Simpson: He's not Spider-Pig anymore, he's Harry Plopper.
President Schwarzenegger: I was elected to *lead*, not to *read*.
Montgomery Burns: Well, for once, the rich white man is in control.
Santa's Little Helper: [subtitled] I did things no dog should. They will haunt me forever.
[Lisa and Colin are separated by the dome and are saying their good-byes] Bart Simpson: [singing] Lisa's got a boyfriend, that she'll never see again! [Lisa slugs him out]
[Bart is skateboarding naked across town] Ralph Wiggum: [brightly] I like men now.
Homer Simpson: [to Pig] Maybe WE should kiss, just to break the tension.
Bart Simpson: [drunk] I miss Flanders. There, I said it!
Chief Wiggum: [shouting at a naked Bart] Stop, in the name of American squeamishness!
Bart Simpson: Don't shoot! If you kill my dad, you'll never know where the treasure is buried. Russ Cargill: What treasure? Bart Simpson: The treasure of Ima Wiener. Russ Cargill: I'm a wiener? [Homer and Bart laugh] Homer Simpson: Classic.
Lisa Simpson: But I'm so angry. Marge Simpson: You're a woman. You can hold on to it forever.
Bart Simpson: [on the blackboard, in the open sequence] I will not illegally download this movie.
[the Green Day barge is dissolving in polluted Lake Springfield] Mike Dirnt: Gentlemen, it's been an honor playing with you tonight.
[in the middle of the movie] Title Card: To be continued. [pause] Title Card: Immediately.
Russ Cargill: There's a couple of things they don't teach you at Harvard Business School: One is how to cope with defeat, the other is how to handle a shotgun. I'm going to do both right now.
Moe: What are you telling us, were trapped like rats? Russ Cargill: No, rats can't be trapped this easily, you're trapped like... carrots.
Dr. Nick: Bye, everybody!
Homer Simpson: It's the epiphitree!
EPA Driver: Look, we can't keep stopping at every "sop", "yeld", or "one vay" sign!
Marge Simpson: Despite everything, I miss your father. Bart Simpson: Me too... his big fat ass could shield us all.
Russ Cargill: I was tricked by an idiot! Cletus: Hey, I know how you feel; I was beat in tic-tac-toe by a chicken.
Bart Simpson: You know, we are on the roof. We could have some fun. Homer Simpson: What kind of fun? Bart Simpson: How bout a dare contest? Homer Simpson: That sounds fun! I dare you to... climb the TV antennae! Bart Simpson: [Bart climbs it easily] Piece of cake. Homer Simpson: [starts shaking the antennae] Earthquake! [Bart falls off and hangs onto the railing] Homer Simpson: [starts shaking the railing] Aftershock!
Homer Simpson: [about the pig] You're gonna love him! He does an impression of you! [pulls the pig's tail, and the pig makes a sound like a donkey] Homer Simpson: You nailed her. He also does me. [squeezes the pig's stomach] Homer Simpson: [the pig burps] [Marge giggles] Homer Simpson: You smiled, I'm off the hook!
Girl on Phone: You hang up first. Boy on Phone: No, you hang up first. [girl hangs up] Boy on Phone: She hung up on me!
Homer Simpson: That could be anybody's Pig Crap silo. [on TV, the cops rotate the silo to reveal "Property of Homer Simpson"]
Homer Simpson: Now Ol' Homie Simpson's gonna show he has cajones!
Homer: I dare you to skateboard here and back to Krusty Burger... naked.
Bart: How naked?
Homer: Fourth base.
Bart: But then girls might see my doodle.
Homer: Then I hearby declare you Chicken For Life! Every morning when you get up, I'll say "Good morning, Chicken!" And at your wedding I'll sing (To the tune of "Here comes the bride") "Bawk bawk bawk bawk! Bawk bawk bawk bawk! Bawk, bawk bawk-
[Bart skateboards naked]
Homer: (incredulous) Bawk?!
[Flipping frantically through the Bible] This book doesn't have any answers!
Bart Simpson: I want a father who's the same in the morning as he is at night. Oh... what's that word... Todd Flanders, Rod Flanders: Consistency? Bart Simpson: Thanks losers.
Homer Simpson: I'll let you hold the bomb... Bart Simpson: The man knows me!
Ned Flanders: Thank you, Lord, for this bountiful... Ned Flanders: [screams] Ned Flanders: PENIS! Rod Flanders, Todd Flanders: [devoutly] ... bountiful penis. Todd Flanders: Amen.
Homer Simpson: We have a great life here in Alaska, and we're never going back to America again!
Ned Flanders: Look at that, you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky! Bart Simpson: Oh yeah.
[from trailer] Homer Simpson: Time to save my family!
Homer Simpson: [while choking Bart for laughing at him] I'll teach you to laugh at something that's funny!
Tom Hanks: This is Tom Hanks saying if you see me in person, please, leave me be.
Marge Simpson: Homer, you have to go out there, face that mob, and apologize for what you did. Homer Simpson: I would, but I'm afraid if I open the door, they'll take all of you! Carl: No we won't. We just want Homer! Homer Simpson: Well, maybe not you, but they'll kill Grandpa! Grampa: I'm part of the mob!
Marge Simpson: Somebody throw the goddamn bomb!
Krusty the Clown: If you can find a greasier sandwich, you're in Mexico!
Martin: [walks up to bullies, picks up wooden board] I've been taking your crap all my life! [beats the bullies in one swipe] Dolph, Jimbo Jones, Kearney: Uggghh! Martin: Whoo! This feels good! No wonder you do it.
Russ Cargill: Springfield has become... Man: Woooo! Springfield!
Barney Gumble: Honey, I'm home.
Homer Simpson: [after being trapped in the dome] D'OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHME!
[Bart puts a black bra on his head] Bart Simpson: [in the voice of a cartoon mouse] I'm the mascot of an evil corporation!
Mayor Quimby: I hereby declare a state of emergency: Code Black. Lenny: Black? That's the worst color there is. [Lenny turns to Carl, his black friend] Lenny: No offense there, Carl. Mayor Quimby: I get it all the time.
Chief Wiggum: [after the Simpsons' house collapses into the sink hole] They're China's problem now.
Skull: Evil.
Ned Flanders: Ok, boys, when you meet Jesus, be sure to call Him Mr. Christ. Todd Flanders: Will Buddha be there? Ned Flanders: No.
Billie Joe Armstrong: We've been playing for three and a half hours. Now we'd like just a minute of your time to say something about the environment. [all goes quiet, followed by angry shouts and hurled debris]
Marge Simpson: Mmmm, best kiss of my life. Homer Simpson: Best kiss of your life, so far.
Squeaky-Voiced Teen: [during the end credits, mopping up the theater floor] Assistant Manager isn't all it's cracked up to be. Four years of film school for this?
[watching the credits] Bart Simpson: [to Homer] Come on, dad, let's go! I've been holding it since they put the dome on the town!
[about the Itchy and Scratchy movie in the cinema hall] Homer Simpson: I can't believe we're paying to see something we get on TV for free! If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker! Especially you! [points to us]
Homer Simpson: Stay back, I've got a chain saw! [fakes chainsaw sounds vocally]
Montgomery Burns: Smithers... I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it, it might cheer me up to watch.
Comic Book Guy: I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books... and now there's only time to say... LIFE WELL SPENT!
Todd Flanders: I wish Homer was my father. Ned Flanders: ...and I wish you didn't have the devil's curly hair.
Krusty the Clown: Perfect. Cut. Print. Kill the pig. Homer Simpson: What... you can't kill him if he's wearing people clothes!
[Bart claps] Lisa Simpson: What are you doing, Bart? Bart Simpson: Eh, just passing the time. [Bart claps, snow repeatedly falls on Homer] Homer Simpson: Aw, my boy loves Alaska so much, he's applauding it. Lisa, why aren't you clapping? Lisa Simpson: But Dad! Homer Simpson: Clap for Alaska! [Lisa claps along with Bart] Homer Simpson: [Homer is buried under an avalanche]
EPA Official: S-sir, I'm afraid you've gone mad with power... Russ Cargill: Of course I have. You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring. No one listens to you!
Homer Simpson: [while dreaming] Bananas are an excellent source of potassium! [a tree slaps him]
Bart Simpson: You just bought another load of crap from the world's fattest fertilizer sales man!
Cletus: [after showing Cargill a trick with his thumb] You want to know how I do it? Russ Cargill: Four generations of inbreeding?
NSA Worker: Hey everybody, I found one! The government actually found someone we're looking for! YEAH, BABY, YEAH!
Chief Wiggum: [sees Fat Tony and his mobsters dragging a body wrapped in a sheet to the lake] Uh sorry, sorry, no dumping in the lake! Fat Tony: Fine, I will put my *yard trimmings* in a car compactor. [he and the mobsters walk off with the body] Lou: Uh, Chief, I think there was a dead body in there. Chief Wiggum: I thought that too, until he said yard trimmings. You gotta learn to listen, Lou.
Marge Simpson: Thanks for coming over. Comic Book Guy: [happily] Thanks for giving me your pregnancy pants; I've never known comfort like this.
Tom Hanks: Hello, I'm Tom Hanks. The US Government has lost its credibility so it's borrowing some of mine.
Homer Simpson: Thank you, boob lady!
[Moe sports a bathrobe and a traffic cone on his head] Marge Simpson: Why are you dressed like that? Moe: Well, I don't like to brag, but I am now the Emperor of Springfield.
Ned Flanders: [surprised by the pink mutated multi-eyed squirrel] Well, this certainly seems odd, but, heh, who am I to question the work of the Almighty? Oh, we thank you Lord for this mighty fine intelligent design! Good job!
Grampa: [shouting from church floor] Twisted Tail... A thousand eyes... Trapped forever!
Bart Simpson: [poking mutant squirrel's eyes] Jabby-jabby-jab-jab-jab! Male EPA Worker: Hey! Jab one more eye and it's a federal crime!
Marge Simpson: Wait! There's something I have to get! [Runs into house, unlocks "Keepsake Cabinet", grabs tape, washes dirty dish, and races out, mere steps ahead of fireball] Homer Simpson: [Marge gets back into car] What'd you get? Marge Simpson: Our wedding video. Homer Simpson: We have a wedding video?
Homer Simpson: [Pig nudges the plank the Simpsons are using to escape] No, Plopper. If you push that, daddy will die. Pig: [looks at Homer and pushes plank] Oink.
Marge Simpson: [grimacing at the overflowing 'Pig Crap' silo] He filled up the whole silo in just two days? Homer Simpson: [proudly] Well, I helped.
Robot: [robotic voice] So much pressure! Pressure! [grabs Chief Wiggum's gun and shoots itself in the head] Chief Wiggum: He'd been talking about it, but... I didn't take him seriously.
