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'cause he's my man

2/17/08 08:49 am - This is *so* cool!

A sworn capitalist working to make solar energy affordable to everyone:

 

"You may not like their politics, or their attitude, or their style. But if we really do have an energy revolution in this country and free ourselves from our addiction to fossil fuels, it will be because of hard-charging, take-no-prisoners entrepreneurs like T.J. Rodgers — not UN committees, environmental groups, or government officials."

Read the whole thing.

1/30/08 09:04 am - OMG

[info]calysto wrote in [info]guncontrolnow  Turning Point

Wow.  Welcome to the world of personal responsibility, and I say that with all sincerity.

(h/t to SayUncle and

[info]throwingstardna)

 

1/28/08 10:50 am - One of Our Civic Duties

In Meditations on Self Defense, a TX member of law enforcement outlines how defending ourselves when victimized is not a right or even part of our nature but an obligation to our fellow citizens.

7/28/07 06:29 pm - A Special Thanks for First Responders, EMTs, and ER Workers

With the two-year anniversary of the plane crash coming up (see "This Too Shall Pass," "A Long Week," and "Update"), I'm indulging in a little pity party.

I could easily blame LawDog for turning me on to this story. I could blame the instructors from the first responder training I took about a week ago for inspiring an interest in reading this stuff as much as possible. Or, I could just blame the tree that caught my brother's undercarriage in the darkness, plunging it onto the golf course just shy of the runway.

Anyway, today I came upon a (not-quite-fictional) tale told from three different perspectives: The cop who was first on the scene of a really nasty car crash, his good friend and EMT who was second to arrive on scene, and their good friend the ER nurse who dealt with two of the three patients found on scene.

I was doing okay reading the first two perspectives, dealing with the expected leaky-eye-syndrome that comes from such a tale. However, what started me bawling was reading the ER nurse's tale. At some point the role of Bobby somehow got switched with my sister and the tears came in a flood.

The fact that my sister lived through the mangling of that accident is a miracle -- even more so that she now has use of all her limbs as well as her brain -- and it's directly attributable to people such as those described in this tale-of-three-perspectives.

BTW, A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver, the EMT mentioned above, has become one of my daily reads since I took a First Responder Course a week ago (it was a periodic read before then), so I would have come across the story eventually.

Current Mood: touched

7/4/07 01:47 pm - And Then There Were Three

Current Mood: sad

6/4/07 07:01 pm - Last Month's Conference in Minneapolis, MN

I went to the Society for Technical Communication's 54th Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN, last month. If you're curious, these are links to the posts (I changed the posting dates so they'd appear in May's archive):

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

6/2/07 01:08 pm - Survival Tips, on the cheap

( I wrote this up at work, for distribution at the office, because I'm the office emergency preparedness person. )

5/17/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (6)

I managed to be packed, in the lobby, and ready to head to the airport at 0735; unfortunately, the shuttle runs every 30 min at 25-past the hour and 5-before the hour, so I missed it by 10 min (sigh).  The airport shuttle was filled with STC attendees. We had a good old time discussing the conference on the way to the airport.  Because I didn’t get to the airport exactly 2 hours early—as specified by many travel experts—security was a mess. Even so, I managed to get through with no hassles and to my gate with about 45 min to spare. That’s when I found out MSP has no smoking areas past security—not even an outdoor alcove where we are subjected to the elements, such as at LAX. That should have clued me in to the fact that this was not going to be a good day.
 
I began chewing Nicorette immediately, then discovered there were no coffee shops nearby—in fact, if I wanted anything, I had to go back to the central hub, which was a *long* walk. So, I suffered. When I boarded the plane, much to my dismay 7B was in the middle of the plane, not near the front—everything was quite crowded, but I was on my way home and happy. (Have I mentioned recently how much I missed my hubby?) Then it happened: out on the runway the pilot got a warning light and had to return to the gate. Initially, they promised it would be a quick repair and we’d be boarding again in an hour. Three hours later they cancelled the flight and began the process of putting everyone on other flights. Fortunately, they had lots of flights leaving for the Washington area that afternoon (this includes to BWI and DCA). They put me on a flight to DCA (my least-favorite of the three) leaving at 7:00 that night and I begged for an aisle seat near the front of the plane (I was quite ready to pay to upgrade to first class); the guy couldn’t get me an aisle seat, but asked if I would take a window seat in the last row of first class. I said of course and asked how much—he said not to worry about it.
 
