Interesting question in the blogosphere today. Why are many Christians against universal healthcare?
"There are many things I don't understand in the world,but one that really perplexes me is Christians against universal health care for all, at least in their own country.
These same Christians usually support their taxes going to the military, yet are horrified by those same taxes going towards health care...it seems to be a total oxymoron.
Jesus healed the sick, and loved his enemy, yet so many Christians today don't care about the sick (if they have to pay for it) and hate their enemy (and are happy to pay for their military to kill them)...how can this be?????"
The Mississippi Atheists blog has their take on why this should be so:
Providing health care to all Americans, regardless of their ability to pay, is immoral (to many Christians) for at least two reasons. First, it undermines the work ethic of those who receive the health care without paying for it.
When they are given something without having to work for it, you are essentially removing an important motivator for them to work, promoting laziness and making them more dependent on big government.
Second, any universal health care system we can imagine is going to take from the wealthy to cover the cost of the poor. The wealthy are wealthy because they are favored by the Christian god, and the poor are poor because they are lazy and have not applied themselves. While the Christian god still loves the poor, it would be wrong to punish the wealthy in this way. The poor must earn their own favor.
What do you all think?
Addendum:
I saw this from Paul Krugman in the NYT. I thought this was very funny.
"At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to "keep your government hands off my Medicare." The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Mr. Inglis said, "wasn’t having any of it."
It’s a funny story — but it illustrates the extent to which health reform must climb a wall of misinformation. It’s not just that many Americans don’t understand what President Obama is proposing; many people don’t understand the way American health care works right now."
Friday, 31 July 2009
Upcoming recording
I talked yesterday about rehearsing for a recording session next week for a BBC television show. (wiki info: Merlin is a British television drama series that began in 2008. It is loosely based on the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur, but differs significantly from traditional versions of the myth.)
I tried to get an MP3 file to embed so you could hear the way we will record the music -- with the orchestration underneath a loud metronome so we won't mess up the timing. I think I finally got this MP3 player to embed OK so you can hear:
Last night was interesting. The composer (ROB LANE ... "Composing the score for this BBC updating of the Arthurian legend has been a great challenge for me," he said recently) came to rehearsal with new pages of music for us to learn. When something didn't work, he would start tinkering with the music right then and there. Such a privilege to be able to witness the process of a person creating music right in front of me. I watched him hunched over the grand piano, working on musical problems that only he could hear.
I tried to get an MP3 file to embed so you could hear the way we will record the music -- with the orchestration underneath a loud metronome so we won't mess up the timing. I think I finally got this MP3 player to embed OK so you can hear:
Last night was interesting. The composer (ROB LANE ... "Composing the score for this BBC updating of the Arthurian legend has been a great challenge for me," he said recently) came to rehearsal with new pages of music for us to learn. When something didn't work, he would start tinkering with the music right then and there. Such a privilege to be able to witness the process of a person creating music right in front of me. I watched him hunched over the grand piano, working on musical problems that only he could hear.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Recording a soundtrack for a BBC show
The London chorus I sing with is going to make a recording next week for the soundtrack for a BBC television show. It's called Merlin (Arthurian legend stuff) so make sure you watch it if it comes on PBS in America so you can hear me sing. :)
It's a fascinating process. The composer is writing the score even as we speak, and he sends files for us to print off to rehearse, but by the time we get to rehearsals, he's changed his mind so we have new sheets to learn.
He sent some demo music files for us to listen to. What I found interesting is that they all have metronome beats playing over the music. Apparently this is essential because each frame of the show is timed to go to the exact timing of the music so the chorus has to be precise with the rhythm or else.
The composer himself is coming to the rehearsal tonight to see how we are doing. The recording takes place next week at Angel Studios -- was going to be Abbey Road (I wanted a pic for my blog) but they've just changed it.
It's a fascinating process. The composer is writing the score even as we speak, and he sends files for us to print off to rehearse, but by the time we get to rehearsals, he's changed his mind so we have new sheets to learn.
He sent some demo music files for us to listen to. What I found interesting is that they all have metronome beats playing over the music. Apparently this is essential because each frame of the show is timed to go to the exact timing of the music so the chorus has to be precise with the rhythm or else.
The composer himself is coming to the rehearsal tonight to see how we are doing. The recording takes place next week at Angel Studios -- was going to be Abbey Road (I wanted a pic for my blog) but they've just changed it.
A noble Russian
I was listening to Boris Goudunov on my way to work -- my goodness, how dramatic that opera is. I got engrossed in an English-language recording and didn't even have time to be resentful of the traffic jams on the way to the office. So noble Russians were on my mind this morning...
Then I thought of another one. A young guy at work is having chemo yet he never complains and keeps coming to work. He doesn't have any family here so he is coping with this all on his own. I keep sticking my nose in, trying to help, but he's too much of a private person.
I thought, here I am always whining about this and that, and there he is, struggling for his life without a complaint. He comes in every day, no matter how much pain he is suffering, and gets on with life.
I think of him as such a noble presence in our office -- he inspires me to try and be a better person.
Then I thought of another one. A young guy at work is having chemo yet he never complains and keeps coming to work. He doesn't have any family here so he is coping with this all on his own. I keep sticking my nose in, trying to help, but he's too much of a private person.
I thought, here I am always whining about this and that, and there he is, struggling for his life without a complaint. He comes in every day, no matter how much pain he is suffering, and gets on with life.
I think of him as such a noble presence in our office -- he inspires me to try and be a better person.
Wish they were here: tourists give Britain a miss
Why aren't you Americans coming to visit England like you used to? From the Times:
"The American tourist — a familiar sight in the streets of London, Oxford, Stratford upon-Avon and Edinburgh — is in danger of becoming an endangered species.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that Americans made only 3 million visits to Britain last year — down from 3.6 million in 2007 — as the economic slowdown took its toll.
It meant that, for the first time in many years, Americans were not the most frequent visitors to Britain. They were overtaken by the French, who made 3.6 million visits, and the Irish, who made 3.1 million visits.
The figures reveal the extent to which the recession has strongly affected the tourism industry. The total number of overseas visits fell last year for the first time since 2001, the year of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain and the September 11 attacks."
"The American tourist — a familiar sight in the streets of London, Oxford, Stratford upon-Avon and Edinburgh — is in danger of becoming an endangered species.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that Americans made only 3 million visits to Britain last year — down from 3.6 million in 2007 — as the economic slowdown took its toll.
It meant that, for the first time in many years, Americans were not the most frequent visitors to Britain. They were overtaken by the French, who made 3.6 million visits, and the Irish, who made 3.1 million visits.
The figures reveal the extent to which the recession has strongly affected the tourism industry. The total number of overseas visits fell last year for the first time since 2001, the year of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain and the September 11 attacks."
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
A sad obituary account
I created an account for anyone who wanted to send a memorial message when my mother died last year. I realized there weren't many people her age who would be on the Internet, but when I checked her account recently, all it had in it were messages from Nigeria telling her they needed her help to release some money and Irish lottery alerts. I don't think there were any mails to sell her Viagra, so that's a relief.
Here's what it looked like when I logged in.
Sad, isn't it?
Here's what it looked like when I logged in.
Sad, isn't it?
Pro-gun commenter gets her say
We have a commenter in this blog who is pro-gun, and she leaves comments every so often with information. I think they get missed sometimes so thought I'd give her a post in case any of you wanted to comment. I am glad she writes these so we get a different point of view. Here are her last two comments:
From Anonymous(50)
I know my words will be simple, compared to all of your writings, but I'm going to try. I pulled up several states bill of rights. The sections of the rights I read all deal with arms. I live in VA, but Texas says it plainer.
My question is: In your study of the US constitution, could a person look at the indivicual States Bills of Rights to examine how they interpret and/or support the US Constitution?
I think one of the comments on this post was about being uncomfortable surrounded by guns. I agree with you that it is sad that society has come to the point that I am afraid to go some places without protection (a gun). I also believe that there are people that are violent, that are detrimental to society, and I also believe that will never change. They exist in every society on earth. All the mental health counseling won't help. The people in the mental health field are people, and just because they have a degree of higher education does not mean they have all the answers. (They split up siblings for adoption in the 60's& 70's because they didn't think family was important)
The media sensationalizes what sells news. Shootings draw viewers. Bombs spreading deadly gas in, was it Japan?, a few years ago spread death. An example of they exist in every society. Also, how developed the country is also depends on what news is covered.
To all of you: As I said, my words are much simpler than yours, but to jump to a modern day application. The Mexican Border: I believe the drug cartel wants all of the US citizens on the border disarmed. The border patrol can't be everywhere. I wouldn't want to live there without a way to defend myself. The bad guys in Mexico are in control.
This is about the local news report about a legally armed citizen fighting back. Everyone in the store was glad he did, because he saved 8 lives.
I'll bet you didn't see this in the National news, and that is the way of it.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/crime/article/SHOT121_20090711-230802/279571/
From Anonymous(50)
I know my words will be simple, compared to all of your writings, but I'm going to try. I pulled up several states bill of rights. The sections of the rights I read all deal with arms. I live in VA, but Texas says it plainer.
My question is: In your study of the US constitution, could a person look at the indivicual States Bills of Rights to examine how they interpret and/or support the US Constitution?
I think one of the comments on this post was about being uncomfortable surrounded by guns. I agree with you that it is sad that society has come to the point that I am afraid to go some places without protection (a gun). I also believe that there are people that are violent, that are detrimental to society, and I also believe that will never change. They exist in every society on earth. All the mental health counseling won't help. The people in the mental health field are people, and just because they have a degree of higher education does not mean they have all the answers. (They split up siblings for adoption in the 60's& 70's because they didn't think family was important)
The media sensationalizes what sells news. Shootings draw viewers. Bombs spreading deadly gas in, was it Japan?, a few years ago spread death. An example of they exist in every society. Also, how developed the country is also depends on what news is covered.
To all of you: As I said, my words are much simpler than yours, but to jump to a modern day application. The Mexican Border: I believe the drug cartel wants all of the US citizens on the border disarmed. The border patrol can't be everywhere. I wouldn't want to live there without a way to defend myself. The bad guys in Mexico are in control.
This is about the local news report about a legally armed citizen fighting back. Everyone in the store was glad he did, because he saved 8 lives.
I'll bet you didn't see this in the National news, and that is the way of it.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/crime/article/SHOT121_20090711-230802/279571/
What was the first thing you thought of this morning?
Last night a pal messaged me that she'd dreamed about me the night before and when she woke up she remembered something funny I'd written in Facebook and laughed.
How nice for me to think that she thought of me first thing in the morning and it put a smile on her face.
This morning I woke up with a song in my head that I haven't listened to since the 1970s. When I was first taking singing lessons as a teen, I used to listen to Mario Lanza records to see how he did songs. It made me happy to have this song going round in my mind after not thinking about it for 30 years. I've put up a You Tube of Mario singing this song so you can share my experience.
What was the first thing on your mind when you woke up this morning?
How nice for me to think that she thought of me first thing in the morning and it put a smile on her face.
This morning I woke up with a song in my head that I haven't listened to since the 1970s. When I was first taking singing lessons as a teen, I used to listen to Mario Lanza records to see how he did songs. It made me happy to have this song going round in my mind after not thinking about it for 30 years. I've put up a You Tube of Mario singing this song so you can share my experience.
What was the first thing on your mind when you woke up this morning?
Amusing signs
Sign over a Gynecologist' s Office:
'Dr. Jones, at your cervix.'
************ ********* *****
In a Podiatrist's office:
'Time wounds all heels.'
************ ********* *****
On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
************ ********* *****
On a Plumber's truck:
'We repair what your husband fixed.'
************ ********* *****
On another Plumber's truck:
'Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.'
************ ********* *****
On a Church's Bill board:
'7 days without God makes one weak.'
************ ********* ****
In a Non-smoking Area:
'If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.'
