....

Vatican writes 'glossary' on sex terminology

The Vatican wants to prevent cultural manipulation of the family in no uncertain terms. Terms, in fact, are at the very heart of it. ... The Holy See will soon publish a new glossary of 90 words related to sexual and family issues, according to Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, director of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Hmmm...

InterVarsity requires students who lead its chapters — though not the other participants — to adhere to its eight-point doctrinal platform, and the traditional Christian teaching against homosexuality.

And that's got some upset...

InterVarsity status shaken by bias accusations

Which is the religion of love?

An Islamic group asked state religious leaders to repudiate a sign outside a Florida Baptist church reading "Jesus Forbade Murder ... Muhammad Approved Murder", describing it as "hate speech".

Church sign is 'hate speech'

Athletes will use any excuse to explain their failure

But air-conditioning?

Mervyn King launched a scathing attack on organisers of the Embassy World Darts after his 5-2 semi-final defeat at the hands of Raymond Barneveld.

The Englishman said a failure to turn off the air conditioning during his match meant his darts failed to travel in their usual trajectory.

King blames air conditioning

Very disturbing story about how...

'The whole building knew'

The Middletown school board knew of a relationship between suspended Superintendent Robert Sigler and the 15-year-old male high school student he's accused of molesting before Sigler's arrest last week, a source close to the board said yesterday.

Board members talked to Sigler about the boy several months ago in a closed-door meeting called specifically to address concerns about the relationship, said the source, who asked not to be identified.

"Something was brought up in executive session that he [Sigler] may have pulled the kid out of class a lot," the source said. "But there was nothing that would raise a question of impropriety of a sexual relationship.

"The whole building knew Bob Sigler was mentoring the kid," the source said.

Do you know who William James Sidis was?

According to some, he is the brightest human who ever existed on Earth. According to others, he was the biggest failure on Earth. At this site, a few of his feats are listed:

1. Given IQ is a purely anthropocentric means of assessing intelligence, Sidis' IQ is crudely estimated at 250-300.
2. Infant Billy listened to Greek myths read to him by Sarah as bedtime stories.
3. Started feeding himself with a spoon at eight months (after two months of trial and error).
4. Cajoled by Boris, Billy learned to pronounce alphabetic syllables from blocks hanging in his crib.
5. At six months, Billy said, "Door." A couple months later he told Mom he liked things, doors and people, that move.
6. At seven months he pointed to Earth's moon and called it, "moon." He wanted a 'moon' of his own.
7. Mastered higher mathematics and planetary revolutions by age 11.
8. Learned to spell efficiently by one year old.
9. Started reading The New York Times at 18 months.
10. Started typing at three. Used his high chair to reach a typewriter. First composed letter was an order for toys from Macy's.
11. Read Caesar's Gallic Wars, in Latin (self-taught), as a birthday present to his Father in Billy's fourth year.
12. Learned Greek alphabet and read Homer in Greek in his fourth year.
13. Learned Aristotelian logic in his sixth year.
14. At six, Billy learned Russian, French, German, and Hebrew, and soon after, Turkish and Armenian.
15. Calculated mentally a day any date in history would fall at age six. Absolutely fascinated by calendars.
16. Learned Gray's Anatomy at six. Could pass a student medical examination.
17. Billy started grammar school at six, in 3 days 3rd grade, graduated grammar school in 7 months.
18. At age 8, Billy surpassed his father (a genius) in mathematics.
19. Corrected E. V. Huntington's mathematics text galleys at age of eight.
20. Total recall of everything he read.
21. Wrote four books between ages of four and eight. Two on anatomy and astronomy, lost.
22. Passed Harvard Medical School anatomy exam at age seven.
23. Passed MIT entrance exam at age eight.
24. Intellect surpassed best secondary school teachers.
25. At age 10, in one evening, corrected Harvard logic professor Josiah Royce's book manuscript: citing, "wrong paragraphs."
26. Attempted to enroll in Harvard at nine.
27. In 1909, became youngest student to ever enroll at Harvard at age 11.
28. In 1910, at age 11, lectured Harvard Mathematical Club on 'Four-Dimensional Bodies.'
29. Billy graduated from Harvard, cum laude, on June 24, 1914, at age 16.
30. Billy entered Harvard Law School in 1916.
31. Billy could learn a whole language in one day!
32. Billy knew all the languages (approximately 200) of the world, and could translate among them instantly!

Unfortunately, all these accomplishments made Sidis something of a freak in the eyes of the public, fostered in part by the press. According to this site, Sidis...

...graduated cum laude at the age of sixteen. In 1918, he began teaching mathematics at Rice University in Texas. The annoyance of constant media attention finally took its toll. Quitting his teaching post, the young man moved back to Boston and, after a notorious arrest at a socialist march, disappeared from sight.

In 1924, a reporter found him in New York City, working in a Wall Street office for menial pay. Sidis told the reporter that he was not the boy-wonder he once was. He wanted anonymity and a menial job that made no demands on him. Soon afterwards, he dropped out of sight again.
As an adult, Sidis had one great passion. A passion that has intrigued psychologists and writers for years. Sidis spent hours every day in search of street car transfers. He would chase them through windy lots, chisel them from icy sidewalks and rescue them from rainy gutters. During his lifetime, he collected over two thousand of them, all different.

In 1926, he published a book on the subject of his hobby. The book, Notes on the Collection of Transfers, is, to say the least, esoteric. Sidis filled it with page after page of detailed information on how the transfers are interpreted, how to use them to their best advantage and the techniques used by the devoted "peridromophile" (his term for a someone who collects street car transfers) to find abandoned transfers. For those with merely a passing interest in the subject, he provided a chapter of bad street car jokes. Sidis used the pseudonym, "Frank Folupa" to throw the press off the track, but it did not work. The book was quickly ascribed to him and once again, Sidis had to flee from the curious eyes of the press. Losing himself in the crowded streets of New York City.

Sidis managed to stay out of view for many years after that. Until 1937, when a writer working for New Yorker magazine found him in a run down rooming house in South Boston. Sidis told the reporter that he was no longer the mathematical genius he once was. "The very sight of a mathematical formula," he claimed, "makes me physically ill." When the New Yorker article appeared, Sidis sued for invasion of privacy. Acting as his own attorney, Sidis offered to take an I.Q. test to prove just how normal he was. The suit was thrown out of court.
Again the world forgot about him, until 1944, when, at the age of 46, William James Sidis died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

A much more favorable review of Sidis' life is presented by author Robert M. Pirisigin his book, "Lila: An inquiry into morals."

