...and it never fails to crack me up.
:) Happy Hallowen everyone!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A Canary in a Coal Mine?
Life for a canary in a coal mine could be described in three words - short but useful.
Early coal mines did not feature modern ventilation systems, so miners would bring a caged canary into new coal tunnels. Canaries are very sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, making them ideal for detecting dangerous gases.
As long as the canary kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was breathable. A dead canary signalled an immediate evacuation.
Recently, I read an article by David Handelsman in Applied Clinical Trials, titled, "A Digital Canary in a Coal Mine?", October 2009 and found the implications fascinating. You can read it (here) but I'm going to try to summarize it for you.
Mr. Handelsman's premise is that as people grow more comfortable with blogs, Facebook, and Twitter (called social media), public comment regarding medical situations will get both more readily available and more inaccurate.
His initial thoughts focused on "text mining" social media to identify very early potential health warning signals. He notes that the speed with which news of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) spread had more to do with social media than for any other reason.
As recently as just one or two years ago, news of the virus would have appeared first on mainstream news sites, followed by emails to friends and family referencing the news. Today, friend networks, blog feeds, tweets, and other messages spread news of the potential flu pandemic via its own "cyber" pandemic.
He claims that there is useful content within social media. For example, the HPV vaccine was approved for use in the spring of 2006. Shortly thereafter, the recipients of the vaccine (primarily teenagers) began documenting their experiences online through various, often personal, social media outlets.
That information, because it was delivered through social media outlets, was available virtually immediately to not only individual readers but also computerized systems that can gather, interpret and analyze this content. Big brother may well be watching you right this very minute!
Today, Drug safety is dependent on an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated spontaneous adverse event reporting procedure. Various medical clinics, hospitals, doctor's offices gather information and enter it into databases on their own computer systems where eventually it reaches the FDA. None of these various databases are available in real time and furthermore systems such as these are privately-held and subject to privacy regulations.
There is really no doubt that these data sources are extensive and provide the most accurate and comprehensive data to identify true safety signals, but they are very slow in signalling an alarm. The true early warning system lies in the ability to mine and analyze the real-time data available through social media.
To see how this might work, let's look into a potentially very real future, where a new, virulent, flu virus is spreading rapidly, and a new vaccine has been distributed.
It is easy to imagine clinics administering vaccinations around the clock, but how can the success or failure of those efforts be rapidly determined?
Certainly, government officials will look to selected caregivers to report flu-related clinic visits, but even that information will take time to aggregate and review.
Instead, imagine Twitter being used to give an indication about the number of flu patients seen and vaccinated. That information, however inaccurate, is available within minutes. Thus it might be the early warning system that indicates success or failure, and enables health officials to quickly take the most appropriate next steps.
Social media is rapidly evolving, and it is unclear exactly what role it will, or should, play regarding health care and many other, yet unthought about, uses.
What is clear is that social media will play a role in the future. We might embrace it as a digital canary in a coal mine, alerting us to possible problems long before we can detect them ourselves.
How's that for food for thought - you Facebook and Tweeter types?
Early coal mines did not feature modern ventilation systems, so miners would bring a caged canary into new coal tunnels. Canaries are very sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, making them ideal for detecting dangerous gases.
As long as the canary kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was breathable. A dead canary signalled an immediate evacuation.
Recently, I read an article by David Handelsman in Applied Clinical Trials, titled, "A Digital Canary in a Coal Mine?", October 2009 and found the implications fascinating. You can read it (here) but I'm going to try to summarize it for you.
Mr. Handelsman's premise is that as people grow more comfortable with blogs, Facebook, and Twitter (called social media), public comment regarding medical situations will get both more readily available and more inaccurate.
His initial thoughts focused on "text mining" social media to identify very early potential health warning signals. He notes that the speed with which news of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) spread had more to do with social media than for any other reason.
As recently as just one or two years ago, news of the virus would have appeared first on mainstream news sites, followed by emails to friends and family referencing the news. Today, friend networks, blog feeds, tweets, and other messages spread news of the potential flu pandemic via its own "cyber" pandemic.
He claims that there is useful content within social media. For example, the HPV vaccine was approved for use in the spring of 2006. Shortly thereafter, the recipients of the vaccine (primarily teenagers) began documenting their experiences online through various, often personal, social media outlets.
That information, because it was delivered through social media outlets, was available virtually immediately to not only individual readers but also computerized systems that can gather, interpret and analyze this content. Big brother may well be watching you right this very minute!
Today, Drug safety is dependent on an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated spontaneous adverse event reporting procedure. Various medical clinics, hospitals, doctor's offices gather information and enter it into databases on their own computer systems where eventually it reaches the FDA. None of these various databases are available in real time and furthermore systems such as these are privately-held and subject to privacy regulations.
There is really no doubt that these data sources are extensive and provide the most accurate and comprehensive data to identify true safety signals, but they are very slow in signalling an alarm. The true early warning system lies in the ability to mine and analyze the real-time data available through social media.
To see how this might work, let's look into a potentially very real future, where a new, virulent, flu virus is spreading rapidly, and a new vaccine has been distributed.
It is easy to imagine clinics administering vaccinations around the clock, but how can the success or failure of those efforts be rapidly determined?
Certainly, government officials will look to selected caregivers to report flu-related clinic visits, but even that information will take time to aggregate and review.
Instead, imagine Twitter being used to give an indication about the number of flu patients seen and vaccinated. That information, however inaccurate, is available within minutes. Thus it might be the early warning system that indicates success or failure, and enables health officials to quickly take the most appropriate next steps.
Social media is rapidly evolving, and it is unclear exactly what role it will, or should, play regarding health care and many other, yet unthought about, uses.
What is clear is that social media will play a role in the future. We might embrace it as a digital canary in a coal mine, alerting us to possible problems long before we can detect them ourselves.
How's that for food for thought - you Facebook and Tweeter types?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Enders Falls, West Granby CT
Last week, while I was in Connecticut, I visited Enders Falls, in Enders State Forest along Route 219 in West Granby quickly during a lunch break. This forest is a hidden gem, easily accessible by a short trail from the parking lot.
There is actually a series of 5 cascades along Mountain Brook in this 2000+ acre preserve that straddles the towns of West Granby and Barkhamsted in North Central Connecticut.
The park was donated by the J. O. Enders family in 1981, becoming its present size with an additional purchase by the state in 2002.
I just wanted to sit there and enjoy the sights and sounds of the falling water but couldn't stay long. I hope to go back someday.
A site with pictures taken by others is (here)
There is actually a series of 5 cascades along Mountain Brook in this 2000+ acre preserve that straddles the towns of West Granby and Barkhamsted in North Central Connecticut.
The park was donated by the J. O. Enders family in 1981, becoming its present size with an additional purchase by the state in 2002.
I just wanted to sit there and enjoy the sights and sounds of the falling water but couldn't stay long. I hope to go back someday.
A site with pictures taken by others is (here)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
How You See Things
I got this in an e-mail and thought it was worth sharing.
-------------
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it.
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church Update!
Gee, I go away for a week and when I get back, I don't recognize the Korean church building across the street anymore...
I wrote about the colors of the Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church here -
And as you can see, they are still jack-hammering and digging and repaving and making a mess out there on Main Street...and the Orange Conehead dudes are still staring at me.
Maybe those industrious folks across the street read my blog? Did they think I was being critical?
