Happy Birthday

Please read the following post made by my friend Kat Armstrong:

http://www.katarmstrong.com/blog/2009/10/happy-birthday-to-you/

Voices from the Wise

Being wise does not be being old. You can be wise and be young. Like 6 year old Elena Desserish. Somehow, she knew that she didn't have long to stay with her family after being diagnosed with cancer. As Elena's cancer grew, it took away her ability to speak. But not her ability to communicate with her family. She left hundreds of notes to be found after she died all over her house; in the china drawers, in the closets, between CDs and books.

These notes have been gathered by her parents and made into a book.

http://twitter.notesleftbehind.com/

I hope to own a copy of this soon. Seems more important than more RAM for a computer.

Voices from the Past

The Nobel Peace Prize used to be an award with high prestige, the person or group winning it had done something wonderful to advance human knowledge, to advance humanity, to bring us to a better understanding of ourselves.

When I think of the Nobel Prize, I think of people that truely have earned it. The Dali Lama, Elie Wiesel, and others. (complete lists can be found on Wikipedia)

I do not think of politicians who seem to win it more than they ought to.

This one person that should have won in 2007 instead of Al Gore: Irena Sendler http://www.irenasendler.org/

She, with a small group of 25, helped rescue 2500 children and adults from Poland during World War II. She was captured and beaten by the Nazis. She was fortunate to live a long life.

Voices being silenced

I remember when "Freedom of Speech" meant something, when disagreeing with the people in Washington was "patriotic." Apparently, the White House doesn't think it applies to everyone, just the people and news outlets that are sympathetic to them.

Thanks to @twnstar2, @Fingertipsnews and @whpresscorps for the link:

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/10/obama-administration-tries-to-ban-fox.html

Voices of Hope

I just read this story passed on from @Alyssa_Milano on Twitter:

To both Dominic and The Dominator, and his family:
Know that there are good people all across this country now hoping for a remission to your cancer and that you have the chance many of us have to grow up to an adult and do wonderful things. I am glad to have read your story and to see that you have not wasted your life in sorrow over your condition and that you have made something amazing happen. All my best to you and your family. Be strong and be brave!

I really wanted to leave a note on the Baltimore Sun's site, but had trouble with the registration. So, I'll leave my message here instead.

Local CDF Station

Car Show -- Pontiac Firebird Turbo Pace Car

Car Show - Really Old Truck, 1926

Car Show - Trucks

Car Show - Corvettes

Car Show -- 1955 Pontiac "Nomad"

Car Show -- 1958 Chevy Impala

Emergency Info

NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

NOAA West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center

Stargate

After reading the tweets from Ming Na, I'm really looking forward to seeing what Stargate: Universe bring us. Lost ship, really far from home (Voyager was still in this galaxy, looks like Destiny is across the observable universe), people that don't have the skills to survive, and the ship is broke. Hopefully, we'll get stories that matter. I never really felt that in the seven years Voyager was on, that anything they did mattered to the Federation. It was like they operated in a (haha) vacuum. I hope that SGU's stories will be relevant to what happens on Earth and the Milky Way galaxy. And I hope we see lots of original stories, ones that keep me wanting the show to be longer than an hour. Ones that keep me coming back for more every week. Not stories where I keep hoping the ship just opens the airlocks and spaces the crew, or the crew is a bunch of white teethed sweet young things that hop from bed to bed faster than the ship can move, or the constant whining. I can get that from my kitten. Or my nephew.

Syfy (huh? I still don't get it.....), please give SGU the chance it deserves, unlike what happened wiht Firefly and Defying Gravity. And give us a show we science fiction fans can stand with to the 200th episode.