Chillzero's Chill Zone

We only want a table at a restaurant .....

2010-11-26T18:35:00.004Z

Me: "I would like to book a table please - and I should let you know that we have 1 vegan, 1 vegetarian, and 1 with gluten-free needs. I hope you can accomodate us?"
Fankie&Bennies (an hour later they call me back): "I'm sorry. We cannot give you gluten free food, but if you want to bring a gluten free pizza from Tesco we will heat it up for you."
Me:"I'm sorry - did you just tell me to bring my own food?"
F&B:"Not at all, madame. It's just that we can't offer gluten free food, but I know for a fact that Tesco do a gluten free pizza. If you bring a pizza from Tesco, it will be more cost effective for you, madame, and you still get to have that full restaurant experience."
Me: "ummm ..... No thanks."

Me: "I would like to book a table please - and I should let you know that we have 1 vegan, 1 vegetarian, and 1 with gluten-free needs. I hope you can accomodate us?"
Prezzo:" Well, for gluten free you could have the chicken salad, or the calzone, or ...."
Me:"Hang on .. isn't calzone like a folded pizza?"
Prezzo: "Umm... I don't understand ..."
Me:"Isn't it made from dough?"
Prezzo:"Yes"
ME:"Made from wheat flour?"
Prezzo:"Yes"
Me:"So, not gluten free, then?"
Prezzo:"No"
Me:"OK ... well, I know I can have the risotto- I've had it before, but the important diner is the vegan - it's for her birthday. Can you accomodate her?"
Prezzo:"Well, there's the garlic bread ..."
Me:" Does that have butter?"
Prezzo:"Yes"
Me:"So, not vegan, then"
Prezzo:" Ummm... no? There's the bruschetta"
Me:"Your online menu says that has mozzerella on. Is that right?"
Prezzo:"Sometimes. There is also the pasta al forno."
Me:"Does that have cheese on?"
Prezzo:"Yes"
Me:"So ... not vegan?"
Prezzo:"But it has the 'V' on the menu, this must be wrong..."
Me:"V for VEGETARIAN, but I need to know about VEGAN food?"
Prezzo:"Well, there's the chicken salad...."
Me:"Are you serious?"
Prezzo:"Yes"
Me: ...

Good Grief.
We're booked in at ASK.

Beauty at Dawn (flash fiction)

2010-05-29T16:33:00.003Z

I'm feeling like I should get back to writing again, so step 1 is going through my older collection. This piece was originally 100 words exactly, for a competition (I won), but I recently re-found it with an extra 50 words tagged on, and I like the twist I gave it (though it's not perfect - there's an obvious flaw). I might come back to expand it further though.

Beauty at Dawn

He knelt by her slender, naked body.
No resistance was offered as he lifted her, arm behind her shoulders. He tilted her chin gently, raising her face closer to his. Brushing back a few stray hairs, he stared deep into her brown eyes. Slowly he let his eyes wander over every detail of her pale face.
In the brightening sunlight water rainbowed in her hair.

Finally he laid her gently back on the riverbank. Taking a deep breath he stood, and turned to face his fellow officers, huddled, hushed.
“It’s not our mis-per. Take her to the morgue… identity unknown.”

He turned away; returned to his car. Now a new file would open for this murdered enchantress. The missing teenager would slip from people’s minds and he could breathe easy again. The investigation had almost come too close.

Turning the mirror he smiled at his reflected eyes. “You did good.”

Update on Chiropractice and Libel

2009-07-08T12:38:00.003Z

I've been meaning to put together something about the situation with Simon Singh and the BCA as referred to in an earlier post, but I think this article:

Science-Based Medicine

does a much better job than I could. It explains beautifully how the BCA have done more to discredit themselves than anyone else could have done.

QUOTE:

Simon Singh is a science journalist who last year wrote an article in the Guardian critical of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) for promoting chiropractic treatment for certain childhood ailments. Singh characterized these treatments as “bogus” because they lack evidence to back up claims for clinical efficacy. The BCA responded by suing Singh for libel. In the English court system the person being sued for libel is essentially guilty until proven innocent, and even successfully defending oneself can be ruinously expensive. Therefore suing for libel in English court is a very successful strategy for silencing critics.

This case resulted in a bit of a backlash against the BCA, who were accused of silencing legitimate and very necessary public scientific debate regarding the safety and efficacy of medical interventions. The BCA could have simply responded by providing evidence to back up their claims, and the Guardian even offered them space to do so, but instead they sued.

Part of this backlash is a movement, supported by many scientific organizations, to keep libel laws out of science.

Recently the BCA has responded to this backlash with a statement and a list of studies they claim provides the evidence Singh said was lacking.

....snip ....

The BCA’s list of evidence for these four clinical claims is not impressive. The best they have to offer is a few weak and poorly designed studies. They also ignore larger better trials where available that are negative.

A more thorough assessment of the evidence for chiropractic treatment for asthma and colic is reveals evidence for lack of efficacy. For otitis media and nocturnal enuresis there is a lack of evidence for efficacy.

Despite the state of the evidence, the BCA feels they are justified in promoting chiropractic for these pediatric indications. The reader can decide if the term “bogus” applies.

Standards .... of .... ???

2009-06-12T18:53:00.003Z

An email from the Prime Minister's Office regarding a petition to regulate quack medicine.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) does not promote the efficacy of disciplines practised by its registrants. The aim of the CNHC is protection of the public. Registration means that the practitioner has met certain entry standards (in terms of having an accredited qualification or relevant experience) and that they subscribe to a set of professional standards. The public will have the reassurance that the practitioner they choose meets these standards and will be subject to fitness to practise procedures should they behave inappropriately.

Regulation, whether statutory or voluntary, is about protecting the public. For this reason, the Government fully supports the work of the CNHC. If patients choose to use complementary or alternative therapy, the Government’s advice is to choose a practitioner registered with a reputable voluntary registration body such as the CNHC.

(bolding mine)

So, the public can rest assured ... not that the treatment has any validity ... but that the practitioner has subscribed to a certain set of standards. So the practitioner's behaviour is held to a set standard, but the actuall efficacy of the treatment is not. Your treatment may be costing you plenty and not be proven to work at all, but at least your practitioner will behave appropriately.

In my opinion, the government should be concerned about the efficacy of treatments, and should be concerned that people are enouraged to use treatments such as acupuncture, which has scientifically be shown to yield the exact same results if it is done incorrectly - therefore only benefitting a patient due to the placebo effect.

Never forget - make sure the younger generations know

2009-06-04T16:18:00.002Z

Twenty years on, and the youth in China reportedly do not know what happened there.
Tiananmen Square defiance

New defiance as people try to mark remembrance

Sad News

2009-06-04T15:15:00.003Z

David Carradine found dead

I couldn't let this go unremarked, given the impact Kung Fu had on me over the years. Very sad news indeed. I feel almost as if I've lost a mentor, although I know that he was an actor playing a part. He did it so well, though, and I had been delighted to see his career revamped a little more recently thanks to Kill Bill.

Simon Singh, JREF, and Sense about Science

2009-06-04T12:01:00.007Z

Randi's comments

My family will find this amusing because I am the least science-oriented person they know. Throw words with 6 or more syllables, or definitive terminology at me and I start to get a little flustered. However, since my conversion from a stance believing nature guides and supports us to understanding the importance of a scientific approach, I'm all for supporting science and its progress wherever possible.

I fully support Simon Singh in his legal battle against the BCA, and therefore was delighted to see JREF's support, and their link to 'Sense about Science' who are also supporting Simon Singh.
Sense about Science

I hope you will also lend your support - go blog it, twitter it, or at the very least link to their 'Keep libel laws out of science' campaign - such as I have done to the right.
link for button

'Natural Remedy' sellers run away from Q&A

2009-05-28T12:19:00.005Z

My thanks to Teek at the Skepchick blog for bringing this to my attention. It brightened my day after the rather depressing news that acupuncture and other 'alternative' medicines are to be covered under the NHS.

Go here for an amusing read of what happened when a purveyor of 'natural remedies' opened themselves up to some Q&A with the Guardian readers:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/may/26/you-ask-neals-yard-remedies

Not a single answer!
This is a shame because many of the questions are entirely reasonable, and are simple questions anyone who believes these items are useful shoudl have been prepared to answer. Shame on them for running away, and more shame on them for continuing in business, given the rather outrageous claims made against some of their products which they clearly cannot support.

Edited to add:
Of all the good questions asked, I think the following is my favourite, and one I would have liked to have seen answered:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/may/26/you-ask-neals-yard-remedies?commentid=61406bf1-ab66-469d-8c2d-60e1c4d4aeb2
horcrux:

If I have discovered a new homeopathic remedy how do I go about getting it on the shelves of your shops?

Will it hinder my pitch that I have no evidence for my new remedy?

In my efforts, I have noted from your Canadian website that all your products meet your "stringent requirements" for quality and that they are "thoroughly tested". What are these stringent requirements for quality and what do these thorough tests involve? I would want to make sure that my new product will stand up to these impressive sounding standards.

I also see that you have a "team of highly qualified scientists" responsible for checking this, what are your minimum qualification requirements to join this esteemed body?

A little gem in the city sidestreets

2009-03-06T16:23:00.005Z

Down in the docks area of Aberdeen is a location I know little about, and not an area I'd tend to wander around unless heading from one place to another. However, we were directed today to a little cafe there, and we'll need to thank the lady who sent us there.

Musa Art Cafe is located off the main road that passes by the docks, and the bus and railway stations, on Exchange Street. A little converted church that dates from 1880, it has been restored to show off the beautiful wooden carved beams in the ceiling and the rose windows.

Inside it is rather chaotic, but in a fun, just-give-into-it kind of way. You need to identify the best path by which to weave through to your chosen table, but the staff were immediately welcoming, friendly, and able to assist in finding a spot. It was quite busy when we were in so we missed the ceramics and some of the art that it claims are on offer, but as we sat upstairs we had a good overall view of the cafe, and a stunning view of the elaborate ceiling and the windows.

The menu was a rare thing for me - I was actually stuck for choice on several possible options. I picked "chilli cooked haddock with mash, crispy bacon and a poached duck egg". It was several meals in one, really, and came with a rich creamy sauce around the haddock. The chilli wasn't intrusive on the haddock, and the egg was poached perfectly - something I had been experimenting with last week, with much less success! The mash included spring onions, so was actually champ - a real home favourite for me that I don't get often enough over here. We were seriously tempted by some of the desserts, but were too full to try some, so happily agreed that we will be coming back.

So, a delightful surprise in a part of the city I never would have considered for good healthy food. Highly recommended.

The Spice Mill

2009-02-28T18:15:00.002Z

I went out last night to a local Indian restaurant called The Spice Mill.

In advance of visiting I'd tried calling to discuss my dietary needs with someone, but had real problems getting the man answering the phone to understand me, so decided to try with the waiter on the night instead.

Let's deal with the good news first - the food was fantastic. The portions weren't as huge as many Indian restaurants do them for some reason, and they were fresh and beautifully seasoned.

Unfortunately the staff let it down. We had one waiter who had really good english, and was polite and helpful ... when he was available.

