tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64054200469818747802024-03-05T05:40:46.009-05:00Swim - Write - RunA blog with an identity crisis....Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger188125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-17881743035727808992013-05-25T07:30:00.000-04:002013-05-25T07:30:01.834-04:00What you missed, Part 2: Alias.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As much as I like writing... sometimes pictures just work better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what else did you miss the last 18 months? I already mentioned my thesis defense. <a href="http://mynext20yearsofliving.blogspot.com/search/label/wedding">Two days later</a>, I got a new name.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Credits (local vendors in bold and italics)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Photos - <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.wix.com/valerieusu4/valerie-usui-photography">Valerie Usui Photography</a> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(or, local at time of booking/wedding planning)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dress/Alterations - <i><a href="http://www.thebridalboutique.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Columbia Bridal Boutique</a><b> / </b><a href="http://annessilverthreads.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Silver Threads Alterations</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tuxes - <b><i>Men's Warehouse</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rings - <b><i>Helzberg</i></b> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverSparrowDesigns">Silver Sparrow Designs</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Flowers - <a href="http://www.wedideas.com/">Wedideas</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Flask - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/marotteleather"><b><i>Marotte Leather</i></b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cake - <a href="http://www.debiscakestudio.com/"><b><i>Debi's Cake Studio</i></b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cake Topper - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mudcards">Mudcards</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Venue/Food -<i> <a href="http://baldwinsstation.com/"><b>Baldwin's Station</b></a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First Look Photo Venue -<b><i> <a href="http://www.sykesvillebooks.com/">A Likely Story Bookstore</a></i></b></span>@SwimWriteRunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119901795080523342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-17541201566765487032013-05-22T07:00:00.000-04:002013-05-22T07:00:00.742-04:00What you missed, Part 1: Titled.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are some statements that could be considered exaggerations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>That was the best cheesecake <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best..._Ever!">EVER</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Maybe the whole thing with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ant">fire ants</a> was a bad idea.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I have been in school <a href="http://bigthink.com/videos/how-to-reverse-aging">FOREVER</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my case, I think that last one was technically true. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went from undergraduate right into a Ph.D. program, something I think I would never have done had I known better. At times it was fun, and now that it is over I am finding it easier to remember that. Frequently it was horrible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I stuck it out for a few reasons. First of all, I am stubborn. Second, the idea of quitting was scary. But I like to think the most important reason I stayed is because, every so often, it was AWESOME. I loved the moments - few and far between as they were - when I got something to work (repeatedly) and realized I was looking at something new. Something where I could go to the world "<a href="https://twitter.com/TheTweetOfGod/status/311903389741105153">I know something you don't know</a>" and actually be kind of <a href="http://www.sciencesurvivalblog.com/phd_life/getting-scooped_2435">almost</a> sure it was true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mostly, it was probably the second thing though. I used to think that it is hard to be something that you're not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In any case</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> this happened last spring. May 17th, to be precise.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"So listen carefully.... <a href="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PantslessForScience.png">SCIENCE</a>!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This is what I can do with powerpoint."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look, some more things I can do with powerpoint."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It took me about eight weeks to recover normal sleeping habits after the defense... which was actually fine, because I did a lot of great <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Men">TV show</a> watching and <a href="http://isotropic.org/papers/chicken.pdf">reading</a> in the unmentionable hours of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The defense, like my research career, wasn't all that pretty. It wasn't really enjoyable. Fortunately I had the support of a loving and wonderful family, especially on the sprint through the end. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And, two days after my thesis defense, I got to go to a really fantastic party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More on that soon...</span></div>
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@SwimWriteRunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119901795080523342noreply@blogger.com3Baltimore, MD, USA39.2903848 -76.61218930000001139.0937408 -76.9349128 39.4870288 -76.289465800000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-75294519760533414962013-05-21T07:00:00.000-04:002013-05-21T07:00:15.756-04:00Lost voice.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">About a year and a half ago, I lost my voice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't mean my actual voice, more my writing voice. I went from <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2011/11/thinking-ahead.html">needing a change to</a>, for about a solid year, doing very little writing. At least, very little writing of the sort anyone would actually want to read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And, to be honest, I did very little swimming and running, either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A lot has happened since then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll get to that in some posts later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've missed my voice. I know I missed it because a number of times I tried to go back and find it. I had several false starts at new blogs, because I felt like I wasn't quite the right person to keep writing this one. Food blog. Craft blog. Wedding blog. Collaborative blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each time I'd get a few posts <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(or less)</span> in and lose interest. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's a lot of blogging projects to flop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've missed my readers (Hi Mom!) and the blogging community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The last few weeks have been different. I keep thinking about things I want to write about. I snap photos that need to be shared <span style="font-size: xx-small;">before I throw my phone out the window</span>. I'm back to reading blogs, even if I'm quiet about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for the swimming and the running? Well... one step at a time. Wouldn't want to pull a muscle. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Whaaa...? We're back!"</td></tr>
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@SwimWriteRunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119901795080523342noreply@blogger.com2Columbia, MD, USA39.2037144 -76.86104619999997639.1052649 -77.022407699999974 39.302163900000004 -76.699684699999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-13333358024759795722011-11-29T13:51:00.002-05:002011-11-29T14:15:10.759-05:00First Amendment: The Right To Tweet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This was a pretty interesting story, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/us/kansas-high-schooler-tweet/index.html">in case you missed it</a>, and it all started about a week ago.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Basically, a Kansas high schooler Emma Sullivan tweeted "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to her 65 followers. A member of the Governor's staff discovered the tweet while combing Twitter for references to the Governor. Feeling the tweet was disrespectful, she got in touch with the Youth In Government program (which had put on the Sullivan's trip, with a larger group), which in turn contacted the school where the 18-year-old girl was enrolled. She got yelled at and was ordered to write an apology.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cue the outcry. Since then, Sullivan has gained <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/emmakate988">14000+ followers</a>. The <a href="http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_kansas/johnson_county/school-district-responds-to-students-tweet-about-kan-governor">school dropped the apology thing, and the Governor issued an apology statement</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sullivan also indicated that the tweet was not actually true - that she didn't say mean things to the Governor's face - but that she disagreed with the Governor's conservative stance/policies. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/opinion/obeidallah-brownback-tweet-apology/index.html">opinion piece</a> on CNN asks some really interesting questions - at least, several of which came to my mind as I was reading the story.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Among them...</span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How common is it for elected officials to have a social media monitor? </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is it appropriate for an elected official (or said official's representative) to take action against negative comments?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Would this have happened if Sullivan was ten years older? (ie, not a high school student)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Should the fact that she was actually lying be a factor in the conversation? I'm no legal expert, but I'm pretty sure the tweet quoted above doesn't qualify as </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/libel" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">defamation</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can think of at least one instance where a complaint conveyed over social media had a positive impact. Last year, during a "HoCo Thursdays" series of posts, Erinn at <a href="http://somethingelsetodistractme.blogspot.com/">Something Else to Distract Me</a> posted about the <a href="http://somethingelsetodistractme.blogspot.com/2011/03/hoco-thursdays-road-i-live-on.html">poor state of the roads in her development</a>. Quickly she got a response from a member of the <a href="http://www.kenulman.com/">County Executive</a>'s staff, and I know that the roads in her neighborhood sure look a lot better now. This was a great instance of a member of government noticing a negative comment and moving quickly to address the issue. (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Likewise, I can see how a monitor of social media would be useful in locating <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/libel">false claims/libel</a> that could damage a person's reputation. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Still, I wonder if there are specific people targeted to monitor social media, or if it's something by chance - for example, was Erinn's post noticed because the staff member reads her blog, or because the staff member is in charge of monitoring <a href="http://www.hocoblogs.com/">Howard County-related posts</a>?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And if there is a staffer employed to monitor social media, should that be disclosed? Where?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although the Kansas incident has a creepy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_(Nineteen_Eighty-Four)">Big-Brother</a> feel to it - and clearly got out of hand - I do think that social media (facebook, twitter, blogs) can be a very powerful tool through which constituents and elected officials can communicate. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Thoughts? Leave 'em in the comments below.</b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-62087904054549328332011-11-22T08:00:00.002-05:002011-11-22T08:00:03.808-05:00Thinking ahead.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I bought a pine scented candle a few weeks ago, just before all the Christmas things came out.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Normally, I'm not one to rush the Turkey. I like the holidays. I like the time taken to slow down and celebrate with family - particularly when I have such an awesome one on both sides. But this year, I'm craving a fresh pine wreath for the door, sparkling lights, <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumkin-thunkin.html">pumpkin</a> pie, ugly sweaters, and the peek out the window that happens when snow is in the forecast.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think it has something to do with change - wanting to close the door on the <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2010/12/year-in-review.html">things</a> I'm finishing up, move on.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm thinking about the blog, too - not closing its doors, but some changes that I'm considering for 2012. Right now, SWR is a <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/search/label/About">mashup</a> of things I feel like typing about, <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/search/label/books">books</a>, <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/search/label/Howard%20County">local things</a>, and <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/search/label/Food%20versus%20Food">sometimes</a> <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/search/label/Food">food</a>. In short, I'm considering narrowing the scope.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If there's something you've really enjoyed about the blog in the last year or so, or something you would like to see more of in 2012/SWRv2.0, please let me know in the comments, or send an email along to swimwriterun at gmail dot com.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-76748235072202835522011-11-21T17:18:00.001-05:002011-11-21T17:37:56.158-05:00Occupy your job application<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's Newt Gingrich's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/gingrich-to-occupy-protesters-take-a-bath/2011/11/21/gIQAqbhBiN_blog.html">advice</a>, and who knew that the Occupy movement could be solved so quickly? </span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can't help but appreciate the irony in it. Because it seems to me that, if unemployment and <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55125.html">economic inequity</a> was not such a problem, the movement would be smaller. Not gone. But certainly smaller, and possibly less sympathetic.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Frustrated by your unemployment status? Upset because the cascade of economic catastrophe after a speculation "bubble" put a damper on job prospects, housing opportunities, etc? Underwater financially thanks to $50K+ worth of student loans, which are necessary for a degree that's needed for a job that doesn't exist?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's cool. Get a job. Improve your hygiene, especially those of you that stink of <a href="http://www.hocorising.com/2011/11/this-happpened-where-monday-links.html">pepper spray</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Problem solved.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well. Until <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/gingrich-calls-child-labor-laws-truly-stupid/2011/11/21/gIQAFYKHiN_blog.html?hpid=z3">tweens flood the job market</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How do you say "<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/17/news/la-pn-cain-cuban-20111117">What?</a>" in Cuban?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Or, more importantly, how do you say "Can both sides please move away from the pandering and on to addressing the very real social and economic problems that are fueling a series of protests across the country, problems that actually affect both left and right and will only continue to be more detrimental in the future?"</span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-72360982073553274072011-11-16T08:41:00.004-05:002011-11-29T14:16:49.018-05:00To Market, To Market...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I actually didn't plan on posting about this so quickly, but thanks in part to a bout of insomnia, and also to the fact that I wanted to buy a colleague some baked goods as a "thanks" for helping me get some great data, I made it to <a href="http://www.greenvalleymarketplace.com/">Green Valley Market</a> today, on opening day. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I walked through the doors around 7:15. It was surprisingly crowded. I think the "opening" had something to do with it. The store had some giveaways - I scored a free tote - and a ribbon cutting.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kH-yQZWr1dA/TsOvGwPPaTI/AAAAAAAAAn0/9YoO6yJAxXk/s1600/2011-11-16_07-35-50_126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kH-yQZWr1dA/TsOvGwPPaTI/AAAAAAAAAn0/9YoO6yJAxXk/s320/2011-11-16_07-35-50_126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always wonder what they do with giant scissors after the ribbon cutting. Does one pair travel through a company to all locations? Do they just use it to cut really big pieces of paper? </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I also think it's a testament to how much the area was missing its anchor grocery outlet. There were definitely people doing real shopping there.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I snapped a few pictures.</span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-biYeJTPsJyo/TsOvW0jiN6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/jKtxS0y6Vhw/s1600/2011-11-16_07-31-37_905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-biYeJTPsJyo/TsOvW0jiN6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/jKtxS0y6Vhw/s320/2011-11-16_07-31-37_905.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAC-eqAInts/TsOvoFqR5FI/AAAAAAAAAoM/9DyBWZ7qtu0/s1600/2011-11-16_07-18-38_59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAC-eqAInts/TsOvoFqR5FI/AAAAAAAAAoM/9DyBWZ7qtu0/s320/2011-11-16_07-18-38_59.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some initial thoughts? For those of you who shopped in the Elkridge SuperFresh, the layout is actually very much the same. The interior looks newer, though. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYXXYzEfArUMRjpB6W7QTkYJX5nXk8-_unaqSmKfOB8JN_Szv3pEyGVtyeJvweMnyQ376pEhrRNCEQIgvojzrC3O87Kz18aJkQF8N1m_HOLdkmzlo_fd2GZOzj1ozntq6RLxJU6tFe1o9/s1600/2011-11-16_07-18-09_765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYXXYzEfArUMRjpB6W7QTkYJX5nXk8-_unaqSmKfOB8JN_Szv3pEyGVtyeJvweMnyQ376pEhrRNCEQIgvojzrC3O87Kz18aJkQF8N1m_HOLdkmzlo_fd2GZOzj1ozntq6RLxJU6tFe1o9/s320/2011-11-16_07-18-09_765.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The bakery still looks excellent. I picked up some croissants for our "breakfast nook" at work (this would be funnier if I had a picture... but I don't.). A sample bite of a brownie with walnuts and PB icing was very tasty. Free samples... breakfast of champions. In checkout, the women behind me had gotten cupcakes that looked awesome - one topped with fruit, the other with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannoli">cannoli</a>, each in a little domed cupcake box. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And there was this cute cake.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JkdqrAJrWY/TsOwJPkYacI/AAAAAAAAAoc/WQIEnfhx7mo/s1600/2011-11-16_07-17-49_745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JkdqrAJrWY/TsOwJPkYacI/AAAAAAAAAoc/WQIEnfhx7mo/s320/2011-11-16_07-17-49_745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The seafood and produce looked fresh.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEyC9-I9Qko/TsOwYf_yEaI/AAAAAAAAAok/XOQC-2Y1Pus/s1600/2011-11-16_07-14-48_572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEyC9-I9Qko/TsOwYf_yEaI/AAAAAAAAAok/XOQC-2Y1Pus/s320/2011-11-16_07-14-48_572.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtIfHbkmU1Jm7uBqvnfB0xyO196dFPhdtn1qFsOzNfMoE3XxEYvYQR_aPa29E68A_0STjZwaT43JmrPp8cPZIpykbk9Y4PdY8xlc6DTGQ65Va69QbxTWnq9LFX0EF_e429wJrCFDn8zRo/s1600/2011-11-16_07-13-45_689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtIfHbkmU1Jm7uBqvnfB0xyO196dFPhdtn1qFsOzNfMoE3XxEYvYQR_aPa29E68A_0STjZwaT43JmrPp8cPZIpykbk9Y4PdY8xlc6DTGQ65Va69QbxTWnq9LFX0EF_e429wJrCFDn8zRo/s320/2011-11-16_07-13-45_689.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2011/11/green-valley-marketplace.html">In my first post</a>, I mentioned that my biggest concern was prices. One nice thing is no value card is needed for this shop. I shop for certain items fairly consistently so I was able to do a walk-through price check. There were fewer sales than at my local giant, but many prices were close, particularly when I looked at value-pack meat and such. Some were pricier. I'll have to do comparisons in the coming weeks - yes, I'm that person.. aka, the poor student, remember? - but they do have a paper circular which will be really helpful. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While the circular isn't online, I'm a big fan of the fact that the store has both a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Valley-Marketplace/267465649954063">facebook </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/GVMarketplace">twitter</a> presence. FB seems more updated at this point - I'm looking forward to seeing how they put social media to use once things really get running.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Have you been to Green Valley Marketplace yet? Are you a Elkridger who's looking forward to having a very close-by grocery store again? (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments below!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Edit to update (11/29): Recently noticed that the circular (or a portion of it) is in fact available on the GVM website.</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-24112140285882290972011-11-15T10:54:00.002-05:002011-11-16T09:48:28.699-05:00Green Valley Marketplace<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We got a coupon mailer for <a href="http://www.greenvalleymarketplace.com/">Green Valley Marketplace</a> - the <a href="http://writing-the-wrongs.blogspot.com/2011/09/elkridge-gets-grocery.html">grocery store that will be replacing the overpriced and rundown SuperFresh in Elkridge</a> - the other day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm not going to lie, it's been kind of annoying not having a grocery store within walking distance. But I just say annoying. I am aware of how fortunate we are, and can't imagine how difficult it's been for people who don't have regular or convenient transportation. For me, it's been going without mushrooms if I happened to forget them. Or just going a few miles out of my way because I really wanted chicken for dinner.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Still, I'm curious about this new place. The coupons they gave us amount to $5 off of $50, for the first four weeks that the store is open. If the prices are good, we'll definitely use them. That was the biggest failing of the SuperFresh store. While the bakery was excellent, the rest of the store was really, noticeably more expensive than other options like the MeadowRidge Giant.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So much so that we would have conversations like this.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/">SWR</a>: "I'm going to make a stop on the way home. What do we need from SuperFresh?"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://marotteleather.blogspot.com/">Mr. SWR</a>: ""As little as possible."</span><br />
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</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm also glad to have a <a href="http://elkridge.patch.com/articles/elkridge-grocery-store-to-open-by-mid-november">new storefront in our shopping center</a>, and hopefully there's been a small hiring bump. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm really hoping that they get around to issuing some sort of online circular, which will make it more convenient to shop. I use that feature on the Giant webpage often.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'll post up some pictures when I get over there, but you can see a preview on their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Valley-Marketplace/267465649954063">facebook page</a> - the store is set to open on Nov 16. (hocofood@@@)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">EDIT (11/16): First impressions and pictures, <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2011/11/to-market-to-market.html">here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-59170248486491882082011-11-04T10:57:00.000-04:002011-11-04T10:57:00.434-04:00Elkridge Creeper Ice Cream Person... 2.0<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last night, I spotted the <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2011/05/it-and-actually-scary-tales.html">Elkridge creeper ice cream man/woman</a> that sometimes works our neighborhood.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To be clear, it was around 6:20. On November 3. I was wearing a scarf and a jacket. The sun was going down. And then I heard the music, and saw the <a href="http://www.goodhumor.com/Our-History.aspx">truck</a> whipping around the corner into the lot opposite ours.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I guess there's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MHqvJ2Poc0&feature=related">always time for ice cream</a>?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't have a picture of this one, but this is what I imagine it would have looked like had I gone over.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/27548_109983389038391_2248_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/27548_109983389038391_2248_n.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-32848101717496411422011-10-28T10:03:00.000-04:002011-10-28T10:03:36.042-04:00Larges, just $13.99..<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They don't say anything about medium, extra larges, males, females, or livelies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But there is this.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKvuG0yo6hZR1XhLragdwPO7-2HBcU4wr_3A6bij3V0247iU1NFhkUM44CqaPSwuIyRIQMJB7jUiJzCN7aQBDl2vlbxlPn-gAdY6hyphenhyphen3wHyZF6oehoMgmA3E7ralJc7rEvn_ZrcoLS_Z02/s1600/crabpizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKvuG0yo6hZR1XhLragdwPO7-2HBcU4wr_3A6bij3V0247iU1NFhkUM44CqaPSwuIyRIQMJB7jUiJzCN7aQBDl2vlbxlPn-gAdY6hyphenhyphen3wHyZF6oehoMgmA3E7ralJc7rEvn_ZrcoLS_Z02/s320/crabpizza.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I just happened to notice this today as I was getting my morning coffee and walked past <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-bolis-columbia">Pizza Boli's in Wilde Lake</a> - no idea how long it's been on offer. I'm not sure if I'm intrigued or grossed out. Normally, if I eat there, I stick to cheese sticks (they'll put pepperoni on them as a topping, if you ask).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyone got more info? (hocofood@@@)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-61589673589849925542011-10-26T08:39:00.001-04:002011-10-26T10:16:32.093-04:00Wounded Warrior Project Fundraising Recap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hello!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ahem.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is this thing on?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...you might have noticed the lack of posts these days. It's probably going to continue that way for the next few months while I complete my thesis work and such, but I wanted to stop in and give a recap of our fundraising efforts for the Wounded Warrior Project. <b>Our initial fundraising goal was $300.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, due to circumstances no one could control, we were not able to travel to Virginia to participate in <a href="http://toughmudder.com/events/virginia/">Tough Mudder</a>. We plan to get there next year, but we still managed to raise some money for the 2011 event, with your help!