My family is in town, my sister stayed over in my room. We're gonna go crash a hotel breakfast buffet, then shop till we get tired and it's time to go find the hotel swimming pool.
My mum even brought cake from home.
I'm 21!
Although that's not a big thing here.
If I were in the US I'd be allowed to drink.
That was a few years ago here. This is Europe after all.
Ooh I just got a present!
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Penis, Please
"Guys name their dicks like they name their cars."
Do they? Do you? I don't. I don't have either dick nor car. I've never known of anyone who has named their penis. Then again, that's not usually something you ask people. Unless, of course, 'you' are me and I am bored with an MSN list full of contacts.
So I asked. Most people answered something along the lines of:
"What??"
At least those who don't know me very well. Those who do are used to this kind of thing by now.
In total I recieved answers from 17 guys spread around the world. I discovered guys are as likely to name their penises no matter where they live in the world. You might think since, for example, Europe and the US are more open about sexuality than much of Asia and Africa, guys from the first mentioned are more likely to name their private parts. This is not so. However, this can't be taken as representative of anything or anyone so take it for what it's worth.
I found that approximately one third of guys have named their penises. I got 11 no and 6 yes (including one Egyptian who gave his penis his own name, and one American who had girlfriends who named it but never did so himself).
I have to say I expected more guys to answer yes. And I did not expect being asked if guys really do that. Some hadn't imagined it was something one might want to do. While others said yes, sure I have. I was also surprised to find (among my contacts at least) that geography and culture doesn't matter much one way or the other.
Interesting as it was, there really should be more research done on this... Care to help me out?
Have you named your penis?
Would you mind sharing?
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The War is On
I don't get angry easily. And when I'm here, I just don't have any reason to get angry. I guess little things that annoy me just pile up that way and sooner or later I have to let the steam out. Or explode. This is one of those times.
When I walked into the kitchen this morning, I found a sheet of paper taped to the wall above the sink:
That was all it took. I'm furious! We have lived here for 14 months without any problem whatsoever. Sometimes there's a bit of mess in the kitchen, but never a lot. Sometimes it's spotless, although that is very rare. Then 2 months ago, in moves this guy, Pål. I asked my roommate Marte if she'd put the note up. She, like myself, suspected it was "the guy" who's done it. She said yesterday she'd found a post-it on the kitchen counter. It said something along the lines of:
Then it had a little arrow. Pointing to some bread crumbs.
Is he out of his freakin mind?!? Who does he think he is? Going around leaving notes, what kind of chicken shit behaviour is that? Although we've lived here a year, we're perfectly aware we dont't 'live' here more than he does. We don't have any rules, he can do what he wants. But one thing is doing things your way, another is expecting the rest of us to do so too. If there was a lot of mess around here, that would be understandable. When one note comes because of two casseroles on the stove and a knife by the sink, and the other one physically indicated his dissatisfaction with our bread crumbs, well, that is going too far.
Another thing is that, as Marte put it "What, is he supposed to be perfect?". Well he's not. She said she, as I did, thought he was a nice guy when she first met him. But I don't know much about him simply because he never talks to me. Barely replies to my 'Hi!'s. First time I met him I asked him where he's from, what he studies. He never asked me anything. He doesn't seem to like talking to us. It's not easy to talk to him either. When he's in the kitchen he's wearing ear plugs. Listening to music. Apparently he's this way around everyone.
Maybe he's just a private person. But there still are things he does that are.. less than desireable. Things like when we came back here after summer he'd taken up two of the shelves in the fridge, Emas and Stines. If he knew how to count, he'd know there aren't enough shelves for each of us to have two. Details, I know, but annoying. He's only been nice to me twice. Once was just after he moved in. Second was when he needed a shelf in the freezer and there were none empty cuz Stine forgot to empty hers out when she left. Marte and I emptied two out for him and that was that.
