Torres, 41, Sets Records At Olympic Swim Trials [07 Jul 2008|07:51am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278870&ft=1&f=1001 The U.S. swimming trials were held in Ohama, Neb., to decide who would make the Olympic team. Among the victors is Dara Torres, 41, who became the oldest American swimmer to ever make the team — and set records in the process. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Nadal Ends Federer's Streak In Epic Wimbledon Final [07 Jul 2008|07:45am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278865&ft=1&f=1001 After winning the Wimbledon men's final five years in a row, Roger Federer was beaten Sunday by Spain's Rafael Nadal in the longest and possibly greatest men's final in the tournament's history. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Suicide Bomber Strikes Indian Embassy In Kabul [07 Jul 2008|08:53am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278829&ft=1&f=1001 A suicide bomb that struck Kabul on Monday blew off the gates of the Indian Embassy, where Afghans often line up for visas to leave the country. The car bomb rattled much of Afghanistan's capital. About 30 deaths and 150 injuries were reported; the toll is expected to rise. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Candidates' Long-Held Intelligence Views Shift [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278832&ft=1&f=1001 The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will face some touch choices on intelligence-related issues as they campaign in the 2008 campaign. Barack Obama and John McCain have long-held views on intelligence issues like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As presidential candidates, the two senators are changing their perspectives. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Hopes For Climate Solutions Dim At G-8 Summit [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278838&ft=1&f=1001 The G-8 meeting in Japan this week was supposed to be a major milestone for talks on global warming. Instead, the process has bogged down. The Bush administration won't commit to major steps without participation by China and India. And those nations won't move until the U.S. does. Strategists expect little of substance from the meeting in Japan and are trying to figure out whether it will be possible to negotiate a new climate treaty by the end of 2009, as the U.N. has planned. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

African Poverty Tops G-8 Agenda [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278841&ft=1&f=1001 President Bush and other world leaders kicked off the G-8 summit Monday in Japan, with poverty in Africa at the top of the agenda. Three years ago, members set a goal of increasing world aid to Africa by 2010, but some worry that they will fall short. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Belgian Brewer Woos Anheuser-Busch Shareholders [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278844&ft=1&f=1001 Co-host Renee Montagne has this morning's business news. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

NBC Universal Announces Weather Channel Deal [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278847&ft=1&f=1001 America's third most distributed cable network, The Weather Channel, might soon become property of NBC Universal. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Battle For Hispanic Voters Accelerates [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278856&ft=1&f=1001 Hispanics are a fast growing segment of the population, and a very hot political property right now. In 2004, President Bush made serious inroads in this traditionally Democratic group. In the 2008 presidential election, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and his Democratic opponent Barack Obama are both bidding for support from Hispanics. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Supreme Court Ends Term On Ideological Edge [07 Jul 2008|06:00am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92278859&ft=1&f=1001 The Supreme Court is on its summer recess, but before the justices closed up shop, they decided a flurry of cases by 5-4 margins. Earlier in the term, they had achieved larger majorities in a series of cases. A look back at the court's term and at its prospects for the future. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Nadal Wins Epic Match At Wimbledon [06 Jul 2008|05:06pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92272137&ft=1&f=1001 On Sunday, Roger Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in a marathon five-set match. Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated talks to host Andrea Seabrook about Sunday's record-breaking championship match. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

In Iraq, Diplomatic Stalemate Over U.S. Presence [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271521&ft=1&f=1001 Negotiations have stalled between the U.S. and Iraq over the future role of American troops there. The so-called "status of forces agreement" is in trouble — and Iraqi leaders are considering alternative proposals. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Baghdad speaks to host Andrea Seabrook about the dispute. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

U.S. Spying On Iraqi Army [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271524&ft=1&f=1001 The U.S. is using satellites in Iraq — but not just to spy on its enemies, the insurgents; Americans are also monitoring their allies, the Iraqi army. John Pike, of GlobalSecurity.org, talks to Andrea Seabrook about the strategy. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Medical Flights Under Scrutiny After Fatalities [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271527&ft=1&f=1001 Seventeen people have died in crashes this year involving medical aircraft, putting 2008 on pace to be the deadliest year ever for emergency flights. Critics contend there are too many aircraft and too many unnecessary flights. Daniel Kraker reports from member station KNAU. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Evangelical Leader Discusses Candidates [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271531&ft=1&f=1001 Jim Wallis, the editor and founder of Sojourners magazine, talks to host Andrea Seabrook about the evolving evangelical movement, Barack Obama's plans to continue and retool President Bush's office of faith-based initiatives, and what he hopes to see from the John McCain campaign. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Fires Pose Risks For Archaeological Sites [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271539&ft=1&f=1001 With drought, high temperatures and bark beetle infestations, conditions are ripe across the West for catastrophic forest fires. And that's making archaeologists very nervous. Fires may destroy thousands of ancient Native American artifacts and may expose other sites to looters. Peter O'Dowd reports for Wyoming Public Radio. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

