1834 Are your Christmas cards ready?

We've usually received at least one or two Christmas letters by this time (week-end after Thanksgiving). Card/letters from my cousin Gayle and friend from high school Lynne usually are first. Then there is a cousin in Iowa and a niece in Florida who send theirs out some time in the Spring. Cousin Mel's wife found her New Year's letter and sent it in October. Ours are ready, but I haven't run the labels yet, or composed the Christmas letter. You would think with all the writing I do, I'd have that ready to go in an instant, but it is often done the final week and my husband will be asking everyday, so they are sent out in batches, with only a few getting the letter. If you're on our list, this is what you'll see this year:

We couldn't get the lighting just right and it is too large to scan, so finally he took it to the camera shop, they used a digital camera 10x better than mine, and had the cards ready the same day. Actually, I thought my photo was better for color accuracy. This shot must have been after several tries, because I see samples of the prints sitting under this. The problem isn't my camera, but the home printer has a problem picking up all the colors. [The painting is my husband's.]

Now you can have web based companies prepare and mail paper cards--it will even create a font of your handwriting. As a potential recipient, I'm really not comfortable with all those personal addresses floating around on hackable web sites--mine included--and I'd sure be cautious about letting someone copy my signature. So if you're doing that--just take me off your list.

My husband put up the Christmas tree and got out the decorations on Wednesday. That's a bit earlier than I would choose, but since he does all the work of dragging it out of the garage attic, putting it together, digging the boxes out of the basement, buying the new lights, etc., I won't complain.

1833 Don Paterson's Aphorisms

I took the October issue of Poetry to the coffee shop this morning, and thoroughly enjoyed Don Paterson's Aphorisms beginning on p. 37. Then I found it here on the internet. Although it reads better with coffee and a fire place and the neighbors strolling by, it's still good here too. Here's a sample.

"It is possible for a woman to say, honestly, that she has thought of her lover all day long — but she will neglect to mention the twenty other things she has kept in her head at the same time. A man ignorant of this ability will be terrified by her declaration, since were it to be his . . . it would be a straightforward admission of his own derangement."

"Google, that new-minted, bright-eyed demon, that constant reminder that our little history now is no history at all, and that we must live with every insult we have delivered or received until we are ash and dust. Eventually it will guarantee the sensible government of our tongues in a way nothing else has yet been able to manage; but first things will get much worse."

"Only the mad are safe from doubt. I never fail to be mystified by those who regard the revision of a former opinion as a sign of weakness; it strikes me as a perfect guarantee of the commentator's sanity."

Go ahead, you'll enjoy it, and it's not long. In addition to being a poet, he is also a guitarist and has some interesting things to say about that, too.

1832 Harry and David Win the Christmas Award

Leafing through the most recent Harry and David catalog, I see they've used the "Christmas" word eight times (3 times on one page)! See? How hard was that? They also use "holiday," [has anyone noticed that is holy day?] and "celebration" and "all-occasion" in this luscious catalog of chocolates, pears, cheese, nuts, apples, crackers and shortbreads. It's not to late to order a Christmas Deluxe Tower or a Chardonnay smoked turkey. Harryanddavid.com or 800-547-3033. This year our list is getting a book, but normally we would use Harry and David for the distance relatives.

1831 The mysterious X on Cheney's face

When Vice President Cheney was giving his speech (Monday?), people watching it on CNN saw a strange full size X come across his face with an unreadable scrolling message. I saw a clip of it later on Fox, where I had listened to the speech. It was sort of scary, even for the MSM. CNN issued an apology, said it was a technical glitch, and that was it, but some bloggers kept checking.

Bill Quick at Daily Pundit gives a run down of this, which is interesting because there was more to it, but also it shows how news stories are followed by bloggers and how the fact checking is done, and how it is passed up the line to the main bloggers who get thousands of hits a day (ahem--I'm not on the list--I get between 130-150), and how updates are posted frequently so readers can make their own conclusions or start their own research. It also shows CNN should make their phone numbers a bit more transparent and save everyone some work.

