Snowbrush posted this link on his blog. You answer 20 questions and it slots you into which of 27 religious faiths you most closely fit. I agree with the first slot but the rest???
http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx
My top five results:
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Reform Judaism (94%)
3. Baha'i Faith (92%)
4. Liberal Quakers (88%)
5. Sikhism (85%)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Have you read Marx?
Yes. I think it is this chair I am sitting on.
My daughter is struggling through "The Communist Manifesto" for her exams in Victorian literature, so I decided to do some studying myself into what exactly is the ideology underlying "Communism". I more or less thought I knew what "Communism" did, how it functioned and have certainly seen the results. But what did Marxist Leninist ideology or dictatorship of the proletariat actually mean? These terms have been thrown around over the years by pseudo political scientists who likely had no more idea than I.
I used quotation marks above because Tanya insists that the Soviet Union never was "Communist" per se, that it never progressed past "Socialism". Talk about confusing this poor boy who always thought socialism was government provision of social safety net programs such as health, welfare, unemployment insurance and education (ie looked after its citizens) while the economy was strictly capitalist.
My main sources in this exporation have been Wikipedia and http://www.marxists.org/ with a little help from http://www.answers.com/ . I have found a number of interesting definitions which I shall post over time. I can assure you that with statements like "Marxism is the theory of dialectical materialism based on communist practice", my head hurts.
My daughter is struggling through "The Communist Manifesto" for her exams in Victorian literature, so I decided to do some studying myself into what exactly is the ideology underlying "Communism". I more or less thought I knew what "Communism" did, how it functioned and have certainly seen the results. But what did Marxist Leninist ideology or dictatorship of the proletariat actually mean? These terms have been thrown around over the years by pseudo political scientists who likely had no more idea than I.
I used quotation marks above because Tanya insists that the Soviet Union never was "Communist" per se, that it never progressed past "Socialism". Talk about confusing this poor boy who always thought socialism was government provision of social safety net programs such as health, welfare, unemployment insurance and education (ie looked after its citizens) while the economy was strictly capitalist.
My main sources in this exporation have been Wikipedia and http://www.marxists.org/ with a little help from http://www.answers.com/ . I have found a number of interesting definitions which I shall post over time. I can assure you that with statements like "Marxism is the theory of dialectical materialism based on communist practice", my head hurts.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
What Women Want
Tanya was busy on the phone this morning organizing our day. Finally, she turned and headed for the stairs, "Let's go. Do you need more time?"
"No, I was just waiting for instructions; for you to tell me what you want."
"You are 62 years old and you don't know what women want?"
"Not a clue."
"Women only want three things".
A little later we were driving downtown and she said, "Have you got money? I don't have any."
"Yes, here is 500 hrivnas. That is one."
Then, later she was showing off to Roman her new silver jewelry we bought in Istanbul.
"OK. That's two. What is the third?"
"I'll tell you tonight."
Who knew life was so simple?
"No, I was just waiting for instructions; for you to tell me what you want."
"You are 62 years old and you don't know what women want?"
"Not a clue."
"Women only want three things".
A little later we were driving downtown and she said, "Have you got money? I don't have any."
"Yes, here is 500 hrivnas. That is one."
Then, later she was showing off to Roman her new silver jewelry we bought in Istanbul.
"OK. That's two. What is the third?"
"I'll tell you tonight."
Who knew life was so simple?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Another Day
Tanya was talking to Masha yesterday on the phone.
"Please give the phone to your mother; I need to ask her something."
"Ask me."
"No, I need to talk to your mother. You won't know the answer."
"Ask me. I can try."
Her mother takes the phone, Masha bursts into tears because her beloved Babushka won't ask her whatever question. Kids.
Oh, by the way, Tanya, Masha's mom, can wear Masha's clothes. The white dress and the winter coat that we bought her both "fit" Tanya. Her arms stick way out of the sleeves and of course they are too short but the body fits. Masha is a very slender six year old. I guess that means Tanya is a VERY slender 32 year old.