And then the black stains. The thing is... when he's been out and it's been raining, he puts up his 'clothes drying rack thing' in the living room. We all do that when we've done the laundry. Difference is our stuff is not usually dripping wet when we put it in there. His huge black jacket, trousers and shoes are quite wet when he puts it all in there. We've all seen the puddles. He doesn't do anything about it. When they dry up there are big black stains that don't go away when you clean the floor. Maybe we should put a post-it on each stain...
I'm just furious. And Marte isn't much happier. If I'd been the one to see the bread crumble post-it, I'd been about ready to jam the second note down his throat. Actually I wouldn't mind doing that at all... Maybe I should bring my dreams of becoming a hit woman back to life. I took the second note down and Marte and I agreed to talk to him about it if we find another one. I don't know if Ema has seen them yet, she's quite the opposite of tidy and I'm certain she'd agree this is just too stupid.
If you wanna talk to me, talk to me. Don't leave no freakin notes. If you have a problem with what I'm doing, pick on me, not my friends. If that guy has any balls at all he better dig them up cuz he'll pretty soon have three angry chicks on his tail.
When I walked into the kitchen this morning, I found a sheet of paper taped to the wall above the sink:
YOUR MOTHER DOESN'T WORK HERE! CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!
That was all it took. I'm furious! We have lived here for 14 months without any problem whatsoever. Sometimes there's a bit of mess in the kitchen, but never a lot. Sometimes it's spotless, although that is very rare. Then 2 months ago, in moves this guy, Pål. I asked my roommate Marte if she'd put the note up. She, like myself, suspected it was "the guy" who's done it. She said yesterday she'd found a post-it on the kitchen counter. It said something along the lines of:
CLEAN UP! DON'T WANT IT LIKE THIS. DO LIKE YOU WOULD AT HOME!
Then it had a little arrow. Pointing to some bread crumbs.
Is he out of his freakin mind?!? Who does he think he is? Going around leaving notes, what kind of chicken shit behaviour is that? Although we've lived here a year, we're perfectly aware we dont't 'live' here more than he does. We don't have any rules, he can do what he wants. But one thing is doing things your way, another is expecting the rest of us to do so too. If there was a lot of mess around here, that would be understandable. When one note comes because of two casseroles on the stove and a knife by the sink, and the other one physically indicated his dissatisfaction with our bread crumbs, well, that is going too far.
Another thing is that, as Marte put it "What, is he supposed to be perfect?". Well he's not. She said she, as I did, thought he was a nice guy when she first met him. But I don't know much about him simply because he never talks to me. Barely replies to my 'Hi!'s. First time I met him I asked him where he's from, what he studies. He never asked me anything. He doesn't seem to like talking to us. It's not easy to talk to him either. When he's in the kitchen he's wearing ear plugs. Listening to music. Apparently he's this way around everyone.
Maybe he's just a private person. But there still are things he does that are.. less than desireable. Things like when we came back here after summer he'd taken up two of the shelves in the fridge, Emas and Stines. If he knew how to count, he'd know there aren't enough shelves for each of us to have two. Details, I know, but annoying. He's only been nice to me twice. Once was just after he moved in. Second was when he needed a shelf in the freezer and there were none empty cuz Stine forgot to empty hers out when she left. Marte and I emptied two out for him and that was that.
And then the black stains. The thing is... when he's been out and it's been raining, he puts up his 'clothes drying rack thing' in the living room. We all do that when we've done the laundry. Difference is our stuff is not usually dripping wet when we put it in there. His huge black jacket, trousers and shoes are quite wet when he puts it all in there. We've all seen the puddles. He doesn't do anything about it. When they dry up there are big black stains that don't go away when you clean the floor. Maybe we should put a post-it on each stain...
I'm just furious. And Marte isn't much happier. If I'd been the one to see the bread crumble post-it, I'd been about ready to jam the second note down his throat. Actually I wouldn't mind doing that at all... Maybe I should bring my dreams of becoming a hit woman back to life. I took the second note down and Marte and I agreed to talk to him about it if we find another one. I don't know if Ema has seen them yet, she's quite the opposite of tidy and I'm certain she'd agree this is just too stupid.