Alas, the flight proved to be the best part of the day (other than greeting my hubby, of course) as my bag wasn’t on my flight.  Nor did it arrive as promised the next morning. And when I called to find out where it was, they couldn’t find it. To make a long story short I didn’t get my bag until after 9:30 that evening.
 
My weekend was basically shot. All my plans had hinged around my getting home at 2pm Thursday to relax, unpack, and do a little laundry. Friday I was supposed to relax more and head out to the Gem and Jewelry Show at the Dulles Expo Center and later be taken to dinner by my sweetie. Saturday we were to take The Mighty (our eldest cat) to the vet in the morning, pick up my car from the dealership (where they worked on it all week) in the afternoon, and in the late-afternoon/evening I was to work in the yard and maybe do another load of laundry.
 
I spent all day Friday on the phone with Northwest. My hubby picked up carry-out for us that night while I stayed home to wait for the bag (they located it around 5:30). Saturday morning we took care of the cat and the car, I did some serious food shopping (people as well as cat food) in the afternoon, and that night and all Sunday I spent in a marathon of cleaning and doing laundry.

(posted 6/4/07)

5/16/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (5)

The last day of the conference began with Distributed Writing: A Psychology of Social Computing Practices. The speaker started with a discussion of computers and how they’ve changed our lives, how the WWW used to work, and how the web is transforming into Web 2.0, segued into how this relates to technical communication and how we can use the new tools of social networking, and wrapped up with web security and how Web 2.0 can be a great danger to our information as well as personal security. Good stuff.
 
What’s Psychology Got To Do With Style? Practical Ways To Improve Your Communication Skills began with a discussion of persuasion, then discussed communication styles and tone, and lastly addressed managing the “politics” of various situations, including the fact that most offices now contain up to four generations (teens to seventy-somethings).
 
I waited all conference for If You’re So Smart, Why Does Your Writing Suck? (I found out the next day on the shuttle to the airport that there were close to 325 people attending that session!) The presenter discussed what makes bad writing (inconsiderate content, commission/omission, and bad process) and how to help writers shape content by reining in “knowledge telling” (a tendency to tell-all) and “knowledge transforming” (overestimating the reader’s vocabulary, too much attention to “seductive detail,” and seeing connections that aren’t there).
 
That was pretty much the end of the conference—there was a closing session, but it usually doesn’t contain anything more interesting that the opening session—so Chris and her husband took Sheila and I to Mall of America. Alas, Wendy had to leave after the second session (we all attended the same sessions that day) so it was just the four of us. I almost begged off because I was concerned I would be hurting too much long before we were supposed to leave. I was right, unfortunately, but Chris was kind enough to agree to leave early. We split into two groups, and Sheila and I began our “mall walking” stopping at various stores that caught our eyes. Sheila never did buy anything, but seemed to go into more stores than I did. I picked up a bunch of touristy treats for my office, a bottle of Minnesota ice wine for me, three bars of pine-scented soap for my sweetie (who loves the scent of pine), and a new leather belt-purse (aka fanny pack) for me. We finished the evening with dinner at “Bubba Gump’s”—a Forrest Gump-themed restaurant.

(posted 6/4/07)

5/15/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (4)

After having been awake since 0030, I felt surprisingly alert when I arrived for the Technical Editing Special Interest Group meeting Tuesday morning; of course, the eight cups of coffee I had might have had something to do with that. Sheila, who is not yet a member of STC much less the SIG, attended to see what it was about; she very much enjoyed the camaraderie of those who edit for a living—something that the DIA editors lost when we were split up, and that Sheila hopes to begin experiencing more of when our agency editors get together for their periodic lunches (note to self—schedule another editors luncheon).
 
If I’d Known Then What I Know Now + Trends In Technical Communication, my first session of the day, consisted of some very lively discussion among the five presenters/panelists regarding their experiences. One point they brought out several times was that written as well as oral communication should always consider those for whom English is not their first language; in other words, simple clear language (especially when writing instructions) that can be easily translated—word choice is essential for clarity and reduces the possibility of confusion!
 
