nobody told me about the side effects! (9-29-04)

I am not short because I am Asian! I am short because those 6 years of
gymnastics MADE ME SHORT!!!! I KNEW IT! Those aerials took away
inches from my life!
http://www.endo-society.org/pubrelations/pressReleases/archives/2004/exercise_athletes.cfm

[Thanks to Michelle E. for the article.]

++++++++++++++++++
I love the idea of getting your own bobblehead. Why should celebrities
have all of the fun. I think these would make great wedding gifts,
don't you?

http://www.whoopassenterprises.com/

++++++++++++++++++
I hate Wal-Mart.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/international/americas/28mexico.html?8hpib
Full article after the horoscopes.

++++++++++++++++++
This week's horoscopes are dedicated to:

Audrey
Mija
Michelle
Sandy
Bob and Russell
Saumya
(aka the usual suspects)

I am scared of my step class (9-23-04)

So, yesterday, I wore a red t-shirt and black pants. I didn't really
think anything of it until I got to work and looked at the full length
mirror (actually it's more like a mirror wall) and noticed I looked like
a greeter for a Chinese restaurant Do you want eggroll or soup? And I
wasn't the only one. Now, I should preface this by saying that red is
a lucky color in the Chinese culture. And I was wearing a red, red
t-shirt.

The UN General Assembly 59th session started on Monday, September 21,
2004 and it has wreaked traffic havoc in Midtown. There are cops on
every corner and yesterday, the same day I was dressed like a Mao youth,
the Falun Gong (a mind, body and spirit group that is being persecuted
in China - why? Well, I would tell you, but that would take more
minutes than I care to spare these days) were protesting in my work
neighborhood. They aren't allowed near the UN; but were allowed two blocks
around the UN. And the Falun Gong was EVERYWHERE. When I went out at
lunch, they just smiled at me and tried to hand me their information. But
after work, I think they were dismayed at the lack of interest so when
they saw me, Super Asian Girl in her red and black outfit. I think in
their heads they collectively thought - ASIAN GIRL, RED=CHINESE, GET
HER! Because on each block, a member of the Falun Gong was chasing after
me (chasing because the minute I would see one, I would hustle my way
out of her general direction), trying several different dialects of
Chinese, then Japanese and finally "Korean?!" At first, I thought it was
an anomaly. The first member of Falun Gong darted after me and the
faster I walked, the faster she walked. Finally I escaped her by quickly
crossing the street, but then there was another one. And I didn't think
that this one would chase me too, but she did. Luckily, I was close to
the subway and could escape.

It's not fun being chased by a person who strongly believes in mind,
body and spirit principles. They can be fierce. And they are quick
walkers.

UN General Assembly information
=========================
For those of you who are having back, arm, wrist and butt problems due
to sitting at a desk all day (like me!), here is a guide for better
sitting posture.

Reducing back pain while sitting in office chairs

=========================
This week's horoscopes go out to:
Saumya
Sandy
John, Doug and Annie
Ann, Dabney and Fiedler
Bob and Russell
Michelle E.
Fresh Direct
Martha A

Are you from my parallel world? (9-16-04)

I keep meaning to send you copies of the birthday cards (and 3-D
incarnation) that some of you have sent me for my birthday last month, but I
keep forgetting. So to all of you, I SWEAR it will be in next week's
email.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Carey Meyers has brought to my attention that September 19 is Talk Like
a Pirate Day. Two friends, while playing racquetball in 1995, started
Pirate Slang and wrote an email to Dave Barry of their anectodes. They
also proposed Talk Like a Pirate Day to Dave Barry and he, being the
consummate bearer of good news, brought it to the WORLD (OK, various
locations in the US).

So, you beauties and bilge rats, smartly pick up your hornpipe and your
flagon of grog and scream ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/about.html The history of the Day
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/4018055.htm?1c
original Talk Like a Pirate Day column
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/partykit.html Plan a Pirate Party kit

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I was on the phone last night with Cynthia Anderson and she let me know
about this Iowa town, that used to be called Fairfield, but parts of
the town changed their name to Vedic City [Vedic is a Sanskrit word
meaning "totality of knowledge."]. The story begins with Fairfield, an
agricultural town that lost a lot of businesses and the college. The town
and its people were economically depressed and needed to find new
businesses to build up their local economy. So, then come the yellow buses
bringing the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his students to start the
Maharishi International University. The idea of the university started in
1955 when the Maharishi began teaching transcendental meditation (TM) in
India. (What is TM? http://www.mum.edu/cbe/tm.shtml ) The Beatles
went to the Maharishi and let's just say a star was born. So, in come all
of these people who want to meditate in the middle of farm country Iowa
and slowly the town folk begin to meditate too. Now, one-fourth of the
10,000 residents of Fairfield and Vedic City practice TM. They even
have a residential community where the houses are built to be in tune with
transcendental meditation tenets. People are retiring there. Even the
mayor practices TM.

