Then go back to being a grumpy Senator like you've been doing for the last eight years.

A shark who lived at a Virginia aquarium named "Tidbit" recently died (awwww).  Her autopsy discovered that she was pregnant with a shark pup ready to be born.  But here is the kicker, ready?  Tidbit was a virgin! Yes, the immaculate conception occurred one more time.  And what is even more crazy, apparently there is at least one other documented case of this.  Scientists are wondering if this will solve the problem of shark numbers dwindling in the wild.  I am more concerned with that pesky apocalypse I have heard so much about.

Jesus Shark.  Here to forgive you of all your sins...or eat you.  Not to be confused with the very dangerous (and adorable) Cat-Shark.

We got the kids up this morning and the immediate (and predictable) protest was, "But Momma, the sun isn't up yet!"  Tell me about it, kid.

Protests notwithstanding, we managed to get everyone dressed, downstairs, back upstairs to brush their teeth ("Don't I tell you this every morning?!?  Get up, brush your teeth, get dressed, make your bed, then go downstairs.  Do you think I say it to hear myself talk?"  Good grief, I sound like my mother.), back downstairs, and loaded into the car.  We passed out the morning watered-down apple juice and plastic bowl of cereal, loaded up the posters and the baby bag, reminded everyone of the importance of being patient today, and headed out.

It was a very nice sunrise.

We got to the rally site more than half an hour before the doors opened (which was scheduled for two hours before the actual event), and there was already a backup to get into the parking lots.  Then there was a huge line to get through the metal detectors and into the building.  The diaper bag and our two signs (which were checked at the door for content) all passed inspection.  Then we got herded into a tiny corner of the hall; apparently, somebody didn't think that many people would show up.  We were a little disgruntled about the fences keeping everyone in a tight space, but reasoned that that was for good TV shots; you don't want the crowd to look sparse, I guess.  It turns out, we were quite lucky; the rest of the hall ended up being packed (crowd size estimates are currently varying widely, but the lowest one is 12,000 and the organizers estimate they let in more like 25,000) and the people outside the crowd fences had to watch the event on the projection screens that dropped down from the ceiling.

We heard from pretty much every local Republican currently in Congress or running for it, plus the new would-be state governor.  There was a bit of humor at the beginning when a local Congresswoman asked everyone to stand for the invocation... and most of the crowd laughed.  "Yes, I know that most of you are already standing [and had been for some time, by that point!], but some people actually have seats..."  After the invocation, the local politicians talked, mostly about McCain and Palin.  The crowd booed (higher taxes, military defeat, Obama in general) and cheered (every mention of McCain and Palin, lower taxes, more responsible government, job growth, military in general).  (Hey, it's a rally, not a deep intellectual discussion.  The purpose here was not to convince people; there are other venues for that.  This was to preach to the choir and get the choir motivated to go out and make a difference in the last few weeks before the election.  Booing and cheering appear to be de rigeur for both sides at this kind of event.)

After five or six songs by Hank Williams, Jr., the headliners finally came out.  Cindy McCain opened the main speech section with some fairly predictable remarks, interrupted by chants of, "Sarah!  Sarah!"  Mrs. McCain gave the crowd that "ok, we all know I'm not who you're here to see, but, come on, I have to get through the speech!" wry smile and kept going.  Both Sarah Palin and John McCain came to the podium to give their speeches, which I thought were good, focusing on the economy and foreign policy/military issues.

(Maybe I'll talk more about the actual speeches tomorrow, with a transcript in front of me; the sound wasn't great, since we were off to the right of the stage, and most of what I remember is thinking about how much my back hurt from having the baby in the sling for hours and my son (who is four and very muscular and heavy) perched on my shoulders for part of the rally.  Husband had one or both of the older two kids on his shoulders half the time.  We listened, we enjoyed the rally, we swapped which sign we were holding up depending on what was said, cheered, etc... I just don't remember the specifics of the speeches right now.)

And, of course, after the speeches was the handshaking.  We couldn't really see what was going on and guessed that the candidates had probably left the hall to get to their next events.  What we learned is that you should watch where the Secret Service agents are going; they tend to be tall and distinctively intense, so, even if you can't see the candidate, the clump of guys a head taller than everyone else and staring intently at the crowd tells you exactly where the candidate is located.  We wound up only about five or six people back from the front edge of the crowd.  So, no handshakes, but McCain did point at our "Naval Academy grads for McCain" sign, smile, and wave.

