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Greetings, Quotaholics:
Last
Friday I wrote an article about smoking and growing your own tobacco.
This prompted the following response;
“You
know, Mike, I feel sorry for the smokers in this country. You are mostly
adults who have the right to do what you want, whether it’s good for
you or not. Yet you have consistently allowed others to dictate what
you will do. I feel the same way about this as I do drugs, unsafe sex,
over eating, drinking, etc. If someone is fully informed of the consequences
of what they are doing and willing to accept any health issues that
result from them, they should be left alone to do it!! Unfortunately
too many people think they have the right to tell everyone else how
they have to live, and they are believed. We are all a bunch of sheep
at times.- Ruth in WA”
Thanks for the input Ruth. I do think that the anti-smoking movement
has gotten a little out of hand these days with most businesses being
told that they can’t allow smoking. This has caused some problems
for some small bars, diners, etc. where smoking was always allowed with
few if any complaints.
But it’s not just in the United States where this is taking place.
I understand that pubs are closing at an alarming rate in the UK because
of anti-smoking laws. At a time when small businesses are having trouble
because of the economy, it appears that patrons are opting to stay home
and drink where they can still smoke too.
The problem has gotten so bad that in some places people are being told
they can’t smoke on their own property. According to an article
in The Local, a
Swedish news site, a battle over smoking in one’s own backyard
was recently settled in court.
In Åkarp in southern Sweden a woman was sued by her neighbor over
her smoking. “The conflict between the neighbours has been an
ongoing legal saga since 2006. The smoke-sensitive neighbour, a lawyer,
was so disturbed by the smoking that he wore a breathing mask whenever
he was in his garden at the same time the woman was smoking.”
“In 2007, the Environmental Court in Växjö initially
banned the woman from smoking in her own garden, ruling that she was
banned from smoking within a nine metre radius of her neightbour’s house.”
“The 49-year-old woman then appealed the decision to the Environmental
High Court, which in turn found no reasonable grounds for an interim
ban before a final decision was reached.”
“On Friday, the the Environmental High Court made a final ruling
that the woman may light up as much as she wants to in her own garden.”
“In its decision, the court said that the neighbour had been unable
to prove that the woman’s smoke ‘poses such a significant threat
to human health’ that the environmental code would prescribe prohibiting
the woman to smoke in the garden.”
Now those of us who are of a suspicious nature might conclude that the
main problem here is that the neighbor is a lawyer! But the courts first
decision that the woman couldn’t smoke within 9 meters (approx.
30 feet) of her neighbors house was a little troubling. In most suburban
neighborhoods it would be difficult to find a place that wasn’t
closer than 9 meters from one of your neighbor’s houses.
It would seem that common sense prevailed this time, but I bet that’s
not the case in other parts of the world.
I know there are lot’s of non-smokers out there, what do you think?
Should the woman have been banned from smoking in her yard? Do you have
neighbors who smoke? Does it ever bother you? Would you ever consider
taking a neighbor to court over smoking?
What do you smokers think? Was this a case of harassment? Do you think
your smoking could possibly be a nuisance to your neighbors?
Choked-up,
Comment
On This Article |
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“Penguins mate for life. Which doesn’t really surprise me, ’cause they
all look exactly alike. Its not like they’re gonna meet a better-looking
penguin someday.” - Ellen DeGeneres
“When men are growing up and they’re reading about Batman, Spiderman,
Superman … those are not fantasies … they’re options.” - Jerry Seinfeld
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Computer Users
[Thanks Dora in Denver]
Computer users are
divided into three types:
Novice, Intermediate and Expert.
Novice Users - People who are afraid that simply pressing a key might
break their computer.
Intermediate Users - People who don’t know how to fix their computer
after they’ve just pressed a key that broke it.
Expert Users - People who press the keys that break other people’s
computers.
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“A correct answer is like an affectionate kiss.”
“A person hears only what they understand.”
“Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent.”
