Typing? We don't need no stinking TYPING...
...and my music video is...
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
So, what happened between September and now?
Well: the Yankees managed to throw it all away, and got rid of their boss in the process. We had the warmest October on record. I had a letter published in the local newspaper. And Jackpot was neutered today. I had the day off work. He's downstairs sleeping right now. poor little guy!
OK, so I want to talk politics today, seeing as it's a local election day here. We recently had Rudy Giuliani, ex-mayor of New York (and a man said to use three things in every sentence: a noun, a verb, and 9/11) say that he survived prostate cancer. Fair enough, good for him. But then he decided to make a political football out of it by saying that if he were in Britain, his chances would have been around half. And he rubbished what he likes to call 'socialized medicine'.
OK, first of all: as mayor of NYC, he got free healthcare. His costs were largely underwritten by city taxpayers.
Whoopsie.
Then he said in a campaign piece that he's glad he was getting this (free) treatment in America because;
Shyeah. And then some journalists did their job and found out he lied. The British government’s National Statistics Web site lists prostate cancer survival from 1999 to 2004 at 74.4 percent.
In fact, both the 82 percent and 44 percent figures came from City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative "think tank". Not a medical journal by any means, and one with an ideological axe to grind.
Whoopsie again.
Then someone found this PDF detailing te death rates for Americans and Brits from prostate cancer from 1970 to well into the 1990s. As you see from page 1 (and the nice graph), there are virtually identical prostate cancer mortality rates in the United States and Great Britain.
Holy whoopsie, Batman.
Now: you'd think a nice guy like me would just cut Rudy Giuliani a break. After all, he's old and maybe his mental faculties aren't all that great. But seeing as he wants to be the next President, and seeing as he wants to send other people's kids over to fight Iran, I decided I needed to land a knockout blow for myself.
Seeing as Rudy's an old man and he fears change, I'm going to play by his rules. We're going to find a disease. One where I can show you government numbers of how many people died. And the numbers have to be from the same year. I need American numbers and British numbers.
Oh, and if I can find something the British were looking for more than America's health providers were, and STILL show that British people had a better chance of surviving, we'll say that his old ass is mine. And if it turns out that CONSERVATIVES in Britain were trying to score political points off the disease or illness, so much the better.
So what illness or disease can I pick? I know. MRSA!
OK, MRSA is on the news in America now. But we don't have the stats for this year because the year's not over ...I said I want a year where we have numbers. And I want a year where nobody in the US gave two hoots about MRSA, but for some reason everyone in Britain was going nuts about it. Remember, we want to make the rules of this game so that Rudy can't possibly lose. I want to give all the best cards to Rudy and STILL beat him. So what year do I pick?
Let's say ...an election year. We're having elections here today, so that's perfect. When was the last big election year in Britain?
2005. Let's pick 2005.
As can be seen here, UK Conservatives were using MRSA as a talking point against 'socialized medicine', otherwise known as the National Health Service (NHS) because it was an election year. The [f]right-wing in Britain had spent decades trying to privatize and dismantle the NHS, spending more on consultants and managers than nurses, and in 2005 they claimed to be the savior of this system? Apparently so - the link above (that says 'here') was by a Conservative politician at their 2005 Party Conference. It's from their Party website, and this guy's saying MRSA is killing thousands, thanks to the British healthcare system. He says it's not just MRSA killing thousands, but other infections are killing thousands too.
Thousands. Plural. We'll get to the real numbers that died that year from MRSA in 2005 in just a minute.
It wasn't just in a few speeches, either. Look at this newspaper advert where the Conservative Party AGAIN says that thousands die. 5,000, it said, EVERY YEAR. Conservatives are saying that these deaths are a DIRECT RESULT of the way healthcare is performed in Britain.
So let's look at those real numbers, shall we? UK figures from 2005. Here they are from the UK Office for National Statistics itself, showing the deaths in 2005 from MRSA in England and Wales: 1,629.
