Mark's Notebook
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
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20041022b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002336 10163463241 011455 0 ustar markb user One Person's Treasure
... is just another's blog
Friday 22 October 2004, 5:31 pmKeywords: Christian Topics
What can you expect to find here? Of course, this is the place where I'll share the details about my accident, surgery, hospital stay, and convalescence. But there are lots of other things to share also. It seems that others use this kind of forum to share web links, and mine will be no different. I already have a list of almost 1000 excellent links to share, but this forum will let me show you the best of the best. You'll find ideas about the web, computer usability, Macintosh and Palm, nonfiction books, faith, theology, and church history. Oops ... forgot also to mention that there will be a lot of discussion of music and dancing! Doh! Hopefully you'll find that Jesus is at the center of our lives and that affects our outlook on many things. And we're constantly growing, hence changing. Hopefully you'll see that different ideas can be explored in a way that is curious, logical, and allows for change over time. To grow in a healthy fashion, one must be open to new ideas, but discerning enough to reject bad ideas. Growing in Christ is a daily process of learning more about him. Maybe we can all learn together. 20041023a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000004725 10163461666 011472 0 ustar markb user Hometown Boy Falls From Bicycle, Scores Guest Appearance On "ER" 1098581208 Accident, Favorite, Humor San Jose - Tuesday October 12, 2004 Milpitas resident Mark "Mixed-Up" Brautigam fell from his bicycle Tuesday near the DMV office in Willow Glen, and was whisked by paramedics to San Jose Hospital for treatment of a hip fracture. After falling, the intrepid cyclist first called his wife Mary, then called 911, and was able to make one last quick call to Calvary Chapel San Jose before his cell phone battery gave up the ghost. At CCSJ, Mr. Brautigam contacted Kathy Acomb, who immediately organized a prayer watch for the weekly Tuesday evening men's and women's bible studies. After hauling himself to the sidewalk, but unable to stand, Mr. Brautigam ventured back into the street to retrieve his bicycle, which was hindering traffic. The blocked SUV was driven by a soccer mom, who didn't bother to call 911 because she was late for practice. Regarding the injured cyclist, Willow Glen merchant E. B. White said, "He's a doofus." Local resident Charles Parham said "He's always been a klutz." Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel was reported to have said, "These older guys just have to realize they can't do these tricks forever. At some point they have to make way for the younger folks to take over." Elderly resident Joseph Smith said, "These crazy guys just barrel through here like a bat out of a deep place, knocking everyone else over. He deserved what he got." The 48 year old Mr. Brautigam, who was going over 2 MPH at the time of the fall, said, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Paramedics said the cyclist's injuries looked like bruises but no broken bones. But they took Mr. Brautigam to the San Jose Hospital emergency room, where x-rays revealed a fracture in the neck of the femur. Surgery commenced at 7:00 pm. After being administered a spinal injection, Mr. Brautigam's next words were reportedly "Ow! Ow! Ow!" as surgeons began to slice into the hip muscle. In response to this unforeseen circumstance and the patient's constant humorous chatting with the operating room staff, the doctors administered general anesthesia in order to shut him up. The patient emerged two and a half hours later with enough titanium in his hip to trip every airport security system between here and Toronto. Recent word from Hollywood is that Mr. Brautigam's nude scenes on "ER" were left on the cutting room floor. Fortunate indeed. 20041023b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001732 10163461167 011462 0 ustar markb user Maybe you should sell your bike on ebay (a reader response) 1098586224 Accident, Favorite, Humor This response from Paul Gaboury: Hey Mark that sounds like a horrible and painful accident. When I was 65 my dad advised me i was too old to do my lifestyle and slow down. Not knowing how old you are am unable offer clinical advice. At 75 I retired from hockey when had hip replacement but that was a piece of cake and no pain whatsoever. At 81 quit skiing as couldn't balance--for instance today at 89 walked into a door opening, scraped off a typical elbow scab and bled all over looking for bandaids. Have quit my golf club and square dancing but Dale and I enthused over ballroom dancing--class lessons twice a week, and we go to black tie supper dances once a month. So think about it. Maybe you should sell your bike on ebay and concentrate on your dancing. Somewhat safer. Say hi to Mary for us. Paul Mark says: Paul, thanks for the best chuckle I've had all week! 20041024a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000000512 10147745276 011465 0 ustar markb user Link: Prayer and Intercession 1098669671 Christian My friend Eddie Noragong put together this neat site about prayer and intercession. There is so much here I can't explain it all. Lots of links. The focus of the site is to spur revival by promoting personal and corporate prayer. www.justpray.net 20041025a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000007121 10163461145 011455 0 ustar markb user Update: Paraguay 1098721977 Christian My brother in law and his wife are missionaries in Paraguay. Here is their latest newsletter. ----- Paraguay
October 2004 October 17 we finished our 40 Days of Purpose campaign at the San Lorenzo church. We want to share some of the exciting things that happened during our journey. Ramon and Teresa belong to a large, organized religious group in the city. They began attending a small group for the 40 Days and faithfully read their book, A Purpose Driven Life, each day. As the 40 days progressed, they came to realize that the group they belonged to was not teaching the Bible. They were told by their leaders that the Bible is a mystical book, and only their leaders can interpret it. Through the 40 Days, Ramon and Teresa learned "...because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven..." Matthew 13:11 They now know that they can read the Bible and understand it for themselves. Macumba is Brazilian black magic commonly practiced here in Paraguay. Another couple that began attending the 40 Days were victims of this, their neighbors were constantly leaving dead animals, and other evidences of curses in front of their home. They could not sleep at night and lived with a constant feeling of anxiety. When they began attending the 40 Days, they accepted Christ and were taught how to resist the powers of the black magic. Since then they rest better and live in Christ's victory. A 17 year old exchange student began attending the church a week before the 40 Days. We had a book in English which we loaned to her. the first week she accepted Christ and is now being discipled by Melanie. She works with our children's programs and is active in the youth group. Felipe and his son Alberto bravely opened their home for the 40 Days. Friends and neighbors began attending and the group grew each week. As a result of this outreach, they will be having regular meetings each week in their home, 2 groups for men and one for women. Jorge and Rosa struggled to make a decision to open their home. In the end, Jorge lead 2 groups, one at his house and another at Rosas sisters home. Now Jorge and Rosa will continue with their groups. 