If ever there was ample wealth of evidence of the vitriole of Senator Barack Obama's supporters, see Crush the Obamedia narrative: Look who’s “gripped by insane rage.”  This goes beyond disrespect, for it appears there is a very personal agenda on behalf of Obama.  Just one of many examples.  Far worse here.

"Got Milk?  It does a POW good." 
Image courtesy of http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/12/crush-the-obamedia-narrative-look-whos-gripped-by-insane-rage/.

In Issue of Race Creeps Into Campaign at the Washington Post via Newsbusters's "Congressman Compared McCain with George Wallace, Birmingham Church Bombers," we see the following.  

Yesterday, civil rights leader John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia, became the latest advocate to excite the racial debate, condemning Sen. John McCain for "sowing the seeds of hatred and division" and accusing the Republican nominee of potentially inciting violence.

In a provocative twist, Lewis drew a rhetorical line connecting McCain to the segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace, and through Wallace to the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham that killed four girls. McCain voiced outrage at the comments, which also drew a mild rebuke from an aide to Sen. Barack Obama.

Obama has typically let others work on race issues for him.

He has mostly avoided the topic since, handing off to a network of friends, including Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, the task of talking directly to their constituencies about electing a black president.

Kudos to McCain for maintaining dignity in the face of blatant race baiting.

"Congressman John Lewis' comments represent a character attack against Governor Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale," McCain said. "The notion that legitimate criticism of Senator Obama's record and positions could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign."

McCain continued, saying "I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track."

"I call on Senator Obama to immediately and personally repudiate these outrageous and divisive comments that are so clearly designed to shut down debate 24 days before the election. Our country must return to the important debate about the path forward for America."

And surprise that Obama and his supporters repeatedly dismiss Obama's own request and plan.

"As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead,”

And sad that McCain has held Lewis in such esteem.    

"I did not know Dr King," McCain said. "But I know John Lewis, and I know what he represents. And John Lewis and I may disagree on some issues, but that's the kind of person I think are true American heroes."

In August, while appearing at a forum on faith, McCain was asked to name three "wise people" he would listen to. He cited Lewis as well as Gen. David Petreaus, head of U.S. troops in Iraq, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to his campaign.

Obama.   Race bait for sale."
Image courtesy of http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/24/selling-race-bait/.

See:

• http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/12/crush-the-obamedia-narrative-look-whos-gripped-by-insane-rage/
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/11/AR2008101102216.html
• http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/10/12/john-lewis-smears-mccain-enabling-racist-violence-wapo-sugar-coats-it-bl
• http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/mccain-offended.html
• http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/11/politics/main4515501.shtml

Obama WTF has a comprehensive and growing list of Senator Barack Obama's Documented Lies: 155 and remarkably still growing.  This list is worthwhile to peruse as each one is analyzed and factually confirmed.  This should be required reading for all.  Especially if it hurts!

"Liar, liar pants on fire.
Image courtesy of http://www.shermankuek.net/reflections/.

155 Obama lies about his mother turning to food stamps AND still sending him to top schools; his grandmother paid for education

154 Obama lied about being asked to wear dead soldier's bracelet: family had asked Obama to stop wearing it

153 Obama claimed all new spending is economic plan was self-funding; short by $3.5 Trillion says nonpartisan Tax Policy Center

152 Obama denied Admiral Mike Mullen had called Obama's Iraqi troop plan "dangerous"; Mullen made comment on Fox in July 2008 according to WaPo

151 Obama lied about Kissinger's views of diplomacy during first debate; Kissinger confirms the lie

150 During Debate 1 Obama denied voting to tax some people making $42000 a year: Annenburg Factcheck,org confirms Obama is lying

149 After Debate 1, Team Obama denied Obama ever said, "Iran's not a threat": Video proves Obama DID say "Iran is NOT a threat."

148 Obama claims under McCain employers would be taxed on the health care benefits it grants to workers; he's lying

147 Obama refers to an Iraqi surplus of $79 billion and says US should have it; its $60 billion and dwindling

146 Obama claims only 5% of Americans would see tax increase; he's grossly understating the number of people effected

145 Obama accuses McCain of lying about Biden being against clean coal; video proves Obama is lying

144 Obama claims McCain is opposed to abortion in cases of rape or incest; McCain has never held that position.

143 Obama accuses McCain of making an ad about Obama's vote to approve leaving babies who survive abortion procedures to die; McCain did not make the ad

142 Obama's ad on abortion claims BHO always supported medical care to protect infants; text of the Bill he supported shows he wanted babies born alive after abortions to be left to die

141 Obama's ad on abortion uses quotes by journalists who made negative comments about a McCain ad; but Obama is misleading because both journalists have been proven to be incorrect

140 Obama's lying when he says McCain's ad misstated BHO's Sex Ed for Kindergartners Bill: McCain's ad was accurate; here's the Sex Ed Bill text

139 Obama and Biden both truncate McCain's comments on the strength of the economy's fundamentals: deliberate distortion

138 Biden claims McCain tried to hurt our veterans by denying them educational benefits; NewsWeek confirms Biden is lying

