Pampering

My sister got me this mask for Christmas one year and it is hands-down the best I've ever used. It's made by Mountain Rose Herbs. This particular type of clay is rhassoul, a spa quality clay from ancient deposits unearthed from the fertile Atlas mountains of Morocco. It dries very tight to the face, a quality that I happen to like in masks. Mountain Rose Herbs also carries wonderful essential oils, teas, butters, salts, aromatherapy and even pet supplies. Prices are very reasonable and the customer service is excellent.

The cucumber eye pads are ones I always keep handy in my fridge. They actually look like real sliced cucumber and contain cucumber extract. Nu-pore makes them as well as Caswell-Massey and both can be found on amazon.com. Great stocking stuffers. After a good crying jag, these are great to take away puffiness and redness.

I Can See Clearly Now

Mongo picked up a pair of these the other day. Rightfully called The Hammer by North Face, these babies are a sweet addition to my cycling eyewear arsenal.

BTW...I paid $29 at Marshalls. They retail for $80. Mongo knows bargains.

Son...Are You On The Dope?

Oh, really!?

Emanuele Sella, of the powerhouse and much traditioned CSF Group Navigare cycling team, won his third mountain stage of the Giro. He also finished second in the first ITT...Hmmmm!?

"LOST" IN THOUGHT: ROBES PAIR

Okay, maybe it's just me, but during the fourth season finale of 'Lost', did anybody else get an 'HHG2TG' vibe when Sayid came for Hurley at the mental institution? I did - at least after I felt reassured that Sayid wasn't going there to kill the big lug. (So much we thought we knew about these people had been turned on its head that I thought for a moment it was a possibility.)

Like Ford Prefect, Sayid showed up unexpectedly to offer Hurley a chance at safety by taking him somewhere else. And like Arthur Dent, Hurley left with his friend dressed in a bathrobe.
Okay. So maybe it is just me......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: MAILING TOOB

I got an email today from Sean Levin.....

Hey, I'm a big fan of your blog! Always nice to see your theories, especially!

Anyway, I found a possible link between 'Hawaii Five-O' and an earlier series called 'The F.B.I.'

While doing a character search on the IMDB, I came across the following:

Graham Carter

"Hawaii Five-O" (1968)

Played by Hank Brandt

Flash of Color, Flash of Death

"The F.B.I." (1965)

Played by Hank Brandt

Flight to Harbin

I checked the pages for both episodes. 'The F.B.I.' episode aired in 1965, and the 'Five-O' one in 1973, so it's probably not an intentional crossover between the shows. Still...same name, same actor. Wish I knew more about the role each played in the episode, so we could confirm or at least reasonably speculate that it's the same guy.

Thought you might find that interesting. Keep up the stellar work!

Thanks, Sean!

I looked into this, and the IMDb does list Brandt as playing "Graham Carter" in that sixth season episode of 'Hawaii Five-O'. However, I think we all know about the IMDb and how untrustworthy their info can be.....

So I consulted the Library of Toobworld Central and pulled out "Booking Hawaii Five-O (An Episode Guide And Critical History)" by Karen Rhodes. And he's not mentioned in the listing for that episode at all.

Of course, it could be Ms. Rhodes only listed those characters she thought were important; lesser characters may have been left by the wayside. But I've got a feeling somebody entered the wrong information at the IMDb. And a Google search of the terms "Hank Brandt" and "Hawaii Five-O" suggests that all the results were picked up from the IMDb.....

I'll keep this in mind however, Sean. So far, Netflix only has the first four seasons available of 'Hawaii Five-O', but once the Sixth is available I'll order up that particular episode and check it out.

I really appreciate that you alerted me to this possibility!

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: BEHIND THE SCENES

Our enjoyment of Toobworld is derived from more than those characters we see on the screen. The TV Universe is enriched by the music which most of those characters can't even hear, for example. And of course, there are the writers, directors, cinematographers...


This week we lost three legends behind the scenes, and one of them was truly a giant in his field.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Earle H. Hagen, who co-wrote the jazz classic "Harlem Nocturne" and composed memorable themes for "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "I Spy," "The Mod Squad" and other TV shows, has died. He was 88.

Hagen, who is heard whistling the folksy tune for "The Andy Griffith Show," died Monday night at his home in Rancho Mirage, his wife, Laura, said Tuesday. He had been in ill health for several months.

TV SERIES
"Eight Is Enough" (1977)
"Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (1976)
"Big Eddie" (1975)
"Planet of the Apes" (2 episodes, 1974)
"Doc Elliot" (1973)
"The New Perry Mason" (1973)
"The Mod Squad" (1968)
"The Don Rickles Show" (1972)
"Mayberry R.F.D." (1968)
"The Andy Griffith Show" (1960)
"I Spy" (1965)
"That Girl" (1965)
"The Danny Thomas Hour" (1967)
"The Guns of Will Sonnett" (1967)
"The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961)
"Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964)
"The Bill Dana Show" (1963)
"It's a Man's World" (1962)
"Guestward Ho!" (1960)
"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959)
"Love and Marriage" (1959)
"Hey, Jeannie!" (1956)
"It's Always Jan" (1955)
"Where's Raymond?" (1953)
"Make Room for Daddy" (1953)


SELECTED TV MOVIES
The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1986) (TV)
Return to Mayberry (1986) (TV)
Muggable Mary, Street Cop (1982) (TV)
Stand by Your Man (1981) (TV)
Farewell to the Planet of the Apes (1981) (TV)
The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980) (TV)
Alex and the Doberman Gang (1979) (TV)
Featherstone's Nest (1979) (TV)
True Grit: A Further Adventure (1978)
Having Babies (1976) (TV)


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alexander "Sandy" Courage, an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated arranger, orchestrator and composer who created the otherworldly theme for the classic "Star Trek" TV show, has died. He was 88.