This all shows me that people everywhere can open up their minds,
broaden their scope and get a little weird during the process.

Here's some links about the university:

http://www.mum.edu/ Maharishi University of Management
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3875438 NPR item re: the
Maharishi and the small Iowa town where it all began

Then there are the opponents of transcendental meditation:

http://unstress4less.org/
http://www.suggestibility.org/index.htm
http://www.watchman.org/na/outoftm.htm
http://unstress4less.org/transcendental_meditation-religion.htm

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This week's horoscopes go out to:
Saumya
Bob and Russell
Lamont, my ass kicking step instructor
Steven and Alex
Sandy
Ann and Dabney
Michelle E. (L'shanah tovah)
Good luck to the triathletes, Carey and Lynda!

I don't want to wait for our lives to be over... (9-8-04)

You gotta love Florida - even though there are hurricanes and extreme
humidity, the state of Florida is so stupid that they let me sign up for
an absentee ballot for the General Elections this November. Of course,
it does help that I never changed my FL driver's license over to NY. I
thought it might come in handy some day. Also, renewing a FL driver's
license is so easy! All you have to do is sign a piece of paper, send
in a check for $4 and get your license renewed. Amazing state, FL.

Of course, I have to now wait and see if I get my paperwork in time,
but I would bet that I do. Last time I did an absentee ballot out of FL
(in college), the state of FL sent me a punch card ballot with a steel
pin to punch out my selections. A steel pin, I tell you.

**********************************
I unfortunately have nothing else to contribute this week. The rain
has sapped my energy and my will to babble. You will just have to fill
in the blanks yourself this week.

**********************************
Last week's email about people riding bikes while walking their dogs
brought about a philosophy question for you to ponder:

Franibee from AZ: If you walk a dog when you are riding a bike, aren't
you actually driving the dog? Just an observation. PS-Bikes are why
God invented the skort :) I highly recommend it.

Also re: last week's email:

Lori from LA, CA: hey - how did I make it into the dedication section?
or do you know another Lori???! [Yes, I do know another Lori - NOT]

**********************************
This week's horoscopes go out to:

> ANN AND DABNEY ARE BACK! YAY!
> Saumya, for a wonderful cooking lesson and dinner
> Ann, Ennio and Camila, for being wonderful dinner companions (and for
getting me my financial reports!!! Thanks, Ann!)
> Mark, for buying that large umbrella (what's the Scottish word for
umbrella?) during the rainstorm of Star Wars: Episode I
> Carey, Steven and Jennifer, for a wonderful day at Brighton Beach and
at Chez Kane and Meyers

Ay, yi, yi, yiiiiiii! (9/1/04)

I have some general advice for people who ride bikes:

Ladies or Fashion-forward men: don't wear a skirt while riding a bike.
It's a dangerous act to commit. First, you are showing off your
panties to the world (of course, some may find that to be a bonus); second,
you could get your skirt caught in the spokes of the wheel; and third,
if you are wearing a straight skirt, well, unless you hike it up (see
#1), you will have problems getting down.

Also, please do not walk your dog while riding a bike. That is just an
accident waiting to happen.

++++++++++++++++++
Web site of interest:

http://www.tvtome.com/

I don't know who has the time to do this, but obviously there are tens
of hundreds of people who are willing to sacrifice a lot of things to
get the information on line. God Speed, TV Tome, God Speed.

++++++++++++++++++
I subscribe to the Best Bets section of New York magazine's web site,
nymetro.com. Every day, the writer brings a new item or items of
interest to purchase. Most of the time, they are things like cute shoes or a
new purse. However, every once in a while, a gem like the yarmulkebra
is posted. So, hurry down and get your Jewish and goy (you never
know)/shiksa friends.

http://www.yarmulkebra.com/collection.html

++++++++++++++++++
This week's horoscopes go out to:

>> Alex, Carey, Jennifer and Steven
>> Kim
>> Lori
>> Jen B., Holly, Lynn, Audrey, Danielle, Jen P, Russell, Bob, Ann,
Dabney, Michelle E.

