My son reported an incident that happened on his way home from school on Friday, and I couldn't understand a word so he had to translate. I will quote verbatim here and provide a translation:
(A white working-class youth to his friends, about my son who was walking near them): Oi, look at that bloke. Should we mess with him?
(They look him over. My son is tall and broad-shouldered and works out with weights.)
(Another youth replies): No blud, he's hench, he could murk you.
Translation: No my friend. He has a lot of muscle (like a henchman). He could beat you up.
It's like trying to read Shakespeare to me. You need footnotes and translations to figure out what people are saying.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Farewell dinner
We had a farewell dinner for Nokia colleague Paul who is leaving last night. We had Japanese food, the kind they cook at the table (above).
Below is Paul and Cristina, a student from Spain who we all love and will miss when she has to go back home in September:
As I was sitting among all the friends who were laughing and talking, my mind drifted to memories of bad dinner parties I've attended. You know the kind where you sit there, your muscles tensing more and more as you find yourself unable to respond to the conversation or jokes? And your mouth freezes in a sort of Halloween-horror-movie smile? You want to be yourself but you can't. Then the conversation drifts steadily downward, the jokes dirtier, the conversation more inane and trivial as people run out of things to say. And you think to yourself, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the dull and trivial person who can't think of anything worthwhile to say.
But then, as you leave the confining atmosphere of the restaurant and break free into the coolness of the night, you become yourself again.
Brain switches off rationality when given 'expert advice'
See this article in the Times below. This is exactly my problem. I have to stay away from authority figures and any organized institution that wants to tell me what to do because I'm so gullible that I'll believe it. It's best for me to keep my distance from experts...
"Financial advice can make us take leave of our senses, according to research that shows how the brain sets aside rationality when it gets the benefit of supposedly expert opinion.
When a bank manager or investment adviser recommends a financial decision, the brain tends to abdicate responsibility and defer to their authority with little independent thought, a study has suggested.
Such expert advice suppresses activity in a neural circuit that is critical to sound decision-making and value judgments, scientists in the US have found.
Their results may explain why people are so apt to follow experts’ recommendations blindly, when a little reflection might be sufficient to suggest an alternative course of action."
What do you do when faced with experts? How can you keep your brain from switching off and yielding to their 'expertise'?
"Financial advice can make us take leave of our senses, according to research that shows how the brain sets aside rationality when it gets the benefit of supposedly expert opinion.
When a bank manager or investment adviser recommends a financial decision, the brain tends to abdicate responsibility and defer to their authority with little independent thought, a study has suggested.
Such expert advice suppresses activity in a neural circuit that is critical to sound decision-making and value judgments, scientists in the US have found.
Their results may explain why people are so apt to follow experts’ recommendations blindly, when a little reflection might be sufficient to suggest an alternative course of action."
What do you do when faced with experts? How can you keep your brain from switching off and yielding to their 'expertise'?
Monday, 30 March 2009
Is Canada to Blame for Natasha's Death?
It is so typical of the New York Post (right-wing tabloid in NYC) to turn Natasha Richardson's death into a case against a national healthcare system.
I wonder how much a healthcare lobbyist paid him to write that article. It's pure conjecture. Who can say whether she would have lived and under what circumstances? Certainly not a New York Post journalist.
"Did actress Natasha Richardson have to die as a result of her fall last week? A week after she died of an epidural hematoma (bleeding around the brain) following a ski accident, questions are being raised about whether Canada's health care is up to task. "Canadian health care de-emphasizes widespread dissemination of technology like CT scanners and quick access to specialists like neurosurgeons," New York Post columnist Cory Franklin points out. "With prompt diagnosis by CT scan, and surgery to drain the blood, most patients survive" an incident like Richardson's, Franklin says. Not only are CT scanners "less common in Canada," Franklin writes, but Quebec, where the 45-year-old fell, "has no helicopter services to trauma centers in Montreal." Franklin presents a convincing case that if Richardson fell in Denver, it's likely she would have lived."
from The Daily Beast website
My daughter, the med school student adds her views:
Evidence has shown that it is the very advent and use of these technologies which causes things like Natasha Richardson's death.
With the use of CT scans and every single resource that can be thrown at the patient becoming standard, doctors are becoming crippled in their ability to make the rapid, quick-fire decisions that they used to be able to do. Are they scared of facing litigation, or are they simply unable to recognise the symptoms because they always cart their patients off to the latest hi-tech scanner?
I've heard the argument made that if she was in the UK, she would have been fine - UK doctors have limited access to these things and would have been able to recognise the symptoms. Even I could (I've been taught all about this stuff). If you're interested, the correct thing to do is make an opening straight away in the correct side of the head so the blood can drain out. And I mean straight away, like, even before you get to the hospital (What American doctor would dare to do such a thing without requesting a million scans first?)
Addendum:
Just saw a piece in the New York Times today on this very subject. Go here to read it. Here's a snippet:
THE death of the actress Natasha Richardson after a fall on a ski slope has further publicized an ugly truth that millions of Americans already know: Hardly anyone outside of an emergency room knows how to respond to brain trauma. There isn’t a standard response system that has been adequately promulgated in high school or college athletics, boxing rings or ski resorts. We’re fascinated by the inner workings of the brain and marvel at its mysteries, yet we aren’t very serious about protecting our most prized organ.
And another recent piece about unnecessary scans:
March 29 (Bloomberg) -- One in five heart scans that use small amounts of radioactive material to track blood flow in a patient’s veins are done unnecessarily, a study finds, at an average cost of $2,000 apiece.
Almost one-quarter of the unneeded tests were ordered by doctors who weren’t heart specialists, according to research reported today at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Florida. Some heart doctors may give the test to assure “worried well” patients, even if they don’t have sufficient symptoms to warrant a scan, said Michael Crawford, chief of cardiology at the University of California at San Francisco.
“The consumer asks a cardiologist, ‘Am I going to drop dead?’” said Crawford, who was not involved in the study, in a telephone interview. “You think: ‘Probably not. But gee, if the person drops dead, is the family going to sue me?’”
I wonder how much a healthcare lobbyist paid him to write that article. It's pure conjecture. Who can say whether she would have lived and under what circumstances? Certainly not a New York Post journalist.
"Did actress Natasha Richardson have to die as a result of her fall last week? A week after she died of an epidural hematoma (bleeding around the brain) following a ski accident, questions are being raised about whether Canada's health care is up to task. "Canadian health care de-emphasizes widespread dissemination of technology like CT scanners and quick access to specialists like neurosurgeons," New York Post columnist Cory Franklin points out. "With prompt diagnosis by CT scan, and surgery to drain the blood, most patients survive" an incident like Richardson's, Franklin says. Not only are CT scanners "less common in Canada," Franklin writes, but Quebec, where the 45-year-old fell, "has no helicopter services to trauma centers in Montreal." Franklin presents a convincing case that if Richardson fell in Denver, it's likely she would have lived."
from The Daily Beast website
My daughter, the med school student adds her views:
Evidence has shown that it is the very advent and use of these technologies which causes things like Natasha Richardson's death.
With the use of CT scans and every single resource that can be thrown at the patient becoming standard, doctors are becoming crippled in their ability to make the rapid, quick-fire decisions that they used to be able to do. Are they scared of facing litigation, or are they simply unable to recognise the symptoms because they always cart their patients off to the latest hi-tech scanner?
I've heard the argument made that if she was in the UK, she would have been fine - UK doctors have limited access to these things and would have been able to recognise the symptoms. Even I could (I've been taught all about this stuff). If you're interested, the correct thing to do is make an opening straight away in the correct side of the head so the blood can drain out. And I mean straight away, like, even before you get to the hospital (What American doctor would dare to do such a thing without requesting a million scans first?)
Addendum:
Just saw a piece in the New York Times today on this very subject. Go here to read it. Here's a snippet:
THE death of the actress Natasha Richardson after a fall on a ski slope has further publicized an ugly truth that millions of Americans already know: Hardly anyone outside of an emergency room knows how to respond to brain trauma. There isn’t a standard response system that has been adequately promulgated in high school or college athletics, boxing rings or ski resorts. We’re fascinated by the inner workings of the brain and marvel at its mysteries, yet we aren’t very serious about protecting our most prized organ.
And another recent piece about unnecessary scans:
March 29 (Bloomberg) -- One in five heart scans that use small amounts of radioactive material to track blood flow in a patient’s veins are done unnecessarily, a study finds, at an average cost of $2,000 apiece.
Almost one-quarter of the unneeded tests were ordered by doctors who weren’t heart specialists, according to research reported today at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Florida. Some heart doctors may give the test to assure “worried well” patients, even if they don’t have sufficient symptoms to warrant a scan, said Michael Crawford, chief of cardiology at the University of California at San Francisco.
“The consumer asks a cardiologist, ‘Am I going to drop dead?’” said Crawford, who was not involved in the study, in a telephone interview. “You think: ‘Probably not. But gee, if the person drops dead, is the family going to sue me?’”
Selective use of the Bible
Interesting topic under discussion in Andrew Sullivan's blog:
"The resistance to civil equality for homosexuals is built on two core arguments. The first is the inerrancy of the Bible for most Christians, rendering, say, marriage equality an intolerable fusion of Godliness and evil. The logical problem here is the selectiveness of the use of the Bible.
Among many other things, Christian scripture and tradition affirm the legitimacy of slavery, claim that the Jews are cursed for killing Jesus, and assert that one must give away all of one's belongings and even learn to hate one's own family before following Christ. These are just a few of the matters on which contemporary Christians, including orthodox Christians, feel quite comfortable breaking with, or explaining away, scripture and tradition."
"The resistance to civil equality for homosexuals is built on two core arguments. The first is the inerrancy of the Bible for most Christians, rendering, say, marriage equality an intolerable fusion of Godliness and evil. The logical problem here is the selectiveness of the use of the Bible.
Among many other things, Christian scripture and tradition affirm the legitimacy of slavery, claim that the Jews are cursed for killing Jesus, and assert that one must give away all of one's belongings and even learn to hate one's own family before following Christ. These are just a few of the matters on which contemporary Christians, including orthodox Christians, feel quite comfortable breaking with, or explaining away, scripture and tradition."
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Quiz Night
Last night was Quiz Night at my son's school. I made champagne cocktails that were so lethal (I put too much vodka in) that I ended up not answering a single question. Wait, I did get one -- who wrote the Witches of Eastwick? (John Updike)
Here are a few of the questions; can you answer them?
What was the name of Alexander the Great's horse?
Who built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
Which state is the southern-most state of the US?
Which Italian landmark has 296 steps?
A vicar's musings
I write sometimes about the vicar in the village where I used to live and his columns in the village magazine that often reveal his sexism. The column he wrote a couple of months ago was the worst. In it he said:
"It may be controversial to say so but the truth is that while women have tremendous gifts to offer in Christian ministry they are emotionally less well equipped to cope with the demands of church leadership. This puts them in situations which are more difficult for them than for a man; the woman’s tenderness and tolerance are not always helpful when it comes to leading the church. This is illustrated by the fact that ordained women are generally more accepting of liberalism in matters of faith and practice than their corresponding male peer group."
It caused a firestorm of anger in the village. It must have really upset the vicar who was so used to saying any old stupid thing without people making much of a fuss. It must have given him the courage to cross the line and write something like the paragraph above.