Bart Simpson: [blushing] Did you at least bring my clothes? Homer Simpson: Shirt, socks, everything you need. Bart Simpson: [covering up privates] You didn't bring my pants! Homer Simpson: Who am I, Tommy Bahama? Bart Simpson: [face is completely red, sobs] This is the worst day of my life. Homer Simpson: The worst day of your life *so far*.
Lisa Simpson: [during end credits] It looks like Maggie has something to say! Marge Simpson: Oh my God! Her first word! Maggie Simpson: [takes pacifier out of mouth] [pause] Maggie Simpson: Sequel?
Marge Simpson: Bart, are you drinking whiskey? Bart Simpson: I'm troubled.
Russ Cargill: Anyone can pick something when they know what it is; It takes real leadership to pick something you're clueless about. President Schwarzenegger: Ok, I pick 3! Russ Cargill: Try again. President Schwarzenegger: 1! Russ Cargill: Go higher. President Schwarzenegger: 5? Russ Cargill: Too high. President Schwarzenegger: 3? Russ Cargill: You already said 3. President Schwarzenegger: 6? Russ Cargill: There is no 6. President Schwarzenegger: 2? Russ Cargill: Double it. President Schwarzenegger: 4! Russ Cargill: As you wish, sir.
Colin: I'm Colin. Lisa Simpson: I haven't seen you at school Colin: Just moved from Ireland. My dad's a musician. Lisa Simpson: Is he...? Colin: He's not Bono. Lisa Simpson: I just thought because you're Irish and you care about... Colin: He's NOT Bono.
Homer Simpson: More than two shakes and it's playing with yourself?
Marge Simpson: [to Lisa] Honey, that's great. But the very best thing is that he listens to you. Because nothing means more than for a man to... [looks up in surprise] Marge Simpson: How did the pig tracks get on the ceiling? [cuts to Homer holding a pig to the ceiling] Homer Simpson: [singing Tune to Spider-Man Theme Song] Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig. / Does whatever a Spider-Pig does. / Can he swing / from a web? / No he *can't*, / He's a pig. / Look out! / He is the Spider-Pig!
Homer Simpson: Homer do good? Bart Simpson: Actually, you've doomed us all. Again.
[from trailer] Announcer: Wait a minute, you're just repeating everything I say! Homer Simpson: [cuts to Homer] I know, it's WEIRD!
Ned Flanders: The Good Lord is telling me to confess to something... Homer Simpson: [whispering hopefully, with his fingers crossed] Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay
Homer Simpson: He's not Spider-Pig anymore, he's Harry Plopper.
President Schwarzenegger: I was elected to *lead*, not to *read*.
Montgomery Burns: Well, for once, the rich white man is in control.
Santa's Little Helper: [subtitled] I did things no dog should. They will haunt me forever.
[Lisa and Colin are separated by the dome and are saying their good-byes] Bart Simpson: [singing] Lisa's got a boyfriend, that she'll never see again! [Lisa slugs him out]
[Bart is skateboarding naked across town] Ralph Wiggum: [brightly] I like men now.
Homer Simpson: [to Pig] Maybe WE should kiss, just to break the tension.
Bart Simpson: [drunk] I miss Flanders. There, I said it!
Chief Wiggum: [shouting at a naked Bart] Stop, in the name of American squeamishness!
Bart Simpson: Don't shoot! If you kill my dad, you'll never know where the treasure is buried. Russ Cargill: What treasure? Bart Simpson: The treasure of Ima Wiener. Russ Cargill: I'm a wiener? [Homer and Bart laugh] Homer Simpson: Classic.
Lisa Simpson: But I'm so angry. Marge Simpson: You're a woman. You can hold on to it forever.
Bart Simpson: [on the blackboard, in the open sequence] I will not illegally download this movie.
[the Green Day barge is dissolving in polluted Lake Springfield] Mike Dirnt: Gentlemen, it's been an honor playing with you tonight.
[in the middle of the movie] Title Card: To be continued. [pause] Title Card: Immediately.
Russ Cargill: There's a couple of things they don't teach you at Harvard Business School: One is how to cope with defeat, the other is how to handle a shotgun. I'm going to do both right now.
Moe: What are you telling us, were trapped like rats? Russ Cargill: No, rats can't be trapped this easily, you're trapped like... carrots.
Dr. Nick: Bye, everybody!
Homer Simpson: It's the epiphitree!
EPA Driver: Look, we can't keep stopping at every "sop", "yeld", or "one vay" sign!
Marge Simpson: Despite everything, I miss your father. Bart Simpson: Me too... his big fat ass could shield us all.
Russ Cargill: I was tricked by an idiot! Cletus: Hey, I know how you feel; I was beat in tic-tac-toe by a chicken.
Bart Simpson: You know, we are on the roof. We could have some fun. Homer Simpson: What kind of fun? Bart Simpson: How bout a dare contest? Homer Simpson: That sounds fun! I dare you to... climb the TV antennae! Bart Simpson: [Bart climbs it easily] Piece of cake. Homer Simpson: [starts shaking the antennae] Earthquake! [Bart falls off and hangs onto the railing] Homer Simpson: [starts shaking the railing] Aftershock!
Homer Simpson: [about the pig] You're gonna love him! He does an impression of you! [pulls the pig's tail, and the pig makes a sound like a donkey] Homer Simpson: You nailed her. He also does me. [squeezes the pig's stomach] Homer Simpson: [the pig burps] [Marge giggles] Homer Simpson: You smiled, I'm off the hook!
Girl on Phone: You hang up first. Boy on Phone: No, you hang up first. [girl hangs up] Boy on Phone: She hung up on me!
Homer Simpson: That could be anybody's Pig Crap silo. [on TV, the cops rotate the silo to reveal "Property of Homer Simpson"]
Homer Simpson: Now Ol' Homie Simpson's gonna show he has cajones!
Homer: I dare you to skateboard here and back to Krusty Burger... naked.
Bart: How naked?
Homer: Fourth base.
Bart: But then girls might see my doodle.
Homer: Then I hearby declare you Chicken For Life! Every morning when you get up, I'll say "Good morning, Chicken!" And at your wedding I'll sing (To the tune of "Here comes the bride") "Bawk bawk bawk bawk! Bawk bawk bawk bawk! Bawk, bawk bawk-
[Bart skateboards naked]
Homer: (incredulous) Bawk?!
[Flipping frantically through the Bible] This book doesn't have any answers!
Teachers, church minister arrested for child pornographyArt
THE arrest of 13 Queensland men on child porn charges shows how hard it is to protect children from sexual predators, police say.
A teacher, church minister, unemployed preschool teacher and a man certified to work with children are among those arrested and charged as part of a Queensland police operation codenamed Stingray.
The operation was part of the long-running Taskforce Argos - an anti-child exploitation project.
Since the operation's launch in May, 28 search warrants were executed in south-east Queensland, leading to the 13 arrests and the seizure of more than 800,000 pornographic images and videos.
"These are not images of children frolicking on the beach," Acting Superintendent Peter Crawford told reporters in Brisbane.
"We are talking here about the serious images of children being sexually abused.
"There are victims behind every image and it is our responsibility to try an identify these victims."
All but three of the 13 men have appeared in court, charged with possession, distribution and production of child exploitation images.
Another four are the subject of further inquiries by police.
Among those charged are a 29-year-old teacher from Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, a 68-year-old church minister from Eagle Heights, west of the Gold Coast, and a 38-year-old unemployed preschool teacher from Brisbane.
Another man, a 47-year-old engineer from Yatala, south of Brisbane, has been identified as the holder of a blue card.
Blue cards are required by those working with children in Queensland, and are issued after a detailed national check of a person's criminal history, including any charges or convictions. It also examines any past disciplinary action or police investigation information.
The range of men arrested in the police operation demonstrates the difficulties of protecting children, Supt Crawford said.
"I think that sends a clear message to the community that it is impossible to know who might be involved in these types of activities," he said.
"It's very, very difficult to be able to protect ourselves and our children."
Police expect to make further arrests after they examine a large amount of computer equipment seized in the raids.
In another operation, codenamed Foxtrot Beau, police said a 30-year-old man from Kallangur, in Brisbane's north, had been arrested for trying to engage in online sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl.
A covert operation found the man allegedly engaged in explicit sexual conversations in an online chatroom.
The man was identified by police after he forwarded images of himself to a covert officer, which ended with a raid on his home and his arrest yesterday.
He will appear in Petrie Magistrates Court on September 21.
A teacher, church minister, unemployed preschool teacher and a man certified to work with children are among those arrested and charged as part of a Queensland police operation codenamed Stingray.
The operation was part of the long-running Taskforce Argos - an anti-child exploitation project.
Since the operation's launch in May, 28 search warrants were executed in south-east Queensland, leading to the 13 arrests and the seizure of more than 800,000 pornographic images and videos.
"These are not images of children frolicking on the beach," Acting Superintendent Peter Crawford told reporters in Brisbane.
"We are talking here about the serious images of children being sexually abused.
"There are victims behind every image and it is our responsibility to try an identify these victims."
All but three of the 13 men have appeared in court, charged with possession, distribution and production of child exploitation images.
Another four are the subject of further inquiries by police.
Among those charged are a 29-year-old teacher from Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, a 68-year-old church minister from Eagle Heights, west of the Gold Coast, and a 38-year-old unemployed preschool teacher from Brisbane.
Another man, a 47-year-old engineer from Yatala, south of Brisbane, has been identified as the holder of a blue card.
Blue cards are required by those working with children in Queensland, and are issued after a detailed national check of a person's criminal history, including any charges or convictions. It also examines any past disciplinary action or police investigation information.
The range of men arrested in the police operation demonstrates the difficulties of protecting children, Supt Crawford said.
"I think that sends a clear message to the community that it is impossible to know who might be involved in these types of activities," he said.
"It's very, very difficult to be able to protect ourselves and our children."
Police expect to make further arrests after they examine a large amount of computer equipment seized in the raids.
In another operation, codenamed Foxtrot Beau, police said a 30-year-old man from Kallangur, in Brisbane's north, had been arrested for trying to engage in online sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl.
A covert operation found the man allegedly engaged in explicit sexual conversations in an online chatroom.
The man was identified by police after he forwarded images of himself to a covert officer, which ended with a raid on his home and his arrest yesterday.