- all from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born on this day in 1749
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Speak
right up!
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Friends
There are times in our lives that disruptions take place and we are
separated
from our friends. At those times we become as lonely as a person can
be, especially if we had been quite active with our friends on a regular
basis.
There are many causes for this disruption. A change of residence due
to a new job can make you move away. A change of marital status often
creates a rift if you’re single now and all your friends are still married.
Accidents & disease take a person away from their "normal"
activities. Economics often changes the way we entertain ourselves and
activities in which we can participate, taking us away from individuals
and groups of which we were a part.
We find ourselves thoroughly involved with whatever circumstance that
took us away from our friends at first. Then, as the primary issue diminishes,
we find that loneliness envelope us. We realize we have lost our friends.
It then becomes a search for a hobby or activity that will give us that
human interaction we need. If it is simply reinsertion into the same
activities with the same people, the reclamation of one’s friends is
easier and quicker. However, this is not always the case with changes
that are permanent.
Once in a new town, or even a new part of a town sometimes, it is too
inconvenient to return "home" to participate as usual. Finding
a new group in the same activity makes one "the new kid in class"
which is a very uncomfortable situation for everyone. One does not find
the same acceptance with the new group they shared with "old friends".
If the change is more dramatic, due to health or availability issues,
one can find themselves totally out in the cold. There is a TV show,
"Burn Notice" that takes this to the max. Even so, those who
have had a traumatic change in their lives can somewhat relate to this
character’s circumstance. Being alone, or simply the feeling of being
alone, is a disturbing and depressing feeling. Add in the resistance
of people to accept a "newbie" and it can be overwhelming
for some people.
Eventually, some activity will be entertaining and introduce the participant
to new relationships. New bonds will form between individuals. Chain
reaction effects will create positive interactions with others who were
friends of the new friend. Then, one day, seemingly a transition without
any demarcation, a realization arises where the person who was once
lonely reflects and sees they are now enjoying relationships and fun
activities again. A feeling of relief is often the emotion they feel.
Here’s your quiz:
Have you had some event in your life that caused you to become alienated
or dislocated from your friends?
Have you gone through a period of time feeling lonely due to life circumstances?
If so, what did you do to reinsert yourself into society? Or are you
still trying?
Friends - Birds Of A Feather Flock Together
Cliff (the High-Tech
Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’) 
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Kirsten is on vacation. Here’s an article from the archive.
Email
Kirsten
"Somewhere,
something incredible is waiting to be known."
~ Carl Sagan ~
Every now and then a gem arrives in my email inbox. I’m not talking
about the regular gems that I always treasure - messages from my Mom,
news from friends, photographs of loved ones, funny jokes and pictures.
I’m referring to potentially life-changing emails from people I barely
know. Emails that open up new worlds of possibility or information.
The gem that I received today is all about ACE, or Alternative
Cellular Energy.
As you all know, my son George has autism. There is a shroud of mystery
surrounding this disorder. No-one knows what causes it or why its
prevalence is increasing at such an alarming rate. There are plenty
of theories, though. When George was first diagnosed, it seemed as
if everywhere I turned, there was someone giving me yet another theory,
yet another treatment method, or yet more information that conflicted
with everything I had heard thus far. It was all very overwhelming.
Now that I have a year of experience as an autism mom, I have figured
out how to process and organise all of the information I receive.
Instead of sources of confusion, I now regard each new theory as an
avenue for information and a possibility to make the world better
for my son and kids like him.
A theory
currently under exploration - the one that I got the email about -
is that autism is caused by viruses that are not recognised by the
immune system (stealth-adapted
viruses). The good news is that our bodies have a virus-defence
system other than the immune system, which protects us from these
viruses. The bad news - according to this theory - is that this system
does not work as well as it should in people with autism. Think of
a battery that is only half-charged. If this system - the Alternative
Cellular Energy pathway - is activated, symptoms of autism can be
alleviated.
