i <3 Ken Gordon

i thought i was pretty sold on Ken when he walked all the way across the state to save Colorado, decided he was without doubt the bee's knees when he jumped out of the airplane, and declared i couldn't be more sold when he reported in his newsletter about his son's struggle over whether cookies are leavened or not.

i was wrong.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ken Gordon
720-209-5784
Thursday, April 20,
2006

DENVER-Secretary of State candidate Ken Gordon announced today that he will make himself available to assist the Republican Party in the counting of votes at their May 20th convention.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Republican Gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman is considering circumventing the convention process, citing "too many unanswered questions" and "a potential for widespread fraud and manipulation" in the handling and counting of ballots. Holtzman faces Congressman Bob Beauprez in the Republican primary.

In a news report in the Rocky Mountain News, Dick Leggitt, Holtzman campaign manager, pointed out that at the 2004 Republican convention, 400 more people voted than attended.

"The Holtzman-Spradley campaign appears to have legitimate concerns about the ability of the Republicans to accurately count the votes in their own preference poll," said Gordon. "In the interest of bipartisan cooperation, I am glad to offer the Republican candidates my assistance in the counting of votes at their convention."

"I am completely neutral in the race between Mr. Holtzman and Congressman Beauprez. I think that neither candidate is any better than the other," Gordon added.

Ken Gordon kicks heiny.

this cautionary reminder courtesy of the Colorado walk website...



hat tip: johne at soapblox colorado

always room for one more

believing firmly that there is always room for more insanity, i have signed up to arrange a Fort Collins canvass as part of the 50 States Campaign. this probably doesn't sound that bad, if you don't know that i am leaving town on a 15 hour road trip with two cats three hours before the canvass is to occur. still, i have never stuck with the easy way and would hate to start now. (don't worry-i have an onsite partner in crime. i do the planning, she does the execution.)

so far, i have contacted all the local candidates for the mid-term election about getting their campaign literature plus/minus their participation in the event. efforts to involve the LarimerDems and CSU Young Dems continue semi-successfully. there still remains much to do and many materials to collect. it continues to astound me how much data is not centralized and how hard it can be to bring like-minded people from multiple organizations together. in any event, i would encourage all of you to find and assist with a 50 States Event near you!

fox, meet henhouse...

is it just me or is this a bad idea?:

One proposal calls for scrapping the current system of accreditation, which has been done largely by private regional bodies, in favor of a National Accreditation Foundation that would be created by Congress and the president.

for a moment, let's leave aside the obvious problems with having an agency put together by politicians (e.g., people with political science backgrounds and with many priorities besides education) mandating standards for all types of undergraduate training in addition to overseeing the specialized fields of medicine, dentistry, law, and business (just to name a few). on the face of it, this would centralize accreditation and more closely tie the carrot (government funding) to the stick (loss of accreditation).

on the simplest level, accreditation is about assuring a minimum standard of quality and accountability for students and for future employers. how much havoc can politicians really wreak with regard to student achievement? oh wait. that isn't the only area evaluated by accreditation (bolding mine):

While each accrediting organization establishes its own standards by which institutions and programs are accredited, these standards all address similar areas, such as expected student achievement, curriculum, faculty, services and academic support for students, and financial capacity.

the FDA is mandated to address the safety of drugs and make decisions based on available science and yet emergency contraception continues to be held hostage to the Administration's stance on abortion.

by creating a National Accreditation Foundation, the Administration would essentially gain the ability to mandate all American education or lack thereof. subjects judged contentious by a politically-controlled body could be barred from the curricula (evolution, stem cell research and abortion) or forcibly introduced (creationism into the science classroom). standards limiting the ability for faculty to espouse views dissenting from the Administration's could be easily introduced.

the real surprise on this issue is how little press the potential ramifications have gotten. university presidents remain more focused on trading barbs with business recruiters (who gripe about underqualification in American graduates while continuing to lay off qualified professionals in the relentless quest to outsource all skilled labor positions to other countries).

anergy

this article brings up some interesting questions/points. unlike many in the blogoshere, i wasn't particularly shocked by this:

while 28% say he did nothing wrong.

the things i found more interesting and important are:

3 in 10 Republicans also find that Bush did something illegal or unethical.

The more closely people are following the issue, the more likely they are to say he did something illegal rather than merely unethical.

The poll, conducted April 7-9, 2006, shows that just 25% of Americans are following the matter "very" closely, while another 39% are following the issue "somewhat" closely.

to me, this is interesting/important because it shows that:

1. the stalwart unquestioning GOP base is eroding in the face of multiple scandals.
2. people aren't tuning in, possibility because the overload of 'politics as usual'/white noise has caused anergy.
3. if we can get them to tune in, Bush's support may bottom out, clearing the way for legal proceedings and 'healing.'

so the big question to me is what can be done to get people tuned back in? with the importance of the impending November elections, this no longer is an 'intellectual exercise.' given poll data on Bush and stories like this continuing to hatch, the GOP are very unlikely to maintain control if only we can get voters to plug in and turn out.

happiness makes you lazy

things have been quite busy in the 'land of j,' but postings have been sparse-partially for fear of 'jinxing' the good, partially to avoid making too much of the bad, mainly though just out of laziness.

Mickey on moving day
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

first things first, Grandma is doing great! she was transferred from the hospital to [pulmonary] rehab just a few days after i headed home. as with all our women, she made great strides and, slightly unlike my memories of her mother, got all good marks on her 'report card'. she had a mere few days home trying to clean up the mess we made before i arrived back to help her move to her new digs. Mickey hadn't been so sure she was up for life at McKendree, what with it being full of so many 'old people', but she agreed that perhaps the time had come to not live in an apartment complex with 400 20something singles. after two days of 'You don't really need this,' i am sure she wanted nothing more than for me to get close enough for her to garrotte with her oxygen line. luckily, Mickey is naturally sunny-tempered and only beat me twice. (kidding!)

big truck, little stuff
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

Mickey's tolerance paid off big time when the movers came, for there was little to load; actually, according to the movers who go to McKendree a lot, we had just the right amount of stuff! once it was unloaded, it certainly didn't seem like 'just right' but that is always the way with boxes! because there was so little room to move, we decided to push through the unpacking process and had things mostly out within 24 hours. one more day of hard work and we found ourselves able to relax and tend to picture hanging and furniture shopping at a much more leisurely pace.

right after the move, there was a big windstorm that took out the power for over 4 hours. Mickey ended up changing her oxygen tank herself, in the hall, by the light of an emergency lantern! woman in charge, she is indeed! since then Mickey has been busy fitting bridge parties and social calls into her normal social calendar. in addition, she is doing so well medically, that her pulmonologist Dr. Miller has discontinued one of her medicines.