What do you think? Do you prefer reddish-pink or blue walls along the steps?
I wrote about the colors of the Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church here -
And as you can see, they are still jack-hammering and digging and repaving and making a mess out there on Main Street...and the Orange Conehead dudes are still staring at me.
Maybe those industrious folks across the street read my blog? Did they think I was being critical?
What do you think? Do you prefer reddish-pink or blue walls along the steps?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Unexpected Trip
Hi!
I'm back home after an unexpected business trip to Connecticut. I'm way behind in reading and commenting. I don't know when I will be able to catch up but I will be trying my best! I doing okay - I did have a little accident on Friday - clumsy me - I "nearly" dropped computer server and it was a choice between letting it mash my left pointer finger or perhaps having it fall to the floor and being out of $2,500.
So I got some black fingernails and nice cut. I was tempted to tape off the server room with some bright yellow bio-hazard tape but later thought that just might possibly freak my client out a little - so I spent 10 minutes mopping up where I leaked a bit. It never fails to amaze me how much stuff our skin holds inside of us.
I am not sure but I think I will be heading back to Connecticut or going to the Florida panhandle for an unspecified amount a time in the next week or two. So I might go poof again - but never fear, like a bad case of herpes... I'll be back...
Last week, early one morning I was drinking my coffee before heading over to continue work near Hartford Connecticut, I spotted this group of birds pecking away at the ground outside my window. I was ready, having my camera already at hand for some hoped for foliage shots - and can share with you a flock (gaggle?) of wild turki. I decided to pluralize turkeys as turki. I don't know why, I just got a mental block on the spelling.
I uploaded some photographs I took at Enders State Forest in to my Flickr sidebar. The Salman River runs through a granite gorge in West Granby, Connecticut. Simply spectacular - I had to rush there over a lunch break so I couldn't explore it much.
I hope everyone is well - I have missed you all.
I'm back home after an unexpected business trip to Connecticut. I'm way behind in reading and commenting. I don't know when I will be able to catch up but I will be trying my best! I doing okay - I did have a little accident on Friday - clumsy me - I "nearly" dropped computer server and it was a choice between letting it mash my left pointer finger or perhaps having it fall to the floor and being out of $2,500.
So I got some black fingernails and nice cut. I was tempted to tape off the server room with some bright yellow bio-hazard tape but later thought that just might possibly freak my client out a little - so I spent 10 minutes mopping up where I leaked a bit. It never fails to amaze me how much stuff our skin holds inside of us.
I am not sure but I think I will be heading back to Connecticut or going to the Florida panhandle for an unspecified amount a time in the next week or two. So I might go poof again - but never fear, like a bad case of herpes... I'll be back...
Last week, early one morning I was drinking my coffee before heading over to continue work near Hartford Connecticut, I spotted this group of birds pecking away at the ground outside my window. I was ready, having my camera already at hand for some hoped for foliage shots - and can share with you a flock (gaggle?) of wild turki. I decided to pluralize turkeys as turki. I don't know why, I just got a mental block on the spelling.
I uploaded some photographs I took at Enders State Forest in to my Flickr sidebar. The Salman River runs through a granite gorge in West Granby, Connecticut. Simply spectacular - I had to rush there over a lunch break so I couldn't explore it much.
I hope everyone is well - I have missed you all.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Fall Foliage of Times Past
When the weather improves, I will try to add some more foliage shots to my collection.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
My Older Brother in Belfry
My parents lived in the "booming metropolis" known as Belfry, PA after my older brother was born.
Belfry was, and perhaps still is, located on Skippack Pike (Route 73) about a mile northwest of Center Square. It was merely a station stop on the Stony Creek Railroad, built in 1884, which runs 11-miles from Norristown through the Norristown Farm Park to Lansdale.
The railroad later became the Stony Creek Branch of the Reading Railroad and is now operated by CSX and is still used for freight.
My parents have often told me stories about how the once-a-night freight train would rumble by in the dark of the wee hours of the night and severely rattle the cottage they rented a few yards from the tracks.
I recently found this photograph of my older brother cleaning the toilet at that rented cottage - he would have been roughly one year old on the date stamped on the picture, so I suspect he is hanging on to the brush simply to hold himself up.
I'm willing to bet he hasn't cleaned any toilets since that time.
I remember seeing freight cars on the Stony Creek branch from the windows my elementary school in West Point, PA where they delivered materials to and from Merck and Co. The West Point Elementary School was torn down a long time ago and is now a parking lot owned by Merck.
This is me at the kindergarten building of the West Point Elementary School. I vaguely remember being in a school play, hence the guards costume. The railroad ran directly behind this building.
Belfry was, and perhaps still is, located on Skippack Pike (Route 73) about a mile northwest of Center Square. It was merely a station stop on the Stony Creek Railroad, built in 1884, which runs 11-miles from Norristown through the Norristown Farm Park to Lansdale.
The railroad later became the Stony Creek Branch of the Reading Railroad and is now operated by CSX and is still used for freight.
My parents have often told me stories about how the once-a-night freight train would rumble by in the dark of the wee hours of the night and severely rattle the cottage they rented a few yards from the tracks.
I recently found this photograph of my older brother cleaning the toilet at that rented cottage - he would have been roughly one year old on the date stamped on the picture, so I suspect he is hanging on to the brush simply to hold himself up.
I'm willing to bet he hasn't cleaned any toilets since that time.
I remember seeing freight cars on the Stony Creek branch from the windows my elementary school in West Point, PA where they delivered materials to and from Merck and Co. The West Point Elementary School was torn down a long time ago and is now a parking lot owned by Merck.
This is me at the kindergarten building of the West Point Elementary School. I vaguely remember being in a school play, hence the guards costume. The railroad ran directly behind this building.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
All Aboard! All Aboard, Please!
Taking a cue from Martha in PA's The Daily Grind and Martha's Menagerie, I decided to create a collage of some pictures I took last Saturday while taking an early morning train ride in very dreary weather to see the changing fall foliage.
As an aside, while reading some of my favorite blogs, I sometimes feel like George Wilson from the Dennis the Menace comic strip:
"Marthaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
:)
The 2 and 1/2 hour, 28-mile round trip, went from Pennsburg, PA to Emmaus, PA and back.
Emmaus, located 5 miles southwest of Allentown, PA was listed as one of the top 100 "Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine and is named after the biblical town where according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was seen by disciples following his crucifixion and resurrection.
Pennsburg was built on land William Penn purchased from the Lenape Indians for "two watch coats, four pairs of stockings and four bottles of cider".
Both Pennsburg and Emmaus are typical small towns in eastern Pennsylvania. As was the case with many of the towns found along the Reading Railroad, cigar-making was one of the largest employers in the late 1800's.
The Perkiomen Railroad was completed in 1875. The excursion trip went through the 1,798-foot-long Dillinger Tunnel, also completed in 1875, and passed several remaining stations from the former Reading Railroad's Perkiomen Branch.
From the beginning, the branch was leased and operated by the Reading Railroad and the Reading Company eventually absorbed the branch in 1945. Never a very successful railroad branch line, passenger service ceased on July 15, 1955.
In 1974, the 15 mile stretch between Collegeville and Pennsburg was abandoned and in 1978 was transformed by Montgomery County into the Perkiomen Trail that I so much enjoy walking on.
In 1976, the 143 year old, bankrupt Reading Company ceased railroad operations and transferred most of its assets to the federal government-backed ConRail System.
