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CHAPTER 101

Iveenia — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:14:34 -0700

Athana was giving a special screening – she was screaming till 12:00 – noon – the day before it was worse – she screamed till 15:00 hrs. I was persuading her to wait with her screaming performance – but – oh well – she did not – I wished for a nice omelette – but no – she wanted to be noticed – so these five minutes later my omelette was not juicy anymore – I could hv used it as a tortilla… I felt rather stupid – I took the omelette into the room and ate it there – after 5 minutes she slept – wow – if I knew that – I could hv taken her to the kitchen – you only know later…
Actually – she should just scream – my parents told me – they were never running after us – they just let us scream – and then – with the time – we understood that we could not hv everything – so fm now on – I would practise. Ok – alone – cause Salah thinks it is not human – to let her scream – but he was not aural – he did not know the difference of screaming and screaming – at hospital when they had given her the injection – I knew it – that was hurting and she was really crying.
However – later on – he figured it out as well. With him it just took a bit longer…
However – the same day – she screamed again – she had lost her dummy and I went and looked after her. After the third time – I became angry and decided to let her scream. Wow – after 5 minutes it was VERY quiet. I of course checked on her – there she was lying: as if fm a comic strip – her mouth wide open with seeming little bubbles coming out – I took her dummy away and really – after another time – she was asleep. Ha – let her scream sometimes – and she would be tired – my mother in law did confirm.
BTW: dummy – I caught her – after 22 days being on Earth. Coincidentally I was witnessing her spitting out her dummy (on purpose!!!) and then – starting to scream. Wow. When she noticed that i witnessed – she became angry lol. Ha ha ha – I knew sth new… the best one is there to come: she was able to hold her dummy in her hand and also to put it back into her mouth – ok – it is not easy to scream with a dummy in the mouth – I hv to grant her that one but – knowing how to take it out and shove it back in – wow – and that after 22 days – so – she will be a challenging “woman” – far away fm being stupid…
Salah told me a funny story abt a butcher who was very greedy. The Fox-Story. The younger generation did not like that kind of greedy people. So they decided to give him a lesson. They sent a very well dressed man to him who wanted to buy a fox for the Arab embassy. They would be ready to spend around 5’000 Libyan Dinars (at that time the same amount as Swiss Franks – i.e. 5’000 Swiss Franks – or abt 4’500 US$).
However – he gave him a deposit of 400 Dinars. The greedy butcher was searching for a fox, yet did not find one. A few days later – some of the friends of that well dressed man (of course the butcher did not know abt that) – went for shopping in his shop. One of them told the other – “hey be careful that the fox does not destroy anything in the car, ok?”
The butcher had already been downhearted because he had been unsuccessful so far in finding a fox – so he asked: “you have a fox?” – “Yes, we have”. “is it for sale?” – “no, not really” – “but I need a fox” he said desperately. In his head he imagined the 5’000 Dinars in his cash box. The two boys did discuss and then told him: “ok – 2’000 Libyan Dinars”. The butcher was shocked about that price and said that is far too expensive. The two young men went out the butcher called them back and paid the amount. Ok- he was thinking – still 3’400 Dinars of success. No way. The nice well dressed man never ever showed up – the butcher had landed a flop of 1'600 Dinars.
I loved these lessons, wrapped in stories. Salah told me many of them.

Athana should sleep but she was still awake. Since 15:00 hrs. Salah was tired – he had his medical check with the airlines and they had taken three flasks – the third was huge (he insisted) of blood. The usual aids and other tests – in Libya the tests were tough – leprosy, hepatitis A,B,C anything of these diseases which mainly came with the loads of black Africans who expected free medical treatment in Libya (the country is ruled that way – all inhabitants get free treatment in public hospitals).
That of course is a problem – with them many drug addicts also found their ways to Libya – also the crime rate increased.
Salah had to sleep – he was exhausted – so Athana was with me in the salon while I was hacking my diary in the keyboard…
Poor Salah – the nurse (in Libya you call nurses “sister” – really sister - the English terminology) – had hit his nerve with the needle – yes she tapped the pulse of the age - lol.

Robert Pattinson Merchandise You Didn't Even Know You Needed!

athena4rob — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:31:26 -0800

So you have your Robert Pattinson magazines, books, posters, keyrings. You have your Edward flasks, lunchboxes, cardboard cutouts, t-shirts, totes and so much more.You own every DVD (some multiple editions) starring Rob.But you really don't know what you've been missing. You didn't even know you needed this until now.... click below the break to find out what you're missing!You just KNOW you want to snuggle up to this tonight! Don't ya? That scared me...it really did...I think waking up next to THAT might cause nightmares

And now here is something else that no fan can do without :-/Yes now you too can have your very own Paper Pattinson (seriously who comes up with this stuff ?)

He comes with his very own set of Ray Bans, cigarette, stubble & wild hair (although you can't run your figers through it.) I wonder if I put him in the back of my car would his head bob up and down like those nodding dogs, it looks like it should :-)Oh what next?? LOL

50 Cheap Date Ideas

PinkNC — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:17:05 -0800

Discount Dating

A lighter wallet is no excuse to turn date night into a luxury. Get out of your sweatpants, put down the cold pizza, and check out these 51 budget-friendly date ideas that will get you off the couch and into each other's pants.

