#40 Let there be light
Once upon a time, about 34 years, we lived in a lovely two story colonial in a beautiful tree line suburban neighborhood. We had looked on and off at other possibilities for about 10 years, but nothing really caught our attention. Quite by accident we bought a condo here--I’d noticed the ad in the paper when another appointment fell through. We fell in love with the lot--huge trees, a creek, and magnificent view--with a unit on three floors instead of the one floor plan we were seeking.
Almost every week, we tell each other something we like about this place. My husband, being an architect, continues to find little nuances he enjoys that we missed the first year. We marvel that we haven’t missed our house where we had so many happy times and raised our family even one minute.
There was just one thing, however, we both disliked: the lack of light in a structure where you share walls with your neighbors. In our former home, we had two to three large windows in every room. Now we have windows on the north or south, one to a room, except the living room, master bedroom and family room have double size windows, and my office has the only west window.
The entry was particularly dark. Even after we painted the brown living room, orange dining room and red family room lighter, fresher colors, and removed hundreds of yards of heavy draperies, it still felt dark to us. So we purchased, rather invested in, a new front door. It has a “half light” with a glass arts and crafts design. The design gives more privacy than you might think, but allow the southwest light to stream in.
We needed all new trim inside and out, new threshold, new matching hardware for our other three exterior doors and professional installation. This is why I call it an “investment.” Definitely not cheap. But I love it. Not only is the entry area lighter, but it casts light into the living room. It directs light up the stairs to the third level, and down the stairs to the first level.
Central Ohio is cloudy or partly cloudy 293 days of the year; we need to take advantage of any sun we can get.
Sunday, October 19, 2003
#39 Canine cardiology
I just bought a birthday card for my son-in-law. It's as cute as he is. I don't have grandchildren, but I do have a "grand puppy," an 18 year old Chihuahua with a bad heart, mild dementia, and almost no teeth. She is happy in her limited dog-life and my daughter is willing to pay the high drug bills to keep her alive as long as she is not suffering.
Anyway, the card has a photo of a Chihuahua sitting atop a 3 tier chocolate birthday cake, on a table with white linen and china, under a chandelier. Front text: "Birthdays are like life. Just when you think it's a piece of cake. . . " and the inside says, ". . .some little mutt sits in your frosting Happy Birthday." A lot of truth in that card.
When Tita was much younger, and not expected to live because she had a bad heart valve, I asked the heart specialist, Dr. Robert Hamlin, at the OSU veterinary college where I worked if he would take a look at her. Bob is a terrific guy who loves both animals and people, so he did that for me. After examining her on his lunch hour, he handed that quivering little taupe bundle back to my tearful daughter and said she’d have a long healthy life.
Years later when I was in the hospital after heart surgery, two of the cardiologists who stopped by on rounds told me they had worked with Dr. Hamlin, one of the finest canine cardiologists in the country. I felt a lot better about their credentials.
I just bought a birthday card for my son-in-law. It's as cute as he is. I don't have grandchildren, but I do have a "grand puppy," an 18 year old Chihuahua with a bad heart, mild dementia, and almost no teeth. She is happy in her limited dog-life and my daughter is willing to pay the high drug bills to keep her alive as long as she is not suffering.
Anyway, the card has a photo of a Chihuahua sitting atop a 3 tier chocolate birthday cake, on a table with white linen and china, under a chandelier. Front text: "Birthdays are like life. Just when you think it's a piece of cake. . . " and the inside says, ". . .some little mutt sits in your frosting Happy Birthday." A lot of truth in that card.
When Tita was much younger, and not expected to live because she had a bad heart valve, I asked the heart specialist, Dr. Robert Hamlin, at the OSU veterinary college where I worked if he would take a look at her. Bob is a terrific guy who loves both animals and people, so he did that for me. After examining her on his lunch hour, he handed that quivering little taupe bundle back to my tearful daughter and said she’d have a long healthy life.
Years later when I was in the hospital after heart surgery, two of the cardiologists who stopped by on rounds told me they had worked with Dr. Hamlin, one of the finest canine cardiologists in the country. I felt a lot better about their credentials.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
#38 Shallow, callow students
"Daniel Hamermesh, a professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Amy Parker, one of his students, found that attractive professors consistently outscore their less comely colleagues by a significant margin on student evaluations of teaching. The findings, they say, raise serious questions about the use of student evaluations as a valid measure of teaching quality."
I was really surprised at this one. I don't ever remember having a good looking professor! Maybe it was my majors. And they were so old--maybe 35 or 40! Grad assistants, lab assistants, yes. But not professors.
And the men are more "objects" than the women. The study is inconclusive on whether better looking people may actually be better teachers. It also suggests the bar is set pretty low for "good looks."
"Daniel Hamermesh, a professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Amy Parker, one of his students, found that attractive professors consistently outscore their less comely colleagues by a significant margin on student evaluations of teaching. The findings, they say, raise serious questions about the use of student evaluations as a valid measure of teaching quality."
I was really surprised at this one. I don't ever remember having a good looking professor! Maybe it was my majors. And they were so old--maybe 35 or 40! Grad assistants, lab assistants, yes. But not professors.
And the men are more "objects" than the women. The study is inconclusive on whether better looking people may actually be better teachers. It also suggests the bar is set pretty low for "good looks."
Friday, October 17, 2003
#37 It isn’t Friendster, it’s Usenet
On a Usenet Forum, I questioned the motives of the husband of Terri Schiavo for wanting his wife’s feeding and hydration stopped. In two personal attacks, PJ said I was judgmental and Ing said, “I'm betting you have a VERY small circle of friends and/or acquaintances.”
Personal attacks are very common on Usenet. But this particular forum is certainly not the worst I've seen. So here is my response.
