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Saturday, May 31, 2014

A cranky opinion for

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man with little or no knowledge about the subject opined.  Opposing opinions are welcome.  The absence of a cranky response to opposing opinions does not signify agreement.  And please, no name calling.  That means you, you big stupid head!

There was a time, oh yes there was I remember it, when you could voice an opinion on a subject and not be put in a box.  There was a time when you could think raising taxes (or vise versa) was a good idea and your position on any other issue would not be automatically assumed.

There was a time teachers and professors taught both sides of an issue.  When I went to college, the professors often took the opposing side of any debate a student brought up.  You never knew if a professor was conservative or liberal, you only knew he was on the other side of your position.

Professors used to teach you how to think, not what to think.  I am not sure this is true today.

I also learned that no matter what position I took the professors could make me look like a fool.  This did not always change my opinions, it did teach me to not trust the ideas and opinions of people just because they were smarter than me (I? I never know, I think it is smarter than I but smarter than me sounds better to I.)

People do not discuss issues today; they espouse their opinions and then get pissed off at the other guy for not agreeing.  Neither party actually listens to the other person; they just wait to jump in with their tired old talking points.

If you want to put me in a box; I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal on most issues, well on a lot of issues anyway.

I have learned that liberals are not all goody, goody two shoe commie pinko creeps.   Some liberal ideas are worth considering.  Some may be good ideas, some probably suck.  Liberals are not the enemy; they are simply people with different ideas.

Conversely, conservatives are not all Neanderthal, rich pricks that only want to keep their very expensive boots on the necks of the down trodden.  Some conservative ideas are good ideas, some probably suck.  Conservatives are not the enemy; they are simply people with different ideas.

I wish we all could just open our minds and start to think, maybe we could learn to adopt the good ideas and drop the ideas that suck.

As kids, my generation knew how to change rules and adjust to changing conditions.  Baseball did not have to have nine players on a team, we adjusted to how many kids showed up at the park.  If there were sixteen players, then right field became a foul ball.  Sometimes you just rotated players from the field to at bat.  We made up rules and adjusted however we had to so we could play the game.  We listened to the other kids and came up with a way to play.

Our politicians today do not know how to change rules (or ideas) and adjust.  They are like the kid who owned the only bat and would take it home if he didn’t get it his way.

I think our country would be a lot better off if people started to listen, think and consider other ideas.  Maybe we could even learn to compromise.

Politics today is too much about owning the only bat.

The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.

Friday, May 30, 2014

People often ask, “Cranky is there anything that makes you smile?”

Stupid question, of course there is a lot that makes me smile, here are a few that come to mind along with a comedy movie list just to create a little controversy.

These things make me smile:
A Prius at the gas pump

Whistler Ducks

A pro golfer mishitting the ball

The Patriots losing to the Giants

Cleavage that jiggles

Chris Rock

Melissa McCarthy

Blog comments

Labrador puppies

Mrs. Cranky

Ten funniest movies ever (In no particular order):

My Cousin Vinnie

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

The Jerk

Arthur (Dudley Moore)

The Nutty Professor (Jerry Lewis)

Trading Places

Young Frankenstein

I know, a lot of you are asking:

“How could you leave out ‘Airplane’ or any of the ‘Police Academy’ movies?” I could never watch those movies all the way through from beginning to end…very funny stuff but only in small doses.

Except for the campfire scene, I just am not a fan of "Blazing Saddles." And for you "Animal House" fans, I watched it recently... Meh!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

For several years now I have had an infection problem with a tooth.  Antibiotics would resolve the issue for a year or so, but then the problem would come back.  Monday I had the problem resolved permanently.

The process took about twenty-five minutes.  Fifteen minutes was waiting for the Novocain to work its magic.  It was a fairly painless procedure.  The worst part was taking the Novocain needle, and then listening to the crackle crunch of tooth/bone.  When it was all over I was given some instructions, some gauze, and a prescription for Tylenol 3 for pain relief.

This Friday Mrs. Cranky went to the same doctor with the same problem for the same resolution.

The process also took about twenty-five minutes.  When done Mrs. C felt fine, good enough to drive home.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, even the Novocain needle didn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, I didn’t like the shot, or the crackle/crunch of tooth and bone, but otherwise it wasn’t so bad.

“When it was all done, he told me I was a good patient.  Did he tell you the same?”

“No! What the hell did you do that made you a good patient?  I was a good patient.  I didn’t kick or scream; I was a good patient.”

“I’m sure you were; I wouldn’t let it bother you.  I’m just a better patient than you are.”

“Oh bull.  How are you a better patient?  He was just probably in a good mood, being Friday and all.  I got him at the beginning of the week, you got him on Friday.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.

Oh, I have to stop at CVS to fill the prescription.”

“You won’t need it, the pain wasn’t that bad, and you have that high threshold thing.  I never even filled my prescription.”

“What was your prescription for?”

“Tylenol 3, so you know the pain shouldn’t be that bad.”

“Oh…Tylenol 3…I think I’ll get mine filled, you know…just in case.”

“We have Tylenol at home.  If you need it you can just take a little extra of the over-the-counter stuff.”

“No, I’m going to get this filled.”

“Why?  What did he prescribe?”

“Vicodin!  That’s the good stuff.  I only got Tylenol 3!”

“Well, I am the good patient.”

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Lots of things involving little kids rub me the wrong way.  When Spencer was but a wee lad, way up on the list of things that were the tin foil on my fillings were “crap toys.”

You know the stuff I mean, we used to get them with Cracker Jacks.  Crappy little toys, plastic rings, dumb puzzles, anything with holes and a BB.  Crap toys are toys that get kids all pumped up because they are “free.”  They chaffed my backside because they always broke about two minutes after they came out of the wrapper;  free shit that only served to make a small child miserable because it broke before he even had a chance to play with it.

They still have crap toys in Cracker Jacks, but the biggest purveyor of crap toys is McDonalds.  Those damn “Happy Meals” always came with a crap toy, and my youngest always wanted the toy more than the burger.  And you had to put them together.   It was bad enough that the kid got all excited over a piece of plastic shit that you knew was going to break and leave you with a whiney kid, but you had to follow directions to put the crap together.

Directions for a CRAP TOY!

It only took me a few Happy Meals with Spencer before I put the kibosh on all crap toys.

“Ooh Dad, can I get the plastic Sponge Bob with movable arms and legs with my meal?”

“No!  I’m not assembling a frapping crap toy that is only going to break and leave you miserable.  Don’t even think about it.”

“But Dad…”

“No!  No crap toys!!”

It took a few daddy tantrums to stem the Mickey Dee crap toy requests, and then came the Birthday Party goody bag.

Why kids today have to bring home a goody bag from a birthday party I’ll never know, but if they don’t get one, they are inconsolable.  What is inside a goody bag?  Crap toys!  The typical bag has a pencil with a Power Ranger eraser, a BB puzzle, a plastic spider ring and really bad candy.

I threw several daddy tantrums over these goody bags.

“What the heck are you going to do with that junk?  You know the puzzle is going to break, you have a thousand pencils, the ring is a choking hazard and the candy is just sugar.  The whole bag is full of CRAP TOYS!!  Don’t even open it!”

I may have developed a nasty reputation over this stuff.  I realized this one day when coming home from a birthday party where I car pooled one of Spencer’s friends.  The two of them were sitting in the back seat and I heard his friend whisper,

“Hey Spence, can I have your Crap Toys?”

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

This cranky Monday re-run is from May 2012
I know...another re-run, but yesterday was a holiday, so...
Sharks can smell a drop of blood from a mile away.  Dogs can hear sounds that humans cannot.  Many animals can see at night as if it were day.  Bats can’t see at all yet they can navigate and catch insects with their built in radar.

Naturalists constantly point out these remarkable animal feats as if humans were inferior to these creatures.  True, we cannot compete with the rest of the animal world in terms of strength, speed, sense of taste, smell, sight and hearing, but some homo sapiens do have talents which other creatures could never master.

Is there any other creature on God’s green earth that could tie an apron behind their back while speaking on a cell phone tucked under their chin?  The Weaver bird is able to construct a complicated nest out of twigs and reeds.  Could a Weaver bird take two sticks and a ball of yarn and make a sweater while watching “Toddlers in Tiaras?”

Last Saturday on a bus I witnessed a skill which I have seen before, but for the first time realized how remarkable this ability, common to many female Homo sapiens really was.  As I watched, I could hear the voice of Oprah narrating from “Life” in my head.

“The fourteen year old female of the species is troubled by her hair which has grown beyond shoulder length.  It gets in her eyes and face and irritates her.  Without stopping her constant and incessant communication with a companion, she performs the most remarkable feat.  Taking her hands and without looking, she reaches behind her back and she separates her locks into three segments.  Incredibly, as our camera captures the action, she begins to weave the segments in and out into a locking pattern resulting in one long thick rope-like structure of hair which no longer bothers her eyes or face.  The female does all this in a matter of seconds.  This blind weaving skill is remarkable enough but to keep the weave from unfurling she takes a small elastic band and folds it back and around the end of the weave at a speed which only our time action camera can capture.  Other Homo sapiens ignore this young female’s action as apparently it is a skill not uncommon to the species.”

Is there another creature on this planet that can change the style of their plumes without looking while simultaneously communicating with another of the same species?

