From one all american family to all of you!
Cnn News Ticker
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
China Meats the West
Daniel, over at the Good Reason blog, has an interesting post about the strain meat eaters are putting on an already over burdened planet. He references a very interesting article about China's new demand for poultry and beef. During my stay in China my hotel was right next to an evening "food on a stick" kiosk line that went on for about a mile. Here are some of the other meat choices we found while in China.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Liberals with Guns
I expect to get much crap for this but....
Go take a look at Liberals with Guns and tell me what you think. Or am I falling prey to a bait and switch?
I want an elitist for president
So elitism is abuzz in the news again. As Jon Stewart said, "I want my president to be better than me at everything and in every way." Question is... who doesn't? I guess everyone who voted for Bush the last two times. Problem is that the rest of America, and the world, have to live with the choices made by these simpletons. I would think after the last 8 years we might want someone in the oval office who actually knows what they are doing.
As a side note I have often noticed the right use that word in conjunction with effete. (everyone read damned fagot) What, the repubtards get to use this word because its a "big" word and therefor acceptable? We all know what they mean so why not point it out straight. How many other examples can we find of right wing talking heads being allowed to use new words to convey very old, very bad ideas?
Monday, April 14, 2008
What America means to me (a Damned liberal)
In the presence of James Madison, the Marquis de Lafayette toasted Jefferson as "father" of the University of Virginia at the school's inaugural banquet in 1824. The University's first classes met in March 1825, when it became the first institution to offer students a full choice of elective courses, instead of the then-standard fare of fixed schedules determined by school administrators. Other universities of the day allowed only three choices of specialization: Medicine, Law, and Religion, but under Jefferson's guidance, the University of Virginia became the first in the United States to allow specializations in such diverse fields as Astronomy, Architecture, Botany, Philosophy, and Political Science. Jefferson explained, "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."
The Academical Village in winterAn even more controversial direction was taken for the new university based on a daring vision of higher education, completely separated from religious doctrine. One of the largest construction projects in North America up to that time, the new Grounds were centered upon a library (then housed in the Rotunda) rather than a church—further distinguishing it from peer universities of the United States, virtually all of which were still primarily functioning as seminaries for one particular religion or another.[5] Jefferson even went so far as to ban the teaching of Theology altogether. In a letter to Thomas Cooper in October 1814, Jefferson stated, "a professorship of theology should have no place in our institution" and, true to form, the University had, nor has, no Divinity school or department, and was established independent of any religious sect. Replacing the then-standard specialization in Religion, the University undertook groundbreaking specializations in more "scientific" subjects such as Astronomy and Botany. (A non-denominational University chapel, notably absent from Jefferson's original plans, was constructed in 1890.)
The Academical Village in winterAn even more controversial direction was taken for the new university based on a daring vision of higher education, completely separated from religious doctrine. One of the largest construction projects in North America up to that time, the new Grounds were centered upon a library (then housed in the Rotunda) rather than a church—further distinguishing it from peer universities of the United States, virtually all of which were still primarily functioning as seminaries for one particular religion or another.[5] Jefferson even went so far as to ban the teaching of Theology altogether. In a letter to Thomas Cooper in October 1814, Jefferson stated, "a professorship of theology should have no place in our institution" and, true to form, the University had, nor has, no Divinity school or department, and was established independent of any religious sect. Replacing the then-standard specialization in Religion, the University undertook groundbreaking specializations in more "scientific" subjects such as Astronomy and Botany. (A non-denominational University chapel, notably absent from Jefferson's original plans, was constructed in 1890.)
For those who want to know...
...this is the kind of computer I work on. The little one is about $50.000 and the big boy is about a million.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
and he loves his cool new wheel chair too.
Success!
Jackson's...I mean Superman's surgery was a success! He was under for almost five hours. Dr. Mosca was able to amputate the left foot, fuse the knee and insert a metal rod up the entire leg to provide additional support.
Jackson is doing great and has a positive attitude. So far the biggest gripe has been about the IV and oxygen sensor (Jackson could not move all of his fingers on his left hand.) Once the nurse moved the oxygen sensor to his foot, Jackson was able to play his gameboy, which made him a very Happy Camper.
Keep the good energy coming!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Here is the final update before Jackson Guan Yi Atwood's surgery.
