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In the Race
Now, here, you see, it takes all the blogging I can do to keep in the same place. If I want to get somewhere else, I must blog twice as fast as that! You see, I'm in the Red Queen's Race...
By Janet Evans
Thursday, Dec 4 2008, 08:11 PM
By Janet Evans
Thursday, Dec 4 2008, 11:55 AM
You're a very busy person...who isn't? Maybe you don't have time to take care of personal business in person. Perhaps you do online banking...pay your bills that way. Shop online.
I found this interesting regarding Colorado's state website. They have live help! Now that's cool.
"When residents of the Rocky Mountain state log on to The Official Site of the State of Colorado, they find something most government agencies had never provided: someone waiting to answer their questions around the clock.
The Official Site of the State of Colorado offers a service, dubbed Live Help, to allow citizens to submit questions at any hour through a chat-enabled Web site. People can inquire about a wide range of topics -- from where to pay their parking tickets to how to get a building permit. Or they can use the site's AskColorado tool to get homework or research help from the state's more than 300 librarians. Within 30 seconds of submitting a question, either a Live Help staff member, a librarian, or a service representative will respond with an answer and will stay online until the issue is resolved. Already, The Official Site of the State of Colorado handles up to 5,000 queries per month in both Spanish and English.
"To have to conduct government business between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. when most people have to be at work is inconvenient," says Rich Olsen, general manager of The Official Site of the State of Colorado. "More and more citizens are expecting government to treat them like businesses treat them." For citizens, logging on to a computer certainly beats standing in long lines at a government office with limited hours. So it is no wonder e-government services like Colorado's LiveHelp are in high demand. "
Click to continue article
(scroll down to middle of page)
State of Colorado website
State of Wisconsin website
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Dec 4 2008, 06:40 AM
Not in my lifetime, anyway...
Not with terms like "dangerous," "landslide," and "environmental disaster" being thrown out there. But this fossil fuel is certainly worth being investigated. Especially since hydrates are so abundant. So, it's North to Alaska...
from the Christian Science Monitor~
Hydrates have been hailed as a paradigm shift in how to achieve energy independence and as a massively abundant source of cleaner-burning natural gas. Others fear it represents an environmental disaster in the making. Until recently it was thought too dangerous and too costly to extract to be of use.
That view is beginning to change. In a recently released report, the USGS for the first time announced details of large hydrate reserves in the Alaskan permafrost that should be recoverable using existing technology. The vast field could hold as much as 85 trillion cubic feet of gas – an amount far less than the dream scenarios put forward in the past, but still massive. Even more important, such movement makes the possibility of getting at the mother lode of hydrate resources – those located offshore – increasingly realistic.
[...]
Safety concerns also remain. Drilling turns solid hydrates into gas, but this process actually cools the gas, threatening to turn newly liberated gas bubbles back into solid hydrates in the middle of the drill itself – a dangerous prospect. Many also worry that drilling into hydrates might release clouds of gas that could start an underwater landslide. But most experts say that as knowledge of methane hydrates improves, drilling sites are moving away from high-risk areas.
Click to continue entire article
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Dec 3 2008, 09:11 PM
In the past two years what was minus 46 Students?
What has gained zero Students?
What has declining Enrollment?
What has facilities in good condition?
Answer: Franklin Public Schools
Therefore, there currently are no intentions for recommendations of a referendum in the near future.
There are plans to look for land for a future purchase though (which is a wise decision, in my opinion).
That from Dr. Steve Patz in a State of the School District Message this evening.
I have confidence in Dr. Patz.
What about that referendum recommended by past Superintendent Szakacs and the past Board? Was it really necessary? I don't have the answer to that question, but I'm still happy I voted No.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Dec 3 2008, 06:35 PM
But the Athiests say, no way...
Another one of those "I couldn't make this up if I tried, " real-life political stories...
"FRANKFORT, Kentucky - A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove part of a state anti-terrorism law that requires Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can't keep the state safe without God's help.
American Atheists Inc. sued in state court over a 2002 law that stresses God's role in Kentucky's homeland security alongside the military, police agencies and health departments."
Click to continue
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Dec 3 2008, 11:44 AM
That's text messaging short hand for "Just Do It."
And just do it is what a doctor volunteering in the Congo did when he performed a very complex amputation by receiving his instructions via text message.
GR8 job doctor!
"A doctor volunteering in war-torn Congo performed a complex amputation to save a boy’s life by following instructions sent by text message from a colleague in London.
David Nott, 52, a vascular surgeon, was working for a Medicins Sans Frontieres hospital in the eastern town of Rutshuru, an area ravaged by bloody battles between Congolese and rebel troops. Among the hundreds of wounded soldiers and civilians brought into the hospital in October was a 16-year-old boy who had been caught in the midst of a gun fight between advancing combatants in a forest in the Nyanzale region. "
Click to continue
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Dec 3 2008, 06:45 AM
Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe wants his community to be vigilantes. He doesn't feel the police can take care of the citizens so he's telling them to go out and arm themselves with guns.
"Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don't care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time.
"The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it's clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold," Troupe, 72, said Tuesday."
I'm not for gun control but this Alderman is a bit off the wall. Telling everyone to go out and get a gun isn't going to solve the problem in St. Louis. I think Alderman Troupe and the rest of his city council need to work with their police department and not brush the problem under the rug.
Click to read the article
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Dec 2 2008, 06:10 PM
Why isn't Maritime security working against the pirates in the Gulf of Aden?
Check out Wired
HERE
And read my Righty Blog for the latest update on what happened today against an American cruise ship
HERE
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Dec 2 2008, 11:40 AM
For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
November 30, 2008
Mrs. Bush's Remarks During the Presentation of the White House Christmas Tree
North Lawn
1:54 A.M. EST
MRS. BUSH: Well, here we are once again. This is the eighth time we've waited for the very first event of the holiday season, and that's when the big tree is brought. This is the Fraser fir for the Blue Room. It'll be the great big tree that this year will be decorated with ornaments from all around the United States, decorated by artists from all around the United States.
But this tree is from North Carolina. And I want to recognize the Christmas Tree growers from River Ridge Farms, Crumpler, North Carolina -- Jessie Davis and Russell Estes. They are both growers and they were picked by the National Christmas Tree Growing Association -- Growers Association, and they're represented here, as well, with Mark Steelhammer from the Christmas Tree Growers Association, the National Association.
So this is the first event of the holiday season, and as you all know there are many more to follow later this week. We'll announce what the theme is when I give you a tour of this year's decorations. I will have to say -- just a sneak preview -- that this is the perfect theme for this year. So I think you'll like it when we get to see it later this week.
So happy holidays. Thanks, everybody.
Sue Harman drives a horse-drawn carriage delivering the official White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008,
to the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C., will be on
display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
Sue Harman drives a horse-drawn carriage delivering the official White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008,
to the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C., will be on
display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo by Chris Greenberg
Mrs. Laura Bush delivers remarks as she stands with the White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in
front of the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C.,
will be on display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo
by Joyce N. Boghosian
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Dec 2 2008, 06:50 AM
Before the election, I heard many people talk about how Michelle Obama was "down to earth" in the way she dressed, especially during the $150,000 clothing allowance issue with Sarah Palin. I just laughed because I thought that was ridiculous. She makes good money and buys nice things. And, personally, I didn't see anything wrong with it. I wouldn't expect her to be shopping at thrift shops.
Barack Obama wants to thank his wife for her support throughout the two year campaign. He's thanked many of his campaign workers with extra cash. He's not going to give her that. She can buy her own outfit I suppose. I guess she doesn't want a puppy, too. You can always say thank you with flowers. Shouldn't that be enough?
No, Michelle Obama is getting something rare from her husband. A ring made of black gold (rhodium).
"Michelle Obama is to receive this £20,000 thank you from her husband for her support during the election.
The Harmony ring is made of rhodium - the world's most expensive metal --and encrusted with diamonds. It is being hastily made by Italian designer Giovanni Bosco in time for January's inauguration ceremony.
Only about 25 tons of rhodium are mined each year, mostly in South Africa, and as a result its price is typically around £5,000 an ounce. "
Click to Continue Article
Photo - Daily Mail
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Dec 1 2008, 08:05 PM
Well, we all could if we chose to move to a place such as Malibu or Paris, but we are living in Wisconsin right now. We might choose to vacation in once of those places, though. We've fowarded telephone calls before. Why not mail?
I suppose there are are some people that want people to believe they've already got "it" even when they don't. So they might want to hand out cards with their well-to-do address on them; and then pray no one drops in on them unexpectedly.
"Earth Class Mail wants to manage your mail for you. Just have it sent to one of the addresses the Seattle company provides, and it will put electronic scans of the mail you receive online. Then you log on and see what mail you've gotten, and you can ask them to open it or send it to you (or shred it, as the case may be). Today, Earth Class Mail opens a store in West Hollywood. That means all you jet-setters and jet-setter wannabes can have your mail sent to 8605 Santa Monica Blvd., and Earth Class Mail will do its job. Non-jet-setters and people who want to avoid the post office can also use the store to send and shred mail."
Click to continue article
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Dec 1 2008, 11:56 AM
Oh…I would love it for science and nature programs. Or science fiction! But I know those of you out there would be thrilled to have it for sports. Well, the possibility is not that far off in the future. And it’s out there without having to wear those freaky glasses, too.
