Open Olechko

Moleskine sketchbook pages

January 18th, 2008

Check out my new color drawings in ink pen & watercolor pencils:

[Note added 2/10/8 - These are not my ("Papa") drawings and watercolors. I just thought they deserved recognition.]

Open New Year Symptom

In previous posts I have extolled the value of Global Voices. In an earlier age I imagine it to be like reading a really good international newspaper. Global Voices brings to my dark cave here in the wilds of Kentucky the light of a world vibrant and alive. So here is something that this backwards boy never gave a whole lot of thought to...

Korea: Lunar New Year, do men also struggle?

Saturday, February 9th, 2008 @ 10:12 UTC

by Hyejin Kim

New Year! It’s a big holiday in Korea. People return to their hometowns and worship their ancestors. People gather with relatives whom they haven’t seen for a while. For entertainment and respect for ancestors, preparing meals is a big job. Now New Year has produced a new symptom, ‘New Year Symptom of Housewives’ because of the hard job. Housewives have headaches and some of them get depressed before New Year starts. ‘New Year Symptom’ became a new term in this modern society.

But men are asking, ‘Do men have no ‘New Year Symptom’?’

New Year Symptom… it is not just for housewives… Let’s talk about New Year Symptom of men. The first and last symptom is that they don’t want to go back to their hometown or their wives’ hometowns. […] Looking at how much time you spend on the path of going back to the hometown, my time is spent to 40 percent on the road, 20 percent in my hometown, and 40 percent in my wife’s house. […] In order to see relatives, I can’t go with empty hands. I have to bring bottles of alcohol and meat that fill up my car. Before I go to see my ancestors’ gravestones, I’m already worried. Mother and father… Why did you guys pass away so fast? This undutiful son will go to see you, but can’t trim your graves this time. Please forgive me.

I get depressed around the Christmas holiday here in the US. I have/had read enough pop-psychology to know that this is mostly a reaction to the bi-polar stress of capitalistic materialism verses the Christian Birthday Celebration (oh and I won't forget all my other friends that are caught in the Winter Solstice stresses as well.)

Why is the above article so important? How else would this naive WASP living in the heartland of these United States ever have a clue about what is impacting potentially 1/3 to 1/2 of the world's population?

Open LOLOPOLOTISHUNS

McCain's baggage Friday, February 08, 2008 by Dave Winer.

Open Ambiguity

Because I say so, that's why... (Quoted from Talking Points Memo)

Mukasey also refused Conyers' request to see the OLC opinions that authorized waterboarding, because they discussed techniques of what remains a "classified program." Conyers protested that every member of the committee was cleared to see top secret material, but Mukasey was unmoved, though offered to continue "ongoing discussions" with the committee -- discussions of which Conyers seemed to be unaware.

Update: A transcript of the exchange is below.

CONYERS: Well, are you ready to start a criminal investigation into whether this confirmed use of waterboarding by United States agents was illegal?

MUKASEY: That's a direct question, and I will give a direct answer.

No, I am not, for this reason: Whatever was done as part of a CIA program at the time that it was done was the subject of a Department of Justice opinion through the Office of Legal Counsel and was found to be permissible under the law as it existed then.

For me to use the occasion of the disclosure that that technique was once part of the CIA program -- an authorized part of the CIA program, would be for me to tell anybody who relied, justifiably, on a Justice Department opinion that not only may they no longer rely on that Justice Department opinion, but that they
will now be subject to criminal investigation for having done so.

That would put in question not only that opinion, but also any other opinion from the Justice Department.
Essentially, it would tell people: "You rely on a Justice Department opinion as part of a program, then you will be subject to criminal investigation when, as and if the tenure of the person who wrote the position changes or, indeed, the political winds change." And that's not something that I think would be appropriate and it's not something I will do.

CONYERS: Are you prepared to let us get a copy of the Office of Legal Counsel opinion?

MUKASEY: The Office of Legal Counsel opinion discusses particular techniques that were part of what remains a classified program.

We have, I believe, provided an unclassified discussion of general legal principles -- did it back in 2004. And we have provided some classified briefings with regard to the legal reasoning underlying opinions, and are prepared to continue to do so.

But the opinions themselves can't simply be turned over because they discuss not simply legal reasoning, but the program itself, which remains classified.