We asked for a jug of water at the start of the evening, and after the third time of asking, got some glasses of water during our main meal. We had to wait a fair bit between ordering, and courses, and had to try hard to get the attention of a waiter. On two occasions, getting that attention supplied us with some incomprehensible grunts - and no resolution to our requests.

When our main courses arrived, the waiter for some reason started picking through my friend's dish with a spoon, between handing each of the other dishes and rice to the table. We asked several times what the problem was, and were rewarded with more incomprehensible grunts before he ran away, taking the dish with him! Another waiter was next to our table as he ran, and my friend took advantage of him looking at us to say she didn't know why he took the dish (it seemed to be the correct dish). This waiter grunted something else, and then met the decent waiter on the way up the stairs. He turned to our table and we told him the waiter had taken a dish away with no explanation. He went to find out what happened. After a few minutes, a dish (looking like the same dish) was brought to my friend. He made a half-assed attempt of an apology and left - we are still completely in the dark as to what happened, and it didn't fill us with much comfort for the rest of the evening. Nobody came to see how we were doing and if everything was ok, and we were left for a fair amount of time again after our meals before we were asked if we wanted coffees or desserts. We were too disgusted to stay much longer by that point.

So, we had an enjoyable evening - because the company was good and we had plenty of time to waste (luckily enough). The meal was not overly expensive, and we were unimpressed with the presentation of a rose each as we left. We'd have preferred better service.

Our final verdict was that we'd eat the food again, but only from the takeaway service.

Al Pitcher's Picture Show

2009-02-22T09:26:00.003Z

I went back to the Lemon Tree last night to watch a comedy gig. Al Pitcher isn't someone I'd heard of before, and the whole show was entirely enjoyable.

I managed to retain my mysterious mask of public invisibilty, so was spared the attention of this Kiwi comedian, who keeps the show very intimate and individualised for each town he goes to. He does this partly by turning it into a 'chat' with the audience and partly through a 'slide show' of photos he takes of each town he visits before that night's show. Unlike many comedians who abuse their audience as part of the show, Al Pitcher was very friendly, and people were mostly happy to respond and speak to him. Even my daughter and I were prepared at various points to add our comments, but each time we were either too slow, or someone changed the track of the discussion before we piped up. I've seen Aberdeen audiences brutally heckle comedians in my previous life at the Lemon Tree as door steward, so I knew if he didn't get the balance right, they had the capability to reduce him to tears.

His take on Aberdeen through the photos he took was highly amusing, and it seemed the only thing to cause anything close to offence in them was his commentary that Aberdonians (scots in general, really) will put anything in a pie. Personally, I think the lull didn't come from offense, though. I think people were just wondering if they should tell him to have a rowie for breakfast next day. This weird concoction, also known as a buttery, is a fatty, salty, pat of pastry that looks like it was scraped off the bottom of a grill and is unique to the Aberdeen area, I believe.

In any case, everyone participated happily - even the Irish schoolteacher who frowned severely on his ... banter .... about whether or not teachers are ever tempted to try it on with the kids. (There was a bunch of Irish lady schoolteachers in together, and he was surmising that although it's definitely nasty and condemned by the media when male teachers do it... it seems to be thought of as as very sexy, when the teacher's a lady). As you'd expect, not too many people were laughing hard at such jokes, and yet Al managed to turn it around, and was told by the lady before the break that he was very funny - even if those particular jokes weren't. :D

I expect that this show depends very heavily on the audience - by its very nature. The Aberdeen audience was split about evenly between actual Aberdonians, and immigrants such as myself and the Irish ladies, which may have helped the comedian out a little. I've found a similarity though, between my native Belfast and Aberdeen, in that they tend not to take themselves too seriously anyway. They were happy to sit back and laugh at the way Aberdeen looks to a tourist, and to join in the banter (or craic, as my lot would say).

So although we had not set ourselves any expectations, other than hiding if he was brutal with the audience participation stuff (which he wasn't by any stretch), both my daughter and I came home still smiling and laughing, having had an evening out that was as interesting as it was entertaining. We'd definitely recommend it, and would see him again if we get the chance.

Friday Blues at the Lemon Tree

2009-02-20T15:01:00.002Z

So, I've been out of cirulation for quite a while, and this week it got on top of me. I decided to take some positive action, and start getting out a bit more, even if it means alone (all but one of my friends being at least 500 miles away). Scary stuff.

I decided to start somewhere familiar to me. I used to go to The Lemon Tree quite regularly, and worked there as a door steward a few years back. Added to the facts that my ex husband was 2nd chef there, and I met my last partner there, it's a bit like revisiting an old home. None of the old staff remain, however - not even in the kitchen from what I could see (it's open to the restaurant), but the restaurant itself was as familiar and comfortable as I expected - despite a lovely fresh revamp on the decor.

I admit to hiding myself at one of my favourite old tables right at the back away from the stage and the bar and kitchen - but at least I was out of the house. :)

I started with a course of courgette, sun-dried tomatoes and haddock risotto, which was absolutely delightful. I had expected to spend a little time picking out the tomatoes, but luckily for me the description was wrong. These tomatoes were little loops of light, moist (definitely not any form of dried) tomatoes that left a lovely juice in the mouth. The courgettes were in nice big chunks and perfectly cooked so that they weren't crunchy, but not mushy either. The haddock was mixed in so that unless you had a piece on your fork, you didn't taste it over everything else; a difficult balance to achieve with fish. The rice had a few small forkfuls that were a little crunchy, but I don't mind that - I prefer it to a risotto that ends up all gooey and overdone, and it was only a few forks' worth. Overall I was really glad I chose that dish.

By now the band had started playing. They were called Papa Mojo and played a style of quite traditional blues music. They were mostly unobtrusive with just a few horrible jokes, and the music was great. One of the two singers apologised for a croaky throat, but I had enjoyed his songs more than the other as there was a slight Joe Cocker effect. Of course - I don't know if that's how he always sounds, but it was the kind of raspy blues vocal that I like. They mixed in a few songs that they said were by 'confused' blues musicians - with an element of gospel mixed in. I have to say they were the parts I didn't enjoy so much, but they didn't do enough of them to spoil the outing for me.

I was enjoying the music so much that I settled down for the whole show, and to follow my risotto I decided to set my diet aside, and had the orange creme brulee. This dish was absolutely heavenly. It had the thinnest crispest layer of burnt sugar, and under that was a light cream that was deliciously icy cold. It had the exact measure of orange in it so that the dish tasted light and creamy, and also refreshingly zesty. The only issue I had with it was that it was in a little ramekin, and served with a large dessert spoon! However, when my hot chocolate arrived in a tall glass, it came with a short teaspoon, so I was able to use that spoon for my dessert - it was basically useless for the drink.

At least both spoons were clean - I had to move my table settings around to get a clean fork (something I've encountered before at the venue). I found this ironic as I watched two waiters polish up heaps of cutlery while I was waiting to be served initially. I wasn't aware that it had changed to a system where you order your food at the bar yourself. There is a little menu holder on the table that says "Welcome to the Lemon Tree" on one side, and - as I later discovered because it had been turned to the back of the table and covered by a wilting paper menu - "Please order at the bar" on the other. I think they should put this information on the menu as well, or both sides of the menu holder to be sure it can bve easily seen. I wuold have suggested this to the guy I placed my orders with, but I have the distinct feeling it was his first day, and I didn't want to cause him more panic than he was already experiencing. He did ok with my queries about gluten free options, so I let him off the hook. The waiting staff were slow to clear away (I seem to become invisible in public places - the table next to me was attended to twice and cleared away on a third visit, while I sat with the same dishes clearly left aside to be lifted) but that's no big deal.

But - none of the latter comments spoiled my visit in any way. I felt relaxed, and the food was just divine, and the music was enjoyable and not overbearing. I would be happy to return, but more importabtly, it went well enough for me that I'm a little happier to venture to somewhere less known to me. Maybe I'll start reviewing such places a little more often. :)

America's Top Ten Ideas - help make Project Jason one of them.

2008-12-01T16:23:00.003Z

The following is information received from Kelly Jolkowski about Project Jason's latest endeavours. Please vote and pass it on.

Most of you have heard of our Campaign for the Missing, a state by state effort to pass legislation which would positively impact how missing and unidentified deceased person cases are handled. (http://www.projectjason.org/legislation.html)

We’ve been successful mentoring volunteers with the passage of legislation in 6 states, with several more active. These efforts will continue on.

I recently learned of an effort called Ideas for Change in America. This is a is a citizen-driven project that aims to identify and create momentum around the best ideas for how the 111th Congress can turn the broad call for "change" across the country into specific policies. The project is nonpartisan, and is not connected to the Obama Administration.

In this effort, the top 10 rated ideas will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009 as the "Top 10 Ideas for America." The sponsor organization, Change.org, will then launch a national campaign behind each idea and mobilize the collective energy of a selected and related nonprofit, the millions of members of Change.org, MySpace, and partner organizations to ensure that each winning idea gets the full consideration of the Obama Administration and Members of Congress.

The "Top 10 Ideas for America" will be determined through two rounds of voting. In the first round, ideas will compete against other ideas in the same issue category. The first round will end on December 31, 2008, and the top 3 rated ideas from each category will make it into the second round. The second round of voting will begin on Monday, January 5, and each qualifying idea will compete against the qualifying ideas from all other categories. Second round voting will end on Thursday, January 15.

I have submitted “Establish National Protocol in Missing and Unidentified Person Cases” for consideration. It is now on the website and votes can be placed. It is listed in the Criminal Justice category.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/establish_national_protocol_in_missing_and_unidentified_person_cases

As you can see by the posted information and link to the protocol, this is the 2008 revision of the Campaign for the Missing legislation. While we have never pursued federal passage, this seemed like a good opportunity to make an attempt, or at least bring attention to our plight if nothing more. Education is important, with so many not having awareness of the situation as it exists, and what those of us who live with this experience daily. If we do not try, nothing will be accomplished, that is a certainty.

What I ask of you is your vote. It’s as easy as clicking on the link above, and then on the Vote button. There is also a widget you can copy and place on your website, blog, Facebook, or MySpace page. It will, however, take more than your vote. It will take you forwarding the link to your friends and family, and asking them to vote. It will take many of you adding the widget to your page.

My son, and thousands upon thousands of other sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, etc, might be an unidentified body lying in a morgue waiting to be buried or cremated without DNA analysis done. When that happens, and it may already have, my family may never have the answers we desire. We need to put a halt to this tragedy on top of tragedy and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure everything that can be done in these cases is done. (There is much more to it than DNA, but that is one of many key elements.)

Please vote, and forward this email to everyone in your address book.

Collectively, we are the voice for the missing, speaking for those who are not among us but who are forever in our hearts.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org
Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.

Fundraising for Robert Lancaster

2008-10-06T16:20:00.023Z

The wonderful Robert Lancaster (www.stopsylvia.com) had a stroke in the summer this year. This site is to assist with ongoing fundraising efforts for him and his family, such as:
Paypal donations which can be given through the following site:
http://skepticsunite.tripod.com/index.html

The new website for purchasing merchandise is now at:
Fundraising for Robert

Please come and show your support and get some cool stuff to wear to TAM, or just to have.

The Awareness Angels Network

2008-08-31T17:39:00.001Z

Here's a way to elp the wonderful Project Jason.

http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

It’s a fact that one in six missing persons are found as a result of a visual aid, such as a billboard or a poster, thus the importance of poster dissemination in missing person cases. Placing posters is an easy way for you to get involved, and it can make a real difference for the families of the missing.