This month, I noticed he is back to writing about bland things and keeping his head down:
"The other day I picked up a load of rubbish from a hedge...The rubbish I want to focus on for the rest of this article is not the sort you see in hedgerows. It is the kind you find in your mind and conscience. Most people would like to have a clear conscience. But the problem is that all of us have stuff there that clutters us up...Freedom from a guilty conscience is a wonderful gift. The clearing of sins from our conscience is infinitely more important than the removal of rubbish from a hedge! Such cleansing can be ours in Christ - and in Christ alone. I pray that some will discover him this Easter."
Don't you love the contortion that vicar must go through to pull a religious lesson out of the most innocuous everyday event ("I was just cutting some nose hairs this morning and was reminded of the Sermon on the Mount...").
Anyway, the village magazine reported that two of their readers wrote in support of the vicar's misogynist views (everyone else thought he had a screw loose). This is what they said:
"Two ladies didn’t see what all the fuss was about, implying that it was the younger generation of women dabbling in affairs they didn’t understand."
These women must be 100 and 101, respectively. I can't think who else could hold such ossified views.
"It may be controversial to say so but the truth is that while women have tremendous gifts to offer in Christian ministry they are emotionally less well equipped to cope with the demands of church leadership. This puts them in situations which are more difficult for them than for a man; the woman’s tenderness and tolerance are not always helpful when it comes to leading the church. This is illustrated by the fact that ordained women are generally more accepting of liberalism in matters of faith and practice than their corresponding male peer group."
It caused a firestorm of anger in the village. It must have really upset the vicar who was so used to saying any old stupid thing without people making much of a fuss. It must have given him the courage to cross the line and write something like the paragraph above.
This month, I noticed he is back to writing about bland things and keeping his head down:
"The other day I picked up a load of rubbish from a hedge...The rubbish I want to focus on for the rest of this article is not the sort you see in hedgerows. It is the kind you find in your mind and conscience. Most people would like to have a clear conscience. But the problem is that all of us have stuff there that clutters us up...Freedom from a guilty conscience is a wonderful gift. The clearing of sins from our conscience is infinitely more important than the removal of rubbish from a hedge! Such cleansing can be ours in Christ - and in Christ alone. I pray that some will discover him this Easter."
Don't you love the contortion that vicar must go through to pull a religious lesson out of the most innocuous everyday event ("I was just cutting some nose hairs this morning and was reminded of the Sermon on the Mount...").
Anyway, the village magazine reported that two of their readers wrote in support of the vicar's misogynist views (everyone else thought he had a screw loose). This is what they said:
"Two ladies didn’t see what all the fuss was about, implying that it was the younger generation of women dabbling in affairs they didn’t understand."
These women must be 100 and 101, respectively. I can't think who else could hold such ossified views.
I'm in love
I saw this Kenwood mini-chopper at Costco and knew it was the answer to a culinary prayer. I HATE chopping onions and other vegetables, and using a food processor is such a hassle. This baby is tiny and efficient. I had an onion beautifully minced in 10 seconds. I even had the bright idea to throw a block of cheese in there so I didn't have to grate it. (Another chore I hate; I always end up grating part of my finger too.)
Saturday, 28 March 2009
The dangers of sleeping around
A warning from my friend Tessa who is a nurse at a school near my house:
God is not going to intervene
I'm confused. If you can pray to God to help you find a parking space and if things like you losing your job are all part of the master plan (we were arguing about this in the blog a while back), then why can't God intervene to save the planet?
Why do people pray to a God who won't intevene anyway?
Here's what the Archbishop of Canterbury said:
"God is not going to intervene to prevent humanity from wreaking disastrous damage to the environment, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned last night as he called for a 'radical change of heart' to prevent runaway climate change.
Dr Rowan Williams said there needed to be a 'conversion' by humanity away from selfishness and greed that leads us to turn a 'blind eye' to the destruction of the environment and to our interdependence with the natural world.
He warned in a lecture at York Minster that God would not guarantee a 'happy ending' and as just as God gave us free will to do 'immeasurable damage' to ourselves as individuals it seemed 'clear' that we had the same 'terrible freedom' as a human race."
Why do people pray to a God who won't intevene anyway?
Here's what the Archbishop of Canterbury said:
"God is not going to intervene to prevent humanity from wreaking disastrous damage to the environment, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned last night as he called for a 'radical change of heart' to prevent runaway climate change.
Dr Rowan Williams said there needed to be a 'conversion' by humanity away from selfishness and greed that leads us to turn a 'blind eye' to the destruction of the environment and to our interdependence with the natural world.
He warned in a lecture at York Minster that God would not guarantee a 'happy ending' and as just as God gave us free will to do 'immeasurable damage' to ourselves as individuals it seemed 'clear' that we had the same 'terrible freedom' as a human race."
Friday, 27 March 2009
Do any of you tweet?
I think I might need to take up tweeting since it's becoming so popular. Do any of you use Twitter? Is it fun?
"Here's an interesting note on Twitter usage. The three year-old company with less than 40 employees now runs the world's third largest social networking service. And growing.
According to research firm Nielsen, the number of people using Twitter in the U.S. has increased by 1,689% from February 2008 to February 2009. There are now more than seven million tweeters in the U.S. and up to 40 million globally.
And here are some interesting stats regarding demographics. There are nearly as many Twitter users above the age of 55 as below the age of 34. And the core Twitter audience is between the ages of 35 - 49. But even seniors are actively tweeting according to Nielsen. This isn't kid-stuff."
"Here's an interesting note on Twitter usage. The three year-old company with less than 40 employees now runs the world's third largest social networking service. And growing.
According to research firm Nielsen, the number of people using Twitter in the U.S. has increased by 1,689% from February 2008 to February 2009. There are now more than seven million tweeters in the U.S. and up to 40 million globally.
And here are some interesting stats regarding demographics. There are nearly as many Twitter users above the age of 55 as below the age of 34. And the core Twitter audience is between the ages of 35 - 49. But even seniors are actively tweeting according to Nielsen. This isn't kid-stuff."
Republican Recovery Plan
I thought this was amusing (from Nate Silver's blog):
He's making fun of this, the Republican Recovery Plan:
He's making fun of this, the Republican Recovery Plan:
A deep regard for marriage
I enjoyed reading this story in a London paper. A Christian couple runs a hotel and will only allow married people to occupy the same room. They accepted a booking from a gay couple but when they showed up, refused to let them have a room because of their 'deep regard for marriage.'
They really need to set up surveillance cameras in the hall to make sure unmarried people don't go to each other's rooms at 2 in the morning for sex. And also, they probably need to enforce some sort of regulation about only allowing the missionary position for married couples staying with them, or, if they are strict Catholics, they shouldn't allow recreational sex between partners. Really, standards are slipping these days.
"The Christian owners of a seaside hotel may be prosecuted after refusing to allow a gay couple to stay in a double room. Peter and Hazelmary Bull are facing an unprecedented court case under controversial new equality laws.
Martyn Hall, who lives with his civil partner Steven Preddy, has lodged a county court claim for up to £5,000 in damages alleging 'direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation'.
But the Bulls deny the charge, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples, both heterosexual and gay, from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion near Penzance in Cornwall.
The Bulls, who have the backing of the Christian Institute, have operated their 'married only' policy since they bought the hotel in 1986.
The hotel website says: 'We have few rules but please note that out of a deep regard for marriage we prefer to let double accommodation to heterosexual married couples only.'"
They really need to set up surveillance cameras in the hall to make sure unmarried people don't go to each other's rooms at 2 in the morning for sex. And also, they probably need to enforce some sort of regulation about only allowing the missionary position for married couples staying with them, or, if they are strict Catholics, they shouldn't allow recreational sex between partners. Really, standards are slipping these days.
"The Christian owners of a seaside hotel may be prosecuted after refusing to allow a gay couple to stay in a double room. Peter and Hazelmary Bull are facing an unprecedented court case under controversial new equality laws.
Martyn Hall, who lives with his civil partner Steven Preddy, has lodged a county court claim for up to £5,000 in damages alleging 'direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation'.
But the Bulls deny the charge, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples, both heterosexual and gay, from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion near Penzance in Cornwall.
The Bulls, who have the backing of the Christian Institute, have operated their 'married only' policy since they bought the hotel in 1986.
The hotel website says: 'We have few rules but please note that out of a deep regard for marriage we prefer to let double accommodation to heterosexual married couples only.'"
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Cute kids
I don't think my friend Elizabeth will mind if I put up a picture of two of her cute kids reading Dr Seuss stories. They look so cute that I can't resist putting them up.
Elizabeth wrote:
"Last Sunday our library hosted a program at Barnes and Noble, in honor of Dr. Seuss Week.
My children Adina and Yitz were the guest readers. Adina read “Cat in the Hat” in Hebrew and Yitz read it in English. They were great!"
Financial anecdote
When a fireman sees a house on fire, he sounds an alarm, dons his turnout gear, bravely rescues the occupants and puts out the fire.
When an investment banker sees a house on fire, he quietly sells the burning house short, uses the proceeds to buy a larger house for himself and, when someone suggests that his taxes be raised to help the homeless, he rails against the dangers of socialism.
(This is from my favorite financial blog, The Big Picture.)
When an investment banker sees a house on fire, he quietly sells the burning house short, uses the proceeds to buy a larger house for himself and, when someone suggests that his taxes be raised to help the homeless, he rails against the dangers of socialism.
(This is from my favorite financial blog, The Big Picture.)
Indian versus Western astrology
We were having a discussion in the comments in this blog about Vedic astrology as practiced by my Indian friends at the office versus Western astrology and I thought it deserved its own post.
Enthusiastic commenter Marty sent a question for me to ask my colleague at work who wears crystals and determines what he can eat each day by his chart.
I asked my friend the question (how does he know what crystals to wear and what he can eat each day), and he replied:
"For that you need to see an astrologist. You need the following info:
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Time of Birth
Based upon this he will create a Vedic Chart and analyze it. Then he will suggest what crystals are suitable at the present planetary positions. Or this website offers a paid service and gets all the info online to their customers:
www.astroved.com"
Then my Indian friend gave me this advice:
"The secret of happiness is within you.
You don't need to go to anyone really.
Money helps us to live in misery, and we have accepted it, but it never brings happiness and we are all at times after money.
So if you don't worry too much about why things are like they are and accept them as they are then you will be more relaxed."
Wise words. The difference between Indian astrology and western astrology is explained below. I had no idea that the two were different.
Sidereal astrology is the system of astrology used by some Western and all Jyotish astrologers who base their interpretation around the use of the sidereal zodiac. Its primary feature is that the signs of the zodiac align to the sky constellations of the same name. The signs therefore run between dates which are different from the tropical zodiac used in the West. For example, Aries runs from March 21 to April 20 in the tropical zodiac but extends from April 14 to May 14 in the sidereal (although the precise dates may vary depending on the sidereal system used).
In effect, in most Western astrology the link between sign and sky constellation is perceived differently than in Sidereal astrology.
It was introduced to the West by the Irish astrologer Cyril Fagan in 1944 and is practiced by a minority of Western astrologers.
Enthusiastic commenter Marty sent a question for me to ask my colleague at work who wears crystals and determines what he can eat each day by his chart.
I asked my friend the question (how does he know what crystals to wear and what he can eat each day), and he replied:
"For that you need to see an astrologist. You need the following info:
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Time of Birth
Based upon this he will create a Vedic Chart and analyze it. Then he will suggest what crystals are suitable at the present planetary positions. Or this website offers a paid service and gets all the info online to their customers:
www.astroved.com"
Then my Indian friend gave me this advice:
"The secret of happiness is within you.