"Back down in the plains, in a country motel one night with nothing to read, Phædrus had found a small dog-eared Yankee magazine, thumbed through it, and stopped on a brief account by Cathie Slater Spence entitled, 'In Search of the April Fool.'

It was about a child prodigy who had possibly the highest intelligence ever observed, and who in his later life went nowhere. 'Born on April 1, 1898,' it said, 'William James Sidis could speak five languages and read Plato in the original Greek by the age of five. At eight he passed the entrance for Harvard but had to wait three years to be admitted. Even so he became Harvard's youngest scholar and graduated cum laude in 1914 at the age of 16. Frequently featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not, Sidis made the front page of the New York Times 19 times.'

"But after graduating from Harvard, the 'Boy Wonder' pursued his own obscure and seemingly meaningless interests. The press that had lionized him turned on him. The most scathing example came in the New Yorker in 1937. Entitled 'April Fool,' the magazine article ridiculed everything from Sidis's hobbies to his physical characteristics. Sidis sued for libel and invasion of privacy. Though he won a small out-of-court settlement for libel, the invasion of privacy charge was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark decision. 'The article is merciless in its dissection of intimate details of its subject's personal life,' the court conceded, but Sidis was 'a public figure' and thus could not claim protection from the interest of the press, which continued to hound him until his death in 1944. Obituaries called him 'a prodigious failure' and 'a burnt-out genius' who had never achieved anything of significance despite his talents.

"Dan Mahony of Ipswich, Massachusetts, read about Sidis in 1976 and was puzzled. 'What was he really doing and thinking all that time?' Mahony wondered. 'It's true he held low-paying jobs, but Einstein came up with the theory of relativity while working in a patent office. I had a feeling Sidis was up to more than most people thought.'

"Mahony has spent the last ten years looking into Sidis's work. In one dusty attic, he found a bulky manuscript called The Tribes and the States in which Sidis argues persuasively that the New England political system was profoundly influenced by the democratic federation of the Penacook Indians.

"At this sentence, a kind of shock passed through Phædrus, but the article went on.

"When Mahony sent Sidis's book The Animate and Inanimate to another eccentric genius, Buckminster Fuller, Fuller found it 'a fine cosmological piece' that astoundingly predicted the existence of black holes — in 1925!

"Mahony has unearthed a science fiction novel, economic, and political writings, and 89 weekly newspaper columns about Boston that Sidis wrote under a pen name. 'The amazing thing is that we may only have tapped the surface of what Sidis produced,' says Mahony. 'For instance, we've found just one page of a manuscript called The Peace Paths, and people who knew Sidis have said they saw many more manuscripts. I think Sidis may still have a few surprises in store for us.'

"Phædrus set down the magazine and felt as though someone had thrown a rock through the motel window. Then he read the article over and over again in a sort of daze, as the impact of what he was reading sank deeper and deeper. That night he could hardly sleep.

"It looked as though way back in the thirties Sidis had been on exactly the same thesis about Indians. He was trying to tell people some of the most important things that could be said about their country and they were rewarding him by publicly calling him a 'fool' and failing to publish what he had written. There didn't even seem to be any way to find out what Sidis had said.

Phædrus tried to contact the Mahony mentioned in the article but couldn't find him, partly, he supposed, because his effort was only half-hearted. He knew that even if he did get a look at Sidis' material there wasn't much he could do about it. The problem wasn't that it wasn't true. The problem was that nobody was interested."

It's interesting that Pirisig wrote about Sidis, since there seems to be a bit of similarity: both leading hermit type lives, and both interested in the influence of American Indians on American Culture (in terms of democracy and speech patterns i.e. the way cowboys talk.). For more information on Pirsig, you might want to check out this site.

If you haven't seen it yet...

... 2Blowhards has posted a review of the L.A. Cathedral.

The most UK important news story of the day

Beer prices to rise by 10p a pint

And the reason isn't what would have been your first guess...

The cost of a pint of beer is expected to rise by 10p, partly because of increasing pension and national insurance costs

More on the English language and blogs

The other day I posted on Bushisms, and how they are actually "embettering" us. Well, in fairness to President Bush, I've decided to post silly words from the Left...and what could be more Left than the Entertainment industry?

Here are a few new words to try out from the Lost Remote's TV Jargon Dictionary:

anticipointment: What viewers experience when you fall short of their expectations after over-promoting a story or show.
preemptnition: The feeling you have when you realize the story that took you over a week to produce is about to get bumped from the show.
viewser A cross between a viewer and a user: A TV viewer who goes online.

You know, I think I could do this to. How about these, related to St Blogs?

bloggser a person who has more than one blog, such as Pete Vere, who blogs here and here and sometimes here
bloggstic: a mystic-type blog, a person who runs such a blog would then be called a bloggsticker (with a "k"), such as the sites at Flos Carmeli and more last than star
homeblogger: often confused with people who blog from home, rather than from work, but really these are homeschooling type bloggers, such as Oblique House and More Like Mary, Less Like Martha
pogg: a pontificating blog, and a pontificating blogger would then be called a pogger...common decency says that I shouldn't post any examples.

Do you *suffer* whilst sitting at your desk?

Then this product is for you...

GasBGon

Now here's an interesting thought...

Religious education not focused on real Islamic teachings has led to an increased crime rate among Muslims in the country, said Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. ... The Prime Minister said many students who went to religious schools were not taught Islamic values but instead received more emphasis on politics. ... He expressed his embarrassment that over 90% of incest and sexual offenders were Malays although they formed only 60% of the population.

PM: Wrong religious teachings to blame for rising crime rate

French history buff?

A 36-year-old-man has killed himself with a home-made guillotine, a source close to the police investigation of the case said. ... The source said Boyd Taylor had built a timer to activate the device in the early hours of Monday morning and that he had been found by his father.

A timer? And one other question ... didn't the parents find it a bit strange that there son had a guillotine in his bedroom?

Man Kills Himself with Home-Made Guillotine

Australian Bishops back Pope’s ‘no to war’ campaign

BBC discovers that there are some big churches in the US

At a time when British churches are being sold off to developers or bulldozed to make way for something more popular, America's Mega-churches, which can seat thousands of people at a time, are booming. ... And in this new Religi-business some of the Mega-churches market themselves more like shopping malls than places of quiet religious contemplation.

You know, I was thinking that this isn't really so strange...We have here in Madrid - so I've been told - one of Europe's largest mosques. And I've been told that they have a restaurant at the mosque that is open to the public and serves delicious food.

