[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!
Friday, September 14, 2007
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."
And all jesus did was love and forgive!!!
People ask why the world hasnt changed. Its because the masses havent changed for thousands of years, all jesus did was love and forgive, and look what the masses did to him. The reason why the world doesnt change and most humans are still no more advanced emotionally than gorillas is because they dont follow the these paths that have been set for thousands of years. The masses dont wont to change because they think all the important things are those that you can hold in your hand, but these are the least important because they dont last. So for those people who are unable to love thy neighboor and turn the other cheek, take a look at yourself first before you going judging the masses, there just simple people like you and me.
Blessed are the children, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
We recognize that the magic moment of the day has passed and that we've done nothing about it. Life begins to conceal its magic and its art.
We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who still exists inside us. That child understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice.
The child we once were is still there. Blessed are the children for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
If we are not reborn-- if we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of childhood--it makes no sense to go on living.
There are manys ways to commit suicide. Those who try to kill the body violate God's law. Those who try to kill the soul also violate God's law, even though their crime is less visible to others.
We have to pay attention to what the child in our heart tells us. We should not be embarressed by this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the child is alone and is almost never heard. We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different from every other day.
We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please this child--even if this means that we act in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others.
Rememer that human wisdom is madness in th eyes of God. But if we listen to the child who lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not lose contact with life.
Paulo Coelho
We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who still exists inside us. That child understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice.
The child we once were is still there. Blessed are the children for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
If we are not reborn-- if we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of childhood--it makes no sense to go on living.
There are manys ways to commit suicide. Those who try to kill the body violate God's law. Those who try to kill the soul also violate God's law, even though their crime is less visible to others.
We have to pay attention to what the child in our heart tells us. We should not be embarressed by this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the child is alone and is almost never heard. We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different from every other day.
We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please this child--even if this means that we act in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others.
Rememer that human wisdom is madness in th eyes of God. But if we listen to the child who lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not lose contact with life.
Paulo Coelho
the only thing between your everlsating happiness is your own fears!!!
Now, that you probably already know, but have you really gone into your fear, I mean have you just felt your fear creeping up your spine, and just said OK, do what you want, and really just let go, and really followed your fear for as long as it went, and just followed the train of thought where ever it went. The problem with fear is that at the first sign of it you tense up a choice, (you have been taught to make), to divert your attention to something happy, or some menial task that means nothing, but its soul purpose is to pass the time and keep your mind occupied, but if you really just let go and relax, you will find a way out and you will find your fears slowly diminishing, because they only survive in the shadows of your mind, but if you are to shine the light out, you will see they are just as empty as smoke, and they will just fly away on the wind. Now a good remedy that I used to give to my patients, was that you begin writing and you dont think about what it is you are writing about and you just keep going and dont stop to think or check mistakes, but just keep going and going and you will be surprised at what comes out and how much better you will feel after it, I know ur fears and how to beat them, its easy once you know, its just that the first step is a doosyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Milk from chicken for allergic newborns............................what will they think of next
Siriraj Hospital has invented an infant milk made of chicken meat for those allergic to cow's milk, the Faculty of Medicine head, Professor Dr Piyaskol Skolsattayathorn announced yesterday.
Published on August 11, 2007
The chicken-extract "milk" is the first of its kind and much cheaper than substitutes made in other countries, around Bt600 per litre compared to Bt2,000-Bt3,000.
The milk is expected to help around 20,000 infants allergic to cow's milk, or around 3 per cent of newborns each year.
Siriraj Hospital can now make around 25 litres of milk a week.
One kilogram of chicken breast makes 24 litres of milk. Only the breast can be used because it contains no fat, and the meat used is from chickens raised for export, as they have not been fed hormone-laced food.
The invention of the milk by Associate Professor Tharathip Kholathat and Professor Dr Phiphob Jiraphinyo of the Department of Paediatrics was based on the fact that infants allergic to cow's milk can be fed chicken broth.
Siriraj Hospital began experimenting with the chicken-extract project 10 years ago. Production involves mincing and blending chicken meat and adding food substitutes. The milk is stored at -72 degrees Celsius and mixed with hot water for use. It can be bottle-fed to infants.
A total of 80 children allergic to cow's milk have been fed the extract during the experimental period. Only two of them were allergic to it and were fed with imported substitute milk.
The invention of the chicken-extract milk will be published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and the milk has been registered, Piyaskol said.
Siriraj Hospital will further develop the milk into different formulas for older children and adults.
Citing foreign medical reports, the dean said the global tendency of infants becoming allergic to cow's milk was growing as a result of the decrease in breastfeeding, now at the rate of 2-10 per cent depending on country.
The symptoms stemming from allergy to cow's milk range from rashes and dry skin, to vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and asthma. The allergy can be fatal.
Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul
The Nation
Published on August 11, 2007
The chicken-extract "milk" is the first of its kind and much cheaper than substitutes made in other countries, around Bt600 per litre compared to Bt2,000-Bt3,000.
The milk is expected to help around 20,000 infants allergic to cow's milk, or around 3 per cent of newborns each year.
Siriraj Hospital can now make around 25 litres of milk a week.
One kilogram of chicken breast makes 24 litres of milk. Only the breast can be used because it contains no fat, and the meat used is from chickens raised for export, as they have not been fed hormone-laced food.
The invention of the milk by Associate Professor Tharathip Kholathat and Professor Dr Phiphob Jiraphinyo of the Department of Paediatrics was based on the fact that infants allergic to cow's milk can be fed chicken broth.
Siriraj Hospital began experimenting with the chicken-extract project 10 years ago. Production involves mincing and blending chicken meat and adding food substitutes. The milk is stored at -72 degrees Celsius and mixed with hot water for use. It can be bottle-fed to infants.
A total of 80 children allergic to cow's milk have been fed the extract during the experimental period. Only two of them were allergic to it and were fed with imported substitute milk.
The invention of the chicken-extract milk will be published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and the milk has been registered, Piyaskol said.
Siriraj Hospital will further develop the milk into different formulas for older children and adults.
Citing foreign medical reports, the dean said the global tendency of infants becoming allergic to cow's milk was growing as a result of the decrease in breastfeeding, now at the rate of 2-10 per cent depending on country.
The symptoms stemming from allergy to cow's milk range from rashes and dry skin, to vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and asthma. The allergy can be fatal.
Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul
The Nation
child swallows ecstasy back with parents, ................just hand her the needle why dont you
A TWO-YEAR-OLD Sydney girl who ate ecstasy off her parent's floor is back in their care, despite two previous reports of concern about the child's welfare to authorities.
The girl's 29-year-old father is due in Sutherland Local Court next month charged with drug possession and supply offences.
The Daily Telegraph reports the girl ingested an ecstasy tablet last Thursday morning at her parent's Engadine home, in Sydney's south.
The Department of Community Services (DoCS) has decided the parents are fit to care for the girl, despite receiving two reports, which were not drug-related, of concern for the child's health, the newspaper reports.
When the child fell ill her mother became concerned and woke her partner, who allegedly noticed ecstasy pills on the kitchen floor and feared the girl may have eaten one.
Both parents rushed the girl to hospital and allegedly told doctors she may have ingested ecstasy.Doctors called police who accompanied the father back to the family home and later charged him.
The girl was treated and released from hospital on the same day.
The girl's 29-year-old father is due in Sutherland Local Court next month charged with drug possession and supply offences.
The Daily Telegraph reports the girl ingested an ecstasy tablet last Thursday morning at her parent's Engadine home, in Sydney's south.
The Department of Community Services (DoCS) has decided the parents are fit to care for the girl, despite receiving two reports, which were not drug-related, of concern for the child's health, the newspaper reports.
When the child fell ill her mother became concerned and woke her partner, who allegedly noticed ecstasy pills on the kitchen floor and feared the girl may have eaten one.
Both parents rushed the girl to hospital and allegedly told doctors she may have ingested ecstasy.Doctors called police who accompanied the father back to the family home and later charged him.
The girl was treated and released from hospital on the same day.
Circumcision cuts ur chance of attracting HIV by 50%................................so they say
Circumcising African men may cut their risk of catching AIDS in half, the National Institutes of Health said today as it stopped two clinical trials in Africa, when preliminary results suggested that circumcision worked so well that it would be unethical not to offer it to uncircumcised men in the trials.
Skip to next paragraph
Related
Complete Coverage: AIDS/H.I.V. »
Web Link
Q&A About the NIAID-Sponsored Adult Male Circumcision Trials in Kenya and Uganda (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
AIDS experts immediately hailed the result, saying it gave the world a new way to fight the spread of AIDS, and the directors of the two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would now consider paying for circumcisions.
"This is very exciting news," said Daniel Halperin, an H.I.V. specialist at Harvard's Center for Population and Development, who has argued in scientific journals for years that circumcision slows the spread of AIDS in the parts of Africa where it is practiced.
In an interview from Zimbabwe, Mr. Halperin added: "I have no doubt that, as word of this gets around, millions of African men will want to get circumcised and that will save many lives."
But experts also cautioned that circumcision is no cure-all. It only lessens the chances that a man will catch the virus, it is expensive compared to condoms, abstinence or other methods, and the surgery has serious risks if performed by folk healers using dirty blades, as often happens in rural Africa.
Sex education messages to young men need to make it clear that "this does not mean that you have an absolute protection," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an AIDS researcher and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsored the trials. Circumcision should be added to other prevention methods, not replace them, he said.
