it's all a little horrifying

i'm not a political person but i'm shocked by what i've just read in the guardian.

Mr Bush is expected to move within days to sign into law proposals for the treatment and trial before military tribunals of the detainees [at Guantanamo]...legislators voted 51 to 48 on Thursday night to bar Guantanamo detainees from challenging their detention in the US courts. "No court, justice or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States [who] has been determined ... to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant," the legislation says.

and then i read in the bbc news that...

[The legislation] specifically lays out some banned methods [of interrogation]. They include murder, rape and acts designed to cause "serious" suffering.

However, coercive questioning will not be banned. The president will be able to determine what methods are to be used and his decisions will be published.

but it gets better! i got this little gem from amnesty international. *if you're going to read any link read this one*

[The legislation also includes] Retroactive immunity for those who have been implicated in creating policies or participating in abuse and other acts long believed to be torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

what? it's all just too much.

extreme juggling

mr jeremy stepping it up a notch, juggling 3 balls while hooping. go team!

recipe of MY LIFE: chocolate chip cookies

also known as the cookies that made robyn cry because they are so fantastic. the rebar cookbook rocks my world.

1/2C unsalted butter at room temp
1 1/2C brown sugar
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla
1/4C dried apricots
1 1/2C flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1C roasted and chopped pistachio nuts (or any nut you fancy)
1 1/2C chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
add the eggs one at a time and vanilla, blending well.
mince the apricots with 1/2 cup of flour until very fine (in a food processor or with a sharp knife).
mix the apricots and flour mince with the rest of the flour, baking powder and salt.
add the dry to the wet ingredients then mix in the nuts and chocolate.
drop tablespoonfuls of batter on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading during baking, and bake for 9 minutes.
cool on a wire rack.

these are chewy, gooey goodness. i dare you not to eat them all.

who is howard hillman?

i recently came across a fun new website. stumble upon. i found it through my mozilla updates/addons page and it adds another toolbar to your browser, which may be annoying for some but was ok with me, and as a result i have stumbled onto many interesting websites.

yesterday i stumbled upon hillman wonders of the world. i can't say why this guy is the world's leading travel authority, i would have given that crown to lonely planet, but i like his 100 wonders of the world list.

i've ticked off 20 of the 100, not too shabby. but seeing the other 80 has given me a thirst for travel.

i also stumbled upon a useful little timezone check. ever wanted to know what time it is in the novosibirsk, bangkok, jakarta timezone? well now you can find out with the flick of a mouse.

recipe of the week: lime sugar cookies

1C granulated sugar
1\4C unsalted butter at room temperature
1Tbs vegetable oil
zest of 1 lime
1 large egg
2Tbs lime juice
1 3\4C flour
1\4C pumpkin seeds, toasted and chopped (i used sunflower seeds)
1\2tsp baking soda
1\2tsp salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
cream sugar, oil, butter, and lime zest until light and fluffy then add egg and lime juice.
mix flour, pumpkin seeds, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl then add the dry to the wet, mixing well.
form 1-2 inch balls and place on a baking tray, giving the cookies space to spread. Flatten each slightly with a fork and sprinkle with sugar.
bake for 8 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.
cool on a wire rack.

how smelly are you?

for a few years now i have struggled with smelly like a dirty hippy as i don't use regular, drugstore deodorants. i have tried every health food shop brand of natural deodorant, be it stick, roll, rock, spray or crystal and was left smelling thoroughly unsatisfied.

but robyn, i hear you ask? why not just suck it up and go back to using degree or sure?

let me start with the superficial and shallow reason first. i was sick of my fabulous black clothes getting ruined by white stains that don't wash out.

but the main reason i chose to switch was both of my grandmother have advanced alzheimer's disease. aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium are used in antiperspirant and deodorants and are easily absorbed by the skin. scientists have found abnormally high amounts of aluminum, zinc, and other metals in brain tissue of people with alzheimer's. It is unknown whether alzheimer's causes these accumulations, or vice versa, but i'm not testing my luck.

the other main reason is that natural deodorants tend to be paraben free as well. parabens are synthetic preservatives found in many personal care products that have been linked to various cancers. and the girls over at ideal bite think that parabens make you fat.

but the point of all this was not to rant or lecture, it was to share the wonderful news! i have found a natural, aluminum and paraben free deodorant that keeps me smelling as fresh as a flower for DAYS.

behold the glory of lafe's natural body care! it's great! i have the teatree roll on and it rocks my world. i can put it on after a shower, putter around all day, go to bed, get up the next day, go to yoga, get good and sweaty and i still won't be smelly. it truly is magic.

it does contain potassium alum and when i read that i wanted to cry...aluminum/alum...it all sounded the same to me. but with a little internet research i discovered that potassium alum is a different chemical compound that cannot be absorbed through the skin, making it safe. as i'm not a scientist i'm choosing to blindly trust the internet.

go out and get your self some! i got mine at thrifty's.

please bear with me...

i just need to gush for a moment.

this is alex.








he's from england, higham in kent to be exact. i like him quite a bit.

i just found out this morning that he's officially coming to visit me in victoria. HURRAH! he'll be here on oct. 4th for a month.

anyhoo. the point of this was to tell you all how great alex is and how wonderfully he treats me. i got a little package in the mail a few days ago and discovered the cutest thing inside.he sewed me a heart, with his own hands, and filled it with lavender that he collected from around his village. there was also a verse from a lavender inspired poem accompanying it.

it might just be the sweetest and most romantic thing a boy has ever done for me.

*swoon*

thank you for your patience.

The Amazing Rubber Heart Duo

really great doubles fire staff!

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The Irwin video: Would you watch it?

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The Irwin video: Would you watch it?

an interesting article...does your morbid curiosity take over your moral sensibilities?

on this day...

who's a little homesick for their london ghetto? i think it's me.

The Blitz was the sustained bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe, and hit many towns and cities across the UK, but the main attack was concentrated on London.

major bombing happened in my old east london hood of bethnal green. and that is why you see lovely old brick buildings from 100 years ago beside newer, nasty, raty, eye-sore, ASBO causing council flats...exactly like the one in the background of the picture.

crikey!

the crocodile hunter, steve irwin, is dead.

He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said. It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.

how bizarre.

my new favourite song

i very much enjoy this song. it came out in london a few weeks before i left and i've been having trouble tracking it down as i didn't know the name of the song or the artist. but i am victorious!

Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks

ps...now that i have broadband again i understand why YouTube is great!

one this day...

london's burning, london's burning
fetch the engine, fetch the engine
fire, fire! fire, fire!
pour the water, pour the water

1666 - Great Fire of London: A large fire began in London and burned for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral, but only 16 people are known to have died.

this was taken from here.