With your Awareness Angels Network (AAN) membership, you’ll receive notifications via email about new missing person cases, updates on current cases, and recovered persons. These notifications inlcude a link to a special Awareness Angels Network poster you can print and place.

Once you are subscribed, the email notifications you receive include a link to the printable poster for a specific missing person, plus a link to Project Jason’s forum, where you can keep up on the latest case news and information.

We encourage you to:

*Print copies of this poster and display them near your home, at your workplace and in public places.

*Give copies of this poster to friends and associates who can place posters near their homes and workplaces.

*Give copies to friends or associates who travel so they can place the posters in more wide-reaching areas.

When the missing person is located, we will notify you. At that time, you will be asked to remove any indoor, outdoor and Internet postings of this person.

Project Jason has divided the US into 14 geographical regions for this program. You may subscribe to as many regions as you wish. We encourage multiple region subscriptions since we’re a very mobile society. It doesn’t take long for a person to travel great distances. In some cases, a missing person may not necessarily be in the same area or location where he/she was last seen. Your notification emails will cover missing persons who were last seen in the region to which you subscribed.

Once you subscribe to a region, you will be offered a special widget which you may add to your website, blog, MySpace, Facebook, etc. The widget is our thank you for being an Awareness Angels Network member. It will also serve to encourage others to become members, as the widget links right to our site. The more helping eyes, ears, and hands we have, the greater the odds of success.

From now until about mid-September, the focus of the program will be outreach to gain subscribers. When we begin the email notifications, it is important to have a reasonable subscriber base. In mid-September, we will begin to send the notifications on a more regular basis.

We're asking interested persons to subscribe AND to send this message to others.

With your help, we'll have many happy endings.

Subscribe here today: http://www.projectjason.org/aan.html

Note: You can also subscribe to our Project Jason newsletters on the website noted above.

Meet ID Kitty, and get your ID kits for the family (US)

2008-08-25T20:00:00.002Z

Keeping Kids Safe: New “I.D. Kitty” Mascot to Give Free I.D. Kits in Celebration of Family Safety
I.D. Kitty to debut in Omaha August 23 at the Omaha Royals game, with additional public appearances to follow

It is every parent’s nightmare – your child is here one minute, and out of sight the next. Most often, you can find them quickly. But sometimes, you need to call for help from people nearby and possibly even the police.

An average of 2,000 children per day disappear in the United States. Would you know what to do if your child or other loved one disappeared? Would you be prepared to quickly take the steps necessary to locate your missing loved one?

Project Jason, a nonprofit organization providing assistance for families of missing persons, offers free identification kits to help families to prepare. And now, Project Jason announces a fun new way to prepare your family when you need to spring into action, fast.

The new mascot, “I.D. Kitty,” is a large, warm and fuzzy, 6-foot-tall live action figure designed to make children and their families enjoy getting their own identification kits. Children will be delighted by him, and parents will appreciate how Project Jason is taking the “fear factor” out of obtaining and creating I.D. Kits, which should be part of every household, and for every family member.

I.D. Kitty will make his debut Saturday, August 23, 2008 at the Omaha Royals 2nd Annual Public Service Appreciation Night at 4 p.m. The public can visit I.D. Kitty at the main parking lot and get your FREE I.D. Kits!

I.D. Kitty will also appear Sunday, September 21 at Project Jason’s “Miles for the Missing” fundraiser at Zorinski Lake Park, and Sunday, October 5 at the Family Safety Day, held in conjunction with the Omaha Chapter of the National Safety Council.

About the I.D. Kit

Since its inception in 2003, Project Jason has given out more than 13,500 I.D. Kits to assist families with safety preparation.

These free I.D. Kits are provided by Project Jason at public events, and as a free downloads in English and in Spanish from the organization website. The kit contains a list of the first steps to take in the event a loved one is missing, plus valuable information that law enforcement will need. The kit should be printed on heavier stock paper, kept in a safe place, and updated at least every 6-12 months.

The kit can be downloaded at http://www.projectjason.org/education.shtml#idkit

Chinese State Circus

2008-08-08T16:07:00.006Z

I've started loading some of my photos to my site for sale, but I thought I'd add my favourites here.
As I grew up the Monkey Legend was something that had quite an impact on me, so I was chuffed to see Monkey lead the narration at the Circus. The actor did well with facial expressions and involving the audience.

The plate spinners were impressive ....

As was the contortionist ....

But as always, I think my favourites are the dragon dancers.

Best wishes to a wonderful man

2008-08-06T09:30:00.004Z

Robert Lancaster is one of the warmest, calmest and most intelligent people I know. A caring person through and through he acts on things that he finds unfair, and has done amazing work in shining a light on frauds and users of people's grief.

"Stop Kaz!"

"Stop Sylvia Browne!"

I was honoured to meet him and his lovely wife, and I look forward to repeating the opportunity at some event in the future. I was very sad to hear he is currently in hospital, and I wish him all the best that modern medicine can offer him.

All my best wishes to RSL and his family. I hope you have a speedy recovery, and as little stress as possoble for you and your Better Half.

Goodbye, I'd hoped to call you friend

2008-08-05T10:47:00.003Z

In January this year I met a wonderful guy, who was interesting to talk to, and very funny. He ran the BlueCollarScientist blog, and was fascinated to learn about the kinds of people we come across as members and moderators on the JREF forum. Of all the people I met that week, he was one who made a real impact, and I had hoped to get to know him better.

I'm sorry to report, bad news this morning:
http://scienceblogs.com/aardvarchaeology/2008/08/jeff_medkeff_19682008.php

I'd like to remember the nice stuff he did and said, so here is an entry I had enjoyed, from his blog:
http://bluecollarscientist.com/2008/03/25/asteroids-named-for-pz-myers-phil-plait-rebecca-watson-michael-stackpole/

The Trybe ... as requested by Dr A.

2008-07-18T17:49:00.003Z

Here ya go dad. :-D

This band played at the Stonehaven Folk Festival, and were highly enjoyable. The handsome chap with the pipes and kilt was very welcoming and amusing.

My personal favourite was a rendition of 'My Grandfather's Clock' (by a different group that played that day) which brought back a slew of childhood memories. One of my favourite toys was a little wind-up clock that played the tune, and my dad or grandfather taught me the words to go with it.
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/m018.html

My favourite photographic subject

2008-07-18T17:45:00.004Z

...apart from my beautiful daughter.

I don't know what it is about the Grey Heron that fascinates me, but it does. This one was waiting at the Bridge of Feughs last week. Unfortunately, it didn't hang around for long.

The moment of victory

2008-07-16T21:45:00.000Z

More from the Knights

2008-07-16T21:37:00.000Z

The Knights of Royal England

2008-07-06T18:55:00.007Z

Yesterday I went to a jousting festival at Urqhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness. No sign of Nessie, but a great day all round anyway.

The first arrival was the very funny and effective commentator for the day:

The kids got involved as fighters for the King:

Then the knights arrived, and the fun began:

More, or a link to more pics, during the week.

Grafitti for/from idiots

2008-06-29T10:01:00.002Z

Really clever photo

2008-06-26T12:06:00.001Z

This is on a poster at work, and I find it really amusing.

Why is UFO footage always rubbish?

2008-06-25T12:11:00.000Z

... actually, what I like best about this item is the letter. :-D

UFOs over Merseyside

The Curse Of The Beijing Olympics

2008-06-22T12:29:00.000Z

Bad Luck for China

Perhaps it's the absence of organised religion, but the Chinese are quick to link natural disasters, accidents and violence to a combination of divine intervention and heavenly anger.

Now China's online soothsayers are linking Beijing's Olympic mascots to a string of misfortunes in the run-up to the Games.

Four out of the five "fuwas" - literally friendly toys - are being tied in to the natural and human disasters visited on China during the turbulent build-up.

Jingjing - the Panda - an animal closely associated with Sichuan Province, epicentre of last month's terrible quake.

Huanhuan - the Olympic torch - the round the world torch relay was a PR disaster of awesome proportions.

Yingying - the Antelope - native to Tibet, the location of the March riots and the military crackdown.

Nini - the Kite - the kite city of Weifang is located in Shandong, scene of April's deadly train crash that killed 72 people.

Beibei - the Fish - a Chinese sturgeon found only in the Yangtze River. Is this the location for China's next major disaster, ask cyberspace doom merchants.

:-O

Priceless...

2008-06-21T12:27:00.001Z

Three names = Assassin!

Someone really needs to lighten up. :-D

During an appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," Jerry Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism" and compared her to the three-name killers of John Lennon and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"If you read history, many of the three-name people do become assassins," Seinfeld said. "Mark David Chapman. And you know, James Earl Ray. So that's my concern."

His lawyers said in court papers filed late Tuesday: "No reasonable viewer could have thought that Seinfeld really meant that Lapine ... might become an `assassin' simply because she has three names."

Great idea

2008-06-20T12:03:00.001Z

Let's get rid of all the paramilitary murals, and replace them with stuff like this instead. It's good to see a celebration of a Belfast born celebrity of merit.

CS Lewis mural

Filmed in Belfast - sci-fi epic!

2008-06-19T12:45:00.000Z

City of Ember

Just watched the trailer, and I think this looks like one to watch on release in October. When I learned it was filmed in Belfast I have to admit a little twinge of concern, but looking at the set and imagery in the trailer, it looks at least as good as anything from Hollywood.

The film, co-financed by Northern Ireland Screen and produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, features a stellar cast including Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Bill Murray, Harry Treadaway and Academy Award winners Martin Landau and Tim Robbins.

Martin Landau said: "It's amazing. It's quite an amazing set, extensive and tall and comfortable. I would say it's quite remarkable."

At the end of the last financial year City of Ember delivered an estimated £9.2m to the Northern Ireland economy. This was against an investment of just £800,000 from Northern Ireland Screen.

Cool hobby - pencil carving!

2008-06-18T12:52:00.000Z

Thanks to -Fran- at the JREF Forum for posting about this. I felt I had to share it!
Some of these carvings are pretty cool, and make my teenage 'efforts' of artistic nibblings seem pretty feeble.

Lame Government Cop-out

2008-06-17T12:52:00.003Z

Petition presented to the government

Without compromise to freedom of thought or expression, the teachings and beliefs of Scientology, Dianetics and science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard must never be legally be accepted as a religion – regardless of any recent EU decision to the contrary.

We consider the ‘Church’ of Scientology is an exclusive business venture that by prohibiting access to scientifically-proven psychiatric therapy and medicine is effectively enslaving its believers.

Government Response

In our approach to religious groups, the Government must seek to balance its responsibility to protect vulnerable individuals with the UK's long held commitment to freedom of worship and belief.

The Government does not consider that it would be feasible or appropriate to introduce specific legislation or regulation of religious groups, their activities or their beliefs. There would be considerable difficulty in drawing up legislation in a way that did not interfere with the individual's right to choose their beliefs and lifestyles so long as they do no harm to others. There is also no obvious way in which legislation could deal with cases where adults participate in activities of religious organisations entirely voluntarily.

