HOPE.

An excerpt from a CNN.com article:

Israeli Web site advises using wisdom of Quran

HAIFA, Israel (CNN) -- A new Web site launched by an Israeli university professor and his Bedouin students aims to address life's everyday quandaries from the perspective of an ancient sacred text: the Quran.

Organizers of the site, Quranet.net, say they hope it will serve as a "bridge between Islam and the West" by applying the wisdom of Islam's holiest book to modern-day problems.

"We try to transform the Quran into a modern and useful tool, so that every person can find a Quranic answer to modern psychological and educational queries," said Ofer Grosbard, professor at the Academic Arab College for Education, affiliated with Haifa University.

Quranet divides chapters of the Quran into topics such as "Loss, Illness and Tragedy," and provides answers to such questions as, "Is loss an excuse for aggression?" and "What can we say to someone who refuses to accept a gesture of peace?"

The questions are answered with a relevant Quranic verse, followed by an educational-psychological explanation of the issue.

Quranet seeks to illustrate "the beauty of the Quran," said Grosbard, who believes the book's positive messages have been overshadowed by Islamic fundamentalists who've manipulated the text as a justification for terrorism.

I hate the ocean...

But I want this boat!

Resembling the jaw and eye socket bone structure of big oceanic mammals, the ‘Oculus’ is an awe-inspiring yacht that promises to revitalize your holiday cruise. The luxury vessel is 250-foot in length and can accommodate about a dozen guests comfortably. Featuring a combination of elegant designing and structure balances, the stylish yacht is basically designed for stretched cruises with a maximum speed of 25 knots. The interior of the Oculus moves around the 12 foot high ceiling in the main salon and is complimented by a cylindrical double height dining room. Apart from that four freestanding tubes, housing bath and storage spaces, separate the living areas and bedchambers. And the floor and ceiling lights in the cabin illuminates the seating spaces.
(Source: http://www.thedesignblog.org/)

Freaky.

This is a report from CNN.com:

Prosecutor: Trio used bat, knife, belt on shackled teen

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- The three alleged abusers of a 17-year-old teen, who escaped captivity with a shackle on his ankle, tortured him with a bat, knife and belt, court documents released Thursday contend.

A 14-page criminal complaint adds more chilling details to the bizarre tale that shocked the central California city of Tracy.

The teen escaped a year of captivity Monday and walked into a fitness center in Tracy, bruised and battered, wearing only boxer shorts and with his bloody ankle shackled, police said.

Police arrested Caren Ramirez, 43; Kelly Layne Lau, 30; and her husband, Michael Luther Schumacher, 34, in the case. Lau and Ramirez did not enter pleas as they made their first court appearances Thursday. Bail was set at $ 2.2 million each, a court official said.

Ramirez is scheduled to appear in court at a later date, the official said.

The judge also issued a gag order for people connected to the case, Tracy police said.

Authorities this week have been trying to piece together how the teen ended up shackled in the home of Lau and Schumacher in Tracy, about 70 miles east of San Francisco. Watch how the strange case unfolded »

The teen was being held at the couple's home, about 500 feet from the fitness center, and he apparently was able to get over a wall and onto the center's property, police said Wednesday.

Lea Leonardo, assistant manager of the center, said the boy came into the facility and begged her to hide him.

"He was very dirty. He looked very young, very skinny and was wearing nothing but men's oversized boxers," Leonardo told CNN's Nancy Grace. "He was terrified."

She said she was shocked to see the chain on the boy's ankle and that his foot was swollen. She said she hid the child and called 911.

The boy initially had been removed from his parents' custody in Sacramento, California, by social workers because of abuse and was placed with Ramirez. Police earlier had said that Ramirez was the teen's aunt, but now say she is a family friend.

The teen was sent to a group home after Ramirez was charged with felony abuse against him, police said. He escaped the group home about 18 months ago.

Authorities believe the boy returned to Ramirez, but aren't sure when or why, said police, who also were trying to figure out the connection between Ramirez, Lau and Schumacher.

