Funny people

For those who have been following my blog, you might be interested in looking at the blog of PJMulroy. She's a close friend, and someone I regularly knock mu ideas around with. Her last blog was about how we were looking at a bunch of different comedians, that when she placed one on her blog I thought: "Who else is out there?"

I personally like comedy that's intelligent. It doesn't need to have an abunance of bad language. If you're going to use it, use it for a reason. So, I've been you tubing to see what's out there:

I suppose I should start with Russell Peters. He's probably what can be considered the new brilliance of Canada. He pushes boundries, what's PC, race, and habits of different cultures. All without binking an eye. He's the first Indian comedian.

Then there's Rhod Gilbert, the Welsh funny man. He was a finalist in the Channel 4 'So You Think You're Funny' Competition 2002 and the winner of the Gift Of The Gag 2003 and BBC Comedy Awards 2003 competitions. He talks about games, religion, sex shops and travel among others, a definate must see.

Oh and Stephan K. Amos. He was raised in London after his family moved there from Africa in the 60s. He does a great Nigerian accent and can talk about and imitate almost every time of londoner.

Michael McIntyre has a fantastic sketch about a 'man drawer'. His life experiences are included as he talks about his wife and children and he quickly adapts to his audiences.

D L Hughley isn't really the type of comedian that I would usually watch because of his obscene use of language. But his observational humor about whites, blacks, and mexicans are spot on. He borders and flirts with racism but then again makes it aware that that sort of racism really exists in ways that we in Europe don't really see or understand.

Ed Byrne is an irish well of comedic knowledge. His chatty nature draws audiences in quickly.

Steve Byrne is Korean-Irish American and has gotten the nickname of the karate kid of comedy because of his martial arts material.

And though he might look dsigusitingly like a former member of kiss, Russel Brand is hilarious. He pokes fun at gender stereotypes and makes plain the devide between manly men and the 'softer side of sears'.

Nina Conti is one of the few great ventrilaquist acts left. She's so cute becausew she giggles and turns red as she works.

Chris Rock's stand up is in a class of his own. Though people may not understand all the references because they are so North American, it's easy to see why he is so good. Not only does he talk about politics, race, and family values, but he does it in a way that anyone would be able to see the joke. Bigger and Blacker is in my opinion a piece of beauty.

Lastly I would like to mention Australia's Dave Hughes. Hughsie as he is often referred to is one of Australias leading comics. He talks fast and he's got beady eyes, but he's fantastic, covering gender, family, and society among other topics.

These are the people who are heading the stage today, but there have been others before worth mentioning: Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connelly, Bob Hope, George Burns, Eddie Izzard, Joan Rivers, Candance Burgen and of coarse the eternal Abbot and Costello, with their famous sketch "Who's on First." It's an icon in American comedy and a must see for everyone.

Quaint

I'm in the UK at the moment staying with friends in Aylesbury. They recently moved from The Netherlands here and now live in what has to be the cutest little house that I've ever seen! It's a real cottage, and if you're thinking, aren't cottages small? you're not far off. It really is. The entire house is about 70 meters squared. But I'm in love with it!

When you walk in the front door there's a small living room with a period fireplace that's the focal point of the room. There's white painted wooden cupboards on both sides. The door on the other side leads to the kitchen, which is the biggest room of the house. The cupboards are also white wood, which is exactly what you would expect. The door to the right leads to a small hallway which in turn leads to the bathroom of good size. It's cold in there in the morning, but it's big enough for myself and two friends to do our evening toilette in.

The other door in the kitchen leads to the garden, which is questionable bigger than the house itself. It'll make a great place for the summer with a raised platform.

In the kitchen there's also a staircase leading up to the second floor. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, no hallway, pretty much the stairs lead right to the doors. Both rooms are spacious and the hard wood floors there, complete with paint splatters add a great character to the house. It's small, but anyone walking in would automatically feel like they're home.

I do.