After talking to a few people we know from church, we headed back to the minivan.  Outside the convention center, DH noticed a familiar face talking into a bullhorn and handing out literature.  "Hey, isn't that Randall?"  Sure enough, it was Randall Terry.  We had gone to a counterprotest he organized in DC a few years back.  You may remember him from Operation Rescue, which did sit-ins and sidewalk counseling outside abortion clinics in the 80's and 90's.  Planned Parenthood sued the pro-lifers, including Terry, under the RICO laws (racketeering, for interfering with their "business") and took everything he owned (including his home), but he's still doing pro-life work.  Lately, he's mostly been trying to convince Catholics especially (he converted to Catholicism a year or so back, with his family) to pay attention to the abortion issue in politics.  He, his wife, and some volunteers have managed to get themselves peacefully arrested at the Democratic National Convention and at multiple cathedrals and churches around the country (for passing out pro-life voting pamphlets in church parking lots).

As we walked over to introduce ourselves, he saw our other poster, which said, "Former fetus for Palin," and said, "Hey, nice sign!  You guys must be pro-lifers!"  We told him we had been with him in DC, introduced the kids, talked for a few minutes, and commiserated about the lack of clear direction from the local bishop about pro-life issues.  (We had a great letter from our bishop read at all the parishes a few years back on stem cell research, but nothing on abortion, sadly.)  Terry asked us to do something to get the word out to local parishes about what the Church's direction actually is on where abortion stands among the life issues.  (I'm going to have to think about that project.  I'll let you know what we actually do.)

As I've written before, abortion is not just one of the several life issues.  Abortion is the life issue.  Nothing else kills and injures as many people each year (about 4,000 children per day in the U.S. alone, which does not count the injury to their mothers, who are at drastically increased risk for depression, suicide, and long term health and psychological problems).  Nothing else matters if you aren't alive to enjoy the benefits of health care, peace, a clean environment, etc.  Nothing else tears at the fabric of society like abortion, saying that some lives aren't worth living and aren't worth protecting.  (And if you can kill the unborn for being unwanted, then, logically, other groups will follow.  It is no coincidence that euthenasia is spreading now, and beginning to become less voluntary.  See the article on the man who received notification that state health programs wouldn't pay for his chemotherapy for his cancer but would offer to pay for his euthenasia.)

And that was something that was lacking at the rally.  Abortion was not even mentioned.

Now, I realize that the focus today was the economy and the military, and that Gov. Palin's speeches have hit on abortion quite strongly lately.  But I really wanted to hear it emphasized again here.  We didn't have the only pro-life poster in the crowd, so I think a lot of other people wanted to hear it, too.  Sen. Obama told a Planned Parenthood conference during the primaries that the first thing he would do as president is get the Freedom of Choice Act passed, wiping out all of the many state laws requiring parental consent for a minor's abortion, banning partial birth abortion, banning taxpayer funding of abortions, etc.

No matter how often the media cries, "The debate is over!" the truth is that few Americans would support such an Act if they understood what it would do.  The mainstream media has been trying to ignore or hide Sen. Obama's extreme pro-abortion positions, knowing that those positions will cost him votes.

If this is important to us, we have to get the word out.  Talk to your pastor.  Write the bishop.  Ask them to please speak up for the completely voiceless.  We know, as Catholics, that we are called to seek peace and avoid war; to be good stewards of our environment; to care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan...

but we seem to have forgotten the orphans who lose their parents before they even leave the womb.

Let's bring this victory home for Senator Obama! Virginia is in play boys and girls!

We have many clients of Community Service Boards in Virginia who have Medicare coverage but do not have Medigap coverage to pay for the other 50% not paid for by Medicare.   There are a few things the state could do about this that would help a lot in ensuring more services and more money for services.  One would be to offer Medigap coverage from a state insurer to people under 65 on disability or to reimburse an existing insurer for doing it.  Some folks could afford to pay their own premiums and might leave the CSB system altogether for private care if they had full insurance coverage thus saving the state money.  For those who could not afford the premium themselves, it would still save the state money to pay the premium for them so that services would be covered at 100% of Medicare rates.  Medicare rates for psychotherapy and for medication management are much higher than Medicaid rates and unlike Virginia's Medicaid reimbursement for psychotherapy have actually pretty much kept pace with inflation.  So instead of 20 something dollars per session a CSB could receive $65 a session with a licensed social worker and much more for a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist.  CSB's already employ LCSW's and psychiatrists but do not collect that kind of money for their services at all. 