CONYERS: Well, every member of this committee is cleared for top secret information.

MUKASEY: The opinions themselves dealt with a program that -- to the extent the opinions themselves deal with a current -- opinions relating to a past program cannot simply be disclosed in that fashion. They can be the subject of briefings, and have been. We can't simply turn them over.

CONYERS: Well, can we meet and find out what it is you're basing the response to my question?

MUKASEY: I think the question was whether I was going to open a criminal investigation because it's now been disclosed that waterboarding was part of the program.

And what I've said is that waterboarding, because it was authorized to be part of the program, pursuant to approach -- that it was authorized to be part of the CIA program, cannot possibly be the subject of a criminal -- a Justice Department investigation, because that would mean that the same department that authorized the program would now consider prosecuting somebody who followed that advice.

MUKASEY: That won't change whether letters are disclosed or not disclosed.

CONYERS: Well, what we're trying to do is make ourselves conversant with the basis of the response that you gave to my question. So there must be some way, between the Department of Justice and the House Judiciary Committee, that we can be made more aware -- we've requested this document before -- of the document on which you base your response.

MUKASEY: The response about a criminal investigation doesn't really depend on the particular content of the document. It depends on their having been an opinion that defined and authorized the limits of a particular program that is now disclosed included waterboarding at that time. It's no longer part of the program; that's also been disclosed, but that doesn't change the contents of the letter.

That said, I'm sure that we can talk about possible additional discussion of what is in the letters between the department and members of this committee. My understanding is there had been ongoing discussion with members of various committees, including particularly the Intelligence Committees, but I was not aware -- there may well very well have been discussions with members of the committee. I'm not certain as I sit here.

CONYERS: Well, we'll pretend that we've never asked for this before and we'll start right now. Thank you very much.

Open Search

This is Habeas Corpus.

On October 17, 2006, he went missing without a trace. Last seen in Washington, D.C., his current whereabouts are unknown. Where is he? We don't know.

But we do know Habeas Corpus needs our help. What can you do?

Get involved and help us restore Habeas Corpus to his rightful place in our Constitution!

Open Foolishness

RIAA: Anti-Virus Software Should Filter Pirated Content
In addition to your modem, media player and ISP-level filters...
11:55AM Thursday Feb 07 2008 by Karl

Public Knowledge posts a video from the recent State of the Net Conference, at which the RIAA's Cary Sherman discusses ISP piracy filters. Of course, many piracy filtering systems like the one being tested by AT&T could easily be bested by encryption. Sherman has a solution for that: spyware/software on your PC, buried in your anti-virus software or within your modem that would restrict you from viewing certain content:

Filters can be put in the applications for example. You know, one could have a filter on the end user’s computer that would actually eliminate any benefit from…encryption because if you want to hear it, you’d have to decrypt it, and at that point the filter could work. Why would somebody put that on their machine? They likely wouldn't want to do that, they'd do that when it benefits them such as for viruses...

This is such a bad idea!

What is the very first thing Joe Average Jr is going to do if this were enacted?

Let's all say it together, "Disable the anti-virus software!"

...then Joe Jr. will go back to doing whatever he might have been doing AND proliferating virii!

And somebody gets paid to think up this FOOLISHNESS???

---

Notice: Any resemblance to any Pirate(s) living or dead is purely coincidental. No animals were harmed in the posting of this blog. Do not operate heavy equipment. Be sure you have at least eight hours to devote to sleep before becoming active. Keep out of the reach of children ... and Pirates.

Open Hope

Thank you Larry Lessig for stating so clearly our hope for the future...














20 minutes or so on why I am 4Barack

Open Decline, 'bout time!

Obama, the Internet and the Decline of Big Money and Big Media

By Micah L. Sifry, 02/06/2008 - 11:14am

...If it were not for the internet, and all the campaign- and voter-generated activism that it has enabled, Hillary Clinton would already be the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, and Barack Obama or another reform-minded candidate would be trailing badly.

The dawning of an age of populist politics... and about D*MNED time!

Open Clock Towers

From All things Pakistan ...

