Romper Room

If you grew up in Genesee County in the 60s, do you remember Romper Room? I had forgotten all about it until I saw "Former Flint resident Lois Whitmeyer reflects on 'Romper Room'" in yesterday's Flint Journal.

I've pasted the article here in case the link disappears.

Former Flint resident Lois Whitmeyer reflects on 'Romper Room'
by Chick Jacobs | The Associated Press
Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:36 AM

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- By today's computer-generated, HD-animated standards, "Romper Room" seems pretty tame stuff for kids. Just a show with a cute hostess, puppets and parades, and a "magic mirror" that didn't fool anyone.

















But 50 years ago, Lois Whitmeyer notes, that flickering, black-and-white TV show was cutting edge. And in a time when a Do-Bee meant something altogether different from today, Whitmeyer was one of a lucky few starring in children's TV.

"Everybody and his uncle wanted to be on the show," the former Flint resident and host of the locally produced "Romper Room" show said. "It was new, it was exciting."

Whitmeyer's mementos of the early days of kid's TV are tucked in photo albums. She's not sure where the mirror is -- probably somewhere in a box in her Gates Four home.

And no, the magic mirror still doesn't fool kids.

"Really it was two mirrors," she said. "I'd hold up the first one, with a real mirror, and say the magic words.

"Then the camera would blur while I put down that mirror and pulled up the other one. Then I was able to 'see' the kids at home, or that little Johnny hadn't been doing his homework or whatever the parents had written to me.

"We laugh now, but back then it was a big deal to have Miss Lois say hello to you on Romper Room."

Unless you're a transplant from Michigan, you probably don't remember Miss Lois. Each town had a different "Romper Room" hostess. New York had Miss Louise. Baltimore had Miss Nancy. Every show across seven countries was unique.

The message, however, was consistent: Be polite. Viewers were pleasantly reminded to eat their vegetables, not to put rocks in their mouths, say please and thank you and generally do all the things that a purple dinosaur suggested two generations later.

Whitmeyer stumbled into celebrity through a combination of accident and desperation. The wife of TV programming pioneer Ernie Whitmeyer, she was a stay-at-home mom as her husband helped get Flint TV station WJRT (Channel 12) up and running.

One of the first shows on the station was "Romper Room." Lois would watch each morning with her son, Art, as the hostess led children in songs and activities.
"It got to where I knew the show by heart," she said.

One day, Ernie Whitmeyer received a panicked call from the studio. The "Romper Room" lady had been in a car accident and was hospitalized.

"I mentioned offhand that it couldn't be that hard," Lois Whitmeyer recalls. "I said I could do it."

The next morning, she was. She clomped around the cramped studio with six children every day while the regular hostess recovered.

Studio officials were so impressed that when the original "Romper Room" hostess moved to a bigger market, Lois was asked to be a permanent replacement.

"Remember at the time, TV was still evolving," she said. "'Romper Room' was a franchised show owned by Bert Claster. Each hostess was required to attend training school in Baltimore, to learn how to work with cameras and lights.

"Since I was with Ernie, I knew all of that from the beginning. Those poor girls were having to learn it. I was living it."

In Flint, she was a local celebrity. Kids would squeal when they spotted her shopping, and the TV station often sent her to events for publicity.

There were some close calls on the air. Since the show was live, there was no way to re-shoot gaffes.

"One time I was leading the children around in a parade, and the button holding up my skirt popped off," she said. "Luckily, the camera guy was quick and just moved the camera up above my waist, and we kept marching."

Whitmeyer proved so skilled that she was retained as a hostess. A few years later, she became one of the few "traveling hostesses" who flew around the country to fill in for others who were sick or often pregnant.

"You couldn't be pregnant and work on TV, even if you were married," she said. Often Art would accompany her, becoming an unofficial child of another city.

"I threatened him to never ever call me mom during the show," she said with a laugh. "God bless him, he never did. Some other kids would call me mom by accident, but he was real good about it."

Ernie's career took him to bigger stations in the mid-1960s, with milestones like the first televised basketball games at Madison Square Garden and the inaugural Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. Lois retired, returning to the other side of the magic mirror. Eventually the couple retired to Fayetteville.

Ernie Whitmeyer passed away a couple of years ago, and Lois has been battling a variety of illnesses. She doesn't brag about her past celebrity, but with a little coaxing, she can still sing the Do-Bee song.

"It was so much fun, and I feel I've been blessed with a wonderful life," she said. "I guess the only downside is I don't watch TV like most people. I'll sit there and talk to the screen."

Even without the magic mirror.

Chick Jacobs writes for The Fayetteville Observer.

Frankly, I don't remember much about Romper Room and I don't specifically remember Miss Lois. I do remember how excited I was the time she "saw" me in her magic mirror. (Back then I didn't realize I had one of the most common names for girls my age. I was only about 5 at the time and believed everything I saw on TV.) I'm sure kids today would be bored to death by Romper Room but I loved it and I'm glad this article made me remember it.

Happy Saffron

Saffron has been pretty quiet today and not eating much (which scares the heck out of me). To perk her up we brought home her favorite toy in the world: the Christmas tree box. As soon as she saw it she got all excited and tried to get in before I could remove the tree! Once the tree was out of her way, she ran in, sat down, and groomed. Then she purred for the first time today -- very loudly.

We're not putting up the tree, but I did set up half of her Christmas village. (Our dining room now represents The Nightmare Before Christmas with a Halloween village on the desk and a Christmas village on the buffet! LOL.) Saffron has walked through a couple of times, but hasn't settled down to sleep in her Christmas village, stare into the little houses, or look at the pretty lights. Maybe tonight...

We're just glad to see her perk up at the sight of her favorite Christmas things.

Saffron the Wonder Cat

Saffron the Wonder Cat improved over the weekend. Dr. Amy examined her this afternoon and confirmed that her liver is more distended that it was last Mon. It’s the same as it was on Fri but not any worse. Her spleen is also somewhat enlarged, so the probable cancer is probably not limited to her liver.