Of course Medicare will not pay for day warehousing, oops, I mean clubhouses nor for Persistent Annoying Community Treatment teams, oops, I mean PACT teams, CSB's would have to provide individualized treatment by individual providers instead but hey, guess what?  There is evidence that psychotherapy and medication management on an individualized basis is the gold standard of treatment for "serious mental illness"  just like it always was, propaganda from PACT and MOT supporters notwithstanding. 

So hey, could we possibly look at doing something that would pay for itself while increasing reimbursement for and availability of mental health treatment to Virginians who want and need it?  Nah.  We have to do what the people in charge want, whatever that is, but it seems to be to pay for treatment by forcing it on both citizens and CSB's even if coerced treatment is both less effective and less attractive to everyone involved, patients and providers both.  Let's not do anything that makes common sense and pleases users of services, that would be........wrong?  What could dialysis companies that struggle against a lack of rising reimbursement know about staying in business anyway?   They make a profit but that couldn't be because they take a sensible approach to Medicare and Medigap coverage for their patients?  Nah.  Couldn't be.

Isn't Ginger cute! I think so and she loves to play. I met her last week when Renée and I went to do a FREE evaluation with Ginger and her family. We played a little after the evaluation and had a blast. She is still young so she can't really keep up with my speed. I was doing my best to impress her with my speed and leaping abilities.

Today I had to work again and be a distraction dog for Ginger. Basically that means I get to hang out on my bed and chase down a frisbee while Ginger was learning how to walk on a leash and pay more attention to her owner. Honestly, Ginger and I wanted to just play, Renée had a Frisbee in her back pocket the whole time and we both knew it was there...that is just cruel.

Once Ginger had finished her lesson we were allowed to play!

Ginger is still pretty young...only 5 months so she tired out pretty quickly. I can go all day, Renée has to make me stop and rest or I would just keep going like the Energizer Bunny! So Ginger and her owner, Renée and I went inside for some water and to rest while Renée went over Ginger's homework. Well that Ginger wouldn't rest, she and I started wrestling and having a good time. Ginger was flirting with me big time! I'm not a big wrestler I would rather run, but she is so small and cute even I couldn't resist. But Renée knew I wanted to run again so we went outside and after Ginger had her nails cut, we were allowed to play again.

I don't get to play every time I go to a lesson with other dogs. Sometimes the interaction is limited because the other dog isn't used to dogs or has to concentrate too much at the task at hand without too many distractions. I love the lessons where I get to have fun! I can't wait till next week to play with Ginger again and see what more she has learned this week. Now I really need a nap though, so I'm going to go curl up on Pepper's bed and snooze.

So I'm taking this opportunity - now that I've unpacked and repacked - to write about the last few days that took me from Ontario, across the border at Niagara Falls through Virginia to Ohio.  The first important piece of news was that I bought a new camera so I can post photos again.  I suppose the next important piece of news was that the weather was autumnally-beautiful - truly summerlike - we watched the treeline become more colorful as the days went on and actually sweated on occasion.  Shirley and I traveled the interstates more than anything because of time. I wanted to do a secondary highway between Staunton, Virginia and Wheeling, W. Virginia but Shirley, my dear older & anxious friend, got thrown off by the CAA recommendation to stay on the interstates. Shirley has gone with me on backroads through northern Ontario and Costa Rica and always loves the back country but as she gets older, she gets more anxious (I believe that as we age, we are simply more condensed versions of our former selves) and got it in her head that this particular highway 250 that crossed the mountains would be somehow more dangerous than the truck-laden interstate.  I tried my best to change her mind but in the end gave in and followed I-64 around to Charleston and up I-77 to Barnesville.  I don't mind racing the transports and getting into the interstate groove but it is truly much groovier on the backroads. Next time, I'm doing that Highway 250 (I wish somebody reading this would give me a good report that I could convince Shirley, next time we visit her relatives in Virginia, that this is a road worth traveling).

So that is where we went first - to Spotsville, Virginia, where Shirley's kindly kinda-aunt Louise lives on a farm with her black angus cows munching the grass on the rolling fields and her hard-working, lovely family close-by.  Louise is 84 years old (I think that is right) and still helping her son Warren unload the corn silage into the silo, cooking up delicious meals, and tending to the needs of her family, cows, neighbours and church.  We visited her 94 year-old neighbour, Nellie, who also seems to have a firm hand on the running of the farm there. 