If you wanna talk to me, talk to me. Don't leave no freakin notes. If you have a problem with what I'm doing, pick on me, not my friends. If that guy has any balls at all he better dig them up cuz he'll pretty soon have three angry chicks on his tail.
How to be a duck in Chinese
The visual beauty of Chinese characters is
especially appealing to us Westerners. Consider
for example, a simple word such as "duck". As
far as the word goes, there is nothing poetic
about it. It is a bird that swims around the pond
and flies away when bothered. But when written in
Chinese, it looks way better than in English. To
a Chinese, there is nothing special about the duck,
unless it is on a menu in a restaurant.
Logoi.com
Monday, October 10, 2005
Life...
My roommate is moving out next week. She's just been home for autumn break and decided to take a year off from school to be with her family. Her brother is real sick. He's been here a few times, must be about my brother's age now, 18-19ish. She said he had cancer a few years ago, did the chemo therapy, went through all that and they thought it was gone. But now it's back and it's serious, some rare form of cancer. Marte said she wouldn't be moving back home if it was something that would be alright soon. She doesn't want to leave here but she said she's thought about it and decided it was the right thing to do.
I can't imagine what they must be going through. What it's like. Cancer is everywhere these days and we all probably know someone who has it or has had it. Some recover while others... others are remembered. When a child gets something like that... I just keep wondering why. It doesn't make sense, does it? Some say there is a reason for everything. Reason, like Love, is over used. I belive in reason as in cause, not reason as in meaning. There's a cause for everything but I can't believe there is a meaning. I wish I could but... it's just not for me.
If I prayed I would but I don't so I can't.
I'll just hope. Send good thoughts.
And help my roommate move although I really hate to see her leave.
Life can be cruel some times.
I think it's time to grow up.
I can't imagine what they must be going through. What it's like. Cancer is everywhere these days and we all probably know someone who has it or has had it. Some recover while others... others are remembered. When a child gets something like that... I just keep wondering why. It doesn't make sense, does it? Some say there is a reason for everything. Reason, like Love, is over used. I belive in reason as in cause, not reason as in meaning. There's a cause for everything but I can't believe there is a meaning. I wish I could but... it's just not for me.
If I prayed I would but I don't so I can't.
I'll just hope. Send good thoughts.
And help my roommate move although I really hate to see her leave.
Life can be cruel some times.
I think it's time to grow up.
Bonsaieddie
A conversation on Skype. It started like this:
bonsaieddie says: Hello apples got a few minutes to chat??
apples says: I suppose I got a few...
bonsaieddie says: how are you?
apples says: I'm good thanks, how are you?
Then I decided to ask him the question I'd been asking everyone yesterday:
apples says: could I ask you a question?
bonsaieddie says: sure what is it??
apples says: assuming it's not 'bonsai', I was wondering if you happened to have named your penis?
bonsaieddie says: why do you have a name for your cunt??
apples says: nope
bonsaieddie says: what is it you would like me to do to you??
apples says: it's just a question
apples says: I heard today "guys name their cars like they name their dicks"
apples says: I'm simply trying to find out if most guys seem to name their dicks or not
bonsaieddie says: I don't name my dick
apples says: ok then
Maybe I'm a little too straightforward some times? Now that was all I wanted to say on the subjects of penises (or any other private parts) but I guess you can't just start a conversation like that and leave it. Bonsaieddie sure couldn't.
bonsaieddie says: what I'd like to do is spread your legs and lick you til an orgasm
apples says: well I doubt if that's gonna happen any time soon
bonsaieddie says: one never knows
apples says: anything can happen
bonsaieddie says: Bergen is a real nice town
apples says: yeah well...
apples says: it's a small town
bonsaieddie says: I love the car that goes up the hill
apples says: the one that goes on the ground or those that go in the air?
bonsaieddie says: the one that goes on tracks
apples says: but that's so boring...
apples says: you've been here?
bonsaieddie says: I'm there now
apples says: you're here?