Saffron is doing remarkably well for a kitty whose time is limited. She is alert, hungry, bright-eyed, purring, and wakes us up most mornings by hopping on the bed to give us kisses. We are keeping a very close watch on her for any signs of discomfort or organ problems, and loving her and spoiling her as much as possible. We know the vets can't tell us exactly how much time she has left, but we are happy that she’s still here and grateful that she’s not in any pain.

I thought you might enjoy this picture of Saffron in my Halloween village. She likes it, but not nearly as much as she likes my Christmas village. She keeps giving me a look that I am sure means "Where are my snow fabric and my little houses?". Since it's very unlikely she'll be here at Christmas to enjoy her village, we are going to set up at least part of it for her now so she can enjoy sleeping in the village, staring into the little houses, and looking at the pretty lights.

Saffron Update -- Not Good News

It's time for a Saffron update.







































The good news is that Saffron has recovered from the respiratory infection she had two weeks ago and has been acting much more perky, purry, etc., like always.

The bad news is that we saw the vet yesterday and got very bad news. Since Monday Saffron’s liver has become much more distended, so much that she could die any time now — any time as in we might not need our appointment next Monday. She is ravenous but that’s probably because her liver is pushing on her tummy so much that she isn’t getting much nutrition from what she eats.

She is comfortable, alert, hungry, and purry, so it’s hard to believe she can die from organ failure at any time. I’m trying hard to let go and be ready, but part of me is hoping she will surprise us all (again) and stick around for a while.

I'm very glad that I can stay home with her. I'm trying very hard not to think about the future and focusing on enjoying being with her, loving her, and spoiling her.

Thank you to everyone who has send kind messages with thoughts and prayers about our precious little kitty.

Stitchalot Weekend

Last weekend Stitches 'N Things (SNT, my favorite store!) hosted a Stitchalot Weekend at the Comfort Inn in Davison, MI. There were no classes this time, just lots of time to work on projects, visit with fellow stitchers, and shop in the mini-boutique SNT owner Deb and company set up on site.

I finished the needle felting piece I started at our last class called Black Cat Pumpkin Sitter (by Bird Brain Designs). This is the picture that came with the kit, not my actual piece. Mine looks very much like this, minus the spider on the cat's head.



























After that I worked on a piece I bought (and blogged about) last year but only just started: Ursala Michael's Bewitching Banner from the September 2007 issue of Cross-Stitch and Needlework. I couldn't resist stitching this! (Don't they remind you of the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter? :)

This is the first time I've used DMC Light Effects floss. The colors are beautiful but they are a rayon-pain-in-the-butt! The floss is slippery and the stitches don't lie down like they are supposed to. Fortunately, Deb sells something called Thread Heaven, a thread conditioner which is like silicon beeswax. You run the floss over Thread Heaven to coat it and the floss lies nice and flat just like it's supposed to. Because it's silicon instead of wax, Thread Heaven does not stain the floss or the fabric.

I'm stitching this pattern on 28 count Opalescent/Raw Belfast Metallic Linen by Zweigart. The picture doesn't do it justice! It's pretty with a hint of sparkle. Note for non-stitchers: when using linen you stitch over two squares, so this design has 14 stitches per inch, not 28.

I prefer to stitch using a Q-Snap Frame to keep the fabric taught. Cross-stitch originated Denmark where it is traditionally stitched without a frame, so this weekend I also experimented with frame-free stitching. If you hold the fabric right you can avoid problems like carpal tunnel, tendonitis, etc., because the fabric is so light compared to holding a frame in one hand. It worked but felt very weird! I am now back to using my Q-Snaps with a stand to hold the frame for me.

After a fun and relaxing stitching weekend I am back at work, wishing I had more time for stitching.

Bradbury at Book Fair

I wish I had been at the West Hollywood Book Fair! Ray Bradbury attended to talk to the audience about his love of writing. Regular readers of this blog (all two of you) know he's my favorite living author and I would love to meet him. I love his stories and I'm always inspired by his essays about writing.

I've pasted the complete article here in case the link disappears.

The Many Loves of Ray Bradbury

by Erik Amaya, Contributing Writer

Wed, October 1st, 2008 at 7:58AM PST
Updated: Wed, October 1st, 2008 at 8:45AM PST

Well before author Ray Bradbury appeared on stage, the audience at Sunday’s West Hollywood Book Fair eclipsed the number of available seats. When he arrived, Bradbury was greeted by applause. Needing no introduction, the writer began to tell the audience about love. “Over a period of years, [I’ve discovered] the answer to everything is love,” he told the crowd. Bradbury loves films, plays, and people. His passion for these things has afforded him an extraordinary life. With a new production of “Fahrenheit 451” opening soon, many of Bradbury’s thoughts focused around the novel and play. His story began with actor Charles Laughton. “Charles Laughton was my teacher and my good friend. He asked me to write a [stage] version of ‘Fahrenheit 451,’” Bradbury recalled. “He took me to Disneyland and I flew over [Peter Pan’s London] with Charles Laughton. You can’t beat that, can you?”

It was on this trip that Laughton asked Bradbury to write a long-form play. The result was “Fahrenheit 451.” “One night, he called me and took to dinner with Paul Gregory, his producer,” Bradbury said. “Over dinner, they gave me two double martinis before they gave me the bad news. My play didn’t work.”

Bradbury famously wrote the novel version of “Fahrenheit 451” in the basement of the Powell Library at UCLA. “When I first got married, and we had two children, it was hard to write around the house. I needed an office, but I had no money,” he remembered. “I was wandering around UCLA one day at the Powell Library and I heard typing downstairs. I went down to see what was going on.” It turned out there was a typing room in the basement with a pool of twelve typewriters. “You could rent one for ten cents an hour,” Bradbury recalled. “I said, ‘Oh my god! This is going to be my office! I don’t need money!’ I went to the bank; got ten dollars worth of dimes. I went to UCLA, moved into the typing room and in nine days, I spent nine dollars and eighty cents and wrote the first version of ‘Fahrenheit 451.’”

