this and that and other things
Jul. 15th, 2006 12:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdIn case you've been distracted by the news from Israel and Lebanon, Baghdad is on the verge of collapse. I saw an estimate from the Jordanian government a few days ago indicating they believed over half a million Iraqis had fled to their country; the person reporting it suspected the number was actually higher. This report says the total number was around 900,000 by the end of last year, to all countries. That's only using official numbers, is six months old (and the situation has not improved) - and about 4% of the population.
To get an equivalent number of Americans, imagine 11.6 million Americans fleeing out of the country to get away from a civil war here. That's 4% of 290 million.
Perhaps it's less time to sack Donald Rumsfeld and more time to put him on trial. Maybe some corruption charges might be in order as well.
Friday's miles: 13.3
Miles out of Hobbiton: 1101.2
Miles out of Rivendell: 636.2
Miles out of Lothlórien: 181.2
Miles to Rauros Falls: 227.8
Biking today included substantial portions of zoom, with something just under four minute miles the entire trail distance between murksouth and the shops. (Then add ten minutes for the single mile up the hill. Erf.) As an experiment, I rode it in 3,6 instead of my usual mostly-3,7, only pedalling a lot faster than my usual pace; one of the mechanics at the UW bike shop suggested it, she said it'd help me build leg strength. It certainly felt different, and I paced - and eventually passed - someone on a Skeery Bike wearing Specialised bikeshorts, after pacing them most of the trip. Also: more f'ing bike cops - well, okay, one copcycle - in Lake Forest Park's asshat zone.
Solar-charged resin "stone" lantern, bought in a pair for $20 at Costco
ETA: Click here for daylight photo taken later
Thursday I was at Edo getting lunch while out running errands - including the Costco run that bought the above-pictured solar-powered garden lantern - and discovered that apparently "vegetable tempura" and "tempura udon" are both okay, but "vegetable tempura udon" is just one word too many. After the third try - where I finally got a combination of udon with no tempura and a side-plate of tempura (but it was vegetable tempura) - I got exasperated and started spewing Japanese at the guy running the till, which, somewhat to my surprise, seemed to, um, work. I wasn't really expecting that. You'd think I'd have tried that earlier, but I consciously didn't, mostly because the second guy (a teriyaki cook)'s first language was Spanish, not Japanese.
I now want about four or six or so more of those little lanterns. They're awfully, awfully cute. So far, the two I've got have been going full-strength since around 9pm or so - three and a half hours and counting, on a single day's charge. Better yet, they use standard AA NiMH batteries, so if the batteries die, I can replace them with ordinary NiMH from anywhere.
Very Much Like Ice Cream
George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier is online in complete text. It's notable for several reasons, not the least of which is a rather accurate and awfully, um, horrific (to me) description of deep-seam coal-mining. If you think that switching from oil to coal is how to solve our energy picture, you should at least read chapter two, about coal mining.
Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're all barbarians!
To get an equivalent number of Americans, imagine 11.6 million Americans fleeing out of the country to get away from a civil war here. That's 4% of 290 million.
Perhaps it's less time to sack Donald Rumsfeld and more time to put him on trial. Maybe some corruption charges might be in order as well.
Friday's miles: 13.3
Miles out of Hobbiton: 1101.2
Miles out of Rivendell: 636.2
Miles out of Lothlórien: 181.2
Miles to Rauros Falls: 227.8
Biking today included substantial portions of zoom, with something just under four minute miles the entire trail distance between murksouth and the shops. (Then add ten minutes for the single mile up the hill. Erf.) As an experiment, I rode it in 3,6 instead of my usual mostly-3,7, only pedalling a lot faster than my usual pace; one of the mechanics at the UW bike shop suggested it, she said it'd help me build leg strength. It certainly felt different, and I paced - and eventually passed - someone on a Skeery Bike wearing Specialised bikeshorts, after pacing them most of the trip. Also: more f'ing bike cops - well, okay, one copcycle - in Lake Forest Park's asshat zone.
Solar-charged resin "stone" lantern, bought in a pair for $20 at Costco
ETA: Click here for daylight photo taken later
Thursday I was at Edo getting lunch while out running errands - including the Costco run that bought the above-pictured solar-powered garden lantern - and discovered that apparently "vegetable tempura" and "tempura udon" are both okay, but "vegetable tempura udon" is just one word too many. After the third try - where I finally got a combination of udon with no tempura and a side-plate of tempura (but it was vegetable tempura) - I got exasperated and started spewing Japanese at the guy running the till, which, somewhat to my surprise, seemed to, um, work. I wasn't really expecting that. You'd think I'd have tried that earlier, but I consciously didn't, mostly because the second guy (a teriyaki cook)'s first language was Spanish, not Japanese.
I now want about four or six or so more of those little lanterns. They're awfully, awfully cute. So far, the two I've got have been going full-strength since around 9pm or so - three and a half hours and counting, on a single day's charge. Better yet, they use standard AA NiMH batteries, so if the batteries die, I can replace them with ordinary NiMH from anywhere.
Very Much Like Ice Cream
George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier is online in complete text. It's notable for several reasons, not the least of which is a rather accurate and awfully, um, horrific (to me) description of deep-seam coal-mining. If you think that switching from oil to coal is how to solve our energy picture, you should at least read chapter two, about coal mining.
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Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're all barbarians!
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Eleanor of Acquitaine
One of the first great queens of England, Eleanor was her own woman. She married the French prince at 14, but after six years of marriage and no son, she divorced him and secretly married the younger (and wealthier) heir to the English throne. Her sons were some of the greatest monarchs in English history! You must be tenacious, audacious, and brave if you're like Eleanor. Read more about her: http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine2.html
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Date: 2006-07-15 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 04:42 pm (UTC)Here's what they look like in daytime:
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Date: 2006-07-15 10:34 pm (UTC)