Last time I mention her.

Even I am starting to get sick of her....but only after this...because it is EPIC.

5th Row today!

Now I need to catch up on sleep from the long drive...buggin'

Who knew she had good pipes?

A song from Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" which I saw this weekend on Broadway with Adeel. Recognize the lead?

Revolutionary.

Here is an excerpt from a BBC.com article:

Scientists have halted the advance of heart disease in mice - and even reversed some of its effects.

The study provides hard evidence that tiny pieces of genetic material called microRNA can play a key role in the development of heart disease. The therapy, featured in the journal Nature, targets and blocks microRNA in heart cells. A US specialist said that, with trials under way in other animals, human tests may be only a few years away.

The importance of microRNAs to heart disease - and a host of other diseases - has already been suggested by other scientists. Their job is to regulate the activity of our genes, but with many different types present in the cell, scientists are trying to establish which plays the biggest role. The US and German scientists are focusing on one type labelled microRNA-21, and their role in a type of heart cell called the cardiac fibroblast, which helps provide the structure of the organ, and plays a critical role in the progressive scarring which stops it working properly in heart disease.

Until recently, that process was thought to be an irreversible one. The researchers found that cells in a failing heart had higher levels of this microRNA, and linked it to a chemical signalling pathway which leads to the tissue damage found in the condition.

I love this table.

By Design: John Brauer.

Meet Aaron Goldman!

Aaron's work has appeared in over 55 national publications and has been featured on the covers of such magazines as Time, Forbes, Smart Money, and Business Week.

Damn "The Devil"!

Here is an excerpt from a recent BBC.com article:

Inconsiderate bosses not only make work stressful, they may also increase the risk of heart disease for their employees, experts believe.

A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men. And the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company. The study is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University tracked the heart health of the male employees, aged between 19 and 70 and working in the Stockholm area, over a period of nearly a decade. During this time 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attack or acute angina, or death from ischaemic heart disease, occurred.

Cute'n'Creepy

 A work from "NAKED FACES" By DOU. OLEG DURYAGIN

This makes me happy.

Next week's issue of Rolling Stone...

That explains why he looks like a girl...

Get it?

Here is an excerpt from a BBC.com article:

Boys born to women exposed to hairspray in the workplace may have a higher risk of being born with a genital defect.

Imperial College London scientists talked to women who had babies with hypospadias, where the urinary tract is found away from the penis. They reported that hairspray exposure more than doubled the risk. The study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, said it was too early to say for certain that hairspray was the cause.

Pepno!

"Pepsi's recently announced identity makeover from Omnicom's Arnell Group has been the object of a few grimaces in the design world. The logo and packaging redesign for the mega-brand's suite of soft drinks has morphed the iconic mark's white band into a happy mouth, of sorts. For original Pepsi, the band will represent a smile, the essence of the brand, while the slightly indulgent, yet controlled Diet Pepsi has a bit of a grin and Diet Pepsi Max gets full out laughs. Arnell Group founder Peter Arnell says all he did was tweak the original logo to reflect what consumers feel when they're with the brands."

Apparently other designers hate it...I'm not a big fan either.

Here are all the previous Pepsi designs.

Michael Jackson is now Muslim?

Oh goodness. Click HERE for the Perez post.

Stem Cells Wonder...All over the news.

Surgeons in Spain have carried out the world's first tissue-engineered whole organ transplant - using a windpipe made with the patient's own stem cells.

The groundbreaking technology also means for the first time tissue transplants can be carried out without the need for anti-rejection drugs. Five months on the patient, 30-year-old mother-of-two Claudia Castillo, is in perfect health, The Lancet reports. She needed the transplant to save a lung after contracting tuberculosis. The Colombian woman's airways had been damaged by the disease. Scientists from Bristol helped grow the cells for the transplant and the European team believes such tailor-made organs could become the norm. To make the new airway, the doctors took a donor windpipe, or trachea, from a patient who had recently died.

