SUV vs. Hybrid

FROM SKCD BLOG

Tea

Getting ready to prepare myself yet another cup of lemon and honey black tea on this frigid afternoon, I reflected on the marvelous invention that is the electric kettle. It boils five cups of water in under three minutes and shuts off automatically when the water has reached a boil. For as long as I can remember living in a townhouse in Chesterfield Mews, I can recall the shrill sound of a kettle whistling belligerently while all of my family members sat in their rooms waiting for some one else to get it. "Mooomm the kettle is boiling!!" Inevitably, the whistling eventually faded to pitiful, breathy sighs and then, the kettles stopped producing sound at all. You see, tea has always been an institution in my house and any kettle that came into our kitchen was heartily plopped onto the stove approximately ten times a day, often to be forgotten. You can only imagine that this led to a few potentially dangerous incidents, which, when I think of them now, make me laugh.

Now we have an electric kettle.

Thanksgiving Photos

Thanksgiving Photos

Photos

My dad has uploaded some of his photos onto JPG Magazine's website. There is a link to one in the post below, where you can also click on his username to see some of his other pictures.

JPG: Abandoned

JPG: Abandoned

Posted using ShareThis

Christmas Joy

This season, for my joy and amusement, I have expanded the dogs' seasonal wardrobes. Last year it was a blinking T-shirt and a red sweater. This Christmas....they have accessories! You'll notice how excited and over joyed they are in this video. The outfits seem to subdue them, but I don't let that stop me. Let the festivities begin!

Oliver and Family

...at Madline's 2nd Birthday

Paul, Oliver, Kat

Yesterday was Madline's 2nd birthday party. I met little Oliver, had a good meal, spent some quality time with family, and saw Andrew and Naomi's beautifully renovated Condo.

Finding Strength in Fragility

Two weeks ago Daniel and I went to see the Sydney Theater Company's poduction of Tennesse Williams's play, "A Streecar named desire." Cate Blanchett is co-artistic director of the company and starred as Blanche Dubois, a woman who is full of contradictions...to say the least. She is fragile yet strong, deluded yet quite aware of her faults. And despite any protestations people may give, most of us can relate to Blanche.

This article very astutely states that such an idiosyncratic character "acquires the stuff that is the universality of tragedy." Like most people, Blanche is complex which makes her eventual collapse incredibly sad.

I highly recommended reading this review. It's the best one I've found.

http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/theater/reviews/03streetcar.html?emc=eta1

Carey Mulligan - Late Show w/ David Letterman

She is so cute! Love her!

"Bright Star" - Official Trailer [HD HQ]

I know what you're thinking--romantic, British chick flick. Yeah, it is. But a quality British chick flick. It's important to distinguish between this and say, "Becoming Jane" and Anne Hathaway's embarrassing interpretation of Jane Austin's personality. Not to mention the accent. I have never imagined Jane Austin to be anything like the person she portrayed.

Oh, but this looks great. I should torture Daniel and make him watch it. Ahaha.

'A Serious Man' Trailer HD

An Education (2009) Trailer

I desparately want to see this movie. It's one of a few films I want to see at the moment that are only playing at Cinema Arts in Fairfax. I wish they had wider circulation.

Anyway, aAt first I thought this one had the potential to be cheesy but it has received excellent reviews.

Daniel's Birthday Present

A video review from cnet on our new little camera.

For the full written review, check out the article.

Videos

Despite having an incredibly busy weekend, Andrew and Naomi came for a short visit on Daniel's Birthday. We tested our new mini-HD video camera on two very cute subjects. Frodo was enamored with Madeline. Unfortunately, Sam was a little too exuberant in his display of affection for Madeline, so he had to be held the whole time. I don't think these videos are are in HD, but it can record for over an hour and has different settings to record in HD for a computer screen or TV screen. We have some videos of Sam and Frodo but we'll have to come up with some more interesting material.

Windows 7

We have vaguely been entertaining the idea of purchasing Windows 7. Daniel said it has been getting good reviews and many of the annoying problems that plagued users of XP have been eliminated.

This author at the Huffington Post had a slightly different experience. One of his two main complaints was that it wasn't compatible with a lot of his software and equipment. I have to agree on what he says below...

"What's the cause? Is it Bill Gates' fault for not incorporating into Windows 7 the driver information his company used to do in successive editions or is he in collusion with software and hardware manufacturers like HP, who also refuse to update drivers so that obsolescence becomes the order of the day and we are forced to buy things we really don't need?

If we get a new state of the art TV, we can still connect our old VCR. If we get a new CD or DVD player we can play our old disks. We can still use a dial telephone on a telephone system that has been transformed with fiber optics and satellite transmission. But a new computer forces you to discard perfectly good machinery.

