myblog -december '09

so just a little update, bahb was in town, with his lovely wife, whom we will refer to as bahb's wife.. and so we went (ice)skating two days ago.. and so as not to bore you i will share with you a bit of detail.. we were going to go get used skates since renting would have cost us 9 money units, whereas to buy them used could be some 10 money units.. and if we use them twice, *POOF*, we are already in the black (ie, money saved vs spent/wasted -- generally referred to as "being in the red") so we were waiting for baron to drive us (cuz i dont have a license yet.. ugh.. dont get me started..) so we could go to a store known for selling used sporting goods.. so we look em up on the interwebs, find the address, and just in case, i figured id write down the address for another one, and the number for the first one. so we head out to the place.. and hmm.. the place doesnt exist.. so, prepared as i am, i whipped out the number and began dialing on our emergency cell phone.. but the weirdest thing happened, the call wouldnt go through.. i dont mean that nobody answered, or it would sound busy.. but rather that it didnt ring at all.. it would just hang up immediately. hmm.. so we head to the second location.. and ugh.. if it isnt also closed.. ie, non-existent.. apparently it had been turned into a video store (which is coincidentally where we happened to ask what had happened to the store.. and they said.. "oh, it actually used to be here")..

hmm.. i seem to have forgotten the point to writing this post.. heh.. (i started writing this post a couple days ago).. in any case, bahb was here with his wife.. the end.

oh no, wait, now i remember! yeah the point was to say that we didnt find skates, and instead ended up going downtown to skate.. and it was basically my first time skating (at least it felt like it, but its actually my third time.. in my life.. counting the time when i was ten and the time 4 years ago where i wore skates waaaay too big for me, and which were therefore too wobbly to skate) in any case.. (talk about excessive verbiage..) it was awesome.. i really enjoyed myself and i didnt even fall once! yay! now i seem to have a bit of a skating bug.. good thing we have a skating rink just around the corner from my house.. now i only need some skates.. which baron says he can give me a pair.. hopefully SOON~!

theres that new trend to, for some reason, NOT say "merry christmas" which is really enraging that this would be the only holiday this is done for, and its really the most celebrated "religious" holiday (dont get me started on the people in the news who keep saying the true meaning of christmas is "presents!!" agh! so enraging!) and its not enough that christmas is just so little about christ that its turned into this celebration of some magical fat bearded elf who lives in the north of canada and wears a red suit and black booties, and who for some reason shares a lot of properties with the creator God (can deliver presents to ALL the boys and girls in one night *cough*omnipresence*cough*, he knows when you are sleeping *cough*omniscience*cough*, he's making a list, and checking it twice, to see who's been naughty or nice *cough*judges the world*cough*.. ) and now we cant even hear "merry christmas" either anymore.. well i say stick it, and lets celebrate CHRIST!

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (God among us)." Isaiah 7:14

"For to us a child is born,to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderf...ul Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

and so when they say "happy holidays!" you can say "oh, which one?" "well.. uh.. all of them!" "well, i dont celebrate the 4th of july.."

or:
seasons greetings.. "like when curry says "hello" and thyme says "whaddup".. and pepper gives everyone props..?"

or:
"merry x-mas", "oh, that day when we celebrate the birth of x, who was born to redeem all those who belong to x, and are therefore known as x-tians, cuz they are no longer tians..?"

so, (and yeah, i almost did that to a girl at some shop, but she was just so nice about saying "happy holidays" that i didnt want to be a jerk..) instead, lets be radicals and celebrate the CHRIST in Christ-mas:

meeeeeerry CHRISTmas everyone!!

and heres my gift to you: when was Jesus born.. (an article i wrote)

whoa.. i cant believe it, brittany murphy is dead.. at age 32.. holey.. last i heard it was due to a heart attack.. wow.. thats just nuts..

found this quote here 50 Things Every 18-Year-Old Should Know

Ironically, successful people tend to fail a lot more than unsuccessful people. They also tend to ask a lot more questions.

theres some other good points there too:

23) When you move, sell, throw away, and give away as much as possible or you'll just end up moving boxes from one closet, where they have been sitting for five years, to another closet, where they'll be sitting for the next five years.

24) Don't ever loan your friends money if you want to keep them as friends. After all, if they were good with money and were likely to pay you back in a timely manner, they probably wouldn't need the loan in the first place. If they really need the money, you want to help them, and you can afford it -- just give it to them.

[...]

34) If you get into a business deal with someone who goes to unusual lengths to convince you of how honest or Christian they are, watch your wallet and make sure you have an iron clad contract. They "doth protest too much."

35) "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn

36) If you want to do something exceptional, don't expect anyone to believe you can do it until you've done it. Unless you're already perceived as exceptional, most people won't believe in you. That's doubly true for the people who know you best and have therefore seen you at your most mediocre, like your parents, family, and friends.

