Saturday, July 23, 2005
and speaking of the pyramids...
It must be a bit of synchronicity - yet again - that I mention the pyramids one day, in direct rapport with European archeological findings and, soon enough, Egypt gets its version of the recent London bombings.
Revenge for Guantanamo Bay - Naama Bay? Perhaps... But this time though, the casualties are international; Europeans but also Arabs and Egyptians of course.
Their "exotic resort vacation" proved to be fatal...
Terror can strike anywhere, obviously; money will not protect you from it - might make you a primary target in fact...
This sociologist I heard about - on the radio actually (with a traditionalist like me, video never did kill the radio star. Neither did cable, internet, satellite dish TV, VHS and DVD technology - and whatever comes next! But I am digressing at the wrong time now...). Thus, this sociologist whose name eludes me for the moment suggested that fighting terror was really a socio-economical problem. Absolutely; we can ferret out who will be the most likely next wave of suicide-bombers and the like - through socio-economics! The data is there...
However, is this "solution" really and truly a solution? We can identify the next few zillion pawns all we want (those who carry forth the dirty work basically) - but that will not eliminate the heads of the problem; and that is what must be cut off. Besides, the pawns are like suckers - there's one born every minute.
Revenge for Guantanamo Bay - Naama Bay? Perhaps... But this time though, the casualties are international; Europeans but also Arabs and Egyptians of course.
Their "exotic resort vacation" proved to be fatal...
Terror can strike anywhere, obviously; money will not protect you from it - might make you a primary target in fact...
This sociologist I heard about - on the radio actually (with a traditionalist like me, video never did kill the radio star. Neither did cable, internet, satellite dish TV, VHS and DVD technology - and whatever comes next! But I am digressing at the wrong time now...). Thus, this sociologist whose name eludes me for the moment suggested that fighting terror was really a socio-economical problem. Absolutely; we can ferret out who will be the most likely next wave of suicide-bombers and the like - through socio-economics! The data is there...
However, is this "solution" really and truly a solution? We can identify the next few zillion pawns all we want (those who carry forth the dirty work basically) - but that will not eliminate the heads of the problem; and that is what must be cut off. Besides, the pawns are like suckers - there's one born every minute.
Labels: Pyramid Song, Radiohead
Friday, July 22, 2005
friday freakish stuff; older than dirt
My folks and many relatives of mine always say they come from the "old country" - and, at first, I found that a bit of an odd thing to say... However, now, with the wisdom of the years accumulating here (slowly but surely - *lol*) I must say that there is PRIDE to have in getting old... and being old! And why not; so many truly odd things have people being "proud" nowadays... but I digress yet again...! The expression "old country" really is one that defines an entire continent - Europe, the "old world". The one with character, history, pizazz, charm, true architectural gems as also treasures...! THAT old world, yes!
Welcome to all European L.O.V.'s - by the way! Bemvindos! Benvuneto! Bienvenue!
In the luminous cornucopia corner - otherwise known as the (old?) "comments section" (*lol*) a fascinating article that just made the "old world" - suddenly older!
Or rather, with a richer history... Archeological digs have unearthed temples dating back to 4800 BC according to some estimates; these would thus be older than the pyramids of Egypt themselves!
Europe was always where the action was - and it still is! ;) Salud!
Welcome to all European L.O.V.'s - by the way! Bemvindos! Benvuneto! Bienvenue!
In the luminous cornucopia corner - otherwise known as the (old?) "comments section" (*lol*) a fascinating article that just made the "old world" - suddenly older!
Or rather, with a richer history... Archeological digs have unearthed temples dating back to 4800 BC according to some estimates; these would thus be older than the pyramids of Egypt themselves!
Europe was always where the action was - and it still is! ;) Salud!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
miss traditionalist... is she, eh...?