As many of you know, Jackson has a birth defect called Proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD). His PFFD was more than likely caused by restriction of necessary nerve and bone development in utero as a result of very mild spinal bifida in his lower two vertebra. As a result, Jackson's left femur is only about 2" long. He also has no head on his left femur, which means that his hip muscle mass is the only thing keeping his left leg in place. Although this all sounds very ominous, Jackson is a very outgoing, happy and energetic kid. He is very excited to get his "Robot Leg". We will be staying at Children's Hospital in Seattle during Jackson's surgery. We have been so impressed with this facility and the care and love that the Doctors and staff show for kids. We really are very lucky to have such an outstanding facility here in the Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday, Dec. 5- Back at Children's for limb deficiency clinic, renal ultrasound (to rule out kidney problems as a result of spinal bifida), more x-rays, anesthesia clinic, & prosthetic clinic. Busy day. We will be staying the night in Seattle (in a hotel with an indoor pool, so Jackson can go swimming one last time before the body cast).
Thursday, Dec. 6- 7:30 am surgery. Jackson's left little femur will be fused to his knee and the tibula and fibula will also be fused to the knee creating a new long femur. Then his left foot will be amputated. They will keep his heel pad and that will become the base of his new residual limb (PC term for stump :). The surgery takes 4-hours. He will then be put into a body case, where he will be positioned at a 45 degree angle to stretch the tendons from the knee. We will be in the hospital for 3 or 4 days.
January 16th- Jackson will have his cast removed and he will be placed is a shrinking sock. This will reduce the swelling on the residual limb and allow the prosthetic designers to make a mold of the limb about two weeks later.
Two-Weeks Later- A casting is taken of him limb. We work with the technicians to design a limb with components that will best meet Jackson's super high energy needs.
4-weeks Later- The limb is ready. Jackson will get his new "Robot Leg". We will than made multiply trip back and forth to Children's for additional fitting's and limb alignment.
Then for 3-6 months...Jackson will undergo intensive physical therapy to learn to walk again using his prosthetic. He is a fast learner and has remarkable gross motor skills, so we are optimistic that he will have quick mastery of his new leg.
Well, I hope this answers many of your questions. We have been so surprised and moved by the outpouring of love and support for our family this year. Thank you! Please feel free to drop us a line with questions and words of strength.
We love and appreciate all of you!!!
Here is the timeline:
Wednesday, Dec. 5- Back at Children's for limb deficiency clinic, renal ultrasound (to rule out kidney problems as a result of spinal bifida), more x-rays, anesthesia clinic, & prosthetic clinic. Busy day. We will be staying the night in Seattle (in a hotel with an indoor pool, so Jackson can go swimming one last time before the body cast).
Thursday, Dec. 6- 7:30 am surgery. Jackson's left little femur will be fused to his knee and the tibula and fibula will also be fused to the knee creating a new long femur. Then his left foot will be amputated. They will keep his heel pad and that will become the base of his new residual limb (PC term for stump :). The surgery takes 4-hours. He will then be put into a body case, where he will be positioned at a 45 degree angle to stretch the tendons from the knee. We will be in the hospital for 3 or 4 days.
January 16th- Jackson will have his cast removed and he will be placed is a shrinking sock. This will reduce the swelling on the residual limb and allow the prosthetic designers to make a mold of the limb about two weeks later.
Two-Weeks Later- A casting is taken of him limb. We work with the technicians to design a limb with components that will best meet Jackson's super high energy needs.
4-weeks Later- The limb is ready. Jackson will get his new "Robot Leg". We will than made multiply trip back and forth to Children's for additional fitting's and limb alignment.
Then for 3-6 months...Jackson will undergo intensive physical therapy to learn to walk again using his prosthetic. He is a fast learner and has remarkable gross motor skills, so we are optimistic that he will have quick mastery of his new leg.
Well, I hope this answers many of your questions. We have been so surprised and moved by the outpouring of love and support for our family this year. Thank you! Please feel free to drop us a line with questions and words of strength.
We love and appreciate all of you!!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Out of the mouths of babes
Not that I don't enjoy laughing at the stupidity of my own country but every once in a while it is nice to know that idiot knee jerk reactions are not exclusive to the US. Case in point, I chuckled when I came across this article.
Good news is that it looks like the future may be bright. Not only did the 16 year old show how stupid the governments idea was, he also presented two really good ideas. Listen to the target audience ( the kids) and let parents take some responsibility in teaching them how to protect themselves.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Not so fast, Christian soldiers
The Pentagon has a disturbing relationship with private evangelical groups.
Maybe what the war in Iraq needs is not more troops but more religion. At least that's the message the Department of Defense seems to be sending.