There ought to be a law preventing the computer hardware and software industry from shortchanging consumers so that we get the full use of our equipment as we do for non-computer related appliances and products. Anderson Cooper should do a "Keeping Them Honest" report on CNN, as should other commentators on NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC and Fox News. There should also be an uproar on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter."

For the full article, including his experience with one of those magical offshore technicians who can take over your computer from remote control and diagnose and fix problems that are far beyond my scope of comprehension, check out this link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-russnow/windows-7-not-so-great-as_b_348118.html

PixelJunk(TM) Monsters 25 October 2009, 08:15:02 PM

Please excuse the nerdy video. Daniel and I have found solace in monsters games while being sick this past weekend. This is one of the harder levels and we nearly got a perfect. It's pretty long so I obviously don't expect you to watch most of it.

Arthur Dent, Dracula, and Winnie the Pooh

I have recently started receiving a subscription to the Washington Post. Receiving the daily paper cost the same as receiving the weekend editions alone so I figured, what the heck?

Today's Style section has an article on some timeless classics that are being brought back to life, despite the fact that their authors have been in the ground for a number of years.

Despite my best efforts to read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and even watch the BBC series, I could not overcome my lack of interest in the subject of the story. For Science Fiction fans, however, I can see the appeal of the book's silliness. In a genre that is often brimming over with meaningful messages about the consequences of our actions on earth, the future of technology, and the meaning of life, it is refreshing to read a story that answers these questions with some irreverence. What is the meaning of life? The number 42, according to the Hitchhiker's Guide.

For avid fans, this prospect has brought outrage and anxiety. But as the words on the cover of Hitchhiker's Guide boldly command, "Don't Panic." The re-creators have said that they are working with numerous editors, trustee boards and and researchers to ensure that they will not disappoint the readers. The creator of the new Winne the Pooh, David Benedictus, said he immersed himself in the time period of the author and views the job more "as an acting job than a writing job."

Here are links to the new books.

And Another Thing
Dracula The Un-Dead
Return to the Hundred Acre Woods

Nandos Advert - Times are Tough

You might find it hard to understand the Cape Colored accent, but this is hilarious.

Nandos "Ramadan" advert

Summer's coming to an end...

...and a little family of Cardinals has built a nest in the tree outside our porch. We saw a baby stick its head out while the mom passed it some food. The bright red dad brought some food to the mom and then flew off for the rest of the afternoon. We tried to get some pictures but she was too high up and it seemed to agitate her. Click on the pictures for a better view.

Michigan

Here are our pictures from Michigan. Thanks again for having us aunt Donna! It was great to hang out with everyone.

http://picasaweb.google.com/danglenn2/Michigan2009?feat=directlink

Happy Happy Beatrice Day

http://picasaweb.google.com/ksantarita/Bea72309#


I was so excited to be invited to assist with babysitting Bea for two days. Dad picked me up on Thursday, I stayed over in Baltimore at Mike's house and drove back with mom on Friday. Dad drove back to VA on Thursday afternoon, quite exhausted from all the toddler activity. She certainly has a lot of energy but I was happy to entertain. She has an impressive attention span for a two year old and I was proud that Bea kept asking for "Auntie Kaffy." I woke up on Friday morning to the sound of her sweet voice saying, "Auntie Kaffy sleeping." She is a complete angel and I had a ball.

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE


I AM NOW SUFFERING FROM BEATRICE WITHDRAWAL



BYE BYE GRANDPA JOW

I also borrowed a few books from Mike: Humbolt's Gift; The End of the Affair; Wiseblood; and an autographed copy of The Little Friend. Eeeee! Donna Tartt= Massively cool literary babe. Mike and I agreed that she's cool because she's not like so many authors who, after becoming successful, start whoring themselves out for the public. She hasn't sacrificed her identity for fame and and mostly keeps herself. She also doesn't do a lot of readings or signings. Mike picked up the copy from a bookstore in Texas which had acquired some from a reading she gave in Mississippi, her home state. I realized I should probably pick up a soft cover edition I can trash a little rather than using the signed copy.

Frodo and Beatrice

One Friday during my class in July we left Frodo at my parents' house and took neurotic Sam with me back to Gaithersburg for the weekend. The reason for this was that cutie pie Beatrice was going to visit and had started taking a keen interest in animals. Frodo stayed home so she could meet a "gog." They were both a little reticent but Frodo was very sweet and Grandpa taught Beatrice how to take charge and say, "shoo gog," when he got too close.

