D is for Douglas College

Douglas College is part of Rutgers University, and one of the few remaining public all-women's colleges in the country. In fact, it boasts that it is the only women's college affiliated with a major research university.





In an effort to standardize admissions and other policies (and to save money, I suppose), Rutgers wants to consolidate it's several New Brunswick and Piscataway colleges into one. Douglas, along with Cook, Livingston, University, and Rutgers colleges, would be reorganized into "Rutgers College of Arts and Sciences".

Douglas alumni and supporters fear a loss of identity, even if the Douglas campus retains it's all female d0rms and special programs. Others see this move as standardizing the practices of the separate colleges and eliminating inequalities in admission policies, scholarships, and other areas.




Is this a terrible blow to tradition and an affront to women? Or is this just a common sense approach to standardizing rules and regulations to insure fairness and equality? You decide?

C is for Catbomb

It's about time for another swell picture form Matt.

Enjoy.

B is for Be my Valentine

I remember sharing crossword puzzles with you at break time.

I remember nervously meeting your parents for the first time; talking to your father as he worked in the garage,

We went out to the movies and ate at the Gaslight and Danzers.

I made you stupid Valentine cards; not brave enough to be serious.

You helped me move to New jersey (the first time), unsure if I was ever coming back.

You took me to the weddings of your friends (were these hints?). I took you to meet my family (my sister didn't hint - she coerced).

I remember smiling and laughing with you at the altar - we had the best time.

You made our apartment in Rochester into a home, where we enjoyed the ducks, the deep dish pizza, and cooking for each other.

I made you go to Kinks concerts with me, and you never complained.

When I asked if you wanted to move to New Jersey, you said "Why not".

We watched the thunderstorms roll across the golf course from our balcony in Blackwood.

I remember you driving all the way down to Pennsville to give me the news in person (Twins!).

I missed you when you were working nights and I was left with two hungry babies.

A new house, more babies.

Our trip to Hawaii; trips to Florida.

Trips to New York with a car load of kids; playing games and singing silly songs.

Parent's night at elementary school; middle school; high-school.

I remember feeling more frightened and helpless than I have ever felt.

Art shows, poetry readings, concerts, graduations. The pride in your eyes.

I remember fights, although I don't remember what they were about.

Our grown-up trip to Disney World: the carriage ride; eating at Citricos; the Cirque du Soleil.

I remember all this, and more.

I remember sharing it all with you.

A is for Asimov

Today - a little tribute to the true author of the Encyclopedia Galactica.

I think I got my love of reading from my mother. I remember going with her to the little Hyde Park public library, after school. This was about the time of the first manned space flights, and I had always been fascinated by rockets, astronomy, and the mysteries of space. I was in 5th or 6th grade when I discovered that the library contained books by the likes of Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, A. E. Van Vogt, Robert Heinlein, and Frederick Pohl. And, of course, there was Isaac Asimov.


Bradbury had a mystical, poetic approach to Science Fiction, but the others all came from a technical background that, perhaps, was due to the growing influence of science on society. World War II had given us radar, sonar, the V2 rocket and the atomic bomb. A new crop of scientist/authors allowed us to imagine the continued impact that science would have on our future. Some of these futures involved nuclear holocaust, rampant overpopulation, and machines dominating humanity. But many of these stories helped explain the benefits and wonders of science. Asimov'’s books in particular taught us the beauty of science, and in some instances, the superiority of the scientific mind.

Asimov studied biochemistry and taught it at Boston College for many years. But his love of science (and his interest in many subjects) had no limits. He wrote scientific essays on every imaginable aspect of science and penned the two volume "Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" - an encyclopedia of the natural world. He also wrote commentaries on the Bible and Shakespeare, mysteries, histories, and even " The Sensuous Dirty Old Man ". He authored around 500 books all told and is presumed to be the only writer to have entries in all of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal system.

But his biggest contributions to a generation of Sci-Fi authors and fans alike, were the future sciences of robotic intelligence and Psychohistory. The Robot laws are well known. They are a transformation of the Golden Rule into simple, logical axioms that everyone, human and robot, could benefit from.

• A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  
• A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

He later added a "zeroeth law" to extend the first law even further.