Get on thin ice. Depending on the weather, head to an indoor or outdoor ice-skating rink - it's the perfect excuse to hold hands, "accidentally" fall on top of each other, and grab a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up to each other to keep warm.

Skip the pricey wine bar and grab a few beers at your local dive bar. Make sure you pick a place with a pool table or dartboard set up, and challenge him to a few games. Loser owes the winner a song on the jukebox.

He may hate to shop, but he'll end up thanking you if you drag him to a flea market. There's something for everyone and plenty of things you never knew existed - you might even discover he has a hobby or weird collection you didn't know about!

Settle in for a night of pampering: No pricey spa required. Use your empty wallets as an excuse to stay in - and up - all night. Run a bubble bath and then treat each other to full-body massages. Sleep in the next day.

Get an adrenaline rush at the roller-skating rink. As long as you don't mind being the oldest people there who aren't chaperoning their children, it's a great way to have fun and let loose with each other. Top it off with a bowl of ice cream when you get home.

Play house: Dress up in your most serious grownup outfit and leave your tiny apartment to visit some open houses. Spend the day arguing over where you would put the love seat, discussing the difference between eggshell and ecru paint, and giggling over strangers' hideous decorating choices.

Does he drive you up a wall sometimes? He probably feels the same way about you, so put on your sneakers and head to an indoor rock-climbing gym. Challenge him to a race to the top and relieve sore muscles with a hot shower together afterward. Just try not to gloat too much about beating him.

Celebrate the first snow of winter with a day of sledding. Pick a hilly spot in your town and use garbage can lids as makeshift sleds. Wear a bike helmet to up the dorky fun factor, and celebrate living through the experience with a cup of hot cocoa.

Spend the day picking fruit at a local farm, either one-on-one or with a few couples you know - the more the merrier. Once you've picked all the apples you can carry back to the car, get creative in the kitchen and think up some recipes with the fruit you picked. Judge each other's creations, Top Chef style.

Plan a trip. You might need to save up for awhile, but that doesn't mean you can't daydream. Plan your dream vacation with each other - it might be the incentive you need to start putting your loose change in the piggy bank.

Challenge your guy to a little friendly competition and surprise him by taking him to a rifle range. After each round, compare your targets - loser buys the next round of bullets; winner gets gloating privileges.

Spice up your movie-night routine by finding a drive-in movie theater. Stop at the supermarket on your way to load up on your favorite snacks, and bring blankets and pillows to make the car extra cozy. Let him pick the movie - you'll get points for being easygoing, even though you know you'll probably miss most of the movie.

The easiest way to booze it up on the cheap? Take a tour of a winery or brewery, and pick up some wine facts for your next dinner party while getting tipsy.

Dying to see a musical or play but can't afford the tickets? Call around to see if you can buy tickets to the dress rehearsal instead - you'll pay a fraction of the price for the same experience.

Wherever you live, chances are there are local bands dying for an audience. Check out MySpace for bands in your area and go to a show. Alternate with your guy on who gets to pick the band so that you both get a chance to enjoy your favorite music genres, and save cash on booze by bringing a flask.

Head to the bookstore and walk through the aisles together, showing each other your favorite books, bonding over the books you both hated, and flipping through a Kama Sutra book for ideas for later.

Bowl him over at the bowling alley. Psych him out by reminding him of how many gross people wore his shoes before him, and don't forget to program his sugary-sweet nickname ("Muffin Face") onto the computerized scoreboard instead of his real name.

Show him your rugged side and build something together. Ask him to help you build something like a coffee table or dresser for your place - he'll be psyched that you asked him, just as long as you can bite your tongue when the table he puts together falls apart the moment you set your cup of coffee down.

Appeal to his inner child (it shouldn't be too hard to tap into) and buy tickets for a carnival. Embrace the cheesiness - share cotton candy, let him try to win you a prize, and ride the Ferris wheel until you get nauseous. It's a great way to get to know each other if you've just started dating and will serve as a reminder of how much fun you can have together if you've been dating for awhile.

Keep up on the specials. For a break on your dinner bill, check out sites like Restaurant.com for the restaurant deals in your area. And check out the websites of your favorite bars - they might have drink specials on certain nights, like a free pizza with every drink.

Ask him about his fantasy cars and he'll probably talk your ear off. Head over to a local car dealership and test-drive the most expensive car they'll let you take out of the parking lot. Take turns at the wheel but resist the urge to nitpick each other's driving skills.

Indulge your sweet tooth with your sweetie - visit a chocolate or cookie factory. Do a quick Google search to see if there are any in your area and give one a call to see if it does tours. If it only does group tours, make it a group date and invite a few other couples.

Get spooked at a haunted house. Check out Hauntedhouse.com for listings in your state. Start off the night by watching a scary movie before you go, and then try not to laugh when he launches a foot into the air at every corner.

Get out those matching aprons and fire up the skillet for a night of cooking - for both of you. Learn how to cook each other's favorite meal and then do it together. Whether you end up with a delicious steak and tuna casserole for two or speed-dialing for Chinese takeout, you're guaranteed to enjoy the process.