Great, it's a normal conversation again!
bonsaieddie says: so that is why I said everything can happen
bonsaieddie says: since all I have is a laptop and no g/f i would gladly lick or fuck you as you wish
Oh crap...
apples says: well that's all very good
Notice the sarcasm?
bonsaieddie says: how can I get in touch with you???
apples says: aren't you in touch with me?
bonsaieddie says: so shall we fuck or not
One minute seven seconds pass as I have no yet seen what he has written.
bonsaieddie says: oh I forgot girls in Norway only play with themselves as they all are fridgid
apples says: yes of course we are
bonsaieddie says: why are you a lesbian??or just afraid to get fucked so forget it I'll try to find a normal girl in Bergen
apples says: normal? please do look.
apples says: I seriously consider an attitude change before you start though
bonsaieddie says: forget it I wouldn't want to fuck you anyway you must be as warm as an ice cube bye
apples says: good luck
apples says: I think you're gonna need it
How do I meet these people? I'm afraid I probably got myself into this one though... The results on my lil study on whether guys name their penises or not comes tomorrow.
Reckon I've tipped over the edge yet, and become a little too curious?
bonsaieddie says: Hello apples got a few minutes to chat??
apples says: I suppose I got a few...
bonsaieddie says: how are you?
apples says: I'm good thanks, how are you?
Then I decided to ask him the question I'd been asking everyone yesterday:
apples says: could I ask you a question?
bonsaieddie says: sure what is it??
apples says: assuming it's not 'bonsai', I was wondering if you happened to have named your penis?
bonsaieddie says: why do you have a name for your cunt??
apples says: nope
bonsaieddie says: what is it you would like me to do to you??
apples says: it's just a question
apples says: I heard today "guys name their cars like they name their dicks"
apples says: I'm simply trying to find out if most guys seem to name their dicks or not
bonsaieddie says: I don't name my dick
apples says: ok then
Maybe I'm a little too straightforward some times? Now that was all I wanted to say on the subjects of penises (or any other private parts) but I guess you can't just start a conversation like that and leave it. Bonsaieddie sure couldn't.
bonsaieddie says: what I'd like to do is spread your legs and lick you til an orgasm
apples says: well I doubt if that's gonna happen any time soon
bonsaieddie says: one never knows
apples says: anything can happen
bonsaieddie says: Bergen is a real nice town
apples says: yeah well...
apples says: it's a small town
bonsaieddie says: I love the car that goes up the hill
apples says: the one that goes on the ground or those that go in the air?
bonsaieddie says: the one that goes on tracks
apples says: but that's so boring...
apples says: you've been here?
bonsaieddie says: I'm there now
apples says: you're here?
Great, it's a normal conversation again!
bonsaieddie says: so that is why I said everything can happen
bonsaieddie says: since all I have is a laptop and no g/f i would gladly lick or fuck you as you wish
Oh crap...
apples says: well that's all very good
Notice the sarcasm?
bonsaieddie says: how can I get in touch with you???
apples says: aren't you in touch with me?
bonsaieddie says: so shall we fuck or not
One minute seven seconds pass as I have no yet seen what he has written.
bonsaieddie says: oh I forgot girls in Norway only play with themselves as they all are fridgid
apples says: yes of course we are
bonsaieddie says: why are you a lesbian??or just afraid to get fucked so forget it I'll try to find a normal girl in Bergen
apples says: normal? please do look.
apples says: I seriously consider an attitude change before you start though
bonsaieddie says: forget it I wouldn't want to fuck you anyway you must be as warm as an ice cube bye
apples says: good luck
apples says: I think you're gonna need it
How do I meet these people? I'm afraid I probably got myself into this one though... The results on my lil study on whether guys name their penises or not comes tomorrow.
Reckon I've tipped over the edge yet, and become a little too curious?
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
The story
This blog is almost one year old now. I've told a few stories and I've read many. I've started Uni, met new people, seen new places. I thought I'd share the one story that has been on my mind this entire year. It's moved on and stopped a few times. I've been up high on the clouds but I've also fallen back down to earth. This is something I haven't wanted to say yet it's all I can think about at times. This is something that might step on toes and hurt some feelings. Before it was too early. Now it is too late. This is a long one.