Then they used strong chemicals and enzymes to wash away all of the cells from the donor trachea, leaving only a tissue scaffold made of the fibrous protein collagen. This gave them a structure to repopulate with cells from Ms Castillo herself, which could then be used in an operation to repair her damaged left bronchus - a branch of the windpipe.

This reminds me of my thesis...

Fashion Designer Manish Arora.

It is a pretty video...

Princess RiRi's "Rehab" Featuring JT.

Trip to New Orleans...

So technically I have only been back for one night. Here are some quick shots of my trip, which was amazing...

The first is of the airport in Charlotte, NC. Note (although you can't see it) that on the right side instead of regular chairs and benches, they had white rocking chairs everywhere! I love the south.

The first night I walked around the hotel area uptown (first picture) and then to the French Quarter, Bourbon Street (next picture), where there were some funky Mardi Gras stores (next picture).

The last day I walked around the wester side of the city where both LSU, Tulane Undergraduate, The Zoo, and the Audobon Park were located.

IN TRANSIT.

Currently in my suit attire, exhausted from a long day getting interviewed at Tulane Medical University in New Orleans. Amazing trip. I might just post pictures on here...well the few i took with my phone.

Lots of other stuff to upload also.

:-)

Bad news for me.

Here is an excerpt from a recent BBC.com article:

Warning over MP3 volume levels: Listening to an MP3 player at its highest volume for one hour a day is enough to seriously damage people's hearing, according to a study for European politicians.

It claims being exposed to loud music could lead to people getting tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. The condition already affects more than 3 million people in the UK and it's feared a million more are at risk. Studies by charities working with deaf people estimate that two thirds of 16 to 34-year-olds listen to music at very high volumes without knowing the risks.

David Brinn is 33 and from Chippenham in Wiltshire. Until a few years ago he loved listening to music on his MP3 players and would use his for around three hours a day. He admits he would turn his up high. "In the gym when you are on the treadmill and your favourite song comes on I'd turn it up as loud as it goes," he said. David owned half a dozen MP3 players, buying new ones hoping they would be louder. Three years ago doctors diagnosed him with tinnitus. He describes his condition as a "whistle blowing" in his ear constantly, when he's eating, sleeping and working.

Crystal Rolf is an ear specialist for the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID). She explains that tinnitus happens when small sensory cells in the ears get damaged after exposure to loud music over long periods of time. At first the ringing sensation may be temporary but the damage can become permanent over time.

I promise I am not racist.*

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds like baby-gibberish?

This is the most unintentionally funny music video. Note that the chorus is in "english".

* OK. Maybe I am just a little. But "Everyone's a little bit racist." (- Avenue Q)

Time to die(t).

Here is an excerpt from a recent BBC.com article:

Carrying extra fat around your middle dramatically increases your risk of early death, even if your overall weight is normal, say researchers.

A study of almost 360,000 people from nine European countries found waist size a "powerful indicator" of risk. Each extra 2ins (5cm) raised the chance of early death by between 13% and 17%.

The link between waist fat and health problems has been established for some time, but the sheer size of the study gives scientists a far more accurate picture. The researchers, including some from Imperial College London, followed the volunteers, who were an average of 51 years old at the start of the study, for the next 10 years, during which time 14,723 of them died. The standard measure of obesity, body mass index (BMI) remained a reasonable predictor of health problems, with those with a high reading more likely to die from cardiovascular disease or cancer.

However, the 'hip/waist ratio', a number produced by dividing the waist size by the hip measurement, and just the waist measurement on its own, were both good ways of sorting out those at highest risk.Some people who had a completely normal BMI score, but a larger than average waist, were at significantly higher risk of early death. At the extremes, men with waists exceeding 47ins (119cm) had a doubled rate of death compared with those with waists under 31.5ins (80cm), and a similar statistic was found when women with waists over 39ins (99cm) were compared to those under 25.5ins (64.7cm).