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Special thanks goes out to our families, Tom at <a href="http://www.hocorising.com/">HoCoRising</a>, Tonia at <a href="http://mdthaiboxing.com/">Maryland Thai Boxing</a>, and Matt's efforts to collect cash at the coffee-pot. <b>We raised an AWESOME total of $430.00.</b> ($50 was generously donated before Tough Mudder switched from Active.com to Raceit.com, and does not appear on <a href="https://www.raceit.com/fundraising/fundraise.aspx?event=2837&fundraiser=1334">our team site</a>; however, we were assured at the time of the switch that the donation would make it to the WWP).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Don't worry. Next year, we'll set the bar even higher. :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you would still like to <a href="https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=167&campaignSource=CDRO&source=B100106&gclid=CP6s4bGthqwCFUGo4Aod6Vy7-A">contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project</a>, <b>please consider visiting their website and learning how this organization can benefit from your support</b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks again everyone. You rock.<b> </b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-41356281476236230102011-08-29T07:08:00.000-04:002011-08-29T07:08:00.508-04:00Book Review: First Case In the Dresden Files...<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47212.Storm_Front" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309287471m/47212.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47212.Storm_Front">Storm Front</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10746.Jim_Butcher">Jim Butcher</a><br />
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My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/199019446">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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After years of being told that I should read The Dresden Files, I finally remembered and picked this up at the library.<br />
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I loved it.<br />
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Think hard-boiled detective novel meets fantasy, with a touch of humor. I really liked Dresden - everything from the way I pictured him to the way he spoke and the slight twist on what otherwise might be cliche. Butcher takes stereotypes (ie, the hard-nosed private investigator) and makes them more interesting with innovative twists (ie, oh yeah, he's a wizard. And a gentleman.).<br />
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The book is well-paced, a page turner that kept me flipping to the end, and the story was very easy to follow. Butcher balances the details of his world nicely, too. There are places where Dresden explains aspects of the world to the reader (like a detective narrative), but there are others where he doesn't - and he doesn't need to, the details are sprinkled in and it's easy to pick up what's important and move on. Nor is he shy about setting Dresden up for failure (or a little pain) which had me pulling for the wizard even more as I got to the end.<br />
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I recommend this book to anyone who's ever enjoyed even light fantasy, detective stories, or someone who's just up for a unique twist on old ideas.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4798944-mo">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-14528011810608966312011-08-24T12:44:00.002-04:002011-08-24T14:23:28.446-04:00Emergency 2.0<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Yesterday <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2011/08/earthshake.html">I mentioned (or at least, intended to mention)</a> the lag between the official "Emergency Notification Systems" in place where I work and the actual event as it blew up on social media. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There was anywhere from a 15-30 minute lag time between the quake and notifications via email/land line phone. I never actually received text alerts, although I'm signed up for them and have received them in the past (although some cell services were down/flooded). The decision to evacuate didn't reach me until almost 3:00pm, and it was shared by someone who walked the hallways knocking on doors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Which of course begs the question... when an event can erupt over facebook instantly (I got <a href="http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/at00lqe6x3.php">info about the quake, reported/updated magnitude and epicenter</a>, etc, within 8-10 minutes or so via Facebook postings), how can that power be used to make emergency communications more effective?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I think this is a question that must be asked of those who design the community response infrastructure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Howard County has sort of done this - for example, today I saw a safety <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-volunteer-center-serving-howard-county/earthquake-update-from-county-executive-ken-ulman/10150256128752101">update/recommendation from Ken Ulman</a> on facebook about reporting damage and emergency preparedness. But I don't recall seeing any coordinated messages yesterday via facebook - did I miss them (entirely possible)? Anyone? (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the mean time, look at this shiny and relevant infographic, featured today via The American Red Cross, which kind of illustrates my point. I'm surprised that the numbers of people that get info via FB/Twitter aren't higher, but also recall that there was "info passing" from those sources in the halls at work. So FB & Twitter may play a larger role than can be measured directly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How do you think Social Media should be incorporated (if at all) in emergency response?</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/62995419/Social-Media-in-Emergencies" style="display: block; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Social Media in Emergencies on Scribd">Social Media in Emergencies</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_53359" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/62995419/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1w61hn1mk7kpwd9r0yfd" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Edit to add: Marshmallow Man mentions the </span><a href="http://53beersontap.typepad.com/53beers/2011/08/shake-baby-shake.html" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">local response he received within hours of the quake over on 53 beers</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-16119065598091638742011-08-23T18:08:00.003-04:002011-08-23T18:37:51.114-04:00Earthshake!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By now, I suspect it will surprise no one to hear that we <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/earthquake-rattles-washington-area/2011/08/23/gIQATMOGZJ_story.html?hpid=z1">had a small earthquake here on the East Coast</a>.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ok, not so small. 5.9 on the Richter Scale (or, by <a href="http://columbia.patch.com/articles/earthquake-felt-across-region-where-were-you">some reports</a>, 5.8). Now, if you're like me and can count the number of times you've been in a quake on one hand (yes, it's more than one), that number doesn't mean a whole lot.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's what it meant for me: my lab is centrally located in a pretty solid building on campus. The tremors were strong enough to rattle all the glassware on the shelves, the chemical hood behind me, and create a swaying sensation (easily felt as I was <strike>cowering</strike> cleverly crouched under my desk).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was very disorienting, especially in the few seconds it took me to figure things out. I work alone, so there was no one I could ask "did you feel that?" until well after it was over.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The University's response was strange. Emergency notification came in the form of two email (in the 15-20 minutes post-quake), and a robocall (about 35 minutes after). There was then an "evacuation" of our building, but not others in the continuous complex.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was actually amused by the warning time, although considering the size of the campus and the coordination required it was probably pretty fast. This might spinoff a post about the expectation of immediate information - for example, how facebook blew up with info immediately - and how social media could be put to use by emergency notification systems.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But I digress.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After milling around a while, I "snuck" back in, finished my work, and left.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Even though the buildings were reopened, police remained on the corners of MLK. I'm not sure what they were looking for, but as of 4:30 or so they showed no signs of moving. Some of them looked like they'd been pulled on duty - still in jeans and plain tee shirts, with only a police vest to mark them.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcy-0AB647brlUB8FoeG4B8LhgNKfwy_pbdNAKX6c-CrZSwLwNZIKlh-7S-g42szPwkk24-1yOS24pE9a9QyaBqxJmM2kzxkwj_dMdBjxYuuSKx2t_l7imllw5yvTmYLnx4a2xInd_HNM/s1600/corner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcy-0AB647brlUB8FoeG4B8LhgNKfwy_pbdNAKX6c-CrZSwLwNZIKlh-7S-g42szPwkk24-1yOS24pE9a9QyaBqxJmM2kzxkwj_dMdBjxYuuSKx2t_l7imllw5yvTmYLnx4a2xInd_HNM/s320/corner.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the corner of MLK and Pratt Street.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a very odd day, courtesy of what might have been the Spotsylvania Fault Line, according to a report on NPR (I couldn't find the link, but the quake already has its own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake">Wiki Page</a>).</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Oh yes, and everyone I know seems to be alright.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What was your Earthquake experience?</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-37586848559740799122011-08-22T05:54:00.001-04:002011-08-22T05:54:00.745-04:00Book Review: (Crazy + Lonely Planet)/Communist China in 1986 = 2 stars<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's hard for me to say that I fully enjoyed this book (which was chosen by my book club a while back), but it did tell a unique story, at times in language that took my breath away. Which might rate it three stars. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But I gave it two. Here's my review of "Undress Me In The Temple Of Heaven," a memoir by Susan Jane Gilman (aka, Susie, aka, "Sushi").</span><br />