This drew applause from the crowd. “So it was a dime novel, wasn’t it?” he joked.

Written during the McCarthy era of suspicion and paranoia, Bradbury had a hard time placing his novel for publication. He recalled the person that eventually did publish it. “A young man came along. He was starting a new magazine. He was roughly the same age as I was.” Bradbury was twenty-six at the time. “He said, ‘I don’t have much money, can you sell me a story of some sort?’ I said, ‘Look, I’ve got this new novel in three parts, ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ can you buy that from me?’ He said, ‘Yes, I’ll give you three hundred dollars.’ So, in late winter of 1953, ‘Fahrenheit 451’ appeared in the first issues of Playboy Magazine. Hugh Hefner has been a good friend for fifty years.”

Around this time, twenty-seven of Bradbury's stories were adapted by EC Comics. “They stole the stories! I caught them at it!” he recalled with a smile. “I trapped them and they started to pay me and the adaptations came out very well. The illustrations were beautiful. I am very proud of my association with that comic magazine.”

Despite the way that situation began, Bradbury feels his stories appearing in comics form made sense. “I started my life with comic strips. When I was nine years old, Buck Rodgers came into my life. I looked at Buck Rodgers. He pulled me into the future and I never came back. Buck Rodgers is one of my fathers. It’s natural I would want to be in comic strips.”

Shifting from the stage and magazines to the screen, Bradbury talked about his early cinematic experiences. “I started going to films when I was three-years-old. I saw ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ with Lon Cheney. I saw ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ I saw the dinosaur film, [The Lost World], when I was seven and dinosaurs changed me for life. I met Ray Harryhausen when I was eighteen and we promised each other to someday do a film together.” In 1952, Harryhausen created the creature for “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” based on Bradbury’s short story, “The Foghorn.”

“The Foghorn” grew from Bradbury’s boyhood love of dinosaurs. Like “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” that love would lead to another film, John Huston’s 1956 version of “Moby Dick.” “[‘The Foghorn’] was the first story in [the short story collection] ‘The Golden Apples of the Sun,’” Bradbury explained. “I gave a copy of that book to John Huston. He read that first story and later told me he gave me the job because he read my story about dinosaurs.” Working on the film was not the happiest of experiences and would later form the basis for the novel, “Green Shadows, White Whale.”

It was during this time that the stage entered the circle of Bradbury’s loves. “I went to work in Ireland for a whole year writing screenplay of ‘Moby Dick,’” he remembered. “While I was in Dublin, I saw the work of Sean O’Casey on the stage there. I saw George Bernard Shaw’s production of ‘Saint Joan’ and these productions began to teach me to write for the stage.” All the while, he would receive letters from friends sure that Bradbury would come home and write something about Ireland. He would write back with, ‘No, I don’t think I will.’ Eventually, that position changed. “When I’d been home about a year, a voice cried out inside my head, ‘Rick, darlin’!’

“I said, ‘Who is it?’

“He said, ‘It’s your cab driver that drove you every night from Gillcock to Dublin and

“I said, ‘Yes.’

He said, ‘Would you mind putting it down?’ So I began to write one act plays about Ireland and I didn’t know if they were any good or not.”

Eventually a friend of Bradbury’s asked about the plays. “He said, ‘Come to my house next Thursday night. I’ll have some actors there and they’ll stand up and read your plays to you and you’ll be able to tell if they’re any good.’ So, the next Thursday night, I went to his house and he had actors there and they read my plays and we fell on the floor. The goddamned things work! So at long last, I was thirty-seven-years-old, [and] I was beginning to write plays that worked.” This would eventually lead to his long form play about Ireland, “Falling Upward.”

Working out of Desilu Studios (now part of the Paramount lot), Bradbury put on productions of plays such as “The Pedestrian” and “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit.” Performed with amateurs and minimal lighting and direction, Bradbury discovered despite the technical difficulties, his plays really did work. He opened “The World of Ray Bradbury” in New York in 1964. “You feel your way, don’t you,” Bradbury said. “You love something and you do it. Then it works, or it doesn’t. Then you do something else that you love.”

Eventually, Bradbury even made that stage version of “Fahrenheit 451” work.

I knew some of his stories had been adapted for The Twilight Zone but didn't realize they had also been adapted by EC Comics* (which were collected in Tomorrow Midnight). Now I have new books to look for -- just in time for October (which is Bradbury time, you know). :)

* With apologies to my friend Bill W. who told me this but I had forgotten!

Go Blue!

After a miserable start to the season, Michigan made a huge comeback yesterday in the second half of the game against Wisconsin. I was literally about to turn off the TV in depression and disgust when Michigan intercepted then scored 4 touchdowns in 12 minutes. That's what I expect from the Wolverines!

I nearly had a heart attack when Wisconsin got a touchdown with 13 seconds to go, putting them just two points behind Michigan. Fortunately for us, there was a penalty on their two-point conversion (which would have tied the game), and then they missed the two points. Whew!

Read the details of the game on My Go Blue Football, The Michigan Daily, or The Big Ten Network.

Good comeback, Blue. Bo would be proud.

Photo courtesy of The Big Ten Network.

Sophie the Wonder Cat

Sophie, our Siamese Snowshoe, has a new trick. She waits patiently for one of us to turn on the bathtub...


























... so she can get a drink!




















A close-up of the fine art of drinking out the bathtub faucet:




















She also tells us when she'd like to be brushed...




















... and she likes to help put the laundry away.


























After all that, she likes to crash in her video beanbag. Yup, it used to be mine; now it's hers.




















Ah, what a life!

Remnants of Ike in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo got about 10 inches of rain after the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Michigan. A friend in Kalamazoo sent these pics of the downtown area.

Kalamazoo Kings Battlefield:

















National City at Crosstown and Park:

















Downtown near Bronson:

Fall, At Last

At 11:44:18 a.a. EST the sun will cross the Equator, marking the Autumnal Equinox. Happy Fall! Now if the darn frost would just get here to solve my allergy problems...