An increase in risk of death could be plotted every time the belt was let out by another two inches - for two people with the same BMI, every additional 2ins (5cm) on their waistband added up to a 17% increase in risk for men, and 13% for women.

Trippy Tower.

BASQUE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS
Architects: Coll-Barreu Arquitectos - Juan Coll-Barreu & Daniel Gutiérrez Zarza
Location: Bilbao, Spain

Palin: Normal and honest!?

I don't believe this.

Here is an excerpt from an article on BBC.com:

More evidence has emerged that babies born from frozen embryos are healthier than those that develop from fresh embryos, researchers say.

Three studies presented to a US fertility conference found frozen embryo babies were less likely to be premature and under weight.

Previous research has suggested this is down to only the strongest embryos surviving the freezing process.
Fertility experts said more work was needed on the issue.

Sick Watch.

LED WATCH By Japanese designer hiranao tsuboi of 100%.

New Disney/Pixar

Totally Rad.

The Mitsubishi MMR25 is multi-terrain futuristic vehicle with omnidirectional wheels made of eight independently-controlled motors, allowing for a 8x4 wheel drive so that the car can be driven forward while pointing in any direction.

The Mitsubishi MMR25 showcases a shocking look, with multi-terrain, omnidirectional wheels which consist of eight independently-controlled motors, allowing for “8 x 4” wheel drive so that the car can be driven forward while pointing in any direction.

"The MMR25 drives sideways into a corner and points the nose of the car outwards before even reaching the apex of the curve while driving sideways or backwards."

The MMR25 also uses special Oblique Aerodynamics to give the vehicle aero advantages.
The center wing acts as a spoiler, actuated by pneumatic and fabricated from Memory Metal Alloy while the front and rear spoilers double as suspension blades which are able to control stiffness and ride height.

Mitsubishi Research & Design of North America - Design Team

Fun Airplane Trick*

Courtesy of Mr. Charles Biddle.

If you’re sitting next to someone on a plane who irritates you, try doing this:

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.

2. Remove your laptop.Start it up.

3. Make sure the fellow traveller who is annoying you can see the screen.

4. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky and move your lips like you are praying.

5. Then click here.

*I don't actually recommend that you do this.

Kill The Lights.

...was just leaked. :-)

Wow.

Some guy wrote an a cappella song basing the lyrics on the stories from STAR WARS, set to the tunes from John Williams' most famous movie theme songs. Glorious.

Bionic Hand.

Here is an excerpt from a BBC.com report:

The world's first commercially available bionic hand has been recognised as one of the top inventions of 2008. The hand, developed by Livingston company Touch Bionics, was named alongside the Super Hadron Collider in Time magazine's top 50 innovations.

It came in at 14th place, beating competition from the latest Mars Rover, designed to explore the red planet. The hand took 20 years to develop and has five separately working fingers. This makes it more versatile than previous hands, which have often been hook-like and limited to simple opening and closing movements. The i-limb hand has a much wider range of capabilities. It has a credit-card grip, for taking hold of narrow objects, and a power hold for larger objects such as mugs.

So ugly that I love it.

The Galpin Auto Sports' Scythe. Here is what wired.com has to say about :

We're sure Beau Boeckmann's crew at GAS were specifically commissioned to build a vehicle with two steering wheels, 1,005 horsepower and a face like a cicada. We can't imagine any other reason an ordinarily top-tier custom shop would create such so hideous a monster. After all, these are the folks who bring you the custom-for-custom's sake reinterpretations seen on Pimp My Ride. "With Scythe, we set out to showcase all of our unique fabrication abilities here at GAS," Boeckmann said in press release. "From the handmade composite body and voice-activated on-board computer system to the twin-supercharged 1,005 horsepower engine, this car was built to make a statement."

That statement is "We turned a 2008 Mustang GT convertible into a 1994 Hot Wheels reject."