Owais Mughal

Following is a collection of Clock Tower (ghanta ghar) images from Pakistan. Can you tell us where are they located? Once part of every major public building, Clock towers have now gone out of fashion from modern architecture. For Quiz purposes let us number following images from (1) through (9) starting from top left, then going across and then down the rows.

The final answers have not been posted as of this writing... but what a wonderful post!

Open Transparency

Here is the very best reason for Open Source ... posted by Bruce Schneier

A Good Security Investment by DHS

They're paying for open source software to be scanned for security bugs, and then fixing them.

All the software scrutinized was found to have significant numbers of security flaws, Coverity said on Wednesday. Since 2006 the project has helped fix 7,826 open source flaws in 250 projects, out of 50 million lines of code scanned, the company said.

They find, on average, one security flaw per 1,000 lines of code. And when the flaw is fixed, everyone's security improves.

Open.Mouth.Insert...

Korean

서당개 삼 년에 풍월 읊는다.

"Even a dog can recite poetry after three years at school."

... luckily I attended 4 years. :)

Open Pact

A call for shared responsibility...

The Company-Customer Pact

Thanks to Christine ...

I was happy to work with Get Satisfaction this month to draft a provisional “Company-Customer Pact.” Our intention was to create a simple, usable framework for company-customer interaction. Ideally, one that could be recommended and adopted by consumers and companies alike.

Open Endorsement

Through all those years, I chose not to engage in party politics. Though I was asked many times to endorse candidates at every level, I was never comfortable doing so. At this time, however, changing that posture feels like the responsible thing to do. If anyone can navigate the contaminated waters of Washington, lift up the poor, and appeal to the rich to share their wealth, it is Sen. Barack Obama. If anyone can bring light to the darkened corners of this nation and restore our positive influence in world affairs, it is Barack Obama. If anyone can begin the process of healing and bring unity to a country that has been divided for too long, it is Barack Obama. It is time to begin a new journey.

Joan Baez, San Francisco Chronicle

Open Hope

Just in case you missed it everywhere else...

Open Warning

Repetition and warning: Balwant Bhagwandin's I Hear Guyana Cry

...the angels turn away

shamed by sight

of a people who would

make martyr of murderer

and common criminals

liberators

and declare the drug dealer absolved

by the 4Runners and foot-runners he owns

and the money he has to burn

celebrate the success of crime

the triumph of lies and liars

the downfall of honest endeavors

and men as moronic

for being sincere

and determine how full of fun

their day of demonstration is

by how many

muggings and maulings are executed

and women are molested downtown

and the number of workplaces shut down

and stores pillaged

and burnt down by fires lit

by a madman with a vision one-tracked

to the throne

who mock the messages

of Mahatma and Mandela

murder the messengers

of reconciliation

and giggle and jump-up

happy as a herd of swine

wallowing in its own excrement

as the tempo

of the drums of war grow

towards frenzy

and whisper

as if prayer:

Harken ye the words

of your children:

Walter, the most brilliant and humble,

betrayed and blown to bits

for his caution:

together cling

all you wretched and abused

with hands and hearts entwined and grounded

that they not be made to bear guns

to make this a no-man’s land!

Recall the laments

of your son Martin

and his disillusion and pain:

‘So jail me quickly, clang the illiterate door

if freedom writes no happier alphabet.’

and his admonition

like that of Donne

timeless and good for all men:

‘…all are involved!

all are consumed!’

and give heed

though late

so late

lest this your ‘nation’

self-styled and so-called

though sundered

and already splintered like wood for fire

indeed becomes the fuel

for a terminal conflagration

of its children’s creation!

Open B&W

25 Январь 2008 г.

B&W

Open Rising Voices

This is soooooo good... I will not tell you that I understand the words... I will not tell you that I know the circumstances... I will tell you that until today I never had a chance ... to hear, to see, to feel.

Rayones by Jorge Jurado

posted by David Sasaki on Jan 30, 2008
categories: Video, Hiper-Barrio

• Download MPEG4 Video (.mp4)
• Download Flash Video (.flv)
• Subscribe to Rising Voices Videos in iTunes

Rising Voices is an outreach initiative of Global Voices, which aims to extend the benefits and reach of citizen media by connecting online media activists around the world and supporting their best ideas.

