christmas eve in NYC

I spent christmas eve in NYC with Noah and Chika. We visited the natural history museum, the planetarium, Rockefeller Center and finally Times Square. What a trip! chika and noah know all the subways - we also ate at a Indian restaurant. Christmas day chika made dinner, and noah and I played microsoft flight simulator for several hours - what a great game! It is better than any simulator I have used for my own instruction. overall a great christmas.

Babies have good judgement

Six- and 10-month-old babies are much more capable judges of character than previously thought. Not only can infants pick out a good Samaritan, they tend to identify with them, according to a Yale University study published in the journal Nature.

The study released last month presented babies with a diorama-like display of an anthropomorphic circle struggling to make it up a hill. Just when it appeared that all hope was lost, a heroic triangle appeared, and pushed the circle to the top. The round climber bounces, clearly elated to have reached the summit. The same scenario is played out again, only this time a square appears at the top of the hill and pushes the circle to the bottom.

The babies were then asked to pick a toy – the helper or the hinderer, as scientists called them. One hundred percent of 6-month-olds and 87.5 percent of 10-month-olds chose the helper. The results were consistent even when the triangle and the square swapped places as good guy and bad guy. In several other iterations of the experiment, the helper, regardless of shape or color, won out.

"Babies are very competent socially," says Kiley Hamlin, lead author of the study. "They can figure this kind of stuff out without people explicitly teaching what's nice and not nice and who's nice and who's not nice."

Mall shooter a time bomb

Robert Hawkins killed 6 people in a mall in Omaha. Read the article below. He was in treatment centers for 4 years. It was not clear where he was living at the time of the shootings. He lost his job at McDonalds. He and his mother ate dinner at the house of her ex husband, Robert's stepfather, the night before the shootings. he took an assault rifle from his stepfathers house. His stepfather is not available for comment because he is in thailand - I feel sorry for the dead and injured, but this kid Robert had a hell of a life: first of all Omaha - an island in the middle of the plain states: there is nothing there except a big air force base. Second, his family: he spent 4 years away from his family in residential treatment centers: when he turned 18, he is an adult, and there is no state funds for treating adults for behavioral disorders in a residential setting. So he was kicked out of the system. Third, he worked at McDonalds, a minimum wage job, probably part time (so they didnt have to pay him benefits), probably because he lacks a high school diploma. Fourth, his stepdad has an assault rifle: why? who is he planning to assault? Home protection? Install a burgler alarm system. Fifth, his step father is in Thailand: why thailand? What is Thailand known for? underage sex? Robert sounds severely disturbed: the not uncommon cause of severe emotional disturbance in teens and pre teens is sexual abuse. I want to know more about Stepdad and his relationship with Robert. This was one angry boy: so angry he wanted to take it out on the world before killing himself. Who to blame? You need to take a test in order to get a drivers license, but anyone can have a child, regardless of how stupid, cruel, or f**ked up they are. Robert didn't seem to have a chance given where and how he grew up. I pray for him and his victims.


The mother of the teenage gunman who killed eight people at a busy shopping mall earlier this month apologized Thursday for her son's crime and said she did her best raising him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Maribel Rodriguez told ABC's "Good Morning America" when asked what she would say to the victims' families. "I'm deeply devastated with you."

Her son, Robert Hawkins, 19, fired more than 30 rounds inside a mall department store Dec. 5, striking 11 people. Six died where they fell, one died on the way to a hospital and another died at a hospital. Three other people were wounded, two seriously.

Hawkins was a troubled teenager who spent four years in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care after threatening to kill his stepmother in 2002. He had recently broken up with a girlfriend and lost his job at a McDonald's.

She and Hawkins ate supper together at the house of her ex-husband — Hawkins' stepfather — the night before the shootings, Rodriguez said. The stepfather was vacationing in Thailand.

She and police have said Hawkins took the assault rifle he used in the shootings from his stepfather's closet.

Hawkins either was kicked out or left that home some time ago. At the time of the shootings, he was living with Debora Maruca-Kovac and her husband, whose sons were friends with Hawkins, Maruca-Kovac has said. He had lived there for a little more than a year.
>

Stupid Warning Labels!

here is a site that awards stupid warning labels.the idea is that companies put warning labels on products to defend themselves from lawsuits - but the warning labels make you wonder just how stupid people can be. Probably really stupid.......

ISS and space shuttle pass in front of the sun

here is a link to the picture of space shuttle and ISS passing in front of the sun. make sure you click on image to get the full screen version. very cool......

ode to joy lyrics

ever wonder what the lyrics are in english to beethoven's Ode to Joy? (Actually written by Schiller but....) here they are. I heard this on car radio, starting with 2nd movement, so beautiful, I sat in parked car until the end.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, daughter of Elysium
Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of Gods!,
Daughter of Elysium,
Joy, beatiful spark of Gods!.
1

coast guard pic

I love this picture. These guys are taking a break, relaxing at the back of a lockheed C-130. They are clipped in with carabiners.

