Song Il Guk - Carrying the Torch

I'm carrying a torch for Song Il Guk too. :) Look closely girls! You can see his wedding ring!

Olympic Torch Relay Completed Amid Protests
Sunday, April 27, 2008 20:29:46

The Olympic torch has completed the South Korean leg of its troubled worldwide relay amid isolated scuffles between pro-China and anti-China demonstrators.

Kim Jung-kil, chairman of the Korea Olympic Committee, got the relay off to a start on Sunday afternoon at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul, the third in the capital's history. The relay began as Kim trotted through the World Peace Gate after a ceremony to mark the event. Around 80 runners carried the torch on a 24-kilometer course.

Eight-thousand police officers were mobilized backed up by helicopters, casting an extra-tight security net along the route of the relay.

Thousands of pro-Chinese demonstrators and hundreds of human rights activists who were protesting China's crackdown on pro-independence movement in Tibet briefly clashed near Olympic Park. But the two groups were separated by riot police.

The two sides shouted at earch other, throwing plastic bottles, wooden bars and rocks. A newspaper photographer was injured after being hit with a wooden bar and taken to a nearby hospital.

A North Korean defector was stopped by police while trying to disrupt the torch relay near Sincheon subway station at around three o'clock. Two members of a group working to improve the human rights situation in North Korea were apprehended in Yeoksam subway station in Gangnam while carrying thinner apparently to disrupt the torch relay.

Lit a month ago in Greece, the torch arrived in Seoul early Sunday. The torch will then be taken to North Korea for a relay in Pyongyang late Sunday night before going to China via Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macau.

Reported by KBS WORLD Radio
Contact the KBS News: englishweb@kbs.co.kr

Caffeinated

I gave in and I felt shame.

For six years I was caffeine free. From 2001 to 2007, decaf coffee all the way. I was not encumbered by my cravings, no longer a slave to my addictions. I was free.

And like Prius drivers everywhere (not inclusive of, but a shout out to the brain tail nonetheless), I was pretty smug about it too.

I’ve had an interesting relationship with coffee these last odd 30. When I first started drinking it at the age of 12 (might have stunted my growth, but I’m a swarthy 5’2” and okay with it) I embellished my joe with 1.5 spoonfuls of sugar, and enough milk to give my beverage a caramel hue. One day, we ran out of milk (yeah, on a dairy farm. We didn't drink the stuff.) and I was forced to drink without its creamy goodness. I came to like my coffee that way and soldiered on without it. Not long after, I wondered what would happen if I ran out of sugar? (I thought these things at the age of 12, didn’t you?) How could I possibly drink my coffee? Panicked at the thought of no coffee, I determined to acclimatize myself to my morning java with no sugar. Not bad, not bad. So currently, and for almost ever, I have consumed my coffee “Black, no sugar”.

Coffee without caffeine? What’s the point you ask? Isn’t that like O’Douls? I had decided to try the Atkins diet in 2001 and was strongly encouraged to not consume caffeine. So 30 years after quitting on the milk, and having eschewed the sugar, I decided to see if I could manage life without caffeine.

Detox was an effing nightmare. I can now speak to what heroin addicts must experience without the itchy blood. Bring on the methadone. I remember getting up at 2am from my little cistern in hell, deciding I couldn’t bear the headache anymore and I started a pot of coffee. I stopped myself and after a week of headaches, severe fatigue and irritability, I was caffeine free. Can you hear little angels alleluiaing in harmony?

It was a delight to wake up each day and not need to have a cup to ward off headaches. Others painstakingly made their way to Starbucks to get their small, medium or large fixes (I still refuse to call anything venti or tall or whatever – its my method of rebellion. My daughter, who has espoused the language, views me with contempt).

It’s harder to live in a caffeinated world than you would think. If you went to a friend’s house for breakfast, you’d have to bring your own. Restaurant decaf tasted like hot water. Then came the marvelous iced coffee craze – outlets never added a decaf selection – you had to ask for it to be made specially. It would take longer for them to make and like asking for extra pickles on a whopper, I was certain they spit in it.

But aging takes its wretched toll; I’d wake up numerous times in the night, sleep patterns were interrupted and afternoons were spent trying to avoid and/or recover from my 3pm crash. Imperceptibly and in total denial, the masculine siren lured me back into his loving arms and on November 27th 2007, I surrendered and sank back into the dark.

The dark world of black no sugar.

Iron Man

Some run the Iron Man. Some are Iron Men.



I'm sorry I didn't post this before. I thought I already had.

HBO's Response to the Catholic League

I'm not angry that Maher called the Pope a Nazi. I'm angry because he flat out said that pedophelia was an integral part of the Catholic Church. Those are the comments for which Maher should apologize. My decision to cancel HBO stands, as does my commitment to pray for Maher. But in fairness, I have to post this, as I indicated in my letter that HBO remained silent.

They just didn't address the real issue.

MAHER SET TO APOLOGIZE FOR POPE-NAZI QUIP

Catholic League president Bill Donohue received a phone call today from an HBO executive regarding the league’s news release of April 14 on Bill Maher. Here is what Donohue had to say about it:

“On Monday morning, we issued a news release on Maher’s vicious attack on the pope and the Catholic Church that occurred the previous Friday night on his weekly show. Subsequently, many media outlets picked up on our release and pounded Maher for his bigotry. Investor’s Business Daily, Mike Gallagher, Steve Malzberg, Les Kinsolving of WorldNetDaily, Newsbusters, Newsmax, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cunningham, Cybercast News Service, Culture and Media Institute, Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani and others were justly outraged.

