: The Faulking Truth : Search There are now 260 entries in this column <<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 >>> Viewing entries 81 to 100. Brokenhearted Quote of the Day When Moses conversed with God, he asked, "Lord, where shall I seek You?" God answered, "Among the brokenhearted." Moses continued, "But, Lord, no heart could be more despairing than mine." And God replied, "Then I am where you are." Abu'l-Fayd al-Misri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub" Monday , January 11, 2010  09:05 Bad Reason to Fear of the Day "216" Number of international terrorists who are currently held in federal prisons in the United States.* "139" Number of domestic terrorists who are currently held in federal prisons in the United States.* "355" Total number of terrorists in federal prisons.* "355" Number of terrorists in federal prisons who are there because they were convicted in federal courts.* "0" Number of terrorists held in United States federal prisons who have ever escaped.* "0" Number of prisoners of any type who have ever escaped from federal "super-max" prisons.* "429,621" Number of right-wing demagogues who are ranting that bringing "Gitmo" prisoners to the united States to await indictment, trial in federal courts, and sentences in "super-max" prisons if convicted, is a threat to our neighborhoods.** *source: Traci L. Billingsley, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons ** source: SWAG (scientific, wild-ass guess) by me. Saturday , January 9, 2010  07:57 Uh, Er, Um, the Quote of the...What is it? "Iran is the troublemaker trying to tip over apple carts all over Baghdad right now because they want America to pull out. And you know why? It’s because they've already decided, that they're going to territory, they're- they're going to partition Iraq and half of Iraq, the western northern portion of Iraq is going to be called, the United, uh, uh, the, the uh, -oh, I'm sorry, I can't remember the actual name of it now, but it’s going to be called, um, uh, the, the, uh, uh the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I-I'm sorry, I-I don't have the official name, but it is meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There’s already an agreement made; they're going to get half of Iraq and that is going to be a –a terrorist free,-a terrorist safe haven zone." Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) February 9, 2007, interview with Larry Schumacher of the St Cloud Times Thursday , January 7, 2010  19:26 Intelligently Designed Quote of the Day “In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.” Ellen DeGeneres Wednesday , January 6, 2010  09:26 Common Language Quote of the Day "Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries." Jimmy Carter Monday , January 4, 2010  09:21 Quote Without Doing Anything of the Day Tao Te Ching Lao-tzu Section 2 All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have the idea of what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have the idea of what the want of skill is. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to the idea of the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that the ideas of height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech. All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation of a reward for the results. The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it as an achievement. The work is done, but how, no one can see; It is this that makes the power not cease to be. Saturday , January 2, 2010  09:28 Grisly Quote of the Day FROM ROB’S NECROPHILA FANTASY: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q: Just How Intimate Can I Get Physically If I Have The Body? As you would expect, taking the dead body of your loved one home with you does provide certain ‘opportunites’. While that doesn’t make it legal in the technical sense, it’s not likely you’d get caught anyway providing you followed the entire body disposition process according to the law. Of course we are talking about expressing your last moments with a loved one in a final sexual intimacy. You certainly don’t need to have a necrophilic interest to decide to share in this manner. We are human beings and we tend to express ourselves sexually with those we love. It’s only natural to want to do that after death in a final act of closeness doing something you both enjoyed while alive. Given the condition of the body, the surroundings, the environment, and your personal grief, you would certainly have enough privacy to decide to do whatever you wished. If you are male and wish to make love with your loved one you could conceivably leave your semen within an orifice as a symbol of your eternal presence within them. If vaginal and/or rectal you can simply insert some cotton inside to form a plug thus reducing the embarrassment of seepage to outer garments during a wake. In the mouth… perhaps some cotton there if you are unable to close the mouth entirely. If you are female you obviously don’t have the disposition of your own body fluids to worry about if you find it practical to engage in sex with your loved one. You might want to refer to Section 11B regarding sex with a dead guy. If you are planning on using the services of a mortician you could make your feelings and intentions known and simply ask how you can perform your last act of intimacy the way you wish. There’s certainly nothing wrong in asking. I do know for a fact that some morticians, if asked, may try and accomodate in some form in spite of the questionable legalities or implied ethics. Those that I have chatted with have a strong sense of compassion and understand these feelings with relatives and hold these feelings above what others might feel is morally questionable. Frankly, it’s no one else’s business. But do remember that strictly speaking your actions, whether done at home or under the auspices of a friendly mortician, still may be illegal in your state. Thursday , December 31, 2009  00:14 Newly Focused Whirl of Psychic Activity of the Day The apparently inactive blog called "A Strangely Isolated Place" was kept my a guy in Brooklyn, who called himself "Dreamtiger." Dreamtiger considered himself to be an important film critic whose reviews and explications were far more artistic than the movies he wrote about. If he wrote about music, he'd be right at home on the staff of Blender.com, Spinner.com, PotatoPeeler.com, RinseCycle.com or any similar outlet. In both criticism and writing, Dreamtiger was overblown, pretentious and inept. He was unintentionally hilarious. Here are some examples, from November of 2005. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Far From Heaven (Haynes, 2002) From what I've seen, I wouldn't hesitate to call Todd Haynes an American Deconstructionist. And by that I acknowledge, granted only on the basis of two films, his tendency to attack the myths American's seem to hold dear. There is a small scene in Far From Heaven where a doctor pontificates upon the likelihood of "curing" homosexuality. The irony of this medical misconception goes far beyond historic ignorance. It suggests a weariness of anything portraying itself as a panacea. The same cynicism is seen in Safe regarding both medicine and institutionalized rehabilitation. Haynes suggests that there is something deeper underlying the day-to-day problems of men and women. It's this tender consideration for human feeling that makes him a special filmmaker. In Far From Heaven Haynes camera keeps an appropriately ironic distance from his subject matter. The innocence of the era he chose is easy to exploit. The narrative, however, constantly reminds the viewer that the ignorance of the 50's has far from faded. All the issues present in Far From Heaven are still central to our own bigoted society. We live in a world where gossip and social conception prevent innate feelings from shedding the veils that keep them hidden. We idealize a life which is by all means an impossibility. Beneath American beliefs lies a world of uncertainty. We keep our selves hidden from the shade by keeping our house pretty, our image secure, and our innermost thoughts private. Far From Heaven, though predictable in its points of attack, is spot on. It may not be as provocative or unsettling as Safe, one of the 90's finest films, yet it remains eerily relevent. Haynes is a uniquely American treasure. The Mirror Zerkalo (Tarkovsky, 1975) An apotheosis of negative capability. The Mirror is a film capable of, beautifully, living within its myriad uncertainties. I am inclined towards tone poems which separate my feelings from my bodily limitations. Tarkovsky’s current guided me as if upon a raft, buoyantly existing above irritant drudgery. If only the world would embrace plotless films and acknowledge the difference between plot and structure. There is a strain that keeps things together here, but it is a flexible one. Childhood, guilt, nostalgia, and melancholia are handled tenderly. Dialog and poetry embrace the questioning nature of the images. Little is resolved yet plenty is expressed in earnest. This is affecting poetry. Nosferatu Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922) Murau's visual touch, save the camera motion, is intact in Nosferatu. The visuals are lush and expressive. The slight distortion of nature leads to a focused feel for the narrative. If only similar things could be said of the pacing. There are a couple instances in Nosferatu where the plot loses its way, including a fairly strange conclusion. Nosferatu opens like a storybook legend and ends in territory of a noticibly different texture. I didn't know if it was wrong for me to see Knock, a real estate agent who pays his employees well, as an extention of anti-semetic sentiment. There was something eerie about his treatment in the denoument. Especially when a mob of civilians are throwing rocks at his smiling mug which sits perched atop a slanted roof. It was odd scenes like this that made Nosferatu lose the feel of a legend and acquire the taste of something altogether different, and, in a way, more disturbing. Croupier Croupier (Hodges, 1998) Making your protagonist a writer, especially in film, really has become quite a dull practice. The irnoy of it has been explored to a point where it no longer possesses any true worth as an idea. Other than the attempted meta-narrative and fractured identity slant, Croupier was a nice film. Clive Owen was the wind that kept the boat saling. The film works almost entirely because of his portrayal of Jack. The mindset of Jack, that of someone who enjoys watching people lose, is an interesting one. As a character study, though, Croupier only feels half complete. It reaches for a twist conclusion and bookend conclusion which leave the viewer only mildly satisfied. A shame, because at times one could feel the confidence of the filmmaker and assumed it would carry throughout the picture. La Chienne La Chienne (Renoir, 1931) La Chienne was a neat little package. All the characters are expertly drawn. Each is trapped in their own way. LuLu is trapped by monetary ambitions, Dede by his desire to be the slick pimp, and Legrand by any number of things. He has several delusions. He isn't married, his mistress sees him as nothing more than a source of money, and his coworkers' view him as nothing more than a wet blanket. His only true outlet, painting, is usurped by those who actively seek money. The final shot of his self-portrait being taken away in a truck is poignantly ironic. Gone is his identity. Quickly afterwords he finds twenty francs on the ground and is elated. He's still a cog in societies machine, whether he likes it or not. All the characters in La Chienne are motivated by money. This leaves their affections cold and desolate. When LuLu asks Legrand if he's ever looked in the mirror before her chilliness is heartbreaking. Faust Faust (Murnau, 1926) Regarding Goethe's Faust, the forgetfulness of love has faded plot-based memories from my mind. So, while I was mildly distracted with working out the faithfulness or Murnau's rendition, I was mostly enrapt. The legend of Faust is visualized in all its grotesque Romantic glory. I've always thought the bet between Mephisto and the Creator in Faust was strangely Greek. Only Greek gods would bet over man and watch him suffer. And suffer Faust does. The poignancy here is that of unfullfillment. Nothing will satisfy Faust, our intrepid stand-in for mankind. He eventually falls for the seductions of youthful love, and, neglecting the deus-ex machina at the legend's conclusion, even this won't truly fill his human void. This might be the lushest Murnau film I've seen, which puts it pretty far up the cinematic ladder. Spectacularly crafted. The Man With the Movie Camera The Man With the Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929) The Man With the Movie Camera is a visionary film portraying a world of bodies existing in a realm of circadian rhythms. The people Vertov's camera captures are almost always small pieces performing physically rhythmic tasks. Despite the filmmaker, who one could argue for as a protagonist, it seems Vertov wanted to represent of civilized city of faceless individuals. Any uniqueness is drained from them by the demands placed upon their body. It was this, this simultaneously serene and chaotic lull the filmmaker evoked from his subject matter, which intrigued me beyond its component parts. These parts shouldn't go unnoticed. The techniques Vertov employs in The Man With the Movie Camera are almost effortlessly ingenious. The editing is breakneck and suggestive and the narrative (which I think exists) is brilliantly submerged beneath a barrage of images. Vertov’s strategy coalesces in an unusually playful and self-reflexive vision; one that absorbs its political interests and artistic commentary into a gloriously streaming image. The score on the version I watched was strangely intrusive. I think I liked it, but