8 small groups were meeting regularly before the 40 Days. 21 small groups are regularly meeting now. Over 70 people accepted Christ for the first time during these meetings and many others were exposed to the gospel. At a ladies tea after the 40 Days, 8 women accepted Christ. Evidence that the people are understanding the importance of our mission here on earth. Continue to pray for all of the people mentioned above. Especially for the new believers, that they would continue to baptism and serve the Lord faithfully. Our next big event is a national missions conference to be held at the San Lorenzo on November 13th. The purpose is to encourage Paraguayans to complete the work of evangelizing Paraguay and to support Latin missions in other countries. Thanks for all of your prayers and for your faithfulness in giving towards the Great Commission Fund, from which we receive our support. We are working towards finishing construction on the San Lorenzo church before our returning to California in May of 2005. At the moment we are at a standstill because of lack of funds. We need $1000.00 to finish the 3rd floor roof. You can support this effort by giving to our Work Special. Your servants in Christ, Bob and Brenda Boston CC 13173
Shopping del Sol
Asuncion, Paraguay
(595-21-605-648) The Christian and Missionary Alliance
P.O. Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500 20041026a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000006530 10163462466 011470 0 ustar markb user Books I'm Reading Now 1098827035 Christian I've had a lot of time to read while recuperating. Here are some of the books I've been reading:
- American Faith: Its Religious, Political, and Economic Foundations, by Ernest Sutherland Bates, 1940. More information here.
- Authentic Christianity, by Ray Stedman.
- We Would See Jesus, by Roy Hession.
- I Am : The Unveiling of God by Steve Fry.
- 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (Like Me), by John Fischer.
- Through faith alone: 365 devotional readings from Martin Luther, by Martin Luther.
- Youth Aflame: Manual for Discipleship, by Winkie Pratney.
- Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad Design, by Vincent Flanders.
- A Little Java, A Few Patterns, by Matthias Felleisen and Daniel P. Friedman.
- Faith of Our Sons: Voices from the American Homefront -- The Wartime Diary of a Marine's Father, by Frank Schaeffer.
I would believe only in a god who could dance. -- Friedrich NietzscheI thought this quote appropriate since I am both a Christian and a dancer. It expresses my hope that God might be a dancer also. Responses to the line have varied. The dancers seemed to love it. Christians were taken aback that I would quote a heathen philosopher. One sincere Christian even sent me a link to a web site about how Nietzsche had started out as a Christian but had wandered from the light into the bleakest darkness. All true, but even that doesn't dilute my own hope that God might be joyous enough to dance, and my hope that in this small way I can reach out to my unsaved dancing friends. Today I read the most wonderful passages from Steve Fry's devotional book I Am: The Unveiling Of God. The chapter is called "The God Who Celebrates," and here we go:
"God's joy knows no bounds. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "He will rejoice over you with singing." The word joy here is a pretty animated word. In the Hebrew, it literally means "to become excited to the point of dancing in a whirlwind." Most translators have chosen a less vigorous description for our English Bibles because they can't conceive of a God of such emotional intensity. "We don't trust our emotions and therefore hesitate to ascribe to God any emotional fervor that would smack of imbalance. But in thinking this way about God, we miss one of the most precious attributes of his character -- that he gets so excited about you and me that he exhibitis the kind of joy that can only be captured in the imagery of a whirling dance. "The Hebrews knew God not just as the God of covenant, but as the God of celebration. Again and again in the Psalms we find exhortations to rejoice. How would we be called to rejoice with such intensity except that God himself rejoices with such intensity?"This book is worth the price for this one chapter alone. 20041028a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001117 10147745276 011473 0 ustar markb user Links to Christian Sites 1099029458 Christian I've put together a searchable list of links to Christian sites. www.mixed-up.com/faith/links.html My favorite topics are church history in general, and the reformation and development of denominations in particular. There are also links to (supposedly) all the churches in the US and all the Christian radio stations in the US. Some of the search engine still needs to be implemented, and many of the sites are not yet categorized, but you can currently search based on keyword or page title. 20041030a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000010467 10163462523 011461 0 ustar markb user Palm Tungsten C and D-Link DI-624 Problems 1099191905 Computer While confined to the house and spending a lot of time in bed resting my hip, I've made a habit of using my Palm Tungsten C to check email and even surf the web a little bit. The Tungsten C has built-in WiFi (802.11b) and comes stock with a basic email program and a web browser that supports Javascript. I've used it in the past while traveling, but mostly as a novelty, "just because I can." (Of course, my wife thinks this is another expression of my nerdity. Why would anyone want to check email while on vacation?) But in this particular situation, it was actually quite handy and even liberating to check email without having to get out of bed. The Tungsten C supports the Graffiti 2 alphabet, but it also comes with a tiny keyboard that is marginally less frustrating than Graffiti. (I prefer the original Graffiti alphabet; the new Graffiti 2 alphabet supports two-stroke characters but with less reliability than the original.) So even for composing short email messages it is not too painful. I highly recommend this solution for those confined to bed. When I got the Tungsten C, I also bought a wireless router to use as an access point. At first, I bought a Netgear router becuase I already had a very reliable Netgear router with firewall but no wireless capability. The new WGR614v2 with wireless capability should have been a drop-in replacement for my existing FR114P, but it never worked. I sent several emails to Netgear and I used their web site support form, but I never got a reply. So I returned the faulty router and bought one from their competition. The D-Link DI-624 also would not function as a drop-in replacement for the Netgear FR114P. However, I was able to get it to function as a wireless access point by connecting both routers together. This actually is a good situation because
- I can still benefit from the Netgear's superior firewall.