You don't need to go to anyone really.
Money helps us to live in misery, and we have accepted it, but it never brings happiness and we are all at times after money.
So if you don't worry too much about why things are like they are and accept them as they are then you will be more relaxed."
Wise words. The difference between Indian astrology and western astrology is explained below. I had no idea that the two were different.
Sidereal astrology is the system of astrology used by some Western and all Jyotish astrologers who base their interpretation around the use of the sidereal zodiac. Its primary feature is that the signs of the zodiac align to the sky constellations of the same name. The signs therefore run between dates which are different from the tropical zodiac used in the West. For example, Aries runs from March 21 to April 20 in the tropical zodiac but extends from April 14 to May 14 in the sidereal (although the precise dates may vary depending on the sidereal system used).
In effect, in most Western astrology the link between sign and sky constellation is perceived differently than in Sidereal astrology.
It was introduced to the West by the Irish astrologer Cyril Fagan in 1944 and is practiced by a minority of Western astrologers.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Jesse Jackson comes to Reading
I was so surprised to hear on the radio today that Jesse Jackson is going to give a speech in my adopted town of Reading. I can't imagine him here - it's like two worlds colliding. I heard him speaking on the radio -- he's here to meet with MPs about tackling knife crime. I was wondering if I should try to go hear him since he'll only be a few streets away from me, except my daughter has a concert at Oxford Circus tonight so I'm supposed to go up to London after work to hear her.
The BBC interviewer asked Jackson to compare the UK and US in terms of race relations, and I thought, he doesn't know anything about that. I remember my life in the US, and we never thought about England much at all, except when there was a costume drama on PBS on Sunday nights. I can't imagine that Jackson has given any serious thought to our lives in the UK as compared to America.
From the BBC:
"The civil rights campaigner the Reverend Jesse Jackson is to give a speech about faith, politics and empowerment at a Berkshire church.
Mr Jackson is also expected to draw on his experiences of more than 40 years as a political activist when he visits Reading's Globe Church in Portman Road.
Reading West MP Martin Salter said he invited Mr Jackson to his constituency."
The BBC interviewer asked Jackson to compare the UK and US in terms of race relations, and I thought, he doesn't know anything about that. I remember my life in the US, and we never thought about England much at all, except when there was a costume drama on PBS on Sunday nights. I can't imagine that Jackson has given any serious thought to our lives in the UK as compared to America.
From the BBC:
"The civil rights campaigner the Reverend Jesse Jackson is to give a speech about faith, politics and empowerment at a Berkshire church.
Mr Jackson is also expected to draw on his experiences of more than 40 years as a political activist when he visits Reading's Globe Church in Portman Road.
Reading West MP Martin Salter said he invited Mr Jackson to his constituency."
At least I'm not as bad a mother as she is
I sometimes worry if I'm a bad mother to my kids but articles in the paper like this one reassure me that there are worse mothers:
A single mother jetted off to Spain for a holiday on her own - because she was fed up with her children moaning, a court heard today.
The runaway single parent left her daughters aged 11 and 14 home alone with £30 for food and said: 'I'm off.'
She bought a one-way ticket to Malaga for a sunshine break.
And the court heard she later told police: 'I just wanted to teach them a lesson, they are always moaning.'
The mother, 38, returned home to find the police waiting for her.
A single mother jetted off to Spain for a holiday on her own - because she was fed up with her children moaning, a court heard today.
The runaway single parent left her daughters aged 11 and 14 home alone with £30 for food and said: 'I'm off.'
She bought a one-way ticket to Malaga for a sunshine break.
And the court heard she later told police: 'I just wanted to teach them a lesson, they are always moaning.'
The mother, 38, returned home to find the police waiting for her.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Take this stress test
"Life is not how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."
I got this e-mail today from my sister-in-law:
I am not sure exactly how it works, but this is amazingly accurate.
Read the full description before looking at the picture. The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at St. Mary 's Hospital.
Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical.
A closely monitored scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins.
The more differences a person finds between the dolphins, the more stress that person is experiencing.
Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you need to go on holiday.
I got this e-mail today from my sister-in-law:
I am not sure exactly how it works, but this is amazingly accurate.
Read the full description before looking at the picture. The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at St. Mary 's Hospital.
Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical.
A closely monitored scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins.
The more differences a person finds between the dolphins, the more stress that person is experiencing.
Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you need to go on holiday.
Monday, 23 March 2009
A YouTube song a day
My friend Linda sent me this YouTube link -- how creative this guy is, and how topical.
Swedish women turn to snuff
I was, again, checking the stock market on the Bloomberg site. I'm obsessed with how much money we've lost in the recession.
Anyway, I saw an interesting article about how Swedish women aren't smoking cigarettes as much as using snuff. Here's an excerpt:
"Louise Lennersten wasn’t going to let a pregnancy kick her snuff habit.
The 26-year-old Swedish mother, who gave birth last month, switched to Onico, a nicotine-free brand that uses flavored vegetable fibers to imitate the taste of tobacco. With her son Wilmer born, Lennersten said she intends to return to real snuff, called snus in Sweden.
'I was a smoker but switched to snus when my job didn’t allow smoke breaks,' she said. “This way I could get my nicotine fix without going outside.”
Lennersten is part of a growing group of Swedish women breaking into a bastion of male tobacco culture in the Nordic country, one of the few markets where more women smoke than men. A public smoking ban, the unpleasantness of nipping outside for a cigarette in Swedish winters, and marketing by industry leader Swedish Match AB have led more women to try snus."
Have any of this blog's female readers tried snuff? 'Fess up.
Anyway, I saw an interesting article about how Swedish women aren't smoking cigarettes as much as using snuff. Here's an excerpt:
"Louise Lennersten wasn’t going to let a pregnancy kick her snuff habit.
The 26-year-old Swedish mother, who gave birth last month, switched to Onico, a nicotine-free brand that uses flavored vegetable fibers to imitate the taste of tobacco. With her son Wilmer born, Lennersten said she intends to return to real snuff, called snus in Sweden.
'I was a smoker but switched to snus when my job didn’t allow smoke breaks,' she said. “This way I could get my nicotine fix without going outside.”
Lennersten is part of a growing group of Swedish women breaking into a bastion of male tobacco culture in the Nordic country, one of the few markets where more women smoke than men. A public smoking ban, the unpleasantness of nipping outside for a cigarette in Swedish winters, and marketing by industry leader Swedish Match AB have led more women to try snus."
Have any of this blog's female readers tried snuff? 'Fess up.
Macbeth and cheese waffles
I've been helping my son with a paper on Macbeth today. My husband worked on it the day before, and Sunday was my turn. I pulled out my Shakespeare book from college, and thank goodness, I had written down most everything the professor said in the margins. There the comments had slept for over twenty years, just waiting for me until I needed them again.
I always liked Macbeth -- it's one of the easiest plays to understand anyway. Lady Macbeth was such a strong woman. Here she urges her husband to murder Duncan, the king:
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.
What we ate today
I made waffles for brunch. I had leftover ham and cheese to use so I made a cheese sauce with onions and mushrooms. Put that on top of a ham slice on top of a freshly made waffle -- heaven. Except I ate too much, and now I feel sick.
And I still have dessert to eat later -- fresh strawberries on top of lemon drizzle cake.
I always liked Macbeth -- it's one of the easiest plays to understand anyway. Lady Macbeth was such a strong woman. Here she urges her husband to murder Duncan, the king:
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.
What we ate today
I made waffles for brunch. I had leftover ham and cheese to use so I made a cheese sauce with onions and mushrooms. Put that on top of a ham slice on top of a freshly made waffle -- heaven. Except I ate too much, and now I feel sick.
And I still have dessert to eat later -- fresh strawberries on top of lemon drizzle cake.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
The sky's the soft blue of a work shirt
Isn't this a beautiful poem that my friend Linda just sent me:
Today, the sky's the soft blue of a work shirt washed
a thousand times. The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step. On the interstate listening
to NPR, I heard a Hubble scientist
say, "The universe is not only stranger than we
think, it's stranger than we can think." I think
I've driven into spring, as the woods revive
with a loud shout, redbud trees, their gaudy
scarves flung over bark's bare limbs. Barely doing
sixty, I pass a tractor trailer called Glory Bound,
and aren't we just? Just yesterday,
I read Li Po: "There is no end of things
in the heart," but it seems like things
are always ending—vacation or childhood,
relationships, stores going out of business,
like the one that sold jeans that really fit—
And where do we fit in? How can we get up
in the morning, knowing what we do? But we do,
put one foot after the other, open the window,
make coffee, watch the steam curl up
and disappear. At night, the scent of phlox curls
in the open window, while the sky turns red violet,
lavender, thistle, a box of spilled crayons.
The moon spills its milk on the black tabletop
for the thousandth time.
"Poem on a Line by Anne Sexton, 'We are All Writing God's Poem'" by Barbara Crooker
Today, the sky's the soft blue of a work shirt washed
a thousand times. The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step. On the interstate listening
to NPR, I heard a Hubble scientist
say, "The universe is not only stranger than we
think, it's stranger than we can think." I think
I've driven into spring, as the woods revive
with a loud shout, redbud trees, their gaudy
scarves flung over bark's bare limbs. Barely doing
sixty, I pass a tractor trailer called Glory Bound,
and aren't we just? Just yesterday,
I read Li Po: "There is no end of things
in the heart," but it seems like things
are always ending—vacation or childhood,
relationships, stores going out of business,
like the one that sold jeans that really fit—
And where do we fit in? How can we get up
in the morning, knowing what we do? But we do,
put one foot after the other, open the window,
make coffee, watch the steam curl up
and disappear. At night, the scent of phlox curls
in the open window, while the sky turns red violet,
lavender, thistle, a box of spilled crayons.
The moon spills its milk on the black tabletop
for the thousandth time.
"Poem on a Line by Anne Sexton, 'We are All Writing God's Poem'" by Barbara Crooker
Picking daffodils for Mothering Sunday
Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday in England (their Mother's Day). My friend Tessa always makes daffodil bouquets for all the mothers at her church so she asked me if I'd like to join her daffodil picking this afternoon. What a delightful way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in the spring.
(Those are my shoes in the pic. I had to put on wellington boots to walk in the muddy woods.)
That's Tessa and her daughter Ella carrying just one of the daffodil loads back to the car. Ella is studying art and about to spend some time in London working at an art gallery there.
Whew, picking daffodils is hard work! I was too tired to cook when I got home so Mikey and Mel went out for fish and chips while I caught the end of Pride and Prejudice with my adored Laurence Olivier as Mr Darcy on TV.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
As I said in my letter to the Times....
If there's one upper-class tradition in England that never changes, it's writing letters to the Times. When Sir So-and-So gets upset about something, you can hear him tell his friends at a party that he intends to write to the Times about it.
Today I was having coffee and reading the Times, and I saw a letter that said, "I agree with Dr Karen Blakeley." I knew instantly that was going to be my pal Kaz -- it's just so like her to speak out about something that she cares about.
A quick rummage through the recycle bin yielded up her letter from a day or so ago. She didn't tell any of her friends about it, of course. So it'll be up to me to post about it and send the post to everyone so they can see the letter.
Her letter is below. Of course she's too modest to mention that she has written a book about Leadership Blind Spots (published by Wiley Press) so I'll tell you.
Sir, What do the Staffordshire hospital scandal and the economic crisis have in common? One feature they share is the presence of leadership blind spots. Blind spots occur when we dismiss, underestimate or repress information that generates emotional tension, such as anxiety or frustration. One area that commonly generates blind spots is the presence of goals, targets or even strategic visions.
