September 13, 2003
Pssst!
Moving off BlogSpot....
hln
hln
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September 03, 2003
Comments!
Comments!
Yes, really. I went and got some because I didn't want to code my own. So, there you have it.
hln
Yes, really. I went and got some because I didn't want to code my own. So, there you have it.
hln
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September 01, 2003
Hey, Wait a Minute
My main page is only showing yesterday and today. I'd suppose that's due to
all that posting I've done today.
Still, there's a lot of good stuff from last week and...well, Saturday. So I'll link to it for your ease of use.
hln
Still, there's a lot of good stuff from last week and...well, Saturday. So I'll link to it for your ease of use.
hln
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Voices - from A Small Victory
This is the post I submitted to Voices, which
is Michele's project from A
Small Victory
I encourage you to also write something and submit it.
-=-=-=-
As days begin, this was Anyday™. I was running a bit later to work than is usual - no idea why now. I stopped for a bagel at the local grocery, and as I was in my car and exiting the parking lot, KMOX, St. Louis' most popular morning talk radio, interrupted normal programming and reported that a plane had struck a high floor of one of the World Trade Center's towers.
And regular programming recommenced.
A normal, sheltered American, I had a few sad moments of "what a horrible accident," and I continued my drive to work.
Something - I can't recall what - perhaps news from a coworker arriving later than I - prompted me to try to reach CNN.com; I could not. I believe at this time we learned that the "plane" to strike the World Trade Center was not a small, single-engine plane but rather a full-sized passenger jet.
We began to flock toward televisions - there are three large TVs throughout the office. At this point, there was constant coverage of the first attack. I got the news to date and tried to return to work. When the second plane hit the second tower, I believe everyone knew that this was planned. Work was out of the question.
We sat transfixed in the large conference room - transfixed because we had to be, because we were so summarily appalled and shocked that someone, some entity, some group would do such a horrible thing. I called my client, who resides in New Jersey but has many ties in New York. His brother was in one of the towers.
I returned to the large conference room, and, in the course of the next hour, I saw both towers collapse real time. And then, of course, I saw them collapse over and over and over again. Still determined, I tried again to return to work. And then the third plane hit the Pentagon.
At this point, it becomes "what next?" I fully believe that this was nowhere as bad as it could have been. But there was no relief anywhere - none in the faces of the newscasters who must've known they'd see no sleep for quite some time and that they were tasked in serving the horrible truth to the watching masses; none in the faces of my shocked, stunned coworkers, many of whom had young children who would require quite an explanation of certainly inexplicable things; none for me either, for the stories of individuals began to trickle through the news. The man and woman, holding hands, who chose falling to death rather than burning. People who were passengers on each of the doomed planes. Mothers, fathers, children, infants. Dead. Dying.
The rest of the day is a blur of rewind-play-rewind-play of the footage. On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store where I had purchased my bagel breakfast. There were already volunteers collecting money. I gave.
Once home, I, like everyone else, called friends and relatives to ensure we were all living on the same world, and that sanity still existed - something no one would have questioned 12 hours earlier. I spent the rest of the evening flipping through cable news channels as the news started to repeat itself. More rewind-play, but more personal anecdotes as well.
And then the hopeful search for anyone who might have survived in the rubble and aftermath. The days and weeks blur from here. Cantor Fitzgerald. Televised funerals. The pictures of ash. The weekly news magazines and their coverage. Courageous rescue attempts. Clearing of debris. Interviews of the families of the victims. The comparison to Pearl Harbor.
As time passes, September 11, 2001, stands as a day everyone remembers practically hour by hour. My client's brother escaped before the towers fell. I know no one personally who perished in the attacks, but as I talk with varying people, it's very apparent that I'm only separated by a degree at most. The business trip I recently attended highlighted that.
Very briefly, one man mentioned that his wife's best friend was on one of the planes that crashed into the towers. Another man was slated to give a talk on a high floor of one of the towers on September 11th. Shortly before the event, he cancelled due to lack of interest. The people who attended the event are no more.
Most strikingly, though, is the story of a young female Indian database administrator who was listed as missing after the attacks. According to my friend who knew her, months later her husband was convinced she'd be found "anytime now." They had a young child.
Of course, there's the "how dare they" question we all ask of the terrorists. These people who are victims did nothing but merely live their American lives in America; what else would you expect? And then there are the "nostalgia" experts who profit from the tragedy. There are the lawsuits, the criticism of the evacuation misjudgments. But how could anyone have known the true ultimate horrific consequence of these terrorists?
I don't truly believe we know yet.
Life as we know it began to resume. St. Louisans flew their mighty flags and painted them on their cars. Baseball, which was put on quite a hiatus, recommenced. Brian and I had tickets with some of Brian's friends to that evening's Cardinal's game. We sang "America the Beautiful." Jack Buck read a poem.
At Creve Coeur Park, the flag hung half mast for a full month - at work as well. In October, at the St. Louis Blues' opening game, Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA." We attacked Afghanistan; we triumphed. Time passed. We attacked Iraq and deposed its dictator. We slew his evil sons.
The future spreads its threads day by day. The course of American history was irrevocably altered on September 11, 2001. I pray there will be nothing to replace it as the most shocking, course-changing day in American history. I also pray that none of you forgets what this country offers us, as individuals, and that freedom, sadly comes with a price.
We are free.
hln
I encourage you to also write something and submit it.
-=-=-=-
As days begin, this was Anyday™. I was running a bit later to work than is usual - no idea why now. I stopped for a bagel at the local grocery, and as I was in my car and exiting the parking lot, KMOX, St. Louis' most popular morning talk radio, interrupted normal programming and reported that a plane had struck a high floor of one of the World Trade Center's towers.
And regular programming recommenced.
A normal, sheltered American, I had a few sad moments of "what a horrible accident," and I continued my drive to work.
Something - I can't recall what - perhaps news from a coworker arriving later than I - prompted me to try to reach CNN.com; I could not. I believe at this time we learned that the "plane" to strike the World Trade Center was not a small, single-engine plane but rather a full-sized passenger jet.
We began to flock toward televisions - there are three large TVs throughout the office. At this point, there was constant coverage of the first attack. I got the news to date and tried to return to work. When the second plane hit the second tower, I believe everyone knew that this was planned. Work was out of the question.
We sat transfixed in the large conference room - transfixed because we had to be, because we were so summarily appalled and shocked that someone, some entity, some group would do such a horrible thing. I called my client, who resides in New Jersey but has many ties in New York. His brother was in one of the towers.
I returned to the large conference room, and, in the course of the next hour, I saw both towers collapse real time. And then, of course, I saw them collapse over and over and over again. Still determined, I tried again to return to work. And then the third plane hit the Pentagon.
At this point, it becomes "what next?" I fully believe that this was nowhere as bad as it could have been. But there was no relief anywhere - none in the faces of the newscasters who must've known they'd see no sleep for quite some time and that they were tasked in serving the horrible truth to the watching masses; none in the faces of my shocked, stunned coworkers, many of whom had young children who would require quite an explanation of certainly inexplicable things; none for me either, for the stories of individuals began to trickle through the news. The man and woman, holding hands, who chose falling to death rather than burning. People who were passengers on each of the doomed planes. Mothers, fathers, children, infants. Dead. Dying.
The rest of the day is a blur of rewind-play-rewind-play of the footage. On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store where I had purchased my bagel breakfast. There were already volunteers collecting money. I gave.
Once home, I, like everyone else, called friends and relatives to ensure we were all living on the same world, and that sanity still existed - something no one would have questioned 12 hours earlier. I spent the rest of the evening flipping through cable news channels as the news started to repeat itself. More rewind-play, but more personal anecdotes as well.
And then the hopeful search for anyone who might have survived in the rubble and aftermath. The days and weeks blur from here. Cantor Fitzgerald. Televised funerals. The pictures of ash. The weekly news magazines and their coverage. Courageous rescue attempts. Clearing of debris. Interviews of the families of the victims. The comparison to Pearl Harbor.
As time passes, September 11, 2001, stands as a day everyone remembers practically hour by hour. My client's brother escaped before the towers fell. I know no one personally who perished in the attacks, but as I talk with varying people, it's very apparent that I'm only separated by a degree at most. The business trip I recently attended highlighted that.
Very briefly, one man mentioned that his wife's best friend was on one of the planes that crashed into the towers. Another man was slated to give a talk on a high floor of one of the towers on September 11th. Shortly before the event, he cancelled due to lack of interest. The people who attended the event are no more.
Most strikingly, though, is the story of a young female Indian database administrator who was listed as missing after the attacks. According to my friend who knew her, months later her husband was convinced she'd be found "anytime now." They had a young child.
Of course, there's the "how dare they" question we all ask of the terrorists. These people who are victims did nothing but merely live their American lives in America; what else would you expect? And then there are the "nostalgia" experts who profit from the tragedy. There are the lawsuits, the criticism of the evacuation misjudgments. But how could anyone have known the true ultimate horrific consequence of these terrorists?
I don't truly believe we know yet.
Life as we know it began to resume. St. Louisans flew their mighty flags and painted them on their cars. Baseball, which was put on quite a hiatus, recommenced. Brian and I had tickets with some of Brian's friends to that evening's Cardinal's game. We sang "America the Beautiful." Jack Buck read a poem.
At Creve Coeur Park, the flag hung half mast for a full month - at work as well. In October, at the St. Louis Blues' opening game, Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA." We attacked Afghanistan; we triumphed. Time passed. We attacked Iraq and deposed its dictator. We slew his evil sons.
The future spreads its threads day by day. The course of American history was irrevocably altered on September 11, 2001. I pray there will be nothing to replace it as the most shocking, course-changing day in American history. I also pray that none of you forgets what this country offers us, as individuals, and that freedom, sadly comes with a price.
We are free.
hln
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Tim Blair on Hamas - Appropriately Wry
New Hamas, Now 25% Unfriendlier
His words:
hln
His words:
-
The formerly moderate Palestinian fellowship collective known as Hamas has
become radicalised, according to The Guardian:
The death of Abu Shenab has radicalised Hamas.
I guess thatÂ’s the end of civilised negotiation, then.
UPDATE. Another Hamas activist has been killed, reports AFP. The War on Activism continues.
hln
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Udderly Disgusting
Udderly Disgusting
Carbonated Milk
hln
Carbonated Milk
hln
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Netrition
It's Monday night. I want to poke fun at a website. Hmm. Netrition!
Okay. Load it. Read along with me.
RED KAT! Oh, baby. A libido boooooooster. Keeping you busy until the roooooster calls your name. (Okay, it doesn't say THAT).
And then what? Skulpt! Topical Fat Loss Spray. Just don't confuse it with
Pam! or Mazola! cooking sprays. I shudder to think. What's its description
have to say?
I'll skip the CarbSlim Bites - rather innocuous. No, actually, I won't. What are IMPACT carbs? Really, I want to know. Looking for an unbiased source...nope. I can't find a thing that's not pushing a product. I'm going to guess it has to do with perceived sugar in the bloodstream. It's a guess, though.
This stuff just cracks me. I mean, I just want some Luna bars. Really. Where are the Luna bars? These people are pushing "low carb" as nutrition. Fat/carb blockers as "nutrition." I guess if you can sell it, sell it. But, wow.
hln
Okay. Load it. Read along with me.
RED KAT! Oh, baby. A libido boooooooster. Keeping you busy until the roooooster calls your name. (Okay, it doesn't say THAT).
-
The effects of Sclaremax, the other ingredient in RED KAT, include its
antithrombotic and antidepressant effects, as well as its stimulating effect
on luteinizing hormone, via cyclic AMP, resulting in the production of
Testosterone (in males).
-
Skulpt from Ergopharm is a Topical Fat Loss Spray developed by Patrick
Arnold. It contains the best available ingredients and penetration enhancers
designed to deliver the active ingredients through the skin and into the
subcutaneous adipose (fat) tissue, where they will then act to break down
and remove the fat (a process called "lipolysis").
I'll skip the CarbSlim Bites - rather innocuous. No, actually, I won't. What are IMPACT carbs? Really, I want to know. Looking for an unbiased source...nope. I can't find a thing that's not pushing a product. I'm going to guess it has to do with perceived sugar in the bloodstream. It's a guess, though.
This stuff just cracks me. I mean, I just want some Luna bars. Really. Where are the Luna bars? These people are pushing "low carb" as nutrition. Fat/carb blockers as "nutrition." I guess if you can sell it, sell it. But, wow.
hln
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Danger!
Danger!
U.S. Pedestrians, Cyclists Tempting Fate -- or Worse
(Both pursuits are much safer in Europe, new research says)
This is a story that begins with a personal anecdote about a dude named John Pucher, who walks everywhere. He's never been injured, but this is surprising since he's been walking everywhere for 29 years.
<scathingOverGeneralization>Because scientists seem to have infinite time and infinte interest in the most banal of things</scathingOverGeneralization>, Pucher and his colleague Lewis Dijkstra of the European Commission in Brussels did a happyfunlittle study.
What could we Americans do to address "the problem"?
Anyway, I made my point (and pretty much quoted the whole article). I should go on to the next topic.
hln
U.S. Pedestrians, Cyclists Tempting Fate -- or Worse
(Both pursuits are much safer in Europe, new research says)
This is a story that begins with a personal anecdote about a dude named John Pucher, who walks everywhere. He's never been injured, but this is surprising since he's been walking everywhere for 29 years.
<scathingOverGeneralization>Because scientists seem to have infinite time and infinte interest in the most banal of things</scathingOverGeneralization>, Pucher and his colleague Lewis Dijkstra of the European Commission in Brussels did a happyfunlittle study.
-
Pucher and Lewis Dijkstra of the European Commission in Brussels found that
cyclists and pedestrians in the United States were two to six times more
likely to be killed than their German or Dutch counterparts. Per kilometer
traveled, U.S. pedestrians were 23 times more likely to get killed than the
occupants of a car, while bicyclists were 12 times more likely to be
killed.
In the United States in 2000, 662,000 bicyclists and 191,000 pedestrians ended up in emergency rooms. And 740 of those cyclists and 4,598 pedestrians died.
"The main point of the article is that it is much, much more dangerous here in the United States to walk and cycle than it is in Europe," says Pucher, a professor of urban planning and transportation at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "The conclusion was that there are a lot of things we could do to make walking and cycling safer."
"The results are shocking," says Michael Greenberg, associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health, and an associate dean at Rutgers.
What could we Americans do to address "the problem"?
-
Americans, who are suffering from an unprecedented obesity epidemic, tend to
drive to a destination even though 41 percent of all trips in 2001 were
shorter than two miles and 28 percent were less than one mile. While walking
and cycling account for less than one-tenth of all urban trips in the United
States, they account for one-third of all such trips in Germany and for half
the trips in the Netherlands.
And as more Europeans have embraced bicycling and walking, the activities have become safer, with fatalities declining since the mid-1970s.
Not coincidentally, Europeans are also thinner and fitter than their highway-happy American counterparts, with lower rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
What can be done about what the authors call the "appallingly unsafe, unpleasant, and inconvenient conditions faced by pedestrians and bicyclists in most American cities"? A few European-style adjustments, all of them eminently doable, might persuade Americans to leave their cars in the garage more often.
"We could have better sidewalks, auto-free zones, more bike paths," Pucher says. "We could have walking and cycling education programs in the schools. We could introduce driver training programs that make the motorist more sensitive to the dangers involved."
Other options already available in Europe include "traffic calming" of residential neighborhoods (such as speed bumps and curves); extensive auto-free zones in city centers; the introduction of "bicycle streets" where cyclists have the right of way over cars; bike systems that serve practical destinations, not just recreational attractions; and better enforcement of traffic regulations.
-
But don't wait for the United States to catch up with Europe before you
start walking and pedaling. One study found the health benefits from cycling
exceeded the risks 10-to-1. Even though it's far more dangerous to bike or
walk in the United States, the probability of getting killed is still
exceedingly low.
Anyway, I made my point (and pretty much quoted the whole article). I should go on to the next topic.
hln
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Blogroll Changes, Yet Again I
I can't seem to quit, can I? I've added The Puppy Blender, The Lemon,
Suburban Blight,
and Meryl
Yourish all to the main blogroll today.
Mom, skip Yourish for a week. She has a picture of (and a story about) an S-word. It should be off her front page soon.
I made a second list of blogs from the Alliance. I haven't linked everyone. Discriminating soul that I am, I have only about 60 - 70% of everyone. Main criteria?
hln
Mom, skip Yourish for a week. She has a picture of (and a story about) an S-word. It should be off her front page soon.
I made a second list of blogs from the Alliance. I haven't linked everyone. Discriminating soul that I am, I have only about 60 - 70% of everyone. Main criteria?
- No unjustified (gratuitous) use of the f-word. Its overuse makes me yawn. We're writing because we're writers and possess a level of skill above Mr. or Ms. Everyday. We should refrain from speaking in those individuals' voices without reason.
- Good writing style and thought process.
- Enough/oft-updated content.
hln
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The Lemon, Again
Thanks to Harvey of Bad Money for pointing out that The Lemon is yet again updated. Shamus is a riot - he's
blogrolled.
I'm a Lemontarian, too.
hln
I'm a Lemontarian, too.
hln
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Cul-de-sac
That's what I'm staring at now - rainy Labor Day Monday. No cycling today.
My Esteemed Spouse
has a blog entry highlighted by Suburban Blight's Cul-de-sac. I hadn't heard of this, but
I see now I have a lot of reading before me.
So should you.
hln
So should you.
hln
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August 31, 2003
Redesign
Redesign
Yeah, I spent some time on the site finally. I'm probably not done - think the angelweave graphic is just a bit too big, and perhaps the color scheme can be further enhanced. I'm not so good with graphics, so you see the extent of my ability there.
Any suggestions? Please drop me a line.
hln
Yeah, I spent some time on the site finally. I'm probably not done - think the angelweave graphic is just a bit too big, and perhaps the color scheme can be further enhanced. I'm not so good with graphics, so you see the extent of my ability there.
Any suggestions? Please drop me a line.
hln
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Ribs!
Ribs!
The Meatriarchy lives up to its name!
This is a lengthy post about Toronto-area (and other) Ribfests. I was hungry when I was done reading.
hln
The Meatriarchy lives up to its name!
This is a lengthy post about Toronto-area (and other) Ribfests. I was hungry when I was done reading.
hln
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So Where's the Line?
So Where's the Line?
I think this is a common difficult concept to grasp for everyone on just about every issue. I also think that Eugene Volokh does a nice job of actually examining the spectrum in regard to the Najaf bombing.
hln
I think this is a common difficult concept to grasp for everyone on just about every issue. I also think that Eugene Volokh does a nice job of actually examining the spectrum in regard to the Najaf bombing.
hln
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The Lemon - August 20, 2003
I found this linked on One Little Victory, and though it took forever to load on
my poor dial-up connection, it was well worth the wait.
The Lifecycle of a News Story
hln
The Lifecycle of a News Story
hln
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August 29, 2003
Cheese is Addictive!
Scoff! Who knew?
Yeah, another food post. We Americans like our cheese. Even I sprinkle some on my salads so that I can claim I eat a bit o' dairy.
But, please. Cheese. Opiates? Uh, no. I've eaten cheese, and I've had morphine. Never the twain shall meet.
Someone smack this goon doctor, Dr. Neal Barnard. He's obviously a "people are sheep"er just like me. Where we diverage? I say, let 'em be sheep. Or deer in headlights. Their choice. Dr. Barnard's with Physicians (sic) Committee for Responsible Medicine. Read a couple of paragraphs, and whom does this organization remind you of?
hln
Yeah, another food post. We Americans like our cheese. Even I sprinkle some on my salads so that I can claim I eat a bit o' dairy.
But, please. Cheese. Opiates? Uh, no. I've eaten cheese, and I've had morphine. Never the twain shall meet.
Someone smack this goon doctor, Dr. Neal Barnard. He's obviously a "people are sheep"er just like me. Where we diverage? I say, let 'em be sheep. Or deer in headlights. Their choice. Dr. Barnard's with Physicians (sic) Committee for Responsible Medicine. Read a couple of paragraphs, and whom does this organization remind you of?
hln
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Battle Cry!
Battle Cry!
Yeah, I had to jump on the bandwagon. Why on earth would I use boxing gloves instead of brass knuckles, though. Ponder!
Found...everywhere. I think I saw it on A Small Victory first, though (or possibly Absinthe and Cookies.
My favorite random generator? The Shakespearean insults generator!
And it's hosted by Pangloss, which will be the name of my next cat. I'll give him the proper "Dr. Pangloss" name, though.
hln
Yeah, I had to jump on the bandwagon. Why on earth would I use boxing gloves instead of brass knuckles, though. Ponder!
Found...everywhere. I think I saw it on A Small Victory first, though (or possibly Absinthe and Cookies.
My favorite random generator? The Shakespearean insults generator!
And it's hosted by Pangloss, which will be the name of my next cat. I'll give him the proper "Dr. Pangloss" name, though.
hln
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Updating the Blogroll
I'm adding four today.
Check them out.
hln
Check them out.
hln
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August 27, 2003
Carnival of the Vanities #49
I have two posts on Carnival of the Vanities this week, hosted at Creative
Slips.
I haven't quite had a chance to read everything yet, but the collection appears quite good. If you're not visiting me from there, please take a look.
hln
I haven't quite had a chance to read everything yet, but the collection appears quite good. If you're not visiting me from there, please take a look.
hln
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But _I_ Wanted to be Poet Laureate of the Alliance
Undaunted, that mad puppy blender
Insisted that fried dogs be tender
"These dogs should be thinner -
fit for my dinner.
"Pathetic!" (he spat at the vendor.)
(a.) What spawned this post b.) What else spawned this post).
hln
Insisted that fried dogs be tender
"These dogs should be thinner -
fit for my dinner.
"Pathetic!" (he spat at the vendor.)
(a.) What spawned this post b.) What else spawned this post).
hln
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