BTW, it's also Bilbo and Frodo's birthday. If you don't know what that means you need to read The Lord of the Rings. The story starts in the fall, with Bilbo's magnificent birthday party, so I always want to read it at this time of year, when I'm not reading Ray Bradbury.

Ah, Fall... cool weather, beautiful colors, and good books. If only it lasted longer!

SNL: Gov. Palin and Sen. Clinton

In case you missed Saturday Night Live last week, here's the hilarious opening sequence: Gov. Palin and Sen. Clinton Address the Nation.



I never noticed how much Tina Fey looks like Sarah Palin!

Remnants of Ike

Last weekend we got at least four inches of rain (a lot for us) thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ike. The ditch behind our apartment building looks like a creek!




















Black Creek in the Davison Regional Park is also unusually full.




















No news on how the new Davison storm sewers, which are not quite complete, are handling the excess rain.

Why I Love Frost

These are yesterday's allergy maps (courtesy of Weather.com) showing the levels of the two things I'm most allergic to: mold and ragweed. Look at Michigan! Now you know why I hate summer and am counting the days until the first frost (usually the first week of October in mid-Michigan).

Before and After

Fall semester started Wed., Aug. 27. They weren't quite done remodeling the English Department when we moved in Tues., Aug. 26. My furniture all ended up in my office but I have no phone or computer access (Ethernet or wireless)! We're all hoping things will get better next week.

The second floor of French Hall looks quite different since the Big Remodeling.

Here's what the Foreign Language hall looked like in Feb. (photo courtesy of my colleague Fred):






















And here's what it looks like now:


























Here's the English Department hall looked like in Feb. (photo courtesy of my colleague Fred):






















And here's what it looks like now:


























Quite a difference, eh? The change from green wallpaper in the halls and light tan paint in the office to bright white paint everywhere has made a huge difference in the amount of light reflected. It's so bright!

I'll be glad when the computer access is fixed so I don't have to leave my department to use my laptop!

Happy Birthday, Ray!

Ray Bradbury is 88 years old today. Happy birthday, Ray, and many happy returns!

One review I read said that Ray's stories create vivid images or moods that stay with readers for years. That's it exactly. I know what it's like to be a boy growing up in the 1920s, to sneak out my window to see the carnival train arrive in town, to discover the supernatural at a carnival, to walk on Mars, to dream of rockets, to meet dinosaurs, to float in space, to fear that mysterious ravine that runs through town or the trapdoor to the attic that wasn't there yesterday, to taste dandelion wine, to love Halloween, to fear a future with no books, and oh so many more wonderful, frightening, and amazing things because I've read Ray.

One of my favorite stories is how Ray's life changed forever when, at age 12, he became a writer after a strange encounter with a carnival (which he later incorporated into Something Wicked This Way Comes). He describes the encounter on his web site in In His Words:

I've also pasted the essay here.

Hello again!

At the end of my last web-site talk I promised to tell you about how I happened to fall into becoming a writer.

Some of it was gradual, and part of it was accidental.

Back when I was twelve years old I was madly in love with L. Frank Baum and the Oz books, along with the novels of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and especially the Tarzan books and the John Carter, Warlord of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I began to think about becoming a writer at that time.

Simultaneously I saw Blackstone the Magician on stage and thought, what a wonderful life it would be if I could grow up and become a magician.

In many ways that is exactly what I did.

It was an encounter with another magician that changed my life forever.

During the Labor Day week of 1932 a favorite uncle of mine died; his funeral was held on the Labor Day Saturday. If he hadn't died that week, my life might not have changed because, returning from his funeral at noon on that Saturday, I saw carnival tent down by Lake Michigan. I knew that down there, by the lake, in his special tent, was a magician named Mr. Electrico.

Mr. Electrico was a fantastic creator of marvels. He sat in his electric chair every night and was electrocuted in front of all the people, young and old, of Waukegan, Illinois. When the electricity surged through his body he raised a sword and knighted all the kids sitting in the front row below his platform. I had been to see Mr. Electrico the night before. When he reached me, he pointed his sword at my head and touched my brow. The electricity rushed down the sword, inside my skull, made my hair stand up and sparks fly out of my ears. He then shouted at me, "Live forever!"

I thought that was a wonderful idea, but how did you do it?

The next day, being driven home by my father, fresh from the funeral, I looked down at those carnival tents and thought to myself, "The answer is there. He said 'Live forever,' and I must go find out how to do that." I told my father to stop the car. He didn't want to, but I insisted. He stopped the car and let me out, furious with me for not returning home to partake in the wake being held for my uncle. With the car gone, and my father in a rage, I ran down the hill. What was I doing? I was running away from death, running toward life.

When I reached the carnival grounds, by God, sitting there, almost as if he were waiting for me, was Mr. Electrico. I grew, suddenly, very shy. I couldn't possibly ask, How do you live forever? But luckily I had a magic trick in my pocket. I pulled it out, held it toward Mr. Electrico and asked him if he'd show me how to do the trick. He showed me how and then looked into my face and said, "Would you like to see some of those peculiar people in that tent over there?"

I said, "Yes."

He took me over to the sideshow tent and hit it with his cane and shouted, "Clean up your language!" at whoever was inside. Then, he pulled up the tent flap and took me in to meet the Illustrated Man, the Fat Lady, the Skeleton Man, the acrobats, and all the strange people in the sideshows.

He then walked me down by the shore and we sat on a sand dune. He talked about his small philosophies and let me talk about my large ones. At a certain point he finally leaned forward and said, "You know, we've met before."

I replied, "No, sir, I've never met you before."

He said, "Yes, you were my best friend in the great war in France in 1918 and you were wounded and died in my arms at the battle of the Ardennes Forrest. But now, here today, I see his soul shining out of your eyes. Here you are, with a new face, a new name, but the soul shining from your face is the soul of my dear dead friend. Welcome back to the world."

Why did he say that? I don't know. Was there something in my eagerness, my passion for life, my being ready for some sort of new activity? I don't know the answer to that. All I know is that he said, "Live forever" and gave me a future and in doing so, gave me a past many years before, when his friend died in France.