Forget eating dinner parked in front of a Mad Men marathon until you and your boyfriend are tired of looking at each other. Invite another couple over that you don't know well for a potluck dinner. Ask them to bring the appetizer and dessert, and work on the main course with your guy. At least one of the dishes should come out edible, and you can bond with your new friends over your shared culinary failure.

Tap into your animal instincts by visiting a petting zoo. Bring some bread to feed the animals and spend a few hours debating him on why getting a pet monkey is a bad idea. When you get home, jump in the shower with him to scrub off the zoo smell.

Play 20 Questions. Whether you've been together for three weeks or three years, there are probably things you don't know about each other. Each of you should write down 20 questions about the other - make sure they're open-ended so you don't get boring one-word answers - and fire away. Take turns answering the questions and get to know each other a little better than you already do.

Take a pottery class together and decorate your apartment in misshapen vases and funky-looking coffee mugs. Resist the urge to make your guy recreate the scene from Ghost every time you walk into class.

Have pretentious conversations about art at a local show. You'll find them going on all year at community centers, schools, and libraries - you might even find a great piece of art to add to your home.

Take a hike. Spend the day hiking and taking pictures together. When you're ready to recover, add some extra romance to the evening - lie across the hood of the car and look at the stars.

If you're tired of a quiet dinner at home disintegrating into chips and dip on the couch with no conversation between the two of you except for requests to change the channel, grab a blanket and some food and have an indoor picnic. The best part of staying inside? No ants in your food - plus, you're free to get busy right then and there.

Take a class together. Sign up to learn something neither of you knows how to do. Community schools generally offer a lot of options for classes you can take in eight-week sessions, from cooking to karate.

Put on your walking shoes and head to the museum. Almost all museums have one day a week where you can get in for free or for a small suggested donation. Pick the exhibits you each want to see beforehand, and spend some time at each of them together.

Celebrate something special with a trip to a bed and breakfast. A one-night stay in the colder months won't break the bank, so you can put that extra cash toward a room with a hot tub or breakfast in bed. If you're in for a long car ride, grab a book on tape from the local library.

Look into the future: Go together for a psychic reading. Practice your poker faces and spend the rest of the night talking about how funny - or eerily accurate - the reading was.

Score major points and head to a baseball game with your guy. Tickets can be as cheap as $5 a person, but bring extra cash for some beer, hot dogs, and a giant foam finger.

Check the theater offerings at local colleges and high schools. Schools usually have a spring and a fall show, and it's a great way to see a version of your favorite plays and musicals for a fraction of the cost.

One man's junk is another couple's treasure. Grab your guy and see what you can dig up at local garage sales. Up your chances of scoring something great by going to the ritziest neighborhood in your area.

Rent bikes - a tandem one, if you're adventurous - and go for a long ride through the park. Pack a few sandwiches and plenty of water for a picnic, or just grab hot dogs from a stand when you're ready for a break.

See the stars without braving the cold by getting tickets to the planetarium. Sneak in a thin blanket and cozy up. For extra privacy, go during off-peak times - call ahead to see when those are.

Bummed that you can't afford a weeklong vacation with your man? Put things in perspective and volunteer together for a cause you both care about. TiVo Gossip Girl and sign up to work at a soup kitchen once a week, or cuddle up with lovable cats and dogs at your local animal shelter.

Want some quiet time? Exercise your creative talents by drawing each other. All you need are two pieces of paper, some art supplies, and a bottle of wine for a quiet, romantic night in. Go as artistic or as fun as you wish.

Get physical. Get free day passes to a gym whose membership you could never afford and have him spot you. Challenge him to a fitness competition, bribe him into taking a spin class with you, and take advantage of the gym's sauna or pool, if it has one.

You can knit holiday sweaters like nobody's business. Your man is a Guitar Hero rock star. It's great to have separate hobbies, but it's also fun to share. Pick a weekend to teach each other your hobbies, and serenade him with a guitar solo while he knits you a pair of mittens.

While you're waiting for your Netflix delivery, stop at your local library and rent a few old movies. Toss a coin to see whose pick you'll watch first, and promise not to interrupt with bored sighs, eye-rolling, or snoring sound effects during each other's choices.

Travel back in time and reminisce. If you or your guy still live close to where you grew up, give each other a tour of your childhoods. Grab a camera and take pictures of your all-grown-up selves as you visit each landmark.

Can't get away for a vacation? Sightsee in your own city. If you've lived in your area for a long time, chances are you never got around to seeing a lot of the tourist attractions. So grab your guy and pretend to be tourists for a weekend. Stop at a used bookstore or look online for travel guides for your city, put together an itinerary, and don't forget to take pictures!

Grab a cup of coffee and check out a local coffee shop's open mic night. You might luck out with a great show, or you may find a mixed bag of angsty guitar solos and bad poetry - either way, you'll have something to talk (or laugh) about on the way home.

You probably live within driving distance of a college or university. Log on to the school's website and check out the scheduled events - often, schools will open large events, like lectures and panels, to the public. Check back often - your guy's favorite movie director might be appearing at a screening at the school's drama department, or you might find a panel of your favorite authors speaking to the English majors.