137 Obama claims under McCain, Elderly would have had Social Security tied up in the Stock market; Newsweek cries BS

136 Obama claims his opponent will cut social security in half: NOT true; Obama guilty of scare-mongering aimed at Seniors

135 Biden claims McCain wouldn't help small borrowers hurt by housing crisis; this is untrue according to Newsweek

134 Obama claimed during the primary he had more Ex President Clinton Foreign Policy advisers than Sen. Clinton; she had 70% more

133 Obama claimed his father served in World War 2: his Kenyan-born father never served

132 Obama grossly misquoted Sen.Clinton about her vote on a banking bill; BHO used the false quote to show why voters don't trust Government

131 Obama claimed employers are more likely to be struck by lightning than be prosecuted for employing illegals; Gov stats prove he's lying

130 Pushing his Green agenda Obama claimed Japanese Car average 45 mpg fuel efficiency; its actually around 29 mph

129 Obama disparaged the President saying he hadn't met with auto makers until the sixth year of his presidency; GWB met automakers in April 2003

128 Obama disparaged the efficiency of our healthcare system saying the U.S. spends twice per capita than other countries: WaPo proves he's lying

127 Obama claims President Clinton's Labor Secretary said BHO's healthcare plan, "Does more than anybody to reduce costs"; Robert Reich did NOT say it

126 Obama falsely claimed he won the Michigan Democrat primary: he was not on the ballot

125 Obama's Spanish language ad lies about McCain's position on immigration; tries to stir race-war: lies debunked by ABC

124 Obama lies about his interference in Iraqi negotiations; but his campaign admits his treachery

123 Obama took credit for the economic stimulus package passed in Feb 08; BHO's colleagues on Capitol Hill cry BS

122 Obama claims Big Oil is ignoring 68 million acres of oil fields they could be drilling; most fields are being worked

121 Obama claims never questions his opponent's patriotism; asks of McCain "WHICH country first?": ABC says he's questioning McCain's patriotism

120 Obama claims personal savings rates are lowest since the Great Depression; currently higher than under President Clinton

119 Obama claims on this video that he doesn't switch positions; list of 31 flip flops show he's lying

118 In the Primaries Obama puffed his resume claiming he was a "Professor"; State Senate bio shows he was not ; he now agrees

117 When Obama ran for US Senate his web site claimed "5 years as a community organizer"; he admits it was only 3 years

116 Obama's attack ad in Michigan claims McCain doesn't support loan guarantees for auto-industry. McCain DOES support them

115 Obama says "if we're STILL in recession when he takes office...etc"; the economy is NOT in recession

114 Obama claims he signed up for Selective Service when he graduated from High School; records show he did NOT until he'd been at college 1 year

113 Attacking Palin, Obama has the audacity to claim,"Words mean something; you can't just make things up "; BHO makes stuff up

112 Biden claims McCain will increase taxes for workers & Obama will only increase taxes on those making $435k: he's lying

111 Biden claims Obama drew the Nation's attention to problems at Walter Reed Army Hospital; it was two WaPo reporters that reported the issues to the Nation

110 to make Obama seems more American/less exotic, Biden tells Scranton crowd Obama grew up in Kansas; BHO grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia

109 Obama lies yet again to disparage Gov. Palin; ignores her executive experience as Governor of Alaska

108 Obama says the US economy has failed under Bush; World Bank stats proves Obama's been lying; US a world leader in growth, employment, incomes

107 Obama claims if you are born into poverty in America you are on your own: there are many government programs

106 Obama claims he's bi-partisan: voting records prove Obama is #11 most partisan

105 Claimed Hillary would be on anyone's short-list; Hillary wasn't on Obama's short-list

104 Obama claims abortion rates have not gone down under the Bush Administration; stats show they have gone down

103 Obama dismissed Bomber Bill Ayers as "some guy who lives in the neighborhood";they had a close working relationship

102 Obama claims there's no charge to attend his acceptance speech: CBS 4 in Denver proves he's lying; some tickets cost $1000

101 Obama used being a first-time-buyer to justify consulting with Rezko before he bought his house; BHO had already purchased a residence

100 Obama lies about his support for infanticide; campaign concedes in 03 he opposed a bill stopping the killing of kids born alive after abortions

99 Obama overstates Oil Industry's contributions to McCain; ignores cash the Oil industry gave BHO; Newsweek debunks

98 To belittle America,Obama exaggerated the growth in Debt under the current Administration; debunked by WaPo

97 Obama claims President George W Bush had not left the country before he became President; WaPo confirms he's lying

96 To promote "green", Obama claimed he drove a vehicle that uses ethanol; GM confirmed the model was NOT ethanol-ready

95 Obama claims he's taking his family for a week's rest in Hawaii with no campaigning; schedules a rally for first day

94: Obama claims "properly inflating tires" will save as much energy as we could drill offshore; analysis shows not even close

93 Obama denies accusing McCain of using race against him; ABC, NYT confirm Obama did accuse McCain of making racial attacks

