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Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Wednesday Word Circuitous — This is the word that got me interested in posting a word of the week. I used it several years ago with my friend and co-worker Dan, who was immediately intrigued by it. cir·cu·i·tous \sir-KYOO-eh-tus\
For more, see the complete entry at Merriam-Webster online. Labels: vocabulary posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/10/2010 07:01:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Tuesday, February 09, 2010 Happy Beatles Day
*Remember the term "spinning tunes?" It has a different meaning in the era of compact discs from what it meant in the days of phonograph records, but CDs do indeed spin. That is just about the only attribute they have in common with their circular predecessors. For one thing, the first Beatles albums were produced in monaural sound reproduction. Now, thanks to the miracle of modern audio technology, those same mono recordings have been digitally remixed and remastered stereophonically, with the results sounding better than the originals did when they were brand-new and played on a turntable with a brand new diamond stylus. posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/09/2010 12:43:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Meanwhile, in the Mid-Atlantic With yet another major winter storm poised to clobber the region from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, I pass along a weather map that is as applicable now as it was last week.
Labels: weather posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/09/2010 12:26:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Haiku, by the Den Son This is what he came up with this morning at 2:16 while at work. Haiku is an art Kind of brings a tear to the eye, doesn't it? Labels: poetry posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/09/2010 10:43:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Monday, February 08, 2010 The Den Mother's Super Bowl Ad Critique Thank There were 68 ads, more than I care to comment on. So I have selected a few of the best and worst. You will notice that I avoided all the ads having anything to do with underwear. They all got an automatic Eeeewwwwwww.
Labels: arts and entertainment posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/08/2010 09:49:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Can Bad Situations Have Happy Endings?
Dean Cage spent almost 14 years in prison for the October 1994 rape of Loretta Zilinger, who positively identified Cage as the man who attacked her. Years later, DNA testing not available at the time of the trial exonerated Cage and left Zilinger convinced the testing was wrong. But her husband, a former police officer, helped her come to terms with her new reality: that she had helped convict the wrong person. Zilinger and Cage are sharing their story to help exonerated people and victims who have misidentified their assailants. Most victims truly believe the exonerated person is guilty despite DNA evidence, according to experts who study wrongful convictions. What surprises me is how understanding Cage was able to be. The attacker, who has not been found, had ruined both their lives, he concluded. They were both made victims. And remarkably, despite the fact that the man who attacked her is still out there, Zilinger finally has some closure, even though her case has been reopened. For the first time since the attack, Zilinger no longer lives in fear. She feels at peace, like she has closure, and she wants to help other women reach that point. Experts know that during times of extreme stress, the mind can play all kinds of tricks. I recently found this article from the Stanford Journal of Legal Studies that addresses the topic of how easy it is for people to "misremember" even the most fundamental aspects of something they observed. I recall a commercial aircraft incident many years ago in which eyewitnesses described flaming engines, but subsequent investigation and examination of the aircraft showed no charring, discoloration, melting, or any other sign of what multiple witness insisted they saw. On the other hand, in many cases physical evidence does corroborate eyewitness accounts. Such is the dilemma of trying to ensure the integrity and fairness of a judicial system that seeks to draw conclusions from different sources of information of varying degrees of reliability. The story of Loretta Zilinger and Dean Cage evokes Boston's notorious Fells Acres child molestation case, a case that in its later stages was mishandled by then-District Attorney Martha Coakley. Coakley, like Zilinger, just couldn't seem to give up the narrative she had come to accept. The difference is that Coakley, like any prosecutor, is supposed to be more objective and dispassionate than traumatized victims or witnesses. The case of Zilinger and Dean has a happy ending. How many others just like that one will never be made right? Labels: justice posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/08/2010 03:44:00 PMComments (1) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 1 I do not believe the Innocence Project is taking into account that a good percentage of people in the population actually has 2 unique sets of DNA. It is a phenomenon that occurs when a pregnancy starts out as fraternal twins, but one is absorbed early on into the other. No one is ever aware that they are aactually their own twin. It causes no problem until someone takes a DNA test. That means that a man's sperm may have a different DNA from the tissue inside his cheek. I think this Innocence project may be putting some very guilty people back on the streets. It's already happened that some of them have raped again after DNA "exonerated" them. Not enough is known about DNA testing to use it this way. If it's a match, they are guilty, but it's not a match, it doesn't necessarily mean they're innocent. The tests have to be taken and tested from a number of different places on the body to be certain. This whole Innocence Project gives me a queasy feeling. If I were that woman, I would insist they test him in a whole bunch of places before they let him out. I am not convinced of his innocence. Posted by | 2/09/2010 4:55 AM Friday, February 05, 2010 Is It Possible to Drive Drunk without Driving?