He will appear in Petrie Magistrates Court on September 21.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tenor Luciano Pavarotti, 71, one of the greats dies
TENOR Luciano Pavarotti, 71, has died. He had been gravely ill after his operation for pancreatic cancer last year and return to hospital last month.Pavarotti was taken to hospital with a fever on August 8 in Modena in the north of Italy. He was discharged on August 25 after diagnostic tests were completed. Hailed as one of the greatest tenors of his generation, Pavarotti underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer more than a year ago and has since had at least five rounds of chemotherapy. Following his surgery Pavarotti cancelled subsequent concerts, sparking fears that he may never perform in public again. He was forced to abandon a 40 concert farewell tour that began in May 2004. This summer during a ceremony in honour of the singer on the island of Ischia near Naples, his wife said that Pavarotti had been feeling well and was preparing a new album. "We can never be sure with this illness, but I think that Luciano will pull through," she said. "He is doing well. He is finishing the fifth chemotherapy cycle. He has not lost a hair and he hasn't lost weight." The same day, July 10, Pavarotti called the ceremony's organisers and concluded by saying he was preparing another Pavarotti & Friends album. Overnight, Pavarotti had expressed his "emotion" following the establishment of a "cultural excellence" prize in Italy that he had been the first to receive. He said he was "full of emotion and gratitude ... because it gives me the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life spent in service of art". Pavarotti broke into the world of opera when he won the top prize in a competition in 1961, for which he was rewarded with the role of Rodolphe in Puccini's La Boheme in nearby Reggio Emilia. He went on to perform across Europe before crossing the Atlantic in February 1965 for a production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in Miami, Florida, with Australia's Joan Sutherland as Lucia. It was with Sutherland in February 1972 that Pavarotti truly came of age, taking Covent Garden and the New York Metropolitan Opera by storm with a sparkling production of another Donizetti favourite, La Fille du Regiment. But he managed to shock purists with his appearances in live concerts, sometimes alongside pop musicians. In 1991 a crowd of 150,000, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, braved the rain and cold in London's Hyde Park to hear him sing. The previous year Pavarotti had hit an even wider audience, when his performance of the aria Nessun Dorma, from Puccini's Turandot, was chosen as the theme music for the 1990 Football World Cup, hosted by his native Italy. Among his best-known initiatives in recent years have been his appearances with two other leading singers, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, as the Three Tenors, and the annual Pavarotti and Friends concerts in Modena.
B52 carried nukes over US by mistake
THE US military is investigating an alarming security lapse when a B-52 bomber flew the length of the country last week loaded with six nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
The blunder was reported to President George W. Bush after the nuclear warheads were discovered when the aircraft landed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
The air force official said the B-52, which originated at Minot Air Base in North Dakota, had six cruise missiles with nuclear warheads loaded on pylons under its wings.
The US Air Force had relieved the munition squadron commander at Minot Air Base in North Dakota of his duties and launched an investigation into the August 30 incident, a Pentagon spokesman said.
"At no time was there a threat to public safety,'' said Lieutenant Colonel Ed Thomas.
"It is important to note that munitions were safe, secure and under military control at all times.''
The Pentagon would not provide details, citing secrecy rules, but an expert said the incident was unprecedented, and pointed to a disturbing lapse in the air force's command and control system.
"It seems so fantastic that so many points, checks can dysfunction,'' said Hans Kristensen, an expert on US nuclear forces.
"We have so many points and checks specifically so we don't have these kinds of incidents,'' he said.
US politicians expressed outrage at the incident.
"It is absolutely inexcusable that the air force lost track of these five nuclear warheads, even for a short period of time,'' said Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.
"Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible,'' he said.
Two Republican politicians on committees overseeing military affairs, Jim Saxton and Terry Everett, said they were "deeply concerned'' by the incident and said the United States must "ensure our nuclear assets are protected by the highest safeguards".
The breach was reported by the Military Times newspaper yesterday and confirmed by the Pentagon later in the day.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was told of the incident last Friday by air force chief of staff General Michael Moseley, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
"I can also tell you that it was important enough that President Bush was notified of it,'' Mr Morrell said.
The weapons were among 400 advanced cruise missiles that the Defense Department quietly decided to retire in March over the course of this year.
The advanced cruise missile is a stealthy, longer range version of the air launched cruise missile first deployed in the early 1980s.
It carries W-80 warheads of up to 150 kilotons, ten times the destructive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War lI.
The blunder was reported to President George W. Bush after the nuclear warheads were discovered when the aircraft landed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
The air force official said the B-52, which originated at Minot Air Base in North Dakota, had six cruise missiles with nuclear warheads loaded on pylons under its wings.
The US Air Force had relieved the munition squadron commander at Minot Air Base in North Dakota of his duties and launched an investigation into the August 30 incident, a Pentagon spokesman said.
"At no time was there a threat to public safety,'' said Lieutenant Colonel Ed Thomas.
"It is important to note that munitions were safe, secure and under military control at all times.''
The Pentagon would not provide details, citing secrecy rules, but an expert said the incident was unprecedented, and pointed to a disturbing lapse in the air force's command and control system.
"It seems so fantastic that so many points, checks can dysfunction,'' said Hans Kristensen, an expert on US nuclear forces.
"We have so many points and checks specifically so we don't have these kinds of incidents,'' he said.
US politicians expressed outrage at the incident.
"It is absolutely inexcusable that the air force lost track of these five nuclear warheads, even for a short period of time,'' said Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.
"Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible,'' he said.
Two Republican politicians on committees overseeing military affairs, Jim Saxton and Terry Everett, said they were "deeply concerned'' by the incident and said the United States must "ensure our nuclear assets are protected by the highest safeguards".
The breach was reported by the Military Times newspaper yesterday and confirmed by the Pentagon later in the day.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was told of the incident last Friday by air force chief of staff General Michael Moseley, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
"I can also tell you that it was important enough that President Bush was notified of it,'' Mr Morrell said.
The weapons were among 400 advanced cruise missiles that the Defense Department quietly decided to retire in March over the course of this year.
The advanced cruise missile is a stealthy, longer range version of the air launched cruise missile first deployed in the early 1980s.
It carries W-80 warheads of up to 150 kilotons, ten times the destructive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War lI.
Phi Phi death boat overloaded
65 tourists were on board the King Fisher, which was licensed to carry only 15 people.The capsized boat King Fisher, which sank off Phi Phi island on Tuesday, was carrying 50 more people than allowed, chief of Krabi Marine Transport Office Suriya Kittimonthon said yesterday. He said police have already detained boat driver Suriyan Soison, 34, for further questioning. The King Fisher was taking the tourists to Maya Bay, a popular diving spot in Krabi, when it capsized. An Israeli man died and another Israeli tourist was seriously injured, said Pol Maj-Gen Choochat Suwannakhom, Tourist Police Division commander. The dead man was identified as Nissim Lugasi, 33. He was trapped under the boat and died. The propeller almost cut off the left leg of another Israeli tourist, Adam Bedbichevsky, 24. Mr Bedbichevsky is now in stable condition. Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani said his ministry will ask authorities in destinations where water and marine sports are popular to strictly enforce water transport safety.
Bushism’s, I’m glad you are sitting down,
"Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." --George W. Bush
"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one." --George W. Bush
"I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is -- my point is, there's a strong will for democracy." --George W. Bush
"The Patriot Act has increased the flow of information within our government and it has helped break up terrorist cells in the United States of America. And the United States Congress was right to renew the terrorist act -- the Patriot Act." --George W. Bush
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush
"I think -- tide turning -- see, as I remember -- I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of -- it's easy to see a tide turn -- did I say those words?" --George W. Bush, asked if the tide was turning in Iraq
President Bush: "Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?"Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times: "I can take them off."Bush: "I'm interested in the shade look, seriously."Wallsten: "All right, I'll keep it, then."Bush: "For the viewers, there's no sun."Wallsten: "I guess it depends on your perspective."Bush: "Touche.--an exchange with legally blind reporter Peter Wallsten, to whom Bush later apologized, Washington
"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." --George W. Bush
"The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany." --George W. Bush
"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas and under fire." --George W. Bush
"The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th." --George W. Bush
"I'm going to try to see if I can remember as much to make it sound like I'm smart on the subject." --George W. Bush
"This process has been drug out a long time, which says to me it's political." --George W. Bush
"There's a lot of blowhards in the political process, you know, a lot of hot-air artists, people who have got something fancy to say." --George W. Bush
"My relationship with this good man is where I've been focused, and that's where my concentration is. And I don't regret any other aspect of it. And so I -- we filled a lot of space together." --George W. Bush
"Information is moving -- you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." --George W. Bush
"And so, what Gen. Petraeus is saying, some early signs, still dangerous, but give me -- give my chance a plan to work." --George W. Bush
"There are jobs Americans aren't doing. ... If you've got a chicken factory, a chicken-plucking factory, or whatever you call them, you know what I'm talking about." --George W. Bush
"I've been in politics long enough to know that polls just go poof at times." --George W. Bush
"My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision -- if the job description were, what do you do -- it's decision maker." --George W. Bush
"Iraq is a very important part of securing the homeland, and it's a very important part of helping change the Middle East into a part of the world that will not serve as a threat to the civilized world, to people like -- or to the developed world, to people like -- in the United States." --George W. Bush
"And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush
"I think that the vice president is a person reflecting a half-glass-full mentality." --George W. Bush
"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words." --George W. Bush
"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one." --George W. Bush
"I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is -- my point is, there's a strong will for democracy." --George W. Bush
"The Patriot Act has increased the flow of information within our government and it has helped break up terrorist cells in the United States of America. And the United States Congress was right to renew the terrorist act -- the Patriot Act." --George W. Bush
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush
"I think -- tide turning -- see, as I remember -- I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of -- it's easy to see a tide turn -- did I say those words?" --George W. Bush, asked if the tide was turning in Iraq
President Bush: "Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?"Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times: "I can take them off."Bush: "I'm interested in the shade look, seriously."Wallsten: "All right, I'll keep it, then."Bush: "For the viewers, there's no sun."Wallsten: "I guess it depends on your perspective."Bush: "Touche.--an exchange with legally blind reporter Peter Wallsten, to whom Bush later apologized, Washington
"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." --George W. Bush
"The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany." --George W. Bush
"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas and under fire." --George W. Bush
"The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th." --George W. Bush
"I'm going to try to see if I can remember as much to make it sound like I'm smart on the subject." --George W. Bush
"This process has been drug out a long time, which says to me it's political." --George W. Bush
"There's a lot of blowhards in the political process, you know, a lot of hot-air artists, people who have got something fancy to say." --George W. Bush
"My relationship with this good man is where I've been focused, and that's where my concentration is. And I don't regret any other aspect of it. And so I -- we filled a lot of space together." --George W. Bush
"Information is moving -- you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." --George W. Bush
"And so, what Gen. Petraeus is saying, some early signs, still dangerous, but give me -- give my chance a plan to work." --George W. Bush
"There are jobs Americans aren't doing. ... If you've got a chicken factory, a chicken-plucking factory, or whatever you call them, you know what I'm talking about." --George W. Bush
"I've been in politics long enough to know that polls just go poof at times." --George W. Bush
"My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision -- if the job description were, what do you do -- it's decision maker." --George W. Bush
"Iraq is a very important part of securing the homeland, and it's a very important part of helping change the Middle East into a part of the world that will not serve as a threat to the civilized world, to people like -- or to the developed world, to people like -- in the United States." --George W. Bush
"And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush
"I think that the vice president is a person reflecting a half-glass-full mentality." --George W. Bush
"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words." --George W. Bush
Bums not bombs, Bush will be told
A GAME group of anti-war protesters are planning a cheeky protest against a visit by US President George W. Bush - baring their bottoms in what they hope will be a world-record moon.