Callie and Mom- the neutral zone
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

the biggest fly in the ointment has been the cat, Callie. she is Grandma's baby and has not generally been the nicest of creatures. unfortunately, McKendee does not allow pets and they aren't really hide-able given the twice monthly housekeeping (lucky dog, she is). Callie has gone to live with Pam and Rol, where she can still be visited by her ma at least weekly. the transition was more than a bit rough, as Callie expressed her displeasure by sneaking in to urinate on their bed, twice, but things are looking up:

'Callie is actually adapting quite well. She loves to sit on the dining room chairs and keep track of us. She virtually let me pet me yesterday. She and Glenn enjoy trading barbs, so to speak :) We think she's going to end up pretty civilized and almost pleasant.'

this is a huge relief for all for obvious reasons.

as for Mom, she has continued to have quite taxing problems with her left ear. Mom and i have been researching her symptoms and we think she has developed something called a patulous Eustachian tube. there seemed to be potential treatment options, if the diagnosis could be confirmed but we went round and round with her current ENT to no avail. he honestly appears to not care about her plight. happily, we appear to be on the verge of another miracle. Mom finally spoke to Jeanene about getting a second opinion; Jeanene got her an appointment with Dr. Shea Jr at the Shea Clinic for April 20th.

given the complexity of her case and Dr. Shea's location in Memphis, we decided we should send Dr. Shea a case summary in advance to maximize the potential benefit of her appointment. Mom emailed Dr. Shea last week and he actually called us that night to discuss her case, inform us he was certain of the diagnosis (the same we were suspecting) and to reassure us that he has a treatment solution that is fairly non-invasive. most importantly, it was obvious to us all that Dr. Shea actually understands how traumatic this condition is and really cares about its effect on Mom's quality of life. he is making arrangements on his end so that they can perform the corrective procedure, Eustachian tuboplasty, the day of Mom's appointment once they have confirmed the diagnosis. the relief this has provided has been profound for all of us, not just because of the potential cure in sight but because finally Mom has someone on her team that we trust really will give his all to help fix this horrible problem. since then, Mom has stumbled upon a number of people who have been to see Dr. Shea and they all say the same thing:

"I hear you're going to see John Shea - man's a magician."

Gordon Gee, the chancellor at Vanderbilt, actually went so far as to say he is going to write Dr. Shea to let him know how dear Mom is and to take good care of her!

with regard to me, my allergies have remained intractable and have actually be so bad as to force me to take a couple sick days. this last week, i was able to get my sass on enough to thoroughly clean the apartment, including removing and dusting all the books and moving all the furniture. knocking back the dust mites seems to have helped some, and i have some further environmental modifications in the wings.

leaving aside the allergies, i really feel the tide has started to turn. in spite of my two bum ankles, i have been exercising regularly at the gym and this week was able to carefully work out without my splints, aka torture devices. hopefully, if this keeps up, i will have the ligaments in fighting trim in time for backpacking season. research is picking up and i am [hopefully] on the cusp of getting another paper accepted for publication.

TraV in motion
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

personally, wonderful things have also been happening... i have finally met a 'boy' with whom i really seem to fit. his name is TraV, he is always making me laugh (and vice versa), and as you can see, he is always in motion. we play videogames, watch hockey, talk politics (but not too much), and are looking forward to hiking together. most every time they talk, his Mom asks to make sure he hasn't 'screwed things up;' my friends like him so much they email me regularly to ask the same of me. Saturday will make two months, and i cannot remember the last time i was this happy. how cool is that?

the only thing left to complete my happiness would be to see the tides turning back toward a democratic America from this most Orwellian Amurka. as news like this continues to pile up and polls on every potential facet of the presidency hit record lows, one can only hope the waiting will soon be at an end. in the interim, i will keep an eye out for small islands and housing in Canada...

the ratings game

the new Pew Report evaluating G W Bush is out... the dissection of data is elegant and leaves one wondering only how it is possible that he is still in command. my favorite section is fairly far down the document- titled In a Word...Incompetent. here, the poll asks people to describe the president in one word. the shift since '03 is incredible.

things have gotten so bleak for the Republicans that they now believe their best chance to maintain control in the fall election is by invoking the spectre of impreachment:

The threat of impeachment, Mr. Weyrich suggested, was one of the only factors that could inspire the Republican Party's demoralized base to go to the polls. With "impeachment on the horizon," he wrote, "maybe, just maybe, conservatives would not stay at home after all."

most baffling at the end of the day is the realization that more Americans feel neutral or positively about Simon Cowell than about their commander-in-chief...

Abbie Hoffman–your cautions resonate louder than ever

This week Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado, in an interview with Fox News radio, said in response to Feingold's action that he has "time and time again [sided] with the terrorists".

Shame on Allard for peddling fear and discouraging dissent. To paraphrase Abbie Hoffman, the strength of a democracy is reflected in the support it gives its dissidents. What is the future of America's democracy if his response reflects this country's treatment of dissidents?

to 'pepper' fish in a barrel

after ignoring the Cheney incident for several days because i find it infuriating and doubt he will be held to the same laws as the rest of America, i simply must point the way to my two current favorites. first, Felber excellently sums up why the Cheney shooting is 'no big deal.' NB: his comment section is always worth special attention. after that, pop on over to PMI for the newest edition of Keyboard Kommando Komix.

sadly, no new post on Ask Dick Cheney. well, you can't win a trifecta everyday...

something really nice

i just received my evaluations for one of the classes i taught last semester:

-Dr. Whittemore is an excellent lecturer!
-I assume Dr. Whittemore has a removable hard drive hidden somewhere
because she knows too much to physically fit it all in her brain. The only
question is... where is it stored? And where can I get one?
-clearly knows her stuff, and is able to filter it well and help us mere mortals understand stats
-Funny funny funny
-Appreciated info on utilizing stats effectively
-great lecture
-Good current review

i have started a write-up for the NYC trip but all the other stuff is slowing me down. for those interested, the pictures are up and available here.

when life gives you poop

in a startling break from previous luck, my plane got in 20 minutes early which through a strange confluence of events meant i arrived home two hours early.

although some people know of the manmade wrinkles of the past few days, they really aren't worth sharing with 'the group'. the important point is that i really thought we had rounded out a 'three'. i thought that perhaps i would get a day or two to catch up on sleep and make arrangements for my return trip to TN to help go through Grandma's things, arrange for the move, and finish sorting out the nonsense regarding Mom's accident report with the lawyers.

this stroke of good fortune seemed to support that assumption so i was unprepared for the dried sewage all over my bathroom when i arrived home. too tired to deal, i crashed. today i woke up early for a dental filling and now am waiting till i can feel my face so i can eat something. after that, time to tackle the bathroom before my next doctor's appointment.

i think they sell a card on this subject. something to the effect of, 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. when life gives you poop, DON'T.'

'uncle'

i thank everyone for the email and text messages. i spent pretty much the whole day on the phone with doctors and in the hospital. Grandma almost made it home but not quite. eventually we headed back home to get ready for a 'birthday celebration'. there was a note that i had been sent a package that the postal service would not leave and that cannot be picked up till after my plane departs. quite a birthday.

i was blessed with dinner at 'the Club' with Bill, Kelly, Mom and Rol. unfortunately, i was so exhausted and disheartened, i really couldn't enjoy it fully but it was wonderful to be together regardless of the circumstances... tomorrow will probably be another full day of hospital time and doctor calls. actually, i anticipate the entire next month will be more of the same, both from CO and on return trips here.

i think i am not going to have birthdays anymore. at all. i haven't the stamina or emotional fortitude for it all...

so here officially i cry 'uncle.'

shoulda, coulda, woulda

[i know i am behind on content but am going to skip the middle for now.]

so i shoulda known.

i woulda if i had given it a moment's thought, but i didn't.

it coulda been obvious to anyone [else].

but its me. and i didn't so there you go. ma calls as i am waiting to disembark the plane for our celebration of life (we aren't calling this the anniversary of almost dying and it isn't really about my birthday) to say they are waiting in the bar and would i like a drink. being an idiot still somehow full of niavete in spite of everything, i say sure and figure they are trying a new approach to waiting for checked bags.

i meet them and say the flight was good. Rol's stomach is upset (this comes out b/c i brought pastries from Long Island-more on that later) and how are you Mom? Rol says, 'well, actually, i am alright but' and does the Johnny Carson hand thing...

long story short- Grandma just admitted to the hospital. nothing critical. just has a blood oxygen saturation incompatible with life. doh. so we have a drink and collect the bags and go to see Grandma at Vanderbilt. somehow not surprised and also amused on varying levels by my true gut level reaction (well, of course she is, it is so 'us').

so Grandma went in for a recheck and was supposed to have pulmonary function testing. but after the nurse took her sats, she said, 'maybe we should go back and talk to Dr. Miller first.' she was running at 88% max at sea level. next thing you know she is in a private room, has had like 12 tests and is on O2 flowby.

her comment--'you know, my vision got a lot better after they gave me my treatment (5 minutes straight O2 if i understand correctly).'

if things go well and the tests don't show anything, she will be transferred to our old friend Stallworth for pulmonary rehab in a few days and will probably also go on chronic O2 supplementation. so far, she is in fairly good spirits though she was a mess initially.

quite humorously, Dr. Miller was surprised by her emotionality, thinking it was unusual for her. when Mom told me that, i had a hard time stopping laughing. my Grandma is many things and being mercurial is one of her specialities!

soon we will be off for a Celebration of Life as today marks the 1 year anniversary of Mom's accident. it should be very affirming though we are uncertain how we will need to change plans now that Grandma is in hospital. watch for pictures and stories!

with love we ask you all to truly enjoy this day. take time to appreciate the little things, to smile at a stranger, to pay someone else's highway toll, to commit a random act of kindness, to call a loved one just to say you care!