The question why didn’t he just get a divorce and let someone else take over her care, is reasonable to ask. He has a lover and a child by her. He needs to move on. Suggesting we follow the money, is reasonable, based on the husband‘s behavior since winning his $750,000 law suit. Making playground bully taunts isn’t.
Ing, you and PJ may interpret the husband’s actions as benign and loving, using all your powers of discernment, investigation and problem solving, but I don’t. You can look at the video and see a comatose woman, but I don’t see that. I’ve had some experience over a period of years with a friend in that situation, and you’ve had to euthanize a dying dog. Only in PETA does that equate.
I see a brain injured woman who will never be restored to her 1990 self, but who isn’t without value. I don’t measure people’s value by income producing ability, or what they might add to my next dinner party, or how strong they are.
Let’s look at some of the articles, knowing we can never know the whole story.
‘Smith said, however, that "as soon as the money was in the bank, Michael [who had promised the jury in the malpractice suit that he would take care of her the rest of her natural life] put a 'do not resuscitate' order on the chart, realizing back in the early 1990s he would inherit $750,000 if Terri died, and began to refuse medical treatment such as antibiotics for infections and so forth. In 1998, when Terri didn't die he filed a request with Judge Greer to be allowed to remove her feeding tube, and that’s how this whole business started." ‘Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com
“But I do know that if I were her parent, or even someone who knew her before she plunged into darkness, I would sit there every day to fight tooth and nail against what must be astronomical odds.” Steve Otto, Tampa Tribune
“The Church has taught consistently that every human life has a value and dignity that cannot be measured by standards of productivity, competence and even physical health.” Bishop of Arlington (VA)
“Terry Wallis, 39, of Big Flat went into a coma after a car accident in 1984 and uttered his first words June 11, when his mother visited him at the Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mountain View. His family said that before that day, Wallis showed only occasional signs of recognition by blinking his eyes or grunting.” Baxter Bulletin (AK)
On a Usenet Forum, I questioned the motives of the husband of Terri Schiavo for wanting his wife’s feeding and hydration stopped. In two personal attacks, PJ said I was judgmental and Ing said, “I'm betting you have a VERY small circle of friends and/or acquaintances.”
Personal attacks are very common on Usenet. But this particular forum is certainly not the worst I've seen. So here is my response.
The question why didn’t he just get a divorce and let someone else take over her care, is reasonable to ask. He has a lover and a child by her. He needs to move on. Suggesting we follow the money, is reasonable, based on the husband‘s behavior since winning his $750,000 law suit. Making playground bully taunts isn’t.
Ing, you and PJ may interpret the husband’s actions as benign and loving, using all your powers of discernment, investigation and problem solving, but I don’t. You can look at the video and see a comatose woman, but I don’t see that. I’ve had some experience over a period of years with a friend in that situation, and you’ve had to euthanize a dying dog. Only in PETA does that equate.
I see a brain injured woman who will never be restored to her 1990 self, but who isn’t without value. I don’t measure people’s value by income producing ability, or what they might add to my next dinner party, or how strong they are.
Let’s look at some of the articles, knowing we can never know the whole story.
‘Smith said, however, that "as soon as the money was in the bank, Michael [who had promised the jury in the malpractice suit that he would take care of her the rest of her natural life] put a 'do not resuscitate' order on the chart, realizing back in the early 1990s he would inherit $750,000 if Terri died, and began to refuse medical treatment such as antibiotics for infections and so forth. In 1998, when Terri didn't die he filed a request with Judge Greer to be allowed to remove her feeding tube, and that’s how this whole business started." ‘Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com
“But I do know that if I were her parent, or even someone who knew her before she plunged into darkness, I would sit there every day to fight tooth and nail against what must be astronomical odds.” Steve Otto, Tampa Tribune
“The Church has taught consistently that every human life has a value and dignity that cannot be measured by standards of productivity, competence and even physical health.” Bishop of Arlington (VA)
“Terry Wallis, 39, of Big Flat went into a coma after a car accident in 1984 and uttered his first words June 11, when his mother visited him at the Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mountain View. His family said that before that day, Wallis showed only occasional signs of recognition by blinking his eyes or grunting.” Baxter Bulletin (AK)
Thursday, October 16, 2003
#36 A Powerful Michigan Virus
I vowed when I started a blog, I wasn’t going to give a blow by blow account of my day, especially if it was really yucky. And I won’t. But let me add here, I have a bad cold.
I talked to my sister-in-law last night who had sniffing coughing house guests from Michigan when we were visiting, week-end before last, for Brother Bob’s birthday. They also have bad colds. We agreed that Michigan viruses are very powerful.
So the problem is, nothing tastes good. Actually, nothing tastes period. So I sort of have to go by texture and memory. For lunch I had a piece of pumpkin pudding cake. Moist, soft, slightly gooey, robust, spicey and cool. For supper, I’ll have pepperoni pizza. Salty, crunchy, textured, greasy and very good memories.
Not exactly the 5 a day plan, but hopefully the cold will be gone before malnutrition sets in.
I vowed when I started a blog, I wasn’t going to give a blow by blow account of my day, especially if it was really yucky. And I won’t. But let me add here, I have a bad cold.
I talked to my sister-in-law last night who had sniffing coughing house guests from Michigan when we were visiting, week-end before last, for Brother Bob’s birthday. They also have bad colds. We agreed that Michigan viruses are very powerful.
So the problem is, nothing tastes good. Actually, nothing tastes period. So I sort of have to go by texture and memory. For lunch I had a piece of pumpkin pudding cake. Moist, soft, slightly gooey, robust, spicey and cool. For supper, I’ll have pepperoni pizza. Salty, crunchy, textured, greasy and very good memories.
Not exactly the 5 a day plan, but hopefully the cold will be gone before malnutrition sets in.
