[blogfocus sunday] october 14 brain food edition

The brain needs scrummy food

1. There's a battle royal going on in Doctor Vee's brain between left side and right side. See if you can make sense of it and of his spinning woman:

I am far too strategic for my own good, in the sense that I always spend so long thinking about things that I miss the boat. Not that the skills for the right side of the brain are that bad. But I just don’t see it. I have less spatial awareness than Stevie Wonder, a dire imagination and I’m apathetic about symbolism. I am only religious in the sense that I am a Pastafarian. As for risk-taking, I can’t climb a ladder without completely crapping myself beforehand.

2. Grendel imagines sports store conversations in the light of the latest Nike bout of trade restraint:

“Naturally Sir, one does need to buy a replica of the fourth choice (League Cup) away kit.”

“The high tech nylon material certainly compliments Sir’s robust frame.”

“You should really listen to your children Madam, I know that the only difference between this and last years kit is two inches of gold braiding but to deny them this purchase is tantamount to mentally cruelty.”

3. On the day of my father's birthday, Liz takes me back to the machine gun mental fire my darling mother was famed for in her conversation. She could cover ten separate topics in the space of five minutes and my blog most certainly bears the scars:

When I'm showering and I'm in the house alone, I lock the bedroom door. I would hate for a burglar to walk in on me in the shower. It's the same principle that makes me wear knickers under my nightie when Husband is away - no, wait let me explain … A man came to work on Friday to quote for putting safety film on the windows and [said] if, for example, a schoolboy, in a fit of pique punched a window, broke it and cut his hand, he could sue the school for not having safety glass. How ridiculous is that? The game between England and France is about to begin ...

4. Kizzie writes about the 90s in the Sudan and the smuggling in of TV receivers and the spread of news:

It was very important to avoid being exposed because dictators know their regimes are oppressive, hated and that the international community might take some serious action. That's why they sweet-talk the world, they don't allow any leakage of information or any foreign journalists inside their country. They impose severe censorship, block Internet sites and spread ignorance (ignorance makes you submissive and helpless, education enlightens and makes your voice heard, it truly frees the mind).

5. As OutsideStory says:

I have recently moved to Washington DC for two years. It is a remarkable opportunity to study at George Mason University under some of the leading libertarian economists who have already greatly influenced my thinking.

He asks who killed the electric car?

They blamed the profit motive but also claimed there was a huge market. The two are not compatible. If the problem is that car companies wanted to protect existing markets then the blame lies not with the profit motive, but with government protection of the domestic car industry. They did not make that argument. Big oil did get blamed although they probably have a lot less sway than the corn lobby, which has been pushing for ethanol.

6. Finally, Moggy gives us the low-down on her slumber party [why don't I get invited to these?]:

I had grabbed my bedding and tossed it into the back of my truck, but never got it out because the friend I stayed with had plenty of bedding for everyone.

When I got home Saturday morning my pillow was up by my front door. I don't know if one of my neighbors saw it in the yard and put it there, or if it fell there when I was carrying stuff out.

One more thing that happened was my house key fell off my key chain into my overnight bag. When I got home and got to the front door I didn't have a key.

At the slumber party

And there we'll have to wind it up for the evening with just half a dozen blogs covered, sorry - time has run out but hope to see you on Wednesday evening, if you'll drop by.

[sunday questionnaire] cost of products in your area

This is how it came about. We've just had nasty price hikes on most staple foods and this post won't get into the politics of that.

However, the question was posed today about how much these things cost in other countries and the observation was made that Higham has a blog, dot dot dot

He also has readers from Britain, the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Antipodes, with one or two others from elsewhere. So if Higham would care to post a list of ten foodstuffs on said blog, would his readers tell him how much these things cost over their way?

He wasn't sure [because Sunday is not his best blog day] but he promised he'd try and so there are ten foodstuffs below.

If you'd be good enough to tell me [in comments] how much they cost you [approximately] in the last few days, it would be most appreciated and I'll pass it on to the ladies in question:

1. Beef, in the form of mince [medium quality, kilo or pound] ;

2. Chicken, in the form of whole frozen bird [state kilos or pounds perhaps];

3. Fish, quoting real staple fish in your area, not fish 'n chip shop or frozen pieces [kilo or pound];

4. Milk, preferably carton rather than bottle and out of the cabinet, not delivered [litre or pint];

5. Cheese which we can agree on, nothing exotic. Perhaps gouda or edam [kilo or pound];

6. Bread in the form of an oblong loaf [state kilos or pounds], unsliced but if that's not possible - sliced. No exotic forms or from the hot bread bakery - just supermarket bread;

7. Eggs, by either 10 or 12, medium size, battery, not free range;

8. Coffee, in the form of the standard hard-packed 225-250g [or imperial] fine ground, medium roast, not instant of course and not self-serve ground in the supermart;

9. Safflower or sunflower oil in a plastic bottle, [litre, half litre or imperial];

10. Fruit, let's say bananas because there are too many varieties with other fruits [kilo or pound].

Now, having asked, I can't actually tell you our prices just now because it's Sunday but tomorrow I have to pick up supplies and I'll check it out and report back. I imagine it will take you a couple of days too.