- I can still use the Netgear's print server.
- I have more expansion ports available.
- Netgear FR114P router
- Netgear WGR614 802.11g wireless router
- D-Link DI-624 Revision C 802.11g wireless router
- Palm Tungsten C
www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm 20041031c.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000004510 10163463247 011460 0 ustar markb user Holy Halloween 1099277806 Favorite Our church has a "Harvest Festival" in their gym tonight. It's a way to keep the kids safe and free from exposure to "witches" and other evil influences. Actually, I don't like the idea of kids bugging their neighbors and "haunting" the streets after dark. When I was a child, we lived on a dead-end street that intersected one other street. We were allowed to trick-or-treat only on those two streets, and when we were very small, only with our parents. All our friends lived on those streets, and all their parents and all the other adults knew us well. Many of our neighbors took photos of everyone who came to their door. But now as a society maybe we don't know our neighbors so well. Things are very different in our heterogeneous neighborhood in 2004 than they were on two semi-rural streets in 1964. I don't worry about any bad things happening. But I do worry that it is almost in a way impolite to impose our children on neighbors that don't really know them well. Perhaps it's my natural reticence that makes me feel this way. Since I can't very easily answer the doorbell because of my limited mobility, I wanted to go to church, watch the kids I know from the vantage point of a chair to the side. (I suppose with my walker, I could do a lion-tamer or updated Quasimodo imitation. Lame. Ha ha.) But Mary doesn't like to drive on Halloween when kids are roaming dimly-lit streets, and it's hard to argue with her. (Especially since she has the car keys.) It seems that those who have rung our doorbell have been polite youngsters. I can hear, but from the computer I cannot see. In past years it has been feast or famine. One year Mary emptied the candy bowl while I had to work. Another year we had only a couple teenagers. Last year, we had only one adult neighbor visit! Mary was appalled that an adult would go trick-or-treating. But perhaps Mary didn't understand her "heterogeneous" accent when she said it was just an excuse to meet her neighbors. I thought this was a good thing ... trying to correct all the obvious problems with Halloween. Let's get to know our neighbors. Protecting our children is a supreme value among all factions of our society. And loving one's neighbor is a value that goes back at least as far as Leviticus 19:18. 20041101a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001622 10163452012 011441 0 ustar markb user Korean Missionaries Carrying Word to Hard-to-Sway Places New York Times 1099338238 Christian, News By Norimitsu Onishi South Korean Christian missionaries have become known for aggressively going to the hardest-to-evangelize corners of the world. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/international/asia/01missionaries.html?th
Related story: South Korean Is Killed in Iraq by His Captors
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 By Edward Wong and James Glanz An interpreter who dreamed of becoming a Christian missionary in the Arab world was beheaded by insurgents. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/23/international/middleeast/23IRAQ.html?th You might need to register with NY Times to read these articles. It's easy and free. 20041101b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000000577 10163451706 011463 0 ustar markb user Faith at Work New York Times 1099339069 Christian, News By Russell Shorto With the rise of office ministries and job-site prayer groups, will religion be the next workplace issue? http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/magazine/31FAITH.html You might need to register with NY Times to read this article. It's easy and free. 20041101c.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002734 10163451641 011457 0 ustar markb user Older NY Times Articles 1099341918 Christian, News Leading Muslim Clerics in Iraq Condemn Bombing of Churches
Tuesday, August 3, 2004 By Ian Fisher Still, some Christians said they feared that the attacks were a frightening signal of a rise of fundamentalist Islam. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/international/middleeast/03iraq.html?th
Bombs Explode Near Churches in 2 Iraqi Cities
Monday, August 2, 2004 By Somini Sengupta and Ian Fisher In the first significant attacks against Iraq's Christian minority, at least 12 people were killed and 27 wounded. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/international/middleeast/02iraq.html?th
Hug an Evangelical
Saturday, April 24, 2004 By Nicholas D. Kristof If liberals demand more tolerance for gays and lesbians, then liberals need to be more respectful of conservative Christians. "It's always easy to point out the intolerance of others. What's harder is to practice inclusiveness oneself. And bigotry toward people based on their faith is just as repugnant as bigotry toward people based on their sexuality." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/24/opinion/24KRIS.html?th You might need to register with NY Times to read these articles. It's easy and free. 20041101d.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000014514 10163461714 011461 0 ustar markb user Activities Of Daily Living 1099369727 Accident, Favorite Mary's degree in Occupational Therapy has been a great help to me both in the hospital and during my
- Commode. I used this a lot the first three or four days after I got out of the hospital. Mostly because I was too tired to hobble all the way to the bathroom. Mary put it right next to the bed. Kathleen had the idea of putting water in it ahead of time to dilute whatever I might do into it.
- Reacher sticks of various kinds. One has a hook on the end and it is useful for picking up clothes or pulling up pants by the belt loops. Another has a grip and a trigger; it is more useful for picking up books or papers. It can also be used to reach items on the dresser without getting out of bed. There is also a long shoehorn that I haven't really used much until recently.
- Sock puller. This is a clever little invention. It is smooth plastic on one side, and terry cloth on the other. It has two rope handles. You curl it up and place the sock over it, plastic side in, and terry cloth side against the sock. Then you use the rope handles to pull it over your foot. The foot slides against the smooth plastic, but the terry cloth holds the sock firmly and pulls it up.
