So cute!

Check out the lion cam at the National Zoo

They had four cubs born a few days ago and while they're inside with their mum over the next few weeks, there's a camera so you can watch them. Right now, for example, the cubs are nursing, not surprisingly.

I found out about the webcam from Baby Lion Cub Live Webcam Launched from Wired magazine.

I haven't figured out how to view it in Firefox (the plugin for Windows Media Player doesn't seem to exist for WMP 12, which I'm running on a Windows 7 x64 version sytem, so that's an issue), but I could view it in IE8. Let me know if you have Firefox on a Windows 7 machine and know where there's a plugin I could download. Thanks!

PS There are a lot of webcams at the National Zoo, so if you're interested in watching other animals there, be sure to follow this link: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/.

An interesting sound, and they kept Pluto as a planet, no matter how small

One Ring Zero Reboots Holst’s Planets, Keeps Pluto in Mix

Brooklyn brain-popper One Ring Zero’s latest album Planets is a reboot of Gustav Holst’s legendary orchestral suite The Planets for the 21st century. But its view on Pluto’s demotion from planetary status is purely 20th century.

“Pluto will always be a planet to me,” One Ring Zero multi-instrumentalist Michael Hearst told Wired.com in an e-mail interview. “Even if it’s just a dwarf planet.”

Released this week, Planets is One Ring Zero’s latest attempt to smarten up traditional pop using unconventional sonics and subjects. For more than a decade, Hearst and One Ring Zero co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Camp have served up multidisciplinary music using theremins, accordions, claviolas, toy pianos, Jones-o-phones and other unusual instruments.

You don't see theramins, much, unless you go searching on YouTube for off-the-wall videos. Wait. This band is kind of off-the-wall. But they've got catchy, off-beat music to go with it. Think klezmer meets world music meets, well, these guys with their theramin and claviolas. Here's the offering for 'Venus'. You can listen to 'Pluto' (which has an even stronger theramin sound) at the Wired article's site.



Here's the Wikipedia article about One Ring Zero and also their official web page.

A thoroughly library kind of day

Today I:

1. Worked on a grant that has helped keep the library books updated (my budget mostly goes to keeping the medical journals afloat, leaving little to spare). I need to report on what I've done this year so far, what I plan to do in the remaining months, and I also have to get together what I plan to do for next year so hopefully we can get it again.
2. Sent a rush interlibrary loan to another library.
3. Did the data entry work. I actually didn't have a chance to do any insurance verification today because there were some fairly complex things to enter for my regular post-library work.
4. Took some books back to the branch library I use. I was asked if I was a librarian (all three books I checked out had librarian in the title). So I chatted a bit with the lady there.
5. Picked up two books and two 7-day DVDs (since I can watch DVDs on the TV again). The books are Crimes by Moonlight, which is edited by Charlaine Harris (author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, of which I finished the latest novel as of yesterday). It's a 14-day book, so I must remember to take it back earlier than normal. But it's a collection of short stories, so I should be able to read them in that time. There's also Tall, Dark, and Dead, part of a series I've never read by Tate Hallaway. As far as DVDs, I got Whale Rider, which I've wanted to watch for some time, and Flags of Our Fathers. My own grandfather was at Iwo Jima, the subject of the film. I'm hoping to understand more about what went on there through it.
6. Found the name of a collection of short stories related to the Sookie Stackhouse universe and downloaded that to my Kindle while I was there.
7. Went to leave and saw the poster to the right. Now, as a good citizen I can see why reporting suspicious behaviour could be considered patriotic and good. But it was a little creepy to see an appeal to inform on others in a library. It seemed to have shades of, well, not dystopia, but some sort of control of the citizenry through information. That's how it struck me anyway.
8. Found a copy of American Libraries in my mailbox when I got home.
9. Checked out something online I saw in 'American Libraries Direct'--an e-mail newsletter I get--that is really, really great if you're an HP Lovecraft fan. It's a webcomic that started back in 2008 called 'Lovecraft is Missing'. I've read chapter one, which brings me up to installments from January 2009, and I'm hooked. It's spooky. The art and writing both capture the flavour of Lovecraft's work. And the central character is a librarian whose job is to acquire books so they do not wind up in the hands of cultists who would do unspeakable things with the knowledge.

Anyway, that was my day so far. How about you?

There is no emoticon for the pain on my face at reading this

Congo mass rape numbers rise to 240 - UN

Some 240 women, girls and babies may have been raped after rebels recently seized a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN says.

It pains me that any human being would do this, would try to dehumanise, physically and emotionally traumatise, and shame another being in this way. In doing so, they are the ones who shed their humanity, who bring for the darker human nature that we think of almost bestial, yet beasts do not do this sort of thing, humans do. That they can do so to children is especially heinous. The systematic use of rape is a crime against humanity as well as the victim.

