Random Thoughts From a Confused Mind

2003-11-29T02:24:00.000-05:00

I decided to try out MT so I've moved to http://www.findercreations.us/randomthoughts/.

2003-11-28T00:09:00.000-05:00

I was just looking at my StatCounter report of recent referers to my cooking site, Mom's Kitchen. The top of the list were visitors who don't show a referral but right below that, my number one referer, was JoeAnt.com. There were also referals from JoeAnt searches and from site info pages. In total, they make up more than a quarter of recent visits.

When I check Webalizer, which has stats for the whole month, I show more visitors coming from MSN, Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. Still, I'm pleased with the visits I'm getting from JoeAnt and expect it to only get better.

2003-11-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

Mark Morford gives thirteen reasons to be thankful today. Reading it has made me thankful that I'm not that bitter and small-minded.

For it really is all too plain: G.W. Bush is one of the most reviled and openly disrespected major world leaders in modern history. America has never been so embarrassed and reluctant to send a president abroad.

I admired the President before and after today's visit abroad, I admire him even more. Guess I'm just not part of the America he was talking about.

In Bush's defense, it cannot be easy to be so undeservedly powerful, yet so bumbling and inarticulate....

Once again someone thinks being glib is the same as being intelligent or capable. Just as being good at public speaking only means you speak well in front of a crowd, not excelling at public speaking doesn't mean you don't have the skills necessary to do your job.

Thanks, you might want to give, that you are not Iraqi. Be grateful you did not go from brutal scowling despot who at least kept the damn lights on to brutish occupying army no one asked for that is right now laying waste to whatever remains of your once semi-proud oil-rich nation.

Sure, the lights were on in Baghdad but the rest of the country wasn't so fortunate. They had frequent blackouts so that the lights could remain on there. I guess it's harder to torture people in the dark. What's hundreds of thousands of people tortured, killed or just gone missing compared to having electricity?

I must have missed the news about our "brutish army". I was probably too busy reading about the new schools and clinic that are being built, or repairs to the infrastructure, or about the wide variety of new Iraqi-owned businesses that are opening, the kids who were freed from prison, or about the mass graves that have been found which may finally begin to answer some questions for people wondering what happened to a loved one. Or could it be that I was spending too much time buying toys for Iraq and reading about others who have done so...and those that are doing even more.

Read the rest and be thankful that you didn't have to spend the holiday with Morford. I know I am.

2003-11-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

Sgt. Mom at Sgt. Stryker has a post called The Cowboy Way/or That's the Way They Do It in Texas. It's about the way people make assumptions based on how someone looks or talks. I want to add that I've noticed people often confuse glibness with intelligence, especially when it comes to politicians.

2003-11-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

Today the high temperature here will be around 70 degrees. By tommorow at noon the temperature is supposed to drop to around 30 degrees. Lovely.

2003-11-22T08:58:00.000-05:00

Amuse yourself with the Church Sign Generator. (Found via Badly Declared)

2003-11-22T08:54:00.000-05:00

The Gender Genie says I write like a girl. (Found via Little Bits of Kitty Litter)

2003-11-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

I found a link to Let Them Sing It For You via A Small Victory. It's the most fun I've had all day.

OK, so far I've napped all morning, but it still would be the most fun if I'd actually done something.

2003-11-19T09:47:00.000-05:00

PETA is encouraging people to boycott Procter & Gamble, makers of Iams pet food. The problem comes from a lab that is alleged to have mistreated test animals.

The Iams company unwittingly hired the undercover PETA investigator to enforce humane standards at the lab as an animal-welfare specialist. The lab in question is not owned by Iams but was contracted by the company as a test site. Last March, days after PETA came forward with its information, Iams stopped working with the lab. Iams’ subsequent investigations at the company’s eight other contract laboratories showed those labs are "fully implementing" Iams’ research policy, Vanasse said. The policy mandates the company "will ensure the humane treatment of cats and dogs."

Let me see, P&G does not own the lab. They hired an animal-welfare specialist to make sure that the lab was treating the animals humanely. The stopped doing business with the lab when they were informed of the allegations. What exactly are they doing wrong here?

I guess a protest of the lab that was actually at fault wouldn't garner enough attention.

2003-11-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

PWEETA - People Who Enjoy Eating Tasty Animals (found via Did you bring the pre-whacked snakes?)

I found those through BlogStreet which has a list of the top 100 blogs and the most influential blogs. I don't think any of the blogs mentioned in Jennifer Howard's article (see below) are in either list.

Not that my blog's ranking is setting off any high altitude warnings.

2003-11-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

I've already read a couple of posts this morning that comment on Jennifer Howard's article in the Washington Post, It's a Little Too Cozy in the Blogosphere. She says, "A year ago, I barely knew what blogs were. Within a few months, they'd become a staple of my daily media diet. Now I can't live without them, but already I'm feeling betrayed -- and a little bored."

After reading the rest of the article, I have to say she still doesn't know what blogs are. She might know about a small section of blogs that cover literary news and opinion but that's like someone visiting New York City and saying that they now know what the United States is like.

I haven't visited the blogs she talks about and have only heard of one of them (and I spend a lot of time online following links, looking for new blogs and websites to add to JoeAnt.) I do agree with her that ad hominem attacks can be nasty but I see far more blogs that pick apart the logic (or lack thereof) of comments made in the traditional media. What this article really seems to be protesting is that these self-published upstarts can attract attention that once belonged only to the print media.

I disagree with her that interlinking is cronyism (favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications). Most interlinking is done because of the other blog's content, not who the author is. Of course, if a friend begins a blog, I'll add him/her to my blogroll but the links in the posts go to ones with content that I think is interesting. I'll also jump up and down and get really excited because most of my friends still look at me funny when I talk about blogs.

Blogging means different things to different people. To me it is an open letter to friends*, most of whom I haven't met yet and will probably never meet.

*My daugther Emma considers everyone she talks to a friend. For example, we were in the store and she was about ten feet away, talking to another little girl. I asked her what she had been doing and she told me she said she had been talking to her friend. I'm thinking this must be someone she knows from school so I ask her what her friend's name is. She replies that she doesn't know since they just met. And she wonders why I insist she stays where I can see her whenever we go out.

Emma will talk to anyone, or if no one is around, anything. Trevor used to be like that but grew out of it. One time when he was little I walked into a room and found him talking to a candy bar. He was my first child so this caught me by surprise. I asked if he was talking to his candy bar and he said, "Yes, but it's not talking to me." He hadn't expected it to talk to him, he just thought he had to point out the obvious to me.

2003-11-14T15:41:00.000-05:00

I want to thank my father for sending me an email to let me know that I'm 16071 days old today. I don't know how I would have managed without that news.

2003-11-14T07:08:00.000-05:00

The kids are up and off to school. It's my birthday so I'm going back to bed (as if I ever need an excuse for that!)

