My husband had a photograph published in a national magazine this month. Gothic Beauty. It’s a full page photo.
I am very proud.
Monthly Archives: November 2005
Bird Flu
I’ve been wondering if the bird flu problem is real. I think if it is you should prepare. But I wonder if it is. Junk Science says it’s not.
My Husband Has Become a Left-Wing Wacko
He insists that since there is nothing on the French rioting that there is not really anything much going on, outside the suburbs of Paris. It’s not a huge conflagaration. If one paper says 394 cars, one says 657 cars, and one mentions no cars, then of course no cars were burnt. Of course, the one that mentions no cars isn’t talking about the riots at all, so…
For my husband, who I love despite his brain farting on this issue, I say, I may read too many blogs, but you aren’t reading the best ones on this.
From Knowledge is Power. Pictures of Europe and a Reuter’s map depicting the riots.
From the Anchoress. A quote from the French media which says they aren’t showing the burning cars because they don’t want any rightwing whackos getting elected in their country because they showed pictures of what was really happening in their news.
Of course, my husband, who is usually quite brilliant, has joined the left’s media mantra saying that Fox is “right wing.” As someone considerably to the right of Fox, may I say that it is only “moderate.” It may, perhaps, be moderately right, but it is not clear right.
And the BBC, which did mention the cars, there’s were the 394 yesterday, is not right. It is more likely left. One might argue, though not persuasively I think, that it is moderately left, but it is at least left. Even if you place it in the “moderate” category.
Neither yesterday nor today did Google news offer any numbers. They don’t even say what day of rioting this is. It’s been a fortnight now. But they don’t mention the 1,408 cars burned on Sunday evening. Nor do they mention the 30 towns involved in “incidents.” Today, if you go to World, you will find Chirac saying that it will be dealt with when it is all calmed down. That article doesn’t mention the more than 2,000 who have been arrested in the rioting.
I think that somewhere along the line my husband has lost the reality of what it means to be right wing and has succumbed to the disease of labeling as wacko anything that disagrees with their perspective.
Right Wing Wacko?
My husband claims that I read too many/only right wing blogs. I am surprised to hear this. I have seven “only idiots would even think ID is possible” and two “Bush is an idiot” and one “anyone who thinks this is a homophobe.” The news I get is from Wired (computer science centered, but definitely not right wing), Reuters (al-Reuters, to some), National Geographic, News@nature.com, and Live Science. Of course, I read 127 blogs daily, so 15 is not a large percent.
I also read 16 teacher blogs, two history blogs, five family blogs, 27 military blogs (They must be right wing wackos, right?), two gun blogs, three essayists, two columnists, 10 medical blogs, three satirists, one Indian blog, seven political blogs, and two Catholic blogs (I’m not Catholic.). Oh, I also read three “alert” blogs- discrimination, jihad, and ACLU. Okay, I know that’s not all 126, but they’re a bit hard to categorize, you know. Plus, they aren’t in any clear order in NetNewsWire. But it’s 2/3s or more.
So, no, I don’t think I am a right wing wacko. My husband, though, I am starting to worry about him.
Literacy Proved (?)
Two lines of an alphabet have been found inscribed in a stone in Israel, offering what some scholars say is the most solid evidence yet that the ancient Israelites were literate as early as the 10th century B.C.
“This is very rare. This stone will be written about for many years to come,” archaeologist Ron E. Tappy, a professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary who made the discovery, said Wednesday. “This makes it very historically probable there were people in the 10th century (B.C.) who could write.”Christopher Rollston, a professor of Semitic studies at Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tenn., who was not involved in the find, said the writing is probably Phoenician or a transitional language between Phoenician and Hebrew.
“We have little epigraphic material from the 10th century in Israel, and so this substantially augments the material we have,” he said.
