Economist: China Loses Faith in Dollar

Big news out of the land of cheese and cuckoo clocks: Economist: China Loses Faith in Dollar
If China stops financing the US's debt, we could be in for a bumpy ride.

Bead 'slashes mobile radiation'

BBC NEWS | Health | Bead 'slashes mobile radiation'

I had never even thought of the waves travelling up the wire to your head. Probably in a year every cellphone will have these ferrite beads on them. Where can I invest?!

Cat's eye in the window lyrics

Ok, i have this song and I was wondering who did it and what the title was?
I'm guesssing it's "Cat's Eye in the Window" but I can't find that title on the internet or in allmusic.com. Anybody know? Please help me, thanks!

I think it is America, it sounds like them, but I'm not sure.

I repeat, I'm not sure about the title or artist, please leave a comment if you have an idea. Thanks.

UPDATE: According to Jody and his google prowess, it's Tommy James. Although it doesn't sound like him at all. Really different than "Crimson and Clover" or "Hang on Sloopy."

ERRATUM for UPDATE: Hang on Sloopy was by the McCoys. I meant "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're ALone Now," and "Mony MOny." Honest, I did.

Title? : Cat's eye (catseye) in the window?

There's a cats eye in the window
Lookin' at the hats? that go on down?
Takin' in the rats, that's not that the evil
The devil is the cat that's got your tongue.

Well, I went for a walk in the country,
where they say the air is really fresh and clean.
I hear that mother nature doesn't care for the city,
but the people here are just as mean.

Well I came upon a beautiful mansion,
And it was old about three hundred years.
And the gate was so rusty that I kicked it down,
I walked closer, here's how it appeared:
There were four huge pillars that were cracked so bad,
That I couldn't figure out how they stood.

Well the glass was all busted, but my God,
the thing must've once upon a time looked awful good.

Cuz there's a cats eye in the window
Lookin' at the hats? that go on down?
Takin' in the rats, that's not that the evil
The devil is the cat that's got your tongue.

[guitar solo]

There's a cats eye in the window
Lookin' at the hats that go undone?
Takin' in the rats, that's not that the evil
The devil is the cat that's got your tongue.

It was many, many, many times a millionaire's home?
The master must have been quite a man.
But for some strange reason I became so mad,
cause I just could not understand.

How could anybody build such a beautiful dream,
and let it sit right and die in the sun.
And then it suddenly came to me, the house was humanity,
and history had finally won.

I walked away with a terrible feeling
Because I suddenly realized,
I was lookin' at the epitaph of the good mother Earth
and could hardly keep the tears from my eyes.

Cuz there's a cats eye in the window
Lookin' at the hats? that go on down?
Takin' in the rats, that's not that the evil,
The devil is the cat that's got your tongue.

2, 3, 4, Cat's eye in the window, cat's eye
Cat's eye in the window, cat's eye
Cat's eye in the window, cat's eye
Cat's eye in the window, cat's eye
Cat's eye in the window, cat's eye
[repeat, fade out]

Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories about Rick James as seen on Chappelle's Show

I haven't been able to find a transcript or write up of this, so I decided to post my own. Let me know if I have anything wrong. Oh yeah, I also made Dave Chappelle fall to the ground laughing at one of his shows way back in 1995. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was totally baked (he even asked me where I got my weed), so it wasn't that hard, but it's still a pretty cool story to tell.

Just in case anybody can't figure it out:
DC as RJ is Dave Chappelle playing Rick James.
RJ is Rick James.
and CM is Charlie Murphy

CM: I get out the Navy, my brother's famous, his fame is exploding. I'm real proud of that. You know what I mean. I'm getting to hang out with people that I only read about in magazines and seen on the screen somewhere. I'm standing next to them, being at dinner tables with them. And you know it was a bugout, man. And you know, I was a huge Rick James fan. That's the first person that I would say that out of all the celebrities that I met, that I was starstruck.

CM: We gonna hang out with Rick James tonight, you know what I'm saying. And he comes out the room and I look at him and I'm not bullshitting, man I seen like an orange. His aura or whatever, I seen it. It was orange.

CM: We started kicking it and he was mad niggerish, man, which was, you know, right up my alley.

DC as RJ: I'm one of the baddest motherfuckers of all time. I'm one of the best singers and one of the best lookin' motherfuckers you've ever seen. Hold my drink, bitch.