************ ********* *****
On a Maternity Room door:
'Push. Push. Push.'
************ ********* *****
On a Taxidermist' s window:
'We really know our stuff.'
************ ********* *****
On a Fence:
'Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!'
************ ********* *****
At a Car Dealership:
'The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.'
************ ********* *****
Outside a Car Exhaust Store:
'No appointment necessary. We hear you coming.'
************ ********* *****
In a Vets waiting room:
'Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!'
************ ********* *****
In a Restaurant window:
'Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up.'
************ ********* *****
In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
'Drive carefully. We'll wait..'
************ ********* *****
'Dr. Jones, at your cervix.'
************ ********* *****
In a Podiatrist's office:
'Time wounds all heels.'
************ ********* *****
On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
************ ********* *****
On a Plumber's truck:
'We repair what your husband fixed.'
************ ********* *****
On another Plumber's truck:
'Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.'
************ ********* *****
On a Church's Bill board:
'7 days without God makes one weak.'
************ ********* ****
In a Non-smoking Area:
'If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.'
************ ********* *****
On a Maternity Room door:
'Push. Push. Push.'
************ ********* *****
On a Taxidermist' s window:
'We really know our stuff.'
************ ********* *****
On a Fence:
'Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!'
************ ********* *****
At a Car Dealership:
'The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.'
************ ********* *****
Outside a Car Exhaust Store:
'No appointment necessary. We hear you coming.'
************ ********* *****
In a Vets waiting room:
'Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!'
************ ********* *****
In a Restaurant window:
'Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up.'
************ ********* *****
In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
'Drive carefully. We'll wait..'
************ ********* *****
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Men remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors
Loved this line (above) from a new study showing that women are evolving to become more and more attractive but men are not.
"They are called the fairer sex – and it appears it is becoming increasingly true. Women are gradually becoming more attractive in an evolutionary ‘beauty race’, according to scientific research.
Beautiful women have more children than their plainer counterparts, and a higher proportion of those children are girls, a study claims.
These daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so the pattern continues.
Men meanwhile apparently remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors.
In the research Markus Jokela, from the University of Helsinki, used data from America in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1202381/Women-getting-attractive-evolutionary-beauty-race.html#ixzz0MRqasgX
"They are called the fairer sex – and it appears it is becoming increasingly true. Women are gradually becoming more attractive in an evolutionary ‘beauty race’, according to scientific research.
Beautiful women have more children than their plainer counterparts, and a higher proportion of those children are girls, a study claims.
These daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so the pattern continues.
Men meanwhile apparently remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors.
In the research Markus Jokela, from the University of Helsinki, used data from America in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1202381/Women-getting-attractive-evolutionary-beauty-race.html#ixzz0MRqasgX
William Shatner recites Palin's resignation speech
This is cute. Someone decided Palin's last speech was so incoherent that she must have really meant it to be a poem. Then they got William Shatner in to recite part of it. See below.
Mississippi Personhood Amendment
I just discovered an atheist blog in Mississippi. Incredible -- I didn't even know there were any down there. :) Anyway, they have an interesting post today. I'll put an excerpt below then the URL for their site if you want to check it out.
"The American Family Association (AFA) has issued an action alert asking their supporters (i.e., Christian extremists) to spread the word about what they are calling the Mississippi Personhood Amendment. The amendment, which they hope to get on the state ballot in 2010, would redefine "personhood" along religious lines as beginning at the moment of conception.
Obviously, this would amount to a statewide ban on abortion. The alert describes abortion as "the greatest moral evil in our nation today" and compares it to the Holocaust.
If the alert is correct that 89,000 signatures from registered voters will be enough to get this measure on the ballot, it is hard to imagine that we will not find ourselves voting on it in 2010. Women in Mississippi could soon find their reproductive rights severally curtailed.
My favorite part of the alert, by far, was the following request:
Please help us get this important information into the hands of your pastor.
Evidently, pastors in our state do not even have to pretend that they aren't telling congregants how to vote for fear of jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. Disgraceful!"
Here's the blog site:
Mississippi Atheists
"The American Family Association (AFA) has issued an action alert asking their supporters (i.e., Christian extremists) to spread the word about what they are calling the Mississippi Personhood Amendment. The amendment, which they hope to get on the state ballot in 2010, would redefine "personhood" along religious lines as beginning at the moment of conception.
Obviously, this would amount to a statewide ban on abortion. The alert describes abortion as "the greatest moral evil in our nation today" and compares it to the Holocaust.
If the alert is correct that 89,000 signatures from registered voters will be enough to get this measure on the ballot, it is hard to imagine that we will not find ourselves voting on it in 2010. Women in Mississippi could soon find their reproductive rights severally curtailed.
My favorite part of the alert, by far, was the following request:
Please help us get this important information into the hands of your pastor.
Evidently, pastors in our state do not even have to pretend that they aren't telling congregants how to vote for fear of jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. Disgraceful!"
Here's the blog site:
Mississippi Atheists
My pal Raj
This is my pal Raj at the deli counter at Nokia. He is going back to Nepal in a week for good, and I will miss him very much. He was so friendly and kind. He could never exactly figure out my name though, and always called me Thomas instead of Elizabeth.
Deli workers through the years would show him my security ID and tell him my name was Elizabeth, but he persisted in calling me Thomas. Then it caught on and everyone at the deli calls me Thomas now.
Raj always started making my sandwich or getting my skinny latte ready when he saw me on my way to the counter. I never even had to tell him what I wanted. Those were the days....bye Raj, we'll miss you.
Deli workers through the years would show him my security ID and tell him my name was Elizabeth, but he persisted in calling me Thomas. Then it caught on and everyone at the deli calls me Thomas now.
Raj always started making my sandwich or getting my skinny latte ready when he saw me on my way to the counter. I never even had to tell him what I wanted. Those were the days....bye Raj, we'll miss you.
Monday, 27 July 2009
A vicar's musings
Sometimes I put up snippets from the vicar in Sherborne St John, Hampshire, who writes a monthly column for the village magazine. Here's what is on his mind this month:
We’re coming to the end of a short course on parenting. All of us who are or have been parents know what a huge challenge this is. The aim of the course has been to look at some aspects of parenting from a specifically Christian point of view. Of course we are not implying that Christians have all the answers or make the best parents necessarily.
Eliz: But you know he's thinking it.
One of the aspects that we have thought about is communication. We asked the question how we can communicate better with our children.
Eliz: Maybe stop doing all these Christian groups at night and spend time with your kids instead.
Every parent recognises that communication matters. Christians have a special reason to emphasise this – when we remember that God has taken so much trouble to communicate with us. The whole Bible from beginning to end is communication from God. It is all, in that often repeated phrase “Thus says the Lord”.
The Bible is the word of the Eternal Creator God from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Jesus, the eternal word, became a man for the express purpose of making God known. He is God’s final word to man and that word is the most costly communication that there has ever been.
Eliz: I agree, it has been costly.
We’re coming to the end of a short course on parenting. All of us who are or have been parents know what a huge challenge this is. The aim of the course has been to look at some aspects of parenting from a specifically Christian point of view. Of course we are not implying that Christians have all the answers or make the best parents necessarily.
Eliz: But you know he's thinking it.
One of the aspects that we have thought about is communication. We asked the question how we can communicate better with our children.
Eliz: Maybe stop doing all these Christian groups at night and spend time with your kids instead.
Every parent recognises that communication matters. Christians have a special reason to emphasise this – when we remember that God has taken so much trouble to communicate with us. The whole Bible from beginning to end is communication from God. It is all, in that often repeated phrase “Thus says the Lord”.
The Bible is the word of the Eternal Creator God from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Jesus, the eternal word, became a man for the express purpose of making God known. He is God’s final word to man and that word is the most costly communication that there has ever been.
Eliz: I agree, it has been costly.
My kind of shop
I put this pic up on Facebook of a shop I discovered in Barcelona last week. This is my kind of place:
A day trip to Barcelona
In Barcelona, we toured an apartment building that eccentric designer Antonin Gaudi designed at the start of the 20th century.
Then it was time for lunch. Mel looked forward to the fish dish he'd ordered but it was unrecognizable as food to him and he was upset. He'd ordered cod carpaccio with mushrooms but it was so innovatively prepared that you could see neither cod nor mushroom. And worst of all (to Mel) was that the dish had a foundation of sliced tomatoes. "This is HORRIBLE," he declared, at which point I offered to split my food with him.
He was cheerier by the time we had dessert, a creme brulee.
Things we would never say
At the restaurant, we were practicing Spanish and deciding which statement each of us would never say:
Mel: Why don't we fly first class this time?
Katie: Here, let me pay for that.
Mikey: I'm worried about my grades dropping in school.
Elizabeth: I don't want to go to the gift shop.
Naked City
On the way home, the train went by a nude beach. Everyone in the train was staring at the naked people but the best was yet to come. High on a hill was a nude fisherman. He had a pole in one hand and his tackle was on display for all to see.
Mel's decided to open a restaurant one day called The Nude Fisherman.
I almost forgot. Speaking of naked...we were at the Barcelona cathedral but couldn't go in because we had shorts on and our shoulders were uncovered. I asked Mel to lend me his shirt so I could try to get in. I lowered my shorts until they were almost at my knee but my stomach was still covered because no bare midriffs were allowed either.
Poor Mel -- he stood outside the cathedral almost naked himself, and everyone was staring at him, he said. But I had a look at the cathedral and bought an elaborate fridge magnet depicting the nativity so I was happy.
Then it was time for lunch. Mel looked forward to the fish dish he'd ordered but it was unrecognizable as food to him and he was upset. He'd ordered cod carpaccio with mushrooms but it was so innovatively prepared that you could see neither cod nor mushroom. And worst of all (to Mel) was that the dish had a foundation of sliced tomatoes. "This is HORRIBLE," he declared, at which point I offered to split my food with him.
He was cheerier by the time we had dessert, a creme brulee.
Things we would never say
At the restaurant, we were practicing Spanish and deciding which statement each of us would never say:
Mel: Why don't we fly first class this time?
Katie: Here, let me pay for that.
Mikey: I'm worried about my grades dropping in school.
Elizabeth: I don't want to go to the gift shop.
Naked City
On the way home, the train went by a nude beach. Everyone in the train was staring at the naked people but the best was yet to come. High on a hill was a nude fisherman. He had a pole in one hand and his tackle was on display for all to see.
Mel's decided to open a restaurant one day called The Nude Fisherman.
I almost forgot. Speaking of naked...we were at the Barcelona cathedral but couldn't go in because we had shorts on and our shoulders were uncovered. I asked Mel to lend me his shirt so I could try to get in. I lowered my shorts until they were almost at my knee but my stomach was still covered because no bare midriffs were allowed either.
Poor Mel -- he stood outside the cathedral almost naked himself, and everyone was staring at him, he said. But I had a look at the cathedral and bought an elaborate fridge magnet depicting the nativity so I was happy.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Are you too busy?
OK, I'll admit I'm one of these over-busy people. I think I am scared to slow down. What if there's nothing but emptiness waiting?
"Have you ever noticed the typical answer to the question, "How are you?" has shifted from "I'm fine" to something like; "Fine... but busy." Busy. The word flies around like the black flies in my kitchen. Being busy has become something of an expectation, a badge of honor. If you're NOT busy, you must either be a loser, or in a slump.
Aside from work, we have created a great pressure to be "busy" filling the social calendar. Arrangements for lunch, coffee, drinks and exercise have replaced just strolling over to the neighbor's to hang out for a couple of hours. Today, more American's are living alone than ever before, and the protocol for "dropping in" has shifted from the norm to downright rude. Everyone is "too busy" to be bothered with an unexpected guest.