For the couple of days we were with these warm friendly Virginian folk, I observed that though the men were hard-working, the women seemed to still run the place! Age un-important! Shirley, who I have known most of my life originally as a friend of my parents and always as my friend, has her roots in this country.  She was born in England but was sent here in the second world war to be safe and far away from bomb-blasted London.  She and her brother Tony lived in an "orphanage", which was actually more like a home for wayward children, and benefited from being around her extended family.  Shirley is now 76 and not willing to drive to Virginia on her own so when I invited her to accompany me to Ohio, I offered to drive her to visit her kinfolk on the way.  Of course, I benefited for the experience.

So we stayed in this big ol' farmhouse, ate way too much good food, fed the young angus cow who was being weened but was still happy to slobber all over the bottle, went to all of Shirley's touchstones in the area and enjoyed the  Virginian hospitality.

We went to the graveyards that house Shirley's grandfather and Louise's husband, Charles, who I met here in Canada many years ago. 

We visited the McCormick farm, home of the reaper (not the grim one, but the pragmatic farm implement). There is also an old grist mill on the site.

Louise's son, Warren, and her son-in-law, Lenny, both work at the nearby Hershey's factory which is non-unionized.  They often are working seven days a week for weeks on end, besides running the farm and tending to their families.  If they complain, there are many others who will take their jobs, so they just go to work.  It is a hard life, making those Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joy bars that we take for granted as "candy" - although I tended to stay out of political discussions with these kind, country folk, we did talk about the value of unions and the need for socialized health care in the US.  I shared my experiences of having cancer which brought so many worries to my life - as in "will I survive?" - but didn't involve worrying about who would pay for the treatments since we have socialized health care here in Canada.  Louise's family - Warren Bradley and Linda Lou, Lenny, and Christy Phillips- were all interested in the concept of having medical insurance provided by the government and I was able to share my own experience. When Barack gets in, may he follow through and get the support from the Senate and Congress to implement his promise to provide medical insurance for all Americans.  It seems to me to be the most basic of human rights in a civilized society. Perhaps - just a suggestion - cut the military spending and provide for a little nationalized humanity.

When people talk about how politics doesn't affect their lives, I always shake my head.  Next time you eat a chocolate bar, remember the guys who are working seven days a week, months on end, to keep the line going - limited medical insurance provided, no job security, tired, but unable to complain. I guess I've lived in Canada too long.

So after the lovely warmth of Virginia, we headed out in the morning through the fog that eventually lifted to reveal  the coloring leaves, through Virginia, West Virginia, and across the Ohio River into Ohio.  This is very idealic countryside until you see the big smokestacks - I have to admit, I'm not sure what kind of fabrication or energy plant this is,  but I have seen the scene often when passing close to the gracious wide Ohio River, and shudder at the sight of the monolithic cauldrons.

We arrived on Friday afternoon at Olney Friends School just outside of Barnesville, Ohio.  Anyone who has read Walking with Wolf will know that this is where Wolf grew up and then returned to for high school.  He also met his beautiful wife, Lucky, there, who had come from Earlham, Iowa. It was Homecoming weekend at Olney and Wolf and Lucky managed to come up from Costa Rica, as Shirley and I came down from Canada. 

Everytime I see this wonderful couple, even after all the years of working on the book, I get a warm rush of love that passes through my body straight to my heart. To have managed for us all to get to Olney for this occasion, for the weather to have cooperated as if it were a fine June day, for the extended family and friends of both of them to have shown up en masse for the occasion - well, it all added up to a beautiful weekend filled with laughter and tears and memories and friendship.

I find it quite amusing that when Wolf and I get together now, we are like a couple of business people, discussing marketing possibilities, exchanging publicity stories, sharing accounting information. Understand - we have been playing around at "writing a book" for years and now we are actually selling it!  Wolf has continued to visit the stores in Costa Rica who carry our book, replenishing the stock on the shelves but most likely selling the best while sitting in the parking lot at the Monteverde Reserve waiting for the tourists to finish their guided tours in the forest.  I will return to Monteverde in January and we will try to find ways to pick up the pace again, but I know that Walking with Wolf will continue to sell to people who come to Monteverde and are interested in the soul of the place. I believe that is what we managed to convey. What with all our words and history and recollections, Wolf represents the soul of this beautiful, dynamic community and we, luckily, managed to capture it in our tomb.

