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I am really loving these videos at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=carpediem4utube This one teaches you Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

New Google Talk bots bring real-time translation to IM

New chat bots can be added to translate Google Talk (or Pidgin or Adium) chats in real time. As we expected, Google's automated translation yields mixed results, but it's a big step in the right direction.

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404: Not Found

The requested blog entry was not found on this server. There are so many reasons that this might have happened we can scarcely bring ourselves to type them all out. You might have typed the URL incorrectly, for instance. Or (less likely but certainly plausible) we might have coded the URL incorrectly. Or (far less plausible, but theoretically possible, depending on which ill-defined Grand Unifying Theory of physics one subscribes to), some random fluctuation in the space-time continuum might have produced a shatteringly brief but nonetheless real electromagnetic discombobulation which caused this error page to appear. Or (and truth be told, this is by far the most likely scenario) you might have reached a page that we meant to create but didn't get around to it. But in all actuality I just wanted to try something clever for the 404th blog entry to this blog.

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A New Goal

In the last week I learned that I am only 15# away from my brother's current weight. My brother has never been overweight in his life, and with him being 1.5 years younger than me, I have never weighed less than him. So my new goal, for 2008, is to be under his weight of 182# the next time we meet up, which may be some time. This is a goal that I am very excited about!

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Ecumenical Buddhism

So, I have to admit that I have found the new blog, Ecumenical Buddhism very interesting. As my friend Bryan and I were discussing earlier today, there are some very interesting parallels and similarities in Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. From vegetarian monks in monasteries to prayer ropes to iconography to incense, etc. there is more alike than one might at first assume. Of course, I am not going so far to compare the two religions as the blog, Ecumenical Buddhism, does, but I must say that the author writes a very interesting blog with many interesting topics, whether one agrees with its syncretism or not.

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197#!

Today when I weighed myself, I was down to 197 pounds. It feels so good to be on the opposite side of 200# and staying there. To be fair, I did gain some weight upon returning to America, and being sick has probably helped me lose… but sticking with a vegetarian diet and only drinking water for the most part is definitely helping.

At this point I do not plan on setting a goal for the end of 2008 as I did for the end of 2007 (199# was my 2007 goal, requiring me to lose almost 100# in 2007!), but I would like to continue to lose, as having more energy, strength, and looking better are all positives that I am enjoying and how to continue enjoying with increased vigor.

The other good thing about this is that my calculated BMI was over 40 before and now is under 30. My waist size has also gone from nearing 50 to under 40 as well.

My Weight Chart:

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☭ Is China Communist? Not as much as America! ☭

Is the People's Republic of China (PRC) or the United States of America (USA) more communist when it comes to socialized government services for the people?

☭Socialized Medicine?

• China – No.
• U.S.A. – Yes, for the poor and elderly currently.

☭Social Security?

• China – No.
• U.S.A. – Yes.

☭Taxpayer Funded Government Schools?

• China – No.
• U.S.A. - Yes.

☭Welfare via Robin Hood Taxation?

• China – No.
• U.S.A. – Yes.

So what exactly is it about communism that America opposes?

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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 5: "Being Called HaoJie Every Day"

Ever since CHEN JunYu knew of the Chinese name of HaoJie that TAN LiYuan gave me in May, she has called me by this name. I kind of got used to it in China, as she called me by this name and her sister called me HaoJie Gege, but now that I am back in America, each morning when I call CHEN JunYu, I get called by this name, so I am getting used to it here too. BTW If any of you are ever considering calling China or any other country, I suggest using Nuvio VOIP, as with Nuvio I only pay $0.02 USD, while Verizon, my cell phone provider wants to charge me $1.92 USD! Learn Mandarin, Cantonese, or any other dialect of Chinese for FREE!

Forget This!

Putting my dugg stories here was a big mistake I think. It buries (Digg pun not intended) the stories about my personal life, which is why people come here in the first place, I believe. So I am moving my dugg stories back to "This Too Was Dugg By…" at http://nstanosheck.wordpress.com

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Jet Lag Concluded

Finally last night I got a full night's sleep! I went to bed at 18:00 yesterday after work and then awoke at 03:00 for a full 9 hours of uninterrupted rest! Unfortunately the lines to China seem to be down so I was unable to call JunYu this morning. :-(

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Something New Is Brewing This December

This December stand up with your fellow Americans make a friendly, fun, and loud statement for freedom. Help us celebrate the Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party by sending our elected leaders a very special gift. A gift that symbolizes American Freedom, and our will to protect it!

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The Great Movement of Restoring Authentic Chinese Clothing

The main supporters of the restoring of authentic Chinese Clothing are young Chinese people who belong to the Han（漢） nation (the main peoples of China). These young Chinese people include college students and white-collar persons because they have enough time and energy to exchange thoughts by Internet and bring their ideas into effect…

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