This is a must listen! The Leningrad Cowboys singing Sweet Home Alabama with the Red Army chorus! PACT.
I think you only have to have grown up during the cold war to appreciate this.
This is the epitome of multi-culturalism.
And look at how much fun those guys in the Red Army are having.
I play this often for entertainment.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Dancing with the Universe
We had a conversation tonight with Katie about people who like to dance and those who don't.
Then I received this link in email.
So now you too can watch it.
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/06/27/2396/dancing_with_the_universe
Sunday, July 20, 2008
100th Anniversary of Tunguska Blast event
I wrote this on June 30, 2008 at the request of an editor of Sky & Telescope
On a hot summer’s day in a mid-Atlantic state of the United States, it is hard to anticipate a natural disaster of any kind, much less one from outer space. Yet historical records of eye witness accounts of a powerful blast and subsequent scientific analysis of material around the forest that was flattened by the event near the Podkamennaya Tunguska river, Siberia, 100 years ago today, tell us that objects colliding with Earth of potentially devastating magnitude will probably happen again in the future. With modern upper atmospheric surveillance, air bursts from incoming fragments of near-Earth objects are detected on order of once a year. Unfortunately, we can’t predict when and with what magnitude these collisions occur. The Tunguska event is estimated to have been equivalent to 30 megatons of TNT, or measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale for earthquakes. What can we do, knowing that such an event can happen again? The best offense is a good defense, so the first thing to do is monitor the number and nature of Near-Earth objects and that is what NASA is doing in its Near Earth Object program
Scientists also project the orbital evolution of NEOs hundreds of years into the future to watch for potentially hazardous objects that might collide with Earth. From time to time, the U.S. Congress holds hearings on the existing NEO programs and calls for written reports on the topic of impact hazards to Earth.
On a hot summer’s day, it is possible to think about and plan for possible hazardous impacts in the future. Let’s keep our heads and continue to assess our plans and policy. Hopefully, our deliberate and thoughtfully designed programs will allow us to detect any hazardous incoming body and take preventative action.
This was posted as a follow-on commentary to an article by Kelly Beatty on the 100th Anniversary of the 1908 Tunkuska event over Siberia with individual’s comments including mine.
On a hot summer’s day in a mid-Atlantic state of the United States, it is hard to anticipate a natural disaster of any kind, much less one from outer space. Yet historical records of eye witness accounts of a powerful blast and subsequent scientific analysis of material around the forest that was flattened by the event near the Podkamennaya Tunguska river, Siberia, 100 years ago today, tell us that objects colliding with Earth of potentially devastating magnitude will probably happen again in the future. With modern upper atmospheric surveillance, air bursts from incoming fragments of near-Earth objects are detected on order of once a year. Unfortunately, we can’t predict when and with what magnitude these collisions occur. The Tunguska event is estimated to have been equivalent to 30 megatons of TNT, or measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale for earthquakes. What can we do, knowing that such an event can happen again? The best offense is a good defense, so the first thing to do is monitor the number and nature of Near-Earth objects and that is what NASA is doing in its Near Earth Object program
Scientists also project the orbital evolution of NEOs hundreds of years into the future to watch for potentially hazardous objects that might collide with Earth. From time to time, the U.S. Congress holds hearings on the existing NEO programs and calls for written reports on the topic of impact hazards to Earth.
On a hot summer’s day, it is possible to think about and plan for possible hazardous impacts in the future. Let’s keep our heads and continue to assess our plans and policy. Hopefully, our deliberate and thoughtfully designed programs will allow us to detect any hazardous incoming body and take preventative action.
This was posted as a follow-on commentary to an article by Kelly Beatty on the 100th Anniversary of the 1908 Tunkuska event over Siberia with individual’s comments including mine.