My next session was the Editing Progression. I sat at three different tables during the 90-min session—Editing for Religious Organizations, Editing the Work of Nonwriters (using onscreen tools), and Make Each Technical Editing Minute Count. The first I took as “something completely different,” and the fact that the table was near-empty. The second was presented by a woman with around 3 years in the editing field, but she had a PhD (and wasn’t afraid to use it); she had one good tip—a monthly Writing Tips email sent out to writers highlighting trouble spots from the month before. The third I expected to have more to do with speed editing (one area I always feel I could improve on), but it had more to do with selecting editing styles/levels and discussions with writers.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed Writing For The Web. Key points: people want to find stuff, not read/slog through page after page; they want information/answers to solve problems or complete a task; link names should be precise; BLUF (bottom line up front); and web pages should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are up to date and meet customer needs.
 
The last session of the day was Words, Words, Words: Controlling The Unnecessary Sprawl Of Terminology. Excellent session presented by the TechEditing SIG leader. She discussed controlling terminology—glossaries for jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations (something I’m working on now for my office); language control (minimizing a writer’s love of the thesaurus or desire to create new, cutesy, words); setting guidelines and creating style sheets; and creating a terminology data base for writers so they consistently use one word or phrase to mean one thing. Alas, I had to leave when she got to the Q&A section because I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, and sitting in the front row I didn’t want her taking it personally.
 
Needless to say, I went back to my room after that and went straight to (my very lonely) bed. (Have I mentioned how much I really don’t like being without my sweetie?)

(posted 6/4/07)

5/14/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (3)

I had much better luck with the coffee maker that morning.
 
I found Chris outside the registration area around 8:00. She had hubby Larry M. with her, though he was there strictly for vacation. (Have I mentioned how much I missed my hubby?) When I told her about the Polka band at the Welcome Reception, she was sorry she missed it (her name has three vowels and seven consonants—go figure). She was quite happy to hear that next year’s conference is in Philadelphia—Larry is from that area. She was also pleased to hear I may be able to talk my hubby into taking some time off and joining me there as well. As Sheila wasn’t with her, and she didn’t have her cellphone number on her, Chris decided to hang out by the reception area while I headed to where the Opening Session was to be held to save some seats for us. It turns out that Sheila went to the New Attendees session, which started at 7:00. When the two of them did hook up, while they were exchanging cellphone numbers a woman happened to overhear and struck up a conversation. Wendy G., amazingly enough, is from our sister agency down the river—small world! (She and Sheila ended up becoming fast friends and went to the same sessions throughout the day.) Chris eventually joined me at the Opening Session, but somehow Sheila and Wendy missed us, or we missed them, and so we gave away their seats.
 
The start of the session was filled with award presentations, some of which were actually quite nice to listen to. Alas, I was reminded that at STC I’m surrounded by leftists when one of the awards presented was for Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The keynote speaker was a hoot, though. Once introduced, he immediately proceeded to glaze everyone’s eyes over when he announced he was going to talk about math for the next 40 min. Amazingly enough, he made his entire talk quite entertaining, and ended up receiving not only a standing ovation but the equivalent of a curtain call when the STC director pulled him back out for a bow as everyone was still applauding. (During his talk, though, he again reminded me of my minority status when he discussed “Inconvenient Truth” and its rebuttal film, criticizing the rebuttal film as filled with interviews that twisted the words of the speakers and was otherwise loaded with inaccuracies. Of course, he qualified his statements with his high qualifications—more than 5 years as a documentary maker for BBC. Yup, real objectivity there.)
 
The first session I attended was Understanding Web 2.0 And Its Impact On Technical Communication. It was standing room only, though a few people managed to stake out some space on the floor in the aisles anyway. (I later heard it had the highest attendance of all the sessions, and that’s saying something!) I was very much in need of a good overview of the web of the future, and this session definitely provided it. Although it should have been at least an hour and a half, the speaker managed to cram all the info into the 60 min allotted. Fortunately, all I needed was a good overview; however, when I left the session to meet Chris and Larry for lunch, he was still answering questions from the audience (going into details on information I really didn’t need, so I felt no need to stay).
 
The three of us headed off to an English pub for lunch. Although I finally met Sheila, she and Wendy ended up having other plans and were unable to join us.
 
Unfortunately, service there was awfully slow, so I didn’t get back in time to get a seat at the session I really wanted (Myths and Trends in the Changing English Language), so the nearest of my other options was It’s Not My Aunt’s Online Help Anymore. What made it worse was that the session had little to offer me as far as info for my job was concerned, so I left after about 45 min and went back to the Exhibit Hall (and got a 20-min head/neck reiki treatment from the massage lady).
 