That's not 'thousands', as Conservative Member of Parliament Andrew Lansley said in his speech that I linked to. 'Thousands' would be at least two thousand ...that's how plurals work in English. There need to be at least two of something for it to be a plural, and this guy is English so he should know. The man's from South Cambridgeshire ...they have quite a reputation for education in Cambridge. Universities known throughout the world.
Four whoopsies.
Back to that UK Statistics page: it says: "Some of the recent increase in mentions of MRSA on death certificates may be due to improved levels of reporting, possibly brought about by the continued high public profile of the disease." Maybe it had a high profile in the UK in 2005, but here in America MRSA received no sensational domestic press at all that year.
So, what we've learned: the number of British deaths was lower than Conservatives wanted. Yet the politicians still blame these deaths on how the NHS is run, as a government department. His speech mentions the private sector and how he wants "hospitals to invest". He wants them to run like businesses, just like American healthcare is run.
American figures, now. Reported from a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) report: "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was responsible for an estimated 94,000 life-threatening infections and 18,650 deaths in 2005".
Deaths in England/Wales: 1,629. Deaths in the USA: 18,650.
OK, there are a lot more people in the USA than England/Wales. What are those numbers? Let's get them from the UK Statistics government website, and the US Census website.
England and Wales population, 52 million people.
USA population in 2005, 295 million people.
All we need to do now is divide population that year, by deaths that year, and we get your chance of dying from MRSA for that year.
Chances of dying of MRSA in England and Wales, with both nations rabidly looking for MRSA, in 2005 - 1 in 32,000.
Chances of dying the same death in a country with market-driven health system, where people are NOT specifically looking for MRSA - 1 in 15,800.
How does that look like in a graph? Say you calculated the number of deaths per million people. How would that look?
There was no media hype concerning drug-resistant Staph infection deaths in the United States, it wasn't even a pressing issue in the 2006 elections. Yet the facts are as plain as the nose on Rudy Giuliani's face. We all were more likely to die from MRSA in Seattle or San Antonio than the Engish and Welsh living in London or Llanelli. Despite everyone looking for MRSA under every hospital pillow and mop over there, the lack of a decent all-encompassing healthcare system in the States killed off people with MRSA at over twice the UK rate.
If anyone wants to run for President on a healthcare statistic, I suggest they run on this one. These numbers weren't invented by any think-tank. They're a cold hard fact. People are quite literally dying to get the treatment provided to every person in the UK, no matter what sound-bites Conservatives the world over will use.
Giuliani: I believe this ass is yours, so I'm handing it to you.
Listen: Ben Wah Balls - Blink 182 ... Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist - Muse ... Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode.
Well: the Yankees managed to throw it all away, and got rid of their boss in the process. We had the warmest October on record. I had a letter published in the local newspaper. And Jackpot was neutered today. I had the day off work. He's downstairs sleeping right now. poor little guy!
OK, so I want to talk politics today, seeing as it's a local election day here. We recently had Rudy Giuliani, ex-mayor of New York (and a man said to use three things in every sentence: a noun, a verb, and 9/11) say that he survived prostate cancer. Fair enough, good for him. But then he decided to make a political football out of it by saying that if he were in Britain, his chances would have been around half. And he rubbished what he likes to call 'socialized medicine'.
OK, first of all: as mayor of NYC, he got free healthcare. His costs were largely underwritten by city taxpayers.
Whoopsie.
Then he said in a campaign piece that he's glad he was getting this (free) treatment in America because;
In the radio spot, Giuliani mentions his battle with prostate cancer and notes that his chances of surviving the disease in America were 82 percent, while in England his chances would have been 44 percent.
Shyeah. And then some journalists did their job and found out he lied. The British government’s National Statistics Web site lists prostate cancer survival from 1999 to 2004 at 74.4 percent.
In fact, both the 82 percent and 44 percent figures came from City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative "think tank". Not a medical journal by any means, and one with an ideological axe to grind.
Whoopsie again.
Then someone found this PDF detailing te death rates for Americans and Brits from prostate cancer from 1970 to well into the 1990s. As you see from page 1 (and the nice graph), there are virtually identical prostate cancer mortality rates in the United States and Great Britain.