YouTube Monks Storm European Pop Charts [06 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92271550&ft=1&f=1001 The monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria sing ancient Gregorian chants in their 12th-century church — and then post them to YouTube. Their technological savvy landed them a record deal, and now their album is storming the European charts and arriving in America. Father Karl Wallner talks to host Andrea Seabrook about balancing pop stardom with the religious life. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Candidates Try To Woo Latinos [06 Jul 2008|10:56am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92267952&ft=1&f=1001 Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are courting the Latino vote this campaign season. The Rev. Luis Cortes, one of the country's most influential Latino leaders, talks about what Hispanics want from a presidential candidate. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Bush To Prod G-8 Leaders On AIDS Funding [06 Jul 2008|10:39am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92267938&ft=1&f=1001 Global health will be on the agenda at this week's Group of Eight summit. President Bush hopes the other leaders will keep a promise: They pledged billions of dollars to fight AIDS and other diseases in the developing world. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

G-8 Leaders Expected To Discuss Oil, Food Prices [06 Jul 2008|10:32am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92267935&ft=1&f=1001 World leaders will meet Monday for the Group of Eight summit in Japan. Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development and an expert on the global economy, discusses the meeting. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Then, tomorrow was another day... [06 Jul 2008|12:47pm] officialgaiman http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/07/then-tomorrow-was-another-day.html Yesterday I did a panel with Richard Price, and then I signed for (according to the newspapers)about six hundred people for five and a half hours. Normally I try very hard to be as nice to the people who've been waiting for hours as I was to the people at the beginning, but I think I may have been ordering the people at the back of the line around a bit just to make sure I finished before the Tom Stoppard talk started at seven. (I finished with 25 minutes to spare.) The crowd was lovely, and all amazingly good-humoured given how long they were standing around. Anyway. Five and half hours, which is about five hours and ten minutes longer than anyone else here, which meant that I was suddenly peered at suspiciously, as if revealed as some kind of odd alien being, by other writers with whom only that morning I was sharing jokes and food. I think they have now forgiven me. [Edit to add, that was a joke, and the other authors were remarkably nice about it all. Tom Stoppard, who stopped in during the signing, thought it hilarious.] After the Stoppard panel, which was marvellous, like a master class, (I'm typing this on the computer in the hotel lobby, and was just tapped on the shoulder by a Newspaper photographer who wanted me to come and pose for some shots, and seemed a bit baffled when I pointed out that I was working) -- one of my favourite moments was when asked how he would direct a Hamlet, and he took the (odd) question and talked about what he wants from actors, "Clarity of utterance." Then I went to dinner with one of my Brazilian publishers. I hadn't really eaten since breakfast over twelve hours earlier, and I discovered that when you are given a very large passionfruit caipirinha after a five and a half hour signing and on an empty stomach, you know it's working because your feet go numb. Possibly the feet simply went away. Luckily, my feet returned before I had to walk back to the hotel, but it was extremely odd. Today it's the end of FLIP and the Desert Island Books panel, and I will read a bit from James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks. 2 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Wow! [06 Jul 2008|07:09am] sartorias via fpb this amazing visual and audial and imaginative experience: Even commercials are sometimes great. BTW does anyone know the name of that piece of music? I really like it. 16 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Through Ads, Candidates Vie For Hispanic Voters [06 Jul 2008|04:39pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92212374&ft=1&f=1001 Barack Obama and John McCain have both released television advertisements in Spanish. Hispanics make up big parts of the population in several key swing states, and the ads are just one sign that the campaigns are taking them seriously. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Iraqis Consider Alternative Deal For U.S. Presence [06 Jul 2008|08:45am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92267256&ft=1&f=1001 The United States and Iraq have held contentious negotiations in recent months over the continued American military presence in Iraq. The aim was to work out what's called a "status of forces" agreement. But NPR has learned that Iraqi negotiators are now looking at other options. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