OK, maybe a peacock, or a turkey, or a chameleon, or….still it is a remarkable skill.

Monday, May 26, 2014

A MEMORIAL DAY AT THE RACES - a cranky re-run

This cranky Monday re-run is from May 2011.
This year we returned to the track for more of the same, Mrs. C lost $21 even after hitting a big longshot, "Shouldawouldacoulda" Watching "Sex and the City" finally pays off.

It is Memorial Day Weekend and today Mrs. C myself and the step Cranks went to Monmouth Park Race track.  This is a tradition (last three years) and is always a good time.
Mrs. C’s friend races horses and each year she reserves a section along the track rail and provides food and drink for a grand party.

Thank you Jackie and Linda H.

Horse racing and betting is very exciting, but I must say it is mostly fun when you win.  Losing sucks.

Picking a horse to bet on is a complicated process.  I generally analyze the odds, the horses performances over the last five races, the race distance, conditions, track – turf or dirt, times, weights, jockey, whether they are moving up or down in class and then taking all this information into consideration I pick a horse with a name that just stands out.

Using this strict set of racing criteria, I was unsuccessful in choosing a single winner, placer, or shower for the first five races.  This was not fun.

In order to have any fun at all, I started to screw with the track betting cashiers.  These people are deadly serious.  They deal with unhappy people a lot, and when they make a mistake superstitious gamblers are totally unforgiving.  They are perfect foils for the Cranky Old Loser.

“What is your bet sir?”

“Ah...I like the 2 horse in the 6th around the world please.”

“You know, around the world; win, place or dead last.”

“We don’t accept that bet sir.”

“Really…then let me have the 5 horse in the 7th to come up lame.”

“Ok, the 2 horse across the broad.”

“You mean across the board?”

“Ok that too.”

“For how much sir?”

“ $1.25…3 times.”

“Sir, the minimum bet is in increments of $2, $5, or $10!”

“OK, the 2 horse in the seventh to win for $5.”  He was reaching for a button to call security, it was time to quit messing around.

Before the day was done, I hit two races with the winner across the board and left with an actual profit of $2.00.  Mrs. C lost $2.00 overall.

The day was warm, the food was good, the races were exciting and we actually broke even on the betting (a first in this three year tradition.)

All in all it was a great day at the races.

Thank you to all the veterans who have sacrificed their time, their bodies and their lives so clowns like me have the freedom to enjoy such a beautiful day.

Thank you also to the wives, husbands, children and the extended families of these brave citizens for the sacrifice they endure while their love ones risk their time and lives for our freedom.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

It is time once again for

Maybe he needs to find a different occupation
 This week’s stupid headlines and my stupider sophomoric and sometimes offensive comments.

One headline is completely made up, guess the fake and win a mention and a Whoop-tee-do.

Merriam-Webster adds 150 new words – Crap! I’m already about 17,263 words behind.

Guess what people are tattooing now- If it is a word that turns into a sentence I don’t want to know!

Illinois spending $1,166 per bird to bring in prairie chickens – I don’t think even The Colonel could afford IFC.

Pennsylvania man tells police he broke into neighbor's home to borrow eggs to make breakfast – I hate it when they forget to knock.

Brain implant turned man into passionate Johnny Cash fan – The brain came from “Abby Normal.”

Driver cited after Del. highway crash results in millions of bees released – Truck was headed for a Campbell’s alphabet soup plant.

California Team Rescues Humpback Whale From a 300-Pound Crab Trap – A trap big enough to catch a 300 pound crab is bound to snag an occasional whale.

Robots will replace fast-food workers – The only technical glitch is teaching the robots to mumble.

Pablo Larrazabal's golf ball ended up in a pretty unusual spot – Where? Hint, before he hit it he yelled THREE!!

Diver fends off shark attack with flash camera – SMILE you son of a bitch!

Female math teacher allegedly had relationship with 14-year-old student – Well he didn’t go all the way, he only got to 3.14159 base.

85-Foot Luxury Yacht Sinks During Maiden Launch – Drain plugs…drain plugs…I always forget the daggone drain plugs!

Last week’s fake was:

1985 Yugo with only 100 miles on it found in Kansas barn – Who knew they could last 100 miles?

A lot of people figured out that a Yugo probably wouldn’t have made it for the 100 miles.

I'll take Yugo in the barn for 200, Alex.

Check out Uncle Skip @   Stories, jokes, wisdom and stuff.

I'll go with the 1985 Yugo with only 100 miles on it found in Kansas barn. Those were awful, and ugly little pieces of...well you know.

Find Sandee @    Jokes and more.  Enter her joke hop every Silly Sunday

I think it has to be the Yugo one also :-)

Start your day off with a great joke @

I'm calling fake on the Yugo in the Kansas barn. I don't think anybody in Kansas ever drove a Yugo.

I was torn between that and the Chinese-U.S. railway, because the name "chunnel" has already been taken. But I figure they could call it The Chailway. Japan has those high-speed mag-lev trains, so if that ocean can be overcome, it might be possible. Or it's propaganda.

Get acquainted with the Val Dictorian @   Always good stuff from this crazy lady…make that this lady’s crazy life…well, maybe both.

I'm going for the Yugo in the barn. That's the fake.

How do you fool someone with 10 children…they know all the tricks in the book.  Who can blog with a clan this big…when she does it is entertaining @

I'm with Val. Except the part about hiding such an embarrassing in the barn--forever--that part I believe. And I heard the story about the Chinese wanting to tunnel across the Bering Strait. At least they're smarter than all the Americans who want to go THROUGH the earth to dig to China.

An artist, a photographer, a nature lover all @

The Casey story was all over the place this week. I remember a find of cars in a barn, but I'd be surprised if there was a Yugo in it.

Add some testosterone to your blog list.  Short and sweet and good to read @

Visit all the winners and then come back next week for more

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Problems, We have Problems

A cranky opinion for:

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man.  Much of it is tongue in cheek and a bit sarcastic, don’t get all riled up the world is angry enough.  Opposing opinions are welcome, but they will probably be ignored.  And please, no name calling…that means you, you big stupid head!!

This cranky opinion is in no way meant to minimize the problems we suffer in today’s world.   It is an attempt to put things in perspective and show how far we have come.  It is to suggest we all catch our breath and enjoy what we have for at least a minute before going off  tilting at windmills.  Today’s windmills are molehills compared to the mountains of days gone by.

Ancient man sought three things; food, shelter and sex.  If he had those three things he was happy.  Those things were not easy to come by.  There was a lot of bad shit going down back in the day.

A common cold could become pneumonia and end any dreams our ancestors may have had.  Any infection was a death sentence before antibiotics.  A night at the pub could end up with a bashed head and a life as a sailor.  Being impressed was not that impressive.

To those who had nothing, religion was all they had, but you worshiped the God you were told to worship.  You didn’t have to; you could let them burn you at the stake…your choice.

If you had any money you banked and shopped in a world ruled by monopolies.  You paid what they told you to pay and you bought what the monopolies sold.  You had a choice, buy what they sold or make it yourself.

Guns were popular especially in the west.  Everyone had one, and everyone carried one because there was pretty much no law enforcement.  It was not a good idea to piss anyone off.

It wasn’t all bad.  There was slavery.  Slavery made much of life bearable by eliminating most of the difficult, uncomfortable jobs.  Of course it was only a good thing if you owned yourself some people.  Being owned was not so great.

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Really? Look at the things in the news today that rattle the fillings of our citizenry.

We have a professional football team with a name that many find to be offensive…Oh the humanity!

Teenage workers flipping burgers at fast food restaurants are not paid a living wage.  There is a movement to pay them more.  Fast food restaurants serve unhealthy food that is making people fat.  There is a movement to put them out of business.  Success of the former movement just might result in the success of the later.  Big problem!

Cigarettes are dangerous, and people have to endure second hand smoke.  There is a movement to make them illegal or at least not allow them to be consumed within 100 feet of another human being.  Being a victim is such a problem!

Our ancestors worried about going hungry, we worry about getting fat.

Malthus argued overpopulation would cause us to run out of food.  We worry about the genetically modified food that is needed to feed our overpopulation.  Yes, we do have problems.

Our healthcare system is expensive and over complicated.  Healthcare was much easier when it consisted of a couple of doctors on horses who carried black bags and told you to get your life in order because  you were going to die.  When life expectancy goes from 45 years to 75 years it does cause problems.  There was no problem with healthcare when we had no healthcare.  Medicine was cheap when we had no medicine.  Problems!

We have too many rich people in the world today, apparently that is a problem.  Many of the poor today would be wealthy beyond people’s dreams 100 years ago.  There never used to be homeless people, only slaves and indentured servants.

Yes we have big problems today.  Soda is a problem, it is not good for you and apparently people are forced to drink it.  Smokers are switching to electronic cigarettes.  These solve the second hand smoke issue, but isn’t it really cheating?  I think they should be stopped.  So many issues.

People who do not believe in God are forced to see symbols of other people's beliefs in public places.  OM? We do have problems!

Our problems today will be solved.  That is a good thing, but there will always be problems.  Years from now young people will march on Washington demanding more places to land their flying scooters, faster moving sidewalks, and climate controlled parks.  They will want to make meat, gluten, peanut butter, dairy, and saturated fats illegal.  Tobacco products will be non-existent.

There will be marijuana.