92 Obama claims he's not being political when he's flip-flopping; timing & direction of major flip-flops show he's lying

91: Obama INVENTS a wall between Christians and Jews; deceptively omits the major religious wall is caused by a "fatwah" to kill American Christians and Jews

90 Obama claims he made a substantive call for Germany to help in Iraq; Berlin speech transcript proves he's lying

89: Obama admits he underestimated the decline in violence from the Surge; falsely claims McCain made same mistake

88 Obama turned a disappointing crowd of 20,000 into media reports of 200,000

87 Obama lied about his father's religious upbringing! half-brother confirms Obama's father was "RAISED Muslim"

86 Obama claimed we only made one fundraising trip to Florida during the Primary; Florida papers proved he lied

85 Claims reducing obesity to 80's levels would save Medicaid ONE TRILLION DOLLARS; not even close

84 To make Iraq/Afghan Wars look bad, Obama claimed demands on Nat Guard personnel hurt flood relief; Guards prove lying

83 Claimed due to overseas commitments, too few helicopters were available to help with Midwest flood relief; now concedes not true

82 Starting in Iowa, Obama claimed Clinton's healthcare plan would "punish families that couldn't afford healthcare"; NYT calls BS

81 Obama claims McCain's ax plan will do nothing to help the middle class: The Tax Policy Center proves he's lying

80 claims the use of an Email with a big red DONATE button is NOT a fundraising solicitation

79 Obama claims his trip to Europe was non-political: uses video of Berlin speech to raise money within hours

78 Tells NBC that during the debate on the Surge he said the Surge would work in Baghdad; video proves during the debate he said the opposite

77 Obama's "Changing World" ad claims he'll fast-track alternatives to oil to stop us buying from hostile nations; "fast track" is totally misleading

76 Obama tells Israeli media that he's a member of the Senate Banking Committee; CNN confirms he's delusional

75 Obama claims Lou Dobbs caused hate crimes against Latinos to double; the FBI and CNN confirm Obama is lying

74 Obama claims the military brass think like he does; top US commanders say his plan for Iraq is unworkable

73: Obama promised to filibust FISA; later Obama voted for FISA and now denies changing his position

72 Obama belittles Americans claiming we can't speak European languages; he's talking merde; mierda; Scheiße

71 Obama denied he accused President Bush of starting the War for political reasons; Russert transcript proves Obama made that false claim

70 Obama claims there has been substantial job losses from NAFTA; Independent studies show its at least" job neutral"

69 Claimed in Feb 08 he got 90% of funds from donors giving $25, $50; fed filings show he got only about a third from donors below $200

68 Obama rewrites history about what specifically he had said during his October 2002 anti-war speech

67 Obama claimed in 04 that he had never supported bringing troops out of Iraq; rare video of 03 Teamsters rally shows he's lying

66 Obama lied about the softness of the Stock Market to support his false claim the War was being used to distract the public

65 To justify move to private funds, Obama claims McCain's campaign is" fuelled" by PACs and Lobbyists; its less than 2% of McCain's money

64 Obama's "Dignity" ad claims he "worked his way" thru college and law school; campaign admits only two summer jobs

63 Obama's "Dignity" ad gives him credit for reducing Welfare rolls by 80%: he's deceptive as he was opposed to Fed Welfare Reform in '96

62 In Obama's The Country I love ad, he takes credit for passing a healthcare bill he did NOT vote for

61 Claims he first ran in Chicago as an unendorsed candidate; his '96 election questionnaire proves he had several

60 Obama claims he wants a vigorous and open debate on the issues: then goes out of his way to avoid it

59 Obama omits key details about a false rumor re video of Michelle's "whitey" rant to justify breaking his public funding promise

58 Obama tries to deceive about why he voted "present" more than 100 times in the Illinois Senate; Chicago paper reveals the truth

57 Trying to claim patriotism Obama says his grandad signed up the day after Pearl Harbor; army records disagree

56 Claims race and party not important to how people vote as they put America first; 93% block vote disproves

55 On June 5, Obama stated that Israel must remain undivided; June 6 on CNN he reversed his position, but denied he had done so

54 To further his own agenda, Obama grossly overstates the number of potential African-American votes in MS, GA, SC

53 Promise of $2500 reduction in Healthcare premiums needs billions in Admin cost savings by 2012: not possible

52 Obama omits to mention his 3 week trip to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan until it slips out trying to out-do Clinton

51 Obama claims McCain wants to wage a lengthy war in Iraq: Video proves Obama's lying

50 Obama claimed he never prayed in a mosque; his campaign had to retract that statement

49 Obama dishonestly used endorsements in ads to pump up his healthcare plan

48 Claims he never discussed politics with Pastor; rebutted by photo of Obama with team of lobbyists led by Wright

47 Obama, an expert at parsing words, claimed he wasn't familiar with the word "Clintonian"; then changed his story

46 Despite reeking of cigarettes, Obama denied smoking to ABC; now admits smoking on MSNBC

45 Obama said he'd meet unconditionally with Leader of Iran: now claims he "didn't have Ahmadinejad in mind"

44 Obama claims he is using public financing to avoid special interests: WSJ nails his switcheroo

43 Obama's rhetoric claims more young black men in jail than college: BoJ Stats disprove

42 Claims he never said he was a proponent of single-payer universal healthcare; Video proves he did

41 Obama claims remarks to industrialists were greeted with silence, shows he can deliver tough message: video of ovation