The two trials were carried out among nearly 3,000 men in Kisumu, Kenya, and nearly 5,000 men in Rakai, Uganda. None were infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS; they were divided into circumcised and uncircumcised groups. They were given safe sex advice — although many presumably did not take it — and retested regularly.
The trials were stopped by the National Institutes of Health's Data Safety and Monitoring Board this week after data showed that the Kenyan men had a 53 percent reduction in new H.I.V. cases and the Ugandan men a 48 percent reduction.
In Kenya, 22 of the 1,393 circumcised young men in the study caught the disease, compared with 47 of the 1,391 uncircumcised men.
Those results echo the finding of a trial completed last year in the town of Orange Farm, South Africa, financed by the French government, which demonstrated a reduction of 60 percent among circumcised men.
Two agencies, one under the State Department and the other financed by a number of countries, said they now would be willing to pay for circumcisions, which they have not before, citing a lack of hard evidence that it works.
Dr. Richard G. A. Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said that if a country seeking money submitted plans to conduct safe, sterile circumcisions, "I think it's very likely that our technical panel would approve it."
Ambassador Mark Dybul, executive director of the $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in the State Department, said his agency "will support implementation of safe medical male circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention."
He too warned that it was only one new weapon.
"Prevention efforts must reinforce the ABC approach — abstain, be faithful and correct and consistent use of condoms," he said.
Uncircumcised men are thought to be more susceptible to AIDS because the underside of the foreskin is rich in Langerhans' cells, which attach easily to the virus. The foreskin may also suffer small tears during intercourse, making it more susceptible to infection.
Researchers have long noted that parts of Africa where circumcision is practiced — particularly in the Muslim countries of West Africa — had much lower AIDS rates. But it was unclear whether other factors, such as religion or polygamy, played important roles.
Outside Muslim regions, circumcision is spotty. In South Africa, for example, the Xhosa people circumcise teen-age boys, while Zulus, whose traditional homeland abuts theirs, do not. AIDS is common in members of both tribes.
In recent years, as word has spread that circumcision might be protective, many African men have sought it out. A Zambian hospital offered $3 circumcisions last year, and Swaziland trained 60 doctors to give them at $40 each after its waiting lists grew.
"Private practitioners also do it," Dr. Halperin said. "In some places, it's $20, in others, much more. Lots of the wealthy elite have already done it. It prevents STD's, it's seen as cleaner, sex is better, women like it. I predict that
a lot of men who can't afford private clinics will start clamoring for it."
Skip to next paragraph
Related
Complete Coverage: AIDS/H.I.V. »
Web Link
Q&A About the NIAID-Sponsored Adult Male Circumcision Trials in Kenya and Uganda (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
AIDS experts immediately hailed the result, saying it gave the world a new way to fight the spread of AIDS, and the directors of the two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would now consider paying for circumcisions.
"This is very exciting news," said Daniel Halperin, an H.I.V. specialist at Harvard's Center for Population and Development, who has argued in scientific journals for years that circumcision slows the spread of AIDS in the parts of Africa where it is practiced.
In an interview from Zimbabwe, Mr. Halperin added: "I have no doubt that, as word of this gets around, millions of African men will want to get circumcised and that will save many lives."
But experts also cautioned that circumcision is no cure-all. It only lessens the chances that a man will catch the virus, it is expensive compared to condoms, abstinence or other methods, and the surgery has serious risks if performed by folk healers using dirty blades, as often happens in rural Africa.
Sex education messages to young men need to make it clear that "this does not mean that you have an absolute protection," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an AIDS researcher and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsored the trials. Circumcision should be added to other prevention methods, not replace them, he said.
The two trials were carried out among nearly 3,000 men in Kisumu, Kenya, and nearly 5,000 men in Rakai, Uganda. None were infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS; they were divided into circumcised and uncircumcised groups. They were given safe sex advice — although many presumably did not take it — and retested regularly.
The trials were stopped by the National Institutes of Health's Data Safety and Monitoring Board this week after data showed that the Kenyan men had a 53 percent reduction in new H.I.V. cases and the Ugandan men a 48 percent reduction.
In Kenya, 22 of the 1,393 circumcised young men in the study caught the disease, compared with 47 of the 1,391 uncircumcised men.
Those results echo the finding of a trial completed last year in the town of Orange Farm, South Africa, financed by the French government, which demonstrated a reduction of 60 percent among circumcised men.
Two agencies, one under the State Department and the other financed by a number of countries, said they now would be willing to pay for circumcisions, which they have not before, citing a lack of hard evidence that it works.
Dr. Richard G. A. Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said that if a country seeking money submitted plans to conduct safe, sterile circumcisions, "I think it's very likely that our technical panel would approve it."