Leaving the carnival grounds that day I stood by the carousel and watched the horses go round and round to the music of "Beautiful Ohio." Standing there, the tears poured down my face, for I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico.

I went home and the next day traveled to Arizona with my folks. When we arrived there a few days later I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago.
I have long since lost track of Mr. Electrico, but I wish that he existed somewhere in the world so that I could run to him, embrace him, and thank him for changing my life and helping me become a writer.

-Ray Bradbury, December 2001

Mr. Electrico was right, Ray: you and your stories will live forever. Keep living, loving, and writing!

For Those Born Before 1980

I am over my sinus infection and busy preparing for Fall semester (which starts next week!), so I don't have much time for blogging this week. I do want to share this essay/joke, though. I've combined a couple that I've received recently and was struck by how accurate much of it is!

THOSE BORN 1920-1979

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Read the whole thing.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs, and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but but I can't remember getting E-coli.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and drank Kool-aid made with sugar but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day and we were OK.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes after running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.


How did we survive?

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Subversive Cross-Stitch

Last February at Camp Stitchalot I admired a huge sampler called "The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow" (by Carriage House Samplings) that one of the other stitchers was working on. I love the early American look and find the morbid poem amusing, but the price of the chart (let alone the fabric and/or silk floss) is more than I usually spend. It's huge, too: the stitch count is 369 wide x 278 high (26.3 x 19.8 inches if stitched on 14-squares-per-inch fabric). I like the idea of stitching just some of the squares as smaller projects (which wouldn't take the rest of my life to finish!).

Here's a funny blog entry by someone who stitched the whole thing and survived with her sense of humor intact: MFB: The Truly Subversive Cross Stitch. Be sure to scroll down, look at the close-up photos, and read all the comments at the end!



UPDATE: more links to the lady at IPB Living and her current MFB project:

July 30, 2008: Stitching In Progress: Villages of Hawk Run Hollow. 1.5 squares done, with photos of the work in progress. Wow! She doesn't use a frame or scroll bar and stitches with a cat in her lap!

August 6, 2008: Stitching In Progress: Village of Hawk Run Hollow. 2 squares done.

August 13, 2008: MFBville In Progress: Week 7. 3 squares done.

I find it discouraging that she apparently stitches 3 hours each night and only gets about one square done per week. I don't have nearly that much stitching time and definitely need a smaller project!

Bronny and the Sheep

By Bronwyn¹ the Way-too-Patient-For-Her-Own-Good (Guest Blogger)

Well, I have a no-shit-there-I-was story² from Pennsic³. Since I spent most of my days attending the booth with occasional forays to shop or use the potty my story, predictably, involves shopping. If there really was a Shopping War Point⁴, I would have won it. Hands down.

Some Pennsics are uneventful. You have fun but nothing really worthy of a story happens. Nothing outrageous, laugh-out-loud funny, crazy or tragic happens that inspires you to actually pick up pen and paper to tell the tale. Sadly this Pennsic was not like that for me. In the middle of this saga, Thad said, “You should write an article for your local newsletter.” Although Stormvale⁵ no longer has a newsletter, I agreed – this simple HAD to be recorded for posterity.

Oh my, where to begin.

I work for Darkblade Studios⁶ at Pennsic – I sit the booth and they pay me in installments for doing so. The owners are Master Thaddeus and Mistress Siobhan. Although I had taken enough garb for each day at Pennsic I had “2-3 outfits” on my shopping wish list. I went shopping on the first Saturday⁷. I really had my eye on a Norse apron dress but at nearly $150 I didn’t have enough cash that early in the war. I stopped at Sheep’s Clothing* where I had gotten a gored dress last year. I found two more dresses that I liked – a green one that was too large and a plum one that was too small (sadly, none that were “just right”). This would not be a problem, I was told. They could alter the green one to my measurements – it would be delivered first thing the next morning. And they could make a plum one to my measurements (“It will be ready Tuesday morning.”)

Let the games begin….

The Sheep* was indeed on my tent step first thing on Sunday morning. Without the dress. “It got so cool last night I went to sleep. Sorry!” This was not a problem because as I said I had plenty of garb with me. The green dress was delivered late that afternoon and it fit very well indeed. Foolishly I dismissed this tardiness as a fluke. One should never disregard signs and portents. Sigh.

Tuesday morning rolled around and there was no sign of my pretty plum dress. I stopped by the Sheep’s in the afternoon. “The rain put me behind because we can’t run the machines during storms. I have two hours on this dress, two hours on a second dress then an hour on your dress. You will have it later this evening. Promise!!” Famous last words. There was no dress delivery that evening so I went down to the Sheep. The shop was closed.

There was no sign of a delivery on Wednesday either so I stopped by the Sheep in the afternoon. “I’m so sorry but the rain last night put me behind again! But it will be ready later this evening!!” It wasn’t. When I stopped there later that night the shop was – wait for it – closed.

First thing on Thursday morning Osion, a longtime friend, stopped in and said “I’m supposed to tell you that your dress will be done later today.” (How she knew to have him tell me I don’t know.) It wasn’t. I stopped by early in the evening but it still wasn’t ready. “Rain delay. Sorry!!!”

Friday morning I stopped by the Sheep AGAIN. The dress still wasn’t done but at least she was actually working on it. She dropped it off shortly after 11am. Since I was minding the shop I didn’t try it on right away. A couple of hours later Siobhan said, “Are you going to try it on?” I said, “Sure! I’ll give you a fashion show, darling!”

Um…Houston, we have a problem…” I couldn’t get the bodice all the way down into place. Getting my arms into the sleeves was like stuffing sausage. I couldn’t put my arms all the way to my sides or lift them much higher than my shoulders. I could bend them only about 90° but I feared for the seams - I couldn’t reach my bra strap to push it out of sight.