Mega-Churches

Mirror, Mirror ... where's the unluckiest family of all?

- The fire was the third experienced by the Dolamores and the second to destroy a family home. Just last fall the family moved to Wabamun, about 60 kilometres west of Edmonton, from the southern Alberta town of Magrath, where they had lost everything after a fire destroyed their two-storey home on July 15, 2000.

- RCMP said Jessica Dolamore was home with four of the children Saturday evening when a man wearing a dark balaclava burst into the house demanding money. When she refused, he sprayed her and her 18-year-old daughter with what appeared to be gasoline.

- In November 1998, the Dolamores made national headlines when their infant daughter Hannah was accidentally exposed to formalin, a diluted solution of formaldehyde, while in an incubator at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital.

I don't know if this is a poor judgement call on my part, but do you think maybe this family has a problem "misunderestimating," or am I being too "foreign-handed."

Woman set on fire during Alberta home invasion

Is this a new hybrid rooster?

A cockfight has turned deadly in the Philippines -- for a handler. ... Police say a rooster, about to be set loose for a bout in a crowded arena, attacked its handler with razor-sharp steel spikes strapped to its legs. ... The spikes hit the stunned man's thigh and groin, causing him to bleed profusely in front of the shocked crowd. The man died en route to a hospital.

Would it be too much to admit that I've actually attended a few cockfights in Peru...and I didn't find it overly disgusting. I also found out that my wife is very good at selecting winning roosters - her family had raised them. I actually kind of enjoyed the "family atmosphere" (yes, there were entire families attending) at one place we went, where you could eat a meal (broiled chicken?) above the pit, and have a pitcher of beer, while bets were being placed. And we are talking about some big dollars being passed around just over some scrawny birds. Okay, hit me with the flames.

Rooster Kills Handler During Cockfight

Some strange links...

I was surfing and went to the CN, Catholic News site, and saw this article that some have already posted on...Vatican says sex-change operation does not change person's gender

After years of study, the Vatican's doctrinal congregation has sent church leaders a confidential document concluding that "sex-change" procedures do not change a person's gender in the eyes of the church.

Consequently, the document instructs bishops never to alter the sex listed in parish baptismal records and says Catholics who have undergone "sex-change" procedures are not eligible to marry, be ordained to the priesthood or enter religious life, according to a source familiar with the text

But what I really found interesting, was some of the links to the above story on that same Catholic News site...

One quite interesting link was the The Christian Transsexual/transgender Page, hosted by "Anita the Reverent Wena Dian Parry," formerly known as the Rev. Bill Parry, and which spouts "theology" such as this (please note all the mis-spellings, etc. are not mine...

It's not the building, nor the denomination but a people who love and serve God. It is a body of people not the edifice or the organization.

Unfortunately as in any group of people some will want to be 'boss', the 'king of the castle' and this often happens in 'Church'. That person will often want to make his/her own rules just like the Scribes and Phrases did in the time of the New Testament. They made up such rules that where hard for the people to keep, well nay impossible without being a real minister.

That's it blame it on the Phrases, and while we're at it, why not on the grammarians also...

Also, on the Catholic News site, there was a link to Christian transgender resources, which if you play around on the site, you get advise such as this...

How do I reconcile crossdressing with Christianity?

I can't "reconcile" them. In order for there to be reconciliation, there must first be a conflict, and I know of no such conflict!

How convenient....

And the Catholic News site has another link to a BBC article about the "Rev" Parry, titled Sex-change pastor sues Christian centre. In this article besides the suit, we also learn that the journalist are also struggling with their PCness...

- Dian Parry - once known to his congregation as the Rev Bill Parry - is claiming sexual discrimination because she was told to use the gents. ... Father-of-three Ms Parry, 62, turned up for the prayer meeting at the Vine Christian Centre in Maesteg.

- Ms Parry, from Croeserw, near Port Talbot, has been living as a woman for three years and underwent her gender realignment in February 2001.

- But she and his wife of 41 years, Anita, who is standing by her, wanted to carry on worshipping.

Father? Ms Parry? Realignment - isn't that something to do with cars and wheels? She and his wife - shouldn't it be he and his, or she and her?

Everybody's copying Pete these days

Saddam Actually Just Doing Research for Book on Weapons of Mass Destruction

Under President Bush English language shows how flexible it is

The list of most important words of 2002 was drawn up with help from visitors to the yourDictionary.com Web site and from the site's group of linguists, who monitor the use of the English language around the world.

They include the so-called Bushisms; misunderestimate (to seriously underestimate), embetter (to make emotionally better -- the opposite of embitter), resignate (as in "They said this issue wouldn't resignate with the people") and foreign-handed (as in "I have a foreign-handed foreign policy").

I think I should use each of those words in future posts, so that they resignate with the people and embetter them. I realize that this could be quite difficult, but I may be misunderestimating myself, or it may even be as a result of this site being a bit foreign-handed.

Don't Misunderestimate Bushisms; They Resignate

Interesting how Vatican is repeating message every day

Could it be that perhaps they think people aren't listening?

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states, says he thinks the United States can still change its position on a possible attack against Iraq.

"There is still time to remind all of the need to favor loyal dialogue and the importance of the mechanisms of the United Nations whose objective is to solve conflicts and differences among nations," he said in an interview published today in the Parisian newspaper Le Figaro.

The French archbishop did not exclude the possibility that the Holy See will send mediators to Iraq to help stave off war, although he made it clear that in this connection "there is no plan under way."

Regarding North Korea, which has rejected the agreements on nuclear nonproliferation, Archbishop Tauran expressed his deep concern. "The threat of the use of atomic arms poses a unique challenge," he said.

"A constant dialogue must be maintained at all costs with Pyongyang, avoiding the isolation of North Korea, but at the same time committing the partners to apply the disarmament treaties," the archbishop said.

Holy See Believes War in Iraq Is Still Avoidable

Hmmm...

Israel is embarking upon a more aggressive approach to the war on terror that will include staging targeted killings in the United States and other friendly countries, former Israeli intelligence officials told United Press International.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has forbidden the practice until now, these sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

What do you think? If you're against it, you may want to reconsider US policy as well...

Israel to kill in U.S., allied nations

Interesting read...

A spy who can't come in from the cold.

I’M VERY HAPPY," Reda Hassaine said, a few minutes before almost breaking down in tears. His joy came from his role in gathering evidence against Abu Qatada, an extremist Muslim cleric said to be a key al-Qaeda figure, who had just been arrested in London.
That was last October. Less than three months later, his usefulness compromised after he was told his cover had been blown, Hassaine has been dumped by his former handlers in the intelligence services and left out in the cold, an unprotected target for the Islamist extremists he once spied on.

