The Good Kind of Pork

The Pig That Inspired All Of China That Life Is Worth Living

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Brent Lambert

Just when I thought my week was ruined after road construction outside meant getting only nine hours of sleep instead of ten, and then getting shampoo in my eyes in the shower, I found this little gem in the Daily Mail:

A pig which was born with just its two front legs has become an unlikely celebrity in Henan Province, China. The 10-month-old animal, known by villagers as Zhu Jianqiang, which means ‘Strong-Willed Pig’, was born with only two front legs, which it now uses to walk on. According to owner Wang, Zhu Jianqiang was one of nine piglets born in a litter this January.

He recalls: “My wife asked me to dump it but I refused as it’s a life. I thought I should give it a chance and unexpectedly it survived healthily.” Several days after Zhu’s birth Wang decided to train the two-legged female piglet to walk by lifting it up by its tail. “I trained her a while each day. After 30 days she could agilely walk upside down.

She proved to us that “no matter what form life is, it should continue to live on,” he said. “I won’t sell her no matter how much the offer is.”

Thanks Zhu, now it’s going to be really hard to find excuses not to go to the gym

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"I cried because I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet"

- Persian Proverb

Its interesting to think that the more advanced society becomes, the more that we desire material things and yet the more that we loose our sense of what truly matters and what is more important, and we also loose our appreciation for the blessings that we already have. I happen to recall the saying "the grass is greener on the other side". Honestly? What a load of crap!!! No really, it is a bloody load of freakin horse manure!!! Whats that? You don't agree with me? Well, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, really, but for the sake of proving my point, ill use the example of Zhou the 2 legged pig.

Okay, Zhou was born with only 2 legs.. Tough shit. Thats life. in some weird perspective, and to personify the ol' piggie, lets just say their might have been some degree of depression and self pity (and before you argue by saying you doubt that a pig can get feelings such as this, kindly be reminded that i am PERSONIFYING the freaking pig. if you don't have an idea what the bloody word means, click on it and be enlightened. Thank you) and maybe a dash of self loathing with a tinge of fear that being a freak of nature that it might not live that long and the like. Granted, if this were indeed the case, i would find myself in dire straights indeed if i was this pig, and be envious of all my other porky siblings frolicking around. But by a twist of faith (and defiance of the dark wishes of Wang's wife), the pig not only gets a reprieve from the chopping block and the cooking pot, but gets a very valuable bit of mercy (yes this is very valuable, more so than Gold, in my humble opinion, and if you happen to doubt my opinion on the matter, ask the Jews or the Cambodians that were Exterminated by our 'fellow human beings(?)' , a lesson in become self sufficient and a certain degree of notoriety in the village that would ensure a moderately cozy life.

So, in this regard, i ask you, dear reader, this question... 'How is the grass truly greener on the other side for Zhu the Pig?'

NY Times Opinion Article: Health Care's Lost Weekend

"Doctors, like most people, don’t love to work weekends, and they probably don’t enjoy being evaluated against their peers. But their industry can no longer afford to protect them from the inevitable. Imagine a drugstore open only five days a week, or a television network that didn’t measure its ratings. Improving the quality of health care and reducing its cost will require that doctors make many changes — but working weekends and consenting to quality management are two clear ones." - Excerpt from NY TIMES Article Health Care's Lost Weekend By Contributing Columnist PETER ORSZAG, Published Oct 3, 2010 (Read the rest of this Artcle).

Being a fellow medical professional (with certain temporary and soon to be remedied limitations) can very much attest to this fact, seeing as i myself had given up so much of my own precious weekends in service of a Humanitarian profession with regards to non humanitarian cases (e.g a drunkard who got into an argument and got a bottle smashed on his head). This would greatly help Doctors provide better healthcare, although with an unfortunate side effect of their being unavoidable on certain days (and i know very much from experience that critical emergency care comes during the worst times, namely either early in the morning or on the quiet weekends). I'm very much interested how this matter turns out with regards to the American Health care system, but hopefully, nothing will be sacrificed with regards to patient Health Care and hopefully isn't being done for the sole reason for making more money. And if it does work out, I wonder how this can be adapted for other countries as well.

The Church and State

Artist-Tour Guide Carlos Celdran Nabbed for Demonstration Inside Church
By NEIL RAMOS
October 1, 2010, 1:30pm
MANILA, Philippines - Popular tour guide, artist and commercial model Carlos Celdran was apprehended by police for staging a lightning protest inside Manila Cathedral Thursday afternoon.

According to reports, Celdran marched in the middle of the church during the homily brandishing a placard with “Damaso” written on it and held it up in front of church goers.

He was supposedly heard shouting “bakit mahihirap lang pinagbabawalan sa family planning.”

He also castigated church elders for getting involved in politics.