2003-11-14T00:20:00.000-05:00

I went on a field trip to the House for the BlindPrinting and the Thomas Edison House with my daughter and her class. There is nothing like some time spent with a bunch of kids on a school bus to make me appreciate the relatively lower level of noise my own three kids make at home.

2003-11-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Today when I went to pick my son up from school the radio came on and, once again, there was Denis Kucinich. This time he was talking about the changes he would make if he were elected president.

I have to start leaving the radio set on a different station. Maybe something with ear-bleeding rock music. It would be healthier for me.

2003-11-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

I was reading a Scrappleface post this morning that had some comments about Dan Quayle and the "potatoe" incident. Considering all the coverage it got at the time (and since it is still brought up more than ten years later), I would have thought that everyone would know how to spell potato by now but I still see it misspelled in groceries and restaurants. So I Googled for it.

There are recipes for "potatoe salad" and "potatoe soup". The misspelling is common enough that sites such as Sun Valley Idaho Potatoes has an alternate version.

I really don't have a point, just that I have errands to do today and am procrastinating as usual.

2003-11-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

We took our Brownie troop to events for Festival of the Arts today. Our first event/activity was touring Print Tex where they do silk screening. The girls got to make their own silk screened t-shirts with a Festival logo.

Next we went to a museum and saw a doll collection. There were over 1200 dolls on display. There were also things of local historical interest and some military items.

Our last event was watching a magic show where we saw magic tricks (duh!) and learned some about the history of magic.

Now I plan on rounding up a couple of cats (my napping buddies) and taking a nap. Few things in life can offer the same comfort and contentment as a nap with a warm cat.

2003-11-07T09:55:00.000-05:00

The sites I selected for November's sites of the month for JoeAnt are showing on the index page now. None were sites that I've added to the directory.

SOTM - National Novel Writing Month. Thanks, Glo, for suggesting this one.

The editor-owned SOTM - MrChipper. My husband's site and my first and only indulgence in nepotism. (Not to imply that the site doesn't deserve being listed on its own merits. It's a good site and seems to be popular with casino chip collectors. He has also contributed many sites to JoeAnt and has been very supportive of me and the (many, many) hours of work that I have put in as an editor there.

Blog of the Month - A Small Victory. As always, this category is the hardest to do. I even had another blog in mind until the day before I submitted my choices.

2003-11-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Denis Kucinich was on Talk of the Nation discussing alternative exit strategies in Iraq. When the radio came on as I got into the car to pick up my kids from school the program had already begun and I had missed the introduction so I heard his comments without knowing who was speaking. I assumed incorrectly that it was a caller who had managed to get by the screeners.

I was surprise to hear that we are the main source of resistance and instability. I guess he would know better than someone who is actually there or was there.

He thinks we can dump it all on the U.N. and leave Iraq by the end of the year. Sure, why not? They've done so well in Rwanda and Bosnia. The ability to overlook mass genocide which has occurred under U.N. peacekeeping watches is one reason I believe there is a latent bigotry/chauvinism in ideas coming from the left.

2003-11-06T23:02:00.000-05:00

Our cats are always looking for new ways to annoy me. The youngest one, Zippy, has discovered that it's fun to play with the water in their water bowl. He will stand with one front paw in the water and splash water out onto the floor with the other front paw. After I shoo him away, Zoe (the middle cat) starts headbutting the water bottle that dispenses water into their bowl. If I don't stop her in time, she knocks it off and spills more water onto the floor.

I need to install a drain in the center of the kitchen floor.

Zippy enjoying the view from the top of a door.

2003-11-06T19:44:00.000-05:00

My Bloginality is ISTP.

2003-11-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my daughter came home with the first of a series of weekly newspapers that they will read in school. This issue was mostly an introduction telling them what the newspaper will cover: communities, history, technology, state heroes, arts and crafts, and activities along with a few articles. In the Art/Music section they have the lyrics to You're a Grand Old Flag/Yankee Doodle Boy which she sang for me last evening.

The school begins the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a song like (gasp!) God Bless America so their having learned another patriotic song isn't a surprise.

Have I ever mentioned that they always have a Christmas tree in the school each year? In a public school. (It's an angel tree where the classes raise money to buy presents for a child who might otherwise not receive much for the holidays. Each child for whom they are buying presents is represented by an angel on the tree.)

2003-11-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

Healing Iraq (via Clayton Cramer) has a post about demonstrations and what's happening in Iraq. I'm not going to quote any of it, you should go read the whole thing.

2003-11-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

GOP's Fletcher Wins Kentucky Gov. Race

Rep. Ernie Fletcher easily won the Kentucky governor's race Tuesday, becoming the first Republican to lead the state in 32 years....

2003-11-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

Reports of sex in classroom investigated

"The fact that it happened in a classroom while an adult was present is almost inexcusable."

Opinion Journal asks, "Almost? One wonders if there is anything that our public schools would consider just plain unacceptable."

Yes, a 15-year-old boy sharing his inhaler with his girlfriend to stop her asthma attack was found to be unacceptable by another Texas school.

2003-11-04T05:11:00.000-05:00

Just over a week ago I posted about a survey of Kentucky voters that asked who they supported for the upcoming Governor's race. One of the things I found interesting but didn't mention at the time was the demographic breakdown. Among the 18 to 34 age group it showed 51% supporting Fletcher (R) and 35% supporting Chandler (D). I thought that this was unusual in a state which has traditionally been strongly Democrat.

I thought about this again after reading a post here about Andy Rooney's comments on President Bush. That along with the comments I've read about the Reagan movie make me think the networks need to look harder at the thoughts of their target audience (you know, those young adults that their advertisers want to reach.) The Big Three blame cable and other TV options for their decline in viewership but it could just be that their audience is changing while the networks continue to design programming for the young adults of 20 or 30 years ago.

More comments about the movie:
CBS' Reagan Movie Widely Criticized for Inaccuracies
Advertisers Urged to Preview Reagan Movie Before Sponsoring also has a comment about the piece CBS news did on homeschooling.
Reagan miniseries controversy grows
Boycott CBS, no, not all the shows, just this miniseries. You can sign up to receive an email with a list of the advertisers who supported the show.

2003-10-31T05:13:00.000-05:00

In March 2002, Ingrid Newkirk appeared on CNN's Crossfire and denied Tucker Carlson's accusation that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals crossed a line by targeting children. According to Newkirk, "... everything we do is based at adults. We're asking adults [to] be responsible."

PETA Protest Disrupts Middle School

How about letting parents be responsible for what their kids eat? Or do they consider eleven-year-olds to be adults?

