AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

A MUST-WATCH ..... AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

"It's difficult to get a man to understand something if his salary depends on him not understanding it"

Most insightful show I've seen in a while. Ask all your firends and family along!!

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

who invented the straw & why?

Last night as we are toasting to drinks and all, we were wondering who invented the straw and for hwat purposes.....various hypotheses were formed, but none were closed to this...so presenting....the origins fo straws..

1) The first straws

Straws made it possible to avoid drinking the sediment that was so prevalent in ancient beer and wine. Historians often credit the Egyptians with first using drinking straws to sip beer. Considering that beer has been around for thousands of years -- an Assyrian tablet has Noah stocking his ark with beer in 2,000 B.C. -- we can reasonably guess that the straw has been around for much of that time as well, and there is historical evidence to back this up. A 6,000-year-old Sumerian tablet shows ancient Sumerians enjoying a communal drink and sipping through a reed straw. Brewing was recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and art from that time shows the ancients sipping through straws. There is evidence that the Babylonians used straws to drink beer as well. In the case of Babylonian royalty, beer was sipped through a golden straw that reached from the throne to a nearby container of the kingdom's finest.

For those who weren't Babylonian royalty, and most people in the ancient world weren't, there was a simpler and cheaper straw than gold tubes: reeds, tall grasses, and natural straw. Rye grass was often used. Though it has a narrow opening, this grain is stiff and hollow. These naturally growing straws were far from ideal, however. The grass wasn't always easy to come by, and it has a distinct taste that imposed badly on the drink.

2) The straws we see today
Thousands of years later, straw technology hadn't progressed at all. If Victorian-era drinkers wanted to slurp a cold julep through a narrow tube, they still used rye grass straws. It wasn't until 1890 that these problems were solved.

In 1888, Marvin Stone patented the spiral winding process to manufacture the first paper drinking straws. Stone was already a producer of paper cigarette holders. His idea was to make paper drinking straws.

Stone made his prototype straw by winding strips of paper around a pencil and gluing it together. He then experimented with paraffin-coated manila paper, so the straws would not become soggy while someone was drinking. Marvin Stone decided the ideal straw was 8 1/2-inches long with a diameter just wide enough to prevent things like lemon seeds from being lodged in the tube.

So here's the story of the straw........courtesy of Wikipedia & Daily Lush magazines

Real examples of Goodbyes for your reference..in case you need them

Option 1 - Short & Sincere

Dear All

Today is my last day with XXX. The past 2.5 years has been intense & challenging, however I have learnt a great deal from each and everyone of you. Thank you for teaching & sharing with me your knowledge, and making my time here a rewarding & memorable one.

Till our paths cross again, take care & wishing all of you all the best. Keep in touch. My e-mail: XXX

Option 2 - Thankful & Acknowledgmentful
Hi All,

Today is my last day at XXX. Extremely sad to be leaving you all. It has been a great learning experience and I have enjoyed every moment of it. How many can boast that they had once worked in the largest and most successful Financial Institution in the world. Thank you all so much.

I will miss all of you. Here at XX, I have never regarded anyone as colleagues but as friends. Thank you for all your love and care for this little bro here. Please keep in touch.

Really greatful to
Mr XXX for the wonderful opportunity. Thank You Sir.
My Boss Mr XX for all your patience, care and guidance. So glad to have a chance to work with you. Thank You so much.
My manager Ms 'good complexion, forever young' XXX for being my first teacher who is ever so patient with me. Really glad to have a chance to work with you.
Mr XXX, my xXX, for all your teachings on compliance! Will miss you.

Thank you all again.

Option 3 - Powerful
As today is my last day XXX of work at XXXX, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to all my dearest colleagues who have had shown care, concern, and support to me during my 3 years employment period.

My stay here has gained me many friends whom I will miss and it has given me a wealth of experience which will be beneficial to my career. Indeed, their great enthusiasm had inspired me to achieve above my performance expectation. Despite having to manage some constraints positively, I am glad to maintain my personal career record of constant achievement of every annual performance expectation. Thankfully, these years of working experiences were certainly made possible with the professionalism and teamwork of all my colleagues from every respective departments.