1830 Sin cargo anual

We received a credit card solicitation in Spanish today. There may be Spanish speaking residents in our zip code, but I'm guessing it would be less than .001%. Not a very close hit for targeting Hispanics--especially since we are already this company's customer, for oh, maybe 25 years if you count the company they bought. This firm sent a solicitation recently (not here), signed by the same guy to "Dear Palestinian Bomber." I googled him. He's given testimony before the Senate--says they have 94 million customers with outstanding credit histories. Really?

Reminds me of the time I got a letter addressed to Ms. Ohio State Libraries.

1829 Fathers are optional, just another choice?

Read this silly star-hype article. I don't know if she actually said this, but this is how it was written:

"Jessica Alba used to believe she would never find someone to share her beliefs when it comes to raising children, so she was convinced she'd end up a [sic] being a single mom."

I have no idea who Jessica Alba is--I accidentally ran into her on the internet. But I sincerely hope she's smarter than this reporter.

So, she's got firm beliefs on child raising, but they don't include a father? There are unfortunate events that might leave a child fatherless and a woman alone to raise a family, but choosing it? How silly. And disrespectful of men.

1828 No words to describe it

Angle of Repose has been blogging about his time in Hurricane Katrina territory here. He's been to Dallas, Houston, Vicksburg National Military Park, Jackson, Ocean Springs-Biloxi-Gulfport-Long Beach-Pass Christian, Mobile, and New Orleans. He left California on September 26 and is now headed home, and back to his regular routine.

"I lack the words to describe the devastation I've seen on the Mississippi coast. The pictures I took can't capture what I saw," he writes.

His photographs tell some of the devastation.

He notes another problem that FEMA has caused: butt sitting syndrome.

"Help is in short supply in the lower paying jobs. Small stores and restaurants have fliers offering jobs and even sign-on bonuses. I thought the lack of employees stemmed from people moving out of the area because their homes were destroyed. I asked a waitress if this was the case. She said there are plenty of people around here to take jobs. The problem is FEMA, which gives money to people who say they they're so stressed out from the hurricane damage that they can't go to work. These people take the FEMA money and then sit on their butts. The thing is, when their FEMA money runs out, they may find getting a job difficult. The waitress said her restaurant wasn't bringing back any of the people who took this FEMA-funded stress leave. She had nothing but contempt in her voice for these people and for FEMA. And why not? The absence of her former co-workers has put an added burden on her and the others who chose to continue working."

Technorati tags: Hurricane Katrina, FEMA

1827 Human victims of animals

Today's Wall Street Journal featured a story of a battle raging in San Francisco between responsible dog owners, and the flagrant violators of the leash laws (guess you can tell whose side I'm on, huh?). If I were still working in the vet library I could give you the stats on how dog feces contaminate our water and soil, destroy our parks and ornamental trees and shrubs, and make our public areas living hell for the elderly and very young. Then I'd show you the web sites for plastic surgeons who have to repair the faces of babies and toddlers torn apart by "Oh, he won't bite" dogs who interpreted something wrong when friendly baby grabbed his ears, poked his eye, or just stood there.

It seems that dogs and children are about equal in SF, not only in numbers, but in value. Some dog owners want to let their "children" run free in the parks and have play groups. The stupidity of some pet owners just overwhelms me. 1) They place a higher value on Fido being able to catch a frisbee than on the life of a child. ALL DOGS BITE. ALL DOGS WILL BITE. ALL DOGS CAN BITE. 2) They think they should own a large dog, a huge dog even, but live in a small apartment or house. Therefore, that means it would be cruel to keep poor puppy on a leash. Either get a small dog, or running shoes, but keep the streets and parks safe for people.

And if you live around here, get a $18.95 Puppy Poop Carrier and make her carry her own dump to the dump while on a leash. Although usually the worst offenders of "What, my dog poop, where? I don't see it" are men, in our complex they are women, I guess because we are co-owners of the common space. There are two large dogs that are allowed to run while their owners stand by (100 yards away) and "control" them. "No, no precious, don't jump on that nice man." "Here, baby, let's not join that couple on the deck eating their dinner." "Ha, ha, she's just curious--won't hurt you."

So when I hear or read about legislation that would allow pet owners to take their animals to rescue shelters for people after a disaster, I'm wondering how all those irresponsible pet owners of snakes, birds, cats, dogs and horses are going to improve under panic conditions. Especially when that earthquake we all know is coming hits San Francisco. I can just see the dog owners pushing little children aside while getting evacuated.