Very excited to see a Frodo

Getting to know the goggy

Looking stylish and taking charge

My Little Granny Tereza

......with aunt Paula's dog, Rita Santa Rita. I met Rita when we visited Paula in Afife (in the North of Portugal). She is a very sweet girl. My aunt also has a cat and used to have a goat. She lives in a lovely house nestled in the hills of a rural area near a remote beach. It's quite pretty.

Life in Free South Africa

BBC News...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8164956.stm

"South Africa announced in June that it was facing its worst recession in 17 years.

Fifteen years after the African National Congress won its first election, more than one million South Africans still live in shacks, many without access to electricity or running water.

The provision of housing has long been controversial - nearly three million have been built, but the allocation has been prone to nepotism and corruption, correspondents say."

Support Arts Education

A Tribute to Music Director Luis Haza

Sitting under the watchful eye of Maestro Haza as he peered down at the first violin section, I remember feeling an incling of terror. I hadn't practiced my part and didn't know the bowings. He knew right away,

He and his fellow NSO violinist, Mr. Haas, who was my teacher (yes, their names are quite similar) always challenged me and never accepted unprofessional playing. They didn't just teach me how to play the violin, they taught me how to be a violinist and a musician. The hours of frustration, trying hear and hit the hardest of notes, has left nothing but positive memories. They sewed in me a passion for music that will remain forever.

Bruno flirts on red carpet in Paris

Bruno - Theatrical Trailer

When he had his HBO show I preferred his Bruno character to Borat. We must go see this when class is over:)

Famous!

Sipping on my Saturday morning coffee, mindlessly pursuing facebook, I came across my English cousin's latest comment. He and his mates (shall we say) provided "the peoples'" perspective on Michael Jackson's death for the Guardian UK. I'm not sure what "reamers" are. Perhaps it's British slang for people who scold, ream or make fun of others? Haha, don't you love the different lingo? Anyway, he's the second one in the audio clip. I needed a distraction from curriculum development work so I thought I'd post this.

Here is my cuz across the Atlantic giving his deep thoughts on Michael Jackson's death. It's pretty funny. It seems he was at Glastonbury which is way cool. I always see pictures of Kate Moss there traipsing around in galoshes and daisy dukes. How does she look so good in just boots and mud? But anyway...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/audio/2009/jun/26/michaeljackson-popandrock

Smarty Pants dance

Sooo cute!

2many djs-Daft Punk vs Michael Jackson-Rock With You (White Label Mix)

Sorry for the lame video, but here is one of the remixes I mentioned.

RIP Michael Jackson

Daniel has been subjected to a two day extravaganza of Michael Mania. I've added a Michael Jackson Station to our Pandora list and have been watching all of the tributes on TV. I'll admit he got pretty weird and pervie towards the end of his life, but I really wish they would keep the broadcasts to tributes until the toxicology results come out. We all know he had problems and that drugs probably played a part in his death (it was said he owed a pharmacy over $100,000 for various prescription painkillers), but he should be remembered for his incredible talent. As a dancer he was untouchable and while his style was a forerunner for most modern pop stars, they can only attempt to emulate him.

I love pretty much all of his music but here are my TOP 10 Michael Songs. Except for number one they are in no particular order...

1. Smooth Criminal--The full length 10 minute video has most amazing dance sequences ever! I remember I had this dance teacher as a kid who told us that he does the 50 degree lean with no tricks and she was right. Watch it here at around 8:05.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVh7FL7-SQw
It won't let me embedd the full length video for some reason but check it out.

2. Dirty Diana --I secretly love rock ballads
3. The Way You Make me Feel
4. Black or White
5. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough----I like disco. It was after all, the precursor for house music!
6. Rock With You----There is a really good house remix of this song. "You gotta feel that beat, and we can ride the boogie!!"
7. Bad----I just like how he says "sha-mon"
8. Wanna Be Starting Somethin'
9. Scream---Collaboration with Janet who is like, totally fierce this video, man. Hehe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNl2Pm9-7Vk
10. Man in the Mirror. Here is the MTV video. (This was when MTV actually played music.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSW4TU8JRSQ

Scrabble Masters!

Behold, our plastic cube lexicon. Daniel and I can play a mean game of scrabble (except we don't play for points, so they're usually pretty friendly games of scrabble.) I would like to point out that all of the long words such as "literate" and "envision" were mine and all of the the inappropriate words were put on the board by Daniel. Haha, I'm just kidding. It was mixed and any bad words (I think there are two) were formed out of necessity. During one of our games, I said we should come up with a game called scrabulous. Daniel said there already is a game with that name. Darn!