it was definitely pushing towards meaning. Duck Soup Duck Soup (McCarey, 1933) Duck Soup is a consistently aplomb piece of absurdism that was effortlessly funny but never infectious. The Marx brother's irreverent spirit, for me, was wholly relegated to the screen. It was clever enough to warrant my time yet too inorganic to earn my affection. I understand that the film is neither a piece of pathos nor drama, yet even the best comedies real us in under some shared pretext. Here I felt I was watching several clever men perform a bag full of gags. It never took on the logic of a film but remained a piece of palpably written stand-up. The musical parodies were the most inspired pieces. Medea Medea (Von Trier, 1987) Von Trier's Medea broods in the absence of dialog. A few of Euripides' memorable lines survive Dreyer's excavation of the Greek classic and the remaining holes are filled in by Trier's gorgeously overexposed dreamscape. Eerie and unsettling, Medea possesses a quality I feel it shares with much of its director's canon, and that quality lies somewhere in the realm of poetic misanthropy. While he always tends to side with tragically downtrodden women, much like Euripides, Von Trier's visuals express a vacuous world of his own creation. One which has gone past the political concern his scenario's seem to implicate. His Girl Friday His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940) A deluge of wit and humor which, even with a runningtime of ninety minutes, grew noticibly cloying. The delights of Cary Grant and his costars in a beautifully composed Howard Hawks film are on salient display. The speed of the screenplay, which was breathtaking, was a hard thing to harness. I wish I had dropped speed before watching His Girl Friday. Maybe then I wouldn't have become irritated around the halfway point. This is comedy many will love. I liked it, but was slightly too invigorating for my sedatively inclinated whimsy. I don't intend to say I disliked the film, because I certainly didn't. I just had a hard time falling in love with it. I prefer Hawk's other, less manic, screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby. Maborosi Maborosi (Koreeda, 1995) There is something going on in modern Asian narratives that is centered around unaccountable displacement and lost individuals. I will get to the heart of this mystery soon. Marborosi capped my weekend nicely. Its meditative disposition fit well with the David Lynch lecture on transcendental meditation I enjoyed yesterday evening at UCI. Experiencing moving images alone in a dark room is strangely soothing. My mind abandons daily chaos and embraces a newly focused whirl of psychic activity guided by whatever film found itself in my mail box. [...] October October (Eisenstein, 1927) I can admit to my historical ignorance partially hindering a full appreciation of October. That said, this is a stunning film. Eisenstein's visual battery is a brilliantly contrived assault on the senses. His overt manipulation is pulled off remarkably. Each edit is another suggestion. The viewer barely has time to process the meaning of one image in conjunction with its predecessor before Eisenstein has thrown a fresh idea into the fire. This is the prime example of an artist mastefuly exploiting his medium. Eisenstein milk's the perks of film for all they're worth. October also made me want to take a class in Russian history. Sunday , December 27, 2009  17:05 Brotherly Quote of the Day "When it's Christmas, we'll let you know." My dad, when I was about four years old. I had awakened, thinking it was Christmas, and gone to the living room to see the presents. They were not there. It was nowhere near Christmas. "You retard!" My older brother, the same morning. Friday , December 25, 2009  21:13 Pauline Quote of the Day 1 Thessalonians 5: 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Thursday , December 24, 2009  16:12 Hot Passion Quote of the Day " Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot. " D. H. Lawrence Thursday , December 17, 2009  14:35 No, I Don't Agree With It Quote of the Day Malleus Maleficarum (1486) Part 1 Question VI Concerning Witches who copulate with Devils. Why is it that Women are chiefly addicted to Evil superstitions? There is also, concerning witches who copulate with devils, much difficulty in considering the methods by which such abominations are consummated. On the part of the devil: first, of what element the body is made that he assumes; secondly, whether the act is always accompanied by the injection of semen received from another; thirdly, as to time and place, whether he commits this act more frequently at one time than at another; fourthly, whether the act is invisible to any who may be standing by. And on the part of the women, it has to be inquired whether only they who were themselves conceived in this filthy manner are often visited by devils; or secondly, whether it is those who were offered to devils by midwives at the time of their birth; and thirdly, whether the actual venereal delectation of such is of a weaker sort. But we cannot here reply to all these questions, both because we are only engaged in a general study, and because in the second part of this work they are all singly explained by their operations, as will appear in the fourth chapter, where mention is made of each separate method. Therefore, let us now chiefly consider women; and first, why this kind of perfidy is found more in so fragile a sex than in men. And our inquiry will first be general, as to the general conditions of women; secondly, particular, as to which sort of women are found to be given to superstition and witchcraft; and thirdly, specifically with regard to midwives, who surpass all others in wickedness. Why Superstition is chiefly found in Women. As for the first question, why a greater number of witches is found in the fragile feminine sex than among men; it is indeed a fact that it were idle to contradict, since it is accredited by actual experience, apart from the verbal testimony of credibly witnesses. And without in any way detracting from a sex in which God has always taken great glory that His might should be spread abroad, let us say that various men have assigned various reasons for this fact, which nevertheless agree in principle. Wherefore it is good, for the admonition of women, to speak of this matter; and it has often been proved by experience that they are eager to hear of it, so long as it is set forth with discretion. For some learned men propound this reason; that there are three things in nature, the Tongue, an Ecclesiastic, and a Woman, which know no moderation in goodness or vice; and when they exceed the bounds of their condition they reach the greatest heights and the lowest depths of goodness and vice. When they are governed by a good spirit, they are most excellent in virtue; but when they are governed by an evil spirit, they indulge the worst possible vices. [...] Now the wickedness of women