"The great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." - Thomas H. Huxley

***

Human Resources Paid Internship... - "Qualifications: Previous experience in the HR field"
Great. Nowadays even internships need previous experience. Can you say Catch-22?

Guns don't kill black people, other blacks do - "In the sociology of the left, including the NAACP, there cannot be a wound the black community inflicts on itself that is not ultimately the responsibility of malicious whites. To think otherwise would be to "blame the victim."... Unfortunately, as a nation we have become so trapped in the melodrama of black victimization and white oppression that we are in danger of losing all sense of proportion. If blacks are oppressed in America, why isn't there a black exodus? Why do all those black Haitians want to come here? To be oppressed?... An individual black male is eight times more likely to commit murder than an individual white male. Thus, in the most equitable system imaginable, a black male would be eight times more likely than a white male to be executed for murder. In fact, however, convicted white murderers are more likely to be executed for their crimes than convicted black murderers... the proportion of whites presently on death row compared to the total white population is almost four times that of the comparable proportion of blacks on death row in terms of the total black population... The myth of racial oppression, invoked to explain every social deficit of blacks, is an exercise in psychological denial. Crying racism deflects attention from the actual causes of the problems that afflict African-American communities. Its net result is to deprive people and communities who could help themselves of the power to change their fate."

Royal East India Trading Company - "The Royal East India Trading Company employs over 75,000 employees across the world. If you have experience in overseas exporting or agricultural transports, please contact our human resources team. We are also currently recruiting skilled developers and artists for the Facebook application outreach program... In addition to trading fine textiles and teas, we also now manufacture Facebook applications."
HAHAHAHAHAHA

The Silent Scream of the Asparagus - "You just knew it was coming: At the request of the Swiss government, an ethics panel has weighed in on the "dignity" of plants and opined that the arbitrary killing of flora is morally wrong. This is no hoax. The concept of what could be called "plant rights" is being seriously debated... Switzerland's enshrining of "plant dignity" is a symptom of a cultural disease that has infected Western civilization, causing us to lose the ability to think critically and distinguish serious from frivolous ethical concerns. It also reflects the triumph of a radical anthropomorphism that views elements of the natural world as morally equivalent to people... We live in a time of cornucopian abundance and plenty, yet countless human beings are malnourished, even starving. In the face of this cruel paradox, worry about the purported rights of plants is the true immorality."
Carrot Juice is Murder. For once I agree with someone from the Discovery Institute!

Virgin Galactic rejects $1 million space porn -

"Unidentified party offered big bucks to film porn participants in zero gravity"
It'd be cheaper to do it in those planes that plunge from a great height to simulate zero-gravity.

You Bastard: A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation within Organizations - "Our patience with forming interpretations and reinterpretations of others' behaviour is not unlimited. The time comes when we lose interest in trying to understand, and conclude that another person is behaving in a way that is simply unacceptable. This paper explores the narratives that go with immoderate indignation, even for those best versed in the idea that they should attempt to understand the perspective of the other. The paper offers a reflexive comment on the difficulty of analysing such a topic, on the grounds that the phenomenon under discussion can debilitate analytic writing. Three narratives are discussed in which one person was seen as behaving in a despicable way by others. The description and analysis of the narratives are used to offer a narrative understanding of the process by which some people become indignant with others. It suggests a narrative construction of how sense is made of indignation, particularly in cases where two narratives come up against each other. It concludes by considering how the process of being indignant can produce conflicting emotions of joy and guilt for those involved."

Fire engines 'used to cruise for girls' - "One crew was secretly filmed allowing young women to climb into the cab of their fire engine in Newcastle upon Tyne. They are also reported to have been seen driving through the streets at night "shouting and leering" at passing females."

What We Stand For! « Christian Nymphos - "We are women with excessive sexual desire for our husbands! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, God wants us to be madly in love with our husbands. He wants us to keep that fire burning in our marriage beds! We have the Song of Solomon as a perfect example of a Christ honored union where the two people are obviously intoxicated with each other."
GAH

