So I'm getting pretty excited about my upcoming trip to Honduras--especially after reading a helpful and encouraging tidbit of information about this jewel of Central America on the U.S. State Department website:
Poverty, gangs, and low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to a high crime rate, including horrific acts of mass murder. Many men in Honduras carry firearms and machetes, and disputes are often settled with violence.
Wow, I can't WAIT! Just another restful vacation in paradise for the frogg...
Hey, it can't be any scarier than my last trip out of country two years ago, which took me to... the Middle East! Haha! Fun and games for everyone!
But in spite of my fears, I actually had a wonderful time, and met quite a lot of very friendly people (who somehow never make it onto the evening news, I've noticed). In the end, the greatest disaster that (almost) befell me during my sojourn in what is admittedly a pretty hair-raising region these days had nothing to do with bombings or rioting or anything so cliche. No, for me, death (nearly) came in the guise of a (huge) semi truck that I (barely) avoided being hit by while riding a (mean) donkey (named Jack) through a Bedouin village. And that was after that same (stupid) donkey (aka Jack-Ass, by the time I was tired of riding him) also tried to do me in by running me into a cliff wall on a (very) narrow trail (high) above the ancient city of Petra, in Jordan.
Such wonderful (parenthetical) memories...
But anyway, I'm sure my trip to Honduras will be fine, and lots of fun. I'm not (too) worried. For one thing, I'm not planning on riding any donkeys in Honduras. And for another, despite my natural proclivities, I'll just be extra careful to avoid disputes.
Especially since I broke my machete last Tuesday. Wah.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Summer Is Here!
Ahhhhhh. I'm back, from a lovely Memorial Day weekend in Ventura County.
And I'd say, based on a Sunday spent BBQ-hopping (3 BBQs in one day!), a Monday afternoon lounging poolside, and my nice new tan, that summer is officially here at last!
Oh yes. I'm excited.
And I'd say, based on a Sunday spent BBQ-hopping (3 BBQs in one day!), a Monday afternoon lounging poolside, and my nice new tan, that summer is officially here at last!
Oh yes. I'm excited.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Call Me Crazy...
but if you are a defendant in a murder trial, you might want to rethink your attempt to kill someone while in the courtroom, in front of the judge. Even if it is a lawyer.
RAID: It's Not Just For Bugs Anymore!
Exciting news for fans of Raid insect killer! Not only does it get rid of cockroaches and ants, but it's proven effective against pesky adulterers as well!
Curses! Foiled Again...
I don't know whether to laugh or be deeply disturbed by the article I found on msnbc.com this morning, with the headline:
China Bans Voodoo Dolls, Starts Craze
My first thought was, "Wow, so banning voodoo dolls has become the trendy thing to do in China!" Which was the part that made me laugh.
Then came the following paragraph, which was the disturbing part:
The dolls have become increasingly popular among the Middle Kingdom's misanthropes and trend-conscious teens. Customers purchase a doll (pin included), attach a piece of paper bearing the name of their enemy to the doll and then stab away. Voodoo Dolls Online offers a wide range of dolls in assorted colors. "Do you want to make your enemy feel as if someone is always stalking him behind his back?" reads the caption next to a doll clad in black. " 'The Magic Shadow Killer' will thoroughly destroy his spirit." (emphasis mine)
Yikes. (But I have to admit, "Magic Shadow Killer" is kind of a cool name.)
Well, I'd be worried about the fate of most of China, except that the article goes on to reveal that voodoo dolls aren't all about hurting people. For every "The Magic Shadow Killer," floating around amongst an apparently revenge-hungry populace, there's a "Little Angel," which, according to the article, ...purportedly brings good luck and helps its owner find true love.
What a relief.
But the most intriguing aspect of the whole story, to me, is in this paragraph:
When officials first cracked down on the import of dolls from Thailand two months ago, Chinese entrepreneurs filled the growing demand by making the toys themselves, wrapping colorful yarn around wire skeletons and adorning each with a crude felt heart. The toys were a marvel of marketing: told that one doll could not be used to harm multiple enemies, the youths who bought them kept coming back for new ones as their hit lists grew in length. (emphasis mine)
Er, ok, aside from the obvious problematic mental state of Chinese youth who have growing hit lists, I'd just like to point out that these dolls don't seem hard to make. I don't mean to encourage voodoo, you understand, but it does seem to me that perople could just... well, save their money and make the dolls themselves.
Of course, logically (there's that annoying word again!), that would make it kind of ridiculous to think that the dolls have any intrinsic power, wouldn't it? Or am I way off base here?
It reminds me of that "pet rock" phenomenon that I remember from my childhood... where savvy marketers and gullible people colluded in the popularity of having rocks for pets. I don't know what made a rock that you paid for, which was packaged in a box with a little message about how to "care" for it, any better than a rock you could dig up in your garden and pet away to your heart's content for FREE, but apparently they were a pretty hot item for a while.
As were Chia pets, which really deserve a frogg files post all their own. Some day, no doubt...
China Bans Voodoo Dolls, Starts Craze
My first thought was, "Wow, so banning voodoo dolls has become the trendy thing to do in China!" Which was the part that made me laugh.
Then came the following paragraph, which was the disturbing part:
The dolls have become increasingly popular among the Middle Kingdom's misanthropes and trend-conscious teens. Customers purchase a doll (pin included), attach a piece of paper bearing the name of their enemy to the doll and then stab away. Voodoo Dolls Online offers a wide range of dolls in assorted colors. "Do you want to make your enemy feel as if someone is always stalking him behind his back?" reads the caption next to a doll clad in black. " 'The Magic Shadow Killer' will thoroughly destroy his spirit." (emphasis mine)
Yikes. (But I have to admit, "Magic Shadow Killer" is kind of a cool name.)
