historic flu pandemic death rates

1918 ~ 1/40

1957/8 ~ 1/500

1967/8 ~ 1/500

2009 US ~ 1/2000
UK ~ 1/4000

source

yet another blaming the victim

http://www.parentdish.com/2009/12/09/christians-to-blame-for-secular-christmas/?icid=mainhtmlws-main-ndl3link4http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2009%2F12%2F09%2Fchristians-to-blame-for-secular-christmas%2F

you don't have to agree with everything this woman has to say, but

most of it is good and she says it well.

my reply

Well written Ms Goldstein. I do not agree with some of the asides, but the thrust is appropriate.

The bottom line is his child and that child's inheritance from his father. Which is better: to have money or self-respect and dignity?

The root value is: it is better to teach your child values than to give gold.

Or are "values" a dirty word?

illiterates and the intellectally deficient

oh my God, this reads like someone overheard small talk between illiterates and the intellectally deficient on the east wing of the psychiatric ward!! Fortunately for all US citizen the SSA systems work magnitudes better than the above link. - a senior IT person

if you are lucky you learn something new everyday

down in the valley

if I had paid attention to Fr Rooks during logic class

I would know the name of this logical fallacy.

Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer
is:Because the animals are like us.Ask the experimenters why it is morally
OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is:Because the animals are not
like us.Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. -
Charles R. Magel, professor of philosophy

In the first case, the similiarity is physiological and chemical. In the second case, the difference is on the level of consciousness. The argument is intellectual dishonesty using bait-and-switch tactics. Clever but no cigar!

a public service message from the Kat

sing a new song unto the Lord

I am just getting around to the August issue and have been pondering the articles on liturgy.

It seems to me "reverence" is a code word for "quiet."

I am registered in what I think is the largest parish in my diocese 6000 families (give or take), 2/3 Spanish speaking. I have been in multi-lingual / multi-cultural parishes before. Most non-US and non-European liturgies are quite lively. Emotion is on the surface. I have heard criticism of that and "reverence" is one of the words in the conversation. Are we afraid of the "otherness" that goes beyond mere language and into culture?

While I dislike music with excessive percussion, I find all music styles appropriate for worship. As the choir director in the parish I sing at says, "as long as it is good music."

The article by Ted Rosean appears to be dismissive of diversity of worship styles. I surprised that in IL he has not experienced the various Byzantine liturgical styles. While I lived in Pittsburgh, the Byzantine archeparch lived just down Perrysville Ave. The Roman Rite bishop lived on the other side of the Allegheny River.

Our church has wonderfully diverse history from Jesus to the present. Would that we would not disown any of it.

coming attraction - another culture war

http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/slavishly-literal-translation-missal-criticized

after reading the article, search for the word Joseph as in St Joseph Missal.

my reply to that post (which was suppressed) was roughly:

roflmao

I would buy such a book as described for my children and grandchildren. We could call it the Bl. Angelo Giuseppe Roncali Missal.

Or maybe try one of those new churches that use the Book of Common Prayer. They take liturgy VERY seriously.

further thoughts

Nothing can stop this steamroller except Ruah - the Spirit of God. Oremus!

pax Christi resurrexit (probably wrong ending) vobiscum

have a cow man!

http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2009/10/simpsons-vs-donohue-whos-gone-too-far

so if the music were really music

how could it be used to torture people?

comment on work

There's nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot. - Scott Adams q.PhilGlowatz@VERIZON.NET uga2009Oct14

Why is it that excellence in education scares some people?

Not frustration with you! Rather, frustration with the powers-that-be here at the middle school where I work. For over a year, I've shared my love for A.Word.A.Day with my students and I have had much positive feedback regarding the words, the clever and creative weekly themes, and the downright interesting, thought-provoking word choices. But a single parent has complained and now I find myself in a morass of having to justify what I do in the class, provide documentation that shows there is, indeed, value to what we do in class, to ultimately prove that our attempts to "control" language via ANY vocabulary program will always be imperfect because the evolution of communication is ongoing and, in the end, best experienced rather than caged. Sigh. It seems that there's no incentive to think outside boundaries or to innovate. It appears that people want something simple, quick, and cut and dried. Well, whatever may be, I will continue to anticipate the words with eagerness. I guess I must accept that at times, my views are "antipodal" to those of others.

Ironically, the parent's complaint is based on the argument that the words are not usable for the kids, that they're not grade appropriate, which I know is something similar that you all at Wordsmith.org have experience with. Also, that the use of the Wordsmith.org material is from a website "not approved", by the district, and that it is not entirely in line with the school curriculum. And the entirely laughable notion that the kids may be exposed to "inappropriate material"! I thought that the basis of ANY language arts curriculum is an exploration of language and the interesting patterns that we notice along the way. Is there anyone in this world who is 100% fluent with any language?