I definitely support freedom of worship, although I have no form of deist beliefs at all. However, the point that was being made, that the government ignored, is that Scientology is not a religion. It's a cult, and a cult with dangerous beliefs regarding health care. It's a business, and a business that promotes ignorance and sucks up the resources of its members.

The government has dropped the ball here, in my opinion.

Happy Father's Day dad!

2008-06-15T18:20:00.003Z

We found some old films when we moved, which explains the speckling in this picture. We really thought you'd like to see it, 'cos we think it's a great photo.

All our love,
CZ and your granddaughter.

Unicorn in Italy

2008-06-14T12:06:00.000Z

and it's so cute!

A deer with a single horn in the center of its head -- much like the fabled, mythical unicorn -- has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer -- nicknamed "Unicorn" -- was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

If you go doon to the toon today ....

2008-06-13T12:43:00.000Z

You could be in for an odd surprise

Stormin' Norman is a 10-year-old African sulcata tortoise who is turning heads by wandering through the streets of Aberdeen.

Owner Dianne Melville - who runs a reptile shop - walks with him, but she said Stormin' Norman decides his route.

He goes out several times a day, and is photographed by bemused locals and tourists who see him.

I shall be keeping an eye out, and bring you pics if I see him.

Anyone lose a plane?

2008-06-12T12:50:00.001Z

Plane unclaimed at Hanoi

:-D

Vietnamese authorities say they are mystified as to who owns a Boeing 727 which has been abandoned at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport.

Skepchick Calendar available

2008-06-11T19:08:00.004Z

Details for purchase

Get them 'cos they're hot! ;-)

Sample gorgeous skepchick

The calendar is designed to promote skepticism, intelligence and beauty, and the photographs in previous calendars have been amazing. I think my favourite so far has been the one of the wonderful astronomer Phil Plait which you can see here:
Skepdude

but I can't wait to see this year's chosen images.

Good move... Internet providers agree to block child porn

2008-06-11T12:46:00.001Z

ISP s take action

Internet providers Verizon, Sprint and Time Warner Cable have agreed to block access to child pornography and eliminate the material from their servers, New York's attorney general said Tuesday.

The companies also will pay $1.1 million to help fund efforts to remove the online child porn created and disseminated by users through their services, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said. The changes will affect customers nationwide.

Investigators said they found 88 newsgroups devoted to child pornography in an investigation over six to eight months. More than 11,000 images were collected using software that identifies child pornography by tracking patterns in the pixels of the images, Cuomo's office said.

Making death .... sexy?

2008-06-10T12:23:00.001Z

Coffin Calendar

hmmm...
'Femmes fatales' indeed. :-)

What's your definition of 'naked'?

2008-06-09T12:05:00.000Z

Penn Gillette clarifies his definition.

I found this clip quite interesting, and not least as I have a vested (sorry, no pun intended) interest in the SkepChick calendar he is discussing.

I agree with him that if you have any articles of clothing on that you cannot call yourself 'completely nude'. I disagree that using your hands to cover yourself somehow negates your nudeness, however.

What are your thoughts?

The reason for my new banner

2008-06-08T14:05:00.004Z

Support Free Range

(For some reason the banner keeps disappearing. Most odd)

The Chicken Out! campaign is demanding higher welfare conditions for chickens farmed in the UK, and fairer conditions for the farmers who rear them.

I actually intended to blog this later in the week. Unfortunately...
Hugh needs help now

A few weeks ago I submitted a resolution to Tesco plc with the support of 102 shareholders representing some 3.7 million ordinary shares. The resolution challenges Tesco’s claims about poultry welfare, and urges them to set new minimum welfare standards, including lower stocking densities and more environmental stimuli for the birds.

Now Tesco have told me that they will only take our resolution to the AGM if I meet the cost of distributing the relevant papers to their shareholders. They are entitled to waive this fee, and we have requested that they do so, in the interest of shareholder democracy, but they have declined. In other words, the resolution is dead in the water unless I pay them £86,888 to print and post the papers out to all 269,000 Tesco shareholders.

Tesco is the biggest retailer in the country and they can make the biggest difference to the lives of hundreds of millions of chickens. And so I’m determined, along with my fellow supporting shareholders and Chicken Out campaigners, to pursue this resolution. So I’m putting my money where my mouth is to take this issue all the way to the Tesco AGM on June 27th.

I’m going to start the ball rolling by putting £30k of my own money into the pot. And, with your help, I’m hoping to raise the rest of the money by selling myself, and my services, as well as by appealing to other Tesco shareholders and supporters of our resolution.

We need to raise the remaining £56,888 by noon, this Wednesday 11th June.

Fact-free call to action, and a look at the extended benefits of the Pill

2008-06-08T13:01:00.003Z

From:
Misinformation spread to induce emotion based support

we read:

Everyone should know the deadly consequences of the pill and similar contraceptive products- they cause chemical abortions.

This is blatent rubbish.

Explained wonderfully here:
The above is untrue

Know any women who give birth and then give birth again 2 months later?

No?

The only explanation for this is that fetuses will actually devour the blastocysts of fertilized eggs as they drift into the occupied womb once they have been inseminated by people having sex during pregnancy, making just about every baby on the planet a monstrous cannibal. Or because the woman doesn’t ovulate when she’s pregnant because the hormone known as progesterone (which the body begins to kick out in quarts upon pregnancy), suppresses ovulation.

The American Life League is running on the supposition that suppressing ovulation is the same thing as abortion.

Because that’s what the pill does.

It suppresses ovulation because it’s progesterone.

Anyone who took a non-abstinence-only high school health class knows this.

Now, I am not an advocate for abortion in many circumstances, however it is shocking that any organisation would make such blatently false claims in order to garner support for something not even related to abortion.

Protesting this nonsense is covered here: SkepChick
and
Feminist Gamers

I want to speak from personal experience about a different aspect to the Pill. The establishment of women's rights to contraception and privacy are massively important. My fellow bloggers do it much justice.

My take is this: the Pill is not merely a tool for contraception. My teens and twenties were incredibly difficult times for me; intolerable on many occasions. I was almost constantly in pain or ill, and this was an improvement of my quality of life after I was placed on the Pill. I thank the Pill for the fact that I was able to change a regular absence of around a week every month to merely a day or two every few months due to the severe pain and problems caused by undiagnosed endometriosis. I've used so many painkillers so often that they rarely work any longer, and I've trained myself so well to ignore pain that what I thought was a low pain threshold (thanks to doctors who told me I was just a normal female and cramps are perfectly normal to expect, what was I making such a fuss about?) is actually quite high. I endured a disease that basically fused together bits of my abdomen for two decades.

I found an old diary recently that brought back some scary memories of sitting in a doctor's office begging them to do anything they could to make the pain stop. I'm not alone either. Endometriosis and many other 'women's problems' are overlooked, or dismissed annually by doctors (male and female) who seem to think that women who complain about monthly problems are just wimps or hypocondriacs. Had it not been for the Pill, I know for a fact there were times when I would have rather killed myself.

My message to women in similar situations would be this - don't let anyone try to dismiss your pain. Don't ever let anyone diminish what you feel, and how you feel about it. I'm in the younger set of women to be 'permitted' a hysterectomy and finally feel like a real functional human being again. I know, however there are other actions that can be taken earlier, if you can find someone who will take you seriously.

And for goodness' sake... everyone... please refuse to support such unscientific, ridiculous organisations as 'The Pill Kills'.

Eagle gets a cool nose job

2008-06-08T12:41:00.001Z

Bionic eagle nose

I think this is great, a nice ending to a sad story.

The bird was found in 2005 scrounging for food and slowly starving at a landfill in Alaska. A bullet had taken from her curved upper beak, leaving her tongue and sinuses exposed, with a stump useless for grasping food. Cantwell said eating with her beak was like using one chopstick.

She also had trouble drinking and couldn't preen her feathers.

Beauty was taken to a bird recovery center in Anchorage, where she was hand-fed while her caretakers waited in vain for a new beak to grow. Cantwell in 2007 agreed to take the eagle to her Birds of Prey Northwest ranch. Every day she used tongs to feed Beauty food, such as strips of salmon.

During a speaking engagement in Boise, she met Calvin, who offered to design an artificial beak.

Airline charges by the pound!

2008-06-07T16:36:00.000Z

Derrie-Air Exposed

And it's not even in Nor'n Ireland! :-D

(I don't know what random ads you get when you view it.. 2 out of the 3 I got were for weight loss programs :-D)

The odds on beating cancer

2008-06-07T14:06:00.002Z

An odd mix of information here.
I'm very sad to see that a delightful man I was pleased to meet in January has been diagnosed with cancer, and I wish him all the best for his treatment and hopeful recovery.
Blue Collar Scientist

I have a lovely photo of myself with him after I regaled him with bizarre stories of corn-dogs, Corn Gods and law suits. A genuinely nice guy.

The odd mix I mentioned comes from seeing this story:
Cancer victim beats the bookies, and the odds

Doctors told Mr Matthews if he lived until June 1 - he would beat the longest survival time for killer cancer Mesothelioma.

The Bedfordshire punter put down £100 at 50/1 that he would live until June 1.

William Hill's spokesperson Graham Sharpe said: "We had never been asked to accept a bet of this nature before.

"But as Jon approached us directly and was adamant that it would give him an additional incentive to battle his illness, we decided to offer him the bet he wanted.

"Never, in thirty years in the business, have I been so pleased to pay a winning client £5000."

Not only did he win, Mr Matthews has already placed a bet he will still be around this time next year.

He plans on giving half to cancer charity Macmillan.

I wonder how much she paid for it....

2008-06-06T18:21:00.000Z

Painting returned to UK on sale for £95k

An unknown painting by a celebrated 19th century Scottish artist has gone on sale for £95,000 after being discovered in America.

The Shepherd, by Edward Arthur Walton, was returned to the UK after a city art dealer found it in the US.
...

Miss Walsh said: "I was on the internet casually looking for deals to buy at auction houses when I first saw a painting by someone called Walton.
"I thought it could be by E A Walton, so made some inquiries and hopped on the first plane to the States.

"I travelled to a small backwater town on the east coast of America and I couldn't believe it when I finally saw the painting because I knew it was one of his works."

A canny purchase, it would seem. ;-)

Superstition amusement

2008-06-06T17:47:00.000Z

Roger Whittaker banned

hehehe

A superstitious coastal town has imposed a month-long ban on whistling in an attempt to ensure good weather for its annual boating festival.

Portsoy, in Banffshire, has revived an ancient maritime belief that whistling at sea brings ill winds.

The tongue-in-cheek ban was imposed by the organisers of the port's Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.

The event, which runs from 20 to 22 June, fell victim to poor weather last year.

Festival chairman Roger Goodyear told BBC Scotland that everyone from dog walkers to over-enthusiastic builders admiring the town's young ladies had been asked to observe the ban.

Great news - Program helped find 17 people - Back on TV

2008-06-05T17:45:00.002Z

Missing Live

Following a hugely successful first series, in which 17 missing people featured in the programme have been found, Liam Keelan, Controller BBC Daytime, has recommissioned BBC One’s Daytime series Missing Live. Presented by Louise Minchin (BBC Breakfast) and Rav Wilding (Crimewatch and former Metropolitan Police Detective), the series is a live studio programme, based on the previous BBC Daytime documentary series Missing. The series follows the work of the police and the charity, Missing People, in their efforts to discover the whereabouts of just some of the 200,000 people who are reported missing each year.