Ambassador Mark Dybul, executive director of the $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in the State Department, said his agency "will support implementation of safe medical male circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention."
He too warned that it was only one new weapon.
"Prevention efforts must reinforce the ABC approach — abstain, be faithful and correct and consistent use of condoms," he said.
Uncircumcised men are thought to be more susceptible to AIDS because the underside of the foreskin is rich in Langerhans' cells, which attach easily to the virus. The foreskin may also suffer small tears during intercourse, making it more susceptible to infection.
Researchers have long noted that parts of Africa where circumcision is practiced — particularly in the Muslim countries of West Africa — had much lower AIDS rates. But it was unclear whether other factors, such as religion or polygamy, played important roles.
Outside Muslim regions, circumcision is spotty. In South Africa, for example, the Xhosa people circumcise teen-age boys, while Zulus, whose traditional homeland abuts theirs, do not. AIDS is common in members of both tribes.
In recent years, as word has spread that circumcision might be protective, many African men have sought it out. A Zambian hospital offered $3 circumcisions last year, and Swaziland trained 60 doctors to give them at $40 each after its waiting lists grew.
"Private practitioners also do it," Dr. Halperin said. "In some places, it's $20, in others, much more. Lots of the wealthy elite have already done it. It prevents STD's, it's seen as cleaner, sex is better, women like it. I predict that
a lot of men who can't afford private clinics will start clamoring for it."
CHINA’S rapid industrialisation has likely made extinct a species of fresh water dolphin
that had been on Earth for over 20 million years.A team of scientists from China, Japan and the United States failed to find the white dolphin, known as the baiji, during a six-week search of its natural habitat in the Yangtze river late last year. "This result means the baiji is likely extinct,'' Wang Ding, who led the survey and is one of the world's leading experts on the species, said.The dolphin was a victim of devastating pollution, illegal fishing and heavy cargo traffic on the Yangtze, Wang said.The findings mean the baiji is likely the first mammal to become extinct in more than 50 years. It is the cousin of the bottlenose dolphin, which is also on the critically endangered list. Wang, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, emphasised that not all hope was lost for the dolphin, which had made its home along the lower reaches of China's now heavily polluted Yangtze River for more than 20 million years. "We are not saying the baiji is already gone,'' he said. But he lamented that further searches this year had failed to find any sign of the dolphin. Wang said that a letter written by the survey team had been published in the latest issue of the Royal Society Biology Letters journal in Britain to confirm the dolphin was believed to be extinct. The baiji, identifiable by its long, teeth-filled snout and low dorsal fin, was last officially sighted more than two years ago. The last confirmed count by a research team was conducted in 1997, when just 13 were recorded. Up to 5000 baiji were believed to have lived in the Yangtze less than a century ago, according to the baiji.org website, which was established by a range of international conservation groups. Other rare species that live in the Yangtze, such as the Chinese sturgeon and the finless porpoise, are also in danger of extinction.
200 baht bribes to vote NO, and 30 m to 2 judges to vote not guilty, may the bribes begin in Thailand
Im declaring the olypmics open, MAY THE BRIBES BEGIN HOORAY
Government officials in the North and North east of Thailand have been bribing individuals with 200 baht to say no to the new constitution, that being about an average days wage, even thou they were employed to educated the people I guess they just figured they know better are saving these poor people the problem of having to decide themselves. How considerate of these people.
Its just recently come to light that an ex-police colonel has offered two judges 30 million baht to change their views in the Constitution Tribunal, which saw the Thai Rak Thai party dissolved and its members banned for five years thou something in the must be changing because they both rejected the offer, maybe someone else just beat them to it
Government officials in the North and North east of Thailand have been bribing individuals with 200 baht to say no to the new constitution, that being about an average days wage, even thou they were employed to educated the people I guess they just figured they know better are saving these poor people the problem of having to decide themselves. How considerate of these people.
Its just recently come to light that an ex-police colonel has offered two judges 30 million baht to change their views in the Constitution Tribunal, which saw the Thai Rak Thai party dissolved and its members banned for five years thou something in the must be changing because they both rejected the offer, maybe someone else just beat them to it
US loses track of 190,00 weapons in Iraq in 2 years, ...............what r they doin over there
THE Pentagon cannot account for 190,000 AK-47 rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005 - about half the weapons earmarked for soldiers and police.
The Government Accountability Office(GAO), the investigative arm of the US Congress, said in a July 31 report to lawmakers that the Defence Department also could not account for 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported to be issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22, 2005.
The GAO said the Pentagon concurred with its findings and had begun a review to ensure full accountability for the program to train and equip Iraqi forces.
"However, our review of the 2007 property books found continuing problems with missing and incomplete records," the GAO report said.
The report raised concerns that weapons provided by the United States could be falling into the hands of Iraqi insurgents, just as politicians and policymakers in Washington await a September report on the success of US President George W. Bush's surge strategy for stabilising Baghdad.
