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Dr. Ian R.K. Paisley
The Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God gave this title Antichrist to the apostasy of Christianity.
'Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. l have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
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And by funny, I mean dear sweet Jesus! I wasn't sure we were going to survive!! Forget L.A.Ink - this was more along the lines of Megadeath's Tattoo Parlor of Creepiness. Before you give me the eye roll, let me set the stage here.
I'm not opposed to tats - my brother has a few. I've joked about getting a chicken feather tattoo but I know that I'm too much of a chicken to follow through with it. I also read an article that said the fatter the person is the more pain they would experience. I don't know if that is true or not, but this chunky monkey isn't going to take any chances thank you very much!
This place was rated 3rd in the entire state. The area is up and coming, tons of little houses turned into shops and it's a cute area. We walk in and it was like falling into a pit from hell. Seriously. We walked right into some sort of invisible wall of creepiness. The guys all looked us both up and down, smirked, and said the coffee shop was next door.
Sissy said she had an appointment. While all that was going on, I started to look around the room. Big....fricken......mistake! I started to notice that all the hair on the back of my neck was standing at attention, which is odd because that neck hair is really on the lazy side just hanging out, not standing in formation. Cue some Megadeath music and my neck hair started sending Morse code for me to just bonk Sissy over the head and drag ourselves out of there real quick like.
Sensing my fear - a guy covered in tattoos and piercings planted himself near the door and gave off the vibe that he regularly sacrifices humans to his cult of choice.
Looks like we were in the full enchilada. I don't remember wanting an enchilada nor ordering one.
There I was - being all supportive of someone and I was getting eyeballed by Uncle Fester. It also didn't help that all of Sissy's friends bailed on her so I was to be the lone voice of wisdom. I am so fed up with people saying one thing with their mouths and then can't follow through with their actions. Wish people would learn to either be honest or shut the heck up! I was trying hard not to have my jaw hanging open as I looked at all the pictures and sculptures of death and straight up creepiness. And I was trying not to be a judgmental jerk, so I looked these guys in the eyes and smiled and did my best to be nice and joke around with them.
FYI - they didn't find me funny. They were amused at my presence but that was about it. Needless to say, I won't pine away wondering if Fester's day was brighter just by smiling at him. You could smell the crazy on him and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't see a bright day even if he was standing on the sun.
While I was sitting there trying not to make a sign of the cross, I started praying. Actually, I was praying before we even walked through the door. I had joked on the way there 'yay, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil' - who knew I was so prophetic?
Sissy picked out the word Believe, and it has a lot of meaning for her and this was between her and God. I can support that but looking around this room, I was freaked out and I could tell she was too. As I was praying I felt like God told me to look around the room again. I didn't want to but did. And I was still freaked out. The pictures of death were everywhere. There were pictures of tattoos showing as best as I can describe, a tortured soul condemned to the pit of evil. There was a statue of satan in the corner and the thing was looking at me no matter where I was standing.
Then it hit me - look at what Jesus saved us from. We can sit here and talk about demons and evil, and Jesus loves me cuz the bible tells me so, but to be in a room where the presence of evil was so thick you could almost physically touch it and to know that God sent His Son to rescue us from that evil was overwhelming. I was flooded with so much peace and knew Sissy was to go through with it. She sat down next to me and I leaned over and whispered all this in her ear and she was flooded with peace as well. It lined up with some things we were talking about earlier. Felt like it was a green light from God.
The guy called her back and got her all squared away on where it was going to be and had her prepped. I snapped a few pictures and she said it didn't hurt at all, which was surprising because it was on her ribcage. I sat down and put my phone away and dude was done.
Well, okay then!
The guy rattled off all the care she would need to do and I asked if they had that on paper because she isn't going to remember a single thing he just said. I was right too. She said she was mad at herself about how bad she was worked up over it. The guys were all teasing her saying it's not bad at all and when did she want another one. Then they all looked at me and I said, "oh, no!" I took a ton of ribbing but just smiled as I slowly inched my way towards the door.
Again, this chunky chick isn't taking any chances. If I want something that is going to cost a lot of money, cause me pain, and mark me for life - I would rather have another kid! Besides, how would I explain a chicken feather? Sissy's has meaning - mine would just be sarcastically silly.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
A Funny Thing Happened At The Tattoo Parlor
And by funny, I mean dear sweet Jesus! I wasn't sure we were going to survive!! Forget L.A.Ink - this was more along the lines of Megadeath's Tattoo Parlor of Creepiness. Before you give me the eye roll, let me set the stage here.
Posted by Joanna at 1:38 AM
Labels: As the Chicken Clucks, chicken, inked, Sissy
1 comments:
- Lorraine said...
Oh my, that was better than a WalMart story, and you really got me when you said it was a visual of what we have been saved from. Never saw that coming! So glad you both survived!!
- January 5, 2014 at 3:12 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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When we don't feel like it...
The picture was not taken for the blog... it's just a place I like and wanted to register - on Yonge, south of Eglinton (for the ones who are familiar with Toronto).
Brightening up
Montréal... encore !
What do I like about this look? The colours!
Scarf and skirt:
Boots (from a local store in Montreal):
Happy New Year!
Nothing too special for New Year's Eve, since we had our dinner at home. I did wear, though, a golden skirt (which seems dark in the picture), boots, a hat, and a brand new T-shirt (tradition says one should always wear something new to start up fresh).
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This recipe came about because I wanted to make spinach dip for a barbecue. Spinach dip is usually made with dried soup, but after I bought a packet, I read the ingredients, which I've gotten into the habit of doing these days, and was put off by the presence of monosodium glutamate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate and sulfites. (For more information on some of these chemicals, see my earlier blog entry on food additives.)
I decided it would be an interesting challenge to create my own, soup-mix-free dip. And here it is. You can replace the goat yoghurt with standard cow yoghurt or the more traditional sour cream, but I find that the goat yoghurt imparts an unusual and delicious flavour to the dip. It is also easier to digest (for humans, that is) than cow dairy and lower in fat than sour cream.
- 1 1/4 cup goat yoghurt (or 1 cup thick sour cream)
- 10 oz spinach
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced or put through press
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 oz water chestnuts, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- Freshly-ground pepper to taste
- 1 large round bread (optional)
Line a colander with cheese cloth and put the yoghurt into it. Place the colander in the sink or a bowl and leave for an hour to strain. If you are using thick sour cream, skip this step.
If you are using fresh spinach, tear off stems (unless it's baby spinach, in which case you can get away with leaving the stems on). Wash and leave some of the water on. Cook until wilted--a couple of minutes on the stove top, or ten to fifteen minutes in a preheated solar oven*. If you're using frozen spinach, thaw. Either way, squeeze out excess water and chop.
Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise together in a bowl. Add garlic, onion, red pepper, water chestnuts, salt and pepper and mix well. Blend spinach into mixture. Chill for a couple of hours.
If you are using a bread bowl, prepare it just before serving so the bread won't get soggy. Slice the top off and cut or scoop out the inside, leaving walls of reasonable thickness, at least an inch I'd say. Spoon dip into hollowed-out bread. Cut up the leftover bread (from the top and inside) to use for dipping.
If you're not using a bread bowl, serve the dip in an ordinary bowl with tortilla chips, crackers, pita chips, toast points or... anything you want, really.
If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think by posting a comment. If you think the version with dried soup in it is better, feel free to let me know that too.
*We bought a solar oven this summer. I am thoroughly enamoured of it and yes, I used it to cook the spinach for this dip. The brand we bought is Sun Oven, but as that's the only type of solar oven I've ever used, I'm not going to advocate it over other brands. The Sport Solar Oven looks good too. It is more basic as well as cheaper, and the reflector is sold separately. If you want to make your own solar oven, you can find oodles of directions on the Internet.


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Last Thursdays class was a great for Wendy, Patsy, Merrilyn and Stella, with plenty of one on one time. We were a small but very productive group,as some of the girls are on holidays or had to work. We had a visit from Kim's mum Joan and Aunty Judith, to help Kim get ready for the Buderim Quilt Show for the weekend.
|Merrilyn with the quilt she has made for her dad
|Patsy with Aunty Judith and Herb looking on
Wendy, Julie, Helen and myself went to the Quilt Show on Friday. We had a great morning catching up with friends/quilter from other groups. There was a great display of beautiful quilts, with a nice variety of styles and techniques. We saw a beautiful Australian inspired Baltimore, a hand quilted Double Wedding Ring, with trupunto, a hand quilted wholecloth. Also on display was some Crazy Patch and the Textile groups challenge.
|Debbie Christie's beautiful crazy patch
|Wendy admiring the bag challenge
|Pamela and Joan manning Kimz stall
|Julie, Wendy and Helen pointing to their favorite piece from the Textile Group challenge
|Helen admiring the hand quilting on Debbie's lovely quilt
I have a lot more photos of the beautiful quilt from this show but unable to get permission to show them on my blog.
So after a great morning looking at quilts the only thing to do was go out for lunch. We found a nice cafe right next door to a dress shop. What a nice way to spend the day with friends.
Happy Stitching


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I love this awesome country! Sometimes I wonder with the government we have and the leaders of this country making choices that I don't agree with but i still love this country. I loved in a country with socialized medicine and don't want that, I have visited places where the government is corrupt and has lost a lot of control and I don't want that, and I know that even with all the "stuff" going on I don't like this is still a blessed country. We sang the national anthem yesterday in church and I had tears come to my eyes. What a great song to remind up of all that has com into making and keeping this country free. Free to choose, free to live, free to speak and free to worship. We are free to raise our children how we want to, free to defend our home and family. My sister has a brother in law that just arrived in Afganastan and he has been sending letters telling about the conditions there and what they are having to live with and endure. I am so grateful for those who are willing to leave their home and family to defend our country and those that cannot defend themselves. SO with that I just want to day!
I am so thankful for the beautiful land in which I live! And I truly hope that God will continue to Bless America!


