leatherbiker040

(It doesn't have to be in Japanese :-)

Eight years ago I asked the same question. Someone sent me one from Murakami Kijo:

First autumn morning:

the mirror I stare into

shows my father's face.

I thought that was a real good one. It has more than just the right amount of syllables, it also shows a turn of thoughts in the third line and a wonder about what you see.

Does blossom return

to the tree it belonged to?

My, a butterfly

Do you lnow another good one?

If I visit "c:\users\myName\My Documents" I see a lot of folders and files.

Until recently I saw the same items if I used Windows Start Menu - Documents.

But if I use this method now, I only see the folders. Files are not visible. The "c:\users\myName\My Documents" method shows that the files are still there.

Via the properties of Windows Start Menu - Documents I tries to "restore defaults", or include a folder. None of them helped.

Apparently this Windows Start Menu - Documents. is not a shortcut but a library. Inside it says library locations" HCP (\\Diffs02\userdata$)" and "Public Documents (c:\users\public)". A checked check box marks the first one. This can't be changed.

I haven't got the faintes idea what \\Diffs02 is. It looks like a disk address, but I can't access it.

Quesitions: What is a library? Why does it suddenly show only my folders, but not my files? What should I do to show my files again?

When watching Downton abbey I noticed that the British aristocracy enter rooms without knocking. Even downstairs staff does not knock. Is this British etiquette, or did the director think it would be annoying for watchers to see people knocking

The second verse of John Denver's Country Roads goes like this:

All my memories, gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water

Dark an dusty, painted on the sky, misty tasting moonshine, teardrop in my eye

It seems to me the singer describes here a very polluted environment: there is no blue water. No blue skies, but dark and dusty ones (smog?) when you see moonshine, you have a strange smog-like taste in your mouth, watering eyes. Obviously the result of a mining history (miner's lady?).

Such a pollution should everybody think: I should have been there yesterday - before the pollution started.

Am I right, or what do these phrases mean: miner's lady / dusty sky / no bleu water / misty tasting moonshine?

In a comedy someone said that no one would understand the name of a french restaurant: "Quatre". Question: who in the Usa Learns french? Is it only taught in universities, or do people of about 16 years who are prepared to go to university also learn French? Or maybe everyone who is still at school on that age? Is it true that most American people wouldn't understand the word "quatre"?

Apparently boot cut jeans are specially cut to make it possible to wear them with boots.

Question: Are they cut so wide that you can easily wear them over your knee high boots, or are they cut so tight that you could easily wear them tugged inside your boots? As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that either of them is really more easily. As I'm from the continent, there are not much cowboys here to ask :-)

Merriam-Webster explains that sage means "wise through reflection and experience". There doesn't seem to be a very different meaning. Yet I see it in several recipes about grilling Turkey. So what is sage in the context of food preparation?

I have a Weber (-like) charcoal barbecue. It has two ventilation holes; one at the top and one at the bottom. Today I was trying to grill a home made pizza in it. Therefore, I wanted a very high temperature, higher than conventional ovens. I noticed if I opened the top ventilation holes, the temperature lowered. I didn't notice a major difference if I closed the bottom ventilation hole. I was not able to raise my temperature above the 230 degrees celsius (450 F). What should I do with the ventilation holes to increase the temperature? Or would it help if I added a lot of charcoal?

Living on the continent we are not used to indirect grilling. Now I've bought a big charcoal barbecue with integrated thermometer, capable of indirect grilling. My first "project":-) is grilling a whole chicken. I've marinated it according to recipes. Most recipes talk about "medium" heat. I guess for a gaz-barbecue this is easy, but how hot is this in a charcoal barbecue?

As a European citizen, it seems to me that American Christian Politics is more concerned about abortion and gay marriage, than about social problems like poverty, environmental problems, problems of famine, war, social security, national health, safety for everyone, not only Americans etc.

Question 1: Am I right, or is this misinterpretation?

In my opinion Jesus never told his followers to make sure that non-followers should follow his rules-of-living. He said let them do what they want (Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's). He accentuated that His followers should do good deeds, also (if not especially) to his non-followers (for instance Matth 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, etc. turn the other cheek)

Question 2: is this the correct interpretation?