One senior Pentagon official told The Washington Post some weapons probably were being used against US troops. He said an Iraqi brigade created in Fallujah disintegrated in 2004 and began fighting American soldiers.
Many in Washington view the development of effective Iraqi army and police forces as a vital step toward reducing the number of US troops in Iraq.
Since 2003, the United States has provided about $US19.2 billion ($22.55bn) to develop Iraqi security forces, the GAO said. The Defence Department has recently asked for another $US2bn ($2.35bn) to continue the train-and-equip program.
Congress funded the program for Iraqi security forces outside traditional security assistance programs, providing the Pentagon with a large degree of flexibility in managing the effort, the GAO said.
"Officials stated that since the funding did not go through traditional security assistance programs, the DOD accountability requirements normally applicable to these programs did not apply," the GAO report said.
Military officials in Iraq reported issuing 355,000 weapons to Iraqi security forces from June 2004 through September 2005, including 185,000 rifles and 170,000 pistols, the GAO said.
But the Defence Department could not account for 110,000 rifles and 80,000 pistols, the GAO said. Those sums amount to about 54 per cent of the total weapons distributed to the Iraqi forces.
The GAO quoted officials as saying the agency responsible for handling weapons distribution was too short-staffed to record information on individual items given to Iraqi forces.
Accountability procedures also could not be fully implemented because of the need to equip Iraqi forces rapidly for combat operations, the GAO found.
The Government Accountability Office(GAO), the investigative arm of the US Congress, said in a July 31 report to lawmakers that the Defence Department also could not account for 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported to be issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22, 2005.
The GAO said the Pentagon concurred with its findings and had begun a review to ensure full accountability for the program to train and equip Iraqi forces.
"However, our review of the 2007 property books found continuing problems with missing and incomplete records," the GAO report said.
The report raised concerns that weapons provided by the United States could be falling into the hands of Iraqi insurgents, just as politicians and policymakers in Washington await a September report on the success of US President George W. Bush's surge strategy for stabilising Baghdad.
One senior Pentagon official told The Washington Post some weapons probably were being used against US troops. He said an Iraqi brigade created in Fallujah disintegrated in 2004 and began fighting American soldiers.
Many in Washington view the development of effective Iraqi army and police forces as a vital step toward reducing the number of US troops in Iraq.
Since 2003, the United States has provided about $US19.2 billion ($22.55bn) to develop Iraqi security forces, the GAO said. The Defence Department has recently asked for another $US2bn ($2.35bn) to continue the train-and-equip program.
Congress funded the program for Iraqi security forces outside traditional security assistance programs, providing the Pentagon with a large degree of flexibility in managing the effort, the GAO said.
"Officials stated that since the funding did not go through traditional security assistance programs, the DOD accountability requirements normally applicable to these programs did not apply," the GAO report said.
Military officials in Iraq reported issuing 355,000 weapons to Iraqi security forces from June 2004 through September 2005, including 185,000 rifles and 170,000 pistols, the GAO said.
But the Defence Department could not account for 110,000 rifles and 80,000 pistols, the GAO said. Those sums amount to about 54 per cent of the total weapons distributed to the Iraqi forces.
The GAO quoted officials as saying the agency responsible for handling weapons distribution was too short-staffed to record information on individual items given to Iraqi forces.
Accountability procedures also could not be fully implemented because of the need to equip Iraqi forces rapidly for combat operations, the GAO found.
Im in a place where Ive heard it and seen it all.....................now judge let ye be judged
Ha ha ha now let me explain myself first, i've been living in a third world country for the last couple of years with my trusty ipod and computer and all the music I have and the movies Ive got are all years old, and have been repeated over and over and over again, now some would say that its a good test of ones contentment, and to be honest they say its against the law to buy illegal music/movies, but here you cant buy legally even if you want to, shops that use the name of overseas stores and companies and print out the whole cardboard jackets with proper cd covers and advertising, so basically they have the same amount of plastic and waste around them, but they have just been burnt off from the internet, so what can I do? buy illegal music/movies and increase the trade? or do I just download straight from the net, cut out the middle man, save myself a few bucks or what???
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
US troops leave Aussie for dead in Iraq, and i thought we were on the same team!!!
AN Australian private security operator was left for dead by American forces after he was seriously wounded during an ambush in southern Iraq.
