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November 4th, 2008
09:07 am - Executive Experience Not Necessary
I am off to the polls.
In the event you read this before voting, and encounter someone today who is still worried about Obama's supposed lack of experience, a two-word response is sufficient:
Abraham Lincoln
After one congressional term and one failed run at the Senate, he became the compromise Republican candidate in 1860. Initially derided as an ignorant back-country "Railsplitter," Lincoln did make some mistakes (everyone does!), but he proved to be brilliant at executing his vision and, at least as importantly, holding together a fractious coalition of advisers ranging from out-and-out abolitionists to border-state, anti-Emancipationists.
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September 8th, 2007
05:45 pm - Madeleine L'Engle
A long and prolific life ends, and ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) pinkfinity posted an excellent meme to commemorate L'Engle's life and works:
When you see this on your flist, post a quotation from a book by Madeleine L'Engle in your LJ/blog/journal/etc.
I have spent the last hour looking for my copy of A Wrinkle in Time, which used to reside on my son's bookshelf, and have regretfully concluded that when we painted his room he packed it up with the Hardy Boys books that we have given away, because I can't find it anywhere. So, this quote is from memory, and it's going to be rough:
( cut for those who haven't read it )
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/suns/sad.gif) sad
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July 21st, 2007
09:42 pm - Finished Deathly Hallows
In less than 24 hours, a record for me! And loved it, in the sense that the story kept me turning pages at an amazing rate. The only other book to match it in intensity was GoF. Flaws are certain to be exposed on further reading, although DH now has his hands on it, having elected not to wait for the Bloomsbury version to arrive after all. I intended a reread to pull my thoughts together, but I'll make do without --
( Totally disorganized, spoiler-laden first impressions )
Current Music: Scheherazade
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October 3rd, 2006
10:28 pm - Gay Rights
(Gacked from blpurdom)
We would like to know who really believes in gay rights on livejournal. There is no bribe of a miracle or anything like that. If you truly believe in gay rights, then repost this and title the post as "Gay Rights". If you don't believe in gay rights, then just ignore this. Thanks.
I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, considering those who read my journal. Even my mother believes in gay rights, and she's one of the most conservative people on the planet.
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September 10th, 2006
09:04 pm - Interests Meme
Gacked from nearly everyone --
( My Interests Collage! )
I really liked this one, even if it provided only photos of bridges to represent a card game. Fortunately, I can't think of any man-made structure more beautiful than a bridge.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/suns/tired.gif) tired
Current Music: Sunday night football
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January 8th, 2006
07:18 pm - Bwahahahaha!
The evil me is revealed at last:
( Read more... )
Is this because I like baseball? Or because I don't want lots of friends who don't know me well? An odd quiz, I thought.
OTOH, I knew I couldn't win this one, as neither my undergraduate major (government) nor law was one of the options. Apparently they believe all analytical thinkers should be engineers. At least it got that I can't draw, not even stick figures.
| You scored as Engineering. You should be an Engineering major!
Philosophy | | 92% | Engineering | | 92% | Mathematics | | 83% | Biology | | 75% | Psychology | | 75% | Linguistics | | 75% | English | | 75% | Sociology | | 75% | Dance | | 67% | Anthropology | | 67% | Chemistry | | 42% | Theater | | 42% | Journalism | | 25% | Art | | 17% | </td>
What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)
created with QuizFarm.com |
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December 31st, 2005
02:06 pm - Books I've Read in 2005
I used to do this every three months. I'm seriously slacking off . . .
Organized by theme rather than chronologically.
Richard Moe, The Last Full Measure. This is the story of the First Minnesota Volunteers, which fought in the Civil War and whose stand against the Confederates at Gettysburg may have made the difference in the battle. If you have any interest in the Civil War, or in military history, this is an excellent and very readable book that tells the story as much as possible using the diaries and letters of the men themselves – some of whom were highly literate; others’ writings were eloquent in their simplicity and honesty.
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels. Fictional account of the Battle of Gettysburg. Told from multiple POVs, all different from the perspective of the First Minnesota. Good, but The Last Full Measure was better.
Azir Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran. Another truly excellent book, recommended by many. Dr. Nafisi brilliantly intertwines the study of English literature with the history of the Iranian Revolution.