I'm not a lawyer, but I am reasonable. Reason seems to be absent from the Minnesota Supreme Court's finding. Being drunk and asleep at the wheel of his car while it was parked in his apartment lot with the keys on the console was sufficient evidence to convict a Crookston man of drunken driving, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. The article contains a bit more detail, but I would recommend going straight to the horse's mouth and reading the court's published decision. The central issue addressed by the court appears to be this: The question on review is whether the facts in the record and the legitimate inferences drawn from them would permit the jury to reasonably conclude that the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the offense of which he was convicted, giving due regard to the presumption of innocence. State v. Crow, 730 N.W.2d 272, 280 (Minn. 2007); State v. Ulvinen, 313 N.W.2d 425, 428 (Minn. 1981). The facts appear not to be in dispute. Fleck was sitting in the drive's seat of his car, which was parked in his assigned parking space at the apartment complex where he lived. He was asleep when police found him. The front driver's side door was open. The keys were on the console between the two front seats. The car was not running and appeared not to have been running recently at the time police found him there. The police did not try to start the vehicle, so they don't know if it was operable, but at some point between Fleck's arrest on June 11 and "shortly before" his August trial, police went back and were unable to start the car. That bring up the question of what the law says. The court wrote: Minnesota law provides that it is unlawful for "any person to drive, operate, or be in physical control of a motor vehicle" while under the influence of alcohol or with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more. Minn. Stat. § 169A.20, subd. 1(1), (5). The term "physical control" is more comprehensive than either the term to "drive" or to "operate." State v. Harris, 295 Minn. 38, 43, 202 N.W.2d 878, 881 (1972). Physical control is meant to cover situations when an intoxicated person "is found in a parked vehicle under circumstances in which the [vehicle], without too much difficulty, might again be started and become a source of danger to the operator, to others, or to property." State v. Starfield, 481 N.W.2d 834, 837 (Minn. 1992). Thus, a person is in physical control of a vehicle if he has the means to initiate any movement of that vehicle, and he is in close proximity to the operating controls of the vehicle. Id. We have held that "physical control" should be given "the broadest possible effect." State v. Juncewski, 308 N.W.2d 316, 319 (Minn. 1981) (holding that the statute was amended to modify the requirement that a driver be in "actual physical control" by deleting the word "actual" so that the statute be given the broadest possible effect). The decision then goes on to cite other cases ruled on by the court and, as appeals courts do, use them as precedent. The court then seems to move toward some objective standard of "physical control" by stating the following: We consider a number of factors in determining whether a person is in physical control of a vehicle, including: the person's location in proximity to the vehicle; the location of the keys; whether the person was a passenger in the vehicle; who owned the vehicle; and the vehicle's operability. By that standard, Fleck didn't meet two of the four factors specified by the court. The keys were not in or near the ignition, and there was no indication that the car was operable. Yet rather than considering the multiple factors the court itself delineated, it found as follows: Although the facts of this case are not those of the typical physical control case in which a jury can infer that the defendant was in physical control because he drove the vehicle to where it came to rest, a jury could reasonably find that Fleck, having been found intoxicated, alone, and sleeping behind the wheel of his own vehicle with the keys in the vehicle's console, was in a position to exercise dominion or control over the vehicle and that he could, without too much difficulty, make the vehicle a source of danger. The problem, in my view, is that the court moves beyond the question of "physical control" to embrace a standard of being "in a position to exercise dominion or control." It is not at all clear that the law, as written, intends any such thing. Even if it does, how does one apply that standard consistently and objectively? If someone who is asleep in an inoperative vehicle with the keys not in or near the ignition is in a position to exercise dominion or control, then isn't it even more so for the person who is awake, holding the keys in his hand, and walking past the car? What about someone who is standing on his front porch with the keys in his hand and the vehicle 20 feet away? If there is a line to be crossed, neither the law nor this decision is at all clear about what it is. The law allows the police and the jury to project onto a defendant intent that the prosecution need not prove. More importantly, in this case, the prosecution did not prove it. A law must objectively define the behavior being criminalized in order to be enforced in a manner consistent with the constitutional right to due process. This law does not, so there is no way for the jury to have "reasonably [concluded] that the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the offense of which he was convicted". For that reason, I would have voted to reverse the decision. Labels: justice, law enforcement posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/05/2010 05:54:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Pardon Me, Mr. President, but What Is a Corpseman? MEMORANDUM TO: The White House
