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Summertime is here. No more proof is needed than the 90 degree heat Jacksonville has been hit with all week, not exactly ideal for running. It is beautiful, though, so I guess the trade-off is worth it. Today I've mixed in a bit of (jerky) video from one of my mid-day runs with a video welcome to my summer students.
Double-Click on the image to watch the video.
This is a short video message to the Daytona Galloway Marathon Training Group, which is celebrating its 10th year on Saturday. I'm sorry I can't be there with you guys.
Note to my students: This will not be on the test. It's just the best way I know to post a video they can download.
Watch the video by clicking play above or click to download it to your computer.
Download file
When I was a kid, we used to stand outside at school and watch the Space Shuttle take off for space. One of those "Generation Moments" was watching with my classmates when Challenger exploded over Florida on January 28, 1986. Writing that date reminds me that most of my students weren't yet gleams in their parents' eyes at that time. For those of us who watched, though, no successful launch is ever taken for granted.
Today Atlantis flew overhead on its way to the Hubble Space Telescope. May her crew return safely to their families.
If the above link does not work and you are looking for a quiz answer, use this one:
Click here
Connie Culp is facing the nation as never before, with the first surgically attached face in the US. Doctors were able to transplant a face from a woman who had recently died to replace what was lost when Culp's husband tried to end her life with a shotgun blast to the head. Considering some of the negative medical stories that have been linked to this blog in the past, this is a nice story for starting off a new semester.
I have often wondered how some of the overweight volunteers in scouting feel when they hear the the part of the Boy Scout Oath given as the title for this post. Apparently, BSA now recognizes this hypocrisy, and of course some people are upset.
Well, since I shot this, I've moved up to #1 on the waiting list for my race this summer. Check it out at www.hardrock100.com.
She's being hailed as the key to the proof that Darwin was right. Well, maybe so, but it's interesting how much hype these scientists have generated. This isn't the type of language usually associated with such folks, and the "carefully orchestrated publicity campaign" written about here is just the beginning.
Thanks to Michael Kalvig for submitting this link.
That's the question my wife and I ask each other every time we leave for a trip. So far we haven't burned the house down because of an iron left on, but we have had to call a neighbor to let the dog out.
Nicole Frankhouser submitted this link to an article dealing with this common concern.
This is the sort of story that really makes me angry! As many of you know, I am on the board of The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer. It is our mission to raise enough money to allow our nation's top researchers to find a cure for this disease. Simultaneously, we are providing funds through The Donna Foundation to make sure no woman on the First Coast ever has to decide between paying for her chemo and paying to put groceries on the table for her family.
Consequently, when I read this story about a girl getting the disease at such a young age that no doctor would ever have recommended a mammogram, I call that cheating!
This disease doesn't play fair, so I say let's stop playing around! Let's get serious about finishing breast cancer!
Thanks to Nicole Frankhouser for submitting this link.
To judge by the bumper stickers and ribbons on people's cars, autism is a trendy topic right now. Celebrities warn people about possible causes, and authors get on talk shows teaching us how to cope. In the midst of this world are those who silently live in another - the world of autism itself - a world which may be in danger of disappearing. Is that a good thing?
Leave it to those pesky Americans to cause problems in Britian. Now the speaker of the House of Commons has lost his job. Oh, my!
Sir Ranulph Fiennes has summitted Everest to become the oldest Briton, at 65, to accomplish the feat.
High tech devices are coming to a border near you, maybe.
With gas prices creeping up once again, Americans are looking for relief. The President has a plan to force auto makers to design vehicles that are more efficient. Meanwhile, there are many vehicles available today that already meet the standards he is proposing.
Thanks to Charvar Jones for submitting this link.
Thanks to Kelly Bushnell for this sad submission. As she fittingly comments, "Why does a young actress take her own life? I’m sure being in the spot light is stressful but it’s hard for me to understand why suicide would be an option for anything."
While I split my attention between the serious tone of Memorial Day and the silly notes of Towel Day this week, thankfully Kelly Bushnell was a bit more focused.
This is an issue I haven't heard debated in a while. I've always had a lot of problems with assisted suicide because of the potential for patients to feel pressure to die to avoid being a burden to their families. My father is a hospice physician, and I fully believe in giving end-of-life care, but I draw the line a killing people. Of course, that's just my opinion, and you may choose to disagree.
Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this submission.
A couple of months ago we had a look at a homeless shelter through the eyes of a 12-year-old. (See Trashgloo)
Now we see what someone twice that age can come up with to reduce her impact on the environment.
Thanks to Pamela Garrett for submitting this link.
North Korea is not playing around. How will the world respond?
Thanks to Nikata Patel for this link.
Here's an important link submitted by Chelsea Stokes. She writes, "I have a link I would like to share about Orlando having to lay off firefighters and police which I think is totally stupid. It interests me because the same thing is happening in Brunswick, GA where my husband is a firefighter. I would like to here other people's take on this issue."
I certainly see the logic military officials employed to guide their actions here. I also wonder if I could sleep at night knowing I had done this.
Thanks to Nikata Patel for this link.
This page contains all entries posted to C Twiggs Run in May 2009. They are listed from oldest to newest.
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