In both the Staffordshire hospital case and the economic crisis, leaders discounted information brought to their attention. Instead, they focused narrowly on goals that, in some way, better reflected their self-interest. This pattern of attention results from an automatic psychological process that is difficult to control. Leadership blind spots are common and will continue to occur until we address some of the common psychological underpinnings of bad leadership.
Dr Karen Blakeley
Winchester Business School
Today I was having coffee and reading the Times, and I saw a letter that said, "I agree with Dr Karen Blakeley." I knew instantly that was going to be my pal Kaz -- it's just so like her to speak out about something that she cares about.
A quick rummage through the recycle bin yielded up her letter from a day or so ago. She didn't tell any of her friends about it, of course. So it'll be up to me to post about it and send the post to everyone so they can see the letter.
Her letter is below. Of course she's too modest to mention that she has written a book about Leadership Blind Spots (published by Wiley Press) so I'll tell you.
Sir, What do the Staffordshire hospital scandal and the economic crisis have in common? One feature they share is the presence of leadership blind spots. Blind spots occur when we dismiss, underestimate or repress information that generates emotional tension, such as anxiety or frustration. One area that commonly generates blind spots is the presence of goals, targets or even strategic visions.
In both the Staffordshire hospital case and the economic crisis, leaders discounted information brought to their attention. Instead, they focused narrowly on goals that, in some way, better reflected their self-interest. This pattern of attention results from an automatic psychological process that is difficult to control. Leadership blind spots are common and will continue to occur until we address some of the common psychological underpinnings of bad leadership.
Dr Karen Blakeley
Winchester Business School
What we do for beauty -- the farthingale
"To be beautiful, the sixteenth century woman wore a farthingale -- a stiff petticoat or hoop skirt under her dress. Whalebone, wire or cane was used to maintain its shape. Supposedly it made the torso look 'enticingly tiny.' Queen Anne is reported to have worn one that was four feet wide."
Here is an example of a farthingale:
I'm so glad we have moved on from this. I don't know what I would do without stretchy pull-on pants/trousers for those fat days....
Here is an example of a farthingale:
I'm so glad we have moved on from this. I don't know what I would do without stretchy pull-on pants/trousers for those fat days....
Friday, 20 March 2009
Unemployed take tour of AIG bonus takers' homes
This article from Gawker (www.gawker.com) made me laugh:
A political group supported by organized labor is planning a bus tour of AIG homes this weekend, according to a front-page New York Times story on the fate of these sad, bonus-dappled plutocrats. The leader of the group, Connecticut Working Families party, promises to try and not "foment... unnecessarily" all the anger and "rage about what's happened."
He just wants to take a bunch of unemployed and foreclosed-upon people with nothing to lose, put them on a bus, and show them exactly what they're missing, and who is to blame.
Anyway, the Times' story has precisely one secondhand report of a death threat, one angry neighbor in a driveway and a couple of pissed off Connecticut residents. None of the various Connecticut police departments contacted by the newspaper has heard anything about any sort of danger to these rich guys.
But still, let's feel anxious and a little ashamed of ourselves, on behalf of these wealthy executives. All that stands between them and terrible, fearsome populist mobs are their private security guards, their lawns, their state-of-the-art security systems, several flights of probably marble stairs and the entrenched political/law enforcement establishment they bought over the past couple of decades, when the gettin' was good.
Happy Birthday, Mrs Williams
Today's the birthday of my dear friend Mrs. Williams. She works at the Foreign Office in London but her home is in Devon, so sometimes she comes and stays with me. Last time she stayed, we were selling our car on Ebay and the guy came to pick it up and got into a big argument with Mel in the house about lowering the price. Mrs. W and I retreated to the staircase. The time before she had to wake us up at 6:00 am because the washing machine broke and the kitchen was totally flooded. We had a foster cat living with us at the time and were annoyed it hadn't warned us earlier, like animals do in movies.
Anyway, here's a tribute to Mrs. W:
A good friend is like a good bra:
Hard to find
Supportive
Comfortable
Always lifts you up
Makes you look better
And always close to your heart.
Hope you have a great day, Mrs. W!
Facebook and blogging reducing e-mail time
We get internal media reports at Nokia every week. I was interested in this one because it confirms what I've noticed in my own personal life. I don't e-mail that much anymore. I communicate with everyone through my blog and Facebook. I've noticed how few personal e-mails I write these days and was wondering if I was weird, but I'm just following a trend:
"A detailed study by tech spods Nielsen Online has found that UK users spend one in every six online minutes browsing social media and blogging sites.
Facebook continues to be the don of social networking sites globally, visited monthly by thirty per cent of users in the nine markets tracked in the study (UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the US) with Facebook’s global audience now a phenomenal 108.3m users.
Nielsen’s researched ranked “member communities” as the fourth most popular online category behind search, portals and PC software but ahead of email.
According to the research, it’s not teens fuelling the growth of social networking sites but 35 to 49-year-olds, with almost a quarter of Facebook’s users known to be over 50 years old."
"A detailed study by tech spods Nielsen Online has found that UK users spend one in every six online minutes browsing social media and blogging sites.
Facebook continues to be the don of social networking sites globally, visited monthly by thirty per cent of users in the nine markets tracked in the study (UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the US) with Facebook’s global audience now a phenomenal 108.3m users.
Nielsen’s researched ranked “member communities” as the fourth most popular online category behind search, portals and PC software but ahead of email.
According to the research, it’s not teens fuelling the growth of social networking sites but 35 to 49-year-olds, with almost a quarter of Facebook’s users known to be over 50 years old."
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Good Tolstoy quote
The human mind cannot grasp the causes of phenomena in the aggregate. But the need to find these causes is inherent in man’s soul. And the human intellect, without investigating the multiplicity and complexity of the conditions of phenomena, any one of which taken separately may seem to be the cause, snatches at the first, the most intelligible approximation to a cause, and says: “This is the cause!”
-Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace
Book IV, Part 2, Chapter 1, first paragraph
-Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace
Book IV, Part 2, Chapter 1, first paragraph
Some light relief from the current crisis ....
Chuck bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.
The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.'
Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'
The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'
Chuck said, 'OK, then, just bring me the dead donkey.'
The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?
Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'
The farmer said 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!'
Chuck said, 'Sure I can, watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.'
A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?'
Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00.'
The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'
Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two dollars.'
Chuck now works in private equity.
The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.'
Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'
The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'
Chuck said, 'OK, then, just bring me the dead donkey.'
The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?
Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'
The farmer said 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!'
Chuck said, 'Sure I can, watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.'
A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?'
Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00.'
The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'
Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two dollars.'
Chuck now works in private equity.
Have you ever put a lampshade on your head when tipsy?
In a speech to Irish leaders on St. Patrick's Day, Barack Obama jokingly urged the audience to go easy on the spirits. "Stay as long as you want, try to avoid putting any lampshades on your head, because there are a lot of photographers here," he said. When did putting a lampshade on your head become a universal symbol of drunkenness?
Probably in the 1910s or 1920s. While it's impossible to pinpoint the first instance of a man donning a lampshade at a party, the image most likely came out of vaudeville and was popularized in early silent films. In The Adventurer (1917), Charlie Chaplin plays a rich yachtsman who, pursued by the police, puts a lampshade over his head and stands still as the cops pass by. While that example is more about disguise than inebriation, the lampshade on the head had become a drunk gag by 1928, when the Baltimore Evening Sun ran a satirical piece called "The Life of the Party": "It is usually customary for the life of the party about the middle of the evening to put a lampshade on his head and give an impersonation of [Scottish soprano] Mary Garden, after which he tells a joke that is not meant for mixed company."
Me again: I think I have put a lampshade on my head once after too much champagne. Sort of embarrassing to recall, but I think I am guilty of this one. Are you?
Probably in the 1910s or 1920s. While it's impossible to pinpoint the first instance of a man donning a lampshade at a party, the image most likely came out of vaudeville and was popularized in early silent films. In The Adventurer (1917), Charlie Chaplin plays a rich yachtsman who, pursued by the police, puts a lampshade over his head and stands still as the cops pass by. While that example is more about disguise than inebriation, the lampshade on the head had become a drunk gag by 1928, when the Baltimore Evening Sun ran a satirical piece called "The Life of the Party": "It is usually customary for the life of the party about the middle of the evening to put a lampshade on his head and give an impersonation of [Scottish soprano] Mary Garden, after which he tells a joke that is not meant for mixed company."
Me again: I think I have put a lampshade on my head once after too much champagne. Sort of embarrassing to recall, but I think I am guilty of this one. Are you?
Atheists can sue over crucifixes
Shock horror story in the right-wing paper I was reading on Sunday morning:
"Organisations which hang crucifixes on walls could be sued if they upset atheists under equality laws proposed by the European Union.
...
Legislation may also allow Christians to bring an action against a hotel if it displayed something they deemed offensive -- such as the poster for the 1979 Monty Python film The Life of Brian."
These tabloids try to rile upstanding British citizens by raising the specter of the evil European Union that wants to do away with the pound, introduce equal-rights legislation and so on.
I was reading this paper for the celebrity goss and usually never pay attention to the news articles unless it's a really amusing like this one was.
"Organisations which hang crucifixes on walls could be sued if they upset atheists under equality laws proposed by the European Union.
...
Legislation may also allow Christians to bring an action against a hotel if it displayed something they deemed offensive -- such as the poster for the 1979 Monty Python film The Life of Brian."
These tabloids try to rile upstanding British citizens by raising the specter of the evil European Union that wants to do away with the pound, introduce equal-rights legislation and so on.
I was reading this paper for the celebrity goss and usually never pay attention to the news articles unless it's a really amusing like this one was.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Music that makes you dumb
My friend Elizabeth sent me this interesting graph that shows a correlation between the music you listen to and your SAT scores (that's a US college-entrance exam). Click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see where your favorite music stands.
Elizabeth also provides some amusing tongue-in-cheek comments:
"This is really interesting!
I’d like to point out, by the by, that as I’m sure I’ve mentioned I’m a HUGE Sufjan Stevens fan (I believe I’ve sent you a CD with some of his music, so you know I’m not just conveniently saying it now), and he’s #2. I also like Frank Sinatra, Death
Cab for Cutie, Norah Jones and Johnny Cash.
And I DON'T listen to Lil’ Wayne, Justine Timberlake, Nas, George Strait, Brad Paisley or Fall Out Boy.
Consequently, I put a great deal of credence in this survey."
Elizabeth also provides some amusing tongue-in-cheek comments:
"This is really interesting!
I’d like to point out, by the by, that as I’m sure I’ve mentioned I’m a HUGE Sufjan Stevens fan (I believe I’ve sent you a CD with some of his music, so you know I’m not just conveniently saying it now), and he’s #2. I also like Frank Sinatra, Death
Cab for Cutie, Norah Jones and Johnny Cash.
And I DON'T listen to Lil’ Wayne, Justine Timberlake, Nas, George Strait, Brad Paisley or Fall Out Boy.
Consequently, I put a great deal of credence in this survey."
The end of the dining car
Another British tradition bites the dust. I always loved the idea of the dining car; so many important scenes took place in them in Hitchcock movies. And Miss Marple saw terrible crimes take place on trains -- and didn't she question suspects in the dining car?
"The last surviving railway restaurant car service is to be scrapped and the space used to cram in more passengers, ending a 130-year tradition of fine dining on trains.