TV SERIES
"Star Trek: New Voyages" (2004)
"The Waltons" (1972-1981)
"Eight Is Enough" (1977)
"Apple's Way" (1974)
"Medical Center" (1972)
"Land of the Giants" (1969)
"Star Trek" (1966)
"Lost in Space" (1966)
"Judd for the Defense" (1967)
"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964)
"The Loner" (1966)
"Daniel Boone" (1965)
"Bus Stop" (1961)
"National Velvet" (1960)
"Riverboat" (1960)

SELECTED TV MOVIES
A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993) (TV)
A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (1982) (TV)
Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain (1982) (TV)
A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (1982) (TV)
The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons (1980) (TV)


PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Joseph Pevney, who directed some of the best-loved episodes of the original "Star Trek" television series, has died. He was 96.Pevney directed 14 episodes of the 1960s series, including "The City on the Edge of Forever," in which Capt. Kirk and Spock travel back in time to the Depression, and "The Trouble With Tribbles," in which the starship Enterprise is infested with cute, furry creatures.


TV SERIES
"Trapper John, M.D." (1979)
"CBS Schoolbreak Special" ( 1984)
- Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story
"The Rousters" (1983)
"The Paper Chase" (1983)
"Little House on the Prairie" (1982)
"Palmerstown, U.S.A." (1981)
"Hagen" (1980)
"The Rockford Files" (1979)
"How the West Was Won" (1979)
"The Incredible Hulk" (1978)
"The Secret Empire" (1979)
"Grandpa Goes to Washington" (1979)
"Sword of Justice" (1978)
"Fantasy Island" (1978)
"Lucan" (1978)
"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" (1977)
"Lanigan's Rabbi" (1977)
"Executive Suite" (1976)
"Petrocelli" (1974)
"Emergency!" (1974)
"Mobile One" (1975)
"Search" (1972)
"Bonanza" (1968)
"The Partners" (1972)
"Cade's County" (1971)
"The High Chaparral" (1968)
"Adam-12" (1969)
"The Virginian" (1969)
"Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969)
"Star Trek" (1967)
"Mission: Impossible" (1967)
"Laredo" (1967)
"T.H.E. Cat" (1966)
"The Fugitive" (1966)
"12 O'Clock High" (1966)
"Pistols 'n' Petticoats" (1966)
"The Legend of Jesse James" (1966)
"The Munsters" (1964)
"The Loner" (1965)
"The Big Valley" (1965)
"Kraft Suspense Theatre" (1965)
"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1962)
"Bewitched" (1965)
"Wagon Train" (1959)
"Going My Way" (1962)
"Ben Casey" (1962)
"The New Breed" (1962)
"Bus Stop" (1961)
"Johnny Staccato" (1959)


TV MOVIES
Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women (1979) (TV)
Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975) (TV)
My Darling Daughters' Anniversary (1973) (TV)
Destination Space (1959) (TV)

I always find it morbidly interesting to find that in any given year, famous people with connections to each other pass away. This year we've had Abby Mann & Richard Widmark ("Judgement At Nuremberg") within days of each other, for example.

As you can see from above, Joseph Pevney and Alexander Courage had that 'Star Trek' connection. But this year another 'Star Trek' director passed away, Herbert Kenwith. And both composers, Courage and Hagen were 88 when they died...


Thank you, Gentlemen, for your contributions.....


BCnU.....
Toby OB

More Sweet Gestures

Dear mother/daughter friends, Melinda and Skyler, dropped by this morning with a cake Skyler had made (when piping on icing, it's easy to lose track of what you're spelling, so carry on the typos throughout!) and this miniature rose bush in a Chinese carryout container. Thanks, girlies!

THE HAT SQUAD: HARVEY KORMAN

I don't know if anybody has ever ranked the top second bananas in Television variety, but I can't see how Harvey Korman could be surpassed as the King. The comedian passed away this week at the age of 81.

After a tour of duty with Danny Kaye, Korman joined Carol Burnett when she launched her series. He created memorable foils to her gallery of comic divas, femme fatales, and other funny ladies. They were at their best when spoofing characters from movies - Harvey as Rhett Butler and Carol as Scarlett O'Hara are perhaps the standard by which movie spoofs should be judged. And their long-running sketches about Ed and Eunice spawned a sitcom spin-off, 'Mama's Family'.
HIs best work on the show may have been with frequent guest star Tim Conway (whom everyone thought was a regular long before he actually became one). Just about every blogger who carried a tribute to Korman on their blogs in the last 24 hours or so imbedded the YouTube clip of the "Dentist Sketch". In it, Korman was the patient and Conway was the inept doctor who numbed his whole body with novocaine. It's a classic not only for Conway's physical comedy, but because it serves as a great example of Korman's inability to control his laughter. I think people watched 'The Carol Burnett Show' each week in anticipation of when Korman would finally lose it.
Like Dick Martin, who passed away last week, Korman was also responsible for creating enough characters in other TV shows to fill the Mayberry phone book - from international villains of the 1870s to elderly patients in emergency rooms.

He also provided the televersion of the legendary comic straight man Bud Abbott, teamed up with Buddy Hackett as Lou Costello in "Bud And Lou".

Harvey Korman's strength and fame came from the world of the Tube, but it's a movie role that will best be remembered for the ages. In 1974, Korman took over the role of Hedy - sorry, that's Hedley! - Lamarr in Mel Brooks' Western spoof "Blazing Saddles". (Gene Wilder replaced Dan Dailey in the role of the Waco Kid, but I've never been able to find out who Korman replaced.)
In the Tooniverse, Korman will be immortalized as the voice of the Great Gazoo on 'The Flintstones. Gazoo was banished back in time to the Stone Age, where he would often befriend/bedevil Fred Flintstone.

