1. I need cheering up.
2. My Celtic genes have been calling to me of late.
3. It's Monday -- and who couldn't use a good reel on a Monday?
I present to you one of my fiddling heroes -- Mairead Nesbitt.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
It makes me sad
A friend of one of my dearest NO friends was recently kidnapped, held for four days, brutally beaten, and most likely raped. She is in the hospital as I type this, and she has no idea why. She was beaten so badly that she has no recollection of what happened and thus doesn't know/remember who did this to her. She has no short term memory, and her face has been (quite probably) permanently rearranged. The doctors had to put her eye back in its socket.
M. suspects it was a hate crime. You see, her friend is a hermaphrodite.
It's occurrences like this that make me laugh bitterly when people call humans advanced, more evolved, civilized. I don't even have words for what I'm feeling. Why -- WHY -- do people have to be so afraid of someone different than themselves? We treasure diversity in our environment, in our diets, in most things in our lives, but we hate/fear it in our neighbors, coworkers, even our families.
"Did you hear? Cousin L. married a black man." (::gasp::)
"Oh, so the boy you're taking to the prom is Catholic?" (Armageddon is upon us!)
"Why don't you cut your hair? What? You some kinda hippie faggot?" (The horror!)
"Goddamn cripples. Why do they get to park up close?" (Just to irritate you)
What the hell did that poor woman ever do to the people who took her? And keeping her for four days?
I can't even type about it anymore.
M. suspects it was a hate crime. You see, her friend is a hermaphrodite.
It's occurrences like this that make me laugh bitterly when people call humans advanced, more evolved, civilized. I don't even have words for what I'm feeling. Why -- WHY -- do people have to be so afraid of someone different than themselves? We treasure diversity in our environment, in our diets, in most things in our lives, but we hate/fear it in our neighbors, coworkers, even our families.
"Did you hear? Cousin L. married a black man." (::gasp::)
"Oh, so the boy you're taking to the prom is Catholic?" (Armageddon is upon us!)
"Why don't you cut your hair? What? You some kinda hippie faggot?" (The horror!)
"Goddamn cripples. Why do they get to park up close?" (Just to irritate you)
What the hell did that poor woman ever do to the people who took her? And keeping her for four days?
I can't even type about it anymore.
New pal links
The links are new, but my pal is old. As in we've been friends for a long time. Seriously. *grin*
Brian in fact has two new blogs. "Ruminations of Thunder" is his storm-chasing page. Yeah, he actually goes looking for tornadoes. "That Damn Dash" is his writing page. I don't know if he'll post any of his writing, but he'll definitely post his frustrations about writing.
Welcome to the blogosphere, B.
Brian in fact has two new blogs. "Ruminations of Thunder" is his storm-chasing page. Yeah, he actually goes looking for tornadoes. "That Damn Dash" is his writing page. I don't know if he'll post any of his writing, but he'll definitely post his frustrations about writing.
Welcome to the blogosphere, B.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world. (Rachel Carson, Silent Spring)
It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility. (Rachel Carson, Silent Spring)
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
© All rights reserved L'imperatrice Nocturne
original photo at flickr.com/photos/hecatelives/421082836/
Go to this artist's page and see what other beautiful treasures await you there!
It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility. (Rachel Carson, Silent Spring)
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
© All rights reserved L'imperatrice Nocturne
original photo at flickr.com/photos/hecatelives/421082836/
Go to this artist's page and see what other beautiful treasures await you there!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Geeks with Cats
I found this to be incredibly amusing. And yes, my parents engage in corporal cuddling with their cats.
Science squee
Wednesday my advisor and I snuck into an environmental hormone conference. I know, we're quite the rebels. By "snuck" I mean we attended two lectures without paying a registration fee. It turned out not to be so Mission Impossible because Barney knew enough people that no one would suspect him or think he was out of place. And me being his student . . . well, you know.
Barney had sent me an email Monday evening when he found out about the conference, and he ended the email with, "Tyrone Hayes will be speaking."