After much thought, I have decided to try to seek other, hopefully, better opportunities for advancement.

It has been a great pleasure working with you .

May I wish everyone of you with great wealth, good health, much happiness and success in every endeavor.

Lets keep in touch, Adieu!!!

Option 4 - Sincere Thanks

Tommorrow will be my official last day ending my 7 years & 7 months career in this bank.
I will be back tomm afternoon to hand-over my stuffs.
It never easy to say “Good-Bye” to the nicest people that I have ever known in my career.
It is tough for me to make a decision to alight the train halfway without accompanying you all to the destination.

Trust me - Such decisions were never easy
Especially
I have spent my last 7 & half years with XXX .
Whatever is the pushed & pulled factor - it is for the family.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for all the support and trust all of you have in me.
I have learned a lot from every one of you along the way as every one of you are special and talented in your own way.

Good Luck, all the best & take care!!

Life is Short

Fishy, it's time to welcome the new chapter in your life with open arms!!!! It's something you want very much to do isn't it? and we all feel very happy for you ;p *HUGZ*

no doubt we will all miss you and you will miss us too (you better, otherwise I will kick your little ass right NOW - *note how i managed to issue a threat and a compliment in the same breath?????? * hahahahahahaha ;p) but we're just 4 hours away yeah? go get skype or a cheap HK-SG phone card or something.. hehehe... it's time i dug my old webcam out of retirement too! ;p We can still keep in touch, gripe about work and bosses and pea-brained colleagues over a cuppa on two ends of the computer moniter WAT......And of course we will visit! ;)

Life is short babe, so when you get the chance, don't be afraid to do what you wanna do, and don't regret or feel sad :) there will always will be a give-and-take situation, so you just have to focus more on the good things that you will gain! :)

You'll always be in my thoughts

Oh Cupid

mastercard

Diarrhoea - $29
Fever - $39
Cramps - $0.50
Siff neck - $45
Health - Priceless

That's why today I prayed for all's good health and safety.

The first shower after a long drought. And when it rains... it POURS

hahahah... i can't believe it... so many posts since Saturday!!!! (by the same.. *ah-hem* 2 ppl, nonetheless...)

am working at home how, so no time to look at all the posts yet. right knee hurting from all the abuse i heaped on it for the past 2 days (i only went on the treadmill for half an hour each morning, mind you). i hereby conclude that i am getting old (that, or my knee is undergoing some serious pre-mature aging)

*happy* got the mooncakes from fishy today!!!! can't wait to try 'em! hehehe.... can't wait for Sat as well, MAF + our little mooncake party!!

well... better get back to work, not much time left to bedtime.....

The tipping point

I don't know why I'm still here, cos the night isn't that young anymore and so ain't I, but my mind is bright after an entire day of dizziness and nausea.

We are all taught by our well meaning parents since we were wee toddlers, the difference between right and wrong, evil and good.
Stealing is wrong. Giving is good. Beating people up is wrong. Unless its in self defence. (Though of course some would differ on this)
In many cases, the line between right and wrong is faint and blurred, leaving people befuddled in no man's land.

Since ancient times, punishment has been used as the "stick" to preventing immoral human beings from committing the most sacrigalous of crimes. (The Chinese have a very useful tool called the "teng tiao", of which I'm sure many of my naughty friends out here have fallen victim to)
We could therefore safely assume that state punishment is the biggest stick of all, and thus the government is sends the ultimate signal of what is right and wrong in the country.

For democratic countries, the governments are elected by the majority vote.
Hence, the laws of the country , the signal that shows what is right and wrong is chosen by the majority of the people in the country.

(The following example is purely hypotheical and has no political suggestions. Any resemblence to persons dead or alive is purely coincidental )

This country is made up of people A and people B, with A being the 99% majority.
What if the majority of the country are of people A and they elect a government that is bent on anihilating race B?

Would this make the anihilation of B right, since it was a decision by the majority?
What if this decision makes the majority -people A happy since there have been inter racial tensions brewing between the countries for eons?


Perhaps happines of the majority is the tipping point between right and wrong.