Shouldn’t it be free?

The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man, and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.

Friday, May 23, 2014

 New Yorkers sometimes have a bad reputation.  They are rude, aggressive, pushy and cold.  Some of this is true.  In a city as large as New York it is difficult to be friendly.  Friendly people get ripped off.  Polite people get taken advantage of.  Warm and fuzzy people are suckers.  In a big city you need to stay ever alert and vigilant of others who are out to take advantage of you, so yes, sometimes New Yorkers are rude, aggressive, pushy and cold.  However, when the chips are down, when help is needed, New Yorkers are as compassionate, helpful and downright nice as anyone else…maybe even more so.

One thing for sure, New Yorkers get stuff done, and they get it done quickly.  To get a taste of this, visit a New York Deli in the morning.  Don’t hem and haw over your order, there will be New Yorkers three deep ready to step ahead of you and shout their order.   Decide what you want before you even enter the Deli, and be ready to order as soon as the person on the other side of the counter makes eye contact.

Now you better be ready to pay, because your order will have been entered in seconds, your egg sandwich will be cooking and in less than a minute it will sail fully rapped from the grill dude for the man at the counter to grab one-handed above his head, slam it into a bag and tell you “$2.99 please!”  It is a thing of beauty.

New Yorkers get things done.

Many years ago while working for a large brokerage company we had a slight emergency.  I will not go into details because they would only bore you and I forget most of them anyway.  Suffice it to say some three-thousand security symbols from the Canadian Stock Exchange were accidently deleted by our good friends up North.   It was two o'clock, and those symbols needed to be added back by five o’clock or processing would be delayed and a whole lot of bad stuff would follow.

I got a call from up north.  “Can the computer guys reinstate yesterday’s file? Eh.”

Well yes, but this was years ago and it was not such an easy procedure (hard for any IT person to believe now, but sadly at the time true.)

“They tell me they can do it, but it will take until after five o’clock to make the program change.”

“Five o’clock that is too late eh!  What are we going to do?”

“Well you could add them all manually.”

“No way eh, there are over 3000 symbols; we could never get them finished in time for processing.”

“Can you fax me the list of symbols that were deleted?”

“Eh?  What good will that do?  We need a program to be written to add them back!”

“Fax them to me and I’ll see what we can do.”

I received the list of symbols, enlisted three New Yorkers, and the file was manually reinstated symbol by symbol before four o’clock.

New Yorkers can be rude, aggressive, pushy and cold, but dammit they get shit done!

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« Pudge will Miss the Knitting Lessons | Main | Wabbit Season »

January 05, 2010

Throw the Bums Out!

Look, I understand that lying and politics have always gone together!  Saying a politician lied is like saying a baby spit-up!

But this is getting ridiculous, the 4th estate obviously is in foreclosure as few media outlets are holding our government accountable. The controlling Democrats in Congress, led by Nancy Pelosi are planning on conducting the final negotiations of the Health Care Overhaul Scam Bill behind closed doors to insure the loyal opposition (y’know those pesky Republicans that represent the “Other” half of AMERICA!!!!) do not have a voice.

Despite their claims to the contrary, the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have handled the healthcare bill has been anything but transparent. And, if the left-wing blogosphere is to be believed, the two congressional leaders intend to keep the deliberations secret as they try to merge the House and Senate versions of the legislation into something that will pass both chambers.

I looked up the word IRONY and found this…

This is blatant… they lie, then lie about lying.  All they have to do is deny something and the predominantly ignorant, lap dog press, eats it up like ice cream dipped in chocolate!

PLEASE!  For the sake of our Republic, demand more of YOUR government!  All behavior like this is going to do is create more behavior like this.  We as Americans have become disenfranchised by these arrogant twits, these politicians care for us like an alligator cares for the opinion of the mother bird of the chick it devours in one gulp.

Democrats should demand better from their own party, this type of roughshod behavior will not sit well with the majority of Americans, some will actually vote for the opposition party in another, possibly misguided… Hope for Change!  Then I pray that when the Republicans dissolve the super majorities in the upcoming elections, that decorum finds its way into the Legislative and Executive branches of our government.  (Pardon me while I hold my breath).

Seriously, if these roles were reversed, and a Republican had uttered these words then started to pull the shenanigans the Dems are currently undertaking, all hell would be breaking loose on CNN, MSNBC, the NYT and the LA Times. Where is their outcry for proper process? What a bunch of charlatans.   Where is the outrage at the behavior of this out of control congress?  And by proxy, administration.

Throw the bums out!!! And yes, I’d be in favor of throwing them ALL out and starting over!  There needs to be an end to career politicians!

Some things I’d like to see changed:

  1. No amendments unrelated to the bill allowed… ever!  If an amendment cannot stand on its own merit, it has no business being the mandate of the federal government.
  2. Term limits across the board!  (2 terms for President, 2 terms for Senate, 4 terms for the House of Congress.)

January 5, 2010 in Idiots on Parade, Politics, The Press | Permalink

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Liberal fascism in its purest form. Gotta hate it and fight it.
6 terms in the House (equal to the Senate)...
3)No piece of legislation may be passed without the entire text being first published 1 week prior to a vote.
4)Budget bills must be passed within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year OR the House and Senate do not get paid until the next Congress is seated. "Do your job or do not get paid."
5)Congress cannot exempt itself from any legislation it passes. Period.

Posted by: Ken | Jan 6, 2010 9:00:37 PM

Blatant is an understatement John. Harry Reid is no better. It">http://www.breitbart.tv/hypocrite-harry-sen-reid-condemns-packing-deals-in-a-managers-amendment-to-pass-legislation/">It boggles the mind that more folks aren't paying attention. Crazy!

Posted by: Stephen | Jan 5, 2010 1:42:53 PM

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text:
Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Over the holiday weekend, the Yankees' farm clubs posted football scores

Monday, the mashers of Moosic scored 2 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.
Check out Ramon Flores, who has hit 3 HRs in two games.

Meanwhile, Trenton was posting 13 runs.
(But nobody batting .300.)
Neither of the Baseball America-approved prospects,
Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams,
had much to do with it.

Sunday, the Charleston Riverdogs put 17.
(We had a report on Mike Ford's 4 HRs)
Aaron Judge - old for the league -
also looks too good for the league.

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text:
Saturday, March 03, 2007

Ideas Have Consequences:

Most constitutional scholars who defend the concept of "originalism" no longer do so under the rubric of "original intent," but rather under "original meaning." The term "original intent" is more associated with a sort of reflexive conservatism; though, what many don't realize is that "original intent" could be, especially as applied to religious matters, a far more subversive concept than "original meaning."

"Original intent" is where the secret, perhaps "code," intentions of our Founders -- things that they wrote in their private letters but could not utter in public because such sentiments would be far too controversial for that time -- could supersede the original plain meaning of the text of the Constitution.

Enter religious establishments. The First Amendment to the Constitution clearly forbids in its plain text, at the very least, a national religious establishment for America. Yet, it's entirely possible that the key Founders secretly intended to de facto establish "theistic rationalism" -- their personal belief in that system of theological unitarianism and universalism -- as the religion of the United States. Clearly though, even if this were the case, most would agree that we are not ruled by these secret intentions but by the original public meaning of their words as written in the Constitution.

Still, ideas have consequences, and some of the present day outcomes of original public meaning may nonetheless coincide with those secret intentions. Indeed, those Founders may have been far more aware than the normal guy on the street in 1789, of the potential consequences of those ideas.

One thinks of the recent case involving the military chaplain where the military, entirely consistent with the religious ideals of our Founders, ordered that the chaplain not pray in Jesus' name but rather in generic God terms.

The Rutherford Institute responded that it seemed that the military was trying to establish unitarianism or universalism as a de facto religion. From the WorldNetDaily article:

And that, the Rutherford Institute charges, is an attempt by the Navy to assemble a "civic religion."

"There's a unitarian system of religion that's aimed at Christians," Whitehead told WND. "It boils down to that. We're seeing it all across the country, with council prayers, kids wanting to mention Jesus. What's going on here is it's generally a move in our government and military to set up a civic religion."

Some thoughts. First, it strikes me as odd that the Rutherford Institute would raise an Establishment Clause claim. Conservative Christians seem to me most likely to endorse the notion that the EC prevents the federal government only from establishing a national church like the Church of England. Well, telling a chaplain he can't pray in Jesus' name is not (anything) like establishing a Church of England.

Moreover, if government is constitutionally permitted to make religious acknowledgements at all, government must then dictate the content of such acknowledgements. The only alternative is to hold that government may not, under the Establishment Clause, make religious acknowledgements. And that's the outcome that Barry Lynn and Michael Newdow want.

And indeed the content of military's orders demanding the chaplain not pray in Jesus' name is entirely consistent with the ideals of the Founding. Indeed, there is a "civil religion" that founds America which aptly could be described as "a unitarian system of religion that's aimed at Christians," which was constructed not by the Navy but by our Founding Fathers. Consider Justice Scalia's words from his interesting dissent in McCreary and speaking of our Founders' acknowledgement of God: "This is not necessarily the Christian God (though if it were, one would expect Christ regularly to be invoked, which He is not)" and,

All of the actions of Washington and the First Congress upon which I have relied, virtually all Thanksgiving Proclamations throughout our history, and all the other examples of our Government's favoring religion that I have cited, have invoked God, but not Jesus Christ.