#35 Bedazzled and bewildered
“The hallmark of our times is the seemingly endless stream of new goods and services whose emergence bedazzles and bewilders us. The conventional wisdom about where these new goods come from, at least as it usually is told, is that the stork brings them.” David Warsh. He was talking about newspapers and innovation; I’m talking today about Ritz Crackers.
I needed orange juice and slipped into Kroger’s where I rarely shop anymore because of its “loyalty card” program, but that’s another blog. And as we do when we pop in for just one object, I ended up needing $21.35 worth of things, one being a box of Ritz crackers, my husband’s favorite snack item for football evenings and baseball playoffs.
Fortunately, before I tossed it in the cart, I saw the words “garlic butter” on the box of Ritz. Wow. Was I bedazzled and bewildered! I put it back and reached for another. Low sodium Ritz. Back it went. Then low fat Ritz. Then cheese Ritz. Wheat Ritz. And cracked pepper Ritz. “Where is it?” I fumed, tossing boxes on to the floor (that happened in my fantasy, but I felt like it). Finally in that plethora of crispy little baked circles of wheat flour introduced in 1934, enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, riboflavin, and folic acid, mixed with partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, leavening and malted barley flour, I found a simple red box that said, “Ritz Crackers.”
More cracker choices than California had gubernatorial candidates. Columnist George Ayoub never found his plain, old original Ritz he was so swamped by the choices.
I suggest modifying Ritz the old fashioned way--with peanut butter, or jelly, or cream cheese, or ham salad. You’ll feel more creative and accomplished when you build your own and sit down with that remote.
“The hallmark of our times is the seemingly endless stream of new goods and services whose emergence bedazzles and bewilders us. The conventional wisdom about where these new goods come from, at least as it usually is told, is that the stork brings them.” David Warsh. He was talking about newspapers and innovation; I’m talking today about Ritz Crackers.
I needed orange juice and slipped into Kroger’s where I rarely shop anymore because of its “loyalty card” program, but that’s another blog. And as we do when we pop in for just one object, I ended up needing $21.35 worth of things, one being a box of Ritz crackers, my husband’s favorite snack item for football evenings and baseball playoffs.
Fortunately, before I tossed it in the cart, I saw the words “garlic butter” on the box of Ritz. Wow. Was I bedazzled and bewildered! I put it back and reached for another. Low sodium Ritz. Back it went. Then low fat Ritz. Then cheese Ritz. Wheat Ritz. And cracked pepper Ritz. “Where is it?” I fumed, tossing boxes on to the floor (that happened in my fantasy, but I felt like it). Finally in that plethora of crispy little baked circles of wheat flour introduced in 1934, enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, riboflavin, and folic acid, mixed with partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, leavening and malted barley flour, I found a simple red box that said, “Ritz Crackers.”
More cracker choices than California had gubernatorial candidates. Columnist George Ayoub never found his plain, old original Ritz he was so swamped by the choices.
I suggest modifying Ritz the old fashioned way--with peanut butter, or jelly, or cream cheese, or ham salad. You’ll feel more creative and accomplished when you build your own and sit down with that remote.
#34 Do plants grieve?
My mother gave the children each a plant back in the 1970s. I kept them on the kitchen window sill in their original pots for thirty years. Obviously, they didn’t look too great with their little roots all squashed like that. But they did survive. Mom died in 2000. The plants began to falter. One died. The other one I brought with us when we moved, and even bought some potting soil and moved it to better “digs.” But it died within weeks.
I bought a nice house plant for my son’s wedding reception at our home in 1999. We had about 80 people for brunch and I wanted a little natural greenery in place. I didn’t expect it to live long, but it did fine. My son and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce. Today I noticed the plant is dying.
My mother gave the children each a plant back in the 1970s. I kept them on the kitchen window sill in their original pots for thirty years. Obviously, they didn’t look too great with their little roots all squashed like that. But they did survive. Mom died in 2000. The plants began to falter. One died. The other one I brought with us when we moved, and even bought some potting soil and moved it to better “digs.” But it died within weeks.
I bought a nice house plant for my son’s wedding reception at our home in 1999. We had about 80 people for brunch and I wanted a little natural greenery in place. I didn’t expect it to live long, but it did fine. My son and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce. Today I noticed the plant is dying.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
#33 Time in a bottle
After I deleted 35 spam from my e-mail box offering me sex products, new mortgages, on-line prescription plans, ink cartridges, and Caribbean cruises, I found a message from my secondary pension plan which said, “Wouldn’t you rather get your documents by e-mail?” Below the lovely photo of a letter inside a bottle buried in the sand were the words “Save paper, money and time.”
Actually, no. These days, important documents should probably be sent the old fashioned way--through the U.S. postal system, hand carried by my dependable mail lady, dropped through my front door mail slot, opened carefully and thoughtfully with a letter opener, and laid on the coffee table to be perused during TV commercial breaks.
After I deleted 35 spam from my e-mail box offering me sex products, new mortgages, on-line prescription plans, ink cartridges, and Caribbean cruises, I found a message from my secondary pension plan which said, “Wouldn’t you rather get your documents by e-mail?” Below the lovely photo of a letter inside a bottle buried in the sand were the words “Save paper, money and time.”
Actually, no. These days, important documents should probably be sent the old fashioned way--through the U.S. postal system, hand carried by my dependable mail lady, dropped through my front door mail slot, opened carefully and thoughtfully with a letter opener, and laid on the coffee table to be perused during TV commercial breaks.
#32 The best web logs (blogs)
“Who has the best blogs?” Depends on your tastes and interests. (I’d supply a link here, but some surveys have questionable advertising.) In my opinion, the really good bloggers are pros, hands down, liberal or conservative, black, white, or other, people who have always had an interest in news, information and gossip.