Today's plans are to go to oxford. It's about an hours drive from here and is one of the oldest and prestegious of England, with it's famous university.

Have a good day and see you all soon!

The different faces of Facebook

Facebook, a global website created as a means for people to get in touch with friends and meet new people has been used in a new way. As a way to pass legal documents. In Australia the courts allowed a lawyer in Canberra to serve a couple who had not paid their loan installments over facebook. It was used as a last resort because the couple were not to be reached over the phone, by email, or at home. This was the first time that something like this has happened and the Australian courts said that they'll continue using facebook as a tool as long as it is used appropriately and through a message, not on people's walls so that others might read.



I think this is pretty rediculous. And I'm not sure it's all that legal. What about if you've given your password to someone else. I myself use a set number of passwords, all of which my brother and a couple other people know. As much as I love my brother, I wouldn't want him to know of financial or legal problems until I was ready to tell him.

I'm not for it. Who's to say we wont start doing this kind of stuff by text messege. Where will we draw the line?

Bush Gets Shoe-ed

I think I saw one of the funniest videos today. During his visit to Iraq, Someone in the press room took off his shoes and threw them at President Bush. The lame duck president managed to duck in time. But I'm wondering: Where was the secret service? Aren't they supposed to step infront of the president. I know it wasn't a bullet, but still, what if there had been a brick in the shoe, or if it had been lined with lead? Instead of them, know who put themselves between the American President and the shoe? The Iraqi Prime Minister! And after that had happened what did Bush say? "That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want to know." If that isn't one of the best Bush-isms, I don't know what is.

For a good laugh... http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/14/bush.iraq/index.html

House

My dad found the deed to the house. Sorry it's in ducth for those that can't read it.