40 Obamas claim you dont rip opponents & leave on roadside:he did to Alice Palmer

39 Obama denies saying Indiana could be tie-breaker: he did

38 Obama omits that Pastor Wright led divestiture campaign from Israel

37 Obama claims Church not controversial; he knew it was controversial since 86

36 Lied about intention of taking US out of NAFTA

35 Obamas claim poverty growing up: both distort reality

34 Obama denies meeting Saddam's Auchi; sworn Fed. witness places Obama at undisclosed party for Auchi at Rezkos

33 Obama lies about not attacking Clinton over her Bosnia lies

32 Obama claims he passed ethics reform; ABC News shows he lied

31 Obama says he's consistently opposed NAFTA; in October 2007 he supported expansion to Peru

30 Obama claims he's above dirty political tricks; Clinton proves he lies

29 Obama claims his "bitter" remarks were mangled; then repeats attacks on guns religion and angry people

28 Obama claims never said he wouldn't wear US flag-pin; video shows he did

27 Obama says he did no favors for Rezko;untrue; he lobbied for him

26 Changes story repeatedly re Rezko's help in buying mansion

25 Obama claims he never supported a ban on handguns; he has twice

24 Obama claims stays at UCC as Pastor acknowledged comments were inappropriate; Wright never made this statement

23 Campaign is beholden to "only the people" as unlike McCain/Clinton he does not take lobbyist /PAC money; LIES!

22 Claims campaign never called Canada to say Obama not truthful re wanting leave NAFTA; smoking gun memo proves lied

21 Mrs Obama admits she's never been proud of America; Video disproves Sen. Obama's later claim she was misquoted

20 Claimed would not run for President, as he would not be qualified by 2008: confirmed 3 times to Tim Russert in one 2006 interview

19 Claims famous in Il. for not letting lobbyists even buy him lunch; took from teachers, trial lawyers, hospital admins

18 Claims his parents met at Selma civil rights march; Washington Post noted it occurred 4 yrs after Obama's birth

17 BO claims courageously opposed war in 2002 during US Senate campaign; He did not announce his senate bid until 2003

16 Claims he passes tough Nuclear Law; NYT uncovers he took Nuclear Industry pay-off and watered down the bill

15 Claimed he didn't know Rezko was corrupt when did a real estate deal with him; Chicago papers prove he lied

14 Claims does not accept money from Big Oil: Real Clear Politics proves he lied

13 Denies using his Hopefund PAC to influence endorsers; but the Washington Post reviewed the record and disagreed

12 Claims his State Chair is not a drug company lobbyist; Time magazine cries Bullshit

11 Lies about how much he received in campaign funds from Rezko; forced to significantly increase the amount twice

10 Claims he did not fill out the 1996 candidate questionaire; Politico proves he lied

9 Took credit for achievement of others in Chicago; resume puffing exposed by LA Times

8 Claims he kept no State Senate records; now he changes his story

7 Denies doubling wife's salary was due to becoming US Senator; omits within months he earmarked $1 million for hospital

6 Denied meeting Saddam bagman Auchi; now admits he was at his dinner but does not remember talking to him

5 Denies using his church for politics: IRS disagree

4 Claims he was unaware of Pastor Wrights 911 comments: NYT proves he lied

3 Claims his father was a goat-herd; actually he was a man of privilige

2 Claims not an active muslim as child; Indonesian paper proves he lied

1 Claims father linked to Kennedys; Washington Post proves he lied

Ouch!

Image courtesy of http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/182808/ea-to-promote-facebreaker-this-september/.

See:

• http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/09/obisama-claimed-during-debate-all-new.html
• http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/
• http://quipster.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/liar-liar-pants-on-fire-obama-been-lyin-barack-obamas-magical-pencil-obamas-documented-lies-liberals-liars-losers/

If you're installing or upgrading ibex at this instant, you might end up facing a few issues that seems to exist commonly. We hope you really understand that you're installing a beta version, which is exclusively for people who want to play with a clay horse which hasn't yet hardened up enough for the big fat kid to ride. You may catchup with one of the following,