2003-10-31T04:56:00.000-05:00

PETA out to rename town

...PETA has petitioned the town of Rodeo, Calif., to change its name because the word "rodeo" represents "egregious cruelty " to animals. PETA suggested adopting the name "Unity" instead, and pledged to donate $20,000 worth of veggie burgers if the town goes through with the change.

As if that weren't enough, PETA also wants to change San Francisco's Hunters Point to "Gatherers Point."

Oh, yum, veggie burgers. How could they reject that type of temptation?

...So if you've got a political soapbox, whether it's animal rights or anything else, make sure you're sensible about it. Don't throw out overblown, loony ideas like renaming a town.

It's not going to accomplish anything except to make you look bad. Political correctness is not the way of the world. (Emphasis mine.)

That logical comment brought to you by the student newspaper of the University of Southern California. (!!)

2003-10-31T04:18:00.000-05:00

Boycott Hollywood has a new name and a new URL - Right Voices. They will still let us know about all the idiotic comments coming out of Hollywood. The change just reflects a broader scope for the site...hey, it's not like Hollywood is the only source for idiocy.

2003-10-31T01:12:00.000-05:00

Well, shatter-bones, you seem like a joker. Playing
pranks is funny to you of course. You like to
fool around with others and be, well, annoying.
Haha. Egg-throwing and smashing windows on
Halloween must be entertaining. If you're
having fun, then good for you. Just don't take
it too far or get caught. Happy Halloween,
Mr./Ms. Funny Bones.

What Halloween Figure Are You? (Fun Quiz! MANY RESULTS!)
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-10-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

Wrenching Schiavo case compels us to make end-of-life decisions - now

If there's a single compelling lesson to come from the legal battle between the husband and the parents of Terri Schiavo over whether the comatose Florida woman should be allowed to die, it is that everyone over the age of 18 should have a living will and a medical power of attorney.

Living wills are the documents that many of us are more familiar with but they are not as important as an advance directive. A living will is only useful if you are terminally ill and states that a physician may withhold or withdraw treatment. It leaves all the decision making with the doctor.

An advance directive appoints a specific person to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so yourself and exempts doctors from liability if they are following that person's instructions. My state, Kentucky, combines the two forms so whether you will need one document or two will depend on the local laws where you live.

The Internet Legal Resource Guide has printable living wills. There are also forms to designate power of attorney.

The American Medical Association has information about advance directives and a printable form.

U.S. Living Will Registry has printable forms (pdf) and can electronically store advance directives online for access by health care providers.

As long as you are filling out forms, consider filling out an organ donor card. You probably already have one on the back of your drivers license if you live in the U.S. Organ donor cards may also be found at Organdonor.gov.

2003-10-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

AnimalRights.Net:

Animal rights advocates regularly mislead the public and misrepresent the facts about the use of animals in our society. This web site provides a critical analysis of the animal rights movement and debunks many of their claims.

One recent article, Fur Commission, USA On Survey of Animal Rights 2003 Participants reports on an article concerning a survey of animal rights activists. All of the participants thought that civil disobedience was both moral and effective. About 21% thought political assassination was moral, 17% thought it was effective. Read the article for the percentage of support show for their other forms of protest in between these two extemes.

2003-10-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

I freely admit to being frequently confused as to why people do and say the things they do. One thing that I don't understand is the response of the Left everytime there is an attack on our service people in Iraq that results in death.

I'm not saying that each death is not a terrible thing or that we shouldn't do everything possible to ensure the safety of our troops. What confuses me is the weight this is given versus that given to the number of people who were tortured, imprisoned, and killed under Saddam Hussein. Is it just me or does this seem to imply an underlying bigotry?

Another thing I wondered about recently was a picture on Belligerent Bunny Blog. Among the photos from a peace rally was one of Veterans for Peace with a sign that said "Support the Troops Bring them Home".

No doubt they would all prefer to be home but I also think that staying and helping to complete the job we are doing there will be more satisfying than it would be to leave now.

2003-10-27T08:33:00.000-05:00

Three states will have elections for governor in November. In Kentucky and Mississippi the Republican candidates are leading in the polls. (Both currently have Democrats in office.) In Louisiana, the polls show a virtual tie with a drop in support (from previous polls) for the Democrat candidate.

From 1896 to the present, Kentucky has had six Republicans and twenty Democrats serving as governor. Louisiana has had two Republicans and twenty-two Democrats and Mississippi has had one Republican and twenty-four Democrats.

2003-10-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

Did you hear about the form letters that were sent as a "letter to the editor" to hundreds of newspapers? While the letters were the same, each had the return address of a person from each newspaper's readership area.

Click the link and read this one...I bet it's not the one you're thinking about. (Hint: It has nothing to do with Iraq.)

2003-10-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

Fletcher leads for governor

...FLETCHER IS trying to end 32 years of Democratic control of the governorship. He and the Republican Governors Association, which is running television commercials attacking Chandler, have succeeded in lowering Chandler's standing among voters — making it more difficult for him to catch up.

Last week's poll found that voters' impression of Chandler was about evenly divided between favorable and unfavorable. A month ago, it was favorable by a ratio of 2 to 1.

Chandler's best TV market was Evansville, Ind., where the association did not run attack ads until after the poll ended.

As much as I would like to believe that this poll is accurate, that last line makes me question its validity. Did they limit their poling to Kentucky or did they also ask people in Indiana whom they would vote for in the Kentucky election?

2003-10-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Last Monday on Talk of the Nation Lynn Neary spoke with Hurst Hammun (Professor of international law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University) about sovereignty. About eleven minutes into the discussion Professor Hammun talks about why using human rights violations as an excuse for an invasion of Iraq would not have been a good idea. In the same program John L. Esposito (Professor of religion & international affairs at Georgetown University) talks about the Islamic view of sovereignty.

Elsewhere, Stanley Kurtz has some comments on Professor Esposito.

2003-10-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

Halloween Safety

Four times as many children ages 5 to 14 are killed while walking on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year, and falls are a leading cause of injuries among children on Halloween, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WESH in Orlando Florida has safety tips, create a Jack-o-lantern, and Halloween e-cards.

2003-10-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

For Jimmy Estes, that was war; this is football

In April he was in Iraq, riding in the lead tank in the Jessica Lynch rescue. Now he is a walk-on player for the University of Louisville football team.

2003-10-20T09:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I asked some people if they had a choice would they rather have above average intelligence and average luck or above average luck and average intelligence. Everyone answered the same way, above average intelligence and average luck. I didn't ask a huge number of people and all that I did ask I would consider to be above average in intelligence already. I wonder what the answer would have been if I had just asked about which they would rather be, more intelligent than they are now or luckier?

I would have gone with the rest on wanting above average intelligence and average luck but with the second question I would have picked being luckier. As with any poll, you can ask what appears to be the same question but the way you phrase it makes a difference in the answers you get.

2003-10-20T02:58:00.000-04:00

I think Louisville is a great city, but I wouldn't go this far....