The End of Art - "Traditionally, the goal of fine art was to make beautiful objects. The idea of beauty came with a lot of Platonic and Christian metaphysical baggage, some of it indifferent or even hostile to art. But art without beauty was, if not exactly a contradiction in terms, at least a description of failed art... By universalizing the spirit of opposition, the avant-garde’s ­project has transformed the practice of art into a purely negative enterprise, in which art is either oppositional or it is nothing. Celebrity replaces aesthetic achievement as the goal of art... These days, the art world places a great premium on novelty. But here’s the irony: Almost everything championed as innovative in contemporary art is essentially a tired repetition of gestures inaugurated by the likes of Marcel Duchamp, creator of the first bottle-rack ­masterpiece and the first urinal fountain... W.H. Auden thought likewise: “There can no more be a ‘Christian’ art than there can be a Christian science or a Christian diet. There can only be a Christian spirit in which an artist, a scientist, works or does not work.”... The subjugation of art—and of cultural life generally—to political ends has been one of the great spiritual tragedies of our age. Among much else, it makes it increasingly difficult to appreciate art on its own terms, as affording its own kinds of insights and satisfactions... Without an allegiance to beauty, art degenerates into a caricature of itself; it is beauty that animates aesthetic experience, making it so seductive"

Event management internship... - "Qualifications: Impeccable morals."
HAHAHAHAHA

Overcome the effects of circumcision with SenSlip, the artificial retractable foreskin - "Being circumcised affects the natural operation, appearance and sensitivity of the penis. During recent years much medical research has been carried out in several countries into the function and purpose of the foreskin. There is now conclusive medical evidence that a circumcised penis with the glans exposed has less nerve receptors and is less effective than a naturally covered penis. Over the years the exposed glans becomes less sensitive. There is well-documented evidence which shows that this can, and often does, have a disastrous effect on sexual performance, its consequences, and ultimately, on self esteem."
Say No to Male Genital Mutilation

Spare Me the Sermon On Muslim Women - "Being a Muslim woman is a joyful thing... Rapists are punishable by death in Islamic law (and yes, an atavistic part of me applauds that death penalty), which they certainly are not in any Western legal code... Yet even all that gorgeous history pales when I open my closet door for the evening's pick: teal georgette, pink-and-beige plaid, creamy fringed wool or ice-blue organza? God, why would anyone assume I would want to give up such beauty? I love being a Muslim woman. And I'm always looking for my next great polka-dot scarf."
Unfortunately not everyone is as lucky as her. There are many who are forced to wear the veil. What they want is CHOICE, the choice that she has. It's almost hilarious how she gushes about Saudi laws for women, if it weren't sad.
Muslim friend: she glosses over lots of issues..better ye t never mentions.the same religion that offers a woman her right to an orgasm..also expresses that she's been given 9 parts of desire..compared to a man's one part..off lah the paraphrase of the hadith..or was it 7..neways..n dat has been repeatedly used to justifiy fgm in muslim countries.its abhorrent.

"I'm glad I didn't have to fight in any war. I'm glad I didn't have to pick up a gun. I'm glad I didn't get killed or kill somebody. I hope my kids enjoy the same lack of manhood." - Tom Hanks

"Self-growth, adventure and camaraderie" my foot

Addendum: Keywords - my son, manly, my children, I hope my sons, I hope my son

***

Οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔτι Ζεὺς ἴσχεν ἑὸν μένος, ἀλλά νυ τοῦ γε
εἶθαρ μὲν μένεος πλῆντο φρένες, ἐκ δέ τε πᾶσαν
φαῖνε βίην· ἄμυδις δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ ἠδ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Ὀλύμπου
ἀστράπτων ἔστειχε συνωχαδόν· οἱ δὲ κεραυνοὶ
ἴκταρ ἅμα βροντῇ τε καὶ ἀστεροπῇ ποτέοντο
χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς, ἱερὴν φλόγα εἰλυφόωντες
ταρφέες· ἀμφὶ δὲ γαῖα φερέσβιος ἐσμαράγιζε
καιομένη, λάκε δ᾽ ἀμφὶ πυρὶ μεγάλ᾽ ἄσπετος ὕλη.
Ἔζεε δὲ χθὼν πᾶσα καὶ Ὠκεανοῖο ῥέεθρα
πόντος τ᾽ ἀτρύγετος· τοὺς δ᾽ ἄμφεπε θερμὸς ἀυτμὴ
Τιτῆνας χθονίους, φλὸξ δ᾽ αἰθέρα δῖαν ἵκανεν
ἄσπετος, ὄσσε δ᾽ ἄμερδε καὶ ἰφθίμων περ ἐόντων
αὐγὴ μαρμαίρουσα κεραυνοῦ τε στεροπῆς τε.
Καῦμα δὲ θεσπέσιον κάτεχεν Χάος· εἴσατο δ᾽ ἄντα
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν ἠδ᾽ οὔασι ὄσσαν ἀκοῦσαι
αὔτως, ὡς εἰ Γαῖα καὶ Οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε
πίλνατο· τοῖος γάρ κε μέγας ὑπὸ δοῦπος ὀρώρει
τῆς μὲν ἐρειπομένης, τοῦ δ᾽ ὑψόθεν ἐξεριπόντος·
τόσσος δοῦπος ἔγεντο θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνιόντων.
Σὺν δ᾽ ἄνεμοι ἔνοσίν τε κονίην τ᾽ ἐσφαράγιζον
βροντήν τε στεροπήν τε καὶ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνόν,
κῆλα Διὸς μεγάλοιο, φέρον δ᾽ ἰαχήν τ᾽ ἐνοπήν τε
ἐς μέσον ἀμφοτέρων· ὄτοβος δ᾽ ἄπλητος ὀρώρει
σμερδαλέης ἔριδος, κάρτος δ᾽ ἀνεφαίνετο ἔργων.
Ἔκλίνθη δὲ μάχη· πρὶν δ᾽ ἀλλήλοις ἐπέχοντες
ἐμμενέως ἐμάχοντο διὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας.

"Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you'll be surprised at how little you have." - Ernest Haskins

***

Baltics trip
Day 9 - 24th May - Sigulda, Latvia (Part 2)

It seems, in the Baltics, that it's culturally acceptable to ask strangers on the street for cigarettes and not smoke them immediately.


Next, we went to see some old caves.


The failure of "Do Not Vandalise" signs. The oldest we saw was from 1971.


Small cave: Maza Ala

Next was the big cave.


Very screwed-up story.

"LEGEND ABOUT THE ROSE OF TURAIDA

During the Swedish – Polish War the secretary of the Turaida castle called Greif found a baby girl near to the Turaida castle. She was half-starving and almost dead. He adopted her, baptised and gave her name Maija. She grew up and was a beautiful and honest maiden. Victor Heil, the gardener of Sigulda, fell for Maija. In the evenings they met in Gutmaņa cave.

In August 1620 Maija got a message from Heil where it was said that she had to come to the mentioned cave in the afternoon because he was going to be busy that evening. Maija went together with the Greif’s eight years old daughter Lenta to the cave.
In the evening Heil ran to Turaida and let know that Maija had been killed. Lenta also had not returned. The local judge got the news already the same evening and in the next evening he arrived in Turaida.

Heil was suspected as a murderer although he was known as an honest man. The Lord of Turaida Shildheim who was ill then let the judge know that he should pay attention to two Polish army deserters Jakubowsky and Skudrītis. They had been in service for two years in Turaida and were known as drunkards and imps. Skudrītis had visited the Lord of Turaida and wanted to give a testimony about the case.

Skudrītis was called to the court immediately. He told that Jakubowsky fell in love with Maija just after he had arrived in Turaida. Three months ago he had talked to Maija and had promised to marry her. She refused and told him she was engaged to Heil.

Jakubowsky was a very angry man and longed for revenge. Then he explained Skudrītis his idea. He wanted to lure Maija to Gūtmaņa cave. Both of them should rape the virgin there. Jakubowsky was the one who had sent the false message. Both had run to the cave and hidden in bushes.

When Maija had arrived, Jakubowsky placed himself in front of her and has told his evil intention with bad words. The young girl had tried to resist but Jakubowsky was very strong and threw her down.

Then Maija bagged him to let her free. For that she would give him a magic scarf that protects man from all injuries. If he doesn’t believe it, he can try to strike her with his sword. Jakubowsky had his sword with him and he stroke in a moment. Maija fell down and blood started to come out of her neck. At that moment Skudrītis heard scream behind him. It should have been the small Lenta.

After the murder Jakubowsky got very upset, ran into the forest and forbade Skudrītis to come close to him. This morning he has found him hung in the forest.

The guiltless Viktor Heil was let free immediately. Skudrītis had been in prison just for four months because even Heil and Greif asked to let him free."



More information about Gutmaņa cave, the biggest cave in the Baltics. The oldest inscription now is from 1667.


The biggest cave in the Baltics is kind of like the biggest farm in Singapore


Inscriptions. The latter is the more accurate colour.