Today's families operate with "busy" as standard fare. From infants on, each day is broken into segments filled with "something to do." There are baby fun centers all over the country just for toddlers. As they grow, most 3-5 year olds are scheduled with several activities that sets a pace, and an expectation to be busy. It never lets up through the school years. In fact, residents in my town are fighting to change a policy that does not allow middle school children any time for recess during the day. Clearly the school supports "busy" too. At what price?
The allure of being engaged and busy is seductive - yet living in a chronic state unravels our emotional equilibrium and puts our health at risk. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her essay "The Cult of Busyness," said that being busy has become the new status symbol, more than cars, homes, clothes, or money. Admitting you don't like busy must mean you are depressed. And, if you stop being busy, you may just have to face deeper feelings of loneliness or isolation."
from The Huffington Post
"Have you ever noticed the typical answer to the question, "How are you?" has shifted from "I'm fine" to something like; "Fine... but busy." Busy. The word flies around like the black flies in my kitchen. Being busy has become something of an expectation, a badge of honor. If you're NOT busy, you must either be a loser, or in a slump.
Aside from work, we have created a great pressure to be "busy" filling the social calendar. Arrangements for lunch, coffee, drinks and exercise have replaced just strolling over to the neighbor's to hang out for a couple of hours. Today, more American's are living alone than ever before, and the protocol for "dropping in" has shifted from the norm to downright rude. Everyone is "too busy" to be bothered with an unexpected guest.
Today's families operate with "busy" as standard fare. From infants on, each day is broken into segments filled with "something to do." There are baby fun centers all over the country just for toddlers. As they grow, most 3-5 year olds are scheduled with several activities that sets a pace, and an expectation to be busy. It never lets up through the school years. In fact, residents in my town are fighting to change a policy that does not allow middle school children any time for recess during the day. Clearly the school supports "busy" too. At what price?
The allure of being engaged and busy is seductive - yet living in a chronic state unravels our emotional equilibrium and puts our health at risk. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her essay "The Cult of Busyness," said that being busy has become the new status symbol, more than cars, homes, clothes, or money. Admitting you don't like busy must mean you are depressed. And, if you stop being busy, you may just have to face deeper feelings of loneliness or isolation."
from The Huffington Post
Our trip to Spain
We were staying in a house about an hour outside Barcelona in Canet de Mer. This was the view from my bedroom window:
I found it on the Internet, and it appeared to have no tourists besides us. Usually the Spanish coast is crammed full of German and British tourists -- there are always fake fish and chips places, Irish pubs and so on. But there, you can't even find a menu or newspaper in English.
That's great for authenticity but bad when the language is Catalan and you have no idea what the menu says. One night we finally had to just point at something on the menu and hope for the best.
I was pretty lucky. I got an appetizer that was melted Provolone with some ham and vegetables in it. My main course was black pasta that looked like eels so I had a shaky moment where I thought that was actually what I had to eat.
It's very relaxing. We had coffee outside in the morning sun to start the day and thought that cold rainy England was just a distant memory. We're back in England now and it is chilly and going to rain again soon. But I've decided to be more mature about the weather and stop whining about it all the time.
Here's Katie reading a trashy mag on the beach:
In the evening after a day of sun, the kids and Mel played cards while I read. I'm reading about 1930s gangsters now. I like non-fiction better than novels.
I couldn't put the book down. It is called Public Enemies. It followed about four of the major gangs in the 1930s-- Dillinger, the Barker Gang, Alvin Karpis, Baby Face Nelson, etc. -- and each time one of them would finally meet his doom, I would have to keep reading to see the fate of the next gang.
One day last week, we took the train into Barcelona. I thought I was back in Mississippi for a moment when I saw this flag on a motorcycle parked outside the door:
I found it on the Internet, and it appeared to have no tourists besides us. Usually the Spanish coast is crammed full of German and British tourists -- there are always fake fish and chips places, Irish pubs and so on. But there, you can't even find a menu or newspaper in English.
That's great for authenticity but bad when the language is Catalan and you have no idea what the menu says. One night we finally had to just point at something on the menu and hope for the best.
I was pretty lucky. I got an appetizer that was melted Provolone with some ham and vegetables in it. My main course was black pasta that looked like eels so I had a shaky moment where I thought that was actually what I had to eat.
It's very relaxing. We had coffee outside in the morning sun to start the day and thought that cold rainy England was just a distant memory. We're back in England now and it is chilly and going to rain again soon. But I've decided to be more mature about the weather and stop whining about it all the time.
Here's Katie reading a trashy mag on the beach:
In the evening after a day of sun, the kids and Mel played cards while I read. I'm reading about 1930s gangsters now. I like non-fiction better than novels.
I couldn't put the book down. It is called Public Enemies. It followed about four of the major gangs in the 1930s-- Dillinger, the Barker Gang, Alvin Karpis, Baby Face Nelson, etc. -- and each time one of them would finally meet his doom, I would have to keep reading to see the fate of the next gang.
One day last week, we took the train into Barcelona. I thought I was back in Mississippi for a moment when I saw this flag on a motorcycle parked outside the door:
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Back from Spain
I'm back from a wonderful week in Spain; thanks so much for keeping the blog going with all your great comments. I am reading them now, even before I unpack my bags and am enjoying them very much. Oranjepan -- your comment about how obsession with weight is a symptom of our narcissistic culture was the sort of thing I love to read as I hadn't thought of it before and it gives me something new to ponder.
Anyway, I ate too much on my vacation, come to think of it. Here I am banging the door of the ice cream shop one evening when it had the temerity to be closed.
Steve, I noticed you ate key lime creme brulee recently. Does that mean you've been to Florida and back already? What did you think of the South? Hope you tried catfish.
And BWJ, love the obesity diatribe. We can always count on a lively opinion from you on that subject. Thank you.
And GW and Howard -- am really loving the heated discussion on the British Empire you are having. No fist-fights, though, OK?
Here are my kids floating in the sea yesterday.
I had to go peek inside some churches, of course. Inside our town's church was a giant Virgin Mary. It was pretty cool:
But I also just loved the vending machine for votives. I always light a candle for my mother -- it's something I have done for about 30 years since she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Even though she died last year, I still lit a candle for her this year.
I got such a kick out of this machine. You put in a euro for a small candle, and one euro fifty for a bigger one.
Anyway, I ate too much on my vacation, come to think of it. Here I am banging the door of the ice cream shop one evening when it had the temerity to be closed.
Steve, I noticed you ate key lime creme brulee recently. Does that mean you've been to Florida and back already? What did you think of the South? Hope you tried catfish.
And BWJ, love the obesity diatribe. We can always count on a lively opinion from you on that subject. Thank you.
And GW and Howard -- am really loving the heated discussion on the British Empire you are having. No fist-fights, though, OK?
Here are my kids floating in the sea yesterday.
I had to go peek inside some churches, of course. Inside our town's church was a giant Virgin Mary. It was pretty cool:
But I also just loved the vending machine for votives. I always light a candle for my mother -- it's something I have done for about 30 years since she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Even though she died last year, I still lit a candle for her this year.
I got such a kick out of this machine. You put in a euro for a small candle, and one euro fifty for a bigger one.
The passion-killing properties of late-night TV
We've been discussing population control in this blog recently but no one has mentioned the contraceptive properties of late-night TV.
India intends to harness the passion-killing properties of late-night television to help to control a potentially catastrophic population explosion.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Health and Family Welfare Minister, has called for the country to redouble its efforts to bring electricity to all of its huge rural population.
The introduction of the electric light and television sets to those vast areas that still did not have them would discourage procreation, he argued.
“If there is electricity in every village, then people will watch TV till late at night and then fall asleep. They won’t get a chance to produce children,” Mr Azad said. “When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies.”
He added: “Don’t think that I am saying this in a lighter vein. I am serious. TV will have a great impact. It’s a great medium to tackle the problem . . . 80 per cent of population growth can be reduced through TV.”
India’s population has trebled since independence in 1947 to about 1.2 billion after an agricultural revolution, which helped to banish famine, and developmental progress extended life expectancy. The country, whose population is growing by about 1.6 per cent a year, accounts for about 17 per cent of the world’s people but occupies less than 3 per cent of its land area.
from The Times
Friday, 24 July 2009
I am not alone
Oh the crap that comes into my Inbox some days! This one was especially loathsome. I thought I'm not going to be the only person to suffer through reading this. YOU have to read it too, so I can spread the burden around....
"READ THIS!!!! and then reread it.. Especially the last part....
I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.
He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to.. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.
He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.
Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.
Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.
Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.
She saw me watching her and she smiled. 'My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know.'
I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes..
'My husband passed away eight days ago,' I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. 'Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together..'
She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away
I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.
I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, and then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile! I had ever seen... I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.
As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes. 'These are for you,' she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. 'When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for.' She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision.
I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.
Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes...
He was still with me, and she was his angel.
Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are."
"READ THIS!!!! and then reread it.. Especially the last part....
I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.
He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to.. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.
He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.
Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.
Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.
Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.
She saw me watching her and she smiled. 'My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know.'
I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes..
'My husband passed away eight days ago,' I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. 'Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together..'
She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away
I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.
I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, and then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile! I had ever seen... I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.
As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes. 'These are for you,' she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. 'When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for.' She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision.
I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.
Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes...
He was still with me, and she was his angel.
Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are."
The truth behind the secret ingredients in KFC, Coke
Everybody loves secrets, mystery, and intrigue. That's why mystery novels and films have been popular for decades, and why shows like "The X-Files" and "Lost" are cult hits.
The commercial appeal of a good mystery (real or manufactured) has not been lost on advertisers. "Mystery meat" aside, several famous brands have emphasized the uniqueness of their secret-ingredient-containing products.
Coca-cola has one of the most famous secret recipes in the world; ads whimsically claim that only two men know the ingredient list, and describe the dire consequences that would befall the planet if the secret was ever lost, including a hole appearing in the fabric of the universe. (Technically, Coca-Cola is no longer produced, and hasn't been commercially available for years. What most people refer to as "Coke" or "Coca-cola" is actually "Coca-cola Classic," since the now-discontinued "New Coke" was branded simply "Coke.")
Dr. Pepper claims that its secret blend of 23 flavors is known by only three people alive today. Kentucky Fried Chicken is home of the famous blend of "eleven secret herbs and spices," closely guarded by the company. And so on.
But is there really any such thing as a "secret ingredient" these days? After all, over the past decade consumers have gotten more and more disclosure about what's in the food they eat-- everything from calorie content to food allergy information. Furthermore, laboratory analysis has kept up with the times. Perhaps when A.J. Bush baked his first recipe in 1908, or when the Coca-Cola company was founded in 1892, there was no way to determine what "secret ingredients" might be in a product.
But these days, any laboratory worth its sodium chloride can tell pretty much what chemicals and ingredients appear in what quantities of a given sample. It's food science, not rocket science.
In his book "Big Secrets," William Poundstone revealed a laboratory analysis of Kentucky Fried Chicken: "The sample of coating mix was found to contain four and only four ingredients: flour, salt, monosodium glutamate, and black pepper. There were no eleven herbs and spices — no herbs at all in fact... Nothing was found in the sample that couldn't be identified." So much for the "secret." In fact, the chicken's ingredient statement is available on KFC's Web site.
As for Coke Classic, well, the formula can be found on page 43 of Poundstone's book, but it includes vanilla extract, citrus oils, and lime juice flavoring.
I had planned to reveal the whole Coke Classic formula, but as I prepared this column I got a threatening e-mail from someone who told me that if I did, he would "get medieval" on me. He referred obliquely to various implements of torture including thumb screws and the Billy Ray Cyrus single "Achy Breaky Heart." Revealing some secrets comes at too high a price.
Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.
The commercial appeal of a good mystery (real or manufactured) has not been lost on advertisers. "Mystery meat" aside, several famous brands have emphasized the uniqueness of their secret-ingredient-containing products.