Passengers will no longer be able to watch the countryside slip by at 125mph as a waiter serves them a four-course dinner at a neatly laid table. Instead, they will have to bring their own food or buy snacks from trolleys.
National Express, the last train company to offer a frequent restaurant service, is closing its dining cars under a secret deal with the Government."
from The Times (London)
"The last surviving railway restaurant car service is to be scrapped and the space used to cram in more passengers, ending a 130-year tradition of fine dining on trains.
Passengers will no longer be able to watch the countryside slip by at 125mph as a waiter serves them a four-course dinner at a neatly laid table. Instead, they will have to bring their own food or buy snacks from trolleys.
National Express, the last train company to offer a frequent restaurant service, is closing its dining cars under a secret deal with the Government."
from The Times (London)
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
St Patrick's Day Quiz
Do you know the answer to these?
What character from radio, literary, film and comic strip has been played by an Englishman, Scotsman, Australian and Irishman?
What does the circle in the center of the Celtic cross represent?
Which shellfish is the theme of a Galway Bar Festival at the start of the season?
Is a Bodhran a Drum or a Fiddle?
In what year did the Irish Civil War break out?
Who is the current prime minister of the Republic of Ireland?
An all-day letter
I recently suffered a traumatic event. My friends all rushed to the rescue, for which I am very grateful. The ways they showed their concern and support for me varied, but I think the most imaginative response came from my friend in Detroit, Elizabeth.
She said she wished I could have been with her all day so she could take care of me but since I was an ocean away, she decided to write me an all-day letter to show that she had been thinking about me the entire day.
What a letter it was too. It was written on all different colors of papers and included samples of things she had been eating and working on and playing with for the day. Elizabeth went to the vending machine to get a snack during a break, and she sent me the same thing in the letter so I could get a real 'flavor' (ha) of her day. She sent examples of projects she had been working on during the day, for example, brochures and press releases. She sent drawings from her kids along with a teddy bear bookmark, Godiva chocolate and a cool pair of dangly earrings.
It cheered me up so much. Thanks, Elizabeth.
She said she wished I could have been with her all day so she could take care of me but since I was an ocean away, she decided to write me an all-day letter to show that she had been thinking about me the entire day.
What a letter it was too. It was written on all different colors of papers and included samples of things she had been eating and working on and playing with for the day. Elizabeth went to the vending machine to get a snack during a break, and she sent me the same thing in the letter so I could get a real 'flavor' (ha) of her day. She sent examples of projects she had been working on during the day, for example, brochures and press releases. She sent drawings from her kids along with a teddy bear bookmark, Godiva chocolate and a cool pair of dangly earrings.
It cheered me up so much. Thanks, Elizabeth.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Spring today
Today is a beautiful spring day in England. By Friday it's supposed to be cold again, but today the sun is out and there's warmth in the air. I rushed out at lunch, like everyone else, to bask in the beauty of the day. I walked around in a little park next to the office and marvelled at feeling the sun on my skin after so many dark dreary months here. (We just don't get sun here; it goes in by late November and that's basically it until spring. In the US it can be freezing cold but there's sun still.)
This is the first day I haven't needed a heavy winter coat to go outside. As I walked, I was sure I spotted a four-leaf clover so bent down to check but no. I proceeded to check the entire area just in case any four-leaf clovers were around. I don't know when I have had a more fun lunch break.
I came back to the office lighting, back to my desk, but my eyes, mouth and ears were still suffused with spring -- sun, green grass, flowers. I'm carrying the spring feeling around with me for a while.
Until you have lived someplace dark, you just don't know how crazed you can become when you finally feel the sun on your skin.
This is the first day I haven't needed a heavy winter coat to go outside. As I walked, I was sure I spotted a four-leaf clover so bent down to check but no. I proceeded to check the entire area just in case any four-leaf clovers were around. I don't know when I have had a more fun lunch break.
I came back to the office lighting, back to my desk, but my eyes, mouth and ears were still suffused with spring -- sun, green grass, flowers. I'm carrying the spring feeling around with me for a while.
Until you have lived someplace dark, you just don't know how crazed you can become when you finally feel the sun on your skin.
Thoughts of unemployment
There is an average of 10 jobseekers for every vacancy advertised in UK jobcentres, the TUC has warned. The trade union body said the ratio - which applies to unemployed people who are claiming jobseeker allowance - had more than doubled over the past year. -- news from the BBC today
Our company is talking about layoffs coming. We workers worry but want to appear controlled about it. So when we have meetings to discuss the company and the recession, people say things like, "How do you foresee the geographical locations of the company in the future?" (This means, 'you aren't axing my site, are you?')
Or they might ask about 'capacity planning' or 'future redeployments.' What we really want to do is stand up and say, "Is MY job going to be safe? I'm not really interested in yours, but what about mine?" But we can't give voice to those kind of fears in a corporate settings so we have to be euphemistic.
Contrast our seasoned worker approach to this article in Slashdot today:
"I work as a senior software engineer, and a fair amount of my time is spent interviewing new developers. I have seen a growing trend of what I would call 'TV reality' college graduates — kids who graduated school in the last few years and seem to have a view of the workplace that is very much fashioned by TV programs, where 22-year-olds lead billion-dollar corporate mergers in Paris and jet around the world.
Several years ago I worked at a company that did customization for the software they sold. It was not full-on consultant work, but some aspects of it were 'consulting light,' and did involve travel, some overseas. Almost every college graduate I interviewed fully expected to be sent overseas on their first assignment. They were very disappointed when told they were most likely to end up in places like Decater, IL and Cedar Rapids, IA, as only the most senior people fly overseas, because of the cost. Additionally, I see people in this age bracket expecting almost constant rewards."
Our company is talking about layoffs coming. We workers worry but want to appear controlled about it. So when we have meetings to discuss the company and the recession, people say things like, "How do you foresee the geographical locations of the company in the future?" (This means, 'you aren't axing my site, are you?')
Or they might ask about 'capacity planning' or 'future redeployments.' What we really want to do is stand up and say, "Is MY job going to be safe? I'm not really interested in yours, but what about mine?" But we can't give voice to those kind of fears in a corporate settings so we have to be euphemistic.
Contrast our seasoned worker approach to this article in Slashdot today:
"I work as a senior software engineer, and a fair amount of my time is spent interviewing new developers. I have seen a growing trend of what I would call 'TV reality' college graduates — kids who graduated school in the last few years and seem to have a view of the workplace that is very much fashioned by TV programs, where 22-year-olds lead billion-dollar corporate mergers in Paris and jet around the world.
Several years ago I worked at a company that did customization for the software they sold. It was not full-on consultant work, but some aspects of it were 'consulting light,' and did involve travel, some overseas. Almost every college graduate I interviewed fully expected to be sent overseas on their first assignment. They were very disappointed when told they were most likely to end up in places like Decater, IL and Cedar Rapids, IA, as only the most senior people fly overseas, because of the cost. Additionally, I see people in this age bracket expecting almost constant rewards."
Snapshot of office life
There's a guy at work who observes office life and comments on it in an amusing way. Today he sent me this report:
9:47am
Manager:(arrives, stage left) (delivered with gusto, standing, legs akimber) "Two lanes closed on the highway. No roadworks going on of course, just two lanes closed. Nightmare."
Worker #1: (quietly) "er, ok"
Manager: "No sign of Chris? Is she off today?"
Worker #2: "Don't know."
9:52am
Chris arrives stage left
Manager:"Problems with traffic Chris?"
Chris: (with attitude) "nut"
(pause)
Manager (sotto voce): "Late, that's all"
Sycophantic worker: "Heh heh"
9:53am
Worker #1 moaning loudly to Worker #2 about weekend. Worker #2 cackling like crazed hag. Manager moaning about weekend weather and waiting for opportune moment to sneeze repeatedly. Sycophantic worker waiting for anyone else to say something so he can go "Heh heh" again.
Then my friend snapped a couple of photos of one of the nearby desks. Whew, it's even messier than mine.
9:47am
Manager:(arrives, stage left) (delivered with gusto, standing, legs akimber) "Two lanes closed on the highway. No roadworks going on of course, just two lanes closed. Nightmare."
Worker #1: (quietly) "er, ok"
Manager: "No sign of Chris? Is she off today?"
Worker #2: "Don't know."
9:52am
Chris arrives stage left
Manager:"Problems with traffic Chris?"
Chris: (with attitude) "nut"
(pause)
Manager (sotto voce): "Late, that's all"
Sycophantic worker: "Heh heh"
9:53am
Worker #1 moaning loudly to Worker #2 about weekend. Worker #2 cackling like crazed hag. Manager moaning about weekend weather and waiting for opportune moment to sneeze repeatedly. Sycophantic worker waiting for anyone else to say something so he can go "Heh heh" again.
Then my friend snapped a couple of photos of one of the nearby desks. Whew, it's even messier than mine.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Day in London
We went to Vinopolis today, a wine-tasting place in London. They give wine classes and do tastings. On the way there, we passed by a tragic accident:
(Actually, it was just an outdoor advertisement for the London Dungeon, which is nearby.)
We got to Vinopolis and started out with a brunch of scrambled eggs and salmon on a muffin then got to drinking. We went to wine class first then were let loose to test the wine.
The men enjoyed the wine sampling and explanation. But my sister--in-law Paula and I had the most fun in the Bombay Sapphire Experience. You know that blue-colored gin?
We had a coconut cocktail made from it -- it was so good.
Here are Paula and Louis enjoying theirs and pretending they are newlyweds:
We had so much fun but stopped by Southwark Cathedral on the way home to do penance for all that drinking and partying:
(Actually, it was just an outdoor advertisement for the London Dungeon, which is nearby.)
We got to Vinopolis and started out with a brunch of scrambled eggs and salmon on a muffin then got to drinking. We went to wine class first then were let loose to test the wine.
The men enjoyed the wine sampling and explanation. But my sister--in-law Paula and I had the most fun in the Bombay Sapphire Experience. You know that blue-colored gin?
We had a coconut cocktail made from it -- it was so good.
Here are Paula and Louis enjoying theirs and pretending they are newlyweds:
We had so much fun but stopped by Southwark Cathedral on the way home to do penance for all that drinking and partying:
Keeping on with meditation
I went to meditation last night. I don't really like the Buddha service on either end of the meditating -- it seems too much like religion to me. But I want to keep going with the practice of meditation to see if it helps me.
And the monk who runs the place is wonderful -- talking to her is like having a drink from a well on a really hot day when you were dying of thirst. I always come away refreshed from speaking to her. So I guess I'll keep going for the actual meditation time and talking to her.
There was a light on last night so I could see my hair in silhouette on the wall as I meditated. My hair is curly and frizzy so the silhouette of my hair made shapes on the wall that entertained me when my mind refused to silence itself for meditation.
And the monk who runs the place is wonderful -- talking to her is like having a drink from a well on a really hot day when you were dying of thirst. I always come away refreshed from speaking to her. So I guess I'll keep going for the actual meditation time and talking to her.
There was a light on last night so I could see my hair in silhouette on the wall as I meditated. My hair is curly and frizzy so the silhouette of my hair made shapes on the wall that entertained me when my mind refused to silence itself for meditation.
Vinopolis
Just rushing off this morning to London with Mel, to meet his sister and husband for a wine-tasting tour at Vinopolis. We start out with a champagne brunch then go on a wine tour with lots of tasting. Mel and Louis are very knowledgeable about wines whereas I, being American, can drink horse wee and think that's a fine vintage. All good wine is wasted on me.