Tesla electric car

GM killed its electric car program, the EV1. Here is another electric car, a sports car, goes 130 mph. Price? $98,000.

Mike Huckabee - not nuts after all? A hero instead?

You must have heard about the woman who was gang raped in Saudi Arabia (isnt that inconsistent with Islam?) and in response was sentenced by a court to be lashed - that's right, it was her fault she was RAPED! has any politicians spoken about this? What about Hillary? Are we so afraid of offending the damn Saudis? Screw Saudi Arabia - their oil is not worth one American life as far as I am concerned. And yes one politician has spoken out: Mike Huckabee! Yeah, one of the republican candidates who doesnt accept evolution, the Babdist minister from Arkansas (that's how they pronounce Baptist in Arkansas) - here is his own words!

Consumers are financing both sides in the war on terror because of the actions of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday.

The former Arkansas governor made the comments following what he suggested was a muted response by the Bush administration to a Saudi court's sentence of six months in jail and 200 lashes for a woman who was gang raped.

"The United States has been far too involved in sort of looking the other way, not only at the atrocities of human rights and violation of women," Huckabee said on CNN's "Late Edition."

"Every time we put our credit card in the gas pump, we're paying so that the Saudis get rich — filthy, obscenely rich, and that money then ends up going to funding madrassas," schools "that train the terrorists," said Huckabee. "America has allowed itself to become enslaved to Saudi oil. It's absurd. It's embarrassing."

Huckabee said "I would make the United States energy independent within 10 years and tell the Saudis they can keep their oil just like they can keep their sand, that we won't need either one of them."

New analysis: Abe Lincoln picture at Gettysburg

here is the link to the abe lincoln at gettysburg pictures.

best of christopher walken -

Here it is the very best of one of my favorite actors. The first is CW reading the 3 pigs - really funny (Nathan will like this!) the classic weapon of choice fat boy slim dancing video this one is good for halloween, CW reading Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven (that one's serious).

Here is CW singing about "Mango" on SNL (this one is funny)

And Colonel Engus, he likes going down South. This also includes more cow bell. And the first Mr. Continental.

crying while eating

I have posted this before but havent checked it out in a while. Really funny. pic shows christorpher, crying because of global warming, with his cat wrapped around his neck, while eating chicken tenders and spicy ranch dressing. browse through these - some are very clever.

Eraserhead coming to regent square theater

Everyone has been waiting for this: Eraserhead coming to Regent Square theater. What excitement! Seriously, this is a movie every movie freak has to see, at least once (well, maybe once at the most). Its a movie about a guy who gets his girlfriend pregnant, she moves in with him, gives birth to a mutant, leaves him, and he eventually kills the child. While this is happening, there a woman who lives in his radiator, and some burned guy is watching all this from his window. Who is the woman in the radiator? is the burned guy God? Is this post apocalyptic film about the end of the world, about nuclear war aftermath, that even God gets mutated? What IS this film about? And there is a constrant screeching noise in the background. This movie is hard to watch, annoying. So why watch it? My favorite scene is when the guy goes to his girlfriends house to meet the family, a typical scene. Only her mother is in a trance, and the cornish game hens they are about to eat become alive and start moving - its the meet the girlfriends parents scene from hell! Now THAT is funny. Perhaps this movie is about NOTHING - Lynch says its about experimentation, and never reveals if its supposed to mean anything.

You can eat squirrels in NJ

This story is a great relief to me! But you can eat no more than 2 squirrels a week...everything in moderation....

Squirrel eaters in the US state of New Jersey have been told that the bushy-tailed rodents are likely safe to eat, after earlier being advised the unlikely delicacies could contain toxic metals.

The Environmental Protection Agency said earlier this year it had discovered high levels of lead in a squirrel taken from near a waste dump in the Ringwood area and advised people to eat the rodents no more than twice a week.

Push Polls - we covered this in class!

John McCain was hurt by horrible push polls in 2000 in South Carolina primary. These are phoney polls that are designed to identify if a voter has positive feelings about a candidate, and then proceeds to provide negative information to the voter about the candidate. For example, in SC in 2000, these polls asked if respondent had a favorable rating of McCain, and if so, they were then asked additional questions. Would you still support him if you knew he had an illegimate black baby? Would you still support him if you knew his wife was a convicted drug addict? And so forth. It is true, McCain does have an illigimate black baby: he and his wife Cindy adopted an ophan child from southern India, who happens to be very dark. yes, his wife had an addiction problem with prescription drugs, tried to hide it by stealing drugs from her employer, got caught, went to rehab, did community service work. But the idea was to smear McCain. Well! Now its happening to Mitt romney, and the poll seems to be giving a favorable image of Mc Cain - and McCain is livid!!! He wants to know who is behind this, it is not him, not his style of campaigning and he has called on the atty gen of New Hampshire to investigate and prefer charges against whoever is behind this! Go John! Thats why I like McCain - he has principle, ethics, he believes in something other than winning at all costs - dignity. Here is the whole story.

surfer dude writes equation that proves everything

The universe has been captured finally, by a theoretical physicist who is unemployed and surfs for a "living." It has to do with a matrix shown above - that's what our universe "looks like." Ok. It is all clear to me now.......