307. It's Not As Easy As It Looks [06 Jul 2008|02:45am] burythel1ght [ mood | depressed ] Two years ago, I probably could have caught a plane to Europe without worries and anxieties. I guess you could say I was naïve because I didn't realize that there are all of those dangers and concerns to take into account. Now, I realize that I need to eat and generally that requires both money and, in the case of me cooking, materials to cook with. I am going to Germany with nothing and I'm hoping to survive off of little food and little money. I earned some money this summer that ended up amounting to about... say 1,200 Euros. Will that be enough for me to survive in Europe? I highly doubt that!! With the cost of food being expensive and my desire to travel being high, I am unsure as to whether I will come back from Europe being nothing short of broke. Not to mention, I'm afraid that I might forget something that I may need. I have my medicine, I have my credit card (yay target, who will fuck me over?), I have my debit card (yay banks that will fuck me over as well?), I have a calling card and I have my computer. I'm trying so hard to keep myself calm. I guess I'll worry about this stuff tomorrow when I'm actually packing. Moving on... These seven months will be so long and I'm so scared because I've made several amazing friends and I don't know what I'm going to do without them. It means so much to me that I've come to a point where I actually have meaningful friendships. I've finally come to a point where I am, for the most part, very very content. I don't know what I'm going to do without being able to be around such people for seven months. 4 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

If You're Interested [05 Jul 2008|07:52pm] athanarel [ceibhfhionn22] [ mood | hopeful ] [ music | Point of No Return ]  If any one feels like reading a story that has nothing to do with the Fourth of July, here is a link to my journal. Look for An Exercise Brought About By Boredom. I would appreciate feedback. 5 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

[05 Jul 2008|06:55pm] futurestarlette I watched Mad Men at work last week (do I not have the best job ever??! It's, like, not a job at all!), and I'm not completely sure what to think of it. I mean, I liked watching it, and will definitely be watching season two later this month, but I thought the "realistic" comments about women and Jews every two minutes were pretty gratuitous. The show is really, really pretty though, so I made a picspam... and mentioned a few of the things that bugged me. (Warning: If feminism isn't your thing, you may want to steer clear. I mean, I don't think I'm that much of a feminazi, but have been told otherwise. By douchebags, but still. XD) ( 10 reasons to love Mad Men, and 10 reasons not to ) 6 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Economy Often Leads Us Down Wrong Path [05 Jul 2008|04:52pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92259328&ft=1&f=1001 The spate of bad economic news has changed the way we make economic decisions. NPR's Yuki Noguchi visits a used car dealership where drivers are trying to unload their gas guzzlers. Then, economist Dan Ariely discusses why so many of us make economic decisions that are so wrong. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Sibling Rivalry At Center Court [05 Jul 2008|04:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92259334&ft=1&f=1001 Venus Williams beats her younger sister Serena at Wimbledon on Saturday. On Sunday, Roger Federer faces Rafael Nadal on the men's singles side. Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated talks about the tournament. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Salmonella Outbreaks Hard To Source [05 Jul 2008|08:49am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92254389&ft=1&f=1001 Over the past several months an outbreak of salmonella has sickened hundreds and sparked an investigation in to its origin. Tomatoes are thought to be the culprit, but tracing bacteria back to its source is difficult. Inspection alone will not solve the problem, former deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, Michael Taylor tells Linda Werthheimer. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Liberal, Conservative Groups Vie For Vets' Interests [05 Jul 2008|08:49am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92254393&ft=1&f=1001 Vote Vets on the left and Vets for Freedom on the right are competing to deliver the political message for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're both endorsing candidates for Congress — not the same names, of course — and they debate regularly on talk TV. How effective will they be? » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