Holy whoopsie, Batman.
Now: you'd think a nice guy like me would just cut Rudy Giuliani a break. After all, he's old and maybe his mental faculties aren't all that great. But seeing as he wants to be the next President, and seeing as he wants to send other people's kids over to fight Iran, I decided I needed to land a knockout blow for myself.
Seeing as Rudy's an old man and he fears change, I'm going to play by his rules. We're going to find a disease. One where I can show you government numbers of how many people died. And the numbers have to be from the same year. I need American numbers and British numbers.
Oh, and if I can find something the British were looking for more than America's health providers were, and STILL show that British people had a better chance of surviving, we'll say that his old ass is mine. And if it turns out that CONSERVATIVES in Britain were trying to score political points off the disease or illness, so much the better.
So what illness or disease can I pick? I know. MRSA!
OK, MRSA is on the news in America now. But we don't have the stats for this year because the year's not over ...I said I want a year where we have numbers. And I want a year where nobody in the US gave two hoots about MRSA, but for some reason everyone in Britain was going nuts about it. Remember, we want to make the rules of this game so that Rudy can't possibly lose. I want to give all the best cards to Rudy and STILL beat him. So what year do I pick?
Let's say ...an election year. We're having elections here today, so that's perfect. When was the last big election year in Britain?
2005. Let's pick 2005.
As can be seen here, UK Conservatives were using MRSA as a talking point against 'socialized medicine', otherwise known as the National Health Service (NHS) because it was an election year. The [f]right-wing in Britain had spent decades trying to privatize and dismantle the NHS, spending more on consultants and managers than nurses, and in 2005 they claimed to be the savior of this system? Apparently so - the link above (that says 'here') was by a Conservative politician at their 2005 Party Conference. It's from their Party website, and this guy's saying MRSA is killing thousands, thanks to the British healthcare system. He says it's not just MRSA killing thousands, but other infections are killing thousands too.
Thousands. Plural. We'll get to the real numbers that died that year from MRSA in 2005 in just a minute.
It wasn't just in a few speeches, either. Look at this newspaper advert where the Conservative Party AGAIN says that thousands die. 5,000, it said, EVERY YEAR. Conservatives are saying that these deaths are a DIRECT RESULT of the way healthcare is performed in Britain.
So let's look at those real numbers, shall we? UK figures from 2005. Here they are from the UK Office for National Statistics itself, showing the deaths in 2005 from MRSA in England and Wales: 1,629.
That's not 'thousands', as Conservative Member of Parliament Andrew Lansley said in his speech that I linked to. 'Thousands' would be at least two thousand ...that's how plurals work in English. There need to be at least two of something for it to be a plural, and this guy is English so he should know. The man's from South Cambridgeshire ...they have quite a reputation for education in Cambridge. Universities known throughout the world.
Four whoopsies.
Back to that UK Statistics page: it says: "Some of the recent increase in mentions of MRSA on death certificates may be due to improved levels of reporting, possibly brought about by the continued high public profile of the disease." Maybe it had a high profile in the UK in 2005, but here in America MRSA received no sensational domestic press at all that year.
So, what we've learned: the number of British deaths was lower than Conservatives wanted. Yet the politicians still blame these deaths on how the NHS is run, as a government department. His speech mentions the private sector and how he wants "hospitals to invest". He wants them to run like businesses, just like American healthcare is run.
American figures, now. Reported from a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) report: "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was responsible for an estimated 94,000 life-threatening infections and 18,650 deaths in 2005".
Deaths in England/Wales: 1,629. Deaths in the USA: 18,650.
OK, there are a lot more people in the USA than England/Wales. What are those numbers? Let's get them from the UK Statistics government website, and the US Census website.
England and Wales population, 52 million people.
USA population in 2005, 295 million people.
All we need to do now is divide population that year, by deaths that year, and we get your chance of dying from MRSA for that year.