Muy Relajado en Siesta Key

http://picasaweb.google.com/ksantarita/SiestaKey2009#

Happy Father's Day from Siesta Key!

Here I am on our second night in Siesta Key Florida. We had a long day yesterday. In true Santa Rita style we got to the airport 2 hours early, which ultimately was good because I certainly was not up for any running. We got subs at Quiznos and were the first ones on the plane. Daniel was able to get a business class upgrade for only $69 dollars so we were able to sit together. Aside from a slightly jarring incident when I bashed my head on the overhead compartment and was accosted by an overly friendly steward who caused a bit of a scene trying to help me, the plane ride went very smoothly. We got our rental car and drove 30 minutes to our condo on Siesta Key. We haven't taken any siestas yet, but it's been very relaxing. Today we went to Turtle beach which is right across the street from out condo. It was in the 90's today and the water in the gulf was above 80 degrees. After swimming in the gulf we came back, swam in the pool, and went to an early dinner at turtles restaurant. We are hoping to get to the Mote Aquarium at the end of the week or maybe go on one of their boat tours. The aquarium is small but they say it is possible to see manatees, dolphins and loggerhead turtles on the boat tours.

Dinner at Turtles Restaurant

I know, Pete Doherty called. He wants his hat back. Haha. If only I were that cool.


Daniel, just chillin'. Despite my best efforts he did get slightly sunburned on his back but nothing major. (He has become rather obstinate about my attempts to cover him in SPF 100 so I've relaxed a bit) We brought enough sunscreen to cover an entire family of fair-skinned children perhaps contributing to the 8lbs excess weight in our luggage. We were not too happy when the taciturn counter clerk told us we had to pay $40 for 8 extra pounds.

In the kitchen getting our morning coffee

View of the lagoon from our room

Sunset on the first night

Violent Rage Uncommon at Advanced Age

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/12/AR2009061203886.html?nav=rss_email/components


By Neely TuckerWashington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 13, 2009
In some ways, the most striking thing about the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is the fact that the accused gunman is an octogenarian. The elderly are the least violent people in American society, federal crime statistics show, being just a little more likely to commit homicide than preteens.

There were 17,040 homicides listed by the FBI in 2007, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available. People 65 and older committed 156 of those slayings, or just under 1 percent. By contrast, teenagers ages 13 to 16 -- just a four-year bracket -- committed more than triple that amount. The only age group that committed fewer homicides than the elderly were children 12 and younger.
James Wenneker von Brunn, the 88-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed guard Stephen T. Johns at the Holocaust Museum, is the oldest homicide defendant in recent memory in the District, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The agency does not keep records of defendants based on age, but a spokesman said an informal poll of prosecutors and detectives did not turn up any defendants past their 70s.
"No one has heard of someone this age," said Benjamin Friedman, special counsel for the agency.

Criminologists said the shooting was so unusual that it is not even an area of study. "I don't know of any study of older offenders," said Louis B. Schlesinger, professor of forensic psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "There would be no reason to target older people as offenders" because they are such a minuscule part of the criminal population, he said.
It does happen, of course. Frank Spillman, 94, was charged last year with killing his landlord in Oakland, Calif. Lena Driskell was 79 in 2006 when she was charged with shooting her 85-year-old ex-boyfriend. Both were living in a senior citizens' high-rise in Atlanta when she discovered he was dating another woman.

But the FBI statistics bear out what psychologists and psychiatrists routinely say: Stereotypes about grumpy old men aside, men (and women, who commit about 10 percent of all homicides) become less violent for every year they live after age 25.
In men, surging testosterone levels, coupled with the relative immaturity of the brain's frontal lobes (the brain's executive center, which inhibits impulses), push homicidal violence to a peak between the ages of 17 to 24. Men in that age range were charged with 4,738 homicides in 2007. As in years past, this was by far the highest category.
For each five-year period thereafter, people committed fewer slayings, a steadily descending staircase of violence. By the senior years, a "wisdom of living" has settled in, said neuropsychiatrist Richard Restak, in which violence is rarely considered.
"The outbursts of anger, stemming from the amygdala, are fewer, and are more easily controlled by the frontal lobe," said Restak, a Washington-based researcher who has published 19 books on the inner workings of the brain. "There's a mellowing that usually takes place."
When impulse control is lost in later years, it's either very minor -- think of the elderly complaining loudly about poor service or waiting in line -- or is it often a sign of deterioration in the frontal lobe, said Naftali Berrill, director of the New York Center for Neuropsychology and Forensic Behavioral Science, a private consulting firm that often works on mental evaluations in criminal cases.
"There's also an evolutionary reason why people become less violent in their later years. Physical frailty makes it hard to engage in aggressive acts. You're more easily wounded. The elderly can't compete, physically, with the younger and stronger, so they don't," said Berrill.
Restak and Berrill were careful to say they were not speaking about von Brunn. But they noted that in general practice, the early stages of mental deterioration are first looked at as a cause for violent outbursts by the elderly. Restak notes that about 5 percent of the population shows signs of early-stage dementia at age 65, and that the percentage doubles every five years thereafter.
"The frontal lobe can be terribly compromised" by dementia-related illnesses, Berrill said. "They'll urinate on the wall, or lash out at someone for no real reason. They can't access the frontal lobe and reason things out anymore. Then you see much more aggressive, impulsive behavior."

