Our granddaughter got a big red convertible for Christmas from her grandparents. Thank Goodness for Amazon!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas, Y'all
Our granddaughter got a big red convertible for Christmas from her grandparents. Thank Goodness for Amazon!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Google DownUnder
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Thursday, December 21, 2006
WA Artist Wins USA Prize
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Vikki, on left, along with her sister Donna and Josh Cunningham perform as a trio, The Waifs. They are currently on tour after a year away from the road.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Happy Holidays to the ISS Crew
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Tuesday, December 19, 2006
"Miss Potter" Comes to the Screen
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Mirror, Mirror On the Mountain
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An innovative local, Pierfranco Midali, found a solution to this problem using a 8 x 5 meter mirror that reflects the sun back to the shivering village. The computer-aided mirror follows the sun and provides up to eight hours of sun a day.
"Here it's very cold in the winter and residents, many of whom are elderly, used to stay inside all the time. Now people are enjoying sitting on the bench in the square and having a chat," said Maria Velona, who works at the townhall.
NASA Chief's Impressive Credentials
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He received a bachelor's degree in Physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in aerospace science from Catholic University of America; a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland; a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California; a master's degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in business administration from Loyola College; and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. He is a certified flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.
Michael Griffin began his duties as the 11th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on April 14, 2005. As Administrator, he leads the NASA team and manages its resources to advance the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration.
Two New Stamps in Denmark
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Two new stamps in Denmark feature the royal Crown Prince Couple and their child, Prince Christian. One stamp is a normal stamp on which the Crown Prince family is featured in traditional Greenlandic dress. The other stamp is a charity stamp with has a surcharge included in the price. The surcharge benefits an organisation that is devoted to charitable work or to combating disease. In this case the money raised will go to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's Fund for Charitable and Humanitarian purposes. This stamp on which the threesome is featured marks the happy fact that Denmark has a new heir to the throne, Prince Christian.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Stuffed Rock Cornish Hens for Christmas
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If you have one, use a large roasting pan that has a cover and a drain rack in the bottom. If not, use foil and a broiler pan. These hens come out brown and the skin is crisp.
Serve with a simple green salad and asparagus or another vegetable.
* 1 package long-grain and wild rice mix, 6 ounces
* 3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped mushrooms, drained
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 4 Cornish game hens (approximately 1 pound each)
PREPARATION:
Directions for stuffed Cornish hens
Cook rice according to package directions; cool. Add celery, chopped mushrooms, chopped apricots, butter, and soy sauce; toss lightly to mix. Stuff hens; place in roasting pan.
Roast, loosely covered at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue roasting Cornish hens for about 60 minutes, or until done. Baste Cornish hens with butter during last 30 minutes, if desired.
Stuffed Cornish hens recipe serves 4.
Discovery: Beginning Day Seven in Space
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Bags Hangs Up His Spikes
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Astros owner Drayton McLane acknowledged Bagwell's importance, telling him: "In the 15 years you have played here, you have been the person that has lifted this franchise, and we thank you for that.
"A lot of great things have occurred. We've had championships, we've gone to the World Series, and we got a new stadium. And Jeff Bagwell has been an integral part. And I have said for many years that Jeff has been really the heartbeat of the Houston Astros."
Houston Mayor Bill White weighed in on Bagwell's retirement.
"The greatest hitter in Astros history may have hung up his spikes, but his home run trot keeps replaying in our best baseball memories," he said in a statement. "As a ballplayer, a team leader and a great community-minded Houstonian, we all appreciate having been witness to his career here. We look forward to his continued presence with our team, in our city and in the Hall of Fame."
Bagwell said he was grateful that he was able to spend his entire major league career with one team. He will remain with the Astros' organization as an assistant to the GM.
"City of Canberra" Comes Home
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The 707, which Qantas sold in 1979 after 20 years' service, had been parked in England for six years, after finally operating as a VIP carrier for the Saudi Government.