I waddled down to the Goat feeling like either the Michelin Tire man or Violet Beauregard after she ate the gum. I can only imagine what people who saw me were thinking – a fat woman in denial – trying to squeeze into an obviously too-small dress. The Sheep’s daughter (the Lamb*) was minding the shop. The conversation went something like this:

Lamb: May I help you?

Me: I need to talk to [the Sheep]

Lamb: (She looked me up and down and cleverly deduced what the topic of the conversation would be.) Mommy? Could you come out here please? We have a problem!

Sheep (from private pavilion): What? Who’s there? What’s the problem?

Lamb: Could you come out, dearest? You really need to see this.

(The Sheep comes out of the pavilion takes one look at me and – I swear – takes a step back)

Sheep: Oo! We have a problem! Don’t’ worry! We fix! What happened? I wonder if I… (She gets her order book and looks up my order) You know what I did? I had three orders on one page and I used someone else’s measurements for your dress. (Thinks for a moment) You know what, we won’t fix – I’ll make a new dress! You still want the same colors?

Me: Yes please. I love the colors! The fit – not so much.

So I toddle off back to Darkblade. Before she helps me wriggle out of the dress I have Siobhan take a “Before” picture.




















Several hours later the Sheep brings the shell (no gores, no side seams) to make sure the bodice will fit. (It does). She’s happy. I’m relieved. A couple of hours later she returns with the completed dress. I told here if there was a problem I would come back down to her shop. She said she’d hide.

Thad watches the booth while I try it on. Hmm….a little tight in the arms. I wear it back down to the Sheep and explain the problem. She and I go back down to Darkblade so I can change out of it for re-fitting. “We fix!!” An hour later she is back with the dress. This time it fits well enough that I call it good. I’m happy. She is relieved. Alas I didn’t get an “After” picture as I had no opportunity to wear it.

* Not real name

---

Explanatory Notes by The Cat Bastet

¹ Members of the SCA create historical personas for themselves. This is the lady's Medieval/SCA name, not her real name.

² Most Pennsic stories, especially those about various battles, start with this phrase.

³ Refer to my previous post, What is the SCA?, for a brief explanation of the SCA and Pennsic.

⁴ The winner of Pennsic is determined by who wins the most points. Points are earned for each battle, archery competition, etc. Although everyone at Pennsic spends a great deal of time shopping, there is no shopping war point (alas!).

⁵ This is Bron's local SCA group, located in Genesee, Lapeer, and Sanliac counties, Michigan.

⁶ Darkblade Studios sells Amber, silver, Celtic, and other jewelry. They don't yet have a web site but are located in Portage, MI.

⁷ Pennsic lasts for two weeks. You can attend as many, or as few, days as you like. Bron was there for the whole thing

Thank you, Lady Bronwyn, for sharing the funny story of your shopping adventure. I can't wait to see the new dress!

What is the SCA?

Wondering why I suddenly stopped blogging? I've been ambushed by a throat and sinus infection and feel awful. Fear not, dear readers (all two of you)! My dear friend Bronwyn will be filling in as a quest blogger, but first I need to explain something.

We are active in a living history group called The Society for Creative Anachronism (the SCA, pronounced "S-C-A" or "skah"). To quote the SCA web site:

The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our "Known World" consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which may feature tournaments, arts exhibits, classes, workshops, dancing, feasts, and more. Our "royalty" hold courts at which they recognize and honor members for their contributions to the group.

We live in the Middle Kingdom of the SCA and 10,000+ members around the world just returned home from the 37th Pennsic War. Pennsic is a huge "war" between the Middle Kingdom and East Kingdom, held annual in Pennsylvania. There are daily battles, archery competitions, fencing, classes, and shopping in an area the size of a Medieval city. Participants wear historical clothing ("garb") the entire time and attempt to camp in authentic conditions (minus food poisoning, of course). Pennsic is so large that non-SCA people also attend, so not everyone is 100% authentic. Still, it's a wonder to behold and experience, even if you dislike camping.

I was feeling rather sorry for myself last week for missing Pennsic (which is not the place to camp if you are allergic to dust, mold, and ragweed), then I got sick and was really glad I was home. I've been enjoying Pennsic vicariously through the daily newspaper, the Pennsic Independent, and the stories of my friends who did attend, including Lady Bronwyn our guest blogger. As you'll see in her post, she had some funny shopping adventures.

More Web Sites
Master Rowan's Photo Gallery

It's dead, Jim

After 3.5 years of faithful service, my beloved iPod Nano appears to be dead. I've tried everything in Apple's support section but the clickwheel no longer works. Considering how much I use I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I didn't expect it to just quit. I guess I thought there would be other symptoms first. Oh well, at least the prices have come down on the new ones. Wal-Mart has good deals where you can order it and it will be shipped to your local store in 7 to 10 days.

I couldn't wait that long so I went to Wal-Mart today for a new one. I got a new Nano (i.e., third generation) which means it does everything my old Nano did (podcasts, music, audiobooks, basic games) plus video and video games. This means I can play video podcasts, TV shows, and movies on it. It holds 8 GB (twice as much as my old Nano) and, while I can't remember exactly what the original Nano cost, I'm pretty sure this one was cheaper. Amazing! In addition to the iPod I bought a clear cover because I can't stand the idea of not having a screen protector.

I was surprised and delighted to learn that my old cables (travel charger, lanyard headset, etc.) work with the new Nano. Call me a skeptic, but I assumed that Apple would make each generation of a particular iPod slightly different so that you'd have to buy all new accessories. What a pleasant surprise to learn that I don't!

The new Nano is amazingly fast. It was partially charged so it only took a few minutes to add my music, books, and podcasts. Then I started looking for video podcasts so I could try out that feature. There are lots of free video podcasts available and you can now search iTunes by the type of podcast you want (audio or video).

I'm sorry to lose my old Nano but I think I'm going to like the new one. The Nano is dead; long live the Nano.

What Bush and Batman Have in Common

I don't usually write about politics but was struck by this interesting article in last week's Wall Street Journal: What Bush and Batman Have in Common

Click here to read a copy.

What Bush and Batman Have in Common

By ANDREW KLAVAN
July 25, 2008; Page A15

A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .

Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W."

There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

"The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

Conversely, time after time, left-wing films about the war on terror -- films like "In The Valley of Elah," "Rendition" and "Redacted" -- which preach moral equivalence and advocate surrender, that disrespect the military and their mission, that seem unable to distinguish the difference between America and Islamo-fascism, have bombed more spectacularly than Operation Shock and Awe.

Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense -- values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right -- only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like "300," "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," "Spiderman 3" and now "The Dark Knight"?

The moment filmmakers take on the problem of Islamic terrorism in realistic films, suddenly those values vanish. The good guys become indistinguishable from the bad guys, and we end up denigrating the very heroes who defend us. Why should this be?

The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.

Leftists frequently complain that right-wing morality is simplistic. Morality is relative, they say; nuanced, complex. They're wrong, of course, even on their own terms.

Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.

The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.

When heroes arise who take those difficult duties on themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him."

That's real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.

Perhaps that's when Hollywood conservatives will be able to take off their masks and speak plainly in the light of day.

Mr. Klavan has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. His new novel, "Empire of Lies" (An Otto Penzler Book, Harcourt), is about an ordinary man confronting the war on terror.

Saffron Update: Mixed News

I took Saffron to the vet today to get subcutaneous fluids and medicine. Jen, our favorite vet tech, hadn't actually work with Saffron for two or three weeks and examined her with fresh eyes. She noticed that Saffron's tummy looked swollen and had Dr. Amy examine her.

The bad news is that this occasional swelling is internal fluid caused by her decreasing liver function. We are to keep a close eye on her and watch signs of her disease progressing (more fluid build-up, labored breathing, lack of appetite, etc.).

The good news that she acts like she feels good: she is purring a lot, eating a lot, and perkier than she has been for weeks (now that she no longer has an intestinal infection).

There are medications that can help improve her liver function (Denosyl and Marin) but they have to be taken orally. You'd be amazed at how hard it is to pill a 5-pound cat, how long she can hold a pill in her mouth before spitting it across the room, and how furious the attempts make her. It's not worth stressing her out.

Jen told me you can buy the same medicine in capsule form at the health store, where it's called Milk Thistle. Theoretically, all you have to do is open the capsule and mix the powder in her food. The powder seemed tasteless and odorless to me, but Saffron disagrees. So far we've tried mixing small amounts of the medicine with smoked salmon, Gerber's, cheese (including smelly Stilton), and smoked trout. She eats the unadulterated food and leaves the food with the medicine. SIGH. It's a good thing she no longer needs antibiotics, because she won't take any food with those either! She is too smart for her own good.

We are going to keep trying to give her the Milk Thistle. I'm trying to focus on the positive (she feels good, is perky, etc.) and remind myself that we (and our wonderful vets!) are doing all we can but I'm afraid her time is running out.

Glowing Granite Counterops

Right after we moved to our new apartment with granite countertops, bathroom floors, and bathroom tiles, we noticed a spot on the kitchen counter that glowed in the dark. We thought it was a little strange but weren't too worried until we read "What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?" by Kate Murphy in yesterday's New York Times.

The granite shown in the article looks exactly like ours. One of the salesgirls in the rental office checked and told me that our granite came from China. After the pet food problem, that didn't make me feel any better!

I realize its unlikely we have dangerous levels of radon or uranium in our counters but I have asked maintenance to check anyway. They tried to tell me that:

1. The glow is not due to a finish or anything they put on the counter (I realize that)
2. They can't see any glow (That's because we only see it at night; closing the blinds during the day doesn't make it dark enough to see the glow)
3. Granite has a natural sparkle (I know that)
4. Granite is natural and comes from the ground (I know that -- that's also where radiation and radon come from!)

I don't care if it makes me look paranoid, I asked them to test it anyway if only because I have an old, sick cat and it would give me peace of mind knowing that I'm not exposing her to anything bad. At least I'll sleep better after its been tested!

Click here to read the article.

Since you have to log in to the NY Times to read it, I've pasted the story here. I have omitted internal links to the NY Times.

What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?
By KATE MURPHY
Published: July 24, 2008

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.















Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
TESTING Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing.

















Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
DETECTION Using devices like the Geiger counter and the radiation detection instrument Stanley Liebert measures the radiation and radon emanating from granite like that in Lynn Sugarman’s kitchen counters.


“He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.

“My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”

As the popularity of granite countertops has grown in the last decade — demand for them has increased tenfold, according to the Marble Institute of America, a trade group representing granite fabricators — so have the types of granite available. For example, one source, Graniteland (graniteland.com) offers more than 900 kinds of granite from 63 countries. And with increased sales volume and variety, there have been more reports of “hot” or potentially hazardous countertops, particularly among the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia.

“It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman’s house. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.”

Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials. The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are “ludicrous” because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.

Indeed, health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels. They say these emissions are insignificant compared with so-called background radiation that is constantly raining down from outer space or seeping up from the earth’s crust, not to mention emanating from manmade sources like X-rays, luminous watches and smoke detectors.

But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels. “We’ve been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings,” said Lou Witt, a program analyst with the agency’s Indoor Environments Division.

Last month, Suzanne Zick, who lives in Magnolia, Tex., a small town northwest of Houston, called the E.P.A. and her state’s health department to find out what she should do about the salmon-colored granite she had installed in her foyer a year and a half ago. A geology instructor at a community college, she realized belatedly that it could contain radioactive material and had it tested. The technician sent her a report indicating that the granite was emitting low to moderately high levels of both radon and radiation, depending on where along the stone the measurement was taken.

“I don’t really know what the numbers are telling me about my risk,” Ms. Zick said. “I don’t want to tear it out, but I don’t want cancer either.”

The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. In Dr. Sugarman’s kitchen, the readings were 100 picocuries per liter. In her basement, where radon readings are expected to be higher because the gas usually seeps into homes from decaying uranium underground, the readings were 6 picocuries per liter.

