Happy New Year!

Go Kings!

The Sacramento Kings nba basketball team won in the last second, literally, last night in their game against the Grizzlies, 100-98, with a halfcourt prayer shot at the buzzer by Tyreke Evans. Memphis and Sacramento are apparently the last place teams, but it was still an exciting game to watch.

I was going back and forth between the nailbiter and an interview on Larry King with the world's richest person (over Bill Gates and Warren Buffett), Mexico's Carlos Slim, who strikes me as a really good, stand-up person. So maybe the Simpson's caricature of capitalists as being loathsome Montgomery Burns types is unrepresentative. I think he has 53.5 billion or something, if I remember correctly. The only thing I can say that I don't like about him is that he has invested in tobacco, which kills someone every 6 seconds, the commercials say.

I just finished listening to all the lectures by Richard A. Walker in this last semester at Cal's Economic Geography of the Industrial World. Good stuff. Despite not seeing any of the visuals, I would still say I learned a fair amount.

I bought an Amtrak ticket to Berkeley, where Sara works, for Sunday, when we will celebrate Christmas with my family in San Francisco. A one-way fare costs 27 bucks from Roseville. I used to take Amtrak alot to the Bay Area from Davis when I was a student there. The Veil Between Heaven and Earth is now open for business! (before the students have returned from break). I read the Tao Te Ching the other day, which they sell there.

Part 5 (there are 81 small chapters) says (in part):

Between Heaven and Earth,
There seems to be a Bellows:
It is empty, and yet it is inexhaustible;
The more it works, the more comes out of it.
No amount of words can fathom it:
Better look for it within you.

Now you can also look for it on 1862 Euclid, in Berkeley, 94709

Merry X-mas

Christ in Greek begins with chi, whose symbol is X, so it's not irreligious...