This is a story of the heart.
A little over a year ago I got an email. It was from a guy I didn't know, asking, very politely, if I would mind telling him a bit about this country and the people here. We kept talking for months, on and off, before he said he was coming here. He was spending a week or two outside in the freezing cold of Norway in March and I was doing my best to book plane tickets and find a hotel.
Things worked out, I flew to Trondheim and I spent a day with a bunch of guys. Wonderful day. I even wrote about it once.
He went back to the US, I went home for Easter. We kept talking. He even sent me some books he said I had to read. Which I did. March ended and April began. I hadn't seen him online for a while but that's what it's like on here. Time zones and all. A few months earlier, after we hadn't talked for a while, he sent me his yahoo IM address, AIM address, email, phone number, any way imaginable to get in touch with him. Or so I thought. We never talked on AIM and that was the only account that was online. Weeks passed and he didn't talk. I went back to using MSN and didn't know if he was on or not. How long do you wait for someone to start talking to you?
You meet then a few weeks later you never hear from the person again. Strange though... he really didn't seem like that kind of person.
So I asked. I asked my 'online people' what to do. All but two gave me the same answer. "He's a player. You've been played. That's what we guys are like. Get over it." I wrote about that too.
Reluctant to stop trusting the first person I've really ever trusted, I didn't know what to do. My advice to someone in that situation would be "It's time to move on." So I tried. I met a guy. A really nice guy. He liked me. And he knew, and asked me several times "do you still think about him?". And I said "Yes. I do."
It was June. Mid June. About time to go home for summer. I log onto Trillian and see the bright yellow light of AIM shining at me. He's still online. Or his account is. Time to ask. Time to get over it. So I tried.
"Would you mind answering one question, then you'll be rid of me for good?"
And the answer?
"My name is ____ ______...if it was mike that you were looking for..."
He wasn't there. He hadn't been there since the beginning of April. Apparently it happened suddenly. He'd been sent off somewhere. Deployed.
June was great. June was rainy. When I was in France I once thought 'The heavens are crying so I don't have to.' June was miserable. I felt trapped inside myself. There were nice times but.... When I had that AIM conversation the ground disappeared from under my feet.
I went home. Then came July. And an email.
"I have been gone for a while...
I'm back..."
I sent an email back and asked why he hadn't told me he left. Angry lil email.
"----I couldn't."
I send one back. Nothing. A few days later I'm going on vacation so I send another saying I hope he'll be around in a week. Nothing.
In August I talk to his colleague who was on his AIM again.
"He is back this week coming up--
something was wrong with him i think."
He'd been away, he'd been sick or injured, but now he was coming back. It was August.
Now it's October.
I talked to the colleague again today. Checking in after the hopeful last message that ran out in the sand. Pretty literally. He had been sick. He had been there a week ago. Now he's preparing to go back to Iraq. That's where he was before. At least that's what I'm told, I still don't know how much to trust someone like that. I don't trust easily.
How long do you wait, hope and trust someone before you move from "strong, hopeful and positive" to "naive and just stupid"? Now I know, assuming I was told the truth, that he's right there. If he wanted to he could turn on the computer or pick up the phone. Or even send a letter. Is it that I just can't take a hint? We met once and he started jumping continents to escape.
I've gone through every emotion there is. And that's fine, it's good to explore what's in your heart sometimes. But the knowing I have no right to even think any of this is horrible. Whatever I've been thinking or feeling, it's not even a speck of dust in the universe compared to what those guys are thinking, feeling and going through every day they're out there. I need to have a right to feel something. But I don't. I only met the guy once, why do I even care?
I've been wondering what to do, I've been trying to forget. Once in a while you meet one of those people who seem different. We didn't start writing so we could meet up when he got here. We didn't sit up all night talking because we might end up in bed. Could be he knew when he left we'd never meet again. Very possible. And that's fine. But I'd like to know too.