Young doc has a great idea

read this story about a NY young doc, who does his house calls on the internet. For $500 you get two physicals, and the right to contact him (IM) with your health problems. He takes cash. His scripts he negotiates with providers, saving his patients alot of money. He only sees patients 18-40 yrs of age. He has a product and he markets it effectively - he has detractors, those that say, what about the elderly - well, this program ain't for them, its for younger, healthy people who sometimes need to see a doc, but don't want to deal with appts and waiting at the doc's 0ffice. Very interesting - wave of future?

Into the Wild

Just read this book about the death of Chris McCandless, a young man who hitch hiked to alaska to live "in the wild" and died of starvation. The book is sad - this guy touched so many strangers in his life. I mean I cried twice while reading the book. Talk about youthful enthusiasm, Chris had it. He was an adventurer, not reckless (well maybe) but intelligent - he knew what he was doing, unthreading the linen that holds our lives together, stripping his civilization off, seeing what he was like without the pretense of civilization. he almost made it, more than 100 days living off berries, wild potatoes and game (mostly rabbit and squirrel, one moose - which he regretted killing because he couldnt save the meat although he tried to smoke it). The author of the book explores Chris' travels before alaska, trying to find a clue about what makes this kid tick. The people Chris met along the way were amazing, and they really loved him even though they knew they knew little about him. The book is intoxicating - I almost understand what drove him. I thought about this last night...couldnt sleep....cash in my retirement, pay off bills, and hit the road...see where it goes...take odd jobs...change my name to Fearless Trampenhauer....strip myself of pretense, mendacity, and superficiality. Chris gives us quite a challenge - it just breaks my heart that he died, alone, weak, in the sleeping bag his mother made for him. A must read book. Movie is out, I havent seen it. Here are some YouTube videos of the actual spot where he tried to survive and died.

Chris' note left before he died: "SOS I need your help; I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone. This is no joke In the name of god, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. thank you, chris maccandless. August?"

His 90 yr old friend, Franz, upon hearing of Chris's death "I turned my van around, drove back to the store, and bought a bottle of whiskey. And then I went out into the desert and drank it. I wasn't used to drinking so it made me sick. Hoped it'd kill me, but it didn't. Just made me real, real sick." His 90 yr old friend had lost his wife and son when he was younger, drank for several years to kill the pain, sobered up, started adopting fatherless boys, then in his late 80's ran into Chris hitchhiking, befriended him, offered to adopt him and help him (Chris smiled and declined). Then Franz hears of his death and hits the bottle for the first time in about 50 yrs.......

Bilur Ha-Tizmoret

The Band's Visit - great movie, 3 rivers film fest. The Alexandria Police Orchestra Band arrives in Israel, only to get lost. They end up in at a jewish settlement somewhere in the Negev desert - they ask three people at a convenience store, "Where is the Islamic Cultural Center?" and the residents laugh -"Cuture? Here? There is no cultural anything here. Dead." The audience laughed - many jewish people in audience, and I think, probably spent time on a settlement in the desert in their youth, one of those summer kibbutz programs. Anyway, this Egyptian band members are stuck in this nowhere israeli settlement, and the townspeople take them in, with hilarious result;. So the film has the usual cultural conflicts and humor, but it becomes far more serious. These settlers have few new people to talk to, and the band members give them a chance to share their feelings with outsiders. We learn of the extreme loneliness that the settlement residents experience, and the loneliness of the band members. We observe the human condition, whether jew or arab, israeli or Eygptian: people are trapped in loneliness, they despair, and in that way we share a common humanity. An absolutely beautiful film. Was not considered for best foreign film by Academy Awards,because the film has too much English spoken!!! There are several languages spoken in the film, but the characters share only one, broken english, so its not considered a foreign language film. So no Acacdemy award consideration. Too bad!!!

Comet Holmes visible to naked eye

Look North turn 45 degrees right (NE) high in sky is the autumn constellation Cassiopeia in the shape of a W. looking at the W, hold up two fists and look down and to the right. You will see the star Mirfak, which is at the top of a triangle. Holmes is the left base of the triangle.

It is very bright, wobbling (dusk reflecting sunlight) - in a telescope its looks like a blob. Just look NE at the horizon, look up slowly until you see a wobbling bright star - that is the comet.

And yes people will think you're nuts peering into infinity. Holmes is close - just outside the orbit of Mars. (comparison - the closest star is 4 light years away).