The ACE
pathways are jump-started by creating a flourescent reaction by placing
special surgical towels on the skin for half an hour at a time. Each
treatment is theorised to "last" for a period of about 90
days. The email I received was from someone whose son is part of a
research study being conducted in the United States and Canada to
explore this. Her son, she says, has started to show significant improvements
less than a week after starting the study. There are still spaces
open in the study, and I have been invited to register George.
I am excited
about this new area of study. It is a concrete theory that makes sense,
at least on the surface. And it is more than just a theory about the
cause - it actually offers potential treatment methods, and even preventative
measures. On the other hand, I cannot help being a bit dubious of
something that makes the skin go flourescent. It seems like something
straight out of The X-Files. I don’t want to ignore the possibility
of being part of something that could help my son, but at the same
time, I want to ensure that I don’t inadvertently hurt him. I’m seeking
advice from everyone I can think of - my doctor, my chiropractor,
professionals who are involved in the care of my son. I am going to
call the doctor leading the study to ask him in-depth questions about
the study, its safety and risks, any similar studies that have been
done - whatever I can think of.
As I embark
on this quest for information, I want to reach out to any readers
who may have any knowledge of this subject. Whether you are part of
the medical profession or not, I would really like to hear from you
if you have any perspective on this.
Kaleidoscopically
yours,
Kirsten
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Dear Tim,
What do you think about Diskeeper that Dear Webby promotes?
Noella
Dear Noella.
This is one of those utilities some people will swear by while someone
else will tell you you don’t need it. For the most part, today’s disk
drives are large enough and fast enough that there is plenty of free
space and they don’t get fragmented. This would only become a problem
if your disk is 90% full or more and is also more than 3 or 4 years
old.
Now, let’s say your disk is that full and old. Windows comes with
a disk cleanup tool as well as a disk defragmenter. If your disk seems
to be slow, try them (located in the start menu under Accessories
-> System tools). Be warned that they can take several hours to run,
so you should let them run overnight (run the cleaner before you go
to bed, then start the defragmenter before you go to work in the morning.)
If that helps, see how long your computer remains faster.
There are many added features to Diskeeper
that aren’t in Windows Defrag. For example, it will run in the background
and defrag on-the-fly when your computer is idle. That could be useful
if you frequently have to defrag to keep up your computer’s speed.
If your disk is too full to run Windows defrag, Diskeeper might be
for you.
They do offer a trial version, so
I’d try it out before I dished out $30 (or more) of my hard earned
money. If the trial doesn’t help you, keep your money in your pocket.
Hope this helps.
Tim a’Musing
Having a Ball with Disks
E-mail Dear Tim
Comment on this
article
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Household Tips
Instead of using expensive silver cleaners, put a dab of toothpaste
on a clean rag and rub it on your precious possession. After you’ve
rubbed it in, just clean it with another clean rag. Your silver will
look like new.
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I think I’m getting worse at these lines.
I’m down to two contributors. Help!
Next opening line…
There once was a man with a yearning…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
A
nasty young man name of Kelly
Had a very large budda belly.
It caused him much pain
And drove him insane
Because it shook like a bowl full of jelly. - Lou in Buckeye country |
A
nasty young man name of Kelly
Was banned from the local deli.
He tried to get in
But just couldn’t win.
Because his feet were oh so smelly. - Lou in Buckeye country |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly………
Whose girl friend had a big belly………
From having such fun………
What they should have done…………
Was spend the night watching telly. - Skeeter |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly……..
Was really quite smelly……….
‘Cause he hadn’t hath…….
A really good bath………
Since he moved in with his new "celly". - Skeeter |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly……
Who worked at the corner deli…….
Got grapes from a farm………
Bunches as long as his arm…….
And made lots of grape jelly. - Skeeter |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly……
Sat in the section for celli…….
Some would think…….
"Why does he have to stink"?