I know I'll never forget, and I don't want to. But I have to stop thinking about it or I'll go nuts. I don't trust him anymore and I don't think I can. I don't think I need to either. Because nothing of what I'm feeling matters. They're just silly little thoughts in the head of a hopelessly naive girl.
I know what I have to do now.
He might be leaving again and I have no way of knowing. One thing is he's going back out there. Another is I don't know if he thought about the fact that there were people out here who would want to know he's leaving. But I hardly think that matters. Other things are much more important. I never asked anyone to go easy on my feelings. I only ever asked for the truth.
But I do love him. And I always will. Not "in love" kinda love, but the deep one you feel for someone who matters. Someone who made a difference. Someone who made you a better person.
As hard as it is to think, it's even harder to write.
I know what I have to do.
I have to let go.
This is a story of the heart.
A little over a year ago I got an email. It was from a guy I didn't know, asking, very politely, if I would mind telling him a bit about this country and the people here. We kept talking for months, on and off, before he said he was coming here. He was spending a week or two outside in the freezing cold of Norway in March and I was doing my best to book plane tickets and find a hotel.
Things worked out, I flew to Trondheim and I spent a day with a bunch of guys. Wonderful day. I even wrote about it once.
He went back to the US, I went home for Easter. We kept talking. He even sent me some books he said I had to read. Which I did. March ended and April began. I hadn't seen him online for a while but that's what it's like on here. Time zones and all. A few months earlier, after we hadn't talked for a while, he sent me his yahoo IM address, AIM address, email, phone number, any way imaginable to get in touch with him. Or so I thought. We never talked on AIM and that was the only account that was online. Weeks passed and he didn't talk. I went back to using MSN and didn't know if he was on or not. How long do you wait for someone to start talking to you?
You meet then a few weeks later you never hear from the person again. Strange though... he really didn't seem like that kind of person.
So I asked. I asked my 'online people' what to do. All but two gave me the same answer. "He's a player. You've been played. That's what we guys are like. Get over it." I wrote about that too.
Reluctant to stop trusting the first person I've really ever trusted, I didn't know what to do. My advice to someone in that situation would be "It's time to move on." So I tried. I met a guy. A really nice guy. He liked me. And he knew, and asked me several times "do you still think about him?". And I said "Yes. I do."
It was June. Mid June. About time to go home for summer. I log onto Trillian and see the bright yellow light of AIM shining at me. He's still online. Or his account is. Time to ask. Time to get over it. So I tried.
"Would you mind answering one question, then you'll be rid of me for good?"
And the answer?
"My name is ____ ______...if it was mike that you were looking for..."
He wasn't there. He hadn't been there since the beginning of April. Apparently it happened suddenly. He'd been sent off somewhere. Deployed.
June was great. June was rainy. When I was in France I once thought 'The heavens are crying so I don't have to.' June was miserable. I felt trapped inside myself. There were nice times but.... When I had that AIM conversation the ground disappeared from under my feet.
I went home. Then came July. And an email.
"I have been gone for a while...
I'm back..."
I sent an email back and asked why he hadn't told me he left. Angry lil email.
"----I couldn't."
I send one back. Nothing. A few days later I'm going on vacation so I send another saying I hope he'll be around in a week. Nothing.
In August I talk to his colleague who was on his AIM again.
"He is back this week coming up--
something was wrong with him i think."
He'd been away, he'd been sick or injured, but now he was coming back. It was August.
Now it's October.
I talked to the colleague again today. Checking in after the hopeful last message that ran out in the sand. Pretty literally. He had been sick. He had been there a week ago. Now he's preparing to go back to Iraq. That's where he was before. At least that's what I'm told, I still don't know how much to trust someone like that. I don't trust easily.
How long do you wait, hope and trust someone before you move from "strong, hopeful and positive" to "naive and just stupid"? Now I know, assuming I was told the truth, that he's right there. If he wanted to he could turn on the computer or pick up the phone. Or even send a letter. Is it that I just can't take a hint? We met once and he started jumping continents to escape.