2003-10-18T20:49:00.000-04:00

The Toy Drive for Iraqi Children has a new shipping address:

Operation Give
7155 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD 21046

(712 boxes so far!)

2003-10-18T19:03:00.000-04:00

I finished reading Monstrous Regiment today. It was good, but I don't count it among my favorite Pratchett books. The best ones are the ones that make me laugh out loud. (The reason I don't read them in public.)

Death makes only a cameo appearance (although I didn't expect him to be in it at all). In other books this might be a good thing, in the Discworld series he's one of my favorite characters.

2003-10-17T08:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a good day. When I went to the bookstore I found a new Terry Pratchett book, Monstrous Regiment.

It's cold and raining today...in other words, perfect for staying in bed and reading.

I also got the latest issues of Scientific American, Smithsonian, and Discover magazines. Yes, I know it would be cheaper to subscribe but my Brownie troop (and other Girl Scout troops) will be selling magazine subscriptions as a fund raiser next month and I'm waiting to see if those magazines are among the ones offered.

2003-10-16T23:08:00.000-04:00

How the Web Edits News - an article in Discover Magazine (November 2003) about weblogs, the news, and Technorati.

2003-10-16T08:52:00.000-04:00

Elliott Marc Davis writes about PETA in the Cornell Daily Sun:

Decades from now, what will you tell your grandchildren when they ask you whose side you were on during the "wheat holocaust"? Will you be able to say that you stood up against oppression, even when doing so was considered "radical" or "unpopular"? Will you be able to say that you could visualize a world without violence and realized that it began at breakfast?

Every day, millions of stalks of wheat are barbarically cut down, some by large machines designed solely to carry out brutal massacres of entire wheat fields. Still other stalks are reaped by the unforgiving edge of a scythe. After being viciously hacked down, a stalk of wheat may often lay on top of its brethren for hours, cruelly squashing them until another large machine -- not unlike a train destined for Auschwitz -- scoops them up in bulk and takes them, in chokingly crowded conditions, to be crushed at the mill.

The impassioned plea above should seem silly to most people. But such inanity is very similar to the material presented at "Holocaust on your Plate," an exhibit set up last week by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and sponsored by the Cornell Coalition for Animal Defense. The exhibit -- which juxtaposes graphic scenes from the Holocaust with recent photos from slaughterhouses and farms -- seeks to equate the conditions animals face in the meat industry with the genocide of millions of people under the Nazi regime to promote awareness of animal cruelty and to encourage the adoption of a vegetarian diet.

Read the rest.

FrontPage Magazine has more on the PETA event Holocaust on Your Plate, including photos of the exhibit.

I believe that animals deserve humane and ethical treatment. PETA's outlandish acts and irrational statements only harm the efforts other groups are making to end abuse and mistreatment of animals.

2003-10-13T11:49:00.000-04:00

I've finally found a use for an AOL CD. Well, not the CD itself, the metal box it was in. The box makes a nice holder for my wireless adapter for my laptop when it's not being used.

Thanks, AOL.

That's going on my mental list of things I never thought I would say. The majority of the list is made up of things I've said to my kids. I never expected to have to inform anyone that boogers are not snack food. Or that one shouldn't lock a little brother in the dog's crate (no matter how tempting it is.) Or feet belong on the floor, not the ceiling. These are some of the more "normal" ones. I've blocked out some of the really bizarre ones in what is probably some subconscious effort to keep myself from realizing how odd my kids can be.

2003-10-11T16:38:00.000-04:00

When the new Iraqi banknotes are issued next Wednesday, the central bank should collect the old currency, put it in sets, and sell it on eBay as collectors items. Offer "Buy it Now" for twice the current value plus shipping charges. Sell framed sets for a higher rate and you could not only make money for the country but provide some temporary employment for people: framing the sets, monitoring the sales, shipping....

2003-10-11T16:23:00.000-04:00

I ~~bribed~~ asked my 14-year-old son to read David Kay's progress report. (This was somewhat outside his normal scope of interest. Trevor's idea of current events is limited to announcements about Nintendo, PS2, and Xbox.)

He thought it was long and a bit dull but he still understood what was said. He could understand what has been accomplished. He could understand what hasn't and what the possible reasons are. So why do so much of the media and so many people who actually heard the statement have trouble understanding it? At least, I assume they misunderstood it from the statements they have made.

Could it be that he read it with an open mind while the others heard only what they wanted to hear?

2003-10-11T02:53:00.000-04:00

Bush visit to Kentucky draws protesters of war, economic strategy

The article is worth reading just for the comments of some of the protestors. It does seem odd that they blame Bush for all problems, including local economic ones, instead of placing some blame on our governor.

2003-10-10T21:02:00.000-04:00

Conor and Emma at the Halloween party at the Louisville Zoo.

Before it got dark we saw a few of the animals, including this arctic wolf.

It was dark when we finished the trick or treat route. We rode the train and got to see the Headless Horseman (no picture of that since flash photos are not allowed, it could scare the horse.)

2003-10-09T15:10:00.000-04:00

Toys for Iraq

Posted on the Chief Wiggles site:

We have just been given word that the military can no longer handle our shipping to Chief Wiggles. The volume has far exceeded what they are able to do. We are currently working on alternative shipping options. As soon as we have them in place, we will let you. You may still make cash donations at OperationGive.org. This means, DO NOT SHIP ANYMORE PACKAGES TO CHIEF WIGGLES.

The boxes (~~360~~ 440 delivered so far) caught the attention of the military post whose primary concern is to get mail to our service people. When a new shipping address is available, I'll post it here.

2003-10-09T11:36:00.000-04:00

2003-10-09T11:29:00.000-04:00

North Korea Wants Japan Out of Future Talks (via Insults Unpunished)

North Korea said Tuesday that it would not "tolerate" Japanese participation in future talks about its nuclear weapons ambitions.

They don't want a neighboring country that knows from first hand experience what a nuclear attack is like participating in the talks?

On Tuesday, North Korea said Japan had "selfish objectives." The North has admitted to abducting 12 Japanese citizens during the 1970's and the 1980's to serve as language instructors to its agents, but Japan suspects that many more were kidnapped. Some officials involved in the international meeting said that both before and after the Beijing talks North Korea had expressed displeasure with Tokyo for raising the abduction issue.

How selfish! Japan views its citizens as people, North Korea views them as tools.

2003-10-08T22:05:00.000-04:00

Kentucky is one of three states which will elect a new governor this November.

Chandler Responds To Fletcher Campaign Ad

The first negative campaign ad in the Governor's race began airing Friday. In it, Republican Ernie Fletcher lashes out at Democrat Ben Chandler. Fletcher maintains it's Chandler who ignited the firestorm. Now, Chandler has responded to those allegations....