What a wonderful testimony to the efforts of Missing People, the BBC and viewers.

I watched every episode of this series on BBC iPlayer and found it interesting and informative. I'd encourage everyone to give it a view if possible - you never know who you might be able to help, or what you might learn.

Something positive... almost

2008-06-05T12:10:00.002Z

Web Crime Kids

Normally I can find very little to say that is positive, when it comes to sites like MySpace, Bebo, and so on; particularly in the matters of children using them. As a parent I know there's a terrible difficulty in balancing your child's safety through anonymity with their need to fit in with their social peers who all interact on these sites. The ease of access to thesse sites, and lack of verification of members is a serious concern.

Recently a story caught my eye that made me think for a moment that the sites could be good for something.

Police swooped on the homes of more than 180 youths and children as young as 12 who use internet sites such as Bebo to exchange information about drugs and alcohol and boast about violent crimes.

Officers visited 183 young people – 80 in Falkirk, 37 in Clackmannanshire and 66 in the Stirling district – in an operation described by police as “intrusive and robust", and which lasted several weeks.

Central Scotland Police said many were forced offline at once by their “shocked and horrified" parents. Several were reported to the fiscal and the children's panel for offences, including assault, theft and breaking bail.

Nearly 70 children and a number of adults with learning difficulties were formally reported to social workers and the children's panel as being potentially at risk.

In all cases, officers identified young people aged 12 to 18 from their photos and videos posted on Bebo and other sites. It is understood some had posted videos showing them committing serious crimes.

I think this was a good project, and all the children were interviewed about their activities in the presence of their parent - many of which were unaware of the children's activities. While it's tempting to tut and shake our heads, and think they may be terrible or neglectful parents, just think for a moment about how this can be changed. Children have access to the internet at school, at their mates' houses, on their phones, at cafes ... the list is huge and there is no legitimate way that even the most vigilant parent can monitor or allow for them all.

Peer pressure to undertake the same activities is rampant among young teens, and this is hard for kids to ignore. It can also be seen in the horrible trend of 'happyslapping' that we often see reported - and may also be behind some of these incidents recorded for the social network sites.

I was glad to see that evidence of crimes was being uncovered and used appropriately. That was my positive take from this story. If these social sites didn't exist, the videos and photos may have been harder to trace, and may not have accompanied the boastful confessions apparently accompanying them. However, I wonder how much the existence of these sites has to do with the lure toward becoming such proud little criminals in the first place.

‘Deed, ye’re no doctor; ye’re just a wumman.’

2008-06-04T12:34:00.005Z

A story that caught my eye today was this one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7432094.stm

It initially intrigued me because I wondered why "Scotland's Florence Nightingale" was being honoured all the way over in France. I was delighted to find a wonderful story about a woman who seems to have been not only intelligent and innovative, but also warm and humourous. She was an advocate for women's rights from a young age establishing the first female-run maternity hospital in Scotland, and helping to found the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation. She also did much to improve the welfare of soldiers and availability of care for them in the war.

Elsie was undeterred by opposition from the War Office, who told her to stay home and knit, and despatched two units of the Scottish Women's Hospitals to France. Within months of the war breaking out, her Abbaye de Royaumont hospital, containing some 200 beds, was in place.

My blog entry title comes from a story told here:
http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/gazette/elsie_inglis.html

Her next bit of experience was in a well-known hospital in Dublin, the Rotunda. From that she wrote to her father humorous accounts of quaint Irish ways and words. When an old woman, having sent for a doctor, was faced by Dr. Inglis, she said, ‘Deed, ye’re no doctor; ye’re just a wumman.’

Reading about Elsie Inglis was a delight. She was not militant, and yet achieved so much for the things she believed in. She seems to have been a wonderful, caring and warm woman who pushed herself to her limits. Even while held captive in Serbia she was able to see beauty, writing: "Never shall we forget the beauty of the sunrises, and the glory of the sunsets, with cool clear sunlit days between, and wonderful starlit nights."

A fine role model.

Supporting the 'home' entrepreneurs - I've been redefined!

2008-06-03T19:38:00.003Z

chill

:-)

I've been wandering around the interwebz a bit more than usual, and from my dad's blog (Wind, Sand and Stars) I found an interesting article on one of his linked NI blogs (alaninbelfast)

To quote AlaninBelfast:
"Not sure if it's a bid to pay off student loans, but a couple of enterprising students have come up with a wheeze that will surely make their bank managers smile all the way to the swimming pool showroom."

Intrigued, I had a look at the site, and I purchased chill! :-D
The creators claim: "The project is aimed at changing definitions and creating a new tapestry of words, meaning altogether different things."

Now, I'm not sure about that, but £2.52 to support a few students from the home country didn't seem like a big ask.

Surviving without the JREF Forum - and - Project Jason in Second Life

2008-06-03T12:45:00.000Z

So, the forum has been down for a few days, and may be down for a few more.

Now what am I supposed to do? Get a life or something? :-O

I've read all the excellent entries at xkcd
I've levelled up a WoW warrior character to level 14 (I know... I'm slow)
I've read through most of the threads at the UK Skeptics site.
I've got up to date on all the articles on the brilliant StopSylviaBrowne website.
I've checked up a few articles I'd missed on the SkepChicks site.
(I'm delighted to report that the Skepchick calendar will be out shortly, featuring a few of my friends as well as yours truly - book your copy next week!)

So, now what?
Well, something I neglected to mention above was the time I also spent in Second Life, learning about a very worthwhile project. Now, although I play and enjoy World of Warcraft, I'm not actually that keen on the concept of most online gaming, and particularly Second Life. I wouldn't have created an account there but for Project Jason, and due to the interface I wouldn't have returned much either but for the project I'm about to tell you about.

I've spoken before about Project Jason and the wonderful work they do to assist families of the missing. Well, now they have created an online presence in what I consider an innovative resource to reach out to people and spread information.

Project Jason is honored to be one of 44 nonprofit organizations and the first missing persons’ assistance organization to be selected as part of a new area of Nonprofit Commons, a section within the virtual world, Second Life.

The Project Jason office in Second Life has three purposes. One is to disseminate general information about the epidemic of missing persons – how many are missing and how difficult a situation it is for the families of missing persons. Another is to deliver presentations and other educational events and materials to participants within Second Life. Finally, Project Jason also developed a special theme for the office called “Every Face Tells a Story” and the site exhibits special posters of missing persons. These posters contain articles written exclusively for Project Jason in Second Life, and they are contributed by the families of each missing person featured.

Joining Second Life is free. To do so, go to http://secondlife.com/ and download the program. You will need to register your account and choose an inworld “name,” which is a nickname you will use when you are logged in to Second Life.

The address for Project Jason in Second Life is http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aloft%20Nonprofit%20Commons/246/25/26

Unfortunately I missed the grand opening due mainly to time differences and too many hours at work (yes - I cram all that stuff mentioned above into weekends and a few hours in the evenings ... maybe a lunch hour as well! I am the world's best multitasker.). I'm told the opening was a great success with a wonderful music event, with bands playing live, and all sorts of presentations.

I have however been in and visited the Project Jason house, and the Garden for the Missing. I am in the SL Project Jason group, and will be glad to meet you there (as Chillzero Dawner) if you happen to be there at the same time I am. There is a lot of information available and ways for you to donate to the Project to help them continue to help others. Last month they announced the passage of the Jennifer Kesse and Tiffany Sessions Missing Persons Act in the state of Florida, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2008. Florida joins CT, IN, NJ, and OR in passing this law. It's about increasing the flow and availability of information, and you can read more about it here:
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s0502.pdf

I look forward to meeting you in SL, and would encourage everyone to consider donating to Project Jason if you can.

Wow - that's a BIG beetle!

2008-06-03T12:44:00.004Z

Elephant Beetle transported in fruit

But how cool!

Missing People on TV

2008-04-18T15:06:00.002Z

I enclose below part of an email I was delighted to receive today, about the UK charity Missing People. I hope this program helps some families get information about their loved ones.

*****
I just wanted to let you know that if you or any of your colleagues want to get more of a flavour for Missing People, we will be featured daily on a month-long BBC One series, Missing Live, starting from next Monday (21 April) which is aired from 09:15 to 10:00 (so set those video recorders!).

The BBC has been delighted with the previous success of Missing (achieving the largest ever audience share for this time slot) and have now made the decision to go live. Each day there will be appeals for the missing provided by the charity, interviews with families and experts on the issue, as well as highlighting historic cases. A Missing People representative will be featured daily. Monday’s programme also kicks off with Missing People supporter Bob Geldof being interviewed.

There is a feature in today’s Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2008/04/18/ftmissing118.xml) about the series and you can also click here(http://www.missingpeople.org.uk/news-and-events/press/detail.asp?dsid=1406) to read full details about the series.
*****

I hope you will support the efforts of this charity and families of the missing, if you can.

Photos available for purchase

2008-03-06T21:29:00.002Z

I am in the process of putting all my blog pics on my website for sale, thanks to your positive feedback.

Please visit www.chillzero.com if you wish to buy any of the photos you have seen and enjoyed here. If the photo you want is not available yet, please email me at chillzero@photographyfan.com letting me know which photo you want, and I'll re-prioritise its upload.

The photos can be purchased as prints, mugs, canvas, T-Shirts, and even ceramic tiles!

Like a Bride

2008-02-26T18:36:00.003Z

I mentioned "The Butterfly Ball" before, well, this time it's "The Peacock Party". How beautiful is that creature, peeking demurely over his shoulder like a bride displaying her wedding dress and train to the gathered guests?

I have a copy of "The Butterfly Ball", but unfortunately not "The Peacock Party" since a fire destroyed many of my favourite books a few years back. I can't even find the words online, which is a shame - I very much remember the image of the Eagle, which I drew a few times as a kid. It was a bit spooky, but not as much so as Old Blind Mole in "The Butterfly Ball" - he was creepy.

The cutest little guy I've ever seen

2008-02-18T15:32:00.002Z

Isn't he just adorable? I was fascinated by the markings on the beak, which was already an unusual colour without the markings. What a sweet little duckling, and if that doesn't make you all go "aaaahhhhhh" then you are heartless. ;-)

Hail to the Pelican Paparazzi!

2008-02-08T20:43:00.001Z

At the end of January I visited Florida, and saw my first pelicans, among other animals I will no doubt display here shortly.
I had a few friends with me, some of them photographers, and a funny sight we must have made as we crowded round one poor pelican, each waiting for 'the perfect pose'. My daughter laughed aloud to see this particular one, so I thought I'd share it.

Dedicated to all the Pelican Paparazzi - you know who you are, and I love you all.

For my US Friends - Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:07:00.000Z

The Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Alfred Tennyson

I took this photograph last year, and thought it might be appropriate to post it up for Thanksgiving, for my American buddies. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

"The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless."

URGENT appeal for help - Particularly USA Readers

2007-10-30T14:43:00.000Z

There's not much I can say to add to what Kelly explains in her blog today. Please take a few minutes to send an email, or write a letter, to help this incredibly important organisation to survive.
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/07/71006-matter-of-urgency.html
[Quote]
To Family Members and Friends of the Missing,

Monday, November 5th, 2007, might be remembered by those involved in the missing persons cause as a day in which a huge step backwards was taken. Unless something major breaks in the way of funding, this will be the day in which the National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) will close their doors. Thousands of families will be affected, now and in the future.