Technorati tags: Leash Laws, Pet owners

1826 Katrina's animal victims

You've probably seen that Animal Planet is showing reunions of victims of the hurricanes--owners and animals. Friends of ours from church have had a taste of this. Their daughter and son-in-law lived in New Orleans and were flooded out, so they've relocated to her parents here in the Columbus area. But they rescued a cat before they left, and brought it with them. Our friends have a dog. These two are not getting along. The unhappy dog has started "marking" his territory if he suspects the cat is invading it. Plus, the young couple has recently gone to Florida to stay with his parents, and left the cat here. Poor little thing is so traumatized that his new owners too have abandoned him, that he is acting out by attacking the toilet tissue rolls and unwinding them all over the house.

Before Katrina, they were empty nesters with just a well-trained dog.

Technorati tags: Hurricane Katrina

1825 Why they’d vote for Bush again

Check it out at RightFaith.blogspot.com who is rallying for President Bush.

JR says:
He's pro-child (education, marriage, life, and family values). Bush is pro-victory in Iraq.Bush is pro-American military. He is pro-reform (tax systems and SS). Integrity--I don't question it.

Gary says:
He is changing the course of the world and making America safer. He has taken bold steps and major risks to bring about change. That shows an immense sense of mission and courage.

Cindy says:
He stands for the things that are most important to me--preserving our religious freedom, marriage, the family, the unborn, the strong defense of our nation. I also believe he is a born-again believer. I believe in his integrity and good character, and that's extremely important to me in a president. No, I don't agree with everything he does and says, but I do respect and admire him.

Pat in NC writes:
Our expectations for a president are tremendous--responsible for our safety, economy, health concerns, education of our children etc. GWB is doing well and although immigration is not at the top of his agenda, he has the rest of his priorities right.

Susan says:
The issues he supports - national security, rights of the unborn, protection of marriage, education, the economy, oil in our own country, etc - are those I prioritize as well. I'm thankful our nation has enjoyed the past few years with him and will miss his presence at the helm when he leaves.

Don’s with Dubya:
The defense of our country is critical. Homeland security depends on a President that will not allow adversity to sway his (or her) resolve. Our military needs (has) a steadfast commander and our country needs (has) a man (or woman) of moral integrity. Under liberal leadership America became weak, lazy and vulnerable. Today our military and economy are stronger. We are liberating and changing the world. Why would we put this heritage back in the hands of politicians whose platform promotes abortion, tax increases, military cutbacks, and the United Nations and the ACLU?

and there are others, but you get the idea. I haven't read all the instructions for signing on, but I probably will. I just wish he were a little more conservative with the spending and demand a few more reforms and changes before throwing money at problems. I like the fact that he has freed more women from oppression and slavery than the feminist movements of the last three centuries.

Technorati tags: George W. Bush, President

1824 Avian influenza

At Medscape.com it is reported that:

"Avian influenza was the top story at the time of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 43rd Annual Meeting; October 6-9, 2005; San Francisco, California, both inside and outside the Moscone Center, where the conference took place.

Klaus Stohr, PhD, from the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, gave the opening address, which was devoted to this topic and the current state of preparedness.[1] He not only reviewed the substantial morbidity and mortality of "ordinary flu," but also emphasized the unique experience with pandemic influenza in 1918-1919. This pandemic resulted in 30-50 million deaths, and in retrospect it appears that organism was an avian strain similar to the H5N1 avian influenza strain that is now circulating throughout Asia and beyond. Much of the talk dealt with preparedness with respect to both vaccines and antivirals. The conclusion is that there is not enough of either vaccines and antivirals -- the world currently lacks production capacity to make enough of either and countries in Africa are most vulnerable because of a virtual absence of any production capacity.

This year's IDSA conference brought constant reminders of possible parallels between the avian influenza virus of 1918 and contemporary avian influenza, some of which are shown in Table 1 , which reflects the current status of H5N1." Read more here.

And at the same story, don't miss the opportunity to be the first in your crowd to be able to discuss Clostridium difficile and what to do about it.

