International Time

Time and Date

As a result of trying to figure out the time difference between Maine and Baghdad, I found this nifty site that lets you build your own set of online “clocks”. The Time and Date site has a multitude of features including world clocks and calendars. You can build your own set of clocks if you have friends elsewhere in the world and you want to know if they are “up” or sleeping. My own constructed clock contains info for the west coast, east coast, Sweden and Tehran.

The true international date and time site is Greenwich Mean Time.

There is also the United States Naval Time Service Department (division of the US Naval Observatory):

The Official Source of Time for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a Standard of Time for the United States.

And then of course there is Time.gov.

Making it through the holidays in one piece.

These festive tips came from the newest Jon Gordon newsletter:

1. Ho, Ho, Ho like Santa
Remember to breathe to reduce stress. When you are running around during the holidays you often forget to breathe. When we get stressed we take shorter breathes which means less oxygen and energy for our brain and body. By focusing on your breathing you will maximize your energy and keep stress from zapping you.

2. Eat like a Reindeer
- The key is to graze and eat smaller meals so you don't eat the entire appetizer table at your next holiday party. Eat smaller more frequent meals during the day to maintain your blood sugar level and optimize your energy level during the day. Too often we eat large meals during the holiday season. This zaps our energy and causes the dreaded after lunch or dinner food coma.
- Also eat soup before a party since studies show you will eat less at dinner if you start your meal with soup.
- While shopping carry around a bag of almonds and raisins so you will have a nutritious and energizing snack to keep you going as you shop, shop, shop.

3. Play like an Elf
Remember to have fun this holiday season. Remember what it felt like to be a child during the holidays and let this memory inspire you to smile, laugh and play this year. Why do children and elves always have so much fun? Because they smile, have fun and play games. Buy a red Rudolf nose and whenever you find yourself being a scrooge put the nose on and make people laugh.

Turin 2006

The XXth Olympic Winter Games take place in Turin, Italy from the 10^th through the 26^th of February. The Olympic Flame was lit, today, in Greece:

“The start of the XX Olympic Winter Games – Torino 2006 drew a step closer today as the Olympic Flame was kindled in Olympia, Greece. Ignited in the traditional way by the High Priestess, actress Theodora Siarkou, the flame was then used to light the official torch of the Turin Games. Following a short stay in Greece, the Olympic Flame will be flown to Rome, and the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its Italian journey on 8 December 2005.”

A Murder of Crows

A Murder of Crows

At Thanksgiving dinner someone asked what a group of eagles would be called. None of us knew but, I had a book at home that might provide the answer.

Many years back, through Verbatim Magazine, I obtained a copy of “An Exaltation of Larks or, The Venereal Game” by James Lipton. It provides page after page of collective nouns – real and imagined.

I googled and came up with these sites for lists of collective nouns or venereal terms:

Venereal Terms

The Collective Nouns

This one is my favorite and is arranged by birds, beasts, people and things:

Collective Nouns

And the answer to our dinner question: a convocation of eagles or an aerie of eagles.

First Snow of the Season

This morning we woke up to the first snow of the season. It’s a bit brisk out. The snow is melting on the roads but sticking to the leaves. Today’s landmark is that my son will be getting his driver’s permit and wants to drive home after the last class.

For me, it’s a deep breath and the thought – how did he grow up so fast. Like any other mother, the day I birthed this baby is still firmly etched in my memory. As will today’s first time behind the wheel of the family car: an American rite of passage.

I spoke with my mom this morning. She did it, without comment, five times; once for myself and then with each of my siblings. Each time she held her breath and her tongue, which I hope I do as well.

A book and a laptop

I finally received my copy of “Perfect Digital Photography” from Overstock. In the review of the book:

"Written by photography experts--including a Pulitzer-Prize winning National Geographic photographer--this full-color book is a must-have for amateur photographers serious about improving both the quality of their photographs and their proficiency in the digital darkroom. The book is the perfect combination of a technical treatise on digital imaging and an artistic exploration of light, composition, and form, allowing you to glean the essential techniques needed for digital photography without losing sight of the artistic and aesthetic aspects of the craft. Using an easy-to-follow approach, the authors explain the image conceptualization process through shooting, editing, and image correction to finished print. In addition, top photographers from a variety of disciplines offer real-world advice on how they use digital photography to create compelling images for high-profile magazine articles, advertising campaigns, and fine art prints. Bonus tutorials at the end of the book offer step-by-step instruction in ten of the most important skills any digital photographer should know.