Coca-cola has one of the most famous secret recipes in the world; ads whimsically claim that only two men know the ingredient list, and describe the dire consequences that would befall the planet if the secret was ever lost, including a hole appearing in the fabric of the universe. (Technically, Coca-Cola is no longer produced, and hasn't been commercially available for years. What most people refer to as "Coke" or "Coca-cola" is actually "Coca-cola Classic," since the now-discontinued "New Coke" was branded simply "Coke.")
Dr. Pepper claims that its secret blend of 23 flavors is known by only three people alive today. Kentucky Fried Chicken is home of the famous blend of "eleven secret herbs and spices," closely guarded by the company. And so on.
But is there really any such thing as a "secret ingredient" these days? After all, over the past decade consumers have gotten more and more disclosure about what's in the food they eat-- everything from calorie content to food allergy information. Furthermore, laboratory analysis has kept up with the times. Perhaps when A.J. Bush baked his first recipe in 1908, or when the Coca-Cola company was founded in 1892, there was no way to determine what "secret ingredients" might be in a product.
But these days, any laboratory worth its sodium chloride can tell pretty much what chemicals and ingredients appear in what quantities of a given sample. It's food science, not rocket science.
In his book "Big Secrets," William Poundstone revealed a laboratory analysis of Kentucky Fried Chicken: "The sample of coating mix was found to contain four and only four ingredients: flour, salt, monosodium glutamate, and black pepper. There were no eleven herbs and spices — no herbs at all in fact... Nothing was found in the sample that couldn't be identified." So much for the "secret." In fact, the chicken's ingredient statement is available on KFC's Web site.
As for Coke Classic, well, the formula can be found on page 43 of Poundstone's book, but it includes vanilla extract, citrus oils, and lime juice flavoring.
I had planned to reveal the whole Coke Classic formula, but as I prepared this column I got a threatening e-mail from someone who told me that if I did, he would "get medieval" on me. He referred obliquely to various implements of torture including thumb screws and the Billy Ray Cyrus single "Achy Breaky Heart." Revealing some secrets comes at too high a price.
Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Brits don't know their Bible anymore
Knowledge of the Bible is in decline in Britain, with fewer than one in 20 people able to name all Ten Commandments and youngsters viewing the Christian holy book as "old-fashioned", a survey said.
Forty per cent did not know that the tradition of exchanging Christmas presents originated from the story of the Wise Men bringing gifts for the infant Jesus, while 60 per cent could not name anything about the Good Samaritan, the Durham University study found.
Youngsters were particularly disillusioned, telling researchers that the Bible was "old-fashioned", "irrelevant" and for "Dot Cottons" - a reference to the church going EastEnders' character, the National Biblical Literacy Survey 2009 showed.
"It is the first recognition of something which we all knew in our gut. We knew it was there but we weren't exactly willing to face up to it," said Rev Brian D Brown, a visiting fellow at St John's College in Durham University.
One respondent to the survey said David and Goliath was the name of a ship while another thought Daniel, who survived being thrown into the lions' den, was "The Lion King".
Rev Brown said the survey showed the need to push for greater religious education among young people as knowledge of the Bible among the under-45 age group was in decline.
"We have got to recognise that it [the Bible] is the foundation of our society, upon which our whole culture has been based," he said.
"To understand it and to live in it you do need an understanding of the Bible."
Forty per cent did not know that the tradition of exchanging Christmas presents originated from the story of the Wise Men bringing gifts for the infant Jesus, while 60 per cent could not name anything about the Good Samaritan, the Durham University study found.
Youngsters were particularly disillusioned, telling researchers that the Bible was "old-fashioned", "irrelevant" and for "Dot Cottons" - a reference to the church going EastEnders' character, the National Biblical Literacy Survey 2009 showed.
"It is the first recognition of something which we all knew in our gut. We knew it was there but we weren't exactly willing to face up to it," said Rev Brian D Brown, a visiting fellow at St John's College in Durham University.
One respondent to the survey said David and Goliath was the name of a ship while another thought Daniel, who survived being thrown into the lions' den, was "The Lion King".
Rev Brown said the survey showed the need to push for greater religious education among young people as knowledge of the Bible among the under-45 age group was in decline.
"We have got to recognise that it [the Bible] is the foundation of our society, upon which our whole culture has been based," he said.
"To understand it and to live in it you do need an understanding of the Bible."
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Stupid things celebrities say (continued)
Actor Sean Penn wrote an effusive cover piece for The Nation about his visits with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Raul Castro in Cuba. In between updating the reader on what they were eating ("Castro and I share a cup of tea"..."we move on to red wine and dinner"..."we sip more wine") and bragging about scooping Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Brinkley, Penn shares his admiration for both Latin American leaders.
"It's true, Chávez may not be a good man. But he may well be a great one."
Don't try this at home
An Indonesian maid was in a Hong Kong jail Thursday awaiting trial for mixing her menstrual blood in a pot of vegetables she was cooking for her employer. Indra Ningsih, 26, allegedly told police afterwards she mixed the blood into the meal in a superstitious effort to make her Chinese employer "more amiable and less picky" towards her.
Ningsih was arrested after her employer peered through the kitchen door and saw her acting suspiciously as she cooked vegetables for lunch.
When the employer checked, she found a blood clot-like substance mixed with the vegetables and a used sanitary napkin in the kitchen bin, according to a report in the Hong Kong Standard newspaper.
Prosecutors said that Ningsih told police her employer had been unhappy with her performance since hiring her last July and constantly scolded her.
She told police she mixed the blood with the food because she believed it would improve their relationship and make her employer kinder to her, according to prosecutors.
Ningsih was arrested after her employer peered through the kitchen door and saw her acting suspiciously as she cooked vegetables for lunch.
When the employer checked, she found a blood clot-like substance mixed with the vegetables and a used sanitary napkin in the kitchen bin, according to a report in the Hong Kong Standard newspaper.
Prosecutors said that Ningsih told police her employer had been unhappy with her performance since hiring her last July and constantly scolded her.
She told police she mixed the blood with the food because she believed it would improve their relationship and make her employer kinder to her, according to prosecutors.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Fat Acceptance Movement
FIVE-FOOT-NINE and 184 pounds, Kathryn Griffith, a retired teacher in Oakland, Calif., counted calories for decades, trying everything from the grapefruit diet to a regimen based on cabbage soup. She also did Weight Watchers — 27 times. “I knew it ouldn’t be successful, but I went back anyway,” she said.
So earlier this year, just when Oprah, the nation’s über-dieter, renewed her resolve to snack on flaxseed, Ms. Griffith went the other way, joining a tenacious movement that is scorning the diet industry and what one pair of bloggers labels, “the obesity epidemic booga booga booga.”
This movement — a loose alliance of therapists, scientists and others — holds that all people, “even” fat people, can eat whatever they want and, in the process, improve their physical and mental health and stabilize their weight. The aim is to behave as if you have reached your “goal weight” and to act on ambitions postponed while trying to become thin, everything from buying new clothes to changing careers. Regular exercise should be for fun, not for slimming.
“Fat acceptance” ideas date back more than 30 years, but have lately edged into the mainstream, thanks in part to public hand-wringing by celebrities like Oprah, Kirstie Alley and the tennis player Monica Seles, who said she had to “throw out the word ‘diet’ ” to deal with her weight gain. (Oprah now cites her goal as being not “thin,” but “healthy and strong and fit.”)
Adding credence to the “fat acceptance” philosophy, are recent medical studies that suggest a little extra fat may not be such a bad thing. Among the latest is a 12 year Canadian analysis in last month’s Obesity journal that confirmed earlier findings that overweight “appears to be protective against mortality,” while being too thin, like extreme obesity, correlates with higher death risk. Other recent studies have linked weight cycling (or “yo-yo dieting”) to weight gain, and to medical conditions often attributed to obesity.
from the New York Times
So earlier this year, just when Oprah, the nation’s über-dieter, renewed her resolve to snack on flaxseed, Ms. Griffith went the other way, joining a tenacious movement that is scorning the diet industry and what one pair of bloggers labels, “the obesity epidemic booga booga booga.”
This movement — a loose alliance of therapists, scientists and others — holds that all people, “even” fat people, can eat whatever they want and, in the process, improve their physical and mental health and stabilize their weight. The aim is to behave as if you have reached your “goal weight” and to act on ambitions postponed while trying to become thin, everything from buying new clothes to changing careers. Regular exercise should be for fun, not for slimming.
“Fat acceptance” ideas date back more than 30 years, but have lately edged into the mainstream, thanks in part to public hand-wringing by celebrities like Oprah, Kirstie Alley and the tennis player Monica Seles, who said she had to “throw out the word ‘diet’ ” to deal with her weight gain. (Oprah now cites her goal as being not “thin,” but “healthy and strong and fit.”)
Adding credence to the “fat acceptance” philosophy, are recent medical studies that suggest a little extra fat may not be such a bad thing. Among the latest is a 12 year Canadian analysis in last month’s Obesity journal that confirmed earlier findings that overweight “appears to be protective against mortality,” while being too thin, like extreme obesity, correlates with higher death risk. Other recent studies have linked weight cycling (or “yo-yo dieting”) to weight gain, and to medical conditions often attributed to obesity.
from the New York Times
Stupid things celebrities say
Bruce Springsteen wrote a 2004 op-ed in the The New York Times explaining his support for John Kerry.
"It is through the truthful exercising of the best of human qualities--respect for others, honesty about ourselves, faith in our ideals--that we come to life in God's eyes ... It is time to move forward. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting."
Monday, 20 July 2009
Everybody is an expert
"The rise of Idiot America ... is essentially a war on expertise ... In the new media age, everybody is a historian, or a scientist, or a preacher, or a sage. And if everyone is an expert, then nobody is, and the worst thing you can be in a society where everybody is an expert is, well, an actual expert."
-- Charles P. Pierce, from "Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free"
-- Charles P. Pierce, from "Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free"
Facts about the 1500s
I get so much stuff in my Inbox and never know whether to believe it or not. Here's today's entry. I don't have the energy to look this stuff up and verify it. Maybe you know if it's true or not? Let me know if so.
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying; "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water".
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying; "It's raining cats and dogs".
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how "canopy beds" came into existence.
The floor was earth - usually hardened by traffic over years. Only the wealthy had something other than earth. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold".
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying; "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water".
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying; "It's raining cats and dogs".
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how "canopy beds" came into existence.
The floor was earth - usually hardened by traffic over years. Only the wealthy had something other than earth. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold".
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Dear Brits, we’ve beaten you at everything’ says Berlusconi paper
I loved this article. The G8 summit was held recently in Italy so they wanted to make sure that everyone knows they are superior to the Brits:
Britain is a country in a sorry decline overshadowed at every turn by Italy, where even the renaissance of the English football team is down to the miracle of Italian management.
That is the verdict of Il Giornale, the newspaper that is part of Silvio Berlusconi’s media empire, which ran pages of criticism yesterday under the headline: “Dear Brits, we’ve beaten you at everything and it’s time you realised it.”
The attack on all things British comes after weeks of revelations about the Italian Prime Minister’s sexually charged antics, much of which he claims have been fabricated as part of an elaborate plot, which incorporated elements of the British press including The Times, to destabilise him.
“We’re talking about the country that many people still consider to be a beacon of journalism, politics, economics and sport,” it added. “But Great Britain is no longer great.”
Britain is a country in a sorry decline overshadowed at every turn by Italy, where even the renaissance of the English football team is down to the miracle of Italian management.
That is the verdict of Il Giornale, the newspaper that is part of Silvio Berlusconi’s media empire, which ran pages of criticism yesterday under the headline: “Dear Brits, we’ve beaten you at everything and it’s time you realised it.”
The attack on all things British comes after weeks of revelations about the Italian Prime Minister’s sexually charged antics, much of which he claims have been fabricated as part of an elaborate plot, which incorporated elements of the British press including The Times, to destabilise him.
