Well, at least psychiatric hospitals are no longer called lunatic or insane asylums...
Monday, January 31, 2005
Political Correctness Run Amok...
'Crazy' teddy row hits US state
A company in the US state of Vermont has sparked controversy with a teddy bear in a straitjacket emblazoned with a love heart for Valentine's Day.
State governor Jim Douglas and mental health advocates have attacked the "Crazy for you" cuddly toy, saying it stigmatises mental illness.
But it is proving popular with shoppers, and the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. will not withdraw it from sale.
Its president said the company was "truly sorry" for any offence caused.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4219607.stm
A company in the US state of Vermont has sparked controversy with a teddy bear in a straitjacket emblazoned with a love heart for Valentine's Day.
State governor Jim Douglas and mental health advocates have attacked the "Crazy for you" cuddly toy, saying it stigmatises mental illness.
But it is proving popular with shoppers, and the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. will not withdraw it from sale.
Its president said the company was "truly sorry" for any offence caused.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4219607.stm
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Back from Arizona
I just returned from my volunteer archaeology project in Arizona. Between the drive back from Phoenix, hanging out at the airport and dealing with layovers, my journey back lasted about 24 hours...a little exhausting! Anyway, I should have a lot of photos to post here in the next few days...
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Isn't this cool?
A Land Rover for kids! These are powered by a "continuously rated, air cooled 180 W reversible electric motor" with a top speed of 6mph.
I found the plans for this on e-bay from the seller fastplanuk. From their plans, you can build a miniature Series Land Rover (or as they call it, a Toy Lander). The vehicle is constructed of plywood, and runs on an automobile car battery.
Instead of buying one of those cheap little plastic Jeeps, I could picture our kids driving this around. I wonder how difficult this would be to build...
Instead of buying one of those cheap little plastic Jeeps, I could picture our kids driving this around. I wonder how difficult this would be to build...
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Our very own winter storm!
It's been a mild winter thus far, but Old Man Winter has finally come a-callin'. We are currently in the midst of a Nor'easter which may dump up to 20 inches of snow by this evening or Sunday morning. I've already been out shoveling once, and it's coming down so fast that it didn't look like I had any impact by the time I was "done". Guess I'll retire back inside by the wood stove for awhile and wait it out...
Friday, January 21, 2005
In today's headlines...
- Bush eyes Medicaid savings, but wary Congress holds key
- Twin Iraq attacks kill more than 21
- Celebrity tsunami benefit nets $18M
- Stocks stagger again
- FCC chief Powell stepping down
- Palestinians tell forces to halt attacks on Israel
- Aid workers worry U.S. will halt tsunami relief
- FBI seeks limit to public access of records
and then we move on to...
- Paris Hilton allegedly steals own sex video
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.
On its Web site, the TV show “Celebrity Justice” posted a video of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.
Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told “Celebrity Justice” that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video “One Night in Paris” on sale at the newsstand.
“She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, ‘I’m taking this and I’m not buying it,”’ Castro told the show.
I suppose this is what I get when I venture too far from NPR... ;p
- Twin Iraq attacks kill more than 21
- Celebrity tsunami benefit nets $18M
- Stocks stagger again
- FCC chief Powell stepping down
- Palestinians tell forces to halt attacks on Israel
- Aid workers worry U.S. will halt tsunami relief
- FBI seeks limit to public access of records
and then we move on to...
- Paris Hilton allegedly steals own sex video
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.
On its Web site, the TV show “Celebrity Justice” posted a video of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.
Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told “Celebrity Justice” that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video “One Night in Paris” on sale at the newsstand.
“She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, ‘I’m taking this and I’m not buying it,”’ Castro told the show.
I suppose this is what I get when I venture too far from NPR... ;p
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Choosing My Religion
The internet is chock full of interesting content. Here is a neat little quiz called the Belief-O-Matic which suggests a particular religious affiliation based on your answers to a series of questions: http://beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
BTW, based on the answers I gave to the quiz, these are the religions which aligned most closely with my belief system, ranging from the closest to the furthest away:
1.
Neo-Pagan (100%)
2.
Unitarian Universalism (94%)
3.
New Age (91%)
4.
Liberal Quakers (88%)
5.
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (87%)
6.
Mahayana Buddhism (85%)
7.
New Thought (83%)
8.
Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (82%)
9.
Scientology (74%)
10.
Theravada Buddhism (72%)
11.
Secular Humanism (68%)
12.
Bahá'í Faith (67%)
13.
Taoism (67%)
14.
Jainism (65%)
15.
Hinduism (62%)
16.
Reform Judaism (62%)
17.
