Quote Details: George Bernard Shaw: A government that robs... - The Quotations Page

Quote Details: George Bernard Shaw: A government that robs... - The Quotations Page: "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw, Everybody's Political What's What? (1944) ch. 30
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)"

Quote Details: Doug Larson: If the English language... - The Quotations Page

Quote Details: Doug Larson: If the English language... - The Quotations Page: "If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.
Doug Larson"

Court: Vaccines didn't cause autism

This is still not going to change a lot of minds.

 

 

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Court: Vaccines didn't cause autism

via 5 Things - Salon.com by CNN on 2/12/09

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A special court ruled Thursday that evidence presented in three cases by parents of children with autism did not prove a link between autism and certain early childhood vaccines.

The ruling came from a panel of "special masters" who began hearing three test cases in 2007 involving children with autism -- a disorder that their parents contend was triggered by the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella combined with vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury.

Three families -- the Cedillos, the Hazlehursts and the Snyders -- sought compensation from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, but the panel ruled that they had not presented sufficient evidence to prove that the childhood vaccines caused autism in their children.

"I feel deep sympathy and admiration for the Cedillo family," Special Master George L. Hastings Jr. wrote in his ruling in the case involving 14-year-old Michelle Cedillo, who cannot speak, wears a diaper and requires round-the-clock monitoring in case she has a seizure.

"And I have no doubt that the families of countless other autistic children, families that cope every day with the tremendous challenges of caring for autistic children, are similarly deserving of sympathy and admiration. However, I must decide this case not on sentiment, but by analyzing the evidence," Hastings wrote. "In this case the evidence advanced by the petitioners has fallen far short of demonstrating such a link."

 

 

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Doug Larson

 

 

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Doug Larson

via Quotes of the Day on 2/11/09

"If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur."

 

 

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Quote Details: Ellen DeGeneres: In the beginning there... - The Quotations Page

Quote Details: Ellen DeGeneres: In the beginning there... - The Quotations Page: "In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.
Ellen DeGeneres, (attributed)
US comedian and actress"

Quote Details: James Thurber: I do not have... - The Quotations Page

Quote Details: James Thurber: I do not have... - The Quotations Page: "I do not have a psychiatrist and I do not want one, for the simple reason that if he listened to me long enough, he might become disturbed.
James Thurber, 'Carpe Noctem, If You Can', in 'Credos and Curios' (1962)
US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 - 1961)"

TGI Monday - Quotes

An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.

Niels Bohr
Danish physicist (1885 - 1962)

---

"Don't be afraid of missing opportunities. Behind every failure is an
opportunity somebody wishes they had missed." -- Lily Tomlin

Fool or Fanatic?

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

Bertrand Russell
British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)

Quote of the day - unpleasant subject

"I asked a man at a dinner table what he thought would happen to him
when he died. The man tried to ignore the question, but, on being
pressed, replied: 'Oh well, I suppose I shall inherit eternal bliss, but
I wish you wouldn't talk about such unpleasant subjects." -- F. W. H. Myers

Having as much fun as you can in physical therapy

I wrote my first review ever for a business here in Austin! As much as I hate going, the pain in my should is starting to go away. I suspect the reason the name of the business is Atlas Physical Therapy is so it will show up first in the yellow pages.

Which makes me wonder, with the internet and Google, does anyone use the yellow pages anymore?

Beehive: The Farewell Performances

My friend Andrew surprised me last Friday evening by taking me to one of the farewell performances of Beehive. It was as much fun as it was the first time I saw it.

Click the link above to see a short clip from the musical at Zachary Scott Theater. For the uninitiated:

BEEHIVE, the original big hair 60’s Girl Group musical is back for its special Farwell Performances at ZACH! Created by Larry Gallagher, Beehive is the rafter-raising tribute to the Girl Groups and individual artists who skyrocketed to fame between the years 1960-69. Directed by ZACH Artistic Director Dave Steakley, BEEHIVE is the winner of six Austin Critics’ Table Awards, including “BEST MUSICAL REVUE!”

BEEHIVE delivers a solid gold song book of hits made famous by The Crystals (“One Fine Day”), The Angels (“My Boyfriend’s Back”), Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (“Heat Wave”), Connie Francis (“Where The Boys Are”), Tina Turner (“Proud Mary”), Aretha Franklin (“Natural Woman”), Diana Ross and the Supremes (“Stop! In The Name of Love”), Janis Joplin (“Try, Just a Little Bit Harder”), just to name a few. Performing over forty-four chart toppers, ZACH’s performers are six women who earn your R.E.S.P.E.C.T.!