Hassaine, 41, is an Algerian Muslim who has infiltrated militant Islamist groups for the secret services in Algeria and France, for Scotland Yard’s Special Branch and for M15. He says that Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza, another London-based Islamist, “raise money, encourage people to kill, claim assassinations”. He knows because he has seen them at work.

Muslim spy who infiltrated Bin Laden's terror network in London

Is there going to be an official "smeller?"

Proposed new city rules would ban spitting, defecating, smoking, skateboarding, and stinking on city buses. ... The regulations ban anyone who "emanates a grossly repulsive odor that is unavoidable by other Bend Extended Area Transit customers" from being in the bus station or on a bus.

And how do you measure this? Couldn't it be a bit subjective...for example certain brands of cologne? I'm afraid while I don't enjoy riding next to "smelly" people, this sounds like Big Govt has been smoking something funny...

City Wants To Ban Smelly People From Buses

Demonstrating German health-care sucks

But does this pun work in German?

Dr Johannes Bruck has hired a mobile military clinic and will park it at Potsdamer Platz, the revitalised centre of the German capital, at noon on Saturday. ... He vows to accept anyone who wants to have liposuction. Patients will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis, said the chief physician at Martin Luther Hospital in Berlin

Public liposuction to show health-care sucks

Must be something in the air?

There's a common thread... - in the US Joshua Claybourn for the past few days has been asking "What is an American?" - Which prompted Rachel at Cre8d from the Southern Hemisphere... - And now I see that John at Iberian Notes in Barcelona today has some related comments (on purpose?)

- And me? I posted some comments at Joshua's site yesterday, and which vary a bit from John's, but here is a sampling of them:

There is another issue though that hasn't been mentioned...It's still not correct to say American is a nationality. The truth of the matter is that all you know is that it's a person from the "Americas," and you certainly don't know if that person is a US citizen.

Canadians are Americans, as are Mexicans, and those in South America. I know many Latinos that actually get a bit peeved when some US citizens call themselves Americans and don't even for a minute think about all the others. My wife and all her relatives consider themselves Americans (they're from Peru) - which is correct in Spanish -and in other languages and cultures.

When people ask us, we always say we're Americans, as we are from the Americas - I just happen to be from North America, and my wife from South America. ... Using "American" in any other is inaccurate, and confusing...at witnessed by the confusion of using the term as if it reflected a philosophy.

2) ..... using an "American" dictionary i.e. Webster's, to define what is "American" is a bit tricky...So, using the Royal Academia Spanish language dictionary (the Official dictionary for all Spanish speakers)...an "American," is defined as:

- 1) somebody who is from the "Americas,"2) pertains to the Americas, 3) an indigenous person of the Americas, and its 4) only in the 4th definition that it's a US Citizen. The 5th) definition, and last, is for a blazer (you know a jacket) .... Interestingly enough "Americas" in general is in reference to foreign lands, and people seeking a fortune to later return home...

There is a quality "Americanismo," which is somewhat similary to the "Idea" that some are suggesting: ... - the quality or condition of being an American 2) in character generally American, 3) a love of things typically American, 4) a dedication to the study of things American, etc, etc. - But again, this "idea or love of American things," would have to be understood in light of the definition of what is an American....

All to say, it's difficult to argue as some were of "American" being an idea, because it relates to how that subject is being viewed from a particular culture.

I'm sure this La Carré article will get lots of people talking...

Link via Andrew Sullivan

You may or may not agree with John Le Carré's article, but these two paragraphs struck me, as they are similar to a post I had last week on Christian War Theories from evangelical Ronald Kirkemo's book "Between the Eagle & the Dove."

Le Carré:

Those who are not with Mr Bush are against him. Worse, they are with the enemy. Which is odd, because I’m dead against Bush, but I would love to see Saddam’s downfall — just not on Bush’s terms and not by his methods. And not under the banner of such outrageous hypocrisy.

The religious cant that will send American troops into battle is perhaps the most sickening aspect of this surreal war-to-be. Bush has an arm-lock on God. And God has very particular political opinions. God appointed America to save the world in any way that suits America. God appointed Israel to be the nexus of America’s Middle Eastern policy, and anyone who wants to mess with that idea is a) anti-Semitic, b) anti-American, c) with the enemy, and d) a terrorist.

Kirkemo

"As a ruling institution the government has authority over other groups and organizations in society, placing it above individual means. When then features of authority and elevated prestige are combined with the historical continuity and permanence of the nation, the state can take on the appearance of a transcendent entity. And that quality can make it seem like a moral being. It can become a transcendent, moral master whose prestige and welfare are the standards for judging actions and attitudes, and whose goals of fame and power provide purpose and meaning. The state is transformed into a glorified semidivinity that receives a patriotism so intense that it borders on religious fervor and taht provides a mantle of morality which envelops those who praise it, support it and carry out its policies. Some Christians who have held this view have unnecessarily interlocked their obligation to Christ and their obligation to this moral state."

"Another similar perspective belongs to those who believe God has divinely ordained and blessed their nation. Possible reasons for this are that its people and government are far superior to those of other nations, that the Founding Fathers (despite their deistic beliefs) are idealized as agents of God assigned to the task of creating a "Christian nation" or that all governments are God's tool and are therefore holy and blessed."

A big Wednesday thanks...

I just saw that John Hawkins at Right Wing News named ibidem as the website of the day...thanks much!

And to really round things out, thanks to Nathan Newman for the link!

Roundup use leads to wacky weeds?

Weeds are beginning to show resistance to Roundup. You say so what? Well consider this, a key component of Roundup is glyphosate, which is used in other herbicides. Does this mean that Roundup is contributing to the possibility of the planet becoming over-run by weeds, as if in some mad sci-fi novel?

The resistance is currently found only in a few types of weeds, crop scientists say, and farmers can easily use other herbicides to kill those weeds. .... But some scientists are concerned that the resistance could spread, rendering Roundup herbicide less useful. That would be a problem for farmers because glyphosate is by far the most popular weed-killing chemical in the world. It is considered relatively benign in environmental terms and safe enough for use in home gardens, and it helps farmers control weeds without the tilling that can contribute to soil erosion. ... Weed specialists say it might be hard to find good replacements, in part because the very success of Roundup has cut profits from other herbicides, causing farm chemical companies to reduce investments in developing new ones.