Oh and I completely forgot - have you had any price hikes in recent weeks on these items? Thanks.

[second life] when the system wobbles

There's a humungous new Sunday Sport - nipping over to The Spine and nicking the photo-tales he lovingly prepares, to fill in a creativity blockage or eight. I notice Steve Green is already into it as well. You should try it too. Marvellous fun.

[sunday] have a gay and cheerful day

Day of resurrection, day to recharge the batteries and touch base, day to commune with nature and our families

We've now come full circle in this series on the days of the week and Harper's Weekly, on September 17th, 1887, offered this poem:

Monday's child is fair of face.

Tuesday's child is full of grace.

Wednesday's child is loving and giving.

Thursday's child works hard for a living,

Friday's child is full of woe.

Saturday's child has far to go.

But the child that is born on Sabbath-day

Is bonny and happy and wise and gay.

Everyone knows that the poem was rearranged and in latter days the word "gay" was dropped due to its hijacking by the mafia of the same name.

In Russian, the day is known as Voskryesyenye [Воскресенье] which Lingvo dictionary translates as "Sunday" and leaves it at that. Wikipedia goes as far as saying "Lord's Day". No one wants to come out and say what it really means, not even me.

However, what I shall do is give you another, different word in Russian - воскресение. This means "resurrection" or "revival". Any similarities? How mean-spirited and how dishonest of historians, translators and writers of a humanistic bent to quietly gloss over this derivation.

The day clearly means Day of Resurrection and that's what it is all about - you believe in Him and you're saved. There - now I've said it! Why is it so difficult for anyone to say? Why do the words stick in the throat?

While we're about it, the Russians also say:

Во многих христианских конфессиях в этот день христианам нельзя работать.

Christians don't work on this day. I flatly refuse to do any but the absolute necessities and you can imagine how much fierce pressure is exerted to get me to take clients on this day. No way known. It's a day for Maker and family [or at least what passes for family].

How far are you into the tradition now? Will you work or visit the shops today? Will you drop into Church for Communion? Will you take your family for a drive? Personally, I'll remember my namesake father's birthday and light a candle to him.

October 14th. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Have a pleasant and joyful day today, readers. May the spirit of fun, bonhomie and gayness take you all, in the nicest possible way.

My father's old stomping ground, all those years ago.

[thongtastic] the chipster's b-day

Chip Saturday has been and gone and where was I? Playing with piece of shiny, buzzing, glittering new metal.

Oh, woe is me:

October 13th. Happy Birthday to the Chipster!

Question - to what degree do you consider thongs and hipsters are related to intelligence levels?

[saturday] child has far to go

"Saturday's child has far to go."

Dies Saturni [Sæternesdæg] passed me by yesterday. Wiki says the three Abrahamic religions, via their original languages, regard Saturday as the seventh day of the week [Judaism via Hebrew, Christianity via Ecclesiastical Latin, and Islam via Arabic].

Roman Catholics put so little emphasis on that distinction that many among them follow – at least in colloquial language – the Protestant practice of calling Sunday the sabbath.

Eastern Orthodox churches distinguish between the Sabbath [Saturday] and the Lord's Day [Sunday] and I think this is closer to the way it should be done. Jesus regarded the sabbath pretty well as following the ancient laws, with some exceptions, e.g. if your cow falls in a ditch.

Another distinction is that when He came, then if you believed on Him, the need for ritual sacrifice was rendered unnecessary and superfluous. Naturally, the dark side doesn't see it that way and our gallant invisible leadership prefers to continue the ritual sacrifices on High Days - nothing like a bit of young bloodletting after a hard week globalising, is there?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not suggesting for one moment that Al, Richard, Gerald, HW, Donald and Henry pop down to the local temple for a bit of gore now and then with their Ascended Masters - nor am I suggesting in any way that the ingsoc leaderspeak we've all come to know and love stems from the gobbledegook chanted by hooded pillars of the community in mid-rape, neither in Omaha, San Diego nor in any other place on earth.

Saturday was also the preferred day to hunt vampires as that was the day they had to remain in their coffins. It was also believed that someone born on a Saturday could see a vampire when it was invisible.

Whilst I'll take my chances with the Enlightened Dragons, I draw the line at coffin dwellers - after all, look what playing with them did to Tom Cruise.

Colourful place for solemn rituals, isn't it?