FBI Surveillance Team Reveals Tricks Of The Trade [05 Jul 2008|12:01am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92207687&ft=1&f=1001 The members of the FBI's Special Surveillance Group team, or SSGs, operate just below the radar — and that is where they are most effective. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Ambitions, Tragedy Collide In 'America America' [05 Jul 2008|12:24pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92190656&ft=1&f=1001 After a seven-year absence, author Ethan Canin returns with America America, a novel that explores power and influence in politics past. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Irish, S. African Leaders Share Lessons With Iraqis [05 Jul 2008|09:22am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92254789&ft=1&f=1001 Sunni and Shiite leaders will meet in Iraq with Martin McGuinne, the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former IRA leader, and Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African negotiator who helped end apartheid. They have been meeting privately with Iraq's politicians for two years to try and hammer out an agreement on reconciliation. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Helms, Betencourt And Mugabe [05 Jul 2008|09:22am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92254798&ft=1&f=1001 NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr weighs in on the week's news: the rescue of former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt; Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's re-election; Barack Obama's comments about "refining" his Iraq policy; the shake-up in John McCain's camp; and the death of former Sen. Jesse Helms. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Clarke: Negotiate With Pakistan To Staunch Al-Qaida [05 Jul 2008|09:03am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92254614&ft=1&f=1001 June was the deadliest month for U.S. troops since the war in Afghanistan began in 2001. Much of the spike in violence is attributed to a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida. Richard Clarke, a top counterterrorism adviser, talks about how the United States could reduce the threat from these groups. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Africa's Oldest National Park In Crisis [05 Jul 2008|12:01am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92233755&ft=1&f=1001 Virunga National Park in Central Africa is located in what has become a war zone. Its trees are being cut down to support a lucrative, militia-controlled charcoal trade. If the destruction continues unchecked, most of the trees in southern Virunga will be gone in a decade. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

just call me the toilet avenger [04 Jul 2008|09:05pm] bangers_n_mash [ mood | fjkdla;jfdkal; ] [ music | Caving In, Kimya Dawson ] the following is about me and college so if those sound boring i would not suggest reading further. ( so im having some life issues. ) also: ive always hated the 4th of july. i cant deal with fireworks, they give me nam flashbacks. all i want to do right now is take a peaceful nighttime stroll but i dont think thats happening tonight. also kudos to breana cause i didnt even realize that you were going to NANs :D 2 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

the heart is the mediator [04 Jul 2008|08:47pm] themis [ mood | excited ] YOU GUYS. Metropolis has been recovered!!!!1!1 4 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Wanted icons [04 Jul 2008|04:11pm] m15m [cleolinda] I almost forgot: Click for m15m icons >>> <<< Click for Fox icons 5 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Restored French Trenches Tell Of Loss, Optimism [02 Jul 2008|10:35am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92131810&ft=1&f=1001 This summer and fall marks the 90th anniversary of the great American offensives that helped end World War I. A trip through the restored trenches on the western front in France brings stories of victory, loss and American optimism. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

With still a million things to say... [04 Jul 2008|07:31pm] officialgaiman http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/07/with-still-milion-things-to-say.html Today the Arcadian idyll turned into something an awful lot more like work. TV interviews all morning, press conference all afternoon. Oh well. Neil,I'm in Campinas-Brasil, and it's a 5-hours-car trip to Paraty. If I get there, most likely on Saturday, where can I find you since I don't have a ticket to Flip? I really, REALLY would love to have you sign one of books. I, like many in this sunny country am a major fan of yours. I REALLY love your books! And I'm dying to get my hands on Graveyard Book and Neverwhere...Thanks for the attention Livia Let's see... first of all, you don't need a ticket for FLIP. You do need a ticket to get into the main tent where the authors are talking, or to sit down and watch the overflow screen -- but you can watch the interview without sitting down or listen from anywhere near where the big screen overflow place is. Richard Price and I will be talking at 11:45 am. As for signing, there will be a signing at about 1.00pm on Saturday in the signing area, which will undoubtedly go on for a while. We will probably have to limit the number of things I sign (so for heaven's sake don't hitchhike or drive carrying all the Sandman books plus another set for a dying friend -- they won't get signed. It will be two, maybe three things are most). I'll stop signing at 7.00pm when Tom Stoppard's talk starts, because I want to hear it. I'll also be on on Sunday at the DESERT ISLAND BOOKS panel at 5.00pm -- there's no signing planned after that, though. There may be more signing, there may not -- probably not, as the organisers haven't planned for it. I may sign stuff if you bump into me on the cobblestones or in the town square and ask nicely or just hold something out and smile (I have been so far, but it'll depend a bit on how many people try and whether I need to get from place to place) especially if you can do it without making it look like I've suddenly decided to do a signing in the street. 1 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Blind Ambition: The Ultimate Braille Challenge [04 Jul 2008|03:24pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92228439&ft=1&f=1001 Learning English in a month, moonlighting for the FBI — the talented participants in the Braille Challenge are used to wowing people with their accomplishments. Figuring out what to wear to dances and how to convince a politically correct world to be a little less nice can be more problematic. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