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Barack Obama is no liberal, something I sensed very early on. I didn't vote for him and I would never vote for him, and frankly it doesn't matter one bit whether I would "like" the guy personally. This is how conservatives elected Bush, based on whether or not they would have a beer with him (note: Bush is a dry drunk who doesn't drink, but I guess it was a metaphor).
Obama's decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan, his decision to do nothing about the banking system, and now this, have all proven Obama is nothing but a traditionalist moderate who will work to keep the country's status quo. About the only thing liberal about him is his stance on fixing health care: sans-testicles.
At what point will Obama act in the interests of those all-too-adorable liberals who elected him? Extending federal benefits to gay couples would just be too big of a victory for those homos who voted for him, I guess.
Of course, even if he seemed to be on their side, you'd have to wait for the actual results. Obama claimed to have ended the war on drugs, but people are still being arrested and filling prison cells for drug use. There's really nothing about Obama I respect anymore, because he stands for nothing (which explains why he can't stand up to Republicans).
The worst part has been trying to defend him against the insane ramblings of those who would bury this country in a mountain of guns and debt. Conservatives are running around with their hair on fire like the Red Army is marching on Washington, meanwhile Obama is doing absolutely nothing to rally those who he actually has a chance of impressing.
Barack Obama: you're an ineffectual child. Grow a pair, you fucking faggot-hater. Or have they just not dropped yet?


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should be tied to the states' putting together a sustainable plan for their future budgets. Tim Fernholz, in response to a similar argument, suggests that "refusing state aid is like denying water to a burning building until it is brought up to code".
He has a point. But, while I can't speak for others and he wasn't responding to me, it's not necessary to demand that the states remedy all of their problems before getting aid. My argument is not that states should be denied aid until their problems are solved. My argument is that they must create and implement reforms likely to create and sustain a balanced budget, starting perhaps a couple of years from now.
I wrote my comment seven months ago, after states got money without any requirement for reform. So, how are the states doing on implementing sustainable reforms on their own initiative? For the most part, not well. I respect Fernholz's argument that "States are already making hard choices and cutting their budgets", but really, among the hard choices some states should be facing is whether it's time to reform their tax structures. States that choose to have a regressive income tax, or choose to freeze property taxes based upon the value of land at the time it is purchased, have made a deliberate choice - and easy one - to cater to wealthier interests.
It may be a "hard choice" for the legislators in those states to cut Medicare benefits and housing subsidies, but it's "hard" in a different way than it would be to implement meaningful tax reform or to cut subsidies that benefit groups that are wealthy or who reliably show up for elections and vote. Legislators often seem to be crying crocodile tears when they talk of the impact of their policies on children or the poor. Threaten the flow of campaign contributions, and those tears become real.
Yes, this crisis "is about people", but that was true last year, it's true this year, and unless something changes it's going to be true next year, the year after that, the year after that....


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The demise of research libraries
As a long-time bibliophile, I love libraries. Earlier in the year, I wrote about the demise of bookshops in response to news that physical bookshops were struggling to compete with their digital counterparts. Yesterday, I read this opinion piece entitled The Crisis in Research Librarianship. In it, the writer, Rick Anderson, laments the demise of research libraries and questions what it is that we value about research libraries, both from a current and historical perspective. Scarcity of information and financial expense, traditionally two catalysts for libraries, have now been greatly diminished in a world where almost anything is available online, leaving us to question the true value of research libraries.
Anderson suggests that the value of research libraries is now determined by a new type of currency, that is, not money but time and attention. To quote, "We procure for our patrons products (books, articles, etc) and offer services (bibliographic instruction, one-on-one research guidance, etc) that we believe are valuable, and our patrons choose whether or not to invest time in our offerings based on the value they expect to gain from doing so" (p. 1). As with the bookshop scenario, rather than focusing on the demise of a traditional system which aptly served its purpose in a particular way, why not look at how libraries are changing or evolving to meet the needs of today's learners?
As an undergrad student, I spent many late nights in the closed reserve section of the Victoria University library, waiting to use one of two copies of a required book but made available to students in my course for up to two hours at a time and only on the premises. I would rapidly take notes on sections I thought might help me with assignments and crossed my fingers that there would be synergies with information from other books that would be available later in the night after another student had finished their two hours with them. It was a very stressful way to study, especially as deadlines loomed.
Fast forward to my postgraduate study and research libraries took on a whole new function for me. I never physically set foot in Otago University's library, as I lived in a different city, yet used it extensively to call up copies of research journals, books, articles and texts which would be sent to me by post or email. I could evaluate content by reading abstracts online and sometimes even access full text articles. Although I did most of the searching for materials myself via the library's online database, Otago's research librarians were extremely helpful when I got stuck tracking down sources, expanding on searches for my meta-analysis, needed to arrange an interloan, or do something else I couldn't manage from home. True, they weren't carrying out the same role they might have when I first started tertiary study ten years earlier, but their newly evolved role was just as valuable to me as a student. I don' t know how anyone would go about measuring a return on investment for services of this kind, but I'd hate to see the demise of specialist research librarian skills and services.
Rick Anderson, The Crisis in Research Librarianship, The Journal of Academic Librarianship (20110, doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2011.04.001 Retrieved 7 July 2011 from http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/ir-main&CISOPTR=60090&CISOMODE=print


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The effects of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on the central thermoeffector threshold temperatures and width of the interthreshold zone
Dies, Natalie.
MetadataShow full item record
Basal body temperature (BBT) and thermoeffector thresholds increase following ovulation in many women. This study investigated if solely central thermoregulatory alterations are responsible. Seven females in a non-contraceptive group (NCG) were compared with 5 monophasic contraceptive users (HCG) on separate accounts: pre-ovulation (Trial I; d 2-5) and post-ovulation (Trial 2; 4-8 d post-positive ovulation) for NCG, and active phase for HCG (d 2-5, d 18-21). During immersion in 28°C water to the axilla, participants exercised for 20-30 min on an underwater ergometer. After steadily sweating, immersion continued until metabolism increased two-fold due to shivering. Rectal (Tre) BBT was not different between trials for neither NCG (1: 37.34±0.16°C; 2: 37.35±0.27°C) nor HCG. At exercise termination, Tre forehead sweating cessation increased (P<0.05) in trial 2 irrespective of group (1: 37.55±0.39°C; 2: 37.90±0,46°C). Tre shivering onset did not increase (P>0.05) in trial 2 (1: 36.91±0.50°C; 2: 37.07±0,45°C). The widths of the interthreshold zone increased (P<0.05) in trial 2 (1: 0.64±0.22°C; 2: 0.82±0.37°C) due to the increased sweating threshold only. HCG cooled quicker (1: -l.15±0,43°C; 2: -1.00±0.50°C) than NCG participants (1: - 0.58±0.22°C; 2: -0.52±O.29°C), and tympanic (Tty) sweat thresholds were significantly (P<0.05) decreased (1: 34.76±0.54°C; 2: 35.39±0.61°C) versus NCG (l: 35.57±0.77°C; 2: 35.89±1.04°C). Lastly, Tre and Tty thresholds were significantly different (P<O.05) for all thresholds within the same trial. In conclusion, BBT is not a reliable indicator of ovulation, only the central thermoregulatory drive for sweating is altered by menstrual phase, contraceptive users have enhanced thermal sensitivities, and Tty opposed to Tre provides different measures of core temperature.


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House Sitter in Midvale
Hi! My name is Charlie. I'm 28 years old. I was married this past April. When it comes to living spaces, I am definitely very neat, clean, and respectful of other peoples' belongings. If presented with an opportunity to house-sit, I would take care of the house even better than how I take care of my house! I know what it's like to be away and have priorities at the home front not taken care of. I can water and feed plants, take out trash and recycling, make sure all lights are turned off, collect mail, shovel snow -- whatever you want and need. Trust and loyalty are characteristics that are very important to me. Please let me know what I can do for you.
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These next few days will be Blues orientated :
Seasick Steve @ L' Album de la Semaine on Monday 16th Feb .
It's a free gig for a tv recording ( he will play 40 min live ) For Booking call NOW Bertrand on 01 55 93 40 48
Studio 104 is situated @ Plaine St Denis North of Paris , 5 min walk from Porte de la Chapelle.
Great videos from La blogotheque:
Popa Chubby @ L' Album de la Semaine on Feb 17th ( same venue and booking Call NOW )
Samuel James @ Maroquinerie on Feb 21st
Live Video HERE


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It was a great day! They loved it! Mommy it a a little sad though....my babies are growing up! It won't be long until they are starting school.....
The night before my c-section
Baby A
Baby A was 4 lbs. and 8 oz and 18 inches long
Baby B
Baby B was 4 lbs. and 11 ozs. and was 18 in long.
My Sweet little twins!
Baby A and his cake!
Baby A now weighs 22 lbs!! and is 29 1/4 inch long!! He is mommy's little "tank"
Baby B and her cake!
Baby B is now 18 lbs and 28 inches long!! Looking at her now, you never would think that she was the bigger one!!
Baby A after his cake!! (he loved it!!)
Baby B was not nearly as into it as Baby A.
Needless to say it was a wonderful day. We also got baths right away. Baby A had icing in his ear, I didn't think we would ever get them clean.