The US refused to provide a helicopter to evacuate the wounded man after being told he was Australian, News Limited reports.The Queensland man, who suffered severe leg and abdominal injuries, was delivered to Basra air base by a British road convoy more than seven hours after the attack.The June 25 attack near the town of Al Zubair, 15km southwest of Basra, was carried out by at least six gunmen and involved roadside bombs, small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.Two Toyota Landcruisers were destroyed in the attack.Three of the man's Iraqi colleagues, including an Iraqi interpreter, died in the attack.The security operator underwent surgery at a British military hospital and was later evacuated out of Iraq.He remains in the region in a serious but stable condition. Should we be surprised though, Americans only care about Americans, and thats NOT even all the time
The US refused to provide a helicopter to evacuate the wounded man after being told he was Australian, News Limited reports.The Queensland man, who suffered severe leg and abdominal injuries, was delivered to Basra air base by a British road convoy more than seven hours after the attack.The June 25 attack near the town of Al Zubair, 15km southwest of Basra, was carried out by at least six gunmen and involved roadside bombs, small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.Two Toyota Landcruisers were destroyed in the attack.Three of the man's Iraqi colleagues, including an Iraqi interpreter, died in the attack.The security operator underwent surgery at a British military hospital and was later evacuated out of Iraq.He remains in the region in a serious but stable condition. Should we be surprised though, Americans only care about Americans, and thats NOT even all the time
Unwanted granny thrown on garbage dump
What a crazy world we live when family members can just get dumped out with the garbage, now the elderly in the west should be very grateful, that they even have a place to go when they get kicked out, but in other lesser off countries, if your family dont want ya anymore you get the boot and theres no where for you to go or any one to take care of you, so just like what happened in India, you better keep ya mouth shut before your kids throw you out into the garbage
At what age do u think girls/women should start on the high heels, here its 2
Now I'm not female, i thought i would state that first but back were i'm from we are told it shouldnt be undertaken until after a girl/women is 16 or 18 because of physical development issues with the legs, back and muscles involved. Apparently these shoes are not very good at all for the body, but in this country they have them start young, ive seen parents buy high heels for 2 and 3 year old daughters now is this just ridiculous or what ???
THANK YOU TO THOSE, WHO LOOSE THERE LIVES TRYING TO SAVE OURS
A bomb disposal officer wounded in a costly explosion in Yala on Tuesday morning has died at a hospital from injuries.
Sen Sgt Maj Subin Prutmongkol, whose legs and arms were ripped off from the blast, died after an operation to try to save his life.The bomb disposal unit went to a busy railway station to defuse a bomb hidden in the front basket of a motorcycle. But it was a ruse to draw people to the scene, and insurgents touched off a more powerful bomb after a crowd had gathered.The deadly bomb was hidden inside the same motorcycle and it was triggered by remote control, probably a cell phone.The second bomb wounded 18 people, including four local reporters and seven policemen. The reporters were from TV Channels 3, 7, ITV and a local newspaper.In a second violent incident on Tuesday, a Muslim man was shot dead by two militants at a tea room in Yaha district. Witnesses told police that the attackers arrived on a motorcycle, and shot him with a handgun.Meanwhile, another Muslim man was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in the same province.
THIS GOES OUT TO ALL THOSE AROUND THE WORLD RISKING THEIR LIVES TO MAKE OURS SAFE, Thank you
Sen Sgt Maj Subin Prutmongkol, whose legs and arms were ripped off from the blast, died after an operation to try to save his life.The bomb disposal unit went to a busy railway station to defuse a bomb hidden in the front basket of a motorcycle. But it was a ruse to draw people to the scene, and insurgents touched off a more powerful bomb after a crowd had gathered.The deadly bomb was hidden inside the same motorcycle and it was triggered by remote control, probably a cell phone.The second bomb wounded 18 people, including four local reporters and seven policemen. The reporters were from TV Channels 3, 7, ITV and a local newspaper.In a second violent incident on Tuesday, a Muslim man was shot dead by two militants at a tea room in Yaha district. Witnesses told police that the attackers arrived on a motorcycle, and shot him with a handgun.Meanwhile, another Muslim man was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in the same province.
THIS GOES OUT TO ALL THOSE AROUND THE WORLD RISKING THEIR LIVES TO MAKE OURS SAFE, Thank you
The most beautiful thing ive eva seen, Australia 4 - 0 Thailand only themselves to blame
BANGKOK – Mark Viduka scored twice in the final 10 minutes to seal a 4-0 win for Australia over Thailand and earn the Socceroos a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.
The result flattered Graham Arnold's team after Thailand dominated the second half and had the chances to pull level after Michael Beauchamp had given the Australians the lead with a 21st minute header.
But it was Australia's aerial prowess that won them the game with Viduka holding off the Thai defence to score the goal that effectively won the game 10 minutes from time before sealing the result with a header three minutes later.
Harry Kewell then completed the win when he slotted past Kosin Hathairatanakul in injury time.
Graham Arnold made four changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Iraq, with Kewell axed along with Patrick Kisnorbo and Brett Holman while Lucas Neill missed the game due to suspension.