Assuming that most humans are selfish, they will make decisions based on how happy they will be.
Hence, if the majority of the people are happy with the decision, the decision will be made.

Is this the "right" way to draw the line between good and evil?

Musings

There are many types of people in this world. Some are beautiful, some are smart, some are atheletic, some are rich and some, just have it all. Those people with innate talent have it easier in life, because like bees to honey, these beings attract success and popularity. Some human beings, having tasted the sweetness of success and apparent adulation of fellow human beings around them feel they are a little more worthy than others, and thus have a right to judge them.
But we forget that we are all, homo sapiens, with flaws and virtues, fallible to errors and vulnerable to pain.
We all come into this world, naked and crying and we go into the light with nothing on our backs.
So what gives a person the right to cast the stone of disapproval when he himself is equally fallible to the same mortal fear, mistakes and hurt?

Some would argue that everyone's entitled to their own opinions and freedom of speech and expression makes the world a much more interesting place while keeping oppresion at bay.

But what good does it do when careless remarks breed resentment, cause hurt and fracture relationships?

You can point your finger in any direction you want, just stop when you poke and blind your neighbour's eyes.
Your right to flail your arms stop when you cause hurt to another person's body.
That's my take on it. Then again, what do I know? I'm a human bean after all.

""When you get older, you realize it's a lot less about your place in the world but your place in you. It's not how everyone views you, but how you view yourself"~ Natalie Portman

How true. And that is why Natalie Portman is one of the coolest actresses around.

Dancing in the moonlight ...

Chun and her paparazzi fearing moments

Stunning Giselle and her stunning moments ..

Dinner at Da Paolo

FEAR FACTOR

What their old people do. Actually maybe we should have something like that in Singapore. I mean rather than staying cooped at home watching TV or trapped in the old folk's home, how nice if they could go to the park and do whatever they want, be it playing of cards, learning how to sing, listening to opera etc etc.

My partner in crime who kept wanting to go to yet another peak... my legs ache for 4 days straight thereafter.

Journey to the Top - Yeah... I am a "Hao Han" !

golden buddha

Opps I forgot its name.

Chao Phraya in its glory. It is also here that I bumped into Shuying!!

Facades of the Buddha

1st night in Bangkok - Patpong adventure

Wan's birthday at MY HUMBLE HOUSE 2006

Pictures of the China Trip

As you can see, this is a day of maniac blogging to make up for all the lost time and to revive this space. As such, I have painstakingly copied some of the worthy articles extracted from the most recent book I have read.Hope you like them too.

Next I have enclosed a colourful montage of the narcissistic pictures taken during the Thailand and Beijing trip. Enjoy!!

The funny thing about human beings

A man asked my friend Jaime Cohen: 'What is the human being's funniest characteristic?"

Cohen said: ' Our contradictoriness. We are in such a hurry to grow up, and then we long for our lost childhood. We make ourselves ill earning money, and then spend all our money on getting well again. We think so much about the future that we neglect the present, and thus experience neither the present nor the future. We live as if we were never going to die, and die as if we had never lived.'

Extract from 'Like the moving river' by Paulo Coelho

So what do you think is the funniest abt human beans?

Last Journey

The article is about an American woman, Vera Anderson, who spent all her life in Medford, Oregon. When she was getting on in years, she suffered a stroke which confined her to her room. This was a torment for it has always been her dream to travel the world. Before she make her final journey - the one from which we never return - she made a decision. She would travel the world after her death.

Ross, her son, went to the local notary public and retgistered his mother's will. When she died, she would like to be cremated. Nothing unusual about that. But the will went on to stipulate that hwe ashes were to be placed in 241 small barfs, which were to be sent to the heads of postal offices in the 50 American states , and to each of the 191 countires of the world, so that at least part of her body would end up visiting the places she had always dreamed about.

As soon as Vera died, Ross carried out her last wishes with all the respect anyone could hope in a son. With each remittance, he asked that his mother be given a decent funeral.

Everyone who received her ashes treated Ross's request with utter seriousness. In the four corners of the earth, a silent chain of solidarity was formed, in which sympathetic strangers organised the most diverse of ceremonies, depending on the place that the late Anderson would have liked to visit.