Weed specialists? I might have known a few of them in high school...But I digress, the weed specialists of the Weed Science Society of America "to discuss if Roundup is being overused and will perhaps recommend restraint." And just how serious could this be...well look at this statistics...

Besides soybeans, about 65 percent of the cotton and 10 percent of the corn grown in the United States contains the Roundup Ready gene, according to Monsanto. Roundup Ready canola, an oilseed crop, is widely grown in Canada. Monsanto is also developing Roundup Ready wheat, alfalfa and grass for use largely on golf courses.

And this note:

Scientists say herbicides should be varied to prevent a buildup of resistance. Yet many farmers are now using only glyphosate, they say. Rotating crops usually helps deter resistance because different herbicides are used with different crops. But now some farmers are rotating Roundup Ready soybeans with Roundup Ready cotton or corn, meaning that the same herbicide is used every year. And with Roundup Ready crops, the herbicide may be used both before seeds are planted and while the crops are growing. ... When farmers plant the other major type of genetically modified crop, containing an insect-resistance gene known as BT, the government requires a portion of the fields to be planted with non-BT crops in order to slow the development of insects resistant to the toxin produced by the BT gene. But the government has no rules for Roundup Ready crops.

Less anybody think this is just a crazy NYT article, here are few other related articles:
Glyphosate Resistance Dominates Weed Science Meetings
Acrylamide In Cooked Foods: The Glyphosate Connection
Glyphosate Fact Sheet

Still don't think it's an issue...well what if you own some land and want to sell it?

RESISTANT WEEDS THREATEN MAJOR CASH IMPACT ON LAND VALUES IN US
The US is being hit by Roundup Ready resistant weeds and an independent market research study, which has been discreetly circulating and has been seen by GM WATCH, says Roundup Ready resistance is set to hit the economic value of farmland wiping around 17% off US land rentals. What's more, 46% of the farm managers surveyed in the study said weed resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, is now their top weed-resistance concern. The report warns, "Suddenly, glyphosate-resistant weeds have become more than an in-season production and profitability issue. They can also affect the long-term value of farmland". It also says, "These survey findings should make both farm managers and landowners take notice" because "The economic consequences are significant" and can represent for landowners "a major loss of cash flow

Overheard nearby...

"Well, you may be a liar, but I'm not...just because you're always running around telling lies, doesn't mean that I do," said an employee to his boss.

"I just think it's very strange (this missing assignment)," the boss replied.

"Look, I'll call them and you'll see I'm telling the truth. I'm an honest person."

At this stage the voices became quite animated, and I was beginning to feel sorry for the poor chap.

"I only lied about that one assignment, and that was a long time ago. You can't hold that against me now!

Indeed...

I've got a chandelier floating somewhere around in Caracas

Last week my sister-in-law was bringing from Lima, Peru a chandelier to match the one already in our salon. We've done this before, having items brought over from Peru with family members - including a previous chandelier - and there's never been a problem before.

But not so this time.

Maybe it's because the flight had a layover in Caracas. All I know is that all the bags arrived, minus the large box - marked fragile - and holding our antique chandelier. The airline claims they have 45 days to find it, before having to reimburse us. For some reason, I think we may have an argument over the value of the lamp - and if it does appear, something tells me it might not be in the best condition...

All to say, as your watching the news out of Venezuela, keep an eye out - maybe somebody in that crowd has my lamp!

Venezuela VP: Gov't Would Accept Ruling

Anger is growing on both sides as the strike drags into its sixth week. It has hurt oil production in the world's fifth largest exporter and depleted store shelves. Chavez's opponents call him authoritarian and unfit to govern, while his supporters of the leftist former paratrooper accuse strikers of trying to force a coup.

On Tuesday, an airliner headed to the Dominican Republic was forced to return to Caracas when passengers staged an on-board protest targeting an ally of Chavez.

They shook fold-out trays and shouted to protest the presence of retired Gen. Belisario Landis, Venezuela's ambassador in Santo Domingo, shortly after the Aeropostal-Alas de Venezuela flight left the ground. The pilots returned to Caracas, and everyone on board was evacuated.

The Boeing 727 took off again an hour later, after passengers promised not to disrupt the flight again.

Have you received a phone message from the Pope?

The Pope is spreading the word through a new text messaging service in which he sends subscribers a thought for the day by SMS. ... The new service is initially available only in Italian but it will soon also be available in other languages.

Pope spreads the Word by SMS

I don't know, but something just doesn't seem right about this...

You got to check out the picture...

The provocative direction – featuring male models with fake breasts under figure-hugging knitwear – was sent down the catwalk by outrageous British designer Vivienne Westwood in the mens' autumn winter 2003 shows held this week.

And while the effect may look outrageous today, fashion commentators reckon Sydney men may just end up adopting it – in a few years' time.

Actually, now that I think of it, I have already seen a few men wearing these...but they usually stand on dark street corners in suspect parts of the city...

What would Freud say? Reverse-penis envy gone haywire?

Making a clean breast of fashion

Good question...where's the independent press?

The article makes a good point, even if they do brag a bit about themselves...

The worldwide turmoil caused by President Bush's policies goes not exactly unreported, but entirely de-emphasised. Guardian writers are inundated by emails from Americans asking plaintively why their own papers never print what is in these columns (in my experience, these go hand-in-hand with an equal number insulting us for the same reason). In the American press, day after day, the White House controls the agenda. The supposedly liberal American press has become a dog that never bites, hardly barks but really loves rolling over and having its tummy tickled.

Indeed, there is hardly any such thing as the liberal press. Since Watergate, the Post has acquired a virtual monopoly over the Washington newspaper market, grown fat and - frankly - journalistically flabby. Its op-ed page is notable for its turgid prose, its conservative slant, and the apologetic tone of its more liberal contributors.

Bushwhacked

If this keeps up, Bush might have problems...

Republican senators gathering last Wednesday for their session-opening ''retreat'' should have been happy, blessed with a regained majority and a popular president. They were not. Instead, they complained bitterly of arrogance by the Bush administration, especially the Pentagon, in treatment of Congress along the road to war.

Two years of growing discontent boiled over during the closed-door meeting at the Library of Congress. White House chief of staff Andrew Card was there to hear grievances from President Bush's Senate base that it is ignored and insulted by the administration, particularly by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in preparing for war against Iraq. Recital of complaints began with Sen. John Warner, a pillar of the Senate GOP establishment.