1823 Are you old enough to remember

when Velveeta cheese came in a box? That's what crossed my mind when I waited at a stop light behind this.
We used to make toy cars and trucks out of the Velveeta boxes.

Technorati tag: Scion Xb

1822 A Prayer for our Time

Bishop J.C. Ryle, in the 19th century, offered a prayer for today:

From the liberality which says everybody is right,
From the charity which forbids us to say that anyone is wrong,
From the peace which is bought at the expense of truth,
May the good Lord deliver us.

And another time, while warming up for his sermon which was about freedom in Christ, he took a side road to political structures:

"The champions of freedom in every age have been rightly esteemed among the greatest benefactors of mankind. Such names as Moses and Gideon in Jewish history, such names as the Spartan Leonidas, the Roman Horatius, the German Martin Luther, the Swedish Gustavus Vasa, the Swiss William Tell, the Scotch Robert Bruce and John Knox, the English Alfred and Hampden and the Puritans, the American George Washington, are deservedly preserved in history, and will never be forgotten. To be the mother of many patriots is the highest praise of a nation.

The enemies of freedom in every age have been rightly regarded as the parasites and irritations of their times. Such names as Pharaoh in Egypt, Dionysius at Syracuse, Nero at Rome, Charles IX in France, bloody Mary in England, are names which will never be rescued from disgrace. The public opinion of mankind will never cease to condemn them, on the one ground that they would not let people be free.

But why should I dwell on these things? Time and space would fail me if I were to attempt to say ten percent of what might be said in praise of freedom. What are the chronicles of history but a long record of conflicts between the friends and foes of liberty? Where is the nation on the earth that has attained greatness, and left its mark on the world, without freedom? Which are the countries on the face of the globe at this very moment which are making the most progress in trade, in arts, in sciences, in civilization, in philosophy, in morals, in social happiness? Precisely those countries in which there is the greatest amount of true freedom.

Which are the countries today where there is the greatest amount of internal misery, where we hear continually of secret plots, and murmuring, and discontent, and attempts on life and property? Precisely those countries where freedom does not exist or exists only in name--where men and women are treated as slaves, and are not allowed to think and act for themselves. No wonder that a mighty Transatlantic Statesman declared on a great occasion to his assembled countrymen, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I do not know what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” [Patrick Henry, an American Statesman of the 18th century]."

Freedom

1821 Too old for talking dolls?

Here's a talking picture frame, and this one includes the batteries!



If you prefer peace and quiet with your photos, here's 140 more frames from the same site, Christianbook.com.

1820 The segue to immigrants--our strength

If I'd asked Jane to play second banana, she couldn't have done better. She checked out my 2003 Thanksgiving post about looking for a cup of coffee:

"Many employers really do give Thanksgiving Day off. This morning I had quite a search to find an open coffee shop. Panera’s, Caribou, Starbucks, Bob Evans, Tim Horton’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s. All were closed so employees could enjoy time with their families, or time to sleep in, or time to clean the garage.

Finally I saw an open White Castle and pulled in. I’d never been in one. No house newspaper or classical music, just big windows and small booths, but the coffee was excellent. Perhaps because it was a holiday with no baggage for them, there were two Hispanics, an Asian woman, a developmentally disabled man, and a Canadian supervisor (I don’t know that, but his haughty attitude and countenance reminded me of Peter Jennings, so I’m calling him a Canadian) working the pre-dawn hours. I’ll have to stop back tomorrow--they wouldn’t take a $20--and said I could pay next time."

Jane of Sisters of the Tender Heart writes a wonderful blog about being a librarian, a mother, a wife and a Catholic, commented:

"OK, I know you're going to sigh and move my blog to your lefty bloggers listing (as if you had one), but isn't it ironic on Thanksgiving only minority groups have to work: two Hispanics, an Asian woman, a developmentally disabled man, and a Canadian supervisor. . . a Native American would have made it perfect."

To which I replied:

"Yes, that would indeed be the liberal view. The conservative view is that this is the land where immigrants are still welcome, where even when their English is barely passable, they can work if they want to, that they were given the choice, and were probably paid double time for a holiday, even though to them it was just another day. And the happiest guy in the store was probably the developmentally disabled, because he really wants to make a contribution to society and White Castle is giving him that opportunity.