Boechmann unveiled the Scythe at a big charity event that featured more B-, C- and D-List celebs than an episode of I Love the 90's. Heck, even Mark McGrath and Scott Baio were there. We hope proceeds went to the AMC Gremlin Memorial Foundation for Terminally Unattractive Cars.

It's funny, because it's true.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

The White House.

Dupli.Casa
Location: House near Ludwigsburg, Germany
By J. MAYER H. Architects

What does the world think?

World leaders are reacting on this momenteous event. Some of the reactions may or may not surprise you. Here are a few excerpts from a BBC.com report:

US PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH
"Mr President-elect, congratulations to you. What an awesome night for you, your family and your supporters.
"I promise to make this a smooth transition. You are about to go on one of the great journeys of life. Congratulations and go enjoy yourself."

UK PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN
"This is a moment that will live in history as long as history books are written.
"Barack Obama ran an inspirational campaign, energising politics with his progressive values and his vision for the future."

EUROPEAN COMMISSION CHIEF JOSE MANUEL BARROSO
"This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America. We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world.
"I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal - for the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."

FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA
"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.
"We wish you strength and fortitude in the challenging days and years that lie ahead."

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER TZIPI LIVNI
"Israel expects the close strategic co-operation with the new administration, president and Congress will continue along with the continued strengthening of the special and unshakeable special relationship between the two countries."

PALESTINIAN LEADER MAHMOUD ABBAS
"President Abbas congratulates US President-elect Barack Obama in his name and in the name of the Palestinian people, and hopes he will speed up efforts to achieve peace, particularly since a resolution of the Palestinian problem and the Israeli-Arab conflict is key to world peace."

ADVISER TO IRAQI PRIME MINISTER NOURI MALIKI, SADEQ RIQABI
"The American people have presented a tremendous example to the world by ignoring racist attitudes - and this is an unprecedented example of democracy.
"We in Iraq, with our newly-born democracy, look forward to working with the United States."

AIDE TO IRAN'S AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, ALI AGHAMOHAMMADI
"The president-elect has promised changes in policies. There is a capacity for the improvement of ties between America and Iran if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also concentrating on America's state matters and removing the American people's concerns."

ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY GENERAL AMR MUSA

"I stress the importance of the message that Mr Obama has never ceased to send, which is we all need change and that is what we do expect from the new leader of the United States.
"We need an American policy based on honest brokership."

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH

"Your extraordinary journey to the White House will inspire people not only in your country but also around the world."

PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER YOUSUF RAZA GILANI
"Your election marks a new chapter in the remarkable history of the United States. For long, the ideas of democracy, liberty and freedom espoused by the United States has been a source of inspiration. I hope that under your dynamic leadership, the United States will continue to be a source of global peace and new ideas for humanity."

AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI
"I applaud the American people for their great decision and I hope that this new administration in the United States of America, and the fact of the massive show of concern for human beings and lack of interest in race and colour while electing the president, will go a long way in bringing the same values to the rest of world sooner or later.
"I [hope] President Obama's coming into office will bring peace to Afghanistan, life to Afghanistan and prosperity to the Afghan people and to the rest of the world."

POPE BENEDICT'S SPOKESMAN REV FEDERICO LOMBARDI

"Believers are praying that God will enlighten him and help him in his great responsibility, which is enormous because of the global importance of the United States. We hope Obama can fulfil the expectations and hopes that many have in him."

RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER GRIGORY KARASIN
"The news we are receiving on the results of the American presidential election shows that everyone has the right to hope for a freshening of US approaches to all the most complex issues, including foreign policy and therefore relations with the Russian Federation as well."

FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY
"I give you my warmest congratulations and, through me, those of all French people. Your brilliant victory rewards a tireless commitment to serve the American people.
"By choosing you, the American people have chosen change, openness and optimism. At a time when all of us must face huge challenges together, your election raises great hope in France, in Europe and elsewhere in the world."

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD
"Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King had a dream of an America where men and women would be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character.
"Today what America has done is turn that dream into a reality."

SUDANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ALI AL-SADIG
"We don't expect any change through our previous experience with the Democrats. When it comes to foreign policy there is no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats."

AFGHAN TALEBAN SPOKESMAN QARI YOUSUF AHMADI
"There is neither joy, nor sorrow among our ranks by the election of Barack Obama.
"The question is not about a change in the face of the American President, but a change in American policy."

PAKISTAN TALEBAN SPOKESMAN MUSLIM KHAN
"I hope that Barack Obama will respect the mandate given to him, and instead of using the (US) public's taxes to convert the world into a pile of dynamite, spend it on their welfare and well-being."

History.

Yes. I voted for him.
But no. I was never a huge fanatic.
Besides what I have said on this website, I have not actively campaigned for Obama.
Yet, when he gave this speech, I teared up.


"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."

AMEEN.

Cute.

Not only does she support fellow-crazies, but she has great speaking skills. These excerpts are taken from a report on CNN.com:

Palin refused to say if she had voted to re-elect Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted last week of seven felony corruption charges. “I am also exercising my right to privacy, and I don't have to tell anybody who I vote for, nobody does, and that’s really cool about America also,” she said.

Asked if she had any regrets about the campaign, Palin bemoaned “the state of journalism today." She continued, "The blogosphere, the two, three hour news cycles, where just too much is reported based on gossip and innuendo and things taken out of context,” she explained, adding that she’d like to help improve the profession because she has “great respect for the world of journalism.”

Exciting Day!!!

Like many of you, I have been somewhat jaded by this overhyped and oversaturated election season; yet, somehow I feel invigorated today. [As cheesy as that may sound.]

No. I will not go out and tell you to vote for Obama, even though I think you should.*

I just want you to vote. Not because of the same boring reasons like "It's your duty!" or "The fate of the nation is in your hands!" No. I want you to vote because I want you to know how it feels.

During this past week, serving on a jury and voting, I have a new appreciation for the American democratic system. I believe it is so easy to take it for granted, as I have. To find the cliche-ness of it all, especially with the corny slogans used to justify war and the "spreading of democracy".

And I can ramble on and on about how I feel, but you need to know how it feels, only then will you get a sense of what I am saying.

I voted this morning. And it was actually...dare I say...fun.

*Some idiot pulled out and ripped my OBAMA sign in the front lawn, which I have had up for about a week. I don't really care, since I am in Massachusetts, but I can only sympathize with the idiot who did that. Why? Because (a) He/she thinks it will bother me. (b) He/she thinks it will make a difference. (c) He/she takes its so personally that they vandalize my property. (d) The sign is back up. (e) Obama is going to win *fingers crossed*.

Tell me something I don't know.

Here is an excerpt from a recent BBC.com article:

Women's hands 'harbour more bugs'. Women have a greater range of different types of bacteria on the palms of their hands than men, US research suggests.

The study also found that human hands harbour far higher numbers of bacteria species than previously thought. Using powerful gene sequencing techniques, researchers found a typical hand had roughly 150 different species of bacteria living on it. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study found bacteria types varied greatly between individuals.

I hope...

...that after tomorrow, I can pretend like this doesn't scare me.

Cindy McCain Claims She's Just Like Any Other Female Human

The Ultimate Tree House

The Naha Harbor Diner in Okinawa, Japan is a life-size rendition of a banyan tree, also known as gajumaru. The Banyan Town shopping center near the entrance of Onoyama Park features a twenty foot tall tree with a pan-Asian restaurant nestled amid its branches. Accessible by a spiral staircase around back and an in-trunk elevator, the restaurant specializes in locally grown and organic harvested foods fresh from the farm.

Possibly the weirdest clip on YouTube

Yes, this is the "Leave Britney Alone" creep...but look how far he (she?) has come.

The past two days...

Here is an update to let you all know where I have been for the past 48+ hours.