So here we now were at Olney Friends Boarding School, the place where Wolf met and wooed Lucky, a Friends school that has been teaching young people about reading, writing, 'rithmetic, life and Quaker values since 1837. On Friday night there was a concert by an energetic a capella group of men from Ohio's liberal arts Kenyon College (Paul Newman's alma mater) called the Kokosingers. I think there were thirteen of them - taking turns as the solo guy upstage, providing harmonized, finger-snapping, renditions of both popular and classic songs and a few obscure tunes.  They are going to be opening for Miley Cyrus (I won't get into who she is, but if you already know, you should be impressed at least as far as the size of the audience) in a couple of weeks. Maybe I was as impressed by their male beauty as their talent (I digress...) but it was truly entertaining.

Saturday was filled with alumni reunionizing, students taking part in the annual run/walk and field hockey and soccer games (alumni 4/students many more). Bit by bit the alumni, many of them relatives of Wolf or Lucky's, arrived and I could now hear that Guindon/Standing laughter ringing out amid the stately buildings and hardwoods. I have to say that the food at Olney was excellent - having worked for several years at a canoe camp, where the food was great, I was truly impressed with the quality and variety of the food at Olney - I'm not sure of the cook's name but she was well aware of her responsiblity of feeding an international student body with a variety of taste buds and obviously loves to try new recipes. That kale soup was excellent.

Wolf and I presented the book on Saturday night to a packed house - somewhere between 150 and 200. Wolf spoke very clearly and lovingly, and I followed, proud of myself for sticking to my new program which involved slowing the slide images down to fit the readings from the book. We sold all the books I brought and received a lot of great response from those who had already read it.

I met a bunch of people who I've heard about over the years from Wolf and Lucky.  Shirley and I lingered with Herbie Smith and Marie Bunty for a long time after the program and exchanged stories - mine of knowing the Guindons in recent times, theirs of sixty years ago.

On Sunday Shirley and I went to the Friends Meeting in Stillwater which was both the same as Monteverde - silent - but more verbally Christian than is Monteverde.  The benches weren't in a circular style and the way things proceeded was a little different. My personal Quaker experience has been consistently in Monteverde. When people stood and spoke I was naturally awaiting the Spanish translation that occurs in Monteverde. When we got to the afterthoughts and announcements, I was listening for Wolf's son, Benito, in the background, his low voice simultaneously translating the english to the spanish. In Monteverde there is often an orange trogon - a relative of the beautiful resplendant quetzal - perched on a branch outside the window, perhaps hooting, perhaps silent like the Quakers, its orange breast and striped tail shining. In Monteverde, when the wind is blowing and the tree branches are snapping against the building, I often feel that I am in a tree - if that is so, then here at Stillwater, I was among the roots.  I could feel Wolf and Lucky's past all around me and knew that this was where the miracle happened, the life force rising from the seed that germinated into the roots that became the family tree that is Monteverde.

I saw other folks who I have met before - Roy Joe and Ruthie Stuckey, Susie Roth, Sylvia who is Lucky's cousin. Following meeting there was a picnic nearby at Wolf's nephew's, Don Guindon's.  Guindons and Standing relatives gathered to celebrate the presence of Wolf and Lucky and to visit with each other. 

                       Sylvia, Rachel & their Aunt Lucky

I had the pleasure of meeting Lucky's oldest sister, Helen, 94 years old and laughing up a storm. I met a multitude of extended family and unfortunately don't remember the names of many of them unless I had managed to meet them on a previous occasion.

One of the most touching conversations I had was with one of Wolf's nieces. On Saturday night, she had implied that she wanted to talk with me but we didn't have the chance until just before I left on Sunday afternoon.  What she wanted to share with me was that in the Guindon family there have been chemical imbalances - mental illness - and yet they haven't talked about it. 

In Walking with Wolf we do talk about this. Wolf's manic depression was a puzzle to me when I met him, but in the three years after meeting him but before returning to Costa Rica and continuing our oral history project, I bumped into people with this malady a couple more times.  Then I lived with a man with a mental disorder for a number of years while I was working on the book. Mental illness is as common as any other illness but has carried a stigma that makes people keep their mouths shut about it.