is spoken of in Ecclesiasticus xxv: There is no head above the head of a serpent: and there is no wrath above the wrath of a woman. I had rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than to keep house with a wicked woman. And among much which in that place precedes and follows about a wicked woman, he concludes: All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman. Wherefore S. John Chrysostom says on the text, It is not good to marry (S. Matthew xix): What else is woman but a foe to friendship, an unescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic danger, a delectable detriment, an evil of nature, painted with fair colours! Therefore if it be a sin to divorce her when she ought to be kept, it is indeed a necessary torture; for either we commit adultery by divorcing her, or we must endure daily strife. Cicero in his second book of The Rhetorics says: The many lusts of men lead them into one sin, but the lust of women leads them into all sins; for the root of all woman's vices is avarice. And Seneca says in his Tragedies: A woman either loves or hates; there is no third grade. And the tears of woman are a deception, for they may spring from true grief, or they may be a snare. When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil. But for good women there is so much praise, that we read that they have brought beatitude to men, and have saved nations, lands, and cities; as is clear in the case of Judith, Debbora, and Esther. See also I Corinthians vii: If a woman hath a husband that believeth not, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife. And Ecclesiasticus xxvi: Blessed is the man who has a virtuous wife, for the number of his days shell be doubled. And throughout that chapter much high praise is spoken of the excellence of good women; as also in the last chapter of Proverbs concerning a virtuous woman. And all this is made clear also in the New Testament concerning women and virgins and other holy women who have by faith led nations and kingdoms away from the worship of idols to the Christian religion. Anyone who looks at Vincent of Beauvais (in Spe. Histo., XXVI. 9) will find marvellous things of the conversion of Hungary by the most Christian Gilia, and of the Franks by Clotilda, the wife of Clovis. Wherefore in many vituperations that we read against women, the word woman is used to mean the lust of the flesh. As it is said: I have found a woman more bitter than death, and good woman subject to carnal lust. Other again have propounded other reasons why there are more superstitious women found than men. And the first is, that they are more credulous; and since the chief aim of the devil is to corrupt faith, therefore he rather attacks them. See Ecclesiasticus xix: He that is quick to believe is light-minded, and shall be diminished. The second reason is, that women are naturally more impressionable, and more ready to receive the influence of a disembodied spirit; and that when they use this quality well they are very good, but when they use it ill they are very evil. The third reason is that they have slippery tongues, and are unable to conceal from the fellow-women those things which by evil arts they know; and, since they are weak, they find an easy and secret manner of vindicating themselves by witchcraft. See Ecclesiasticus as quoted above: I had rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than to keep house with a wicked woman. All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman. And to this may be added that, as they are very impressionable, they act accordingly. There are also others who bring forward yet other reasons, of which preachers should be very careful how they make use. For it is true that in the Old Testament the Scriptures have much that is evil to say about women, and this because of the first temptress, Eve, and her imitators; yet afterwards in the New Testament we find a change of name, as from Eva to Ave (as S. Jerome says), and the whole sin of Eve taken away by the benediction of Mary. Therefore preachers should always say as much praise of them as possible. But because in these times this perfidy is more often found in women than in men, as we learn by actual experience, if anyone is curious as to the reason, we may add to what has already been said the following: that since they are feebler both in mind and body, it is not surprising that they should come more under the spell of witchcraft. For as regards intellect, or the understanding of spiritual things, they seem to be of a different nature from men; a fact which is vouched for by the logic of the authorities, backed by various examples from the Scriptures. Terence says: Women are intellectually like children. And Lactantius (Institutiones, III): No woman understood philosophy except Temeste. And Proverbs xi, as it were describing a woman, says: As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. But the natural reason is that she is more carnal than a man, as is clear from her many carnal abominations. And it should be noted that there was a defect in the formation of the first woman, since she was formed from a bent rib, that is, a rib of the breast, which is bent as it were in a contrary direction to a man. And since through this defect she is an imperfect animal, she always deceives. For Cato says: When a woman weeps she weaves snares. And again: When a woman weeps, she labours to deceive a man. And this is shown by Samson's wife, who coaxed him to tell her the riddle he had propounded to the Philistines, and told them the answer, and so deceived him. And it is clear in the case of the first woman that she had little faith; for when the serpent asked why they did not eat of every tree in Paradise, she answered: Of every tree, etc. - lest perchance we die. Thereby she showed that she doubted, and had little in the word of God. And all this is indicated by the etymology of the word; for Femina comes from Fe and Minus, since she is ever weaker to hold and preserve the faith. And this as regards faith is of her very nature; although both by grace and nature faith never failed in the Blessed Virgin, even at the time of Christ's Passion, when it failed in all men. Therefore a wicked woman is by her nature quicker to waver in her faith, and consequently quicker to abjure the faith, which is the root of witchcraft. And as to her other mental quality, that is, her natural will; when she hates someone whom she formerly loved, then she seethes with anger and impatience in her whole soul, just as the tides of the sea are always heaving and boiling. Many authorities allude to this cause. Ecclesiasticus xxv: There is no wrath above the wrath of a woman. And Seneca (Tragedies, VIII): No might of the flames or the swollen winds, no deadly weapon, is so much to be feared as the lust and hatred of a woman who has been divorced from the marriage bed. This is shown too in the woman who falsely accused Joseph, and caused him to be imprisoned because he would