The authors:

Jay Kinghorn (Boulder, CO), an assignment and fine art photographer, gives training programs and lectures nationwide, and has a syndicated column on digital imaging.

Jay Dickman (Littleton, CO) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and a regular contributor to National Geographic"

I will be reading it over the long holiday.

AND

The Laptop has arrived and it is magnificent. I love the screen size (17”) and the weight of it. It came ready to use – nothing had to be downloaded (except Firefox/Mozilla). With a wireless connection, I was online almost as soon as I got it up and running. I’ve been working on the photo end of things this evening.

I am enthralled.

Meditation to Reduce the Effects of Aging

( Epcot in Florida - my photo)

Study: Meditation may boost brain activity

“Regular meditation has been touted as a stress reducer for years, but a recent study says practitioners benefit from a brain boost as well. CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield spoke with Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, about the study and meditation's apparent benefits.”

And short how-to:

Steps of Mindfulness Meditation

1. Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
2. Direct your attention to your breathing.
3. When thoughts, emotions, physical sensations or external sounds occur, simply accept them, allowing them to come and go without judging or getting involved with them.
4. When you notice that your attention has drifted off and become engaged in thoughts or emotions, simply bring it back to your breathing and continue.

· Remember... it's ok and natural for thoughts to arise, and for your attention to follow them. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing.

Benefits of this meditation:

• Maintaining your calm inner awareness, balance & clarity in the midst of any situation.
• A gradual shift to a higher level of consciousness... centered in the peace, joy & freedom of your Spirit.
• Increased insight & clarity... seeing things truly, as they are.
• Stress reduction.

For a longer version of how to do mindfulness meditation check here.

November is Pomegranate Month

“The pomegranate is not only beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, but is loaded with health benefits.

Pomegranates are an excellent source of Vitamin C. In addition, the pomegranate is rich in polyphenols, some of the most powerful of the antioxidants. And there’s more: each seed provides a satisfying crunch and a bit of fiber in every bite.“

The word pomegranate comes from Middle French and means “seeded apple”.

I found a box of four large and succulent pomegranates while out doing errands today. I took the seeds from half and added them to my plain yogurt - absolutely delicious. The pomegranate seeds are sweet enough to flavor the yogurt. Directions on how to open a pomegranate are found here. Recipes from the POM Wonderful site are found here. And if you want to pursue the “history” behind pomegranates you will find that here.

“The pomegranate is native to Asia, from the Middle East to the Himalayas, where it grows in sandy or rocky scrublands. It is cultivated for its fruit and showy flowers in much of the Mediterranean region and tropical America. The pomegranate has escaped cultivation and become established in parts of southern Europe and the American South and Southwest.” Additional botanical information can be found here.

A laptop for me.

I just received an e-mail telling me that my new laptop is in transit. I ordered a Dell Inspiron 9300 after looking at all of my options (including financing) for the last few weeks. I've customized it with some photo software and some "work" software. It means I don't have to go begging time from my kids.

I am thrilled.

Reading

Working on:

“Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke

“The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa” by Michael Kimmelman

“The Lost Painting” by Jonathan Harr

“The Language of Letting Go” by Melody Beattie

And, just checked out of the library:

“Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix” by Charles R. Cross

“Vanish” by Tess Gerritson

“With No One as Witness” by Elizabeth George

Books.

The original laptop.

Light

My photos taken in Florida, Maine, and Florida.

Magazine Diversion

The magazine “La Cucina Italiana” was just dropped off at my desk. What a treat to flip through and look at all that marvelous food just waiting to be cooked in my kitchen. La Cucina is one of my favorites and I have many back issues tucked away at home.

"The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana is a bi-monthly publication that is unique in its authoritative approach to Italian cuisine, travel, wine, and culture. Readers rely on it for in-depth and accurate information concerning Italian food, wonderful Italian recipes, as well as places and people of interest, and Italian specialty food shops in the United States and around the world."