I like the people who take the time to check out the sources, and leave punditry to the paid print journalists and spin doctors and save us the reports about why they didn‘t get out of bed this morning. Also, I have a cuss/pejorative/swear word meter. If they write as though they need to gargle with Sno-bowl, I click past them.
Joanne Jacobs’ blog keeps me up on educational issues with good links and clever, perceptive analyses. She is a free-lance writer and former newspaper columnist. I don’t have kids in school, but know that we’re no better than our educational system.
To keep me up on happenings in the library field I subscribe to a cooperative web log developed by Blake Carver, who apparently was one of my colleagues at the Ohio State University Libraries, but I’m not sure our paths ever crossed. On the “about” page he says it was created in November 1999.
One of my favorite Christian blogs, and I appreciate the diversity of links, is Nathan Bierma at the online Books and Culture. His column is called “Content and Context.” This link is to the September 30 article--each issue is addressed separately. Ted Olsen compiles a web log on more traditional Christian topics for the on-line Christianity Today.
The Wall Street Journal Online has a “Best of the Web” written by James Taranto that is always worth looking at. Andrew Sullivan writes “The Daily Dish,” a mostly political blog. On the left side of his web page, he includes links to his regular columns in various papers.
However, your tastes may lean more toward improvisation, trendy and kooky. Then how did you get here?
“Who has the best blogs?” Depends on your tastes and interests. (I’d supply a link here, but some surveys have questionable advertising.) In my opinion, the really good bloggers are pros, hands down, liberal or conservative, black, white, or other, people who have always had an interest in news, information and gossip.
I like the people who take the time to check out the sources, and leave punditry to the paid print journalists and spin doctors and save us the reports about why they didn‘t get out of bed this morning. Also, I have a cuss/pejorative/swear word meter. If they write as though they need to gargle with Sno-bowl, I click past them.
Joanne Jacobs’ blog keeps me up on educational issues with good links and clever, perceptive analyses. She is a free-lance writer and former newspaper columnist. I don’t have kids in school, but know that we’re no better than our educational system.
To keep me up on happenings in the library field I subscribe to a cooperative web log developed by Blake Carver, who apparently was one of my colleagues at the Ohio State University Libraries, but I’m not sure our paths ever crossed. On the “about” page he says it was created in November 1999.
One of my favorite Christian blogs, and I appreciate the diversity of links, is Nathan Bierma at the online Books and Culture. His column is called “Content and Context.” This link is to the September 30 article--each issue is addressed separately. Ted Olsen compiles a web log on more traditional Christian topics for the on-line Christianity Today.
The Wall Street Journal Online has a “Best of the Web” written by James Taranto that is always worth looking at. Andrew Sullivan writes “The Daily Dish,” a mostly political blog. On the left side of his web page, he includes links to his regular columns in various papers.
However, your tastes may lean more toward improvisation, trendy and kooky. Then how did you get here?
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
#31
The first choice of the Visual Arts Ministry for a purchase is a very large drawing of a tree by Linda Langhorst. There is no way to look at this piece and not see numerous Biblical passages. Although this particular piece is not on her web site, you can see others here. Linda works in graphite, charcoal and watercolor and has a background in agriculture.
There is a recently reviewed title Republic of Shade by Thomas J. Campanella, Yale University Press, 2003 which includes the following:
"In typological terms, trees in Scripture act like giant words, expressing not only the general glory of God but also more specific themes. Both trees and saints come out of the ground. Both grow on riverbanks (Ps. 1) and bring food and medicine to the world; "their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (Ez. 47:12; cf. Rev. 22:2). Jotham preached "the trees once went forth to anoint a king over them," and the blind man healed began to see men as trees walking. Trees are images of humans, and they reflect our own fruitfulness, hubris, and decay.
And God manifests himself at trees—"arboreal theophanies," [James] Jordan says—like those in Eden and in front of Moses but also in the careful wood of the Tabernacle and Temple, which create grand images of God's people gathered around him. The entire Davidic line is pictured as a tree, a root, a stump, a branch (Is. 42; 6:13; 11:10) that ultimately develops into Christ, the vine, the tree of life, executed on a tree, having threatened fire to "every tree which does not bear good fruit" (Mt. 3:10). Christ Himself doesn't hesitate to urge us to read trees wisely: "Now learn this parable from the fig tree" (Mt. 24:32).
Learn from the tree? Why does that directive not show up regularly in seminary hermeneutics courses? We go to great pains to teach seminary students about exegeting Scripture and secret Foucauldian power structures, but we leave them largely clueless about exegeting nature." Douglas Jones, Reviewer
Scripture and Trees
The Visual Arts Ministry of our church was formed during the summer of 2000, and for the first time this year we finally have a budget. It’s been a very frustrating wait. Fortunately, we have a fabulous gallery area in our Mill Run building which we call “The Upper Room” and hope to soon have our hanging system installed at our Lytham Road location. The Mill Run gallery space will soon be hosting the Central Ohio Watercolor Society (or as our publicity says, the COWS are coming).The first choice of the Visual Arts Ministry for a purchase is a very large drawing of a tree by Linda Langhorst. There is no way to look at this piece and not see numerous Biblical passages. Although this particular piece is not on her web site, you can see others here. Linda works in graphite, charcoal and watercolor and has a background in agriculture.
There is a recently reviewed title Republic of Shade by Thomas J. Campanella, Yale University Press, 2003 which includes the following:
"In typological terms, trees in Scripture act like giant words, expressing not only the general glory of God but also more specific themes. Both trees and saints come out of the ground. Both grow on riverbanks (Ps. 1) and bring food and medicine to the world; "their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (Ez. 47:12; cf. Rev. 22:2). Jotham preached "the trees once went forth to anoint a king over them," and the blind man healed began to see men as trees walking. Trees are images of humans, and they reflect our own fruitfulness, hubris, and decay.