Lots of people smell like garlic lately

The weather in New York is really cruel. There was one summer where every weekday was sunny, warm and gorgeous, but every weekend was rainy and grey. And then there was last winter where we had grey skies for six months straight. That really made me insane. Now we just have cold, cold, cold, cold and more relentless cold. I guess I should be glad it isn't grey. But seriously, New Yorkers are known for their un-subtleties and now the weather reflects our je ne sais quoi too. Sigh. But I can't leave NY. Where else can you get Korean food 24 hours a day. I mean, besides Korea. Ok, LA, but come on! People are too tan there. And great bagels. Ok, I heard Montreal has good bagels, but come on, that's Canada!Speaking of crazy weather, the freak snow storm we had last night was also cruel. My office has this emergency phone number where you can call to check in and see if the office will be closed for the bad weather. Well, last night the snow was pretty fierce. And when I woke up this morning, I checked the tv news and a lot of schools were closed. My heart began to beat faster. I called the emergency line and NO! We are not closed. I called five more times. Each time, not closed. Why couldn't the storm hit this morning so that I can get a snow day? I am from FL - we NEVER had snow days. Sigh.On another note, while waiting at the bus stop, this woman was holding one kid in her arms and the other one, who was maybe 3 or 4 years old, was playing in the dirty snow that was recently plowed from the street to the sidewalk. And the woman just let her child dig her hands in the grey snow, when there was perfectly good white snow a foot next to it. I think children should only play with white snow. Snow with color just isn't right. Despite what you are thinking, I didn't say anything to her. She has two kids to wrangle. That's tougher than herding cats.

******************************************

My Canadian friend, Frobi, decided to critique my horoscope newsletters. I think she is trying to vent her Canadian inferiority complex. You know, Canada, despite being such a large country, is just considered an outcrop of the US. And those from Toronto all talk funny. You know, soorry aboot yoor prooojects. Case in point: From Frobi: Boooring. I like the trivia better. And the world heritage organization sites url was nice too. What about Chinese New Year? Why not something on that instead? The state of Michelle's psyche? The view from your office window? You yankees. All you ever think about are politics...So, to address this obviously frustrated Canadian:

1. I like trivia too. And the World Heritage site roocks. http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/doc/mainf3.htm

2. Yes, I forgot to mention Chinese New Year last week, but I did mention it the week before last. It's actually LUNAR New Year, as a lot of Asian cultures celebrate the hooliday. In Korea, to celebrate the New Year, we eat rice cakes (flat disks of rice pasta) in soup with mandoo (also known as wontons). Gives you good luck. The sooup is called Duk Mandoo Guk (phonetically pronounced "duck mahn doo gook"). Go out and try it today. Quite tasty and not spicy at all.

3. I have no window at woork. Thanks for reminding me, Goobi.

4. Well, that's why those Bostonians dumped the tea in the harbor (short info aboot the tea party http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/bostonteaparty-edenton.html; and where exactly was the tea party? http://jrshelby.com/btp/) -- some fat, racist, white Americans fought for the right to be heard. Now, everyone is heard and some more than others, which is unfortunately always the way. But you know what? Who is Gobi to criticize? It's not as if SHE is writing anything to me on a weekly basis. Come on, Gobi! Step up to the plate!

******************************************

Speaking of trivia, thanks to Frija, I found out about this web site, A.Word.A.Day (http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html <http://www.Wordsmith.org> ). Every day a new word. Today's word isn't that obscure but I like the examples the site uses to show the word in context:

allocution (al-uh-KYOO-shuhn) nounA formal speech or address, especially one that exhorts.[From Latin allocution- (stem of allocutio), past participle of alloqui (to speak to), from ad- + loqui (to speak). Some other words derived from the same root are colloquium, elocution, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.]"And then he (the judge) invited us to say what we would--to 'make our allocutions'--before he rendered a sentence." Bill McKibben; Patriotic Acts; Mother Jones (San Francisco); Nov 1, 2000."(Noel) Gallagher gets started on this soapbox allocution because of Wal-Mart. He just recently found out the retail goliath balked at selling 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants,' the 2000 album by Gallagher's Britpop band, Oasis." Doug Elfman; Oasis' Noel Gallagher Always Ready to Vent; Las Vegas Review-Journal; Apr 26, 2002.

******************************************

Speaking of Frija, I am going to Minnesota this weekend in the middle of this deep freeze to attend their annual Robert Burns party. See the invitation below:A'right! Howzitgaun?Ye's are no gonnie believe it, but wur haein' anither o' oor wee shindigs. Aye, wur back tae the verbal debauchery in celebration o' the baird's burthday. Aye, it's the Chapman Van Der Wege Burns Supper 2004.

Ye's may be wonderin' whit on earth a' the fuss is aboot. Weel, every year on or aboot the baird's burthday, Scots a' oe'r the world gather tae celebrate. Burns Suppers huv poetry readins, bletherin', speeches an' singin' (if fowks are blootered enough). There's dinner, an' drinks an' a', wi' plenty' or usquabae - the watter o' life - tae go aroon'. If fowks get really steamin' there could be jiggin' and reelin', but ah'll no be joinin' in.

We'll be ha'en a proper Burns supper, wi a' the trimmin's an' haiverin that goes wi' it. And aye, there will be Haggis! Ither options will be there fur those o ye's no' up tae the haggis, but all o' ye's wull be encouraged tae at least gie it a try.

Noo, the important bit. Ye's are a' expected tae join in! Bring ane o' yer Burns favourites, or if ye's are feelin' right brave, jist turn up an' we'll gie ye ane tae read. Noo, e'en this humble Scot expects tae muck it up right good and proper - readin' Burns isnae easy. So dinna fash yersels aboot it o'er much, we dinna want ye's tae get yersels in a fankle. We dinna want fowks a' scunnered and crabbit aboot it either. An' anyone kickin' up a fuss will be told to haud their wheest. Just gie it laldie an we'll a' hae a braw time.

The nicht will keep goin' until we're a' wabbit. We huv beds fur plenty o' fowks if ye's need them. Oh, and this is a nicht fur auld yins only - leave the weans at hame.So there ye's go. If ye's want tae come, just send us a wee note so we can keep track o' how many we need tae feed. Aw ra best fae noo!

Kevin & Mija

Oh, by ra way, if ye's are needin' a wee bit o' help thinkin' aboot whit tae do fur yer turns, these links might be o' some help.

http://www.robertburns.org

everything smells like pineapples

To those who are US citizens:HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? [ http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm ]

To those who are registered to vote:Do you know where your voting precinct is? I recommend mapping out the best route to your voting precinct NOW. I think dry runs would be appropriate. Bring a timer. To those who are registered to vote, but aren't going to be in their voting area during the November :GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW!Ah, that feels better.

everything smells like pineapples

To those who are US citizens:HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? [ http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm ]

To those who are registered to vote:Do you know where your voting precinct is? I recommend mapping out the best route to your voting precinct NOW. I think dry runs would be appropriate. Bring a timer. To those who are registered to vote, but aren't going to be in their voting area during the November :GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW! GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW!Ah, that feels better.

you are getting sleeeeeppppppyyyyyyy.....

Aha - I almost forgot it is horoscope day! I am not feeling 100% today. That is why I think I started looking up the names for people who study certain things. For example:1) an ornithologist studies...?2) an ichthyologist studies...?3) an entomologist studies...?4) an etymologist studies...?And then I found this interesting web site of totally random and probably useless information.http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/j-triv.html====================================This week's horoscopes go out to:>> Jen B., thanks for my Librarian action figure!>> Ann and Dab, thanks for my Readymade (http://www.readymade.com/)!>> Mike and Jen and Graham, best of luck this week in NH and IA>> Bob and Russell, thanks for the grub!

I slept on my nose funny.

Happy New Year! Yes, I missed sending out last week's horoscopes but really, one week out of 52 ain't that bad. So Happy New Year to you all! Now get ready for the real New Year, this year's Lunar New Year is the Green Wooden Monkey Year, which falls on January 22, 2004. If you are in New York, then check out this site with the NYC celebrations. Also, if you are in NY and did not call me to say hi, then shame on you. http://www.chinatown-online.com/year/year.shtml+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++My ROCK STAR friend Jen Giles is working at WBUR in Boston and produced the following segments. I meant to send an update before the segments aired, but of course, my mind is a lentil soup of disorder. So here are the links to her segments!http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2003/12/20031222_b_main.aspStanley MilgramIn 1961, a young assistant professor at Yale conducted what some say was the most important psychological experiment of all time. Stanley Milgram wanted to test the limits of authority in a supposedly civilized country to see just how much cruelty would average people inflict on their fellow citizens just because they were told to. In the famous electroshock experiment, 65 percent of the volunteers -- some of them clean-cut Yale men -- believed they were torturing Milgram's test subjects, and did so just because a man in a lab coat told them to. The famous experiment is still Exhibit A in every college psychology course. But what did it prove?http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2003/12/20031224_b_main.aspShoutout From On HighThe Roman Emperor Julian wasn't a big fan of the yodel. The sing-songy shout out that conjures images of mountain maidens with long blond braids reportedly irritated the 4th century ruler. In his short three-year reign he wasn't able to silence the many centuries, and styles, of yodeling that would come after him. What likely began as a communication means for cattle herders in the Swiss Alps has enjoyed some artful adaptations, from cowboy ballads and the blues, to rap and rock n' roll. And the story of the yodel's evolution from occupational past-time to cultural icon, and from the agrarian Alps to Appalachia and beyond, is as much about migration as it is about music. The hills, and our studio, are alive with the sounds of music.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This week's horoscopes are dedicated to:

>> My nephew Fraham, who is now 2 years old

>> Foliver, Fraula and Freven (but only a small dedication to Freven ;P), LOTR3 on IMAX!

>> Frfrancine and Frynda for allowing me to find my inner disco freak and what a wonderful brunch it was

>> Frann and Frabney and Fiedler

>> Frori and Frick, good to see you both!

>> Frim Freckscher Frecker, girl, thanks for the Picasso books