And he played several parts in the notorious 1977 holiday special connected to "Star Wars", which George Lucas will forever try to banish from our memories. But it's too late, once broadcast, it has become a fixture in the Toobworld firmament!
As part our tip of the hat to Harvey Korman's memory, here is the list of characters he created for the main Toobworld:

The Tooniverse
"Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" - Gularis
Panic on Bathyos (19 October 2000)

"The Wild Thornberrys" - Earl
No Laughing Matter (24 August 1999)

"Hey Arnold!" - Don Reynolds
Runaway Float/Partners (1 January 1997)
Dino Checks Out (11 December 1999)

"The What a Cartoon Show" - O. Ratz
O. Ratz: Rat in a Hot Tin Can (31 July 1995)

"Garfield and Friends" - Additional Voices
The Legend of Johnny Ragweedseed/Grape Expectations/Catch as Cats Can't (17 September 1994)
The Perfect Match/Temp Trouble/Change of Mind (1 October 1994)

"The Flintstones" - The Great Gazoo
The Great Gazoo (29 October 1965)
The Stonefinger Caper (19 November 1965)
Royal Rubble (10 December 1965)
Seeing Doubles (17 December 1965)
How to Pick a Fight with Your Wife Without Really Trying (7 January 1966)
Two Men on a Dinosaur (4 February 1966)
Curtain Call at Bedrock (18 February 1966)
Boss for a Day (25 February 1966)
Jealousy (11 March 1966)
My Fair Freddy (25 March 1966)

EARTH PRIME-TIME
"ER" (1 episode) - Stan Levy
Stuck on You (5 November 1998)

"Suddenly Susan" - Jimmy
The Old and the Beautiful (24 November 1997)

"Perversions of Science" - The Farmer
Panic (2 July 1997)

"Diagnosis Murder" - Harvey Huckaby
Comedy Is Murder (8 May 1997)

"Ellen" - The Therapist
Harold and Ellen (6 November 1996)

"Burke's Law" - Dr. John Richmond
Who Killed the King of the Country Club? (6 July 1995)

"The Golden Palace" - Bill
Marriage on the Rocks with a Twist (20 November 1992)

"The Nutt House" - Reginald Tarkington

"Leo & Liz In Beverly Hills" (1986) - Leo Green

"George Burns Comedy Week" - Leo Green
The Couch (15 October 1985)

'Mama's Family' - Ed Higgins
The Wedding: Part 2 (12 February 1983)
Cellmates (26 February 1983)
Positive Thinking (30 April 1983)

"The Love Boat" Spoonmaker Diamond, The/Papa Doc/The Role Model/Julie's Tycoon: Part 1&2 (13 November 1982)
Japan Cruise: When Worlds Collide/The Captain and the Geisha/The Lottery Winners/The Emperor's Fortune: Part 2 (5 November 1983)
Roomates/Heartbreaker/Out of Blue (7 December 1985)

"Snavely" (1978) - Henry Snavely

"America 2-Night" - Harvey Korman
Celebrity Night (13 April 1978)

"The Harvey Korman Show" - Harvey A. Kavanaugh
The One Where There's a Hold-Up (1 January 1978)
The One Where Harvey Goes on a Kids' Show (24 June 1978)
The One Where Harvey Won't Change (1 July 1978)

"The Muppet Show" - Harvey Korman
Episode #1.10 (27 May 1976)

"Insight" - Matt Slovak
Crunch on Spruce Street (24 March 1974)

"The Wild Wild West" - Baron Hinterstoisser
The Night of the Big Blackmail (27 September 1968)

"F Troop" - Colonel Heindrich von Zeppel
Bye, Bye, Balloon (22 September 1966)

"The Hero" - Ralph Rayburn
The Big Return of Little Eddie (15 September 1966)

"The John Forsythe Show" - H.H. Hopper
Duty and the Beast (22 November 1965)

"Gidget" - Joe Hanley
Daddy Come Home (6 October 1965)

"Disneyland" - Brownie
The Adventures of Gallegher: Part 1 (24 January 1965)
The Adventures of Gallegher: Part 2 (31 January 1965)
The Adventures of Gallegher: Part 3 (7 February 1965)
The Further Adventures of Gallegher: A Case of Murder (26 September 1965)
The Further Adventures of Gallegher: The Big Swindle (3 October 1965)
The Further Adventures of Gallegher: The Daily Press vs. City Hall (10 October 1965)

"The Munsters"
Family Portrait (17 December 1964) - Lennie Bates
Yes, Galen, There Is a Herman (10 June 1965) - Dr. Leinbach
Prehistoric Munster (10 March 1966) - Prof. Fagenspahen

"The Jack Benny Program"
Jack Loses a Raffle (13 November 1964) - Director
Jack Brings Ed Up from the Vault (5 March 1965) - 1st Sergeant
Jack Has Dog Trouble (9 April 1965) - 2nd Salesman

"The Lucy Show"
Lucy, the Camp Cook (24 October 1964) - Camp Counselor
Lucy the Stockholder (29 March 1965) - Mr. Phillips
Lucy at Marineland (13 September 1965)

"Hazel"
Maid for a Day (23 April 1964)

"The Eleventh Hour" - Blake
Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree? (29 January 1964)

"Glynis" - as Himself(?)
Three Men in a Tub (25 September 1963)

"Sam Benedict" - Reporter
Of Rusted Cannons and Fallen Sparrows (23 March 1963)

"Empire" - Bunce
Pressure Lock (4 December 1962)

"Perry Mason" - Coleman
The Case of the Unsuitable Uncle (8 November 1962)

"I'm Dickens, He's Fenster" - Mr. Rembar
The Acting Game (2 November 1962)

"The Untouchables" - Resident
Bird in the Hand (30 October 1962)

"Surfside 6" - Prosecutor
Green Bay Riddle (23 April 1962)

"The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor"
The Jagged Edge (9 February 1962)

"Dennis the Menace"
Haunted House (29 October 1961) - Bowers
My Four Boys (17 March 1963) - Mr. Griffin

"Hennesey" - Dr. Don Spright
The Gossip Go-Round (25 September 1961)

"Adventures in Paradise" - Merchant
Flamin' Lady (22 May 1961)

"Route 66"
The Quick and the Dead (13 January 1961) - Len
Suppose I Said I Was the Queen of Spain (8 February 1963) - Mr. Mills

As Red Skelton would say: "May God Bless......"