And God manifests himself at trees—"arboreal theophanies," [James] Jordan says—like those in Eden and in front of Moses but also in the careful wood of the Tabernacle and Temple, which create grand images of God's people gathered around him. The entire Davidic line is pictured as a tree, a root, a stump, a branch (Is. 42; 6:13; 11:10) that ultimately develops into Christ, the vine, the tree of life, executed on a tree, having threatened fire to "every tree which does not bear good fruit" (Mt. 3:10). Christ Himself doesn't hesitate to urge us to read trees wisely: "Now learn this parable from the fig tree" (Mt. 24:32).
Learn from the tree? Why does that directive not show up regularly in seminary hermeneutics courses? We go to great pains to teach seminary students about exegeting Scripture and secret Foucauldian power structures, but we leave them largely clueless about exegeting nature." Douglas Jones, Reviewer
#30 Oh Good Lord!
What a stretch! What a lack of understanding!
“There is an age-old conflict between intellectual leadership and civil authority. How old, how bitter, came home to me when I came up from Jericho on the road that Jesus took, and saw the first glimpse of Jerusalem on the skyline as he saw it going to his certain death. Death, because Jesus was then the intellectual and moral leader of his people, but he was facing an establishment in which religion was simply an arm of government. And that is a crisis of choice that leaders have faced over and over again: Socrates in Athens; Jonathan Swift in Ireland, torn between pity and ambition; Mahatma Gandhi in India; and Albert Einstein, when he refused the presidency of Israel.” from “He who pays the piper,” by Don Doig, Cato Policy Analysis No. 22, March 17, 1983.
But it’s my own fault. This quote is in one of the papers I was using on federal funding of research in the previous (#29) web log entry. Mr. Doig needs to go back and reread the Gospel of John. Jesus did not institute any new intellectual or moral principles--Judaism already had (and still has) the finest. Through the six “I AM” statements, he declared he was equal with God and is God. That’s what got the folks so riled up. If you bring religion into research, at least get it right!
What a stretch! What a lack of understanding!
“There is an age-old conflict between intellectual leadership and civil authority. How old, how bitter, came home to me when I came up from Jericho on the road that Jesus took, and saw the first glimpse of Jerusalem on the skyline as he saw it going to his certain death. Death, because Jesus was then the intellectual and moral leader of his people, but he was facing an establishment in which religion was simply an arm of government. And that is a crisis of choice that leaders have faced over and over again: Socrates in Athens; Jonathan Swift in Ireland, torn between pity and ambition; Mahatma Gandhi in India; and Albert Einstein, when he refused the presidency of Israel.” from “He who pays the piper,” by Don Doig, Cato Policy Analysis No. 22, March 17, 1983.
But it’s my own fault. This quote is in one of the papers I was using on federal funding of research in the previous (#29) web log entry. Mr. Doig needs to go back and reread the Gospel of John. Jesus did not institute any new intellectual or moral principles--Judaism already had (and still has) the finest. Through the six “I AM” statements, he declared he was equal with God and is God. That’s what got the folks so riled up. If you bring religion into research, at least get it right!
#29
In 1995 the library where I worked was making massive moves to digital collections. It seemed that everyone but librarians (summary only; full article not available) fantasized that digital libraries would be cheaper than bricks and mortar. I think you can still sit down at most library terminals at Ohio State University and read something online without logging in a password to read a journal, but some material may be restricted. When I retired in 2000, OSUL still had a policy of retaining at least one paper copy of a title on campus (50,000 students), and sometimes it is the only paper copy in the state. The article in Scientific American points out some alternatives.
However, "we the people" pay for this research several times over--we pay the salaries of the researchers, we pay for the grants that provide the funds for the research, we build the labs and classrooms, we pay for the subscriptions, we pay for the on-line systems, or storage for print, and the salaries of the people who collect and store them; so when we walk into a state university, (after an hour long search for parking) should they be asking us for a password to read what we've already paid for?
For another viewpoint on research funding, including the hours of research time spent on the red tape of applying for federal grants check this Cato Institute site. Could Einstein have written a grant proposal?
Public access to scientific journals
Is it just a matter of time before the public will be shut out of access to journals at a lot of public universities and colleges? The September 8 on-line issue of Scientific American has an article about this topic.In 1995 the library where I worked was making massive moves to digital collections. It seemed that everyone but librarians (summary only; full article not available) fantasized that digital libraries would be cheaper than bricks and mortar. I think you can still sit down at most library terminals at Ohio State University and read something online without logging in a password to read a journal, but some material may be restricted. When I retired in 2000, OSUL still had a policy of retaining at least one paper copy of a title on campus (50,000 students), and sometimes it is the only paper copy in the state. The article in Scientific American points out some alternatives.
However, "we the people" pay for this research several times over--we pay the salaries of the researchers, we pay for the grants that provide the funds for the research, we build the labs and classrooms, we pay for the subscriptions, we pay for the on-line systems, or storage for print, and the salaries of the people who collect and store them; so when we walk into a state university, (after an hour long search for parking) should they be asking us for a password to read what we've already paid for?
For another viewpoint on research funding, including the hours of research time spent on the red tape of applying for federal grants check this Cato Institute site. Could Einstein have written a grant proposal?
Monday, October 13, 2003
#28 Watching all the dads go by
When I was a little girl, sometimes my father would take me along when he delivered fuel oil in northern Illinois. It probably wasn’t often, but since we didn’t do a lot together, I remember those times fondly, especially his singing as he drove the rural roads.
Fathers today seem to make it a point to spend some quality time with the kids. I see a lot of them at the bakery where I have my coffee in the morning. It is located close to three elementary schools (one public, one private and one Catholic), one middle school and one high school.