As a result, Beauchamp and John Aloisi started, as did Sydney FC duo Mark Milligan and David Carney, and the Australians looked the better for the changes.
With the rain falling incessantly throughout the first 45 minutes, the Socceroos started the game at a higher tempo than they have in their previous two games and they dominated the early stages of the game.
It took the Australians 21 minutes to put themselves on the scoreboard when Luke Wilkshire sent his free kick into the Thai penalty area and Beauchamp was left unmarked to head past Kosin.
Suchao Nutnum could have responded just two minutes later for the Thais only for his long-range shot to fly straight at Mark Schwarzer while moments later Suree Sukha sent in a searing low cross that Kiatisuk Senamuang only just failed to direct into the Australian goal.
Needing a draw to progress to the knockout phase, the Thais pushed for the equaliser and dominated the second period, although Wilkshire went close to adding a second just seconds after the restart.
Suree continued to cause problems down the right for Thailand while Tawan Sripan and Kiatisuk worked tirelessly in attack, and it was the former Hudderfield Town man who set up substitute Pipat Thonkanya with a back-heel into the area, only for Pipat to shoot straight at Schwarzer.
Kewell came off the bench and headed over the bar in the 68th minute before another long range effort from Suchao blistered the paint of Schwarzer's left post. Datsakorn Thonglao tried his luck from distance soon after, only for the Middlesbrough goalkeeper to hold onto the shot.
With 10 minutes remaining and with the Thais pushing hard for the equaliser, Viduka killed off the game.
His first came when Tim Cahill sent in his cross from the left and Viduka controlled the ball on his chest before holding off the Thai defence and firing past Kosin.
Three minutes later Cahill and Viduka linked up again, with the Everton man crossing from the left this time to allow the powerfully built striker to head home.
And Kewell completed the scoring right at the end when he ran in unopposed on Kosin before sliding the ball to the right of the keeper.
http://www.afcasiancup.com/en/tournament/mtindex.asp?cid=1373&mt=12022
The result flattered Graham Arnold's team after Thailand dominated the second half and had the chances to pull level after Michael Beauchamp had given the Australians the lead with a 21st minute header.
But it was Australia's aerial prowess that won them the game with Viduka holding off the Thai defence to score the goal that effectively won the game 10 minutes from time before sealing the result with a header three minutes later.
Harry Kewell then completed the win when he slotted past Kosin Hathairatanakul in injury time.
Graham Arnold made four changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Iraq, with Kewell axed along with Patrick Kisnorbo and Brett Holman while Lucas Neill missed the game due to suspension.
As a result, Beauchamp and John Aloisi started, as did Sydney FC duo Mark Milligan and David Carney, and the Australians looked the better for the changes.
With the rain falling incessantly throughout the first 45 minutes, the Socceroos started the game at a higher tempo than they have in their previous two games and they dominated the early stages of the game.
It took the Australians 21 minutes to put themselves on the scoreboard when Luke Wilkshire sent his free kick into the Thai penalty area and Beauchamp was left unmarked to head past Kosin.
Suchao Nutnum could have responded just two minutes later for the Thais only for his long-range shot to fly straight at Mark Schwarzer while moments later Suree Sukha sent in a searing low cross that Kiatisuk Senamuang only just failed to direct into the Australian goal.
Needing a draw to progress to the knockout phase, the Thais pushed for the equaliser and dominated the second period, although Wilkshire went close to adding a second just seconds after the restart.
Suree continued to cause problems down the right for Thailand while Tawan Sripan and Kiatisuk worked tirelessly in attack, and it was the former Hudderfield Town man who set up substitute Pipat Thonkanya with a back-heel into the area, only for Pipat to shoot straight at Schwarzer.
Kewell came off the bench and headed over the bar in the 68th minute before another long range effort from Suchao blistered the paint of Schwarzer's left post. Datsakorn Thonglao tried his luck from distance soon after, only for the Middlesbrough goalkeeper to hold onto the shot.
With 10 minutes remaining and with the Thais pushing hard for the equaliser, Viduka killed off the game.
His first came when Tim Cahill sent in his cross from the left and Viduka controlled the ball on his chest before holding off the Thai defence and firing past Kosin.
Three minutes later Cahill and Viduka linked up again, with the Everton man crossing from the left this time to allow the powerfully built striker to head home.
And Kewell completed the scoring right at the end when he ran in unopposed on Kosin before sliding the ball to the right of the keeper.
http://www.afcasiancup.com/en/tournament/mtindex.asp?cid=1373&mt=12022
How can Thailand or any country improve when everyone passes
Nothing will get better in Thailand until there are large sweeping reforms throu the education system and politics. As a teacher in this country we are told that you can NOT fail any students, so whats the point of people turning up to class if they are going to pass any way. No country can ever improve when people dont learn, to be honest I certainly wouldnt study if I knew I was going to get my degree any way. What a joke of a system, its just fun to go along for the ride, when really it doesnt matter what we do, cause everybody will pass any way. Some people are going to have face some truth soon, and realize that for a country to improve its economic social status, and decrease poverty, sickness and the standard of living, some people are going to have to fail, and some people are actually going to have to do some work!!!