BCnU!
Toby OB

"You have to have a certain persona to be a star, you know,
and I don't have that.
I'm a banana."
Harvey Korman

Klamath disrupt Buffet's salmon killing corporate machine

Craig Tucker, Spokesperson Karuk Tribe (916) 207-8294 Regina Chichizola, Klamath Riverkeeper (541) 951-0126 Matt Mais, Yurok Tribe (707) 954-0976 Christina Haro, Media Contact (415) 453-0430

Klamath River Tribes and Fishermen Declare Mission Accomplished

Groups succeed in disrupting Warren Buffett’s Woodstock of Capitalism

By Criag Tucker

OMAHA – Klamath River Basin tribal leaders, native activists, and sport and commercial fishermen, and conservationists returned home to the West Coast after disrupting the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting. The group is demanding the removal of four Klamath River dams that kill salmon and create massive blooms of toxic algae.
“We went to Omaha to send Warren Buffett and his executives a clear message that as long as there is no business as usual on the Klamath, there will be no business as usual for him, Mid American Energy, or PacifiCorp,” said Karuk Vice-Chair Leaf Hillman, after the shareholder meeting held May 1 --4.
Tribal members, commercial and sport fishers and Regina Chichizola of Klamath River Keeper, camped out in front of Omaha’s Qwest Center at 1 a.m. the night before in a cold rain. This allowed the group to get at the head of the cue to ask Buffett questions during a six-hour question and answer session in front of 30,000 shareholders.
Karuk World Renewal Priest, or Fatawana, Chook-Chook Hillman spearheaded the strategy and was the third person to speak at the meeting. After introducing himself in his native tongue, Chook-Chook challenged Buffett by saying, “as a European-American you are the visitor in our country…will you not meet with the native people impacted by your fish killing dams. You say you want to address poverty and disease in the third world. But you are creating those same third world conditions right here in America. We want to meet and resolve the issue in a way that saves you money and saves our culture!” Chook-Chook then presented a dam removal agreement.
As he spoke, Georgiana Myers and Annalia Norris of the Yurok Tribe unfurled a large banner that read “Klamath Dams Equal Cultural Genocide.”
Before lunch two more questions came from the group, one from Klamath River Keeper Regina Chichizola focused on the toxic algae blooms in Buffett’s Klamath Reservoirs and another from Mike Polmateer of the Karuk Tribe. Each time Buffett passed the question off to Mid American CEO David Sokol and each time another banner was unfurled. One read, “Buffett’s Dams kill salmon, communities, and jobs.” Another read “Warren: Un-dam the Klamath - sign the agreement now!”
Sokol answered each time by describing the issue as “complex” while security escorted the Tribal members from the building. There were no arrests.
After the lunch break, Buffett announced that he would not field any more questions about the Klamath. Commercial salmon fishermen Dave Bitts, Karuk fisherman Ron Reed, and Karuk Medicine Woman Cathy McCovey where denied access to the microphones despite being next in the cue to speak.
Bitts, who had to navigate around a snow storm in Denver to make the meeting was clearly disappointed.
“I traveled over 3000 miles to be here and woke up at two o’clock in the morning to speak, then I was told I couldn’t speak. The story I have to tell is that of an out of work commercial fishermen,” said Bitts. “Buffett spent a lot of time today explaining what he couldn’t do for us. I wanted to ask the richest man on the planet what he could do for us.”
“Now we return home having accomplished our mission. We sent a clear message to Buffett, Sokol and every other executive involved that as long as there is no justice on the Klamath, there will be no peace for them,” said Karuk Tribal Member Jess Mcloughlin who was involved in erecting the banners.
Yurok council member Richard Myers said, “Everyone has had a chance to sit at the table and work with the tribes towards a resolution. There is one empty chair left. We are waiting for PacifiCorp to take a seat.”
Pictures from this year’s protests are available from the Associated Press and will be posted online soon at http://www.klamathriver.org/.
Learn more about the Klamath Crisis on YouTube:
Un-dam It Commercial: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pFoyzZvuXxs
Klamath River Toxic Algae: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tDny8jvd950&feature=related
Tribes and Fisherman at Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders meeting 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SasDF5b9rks
For more information: http://www.berkshireshareholders.com/ http://www.salmonforsavings.org/
S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D. Klamath Campaign Coordinator Karuk Tribe of California NEW NUMBER home office: 707-839-1982 Tribal office in Orleans: 530-627-3446 x3027 cell: 916-207-8294 ctucker [at] karuk.us
http://www.karuk.us/

SIMPLY INTOXICATED!

Here's another one that I thought I couldn't pull off! It's a double chocolate stout cupcake. The chocolate cake is really rich and dense so the maltyness off the stout gives it a nice touch. I even put a little bit of the beer in the whipped buttercream frosting....nice!

When you work with nice people . . .

I've been at the place where I work, Unboundary, for a long time. It will be 12 years this coming December. Are there times when I'm overwhelmed and wish I had either married rich or been doing something like curing cancer (in which case being overwhelmed would at least be put into perspective)? You betcha. But all in all, I like what I do, and the people I work with are ones I can be myself with, truly myself, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Here's what I got today from my "family" at Unboundary. The girls at the office, lovingly known as "The Mermaids" sent me this Edible Arrangement, chocked full of fresh fruit and chocolate covered strawberries. I took the first picture as the package arrived, and the second showing the unwrapped basket.









And flowers from the office. An arrangement too pretty not to capture in a picture. I feel very spoiled . . . and grateful for the people who surround me five days a week, many hours a day.

Taste of Bawlmer

Dear coworker Laura went to Baltimore and brought me back these divine treats, a cakey vanilla cookie with a thick dark chocolate ganache topping. We both agreed this was the easiest to tote back to Atlanta, compared to my other requests . . . a case of National Boh, a bushel of steamed crabs and/or my sister Beth. She brought a box of Bergers for the office and one just for little ol' me. Thanks, girlie.

I love how the packaging is so inconsistent — Berger on the label, Berger's on one side, and Bergers on the other side (sans apostrophe). Just a tribute to what I'd like to think was the case . . . five generations of a Baltimore family concentrating more on making a scrumptious cookie than caring about what it's packaged in! It makes for a rather endearing cookie, I think.