Why is this happening?

The answer is complex, but in summary:
· The NCMA stepped up and assisted over 13,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina and was to be reimbursed for those expenditures, which were close to $250,000. At this time, the NCMA has only received $50,000 to cover the work they did at the request of the Dept. of Justice.
· The 2007 re-authorization of Kristen’s Law, (HR 423) which would provide the NCMA with up to $4 million per year in funding for 10 years, continues to remain in the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security committee, with no action taken to help the center. This re-authorization effort has been in the works unsuccessfully since 2005.
· As experienced not only by the NCMA, but by other national organizations, including ours, the public does not generally consider missing adults’ assistance nonprofits as a part of their charitable giving plans. Corporations are also hesitant to provide funding, and grant makers don’t seem responsive, either. This lack of support has also contributed to the problem.

What will save the NCMA at this late hour?

If an “angel” company or person comes forward who can help keep the center operating until the Kristen’s Law Re-authorization funds are released.

AND/OR

The DOJ immediately releases the funds owed to the NCMA from their work related to Hurricane Katrina.

What Can I Do?

I spent time talking with Kym Pasqualini, founder of the NCMA, late last night, and based upon the conversation, this is what she asks of you if you feel moved to help with a final effort.

· Kym feels that, out of all the national media, the person who could best help with exposure and a push for action is Larry King of CNN’s Larry King Live Show. She says that Larry’s show is watched by many members of congress and that he is not afraid to step on toes to get something accomplished. If she could get a spot on his show as soon as possible, she plans to talk candidly about the situation. If you can help with this step, please write to Larry King at larrykinglive@cnn.com and ask him to have Kym on as a guest immediately. Keep in mind that even if a spot on the show is not successful at moving congress or getting the Katrina reimbursement, it could reach the “angel” company or person as mentioned above.

· Contact Peter D. Keisler, acting Attorney General, and let him know how you feel about missing adults losing their national clearinghouse and resource. Mention the 2007 re-authorization of Kristen’s Law, (HR 423) You can also write to Vice President Dick Cheney at vice_president@whitehouse.gov The White House fax is 202-456-2461. Use AskDOJ@usdoj.gov to send correspondence to the Attorney General’s office.

· The webpage for the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is http://judiciary.house.gov/committeestructure.aspx?committee=6 Once there, click on the names of the various members and be redirected to their own websites with contact information. You can also write to your congressman.

Time is quickly running out for this year’s session, so please send your letters right away.

[/quote]

How to be helpful

2007-10-23T11:38:00.000Z

We can all do a little bit for helping others, with minimal effort.

I have written before about Project Jason, and am doing so again. They have joined an initiative for fundraising, where all you need to do is use a different search screen from your usual google page.

Read about it here:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/10/102107-no-cost-way-to-help-project.html

and support it here:
http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=857029

Probably a few years too late...

2007-09-22T18:40:00.000Z

I should have bought one of these:This post is to commiserate with the one person who has tried to handle the various personalities of a person regularly in pain. From the anger, the fear, the frustration and the resentment, to the intermittent highs and lows, G - I know you did your best.

A rose, for romance.

2007-07-30T13:20:00.000Z

I could go with the obvious Shakespeare quotation here, but decided not to.

This rose is for romance, for beauty, and for memories.

This rose is for the one who sends me roses every day. Thank you.

Very Disappointing

2007-07-26T12:35:00.000Z

I have long been a fan of the Foo Fighters, among other rock bands. They created one of my all time favourite songs with the beautiful "Walking After You", and have a wonderful sense of humour in many of their videos.

However, this week I learned something really tragic, that makes me view this group in a whole new light; a light that is less than flattering. On their website, the Foo Fighters promote the HIV denial website 'Alive and Well' (http://www.aliveandwell.org/)

This website presents "information that raises questions about the accuracy of HIV tests, the safety and effectiveness of AIDS drug treatments, and the validity of most common assumptions about HIV and AIDS." They give information such as "In a contagious epidemic, healthcare professionals working among the ill usually run the highest risk of contracting a disease. During the entire AIDS epidemic however, only 25 cases of AIDS have been reported among healthcare workers who claim occupational exposure as their only risk, and none of these 25 cases have been described in the medical literature. " (ignoring the reduction of risk of infection when these healthcare professionals can engage certain safe practices, such as safe sex, and protective wear when handling blood, etc).

These people encourage HIV sufferers to ignore medical advice, and abandon conventional medical treatments. The owner of the site is HIV positive, and since diagnosis has become pregnant twice. When asked for advice by a person whose partner's ex has been diagnosed, she advises "I think it’s important to clarify that AIDS is not passed from one person to another. Rather than being a disease, AIDS is a category of 26 conditions only some of which are contagious." .

Now, I completely understand that the Foo Fighters are nothing more than human, but I admit to falling into that easy trap of building a mental image of those we respect. When I listen to their music and lyrics, and watch the way they put a show together on stage, I imagine them to be intelligent, rational people. I built an image in my mind of a group of people who respect their fans, and who are literate enough to read and understand informative information about such issues as AIDS.

The discovery that they could be so ignorant of facts and irresponsible to their fanbase has been a cold wake up for me. They actually distribute "Alive and Well" leaflets at their gigs.

Finding this out a few nights ago was combined with another shock - that Matt Bellamy, the singer for Muse, believes that both 9/11 and 7/7 were not the work of terrorists, but rather actioned by the governments to create a false flag to support their desire for war. I can understand that people sometimes feel things don't quite add up, and feel suspicious about events as they unfurl. However, to ignore the vast amount of detailed information that exists, not least on the web, and promote that conclusion, is a disgrace. (Matt Bellamy was interviewed by leading 9/11 conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on this issue).

People in such public positions, with fanbases who may choose to take their words at face value, should really take that as a serious responsibility, and endeavour to check the facts of the case before promoting anything. I fail to see how either of these cases have been appropriately researched, because certainly the evidence to the contrary of what they suggest is massively overwhelming.

Puffin again, for Lisa

2007-06-10T20:54:00.001Z

I went back to the cliffs this week, and managed to capture a few more puffin pics. I like this one as it seems to be smiling my direction.

Two Wolves

2007-04-06T18:48:00.000Z

Perhaps it was the eyes of the wolf, measured, calm, knowing.
Perhaps it was the intense sense of family.
After all, wolves mate for life, are loyal partners, create hunting communities
and demonstrate affectionate patience in pup rearing.
Perhaps it was the rigid heirarchy of the packs.
Each wolf had a place in the whole and yet retained his individual personality.
Perhaps it was their great, romping, ridiculous sense of fun.
Perhaps it was some celestial link with thw winter night skies
that prompted the wolf to lay his song on the icy air.
For the native people who lived with the wolves,
and the wolves once ranged from the Arctic to the sub-tropics,
there was much to learn from them.
Is it any wonder that the myths of many tribes characterise the wolves
not as killers but as teachers?

Unknown

Lynx

2007-04-04T18:49:00.000Z

A short little break from the wolves, for the beautiful lynx. This one was just finished munching on a little chick, and as you can see, thoroughy enjoyed it. :)

Wolf

2007-04-02T18:46:00.000Z

This was my favourite of the wolves we saw that day, and he seemed to take an interest in me. So, because he couldn't reach me for a snack, we had to settle for my getting quite a few good pics.

Company of Wolves

2007-03-31T13:28:00.000Z

I will probably do a little series here with a few more wolf pics, because I finally got to see them out in all their glory yesterday, after several visits to the Highland Wildlife Centre.

I am spoiled for choice with good literature about wolves, so I will find a good one for a future post. In the meantime, hope you like this pic.

Spooky Tree

2007-03-23T12:43:00.000Z

I saw this tree while out walking in Glentanar, and it really caught my eye. The contrast between it and the healthy green trees around it is very marked.

I found this poem that I thought might go well with this picture:

The Dead Tree

My life is a dead tree;
Spring is a mockery to it;

But in the winter it shall bear the snows
And rear aloft its stark and hopeless branches
As bravely as another.

^__Thomas E. Moore.

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/poetry/hoopes/deadtree.html

Radio Waves for Jason

2007-03-13T15:39:00.000Z

I would like to tell you about a woman I have come to admire tremendously, although I have never met her.

She is immensely brave, dedicated to her cause, and always carries herself with dignity and courtesy. She has helped change laws in America, has appeared on television, on radio, and at public rallies all over the States. I suspect, however, that she would prefer to live forever in anonymity if it meant that the catalyst which propelled her to this fame had never happened.

You see, one day Kelly Jolkowski's son Jason stepped out of the house to put out the trash, and never came back in.

There was no evidence of foul play, and none of the usual things that accompany runaways. He has simply vanished. Since then, on top of dealing with her loss, Kelly (and her family) has campaigned tirelessly to help improve things for families who are living without the knowledge of what has happened to a loved one.

Kelly and her family set up Project Jason, which has the support of the '18 Wheel Angels' - drivers who carry images of missing persons all over the nation. They worked to help establish Jason's Law; establishing from that the Missing Person's Clearinghouse. Project Jason established the 'Adopt a Missing Person' campaign to provide assistance to other families in desperate need of getting information out about their loved ones. Kelly started a blog to highlight the terrible situations families find themselves in, and how they are preyed upon by self-interested vultures. The list goes on, and it can easily be seen that because of Kelly, and Project Jason, much has been done to help families of missing people.

The latest project for Kelly is a much more personal one, and just as deserving of support. I can't imagine what it must be like to live every day with such a gap that must be left when your son just vanishes. I can't imagine all the years spanning out without contact, or information, or closure. There is nothing in me that can begin to understand the highs and lows of such hope and disappointment. Recently many of us read about two separate cases of children returned alive to their families after years on lists of the missing. This must impact a family like Kelly's so much more intimately and intensely than the rest of us - how can that not lead them to hope for the same outcome, and soon? I know that Kelly prays, and I hope it brings her the strength and comfort she needs.

What she also needs, are resources. Her son was keen to get into the radio industry, after an internship with a local station. The latest project is hoping that should he currently be active in making a life for himself, he would be involved in a radio station somewhere. Project Jason has a list of radio stations, and an email template already written up, and all they need are volunteers to work through the list, sending in the email to various stations. It provides a photo, a vocal clip and an aged photograph of Jason, in the hopes that he might be recognised. If you have some time to spare, and the ability to copy, paste and send information to a subset of this list of stations, Project Jason would love to hear from you.

You can read about the project:
http://www.projectjason.org/

and volunteer by emailing your interest to:
radiowavesforjason@projectjason.org

Let's see if we can help bring Jason home, or at least get information to his family about what has happened to him in the past five years.

Pat Cash - for my sister :D

2007-03-07T10:09:00.000Z

These are the shots I managed to get as Pat Cash arrived, and then as he posed for us as he left again at the end of the afternoon.

He was in great form, despite some moments of frustration at the umpire, as previously mentioned. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, and welcomed all input from the crowd in attendance. He thanked the audience for their support at the end of the match, and promised that they would be returning to Belfast again. I hope this is the case, and look forward to making an annual trip back 'home' to watch these superstars of tennis.

