Religious Musings after a hESC Seminar

Having worked at Mr. Edison's legacy, I'm delighted to see this quote by him:

Religion is all bunk.
Thomas A. Edison

Growing up without a religious foundation, I've always had a fascination and a repulsion towards religion. Still have it. I've always wanted to be Catholic - the pomp, pageantry, and all the red and gold just fascinate me. Anyone who shops with me, knows I am drawn to the gaudy and glittery - a trait I am trying hard to correct.

But then, being Catholic means I'd be subserviant to the males of the world....ugh....can't imagine....nuns are such dreary dressers...even without the penguin outfits ... though I did send one of my kids to an all-girls Catholic school ... I still fight the urge every day I drive by the corner Catholic Church with its big, grocery-store sign beseeching anyone who wants to become a Catholic to call 1-800-getcath, to give it a try. I've never been a joiner, and my sorry career state bears this out: the team-player-baloney of 90s corporate America always picked me last...

The Jews - weird cult in my mind - hard to separate the animal from the dairy - but perhaps I should give thought to becoming a Jewish Vegan - 2 birds with 1 stone, as the saying goes. Again, I get the feeling women are 2nd class....

Muslim - bad experience with one at my 2nd-to-previous job - told me I was being brain-washed by American Culture - I should be home taking care of the kids....I think he was going along the lines of 'bare-foot in the kitchen, making babies' 50s womanhood...what's wrong with using one's brain, doing something fun, making a contribution to society, and making money at the same time: providing house, food, and the ever-rising utilities for the little ones...I've always thought, it's best to be able to take care of oneself...because the world can be a cold, hard, and cruel place. Thank god (oops!) I wasn't born in the Sudan!

I remember from my high school Latin classes, reading the Iliad and the Odyssesy, and the River Styx and Hades...I spent many nights dreaming about being the nymph of the Underworld River Styx. At least women got to be goddesses and not always minions of men.

Lutherans - I don't know much about them...Martin Luther...just makes me think of the dreary middle ages, garbage in the streets, the black plaque, serfs, and paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. A dry lot, I think. Somehow related to the intriques of the royalty of England through the ages.

LindaR's Bday at the U

Txs T and B

Foetus

This says it all:

Profiles in Courage

I met Carol in Berkeley in June of 2004 at the First International Stem Cell Action Conference. I admire people who try and do something.


Check out the conference at http://www.fisca.info/

Kibbles 'n Bits

Being in an academic environment at the U, many people put quotes in their emails. I particularly liked this one I read today:

"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody." (Lily Tomlin)

My favorite LT character is the "gum-chewing, wisecracking, snorting telephone operator Ernestine (famous for her lines "One ringy dingy, two ringy dingy" and "A gracious good morning to you ... Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?")

Check out her bio at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Tomlin.

Some phrases from Rex Stout (it's hard to jot them down in the car, when listening to a book on tape):

"Sanguinary verses"
"Pathetic bravado"

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc.
4230 N. Oakland Ave. #249
Shorewood, WI 53211-2042

PRESS RELEASE

For More Information and Media Interviews Contact:

Ed Fallone, President (414) 412-5772
Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc. info@wistemcellnow.org

GROUP CRITICAL OF VOTE FORECLOSING RESEARCH

Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc. Urges Governor to Veto Bill

September 28, 2005. Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc. reacted with disappointment to the expected passage of a bill in the State Senate that makes it a crime for scientists and doctors to engage in research involving patient-specific stem cells. “Every day, doctors engaged in groundbreaking stem cell research in Wisconsin are making progress towards unlocking the mysteries of diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s and a host of other diseases. The legislature should be supporting the search for cures, not placing roadblocks in the way,” said Ed Fallone, President of Wisconsin Stem Cell Now. He added, “We urge Governor Doyle to veto this bill, so that the thousand of Wisconsin residents afflicted with chronic diseases and their families can receive the benefits of this lifesaving research.”