Celdran was immediately arrested and brought to the MPD headquarters in UN avenue.

Dressed akin to that of national hero Jose Rizal, replete with bowler hat, Cledran was apologetic but firm when he faced the media.

“I apologize for being rude. But it was necessary for me to be rude,” said he adding, “I am sorry for the method I used, but I am not sorry for the message I made.”

Celdran explained the necessity of his actions, citing the supposed threat made by church leaders to stage civil disobedience rallies following President Noynoy Aquino’s declaration of support for modern contraceptives.

At least one bishop said Aquino could be excommunicated.

“If you make threats about civil disobedience you gotta figure out what it feels like,” Celdran intoned.

Celdran said the Church needed to be reminded “to respect the constitutional provision on separation of Church and State.”

Though Celdran, who identified himself as a member of the Filipino Freethinkers and Rational Hero.com, didn’t explain why he had “Damaso” written on his placard, many believe it referred to the “Damaso” character in Jose Rizal’s much-fawned novel “Noli Me Tangere. “
Damaso is a powerful friar hated by many for supposedly abusing his position.

The mass is meant to mark the second anniversary of the May They Be One Bible campaign, a joint effort by Catholics and Protestant leaders to distribute Bibles to five million poor Filipino families.

Among those at the ceremony were Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Edward Adams, and other Catholic bishops.

Protestant Bishops Fred Magbanua of the Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches and Nathaniel Lazaro, chair of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines and Rev. Richard Pridmore of the Union Church of Manila were also present.

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Funny thing, I may not have really paid much attention at class during my earlier days 9along with so many other people, weather they'll admit it or not) but one thing that is sure, some things did stick in my mind even if it was leagues and leagues away, and one of these things is that, im very much sure that The Church is very much Separated from the State. Dont get me wrong, both sides can make suggestions to each other, but actually strong arming the other side? whats going to happen next, the Inquisition is going out again and hunting "Heretics". Going back to the stone ages are we? So when did the Church get the authority to threaten the president with excommunication? There was a sore nerves pinched somewhere. and what ever happened to freedom of speech? Is Hitler running the country in the guise of Pres Noynoy? Don't get me wrong I am very much a devout catholic, but at the same time I am very much a person who is supportive of the State of Law that governs us and prevents the people of "low morals" or "moral deficiencies" to run amok and take advantage of the other people living their lives. I guess some of the dumb arsed events happening to this country can be (conveniently) placed at the feet of our previous president (The Great Moled One, if you need a clue). Sometimes you just cant helped but be tempted to grab a gun and go postal on everybody governing our country or otherwise. I may not be an educated person regarding the matters of Law and the Constitution, I'm merely just another person residing on this piece of dirt ball governed by some people who don't know any better than the average flea on my dog's arse. Uh oh.. I guess I had better keep quiet now before the Country's Gestapo starts knocking on my door (that is if they can even read, being illiterate b@$&%#s).

A Modern Love Story

On a Precipice, Wings Spread

One of the more common lines from my theology classes from college was that one of the greatest things that God had ever given us that separated us from everything else in the world was the concept of Free Will. The inherent ability to decide for ourselves what we deem is best for us and what would be, in our own humble opinion, a source of immense happiness. This is of course coupled with varying degrees of intelligence and mental processes. So in the end, with this supposed combination, we can unconsciously go thru so many possible options about possible things that would give us that desired sense of happiness and well being, right? Wrong! Unfortunately, some of us are guilty of having a tendency to over think things, to the point that we loose the perspective of things and incidentally, loose the opportunity to grasp at that ever elusive "desired moment of happiness".

This article in the New York times had made for great reading and somehow, in my humble opinion, had dispersed some of the "cobwebs" and "dark stories" that is pervasive in society that some how, inadvertently, creates in us the sense of not to bother anymore such desires to have a loving partner, or the idea that "there is no perfect partner/love story for me and its all made up by Hollywood script writers". after reading this wonderful work, it will hopefully open up for you, dear reader, the sense of being thankful for the life partner you do have, and if not yet but are searching, that things aren't totally that impossible or bleak. Its not that we dream impossible things, but rather, we never bother to dream in the first place, when in reality we should.

Hell's Kitchen

No, im not talking about some disgusting greasy spoon that you happened to wander into after eating one of their "Specialties" was rewarded with the "Prize" (this usually being a severe bout of food poisoning), though we all know there is an ungodly number of places that are operating out there. What i am pertaining to is the Season 8 of the Fox Special of the said name, Hell's Kitchen.