On Wednesday I had to report to the Somerville District Courthouse for jury duty; this being the second time I was summoned. I was actually selected to be on the juror's panel this time, comprised of the 8 people out of the potential 21 in the pool. I was by far the youngest of the jurors. The others were all white (except one Indian man who worked in biotech industry), only 2 woman, and all very rational, professional people (included a physical therapist, an entrepreneur, an artist, etc.).

While I am on the topic, I wanted to just note how surreal the experience is in that respect. Here you are spending hours and hours with a group of people whom you know nothing about to begin with, spending time during breaks making small talk and getting to know one-another better, enduring an emotionally and mentally stressful trial, coming up with a verdict and then leaving and going separate ways without the expectation of ever meeting again, and, in our case, 5 minutes after we just learned each other's names. How odd and fascinating ?!

So now that the case is over and the verdict has been made public, I can tell you about it. It was the Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Ryan Robinson and his mother. So the story goes, UPS intercepted a large box, and after dogs found it to be suspicious they handed it over to the Medford Police to investigate. When they opened it up they found over 40 lbs of marijuana wrapped in duck-tape, in a plastic, wrapped in padding, with wood lining, in a box, in a box, addressed to a false name to the residents of 17-1 Forest Street, Medford, MA. A Medford detective then dressed as a UPS delivery man brought the package to said address, handed it off to the residents and busted them. In addition to the box, they also found ammunition, crack cocaine, and various pills without prescription. To top it all off, the building was also located next to a very small Christian School.

Without getting into the details, we heard about 7-8 witnesses and had about 12+ exhibits as evidence. Although the mother and son (and when I say son, I am talking about a man in his late 30s early 40s and a mother who was 58: her grandson, 13, was made to testify) were having their hearings simultaneously, they did have their own attorneys. So in addition to the the prosecutor, in this case, the district attorney, we also had to hear from not one, but two, defense lawyers. All this dragged the case out for 2 full days.

To conclude, Ryan Robinson was found guilty on all accounts [possession and intent to distribute a class D drug in a school zone], and his mother was also found guilty on all accounts minus the allegation to be in possession of a ammunition, as there were other residents and it could not be tied to her. Both were sentence to 3 years in prison.

All this has left me with, what I am telling everyone, a new found respect for the justice system. No one will ever know what I am talking about until they have had the honor and responsibility of serving on a jury, which I hope you all do.

To top it all off, I got to see Legally Blond, the Musical, in Boston on Wednesday night for free (Thanks to Rachel). It SO much better than I had expected and it was actually a very entertaining and well-executed production which I highly recommend.

I made the joke that I spent all day and night on Wednesday in court, but no one got it without me expaining it.

Ring the bells of Peace!

Click below to check out the new song by Melissa Etheridge, Salman Ahmad & Deepak Chopra!

RING THE BELLS OF CHANGE

The song was written for the Alliance For A New Humanity

whose mission statement reads: 

The Alliance recognizes at the core of its vision the unity of all life, and a wholehearted adherence to the noblest aspirations of humankind, as proclaimed in all spiritual and humanist traditions that call for compassion and the celebration of life. The values and principles of the emerging movement for a new humanity, and of the Alliance, which is trying to serve it, are based upon the support of policies, causes and actions that favor respect for life, human dignity, freedom, ecological sustainability and peace.

The basic tenet of the Alliance is a consciousness based on the inseparability of all life, i.e., that everything is connected and that therefore our well being is the well-being of everyone. This consciousness we believe cannot be just passive, otherwise it would remain irrelevant, it has to be expressed for the benefit of all through service that improves life for all mankind.

Exciting times!

The new Harry Potter trailer!

A must watch!

A commercial for a Sushi joint. Hilarity!

Obamart! (Part 2)

Phil Fung's watercolour.

Ron English's famous image.

Los Anglees' Shel Starkman's print, "Hope".

Shepard Fairey's print "Hope" has become iconic.

I am actually overwhelmed by how much work is out there.

If you want to see some amazing stuff, you have to check out:

www.obamaartreport.com