“We’re talking about the country that many people still consider to be a beacon of journalism, politics, economics and sport,” it added. “But Great Britain is no longer great.”
Summer in America
Elizabeth from Detroit sends this photo in of her kids and her sister's kid playing in her backyard. Ah, it makes me nostalgic to think of summers like these, especially since we've had a chilly summer so far in England. Thanks for sending this in. The rest of you send me some of your summer snaps.
Elizabeth writes:
I just love this picture, because it sums up everything about being a kid in the summer. You can see our sandbox in front. Off to the right is our swingset. We've also got raspberries in the back, gooseberries (and blueberries coming) on the left, and a mulberry tree by the swings. My kids pick and eat fresh fruit all day long, then play outside until it gets dark.
Elizabeth writes:
I just love this picture, because it sums up everything about being a kid in the summer. You can see our sandbox in front. Off to the right is our swingset. We've also got raspberries in the back, gooseberries (and blueberries coming) on the left, and a mulberry tree by the swings. My kids pick and eat fresh fruit all day long, then play outside until it gets dark.
Saturday, 18 July 2009
My daughter's hair disaster
I wrote earlier about my daughter's hair disaster - how she tried to go blonde from brown and ended up orange.
Here are the before and after photos. She's at the salon even as we speak trying to repair the damage.
BEFORE
AFTER
Here are the before and after photos. She's at the salon even as we speak trying to repair the damage.
BEFORE
AFTER
Stupid things celebrities say
Bono recently mused about the state of Africa and Obama's strategy for the continent.
"Despite Kenya’s unspeakable beauty and its recent victories against the anopheles mosquito, the country’s still-stinging corruption and political unrest confirms too many of the headlines we in the West read about Africa. Ghana confounds them. Not defiantly or angrily, but in that cool, offhand Ghanaian way."
The New Republic is running this story but it was too good not to steal to share with you. More to come.
Friday, 17 July 2009
An atheist gets pushed around
We've had a post recently complaining about Christians being 'pushed around' because of their faith so for equal time, here's news about an atheist getting the same treatment:
TEXAS chiropractor Dr Scott Dawson demonstrated no concern for the well-being of one of his employees, breast cancer sufferer Amanda Donaldson, when he discovered she was an atheist.
In fact he fired Amanda Donaldson because he believed her atheism was a threat to his “Christ-oriented” practice – but before doing so he threw a monumental tantrum.
Said Amanda, who had recently undergone a mastectomy:
He proceeded to scream and yell at me, while I was trying to get the key to his office off my keychain and gather my belongings, demanding that if I would accept Jesus I would be ok and telling me there was no point in my being there anyway, since I was never there.
The “never there” jibe referred her absences from work when she was being treated for her cancer.
Dawson found out about Amanda’s lack of belief when he stumbled on a blog run by her husband Brant in which he made clear his negative attitude towards religion.
Dawson then threatened to sack Amanda if her husband did not remove the anti religious content from his blog. In order to protect his wife’s job, Brant removed his personal religious opinions from previously posted entries.
This was not good enough for the swivel-eyed zealot. On May 4, according to Brant:
A few hours into her shift he [Dawson] again brings up that she needs Jesus in her life, and she respectfully declined. She was told to leave. She was told ‘Her attitude towards God was no longer welcome in his business’.
from the Freethinker website
TEXAS chiropractor Dr Scott Dawson demonstrated no concern for the well-being of one of his employees, breast cancer sufferer Amanda Donaldson, when he discovered she was an atheist.
In fact he fired Amanda Donaldson because he believed her atheism was a threat to his “Christ-oriented” practice – but before doing so he threw a monumental tantrum.
Said Amanda, who had recently undergone a mastectomy:
He proceeded to scream and yell at me, while I was trying to get the key to his office off my keychain and gather my belongings, demanding that if I would accept Jesus I would be ok and telling me there was no point in my being there anyway, since I was never there.
The “never there” jibe referred her absences from work when she was being treated for her cancer.
Dawson found out about Amanda’s lack of belief when he stumbled on a blog run by her husband Brant in which he made clear his negative attitude towards religion.
Dawson then threatened to sack Amanda if her husband did not remove the anti religious content from his blog. In order to protect his wife’s job, Brant removed his personal religious opinions from previously posted entries.
This was not good enough for the swivel-eyed zealot. On May 4, according to Brant:
A few hours into her shift he [Dawson] again brings up that she needs Jesus in her life, and she respectfully declined. She was told to leave. She was told ‘Her attitude towards God was no longer welcome in his business’.
from the Freethinker website
Going to Barcelona today
We're going to Barcelona today for our summer vacation. We're staying at a house about 30 minutes outside the city. We chose Barcelona because the airfares from London were so cheap, plus it has lots of sunny weather. I think my blogging will be intermittent because there's no Internet at the house but I'm sure you'll welcome a rest from my posts....
Barcelona is a major economic centre with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in Spain after the Madrid-Barajas Airport (handles about 30 million passengers per year).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon.
Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudà and LluÃs Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Barcelona is a major economic centre with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in Spain after the Madrid-Barajas Airport (handles about 30 million passengers per year).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon.
Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudà and LluÃs Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Don't make Facebook status updates after having wine
I stopped by my friend Madeleine's house to drop off her birthday present since I'll be gone next week and won't be around on her birthday. (We are going on vacation to Spain.)
She immediately offered me a refreshing glass of rose, and I accepted. (Her husband came in later and was going to get a glass but was suspicious of what we would be drinking. "Is it sweet girlie stuff?" he asked, then lifted the bottle out of the fridge to see it was indeed a Girlie Rose.)
The rose was room temperature so Mad put ice cubes in it and the resulting drink was so refreshing and delicious that I knocked back two of them. I am the cheapest drunk -- half a glass of wine makes me tipsy so you can imagine what two glasses would do.
(I only live around the corner from Mad so there was no drunk driving, don't worry.)
Later that evening, I went on Facebook and left this status update:
Just heard a couple were caught having sex in a meeting room at work. Must remember to take my anti-bacterial gel with me if I have to go to that room for a meet.
Of course it was true but what a riot broke out afterwards. I've been fielding instant messages, texts and emails, all asking for more specific information. (Names, position assumed on the meeting table, etc.)
I need to keep future status updates more sedate such as some that I've seen on there:
I just love my kids.
Eating some popcorn now.
Back from the movies. Didn't like what I saw.
She immediately offered me a refreshing glass of rose, and I accepted. (Her husband came in later and was going to get a glass but was suspicious of what we would be drinking. "Is it sweet girlie stuff?" he asked, then lifted the bottle out of the fridge to see it was indeed a Girlie Rose.)
The rose was room temperature so Mad put ice cubes in it and the resulting drink was so refreshing and delicious that I knocked back two of them. I am the cheapest drunk -- half a glass of wine makes me tipsy so you can imagine what two glasses would do.
(I only live around the corner from Mad so there was no drunk driving, don't worry.)
Later that evening, I went on Facebook and left this status update:
Just heard a couple were caught having sex in a meeting room at work. Must remember to take my anti-bacterial gel with me if I have to go to that room for a meet.
Of course it was true but what a riot broke out afterwards. I've been fielding instant messages, texts and emails, all asking for more specific information. (Names, position assumed on the meeting table, etc.)
I need to keep future status updates more sedate such as some that I've seen on there:
I just love my kids.
Eating some popcorn now.
Back from the movies. Didn't like what I saw.
Pagans allowed to take religious holidays
What do you all think of this?
"Policemen who have admitted using witchcraft to gain promotions at work have persuaded the Home Office to allow them to set up a Pagan Police Association. The officers are even given special dispensation to take eight pagan holidays a year, including Halloween and the summer solstice.
PC Andy Pardy, of Hertfordshire Police, met with Home Office chiefs this week to push for the creation of an officially sanctioned pagan support group for police officers around the UK."
"Policemen who have admitted using witchcraft to gain promotions at work have persuaded the Home Office to allow them to set up a Pagan Police Association. The officers are even given special dispensation to take eight pagan holidays a year, including Halloween and the summer solstice.
PC Andy Pardy, of Hertfordshire Police, met with Home Office chiefs this week to push for the creation of an officially sanctioned pagan support group for police officers around the UK."
My daughter's tragic hair accident
The only way I know what my kids are up to is through Facebook. Today I was idly scrolling through my friend's status updates ('eating a piece of pie now' or 'so happy the sun is shining today') when I read a comment from my daughter saying that she'd tried to dye her beautiful brown hair blonde but it got all messed up (she used dye AND bleach) and now it was some hideous shade of ginger. She'd almost been too embarrassed to go to work that day.
I didn't like what I was reading. Then a message popped into my Inbox from Katie imploring me to help her fix the mess she'd got herself into. Ah, she still needs her mother. I have made her an emergency hair appointment (which I'm sure I'll end up paying for), and they said they'd see what they can do.
I have sympathy for the girl. I myself tried to go blonde at 12 and totally wrecked my hair and had to get my mother to make an emergency hair appointment. They dyed it back brown but it turned instead a greenish color but I had to live with it for years until the hair grew back out. I used to get teased at school. "Girl, why is your hair GREEN?" I was embarrassed but what could I do?
I've found some expert advice for Katie while she waits to have her appointment:
If your hair has turned out orange then the good news is that getting back to brown isn't tremedously diffcult. There are lots of red tones still left in the hair and this means that using a medium brown color should take the hair back to a color that you are happy with, (it won't of course be your natural haircolor).
Your hair has been chemically damaged by the bleaching process and as I've said will soak up everything that is put on it from now on.
I didn't like what I was reading. Then a message popped into my Inbox from Katie imploring me to help her fix the mess she'd got herself into. Ah, she still needs her mother. I have made her an emergency hair appointment (which I'm sure I'll end up paying for), and they said they'd see what they can do.
I have sympathy for the girl. I myself tried to go blonde at 12 and totally wrecked my hair and had to get my mother to make an emergency hair appointment. They dyed it back brown but it turned instead a greenish color but I had to live with it for years until the hair grew back out. I used to get teased at school. "Girl, why is your hair GREEN?" I was embarrassed but what could I do?
I've found some expert advice for Katie while she waits to have her appointment:
If your hair has turned out orange then the good news is that getting back to brown isn't tremedously diffcult. There are lots of red tones still left in the hair and this means that using a medium brown color should take the hair back to a color that you are happy with, (it won't of course be your natural haircolor).
Your hair has been chemically damaged by the bleaching process and as I've said will soak up everything that is put on it from now on.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
To have a little fun
Regular commenter Elizabeth sent in this Israeli commercial writing, "This is quite an interesting commercial from Israel (it’s only 1 minute long). The wall is the one built to separate Israel and the Palestinian territory. I’m not sure if there’s a translation, but the commercial asks, “Isn’t that what we all really want – to have a little fun?”
It is an interesting thing to watch, but I was even more interested in the comments on the YouTube site that followed. By the time the third comment was entered, people were fighting with each other fiercely over Israeli politics, the wall, the Palestinian state and so on. It was amazing to see how strongly people feel about these issues.
It is an interesting thing to watch, but I was even more interested in the comments on the YouTube site that followed. By the time the third comment was entered, people were fighting with each other fiercely over Israeli politics, the wall, the Palestinian state and so on. It was amazing to see how strongly people feel about these issues.
Crickets chirping under my bedroom window at night
I moved away from Mississippi about 20 years ago, and one of the things I'd always missed were crickets chirping underneath my bedroom window at night. The sound sort of soothed me when I was a kid.
I came to England to find there were no crickets. The evening was too quiet -- no life out there at night. But I got used to it. (I also missed fireflies -- a lot. But that's another story.)
Today I read in the paper that due to global warming crickets are migrating north and have discovered England. I guess I won't have to wait too long to hear the comforting sounds of crickets chirping outside my bedroom window again.