Freight service continues on short parts of both ends of the original branch today. After changing hands a couple of times (Anthracite Railway, then the Blue Mountain and Reading), the northern-most remnant of the Perkiomen Railroad is now operated by the East Pennsylvania Railways. It was on this section, the fall foliage excursion took place.
The excursion train itself was headed by two Reading FP7 passenger locomotives, built by General Motors' Electro Motive Division (EMD) in La Grange, Illinois in 1950. Each of these engines weight 255,100 pounds and is nearly 55 feet long. The V-16 diesel engine produce 1500 horsepower and have a top speed of 89 mph. Each of these locomotives also have, what is today considered small in railroad locomotive terms, 1,200 gallon fuel tanks.
These engines are beautifully restored and currently owned by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society.
The passenger coaches were on loan from the Morristown & Erie Railway in New Jersey.
As an aside, while reading some of my favorite blogs, I sometimes feel like George Wilson from the Dennis the Menace comic strip:
"Marthaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
:)
The 2 and 1/2 hour, 28-mile round trip, went from Pennsburg, PA to Emmaus, PA and back.
Emmaus, located 5 miles southwest of Allentown, PA was listed as one of the top 100 "Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine and is named after the biblical town where according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was seen by disciples following his crucifixion and resurrection.
Pennsburg was built on land William Penn purchased from the Lenape Indians for "two watch coats, four pairs of stockings and four bottles of cider".
Both Pennsburg and Emmaus are typical small towns in eastern Pennsylvania. As was the case with many of the towns found along the Reading Railroad, cigar-making was one of the largest employers in the late 1800's.
The Perkiomen Railroad was completed in 1875. The excursion trip went through the 1,798-foot-long Dillinger Tunnel, also completed in 1875, and passed several remaining stations from the former Reading Railroad's Perkiomen Branch.
From the beginning, the branch was leased and operated by the Reading Railroad and the Reading Company eventually absorbed the branch in 1945. Never a very successful railroad branch line, passenger service ceased on July 15, 1955.
In 1974, the 15 mile stretch between Collegeville and Pennsburg was abandoned and in 1978 was transformed by Montgomery County into the Perkiomen Trail that I so much enjoy walking on.
In 1976, the 143 year old, bankrupt Reading Company ceased railroad operations and transferred most of its assets to the federal government-backed ConRail System.
Freight service continues on short parts of both ends of the original branch today. After changing hands a couple of times (Anthracite Railway, then the Blue Mountain and Reading), the northern-most remnant of the Perkiomen Railroad is now operated by the East Pennsylvania Railways. It was on this section, the fall foliage excursion took place.
The excursion train itself was headed by two Reading FP7 passenger locomotives, built by General Motors' Electro Motive Division (EMD) in La Grange, Illinois in 1950. Each of these engines weight 255,100 pounds and is nearly 55 feet long. The V-16 diesel engine produce 1500 horsepower and have a top speed of 89 mph. Each of these locomotives also have, what is today considered small in railroad locomotive terms, 1,200 gallon fuel tanks.
These engines are beautifully restored and currently owned by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society.
The passenger coaches were on loan from the Morristown & Erie Railway in New Jersey.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church
Please forgive me if I've not been very good with answering e-mails or commenting lately. I have waited for a few days in the hopes of being in a better frame of mind before writing a new entry here. Hopefully the "raindrops have stopped falling on my head", at least for the time being.
-------------------------
Thanks to English subtitles, I've recently begun watching several television shows at night on the Korean language station. The shows span the centuries, one being called "The Iron Empress" set in year 920 AD-ish to the "Jolly Widows", a current Korean drama about two women who became widows at the same time.
"The Iron Empress" is the granddaughter of Wang Gun, the first emperor of Goryeo (Korea). She has inherited her grandfather´s vision as well as his Great Spirit. The empress fights against the enemies trying to collapse Goryeo, and as "The Iron Empress", she gets rid of her brother, son, and even her lover, for the good of the empire.
Of course, the need for a Korean language television channel is driven by the large number of Koreans that have settled in the Lansdale area over recent years. In fact, I think there are at least five Korean Churches near my office. The one directly across the street from the office I work is one, the Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church.
Kyunghyang is a national daily South Korean newspaper. Kyung Hyang also seems to be a very common name in Korea.
Kyung means "Soul" and I believe Hyang means "Homeland". Poetically, the phrase might mean "the butterfly must go to the flower."
In any event, the Church building was recently bought by a Korean congregation and they have spent a lot of time cleaning, painting, landscaping and in other ways making their Church building a very inviting place.
Notice there is an English language service at 13:00 hours or 1:00 PM for those of you that "don't do military time."
The fresh paint was really a vivid addition to my out the window visual scenery.
In the earlier days of the church it was understood that a soldier could not pursue an enemy that had entered through the red doors of a church.
The red doors were a symbol of refuge and sanctuary for all people who entered. To all concerned the red on the doors signified the blood of Christ that had been shed so that all who came to him could be saved. Anyone who passed through those doors was safe as long as they stayed behind them.
The color white is very special to Koreans. It symbolizes purity and cleanliness. Koreans have traditionally worn white both as little babies and as old folks ready to die.
The color blue symbolizes integrity and it also denotes gentleness and peace.
Connected to the back of the original church is the classroom wing.
Diversity often leads to social tension as do cultural differences.
Having watched a few Korean television shows, being mindful that television is not reality, I can readily appreciate the Korean culture and their pride in it. From a warlord / agrarian society beset by Mongolians, Chinese, and the Japanese, these people have over the centuries, forged themselves into a proud and honorable society.
Having watched them enthusiastically volunteer to maintain their new Church building; I welcome these folks to Lansdale and hope their new home is blessed with peace and integrity for many years to come.
Thanks to English subtitles, I've recently begun watching several television shows at night on the Korean language station. The shows span the centuries, one being called "The Iron Empress" set in year 920 AD-ish to the "Jolly Widows", a current Korean drama about two women who became widows at the same time.
"The Iron Empress" is the granddaughter of Wang Gun, the first emperor of Goryeo (Korea). She has inherited her grandfather´s vision as well as his Great Spirit. The empress fights against the enemies trying to collapse Goryeo, and as "The Iron Empress", she gets rid of her brother, son, and even her lover, for the good of the empire.
Of course, the need for a Korean language television channel is driven by the large number of Koreans that have settled in the Lansdale area over recent years. In fact, I think there are at least five Korean Churches near my office. The one directly across the street from the office I work is one, the Kyung Hyang Presbyterian Church.
Kyunghyang is a national daily South Korean newspaper. Kyung Hyang also seems to be a very common name in Korea.
Kyung means "Soul" and I believe Hyang means "Homeland". Poetically, the phrase might mean "the butterfly must go to the flower."
In any event, the Church building was recently bought by a Korean congregation and they have spent a lot of time cleaning, painting, landscaping and in other ways making their Church building a very inviting place.
Notice there is an English language service at 13:00 hours or 1:00 PM for those of you that "don't do military time."
The fresh paint was really a vivid addition to my out the window visual scenery.
In the earlier days of the church it was understood that a soldier could not pursue an enemy that had entered through the red doors of a church.
The red doors were a symbol of refuge and sanctuary for all people who entered. To all concerned the red on the doors signified the blood of Christ that had been shed so that all who came to him could be saved. Anyone who passed through those doors was safe as long as they stayed behind them.
