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  • May. 13th, 2008 at 3:06 PM
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this website: How I Spent My Stimulus?

My favorite so far:

"This is the George W. Bush Memorial Dyson. I wanted to buy something that will suck as hard and for as long as this administration."


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Holocaust Remembrance day

  • May. 1st, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi

Whatever threads destiny spins
Heads high and nerves on call
For nothing can defeat us,
If we remain just who we are.

Surface still as befits confinement,
Obliging us to obedience,
And yet within we are on our feet
in the knowledge of our own strength.

That’s why we want, as long as bearable
To bend before the force of evil,
And trustingly wait for the life
That lies beyond these barracks.

- Song written by an Austrian prisoner of Ravensbruck who was executed.

You can find this poem and others at Pat Binders 'Voices from Ravenbrueck" web gallery.

My memory of Ravensbruck today... )

in the loop, for once

  • Apr. 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I am very grateful to this thread over at [info]serenejournal , for otherwise I would never have understood what prompted this post from [info]misia
I have nothing to add except these are some awesome women.

update

  • Apr. 16th, 2008 at 9:21 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
Haven't much felt like writing, sorry for being so quiet lately, a couple of updates:
Garden update - mosaic virus 2, pole beans 0.  It looks like it might be in the bush beans as well now; they have stopped growing.  The neighbor's cat has also been digging in the unoccupied pot that the pole beans were in, so I am holding off until the weekend when I have time to empty it, clean it well and plant some squash I bought to replace the beans.  Hopefully those will be ok.  I just wasn't meant to have green beans this year.

Camus update - He has been behaving oddly.
His blood test results were not good.  The only normal thing was the thyroid numbers.  He is a little anemic and his kidney numbers are not promising.  We are going to try twice weekly sub-cu fluids to see if that helps, but I am concerned that the six months of stability we had might have been all we get.  He seems to feel ok, but so far the unusual behavior continues, so I continue to worry about him.

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Truth Tickets

  • Apr. 9th, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I have been following the uproar on the internets over the soon-to-be-released quasi-documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. A movie hosted by conservative actor Ben Stein that accuses "big science" of persecuting teachers who wish to teach alternate theories of evolution (ie intelligent design).  It's a full on battle out there, but someone has hit on a great idea:

The Atheist Ethicist has come up with the notion of buying Truth Tickets to offset the possible revenues of this movie.  Simply put, make a donation to the National Center for Science Education instead of spending money to see the ID propaganda film.  I'm going to buy enough Truth Tickets to cover the few ID believers I know, I hope you will consider doing the same.



 

Works for me!

  • Mar. 31st, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I just got an email from Netflix....

"THE WIRE: SEASON 1: DISC 1 was not available at your local shipping center. Instead, we will be shipping this movie from Duluth, GA on the next business day. As usual, you will receive a movie shipped email confirming the shipment."

If it's available back there, why shouldn't I get it.  It's had a "very long wait" status for several months now in my queue.  Excellent news!

Very cool!

  • Mar. 27th, 2008 at 10:42 AM

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Mar. 26th, 2008

  • 11:03 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I pulled and trashed 4 pole beans plants this morning.  When I got home last night I saw that the curling of the leaves was getting worse and the plants seemed to be shrinking.  After doing some research, I decided  that it is likely that the plants were infected with a bean mosaic virus.  the seedling that are still indoors appear fine, but i will wait until this weekend to plant them outside I think.

But in the pre-dawn light as I left the house this morning I think I may have seen a spot on the cucumber plants that were next to the pole beans.  Sigh.  I hope the virus will/has not spread to them.

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Spring has Sprung!

  • Mar. 24th, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
My attempt at a veggie garden on my deck was an utter failure last year , yielding only a handful of carrots, three small broccoli flowers and a few bunches of too small kale.

Being the never admit defeat sort of person that I am, I spent much of the weekend planting a much expanded version.   If this attempt doesn't do a lot better I'll switch to flowers I suppose.

I am using better soil this year, mixed generously with compost, and allowing a lot more space per plant (I was way to optimistic last year and overcrowded everything.) Thanks to a friend who gave me some of her leftover large containers, and to buying a few more, I hope I have given the plants enough room to develop this time.

The whole is a bit of a motley collection of plastic and clay containers, but once the growth really begins I hope it will look ok.  It's not really an ornamental garden after all.

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Mar. 11th, 2008

  • 1:33 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I cross-posted this link to the [info]anthropologists community, so apologies for any duplication.

John Hawk's hilarious review of the new film 10,000 B.C. calls to mind this cartoon from xkcd :

How can I ever sleep again?