- Grab bars. Gabriel installed one on the wall opposite the toilet, and Aaron installed one diagonally in the shower. These help me to sit on the toilet or get into the shower while placing weight onto only one leg.
- Raised toilet seat. This makes it easier for me to sit on the toilet because I don't have to lower myself as far to sit, and I don't have to raise myself as far to stand up.
- Shower chair. This lets me sit in the shower, and it also helps me to get into the shower. The details of using it show how difficult it can be do so something as simple as getting into the shower, while not placing the left foot on the floor. Move the chair to one end of the shower. Holding onto the walker, lower my butt onto the chair so that my butt is in the shower but my legs are still out. Put my right leg into the shower. Stand on the right leg, hanging onto the diagonal grab bar. (Left leg is still hanging outside the shower.) Move the chair back a little. Sit down again. Angle the left leg into the shower. To get out, reverse the process, if I can even remember what the process was.
- Walker. I was released from the hospital late Friday night. Fortunately Craig brought an old walker, because the hospital supply did not deliver the new one until Saturday afternoon. I don't know how I would have got into the house if Craig didn't have something I could use temporarily. Mary bought a basket for it, and David Brandt modified the basket to fit the new walker.
24 N. 14th St., Suite 140
San Jose, CA 95112
408-280-0416 20041102a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003054 10147745276 011466 0 ustar markb user Goblins On The Doorstep 1099431240 Humor Two very scary characters approach my door. "Trick or trick!" Isn't it a little late? Halloween was two days ago! "It's never too late until the polls close. Trick or trick!" Shouldn't that be "trick or treat"? "I'm here for treats, but he just wants to trick you."
"No, he wants to trick you. Don't listen to him." You guys come around every four years looking for treats. "Don't give anything to him. He'll spend it all on pork in other districts."
"Don't give anything to him. He'll spend it on military conquests in other countries." Those definitely sound like tricks. "I'll make sure you can get health insurance when you get laid off and go looking for work at Wal*Mart."
"No, he'll make sure that when your job goes overseas, you won't even be able to get work at Wal*Mart." So, what's the good news? "He'll destroy our military superiority."
"He'll start drafting you and your children." Now you're starting to scare me! "He'll take away your guns."
"He'll teach you all about guns in boot camp!" Ack! "He'll make sure you never see your social security."
"He'll make sure you pay twice as much for social security as you'll ever see." Go away! "He'll kill all your unborn babies."
"He'll kill all your teenagers in foreign wars." Aieee! They're even scarier than last time! Honey! Give them, something, anything, just get rid of them! "He he he."
"We're gettin' a boatload of loot this time."
"I wonder if mom will let us eat it all tonight?" 20041102b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003560 10147745276 011471 0 ustar markb user Martin Luther on Good Works 1099432339 Christian, Favorite This from today's devotions in Martin Luther's book. It is next to impossible to fully learn this about good works. This is why we have to remind ourselves every day to abide in Christ and not "do it ourselves." Whoever doesn't live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned. -- John 15:6
When I was a monk, I read the mass daily. I weakened myself with prayer and fasting so much that I couldn't have kept it up for much longer. Yet all of my efforts couldn't help me in the smallest temptation. I could never say to God, "I have done all this. Look at it, and be merciful to me." What did I achieve with all this striving? Nothing. I merely tormented myself, ruined my health, and wasted my time. Now I'm forced to listen to Christ's judgement on my works. He says, "You did all this without me. That's why it amounts to nothing. Your works don't belong in my kingdom. They can't help you or anyone else obtain eternal life." So in this passage, Christ has passed a terrifying judgement over all works -- no matter how great, glorious, and beautiful they might appear. If these works are performed apart from Christ, they amount to nothing. They may appear to be great in the eyes of the world, for the world considers them excellent and precious. But in Christ's kingdom and before God, they are truly nothing. They don't grow out of him, nor do they remain in him. They won't pass God's test. As Christ says, they will be tossed into the fire as if they were rotten, withered branches -- branches without any sap or strength. So let others carve from these branches and see what they can create apart from Christ. Let them try to create a tree from its fruit. No matter what they do, all of their works will add up to a big zero.20041104a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003174 10163451473 011462 0 ustar markb user Two Nations Under God New York Times Op-Ed 1099597206 Christian, News By Thomas L. Friedman In this election it seemed as though people voted not on President Bush's performance, but for what team they were on. "The Democrats have ceded to Republicans a monopoly on the moral and spiritual sources of American politics," noted the Harvard University political theorist Michael J. Sandel. "They will not recover as a party until they again have candidates who can speak to those moral and spiritual yearnings - but turn them to progressive purposes in domestic policy and foreign affairs." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/opinion/04friedman.html?th
Related: The Red Zone By Maureen Dowd The president got re-elected by dividing the country along fault lines of fear, intolerance, ignorance and religious rule. "Mr. Bush, whose administration drummed up fake evidence to trick us into war with Iraq, sticking our troops in an immoral position with no exit strategy, won on 'moral issues.'" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/opinion/04dowd.html?th
The Day the Enlightenment Went Out By Garry Wills George W. Bush's victory signals the triumph of belief over fact. "Can a people that believes more fervently in the Virgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened nation?" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/opinion/04wills.html?th You might need to register with NY Times to read these articles. It's easy and free. 20041106a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003671 10163463071 011463 0 ustar markb user Time to Get Religion New York Times Op-Ed 1099767065 Christian, News By Nicholas D. Kristof Democrats need to give a more prominent voice to Middle American, gun-shooting, Spanish-speaking, Bible-toting centrists. "Don't be afraid of religion. Offer government support for faith-based programs to aid the homeless, prisoners and AIDS victims. And argue theology with Republicans: there's much more biblical ammunition to support liberals than conservatives." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/opinion/06kristof.html?th