And others "Boy! he sure is smelly". - Skeeter |
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Re:
Photoshopping
It is well documented that advertising leads to eating disorders in
women. Yet, if she manages to look at all like a supermodel, I assume
that she has little else to say, and wouldn’t give me the time of day
anyway. What has always attracted me is someone’s attention. Deep down,
men are programmed to look for women who seem able to bear and feed
healthy babies. Women look for mates who can support and or protect
babies, which is less tied to appearance. - Bob of the North
It doesn’t stop with people either. Did you ever see a hamburger served
looking remotely like the advertisement? I think we have been conditioned
to expect to be deceived whether in advertising or photos. Women especially
are held up to scrutiny that is not at all what should be reflected
upon. A persons character is far more important. How to capture that
in a photo is another question. - Dave
in Ohio
Re: Cliff and Fairs or Carnivals
I
volunteered for our own town festival this year, to meet my neighbors.
As a kid, I loved the excitement and novelty of both displays and rides.
I promised myself that for the year 2000 celebration, I’d go on every
ride in a park. As it turned out, I did find an active park, but they
wouldn’t let me on the rides my kid had had in mind, because my arm
was broken. I didn’t mind, really. I’d even lost my taste for spun sugar
by middle age.
After some time in the display biz, I got the impression that almost
all the interesting information was getting filtered out or hidden,
much to the chagrin of my mother, who went to several world’s fairs,
and couldn’t understand why I didn’t go exploring when I had a pass
for one. Now, I stay away if I think I might see or smell meat being
cooked and eaten. It affects me about the way cannibalism affects most
people, because I know that the world economy supplying that kind of
food causes a human being to starve to death every few seconds. - Bob
of the North
Elephant ears–aren’t those
the same things they call funnel cakes? YUMMY -
Bonnie >^,,^<
[Actually, no. Funnel
cakes are a pastry covered with powdered sugar. Pastry batter not unlike
pancake batter that is fried. You are correct about the yum part though.
Elephant ears are a flat bread that is fried but it is not usually crunchy
like funnel cakes. Once cooked, an elephant ear is covered in cinnamon
& sugar. It gets it’s name from it shape when cooked. Also very
yummy! - Cliff, the High Tech Redneck]
We have an excellent county fair here in the basin, actually two of
them LA county starting next week and Orange county done already. Nowadays
I go to look at the live stock and other exhibits that interest me because
of my country upbringing. I always enjoyed the 4H projects etc.
I was a "carney" for one summer, the rowdiest bunch I ever
encountered, OMG the tales I could tell there!! WO HOO what a summer
of debauchery and drunkenness that was!!!
I never ride the rides. I know the kind of people that set them up and
maintain them or at least some of them, although these days they are
scrutinized much more closely.
At 59 (as of yesterday) I still brave the rougher rides, when we make
the anual sojourn to Magic Mountain and I give it hell so to speak.
There are a few new roller coasters that are less than comfortable but
the rush is still worth it to me, my favorites are still the wooden
ones. - G from the left coast
BTW that "cooking tip" about the ham is a truism, it happened
in my family, Grandmas only roasting pan (during the depression) was
not big enough.
The State Fair in New Mexico
is nearly 3 weeks. I usually go once, get a turkey leg and a sliced
apple in a bowl of hot caramel. I go through the hall with the new products,
sometimes the animal barns, and I avoid the midway. - L&K, herm
[ I attend
the Renaissance Faire, a private commercial event, every fall to get
my annual turkey leg. The local street & county fairs don’t have
them for some reason. Care to point the food vendor to Cincinnati? There
may be a lot of $ in it for them. - Cliff, the High Tech Redneck]
[The
New Mexico State Fair was always my favorite. Navajo tacos in
the Indian village, pasole in the Spanish Village, and of course the
hot caramel! Yum. I don’t know why I didn’t gain more weight
there than I did. With fall coming I miss it already.]
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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and point it out to me. I’m in the process of compiling an e-book
called, not surprisingly, The Best of RGQ, and I’d like to hear from you
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