Meticulously researching the primary sources over the past few years, I can confirm Scalia is right in this assertion.

Tom Van Dyke said...

Which is why the "Judeo-Christian" God is often invoked, even though the presence of actual Jews at the founding was virtually nil.

And the Founders' theological vocabulary was so acculturally limited that when they recast God into something more amenable to their druthers, He was still the God of the Bible, and corresponds to no other theology's.

Jefferson may have edited Him, but still He remained. (For instance, Jefferson did not edit out the Lord's Prayer.)

Jonathan said...

Well, perhaps what remained was a kinder, gentler, more rational and benevolent "Judeo-Christian" God. Not sure if Jefferson's or the traditional Christian God exists. But if I'd rather One exist, I'd choose Jefferson's benevolent rational God.

Tom Van Dyke said...

Jefferson's God is better than most, not as good as some.


text:
The Top Irish Travel Blogs Of 2016

Due to the popularity of my post on Ireland’s Top Travel Bloggers last year (which got picked up by The Huffington Post AND Matador Network) I have decided to update the list  and write a new top Irish travel blogs post as there are a lot of newcomers on the Irish travel blogging scene and there are also many people who I was not aware of last year. Also, I feel many of the Irish travel blogs in last years list did not have pure travel blogs so this year I will not be including anyone who is not 100% travel. There are enough lists, articles and award ceremonies for all those Irish fashion and lifestyle bloggers without needing another one!

This list mainly concentrates of Irish travel bloggers who have made the move to blog full time. I feel this is a good metric as your blog needs to have a high level of traffic, consistent and quality content and a very engaged readership to enable you to live off it. There are a few exceptions, however, as I realise not everyone has the opportunity to blog full time and still put so much time and effort into their sites.

If you are an Irish blogger and you are not on this list, feel free to leave a comment linking to your site below so you can be considered for the next update and so readers can check out your site.

Top 12 Irish Travel Blogs of 2016

1. Where is Tara?

Tara is a travel blogger who really tells it like it is. Don’t expect any fluff articles here as if this pharmacist-turned-travel-blogger doesn’t like something, such us her awful experience with this airline, she’ll tell you a bout it. I also love the very honest piece she wrote about how she made the move to become a full time travel blogger, as well as hints on how you can do it too. She has spent the last while jet-setting around the world to beautiful destinations including New Zealand, Hawaii and the Maldives and her future travel plans include a month in Canada as well as spending some time back home in Ireland so be sure to follow along her adventures.

Best social media channel – Snapchat

Username: whereistara

2. Next Stop Who Knows

Carlo and Florence are two of the most inspiring people I know, and are also some of the most successful content creators on this list. They have been blogging for a few years now as they travel and work their way around the world visiting over 40 countries and living in places like Chiang Mai, Budapest and Athens. They have spent the last few months travelling around the Balkans and will be heading stateside for the rest of the summer to live it up in Las Vegas. This is a couple who not only turned their passion into a career, but have actually built and extremely successful business that earned them a 6 figure income in 2015.

Best social media channel – Snapchat

Username: nxtstopwhoknows

3. The Daily Self

Nadia from The Daily Self is becoming pretty well known in Ireland as she writes wanderlust inducing articles for a handful of Irish newspapers and magazines, and can often be seen appearing on National Television. Her blog stands out among the rest as she is all about stylish travel. Think luxury resorts in the Caribbean, lounging on yachts in Croatia or sipping mimosas at beach resorts in Ibiza, this would be Ireland’s go to blog if you’re looking for advice on where to take your next holiday. She also gives excellent packing tips, weekly beauty blogs (I know I said this was purely a list of travel bloggers but this is one exception I am allowing!!) and advice on how to get in shape for your travels.

Best social media channel – Instagram

Username- nadia_dailyself

4. Wandering On

Winners of Ireland’s Best Travel blog at the 2015 Irish Blog Awards, Wandering On is an adventure travel blog run by Irish couple Brian and Noelle who have been travelling the world together since 2009. Their adventure started with time spent teaching English in South Korea and since then they opted to become full time digital nomads, travelling the world and working form their laptops. They have climbed Everest Base Camp together, cycled from the Pyrenees to Costa Brava and have traversed Europe by train and blogged about all their exciting adventures as they went.

Best social media channel – Facebook

Username – WanderingOn

5. The Whole World Is A Playground

This blog is is all about travelling the world in style. Forget budget backpacking and cheap hostels, Elaine and Dave are more likely to take you to the best cocktail bars in New York or on a luxury game drive in South Africa. This adventurous couple, who seek to find not only the best luxury destinations but also many of the world’s UNESCO world heritage sites, aim to visit at least 15 new countries every year all while chasing their careers back home in Ireland. You would be forgiven for thinking they were full time bloggers by how much they travel but these two are amazing at finding the time to climb the career ladder while simultaneously giving you travel tips on the best places to eat, drink and be merry around the world.

Best social media channel – Instagram

Username – thewholeworldisaplayground

6. Don’t Stop Living

Jonny is one of my favourite bloggers as not only does he ‘tell it like it is’ but he goes to some of the world’s most off-the-beaten track locations and really gets to know the locals. A big fan of budget backpacking and staying in hostels, Don’t Stop Living takes you on a journey to over 100 countries around the world from Antarctica to Bangladesh to. Expect reviews of the worlds best hostels, best bars and a lot of African and Central Asian adventures

Best social media channel: Facebook

Username: dontstopliving

7. Stone Travel

Stone Travel Header

Here’s a blogger with a difference: ever wondered if it’s possible to keep on travelling once you get married and start a family? What if that family kept on growing and heading away for a weekend abroad now involves ensuring you have all 7 passports, one for each family member? Corrina Stone is the driving force behind Stone Travel, a blog she writes ar part of her sister’s blog Cherry Sue Doin’ The Do. Watch out of her amazing budget travel tips, such as how to book a holiday to Disney Land for a family of 7, as well as great posts on short breaks around Ireland. Corrina also recently won Best Travel Blogger at IBA Blogger Choice Awards in Dublin.

Best Social Media Channel – Snapchat

Username – stone travel

8. Rachel In Ireland

A silver winner at last years Irish Blog Awards, Rachel In Ireland is a written by Rachel and Tiernan, a newly engaged couple living in Ireland. Rachel is a half-aussie/half-kiwi who has previously lived in Brunei, Australia and the Philippines before settling in Ireland. While Rachel is responsible for the general blog posts, Tiernan is the man behind the excellent Vlogs! Many Irish bloggers spend so much time outside of their own country that they are guilty of not showing Ireland’s hidden gems. This is not the case here, and if you are looking for inspiration for your next staycation, be sure to check out Rachel’s posts about Ratlin Island in Northern Ireland and other Irish travel posts.

Best social media channel – YouTube

Username – thereforareason

9. No Hanging Around

No Hanging Around is an adventure travel blog written by Irish travel blogger and adventurer Derek Cullen. You want find package holidays to Spain or weekend city breaks on this site – you will more likely be inspired to quit your job, pack your bags and buy a one way ticket to Africa. Think camping, hiking, week-long treks and cross country cycles! If you are thinking of planning an epic adventure, such as cycling solo across the African continent, this should be your go to site.

Best social media channel – Facebook

Username – nohangingaround

10. The Travel Expert

Sarah Slattery is the brains behind The Travel Expert blog, and a travel expert she certainly is. With years of experience in the travel industry in Ireland, this lady has the ability to find the most incredible holiday deals every day of the week. A mix of personal travel experiences from her family holidays and daily travel tips and flight deals, The Travel Expert is by far one of Ireland’s best travel resources. You can also catch her giving travel tips on National TV in Ireland so this is a face you won’t be forgetting.

Best social media channel – Facebook

Username – The Travel Expert

11. One Step 4Ward

By far the most well known of all Irish Travel Bloggers, Johnny Ward shot to (blogger) fame over the past year when it was revealed he had managed to build a million dollar blogging and content business while travelling the world. This blog documents Johnny’s world travels as he aims to visit every country in the world, a mission he is set to complete later this year. From attempting to get some of the world’s most difficult visas to near-death experiences and how he ended up buying a condo in Thailand, this is a site that is sure to inspire any wannabe travel bloggers. Ireland’s most influential travel blogger by a long shot!

Best social media channel – Facebook

Username – OneStep4Ward

12. Sarah The Gringa

A freelance journalist and digital marketer, Sarah is blogging her way through the world one country at a time. Currently located in Natal, Brazil (thus explaining her choice of blog name!) this Irish blogger shares fascinating tales about life in South America as well as great travel guides, tips and an insight into the ore non-touristy locations to visit. An advocated of slow travel, I especially love her interview series with locals she meets in her city or on the road. A fantastic resource for anyone planning to visit South America and definitely ‘one-to-watch’.

Best social media channel – Facebook

Username – Sarah The Gringa

Are you looking to become a top Irish travel blogger? If you are feeling a bit lost and don’t know where to start, I recommend signing up to a professional travel blogging course, such as Travel Blog Success.

Did you enjoy this post? Please PIN IT!

Top Irish Travel Blogs

  1. May 27, 2016 / 12:39 pm

    Great list!!! I love finding more blogs in the UK and Ireland to follow, especially from bloggers based there since everyone seems to leave!