Doubles Delights

2007-03-06T15:08:00.000Z

Henri LeConte showed up for the tennis with a rather ick David Beckham hairband type affair, but thankfully it didn't impact his sense of humour.

One of his doubles opponent was David Fleming, and each of them was partnered with a local star. These are the two young gents in the second picture - David O'Connor and Niall Fitzgerald. I was most impressed with Fitzgerald's skill, and his attention to the match despite the best efforts of LeConte to distract everyone. I shall be watching for him in the coming years with a similar interest to the one I developed in Andy Murray two years ago. Here's hoping his career takes as high a turn as Murrays.

Questioning the Umpire

2007-03-05T10:06:00.000Z

Following from my earlier post about the tennis and quality of line calls:

I think the frustration in Wayne Ferreria's face is all too apparent. In the second photograph he was getting back up from having dropped to his knees in shock at the decision made.

A need for review - cameras at events - Part 2

2007-03-04T11:55:00.000Z

So, the next day I trotted happily to my seat with my camera, having gained entry without comment - not even a search of my bag.

Early in the afternoon, I heard the heavy footsteps approach from behind. They stepped to the seat behind me, and a hand touched my shoulder. I turned and the security guard leaned over to ask if I would mind putting the camera away. I held it up for him to see, and pointed out that there was no flash attached. He told me that it was not the flash - it was the lens. It was considered a professional lens, and the press didn't like it. I should point out I have a good telephoto lens, but it was back in Scotland at the time. I'm having problems carrying it and some other kit around just now due to a neck injury from a minor fender-bender in January. I was using a standard lens, with a little zoom, but not much. I told him about what had been said to the photographer the previous day, and he told me that there had been a meeting called by management that morning. I was surprised, and asked him "They change the rules overnight, and don't put any information up about it?". He said yes, and smiled sympathetically. I used to be door staff myself, so I realised it wasn't worth arguing with him further - he was only acting on his remit. Besides which, the players had returned to court, so chattering on was not an option.

I grudgingly switched the camera off and set it down for the rest of the afternoon. Assuming that the press would only be concerned about saleable photographs, I took the chance of grabbing a few shots of the players when they were leaving the court, and wanted in particular to get a shot of Pat Cash for my sister. Pat Cash was in great form, and paused by the exit to pose for several people who begged him to smile or kiss in their direction. I rushed over with my camera to grab a quick shot as my sister got his autograph. Someone stepped between us, so I missed the photo of her receiving her autograph from him, but I ran off a few as he smiled around at the rest of the cameras. Just as Pat was turning toward me, a loud voice boomed in his ear. "Hey you! You were told not to use that camera. Put it away!" shouted the security guard (a different one than had spoken to me) at Pat's side. Pat was as startled as the rest of us, and glanced at the guard, to follow his gaze. I had been about to argue, but on seeing Pat's reaction I realised that I had no desire to make a scene in front of him - particularly as the scorekeeping and umpiring had been so poor in his match. What must he think of the whole setup in Belfast?

I lowered the camera, and showed the guard I was putting the lens cap back on and switching it off. He continued to shout at me, but I was too mortified to hear much of it, and could only blush pathetically at Pat Cash as he looked at me, clearly uncertain as to why I was being singled out. I waited for my sister, and we both left the venue with a weird mix of elation for the tennis, embarrassment for the shoddy and unprofessional umpiring, and fury at the jobsworth who obviously felt it was more important to act like he was the big man in front of Cash, than have consideration for descretion in his job. The upshot of this - I now feel I have every right to use the photos I got as I see fit, where normally I would keep them for personal use only. I will not publish the photo I got of Cash and his son together, as I see this as an infringement of their right to privacy. I am not part of the papparazzi wolfpack. I will however bring you some shots from the tournament that I was able to get in the next few days. It was a public event, and initially there were no restrictions on the types of cameras allowed. I brought my camera in in an open topped bag, and was not challenged on it on entry to the venue, which is where those sort of checks should really occur. I adhered completely to the no-flash rule, and am infuriated at the way this was blatently ignored by much of the audience, and was not enforced by the security staff.

I feel it is time now, with the advent of smaller, cheaper, higher standard cameras, that event management reconsider this ridiculous rule about 'professional' lenses. There should be consistency about use of cameras - either without flash, or not at all, but this discrimination against people who prefer to use SLRs should stop. The arguments against them don't add up, and new technology is making the whole point moot anyway.

If you manage events - anywhere - please think this issue through properly. All cameras, or none.

Please support me in encouraging venues to allow all of us the same chance to take home permanent memories of these wonderful events.

A need for review - cameras at events - Part 1

2007-03-02T10:39:00.000Z

As mentioned, I was recently at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast for the Blackrock Tennis Legends tour.

I have attended other tennis events, concerts, and so on at other venues before, and so I am aware that although tickets state "no cameras permitted", they tend to be allowed in most places these days. I know that in most places there is now a tolerance for smaller cameras, and the only diktat is normally that flash is disabled. In my own local arena I had checked the rules with the security staff before my events, and was informed that although smaller cameras were allowed - flash free - that SLR cameras were not permitted, which ruled out my Canon 350D (at the time - I have since upgraded).

I asked why, and was told that they were considered as professional cameras, so the press did not like to compete with them after they had paid extra for their press passes. I reminded them of the advertising campaign for Canon, showing young people using the 350D anywhere and everywhere, for all manner of snapshots. I also explained that there were more than a few of the smaller handheld cameras that have higher resolution and more zoom than the 350D. I even offered to sign a waiver that would prevent me from selling the pictures. They were unmoved, and as a result I have no decent photos to remind me of my times watching the wonderful Andrew Murray. I feel this rule is unfair, and as it turns out, press passes are not as expensive as I was being led to believe - in some venues they are free! Meanwhile plenty of people with their little cameras were flashing away all through the events.

I went to the Belfast Arena without my camera initially, as I was uncertain of the security setup there. On entry, there were no search procedures at all - a new thing to me; particularly in Belfast. There were notices up that flash photography was no permitted, but that was all. I saw several people with good SLR cameras in the audience as I looked around, and one lady sat near me so I went over for a chat.

As I approached, she looked up somewhat irritated at my approach, but softened as we spoke. Her problem was that staff kept coming to tell her to stop taking flash photos. I could see that her flash was closed down on the camera, and that she had it set for no flash. She told me that she had not been searched, and had made no effort to hide that she had a camera on entry. She said that she was getting really annoyed at how she was being isolated for constant harassment from the security guards for something she was innocent of. Indeed, when I was back in my seat I watched them speak to her a further 2 times. She explained patiently to them that the flash was disabled, and asked why they were singling her out. They left without answering that, but giving her a stern reminder not to use the flash.

The ridiculous thing is that there were flash cameras being used all over the place - even during service, which is incredibly rude, and annoying to the players. I was able to easily identify several offenders in various parts of the arena - none of whom were approached by staff. What was funnier, was that while I spoke to this poor woman, an older lady in the row in front of her turned to us and explained to me that it was not the young woman's camera that was flashing - it was hers! I saw her speak to the security staff also, but she did not appear to be reprimanded about her little instant camera.

The younger photographer also told me that she had attended the day before, in a better seat, and had even met the players, but had not brought her camera that day. She had checked then that it was ok to bring her camera (I think it was the 350D), and had been hoping to get some of the shots she had missed the day before. She had been as excited as I was at the prospect of viewing such great tennis up close. Now she was angry, and wasn't sure it had been worth the hassle to get the shots she had done so far. She had clearly been discriminated against, and no action was taken against those who actually ignored the rules, and the courtesy to players.

As I was due to return the following day, I decided to bring my camera along. I figured that I could easily handle a few conversations with staff - particularly as my camera does not even have a flash unit mounted on it at all. It is visibly incapable of taking flash pictures. I was thrilled at the prospect of getting some shots to take home and enjoy in the future when I wanted to think back on that trip.

My experience will follow shortly.

Professional Tennis, Amateur Umpires

2007-03-01T10:06:00.000Z

Last week I went to Belfast to watch some of my childhood heroes play tennis.

The Blackrock Tennis Legends Tour takes place each year, but this was the first trip to Ulster, and it was hosted at the Belfast Odyssey Arena as the kick-off event for the whole tour.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/other-sports/article2198823.ece

I loved watching McEnroe and Connors when I was younger. They inspired me and excited me, producing some of the best matches I have ever seen - even to this date. Unfortunately Connors was not in this tour, nor was my other tennis idol, Ivan Lendl, but John McEnroe was, along with Henri LeConte and Pat Cash, which went some way to making up for Connors's absence.

As expected the tennis was high class, and the showcase doubles matches in particular were great fun. Henri LeConte stole the show in the doubles - mock-arguing with the umpire about the pronunciation of his name (which he changed a few times), and ambling around the court as if he was bored waiting for a bus, making faces at the audience and ballboys.

Pat Cash and Karl-Uwe Steeb (Charlie to the locals) were the prime jesters in the singles matches. Their sense of fun and enjoyment in the game ensured that the audience were happy to shout and cheer as they played. Pat Cash paused several times to pose for the ladies or shake that still-firm booty for the crowds.

McEnroe was as fired up as ever. The first set of the match I watched was fantastic - to a point. There were of course tantrums at line calls and umpire decisions. However, at some point the mood turned, and the tantrums became more vitriol than bluster. I wasn't particularly surprised to note this, and heard a few comments around me as people began to realise this wasn't just the usual display of frustration on court. McEnroe was really angry.

The situation came to a head when McEnroe sat down and refused to play on. He told the umpire he was forfeiting the match and threw his racket on court. The crowd laughed at first, and the was a mixture of cheering and jeering. It was very awkward, because most of us could see that he was correct in his initial point of argument. Most of us however had never had the chance to see a player of his calibre play live before, and may never see it again. We wanted to get the most of the time we had with him. I was seated close behind him, and tried to shout encouragement, telling him he could still take the match. Others did the same, and finally he returned to the court. Unfortunately he initially punished his opponent for the delay and disagreement, although his problem actually lay with the linespeople and umpire. Play soon returned to 'normal', but he lost the match after putting less effort into the second set. The crowd were quieter also; concerned about pushing him that last bit too far, perhaps.

The argument was over line calls - what else? But the point he tried to make was valid. The linespeople did not call loud enough. In fact, on several occasions they did not bother calling out at all - just raising their arms for the umpire to see - if she was looking in the right direction. The same umpire overruled a point in a match between Steeb and Cash the next day - despite the fact that Steeb admitted it was out, Cash could clearly tell it was out and the linesman had pointed it out. She overruled all three people because she had been unable to hear the linesman's call (which I heard from the opposite side of the court). The point had been an important one, but thankfully both players recovered well.

Last month I watched the Australian Open Tennis Tournament, and was embarrassed for my home town at the difference in quality of the match peripherals. The players had to remind ballgirls to pass balls down the court after games; the ballgirls and ballboys threw badly to the players as they waited to serve; the linestaff with one noteable exception called too quietly when they called at all; the scoreboard was repeatedly incorrect; and the umpires regularly corrected themselves for awarding points to the wrong player. Some of the linestaff and ballgirls looked as if they really wished they were elsewhere, and didn't pay appropriate attention to the match or players. After a point all this began to seriously detract from the matches, and both the audience and players became more subdued as several matches progressed, losing the fire to frustration at poor judgements.