KOOPCONTRACT ********** #, AMSTERDAM, 15 augustus 1814

Op Heden den Vijftienden Augustus des Jaars agttien honderd veertien, des namiddags ten vijf Uuren, ten verzoeke van de Heer Joannes Bernardus Westerwoudt, makelaar, wonende te Amsterdam op de Singel No. 294 als gemagtigde van Hermanus Joannes Uytenbroek blijkens procuratie op den eersten Augustus agttien honderd veertien, ten overstaan van den ondergeteekenden Notaris Hanssen en zijn Ambtgenoot en brevet gepasseerd, welke procuratie, behoorlijk geregistreerd, is geannexeerd aan de Minute van de hier natemeldene Acte der Conditien van Verkoop – zal door Agidius Hanssen en zijn Ambtgenoot , openbare Notarissen resideerdende te Amsterdam in het Locaal voor publieke Verkopingen van ouds genaamd het Oude Zijds Heeren Logement te Amsterdam ingevolge de deswegene gedane annonces worden geprocedeerd tot de publieke vrijwillige Verkoop aan de meestbiedende of hoogst mijnende van
Een distelateurs Winkelhuis en Erve, staande en gelegen te Amsterdam in de ********** het derde Huis van de Heerengracht, wijk 36 No. 459.
Waartoe voormelde Hermanus Johannes Uytenbroek den eigendom heeft bekomen, bij transport op den zeventienden October, des Jaars agttien honderd ses, voor toenmalige Heeren Schepenen in Amsterdam gepasseerd.
Tot de Verkoop van welk perceel hij Requirant bij Acte op den tienden dezer maand Augustus, ten overstaan van den ondergeteekende Notaris Hanssen onder wien de Minute daarvan is berustende, die behoorlijk is geregistreerd, en zijnen Amtgenoot gepasseerd; heeft doen opmaken de vereischte Conditien, welke ten kantore van gemelde Notaris hebben ter Visie gelegen, en die hij requirant, verzogt aan de gegadigdens als nu voortelezen en vervolgens tot de voorschreevene Veiling te willen overgaan. – En heeft na gedane voorlezen alhier getekend, was geteekend J.B. Westerwoudt.
Ter voldoening aan welk requisitoir den ondergeteekende Notaris Hanssen in tegenwoordigheid van deszelfs ambtgenoot de voorschreeve Conditien hebbende doen voorlezen, dadelijk is overgegaan tot de Veyling van het voorgedachte perceel in maniere navolgende.
Eerstelijk tot het Ontvangen der biedingen van de gegadigdens, waarna den Heere Johannes van Bleyenburg, makelaar, wonende te Amsterdam, in de Lindenstraat no. 46 tot eene Somma van twee duisend drie honderd vijf en twintig Guldens den hoogsten bieder is gebleven, ten gevolge waarvan het voorgenoemde perceel voor de gebodene Som aan hem provisioneerd is toegewezen, welke toewijzing dezelve verklaarde te accepteeren en voorts domicilium te kiesen ter zijnen voormelde woonplaats. En heeft na gedane voorlezing alhier geteekend /:was geteekend:/ J. van Blijenburgh. Boven de voorschreeve gebodene som van twee duisend drie hondervijfentwintig Guldens, is vervolgens gevraagd geworden eene Somma van twee duisend Guldens, welke bij den afslag successievelijk verminderd zijnde tot eene soma van ses honderd Guldens, zo heeft den Heere Arnoldus Schouten, Makelaar, wonende te Amsterdam aan het oude Kerkspleyn No. 39 bij mijning verklaard zich voor de gedachte Som van ses honderd Guldens met bijvoeging van het hoogste bod, ter voormelder Somma van twee duisend drie honderd vijf en twintig Guldens, als koper te stellen van het meergenoemd perceel, ende zulks voor en ten behoeve van den Heere Jan Simons H., Mr. Loodgieter, wonende te Amsterdam in de Beerenstraat No. 9 dewelke hier tegenwoordig, verklaarde deszelve koop also te accepteeren. En na het kiesen van domicilium ter hunne voorschreve woonplaatzen, zoo hebben dezelve na gedane voorlezing alhier geteekend /:was geteekend:/ A. Schouten = J.S. H..
Ten gevolge van welk laatstgemelde, de hiervoren aan den Heere Joannes van Blyenburg als hoogsten bieder gedane provisioneele toewijzing vervallen zijnde; zoo heeft den Heere Joannes Bernoardus Westerwoudt, als verkoper verklaard, het opgenoemde perceel voor de gedachte Som van twee duisend negen honderd vijf en twintig Guldens, definitivelijk te verkopen en toetewijzen, aan gemelden Heere Jan Simons H. die zulks accepteerd, zonder echter van de aan hem gedefereerde keuze bij Conditien vermeld, gebruik te zullen maaken omme daarvan genot te hebben en daarmede naar inhoude van de gemelde Conditien te handelen naar welgevallen. Aannemende en belovende meergenoemden Heere Jan Simons H., omme de voormelde kooppenningen ter Somma van twee duisend negen honderd vijf en twintig Guldens in Conformiteit der gedachte Conditien aan den Verkoper te betalen voor of op den eersten September aanstaande in goed grof ongestempeld Zilvergeld ten kantore van den ondergeteekende Notaris Hanssen, met verder belofte omme allen de overige Conditien en voorwaarden stiptelijk te zullen agtervolgen en nakomen.
Blijvende het voorschreeve perceel aan den Verkoper speciaal gehypothequeerd en verbonden tot dat de koopschat en de door den koper te dragene kosten zullen zijn voldaan. Onder reserve van dit privilegie steld en subrogeerd den Verkoper den Koper en allen de rechten van Eigendom, welke deszelfs principalen op het voorscheeve Perceel zelve mag hebbende; zich daarvan ten behoeve van gemelden kooper ontdoende bij deeze, met Authorisatie omme deeze te doen overschrijven, ter plaatse daar het behooren zal.
Tot nakoming dezer, kiezen parthijen domicilium ter hunner voormelde woonplaatsen.
Waarvan Acte – Gedaan en gepasseerd in Amsterdam ter plaatse, mitsgaders ten dage, maand en Jaare voormeld. En hebbende Comparanten benevens ons Notarissen na gedane voorlezing de Minute dezer onderteeken, welke gebleven is in de bewaring en het bezit van den ondergeteekenden Notaris Hanssen /:was geteekend:/ J.B. Westerwoudt = J.S. H. = Agidius Hanssen, Notaris = H. Happe, Notaris . Geregistreerd te Amsterdam den zestienden Augustus 1814 D5 fol. 149 & C4al. Ontvangen met de verhogingenhonderd zeven en veertig Guldens, zeven Stuivers en vier Penningen /:was geteekend:/ Abbema Voorafschrift H. Happe, Notaris, Agidius Hanssen, Notaris.