• The bootup failure regression bug, which seems to occur due to some bug in the iwl3945 drivers, causing the bootup to hang during the initial stages of splash screen. A cold reboot might actually help you bootup and people are working on it. I suffered this, but the probability of it is one in ten boots or may be even smaller.
• A few seem to have caught with the terminator bug, but it works fine for me. Only thing is that I wish there was someway to permanently turn off the titlebar for every split windows instead of doing it each time manually. May be I should report it somewhere ;)
• A lot of people have reporting issues of Firefox crashing away when opening some heavy flash sites, but nothing is on youtube and hence it is good enough for normal browsing habits ;) Still, it is under progress and hope it would get fixed soon.
• The sound bug is back with a bang, as it has always been a headache. I first heard it from Jace who tried Intrepid a few days before me and since then had been complaining that the sound goes off in the middle. Though I didn't face it initially, yesterday suddenly my rhythmbox stopped playing songs and was just skipping the playlist. Fiddling around with the sound server settings didn't help, only a reboot did. Am looking for the right bug to add more information to it.
• I also triaged some issue with laptop keyboards and mouse suddenly going out of action when in the login screen. But people are able to get into virtual terminals, kill gdm and try again. I haven't hit this one, but am triaging a few of them (and their duplicates).
• Second Life got worse with the graphics nothing but a mess of high density colors. Am not sure whether it has something do with the upgraded version of SL for Linux which itself is in beta, or something to do with my desktop.
• I noticed Compiz Config Settings Manager to miss a Desktop Plane option, which was there in the earlier version, and this is my favourite option. When I tried Desktop Cube, it just didn't work and I even lost the mobility to other workspaces. Hope it gets better with the future updates.

Now, if you are past these things, welcome to the wonderful world of Intrepid Ibex. Things that have improved,

• First thing you will notice during a fresh install is that the partition manager has improved and looks better now.
• Network Manager is working better, managing between the wireless at home and wired at office, but would be better if it can catch up back with the same connection after a power cut ;)
• The New (Dark) Human Theme might be a relief for many from the usually detested brown one. But the theme has a few bad color choices, especially in firefox when some colors make the text completely illegible until I select them manually.
• Tuxmaniac reported something about Pidgin, but am still wondering what he meant :P

On the whole, this beta is a lot better than the beta(s) I have had so far from Ubuntu. When the final release happens, it's gonna rock the world again and we're working hard to make sure of it.

* 20 days more *

Can you blame me? Can't you see this is my ode to Brooklyn...

I come here to breathe from time to time find my place amoungst the crime.  A world like this will take you under like a crash of thunder I feel my heart race fast pace .......

"its business baby"

My bones shutter mind relieved of its clutter. 12 am and I remember his blood shot eyes. A part of me no longer dies.  You got to move  Clack Clack Bang Clack Clack the verse he sang.

Perhaps I had lost my mind officially gone... baked and for heavens sake saved myself from a life I never wanted. Haunted..... I wonder if you are alright out of my sight.

watch your back .... nap sac .... visine and a book on ethics

Was this your policy was this your prophecy.... Bring her in to a world ..... spin her in it like a web I remember everything you said.  It rained snow ....... each shot a blow.....

locks and shocks my nerves traveled to hell and back .... Your head against my chest find a place to rest..... 12 am your song calls again clack clack boom

"wait here"

 head over your shoulder the weight of a boulder

"and this one, you never know what hes up to"

Should of left it alone should of never picked up that phone

but I fell in love with your black hoodie ....  cold hands..... shifty eyes ........ the redness of your iris

After a smoke and some coke ... all is clear to me

The sound of these steets like a treat... shit on the floor closed door.... when the light closed its eyes I would open mine .... what about that striaght line? ........ all my lessons shot in the face leaving not a single trace....

Morality where are you? What did I do? I am aware..... I swear....... in my eyes do you dare?

I loved the risk........

Nothing can quite lift me this way hard to say but I lived for the night of each day.

Made my choice ..... whats an inner voice?.....  

No reason could change me  took a new season to rearrange me

Danger Danger Here I come

Now for a sum ..... of all that I have become : A feind of the here and now ....Seen far to many eyes close permanently ..... under the influence,a lack of control lets take a stroll .... Some wonder how I know the people I know .... took some time for me to grow.... 

Open your eyes see for yourself ... its not a way to live its a way to die.....  

"if you want to hang with me you got to learn how to fly"

Well I tell you this, I would rather learn to live then die.

Today, I participate as an acupuncturist in a social event organized by Kodim 0609 and PTKK ITB. The event takes place at village Kiarapedes, Wanayasa, Purwakarta. While team from Kodim 0609 do their "TNI Manunggal Masuk Desa" works, team acupuncture from PTKK ITB do, of course, acupuncture to the villagers. Nine personnel of us team acupuncture must take care of 150 registered patients, not to mention the unregistered. Beuh....

When the lunch time comes, Mbak Susi called me, "Ga, come on take a break first". "You go all first deh, there's one more patient I need to take care", I replied. "Ok deh. Eh Ga, u can have my share of fried chicken, I won't eat it. I'll put it in your ricebox yah!". "Ok, Mbak, thanks."

Some minutes later, I take my ricebox and start searching for a good spot to enjoy my meal.  When I walk and pass my teammates, three of them also give me their portion of chicken, waduh.. Well, they indeed have cholesterol issue, so it can't be helped, I take ‘em too. Hmm...Ok, now I have five cowards, euh.. chicken, to chew. Ittadakimasu....I open my box, take a chicken and put the remain portions in one place, and start devouring the first portion with  yellow rice. Minutes later....third coward finished. Mbak Susi called me again, "Ga, take a pray yuk, the mosque is quite far loh, so it better that we all the team go together by car." "Well, if that so wait for me then, I'm not done yet here...  ", I replied.