Organiser Will Saunders said the Friday protest was aimed at lightening the mood in Sydney, a city patrolled by 5000 police and soldiers and divided by a massive steel and concrete fence ahead of the APEC summit.
Police have said they expect violence during a series of protests against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which will gather together 21 leaders from around the world.
"There's this heaviness about the protests,'' Mr Saunders said.
"It's hoped to make the point that protests don't have to be these terribly heavy serious things.''
The "Bums Not Bombs'' group will particularly target Mr Bush, whose unpopular war in Iraq has been strongly backed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
The visits by the world leaders have resulted in road blocks, changes to public transport, and other disruptions in Australia's biggest city.
The protest will take place on Friday in Sydney's Hyde Park, close to where the leaders will be meeting.
In a leaflet to possible supporters, the group calls for 4000 cheeks - er, 2000 people - to "tell Bush what we really think about his visit.''
Mr Saunders said numbers for the protest were not yet certain but he had a core group to perform a "21-Bum Salute'' to represent each of the countries in the grouping.
"I think there's certain to be hundreds of people,'' said Mr Saunders, who previously attracted media attention when he and another man painted "No War'' on the Sydney Opera House in huge, bright red letters on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The group said it needed 4000 cheeks to break the previous world record moon.
"This is one APEC protest we can all enjoy,'' it said.
Mr Bush himself seemed unworried about any of the protests.
"People feel like they want to protest - fine, they can,'' he said today.
Organiser Will Saunders said the Friday protest was aimed at lightening the mood in Sydney, a city patrolled by 5000 police and soldiers and divided by a massive steel and concrete fence ahead of the APEC summit.
Police have said they expect violence during a series of protests against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which will gather together 21 leaders from around the world.
"There's this heaviness about the protests,'' Mr Saunders said.
"It's hoped to make the point that protests don't have to be these terribly heavy serious things.''
The "Bums Not Bombs'' group will particularly target Mr Bush, whose unpopular war in Iraq has been strongly backed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
The visits by the world leaders have resulted in road blocks, changes to public transport, and other disruptions in Australia's biggest city.
The protest will take place on Friday in Sydney's Hyde Park, close to where the leaders will be meeting.
In a leaflet to possible supporters, the group calls for 4000 cheeks - er, 2000 people - to "tell Bush what we really think about his visit.''
Mr Saunders said numbers for the protest were not yet certain but he had a core group to perform a "21-Bum Salute'' to represent each of the countries in the grouping.
"I think there's certain to be hundreds of people,'' said Mr Saunders, who previously attracted media attention when he and another man painted "No War'' on the Sydney Opera House in huge, bright red letters on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The group said it needed 4000 cheeks to break the previous world record moon.
"This is one APEC protest we can all enjoy,'' it said.
Mr Bush himself seemed unworried about any of the protests.
"People feel like they want to protest - fine, they can,'' he said today.
Hunt for missing rocket launchers as Bush arrives at APECArticle
WHEN George W. Bush flies into Sydney tonight, one awkward question will be in the minds of Australian security staff: where are the rocket launchers?
The failure to be able to answer that question comes at the end of one of the most extraordinary searches seen in this country - involving, at different times, up to 30 officers from ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police. APEC has always been a deadline to find the weapons - people don't take rocket launchers to hold up the corner store so whoever knows where they are is almost certainly prepared to use them to cause major damage. Twenty world leaders are coming to Sydney for APEC. China's President Hu Jintao was the first to touch down, in Perth last night, while George W. Bush arrives in Sydney tonight. Each leader will have the use of a luxury sedan and a personal porter during their stay. But the fact that there are nine rocket launchers believed to be in the vicinity of Sydney as a meeting of world leaders begins has meant in recent months this operation has become one of the highest priorities of ASIO. It is one of the reasons Australian and US security advisers are insistent that protesters will be at least 300m from the President at all times. Theoretically, the launchers can fire from that distance but an amateur would generally be able to fire them only 125m. The most worrying aspect of the weapons is that they are concealable - when folded, they are about 67cm, which means they can fit into a backpack. They can be painted any colour to blend with carry bags. The M-72 launchers are designed to carry warheads that can cut through metal with a small hole then explode. The warheads are designed for a "blast effect". They are often used in warfare to attack bunkers, as they cause maximum damage. The nine rocket launchers were in a batch of 10 allegedly stolen from a private storage facility at Orchard Hills in Sydney's west in 2002. Security agencies believe they were then placed in PVC piping and buried in the national park between Sydney and Wollongong. Various parks around Sydney have been excavated in the search for the rockets. This has led to some remarkable scenes: any bushwalkers who came across the search would have witnessed night-time scenes resembling a movie set. They would have confronted ASIO and AFP officers watching the rescue squad of the NSW Police using generators, lighting equipment and metal detectors. And as no outside labour was used because of the sensitivity of the operation, they would have seen police officers digging with shovels. Even a specialist dog squad - the Firearms and Explosion Detection Dogs - has been brought into the forests in the hope of smelling remnants of the rocket launchers. But the PVC piping has probably ensured the launchers are giving off no smell and are protected from soil and water. The saga has shown a new and disturbing phenomenon - a blurring of the line between organised crime and religious terrorism. It began in 2002 when 10 rocket launchers were stolen from an army base near Sydney (one has been found). The investigation found that after the launchers were stolen, they were sold to criminals associated with bikies. They were then sold to an organised crime gang run by Lebanese Australians, which sold them to Lebanese Australian Islamic fundamentalists. Authorities fear such a crime group could be enlisted to supply weapons to would-be terrorists on a regular basis. "On this occasion, everyone got what they wanted," said a source involved in the investigation. "The crims got money and the fanatics got weapons." The pressure to find the weapons has been extraordinary - the special ASIO/AFP/NSW Police team has frequently been asked about their success. Their masters have not been happy. Army ammunitions technician officer Shane Malcolm Della-Vedova, 46, of Wattle Grove, near Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney, and former soldier Dean Steven Taylor, 39, of Mount Annan, in southwest Sydney, were charged with offences relating to the theft. The two were arrested in April this year after simultaneous raids on their homes. Police alleged Della-Vedova sold one of the rocket launchers in 2003 through a member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang. The weapon was then allegedly passed on to Sydney gun dealer Taha Abdul Rahman, of Casula. One month later, Della-Vedova allegedly sold the remaining rockets to Rahman, later charged for his role in the deal. He allegedly sold them to Sydney underworld figure Adnan Darwiche, who passed them on to terror suspect Mohammad Elomar
The failure to be able to answer that question comes at the end of one of the most extraordinary searches seen in this country - involving, at different times, up to 30 officers from ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police. APEC has always been a deadline to find the weapons - people don't take rocket launchers to hold up the corner store so whoever knows where they are is almost certainly prepared to use them to cause major damage. Twenty world leaders are coming to Sydney for APEC. China's President Hu Jintao was the first to touch down, in Perth last night, while George W. Bush arrives in Sydney tonight. Each leader will have the use of a luxury sedan and a personal porter during their stay. But the fact that there are nine rocket launchers believed to be in the vicinity of Sydney as a meeting of world leaders begins has meant in recent months this operation has become one of the highest priorities of ASIO. It is one of the reasons Australian and US security advisers are insistent that protesters will be at least 300m from the President at all times. Theoretically, the launchers can fire from that distance but an amateur would generally be able to fire them only 125m. The most worrying aspect of the weapons is that they are concealable - when folded, they are about 67cm, which means they can fit into a backpack. They can be painted any colour to blend with carry bags. The M-72 launchers are designed to carry warheads that can cut through metal with a small hole then explode. The warheads are designed for a "blast effect". They are often used in warfare to attack bunkers, as they cause maximum damage. The nine rocket launchers were in a batch of 10 allegedly stolen from a private storage facility at Orchard Hills in Sydney's west in 2002. Security agencies believe they were then placed in PVC piping and buried in the national park between Sydney and Wollongong. Various parks around Sydney have been excavated in the search for the rockets. This has led to some remarkable scenes: any bushwalkers who came across the search would have witnessed night-time scenes resembling a movie set. They would have confronted ASIO and AFP officers watching the rescue squad of the NSW Police using generators, lighting equipment and metal detectors. And as no outside labour was used because of the sensitivity of the operation, they would have seen police officers digging with shovels. Even a specialist dog squad - the Firearms and Explosion Detection Dogs - has been brought into the forests in the hope of smelling remnants of the rocket launchers. But the PVC piping has probably ensured the launchers are giving off no smell and are protected from soil and water. The saga has shown a new and disturbing phenomenon - a blurring of the line between organised crime and religious terrorism. It began in 2002 when 10 rocket launchers were stolen from an army base near Sydney (one has been found). The investigation found that after the launchers were stolen, they were sold to criminals associated with bikies. They were then sold to an organised crime gang run by Lebanese Australians, which sold them to Lebanese Australian Islamic fundamentalists. Authorities fear such a crime group could be enlisted to supply weapons to would-be terrorists on a regular basis. "On this occasion, everyone got what they wanted," said a source involved in the investigation. "The crims got money and the fanatics got weapons." The pressure to find the weapons has been extraordinary - the special ASIO/AFP/NSW Police team has frequently been asked about their success. Their masters have not been happy. Army ammunitions technician officer Shane Malcolm Della-Vedova, 46, of Wattle Grove, near Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney, and former soldier Dean Steven Taylor, 39, of Mount Annan, in southwest Sydney, were charged with offences relating to the theft. The two were arrested in April this year after simultaneous raids on their homes. Police alleged Della-Vedova sold one of the rocket launchers in 2003 through a member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang. The weapon was then allegedly passed on to Sydney gun dealer Taha Abdul Rahman, of Casula. One month later, Della-Vedova allegedly sold the remaining rockets to Rahman, later charged for his role in the deal. He allegedly sold them to Sydney underworld figure Adnan Darwiche, who passed them on to terror suspect Mohammad Elomar
50 million baht worth of drugs found in a womens Bangkok apartment
Police here have arrested a female drug trafficker and seized 160,000 methamphetamine pills and 145 grammes of so-called 'ice' crystal methamphetamine valued at nearly 50 million baht from her apartment, police said.Bangkok police chief Pol. Lt-Gen. Adisorn Nonsi told a press conference that plainclothes policemen had contacted 35-year-old Varisra Larpcharoen to buy 30 grammes of crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, the drug also known popularly as 'ice'. She was apprehended after meeting the plainclothes police officers at a parking lot of a shopping mall.Police later took Miss Varisra to her apartment on the outskirts of Bangkok and found quantities of speed pills hidden in boxes and ice in a wardrobe. The seized drugs were estimated at being worth nearly 50 million baht on the street.Miss Varisra reportedly told police that she received the methamphetamine, commonly called yaa baa, from a man identified only as 'Mr. O' but she had never met him because the drug would be sent to her by his agent. She said she bought the drug from another agent at the Thai-Cambodian border district of Aranyaprathet.Gen Adisorn said the woman had been selling drugs in Bangkok's slum areas since 1996 and not for only two years as she had claimed, but that she had moved on after her former accomplices were killed or arrested.Miss Varisra is charged with possession of illegal drugs and trafficking. In the meantime, the police said they were looking for the otherwise unidentified dealer known as 'Mr. O'. (TNA)
What is it about youth that breeds arrogance
Now after teaching teenagers for a couple of years, and knowing my own youth was full of arrogance for a couple of years, as it usually only lasts a couple of years until you reach "adulthood", then you realise everything you did at school and was told about how it would rule your future was a total load of bullshit, when really any arrogance is just plain stupid seeing as in the end we all DIE, and we are all made up of the same stuff as the other animals and trees and rocks and everything else there is on this planet and beyond, (as far as our limited knowledge of the universe exists today), No one can ever be better than any one, just because you have more money or may even be smarter doesnt mean anything when we all Die we all end up the same, decaying matter and water and chemicals that just go to feed the worms and insects which inturn are eaten by bigger animals which in turn are eaten by us again, only whats in your heart can determine the kind of person you are, and there for has nothing to do with what you can gain or loose, the world is up to, and how you deal with the good and bad in this world is your choice, you can whine and complain or you can just do what it is your suppossed, I'm tired of the whinning, theres always someone suffering more than you so SHUT UP!!!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
People keep dying each day in southern Thailand and will until the Thai people unite
Thousands have already died, and people keep dying each day, and will until Thai people actually join as one, and become a solidified nation, people are so busy classifying who is who and where everybody comes from, its confusing to see why this is happening, but with this problem you cant rely upon the police or the military to solve the problem, the only way it can be solved is when the whole country actually unites to become a country and stop arguing about where everyone is from, everybody is so interested is showing there love for the King that they have actually forgotten that they have to do things to keep the country running, stop worrying about what everyone thinks and actually do something for the country, that was the whole point behind the King giving up power, so he could give it to his people and they could take care of the country, but they havent even seen democracy yet, so how can they take care of themselves
Taliban to free South Korean hostages
TALIBAN insurgents said overnight they would release 19 South Korean Christian volunteers they have held for nearly six weeks provided Seoul pulls out its troops and stops Korean missionary work in Afghanistan by year-end.