Chances of dying of MRSA in England and Wales, with both nations rabidly looking for MRSA, in 2005 - 1 in 32,000.
Chances of dying the same death in a country with market-driven health system, where people are NOT specifically looking for MRSA - 1 in 15,800.
How does that look like in a graph? Say you calculated the number of deaths per million people. How would that look?
There was no media hype concerning drug-resistant Staph infection deaths in the United States, it wasn't even a pressing issue in the 2006 elections. Yet the facts are as plain as the nose on Rudy Giuliani's face. We all were more likely to die from MRSA in Seattle or San Antonio than the Engish and Welsh living in London or Llanelli. Despite everyone looking for MRSA under every hospital pillow and mop over there, the lack of a decent all-encompassing healthcare system in the States killed off people with MRSA at over twice the UK rate.
If anyone wants to run for President on a healthcare statistic, I suggest they run on this one. These numbers weren't invented by any think-tank. They're a cold hard fact. People are quite literally dying to get the treatment provided to every person in the UK, no matter what sound-bites Conservatives the world over will use.
Giuliani: I believe this ass is yours, so I'm handing it to you.
Listen: Ben Wah Balls - Blink 182 ... Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist - Muse ... Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Wow. Busy few weeks. That explains why my back hurts again (I'm getting old).
OK, let's start with the Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox in New York.
That's my dad-in-law's baseball cap logo reflected in the rear-view mirror there. OK, let's see what we can see...
Not bad at all. Just a bit of the right-field I can't see.
Ah, zoom lenses are a wonderful thing. This is Derek Jeter fouling a ball off (if you look at the umpire, you can see the ball whizzing past his back).
So let's look at what let the Yanks win this one 5-0, and sweep their AL East rivals...
The runners on 1st and 2nd both went to steal bases (it was Jeter and Bobby Abreu). Varitek threw as fast as he could to third to get Jeter out, but the ball whizzed by Boston's third baseman and that little error allowed both runners to get in home.
Just want to say too: #55, Hideki Matsui, is my favourite player in the team.
We were sat near a few Red Sox fans, so after shouting at them for three hours (always great fun), my throat was a little sore. But I also developed a cold (there's one going around) so the shouting just made it worse.
In other news, the dog is now up to 20lbs (that's 9kgs in new money) and loves going for long walks. Which is helping me lose a bit of weight. Which is nice.
We also managed to get contractors booked to make our path (from front of house to driveway) and our sidewalk is done too. The path's great - loading the 500 little cobblestones, not so much. We planted grass out front and put down erosion mats, and it's beginning to sprout. Nice. Another few jobs off the list.
Listen - The Path - HIM ... Sick Child - Siouxsie And The Banshees ... New York City - John Lennon.
OK, let's start with the Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox in New York.
That's my dad-in-law's baseball cap logo reflected in the rear-view mirror there. OK, let's see what we can see...
Not bad at all. Just a bit of the right-field I can't see.
Ah, zoom lenses are a wonderful thing. This is Derek Jeter fouling a ball off (if you look at the umpire, you can see the ball whizzing past his back).
So let's look at what let the Yanks win this one 5-0, and sweep their AL East rivals...
The runners on 1st and 2nd both went to steal bases (it was Jeter and Bobby Abreu). Varitek threw as fast as he could to third to get Jeter out, but the ball whizzed by Boston's third baseman and that little error allowed both runners to get in home.
Just want to say too: #55, Hideki Matsui, is my favourite player in the team.
We were sat near a few Red Sox fans, so after shouting at them for three hours (always great fun), my throat was a little sore. But I also developed a cold (there's one going around) so the shouting just made it worse.
In other news, the dog is now up to 20lbs (that's 9kgs in new money) and loves going for long walks. Which is helping me lose a bit of weight. Which is nice.
We also managed to get contractors booked to make our path (from front of house to driveway) and our sidewalk is done too. The path's great - loading the 500 little cobblestones, not so much. We planted grass out front and put down erosion mats, and it's beginning to sprout. Nice. Another few jobs off the list.