Listen to the mouth on this one

Are women born this way? - Snotr: ""

The heading for this video is "Do all women come out this way?" My answer is obviously no!
It is thought though that baby girls develop slightly faster than boys. They talk more, are generally "busy" exploring and helping while boys are content to just sit and have things done for them.

Confessions, Ramblings and Recipes

**I kind of loathe romantic comedies and but sometimes I'll watch them anyway. I have seen Bridget Jones' Diary at least 10 times and a few weeks ago I watched The Nanny Diaries on Showtime. Awful.

**Sometimes I feed Sam and Frodo ice cream and yogurt with a spoon.

**I have seen Juno about 10 times as well. And EVERY time I see it I get a little verklempt at the end when Juno says "I think I'm in love with you. You're golden, man."

**I am trying to lose weight but every couple of weeks I go home and when I can't sleep, go upstairs and devour a peanut butter sandwich and mug of hot milk.

On this note, for a tasty pudding type of snack take 1/4 cup of fat free ricotta, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 packets of Splenda. Delicious and under 50 calories. My other recent food addictions: Weight Watchers ice creams, Kashi cereal, and high fiber English muffins.

**My love-hate relationship with So You Think You Can Dance has started again.

What's with the weather recently? I feel like the Congolese Mountains have come to the mid-Atlantic and I'm living in Gorillas in the Mist.

Since spring arrived, a big family of deer have taken up residence in the wooded area across the street from our neighborhood. Traipsing down the hill, I've spotted them on our lawns contentedly munching on neighbors flowers and drinking water from the stream below. One day when I was out with the dogs, I stumbled upon two little box tortoises. Only one was out of its shell and it immediately withdrew when I tried to pick it up. I called Daniel and told him I was bringing them home. When I went back sans dogs to retrieve them, they were gone. Today as I drearily trudged along our grey, wet road I saw a crushed shell with two tiny legs squashed underneath, the creature's amphibian nails scratching the road in desperation. Someone had reversed their car onto it. I stood and stared at the dead animal and walked back home. The thought of my own death rarely phases me. I suppose I derive comfort from the spiritual aspect of my life. Something about seeing that dead, helpless creature shook me though.

Anyway....D's home so just one more confession.

** I haven't practised Spanish in months and it's gotten really crappy. Vocabulary=gone.

Gathersburg Presbyterian Church

We are going to try a service at this church next Sunday. For a long time we had difficulty finding a church up here where we felt we fit in with the people and also liked the pastor. We tried the Church Upcounty and Church of the Redeemer. This church has a servce at 11am and is about 15 minutes away along Route 355. It would be nice to start going before the fall semester starts. It looks like they have an interim Pastor at the moment but hopefully he will be good.

http://www.gpchurch.org/

Bill Maher (2008) on elitism.

The "better freight than never" part is hysterical.

BILL MAHER NEW RULES FEBRUARY 20 2009 HQ : BEST EVER ASIAN LADY GOES CRAZY EDITION :)

Little Red Tree

We will call it Chibi, meaning "small" in Japanese.

Very Important People

Today my dad went downtown to cover a story on the Portuguese Consulate's visit to Washington. Some of the "low profile" terrorists being released from Guantanomo are 17 Chinese Muslims who belong the the ethnic Uighur group in the Xinjiang region and were captured in the wake of the U.S invasion of Afghanistan. While the the prisoners have been cleared for release by the pentagon, the U.S had some difficulty finding countries willing to provide asylum for them. Many countries feared retaliation from the Chinese, who claim that the that the Uighurs are attempting to for a separatist state and should be returned to China to be dealt with "according to Chinese law."

So anyway, the Consulate is here because Portugal has offered to take 3 of prisoners and today Hilary Clinton gave a press conference on the subject. Dad was just feet away from her and got a few good pictures. Even though dad is always very humble and modest about these things, I think it's quite cool.

