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Fascinating article in Asia Times Online. Apparently right now in certain states of India, a special kind of bamboo is in flower. Sounds lovely, right?

The problem is that the seeds are devoured by rats, and the high protein content causes a massive explosion in rat population. The rats devour all the crops, leading to famines, unrest, and rebellions.

From the article:

"The flowering of the bamboo is a cyclical phenomenon called mautam (bamboo death in the Mizo language) that occurs every 48 years or so. Mautams in 1862 and 1911 were followed by severe famines in Mizoram.

The impact of the mautam in 1958-59 did not end with famine. It redefined Mizo politics, triggered an insurgency and culminated in a redrawing of boundaries in the region.

At the time of the 1958-59 mautam, Mizoram was still a part of the state of Assam. The administration in Shillong (then capital of Assam) laughed off the threat posed by the rats. It failed to grasp the severity of the famine in the Mizo Hills and the gravity of the crisis it had triggered.

Activists of the Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF), which was working among villagers to provide relief, were enraged by the government's apathy. They turned to armed struggle against the Indian state to express that rage.

The MNFF became the Mizo National Front (MNF) and spearheaded a secessionist movement. The insurgency raged for over two decades and ended in 1986 with the signing of a peace accord. The MNF bid farewell to arms and the federal government granted full statehood to Mizoram in 1987.

Memories of the 1958 mautam and the bloody insurgency that ravaged the Mizo Hills remain alive to date. Mizoram's present Chief Minister, Zoramthanga, would not have forgotten the role of mautam in prompting thousands of Mizos to pick up arms and wage war against the Indian state. After all, he was one of them. Zoramthanga was number two in the MNF hierarchy during the insurgency years." [...]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the fate of governments can hang on the flowering cycle of a certain species of bamboo.

From Wikipedia, here's a list of the 64 Kalas (art forms), according to "various Hindu shastra":

"Kalā (Sanskrit: कला) refers to art forms, attributes or virtues.

Histrionic Talents, Drama, story telling techniques, mnemonics etc.,
Making musical Instruments, simple mechanical devices etc.,

Playing Musical Instruments (i.e.) Instrumental music including jalatarangam- creating music with water, percussion and string instruments.
Decorating, Dressmaking, costume making, artful dressing and personal grooming.
Ornaments and head adornments
Singing and Dancing , practicing fine arts
Making beds, Bedroom decorations
Garland making, flower arrangement, designs with grains on the floor like Rangoli
Playing games like dice
Mastering eroticism as per Vatsyayana, erotic devices and sexual arts
Making honey, liquor , beverages and desserts
Plucking out arrows and healing
Cooking, eating and drinking skills
Horticulture, forestry
Breaking and pulverizing hardrock, mining
Making Medicines from herbs
Sorting, Mixing, Isolating Ingredients
Making and using Astras and Sustras
Wrestling, Boxing, Gymnastics, physical culture, body building etc.,
Making ICBM
Parades , Army Bands and Dharmic warfare
Ratha, Gaja, Turaga wars ( Chariot, Elephantry and Cavalry)
Asanas, Postures & Mudras
Training elephants, horses, birds
Making Vessels of clay, wood, bronze
Drawing
Making Paints & Painting
Architecture, Sculpture, house and temple construction, mosaic tiling
Mixing air, water etc (Air Products and Water Products)
Boats, Ships, Chariots etc
Making threads, ropes etc
Weaving and Spinning
Diamond , Precious Stones and gems-distinguishing them from ordinary ones.
Alchemy, Chemistry , preparing ointments, unguents for charm and virility
Jewellery making including artificial jewelry
Gold Plating, metallurgy
Skinning and Preserving bodies
Leather Technology
Dairy Farming
Tailoring, Sartorial skills and Embroidery
Swimming and water sports
Cleaning houses and vessels
Laundering and Washing
Hair dressing and Shaving
Managing Oil Resources
Having control over others' minds, spells, charms ,Omens
Tilling and agriculture
Handicrafts including Carpentry, furniture making and furnishing
Making Vessels of glass , ceramic and pottery
Drawing water & resources
Gardening and Fencing
Caporisoning elephants etc
Child rearing & Pediatrics including doll making and toy making for kids
Punishing guilty appropriately by Law and Order
Learning Languages / dialects (both native and foreign), literary excellence, semantics
Preparing 'Tambool' etc.
Composing impromptu poetry
Preparing perfumes, cosmetics, playing poetry games, oratory, elocution, prosody, rhetoric
Sorcery, Conjuring, Sleight of hand, Magic, Illusions, Impersonation
Composing Riddles, Rhymes, Verses, Puzzles, Tongue twisters and involved recitations
Making swords, Staffs, Archery
Training fighting partridges and rams, Cock fight, Bull fight etc.,
Teaching parrots, mynas to talk and training animals, Veterinary science
Writing in cipher codes and languages, secret mantras, coding and decoding."

So very much to comment on.

