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Ponderable thought of the day: Malay males call each other "bruder", but no one calls Malay females "sistuh"
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My favourite Engineer sends along this picture, on which she comments: "Disturbing how lecturer's jokes can be so lame..."
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Someone on my retelling of a faux pas:
"?? that don't sound very malicious to me. but you've got a way with people."
Indeed I do, don't I? *g*
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I used to use Miranda on my laptop for my ICQ-ing and MSN-ing needs, but I found that it choked up, and slowed to a crawl when too many messages came in/went out. Worse, it kept telling me that my messages were timing out, when in fact they were going through. The result of which was that some people got the same message from me 6 times, as I kept trying to resend my "timed out" messages.
Xephyris is still a big fan of it, but after my traumatic experience I've shifted to Trillian Pro. Maybe I shall use it on my desktop too.
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solsetur on Boiled Coke in Traditional Chinese Medicine:
"coke is used by voodoo-medicine doctors in certain parts of the world. they do see 'miracles' happen afterwards, eg your ailing grandfather suddenly being able to leap around - which is probably the effect of all that sugar and who knows what present in coke.
I can't remember where I read this from. It was a very long time ago. In those parts of the world Coke is more than just a commercialised trendy drink - it has magical medicinal properties too. I laughed when I read it."
Maybe it's the cocaine. Ah, the power of psycho-somatic healing is wondrous indeed. I wonder if they credit Coke with spontaneous remission of cancer too.
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An acquaintance got his letter published:
PRs and NS: A conflict of interest
Weekend • September 11, 2004
I REFER to Mindef's letter, "PRs can serve NS in other nation, but..." (Sept 10).
Instead of acknowledging the obvious conflict of interest, the response from Colonel Bernard Toh has repeated sections of Singaporean policy. The time will come when Singaporean PRs will have to decide between serving their NS obligations in different countries, for serving more than one is untenable.
Upon serving NS in Singapore, an oath of allegiance needs to be taken, where loyalty and allegiance is sworn to the Republic of Singapore. Why should a foreigner swear allegiance to a foreign state?
I hope that Colonel Toh will offer some insight into the policy regarding this conflict of interest, and if need be, set up a forum to resolve this issue.
Ho Joe-Han
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Subject: weird number 11
11 has become to be a very interesting number. It could be a forced coincidence, but in any case this is interesting. You decide for your self:
1) New York City has 11 letters.
2) Afghanistan has 11 letters.
3) Ramsin Yuseb (The terrorist who threatened the Twin Towers in 1993) has 11 letters.
4) George W. Bush has 11 letters.
This could be a mere coincidence... (Could it be?)
Now here is what is interesting...
1) New York is the State # 11
2) The first plane crushing against the Twin Towers was flight 11.
3) Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers Adding this number gives 9+2=11.
4) Flight # 77 who also hit the towers, was carrying 65 passengers Adding this: 6+5=11.
5) The tragedy was on September 11, or 9/11. Adding this: 9+1+1=11
6) The date is equal to the emergency number 911. Adding this: 9+1+1=11
Now we have a very upsetting piece..
1) The total number of victims inside the planes are 254: 2+5+4=11
2) The day September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year: 2+5+4=11
3) After September 11, there are 111 days more to the end of the year.
4) The tragedy of 3/11/2004 in Madrid also adds to: 3+1+1+2+4=11.
5) The tragedy in Madrid happened 911 days after the tragedy of the Twin Towers.
Spooky!! Read on.....! This is really eerie,,,,, This is something to think about!
Since America is typically represented by an Eagle. Saddam and Bin Laden should have read up on their Muslim passages...
The following verse is from the Quran, (the Islamic Bible).
Quran (9:11) -- For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.
Note the verse number!!!!!
Oh my God! How worried should I be? There are 11 letters in the name "David Pawson!" I'm going into hiding NOW. See you in a few weeks.
Wait a sec ... just realized "YOU CAN'T HIDE" also has 11 letters! What am I gonna do? Help me!!! The terrorists are after me! ME! I can't believe it!
Oh crap, there must be someplace on the planet Earth I could hide! But no ..."PLANET EARTH" has 11 letters, too!
Maybe Nostradamus can help me. But dare I trust him? There are 11 letters in "NOSTRADAMUS."
I know, the Red Cross can help. No they can't... 11 letters in "THE RED CROSS," can't trust them.
I would rely on self defense, but "SELF DEFENSE" has 11 letters in it, too! Can someone help?
Anyone? If so, send me email. No, don't... "SEND ME EMAIL" has 11 letters....
Will this never end? I'm going insane! "GOING INSANE???" Eleven letters!!
Nooooooooooo!!!!!! I guess I'll die alone, even though "I'LL DIE ALONE" has 11 letters....
Oh my God, I just realized that America is doomed! Our Independence Day is July 4th ... 7/4 ... 7+4=11!
- Dave
PS. "IT'S BULLSHIT" has 11 letters also.
[See also: Snopes]
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Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth
In the Dalai Lama's Tibet, torture and mutilation---including eye gouging, the pulling out of tongues, hamstringing, and amputation--were favored punishments inflicted upon runaway serfs and thieves... Since it was against Buddhist teachings to take human life, some offenders were severely lashed and then "left to God" in the freezing night to die. "The parallels between Tibet and medieval Europe are striking," concludes Tom Grunfeld in his book on Tibet.