Interesting that about Rumsfeld...have to admit he has looked a bit smarmy and arrogant in quite a few of the press conferences I've watched...

GOP senators on the warpath

Well now, "it's an idea..."

Build a giant lava lamp and they will come? ... Worried that visitors don't stop at Soap Lake any more even though its medicinal waters reputedly can cure anything from sheep parasites to snake bite, civic leaders are seriously considering trying to revive the tourist trade with a psychedelic blast from the past: a towering 60-foot-high lava lamp in the center of downtown, complete with viewing platform.

I've been to Soap Lake, and have to say, there ain't much to see...

Can a Giant Lava Lamp Save the Town?

Science and religion co-existing?

Israeli geologists said they have examined a stone tablet detailing repair plans for the Jewish Temple of King Solomon that, if authenticated, would be a rare piece of physical evidence confirming biblical narrative.

Old tablet from King Solomon's Temple

It's a mystery for the Hardy Boys

I'm still trying to figure out why yesterday as I was walking home I came across a pile of snow at a little used intersection. To understand, there is no snow in Madrid, and no cars are driving around with snow on them. There's snow in the hills, but it would melt by the time a car drove into town, and then scraped it off. Also I can't figure out why a large truck - if that's where it came from - would drive to that particular off-the-track intersection to unload snow. And I don't think it was anybody cleaning out their fridge either, nor fallen from a plane. So what could it be from? Aliens? A secret government weapon of mass destruction? Where are the Hardy Boys when you need them...

Serial killers and Vicks vapor rub?

T.S. O'Rama explains it all...

David Yeagley's got some interesting comments...

... at Bad Eagle on "The Faith of Indians," in particular noting:

Today, there are many Indians in America who retain traditional ways. It should be understood as religion. It is religion, not "tradition." For Indians, as for Christians, Jews, Moslems, or Budhists, these ways are connected to eternity, to the "other side." No one would reprehend anyone for paying heed to his beliefs about eternity.

That same post also has an illustration of the point taken from Shirely Temple's autobiography when in 1938, "Shirely (then 10 years old) starred in Susannah of the Mounties, a Canadian film with twelve Blackfoot Indian 'chiefs' who had bit parts. (The film was released by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1939)."

I'm afraid I don't follow the logic of this post...via Unqualified Offerings

Robin Goodfellow has this to say with respect to WWII internment, which seems to be saying that nobody - least of all Europeans (and Canadians?) - can offer criticism since they were guilty of the same crimes.

It's interesting how the American internment of Japanese for 4 years during WWII is constantly used as an example of America's unique evil and racism. When revisiting the subject rarely, if ever, is the Canadian example brought up. At least in America the internee families were kept together, in Canada (which also rounded up Japanese Canadian citizens) the men and women were separated from each other and the men were sent into forced labor. And we all know, I hope, how Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria scored on the racial sensitivity scale during WWII. I find the ability of Europe especially to "misremember" facts so as to paint themselves as lilly-white angels and the US as brutish and uncivilized thugs to be quite remarkable.

Well, first off I'm not so sure that anybody is trying to really use the American internment issue as an example of "America's unique evil and racism," on the other hand, racism and the fact of the internment are issues that can't be ignored.

And I certainly don't think many in Europe are running around painting themselves as "lilly-white angels." In fact, there still is a lot of shame and pain being felt for past behaviours. (The Republic of Lithuania issuing apologies for their part in Holocaust or Poland Apologises to Jews, etc.)

And since I seriously doubt anybody would suggest that the US WWII policy was worse than Germany's, I tend to take the criticism of the internment as a reminder that we weren't so innocent ourselves - and that we did hurt some of our citizens. But to use the argument that other countries did it too, or treated their citizens worse than we treated our, just doesn't wash. Not only does it sound overly defensive, but it smells of moral relativism. Wrong is wrong.

On a sidenote, the post above has hyperlinks on the countries listed. I note that on Spain's link the subject is the bombing of Guernica (1937), which while a horrific event, I'm not sure it best suits the argument. Guernica wasn't purely a "racial issue," yes, the village was Basque, but it was also a political issue, not to mention a payback for being supporters of the Republican government and part of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The Guernica bombing was also prior to WWII - Sept. 1, 1939 - (although it was a "training exercise for the Germans").

Could there have been some racial motives involved for bombing Guernica? Sure. But, from the standpoint of Franco the region was also a hotbed of Anarchists, Communists, and Carlists - not to mention these nationalistic Basques who wanted to break off from Spain and form their own country. It had to more to do with their political ideologies, than with their race.

Even the website listed by Goodfellow, says as much:

Guernica is the cultural capital of the Basque people, seat of their centuries-old independence and democratic ideals. It has no strategic value as a military target. Yet some time later, a secret report to Berlin was uncovered in which Von Richthofen stated, "...the concentrated attack on Guernica was the greatest success," making the dubious intent of the mission clear: the all-out air attack had been ordered on Franco's behalf to break the spirited Basque resistance to Nationalist forces. Guernica had served as the testing ground for a new Nazi military tactic - blanket-bombing a civilian population to demoralize the enemy. It was wanton, man-made holocaust.

General Franco wasn't called the "Butcher of Asturias" for nothing.

Franco earned the "nickname" after being charged to crush the 1934 miners strike in Asturias that was backed by the Anarchist, Socialist and Communist parties and which was basically a violent, armed insurrection. In a foretaste of just a few years later, Franco arrived in Asturias with his North African troops and admidst murder, rape and torture, an additional 2,000 miners were killed.

But, since we're using pre-WWII items, maybe a better example would have been the expelling of the Jews in 1492 by the Catholic Kings. Now that was racially motivated.

Something tells me this kid is going to be rich

The software was tested by scientists at University College, Dublin last week and they found it boosted surfing speeds by between 100 and 500 percent depending on the basic dial-up connection rate. ... Adnan says a six-fold increase is about the maximum practical boost. ... "At seven times it actually crashes so I have limited it to six." ... Other special aspects of his browser are the fact that access to 120 Internet search engines and other features such as music and video players are built in. ... "It has got every single media player built in. It is the first Internet browser in the world to actually incorporate a DVD sidebar. So you can watch a DVD movie in whatever screen size you want and browse the Internet at the same time." ... To make the software more user friendly, it features a talking animated figure called Phoebe. ... "The character interacts the entire way through the software. It can also read out Web pages and e-mail and I thought it would be really useful for the blind and young children because they can't really experience the Internet.

Internet browser that quadruples surf speed wins Irish science prize

This reminds me of a story...