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</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4757303-undress-me-in-the-temple-of-heaven" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255603235m/4757303.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4757303-undress-me-in-the-temple-of-heaven">Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19026.Susan_Jane_Gilman">Susan Jane Gilman</a><br />
<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/199014176">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
<br />
I have some conflicted feelings about this book.<br />
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<br />
<br />
To start: the writing is beautiful. Gilman not only gives an account of visiting the other side of the world, she shares the experience of being there in 1986, just after China opened its borders to independent travelers. <br />
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<br />
<br />
After graduation, Gilman and a friend pack malaria pills, water purifiers, picky appetites, and some naivety, and hop on a plane to Hong Kong. The goal? Travel around the world. Stop 1: China. Gilman describes a route that most people would not take, mixing in their experience with local culture and her encounters with the surprisingly large (but also small) backpacking community. It's almost shocking to read about how they travel now, not just post-9/11 - something that Gilman does address briefly - but the decisions they make that I can't imagine choosing (even in my early 20s).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There is also a lot of bat**** crazy in this book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And the crazy is what kept me reading, because for most of the memoir, I found Gilman's friend - and at times, Gilman herself - aggravating and unlikable.<br />
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<br />
<br />
To Gilman's credit, she's the storyteller, and she doesn't sugarcoat the areas where she behaves badly/questionably/etc. And when I think about it, I might not have continued reading without that element of realness (or, if I felt I was getting a very sanitized account). I really want to write this review without spoilers, so I won't go into more detail. But that aggravation did at least keep me reading, if only from the desire to see if/how the women changed. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So at the end of the day... fantastic writing style, pretty imagery, and a unique story/setting... but difficult to read because at times, Gilman and her friend just make me want to walk away.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4798944-mo">View all my reviews</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-68038071780692393662011-08-18T20:00:00.004-04:002011-08-18T20:00:02.822-04:00Fund me... but not Rick Perry.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Let's be honest, I'm not often impressed by the Republican Right. Or even the Republican "middle" - which is really just less-right.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But Rick Perry is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GhGSTcsykY">on my radar</a> with his <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/perry-global-warming-is-based-on-scientists-manipulating-data/2011/08/17/gIQAJzLHLJ_story.html">stance on Global Warming</a>. Not because <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-LOVE-AL-GORE-4EVER/155868084468059">I Love Al Gore</a>, but because of Perry's line of reasoning.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/17/rick-perry-climate-scientists-cooking-the-books_n_929876.html">Huffington Post</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">Texas Gov. Rick Perry took his skepticism about climate change one step further on Wednesday, telling a New Hampshire business crowd that scientists have cooked up the data on global warming for the cash.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">In his stump speech, Perry referenced "a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling in to their projects."</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">"We're seeing weekly, or even daily, scientists who are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what's causing the climate to change," Perry said. "Yes, our climates change. They've been changing ever since the earth was formed."</span></div></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's right. According to Rick Perry, Scientists cook the data.<br />
</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But wait, that's not all!</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/perry-and-romney-split-on-climate-change/2011/08/17/gIQAgawNLJ_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost">WaPo goes on to report</a> the next day:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“They have seen the headlines in the past year about doctored data related to global warming,” Perry writes. “They know that we have been experiencing a cooling trend, that the complexities of the global atmosphere have often eluded the most sophisticated scientists, and that draconian policies with dire economic effects based on so-called science may not stand the test of time. Quite frankly, when science gets hijacked by the political Left, we should all be concerned.”</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Good thing science is <a href="http://www.opposingviews.com/i/louisiana-teen-battles-religious-right-science-education">never manipulated or hijacked by the Right</a>. <a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/4042/religious-right-trumps-science-in-pawlentys-stem-cell-veto">Never</a>. <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11842">Never</a> <a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/84344/religious-right-rushes-to-bachmanns-defense-amid-ex-gay-reports">ever</a>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now, <b>I'm not saying scientists should never be questioned, or that science is always right, </b>or that science <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/29/battistoni_science">knows everything</a> about a given topic (let alone global warming) right now. There are <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005738">too-frequent reports</a> of people who have <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672510903888207.html">falsified data</a> and lost their positions, <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99298.php">issue retractions</a>, <a href="http://science.slashdot.org/story/05/10/29/1442248/MIT-Professor-Fired-over-Fabricated-Data">damage other careers</a>, etc. This is very, very bad. Even one report is too-frequent, given the nature of scientific research to build upon the findings of others.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But this is discovered through the process of competition, further experimentation, and peer review.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not by politicians.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just because <a href="http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/survey-69-believe-scientists-falsified-global-warming-data/">a poll says a majority of people don't believe a theory (Global Warming, for example) is not true</a>, doesn't mean that their theory is any more correct. Popular opinion does not a truth make. Ask <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus">Copernicus</a>. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's the collection and evaluation of evidence - which can be a long, gradual process - that should influence our interactions with (and actions on) the world.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Perry uses general terms when he talks about these <a href="http://thedogatemydata.blogspot.com/2010/01/scientists-gone-wild-end-of-human-race.html">Scientists Gone Wild</a>, if you watch the clip (at the end of the post). "Substantial number." Which then becomes "some cases". He points to the emergence of scientists that question the working hypothesis as evidence that the theory is false - thereby furthering the implication that the data is false and politicized. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No, it's science. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/funny-pictures-cats-boxes-shrodinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/funny-pictures-cats-boxes-shrodinger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Science.</td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Scientific development comes from trying to prove or disprove a working hypothesis. Perry is merely <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/political-connections/gop-gives-climate-science-a-cold-shoulder-20101009">taking the flip side of what he's accusing liberals of doing</a> - that is, politicizing global warming - only he's doing it <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201108080030">at the expense of science's credibility in the eyes of the public</a>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And I didn't hear any <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/08/15/295888/rick-perry-is-big-oils-11-million-man/">disclosures</a>, Governor Perry. Come on, even "scientists" do that.