And love the expiration date on top. Yeah right . . . these are gonna last 'til July 2.

TODAY'S TWD: THE FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL

If you haven't seen last night's 4th season finale for 'Lost' yet, you're nuts. So just go away and come back later in the day for other entries here at Inner Toob!

My head is still not re-aligned from last night's mind-bleep! I actually jumped out of my chair at the viewing party I attended when Ben appeared behind Jack at the funeral parlor!

There's no way I can make this a coherent posting, so instead I'll share those thoughts I put out there at various blogs and web-sites this morning. As I have the sad duty of reporting several deaths that would affect Toobworld still to write, this will have to serve........

• Locke will take over as the avatar for the Island, the "Jacob", replacing Christian Shepherd. After all, he'll be returning to the island in the same fashion as Christian first arrived..
  
• I don't think it was Claire (who appeared in Kate's dream). It seems that the ghosts/Whisperers can appear to whomever they want (Charlie/Eko to Hurley, Libby to Michael, Christian to Jack etc); they actually manifest. But Claire had to appear in a dream, and with an American accent.
  
  She was probably something else that took the form of Claire to trick Kate into not going back with Aaron. Something working against the best interests of the Island. Only in assuming Claire's form, it messed up on the details - like the American accent. And it had to manifest in a dream not in "reality".

other version:

• If Claire didn't have an (Australian) accent, maybe it's because someone/something else appeared to Kate in her dream to talk her out of going back to the Island, using Claire's form.
  
  It would seem the real ghosts/Whisperers can actually manifest themselves to certain people and would have no need to go the dream route.
  
• As for Daniel Faraday, I think he and the 7 redshirts travelling with him were outside the sphere of influence for the island. Then Daniel has to track down the now-missing Desmond since he is his constant. And to do so, he allies himself with Ben, not realizing why Ben is looking for Desmond - to kill Penny.
  
• Ben knew what would happen if he turned that wheel - so it had to have been done before. I think Widmore probably did it in the past, and he was banished as well for doing so and now wants to get back.
  
  That may be why Locke killed himself - he had to turn the wheel himself finally, and he couldn't live with the banishment.
  
• I think Juliet and Sawyer will end up being those skeletons of Adam & Eve in the cave (if the island moved back in Time), and that Charlotte is their daughter. That's why she wanted to stay on the island - to get back to where she was born, and actually witness it all! (Although with her accent, maybe she's the daughter of Desmond and Penny!)
  
• And I also think Faraday needs to find Desmond, who is his "Constant". And to do so, he makes an alliance with Ben - not knowing that Ben wants to find Desmond in order to bring him back to the Island and to kill Penny.
  
  My Charlotte theory boils down to this:
  
  The Island went back in Time.
  
  Sawyer & Juliet become "Adam & Eve" from the cave.
  
  Charlotte is their daughter and now grows up in the presence of her adult self.
  
• If Ben eliminated Penny before she could become "Eve", that could mean Charlotte could cease to be!
  
• I think Christian's message to Michael had several meanings:
  
  Your work here is done.
  You can fulfill your desire to die now.
  
  Those are two....
  
  And I think it was implied that Michael would have no place among the Whisperers/ghosts connected to the Island. He may have redeemed himself perhaps, but there was still a price to be paid in the afterlife and he wasn't going to find salvation with the Island in that regard.
  
  Christian was acting like a barkeep - I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here!
  
  BCnU!
  Toby OB
  

THIS PROGRAMMING NOTE.....

Looks like it's going to be a busy day for Toobworld today.......

Surgery Gone Good

So today was my long-awaited surgery. After months and months of erratic and sometimes heavy bleeding, I went in yesterday for a D&C and endometrial abalation. My ob/gyn uses the laser form of the ablation, basically burning the lining of the uterus using a high-density light beam. Ablation destroys a thin layer of the lining of the uterus, therefore stopping all menstrual flow in many women. From the friends, co-workers and acquaintances I've chatted with about the procedure, I was shocked to find out many have had it done and with much success. And of course it is much less invasive than a hysterectomy.

My parents — the angels that they are — picked me up at 5:30AM to be at the hospital by 6:15 for 8:15 surgery. I said goodbye to Harleigh (working that day at her summer camp job) who had had a rough and tearful evening the night before, worried about the surgery and all its possible outcomes. I've always felt very faithful and somewhat calm about it, but it broke my heart to see her so concerned and afraid.

Pre-op was almost like Mommy's spa day with its pampering. The nurses, doctors, and all the staff were so nice and upbeat. The kind of people I prefer to be around at 6:15AM given that I'm more of a morning person. Into the hospital gown —  that's been washed so many times it's like putting on a boyfriend's worn t-shirt — with booties on my feet, and then under a pile of warmed blankets, in a private room, propped up in a bed with lots of pillows . . . ready for a facial and massage.  I spent the next hour and a half reading New Moon and listening to patients and staff in the neighboring rooms talk about their procedures, medical histories. A relaxing prelude to surgery.

My parents came in to love up on me before I was rolled off into the OR, I caught Harleigh on her cell phone to chat, and then the "margarita" went into my IV to lull me into sedation (which, by the way, never really kicked in like I was expecting, but since I wasn't freaking out, it didn't matter).

Once in the OR, the mask went on to pump in the general anesthesia . . like the nectar of the gods. So amazing that you go to sleep and don't feel a thing.

When I woke in post-op, aside from having a sore throat from the breathing tube, I felt no pain at all. As if nothing had happened in my nether region. And the anesthesia had no trace other than making me feel super sleepy.

Then into my check-out room where I was moved from the gurney into a recliner, drinking a diet coke to get me to weewee before leaving, still no pain! The nurse sat down with me, reciting the list of what to expect once home, that included a discharge like "soot." Well, considering that they did burn the wall of my uterus, I suppose that there has to be some residual "stuff."  

Now in my family, ripe with a dry and wicked sense of humor, soot coming out of my whowho is the kind of fodder we relish:

Dad in the car coming home: I smell something burning.