This lovely woman (and I apologize for not remembering her name) has lived with depression herself, as has one of her two daughters - the other lives with Aspergers syndrome. Wolf's daughter Helena's son, Silvio, also has this affliction yet last year he was awarded as the top scoring student graduating from a Costa Rican high school.  The niece had only just bought the book but had heard from sisters and cousins that we discuss the depression that her grandmother experienced and Wolf's own manic depression. The book also includes Lucky's story about living with Wolf in the years before he was properly diagnosed and prescribed lithium. 

When I met Wolf and saw some of his behaviour, it was both comical and mystical to me. However, over the years, as I met various other people with a variety of mental illnesses - including my ex-partner who I shared struggles with for eight years - I realized the difficulty of living with this. It was important to me that we talk about it in the book, as it was a very real part of Wolf and Lucky's life.  Even though perhaps it was me who insisted we talk about this, it was Wolf and Lucky who provided the honest, candid details of their experience.  And neither one ever suggested that we hide it. It is now out in the open and makes it possible for the family - who can share many examples and experiences - to start and continue the dialogue.  There is no place for shame in this, only room for love and understanding.

Rich Sidwell and the staff at Olney - Mary, Leonard, Cleda, Ela & my Canadian-cohort Jaya - provided the opportunity and the backdrop for this wonderful weekend.  Their invitation helped us sell books, connect with family and link to the broader Quaker community. Olney itself is a very special place with a student population from all over the world. When we sat down for meals, the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural aspect of the place was apparent.  For me, a non-Quaker but someone who has lingered among these peaceful, considerate, simple people who are encouraged to be seekers, Olney provided a place to rejoice with a community that was honoring Wolf and Lucky and that very special community in Costa Rica - Monteverde. Every path that this book takes me down allows me to breathe deeply, smile widely and hold my head proudly - to have participated in any small way in this community is a true privilege. The roots and the branches of this large tree of humanity have spread far and wide in my own life and I'm very thankful for that. Today being Canadian Thanksgiving, that will be my grace.

Thanks for joining us Kristin. :-)

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Helpful Resources:

1. Alternative periodic tables - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_periodic_tables

2. Pictures, stories, and facts about the element Nitrogen in the Periodic ...

   Photographs and descriptions of many samples of the element Nitrogen in the Periodic Table. ... Nathan Giguere. Contributor: Nathan Giguere. Acquired: 12 ...

   periodictable.com/Elements/007/index.html

3. Nitroglycerine pills, a sample of the element Nitrogen in the Periodic ...

   Description and origins of Nitroglycerine pills, a sample of the element Nitrogen in the Periodic Table. ... Giguere. Contributor: Nathan Giguere. Acquired: ...

   www.periodictable.com/Items/007.9/index.qt.html

4. Alternative Periodic Tables

   ... FORMS OF THE PERIODIC TABLE. Since 1869, numerous table designs have been ... is a 3-D periodic table constructed by Paul Giguere based primarily on the ...

   www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/alttable.htm

5. A Printable Periodic Table (1996)

   This .gif file will print sideways on a sheet of 81/2 by 11 inch paper. Click the picture below to view the full size version. ...

   www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/ptable.htm

6. Periodic table - New World Encyclopedia

   Next (Periodic table, main group elements) ... styles: Stowe, Benfey, Zmaczynski, Giguere, Tarantola, Filling, Mendeleev) "Periodic table" ... Periodic tables ...

   www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Periodic_table

7. Stowe's Periodic Table (1988)

   Dr. Timmothy Stowe's physicists periodic table. (Clickable.) Benfey. Zmaczynski. Filling. Giguere. Mendeleev. Periodic ...

   dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C04/C04Links/.../periodic/stowetable.html

8. Paul Giguere's 3-D Table

   Paul Giguere's Periodic Table ...

   dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C04/C04Links/.../periodic/giguere.html

9. Periodic Table: Editor Selected ResultsAbout Periodic Table

   Periodic Table of the Elements. Periodic Table History. Fun Periodic Tables ... filling version, and those of Stowe, Benfey, Zmaczynski, Giguere, and Tarantola. ...

   results.about.com/periodic_table

10. Periodic Tables

    ... Periodic Tables. Periodic Tables with Basic Information. Periodic ... 3-D Periodic Table Paul Giguere. The very long form of the periodic table Virginia Tech ...

    teachers.ocps.net/~fellerr/media/ishperiodictables2.html

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This is one day Sarah Palin would like to be able to do over. Assuming always gets you in trouble. Well, that is exactly what she did this morning in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin mistook some of her own fans for hecklers Monday as a rally that drew thousands.