CM: He'd walk up to any chick and lick the whole side of their face, man.

DCasRJ [licks chick's face]: "I'm Rick James, bitch. Enjoy yourself. Hehehehhehe."

CM: We got closer, started hanging out. My brother... didn't do any of this shit. So at night when Eddie would break out, we would all be doin', getting crazy and wild. And if I was hanging with Rick, he had this thing with me where he used to always like fuck with me, man. I don't know what started it.

RJ: "You know hanging out with the big dogs. You know, Charlie didn't know. He was doing crazy things and I had to straigthen him out, sometimes I had to go upside his head.

CM: Things escalated to the point where, you know, my man got too familar and I'd ended up having to whoop his ass, man, you know. Because he would step across the line. Habitually, he's a habitual linestepper.

CM: First time, you know, I had to end up whooping his ass. We went to Studio 54. We walk up into the VIP section and I'm looking around to see who's there,looking at the girls and everything and all of the sudden I heard someone go:

DC as RJ: "CHARLIE MURPHY! [PUNCHES CM] That was cold blooded, in my dictionary!

CM: He had this ring on to commemorate this song he had put out called "Unity".

RJ: And this was imprinted in that black head of his for at least a week.

DC as RJ: Unity!

CM: Eddie and everybody else thought that that was the funniest shit. And so that threw me in a weird space cause I'm like 'Yeah, this is Rick James, he's a star.'

DC as RJ: I'm Rick James, bitch. This is a celebration, bitch.

CM: Maybe I'm overreacting, I actually went there. Maybe I shouldn't do nothing, but my ghetto side was goin' 'Yo, stomp this motherfucker out right here.' What the fuck is wrong with him?

DC as RJ: I'm just unwindin'. I'm just getting started, bitches.

CM: He totally just wrote me off like I'm that nigger to steal on.

RJ: What, he's gonna smack me back? I'm Rick James, He's Charlie Murphy.

CM: I waited cuz I knew what hotel he was staying in. Eddie and them went home and I said 'I'll be right back.' I shot up to the hotel, went up to his room and knocked on the door.

DC as RJ: So then he comes in ther and I said look bitch I'm Rick James, smacked him! Hehehehehehe. Oh!.. Charlie Murphy!

CM: He had his hand cocked to throw another right hand. When he was coming for it, I just came BWOW! Caught him with the front.

RJ: Charlie like he gave me some kind of Bruce Lee cross kick or something.

CM: I kicked the shit out of him. BWOW!

CM: The wind is knocked out of him and he screams out:

DC as RJ: Security!

CM: The one in the front, he had crooked eyes and shit, one eye was looking at me and the other was lookin' at Rick. And Rick had edged over by the window.

DC as RJ: Now darkness, the tables are turned! Do with him whatever you like!

CM: You motherfuckers take one more step, I'm kicking this nigger out the motherfucking window.

DC as RJ: [to security guys] Freeze!

CM: You know you was wrong for what you did to me earlier. Look what you did to my face.

DC as RJ: I'm sorry Charlie Murphy. It was an accident, I was having too much fun. I offer you a truce, the stickiest of the icky. You wanna smoke with your old boy Rick James?

CM: Yo man, my forehead is bumpin' man!

DC as RJ: NOw that you mention it, I think I'm bleeding inside my chest. But, I got the medicine. Bitch, come over here and have sex with Charlie Murphy! I'm Rick James, bitch! [CLAPS]

CM: That was how that particular incident ENDED, but it wasn't the last time I had to whoop his ass.

RJ: Don't you think Charlie's a little old to be taking karate? He was probably taking it with little kids. Yeah, CHarlie whooped my ass in his dreams, I told you Charlie has delusions of grandeur in his head. I'm tellin' you what's happening.

commercial

CM: The studio 54 thing, you know, that blew over you know what I'm saying. But you know, here we go again.

RJ: Cocaine's a helluva drug!

CM: Cause Rick is incorrigible. He shows up at my brother's house, fucked up.

DC as RJ: Nice place, nigger!

CM: So he had these dirty cowboy boots on. Pushed us out of the way, barged in the house. My brother had these brand new couches, they were suede, right? And he gets on the couch and says...

