Japan's Unique Art Form

Japanese Version of Crop Circles-
But More Highbrow



Rice field art --

Pimp my rice paddy ::: Pink Tentacle

Japanese farmers in Inakadate make crop art every year, this time based on Hokusai's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji. They use purple and green kodaimai rice along with their regular seedlings to create these show-stoppers.

God Gets More Bang For His/Her Buck

This site plays on the now-familiar God billboards in a way that really makes you think, "Hey, I bet He/She DOES feel like that!"

"And it came to pass that God visited the earth, and He did behold a series of billboard ads attributing to Him utterances of such banality that they would never pass His lips in a billion years. And it came to pass that God in His wrath considered a libel suit, but in the end opted simply to mount a cantankerous, self-contradictory ad campaign of His own. . . ."


I never said, "Thou shalt not think." —God

If you seek to know my ways, read a damn science book. —God

Six days? Yeah, right. I'm a scientist, not a magician. —God

E=mc². Yeah, that's one of mine. —God

I like to kick things off with a bang. A Big Bang. —God

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Books, Gotta Love 'Em

This drawing by illustrator and author Colin Thompson sums up what I feel about books.

They are my windows on other mysterious worlds I'd otherwise never be able to visit and explore, tickets to new experiences which, although vicarious, are none the less valuable.

They're my magic carpet ride to foreign lands and other cultures, helping me understand this human experience. And maybe, just maybe, that lets me build some bridges in my own fiction that will lead a reader on their own voyage of exploration. Books, gotta love 'em.

Bloomin' Dahlias!

I think this is the most astonishing video of a Dahlia blooming (thanks friend Duchie!) that I simply had to share it.

I raised dozens of these beauties, all sizes and color combinations, from seed one summer. I had little brown peat pots (available at any garden center) everywhere with seedlings growing in them. Then I transplanted them to the flower bed outside.




The garden was filled with these glamorous blossoms all the way through the fall. Neighbors were coming to me for cut flowers for their dinner parties. All from a 59 cent packet of seed! (Prices have gone up since then- it was long ago!) I recommend you try it sometime.

Click on the animation for more information on the art of growing these lovely flowers.

COPD YouTube Video Goodies

Today I spent some time strolling through YouTube for some COPD goodies. Here are the best of the bunch for your viewing pleasure and eddymacation:

COPD from Campbell Teaching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HttxNPQ6SzM



COPD II from Campbell Teaching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqdE1Mh2PC0



Living With COPD with Michael Riser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5EfAmGeEqg



Living WIth COPD Part 2 Pursed Lip Breathing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFqrWVeskR0



Cured Meat Danger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ_-2MFCHFs

Way to Go, FDA!

Way to go, FDA! From pet food to people food, you are falling down on the job. Now the "dilution factor" has become the "weapons of mass destruction" of the current pet food and people food scandal, and we know how much truth there was to that expression!

If you don't stop minimizing and ignoring this problem, our food supply will be hopelessly compromised. Yes you need more people and more funding but most of all you need a reality check. The American populace is not going to stand around twiddling their thumbs until you and the USDA finally decide to do something about this mess.

How about you step up and start taking responsibility and provide some real leadership on this issue? Or is it asking too much for you to go against the wishes of big business over the wishes of the people?

Virginia Tech- Making Sense

Some things just don't make sense. The massacre at Virginia Tech ranks at number one on that list.

What pain must have emanated from one human being to cause him to spread his suffering to so many innocents? What possible reason could he have for such disregard of the consequences of his actions?

These and many other questions about that tragic day will remain debated, kicked around and pulled apart by law enforcement, psychologists, and of course the families far into the future.

In the end, all we know is this: something is wrong with the world we live in. Whether we can do anything to set it right is questionable.

Deep in our hearts, we have to look for ways to connect to one another, to see one another's pain and not turn away from it. That sharing may lead us out of this nightmare, in time. At least that is my hope.