Back to crimefighting business. While taking another portion of chicks, euh..chicken, I count the remains...1..2..3.. Three?? Then the total is six? To eat all of them, will I get sick? Maybe I can take five, but six? It's too much!! So I look for my teammate who still doesn't eat, and I found one. "Oy, Jon, help me devouring these creatures!!" And she willing to takes one of it. Yosh!! Now only two to go and my lunch will be finished! But then I forgot to look the original menu that comes in the ricebox, ups...there's still a tofu, a boiled egg, a portion of sambal goreng petai, a portion of buntil, a portion of sambal goreng tempe, and a kerupuk udang. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrghh..............!! Why is there no banana?

"Ga, hurry up, everyone's waitin' for you nih!!", Mbak Susi again. Wadoh...how can I finish this lunch? Is my stomach can hold all of it? How if...? I can't...!! Why is..?? I keep grumbling while feeding my mouth and then......my lunch is finished without I realized it. Wow, it's done! After drink a glass of water, I stand up. Hmm? I don't even feel stuffed, not at all...Where did all the lunch go??................Whatever, thinking about it will just make me hungry again... "Mbak Susi, wait for meeeee.....", I run to the car waiting for me.

Santa blew the birthday candles & party started; I bought black forest cake (my favorite in cake), I usually won't have cake but occasionally I will have so I made my mind & Lakshmi was helping Santa to cut the cake (I was thinking like they will serve me piece of cake)

Puuhhhhhewwwwwww!

Next second half of the cake was in my face, I was stunned & don't know what to do? I was standing still with no reaction & full cooperation. After a minute I realized both of them made a cake art in my face.

What a mess? I made some cake art in their face too (all three look like clown). It was surprise for me because this is first time I celebrated my friend birthday with cake in midnight; it was colorful.

After they depart I came to my room & I was thinking about all the birthday I spent with my friends in past years, those wonderful memories made me calm, emotional & I slept.

It was such beautiful event happened yesterday.

Thanks to god for giving me such wonderful friends in Singapore.

In Hong Kong I am glad to say this luxury is even better.  I knew I was in my element when a trip to the local supermarket to get two items for dinner took me over an hour.  I walked down the aisles for my first time and was bombarded with packages from America, Japan, England, Australia, Thailand, and probably more countries, I just couldn't read the foreign writing.  Annoyingly (for the both of us) from this day onwards, my partner now knows that he has to accompany me to the supermarket and rush me through if he wants dinner before his hunger overwhelms him.  It is tough to find your essential ingredients when you are sidetracked by a fish counter that is actually a fish tank (with real fish and lobsters swimming around), sushi to give the Japanese a run for their money, lemons that when you smell them take you back to your summer holiday in Sicily (or wish you had), American peanut butter that requires you to search for jelly (...and you will find), and an assortment of pastries that may just put the French to shame.  And then there are those tid-bits from home - Ritz crackers, Manuka Honey, Tim Tam biscuits and Gran's Remedies (brilliant for smelly shoes).  I feel like I am halfway there!

Today, I am still trying to decide who owns the jewel in my crown for supermarkets in Hong Kong, and it can only be a tie between Great and City Super.  Both are so wonderful that maybe neither of them fit into the category of supermarkets, but high class cuisine chain shop outlets.  One offers cooking classes in its dedicated cooking room (within its supermarkets, of course), the other  has an amazing array of international magazines, tea stations, coffee bar, chocolate counter, soup stand and a place where you can get fresh Parma Ham slices.  Both offer the most amazing hot dishes everyday for lunch time treats (at Great you get to choose your pasta toppings, and it is made up before your eyes!).

Whichever it is, I can only insist that if you are to visit Hong Kong, a supermarket stop is a must.  Even if it is to be bombarded with the stinky smell of imported fruit, or to watch the fast actioned skills of the ice cream chiefs as they make up personalised ice cream flavours, or to be dazzled by the selection of donuts, you will find that the way not only to a man's heart is through his stomach, but also to Hong Kong's.  Oh, and allow at least an hour.

I had a great trip on 5th October to a local vegetable market - Shuwaikh area and shoot many photos there. I intended to shoot mainly portarits since the people there are so inspiring to shoot their faces. Old workers and salesmen were every where and welcomeing press (as they thought :P). Whenever a salesman saw me, he shouted: please come and take a photo of me. My reply is always positive plus a big smile because the main reason why I was there is too shoot these portraits.

I had a funny conversation with one of the workers who was selling watermelons.

Watermelon man: Which newspaper you are working for?
Me: Its a private work, and I'm shooting here for fun. But I will post the pictures on internet.
Watermelon man: Oh, that's great ! would you mind taking a photo of me?
Me: Sure, I'm here to take some shots of the pretty faces around here :)

After posing and shooting, I let him to see his face on the camera LCD

Watermelon man: Wow, I would be kidnapped then by women ! what a great shot .. hahaha (Happy)
Me: then you would be lucky ;)
Watermelon man: Sir, where is you car? (While holding a big water melon)
Me: Thank you so much, how much is that?
Watermelon man: It is a gift, thank you for passing by.

and he put it into the trunk .. :)

That was a great example which showed how great is the effect of having such healthy conversation between the photographer and the people down the street. Photographer can get what ever he want of great poses or more just because he shows some sense of humor and smiles to the person who intend to shoot. I had so many trips similar to this one, each time I had such conversation which ended with great results.