Orthodox Quaker (51%)
18.
Sikhism (49%)
19.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%)
20.
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (40%)
21.
Nontheist (36%)
22.
Jehovah's Witness (34%)
23.
Orthodox Judaism (34%)
24.
Islam (25%)
25.
Seventh Day Adventist (21%)
26.
Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27.
Roman Catholic (15%)
BTW, based on the answers I gave to the quiz, these are the religions which aligned most closely with my belief system, ranging from the closest to the furthest away:
1.
Neo-Pagan (100%)
2.
Unitarian Universalism (94%)
3.
New Age (91%)
4.
Liberal Quakers (88%)
5.
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (87%)
6.
Mahayana Buddhism (85%)
7.
New Thought (83%)
8.
Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (82%)
9.
Scientology (74%)
10.
Theravada Buddhism (72%)
11.
Secular Humanism (68%)
12.
Bahá'í Faith (67%)
13.
Taoism (67%)
14.
Jainism (65%)
15.
Hinduism (62%)
16.
Reform Judaism (62%)
17.
Orthodox Quaker (51%)
18.
Sikhism (49%)
19.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%)
20.
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (40%)
21.
Nontheist (36%)
22.
Jehovah's Witness (34%)
23.
Orthodox Judaism (34%)
24.
Islam (25%)
25.
Seventh Day Adventist (21%)
26.
Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27.
Roman Catholic (15%)
PC Issues - part 2
I'm happy to report that our computer issues have now been resolved. Brad is the ebullient recipient of a new Dell computer. It is a lot faster than his old system, which we bought several years ago long before we left Tampa. Our wireless router was fried by the power surge, so Brad resurrected our old router, and bought another part to make the system wireless again. The heart of the network has now been moved to the living room downstairs. We are able to get a wireless network signal throughout the house, though we'll likely get a repeater to boost the signal upstairs.
Including Brad's work laptop, I think this puts us up to 5 or 6 computers now. That might sound excessive, but somehow we manage to use them all (many of them are old, too). Some computers just have a lot of things stored on their hard drives, and some systems have software loaded onto them that others do not (especially important after Kylie chewed up a few of the install CDs). The coolest thing about the new network setup is the ability to log onto any PC from another PC. There are now 2 computer towers sitting on top of our entertainment center in the living room that don't even have a keyboard, mouse or monitor attached to them, but are still part of the network. If I want to burn a CD, I can access the network through my laptop in the dining room, and pick up the CD from the computer in the living room. Of course, if I want to print something out, I need to walk upstairs to pick it up. How did we get along before the advent of networks? This stuff is pretty neat...
Including Brad's work laptop, I think this puts us up to 5 or 6 computers now. That might sound excessive, but somehow we manage to use them all (many of them are old, too). Some computers just have a lot of things stored on their hard drives, and some systems have software loaded onto them that others do not (especially important after Kylie chewed up a few of the install CDs). The coolest thing about the new network setup is the ability to log onto any PC from another PC. There are now 2 computer towers sitting on top of our entertainment center in the living room that don't even have a keyboard, mouse or monitor attached to them, but are still part of the network. If I want to burn a CD, I can access the network through my laptop in the dining room, and pick up the CD from the computer in the living room. Of course, if I want to print something out, I need to walk upstairs to pick it up. How did we get along before the advent of networks? This stuff is pretty neat...
In the news: Global poll slams Bush leadership
More than half of people surveyed in a BBC World Service poll say the re-election of US President George W Bush has made the world more dangerous.
Only three countries - India, Poland and the Philippines - out of 21 polled believed the world was now safer.
The survey found that 47% of the 21,953 people questioned now see US influence in the world as largely negative, and view Americans negatively as well.
None of the countries polled supported contributing their troops to Iraq.
"This is quite a grim picture for the US," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), which carried out the poll with GlobeScan.
"Negative feelings about Bush are high and are generalising to the American people who re-elected him."
On average across all countries, 58% of people - and 16 out of 21 countries polled - said they believed Mr Bush's re-election to the White House made the world more dangerous.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4185205.stm
Only three countries - India, Poland and the Philippines - out of 21 polled believed the world was now safer.
The survey found that 47% of the 21,953 people questioned now see US influence in the world as largely negative, and view Americans negatively as well.
None of the countries polled supported contributing their troops to Iraq.
"This is quite a grim picture for the US," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), which carried out the poll with GlobeScan.
"Negative feelings about Bush are high and are generalising to the American people who re-elected him."