"3D will change everything and it is not that far away from being reality."
[David] Hill is among those who believe that 3D television that does not require viewers to don awkward 1950s-style glasses, will be on the market within a few years.
He has already begun experimenting with 3D broadcasts, renting the cameras from Titanic director James Cameron, who has been leading the Hollywood charge to 3D.
"The results have been fantastic," he says. "For instance, I think it is going to save the sport of boxing. We did a very ordinary bout from one of the Indian casinos (in California) and it was unbelievable. You are right in there in the ring with these guys."
Check out the entire article on msnbc HERE
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Dec 1 2008, 06:40 AM
 Rafetus swinhoei Photo ATCN
Especially if you are endangered and only one of four Shanghai soft-shell turtles. Beware of flooding, too.
A rare Vietnamese turtle, one of just four believed left in the world, was swept away by a flood, taken hostage by an enterprising fisherman and nearly ended up in a soup pot. Instead, the 150-pound animal returned to its lake Wednesday and conservationists celebrated their deal with the fisherman — the turtle's freedom in exchange for about $200 and two new fishing nets.
Douglas Hendrie and other conservationists had been trying to find the turtle for two weeks after floods washed the animal out of Dong Mo Lake near Hanoi.
Continued HERE
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Nov 30 2008, 03:43 PM
 The 66th annual Santa Train makes its way through Kentucky David Stephenson / Lexington Herald-Leader via Zuma
Santa will be coming to town. You’ll be seeing commercials for every new toy on television. They’ve started already. There’s one way to keep your child from seeing the commercials. Turn off the T.V. Another way? DVR, Tivo, or only show DVDs. There is one last resort, make a plea to toy companies to stop running ads for toys.
What? No toy ads? Are parents crazy? How do parents expect toy companies to sell their merchandise if they don’t show toy ads to kids so the kids beg their parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and also write their letter to Santa telling him how good they’ve been? That’s insanity! Or is it?
"In a season that inspires earnest letters about toys, one notable batch is being sent not by kids to Santa's workshop but by parents to the executive suites of real-world toy makers.
The message: Please, in these days of economic angst, cut back on marketing your products directly to our children.
The letter-writing initiative was launched by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which says roughly 1,400 of its members and supporters have contacted 24 leading toy companies and retailers to express concern about ads aimed at kids."
Continued HERE
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Nov 30 2008, 10:50 AM
Harvey Bernard Milk, Politician and Gay Activist
"The research for "Milk" was an unusually productive example of how archives and scholarship can influence Hollywood and popular culture, participants said."
The movie, starring Sean Penn, is timely, with Prop 8 in the news of late and gay activism at a high.
It will no doubt be controversial, but it will be based on fact, right down to the suit San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was wearing when he was gunned down, assassinated, in 1978.
"Reporting from San Francisco -- The sight may be a little shocking, Paul Boneberg warned a visitor. And it was.
There, removed from tissue-paper wrappings in a storage box, were the wingtip shoes, striped suit and white shirt that gay activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk wore Nov. 27, 1978, the day he was assassinated. Dark bloodstains remained visible around the shirt collar, and small holes -- from bullets -- could be seen in the suit's blue and gray material."
Read the article from the Los Angeles Times," A Picture Full of Milk" HERE
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Nov 30 2008, 09:27 AM
It’s just too cute to pass up.
I can’t help it.
Sometimes I need reminders of when my kids were this age.
It’s been a long, long time.
You've gotta love Joey...
From 1972. Kermit the Frog tries to sing the alphabet song with a little girl named Joey, but she keeps teasing him by singing "Cookie Monster" instead of various letters. One of the many segments with The Muppets interacting with children.
H/T: Teeny Manolo
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Nov 29 2008, 09:09 PM
By Janet Evans
Saturday, Nov 29 2008, 09:21 AM
 An extravehicular activity (EVA) tool bag drifts away from the International Space Station during the
mission's first scheduled spacewalk for STS-126. Credit: NASA
We've all heard that every item used in the Space program has a huge price mark up, haven't we? And then there's the price of a toilet for the space station; $15 million? Well, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go. Plus, we don't want surprises floating around in space like that tool bag that recently was lost in space. That tool bag, which is now an old bag, cost $100,000. Well, I'm all for the space program to continue; especially now that we've sat for 40 years and let everyone else start catching up to us. It's just that there are some people somewhere making an awful lot of big bucks out there, and I know it isn't my son, who is an aerospace engineer. It's kind of like when you're in the hospital and they won't let you take your regular medications from home. You later find out that the same pill that costs $1dollar costs $8 dollars a day in the hospital. But I digress.
That “old bag” tool bag? There’s a lot of space junk flying around this planet. But that shiny tool bag isn't as lost as we may have thought it was.