We are told that when the Dalai Lama ruled Tibet, the people lived in contented and tranquil symbiosis with their monastic and secular lords, in a social order sustained by a deeply spiritual, nonviolent culture, inspired by humane and pacific religious teachings. The Tibetan religious culture was the social glue and comforting balm that kept rich lama and poor peasant spiritually bonded together, to maintain those proselytes who embrace Old Tibet as a cultural purity, a Shangri-La.
One is reminded of the idealized imagery of feudal Europe presented by latter-day conservative Catholics such as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. For them, medieval Christendom was a world of contented peasants living in a deep spiritual bond with their Church, under the protection of their lords. Again we are invited to accept a particular culture on its own terms, which means accepting it as presented by its favored class, by those at the top who profited most from it. The Shangri-La image of Tibet bears no more resemblance to historic reality than does the romanticized image of medieval Europe.
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Patient dies - " A 56-year-old patient [Jerome Saarines of Ottawa] using an oxygen tank in a room at the VA hospital near Maywood died Monday morning after the cigarette he was smoking ignited the tank Sunday"
Dog Wiggles Paw Free to Shoot Florida Man - "A man who tried to shoot seven puppies was shot himself when one of the dogs put its paw on the revolver's trigger."
Rowboat Veterans for Truth - "Friends and fellow countrymen, it's time to set the record straight. "General" George Washington is no war-hero... Rowboat Vets for Truth is here to share the real story, to correct the misleading use of our images, against our will, in paintings, woodcuts and pamphlets across the colonies. The Rowboat Vets for Truth will counter the outrageous claims made by Mr. Washington and the liberal printing presses in Boston and Philadelphia... It's time to set the record straight."
Can You Be a Pornstar? - "Think you've got what it takes to be a pornstar? We are now casting for 'Can You Be A Pornstar - Season 2!' Click Here to take your first step to $100,000.00 and an Adult Video Contract of your very own! Good Luck!"
Reality TV is getting weirder and weirder.
Torn on porn's net effect - "Pornography is good for people, the academic leading a taxpayer-funded study of the subject said yesterday... 'The surprising finding was that pornography is actually good for you in many ways,' Dr McKee said. 'When you look at people who are using it in everyday life, over 90 per cent report it has had a very positive effect.' Dr McKee said porn users reported it had taught them 'to be more relaxed about their sexuality' and marriages were healthier, while porn made people think about another person's pleasure and made them less judgmental about body shapes. 'The more we try and turn porn into something that's seen to be bad and has to be kept away from families, the more problems we might be causing for ourselves.'"
The Worst Jobs in History - "The history we are taught usually features the lives and times of the great and the good, of the haves and not the have-nots. But the famous aristocrats and monarchs could not have existed without the battalions of minions who performed the tasks that were beneath their masters. In this website, we take you on a journey through 2,000 years of British history and the worst jobs of each era."
Microsoft security chief uses Firefox - "Life is safer that way"
iPod Used In Domestic Homicide
Sun 'bomber' in Commons - "A Sun reporter could have blown up the House of Commons yesterday... Our man posed as a Commons waiter to smuggle in a fake bomb. He exposed shambolic security to get the job with bogus references. And just hours before Wednesday's Commons drama he even served Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott... Commons leader Peter Hain said last night The Sun had done MPs a favour by exposing lax security in Parliament. Mr Hain said: 'This confirms all my worst fears and why I have so determinedly pushed for much tighter security and modern professional procedures in the House. Frankly, The Sun has done the House a favour by exposing the amateurish and old-fashioned culture which is a threat to the very cockpit of our democracy.'"
Of course in Singapore he would have been arrested for trespassing and willful mischief instead of being thanked for his efforts to improve security.
The Catholic Version: Do pro-life policies reduce abortion? Or, Why Good Catholics can be Pro-Choice - "What happened when Poland banned abortions in the 1990s? If pro-life policies reduce abortion significantly, there would have been a spike in Poland's birthrate. But Poland's birth rate remained steady."
Wikipedia article on Singlish - "Is it: Used to form yes-no questions, generic like the French n'est-ce pas?, regardless of the actual verb in the sentence."
Fricatives? Phonemes? Acrolectal? Prosody? Argh! *boggle*
Bush Shoot-Out - I'm lousy. I can't even get past the first level on the lowest level of difficulty.
How to remove chewing gum - They should make all the MRT janitors read this one.
Kohlberg's Stages - "Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) was a well-known theorist in the field of moral development. He posed moral dilemmas (e.g., Heinz Dilemma) to his subjects then asked questions to probe their reasons for recommending a specific course of action."
Free Music! - "Looking for classical recordings? Share these with your friends, link to me, spread the word! Everything you can get to from here is 100% copyable - it's produced independently of the RIAA, because we love music! This site primarily archives the concerts of the MIT Concert Choir and MIT Chamber Chorus."
Unfortunately, they're not very good. At least not in the few pieces I've heard.
28.571428571428573% of me is a huge nerd! How about you? - Someone: "i got exactly the same as u. this is a sham"
Weird game where you thwack little Cyclopic aliens. A variation of whack the mole.