Aye - more Rowling Rebuttals! J.K.R. has J.R.R. delusions - and who could blame her? Like Tolkien, she is the (contested) best at what she does (look at those sales figures; the people have spoken - and the people are always right - right? Right...). And so, *e-books are not good enough for her* - are they? How could they be - she has based her entire mythos on some wicked form of tradition (not to mention some obscure children's book titled *Larry Potter* which (...) she seems to have blatantly ripped off - case is still pending to even get to court if I am not mistaken...) and thus... She DEMANDS that her musings get the old-fashioned treatment of ink to paper... trees still grow, right? Yes - for now they still do... But, at this rate, splicing them down to accomodate the whims and fancies of every thick-headed thick novel-writer out there is just... well, not good, in the long run, for all the enchanted forests on the land... far away lands included... hmm?
Will she be able to hold on to her Harry Potter fortune though - will she buy out the silence of the author of the Larry Potter book (a lady author as well, ironically, who was, originally, willing to keep quiet indeed...) much the same way that M.J. paid off the boys to stay away (but the boys had questionable parents in the first place - that is what really worked for M.J. there...!). Most probably... yes... J.K. Rowling should keep up the good work - her editor sure thinks so/hopes so... millions to be made off the gullible and unimaginative children around the whole wide world... eh? Just... NOT ON THE E-BOOK MARKET... noooooooo!!!
Makes no sense - kids love computers - thus, they should like their books to be e-books... logically! But then again, Rowling fans are not a logical lot at all - were they logical, they would see that it is but a hodge-podge mix of all the classic previous fare's themes, written by the likes of Tolkien, a long time ago... and they would also know better about witches - they're not hero-material. Never were.
Care to see what a real witch can be like...? Not a wiccan either - an actual Potter - fully grown and really at it...? Check out This Novel
Will she be able to hold on to her Harry Potter fortune though - will she buy out the silence of the author of the Larry Potter book (a lady author as well, ironically, who was, originally, willing to keep quiet indeed...) much the same way that M.J. paid off the boys to stay away (but the boys had questionable parents in the first place - that is what really worked for M.J. there...!). Most probably... yes... J.K. Rowling should keep up the good work - her editor sure thinks so/hopes so... millions to be made off the gullible and unimaginative children around the whole wide world... eh? Just... NOT ON THE E-BOOK MARKET... noooooooo!!!
Makes no sense - kids love computers - thus, they should like their books to be e-books... logically! But then again, Rowling fans are not a logical lot at all - were they logical, they would see that it is but a hodge-podge mix of all the classic previous fare's themes, written by the likes of Tolkien, a long time ago... and they would also know better about witches - they're not hero-material. Never were.
Care to see what a real witch can be like...? Not a wiccan either - an actual Potter - fully grown and really at it...? Check out This Novel
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
wednesday weirdness version 10.0
Ahh... once again it is Wednesday; time for some assorted and collected here for your enjoyment (and mine) worldwide weirdness!
In London, taking example upon a certain Jedi who once told his pupil semi-truths so that he would accept it a whole lot better and not dwell too much on it, the P.A.T. (the Professional Association of Teachers - what else) has proposed to "ban the word "fail" from use in British classrooms altogether" - yes sir! Henceforth, Britons will not "fail" - they will instead be experiencing "deferred success"... Okay... Such pats on one's back from the P.A.T. itself should encourage even the worst students of all to bring their teach an apple a day - mayhaps with a note that reads "To Sir, With Love" too...?!?
Luminous sarcasm... carry on!
In North Korea, they may despise America with all their hearts, however they are more than smart enough to realize that English is a language that can open doors, on the job market of course... Not really though if you choose to mimic, as a parrot would, the American slang used in B-movies and the like... They should go with a plan of studying carefully British films then - but not push it so far as to try to imitate the British accent; they would only meet with "deferred success" there I am afraid! Only then will they stand a truly good chance at scoring high on that TOEFL (what a weird acronym; Test of English as Foreign Language!) of theirs...!
Luminous witticisms - priceless, hmm?
In Taiwan, a restauranteur with a vision (though an odd one) has met with actual success - not deferred at all! It is true that eating and... what happens when nature calls (Ace Ventura knows all about that) are both very intricately linked... However, focusing too much on that link is somewhat... unappetizing... no? Still, this newstyle theme restaurant is a hit - and Planet Hollywood wasn't. Go figure...
Ha - a luminous barb directed at Tinseltown - I am on a roll!