Last Friday two little guys sat down at a table next to me by the fireplace while dad stood in line to get the breakfasts. The older one said, “I’ve got the best seat.” And the little guy chimed in, not to be outdone, “I’ve got the second best.”
The teen-age fashion parade I see there is amusing. I’m sure adults thought the same of our multi-layered crinolines and white bucks in the 50s. The girls’ jeans looked like they’ve been tattooed on and the boys’ jeans look like they could get three more guys inside. The girls show their navels with shirts that look like they shrank in the wash and carrying back-packs bigger than the suitcases we took on our 16 day Amtrak trip. But last week I saw a really handsome, head turning group--a father with well groomed, nicely dressed children. The boys were in khakis with dark blue shirts and the teen-age girl wore a plaid blue and green skirt and vest. Short, but covered all the basics. I’ll bet he’s paying a hefty tuition somewhere to have his kids look that good.
Today I could overhear a father giving his son a pep talk about his team from a booth by the window. He was using some pretty big words and heavy concepts, like “challenge,” “perceive,” “encourage,” “good clean tackle,” “keep your head clear,” and “confidence.” I turned around expecting to see a brawny high school linebacker having breakfast with his dad, but it was a little skinny kid, maybe second grade, sitting on his knees so he could reach the table. He was staring out the window while dad droned on about team work, probably wondering where childhood went.
When I was a little girl, sometimes my father would take me along when he delivered fuel oil in northern Illinois. It probably wasn’t often, but since we didn’t do a lot together, I remember those times fondly, especially his singing as he drove the rural roads.
Fathers today seem to make it a point to spend some quality time with the kids. I see a lot of them at the bakery where I have my coffee in the morning. It is located close to three elementary schools (one public, one private and one Catholic), one middle school and one high school.
Last Friday two little guys sat down at a table next to me by the fireplace while dad stood in line to get the breakfasts. The older one said, “I’ve got the best seat.” And the little guy chimed in, not to be outdone, “I’ve got the second best.”
The teen-age fashion parade I see there is amusing. I’m sure adults thought the same of our multi-layered crinolines and white bucks in the 50s. The girls’ jeans looked like they’ve been tattooed on and the boys’ jeans look like they could get three more guys inside. The girls show their navels with shirts that look like they shrank in the wash and carrying back-packs bigger than the suitcases we took on our 16 day Amtrak trip. But last week I saw a really handsome, head turning group--a father with well groomed, nicely dressed children. The boys were in khakis with dark blue shirts and the teen-age girl wore a plaid blue and green skirt and vest. Short, but covered all the basics. I’ll bet he’s paying a hefty tuition somewhere to have his kids look that good.
Today I could overhear a father giving his son a pep talk about his team from a booth by the window. He was using some pretty big words and heavy concepts, like “challenge,” “perceive,” “encourage,” “good clean tackle,” “keep your head clear,” and “confidence.” I turned around expecting to see a brawny high school linebacker having breakfast with his dad, but it was a little skinny kid, maybe second grade, sitting on his knees so he could reach the table. He was staring out the window while dad droned on about team work, probably wondering where childhood went.
#27 Adorable puppy
Clients of my husband got here about 4 p.m. yesterday. They were about an hour late because they were traveling with a new puppy. She came into the office alone because her husband was "puppy sitting" in the car. After their meeting, I went out to the drive-way. Such a cutie pie! I want one. They had two dogs, both Bichon Frise and the 15 year old died a few weeks ago. She said the other dog was grieving more than they were, so they decided to get a puppy, same breed. He is so adorable--like a little fuzz ball decorated with dust bunnies. I asked her if the older one was jealous, but she said no, he'd become very responsible and protective.
Clients of my husband got here about 4 p.m. yesterday. They were about an hour late because they were traveling with a new puppy. She came into the office alone because her husband was "puppy sitting" in the car. After their meeting, I went out to the drive-way. Such a cutie pie! I want one. They had two dogs, both Bichon Frise and the 15 year old died a few weeks ago. She said the other dog was grieving more than they were, so they decided to get a puppy, same breed. He is so adorable--like a little fuzz ball decorated with dust bunnies. I asked her if the older one was jealous, but she said no, he'd become very responsible and protective.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
#26 Powerless and pointless
Joe Branin, Director of the Ohio State University Libraries, gave a PowerPoint presentation in March 2002 which includes some wonderful photographs of the library, past and present. I have no idea what he said, but the pictures are terrific. (By that I mean, I didn't hear it, I saw it on the web.) In 1913 they really knew how to provide readers, scholars and students with awesome spaces.
I dread PowerPoint presentations. Taking a class in how to do it, which I did in 2000, is even worse. The presentations are deadly to sit through, and even worse to read in the handouts which are copies of what is putting you to sleep on the screen. But how awful to try to plow your way through them on-line! You have no idea what the speaker said.
Give me an animated speaker, a good hand-out to follow, and maybe some clever cartoons or photos on the screen, if you just have to have something techie in the room.
Wired magazine recently agreed with me in “PowerPoint is evil” in the September, 2003 article. “The practical conclusions are clear. PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it. Such misuse ignores the most important rule of speaking: Respect your audience.”
Joe Branin, Director of the Ohio State University Libraries, gave a PowerPoint presentation in March 2002 which includes some wonderful photographs of the library, past and present. I have no idea what he said, but the pictures are terrific. (By that I mean, I didn't hear it, I saw it on the web.) In 1913 they really knew how to provide readers, scholars and students with awesome spaces.
I dread PowerPoint presentations. Taking a class in how to do it, which I did in 2000, is even worse. The presentations are deadly to sit through, and even worse to read in the handouts which are copies of what is putting you to sleep on the screen. But how awful to try to plow your way through them on-line! You have no idea what the speaker said.