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm not sure if it's willful ignorance, or a belief that the public is not interested in specifics behind his accusations, or the desire to capitalize on a popular idea about science.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And in a way, that's what's most alarming about Perry. His comments reflect a fundamental <a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/denial-science-chris-mooney">problem in the perception of science</a> - which, in turn, leads me to believe this is an attitude he's likely to <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/broken_government/articles/entry/927/">carry into the White House</a>. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The prejudice that scientists would fabricate data to funnel in research dollars doesn't bode well for the future of research in America. Clearly, Perry has never tried to apply for an NIH grant.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's not about global warming, Perry. Sorry.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's a video of his answer so you can judge for yourself. The question takes a while and is hard to understand, but Perry is loud and clear.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object style="height: 292px; width: 480px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6xnxD_NSUQw?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6xnxD_NSUQw?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="480" height="292"></object></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-51985563942651222182011-08-18T05:59:00.004-04:002011-08-18T06:22:28.405-04:00S&P Ratings - The aftermath<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am not an economist. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I know there are basic principles - <a href="http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/13/7074704-outrage-over-netflix-rate-hike-continues">supply and demand</a>, etc. I more or less have some grasp of the way the system works (at least, I've thought about it). But anything below the surface? Well... let's just say at one point I decided to crack a text book to try to learn on my own, and I glazed over in the first few pages. Thrilling it was not.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now I kind of regret not taking econ classes, because I feel continuously in a state of catch-up.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Take the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_credit_rating_downgrade,_2011">stock downgrade</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_and_Poors">Standard & Poor's</a>, for example, <a href="http://www.standardandpoors.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobheadername3=MDT-Type&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3DUS_Downgraded_AA%2B.pdf&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobheadername1=content-type&blobwhere=1243942957443&blobheadervalue3=UTF-8">on August 5</a>. It's all over the news, and it's hard for me to really evaluate the stories/analysis without taking the reporter/oped at it's word.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From my disclaimer above, I've obviously got a long way to go before I can do anything other than repeat opinions of "what to do." And I'm not going to even touch the "why" - HCR <a href="http://www.hocorising.com/2011/08/s-downgrade.html">stated it pretty nicely</a> a few weeks ago. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So what's gotten my attention so far? The purpose of agencies like the S&P, and the response since the downgrade.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">S&P is an American financial services company that offers credit ratings (Moody's and Fitch are the other two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Three_(credit_rating_agencies)">major ratings agencies</a>). Clients (countries, municipalities, companies, etc) pay the S&P to <a href="http://www.standardandpoors.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobheadername3=MDT-Type&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3Dunderstanding_ratings_definitions.pdf&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobheadername1=content-type&blobwhere=1243834063620&blobheadervalue3=UTF-8">rate their bonds</a>, which in turn communicates to investors the risk associated with that investment. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGexRxZm3p9KDd94n5ieRILiA1b2KB7FoB4_PWcxqTscqiFkxvJ1IhkFmTXejrKpJRPyzm__A-VVG7vBoogKkXB4lJ1zOXqmocNVdA4gJLKcO4BA-9qbzUS1e3587q6jVtJ4kFBAZGTXX/s1600/sp1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGexRxZm3p9KDd94n5ieRILiA1b2KB7FoB4_PWcxqTscqiFkxvJ1IhkFmTXejrKpJRPyzm__A-VVG7vBoogKkXB4lJ1zOXqmocNVdA4gJLKcO4BA-9qbzUS1e3587q6jVtJ4kFBAZGTXX/s400/sp1.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the S&P "General Criteria: Understanding Standard & Poor's Rating Definitions." June 3, 2009.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ratings convey the "creditworthiness" of the investment - that is, the likelihood that debts will be paid back according to the terms of a contract. The possibility of default is the key factor that issues S&P ratings, according to their site, although other factors play a role in rating. </span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In our view, <b>likelihood of default is the centerpiece of creditworthiness</b>. That means likelihood of default--<b>encompassing both capacity and willingness to pay</b>--is the single most important factor in our assessment of the creditworthiness of an issuer or an obligation. Therefore, consistent with our goal of achieving a rank ordering of creditworthiness, higher ratings on issuers and obligations reflect our expectation that the rated issuer or obligation should default less frequently than issuers and obligations with lower ratings, all other things being equal.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although we emphasize the rank ordering of default likelihood, we do not view the rating categories solely in relative terms. We <b>associate each successively higher rating category with the ability to withstand successively more stressful economic environments</b>, which we view as less likely to occur. We associate issuers and obligations rated in the highest categories with the ability to withstand extreme or severe stress in absolute terms without defaulting. Conversely, we associate issuers and obligations rated in lower categories with vulnerability to mild or modest stress. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">--</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">From the S&P "General Criteria: Understanding Standard & Poor's Rating Definitions." June 3, 2009. (emphasis mine)</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just reading this excerpt - dated from 2009 - puts the S&P's decision to downgrade the US debt in less questionable ground (at least, in my mind). It also throws interesting light on the posturing that's gone on in the wake of the debt deal - in some cases, posturing that could further jeopardize the credit rating were it to become reality, like Perry & Romney's <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/273275/romney-comes-out-opposition-debt-ceiling-hike-deal-katrina-trinko">statements against the debt deal</a>. Failure to come to a compromise seemed to be central to the S&P evaluation. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As for that difference in bond ratings...? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekQOvUbKDWwY3LwzDft_SDSbUcVWcnwEegmzANkJVzB8wSu5Mm2phJU9soXDhC06YddFJ0DQgKoGUhXFnGciEDGESPlPgsOJ46-7Xg1R_ostdSRJr7HZw9O8oz7lbWI8iwX0zQX-yZJ1K/s1600/Picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekQOvUbKDWwY3LwzDft_SDSbUcVWcnwEegmzANkJVzB8wSu5Mm2phJU9soXDhC06YddFJ0DQgKoGUhXFnGciEDGESPlPgsOJ46-7Xg1R_ostdSRJr7HZw9O8oz7lbWI8iwX0zQX-yZJ1K/s400/Picture2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">From the S&P "General Criteria: Understanding Standard & Poor's Rating Definitions." June 3, 2009.</td></tr>
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The US now <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-04-28/spain-suffers-fallout-from-greece-debt-rating-cut-to-aa.html">shares a credit rating with Spain</a>, which has been downgraded as part of the fallout from Greece's repeated economic woes in the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/debt-crisis">European debt crisis</a> (Greece has been downgraded to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8647441.stm">junk status</a>).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To get further perspective, here's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_credit_rating">list of credit ratings of countries worldwide</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Amid all the finger-pointing and railing in the wake of the downgrade are a few stories that have gotten my attention.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First, the Obama adminstration's <b>reaction to the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/08/05/u-s-debt-rating-in-limbo-as-treasury-finds-math-mistake-by-sp-in-downgrade-warning/">"miscalculation" in the S&P analysis</a>. </b>Legitimate? Yes. But it simply made the S&P come out and fully explain the political nature of its decision.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Three downgraded municipalities have<a href="http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2011/08/sp_gets_dropped_by_municipalit.html"> "fired" the S&P</a>. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Allegations have arisen (or been implied) of </b><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/08/12/sec-asking-about-insider-trading-at-sp-report/"><b>"insider trading"</b> at the S&P </a>in advance of the downgrade.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is an <b>ongoing investigation as to whether or not the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/18/mortgage-probe-sp-idUSL3E7JI0I620110818">S&P improperly rated mortgage securities</a></b> in advance of the debt crisis.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm interested to see how this plays out. The last one is particularly interesting. Is it possible that the <a href="http://www.onwallstreet.com/news/debt-rating-downgrade-mortgage-backed-securities-economy-2674608-1.html">S&P "caused" the debt crisis</a> (or is this an argument that is being shored up for use against the S&P in the future, possibly to mitigate any fallout from the downgrade)? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is the S&P the cause of the recession (or will it be the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/06/us-downgrade-standard-poors-credit-rating-economy_n_920228.html">cause of a relapse</a>), or is the downgrade an effect of the recession? It seems very circular to me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Has the dust-up <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/ezra-klein-how-sandp-downgraded-the-government--and-itself/2011/08/08/gIQAc39A3I_story.html">damaged the reputation of the S&P</a>? How will this affect the benefits of good credit ratings from this agency? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How will the decision to drop the S&P by Los Angeles and two counties in California affect those municipalities - both in terms of future investiment, and in economic recovery? To me, it doesn't seem legitimate to drop a credit agency because they call you out as an investment risk. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally, I know the news has said the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44184059/ns/business-us_business/">mortgage probe began before the downgrade</a>, but I can't help but feel there might be <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/finance-accounting/economics/FIN_ECO/878735-17668428?browseCategory=FIN">political motivations</a> on either side. Should S&P have to consider political fallout in the wake of its decisions? If there's evidence of this (or the perception of it), how will it affect the legitimacy of S&P credit ratings?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These are just the questions rattling around in my head. What do you think?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-68502251800796149022011-08-17T06:00:00.001-04:002011-08-17T06:00:10.758-04:00Where am I, Wednesday?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Good morning, SwimWriteRunReaders! Where am I in the HoCo? (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9inEDSobzM/TSDxZyTnDSI/AAAAAAAAAMU/13hRb3Q2ico/s1600/2011-01-02_13-06-32_177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9inEDSobzM/TSDxZyTnDSI/AAAAAAAAAMU/13hRb3Q2ico/s320/2011-01-02_13-06-32_177.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Leave your guess in the comments below.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-45549806802725607782011-08-15T19:57:00.004-04:002011-08-15T19:57:00.093-04:00Book Review: When the mind becomes a blank slate... every... morning.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My Book Club (the awesome ladies at HoCoBoCo) chose Before I Go To Sleep as our pick for August. As I was describing the book to a friend, she said, "Huh, it sounds like Momento."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kind of, but it's better. Trust me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Discussion isn't for a few weeks, but here are some of my initial thoughts...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9736930-before-i-go-to-sleep" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img alt="Before I Go to Sleep" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306130484m/9736930.jpg" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9736930-before-i-go-to-sleep">Before I Go to Sleep</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4470653.S_J_Watson">S.J. Watson</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/196093122">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Before I Go To Sleep" is a psychological thriller that plays on the triumphs and faults of human memory and the vulnerability that comes from forced reliance on others. SJ Watson takes a sometimes-overdone plot convention (amnesia) and, with strong writing and an excellent sense of balance between suspense and reveal, creates a story that drives the reader through to the end.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From the outset, Watson dumps the reader into the question mark that is Christine's life. Red flags pop up relatively early, but there are so many that tracking them leads the reader down the same false roads as Christine. The unreliable narrator (Christine) is a critical handicap and a means for building both frustration and suspense, but - importantly - not at the cost of belief.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not until the last fifty pages or so, when the "less-resolved" warning signs more clearly point to the direction of the plot, does the ending really become clear. I did find myself wishing that the ultimate resolution came at the hands of Christine herself, not the outside forces at play, but at the end I was happy with the way Christine changed. And I really liked where Watson chose to end the story.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'd recommend this book as a fast-paced, entertaining read, particularly for those who like trying to puzzle out a mystery on their own ahead of the narrator.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4798944-mo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">View all my reviews</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-3159802825617324652011-08-12T06:00:00.034-04:002011-08-12T06:00:12.167-04:00Food versus Food: Cups of Cakes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...or, as those in the know like to say... "cupcakes."</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just before they say "Om <b>nom</b> nom <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/om-nom-nom-nom">nom</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">."</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Marvelcakes (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The cupcake has always been pretty awesome, a <b>great treat</b> that - when it's really good - doesn't even need the frosting. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I <b>think of kid things when I think about cupcakes</b>: licking the <b>cake batter</b> off of the spoon; holding the <b>sprinkles</b> up high so they fall evenly... on everything but the cake; glossy round chocolate and vanilla tops crammed into a tray and sent off to school for <b>birthdays</b> (<a href="http://dcist.com/2011/04/if_cupcakes_are_outlawed_only_outla.php">back when you were allowed to do that sort of thing</a>).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since then, though, <b>cupcakes became a <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/will-cupcakes-be-the-next-krispy-kreme/">trend</a></b>. Or, <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-23/living/cupcake.craze_1_cupcake-craze-classroom-birthday-parties-chocolate?_s=PM:LIVING">as some would call it</a>, a passion. (or a curse - do a google search. There's lots of CupCakeHatin' going on out there.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So <b>how do cupcakes in the HoCo measure up</b> against eachother? This <a href="http://mowrite.blogspot.com/2010/12/food-versus-food-friday-about.html">FvF</a> is all about finding out! (hocofood@@@)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Contender #1: Snickerdoodle cupcake from <a href="http://www.freshbakeryonline.com/index.html">Fresh Bakery</a> (the cupcake stand in the Mall).</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fresh Bakery is actually located in Owings Mills, but has <b>"cupcake stands" in area malls - including the <a href="http://www.themallincolumbia.com/">Columbia Mall</a>.</b> Somehow, since it's been open, I've managed to walk right past the stand without noticing. Repeatedly. So I took <a href="http://thoughtsfromaswimmer.blogspot.com/">SixSwims</a> with me to make sure I didn't bypass the <b>cupcakey goodness</b>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fresh Bakery cupcakes sit in <b>neat rows</b> near little placards, <b>beneath domes of glass</b>. But that's not actually the most interesting thing about them. <b>They're square</b>, which is a pretty interesting visual. But how does that translate to taste?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I chose <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickerdoodle">snickerdoodle</a> because the name was appealing - another throwback from childhood - and the cake was very pretty. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jEKZQiLxT8k/TkSF8A1M3qI/AAAAAAAAAnI/HthVzt7_7yw/s1600/2011-07-19_18-09-07_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jEKZQiLxT8k/TkSF8A1M3qI/AAAAAAAAAnI/HthVzt7_7yw/s320/2011-07-19_18-09-07_200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Square cupcakes from Fresh Bakery. Snickerdoodle is on the right. <br />
Cindy's choice (chocolate/chocolate) is on the left.<br />