The Values-Vote Myth By David Brooks It was not throngs of homophobic, Red America values-voters that put George Bush over the top. "But the same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. If you want to understand why Democrats keep losing elections, just listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are. It makes you wonder: why is it that people who are completely closed-minded talk endlessly about how open-minded they are?" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/opinion/06brooks.html?th
On a Word and a Prayer By Steven Waldman Religious voters love President Bush for reasons broader and more vague than merely his positions on specific issues. "Christians feel misunderstood and persecuted and believe Mr. Bush's victory and presence in the White House is their vindication. The materials circulated in churches repeatedly made the point that Mr. Bush's open discussion of his faith had been mocked by elites, yet he persevered in defending his faith and, by extension, theirs." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/opinion/06waldman.html?th 20041107a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001067 10163451265 011463 0 ustar markb user Martian Robots, Taking Orders From a Manhattan Walk-Up New York Times 1099860962 News By Kenneth Chang These days, when one of NASA's rovers drills a hole in a rock on Mars, the commands come from Lower Manhattan, from a second-floor office on Elizabeth Street, surrounded by dusted-off tenements. "It is almost surreal. "You walk down the street and there are shoe stores, bakeries and here we're controlling some robotic mechanism on Mars." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/science/07mars.html?th 20041107b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002243 10163451223 011453 0 ustar markb user Living for Today, Locked in a Paralyzed Body New York Times 1099861159 Health, News By John Schwartz and James Estrin A.L.S., or Lou Gehrig's disease, is often described as a kind of living death in which the body goes flaccid while the mind remains intact and acutely aware. The prospect of being trapped in an inert body and being totally dependent on others drives many sufferers to suicide. What keeps many patients alive, experts say, is a sense of having unfinished business - perhaps a milestone "like getting the last kid off to college," said Dr. Mellar P. Davis, a professor of hematology and medical oncology at the Cleveland Clinic. Many patients, Dr. Ganzini said, have deep religious beliefs that help sustain them, and they are able, "to find hope in the future, find meaning and tolerate the daily ongoing losses that they are experiencing." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/health/07ALS.html?th Mark says: My Uncle Marvin had this disease for a while before he passed away. We actually considered teaching him sign language so he could communicate. He could think clearly but he could not speak. 20041109a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003262 10163461717 011467 0 ustar markb user Progress Report: Accident 1100024150 Accident I have been in some pain since Saturday. Even took some pain killers on Saturday night so I could sleep. This is unusual since I have been doing well for a couple of weeks. It seemed a bit of a setback. This last week has seen several milestones. Drove the car for the first time since the accident. Took a shower without Mary here to watch after me. I was able to tie my shoes by myself. Big steps forward. But Mary thinks I overextended myself. Tuesday night at church was difficult because I got lost looking for the new restroom. Spent too much time on the walker. Also, I'm way overdue for a chiropractor appointment, and I think a lot of this pain is not in my hip but in my lower back. Bill and Chris McCorquodale prayed for me at church Sunday. We need wisdom to know when to call the doctors and what to ask of them, and the doctors need wisdom. If it seems that web site updates are coming slowly, this is why. If you're waiting for your cue sheet or square dance event to get posted, please be patient. Even just sitting at the computer can be painful. Lying in bed is the best therapy. I typed up most of this on the Palm Pilot while lying in bed. I probably won't do that again ... way too much work. I've finished up a bunch of books and started a bunch of new ones. Will post the links later. Also been keeping tabs on a bunch of new ideas for the journal. The New York Times sends me the headlines every morning in an email. I've looked at a bunch of more conservative newspapers but none of them have a setup to send me a free email. Can anyone suggest a conservative newspaper that will send me an email every morning? More later ... 20041109b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001407 10147745276 011476 0 ustar markb user Fractured Femur Tales 1100048763 Accident Mary found this diagram on the internet, and she graciously marked it up with my injuries and the treatment.
The diagram on the left shows the two fractures. One sliced
right through the neck of the femur, and the other was just a
little chip.
The diagram on the right shows where they inserted the four
titanium pins. Actually, they are screws with pins inside,
so sometimes they call them pins, and sometimes screws.
To give an idea of perspective, the screws are actually about
six inches long, and one-quarter inch in diameter.
You might notice that the pelvic structures in the two diagrams
are not exactly the same. This has nothing to do with the
surgery. Can anyone tell why they are different?
20041109c.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002233 10147745276 011475 0 ustar markb user Best Square Dance Club Names
1100070280
Square, Favorite
Gnat BoxersWooster, Ohio
http://www.the-daily-record.com/past_issues/08_aug/990823dr2.html And they told me the really big ones were in Minnesota. Oh, wait, that was mosquitoes.
Hippo Hubbubs
Berlin, Germany
http://hippo-hubbubs.gmxhome.de/we%20about%20us.htm Explanation on the web page, if you can understand it.
Rubber Dollies
Berlin, Germany
http://rubber-dollies-sdc.de/ I don't even want to know.
Fallen Arches
Moab, Utah - home of Arches National Park
http://westerncosquaredancing.homestead.com/ Wish we'd known about this one when we were on vacation there.
Hoosier Corners
Richmond, Indiana
http://www.sharpsites.net/hoosiercorners/ Hoosier daddy, little girl?