Listen - The Path - HIM ... Sick Child - Siouxsie And The Banshees ... New York City - John Lennon.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
There are 206 bones in the average person's body, not including teeth.
Unless you're King Tut. In that case, you'd be missing part of you ribcage and your breastbone. I found this out at the Tutankhamen Exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philly.
We took a bus trip, leaving Jackpot with Beth's nephew for the day. First stop, the exhibit. There was an iMax presentation first (and you've never seen a 3,000 year old dead person until you've seen them as if they were as big as a house). Then to the exhibit (no cameras allowed) and to the gift shop (cameras allowed)...
Then around the city on something called a duckboat. It's weird for me, being English by birth... everyone talk about the Revolutionary War over here as if it was on a scale of the World Wars, or some other wars the Empire was involved in. In history, we dealt with it like this: America gained Independence, and we've been friends ever since (pass the Heinz ketchup). Nothing about political dissenters dying of dysentry or various fevers in prison. Here's the Betsy Ross House.
She was the one that sewed the Stars and Stripes onto the flag. I never knew this until the tour, but she didn't actually design the thing ...that particular distinction goes to Francis Hopkinson. Or rather, he was the one that tried to get paid for designing the flag.
You may be thinging "why was it called a duckboat?"
It went in the water. We got a tour of the city by land and by water. Pretty nifty vehicles. Originally named the DUKW, they were originally designed for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. The designation as a DUKW is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the D indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the U meant "utility (amphibious)", the K indicated all-wheel drive and the W indicated two powered rear axles. Another piece of history for the day.
During the day, I felt a 'crick' in my mouth as I was chewing gum. I went to the dentist, he took an x-ray, and one of my molars had split right down the middle. It was only the filling on top that was stopping it from completely coming apart, and the x-ray showed infection under the tooth. So I had to have it taken out (and I was awake throughout). It only shows if I pull my lip aside, but I can feel it with my tongue. Weird. I'll have a cosmetic tooth put in its place in good time.
Listen: Novocaine For The Soul - The Eels ... Walk like An Egyptian - The Bangles ... History - The Verve.
Unless you're King Tut. In that case, you'd be missing part of you ribcage and your breastbone. I found this out at the Tutankhamen Exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philly.
We took a bus trip, leaving Jackpot with Beth's nephew for the day. First stop, the exhibit. There was an iMax presentation first (and you've never seen a 3,000 year old dead person until you've seen them as if they were as big as a house). Then to the exhibit (no cameras allowed) and to the gift shop (cameras allowed)...
Then around the city on something called a duckboat. It's weird for me, being English by birth... everyone talk about the Revolutionary War over here as if it was on a scale of the World Wars, or some other wars the Empire was involved in. In history, we dealt with it like this: America gained Independence, and we've been friends ever since (pass the Heinz ketchup). Nothing about political dissenters dying of dysentry or various fevers in prison. Here's the Betsy Ross House.
She was the one that sewed the Stars and Stripes onto the flag. I never knew this until the tour, but she didn't actually design the thing ...that particular distinction goes to Francis Hopkinson. Or rather, he was the one that tried to get paid for designing the flag.
You may be thinging "why was it called a duckboat?"
It went in the water. We got a tour of the city by land and by water. Pretty nifty vehicles. Originally named the DUKW, they were originally designed for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. The designation as a DUKW is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the D indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the U meant "utility (amphibious)", the K indicated all-wheel drive and the W indicated two powered rear axles. Another piece of history for the day.
During the day, I felt a 'crick' in my mouth as I was chewing gum. I went to the dentist, he took an x-ray, and one of my molars had split right down the middle. It was only the filling on top that was stopping it from completely coming apart, and the x-ray showed infection under the tooth. So I had to have it taken out (and I was awake throughout). It only shows if I pull my lip aside, but I can feel it with my tongue. Weird. I'll have a cosmetic tooth put in its place in good time.
Listen: Novocaine For The Soul - The Eels ... Walk like An Egyptian - The Bangles ... History - The Verve.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
WOW, it has been a busy two weeks.