Linus without a blanket

i fear i have made a terrible terrible mistake. actually, i know i have. i have left home without my journal. it was a tough decision initially but i chose to leave it back to save on weight. i foolishly compared this trip to my most recent of travels. an unwise error. this journey is much more like previous solitary jaunts, full of little wonders (like the Chinese bakery with a French cafe nested inside) and great nothings. as ever, my overall experience is defined by food.

tonight i dined at La Gioconda. it is a brilliant Italian restaurant in Great Neck. like in Paris, i supped at a tiny little table in the center of the restaurant, the focal point of attention. unlike Paris, however, this is New York. no one particularly focused on me. here, though a little peculiar, it is not a sin to dine alone on a Friday night.

the restaurant was loud, luxurious, and small, and i was the ONLY person present who did not know everyone else present. not only did all the patrons know the owner and staff, but they all knew each other.

as i sat and dined with the hustle swirling around me, i found myself thinking the same few things over and again. firstly, how very much i hungered for my journal. how much i wished to jot these thoughts down as the adjectives clung to my brain, like chianti to my lips. second, i found myself thinking how invigorating, how sexy, the restaurant was. it is the kind of place whose energy would excite a couple, lead them home to impassioned lovemaking-a la Moonstruck-in the kitchen. lastly, i found myself startled not by reflections that i may very well die on the vine, as my grandfather would say, but by a strong desire that-should that happen-it happen in a place like this. a place where my spirit could bubble free and get adsorbed by all these other stories, all these other passions. let my spirit become a part of this wonderful joie de vivre!

what a wonderful night. i hope yours has gone as well.

two things of note

in spite of all his actions, Alito seems certain to be confirmed. but there are small things to give hope that America will not quietly slide into the sea. props to Rodney for emailing me this-it is a brilliant reminder of the true basis for American pride at this most concerning time.

in other news, Nicole had her baby! little Conor was born yesterday. he weighed in at 6 lb 9 oz, 20 inches in length. i hear Nicole presented to the hospital 8 cm dilated and Conor was delivered after 45 minutes of labor. all i can say is 'watch out taxidrivers!' if Nicole holds to form with future chitlins, there may not be another one born in hospital. both mom and babe are healthy and whole.

those who can go hug your mommies in thanks!

peace and joy to you all-

j

NOT about R or D

yeah yeah, i know. i am NY and should be out playing, not writing you all. unfortunately, i do still have to ice my ankle to keep it in check so i am stuck for a few in the hotel room.

so.

you know how drugs companies like to say over and again that drugs are expensive because they have to pass on all the expense they incur on R&D?

well, for the eight people in the world who actually believe that hooey, here is your first lesson in Pharmacia 101:

We were informed today by our drug rep that a new company has purchased drug rights to Cosmogen and Mustargen. The new company is Ovation Pharmaceuticals- phone number is 847-282-1000 and the contact person is Barbara Jackson.
They have implemented a HUGE price increase which will price out all my current rescue lymphoma patients.
New prices for Cosmogen 0.5 mg vial- $513.75 from < $30.00 vial,
Mustargen $589 from $69 for a 10 mg vial.
Ms. Jackson was unable to allow my veterinary patients to be classified as indigent and at this time will not discuss compassoniate usage for veterinarians.
Please contact Ovation Pharmaceutical and request help for our patients.

these are drugs that were already developed and on the market, drugs that had already recovered their expense. drugs that were saving lives. Ovation cannot claim to be recooping expenses for R&D on these drugs and should not morally or legally be allowed to raise prices 800-1700%, condemning animals (and probably some humans) to death from their price-gouging.

shockingly, this behavior is allowed to continue. could it have something to do with the fact that the same lawmakers who sold out Medicare to the drug lobbyists remain in Washington, policing pharmacy companies?

post-pubescent breast

today the WP reports on attempts by the Administration to further invade the privacy of American citizens in the name of resurrecting an anti-pornography law that the Supreme Court has already overruled.

Adam Felber made a good case for fear about this apparent paradox:

I guess the least-interesting and most-important thing here is that the government wants to view information about our online habits, and they’re not even trying to prosecute a crime. They just want to shore up their case for re-passing that bill that the Supreme Court already called, ironically, a violation of privacy.

in addition, this vigorous pursuit against free speech, ahem i mean online pornography, involves materials defined as:

(6) Material that is harmful to minors.--The term
`material that is harmful to minors' means any communication,
picture, image, graphic image file, article, recording,
writing, or other matter of any kind that is obscene or
that--

``(A) the average person, applying contemporary community
standards, would find, taking the material as a whole and
with respect to minors, is designed to appeal to, or is
designed to pander to, the prurient interest;

``(B) depicts, describes, or represents, in a manner
patently offensive with respect to minors, an actual or
simulated sexual act or sexual contact, an actual or
simulated normal or perverted sexual act, or a lewd
exhibition of the genitals or post-pubescent female breast;
and

``(C) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic,
political, or scientific value for minors.

i don't know about you but, given the sex drive of teenage males, i think that pretty much makes any picture of any female breast count as porn, including this article on WebMD. (Office Space fans will recognize that this phenomenon may not be limited to teenagers.) if applied, one would be required to provide credit card information or another tracable identifier to visit WebMD, thus eliminating any privacy regarding personal health issues.

let's see. they already tap your phones without demonstrable cause, sell your phone records, redistrict so your vote won't count, and institute poll taxes while ostensibly supporting the VRA when redistricting can't cut it. definitely it is time for the Administration to push harder to close the citizen surveillance loop.

so.



Bubbles by Zoë Mozert (1907 - 1993)

join me in joining Felber in becoming illegal! get your own pin-up here.

good news for Choice

today Senator Salazar issued a press release pledging to vote against the Alito nomination. there is no hope of swaying Allard but Senator Salazar's commitment is good news indeed.

in addition, the Supreme Court has unanimously supported the right to 'medically necessary' abortions. unfortunately, the more hairy issue still looms on the horizon and will not come to court until after O'Connor's retirement. as Justice O'Connor has been very important in decisions on Choice, this makes the potential confirmation fo Alito terrifying indeed.

if you have not done so already, please call your senators and urge them to oppose Alito's confirmation!

gray skies may be clearing up...

so, there has actually been one other major 'fly in the ointment'. one of our dearest had an unexpected lab result- marked hyperkalemia (potassium). i hadn't written anything because it simply didn't make sense biochemically. i couldn't figure where to start in investigating. she doesn't have any of the conditions with which it is associated. i just received word (see below) that the follow-up test was normal.

if my ankle wasn't so tweaked, i would be dancing on dikes.

in the meantime, it is a reminder not to forget a lesson i teach my students. when something doesn't make sense, stop and recheck the result before chasing zebras...