• A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

These laws have the effect of making robots slaves to mankind, if only applied to them. If humans also followed these laws, we would become servants to each other - as democracy is supposed to make our elected officials servants of the people. The laws in affect bestow a nobility on those who follow them, presuming that unselfish service to others, even to laying down your life for the benefit of the greater good, is a noble cause. Indeed, Asimov's robot psychologist Susan Calvin felt that robots were far superior to humans in matters of morality and self sacrifice.

The other Asimov contribution is the science of Psychohistory. Combining psychology, sociology, statistics, history, and the laws of probability, Psychohistory could accurately predict the future of an entire social system, if large enough. Though individual actions are usually difficult to predict, society as a whole will react predictably to the correct stimulus. This was the basis of Asimov's Foundation series. When the Galactic empire was crumbling, psychohistorians created two foundations to be seeds of a new society. These foundations would preserve the knowledge of the empire (in part with the Encyclopedia Galactica), and follow a carefully planned path that would restore the empire in 1000 years, avoiding of 10,000 years of barbarism.

The Foundation series was named the best Sci-Fi series ever by the fellow science fiction authors. Both those stories and Asimov's many robot novels merge intriguing science and great storytelling. I recommend them to one and all.

Z is for Zevon

I was listening to the radio the other day and they played "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". It made me think of how much the world will miss the unique voice of Warren Zevon.

He created wonderful characters in his songs; from werewolves, junkies, and psychopaths, to the headless mercenary Roland. And each character was treated with a level of respect that was especially evident in the music that accompanied the words. Who else but Warren would have sung about the "Excitable Boy" with such an understated bouncy tune?


When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Warren reacted with irony instead of self pity. Would anyone else have the nerve to record "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" when faced with imminent demise?

In the end, he did not reprise "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me". Instead, he left us with a simple but life affirming message. The title of the tribute album recorded shortly after his death in 2003 says it all: "Enjoy Every Sandwich". True words to live by.

Y is for YummY

Part I

We recently bought a nifty little Cuisinart hand blender/chopper and I have been experimenting with various smoothies and snack recipes. Here are a couple of tasty, healthy snacks that I have been enjoying.

Home Made Hummus

1 clove garlic
1 can chick peas
2 tbls oil (olive or canola)
1-2 tbls lemon juice
1 tbl tahini (sesame paste)
water
salt & pepper to taste
additional spices or veggies for variety

Chop or crush the garlic and process with the chick peas. Add the lemon juice and water as needed to get a nice smooth consistency. Add the tahini, salt, pepper and other spices and blend well. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or carrots and celery.

I usually don't have tahini around, but I will add some chili powder and/or cumin to add some flavor. You can also add some chives, roasted peppers, green or black olives, or other veggies at the end to add some color and zest.

Blended Black Bean Salsa

I have seen lots of recipes for salsa using whole black beans, but I like them blended into more of a paste.


1 can cooked black beans (or you can cook your own, if you want)
1 small can of tomatoes (or, preferably, Rotel tomatoes with green chilies)
Salt, pepper and spices to taste


Process black beans into a chunky paste. Blend in tomatoes and spices to desired consistency (more beans for a bean dip; tomatoes for a more salsa like result).

Again, I like chili powder and cumin. Throw in onions, peppers, avocado, or whatever else is on hand for variety. Serve with tortilla chips or spread on bread or soft tortillas.

Feel free to share your recipes, or if you think these belong under Yucky, let me know.

X is for (planet) Xena

Well, sort of.

The official name of this celestial object is 2003 UB313. But it was nicknamed Xena by it's discoverers - less of a mouthful than 2003 UB313. It may someday receive a different name, if and when it is declared a planet.


It is estimated to be larger than Pluto, but many astronomers say that Pluto would not be declared a planet if it was discovered today. Pluto, after all is smaller than our moon, and since it was found in the 1930s there have been a large number of trans-Neptunian objects located in the far reaches of our solar system.

Still, if we can include Pluto, why not have the larger Xena become the 10th planet. It even has a moon, appropriately named Gabrielle (the real Xena's trusty sidekick, for any uninitiates out there).