South Korea's presidential office issued a statement setting out the terms of the agreement, and Taliban representative Qari Mohammad Bashir confirmed a deal had been struck.
The Taliban's conditions did not include their main previous demand - the release of a group of militants held prisoner by the Afghan government.
"By the end of 2007, they will withdraw their forces from Afghanistan," Bashir said, standing side by side with Korean negotiators in Ghazni province.
"They will not send to Afghanistan those they sent for promulgation of ... Christianity and will ban others from coming again for promulgation of Christianity," he said.
"All Korean nationals in any field working in Afghanistan will leave Afghanistan by the end of August," he said, adding that the Taliban would start freeing the hostages tomorrow.
The announcement followed the resumption of negotiations, which had been on hold for two weeks after the Korean side said it was unable to meet the kidnappers' demand for the release of Taliban prisoners held by the government in exchange for the hostages, most of them women.
"The government will take every possible measure to make sure the hostages are safely back in their families' arms as soon as possible," a South Korean presidential spokesman said, adding that their release could take time.
The South Korean government had decided before the hostage crisis to pull out its small contingent of engineers and medical staff from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
Since the hostages were taken it has banned its nationals from travelling there.
The insurgents seized 23 Korean Christian volunteers on July 19 from a bus in Ghazni province. They killed two male hostages early on in the crisis, but released two women as a gesture of goodwill during the first round of talks.
Afghan Trade and Industry Minister Amin Farhang criticised South Korea's government for pulling its troops out of the country and expressed the hope that other countries would not follow Seoul's example.
"If every government were to do this it would be the beginning of a kind of capitulation," Mr Farhang told Germany's Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. "It's like a demand of the Taliban."
The result of capitulation will likely be more abductions, the paper reported Mr Farhang as saying.
The hostages' relatives in South Korea, however, reacted differently. They cheered, hugged and chatted on their mobile phones after news broke that the hostages would be released.
"We knew the negotiation process was turning favourable, but we never thought it would happen so soon. When the announcement came out, there was a commotion in the room as everyone hugged each other," a spokesman for the hostage families, Cha Sung-min, said.
Family members flocked to the Saemmul Church outside Seoul where relatives have been holding a vigil.
"It was all possible due to the government's help and we thank everybody for being there for us. The number one hero are the South Korean citizens. Thank you very much," said Seo Jeung-bae, who had a son and a daughter among the hostages.
The church has been criticised in South Korea for sending inexperienced Christian volunteers to the volatile Muslim country. South Korea is the world's second biggest source of Christian missionaries, many of them working in hot spots.
"We are very sorry to have caused any problems to the country over the kidnappings," Mr Cha said in nationally broadcast comments after the government announcement.
"We can't show enough how sorry we are that we can't share this happy news with the other victims' families," he said, in a reference to the two male hostages who were killed.
The kidnapping of the Koreans was the largest case of abductions in the resurgent Taliban campaign since US-led troops ousted the Islamists from power in 2001.
One day earlier, Taliban fighters seized two German aid workers and five Afghan colleagues in Wardak province which, like Ghazni, is southwest of Kabul.
The Taliban have killed one German, but are still holding the other along with four Afghans. One Afghan escaped.
South Korea's presidential office issued a statement setting out the terms of the agreement, and Taliban representative Qari Mohammad Bashir confirmed a deal had been struck.
The Taliban's conditions did not include their main previous demand - the release of a group of militants held prisoner by the Afghan government.
"By the end of 2007, they will withdraw their forces from Afghanistan," Bashir said, standing side by side with Korean negotiators in Ghazni province.
"They will not send to Afghanistan those they sent for promulgation of ... Christianity and will ban others from coming again for promulgation of Christianity," he said.
"All Korean nationals in any field working in Afghanistan will leave Afghanistan by the end of August," he said, adding that the Taliban would start freeing the hostages tomorrow.
The announcement followed the resumption of negotiations, which had been on hold for two weeks after the Korean side said it was unable to meet the kidnappers' demand for the release of Taliban prisoners held by the government in exchange for the hostages, most of them women.
"The government will take every possible measure to make sure the hostages are safely back in their families' arms as soon as possible," a South Korean presidential spokesman said, adding that their release could take time.
The South Korean government had decided before the hostage crisis to pull out its small contingent of engineers and medical staff from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
Since the hostages were taken it has banned its nationals from travelling there.
The insurgents seized 23 Korean Christian volunteers on July 19 from a bus in Ghazni province. They killed two male hostages early on in the crisis, but released two women as a gesture of goodwill during the first round of talks.
Afghan Trade and Industry Minister Amin Farhang criticised South Korea's government for pulling its troops out of the country and expressed the hope that other countries would not follow Seoul's example.
"If every government were to do this it would be the beginning of a kind of capitulation," Mr Farhang told Germany's Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. "It's like a demand of the Taliban."
The result of capitulation will likely be more abductions, the paper reported Mr Farhang as saying.
The hostages' relatives in South Korea, however, reacted differently. They cheered, hugged and chatted on their mobile phones after news broke that the hostages would be released.
"We knew the negotiation process was turning favourable, but we never thought it would happen so soon. When the announcement came out, there was a commotion in the room as everyone hugged each other," a spokesman for the hostage families, Cha Sung-min, said.
Family members flocked to the Saemmul Church outside Seoul where relatives have been holding a vigil.
"It was all possible due to the government's help and we thank everybody for being there for us. The number one hero are the South Korean citizens. Thank you very much," said Seo Jeung-bae, who had a son and a daughter among the hostages.
The church has been criticised in South Korea for sending inexperienced Christian volunteers to the volatile Muslim country. South Korea is the world's second biggest source of Christian missionaries, many of them working in hot spots.
"We are very sorry to have caused any problems to the country over the kidnappings," Mr Cha said in nationally broadcast comments after the government announcement.
"We can't show enough how sorry we are that we can't share this happy news with the other victims' families," he said, in a reference to the two male hostages who were killed.
The kidnapping of the Koreans was the largest case of abductions in the resurgent Taliban campaign since US-led troops ousted the Islamists from power in 2001.
One day earlier, Taliban fighters seized two German aid workers and five Afghan colleagues in Wardak province which, like Ghazni, is southwest of Kabul.
The Taliban have killed one German, but are still holding the other along with four Afghans. One Afghan escaped.
I could never be a Christian but I could follow Jesus any day of the week!!!
Which goes for all the organised religions, for so much of what the prophets have said have been changed and manipulated, people only want to believe what they want, and do what they want, I'm interested in the truth, and only the truth, and those who actually have experienced and walked that same path, not just people who can read out of a book, or memorise teachings for lectures, because you cant speak about love and the truth if you havent felt it, or experienced what it is you are teaching about, just like Jesus, Buddha and all the rest, they actually found the truth and real love, and that is who I WILL FOLLOW FOR ETERNITY, thank you i love you all!!!
life is suffering Ajahn Chan
The teaching I will present to you today is a way to solve problems in the present moment, in this present life. Some people say that they have so much work to do they have no time to practice the Dhamma. "What can we do?" they ask. I ask them, "Don't you breathe while you're working?" "Yes, of course we breathe!" "So how come you have time to breathe when you're so busy?" They don't know what to answer. "If you simply have sati while working you will have plenty of time to practice." ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Practicing meditation is just like breathing. While working we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while sitting down we breathe... Why do we have time to breathe? Because we see the importance of the breath, we can always find time to breathe. In the same way, if we see the importance of meditation practice we will find the time to practice.
Have any of you ever suffered? ... have you ever been happy?... Right here is the truth, this is where you must practice the Dhamma. Who is it who is happy? The mind is happy. who suffers? The mind suffers. Wherever these things arise, that's where they cease. Have you experienced happiness? ... Have you experienced suffering? ... this is our problem. If we know suffering, [8] the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the way leading to the end of suffering we can solve the problem.