Pat Cash made a point of thanking the audience, and promised they would return. I was overjoyed to hear this, because I would not have been surprised if he had complained at he amateur nature of the court staff and vowed never to return. I am glad he feels that the audience, us lovers of the game, are worth the additional chance, and I can only hope that the venue takes note of the problems raised those nights and does better next time.

Photographs and more to follow.

Grasshopper

2007-01-24T12:27:00.000Z

This little fellow is another of my sights from Glentanar. We heard him and his pals for quite some time before we saw him. He was difficult to spot at first, but quite bold, allowing me to get get reasonably close for a couple of shots. I got pretty dusty lying along the path, but I feel it was worth it.

Then the Grasshopper came with a Jerk and a Spring,

Very long was his Leg, though but short was his Wing;

He took but three Leaps, and was soon out of Sight,

Then chirp'd his own Praises the rest of the Night.

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast
William Rascoe

Underwater Love no.2

2007-01-13T13:59:00.000Z

I saw this today:
http://wind-sand-and-stars.blogspot.com/2007/01/underwater-love.html
and it immediately reminded me of my own pics shown below. The fish is a plec (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/compleco.htm), and the little orange thing is a bamboo shrimp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_shrimp).

Stag

2007-01-12T21:00:00.000Z

Although there are a few things in this poem that aren't really 'me' (I'm more pagan - definitely not christian), I can totally relate to the experience of coming face to face with such a magnificent creature.

The Stag

Sally Evans

A trail under the trees

near Loch Katrine

and all is silent, barring

a bird, a wind-sigh.

God's creation rises

in the form of a great stag

his magnificent branchy horns and head

alert under an oak-copse

as he steps into the sun

ten feet away from me

as though he were an oak-tree come to life.

No, do not turn and run.

A pagan revelation,

personification of beauty -

I need this vision. When it is my duty

to sketch him from memory,

or from tame, toned-down specimen,

I shall draw on this meeting.

I am with him in the wild.

http://www.poetrykit.org/pkl/featurpoet/sally.htm

Loch Muick

2007-01-06T12:29:00.000Z

This is a view of Loch Muick from the end of a wonderful walk this summer. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Scotland.

Along the right side you may be able to make out a white line - that's the path, culminating in a bit of a climb, which we followed to get to where I took the photo, from the car park. Oh - I should mention that the drive to the carpark from the main road is 7 miles long - you need a car to get there in the first place.

As we walked we were flanked by deer watching us from the gorse, and many different birds. We also saw a squirrel, but it was a bit too quick for the camera!

Flowers - Columbines

2007-01-01T22:51:00.000Z

I'm not sure what type of flowers these are (happy for anyone to enlighten me) but I thought they were tremendously pretty. [Edit to add: I have now been reliably informed that they are in fact Columbines - thank you kopji]

Just a short blog entry this time - Happy new year to everyone.

Celtic Knotwork

2006-12-27T12:18:00.000Z

This lovely example of celtic knotwork is on a gravestone in an old graveyard within the Glentanar estate. There are some beautiful walks around there, and it is also where I shot the 'not bee'. I have other shots from there that I may publish later, although the herons still elude me.

The graveyard is set around an old, old church, and the dappled effect of the light through the trees on the stones enhanced the ancient appearance. This stone was more in the full shade of the church. You can wander around the woods and feel like modern life is so far away - sometimes it is a pull to go back to it.

Not a bee

2006-12-17T11:57:00.000Z

Despite how it looks, and also how it was flying when I saw it, this is not a bee.

It's a hoverfly, and I was drawn to it by how unusual I thought it looked. I had never seen one before, and I thought it was a bee, but the eyes weren't quite right.

I posted it on a forum and should thank my pals from the JREF forum for helping me to identify it.

It is standing on something I actually see quite a lot - good scottish thistle.

Puffin around

2006-12-06T21:41:00.000Z

I saw this little guy at the end of a long summer day of taking photos, and the light was getting really poor.
He was positioned right in the deepest of the shadows created by the cliffs, and trying to get pictures was actually getting quite dangerous. I assume he's a guy - you really need to see a pair together to know them apart as the female is a little bit smaller. You can see it was the height of summer because of the glorious colour of the beak - they pale and go grey by winter. Apparently they shed part of the beak, and I meant to go back to see if I could find a piece, but we have had unusually windy weather since then, making it unwise to wander round those particular clifftops.

I was overjoyed to see him. I think he's the first live puffin I have ever seen, and the colours are incredible. It almost seems that they have to be in make-up for the markings to be so perfect. The rest of the sightings that day had been seals, gulls, cormorants and razorbills, so the splash of colour was a welcome sight.

Please - use your brains!

2006-12-02T14:40:00.000Z

I was going to post a photograph today, but got distracted by this story, which I just had to share:

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/NEWS01/510090392

1 - Know your rights. No-one has the authority to strip search you in the back of your place of employment, commit lewd acts on you, or invite others to do so. Don't let anyone try.

2 - Know your mind. No matter if it is a person in a position of authority who asks you to do something, take a second to think about it. If it isn't right, DON'T DO IT. It's really quite simple.

3 - Own your actions. If you are dumb enough to get taken in by a hoaxer who persuades you to do all manner of disgraceful things, take responsibility for your actions. It is not the responsibility of your employers to tell you in advance not to be such an asshole.

Stop Sylvia Browne

2006-11-28T14:58:00.000Z

No photo today, as I don't have one prepared following a hectic weekend with visiting family.

However, I wanted to post to bring attention to the following site:

I fully support Mr Lancaster in his endeavours with this site, and would invite you all to read it whether you object to people claiming to be psychics, or you support and believe people who claim to be psychics. It provides good information, and poses questions you may wish to have Sylvia Browne address (or any other psychics you may know). Certainly, when I watched her years ago and believed what she said, I still wondered why she refused to tackle certain issues that would surely prove to the world how valid and important her powers are, if she speaks the truth.

I would also like to use this opportunity to remind you of the other site I support as best I can. It is run by Kelly Jolkowski, whose son has been missing for years and is the reason her site exists:

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Kelly appeared on the Montel Williams show in her plight to find her son, or at least get some publicity out there about his case. She did not encounter Sylvia Browne in her slot, but she has information from others who did.

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_voice4themissing_archive.html

Sylvia has regular appearances on the Montel Show, and this for me was something that intially added a lot of validity to her claims, through my respect for Montel's open and straight style of journalism. His support for Sylvia Browne stands in a remarkable contrast for all the other amazing pieces of work he has done to uncover frauds, educate people about scams, and highlight issues concerning the emotionally vulnerable.

I can only assume that his support is somehow related to Sylvia's claim that a cure for multiple sclerosis is imminent: something he suffers from and would obviously hang to any hope of a cure.
http://www.montelms.org/

Sylvia is also much discussed at one of my other favourite sites - the James Randi Educational Foundation. In fact, Mr Randi issued a challenge to Sylvia Browne which she accepted, but has so far ducked out of following through:
http://www.randi.org/

http://www.randi.org/sylvia/index.html

The Window Cat

2006-11-19T10:48:00.000Z

Now that the colder weather is setting in, I thought I'd dig out this photograph that just epitomizes summer for me.

I wake in the morning, feeling the warmth and hearing the birdsong of a new summer day. As I lie in bed my cat finds the prime spot for sunshine, and the strength of the light heightens the definition of his shadow. He sits there, soaking up the heat, and I lie there watching his shadow. His ears flick when he spots a bird, and once in a while he'll lick his paws, but other than that we are a decadently lazy pair.

Skaterboy

2006-11-13T21:57:00.000Z

I love this photograph.

I love the way the sun lies across the arms and legs, and I really like the definition of the muscles in the skater's arms and back.

I was delighted to find a skateboarding competition at one of our local parks this summer. I would relish the opportunity of taking more photographs of several of the guys who took part as the standard was quite high, and the tricks were regular and stunning. The participants were all very friendly, and clearly enjoyed the event as much as I did, although obviously they put a lot more energy into it than I did!

[If you are in this picture or know this skater please feel free to contact me to at least get prints from that day, or let me know about other events.]

Sometimes, nature is just as dramatic as fireworks

2006-11-09T15:10:00.000Z

These fantastic sunbursts over the ocean in the mornings, and over the mountains in the evenings are a regular sight where I live, and yet they still never cease to amaze me. The drama of the weather is a beautiful and yet often terrifying thing. The beauty of a seascape like this is regularly a disguised warning of storms to come.

"The Sun now rose upon the right :
Out of the sea came he,
Still hid in mist, and on the left
Went down into the sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play
Came to the mariners' hollo !"
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Guy Fawke's Night

2006-11-05T10:43:00.000Z

These pictures are from last year's 5th November celebrations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

Remember, remember, the 5th of November

The Gunpowder Treason and plot;

I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Owl Butterfly

2006-11-02T19:35:00.000Z

This beauty is called "Caligo memnon memnon", or the Owl Butterfly. I am sure you can see where it gets its name.

Although they are native to tropical rainforests, like Costa Rica, I was lucky to see this one in Scotland at a great little butterfly farm in Edinburgh.

Because they are native to tropical rainforests, like Costa Rica, I was lucky to get this photograph at all, as it was one of the few to survive the constant fogging up of my poor camera!

Love is like a butterfly

As soft and gentle as a sigh;

The muli-colored moods of love

Are like its satin wings.

Love makes your heart feel strange inside

It flutters like soft wings in flight.

Love is like a butterfly

A rare and gentle thing.

Dolly Parton

"Love is like a Butterfly"

Moonlit Beach

2006-10-31T22:03:00.000Z

Another moody shot, but then - it is Hallowe'en!

This is a scene that just took my breath away on my journey home one evening. I could not let myself drive home without stopping to capture it.

The moon was full and high, and glistened off the wet beach without lighting up anything more than a reflective slice of the ocean over a single rolling wave. I found myself with a perfect angle to catch the wet sand's interesting pattern leading to the lifebelt post sillhouetted over the moonlit water. A single cloud was the last element required, and I snapped a few shots while waiting for this interesting formation.

'Tis moonlight, summer moonlight,

All soft and still and fair;

The solemn hour of midnight

Breathes sweet thoughts everywhere

Emily Jane Bronte

" 'Tis moonlight, summer moonlight"

Misty Mountains

2006-10-30T19:51:00.000Z

This is the view from a break spot in Glentanar Estate in Scotland. It was a beautiful sunny day at first, but a bit of a drizzle came out of nowhere as we walked. Looking across the mountains all we could see was thick mist enveloping the other peaks. It was difficult to capture, but I think the more distant mountains look suitably mysterious.

Just imagine how wonderful it was a few moments later when the drizzle stopped, and the sun came back with force. I sat on a bench listening to the river which I could only just make out where it sparkled so beautifully between the tree branches, like a road made from diamonds.

Welcome to my Blog

2006-10-28T10:50:00.000Z

This photo is one of the first I shot when I joined the digital revolution.

I love it.
Most people react to it, but many aren't sure how they feel about it! There are a few people who say it makes them uncomfortable.

How can you not love a sweet little kitty pic?