DC as RJ: Why don't I stretch out? Hahaha!

CM: And just started grinding mud all into the couch, man.

RJ: Yeah, I remember grinding my feet into Eddie's couch.

Offscreen dude: You remember why you did it?

RJ: Cause Eddie could buy another one.

DC as RJ: Fuck your couch, nigger! Ha ha! Buy another one, ya rich motherfucker. Fuck your couch, nigger. Fuck your couch! Darknesses, darknesses!

CM: Cause of my complexion, he used to call me darkness. He calls me and my brother darkness. Darkness brothers. See, this was long before Wesley Snipes, back then we was the blackest niggers on the planet according to Rick James.

RJ: Eddie and both of them darkness. Twin brother darkness.

CM: And we're standing there looking at him and he's looking right in our eyes as he grinds this mud.

RJ: See, I never just did things just to do them, c'mon I mean, what I'm gonna do just all of the sudden just jump up and grind my feet in somebody's couch like it's something to do? Come on, I got a little more sense than that. ...Yeah, I remember grinding my feet into Eddie's couch.

RJ: See, I never just did things just to do them, c'mon I mean, what I'm gonna do just all of the sudden just jump up and grind my feet in somebody's couch like it's something to do? Come on, I got a little more sense than that. ...Yeah, I remember grinding my feet into Eddie's couch.

CM: But then it was like 'You know what? Let's handle this' We went over there and we held him down and we just wailed on his legs.

DC as RJ: Awwww! You Darkness. You black. Midnight. Evil motherfuckers. Black magic, darkness. Darkness. Delirious motherfuckers. You are cold as ice.

CM: But still, Rick James, even after taking a beating like that.

DC as RJ: Fuck your couch, nigger!

CM: This motherfucker's goin out, his legs is like linguine.

DC as RJ: I've been kicked out of better homes than this. I'll be back, you black motherfuckers. Wide nose having motherfuckers. They should've never given you niggers money. You don't know how to appreciate shit. You know you can get another couch. What am I gonna do about legs, Eddie Murphy!

CM: My brother, you know, he's a lot more compassioniate than I am. He's lookin' and the limo's driving off and he says 'Wow man, Rick really needs help'. I was like 'Sho, we just gave him some help! Busted his fuckin' ass. I betcha he won't come over here and disrespect like that again.' WRONG! WRONG! You're talking about Rick James, man.

RJ: Cocaine's a helluva drug.

commercial

CM: I had to fuck him up at 54, not at, for what we did at 54, I had to go to the hotel room and kick the shit out of him. Then he came over to my brother's house and I had to whip his legs because of what he did on the couch.

RJ: I heard him tell a story that he came into the China Club one time and I was behind the bar, now this is true.

CM: This particular night I go over to the China Club. I walk in. And I'll never forget the first thing I seen was OJ Simpson. I remember thinking to myself 'Wow, that's O.J. Simpson, he has a big fucking head, man!' And I walk from there and I went in the other section and there's Rick behind the bar.

DC as RJ: Drink up, be merry! Welcome! To the China Club! A chunna, a chinna, a chine uh, a chung a chang!

CM: Rick is you know, being Rick.

DC as RJ: Come on, bitches, show me your titties! I'm Rick James, do something. Um Um! I wish I had more hands so I could give those tittles four thumbs down.

CM: I didn't realize how high he was. Next thing you know he's like:

DC as RJ: CHarlie Murphy! What's up partner?! Darkness, everybody! Everyone, darkness is spreading! Come over here Charlie!

RJ: I'm behind the bar and I'm serving drinks and Charlie bends over and I call out 'Charlie, come here.'

DC as RJ: Charlie, there's a new joke going around have you heard it? What did the five fingers say to the face?

CM: What?

DC as RJ: SLAP!!

DC as RJ: Cold blooded! Bang bang! I'm Rick James, bitch. Everybody, King Kong ain't got shit on me!

CM: I'm standing there, I'm thinking 'This nigger really has lost his fuckin' mind.' First of all, you don't slap a man. Ok? I mean, even when slapping was fashionable. You know, they did it Paris. The guy would come up, WAPAP! 'I challenge you to a duel.' They would have a gunfight after that, somebody had to go! I was just buggin' out. Anyway, I waited for five minutes, something like that.

