My Mixolydian Melody

“You only lose what you cling to.” 

― Gautama Buddha

Cute cat can tell something’s different after its beloved mouse toy goes through the wash

31 JULY 2016       ROCKETNEWS24       OONA MCGEE

It’s never fun when someone makes a change to our things, no matter how well-intentioned they may be. Whether it’s washing a toddler’s comfort blanket or simply buying the wrong brand of laundry detergent, just the smallest change to the look and smell of a well-worn item can make it seem completely foreign to our senses, and it’s a problem that afflicts members of the feline world too.

Since posting the video online, it’s received more than 17,000 likes and retweets, with users leaving comments like: 

“This cat’s facial expression is just too adorable!”
“I’ve never seen a cat cocking its head to the side at an extreme angle like that before!”
“I’m going to wash my kitten’s toy to see if it reacts in the same way.”
“The different smell in the air must be confusing.”
“OMG this is honestly too cute. I wish these two could come and join my family.” 

Following the video, the two friends were thankfully reunited; despite the little mouse’s trip through the washing machine, the cat’s love for its toy was too strong to keep the two apart! To see the two cuddling contentedly, you can visit the cute kitty’s website, Funny Cat Rikku, for all the adorable photos. Read More

Did you know curry is so popular in Japan there is a series of Indian restaurant music CDs?

31 JULY 2016       ROCKETNEWS24       MASTER BLASTER

■ Where curry is king

For those who have never been to Japan, it might comes as a surprise that Indian restaurants – or more specifically curry restaurants – are really popular. However, just staying one night in an urban area of the country will reveal how prevalent they are. 

... ■ And you may ask yourself, “How did it get here?” 

Curry first made its way to Japan around the turn of the 19th century when Japan had opened its borders for easier international trade. Curry was indirectly introduced here by the British who had co-opted it from their then-colony of India. As such, there were some changes such as a lighter and sweeter taste, which caught on well in Japan. 

The British curry, or “curry rice” (kareraisu) also referred to simply as “curry” or (kare), became a permanent fixture in Japanese society and opened the door for more authentic “Indian curry” (indo kare) restaurants to set up shop in the land of the rising sun. Although their curries are closer to home, they’ll still serve sweeter and milder variations that the people here have come to know and love. 

... ■ Come for the curry, stay for the ambiance 

Indian curry restaurants are often small independent establishments and can also include shops run by people from Nepal, Bengal, or other South Asian countries. While these differences do bring some subtle variety to the flavor and decorations to these eateries, they all tend to be extremely similar to one another. 

They all have the same color scheme which runs from mustard yellow to orange or brown. They are all adorned with posters and art from their native countries, and they all pipe in Indian music like that Panjabi MC song from a while back (the version without Jay-Z). 

■ Indo Kareya No BGM 

Whenever I visit one of these places the music always stands out for me. It’s a strange mix of feelings. I’m not really familiar with Indian music so on a whole it tends to sound alien to me, and yet I’ve gone to Indian curry restaurants enough times that these songs also feel very familiar. 

I think a lot of Japanese people feel the same way, which is why Victor Entertainment released a series of CDs featuring the most frequently played songs in Indian curry restaurants in Japan. Different albums of Indian Curry Shop Background Music (Indo Kareya No BGM) contain different areas of Indian music such as Hold the Rice which highlights Indian classical music or Spicy with its more up-tempo and bass-heavy tracks possibly found in the more trendy curry places. 

There’s also The Road to Maharaja which contains songs by superstar Rajinikanth.

A new edition, Indian Curry Shop Background Music: 2020 will be released on 21 September. It carries an updated track list of the songs that soak into our brains like so much sauce into the crevices of naan. Read More

Pope to Young on Poland trip: Believe 'in a new humanity'

31 JULY 2016       ASSOCIATED PRESS       FRANCES D'EMILIO

KRAKOW, POLAND (AP) -- Pope Francis told young people who flocked by the hundreds of thousands to his words Sunday that they need to "believe in a new humanity" stronger than evil, and cautioned against concluding that one religion is more violent than others.

Organizers of the Catholic jamboree known as World Youth Day estimated 1.5 million youths attended his Mass at a meadow near Krakow, many of them having camped out in sleeping bags from a vigil service of prayer, singing and dance performances the previous evening. 

The jamboree, meant to infuse young Catholics with fresh passion for their religion, was the main reason Francis came to Poland on a five-trip, which also took him to the former Nazi Auschwitz death camp, where he prayed in silence and reflected on what he called "so much cruelty," and to a church in Krakow, where he prayed that God protect the world from the "devastating wave" of terrorism. 

... Flying back to Rome Sunday night from Krakow, he was asked by reporters why he has never used the word "Islam" when denouncing terrorist attacks. 

Francis said he thinks "it's not right to identify Islam with violence." 

He added that every religion has its "little group of fundamentalists.'" He said that if he speaks of violent Islam, he'd have to speak of violent Catholicism, since Catholics kill, too. 

Referring to Isis, also known as Islamic State group, Francis said it "presents itself with its violent identity card, but it's not Islam.'" 

... The pope used his several encounters with the young pilgrims - from mega-gatherings to a private lunch with only a dozen people from five continents - to encourage a new generation to work for peace, reconciliation and justice. 

God, said Francis in his final homily of the pilgrimage, "demands of us real courage, the courage to be more powerful than evil, by loving everyone, even our enemies."

"People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centered or small-minded," Francis told his flock. 

Earlier in his pilgrimage, Francis had expressed dismay that many people and places aren't welcoming enough to refugees or those fleeing poverty in their homelands. 

After more than 1 million people arrived on Europe's southern shores last year, some nations on the continent, notably in central and eastern Europe, hastily built fences to keep the refugees out. Poland has been among the EU countries that have refused to take in many Muslim refugees, saying it has already welcomed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian immigrants. Read More