Summer Trip to Baltimore, Maryland
Prelude: When I wrote this, I wanted to have a new post, because I didn't like the ad that popped up from ad sense. I thought I would write about the meeting's content, but in the back of my mind, I recalled a posting on our neighborhood bulletin board about ideas for a low cost vacation, close to home. My description of Baltimore and the restaurants that I visited is intended for this purpose. I was also interested in seeing what ads would result from what I was writing. I don't think anyone really cares about where I ate in Baltimore last week, but someday I might want to know so I can return to them myself. If you might visit Baltimore, read on.
It was the 10th such meeting that occurs on a triannual basis. The venue, in the East Harbor community of Baltimore, was perfect for the conference. The meeting was held at the Marriott Waterfront hotel, a sky scraping building with a spectacular view of the inner harbor with its waterfront, museums, shops and new condos on the West side with Bunker Hill's flag flying behind them. . At night, the multiple lights from the harbor and Baltimore’s skyline and highways behind it was spectacular. The inner harbor appears to be a bustling community that supports residences, business and tourists. At the East Harbor, the hotel wasn’t full, in spite of the three simultaneous conventions; the hotel facilities worked well. Our room expanded or separated into two, we had ample space for posters as well as space for meeting informally in the hallway surrounding the rooms. Neither the medical nor legal conferences interfered with ours. And we all chuckled at the sign saying, “This breakfast is for asteroids only.”
The weather during the week was exceptional for this time of year. It was warm but not too humid. It didn’t rain (because I brought my rain jacket with me). When we ventured out for lunch, we were able to find restaurants within walking distance that didn’t have long waiting lines. The hotel’s concierge was very helpful in making suggestions and reservations for us when we had a large luncheon meeting. Any of the restaurants I would recommend going to if you are in Baltimore for any reason. I had lunch twice at the Lebanese Taverna at 719 S. President St. Both times they accommodated a group larger than ten. I think we all enjoyed the fare which is mediteranian and was attractively served on glass plates with indentations for each dish.
A group of six of us ate at McCormick and Schmick's at 711 Eastern Avenue. We arrived early and enjoyed our lunch, though I hear that others left before being served so I take it that the restaurant had reached their capacity.
Two other places I’d like to mention. Dining at Pazo was a lot of fun. I went with some old friends and a science writer. We had an engaging and entertaining waiter, who would have irritated me if the evening were to be serious, but it wasn’t. The building is a former machine shop with good acoustics and a fine menu. We had a preselected tapas menu for two while my friends picked and chose from the menu. Two bottles of the house wine paired well with everything and we all enjoyed the entire meal. We weren’t rushed and had plenty of time for recent and past stories. It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends. I was disappointed to learn that the restaurant was not open for lunch.
My friend Jill Jonnes and I had an early dinner at a Sushi restaurant, Chiu's Sushi at 608 S. Exeter St. I was initially irritated by Jill's reminding me that tuna and salmon were on the fish don't eat list. In the end, the vegetarian sushis were very tasty. I ate there twice too.
The weather during the week was exceptional for this time of year. It was warm but not too humid. It didn’t rain (because I brought my rain jacket with me). When we ventured out for lunch, we were able to find restaurants within walking distance that didn’t have long waiting lines. The hotel’s concierge was very helpful in making suggestions and reservations for us when we had a large luncheon meeting. Any of the restaurants I would recommend going to if you are in Baltimore for any reason. I had lunch twice at the Lebanese Taverna at 719 S. President St. Both times they accommodated a group larger than ten. I think we all enjoyed the fare which is mediteranian and was attractively served on glass plates with indentations for each dish.
A group of six of us ate at McCormick and Schmick's at 711 Eastern Avenue. We arrived early and enjoyed our lunch, though I hear that others left before being served so I take it that the restaurant had reached their capacity.
Two other places I’d like to mention. Dining at Pazo was a lot of fun. I went with some old friends and a science writer. We had an engaging and entertaining waiter, who would have irritated me if the evening were to be serious, but it wasn’t. The building is a former machine shop with good acoustics and a fine menu. We had a preselected tapas menu for two while my friends picked and chose from the menu. Two bottles of the house wine paired well with everything and we all enjoyed the entire meal. We weren’t rushed and had plenty of time for recent and past stories. It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends. I was disappointed to learn that the restaurant was not open for lunch.