  2. May 28, 2016 / 5:15 pm

    Wahey! Thank Janet. :D

  3. June 1, 2016 / 3:04 pm

    Hi Janet, check out our new blog we set it up in March of this year and we’d really appreciate your feedback. We’re on Instagram and Facebook too @thepathto100

  4. July 25, 2016 / 12:37 pm

    This post is really well composed..Great job..Thanks..

  5. October 27, 2016 / 1:06 pm

    Stay away from SARAH HOLDEN she is fake, don’t waste your money on her
    All her work is plagiarised! was completely copied from a website. Don’t waste your time or money.

  6. vossie
    November 17, 2016 / 11:11 am

    Found a site with loads of blogs about Ireland, did also a trip with them and was a great adventure:

  7. November 17, 2016 / 3:15 pm

    Hey Janet,

    super cool blog, really enjoy reading the stories :)
    We are a group of students in Dublin who are tired of the conventional, touristy art of traveling. So we gathered some top insider tips for European countries and as I see you only covered France from our list ;)
    Check it out and share if you like!


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SA Mercantile Law Journal = SA Tydskrif vir Handelsreg - Volume 25, Issue 1, 2013

Volume 25, Issue 1, 2013

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text: We’ve always been taught that leadership qualities include humility, compassion, a sense of fairness, the ability to listen, preparation and carry-through, a love for the people, and a strong spiritual center which begins with a connection to Earth. So many of our stories are built around what happens to braggarts, bullies, and those who are […]


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Winter Olympics' Flame

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    Tena koe ehoa
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Hot! In Items We Carry
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    Very interesting....So...You carry perfumes!!?? :) This is a very beautiful photo.

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Friday, December 02, 2005

O Canada!

They share nearly 3/4ths of the continent of North America, the United States and Canada. They share a common history, dating back to the 17th century. They share a common language, English, and even the same standard idiom. They share the longest unguarded border in the world. They share our goods and services--well, we trade them--with each other more than we do with any other countries. And yet they're--we're--very different countries.

I won't state the obvious differences, but I do want to point to one key point of distinction about the two countries, which is that most Canadians have a decent working knowledge of US history, while I would venture that most Americans don't really have a clue about Canada (or Mexico, our other close neighbor, with whom we share a long and sometimes fraught history). Most Canadians not only know where the US capital is, the US's population numbers, how the US political system works, and the various political, geographical, municipal and other statistics about the US. But I don't think I'm stretching when I say that most Americans don't know that much about Canada, except that it's vast, it's where Toronto and Montreal are located, its citizens love hockey and play a slightly different form of football, it produces great beer, a large portion of it is close to the North Pole, and its English speakers pronounce certain words with a recognizable accent ("about" as "aboot"). Oh, and its symbol is the maple leaf. Okay, these are gross generalizations, but take the following Canada quiz and see how well you do.

1. Canada is a
  1. Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
  2. Federative parliamentary republic
  3. Republican bicameral democracy
  4. Liberal oligarchic sovereign state
2. Canada became a confederation in
  1. 1776
  2. 1867
  3. 1812
  4. 1821
3. Canada's head of state is
  1. Paul Martin
  2. Patrick Thompson
  3. HM Queen Elizabeth II
  4. Jacques Demers
4. Canada's head of government, the Prime Minister, is
  1. Guy Maclean Charles
  2. Edward Rosevinge
  3. Stephen Harper
  4. Paul Martin
5. Canada consists of
  1. ten provinces and five territories
  2. twelve provinces and five territories
  3. seven provinces and three territories
  4. ten provinces and three terroritories
6. Canada has
  1. one official language, English, and one quasi-official language, French
  2. two official languages, English and French
  3. three official languages, English, French and Inuit
  4. no official language, but most people outside Quebec speak English
7. Canada's capital is
  1. Toronto, in Ontario
  2. New London, in Ontario
  3. Ottawa, in Ontario
  4. Ottawa, in Toronto
8. Canada holds its general elections
  1. every four years, as in the United States
  2. when the head of state so advises, and must occur every three years or less
  3. when the prime minister so advises, and must occur every five years or less
  4. when the United Kingdom so advises, and must occur every six years or less
9. The Head of State's current representative, the Governor General, is
  1. a Quebec native named Frédéric Desmarais
  2. a British native named William Lawton Perry
  3. a Haitian native named Michaëlle Jean
  4. a Hong Kong native named Adrienne Poy Clarkson
10. Canada's total population, according to 2005 estimates, is around
  1. 46-47 million people, or about equal to South Africa
  2. 33-34 million, or about equal to California
  3. 20-21 million, or about equal to Australia
  4. 17-18 million, or about equal to New York State
(Scroll down past the following paragraphs to check your answers.)

Martin's ScreamI posted the questions about Canada, because its government is undergoing a major political crisis, which is frontpage news in many parts of the world, except perhaps the US. In fact, Canada's current government has fallen. The moderate-left Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister, Paul Martin (the current Prime Minister, caricatured in Munchian fashion at right), had won 135 seats in 2004 in the 308-seat House of Commons, and thus was leading a minority government that consisted of a coalition with two smaller delegations in Canada's House of Commons, the very liberal New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Québécois (BQ). In fact the NDP had only about 18 seats, and the BQ only gains seats in Quebec and pushes for Quebec as a separate nation (or for yet more concessions from the Canadian government). On November 1, 2005, a judicial commission led by Justice John Gomery issued an interim report, with findings on the financial sponsorship scandal involving a Liberal Party scheme during the mid-1990s to blunt separatist sentiments in Quebec. The misuse of funds had occurred during the previous Liberal-led governments of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (1993-2003), a close ally of former President Bill Clinton, but voters still punished the the current Liberals, in part because Martin was Chrétien's finance minister. The Gomery interim report led to an immediate drop in popularity for the Liberals. As a result, the NDP's and BQ's delegations, along with the official opposition, the Conservative Party (CP), decided to register a no-confidence vote in the government led by the Liberals under Martin, leading to a loss of confidence in the government.

JeanMartin then met with the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean (pictured at left)--who's generated considerable praise as the first Black person and second woman in her post, and controversy because of alleged pro-Quebec separatist views. Ms. Jean duly dissolved the parliament on November 29, 2005, and Martin scheduled a vote for January 23, 2006, which is when voters will return representatives to the House of Commons. The House, according to Canada's constitution (patriated to the country from Great Britain in 1981, and ratified by all provinces except Quebec in 1982), will then form a parliamentary government based on the number of seats each party gains. Whichever party gains the confidence of the House (the most votes in an absolute majority, or enough to lead a coalition in a minority government) leads the government. The Liberals have lost some ground over the last few years because of the financial scandals and other problems (including a precipitous decline in Quebec), yet they remain the country's dominant party, mainly because they win the majority of votes in Canada's most populous province, Ontario and in the maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador), do well in British Columbia, and also because they form the pro-confederation, main opposition in Quebec.

The right-wing Conservative Party is led by Stephen Harper, who formerly led its predecessor right-wing New Alliance. The Conservative Party was in fact formed in 2003 when the Progressive Conservative Party (formerly just the Conservative, or Tory Party) joined with the even more conservative New Alliance. Harper's party is strongest in Canada's western provinces, particularly the large and growing province of Alberta. The Conservatives haven't governed Canada since Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney led the House from 1984d to 1993 and hewed closely to his American counterparts, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. By the end of Mulroney's term, he was deeply unpopular; his landmark free trade agreement continues to be criticized (though the Liberals haven't reversed it), and his tax increases at the time did not reverse Canada's economic fortunes (though they subsequently improved during the mid 1990s). He also has been tied to several financial scandals. At any rate, Canada outside of Alberta and its rural west has grown more socially progressive, and at the same time richer, which has blunted the appeal of the Conservatives, who under Harper have ties to American right-wing evangelicals as well as the Republican Party. Harper even went so far as to question Canada's recent judicial rulings ratifying gay marriage, which have broad appeal across the country (except perhaps in Alberta).

Currently despite the looming final Gomery Commision report, which will be issued next spring (2006), the Liberals enjoy a lead of varying degrees. Estimates range from a one or two percentage points to as many as six. Right now it appears that the Liberals will again win the most seats, but not enough to form a majority government, which will mean yet another coalition, most likely with the NDP, and possibly the BQ. If the Conservatives were to eke out a slight plurality, they might also try a coalition government, yet ideologically they are leagues apart from the NDP, and too right-wing for the BQ, which in any case wouldn't provide enough seats. So it will probably be the Liberals, but the question remains: how weak will Martin's government be, and would a weaker showing (but still with enough votes to lead a coalition) lead him to stand down for another Liberal leader? Canadians don't appear in any mood for a right-wing government; they don't appear ready to deal yet again with Quebec's claims for attention and sovereignty; and they don't appear disillusioned or dazed enough, let alone excited for any reason, to reward the Liberals with an outright majority (as Britons did for Tony Blair, despite the Iraq War debacle). An NDP upset seems very unlikely, and the BQ doesn't compete outside its province, so there aren't many options. So things don't look great for Canada's government right now, and still another vote could come in early 2008 (as opposed to 2010, when another vote would be required by constitution) if a weak, minority government, Liberal or Conservative, gains power.
Correct answers: 1:a; 2:b; 3:c; 4:d; 5:d; 6:b; 7:c; 8:c; 9:c; 10:b. How did you do?