Me: (whose anesthesia-muddied head did not render her immune to humor): It's my uterus!

Harleigh: Call 911!

Me: My uterus is on fire!

Harleigh: Mom, the doctor's office is on the phone. They have the name and number of a good chimney sweep!

Ahhhh. Nothing like laughter to make an icky situation more palpable. I hope this pain-free state continues, although I'm taking it easy at the risk of doing too much and causing things to happen up there that don't necessarily need to be jostled about.

Once home I did want to go outside and pick up Gideon's poop. I have this "thing" for a poop-free yard. If I know there's a pile out there, I become obsessed with cleaning it up. Thanks, Mom, for arming yourself with a grocery bag and taking care of it for me. (I think you know me well enough to know that once you left, I'd be doing it come hell or high water.)

What a great experience as hospitals and surgeries go. I'm amazed at how many people attended to me and with such organization and care. This is the band of people who saw to all my needs:

1 admissions check-in gal

1 surgery check-in nurse who then took me to pre-op

1 nurse for IV and stats

1 anesthesiologist

1 surgeon

1 nurse for last-minute stats and to administer "margarita"

2 OR nurses to prep me for going to OR (who were in the OR as well)

1 assistant to the surgeon

1 post-op nurse

1 nurse and 1 nurse's aide for taking me to check-out

1 check-out nurse 

1 nurse's aide to roll me out to the car

I slept the rest of the day in my comfy bed, still feeling rubbery in the joints and with that feeling of almost not wanting to go to sleep because the state you're in — so tired and comfortable and with no cares or TO DO lists gnawing at you — is worth enjoying for as long as you can, as it doesn't come along all that much.

Harleigh brought me dinner in bed, a killer casserole and brownies that my Mom dropped off. And I've been guzzling water at a sprinter's pace.

Lots of well wishes from office friends . . . so appreciated! (Courtney, my mom thought getting your check-in calls was the sweetest!). 

Up this morning, still no pain (was anything really done down there?!?!?), but still feeling the aftermath of anesthesia. Finished New Moon yesterday between naps and I can't wait for Eclipse!!!!!!!!  Love to everyone who kept me in their thoughts and prayers. This certainly wasn't major surgery of any kind, but in our society, riddled with 60-Minute episodes and 48 Hours, we've seen our share of the simplest of things gone bad, and I suppose that can leave a pall and dread over any impending procedure. Dawn's alive and couldn't be happier!

Hopi and Navajo truths confirmed by science in US censored climate report

By Brenda Norrell
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

ARIZONA -- With the release of the US censored climate report -- that Bush and his corporate handlers censored for four years -- the words of the late Hopi spiritual leaders are mirrored forth.
Hopi Sinom, including Thomas Banyacya and Dan Evehema, foretold of a time when hurricanes, storms and wildfires would seize the planet if human beings did not care for Mother Earth. They also warned if the secret agenda of coal mining was carried out on Black Mesa, under the guise of the so-called Navajo Hopi land dispute and Navajos were relocated, that natural calamities would increase.
Just a few days ago in the Navajos' Chuska Mountains, I was listening to a traditional Navajo farmer talk about how dry the earth is. Looking at the dry pinon trees and dusty earth, she said it would be hard to get the corn and squash to grow this summer. The earth is so dry that it does not absorb water like it used to. Every year it gets worse.
The U.S. censored climate report, just released under court order, reflects this truth about the drought in the Southwest. The report also reveals the truth foretold by the Hopi spiritual leaders. Hurricanes and storms are increasing with global warming and changes in ocean air circulation.
Sadly, as the ice habitat of polar bears is melting, the Navajo Nation President and Council are pressing for another coal-fired power plant, Desert Rock, to produce more greenhouse gases to destroy more of the Arctic. The polar bears and walrus are now being driven from their homeland in the north largely because of coal-fired power plants, just as the Navajos were driven from their homeland in the south so Peabody Coal could seize the land for coal mines to feed power plants.
While it is a great day to see the voices of the traditional Hopi and Navajo converge with the facts of science, it is a sad day to see the destruction all around us. This was the reason for the Longest Walk, to bring attention to this destruction.
From the nuclear testing and gold mining on Western Shoshone lands in Nevada to the widespread oil and gas drilling on Ute lands in Colorado and the power plants on Navajoland, the damage to Mother Earth is pervasive.
In simple towns of working people across the west, power plants were being built wherever people were economically desperate and unaware of the illnesses that follow.
When the Bush Administration carried out torture, it violated the Geneva Conventions and committed perverse criminal acts.
By concealing the truth of global warming, so that power plants would be constructed and oil and gas drilling would increase rapidly in the mad rush for corporate profiteering before Bush's term ended, the Bush Administration committed a crime against humanity.
In reality, this was not just the genocide of American Indians and people of color, this crime crossed all racial lines and is now a crime against all of the people on this continent and all of humanity.

US Censored Climate Report:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_sc/storytext/sci_climate_science/27673504/SIG=10r1psip4/*http://tinyurl.com/4hojv5

Global warming and wildfires:
"In the last three decades, the wildfire season in the western United States has lengthened and burn durations have increased. Climate change has also very likely increased the size and number of insect outbreaks and tree mortality that help to fuel wildfires in the interior West, the Southwest, and Alaska. These trends are very likely to continue." [V.1.c]
Greenhouse gases and black carbons
"Several different types of gases in the atmosphere warm the planet by trapping energy that would otherwise be emitted to space. These ‘greenhouse gases’ include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and several fluorine- and chlorine-containing gases.
"Black carbon aerosols introduce a warming influence. Deposition of black carbon on snow and ice also contributes a warming influence on the climate by decreasing surface reflectivity that would otherwise deflect more solar energy back into space."