Honorable Mention:
I could have sworn that I once saw an ad for a challenge club called the Blank Stares. 20041111a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002735 10163451120 011447 0 ustar markb user Wanted by the Police: A Good Interface New York Times 1100211842 Computer, News By Katie Hafner How the flawed interface design of a police dispatch system became a municipal issue in San Jose, Calif. "Such complaints have a familiar ring. Anyone who encounters technology daily - that is to say, just about everyone - has a story of new hardware or software, at work or at home, that is poorly designed, hard to use and seemingly worse than what it was intended to replace. Yet because the safety of police officers and the public is involved, the problems in San Jose are of particular concern. "It's a prescription for disaster to develop a big system without testing it with users before it's launched. There are always issues in the user interface that need to be smoothed over. "Officers say they are being distracted by the tasks they are expected to perform on the new system when their full attention should be given to what is happening outside the patrol car. Sergeant DeMers said one officer recently was so distracted by what he was doing on the 12-inch touch screen that he crashed into a parked car. "The Chicago Police Department had similar problems in 1999 when it rolled out an ambitious computer system without having tested it with on-the-beat police officers first." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/technology/circuits/11cops.html?th Mark says: Why didn't they come to me for a GUI consult? 20041111b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002720 10163451056 011452 0 ustar markb user Crisis in Sudan Washington Post 1100213257 News By Ed O'Keefe and Jeffrey Marcus An increasingly dire situation in Darfur in western Sudan has devolved into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to international observers and the U.S. State Department. A State Department report issued Sept. 9 says that 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes in Sudan while at least 200,000 have fled to neighboring Chad. As many as 405 villages have been destroyed and and more than 100 others significantly damaged. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports at least 50,000 people have died as a result of the conflict between government-backed Arab militias and Africans in western Sudan.
- What Is the Situation in Sudan?
- How Did This Happen?
- What Is the International Community Doing?
- How Does This Relate to Sudan’s Civil War?
Related: Sudan, Rebels Reach Accord On Darfur
Government Approves No-Fly Zone, Access to Aid http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38097-2004Nov9.html After Accord, Sudan Camp Raided
Shelters Reportedly Destroyed and Residents Beaten http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41010-2004Nov10.html 20041111c.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000002165 10163461722 011457 0 ustar markb user Liberal Christians Challenge 'Values Vote' Washington Post 1100214100 Christian, News By Alan Cooperman Liberal Christian leaders argued yesterday that the moral values held by most Americans are much broader than the handful of issues emphasized by religious conservatives in the 2004 presidential campaign. Battling the notion that "values voters" swept President Bush to victory because of opposition to gay marriage and abortion, three liberal groups released a post-election poll in which 33 percent of voters said the nation's most urgent moral problem was "greed and materialism" and 31 percent said it was "poverty and economic justice." Sixteen percent cited abortion, and 12 percent named same-sex marriage. Tom Perriello, an organizer at Res Publica, said the poll shows that "while there may be a solid 20 percent who are very focused on abortion and gay marriage, for most Americans of faith, there are other moral issues of greater urgency, and that's where the religious middle is." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38001-2004Nov9.html 20041111d.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000003304 10147745276 011467 0 ustar markb user Powerless 1100235845 We lost power at 9:30 this morning. Power was not restored until after 12 noon. The radio said that 4000 customers in our town were without power, and PG&E had no idea what was causing the problem, even at 11:30 am, two full hours after the outage started. Whoa! I used to work for a company that made computer equipment that allowed electrical utilities to monitor stuff like this. PG&E had no idea what was causing the problem? Maybe they should have bought our product. At 5:45, we lost power again. This time, the radio said that 500 customers were still without power from the 9:30 am outage. But at least now they knew that the cause of the outage was an automobile running into a power pole. Even without computers, how hard could it be to figure that out? Some poor shmuck sat in his car for two hours before someone noticed he had hit a power pole. Anyway, now this was a new outage. We certainly should not be included in the 500 customers still hurting from the morning, because this was a new outage. So how many were affected by the afternoon outage, which lasted one hour? Nowhere on the PG&E web site can one research these outages. You must call an automated 800 number to get any information. PG&E has a real credibility problem when
- They don't even know what caused an outage in a valley residential community (not in the hills), two hours after it happened;
- When you listen to the radio and all the information is old;
- When their web site doesn't give any information.
13 Jours En France,
Waltz, VI, Doi
13 Jours En France 5,
Waltz, V+2+2, Doi
A Taste Of Mine,
Bolero/Cha Cha, VI, Doi
Beautiful Ohio,
Waltz, VI, Doi
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon,
Jive, IV+2, Doi
Besame Mucho 3,
Rumba, III+1, Doi
Danny Boy,
Bolero, V+2+1, Doi
Everybody Loves Somebody,
West Coast, V+2, Doi
Fly Me To The Moon,
Waltz, VI, Doi
La Golondorina,
Rumba, IV+2, Doi
Let's Dance,
Quickstep, V+1, Doi
Lorelei,
Waltz, V+2+U, Doi
Lorelei 4,
Waltz, IV, Doi
Nata Per Me,
Rumba, VI, Doi
Opus 39 No. 15 (Brahms),
Waltz, IV+2, Doi
Opus 64 No. 2 (Chopin),
Waltz/Viennese, V+2+U, Doi
Red Sails In The Sunset,
Foxtrot, IV+2, Doi
Rose Room,
Foxtrot, V+2, Doi
Sans Toi M'ami,
Bolero, III+2, Doi
Scheherazade,
Waltz, V+2, Doi
Schubert's Serenade,
Waltz, IV+2, Doi
There's No Business Like Show Business,
Quickstep, VI, Doi
They Say It's Wonderful,
Foxtrot, VI, Doi
With A Song In My Heart,
Rumba, V+2, Doi
Sunbeam (Rayo De Sol),
Rumba, IV+2, Sechrist
Warm And Fuzzy Foxtrot,
Foxtrot, V, Pyles
Carousel Rumba,
Rumba, III+2, Auriene
Sweeter Than You,
Slow Two Step, IV+2, Hilton
Bizness Of Luv V,
Foxtrot, V+, Sechrist
The most recently posted cue sheets always appear here:
http://www.mixed-up.com/round/all-over/recent.html
Cue sheet submission guidelines are here:
http://www.mixed-up.com/round/all-over/submit.html
20041112b.src.JS 0100644 0012663 0000036 00000005304 10145331112 011765 0 ustar markb user 29 New Cue Sheets Posted
1100328370
Rounds
The most recently posted cue sheets always appear here:
http://www.mixed-up.com/round/all-over/recent.html
Cue sheet submission guidelines are here:
http://www.mixed-up.com/round/all-over/submit.html
20041114a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000016000 10147745276 011464 0 ustar markb user Cue sheet index updated - 100 new cue sheets added
1100420732
Rounds
There are over 100 new cue sheets from various sites. Also,
Roundalab updated over 100 of their cue sheets to PDF files.