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A sneak peak of my new black and white collection
I am doing a trade show next week, it is quite different from a retail show. It is for handmade/micro businesses. There has been several articles about how trade shows and the big fashion week shows will soon need to rethink their concept. Large shows are extremely expensive, and so tends to represent huge corporate type business and most of the items are massed produced in other countries. It was quite disheartening trying a big show and the boys and I are setting a simple hand crafted booth next to a big company with a full construction crew putting up a mini department store. In today's economy I think the smaller shows will be much more important. Online sources will be important, but I do feel that buyers do like to see products in person, especially for buying new work. The BMAC and ACRE type shows seem much more important in this economy as well. I think people are looking for unique items, really appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making items on a small scale, and can meet a speak with the people who are doing the work. These shows are doing a good job of scaling down a bit and offering incentives to help artisans participate.
I titled this Fashion Friday, and I do feel this relates to discussions in the past about what we want to wear and making and wearing unique/creative fashions and sourcing products made with more thought to social justice and environmental issues. It is all about trying to find a balance for me, I use new and reclaimed materials and do some smaller trade shows to get meet the buyers and will be selling on line soon.
This is my last post for this blog everything will be on the new format Tuesday.


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We have, here, the sum total at the foot of the account. They were, in all, 600,000 fighting men, and 3,550 over. Some think that, when this was their number some months before (Exodus 38.26), the Levites were reckoned with them but, now that tribe was separated for the service of God, yet so many more had, by this time, attained to the age of twenty years, as that, still, they were the same number, to show that, whatever we part with for the honor and service of God, it shall certainly be made up to us, one way or another.
Now, we see what a vast body of men they were. Let us consider (1) how much went to maintain all these (besides twice as many more, no question, of women and children, sick and aged, and the mixed multitude) for forty years together in the wilderness. And they were all at God's finding every day, having their food from the dew of heaven and not from the fatness of the earth. O, what a great and good housekeeper is our God, who has such numbers depending on Him and receiving from Him every day!
(2) What work sin makes with a people. Within forty years, most of them would indeed have died, of course, for the common sin of mankind for, when sin entered the world, death came with it, and how great are the desolations which it makes in the earth! But, for the particular sin of unbelief and murmuring, all those who were now numbered, except two, laid their bones under their iniquity and perished in the wilderness.
(3) What a great multitude God's spiritual Israel will amount to at last, though, at one time and in one place, they seem to be but a little flock. Yet, when they come all together, they shall be a great multitude, innumerable (Revelation 7.9). And, though the church's beginning be small, its latter end shall greatly increase. A little one shall become a thousand. – Matthew Henry (1662-1714). Comment at Numbers 1.44-46.


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Somerset Borough officials will soon know the details needed to carry out an aquatic life study of the Laurel Hill Creek as part of a water allocation permit renewal.
Borough Manager Benedict G. Vinzani Jr. received a letter Tuesday from the Department of Environmental Protection outlining the requirements needed to do the study.
Vinzani is in the process of distributing the letter to the Borough Council, the Somerset Water Municipal Authority and Borough solicitor John "Jack" Dirienzo Jr. for review prior to developing a response.
"We will contact the DEP very shortly concerning the letter," he said. First, however, borough officials need to consult with engineers to figure out exactly what the study involves, and how much the study will affect the municipality's pocketbook.


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Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!
Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays; every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners w ho are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows. The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million.
A couple adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.
The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.
Yep, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again.
He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the! border.
He's kind of a "Git-R Dun" kind of Sheriff.
NOTE: The above blog was borrowed from firstname.lastname@example.com
America is NOT at War ! The US Military is at War. America is at the MALL!http://firstname.lastname@example.com
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Posted by Michael at Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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... President Barack Obama enjoys widespread backing from a frightened American public for his ambitious, front-loaded agenda, a new poll indicates.
He is more popular than ever, Americans are hopeful about his leadership, and opposition Republicans are getting drubbed in public opinion, the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests.
To me this poll from the Wall Street Journal offers proof that denial is a powerful thing. Article here.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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Oh, damn. From the Times comes the sad news that Sally Ride, the first woman in the US astronaut corps, has died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 61. She was a physicist, a rare enough thing for women of her age; she was so respected that she sat on both investigatory boards following the destruction of the shuttles Challenger and Columbia. She did a tremendous amount for women and girls in the sciences, as a visible scientist and through many major efforts.
The very private Dr. Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Dr. Tam O'Shaughnessy, who is also the CEO of Sally Ride Science. I think that might be for Tamara, after a look at the company web site.
Lisa Hirsch's Classical Music Blog.
The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time.
Opinions expressed on this blog are mine and not my employer's.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sally Ride
2 comments:
- sfmike said...
You mean to say Ride, Sally, Ride was a lesbian? Wow. That's sort of perfect.
- July 23, 2012 at 7:49:00 PM PDT
- Lisa Hirsch said...
It is.
There was a husband at some point, a fellow astronaut, so lesbian, bi, dunno.
- July 23, 2012 at 9:48:00 PM PDT
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Does the pregnant boys ad go too far?
Ads are popping up in Chicago in hopes of curtailing the city's high teen pregnancy rate, but instead of depicting pregnant teenage girls, the ads show pregnant boys. Is this an insanely clever marketing campaign, a waste of money, or just plain offensive?
If you are in the Chicago area, you might see ads aimed to reduce teen pregnancy rates on city buses and trains — but instead of the usual image of a teenage girl, you're greeted with a photo of a shirtless teenage boy, complete with a burgeoning belly and a downcast face.
The Chicago Department of Public Health's teen pregnancy prevention campaign is certainly turning some heads. The new ads feature the images of "pregnant" boys along with the slogan, "Unexpected? Most teen pregnancies are." The ads encourage teens to visit BeYouBeHealthy.org, a website that provides information about contraception, relationships and sex. Is this effort to reduce the city's teen pregnancy rates a genius marketing ploy, or a silly — or even offensive — waste of energy and money?
Absolutely clever
No matter how you feel about the ads, you have to admit that they're eye-catching. If you get a glimpse out of the corner of your eye of a teen boy with a pregnant belly, you're going to give that picture more attention. And this is where the appeal lies with moms. "I think they grab your attention, and I appreciate that they use both options of abstinence and safe sex methods in the same awareness campaign," shared Jenn, mom of one.
Sharing responsibility
Others feel that it's great that boys are acknowledged in the ad instead of girls solely shouldering the responsibility for teen pregnancy. "I think it's awesome," explained Brooke, mom of one. "I'm sick of the 'don't get raped, don't get pregnant, don't have sex' mantra that is usually only targeted at young women. This might seem borderline silly because obviously men can't get pregnant, but I think it's amazing that maybe it will make boys realize that they need to take responsibility for their actions too."
Missing the mark
While the message is a good one, Niki, mom of one, feels that it really won't make a difference amongst the audience that needs to understand the meaning the most — teens. "I like what they are trying to accomplish, but I think it's not really going to make a big impact amongst teenagers," she said. "Generally speaking, teenagers never think it's going to happen to them. I think it's going to speak louder to parents than to the teens themselves."
Comments on the campaign are generally very positive and indicate that it's well received, but some feel the ads are borderline creepy or outright offensive. "I get this kinda weird, pedo-feel to it," stated a commenter on the New York Daily News site. "I mean, why do they have to be shirtless? Could they just lif[t] up their shirts, or be wearing t-shirts? What's up with that pose by the blonde? Why is the black kid in his underwear?"
Most, however, felt that the ads were definitely a step in the right direction, and have enough shock value to grab the casual public transit user and raise some awareness — hopefully enough to carve down the teen pregnancy rate in Chicago.
Image courtesy of Chicago Department of Public Health Facebook
More on teens
How to deal: Your teenage daughter is pregnant
Yearbook bans teen mom's photo with baby
Are we glamorizing teen moms?


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...And then I saw it.
"The critical hit % reduction from Defense and Resilience % may be combined to reduce the chance of being critically hit by a raid boss by 5.6% making the player immune to critical hits." -- WoWWiki
Shot at 2008-03-13
Shot at 2008-03-13
Unless I've misunderstood those numbers (1.2% + 4.97% = 6.17%), I had become crit immune without realizing it. WoWWiki lists a macro I can run to double-check:
If the value reported by the macro is zero or negative, then I really am uncrittable against level 73 bosses. What a milestone!
Edit: Confirmed.