Photo 1: Thomas Banyacya. Photo 2: Polar bear baby. Photos 3: San Juan Generating Station Photos 4 and 5: Indigenous Peoples protest the Desert Rock/Sithe Global power plant planned for the Navajo Naiton, during the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. Photos Elouise Brown/Dooda (NO) Desert Rock.

brendanorrell@gmail.com

Longest Walk, Michigan and Pennsylvania

(Please double click on posters to enlarge and print)

Those of us here in southwestern Pennsylvania look forward to welcoming the participants of the Longest Walk 2 on Saturday, the 21st of June, as dancers from across the country come to honor the two gifts given to the People at the Woodland Zoo. The White and the Black Buffalo calves. More information about these amazing births, along with official statements from respected and recognized Elders and Spiritual Leaders can be found at www.buffalomessengers.org This will be a beautiful, powerful message for the People, not only of Turtle Island, but worldwide.

The Jenerator

Fan and peleton favorite, Jens Voigt, wins Stage 18 in style with a solo breakaway out of the group breakaway with 35k to go.

This guy is considered a big power rider at 6'2" 167lbs...Are you f***ing kidding me? Mongo's 6'2" 220lbs...He's 53lbs lighter than me.

If Mongo dropped a bag of cement in weight, I'd be unstoppable. I'd probably be in rehab...but I'd definitely be unstoppable.

TODAY'S TWD: 9TH CIRCLE JERKS

"A few too many years spent down in the ninth circle,
if you know what I mean....."
Gladys
'Reaper'

The Demoness of the DMV was referring to Dennis, a demon who worked at a storage container facility and who had access to the vessels used to send souls back to Hell.

I'm not sure how Dennis got out of the Ninth Circle of Hell, but it doesn't sound like it could have been too easy (which is probably why he was a bit squirrelly).

Here's the Wikipedia take on the place:

The Ninth Circle is ringed by classical and Biblical giants. The giants are standing either on, or on a ledge above, the ninth circle of Hell, and are visible from the waist up at the ninth circle of the Malebolge. The giant Antaeus lowers Dante and Virgil into the pit that forms the ninth circle of Hell. (Canto XXXI) Traitors, distinguished from the "merely" fraudulent in that their acts involve betraying one in a special relationship to the betrayer, are frozen in a lake of ice known as Cocytus. Each group of traitors is encased in ice to a different depth, ranging from only the waist down to complete immersion. The circle is divided into four concentric zones:

Zone 1: Caïna, named for Cain, is home to traitors to their kindred. The souls here are immersed in the ice up to their necks. (Canto XXXII)

Zone 2: Antenora is named for Antenor of Troy, who according to medieval tradition betrayed his city to the Greeks. Traitors to political entities, such as party, city, or country, are located here. Count Ugolino pauses from gnawing on the head of his rival Archbishop Ruggieri to describe how Ruggieri imprisoned and starved him and his children. The souls here are immersed at almost the same level as those in Caïna, except they are unable to bend their necks. (Cantos XXXII and XXXIII)

Zone 3: Ptolomæa is probably named for Ptolemy, the captain of Jericho, who invited Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to a banquet and then killed them. Traitors to their guests are punished here. Fra Alberigo explains that sometimes a soul falls here before the time that Atropos (the Fate who cuts the thread of life) should send it. Their bodies on Earth are immediately possessed by a fiend. The souls here are immersed so much that only half of their faces are visible. As they cry, their tears freeze and seal their eyes shut- they are denied even the comfort of tears. (Canto XXXIII)

Zone 4: Judecca, named for Judas the Iscariot, Biblical betrayer of Christ, is for traitors to their lords and benefactors. All of the sinners punished within are completely encapsulated in ice, distorted to all conceivable positions.

I think this would be the place where Satan holds his version of the Ice Capades. I'd say the lead act was "Hitler On Ice", but that's a movie universe event.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

Cold Comfort For Change

“ Spatial tunnel vision

Amoeba petrie dish

Vertical hold reception

Kanata sailfish lake”

Up On Cripple Creak

Ever since Mongo unceremoniously snapped his sweet Specialized carbon fiber seatpost and replaced it with a Ritchey aluminum WCS post, I have been haunted by the high-pitched screams and yelps of the Mouse of the Baskervilles emanating from below my nether regions.

Jack Fire would have joined the National Day of Action!

The following letter by a Mohawk youth is being posted on the Day of Action:

Mohawk Nation News
Letter to the editor:

Jake Fire Would Have Joined the National Day of Action! Canadians are seeing the gruesome power of police officers. They have been given the right to carry deadly weapons as part of their arsenal to use during arrests. They carry 50,000 volt tasers, which recently caused the death of an immigrant at the air port in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian public should be very concerned about that incident, since it was not an isolated one. On May 1, 1899, an Akwesasne Mohawk, Saiowisakeron, also known as “Jake Fire”, faced the barrel of a gun in the hands of an RCMP officer. The RCMP had been sent to arrest the Akwesasne traditional chiefs. Standing up for what was right, an unarmed Jake Fire was shot and killed by the RCMP officer. The RCMP officer shooting and killing Jake Fire is the kind of violence and aggression that the colonists use when dealing with Indigenous Peoples asserting our rights. Jake Fire was killed because he supported the traditional Iroquois government and though it was best for his people. At the time, the federal government wanted to impose the colonial band council system of governance. When the Mohawks of Akwesasne resisted the colonial band council style of government, they were coerced into obedience. This pattern has been followed over the centuries when Indigenous got in the way of the immigrants who were swarming all over Turtle Island. In the United States, whenever the settlers came against opposition from the Indigenous, the army was called in. Indigenous resisters were pushed onto uninhabitable areas of Turtle Island. In 1922 the RCMP raided the Six Nations as part of an Indian Affairs plot to overthrow the traditional govenrment. [Order in Council PC 1629, Sept. 17, 1924]. The Iroquois have always resisted being bulldozed into obedience by land developers, governments and police agencies. The most recent example of this brutal method to attempt to control Indigenous occurred in 1995 when an OPP sniper killed an unarmed Indigenous, Dudley George, at Ipperwash, Ontario. Canada and the provincial governments refuse to talk peacefully with the Indigenous people. Instead they arrest and jail, especially the youth. Jailing our people means that Indigenous across Canada are forced to take a back seat to ancestral land and resource theft. We are presently seeing the fast pace of urban development coming into conflict with the Indigenous. Land developers see no problem in going onto disputed Indigenous land to put up housing complexes and explore for oil that destroy the land. Reserves are the only lands left where the non-native are not supposed to encroach. This has not been stopping the developers from trying to enter them too. On May 29, 2008, the Indigenous are asking the Canadian public for support to inform the government that Indigenous Peoples must be dealt with fairly and equitably. This will be the second annual National Day of Action, and Indigenous will show the world that we still care about our rights. Support the cause since it is the future of Indigenous and non-natives alike that will be affected by the federal and provincial government’s response to Indigenous concerns. Kanatase Horn, MohawkAkwesasneKanatase_18@hotmail.com Posted by MNN Mohawk Nation News, May 29, 2008. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/