[...]

39) Nobody owes you a living.

40) You are not a victim.

HOLY COW!!!!!!!

and now for the news:

Student's jaw blown off by gum

Ukraine - A Ukrainian chemistry student who had the bizarre habit of chewing gum after dipping it in citric acid, has been found dead with his jaw blown off.

The student's jaw was believed to be blown off by exploding chewing gum.

Officers found citric acid packets and a similar-looking unidentified substance, believed to be some kind of explosive material, on a table near the 25-year-old's body, Russian news agency Ria Novosti said.

Investigators suspect the student confused the packets and put gum covered with explosive material into his mouth.

im studying for my hebrew test.. err.. "studying" is such a strong word.. in any case, its slowly becoming clear that one day, google will BE the internet.. yeah, you can quote me on that one.. heres why i say that: google translator.. just start typing.. the thing will not only "translate" but figure out the correct grammar of what you are saying, all of this while you type!! amazing.. this blows morfix almost out of the water (the dictionary is more complete in morfix)

its been a while since i was up for so many hours.. im at 32 right now, planning on sleeping post haste.. oh and i really need to blog my dreams.. holey ga-moley!

yessir! global warming-ism is now officially a religion! haha: Climate change belief given same legal status as religion

An executive has won the right to sue his employer on the basis that he was unfairly dismissed for his green views after a judge ruled that environmentalism had the same weight in law as religious and philosophical beliefs.

In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Michael Burton said that "a belief in man-made climate change ... is capable, if genuinely held, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Religion and Belief Regulations".

The ruling could open the door for employees to sue their companies for failing to account for their green lifestyles, such as providing recycling facilities or offering low-carbon travel. [...]

John Bowers QC, representing Grainger, had argued that adherence to climate change theory was "a scientific view rather than a philosophical one", because "philosophy deals with matters that are not capable of scientific proof."

That argument has now been dismissed by Mr Justice Burton, who last year ruled that the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore was political and partisan.

this part was interesting:

His lawyer Shah Qureshi, head of employment law at Bindmans LLP, argued that if the ruling had gone against them, "the end result would be that the more evidence there is to support your views, the less likely it would be for you to enjoy protection against discrimination".

oh no ya dont, no building minarets () in my country! UN slams 'discriminatory' Swiss minaret ban

GENEVA – The United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday's referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of "anti-foreigner scare-mongering."

The criticism from Pillay, whose office is based in the Swiss city of Geneva, comes after an outcry from Muslim countries, Switzerland's European neighbors and human rights watchdogs since 57.5 percent of the Swiss population ratified the ban.

The Swiss government opposed the initiative but has sought to defend it as an action not against Islam or Muslims, but one aimed at improving integration and fighting extremism.

"These are extraordinary claims when the symbol of one religion is targeted," Pillay said in a statement. She said she was saddened to see xenophobic arguments gain such traction with Swiss voters despite their "long-standing support of fundamental human rights."

The referendum doesn't affect Switzerland's four existing minarets, or the ability of Muslims to practice their religion. It only bans the towers used to put out the Islamic call to prayer.

But wealthy Arab tourists might think twice now about spending their money in Geneva and other Swiss cities, and the neutral country's efforts to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could also suffer.

In Athens on Tuesday, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said the government was worried about the ban.

"We are very concerned with this referendum. The reality of our societies in Europe and throughout the world is that each limitation on the coexistence of different cultures and religions also endangers our security," Calmy-Rey said during a meeting of foreign ministers of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"Provocation risks triggering other provocation and risks inflaming extremism," she added.

Sunday's referendum, which was backed by nationalist parties, forced the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets.

Calmy-Rey stressed that Muslims were accepted in Swiss society, and the decision would not change the foreign policy of the country, which would continue to maintain close relations with Muslim nations.

"Swiss Muslims are well integrated and will continue to attend the 200 mosques in the country," she said.

The minister said if an appeal against the referendum is lodged at the European Court of Human Rights, it would be up to the court to decide on its legality.

oh wow.. switzerland is now in trouble! see what happens in a perfect democracy? ie, when every important decision is made by the people and not the government? switzerland has now declared to be making a stand against islam.. man, this means that now everyone will have to watch out for the nutters who for sure will attempt something against it.. of course, most these terrorist idiots (the ones who pay others to blow themselves up) have their money stored up in swiss banks anyways, so i doubt they will do anything big.. also, if theres one thing about swiss people, is that you do NOT push them.. else they will push back harder.. and muslims in switzerland will have a harder time still.. as the public opinion then sways further and further away..

it seems switzerland is the last european bastion in the defense against the islamic conquest

to be honest, i can totally see a complete funds freeze for arab bank accounts if anything were to happen in switzerland.. dont mess with the swiss!

(maybe that last one was a bit exaggerated.. but, i wouldnt try them either..)