Chandler is now calling for all television stations to pull the new Fletcher attack ads from the air....

2003-10-08T20:52:00.000-04:00

I added the new Bush/Cheney Weblog to JoeAnt. I don't think they really belong in "Celebrity Blogs" but when I added the first pol blog I found (Gary Hart's) there didn't seem to be a need for a new subtopic. Now that more and more politicians are publishing blogs, it looks like it's time to create a new subtopic. I probably ought to go ahead and divide that sub further by political party.

2003-10-08T11:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I took my three children (ages 7, 10, and 14) and a 7-year-old friend of my daughter to the Louisville Science Center. We began with the Kid's Zone, an educational/play area for the younger children. I thought that beginning here might wear them out a bit so that our tour of the rest of the museum would be more manageable. It just revved them up. In every area we went to, the three younger kids took off in three separate directions.

One of the most interesting exhibits (to me) was the one about reading. There was an optical character recognition robot dog, table books (not to be confused with coffee table books) where the images to be read and viewed were displayed on the table and you could read in any direction by tilting the table, and a Glyph-O-Scope. You look at pictures through the Glyph-O-Scope. The pictures have embedded binary data that gives more information. It was much cooler than I make it sound.

I was disappointed that several exhibits in other areas of the museum were not working. I can understand a few being out of order, but it seems that there were at least a half dozen that didn't function at all and since we didn't visit every exhibit I'm guessing that the number is even higher.

This is the next event we're planning on visiting. I just need some time to recover from yesterday first.

2003-10-08T10:45:00.000-04:00

Three separate Gallup Polls conducted over the last month confirm that 7 in 10 Americans approve of the display of a Ten Commandments monument in a public area. (via Clayton Cramer)

With 77% approval, it's closer to 8 out of ten. 78% approved of non-denominational prayer at public school ceremonies.

Of some interest is the fact that almost two-thirds of Americans approve of the use of federal monies to fund social programs run by Christian groups. This would be similar to the faith-based initiative program that has been a part President Bush's agenda.

Read the rest.

2003-10-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

Question:
Why would someone who considers herself to be firmly right of center (and who supports our involvement in Iraq) still turn up the radio and sing along when any of these songs come on?

Fortunate Son
OHIO
Fixin'-To-Die-Rag
What's Goin' On?
Eve of Destruction
We Gotta Get Out of This Place

Answer:
They are the songs I grew up with. I'm also aware enough to realize that it was a different time, a different war, and different circumstances.

France abandoned South Vietnam but never seemed to waver in its support of Iraq. (Yeah, 30-something years later and I still haven't gotten over my resentment that France dumped a problem their colonialism helped create onto us.) The Vietnam War had the draft. Now our military relies on volunteers. North Vietnam had the support of its neighbors and of major world powers. Iraq's neighbors have good reason to feel more secure now. In South Vietnam we were supporting a corrupt and disliked government. In Iraq, we got rid of a corrupt and disliked government.

Besides, I like to sing along with the radio and by turning it up I'm doing a favor to the others nearby. My singing is truly awful.

2003-10-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

Papa John's makes a delivery that is a bit outside their usual delivery area.

Papa John's International Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA) is sending 40 pizzas to U.S. Air Force troops stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Karen Sherman, vice president of community and public relations for the company, said 18 members of the Louisville-based pizza company's executive team -- including founder and CEO John Schnatter -- made the pies Thursday in the restaurant at the company's headquarters. They are being shipped via FedEx and are scheduled to arrive in Kirkuk on Sunday evening.

The delivery was spurred by an online customer request form received from a U.S. Air Force major through the company's Web site, www.papajohns.com. According to a news release, the soldier said he "would like to bring my favorite taste of home to the troops temporarily assigned with me."

Sherman said the company's research and development team devised a special packaging to insure that the pizzas would arrive at their destination without spoilage.

2003-10-02T16:25:00.000-04:00

The first 25 boxes sent to Chief Wiggles have arrived.

The Chief mentions that he is working with a children's hospital, orphanages and schools to distribute the items. The Chief is only using people that he is personally familiar with so that all the toys and school supplies will go where they should and will not end up on the black market. The Chaplain of his area has been an enormous help as well. He has also arranged for storage depending on how much arrives.

Note that the mailing address has changed:

Chief Wiggles
c/o CPA Chaplain
CPA-C2, Debriefer
APO AE 09335

Boxes that have already been shippied will still get there, this will just make delivery a bit easier.

Read about the first Wiggles. This one was bringing things to children in Berlin after WWII.

2003-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Kentucky state senator Ernesto Scorsone announced today that he is gay. He also said that his sexual orientation is unrelated to his job as senator. (See news article.)

Then why tell us? I really am not interested in what should be his personal business, but then, as far as Kentucky politicians go, the less most of them say about anything, the better.

This type of announcement confuses me. If you want to convince people that homosexuality is just one part of the wide spectrum of what is normal, then announcing one's sexual preference seems counterintuitive.

2003-10-01T22:45:00.000-04:00

I followed a link to this telescope game from Dyson Telescope yesterday. I wanted to try it again but forgot where I found the link and spent a good bit of time searching through my history to find the link again. This post is to help me find it more easily next time and to share it with anyone who enjoys puzzle games.

2003-09-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

I recently read a post about another blog post (sorry to be vague, I can't find the links now) that was about how Bush said he just scans the headlines but relies on his staff to tell him the news. The original post thought this was a Bad Thing. It sounds more like the news reading habits of the average blog reader. Check the headlines, the visit the blogs of people whose opinions you trust to see what is worth reading further.

2003-09-27T11:06:00.000-04:00

I mailed my box of toys to Chief Wiggles yesterday. I had made out a list of the contents of the box but had to copy it all over to the shipping label in the post office...the space on the label was barely big enough to write it all. They wouldn't let me just attach my list since their form has multiple copies and each copy needs the contents listed.

It would have been easier if, after putting everything I had bought into the box, there hadn't been a few more inches of room. I "had" to make another run to the store to get a few more items to fill it up.

Watch the site for updates on what is needed. School supplies are needed now.

2003-09-24T01:57:00.000-04:00

I did my shopping for the toys and supplies I'm sending to Chief Wiggles. Along with the mundane but necessary things like hair brushes, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss I got a couple of teddy bears, Silly Putty, some small balls, Hot Wheels, bottles of bubble solution, and lots of art supplies. There may be more, I can't remember it all now. (I really do not need to be given an excuse to go shopping!) Sketch pads, washable markers, crayons, glue sticks, and scissors can keep my kids busy for a long time so I'm pretty confident the kids there will enjoy them too. I also got some stackable cups for a toddler. I'm going to try to find a couple more baby/toddler-aged toys tomorrow before I pack up the box.