Building a rapport is so essential in street photography, why? because people need to feel comfortable of the situation where you will photograph them. People need to be secured and not being scared of a bare look or a blank face may a photographer present.

The secret is the smile, just smile and you will get some great poses.

I used Canon 40D + Canon 70-200mm L f/2.8 in this trip

Go slowly to the entertainments of thy friends, but quickly to their misfortunes. - Chilo

Now things are just the opposite, when it's entertainment we flock there in large numbers and at the quickest time. But it is in time of misfortunes that our friends need us most. So, this quote gives plenty of truth, it reminds us how to behave when our friends need us most. We must evaluate our values.

One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you. ~ Dennis Peer

This sure is a good way to measure one's contribution. Many a time, most of us over-estimate our own worth or contributions, this should serve as a good eye-opener. We can gauge our own legacies by the caliber of the people who follow us. A good measuring stick, indeed.

The work that you do, whether as a paying job, volunteer work or as study, hobby or vocation is a way of generating, maintaining and creating meaning in your life. How much effort and involvement do you give to the work that you do? Is the work that you are doing, satisfying you? How do you approach the task of work? How do you better yourself by the work that you do?

John Dewey, in his book, Art as Experience, reminds us, "The intelligent mechanic engaged in his job, interested in doing well and finding satisfaction in his handiwork, caring for his materials and tools with genuine affection, is artistically engaged. (5)"

What Dewey's quotation gives us, is that, it is not necessarily the kind of job that you do, but how you do the job that you do. The worker who is drowning in a desk of "to-do" lists, which keep piling up, seemingly out of control, has a much different experience from the worker who carefully (with care) uses the tasks of the day to better the life of him/herself and the life of the organization in doing what needs to be done and acting through the purpose of the moment.

Losing yourself in a meaningful task is an artistic experience, a kind of dance with life and your engagement with it. Realize reality in the most beautiful and humanizing ways.

Great.  So, according to this article, Sarah Palin's "glamour poses tricky questions for both parties to answer."  Why?  Why is this important?  Is any attractive woman automatically excluded from running for public office?  Does she need to have a makeunder to be taken seriously?

This is just crap.  My initial thought was that the problem is men not taking her seriously because of her looks but women are the ones being critical of her.  Karen O'Conner (director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University in Washington) (ugh) actually said "There is the 'babe factor.'  It's almost as if she is cultivating that."  Oh no!  You mean Palin chooses attractive clothing and wears flattering makeup?  Say it isn't so!

Some are even accusing McCain of selecting Palin based solely on her looks.  Yeah ... she has so little experience.  You know, just some community organizing, some time in a state legislature and a couple of years in the Senate.  Oh, wait, that's not Palin.

So the businessman hands over the keys to a Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the businessman returns, repays the $7,000 and the interest, which comes to $19.67. The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little confused. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What confuses us is why would you bother to borrow $7,000?"

The businessman replied, "Where else in San Francisco can I park my car for two weeks for $20 bucks?"

From: www.onlyfunnystories.com

"Here's a prescription, Mrs. Harris. Take these pills three times a day for seven days and come back and see me in a week."

Next week an upset Mrs. Harris marched into Dr. Johnson's office. "Doctor, I don't know what was in those pills, but the problem is worse! I'm doing it just as much, but now it smells terrible! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Calm down, Mrs. Harris," said the doctor soothingly. "Now that we've fixed your sinuses, we'll work on your hearing!!!"

From: www.onlyfunnystories.com

"Apabila salat telah dilaksanakan, maka bertebaranlah kamu di bumi; carilah karunia Allah dan ingatlah Allah banyak-banyak agar kamu beruntung."

(Quran, 62;10)

Dianjurkan dalam Kalamullah, untuk mencari rezeki, yakni karunia daripada Rabbul 'Izzah kepada sekalian makhluq.

"Maka apabila engkau telah selesai (dari sesuatu urusan), tetaplah bekerja keras (untuk urusan yang lain), dan hanya kepada Tuhanmulah engkau berharap."

(Quran, 94;7-8)

Dianjurkan dalam Kitabullah, untuk berusaha keras dan sentiasa berusaha, serta meletakkan harapan hanya kepada Allah 'Azzawajal

I was with my brother on that day, walking down the roads in Klang heading to a taxi stand so that we can catch a ride to our aunt's house. We took a ride in a cab of a quite old indian uncle. Being in the 'friendly mood', both os us (my brother and I) interviewed him.

"Uncle lama dah drive taxi?"

"Baru juga. Dalam 2-3 bulan saja."

"Oh? Baru betul..."

The conversation were carried on until the interesting part...

"Uncle, you pensioner ke?"