not consent to the crime of adultery with her (Genesis xxx). And truly the most powerful cause which contributes to the increase of witches is the woeful rivalry between married folk and unmarried women and men. This is so even among holy women, so what must it be among the others? For you see in Genesis xxi. how impatient and envious Sarah was of Hagar when she conceived: How jealous Rachel was of Leah because she had no children (Genesis xxx): and Hannah, who was barren, of the fruitful Peninnah (I. Kings i): and how Miriam (Numbers xii) murmured and spoke ill of Moses, and was therefore stricken with leprosy: and how Martha was jealous of Mary Magdalen, because she was busy and Mary was sitting down (S. Luke x). To this point is Ecclesiasticus xxxvii: Neither consult with a woman touching her of whom she is jealous. Meaning that it is useless to consult with her, since there is always jealousy, that is, envy, in a wicked woman. And if women behave thus to each other, how much more will they do so to men. Tuesday , December 15, 2009  22:58 Very Punny Quote of the Day International Pun Contest Winners 2004 1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger." 2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, "Dam!" 3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too. 4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron!" The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive." 5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication. 6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer." 7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal." 8. These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the smelliest beggar in town to beg outside their shop. When all the customers stayed away, they shut down, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars. 9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ........ A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis. 10. And finally, there was the person who posted ten different puns on their web site, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did???? Monday , December 14, 2009  10:30 Logical Party's Quote of the Day From http://logicalparty.org/blog/ Public HealthCare IQ Test See how much you know by taking this simple test. You will score yourself at the end. 1) Private insurance companies (corporations) have spent $130Million in the past three months advertising against a US Government funded health plan. A. True B. False 2) Private insurance companies are profit motivated; attempting to make profits for their investors. A. True B. False 3) Private health insurance companies decide whether you may see a specific doctor or specialist. A. True B. False 4) Private health insurance companies set aside profits to cover hospital bills the uninsured cannot afford to pay. A. False B. True 5) Hospital emergency rooms (ERs) do not bill anyone when uninsured people receive & do not pay for medical services and/or medication. A. False B. True 6) The Veterans Admin (VA) gets worse ratings from its patients than private healthcare patients. A. False B. True 7) US Government managed companies cause comparable private businesses to raise their rates. A. False B. True 8) The Republican Party fully supports unions for plumbers, electricians, auto-workers, etc. A. False B. True 9) The Republican Party supports a public healthcare system for the uninsured. A. False B. True 10) A living will can help reduce the chance of a situation experienced by Terri Schiavo’s family by making the decision when & how to deal with you if you enter a vegetative state. A. True B. False Answers: 1. A – Private healthcare companies have spent around $130M dollars trying to combat the US Government intruding on their “turf.” Insurance companies are profit-driven. If they have to compete with a company that doesn't want or need to make a profit, they will have to reduce their rates to keep business whatsoever. So, they're investing in killing healthcare reform because that will reduce their profits. Also note, no government employee will ever make this much money by gouging you on fees: FierceHealthcare reports the following top 10 CEO salaries for 2008. * Ron Williams – Aetna – Total Compensation: $24,300,112. ($24Million) * H. Edward Hanway – CIGNA – Total Compensation: $12,236,740. ($12Million) * Angela Braly – WellPoint – Total Compensation: $9,844,212. ($10Million) * Dale Wolf – Coventry Health Care – Total Compensation: $9,047,469. ($9 Million) * Michael Neidorff – Centene – Total Compensation: $8,774,483. ($9 Million) * James Carlson – AMERIGROUP – Total Compensation: $5,292,546. ($5 Million) * Michael McCallister – Humana – Total Compensation: $4,764,309. ($5Million) * Jay Gellert – Health Net – Total Compensation: $4,425,355. ($ 4Million) * Richard Barasch – Universal American – Total Compensation: $3,503,702. ($4 Million) * Stephen Hemsley – UnitedHealth Group – Total Compensation: $3,241,042 ($3 Million) Isn't it nice how insurance rates go up and so do the salaries of the CEOs of those insurance companies? Moronic Statement: “Obama wants to destroy the healthcare companies.” Realistic Statement: “Obama wants to make healthcare available and affordable to all US Citizens.” 2. A – Private insurance companies are profit motivated as they are companies with stocks & investors. If they don’t make big profits, they lose investors, their stock value tumbles, and they risk going out of business to a larger healthcare company. Moronic Statement: “Insurance companies, hospitals and doctors charge more because of malpractice lawyers. Realistic Statement: “Shortcuts in education and policy leave patients at higher risk of injury by doctors.” 3. A – Private health insurance companies have always controlled who you should and should not see. Remember, they pay differently based on whether the doctor is in-network or out-of-network. Some health insurance companies require you get a referral from a primary physician before they'll consider if they'll pay for a visit to a specialist. Moronic Statement: “I don't want the government telling me which doctor I can see and which I cannot.” Realistic Statement: “All insurance providers (private or public) have a list of participatory doctors.” 4. A – Private health insurance companies do NOT set aside money for anything other than themselves. They do no pay for those who don't/can't pay their own medical bills. But, you do; indirectly. The hospital just raises their rates based on how much they project they'll lose to uninsured patients in the upcoming year based on past years. Moronic Statement: “Why should I pay for healthcare in my taxes to cover people who don't buy their own?” Realistic Statement: “A public healthcare system would limit fees, just like insurance companies do now.” 5. A – Similar to #4, hospitals get their money one way or another. Either you & I pay for this indirectly, or the hospital writes-off some of those unpaid bills. But, don’t forget, a write-off reduces their taxes – so you and I pay more taxes when they get to pay less. Moronic Statement: “I pay enough taxes. Why does the US Gov’t keep raising my taxes?” Realistic Statement: “Obama wants to return the people who make $2M+/year back to the tax rate they had under Clinton which was more than GWBush, but a lot less than under Reagan.” 