The average person is subjected to radiation from natural and manmade sources at an annual level of 360 millirem (a measure of energy absorbed by the body), according to government agencies like the E.P.A. and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The limit of additional exposure set by the commission for people living near nuclear reactors is 100 millirem per year. To put this in perspective, passengers get 3 millirem of cosmic radiation on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.

A “hot” granite countertop like Dr. Sugarman’s might add a fraction of a millirem per hour and that is if you were a few inches from it or touching it the entire time.

Nevertheless, Mr. Witt said, “There is no known safe level of radon or radiation.” Moreover, he said, scientists agree that “any exposure increases your health risk.” A granite countertop that emits an extremely high level of radiation, as a small number of commercially available samples have in recent tests, could conceivably expose body parts that were in close proximity to it for two hours a day to a localized dose of 100 millirem over just a few months.












Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A radiation detection instrument.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A Geiger counter.

David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York, said the cancer risk from granite countertops, even those emitting radiation above background levels, is “on the order of one in a million.” Being struck by lightning is more likely. Nonetheless, Dr. Brenner said, “It makes sense. If you can choose another counter that doesn’t elevate your risk, however slightly, why wouldn’t you?”

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is considered especially dangerous to smokers, whose lungs are already compromised. Children and developing fetuses are vulnerable to radiation, which can cause other forms of cancer. Mr. Witt said the E.P.A. is not studying health risks associated with granite countertops because of a “lack of resources.”

The Marble Institute of America plans to develop a testing protocol for granite. “We want to reassure the public that their granite countertops are safe,” Jim Hogan, the group’s president, said earlier this month “We know the vast majority of granites are safe, but there are some new exotic varieties coming in now that we’ve never seen before, and we need to use sound science to evaluate them.”

Research scientists at Rice University in Houston and at the New York State Department of Health are currently conducting studies of granite widely used in kitchen counters. William J. Llope, a professor of physics at Rice, said his preliminary results show that of the 55 samples he has collected from nearby fabricators and wholesalers, all of which emit radiation at higher-than-background levels, a handful have tested at levels 100 times or more above background.

Personal injury lawyers are already advertising on the Web for clients who think they may have been injured by countertops. “I think it will be like the mold litigation a few years back, where some cases were legitimate and a whole lot were not,” said Ernest P. Chiodo, a physician and lawyer in Detroit who specializes in toxic tort law. His kitchen counters are granite, he said, “but I don’t spend much time in the kitchen.”

As for Dr. Sugarman, the contractor of the house she bought in Lake George paid for the removal of her “hot” countertops. She replaced them with another type of granite. “But I had them tested first,” she said.

Where to Find Tests and Testers

TO find a certified technician to determine whether radiation or radon is emanating from a granite countertop, homeowners can contact the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (aarst.org). Testing costs between $100 and $300.

Information on certified technicians and do-it-yourself radon testing kits is available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at epa.gov/radon, as well as from state or regional indoor air environment offices, which can be found at epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html. Kits test for radon, not radiation, and cost $20 to $30. They are sold at hardware stores and online.

Cul de Sac

If you aren't reading Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson you are missing one of the best and funniest current comics. Here's an example from yesterday (transcript follows):













Ernesto: Ah, Peter! Checking out some summer reading?
Peter: Hi, um, Ernesto. Yeah, I've got this book -

Ernesto: Let's see. "Dirk Dragonslapper Vol. 1: The Trolls Revolt."
Peter: It's about a boy who rides around on a dragon -

Ernesto: Yes. I reviewed it on my blog.
Peter: You have a blog?

Ernesto: Yes. I found the book derivative and thin, like a watered-down version of Tolkien. You do like Tolkien?
Peter: I've never been tolking.

Ernesto: LOL! Always the quotable Peter! May I use that?
Peter: Yeah. Okay.

Ernesto: Good-bye! Enjoy your little book!

Mom: Let's check out, Petey. Where's your book?
Peter: I put it back. It's derivative, watered-down tolking.

Mom: Okay, Petey.
Alice: I'm getting the Big Pop-Up Book of Giant Squids! See?
Peter: Gaaah!

**********

It's not always about blogging and/or Tolkien, but it is always funny. I read Cul de Sac every day on GoComics. You can read it free at The Seattle Times.

RIP Randy Pausch

Today's sad news: 'Last Lecture' professor dies at 47.

Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture is one of the most uplifting books I've ever read. The theme of the book and his famous video lecture is achieving your childhood dreams. Most "last lectures" are by professors who are much older and ready to retire. Randy wrote his for his children when he learned he was dying of pancreatic cancer. He inspired millions around the world when his book and lecture were published outside of academia.

Needless to say, Carnegie Mellon's Last Lecture page and Randy Pausch's web site are overwhelmed by traffic today by people who want to pay their respects to this brave, modest, funny, and inspiring man who lived every day to its fullest and enjoyed life to its early end.

Rest in peace, Randy. I'm sorry you had to leave your family so soon. Thank you for inspiring us with every day of your life since your diagnosis. You will continue to inspire us through the loving legacy you left for your children, which you were kind enough to share with the rest of the world. The readers/viewers who have never met you mourn with your family, friends, and colleagues because you made such a difference in their lives. Godspeed, professor.

More Physical Therapy

Although I was very careful during our recent move, moving aggravated my tendonitis. I've seen the sports doc, been resting my arm as much as possible, and start physical therapy again Monday.

I had my evaluation with the Physical Therapist this morning. He says the inflammation is mild (which I knew) and there is some scar tissue (which I also knew). The therapy will help both. Over the weekend I am to continue resting my arm, ice it three times a day whether it hurts or not, and wear my brace. I love it when their advice is easy to follow. :)

Working on the computer a lot (like my work load when school is in session) also aggravates the tendonitis, even though I've changed many of my work habits. My goal for Physical Therapy is to make it was well as possible before school starts. Since classes start at the end of August, I'll have to start preparing soon (updating my online classes, etc.). SIGH. I'm not even ready to think about the new school year yet!

Now it's time to curl up with a murder mystery, ice my arm, and not think about school...