Founded in 2004 by a group of pioneering international bloggers, Global Voices aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online - shining light on places and people other media often ignore. However, over the years it became increasingly clear that certain regions, communities, and demographics were much better represented in the online global conversation than others. The bloggers we frequently link to on Global Voices tend to be urban, middle-class, and well-educated.

Rising Voices is an endeavour to spread the tools and techniques of citizen media to communities that are under-represented on the conversational web. We do this in three different ways:

1.) Microgrants - Thanks to the support of the Knight Foundation, we are able to award microgrants to outreach projects that teach the skills of citizen media to new users. In July of 2007 we announced our first round of grantees. Rising Voices will be awarding more microgrants in October 2007 and February of 2008.

2.) Outreach Curriculum - In collaboration with Tactical Technology Collective and FLOSS Manuals, we are in the process of developing a series of multimedia tutorials which explain how to use tools like weblogs, photo-sharing sites, podcasts, wikis, and online video.

3.) Networking - Rising Voices is a global network of people who are knowledgeable and passionate about citizen media and want to see the benefits of self-expression extended to communities that have yet to come across these tools. If you would like to get involved you can request an invitation to our mailing list and Facebook group.

Open Wake

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Séamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish expatriate writer, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He is best known for his landmark novel Ulysses (1922) and its highly controversial successor Finnegans Wake (1939), as well as the short story collection Dubliners (1914) and the semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916).

Thanks Wikipedia - James Joyce

Open Generatives - Highly recommended.

I don't know if Kevin Kelly is the first to identify 'Generatives' but I do believe that he has clearly laid out the course of future commerce in Intellectual Property (IP). By focusing on these primal values purveyors will be able to commoditize and capitalize IP. I believe these 8 values will be the foundation of the future.

Eight Generatives Better Than Free

1. Immediacy
2. Personalization
3. Interpretation
4. Authenticity
5. Accessibility
6. Embodiment
7. Patronage
8. Findability

I agree with Seth Godin when he said Kevin Kelly is Highly recommended.

Open Source^2

This is an open request to IBM.

Please Open Source OS/2.

(Sadly I know in my heart of hearts that they will not, cannot comply. In these litigious days not even the mighty IBM can with stand the lawyerly scrutiny that will befall the open source of OS/2. Certainly the hungry M$ mouthpieces will circle salivating like buzzards. Oh well... )

Then let me recommend a truce. Let the behemoths call an Open Source truce. Let Microsoft release early versions of Windows while IBM releases OS/2.

Open Support (1)

This is how America has a chance to heal and grow...

Why I'm Backing Obama

By Susan Eisenhower

Saturday, February 2, 2008; Page A15

Forty-seven years ago, my grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower bid farewell to a nation he had served for more than five decades. In his televised address, Ike famously coined the term "military-industrial complex," and he offered advice that is still relevant today. "As we peer into society's future," he said, we "must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

. . .

It is in this great tradition of crossover voters that I support Barack Obama's candidacy for president. If the Democratic Party chooses Obama as its candidate, this lifelong Republican will work to get him elected and encourage him to seek strategic solutions to meet America's greatest challenges. To be successful, our president will need bipartisan help.

Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole. Without his leadership, our children and grandchildren are at risk of growing older in a marginalized country that is left to its anger and divisions. Such an outcome would be an unacceptable legacy for any great nation.

Emphasis mine.

Open Art I

From sister Beth (who does not blog, yet)

Open Abstention

Here is a real choice...

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ab·sten·tion /æbˈstɛnʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ab-sten-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

1.	an act or instance of abstaining.

2.	withholding of a vote.

I am hearing a frightening undercurrent of opinion expressed about the upcoming Presidential election. From different quarters I am hearing, "I must vote for McCain because he is the lesser of three evils." This is wrong on so many levels...

1. "I must vote..." Since we were small it has been instilled in us that we must cast our vote. It is our right and privilege as members of a free society. It is our patriotic duty. 'If you don't vote you can't complain.' All are compelling reasons why we must vote and if we must vote who wants to vote for the losing side. So we must vote for a winner - not necessarily the best choice.
   
2. "...lesser of three evils." This is the truly frightening undercurrent. I have heard Joe Average whisper, '[I] can't vote for a woman and won't vote for a black so that leaves only that Republican guy. If I got to chose I guess it will be that guy.' Joe Average is stating in no uncertain terms that he is going to throw his vote away by casting it for a candidate that he would not otherwise endorse.