Xena and Gabrielle

Here is what the discovers have to say about Xena's companion:
What is the moon called?
Sadly, the committees deciding the fate of 2003 UB313 and its name have still come to no decisions. Since we get tired of saying a name with 9 syllables, we still call the tenth planet by our original code name, Xena. The moon officially goes by the name of S/2005 (2003 UB313) 1. Depending on how you count, that is something like 15 syllables.. It should come as no surprise to some, then, that we very quickly decided to call the moon by the code name Gabrielle. We look forward to the day that the committees finally decides and both of these bodies can get permanent names. In the meantime we are glad that Xena and Gabrielle are together again.

W is for Warrior Women

I have an appreciation and attraction to strong women. They may be characters in movies and on TV, historical figures, singers and song writers, or friends and family.

The picture above was from a Discovery Channel series, hosted by Lucy Lawless, that has aired in the UK and elsewhere, but not in the U.S. so far. It featured Boudica, a Celtic queen who fought the Romans in Britain, Joan of Arc, The Irish pirate Grace O'Malley, Mulan, and others.

And so, here are some of my favorite warrior women, plus those women that I admire for their independence, strength, enormous talents, and triumphant spirit.


On TV:

• Xena: Warrior Princess (she has many Skills)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Veronica Mars

Actors: (who always portray women of strength and conviction)

• Jodie Foster
• Kathy Bates
• Frances McDormand

Musicians:

• Joni Mitchell
• Judy Collins
• Janis Joplin
• Kirsty MacColl
• Terri Hendrix
• Grace Slick

Authors:

• Ursula K. Le Guin
• Patricia Cornwell
• Anne Rice
• Mary Stewart
  

There are many others that I could mention, and hope to bring up in the future. Let me know about the women who you admire.

Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

I Am Woman
Words and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton

V is for Venerable

venerable

adj - impressive by reason of age; profoundly honored;

Commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position.


Today we honor those venerable ladies, Kristin and Karen. On Groundhog's Day they turn 25 years old. In ancient times they would have been grandparents by now! But, while time drags them kicking and screaming into adulthood, let's now look back to earlier days.

Wise beyond their years

Rainbow Brites to the rescue!

Sisters

Happy Birthday darling daughters!


The Sister's Song
Terri Hendrix

you had the left side and i had the right
with a line down the middle so we wouldn't fight
two sisters sharing a room
with desk in the middle of two twin beds
i listened to every word you said
and when I couldn't face the world
i faced you instead

U is for Useless

My list of Useless things: Part I

These are just a few of the things that I find useless. In fact, some of them are worse than useless. They are not only a waste of society's resources, they actually cause real harm to human beings and other living things.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions. Others may find value in some of these things. They would be wrong.

1. Tanning Salons

These are especially detrimental to those obsessed with the fear of being pale. There is even a term coined for this condition: Tanorexia.

To illustrate-

exhibit a - an old potato














exhibit b - the skin of a tanorexic 25 year old













2. Decaffeinated coffee

Really - what's the point?



3. TV Shopping Networks

I get upset with normal commercials and drive people nuts clicking the remote to find a station not advertising something. Why would I want to watch a whole network of commercials? It's not like I can choose which things they are going to show me. If I really want to buy something, I can compare at hundreds of stores, thousands of web sites. Haven't these people heard of e-bay?


4. Tabloid Newspapers (celebrity variety)
Lies, gossip and showbiz PR. If you want some real entertainment, try the Weekly World News. Now that's a tabloid!








5. War


Dishonorable Mention:

SUVs

Light Beer

TV tabloids (E.T., etc.)
At least the E! channel shows SNL reruns.

For another opinion click here.

I expect to discover more useless things by the time the letter U rolls around again. In the meantime, let me know what things you find useless.

War! It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War! Friend only to the undertaker
War! It's an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind

T is for Turtle

I don't remember a time before our kids liked to draw. It seems like our girls, especially, were always drawing their favorite TV characters. They made exacting images of all of the Color Kids on Rainbow Brite. But soon, they had graduated to pictures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, those intrepid reptilian crime fighters named after Renaissance painters. I think they have been drawing turtles ever since.