The last session of the day I attended was What Technical Communicators Need To Know To Succeed In The Real World. Good stuff! For the most part, it was about what makes a person successful. We also did mini-workshops where we partnered up to discuss what each of us does right and what we need to do better in order to succeed. (I later found out that Sheila and Wendy attended the same session, but were on the other side of the room.)
 
For dinner, Chris and Larry and I met at The Newsroom (reasonable prices, journalistic atmosphere). I was quite pleased when Sheila and Wendy joined us half-way through our meal. Unfortunately, Chris, Larry, and I needed to leave early so that we could get back to our respective hotel rooms to watch “Heroes.” (If you’re not familiar with the show, you probably don’t understand the attraction.)
 
I ended up getting to bed at around 10:00, but woke up two and a half hours later. After tossing and turning for an hour and a half, I decided to get up to write this (sigh).

(posted 6/4/07)

5/13/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (2)

Got up before my wake-up call and spent the morning figuring out the coffee pot and doing some ironing (yes, I do know what an iron is, and how to use it—I just don’t like to). Even though I went for the wrinkled look for the conference, I still had to touch up a few things.
 
I left for the convention center at about 11:40—good thing, too, because not only was it a long walk, I got lost trying to find the walkway out of the hotel that would take me there. (Minneapolis is filled with over-the-street fully enclosed walkways, probably so that the convention center will get used year-round rather than just late spring through early fall.) I arrived shortly after registration opened (noon). On my way out, I ran into STC board member John H. (he had a bunch of ribbons attached to his badge, and I’m pretty sure one said “board member”); he and I chatted a good while.
 
Next thing I know, I’m attending a luncheon with Carolyn (whom I met the night before) and another DC Chapter official (Kathy). One of the topics of discussion was recruiting, and I asked whether they had tried approaching any government offices using a “here’s what we can do for you” tactic. They had, over the years, occasionally sent letters out but they never received any response. Unfortunately, as an all-volunteer outfit, follow-up is a little difficult when your volunteers all have full-time jobs. Fortunately, as a long-time government employee, I know how government agencies work, so I made a few suggestions on how to find POCs on the various web pages (including how to find the web pages themselves). I’ll follow up in a week or so to find out if they’ve had any luck. I’ve also promised them I’d check into my agency’s education department to see if I can get a few STC education classes incorporated into the agency’s education program. As I kept telling the DC Chapter officials, no one needs help “looking good” more than the US government (g). BTW, the DC Chapter was presented an “Excellence” award and Carolyn asked me to use her camera to take their pic as they received it; amazingly enough, the pic turned out okay—a little bright, but okay nonetheless. (Carolyn later posted it to the chapter web page, and did an excellent job of “fixing” it.)
 
I never did hook up with Chris B. on Sunday, though we did chat on the phone a few times, and she told me that Sheila O. wouldn’t be in until late that night. So, I ended up going to the Welcome Reception by myself.
 
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was a bit crowded, so I had to step out into the hall until the crowd spilled into the Exhibit Hall (the press of bodies was a bit much). Loads of exhibitors this year; unfortunately, I have little interest in state-of-the-art computer programs or translation services, so I hung out mostly in the bookseller area, where I picked up a couple of books (one on grammar, the other on organization). Next to that booth was the massage therapist’s set-up; I got a 20 min foot massage and she and I had a pleasant chat about how she got started with the STC conventions, massage therapy, fibromyalgia, etc. Did I mention the Polka band they had playing? You would think we were in Minnesota or something. ;^)
 
Again, thank goodness for cellphones—as good a time I was having, I still missed my hubby, and our kitties, terribly.

(posted 6/4/07)
 

5/12/07 11:55 pm - STC Notes (1)

Got to Dulles early. As is always the case, check in was a breeze and the TSA line was short, though one of the TSA folks in an effort to speed me along tried to separate me from my computer (not a good idea, especially since he was the one who told me I needed to remove this, this, and this, *and* put everything in separate bins). Flight was supposed to leave at 5:16, but didn’t take off until 6:00; turbulence the entire way (yuck). Arrived in Minneapolis 2 hrs 25 min later—very smooth landing.
 
At the shuttle counter, I encountered a woman heading to the same hotel I was—something told me she was attending STC as well and I asked her as much. Turns out she is one of the senior STC DC Chapter officials. Carolyn K. and I exchanged contact information and had a marvelous time chatting at the back of the bus all the way to the hotel.
 