Henry James, Daisy Miller, Washington Square, and The Turn of the Screw. The first two were discussed by Dr. Nafisi in her book. I didn’t care much for The Turn of the Screw; I found it plodding and only finished it because it was so short. The others were good. I also began reading The Ambassadors, but haven’t finished it.
Vladimir Nabokov, Invitation to a Beheading. (also discussed by Dr. Nafisi) and The Secret Life of Sebastian Knight. I’ve never read a Nabokov book I didn’t like.
Agatha Christie, At Bertram’s Hotel and Murder on the Orient Express. I found the first one in my mom’s basement. First-time Christie reader.
Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots and Something Rotten, all great fun.
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Read twice.
C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew. First-time read, in preparation for the Narnia film. Never got around to LWW, which I’d read only once before and very quickly.
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. Reread in anticipation of the P&P3 film. On this reread I particularly appreciated the wealth of comic characters.
Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club. Good, but lightweight.
I’m sure I’ve read other books, but I just can’t remember them at this point. Bad recordkeeping, I guess. And, of course, I’ve left out all the contracts, case law, tax codes, regulations and other guidance that I’ve read. And the newspapers and magazines.
I resolve to read more nonfiction in 2006, as well as more books.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/suns/working.gif) busy
Current Music: Santana
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November 18th, 2005
08:06 pm - Intelligent Design
From today's Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701304.html
Evolution for believers, eloquently and succinctly written.
I wish I'd read it before the conversation I had last week with my Christian fundamentalist uncle.
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November 7th, 2005
02:14 pm - Election Day and Capital Punishment
I don't post a lot of political content, but it's election day tomorrow, with a photo-finish gubernatorial race expected here in Virginia (though it's an off-year for Congress, I live in one of the two states that thinks its governors shouldn't have coattails).
Naturally we have been inundated with tedious ads. Most of them are of the he-said, no-I-didn't variety, but I found one exchange deeply disturbing, and it continues to haunt me even though I've not seen the offending ads for at least a week.the ones descibed here really did make me ill. Basically, the Republican candidate Kilgore has dredged up relatives of executed criminals to appear in TV ads to proclaim that they don't trust the Democratic candidate to execute those convicted of the killing. Yes, that's right. They don't "trust" (their word) Kaine to kill people. I didn't like Kilgore before, but now I can't separate him from the message of retribution in these ads.
The Democratic candidate Yorrick Tim Kaine (yes, Ffordefans, that's right) is opposed to the death penalty. He is a Catholic, and his position avowedly reflects his faith. Yet he has had to produce response ads assuring that he will uphold the law regarding the death penalty in Virginia. ("Don't worry, good Republicans! I'm going to kill people because it's the law!")
The whole episode is especially troubling because of the history of the death penalty here. ( Disturbing facts about the application of the death penalty in Virginia )
I'm hoping that Kilgore's strategy will backfire. Kilgore's ads have been widely denounced as inaccurate in the press; Kaine's responses have been deemed to be factually correct. Moreover, it's a strategy that seems to be aimed at conservative, traditional Virginians, but the polls indicate that the race will be won or lost here in Northern Virginia, which is wealthier, more liberal, and more likely from someplace else where different rules apply.
Rant over.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/suns/scared.gif) distressed
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October 27th, 2005
10:11 pm - Catching up on days of LJ
You are a RAVENCLAW!
As a Ravenclaw and as an NTP, you are intellectual,
independent, and value excellence in yourself
and in those around you. You have a strong
sense of curiosity, and in general can see many
aspects of a single issue or debate. You have
a strong drive to acquire knowledge and set
very high standards for yourself and those
around you. You enjoy being challenged, and
can accept constructive criticism without
taking it personally. You are probably at
least somewhat unconventional, and will not
usually follow authority for its own sake;
instead, you will consider the issue at hand
and make a decision for yourself.
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Based on Myers-Briggs Personality Typing
brought to you by Quizilla
Yup, this is about right.
Did I mention that I was sorted into Ravenclaw at The Witching Hour? Did I mention that I attended The Witching Hour? I did (for a single day) and that was three weeks ago, already! It was too short, but great fun -- it rekindled my interest in HP, to the point where I’m actually considering submitting a proposal to present my Quidditch essay at Lumos, even though I already know I have a conflict that weekend and would have to take the red-eye home.