Overgeschreeven den sestiende Augustus 1816 aan het kantoor van bewaring der Hypotheeken te Amsterdam fol 36A. Een ter zelder dage genoomen ambtshalve inschrijving. Geregistreerd 8 ok 15 Art.27.
1e Regt van overschrijving f 43-17-0
Ontvangen het hierneven staande 2e Zegel van de registers f 3- 6-0
Bedrag van vijfenzestig Guldens f 47- 4-0
zestien stuivers tien penningen 3e 10 en 16 add f 12- 5-6
10 en 16 add daaronder begrepen f 59- 9-6
4e Depot recif salaris 5-17-10
5e Salaris des ambtshalve insp 9-10
f 65-16-10
De Hypotheekbewaarders
(onleesbaar)

Bookstores

Anyone that knows me can attest to the fact that I love books. Books, movies/tv, and writing are probably my biggest loves. My biggest hobby after that... buying books. On CNN.com today you'll find this great list of what they consider the best bookstores in the world to be. Not necessarily regarding content but location, architecture and beauty. You'll find them at: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/12/11/iconic.bookshops/index.html

If that isn't enough, here's another list: http://www.bookstoreguide.org/

And if you want some pics... http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-bookstores.htm

Oh, and don't forget libraries:http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-libraries.htm

Architecturally also the Chicago Public library on state street is amazing from the outside, with gargoyles looking down on you. Also the National Library of Kwala Lumpur is a sight to see. The experience inside is even better. I've never seen such a complicated library before!
And not to forget the Unversity of Cardiff's library. Also a beauty.

So, I'm up for a trip to Maastricht. I really have to see that bookstore. I'll go from there.

Pandora's vs Eve's Daughter

Lately I've been thinking about Pandora's Box. The whole idea of it is just mind boggling and twisted and of course vastly amusing, especially considering everything that has gone on during our history.

For those of you who don't know Pandora's story, here you are:

"At one time the only mortals on the earth were men. Prometheus had made them, Athene had breathed life into them. The chief god Zeus did not like them.
One day Prometheus was trying to solve a quarrel that was raging between the gods and the men. At a festival the men were going to sacrifice a bull for the first time. They asked him which parts of the bull should be offered to the gods and which should be eaten by men. Prometheus decided to play a trick on Zeus. He killed the bull, skinned it and butchered it. He split it into two portions; in one he put the best, lean meat. In the second he put bones followed by a thick layer of fat. Prometheus offered both to Zeus to take his choice. Zeus looked at both portions; one looked good but was rather on the small side, the other was much larger and covered in a layer of fat which Zeus felt must cover the best, tastiest portion of meat. He chose that one. When Zeus realised that he had been tricked he was furious. He took fire away from man so that they could never cook their meat or feel warm again.
Prometheus reacted immediately flying to the Isle of Lemnos where he knew the smith Hephaestus had fire. He carried a burning torch back to man. Zeus was enraged. He swore vengeance and started making an evil plan.
Zeus, set Hephaestos the task of creating a clay woman with a human voice. Hephaestos worked and worked and created a masterpiece. Athene, goddess of wisdom and Zeus' daughter liked the clay figure and she breathed life into it. She taught the woman how to weave and clothed her. Aphrodite the goddess of love made her beautiful. The god Hermes taught her to charm and deceive.
Zeus was pleased with what he saw, but he had made her as a trap. He named the woman Pandora and sent her as a gift to Epimetheus. Epimetheus had been warned by his brother Prometheus that he should never accept gifts from Zeus because there would always be a catch. Epimetheus ignored his brother's warning, fell in love with Pandora and married her. Zeus, pleased that his trap was working gave Pandora a wedding gift of a beautiful box. There was one condition however...that was that she never opened the box.
For a while they were very happy. Pandora often wondered what was in the box but she was never left alone so she never opened it. Gradually over a while she began to wonder more and more what was in the box. She could not understand why someone would send her a box if she could not see what was in it. It got very important to find out what was hidden there.
Finally she could stand it no longer. One day when everyone was out she crept up to the box, took the huge key, fitted it carefully into the lock and turned it. She lifted the lid to peep in but before she realized it the room was filled with terrible things: disease, despair, malice, greed, old age, death, hatred, violence, cruelty and war. She slammed the lid down and turned the key again...keeping only the spirit of hope inside." (http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/greek/pandora.html)