I saw it when it first came out at the Paramount Theater here in Austin. It was a lot of fun to see four of the original performers in these roles again. Just like the first time I saw them, I was electrified by some of the performances. So much talent. Through the years I have seen the main four performers in various productions and have gained a greater appreciation for their talents. Last year, Judy Arnold even came to sing at our church.


I saw an interview with one of the performers Rebecca Schoolar in the Austin American Statesman where she talked about getting older and saying goodbye to Beehive.

I relate

Forgetter Be Forgotten

This is really cute


My forgetter's getting better,
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke

For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering
If I really should be 'there'
And, when I try to think it through,
I haven't got a prayer!

Oft times I walk into a room,
Say 'what am I here for?'
I wrack my brain, but all in vain!
A zero, is my score.

At times I put something away
Where it is safe, but, Gee!
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!

When shopping I may see someone,
Say 'Hi' and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, 'who the heck was that?'

Yes, my forgetter's getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it's driving me plumb crazy
And that isn't any joke.

CAN YOU RELATE???
Please send this to everyone you know
because

I DON'T REMEMBER
WHO I SENT THIS TO!

Wednesday quotes - Kathy Najimy & John Maynard Keynes

"When you're not blond and thin, you come up with a personality real
quick." -- Kathy Najimy

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men
will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."
-- John Maynard Keynes

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me - With Carrie Fisher

Another podcast I never miss. This week Carrie Fisher is the celebrity guest. One of the funniest episodes every.

IBM Offers to Move Laid-off Workers to India

 

 

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IBM Offers to Move Laid-off Workers to India

via Crooks and Liars by Susie Madrak on 2/3/09

See, I'm a little confused. Because for years, big companies like IBM have insisted there were so few talented IT workers in the U.S., they had to import them from India. And yet now we have so many, we can send them to India! Isn't that funny?

If I were a suspicious sort (and God knows, I'm not), I'd wonder if this isn't really a way to keep experienced American workers while artificially suppressing their wages. And of course, I'd also have to wonder: If you're offered one of these jobs and you decline, are you then ineligible to collect unemployment compensation? Because that already happens with big companies in the U.S.

Isn't this new personal responsibility thing fun? Who knew we'd get to see the world at company expense?

The climate is warm, there's no shortage of exotic food, and the cost of living is rock bottom. That's IBM (NYSE: IBM)'s pitch to the laid-off American workers it's offering to place in India. The catch: Wages in the country are pennies-on-the-dollar compared to U.S. salaries.

Under a program called Project Match, IBM will help workers laid off from domestic sites obtain travel and visa assistance for countries in which Big Blue has openings. Mostly that's developing markets like India, China, and Brazil.

"IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand," IBM says in an internal notice on the initiative. "Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such as visa assistance, and other support to help ease the transition of an international move."

The document states that the program is limited to "satisfactory performers who have been notified of separation from IBM U.S. or Canada and are willing to work on local terms and conditions." The latter indicates that workers will be paid according to prevailing norms in the countries to which they relocate. In many cases, that could be substantially less than what they earned in North America.

IBM has laid off more than 4,000 workers in the United States since the beginning of January, according to an employee group. The company has confirmed layoffs but won't comment on specific numbers.

 

 

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Take Me Back to the Fifties

There is something odd about using Adobe Flash to put together a presentation how good things were back in the 1950s.

Today's quotes

I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'

Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
(1949 - )

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Albert Einstein
US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

Is it worth it to wash out your recyclables?

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Is it worth it to wash out your recyclables?

I've always been dedicated to washing the peanut butter, Pepsi, and mayo out of my food containers before tossing them in the recycling bin. My sister, though, recently pointed out that I'm probably wasting gallons upon gallons of precious H20! Is it worth it to soap up my tin cans and soda bottles?

[more ...]

Sent from my iPod

Thanks for shopping at Walmart?

K-B-Toys has gone bankrupt and closed all of their stores. My son Russell told me that at the Round Rock outlet mall, the former K-B-Toy store has a sign on the front window that says 'Thanks for shopping at WalMart.' Ouch.

Beauty of Mathematics !!!!!!!

From Susan

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Amazing?