This show is hosted by the much awarded and internationally acclaimed chef, Chef Gordon Ramsey. Some of you might be thinking "oh its another cooking show', or you might wonder if its like Top Chef. To be honest it is another cooking show but it is far from Top Chef. Very very far. For one, i have never seen so much censored language before. Its as if all the participants have a limited vocabulary and its limited to gutter speech. Another thing, i am rather curious about is the manner by which they go about picking these chefs that participate in their show. Take for example the 1st episode of the 8th season, one of the female participants actually had the guts (or is it gall?) to serve a gumbo that made Chef Ramsey throw up. Not spit it out or something, but actually do stomach heaves. That is quite something to watch, really. That is rather bad in my point of view. and when i saw the dish, heck i wanted to retch myself. it looked like a couple of cats had a severe case of diarrhea and all decided to poop into the serving plate. I mean it was really disgusting. Thank God i didn't have smell-o-vision or something. Sometimes i have to wonder if they are paying Chef Ramsey enough to do the show (either that, or he just likes ripping the contestants a new one on live tel.evision, hehe). One things for sure, it is going to turn out to be an interesting Season 8.

Real Fortitude

: for·ti·tude
Pronunciation: \ˈfȯr-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin fortitudin-, fortitudo, from fortis
Date: 12th century
1 : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I happened upon a rather disturbing though albeit contemplative scene by accident. The scene was of this homeless couple walking along the sidewalk to destinations unknown to me while being trailed by their 2 pet dogs. 'So what is so disturbing about that?' you may ask. Well, simply put, the 2 pet dogs were both handicapped in the sense that they were deprived of both their front legs and yet were able to maintain a constant distance with the couple they were following. to give you an idea what they looked like, imagine pushing a wheelbarrow.. You have the picture in your mind?.. Good.. Now replace the picture of the wheelbarrow with the dog with the absent front legs.. rather disturbing isn't it? This image had bothered me greatly being that i'm a general animal loving kinda guy, with more inclination to favor the members of the canine species. I had honestly tried to look away, but my eyes seemed to be rebelling against the signals being sent to it by my brain. I have seen a dog walk home after losing its hind leg in an accident, but had seemed to display minimal difficulty walking (i guess this was because he had 3 more to help him along). But the image of these 2 dogs sans their legs had bothered me deeply.. until i noticed their expressions and actions. I'm not some dog wisperer or expert in canine affection or what-not, but i have been taking care of dogs long enough to be able to read some salient signs. And from what i had observed of these 2 dogs, as they were struggling to, for want for a better description, propel themselves forward along the sidewalk, they seemed to be playing with each other. I mean, if they had full use of their faculties, they would undoubtedly be trying to wrestle each other and trying to trip each other in their own unique canine way. I guess for them, there was no disability, but their games just became more challenging.

This is what i find so interesting. So many people spend so much money on Inspirational Books, talks and Videos when inn all actuality, they simply needed to do was look out the proverbial window and see what lessons they can get from Ol' Mother Nature. Im not saying their wasting their money, but rather im cheering them on further in the sense that they had decided to give it one more shot and not give up. Kudos to you people!! But then, there is also the other side of the coin. Im talking about the people who had given up all together and just decided to cash in their chips and take a loss. Ok, fine.. You guys may not be made of sterner stuff, in fact, some people may call you downright weaklings for that matter. What i dont understand is, if these 2 dogs can persist to continue even with their current disabilities, whats stopping you from giving up so easily? I guess for some, cowardice is the only way out. Its a good thing not everyone is a coward, and want to strive even harder for that extra mile. Its a good thing Nick Vujicic is made of sterner stuff.

Futurama S6 Ep 3 Rocks!!!

I had just finished watching Futurama episode 3 of Season 6 titled "Attack of the Killer Apps". I absolutely loved the episode. For me, i had really found the spoof that they had done on the Apple IPhone and its Apps really funny. I guess one of the reasons that I had found it so amusing was it does follow the saying "Life Imitating Art". I myself am not really an Iphone addict or an avidsoftware user of any of their other technologies but do happen to have lots of friends that do happen to love this company's product so i don't really have a hard time picturing them in lieu of the cartoon's characters, hehe.

Unfortunately, it also fits into the saying "jokes are half meant". too true is their satiric take on how people act like with regards to not only this specific brand of technology, but with other brands as well. Before i continue, dont get me wrong. I am not supporting any one particular brand, and had happened to mention the one particular brand since i was making a reference to the spoof of the cartoon, and nothing more. And nor do I hold any particular grudge either to any continuing developments with regards to such technology, but rather i am rather quite amazed by the speed that such tech is developed. But rather I merely expounding on the fact that so many people are too easily lured by the sudden and quick developments of such tech that they fail to completely appreciate what they had bought in the first place. Some people i happen to know who are guilty of such do so that they may be in the "In Crowd", while others, sad to say, just are too careless with their money. Sometimes, one does have to wonder just how bad things are when such situations in society are to such a degree that writers use them as a means to garner more network ratings. "Hmm..."