In middle school, Karen's pictures of her speedy sneakered friend "Flash Turtlewax" was so popular he had his own picture among the other graduating eighth graders.

One of her art assignments in college was to add an animal to part of the design of a dollar bill.




















Turtle Money


In her animation class, Karen created this swimming sea turtle.

I guess I'm just like a turtle
That's hidin' underneath its horny shell.
Whoa, whoa, oh yeah, like a turtle
Hidin' underneath its horny shell.
But you know I'm very well protected -
I know this goddamn life too well.

Turtle Blues
Janis Joplin

S is for Saturn

With the letter S we move further out in the solar system to majestic Saturn.

The ringed planet will be in opposition to the earth on Friday, January 27. This means that Saturn, the Earth and the Sun are lined up with Earth in the middle. This is usually when Earth is closest to Saturn, and because it is opposite the Sun, Saturn will be rising in the East when the Sun is setting in the West. This all makes for a terrific time to view this wonderful planet.

If you don't want to stand out in the cold with your binoculars, you can visit the NASA-JPL Cassini-Huygens web site. The Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn for over a year, sending back spectacular photos of its’ massive storm systems, its’ glorious rings, and dozens of moons.

The Huygens lander descended to the surface of the planet-sized moon Titan in January 2005, relaying back pictures of a mysterious landscape that may include methane rivers and rainfall.
Titan Landscape

Musical Interlude

From Another Planet

Terri Hendrix
Lloyd Maines

Janet from another planet
Says Johnny can
Make a big comeback from Johnny land
When the rabbit ears work on the TV set
They settle for the only channel they can get

Click here for soundbite

R is for Rovers

Two years ago today, the Mars Rover Opportunity landed on the red planet. It's sister Rover, Spirit, had landed three weeks earlier, January 3, 2004.

These semi-autonomous exploring robots had been launched in July of 2003, and it was hoped that they would explore and send back data for at least 90 days. Now, two years and tens of thousands of photos later, these intrepid machines are still roving the surface of Mars, climbing hills and descending into craters.

The NASA-JPL Mars Rover web site allows geeks like me to look at the latest raw pictures that each rover has sent, and to read their day-to-day progress in science and exploration. To you they may be just pictures of sand and rocks, but to me they are a glimpse of a new world, an unexplored frontier waiting to be discovered.

I hope you will look at a few of these images and enjoy some of the delight and wonder that I receive when I am able to get close and personal with a distant planet.

Q is for Quah

Quah is an acoustic album of blues and gospel tinged tunes recorded by Jorma Kaukonen, with Tom Hobson. This was after Jorma's days as lead guitarist for Jefferson Airplane, and during the early years of Hot Tuna. His first love has always been American roots music, which he stamps with his own unique style of guitar.

As for the cover art pictured above, I will leave its' interpretation up to you. The original is either on display at a coffee shop in Athens, Ohio called Donkey's, or it is hanging at Jorma's FurPeace ranch and guitar camp.

We have tickets to see Jorma play an acoustic concert at the Grand Opera House, in Wilmington, next month. Stay tuned for the review.

P is for Pets

Here is a gallery of our pet population.

Haruka, the bored

Xena, the bird watcher.

From left to right: Blue, Rizo, and Lily



















Haruka and Rizo - a watchful tolerance

O is for Other

We are the other people
We are the other people
You're the other people too
Found a way to get to you

Frank Zappa's "Other People" from We're Only in it for the Money

I think a lot of the conflict in the world is due to our perceptions of people as "Other". Other nations, other religions, other races, other colors; we fear and suspect the unknown, the unfamiliar, the other. It is a tribal thing; unfamiliar refers to that outside of our family.

It seems natural to root for the people and things that we are most comfortable with; our side, our team, our country, people like us. And it is just as effortless to generalize, or even demonize the people who are different from us. Bigotry, discrimination, and distrust - these come to us easily. It is much harder to look for the similarities in other people; to seek understanding and acceptance.

But, as Frank Zappa reminds us, we are the other people too.

N is for Nuts

Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews, Peanuts, Macadamias, Hazelnuts, Filberts, Brazil nuts, Almonds, PISTACHIOS!