Question 3: why are the main issues in American Christian politics gay marriage and abortion (the things the "non-followers" do) and not about concerns about fellow citizens who live in problems: poverty, health, famine, no house, etc.?

Question 4: In Europe Christian political parties emphasize the problems of poverty etc. Is there a historical explanation for this different behaviour in the States?

As a European I'm sometimes amazed about American politics. So maybe one of you can help me.

If you want to run for president, in the USA you'll have to say you are true Christian.

You also have to say you support the right to defend yourself with a gun.

If you don't, you can forget ever being elected as a president.

In matthew 5::39 etc, (the chapter about turning the other cheak instead of an eye for an eye) Jesus urges us not to harm the evildoer, but to do even more than he requests.

So even if someone came in my house and wanted to steal something from me, or do me harm, Jesus says: let him do it.

5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer.46 But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well....And if anyone forces you to go one mile,49 go with him two.

I was trying to find if there are any remains of the Dutch period of New York, other than names like Brooklyn and Harlem. Someone wrote that there is a Dutch text on a statue in Battery Park. Anyone knows what it says (preferably in the original language - if not possible English is also ok)?

Today I saw on TV an item about a lot of Roman Catholic churches in the US have to close down, because they have too much debts, because they have to pay for the child abuse the priests did. Why is it that the church has to pay for this? If I do something criminal my employer doesn't have to pay for it? What is the official reason that this is handled differently?

Hello. If I look at my USB compact flash-reader, I see that one pin (the middle one?) of the lower row of pins is bent so neatly that it almost seems like it should be that way. I have no problems reading CF-cards in windows XP. Could you have a wee look at your compact flash reader to check if there is a bent pin somewhere near the middle of the bottom row?

When I read the questions in this group, I see a lot of people happily anticipating their use of soft drugs when visiting Amsterdam. Why is that? Do you really think it is such a special treat to use it? Why then does over 90% of the Dutch never use it after they have tried it once or twice?

I know, because they don't believe in it. But they also don't believe in Zeus and the other Greek Gods, and yet they do teach about them. They will probably say that the Greeks God don't exist, and that 2000 years ago a lot of people believed in them. Why can't they just say the same with the evolutionary theory: "Some (a lot?) people think it is true but we believe it is not true"

I've checked a lot of answers that Whitemaster gave. He sure is lurking a lot in the gay and lesbian group. He also gives always negative answers no one is waiting for. If you really thought that it wasn't good to be gay, you'd give answers to help people to stop being gay (as if that is possible!). So my question is: could it be that Whitemaster is in face a gay who doesn't dare to admit it to himself

I don't really believe in astrology, but I do remember in the time of the commodore 64 there was some software that could give an astonishing good description of your character based on your birthdetails (precise time and location). I know we used it as a party game.

I searched the internet for a similar program, but I only find programs that will do the calculations for you, but you'll have to do the interpretation, of persons who you'll have to pay to do the interpretation. Is there still automatic software that gives a character description?

Last year I visited London, we ate twice in Italian Restaurants. To our amazement right after you food is delivered the waiter comes with a big pepper grinder asking whether you want more pepper on your pizza - even if you haven't tasted your food yet and you don't know if there is enough pepper on it.

It's not an Italian thing, because you don't see this in Italy. You also don't see this in the USA. It's also not a British thing, because you also don't see it in other restaurants. So how come, that British think it is typically Italian to have freshly grinded pepper served on your food while it is on the table?

God promises if two or three pray in Jesus' name, the prayer will be answered. Maybe we won't get what we wish for, but God certainly will do something about the problem.

So please pray for my friend Fred and his wife Karin. Fred just has heard he has cancer in his stomach. This week he is examined further to see what can be done about it. He doesn't know yet if it is fatal or if it can be treated. Tuesday june 19th he will hear the results of the tests.

So please pray with me for mental support for Fred and Karin. And if we dare ask God to cure him.

Thank you very much. Harald