"Jamie", my new friend (receptionist at Dr. ** office with whom I talk daily now) just called. Blood work from yesterday is back and potassium level is 4.1!! Very nice number and much relief. Hi 5's with all three cats and Willie.

When I asked what to do next (go back to my "normal" eating, watch my potassium, don't eat potassium, etc) Jamie said, "go back to normal and keep track of how much potassium you are consuming and come back in three weeks".

As we wrapped up the friendly conversation, she added, "given the look of your arm (bruising and swelling from the two initial samples), it very likely could have been that the potassium released was from the damaged cells at the needle site when the blood was drawn".* I wondered that all along.

*NB: in my field, this is almost entirely an Akita thing. who knew such a little woman had such an enormous animal totem?

avalanche survival survived

Lake Agnes

it was an early early start Saturday morning. we met at Ted's Place at 5:30am and carpooled up to Lake Agnes. we hit the trailhead about 7:30am, suited up and headed up the trail. it was a nice snowshoe, about 1 1/2 miles, with the sun rising and glinting through the trees. there aren't any pictures of the training because i was far too busy learning.

Kim, such a victim

at the end, one of the other snowshoers and i caught a ride down the hill so two of the patrollers could do field certification on 'towing'. it was a lark, mainly because there were several flat to uphill spots. eventually Kim and i took to rowing with our poles. it seemed to help and was incredibly entertaining regardless. overall, i learned a ton from the class and benefitted dramatically from being out of doors.


not that my ankle is rejoicing...

ouch again

the redness is damage from the taping. it really hurt, but boy did the tape do its job. the swelling was completely gone on Friday but man it is back now. the swelling is severe but the pain isn't too bad.

overall, ouch but it was worth it.

that's a good soak

other bonus:
i got to avail myself of my friend's tub. this thing should be in Architectural Digest. i don't really enjoy baths, but even i will make an exception for a tub like this. skylight, wavy windows, slate tile and jets.

rock on.

update on my cousin (UPDATED)

Last week Wednesday they did a biopsy on Paula's tumor collecting 8 samples. She stayed overnight and went home with two small titanium plates and 5 staples in her head. After a couple days of rest she was up to her old self. They sent me home with a staple remover!

On Monday we had an appointment with our nuero-oncologist and he shared the pathology with us. Paula has a Grade II oligodendraglioma. The oncologist said it was the "best brain tumor to have, if you have to have a brain tumor". It has the longest prognosis of the types it could have been. He told us that the median survival for people with this tumor type was over 10 years. (For those of you that are not "math types", median means 50% are above and 50% are below) The future is still unknown, but will include radiation and chemotherapy. We strongly feel that your thoughts and prayers were with us as we heard the "good" news.

I would like to again thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I would especially like to thank the JM Foreign Language department that braved tonight's weather and a trip to Stewartville to deliver 3 full meals, gift certificates for more meals, and enough snacks to last us a long time. It really means a lot to me and my family to be receiving the kind of support that you all have shown. Thanks again

---

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Philippians 1:21-26

For the first time ever in my life, God visited me in a dream. He told me to read Philippians. I did. I knew very little of Philippians other than that it was in the New Testament and that it was one of Paul's letters. It is still hard for me to believe, but it is so very true. Through this book of the Bible, God told me I was going to live for a long time, approximately 8 hours before the neuro-oncologist, Dr. Uhm at the Mayo Clinic, told me the same thing. Yes, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. I have the best type of brain tumor a person can have.

I am so amazed and touched by all of the emails, cards, flowers, gifts, and prayers that have been sent and said for me. I am not exaggerating when I say there have been thousands of prayers being said for me, and God has responded. Never before have I had such a strong faith as I do today. If God would have told me to read Luke and the Christmas Story, I would have said I had an overactive imagination. But Phillipians? Even I couldn't have come up with that one on my own.

So for you who want details, here they are:
I had my biopsy last Wednesday, 1/11 in the early afternoon, was in the Neuro-ICU overnight, and was home by noon Thursday 1/12.
The tumor is a Grade 2 Oligodendroglioma (the slowest growing/dividing type of tumor). It is possible that I have had this tumor for 5-10 years.
We are still waiting on genetic testing which will look at the actual DNA structure, specifically chromosomes 1 and 19, which won't affect treatment but will tell us a little more about prognosis.
I will be meeting with the radiation oncologist as well as a chemotherapy specialist within the next 1-2 weeks to determine the best treatment for me. Dr. Uhm wants to put together the "Best team possible" for me, which I told him I would greatly appreciate. Recent research has shown that combined radiation and chemotherapy for the lower grade tumors can be more beneficial than one or the other alone. They routinely combine the treatments for the Grade 3 and 4 tumors and are now conducting clinical trials for the lower grades. It sounds like 6 weeks of radiation with or without chemo.
There will be no surgery as the tumor is too large to safely remove without damaging the healthy brain cells.
Cognitively, I am at a score of 100 out of 100 on the Karnofsky Index, which shows that the tumor hasn't impaired my neurological functioning.
Since I had a seizure, my risk of having another one has increased, so I will be kept on Keppra for at least a year, just in case. I can, however, be safely at home with Maya and Jacob.
The median survival rate for this type of tumor is 10+ years. I have never done anything in the middle of the bell curve, and I don't plan to start now.
This web site has a great explanation of brain tumors: http://brain.mgh.harvard.edu/Glioblastoma.htm
There are still lots of questions, but the big ones have been answered. I'll be here for lots more birthday parties and Christmases. And you better believe I am going to live a lot fuller now that I know what I know. I expect all of you to do the same. And, I expect that you will ALL go find your Bibles and read Philippians. It is my new favorite book of the Bible.

Please pass this email on to anyone you feel would like to know what's going on with me. The more support while I'm going through this, the better!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Loving you all,
Paula Faye Roth Ramp

too soon

Dear [my Mom],

My name is ** and I have been assigned to your workers compensation claim. I am happy to see that you have made a good recovery after such a traumatic injury.

I am contacting you today to determine if the City of Los Angeles should share in the cost associated with your injury. We would like to know if you are represented by counsel and if a Lawsuit has been filed against the City of Los Angeles. If not I would like to speak with you regarding the events leading up to your injury.

I appreciate your time. Thank you.

i knew the time would eventually come when someone would decide there should be a lawsuit over the accident but frankly none of us are ready or interested. sure, it has been almost a year, but every day brings new challenges for us all. i don't think there is anyone that is really emotionally capable of handling this. of the choices, though, i probably have the most understanding of everything and the most equanimity (by virtue of my geographical distance) so...

if he wants, have him call me at [my computer's phone number] or my cell or email. also, do you want to have Jeanene fax me the accident report so i can speak to him intelligently? i am also happy to call him directly to talk if that would be more efficient.

and we're off.

i had hoped to never have to read the report. i already get sick just remembering the intersection (we accidentally ended up there trying to find dinner one night), but Mom and Rol shouldn't have to face this, especially given current challenges and the guy's obvious cluelessness. i actually am somewhat offended that he approached this the way he did without consulting Jeanene (the onsite case manager for WC). she would have pointed out some of the obvious things-like the fact that a person with a head injury will not remember the accident or immediate 'events leading up to'-and would have brought more tact and compassion to the matter.

the nightmare that goes on and on and on. no wonder we cannot get back to pre-accident living.

ankle-bitten

or 'keep on keepin' on and things will eventually not suck so much.'

initially i thought i would write an ode to my ankle, but the plan failed. as i am currently not speaking to my ankle, i certainly am not going to address it with sparkling wit and lyricism.

i know, i know. its childish and 'won't help anything' but sometimes that it is the only way to get along.

so i hear you thinking, what did you do now you obstreperous thing?

not really sure. i have my ideas but nothing that would stand up to peer-review. Saturday i did end up snowshoeing with another CPNR patroller. it was gorgeous and we went about 6 miles. as usual, about 5 miles along, my ankle went 'clunk' but didn't feel unpleasant afterward. Sunday i gave a continuing education lecture at CSU Annual Conference. Monday i biked* to work (brr, i need different winter bike gloves!) and knocked out a couple things. headed over to the student rec center* and 'tore it up'. it felt great to really push my muscles and heart and they have remodeled the place since i was last there so it was really quite fabulous. biked home, quiet evening and to bed.