Anyway, I can't drink at lunchtime without developing a fierce headache in the afternoon so am taking some ibuprofen before brunch. Mel's sister wants to go to Covent Garden afterwards to shop then maybe eat dinner tonight but, of course, Budget Mel thinks that's a terrible idea. His idea of hell is browsing around shops.
My daughter wants us to come home quickly to help her work on her application to Imperial College to do an additional degree after she finishes her medical school studies at Kings so I'll bet I don't get anywhere near the shops after lunch.
See you later.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Scanwiches
Check this site out, and be sure and scan your next sandwich for the site.
Scanwiches
My sandwiches are too boring to scan. I get a turkey, cheese and lettuce sandwich every day at the office. The deli staff at Nokia start making my sandwich when they see me come down the stairs (11:45, so I can get the sandwich before the line forms, then I wrap it up and leave it until I come back from the gym). I don't even have to speak to them, they just make it and hand it to me.
It's the same with my skinny lattes too. They see me come downstairs first thing in the morning, they start making my latte.
If only the rest of my life could be so simple.
They do say to me, "Don't you get bored having the same sandwich year in and year out?" But I say it's too much to ask me to choose a different sandwich every day. I can only handle so much excitement in my life.
Scanwiches
My sandwiches are too boring to scan. I get a turkey, cheese and lettuce sandwich every day at the office. The deli staff at Nokia start making my sandwich when they see me come down the stairs (11:45, so I can get the sandwich before the line forms, then I wrap it up and leave it until I come back from the gym). I don't even have to speak to them, they just make it and hand it to me.
It's the same with my skinny lattes too. They see me come downstairs first thing in the morning, they start making my latte.
If only the rest of my life could be so simple.
They do say to me, "Don't you get bored having the same sandwich year in and year out?" But I say it's too much to ask me to choose a different sandwich every day. I can only handle so much excitement in my life.
Saturday whimsy
I was in Reading earlier today. I passed by a market stall selling things for dogs and saw this below. I quickly explained that I was taking a picture for you to see it, and the owner of the stall said to tell you hello and that his name is Bill.
(You know how dogs on the loose always bite the mailman...I thought this was so funny.)
I know many of you are already enjoying spring in other parts of the world, but this is England, and we don't get spring for months yet. But...daffodils are blooming, buds are sprouting, sometimes the sun comes out so Brits are starting to get excited because they can tell that spring is on its way.
I am getting excited too -- I'll be able to work in the garden in a month or so. I bought some beautiful flowers to celebrate:
Here's some useless advice from my calendar to finish this post:
A ready meal served in an authentic ethnic pot counts as home-made.
Writing 'clean me' in the dust doesn't help.
Add a touch of motor oil to your hair for a bright shine.
(You know how dogs on the loose always bite the mailman...I thought this was so funny.)
I know many of you are already enjoying spring in other parts of the world, but this is England, and we don't get spring for months yet. But...daffodils are blooming, buds are sprouting, sometimes the sun comes out so Brits are starting to get excited because they can tell that spring is on its way.
I am getting excited too -- I'll be able to work in the garden in a month or so. I bought some beautiful flowers to celebrate:
Here's some useless advice from my calendar to finish this post:
A ready meal served in an authentic ethnic pot counts as home-made.
Writing 'clean me' in the dust doesn't help.
Add a touch of motor oil to your hair for a bright shine.
What men have said about women
For when a woman is left too much alone, sooner or later she begins to think; and no man knows what she will discover.
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Friday, 13 March 2009
Today's front pages from all over the world
Check out this cool web site where you can read any front page from any place in the world:
Today's front pages across the world
Today's front pages across the world
Pet trends that must die
Funny article from Salon.com:
As we are all well aware, America is currently cleaning house. We've thrown off the cynicism and done away with the irony. As President Obama said in his inauguration speech, "the time has come to set aside childish things." And so I beseech you, pet owners of all species and breeds, to move into the new era with us. Yes, we can stop treating animals like people and start treating animals like pets.
I'm not saying you can't get your dog some utilitarian booties to protect her tender paws from the elements. Nor am I asking you to stop celebrating your cat's birthday (which provides endless opportunities for everyone's favorite pastime, "kitty-in-a bag"). But there are some pet trends that are just plain wrong.
Music and movies for your pets
You know what's good entertainment for cats? Sleeping. You know what's stupid entertainment for cats? The Cat Sitter Video, "specially designed to stimulate and entertain your cat while you are away." I realize that some pet owners worry that, without constant distraction and fun, their pets will fall into existential despair.
Animal spas and resorts
Offering everything from canine acupuncture to massages (didn't that used to be called "petting"?), luxury pet spas are a favorite among owners who aren't quite ready to literally burn their cash. Hmmm, a day of pampering for Cuddles ... or me?
I choose me.
Pet weddings
You're cordially invited to witness the humiliation of Dinky and Vera, who will be clad in their nuptial finest whether they like it or not. Want more? Check out We TV's page of puppy weddings. And if you prefer to do away with humans altogether, how about hiring Reverend Tyker to perform the ceremony? Seriously, I want a divorce.
Dog yoga
Also known as "Doga," this trend, which lets pet owners perform yoga with (and on) their dogs, seems sort of like birthday parties for 1-year-olds: more fun for the adults involved.
As we are all well aware, America is currently cleaning house. We've thrown off the cynicism and done away with the irony. As President Obama said in his inauguration speech, "the time has come to set aside childish things." And so I beseech you, pet owners of all species and breeds, to move into the new era with us. Yes, we can stop treating animals like people and start treating animals like pets.
I'm not saying you can't get your dog some utilitarian booties to protect her tender paws from the elements. Nor am I asking you to stop celebrating your cat's birthday (which provides endless opportunities for everyone's favorite pastime, "kitty-in-a bag"). But there are some pet trends that are just plain wrong.
Music and movies for your pets
You know what's good entertainment for cats? Sleeping. You know what's stupid entertainment for cats? The Cat Sitter Video, "specially designed to stimulate and entertain your cat while you are away." I realize that some pet owners worry that, without constant distraction and fun, their pets will fall into existential despair.
Animal spas and resorts
Offering everything from canine acupuncture to massages (didn't that used to be called "petting"?), luxury pet spas are a favorite among owners who aren't quite ready to literally burn their cash. Hmmm, a day of pampering for Cuddles ... or me?
I choose me.
Pet weddings
You're cordially invited to witness the humiliation of Dinky and Vera, who will be clad in their nuptial finest whether they like it or not. Want more? Check out We TV's page of puppy weddings. And if you prefer to do away with humans altogether, how about hiring Reverend Tyker to perform the ceremony? Seriously, I want a divorce.
Dog yoga
Also known as "Doga," this trend, which lets pet owners perform yoga with (and on) their dogs, seems sort of like birthday parties for 1-year-olds: more fun for the adults involved.
How your brain creates god
Thanks to Lisa for pointing out this article in the New Scientist to me:
WHILE many institutions collapsed during the Great Depression that began in 1929, one kind did rather well. During this leanest of times, the strictest, most authoritarian churches saw a surge in attendance.
This anomaly was documented in the early 1970s, but only now is science beginning to tell us why. It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times. Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world. It seems that our minds are finely tuned to believe in gods.
Religious ideas are common to all cultures: like language and music, they seem to be part of what it is to be human. Until recently, science has largely shied away from asking why. "It's not that religion is not important," says Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University, "it's that the taboo nature of the topic has meant there has been little progress."
Continue reading:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126941.700-born-believers-how-your-brain-creates-god.html
WHILE many institutions collapsed during the Great Depression that began in 1929, one kind did rather well. During this leanest of times, the strictest, most authoritarian churches saw a surge in attendance.
This anomaly was documented in the early 1970s, but only now is science beginning to tell us why. It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times. Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world. It seems that our minds are finely tuned to believe in gods.
Religious ideas are common to all cultures: like language and music, they seem to be part of what it is to be human. Until recently, science has largely shied away from asking why. "It's not that religion is not important," says Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University, "it's that the taboo nature of the topic has meant there has been little progress."
Continue reading:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126941.700-born-believers-how-your-brain-creates-god.html
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Book club meeting
Went to my Book Club meeting last night to discuss the Book Thief (a 2005 best-selling novel by Markus Zusak).
After I spouted off my feelings about the book (I was embarrassed that I did that later), my Austrian friend began to speak carefully and slowly about what she thought. She's a private person but when she began to speak, she opened the door to reveal a treasure of family stories, memories and grief.
Her two sets of grandparents had very different reactions to the Holocaust. One grandmother was determined to put her family first and find a way through the Nazi period. She urged her husband, a teacher, to join the Nazi party to avoid the repercussions of not being a member. (Another friend at the Book Club had a relative in Austria who refused to join the Nazi Party and was sent to a concentration camp just for that reason. My friend remembers seeing the numbers on her arm.) Anyway, the grandfather joined the party, then when the war was over, he was barred from teaching for 10 years and had to find work as a brick layer.
The other set of grandparents wanted nothing to do with the Nazi party so they found a tiny house in the country, just two rooms for their large family, and hid out there. The grandmother raised farm animals for food and wool for clothing, and they basically stayed out of sight.
My friend's mother was selected for an elite school, was sent away from her parents, and was indoctrinated as a member of the Hitler Youth. When the war started, her school was bombed, she had to basically find her way home by herself, then face life as no longer a golden girl. She had internalized the Nazi propaganda so profoundly that when the bombing started, she believed she would come to no harm because she was such a special person. My friend said her mother was never the same once she realized that she had been duped by the regime. She was only a child and believed what she had been taught.
About the book:
The Book Thief is set in Germany beginning in 1939, and focuses on an abandoned German girl, Liesel, who is sent to foster parents in another area, a small town near Munich. As Liesel learns to cope with her new environment, all the gains she has endured, and the extreme happinesss of pre-war and wartime Germany, she yearns to escape via reading.
After I spouted off my feelings about the book (I was embarrassed that I did that later), my Austrian friend began to speak carefully and slowly about what she thought. She's a private person but when she began to speak, she opened the door to reveal a treasure of family stories, memories and grief.
Her two sets of grandparents had very different reactions to the Holocaust. One grandmother was determined to put her family first and find a way through the Nazi period. She urged her husband, a teacher, to join the Nazi party to avoid the repercussions of not being a member. (Another friend at the Book Club had a relative in Austria who refused to join the Nazi Party and was sent to a concentration camp just for that reason. My friend remembers seeing the numbers on her arm.) Anyway, the grandfather joined the party, then when the war was over, he was barred from teaching for 10 years and had to find work as a brick layer.
The other set of grandparents wanted nothing to do with the Nazi party so they found a tiny house in the country, just two rooms for their large family, and hid out there. The grandmother raised farm animals for food and wool for clothing, and they basically stayed out of sight.
My friend's mother was selected for an elite school, was sent away from her parents, and was indoctrinated as a member of the Hitler Youth. When the war started, her school was bombed, she had to basically find her way home by herself, then face life as no longer a golden girl. She had internalized the Nazi propaganda so profoundly that when the bombing started, she believed she would come to no harm because she was such a special person. My friend said her mother was never the same once she realized that she had been duped by the regime. She was only a child and believed what she had been taught.
