GETTING STONED WITH SAVAGES by J. Maarten Troost

Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu, by J. Maarten Troost. New York: Broadway Books, 2006. 239 pp.

J. Maarten Troost has finally written a second book. His first, Sex Lives of Cannibals was funny to the point of inducing the giddies and his second does not disappoint. Troost once again trotted off to the South Pacific with his now wife Sylvia for another set of riotous times. He discovered the perils of driving a friend's borrowed set of wheels through the jungle, the profound differences between the new to him islands and the old island of residence, the pleasures of kava, and the contrariness of kittens and centipedes.

A definate must read for the fan of travel books.

~sapphoq reviews

NPR and PBS ABOUT TO GET CHOPPED UP 6/13/06

letter below was copied and pasted from site above [and below] where an electronic petition resides.

Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks,
sapphoq on behalf of MoveOn

sapphoq comments:
Unfortunately, some of our politicians are making larger and larger noises about their fundamentalist christian beliefs. They openly admit that their religious ideology influences [and dictates] their vote on public issues. Those of us who are conscious thinkers know that the "news" as reported to us by those employed by major companies [like the Christian Broadcasting Network, to name one] is filtered through some very subjective lenses.
We now have an Office of Faith-Based Initiatives which gives funding to select religious agencies to carry on social service type work. That sort of bias which the president continues to be zealous in developing is unacceptable to those of us who do not share his passion for literal interpretations of the book known as the bible. Dump the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives I say and keep public teevee.
Blessed be!

YAHOO WIDGETS

Although I have grave concerns about the ways in which Yahoo has chosen to apply its' censorship policies, I find that I must [however reluctantly] give Yahoo credit where it is due. Yahoo makes the creating of multiple identities via free e-mail boxes pathetically easy. The fact that Yahoo offers free POPmail to people who sign up for ads to be delivered to their Yahoo boxes with foreign country extensions is a wonderful thing in itself. Widgets can potentially be another wonderful thing, provided that they remain free and (hopefully) safe and not a vehicle for bad things to sneak into computers. So, what are Widgets?

Recently I came across them on a Yahoo page. Widgets sit on the desktop of a computer and can be cast into hiding when the computer's human so chooses. They are usually made by folks who enjoy throwing that sort of thing together. [Other places like MSN also have widgets free for the downloading].

Yahoo's Widgets are a cool mix of things. I particularly enjoy listening to radio stations in other countries and that is one area where the Widgets certainly shine.

Also available are Widgets that show the current phase of the moon, the weather in any given locale, and schedules. Widgets are certainly worth checking out.

~sapphoq

ps: Some folks download very little off of the net due to an avid and realistic concern about viruses, malware, spyware, trojans... The rest of us recognize that the web is rampant with stuff these days and there is even surf-by infiltrations these days. The only safe computer is one that is virgin to the internet. Yeah, it takes a bit extra these days to keep computers safe. As for me, any need to scan and re-scan is far outweighed by the cuteness and fun that Widgets provide.

OF E-MAIL BOXES and BLOGS and WEB DOMAINS

~small banner by sapphoq. if you use it, please link back to this site. thanks.

sapphoq reviews a few free e-mail boxes and more:

E-MAIL PROGRAMS

Google now offers free POP3 and forwarding. Storage is adequate. One can access groups from the mail page. Google has added some whistles which increase the attractiveness of its e-accounts. E-mail accounts are only available if one is invited by a friend or if one is willing to furnish Google with the phone number of one's mobile device. The ability to archive messages and i.m. conversations has been added; though that may not be the best idea due to personal privacy issues.

Blue Bottle is a company out of Australia that offers both free and paid accounts. One can configure to eliminate all spam, requiring senders to know either the name of the recipient or a special combination of numbers. Interface is plain but functionable. Server sometimes goes down. Blue Bottle recently had to replace its server so hopefully that problem will not happen as often.