First off: Beth's birthday. I stood in line to get her an iPhone for six hours.
Which you'd think would be the biggest thing to report, right? A 'phone which is an iPod which browses the web and connects with our wi-fi network. And it is a lovely thing too.
But so is this...
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jackpot. His name is Jackpot because we got him on 7-7-'07. His full name is Corgard Lucky Sevens (three sevens, lucky sevens, jackpot) but we call him Jack for short. Oh, I think I mentioned all that in the last post. His mother's name is Roxy (Ch. Corgard Tribute To A Legacy) and his dad is Dundee (Ch. Anwyl Winds O Change). His mum's from a line of champions ... in a 2005 show another one of the family, Batteries Not Included, was the Best Adult In Match (the "Ch." in their names stands for "champion of breed").
His dad is owned by Annika Falk of Finland (Corcin kennel) and was bred by Robin and Bruce Robertson (Anwyl kennel) in New South Wales, Australia. Jack's dad's pedigree can be seen here, and you can see that Jack's great-great-great-great-grandparents are mainly from England. But he's from all over the place.
And he is one sweet puppy. Although he does like to pull at the bottom of my jeans. And my socks. And anything I'm wearing that moves...
Listen : Rag And Bone - White Stripes ... Bones - The Editors ... Let Go - The Pigeon Detectives.
First off: Beth's birthday. I stood in line to get her an iPhone for six hours.
Which you'd think would be the biggest thing to report, right? A 'phone which is an iPod which browses the web and connects with our wi-fi network. And it is a lovely thing too.
But so is this...
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jackpot. His name is Jackpot because we got him on 7-7-'07. His full name is Corgard Lucky Sevens (three sevens, lucky sevens, jackpot) but we call him Jack for short. Oh, I think I mentioned all that in the last post. His mother's name is Roxy (Ch. Corgard Tribute To A Legacy) and his dad is Dundee (Ch. Anwyl Winds O Change). His mum's from a line of champions ... in a 2005 show another one of the family, Batteries Not Included, was the Best Adult In Match (the "Ch." in their names stands for "champion of breed").
His dad is owned by Annika Falk of Finland (Corcin kennel) and was bred by Robin and Bruce Robertson (Anwyl kennel) in New South Wales, Australia. Jack's dad's pedigree can be seen here, and you can see that Jack's great-great-great-great-grandparents are mainly from England. But he's from all over the place.
And he is one sweet puppy. Although he does like to pull at the bottom of my jeans. And my socks. And anything I'm wearing that moves...
Listen : Rag And Bone - White Stripes ... Bones - The Editors ... Let Go - The Pigeon Detectives.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Get ready for a cute 30 second puppy video.
We're getting a puppy on 7-7-07, so don't be surprised if we name him Jackpot (Beth's idea) if it's a boy. These are corgi puppies, by the way, from the Corgard kennel (winners of awards at the PWCCGS Specialty Dog Show).
Gardening has taken a lot of my free time. I played two hours of Enemy Territory all week, and built a compost bin (whooo, exciting times). Last night we went with Kate and Jay to see a AAA baseball game, and tonight's Lenny's 40th shindig. So maybe it is kind of exciting.
Listen : Take Me Out To The Ballgame - traditional 7th inning stretch tune ... Yer Old - Reef ... This Garden - The Levellers.
We're getting a puppy on 7-7-07, so don't be surprised if we name him Jackpot (Beth's idea) if it's a boy. These are corgi puppies, by the way, from the Corgard kennel (winners of awards at the PWCCGS Specialty Dog Show).
Gardening has taken a lot of my free time. I played two hours of Enemy Territory all week, and built a compost bin (whooo, exciting times). Last night we went with Kate and Jay to see a AAA baseball game, and tonight's Lenny's 40th shindig. So maybe it is kind of exciting.
Listen : Take Me Out To The Ballgame - traditional 7th inning stretch tune ... Yer Old - Reef ... This Garden - The Levellers.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Welcome from sunny Chincoteague, on the Eastern Shore.