About the book:
The Book Thief is set in Germany beginning in 1939, and focuses on an abandoned German girl, Liesel, who is sent to foster parents in another area, a small town near Munich. As Liesel learns to cope with her new environment, all the gains she has endured, and the extreme happinesss of pre-war and wartime Germany, she yearns to escape via reading.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Death has found the portals it will enter by
Do you ever read James Wolcott in Vanity Fair? I love his writing. I admired this section today on his blog:
Once you read Updike's "Endpoint"--a verse memoir about his lung cancer and encroaching death ("It seems that death has found/the portals it will enter by: my lungs/pathetic oblong ghosts...") and the final erasure ("The sky is turning that pellucid blue/seen in enamel behind a girlish Virgin")--everything else in the (New Yorker) issue falls away. As I was reading, raindrops began to spatter the pages. I would compare them to tears, but that would be cheap. Don't read these poems online, should The New Yorker put them online. Read them in the actual magazine, the tactility of holding the issue in your hands--the white shine of the pages, the elegance of the typeface, the sequencing of the poems--sealing the experience, preserving the dignified formality and moving finality of Updike's farewell mosaic, raindrops included.
Once you read Updike's "Endpoint"--a verse memoir about his lung cancer and encroaching death ("It seems that death has found/the portals it will enter by: my lungs/pathetic oblong ghosts...") and the final erasure ("The sky is turning that pellucid blue/seen in enamel behind a girlish Virgin")--everything else in the (New Yorker) issue falls away. As I was reading, raindrops began to spatter the pages. I would compare them to tears, but that would be cheap. Don't read these poems online, should The New Yorker put them online. Read them in the actual magazine, the tactility of holding the issue in your hands--the white shine of the pages, the elegance of the typeface, the sequencing of the poems--sealing the experience, preserving the dignified formality and moving finality of Updike's farewell mosaic, raindrops included.
Dog story
A guy is driving around the backwoods in Freestone County, Texas and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale .' He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.
The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
'You talk?' he asks.
'Yep,' the Lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'
The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'
'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.'
'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
'Ten dollars,' the guy says.
'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'
'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that shit.
The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
'You talk?' he asks.
'Yep,' the Lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'
The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'
'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.'
'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
'Ten dollars,' the guy says.
'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'
'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that shit.
Gratuitous post about my daughter and a cow grave
I love doing these gratuitous posts about my daughter. She's downstairs right now playing Guitar Hero while I work in the office upstairs.
We went to Ireland when she was 10. This is one of my favorite pics of us:
Also near where this picture was taken was a cemetery for farm animals. Some of the sweetest most heartfelt sentiments appear on those graves. Take a look at this tombstone for a couple of cows:
It says that Eugenie had '17 calves and produced over 100,000 gallons of milk.' And Princess was '3 times the Dublin champion.'
No wonder they have been immortalized.
We went to Ireland when she was 10. This is one of my favorite pics of us:
Also near where this picture was taken was a cemetery for farm animals. Some of the sweetest most heartfelt sentiments appear on those graves. Take a look at this tombstone for a couple of cows:
It says that Eugenie had '17 calves and produced over 100,000 gallons of milk.' And Princess was '3 times the Dublin champion.'
No wonder they have been immortalized.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
More Americans say they have no religion
We've been discussing whether religion helps the crime rate in another post -- well, a few of the brainy ones have. I get lost in the discussion myself. I think my main job is to get the posts up for you all to comment on.
Anyway, I know they would want this latest study brought to their attention:
Study finds percentage of Christians in the nation has declined
A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state.
Read the whole article here Losing religion
Anyway, I know they would want this latest study brought to their attention:
Study finds percentage of Christians in the nation has declined
A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state.
Read the whole article here Losing religion
Quote of the day
From my calendar:
No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.
Alice Walker
No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.
Alice Walker
Have you REALLY read War and Peace?
I liked this article from a London paper about how we lie about what we've read to others because we want to appear intelligent. I think I've probably lied about reading War and Peace myself.
What have you lied about reading?
"We all tell little white lies to impress our friends and colleagues from time to time... and for two out of three of us, that means falsely claiming to have read a particular book, says a new survey.
George Orwell's Ninety Eighty-Four and Tolstoy's War and Peace were the ones we most fib about, followed by James Joyce's Ulysses.
Nearly a quarter of the 1,300 Britons polled online for World Book Day today falsely claimed to have read the Bible while 6 per cent lied about Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.
Many also bluffed about reading classics by the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters.
Asked which authors they enjoyed reading, more than 61 per cent chose Harry Potter author JK Rowling, 32 per cent ticked legal thriller writer John Grisham and 22 per cent chose Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella.
The results reveal the lengths to which people will go to appear intelligent and well-read, said Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust."
What have you lied about reading?
"We all tell little white lies to impress our friends and colleagues from time to time... and for two out of three of us, that means falsely claiming to have read a particular book, says a new survey.
George Orwell's Ninety Eighty-Four and Tolstoy's War and Peace were the ones we most fib about, followed by James Joyce's Ulysses.
Nearly a quarter of the 1,300 Britons polled online for World Book Day today falsely claimed to have read the Bible while 6 per cent lied about Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.
Many also bluffed about reading classics by the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters.
Asked which authors they enjoyed reading, more than 61 per cent chose Harry Potter author JK Rowling, 32 per cent ticked legal thriller writer John Grisham and 22 per cent chose Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella.
The results reveal the lengths to which people will go to appear intelligent and well-read, said Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust."
Monday, 9 March 2009
Vatican: The washing machine liberated women
From the Independent newspaper in London:
As International Women’s Day is celebrated, the Vatican had a novel message for the women of the world: give thanks for the washing machine. This humble domestic appliance had done more for the women’s liberation movement than the contraceptive pill or working outside the home, said the the official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano.
“In the 20th century, what contributed most to the emancipation of Western women?” questioned the article. “The debate is still open. Some say it was the pill, others the liberalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. Others go even further: the washing machine.”
The article is entitled, “The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax”, taking its name from the Washy Talky, the Electrolux bilingual-talking washing-machine launched in India seven years ago, which would remind the absent-minded housewife how to use the appliance.
The Catholic Church was never likely to laud the pill for its transformative power on women’s lives. Since Pope Benedict became the leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, he has published a religious document condemning contraception for “negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift [of life] is communicated” and has urged pharmacists to refuse to dispense the morning after pill. The Osservatore Romano held the pill responsible for polluting the environment and contributing to male infertility.
As International Women’s Day is celebrated, the Vatican had a novel message for the women of the world: give thanks for the washing machine. This humble domestic appliance had done more for the women’s liberation movement than the contraceptive pill or working outside the home, said the the official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano.
“In the 20th century, what contributed most to the emancipation of Western women?” questioned the article. “The debate is still open. Some say it was the pill, others the liberalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. Others go even further: the washing machine.”
The article is entitled, “The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax”, taking its name from the Washy Talky, the Electrolux bilingual-talking washing-machine launched in India seven years ago, which would remind the absent-minded housewife how to use the appliance.
The Catholic Church was never likely to laud the pill for its transformative power on women’s lives. Since Pope Benedict became the leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, he has published a religious document condemning contraception for “negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift [of life] is communicated” and has urged pharmacists to refuse to dispense the morning after pill. The Osservatore Romano held the pill responsible for polluting the environment and contributing to male infertility.
First anniversary of my mother's death
I can't let this day go by without a little post about my mother who died a year ago today. Here she is with me on my wedding day. Who else but your mother would look at you with that much love in their eyes? (I know, the groom, but Mel was green with fear on that day.)
The other picture that reminds me of my mother's loving qualities is the one below. It snowed in Natchez, Mississippi. That was very unusual as it is so far down South that moss grows on trees. You can see that the snow is starting to melt but that didn't make any difference to my mother. She laboriously dressed me so I wouldn't catch cold -- she put on multiple layers of clothes and about five pairs of socks before she'd let me venture outside. I still remember her dressing me, and my excitement when I went outside on her sled for my first snowfall.
Now that she's gone I mostly remember the cocoon of love she put me in. I could really use that these days but now she's no longer able to give that to me. But at least I have my memories.
The other picture that reminds me of my mother's loving qualities is the one below. It snowed in Natchez, Mississippi. That was very unusual as it is so far down South that moss grows on trees. You can see that the snow is starting to melt but that didn't make any difference to my mother. She laboriously dressed me so I wouldn't catch cold -- she put on multiple layers of clothes and about five pairs of socks before she'd let me venture outside. I still remember her dressing me, and my excitement when I went outside on her sled for my first snowfall.
Now that she's gone I mostly remember the cocoon of love she put me in. I could really use that these days but now she's no longer able to give that to me. But at least I have my memories.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
A material girl
I had my birthday party last night. We painted pottery while we ate, drank champagne cocktails (recipe: mix fresh lime juice, Cointreau, cranberry juice, sugar and champagne together. I threw in some vodka to make it more interesting) and chatted. My mug painting was so bad that I had to get a couple of more artistic friends to help me with it.
Here I am with my birthday cupcakes:
I have such nice friends. Here's the official pic of us, except I notice that I have a birthday banner hanging that is obscuring the faces of a couple of my friends. Will ditch that banner for next year's party.
Now you know that I am trying to be a more spiritual person but if I may be callous for a moment, take a look at the loot I got last night:
Among my gifts were a pashmina from India with real crystals in it, a sacher torte brought back from Austria and red golden earrings from India. I got bath stuff, more jewels, and a couple of fab handbags. Another beautiful gift was a mudra necklace to wear when I attempt to meditate. Wow, I have been spoiled to death by my lovely friends. Needless to say I have ended the week on a much cheerier note than when I started it.
Best recipe of the night
My champagne cocktails were a big hit, but the item that got the most attention and praise were my creme de menthe grapes. Take a bunch of green grapes, marinate them in mint liqueur for hours, then throw the liquid away (or slug it back yourself) and roll them in powdered sugar. I put a bunch of powdered sugar in a zip-lock bag. Then take them out to let them dry and roll them in powdered sugar one more time. The taste is sensational, especially when the liqueur inside the grape hits you.
Pigging out before party starts
Do any of you have this problem? I get all the food in and start making it but I eat tons of it before anyone ever shows up to the party. Sometimes I have to go back to the store for more Pringles or whatever party item has taken my fancy.
While I was pigging out yesterday, my daughter was taking part in a grueling race. I just saw the photo go up on Facebook so will post it. I think she's the last one in the boat.
Now that I've done my post for today, I'm going to go play with all of my presents for the rest of the day. I'm going to try on my shawls, my earrings, necklaces, test my new handbags and eat birthday cupcakes and read Vogue.
Here I am with my birthday cupcakes:
I have such nice friends. Here's the official pic of us, except I notice that I have a birthday banner hanging that is obscuring the faces of a couple of my friends. Will ditch that banner for next year's party.
Now you know that I am trying to be a more spiritual person but if I may be callous for a moment, take a look at the loot I got last night:
Among my gifts were a pashmina from India with real crystals in it, a sacher torte brought back from Austria and red golden earrings from India. I got bath stuff, more jewels, and a couple of fab handbags. Another beautiful gift was a mudra necklace to wear when I attempt to meditate. Wow, I have been spoiled to death by my lovely friends. Needless to say I have ended the week on a much cheerier note than when I started it.
Best recipe of the night
My champagne cocktails were a big hit, but the item that got the most attention and praise were my creme de menthe grapes. Take a bunch of green grapes, marinate them in mint liqueur for hours, then throw the liquid away (or slug it back yourself) and roll them in powdered sugar. I put a bunch of powdered sugar in a zip-lock bag. Then take them out to let them dry and roll them in powdered sugar one more time. The taste is sensational, especially when the liqueur inside the grape hits you.