We Know What You've Been Watching on YouTube [04 Jul 2008|01:13pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92241286&ft=1&f=1001 A court has ordered Google to turn over a database that links users to every video they've watched on the popular Web site YouTube. Jennifer Urban, director of the University of Southern California Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, says the ruling has big implications for online privacy. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Remembering Sen. Jesse Helms [04 Jul 2008|01:05pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92241277&ft=1&f=1001 Jesse Helms' 30-year career in the U.S. Senate was marked by controversy and racial politics. The fierce advocate for segregation and king maker in North Carolina politics died Friday at the age of 86. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Longtime Sen. Jesse Helms Was Conservative Purist [04 Jul 2008|12:39pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92241325&ft=1&f=1001 The five-term North Carolina senator retired in 2003 but left a legacy of strong conservatism — and controversy — in a state that hadn't seen a GOP senator for decades. He has died at the age of 86. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Ex-Sen. Jesse Helms, Conservative Icon, Dies At 86 [04 Jul 2008|12:00pm] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92240646&ft=1&f=1001 An icon of the conservative movement, former Republican Sen. Jesse Helms represented North Carolina in Congress for 30 consecutive years. He died Friday at the age of 86. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

Nobody thought it would last this long... [04 Jul 2008|08:48am] sartorias When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed . . . . . . and it could end at any time. Remember, fellow Americans, "consent" means "participation," whatever you believe. 20 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Definitive moments aren't always planned. [03 Jul 2008|07:32pm] ryukonotsuki [ mood | satisfied ] I made a new icon! It was my most recent Facebook profile picture (until Ashley made me change that for the picture in which I look ridiculous), but I shall change it back soon enough! I chose the name Kanzeon because it is the Buddhist bodhisattva of "Mercy." Though this (Kanzeon) is the Japanese epithet for her, her original Chinese name is Quan Yin (and variants). Her name translates to, "Observing the sounds (or cries) of the world." I was originally introduced to her because she was on the back of my Bagua pendant, and so I did a bit of research after the person I bought it from sent me a little bit about her -- as well as a small card with her on it as a token of appreciation; I bought the pendant from Australia! Basically, as legend says, she had her arms split into thousands of different arms to better aid the world. So, I see a lot of altruism in her. However, she realizes she can't help everyone (among other legends), which is why I relate to her. -- I can't help everyone, either because it would be unwise to try, or because it's impossible to ever succeed. The Buddhists are the ones who 'created' her -- which should say a lot, as many people criticize Buddhists for their idealism, yet even they are aware that no one can truly help everyone -- not even a bodhisattva. There's more, but yes, that's the inspiration for my most recent user pic. When I switched servers in WoW, I renamed my character Kanzeon, and I am very glad with my healthy change in aliases. -- Apparently, many people have chosen this alias across many different servers, which would make sense since WoW is accessible to the entire world. Here is an article about her on Wikipedia for those interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quan_Yin Anyway -- In reference to the subject of this entry: Definitive moments aren't always planned. Sometimes, they just happen, and one must look back and realize what they truly meant after time has long passed. It seems silly for me to mention this considering that the event I'm going to mention does not follow the archetype I wish to present -- of having a moment be special, but not definitive at the time. -- It was definitive, but in realizing how definitive it was, I also realized the other choices I've made in the past, the other events that have happened to me, that have shaped me, but weren't a huge deal at the time. So, I suppose my mentioning it is to show the other side, because in this entry, it is unlikely I will do it much justice. I've said a few times that the weekend when I saw Jan, met Tom's girlfriend, and then had a few fights with my parents was a very powerful affecter on my life... but I still have yet to show how. Well, I'm not going spend much time on the day I saw Jan, or the day I met Tom's girlfriend. Following a short explanation, I'm going to skip straight to the Monday following -- when I had a huge argument with my parents... ( Entry of momentous proportions. ) 2 Changed the World Flap Your Wings

Lucknow Is For Lovers [04 Jul 2008|12:33am] npr http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92203952&ft=1&f=1001 Young Indians have their own reasons to celebrate a 19th century shrine to national independence. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us Flap Your Wings

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