In light of the President's speech at the recent National Prayer Breakfast, I suggest that someone might want to consider typing Mr. Obama's teleprompter scripts phonetically from now on. Thank you. (For those who can't see the YouTube video embedded above, go here to see another version.) For the record, I once made the same mistake. When I was about 11. Is there really anyone who still believes this guy is brilliant? On a related note, watch Obama's head movements. He constantly looks from one side to the other; never straight ahead. This is because the teleprompter screens are off to the sides. Apparently he can't take his eyes off them for even a few seconds. If he were speaking from a written script in front of him, he'd be one of those people who never looked up from the script. Labels: politicians, things stupid people say/do posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/05/2010 12:12:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Murder in a This is the kind of thing you don't want happening in your quiet suburban community, but it happened in my town yesterday: At 12:54 p.m. police received a 911 call from Keith Rosiello, 44, stating that he had an altercation with his wife at their home and she was no longer breathing. As is so often the case, neighbors were taken by surprise: Alan McDonald and his wife, Grace, live next door to the Rosiello home, and said the couple seemed happy and friendly. Mr. McDonald said he believed Mr. Rosiello ran his own business, but could not recall what type of business it was. He said Mr. Rosiello grew up in Shrewsbury, and said Ms. Rosiello stayed at home with the children. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? But seriously, this is the first homicide in Shrewsbury since a man strangled his estranged wife and then took his own life six years ago. Labels: local posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/05/2010 10:41:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Friday Stumper Claire, who is six years older than her sister Amy, is now three times as old as Amy was four years ago.
How old are Claire and Amy now? See the answer by highlighting between the brackets:
Labels: brain teaser posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/05/2010 07:28:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Thursday, February 04, 2010 Some People Never Learn President Obama isn't the only real slow learner in Washington these days. Many just like him populate the halls of Congress as well. The health care bill is in trouble, but a series of narrow deals — each designed to win over a wavering senator or key interest group — is alive and well, despite voter anger over the parochial horse-trading that marked the rush toward passage before Christmas. Read the rest, including the two more pages of the article beyond that from which I have quoted. The rich irony is that this news is coming out as Scott Brown is about to be sworn in as Massachusetts' junior Senator. Brown was elected on the strength of the independent vote, people who usually vote Democratic but were finally fed up enough to switch sides. And believe me, that doesn't happen in Massachusetts. I don't recall in my lifetime a Republican serving as Senator, Representative, or Governor who was a real conservative. Anyone who thinks that election wasn't a bellwether is in deep denial. Someone who cares should take Congressional Democrats aside and inform them that they're shooting themselves in the collective foot (and knee, and groin, and stomach). They are clearly too high on the drugs of power and pork to feel the pain, but if they don't cut it out, they'll be hurting a lot more come November. Already, some Democrats are publicly rebelling against the White House and Congressional leadership, on health care, the budget, the Guantanamo prison, you name it. Still, Obama, Reid, Pelosi, et al. refuse to budge. Whether that reflects stubbornness or stupidity isn't yet clear. Perhaps it's both. Labels: politicians, things stupid people say/do posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/04/2010 05:17:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Honoring an Honorable Woman
Soon we will have another named building, this one a little different from the rest. For one thing, it's a federal facility, one of our Post Offices. But what will make the dedication unique is that the person who will be honored was not a soldier, elected official, wealthy philanthropist, or professional public servant. She was a loving wife, a dedicated mother, and a good neighbor. Nothing more, yet so much more. House bill 4017, a piece of federal legislation on which Representatives of all 50 states voted, reads as follows: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 43 Maple Avenue in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, as the "Ann Marie Blute Post Office". The bill passed the House unanimously and, on December 11, 2009, was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, where it is pending. The full Senate will take it up eventually and it will pass, I'm sure of that, before the end of this session. Quite something for a regular citizen, isn't it? When Mrs. Blute died last spring, she was eulogized by the Boston Globe as someone who gave of herself every day while living a very normal life. No single action or event set her apart from the hundreds of millions of other Americans. What a contrast to Maj. Beal and Officer Lonchiadis, who were recognized because of their violent and tragic deaths, Mr. Donahue, who was recognized because of his extraordinary financial giving, and Mr. Carney, who was recognized because of his record-setting tenure. That's not to take anything away from any of them; they were all good and humble people who richly deserve the honors that were bestowed on them. But Mrs. Blute proved that everyday people can improve the lives of those they touch without every doing anything dramatic, dangerous, expensive, or record-setting. The difference between her and most of the rest of us is that she actually did it. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I knew Mrs. Blute. I am old friends with her son, the ex-Congressman and talk radio personality; her daughter, the television news anchorwoman; and one of her other daughters. I frequently run into her husband and two of their other daughters at church or around town. But I should also note that my long acquaintance with the Blute family has not biased me in favor of such a special honor for their matriarch. On the contrary, I am somewhat awestruck that our nation's lawmakers have seen fit to name a federal building after someone I always saw as the nice woman down the street. Federal buildings around here are named after big shots like President John Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, not average folks whom few outside their circle of friends have ever heard of. When you stop to think about it, maybe we've gotten it wrong. Perhaps the formal accolades shouldn't go to those who have achieved public success and fame. In a sense they have already gotten their reward. Maybe it would be more appropriate to honor more of the everyday heroes, those who, in the words of Mother Teresa, "do no great things, only small things with great love." Labels: helping others, local, remember posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/04/2010 12:34:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Wednesday Word
gel·id \JEH-lud\
For more, see the complete entry at Merriam-Webster online. Labels: vocabulary posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/03/2010 06:58:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Tuesday, February 02, 2010 Breaking Silence about the Tim Tebow Ad My most loyal reader asked me recently why I hadn't blogged about the upcoming Tim Tebow Super Bowl commercial. The ad reportedly features the former Heisman Trophy winner and his mother telling the story of how doctors urged her to abort Tim because of a serious illness she contracted while pregnant. She didn't have an abortion, obviously, and now both she and her son want to tell the Super-Bowl-watching audience that they're glad she didn't because her baby boy turned out to be not only healthy but exceptionally talented at football. Frankly, I didn't feel the urge to write about it at the time; it seemed like the usual brouhaha whenever anyone in a public position says anything directly or indirectly questioning abortion. The hyperbole is amusing but ultimately meaningless. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I had more interesting things to write about. What changed my mind and got me off my butt to weigh in was seeing this posted on the Facebook page of one of my friends: EMILY's List: Tell CBS not to politicize the Super Bowl with an anti-choice Focus on the Family ad! The ad, of course, isn't "anti-choice" except in an Orwellian sense, which may explain the need for the hyperventilating exclamation point at the end of the absurdly reactionary sentence. Nonetheless, Emily's List was only one of many "women's groups" to gripe. (For my money, the most interesting quote in the just-linked article is from columnist Gregg Doyel, who complains that Super Bowl Sunday is "not a day to discuss abortion." Presumably, he believes it is a day to "discuss" men drinking beer while surrounded by scantily-clad, objectified women, but that's a topic for another time.) The anti-ad reaction is so ridiculous that even abortion activists Frances Kissling and Kate Michelman seem embarrassed by it and think it's a huge tactical mistake. Erin Matson, the National Organization for Women's new vice president, called the Tebow spot "hate masquerading as love." That kind of comment may play well in the choice choir, but to others, it makes no sense, at best; at worst, it's seen as the kind of stridency that reinforces the view that pro-choice simply means pro-abortion. As a matter of fact, as we can see from the unreasonable reactions to the ad, most organizations (if not most people) who claim to be "pro-choice" are simply pro-abortion and viscerally disapprove of the less lethal choices. They call the Tebow ad "anti-choice" for the sole reason that it dares to showcase a choice other than abortion. The response also highlights a tactic that has become not just common but necessary in defending abortion: when you can't argue with the message, attack the messenger. In this case, Focus on the Family is indeed the anti-feminist, anti-gay, ultra-traditionalist organization its critics claim. For that reason, some people would have the urge to argue with the group if they ran an ad asserting that the sky is blue, especially if the point was that God made it that way. But worse than the hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty is the disdain for women this manufactured controversy reveals, an attitude that holds that women who challenge the abortion orthodoxy by making a different decision aren't being team players. Pam Tebow rejected the advice of her doctors, and she and her son proved the doctors wrong. If you're an absolutist abortion defender, a woman who exposes the fallibility of abortion-promoting doctors is dangerous because she empowers other women to make their own decisions based on what they think is best. And if women feel empowered, if their decisions are respected and they and their children supported, it makes the screamers whose only answer is abortion seem callous and cold, not to mention virulently anti-choice. Pot, meet kettle. Labels: activism, media, sports posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/02/2010 05:54:00 PMComments (2) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 2