[*New Year's resolutions]

woke Tuesday with a painful right ankle with focal swelling. both the pain and swelling worsened precipitously over the first hour or so that i was up. called the health center but they were closed for training. couldn't go anywhere, had no milk for lattes or cereal, and didn't think it wise to stand to cook.

small meltdown.

finally called one of the receptionists whose daughter is a client and friend to see if she thought her daughter might be able to bring me milk. Endie to the rescue! snap! milk, movies, soup, candy and analgesics appeared along with a few minutes of company to cheer me.

ankle-biter
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

Wednesday Endie gave me a lift to the doctor who was very nice and showed me that i have torn my talofibular ligament (the red one) and maybe also partially torn the calcaneofibular (the yellow one). he then got me in right away with the PT. after an hour of testing, measuring and stretching, she decided i had endured almost enough torture. they actually have an inflatable boot that fills with ice-water. all i can say- 'good times' and no i don't really mean it. 15 minutes of that and then she taped me in and good. the tape actually hurts more than the ankle did beforehand.

Friday i go back to be remeasured and taped. was supposed to be doing an avalanche training session in the field Saturday. the PT says that she thinks i will be good to go if i am 'good' beforehand, am willing to tolerate numbness during (the taping will decrease circulation to my toes) and accept there will probably be plenty of pain on Sunday. she doesn't think i can make it worse though and understands the mental health benefit.

the good thing is that i probably didn't break anything and that the PT will help me strengthen both ankles to prevent injury in the future. small comfort when the tape is poking at C fibers in the night. the pain isn't bad enough to require narcotics but is plenty enough that i can't concentrate. basically the only thing i have to break up the monotony is videogames and eventually even Ratchet and Clank gets old.

well, that is about all from here. hope your New Year's resolutions are causing less trouble than mine!

better watch out, better not cry

Big Brother is here, he doesn't care who knows it, and he says we can't do anything about it:

Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words “by Border Protection” and carrying the official Homeland Security seal...

A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldn’t speak directly to Goodman’s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it’s deemed necessary...

However, Mohan declined to outline what criteria are used to determine when a piece of personal correspondence should be opened, but said, “obviously it’s a security-related criteria.”

via Crooks and Liars.

Alito unplugged

Listen live!!!!!!

links aplenty

between personal issues and work deadlines, i have gotten so far behind on commentary that i am no longer positive where all these guys go and don't have time to sort it all out. i know i put them here for a reason, so have at it! i am adding my guesses [blind] for fun. let's see how i do...

gutting McCain

Abramoff guilty plea

wiretap on CNN

i have no clue

another Right-wing do as i say, not as i get arrested for

more on religious political leaders that are rotten at the core

Bush gives back 5.6% of ill-gotten gains-the NYT whiffs it again

Felber comes clean, inspired by Our Leader's example

Alito-oil, foot-washing next?

prayers requested

here is the update from my cousin's wife:

OK. Here I am. I have been thinking about all of you so much in the last couple of days, hoping to give everyone the information I want to give. It's not all here yet, and I can't wait any more before talking to you. I am not good at not talking :). Most of you know the basics, but I'll start from the beginning.

On the 26th, I got the stomach flu and threw up multiple times. By 9 pm, I began having seizure type activities after passing out. I went via ambulance to St. John's in Maplewood as we were visiting my family for Christmas. They thought I was just dehydrated and pushed fluids into me, but I just wasn't bouncing back. When the next ER Doc came on shift, he looked at me and thought I should stay overnight. After a long evening, I was finally in bed at 3:30 a.m. I saw a resident rather early who was concerned about my seizure activity and he consulted with the staff physician who ordered a CT scan. Immediately following the CT scan the staff doctor was in my room saying there was something seen on the CT scan and they needed to do an MRI. They had also seen abnormalities in my EKG scan from the ER and wanted to do more testing on that and to move me to the telemetry floor upstairs for ongoing heart monitoring. I was also having gobs of fluids pumped into me throughout all of this time for dehydration.

After the MRI, I went to my new floor with new monitors and an immediate echocardiogram to check out my heart. It sounded like the neurologist would review my MRI and talk with me in the morning. Within 20 minutes of hearing that he would see me in the morning, he was at my bedside telling me that I had a brain tumor on my left frontal lobe about the size of a tangerine. Needless to say, we were in shock.

I was transferred to Mayo on Wednesday morning and saw the residents within 15 minutes of arriving in the ER and to my room in Domatilla - very very smooth and comforting. They had me preop for surgery thinking there would be something immediately the next day. Once I saw the neurosugeon Fredrick Meyer, things slowed down quite a bit and took a calmer slower processing option. He gave me 2 options, one of biopsy followed by radiation and one of craniotomy (removing 80%) of the tumor followed by radiation.

After spending the majority of my day in the hospital on Thursday, I was told I could go home. I couldn't wait to see my babies* and we were home by 6:15 that evening.

The main person I hadn't talked with that I needed to before making any major decisions was the neuro oncologist who was described to me by one of my angel residents as the "quarterback". He was on "Holiday" in Canada with his family and Pat and I were able to visit with him at lenth at the Gonda building yesterday. This is what has been decided:

1. We will do a biopsy followed by radiation and probably some form of chemotherapy as this tumor has been termed "large" and "big" - not what one wants to hear from a World Renouned Mayo Neuro Oncologist :)
2. We may wait to find out more about my heart abnormaility (found inverted t-waves and slight ischemia/scarring) before the biopsy, depending on what the surgeon feels comfortable with.
3. They believe it is a low grade tumor, but won't know more about specifics without seeting it under the microscope. Once they know this, they can fine tune my treatment more.
4. I have been on anti-seizure meds (keppra) as well as steriods (decadron). As there is no swelling on my brain, they are tapering me off the steroids which will decrease the anxiety and fatigue i have had as side effects.
5. Because i am young (30 in case you were wondering) and no real past medical history, they feel that treatment will be very helpful for me. Once they know more about the tumor, we'll be able to have more prognoses and life expectancy numbers.

I hope I can give you more info in the near future. Writing this email has totally wiped me out. Please continue to send me your emails, I won't be able to respond, but I definitely am getting your thoughts and prayers.

I love you all very much, and I truly believe there are millions of angels among us - including all of you.

Please feel free to forward this on to anyone you think would like an update.

Paula

prayers requested from anyone for whom that is appropriate and consistent with their beliefs. please comment if you are so moved so i can communicate your involvement to aid their encouragement.

*they are ~3 and 1 years of age.