Chincoteague is at the south end of Assateague Island, which stretches long and thin from Maryland to Virginia. It was famous for a kid's book called 'Misty', and there's a statue in the middle of town of Misty the pony. The book deals with the Pony Swim, but that's in the height of summer. We were there the week before high season, so we had all the good weather with none of the crowds.
There are plenty of wild ponies around the place too. Here's one with its tongue sticking out.
The visitor's center (below) is worth noting because its toilets use no fresh water at all. See the reeds at the front of the building?
Waste water is filtered and runs in there, the reeds get nutrients from our waste, and the cleaner water is re-used to flush the loo. Oh, this is where we stayed, a place called The Refuge Inn.
Highly recommended place. Just follow the link above for their website.
You might have noticed the lighthouse in the background of the first picture. We climbed it, and here's the view from the top...
The area is a National Wildlife Reserve, and their current mission is to protect the Piping Plover (a seabird, we didn't catch a sight of any) and the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Conservation there has been more of a success, because we saw the little buggers all over the place.
Bigger than a regular squirrel, and very silvery in appearance.
As well as long walks on the beaches, both occupied and deserted...
...(OK, almost deserted, that's Beth in the background) there are plenty of cruises to take. The only thing I wish I had a good picture of was the dolphin that played coy around the boat. But here are more shots from the cruise.
This is a fishing boat, on its way out to the Atlantic.
Captain Tom and First Mate Bailey keep Beth happy with tales of crab-catching on the high seas.
The lighthouse looks best from the water, as do the loblolly pine trees at the water's edge...
...and the sun slowly sinks into the west as the cruise comes to an end.
We spent time by the sea too. Here's me at Tom's Cove...
...some laughing gulls look casual as a ring-bill gull looks on at our snacks...
...a crab gets a little too close for comfort...
...and the sun sets slowly into the west again, this time the same shade of red as the places I have mosquito bites.
So that's it. A week of relaxation and fun all over too soon. It's time to pack up and head back home. Thanks for looking at this little impromptu slide show. Now all that remains is for me to pick three suitably summery songs...
Listen : Club Tropicana - Wham! ... Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard ... Vacation - The Go Go's.
Chincoteague is at the south end of Assateague Island, which stretches long and thin from Maryland to Virginia. It was famous for a kid's book called 'Misty', and there's a statue in the middle of town of Misty the pony. The book deals with the Pony Swim, but that's in the height of summer. We were there the week before high season, so we had all the good weather with none of the crowds.
There are plenty of wild ponies around the place too. Here's one with its tongue sticking out.
The visitor's center (below) is worth noting because its toilets use no fresh water at all. See the reeds at the front of the building?
Waste water is filtered and runs in there, the reeds get nutrients from our waste, and the cleaner water is re-used to flush the loo. Oh, this is where we stayed, a place called The Refuge Inn.
Highly recommended place. Just follow the link above for their website.
You might have noticed the lighthouse in the background of the first picture. We climbed it, and here's the view from the top...
The area is a National Wildlife Reserve, and their current mission is to protect the Piping Plover (a seabird, we didn't catch a sight of any) and the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Conservation there has been more of a success, because we saw the little buggers all over the place.
Bigger than a regular squirrel, and very silvery in appearance.
As well as long walks on the beaches, both occupied and deserted...
...(OK, almost deserted, that's Beth in the background) there are plenty of cruises to take. The only thing I wish I had a good picture of was the dolphin that played coy around the boat. But here are more shots from the cruise.
This is a fishing boat, on its way out to the Atlantic.
Captain Tom and First Mate Bailey keep Beth happy with tales of crab-catching on the high seas.
The lighthouse looks best from the water, as do the loblolly pine trees at the water's edge...
...and the sun slowly sinks into the west as the cruise comes to an end.
We spent time by the sea too. Here's me at Tom's Cove...
...some laughing gulls look casual as a ring-bill gull looks on at our snacks...
...a crab gets a little too close for comfort...