I've always been interested in space, and there are many space enthusiasts out there, young and old. They've been tracking the tool bag since it left the space station.
"After sunset on Nov. 22, Edward Light, using 10 x 50 binoculars, spotted the bag in space while he scanned the sky from his backyard in Lakewood, N.J., Spaceweather.com reported. On the same night, Keven Fetter of Brockville, Ontario, video-recorded the bag as it passed by the star Eta Pisces in the constellation Pisces.
More bag-viewing opportunities are expected.
The tool bag can be seen through binoculars, a few minutes ahead of the space station's orbit. The satellite tracker predicts that the bag will be visible through binoculars from Europe and western North America during a series of passes this week. By late next week, the tool bag should appear in the evening skies over most of North America.
Like other space debris, the tool bag's show will have a fiery end. "We currently predict that the errant tool bag will fall back to Earth in June of next year," said Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The date is dependent upon solar activity, so an earlier or later date is possible. As the reentry date draws nearer, a more accurate prediction can be made."
Read the complete article at Space.com HERE (scroll to bottom of page)
There's more exciting space news and it has to do with shining planets! This Monday, December 1st, look into southwest night sky and you will be able to see the moon, Venus and Jupiter shining brightly...but use your binoculars for a better view.
Look to the southwest after sunset on Dec. 1 for a close conjunction between three bright solar
system objects: the moon, Venus and Jupiter. If you have binoculars, you might even be able
to fit all three of them in the field of view. Between now and then, you can see Jupiter and Venus
getting closer together each evening.
Read all about it on msnbc HERE
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Nov 28 2008, 02:56 PM
Wired has a list of what they believe are the 20 worst film and T.V. "Turkeys" of the year. I didn't see any of them, so I couldn't tell you. I guess none of them sounded good to me.
You can look at that list
HERE
It got me thinking, though. What was the worst movie of all time that I believe I have seen. I'm a big fan of comedy. But I'll tell you something, I like "suspense" movies, but I deplore those movies of the "slasher" type. I guess I'm not going to get into my reasoning on why I can't stand them. It would be like a major political discussion and it would probably never end.
In the 70s there seemed to be a turning point regarding movies. The Exorcist and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out. Back then, just to sit in the theater with your eyes shut and listen to the sound on the Exorcist was enough to send chills up your spine. Now, it's nothing. I still can't think about watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and don't know how I managed to make it through that original movie. I think it is only because we were out with friends that I sat through the entire showing. I can still picture certain scenes in my mind...from all those years ago.
Which brings me to what I think is the worst movie I have ever seen. And I have to say I didn't give it much of a chance. It was the early 70s and my husband and I would go to movies inside the theater at Southridge Mall, outside at Mayfair, or at one of the two theaters on HWY 100 near Big Boy restaurant. This was an afternoon showing at a HWY 100 theater on a chilly day this time of year. The movie was Black Christmas and starred Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder. We started watching and I swear, I only saw what seemed to be five minutes of the movie and that was it...it has to be one of the only movies in my life that I have ever left. I didn't care...we were out of there.
On Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, you see the knife, and that's all you need to see. And then you see the body afterwords. I don't need any more than that. In a good Bette Davis "B" suspense movie, she was scary enough, and a good old Twilight Zone packed with science fiction and wonder can put that twinge of worry into your mind.
I know what's out there now, what's evolved since Black Christmas. Maybe people compare it to a roller coaster ride? Wanting to watch that stuff? I don't know.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" 1962
Hmm..I wonder if that would have been a "Turkey" of the year? But I like watching the movie.
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Nov 28 2008, 11:01 AM
Don't you just love peeking into your Christmas stocking? Can't you just imagine what might be waiting for you in there?
Okay...The economy is taking a downward turn. People will be thrifty in their Christmas purchases. They will be more thoughtful. You may have been warned about Gift Cards...be careful of where you purchase them. A business may go "out of business." If you want to get someone a Gift Certificate for that stocking, perhaps you want it to be useful, something very practical.
Indiana is a down-to-earth thinking kind of state; wouldn't you say? Planned Parenthood in Indiana has come up with the perfect solution for that hard to buy for person on your list. How about a Gift Certificate? Oh, they say it can be used for any service, and by males or females. That's comforting to know. But just so Indiana residents know, yes, it will be able to be used on abortions, too.
The gift that does not keep on giving.
From Indiana Planned Parenthood.
"Some Hoosiers 24-Hour News 8 talked to asked if the gift certificates could be used toward abortions. The answer is yes. But, Planned Parenthood said that's not the purpose of the gift certificates.
Struben-Hall said, "They really are intended for preventative healthcare. We decided not to put restrictions on the gift certificates so it's for whatever people feel they need the services for most."
Read the entire article HERE
H/T Pensamientos
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