Really, if this is examined closely, this incident is not about vocabulary, or curriculum or any of the other stated things. Rather, it's about authority and power. It's about people whose self-esteem and confidence level are based solely on how high they can make people jump. Sad.

The kids and I discussed "Beau Brummell" the other day and they created visual representations of the word.

Update:

Having had a one and a half hour meeting with our school's language arts supervisor, a meeting replete with many, many examples of students' work that clearly demonstrates an active interaction with the vocabulary words from Wordsmith.org, I was told that administration in the building, "will not approve your vocabulary program". I am flabbergasted at such a statement given that administration has no clue as to what my vocabulary program entails, nor have they shown the least bit of interest in finding out in the past 1+ years that I've been running my program. So, I am writing to you for advice. I need to know a really terrific word that is synonymous with, "manufactured", since it seems that the so-called leaders of the school are devoted, lock, stock, and barrel to such an approach. I am stunned that such obtuseness has become so prevalent and in my 17 years as an educator I am speechless regarding the state of middle school education in my neck of the woods. - James Eng q.wordsmith.org

If you agree ths is outrageous, spread the word and send the guy some encouragement.

I was a good boy

I bought a reading light for my bed. It was a fluorescent. In small print in the instructions was a warning that if the bulb had a symbol Hg, the bulb contained mercury and need special disposal.

Wait a minute! Mercury is a toxic poison. If I break the bulb in my house I might as well call hazmat because mercury is a liquid that can get into rugs and in the cracks of wood floors. Just how is this better for the environment.

Office Slogans That Inspire

• Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.

• Never quit until you have another job. [wise words]

• Work harder slaves!

• The beatings will continue until morale improves.

• If you can read this, you're not working!

• Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!

• Go the extra mile...it makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker. [roflmao - so true]

• Pride, commitment, teamwork - words we use to get you to work for free.
• Succeed in spite of management. [wise words]

• Work: It isn't just for sleeping anymore.

• There are two kinds of people in life: people who like their jobs, and people who don't work here anymore.

- Bill Stebbins uga2009Sep11

putting lipstick on a cobra

http://www.newsmax.com//insidecover/talibam_field_manual/2009/07/30/241800.html

roflmao - math/statistical humor

http://www.xkcd.com/605/

M$ dissed

http://www.xkcd.com/612/

Blue Dogs & health care reform

not friends of this pup

sick puppies

Love in 2-D

doing science as competitive sport

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/science/21angier.html?_r=2

the state of the world education

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47693

a view to a gift

the windup and the pitch

the pup swings

1. Those offended by this gift might want to comment on the presence on the grounds of the GA capitol of a statue of Thomas E Watson, the man who lead the charge to lynch Leo Frank. For context, TEW is quoted as saying "in the South, we have to lynch [the Negro] occasionally, and flog him, now and then, to keep him from blaspheming the Almighty, by his conduct, on account of his smell and his color." (Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School in the ajc, date unknown)

2. While studying science, one of the principles we lived by was that the answer doesn't matter if you ask the wrong question. If we ask "to what use might this land be put?", I would suggest a center that studies bigotry and violence and their effect on society. A gallery with visuals might create a space wherein that which we abhor, but which has and does happen, might have light shed on it to dispel the darkness. We may not be able to eliminate darkness, but that does not mean it is not helpful, good even, to light one candle.

lies, damned lies and the facts

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/07/08/sarah-barracuda-palin-and-the-piranhas-of-the-press/?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl1link4http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicsdaily.com%2F2009%2F07%2F08%2Fsarah-barracuda-palin-and-the-piranhas-of-the-press%2F

splain this to me Lucy!

cutting tax incentives for employer-provided insurance is intended to
discourage unnecessary use of medical services - Eugene Steuerle, vice
president of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a non-profit federal budget
watchdog group q.http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3wUXb42NPX0

it's not just a subprime mess

http://moneynews.newsmax.com/streettalk/mortgage_loans/2009/07/07/232687.html

M$ changed out

http://blogs.computerworld.com/london_stock_exchange_to_abandon_failed_windows_platform

honorary whiteboard membership

andrew would love this

and possibly this

the sky is falling, the sky is falling, said big pig

elephant afraid of mouse who roars

whiteboard #9

the last of the first series is from me - it's a graphic and will require imagination - the letters NFC in bold and surrounded by a red circle with a red slash through it - the letters stand for the phrase No Clue - it means down with people who have no clue such as this guy

previous

whiteboard #8

I'm a nobody
Nobody's perfect
Therefore I'm perfect

next

previous

whiteboard #7

This is not Burger King, Fedex or the Library of Congress. So we don't do it your way, we don't deliver it overnight, and we don't know everything.

what's especially interesting about this entry is that the person whose whiteboard this is on is in a service group that delivers electronically reports overnight. as for knowing everything, we are in IT after all! :-)

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previous

whiteboard #6

The best defense against logic is ignorance.

next

previous

Too Many Failures with Faster, Better, Cheaper

NASA Report

whiteboard #5

When in doubt, take the batteries out.

next

previous

whiteboard #4

When you make your mark on the world, watch out for guys with erasers.