There are also some links about the detainees below if you're interested.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/20/guantanamo-human-rights-face-markets_china_04.html

http://forcedmigrants.blogspot.com/2008/12/portugal-offers-asylum-to-gitmo.html

Smug Serenity

I want President Obama to let me know what it's like to be perfect so that I can understand why he gets that smug look on his face sometimes. I'm completely joking, of course. I like Mr. Hussein Obama including that barely noticeable aura of serenity that seems to follow him to his speeches where he attempts ameliorate our relations with the rest of the world.

We'll pray for you President Obama even though you want to strip us of our 2nd Amendment right by taking away our semiautomatic weapons. Even though your father was a Muslim and you want to let the terrorists win in Iraq. We'll pray for you.

Again, I'm just kidding. I don't want to sound smug. (Just don't become too conservative or I won't vote for you next term.)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Obama's Smug Little Bubble
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Economic Crisis

The Primitives - Crash, 1988 RCA Double Sided Promo Record

Acer palmatum Bloodgood

I have decided to buy a French Bulldog and name her Acer Palmatum Bloodgood. I'm just kidding (Although if I weren't allergic to their fur, I would definitely get a Frenchie....really cute!) Daniel and I got a Japanese Maple Tree and planted it outside the big window in our living room. I suppose that's the scientific name for the variety of Japanese Maple we have with the purplish-red leaves. I've never attempted gardening before and I've been known to kill many a house plant, so I'm not sure how this experiment will turn out. For a living creature to survive in my care, I need it to whine if it needs something. Sam's robust health is thus easily explained. Anyway, apparently these trees need a little shade because the strong sun in the summer can scorch the leaves. Since we live in a condo, however, and none of the garden is really "ours" the spot we chose will have to work. Perhaps if I spray water on the tree's leaves with the spray bottle we usually use to pelt Sam when he is naughty, they won't get scorched. I'll post some pictures soon. They are quite pretty trees.
http://www.japanesemaples.com/information/care.php

http://www.ehow.com/video_2329308_care-japanese-maple-trees.html

And just because I love him so much, here is a picture of Samwise Gamgee.

And Frodo Baggins....

Daniel said that the shag with bangs was his least favorite of my haircuts. What do you think?

I'm choking on all this SMUG!

I remember when George Clooney got up at the Oscars and said, "we in Hollywood are ahead of the rest of the country in terms of progressive political issues." We set the standard for other people etc. etc.... Oh come on!?

This episode of South Park was quite clever.

Here's an explanation of the episode.



And here's a link where you can watch smug alert!!

ARE YOU WILLING TO BET ON OUR HUMANITY?

Last week when Daniel got home from work we were flicking through the channels after watching dinner and believe it or not, I actually stopped to watch "real sports" with Briant Gumble. The story was on horse racing and some of the hidden practices that go on every day 'behind the scenes' at the stables. He interviewed a stable worker who talked about owners who sell their horses for meat as soon as they stop running as fast. (When I say this I mean horses that are in excellent condition, coming in third or fourth, rather of first in races.) She said the phrase "from the stable to the table" is thrown around jokingly amongst horse owners. My immediate question was: Who eats horse meat? It turns out the horses are sold for meat that will be used in pet food and in the European and Asian food markets. Ugh!! Daniel and I debated over who is at fault, the horse racing industry or the food companies that purchase horse meat? While it is true that if there wasn't a market for the meat, the horses wouldn't be slaughtered for it, I still believe that there is something fundamentally wrong about the current trends in horse racing. A New York Daily News Reporter concisely iterates some of my qualms with the sport when he says, “The thoroughbred race horse is a genetic mistake. It runs too fast, its frame is too large, and its legs are far too small. As long as mankind demands that it run at high speeds under stressful conditions, horses will die at racetracks.”

The article highlighted below discusses the interesting topic of sports in which death is often the result of or in some cases, part of the entertainment, whether it be the deaths of people or animals. Think of bullfighting, the roman gladiators, cock fighting, and even car racing, which can sometimes leads to the deaths of drivers. The article also talks about how PETA is often quick to support causes which place the feelings of animals over people and will jump on anyone if it advances their cause (often making them look like lunatics, I might add.) For example, PETA's condemnation of horseracing "even extended to presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who picked Eight Belles to win, and daughter Chelsea, who attended the event." Anyway, here is the article: Horse Racing.

While I am not ready to jump on the PETA's crazy cart and ride around throwing paint on people, I do think that cruelty is something that humanity should strive to fight. Watching re-creations of the gladiator fights of ancient days we are horrified to see the enjoyment people took in watching others suffer. Since we believe that human beings are advancing as the years progress, I'm hoping that people will one day look back at the days of watching horses collapse from heart attacks and broken ankles on race tracks wth similar disgusted sentiments.