First, let me mention that environmental stressors that act as endocrine disruptors have interested me since I read my first alligator feminization paper by Lou Guillette (who was also there -- ::squees::). That alone might have induced me to put on my sneaking tires.
But the chance to hear the infamous Tyrone Hayes of UC-Berkeley speak? What time are you picking me up?
In the world of environmental toxicology, you do not hear Dr. Hayes's name without the words "atrazine" and "Syngenta" following soon after. Dr. Hayes has spent years gathering evidence that the herbicide atrazine has feminizing effects on frogs. Since atrazine is one of my stressors (chosen, I admit, because of its contentiousness) and I am at least going to look at male:female ratio, I naturally have an interest in Dr. Hayes's work. Not to mention he just looks like underneath that "how ya doing?" smile he's a troublemaker. It's true. Look at the picture.
It was awesome. Not only does Dr. Hayes do interesting science, but he's an engaging speaker as well. He deals with the press a lot, so he opened his talk with a request that we always remember that we (scientists) work for and with the public (especially when trying to get a chemical banned), and all our brilliant work is for nothing if the public can't understand what we do. His Powerpoint slides are made to be multi-purpose -- with sufficient data to be used with a scientist but easy for anyone without a science background to understand.
Afterwards, I got to chat with him for a little bit. I went back to the van a happy scientist. I can't say "went home" a happy scientist because by the time we got to the apartment Barney had me so stressed I wanted to scream. More on that later -- after I get my back up, tell Barney "no," and can give you the full story.
Barney had sent me an email Monday evening when he found out about the conference, and he ended the email with, "Tyrone Hayes will be speaking."
First, let me mention that environmental stressors that act as endocrine disruptors have interested me since I read my first alligator feminization paper by Lou Guillette (who was also there -- ::squees::). That alone might have induced me to put on my sneaking tires.
But the chance to hear the infamous Tyrone Hayes of UC-Berkeley speak? What time are you picking me up?
In the world of environmental toxicology, you do not hear Dr. Hayes's name without the words "atrazine" and "Syngenta" following soon after. Dr. Hayes has spent years gathering evidence that the herbicide atrazine has feminizing effects on frogs. Since atrazine is one of my stressors (chosen, I admit, because of its contentiousness) and I am at least going to look at male:female ratio, I naturally have an interest in Dr. Hayes's work. Not to mention he just looks like underneath that "how ya doing?" smile he's a troublemaker. It's true. Look at the picture.
It was awesome. Not only does Dr. Hayes do interesting science, but he's an engaging speaker as well. He deals with the press a lot, so he opened his talk with a request that we always remember that we (scientists) work for and with the public (especially when trying to get a chemical banned), and all our brilliant work is for nothing if the public can't understand what we do. His Powerpoint slides are made to be multi-purpose -- with sufficient data to be used with a scientist but easy for anyone without a science background to understand.
Afterwards, I got to chat with him for a little bit. I went back to the van a happy scientist. I can't say "went home" a happy scientist because by the time we got to the apartment Barney had me so stressed I wanted to scream. More on that later -- after I get my back up, tell Barney "no," and can give you the full story.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
::happy gimp dancing::
I'm going to see "The Vagina Monologues"!!!
I'm going to see "The Vagina Monologues"!!!
I'm going to see "The Vagina Monologues"!!!
TONIGHT!!!
FOR FREE!!!
I'm so freaking excited!!!
I'm going to see "The Vagina Monologues"!!!
I'm going to see "The Vagina Monologues"!!!
TONIGHT!!!
FOR FREE!!!
I'm so freaking excited!!!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Cuteness factor 10
Check out this video about rehabilitation of the greater one-horned rhinoceros (Indian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis) in India. I just want to kiss her little nubbin horn!!!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Stress, stress, and more stress
1. Mysterious headaches every few days -- stabbing pain in the same spot every time.
2. Even more mysterious bouts of random sleepiness where I literally fight to keep my eyes open. It feels like I've been given a sedative, but of course I haven't.