The expected passage of AB 499 by the Senate, the so-called “Anti-Cloning Bill,” will make it a crime for anyone to engage in “human cloning” in Wisconsin. None of the groundbreaking stem cell research currently underway in Wisconsin – pioneered by Dr. James Thomson – involves cloning technology. Therefore, current research efforts do not appear to be seriously effected. However, the broad definition of “human cloning” contained in the law would seem to prevent doctors in Wisconsin from pursuing two important avenues of research in the future.

First, it would appear to criminalize “therapeutic cloning,” also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (“SCNT”). SCNT is a laboratory procedure in which the nucleus of an unfertilized donor egg is replaced with the patient’s own DNA from a somatic cell – a cell from the patient’s skin, heart, or muscle. The unfertilized egg divides in a Petri dish to become a source of patient-specific stem cells in vitro, which can be coaxed into becoming the type of cells needed to cure the patient. SCNT is the only field of stem cell research that could eliminate immune system rejection because the cells to be transplanted into the patient contain the patient’s DNA.

Second, criminalizing SCNT would not only slow progress towards the successful creation of cells for transplantation, it would also prevent doctors from using the SCNT procedure to observe how diseases develop in the first place. By using the DNA of a patient with a disease, and by carefully studying the way in which the disease first develops in stem cells created using SCNT, doctors might be one step closer to learning how to prevent the disease in the general population.

Wisconsin Stem Cell Now, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate the public and lawmakers concerning the benefits of stem cell research, and that advocates continued support of this life-saving research.

LLP

LPB Color Scheme

This is the template design that the colors will be taken from. What do you Tink?

the Brain

Well, I shouldn't be surprized - there are all sorts of types of museums...
check out the brain museum @ http://brainmuseum.org/index.html

I am Endangered!

Those intimate people who know me, know my obsession with polar bears. I was dismayed when I got the following email this afternoon....(and yes, JEL, polar bears are mean, but ...)

"There is something truly amazing about polar bears. White fur against ice and snow, they are a majestic sight in the Arctic wilderness. But in the coming weeks, Congress will be voting on a provision to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to destructive oil drilling. Scientists warn that polar bear mothers could abandon cubs to die if drilling occurs.

There's a special way you can help save polar bears now and get a head start on holiday shopping for wildlife lovers in your life.

Make an "early bird" polar bear gift adoption today through Defenders of Wildlife. Between now and September 30th, you'll save 10% on your polar bear gift adoption, and Defenders of Wildlife will send an adorable plush polar bear and a personalized adoption certificate suitable for framing - shipped FREE in time to arrive for the holidays.

Polar bears need our help year-round, and your tax-deductible gift will be put to work right away. One of the largest mammals on earth, polar bears are still no match for the forces that are looking to destroy their homeland in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In just a few weeks, Congress - encouraged by House Majority leader Tom DeLay - will vote on a budget bill that contains a harmful provision for drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Your polar bear gift adoption today will fund Defenders of Wildlife's emergency grassroots campaign to save the Arctic Refuge. "

Writers and Injuns

Digital ID: cph 3c08080
Source: b&w film copy neg.
Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-108080 (b&w film copy neg.)
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
CREATED/PUBLISHED: [1923 May 31]



The profile of Chief Two Gun White Calf appears on the reverse of the buffalo nickel.

Rinehart, Mary Roberts:

1876—1958, American novelist, b. Pittsburgh. A graduate nurse, she married Dr. Stanley M. Rinehart in 1896. The first of her many mystery stories, The Circular Staircase (1908), established her as a leading writer of the genre; Rinehart and Avery Hopwood successfully dramatized the novel as The Bat (1920). Her other mystery novels include The Man in Lower Ten (1909), The Case of Jennie Brice (1914), The Red Lamp (1925), The Door (1930), The Yellow Room (1945), and The Swimming Pool (1952). Stories about "Tish," a self-reliant spinster, first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and were collected into The Best of Tish (1955).