Happy New Year!!



my New Year's Eve went just swimmingly, as i hope did yours, and extended late into the afternoon yesterday. after making plans to rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle and get the heck outta Dodge, i found myself swamped with invites on Friday. try as i might, i was unable to attend all the parties but did make it to shindigs in Fort Lupton, Longmont, and Fort Fun.

the highpoints:
- Fort Lupton: i learned firsthand what a pirogi is and indulged in both steamed and fried varieties.
- Longmont: i mastered the finer points of Texas Hold'em and was invited to join a weekly game. (Luck, be a lady!)
- back in Fort Fun, i almost stopped to invite a cop to the party after he tailed me 10 minutes. at the last second, he apparently lost interest and headed off into the wilds. the female impersonator was gorgeous, the stairway divine for grand entrances, the iridescent silver boa (with tails) tempting, the vodka martinis killing, and the bubbly abundant. (who knew Auld Lane Syne could be sexy?) all in all, it was probably best that i forgot my camera.

i am not entirely sure but think i agreed to host an over the top dinner party in anticipation of my birthday. the hosts at the last gig had been intended guests to my party last year, but my mother's unfortunate womano i vano experience put a kabosh on the event, never rescheduled. they reminded me that i owe them a party so now i'd better start building a guest list and menu... a little daunting as i have no staircase, no piano and over half my friends have moved away.

still, no one can set a kitchen on fire like me and i still have a couple weeks to regenerate a friend base suitable for fine and frivolous dining. speaking of which, those in town for January and interested, please let me know!

today i finally got hold of Mom. she reports that the flight was taxing but survivable, the baby squishy and cute, and their overall experience positive. this hurdle out of the way, we can start planning our trip to Manhattan for my birthday! suggestions welcome-i haven't been since shortly after 9/11 and i suspect a lot has changed since then.

all in all, a very successful end to a hideously challenging year and propitious start to a new one. so i bid you all

Welcome to 2006-May it bring you all joy, love, and wonder each of its 365 days!

oh happy, oh joy!

i appear to have my pluck back, but how could i not?

my friends' cat Zane is hanging tight in spite of an epic transfusion reaction and is headed home to hopefully finish getting better, my friends gave me the 6th season of South Park as a Christmas present, and i scored cross-country skis and boots at the REI garage sale for supercheap. tonight i am headed to what is guaranteed to be a fabulous party-complete with pianist, female impersonater and instructions to 'wear bling'. (i will try to remember to take pictures.)

not recovering my insouciance and verve would be positively aberrant, ungrateful, and might indicate actual death.

be well, be safe, be happy! i will see you in the New Year!

WARNING: this is beyond sickening

and Bush and Cheney think it is okay, actually fought to keep it legal for US forces to be able to 'do it themselves':

From Jesus General:

The story.

What Our Leader hath wrought (caution: graphic photos of the result of our outsourced interrogation work).

Karimov, Our Leader, His manservant Colin, and that old, curmudgeonly exterminator at DOD hanging out at the Memory Hole.

The Documents (mirrored)

Telegrams

Legal Advice to the British Foreign Office.

hodge podge

my Christmas Coat
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

i had hoped this to be a light bit of fluff before getting down to the business of catching up on politics but no luck. i do enclose this picture though because it pleased my mother to take it and pleases me to see it. this is my Christmas coat: i wear it every year at Christmastime. it reminds me of snow, Danny Kaye and family.

i also can report that i am now the proud aunt of another little girl. she was born right before Christmas (12/18) and is a lovely little bundle. Mom and Rol will be heading up to Minneapolis on New Year's Eve to cuddle and coo and hopefully email me many many photos of Caroline Ingrid. this will also mark another Mom milestone as it will be her first flight since the accident!

the rest of my news is less merry. while in the thick of personal health issues, my dear friends' cat Zane has been struck ill. it is terrible timing but they are getting along as best they can. well wishes zoom through the ether and will hopefully provide some comfort. (in addition, they are hopefully easing the strain by taking their pain pills and recommended glasses of wine respectively!)

today i received word that my cousin's wife has been diagnosed with a frontal lobe tumor. it is quite a shock, as she had only gone to the hospital for dizziness. i would ask you to keep them and their two little ones in your prayers as the situation unfolds. i will try and keep you updated as i learn more.

otherwise, i entreat you all to be well, be safe and be with loved ones as we begin what is shaking up to be another challenging year. with tenderness,

jackie chris

Christmas cheer

Merry Christmas to you all!

today was truly a red letter day, actually as was yesterday. three days of baking aside, we still had cookies to bake yesterday so we started early, nagging the Grandma and negotiating her down from an arrival time of 4pm to 12:45pm. while waiting for her, we knocked out the sugar cookies (4 c of flour worth). Grandma arrived and it was time for the pecan puffs. there is no explaining it-the puffs are always better when she makes them. we managed to finish the puffs by 3:30pm and had time for a small rest before dressing for church.

Christmas

after lengthy discussion we had decided to attend the 5 o'clock service at Westminster Presbyterian over the late Eve service or the Christmas Day service. Westminster is a delightful church with a spectacular music program and a progressive minister. [sad that it has to come to this but they have gone so far as to state explicitly in the program that all are welcome, regardless of denomination, race, nationality or sexual orientation.] the service was charming and given the year we have had, we all found ourselves reduced to tears at one point or another.

from church it was off to renew another tradition-Christmas eve dinner at the Chinese place. (more accurately, it is the Chinese Garden I but we have never referred to it as such.) several years have passed since we ate there and many more since we spent Christmas Eve there. they immediately recognized us, scolded us for our long absence and pampered us shamelessly. we dropped Grandma off at her place and returned home to wallow in one middling quality Christmas movie after another.

this morning we woke leisurely. Grandma arrived about 9:30am and we made mimosas, scrambled eggs and biscuits for breakfast. afterward, we started the turkey and opened presents. Santa still brings us stockings (with a lot of help from various family members)! after opening gifts for each other, it was time for our 4th annual Great Cookie Drop.

Great Cookie Drop

the Great Cookie Drop is probably my favorite part of the day-a perfect melange of family, thanksgiving, surprise and love. after a weeklong baking frenzy, we take the cookies to those who serve and safeguard our society instead of being with their own families on the holiday. this year, we baked 5 lb of butter worth of cookies: Tollhouse chocolate chip, peanut butter, chocolate peanut butter chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar cookies and pecan puffs. the cookies are bundled into wrapped boxes, weight varying according to anticipated head count. this year we expanded for a total of two fire stations, the enormous central police station, and both arms of TSA screening at the airport.

the first couple years, we were greeted with confusion and surprise, though never suspicion. although we always have to break into the police station, TSA used to be my greatest concern. who knows what they might think we intend? we half expected to get arrested the first year we went to the airport. these days, there is no concern. there is little confusion at our visits and much, much joy. sure, we still have to break into the police station-no one is ever at the front and the back is closed off by automated fences-but they are always glad to see us. once we made our cookie drops, we headed home to finish the turkey and dine quite well.

Glenn

after supper, it was time for our annual viewing of A Child's Christmas in Wales. the evocative words, the beautiful imagery-just stunning. (don't worry, we did not forget our other favorite. we watched the original 1952 version of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors with Bill and Kelly before they left for Ireland. we hate being away from them, but Joanie McCarthy deserves special Christmas visitors as well.) after the movie, we enjoyed a festive carpool to take Grandma home. once home again, we watched the end of a few Christmas movies and the last of the Vikings/Ravens game. finally, there were hugs and general agreement that THIS was the best Christmas to date before everyone trundled off to bed.

peace to all and to all a good night!

second service

we have been quite busy enjoying the holiday so it has taken a few days to post this but we thought you would all like to know about the following.

in the early (and late!) days after the accident, Mom received an incredible number of teddy bears and other stuffed animals, cards and we all received more support than one would think possible. as she has continued to heal, we had debated what to do with all the bears. they are all very dear to us, Mom especially, and have provided incredible comfort but the time has come to move on. after great discussion, Mom decided that we should take the majority of the bears to a local shelter. to that end, we searched online and eventually discovered Safe Haven.

second life

Safe Haven is an amazing place. it is one of only two shelters in Tennessee that keeps the family together. they work to get people back on track and back in a home of their own. when we arrived, there were no adults in view but we were greeted by three sunny children who guided us to the right place. it turned out that one of the kids belonged to Bruce Newport, the executive director, and frequently came to play with the kids leaving at the shelter. Bruce gave Mom and i a nice tour, completely unphased by our alternate crying and joy. the toys will be given to children living in the shelter and to children of local indigent families. children for whom Santa would otherwise not come.

here we attach a picture of the many bears and their friends under Safe Haven's tree for your enjoyment.

it was a very gratifying experience and a true opportunity to share some of our blessings with those less fortunate. we hope you share our joy in passing on your gifts of love and hope to those truly in need.

timing is everything

as you may recall from previous posts, there has been some question over the lengthy delay of the NYT in breaking the wiretap story. it now appears that said questioning is escalating to a teatime tempest as critics from all sides review the timeline. just as it did during the first phase of Fitzmas, NPR has an informative take worth reading.