This article is not about the vices of gambling, but that component of the "sport" makes it one which seems to have the potential of ruining both animal and human lives. Regardless of all the negatives, the profit of those who sponser and promote the races is given higher priority than any notions that we should advance our humanity, stop cruel practices, or discourage gambling. So, for the meantime, human greed prevails and I'm sorry to say that I'm not willing to bet that things are going to change any time soon.

Frodo and Lola

Sorry for the blurry old video. I wanted to give this a try.

Funny Stuff

I've come across this in some other blogs but thought I'd still share it.Copied from the Washington Post, here are the winners of the Washington Post Mensa Invitational Word Contest.

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the 2009 winners:
1. Cashtration: The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a=2 0tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon: The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit: The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug: Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor: The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
____________________________________________
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:
1. Coffee (n.): The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.): Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate (v.): To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.): To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.): Impotent.
6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.): To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.): Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.): Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.): A rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.): A humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.): The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n.): A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.): A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.): The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.): An opening in the front of jockey shorts worn by Jewish men.

Best Transport in Mozambique

Picture taken in Northern Mozambique. You may have seen it.

Another Post...

...On the amazing Donna Tartt

Her short writings aren't even as good as her longer works, but this tribute to her mentor, Willie Morris, is so well written I had to share it. I got a little teary reading it.

Also, a word of advice about her books: They are really fun, entertaining reads (which is why they sell so well) but she sometimes uses words in different ways, so look up unknown words to find the definition that fits the context. I sound like an English teacher, but she draws on her vast and sometimes obscure knowledge of words in her writing, making a dictionary necessary from time to time.

In "The Secret History" she throws in a lot of classics references and references to other books for literary buffs. I looove it!

Some quotes from her tribute to Willie Morris:

"The truth was more complicated, and had to do with that raw, gigantic, intensely tender heart of his which he seldom guarded or protected in any way but left right on the surface for the world to scratch at. What drink could palliate those ancient, chilling sorrows that settled over him? "

"Never will I forget my naive astonishment at discovering that there existed another person who loved words in much the same sputtering and agonised way that I did, who fought them and cursed them and cried over them and stood back, dazzled and agog in admiration of them. After all those years isolated in my hometown, shut up in my bedroom reading books, I had thought I was the only person in the world so afflicted. "

Donna Tartt Shrine

My most recent literary obsession is "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. After staying up for nights on end turning pages until my sleepy lids finally overcame the excitement and mild terror stirring inside me, I began to read about the author herself. Much like the characters in her book she is slightly eccentric and was a precocious child. She was sick during her youth and recalls spending hazy days in bed devouring books.

She unintentionally created a sort of literary persona for herself, creating even more intrigue behind the haunting stories she writes. She is 4 feet 10 weighs 95 pounds, and can drink most men under the table. She studied classics on the side "for fun", and can quote T.S Eliot and countless others from memory. In college she started wearing only men's suits and now is usually seen in a black suit of some kind. It is thought that many of the characters in her books are based on close friends but she refuses to indulge any of these suggestions that there are connections between her own life and the lives in her books. This is an entertaining yet thorough article about her.

She is known for pouring over each word she chooses and spends years writing a book. In the last 20 years she has published only 2 books, each hugely successful. So, when I heard that she has written short stories and small works of non-fiction for periodicals and journals, I started searching. My search ended very shortly when I found this glorious page with many of these works, aptly named Donna Tartt Shrine.

Right now I'm reading Heaven on a hummingbird's wing: Donna Tartt on the abiding power of a childhood memory - The Guardian - October 2, 2004, which fits quite well with the theme of childhood found in my recent pictures. Here is a quote from the article:

"Of course, it's not at all remarkable that children are captivated by new things, because to children everything is new. But what is remarkable is how fleeting impressions of childhood delight can linger and change and vanish and re-appear unexpectedly over the years, winking like fireflies throughout the arduous and complicated darks of a lifetime."

It's short and I highly recommend it. You can find it here.

Donna Tartt I salute thee. You are a master of your craft.

Oh....and please come to D.C sometime and do an interview or book reading so I can stand in line, get really nervous and then awkwardly ask you a bad question and get your autograph. Well, hopefully it wouldn't happen like that but anyway....

Action Research Proposal

I just finished amassing a 50 page monster of a research project on using word study with 2nd grade ESOL readers. In education I suppose this paper is the equivalent to the thesis that scientists have to write at the end of their master's degrees. (Although D told me he didn't actually gather data or anything for his...so there! My partner and I gathered tons of freakin' data.)