Retired and holidaying Qantas engineers have spent the past five months ensuring the aircraft's airworthiness, and company crew still certified on the type flew it to Sydney today via the US mainland, Honolulu, and Fiji. The jet's final destination is Longreach.
Qantas chairwoman Margaret Jackson said the 707 had brought the world to Australia.
New Grand Canyon Attraction
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My fear of being at the edge of a high place precludes me from enjoying this Wylie Coyote view of the Grand Canyon. Would you do it?
Thursday, December 14, 2006
This American Life
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We do stories that are like movies for radio. There are people in dramatic situations where things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and – hopefully – moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun. There are shows on public radio with no sense of fun or surprise and we hate those shows.
Until recently you could only listen online, but now you can download the current episodes as podcasts. The archives are still available for streaming.
Blogging the Bible
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It's interesting reading through the blog. I'm only at Numbers, and I've already learned a lot of stories I didn't know were in the Bible. I think in Sunday School, they skip most of the really juicy ones!
Our Granddaughter
Son's Jeep
Bush Fires in Victoria
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Atlantis is Next
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"We need to shift from the return-to-flight mode back to a more operational assembly sequence where we're flying, hopefully, four to five times a year and completing the assembly fairly quickly," Atlantis commander Brent Jett said.
Atlantis will be hauling a second set of massive solar arrays which are needed to boost the station's power output for partner laboratory modules. A firm date for the launch will be set following a flight review that ends on August 16th. The lift-off of Atlantis and six astronauts from Cape Canaveral in Florida is targeted for August 27 or 28.
Modern Monopoly
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Despite the changes and the upgrades, there is one thing that remains the same - the 'go to jail' punishment. "You do go to jail, that will never change," the spokesman said.
Museum to Feature Shiloh in Wax
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Advertising Ruse
Aussie and I got an envelope in the mail today with STATEMENT ENCLOSED stamped on it, so Aussie opened it to discover that it was from GEICO, a company we do not do business with. On the top of the letter above the fold was printed: "Please review your summary statement". Aussie being curious as to how we could have a bill from GEICO opened the letter out to read the following:
The Statement continued for several lines, then was signed Ted Ward who is of course the Vice President.
Add this ruse to the fact that I hate that lizard with his fakey accent which IS NOT AT ALL Australian, we will never ever buy anything whatsoever from GEICO.
STATEMENT: At GEICO, we will strive to give you an outstanding
customer service experience. We will support you online and by
phone and help you...
The Statement continued for several lines, then was signed Ted Ward who is of course the Vice President.
Add this ruse to the fact that I hate that lizard with his fakey accent which IS NOT AT ALL Australian, we will never ever buy anything whatsoever from GEICO.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Quitting is Just a Jab Away!
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Heavenly Help
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According to news from Norway in Aftenposten, a meteorite weighing around two kilos landed right in the yard outside Bjørn Herigstad's cabin in coastal Jæren, western Norway, over the weekend.
Herigstad isn't sure what he’ll do with the meteorite, which could be a valuable sales object. A quick check on the Internet revealed prices as high as NOK 700,000 (more than US$100,000).
Urban/Kidman Union Bears Fruit
Outback Australia Telescope
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The Mileura Widefield Array, which will cover an area 1.5 kilometres in diameter, will use 500 six-metre square 'tiles' to gather radio signals from its site in the mid-west of the state.
The array will operate at low frequencies to 'see through' the neutral hydrogen, which is opaque to optical light, that filled the early universe.
Mileura Station (a livestock ranch) is roughly 300km inland from the western Australian coast, a few hundred km north of Perth ,and 350km from the small coastal city of Geraldton . The target region is extremely sparsely populated, and is characterized by fairly flat, sparsely vegetated, semi-arid terrain criss-crossed by shallow washes and watercourses.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Dan Klass Cracks Me Up!
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We All Age
The Haka and the Handbag
The New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, begin every game with a traditional haka. A haka is a Maori war dance (more of a chant with hand gestures and foot stomping) which describes graphically how the opposition will be treated, and the players standing opposite the display on the field have got to be intimidated. Besides the haka, there is also the fact that the All Blacks are one tough team. In this video of the haka, note the "speaker".
