Oh Baby

I meant to get this up here yesterday, but life sometimes dictates other plans.

I originally read this story on USA Today, but I couldn't find it there today. I'd like to point out that this article refers to the unborn child of Laci Peterson as "the baby" all throughout the article. Technically, of course, a baby can be a fetus - 2nd definition on Dictionary.com

You'd think the liberal media would be a little more selective with its nomenclature. After all, abortion is legal, and we (read: women) don't abort babies, right? We abort fetuses. We abort unborn children.

Yet, in this case, which for some mind-boggling reason has captured the entire nation (perhaps life after war is boring?) an unborn child is an "infant son" and a "baby." And, obviously, this will inspire more public outrage.

Amazing.

hln

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Rapid Detox, baby

I read the USA Today article about Rapid Detox today. It was interesting in and of its own right, but, as is often the case, a certain paragraph struck me funny.

That paragraph is:

"I have detoxed attorneys and doctors on a Friday and they are back at work on a Monday and seeing patients or clients on Tuesday," says Dr. Rick Sponaugle, chief of anesthesiology at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Fla. and director of Florida Detox, located in the hospital. "We take them through the detox in a more humane way and what I believe is a less dangerous way."

"A more humane way."

Are we killing these people? Are they animals? Humane, according to dictionary.com, is defined as "Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion." Well, that's nice. I can see the corner clinics now. You've got your Walgreen's, your 7-11, your McDonald's, and your detox clinic. Will this work for smokers?

Anesthesia and drugs to combat other drugs, more cultural panacea. I mean, obviously - weekend detox is the thing, and then back to work.

hln

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Stratify

Yesterday and today I have been ravaging through cubbyholes, file cabinets, and under-the-bed boxes stuffed with paper and other mementos trying to determine the difference between detritis and keepsake. It's been a good time and a half attempt at spring cleaning, and I'm still nowhere near done, but here's the gist of it all.

An online friend recently informed me he was throwing away his life. On the surface, this is a pretty strange comment, but he meant it quite literally - throwing out/ridding himself of everything that doesn't fit in a midsize car in preparation for a long move by said car.

Immediately this set me to thinking. First, I'm established in a house - been here over three years, as a matter of fact. I sit writing in my office, and I'm fairly certain I could not fit this room's contents into my automobile. Still, I tossed the thought through my head and brought it forward as a dinner topic last evening and then set about trying to mentally stratify the things that're important to me - the female Noggle hierarchy of needs, if you will.

So here they are.

1) Brian. Obviously, I'd go nowhere without him, though this would make the task a slightly cheating one - Brian has a truck, so we'd have two automobiles to fill. But, if I could only fulfill one "need," it'd be him.

2) The cats. Plural. All of 'em. They're a collective entity because I cannot further classify the cats into taking this one and leaving that. So, all five cats and Brian in one automobile - that'd be about all she wrote. I cannot fathom a long trip with 5 cats, though. Some of us would not survive, I'm sure.

3) All of the small things that I consider sentimental. Most of these things fit in two save-it boxes (my mother's terminology) that fit under the bed. I could probably compress the really, really important things into one box. I'll talk a little about these things.

• We have a 23 year-old book mark award that says "you've read 25 books." The grape scratch and sniff component of the bookmark still works.
• A crayon-colored and torn piece of notebook paper that says "Notice! If you want to be a cat club member, call Heather Igert at 648-4894."
• Report cards from junior high, high school, and college.
• My father's, grandfather's, and grandmother's obituaries.
• A copy of my wedding invitation.
• A card from my parents, in my father's handwriting (this is rare) indicating pride and a $50 reward for all As.
• The rules of dancing, as I so aptly illustrated on a napkin to Brian when we were first dating. They include such gems as "No clapping, no snapping fingers, and no one-finger thing."
• My A+++ on "Which Did More to Shape The Development of Democracy, the American War for Independence, or the English Revolutions of the 17th Century?" Incidentally, I gave credit to the British. The whole chicken and egg thing. What else is a 15 year-old to do on this subject?
• My 9th grade spelling bee word list, containing such beauties as bilboquet, brachygraphy, casuistry, catastasis, dehiscence, fricassee, glogg, insouciance, potpourri, schipperke, tagraggery, and zaibatsu.