Thus, Vera's ashes were scattered in Lake Titicaca, in Bolivia, accordingly to the ancient traditions of the Aymara Indians; they were scattered on the river in front of the Royal Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the banks of the Chao Phraya in Thailand, in a Shinto temple in Japan, on the glaciers of Antarctica, in the Sahara desert. the sisters of charity in an orphanage in South America prayed for a week before scattering the ashes int he garden and then decided that Vera Anderson be considered a kind of guardian angel of the place.

Ross Anderson received phtos from the five continents, from all races and all cultures, showing men and women honouring his mother's last wishes.

When we see today's divided world, a world in which no one seems to care about anyone else, Vera Anderson's last journey fills us with hope that there is still respect, love and generosity in the souls of our fellow human beings, however far away they may be.

an excellent letter

Thank you, President Bush
Paulo Coelho
11 - 3 - 2003

From the world's most popular novelist, Paulo Coelho, an open letter of praise for President Bush.




Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you for showing everyone what a danger Saddam Hussein represents. Many of us might otherwise have forgotten that he used chemical weapons against his own people, against the Kurds and against the Iranians. Hussein is a bloodthirsty dictator and one of the clearest expressions of evil in today’s world.

But this is not my only reason for thanking you. During the first two months of 2003, you have shown the world a great many other important things and, therefore, deserve my gratitude.

So, remembering a poem I learned as a child, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for showing everyone that the Turkish people and their parliament are not for sale, not even for 26 billion dollars.

Thank you for revealing to the world the gulf that exists between the decisions made by those in power and the wishes of the people. Thank you for making it clear that neither José María Aznar nor Tony Blair give the slightest weight to or show the slightest respect for the votes they received. Aznar is perfectly capable of ignoring the fact that 90% of Spaniards are against the war, and Blair is unmoved by the largest public demonstration to take place in England in the last thirty years.

Thank you for making it necessary for Tony Blair to go to the British parliament with a fabricated dossier written by a student ten years ago, and present this as ‘damning evidence collected by the British Secret Service’.

Thank you for allowing Colin Powell to make a complete fool of himself by showing the UN Security Council photos which, one week later, were publicly challenged by Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector in Iraq.

Thank you for adopting your current position and thus ensuring that, at the plenary session, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin’s anti-war speech was greeted with applause – something, as far as I know, that has only happened once before in the history of the UN, following a speech by Nelson Mandela.

Thank you too, because, after all your efforts to promote war, the normally divided Arab nations were, for the first time, at their meeting in Cairo during the last week in February, unanimous in their condemnation of any invasion.

Thank you for your rhetoric stating that ‘the UN now has a chance to demonstrate its relevance’, a statement which made even the most reluctant countries take up a position opposing any attack on Iraq.

Thank you for your foreign policy which provoked the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, into declaring that in the 21st century, ‘a war can have a moral justification’, thus causing him to lose all credibility.

Thank you for trying to divide a Europe that is currently struggling for unification; this was a warning that will not go unheeded.

Thank you for having achieved something that very few have so far managed to do in this century: the bringing together of millions of people on all continents to fight for the same idea, even though that idea is opposed to yours.

Thank you for making us feel once more that though our words may not be heard, they are at least spoken – this will make us stronger in the future.

Thank you for ignoring us, for marginalising all those who oppose your decision, because the future of the Earth belongs to the excluded.

Thank you, because, without you, we would not have realised our own ability to mobilise. It may serve no purpose this time, but it will doubtless be useful later on.

Now that there seems no way of silencing the drums of war, I would like to say, as an ancient European king said to an invader: ‘May your morning be a beautiful one, may the sun shine on your soldiers’ armour, for in the afternoon, I will defeat you.’

Thank you for allowing us – an army of anonymous people filling the streets in an attempt to stop a process that is already underway – to know what it feels like to be powerless and to learn to grapple with that feeling and transform it.

So, enjoy your morning and whatever glory it may yet bring you.

Thank you for not listening to us and not taking us seriously, but know that we are listening to you and that we will not forget your words.

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you very much.