6. A – The VA, the very healthcare system run and managed by the US Government for all US Military veterans, gets higher ratings by their patients than any of the private healthcare systems in this country. One reason is because the VA uses a network system called Health IT – a database accessible by all doctors in the VA. So, if you lived in NH and were treated by the VA there and then you moved to CA, the doctors in CA could familiarize themselves with your past doctor visits so they know exactly where you left off in whatever treatment(s) you were undergoing. Too bad we civilians don’t have a database like that; we get to ask one doctor for our x-rays to give to another doctor we’re about to see. Moronic Statement: “The government can run anything efficiently.” Realistic Statement: “Maybe a government-run healthcare system will cause not-for-profit insurance companies to be created.” 7. A – US Government companies cause competitors to keep their rates … well … competitive. Example – the US Post Office causes UPS and FedEx to keep their rates competitive to the US Post Office’s rates. Moronic Statement: “The government wants to take over everything in our lives.” Realistic Statement: “The government needs to step in when a monopoly/duopoly/oligopoly exists.” 8. A – The Republican Party is anti-union. Period. I only bring this up because your unions fight for your healthcare benefits and the Republican Party fights your unions. Kill the union and you kill two birds with one stone when they get your healthcare in the kill, as well. Moronic Statement: “The Republican Party is the party of family values.” Realistic Statement: “No political party is perfect. But, the ludicrous and hypocritical stances of the Republican Party are so glaring a blind man can see them.” 9. A – The Republican Party opposes public healthcare and fights for private, capitalistic health insurance companies making as much profit as it possibly can – which means charging you more money and paying for fewer procedures. If you want less government minding your business, prepare for insurance companies to gouge you even more than they may already do. Moronic Statement: “CEOs should be able to make as much money as possible.” Realistic Statement: “CEOs should be well rewarded for their responsibilities – but not with golden parachutes when they bail out of the business they’ve destroyed.” 10. A – A living will can save your family members a lot of grief when they are caught up in the emotions of your departing when, in fact, you already have departed when you entered a vegetative state. And, the Congress is trying to add legislation to the upcoming healthcare bill that pays the fee doctors charge to help you set up a living will. Why? Because too few people have a living will and probably because they don’t want to pay for something that’s already difficult to talk about. Making it free helps reduce one tension, at least. Moronic Statement: “The government health bill wants to allow for cutting off funds when I get too old.” Realistic Statement: “A living will is between you, your doctor & your family to help ease the burden of a difficult decision at an awful stage of life one may be placed in after a tragic accident.” Sunday , December 13, 2009  10:50 Confusing Quote of the Day While reading about Japanese concepts of Hell, I came across a Russian web page about the subject. I had to use Babelfish to translate it into English. This is what I got. ~ KDS Jigoku - Japanese hell They speak, somewhere in the network there is a site Of jigoku Of tsushin - hot line of communications with hell. If we visit to it exactly in midnight and to write the name of man, whom you sincerely hate, infernal girl will arrive and he will take vengeance upon it for you. That person without leaving a trace will disappear from the peace of living and it will be forever sent for hell. But few people know, that this is only the part of the transaction. Like to any beyond force, to infernal girl it is necessary to pay, and price for her services is high. After obtaining your request, infernal girl will arrive at you and will return the straw doll, tied up by red thread. If you pull for the thread and will untie unit, then you will conclude contract with the infernal girl. It will take away into hell of ill-wisher, but instead of by it will be reached your soul. [...] Japanese Of tsukioka Of yoshitoshi ([Tsukioka] Of [esitosi]) (1839-1892) - one of the last and outstanding masters of skill [ukie]- e. .... Are most widely known its works from a series “one hundred forms of moon."... The success of this work was stunning. People were built in the long bursts in order to acquire the fresh impressions of this series. At the end life artist created mystical works “new selected images 36- TI of perfumes”. Inclined, as all Japanese of that time, to the superstitions artist studied the development of his old theme, publishing mystical figures. It is not evident on many sheets of ghosts, demons and perfumes. This faster - the genre sketchings of people, for which any minute now one must meet with the beyond forces. Being missed in the mountains, Mr. [Koremochi] met the excellent girl, who proposed to it to together admire by falling of the leaves and entertained its bag. During the conversation he randomly saw in its cup- bag reflection - not excellent virgin, but ugly demon - in Japan there is a popular belief, that the mirror shows the true essence of man. Through the instant Of [koremochi] will snatch out its sword. Jigoku Of dayu - lady from Ada. Its name consists of Jigoku (Japanese hell) and dayu - valid name for the prostitute of very high rank. Jigoku-dayu from To [takasu] was courtesan, then it met with the Buddhist monk of the school of [dzen] Of ikkyu (1394-1481), which gave literary formation to it. On the engraving Of jigoku Of dayu sits in the meditation with the spectral vision the procession from the skeletons. Its white dressing gown is decorated with stamping with the image of the goddess of mercy with the scenes of hell. Monday , December 7, 2009  18:20 Last Lines of Many Days Quoted In January, 2008, the American Book Review published THE 100 BEST LAST LINES FROM NOVELS. I read their list, as well as the list of 300 nominees they didn't select. I picked the ones I thought were best and added a few of my own. I thought of a good many more, but my legs are too weak, today, to retrieve them so I can quote them accurately. So, I call this list THE 51 BEST LAST LINES FROM NOVELS THAT I REMEMBERED AND HAD THE STRENGTH TO FIND. ~ KDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My love for my children