Chief Two Guns White Calf:

1872-1934. Also known as John Two Guns and John Whitecalf Two Guns, this Blackfood chief provided one of the most readily recognizable images of a Native American in the world after an impression of his portrait appeared on a common coin, the Indian head nickel.

Two Guns White Calf was born near Fort Benton, Montana, son of White Calf, who was known as the last chief of the Pikuni Blackfood. His visage was used along with those of John Big Tree (Seneca) and IRON TAIL (Sioux) in James Earl Fraser's composite design for the nickel.

After the coin's release around the turn of the century, Two Guns White Calf became a fixture at Glacier National Park, where he posed with tourists. He also acted as a publicity spokesman for the Northern Pacific Railroad, whose public relations staff came up with the name "Two Guns White Calf".

He died of pneumonia at the age of sixty three and was buried in a Catholic cemetry at Browning, Montana

Chief Mad Plume:

Beauty for Ashes

Nero Wolfe is reading this book in Before Midnight. I was curious as to if these books that Mr. Wolfe always reads in his mysteries really exist. Yes, they do. The book in Before Midnight is a book in verse (gulp!).

Beauty for Ashes
Christopher La Farge
New York: Coward McCann, 1953,

From my personal librarian at our local public library:

Author: La Farge, Christopher, 1897-1956.
Title: Beauty for ashes.
Publisher: New York, Coward-McCann [1953]

ITEM LOC CALL NO. STATUS
Central Adult 811 L161B CHECK SHELVES
Central Adult 811 L161B CHECK SHELVES

And, who the heck is Christopher La Farge?

• La Farge, Christopher, 1897-1956
• Born in Newport, Rhode Island
• American author, painter, and architect
• La Farge was an American author, painter, and architect, and was a graduate of the Harvard College Class of 1920.
• He was the grandson of author and artist John La Farge and the brother of author Oliver La Farge (H.C. 1924).
• Check @ http://www.nyc-architecture.com/ARCH/ARCH-HeinsLaFarge.htm
• La Farge worked on the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (at Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street)

Towards the end of the book, Beauty for Ashes:

“So fly up now, up . . . above, above, high . . .
Soon from on high . . . see it differently, the topographical
pattern . . .
laid out below . . . distant . . .
Seen from this height, down looking, steep, you fit
them to the pattern . . .
that’s your geography . . .
Remember them . . . but not as ants that crawled painfully
and small . . .
down infinite steeps of grass, not as the germs
that brilliance and clever glasses made manifest,
but as the echo . . . of the thing you lent
when, in participation, you descended to witness and
to know”.

Haiku Again

working through books
of sand and molybdenum
I just sneezed

As always, check our friend webopedia for what a Haiku (俳句) is, @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku

and what the heck molybdenum is, @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenum

Again, Reconstruction of the South

Take a look at some historical FAQs re the first Reconstruction of the South @ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/carpetbagger/sf_building.html#d

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 8, 2005

Proclamation by the President: To Suspend Subchapter IV of Chapter 31 of Title 40, United States Code, Within a Limited Geographic Area in Response to the National Emergency Caused by Hurricane Katrina

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

1. Section 3142(a) of title 40, United States Code, provides that "every
contract in excess of $2,000, to which the Federal Government or the
District of Columbia is a party, for construction, alteration, or repair,
including painting and decorating, of public buildings and public works of
the Government or the District of Columbia that are located in a State or
the District of Columbia and which requires or involves the employment of
mechanics or laborers shall contain a provision stating the minimum wages
to be paid various classes or laborers and mechanics."

2. Section 3142(b) of title 40, United States Code, provides that such
"minimum wages shall be based on the wages the Secretary of Labor
determines to be prevailing for the corresponding classes of laborers and
mechanics employed on projects of a character similar to the contract work
in the civil subdivision of the State in which the work is to be performed
. . ."