Give me an animated speaker, a good hand-out to follow, and maybe some clever cartoons or photos on the screen, if you just have to have something techie in the room.
Wired magazine recently agreed with me in “PowerPoint is evil” in the September, 2003 article. “The practical conclusions are clear. PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it. Such misuse ignores the most important rule of speaking: Respect your audience.”
#25 What’s for lunch?
I discovered The National Cancer Institute’s calculator when I was doing some online research on leading lifestyle diseases (they are CHD, Lung cancer, stroke, COPD, diabetes, and colon cancer). We the people have almost complete control* over four out of the six contributors to these diseases: smoking, drinking, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise. We can’t always control high blood pressure and high cholesterol which are the other two contributors.
The NCI site encourages us to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, which really isn’t very many, especially if we count French fries and corn chips (although I think they don’t want me to cheat that way). Here’s what it told me about my score:
“Congratulations! You're doing a great job, both being active and eating 5 A Day. Upon reaching a goal, the next step is to stick with it. As you may know, the experts recommend eating at least 5 A Day every day, and at least 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity at least five days a week. People who eat 5 A Day and do 30 minutes of physical activity say they look better, feel better, and have more energy. Keep in mind that "5" and "30" are minimums — most of us would benefit from closer to nine servings and more than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day.”
Now to calculate, you are to enter a wild guess average based on the last six months. I had to fudge a bit on the exercise, but it was accurate as of six months ago. The Parks and Recreation Department of Columbus has had to close its walking program at the nearby Bill McDonald complex due to budget cuts. It has a great floor and there was never an excuse like weather or roaming dogs NOT to walk. Now I walk outside, on asphalt if I can find it to protect my shin bones, or I ride the exercycle in my office (really boring).
I really doubt that I’m getting 30 minutes a day anymore. Fortunately, I happen to like fruits and vegetables, much more than exercise. For breakfast, I ate a pear and had a glass of orange juice this morning, and some Ritz crackers with cheddar cheese spread. And then there’s that little disclaimer that NCI really wants me to have 9 servings.
*I have a friend who has COPD not from lifestyle, but childhood illness.
I discovered The National Cancer Institute’s calculator when I was doing some online research on leading lifestyle diseases (they are CHD, Lung cancer, stroke, COPD, diabetes, and colon cancer). We the people have almost complete control* over four out of the six contributors to these diseases: smoking, drinking, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise. We can’t always control high blood pressure and high cholesterol which are the other two contributors.
The NCI site encourages us to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, which really isn’t very many, especially if we count French fries and corn chips (although I think they don’t want me to cheat that way). Here’s what it told me about my score:
“Congratulations! You're doing a great job, both being active and eating 5 A Day. Upon reaching a goal, the next step is to stick with it. As you may know, the experts recommend eating at least 5 A Day every day, and at least 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity at least five days a week. People who eat 5 A Day and do 30 minutes of physical activity say they look better, feel better, and have more energy. Keep in mind that "5" and "30" are minimums — most of us would benefit from closer to nine servings and more than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day.”
Now to calculate, you are to enter a wild guess average based on the last six months. I had to fudge a bit on the exercise, but it was accurate as of six months ago. The Parks and Recreation Department of Columbus has had to close its walking program at the nearby Bill McDonald complex due to budget cuts. It has a great floor and there was never an excuse like weather or roaming dogs NOT to walk. Now I walk outside, on asphalt if I can find it to protect my shin bones, or I ride the exercycle in my office (really boring).
I really doubt that I’m getting 30 minutes a day anymore. Fortunately, I happen to like fruits and vegetables, much more than exercise. For breakfast, I ate a pear and had a glass of orange juice this morning, and some Ritz crackers with cheddar cheese spread. And then there’s that little disclaimer that NCI really wants me to have 9 servings.
*I have a friend who has COPD not from lifestyle, but childhood illness.
Saturday, October 11, 2003
#23 Women! Are we losing our memories or our minds?
During Spanish class I mentioned that not only was I having difficulty memorizing phrases in Spanish, but that I could no longer memorize anything in English. After class another student told me she was certainly glad to know she wasn’t the only one having that problem. Since menopause, she said, she had been losing her memory.
I mentioned to her that I read a recent study (couldn’t remember where or when) that concluded menopause and memory loss were not related. “Pfffft.” she said. “Men our age aren’t having this problem. Every woman I’ve talked with complains about memory loss.”
I found the study which was published in the September 2003 journal, Neurology. The full text article by Meyer et al. requires a login, however, there is a full text patient page on the web Menopause and brain function
The author of the patient page raises some interesting questions in his conclusion: “This study looked at a wide range of women over six years and did not find worse brain abilities in women during or after menopause. This finding does not fit with what women have reported about memory loss after menopause. It also does not fit with what we know about estrogen’s role in the brain.”
“What does this study mean when we consider these other things we know about menopause? It may be that the brain does not need the hormones as much as we think. Maybe the tests used in study did not measure the brain function that depends on the lost hormones. It may be that the women got better scores on the tests because they practiced taking them. Perhaps their brains were not working as well, but they learned how to take the tests better. More research is needed to answer these and other questions about the effects of menopause on the brain.”
My own opinion is that as we age we don’t learn as quickly or effortlessly, and some of us are mistaking the fact that we need more repetitions and more time to learn and to retain new information than we used to for memory problems. The younger our co-workers are, the more we notice it. Take a look at these tips on hanging on to the brain function you still have.
Last night I watched the Smothers Brothers on the Life with Bonnie show murdering the Spanish language, and I understood almost every word. I was so thrilled.
During Spanish class I mentioned that not only was I having difficulty memorizing phrases in Spanish, but that I could no longer memorize anything in English. After class another student told me she was certainly glad to know she wasn’t the only one having that problem. Since menopause, she said, she had been losing her memory.