3. The resurfacing fear of a neurogenic bladder.
4. Back to trying to find a weekend morning PCA because the one I hired about a month ago is now "indisposed due to mental health issues." Haven't heard anymore. I hope she's OK.
5. Trying to get my lovely assistants to find time to help me take fish pictures. One is less than a month from graduating, and my project is not high on her list of priorities. Totally understandable, but there have been a couple of days where I don't feel like the fish and I made the list at all.
6. Speaking of fish, approximately 200 or so of the 240+ I bought about a month ago are dead. No, not on purpose.
I need to solve some problems before my telogen effluvium comes back. Unfortunately, three of them can only be fully addressed at home, and July is just under three months away.
2. Even more mysterious bouts of random sleepiness where I literally fight to keep my eyes open. It feels like I've been given a sedative, but of course I haven't.
3. The resurfacing fear of a neurogenic bladder.
4. Back to trying to find a weekend morning PCA because the one I hired about a month ago is now "indisposed due to mental health issues." Haven't heard anymore. I hope she's OK.
5. Trying to get my lovely assistants to find time to help me take fish pictures. One is less than a month from graduating, and my project is not high on her list of priorities. Totally understandable, but there have been a couple of days where I don't feel like the fish and I made the list at all.
6. Speaking of fish, approximately 200 or so of the 240+ I bought about a month ago are dead. No, not on purpose.
I need to solve some problems before my telogen effluvium comes back. Unfortunately, three of them can only be fully addressed at home, and July is just under three months away.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Go Hawks!!!
I guess KU pretty much spanked Roy Williams's butt. That'll teach him to bail on a bunch of Jayhawks.
I'm not much for basketball, but it's exciting when a home state team -- ANY home state team -- gets into the NCAA final round. I will be wearing red and blue on Monday for sure.
I'm not much for basketball, but it's exciting when a home state team -- ANY home state team -- gets into the NCAA final round. I will be wearing red and blue on Monday for sure.
Friday, April 04, 2008
It's official
NKOTB is back together -- have been since August. See the Today Show clips.
I wish Stacy and Gina were still here. We'd all have to go to the concert together like we did in high school.
I wish Stacy and Gina were still here. We'd all have to go to the concert together like we did in high school.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
No one sent me the email
Clearly, hell has frozen over and no one informed me. From the NYTimes:
Southern Baptists Back a Shift on Climate Change
By NEELA BANERJEE
Published: March 10, 2008
Signaling a significant departure from the Southern Baptist Convention's official stance on global warming, 44 Southern Baptist leaders have decided to back a declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was "too timid."
The largest denomination in the United States after the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, with more than 16 million members, is politically and theologically conservative.
Yet its current president, the Rev. Frank Page, signed the initiative, "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change." Two past presidents of the convention, the Rev. Jack Graham and the Rev. James Merritt, also signed.
"We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice," the church leaders wrote in their new declaration.
A 2007 resolution passed by the convention hewed to a more skeptical view of global warming.
In contrast, the new declaration, which will be released Monday, states, "Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed."
The document also urges ministers to preach more about the environment and for all Baptists to keep an open mind about considering environmental policy.
Jonathan Merritt, the spokesman for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative and a seminarian at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., said the declaration was a call to Christians to return to a biblical mandate to guard the world God created.
The Southern Baptist signatories join a growing community of evangelicals pushing for more action among believers, industry and politicians. Experts on the Southern Baptist Convention noted the initiative marked the growing influence of younger leaders on the discussions in the Southern Baptist Convention.
While those younger Baptists remain committed to fight abortion, for instance, the environment is now a top priority, too.
"In no way do we intend to back away from sanctity of life," said the Rev. Dr. Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.
Still, many powerful Southern Baptist leaders and agencies did not sign the declaration, including the convention's influential political arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Dr. Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy at the commission, played down the differences between the declaration and the Southern Baptist Convention's position.