3. Under various other related acts, the payment of wages is made
dependent upon determinations by the Secretary of Labor under section 3142
of title 40, United States Code.

4. Section 3147 of title 40, United States Code, provides that "[t]he
President may suspend the provisions of this subchapter during a national
emergency."

5. Several areas of the Nation have been recently devastated by Hurricane
Katrina. The devastation from the hurricane has resulted in the largest
amount of property damage from
a natural disaster in the history of the Nation. An enormous but
undetermined number of lives have been lost, and hundreds of thousands of
homes and business establishments either destroyed or severely damaged.
Hundreds of thousands of individuals have lost their jobs and their
livelihood. An unprecedented amount of Federal assistance will be needed
to restore the communities that have been ravaged by the hurricane.
Accordingly, I find that the conditions caused by Hurricane Katrina
constitute a "national emergency" within the meaning of section 3147 of
title 40, United States Code.

(a) Hurricane Katrina has resulted in unprecedented property damage.

(b) The wage rates imposed by section 3142 of title 40, United States
Code, increase the cost to the Federal Government of providing Federal
assistance to these areas.

(c) Suspension of the subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United
States Code, 40 U.S.C. 3141-3148, and the operation of related acts to the
extent they depend upon the Secretary of Labor's determinations under
section 3142 of title 40, United States Code, will result in greater
assistance to these devastated communities and will permit the employment
of thousands of additional individuals.


NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, do by this proclamation suspend, as to all contracts entered into
on or after the date of this proclamation and until otherwise provided, the
provisions of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code,
40 U.S.C. 3141-3148, and the provisions of all other acts
providing for the payment of wages, which provisions are dependent upon
determinations by the Secretary of Labor under section 3142 of title 40,
United States Code, as they apply to contracts to be performed in the
following jurisdictions: the counties of Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile,
Sumter, and Washington in the State of Alabama; the counties of Broward,
Miami-Dade, and Monroe in the State of Florida; the parishes of Acadia,
Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier,
Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De
Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin,
Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, La Salle,
Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse,
Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red
River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James,
St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany,
Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington,
Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn in the
State of Louisiana; and the counties of Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala,
Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke,
Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Franklin,
George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys,
Issaquena, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones,
Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Leflore,
Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba,
Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Perry, Pike
Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone,
Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo,
Tunica, Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wilkinson,
Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo in the State of Mississippi.

And, as to such contracts to be performed in such jurisdictions, I do
hereby suspend, until otherwise provided, the provisions of any Executive
Order, proclamation, rule, regulation, or other directive providing for the
payment of wages, which provisions are dependent upon determinations by the
Secretary of Labor under section 3142 of title 40, United States Code;

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

# # #

H. Katrina

“Americans always do what is right, but only after trying everything else.” Winston Churchill



These Landsat 7 images show the damage that New Orleans, Louisiana received in as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

• The image on the left shows New Orleans and the surrounding area on April 24th, 2005.
• The image on the right shows New Orleans on the morning of August 30th, 2005 just one day after Katrina made landfall.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." --President Bush, surveying damage from Hurricane Katrina
  
  
  
  
  

Wonders of the LOC

Library of Congress - you dummies!

Actresses as bicycle riders [7 illustrations of actresses with bicycles:

1. Effie Ellsler;
2. Cissy Fitzgerald;
3. Anna Held;
4. Queenie Vassar;
5. Mrs. James Brown Potter;
6. Miss Georgia Cayvan;
7. Miss Lillian Russell] graphic].
Published: 1896.
LC Call No.: Illus. in AP2.
L52 1896
Access: b&w film copy neg.

Ada Rehan

Born April 22, 1857, Limerick, Ire.
Died Jan. 8, 1916, New York, N.Y., U.S.

Funny, how we don't, as a society, hear much about famous or well-known or influential women through out our history:

She came to this country at an early age, was educated in the Brooklyn public schools, and made her first public appearance on the stage at fifteen years of age, but subsequently resumed her studies for a year.