Share a few laughs at a comedy club amateur night. Admission usually costs two drinks per person, and you're in for a hilarious night - whether you're laughing with the comedian or at him.
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Family drama for the Holiday

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:23:06 -0800

My cousin was my best friend growing up and always like a sister to me. We're now in our early twenties and our lives have went in completely different directions. I understand that it's normal to disconnect from people once you get older but we have a REALLY tight family. We all keep in contact and live fairly close to each other. The problems started when she was with a drug addict for three years who didn't want to commit and call himself her boyfriend. She disconnect from the family and got invested in his problems. He treated her like sh*t and she dealed with it. When he went to rehab and left her life we were all relieved. She started to connect with the family again and get back to normal.
However, she got a new job and met a guy on the job who worse than the drug addict! she told me at first that he was in a gang before and killed someone for his initiation. It scared me. A few days later she told me to forget what she had told me and that it wasn't true. I felt a little creeped out but decided not to use that against him when I met him since I didn't know if it was true. When I finally met him it was when we were on our way to the city. He ended up getting high in the back of her car and giving me an insane contact high. I was pissed off. I don't like drugs and didn't appreciate that I had no choice in the matter. Also, if you get pulled over everyone gets arrested. Even if I had nothing to do with it. It was the worst first impression. He talks down to her. I didn't pass judgement. I just decided to pull back a bit.
A few months later drama happened at their house because someone in the house broke a broom in half and beat the family dogs face in. The only person that was at the house when everyone left for work was her boyfriend who lives with them. My Aunt was terrified but afraid to tell him to move out. She now just deals with it because she doesn't want to lose her daughter. My Mom called my cousin and called her a "stupid little skank" for staying with him after that. We tried to take the dog so it wasn't in the house with him. They wouldn't let us and my cousin tried to come up with lies to cover him again. I started to disconnect myself more after that all happened.
He started to come to family parties and would be incredibly rude to everyone. Offered my Uncles daughter alcohol from a flask he brings around with him everywhere. He would make obnoxious comments to me. My cousin tried to cover him again and said that it was just his sense of humor. I said, I like when people have a dry sarcastic sense of humor. The problem is his isn't funny and he just comes off like the jackass he is. He then started bringing his daughter over to family parties. He smokes pot in the car she is in and around her. My cousin denies he does that but I saw him do it. He tried smoking pot in our backyard around my little cousins. I told her he isn't allowed to bring drugs here anymore and that if he needs to smoke that much he has a serious problem. When he comes over with his kid he will boss my cousin around to take care of her. We barely get to talk to my cousin because she has to take care of his kid. It's not her responsibility! however, my cousin has been delusional and decided that she is now a Mother to this child and wants full custody of her because the kids Mom is a druggie who also smokes pot while driving with her in the car. I said they both don't deserve the kid. She got mad at me for that. The cherry on the top of the ice cream was when she decided their year anniversary was going to fall on the day my Grandma passed away. It's a big thing to our family and her passing was fairly recent. She now puts the date on her facebook status with 'I love my baby and can't wait for our anniversary 12/11/09' and I told her it bothers the family but she hasn't stopped. I decided to cut her off completely. I'm so close to losing it when she is around and we're having a family party this weekend. My boyfriend of 6 months is going to be there and I told him to help me stay away from them the entire night because I'm close to really losing my cool. What do I do about this situation? I'm so upset because she was like my sister since I was born and now I hate who she is.

Do Novelty Products Encourage Underage Drinking?

Cassandra57 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:32:06 -0800

** PUBLIC POST **
For discussion.

Flasks under fire

RETAIL | Cutie designs, labels stress booze -- proof positive the containers encourage minor girls to drink, groups say

January 23, 2009
BY CHERYL V. JACKSON cjackson@suntimes.com

Anti-juvenile drinking forces are calling on a Hoffman Estates-linked accessories company to stop selling flasks at its stores across the country.

Icing by Claire's, a subsidiary of tween accessory shop chain Claire's Stores Inc., sells flasks printed with girl-friendly designs, chains and charms, raising concerns of groups who say having the flasks in stores that target girls as young as 17 indicates an acceptance of underage drinking.

"Anything that promotes the perception that alcohol use is acceptable with young people is really disturbing," said Elizabeth Nelson, community health specialist at the Lake County Health Department. We need to give consistent messages that alcohol use is not allowed and that it's illegal at their age."

Youth are increasingly choosing harder liquor, such as rum and tequila, over beer and wine to facilitate getting drunk quicker, Nelson said.

Girls, in particular, are drinking more and at younger ages, said Janet Williams, co-chairman of the Illinois Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking, which fired off a letter this week to Claire 's, asking it to the stop the practice. "In many cases, the girls are outdrinking the boys, putting themselves at greater risks," she said.

In the 1960s, about 7 percent of 10- to 14-year-old girls used alcohol; by the early 1900s, about 31 percent did so, a federal study found.

In 2007, Claire's gave in to protests over its sales of flasks carrying the phrase "Class of 2007," removing that design from shelves, while maintaining the item was intended for college seniors. A representaive last week said he was not aware of any concerns about the products in the stores.