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Combined with the solar heated water, the home energy improvements that I fitted in 2007 (efficient heating / lighting /refrigeration and effective loft insulation) have reduced our home's energy usage by 33% since 2006.
Our total gas and electricity consumption in 2006 was 30.4 MWh and this resulted in 8 Tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2008, our total home energy usage fell by 10 MWh to 20.4 MWh, avoiding 2.7 Tonnes CO2 emissions.
At current prices, this energy saving is giving me a cash return of £510 a year! That makes for a likely payback period on my investment in home energy efficiency and solar hot water of just 12 years.
Without the big ticket items (solar panel, condensing boiler), many households would see a payback within 2-3 years on simple investments like top-up loft insulation, heating controls, efficient light-bulbs and replacing outdated fridges and freezers with the most energy-efficient modern units. So what's stopping them? I suspect they simply don't realise how much energy their homes are wasting and how much it is costing them!
In my last post, I said that I hoped to arrange local screenings of "The Age of Stupid". The producer, Franny Armstrong, has now set a start date for licensing such events of 22 May.
Visit http://www.indiescreenings.net/ to calculate the license fee and register for your screening.
I hope my children's schools will agree to show the film and I will try to get some inspiring speakers along to give the audiences some big ideas for cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. I shall also use these occasions to advise anyone who has yet to start making their home more energy efficient that they could save around £10 a week on heating and electricity bills, with just the basic energy-saving home improvements.
We also need a national campaign to persuade millions of voters to lobby their MPs about Copenhagen 2009, where the nations of the world will come together to agree a successor to the Kyoto protocol from 2012. The Age of Stupid website is promising just such a campaign - Pete Postlethwaite signed their pledge in front of Ed Miliband, on stage at the film's Premiere in Leicester Square in March. More details coming soon at http://www.ageofstupid.net/notstupid


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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ford F150
I told y'all I'd give you a little update on my latest vehicle...a 1988 Ford F150! It is a huge truck and the perfect Tahoe car. I'm excited to haul my paddleboard around in it in the summertime, and I really want to buy a camper shell for it and take it on outings! Even though it broke down two days after I got it up here and got stuck in the snow, I still love it. It has so much personality! It's funny, people have started to recognize me driving in already because it is so obvious. It's like my neon blue ski helmet!
Do any of you have really distinctive cars?
12 comments:
- Stef / Diversions said...
Yay! Congrats on your new truck :)
- April 28, 2011 at 11:52 AM
- Amber Blue Bird said...
my husband would love to drive that truck!
- April 28, 2011 at 11:59 AM
- Michal said...
ha so cool! I love old pick-ups. My dream car is a pastel colored 1950s pick-up truck. Right now I just have a subaru, like a skillion other people in NH. Oh well, maybe one day...
- April 28, 2011 at 3:32 PM
- Fishing for Dragonflies said...
Congrats on the truck! Definitely my favorite type of vehicle, subarus come in a close tie though! Great pictures (:
- April 28, 2011 at 8:46 PM
- Rachel said...
Beautiful pics! The colors are so lovely. :)
- April 29, 2011 at 8:01 AM
- Marisa Violeta said...
Such wonderful pictures of your truck! :) Oh, and sadly I don't own a car!
- April 29, 2011 at 2:06 PM
- Raquel said...
The pictures are gorgeous!
The only distinctive thing about my car is its colour, it is electric blue :) apart from that no, only a little citroen, that stayed in portugal.
- April 30, 2011 at 4:51 PM
My car is pretty unique its a 1977 jeep cj5 golden eagle,built it up by myself...i just love 1988 xl f150's they ride like cadillacs sadly yours is a little worse for the wear.
- May 1, 2011 at 3:18 PM
- M & Em said...
That is absolutely adorable. I want an old truck; It's like my dream car. I think it would provide such a contrast with my 5 foot frame and girly style.
- May 7, 2011 at 2:11 PM
- kate said...
oh it IS so lovely. i'm glad to know we have such similiar tastes in vehicles. your blog is also quite charming. thank you for reading mine and thank you for sharing!
- May 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM
- Agata Wijaya said...
you are so amazing!
i really love the way you are.
i love to read your blog and adore every single style, every single picture and every single story that you post in this blog:)
really nice shoot<3
i hope that i will have an old car. really want it so bad :(
- June 2, 2011 at 9:49 AM
- Tari Ledsome said...
Wow, congratulations on your new pickup. I agree, those 80's era F150's are the bomb. Great pictures too. Did you use a LOMO camera on these? Hmm, in my case, I think my Mitsubishi Evolution VI is the most distinct because of its pink and white color.
- December 13, 2011 at 11:43 AM


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What is London Village?
London Village (previously known as New London and Who Zone) is a Second Life sim ran by Kat Kassner and Laredo Lowtide. Kat's vision for London Village is a fair and friendly working community that embraces all who are likewise fair and friendly. It's focus is on the England city London with a nod towards British science-fiction including the likes of Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and a host of popular fantasy fiction that originated from the Isles.
The sim is non profit (in fact, like most sims in Second Life, it technically runs at a loss), with the in-sim company "New London Systems" helping to bridge the costs. If the sim breaks even, it's a rare and great day. Point is, the sim isn't here to make money, money just keeps it here!
London Village isn't an attempt to model a sim on the metropolis, it's more a graceful homage to the city. We represent as many of London Village's iconic buildings as possible including Big Ben, Albert Hall, BT Tower, Tower of London, Tower Bridge and even the Millennium Bridge as sim landmarks.
While London Village very much works to simply provide a sim people will enjoy, we do stretch our arms a little further. We have several in-world groups that support New London and we support them in return. The sim operates several Second Life groups to support a wider community than London Village:
England in SL – a network for England based sims/events working together to promote their events and provide easy navigation for visitors looking to find great English focused places within Second Life.
FAI (Fans against Intolerance) – a new group to strength those who suffer bullying and antagonism and being ostracised in Second Life (and believe me, it's very prevalent, especially in Doctor Who sims)
Timelords Club (The Doctor Who Zone) – a long-standing Doctor Who group dedicated to Doctor Who.
We're a sim which has always maintained regular events and entertainment. We have weekend music events, often with fancy dress and prizes. We cater for both the London and the Sci-Fi in how we theme these. We have live singers and a wide array of regular and guest DJs.
We also host "Radio Theatre", an audio drama establishment build in homage to the BBC building in London. There we put on a variety of dramas – some from Big Finish, authorised by Big Finish themselves (so please go to BigFinish.com and support their fantastic Doctor Who and beyond range).
We have a local pub that does occasional pub quizzes and music nights.
We have regular fishing events who enjoy using the London Village Thames as a place to make a catch or two!
Every year we do annual events including the incredibly popular summer 3 day festival,Whofest in our New Greenwich Park .
We are also linked to Doctor Who online magazine Kasterborous.com, who have helped build a great Doctor Who Exhibition for the sim's Doctor Who Zone. Below that exhibition we have our popular Freebie Factory which has all sorts of freebies ranging from Chuckle Brothers gestures to sonic screwdrivers!
In the end, we're just a group of London and science-fictions fans looking to entertain, chat, have fun and enjoy Second Life.
outstanding blog , loved every word 😛