Now, the moral of the story is that no matter how bad it gets, hope is still there. Except that my question becomes: How do we get to hope if it's still in the box?! We've got everything else. Why was that not made available to us? And why didn't anyone tell the poor girl what was inside. Why would Zeus even want to do that? I realize that it was to trick man, but still, it kind of feels like when my brother took my Barbies and decided that they'd be better of decapitated. How do you play with them after that? At least in the Bible when Eve ate from the apple and she and Adam were banished from Eden, their punishment was exile, death and pain at childbirth and the knowledge of good and evil. This is a whole other ball game.

I'm not saying that in Christianity God can't be vindictive, of course he can and has been. Look at the great flood and God tricked Adam and Eve (through the snake) into eating from the tree of knowledge. After all if God knows everything he would have known that it would happen. One could look at these stories that way, and for hundreds of years they were. However, there's a big difference between the opening of Pandora's Box (or rather jar) and childbirth, death, banishment, and knowledge of good and Evil.

First of all most women survive bearing children nowadays. According to a study done by UNICEF, WHO, and UNFPA; Maternal death in developed countries averages at about 1 in 2,800. In Africa it's 1 in 16. Compared to 2 hundred years ago, there's definitely a drastic change (http://www.who.int/whosis/mme_2005.pdf ). We're getting better at keeping our women alive. Next death, imagine over-population, I’m not saying we should all die, but it would get crowded without some sort of control. Banishment seems a little severe. I know that they were kicked out of Eden, but it is not as if we have it so bad at the moment. Anyone who has been to the top of Mount Sinai at Dawn or Niagara Falls, or even central Amsterdam could probably attest to that. These are my favorite places in the world, and each one of us has our own little heaven on earth. And lastly, Knowledge of good and evil- is it truly that bad to have that knowledge? It isn’t the knowing that is a pain, but rather the responsibility that is. Just because we know about it does not mean that it was already there.

Pandora on the other hand isn't considered that lucky. She's been remembered in history as the woman who released all evils. Or rather "disease, despair, malice, greed, old age, death, hatred, violence, cruelty and war." If I were her I'd ask for my money back.
Let’s look at her list: Disease, well we eradicated small pox, but now it’s back as a biological warfare. In 2006 National Geographic even said that the measles is back and that there are people in the United States at risk. Despair, well, wherever there is war and fear there’s despair. Israel and Palestine cannot seem to figure it out, nor Pakistan and India; but those are our ‘never ending wars’. What about the wars the western world seems to start, like Afghanistan and Iraq. The world is still at war with the Al-Qaida and that looks like it will never end. Malice seems to be all over the place and in all forms such as betrayal and abuse. Some people are just twisted. How many people in the world have become corrupt and as a result greedy? Old age and death, well, there is no getting out of that. Hatred and violence and cruelty are also things that we may try to prevent, but that does not seem to go away.