When they were out for their run today, one of my dogs stole one of my Tanya's good running shoes . I thought the dogs were over stealing shoes as it had not happened for a year. They don't steal them to chew, just to carry until they get bored and we have to look for it. Took a while but we found it. Saved two lives. Mine and likely Volk's.
"Please give the phone to your mother; I need to ask her something."
"Ask me."
"No, I need to talk to your mother. You won't know the answer."
"Ask me. I can try."
Her mother takes the phone, Masha bursts into tears because her beloved Babushka won't ask her whatever question. Kids.
Oh, by the way, Tanya, Masha's mom, can wear Masha's clothes. The white dress and the winter coat that we bought her both "fit" Tanya. Her arms stick way out of the sleeves and of course they are too short but the body fits. Masha is a very slender six year old. I guess that means Tanya is a VERY slender 32 year old.
When they were out for their run today, one of my dogs stole one of my Tanya's good running shoes . I thought the dogs were over stealing shoes as it had not happened for a year. They don't steal them to chew, just to carry until they get bored and we have to look for it. Took a while but we found it. Saved two lives. Mine and likely Volk's.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Going to Kyiv for Ribs
Yesterday we took the Express train to Kyiv (and back) in order to enjoy a feast of ribs from TGI Fridays. A long day. 18 hours bed to bed, 16 hours door to door and 14 hours station to station with 5 hours in Kyiv. It was a fun trip but we were dead tired when we got home.
Actually we went to deliver packages from friends in Canada for their relatives in Kyiv.
And the ribs were nowhere as good as Tony Roma's in West Edmonton Mall. Tanya says she will remember those babyback ribs for a long time. I think Tony Roma's has replaced the Chinese restaurant in Calgary's Deerfoot Mall as Tanya's favourite restaurant in Canada
Actually we went to deliver packages from friends in Canada for their relatives in Kyiv.
And the ribs were nowhere as good as Tony Roma's in West Edmonton Mall. Tanya says she will remember those babyback ribs for a long time. I think Tony Roma's has replaced the Chinese restaurant in Calgary's Deerfoot Mall as Tanya's favourite restaurant in Canada
Mutant Walnuts?
When we were in P'yatikhatki on Thursday, Volodya gave us some unusually large walnuts from his tree. They are huge relative to the normal ones from our trees, with thick highly convoluted shells (if that is the right word). The meat inside is more than from our normal walnuts but not as much more as one would think from the size of the nut.
Planting them results in a tree that yields normal walnuts. Puzzel for the day.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Elevated Status
Yesterday we went to the post office to collect Tanya's second shipment of flowers (100 crocus bulbs and a few other bulbs in need of fall planting). We drove the worst 2 km only to find the road blocked by a trenching crew repairing water lines and had to retrace our route. The alternate route proved even worse. As in horse or mule track worse. So once we had the package, we headed across country on the backroads to P'yatikhatki where we stopped for tea at our friends Valya and Volodya.
Got another update on the elevator ownership scandal. Seems the owner friend of Tanya's was less than honest herself when the elevator was privatized. Instead of shares going to employees, they went to her son instead or something like that. Anyhow her face is on a wanted poster issued by the P'yatikhatki authorities and she, having skimmed some $20 million in profits by over charging farmers for storage among other things, is reportedly on the lam in Greece.
Which explains why Tanya had little sympathy for her from the beginning. Isn't it fun?
Got another update on the elevator ownership scandal. Seems the owner friend of Tanya's was less than honest herself when the elevator was privatized. Instead of shares going to employees, they went to her son instead or something like that. Anyhow her face is on a wanted poster issued by the P'yatikhatki authorities and she, having skimmed some $20 million in profits by over charging farmers for storage among other things, is reportedly on the lam in Greece.
Which explains why Tanya had little sympathy for her from the beginning. Isn't it fun?
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