Daniel was completely selfless in helping me analyze the data, something for which I was not prepared and have little capacity for. He was able to make inferences about outliers (students who didn't do well on the assessments and messed up our data trends) and helped me with numerous tables this semester. Turns out I can't use excel as well as I thought. Anyway, I found this list on a facebook page and thought it really funny considering I spent the last 3 1/2 months writing this stuff. I'm pretty sure I used a few of these...

I am so grateful that I will never have to do something like this again and that this as about as scientific as I will ever get in my life. For this reason alone I will never get a Ph.D.

** A brief guide to scientific literature **
It has long been known == I haven’t bothered to check the references.
It is known == I believe.
It is believed == I think.
It is generally believed == My colleagues and I think.
There has been some discussion == Nobody agrees with me.
It can be shown == Take my word for it
It is proven == It agrees with something mathematical.
Of great theoretical importance == I find it interesting.
Of great practical importance == This justifies my employment.
Some samples were chosen for study == The others didn't make sense.
Typical results are shown == The best results are shown.
Correct within order of magnitude == Wrong.
The values were obtained empirically == The values were obtained by accident.
The results are inconclusive == The results seem to disprove my hypothesis.
Additional work is required == Someone else can work on the details.
It might be argued that == I have a good answer to this objection.
The investigations proved rewarding == My grant has been renewed.
Synthesized according to standard protocols == Purchased

Sooo Cute...

Little Daniel....

In his "big boy" diaper

South African Commercial

I realized I should explain this commercial a bit. In response to the corruption of ANC (African National Congress) leader Jacob Zuma and frictions within the party people formed a splinter group called COPE (Congress of the People).

Awesome Picture

I'm sure many of you saw this picture circulating when everyone starting freaking out about the "swine" flu.

Don't tell anyone but I was often seen kissing my animals as a child. My love of animals knows no bounds, ok!

Joao's Mother's Day Pictures

Some new pictures from "grandpa Jow." That's what bea calls my dad. Apparently she cried and cried when grandma and grandpa left on Sunday:(

http://picasaweb.google.com/jsantarita/BeatriceIsabel?authkey=Gv1sRgCPfwkKeMzeH-5wE&feat=email#

She has started singing now too. Grandma said she tilts her head from side to side and goes "ahhhh, ahhhh."

Isn't she a beauty?

All proper ladies wear matching hats when going out on Sundays....

Ready for her stroll....

Can you tell they're related?

Rainy Day Musings....

Daniel's aunt Donna recently gave me two pictures of him as a little boy. Staring at the photographs, I immediately saw his current personality popping out at me from shiny images on the old waxy paper. I saw a little Daniel stooped over intently concentrating on something Paul was showing him, his big diaper popping out underneath him. (He looked a little old to be wearing a diaper, but I'm not saying anything :) In the other, he sweetly smiled as he reticently stretched out his hand to touch a goat. My Daniel is still the same: kind, gentle and very clever. Able to sit and concentrate on something for hours on end. Perhaps I was projecting my image of him today onto those pictures, but I think one can tell a lot about a person by looking at the personality traits that develop during childhood.

These pictures inspired us to get a scanner, something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have started scanning old pictures of my family's life in South Africa and will soon start documenting baby Bear's (hehe...that's D) early years as well.

If I stare long enough at the picture of my friends romping round the pool in Orange Grove, I can feel myself transported there: Walking down the long driveway with half-rotting grapes hanging from the vine on the trellis above, running down the brick stairs that led to the back yard, and me shamelessly grilling pounds of meat on the braai.

However, any notions that I entertain of returning to visit the house are readily dismantled. Because, you see, in my mind I am transported to the house as it was in 1991. When I returned to Capetown for the first time in many years, it seemed so small. Not only in size (because I was bigger) but the anticipation of seeing a place so dear to me immediately led to disappointment. The magical place of my childhood holidays had been replaced by small chaotic roads, disorder and destroyed beauty.

Childhood is a mixed experience for a lot of people. Many people say that their childhood years are the worst ones of their lives. I certainly have a lot of painful memories and waves of melancholy sometimes flush over me when I thinkof my youth. At the same time I think we are all in love with the idea of childhood. Freshness, hope, imagination: these are the things that childhood ideally represents for most of us.

I have come to reconcile the Capetown of my childhood to the Capetown I know now and for the most part believe that South Africa has not lost its wild beauty. As for the little brick house in Orange Grove, for now, I prefer the place as it exists in my mind.