To Joe Average I say, "Do not vote!" Let your abstention eloquently give voice to your personal opinion. Let your abstention speak the truth clearly instead of the lie of voting for the "lesser evil."

Protect your rights and privileges by voting the truth of your heart. If you cannot endorse any of the candidates do not cast a "lying" vote - tell the truth, your truth by abstaining.

Please, do not help to elect the "lesser evil".

Open skepticism

Open Hunger!

Beth (who doesn't blog yet!) e-mailed me a photo essay detailing the "What we eat in a month" world perspective. I did a little poking around and located Rowland Croucher's blog posting of the same essay.

Papa says, "I am so affluent that I can be picky about what I eat."

Further poking around uncovered the fact that these pictures are from a series published by Time

What the World Eats, Part I
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Part II
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Part III

Open for Business

Just flame me now and get it over with...

If you do not want to succeed in business do not go into business!

Duh!!! If you want to go into business would you like to only make half a profit? Only get paid for half of your work? Of course not! When we engage in business we expect full measure for measure. That is what value is based on.

Ok, here comes the rub...

Why then do we demand that the best of the business people accept anything less than their full measure???

Chief Executive Officers started out just like the rest of us ... deciding they wanted to be in business. Evidently they are good at business. It is their business right to expect full measure for measure.

Why then do we grouse and complain that CEOs receive their full fair market value? What is up with that?

Open Impressionist Paynters

Frankly, once again the impressionist Paynter has kicked my ass... so turn about is play fair... she sang the Christmas carols in our house... how lucky is that?

Open Turpitude

FCC: "We've Got Those Bare Buttocks Under Control!"

The FCC just fined ABC $1.43 million over buttocks and "small area of the side of one breast" shots in a more than five-year-old episode of the NYPD Blue television series. The time lag between the airing and this fine may help to explain the Commission's lack of attention to critical Internet issues -- staff has probably been hard at work on the Blue case, giving the matter frame-by-frame attention so that they couldn't be accused of falling down on the job.

I want to know who gets the $1.43 Million??? The FCC?!?!? For a five year old flash of buttocks and "small area of the side of one breast"?!?!?

The very thought of a travesty such as this is ... pornographic! FCC fine yourself!

Open Lexicon: add a new word!

The fellow over at Miscellanea 2.0 queried...

Why would Google hire MRC and Seth McFarlane to do fifty webisodes? And why is this obscure company, backed by major investors, so interested in web content? Could it be that Google is starting its own online TV station with its own original and high-quality content?

Emphasis mine!

Here is a word/concept that we will be hearing a great deal about in the very near future. Original content being made available on the web - as a primary outlet. This effectively resolves the "we-are-losing-money-from-unauthorized-sharing-on-the-Internet" arguments. When the content is 'designed' to be presented on the web _and_ the monetization of such work is not dependent on DRM then everybody is going to come out a winner.

Open [Political] Power

Hillary Clinton: Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the president before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done

Bill Moyers: There was nothing in that quote about race. It was an historical fact, an affirmation of the obvious....

Moyers was and is absolutely correct. There is nothing in that quote about race. It is all about power. Ms Clinton was speaking of the power of the office of President, to which she aspires, not the power, the real power, of a pacifist black pastor.

When Dr. King's achievements are debased by such a callus and uncaring perspective then the character of the speaker is drawn into serious question. This is just another attempt by the Democrat political machine to sway fickle American opinion.

Perhaps Ms Clinton should speak to the viability of a white female's ability to affect change in these United States of America's good-old-boy-person political environment. Obviously this is not a question of gender. This is a question of power.

Open [Free] Phones

TANSTAFL - There ain't no such thing as free lunch. There better be 'Free Phones' ...

When you add GPS to a cellular telephone then the phone "knows" exactly where the owner is. Very quickly the cellular provider will begin to correlate the amount of time that a phone stays in a specific location. Further analysis will show patterns of 'phone behavior' - Jane Average's phone visits Starbucks locations Monday thru Friday at roughly the same time, just before work.

By monitoring (NOT Recording) the visible light and the infrared light via the 'camera' that is built-in the phone will know to alter brightness appropriate to where the owner is. More over this information gives the phone a bit more knowledge about the owners behaviors.