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm

M is for MacColl

Today's letter M is dedicated to the late, great Kirsty MacColl. I fell in love with the song "In These Shoes?" from her last album. Sadly, Kirsty died in a December 2000 boating accident. I am still trying to learn more about her and her glorious music.


Kirsty was the child of a Scottish folk singer, sort of a Celtic Pete Seeger. You can hear the Scottish rhythm's in her music, along with some leftist sentiments, but even more you hear a joyful lust for life, a wry sense of humor, a voice that can be haunting and wistful, sad or sultry. She loved Latin inspired music (try the exuberant Tropical Brainstorm) as well as traditional rock and pop. The wonderful Electric Landlady moves deftly from rap, to Latin, to ballad, to punk, to environmental protest songs.


But words cannot describe her music. She was an artist, like Joni Mitchell or Janis Joplin, that can't be compared to someone else.








Take a listen and see.

Kirsty's favorite albums as listed in 1994 were
1. THE BEACH BOYS ... Pet Sounds
2. IGGY POP ...Lust For Life
3. THE SMITHS ... Strangeways, Here We Come
4. XTC ... Black Sea
5. STEELY DAN ... Pretzel Logic
6. THE COCTEAU TWINS ... Heaven Or Las Vegas
7. KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS ... Tropical Gangsters
8. BOB MARLEY ... Live
9. DAVID BOWIE ... Station To Station
10.FRANK BLACK ... Teenager Of The Year

L is for LASER TURTLE

This is one of my favorite pictures by Matt. I find that people either love it or scratch their head.

What do you think?

Other Matt pictures:
DinoTrig
NNNNNNG
Planet
Waffles

Previous L - Lily

K is for The Kinks

The second best British Invasion band of the sixties, (in my opinion), The Kinks combined a uniquely British world view, sophisticated satire, creative song writing, and sometimes sloppy, sometimes searing musicianship. Lead by the sardonic wit of leader Ray Davies and the guttural guitar playing of brother Dave Davies, The Kinks inspired more than one generation of rockers. They influenced groups on both sides of the Atlantic in the sixties, inspired both heavy metal bands and punk rock, and were a major source of inspiration to later day Brit Pop bands like Oasis, Blur and Pulp.

But I think The Kinks were at their best when making music about the poor working slobs, and the modern day struggle for individuality and dignity in a world dominated by phonies, bureaucrats, and corporations. I have heard it said that Ray Davies wrote about the universal condition of man as observed from the windows of his London flat.

Ray and Dave Davies

So here's to those well respected men, those dedicated followers of fashion, The Kinks.


Previous K - Kristin & Karen

J is for Joe(s)

It is a wonderful world filled with wonderful Joes.

Can you name all of the Joes in this picture? (Answers below)

Previous "J" - Just for Joe

I is for Innumeracy

Innumeracy is to mathematics as illiteracy is to language.

It is also a nifty little book that I received this Christmas (Thanks Matt!).

It is a wonderful read that employs humor and storytelling to warn us that even the so-called educated among us can fall victim to "confused personal decisions, muddled governmental policies, even an increased susceptibility to pseudoscience".

One of the points that I felt was relevant is the misunderstanding of probability, especially when used to claim that something that has a low probability can be discounted.

For example: The probability of me winning the lottery today is extremely low. But the probability that one of the millions of lottery players will win, (or that I would win if I play a million tickets), is extremely high and virtually inevitable.

One of the ideas behind Intelligent Design is that life is too complex to have evolved on its own - that evolution is therefore improbable. But like the lottery, given the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy alone, and billions of years to work with, the evolution of intelligent life somewhere is not only highly probable. That it happened on Earth is no less likely than it happening on millions of other worlds.

But enough preaching. It is enough to say that we must question the math that is thrown at us, just as we would question the words thrown about by politicians and journalists. We must all strive to overcome innumeracy!

Previous "I" - Illusion

H is for Happy Birthday!

And a Happy New Year, everyone.

I can't remember if it is the 21st anniversary of Marsha's 29th birthday, or the 29th anniversary of her 21st birthday. Either way, we all wish her the best.

"Everything gets better with age.
Except bananas."

(Betty White)


Have a happy 2006!

previous "H" - Haruka