The color white is very special to Koreans. It symbolizes purity and cleanliness. Koreans have traditionally worn white both as little babies and as old folks ready to die.
The color blue symbolizes integrity and it also denotes gentleness and peace.
Connected to the back of the original church is the classroom wing.
Diversity often leads to social tension as do cultural differences.
Having watched a few Korean television shows, being mindful that television is not reality, I can readily appreciate the Korean culture and their pride in it. From a warlord / agrarian society beset by Mongolians, Chinese, and the Japanese, these people have over the centuries, forged themselves into a proud and honorable society.
Having watched them enthusiastically volunteer to maintain their new Church building; I welcome these folks to Lansdale and hope their new home is blessed with peace and integrity for many years to come.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Weekend Wordle
It's that time of week again!
It's time for Shan's Weekend Wordles.
Here's what you do:
1) Go to Wordle.net to create your Wordle.
2) Post it on your blog with a link to Shan's Week~End Wordles or Last Shreds Of Sanity.
3) Once that's done, go back to Last Shreds Of Sanity and sign the Mr Linky that she'll have up - this will help direct those who play along to your blog.
"The distinguished American poet Edgar Allan Poe, was impoverished before he died, and found delirious and distressed outside a Baltimore tavern after leaving Richmond, Virginia a week before. He never regained his senses enough to relay what had happened to him.
He died four days later in hospital on October 7, 1849.
Fewer than 10 people attended Poe's original funeral 160 years ago. The funeral itself was hastily prepared, and Poe's cousin, Neilson Poe, never formally announced his death.
His funeral was plagued from the beginning when a train derailed, crashing into the stonecutter's yard, destroying Poe's tombstone before it could be installed. Also, Rufus Griswold, an enemy of Poe's, wrote a libelous obituary that damaged Poe's reputation for many years to come.
This Sunday, in Baltimore, Maryland, in probably the splashiest of events marking the 200th birthday of the famous writer, his funeral will be held again, this time in a fashion befitting a man recognized as one of America's greatest writers.
Two services are planned at the former church next to his actual grave. Each service will allow 350 guests, the most that the church will hold."
Quoted from News source
From Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven
A much cooler, "The Raven"-based wordle can be found (here)
It's time for Shan's Weekend Wordles.
Here's what you do:
1) Go to Wordle.net to create your Wordle.
2) Post it on your blog with a link to Shan's Week~End Wordles or Last Shreds Of Sanity.
3) Once that's done, go back to Last Shreds Of Sanity and sign the Mr Linky that she'll have up - this will help direct those who play along to your blog.
"The distinguished American poet Edgar Allan Poe, was impoverished before he died, and found delirious and distressed outside a Baltimore tavern after leaving Richmond, Virginia a week before. He never regained his senses enough to relay what had happened to him.
He died four days later in hospital on October 7, 1849.
Fewer than 10 people attended Poe's original funeral 160 years ago. The funeral itself was hastily prepared, and Poe's cousin, Neilson Poe, never formally announced his death.
His funeral was plagued from the beginning when a train derailed, crashing into the stonecutter's yard, destroying Poe's tombstone before it could be installed. Also, Rufus Griswold, an enemy of Poe's, wrote a libelous obituary that damaged Poe's reputation for many years to come.
This Sunday, in Baltimore, Maryland, in probably the splashiest of events marking the 200th birthday of the famous writer, his funeral will be held again, this time in a fashion befitting a man recognized as one of America's greatest writers.
Two services are planned at the former church next to his actual grave. Each service will allow 350 guests, the most that the church will hold."
Quoted from News source
From Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
''Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'
A much cooler, "The Raven"-based wordle can be found (here)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Why "My" Government(s) Disgust Me (R/WP)
(Part 1 of what could be 1,000s)
Yes, I wrote governments plural. During my normal work day, I am affected by Lower Providence Township, Whitpain Township, Upper Gwynedd Township, The Methacton School Board, the Borough of Lansdale, Montgomery County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal governments. I'm convinced we can survive without at least half of these...
Thank gosh I don't commute to New Jersey or Delaware like many of the residents in my area do, to further compound the ... disgust.
Today, after spending the entire day dealing with various (I counted 14) business taxes, permits, and other "required" items necessary to try to run a business in this state - and not actually getting around to doing anything productive in terms of our economy, I decided to get some fresh air and try to clear my head of the gov-babble-speak by taking a walk.
Not having even driven into the parking lot, I encounter a "Speed Limit - 10 MPH" sign that was never enforced and people ignored it.
The fix?
A couple speed bumps which people now drive in the grass to get around instead of slowing down. Enforcement of the speed limit? Still nil or at least never witnessed in hundreds of hours of walking there. The reason this is even noteworthy is that the Township Police are headquartered in the building adjacent to this parking lot.
I start to walk around the park, noticing the usual amounts of trash, that I pick up along the way, when I encounter this gem denoting the "Ball Park Rules":
Let see now, this is a township sign listing "rules". I see a couple things that are not rules at all, a couple of these so-called "rules" actually contradict each other - and some more unenforced (but refreshingly polite) "rules" which are actually unenforced laws and one is ambiguous to the point of causing headache.
Let's give it a run down. "Ball Park Permit Holders Have Priority" contradicts "Share Field with Others."
I'm sorry but "Players must supply their own bases" and "Sliding into bases may cause injury" are not "rules" at all.
Unenforced are "No spectators in playing area"; I'm not even sure this is a "rule" or if it is really just a suggestion, and the same with "No climbing on backstop or fence". As an aside, there are no fences to be found here.
"Please put trash in receptacles" is an unenforced law.
I've called the Township to no avail to get clarification on "Fields open from dawn to dusk"; my troubles with this are two-fold. When is "dawn" and "dusk"? Did you know there were at least 4 legal definitions of dusk? And more importantly to me, does this mean the entire park is closed, or just the ball field?
No one that actually answers the phone at the Township seems to know - and there is no mention of it at all on the township's "for the public information" website. The only information that seems to be available on-line is how to pay (and how much) to get a largely unnecessary ball field permit.
I have to wonder how these people actually graduated from High School.
Shaking my head, trying unsuccessfully to get the governmental crappola out of it, I continue my walk. A while later I encounter a woman walking the other way in the far field (so named because they are the farthest away from the parking lot) and she is pulling leaves off the trees. I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs and smiles and says, "My little boy needs these for a school project!"
So much for "preserving the green spaces" and the little boy actually maybe even learning something about (I presume) leaves. I won't even go into the fact that 'harming the plants in the park' is against the law. Fifteen minutes later I walk up to the end of the soccer field and see this:
Yes, "No Parking", and four cars very much parked there. While I pause to take this picture, a man in one of the cars in this picture, presumably watching his child learn to play soccer, sees me taking this picture and what does he do?
If you guessed "turn on the parking blinkers", you guessed right! Yes! Those wonderful blinkers make it legal to park anywhere you durn well feel like! Don't they?
Uh...no, I'm sorry I have to be the first to tell you that they don't.
I take a picture of all four "scofflaws" and would call this the "Hall of Shame" except they don't have any shame.
I then head back down the trail to return to my car when the lady with the leaves, remember her? is on her cell phone talking to (I found out a short moment later) the man in one of the illegally parked car. She runs over and yells, "Did you just take a picture of MY car?!?"
I replied, "Yes, I did".