After two seasons in Mrs. Drew's theatre, Philadelphia, she joined Augustin Daly's company in New York city.

She has been eminently successful in light comedy roles, such as Katherine in "Taming of the Shrew."


Read more about her @ http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Rehan_Ada.html

Katriana - Txs to JEL

Katrina: joke du jour
By Xeni Jardin

Q: What's George Bush's position on Roe v.Wade?

A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.

(tasteless, but funny and oh so true!)

Check this site, thanks to MarciaA. http://www.whitehouse.org/news/2005/090905.asp
Funny site - that is where I got the Worst gif file.

End of the Bush Era

End of the Bush Era By E. J. Dionne Jr. of the http://www.washingtonpost.com

Tuesday, September 13, 2005; Page A27 Read the rest of the Op-Ed @
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/12/AR2005091201433.html?nav=hcmodule

"The Bush Era is over. The sooner politicians in both parties realize that, the better for them -- and the country.

Recent months, and especially the past two weeks, have brought home to a steadily growing majority of Americans the truth that President Bush's government doesn't work. His policies are failing, his approach to leadership is detached and self-indulgent, his way of politics has produced a divided, angry and dysfunctional public square. We dare not go on like this."

Singapore and Katrina Op-Ed NYTimes

From today's New York Times online @ http://www.nytimes.com.


Read the entire editorial by Thomas L. Friedman @ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14friedman.html?th&emc=th

" Speaking of Katrina, Sumiko Tan, a columnist for the Sunday edition of The Straits Times in Singapore, wrote: "We were shocked at what we saw. Death and destruction from natural disaster is par for the course. But the pictures of dead people left uncollected on the streets, armed looters ransacking shops, survivors desperate to be rescued, racial divisions - these were truly out of sync with what we'd imagined the land of the free to be, even if we had encountered homelessness and violence on visits there. ... If America becomes so unglued when bad things happen in its own backyard, how can it fulfill its role as leader of the world?"

At least someone had FUN

Bush's Vacation

Am I going Mad?

Barbara Bush: It's Good Enough for the Poor

Commenting on the facilities that have been set up for the evacuees -- cots crammed side-by-side in a huge stadium where the lights never go out and the sound of sobbing children never completely ceases -- former First Lady Barbara Bush concluded that the poor people of New Orleans had lucked out.

"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them," Mrs. Bush told American Public Media's "Marketplace" program, before returning to her multi-million dollar Houston home.

On the tape of the interview, Mrs. Bush chuckles audibly as she observes just how great things are going for families that are separated from loved ones, people who have been forced to abandon their homes and the only community where they have ever lived, and parents who are explaining to children that their pets, their toys and in some cases their friends may be lost forever.

Perhaps the former first lady was amusing herself with the notion that evacuees without bread could eat cake.

Read the rest of the article by John Nichols for The Nation at http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20050906/cm_thenation/120080

Number 1 Son

Cats & Dogs

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow."
- Jeff Valdez

"I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves." -- August Strindberg

Sponsor an Animal at the WHS

Sugar
Sponsored by:
The Roberts Family
In honor of: Adopting one of the world's greatest dogs from WHS - Ruby!
Sponsored: September 7, 2005

Hi there! As an eight-years-young English Springer Spaniel mix, I've still got a lot of "spring" in my step. I'm also very gentle and well-mannered. My angels know that mature dogs make excellent adoptees, and I'd like to thank them for their sponsorship. I'm safe and well cared for here at WHS, but many companion animals in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina are not. Find out what you can do to help.

Humor in the Nightmare

I Knew we were in Trouble

I finally understand why Republicans are so against "Big Government". If their (omg! I used the wrong 'there') concept of government by the people, for the people, and of the people is like this, it's not only the poor folk of New Orleans that are up to their eye-teeth in muck, tadpoles, and toxic chemicals.

(From today's New York Times, Democrats Assail White House on Katrina Effort)

"At a news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's choice for head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ''absolutely no credentials.''