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an insidious case of home invasion of cataclysmic proportions since it attacked a historic 1930s house under protection by the T.H.P.D. (no - not the Police Department - the Tulsa Historic Preservation District rather! Not as "cool" an acronym as P.A.T. was either - but much better than the NHL's governing body - the B.O.G. - Board of Governors! No wonder they were mired in a morass of moribund and muggy so-called "negociations" for over 300 days...!!! But I digress... they don't have hockey in Oklahoma; lucky them. They have other bugs to bug them though...!).
And, to cap things off nicely; summer is here - why not go to the beach?
If in Seoul though, watch out for those long stretches of barbed wire...! They may not be done removing them quite yet...!!!
Eye-widening details and more - in the comments / luminous cornucopia section! ;)
In London, taking example upon a certain Jedi who once told his pupil semi-truths so that he would accept it a whole lot better and not dwell too much on it, the P.A.T. (the Professional Association of Teachers - what else) has proposed to "ban the word "fail" from use in British classrooms altogether" - yes sir! Henceforth, Britons will not "fail" - they will instead be experiencing "deferred success"... Okay... Such pats on one's back from the P.A.T. itself should encourage even the worst students of all to bring their teach an apple a day - mayhaps with a note that reads "To Sir, With Love" too...?!?
Luminous sarcasm... carry on!
In North Korea, they may despise America with all their hearts, however they are more than smart enough to realize that English is a language that can open doors, on the job market of course... Not really though if you choose to mimic, as a parrot would, the American slang used in B-movies and the like... They should go with a plan of studying carefully British films then - but not push it so far as to try to imitate the British accent; they would only meet with "deferred success" there I am afraid! Only then will they stand a truly good chance at scoring high on that TOEFL (what a weird acronym; Test of English as Foreign Language!) of theirs...!
Luminous witticisms - priceless, hmm?
In Taiwan, a restauranteur with a vision (though an odd one) has met with actual success - not deferred at all! It is true that eating and... what happens when nature calls (Ace Ventura knows all about that) are both very intricately linked... However, focusing too much on that link is somewhat... unappetizing... no? Still, this newstyle theme restaurant is a hit - and Planet Hollywood wasn't. Go figure...
Ha - a luminous barb directed at Tinseltown - I am on a roll!
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an insidious case of home invasion of cataclysmic proportions since it attacked a historic 1930s house under protection by the T.H.P.D. (no - not the Police Department - the Tulsa Historic Preservation District rather! Not as "cool" an acronym as P.A.T. was either - but much better than the NHL's governing body - the B.O.G. - Board of Governors! No wonder they were mired in a morass of moribund and muggy so-called "negociations" for over 300 days...!!! But I digress... they don't have hockey in Oklahoma; lucky them. They have other bugs to bug them though...!).
And, to cap things off nicely; summer is here - why not go to the beach?
If in Seoul though, watch out for those long stretches of barbed wire...! They may not be done removing them quite yet...!!!
Eye-widening details and more - in the comments / luminous cornucopia section! ;)
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
two for tuesdays; you gotta clinch the clinch...
Housewife's towering love inferno
(BANG) - Teri Hatcher has been spotted in a raunchy clinch with a new man.
The 'Desperate Housewives' star, who has bemoaned her single status since splitting from second husband Jon Tenney two years ago, was caught locking lips with towering basketball star John Salley. (Luminous note: Salley still plays basketball? Then what is the fuss about Rodman making a comeback... or Barkley for that matter?!?).
The passionate smooch happened at exclusive Los Angeles nightspot Chi on Monday night (09.05.05).
A source told America's New York Post newspaper: "They were full-on making out."
Insiders said the 40-year-old actress, who shared a kiss with fashion photographer Jim Macari last week, arrived at the Justin Timberlake-owned venue with her seven-foot companion before settling into a booth where they drank vodka. (Luminous Note2: Timberlake actually owns this venue...? He might yet be suited to play the part of Two-Face after all... eh?).
The smitten pair then hit the dance floor to continue partying before the former NBA star-turned-TV presenter planted the kiss on Teri's lips.