Last week, after an investigation spurred by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the Pentagon abruptly announced that it would not be delivering "freedom packages" to our soldiers in Iraq, as it had originally intended.
What were the packages to contain? Not body armor or home-baked cookies. Rather, they held Bibles, proselytizing material in English and Arabic and the apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" (derived from the series of post-Rapture novels), in which "soldiers for Christ" hunt down enemies who look suspiciously like U.N. peacekeepers.
The packages were put together by a fundamentalist Christian ministry called Operation Straight Up, or OSU. Headed by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, OSU is an official member of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. The group has staged a number of Christian-themed shows at military bases, featuring athletes, strongmen and actor-turned-evangelist Stephen Baldwin. But thanks in part to the support of the Pentagon, Operation Straight Up has now begun focusing on Iraq, where, according to its website (on pages taken down last week), it planned an entertainment tour called the "Military Crusade."
Apparently the wonks at the Pentagon forgot that Muslims tend to bristle at the word "crusade" and thought that what the Iraq war lacked was a dose of end-times theology.
In the end, the Defense Department realized the folly of participating in any Operation Straight Up crusade. But the episode is just another example of increasingly disturbing, and indeed unconstitutional, relationships being forged between the U.S. military and private evangelical groups.
Take, for instance, the recent scandal involving Christian Embassy, a group whose expressed purpose is to proselytize to military personnel, diplomats, Capitol Hill staffers and political appointees. In a shocking breach of security, Defense Department officials allowed a Christian Embassy film crew to roam the corridors of the Pentagon unescorted while making a promotional video featuring high-ranking officers and political appointees. (Christian Embassy, which holds prayer meetings weekly at the Pentagon, is so entrenched that Air Force Maj. Gen. John J. Catton Jr. said he'd assumed the organization was a "quasi-federal entity.")
The Pentagon's inspector general recently released a report recommending unspecified "corrective action" for those officers who appeared in the video for violating Defense Department regulations. But, in a telling gesture, the report avoided any discussion of how allowing an evangelical group to function within the Defense Department is an obvious violation of the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment.
The extent to which such relationships have damaged international goodwill toward the U.S. is beyond measure. As the inspector general noted, a leading Turkish newspaper, Sabah, published an article on Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, who is the U.S. liaison to the Turkish military -- and who appeared in the Christian Embassy video. The article described Christian Embassy as a "radical fundamentalist sect," perhaps irreparably damaging Sutton's primary job objective of building closer ties to the Turkish General Staff, which has expressed alarm at the influence of fundamentalist Christian groups inside the U.S. military.
Our military personnel swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, not the Bible. Yet by turning a blind eye to OSU and Christian Embassy activities, the Pentagon is, in essence, endorsing their proselytizing. And sometimes it's more explicit than that.
That certainly was the case with Army Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin, deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. The Pentagon put him in charge of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in 2003. The same year, Boykin was found to be touring American churches, where he gave speeches -- in uniform -- casting the Iraq war in end-times terms. "We're in is a spiritual battle," he told one congregation in Oregon. "Satan wants to destroy this nation . . . and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army." The story wound up in newspapers, magazines and on "60 Minutes." And, of course, it was reported all over the Muslim world. The Pentagon reacted with a collective shrug.
American military and political officials must, at the very least, have the foresight not to promote crusade rhetoric in the midst of an already religion-tinged war. Many of our enemies in the Mideast already believe that the world is locked in a contest between Christianity and Islam. Why are our military officials validating this ludicrous claim with their own fiery religious rhetoric?
It's time to actively strip the so-called war on terror of its religious connotations, not add to them. Because religious wars are not just ugly, they are unwinnable. And despite what Operation Straight Up and its supporters in the Pentagon may think is taking place in Iraq, the Rapture is not a viable exit strategy.
Michael L. Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, wrote "With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military." Reza Aslan, author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam," is on the MRFF advisory board.
Last week, after an investigation spurred by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the Pentagon abruptly announced that it would not be delivering "freedom packages" to our soldiers in Iraq, as it had originally intended.
What were the packages to contain? Not body armor or home-baked cookies. Rather, they held Bibles, proselytizing material in English and Arabic and the apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" (derived from the series of post-Rapture novels), in which "soldiers for Christ" hunt down enemies who look suspiciously like U.N. peacekeepers.
The packages were put together by a fundamentalist Christian ministry called Operation Straight Up, or OSU. Headed by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, OSU is an official member of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. The group has staged a number of Christian-themed shows at military bases, featuring athletes, strongmen and actor-turned-evangelist Stephen Baldwin. But thanks in part to the support of the Pentagon, Operation Straight Up has now begun focusing on Iraq, where, according to its website (on pages taken down last week), it planned an entertainment tour called the "Military Crusade."