"The sound of English summer is changing as the skylark is drowned out by chirruping crickets. Global warming has let two species, the long-winged conehead and Roesel's bush cricket spread north."
Another transplanted Southerner in England worries that poisonous snakes might hear of the crickets' discovery of England and migrate north also. Now that's one thing I haven't missed from Mississippi.
Quick email from my daughter
She is working at a medical practice this summer and writes to say:
"Came across a note about a patient. Went to the emergency room with a vibrator stuck up his rectum. Thought it might amuse you."
Thanks Katie! It did.
"Came across a note about a patient. Went to the emergency room with a vibrator stuck up his rectum. Thought it might amuse you."
Thanks Katie! It did.
How can they run the planet if they can't run their countries?
I put a post up about the Illuminati -- the supposedly secret society that runs the globe, according to conspiracy-theory fans. These people are supposed to be so slick that they decide which wars to fight, who will win -- basically they determine everything. I resist this idea because I think governments/big companies are mostly incompetent. After I put up that post, I got comments and emails telling me that I was mistaken if I thought there weren't conspiracies out there.
Yesterday, I read that our prime minister runs the government like a Mafia boss and can't get anything right. Here's one of the accusations:
"Gordon Brown's government is more “chaotic” than many administrations in the developing world, according to one of his Foreign Office ministers.
Lord Malloch-Brown, who quits his ministerial post this month, told colleagues he had seen better “strategic thinking” in Latin America and southeast Asia than at No 10."
So my question is how can these be the same people who are secretly running the world? They can't get anything right in office but somehow running the entire world like clockwork is a piece of cake?
Yesterday, I read that our prime minister runs the government like a Mafia boss and can't get anything right. Here's one of the accusations:
"Gordon Brown's government is more “chaotic” than many administrations in the developing world, according to one of his Foreign Office ministers.
Lord Malloch-Brown, who quits his ministerial post this month, told colleagues he had seen better “strategic thinking” in Latin America and southeast Asia than at No 10."
So my question is how can these be the same people who are secretly running the world? They can't get anything right in office but somehow running the entire world like clockwork is a piece of cake?
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Just watch your diet for the next decade
We were just talking about how obese people are more vulnerable to death from swine flu in the blog the other day and now scientists are workig on an anti-obesity pill. It won't be ready for another decade, so everyone watch what you eat until then....
Scientists are working on an anti-obesity pill that could reduce the fat stored by overweight people by almost a half in a week.
Tests on mice have shown that the drug could decrease body weight by a quarter and their fat content by 42 per cent after seven days.
After a month, the weight of the mice had been reduced by 28 per cent and their fat mass by 63 per cent.
But experts warned that it could take a decade for the potential wonder drug to be developed for use by patients.
The researchers, whose findings are published online in Nature Chemical Biology, say further research is needed before the drug is tested on humans.
Scientists are working on an anti-obesity pill that could reduce the fat stored by overweight people by almost a half in a week.
Tests on mice have shown that the drug could decrease body weight by a quarter and their fat content by 42 per cent after seven days.
After a month, the weight of the mice had been reduced by 28 per cent and their fat mass by 63 per cent.
But experts warned that it could take a decade for the potential wonder drug to be developed for use by patients.
The researchers, whose findings are published online in Nature Chemical Biology, say further research is needed before the drug is tested on humans.
Do you think they give them fried Mars Bars?
Scotland has the highest number of fat dogs in the UK, according to a leading animal charity. A national survey by PDSA found that about 35% of all dogs coming into its Scottish clinics were obese. In Glasgow, the figure was as the figure was as high as 50%, with Edinburgh just below the national average on 34%.
Eliz: I was wondering about the fried Mars bars connection as that's what Southern English people say they eat up there.
Here's a pic. Mmmmm, looks delish!
Eliz: I was wondering about the fried Mars bars connection as that's what Southern English people say they eat up there.
Here's a pic. Mmmmm, looks delish!
Worst Inventions Ever
The Parachute Jacket, invented in 1912, was demonstrated by Franz Reichelt who jumped from the Eiffel Tower. He fell to his death. They include a wicker chair spaceship and an asbestos tablecloth. Other useless inventions included anti-tank dogs during the Second World War.
For more information on stoopid inventions, see Worst Inventions.
For more information on stoopid inventions, see Worst Inventions.
A bowl (or two) of cherries
Every summer I look forward to the cherry season. I think I could live on these things. They are only in the British supermarkets for a brief time so I go wild buying and eating them for those few weeks.
Last year, I discovered the rainier cherry - it's got a yellow skin and is incredibly delicious (and expensive).
These cherries are very sensitive to temperature, wind, and rain. About 1/3 of a Rainier cherry orchard's crop is eaten by birds.
Rainiers are considered the "cream of the crop", selling for $5 dollars a pound or more in the USA and as much as a dollar each in Japan.
Mrs Williams visits and brings even more cherries
My good friend Mrs Williams who works at the Foreign Office in London came to stay with us last night, and she brought me two boxes of cherries. So today I will probably eat a pound of cherries at my desk. My mother would have said that soon I will turn into a cherry.
What is your favorite summer fruit or vegetable?
Postscript:
Just a quick addition to the post as the Times has an article on five things to do with cherries today. Here they are:
Tipsy cherries
Marinate cherries in kirsch and serve with ice cream or chocolate desserts.
Cherry and plum crumble
Mix 250g each of stoned cherries and plums, 3tbsp sugar and 4tbsp water in an ovenproof dish. Rub 75g butter into 150g plain flour, stir in 4tbsp each of oats and crushed almonds and 2tbsp sugar. Spoon over the fruit and bake at 180/gas 4 for 25 minutes until golden.
A sauce for roast duck
Bring 150ml each of chicken stock and red wine to the boil, then turn down the heat. Add 250g stoned cherries and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened.
Cherry pie
Mix 500g stoned cherries with 1tbsp cornflour and 25g sugar. Line a pie dish with sweet shortcrust pastry, add the cherry mixture, top with pastry and seal the edges. Make a hole in the centre, brush with milk and sugar and bake at 180/gas 4 for 40 minutes until golden.
Instant trifle
Marinate stoned cherries in kirsch. Spoon some crushed amaretti biscuits into glasses. Top with marinated cherries, ready made custard, whipped cream and finish with toasted almonds.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Teenagers don't Twitter
This article amused me. Big Internet bosses commission some research that shocks them senseless when they discover that teens don't use Twitter. Any parent with a teen could have told them that. My daughter and son regularly tell me that Twitter is just for old folks, and they would never deign to tweet.
"A London teenager's report into his friends' media habits has caused a sensation among some of the world's most powerful internet bosses.
Matthew Robson, 15, who is doing work experience at Morgan Stanley, was asked by the bank's European media analysts to write a research note into the media consumption of his peers.
When he revealed that teenagers don't use Twitter, have little time for TV and find advertising “annoying”, his report was described by Morgan Stanley as “one of the clearest and most thought-provoking insights”.
This led the City bank to publish Matthew's findings — and it became the talk of the Allen & Co conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. The annual event — held behind closed doors — features some of the most influential figures in new media, including Google's Eric Schmidt and Larry Page, Twitter boss Evan Williams, Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg, and media moguls Barry Diller and Rupert Murdoch.
Matthew's research note said: “Teenagers do not use Twitter. Updating the micro blogging service from mobile phones costs valuable credit” and “they realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their tweets are pointless”."
"A London teenager's report into his friends' media habits has caused a sensation among some of the world's most powerful internet bosses.
Matthew Robson, 15, who is doing work experience at Morgan Stanley, was asked by the bank's European media analysts to write a research note into the media consumption of his peers.
When he revealed that teenagers don't use Twitter, have little time for TV and find advertising “annoying”, his report was described by Morgan Stanley as “one of the clearest and most thought-provoking insights”.
This led the City bank to publish Matthew's findings — and it became the talk of the Allen & Co conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. The annual event — held behind closed doors — features some of the most influential figures in new media, including Google's Eric Schmidt and Larry Page, Twitter boss Evan Williams, Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg, and media moguls Barry Diller and Rupert Murdoch.
Matthew's research note said: “Teenagers do not use Twitter. Updating the micro blogging service from mobile phones costs valuable credit” and “they realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their tweets are pointless”."
Quick swine flu update
We have our first case of swine flu on the blog. (I won't say who yet.) Everyone keep washing your hands. I'm sure it can't be spread through the comments section but just in case....
Rebuttal to this morning's post
I just read a great rebuttal to the post from this morning I put up from Ben Stein. This is from Gary (don't have permission to use his full name yet but can't wait to put up his response):
Where do I start?
This is a common example of ‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’ (translated as – after this, there fore because (on account) of this). It is known as a ‘logical fallacy’ and infers that, ‘since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one’. As an example: - today, it is raining and, yesterday, I didn’t mow the lawn as I intended. Therefore it rained, today, because I didn’t mow the lawn, yesterday.
I think his hypothesis is that, ‘if more people believed in god then all the things that upset him would disappear and/or go away’. If this is his hypothesis then he should gather evidence and ‘prove’ it. He also needs to state what things would diminish/ disappear if more people believed in god.
If he is posturing that, in his lifetime, fewer people have believed in god and the consequences are as he describes, then he needs to produce evidence – not the ‘tale’ of Billy Graham’s wife.
His he talking about USA or about the World? If his concern is the number of people killed, has he included the level of god-belief during WWI and WWII and the level of deaths? Personally, I would hypothesise that more people have died during high god belief eras, as a percentage of the population, than currently. However, I will not assume that these events are related (annual death rate and level of god-belief).
Finally, if he wants to believe in god, that’s OK. But why is there a need for him to tell others to do so. Who is he ‘talking’ to? His basic assumption is that those who believe in god do good deeds and those who do not believe in god do the bad deeds. We all know that that isn’t true. For example, does he know if those responsible for the school shootings believed in god, or not? And I won’t mention the catholic church and child abuse!! (oops!!, I said I wouldn’t mention it)
As far as I am aware, there has only been one attempted proof in the belief in the existence of god (by the Templeton Foundation). That concerned the ‘power’ of prayer. The results showed that the act of prayer was no different to doing nothing. Furthermore, it showed that informing ‘critically ill’ people that they were being ‘prayed for’ is more damaging than doing nothing.
Remember – ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ – it’s a great dinner party quote.
Where do I start?
This is a common example of ‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’ (translated as – after this, there fore because (on account) of this). It is known as a ‘logical fallacy’ and infers that, ‘since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one’. As an example: - today, it is raining and, yesterday, I didn’t mow the lawn as I intended. Therefore it rained, today, because I didn’t mow the lawn, yesterday.
I think his hypothesis is that, ‘if more people believed in god then all the things that upset him would disappear and/or go away’. If this is his hypothesis then he should gather evidence and ‘prove’ it. He also needs to state what things would diminish/ disappear if more people believed in god.
If he is posturing that, in his lifetime, fewer people have believed in god and the consequences are as he describes, then he needs to produce evidence – not the ‘tale’ of Billy Graham’s wife.
His he talking about USA or about the World? If his concern is the number of people killed, has he included the level of god-belief during WWI and WWII and the level of deaths? Personally, I would hypothesise that more people have died during high god belief eras, as a percentage of the population, than currently. However, I will not assume that these events are related (annual death rate and level of god-belief).
Finally, if he wants to believe in god, that’s OK. But why is there a need for him to tell others to do so. Who is he ‘talking’ to? His basic assumption is that those who believe in god do good deeds and those who do not believe in god do the bad deeds. We all know that that isn’t true. For example, does he know if those responsible for the school shootings believed in god, or not? And I won’t mention the catholic church and child abuse!! (oops!!, I said I wouldn’t mention it)
As far as I am aware, there has only been one attempted proof in the belief in the existence of god (by the Templeton Foundation). That concerned the ‘power’ of prayer. The results showed that the act of prayer was no different to doing nothing. Furthermore, it showed that informing ‘critically ill’ people that they were being ‘prayed for’ is more damaging than doing nothing.