Yeah, I’m so hopelessly behind that I still haven’t posted my summer photos yet, even though I finally figured out how to do it. It seems a bit frivolous when so many of you
are dealing with health problems, money woes, joblessness, family or relationship issues, death, hurricane aftermath, or schoolwork. I feel guilty sometimes – I have a good job, good health, a loving family (considering that I have a teenager at home), even good weather (well, it’s rained a lot lately, but I like rain). I don’t deserve all this, of course. I’m just lucky. And since none of my F-list is nearby, all I can do is send hugs. ::sending hugs to all who need them::
Now I’m going to knock on the largest piece of wood I can find.
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September 27th, 2005
01:45 am - Movie Meme Update
Nineteen of my twenty movies were guessed, which means either that I've got common tastes or that my memory of the more obscure movies I've seen -- which I am not periodically reminded of -- is deficient. A couple of clues for #3. First, though the photo is black & white, the movie's not that old. Second, look at the setting of the photo. What's that behind the characters? Third, I put up a new photo here.
( thoughts about the movie meme )
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September 23rd, 2005
12:59 am - Movie meme, my politics
The movie meme, gacked from many. Proving what a technosquib I am, it took me two days to figure out how to find screencaps and then figure out how to upload them to Yahoo photos. By then, some of my favorite movies were taken. No guarantee that there still aren't any duplicates, but the results are
here
Most of these are really well-known, and some of my absolute favorites are missing because they've already been used; I had trouble getting a pic for one.
Rules are:
1. Pick 20 films you love/thoroughly enjoyed.
2. Find screen captures (stills) for each film. If you can't find a still, pick a new movie.
3. Post the pictures with the rules; let your readers guess what movie each still is from.
By the way, I am a socialist like most of you.
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September 2nd, 2005
01:09 pm - Two Questions
How can a city in a supposedly civilized nation issue a mandatory evacuation order and then stand by as the affluent leave, without providing the poor with any means of escape? Where were the 475 busses before the hurricane hit?
And a more prosaic question: Can someone give some good advice on uploading photos to LJ? I've looked at the LJ help instructions, but my attempt to use Comcast's photo feature seems to have failed.
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August 31st, 2005
10:04 pm - Katrina
I just turned on the TV for the first time today saw the images of the devastation. I have no words. My possessions seem very frivolous right now.
A real update will have to wait. It's been months, so another day or two won't make a difference. I will say, though, that I had an exciting, exhausting and rewarding summer. School starts Tuesday.
Off to wire money to a relief agency.
Current Mood: worried
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July 19th, 2005
10:42 pm - Something about a book
I live! First, apologies for the lack of comments - I've been checking only a few times a week and rushing through everyone's entries before rushing off to something or other. But I am briefly delurking to acknowledge that I spend Friday evening at the bookstore (something about a book everyone seemed to be buying) and part of my weekend reading between various children's sporting events that I dared not bring my new book to for fear it would be rained on. And dealing with other RL events. My kids' summer babysitter was seriously injured in a boating accident this weekend -- not life-threatening, but she'll require long-term rehab. Amazingly, we found a replacement. Unfortunately, she was 1 1/2 hours late today. I will give her a second chance. Under the circumstances that's the right thing to do.
No time to write a proper review of said book, as I have a plane to catch at some ungodly hour in the morning. Except to say I enjoyed this one much better than OOP (despite a couple of things that made me blanch), and to promise a better review soon.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/suns/awake.gif) rushed
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May 24th, 2005
09:40 am - Cheering the art of compromise
Perhaps there is hope after all --
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/23/AR2005052301970.html
It seems that the legislature will not grind to a halt, which can only be a good thing. But I'm not yet ready to restore any measure of confidence in our nation's elected representatives. Negotiation and compromise is the lifeblood of human relations, yet it seems that increasing numbers of people seem to regard compromise as a form of moral weakness, rather than as a measure of respect for one's colleagues. I suspect it has roots in the religious right, When did mutual respect, compromise, and confidence in the constitutional system of checks and balances break down? And how? I suspect it has roots in the religious right, but it has crossed over to the other side of the aisle as well.
The centrists are a dwindling number. What are the prospects that they will be able to broker a deal next time?
I am alive and well and promise that a real update will be forthcoming, very soon.
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December 29th, 2004
08:19 am - Thanks and Sadness
This is not a real update, but thanks to those of you who sent cards. I'll be sending individual thanks as soon as I can, but they brightened a much too busy holiday season. My last card didn't go out until the 24th, but I did manage to finish everything.