My friend Jill Jonnes and I had an early dinner at a Sushi restaurant, Chiu's Sushi at 608 S. Exeter St. I was initially irritated by Jill's reminding me that tuna and salmon were on the fish don't eat list. In the end, the vegetarian sushis were very tasty. I ate there twice too.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Book Review: What is the What by Dave Eggers
What is the What by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s San Francisco, 2006. 475 pp.
While there are many things wrong with this novel, in the end I was glad that I read it and I recommend it to anyone who knows people who have emigrated from Africa.
First of all, notice the title, the punctuation is wrong. But that just clues me in a to few things. It is written by a member of a different generation. In many instances, it has the tenor of a reality television show, especially in the beginning when it reads like the crime reports on the local evening news of a large city. The protagonist, Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from Sudan, has been attacked and beaten in his apartment in Atlanta. I almost put the book down multiple times during the first hundred pages.
The novel is written by Dave Eggers but the full title is What is the What The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. Valentino Achak Deng is a Lost Boy of Sudan. I didn’t know who the lost boys are, so I went to the internet before finishing the first chapter and looked up both the author and the lost boys of Sudan.
The boys were caught up in Sudan’s civil war in the 1990s. As boys, all pre-adolescents, their towns were attacked and they fled their villages in all directions becoming separated from their families. They congregated and were led by older, but still young men who lead them on foot to the Ethiopian border where they crossed the Gilo River into relative safety. On the way they faced starvation, attacks by lions and soldiers and many of the boys died and were buried by their peers. The suffering is painful to read, it was hard to bear and hard to believe that it was actually real. The internet revealed that some of the Lost Boys of Sudan were indeed resettled in the U.S. and were trying to assimilate into our culture, get an education and had hopes of returning to Sudan to rebuild it. The approach of the novel, of Valentino telling his story in his head (because he was gagged), after he was robbed and beaten, to a boy who was his age when he was separated from his family, is a sad commentary on the great hope of the United States as a place of equal opportunity for all.
In the beginning of the book, I was outraged as a reader. The style was overly graphic and horrific. I felt my emotions were being manipulated. I alternated between reading this book and a Dick Francis mystery novel because I couldn’t bear the horror. I thought of not finishing the book many times. As I got to book II, I realized that I was reading history that I had missed because I was engulfed in family rearing, maintaining my career and I had chosen not to read the details in the newspaper. This civil war is independent of Darfur, I’m pretty sure, yet the subject of the battle, is I believe, over oil in Sudan.
In the end, I have to recommend this book. It is an historical novel. The style is more journalistic than a work of fiction that will be read for a long time. There are scenes that read like the living hell described in The Divine Comedy. The stories of immigrants experiencing our culture for the first time are poignant and sometimes humorous. The character development is pretty good, there are scenes that are described with excellent imagery, and I eventually found a few places where I could laugh. But the extremes of the human suffering are difficult to process.
I found myself comparing this to The Kite Runner, and have to say that the Kite Runner is better literature, though I can’t exactly say why, after all, I am a scientist, not a literary critic.
The theme of What is the What refers to the courage that it takes to go after something that is unknown and intangible. It is only those who are very resilient, lucky and courageous who can survive the devastation of war and famine. It was going to the U.S. that represented Valentino selecting the What, when he really wanted to go back to his village and help his family rebuild it.
If you work with someone who has immigrated to this country during a time of war, you can probably gain a lot of respect for them if you ask them about their journey here. The sad thing is that their journey only begins when they get here. There remains the challenge of getting settled, learning our ways, applying to college, getting a job and the challenges of clothing, feeding and keep oneself safe here, in the developed jungle of the U.S.A.