makes me glad that I am what I am and keeps me from desiring to be otherwise; and yet, when I sometimes open a little box in which I still keep my fast yellowing manuscripts, the only tangible remnants of a vanished dream, a dead ambition, a sacrificed talent, I cannot repress the thought that, after all, I have chosen the lesser part, that I have sold my birthright for a mess of pottage. - James Weldon Johnson, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man (1912) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita. – Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I shall feel proud and satisfied to have been the first author to enjoy the full fruit of his writings, as I desired, because my only desire has been to make men hate those false, absurd histories in books of chivalry, which thanks to the exploits of my real Don Quixote are even now tottering, and without any doubt will soon tumble to the ground. Farewell. – Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (1605) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He was the only person caught in the collapse, and afterward, most of his work was recovered too, and it is still spoken of, when it is noted, with high regard, though seldom played. – William H. Gaddis, The Recognitions (1955) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He knelt by the bed and bent over her, draining their last moment to its lees; and in the silence there passed between them the word which made all clear. – Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before. – Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yukiko's diarrhea persisted through the twenty-sixth, and was a problem on the train to Tokyo. - Junichiro Tanizaki, The Makioka Sisters (1948) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I figured if I didn't see, I'd start forgetting again. But it's been taking me longer than I thought it would. - S. E. Hinton, Rumble Fish (1975) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, what are you going to do about it? - Allen Raymond, How to Rig An Election: Confessions Of A Republican Operative (2008) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the question haunts me. Will I, can I, after my knowledge of these things, still hear the sounds of song? - Carol de Chellis Hill, Henry James' Midnight Song (1993) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've always been crazy about the back of your neck. - William Gaddis, Carpenter's Gothic (1985) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We shall never be again as we were! - Henry James, The Wings of the Dove (1902) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was only the Viewer, slumped forever in his sour seat, the bald shells of his eyes boiling in pictures, a biblical flood of them, all saturated tones and deep focus, not one life-size, and the hands applauding, always applauding, palms abraded to an open fretwork of gristle and bone, the ruined teeth fixed in a yellowy smile that will not diminish, that will not fade, he's happy, He's being entertained. - Stephen Wright, Going Native (1994) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But in these fair laps we must leave King Arthur, who was never historical, but everything he did was true. - Thomas Berger, Arthur Rex (1978) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Columbus, too, thought he was a flop, probably, when they sent him back in chains. Which didn't prove there was no America. - Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March (1953) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No symbols where none intended. - Samuel Beckett, Watt (1953) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I dwell the longer upon this subject from the desire I have to make the society of an English Yahoo by any means not insupportable; and therefore I here entreat those who have any tincture of this absurd vice, that they will not presume to come in my sight. - Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (1726) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was death. She was our captain's bride. - William Eastlake, The Bamboo Bed (1969) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it. - E. Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain (1999) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again and again, I called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place. - Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (1987) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The body was burned to ashes; but for many days, the head, that hive of subtlety, fixed on a pole in the Plaza, met, unabashed, the gaze of the whites; and across the Plaza looked toward St. Bartholomew's church, in whose vaults slept then, as now, the recovered bones of Aranda; and across the Rimac bridge looked toward the monastery, on Mount Agonia without; where, three months after being dismissed by the court, Benito Cereno, borne on the bier, did, indeed, follow his leader. - Herman Melville, Benito Cereno (1855) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Thomas says good-night to lady Jane, a little droopingly, but with a hopeful heart. - D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We were alone with the quiet day, and his little heart, dispossessed, had stopped. - Henry James, The Turn of the Screw (1898) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days. Job 42: 13 - 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All of them, except Phineas, constructed at infinite cost to themselves these Maginot Lines against this enemy they thought they saw across the frontier, this enemy who never attacked that way, if he ever attacked at all; if he was indeed the enemy. - John Knowles, A Separate Peace (1959) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darmolatov's case was entered in all the latest pathology textbooks. A photograph of his scrotum, the size of the biggest collective farm pumpkin, is also reprinted in foreign medical books, wherever elephantiasis (elephantiasis nostras) is mentioned, and as a moral for writers that to write, one must have more than big balls. - Danilo Kis, A Tomb for Boris Davidovich (1978) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- O Agnes, O my soul, so may thy face be by me when I close my life indeed; so may I, when realities are melting from me like the shadows which I now dismiss, still find thee near me, pointing upward! - Charles Dickens, David Copperfield (1850) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the way downtown I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didn't do me any good. All they did was make me think of Silver-Wig and I never saw her again. - Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (1939) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P. S. Sorry I forgot to give you the mayonnaise. - Richard Brautigan, Trout Fishing in America (1967) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But