This is the first part of a three part interview from September 25th with King Abdullah II of Jordan on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It is interesting to get viewpoints from outside the US on world events. Part two and part three that are web-only.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Election 2012
My friend Tina sent me the link to a very funny (and to the point) You Tube video from Sarah Silverman about Voter ID laws, Let My People Vote 2012 - Get Nana A Gun. There is some profanity, but it's worth it.
My step mom Susan sent me this right after the Republican National Convention. I thought it was priceless.
I have to dig a little and update this post later after I find the segment from the Daily Show the week after the RNC with Jon Stewart's take on Clint Eastwood at the convention.
I did not watch this week's debate, but have been reading some of the analysis and enjoyed Washington Week on PBS last night, including the Webcast Extra where they were giving their take on it's impact for both candidates. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the generally bad reviews of the President, but there were some positive things observed too.
I've felt for the last 4 years that Obama has always been so careful not to appear as the "angry black man" and fulfill the negative stereotypes, that he has been labelled as ineffectual in the process. The fear and paranoia of all the idiots who couldn't stand the thought of a black president instantly came out after he was elected, and it's been like he is walking on egg-shells ever since.
I was truly happy in 2008 that we had finally come to a place in America where we could elect a black president. But ever since then it's been so evident that racism is still alive and well, that it feels like we haven't made any progress at all.
*Update October 13th
I finally got off my can and found the clip of the Daily Show I was looking for. It was from August 31st, and he so brilliantly sums it up around the 2 minute mark, enjoy....
I have to dig a little and update this post later after I find the segment from the Daily Show the week after the RNC with Jon Stewart's take on Clint Eastwood at the convention.
I did not watch this week's debate, but have been reading some of the analysis and enjoyed Washington Week on PBS last night, including the Webcast Extra where they were giving their take on it's impact for both candidates. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the generally bad reviews of the President, but there were some positive things observed too.
I've felt for the last 4 years that Obama has always been so careful not to appear as the "angry black man" and fulfill the negative stereotypes, that he has been labelled as ineffectual in the process. The fear and paranoia of all the idiots who couldn't stand the thought of a black president instantly came out after he was elected, and it's been like he is walking on egg-shells ever since.
I was truly happy in 2008 that we had finally come to a place in America where we could elect a black president. But ever since then it's been so evident that racism is still alive and well, that it feels like we haven't made any progress at all.
*Update October 13th
I finally got off my can and found the clip of the Daily Show I was looking for. It was from August 31st, and he so brilliantly sums it up around the 2 minute mark, enjoy....
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Joseph Gordon-Levitt on SNL
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Big 5-0
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| Guess Who? |
So today was my birthday; I turned the Big 5-0. Not Hawaii Five-O, the other one.....
I'm actually okay with it. Of course I'm still reflecting on my life to date, and what I wanted to have accomplished by now; and my hopes - and reality sure don't match up. It's the more recent setbacks that are influencing my overall picture right now...
But on the positive side, it has been kind of freeing for me. I still want to try and put my best foot forward, but I don't sweat the small stuff as much as I used to. I've gotten more comfortable in my own skin. It didn't happen overnight, it's been a gradual process. A journey, not a destination point.
I had wanted to make a trip down to Seattle and the Space Needle to celebrate my birthday, but that unfortunately did not end up happening. At some point after my last birthday I apparently looked at the calendar wrong, and thought my birthday was on Saturday (I don't know what I was thinking, or what year I was looking at). But also, financially I was not in a good position to make it a reality, so I had to let that idea go.
My team-mate at work, Amber, asked me why the Space Needle; and aside from the fact that I think it is about the coolest thing in Seattle, we both had our debuts in 1962.
I have been up to the observation deck once, and really enjoyed it. This picture is one that my dad took on a visit out here before he married Susan, but I can't remember if that was the same time that we went up with my brother Mark or not.
I think losing both dad and Mark two years ago has also added to the bittersweet feelings I've had for the last week. Not having married and had a family of my own has made it harder to lose the family I grew up with. I truly value my friendships, but there are times when they can't fill the void.
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| Lake Michigan |
But I did have a good day. The sun was shining and it was warm and beautiful, and I was thankful for that. And Amber and Terry treated me to lunch and espresso at work, and I received well wishes from friends. So just like the rest of my life, everything did not go as planned, but I still had a good time...
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
An Article From The Bellingham Herald
This article is from yesterday's The Bellingham Herald, and it is about a guy from work. Ivan is very creative, and he and his family have been featured in the paper several times in the last year; enjoy!
Bellingham man's goal: Open-source guide to making prosthetic fingers
Ivan Owen has been working on the design of Rich Van As' prothestetic finger for about 8 months. It works via a system of cables, pulleys, lever arm and a spring/bungee. The black plastic hand in the picture is an exact copy of Van As's injured hand that he cast from a polyurethane resin and shipped overseas to Bellingham.
JEN OWEN — COURTESY TO THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: September 10, 2012
When South African woodworker Richard Van As lost four fingers in an accident, Ivan Owen soon realized his mechanical skills were not just a hobby; they could improve thousands of lives.
The result: A partnership the inventive pair will use to create an open-source Internet site with directions for creating relatively inexpensive prosthetic fingers.
Owen, 27, a lifelong Whatcom County resident, is a businessman by day and a mechanical special effects artist in his spare time. He and his wife, Jen, live in Bellingham with their three children.
Question: Ivan, why did you produce your YouTube demonstration of playing the piano with a prosthetic finger?
Answer: I want people to see what Richard and I are doing to create affordable, practical prosthetic fingers.
Q: How did you meet Richard?
A: After he lost four fingers last year, he realized it would cost him $20,000 for two prosthetic fingers for the fingers he lost at the first knuckle (the other two fingers were entirely lost). So he sought solutions on the Internet, and he came across a large artificial hand I had created (not for use). Richard sent me a picture of his hand and asked if I could help.
Q: What did he see in your work?
A: He felt that together, perhaps we could create artificial fingers for much less money. Soon we both realized this was more than about us, but rather a way to help people worldwide.
Q: How much progress have you made?
A: Just working together on the Internet we have created both longer and shorter prosthetic fingers that work well, though we have a ways to go to create special hinges and to fine-tune the fingers. We're about 75 percent there.
But to really finish our project we need to spend some time working together. Richard's close friend, Mark Cowley, generously donated his frequent flyer miles and I am now booked for a flight to South Africa on Nov. 17, returning on Nov. 23. We are still fundraising for the cost of various tools and materials that we'll need.
Q: Why are you publishing everything open source on the Internet?
A: We aren't interested in trying to make money off people's miseries. We want everyone in the world who needs prosthetic fingers to have a way to see them created by others for very little money. Our real dream is a nonprofit fueled by donations and devoted to open-source information about prosthetics. What I'm really interested in doing is perfecting artificial fingers.
Q: Why fingers?
A: I've been a musician for 18 years, and I especially know how important the use of fingers can be. I've been inspired by people like my former music teacher Robert Lundquist and his wife, Pat, who showed me how unselfish and caring people can be in helping others.
Q: Have you always had such an exceptional mechanical aptitude?
A: When I attended Sehome High School I was mostly interested in music, but I also developed a fascination for creating replicas of medieval armor. I belonged to the Society for Creative Anachronism for a while.
Later, on assignment, I created a spider mask with movable mandibles. That, in turn, led me to build an artificial hand a foot-and-a-half long. While I attended Whatcom Community College I continued working with mechanical special effects art, and now I do creative work for small filmmakers.
Q: Richard seems to have quite a sense of humor.
A: He has an incredible mind and he's very mechanically oriented. The website comingupshorthanded.com shows what a great sense of humor he has. I really can't take much of the credit for all this, because Richard has been the catalyst.
WATCH THE VIDEO
LEARN MORE, HELP OUT
• The fundraising page to help Richard Van As and Ivan Owen is fundly.com/JLSFOAEU.
• The blog where the open-source design is located is chaincrafts.blogspot.com.
Michelle Nolan is a Bellingham freelance writer.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html
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