4) The computer. Sigh, sad, eh? The computer means I'd have the capacity to work and to communicate, though, so it is a simple choice.

5) All - the vast and volumonous quantity - of our books. It'd break down here. There's no way all of our books would fit in a vehicle, even if it were devoid of humans and felines. But books are to be kept, and, in our definition, that often means on bookcases stuffed two books deep.

6) Clothing - yeah, this doesn't seem to practical, but clothes can be replaced, or, actually, I'd probably cheat and ship them because it's cheaper than shipping books.

7) Anything else - CDs, DVDs, the various material things that are nice but not necessary.

So, there's my thought for the day and a large chunk of my weekend's activity; my recycle bin out back is a very full and bustling place.

hln

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Tsk, Tsk, Fitness magazine I

I think Fitness magazine will only be a one-year subscription for me. It's trying to be Shape and Muscle & Fitness Hers, but it just can't put enough meat on the sandwich.

And it does things like this.

In the July, 2003 issue, we have the usual - lose weight, tone bikini body, conquer emotional eating, blah blah blah. On page 39, there's a "success story" of a woman who's 5'10 and 165 pounds. She's got a hearty build, and she looks fine. Of course, she used to weigh 310 pounds, so this 165, normal-looking, non-chunky weight, is good. We knew this - yay, go team. Then, on page 90, there's another woman's picture and her story. She's 5'1 and has dropped down to 135 pounds and appears quite fit. Just for comparison, add 5 pounds for every inch of height. I'm 5'8, so at her build elongated, I'd be about 170, which is a bit hefty, but, if you're fit and appear fit, Fitness will endorse you, obviously. Go Fitness.

Now, on pages 94 - 98, lurks the article "The Face of Fitness." The magazine selected three young women who "epitomize our mind/body/spirit philosophy." Oh, I need to mention, too, they're all STICK THIN. Specs: 5'9 and 120, 5'8 and 122, 5'8 and 115. The first one has some muscle to her - nice shoulders at least.

Ectomorphs! Ladies on pages 39 and 90, take heed! You need to lose weight in order to be a sleek fly-away female. I'm trying to imagine myself at 120, and I think my hip bones would cause pain to anything with which they had contact. "Don't run into that Heather chick in the elevator - she'll hurtcha." Who wants to see your hip bones anyway? Sir Mix-a-lot is puking, I'm sure. Is that a NuvaRing, or is that your waist?

Fitness, you bad scaly dog, you. Pick an ectomorph, a mesomorph, and an endomorph, please. This is not the ideal against which all women should aspire.

hln

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The verdict, positive

I checked on May 17th, but I didn't find anything definitive. I've been gone all week, but in the St. Lous Post-Dispatch today, there was a small article about the defeat of Missouri SB 668, the bill that would make it a Class D felony to photograph animal facilities without prior consent.

Here's the info from the Humane Society. hln

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Terror Alerts

Ah, it was so confusing, but now it is so much clearer.

hln

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Scientific Study Proves

Or something like that. I'm outta here until Friday - out of town. Required reading? Rachel Lucas

I sent her this e-mail this morning, not agreeing with her post about guns. This is odd - usually I agree with just about everything Rachel says, but this seems over the top. My e-mail to her:

Rachel,

First, I read this yesterday. Post Dispatch Story about Escaped Rapist

Briefly, it's an article about a woman who was raped in 1975 by a particularly vindictive man (purported to be highly intelligent). For the most part, it doesn't portray her as kooky (only move in that direction is when they mention she has gun in every room of the house), so the media gets some credit for that.

When I read your blog entry, your post reminded me of that woman. I'd like to offer a few paragraphs about guns from a different perspective. Gun ownership/usage is a choice.

I grew up with guns in the home. They were not toys - they were my father's deer hunting rifles, and they were kept under the bed, and I was not allowed near "under the bed." Obviously, they were not loaded with a child in the home, but there was this instilled respect for the guns. There are pictures of me as a child standing next to hanging newly shot deer in the garage. (Oh, and my father the biologist ensured we ate every edible inch of the deer).

Somehow, some way, though, perhaps because I am a girl, I never learned to shoot. When my father died, my mother gave me one of my father's shotguns, and I keep it in the closet (no ammunition in the house because I don't know how to shoot - don't ever want the possibility of the gun being a weapon AGAINST me) until such time that it strikes me it's time to learn.

My uncle collects civil war guns.

For your sister, hopefully she is right. And, looking at most people's lives, she is. Most people, thankfully, do NOT need guns. For me, someday the time will be right to learn to shoot. Until then, I have my stature (both attitude/general demeanor and physical size) and craftiness to deter would-be attackers to find simpler prey before the attack point.

Thanks for writing. I enjoy reading.

hln

(This exercise is also known is a two-fer. Running lowwwww on time).

Back Friday.

hln

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Perspicacity - Absent

I read about this for the first time today and immediately tagged <blog>it</blog>. First, a small summary, lest the entire article in its full journalistic glorified simplicity not beckon your attention. Two people were killed when the two defendents were "drag racing" on a public street and struck a Geo Storm at high speed. From another article, I discerned that the deceased driver was attempting to make a left turn across traffic - the drag racers being the traffic. It also states "the men were crusing down a city avenue." Because I must sleep soon, however, I'll pick only a snippet and comment (read: rant) about it. And it won't be the most obvious piece. I feed you this paragon of paragraphs:

The defendants, who are seeking manslaughter convictions, which carry terms ranging from probation to about 12 years in prison, testified earlier this week that they were totally unaware that illegal street racing posed a deadly risk to others and could not have anticipated the accident.

Okay. Let us begin with the very simple automobile. This machine often zooms along major roadways in speeds, often condoned by the government, of, roughly, 60 - 70 mph. Such pavement is typically called an interstate highway, and cars can only access said highway at certain points; this situation is very controlled. The defendents were purportedly traveling at speeds "reaching" 87 mph on a city road. Danger? You betcha. In my research of defending my "you dolts" stance, I offer this nugget wherein the author states:

Using data from actual road crashes, scientists at the University of Adelaide estimated the relative risk of a car becoming involved in a casualty crash – a car crash in which people are killed or hospitalised – for cars travelling at or above 60 kilometres/hour. They found that the risk doubled for every 5 kilometres/hour above 60 kilometres/hour. Thus, a car travelling at 65 kilometres/hour was twice as likely to be involved in a casualty crash as one travelling at 60. For a car travelling at 70 kilometres/hour, the risk increased fourfold.

And, remember, these Aussies are talking kilometers. While the defendants may or may not be scholars of physics (I'll posit that they are not), a few other simple facts remain. I'll enumerate. 1) In response to, "could not have anticipated this accident" - oh puhleeez. Has neither of these gentlemen ever been rear-ended on the front end by a Lexus SUV backing into them in a parking lot? Oh, I guess that happens only to me. Accidents happen for many reasons - carelessness of one or another driver, driving conditions, averting other, more serious accidents - a full gamut of reasons, and some of them are rational. Don't begin to feign that you are not worthy of the label of "human" by purporting to be so ignorant of death and destruction that can happen when automobiles collide in an unplanned fashion. Outright dismissal of the danger is only a full-handed slap in the faces of the loved ones left to grieve. Do you know the danger now, I have to ask? 2) A public street? You know, there are some of those in your neighborhoods. Some have multiple lanes, probably speed limits of 30 - 40 mph but everyone drives 50, sometimes 60, and that's not really a big deal because there are intersections and controls and some modicum of control from driver to driver. As you make your left turn across traffic to complete your commute to the dry cleaner (in whose parking lot you'd BEST NOT PARK IN THE FIRE LANE - 'cause I'll getcha), do you expect to be confronted with screaming metal whizzing by? No! And, as a driver, are you not always, at least subconsciously alert for childrendogspedestriansrabbitsbirdsbicyclistsstudentdrivers? Yes, those things occur in nature. As far as the murder/manslaughter continuum, my head and heart collide. My heart wants the stronger charge, but my head calmly states that there's no intent to kill here. Rationally, there's no paper/rocks/scissors with this decision. Head's always got to win the argument, and, I believe the 2nd degree murder charge will not prevail. In my world, though, these two should never drive again. hln

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Talking Smack

I read this article twice, chuckling, and thought: I must narrate this. And so we go...