A good friend of mine had been playing Quake for an entire day, never leaving his room, when suddenly around a corner in the game popped a creature to shoot at him ... and my friend fainted, to awaken later on the floor. He closed up the game, and as far as I know, doesn't really play computer games anymore...

Now, to this story in the news today...

A Hong Kong computer game enthusiast has been found slumped dead at a terminal in a game centre after playing non-stop for hours, police said on Sunday. ... The 28-year-old was found slumped at his screen early on Saturday after he apparently had played the online game Diablo II since early Friday evening. ... A policeman found him in the game centre shortly after 1am, five hours after he began playing the popular game, according to reports.

Computer addict dead at screen

Spain continues to do its part to destabilize Iraqi govt

Social unrest threatens in Iraq as Spanish spy seduces pop idol ?

The United States is threatening to invade Iraq to remove President Saddam Hussein over the country's alleged weapons of mass destruction program. ... But the media in Iraq and the rest of the Arab world is abuzz with reports that popular Iraqi singer Kazem al-Saher has left his Iraqi first wife for another woman. ... Newspaper sales rose on the news and tongues are wagging in Baghdad, where the heartthrob no longer lives and access to the lively Arabic entertainment media is limited. ... "He married her in Paris," said one woman in a fashion boutique in the affluent Karrada district of Baghdad. "No, but she's Spanish," her companion chirped in. "Anyhow he's free to do what he wants."

Singer's Love Life Takes Iraqis Minds Off War Talk

You get the feeling that some people just aren't listening...

No to War!" in Iraq and Holy Land, John Paul II Urges

It Is Always a Defeat for Humanity, He Emphasizes

John Paul II urged an emphatic "No to war!" in Iraq and the Holy Land, when he received the ambassadors of the world accredited to the Vatican.

After referring to "the feeling of fear which often dwells in the hearts of our contemporaries," and the "insidious terrorism capable of striking at any time anywhere," as well as "the unresolved problem of the Middle East," the Pope today exclaimed: "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity."

On the contrary, "international law, honest dialogue, solidarity between states, the noble exercise of diplomacy: These are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences," he said. "I say this as I think of those who still place their trust in nuclear weapons and of the all-too-numerous conflicts which continue to hold hostage our brothers and sisters in humanity."

"And what are we to say of the threat of war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than 12 years of embargo?" the Pope asked the representatives of the 177 countries accredited to the Vatican.

"War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations," the Pontiff stressed.

"As the charter of the United Nations organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations," he emphasized.

The Holy Father also referred to the conflict in the Holy Land and insisted that the "two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, are called to live side by side, equally free and sovereign, in mutual respect."

He reiterated, as he has on other occasions, that "the solution will never be imposed by recourse to terrorism or armed conflict, as if military victories could be the solution."

{Update: For more comments on the subject I see Mark Shea has now posted some thoughts...}

Now this is a bit strange..

...of course, the rest of the world's poor are thin because they can't eat!

One researcher blames the weight problems among the low-income and poor on government programs designed to keep them from going hungry, saying there’s too much focus on high-calorie intake and not enough – or any – on teaching healthy eating habits. ... "In a time of mass obesity, encouraging the poor to consume more food makes no sense at all," said the researcher, University of Maryland Professor Douglas Besharov.

Personally, I think the real problem is rich fat people, who not only eat too much - risking their health - but are also a risk to our pension system, etc. since a higher percentage of them (rather than the poor people - of course) are working in top executive positions for traded companies...

Research Links Food Stamps and Obesity

More on Rep. Susan Westrom's "confessional bill"

But Democratic Rep. Susan Westrom, a former therapist who worked with abused children, felt the law should go further. She said "horror stories" of sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church and Jehovah's Witnesses led her to introduce the legislation. "That just made my skin crawl," Westrom said Friday.

Ky. Bill to Repeal Clergy 'Silent Right'

And I'd always thought they were joking...

The Holy See's Apostolic Penitentiary has instructed bishops not to use email and fax to consult on matters covered by the seal of the confessional

Now I imagine some are going to argue for videophone confessions?

Vatican rules out confessions in cyberspace

Now this is sure to irritate some...

I was talking with a friend the other day who has traveled quite a bit, and he was telling me a few things about the growing anti-US sentiment in South Korea, a region that he knows fairly well. Here were his comments related to growing anti-US sentiment in South Korea, and the roots to its cause:

- resentment over the use by the US of Koreans in the Vietnam war...
Feared by the Vietnamese in a way that the Americans were not, 300,000 Korean soldiers contributed to the war effort from 1965 to 1973, a contribution second only to the United States

- outrage over the deaths of two schoolgirls...
Two US soldiers have been charged over the deaths of two South Korean schoolgirls who were struck by an armoured vehicle during a training exercise.

- and other questionable activities - with limited legal recourse. For too many years, South Korea had no jurisdiction over US military personnel involved in accidents while on duty. Only as recent as 2000, was this slightly modified.
Under the revised treaty, U.S. soldiers accused of murder, rape, arson, drug trafficking and eight other serious crimes would be turned over to South Korea upon indictment. In murder or rape cases, South Korean police would have the right to arrest and detain U.S. military suspects.

- reports that 100,000 South Koreans would die in any immediate conflict between the US and North Korea from the northern neighbour launching a missile attack.

That's why I found this article so interesting today...

President-elect Roh Moo Hyun has suggested that the tens of thousands of US troops in the country since the 1950-53 war could be gone within as little as a decade, giving Seoul responsibility for its own defence. ... "Senior military officials have to prepare a plan for a special emergency situation on the Korean peninsula when the US army moves away,' he said

'No US troops in S. Korea in decade'

And if the above hasn't ticked anybody off, well check this out from The Times of India

US, N Korea violate 1994 agreement

As North Korea predictably escalates its brinkmanship, and the United States belatedly begins to pay more attention, they provide a pointed reminder of a generally overlooked aspect of this latest Korean crisis: the fact that both North Korea and the United States have violated one crucial clause in their 1994 Agreed Framework.

The 1994 Agreed Framework was the first treaty-like accord reached by the US and the DPRK since the Korean Armistice was signed in 1953. The first section of it with the basic exchange -- a North Korean freeze on its nuclear weapons programme in return for the American promise to provide North Korea with two proliferation-proof light-water nuclear reactors

But there was a second and often forgotten section of the deal which promised something equally important -- that 'the two sides will move towards full normalization of political and economic relations.'

This is not a laughing matter...