Here are a few things, just off the top of my head --

Gamers, you will notice that #9 ("Playing games like dice") leads seemingly inevitably to #10 ("Mastering eroticism as per Vatsyayana, erotic devices and sexual arts"). Woo hoo!

Parents, you will notice that #53 ("Child rearing & Pediatrics") leads, also seemingly inevitably, to #54 ("Punishing guilty appropriately by Law and Order").

#45, "Managing Oil Resources," leads to #46, "Having control over others' minds, spells, charms ,Omens." That explains Haliburton quite neatly.

And finally, what the heck is up with #20, "Making ICBM"? Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are part of ancient Hindu texts??

Monday, March 10, is henceforth a celebration of all things awesome.

There's a webpage for it, so it must be true.

From the first page:

"How Can I Celebrate The International Day of Awesomeness?

The easiest way to celebrate The International Day of Awesomeness is to be awesome."

Well. *brushing off hands* My work here is done.

The scary-looking Zymogenetics building has a big banner on it reading:

FDA APPROVES RECOMBINANT THROMBIN!

Fill in joke here. Please note that "Hey, Recombinant Thrombin is my favorite band!" has already been taken.

And another funny animal story for today.

From http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070828/D8R9Q0T00.html:

Wayward Emu Corralled in Parking Lot

Aug 28, 12:09 AM (ET)

(AP) Rick Takacs hugs his emu Myron in West Bend, Wis., Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 afternoon. Myron escaped...
Full Image

WEST BEND, Wis. (AP) - Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers: The emu in the parking lot is not for sale.

Employees of a Wal-Mart Supercenter used shopping carts to corral a wayward emu outside the store Monday about 6 a.m., West Bend police said.

A manager fed the emu grapes and apples in an attempt to calm the bird inside the makeshift enclosure.

Richard Takacs, the owner of 3-year-old Myron, speculated the bird had been chased from his nearby farm by a coyote.

Emus can't fly, but Takacs said he wasn't surprised when police contacted him from the store, about two miles north of his Meadowbrook Market and Pumpkin Farm.

"They can run 40 miles an hour, so that was just a quick sprint for Myron," Takacs said.

Two other emus from the farm also bolted from their pen but were found unharmed in a nearby pumpkin field.

Takacs retrieved the apparently frightened Myron from the 24-hour Wal-Mart and placed the bird by itself in a pasture so it could feel safe and relax.

Emus can grow up to six feet tall and weigh as much as 100 pounds.

West Bend is in southeastern Wisconsin, about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

The Pentagon has admitted it sought to develop a "gay bomb."

http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/the_gay_bomb

Heh, I love Dan Savage.

Current Mood: I'd sign that petition

Here's a funny posting from the Best of Craigslist. (http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/179435238.html)

To the guy I gave a skull to.

I just wanted to let you know I wasn't a crazy lady. Here's what happened:

A guy was running for a train. I saw something go flying off the end of his cane (yes, he was running with a cane). After a few seconds of me and other waiting passengers looking around stupidly at each other, I decided to be a Good Samaritan. I picked it up and saw that it was a small, polished replica of a human skull. I looked to the old man standing next to me and said "It's a skull". He shrugged his shoulders. I didn't want it, but I have such a particular hatred of littering, that I didn't want to drop it back on the floor lest someone think I was a dirty skull litterer. I decided the proper thing to do would be to give it back to whoever dropped the thing.

So, I jumped in the door of the L train and saw you with what I thought was a cane. So I said, "Here's your skull" and handed it to you. You were shocked, I thought because you didn't realize it was lost. But as I backed off the train as the doors closed I saw that it wasn't a cane you had but an umbrella. And luggage. And you clearly weren't the person who dropped the skull.

I can't imagine how weird it must have been to have some woman run onto a train, shove a skull in your hand and tell you it's yours. So I'm just writing this to let you know it wasn't a voodoo ritual, an ominous mafia warning, a gang initiation, or a misguided attempt at getting to know you better. I truly thought you dropped your skull.

Now what did you do with it? I'm dying to know!

Current Mood: amused

Feds Pounce on Student Dressed As a Ninja

Apr 12, 10:38 PM (ET)

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Running through the University of Georgia campus as a ninja can elicit a prompt response from authorities, a UGA sophomore learned.

Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents, on campus for a community training project, detained Jeremiah Ransom of Macon Tuesday as a "suspicious individual" when they spotted a masked figure darting near the Georgia Center.

Ransom told The Red & Black student newspaper that he had left a Wesley Foundation pirate vs. ninja event when he was snared by agents with guns drawn.

"It was surreal," Ransom said. "I was jogging from Wesley to Snelling (cafeteria) when I heard someone yell 'freeze.'" At first, he thought a friend was playing a joke.

University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said Ransom was released as soon as he was found to have violated no laws.

Vanessa McLemore, the ATF special agent in charge, said agents thought something was amiss when they "noticed someone wearing a bandanna across the face and acting in a somewhat suspicious manner, peeping around the corner" then breaking into a run.