Mar. 6th, 2008

  • 2:43 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
In your normal, average, everyday workplace you should never have to evacuate your office because of an awful odor coming through the air vents.  But this is not an everyday workplace, sigh. Someone's experiment got sucked through their hood ventilation and into the building vents today and all of a sudden everyone in an office had their eyes watering.  Uck.

It begs the question though, this time we could smell it, but what is coming through those vents on a regular basis that we CAN'T smell??

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Mary Doria Russell

  • Feb. 21st, 2008 at 2:46 PM
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Would anyone local be interested in attending the Commonwealth Club on March 17th?  Mary Doria Russell will be speaking about her latest book Dreamers of the Day.  I've just started reading it (an advance copy) and it is fantastic so far.

Details:
Where: 595 Market Street,  San Francisco, CA
When: Monday, March 17
Time: 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $18 non-members

1,000 words indeed

  • Feb. 20th, 2008 at 9:30 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi

From xkcd: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/how_it_works.png

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Jan. 31st, 2008

  • 9:39 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
 No sleep possible for the moment, too much to do.  Meanwhile here is the link I promised you, 
[info]wild_irises

Itunes Meme

  • Jan. 29th, 2008 at 8:08 AM

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Yeesh

  • Jan. 25th, 2008 at 8:29 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
NPR reported this morning that Paul Wolfowitz is returning to work for the US government, in the State department..  I guess the ole boys network is alive and well.

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two cups and a piece of string

  • Jan. 23rd, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I've been trying to reach a consultant today to arrange for dinner tonight with my boss.  He has no cell or pager and the company where we think he is working today doesn't seem to be sure where he is.  I feel like I've gone back twenty years when it was not unusual not to have immediate access to everyone.  I guess I am just too used to instant gratification.

Song of Ice and Fire terst

  • Jan. 17th, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
I'm a little surprised by this result...don't know why, but I am.

Your Score: Bran Stark

You scored 250 Adaptability, 160 Humor, 380 Integrity and 200 Activity!


When I sleep I turn into a wolf. Do wolves dream?


You are Bran Stark
.

You have big dreams in life, and you get frustrated with those who think you are unable to achieve them. You love to explore and wish for more adventure in your life. You are generally introverted when it comes to interacting with others, though you have you have been known to have a few rather crazy outbursts. You love animals and feel connected to them. You have psychic tendencies and you know far more about life, and the world, than you let on. You are adventurous, perceptive, and resolute.



You also similar to Catelyn Stark and Robb Stark. Your polar opposite is Asha Greyjoy.



Link: The Song of Ice and Fire Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test
View My Profile(freedomdegrees)

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Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
Ronald Bailey has a good opinion piece in Reason magazine about what each candidate has said about their beliefs about evolution and religion and why we should care.

My favorite response from any candidate about the evolution/creationism debate was from former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska). When LiveScience asked the senator if he thought creationism should be taught in public schools, Gravel replied, ""Oh God, no. Oh, Jesus. We thought we had made a big advance with the Scopes monkey trial....My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they've got a mental problem. We can't afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I'm concerned."

All of the candidates say they believe in God. So even those candidates who accept biological evolution as the scientifically valid way to describe how living things came to be are theistic evolutionists. They believe that God has somehow guided the process of evolution to create us (perhaps by intervening undetectably at the quantum level).

A larger question is whether a candidate's belief about the validity of evolutionary biology has anything to say about his or her ability to evaluate evidence. A January 4, 2008, editorial by Science editor Donald Kennedy correctly argues, "The candidates should be asked hard questions about science policy, including questions about how those positions reflect belief. What is your view about stem cell research, and does it relate to a view of the time at which human life begins? Have you examined the scientific evidence regarding the age of Earth? Can the process of organic evolution lead to the production of new species, and how? Are you able to look at data on past climates in search of inferences about the future of climate change?" Kennedy concludes, "I don't need them to describe their faith; that's their business and not mine. But I do care about their scientific knowledge and how it will inform their leadership."

I would really like to hear these answers before I cast my vote as well.

Rolling

  • Jan. 8th, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Hapsupshet, Books cats, Camus, wall flowers, Me & Dart, Grafitii, flowers, Porthos, Dart and Porthos, ski jump, Porthos and Camus, double door, vase, Dart, Delphi
Has anyone seen this film called Rolling which is essentially an ethnography of life in a wheelchair with emphasis on dealing with the US Healthcare system? John Hawks blogged about a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine about it and that was the first I had heard of it. Now I am very curious, and wondering if emailing the filmmaker is the only way I can obtain a copy.

Excerpts: )

It seems to me that it would be a valuable film for everyone to see, especially those in the the medical profession.