So yes, I’d rather be the daughter of Eve, but in the end we’re a combination of both ladies. We cannot seem to keep our grubby hands out of the cookie jar, and nor should we. Science is full of mishaps waiting to happen and things accidently being discovered through each mistake: dynamite from nitroglycerin for example by Alfred Nobel, or Velcro by George de Mestral.

All in all we should be lucky with what we have and remember that there is a Niagara Falls when we feel outbalanced by all the evils, because they make all the beautiful things all the sweeter. We may not truly have hope, but in the end I think we have something a lot more powerful: belief.

TV

At the moment television is having a boom. The writers strike did it a lot of good and we're getting some really good television out of it. Albight a lot of it is some sort of twist on a FBI show.
Let's have a look at some of them:

1. Bones: This season has once again been top notch. The characters are prehaps even wittier than before.
2. Boston Legal: This show keeps getting better and better. This season is seeing a whole new kind of funny.
3. Dr. Who: Actually one of the 2 shows from the UK i'm watching at the moment. David Tennant the current Dr is leaving with an introduction to the new one on christmas day. A must see for any sci-fi lover!
4. Eleventh Hour: X-files-y but good. It's biology and FBI cases in one. It's new though so who knows where it will go.
5. Fringe: Another great twist on the old story. FBI agents that investigate fringe science. It's got bad guys, good guys, science and a whole lot of funny. It's new, so we'll have to keep an eye on it, but it looks like a keeper. Then again I said that about Studio 60.
6. House: Everyone's favorite doctor. The man's a nut. Brilliant but a nut and I love him for it. It's become a lot more melodramatic, but none the less there is craziness!
7. Stargate Atlantis: In it's last season and I'm loving it more than ever. The original lasted a good 10 years and I didn't regret any of it. This is adding to the tradition. Even with the last movie being dissapointing.
8. Supernatural: The writing is getting a lot grittier. Yes there is the whole religion thing coming into play, ever since they discovered Angels, but it's nothing like Touched by an Angel and these Angels are just as dangerous as some of the demons.
9. Top Gear: The other UK show. It's for car nuts and the rest of us alike. Great humor, crazy stunts and adventures. They even occasionally have a 'star in a reasonably priced car' that I know of! This show gets more ludecris and as it does it gets even more addictive. This season just adds to the trend.
10. Numb3rs: The math is still easy to understand and the stories are good as well as the character development.

These are the ones I'm watching at the moment. But there are some old ones that I'm either getting back into, never lost touch with or discovering for the first time.

1. Angel: Great stories, great characters and great monsters. It's about life after highschool and the nightmare of it all. RIP
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Some of the best writing in television in my opinion. It's Highschool and life after. The difficulties we face and the chalanges that we meet. RIP
3. Dexter: I just finished watching season 1. If I ever make time to get any further I'll let you know what I think. But it's original and whitty. A must see for any crime buff.
4. NCIS: I'm actually just getting into this and have just started season 3. So far it's good. I'll let you know what I think when I've caught up
5. Stargate SG-1: I really miss this show. Especially Richard Dean Anderson. But age gets to everyone. It was good until the end. I mean it, the last episode was dissapointing. Especially the last movie. But it had travel, distant cultures, time jumping, space hopping, physics and people in military uniform... what more could you or would you need? RIP
6. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: It died too young. It should have survived. The 'sequal' of the West Wing, with the same writers, directors and some of the same actors! RIP
7. West Wing: Arguably the best show ever made. It had great writing and acting. There was a dip when Aaron Sorkin left, but the last two seasons made more than up for it. If you haven't seen it and like drama with a dash of humor... GO SEE IT!!!! RIP
8. X-Files: This show will always have a spot in my heart. It really introduced me to television and true script writing. You laughed, you cried and occasionally you were even scared. RIP.

There's probably a lot more. But this is my list.