Now to match the last the biggest ever SQUID apparantly has decided to greet US??? I luv these
A giant squid has had enough of living in the darkness and has decided to follow the light, hallelujah. I love when these stories come up because there is still so much that we dont even know about our own world, while so many people are obssessed with other things outside, but i guess ya dont want all your eggs in the one basket if ya get what i mean. But this well known but very very ellusive creature is rarely seen alive and even more rarley captured, so each time one washes up I'm sure scientists start creaming their pants. Now one has decided to treat us with his/her presence, a squid washed up dead on Tasmania's west coast (thats in Australia if you dont know) is one of the biggest ever found, weighing in at 250 kilograms, with a cross-section as big as a truck tyre and longer than a station wagon. Scientists, who see it as an exciting and intriguing discovery, will today take DNA and tissue samples from the sea monster
According to one individual, "It is a whopper,'' Ms Walker-Smith said while en route to the scene today. "The main mantle of the squid is about one metre across and its total length is about eight metres."
What an amazing being.
According to one individual, "It is a whopper,'' Ms Walker-Smith said while en route to the scene today. "The main mantle of the squid is about one metre across and its total length is about eight metres."
What an amazing being.
Largest exstacy Bust EVER
Now i know the police, and the government loves these days where they actually show what all their time and the tax payers money is going towards. The police confiscated 5,000,000 pills estimated to be worth about 350,000,000 dollars AU. Now it seems to me that these drugs must be getting more and more popular, What do you think??? The real question is why??? What is lacking in our society that so many people fall for the trap??? now I've tried a few drugs from cigarettes and up, but never have I felt the urge to use them so often, thou billions of people around the world are addicted to one drug or another. Its just seems funny to me that the two most dangerous and most widely used, generate larges amounts of money for governments??? Is it just me or what ???
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Peter Garrett, Bono and Daniel Johns shared a marijuana joint Oh NOOO WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I should provide a disclaimer right off the bat here, apparently it was just a joke, said by Mr Daniel from silverchair on the radio. But who realy cares if these three had a joint. Its not a matter of national security, and how many rockers past and present have had a joint, I mean how many people in the world have had a toke on the old scuuuuuuuuuube, its not illegal everywhere, someplaces allow it freely in bars, so why is it that every time some celebrity lets it slip that they actually had a drag is all of a sudden throw into the spot light and presented as a criminal, now drugs have the potential for good and bad, dependnig upon the hands it which they fall. Now if your staying at home everyday just sucking down the smoke then obviously its going to have some mental and physical effects. But if its a one off occasion a few times a year ha ha ha, then its by no means more harmful than walking down any street in your neighbourhood. Now Mr Garret is a well know ex-rocker turned politician, but at least this guy has enough balls to stand up for what he believes, and if he wants to have a bud every now and then, my opinion of him is certainly not going to fall. Maybe someone should give George Bush, and John Howard a few Kilograms and see how the world would change then?????? Now that I would watch on Fox news.
"People still miss, care and admire what I have done.." Thaksin just shut up please!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder if once ur a politician, ur always a politician, now the booted out ex PM of Thailand, Mr Thaksin Shinawatra, claimed that months ago he wanted nothing more to do with polictics in Thailand, yet he cant keep his big square face out of the media, either personally appearing, or throu statements delivered by his lawyer, even thous he's been ordered back by the police to face charges concerning land illegally purchased, I just wish he would leave this already struggling country alone, so that maybe it can pick up the pieces and some how have a country inwhich the politics some what resembles democracy.
Borat comic genius or comic genius???
Never have I seen a character so openly tear apart and leave for everyone to see the truth about ones society and culture, and really show the ignorance and arrogance that people still harbour for no reason what so ever. We have a long long way to go for any to assume that we are "better" than any animals out there, but I'm glad to be along for the ride cause I know you wont listen to me, and to be honest why should you??? But I can guarentee we all have a lot to do before people can walk around a be equal, does any one listen to Mr Martin Luther King, or was his life a waste???
Sometimes you just have to give in, to get by
Now I'm one who hates not getting the last word in, especially if I'm right ha ha ha, but sometimes in relationships you just have to back down to get along, and move ahead, and it doesnt matter what the relationship is, its just not always appropriate to be stubborn all the time, but as great man once said " You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,Know when to walk away and know when to run."
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In the Garden of Solitude
T he stillness where shadows whisper, I wander the garden of my solitude, Amongst the withered petals of hope, Fear blooms like a nig...