Most flask styles hold 5 ounces and cost about $12.50. A one-shot keychain style carries initials, holds about 1 ounce and costs about $8.50.

Labels on some of the flasks stress that they are designed to carry alcoholic drinks and should not be used for fruit juices or other beverages with acidic content. Each carries a disclaimer that the product is not intended for minors.

The Florida-based Claire's, which operates about 3,000 stores in the U.S. and Europe and which has its buying and distribution offices in Hoffman Estates, is not the only retailer to come under fire recently for peddling flasks. Parent groups have protested the sales of flip-flops that have flasks built into their heels. In 2007, Nordstrom agreed to stop selling the shoes after receiving complaints from a prevention and treatment group. The company has since discontinued manufacturing the product.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/1393120,CST-FIN-flasks23.article#

Subject: Moral of the Story

ccpdm — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:07:20 -0700

A teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment to get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it.

The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their stories. " Tony, do you have a story to share?"

"Yes ma'am. My daddy told me a story about my Aunt Cathy when she was a pilot in Desert Storm and her plane got shot down."

"She had to bail out over enemy territory, and all she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol and a survival knife."

"She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn't break when she landed"

"However, her parachute ended up landing right in the middle of the enemy troops. So she shot fifteen of them withher gun until she ran out of bullets, then killed four more with her knife, and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands."

"Good Heavens!" said the horrified teacher. "What kind of moral did your daddy try and tell you from this horrible story?"

"He told me to stay the hell away from Aunt Cathy when she's drinking."

CHAPTER 90

Iveenia — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 08:50:14 -0800

Had received a dressing down because i had oedemas (in my legs). NO salt – over – well – yes I started… Now I know why that fairy tale in which the three daughters of the king were asked by their father: “how do you describe my love for you?” – the first said sugar – the second said like my best dress and the third answered: LIKE SALT… Only those who know how food tastes without salt – know how right the third daughter was… Well – the father was stupid – he kicked her out of the house… After years – when he tasted food without salt because they had no more salt left in the palace – he remembered how right his third daughter was and was very upset of himself… He then regretted bitterly what he said and did to her… WELL at least he knew at last – some NEVER know not even when they are dying – no – that is no longer abt salt…
OK so no more salt – nettle tea and not standing nor sitting too long… For a housewife THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM – right? Well coffee and salt – because coffee too – kept these oedemas alive – brilliant – how great! Yeah well – Ummi told me: look Amal had a very bad and heavy birth in both senses: Mohamed was 7 kilos – because of her oedemas… So we would like you to have an easy birth… nice very nice… WHO KNOWS WHAT??? She had 8 kids – OK – she must have known but every woman is different… whatever – she said also: I give you 10 days not more – the baby is anyway down already… (down Bessie I thought)… Well now the salty “question” was not so terrible anymore – some days more or less… BUT I MISSED IT ANYWAY! Maybe we humans are/were callously regarding the salt in the food – we could not do without it anymore? OK we had alternatives: the cucumber salad was good anyway: parsley, dill and chives incl. blossom were in there, Aceto balsamico (no, not fm Italy – fm Spain, was also good), yogurt, pepper and olive oil and some water incl. lemon because the yogurt had a strange texture…
Thanks to the chive it was even nice… In the rice there was NO salt at all… Try it… I had added chive there too, but the result was ZERO… GREAT – I had to go through this – a camel also went through the eye of a needle (LOL). With the last oranges I prepared a syrup – a normal one with blond oranges and one with bloody ones - the blond oranges were FAR TOO sweet the bloody ones were delicious! Unfortunately the season was over… however the hot syrup had been different than the cool one…
That is true – food tastes differently when cool or hot or warm – fat for example – try to eat meat fat when it is cold – not always very nice…
***
Ummi had a cousin, she had a brain tumour when she was young. They operated her… WOW – what a sad story; she once had been VERY beautiful – and a voice – that is what they all said abt her… If she was only to sing, again – that was what all said… OK – since the operation she of course had her brain working in a strange manner – sure – a neurological surgery always had side effects… whenever she discussed sth – the next day she had forgotten EVERYTHING abt it… I know because Kerima told me a lot abt her. She very often invited the cousin of Ummi to her house because all in the family of hers took the kids away fm her because of superstition – they believed if the kids played with her they would become crazy as well – NICE superstition… Oh – I would face LOTS of that to come… you will read abt it later… it was also said (gossiped) that the “ugly” cousin (my husband calls her like that) was never to have children in her entire life… I only said to myself - of course – the kids would be normal – since she had been born normally and only had an operation – so her “cellular” chromosomes surely still were normal… anyway - she was happy that Kerima had her play with her kids – she said that so many times. Then she started crying and finally let go all which hurt her deeply… Salah did not like her – because he always said: “she sits in my mother’s house for more than 6 or more hrs and is losing time on everybody…” Nurheddin said the same – I was upset of both. Ummi finished both of their gossiping and said: “Khallas (over and out):– she is my direct relative – so it is NONE of your business!” I did not mix in that quarrel – I only thought: SHE IS SO RIGHT; who pays for ALL even for the wife of Nurheddin in Poland? Ummi – Nurheddin had not received his salary till then – not a cent… And Salah was bankrupt, too – he had used all my money for the bakery shop… So there was nothing left either… I needed stuff for the baby, some diapers, some more underwear etc… and the Gmaat (that is a special role for kids – which makes them like a sausage…) when all wrapped up like a sausage – the kid would 1stly not make any stupid things and would be quiet (because it mostly fell asleep)… In addition to that the legs would be straight that was “a nice side effect” as well… we also needed some more baby flasks – because mine were fm Switzerland and were too expensive to take along to that hospital – which was the GOVERNMENT hospital… so we needed the following: two pacifiers, one flask for milk, 4 little shirts, 3 cloths (to wash the baby with and or using them for the usual milky saliva… This Gmaat role and some little sweet socks – we paid 15 Dinars for that (at that time the Swiss Frank and the Dinar were 100/100). So it was abt one dinar to 0.75 Dollars. Salah was upset – he had to borrow the money fm the bakery shop and made a fuss, again… oh well – such is life… we still had NO diapers nor powder milk… Kerima said – powder milk was vital – not every woman was able to “deliver” milk on arrival… so that was very important to take along… HOW RIGHT SHE WAS – in advance! In addition to that – we did not even have a children’s room… The answer was very simple – she should sleep with me the first days… Anyway with mother – because of the “milk” story – i.e. breast feeding… And babies in Libya should NEVER sleep alone – OK – in Europe they had their own rooms and there were these baby walkie-talkies… whatever – I was in Libya not in Europe… So be it… Even Romana agreed to that – at night it was more comfortable to have the baby “at hand” (OK – I would say: AT BREAST) – than running around to the next room and back and forth and back… etc… so I listened to all of them and gave in – I only hoped secretly – that it was “COMMON sense”…
***