These are way too many to list, but here is a sampling of the
very newest dances:
Big Blue Frog,
Two Step, II+2, Scherrer
Boom Boom,
Cha Cha/Merengue, V+1+U, RumbleBack Home Again, Two Step/Foxtrot, III+1, Gomez
Beauty And The Beast,
Bolero, V+2, Kincaid
Can't Wait Until Tonight,
Rumba, III+1, Geiger/Jarmuth
Comme Un Garcon (Like A Boy),
Cha Cha/Foxtrot, III+2, Woodruff
Crazy Little Thing Called Love,
Jive, IV+2, Lillefield
Christmas At Our House,
Waltz, II+2, Woodruff
Flim Flam Man,
Foxtrot, III+1, Scherrer
Footloose,
Two Step, II, Rumble
Five Guys Named Moe,
Quickstep, VI, Goss
Fingersnap,
West Coast/Jive, V+1+1, Woodruff
Going To France,
West Coast/Foxtrot, V+2+1, Woodruff
Gaelic Morning,
Waltz, II, Ackerman
Harvest Moon,
Two Step, II, Ackerman
Honky Tonk Jive,
Jive, V+2, Walz
Hot Hot Samba,
Samba, IV, Moore
House Of Blue Lights,
Two Step/Single Swing, III+2, OliverHome Grown Tomatoes, Two Step, II, Young
Hope,
Waltz, VI, Lamberty
I Heard It Through The Grapevine Cha,
Cha Cha, IV, Pyles
I Love You More,
Bolero, IV+2, Hamilton
Jingle Bell Rock,
Jive, IV+2, Rotscheid
Just A Closer Walk,
Two Step, II+1, Frisella
Keep Me From Blowing Away,
Waltz, IV, Scherrer
Letkiss,
Mambo/Two Step, IV+1, ECTA
Little Black Book,
Two Step, II+1, Mouser
Libertango,
Tango, V+1, Lamberty
Love Don't Live Here Any More,
Two Step, II+2, Woodruff
Me And Millie,
Two Step, II, Pyles
Manhattan,
Foxtrot, V+1, Lillefield
Mama Inez,
Rumba, IV+2+1, Barton
My Way,
Rumba, V, Szabo
My Bonny Lassie,
Two Step/Cha, III+2, McCurley
Once In A While,
Foxtrot, III+1, Micketti
On My Own,
Rumba, III+1, Pilachowski/DeLauter
Painted Rose,
Foxtrot, V+1, Martin
Respect,
Cha Cha, IV+1, Scherrer
Rock Right,
Jive, IV+1, Woodruff
Roll Out The Barrel,
Polka/Two Step, II, Cibula
RosesForElizabeth,
Two Step, III, Bliss
Rumba My Way,
Rumba, III+2, Silvia
She's 2 Hot To Go,
Two Step, II, Lillefield
She's No Lady,
Two Step/Jive, III+2, Roberts
Sergeant Preston,
Mixed, IV+1, Woodruff
Some Broken Hearts Never Mend,
Two Step, II+2, Paull
Something To Talk About,
Cha Cha, IV+2, Gomez/Salas
Speak Low III,
Rumba, III+2, Steinke
Sunflower II,
Two Step, II, Elliott
Too Much Fun,
Two Step, II, Pyles
That Darn Cat,
FoxtrotWest CoastJive, V+2+1, Woodruff
That's The Way I Like It,
Cha Cha, IV+1+3, Szabo
Tango Reverie,
Tango, IV+2, Nelson
Things You Do, The,
Two Step, II+2, Oren
Trapeze Quickstep,
Quickstep, IV, Bingham
Tres Hombres Paraglidos,
Tango, III+1, Booth
True Love Ways,
Slow Two Step, IV+1, Brown
Tu Nombre (Quisiera Decir),
Rumba, V+2, Cibula
Tulane,
Jive, VI, Fisher
Tuxedo Tango,
Tango, VI, Moore
Un P'tit Foxtrot,
Foxtrot, IV+2+1, Tucker
Uptown,
Jive, V, Francis
Warm and Fuzzy Foxtrot,
Foxtrot, V, Pyles
Waltzing With You,
Waltz, II+1, Scherrer
Way You Do, The,
West Coast, VI, Shibata
Way You Do, The,
West Coast, VI, Shibata
Waltz Serenade,
Waltz, II, TirrellThe best place to look for your cue sheets is always here: http://www.mixed-up.com/round/all-over/ 20041114b.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000001212 10163462712 011451 0 ustar markb user Purple America Color Coded Election Results By County 1100422779 Using County-by-County election return data from USA Today together with County boundary data from the US Census' Tiger database, they produced a graphic depicting the results. Of course, blue is for the democrats, red is for the republicans, and green is for all other. Each county's color is a mix of these three color components in proportion to the results for that county. The results are more realistic and revealing than the state-by-state maps used by the news networks. http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/ 20041115a.src 0100600 0012663 0000036 00000011563 10163461730 011462 0 ustar markb user Recovering from a Computer Crash 1100566192 Computer After 22 months, my Mac G4 tower finally crashed big time. I was installing the driver for the Logitech Quick Cam Zoom White when it happened, but after examination I'm not at all certain that's what caused the problem. Anyway, the computer would no longer boot. The initial screen (with the large gray apple and the clock movement at the bottom) never goes away, but a random color pattern appeared on the screen above the apple. Well, no problem. I have installer CDs here; I can boot from them and diagnose the problem. But the computer will no longer boot from the Mac OS X installer CD or the Hardware Test CD. Hmmm ... I've seen this before, on our computer at church. In that case, we had to attach an external drive and install OS X to that drive. In this case, since I have three internal hard disks, maybe I can install OS X to one of the extras. But I have to disconnect the problematic internal drive first. This is not so easy since I have a broken hip and crawling around on the floor is painful. Anyway, I've installed OS X to another internal drive, I've re-mounted the first drive, and the process of repairing disk permissions is happening now while I type away on Mary's PC. (On a side note, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 for PC really wreaks havoc with my site. The margins are all wrong and there is a horizontal scroll bar that isn't necessary.) So here are my questions:
- Why won't the Mac boot from the CD even when holding down the "C" key per instructions?