A massive crowd of at least 20,000 spread across the parking lot of Richmond International Raceway, and scores of people on the outer periphery more than 100 yards from the stage could not hear.

"Louder! Louder!" they began chanting, and the cry spread across the crowd to Palin's left. Some pointed skyward, urging that the volume be increased. Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.

"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.

Good thing Todd was with her, he saved her from embarrassing herself further.

Palin's husband Todd tried to put an end to the awkward episode by approaching his wife on stage and telling her, "They just can't hear you back there. That's it."

Palin responded, "OK. I'm doing that," and then continued with her stump speech.

Nothing like getting nasty with your own supporters; at this rate they may lose that 2% margin they have over Obama.

]]> http://dlennis.wordpress.com/?p=1558 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:07:49 +0000 D L Ennis http://dlennis.it.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/a-beauty-in-autumn/

Took this picture of these beautiful flowers in a little church garden in Lynchburg, Virginia…

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RICHMOND, VA.) - Protesters at Sarah Palin’s rallies can always expect to be shot down with some choice words from the candidate. But at a rally here today, the confused Alaska governor mistakenly issued a stern rebuke to her own supporters.

The outdoor crowd was so massive that many were unable to hear Palin speak, so about midway through the Alaska governor’s remarks, some of them tried to take matters into their own hands, shouting in unison, “We can’t hear you!”

When that didn’t get the candidate’s attention, they tried a new tactic.

“Louder!” they shouted.

Palin appeared flustered as she stopped reading from the prepared remarks, which were coming across her teleprompter.

“I would hope at least that those protesters have the courage and the honor of thanking our veterans for giving them the right to protest!” she admonished the confused crowd.

Palin’s husband Todd tried to put an end to the awkward episode by approaching his wife on stage and telling her, “They just can’t hear you back there. That’s it.”

Palin responded, “OK. I’m doing that,” and then continued with her stump speech.

I have been looking for the perfect opportunity to show this video, which by the way has nothing to do with Palin blasting her crowd, even though if I do find the video I'll post.  This video is a couple of Alaskans take on Sarah Palin,

You'll never look at Virginia the same ever again, will you? Someone must have been crazy to request a license plate like that...

Many on the outer periphery, more than 100 yards from the stage, couldn't hear.

They started chanting, "Louder! Louder!" Palin thought they were protesters, looked toward them and said, "I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest."

I first saw presidents park in march when I came down to visit william and mary. my friend kristin, knowing my affection for the presidents, knew it was something I had to see. so, in the virginia dusk, she drove me down route 199 and told me to keep my eyes open. suddenly, rising up out of the ground along the side of the highway were GIANT BUSTS OF ALL THE PRESIDENTS. the orangey light of the setting sun shined on abraham lincoln's face, who benevolently smiled at passers-by. these white, 15-foot tall cement statues looked like they were growing straight out of the ground from GIANT PRESIDENTIAL SEEDS. I almost had a heart attack. we pulled down the road behind the park so I could take a few photos through a chain link fence.

every time I drove down rt. 199 past presidents park, I would almost drive directly off the road and into a tree. so today, I finally went there to this presidential mecca.

it was weird.

the busts--made of sculpted white concrete and arranged chronologically along a circular path--are just tall enough that you can look right up your favorite president's nostrils. gentle patriotic music wafts through the air. Informational signs point out the most salient points from each president's career, often leaving out the most juicy bits. though pointing out that john quincy adams swam in the potomac river everyday, the sign, however, neglects to mention that he did this in the nude.

I was slightly sadden by the fact that old standards like abe and georgie-poo and andrew "asshole" jackson were fairly well maintained, but the lesser-known presidents (who are always my favorites) had peeling paint and big chunks taken out of their noses. oh, the injustice. I have to say, too, that bill clinton didn't look much like bill clinton. he looked like a big fatty who'd spent too much time playing video games and eating cheez-whiz. on the other hand, george bush, sr. looked really good. I think there was some heavy republican favoritism at play here. also, the admission was $7.50! $7.50! hopefully they put my money to good use and give FDR a new pair of spectacles. the man is blind without them, seriously.

in conclusion, I suppose I might say that my perceptions of presidents park are not unbepissed.