Other Trivia off of Music Choice:
Mistletoe has been held sacred by the Norse and Celtic Druids
Christmas in Chinese is Sheng Dan Kuai Le
The traditional Christmas instrument in Italy is called a zampagnori, or bagpipes
In1995, the 30dollar tickle-me elmo sold up to 2500 dollars.
There are about 15k christmas tree growers in the US
Each rockette has only 78 seconds to change costume during the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
In the Phillipines, a star made of crepe paper is hung in the window.
JIngle bells was published by James Pierpont in 1857
30% of christmas time consumers use credit cards
On Christmas 1776, George Washington led troops across the Delaware
Americans spend close to 8b on christmas decorations annually.
Christmas tree lights were invented in 1882 by Edward Johnson, Thomas Edison's asst.
Candles were placed on trees before electric lights were invented
LED chrismas lights last 100,000 hours
Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before christmas popularized the idea of santa going from house to house, with reindeer and a sleigh
Thomas Nast, a cartoonist, was the first person to depict Santa as we know him today.
Eskimos like to eat akutaq during the holidays, a mix of fat with sugar and berries.
The Nightmare before christmas was the first stop motion animation film ever made
Peak production only yielded 70 seconds of film per week.
Little Christmas is celebrated in Ireland on January 6th
as is the feast of St. Nicholas Day
THe first ball lowering ceremony in times square took place in 1907
Silent Night was first performed at St. Nicholas church in Austria
Christmas ridge is underwater about 120 miles off of tampa bay
In 1977, Mattel's Slime was the most popular christmas toy gift., transformers in 94
In 1907, Oklahoma was the last state to declare christmas a holiday
THe first state to declare christmas a legal holiday was Alabama in 1836
Norwegian children leave porridge for Nisse,
Miracle on 34th st. was released in May to increase sales
Monopoly was the best selling gift of 1936. The monocled guy is named Rich Uncle Pennybags
In Holland, the gift -giver is Sinter Klas, who has an 8-footed horse
The typical Christmas sevice in India lasts 3 hours
Gaghant Baba comes on Christmas in Armenia (actually on Dec. 31st)
John Francis Wade penned Oh Come all ye Faithful
Christmas cards originated in England in the 1840's
For every christmas tree cut down, roughly 3 are planted
The world's largest christmas tree is 141 feet tall, in Idaho
Rumor has it that Silent Night was penned in 1816 because the church organ was broken
Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas in the 1600's
Matthew and Luke have th emost com[plete christmas story in thebible
WHite spruce is the most popular capitol christmas tree (of the 13 varieties used)
77 million xmas trees are planted annually
THere's a town called Santa Claus in Indiana where letter to Santa are delivered
Pokemon was the best selling gift of 1999
Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience was born on Christmas, 1945
Macy's first had Santa in their store in 1870
Kissing under the mistletoe dates from a 17th century english custom
A yule log takes the place of a christmas tree in Italy
yule comes from romans, celts, and saxons
Candy canes were bent to look like a shepherd's staff in the 1600's.
Grandfather Frost brings the presents in Russia
Myvaa Joulua means merry christmas in finnish
A figure of a goat called a juldukk in Sweden is placed under the tree to protect the presents
German christmas trees in the 1700'a were really just decorated branches hung from the ceiling
Hong Kong surrendered to Japan in WW2 on christmas 1941
How the Grinch stole christmas debuted on cbs in 1966
evergreen, ivy, holly, and mistletoe all symbolize everlasting life
In Guatemala, the gift-bringer is the christ child
The Rockefeller christmas tree uses over 5 miles of lights
THere's a town called Christmas, FL (where a decorated tree is kept year-round)
Mistletoe was known for centuries as the symbol of healing and divine love
Emperor Aurelian declared dec. 25 the celebration of the invincible sun
Matzo balls are held on christmas or xmas eve by the jewish
Glaedelig Jul in Danish means merry xmas
THe Ukrainian christmas eve supper consists of 12 courses (1 for each apostle)
3 million cabbage patch dolls were sold in 1983
In 2008, Elmo Live was the best selling gift
1990, teenage mutant ninja turtles
2001, Bratz dolls
1989, Nintendo game boy
2004, RoboSapien (it could breakdance and burp)
2006, Play Station 3
Unmarried women ate gingerbread 'husbads' in olden times to give them luck in the romance dep.
Tchaikovsky wrote the music for The Nutcracker
Oregon harvest the most christmas trees in the US
30-35 million christmas trees are felled in the us each year
Toy comes from the old english word for tool
Hotelosho brings gifts in Japan (he has eyes on the back of his head)
Bethlehem PA is also known as Christmas city
Calvin Coolidge in 1923 initiated the first public xmas tree lighting ceremony
Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been filmed over 200 times
THe war of 1812 ended xmas eve 1814
The first us postal christmas stamp was issued in 1962
Mikulas brings presents in Hungary (st. nick)
Pere Noel or Le Petit Jesus brings gifts in France
1651-81 Boston outlawed christmas celebrations on the fear people wouldn't be pious enough
Reindeer are in Lapland, Finland (but not in the North Pole)
29B was spent in america in online holiday shopping in '09
Christmas day, 800a.d., Charlemagne was crowned emperor
santa was depicted as a bishop, gnome, or dwarf before Thomas Nast
Scandinavian mythology brought us kissing under mistletoe
In France, mistletoe kissing happens on new year, not xmas
Samichlaus is santa in Zurich, switzerland
Barbie and Ken were named after the kids of Mattel's founder
39-18-33 is Barbie's measurements
1930, Mickey and Minnie handkerchiefs were a top-seller
Jim Carrey played Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber
Jim Carrey was first picked to play the elf in Elf, before
Christindl brings gifts in Germany (the christ child)
Children receive gifts on Epiphany, too, in Puerto Rico
Children receive gifts twice in Poland during the xmas season
Yule is winter solstice, the darkest night of the year
In 1822, Clement C. Moore's gift to his children was the poem A Night Before xmas
Sinterklaas comes by steamboat in the Netherlands
Germans hang mushroom ornaments
Holly berries are actually poisonous
Handel wrote the Messiah in 24 days
Norman Rockwell painted The Day After xmas (santa napping) in 1922
Candy canes weren't striped until the 20th century
1992, Barney the purple dinosaur (top gift)

Find the Meaning

Here's a cool site

http://findthemeaning.org/

(from my friend Dan Paul on facebook)