Apparently the wonks at the Pentagon forgot that Muslims tend to bristle at the word "crusade" and thought that what the Iraq war lacked was a dose of end-times theology.
In the end, the Defense Department realized the folly of participating in any Operation Straight Up crusade. But the episode is just another example of increasingly disturbing, and indeed unconstitutional, relationships being forged between the U.S. military and private evangelical groups.
Take, for instance, the recent scandal involving Christian Embassy, a group whose expressed purpose is to proselytize to military personnel, diplomats, Capitol Hill staffers and political appointees. In a shocking breach of security, Defense Department officials allowed a Christian Embassy film crew to roam the corridors of the Pentagon unescorted while making a promotional video featuring high-ranking officers and political appointees. (Christian Embassy, which holds prayer meetings weekly at the Pentagon, is so entrenched that Air Force Maj. Gen. John J. Catton Jr. said he'd assumed the organization was a "quasi-federal entity.")
The Pentagon's inspector general recently released a report recommending unspecified "corrective action" for those officers who appeared in the video for violating Defense Department regulations. But, in a telling gesture, the report avoided any discussion of how allowing an evangelical group to function within the Defense Department is an obvious violation of the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment.
The extent to which such relationships have damaged international goodwill toward the U.S. is beyond measure. As the inspector general noted, a leading Turkish newspaper, Sabah, published an article on Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, who is the U.S. liaison to the Turkish military -- and who appeared in the Christian Embassy video. The article described Christian Embassy as a "radical fundamentalist sect," perhaps irreparably damaging Sutton's primary job objective of building closer ties to the Turkish General Staff, which has expressed alarm at the influence of fundamentalist Christian groups inside the U.S. military.
Our military personnel swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, not the Bible. Yet by turning a blind eye to OSU and Christian Embassy activities, the Pentagon is, in essence, endorsing their proselytizing. And sometimes it's more explicit than that.
That certainly was the case with Army Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin, deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. The Pentagon put him in charge of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in 2003. The same year, Boykin was found to be touring American churches, where he gave speeches -- in uniform -- casting the Iraq war in end-times terms. "We're in is a spiritual battle," he told one congregation in Oregon. "Satan wants to destroy this nation . . . and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army." The story wound up in newspapers, magazines and on "60 Minutes." And, of course, it was reported all over the Muslim world. The Pentagon reacted with a collective shrug.
American military and political officials must, at the very least, have the foresight not to promote crusade rhetoric in the midst of an already religion-tinged war. Many of our enemies in the Mideast already believe that the world is locked in a contest between Christianity and Islam. Why are our military officials validating this ludicrous claim with their own fiery religious rhetoric?
It's time to actively strip the so-called war on terror of its religious connotations, not add to them. Because religious wars are not just ugly, they are unwinnable. And despite what Operation Straight Up and its supporters in the Pentagon may think is taking place in Iraq, the Rapture is not a viable exit strategy.
Michael L. Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, wrote "With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military." Reza Aslan, author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam," is on the MRFF advisory board.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Heading to China.
Hey everybody! I just created a map for my friends and family that would like to follow our trip to China to pick up Jackson. Go add yourself! Click the "Add Yourself" button to put yourself on there! And look for updates and photos of our trip here: http://jacksonyiexpress.blogspot.com/
BuddyMapping.com - Create your own map. Click here!
Jackson Guan-Yi Atwood Express
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BuddyMapping.com - Create your own map. Click here!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Got My Pick Up Day
Morgen and I will be leaving for China on the 11th of May and we will get to pick him up on the 15th. (Daniel, I guess in more ways than one that makes you his godfather). Ohhhh, the days are going to go sooooo very slow now.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
MISO HUNGRY
Turning forty and having two children on the way is enough to make you think about your health. I've been thinking about it for years and slowly been minimizing the meat in my diet anyway so this is your chance to finally persuade me into a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Give it a go, give me your best. Or if you aren't a vegetarian do you have any reasons why I shouldn't. If I do, whats the best way to ease yourself into it. For example if I eat tofu all the time right now I get super gassy and bloated. Will it always be that way or does the body get used to the change in diet?And would someone please answer my question about nature having made us omnivores and should we as a species go down a path that might rob us of that ability?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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They are watching you BECAUSE you are paranoid.
McBushed