She demands to know why. I begin to tell her, "It is a no parking zone, clearly marked with a sign. I'm going to e-mail it to the Township Police..." I didn't get to finish with "in order to ask why they aren't enforcing a law being broken no more than hundred yards away, right outside their window. And to ask that they remove the signs if they aren't going to bother with enforcing things. I'm especially concerned because it's a situation where 'young impressionable' children are witnessing the blatant disrespect for the law."
No I didn't get anything but "It is a no parking zone, clearly marked with a sign. I'm going to e-mail it to the Township Police..." before I was told:
1) "My husband is sitting in that car!"
To which I said, "And that makes no difference. The car is PARKED."
(Obviously so, since she was wandering around in the woods a half mile away at the time.)
2) "You are an asshole! I'm calling the Police!"
To which I said, "Oh, alright. I'll wait. I won't mind sitting around in the unsupervised Roper Room that calls itself a Traffic Court all day waiting for the case to be heard if you won't mind either."
She (mercifully) was so livid and tongue-tied at this point she stopped calling me an asshole.
I turned my back and walked off. Twenty minutes later I drove out the parking lot and the woman's car was still in the no parking zone.
What I expect will happen with the Township?
Absolutely nothing at all, or perhaps a pile of b*llsh*t that boils down to, "We won't (but phrased "can't") do anything" but it will take them at least 400 words and about 45 minutes of their (taxpayer paid for) time in order to so.
What I expect at least one child will grow up to do?
Park illegally and think that the no parking signs are either meaningless, a foreign language, and/or only apply to someone else, and that putting the parking blinkers means it's okay to park anywhere you want. Not to mention that it's okay, when you get called on it, to call that person an asshole.
Yes, both my school district and local government disgust me.
Yes, I wrote governments plural. During my normal work day, I am affected by Lower Providence Township, Whitpain Township, Upper Gwynedd Township, The Methacton School Board, the Borough of Lansdale, Montgomery County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal governments. I'm convinced we can survive without at least half of these...
Thank gosh I don't commute to New Jersey or Delaware like many of the residents in my area do, to further compound the ... disgust.
Today, after spending the entire day dealing with various (I counted 14) business taxes, permits, and other "required" items necessary to try to run a business in this state - and not actually getting around to doing anything productive in terms of our economy, I decided to get some fresh air and try to clear my head of the gov-babble-speak by taking a walk.
Not having even driven into the parking lot, I encounter a "Speed Limit - 10 MPH" sign that was never enforced and people ignored it.
The fix?
A couple speed bumps which people now drive in the grass to get around instead of slowing down. Enforcement of the speed limit? Still nil or at least never witnessed in hundreds of hours of walking there. The reason this is even noteworthy is that the Township Police are headquartered in the building adjacent to this parking lot.
I start to walk around the park, noticing the usual amounts of trash, that I pick up along the way, when I encounter this gem denoting the "Ball Park Rules":
Let see now, this is a township sign listing "rules". I see a couple things that are not rules at all, a couple of these so-called "rules" actually contradict each other - and some more unenforced (but refreshingly polite) "rules" which are actually unenforced laws and one is ambiguous to the point of causing headache.
Let's give it a run down. "Ball Park Permit Holders Have Priority" contradicts "Share Field with Others."
I'm sorry but "Players must supply their own bases" and "Sliding into bases may cause injury" are not "rules" at all.
Unenforced are "No spectators in playing area"; I'm not even sure this is a "rule" or if it is really just a suggestion, and the same with "No climbing on backstop or fence". As an aside, there are no fences to be found here.
"Please put trash in receptacles" is an unenforced law.
I've called the Township to no avail to get clarification on "Fields open from dawn to dusk"; my troubles with this are two-fold. When is "dawn" and "dusk"? Did you know there were at least 4 legal definitions of dusk? And more importantly to me, does this mean the entire park is closed, or just the ball field?
No one that actually answers the phone at the Township seems to know - and there is no mention of it at all on the township's "for the public information" website. The only information that seems to be available on-line is how to pay (and how much) to get a largely unnecessary ball field permit.
I have to wonder how these people actually graduated from High School.
Shaking my head, trying unsuccessfully to get the governmental crappola out of it, I continue my walk. A while later I encounter a woman walking the other way in the far field (so named because they are the farthest away from the parking lot) and she is pulling leaves off the trees. I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs and smiles and says, "My little boy needs these for a school project!"
So much for "preserving the green spaces" and the little boy actually maybe even learning something about (I presume) leaves. I won't even go into the fact that 'harming the plants in the park' is against the law. Fifteen minutes later I walk up to the end of the soccer field and see this:
Yes, "No Parking", and four cars very much parked there. While I pause to take this picture, a man in one of the cars in this picture, presumably watching his child learn to play soccer, sees me taking this picture and what does he do?
If you guessed "turn on the parking blinkers", you guessed right! Yes! Those wonderful blinkers make it legal to park anywhere you durn well feel like! Don't they?
Uh...no, I'm sorry I have to be the first to tell you that they don't.
I take a picture of all four "scofflaws" and would call this the "Hall of Shame" except they don't have any shame.
I then head back down the trail to return to my car when the lady with the leaves, remember her? is on her cell phone talking to (I found out a short moment later) the man in one of the illegally parked car. She runs over and yells, "Did you just take a picture of MY car?!?"
I replied, "Yes, I did".
She demands to know why. I begin to tell her, "It is a no parking zone, clearly marked with a sign. I'm going to e-mail it to the Township Police..." I didn't get to finish with "in order to ask why they aren't enforcing a law being broken no more than hundred yards away, right outside their window. And to ask that they remove the signs if they aren't going to bother with enforcing things. I'm especially concerned because it's a situation where 'young impressionable' children are witnessing the blatant disrespect for the law."
No I didn't get anything but "It is a no parking zone, clearly marked with a sign. I'm going to e-mail it to the Township Police..." before I was told:
1) "My husband is sitting in that car!"
To which I said, "And that makes no difference. The car is PARKED."
(Obviously so, since she was wandering around in the woods a half mile away at the time.)
2) "You are an asshole! I'm calling the Police!"
To which I said, "Oh, alright. I'll wait. I won't mind sitting around in the unsupervised Roper Room that calls itself a Traffic Court all day waiting for the case to be heard if you won't mind either."
She (mercifully) was so livid and tongue-tied at this point she stopped calling me an asshole.
I turned my back and walked off. Twenty minutes later I drove out the parking lot and the woman's car was still in the no parking zone.
What I expect will happen with the Township?
Absolutely nothing at all, or perhaps a pile of b*llsh*t that boils down to, "We won't (but phrased "can't") do anything" but it will take them at least 400 words and about 45 minutes of their (taxpayer paid for) time in order to so.
What I expect at least one child will grow up to do?
Park illegally and think that the no parking signs are either meaningless, a foreign language, and/or only apply to someone else, and that putting the parking blinkers means it's okay to park anywhere you want. Not to mention that it's okay, when you get called on it, to call that person an asshole.
Yes, both my school district and local government disgust me.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Great Pumpkin
Given that tomorrow is Yaya's birthday, I thought it only fitting to go "Orange" with this entry. :)
Happy birthday Yaya! I hope this is YOUR year!
Yes, Linus, we welcome the Great Pumpkin!
Nearly everyday on my way home from work, I drive by the Merry Mead Farm and Country Store. I've mentioned this store previously as it has a warm place in my memories. Since it was first built, it has grown in many ways.
