Tête-à-tête

After being sabotaged by the printing ghost for two week's in a row, I'm almost ready to cry.

I've received a lot of mail regarding the cartoon vs. anime issue, and one interesting observation I made is that there are a lot of anime freaks out there in Dhaka. If you all want to get in touch with each other and form some sort of fan forum, mail me, and I'll try setting up a network for you to discuss anime through.

Meanwhile, our first letter this week is from Ophie, who writes:

"Anime and cartoon are two different things. The main difference between them is that a cartoon is mainly aimed at children and anime is made for everyone. However, Pokemon can be considered a cartoon, as it was an anime that was aimed at children. Pokemon teaches certain morals that are found in most cartoons but Dragonball Z was targeted at older boys and has a lot of violence. I'm sure most parents wouldn't be very comfortable letting the younger children watch Dragonball Z.

I have a question to ask, does in anybody in Bangladesh get Animax?"

Then we have one from Shunkaku, who says:
"You bet anime is a complete genre on it's own. The thing concerning anime is that most kids in BD either don't know about it or are too scared to admit that they know about it and like it. I know people who are up to 34 years old and still love anime. It really is a shame that we here in BD don't have a healthy supply of anime in the market. Anime like Fushigi Yuugi (Curious Play), Sailor Moon, Shadow Skill, Yu Yu Hakusho, Gundam Wing, Ghost in the Shell, El Hazard, though known all over the world, are alien language to most kids living in BD. Not only is anime known in Japan (its land of origin) and US, it is also well known in most European and East-Asian countries. Cartoon Network is trying but most of the anime that it airs (Pokemon & Transformers) are extremely childish like Scooby Doo. BTV is hopeless. first it used to air Samurai X, then it got extremely irregular with the routine, then it stopped altogether. AXN used to air a few really great anime but it stopped too. Now it's busy airing 'Hot and Wild' and 'Celebrity Uncensored'. What? Does no one care about the teenage population? Even in India they've started "Animax"- a total anime channel. It's not fair that we remain in the dark ages while our neighbors get enlightened by the glory of anime. Rising Stars is doing well by publishing anime review now and then."
Well, that's a lot of strong sentiment for one week. Till next week, take care!

Send your polls, opinions, and queries to thegirlnextdoor1@hotmail.com or teteatete_tgnd@yahoo.com
By The Girl Next Door

Do it yourself

Making a Battery (should NOT be tried by anyone under 14 years of age and without adult supervision)

The items required to be a battery are:
§ 20 or so pennies (the more the better)
§ Cardboard
§ Water
§ Salt
§ Aluminium Foil
§ Coated wire
§ Tape

Instructions:
1. First dissolve a few tablespoons of salt into a glass of water.
2. Trace one of the pennies onto the cardboard about 20 times.
3. Trace one of the coins onto the aluminium about 20 times as well.
4. Cut out the circles and make sure that they are all the same size. The more you cut, the better the battery will be.
5. Soak the cardboard circles in the salt water for about 20 minutes.
6. Start stacking the coins, cardboard and foil in this manner: COIN, SOAKED CARDBOARD CIRCLES, and ALUMINIUM FOIL CIRCLES.
7. Continue to stack this way until you have about 10 sets and there should be a penny on both the top and bottom of the stack.
8. Cut 2 pieces of wire about 4 inches long and strip all the ends of the wires.
9. Tape one wire to the penny on the top and the other wire to the penny on the bottom of the stack.
10. Go into a dark room and when you've adjusted to the darkness touch the two loose ends of the wire. This should create a SPARK.
11. If it doesn't work then add a few more sets of coins, cardboard circles and aluminum circles and try again.

By Shayera Moula

Buying gifts for men

Rule #1: When in doubt -- buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17, and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey, George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "Okay. By the way, are you through with my 3/8" socket yet?" Again, no one knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99 cent ice scraper, a small bottle of de-icer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he would not have invented jockey shorts.

Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a big screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips and flips and flips. Forget the program, your entertainment is watching him have fun!

Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. Men do not stink -- they are earthy.

Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #9: Never buy a man anything and then tell him he should read the instructions because the box says "some assembly required". It will ruin his Special Day. He will always have parts left over.

Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr Lumber, Home Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, Menards, Fleet Farms, and Lees Schwab Tire. NAPA Auto Parts and Sear's Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know what it is. From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks."

Rule #11: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook. But, they will barbecue. Get him a giant gas grill with a 100 pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh, the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #12: Tickets to a Dodgers game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why.

Rule #13: Men love chain saws. Never, ever, buy the man you love a chain saw. If you don't know why, please refer to Rule #8 (Remember what happens when he gets a label maker?)

Rule #14: It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a stepladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.

Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least the Boy Scouts. Nothing says "I love you" like a hundred feet of 3/8" manila rope. No one knows why. (AGS note: I prefer the 1/2" miulti-colored poly rope.)

Rule #16 NASCAR. Men love racing. Season passes if you are rich would make a nice gift...at least it gets the man out of the house 36 weekends a year...

RULE #17: Tarps. Men love tarps. Big ones - at least 10 x 12 feet. Helps haul the leaves out to the street. Make sure it is green or brown to remind him of the batchelor pad days with brown carpeting and green table cloths.

Appeal

Things people do

Number One Idiot of 2004
I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center. Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.
Here's your sign, lady. Wear it with pride.

Number Two Idiot of 2004
Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were
successful in getting it out of the plane and home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.
Here's your sign, guys. Don't get it wet; the paint might run.

Number Three Idiot of 2004
A true story out of San Francisco: A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the branch and wrote "this iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag." While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller's window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to Wells Fargo. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip. She told him that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and left. He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.

Don't bother with this guy's sign. He probably couldn't read it anyway.

Number Four Idiot of 2004
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, because I don't believe you are over 21. " The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him At that point, the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the Scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.
This guy definitely needs a sign!

Idiot Number Five of 2004
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him. This guy doesn't need a sign, he probably figured it out himself.

Idiot Number Six of 2004
Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. It seems the liquor store window was made of plexiglass. The whole event was caught on videotape. Oh, that smarts.
Give him his sign.

Idiot Number Seven of 2004
Ann Arbor: The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 12:50 A. M., flashed a gun and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.
Sign please.