The source added: "They were kissing while they were dancing right in front of everyone."
Earlier this year, mother-of-one Teri admitted she hadn't had sex in four years.
The actress, who shot to fame playing Lois Lane in hit '90s TV series 'The New Adventures of Superman', confessed she hadn't had any fun between the sheets since splitting from her actor husband in 2003.
She said: "There just isn't any space for it. I don't have a boyfriend."
BANG Media International
Diaz denies locking lips
(BANG) - Cameron Diaz has branded allegations she enjoyed a steamy clinch with a married man as totally "false and salacious". The 'Charlie's Angels' beauty, who is engaged to pop heartthrob Justin Timberlake (yeah... Two-Face... soon in a theater near you...), was allegedly seen locking lips with TV producer Shane Nickerson outside a Los Angeles studio.
The incident reportedly happened as her fianc prepared to undergo throat surgery to remove nodules to save his singing voice.
However, the actress's representative, Brad Cafarelli, has now released a statement on her behalf insisting the reports, which appeared in US magazine the National Enquirer, are completely untrue.
He insists that Nickerson - who has a one-year-old daughter - is nothing more than a close friend. (Luminous Note3: Jack Nicholson has also been known as "no more than a close friend"... of several women over the years...!).
He said: "This is a case of a tabloid colluding with the stalkerazzi in an attempt to distort the truth and mislead the public with their false and salacious story.
"Shane is a friend and associate of Cameron's and works with her on her MTV show, 'Trippin''. There is absolutely no romantic relationship between them whatsoever, contrary to these sad, mean-spirited attempts to create drama where none exists."
Cafarelli also revealed Diaz is currently contemplating taking legal action over the claims. BANG Media International
(BANG) - Teri Hatcher has been spotted in a raunchy clinch with a new man.
The 'Desperate Housewives' star, who has bemoaned her single status since splitting from second husband Jon Tenney two years ago, was caught locking lips with towering basketball star John Salley. (Luminous note: Salley still plays basketball? Then what is the fuss about Rodman making a comeback... or Barkley for that matter?!?).
The passionate smooch happened at exclusive Los Angeles nightspot Chi on Monday night (09.05.05).
A source told America's New York Post newspaper: "They were full-on making out."
Insiders said the 40-year-old actress, who shared a kiss with fashion photographer Jim Macari last week, arrived at the Justin Timberlake-owned venue with her seven-foot companion before settling into a booth where they drank vodka. (Luminous Note2: Timberlake actually owns this venue...? He might yet be suited to play the part of Two-Face after all... eh?).
The smitten pair then hit the dance floor to continue partying before the former NBA star-turned-TV presenter planted the kiss on Teri's lips.
The source added: "They were kissing while they were dancing right in front of everyone."
Earlier this year, mother-of-one Teri admitted she hadn't had sex in four years.
The actress, who shot to fame playing Lois Lane in hit '90s TV series 'The New Adventures of Superman', confessed she hadn't had any fun between the sheets since splitting from her actor husband in 2003.
She said: "There just isn't any space for it. I don't have a boyfriend."
BANG Media International
Diaz denies locking lips
(BANG) - Cameron Diaz has branded allegations she enjoyed a steamy clinch with a married man as totally "false and salacious". The 'Charlie's Angels' beauty, who is engaged to pop heartthrob Justin Timberlake (yeah... Two-Face... soon in a theater near you...), was allegedly seen locking lips with TV producer Shane Nickerson outside a Los Angeles studio.
The incident reportedly happened as her fianc prepared to undergo throat surgery to remove nodules to save his singing voice.
However, the actress's representative, Brad Cafarelli, has now released a statement on her behalf insisting the reports, which appeared in US magazine the National Enquirer, are completely untrue.
He insists that Nickerson - who has a one-year-old daughter - is nothing more than a close friend. (Luminous Note3: Jack Nicholson has also been known as "no more than a close friend"... of several women over the years...!).
He said: "This is a case of a tabloid colluding with the stalkerazzi in an attempt to distort the truth and mislead the public with their false and salacious story.