Frozen with Indecision, Waiting for Rescue

Cassandra57 — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:50:22 -0800

I found this to be an interesting insight into the end result of nanny-state government: A nation incapable of thinking or planning for themselves. The most interesting bit is the last few paragraphs.
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Word to the wise: Liz Jones says the chaos caused by the snow storms means its time people took control of their own lives and stopped relying on other people to bail us out

Sitting in the snow on my Prada tote... one more Briton bleating for help

I woke on Friday morning to discover I was snowed in. A blanket a foot deep had fallen overnight and it continued to fall all day.

Here on Exmoor, the roads were not just impassable, you could no longer see where they were.

We knew the snow was coming on Thursday night, and so I put thick rugs on the horses.

By 10pm the snow was already too deep to push a wheelbarrow through, so I carried hay to the fields on my back, bale by tortuous bale.

At 2am I went out with a torch and my sheep dog to break the ice on the water in the butts.

I had shut the ten-month-old Shetland lambs in the hay barn overnight - they are so small, they might have disappeared - and left bananas, apples and organic granola on plates in the tack room for the rats and mice: even they are finding life tough.

A vixen who patrols my garden is being treated to dog food.

I have left heaps more food by the opening to the badgers’ den in the woods; I know some of them, lulled by decades of mild winters, have already had babies, and are suffering dreadfully.

The chickens are shut in, which they object to noisily.

I filled the numerous bird feeders dotted around my land to the brim, and had woodpeckers, linnets, tree creepers, nuthatches, wrens and numerous tits hanging upside down outside my windows, an impromptu Cirque du Soleil.

A barn owl was unable to go to bed in the morning; she was still up, frantically calling, looking for food.

Even the robins, fiercely territorial birds, downed arms for the day in order to get to the fat balls.

My nearest neighbour, a farmer, stopped by on his tractor; as well as taking feed to animals (sheep, cattle, ponies and goats) on the most remote parts of the moor, he had been knocking on doors of the most remote houses, seeing if everyone was OK.

I live only a few miles from the A38 in south Devon, where more than 200 people were stranded on Thursday night.

Most drivers had not thought to take a survival kit with them: a blanket, torch, wellies, a flask of coffee and a well-charged mobile.

But I can’t talk.

On Monday morning, when the first flakes had started to fall here, I ignored all the warnings and set off for London.

It’ll be fine, I’d thought stupidly.

I had virtually no control over my car, and after trying to inch my way down a hill (very difficult in an automatic BMW, where the only control you have is to touch your brakes), I was forced to stop at a crazy angle.

Three cars lined up behind me, and a crowd of more durable folk clustered round my window.

‘You are going to have to keep going,’ they told me. ‘We can’t go past you because we might crash into you.’

‘But why do I have to go first?’ I wailed. ‘It’s not fair.’

I had no choice but to keep going, sweat pouring from my forehead with fear, until I slid into the turning to a field.

I had to abandon my car, and tramp by the side of the road (I hadn’t even thought to put on gloves or a hat), until at last a passing 4x4 took pity on my form, slumped by the side of the road, seated on my giant Prada tote, and gave me a lift back to the bottom of my lane.

There has been lots of hot air in the past few days about how pathetic we Brits have been.

But this freak snowstorm has been a valuable lesson.