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Monday, July 23, 2012
The Majesty of Prayer
Title: THE MAJESTY OF PRAYER: Encounters with God's Amazing Grace
Author: John MacArthur
Photographer: Dennis Frates
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
July 2012
Genre: Inspirational/prayer/giftbook
Through prayer, we talk to God—we can pour our hearts out to God. We can tell Him about our joys, concerns, hopes and fears. We're invited to draw upon His infinite power, wisdom, and strength as the Lord of all creation.
As you read through these prayers, you can tune your heart and experience God's amazing grace in your life.
I have to say that this is the most beautiful prayer book I've ever seen. I read the prayers out loud, either to myself or to my children, and my spirit is just completely moved in worship and praise to God. The pictures too are gorgeous, mountains and bodies of water, wonderful creations of God.
If you are looking for a unique gift book for someone in your life, then THE MAJESTY OF PRAYER is just the thing. Buy one for a friend and one for yourself. It'd be beautiful as a coffee table book—or to jumpstart your daily devotions. $17.99 hardcover. 48 pages.
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- About Us
- Affiliates
- Issues & Victories
- Press
- Testimonials
- Organizing Tools
- Training
Mon Jul 20, 2015
Express-News Recognizes COPS as Impetus for Palo Alto College -San Antonio Express News
At the first convention of Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS) in 1974, Fernando Rodriguez Jr. introduced a resolution to open a community college on the West Side or South Side. Berriozábal remembers the idea of such a college was a hard sell for local officials....
Fri Jul 17, 2015
Metro IAF: Here's a Way to Control Guns -New York Times
For more than a year, we and fellow religious leaders across the nation have worked to persuade President Obama to use what we believe is the most powerful tool government has in this area: its purchasing power. The federal government is the nation's top gun buyer. It purchases more than a quarter of the guns and ammunition sold legally in the United States. State and local law enforcement agencies also purchase a large share. Major gun manufacturers depend on these taxpayer-funded purchases. For the government to keep buying guns from these companies — purchases meant to ensure public safety — without making demands for change is to squander its leverage....
Fri Jul 10, 2015
Judge Slams NYCHA Officials for No-Show at (Metro IAF) Mold Hearing -Daily News
"A judge overseeing NYCHA's flailing efforts to clean up its toxic mold problem ripped into agency officials for being no-shows at a hearing Friday.
A lone NYCHA lawyer showed up, but none of the top brass appeared in Manhattan Federal Court to answer why they've failed to live up to a 2013 promise to abate mold in decrepit apartments.
"Why wouldn't some policy-making, decision-making official of NYCHA be here?" fumed Judge William Pauley. "I can't believe they have more important things to do.""
Thu Jul 9, 2015
Arnie Graf Awarded 2015 Change Champion in Community Organizing -Center for Community Change
"It was the mid-1960s and Arnie Graf, a 19-year-old student at the mostly segregated University of Buffalo, found himself witnessing discrimination in a very personal way. "Being Jewish, we had separate fraternities and groups by the charters that were in place," he recalls.
One place that did welcome students of all backgrounds was the recreational basketball league, which Arnie joined. At the end of a winning season the team went out for a drink, but "when I went to the bartender to get the beer for the table, and was denied service because one member of our team was African American, I lost my cool and..."
Thu Jul 9, 2015
BUILD Hopeful About New Commissioner -Baltimore Sun
"Leaders of a community coalition that called for the resignation of Anthony Batts say the city has an opportunity for a fresh start after the police commissioner's firing.
Before Wednesday, Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development members had never before called for a police commissioner's resignation in the history of the 38-year-old organization. At Trinity Baptist Church on Thursday, they said they were pleased that interim Commissioner Kevin Davis says he will focus on his relationship with residents and the rank and file, but acknowledged that many don't know much about Davis yet....
Thu Jul 9, 2015
City of Vancouver to Become Living Wage Employer -Vancouver Courier
Gloria Roque earns a living wage as a teacher, but since she works at an inner city school, she knows many parents who don't.
That's why Roque was among those who rallied at city hall Wednesday morning in support of Mayor Gregor Robertson's motion for the City of Vancouver to become a certified living wage employer. The motion passed unanimously.
Metro Vancouver Alliance and Living Wage for Families staged the rally, which was timed to precede council's discussion on the motion.
Wed Jul 8, 2015
BUILD's Call for Resignation Leads to Dismissal of Police Commissioner -Baltimore Sun
At 12:37am Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, a group with 40 member congregations, schedules a Thursday news conference where they said they would call on Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts to resign.
"At a time of an unprecedented level of violence in Baltimore, Commissioner Batts clearly does not have a visible plan to stop the violence," the group says in a news release. "BUILD has met with Commissioner Batts twice since the unrest in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray. Both times, he committed to publicly announce his plan to address the crisis of violence plaguing Baltimore. He has failed. If he has a plan, it clearly is not working."
Wed Jul 1, 2015
COPS / Metro Fights Battle to Raise Wages in San Antonio -San Antonio Current
Communities Organized for Public Service and the Metro Alliance, or COPS/Metro, one of the leading wage advocacy groups in San Antonio, started its living wage campaign about a year ago. The goal is to raise hourly wages for public workers to at least $14.91 — the average amount needed for a family four to stay off government assistance such as food stamps.
Father Mike DeGerolami, pastor of St. Timothy Catholic Church and a member of COPS/Metro, said the group maintains that "if you're working full time, especially for a public entity ... you shouldn't have to seek public assistance."
Mon Jun 29, 2015
Metro Vancouver Alliance Builds Bridges and Makes Things Happen -Vancouver Sun
The new Metro Vancouver Alliance is devoted to bringing people of different faiths and beliefs together for the sake of the "common good."
And it recently marked a significant success when Alliance-affiliated churches and synagogues played a role in helping the mostly Filipino staff at Inglewood Care Centre in West Vancouver get through a contentious contract dispute.
Thu Jun 25, 2015
Austin Interfaith Launches Jobs Training Program for Teens -Austin American Statesman & Community Impact
Austin Interfaith and Austin Independent School District (AISD) jointly announced the launch of a high school job training program targeted at students from three local high schools: Travis, Crockett and Lanier.
Modeled off the Summer Youth Employment program, created by Austin Interfaith 20 years ago in partnership with the City and County, this program will teach high schoolers leadership and soft skills like timeliness, and professional conduct;
Thu Jun 25, 2015
CONECT Organizes Forum to Address Public Safety -FOX & More
"In response to clergy and neighborhood concerns about public safety Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, a multi-faith concern, hosted the forum facilitated by Pastor Bernadette Hickman-Maynard of Bethel AME and Pastor Anthony Bennett of Mount Aery Baptist Church.
Topics addressed included police response, neighborhood interaction and community policing, as well as the horrific shooting of nine people that left a man dead last week at Trumbull Gardens housing project."
Fox: http://foxct.com/2015/06/18/bridgeport-city-and-police-leaders-hold-forum-with-community-to-improve-relationship/
CT Post: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Church-audience-looks-for-answers-on-policing-6334045.php
Only in Bridgeport: http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/the-challenge-of-police-and-community-relationships-aired-at-forum/#more-73401
Thu Jun 25, 2015
Metro IAF / EBC Demand that De Blasio Act on Housing Horror -City Limits
Angry residents and faith leaders joined forces Thursday to call for the resignation of Shola Olatoye, chairwoman of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). On the steps of City Hall under a bright sun, hundreds of members of Metro Industrial Areas Foundation called for a "shake up" at NYCHA, demanding that Mayor de Blasio keep his promises to New York City's most vulnerable population.
Wed Jun 24, 2015
Catholic Sisters Combat Poverty, Impact Thousands in San Antonio -Global Sisters Report
The speakers offered words of eloquence and encouragement. Moments later came handshakes, hugs and tears as students crossed the stage. But this was not a typical graduation ceremony. There were no diplomas, no gowns and no hats tossed into the air.
Instead, this ceremony celebrated completion, not from a high school or university, but from job-training programs that varied from associate degrees in nursing to technology certifications. For Erica Espinoza, who went from being a cashier at Bill Miller's Bar-B-Q to a registered nurse, it opened up a new path, one that leads away from a life of unpaid utility bills, late rent checks, couch surfing and at times, hunger.
"When I crossed the stage, I was really happy. I was smiling; I was shaking every hand," Espinoza said. "I couldn't believe I had gotten through everything. It was just pure joy."
Espinoza was one of 200 students being honored at the graduate recognition ceremony for Project Quest, a labor market intermediary that partners with San Antonio community colleges and local companies offering job-training programs. Its mission: to lead participants like Espinoza out of low-paying jobs and into new, more lucrative careers.
On stage that May evening were Executive Director Pearl Ceasar, a Sister of Divine Providence, and Holy Spirit Sr. Gabriella Lohan, a board member who helped create and implement Project Quest in 1992.
Wed Jun 24, 2015
'Better Together' Beats Back Separatists in Baton Rouge -The Advocate & Better Together
Leaders of 'Better Together' successfully undermined a suburban incorporation effort (in the St. George area) by convincing voters who had signed onto the original petition to withdraw their signatures.
A small minority of St. George residents needed 17,859 signatures to call a vote for incorporation, an essential first step in separating the suburb
Wed Jun 24, 2015
COPS / Metro Fights for Higher City Worker Wages at Budget Session -San Antonio Express-News & KSAT 12
The tone at most of San Antonio's big City Council budget goal-setting sessions historically may have been positive, but that tone shifted notably at a most recent session.
COPS / Metro leader Robert Cruz, pointedly asked the city's budget director what the city intends to do with the $24 million in revenue it received in excess of forecasts when the 2015 budget was adopted last year.
Tue Jun 23, 2015
BUILD Leverages Local Hiring in Baltimore -WYPR
Johns Hopkins University plans to hire more city residents and do more business with local companies.
University President Ronald Daniels announced the beginning of the Hopkins Local Initiative Monday during Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development's One Baltimore Assembly at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Sandtown.
Daniels said the initiative is an expansion of the university's economic inclusion program and pledged "firm and measurable commitments" to increase local hiring, local purchasing and contracting with more local minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
Thu Jun 18, 2015
Memorial Service for Ed Chambers Announced -Industrial Areas Foundation
A memorial service for Edward (Ed) Chambers has been scheduled for:
8:30am, Wednesday, July 1st
American Jewish University
15600 Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90077
American Jewish University
15600 Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90077
The service will be open to IAF organizers and others, and will precede the IAF International meeting scheduled that same day.
Reflections on Chamber's life and legacy below:
Recognizing Ed Chambers by Dick Harmon
Ed Chambers, Leader of Community Organising in the US Inspired Creation of Citizens UK by Neil Jameson
Edward Chambers, Community Organizing's Unforgiving Hero, New Yorker
Lessons From a Great Community Organizer,Council of Philanthropy
Wed Jun 17, 2015
Ed Chambers: Leader of Community Organising in the US Inspired Creation of Citizens UK -The Tablet
Ed Chambers was born in the Midwest of the United States, the son of Thomas and Hazella Chambers, Irish Catholics who had emigrated to America from the west Cork town of Skibbereen, where Chambers was to retire in 2010. Chambers started to train...
Thu Jun 11, 2015
COPS Metro & County Officials Announce Wage Hike & Urge Vote -Rivard Report & More
Days before the San Antonio mayoral election runoff, church and state united to urge voters to the polls and while there, to remember that San Antonians need a living wage. COPS / Metro leaders and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, with Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Paul Elizondo, held a joint press conference announcing that the County would do their part to increase wages, and that the City should as well.
Wed Jun 10, 2015
Common Ground Calls Bucks Owner 'Billionaire Bully' -Milwaukee-Wisconsin Sentinel Journal
About 100 members of Common Ground met in the City Hall lobby Wednesday, calling the owners of the Milwaukee Bucks "billionaire bullies" who neither need nor deserve public money to build a new downtown sports arena.
"I will call on all my neighbors, friends, church members and ask them to urge their elected officials to vote 'no,' " Common Ground member Jennifer O'Hare said.
Mon Jun 8, 2015
Time For the Mayor to Lead on Gun Safety -NY Daily News Op-Ed
"Even as New York City wrestles with an increase in shootings, Mayor de Blasio is making a habit of missing opportunities to lead on gun safety. Softballs cross the city's plate, and the mayor doesn't bother to swing."
Sun Jun 7, 2015
Ed Chamber's Memorial -Memorial Service for Ed Chambers
A memorial service for Edward Chambers, successor to Saul Alinsky, was held at St. Gertrude's in Chicago on June 7, 2015. Former Executive Director of the Industrial Areas Foundation was remembered by friends and colleagues as a key figure in the development of worldwide network of grassroots citizens organizations.
Sat Jun 6, 2015
NCG Fights Off Push for Privatization of Medicaid Services in Nevada -Las Vegas Review Journal
Leaders of Nevadans for the Common Good cried 'foul' when a dead bill proposing to privatize the provision of Medicaid services was kept alive through unnatural means. Though voted down, it remained in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee through an exemption sparing it from normal deadlines. That same language was then grafted onto a separate bill (SB 514) and approved by the legislature the day before it adjourned.
Tue Jun 2, 2015
COPA Advances Health Services for Uninsured Undocumented Kids -Monterey Herald
No money was actually handed out, but a proposed pilot program aimed at providing health services to Monterey County's undocumented immigrants may have been the biggest winner during Tuesday's county budget hearing....
Fri May 29, 2015
Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina Takes Questions From Parents, Educators at Packed Bronx Forum -NY Daily News
From a mother's worries over failing schools to a teacher's push for mental health services, the city schools boss opened her inbox to more than 500 concerned parents and educators at a packed town hall forum Thursday in the Bronx.
They traveled from as near as Mott Hall Science and Technology in the South Bronx and from as far away as Bushwick, Brooklyn, to drill Chancellor Carmen Fariña on hot-topic issues like the expansion of the city's gifted and talented programs, teacher evaluations and school performance.