DC as RJ: That's right, bitch! That's right bitch! Hehehe. Ah Darkness! Darkness, Brother Darkness!

CM: What's up man? I wanna tell you something. Check it out, check it out. I wanna tell you something! Come here.

DC as RJ: Oh, what's goin' on?!

[CM slaps RJ]

CM: I slapped the shit out of him.

DC as RJ: Goddamn!

CM: I came down on it like this. The extensions was flying all over the place.

RJ: That is absurd!

CM: And he stepped back and his eyes welled up with water like he was getting ready to cry.

DC as RJ: Why you hit me like that, Charlie?!

CM: Cuz you hit me, man!

DC as RJ: That was weeks ago, motherfucker! I'm partying!

CM: No, that was tonight!

CM: I see that he totally really forgot.

DC as RJ: I hit you tonight?

RJ: Cocaine's a helluva drug.

DC as RJ: I'm sorry Charlie Murphy. Come here Darkness. Ahhhh!It's a celebration! Bitches, come here! It's a celebration, bitches. Show Charlie Murphy your titties. I'm Rick James. Heheheh. The milk's gone bad!

CM: That was the ebb and flow. It was, you know, he would go over the top, and then I would, you know, check him. And then, we would have fun after that. We're still friends as a matter of fact.

RJ: I love Charlie Murphy. But? we have it out. Smack each other upside the head. Smack each other in the face. Punch each other in the chest. kick each other.

RJ: Can you imagine two grown men doing this? Cocaine's a hell of a drug. Hahahah. I must be losing my mind, reminscining about Charlie Murphy kicking my ass. Ain't that a B?

THE END

'Intelligent design' taught in Pennsylvania - Jan 19, 2005

CNN.com - 'Intelligent design' taught in Pennsylvania - Jan 19, 2005: "'The revolution in evolution has begun,' said Richard Thompson, the law center's president and chief counsel. 'This is the first step in which students will be given an honest scientific evaluation of the theory of evolution and its problems.'"

Intelligent design doesn't sound very scientific to me.

Biology teacher Jennifer Miller said although she was able to make a smooth transition to her evolution lesson after the statement was read, some students were upset that administrators would not entertain any questions about intelligent design.
"They were told that if you have any questions, to take it home," Miller said.

Hmmm, that doesn't sound very scientific either.

Nail embedded in man's skull for 6 days - Jan 16, 2005

This is so wild.
CNN.com - Nail embedded in man's skull for 6 days - Jan 16, 2005

Reminiscent of Phineas Gage

Bonus cool link (if you're into writing systems like I am): Omniglot - a guide to written language (alphabets, syllabaries, etc)

20 Year Archive on Google Groups

Google's 20 year archive of usenet makes for a very interesting time capsule, check it out:
20 Year Archive on Google Groups

Hubbert's Peak spinoff blog

There've been a fair number of posts on this blog about the so-called End of Suburbia, oil prognostication, oil books, energy in general, and energy geopolitics. I also have a bunch more to say about all these things, so I decided to make a spinoff blog, Hubbert's Peak. Think of it as The Facts of Life while this blog is more like Diff'rent Strokes. Right now, it's more or less a link dump, but it should get better with time. Also, it's a team blog, just like this one (ostensibly at least). So, let me know if you'd like to join. Peace.

THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2005

This year's question is:
"What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?"

and here are some past questions and answers. Here, Freeman Dyson says that the most important invention of the past 2000 years was hay.

Meritocracy in America

An article addressing the myth of class mobility in the United States: Economist.com | Meritocracy in America
I've brought this subject up at cocktail parties, but most people refuse to think that America could be anything but a meritocracy. I'm glad there's some recent research to back up my assertions next time.

Tsunami Disaster Missing Americans

This blog has been getting a lot of hits from people looking for lists of missing Americans in SE Asia because of the Tsunami disaster. I think you should visit one of these pages (depending on where the person was on the 26th):
(feel free to comment if you found this useful at all)

Tsunami Missing Americans




U.S. Embassy in Thailand

U.S. Embassy in Malaysia
U.S. Embassy in Malaysia

U.S. Embassy in Indonesia
U.S. Embassy in Indonesia


U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka

U.S. Embassy in India

Cool Photo Site

Here are some pics by a photographer friend of mine:
Tracy Timmester Photos