I haven't caught up yet partly because my office won't leave me alone, but mostly because I keep getting sidetracked every time I log on to the internet by the terribly depressing tsunami coverage (my homepage is CNN). This morning the death toll was 10,000 higher than reported in the newspaper I had just picked up from my doorstep. Last night I spent my internet time reading profiles of aid agencies to decide where to send a donation. This morning's coverage compels me to send another one. And to pray. Prayers for the living as well as the dead, and especially for the aid to reach them in time.
I also learned yesterday that my 96 year old great uncle died, the last of his generation. I feel that I've lost a link to my past. He was the last of the immigrants, the only remaining relative to speak with a foreign accent. Though not related to her, he came to America on the same boat as my grandmother. She died thirty years ago, but my great-uncle told us about it.
Current Mood: sad
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November 2nd, 2004
07:19 am - Leave plenty of time to vote!
I left for the polls this morning at 6:03 a.m., jogging the four blocks to my precinct station. I expected to be among the first 10 or 20 voters.
Wrong. There were well over a hundred people in line ahead of me, and it took over an hour to get to the front and vote.
So leave lots of time. If possible, vote mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Edited to add: I passed three other precincts on my travels this morning and all of them had lines out the door all the way to the street. And I don't live in a battleground state. This is a Democratic neighborhood in a very Republican state, and I've never seen a heavier turnout. Lots of young voters, too.
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October 24th, 2004
08:17 pm - Poetry meme and central heating
Poetry meme, gacked from about half my f-list. I’m a week late, but poetry is never stale. After contemplating the choices overnight, I settled on a seasonal selection, from Macbeth. ( behind the cut )
Fall has finally arrived. I finally succumbed and turned on the heat today. I promised to do it when the indoor temperature dropped below 60 degrees, and it had been hovering at about 61 for 2-3 days because the clouds had prevented the sun from doing my heating for me. I was beginning to become lethargic, but I caught the thermometer reading 59 degrees this morning, and the heat went on. Too bad. I was liking the gas bill, and the heat turns my bedroom into an oven while the den freezes.
But next week I can enjoy a cold bedroom again. I'm going camping with the Cub Scouts in Pennsylvania and there is no heat in my tent. Actually, I'm looking forward to it.
Credit for the new elf icon goes to here_be_dragons or alpheratz or giraffe_warrior. I can no longer remember which because it has been too long since I've had it.
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October 11th, 2004
08:09 pm - Lolita! and more
It’s been 3 months since my last reading update, so here goes:
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: This was one of the most compelling reads in a long time. It was equal parts tragedy and comedy (the Episode of the Ineffective Sleeping Pill, in particular, was a wonderful piece of comic timing!), fantasy and gritty realism, and a psychological study infused with biting commentary on middle America of the ‘50s. The forward states that at one point he threw the manuscript in the trash. Fortunately for us, his wife fished it out. ( ”more )
Dearest Friend (author’s name forgotten). This was an autobiography of Abigail Adams; since John Adams was a rival of Benjamin Franklin’s, this biography was in some ways complementary to the biography I read earlier this year. I liked this one quite a bit less, however, as I felt that the author was too anxious to explain her faults and her actions instead of showing them to us. Still, the book provided a good insight into a woman who is widely regarded as an early feminist.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. One of the books in Nabokov’s Cornell lecture course. I’m not sure I’d agree that it deserved to be included. It was interesting, but Stevenson felt compelled to make his point (concerning the dual nature of man) in epistolary form, and the letter that ended the story read like an essay, so overall I was disappointed. The book included a number of other short stories on the same theme.
The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg. This was my daughter’s summer reading book for school. I thought it was a good choice, involving a disparate group of kids linked by events that came to support one another.
My current reading is A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce. ( what I discovered )
In other news, we visited the new National Museum of the American Indian this weekend. Lots of good stuff there, starting with the architecture of the building (somewhat pueblo-like) and the Three Sisters (beans, corn and squash) growing outside instead of some sterile landscaping. We found the pre-Colombian gold from South America, which my son found very cool. He has chosen his favorites, and we’ve looked up the styles in our Colombian gold book at home, so I think the trip was a success. In two weeks we’re going to visit the Colombian ambassador for a program that I hope will be a good follow-up to the Indian adventure.
Yes I know I owe replies to comments, and I have all the greatest intentions in the world of actually doing it. Soon. This week.
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