I've gone through every emotion there is. And that's fine, it's good to explore what's in your heart sometimes. But the knowing I have no right to even think any of this is horrible. Whatever I've been thinking or feeling, it's not even a speck of dust in the universe compared to what those guys are thinking, feeling and going through every day they're out there. I need to have a right to feel something. But I don't. I only met the guy once, why do I even care?
I've been wondering what to do, I've been trying to forget. Once in a while you meet one of those people who seem different. We didn't start writing so we could meet up when he got here. We didn't sit up all night talking because we might end up in bed. Could be he knew when he left we'd never meet again. Very possible. And that's fine. But I'd like to know too.
I know I'll never forget, and I don't want to. But I have to stop thinking about it or I'll go nuts. I don't trust him anymore and I don't think I can. I don't think I need to either. Because nothing of what I'm feeling matters. They're just silly little thoughts in the head of a hopelessly naive girl.
I know what I have to do now.
He might be leaving again and I have no way of knowing. One thing is he's going back out there. Another is I don't know if he thought about the fact that there were people out here who would want to know he's leaving. But I hardly think that matters. Other things are much more important. I never asked anyone to go easy on my feelings. I only ever asked for the truth.
But I do love him. And I always will. Not "in love" kinda love, but the deep one you feel for someone who matters. Someone who made a difference. Someone who made you a better person.
As hard as it is to think, it's even harder to write.
I know what I have to do.
I have to let go.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Cheney to welcome home Ohio-based Marines
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. Vice President Dick Cheney is welcoming home an Ohio-based Marine Corps unit that took heavy casualties in Iraq.
Cheney is scheduled to address more than 4,500 Marines this morning, including members of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. The battalion, based in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, lost 48 Marines in Iraq and had more than 150 wounded. The deaths included 14 Marines killed in back-to-back attacks within one week this summer.
(...)
Marines who served in other units in Iraq and others who returned from helping recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina will also take part in the events.
Cheney will stay for a luncheon before leaving the area at about 1:30 p.m., Jackson said.
After his address, Cheney will be honored with a 19-gun cannon salute. Some of the weekend arrangements preparing for the vice president’s visit included checking that cars near the location of Cheney’s address were both swept for bombs and kept unlocked, Jackson said.
Cantonrep.com
Whoa wait a minute... Soldiers who have been on the other side of the world fighting for their lives are coming back, and it's the vice president who is being honoured? They are honouring him. He did what? Send them there?
Cheney is scheduled to address more than 4,500 Marines this morning, including members of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. The battalion, based in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, lost 48 Marines in Iraq and had more than 150 wounded. The deaths included 14 Marines killed in back-to-back attacks within one week this summer.
(...)
Marines who served in other units in Iraq and others who returned from helping recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina will also take part in the events.
Cheney will stay for a luncheon before leaving the area at about 1:30 p.m., Jackson said.
After his address, Cheney will be honored with a 19-gun cannon salute. Some of the weekend arrangements preparing for the vice president’s visit included checking that cars near the location of Cheney’s address were both swept for bombs and kept unlocked, Jackson said.
Cantonrep.com
Whoa wait a minute... Soldiers who have been on the other side of the world fighting for their lives are coming back, and it's the vice president who is being honoured? They are honouring him. He did what? Send them there?
Monday, October 03, 2005
Computers?
The net is not working. Again. So I'm at the computer lab. Again. But I won't go on about the printers this time. Or the people using them. I hate them. But they don't care.
Anyway, the Uni pages say the system went down after the power went out yesterday afternoon. But the net hasn't been working where I live since Saturday - didn't turn the computer on till 8pm so I don't know how long it's lasted. Horribly annoying when we're told we have to check our email every day for important notices. When the Uni uses the net this much for anything and everything, they should be able to keep it up a little better than this.