...and the sun sets slowly into the west again, this time the same shade of red as the places I have mosquito bites.
So that's it. A week of relaxation and fun all over too soon. It's time to pack up and head back home. Thanks for looking at this little impromptu slide show. Now all that remains is for me to pick three suitably summery songs...
Listen : Club Tropicana - Wham! ... Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard ... Vacation - The Go Go's.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Idol. Pop Idol, American Idol, Insert Your Country Here Idol.
I was going to talk about life, but what the Hell? Let's get stupid for a few minutes and talk about Simon Cowell. Specifically, what you're letting yourself in for if you apply to take part in a show like this.
First of all: your looks. I've created a chart, and if you're thinking of auditioning, I want you to compare how you look right now with this line-up. It ranges from red hot to brown crap.
Be honest with yourself. You don't look like Orland Bloom or Kiera Knightly. Do you, now.
OK, so let's say you DO look like Jack Davenport, at least. Wasn't he good in "Coupling", by the way? Reminded me of a younger Simon Jones in his Arthur Dent days. Anyhoo, you've got the look. Or at least you have a look, and that look isn't either 'beached whale' or 'The Crypt Keeper'. Now all you need is the voice and the shy attitude, all mashed together with a lack of unearned attitude and zero self-importance. And just a dash of coherence.
Not like this Snaggletooth, then.
Can you spot how many incredibly stupid mistakes this Hillbilly made in showing up for auditions? Don't you people think? Don't you wonder why they're putting you in front of the judges when so many thousands were turned away without seeing the producers of the show, never mind the judges?
No. I guessed not.
Listen : Starz In Their Eyes - Just Jack ... Fame - Irene Cara ... Bohemian Rhapsody - not the man in the video above. Queen.
I was going to talk about life, but what the Hell? Let's get stupid for a few minutes and talk about Simon Cowell. Specifically, what you're letting yourself in for if you apply to take part in a show like this.
First of all: your looks. I've created a chart, and if you're thinking of auditioning, I want you to compare how you look right now with this line-up. It ranges from red hot to brown crap.
Be honest with yourself. You don't look like Orland Bloom or Kiera Knightly. Do you, now.
OK, so let's say you DO look like Jack Davenport, at least. Wasn't he good in "Coupling", by the way? Reminded me of a younger Simon Jones in his Arthur Dent days. Anyhoo, you've got the look. Or at least you have a look, and that look isn't either 'beached whale' or 'The Crypt Keeper'. Now all you need is the voice and the shy attitude, all mashed together with a lack of unearned attitude and zero self-importance. And just a dash of coherence.
Not like this Snaggletooth, then.
Can you spot how many incredibly stupid mistakes this Hillbilly made in showing up for auditions? Don't you people think? Don't you wonder why they're putting you in front of the judges when so many thousands were turned away without seeing the producers of the show, never mind the judges?
No. I guessed not.
Listen : Starz In Their Eyes - Just Jack ... Fame - Irene Cara ... Bohemian Rhapsody - not the man in the video above. Queen.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
If you have 25 minutes spare, I have a health video for you to watch (broadband connection required).
My wife has AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis). It's an auto-immune disease that affects millions of people yet doesn't have the same publicity as diseases like Lupus (and AS is more common than Lupus). If you have all-over muscle ache, if you have noticed limited range of motion, or if your neck or spine doesn't move like it should, ask your doctor to refer you to a rheumatologist for a simple blood test. Because treating it early with biologics makes all the difference. The video explains it better than this short blog entry.
Listen : Bees - Caribou ... We Are All On Drugs - Weezer.
My wife has AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis). It's an auto-immune disease that affects millions of people yet doesn't have the same publicity as diseases like Lupus (and AS is more common than Lupus). If you have all-over muscle ache, if you have noticed limited range of motion, or if your neck or spine doesn't move like it should, ask your doctor to refer you to a rheumatologist for a simple blood test. Because treating it early with biologics makes all the difference. The video explains it better than this short blog entry.
Listen : Bees - Caribou ... We Are All On Drugs - Weezer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