• dark and cool = purse or backpack
• dark and warm = pocket

By monitoring ambient noise (NOT recording, just monitoring environmental noise) the phone can alter the volume of the ring tone to better suit the owners current environment. This same Ambient Noise Level (ANL) can be correlated to the owner's environment. Certainly cars, buses, trains offer baseline ANLs that can be determined. The ANL of a single speakers voice some distance from the phone might tell the phone to vibrate in church instead of RINGING.

If the phone knows where the owner is and what the owner is likely doing then the cellular provider can 'target' advertisements for the phone's location. While Jane Average is most likely headed towards her morning coffee fix her phone might try to convince her to try Dunkin' Donuts ... which is just around the next corner, on the right...and here is an instant coupon for a complimentary pastry to go with your coffee.

All this is fair-use information. By fair-use I mean that it could have been gained by alternative legal means. But, the only way that I would cooperate with such a scheme is if the communication service (getting to talk on the phone) was provided free of charge. If I don't like the 'Free Phone' with all its little niggling ads then I am always free to purchase 'private' communication services and devices at the current market value.

Open Misunderstanding

When I first heard this common misunderstanding I assumed that it was a local issue ... a perspective that I attributed to my geographical location... on "good authority" I heard that

Obama [is] a Muslim fundamentalist

I was just flabbergasted! When Barack Obama became a candidate I read his bio at http://barackobama.com

Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and 2 daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

So when I heard Muslim I was _very_ surprised. Surprised until I thought about the possible origins of such misinformation.

Please, put dirty politics in their place... Not in the White House!

(Paid for by the committee to not re-elect the Presidents Clinton.)

Open Rationale

Humor me ... say the following out loud:

"The Presidents Clinton"

I believe from a governmental perspective that is the most frightening thing I have ever heard.

"The Presidents Clinton"

... nuff said!

Open Letter

Saudi Jeans

A Letter to Fouad: What I Know

Wednesday, January 9, 2008 · 17 Comments

Dear Fouad,

It has been a month since you were detained, and I miss you. It has been a rough month for the rest of us here, but it is certainly nothing compared to what you have had to go through and still do. They told us you were detained because you violated non-security regulations. Gibberish, to say the least, but that’s what we were told. I really don’t know what kind of law you violated by merely exercising your God given right of free speech, and I don’t know when calling for freedom, justice, peace and moderation has become a crime.

But here is what I know. I know that all these values you called for are worth fighting for. I know that we believe in a just cause, and that tomorrow belongs to us, not them. I know that no matter how long the darkness lasts, the sun will rise again. I want you to know one thing: I am here for you. I will keep supporting you and I will do my best until you are free again and back to your family and friends. You will not be forgotten.

Yours,
Ahmed

Open Doors

Sometimes you get so far away that you cannot make out the road signs ... so it just doesn't matter which way you go... you just go...

Jen & Eric's Home
吃．喝．玩．樂．生．活．點．滴．喜．怒．哀．樂

京都的葱都給拿來做生招牌，洋葱、九條葱、大葱......

這個牛肉煱係咪好壯觀？別以為放那麼多葱會喧賓奪主，只要......

看，肥相公專注的眼神、溫柔的食法，然後一言不發、一臉滿足、一生何求......睇嚟已經忘記咗眼前還有一個跟他渡緊蜜月的老婆﹗﹗﹗

我們畢竟是踏實的人，高潮過後，我們需要吃一些平實一點的東西，好讓我們亢奮的心情平復下來。這碟野菜天婦羅，當然不是平常吃到的茄子、蕃薯、蘿蔔等配搭，而是葱、葱、葱和葱，啊，幸好還有青椒和南瓜作配。飽嚐牛肉後吃蔬菜，好像中和一下，不那麼肥膩呢﹗

雖 然葱屋平吉以葱為主角，但他們的肉也做得很好，好像這些燒肉串，跟燒肉店相比，有過之而無不及。我有沒有誇張？讓我形容這燒肉串的下場吧﹗它們本來在我眼 尾範圍，明明白白地放在那裏，我又沒踫它們，但當我正眼一看，咦，少了一串嘅？轉頭再看，又少了一串？再看肥相公一眼，他又明明在吃牛肉和天婦羅喎，你地 話這些肉串係咪好食到比人食晒都唔知呢﹗