She related that she had urged Bush at the White House on Tuesday to fire Michael Brown.

''He said 'Why would I do that?''' Pelosi said.

'''I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week.' And he said 'What didn't go right?'''

''Oblivious, in denial, dangerous,'' she added."

So who is Arthur C. Parker

Yes - Arthur the Turtle was named after Arthur C. Parker - a real person. Check out webopedia for his details!

Arthur Caswell Parker ( April 5, 1881 – January 1, 1955 ) was an archaeologist, historian, folklorist, museologist and noted authority on American Indian culture. He was director of the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences from 1924 to 1945, and an honorary trustee of the New York State Historical Association.

Boris and Arthur Crossing the Country

Little Pink Book Demo

H.R. 2231 Br. Ca & Environmental Research Act

Update on H. R. 2231 Beast Cancer & Environmental Research Act:

"To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. "

For Wisconsin, signers for this year are:

HR 2231:

Tammy Baldwin
Mark Green
Ron Kind
Gwen Moore
Thomas Petri
F.James Sensenbrenner

Not signed on are:

Ryan, Paul; Wisconsin, 1st
Obey, David R.; Wisconsin, 7th

Virtual Monday Laughs

For all of us, who are wage-slaves (from today's edition of ArcaMax Publishing):

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Person asked a young Engineer fresh out of MIT, "And what starting salary were you looking for?"

The Engineer replied, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every 2 years - say, a red Corvette?"

The Engineer sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"

And the interviewer replied, "Yes, but you started it."

Help the Animals in Huricane Katrina

The Wisconsin Humane Society will be collecting donations to help the companion animal victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Members of the community can drop off donations Saturday, September 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wisconsin Humane Society, 4500 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.

Proceeds will be delivered to hurricane stricken areas by America's Second Harvest of Wisconsin, who will distribute the items to the Houston Humane Society, the group that is currently housing animals for the Louisiana SPCA.

Needed donations for companion animals include monetary, canned dog and cat food, litter, kennels, metal cages, leashes, disposable bowls and litter pans, and pooper scoopers.

Other needed items to help care for companion animals include bottled water, towels, sheets, paper towels, hoses, trash cans and bags, extension cords and fans. People can even purchase items at WHS's retail store, Animal Antics, and donate them.

Dog Humor

"I used to be scared of dogs. Then I realized that dogs are just as scared of me as I am of them; they just show it differently. They show it by barking and snapping at me, and I show it by soiling myself."
-- Dakota Shepard

Dreams Put on Hold

From the Alumni Site:

Inspired by her sister Nancy, who died of breast cancer in 1998, Linda xx'73 received U.S. patent 6,056,690 in 1999 for a method of diagnosing that disease. She also wrote a chapter for Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis (World Scientific Publishing Company). Roberts is the president of her own software firm, Sekoli Systems, and lives in Milwaukee.

From SBIR/SBTR NIH Grant Page:

Sekoli Systems, Inc.4134 North 89th StreetSuite 524Milwaukee, WI 53222Contact: Linda RobertsPhone: 414-640-4290E-mail: info@sekolisystems.com (Information Posted/Updated on 01/28/2003)

Expertise Needed:

Sekoli Systems, Inc. is seeking experts in natural language processing and GUIs as well as diverse clinical settings interested in the MammoNet software prototype for second-round clinical testing. Visit our website at http://www.sekolisystems.com/
Expertise Provided:Sekoli Systems, Inc. is a medical software company dedicated to developing an innovative suite of diagnostic decision products. Our first patented product is MammoNet software, a computer-based diagnostic decision tool that contributes to both the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of screening mammography.

This month's stroke Newsletter

I almost fainted when I opened my email re this month's stroke newsletter. Actually thought M had taken it upon himself to actually do an article and submit it. But, it is a repeat column from a few years back - still good though.