"Oh, saya banyak bikin kerja juga. Kerja driver, kerja angkat barang. Tapi sebab sudah kena by-pass saya kerja berat tak boleh bikin. Jadi, saya sewa ini teksi, mau cari makan. Tinggal berdua sama auntie, ok la. Cukup bikin makan bawa teksi. Kalau satu hari dapat 20 ringgit, cukuplah. Sepuluh ringgit pakai duit minyak, sepuluh ringgit lagi buat makan la"

And the conversation were carried on...

I do not know whether the uncle is a Muslim, or a Hindu. In the conversation, i noticed he said (quite a number of times)

"Ini pon itu Tuhan Allah ada banyak tolong juga. Saya banyak syukur"

This uncle proved to me, the rezeki of Allah is everywhere. What differs is how one look at it. If with sepuluh ringgit it is sufficient for us to eat for the whole day, it is enough. If one believe that it isn't enough, then it isn't. As simple as that, eh?

The taxi driver that i met have 6 children, a daughter died when she was still so young. the other 4 daughters are married, and his only son ran away from home. it had been 10 years since they last met. the only person who live under his love and care now is his wife, who suffered from several diseases. though the taxi driver have siblings who are rich, he does not want to rely on them.

with his current heatlh condition, it is possibly the best for him to have a good rest after all the hardship raising up his children. Yet, things do not happen as such. He take the initiative to earn a living, as he is the main breadwinner of his house. And he never give up or sighing about his current life. What he did was always smile and share his experiences with others. And the best part is, he is thankful for the sepuluh ringgit obtained from his hardship driving a taxi, though it is sufficient for only one day meal.

Great isn't it?

What about us?

When I first met Khir, I was still stuck in a cocoon. I was not yet exposed to other things in life and truthfully, I was a little skeptical being his friend. But in less than a month, I learnt more and more things about him, and we became close in months.

He has been one of my very few friends who never judged me, never took me for granted, and always appreciative. I remember when his car's radiator malfunctioned. By chance, I called him right after he stopped his car after the toll. When he told me his situation, I rushed to him with two bottles of water. Until today, he still reminds me of that story.

I was his photographer on his wedding. Alhamdulillah, I've taken satisfactory pictures. I'm hoping to surprise him with a few tricks, and hopefully he'll be delighted.

Khir, congratulation, Selamat Pengantin Baru, and don't forget your friends. I know she's cute, but we're a lot cuter.

Hmmm...

Quite a few things happened when I was there. One of them was I learnt about friendship. I quote A., he said "there's no such thing as having a best friend from when you were 4 years old. You will either quarrel with him and recover after years of keeping silence, or never meet again for the rest of your life. I don't believe in that. For me, in order to appreciate a true friend, you have to lose him first. If he come back, believe me, both of you will be much better than whatever you both were before".

I guess it's true. Things has definitely change between me and a few friends. I don't think any of it can be repaired anymore. At least, I'm not going to be the one who made the first move anymore.

About other things, I think I can finally let go of the past. 2008 has been great for me. There were ups and downs, just like everybody. I learned a lot about things this year. Victories were achieved, friends were lost, all in the name of living.

But two major things happened.

1. I've won.
2. I'm right.

Oh, both about two different situation. Whatever it is, only I know what happened, and only I know how it happened. So for others, keep on assuming. And yes, yes, yes, you're always right. That was a sarcastic statement.

Assalamualaikum.

Please spread the word the new Jefferson Starship book:

“HAVE YOU SEEN THE STARS TONITE” has landed and

the 2 CD Special set Have You Seen The Circus Tent Tonite

with over 900 rock and roll photos and the Cathy Richardson 70 minute interview, has landed too!

http://www.takemetoacircustent.net

http://www.amazon.com (The books are proudly featured here)

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE- JEFFERSON STARSHIP-

Great Society- Take Me To A Circus Tent

Have You Seen The Stars Tonite

Have You Seen The Circus Tent Tonite

Quality Rock & Roll Airplane

style.

Hello from Jefferson Rock Mountain:

How are you today? Want a bunch of rock and roll in free-flight? A bunch of tunes as a weekend rock bonus for you!

Jefferson Starship:

April 5, 2008 (4/5/08)

B.B. King's New York City

Diana, Volunteers

Encores:

J.P.P. McStep B. Blues (Very cool Marty, Paul, and Slick only), The Other Side Of This Life

Enjoy! Got to go rock and roll.

Please spread the

word:

The 2 new Jefferson projects have arrived!

Thanks as always!

Relax and have fun!

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE-

JEFFERSON STARSHIP- Great Society-

Take Me To A Circus Tent

I look forward to hearing you later!

The book is Take Me To A Circus Tent (The Jefferson Airplane Flight Manual) W/93 photos, 32 interviews, 543 pages, and a myriad of 5 star reviews!

Please remember at any moment on an Aircast it can be a rare memory from the Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, KBC, Wooden Ships, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner to name several. Maybe another picture previously unseen from the Rock Tent Vault sees daylight from Herb Greene or Don Aters.

Please fly here for Jefferson sounds:

http://www.takemetoacircustent.net/media/JeffersonAirplaneTakeMeToACircusTentAircast64Jeffersonsfindthistobeakingofvenues.mp3

All the best,

CF

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