And the Asian lady probably has a daughter in college, and the Hispanic who now rides a bicycle to work in the dark is saving for a car, something he'd never be able to afford in the old country.

Is this a great country or what?"

Thanks for the set up Jane--today let's be thankful for our country's immigrants--current and past. My ancestor immigrants came in the 1600s and 1700s, looking for freedom of religion and a better life (religious discrimination in the old country prevented them from owning land, starting businesses, etc.). I would mention the Native Americans in this essay, but some are offended if you mention the Bering Straits immigration.

1819 Do you read biographies?

That's today's entry at Booking Through Thursday

1. Biographies and autobiographies—do you read them?


2. If so, whose life story has inspired you most and why?


3. If not, why not?

Although I read less than I used to, I'm primarily a non-fiction person. Keep it real, is my motto. Time and space exist only in this life; I'll read fiction in heaven. In the last year I've read Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow--a very BIG book and not easy in the sense that you are stunned to realize how different our country would be if that orphan had not immigrated--and how his own life was strengthened along the way by seemingly small opportunities (and disasters!) and assistance from others. I've already blogged about that book, and was the leader at our September book club for this title. I'm not sure "inspired" is the word I'd use for biographies affect on my life, but they do provide the "ah ha" moment for things I've wondered about as the author puts together all the pieces of the puzzle of their lives. Admiration too, for the incredible research. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is not exactly a biography, but it is certainly the best researched book of any genre I've ever read.

1818 Put the X back in Christmas

This is excerpted from a sermon on Christmas by Raymond L. Cox, in 1996, when it was Christians who were speaking out against celebrating Christmas instead of Christians complaining that department stores and community events were renaming it and removing Christ.

“Xmas is not of modern coinage. The Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of this abbreviation back to 1551. Undoubtedly it was employed before that. Now 1551 is fifty years before the first English colonists came to America and sixty years earlier than the completion of the King James Version of the Bible! Moreover, at the same time, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of Christian and Christianity.

You see, the X in Xmas did not originate as our English alphabet's X but as the symbol X in the Greek alphabet, called Chi, with a hard ch. The Greek Chi or X is the first letter in the Greek word Christos. Eric G. Gration claims that as early as the first century the X was used as Christ's initial. Certainly through church history we can trace this usage. In many manuscripts of the New Testament, X abbreviates Christos (Xristos). In ancient Christian art X and XR (Chi Ro—the first two letters in Greek of Christos abbreviate his name. We find that this practice entered the Old English language as early as AD 100. Moreover, Wycliff and other devout believers used X as an abbreviation for Christ. Were they trying to take Christ away and substitute an unknown quantity? The idea is preposterous.

Some may use Xmas today as an unchristian shortcut for Christmas, but the ancient abbreviation by no means originated as such. The scribes who copied New Testament manuscripts had no intention of taking Christ out of the New Testament. They used the abbreviation simply to save time and space. We use abbreviations for the same purpose today, as witness FDR, HST, JFK, LBJ, and a host of others. Xmas is a legitimate abbreviation."

Technorati tags: Christmas

1817 Amazing Amanda

will probably hold a little girl's interest Christmas morning longer than the box it comes in! She talks, recognizes her "mommy's" voice, understands the world around her, speaks English ungrammatically, complains and is toilet trained. She has RFID sensors and knows she shouldn't eat cookies for breakfast, and has sensors in her scalp for brushing her hair. You can find her at WalMart for about $90.00 Although I think the technology is interesting, I was able to watch the video only a few seconds.


Well, my dollies had conversations too, only I supplied all the dialogue, the setting, the conflict and the resolution. My dollies never needed batteries and didn't talk back. My dollies were unique, and handmade with love. And I'm guessing Amanda won't look this good when she's 55 or 60 years old.



I noticed in Wired a grouping of tech gifts under $30. We always have a $10 gift exchange with my sister-in-law's family (now 4 generations). I see for $9.98 you can buy a finger nose hair trimmer. Really does look like a finger up your nose.