Brita Brookes photos, Longest Walk Ohio

Special thanks to Brita Brookes for sharing the memories and photos from the Longest Walk in Ohio

Longest Walk Ohio 5-27-08
By Brita Brookes

Aanii- The Longest Walk Northern Route started dry but ended rainy and wind swept. Longest Walkers met in the morning at the Energy Conservation Center and started walking east on 40 from Englewood to just outside Dayton.

Some of the interesting sights and themes that came out of today's photos were the dependence on oil and gas fueled vehicles.

The Energy Center has a whole museum dedicated to education on alternative energy issues -- and they even have a hydrogen tank set up.

As we moved east we kept passing scrap yards with 100's of dead cars, and abandoned gas stations in the smaller towns.

The wind made its presence known perhaps to say, "hey I'm am here, why wont you let me help you!!" As the rain got heavier the walkers got more determined- just a little water thats all!

Today we had the Oglala Longest walk security team man the walk and provide our own ''secret service''...wopila to you for keeping us safe today!The walk ended near the Englewood Metro Park where there is a large dam, Englewood dam.

LOL

I do look like a tranny

Been very busy lately! It's 6.30am now and I don't even feel vaguely like sleeping, so I thought I'd blog some random thoughts and recent happenings!!

1) I had a horrible shock when I had my first MacDonalds Grilled Chicken Foldover yesterday.

The first 2 bites were terrific, and then... BAM! Like a slap to the face, I bit into a giant, raw onion!!!!!!!!

I never knew the bloody foldover has onions inside!!

So here's a warning to everyone who, like me, hates onions, and have a sudden urge to eat a Grilled chicken foldover. Order it without onions!!

To my surprise, when I started telling everyone that the stupid foldover had onions (and honestly, I couldn't get rid of the taste on my tongue till the next morning. SOMPAH! Never exaggerate one!!), NOBODY BELIEVED ME.

Everyone just skeptically and patronisingly told me, "Got meh?"

When I reply "GOT!!!!!!" in a perhaps overly loud manner, they mostly just recoil and say they never noticed the onions inside, ever.

SO NOW... Does the Grilled Chicken Foldover contain onions, OR NOT?

If it usually doesn't, then did my delivery guy delibrately put some in to give me this lifetime trauma?!

Anyway speaking of mac delivery... It's awesome man!!

LOVE HEART MAC DELIVERY!

- 24 hours! Perfect for MJ food.

- Order-takers are ALWAYS, CONSISTENTLY, polite, smart, and articulate. HOW? Where do they find such people? They all sound like Uni students.

- Special orders never get forgotten.


Also, I love the new McGriddle! But it seems like I am the only one, because everyone else thinks it is "weird".

Pancakes kiaping sausage, melted cheese, and egg!! What's there not to like?!



2) Continuation of my maid's awesomeness.

Remember the lizard trap I bought?

That day, the maid came and saw that the trap caught an adult-sized lizard dead inside.

Frankly, it is super gross. The lizard got stuck on the edge of the relatively big trap, so theoretically the rest of the trap (full of glue) is a little wasted.

She took up the box, completely undeterred by the dead lizard, and told me...

She is going to cut/peel off the part of the trap with the dead lizard, so that the trap can still be used again!!!!!

CRAZY NOT!!

She is not only awesomely brave but damn frugal lor!!!


3) I am recently mad over Edamame peas!!

These are the peas that are commonly seen on the moving belt in Sakae Sushi, and I was super surprised when I ate them and they don't taste like normal peas at all!

Hate normal peas.

To my delight, they are commonly found in NTUC in a large frozen package (NTUC house brand somemore lor...), so all you have to do is to boil them (lightly) and sprinkle some salt on them. Yums!!

I am still eating them right now as we speak and I've almost finished the whole package already (!!!).

But it's ok coz it's supposed to be healthy food!! IMMA BE SO SKINNY! But I hope I don't start to have a green tinge.



4) In case you are wondering about the title, some time ago Shuyin and I stayed over at Wanyi's before she went back to Australia to study.

We then decided it will be fun to put ugly make-up on each other.

The chosen theme for me that day was heavy Minah make-up, you know the kind with the severely drawn skinny eyebrows?

Unfortunately, all I turned out looking like was Tranny-ish.

Shuyin having fun slapping on loads of concealer and foundation on my eyebrows to conceal them, then drawing my pseudo-eyebrows 3 cm above my normal ones. -_-

Very fugly.

They then added bright blue eyeshadow as well as blood red lipstick...

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CHIO NOT!!

I totally agree now: I do look like a tranny!!

I think girls who have long face or long chins look like trannies lor!! I have a long face. BAH!

Anyway that's not the worst of the photos but I shall not put anymore to scare people.

Shuyin was also a victim of the tranny make-up but I shall not post her pics coz I don't know if she will like that. I know I won't!! Super ugly!! Hahaha!!

And just in case there are new readers here who are horrified and think that I look like that all the time, I just have to say that with proper make-up I look like THIS:

Still a bit tranny-ish but at least not a super ugly tranny...

And lastly, to end off this blog entry, I present you with Wanyi as...

AMY WINEHOUSE!!!

I had to blacken her tooth, but other than Wanyi's good complexion, UNCANNY, you think?

HAHAAHAHA!

p/s: Almost finished the eyeliner stick when drawing her eyes.