"Shane is a friend and associate of Cameron's and works with her on her MTV show, 'Trippin''. There is absolutely no romantic relationship between them whatsoever, contrary to these sad, mean-spirited attempts to create drama where none exists."
Cafarelli also revealed Diaz is currently contemplating taking legal action over the claims. BANG Media International
Monday, July 18, 2005
monday mayhem: conde nast sued for libel - and a potter on the loose... *sigh*
Prickled from the "news" of the day - Roman Polanski was victim of a lie, he says. The illustrious magazine Vanity Fair is the dirty rotten scoundrel of a liar, such is implied therefore by Polanski's claim. The truth, who knows, might lie (no pun intended) somewhere in-between...? The fact is that, officially, Roman Polanski waited at least eight to nine years after Sharon Tate's untimely demise to... well... misbehave sexually speaking. However, an article published by Vanity Fair way back in 2002 (why wait three years to sue...?) alleged that he was seeking solace and affection already... on his way to Sharon Tate's funeral. Sharon was, of course, his wife and pregnant when she was brutally murdered by the crazed followers of Charles Manson in 1969. The allegations are, to be precise, that he was seen seducing a woman on the way to the funeral...
Say it isn't so Roman - and, to his credit, he is saying it isn't so. It can't be so. Such a loss - such a spouse - cannot be so easily forgotten. Alas, he also says he was heavily sedated at the time - the pain clearly being too much to bear fully conscious - so it is conceivable that, in a daze, he wasn't even aware of what he was doing... Now don't sue me Roman - I am merely extrapolating here! I loved almost all of your movies - Pirates (Walter Matthau was GREAT)... Rosemary's Baby (best horror film ever - because the horror is right here among us and under our noses)... The Fearless Vampire Killers (so glad you were immortalized together in that, Sharon and you, Roman... and, unlike Leonard Maltin -who called it "near-brilliant"- I say it was brilliant all right... if not... luminous? ;)... and I even liked seeing Catherine Deneuve go crazy in Repulsion, so... I am a fan! Sue big shot publishers like Conde Nast - but don't sue a fan! Please...!
Lawsuits and the publishing world though always make me think of... Potter! I wonder why...
Ah - yes... the lawsuit kept under wraps... the LARRY POTTER vs Harry Potter suit! Little-known children's book *Larry Potter* trying to get what is rightfully his from the author alleged to have stolen ALL of her ideas from it in the maleficient concoction of her harrowing Harry Potter "saga"... Is it so obvious that I am not exactly on J.K. Rowling's side in this litigious affair... hmm? Make no mistake about it now - as a younger writer, I imagined she would have been the ideal womentor for me and many other writers... However, since it is such a long-shot, why not quit the pipe-dreaming and choose to side with what appears to be the right side now... hmm?
Come to think of it, though, the Larry versus Harry rumble is so well-kept "quiet" and under wraps, that I have no idea if it is being settled out of court (as the author of the LARRY booklet wanted...) or not...
In the meantime, Miss Rowling is not slowed down in the least - is she now? Rumors of new book sales records are being whispered about (okay - not merely whispered about - I am making use of some poetic license here - do you mind? *lol*) and the movies keep on coming too (will they recast Harry as they have James and Bruce though...?). All is well in Hogswart (is that what it's called...?) - it is only in the real world that things are going down the tubes...
Say it isn't so Roman - and, to his credit, he is saying it isn't so. It can't be so. Such a loss - such a spouse - cannot be so easily forgotten. Alas, he also says he was heavily sedated at the time - the pain clearly being too much to bear fully conscious - so it is conceivable that, in a daze, he wasn't even aware of what he was doing... Now don't sue me Roman - I am merely extrapolating here! I loved almost all of your movies - Pirates (Walter Matthau was GREAT)... Rosemary's Baby (best horror film ever - because the horror is right here among us and under our noses)... The Fearless Vampire Killers (so glad you were immortalized together in that, Sharon and you, Roman... and, unlike Leonard Maltin -who called it "near-brilliant"- I say it was brilliant all right... if not... luminous? ;)... and I even liked seeing Catherine Deneuve go crazy in Repulsion, so... I am a fan! Sue big shot publishers like Conde Nast - but don't sue a fan! Please...!