Technorati tags: Christmas gifts, dolls

Happy Thanksgiving

The President has pardoned two turkeys. Mine is still thawing in the refrigerator. My son-in-law was concerned there wouldn't be enough turkey for left overs. With 5 people and a 21 lb. bird, I'm sure they'll be something for him to take home.

Just about everything else is finished. Apple sour cream pie is baked; tossed salad is in a clear bowl to show off the lovely colors; fresh fruit is cut up and mixed in the fancy salad bowl; and I tried a new recipe called "Zesty corn stuffing balls." It looked a bit gooey for forming into balls, so I just put it into a casserole dish. I think it is just a variation on escalloped corn (which my daughter and I love and my husband hates), because it contains eggs, and most stuffings don't. The Hummingbird Cake will be postponed; I ran out of Splenda. My daughter is bringing green bean casserole and sugar-free pumpkin pie.

Some time today I'm going to head to Caribou and pick up a cup of coffee for tomorrow morning. I won't make the mistake I made in 2003.

Technorati tags: Thanksgiving, holiday menus

1815 Libraries are still amazing

And frustrating if you know as much as I do. Today I drove over to Ohio State's main library to look for a 1958 magazine. I think the last time I did this trip was May. All the neat tricks I'd learned about streets and parking between 1978 and 2000 are useless now. Roads are blocked off with chain link fences, and there are numerous traffic lights where we used to play dodge the students (ca. 50,000 on one campus). I usually don't bother God with small details I can handle myself, but realizing I probably wasn't dressed warmly enough for a hike from a campus parking garage, I prayed for a parking place! I have a hang tag that let's me park anywhere you can put a car, but it only works if no one else is parking there. Yes, I know God is busy right now with Katrina victims and your mother-in-law's cancer and your son's custody hearings, but there were three of them!



Inside what used to be a grand lobby but now is a computer room, I double checked the call number and groaned when I saw, AP2 is on Deck 11. My recollection of Deck 11 was dark, unsafe, and body fluids here and there. The elevators were the only thing I saw in Main Library that hadn't changed. The desk staff actually had coffee cups! Still two elevators, still too slow. But Deck 11 was a wonderful surprise. Light and airy, with pictures on the walls, display cases, and comfortable furniture.

I found Mademoiselle, AP2.M18 v. 46 and carried it to a comfortable chair. I looked everywhere for the picture I'd referred my mother to in April 1958, and it just wasn't there. But it was a blast looking through the volume, and just as I suspected and commented on in my sewing blog, the late fifties were harbingers of style and shape changes--blousy and bouffant that would become more popular after 1960. So I decided to look at some other titles to see what they showed about that era--I love researching by class number (reading the shelves rather than the catalog) because of the thrill of discovery. But when I went back into the stacks, I discovered that AP2.M is the class and cutter scheme for literary journals that start with "M." I looked all over the section and couldn't find another fashion magazine. Not exactly the thrill I had in mind.

Anyone else would have said, "Oh, well," and gone home, even if she suspected all the other fashion journals had gone to the storage facility on Kenny Road. But I couldn't drop it. I went to the basement and had a pleasant reunion with Magda who is now Head of Cataloging. "You haven't changed a bit," she told me, but she couldn't answer my question and took me across the hall to serial cataloging. The two women I conferred with were not librarians, but had worked many years in the serials cataloging department. Together we looked into an in-house program of the classification and cataloging tables--this doesn't show to the public. After trying several possibilities we discovered at AP2 was (or still is) the class number not only for literary journals, but for foreign journals. Mademoiselle was started in the mid-30s in New York, I think, but whether it was actually foreign, or it was the foreign word as a title, it went into the AP2 class. I checked Cincinnati, Akron and another large university in Ohio and they also used AP2. Each issue did have some fiction (James Baldwin had a short story in April 1958), but I don't think that would put it into the literary class.

So I learned something new about something old at the library, but didn't find my picture. Still, not a total loss of two hours of research.

Update: When I checked the holdings of the Library of Congress I see AP2 was for "general periodicals" even Time Magazine. So this is a class number in which a shelf browse wouldn't be much help. Most fashion magazines went to "Technology" class number. I'm guessing many of the titles around Mademoiselle had gone to storage, leaving only the literary journals.

Interesting site here: Mademoiselle Covers