::

as i am now on Tennessee soil, i fear i had best sign off without further ado. my IQ and rationality are palpably draining from me as i type... in the interim, at dinner tonight i was reminded of the story of Mary's thumb, linked here for your enjoyment.

[sadly, given all the kerfuffle and alleged W on C, i feel i need state that the following applies regardless of your religion, race or sexual orientation...]

in case i haven't another chance before Christmas, love and peace to you and yours from me and mine.

FSM is not science

sadly, FSM-ers will no longer be able to proselytize, ahem I mean 'educate,' in Pennsylvania as Judge Jones has chosen not to skirt the ID issue in Dover and has issued his ruling. i was going to excerpt only the top bit but the whole passage is such a delightful read that i just cannot help myself (italics and bolding mine):

The proper application of both the endorsement and Lemon tests to the facts of this case makes it abundantly clear that the Board’s ID Policy violates the Establishment Clause. In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents.

Both Defendants and many of the leading proponents of ID make a bedrock assumption which is utterly false. Their presupposition is that evolutionary theory is antithetical to a belief in the existence of a supreme being and to religion in general. Repeatedly in this trial, Plaintiffs’ scientific experts testified that the theory of evolution represents good science, is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and that it in no way conflicts with, nor does it deny, the existence of a divine creator.

To be sure, Darwin’s theory of evolution is imperfect. However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis grounded in religion into the science classroom or to misrepresent well-established scientific propositions.

The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for the ID Policy. It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy.

With that said, we do not question that many of the leading advocates of ID have bona fide and deeply held beliefs which drive their scholarly endeavors. Nor do we controvert that ID should continue to be studied, debated, and discussed. As stated, our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom.

Those who disagree with our holding will likely mark it as the product of an activist judge. If so, they will have erred as this is manifestly not an activist Court. Rather, this case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction on a school board, aided by a national public interest law firm eager to find a constitutional test case on ID, who in combination drove the Board to adopt an imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy. The breathtaking inanity of the Board’s decision is evident when considered against the factual backdrop which has now been fully revealed through this trial. The students, parents, and teachers of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources.

To preserve the separation of church and state mandated by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Art. I, § 3 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, we will enter an order permanently enjoining Defendants from maintaining the ID Policy in any school within the Dover Area School District, from requiring teachers to denigrate or disparage the scientific theory of evolution, and from requiring teachers to refer to a religious, alternative theory known as ID. We will also issue a declaratory judgment that Plaintiffs’ rights under the Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have been violated by Defendants’ actions.

it is hard to say whose eagerly anticipated legal deicion was more elegantly worded: Judge Jones' or SP Fitzpatrick's.

the Shrub lying... again...

Note the date of the speech given by Bush from which this quote is taken:

"Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution."

now compare with the known start date of illegal wiretaps...

snaps to Atrios for catching this one.

btw, excellent logical deduction going on over at PMI on the wiretap issue. proving this hypothesis would be tedious but not difficult. all that would be required is that an FOIA request be filed by any individual for whom the outline criteria fits (e.g., international call on new line). individuals would then report back to a central database the results of their queries...

-------------
in a gutsy move under Howard Dean's leadership, the DNP is submitting en masse FOIA requests to get to the bottom of the illegal spying scandal. please sign on!!

peculiar goings

it has been an interesting week. yes, Monday was the Prelims. it was expected to be crazy, but since then the week has remained strange.

it was my last week on clinics for the next 6 months or so. it was also my last week of missed clinics to make-up from the spring. that means, it was pretty much the last thing i had to do to 'catch up' on my responsibilities. almost like the slate is now washed clean (so that i can get it all messy again).

there have also been interesting goings-on in the world of national politics:
after continued struggles to rein in the inappropriately overreaching powers provided to the government by the Patriot Act, the issue was to come to the floor late this past week. while widely anticipated to be quite a battle, no one really expected what did happen. the night before the vote the NYT broke a story they have been sitting on over a year about illegal wiretaps authorized by President Bush. this information was utlized by Russ Feingold to mobilize the Senate to filibuster renewal of the act.

Arlen Specter, a key Senate Republican supporter of the Act, was apoplectic over Bush's actions, promising immediate hearings into this impropriety. unless renewed, the Patriot Act is set to expire at the end of this year. at this time, the act cannot be judged truly dead, but chances for revival are slimmer. you can do your part to help take down Big Brother with little effort and learn about governmental process while finding out what they are finding out about you. REMEMBER: spying is fun, kids!!

the NYT has published an elegant dissection of the underlying issue of Bush's many attempts to seize additional executive power. the WH continues to scramble unsuccessfully to provide justification of Bush's actions while Bush himself continues to dig the hole deeper by asserting he has committed no impropriety and will continue in his behavior regardless of Senate action and in spite of previous concerns by the Administration itself about the legality of the program because 'the terrorist threat to our country will not expire in two weeks'.

does the WH not realize that each successive attempt to play the terror card in times of poor opinion has fallen on less and less credulous ears?

in other news, the Administration's bloodthirst has finally bowed to strong public sentiment as well as House and Senate revolt against torture. after trying everything from intimidation to vague assertions that McCain 'ain't right in the head' as a result of his own POW experiences, the president met with McCain and conceded the battle.

one interesting fact to emerge from the battle over torture: apparently the 4th District of Colorado contains an unusually large number of black ops torture-specialist operatives. i can see no other reason why Marilyn Musgrave* would buck public opinion and the Geneva Convention to VOTE FOR TORTURE.

well, that is all i have time for for now. be well and stay plugged in.


*Please feel free to share your beliefs on this move by contacting Musgrave at her Washington, DC office:

'Representative' Musgrave
1507 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4676
(202) 225-5870 fax

overdue visual updates

now that i am mostly caught up on the life i neglected to prepare for Prelims, here is a little update on my visual world...

on ice

an island paradise? well, i guess Coronado is kind of an island...

the Hotel del Coronado
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

the Hotel Del is truly spectacular with quiet grace and majesty. somehow, checking in feels like retreating to the cozy and civilized world best found in Agatha Christie novels and Dickens-style Christmases. the room was plush yet not expansive, with louvred blinds overlooking a courtyard. after a long day's travel or brainstorming, no outside treat could compare with a leisurely shower and then quiet reflection on the balcony, burrowed deep in a Hotel Del robe.

Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

there was an ice-skating rink set up on the lawn, where tennis courts used to be many many years ago. it overlooked the ocean on one side and was cossetted in all other directions by the understated luxury of the Del. the rink was not large but circling round and again, i found daily concerns slipping from my mind to skip away across the beaches, leaving me free to soak in all the Del had to offer.

me on ice
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

this photo makes me very happy. it really captures, for me, the playful spirit of my free time in San Diego. after a few days here, i was much better prepared to return and face the gauntlet of Prelims.

and on snow

hi Mom!
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

since i got back from Thanksgiving, other than studying the main thing i have carved out time for is shoesnowing...

happy ducklings
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

at Zimmerman Lake with Cameron Pass Nordic Rangers for field training,

Dennis
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

at Green Ridge Trail with Dennis,

Aaron
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

and at Sawmill Creek Trail with Aaron.


now that Prelims are past and i have completed my last week on clinics, i hope to be doing a lot more of this. if i am lucky, i may also learn nordic skiing, do a little downhill and possibly even some winter camping. it turns out i may have an early 90s Explorer at my disposal, so i hope to get up in the mountains quite a bit more.

of course, i will still be slaving, just slaving, away on my PhD research.

and Nancy Wilson has me wondering whether a cocktail party is in order... so,

what are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?

she LIVES!

yes, you read me right. i PASSED! after the exam, my committee and i went to the Rio for margs. it is a bit of a tradition. by going there, i got to imagine Nicole and Jim celebrating with me as well.

home i went and crashed. humorously, i woke just after midnight in an enormous panic attack that i forgot to turn in a form for my prelim. heart rate in the 200s. took a bit to get back to sleep. i DO still have to turn a form in tomorrow in order to be done with it, but i had to wait until the Department Head signed it which couldn't happen until 5 today.

now, though heinously tired, i can breathe again. and smile again. and catch up on sleep.

thanks everyone for your well wishes and support. it really meant a lot to me.

Christ at Christmas

this is quite excellent [bolding mine]:

O’BRIEN: I’ve got to ask you a quick question, Bill. What if Jesus got this card? What would he do? Would he be angry about it? He’s be OK with it, wouldn’t he?

DONOHUE: Well, maybe he would, but I’ve never met him.

M. O’BRIEN: Well, you know what I mean. You follow his precepts. WWJD? He wouldn’t be angry about this. He’d say, it’s OK.

DONOHUE: I’m not going to be in the position of criticizing Jesus, but I will criticize the president, because I think that he should have followed the lead of his father. You’re getting me in a very tough situation, Miles.

M. O’BRIEN: Well, I mean, I think that’s a legitimate question. You’re talking. If it’s a Christian holiday and you as a Christian are demanding it, you have to ask what would the person who invented Christianity think about this?

...Donohue didn't answer the question.

--------------

remember, Christ was the ultimate hippie, always preaching love over hate. go celebrate the season--overlook dogma and prejudices and love a bunch of someones (though preferably not all carnally)...

set 'em up and knock 'em down

an update:

-Thursday's talk went *fine.* sure, my data doesn't make sense and the stats may still be wrong. such is the way of science. for the talk, i presented the backround, the data, the bizarrely conflicting results and my limited conclusions. off the cuff, i quoted Wernher von Braun: 'Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing.' (thanks ab for the that pearl.) no one asked any questions which means it was either well explained and there wasn't much i had left unexplored about the conflicting data OR the talk was so bewildering that people tuned out. one of my committee members gave me real props because, to paraphrase, having it be 'pretty' isn't important-it is about having command of your subject, knowing your data, and understanding when things don't add up. so hopefully the former explanation is correct.

i had added a couple sound files in a giddy moment. it is possible that that threw people off, but my impression from the laughter was that they enjoyed them...

-turned the exam in early (roughly eleven last night) so i would be certain they received it. the email server has been unbelievably unstable at school, down large periods of every day, and the combination of exam parts made for a large file transfer. no error messages yet but also no confirmation that they got it. woke up at 2 am wanting to redo one of the questions. talked myself down and went back to sleep. feel really good about 2 of the answers, fairly good about 1 and not great about the last. i wanted to keep working but was too fried to trust myself so hopefully it will be good enough.

-put together the Prelim introduction presentation last night- 15 minutes of what i have accomplished thus far. now have the main grant presentation to write. hope to work hard all day today (plus/minus a climbing break), take a breather tomorrow to get outside and normalize my stress/sanity levels, and finish up the presentation and studying Sunday. Monday morning i am on service so up and at the hospital by 7am. work all day then the prelim from 3-5pm.

stockpiling things to share about the world at large once i am out from this crush and better able to tap my creative side. one pearl to keep you going:

Undermining his credibility? What has he said that would give him credibility?

-Murtha on President Bush, 12/7/05, in response to Lieberman's claim that challenging Bush undermines his credibility and thus endangers the nation.

content welcome

i am currently 'closed' while prepping for my Prelims (see blog entry 'half-truth'). prelims are 12/12 with big deadlines on 12/8 and 12/9. despair rains like kittens throughout the halls so random emails/posts with positive content are very, very welcome.

as an aside, i decided to return to my friends at Angry Alien in hopes of cheer and was greeted with their new holiday feature: the 30 second Christmas Story (as re-enacted by bunnies). it perfectly recounts my experience of the movie...

finally something to smile at

after my last post, while in an IM chat with Steinie, i received a letter from Columbia. some of you know exactly what this means. regardless, my exchange with Jen brought a much needed laugh so i enclose it here:

me: door knock
me: guess what

jen: what
me: certified letter from --
jen: oh lord
jen: this would be the perfect time for you to be
me: could be good
jen: living under a fascist regime
jen: so that your letters would be read
jen: before you got them
me: okay. that is truly LOL funny
jen: well good

as Eddie Murphy said to a family friend once, "Thanks for the laugh, lady."

---

[i have opened the letter but decided not to read it till after the 12th. i haven't the strength for it all.]

half-truth

i have a problem. it is a little problem in the grand scheme of things but is my current one so... [shrug]

Thanksgiving did not go as well as hoped. in the end, the very end, things got worked out but first there was angst and drama and so on. then i was on to San Diego, which incidentally was wicked fun in its own way.

part of the trouble is that i received the written portion of my Prelim about two days ago, and the deadline for completing it was cut from 14 days to basically 8 days. for my part, the written version of the full grant proposal was due to committee yesterday. by chance, after all the above was already scheduled, i was also scheduled (non-negotiable) to present for the college on my ongoing research the day before the written Prelim portion is due and the ongoing stuff doesn't have anything to do with anything else. i just received the stats back for the ongoing stuff on Thanksgiving so i haven't had any ability to work on the presentation before now.

so.

in the next 6 days, i have to interpret all the stats on a 3 year project and put together a Powerpoint presentation on the results. in the next 7 days, i have to answer 4 questions for my Prelim exam, each of which requires realistically 2 weeks effort. after that deadline, i will have 3 days to put together the slides for the oral portion of my Prelim which i will sit on the 12th. right now, i feel the same trepidation and hopelessness one might experience while skating on an event horizon without a helmet.

so the actual 'problem' is much smaller. see, my boss knew a bit about the impending Thanksgiving challenges. for good reason, he was worried about me but he also is currently in Sweden. i suck at disingenuity but feel like talking about this mess with him won't help. so he has been asking questions that i have been talking around. the first several exchanges were easy as he asked content points as well. i simply only replied to the content, but with a distracted air like i just hadn't time to address non-pressing things. this is a technique i have learned from him so it is not surprising that he finally changed tactics. this is what has followed:

[him] I hope you survived Thanksgiving.
[me] barely but survived.

::couple vague skirting emails::

[me] you wouldn't let this go ahead if you thought i was going to humiliate myself, would you?
[him] I am extremely proud of you and have no doubt you will do your regular oustanding job!

:: long pause in emails while i was in travel. also, didn't really have anything else to say. sent the committee-wide email that the grant was in their boxes for review::

[him] Hope you recovering. Beautiful here but cat is sick as hell.
NB: cat is his wife, not an actual cat on holiday.
[me] dammit. stop slipping her Imuran for cryin' out loud.
[him] I'll try! But are you ok? Life is good!

so the problem is that i have to reply. as you can guess from the above, i am not okay. 80% of me wants to quit and run away to Central America or back to France, but i know that is mostly the depression talking. so i am again pushing through sheerly based on willpower and, frankly, i am doubtful i can pull this out. i have almost written back "well enough" but that still seems a lie. another option is to pretend i didn't get the email since he occasionally gets that report from others.



any suggestions?