Bawling for Blessings

The annual Crying Sumo Competition took place in Tokyo yesterday.

In crying sumo the babies are held up by amateur sumo wrestlers in a ring, and the baby who cries first is the winner. If both babies cry, then the one that cries loudest wins. A total of 84 babies born last year participated in the contest at the temple.

Crying sumo is a blessing for healthy growth of the child.
I don't understand the competition of this. Is there a wail-off to determine the loudest crier of all babies presented? What prize does the loudest crier receive?

"I love winners when they cry, losers when they try." (Tom T. Hall)

Available at chapters.indigo.ca

Tags:[Crying Sumo]  [Sensoji Temple]  [Tom T. Hall]

Confession: I'm Not Good Friend

I've got a page on Facebook. I've got Facebook Friends.

But I'm a terrible Web 2.0 friend.

A while ago, someone apparently hacked into my Facebook account and sent out some notes, wall posts and video links that were unusual.

I was alerted to the breach when a said friend contacted me to explain my recent Graffiti on the Superwall. I told the friend "That you were Poked, Super Poked, received a wall post, were invited to add an application or take a quiz by me on Facebook, is 'unusual'."

I reviewed my settings, changed my password and secured my page. Occasionally, I have sent a legitimate video link (see right) or completed a quiz (car IQ) . Once I even sent a gift! I don't know why I'm such a bad online friend; in the real world I'm not so negligent. I'm respectful and kind. I remember birthdays, step in and help, and don't require.

Squidoo. Facebook. MySpace. Orkut. Twitter. BlogLog. Flickr. YouTube. Netvibe. Classmates.
I'll be your Web 2.0 friend. Mark my status low-maintenance.

Tags:[Facebook] [Web 2.0] [Social Media]

Truly Personalized Cellular Service

The phenomenon known as cellular memory was developed by academics to explain characteristic and behavioral changes in organ transplant recipients.

Proponents believe that each human cell has a soul or spirit that has a memory. In a transplant, doctors take care of the mechanical side of the organ and the donor's cells' "memories" survive in the recipient.

There are several cases of cellular memory. A seven-year-old girl had vivid nightmares about a child's murder after being given the heart of the murder victim. The specific details of the nightmares helped to convict the murderer (so the story goes). A woman craved beer and KFC after her lung/heart transplant - the favorite foods of her donor. A man became an accomplished artist after receiving the heart of a scenic artist. The stories (more here) are compelling, but is it valid?

The only case recognized by the scientific community is a 15-year-old Australian girl, whose blood type changed following a liver transplant.

Can consciousness survive a physical death? Are there memories in the organs?

We'll know if the person who receives my donated heart finds my keys.

Tags: [Cellular Memory]  [Organ Transplant]
[Paul Pearsall]  [Claire Sylvia]  [Leslie A. Takeuchi]