On average across all countries, 58% of people - and 16 out of 21 countries polled - said they believed Mr Bush's re-election to the White House made the world more dangerous.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4185205.stm
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
New Year's Resolutions
Well, January is almost over, I suppose it's time to finally get around to dealing with our New Year's resolutions. We didn't really have many this year - the big one is trying to add more exercise to our lives. Brad has just begun taking fencing classes. He used to fence when we lived in Tampa, and has missed it since we moved here. Unfortunately there isn't anyplace that is exactly local for classes, but he did find a good school in New Jersey.
I've begun exercising again with our Bowflex. Everytime I walk into the room where it's located, I remember there are ($)2,000 reasons I should be using it. I also have a CardioGlide machine which helps in firming up muscles. Now if I can only get a treadmill, I'd be set! The weather is just too cold outside this time of the year for walking (9 degrees right now with a below zero wind chill).
I've begun exercising again with our Bowflex. Everytime I walk into the room where it's located, I remember there are ($)2,000 reasons I should be using it. I also have a CardioGlide machine which helps in firming up muscles. Now if I can only get a treadmill, I'd be set! The weather is just too cold outside this time of the year for walking (9 degrees right now with a below zero wind chill).
Monday, January 17, 2005
More Doggie Pics!
One of the perks of being home right now is having the opportunity to spend some quality time with my pets. With three dogs, they usually keep each other well entertained. I can jump in and play with them, but half the fun sometimes is also sitting back and watching them interact...
Big Husky, Little Husky. Tasha may still be a puppy, but she's starting to catch up to the big dogs in size.
Big Husky, Little Husky. Tasha may still be a puppy, but she's starting to catch up to the big dogs in size.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Spruce Cabin Camp Land Rover Rally
On Saturday, Brad and I attended a Land Rover rally hosted by the ROVERS club at Spruce Cabin Camp near Canadensis, PA. We came up for a day of trail riding, though most of the club members stayed for the weekend in a very large ca. 1928 hunting cabin. We had originally planned on taking our 101 Forward Control but found that the choke assembly had froze and broke in the bitter cold. Next choice was the 109, which unfortunately has a broken windshield and a dead battery at the present time. Taking the Discovery wasn't an option, as it's still too new for us to abuse with offroading (though I'm sure it's time will come!). We really wanted to go, and finally decided on taking my truck, Spencer. The 88 has a few frame issues from a long life spent on the salty winter roads of New York, so we crossed our fingers the trails wouldn't be too rough and everything would be OK. The windshield wipers were broken, the emergency brake hadn't been working, and we had no heat, but we thought, what the heck... We ended up having a good time!
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
PC issues
Unfortunately with the recent ice storms, we've been hit with a series of power surges at the house. Something bad has happened to the computers and the network, and Brad is still trying to sort through the mess. It has meant no internet access nor access between any of the computers in the network.
Right now I'm hijacking a wireless network signal from someone else's house in the neighborhood to write this message. The signal is weak, fluctuating between 10 and 20%, and often nothing at all, but perhaps it might tide me over until we can get this fixed. Thanks to whatever neighbor is loaning their signal to someone desperate to keep in touch with the rest of the world. Guess someone didn't think of putting a firewall on their network. Oh well, I suppose I'm not complaining...
Right now I'm hijacking a wireless network signal from someone else's house in the neighborhood to write this message. The signal is weak, fluctuating between 10 and 20%, and often nothing at all, but perhaps it might tide me over until we can get this fixed. Thanks to whatever neighbor is loaning their signal to someone desperate to keep in touch with the rest of the world. Guess someone didn't think of putting a firewall on their network. Oh well, I suppose I'm not complaining...
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Heading west!
In a few weeks, I will be traveling to the Tonto National Forest in Arizona to volunteer on an archaeological project. The U.S. Forest Service runs a fantastic heritage resources volunteer program called Passport in Time (http://www.passportintime.com). I was first introduced to this program when I volunteered in 1998 on another Arizona project in the Coronado National Forest.
This is a description of the Surveying the Bathtub Ring project:
Lake Roosevelt continues to be at low levels due to the protracted drought that has lasted for more than 5 years. For the last 2 years we’ve advertised a PIT project as the Black Mountain Archaeological Survey but have moved it to Lake Roosevelt at the last minute to take advantage of the continuing lower lake levels. Once again—this time planning it from the beginning instead of changing at the last minute—we’re going to continue surveying at Lake Roosevelt. Volunteers will assist FS archaeologists in locating and recording sites that were inundated after the completion of Theodore Roosevelt Dam in 1911. These sites are associated with the Hohokam and Salado cultures dating from ca. A.D. 800 to around 1400. Access will be by either four-wheel-drive vehicle or boat.