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Thursday, 22 September 2016
Seasons End
Everything in the garden is looking a bit ragged at this time of year but also at its most lush. There is still some colour left. I need to get some daisy family plants in the garden for early Autumn colour next year.
At the watering hole, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England
Mitch came to visit for a few days over the weekend. We went out on a few trips while he was here. I had a bit of a disaster with my camera and got some dirt or grease on the autofocus contacts on my long lens (70 - 300 ) almost every shot taken with that lens is out of focus and useless, I cleaned the contacts and it seems fine now. The shots from our trip to the forest are mostly OK ;)
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
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Oops, forgot to put what movies we watched last night, even though not an official movie night, we did watch some things. Oops.
How Not to Live Your Life, Its a Don-derful Life, series ender.
Aw, it's over, but it did such a good job at tying up things, and holy crap at the secret reveal at the end!! ;) I do love David Armand, that much is true.
Attack the Block
Kept meaning to see this. Loved the alien designs even if it didn't quite make sense, i guess that's the Rule of Cool though. Didn't quite care for the ending though, and the main protagonists bugged the hell out of me, maybe i'm just getting old. Get off my lawn!!
Burke and Hare
This was frankly, awesome. I had no clue about this. I had heard the story of the true people, but didn't know they made it into a film, with absolutely everyone from films and British tv that i like. I'm not even kidding here, it was almost every few minutes we were going "hey! it's so and so!!" ;)
Sunday, January 01, 2012
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I have a basic cake recipe that I throw different seasonal fruit into depending upon the season. It occurred to me that I could adapt the recipe to be a savory cake featuring the coincidental bevy of red peppers in my refrigerator. A quick roast of the peppers and addition of some farmers cheese and herbs made this cake creamy and rich. It's a bit deceptive as the roasted red peppers look like fruit jewels.
- 3 red peppers, roasted, cooled, seeded, skinned, and chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- scant 1/2 cup farmers cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 6 heaping tablespoons spelt flour (all purpose or whole wheat would work also)
- scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Preheat your oven to 350F and butter an 8 inch cake pan. While the oven preheats (or more in advance if you'd like), roast the peppers until the skin blisters and is blackened. Cool in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. When cool enough to handle remove seeds and skins. Chop into 1/4-1/2 inch dice and reserve in a bowl.
- Add the lemon zest, thyme, and rosemary to the red peppers. Melt the butter over low heat and cool. In a large bowl add the farmers cheese and eggs to the butter and whisk until smooth. Add the reserved red pepper and herb mixture and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add this mixture to the red pepper, herb, egg and cheese mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Bake for 60 minutes, the top will be browned and vibrant red peppers will be peeking through. Cool and serve warm or room temperature.


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Garnering the "Best Poster Presentation" award at the 12th Annual Missouri Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference held in February is a first for Edith Starbuck, who is a registered geologist with Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey in Rolla.
Garnering the "Best Poster Presentation" award at the 12th Annual Missouri Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference held in February is a first for Edith Starbuck, who is a registered geologist with Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey in Rolla.
Starbuck's poster titled, Surficial Material and Bedrock Geologic Mapping at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Land Survey, describes the process the department's geologic investigations unit staff use to create geologic maps for Missouri.
Geologic maps are essential tools in planning Missouri's future. They enable us to optimize the use of water, fuel and mineral resources and minimize environmental degradation and hazards. The potential impact on Missouri's economy is staggering. According to Meeting Challenges with Geologic Maps, Series 7, published by the American Geological Institute, the value of geologic maps is 25 to 39 times the cost of producing them.
When asked about the award Starbuck said, "It is exciting to have the work of the geologic investigations unit recognized in this way. The efforts to improve our process have been incremental through the years but when you stand back and look at it, we really have come a long way."
"The Missouri GIS Advisory Committee was pleased to recognize Ms. Starbuck," said Elizabeth Cook, a committee member. "Her poster illustrated a complex, yet seamless process of taking geologic data from in-field collection to finished map production. The goal of the process, as with all GIS-aided work, is to improve the collection, interpretation, presentation and overall quality of spatial data."
As one would imagine with the explosion of technology relating to computers, data collection and map development methods have changed significantly since the division began implementing the use of GIS in 1997.
Today, notebook computers equipped with GIS software and a GPS receiver allow geologists to enter data in the field. In the office, the process involves incorporating imagery, file data and field data (new and existing). Geologists then analyze and interpret the data to create geologic maps, cross sections, stratigraphic columns and textual information to describe the geology of the area. These components are included in the final map layout.
The poster session attracted 18 posters from various state agencies. In addition to Starbuck, entries submitted by the department include those by geologists Dave Gaunt and Dave Erickson. Gaunt's entry was titled, Surficial Material Geologic Map of the Columbia Bottom and Granite City 7.5 minute quadrangle in St. Charles and St. Louis Counties, Missouri. Erickson's posters were titled, Groundwater-Level Observation Well Network and Groundwater-Level Decline in Southwestern Missouri. Scaled down images of the four entries can be seen online: www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/mogis.htm.
Geologic maps and other publications, including The Geologic Column of Missouri authored by Starbuck, are available at the Maps and Publications desk located at 111 Fairgrounds Road in Rolla. You can reach the publications desk by calling 800-361-4827 or 573-368-2125, or visit online at www.dnr.mo.gov/geology. Additional information about the Water Resources Center is available online: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/. For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel.


text:
Your army is determined to take that hill. Why do you want it? Because, apparently, your opponents want it. And you'll be damned if you let even the most insignificant hill fall into enemy hands. But the fight isn't going well, and you need to change up your strategy. Maybe grab some mercenaries or employ some dirty tricks. That's just what you'll be doing with Tricks and Mercenaries, a new expansion coming for Kharnage from Asmodee.
From the announcement:
You've battled for an insignificant, worthless piece of ground for ages—a place with all the tactical significance of a banana—but you're no closer to giving up than your opponents! After all, if you give up now, there'd be no opportunity to cause more carnage, and that would be simply unacceptable. Besides, it looks like some reinforcements are joining the enemy… and is that a diplomat they're sending forward?
It's time to employ some unorthodox tactics and hire new units to fight by your side: the Tricks and Mercenaries army expansion for Kharnage is coming soon! Within this army expansion, you'll find a host of the titular Tricks and Mercenaries, all offering clever new ways to gain the upper hand for whoever gets to them first. And alongside the tricks and mercenaries, you'll find new units to add to your Core Set armies, including Dwarves, Humans, Goblins, and Orcs.
Expect the expansion to hit shelves sometime in the 3rd quarter of the year.


text:
The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
– Albert Einstein
I was 13 years old the first time I got access to a computer. I had no idea how to connect it to the internet, but that didn't stop me from experimenting. When I was 14, I saw a documentary about Google and discovered that "programming" and "coding" were completely different things than I'd thought. In that same documentary, I saw Google's offices and I resolved to myself that I would try to visit them in person by the time I turned 18.


text: Beloved Fantasy Author Terry Pratchett Dies 'Discworld' creator had rare form of Alzheimer's By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Mar 13, 2015 12:12 AM CDT 14 comments Comments Terry Pratchett poses in London in this 2010 photo. (AP Photo/Dominic Lipinski-pa, file) View 1 more image (Newser) – Fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, creator of the exuberant, satirical Discworld series and author of more than 70 books, has died. He was 66. Pratchett, who suffered from a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease, had earned wide respect in Britain and beyond with his dignified campaign for the right of critically ill patients to choose assisted suicide. Transworld Publishers says Pratchett died yesterday at his home, "with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family." The firm—whose managing director says "the world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds"—says Pratchett died of natural causes from a chest infection combined with the worsening effects of his dementia. Pratchett, whose final book, The Shepherd's Crown, was completed last summer and will be published this year, sold more than 65 million books worldwide, and his novels have been translated into several dozen languages. During the 1990s, he was Britain's best-selling author—eventually surpassed by JK Rowling. His death was announced on his Twitter account with a series of tweets that began: "AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER." It continued: "Terry took Death's arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night." "The End." He is survived by his wife and their daughter, Rhianna. View 1 more image My Take on This Story Report a story error Show results without voting | 0% Hilarious 0% Intriguing 92% Depressing 5% Brilliant 2% Scary 2% Ridiculous