Reading Aids
By Michael Roberts

Michael contributed this article to the March 2003 issue. He writes about reading and offers suggestions to other stroke survivors.

Anyone reading this has probably already come to terms with the new technology and their disability but a thoughtful friend or caregiver might enlarge the font and pass it on to others who could benefit from information in this article. Information is the watchword. It can expand our horizons in so many ways and literally open doors for us. It can help with our day-to-day activities, make contacting our family easier and even entertain us. My wife regularly checks our bank balance online and exchanges email with friends and family near and far at a fraction of what the long distance telephone charges would be.

I check the public library's catalog and occasionally request a book I'm interested in having sent to my neighborhood library. We both sometimes shop. Last week I found a place that sells aquatic sneakers in men's sizes. Those should make the adaptive aquatics class which I take more fun. We've searched for jobs online and made airline and hotel reservations. And those are just the Internet applications. I've written term papers and prepared classroom PowerPoint presentations on our PC. I'm a hunt and peck typist on my good days so having help smoothing the rough edges is a god sent.

My stroke left me with some visual impairment. I experience left neglect. My family still notices me eating entirely off of the right side of my dinner plate. I was already wearing bifocals before the stroke. Don't try to sneak up on me though. I used to be a meter reader and I listen for dogs. In a more serious vein, we read from left to right and neglecting the left side of a page or computer screen can make for slow going under those circumstances. I'm a librarian and can't function without reading so it was another situation I had to work through.

There were some helpful products and strategies for this work. A speech therapist who was working with me recommended a word processing program called Intellitalk. This program reads documents aloud and highlights each word as it reads it so I could follow text as I was supposed to and retrain my vision for reading.

This only left me with the question of what to read. Luckily, I had an idea of my own about that. I remembered that many books were available in electronic format at the Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org. Many of these are classics that have become public domain. My wife copied a couple of my favorites to a CDROM and Intellitalk helped me re-read "The Warlord of Mars" and "Jungle Tales of Tarzan". Amazingly, the software had less trouble with the language of the Great Apes of Kerchak than I do. I, of course, am better able to manage a primate accent.

Machines can only do so much. Some other useful accessibility aids are available. A different keyboard or mouse can simplify many computing operations. For a short time, I tried out a keyboard with brightly colored one-inch keys arranged in alphabetical order. It was much easier to use. Someone explained to me that the standard QWERTY keyboard was designed to prevent the keys from jamming on mechanical typewriters. A classic case of people accommodating themselves to machines rather than designing ergonomically in the first place. It's also possible to purchase larger monitors and mice with joystick operation.

Public libraries and community centers are offering basic computer skills classes. These classes are often low cost or free. Ask your speech therapist about suggestions regarding equipment or instruction. Welcome to the 21st century.

Heaven Help Us!

Outside the Superdome in N.O. (From today's New York Times)

"...At least seven bodies were scattered outside, and hungry, desperate people who were tired of waiting broke through the steel doors to a food service entrance and began pushing out pallets of water and juice and whatever else they could find.

An old man in a chaise lounge lay dead in a grassy median as hungry babies wailed around him. Around the corner, an elderly woman lay dead in her wheelchair, covered up by a blanket, and another body lay beside her wrapped in a sheet.

''I don't treat my dog like that,'' 47-year-old Daniel Edwards said as he pointed at the woman in the wheelchair. ''I buried my dog.'' He added: ''You can do everything for other countries but you can't do nothing for your own people. You can go overseas with the military but you can't get them down here.''

...

In Washington, the White House said President Bush will tour the devastated Gulf Coast region on Friday and has asked his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Clinton to lead a private fund-raising campaign for victims.

The president urged a crackdown on the lawlessness.

''I think there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this -- whether it be looting, or price gouging at the gasoline pump, or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud,'' Bush said. ''And I've made that clear to our attorney general. The citizens ought to be working together.''

HELP THE PETS in N.O.

the most wasted of all days is one without laughter

-- e.e. cummings

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