  1. Doh! You mean Jacques Demers ISN'T Canada's head of state?

    This was informative. Alex Trebek would be proud (pronounced "prood").

  2. J:

    Thanks for this -- eh? LOL:)

    As you know M and I are quite taken by Our Neighbor to the North (and, uh, it helps that a number of them seem to be taken with us as well:).

    I've kept an eye on recent events via the papers on-line, and agree that most likely there will be another minority Liberal government in 2006. Martin should consider stepping down, but since he was in the government being investigated by Gommery, to do so might seem to indicate that he was involved in the scandal or has something to hide. But I doubt he'll stand for the following election (which could very well be in '08).

    I'm concerned (as should Canadians be) with the ties between their Conservatives and the US Religious Right. Folks here would love to extend their hegemony northward. It may not get much traction, however, since 'diversity' is such a strong part of the Canadian political landscape and psyche, and much that was considered radical here has found a welcome home in Canada (their nationalized health care for example has ties to 19th Century western progressives who moved north).

    The Conservatives also could possibly do better with different leadership: Brian Harper is a cold fish even by Canadian standards!

  3. Great post John. I have been keeping up with Canadian politics a lot lately, mainly because they legalized gay marriage. But I have always really had a facination with Oh Canada since I visited Toronto a few years ago. They have always seemed to be more progressive and "worldly" than Americans. It bothers me that this Harper and the Conservatives have a shot at taking over the country due to scandals. And I bet that the Far Religious RIght have orchestrated this coup attempt. But I have more faith in Canadian citizens to see through the Right Wing dogma than I do Americans to see through Right Wing nonsense in this country.

  4. What would I do without J's Theatre - thanks for the insight and attention.

  5. Bernie, Jacques Demers...LOL. You know why I had to mention him, of course. I hadn't realized I'd written about Canada without mentioning Mr. Maple Leaf himself. A: Who is Alex Trebek? :-)

    Reggie, I agree with you Martin stepping down, but you're right that he probably thinks doing so would be an indication of his links to the corruption under Chrétien, though people have already tied him to it anyways (and he was a high profile Cabinet member too). He also probably wants to try and get a few things done so he'll have a legacy of sorts. But I also don't see him hanging on until 2008. Those Conservatives' ties to the Religious Wrong are very, very troubling. But they seem to be strengthening. It doesn't look like most Canadians are buying Harper's vile set of goods just yet, thank God.

    Lee, Canada does appear to be more progressive in some ways. It's a more secular society (which could be the result of the waning influence both of Anglicanism, the weak position of the Catholic Church, which is the largest Christian denomination, and the paucity of evangelicals. The Great Awakening didn't really hit Canada, nor have successive waves of American Protestantism, as far as I can tell. The country has also aggressively sought out immigrants over the last few decades, which has transformed it into a truly multicultural society at the same time that it's moved from being rural and a middling economic power to becoming one of the richest and most technologically advanced in the world. Canada was actually quite a sleepy place before the Second World War, I think. I don't think Dobson Co. are going to hoodwink the Canadians the way they continue to hypnotize way too many Americans. I just don't get it. I'm not saying a person has to take Kant's view that once you become an adult a certain level of rationalism should be expected, but at the same time, can't people see the tremendous damage that religious fanaticism has wrought on the world? Or do they just close their eyes and play possum?

    Blackgriot, thanks for dropping in!


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Change of Seasons

Sunday, March 5
10 am – 1 pm
San Diego Writers, Ink
More Info & Registration

The earth tilts, the sun shifts, and everything changes: the way the light falls against your bedroom wall, the breath of air against your skin, the idea of Sunday afternoon. We and the places we live and love are transformed by the seasons.

In “Song (4)” Wendell Berry writes, “Within the circles of our lives/ we dance the circles of the years/ the circles of the seasons/ within the circles of the years.”

In this generative workshop, we’ll use our notebooks to record the changes of our seasons, within and without.

For fiction and nonfiction writers. Poets, too.


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Photo: Bear it and grin

Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009

Mendenhall Visitors Center Director Ron Marvin watches a brown colored black bear walk across a pathway at the Mendenhall Glacier on Wednesday. Bears have been wondering around looking for food recently according the U.S. Forest Service.

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Bakker, Standerwick wed

Posted: Friday, August 23, 2002

Anne Bakker and Doug Standerwick announce their marriage in an outdoor ceremony Aug. 10, 2002 at Bartlett Lodge on Cache Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

The bride is employed as an Internal Medicine physician at Juneau Medical Clinic. She is the daughter of Marvin and Janet Bakker of Ames, Iowa.

The groom is employed as a procurement specialist by the state of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. He is the son of John and Donna Standerwick of Port Angeles, Washington, formerly of Juneau and Sitka.

Friends are welcome to join the couple for a reception at the Juneau Yacht Club on Saturday, Sept 7, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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Group stands behind ad Murkowski calls untrue

Posted: Wednesday, October 06, 2010

JUNEAU - Alaska broadcasters said Tuesday that they'd decide for themselves whether to run ads by a national tea party group that U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's campaign called "littered with lies and intentional mischaracterizations."

Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire
Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire

This follows a letter sent to TV stations around the state late Monday by Murkowski attorney Timothy McKeever, warning them not to air the ads from Tea Party Express, a California-based group that supports Murkowski's GOP rival Joe Miller.

The letter doesn't threaten legal action but says stations have a "legal and moral obligation" not to air the ad, which the group rush-produced and unveiled for reporters Monday. As of Tuesday, it hadn't yet bought airtime but planned to do so in the coming days. It is currently available on YouTube.

Susan Lucas, general manager of KTUU in Anchorage, said she considers the warning letter a "big old publicity stunt" and said she doesn't censor on the public airwaves.

"We have to offer access for the conversation, part of the conversation, anyway," she said, adding that she's allowed on the air pro-Murkowski content. "What basis would I have to deny the Tea Party Express?"

She and other television general managers who spoke with The Associated Press on Tuesday said that any time concerns are raised, they pay attention, wanting to make sure those are presented to an ad's producers and to ask for documentation or proof they may have for the flag-raising claims.

Federal law doesn't require stations to air third party ads and broadcasters could be subject to legal liability for running content they know to be "knowingly false," media attorney John McKay said. But that's a high bar, he said, and stations aren't required to vet ads for errors.

The law doesn't state that an ad can't run if two sides are saying two different things, and the station doesn't know for sure what's right, he said.

In this case, Tea Party Express stands behind the ad, entitled "Arrogant Lisa Murkowski - You Lost!" It seeks to paint Murkowski as more interested in political self-preservation than in serving the interests of Alaskans. Murkowski is undertaking a write-in campaign after losing the GOP primary to Miller.

It claims she didn't "earn" her Senate seat; that she "tried to influence" the absentee vote count in the primary and that she "tried to manipulate the Libertarian party into giving her their slot" on the ballot - claims McKeever called "materially false."

"This improper, inaccurate and deceptive advertising indicates a disturbing disregard for the truth and a blatant effort to mislead Alaska voters by an outside special interest entity," he wrote.

Levi Russell, a Tea Party Express spokesman, said the ad contains a "truthful" message, albeit one that shows Murkowski in a negative light. He said it checks out factually.

"I have never heard of a candidate taking it upon themselves to try to threaten and influence different stations across the state," Russell said. "It's such a veiled threat, saying, 'If you play this ad, we will hold you responsible.' Coming from a sitting senator, that was kind of creepy, I thought."

McKeever, in an interview with The Associated Press, refused to say what steps, if any, the campaign might take if stations aired the ad. He also wouldn't say if the campaign was considering any action against Tea Party Express.

Russell said that while stations in the past have questioned statements in ads or asked for documentation, none have rejected Tea Party Express ads "and I doubt they will."

This is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the group and Murkowski.

Tea Party Express reported spending more than $550,000 during the primary in support of Miller, who favors limiting the powers of the federal government to those outlined in the Constitution and giving greater control to the states.

Murkowski has admitted not being ready for the impact the Tea Party Express would have. In mounting her write-in campaign, she vowed to be ready this time. And she has aired an ad of her own, taking aim at the group.

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Friday, May 6, 2011

Enjoy The Silence

I've tried watching "Times Now" - India's version of CNN / BBC, and while their obsessive coverage of Pakistan's harbouring of Osama Bin Laden provides a unique insight (since no one hates Pakistan more as a nation, than India)  the majority of their BLARING VOLUME advertisements are a cacophony of Hinglish.  Hindi-Hindi-Hindi-great experiences... Hindi-Hindi-Hindi-amazing offer.  Hindi-Hindi-Hindi-are you okay? Hindi-Hindi-Hindi-false alarm.  The acCENTS emphaSIZED on all the wrong syllabelS causes the verbal interpretation centers in my brain to cramp up.  I've taken to working and getting ready in my room in silence.  Much more tranquil.

1 comment:

  1. LOL! 1 minute ago, the daily Bangalore power outage hit, blacking out my room for about 4 or 5 seconds. Netbook told me I was on battery power. Times Now Was Silenced. Tranquility returned. Large Screen Samsung did not turn itself back on after the diesel generators kicked in.. and most gratefully, wifi signal somehow remained viable, not kicking me offline.