His name is Tana Umaga and in a recent pub incident in Christchurch, he famously belted a team-mate with a woman's handbag.
Now Channel 7 in Australia is using the haka and the handbag incident to promote its coverage of Saturday's Tri-Nations Test against the Wallabies by presenting a digitally-altered clip which shows the All Blacks performing their traditional haka with handbags.
All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith described the ads as disrespectful. "It's insensitive, I think, to Maori and disrespectful of all the All Blacks," he said.
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There is no video of the clip available on internet, but here's a still photo from it.
His name is Tana Umaga and in a recent pub incident in Christchurch, he famously belted a team-mate with a woman's handbag.
Now Channel 7 in Australia is using the haka and the handbag incident to promote its coverage of Saturday's Tri-Nations Test against the Wallabies by presenting a digitally-altered clip which shows the All Blacks performing their traditional haka with handbags.
All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith described the ads as disrespectful. "It's insensitive, I think, to Maori and disrespectful of all the All Blacks," he said.
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There is no video of the clip available on internet, but here's a still photo from it.
ISS/Discovery Passes
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I don't know this for sure, but it seems that the passes could be brighter than usual. However, even if that is inaccurate, the ISS is the easiest object to spot in the clear night sky if you know where to look.
Here are our passes for tonight:
July 06, 9:22 pm 3 min.
July 06, 10:55pm 1 min.
Proofing for Project Gutenberg
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Notice the link at the top of the page which states:
Did you know that you can help us produce ebooks by proof-reading just one page a day? Go to: Distributed Proofreaders
The mission of DP is the digitization of Public Domain books into Project Gutenberg.
I have been proofing pages for DP for a month now and find the "work" very engaging and rewarding. The concentration necessary to proof the pages takes me right out of my everyday life and transports my attention to the printed page. The software used at DP is simply amazing and everything about the operation is highly organized and simplified. There is a proofreading forum and a wiki which puts me in touch with all the other proofreaders from around the world. All the workers from project managers to P1 proofreaders are volunteers.
Here's the link to Distributed Proofreaders. You can look around the site and at the Smooth Reading Pool Preview without signing in. Give it a look-in!
In Progress: Discovery Docking with ISS
We are watching Discovery docking with the ISS on NASA channel. The live pictures are amazing. Here's a summary of the Discovery's mission from the NASA website:
Space Shuttle Discovery fired its engines just after 7 a.m. EDT beginning its final approach with the International Space Station. Discovery, which launched Tuesday afternoon to begin STS-121, is scheduled to dock with the station at 10:52 a.m. EDT today.
STS-121 will deliver supplies and equipment to the station. Much of the cargo is located in the Italian-built Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module. The STS-121 crew will also conduct at least two spacewalks while docked to the orbital outpost. During the excursions, the crew will demonstrate techniques for inspecting and protecting the shuttle’s thermal protection system.
Also, arriving with STS-121 is European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter. He will become Expedition 13’s third crew member. His arrival will return the station’s crew complement to three for the first time since Expedition 6 left in May 2003.
About two hours after Discovery arrives, the hatches will open and the STS-121 crew will enter the station for the first time. STS-121 is currently scheduled to depart the space station on July 14 and land in Florida on the 16th.
STS-121 will be the first shuttle mission to visit the station since STS-114 left in August 2005.
No Pork on the Menu
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More really cute photos here.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
LeTour
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What's the Tour de France without Lance Armstrong? Just another bike race...
However, if you are interested in what's happening day to day in France with the racers, check out the daily news on Lance's website.
4th of July Dinner Party
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We really enjoyed our 4th of July dinner with friends. Here's a recipe for the main course which was stuffed Cornish game hens:
1 package long-grain and wild rice mix, 6 ounces
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 Cornish game hens (approximately 1 pound each)
PREPARATION:
Cook rice according to package directions; cool. Add celery, chopped mushrooms, chopped apricots, butter, and soy sauce; toss lightly to mix. Stuff hens; place in roasting pan. Roast, loosely covered at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue roasting Cornish hens for about 60 minutes, or until done. Baste Cornish hens with butter during last 30 minutes, if desired.