- What does someone do when they encounter this problem but they don't happen to have an extra drive around?
- Since I can mount the bad disk, I can copy all its files to one of
the other disks.
Note: I did this using a backup program, to make sure I get everything. - Wipe the drive clean.
- Install the OS that came with the computer (Mac OS 10.2).
- Upgrade to the latest version of the OS (10.2.8), and install all the latest security updates, etc.
- OK, first major problem. I can't access my own files on the other disks. I can view them, but I can't change them or move them around. This is a Unix and Mac permissions issue. First, I have to change all the owners to me. Then I have to change the "uchg" flag that has kept the files locked even though they belong to me. Changing the owners requires using the Unix "sudo" and "chown" commands. There is some information about the "uchg" problem and how to fix it here.
- Install the applications that came with the computer, and upgrade all of them to the latest versions.
- Install my most critical program first: email. Then copy all my old mailboxes back from the backup copy.
- Install all the other programs I use regularly (it looks like there are about 25 of them). Note: I made it a point to install everything using the installers. I did not just copy my programs back from the backup copy. There are two reasons: (1) It makes for a cleaner, smaller install; and (2) it avoids problems should one of those applications have been corrupted by the crash. Note: when your application files get corrupted, they can become dangerous. When your document files get corrupted, you might not be able to read them any longer, but they shouldn't mess up your computer.
- There are still a few random drivers like scanner and Zip drive that I haven't re-installed yet.
- I still have to copy all my old documents back over from the backup copy. Note: This is easiest if all your document files are in well-defined places on your disk. I put most of my files in a "Personal" directory at the root of the disk. For large projects like audio files, I put them in their own directories at the root of the disk. The worst place for your files is the "home" directory your computer makes for you. This is because the computer also puts preference files and other corruptable files there, and when you restore your backup you don't want to retrieve those potentially bad files. If you avoid leaving your files there, you won't get confused when you restore your backup.
Applications
- Eudora email. I've been using Eudora on every kind of computer for 10 years.
- Backup Toolkit, from FWB Software (no longer supported, but works well.)
- Peak LE and Deck LE, from BIAS. These are music and audio editing programs. I use these products, but I don't recommend them. They are not necessarily as easy to use as competing products. And registering them is always a nightmare, even when just upgrading.
- Adobe Acrobat 6, For posting cue sheets and fliers online.
- Code Warrior, from Metrowerks, a development environment for Mac OS X.
- MP3 Rage, from Chaotic Software, lets you manipulate the fields in MP3 files.
Vital Utilities
- Doublecommand key swap extension, from Michael Baltaks. I use this program to swap keys on my Microsoft keyboard, to make it easier (on my wrists) to use it with a Mac. Specifically, I swap the "control" and "command" keys (to a PC user, that's the "control" and "Windows" keys).
- Launch Bar, from Objective Development. An amazing file launching program.
- Lite Switch X, from
Proteron,
an application switching program.
A funny graphic from the Proteron page:
(The rest of their site is equally informative.)
Internet Stuff
- Yahoo Messenger, for chatting with my son Matthew who is serving with the Marines in Iraq. This is our newest toy. Well, except for the Logitech webcam we bought to use with it. My computer crashed when I tried to install the Logitech software. Maybe a coincidence.
- Mozilla and Firefox, from Mozilla, web browsers that I use for testing my site.
- Netscape, a web browser that I use for testing my site.
- Opera, a web browser that I use for testing my site.
- RBrowser, a graphical FTP program that I use for backing up my web site.
- Limewire.
Palm Stuff
- Palm Desktop, which I use with a Palm Tungsten C.
- iSilo X, which lets you store web pages and whole web sites on your Palm device for later viewing.
- Memo Safe, from DeepNet Technologies, which lets you encrypt sensitive information in your Palm's memo pad. NOTE: The original posting incorrectly said that we were using PDASafeID, a cumbersome program from Handmark.
- Documents To Go, from Dataviz. Lets you view MS Word and Excel files on your Palm device. Came bundled with the Palm Tungsten C.
All The Usual Suspects
- Mac OS 10.2.8, from Apple. I have install disks for 10.3.3 (Panther), but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet.
- Graphic Converter, from Lemke Software. This program came bundled with the computer. Nevertheless, it is the best.
- Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
- Toast 5 Titanium, from Roxio. For burning CDs and DVDs.
- Real Player, for listening to audio posted online.
- Windows Media Player, from Microsoft, for listening to audio posted online.
- Safari, from Apple, a browser that comes bundled with the computer. The fastest web browser I have