They used to only have ice cream, milk, homemade pies and some home grown and prepared meats. They have added a flower stand, a petting zoo, a corn maze, and a whole bunch more since those early days when I was just young boy.
Behind the store there is a large corn field with an odd sailing ship mast with crows nest for a person to watch and assist those hopelessly lost in a 5-acre corn maze. There is also place to visit and pet the farm animals and watch the cows being milked.
One of the things I like the most is the huge display of pumpkins. I sometimes just pull in to the parking lot on my way home and just watch the excited children play amongst and pick and choose their own pumpkins from a sea of pumpkins.
Hidden behind a fort-like enclosure of cornstalks, is a wonder.
The Great Pumpkin!
Each fall, there is a lighting ceremony in which this great big jack-o-lantern is lit.
Not having any of my own children, I borrowed someone's and their dad to stand beside the great big enormous orange gourd so you can all see just how 'great' the Great Pumpkin really is!
"Hey Mom! After my hernia heals, let's carve a scary face on this one!"
I will spare you the picture I took of all the orange traffic cones that stood around in the overflow parking lot like vultures...
Happy birthday Yaya! I hope this is YOUR year!
Nearly everyday on my way home from work, I drive by the Merry Mead Farm and Country Store. I've mentioned this store previously as it has a warm place in my memories. Since it was first built, it has grown in many ways.
They used to only have ice cream, milk, homemade pies and some home grown and prepared meats. They have added a flower stand, a petting zoo, a corn maze, and a whole bunch more since those early days when I was just young boy.
Behind the store there is a large corn field with an odd sailing ship mast with crows nest for a person to watch and assist those hopelessly lost in a 5-acre corn maze. There is also place to visit and pet the farm animals and watch the cows being milked.
One of the things I like the most is the huge display of pumpkins. I sometimes just pull in to the parking lot on my way home and just watch the excited children play amongst and pick and choose their own pumpkins from a sea of pumpkins.
Hidden behind a fort-like enclosure of cornstalks, is a wonder.
The Great Pumpkin!
Each fall, there is a lighting ceremony in which this great big jack-o-lantern is lit.
Not having any of my own children, I borrowed someone's and their dad to stand beside the great big enormous orange gourd so you can all see just how 'great' the Great Pumpkin really is!
"Hey Mom! After my hernia heals, let's carve a scary face on this one!"
I will spare you the picture I took of all the orange traffic cones that stood around in the overflow parking lot like vultures...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Caution Gas Leak Here
It is a nice sunny, breezy autumn day with a big bold blue sky. I have a window open and air feels good so life should be good huh? I'm trying to decide if I want to open more windows or close the one window that is open. Here's why the conundrum (See definition 2b).
I'm sitting in my office today, getting high from paint primer fumes and listening to the ever-so-soothing sounds of asphalt cutting saws and jack hammers.
It's not really the jack hammers that trouble me.
It's all the orange cones.
They are sitting there in the middle of the street peering into my office window and they are all staring at me. Staring, never stopping with the staring...
And then the mental noise starts up and I hear Isyss singing a strange form of Unladylike...
Or a poem from my childhood explodes into my mind...
I keep telling myself, I'm normal... I'm sane... I really, really am... why won't anyone believe me?!? It's the paint primer fumes affecting me... really!
The painters say they will take a couple weeks to finish the job.. My head buzzes from the fumes.. or is from the asphalt saw? Please tell me... help me...
I give in and open another window... and the jack hammers start up, whack-whack-whack craACK!!!
I have got to leave this place!! The painter needs more paint. Oh! A great excuse to leave!
Dare I?
Will the cones sneak closer while I'm gone??!
Maybe you recall my red-faced embarrassment when I went to the local Home Depot to buy some paint for the office while accidently wearing two caps.
I received much encouragement to go back and flirt with the young woman that prepared my paint. I made sure to check my head. It's hat free, cap free... I check again, and double check (pun intended).. I feel only the balding spot... yes, I'm sure, ever-so-sure there is no cap up there...
I think this brand new hat I got ought to make a favorable impression on her. Do you think so? Maybe she'll even agree to go out to dinner or to the movies with me. I'm really hoping so anyway. I was truly smitten...
I want to hear her laugh and see her smile and to run my fingers through her red hair, to peer deeply into her blue eyes...
With her arms around me, I think I want to [deleted to preserve this blog's already shaky PG rating]
Yes, I think this is the definitely the hat to wear! I'm going to be in like Flynn! [Sheesh, can't you find a more "hip" expression?]
Or maybe it's just some paint fumes talking...
I'm sitting in my office today, getting high from paint primer fumes and listening to the ever-so-soothing sounds of asphalt cutting saws and jack hammers.
It's not really the jack hammers that trouble me.
It's all the orange cones.
They are sitting there in the middle of the street peering into my office window and they are all staring at me. Staring, never stopping with the staring...
And then the mental noise starts up and I hear Isyss singing a strange form of Unladylike...
Sneaky eyes don't fool me, you wink at me
Like you don't see me
Are you that bold to disrespect me
In front of my boss, cone are you crazy? (you crazy?)
Or a poem from my childhood explodes into my mind...
I sat there staring at window.
He was there again,
Like how he always was.
His white stripe eye glowing never taking them off mine,
My mother says I'm paranoid but I'm not! not!! I'm scared.
I dont sleep nor eat or drink,
all I do is stare at the window.
I even don't even go to school, my mum pulled me! pulled me!! but I can't leave.
That cone could do something while I would be gone!
I can't take that risk,
I have no time to make friends... noooooo...
One night the cone moved, I blinked,
it was closer, I blinked again,
it was five steps away from me...
I keep telling myself, I'm normal... I'm sane... I really, really am... why won't anyone believe me?!? It's the paint primer fumes affecting me... really!
The painters say they will take a couple weeks to finish the job.. My head buzzes from the fumes.. or is from the asphalt saw? Please tell me... help me...
I give in and open another window... and the jack hammers start up, whack-whack-whack craACK!!!
I have got to leave this place!! The painter needs more paint. Oh! A great excuse to leave!
Dare I?
Will the cones sneak closer while I'm gone??!
Maybe you recall my red-faced embarrassment when I went to the local Home Depot to buy some paint for the office while accidently wearing two caps.
I received much encouragement to go back and flirt with the young woman that prepared my paint. I made sure to check my head. It's hat free, cap free... I check again, and double check (pun intended).. I feel only the balding spot... yes, I'm sure, ever-so-sure there is no cap up there...
I think this brand new hat I got ought to make a favorable impression on her. Do you think so? Maybe she'll even agree to go out to dinner or to the movies with me. I'm really hoping so anyway. I was truly smitten...
I want to hear her laugh and see her smile and to run my fingers through her red hair, to peer deeply into her blue eyes...
With her arms around me, I think I want to [deleted to preserve this blog's already shaky PG rating]
Yes, I think this is the definitely the hat to wear! I'm going to be in like Flynn! [Sheesh, can't you find a more "hip" expression?]
Or maybe it's just some paint fumes talking...
The Great Squirrel Hunt
Yesterday, I decided to walk over at the Heebner Green Space Park which is on my drive home. It is a convenient place to walk a couple miles and with it getting darker earlier and earlier, I didn't want to take the extra fifteen or twenty minutes or so that it would take me to get over to Valley Forge National Historic Park (although I prefer to walk there). As the days get shorter and shorter, my walking options get fewer and fewer.