An effective vaccine for diarrhoea could be available within 10 years, according to scientists at the forefront of research in Bangladesh. An estimated 1.5 million people throughout the world die of diarrhoea each year.

Diarrhoea vaccine 'within 10 years'

Check this out...

Tired of "plastic" computers, then howabout going for one of our wood models?

The cherry mouse looks okay, but a mahagony keyboard?

A Wood to Touch

Royal dogs could be traitors

But he said security experts would have advised the queen to take her beloved corgi dogs into the room with her in the event of an attack. ... "If you leave them outside, they'll sniff you out and their barking would give you away."

Panic Rooms to Protect British Royals -- and Dogs

...breaking up is hard to do...

He said: "I think some of the traditional members in the Church of Scotland may not be convinced by some of this, particularly the suggestion that there should be bishops. I think there could be a division within the Church of Scotland."

And what does this mean?

"This is about the way the church works not about the way the church worships and people will still be able to find the traditions that they are used to," he said.

Schism fear over plan for a 'super church'

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies have begun a surreptitious e-mail campaign inside Iraq...

Sorry, I just don't think this is going to work...besides from what I understand, even those who are opposed to Saddam Hussein are also strongly opposed to a US military intervention - it has something to do with a fear that many innocents (wives and children) could be killed. In other words, even if you're against the current regime, you'd still fight against the invaders if it meant protecting your family, wouldn't you? Just a thought...

U.S. e-mail attack targets key Iraqis

Is there a pattern here?

A Detroit police officer facing a possible charge for slicing off the finger of a motorist, shot and killed a 79-year-old disabled woman during a ruckus in her home in 1998

It's good to know they took the 1998 incident so seriously...

Woman's severed finger isn't Detroit cop's first trouble

Responding to Iberian Notes

John at Iberian Notes asks:

Jesús Gil II (c'mon, how can you defend Jesús Gil I? He dissed Luis Aragonés, the coach and lifetime colchonero, in public, and Luis Aragonés is much more the heart and soul of the Atlético than some sleazy corrupt building contractor who bought the team to increase his notoriety) ...

Well, the answer is I can't defend him. And, yes, Jesus Gil does seem to have questionable business tactics, and every year he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time in court...

- 1999: sent to prison, accused of using 450 million pesetas in funds from the Marbella city government that he headed...the money is said to have been used for Atletico de Madrid (this has never been proven, and the case is still being heard)

- 1998: fined 3 million pesetas for "injuring the honor" of Gerardo Gonzalez, the head of the Spanish football league

- 1998: not allowed to act as president of Atletico de Madrid for eight months, for phrases ahead of derby played against Real Madrid (Gil said such things as: "death to the invaders;" "we aren't going to let them rob us of this match;" "our fans have said, enough is enough;" "something serious could happen, because for Atletico there is much more at stake than just three points, and they could react violently."

1998: fined for smearing the honor of Josep Lluis Nunez, at the time the president of Barcelona football team.

1996: not allowed to act as president of Atletico de Madrid after attacking the president of the Santiago del Compostela football club

1990: couldn't represent Atletico de Madrid in UEFA play after accusing the French referee Michel Vautrot of being a homosexual.

1988: fined 1 million pesetas by the Bank of Spain

1987: fined for smearing the honor of a group of owners in Los Angeles de San Rafael, where a building he had contructed fell, killing 58 people.

1969: Sentenced to prison for 18 months and a fine of 400 million pesetas after the ceiling of a restaurant that he had built with substandard materials collapsed killing 58 people. He was indulted in 1971 by General Franco.

But with respect to Jesus Gil and Luis Aragones, and the latest "scandal", the comments made by Jesus Gil were never intended to be meant for Luis...Gil understands very well that if he even starts to hint the slightest thing disparaging toward Luis that the fans would never forgive him. For you non-football types, Luis Aragones is not only the Spanish football coach with the best win record, but is an idol for us Atleti fans - and widely respected by all footballers. Luis Aragones is a chain-smoking, swearing version of Tom Landry, to Jesus Gil's madcap Benny Hill.

But what Jesus Gil did say - and I agree with the thought behind, not the actual words - is that some players just don't care enough about the team. The truth of the matter is, that there is some deadwood hanging around, and Jesus Gil was speaking as many a fan feels. The problem as the president of the club, should be more careful before speaking.

Was what he said crass? Yep. Has he apologized? Yes. Was he sincere? You got me, the guy seems to do this on purpose to animate the players. On the other hand, look at this week's result...we beat Deportivo 3-1.

There's another way to look at this...Jesus Gil does what many a fan wishes they we could do, or say about opposing teams (come on, admit it - how many times have Redskin fans wanted to diss the Cowboys). The problem is that Jesus Gil is a hooligan who made it to president - he has said many a time that the most important thing for him (more than all his businesses and politics) is his football team. He's a mother's nightmare, the spoiled bully, who makes it "good."

So, I say, would I like to do business with Jesus Gil? No way...but I can still admire his passion for the team.

More on the Gypsy Queen

Sound's like a soap opera...anyway, John at Iberian Notes has got the entire story, here and here....

This isn't part of the old Steve Martin routine...

Brazilian women, beautiful but downtrodden by a macho Latin culture, look forward to a fairer deal in a new civil code.

The code, which updates social rules in Latin America's largest country of 170 million people, on Saturday formally ended many of the most sexist laws that allowed men to rule the roost in government, business and at home.

Replacing a 1916 text, the code states that a bridegroom can longer throw out his bride if he discovers that she is not a virgin. It also gives women equal rights to men in marriage.

Brazil ends sexist laws

Remember the wedding of the Gypsy Queen?

Well the latest news is that the wedding of the gypsy queen has been postponed till this summer. It appears that no town wanted to take in the 200 gypsies and 2,000 guests to celebrate the wedding.

It seems the 16-year old girl, Moraica Lobis, from France was supposed to marry a 22-year old chap, Marcelo Gonzalez, from Italy - and who is considered by this group to be a "Hungarian prince."

According to press, the current group of gypsies have 60 trailers pulled by "luxurious" all-terrain vehicles, whatever that means, and are all members of an evangelical church.

Spain seeing fewer seminarians

According to a recent report published in Spanish daily ABC, the number of seminarians in Spain last year dropped to just 1,797. Fifty years ago, that number would have been closer to around 7,000.

Perhaps the most alarming data though is that the average age of current priests in Spain is 65!

Last year, there were 28 dioceses that didn't provide a single seminarian in five national regions - Salamanca, Vitoria, San Sebastian, Gerona, Jaca and Palencia.