Pigging out before party starts
Do any of you have this problem? I get all the food in and start making it but I eat tons of it before anyone ever shows up to the party. Sometimes I have to go back to the store for more Pringles or whatever party item has taken my fancy.
While I was pigging out yesterday, my daughter was taking part in a grueling race. I just saw the photo go up on Facebook so will post it. I think she's the last one in the boat.
Now that I've done my post for today, I'm going to go play with all of my presents for the rest of the day. I'm going to try on my shawls, my earrings, necklaces, test my new handbags and eat birthday cupcakes and read Vogue.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Open Defecation problem
I was telling my husband recently about the interesting book I am reading called Holy Cow!: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald. I was telling how she writes about watching Indians defecating in the open as her train passes by, and he was dubious. "That's what she says," I replied intelligently. "What do you know?"
I was checking the Bloomberg site to see if we had any pension left, and I saw this article:
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Until May 2007, Meera Devi rose before dawn each day and walked a half mile to a vegetable patch outside the village of Kachpura to find a secluded place.
Dodging leering men and stick-wielding farmers and avoiding spots that her neighbors had soiled, the mother of three pulled up her sari and defecated with the Taj Mahal in plain view.
With that act, she added to the estimated 100,000 tons of human excrement that Indians leave each day in fields of potatoes, carrots and spinach, on banks that line rivers used for drinking and bathing and along roads jammed with scooters, trucks and pedestrians. Devi looks back on her routine with pain and embarrassment.
...
In the shadow of its new suburbs, torrid growth and 300- million-plus-strong middle class, India is struggling with a sanitation emergency. From the stream in Devi’s village to the nation’s holiest river, the Ganges, 75 percent of the country’s surface water is contaminated by human and agricultural waste and industrial effluent. Everyone in Indian cities is at risk of consuming human feces, if they’re not already, the Ministry of Urban Development concluded in September.
My son turns his nose up at some of the meals I cook, but at least they don't have feces in them. I will tell him this, and see if that changes his attitude to my cooking.
I was checking the Bloomberg site to see if we had any pension left, and I saw this article:
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Until May 2007, Meera Devi rose before dawn each day and walked a half mile to a vegetable patch outside the village of Kachpura to find a secluded place.
Dodging leering men and stick-wielding farmers and avoiding spots that her neighbors had soiled, the mother of three pulled up her sari and defecated with the Taj Mahal in plain view.
With that act, she added to the estimated 100,000 tons of human excrement that Indians leave each day in fields of potatoes, carrots and spinach, on banks that line rivers used for drinking and bathing and along roads jammed with scooters, trucks and pedestrians. Devi looks back on her routine with pain and embarrassment.
...
In the shadow of its new suburbs, torrid growth and 300- million-plus-strong middle class, India is struggling with a sanitation emergency. From the stream in Devi’s village to the nation’s holiest river, the Ganges, 75 percent of the country’s surface water is contaminated by human and agricultural waste and industrial effluent. Everyone in Indian cities is at risk of consuming human feces, if they’re not already, the Ministry of Urban Development concluded in September.
My son turns his nose up at some of the meals I cook, but at least they don't have feces in them. I will tell him this, and see if that changes his attitude to my cooking.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Did Prince Philip fart? You decide.
Since it's Friday, let's have a lighthearted post. Here are some pictures currently making the rounds in England (click on it to enlarge image). The question is, did Prince Philip fart? Look at the pictures carefully then make up your mind. And oh yes, let us know in the comments what you think.
No religious angst
Thanks to Tom in London for sending me this article about religion in Scandinavia. Just think of all the religious angst I would have been spared if I'd just been born in Denmark...
"Phil Zuckerman spent 14 months in Scandinavia, talking to hundreds of Danes and Swedes about religion. It wasn’t easy.
Anyone who has paid attention knows that Denmark and Sweden are among the least religious nations in the world...these facts run up against the assumption of many Americans that a society where religion is minimal would be, in Mr. Zuckerman’s words, “rampant with immorality, full of evil and teeming with depravity.”
Which is why he insists at some length that what he and his wife and children experienced was quite the opposite: “a society — a markedly irreligious society — that was, above all, moral, stable, humane and deeply good.”
Mr. Zuckerman, a sociologist who teaches at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., has reported his findings on religion in Denmark and Sweden in “Society Without God” (New York University Press, 2008). Much that he found will surprise many people, as it did him.
The many nonbelievers he interviewed, both informally and in structured, taped and transcribed sessions, were anything but antireligious, for example. They typically balked at the label “atheist.” An overwhelming majority had in fact been baptized, and many had been confirmed or married in church.
Though they denied most of the traditional teachings of Christianity, they called themselves Christians, and most were content to remain in the Danish National Church or the Church of Sweden, the traditional national branches of Lutheranism.
At the same time, they were “often disinclined or hesitant to talk with me about religion,” Mr. Zuckerman reported, “and even once they agreed to do so, they usually had very little to say on the matter.”
And he concluded that “religion wasn’t really so much a private, personal issue, but rather, a nonissue.” His interviewees just didn’t care about it.
Beyond reticence, Mr. Zuckerman found what he terms “benign indifference” and even “utter obliviousness.” The key word in his description of their benign indifference is “nice.” Religion, in their view, is “nice.” Jesus “was a nice man who taught some nice things.” The Bible “is full of nice stories and good morals, isn’t it?” Beyond niceness came utter obliviousness.
Thoughtful, well-educated Danes and Swedes reacted to Mr. Zuckerman’s basic questions about God, Jesus, death and so on as completely novel. “I really have never thought about that,” one of his interviewees answered, adding, “It’s been fun
to get these kinds of questions that I never, never think about.”
This indifference or obliviousness to religious matters was sometimes subtly enforced. “In Denmark,” a pastor told Mr. Zuckerman, “the word ‘God’ is one of the most embarrassing words you can say. You would rather go naked through the city than talk about God.”
One man recounted the shock he felt when a colleague, after a few drinks, confessed to believing in God. “I hope you don’t feel I’m a bad person,” the colleague pleaded. Social conformity or not, Mr. Zuckerman was deeply impressed with the matter-of-fact way in which many of his interviewees spoke of death, without fear or anxiety, and their notable lack of existential searching for any ultimate meaning of life.
A long list of thinkers, both believers and nonbelievers, have posited something like an innate religious instinct. Confronted by the mystery of death or the puzzle of life’s ultimate meaning, humans are said to be hard-wired to turn to religion or something like it. Based on his experience in Scandinavia, Mr. Zuckerman disagrees."
"Phil Zuckerman spent 14 months in Scandinavia, talking to hundreds of Danes and Swedes about religion. It wasn’t easy.
Anyone who has paid attention knows that Denmark and Sweden are among the least religious nations in the world...these facts run up against the assumption of many Americans that a society where religion is minimal would be, in Mr. Zuckerman’s words, “rampant with immorality, full of evil and teeming with depravity.”
Which is why he insists at some length that what he and his wife and children experienced was quite the opposite: “a society — a markedly irreligious society — that was, above all, moral, stable, humane and deeply good.”
Mr. Zuckerman, a sociologist who teaches at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., has reported his findings on religion in Denmark and Sweden in “Society Without God” (New York University Press, 2008). Much that he found will surprise many people, as it did him.
The many nonbelievers he interviewed, both informally and in structured, taped and transcribed sessions, were anything but antireligious, for example. They typically balked at the label “atheist.” An overwhelming majority had in fact been baptized, and many had been confirmed or married in church.
Though they denied most of the traditional teachings of Christianity, they called themselves Christians, and most were content to remain in the Danish National Church or the Church of Sweden, the traditional national branches of Lutheranism.
At the same time, they were “often disinclined or hesitant to talk with me about religion,” Mr. Zuckerman reported, “and even once they agreed to do so, they usually had very little to say on the matter.”
And he concluded that “religion wasn’t really so much a private, personal issue, but rather, a nonissue.” His interviewees just didn’t care about it.
Beyond reticence, Mr. Zuckerman found what he terms “benign indifference” and even “utter obliviousness.” The key word in his description of their benign indifference is “nice.” Religion, in their view, is “nice.” Jesus “was a nice man who taught some nice things.” The Bible “is full of nice stories and good morals, isn’t it?” Beyond niceness came utter obliviousness.
Thoughtful, well-educated Danes and Swedes reacted to Mr. Zuckerman’s basic questions about God, Jesus, death and so on as completely novel. “I really have never thought about that,” one of his interviewees answered, adding, “It’s been fun
to get these kinds of questions that I never, never think about.”
This indifference or obliviousness to religious matters was sometimes subtly enforced. “In Denmark,” a pastor told Mr. Zuckerman, “the word ‘God’ is one of the most embarrassing words you can say. You would rather go naked through the city than talk about God.”
One man recounted the shock he felt when a colleague, after a few drinks, confessed to believing in God. “I hope you don’t feel I’m a bad person,” the colleague pleaded. Social conformity or not, Mr. Zuckerman was deeply impressed with the matter-of-fact way in which many of his interviewees spoke of death, without fear or anxiety, and their notable lack of existential searching for any ultimate meaning of life.
A long list of thinkers, both believers and nonbelievers, have posited something like an innate religious instinct. Confronted by the mystery of death or the puzzle of life’s ultimate meaning, humans are said to be hard-wired to turn to religion or something like it. Based on his experience in Scandinavia, Mr. Zuckerman disagrees."
Thursday, 5 March 2009
A wonderful birthday present
I hadn't been having a very good week. Big family troubles and the first anniversary of my mother's death were robbing me of my good spirits. I've been at my desk every day at work but feel in such a daze.
I thought my birthday this year was just another trial to get through then...my daughter came home from London to meet us at a sushi place for a quick meal. (Going out for sushi always amuses me as I always end up ordering the dishes that are fried or smothered in teriayki sauce instead of eating the beautifully healthy sushi dishes.) Here we are:
Katie had gone to Old Bond Street to the Charbonnel and Walker shop and brought me a box of my favorite thing -- rose and violet chocolate-covered creams.
We went home and got out my cake and champagne, then some of my friends magically showed up. It was so nice of them to come out on a Wednesday night just to cheer me.
Then they took me to a trendy bar in Reading where I enjoyed martinis and some more champagne.
As I sat on the sofa in the bar, listening to my friends talk, I felt so much better. Just the fact that they made the effort to come out and be with me when I needed a boost was the best birthday present ever.
I thought my birthday this year was just another trial to get through then...my daughter came home from London to meet us at a sushi place for a quick meal. (Going out for sushi always amuses me as I always end up ordering the dishes that are fried or smothered in teriayki sauce instead of eating the beautifully healthy sushi dishes.) Here we are:
Katie had gone to Old Bond Street to the Charbonnel and Walker shop and brought me a box of my favorite thing -- rose and violet chocolate-covered creams.
We went home and got out my cake and champagne, then some of my friends magically showed up. It was so nice of them to come out on a Wednesday night just to cheer me.
Then they took me to a trendy bar in Reading where I enjoyed martinis and some more champagne.
As I sat on the sofa in the bar, listening to my friends talk, I felt so much better. Just the fact that they made the effort to come out and be with me when I needed a boost was the best birthday present ever.
Worst Husband Competition
Which one do you think wins the Worst Husband Competition?
This entry from Ireland?
This one from America?
What about this one from Scotland?
I vote for the last one as the worst husband because he has the temerity to hold hands with his marital donkey.
This entry from Ireland?
This one from America?
What about this one from Scotland?
I vote for the last one as the worst husband because he has the temerity to hold hands with his marital donkey.
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