We have all grown up believing that everything will be OK. That someone, somewhere (the Government, the council, the NHS, our bosses, and on and on and on, nameless, faceless people usually) will look after us.

They will fix things when we haven’t bothered to exercise or watch what we eat and drink and smoke, haven’t bothered to save, or stock up on candles and food or grit and logs and even water (all my pipes have now frozen).

We have all become childlike, lulled into a false sense of security by endless signs telling us not to drink and drive, to remember not to give alcohol to children, to eat that all-important five a day.

The latest wheeze is that we will be provided with memory clinics, costing millions of pounds, to keep our minds active.

Whatever happened to reading books, thinking for ourselves, rather than being sent into a stupor, inactive, passive, in front of a TV?

We have spent the past few decades bleating like sheep that someone, somewhere should do something about the latest crisis, whatever it might be.

It’s time we all became capable adults and took control of our own lives, our own safety, our own future.

In the Britain of 2009, no one in officialdom can hear you scream.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1138686/LIZ-JONES-Sitting-snow...

CHAPTER 82

Iveenia — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:11:10 -0800

Please forgive me... My mom has got lumbago, my dad is on a flu and they went to a BD party today, so i was alone with the kids - have got a flu myself... so only one chapter today... SORRY

If people wanted to send stuff to us, I would mostly be into baby things… Flasks, bibs and clothes. Surely we would find some cheaper ones in Libya. Life costs there were cheaper than in Europe. We also had Nestlé products in Libya. The lady fm the chemists in Germany said that Nestlé products were very good. Whatever we would do – we would swing it somehow. Salah was against putting the kid in a “normal” bed. If I had known that one, we would have had a cradle on the attic of grand-ma’s house. Yet that was too late now. He wanted to place such a bed into the house. The house was crammed, I wanted to know where he would put that cradle…
Finally we received a good address of a chemist who was also selling baby clothing and other stuff. In Libya you find baby clothing and all the stuff you need as a mom at the chemist’s. We would go there…
***
We had received a mail fm Betty Bossi (that is a Swiss editor abt recipes, which is very famous, there). They had donuts with black chocolate filling. WOW, awesome. I printed the recipe for Salah and the bakery shop. Yet the black chocolate bowls we were unable to find and, besides the Libyans preferred milk chocolate.
***
Instead of Carnival there was Kindergarten in Libya. Two countries – Libya and Saudi Arabia had a personal verbal fight… Even so Saudi Arabia had helped Libya a lot to get back to normal life – with no embargo anymore, Ghadaffi was upset. The Muslim countries had met then - i.e. all of them. Ghadaffi accused the Saudis to be pimps because America was actually ruling them. And with that – they had the best possibility to attack the Iraq when based in Saudi Arabia. The ruler fm Saudi Arabia only replied: who brought you to power? And btw: where are you fm really? And, in addition to that: if your back up was not there – would you not be dead then? Well truth hurts. The funny thing was, all were sitting in the same boat… i.e. all were hypothetically seen prostitutes anyway – hired by the same power: MONEY & GREED.
Salah and Nurheddin were laughing like kids when it had been on TV. I do not like politics (and fleas) anyway so I did not say anything. It is better to pretend to be blond… i.e. I prefer to seem stupid. Ummi behaved the same way, she also thought it to be very childish.
That was showing their level of what exactly? Stupidity? Those two were really stupid to be upset of each other. Such a primitive way to say things like that and LIVE on TV! Imagine! The end of the song was that the Libyans were demonstrating in front of the Saudi Embassy and (of course they were paid to demonstrate, as usual) and then they kicked out the ambassador of Saudi Arabia – then they wanted to put fire on it. They asked their ambassador back to Libya. My opinion is ONLY that someone should have smashed their heads together; i.e. Ghadaffis and the Saudi leader! Maybe then their brains would have worked properly again… or would have been damaged forever - sorry, no big… I was very surprised, because normally nobody shows things like that on TV – it is always censored, i.e. you see them all happily living after with boring and cheesy faces... I loved it that the Saudi told Ghadaffi really who he was! Nobody ever dared to do that. All were afraid of that man(?). Actually I think it would have been time to "lower down" certain humans so the country would have had some peace… yet some are really tough (to kill)… Yet to see it fm the other side: he was a poor thing, he did not trust anyone anymore not even himself! He must hate himself mostly. The result of that mistrust was that he had to change his quarter every two hours in order not to be killed… What a GREAT LIFE! Right?

A Tiny Fruit That Tricks the Tongue "Miracle Fruit" Synsepalum dulcificum

tdsollog — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:30:47 -0700

A Tiny Fruit That Tricks the Tongue
RADISH, WHERE IS THY STING? At flavor-tripping parties, guests find that miracle fruit makes everything sweet.
From the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?th&emc=th

By PATRICK FARRELL and KASSIE BRACKEN
Published: May 28, 2008
CARRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.”

HOW’S IT DO THAT? Franz Aliquo, who calls himself Supreme Commander, right, supplied miracle berries grown by Curtis Mozie, left, to party-goers in Long Island City, Queens, last weekend.