Remember – ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ – it’s a great dinner party quote.
I only hope we find God again before it is too late
See I give equal time to God defenders on my blog. I just got this in an e-mail this morning. I've only been trying to learn the principles of logic for a short time but I can see this thing is full of fallacies.
Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period... I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Eliz: Who is shoving this idea down his throat? Where is he going to find in the Constitution that religion is supported?And who is pushing Christians around exactly?
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
Eliz: I haven't seen many churches being built to Elvis or Michael Jackson, have you?
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
Eliz: This is beyond stupid. There is state religion in so many countries in the world where prayer is said daily in the schools and it doesn't stop natural disasters from occurring -- I'm sure someone would have noticed that in countries where there was prayer in schools that no natural disasters occurred then we all would have adopted this protective measure.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Eliz: Terrorism only started after Madeleine Murray O'Hare got rid of prayer in the schools? That's amazing. Also note the intimidating comment that she was later murdered -- that must be what happens if you do anything anti-God.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Eliz: I spotted a fallacy. Just because Dr Spock's son committed suicide doesn't mean his theories of child-raising are wrong. We know how childhood violence can wreck adult lives anyway. I should know -- my father didn't spare the rod at all with his kids.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves...
Eliz: You know, my son killed a stranger just yesterday and it didn't even dent his appetite at dinner. I said to him, 'don't you feel bad about killing that person today?' and he said, 'no, because God has been removed from my life through atheist activism so it doesn't bother me to kill now. I think I will kill a classmate tomorrow.'
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Eliz: Look! The public discussion of God is suppressed. I will try to post this in the blog, but I'll bet it doesn't go up due to suppression.
Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period... I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Eliz: Who is shoving this idea down his throat? Where is he going to find in the Constitution that religion is supported?And who is pushing Christians around exactly?
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
Eliz: I haven't seen many churches being built to Elvis or Michael Jackson, have you?
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
Eliz: This is beyond stupid. There is state religion in so many countries in the world where prayer is said daily in the schools and it doesn't stop natural disasters from occurring -- I'm sure someone would have noticed that in countries where there was prayer in schools that no natural disasters occurred then we all would have adopted this protective measure.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Eliz: Terrorism only started after Madeleine Murray O'Hare got rid of prayer in the schools? That's amazing. Also note the intimidating comment that she was later murdered -- that must be what happens if you do anything anti-God.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Eliz: I spotted a fallacy. Just because Dr Spock's son committed suicide doesn't mean his theories of child-raising are wrong. We know how childhood violence can wreck adult lives anyway. I should know -- my father didn't spare the rod at all with his kids.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves...
Eliz: You know, my son killed a stranger just yesterday and it didn't even dent his appetite at dinner. I said to him, 'don't you feel bad about killing that person today?' and he said, 'no, because God has been removed from my life through atheist activism so it doesn't bother me to kill now. I think I will kill a classmate tomorrow.'
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Eliz: Look! The public discussion of God is suppressed. I will try to post this in the blog, but I'll bet it doesn't go up due to suppression.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Obese people easily killed by swine flu?
The fact that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are clinically obese is worrisome for a whole new reason: Evidence emerging from a hospital in Michigan (and published by the CDC) appears to indicate that obese patients may be very easily killed by swine flu.
In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on death and disease, researchers documented the case of ten swine flu patients at a Michigan hospital who became so ill they were put on ventilators. Three of the patients ultimately died from the infection. The kicker? Nine of the ten were obese, and two of the three who died were severely obese.
As reported by Reuters, CDC virologist Dr. Tim Uyeki said, "What this suggests is that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients."
In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on death and disease, researchers documented the case of ten swine flu patients at a Michigan hospital who became so ill they were put on ventilators. Three of the patients ultimately died from the infection. The kicker? Nine of the ten were obese, and two of the three who died were severely obese.
As reported by Reuters, CDC virologist Dr. Tim Uyeki said, "What this suggests is that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients."
Getting ready for vacation
We're going on vacation at the end of the week, and are trying to get ready. For my daughter and me, this meant a trip to the nail salon for manicures and pedicures. Here's Katie getting all ready for the beach:
That was all fine, but I saw some women having their eyebrows done, and I decided on a whim to get mine done too.
BIG MISTAKE!
I looked just like Joan Crawford when she was finished. I was totally freaking out at the salon. "I can't go out on the street looking like this!" I said. "Do something."
So she waxed part of my brows and put tint remover on and it looks less dramatic now. Still looks pretty weird but the tint will be gone in a few weeks. Now I have red welts on my face where she waxed my brows but I was secure in the knowledge that my husband wouldn't notice any of this. And so it has transpired. I'm sitting typing my blog looking like Joan Crawford who has been beaten up, and he's watching cricket and speaking to me just like normal.
That was all fine, but I saw some women having their eyebrows done, and I decided on a whim to get mine done too.
BIG MISTAKE!
I looked just like Joan Crawford when she was finished. I was totally freaking out at the salon. "I can't go out on the street looking like this!" I said. "Do something."
So she waxed part of my brows and put tint remover on and it looks less dramatic now. Still looks pretty weird but the tint will be gone in a few weeks. Now I have red welts on my face where she waxed my brows but I was secure in the knowledge that my husband wouldn't notice any of this. And so it has transpired. I'm sitting typing my blog looking like Joan Crawford who has been beaten up, and he's watching cricket and speaking to me just like normal.
Baby's First Paycheck
Ever since my first child was born -- my daughter Katie -- we've kept up that silly 'Baby's First ' thing. You know, I had to have a Baby's First Christmas ornament on my tree, and whenever Katie did anything, we'd say 'Baby's First....'
Even though the child is now a woman, we still do it.
She has a job summarizing medical notes for a surgery in London, and she got paid this week for the first time.
So here it is: Baby's First Paycheck
Even though the child is now a woman, we still do it.
She has a job summarizing medical notes for a surgery in London, and she got paid this week for the first time.
So here it is: Baby's First Paycheck
Rate my Friend
Yesterday was Mel's birthday but also a college friend I hadn't seen for 30 years was in London. She found me on Facebook, and we made plans to meet at a Greek restaurant in London.
It can be a bit anxiety provoking -- meeting a friend again after 30 years. What if you are both disappointed in each other? Are those memories of your youth with your friend discolored forever? And then there are my kids -- they meet the person too and are always quick to give me their opinions later.
I hadn't seen my friend Beth Moody since 1977. She was a dancer from Alabama. It was clear within minutes of our meeting that she was still going to be my pal, even though she has been through so much since we last met.
Here's my daughter Katie and Beth:
During dinner, I was telling her about how I've met other friends I haven't seen in 30 years recently during our trip to California at Easter. For some reason, we got on to the Rate My Poo episode during our trip out there and how horrified some of the blog's commenters became when I revealed that my son had snapped a pic of his sister's -- uh, well, you know -- and put it up on the Rate my Poo website. But when I recounted the incident to my friend Karen in Las Vegas, she was so cool about it that the kids gave her a resounding thumbs up.
What would Beth's reaction be, we wondered? Would she scream and run out of the restaurant?
(This is Beth and me last night.)
She didn't. She knew all about that site. It turns out that her daugher was dating a teacher who was 28 years old and took a pic of one of his colleague's poos and put it up on that site. Now that IS beyond the pale. My son is only a teen and doesn't know any better.
Beth said she told her daughter: 'Is this the sort of man you want to marry? Dump him immediately!' And so the daughter did.
It was great to see Beth and her husband John Steele. We had a delicious meal and vowed to meet up again soon. Beth and her husband mostly travel now and were in England to go on a cruise to Norway. They'll be back again in September in Paris. What a fun life they have.
It can be a bit anxiety provoking -- meeting a friend again after 30 years. What if you are both disappointed in each other? Are those memories of your youth with your friend discolored forever? And then there are my kids -- they meet the person too and are always quick to give me their opinions later.
I hadn't seen my friend Beth Moody since 1977. She was a dancer from Alabama. It was clear within minutes of our meeting that she was still going to be my pal, even though she has been through so much since we last met.
Here's my daughter Katie and Beth:
During dinner, I was telling her about how I've met other friends I haven't seen in 30 years recently during our trip to California at Easter. For some reason, we got on to the Rate My Poo episode during our trip out there and how horrified some of the blog's commenters became when I revealed that my son had snapped a pic of his sister's -- uh, well, you know -- and put it up on the Rate my Poo website. But when I recounted the incident to my friend Karen in Las Vegas, she was so cool about it that the kids gave her a resounding thumbs up.
What would Beth's reaction be, we wondered? Would she scream and run out of the restaurant?
(This is Beth and me last night.)
She didn't. She knew all about that site. It turns out that her daugher was dating a teacher who was 28 years old and took a pic of one of his colleague's poos and put it up on that site. Now that IS beyond the pale. My son is only a teen and doesn't know any better.
Beth said she told her daughter: 'Is this the sort of man you want to marry? Dump him immediately!' And so the daughter did.
It was great to see Beth and her husband John Steele. We had a delicious meal and vowed to meet up again soon. Beth and her husband mostly travel now and were in England to go on a cruise to Norway. They'll be back again in September in Paris. What a fun life they have.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Happy Birthday Mel
Thirty nine years ago today (OK, maybe it was longer ago than that) my husband Mel was born in north London. He sometimes pretends that he's really from Mississippi like I am, but that thick accent of his gives it away.
I've been resting a lot of the day today to prepare for our celebration in London tonight but I did get up in time for the cake and present opening. (That's my daughter singing Happy Birthday behind him.)
I got Mel the coolest gadget -- a portable luggage weigher. The restrictions on luggage weight go down every year and it's so easy to have a suitcase that's overweight and incurs charges. Mel is forever picking up suitcases on trips and trying to gauge their weight -- so I thought I'd solve this problem for him.
I also got him a new Guitar Hero to play -- their world tour. He's been doing the same Guitar Hero songs for a year, and it drives a person (me) insane.
Happy Birthday Mel!
I've been resting a lot of the day today to prepare for our celebration in London tonight but I did get up in time for the cake and present opening. (That's my daughter singing Happy Birthday behind him.)
I got Mel the coolest gadget -- a portable luggage weigher. The restrictions on luggage weight go down every year and it's so easy to have a suitcase that's overweight and incurs charges. Mel is forever picking up suitcases on trips and trying to gauge their weight -- so I thought I'd solve this problem for him.
I also got him a new Guitar Hero to play -- their world tour. He's been doing the same Guitar Hero songs for a year, and it drives a person (me) insane.
Happy Birthday Mel!
Wake up and smell the ether
I got another one of those funny scare-tactic emails that warn you someone will take out your kidney if you're not careful in an elaborate scam now going on throughout the world that you would have fallen for IF NOT FOR THE HELFPUL EMAIL just sent to you.
Here's another one. I laughed out loud when I got to the part where the woman 'would have' smelled the men's perfume if she hadn't read this email:
"I know not all of you are women that I am sending this to, but am hoping you will share this with your wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, etc.
Our world seems to be getting crazier by the day. Pipe bombs in mail boxes and sickos in parking lots with perfume. Be careful. I was approached yesterday afternoon around 5:30 PM in the carpark by two males asking what kind of perfume I was wearing. Then they asked if I'd like to sample some fabulous scent they were willing to sell me at very reasonable rate. I probably would have agreed had I not received an e-mail warning of a 'Wanna smell this neat perfume?' scam. The men continued to stand between parked cars, I guess to wait for someone else to hit on.
I stopped a lady going towards them, pointing at them, and told her about how I was sent an e-mail at work about someone walking up to you at the malls or in carparks and asking you to SNIFF PERFUME that they are selling at a cheap price or at least compare to which one you like best. THIS IS NOT PERFUME...IT IS ETHER! When you sniff it, you 'll pass out. They'll take your wallet, your valuables and heaven knows what else. If it were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed the 'perfume', but thanks to the generosity of an e-mailing friend, I was spared whatever might have happened to me. I wanted to do the same for you.
PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS, AND PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE AWARE. IF YOU ARE A MAN AND RECEIVE THIS, PASS IT ON TO YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS.
Ladies, this happened to me yesterday and I didn't smell the perfume either, thanks to this email. This is true. Believe me, I know."
Eliz again: I have seen so many women passed out in parking lots recently, haven't you, and had no idea that they had fallen for the SNIFF CHEAP PERFUME scam. Thank God I've been warned now.
Here's another one. I laughed out loud when I got to the part where the woman 'would have' smelled the men's perfume if she hadn't read this email:
"I know not all of you are women that I am sending this to, but am hoping you will share this with your wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, etc.
Our world seems to be getting crazier by the day. Pipe bombs in mail boxes and sickos in parking lots with perfume. Be careful. I was approached yesterday afternoon around 5:30 PM in the carpark by two males asking what kind of perfume I was wearing. Then they asked if I'd like to sample some fabulous scent they were willing to sell me at very reasonable rate. I probably would have agreed had I not received an e-mail warning of a 'Wanna smell this neat perfume?' scam. The men continued to stand between parked cars, I guess to wait for someone else to hit on.
I stopped a lady going towards them, pointing at them, and told her about how I was sent an e-mail at work about someone walking up to you at the malls or in carparks and asking you to SNIFF PERFUME that they are selling at a cheap price or at least compare to which one you like best. THIS IS NOT PERFUME...IT IS ETHER! When you sniff it, you 'll pass out. They'll take your wallet, your valuables and heaven knows what else. If it were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed the 'perfume', but thanks to the generosity of an e-mailing friend, I was spared whatever might have happened to me. I wanted to do the same for you.
PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS, AND PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE AWARE. IF YOU ARE A MAN AND RECEIVE THIS, PASS IT ON TO YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS.
Ladies, this happened to me yesterday and I didn't smell the perfume either, thanks to this email. This is true. Believe me, I know."
Eliz again: I have seen so many women passed out in parking lots recently, haven't you, and had no idea that they had fallen for the SNIFF CHEAP PERFUME scam. Thank God I've been warned now.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Christian Britain is dead?
A long-serving Church of England bishop predicted recently that the Church of England will cease to exist within a generation.
According to this report, the Right Reverend Paul Richardson said declining church attendance and the rise in multiculturalism meant that “Christian Britain is dead”.
The Church is rapidly declining, with attendances at its services in freefall, a proposal on the table at the next General Synod meeting to cut the number of bishops, and huge holes in its finances due to the economic downturn and a lack of congregants to donate to the collection plate.
Richardson said that the Church had lost more than one in ten of its regular orshippers between 1996 and 2006, with a fall from more than one million to 880,000.
At this rate it is hard to see the church surviving for more than 30 years though few of its leaders are prepared to face that possibility.
While seven in ten people described themselves as “Christian” in the last census, the fall in church marriages and baptisms confirmed that the census could not be taken as a true guide to the situation. Britain was no longer a Christian nation.
The number of babies being baptised has fallen from 609 in every 1,000 at the start of the twentieth century to only 128 in 2006/07 and church marriages have also dropped.
According to this report, the Right Reverend Paul Richardson said declining church attendance and the rise in multiculturalism meant that “Christian Britain is dead”.
The Church is rapidly declining, with attendances at its services in freefall, a proposal on the table at the next General Synod meeting to cut the number of bishops, and huge holes in its finances due to the economic downturn and a lack of congregants to donate to the collection plate.
Richardson said that the Church had lost more than one in ten of its regular orshippers between 1996 and 2006, with a fall from more than one million to 880,000.
At this rate it is hard to see the church surviving for more than 30 years though few of its leaders are prepared to face that possibility.
While seven in ten people described themselves as “Christian” in the last census, the fall in church marriages and baptisms confirmed that the census could not be taken as a true guide to the situation. Britain was no longer a Christian nation.
The number of babies being baptised has fallen from 609 in every 1,000 at the start of the twentieth century to only 128 in 2006/07 and church marriages have also dropped.
Birth control lowers the 'brain pool'
What do you make of this news?
Pope Benedict XVI, as part of a 144-page encyclical critiquing the international economic system, argues that the use of birth control is poor economic policy, the Washington Post reports. According to the document, birth control is not only immoral but also harmful to the economy because it narrows the "brain pool" of qualified labor. The document makes similar arguments about abortion.
The document was released ahead of Wednesday's Group of Eight industrialized nations summit, which will focus on the world economy. According to the Post, the timing of the document's release indicates that Benedict "aims to insert his voice into that discussion by focusing on the moral underpinnings of the meltdown."
Pope Benedict XVI, as part of a 144-page encyclical critiquing the international economic system, argues that the use of birth control is poor economic policy, the Washington Post reports. According to the document, birth control is not only immoral but also harmful to the economy because it narrows the "brain pool" of qualified labor. The document makes similar arguments about abortion.
The document was released ahead of Wednesday's Group of Eight industrialized nations summit, which will focus on the world economy. According to the Post, the timing of the document's release indicates that Benedict "aims to insert his voice into that discussion by focusing on the moral underpinnings of the meltdown."
I survived Henley Festival
I couldn't miss the fun summer outing of Henley Festival last night, even though I was sure I had the swine flu earlier in the day. (I've already told you that I'm a hypochondriac.)
Here we are -- that's Di, Madeleine, me and Paul -- getting ready to go.
Has this ever happened to you before? In the car on the way over, Mad was telling me about her vacation plans to go to Austria. I said I'd never been to Austria and began asking her questions about the country. She explained how beautiful it was, etc., and soon we were at our friend Di's house where we would go on to Henley.
When we entered the house, a group was there already in conversation. They were having the exact same conversation we'd been having in the car. "I've never been to Vienna," a man was saying then others in the group proceeded to tell him how beautiful Austria was.
I wonder how many simultaneous conversations are going on in the world at any given time?
Anyway, we went to the festival that is on the Thames at Henley. The first thing we saw was a delightful singing group that roamed the grounds entertaining groups in an ad-hoc way:
And check these weird ballerinas out:
The main event was a concert of Puccini on the floating stage:
But, as usual in England in the summer, it was freezing cold last night. Here is our group sitting in lawn chairs to listen to the concert while trying to keep warm:
We had a lot of fun but I wish it had been warmer. Why does it have to be this way in England? Such a nice country in every way, but these cold summers are just too much.
Here we are -- that's Di, Madeleine, me and Paul -- getting ready to go.
Has this ever happened to you before? In the car on the way over, Mad was telling me about her vacation plans to go to Austria. I said I'd never been to Austria and began asking her questions about the country. She explained how beautiful it was, etc., and soon we were at our friend Di's house where we would go on to Henley.
When we entered the house, a group was there already in conversation. They were having the exact same conversation we'd been having in the car. "I've never been to Vienna," a man was saying then others in the group proceeded to tell him how beautiful Austria was.
I wonder how many simultaneous conversations are going on in the world at any given time?
Anyway, we went to the festival that is on the Thames at Henley. The first thing we saw was a delightful singing group that roamed the grounds entertaining groups in an ad-hoc way:
And check these weird ballerinas out:
The main event was a concert of Puccini on the floating stage:
But, as usual in England in the summer, it was freezing cold last night. Here is our group sitting in lawn chairs to listen to the concert while trying to keep warm:
We had a lot of fun but I wish it had been warmer. Why does it have to be this way in England? Such a nice country in every way, but these cold summers are just too much.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Off of my death bed and in to Henley
Because summer in England is such a precious thing, people go to festivals, boat races, operas, picnics in parks and on and on. We have to have something to remember when the cold weather sets in and the evenings start at 3:30pm.
So this year I'm over-booked with events to attend. But I don't want to miss a thing. Today even though I was worried I had swine flu (I don't, I checked) I still have to go out tonight to the Henley Festival. It's a annual party on the Thames after the Henley Regatta is over. There's a big stage that floats on the Thames and boats come behind it to moor and listen to the concerts. I have to go in 10 minutes to a picnic then we go into the festival. I don't know if I'll make it, but I'm going to try.
Flu without the fever
I've been ill this week with body aches and other problems. Of course, hypochondriac that I am, I worried that I have swine flu. I've heard that it can be very mild. Then this morning I noticed I didn't have fever. That made my husband and me conclude that I couldn't have flu without a fever. But then I read this. I'm posting it so you'll know in case you feel ill and worry that it's swine flu:
"Many people suffering from swine influenza, even those who are severely ill, do not have fever, an odd feature of the new virus that could increase the difficulty of controlling the epidemic, said a leading American infectious-disease expert who examined cases in Mexico last week.
Fever is a hallmark of influenza, often rising abruptly to 104 degrees at the onset of illness. Because many infectious-disease experts consider fever the most important sign of the disease, the presence of fever is a critical part of screening patients.
But about a third of the patients at two hospitals in Mexico City where the American expert, Dr. Richard P. Wenzel, consulted for four days last week had no fever when screened, he said.
“It surprised me and my Mexican colleagues, because the textbooks say that in an influenza outbreak the predictive value of fever and cough is 90 percent,” Dr. Wenzel said by telephone from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he is chairman of the department of internal medicine."
from the New York Times
"Many people suffering from swine influenza, even those who are severely ill, do not have fever, an odd feature of the new virus that could increase the difficulty of controlling the epidemic, said a leading American infectious-disease expert who examined cases in Mexico last week.
Fever is a hallmark of influenza, often rising abruptly to 104 degrees at the onset of illness. Because many infectious-disease experts consider fever the most important sign of the disease, the presence of fever is a critical part of screening patients.
But about a third of the patients at two hospitals in Mexico City where the American expert, Dr. Richard P. Wenzel, consulted for four days last week had no fever when screened, he said.
“It surprised me and my Mexican colleagues, because the textbooks say that in an influenza outbreak the predictive value of fever and cough is 90 percent,” Dr. Wenzel said by telephone from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he is chairman of the department of internal medicine."
from the New York Times
Reader comments on my quote of the day
Thanks to the reader who sent this in today:
"The quote of the day is from Ken Follett on your blog today - and we used to live just down the road from him at our last house, I would see him all the time in his red ferrari, acting the hotshot, when we all know what those books are like.
And now he's giving literary quotes? how rich. :-)"
"The quote of the day is from Ken Follett on your blog today - and we used to live just down the road from him at our last house, I would see him all the time in his red ferrari, acting the hotshot, when we all know what those books are like.
And now he's giving literary quotes? how rich. :-)"
Amusing businesses I have noticed while driving to work
I was behind a van this morning while driving to work that said it was a Trolleywise van. I didn't know you could make a business out of rescuing stolen or abandoned shopping carts but these people do. Have you seen any amusing businesses lately?
Here's a photo from their website. This must be a scary vandal stealing a cart from a supermarket.
Info from their site:
Every year in the UK over 300,000 shopping trolleys are removed from stores and retail car parks and abandoned in the local community.
Quite apart from the loss of the asset, trolleys are often left in roads, on walkways and in parks where they are an unsightly hazard to the general public.
Trolleywise also works to provide trolley retention solutions to minimise the root cause of trolley loss - the unauthorised removal of the trolley from their lawful premises.
Here's a photo from their website. This must be a scary vandal stealing a cart from a supermarket.
Info from their site:
Every year in the UK over 300,000 shopping trolleys are removed from stores and retail car parks and abandoned in the local community.
Quite apart from the loss of the asset, trolleys are often left in roads, on walkways and in parks where they are an unsightly hazard to the general public.
Trolleywise also works to provide trolley retention solutions to minimise the root cause of trolley loss - the unauthorised removal of the trolley from their lawful premises.
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