that is the beginning of a new story—the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life. That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended. – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment (1866) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Come, children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out. – William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1848) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In your rocking-chair, by your window dreaming, shall you long, alone. In your rocking-chair, by your window, shall you dream such happiness as you may never feel. – Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie (1900) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You have fallen into art. Return to life. – William H. Gass, Willie Masters’ Lonesome Wife (1968) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And he couldn't do it. He could not fucking die! How could he leave? How could he go? Everything he hated was here. – Philip Roth, Sabbath’s Theater (1995) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And strangest of all is it to hold my wife's hand again, and to think that I have counted her, and that she has counted me, among the dead. - H. G. Wells, War of the Worlds (1898) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then there are more and more endings: the sixth, the 53rd, the 131st, the 9,435th ending, endings going faster and faster, more and more endings, faster and faster until this book is having 186,000 endings per second. – Richard Brautigan, A Confederate General from Big Sur (1964) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing. – A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner (1928) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky - seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. – Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If I were a younger man, I would write a history of human stupidity; and I would climb to the top of Mount McCabe and lie down on my back with my history for a pillow; and I would take from the ground some of the blue-white poison that makes statues of men; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who. – Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle (1963) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. – Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But I knew that Catherine had kissed me because she trusted me, and that made me happy then but now I am sad because by the time my eyes close each night I suspect that as usual I have been fooling myself, that she, too, is in her grave. – William T. Vollmann, You Bright and Risen Angels (1987) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And then the storm of shit begins. – Roberto Bolaño, By Night in Chile (2000) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything had gone right with me since he had died, but how I wished there existed someone to whom I could say that I was sorry. – Graham Greene, The Quiet American (1956) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They were only a thin slice, held between the contiguous impressions that composed our life at that time; the memory of a particular image is but regret for a particular moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as fugitive, alas, as the years. – Marcel Proust, Swann’s Way (1913) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. The tales of the supernatural and extraterrestrial. The miracle vitamins, the cures for cancer, the remedies for obesity. The cults of the famous and the dead. – Don DeLillo, White Noise (1985) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So that, in the end, there was no end. – Patrick White, The Tree of Man (1955) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He knew what those jubilant crowds did not know but could have learned from books: that the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good; that it can lie dormant for years and years in furniture and linen-chests; that it bides its time in bedrooms, cellars, trunks, and bookshelves; and that perhaps the day would come when, for the bane and the enlightening of men, it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city. – Albert Camus, The Plague (1947) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is not the scene I dreamed of. Like much else nowadays I leave it feeling stupid, like a man who lost his way long ago but presses on along a road that may lead nowhere. – J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. –George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all to be accomplished, for me to feel less lonely, all that remained to hope was that on the day of my execution there should be a huge crowd of spectators and that they should greet me with howls of execration. - Albert Camus, The Stranger (1942) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. – J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday , December 4, 2009  06:03 Beautiful Quote of the Day " Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. " Ralph Waldo Emerson Wednesday , December 2, 2009  09:06 Tim-Tebow-is-God-Quote of the Day The Bible verse which Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had written on his face for the last game: "Hebrews 12: 1 - 2" This is how that verse reads: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The college football world, having forsaken all previous gods and formed a religion which worships Tebow, prefers to cite this scripture: Tebow 12: 1 - 2 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off all restraint and scream at our teammates as if they were children, and let us taunt our defeated opponents with perseverance. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Tim, the author and perfecter of our faith, who allowed us to bask in his reflected magnificence, endured the sack, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Monday , November 30, 2009  09:55 Very Woody Quote of the Day "Some day people are going to wake up to the fact that Woody Guthrie and the 10,000 songs that leap and tumble off the strings of his music box are a national possession like Yellowstone and Yosemite, and part of the best stuff this country has to show the world." Clifton Fadiman in the early 1940's. "I won't say that my guitar playing or singing is anything fancy on a stick. I´d rather sound like the cab drivers cursing at each other, like the longshoreman yelling, like the cowherds whooping and the lone wolf baying - like anything in this big green universe than to sound slick, smooth-tongued, oily-lipped." Woody Guthrie, 1953. Saturday , November 28, 2009  07:25 Poignant Quote of the Day "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one." Epitaph of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich Thursday , November 26, 2009  09:52 <<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 >>> Search this column: Message : - Name : - All : Search: