Well, I got up in time to take a shower

before they started working on the water in the building. I also straightened the place up a bit and collected the trash to go out and also the recyclables. Cerys tried to help by following me everywhere and being at the bottleneck in my living room (I have bookshelves, or more properly, wooden shelves on cinder blocks), dividing the living room from the dining room, plus bookshelves and paintings all around the perimeter, so there's a space of about two-three feet to walk through. I finally went ahead and put her in the bedroom. She'd already been fed and gone out. Still, as exasperating as it was, it was also really cute how she doggedly (no pun intended) followed me around. She just wants to be with her mom.

I've apparently cut the bottom of my left little toe somehow and I'll have to keep an eye on it (diabetes and all) to make sure it doesn't get worse.

I forgot to blog about two stories from yesterday...

One, of course, is the death of Luciano Pavarotti from pancreatic cancer complications.

Thousands pay respects to Pavarotti

It is a great loss to opera, to Italy, and to those who value the wonder of the human voice. Here he is singing 'Nessun Dorma'



Then there was the striking down of the gag aspect to the PATRIOT Act.

Federal judge strikes down part of Patriot Act

Court Denies Government’s Broad Assertions of Secrecy in Refusal to Turn Over NSA Eavesdropping Documents

National security letters allow agents in investigations dealing with terrorism or intelligence to secretly gather phone, bank and Internet records without a court order or a grand jury subpoena. This came up because the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Security Archive, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed suit to enforce a Freedom of Information Act request regarding warrantless wiretapping.

Now for today's news, the first that hit me (and I hope it's terribly wrong) is that the parents of Madeleine McCann have been named suspects in her case.

Parents of missing British girl parents to be named as suspects

Madeleine's mother faces fresh quiz

Being named a suspect apparently gives them certain protections under Portuguese law, although they can been questioned more thoroughly. This move apparently has to do with forensic evidence found in the apartment and in a car rented weeks after the girl's disappearance.

In health news, popcorn eaters, take note:

Popcorn addicts risk lethal lung condition, doctors warn

Of course, the man diagnosed with it ate two bags of microwaved popcorn every day for ten years, inhaling the steam, which apparently has chemicals in it that can cause the disorder. So, don't eat too much popcorn, and don't inhale it, either.

One bit of good news: Sudan Agrees to Darfur Peace Talks.

Well, that's all. Time to take out the trash and head to work.

Listening to

Avril Lavigne's 'When You're Gone'

This video is well-done. I just can't for the life of me figure out why Avril Lavigne, who has a very delicate beauty and colouring, chooses to use racoon eyes as her signature style. This video's embedding was disabled by request, so I've provided a link.

And then there's this one, a great concept, which tells us to always wear our seat belts...

Coldplay's 'The Scientist'

Know a hypochondriac?

Forward this to him or her. Ta-da, it's the

Disease Mongering Engine

Amaze your friends by generating symptoms to fictious diseases. Here was mine:

Reactive Depressive Social Syndrome With Speaking In Tongues (RDSSWSIT)
RDSSWSIT is defined as explosive, emotional behavior and responses compromised by a pessimistic mood and emotional outlook in social situations, complicated by an uncontrollable urge to rapidly speak at loud volumes in unknown languages.

Source: Page 99 of the DSM-IV-FE*

*Fictious Edition

Granted, the creator of this engine is a holistic nutritionist, Mike Adams, who seems very anti-pschiatry, anti-pharmaceutical, and anti-allopathic medicine, preferring natural/holistic treatments. In other words, most people would consider him a looney, although he's a fairly interesting looney. I tend to prefer a mix of allopathic and holistic medicine, myself. (As in if I were diagnosed with cancer, I would try nutritional support and regular treatments). Anyway, enjoy the generator.

Reasons a library should be called a library

Change a Word, Change a World (My Word's Worth: a weekly column by Marylaine Block)

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox' take on 'Using Old Words When Writing for Findability'

Okay, got to run now!

Bush doesn't get it

The Battle over SCHIP

Congress' reauthorisation of the State Children's Health Insurance Programme (SCHIP), which has had great success in expanding coverage to children of the working poor, seemed like a no-brainer, until President Bush threatened to veto it. Maybe Bush should try living on a low-income whilst raising children.

We couldn't possibly cover the health care of children whose parents make below a certain income level, right? Because that would put us on the road to socialised medicine? If the SCHIP bills refuse to go into law, reauthorising the monies required to continue the states' health care programmes, many families are going to see their children's health care go down the tubes. And we all know that preventative health care is less costly than when things get acute.

Except President Bush.

A shame

African Evangelists Destroy Artifacts

It's the more recently converted Pentecostals whose intolerance is leading to the destruction of African art and cultural items for the most part, rather than the more tolerant Catholics and Anglicans who have been established for some time. As much as I would hate to have Nigeria's past looted, it might be better for these items to be preserved by museums and private collectors (many no doubt from outside Africa) than to be burnt and otherwise destroyed.

It's amazing what a couple of hours makes

I went in to work a couple of hours later than normal because I had to be at an appointment and so I stayed till 4:30 or a little after, actually. The traffic was bumper to bumper, much different from my 2:30 sprint down Richmond Road is normally.

I'm home for just a little while between jobs, eating some Morningstar Farms' buffalo wings (did you know they were a division of Kellogg's?) They're pretty good.

Tonight is the truck at the gas station, and I'm only working two hours. My schedule changed so I'm working tomorrow, a little longer than originally scheduled for Saturday (9 hours instead of 6) and then I'm working Tuesday. But, since I'm very nearly broke (but my rent's paid, and on time--I was afraid our cheques wouldn't get here by Wednesday, but they did), I can't complain, and I'm just concerned about gas and food--and I have somewhat of a food stash put away, plus our chairman emeritus brought in some apples from his home, and I got a bag of them. Next week is the big cheque that bills come out of. This is the first time in awhile I've been so low, because there were some non-mothly expenditures last month. This month should be better. I did go ahead and cancel the newspaper--I didn't really have time to read it. I get those through the 15th. I'm also working on cancelling the gym, but with that you have to sign something in person and then it cancels 30 days from then, rather than immediately, so I'll have to pay for October (those wiley people at Gold's Gym). I haven't gone in a very long time, so there's no use paying--I don't have the time for that either. I do have an exercise bike and for that matter probably access to a treadmill, which is the main stuff I did at the gym anyway. Besides, I lifted 500+ journals today (not at the same time, although I did push the cart full of them). Between that sort of thing and medical texts, I get a little bit of a workout. :)

Tomorrow is jeans day at work. Must remember. Must remember. Also I have to remember to get up early because they're turning our building's water off at 9 am (my normal wake time) to switch out a water heater.

That's how my day's going. Hope yours is well.

Figures

I just found out Painkiller Jane has been cancelled (not from the official site, there's nothing there; a friend found it elsewhere on the Net). It figures; I liked it. The Dresden Files have been axed as well, apparently. Why is it sci fi shows I like don't last long? Of course, I'm still bitter over VR.5. :)

I don't watch much TV (I don't even have cable). I watch PKJ, the 4400, and of course, Heroes--the latter of which is back in action September 24, yay! If I did have cable I'd probably watch Eureka and Ugly Betty.

Good night.

The power of one voice, one signature, combined with others

I've been a member of Amnesty before. I'm thinking of joining again. There's just too much going on in the world that's wrong; in such a world not speaking out against things like torture and other human rights abuses feels too much like condoning it.

Listening to

Pink's 'Who Knew'



This one isn't particularly autobiographical for me--I harbour no real desire to have anything to do with the several freaks I've dated over the years. But it captures young infatuation and betrayal rather well, and that I do understand from first-hand experience.