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Nintendo Co. Ltd., whose portable Game Boy video game player has dominated that market since the 1980s, shrugged off Sony Corp.'s plans to unveil a rival device and instead focused its efforts on new games.

Sony has already raced past Nintendo to the top of the game console market since launching its PlayStation franchise nearly 10 years ago. Sony now wants to take on the handheld market with its new "PSP" handheld device that will debut by the end of 2004.

"The fact that they are putting a lot of features into it (PSP) is very Sony-like, but at the moment we dominate the handheld market and there is no need for us to be overly concerned right now," Iwata said Tuesday at a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video game industry trade show. "We will continue to do what we do best."

Nintendo's new Game Boy Advance SP handheld was released in March, and the $99 device has been hailed as Nintendo's best yet. Sony did not offer a price for the PSP but said it would be available in the fourth quarter of 2004. Iwata said Nintendo would continue to focus on creativity in games, especially those that link the Game Boy and its GameCube console, which has struggled in the market after Microsoft Corp. launched its competing Xbox game console 18 months ago. The GameCube, a major disappointment in the last fiscal year, trails both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft' Xbox.

Both Sony and Microsoft announced major hardware upgrades to their consoles this week, but Nintendo instead focused its efforts on new gaming titles and "connectivity" between the Game Boy and GameCube. Aiming to bolster the console's sales, Nintendo showed a number of new games at its news conference, including a revival of the arcade classic Pac Man, a multi-player affair that will let one player act as the little yellow pellet-muncher and three other players serve as the ghosts that chase him.

Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Nintendo's hugely popular Mario Brothers games, previewed an upcoming version of the Legend of Zelda series that will let four Game Boy players interact in the same Zelda game using their own screens as well as with a GameCube console hooked up to a TV.

"Make no mistake .... This time we will not give our competitors a head start," Iwata said.

At any rate, a little lighter this evening.

hln

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Brains, in absentia If this

Brains, in absentia

If this article were about the French, we wouldn't bother to read it because it's just stating the obvious. Oops, these were British, though, and not living people.

hln

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Missouri Federation of Animal Owners

Missouri Federation of Animal Owners

Following up on Sunday's post, I visited the website of a group whose lobbyist spoke on behalf of the bill to make photographing animal facilities without prior written consent a felony.

I was greeted with some annoying music and bad web design, but, yes, you're allowed to call me on that ad hominem attack that it is. In scrolling text (at least it wasn't blinking), the site reminded me that:

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils of this world are to be cured by legislation." Thomas B. Reed (1886).

Amen.

THEN WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING?

This is my second attempt to try to post this. Blogger ate the first post, so you get my truncated morning view instead of my prolonged evening view. The evening view contained a paragraph-long preachy rant about people, animals, responsibility, and people and their responsibility to their chosen companion animals. I'll skip that for now, but if anyone is unclear about the number of healthy animals that are put to death because they are unwanted (basic supply and demand, folks), I am more than willing to put together a post on that.

hln

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The Universe, explained Yes, really.

The Universe, explained

Yes, really.

hln

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The Bike

Well, not much time this evening due to procrastination and reading of others' thoughts, but, here's the bike and its specs. The bike gets a new seat tomorrow, as that thing that's currently attached to it does not house my rear in a comfortable fashion for five miles, let alone 150. Change is imminent. I had something heady planned for this evening, a rant even, but it shall wait until the weekend. Giant OCR 3 - a nice bike indeed.

hln

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