"Disdain for women"? That's a fantastic phrase. I believe I'll be borrowing it. It perfectly describes the attitudes of rightist thugs like Focus on the Family who want to hold up the example of the choice one woman made as a reason why no other woman should have the right to make such a choice for themselves. Posted by | 2/04/2010 4:04 PM
Your comment reiterates my point about attacking the organization because you have no reasonable grounds on which to attack the ad. The other point you managed to make, inadvertently I'm sure, is that abortion advocates like to see things that aren't there, and then attack them, another sign that the content of the ad itself is entirely non-controversial. Posted by The Den Mother | 2/04/2010 4:39 PM They Were Probably Saving the Kids from Voodoo or Catholicism That is my assessment of the motives of the members of New Life Children's Refuge who were arrested trying to smuggle 33 Haitian children out of the country. OK, so maybe I have their motivation wrong. Or maybe not. Some of those arrested belong to a Baptist church in Idaho. Some varieties of Baptists consider Voodoo and Catholicism (Papism, they used to call it, and maybe some still do) to be the work of the devil. Anyway, the church's web site currently has a message asserting its members were falsely arrested. It is plausible that the volunteers thought what they were doing was legal and in the best interest of the children, since at least some chidren's parents said they voluntarily relinquished their children. CBS' Bill Whitaker went to the home village of 20 of the children, and were told by the children's parents and siblings they willingly signed their children over to the Americans. Still, laws and procedures are there for a reason, to bring order to chaos. In a chaotic crisis situation such as has existed in Haiti since the earthquake, the process of relinquishing chidren for adoption should be more deliberative, not less, if for no other reason than to prevent errors that could have devastating effects on children and families. Instead of trying to remove the children from the country in the midst of the crisis, the volunteers should have agreed to provide for the children and their families locally until the situation stabilized. Besides, with the already-poor of the country now facing even more dire living conditions, the parents' decisions could be said to have been made under extreme duress, even if the pressure came from the circumstances and not the volunteers. Incidentally, the Den Mother's Special Edition Stupid Remark of the Day Award goes to the woman who tried to justify the group's actions by explaining the kids really wanted to go: "We showed them where we were going, and they were excited to go with us," said Laura Silsby of New Life Children's Refuge. Well, yeah. They saw a chance to get out of the hell they were living in. But I'll bet they didn't think they were going to be gone forever. Labels: international news, things stupid people say/do posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/02/2010 05:25:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Olympic News
I would imagine part of the delay was due to all the ski equipement that had to be loaded into the cargo hold. But what I want to know is where they put the rifles and ammo... posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/02/2010 11:59:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Monday, February 01, 2010 Weekend Notes, Part 2
The Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, whose home is historic Milford Town Hall, is celebrating its tenth season. Last weekend's program, called "Songs of America," presented a fascinating mix of uniquely American works. Starting with George Gershwin's "Cuban Overture," the orchestra set the mood for the evening as not-your-average-orchestral-concert. That foot-tapping piece was followed by three spirituals sung by operatic soprano Melanie Campbell, who had terrific expressive presence and the voice to match. Then guest conductor Thomas Hojnacki directed his own "Concerto for Orchestra" in three movements — Toccata, Tango, and Toons — which ended with members of the orchestra announcing, "That's All, Folks!" Post-intermission, we enjoyed "Motor City Dance Mix" by contemporary composer Jonathan Bailey Holland, lately of the renowned Berklee College of Music. Hojnacki called it a "serious disco piece," which belied the beauty of the piece. Next was more Gershwin, two songs from Porgy and Bess again sung by the wonderful Ms. Campbell. The evening ended with the great Duke Ellington's "Harlem," thus leaving the audience where we started, dancing inside. It wasn't what you'd expect from a night at the symphony. The next Claflin Hill concert I plan to attending, on March 6 (in honor of a very special person's birthday), will feature more conventional fare, W.A. Mozart's magnificent Requiem, along with 20th century German composer Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The concert is aptly named "The Sacred and the Profane." posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/01/2010 10:52:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Weekend Notes, Part 1 Last week was unusually problematic at work. Several issues came to a head at once, at the same time that my personal trials seemed to weight heavier than usual. I had plans to go out both Friday and Saturday nights but didn't know if I had it in me. At times like this, it's best to just go and not think about it. So Friday I left work and drove to Providence, Rhode Island, for the hockey game I posted about last week. Here's a game recap, including a few of the tweets I sent along the way.