MSN hotmail also has paid and free accounts. In order to get official POP3 access and decent storage capacity, one has to pay. Hotmail will also automatically lock any free e-mail user out who does not sign in at least once in a thirty day period.

Yahoo only grants free POP3 and forwarding to accounts outside of the Untied States which sign up to receive Yahoo ads. In the states, one must pay for legit POP3 service. One can have two mailbox addys dumped into a single yahoo box. On the minus side, Yahoo is offering the ability to guarantee senders [read: spammers] delivery of their unwanted e-mails to recipient accounts if they agree to pay a nominal fee per e-mail. The paid e-mail does not get picked up by the Yahoo spam blocker. Due to lax standards regarding on-line identities, Yahoo has now evolved its own form of internet troll.

My Way is free and one can decorate one's e-box with pretty scenery. Settings for things like mail filter are very user-friendly. On the downside is the way e-mails sent from My Way accounts appear. The system seems to disregard paragraphing, making e-mails originating from My Way difficult to read.

Medscape is available to physicians and has free e-mail accounts. The accounts are not POP3 accessible. It is easy to use, has recently begun offering simple stationary, and includes no outgoing ads. Physicians everywhere who mourn the merging/passing of physicians-on-line at least have the option of Medscape. POL used to check that physicians who signed on really were qualified medical personnel. Medscape does not.

BLOGS

Hands down the winner is Blogger/Blogspot. It is easy to use and offers versatility. Free templates are available on-site and elsewhere. Blogspot includes use of a free FTP for those who which to host elsewhere. A very attractive offering. Blogger makes most of its' money off of Google AdSense-- so those of us who are fans will sign up for simple text ads as a way of saying "Thank you".

Yahoo 360 blogs come equipped with a wide range of templates, employs an aggragate system so bloggers are assured an audience and can develop on-line buddies, and has many many options that can be customized by the individual user. Unfortunately, 360's rep is being marred by a noted tendency of Yahoo to censor pics and pull accounts of [mainly women] those who dare to write about anything other than god, church, and heterosexual families.

MSN spaces has some options which are real nice. Amazon associates can create lists of books and Amazon dot com will automatically furnish the book cover at the push of a button. MSN support staff are somewhat friendly and will look for signs of trouble. Recently, a b0ok came out with good simple instructions. It is reported that the staff do comment on a few blogs from time to time. The space itself is ugly and has limited functionality.

DOMAINS

GoDaddy is a fairly decent company and reportedly offers friendly customer service. I know a web designer who directs her clientele to GoDaddy for domain hosting.

sapphoq.com hosts her web domain with NetEasy. NetEasy is not that easy for the neophyte. Customer service is only available through e-mail. Aside from that small glitch, sapphoq does heartily recommend NetEasy to the aspirant who desires a home on the internet.

Til' next time, keep reading. Your brain cells will be tickled if you do.

~sapphoq

Looking Glass Court | neo-pagan rituals and reflections - inspired by Lewis Caroll; written and compiled by Shivian Balaris

Looking Glass Court neo-pagan rituals and reflections - inspired by Lewis Caroll; written and compiled by Shivian Balaris<---- the link will point you to a blog by Shivian Montar Balaris, creator of the Oh Gods! pagan comic strips. The Looking Glass Court blog connects one certain Alice's journey Through the Looking Glass with the witches' wheel. There are indeed neo-pagan rituals and reflections to be found; and a membership form also. Very well-crafted writing! Not to be missed.

The Oh Gods! comic strips at http://timerift.net can be delivered to one's e-mail box daily or almost daily to those readers who are seeking enlightenment through pagan humor. The characters are well-drawn with crisp lines. The conversation between them pokes gently at our witch buttons. A day without a good belly laugh is like a sandwitch without a pail or shovel.

At timerift, one can also seek out the forums and must-have symbols of fandom. Careful now or you might need the services of a witchdoctor!

~witchdoctor sapphoq