The declaration says in fact that lack of scientific unanimity should not preclude "prudent action," which includes changing individual habits and giving "serious consideration to responsible policies that effectively address" global warming.
The declaration is the outgrowth of soul-searching by Mr. Merritt, 25. The younger Mr. Merritt said that for years he had been "an enemy of the environment." Then, he said, he had an epiphany.
"I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through his creation, and when we destroy God's creation, it's similar to ripping pages from the Bible," Mr. Merritt said.
Southern Baptists Back a Shift on Climate Change
By NEELA BANERJEE
Published: March 10, 2008
Signaling a significant departure from the Southern Baptist Convention's official stance on global warming, 44 Southern Baptist leaders have decided to back a declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was "too timid."
The largest denomination in the United States after the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, with more than 16 million members, is politically and theologically conservative.
Yet its current president, the Rev. Frank Page, signed the initiative, "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change." Two past presidents of the convention, the Rev. Jack Graham and the Rev. James Merritt, also signed.
"We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice," the church leaders wrote in their new declaration.
A 2007 resolution passed by the convention hewed to a more skeptical view of global warming.
In contrast, the new declaration, which will be released Monday, states, "Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed."
The document also urges ministers to preach more about the environment and for all Baptists to keep an open mind about considering environmental policy.
Jonathan Merritt, the spokesman for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative and a seminarian at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., said the declaration was a call to Christians to return to a biblical mandate to guard the world God created.
The Southern Baptist signatories join a growing community of evangelicals pushing for more action among believers, industry and politicians. Experts on the Southern Baptist Convention noted the initiative marked the growing influence of younger leaders on the discussions in the Southern Baptist Convention.
While those younger Baptists remain committed to fight abortion, for instance, the environment is now a top priority, too.
"In no way do we intend to back away from sanctity of life," said the Rev. Dr. Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.
Still, many powerful Southern Baptist leaders and agencies did not sign the declaration, including the convention's influential political arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Dr. Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy at the commission, played down the differences between the declaration and the Southern Baptist Convention's position.
The declaration says in fact that lack of scientific unanimity should not preclude "prudent action," which includes changing individual habits and giving "serious consideration to responsible policies that effectively address" global warming.
The declaration is the outgrowth of soul-searching by Mr. Merritt, 25. The younger Mr. Merritt said that for years he had been "an enemy of the environment." Then, he said, he had an epiphany.
"I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through his creation, and when we destroy God's creation, it's similar to ripping pages from the Bible," Mr. Merritt said.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
As if there weren't days where I feel old . . .
. . . there comes a rumor that New Kids on the Block might be getting back together.
The New Kids. NKOTB. Yes, I listened to them. Yes, I went to one of their concerts. Yes, I had a crush on Jordan.
Them were the days:
And today:
Joey: Still a baby face but actually DID grow up. Had my doubts in '88. Figured he'd always look 12.
Jon: Now YOU are the hot Knight.
Donnie: You weren't tough then, and you ain't tough now. How's it feel that your brother is more famous than you?
Jordan: Still cute, but not as much.
Danny: You did and still do look like you work out 50 hours a day.
They were my generation's Backstreet Boys. We thought they were so cute and had the best moves. They WERE cute, but best moves? Mmmmmmmm . . . probably not so much:
The New Kids. NKOTB. Yes, I listened to them. Yes, I went to one of their concerts. Yes, I had a crush on Jordan.
Them were the days:
And today:
Joey: Still a baby face but actually DID grow up. Had my doubts in '88. Figured he'd always look 12.
Jon: Now YOU are the hot Knight.
Donnie: You weren't tough then, and you ain't tough now. How's it feel that your brother is more famous than you?
Jordan: Still cute, but not as much.
Danny: You did and still do look like you work out 50 hours a day.
They were my generation's Backstreet Boys. We thought they were so cute and had the best moves. They WERE cute, but best moves? Mmmmmmmm . . . probably not so much: