..:. Cracking My Vainpot .:..

What a stunning visual poetry from Francis Coppola. It took my breath away~

When I saw that underwater scene, I knew I'm in love with this movie. How I wish I was Kelly Reno galloping on the beach bareback :)

New love for an old romantics: it's powerful, it's wild, it's exhilarating, it's pure.

Terry said next year we can fly the horses down to Florida to swim and ride with them lol I couldn't believe my ears... fingers crossed!

America has electric TANKS, but how come there's no electric car running around town?

GM killed the street car, destroyed all their EV1 electric cars and started producing the freakin Hummer instead.

No gasoline-powered car assembled in North America would meet China's current fuel-efficiency standard.

Let this evil business die from its own fatal errors!!

In USA, " our average car on the road is less efficient than 20 years ago."

DVD: Who Killed the Electric Car (2006)

GM killed the electric street car in LA

"So you believe in... monkeys?" a 21yo Kansan asked. 

Since then, I wanted to find out what children here really learn at school.

Kansas City is a funny place that trap both godless liberals, right-wing religious fanatics and everyone in between.

Kansas thrust into international spotlight in 2005 when the state board of education voted 6-4 to adopt a new set of "science standards" that marginalized the theory of evolution. Those stupid "intelligent design" lazy fuckers redefined science, paving the way to slip God into science classroom through the backdoor (something that Texas is now trying to do).

So it felt kinda unreal and exciting to celebrate the bicentenary of Darwin's birthday here in KC at the Linda Hall Library today.

We were late for the cake, but did make it to the discussion session.

I half-expected some uninvited insane bible-thumping Jesus freaks screaming in tongues, and there was one.

But it was a brave greying school teacher who captured my attention, and here's what she said. 

"I'm a school teacher in Shawnee (Kansas). I teach general science to 14 year olds. There're lots of Bible literalists in our district. The kids believe in whatever their parents told them and would openly challenge me every time I talk about evolution or genetics."

"They're very well versed. If you tell them about fossils, they'd just say that God put them there to fool them."

"They'd say they're not animals and would totally take the class down that road. I can't debate with 14 year olds in class. Very often I'd just have to stop the conversation. I hope one day they'll think back and realized that yeah, we actually HAVE taught them science."

"Fortunately, the district board is very firm about the curriculum and book banning. We've always been able to strike a balance in our library collection because of our incredible librarians."

"In fact, every year we have a ban-book-day called "Right to Read"."

[This post is a salute to her and all the defenders of science and reason.]

Darwin celebration: full house at the Linda Hall Library, Kansas City

Yes You Can: BETRAY

[CNN: Choosing Pastor & Liar Rick Warren was a mistake]

China is known for its porcelain, so there is some connection between the two.

But turkey? Turkey the bird is native the Northern America. Nothing to do with Istanbul... or so I thought!

[NPR: Why a turkey is called a turkey]

[Sweater Bullets]

noun (countable)

Kansas City rally against Prop.8 ban on same-sex marriage

Freedom to Love

If anything, Prop.8 has woken up a whole new generation of gay rights supporters.

It was WRONG ban interracial marriage back in the 1960s. It is WRONG in to ban same-sex marriage in 2008.

It is Disgusting that the majority can just vote away the constitutional rights of a historically oppressed minority.

Marriage: a right for All, not a privilege for Some!

Keep Your Bible Out of My Constitution!

Nobody is equal until Everyone is equal.

Homophobia has NO Place in the home of the brave.

Mormons want 5 wives, I only want one.

How do you know your kid is straight?

2 out of 3 Gods prefer gays to Mormons.

You don't have to be gay to believe in equal rights.

God hates cotton-polyester blends (and scallops).

I'm too old to wait for my civil rights.

Civil marriage is a civil right!

My tax dollars pay for my oppression!

I DO want my rights!

Fight discrimination!

The right to marry is a human right!

You can be fired in 31 states just for being gay!

Get off the sidewalk into the street!

You'd be as MAD as I am if somebody put your marriage on the ballot for strangers to vote on!

How could this Prop 8 even be on the ballot to begin with?! This is so insulting. Fucking insane!

Might as well vote to say that gays & lesbians are second-class citizens as well as second-grade human beings.

Might as well have separate drinking fountains for gays & lesbians too?!

Might as well make gays & lesbians sit at the back of the bus only?!

Might as well kick the gays off when "real" families are walking the same pavement?!

My blood is fucking boiling!

How would you feel if I put your marriage rights on the ballot?

It is just plain RIDICULOUS that California has this Proposition 8 on the ballot at all, letting the voters to decide who they can and cannot marry.

I didn't veto anyone's marriage nor I have ever wanted to interfere with anyone else's personal life.

I should decide who I want to marry to. Nobody else should be able to and certainly not the general voters.

"A Quebec comedy duo notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state has reached Sarah Palin, convincing the Republican vice-presidential nominee she was speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy."

[Stef Carse is a Canadian singer, not the Canada prime minister]

[Johny Halliday is a French singer, the Sarkozy's special American adviser]

[Nailing Palin is a porn title, not a documentary on Gov. Palin's life]

[Nicolas Sarkozy probably can't see Belgium from his house]