On the upside, their pep band was pretty good and seemed to get into it. But more about the game itself. It was a scoreless first period, but RPI outshot Brown 9-7. We have some good aggressive skaters, accurate passers, and decent defense. RPI committed a couple penalties, minor stuff like tripping and holding, whereas the lone Brown penalty in the period was the thuggish behavior known as boarding. I always thought boarding and high sticking should be major penalties because (warning, I am about to sound like a mother) you could hurt someone that way. As the game progressed, I realized that last week when I mentioned RPI players worth watching (Chase Polacek, Brandon Pirri, Allen York), I completely forgot to mention freshman forward Jerry D'Amigo, who had a goal and an assist for Team USA in the World Junior Hockey Championship last month. Anyway, the first period ended and I got myself a snack. Spicy nacho chips with imitation melted cheese-like substance, and a bottled water. The arena concessions don't have a whole lot, my other choices being hot dog, pizza slice, or assorted candies. I just had a craving for something salty and imitation, and the nachos did hit the spot, fortifying me for the second period. The second period was ushered in with another Brown boarding penalty. God, they were vicious. Tweet 19:52 — Brown draws first blood. Brown 1, 'Tute 0. For the uninitiated, RPI is the 'Tute (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Tweet 19:55 — Fuck. 2-0 Brown. Where's this great goalie I've been hearing about? OK, so York wasn't looking so good. Given the stats I saw last week, I figured he'd do OK in a conference game against a sucky opponent like Brown. I said that to one of our party, who pointed out that Brown's season has gone like this: five losses*, five wins, five losses, one win prior to our game. I didn't like the implications of that pattern, and with the score already 2-0, I was getting cranky. (*I have since learned that they actually started with six losses, not five.) Another Brown penalty and I was beginning to wonder if our guys could actually do anything on the power play. I needn't have worried. Tweet 20:01 — RPI figured out that they aren't supposed to kill the other team's penalties too. Brown 2, 'Tute 1. That was more like it. The goal was by senior Paul Kerins from Pirri and Polacek. I jumped up and started singing the Fight Song. I got to the third line ("True sons [metaphorically speaking] of Rensselaer...") before I realized no one else was singing. WTF? I could see some of the retired fans there; maybe it's been a long time since they went to a game and they had forgotten the fight song. But there was no excuse for the bunch of kids next to me who graduated in 2008 and 2009. I goaded two of them into joining in. Hey, someone had to take charge. Tweet 20:08 — The Brown PA announcer has an orgasm every time the home team scores. Brown 3, 'Tute 1. Seriously. Just tell me who scored the goal and stop sounding like someone who wants to sell me this fabulous vacuum cleaner that has the suction of Linda Lovelace for the low, low price of just six easy payments of $199.99. Oh, and that last goal was short-handed. Tweet 20:13 — The RPI head coach looks like he's 12. Here, judge for yourself. His name is Seth Appert and the bio says he's in his fourth season and was born in 1974, which means he took the job when he was 32. Did anyone actually check his birth certificate? Tweet 20:25 — Yours truly rallied the troops. The Alma Mater has been sung. Ready for a big 3rd period comeback. RPI went on the power play again just three minutes into the period. You guessed it... Tweet 20:41 — Another power play goal! Brown 3, 'Tute 2. I admit being somewhat disappointed that they hadn't yet been able to score with their opponents at full strength, but I was prepared to accept a win on power play goals alone. A win is a win. Hey, look, another Brown boarding penalty. Sorry, but every time I see someone smash into the boards, I think of Travis Roy. It was purely accidental and no one did anything wrong, but still, that shit makes me nervous. Maybe I wasn't the only one. Tensions were heating up a bit on the ice, and the officials had to nip a couple altercations in the bud. Alas, one of them got out of hand and Pirri went off, earning himself a five-minute major for head butting (is that really a penalty?) and a game misconduct. Tweet 20:48 — RPI needs to kill a 5-minute major (Pirri). Crap. To be more precise, they only had to kill the last 3:48 of the penalty because one of the Brown boarders still had 1:12 left on his penalty. To my relief, RPI held off Brown. Their penalty killing really was quite impressive. Tweet 20:54 — The RPI captain is named John F. Kennedy, or so I'm told. I had noticed the Captain's name was Kennedy, and the recent grads sitting with us were calling him "JFK," but it turns out that he really is named John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., after his father, who was presumably named after the late President. And it took me to about this point before I realized he was black. Ordinarily a player's race wouldn't jump out at me, but how many black hockey players do you see? When I was in college we had a black player, Graeme Townshend, who played briefly for the Bruins and is now, lo and behold, a skating coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of course, I didn't know that last part when I was at the game, which was probably a good thing because I was already struggling to keep from sliding into a funk from missing my favorite Torontonian. But I digress. Tweet 20:58 — Woot! Good guys score! Brown 3, 'Tute 3. The comeback was complete. By this time, I had gotten a few other people to join me for the Fight Song, but I was horrified to learn that a couple of the more recent grads didn't even know the words despite having had season tickets for four years. I gave them a good scolding and instructed them to go online, get the lyrics, and don't dare show up at another hockey game in my presence until they knew them by heart. RPI turned on the pressure in the last few minutes and had a couple scoring opportunities that weren't quite good enough. Then, with less than ten seconds left in regulation and the faceoff in the RPI end, Joel Malchuk was called for slashing and, on the very next faceoff, Peter Merth was called for interference. Now I am not a hockey expert by any means, but I didn't see anything that could even remotely be called interference. Suddenly I wished I had the eye chart my college buddies brought to games for just such an occasion:
Tweet 21:10 — Officials call 2 RPI penalties in 3 seconds, Brown wins in OT, PA announcer has another orgasm. FYI, it appears that the ECAC plays one five-minute sudden death overtime period and no shootout in case of a tie after OT. It took Brown, enjoying a 5-on-3 advantage, 47 seconds to score and end the game. Oh well. The game result wasn't what I was hoping for, but I would go back again for a game. The Meehan Auditorium is a nice facility, quite small compared to the RPI Field House, but clean and modern. However, it appears to have no heat and was only marginally warmer inside than outside, which is saying something during this cold snap. Tweet 21:20 — That was the coldest arena I've ever been in. In a game-related note, I noticed on Twitter that D'Amigo got a mention in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd section for his performance in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championship. These are heady times for the young man. Coming later tomorrow: the Den Mother reviews Saturday night's concert by the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra. Labels: sports posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/01/2010 07:04:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Significant Events On this date in history:
Labels: history posted by the Den Mother | © | 2/01/2010 06:15:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Den Mother's Health Tip of the Day
When I complained about it during my last visit to the pulmonologist, he suggested nasal/sinus irrigation. This is a process by which you basically rinse out the nasal passages and sinues, which sounded like less fun than the constant sore throat. But the doc urged me to give it a try, acknowledging that it might take some getting used to for someone who doesn't like swimming underwater because she hates getting water up her nose. I bought an over-the-counter nasal irrigation product, fully intending to give it a try. That was three weeks ago, and it was still sitting on the shelf in my bathroom when I developed a cold earlier in the week. Figuring it was a good time to see if this stuff worked, I bit the bullet and tried it. Yes, it felt strange. Yes, it took some getting used to. And yes, it has helped quite a bit. I haven't used my nasal sprays all week.
The acid test would be if I were to develop a sinus infection and could see what effect, if any, irrigation would have on my recovery. Then again, I suppose it's possible that regular prophylactic rinsing (as opposed to post-operative irrigation or as treatment for a cold) might help prevent infections. That would be even better. I have been using the rinse three times a day and will probably reduce that to twice a day once I'm sure my cold is cleared up. For those who suffer from chronic nasal congestion, I recommend this procedure, whether with a commercially available product or a home remedy, as a safe and affordable alternative to medications that may otherwise be necessary. (Disclaimer: The Den Mother is not a doctor and this blog post should not be taken as medical advice. In other words, consult your own doctor, use your good common sense, and don't sue me if you do something stupid.) Labels: health posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/29/2010 05:24:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Let's Go Red!
In the spirit of being a polite guest, I will try to refrain from the cheer that was ubiquitous back in the 1980s whenever Brown visited the Houston Field House ("What's the color of s***? Brown!") but if the hometown fans get obnoxious, all bets are off. Listen to the live game stream on WRPI. posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/29/2010 02:06:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Friday Stumper I am three words,
See the answer by highlighting between the brackets:
Labels: brain teaser posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/29/2010 08:04:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Thursday, January 28, 2010 This Doesn't Seem Like a Great Idea Then again, God didn't give everyone the gift of common sense. For years, Felix Baumgartner has taken to the skies in a way most of us can only hope to emulate in an aeroplane. From skydiving to base-jumping, his endeavours have thrilled onlookers and frequently enraged the authorities. But like most extreme athletes, Baumgartner has always been on the lookout for the ultimate rush - and now, it appears, he has found it. It looks like he will find out, but whether he will be able to tell us is still up in the air (ugh, bad pun). Labels: crazy posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/28/2010 06:24:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Famous Dissenter Dies Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Leftist alternative-historian Howard Zinn, a long-time Political Science professor at Boston University, died yesterday. Zinn was little known outside the far-left circles in which he moved. But his above referencedBush haters of the 2000s, he was best known for the above quote, which during the George W. Bush administration was often misattributed to Thomas Jefferson by lesser minds who felt the need to elevate their contrarianism. In fact, while Zinn was no Thomas Jefferson, he was a brilliant mind for his time. He certainly deserved to be recognized for his ideas, which he held consistently and without apology. Labels: remember posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/28/2010 05:17:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 I Need Another Hole in My Head