I'm really looking forward to the experience, as I haven't had the chance to do archaeology outside the northeastern U.S. in several years. Of course I'll be posting some photos from the project here - check back in a few weeks...
This is a description of the Surveying the Bathtub Ring project:
Lake Roosevelt continues to be at low levels due to the protracted drought that has lasted for more than 5 years. For the last 2 years we’ve advertised a PIT project as the Black Mountain Archaeological Survey but have moved it to Lake Roosevelt at the last minute to take advantage of the continuing lower lake levels. Once again—this time planning it from the beginning instead of changing at the last minute—we’re going to continue surveying at Lake Roosevelt. Volunteers will assist FS archaeologists in locating and recording sites that were inundated after the completion of Theodore Roosevelt Dam in 1911. These sites are associated with the Hohokam and Salado cultures dating from ca. A.D. 800 to around 1400. Access will be by either four-wheel-drive vehicle or boat.
I'm really looking forward to the experience, as I haven't had the chance to do archaeology outside the northeastern U.S. in several years. Of course I'll be posting some photos from the project here - check back in a few weeks...
Monday, January 10, 2005
Snow and ice - whether you like it, or not
I've been feeling really bad lately for John and Vicki. They have been putting up with some nasty winter storms in Reno. Here are a few photos they took at or near their apartment complex. These have been the worst storms in Nevada since 1910 or 1911. If I could give them back the snow blower somehow, I probably would.
Residents of the Poconos have also emerged from the aftermath of some bad (icy) weather. Many homes were without power for several days. Kerosene stoves, generators and rock salt have been flying off the store shelves like crazy. We feel lucky that it hasn't affected us directly, other than some periodic power flickering. We're keeping our fingers crossed, as more nastiness is on the way...
Residents of the Poconos have also emerged from the aftermath of some bad (icy) weather. Many homes were without power for several days. Kerosene stoves, generators and rock salt have been flying off the store shelves like crazy. We feel lucky that it hasn't affected us directly, other than some periodic power flickering. We're keeping our fingers crossed, as more nastiness is on the way...
Springer opera update
Group to act over Springer opera
A Christian group is to bring a private blasphemy prosecution against the BBC after the corporation screened Jerry Springer - The Opera on Saturday.
...
The musical, which has been in London theatres for three years, features Jesus, Mary and God as guests on Springer's TV show and up to 300 swear words.
Stephen Green said: "If Jerry Springer - The Opera isn't blasphemous then nothing in Britain is sacred."
He said the show was "much worse" than he expected when he saw it and said it portrayed Jesus as a "coprophiliac sexual deviant". A coprophiliac is someone sexually aroused by faeces.
"[Jesus] proclaims he is a bit gay, he has this shouting match with the devil - it's just foul-mouthed tirades against the devil and against his blessed mother," Mr Green said.
"The damage that must have done to impressionable young people is incalculable."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4161109.stm
A Christian group is to bring a private blasphemy prosecution against the BBC after the corporation screened Jerry Springer - The Opera on Saturday.
...
The musical, which has been in London theatres for three years, features Jesus, Mary and God as guests on Springer's TV show and up to 300 swear words.
Stephen Green said: "If Jerry Springer - The Opera isn't blasphemous then nothing in Britain is sacred."
He said the show was "much worse" than he expected when he saw it and said it portrayed Jesus as a "coprophiliac sexual deviant". A coprophiliac is someone sexually aroused by faeces.
"[Jesus] proclaims he is a bit gay, he has this shouting match with the devil - it's just foul-mouthed tirades against the devil and against his blessed mother," Mr Green said.
"The damage that must have done to impressionable young people is incalculable."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4161109.stm
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Culture Watch: Jerry Springer - The Opera
Springer success story continues
Award-winning musical Jerry Springer - The Opera is set to open on Broadway next year. BBC News Online analyses its phenomenal success.
Men in nappies and tap-dancing members of the Ku Klux Klan are just two of the delights awaiting anyone who sees the operatic version of the notorious US talk show.
Championed by the National Theatre's new artistic director Nicholas Hytner, the musical has become a cult sensation despite - or perhaps because of - a script containing more than 8,000 swear words.
...
Based on Springer's lurid show, the musical represents a head-on collision between high art and trash culture.
Set during a typical Jerry Springer programme, the show features a generic line-up of unfortunates whose bizarre fixations and sexual fetishes are eagerly devoured by a baying studio audience.
...
The production is scheduled to open in San Francisco for a six-week run before transferring to New York.