Those who attended sampled the red berries then tasted foods, including cheese, beer and brussels sprouts, finding the flavors transformed. Beer can taste like chocolate, lemons like candy. Mr. Aliquo says he holds the parties to “turn on a bunch of people’s taste buds.”

Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!”

They were among 40 or so people who were tasting under the influence of a small red berry called miracle fruit at a rooftop party in Long Island City, Queens, last Friday night. The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.

The host was Franz Aliquo, 32, a lawyer who styles himself Supreme Commander (Supreme for short) when he’s presiding over what he calls “flavor tripping parties.” Mr. Aliquo greeted new arrivals and took their $15 entrance fees. In return, he handed each one a single berry from his jacket pocket.

“You pop it in your mouth and scrape the pulp off the seed, swirl it around and hold it in your mouth for about a minute,” he said. “Then you’re ready to go.” He ushered his guests to a table piled with citrus wedges, cheeses, Brussels sprouts, mustard, vinegars, pickles, dark beers, strawberries and cheap tequila, which Mr. Aliquo promised would now taste like top-shelf Patrón.

The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is native to West Africa and has been known to Westerners since the 18th century. The cause of the reaction is a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, according to a scientist who has studied the fruit, Linda Bartoshuk at the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste. Dr. Bartoshuk said she did not know of any dangers associated with eating miracle fruit.

During the 1970s, a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration dashed hopes that an extract of miraculin could be sold as a sugar substitute. In the absence of any plausible commercial application, the miracle fruit has acquired a bit of a cult following.

Sina Najafi, editor in chief of the art magazine Cabinet, has featured miracle fruits at some of the publication’s events. At a party in London last October, the fruit, he said, “had people testifying like some baptismal thing.”

The berries were passed out last week at a reading of “The Fruit Hunters,” a new book by Adam Leith Gollner with a chapter about miracle fruit.

Bartenders have been experimenting with the fruit as well. Don Lee, a beverage director at the East Village bar Please Don’t Tell, has been making miracle fruit cocktails on his own time, but the bar probably won’t offer them anytime soon. The fruit is highly perishable and expensive - a single berry goes for $2 or more.

Lance J. Mayhew developed a series of drink recipes with miracle fruit foams and extracts for a recent issue of the cocktail magazine Imbibe and may create others for Beaker & Flask, a restaurant opening later this year in Portland, Ore.

He cautioned that not everyone enjoys the berry’s long-lasting effects. Despite warnings, he said, one woman became irate after drinking one of his cocktails. He said, “She was, like, ‘What did you do to my mouth?’ ”

Mr. Aliquo issues his own warnings. “It will make all wine taste like Manischewitz,” he said. And already sweet foods like candy can become cloying.

He said that he had learned about miracle fruit while searching ethnobotany Web sites for foods he could make for a diabetic friend.

The party last week was his sixth “flavor tripping” event. He hopes to put on a much larger, more expensive affair in June. Although he does sell the berries on his blog, www.flavortripping.wordpress.com, Mr. Aliquo maintains that he isn’t in it for the money. (He said he made about $100 on Friday.) Rather, he said, he does it to “turn on a bunch of people’s taste buds.”

He believes that the best way to encounter the fruit is in a group. “You need other people to benchmark the experience,” he said. At his first party, a small gathering at his apartment in January, guests murmured with delight as they tasted citrus wedges and goat cheese. Then things got trippy.

“You kept hearing ‘oh, oh, oh,’ ” he said, and then the guests became “literally like wild animals, tearing apart everything on the table.”

“It was like no holds barred in terms of what people would try to eat, so they opened my fridge and started downing Tabasco and maple syrup,” he said.

Many of the guests last week found the party through a posting at www.tThrillist.com. Mr. Aliquo sent invitations to a list of contacts he has been gathering since he and a friend began organizing StreetWars, a popular urban assassination game using water guns.

One woman wanted to see Mr. Aliquo eat a berry before she tried one. “What, you don’t trust me?” he said.

She replied, “Well, I just met you.”

Another guest said, “But you met him on the Internet, so it’s safe.”

The fruits are available by special order from specialty suppliers in New York, including Baldor Specialty Foods and S. Katzman Produce. Katzman sells the berries for about $2.50 a piece, and has been offering them to chefs.

Mr. Aliquo gets his miracle fruit from Curtis Mozie, 64, a Florida grower who sells thousands of the berries each year through his Web site, www.miraclefruitman.com. (A freezer pack of 30 berries costs about $90 with overnight shipping.) Mr. Mozie, who was in New York for Mr. Gollner’s reading, stopped by the flavor-tripping party.

Mr. Mozie listed his favorite miracle fruit pairings, which included green mangoes and raw aloe. “I like oysters with some lemon juice,” he said. “Usually you just swallow them, but I just chew like it was chewing gum.”

A large group of guests reached its own consensus: limes were candied, vinegar resembled apple juice, goat cheese tasted like cheesecake on the tongue and goat cheese on the throat. Bananas were just bananas.

For all the excitement it inspires, the miracle fruit does not make much of an impression on its own. It has a mildly sweet tang, with firm pulp surrounding an edible, but bitter, seed. Mr. Aliquo said it reminded him of a less flavorful cranberry. “It’s not something I’d just want to eat,” he said.