Well, I'd be worried about the fate of most of China, except that the article goes on to reveal that voodoo dolls aren't all about hurting people. For every "The Magic Shadow Killer," floating around amongst an apparently revenge-hungry populace, there's a "Little Angel," which, according to the article, ...purportedly brings good luck and helps its owner find true love.
What a relief.
But the most intriguing aspect of the whole story, to me, is in this paragraph:
When officials first cracked down on the import of dolls from Thailand two months ago, Chinese entrepreneurs filled the growing demand by making the toys themselves, wrapping colorful yarn around wire skeletons and adorning each with a crude felt heart. The toys were a marvel of marketing: told that one doll could not be used to harm multiple enemies, the youths who bought them kept coming back for new ones as their hit lists grew in length. (emphasis mine)
Er, ok, aside from the obvious problematic mental state of Chinese youth who have growing hit lists, I'd just like to point out that these dolls don't seem hard to make. I don't mean to encourage voodoo, you understand, but it does seem to me that perople could just... well, save their money and make the dolls themselves.
Of course, logically (there's that annoying word again!), that would make it kind of ridiculous to think that the dolls have any intrinsic power, wouldn't it? Or am I way off base here?
It reminds me of that "pet rock" phenomenon that I remember from my childhood... where savvy marketers and gullible people colluded in the popularity of having rocks for pets. I don't know what made a rock that you paid for, which was packaged in a box with a little message about how to "care" for it, any better than a rock you could dig up in your garden and pet away to your heart's content for FREE, but apparently they were a pretty hot item for a while.
As were Chia pets, which really deserve a frogg files post all their own. Some day, no doubt...
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Turning Away
I read two interesting, and horrible, articles today.
The first one was about a group of Mt. Everest climbers who passed by a dying man on their quest to reach the summit.
The second one was about victims of ongoing, horrific sexual abuse in the Congo.
In both cases, it seems to me, the key theme revolves around the consequences of turning away.
Because there are always consequences. And sometimes, they are dire.
And so I ask myself: What makes people turn away from people in need, or in distress? Why do I turn away? I do, all the time. I can't even count the number of occasions when I have witheld my hand. And while I could come up with any number of reasons, none of them are particularly good. Fear of getting involved in something I can't get out of, is probably at the top. Or perhaps, I am busy and in a hurry--can't afford to stop! Maybe because I care more about my own comfort, my own image, than about some stranger.
I'm not writing this to make anyone feel guilty. Goodness knows, we all have enough to feel bad about in our lives, without my adding to the burden! I guess I'm writing it because I wish I knew how to change the tide of my own consciousness, which til now is so focused on myself that I can hardly see anyone else.
I guess I'm writing about it, too, because the two articles taken together seemed to tell a story that we as a nation should heed carefully--when lives become expendable in the pursuit of a "higher goal" or "greater good," of what worth, really, is that goodness? When people are in desperate need of help, and we busy ourselves only in the matters that further our own interests, what becomes of our "moral authority"?
I hate thinking about these things. But I know I need to. I just hope it doesn't stop at thinking. Too often, that's exactly what it does.
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
--Pink Floyd
The first one was about a group of Mt. Everest climbers who passed by a dying man on their quest to reach the summit.
The second one was about victims of ongoing, horrific sexual abuse in the Congo.
In both cases, it seems to me, the key theme revolves around the consequences of turning away.
Because there are always consequences. And sometimes, they are dire.
And so I ask myself: What makes people turn away from people in need, or in distress? Why do I turn away? I do, all the time. I can't even count the number of occasions when I have witheld my hand. And while I could come up with any number of reasons, none of them are particularly good. Fear of getting involved in something I can't get out of, is probably at the top. Or perhaps, I am busy and in a hurry--can't afford to stop! Maybe because I care more about my own comfort, my own image, than about some stranger.
I'm not writing this to make anyone feel guilty. Goodness knows, we all have enough to feel bad about in our lives, without my adding to the burden! I guess I'm writing it because I wish I knew how to change the tide of my own consciousness, which til now is so focused on myself that I can hardly see anyone else.
I guess I'm writing about it, too, because the two articles taken together seemed to tell a story that we as a nation should heed carefully--when lives become expendable in the pursuit of a "higher goal" or "greater good," of what worth, really, is that goodness? When people are in desperate need of help, and we busy ourselves only in the matters that further our own interests, what becomes of our "moral authority"?
I hate thinking about these things. But I know I need to. I just hope it doesn't stop at thinking. Too often, that's exactly what it does.
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
--Pink Floyd
Sunday, May 21, 2006
News
I haven't been feeling very well lately.
But on the plus side, I bought a ticket to Honduras. I'll be there June 10-17. Obviously, those dates encompass June 12, which is...my birthday! Happy birthday to me! Who knows, maybe this year will mark the start a new tradition... every year, I will try to celebrate my birthday in another country. Or at least, somewhere I've never been before.
Of course, that will put a damper on my ability to have any birthday parties in my honor and whatnot. But since I never do that anyway... I guess it doesn't really matter!
Alright, that's my news. Now I'm going to go back to feeling ill and tired, and a bit sorry for myself.
I'm such a baby when I'm sick.
But on the plus side, I bought a ticket to Honduras. I'll be there June 10-17. Obviously, those dates encompass June 12, which is...my birthday! Happy birthday to me! Who knows, maybe this year will mark the start a new tradition... every year, I will try to celebrate my birthday in another country. Or at least, somewhere I've never been before.
Of course, that will put a damper on my ability to have any birthday parties in my honor and whatnot. But since I never do that anyway... I guess it doesn't really matter!
Alright, that's my news. Now I'm going to go back to feeling ill and tired, and a bit sorry for myself.
I'm such a baby when I'm sick.
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