    These black outs happen at least once a day, if not more. I've been having dinner, taking a shower, or walking through the lobby when they've occurred. I HOPE one doesn't hit when I am in the room key-card activated Otis Elevator =(

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I Hope There's No Season 9

I just wish they'd all get eaten...   except for Daryl.  And Michonne.  They're the two redeeming characters.
I really hope there's not many seasons left.  End it, please.  There's been far too many bad decisions made by characters and writers.  Fast forwarding through DVR'ed episodes (especially ones heavily involved with "The Governor") take me less than 10 minutes now.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Prevention of Financial Abuse of Elders: Free Seminar: April 29, 2010

Seal of Ulster County, New YorkImage via Wikipedia

Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive,
Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau and
Ulster County Coalition of Agencies on Elder Abuse

It's All About the Money:
Financial Elder Abuse

Valuable information for law enforcement, the financial services community, elder service providers and the general public
Guest Speaker
Art Mason, CSW
Director, Elder Abuse Prevention Program
Rochester, NY

Topics include:
  • Scope of financial elder abuse in New York State
  • Community resources
  • What we can do
Thursday, April 29, 2010 1-3 pm

Ulster County Community College
Student Lounge, 203 Vanderlyn Hall
Stone Ridge, NY 12484
Seating is limited. To reserve, please RSVP by April 23 to the
Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau
at 845-340-3260 or by email at .

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Your Call: #gazaunderattack

Jul 18, 2014

Your Call for July 18, 2014: It’s our Friday media roundtable, this week we’ll discuss the coverage of the ongoing military attack on Gaza. Since the beginning of the Israeli military assault, over 250 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1900 have been wounded. The ongoing conflict has caused one civilian death in Israel. We’ll be joined by McClatchy’s Mark Seible, +972’s Samer Badawi and Larry Derfner and independent journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous joins us from Gaza. Join the conversation on the next Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Sharif Kouddous, independent journalist and a Democracy Now! Correspondent

Mark Seibel, chief of correspondents and foreign editor at the McClatchy Newspapers

Samer Badawi, contributor to +972

Larry Derfner, Israeli journalist who blogs for +972 magazine

Web Resources:

Huffington Post: Questions Surround NBC's Removal Of Ayman Mohyeldin From Gaza

+972: How Netanyahu provoked this war with Gaza

+972:  Why is Mahmoud Abbas negotiating on behalf of Gaza?

The Nation: Death and Destruction in Gaza as Israel Launches Ground Invasion

NY Times: The Toll in Gaza and Israel, Day by Day


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Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Colbert dances to Get Lucky

I have to admit that this is a very catchy tune. Plus, a cameo by Kissinger!

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

1 comment:

midelectric said...

Not on topic, but to respond to your tweet re: gun buy-back programs, another data point


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Friday, January 6, 2017

10 years with util-linux project!

I can't believe that it's already 10 years we have active community around basic Linux utils.

Yes, we had util-linux before (and many thanks to Adrian Bunk and Andries E. Brouwer), but I believe that with git and close collaboration between Linux distributions and Linux kernel community it better now :-)
  • ~11000 commits
  • ~460 unique contributors
  • ~630 regression tests
  • ~100 utils, 5 shared libs with public API
  • ~16 major releases (from v2.13 to v2.29)
  • ~26 translated languages
  • ~10000 e-mails on mailing list

  • ported to GNU Hurd, FreeBSD and XOS
  • used by all mainstream Linux distros (as well as by Systemd haters ;-)
  • modern autotools based build system

  • merges from another projects
    • libblkid, libuuid and fsck from e2fsprogs
    • sulogin, last, utmpdump  and mounpoint from sysvinit
    • su from coreutils

  • many new utils (lsblk, findmnt, wipefs, rtcwake, unshare, nsenter, prlimit, blkdiscard, flock, fstrim, ipcmk, ldattach, lscpu, lsipc, lslocks, lslogins, resizepart, setarch, setpriv, switch_root, swaplabel)

  • many rewrites (libblkid probing code, mount, fdisks, etc.)

  • new shared libraries
    • libmount
    • libfdisk
    • libsmartcols

...the first original announce:

... gource video with all the ten years :-)

Thanks to all contributors!


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Western States…Speedgoat Odds 2010

June 18 2010, 10:08 am

No doubt this will be the toughest “odds” I’ve ever done.  Picking the winners of this great race is certainly gambling.  The heat plays a huge factor.  A few WS rookies up front stand out as big overall favorites, but it’s a long way from Squaw to Auburn, and anything can happen. Some of the Read More

Last chance for the big dance

April 29 2010, 2:08 pm

Miwok 100K happens Saturday, the field is “pretty solid”. 🙂 Here’s my picks: THE MEN 1. Anton Krupicka 5-2.  We all know if he has no injury issues, he should be gone daddy gone.  He’s been training hard, comes from 8000′ ish and should be able to challenge Mac Daddy’s record if has his day in the sun. Read More

Drumroll please!

January 8 2010, 7:41 am

On Monday morning Ultrarunning Magazine will announce the “Ultrarunners of the Year”.  Who’s it gonna be?  All we know is that it’s a tough vote.  So many variables, so many races, so many different circumstances, so many different courses.  I could go on and on and on, but I won’t.  Tune in Monday morning after Read More

Last Chance for the Big DanceMiwok 100k Saturday

April 29 2008, 9:18 pm

This is the last chance to gain entry into the Western States Track Meet. So how about we throw some odds for this years race: Mens Race: Dave Mackey 3-1. Mac Daddy doesn’t run too many ultras, but usually comes in ready to fly, perhaps he’s looking at the WS 100 in June? He said Read More


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Break a leg, Bessie. No, really.

September 15, 2008 · 1 comment

At one point a few months ago I promised a thorough review of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and like so many other well-intentioned ideas I had for my summer, that review never came to fruition. It’s not happening today, either; I just don’t have the mental capacity for a good book review these days. But the book has continued to be a source for thought, discussion, and inspiration in both our household and in conversations with friends who’ve read it. (Should I take a sentence or two again, now, to plead with any reader who has not yet enjoyed this read to do so soon? Does it go too far for me to suggest that I think everyone should read it? Have I disclaimed that I don’t agree with everything in the book, but that it’s still an important and responsible book to enjoy?)

The great thing about the way the book is written is that the author really does leave you free to make decisions about how much, if anything, you might want to change about the way you eat. So while we’re not raising our own chickens or buying a backyard goat (ahem… yet), we have decided to try to find a local source for grassfed beef. There is a farm nearby that sells their beef, poultry, and pork at our local farmer’s market, and I recently purchased four broiler hens, apparently a French breed that has a more equal dispersion of light and dark meat. (The hens are all still in my freezer — while the cost wasn’t exorbitant, it was enough that I feel the roasting of these hens is warranted only by a “special occasion.” At this point, though, I’ll be satisfied with the occasion of my long-awaited post-partum revived interest in cooking.) The same farm sells grassfed beef, but oh, my, is it pricey. We don’t eat vast quantities of red meat in our house, but purchasing even our relatively small requirements from this farm would require a significant adjustment to the already-panged grocery budget.

So, we’ve been talking to a guy we know. He mentioned, a few months ago, that his brother-in-law has some grassfed cattle on his farm. And apparently — maybe this is common knowledge among those of a more rurally-influenced background — when a cow, say, has the misfortune of breaking one of its legs, it has to be put down pretty much immediately. And it can’t be sold for slaughter. Which is where, according to our friend, we come in.

Now, my husband is quite the go-getter. He is rarely afraid to try anything — he just thinks that if you don’t know how to do something, you find a book, or a person, to tell you how to do it. And then you just do it. This is simultaneously a beautiful and terrifying part of his personality. One of those things I can both love and hate, all within a small span of time. So our friend tells us that we can just wait around for a phone call from his brother-in-law, telling us that a cow is down. And then we show up, slaughter the cow, get it to the processor, and the rest is done for us. They process the meat, and we end up with a few hundred pounds of grassfed beef, all for the low price of processing (about 80¢/lb, a total steal). This is all said in a similar nonchalant manner as if he were telling us to drop by the local supermarket and pick up some steaks. And my husband is thinking this sounds great — what a deal — let’s do it.

And I’m excited about the deal, too, I admit. But then I actually picture, in my head, the day the call comes. You know, when Tim hangs up the phone, and says, “Honey, I’ll be back in a bit. A cow is down,” and walks out the front door with his keys and wallet, climbing into the Subaru, off to gather our year’s worth of beef. And I start to realize that this requires the slaughter and transport of an 800-pound animal, two things which — to me — sound like things better left to people who know what the hell they are doing. So I start asking casual questions. Things like, “So, how do you think this will go down? Do you shoot it? Strap it to the luggage rack? How long do you have to get it to the processing plant before bad things start to happen to the meat? Where is the processing plant?” etc., until I think I’ve made the point that um, I don’t have a lot of confidence in this idea.

So we had a follow-up discussion with our beef connection. There is another option, one which does not require quite so much involvement from us when it comes to killing the cow. I’m still confused (a bit willingly, I’ll admit) about the details, but for perhaps double the price (closer to $2/lb) we can take our city selves out of the process. Granted, if we were truly following the spirit of Omnivore’s Dilemma, we’d kill the cow ourselves, staring it in the face first. We’d truly know our food, and be better eaters for it.