When I picked my kids up from school I told them what I had been doing. Emma (my seven-year-old daughter) suggested sending blankets. I hadn't thought of it, I guess she's the only one of us who is young enough to remember the special comfort a blanket can give.

My husband has been assigned the task of bringing home a sturdy box from work tomorrow. I'll be taking it to the post office on Thursday. I wish the Chief luck and hope he will have lots of help distributing the toys. Judging by the posts I've read, he's going to need it.

2003-09-23T09:10:00.000-04:00

Chief Wiggles (found via Instapundit) is collecting toys to be given to Iraqi children. There are some great suggestions by visitors to the site as to what to donate.

I imagine that for some families, this is the first time in decades where children are going to have the opportunity to really have a childhood.

Toys entertain children and keep them busy (I'm not sure who will appreciate that most, the children or their mothers). Children learn through play. They practice co-ordination skills and learn to share. Toys encourage creativity. These toys will also teach children that there are people who care about them.

Off on a semi-tangent ---> Talking about toys reminded me of a Baby Blues comic strip where the young boy was taking a toy truck for show and tell. His mother asked him ahead of time "What can you tell me about your truck?" He recited a list of facts about the truck but when he was asked the same question in front of the class, his answer was, "It's mine!"

There's pride and a sense of comfort in having a toy. When was the last time you had the chance to give a gift that had the potential to make a difference in a child's life?

Gotta go, it's time for a shopping trip.

2003-09-22T00:10:00.000-04:00

Stupid Celebrity.com has (what else would you expect?) quotations of stupid comments by celebrities.

R. Kelly - "People can say whatever they want about you without knowing the facts. They can criticize you without even knowing you and hate you when they don't even know you. All of a sudden, you're like the bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through."

Kelly has been charged in a child pornography case. I think he is trying to convince people of his innocence. At the very least, he seems to think there shouldn't be any consequences from the news that there is a video tape of him having sex with a 14-year-old (resulting in 21 counts of child porn in Illinois plus other charges in Florida.) If I were trying to gain sympathy and imply innocence, I would be comparing myself to Richard Jewel not bin Laden.

Jewel was falsely accused of being responsible for the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta (Eric Robert Rudolph has since been charged). Bin Laden, on the other hand, is responsible for the deaths of thousands of men, women, and children.

2003-09-20T14:26:00.000-04:00

September 20 to 27 is Banned Books Week

The American Library Association has a list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990 - 2000.

Forbidden Library lists the reasons for some book challenges just in case you're curious what problems people found with Where's Waldo?, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Light in the Attic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little House on the Prairie, A Wrinkle In Time, and others.

2003-09-18T09:25:00.000-04:00

From The Valley Independent: Police say a Hempfield Township man who pedaled a panty-decorated bicycle onto the Youghiogheny River Trail was sighted just off the recreational path exposing himself and performing a sex act on a rock.

I've said before that rocks are dangerous. But this was something I couldn't have imagined. For that matter, I still have no idea what he was doing with the rock and I hope not to know.

2003-09-18T09:16:00.000-04:00

Distance of my house from the nearest nuclear waste route: 3.8 miles (nearby railroad tracks)
Distance from Watts Bar, the nearest waste source: 192.4 miles (Tennessee)

2003-09-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Reporter regrets exposure of Kelly

A British Broadcasting Corp. reporter who raised concern that the government inflated its case for war against Iraq apologized yesterday for indirectly naming his source to a member of Parliament.
BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan eventually confirmed that his source was David Kelly, a government weapons adviser who apparently killed himself after being identified by the Ministry of Defense as the unidentified official cited in Mr. Gilligan's piece.

Mr. Gilligan refused to identify his source to the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, but he did send a note to a committee member revealing that Mr. Kelly was the source of a report by a BBC colleague and suggesting questions the member could put to Mr. Kelly.
"It was quite wrong to send it [the message], and I can only apologize," Mr. Gilligan told a judicial inquiry into Mr. Kelly's death.
"I did not even know for sure that David Kelly was [BBC reporter] Susan Watts' source," he said in response to questioning from his attorney, Heather Rogers. "I was under an enormous amount of pressure at the time. I simply was not thinking straight, so I really want to apologize for that."

Even better, a public show of protecting his source but then sending the name of someone else's source. Or not.

He wasn't thinking straight. Maybe he got confused...program, publication, promotion, persectution. At least he apologized. I'm sure that was an enormous comfort to Kelly's family.

2003-09-18T08:34:00.000-04:00

Boycott Hollywood has a post (from September 12) about Al Franken quoting an article from FrontPage Magazine:

Where did a comedian like Al Franken get the time, research power and expertise to cover such a wide range of subject matters, almost all of which are out of his normal depth? The answer (which Franken provides himself) is Harvard.

I had already heard Franken talk about this when I caught part of an interview with him on Fresh Air. What caught my attention in the interview was when he told about making the decision to go to Harvard. He said his son was a high school senior and that this period was a kind of goof-off time at his school.

If your child's school is wasting his all or part of his senior year just keeping him occupied until it's time for graduation, wouldn't your time be better spent trying to create a change in the school? Oh, wait, that would actually benefit someone and wouldn't be about me, me, me! Guess he still thinks it's the Al Franken Decade.

Calyton Cramer has a post about a cartoon in Franken's book.

2003-09-18T07:43:00.000-04:00

Workweek Causes Climate Fluctuations

And all along I had been blaming some butterfly in Brazil.

2003-09-18T03:38:00.000-04:00

The weather here in Louisville has been nice for the last few days. Clear blue skies with random streaks of white from contails. I can't look at them without thinking of the days two years ago that there were no contrails because all the planes had been grounded. Seeing them now gives me a feeling of reassurance that things are as they should be, but there's something more. There's anger and sadness at what happened. There's also, not really fear, but an awareness of the possiblity of something similar happening again.

Lives were changed on September 11, 2001. Many in profound ways that I can't even begin to really understand. Many more in small ways, in knowing that things will never be the same. We had underestimated terrorists, not really believing that they would attack us here. They underestimated us even more.

Looking at us from the outside, you see political parties arguing over everything and anything. You see people from a wide variety of countries and cultures, all with different opinions, different beliefs. It would be easy to think that all the disagreements that come of this is a weakness. It's not, it is democracy and freedom in action. It is what makes us strong, what helps us to recover from attacks with a resolve that makes us even stronger.

Our country isn't perfect but democracy believes that each person has the ability to make his life better. Democracy believes that together we have the power to make our country better. It is this belief that gives us something they can't take away, faith and hope.

2003-09-16T00:47:00.000-04:00

In Don't wait for government protection (link via Four Right Wing Wackos), Mark Steyn writes about the murder of Anna Lindh and how none of the many bystanders did anything to either prevent it or to stop the killer from leaving.

