My Genetic Masterpieces

My great-grandparents (on my mother's side). My Great Grampy is holding my grandfather. I was named after my Great-Grandmother, Ula. She came from Lithuania by herself when she was seventeen. She worked in textile mills to earn money to help other family members come to the States. She met my Great-Grandfather in a boarding house where immigrants would work for their room and board. She was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor while a group of Lithuanian men were talking about what a good worker she was and how she would make a great wife. My Great-Grandfather went up to her right then and there and asked her to marry him. She said yes. They were very happy together.

Even Buddhists Have a Sense of Self-Preservation

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070318/ap_on_re_as/thailand_southern_violence

Three students were killed. I don't condone this. It's just another terrorist attack. In my opinion, any attack that deliberately targets civilians is an act of terrorism and a declaraction of war. Hell, attacking military installations is really no different, but it doesn't have the mark of sneaky cowardice that attacking civilians does. Americans, by and large, are very tolerant of having our military attacked.

Anyway . . . before I completely go off on a tangent.

Buddhists attacking a Muslim school strikes me as bizarre. I thought I knew quite a bit about Buddhism. Apparently, I don't know nothin'. Or maybe I'm thinking of poseur American Buddhists. The kind that go around acting like their heads are in the clouds with stupid grins on their faces. They wouldn't say 'shit' if they had a mouth full of it. Personally, I think they're acting.

Back to the subject at hand.

When a pestilent religion such as Islam infests a community, a country, a culture, there will always be those whose job it is to resist it. To hold it off. Even with violence. It is not every person's destiny to achieve perfect 'illumination'. We each have a job to do. It doesn't mean that God loves some of us less than others. We each simply have a different purpose to fulfill for God.

There is such a thing as righteous anger. I just wish these Thai Buddhists hadn't attacked a school. But who knows? I almost doubt we've heard the full story. I don't trust the media anyway. Maybe some Thai blogs will tell the whole story. Or maybe not.

300

I loved (LOVED) this movie. One of my all-time favorites. Full of bare-chested, sweaty and growling men. The rest of the film was visually yummy as well. It sounded great, too, and I found myself emotionally involved with the characters even though I knew the outcome of the story. It is graphically violent which is appropriate for the subject, but if that sort of thing grosses you out don't bother watching the movie. Don't even try to complain about it because you'll just sound silly.

But here's the rub. I haven't read any reviews of it yet. My guess is that anyone poo-pooing the movie will do so because it's very pro-Western and even pro-American. If you see it, you'll know why. I'll be shocked if it gets any Oscar nods for this reason.

But you should see it anyway for the historical accuracy of it which is astonishing when you consider that three hundred Spartan men killed thousands of Persian soldiers a day for a month (I think it lasted a month. Merlin?) Western civilization started there.

I'm going to have to see it again. I only wish I could catch it at IMAX.

For my Daughter

Don't Make Me Come to Vegas

Tori Amos

don't make me come to Vegas

don't make me pull you out

of his bed

I am vigilant

that it will not be you

on the menu

he's serving up

for his friends

don't make me come to Vegas

don't make me pull him out of your head

Athena will attest that it could be done

and it has been done

and I think that I am

up to it

and the Jacaranda tree

is telling me of the

trouble you're in

just by the way She bends

remember dancing and

wondering as you were swaying

what kind of woman you'd be

"what will be will be"

over my dead body

slip through your hand

again and again slip

through your hand

again and again

my old flame was a jester

and a joker and a dealer of men,

they called him the prince

Prince of Black Jacks and

of women and of anything

that slipped into his hands

"and the Ranches and the

mustangs" and the way

you said"You can have all this,

except me - you see

Lady Luck is my mistress

and you'll have to play

second to her wish"

and the Jacaranda tree

is telling me

It's not over yet,

just by the way She bends

"if you come breezin' through"

you said "I'll know that it's

you by the taste on my lips,

Bet on the desert's kiss"

I could slip

through your net

"over my dead body"

slip through your hand

again and again

slip through your hand

again and again

don't make me come to Vegas

don't make me come to Vegas

don't make me come to Vegas
© Sword & Stone