This is one village, one brief time in the morass of war in the Congo. So many women and children have suffered this fate, and with horrible wounds, fistulae, not to mention the emotional and social scars.

This must stop. Please, my Gods, let this stop.

A well done public-service message

but it's sad that it has to be done in a country which was founded on freedom of religion and which supposedly embraces diversity.



Via Joe.My.God.

Excellent

So, it's been a productive morning so far. I'm doing two loads of laundry, as I had nothing to go to work in. While I worked on the regular laundry, I started rummaging through the bags and piles of old/winter clothes that were in the walk-in closet that got wet to see how bad things are. About 75% seems okay. Some things will have to be thrown out. Others can be washed. But as I went through them, I found a bag that had been untouched, and inside was an old VCR that a friend had given me awhile back. I'd totally forgotten about it.

Now you must understand that my VCR had died, meaning 1) I could not watch any VHS tapes, 2) I couldn't record for posterity (as opposed to the cable's DVR, which is transitory) and most importantly, 3) I couldn't watch any DVDs, as my DVD player has to be routed through a VCR or at least something with the right plugs as my TV is old and doesn't have the right input. I had looked into getting an RF converter (which seemed to be what was needed) and that was okay, but also I looked at DVR-VCR combos, which are pricey, but could be very useful. Until Brandon asked me about whether I had the capability to record a show on DVD for him, I did not realise that such things had come down in price to be affordable to most consumers, which was embarrassing for someone who is a gadget girl/techie (although in truth, I'd call myself a medium techie. A lot still goes over my head. But I can handle most software issues on a home computer, and most hardware issues, can run lots of cables, etc.)

Anyway, this was like a bonanza. And it didn't get wet at all. So I took it out to the living room and hooked it up, and it works great. I can watch DVDs on the TV again, which is much better than doing so on my computer monitor. And by the time I got everything functioning, it was time to put my clothes in the dryer, so now I'm just letting them dry. I'll be kind of cutting in close for when I have to leave for work, but at least I'll have nice, clean clothes. I did most of my T-shirts that weren't in the closet because next week, during the short work week, is employee appreciation week at work and we can wear jeans all week. Yay!

Things went rather well at work yesterday despite the fact that all of the hospitals in the system went smoke-free as of then. I didn't hear any complaints (of course, I'm not in the trenches in dealing with the public, as I mainly serve the staff). Someone put a sign on the gazebo out back, which was a smoking area, that it was for sale/lease, lightly used, smelling a bit of smoke. The rest of the hospitals in Lexington are non-smoking, I think (at least UK, Central Baptist, and St Joseph are--I don't know about the other tertiary care facilities like Cardinal Hill and the Ridge). We delayed as long as possible because unlike the other facilities, we don't have a street up near the hospital. Our hospital sets on over 20 acres of grassland, and it's a decent walk down to the street. I, for one, like having a non-smoking environment, but I'm not a smoker, and my asthma is very sensitive to cigarette smoke. But I could see where it would be an inconvenience for those who do. It amazes me that all of the University of Kentucky is now smoke-free, not just the hospital--very different from when I was in school. I guess it's the trend, and a good one in my book. I'm glad Lexington has a municipal code against smoking in stores (except say, tobacco stores). It's not like I go to bars much, but it is nice to be able to do so, say if there's a concert or something, and I love being able to go into a restaurant and not get hit with the stuff.

Well, I'd better get ready so I can just pull the clothes out of the dryer, get into clean ones, and go. Have a great day.

How bizarre

I hope they catch the woman who did this, and that the young woman who was attacked heals well. Thank God she had sunglasses on; it may have saved her sight.


Acid attacker: 'Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?': Wash. woman in serious condition after unprovoked attack in Vancouver

A 28-year-old woman severely burned when a stranger threw an acid-like liquid in her face was listed in serious condition in a Oregon hospital.

Bethany Storro, of Vancouver, Wash., was getting something out of her car in downtown Vancouver when the attack happened Monday evening, her mother Nancy Neuwelt told The Oregonian.

Neuwelt said a young woman walked up to her daughter, said: "Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?" and tossed a cup of liquid in Storro's face.

Police are looking for the attacker, but the description's awfully vague: 'a black woman between 25 and 35, who wore a green shirt and khaki shorts, The Columbian reported. She had medium-length black hair that was pulled back.' It's a shame it didn't get caught on some sort of video. I think it's weird how camera-wired Britain is, but they can catch someone who puts a cat in a garbage bin, but this is a whole other form of senseless act, and the assailant may never be caught.

UPDATE:

Woman admits acid attack was self-inflicted: Vancouver, Wash., police say discrepancies led to story's unraveling


Hmmm...apparently she was wearing the sunglasses at night, and the story didn't gel with the cops. Why is it that people like this always blame some black person?

Wow

Man plunges 39 stories from NYC skyscraper — and lives: 'That's a miracle if I've ever seen one. He should be a goner,' witness says

A New York City man who plunged 39 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building has survived after crashing onto a parked car.

Witnesses and police said 22-year-old Thomas Magill jumped from the high-rise at West 63rd Street on Tuesday and landed in the backseat area of a Dodge Charger.

He broke both his legs and police said he was in critical condition.

The car's owner, Guy McCormack, of Old Bridge, N.J., told the New York Daily News he was convinced that rosary beads he kept inside the Dodge saved Magill's life. "Here's what saved him!" McCormack said as he took them from the car.

This man was terribly mad (in both senses)

and it's a shame his mental illness drove him to violence and eventually led to his death during a standoff.

Suspect had long protested Discovery programming: Website talked of his wanting networks to expose civilization 'for the filth it is'

James J. Lee, the suspected gunman who held three hostages for hours at the Discovery Communications building in Maryland on Wednesday, apparently had a long history of contempt for the company, which includes the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel and Planet Green networks.

His website, SaveThePlanetProtest.com, was essentially a screed against Discovery, urging the company to expose civilization "for the filth it is" and to puts its focus on "how people can live WITHOUT giving birth to more filthy human children since those new additions continue pollution and are pollution."

Then, almost as a business-like afterthought, it said: "A game show format contest would be in order."

It's an interesting but very sad look into the actions of someone who was obviously insane. Fortunately the hostages are safe, the situation is resolved, and everyone except the gunman could go home at the end of the day. But I wish he could have gotten help before it went this far.

I glanced at one of the televisions in the hospital lobby this afternoon, which was how I found out about the story. But it demonstrates the usefulness of Twitter, as the tweets spread the news and pictures long before the media got involved. We truly live in a world where information spreads like wildfire. Of course, the quality of the information is anybody's guess.

Reflecting

I agree wholeheartedly with Rachel Maddow (via Joe.My.God.):


This, for those who have not read back that far, is the post I put up on March 19, 2003--the day the United States invaded Iraq:

I watched the news tonight with a sick feeling in my stomach. I do not agree with this war that our president and his supporters seem so hell-bent on. But I also realise that it is inevitable. I thought so from the moment Bush was declared the winner in the election-long before the attacks of September 11th. I only hope that it may be accomplished without the loss of innocent lives. I rather think that is a faint hope--so the people of the Middle East and our soldiers and those of our allies are very much in my thoughts and prayers tonight.

As much as I am against this war (for I do not believe it is a just one, or one that must be fought to avert an imminent threat to my country), I don't agree with those who would protest by disrupting daily life. After all, that seems to be more a tactic that terrorists would approve. I guess I'm more of the candlelight vigil-type peacenik than the sign-waving type. Or maybe the pick-up-the-pieces-do-what-you-can-in-the-aftermath sort. And as a child of the Vietnam Era, I can't support verbal or other attacks on our soldiers, even though we have an all-volunteer military these days. After all, many of them joined up to see if they could get money for school or otherwise better life for themselves and their families. Most gung-ho idiots I've ever known who really wanted to go to war were singularly unsuited for military life and were drummed out or never accepted in the first place.

I did not agree with the Gulf War, but at least in that case Iraq had invaded a neighbouring country; and I was frustrated that to have started everything in motion they didn't "finish" it by removing Hussein. I felt that we (and by we, I mean the UN, rather than the US alone) should have intervened in Bosnia long before we did). I am not a pacifist. I would cheer the Iraqis if they rose up against Saddam Hussein. But I'm not sure the US has a right to go barrelling into another country virtually unilaterally. I mean, how would we feel if someone did that to us? I'm sure we'd cry foul. I hate to see the US government play up world unity and the UN when it suits its purpose, but then pretend that it doesn't have to play by anyone else's rules. And I certainly don't think it's honourable to do so.

So for now, the world waits. I'm still not convinced that it will be quick like the supposed authorities say. Certainly if Iraq uses any type of weapon it wasn't supposed to have a lot of other countries will join in. I can see where the war of worlds and dares and all the buildup can go far before the first bullet is fired. If the intent is to occupy Baghdad, though, it may be another matter. Big countries with lots of power often run afoul of things when they think they can go traipsing into that area (think of Russia in Afghanistan as the most recent example). We have the might, but they have the turf.

I just don't know where this will lead. I'm almost numb with the possibilities--and I'm not even directly affected. I think our world needs a bit of luck and perhaps divine intervention to make it through this new century, though.

Nothing about how I feel has changed, and I think I was right. I'm sure a lot of people who did make horrible decisions feel the same, and maybe they can sleep at night. But I'm glad I didn't send thousands of people to their death over political machinations.

I hope that despite it all, the people of Iraq can hold things together on their own and achieve democracy--something they'll have to do on their own, ultimately; it can't really be imposed. But I still have a sick feeling about what might happen now that we've officially left. The situation is extremely complex and has a history going back not just decades but far beyond. I just hope things improve, but that hope is a little faint.