Lawsuits and the publishing world though always make me think of... Potter! I wonder why...
Ah - yes... the lawsuit kept under wraps... the LARRY POTTER vs Harry Potter suit! Little-known children's book *Larry Potter* trying to get what is rightfully his from the author alleged to have stolen ALL of her ideas from it in the maleficient concoction of her harrowing Harry Potter "saga"... Is it so obvious that I am not exactly on J.K. Rowling's side in this litigious affair... hmm? Make no mistake about it now - as a younger writer, I imagined she would have been the ideal womentor for me and many other writers... However, since it is such a long-shot, why not quit the pipe-dreaming and choose to side with what appears to be the right side now... hmm?
Come to think of it, though, the Larry versus Harry rumble is so well-kept "quiet" and under wraps, that I have no idea if it is being settled out of court (as the author of the LARRY booklet wanted...) or not...
In the meantime, Miss Rowling is not slowed down in the least - is she now? Rumors of new book sales records are being whispered about (okay - not merely whispered about - I am making use of some poetic license here - do you mind? *lol*) and the movies keep on coming too (will they recast Harry as they have James and Bruce though...?). All is well in Hogswart (is that what it's called...?) - it is only in the real world that things are going down the tubes...
Sunday, July 17, 2005
statistics sunday... expen$ive world tour edition
And now for the rest of the WORLD that slows down just a tad - long enough to... visit the luminous blog! My question is: does anyone of the precious L.O.V.s here (*lol* - Luminous Online Visitors of course - what else) come from any one of *these* metropolises, where the high cost of living would get to just about anybody? Of course, if you can drop by the luminous blog and other blogs with regularity, you must have high speed internet (like 30 million Chinese do, according to a recent poll - yet not a single Chinese L.O.V. here... snif snif :( cry cry). And... if you have high speed internet, you must be relatively well off... So, the next experiment on the luminous blog (after sending a shout out to my portuguese compatriotes...! ;) is to survey any L.O.V. who might be residing in one of the cities listed below... More details on the costliest cities of the world - in the comments / cornucopia of luminescence section... ;)
Top 25 cities (with last year's ranking):
1. Tokyo, Japan (1)
2. Osaka, Japan (4)
3. London, Britain (2)
4. Moscow, Russia (3)
5. Seoul, South Korea (7)
6. Geneva, Switzerland (6)
7. Zurich, Switzerland (9)
8. Copenhagen, Denmark (8)
9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong (5)
10. Oslo, Norway (15)
11. Milan, Italy (14)
12. Paris, France (17)
13. New York City, United States (12)
14. Dublin, Ireland (14)
15. St. Petersburg, Russia (10)
16. Vienna, Austria (19)
17. Rome, Italy (21)
18. Stockholm, Sweden (22)
19. Beijing, China (11)
20. Sydney, Australia (20)
21. Helsinki, Finland (23)
22. Douala, Cameroon (25)
23. Istanbul, Turkey (18)
24. Amsterdam, Netherlands (26), Budapest, Hungary (34)
(Amsterdam and Budapest ranked equally).
Top 25 cities (with last year's ranking):
1. Tokyo, Japan (1)
2. Osaka, Japan (4)
3. London, Britain (2)
4. Moscow, Russia (3)
5. Seoul, South Korea (7)
6. Geneva, Switzerland (6)
7. Zurich, Switzerland (9)
8. Copenhagen, Denmark (8)
9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong (5)
10. Oslo, Norway (15)
11. Milan, Italy (14)
12. Paris, France (17)
13. New York City, United States (12)
14. Dublin, Ireland (14)
15. St. Petersburg, Russia (10)
16. Vienna, Austria (19)
17. Rome, Italy (21)
18. Stockholm, Sweden (22)
19. Beijing, China (11)
20. Sydney, Australia (20)
21. Helsinki, Finland (23)
22. Douala, Cameroon (25)
23. Istanbul, Turkey (18)
24. Amsterdam, Netherlands (26), Budapest, Hungary (34)
(Amsterdam and Budapest ranked equally).
"All In God's Hands"