The hotel room was quite nice. Roomy, loads of space, and did I mention roomy? I loved the bathroom, btw—large counter, drawer space, and plenty of room.
 
Thank goodness for cellphones. As nice as everything was, I still missed my hubby terribly.

(posted 6/4/07)

5/4/07 04:33 pm - Women and Children First

"The next time I’m reminded of the suffering women endure in too many radicalized Muslim cultures, or apathy toward their plight back here at home, I’m going to conjure up the image of 40 or 50 thousand Muslim mothers [in Afghanistan] smiling into the faces of healthy babies. You might try the same — and remember, while you’re doing it, that these babies would not be alive today if it were not for the U.S. and Coalition soldiers."
--Fred Thompson, America, Saving Muslim Women' Lives
(h/t Instapundit)

New Iraqi School Had Bombs Built In
"The plot at the Huda Girls' school in Tarmiya was a "sophisticated and premeditated attempt to inflict massive casualties on our most innocent victims," military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said."
(h/t Hot Air)

5/1/07 11:42 am - Yay!

Last month, I sent letters to Virginia's Govenor Kane and my State Senator Cuccinelli, and Delegate Marsden regarding the VT shooting. As in the past, Delagate Marsden was the first to respond to me -- in fact, he usually is the only one to respond. However, I just got a note from one of Sen Cuccinelli's aides: 

Senator Cuccinelli agrees with you that the most effective deterrent and protection against incidents like the VT shooting is protecting the 2nd Amendment right to carry of law abiding gun owners. As you mention, the criminally minded know that they are least likely to encounter opposition at schools and other "gun free" areas. This endangers everyone. Senator Cuccinelli would be supportive of lifting the restrictions on carrying on campus for adult concealed carry permit holders.

Only law-abiding citizens follow the rules -- criminals could care less.

4/28/07 11:12 pm - May He/She/They Rot In H-E-Double-Toothpicks

Normally I don't wish people ill. In fact, I try very hard *not* to do that. However, right now I'm not normal.

4/12/07 12:21 pm - You Might Be A Survivalist If....

For those who have been wondering what the heck I've been up to lately, check out survivalblog.com, which is where I found  You Might Be A Survivalist If....  Although I hope I never get as ridiculous as some of this stuff sounds, unfortunately most of the things on this list seem just plain reasonable to me (sigh).

So now you know what I've been up to.  Well, not really, but I have been doing a lot of reading and studying and book-buying and researching and so on and so on.

Anyhoo, do you have a household first aid kit?  Is it up to date?  Does it contain items specifically suited to the needs of you and yours?

4/11/07 07:18 pm - Required Reading For Women

An article from 2002 from Woman's Quarterly on what happens when police aren't held liable for the safety of the citizens they are sworn "to protect and to serve."

Money quote: "More striking is the position of the law in nearly every state: The police have no legal obligation to protect citizens from crime."

So, do you hear that, ladies? The cops don't have to protect you. What's worse, in far too many cases they just can't get to you in time to prevent your harm, or even death, even if they were so inclined.

Besides, wearing a pistol makes you look thinner. Ladies, just ask any man, "Does this gun make me look fat?"
(from Ravenwood's Universe)

2/21/07 03:45 pm - I Don't Care About Anna's Body

My theory on the Anna Court Kerfluffle is that the judge is trying to stretch out/delay proceedings for as long as possible to keep HK Stern in the country long enough for the cops to build a proper murder case against him.

Just my two cents.

2/19/07 05:30 pm - Criminal's Laugh At Gun Laws?

(another Say It Isn't So!)

From NEW FINDINGS FROM FBI ABOUT COP ATTACKERS & THEIR WEAPONS

Predominately handguns were used in the assaults on officers and all but one were obtained illegally, usually in street transactions or in thefts. In contrast to media myth, none of the firearms in the study was obtained from gun shows. What was available "was the overriding factor in weapon choice," the report says. Only 1 offender hand-picked a particular gun "because he felt it would do the most damage to a human being."

Researcher Davis, in a presentation and discussion for the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, noted that none of the attackers interviewed was "hindered by any law--federal, state or local--that has ever been established to prevent gun ownership. They just laughed at gun laws." (emphasis mine)

(h/t SayUncle)

Methinks this is why, despite it having the strongest gun laws in the country, DC has an incredibly high crime rate involving firearms.

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