According to Matt Wolf, San Francisco is "probably the only other city in George Bush's America that's willing to listen to the sort of language the musical revels in".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3662889.stm
Award-winning musical Jerry Springer - The Opera is set to open on Broadway next year. BBC News Online analyses its phenomenal success.
Men in nappies and tap-dancing members of the Ku Klux Klan are just two of the delights awaiting anyone who sees the operatic version of the notorious US talk show.
Championed by the National Theatre's new artistic director Nicholas Hytner, the musical has become a cult sensation despite - or perhaps because of - a script containing more than 8,000 swear words.
...
Based on Springer's lurid show, the musical represents a head-on collision between high art and trash culture.
Set during a typical Jerry Springer programme, the show features a generic line-up of unfortunates whose bizarre fixations and sexual fetishes are eagerly devoured by a baying studio audience.
...
The production is scheduled to open in San Francisco for a six-week run before transferring to New York.
According to Matt Wolf, San Francisco is "probably the only other city in George Bush's America that's willing to listen to the sort of language the musical revels in".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3662889.stm
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Link-o-matic
I haven't had time to figure out how to add links to the sidebar of this blog yet, but I wanted take a minute to share some of the websites I frequent on the net...
DemocracyNow! - http://www.democracynow.org
- All the news you haven't been hearing from the corporate-run mass media
Pocono Commuter - http://www.poconocommuter.com
- A great resource for those who live in, or are thinking of relocating to the Pocono Mtns. of Pennsylvania
BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/default.stm
- News bit from around the world. I like to see how Americans are perceived from a foreign perspective through this and other news sites located elsewhere
Geocaching - http://www.geocaching.com/
- If you own a GPS unit and haven't tried geocaching yet, you're missing out on a lot of fun. Brad and I also have our own geocache, which can be viewed at the following link: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=de28f841-8802-4dac-9593-91817b605a2e
The Village Voice - http://www.villagevoice.com/
- NYC's best alternative newspaper
Buzzflash - http://buzzflash.com/
- What is the Right up to now? An interesting site for bits of news often passed over by the mass media
NOAA National Weather Service - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
- Without a doubt, the best weather forecasting here comes from our own govt.
Cape Breton Webcams - http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/samson3/cbcam.htm
- Brad and I own some property on Cape Breton Island. We can't always be there, but it's fun to check in on conditions there via webcams placed throughout the island
National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org
- If for some reason I can't get to a radio, it's nice to be able to stream NPR online from their website
NPR All Songs Considered - http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/
- Each week a new music program is featured in streaming media on their site. I've been introduced to some fantastic artists through this show.
R.O.V.E.R.S. - http://www.roversclub.org/
- A Land Rover club serving the northeastern U.S.
Archaeologyfieldwork.com - http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com
- Archaeology jobs, resumes, field schools, internships, volunteer opportunities, discussion forums, photos, and much more...
That's it for now! More to come soon...
Jennifer
DemocracyNow! - http://www.democracynow.org
- All the news you haven't been hearing from the corporate-run mass media
Pocono Commuter - http://www.poconocommuter.com
- A great resource for those who live in, or are thinking of relocating to the Pocono Mtns. of Pennsylvania
BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/default.stm
- News bit from around the world. I like to see how Americans are perceived from a foreign perspective through this and other news sites located elsewhere
Geocaching - http://www.geocaching.com/
- If you own a GPS unit and haven't tried geocaching yet, you're missing out on a lot of fun. Brad and I also have our own geocache, which can be viewed at the following link: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=de28f841-8802-4dac-9593-91817b605a2e
The Village Voice - http://www.villagevoice.com/
- NYC's best alternative newspaper
Buzzflash - http://buzzflash.com/
- What is the Right up to now? An interesting site for bits of news often passed over by the mass media
NOAA National Weather Service - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
- Without a doubt, the best weather forecasting here comes from our own govt.
Cape Breton Webcams - http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/samson3/cbcam.htm
- Brad and I own some property on Cape Breton Island. We can't always be there, but it's fun to check in on conditions there via webcams placed throughout the island
National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org
- If for some reason I can't get to a radio, it's nice to be able to stream NPR online from their website
NPR All Songs Considered - http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/
- Each week a new music program is featured in streaming media on their site. I've been introduced to some fantastic artists through this show.
R.O.V.E.R.S. - http://www.roversclub.org/
- A Land Rover club serving the northeastern U.S.
Archaeologyfieldwork.com - http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com
- Archaeology jobs, resumes, field schools, internships, volunteer opportunities, discussion forums, photos, and much more...
That's it for now! More to come soon...
Jennifer
Friday, January 07, 2005
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