Jesus Christ-athon

coming up on KALX, Berkeley student freeform radio

Christmas Eve, Friday Dec. 24, from 9am to Noon -music of all genres about Jesus
It's on 90.7fm in the Bay Area, or you can hear it on your computer through http://kalx.berkeley.edu/

Kitty Purry

That's the name of Katy Perry's cat, lol

While I was cuddled up in bed today, I thought of all the bad words I could think of:

wrong, bad, immoral, unethical,
wicked, evil, sinful, turpitude
pain, agony, suffering, torment, misery, anguish,
anxiety, stress, frustration, disappointment
dissatisfaction, discomfort, disquiet, dis-ease, discontent
affliction, sickness, illness, disease, mental illness
criminal, unlawful, illegal, injustice, unfair
improper, error, incorrect, gaffe, mistake, embarrassment
infraction, misdemeanor, felony,
punishment, 3 strikes, life imprisonment, deathrow
terrorism, torture, assault, rape, murder, violence, war
poor, impoverished, needy, undeveloped, backward, squalid
incorrect, untrue, false, lies
inconsiderate, cold, uncaring, mean, unkind
cruel, vicious, savage
unhappy, depressed, sad, sorrow,
mourning , weeping, crying, wailing,
anger, hatred, rage, wrath, fury, ire, apoplexy, madness
unsatisfactoriness, unpleasant, uncomfortable, horrible, hellish
hungry, starvation, craving, delerium tremens, withdrawal,
shit, excrement, vomit, puke, stench
senescence, aging, dying
boring, tiresome, taxing, dull, draining, dead
unhealthy, unwell, sickly, weak,
disgusting, ugly, gross, revolting
dangerous, unsafe, jarring, frightening, horror
zombie, vampires, demons,
satan, devil, lucifer, mephistopeheles, beelzebub
stupid, ignorant, dumb, foolish
tyrannical, despotic, corrupt,
selfish, self-absorbed, spoiled
spite, malice
rotten

onion article, link

-----
okay, switch gears with me-
it's all good:
good, right, correct, true, clean, pure, happy, alive, alive!, pleasant, kind, friendly, funny, loving, joyful, fun, flirtatious, frivolity, frolic, great, terrific, wonderful, beneficent, compassionate, justice, peace, fairness, tranquility, calm, amazing, exciting... healthy, well, thriving, fit, strong, warm, comfortable, satisfied, blissful, ecstasy, entertaining, delightful, delectable, delicious, orgasmic, beautiful, safe, full, content, thankful, understanding, wise, smart, intelligent, knowledgeable, enlightened, awake, aware, victorious, champion, wealthy, thrill, wit, perspective, talent, impressive, appreciative, affection, intimacy, hugs, kisses, tasty, yummy, food, friends, family, friendship, pets, juggling, merriment, mercy, magic, lovely, miraculous...
honor, integrity, value, virtue,
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, cheerful, thrifty, brave, reverent

sushi, thai, indian, chinese, mexican, ethiopian,
pizza, donuts, fast food, sweets, eggnog...
movies, music, money, dance, romance, travel, kites, play, sports, basketball, dunks, poetry, books, concerts, computers, tv, radio, languages... Nature. hiking, swimming, boating, diving, surfing, skiing, waterskiing, camping, photography, arts and crafts, animation, blogs.

Um, does Buddhism seriously want me drop these aversions/cravings/attachments/thoughts?
Some Buddhist humor:
What's different about a buddhist vacuum cleaner? It has no attachments
What did the buddhist monk say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything.

I thought I was somewhat comprehensive, and then I peeked at my thesaurus...I've only scratched the surface. oh, well.

Ay, Dios!

Dios, 4961
2, Jesus

ay, dios
8, 49 o.s.
God, Jesse Teshara operating system
operating 675912957=6
system=171254=2

operating system =god

I'm immersing myself these days in my spanish-english dictionary and my world atlas (I discovered 'Batman' is a city in Turkey!)

numerology=5345963677=1
ay dios=numerology=1. The bible says God is 1.
one=655=7. uno=5. jesuschrist=7. christ=5.
loco de remate!

1a, j, s
2b, k, t
3c, l, u
4d, m, v
5e, n, w
6f, o, x
7g, p, y
8h, q, z
9i, r

I'm so goofy!