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Sic

Setting aside Coulter's tongue-in-cheek, rhetorical gamesmanship, the likening of Tiller's murder to a late-term abortion is an interesting tact. - David Knowles

There should be an award for being able to use the word "tact" in the same sentence as Ann Coulter without using a negative. On the other hand, what word did the writer mean? tack? tactic?

Oh heck this is the inet. What need have we of good anything. Gresham rules!

whiteboard #3

Puns are for groan men only.

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whiteboard #2

Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.

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new series - whiteboard

In the cube next to mine is a white board on which the locals write whatever comes to mind. Amazingly, things are seldom erased - even by management:

Some men are discovered, others are found out.

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pigs

The carelessness of some people is very annoying. Take recycling. I have worked w/recycling Al cans at both church and work. Why do people throw trash in the recycling containers?

Now the green committee at work has placed cardboard boxes in the break rooms for recycling plastic containers. No rollout. Just shazam! Result -- people put garbage in the containers.

If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing right!

That'll do, Pig!

obscure computer humor

I wrote this a while back.

Background:

DUQN is Duquesne Systems, a former software vendor (I once worked for them - good company w/good people working on good mainframe software products)

Morino is Morino Associates, a former software vendor

Legent is a former software vendor formed by the merger of those two

Goal a former software vendor bought by Legent

dwarf is one of many small former software vendors bought by Legent

CA is Compter Associates, a software vendor that bought Legent

the math of it all expressed as computer code:

DUQN + Morino = Legent + excitement due to culture clash + 0*progress + bad management

Do i=1 to n

Legent + dwarf = Legent + little result

Enddo

Legent + Goal = Legent + silly t-shirt + lost benefits + layoff(s) + semi-chaos + more bad management

Legent + CA + financial fraud = CA + large job loss + nice severance + lousy service + pissed off (American English) customers + no indictments (statute of limitations ran out too soon)

(c) 2007 DataStructuresHouston

for gatito

Cat Got Your Fish?

good bile

Toxic R Us

a Katrina moment for MrO

Has a ‘Katrina Moment’ Arrived?

new fraud in case you are unsatisfied

Red Flags That Muni Investors Can’t See

followup

I just had my laptop memory upgraded by the Geek Squad @ Best Buy. Purchase of the year. Should have had it done sooner.

The kid who was the team leader looks geek, talks geek. But he is a college graduate w/degree in accounting. Has had interviews but no job offers. He is now taking a masters (MBA?).

I asked him why he was working for GS and he said he needed a job. Engaged to be married. Bummer dude. I told him to stay in IT until something opens up.

Wish I had had a job like that when I was in college. Well, ok, I was in IT, called EAM back then.

previous post

Symbionese Liberation Parolee

rich and liberal gets her out of jail and out of CA

those who forget history are doomed to relive it

Business Schools Rocked by Economic Crisis

Sarah Palin

Why does the Democratic party attack th governor of AK and why are they so successful in using her as a fund raising point of darkness?

First she is a woman and a Republican. Teh Democrats think they are the party of and for women and resent any poaching in their preserve. This is a mirror image of the Democrat response to the existance of a black Republican, or even a Republican who is a person of color. How dare the Republican Party try to be as broad as the Democratic Party?

Second she is a woman and a mother. She has a career. She is successful. How dare she! The tisking directed at her daughter's pregnancy was criticism of mothering skills. Assuming this is fair game, when has this ever been done against the Democrats? Was Rose Kennedy criticised for the philandering of one son or the questionable lack of taking responsibility by another?

Third and least evident but most important is the First Gentleman of AK. No one has talked much about the fact that he is a blue-collar worker -- and a union member. A successful career woman with a blue-collar husband -- outrageous. That is not a model the Party of Women want to catch on. Next thing you know there will be Republican candidates who are blue collar workers -- or horror of horrors -- union members. Not only will union members be voting for Republican candidates which is bad enough, the candidate will be one of them.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a life-long Republican and white collar worker with advanced degrees. My children are a Sgt in the Infantry, and a techer of disadvantaged children with two children of her own. Their spouses are a white collar government worker with two children of her own, and a former blue collar worker in construction now doing whatever can be done to run a construction site without having a degree.

shocked, simply shocked

all God's children