There are two kinds of suffering: ordinary suffering and the extraordinary kind. Ordinary suffering is the suffering which is the inherent nature of conditions: standing is suffering, sitting is suffering, lying down is suffering. This is the suffering that is inherent in all conditioned phenomena. Even the Buddha experienced these things, he experienced comfort and pain, but he recognized them as conditions in nature. He knew how to overcome these ordinary, natural feelings of comfort and pain through understanding their true nature. Because he understood this "natural suffering" those feelings didn't upset him.
The important kind of suffering is the second kind, the suffering that creeps in from the outside, the "extraordinary suffering." If we are sick we may have to get an injection from the doctor. When the needle pierces the skin there is some pain which is only natural. When the needle is withdrawn that pain disappears. This is like the ordinary kind of suffering, it's no problem, everybody experiences it. The extraordinary suffering is the suffering that arises from what we call upadana, grasping onto things. This is like having an injection with a syringe filled with poison. This is no longer an ordinary kind of pain, it is the pain which ends in death. This is similar to the suffering which arises from grasping.
Wrong view, not knowing the impermanent nature of all conditioned things, is another kind of problem. Conditioned things are the realm of samsara. [9] Not wanting things to change -- if we think like this we must suffer. When we think that the body is ourselves or belonging to us, we are afraid when we see it change. Consider the breath: once it comes in it must go out, having gone out it must come in again. This is its nature, this is how we manage to live. Things don't function in that way. This is how conditions are but we don't realize it.
Suppose we lost something. if we thought that object was really ours, we would brood over it. If we couldn't see it as a conditioned thing faring according to the laws of nature we would experience suffering. But if you breathe in, can you live? Conditioned things must naturally change in this way. To see this is to see the Dhamma, to see aniccam, change. We live dependent on this change. When we know how things are then we can let go of them.
The practice of Dhamma is to develop an understanding of the way of things so that suffering doesn't arise. If we think wrongly we are at odds with the world, at odds with the Dhamma and with the truth. Suppose you were sick and had to go into hospital. Most people think, "Please don't let me die, I want to get better." This is wrong thinking, it will lead to suffering. You have to think to yourself, "If I recover I recover, if I die I die." this is right thinking, because you can't ultimately control conditions. If you think like this, whether you die or recover, you can't go wrong, you don't have to worry. Wanting to get better at all costs and afraid of the thought of dying...this is the mind which doesn't understand conditions. You should think, "If I get better that's fine, if I don't get better that's fine." This way we can't go wrong, we don't have to be afraid or cry, because we have tuned ourselves in to the way things are.
The Buddha saw clearly. His teaching is always relevant, never out-dated. It never changes. In the present day it's still the way they are, they haven't changed. By taking this teaching to heart we can gain the reward of peace and well-being.
In the teachings there is the reflection of "not-self": "this is to listen to this kind of teaching because they are attached to the idea of self. This is the cause of suffering. You should take note of this.
Today a woman asked about how to deal with anger. I told her that the next time she gets angry, to wind up her alarm clock and put it in front of her. Then to give herself two hours for the anger to go away. If it was really her anger she could probably tell it to go away like this: "In two hours be gone!" But it isn't really ours to command. Sometimes in two hours it's still not gone, at other times in one hour it's gone already. Holding onto anger as a personal possession will cause suffering. If it really belonged to us it would have to obey us. If it doesn't obey us that means it's only a deception. Don't fall for it. Whether the mind is happy or sad, don't fall for it. Whether the mind loves or hates, don't fall for it, it's all a deception.
Have any of you ever been angry? When you are angry does it feel good or bad? If it feels bad then why don't you throw that feeling away, why bother to keep it? How can you say that you are wise and intelligent when you hold on to such things? Since the day you were born, how many times has the mind tricked you into anger? Some days the mind can even cause a whole family to quarrel, or cause you to cry all night. And yet we still continue to get angry, we still hold onto things and suffer. If you don't see suffering you will have to keep suffering indefinitely, with no chance for respite. The world of samsara is like this. If we know the way it is we can solve the problem.
The Buddha's teaching states that there is no better means to overcome suffering than to see that "this is not my self," "this is not mine." This is the greatest method. But we don't usually pay attention to this. When suffering arises we simply cry over it without learning from it. Why is that so? We must take a good hard look at these things, to develop the Buddho, the one who knows.
Take note, some of you may not be aware that this is Dhamma teaching. I'm going to give you some Dhamma that's outside the scriptures. Most people read the scriptures but don't see the Dhamma. Today I am going to give you a teaching that's outside the scriptures. Some people may miss the point or not understand it.
Suppose two people are walking together and see a duck and a chicken. One of them says, "Why isn't that chicken like the duck, why isn't the duck like the chicken?" He wants the chicken to be a duck and the duck to be a chicken. It's impossible. If it's impossible, then even if that person were to wish for the duck to be a chicken and the chicken to be a duck for the rest of his life it would not come to pass, because the chicken is a chicken and the duck is a duck. As long as that person thought like that he would suffer. The other person might see that the chicken is a chicken and the duck is a duck, and that's all there is to it. There is no problem. He sees rightly. If you want the duck to be a chicken and the chicken to be a duck you are really going to suffer.
In the same way, the law of aniccam states that all things are impermanent. If you want things to be permanent you're going to suffer. Whenever impermanence shows itself you're going to be disappointed. One who sees that things are naturally impermanent will be at ease, there will be no conflict. The one who wants things to be permanent is going to have conflict, maybe even losing sleep over it. This is to be ignorant of aniccam, impermanence, the teaching if the Buddha.
If you want to know the Dhamma where should you look? You must look within the body and the mind. You won't find it in the shelves of a bookcase. To really see the Dhamma you have to look within your own body and mind. There are only these two things. The mind is not visible to the physical eye, it must be seen with the "mind's eye." Before the Dhamma can be realized you must know where to look. The Dhamma that is in the body must be seen in the body. And with what do we look at the body? We look at the body with the mind. You won't find the Dhamma looking anywhere else, because both happiness and suffering arise right here. Or have you seen happiness arising in the trees? Or from the rivers, or the weather? Happiness and suffering are feelings which arise in our own bodies and minds.
Therefore the Buddha tells us to know the Dhamma right here. The Dhamma is right here, we must look right here. The Master may tell you to look at the Dhamma in the books, but if you think that this is where the Dhamma really is, you'll never see it. Having looked at the books you must reflect on those teachings inwardly. Then you can understand the Dhamma. Where does the real Dhamma exist? It exists right here in this body and mind of ours. This is the essence of contemplation practice.
When we do this, wisdom will arise in our minds. When there is wisdom in our minds, then no matter where we look there is Dhamma, we will see aniccam, dukkham, and anatta at all times. Aniccam means transient. Dukkham -- if we cling to the things that are transient we must suffer, because they are not us or ours (anatta). But we don't see this, we always see them as being our self and belonging to us.
This means that you don't see the truth of convention. You should understand conventions. For example, all of us sitting here have names. Are our names born with us or are they assigned to us afterwards? Do you understand? This is convention. Is convention useful? Of course it's useful. For example, suppose there are four men, A, B, C, and D. They all must have their individual names for convenience in communicating and working together. If we wanted to speak to Mr. A we could call Mr. A and he would come, not the others. This is the convenience of convention. But when we look deeply into the matter we will see that really there isn't anybody there. We will see transcendence. There is only earth, water, wind and fire, the four elements. This is all there is to this body of ours.
But we don't see it in this way because of the clinging power of Attavadupadana. [10] If we were to look clearly we would see that there isn't really much to what we call a person. The solid part is the earth element, the fluid part is the water element, the part which provides heat is called the fire element. When we break things down we see that there is only earth, water, wind and fire. Where is the person to be found? There isn't one.
That's why the Buddha taught that there is no higher practice than to see that "this is not my self and does not belong to me" They are simply conventions. If we understand everything clearly in this way we will be at peace. If we realize in the present moment the truth of impermanence, that things are not our self or belonging to us, then when they disintegrate we are at peace with them, because they don't belong to anybody anyway. They are merely the elements of earth, water, wind and fire.
It's difficult for people to see this, but even so it's not beyond our ability. If we can see this we will find contentment, we will not have so much anger, greed or delusion. There will always be Dhamma in our hearts. There will be no need for jealousy and spite, because everybody is simply earth, water, wind and fire. There's nothing more to them than this. When we accept this truth we will see the truth of the Buddha's teaching.
If we could see the truth of the Buddha's teaching we wouldn't have to use up so many teachers! It wouldn't be necessary to listen to teachings everyday. When we understand then we simply do what's required of us. But what makes people so difficult to teach is that they don't accept the teaching and argue with the teachers and the teaching. In front of the teacher they behave a little better, but behind his back they become thieves! People are really difficult to teach. The people in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Thailand are like this, that's why they have to have so many teachers.
Be careful, if you're not careful you won't see the Dhamma. You must be circumspect, taking the teaching and considering it well. Is this flower pretty?...Do you see the ugliness within this flower?...For how many days will it be pretty?...What will it be like from now on?...Why does it change so?...In three or four days you have to take it and throw it away, right? It loses all its beauty. People are attached to beauty, attached to goodness. If anything is good they just fall for it completely. The Buddha tells us to look at pretty things as just pretty, we shouldn't become attached to them. If there is a pleasant feeling we shouldn't fall for it. Goodness is not a sure thing, beauty is not a sure thing. Nothing is certain. There is nothing in this world that is a certainty. This is the truth. The things that aren't true are the things that change, such as beauty. The only truth it has is in its constant changing. If we believe that things are beautiful, when their beauty fades our mind loses its beauty too. When things are no longer good our mind loses its goodness too. When they are destroyed or damaged we suffer because we have clung to them as being our own. The Buddha tells us to see that these things are simply constructs of nature. Beauty appears and in not many days it fades. To see this is to have wisdom.
Therefore we should see impermanence. If we think something is pretty we should tell ourselves it isn't, if we think something is ugly we should tell ourselves it isn't. Try to see things in this way, constantly reflect in this way. We will see the truth within untrue things, see the certainty within the things that are uncertain.
Today I have been explaining the way to understand suffering, what causes suffering, the cessation of suffering and the way leading to the cessation of suffering. When you know suffering you should throw it out. Knowing the cause of suffering you should throw it out. Practice to see the cessation of suffering. See aniccam, dukkham and anatta and suffering will cease.
When suffering ceases where do we go? What are we practicing for? We are practicing to relinquish, not in order to gain anything. There was a woman this afternoon who told me that she is suffering. I asked her what she wants to be, and she said she wants to be enlightened. I said, "As long as you want to be enlightened you will never become enlightened. Don't want anything."
When we know the truth of suffering we throw out suffering. When we know the cause of suffering then we don't create those causes, but instead practice to bring suffering to its cessation. The practice leading to the cessation of suffering is to see that "this is not a self," "this is not me or them." Seeing in this way enables suffering to cease. It's like reaching our destination and stopping. That's cessation. That's getting close to nibbana. To put it another way, going forward is suffering, retreating is suffering and stopping is suffering. Not going forward, not retreating and not stopping...is anything left? Body and mind cease here. This is the cessation of suffering. Hard to understand, isn't it? If we diligently and consistently study this teaching we will transcend things and reach understanding, there will be cessation. This is the ultimate teaching of the Buddha, it's the finishing point. The Buddha's teaching finishes at the point of total relinquishment.
Today I offer this teaching to you all and to the Venerable Master also. If there is anything wrong in it I ask your forgiveness. But don't be in a hurry to judge whether it is right or wrong, just listen to it first. If I were to give you all a fruit and tell you it's delicious, you should take note of my words, but don't believe me offhand, because you haven't tasted it yet. The teaching I give you today is the same. If you want to know whether the "fruit" is sweet or sour you have to slice a piece off and taste it. Then you will know its sweetness or sourness. Then you could believe me, because then you'd have seen for yourself. So please don't throw this "fruit" away, keep it and taste it, know its taste for yourself.
The Buddha didn't have a teacher, you know. An ascetic once asked him who his teacher was, and the Buddha answered that he didn't have one. [11] The ascetic just walked off shaking his head. The Buddha was being too honest. He was speaking to one who couldn't know or accept the truth. That's why I tell you not to believe me. The Buddha said that to simply believe others is foolish, because there is no clear knowing within. That's why the Buddha said "I have no teacher." This is the truth. But you should look at this is the right way. If you misunderstand it you won't respect your teacher. Don't go saying "I have no teacher." You must rely on your teacher to tell you what is right and wrong, and then you must practice accordingly.
Today is a fortunate day for all of us. I have had a chance to meet with all of you and the venerable teacher. You wouldn't think that we could meet like this because we live so far apart. I think there must be some special reason that we have been able to meet in this way. The Buddha taught that everything that arises must have a cause. Don't forget this. There must be some cause. Perhaps in a previous existence we were brothers and sisters in the same family. It's possible. Another teacher didn't come, but I did. Why is that? Perhaps we are creating the causes in the present moment itself. This is also possible.
I leave you all with this teaching. May you be diligent and arduous in the practice. There is nothing better than the practice of Dhamma, Dhamma is the supporter of the whole world. People are confused these days because they do not know the Dhamma. If we have the Dhamma with us we will be content. I am happy to have had this opportunity to help you and the venerable teacher in developing the practice of Dhamma. I leave you with my heartfelt good wishes. Tomorrow I will be leaving, I'm not sure where for. This is only natural. When there is coming there must be going, when there is going there must be coming. This is how the world is. We shouldn't be overjoyed or upset by the changes in the world. There is happiness and then there is suffering; there is suffering and then there is happiness; there is gain and then there is loss; there is loss and then there is gain. This is the way things are.
In the Buddha's time there were disciples of the Buddha who didn't like him, because the Buddha exhorted them to be diligent, to be heedful. those who were lazy were afraid of the Buddha and resented him. When he died, one group of disciples cried and were distressed that they would no longer have the Buddha to guide them. These ones were still not clever. Another group of disciples were pleased and relieved that they would no longer have the Buddha on their backs telling them what to do. A third group of disciples were equanimous. They reflected that what arises passes away as a natural consequence. There were these three groups. Which group do you identify with? Do you want to be one of the pleased ones or what? The group of disciples who cried when the Buddha passed away had not yet realized the Dhamma. The second group were those who resented the Buddha. He was always forbidding them from doing the things they wanted to do. They lived in fear of the Buddha's scorn and reprimands, so when he passed away they were relieved.
These days things aren't much different. It's possible that the teacher here has some followers who are resentful towards him. They might not show it outwardly but it's there in the mind. It's normal for people who still have defilements to feel this way. Even the Buddha had people hating him. I myself have followers who resent me also. I tell them to give up evil actions but they cherish their evil actions. So they hate me. There are plenty like this. May all of you who are intelligent make yourselves firm in the practice of Dhamma.
8. Dukkha: "Suffering" is a most inadequate translation, but it is the one most commonly found. "Dukkha" literally means "intolerable," "unsustainable," "difficult to endure," and can also mean "imperfect," "unsatisfying," or "incapable of providing perfect happiness." 9. Samsara: The world of delusion.
10. One of the Four Bases of Clinging: Kamupadana, clinging to sense objects; silabbatupadana: clinging to rites and rituals; ditthupadana: clinging to views, and attavadupadana, clinging to the idea of self.
11. Soon after his enlightenment, the Buddha was walking on his way to Benares and was approached by a wandering ascetic, who said, "Your features are clear, friend, your bearing serene ... who is your teacher?" The Buddha answered that there was no-one in this world who could claim to be his teacher, because he was completely self-enlightened. The Brahmin could not understand his answer, and walked off, muttering, "Well, good for you, friend, good for you."
Practicing meditation is just like breathing. While working we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while sitting down we breathe... Why do we have time to breathe? Because we see the importance of the breath, we can always find time to breathe. In the same way, if we see the importance of meditation practice we will find the time to practice.
Have any of you ever suffered? ... have you ever been happy?... Right here is the truth, this is where you must practice the Dhamma. Who is it who is happy? The mind is happy. who suffers? The mind suffers. Wherever these things arise, that's where they cease. Have you experienced happiness? ... Have you experienced suffering? ... this is our problem. If we know suffering, [8] the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the way leading to the end of suffering we can solve the problem.
There are two kinds of suffering: ordinary suffering and the extraordinary kind. Ordinary suffering is the suffering which is the inherent nature of conditions: standing is suffering, sitting is suffering, lying down is suffering. This is the suffering that is inherent in all conditioned phenomena. Even the Buddha experienced these things, he experienced comfort and pain, but he recognized them as conditions in nature. He knew how to overcome these ordinary, natural feelings of comfort and pain through understanding their true nature. Because he understood this "natural suffering" those feelings didn't upset him.
The important kind of suffering is the second kind, the suffering that creeps in from the outside, the "extraordinary suffering." If we are sick we may have to get an injection from the doctor. When the needle pierces the skin there is some pain which is only natural. When the needle is withdrawn that pain disappears. This is like the ordinary kind of suffering, it's no problem, everybody experiences it. The extraordinary suffering is the suffering that arises from what we call upadana, grasping onto things. This is like having an injection with a syringe filled with poison. This is no longer an ordinary kind of pain, it is the pain which ends in death. This is similar to the suffering which arises from grasping.
Wrong view, not knowing the impermanent nature of all conditioned things, is another kind of problem. Conditioned things are the realm of samsara. [9] Not wanting things to change -- if we think like this we must suffer. When we think that the body is ourselves or belonging to us, we are afraid when we see it change. Consider the breath: once it comes in it must go out, having gone out it must come in again. This is its nature, this is how we manage to live. Things don't function in that way. This is how conditions are but we don't realize it.
Suppose we lost something. if we thought that object was really ours, we would brood over it. If we couldn't see it as a conditioned thing faring according to the laws of nature we would experience suffering. But if you breathe in, can you live? Conditioned things must naturally change in this way. To see this is to see the Dhamma, to see aniccam, change. We live dependent on this change. When we know how things are then we can let go of them.
The practice of Dhamma is to develop an understanding of the way of things so that suffering doesn't arise. If we think wrongly we are at odds with the world, at odds with the Dhamma and with the truth. Suppose you were sick and had to go into hospital. Most people think, "Please don't let me die, I want to get better." This is wrong thinking, it will lead to suffering. You have to think to yourself, "If I recover I recover, if I die I die." this is right thinking, because you can't ultimately control conditions. If you think like this, whether you die or recover, you can't go wrong, you don't have to worry. Wanting to get better at all costs and afraid of the thought of dying...this is the mind which doesn't understand conditions. You should think, "If I get better that's fine, if I don't get better that's fine." This way we can't go wrong, we don't have to be afraid or cry, because we have tuned ourselves in to the way things are.
The Buddha saw clearly. His teaching is always relevant, never out-dated. It never changes. In the present day it's still the way they are, they haven't changed. By taking this teaching to heart we can gain the reward of peace and well-being.
In the teachings there is the reflection of "not-self": "this is to listen to this kind of teaching because they are attached to the idea of self. This is the cause of suffering. You should take note of this.
Today a woman asked about how to deal with anger. I told her that the next time she gets angry, to wind up her alarm clock and put it in front of her. Then to give herself two hours for the anger to go away. If it was really her anger she could probably tell it to go away like this: "In two hours be gone!" But it isn't really ours to command. Sometimes in two hours it's still not gone, at other times in one hour it's gone already. Holding onto anger as a personal possession will cause suffering. If it really belonged to us it would have to obey us. If it doesn't obey us that means it's only a deception. Don't fall for it. Whether the mind is happy or sad, don't fall for it. Whether the mind loves or hates, don't fall for it, it's all a deception.
Have any of you ever been angry? When you are angry does it feel good or bad? If it feels bad then why don't you throw that feeling away, why bother to keep it? How can you say that you are wise and intelligent when you hold on to such things? Since the day you were born, how many times has the mind tricked you into anger? Some days the mind can even cause a whole family to quarrel, or cause you to cry all night. And yet we still continue to get angry, we still hold onto things and suffer. If you don't see suffering you will have to keep suffering indefinitely, with no chance for respite. The world of samsara is like this. If we know the way it is we can solve the problem.
The Buddha's teaching states that there is no better means to overcome suffering than to see that "this is not my self," "this is not mine." This is the greatest method. But we don't usually pay attention to this. When suffering arises we simply cry over it without learning from it. Why is that so? We must take a good hard look at these things, to develop the Buddho, the one who knows.
Take note, some of you may not be aware that this is Dhamma teaching. I'm going to give you some Dhamma that's outside the scriptures. Most people read the scriptures but don't see the Dhamma. Today I am going to give you a teaching that's outside the scriptures. Some people may miss the point or not understand it.
Suppose two people are walking together and see a duck and a chicken. One of them says, "Why isn't that chicken like the duck, why isn't the duck like the chicken?" He wants the chicken to be a duck and the duck to be a chicken. It's impossible. If it's impossible, then even if that person were to wish for the duck to be a chicken and the chicken to be a duck for the rest of his life it would not come to pass, because the chicken is a chicken and the duck is a duck. As long as that person thought like that he would suffer. The other person might see that the chicken is a chicken and the duck is a duck, and that's all there is to it. There is no problem. He sees rightly. If you want the duck to be a chicken and the chicken to be a duck you are really going to suffer.
In the same way, the law of aniccam states that all things are impermanent. If you want things to be permanent you're going to suffer. Whenever impermanence shows itself you're going to be disappointed. One who sees that things are naturally impermanent will be at ease, there will be no conflict. The one who wants things to be permanent is going to have conflict, maybe even losing sleep over it. This is to be ignorant of aniccam, impermanence, the teaching if the Buddha.
If you want to know the Dhamma where should you look? You must look within the body and the mind. You won't find it in the shelves of a bookcase. To really see the Dhamma you have to look within your own body and mind. There are only these two things. The mind is not visible to the physical eye, it must be seen with the "mind's eye." Before the Dhamma can be realized you must know where to look. The Dhamma that is in the body must be seen in the body. And with what do we look at the body? We look at the body with the mind. You won't find the Dhamma looking anywhere else, because both happiness and suffering arise right here. Or have you seen happiness arising in the trees? Or from the rivers, or the weather? Happiness and suffering are feelings which arise in our own bodies and minds.
Therefore the Buddha tells us to know the Dhamma right here. The Dhamma is right here, we must look right here. The Master may tell you to look at the Dhamma in the books, but if you think that this is where the Dhamma really is, you'll never see it. Having looked at the books you must reflect on those teachings inwardly. Then you can understand the Dhamma. Where does the real Dhamma exist? It exists right here in this body and mind of ours. This is the essence of contemplation practice.
When we do this, wisdom will arise in our minds. When there is wisdom in our minds, then no matter where we look there is Dhamma, we will see aniccam, dukkham, and anatta at all times. Aniccam means transient. Dukkham -- if we cling to the things that are transient we must suffer, because they are not us or ours (anatta). But we don't see this, we always see them as being our self and belonging to us.
This means that you don't see the truth of convention. You should understand conventions. For example, all of us sitting here have names. Are our names born with us or are they assigned to us afterwards? Do you understand? This is convention. Is convention useful? Of course it's useful. For example, suppose there are four men, A, B, C, and D. They all must have their individual names for convenience in communicating and working together. If we wanted to speak to Mr. A we could call Mr. A and he would come, not the others. This is the convenience of convention. But when we look deeply into the matter we will see that really there isn't anybody there. We will see transcendence. There is only earth, water, wind and fire, the four elements. This is all there is to this body of ours.
But we don't see it in this way because of the clinging power of Attavadupadana. [10] If we were to look clearly we would see that there isn't really much to what we call a person. The solid part is the earth element, the fluid part is the water element, the part which provides heat is called the fire element. When we break things down we see that there is only earth, water, wind and fire. Where is the person to be found? There isn't one.
That's why the Buddha taught that there is no higher practice than to see that "this is not my self and does not belong to me" They are simply conventions. If we understand everything clearly in this way we will be at peace. If we realize in the present moment the truth of impermanence, that things are not our self or belonging to us, then when they disintegrate we are at peace with them, because they don't belong to anybody anyway. They are merely the elements of earth, water, wind and fire.
It's difficult for people to see this, but even so it's not beyond our ability. If we can see this we will find contentment, we will not have so much anger, greed or delusion. There will always be Dhamma in our hearts. There will be no need for jealousy and spite, because everybody is simply earth, water, wind and fire. There's nothing more to them than this. When we accept this truth we will see the truth of the Buddha's teaching.
If we could see the truth of the Buddha's teaching we wouldn't have to use up so many teachers! It wouldn't be necessary to listen to teachings everyday. When we understand then we simply do what's required of us. But what makes people so difficult to teach is that they don't accept the teaching and argue with the teachers and the teaching. In front of the teacher they behave a little better, but behind his back they become thieves! People are really difficult to teach. The people in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Thailand are like this, that's why they have to have so many teachers.
Be careful, if you're not careful you won't see the Dhamma. You must be circumspect, taking the teaching and considering it well. Is this flower pretty?...Do you see the ugliness within this flower?...For how many days will it be pretty?...What will it be like from now on?...Why does it change so?...In three or four days you have to take it and throw it away, right? It loses all its beauty. People are attached to beauty, attached to goodness. If anything is good they just fall for it completely. The Buddha tells us to look at pretty things as just pretty, we shouldn't become attached to them. If there is a pleasant feeling we shouldn't fall for it. Goodness is not a sure thing, beauty is not a sure thing. Nothing is certain. There is nothing in this world that is a certainty. This is the truth. The things that aren't true are the things that change, such as beauty. The only truth it has is in its constant changing. If we believe that things are beautiful, when their beauty fades our mind loses its beauty too. When things are no longer good our mind loses its goodness too. When they are destroyed or damaged we suffer because we have clung to them as being our own. The Buddha tells us to see that these things are simply constructs of nature. Beauty appears and in not many days it fades. To see this is to have wisdom.
Therefore we should see impermanence. If we think something is pretty we should tell ourselves it isn't, if we think something is ugly we should tell ourselves it isn't. Try to see things in this way, constantly reflect in this way. We will see the truth within untrue things, see the certainty within the things that are uncertain.
Today I have been explaining the way to understand suffering, what causes suffering, the cessation of suffering and the way leading to the cessation of suffering. When you know suffering you should throw it out. Knowing the cause of suffering you should throw it out. Practice to see the cessation of suffering. See aniccam, dukkham and anatta and suffering will cease.
When suffering ceases where do we go? What are we practicing for? We are practicing to relinquish, not in order to gain anything. There was a woman this afternoon who told me that she is suffering. I asked her what she wants to be, and she said she wants to be enlightened. I said, "As long as you want to be enlightened you will never become enlightened. Don't want anything."
When we know the truth of suffering we throw out suffering. When we know the cause of suffering then we don't create those causes, but instead practice to bring suffering to its cessation. The practice leading to the cessation of suffering is to see that "this is not a self," "this is not me or them." Seeing in this way enables suffering to cease. It's like reaching our destination and stopping. That's cessation. That's getting close to nibbana. To put it another way, going forward is suffering, retreating is suffering and stopping is suffering. Not going forward, not retreating and not stopping...is anything left? Body and mind cease here. This is the cessation of suffering. Hard to understand, isn't it? If we diligently and consistently study this teaching we will transcend things and reach understanding, there will be cessation. This is the ultimate teaching of the Buddha, it's the finishing point. The Buddha's teaching finishes at the point of total relinquishment.
Today I offer this teaching to you all and to the Venerable Master also. If there is anything wrong in it I ask your forgiveness. But don't be in a hurry to judge whether it is right or wrong, just listen to it first. If I were to give you all a fruit and tell you it's delicious, you should take note of my words, but don't believe me offhand, because you haven't tasted it yet. The teaching I give you today is the same. If you want to know whether the "fruit" is sweet or sour you have to slice a piece off and taste it. Then you will know its sweetness or sourness. Then you could believe me, because then you'd have seen for yourself. So please don't throw this "fruit" away, keep it and taste it, know its taste for yourself.
The Buddha didn't have a teacher, you know. An ascetic once asked him who his teacher was, and the Buddha answered that he didn't have one. [11] The ascetic just walked off shaking his head. The Buddha was being too honest. He was speaking to one who couldn't know or accept the truth. That's why I tell you not to believe me. The Buddha said that to simply believe others is foolish, because there is no clear knowing within. That's why the Buddha said "I have no teacher." This is the truth. But you should look at this is the right way. If you misunderstand it you won't respect your teacher. Don't go saying "I have no teacher." You must rely on your teacher to tell you what is right and wrong, and then you must practice accordingly.
Today is a fortunate day for all of us. I have had a chance to meet with all of you and the venerable teacher. You wouldn't think that we could meet like this because we live so far apart. I think there must be some special reason that we have been able to meet in this way. The Buddha taught that everything that arises must have a cause. Don't forget this. There must be some cause. Perhaps in a previous existence we were brothers and sisters in the same family. It's possible. Another teacher didn't come, but I did. Why is that? Perhaps we are creating the causes in the present moment itself. This is also possible.
I leave you all with this teaching. May you be diligent and arduous in the practice. There is nothing better than the practice of Dhamma, Dhamma is the supporter of the whole world. People are confused these days because they do not know the Dhamma. If we have the Dhamma with us we will be content. I am happy to have had this opportunity to help you and the venerable teacher in developing the practice of Dhamma. I leave you with my heartfelt good wishes. Tomorrow I will be leaving, I'm not sure where for. This is only natural. When there is coming there must be going, when there is going there must be coming. This is how the world is. We shouldn't be overjoyed or upset by the changes in the world. There is happiness and then there is suffering; there is suffering and then there is happiness; there is gain and then there is loss; there is loss and then there is gain. This is the way things are.
In the Buddha's time there were disciples of the Buddha who didn't like him, because the Buddha exhorted them to be diligent, to be heedful. those who were lazy were afraid of the Buddha and resented him. When he died, one group of disciples cried and were distressed that they would no longer have the Buddha to guide them. These ones were still not clever. Another group of disciples were pleased and relieved that they would no longer have the Buddha on their backs telling them what to do. A third group of disciples were equanimous. They reflected that what arises passes away as a natural consequence. There were these three groups. Which group do you identify with? Do you want to be one of the pleased ones or what? The group of disciples who cried when the Buddha passed away had not yet realized the Dhamma. The second group were those who resented the Buddha. He was always forbidding them from doing the things they wanted to do. They lived in fear of the Buddha's scorn and reprimands, so when he passed away they were relieved.
These days things aren't much different. It's possible that the teacher here has some followers who are resentful towards him. They might not show it outwardly but it's there in the mind. It's normal for people who still have defilements to feel this way. Even the Buddha had people hating him. I myself have followers who resent me also. I tell them to give up evil actions but they cherish their evil actions. So they hate me. There are plenty like this. May all of you who are intelligent make yourselves firm in the practice of Dhamma.
8. Dukkha: "Suffering" is a most inadequate translation, but it is the one most commonly found. "Dukkha" literally means "intolerable," "unsustainable," "difficult to endure," and can also mean "imperfect," "unsatisfying," or "incapable of providing perfect happiness." 9. Samsara: The world of delusion.
10. One of the Four Bases of Clinging: Kamupadana, clinging to sense objects; silabbatupadana: clinging to rites and rituals; ditthupadana: clinging to views, and attavadupadana, clinging to the idea of self.
11. Soon after his enlightenment, the Buddha was walking on his way to Benares and was approached by a wandering ascetic, who said, "Your features are clear, friend, your bearing serene ... who is your teacher?" The Buddha answered that there was no-one in this world who could claim to be his teacher, because he was completely self-enlightened. The Brahmin could not understand his answer, and walked off, muttering, "Well, good for you, friend, good for you."
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