Inside. One guy went to drink the water, but I wasn't a local (or a Malaysian), so.

On our way to Turaida Castle, we saw a wedding procession stopped by a witch:



It was an extremely long trek (some of it uphill) to the compound with Turaida Castle.


There was still quite a stretch left, when we saw this sight. We briefly considered running up the slope as a shortcut, but decided against it.


Rose of Turaida memorial (refer to screwed up story earlier)




Turaida castle, with the best condition of the three in the area. It dates from 1214 but what we see is restored.


Main watchtower

We climbed the main watchtower.








River

The place also had some exhibits on its history and that of the area.


Knights on a "tapestry"


Teutonic Knights in Livonia on the attack


Crossbow copy


18th century sundial


"At the present day, Turaida is one of the most extensively studied and best preserved monuments of medieval architecture in the Baltic"
Again, this is like saying that Singapore is the most civilised country in Southeast Asia.


Dungeon mockup


I was looking at this "tapestry", when my Sixth Sense noticed a *wrongness* about it. After some staring, I sensed what looked like wax figures of 2 women behind it, and tried to stare harder to figure out what they were wearing, when one of them said "hello".

They found ceramic bottles with the "Bitter Wasser" brand at the site. Hah. No pisswasser, unfortunately.




Bricks with animal footprints.


Bailey


"Batter" (sloping base) for castle defence. Stones dropped from above would bounce off the batter and hit attackers.


Blurb about the well. For some reason I didn't snap the well itself.

We then took a bus back to the terminal.


CCTV in bus terminal. This was notable because you had to pay 10 sant in entrance (gah!) fees and for the sign about a CCTV (so people didn't wreck the toilet?)

Cappy brand fruit juice is not bad. Apple/Pear was very good, and Peach/Melon not bad.

Thanks to the cable car not being in operation we didn't have time to visit Cesis. Oh well. So we took the bus back to Sigulda.

We'd seen Playboy in Lithuanian and a few softcore magazines in Lithuania. We didn't see similar materials in Latvia, but the bus driver hung a card with a topless blonde by his seat.

The bus driver was crazy. Despite the outside temperature being a very pleasant low 20s, he turned on the bus heater, which was just beside my feet, so I wasn't able to sleep on the way back. He certainly got me hot and bothered.


"Military Quality" stewed hen and stewed beef in a Riga supermarket. Maybe in Russia "military quality" is a mark of excellence, I don't know.

MFTTW: i think they have access to fresh meat in russia lah

Me: with worms right

MFTTW: ..........
how come got german words
it's leftover from ww2 issit


Cute pig

Since a lot of people and sources had recommended Cili Pica, we tried it. It had the most number of pizza varieties I'd ever seen:


Mincemeat


Deep Pan


Pork


Beef


Chicken, Seafood


Vegetarian, various


Various


Heinz stay clean cap


Cili Soup. It was literally (American) Cili soup; one of the few menu items living up to the "Cili" name.


Meza (sour cream, dill but no potatoes [HAHA]; it's under Deep Pan pizzas), Olympica (the one with nothing on top; it's under mincemeat pizzas) and Mafia (Beef)

Their idea of stuffed pizza was a normal pizza with another layer of dough on top of it. Gah.

We were bored so I took some pictures of my hair:


Split ends. I find that it's impossible to get good split end pictures on Google Images, so here're some.


Cream pie


Curd with raspberry


"Food supplements
The Special cosmetics
The Special goods
Functional food"


Night scene outside terminal

We then hunkered down in the terminal to wait for the overnight bus to Tallinn. We patronised an Internet for a while till closing time came and we were chased out, and policemen took our place (?!). I swear it's a conspiracy: they close earlier so the policemen can while away their time.

Lo and behold, the bus was operated by Eurolines, my favourite bus company. The bus left on time this time, but the driver turned on the aircon and heater at the same time. Wth.


Quotes:

[YC while waiting for the overnight bus to Tallinn: I wish we had women] I wish we had women. [Me: Do you want LDPVTP here?] I said women... the only thing LDPVTP... the only thing LDPVTP has in common with most of the female gender is all the negative traits and the XY chromosome. [Me: What positive traits do women have?] Chioness. That's about it. [Me: That means most women are chio] ... chioness and a vagina... and to make things worse for women, not all of them are chio. (XX)