Then again, there is the horrible thing about never knowing if it's your computer, your connection or the whole system that isn't working. I hope it's the whole thing cuz that means they'll fix it. If it's just me, no one will know. Like in June when my net didn't work for a week then this guy came and said I'd disconnected the network. Apparently I'd done that, without knowing how to, in the middle of the night, while sleeping. I don't think the network here likes me. It tried to kick me off when I first came here a year ago, saying I had to get rid of the bug in my pc and kept sending emails all the time. Then I fixed it but it came back. We have to have antivirus and the Uni provides one (that totally sucks) but naturally I can't download that one when the net doesn't work.
Shall I continue?
What to do, what to do... There was something i was going to say but I can't remember what it was... I'm gonna print some more pages then go read. I have an exam this Friday and it's not like "40% of your grade" as I heard someone say on an American college show. Our exams are 100% of our grades. So I better study. And have lunch. I didn't have breakfast.
Oh that's true, I was gonna say something about the professor and his butt but I'll get to that later. Stay tuned!
Edit: I just found out the 'yesterday' the net went down was Friday. So it was still working 6 hours it stopped working and it was not working 12 hours after that. I'm confused.
Anyway, the Uni pages say the system went down after the power went out yesterday afternoon. But the net hasn't been working where I live since Saturday - didn't turn the computer on till 8pm so I don't know how long it's lasted. Horribly annoying when we're told we have to check our email every day for important notices. When the Uni uses the net this much for anything and everything, they should be able to keep it up a little better than this.
Then again, there is the horrible thing about never knowing if it's your computer, your connection or the whole system that isn't working. I hope it's the whole thing cuz that means they'll fix it. If it's just me, no one will know. Like in June when my net didn't work for a week then this guy came and said I'd disconnected the network. Apparently I'd done that, without knowing how to, in the middle of the night, while sleeping. I don't think the network here likes me. It tried to kick me off when I first came here a year ago, saying I had to get rid of the bug in my pc and kept sending emails all the time. Then I fixed it but it came back. We have to have antivirus and the Uni provides one (that totally sucks) but naturally I can't download that one when the net doesn't work.
Shall I continue?
What to do, what to do... There was something i was going to say but I can't remember what it was... I'm gonna print some more pages then go read. I have an exam this Friday and it's not like "40% of your grade" as I heard someone say on an American college show. Our exams are 100% of our grades. So I better study. And have lunch. I didn't have breakfast.
Oh that's true, I was gonna say something about the professor and his butt but I'll get to that later. Stay tuned!
Edit: I just found out the 'yesterday' the net went down was Friday. So it was still working 6 hours it stopped working and it was not working 12 hours after that. I'm confused.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Police raid finds 19 women held as 'sex slaves'
Nineteen women from eastern Europe thought to have been tricked into becoming sex slaves have been rescued during police raids.
A task force of female officers from West Midlands Police were sent to a massage parlour in Birmingham to free the women on Thursday.
Two people, believed to be customers, were detained during the operation, and one sawn-off shotgun recovered. Three people - a 40-year-old woman from Brierley Hill and two men who were believed to be managers - were arrested.
A force spokesman said: "The women are believed to be of eastern European origin and were tricked into the sex industry.
"They had their passports taken. They were locked into the venue during the evening to work and taken away during the day and locked in a house."
The raids took place at Cuddles massage parlour in Birmingham at 7pm.
Read the full story.
From The Independent.
Allow me to repeat one little paragraph:
"They had their passports taken. They were
locked into the venue during the evening
to work and taken away during the day and
locked in a house."
You read about women being forced to become prostitutes. You read about women who can't afford not to be a prostitute. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why women choose this profession, and even more reasons why they're being forced into the industry. But the fact that women do their job practically chained to the bed... that's something we don't hear much about.
This happens all the time. Sex sells and not just when you put it in a music video or on the cover of a magazine. Sex is being sold and bought like any other product. It's an industry! Many women are being forced to do this. We know about it. Why aren't we doing anything?
What if these were men? What if men were being forced to have sex. I'm sure there are men who might say "yes please!" at the thought of that but seriously... If men were forced to take their clothes off and perform whatever acts the person standing over them is telling them to do... What then? I'm getting certain images of a certain prison playing around in my head.
It's just about money isn't it?
It's always about the money...
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