Did anybody else see the amazing picture in the Times last week of a bald eagle attacking a young girl on a N.H. beach? I can't find it on line anywhere, but someone got a really good shot of it. (I don't think the girl was very injured.)
FBIY
tropical storm, Deeeeeaaaaannn
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
I put the toast I wrote for my family reunion here, appended to my July 4th post. The MacRitchies are a sept (a "subfamily", with a different name) of Clan MacIntosh. The toast is meant to go with Scotch Wisky, and references our clan motto: "touch not the cat bot a glove". "Bot" is "but", i.e. "without", meaning, don't provoke us, or you'll get clawed. On a tangent, Ritchie is another MacIntosh sept, which means that Madonna is now married into my clan. As such, I feel obliged to express my concern over her use of Cabalistic imagery. On the right side of this page you can see that the Tree of Life has been incorporated into the logo for her current tour. Traditionally, this sort of material was reserved for the initiated. I do believe that we have reached a point in our development when some things that were formerly hidden should now be brought to light, but I'm a little suspicious of M's usage. I don't want to doubt her sincerity, but I don't like seeing this sacred symbol bandied about in commerce. As far as I know, she's still a novice, and this smacks of spiritual pride. Maybe I'm too hard on her, but it's not clear to me how her newfound mysticism squares with other mythologies she deploys, like the sub-Tarantino video her husband directed for her. The current fashion for Cabala is reminiscent of the 1960's taste for Eastern spirituality. I'm sure a few people learned something, but most of it was superficial at best. In any case, I don't think that people who aren't Jewish should manifest this material in Hebraic form. The Tree exists outside of Jewish mysticism, and Cabalistic technologies have long since been incorporated into Western spiritual systems, including Christian ones. It's also worth noting that the typical diagrammatic Tree is highly intellectualized and abstracted. The "real" thing actually is a tree, and has roots; a sort of mirror image tree which grows down into the Underworld, engaging deeper levels of Tradition, without which the supernal tree could not stand upright.


The Hunger Site will be returning soon -- we are under new management and looking forward to bringing back this fast, free and easy way for you to help feed the world's hungry.

Thank you for your support. With the help of dedicated visitors like you, to date we have provided over 250 million cups of food for those in need. Together, we will do even more in the fight against world hunger.

(RIGHT ON!!!!)
heirloom tomatoe madness at the market, cranberry beans, melon's are showing up and its awesome all around, corn heaven, got there early enough to get a large tuna belly:>):>)
as received as promised : " Akin to the nugget of Pure Evil in "Time Bandits," this videogame may be The Most Fucked-Up Thing In The Universe / Japan is some twisted muthafuckaz / Link #1 is a photo from someone's website; link #2 appears to be some kind of promotional piece / I am honestly at a loss for words; look if you dare"

wrong and wronger
My mom in Dallas mailed me some Doonesbury clippings from last week. GWB is a * with a cowboy hat !

Has this story only been in the Australian media, I wonder?

A NUCLEAR bomb, 100 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima, is lying 10km off the east coast of the United States.

Until now one of the most closely guarded secrets in US military history, its existence has been confirmed in newly declassified documents which reveal how it was dumped in the sea after a mid-air collision more than 40 years ago.

Pentagon officials, though admitting they do not know the bomb's exact location, insist it is safe.

More...

Replica Bison Testicles - Focus of Crime Spree...
I can't seem to post a picture by putting description inside double quotes. Am I trippin? Don't answer that. I have to decide now if I want to take part in the shaving (having him shaved by a professional, god, I can't believe I just said that) of my longest surviving (14 year old) cat. He's going rasta. The vet says he would be more comfortable with a shave. I'm scared. Won't it be psychologically, uh, pyschological? Just when you think its safe not to have a life... Thanks for the adivce or not, I won't take it because I have to make the decision right now, when I sign off, so save it if you want, I'm sure to face similar dilemas down the road, maybe I'll take your advice one of those days, so make it good, or not. Dammit. I'll probably be back here Friday, which is when the cat will be shaved. Dammit, I guess I'll go along with it. I hope it's not too psychological. I hope everyone is happy in the end. That cat has been with me (well technically not with me because he stays here at Dumaine) since Oregon, where he was born. On the move to Seattle he was there when I was for the first time assisted, instead of hassled, by a policeman. Landmarks.
shedding pounds and inhibitions
Hot site making the buzz around our company this morning: http://www.funcalculator.com/

Click on the Orgasmic Calculator or the Farting calculator - beware of your speakers being on too loud in a corporate setting... do a simple calculation online and enjoy!
Not sure what to make of this. Strangely beautiful in a personal grooming sort of way. Click on the swirlee at the bottom left for much much more. (via harrumph. Requires flash.)
wwf (world wildlife foundation) sues wwf (world wrestling federation)
for the good doctor---"a conservation group surveying its land found a black gummed maple that is more than 500 years old and a slender knotweed which hasent been seen since 1952..." (NHampshire)
anybody going to french guiana and wants to eat some wild game (pac, armadillo, tapir, agoutis, etc) try Kaz Kreol in Cayenne @ 35 Ave d'Estree 0594390697 book in advance for weekends!! yummy!! and dont miss the shrimps so fresh:>)
Session 9 is a pretty scary indie horror film shot on digital video and transferred to film. The amazing, complex soundtrack almost carries this claustrophobic little gem all by itself. My only beef is the use of the multiple personality/recovered memory theme, which has been done to death. The film's sociological horror (critique of capitalism disguised as a thrill ride) is much more interesting than its psychology.
stuff it
From worldnewyork:
There's a casual New York blogging, web-type get-together this Friday, August 10, at Rain Lounge, North 5th and Bedford in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at 7 p.m. Everyone's welcome. We'll be the doughy white guy in the black frame glasses.
Picture of an exploded whale. While not the same one featured in the famous Steve story we heard last night it is somewhat interesting (in a coincidental sort of way) that I came across this today. There's got to be a better way...
for $19.95 you can watch paul morgan cut off his feet with a guillotine. proceeds go to the puchase of hydraulically powered limbs his insurance company won't pay for.
The Wheel is turning and he can't slow down.

Just received a fax about an upcoming wine tasting. Not so unusual. Oh, except for the fact that it originated from somewhere up the Maroni River in French Guiana. The man can not stop working. I can just picture his eyes bugging out when he spied a little fax machine behind some counter in some out of the way restaurant. "Hey, can I send a few messages out? I just have a little business to take care of."

Anyway, included in the message was some news of the trip which I'll reprint here:

"Today we're on the Maroni River fishing for piranha. For dinner last night we ate grilled capybaras (a large river rat that tastes sweeter than pork), roasted wild yams, and anaconda fricassee with kidney beans.

Looking forward to returning to NY, and eating some pizza."