Text 2 Speech

This is very cool. Click on the picture and type text into the box. She will say what ever you type in. Also, if you move your mouse around her eyes follow it.

Before and After

Well, the mail keeps pouring in about my last post so I thought I'd change the subject and talk about the weather. It's COLD. Kayaking is over for now but I think it will thaw before too long. It has been a mild winter so far with no snow to speak of (yet). I was over at the farm Saturday and took a photo of a dead sunflower. I thought the contrast with the old and new was interesting, even the sky looks dead

Thank God for Small Wonders

"The real God is only Allah, and all other false gods should be removed." This statement from the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar sent a chill through the international community following an edict issued by Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime announcing that all pre-Islamic statues in the country were to be destroyed. That edict, and the resulting destruction, has been universally condemned as "cultural terrorism."

Among the targeted relics were the Bamiyan Buddhas, two enormous 1,500-year-old statues hewn out of a cliff in the valley of Bamiyan, 140 miles northwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul, that were once one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Destruction of the Buddhas was said to be completed by March 12. A Taliban guard has also reported that the second-century B.C. Buddhist complex in Ghazni was razed two weeks before the edict was issued. Many areas where the destruction is occurring have been sealed off to outsiders, making independent verification impossible at this time.

The Taliban seized control of much of Afghanistan in the mid-1990s and has since enforced an extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Women cannot work or attend school and are not allowed out of the house without a spouse or male relative. Music, cinema, and photography of people and animals are among the hundreds of aspects of modern life that are banned.

While the regime insists that it is simply observing Muslim law against idolatry, its actions are generally considered to be a reaction against UN sanctions implemented in January, following the regime's refusal to extradite terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. The sanctions, which include the shuttering of all Taliban offices outside Afghanistan and a ban on international travel by the Taliban leadership, are exacerbating the near-famine conditions caused by Afghanistan's worst drought in 30 years; the UN estimates that up to 600,000 Afghans have been displaced or become refugees.

International reaction to the February 26 edict was immediate, with dozens of countries, including Pakistan, the Taliban's closest ally, condemning the decision. The Taliban remained resistant, reporting that everything from anti-aircraft missiles to tank fire and dynamite were being used to destroy the Buddhas. "The statues are no big issue," Information and Culture Minister Mullah Qadradullah Jamal told reporters. "They are only objects made of mud or stone."

This Just In...

Maulavi Mohammed Islam Mohammadi, who was the Taliban's governor of Bamiyan province when the fifth-century Buddha statues were blown up with dynamite and artillery in March 2001, was killed on his way to Friday prayers in Kabul, said Zulmai Khan, Kabul's deputy police chief.

Mohammadi was elected in 2005 to represent the northern province of Samangan in Afghanistan's parliament.

After he was elected, Mohammadi said he should not be held responsible for the destruction of the statues, which the Taliban considered to be idolatrous and anti-Muslim.

"It was foreigners like Chechens and Arabs with the Taliban who made the decision. They were crazy people," Mohammadi told The Associated Press at the time. "Even though I was governor, I had no power."

Well, you certainly haven't any power now.
No soup for YOU

NEXT

Words Women Use

Fine
This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments.

Five Minutes
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the rubbish, so it's an even trade.

Nothing
This means "something", and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. 'Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with 'Fine'

Go Ahead
At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

Go Ahead (With Raised Eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine".

Go Ahead (Neutral Expression)
This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care" You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.

Loud Sigh
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"

Soft Sigh
Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.

That's Okay
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow.

Please Do
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay"

Thanks
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.