I also decided that it was long past time to get a picture of nice squirrel, or Charlie as we call them; further thinking the ones I see in this park might be a bit tamer or less skittish than the ones of over at Valley Forge.
To be honest, I'm not sure how well that line of thinking worked out...
I put my camera in my "rapid deployment" pocket and set out looking for "charlie signs." I soon saw a bunch of green nuts hanging from what I think is a Black Locust tree.
With winter approaching, I thought to myself, "Keep sharp, Iggy. Be alert (the world needs more lerts!) The Charlies will be about, stowing away these nuts to eat during the harder months ahead."
Oh look here! The trail is still warm. I see nuts broken apart and the meats within have disappeared.
Let's take a closer look to see if we can learn anything. These nuts look like Hickory nuts. If you've never eaten a Hickory nut, please don't. They are really bitter and pretty awful. Charlies, on the other hand, really, really like these nuts and will hide them by the thousands, often forgetting where they put them.
This stand of trees is almost entirely Hickory with an understory of Pine. It smells so good here. I look and look, but cannot determine which way the Charlie went, although he was here just moments ago.
I'm definitely getting closer! The Charlie must have abandoned his prize when he heard me coming around the bend in the trail! I hear some chattering noises in the trees to my right. Little did I know just beyond my view, I was being watch and talked about!
Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "Hey Bob, do you think that ignoramus with the camera is ever going to catch up to us?"
Squirrel on his belly: "Nah, no way. Man the way he walks - its like a Neanderthal crashing through the forest! Besides, Cousin Alvin is going to play a trick on him."
Squirrel Standing: "Cousin Alvin?"
Squirrel on his belly: "Yeah, he's got his Halloween costume on. He's gonna scare the living daylights out of that Iggy dude."
Squirrel Standing: "Oh man! Have you seen his costume?!"
Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "I heard him say he was going be all-orangey."
And with that the three squirrels hustled over to the clearing and waited for me to stumble into Cousin Alvin, giggling softly to each other.
Being careful with my footing, as there were many round nuts on the ground and I didn't want to twist my ankle on one. I was looking down at my feet when I heard a Charlie giggling and snickering. I whipped my camera out and whirled, snapping a picture with a smooth motion honed by hours and hours of practice in front of a mirror. They don't call me Quick-Draw McIggy for nothing you know.
And then my brain caught up with my reflexes. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) would have been proud of me.
I ran for the airlock screaming at the top of my lungs.
Alien Charlie image supplied by LadyStyx.
I also decided that it was long past time to get a picture of nice squirrel, or Charlie as we call them; further thinking the ones I see in this park might be a bit tamer or less skittish than the ones of over at Valley Forge.
To be honest, I'm not sure how well that line of thinking worked out...
I put my camera in my "rapid deployment" pocket and set out looking for "charlie signs." I soon saw a bunch of green nuts hanging from what I think is a Black Locust tree.
With winter approaching, I thought to myself, "Keep sharp, Iggy. Be alert (the world needs more lerts!) The Charlies will be about, stowing away these nuts to eat during the harder months ahead."
Oh look here! The trail is still warm. I see nuts broken apart and the meats within have disappeared.
Let's take a closer look to see if we can learn anything. These nuts look like Hickory nuts. If you've never eaten a Hickory nut, please don't. They are really bitter and pretty awful. Charlies, on the other hand, really, really like these nuts and will hide them by the thousands, often forgetting where they put them.
This stand of trees is almost entirely Hickory with an understory of Pine. It smells so good here. I look and look, but cannot determine which way the Charlie went, although he was here just moments ago.
I'm definitely getting closer! The Charlie must have abandoned his prize when he heard me coming around the bend in the trail! I hear some chattering noises in the trees to my right. Little did I know just beyond my view, I was being watch and talked about!
Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "Hey Bob, do you think that ignoramus with the camera is ever going to catch up to us?"
Squirrel on his belly: "Nah, no way. Man the way he walks - its like a Neanderthal crashing through the forest! Besides, Cousin Alvin is going to play a trick on him."
Squirrel Standing: "Cousin Alvin?"
Squirrel on his belly: "Yeah, he's got his Halloween costume on. He's gonna scare the living daylights out of that Iggy dude."
Squirrel Standing: "Oh man! Have you seen his costume?!"
Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "I heard him say he was going be all-orangey."
And with that the three squirrels hustled over to the clearing and waited for me to stumble into Cousin Alvin, giggling softly to each other.
Being careful with my footing, as there were many round nuts on the ground and I didn't want to twist my ankle on one. I was looking down at my feet when I heard a Charlie giggling and snickering. I whipped my camera out and whirled, snapping a picture with a smooth motion honed by hours and hours of practice in front of a mirror. They don't call me Quick-Draw McIggy for nothing you know.
And then my brain caught up with my reflexes. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) would have been proud of me.
I ran for the airlock screaming at the top of my lungs.
Alien Charlie image supplied by LadyStyx.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Amos Adams Lawrence and The Jayhawks
No, this isn't the cool name of some new band -
Amos Adams Lawrence (July 31, 1814 – August 22, 1886), born in Groton, Massachusetts and educated at Harvard College, was an important figure in the United States abolition (anti-slavery) movement in the years leading up to the Civil War.
He entered business as a commission merchant and eventually became owner of Ipswich Mills, the largest producer of knit goods in the country.
In addition, he was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Boston, where he met and married his wife, Sarah Appleton, as well as a trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital and president of the Young Men's Benevolent Society.
He contributed large amounts of capital to the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, a company that supported the settlement of 1,200 people in what was to become Lawrence, Kansas, and John Brown's abolitionism. He played a major role in the crucial border state of Kansas although I don't believe he actually ever went to Kansas.
Lawrence also contributed to funds for the colonization of "free negroes" in Liberia, Africa. Liberia was founded as a colony by the American Colonization Society in 1821-22. It was created as a place for slaves freed in the United States to emigrate to in Africa, on the premise they would have greater freedom and equality there.
Lawrence financed the founding of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He also founded a college in 1849 that evolved into Lawrence University on 5,000 acres of land that he purchased in the Fox River Valley, which became Appleton, Wisconsin (so named for his wife).
His farm outside of Boston became the campus for Boston College. In 1857-1862 he was treasurer of Harvard College.
Jayhawkers is a term that came to prominence just before the Civil War in Kansas, where it was adopted by militant abolitionist groups. These groups, known as "Jayhawkers", were guerrilla fighters who often clashed with pro-slavery irregulars, as well as Missouri militia units.
Jayhawker miliary bands invaded Missouri with the intent of freeing slaves and killing slave owners. In the course of their mission they committed some of the most unjustifiable acts of the Civil War, including a massacre at Osceola, Missouri, in which the entire town was set aflame and at least 9 male residents were killed.
The sacking of Osceola inspired the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
With the admission of Kansas as a free state in 1861, "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas. In more recent years the term "Jayhawker" has been applied to people or items related to Kansas, similar to the term "Hoosier" for Indiana, "Sooner" for Oklahoma, and "Buckeye" for Ohio.
The term refers to the mythical Jayhawk, a cross between two common birds—the noisy blue jay and the quiet sparrow hawk.
