September 2007 archive

A short, somewhat meandering, but still memorable flick of Angela talkin’.

Which she does, as always, very well…

My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels;
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes;
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes;
Silver-white winters that melt into springs;
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.

^{Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers}

In Honor of buhdydharma’s successful move to Mexico and blog launch:

Please Drop The Torta
by Dog Staring Intently at You

So, I noticed you got a torta there. Nice torta, I might say. You got that at Ruchi’s, or is that possibly from Torta Mundo? See, I am what you could say a connoisseur of tortas. I even spotted you holding that torta from across the Jardín. But I noticed, you have not dropped the torta.

Okay, we both got all day, but that torta needs to take a fall. While you talk to your friend there, that torta is just dangling in your hand. You neglect your torta, while I cherish the ground it walks on. Speaking of the ground, please drop that torta there.

How can you resist my puppy seal stare? I worked on this sad look for hours back in the old days in Colonia San Rafael. It was not until I was able to bring tears to even the most hardened hearts with my big brown eyes did I earn the right to be a street dog in el Centro. Yet, you are resistant to my well-honed skills, refusing to drop that torta.

Please drop the torta. No? Oh please, oh please, oh please? Still no?
That’s cool. This one time, back in September, this totally drunk dude spilled trying to sit down on that very bench. And this dude, right, he totally dumps a whole box of pizza all over the ground when he bit it. I’m more of a torta dog myself, as you well know, but this was from Juanita’s. That’s choice. But the dude gets up, all pissed off you know, because of the pizza, and starts just flailing away with his arms and screaming and jumping up and down. Well, you know what kind of effect that could have on a drunk dude, and he totally blows chunks all over the bench. But get this, he totally misses the pizza. I ate well that night. I was hoping this long rambling tale would lure you to sleep, so you would drop that torta, helping to bring back those good well-fed times.

Oh, that was just cruel. Did you just pull off some bread for that pigeon, that rat with wings, just to spite me? What do you have against other mammals? Are you leading me to believe that if I walk around like a bad caricature of a 70s pimp going cooo cooo cooo, I am then worthy of that torta? Sir, please, let’s digress, and just drop that torta.

We’ve been at this for, what, 10 minutes now, and not only have you not dropped that torta, you haven’t even eaten it. While I have stared holes through you, using all my Jedi skills to get you to drop that torta, you have regaled your friend there with the latest cantina gossip. That’s great what that dude said after his fifth tequila, but you have wandered off from the issue at hand, the torta. And while she found what he said flattering, while in its own right funny as all heck, that jamon con queso amarillo should be the center of all of our attentions. I know it is mine. Please drop the torta.

No? Oh, well, okay then, I will just sit here and stare and stare and stare and stare…

——-

¡Viva Mexico cabrón, don’t ever be the dog with two tortas, or with none!

Thank you Joan Baez!

This diary is to express my admiration for Joan Baez, to thank her for all she has done, and to draw inspiration from her for the struggles that lie ahead.  Joan’s singing can fill me with the sublimest emotion and her voice and spirit have shepherded me through trial and tribulation over a lifetime punctuated by tragedy – as all of ours are.  Her voice washes through my troubled soul like a river of grace and mercy.  And one can’t help but admire and be moved by her personal courage and commitment to humanitarian and progressive causes.  She has not only fought, but has led us through many righteous battles.  She is a warrior for humanity, possessing the voice of an angel and the heart of a lion.

Four stories in the news at 4 o’clock. Simple, huh?

1. Two earthquakes shook Sumatra, Indonesia today, Bloomberg reports. “An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the coast of Indonesia’s Bengkulu province on Sumatra island, prompting countries bordering the Indian Ocean to evacuate people from coastal areas amid fears of a tsunami. ¶ The earthquake hit at 6:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency lifted its tsunami warning two hours later, though issued a second warning following a 6.6 magnitude quake in the same area at 9:40 p.m. It later lifted that warning too… ¶ Today’s quake, which shook buildings from Jakarta to Singapore, killed at least one person in Indonesia and injured five others.” Xinhua reports seven people were killed and “the number of fatalit[ies] was expected to rise as there were many collapsed buildings still uncounted.”

2. The Telegraph is reporting that the United States has confirmed an Israeli air strike on Syria. “A US official has confirmed that Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike ‘deep inside’ Syria, escalating tensions between the two countries. The target of the strike last Thursday remained unclear but Israeli media reported that a shipment of Iranian arms crossing Syria for use by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon was attacked… ¶ Another theory gaining ground yesterday was that Israel was deliberately attacking the Russian-made Pantsyr air defence system recently bought by Damascus. The sale includes provision for the Pantsyr system to be shipped on to Iran and it is possible the Israeli attack was co-ordinated with America to probe the effectiveness of the system. It is believed that Iran would use the Pantsyr system to defend its nuclear facilities.”

3. According to The Guardian, Russia has announced it has created the ‘father of all bombs’. ORT First Channel, the state-run Russian television, claimed the bomb is four times more deadly than the US’s ‘Mother of all Bombs’. “Russia’s military yesterday announced that it had successfully tested a lethal new air-delivered bomb, which it described as the world’s most powerful non-nuclear weapon. ¶ In what appears to be the Kremlin’s latest display of military might, officials said Moscow had developed a new thermobaric bomb to add to its already potent nuclear arsenal… ¶ Last night’s announcement comes at a time of growing tension between Russia and the west”. The Telegraph adds the following from Russian General Alexander Rushkin. “‘Test results of the new airborne weapon have shown that its efficiency and power is commensurate with a nuclear weapon,’ he said. ‘The main destruction is inflicted by an ultrasonic shockwave and an incredibly high temperature,’ ORT added. ‘All that is alive merely evaporates.’ Despite its destructive qualities, the bomb is environmentally friendly, Gen Rushkin said.” That’s right — environmentally friendly mass murder. Good to see Moscow going green.

4. Hindus across India protested yesterday against the Indian government’s plan to proceed with the $560 million Sethu Samudram project that will dredge a ship channel through the Rama Setu (Adam’s Bridge) — a 30 mile chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, in northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. According to Sahara Samay, “Traffic came to grinding halt at several places in the national capital today with the Vishva Hindu Parishad [World Hindu Council] calling for a chakka jam protesting the government’s plan to go ahead with the Sethusamudram project, which envisages destroying a portion of the ancient Ram Setu bridge… Hindu groups have called on the government to stop the project, saying it will demolish a bridge linking India and Sri Lanka, believed to have been built by Lord Ram.” Along with the VHP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party), and other groups blocked traffic and train service according to The Hindu and other sources. In New Delhi, according to the Times of India the blockades began at 8 a.m. and “a number of activists, including some local leaders of VHP and BJP, were also detained.” Adding to the Hindu parties anger, the Hindustan Times reports, the “Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday stating there was no historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters in Ramayana… According to the ASI, the bridge is a natural formation made up of shoals and sand bars.”

One more story below the fold…