末了，我們還吃了一碗葱炒飯。這碗炒飯看來平平無奇，但在這個炒飯跟油浸飯無分別的世代，它企身、乾濕適中、毫不油膩，已經很了不起。（情況跟我們看見一個人安份守己、沒有「渣流灘」然後人人把他當作英雄差不多，這是否有點悲哀呢？）

Open Attire

In a previous post I displayed and linked to a parody cartoon depicting Hijabi Fashion on the Syrian Streets. In fairness I thought I would share this link...

Muslim woman: Energetic, happy and faithful

But Islam as the latest divine religion and vanguard of all the philosophical and theological schools in the world looks at the issue of women dressing and Hijab with an open mind and liberal viewpoint.

The slight limitations and restrictions are also booked in order to protect women’s personality, ethics and respect.
In Islamic countries such as Iran, women are not forbidden to take part in social and communal activities, sports, cinema, TV, arts and even politics and freely do anything they desire regarding to their beloved religion sent by the majesty God and translated to us by Muhammad (PBUH), the prophet of peace and love.
Today in my country, Persia the land of honor, female athletes are increasingly participating in national and international sport tournaments and winning several medals and prizes from Olympics, World Cups and competitions.

The Muslim woman is progressive, energetic, free, harbinger and happy. She covers her body to keep the tainted eyes and looks away from herself and not become an advertising tool by physical attractions for capricious men.

You can watch the pictures and simply discover the conditions of women in Iran. Free to participate in sports, with modest happy and colorful dressings, covered bodies and respecting to their religion teachings.

Openings

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opening

noun
12. a recognized sequence of moves at the beginning of a game of chess; "he memorized all the important chess openings"

Maybe there will be an opportunity now to remember him for what he achieved, less so than for what he became.

- East Ethnia

Mujo, Mile and Štefica in the Jaws of Transition.

Open dubbing

Worthy of Engrish

Open McLuhan

At least once a political season some one makes the observation that our political system is being driven by the media. In this instance it is Erica Jong...

Erica Jong

...our media turning every presidential election into a high school popularity contest. And we let them get away with it. And we don't stop Rupert Murdoch, Clear Channel, Disney, GE, Sumner Redstone and a few others from owning all the media all the time.

Our magazines and newspapers are so dumbed down that they never discuss issues, only stereotype or attack or puff up candidates -- and all for the most idiotic things -- like their marriages, which in truth we know nothing about -- or their weight or their clothes or their hair. They don't discuss brains, intelligence, psychological maturity, but only who's up or down in the polls, cuter in photos, who misted up, cried or didn't cry, said "my friends" like Reagan or mimicked Bill Clinton's style or JFK's or whomever's. Our press is a disgrace.

And she is absolutely right, "Our press is a disgrace."

I titled this entry for the noted communication authority, Marshal McLuhan. His oft quoted '...the medium is the message...' observation is most apt in this circumstance. It is not the Press that is driving our political system. In the realm of American politics the Press is echoing the tastes and choices of the general public. What Ms Jong should be railing against are the values of that 'general public'. Sadly I suspect those are values that Ms Jong knows little about.

Lets look at one 'ferinstance' ... Hillary Clinton was an effete political ice queen who couldn't possibly know the trials and tribulations of Joe&Jane Average. That is until she showed her more fragile feeling side. Then all of a sudden Hilly is one of the good ol' boys girls, just a down-home friend of the working ... er, person.

Ok, now Joe&Jane, this is a test. Has Hillary Clinton changed? Not one iota! Does Hilly know anything more about Joe&Jane Average and their real world concerns? Not likely. Has any part of this changed Ms Clinton's political agenda? Ha!

The Press, in presenting Ms Clinton's "moment", didn't change any part of the political environment. They were just pandering to the taste, the true taste of middle america. The Press as a medium is the message and the message is us.

Walt Kelly's Pogo put it so succinctly, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Open Spare.change.mister?

Open Constitution

We, some of the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...

...of some of the people, by some of the people and for some of the people...

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

A tip of the hat to EG who got it from LGM who got it from TRS