“Today, I spoke to an HBO official and he told me that Maher is expected to apologize tomorrow night for falsely accusing the pope of once being a Nazi. As I said on Monday, ‘Like all young men in Germany at the time, he [Joseph Ratzinger] was conscripted into a German Youth organization (from which he fled as soon as he could).’ I went on to say that ‘Every responsible Jewish leader has acknowledged this reality and has never sought to brand the pope a Nazi.’
“After researching this matter, HBO concurs with this assessment." Apparently, now Maher does as well. Ergo, the apology.

“Will the Catholic League accept Maher’s apology? Assuming it comes across as genuine, the answer is yes. But I hasten to add that what we would really like to see is for Maher to stop with his hateful diatribes against the Catholic Church. So this is a start, but it hardly puts to rest our concerns. After all, there are plenty of factually accurate things Maher could say about other groups that would insult its members, but he chooses not to go there. Perhaps he can add Catholics and the Catholic Church to that protected list as well.”

Cancelling HBO

I’m really Catholic. Seriously Catholic. A Legion of Mary attendin’, Altar Rosary Society participatin’, Parish Pastoral Council chairin’, Lectorin’, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist-in’, CCD teachin’, John Paul II lovin’, Communion receivin’, rosary sayin’ confession goin’ Catholic.

I am not an in-your-face Catholic, but it’s a huge part of my life, it always has been and I’m not afraid or ashamed to discuss and defend. For the most part, people are respectful, as I am with them. I get asked a lot of questions and sometimes I am challenged pretty directly. I’m starting to understand too that that level of faith is a gift, it’s not a decision. A person can choose to keep the gift or exchange it for something else.

The Catholic Church makes some people angry; I get that. Kind of like the Jews made Hitler angry. I get that too. Absolute truth makes people very uncomfortable and they put a lot of effort in defining shades of gray. In my experience, the ones who don’t like to think about the domino effect of their actions are the ones who get pissed off the most.

Bill Maher insulted the Pope on his HBO program recently. So what’s new. I’m not going to repeat the crap he said, I’m just going to repeat the letter I wrote to HBO cancelling my subscription.

Thank you for the direction in your advertisement about taking control of my television:

"Cable Puts You In Control Take control of your TV. It's easy."

HBO Executives:

Bill Maher's comments regarding the Catholic Church and the Pope were offensive and cowardly. HBO's decision not to apologize for his remarks is equally as offensive. I imagine the legal department would have censored him if his remarks were directed toward Jews or Muslims.

I am cancelling my subscription to HBO through Comcast and will encourage friends and family to do the same.

Wow! You were right! That WAS easy! Thanks HBO! And God Bless Bill Maher; let him know I will pray for his filthy soul. With any luck, that'll annoy him. Quite frankly, I hope that really pisses him off.

"Cable Puts You In Control Take control of your TV. It's easy. Parents should decide what TV content is appropriate for their family. The cable industry understands that parents need the right tools to help protect children from content that may be inappropriate. And we recognize that while most cable customers already have the tools to block unwanted TV content, many people don't know how to use them."

Oh, I know how to use them. And I am. Take care.

Ginned Up Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

Erin - just listen to it. Juuuuuust shut up and listen to it.

No, I know! It is NOT possible improve on Stayin' Alive! As music goes, the song is as iconic as the Black Madonna.

Well, no. I can't really say that. That's just wrong. Our Lady of Czestochowa will accept my abject apologies. But this version kicks a.... see, I can't even swear now because I've invoked Our Lady.

Anyway this version of Stayin' Alive is awesome - it's the (Teddy Bears Remix) by the Bee Gees. I can understand the words!!

So all of my friends who have the Bee Gees on their ipods out of deference to me, their "Jive Talkin'" or the original version of "Stayin' Alive" can just go download this kickin' version too. Someone on imeem remarked "Hot lava. It's time to get someone pregnant."

Nice.

Ginned Up Bee Gees - How Deep is Your Love

When Guest Blogger (who? who is that even? does she even exist?) gave me "The Bee Gees Greatest Hits" for Christmas, I was delighted. Mind you, I think I have owned that album, cassette tape and CD probably 4 or 5 times in various applications throughout the years. Many moves and playing the songs until you wear them out well...you lose the hardware.

This iteration has some seriously awesome remixes on the second CD. At first, being the Bee Gees purist I am, I was offended and horrified. You can't improve on the Bee Gees. It is high blasphemy to do so.

I was wrong.

"How Deep is Your Love" is one of my favorites; it's a beautiful song and the original is ethereal. The remix has a salsa-y, dance floor feel. I love the bongos and the grand piano; I can close my eyes and see a tropical getaway, me and Mr. Obscenely Wealthy are in our dinner attire on the dance floor, our palms touching, drinking each other with our eyes, a scented breeze wafts in, we are in perfect step, in perfect union, cha cha chaaaaaa.

Hmmmm. Might be the tequila. Darn good remix though - How Deep Is Your Love [Supreme Beings Of Leisure 2007 Remix].