While there are many things wrong with this novel, in the end I was glad that I read it and I recommend it to anyone who knows people who have emigrated from Africa.
First of all, notice the title, the punctuation is wrong. But that just clues me in a to few things. It is written by a member of a different generation. In many instances, it has the tenor of a reality television show, especially in the beginning when it reads like the crime reports on the local evening news of a large city. The protagonist, Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from Sudan, has been attacked and beaten in his apartment in Atlanta. I almost put the book down multiple times during the first hundred pages.
The novel is written by Dave Eggers but the full title is What is the What The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. Valentino Achak Deng is a Lost Boy of Sudan. I didn’t know who the lost boys are, so I went to the internet before finishing the first chapter and looked up both the author and the lost boys of Sudan.
The boys were caught up in Sudan’s civil war in the 1990s. As boys, all pre-adolescents, their towns were attacked and they fled their villages in all directions becoming separated from their families. They congregated and were led by older, but still young men who lead them on foot to the Ethiopian border where they crossed the Gilo River into relative safety. On the way they faced starvation, attacks by lions and soldiers and many of the boys died and were buried by their peers. The suffering is painful to read, it was hard to bear and hard to believe that it was actually real. The internet revealed that some of the Lost Boys of Sudan were indeed resettled in the U.S. and were trying to assimilate into our culture, get an education and had hopes of returning to Sudan to rebuild it. The approach of the novel, of Valentino telling his story in his head (because he was gagged), after he was robbed and beaten, to a boy who was his age when he was separated from his family, is a sad commentary on the great hope of the United States as a place of equal opportunity for all.
In the beginning of the book, I was outraged as a reader. The style was overly graphic and horrific. I felt my emotions were being manipulated. I alternated between reading this book and a Dick Francis mystery novel because I couldn’t bear the horror. I thought of not finishing the book many times. As I got to book II, I realized that I was reading history that I had missed because I was engulfed in family rearing, maintaining my career and I had chosen not to read the details in the newspaper. This civil war is independent of Darfur, I’m pretty sure, yet the subject of the battle, is I believe, over oil in Sudan.
In the end, I have to recommend this book. It is an historical novel. The style is more journalistic than a work of fiction that will be read for a long time. There are scenes that read like the living hell described in The Divine Comedy. The stories of immigrants experiencing our culture for the first time are poignant and sometimes humorous. The character development is pretty good, there are scenes that are described with excellent imagery, and I eventually found a few places where I could laugh. But the extremes of the human suffering are difficult to process.
I found myself comparing this to The Kite Runner, and have to say that the Kite Runner is better literature, though I can’t exactly say why, after all, I am a scientist, not a literary critic.
The theme of What is the What refers to the courage that it takes to go after something that is unknown and intangible. It is only those who are very resilient, lucky and courageous who can survive the devastation of war and famine. It was going to the U.S. that represented Valentino selecting the What, when he really wanted to go back to his village and help his family rebuild it.
If you work with someone who has immigrated to this country during a time of war, you can probably gain a lot of respect for them if you ask them about their journey here. The sad thing is that their journey only begins when they get here. There remains the challenge of getting settled, learning our ways, applying to college, getting a job and the challenges of clothing, feeding and keep oneself safe here, in the developed jungle of the U.S.A.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Some things about food.
We were getting tired of our menus and didn't have time to research and experiment alternatives. But fate stepped in when our two daughters returned for the summer. They asked us to help them test their menus, and we gladly complied. Our chores have now switched. I now do the dishes and the girls cook. Check out their sites.
Katie's Kitchen at http://www.katiemcfadden.blogspot.com
and comment on McFatty Sandwich
We were getting tired of our menus and didn't have time to research and experiment alternatives. But fate stepped in when our two daughters returned for the summer. They asked us to help them test their menus, and we gladly complied. Our chores have now switched. I now do the dishes and the girls cook. Check out their sites.
Katie's Kitchen at http://www.katiemcfadden.blogspot.com
and comment on McFatty Sandwich
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