The stone was found in July, on the final day of a five-week dig at Tel Zayit, about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv.
from Live Science
Since the book of Judges has Rahab still alive when it was written, and since that is figured to be about 1600 BC, I have never wondered if there were “literate” people in Israel. And it’s quite possible they aren’t Israelites. There were always lots of different groups living there and it was on a major land trade route. (China to Egypt) Anyway, it seems we are getting more info and that’s always good.
Happy Birthday, Marines!
230 years today.
Thank you all for your service.
May God protect you and your families as you continue to work to preserve the freedoms we have in this country.
Operation Steel Curtain
The son of a friend and the brother-in-law of a friend is in Operation Steel Curtain. His mom’s so upset about it she wasn’t able to come to Ladies’ Bible Class today.
God, keep them safe. Let them find and control the bad guys. Bless the three who have already been wounded and the family of the Marine who died for the safety of a people far away from his home.
The Difference Between Kill and Murder
A five year old announces the difference to the temporary Bible class teacher. Bless the teacher and the little girl.
Government is Pushing Microsoft
down people’s throats.
According to Orac knows the Department of Health and Human Services requires that you MUST use Microsoft Windows in order to apply for a grant.
And there’s noise that such a requirement will be expanded in other parts of the government.
Our government is requiring that we use proprietary software. That’s horrible. And it’s Microsoft. That’s worse.
I Voted
but I didn’t get a purple finger. I hadn’t realized that I was emotionally attached to those purple fingers till I pulled out of the parking lot and realized I didn’t have a thing to show that I had voted today. I’ll remind my students at the college to vote today.
The Ladies’ Bible class, after it was over, about ten of us sat around with a list of the propositions and the arguments for and against and decided which way we would vote. (Okay, it wasn’t totally consensus, but we did a bit of arguing and generally agreed.)
R said he wasn’t going to vote. I was sad about that. I hope he does.
So, it’s done. I’m a member of a democratic republic. And I have taken advantage of the freedoms given to me by our soldiers all over the world. Thanks to them and you for upholding our laws.
Top 10 Worst Jobs in Science
Popular Science tells us what the ten worst jobs are. I’m not so sure that dancing with a robot is that bad.
Directed there byBlogotional
A Soldier to Thank
My Life as a Military Spouse has the address for a soldier, shot twice by a sniper in Ramadi, who would like to receive letters. Especially letters and pictures from kids.
I guess we’ll be doing this on Friday at SF. Lots of kids. Some who like to draw. We can write letters. I’ll get animal stickers to put on envelopes. That way we’ll still be doing “marvelous creatures.”
I need to thank Army Wife Toddler Mom for the heads up. Thanks!
Update: Thanks to a bunch of homeschooling kiddos, I’m sending 28 letters to Sgt. Ryan. They drew pics too.
Fatal Reactions to Food
No, not my mom. But Dr. Andy has a post on fatal and near fatal reactions to foods today. Just in time for some extended scary reading.
One of my students wrote last year on working in the restaurant industry. And he wrote of a woman who died in the restaurant from anaphylactic shock from food she was allergic to that she was assured was not in her meal.
It’s not funny. It just sounds silly. How could someone die from food? Oh, you mean choking on it? No. I mean allergic reactions that kill.
Life in the Traumatic Lane
My sister’s baby does not have Downs. Thank you, Jesus.
But the tumor that is in the uterus with the baby is growing. I would like that to stop. Now. And disappear.
My mom is in the hospital. It turns out to be a major allergic reaction that could have killed her. Wouldn’t have liked that at all.
My dad is home, befuddled. His meds aren’t working so they’re giving him new ones. But that’ll be a week plus down the road. And their house caught on fire this morning. And he won’t call an electrician. I’m not sure why. None of his grandbabies are going over there now because it isn’t safe any longer. Maybe that’s it. He thinks he’s going to get a break from caring for grandbabies.
I was very sick yesterday, throwing up and the other stuff, for about three hours. I’m still having problems with diarrhea, but I’m much better. Zonked though. No energy.
I’m busy, busy, busy. Behind, behind, behind.
And I’m on the most obnoxious day 23 of my latest period. Gag.