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Our delivery truck ran into difficulties so our new books list is a little spotty this week. Mostly, it's all about the mass markets. Check them out:
Mass Market
Midst Toil And Tribulation, David Weber
Calculated in Death, J.D. Robb
Kitty in the Underworld, Carrie Vaughn
Angel Exterminatus, Graham McNeill
Consipracy of Alchemists, Liesel Schwarz
Darwin Elevator, Jason M. Hugh
Harbinger, Phillipa Ballantine
Founders, James Wesley Rawles
Heart of Briar, Laura Anne Gilman
Last Blood, Kristen Painter
Phoenicia's Worlds, Ben Jeapes
Queen of Wands, John Ringo
Satan's Reach, Eric Brown
Storm Glass, Maria V. Snyder
Three, Jay Posey
Traitor Queen, Trudi Canavan
Twelve, Justin Cronin
Trade Paperback
Indelible, Dawn Metcalf
Tall Tales From Pitch End, Nigel McDowell
Kill City Blues, Richard Kadrey


text:
The Kitchen Challenge this month from Love and Olive Oil is bagels! I had never made bagels before, although I remember my Mom making them once many years ago. So I decided to give it a try. Of course then I had to try to decide what type of bagel to go with. My natural inclination is always to prefer sweet over savory, so I immediately started thinking cinnamon raisin bagels. But then, as I was thinking about bagels, my mind drifted back to one of my previous jobs. Working in the medical field, you get a lot of drug reps that come in bearing gifts trying to talk you into prescribing their particular medication. One of the previous offices I worked at received these offerings almost daily, and quite often would get bagels. That was when I was introduced to Asiago bagels. Everyone in that office had a thing for Asiago bagels. One always had to be saved out for the doctor I worked with or there would be a nasty scene, and then any others would be up for dibs. Quite often they were the first type to go. So since everyone else loved them, I gave them a try too, always feeling a bit guilty when I had one of those coveted bagels. And that little trip down memory lane decided it for me…I would make my own Asiago bagels and have plenty to enjoy without feeling guilty!
I ended up using this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. She adapted the recipe from Peter Reinhart's (the bagel guru himself), and even corresponded with him about it and got tips on adjustments that should be made. So I felt pretty confident going with her recipe. The only change I made was that I did not add as much Asiago as it called for, partly because I didn't have that much, and partly because I'm a bit of a cheapskate on things like that anyway. (If you must know, one of the nicknames for me around here is "Meat Miser.") I probably only used about half as much as what it called for, but I felt like the bagels still had a very nice Asiago flavor to them. Also, I just used honey instead of barley malt syrup.
I have to say that I was really wishing for a stand mixer when I made these… Since I don't have one, I did it all by hand, and my wimpy arms are not used to doing that much kneading! After you make your sponge and let that sit for a few hours, you add in the rest of your ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. Divide your dough into balls, and let them sit for about 20 minutes.
I was glad that the dough balls needed a rest, because I certainly needed one by that point! I used the poke your thumbs through and make a hole method, because that sounded easier to me. Let them rise for a bit, do the float test, and then stick them in the fridge overnight. We left later in the day, and when we came back, I noticed that our apartment already had a hint of a delicious yeasty Asiago smell, and I hadn't even baked them yet!
The next morning I boiled them, only managing to splash boiling water on me once. There is something that seems strange to me about dropping dough into boiling water, so that was kind of fun. Sprinkled the rest of my Asiago cheese on top, stuck them in the oven, and had some beautiful bagels!
I served them with some herbed cream cheese that I had mixed up. We have been getting fresh herbs from our CSA, so I added a few teaspoons of both finely chopped garlic scapes and chives, and a little drizzle of olive oil to 4 ounces of cream cheese. We thought it complimented the bagels very well, although they were also delicious without it! Other than my sore arms, I enjoyed making the bagels and would like to make them again some day…although maybe when my kids are a little older and less needy, as the project was a bit time consuming to do too often!


text:
The early hours of Sunday morning are perhaps the most pathetic part of the week if you're trying to get anywhere. Somewhere between derigging a hall at 1.00-2.30am and 7.30 when Sheffield train station opened I managed to avoid the small gangs of exuberant clubbers staggering home and found peace in Sheffield's dark side streets far away from those left twitching in the cold waiting for services to resume.
|Sheffield, Sheaf Square
|Cutlers' Hall, Church Street
|Holly Street cornered with Trippet Lane
|Townhead Street
|Paradise Square
|Sheffield Cathedral
|East Parade
As beautiful as this Stainless steel bench may be I'd had enough of dodging other nocturnal groups by around 5am and was ready to give in to the lure of Mcdonalds, where much to my surprise, after not seeing a single policeman all night the Force demonstrated their stealth like qualities by threatening a 15 strong gang of wild chip fighters over the public address system, "unless all of you leave immediately we'll come over and get you" (Voice of the law, Mcdonalds, 21.10.12)


text:
We leave eeaaarly tomorrow. My appt. is Wednesday. 09.09.09 That date looks lucky right?
By the time I am safely tucked back in my own bed (hopefully by this friday) we will have logged around 1600 miles. Joy.
Honestly I don't know what to except. But here is to hoping that nothing is found.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tiring of this.


text:
Advantage Modi-Series-IX 26 Nov 2014
Six months of Modi: Achhe sitare more than achhe din
Modi has ensured that government files are moving faster and clearance are rapid. But this has not translated into a boom in orders for machinery or construction.
This is a constipated economy, not a healthy one. Optimists say Modi's enema will unclog the constipation within a year. That's possible but not certain.
The stock market has boomed because of over $30 billion of foreign inflows. Modi is seen as a turnaround agent, and investors are giving him time to change matters. He has undoubtedly energized the bureaucracy and investors. Yet he is more showman than reformer. His Jan Dhan and Swacch Bharat schemes are new versions of old Congress Schemes. He funked any major reforms in the railway budget or general budget. In many areas he has taken small steps forward, with lots of publicity but no radical reform.
What's clear is that Modi is lucky. The dramatic improvements in inflation and related areas owe noting to his initiatives and everything to good lick, arising from crashing global commodity prices. This year's budget assumed that oil would average $ 110/barrel, but it has actually crashed to $78/barrel. This has enabled fuel prices to be slashed, taming transport costs. Falling oil prices have ensured that the balance of payments is under control, not withstanding a surge in gold imports and the recent slowdown in exports. Finally, the oil price crash has hugely improved the fiscal position. Budgetary subsidies for oil and fertilizers have been slashed, and the finance ministry has been able to raise the excise duty on petrol and diesel, partly making up for the big shortfall in tax revenues.
Extract of an article TOI Nov 23, 2014 by Aiyar –An Economists


text:
I was so excited to be able to go home for my dad's birthday! I have missed all of his birthdays since we moved to Texas, so this was very exciting! My dad is a really great bowler, so I immediately decided to make a bowling cake for his birthday. The hand-modeled figurine is him doing one of his signature celebratory poses after bowling a strike! In case you aren't a bowler, the "turkey" I hope he gets is three strikes in a row ;)
Here's Dad posing with his figurine.
The inside was coconut cake with coconut cream cheese filling.
Hope you had a great birthday Dad!


text:
Views: 1045
One of my favorites has always been "They secretly believe in god. They're just rebelling."
I love that one.. Or the one that I love the most, If there is not a god how do you explain Miracles? What do you mean Miracles? Well your kids how do you explain those?? Well if you don't know what causes that by now, I am sure not going to help you along in making one!
Or we are in GODS country how do you explain the beauty here? HMMM there are lots more beautiful places than there are here? Ever heard of planting a seed and watering it, giving it sunlight, and watching it grow? Really you don't know how it happens?? I love people.. they amuse me..
I just believe in me...
I didn't read all 73 posts but I'm sure the most prevalent one is that we have no ability to figure out the difference between right and wrong without god. Brb, raping and pillaging tonight in the town square.
Yep, I get this. Seems like it comes down to thinking belief and faith are the same thing. To me, belief is conviction or confidence placed in something, regardless of why or how you come about it. I believe the sun will rise tomorrow, I believe there are gnomes in my underpants drawer, I believe a teapot in orbit is having sexual relations with an invisible pink unicorn (in my attic, no less!). Those are all beliefs, but they're not all equal.
I believe (not 'have faith in;) evolution because science and logic show it to be an extremely likely thing - plus the fact that we've seen it happen. That belief is not the same as "I believe god created everything as-is 6000 years ago, 'cuz that the way I was brought up and god said it and I believe it and that's that."
i absolutely love (HATE) how theists of every sort are SOOO PERPLEXED by Atheists, and they always seek us out, trying to argue, and trying to rationalize their stupidity with us. They all (especially Christians) think that we are lost souls, in desperate need of their proselytizing and indoctrination of their cult of personality.
Last night the topic of religion came up at work in response to a mormon coworker participating in secret santa, there were obvious misconceptions about momons but the atheist one took the cake! One of the girls there was talking about mormons and jehovah's witnesses, I told her that I was atheist and I still celebrate. Her response was "ooh, doesn't that mean you worship Satan or something!".. haha, where do you go from there.
After I explained to her what atheism was and that I simply do not believe in god or the devil her response was "Well I believe that Satan wants us to not believe in him, that's his plan." Wow, I can't believe the stuff people come up with!
I know I already commented on this thread but they keep coming up! I was at the hospital with my three year old (she's alright, just got that unrelenting tummy bug) and the woman registering me asked if I had a relgious preference. I told her I was atheist and she said "that's not on my list"? I said "just put none". It's not so much as a misconception as it is ignorance on her part I think, but it was funny.


text: I purchased a .cc domain to run sort of an off shot website of my money site. My money site is often abbreviated as CC, so I bought a topic specific domain name and called it (videos).cc. I think that my members will understand what i did, but i am wondering if it will be hard to rank organically.