I can see where people would be stunned and might be afraid to tackle the man, but where is the anger? I get pissed, I throw things and if seeing someone stabbed to death doesn't make you mad, what will? There's enough stuff in your average department store that you could throw at him. Lob some perfume testers, even if it didn't stop him, he would at least have been easier to track. Knock over some displays in front of him or into him. And don't these people have camera phones? If it had happened somewhere else where camera phones are popular there would have been dozens of pictures of him posted on the Web within the hour.

While reading the article, two other things came to mind. While I'm sure Mr. Steyn would be an interesting dining companion, if I were ever to be seated next to him I think I would ask to be moved. (Read the article to understand why.) Secondly, my great-grandmother's family left Sweden about a hundred years ago. For that, I am grateful.

2003-09-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

I heard a Clinton sound bite this morning. He was saying that the Greeks had a saying, "Whom the gods destroy, they first make angry." Um, no, it's "...they first make mad." As in crazy, demented, insane.

We frequently hear how smart he is so I have a feeling he knows the correct quotation. Does this mean he thinks that his audience wouldn't know it? I think intentionally misinterpreting the quotation is worse than someone of his level of education not knowing it. It's an insult to his audience. At least I felt insulted, and worse for him, I have no idea what point he was trying to make because I quit listening as soon as he said the word "angry".

It's not even important if no one recognized it or if everyone said, "Hey, he's misquoting Euripedes!" It could have been an honest mistake. If so, then shame on him and shame on his speech writers. It still came off (to me) as part of an attitude where he thinks voters are stupid. But then after being elected president twice, why should he think otherwise?

I would prefer as friend a good man ignorant than one more clever who is evil too. -- Euripides

2003-09-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

Speaking of a comics dream team, I've read that Opus (remember Bloom County?) will be back on Sundays and that Far Side will be back in newspapers temporarily (September 28 through December 28). Now, if Bill Watterson would start writing Calvin and Hobbes again....

2003-09-14T00:14:00.000-04:00

The ultimate chocolate mousse from Boston's Daily News Tribune:

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Melt chocolate with the butter in a microwave oven. Use 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, and then go another 1 to 2 minutes until done. Or, melt in a double boiler or heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in salt and vanilla and then whisk in yolks, one at a time. Set mixture aside.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks just begin to form. Add sugar and beat until whites are firm but still glossy and smooth. Whisk one quarter of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites with a large rubber spatula.

Whip the heavy cream until firm and fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into individual serving dishes or glasses or into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with additional whipped cream.

Serves 8 to 10.

The newspaper column also includes mocha, rum, and cinnamon variations.

2003-09-13T13:10:00.000-04:00

Barry Column Turns Table on Telemarketers (links in this and the following post were found via Opinion Journal)

The American Teleservices Association isn't laughing at Dave Barry, not after the Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for The Miami Herald listed the group's telephone number in his Aug. 31 column and sparked a flood of phone calls to the group's offices.

Barry told his readers to call and "tell them what you think."

"I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward," Barry wrote.

Thousands of Barry's readers have done as they were told, forcing the association to stop answering its phones. Callers now hear a recording, which says that because of "overwhelming positive response to recent media events, we are unable to take your call at this time."

Positive response?

"It's difficult not to see some malice in Mr. Barry's intent," said Tim Searcy, executive director of the ATA, who said the added calls will be costly to his group because of toll charges and staffing issues.

Staffing issues? I thought they were complaining that they were going to have to layoff people because of the no call lists.

There's still email: info@ataconnect.org

2003-09-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

I usually have little sympathy for people who get in trouble with homeowner associations. If you want to paint your house unusual colors, radically change the architectural style, or whatever, you know before you move in whether that change is something that is allowed in that community. If you don't like it, don't move there. Those people have a right not to have someone move in and create, what in their opinion, is an eyesore. This article is about the one time I'm going to disagree.

Defiant flag flier George Andres once again is facing the prospect of losing his Jupiter home after a Palm Beach County judge ruled Wednesday that his homeowners association could go forward with a foreclosure sale next month to collect legal fees.

...Andres' homeowners association prohibits flagpoles, and Andres has a 12-foot flagpole in his front yard. Another judge ruled that Andres didn't have a right to put up the flagpole, and the association filed a lien on the property to collect roughly $21,000 in attorneys' fees and legal costs expended in winning the case.

The article in the Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't have a photo of this Jupiter, Florida home so it's hard to form a definite opinion but I have a hard time agreeing with a homeowners association that wants to punish a man for flying the American flag.

Is anyone winning besides the lawyers?

2003-09-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

PBS's 9/11 Crime via Instapundit

In the two years since 9/11, we have heard small anti-American voices here and there try to turn this crime on us. They say we should ask why they hate us, as if there could be any justification for this act, as if the blame should fall to the victims, not the criminals. That is abhorrent. It is no different from saying that the Jews should ask why Hitler hated them. But, of course, it does not matter.

I think asking why they hate us is a legitimate question but it should be part of the larger question, why do they hate everyone who is not one of them?. Not because it implies there is something we are doing to deserve their hatred but because when someone chooses to make themselves your enemy, knowing what they think and how they think may help you protect yourself.

2003-09-11T09:16:00.000-04:00

Ways to honor the day:

1. Give blood. Remember the long lines at the Red Cross immediately after the attacks? The need now isn't as dire as it was then but it is constant.

2. Phone a friend or relative that you haven't spoken to in a while. We always think there will be time later to this but today should remind us that life is uncertain.

3. Bake cookies and take them to your local fire station. If you don't bake, get cookies from the bakery or make a gift basket of candy or other snacks. What you give isn't important. What is important is letting these people know that you appreciate them.

2003-09-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

September 11th Photo Blog

Rob Salzman wrote:

I've been thinking about September 11th. I've been thinking about the United States response - The Patriot Act. Invading Afganastan & Iraq. Death. Fear. Oppression.

It seems to me that this is NOT the America I want the world to know. So I propose a blogwide Photoblog your Life day on September 11th. Take your camera with you. Take pictures. Show the world your life. Show the world your daily delights. Show the world that we choose life, happiness and freedom.

On September 11th, I'll be carrying my camera with me. I'll snap pictures of my day - the good, the bad, the mundane. And I'm gonna post them here for the world to see. Let's make September 11th a day of affirmation and life.

I don't feel oppressed and I think the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq relieved oppression of their citizens. I do think, though, that this is an interesting project. Not because it will help those who hate us to change their views but because it will help the rest of us see the things that are common in all our lives and the things that are unique to each individual.

Let the mundane things of daily life that we all share help bring us together and cherish the freedom you have to be different, to make your own choices in your life. Say a prayer for the service people who are trying to bring that freedom to people who have suffered under oppressive regimes and remember those who died in the terror attacks two years ago today.