But I’m not quite there. It was hard enough to realize that, really, what I’m sitting around waiting for is for a cow to fall and break a bone. I’m no Pete Singer follower, and my brief stint with vegetarianism in college had more to do with economics and fad diets than animal rights. But, still. It does make me a little sad to think about the poor cow tripping up one afternoon and then ending up filling our borrowed deep freezer. I think that when this all goes down — if it in fact ever does — we should name the cow, and be thankful for its life (and, er, misfortune) every time we enjoy our tasty, lean beef. It will be one step closer, for us, to understanding and appreciating the source of our food.

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Thursday, April 3, 2008

Harassment on Campus

A report released by Public Agenda today reports on bias and harassment on campus at Michigan State University, Columbia College, and UC-Berkeley. The thing is, though, that the survey had pretty poor methodology. The group of students who took the survey was a self-selected group that clicked on a Facebook ad. The study doesn’t actually measure incidents of harassment, but rather measures which groups students perceive are more likely to receive harassment. By examining these stereotypes, the survey concluded that it was “safer” to be a woman than to be gay. About 30 percent of respondents at the three schools thought was either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” for female students to be sexually harassed while closer to 50 percent (MSU 53 percent, Columbia 47 percent, Berkeley 38 percent) of students noted verbal or graffiti harassment toward students who identify as GLBT.

Furthermore, the survey found “on a more positive note, the findings indicate few students (16 percent) believe female students would be taken less seriously in the classroom because they are female.” This is a pretty common misconception in college because college campuses have mostly achieved gender parity and, excluding hard sciences, the gender parity even tips in the favor of young women on campus. I personally didn’t get what the big deal with sexism was because women routinely performed at the top of every one of my classes. Where the guidelines are clear, like in a grading system, women tend to exceed. It is where the guidelines become less clear, like in a professional work environment that the number of women, especially in leadership positions gets stuck at around 20-30 percent.

I’m all for advocating that campuses become safe spaces for minorities of all kinds, but this survey just doesn’t seem to be a reliable way to measure or prevent such harassment. What will help, in part, is if there is an increase in the reporting rate of incidents of harassment. As long as young people are afraid to report harassment, it may continue to persist. We need to ensure young people feel comfortable coming forward with reports of discrimination and harassment.

Cross posted.

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Mid-Missourians gather to watch as election results revealed

Nov 7, 2012

KBIA reporting teams were out in full force throughout mid-Missouri and filed reports throughout the evening. KBIA News caught up with the following people at watch parties around the community:

  • House Representative Mike Bernskoetter (R-i) at Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. (Alexandra Olgin and Katarina Sostaric)
  • Forty-Ninth District Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-i) at Post Office Bar & Grill in Fulton. (Wendy Mader and Ninh Pham)
  • District 3 State Representative Candidate Nate Walker (R) at Steve's Garden Deli in Kirksville (Courtney Doll)
  • Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-i) at his watch party in Columbia's Holiday Inn Expo Center (Andrew Yost)
  • District 19 Senate Candidate Mary Still (D) at Broadway Brewery (Kellie Stanfield and Lee Jian Chung)
  • Participants at the Cole County Democratic watch party at the Bones Restaurant & Lounge in Jefferson City (Mikkel Christiensen)


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This page is under construction.

Most people program CUDA using its Runtime API.  With this API, CUDA kernels are called using "triple chevron" syntax.  For example, a Runtime API kernel call might look like

  Reduce<<<nblocks,nthreads>>>(idata, odata,size);

Runtime API code must be compiled with using a compiler that understands it, such as NVIDIA's nvcc. Using nvcc to link a CUDA program is also nice, in that it automatically finds the right CUDA libraries to link against.

Similarly, for a non-CUDA MPI program, it is easiest to compile and link MPI code using the MPI compiler drivers (e.g., mpicc) because they automatically find and use the right MPI headers and libraries.

However, if you want to compile and link a CUDA program that also contains calls to MPI functions, there is a problem that may arise.  Source files that contain both Runtime API (triple chevron) kernel launches and calls to MPI functions should be compiled by either nvcc or mpicc, but they cannot be compiled by both.  Likewise, when linking a program that contains both CUDA code and MPI code, one of the two compiler drivers should be used for the link.

There are two primary approaches for addressing this problem:

  • Let CUDA win
    • Determine the flags needed to compile and link an MPI program. Some MPI implementation's mpirun command supports a 'showme' flag that can help determine these flags.
    • Compile and link everything with nvcc, passing the necessary MPI flags.
    • Note that in our experience it is difficult to use this approach with anything other than the GNU compiler.
  • Let MPI win
    • Separate the code that uses the CUDA Runtime API (triple chevron) kernel launches from code that uses MPI
    • Compile source files with the triple chevron kernel invocations using nvcc
    • Compile all other code using the MPI compiler drivers
    • Link with the MPI driver, passing the correct -L and -l flags for finding and using the CUDA libraries (e.g., -lcudart)

With our SHOC benchmark suite, we have found that the second approach (using MPI compiler drivers) is less error prone.

Note that it may be possible to avoid this problem if you use functions like cudaLaunch to launch your kernels instead of the triple chevron syntax.  If all of your use of CUDA is through function calls, it may be possible to have CUDA and MPI code in the same source file and compile using the MPI compiler drivers.  However, you will still have to determine the CUDA compiler and linker flags and pass those to the MPI compiler driver, so the practical benefit of this approach may be minimal.


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Don’t ‘Sprayze’ Me, Bro: Organic Farmer To Dallas County Commissioners | KERA News

Don’t ‘Sprayze’ Me, Bro: Organic Farmer To Dallas County Commissioners

Nov 27, 2012

Dallas County plans a new, more aggressive way to control mosquitoes and West Nile virus next year. 2012 was the worst year ever in North Texas: 18 deaths in Dallas County alone. But, beekeepers and organic farmers do not want aerial pesticide spraying as part of the 2013 plan.

About a dozen beekeepers, organic farmers and concerned citizens spoke before Dallas County Commissioners Court. Syndicated gardening show host Howard Garrett said aerial pesticide spraying is harmful and it doesn’t work.

“It misses most of the adult mosquitoes and it misses all of the larvae,” said Garrett.

Garrett recommended biological agents to kill mosquito larvae before they hatch, fly, and bite: and adding the tiny gambusia fish to creeks, ponds and other water sources.  It eats mosquito eggs.

“I recommend that the city of Dallas, the county and other cities get involved in raising these,” Garrett told Commissioners. “They’re very easy to grow. Kids should be encouraged to raise these things and a whole comprehensive program should be set up for their distribution and release.”

Garrett and others advocated year-round mosquito monitoring with traps, testing and treatment.  Commissioner John Wiley Price says it’s going to take commitment and cash.

“In your various cities, what kind of commitment, budgetary commitment, have they made to increase their position?” asked Price. “Now the city of Dallas has gone to at least 90 traps, year-round surveillance.”

County Judge Clay Jenkins supports the increased surveillance and aggressive larvaciding. But he also defends aerial spraying.

“The aerial spraying stopped the epidemic and saved lives,”said Jenkins.  “I hope this monitoring will lead us into never getting into epidemic phases again.”

Others speaking before Commissioners told of rashes, trouble breathing following the aerial spraying last August. Judge Jenkins asked them to provide their stories and medical documentation to pass along before a Centers for Disease Control report on the West Nile response comes out early next year.

“As it stands right now, the information that the state and federal government has, as well as the information I have, is that the aerial spraying did not cause damage to bees, mammals or people,” said Jenkins.

Beekeeper Brandon Pollard says he lost a lot of bees this year to ground and aerial spraying.  Organic farmer Tom Spicer told commissioners it did damage to his business, too.

“Pretty much everybody has pointed out the problems and some of the more intelligent solutions,” noted Spicer.  “So, all I can say is please don’t sprayze me, bro.”

Judge Jenkins says a new mosquito/West Nile virus program will be formalized after the recommendations from the CDC.


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Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues…

Smokers Twice As Likely To Get Active TB, Study Finds

“A study in Taiwan has found that smokers are twice as likely to develop active tuberculosis compared to people who have never smoked, prompting calls for policymakers to be tougher on smoking,” Reuters reports (Lyn, 8/24).

According to HealthDay News/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, researchers analyzed data fromÂ almost 17,000 people who took part in Taiwan’s 2001 National Health Interview Survey andÂ “found that current smokers had a 2.73 times higher risk of active TB than nonsmokers, while the risk for people who had smoked at some point in their lives was 2.69 times greater. After adjusting for other potential factors, the researchers determined that current smokers were two times more likely to develop active TB than nonsmokers” (8/24).Â

Current smokers were also found to have twice the risk of developing active TB in comparison to never-smokersÂ after researchers adjusted for potential confounders, according to an American Thoracic Society release.Â In addition,Â “they also found that younger smokers were more likely than smokers older than 65 to develop active TB relative to their non-smoking counterparts,”Â the release notes (8/24).Â

“Based on our analysis, 17 percent of incident TB cases in this population were attributable to smoking,” the authors wrote in a paper published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, according to Reuters.

Lead author Hsien-Ho Lin, a postdoctoral research fellow from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, wrote, “Based on results from ours and other studies, policymakers and public health personnel should consider addressing tobacco cessation as part of tuberculosis control”Â (8/24).

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Headquarters: 2400 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270 | Email Alerts: | |

Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Menlo Park, California.