Seriously, the square thing is neat.</td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first bite of cupcake was excellent - the <b>icing was flavored lightly with cinnamon</b>, but there was a <b>slight crunch to each bite</b>. I couldn't decide if it was a <b>sprinkling of sugar</b> (..to go with the snickerdoodle theme...) or if the cake had been sitting for a while. I really wanted it to be a dusting of sugar. The <b>yellow cake was moist and sweet</b>, but didn't seem to have any noticeable traces of cinnamon. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fresh Bakery's cupcake was a nice, light ending after a dinner, and a <b>pleasant treat</b>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Which brings us to...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Contender #2: Snickerdoodle cupcake from <a href="http://www.kupcakesco.com/">Kupcakes & Co</a> in Elkridge.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://howchow.blogspot.com/2011/06/kupcake-co-in-elkridge.html">Kupcake & Co</a> is <b>located at 6010 Meadowridge Center Drive</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in Elkridge - you have to drive around to the back of the small strip-type mall to find it. It's a small shop with one table and (the day I went) two huge racks of fresh cupcakes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Curious how my experience would compare, I couldn't resist ordering the Snickerdoodle cupcake.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eYCO9ne3KtY/TkSFb7fy7uI/AAAAAAAAAnE/NL3jF8qCk84/s1600/2011-08-06_22-04-08_580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eYCO9ne3KtY/TkSFb7fy7uI/AAAAAAAAAnE/NL3jF8qCk84/s320/2011-08-06_22-04-08_580.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snickerdoodle Cupcake from Kupcake & Co. <br />
It got a little squished en route to the eating (in the back, so this is the better side), but that was my fault.</td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kupcake & Co's Snickerdoodle cupcake is <b>visually impressive</b> to start, crowned with a <b>generous swirl of cinnamon-colored icing</b> and topped with pieces of snickerdoodle <b>cookie</b> which give a nice <b>texture</b>. I'm not normally a girl who likes loads of frosting on cake, but this frosting was <b>sweet without being overpowering</b> - the cinnamon definitely helped. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The <b>cake was spiced</b> as well. Biting into it made me think of warm spice cake around the holidays, and <b>even though I liked the icing, I would have been fine without it</b>. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And, while I could easily put away a whole cupcake... honestly I didn't need to. Even <b>split between two people</b>, this cupcake was a <b>decadent</b> after-dinner treat.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>The Verdict:</b> I thought it would be a hard decision, but <b>while both cupcakes were tasty, a clear winner emerged quickly: <a href="http://elkridge.patch.com/articles/salvation-in-sugar">Kupcake & Co</a>.</b>! They might turn out a round cupcake, but they don't cut corners. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(I know... I know... sorry. Please come back.)</span> Their Snickerdoodle cupcake looked great, I loved the cookie accent. Most importantly, all of the components tasted wonderful, and the cupcake tasted <b>very fresh</b>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Where do you go for your cupcake fix? What's your favorite flavor? Tell me in the comments!</b></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-79651790304176540472011-08-10T07:44:00.001-04:002011-08-10T07:44:00.109-04:00Where am I, Wednesday?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Good morning, blogfans! Where am I today in the HoCo? (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Leave your guess in the comments below!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-20527183880726898492011-08-08T19:43:00.001-04:002011-08-08T19:43:00.104-04:00Book Review: Blindness, and the occasional problem with art for art's sake<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hey, fun fact... <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">GoodReads</a> has a publish-blog option! Since I've recently gone on a borrowing spree at my <a href="http://hclibrary.org/">local public library</a>, I figured I'd share my thoughts on the books I've enjoyed.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2526.Blindness" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img alt="Blindness" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054077m/2526.jpg" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2526.Blindness">Blindness</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1285555.Jos_Saramago">José Saramago</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/196089665">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ok, about Blindness.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First of all, I loved the premise and I really liked the story. As horrific as it was at points, it seemed very real, very immediate and desperate when I was able to immerse myself in the narrative. Questions - and a real desire to see the protagonist come out of the situation - kept me turning the pages.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That having been said, this was a book I would have preferred to read in one sitting. This is mostly because of the style - minimal dialogue tags/dialogue smashed within a paragraph, etc - that made it difficult to pick up after time away. That device - along with the lack of names, which I thought worked well with the dehumanizing aspect of the story - disappeared from notice after a few pages. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">More annoying was the occasional intrusion of the phantom narrator, which seemed to serve nothing more than commentary on the plot (a la Jane Austen style narrating - it doesn't actually forward the plot or shed more light on the situation, it just tells the reader what the author is showing). Page 94 is a great example of where I was reading, and then was suddenly slammed out of the story by a direct address from the narrator.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think this is a great book with a fascinating story and the potential to drive really compelling discussion about human nature and the ability of literature to amplify aspects of that nature that are both great and horrible. I do offer the caveat, though, that for me, the dedication to "art" - the format, the narrator - made the book harder to read at times, took away from the immediacy of the story, and left me questioning some of Saramago's choices.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4798944-mo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">View all my reviews</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-26429084406937487542011-08-05T18:00:00.000-04:002011-08-05T18:00:05.033-04:00A refusal to vent, August, and a party.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Posting here's been inconsistent. Sorry about that.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Part of it is that I'm incredibly busy. The other part is that the things occupying my mind are not things I'm really willing to blog about. It's hard to publish updates about things like school/work without turning it into a vent, and that's something I don't want to do on my blog.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Still, things are looking up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's what you can expect for August:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Food versus Food - Two posts, set and ready to go. I know. Be excited!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some DIY and cooking posts - I've got some cool DIY projects going that I just have to share. The word of the day is "Upcycle."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Where am I, Wednesday? - guess where I am in the HoCo, based on the amazing photo technology of the little Droid X That Could.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And more. (aka, blanket statement to promise additional content, probably related to happenings both local and national)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Also, don't forget about the <a href="http://hocoblogs.com/">HoCo Blogs</a> party coming up next Thursday! It's a family-friendly event on Aug 11 at Stanford Grill. 5:30pm. RSVP <a href="http://hocoblogs-baltsun.eventbrite.com/">here</a>!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-77942220550976845692011-08-03T08:55:00.000-04:002011-08-03T08:55:30.024-04:00Where am I, Wednesday?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here you go, blog friends! Where am I in the HoCo? (hocoblogs@@@)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bonus points if you can tell me where I was standing when I took the picture.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WkU4W95mApwhvjGsi73yijm-uP7BnU4ut31qen876izsYexhaFuNxuh3ETr9iniS7l3cvmilvEQ7_5ZgAYZmZNDrMei8PRqys1eBNbdE8nAgZmEydP0vwTVuOm3om20I3bJ_PhlL-StY/s1600/2011-08-03_07-10-13_513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WkU4W95mApwhvjGsi73yijm-uP7BnU4ut31qen876izsYexhaFuNxuh3ETr9iniS7l3cvmilvEQ7_5ZgAYZmZNDrMei8PRqys1eBNbdE8nAgZmEydP0vwTVuOm3om20I3bJ_PhlL-StY/s400/2011-08-03_07-10-13_513.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405420046981874780.post-66006300809866375882011-07-09T11:05:00.001-04:002011-07-09T11:05:28.483-04:00Left turns and Traffic lights<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyone know what's up with the traffic light outside the <a href="http://www.shipleysgranthomes.com/community/">Shipley's Grant</a> shopping center (near the intersection of Rte 108 and Snowden River Parkway)? The lights all had bags over them, and a stop sign has been installed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I made a left turn out of the lot this morning at 9:30 and it was a bit dicey. Seems like an impossible (read: dangerous) thing during hours with heavier traffic.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hocoblogs@@@</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5