I mentioned to her that I read a recent study (couldn’t remember where or when) that concluded menopause and memory loss were not related. “Pfffft.” she said. “Men our age aren’t having this problem. Every woman I’ve talked with complains about memory loss.”
I found the study which was published in the September 2003 journal, Neurology. The full text article by Meyer et al. requires a login, however, there is a full text patient page on the web Menopause and brain function
The author of the patient page raises some interesting questions in his conclusion: “This study looked at a wide range of women over six years and did not find worse brain abilities in women during or after menopause. This finding does not fit with what women have reported about memory loss after menopause. It also does not fit with what we know about estrogen’s role in the brain.”
“What does this study mean when we consider these other things we know about menopause? It may be that the brain does not need the hormones as much as we think. Maybe the tests used in study did not measure the brain function that depends on the lost hormones. It may be that the women got better scores on the tests because they practiced taking them. Perhaps their brains were not working as well, but they learned how to take the tests better. More research is needed to answer these and other questions about the effects of menopause on the brain.”
My own opinion is that as we age we don’t learn as quickly or effortlessly, and some of us are mistaking the fact that we need more repetitions and more time to learn and to retain new information than we used to for memory problems. The younger our co-workers are, the more we notice it. Take a look at these tips on hanging on to the brain function you still have.
Last night I watched the Smothers Brothers on the Life with Bonnie show murdering the Spanish language, and I understood almost every word. I was so thrilled.
#22 The anniversary
I'm at an age where many of my friends have lost a spouse. Some a number of years ago. Like the happy anniversaries of birthdays and weddings, there are sad anniversaries too. The ones that give you pause when you remember and to which you don't call attention. This poem is about that, but it could be the anniversary of any loss.
I read this poem at the poetry "open mic" at our library this October.
“The Anniversary"
August 10, 2003
The first year is the hardest.
In your mind you're wearing black;
you still hear his voice
see his smile
feel his touch and
pick up the phone
to share and then
you remember.
The second year is harder yet.
You've shed the arm band;
now you don't hear his voice
or see his smile
or smell his clothes and
there's only black holes
where once you had
your memories.
The third year is just a blur.
Mourning is officially over;
you fill up the calendar pages
make new friends
buy tickets for a cruise and
stand here surprised
when he's not home
to share it all.
The fourth year is a wake up call.
Everyone else has moved on;
you decide instead of nothing
you'd rather have the pain
and sleepless nights
and wonder why they said
Time would be your friend
I'm at an age where many of my friends have lost a spouse. Some a number of years ago. Like the happy anniversaries of birthdays and weddings, there are sad anniversaries too. The ones that give you pause when you remember and to which you don't call attention. This poem is about that, but it could be the anniversary of any loss.
I read this poem at the poetry "open mic" at our library this October.
“The Anniversary"
August 10, 2003
The first year is the hardest.
In your mind you're wearing black;
you still hear his voice
see his smile
feel his touch and
pick up the phone
to share and then
you remember.
The second year is harder yet.
You've shed the arm band;
now you don't hear his voice
or see his smile
or smell his clothes and
there's only black holes
where once you had
your memories.
The third year is just a blur.
Mourning is officially over;
you fill up the calendar pages
make new friends
buy tickets for a cruise and
stand here surprised
when he's not home
to share it all.
The fourth year is a wake up call.
Everyone else has moved on;
you decide instead of nothing
you'd rather have the pain
and sleepless nights
and wonder why they said
Time would be your friend
#21 High School letter sweaters
My friend Nancy is amazed that I was able to have a “vintage clothes closet” in our former home of 34 years. No attic. No basement. And the cleanest garage in town in which both vehicles were parked.
Among my vintage clothes is my high school letter sweater. It is a wool, deep red cardigan with tiny moth holes, and no block-letter black “M,” which was probably removed if I wore the sweater in college.
We also still have my husband’s high school letter sweater--a deep hunter green V-neck with a bold white block “T” sewn on the front. The difference being, he was actually an athlete (cross-country) and I was in the pep club. And his high school was larger than my home town.
In the early 80’s it was popular at our daughter’s school for the girls to wear their father’s clothing--blazers, top coats and sweaters. It wasn’t the grunge or the baggy look, but I don’t recall what that fad was called.
One day she wore her dad’s letter sweater to school. She was (and still is) very striking, with a “build” as we used to say. So you can imagine what the boys said about that letter “T” on her chest.
She got a little flustered, and couldn’t remember the name of the high school (Arsenal Technical High School), so she assured the young men that it stood for “Arsenical High.”
It killed them, I’m sure.
My friend Nancy is amazed that I was able to have a “vintage clothes closet” in our former home of 34 years. No attic. No basement. And the cleanest garage in town in which both vehicles were parked.
Among my vintage clothes is my high school letter sweater. It is a wool, deep red cardigan with tiny moth holes, and no block-letter black “M,” which was probably removed if I wore the sweater in college.
We also still have my husband’s high school letter sweater--a deep hunter green V-neck with a bold white block “T” sewn on the front. The difference being, he was actually an athlete (cross-country) and I was in the pep club. And his high school was larger than my home town.
In the early 80’s it was popular at our daughter’s school for the girls to wear their father’s clothing--blazers, top coats and sweaters. It wasn’t the grunge or the baggy look, but I don’t recall what that fad was called.
One day she wore her dad’s letter sweater to school. She was (and still is) very striking, with a “build” as we used to say. So you can imagine what the boys said about that letter “T” on her chest.
She got a little flustered, and couldn’t remember the name of the high school (Arsenal Technical High School), so she assured the young men that it stood for “Arsenical High.”
It killed them, I’m sure.
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