Then again, this will render all my single earrings, the mates of which have been lost, basically useless. Will a third hole become necessary in the future? Labels: minutiae posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/28/2010 07:02:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Biased Science Let's start with the given that everything Washington does is political. Now let's get more specific and point out that even in areas politicians say shouldn't be politicized, if it's done by the federal government, it is by definition politicial. The politicians and political appointees who most bemoan the politicization of science are usually those whose grasp of the scientific is most colored by their own idealogical biases. From climate change to fat in food to abortion and education, issues that can least afford to be distorted by politics have been most distorted. That's why it is ironic almost to the point of hilarity when politicians venture into the scientific arena insisting their motives are pure. Monday's New York Times Science section had a thought-provoking piece about the prevalence of conflicts of interest within the government where scientific study is concerned. Meanwhile, Mr. Taubes writes, journalists have paid too little attention to the scientific questions or to other types of bias: "Scientists were believed to be free of conflicts if their only source of funding was a federal agency, but all nutritionists knew that if their research failed to support the government position on a particular subject, the funding would go instead to someone whose research did." David Kritchevsky, a a member of the federal advisory board that issued dietary guidelines in the 1980s, summed up the pressure on researchers: "The U.S. government is as big a pusher as industry. If you say what the government says, then it's okay. If you say something that isn't what the government says, or that may be parallel to what industry says, that makes you suspect." When you consider that the federal government is basically just a really humongous business with absolutely no competition, you could say that government funding is even more corrupting than funding from private industry. Damn, that sounded really, really libertarian. posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/27/2010 07:47:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Wednesday Word Perambulate — This is a wonderful word that evokes images of Rhett and Scarlett pushing Bonnie Blue's carriage down the street while the neighborhood ladies greet Rhett warmly and glare at Scarlett. per·am·bu·late \puh-RAM-byuh-late\
For more, see the complete entry at Merriam-Webster online. Labels: vocabulary posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/27/2010 07:12:00 AMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Gadgets Apparently, I have quite a few of them, according to my co-worker, Sandy, who recently called me "The Gadget Queen" upon seeing my new Sony Reader. It doesn't seem to me that I have any more gadgets than the next person, but I admit having more than Sandy does. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that, far from being on the cutting edge of technology, I generally wait until an item has gone mainstream before getting one. My home and car are remarkably gadget-free: I have no HD television, surround sound, TiVo, state-of-the-art music system, electronic appliances (except a microwave), remote starter, remote door locks, in-car CD changer, GPS, The Clapper, etc. (I threw in that last one just to see if you were paying attention.) Remote controls for things that always come with remotes don't count, and neither do gadgets required by law like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. What I do have are convenient and portable items that do regular everyday tasks, and they are generally as simple as possible. Beginning with the laptop.
Oh, I also have a portable CD player, but it doesn't make the list because I haven't used it since I made the jump to mp3. Most high school and college students have a lot more techno-stuff than that, right? Between netbooks, digital tablets, portable DVD players, handheld gaming systems, virtual reality goggles, and heated socks (just checking, again), they are so far ahead of me that I might as well be stuck back in the 1980s. (Edited to correct multiple typo, grammar, and punctuation errors because, apparently, I was stoned when I posted this.) Labels: minutiae posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/26/2010 07:37:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Aim Low! I've seen this story a few times on various blogs in the last couple weeks, but when it makes News of the Weird, it's time for comment. Berkeley High School is considering a controversial proposal to eliminate science labs and the five science teachers who teach them to free up more resources to help struggling students. Call me hopelessly unhip, but wouldn't it be a better idea to encourage more minorities to take laboratory classes, offer remediation if necessary, and try to improve their performance? Or does the Berkeley School Board believe black and Latino students can't excel? Labels: education, things stupid people say/do posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/26/2010 12:15:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 Move Over, Hillary and Norgay?
Scientific American raises the possibility of that very scenario, personified by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who headed up the North Col of Mount Everest in 1924 but never returned with proof they made it. A recovery expedition planned for either this year or next may finally settle the question once and for all. The key to solving the mystery, many climbers say, is finding Irvine's remains and with it the missing Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) camera he was supposedly carrying with him on that fateful journey. If Holzel manages to find history-altering evidence, it won't diminish what Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did in 1953. The trip down, after all, is every bit as perilouss—some might say more so—as the trip up. They will always be the first climbers to reach the summit and live to tell the tale. (Hat tip: Boing Boing.) Labels: international news posted by the Den Mother | © | 1/26/2010 12:00:00 PMComments (0) | | permalink | main | email this Pearls of visitor wisdom posted so far: 0 |
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