Amos Adams Lawrence (July 31, 1814 – August 22, 1886), born in Groton, Massachusetts and educated at Harvard College, was an important figure in the United States abolition (anti-slavery) movement in the years leading up to the Civil War.
He entered business as a commission merchant and eventually became owner of Ipswich Mills, the largest producer of knit goods in the country.
In addition, he was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Boston, where he met and married his wife, Sarah Appleton, as well as a trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital and president of the Young Men's Benevolent Society.
He contributed large amounts of capital to the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, a company that supported the settlement of 1,200 people in what was to become Lawrence, Kansas, and John Brown's abolitionism. He played a major role in the crucial border state of Kansas although I don't believe he actually ever went to Kansas.
Lawrence also contributed to funds for the colonization of "free negroes" in Liberia, Africa. Liberia was founded as a colony by the American Colonization Society in 1821-22. It was created as a place for slaves freed in the United States to emigrate to in Africa, on the premise they would have greater freedom and equality there.
Lawrence financed the founding of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He also founded a college in 1849 that evolved into Lawrence University on 5,000 acres of land that he purchased in the Fox River Valley, which became Appleton, Wisconsin (so named for his wife).
His farm outside of Boston became the campus for Boston College. In 1857-1862 he was treasurer of Harvard College.
Jayhawkers is a term that came to prominence just before the Civil War in Kansas, where it was adopted by militant abolitionist groups. These groups, known as "Jayhawkers", were guerrilla fighters who often clashed with pro-slavery irregulars, as well as Missouri militia units.
Jayhawker miliary bands invaded Missouri with the intent of freeing slaves and killing slave owners. In the course of their mission they committed some of the most unjustifiable acts of the Civil War, including a massacre at Osceola, Missouri, in which the entire town was set aflame and at least 9 male residents were killed.
The sacking of Osceola inspired the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
With the admission of Kansas as a free state in 1861, "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas. In more recent years the term "Jayhawker" has been applied to people or items related to Kansas, similar to the term "Hoosier" for Indiana, "Sooner" for Oklahoma, and "Buckeye" for Ohio.
The term refers to the mythical Jayhawk, a cross between two common birds—the noisy blue jay and the quiet sparrow hawk.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
End of the Boating Season
For me, autumn starts when the boating season ends. Some years, it's possible to prolong the "summer" into the first week of November as the boat is "down south" in Maryland. But this year, due to a full weekend calendar in October, the season had to end a bit sooner.
I will miss the long walks on Rolph's Wharf Road past the tree farm, and soybeans, and the many large dogs that have come to know me and bark in excited greeting with wildly wagging tails.
I'll miss the deer and the ducks on Schrader Road...and the ice cold Arizona Ice Tea from the Farm store.
I will miss seeing Chester the Boating Peacock. Next spring he will be a grownup and have his full plumage - and be strutting about to attract a peahen's attention. He most likely will not be coming back to the boat for anymore fishing, crabbing, and sunset cruises.
I wish him the best of all things fowl and a full and happy life.
I enjoyed all of my the weekends there this summer - rain or shine - and even when it was hot and humid - and when I fell of the dock in the dark and lost my boat shoes in the mud - and when the pool was crowded with little dweebs that splashed me and got my glasses wet.
It's time to turn the lights out. Be back next spring.
I will miss the long walks on Rolph's Wharf Road past the tree farm, and soybeans, and the many large dogs that have come to know me and bark in excited greeting with wildly wagging tails.
I'll miss the deer and the ducks on Schrader Road...and the ice cold Arizona Ice Tea from the Farm store.
I will miss seeing Chester the Boating Peacock. Next spring he will be a grownup and have his full plumage - and be strutting about to attract a peahen's attention. He most likely will not be coming back to the boat for anymore fishing, crabbing, and sunset cruises.
I wish him the best of all things fowl and a full and happy life.
I enjoyed all of my the weekends there this summer - rain or shine - and even when it was hot and humid - and when I fell of the dock in the dark and lost my boat shoes in the mud - and when the pool was crowded with little dweebs that splashed me and got my glasses wet.
It's time to turn the lights out. Be back next spring.
Friday, October 2, 2009
My Trip to Prison (Part 4)
Alphonse "Scarface" Capone was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.
Born in Brooklyn on January 17, 1899 to Italian immigrants, Capone began his career in Brooklyn before moving to Chicago and becoming the boss of the "Chicago Outfit" – although his business card described him as a used furniture dealer.
In 1929, Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness began investigating Capone and his businesses. By shutting down the many breweries and speakeasies Capone owned, Ness slowly brought Capone down. To lie low, Capone allegedly arranged to have himself jailed in a comfortable cell at Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary for nine months beginning August 1929.
Although he was never convicted of racketeering charges, or his undoubted role in ordering the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre and other murders, Capone's criminal career ended in 1931, when he was indicted and convicted by the federal government for income-tax evasion, [Begin sarcasm font]a crime more heinous than rape or murder in the eyes of the U.S. Government[End sarcasm font].
In May 1932, Capone was sent to Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary, but he was able to obtain special privileges there, just as he had in Philadelphia. He was then transferred to the then brand new Alcatraz Prison (in the San Francisco Bay), where tight security and an uncompromising warden ensured that Capone had no contact with the outside world.
At Alcatraz, his health declined as the syphilis he caught as a youth progressed. He spent the last year of his sentence in the prison hospital, confused and disoriented. He was paroled on November 16, 1939, spent a short time in a hospital, then returned to his home in Palm Island, Florida.
On January 21, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke. He regained consciousness and started to improve but contracted pneumonia on January 24. He suffered a fatal cardiac arrest the next day.
Al "Scarface" Capone got his first taste of prison life in Philadelphia. He stopped in Philadelphia while traveling from Atlantic City back to his home in Chicago in May, 1929. He was arrested outside a movie theater for carrying a concealed, unlicensed, .38 caliber revolver. The Philadelphia courts were tough. They handed Capone the maximum sentence: one year in prison.
Capone served eight months of that sentence in a cell nicknamed "Park Avenue".
While the regular inmates had a cell like this one - often doubled up with a bunk bed -
Al (C-5527) Capone's "Park Avenue" cell looked like this - with fresh paint, of course -
Capone was reportedly quite pleased with his new quarters. An article published in the Philadelphia Public Ledger, August 20, 1929, described his cell in an article’s whose headline read, "'Very Comfortable' says Capone from Luxury Cell at Eastern Pen.":
The whole room was suffused in the glow of a desk lamp which stood on a polished desk.... On the once-grim walls of the penal chamber hung tasteful paintings, and the strains of a waltz were being emitted by a powerful cabinet radio receiver of handsome design and fine finish....
Al even got fresh flowers daily from the prison's green house and use of the Prison Warden's telephone.
Al Capone was an international celebrity in 1930. His release from Eastern State Penitentiary drew movie cameras, hundreds of on-lookers, and maybe even a few enemies. They gathered outside the prison's only door, all hoping for a glimpse of the famous Chicago gangster.
But warden Smith had other plans. Prison officials feared the crowd in front of Eastern State on March 17, 1930 might include some of Capone's enemies, waiting for his rare public appearance. When warden Smith announced that Capone had already been released the day before, many in the crowd did not believe him and waited for up to five hours later.
Note: Al Capone was sentenced to one year. He served several months in Holmesburg Prison, in Northeast Philadelphia and also a grim looking place, before being transferred to Eastern State, where he served 8 months.
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