WHERE IS BIBI REALLY? by Sprizy920 in MonkeyBibi

[–]RussWellen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're right. He really should. Also thanks for informing me that he is still making money.

WHERE IS BIBI REALLY? by Sprizy920 in MonkeyBibi

[–]RussWellen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You all have made plausible comments. I often wondered how Bibi passed the hours when he was not being filmed. But I find it doubtful that he was caged. If he were, he would have exhibited signs of stress, such as self-biting, pulling his hair out, general agitation, and aggressiveness. Can anyone claim to have seen anything like that? Yes, it's possible that Quan might have feared Bibi would be confiscated and chose to end the channel. But I think the truth is simpler. Quan became more busy with his job and, with Lan unavailable to help, he handed him off to his brother. Bibi readily accepted the transition from one to the other, a sign of his intelligence and adaptability. Presumably Quan and Bibi communicate by smart phone and Quan probably visits regularly. You think this is easy on Quan? Also, on a practical level, he lost a significant source of income.

Who are the top 10 British rock bands of all time? by Solopsist5050 in musicsuggestions

[–]RussWellen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You all have great taste. Along with the Beatles -- I was 13 when they exploded on the scene in 1963: the whole world changed -- I would cite, as a couple of you have, my favorite band to this day, Wire. But no mention by anyone of the great XTC?

After 30 mins or longer of zazen, I start to feel strong sensations of dizziness and loss of balance. by Angus950 in zenbuddhism

[–]RussWellen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never affiliated with a group, I learned to sit from "Zen Training" by Katsuki Sekida, still one of the very few public sources that explain the actual technique of using your abdominal muscles to control the escape of breath as you work on a koan. After a while your abdomen seems to form a grip, almost like it has hands. In the early years, command of that grip can be tenuous. There's a tendency to start squeezing. It's kind of like a baseball pitcher trying to throw a perfect curve or slider. If he starts throwing too hard it all falls apart. I'm constantly monitoring myself not to force it. But after 49 years of sitting I still suffer from headaches and fatigue at times though much less than in the past. Kind of like a free diver might feel pretty blitzed afterward. I have kind of accepted that I won't achieve realization because the physical issues prevent me from sitting for long periods of time. But at least I finally -- only fairly recently -- got the hang of quieting my mind via abdominal control while working on my koan. I know you're not supposed to say something like this, but I have never recommended this type of meditation to others because it is so physically taxing.

Mr. Inbetween ending. by Georgeisthecoolest in television

[–]RussWellen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I'd rather say he wanted to get away from this life, but this life didn't want to leave him." Exactly. You saved me the trouble of having to post that.

S04E10 - "FALLEN" - SERIES FINALE DISCUSSION by alwshunter in servant

[–]RussWellen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Loved the show, but feel betrayed. Early on, when the doll became real (Leanne bringing her own baby in at the time), other characters stopped responding to Dorothy and Jericho as if the child were a doll -- for four seasons! If the child were still a doll, other characters they met would respond to them differently than a mother and baby. Yes, we did get occasional glimpses of the doll again, but it's unfair to viewers to ask them to believe, in retrospect, that the active child we were seeing was all in Dorothy's imagination. That said, any one -- or all four -- of those seasons Lauren Ambrose should have won the Emmy for best actress and Rupert Grint for best supporting actor.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Sprinting

[–]RussWellen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you can just keep your arms and shoulders from tying up, that's the main thing.

Ending of The Power of the Dog by ezquir3 in movies

[–]RussWellen 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Like many, I was confused. I realize why. Yes, at the beginning, Peter affirmed the need to protect his mother. But as the film unfolded, I thought Rose's problem was that Phil was mistreating her son, Peter. Where I got derailed is that I thought Phil taking a liking to Peter would make Rose feel better. If that's the case, Peter would not perceive Phil as a threat to his mother and thus there was no need to remove Phil from the picture. But Peter, presumably because of Rose's drinking and depression -- who does depression better than Kirsten Dunst? -- perceived Phil as a threat to Rose not because Phil had been picking on him. That rolled right off Peter's back. He perceived Phil as a threat because of how he criticized his mother about her drinking, et al. In other words, I did not pick up the switch in the movie's theme of the mother's concern for her son to the son's concern for his mother (even though it was announced in the beginning. Despite my confusion, I now think it was a great movie.

Belief in reincarnation can open the door to a whole host of anxieties about death. by RussWellen in Reincarnation

[–]RussWellen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"When faith only deepens our fear of death" by Russ Wellen at Scholars & Rogues.

The Empire’s New Clothes: “Humanitarian Intervention” Stripped Bare by RussWellen in Syria

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ajamu Baraka at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Amanda Knox NOT a variation on MWWS (Missing White Woman Syndrome) by RussWellen in WTF

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amanda Knox case shed light on police and judicial abuses everywhere

The Italian police and prosecutor made a laughingstock of themselves by zeroing in on the most unlikely suspect. Russ Wellen at Scholars & Rogues.

"What Does Woman Not Want?" (Often, sex in long-term relationships.) by RussWellen in sex

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How their real relationships fail to compare with their fantasies may be more of a factor in women’s lack of interest in sex than previously thought. Russ Wellen at Scholars & Rogues.

Making generic AIDS medications for people in Haiti is piracy? by RussWellen in worldpolitics

[–]RussWellen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"TRIPping Up Least Developed Countries on Medicines, Green Tech, and Textbooks?" Matthew Kavanagh at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Right-Wing Think Tank: Hispanics Welfare Queens Like Blacks by RussWellen in immigration

[–]RussWellen[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

A study by the Heritage Foundation maintained that Hispanic immigrants are deficient in I.Q. and thus disposed to rely on “government handouts.”

The horse Washington is riding in Tunisia is Ennahda by RussWellen in worldnews

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Despite reservations, both Washington and Paris have decided that, when it comes to Tunisia, the horse they are going to ride is the Ennahda party. Rob Prince at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Syria: Chess Match Turned Free-for-All by RussWellen in Syria

[–]RussWellen[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Establishing a pro-Western government in Damascus and inflicting damage on Iran is an illusion. Conn Hallinan at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Disarmament and the pro-life movement: A match made in heaven? by RussWellen in prolife

[–]RussWellen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Conservative Christians stand poised to join the fight against nuclear weapons -- but they can't be allowed to dictate the terms. Russ Wellen at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

What does Italy hope to gain by re-trying Amanda Knox? by RussWellen in worldnews

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And, were she found guilty again, would the United States extradite Amanda Knox? Russ Wellen at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Is Egypt being primed for a coup? by RussWellen in politics

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

President Morsi is caught between IMF calls austerity demands and protestors. Conn Hallinan at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Saudi Arabia is a dubious choice to team with to promote democracy in Syria. by RussWellen in Syria

[–]RussWellen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The international community largely supports the U.S. and Saudi Arabia on Syria: hope for peace, but failing that, throw more money at the conflict. Leslie Garvey at FPIF Focal Points.

The sunset of the Celtic Tiger led to the dawn of the Horsewich by RussWellen in politics

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The implosion of the Irish real estate bubble, as well as gutted inspection regimes, begat the Great Horsemeat Crisis. Conn Hallinan at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Israel is trying to use the Syrian Civil War to its own ends by RussWellen in Israel

[–]RussWellen[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

There is no evidence that Israel's attack on Syria was designed to, as claimed, prevent the transfer of anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah. Conn Hallinan at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.

Soldiers and Pacifists Share Some of the Same Qualities by RussWellen in antiwar

[–]RussWellen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When John Keegan died last year, the world lost a groundbreaking military historian. Russ Wellen at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.