Williamson said Ransom was wearing black sweat pants and an athletic T-shirt with one red bandanna covering the bottom half of his face and another covering the top of his head.

Current Mood: giggly

From Reuters News:

"You can't force cats to do anything...

Mar 1, 8:09 AM (ET)

By Claudia Parsons

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Russian clown Yuri Kuklachev has a troupe of cats who do handstands, crawl along high wires and balance on balls and he says the secret to training them is realizing that you can't force cats to do anything.

"The Moscow Cats Theater" came to New York in September and did so well at a small theater in the Tribeca neighborhood that it recently moved uptown to a bigger venue near Times Square, where it is close to Broadway giants such as "The Lion King," although not the musical "Cats," which closed in 2000.

Kuklachev started working with cats more than 30 years ago after adopting a stray kitten he named Koutchka. He now has 120 cats in Moscow and has brought 26 of them to New York.

"If the cat likes to sit you can't force her to do anything else," he said, adding that several of the cats in the New York show simply sit and watch the others.

"Each cat likes to do her own trick," said Kuklachev, whose show has not been the target of animal rights protesters. "Maruska is the only one who does the handstand. I find the cat and see what they like to do and use that in the show."

Kuklachev's cats apparently like to be swung precariously around his head balanced on hoops, to be shut up in a cooking pot and to walk on their hind legs pushing a child's stroller.

"I have a cat now that loves to be in the water," he said.

Kuklachev said the breed of cat made no difference to their abilities, although Persians tended to be lazy. He adopts cats from shelters and trains the offspring of the cats he has.

BOOK IN THE WORKS

Sharing his secrets over caviar and blintzes in Brighton Beach, a New York neighborhood known as Little Russia, Kuklachev said he plans to write a book about how to train cats since so many people are asking him.

Kuklachev, 56, said his cat-training method also can be applied to children.

"Parents need to watch their children to see what he or she likes to do and encourage this," he said, adding that it worked for his three children.

One child joined Kuklachev at the cat theater, one is a dancer and one is a painter who paints cats.

"If you do the same thing with your child as you do with your cat, he may not become a genius but he'll do whatever he enjoys doing," Kuklachev said.

He has had about 300 cats in his life and says every one had a different personality. Only one did not want to go on stage because she was already an adult when he got her.

Kuklachev says the show, which also includes his wife Yelena, is a hit because people everywhere love their pets. He chuckles as he recalls a friend who bought a hamster for $10 and spent $300 on surgery when it got sick.

"You're a better person when you love animals," he said."

So, I joined something called "Freecycle," which is people posting things that they want to give away for free, or would like for free.

Here's the most amusing posting I've seen so far:

Subject: WANTED:  Chicken Pox (Capitol Hill)

Nope, I'm not joking!

We are not giving our daughter the Varicella vaccine, and I'd like her
to be exposed within the next year or so.  If your child has chicken
pox, I'd love to arrange a playdate :)  We just really want her to get
this over with now that she's not in the too-young danger zone but
still young enough to avoid shingles.

Thanks!

Did you know that this is National Pancake Week?

Neither did I. Until I found this list of monthly, weekly, and daily observances... all real.

http://www.brownielocks.com/february.html

So, I was inspired to find out what weird "National Such-and-Such Month" January is.

Here's a site that does not make up these things. A link to January's list:

http://www.brownielocks.com/january.htm

Tomorrow is Penguin Awareness Day. Just thought you should know.

Sunday will be Appreciate a Dragon Day.

476) Am I the only person, I wonder, who looks at the logo for "Marriot" and sees the word "Marmot"??

(their corporate website)

OK, it was while I was flashing past on a bus, but still... it looks like Marmot! It does!

447) So, I mentioned before that I have a character named Javelina. I took her name from a type of hairy wild pig. (Yes, I really did. They are the cutest little fuzzy pigs you've ever seen!)

Imagine my surprise the other day when I was reading my daily recipe e-zine and came across the following appeal from a fellow reader:

From: Barb
My son shot his first Javelina and I don't know quite hoe to cook it. He made sure it was very clean and the animal was kept cool. I need some help in how to prepare this animal. I would greatly appreciate it.

I've recently gotten a job working at a call center, explaining people's 401k plans to them.

People are very funny. Funny ha-ha, also funny peculiar. My best call ever was as follows. Nothing has been deleted or added to this dialogue, which occurred on November 18 1998 at about 5:30 PM.

The phone rings.
ME: "Good afternoon, this is (my full name) on a recorded line. How may I help you?"
VOICE: "What is three divided by 95?"
(Pause.) ME: "0.031578947368."
VOICE: "What is three times 95?"
ME: "285."
(Pause.) VOICE: "Three, times what, is 95?"
ME: "95 divided by 3 is 31 and two thirds."
VOICE: "Thanks." Hangs up

Voice, if you're out there, I'd just like to say that there are better ways to do your homework than calling up the friendly customer service representative at a financial institution.