Thanks A Lot
This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing"

Testing 1, 2, 3

I haven't been around much. Well, I've been around but not blogging or commenting much. If anything I've been posting more photos on Flickr and a few videos on video.google.com.
So, I don't want to make a dumb statement like I'm not blogging any more but it seems to have slowed down for me and for many other folks I'm seeing. I've been at this since 2005. Wow, that's a lot of talking to people I don't know when you think about it. I do feel that I have gotten to know many of you so I guess I should phrase it as people I haven't met instead.
The holidays were great, the kids had a blast and that's what it's all about in my book. Seeing them happy makes me happy. I've been getting out to kayak still although this week it's only going to be in the 20s so I think it will be on hold. Dana and I have gotten out to see a few concerts and we have a great violinist, Joshua Bell, coming up in February for Valentines Day. I also ordered tickets for Spamalot today for a show in September, my 50th Birthday which is a big deal for me*. We got good seats, front row center, first balcony. I love balcony seats. Anyway, I have not been visiting many of you, sorry about that.
So until later, be well.
(after I make a post like this I tend to post even more intensely- geesh)

New Photos

I'm still posting some little videos on Google Video if anyone cares to view them. YouTube is blocked at work so I use this one too. Like I had mentioned in an earlier post, it was very warm and very windy on Saturday.


I did take a picture of myself too so here it is (some treat...)
I'm a little squinty and I seem to look rather perplexed too. Yeah, that's me alright :-)

I also took some sunset shots today for a change. That brings me to a question for a change. Those of you who have been readers for a while (wow, I just realized I started Blogging in 2005) I usually just post things that I think are funny or unusual or family stuff. I rarely ask questions of you, the viewer. Now this is certainly not a big question, but what time of day of person are you?
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Sunrise or Sunset?
Paper or Plastic? (oh, wrong subject)

I've always been more of a morning person. Even as a kid I always enjoyed waking up early in the summer and getting outside to play. Now, as an adult I think I enjoy it even more. There is a quietness that exists in the morning that is not there at night it seems. Sure, late at night is great too, but I just love hearing the birds singing and seeing the first rays of light come up from the sun. I guess what it boils down too is that I really love being outside and enjoying nature. Some people get a lot out of religion or a belief in God but I think that my spirituality comes from my love of nature. I had lost touch with it a bit a few years ago. I stopped doing a lot of things I liked to do in the outdoors but over the past three years or so, I'm reintroducing them into my life. I do want to take the boys camping. Yeah, I know, all talk and no action. Well I hope this spring I do it (maybe even this winter if it stays this mild) and I want to drag their asses out on the lake and have them help me kayak.

Anyway, do any of you have a preference as to what your favorite time of day is?
I'd love to know

Windy Day Video (with Guitar)

OK, So I'm on a posting roll again. I post too much and don't visit everyone enough though. I'll try to do better. I know some of you don't have DSL or Cable Internet so it may take a while to load the videos. Sorry about that. It was so warm today here in lower NY State. We usually would have a foot of snow on the ground by now. We haven't even had flurries yet and today it was 70 degrees. I'll admit, it was great but I would not mind some snow. Today was so windy on the lake. There were many whitecaps and whenever I paused paddling to film or take a snapshot, I lost a lot of ground and the kayak was turned sideways. I actually went out with the intention of salvaging a rowing skull that I've seen sunken in the lake. The only problem is that the friggin thing is about 22-24 feet long and it's also water logged. There was no way I could have towed it using the kayak. So much for that idea...
I hope everyone's 2007 is off to a great start, mine is...

Moonlight Kayak Video

Some Random Stuff

Here's some random photos from this past week. This first one is a hawk that I saw at the celery farm during a lunch time walk. It seems he just had lunch too, you could see the remnants of a squirrel that was his lunch in his chest.
The other photos are of a moonrise on the lake and of Jack (Grif) walking his stuffed pet doggie before bed so it could go pee pee. The dog also got into a fight with a ceramic cat that is in our front yard...

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year. I did something different last night. Dana and I had celebrated the night before (it was more of a Happy The Kids Were Out thing...) so last night was more low-key. Around 11:30 or so, I went out on the lake in the kayak to bring in the new year. Needless to say, there was no one on the lake other than me, that is usually the case. I went the entire length of the lake too. Usually in the better weather, there are weeds and such on the far shore so I can't reach it. Last night there was nothing in the way so I touched the shore. It is a good mile from end to end. Somehow I saw it as being symbolic for me for this year. On my paddle back, I could hear people counting down to midnight. Then, whistles, fireworks, screams were heard. It was so cool to be out on the lake to usher in a New Year. I had never done that before. Maybe I'll make it my new tradition?

This photo is from New Years Day