2003-09-10T01:49:00.000-04:00

The current issue of Psychology Today has an article about food cravings and eating habits. The thing that I found most interesting was in a sidebar to the article. It discussed a study that showed that girls who had limited access to snacks and sweets at home were more likely to "pig out" when given the chance than girls who had more freedom in choosing what they wanted to eat at home.

The main reason I liked it was because it agrees with my own theory. I let my kids have snacks when they want. No one has to clean their plate to get dessert. (It also mentioned that making kids eat their veggies to get dessert just makes the kids hate veggies more.) None of them are over weight. When they go to the doctor for their physicals, everything is always fine, they're healthy and growing well. (Sometimes too well, my oldest son is only 14 and is almost a foot taller than I am...not really that hard to do since I'm only 5'2".) MY two youngest will actually try new foods, including vegetables. The oldest only tries new things rarely, he's always been a picky eater, but even he is trying more new foods...teenage metabolism wins out over pickiness.

I'm not recommending a total junk food diet, just saying that when things aren't forbidden (within reason) they aren't as attractive. Besides, with three kids, you have to pick your battles and as long as they're healthy, controlling everything they eat isn't a battle I would want to fight.

2003-09-10T01:08:00.000-04:00

It's been almost 20 years since I graduated from college. Is it too late to change my major?

2003-09-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

Make Sock Monkeys!

It's going to be time for my Brownie troop to begin meeting again soon so I was looking for craft ideas. One of my favorite resources for both crafts and recipes is AZCentral.com. I did get some ideas but most of them were for things to try at home.

2003-09-08T09:08:00.000-04:00

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

How can a list that starts out so right (Jimi Hendrix is first) go so wrong? I agree with many of the selections but not the order in which they are listed.

If Peter Frampton had been ugly, would he have made the list? For anyone who doesn't remember the 1970s, Frampton released an album, Frampton Comes Alive, that became the best selling live album ever (16 million copies). He was named Rolling Stone's "Artist of the Year". He was also teen-idol cute. Any interest in his talent got pushed out of the way by the media focus on his looks.

I never bought the album nor did I consider myself a fan but I do think he deserves a place on the list more than some of the other choices that are there.

2003-09-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

I used to have Amazon.com shopping links on my recipe site. Then I read Clayton Cramer's post about his boycott of Amazon. I followed the link he has to Amazon's page for the book and decided that I no longer want to promote any part of their site through my own.

2003-09-02T17:39:00.000-04:00

Just call me Sweet Lips.

2003-09-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

New Periodic Table

A new periodic table could soon be gracing the walls of geology classrooms. The table shows how chemical elements are distributed in nature, by sorting them according to their electrical charge rather than their weight.

2003-09-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Future of Slot Machines
This link probably belongs more on my husband's blog so I'll just post the link and leave the commenting for him to do.

...the gaming industry stands poised to transform casino floors into banks of thin clients -- dumb terminals that can download just about any kind of game a customer wants from a back-office server.

...The idea is simple. By putting gaming content -- including popular slot games such as Monopoly and Wheel of Fortune –- on networked servers and downloading them only on demand, casinos will be able to offer players a wide selection of games, and easily selected variations of games, on a single machine.

If you use a player card, the machine will begin with your favorite or recommend others that are similar.

2003-09-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

Refreshing Power Milk

This is a carbonated milk drink that's being promoted as an alternative to sodas. The idea of fizzy milk doesn't appeal to me at all but my kids would probably like it...food choices are the REAL generation gap.

2003-09-02T01:08:00.000-04:00

I hate this commercial. To be more precise, it's the song that makes me want to change the channel.

2003-09-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

We went to Huber's today. We had lunch at the restaurant and visited the petting zoo where Conor and Emma made friends with a baby goat. Until they saw the goat, their favorite part of the trip was playing on the playground.

You can buy a small handful of food from dispensers for 25 cents. We fed the ducks behind the restaurant, we fed fish in the fish pond, and we fed a variety of animals in the petting zoo. There are some fallow deer there who were very eager to be fed since the buck was keeping all the others away from their feed.

One would think that we would bring home all sorts of fresh fruit and vegetables from our trip to the farm. Not our family. We bought candy. We did get some homemade fudge but the rest of the candy was stuff you could get almost anywhere. If you have kids, you'll understand.

Not that we ignored fresh produce completely, we did get a couple of peaches and some caramel apples. Ok, so maybe caramel apples belong in the candy group as much as they do fresh fruit. They are very good and worth the trip to the farm just to get them. It's even better later this month when more apples ripen. You can watch them dip the apples and get them while the caramel is still warm.

2003-08-24T00:32:00.000-04:00

Music's dinosaurs live on in Hall of Shame (via Fark) has a list of the 50 worst bands. Some I agree with, some I've never heard of, but ELP? Emerson, Lake and Palmer not only made the list but are #2.

2003-08-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

Tonight we were watching Brian's Song. It brought up a discussion of how race relations were different in the 1960s. Our kids couldn't understand why a black player rooming with a white player was a big deal. Sometimes not being able to understand something is a good thing.

My seven-year-old daughter asked me if I was a white girl or a black girl when I was little. Okay, she looses points for her understanding of science and heredity but more than makes up for it in her belief that we are all really the same.

2003-08-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

Louisville Lawyers

There are some TV ads for a couple of law firms in Louisville where the lawyers have given themselves nicknames (The Kentucky Hammer and The Tiger). Is this a trend? To me, it makes them sound more like pro wrestlers. Most of their business seems to deal with personal injury lawsuits. I know for sure that having a nickname that makes a jury think of pro wrestling would not be a good idea for a criminal defense lawyer...someone might call for the chair.

2003-08-23T13:23:00.000-04:00

Public Not Welcome

An article in the September Scientific American talks about how access to some medical journals is no longer available to the general public through university research libraries. The print versions are not on the shelves and the online versions are accessable only with a password. "Restrictions in the contracts the university has signed with publishers prohibit librarians from issuing passwords to the public."

But, hey, at least we can still go to the library to view online porn.

2003-08-19T08:19:00.000-04:00

Mother Takes Applications from Daughter's Suitors

BOSTON (Reuters) - Who wants to marry my daughter?
That's not the latest reality TV dating game, but rather a sign planted on Donna Wood's front lawn in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

Wood is seeking a soul mate for her 22-year-old daughter Karah, whose romantic choices over the years have left much to be desired, the mother said.

Inspired by the NBC reality series "Who Wants to Marry my Dad," Wood posted an ad in a local paper and planted a sign on her lawn seeking the perfect gentleman, who should enjoy movies, horse-back riding, long walks and water sports.

"The last guy she dated prompted my husband and I to do this," she said. "He was covered in tattoos, was a lot older than she is and was just horrifying. She has no taste in men."

While I find this whole idea odd, the part that bothers me most is that the woman doesn't know the difference between subjective and objective pronouns.