We added a beautiful wild green salad with maple-coated walnuts and gruyere cheese and also an asparagus side dish. A riesling made the meal complete. We followed with a tasty strawberry dessert and a sweet wine. Then port and chocolate. What a meal!
Need I mention the conversation, the new friends, and the lovely cool night air on the back porch overlooking the Guadalupe River?
Hot and Dry
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Since our house sits on the side of a hill with no fear of flooding, we want rain and lots of it. Actually, it would take a flood to reach our average rainfall and to fill the Guadalupe River and recharge the aquifer.
"Prada": What Was Missing?
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Beauty Destroyed
Friday, June 09, 2006
Flying Dude Video
Here's a link to another BASE jumper, Loic Jean Albert, doing a jump from a helicopter in a winged suit down the side of a mountain. Just watching this trip is scary, but the shadow of the glider suit on the snow is awesome.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Podcast: The Word Nerds
Interested in "words, language, and why we say the things we do"? Try The Word Nerds podcast. It's entertaining and exceptionally well-produced.
Picture Puzzle
Would You Do It?
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Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Wills' Kate
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Something to Crowe About
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I've always thought Crowe was an interesting actor, but had no idea about the person he really was until I read this chilling article.
Jackman Joins Kidman and Luhrmann
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Jackman replaces Russell Crowe, who was pushed from the project last week after dallying on script consultation. Jackman will play a cattle driver hooking up with an English aristocrat (Kidman) whose northern Australian ranch, which she inherits unexpectedly, is threatened by British cattle barons. They undertake a cattle drive across the Top End.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Graduate Sequel as a Novel
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Wikipedia has this article about Webb whose personal life is interesting, if a little bizarre.
Lance, We Never Doubted You!
British Hotel Bans F-Word
A British hotel, Linthwaite House Hotel in the picturesque Lakes District, is offering football-free breaks for "soccer widows" desperate to escape wall-to-wall coverage of the World Cup. Any guest who overhears a member of staff mentioning the f-word ("football") will be given a free glass of champagne. The sport supplements are being taken out of daily newspapers and, instead of blanket TV coverage of the big games, guests will be offered a string of romantic movies on DVD such as Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman. According to the hotel manager, the bookings are starting to stream in. The World Cup finals in Germany start on June 9, with the final in Berlin on July 9.
Podcast: Filmspotting
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Until recently Filmspotting has been known as Cinecast.
Dutch Pedophilia Political Party
Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party, the Charity, Freedom and Diversity party, to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.
"A ban just makes children curious," Ad van den Berg, a party founder, told a newspaper. "We want to make pedophilia the subject of discussion. We want to have a voice. Other politicians only talk about us in a negative sense, as if we were criminals."
The Netherlands, which already has liberal policies on soft drugs, prostitution and gay marriage, was shocked by the plan. Eighty-two per cent of the public polled wanted the Government to do something to stop the new party.
The party supports allowing pornography to be broadcast on daytime television, with only violent pornography limited to late evenings. It also said people should be allowed to go naked in public and promotes legalizing all drugs and free train travel for all.
"A ban just makes children curious," Ad van den Berg, a party founder, told a newspaper. "We want to make pedophilia the subject of discussion. We want to have a voice. Other politicians only talk about us in a negative sense, as if we were criminals."
The Netherlands, which already has liberal policies on soft drugs, prostitution and gay marriage, was shocked by the plan. Eighty-two per cent of the public polled wanted the Government to do something to stop the new party.
The party supports allowing pornography to be broadcast on daytime television, with only violent pornography limited to late evenings. It also said people should be allowed to go naked in public and promotes legalizing all drugs and free train travel for all.
Return of "The Rocket"
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Schedule for the Rocket's Relaunch:
June 6 Class A Lexington
June 11 Double-A Corpus Christi
June 16 Triple-A Round Rock
June 22 Houston Astros
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Chile Gets Latest Telescope
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