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Confronting irrationality: why we need to take risks and put a value on life
By Howard White, CEO, The Campbell Collaboration
How much is a life worth? At the recent Symposium on Systematic reviews organized by KU Leuven, Marijke Eyssen discussed a case when the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) took an explicit stand on this issue.
An intervention for people at risk of heart attacks was found to be effective, raising life expectancy from around six months to just over four years. But it was expensive: one quarter of a million euros per patient, equal to €82,000 per additional Quality Adjusted Life Year. KCE recommended the intervention should not be adopted on cost grounds. The press didn't like this: 'KCE says your life is worth less than €82,000'.
A member of the audience suggested that valuing life is a political decision that should be left to politicians. And, indeed, politicians take decisions all the time which implicitly value life, since many interventions save lives or cause deaths. But they don't explicitly put a value on life. It is not a vote-winner. A politician is far more likely to say 'you can't put a value on life'. This is a nonsense statement. Politicians do it all the time, just not explicitly.
This very same discussion had taken place at another meeting two weeks earlier, organized by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in a discussion on teaching critical evidence appraisal to policy makers, journalists and the general public. I thought this discussion would be about distinguishing counterfactuals from correlations. But another participant immediately pointed out that most people rely on far less reliable sources of 'evidence' such as anecdote, sentiment, personal experience and what they hear from some bloke they meet in the pub.
'Intuitive evidence' results in irrational decisions. We need to confront irrationality with the facts of what an evidence-informed decision would look like.
For example, consider all the irrational decisions we all make from a relative risk perspective. The amount of time and money spent on safety for different modes of transport is inversely proportional to the risk they pose. Mile for mile, air travel is safest, followed by trains and then cars. But we don't get a safety demo every time we turn on the ignition.
A topical example is death by terrorist attack. Whilst these are terrible events, the amounts spent on preventing them is disproportionate compared to the risk they pose to us. A recent article in Business Insider listed the likelihood of other forms of death compared to a terrorist attack by refugee terrorists: the average American is 6 times more likely to die from a shark attack (one of the rarest forms of death on Earth), 29 times more likely to die from a regional asteroid strike, 260 times more likely to be struck and killed by lightning, 4,700 times more likely to die in an airplane or spaceship accident, 129,000 times more likely to die in a gun assault, 407,000 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle incident and 6.9 million times more likely to die from cancer or heart disease. But, like putting a value on life, a politician is more likely to say 'Any risk is too high'. This is of course another nonsense statement, as we are taking a risk every time we step out of our front door. Or, indeed, when we don't - since many more common causes of death, such as choking on food, might take place in the home.
So, before we teach critical evidence appraisal, we need first to confront irrationality. The starting point is a proper understanding of some basic principles, e.g. that there is no zero risk option, and that life cannot have unlimited value because resources are limited. We should also understand basic concepts – such as probability, relative risk and the value of quality of life.
In practical terms, researchers should engage policy makers in a two-way process. Researchers need to understand the context in which policy makers operate, to discuss what evidence is relevant, appropriate and usable. These discussions are part of a process of relationship-building, which I will take up in my next blog on the soft skills needed for evidence-based policy and practice.


text:
Dr. Cuello's
Research Laboratory
Simon Allard
L'Assomption, Quebec
B.Sc. McGill University, major in
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Ph.D. candidate, McGill university,
department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, under the
supervision of Dr. Ribeiro-da-Silva. I deposited my
Ph.D. thesis in august 2010 and should be defending
I am currently doing post doctoral work
with Dr. Cuello.
Research Interests:
I have an interest in the biology of the
cortical cholinergic system and how it is affected in
aging and Alzheimer's disease. I also have an interest
in the changes in excitatory and inhibitory circuits of
the cerebral cortex in normal aging and Alzheimer's
Current projects:
I am currently characterizing the
relationship between intracellular and extracellular
amyloid deposition, inflammation and the cortical
cholinergic system in aged human brains with mild
cognitive impairments and Alzheimer's disease.
I will soon characterize the changes in
cortical somatostanin positive inhibitory neurons in a
transgenic rat model of the amyloid pathology.
Another new project will be to
investigate the changes in excitatory and inhibitory
currents in transgenic animals that display an early
amyloid pathology in an attempt to understand the first
physiological changes that lead to cognitive
Extracurricular Interests and Activities:
I enjoy Jogging and Yoga. I also like
tennis and volleyball; I wish I played more often.
I must admit having a thing for Karaoke
I easily get addicted to television
series or to the discovery channel.
information: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Long QT syndrome is in most cases, a hereditary condition, and it may be familial accumulation of the condition. In some cases, we are combined congenital deafness (Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome). Other forms (e.g. Romano-Ward syndrome) have an accompanying hearing loss.
Long QT syndrome can also occur without the existence of a hereditary disposition (acquired condition). Generally, this is due to the use of drugs that affect heart rate. People who for whatever reason, very slow pulse, may be susceptible to this form of acquired long QT syndrome.
The danger with a prolonged QT segment is that predispose to seizures with a dangerous heart rhythm ( ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes). Such attacks can heal by themselves, but they can also cause cardiac arrest and death.
What is the prognosis?
Long QT syndrome can lead to sudden cardiac death in otherwise healthy young individuals. Overall, it appears that about. 6% of those with this condition have died at 40 years of age.
Experts believe that most episodes of heart attack go by itself and that only 4-5% of attacks leading to cardiac arrest and death.
Treatment with beta-blocker provides decent prognosis for most people. The prognosis after the implanted defibrillator is very good.


text:
There's a handful of benchmarks that can be used to mark the start of a new season at TMI: the first school course of the spring, the day that our full complement of senior staff return from their winter adventures, the day that the seasonal staff arrive, or the day that new staff graduate from training.
Perhaps though, a more precise marker than any of these, is the day we acquire our pig. Eva picked up our pig, Eleanor (Ellie), from a farmer on the other side of the county yesterday. Ellie will help us out by eating all of our food scraps throughout the year so that they don't end up in a landfill. She'll also be tilling our garden.
Ellie had a long and bumpy ride up to her new home and broke loose from her fence to explore the Spruce woods shortly after this photo was taken. She's now back in her spacious pen and happily rooting around.


text:
This is Kalena with one of the new grandbabies that came last year.
For Isaac
I found these old pictures of Caitie and her boyfriend, Nathan, (who is now her husband) on her 17th Birthday. They looks so young.
A place to display my scrapbooking pages and stories about my children and grand children.


text:
Information technology (health IT) in healthcare delivery organizations, stemming from objectives such as meaningful use attestation as well as population health and data analytics initiatives, has resulted in a corresponding demand for a skilled health IT workforce. And it stands to reason that in order to attract and retain experienced and talented IT professionals, organizations need to offer competitive compensation and career pathways that can lead to senior and executive roles.
However, this past March, the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) published findings from its December 2015 Compensation Survey that pointed to a notable gender-based pay gap within health IT, which suggests women health IT professionals are being marginalized in this sector. Based on a survey of 1,900 respondents, the findings indicated that men had a higher average compensation at $126,000 compared to women at $101,000. When looking at the data from the perspective of full-time employment, according to the study findings, men earned an average of $124,000 annually, while their female counterparts earned $100,000.
"When analyzing the data by organization level and tenure, there are two sets of concerning findings. In nonexecutive and non-senior managerial roles, the first year compensation for females in non-executive and non-senior managerial roles tends to be 80 percent of what their male peers make. Over time, compensation tends to increase for both genders in this segment. However, females never reach parity," wrote the authors of the HIMSS white paper, titled "Gender-Based IT Pay Inequity and the Impact of the Clinical IT Executive in the Health Sector."
And, even more troubling, when examining the compensation data according to respondents in executive and senior managerial roles, the survey findings indicated that the first year compensation for women tends to be 63 percent of what their male peers earned.
"In this segment, it takes 15-plus years of women being in such roles to reach parity," wrote the authors of the HIMSS white paper.
The HIMSS compensation survey also pointed to gender gaps in access to senior management and executive leadership roles within health IT. Of the respondents, only 10 percent of women represented senior managerial roles compared to 19 percent of men. And the findings indicate even greater disparity as it relates to executive management roles—only 3.6 percent of women reported being in such roles compared to almost 12 percent of men.
Beyond the compensation inequities, gender-based disparities in advancement can impact an organization's ability to attract and retain the best health IT workforce. So, the question for health IT and healthcare delivery organization leaders is what can be done to address these inequities and drive positive action at the departmental and organizational levels?
"We need to be willing to be open about this problem," says Sue Schade, interim CIO at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. Increasingly, published studies and surveys, such as the HIMSS compensation survey, help to cast light on these issues, which sparks conversations and, ultimately, more problem-solving discussions at individual organizations. Senior managers and executives at every healthcare delivery organization can begin to proactively address the issue by looking at their compensation practices, Schade says.
"If you are management within an organization and you make decisions around pay, you need to be looking very seriously at the gender equity in terms of your staff," says Schade, who has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare IT management and is a founding advisor of Next Wave Health Advisors, a Huntsville, Texas-based consulting, coaching and interim management services company.
Susan Heichert, senior vice president and CIO of the Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals and Clinics, agrees, noting that organizational leaders need to examine salary data and take corrective action. "You need to understand how you got there in the first place and work with your human resources (HR) team to employ strategies to make sure it's not happening."
Susan Heichert
Currently, there is not enough corrective action occurring at this foundational level to level the playing field for women both in current positions and promoting positions, according to Rebecca Quammen, founder and CEO of Quammen Health Care Consultants. "I have witnessed a situation recently in which a woman taking a management position through an internal promotion was not being offered equivalent pay to her predecessor male counterpart, who just left the position. When all variables except gender are the same, then the question of how much to pay should become mute."
While there has been progress with women increasingly rising to prominent positions within the healthcare C-suite—CNO, CFO, COO, CIO and even CEO—the problem, Quammen notes, is that "these numbers are still too few for the industry to feel a shift in organizational cultures that promote female diversity in numbers reaching advancement and pay equality."
"Workforce diversity continues to be a current debate; even today the balance of traditional Caucasian males holding positions to all other ethnicities and genders is significantly tilted," she says.
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