I also have back issues of Saveur in my library. Another wonderful magazine filled with global recipes and pictures.

"Saveur tells the life story of food - visiting the places it comes from, meeting the people who create it. As we trace food to its birthplace, we see it in a new way, understand it better, discover how it really works and why. Saveur is about real food, real places, real people, with a story behind every dish."

Both magazines turn a 15 minute break into a cultural mini-vacation.

I want this book......

Yes......I want this book and will probably try to find it at Borders this weekend. In the meantime here is the review posted on Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Dowd's Bushworld, collecting her amped New York Times op-eds, hit big during the 2004 presidential campaign. This follow-up is as slapdash as the earlier book was slash-and-burn. What Dowd seems really to want to do is dish up anecdotes of gender bias in the media, which she does with her usual aplomb—everything from how Elizabeth Vargas was booted out of Peter Jennings's vacant chair at ABC during his illness ("I'm not sure if she has the gravitas," opines an exec) to the guys who won't date Dowd because she's got more Beltway juice (and money) than they. The rest is padding: endless secondary source and pundit quotes ("In Time, Andrew Sullivan wondered: 'So a woman is less a woman if she is a scientist or journalist or Prime Minister?' "); examples of gender relations gone wrong in books, film and TV; random interview blips ("Carrie, a publicist in her late twenties from Long Island, told me...."); little musings from girlhood that are rarely revealing enough; endless career rehashes of everyone from Anita Hill to Helen Gurley Brown. A chapter on dating is a mishmash of everything from The Rules to He's Just Not That into You; one on reproductive science (that asks the title question for real) ends up referring a lot to orgasm. It's intermittently entertaining, but neither sharp enough nor sustained enough to work as a book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

You can read an exerpt here.

And if you want to read an interview with Maureen Dowd you will find it here.

The Art of the Album Cover

Arts and Letters has a link to an interesting article about the origins of record album cover art and Alex Steinweiss. A book about his work is available at Amazon:

For the Record: The Life and Work of Alex Steinweiss

Before Alex Steinweiss invented the illustrated album cover in 1938, at the age of 23, records came in drab wrappers. Steinweiss's idea to create a package that would lure the consumer with snappy graphics while protecting the record proved an instant success; sales of the first such record, Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart, soared. This simple idea revolutionized the record business & spawned an entire new field of design--album cover art--that is now inseparable from the product it promotes. Steinweiss's covers are still regarded as icons of the genre. He designed them as miniature posters, with eye-catching graphics, distinctive & vivid colors, & creative, even playful, typography, often incorporating his much-imitated "Steinweiss scrawl" lettering. The Steinweiss style went hand in hand with the golden age of jazz, classical, & popular music dominated by Columbia, RCA, Decca, Victor, & London Records.

A nice, short biography can be found here.

And...

There is a really cool online exhibit that includes his covers and those of other artists of the 60's and 70's. You can find the exhibit about 3/4 of the way down the page. Once you click on it you will interact with a new window. You have to actually place the needle of the record player on each track to view a different decade of cover art. It is very clever.

I remember how difficult it was to pick songs off a record to play individually. And, having to replace the diamond needle every so often. I still have a box of "vinyl" up in the attic. Most of my favorites have now been replaced with CDs.

Bumper crop of stars....

The close quarters of Robert's Quartet have ignited wide-spread star birth in two of its four galaxies
(Image: FORS2/VLT/ESO)

Intergalactic attraction creates bumper star crop


* 17:15 07 November 2005

* NewScientist.com news service

* Maggie McKee


"Hundreds of new stars are igniting in the wake of intense gravitational interactions between four galaxies, new observations reveal.

The four galaxies – called Robert's Quartet – lie about 160 million light years from Earth in the southern constellation Phoenix. They are crowded into a space just 150,000 light years across – only 1.5 times the width of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

That proximity makes them one of the best known examples of a compact group of galaxies, whose members gravitationally disturb each other. In the group's largest galaxy, NGC 92 (left), that interaction has sparked the creation of about 200 star-forming regions and unravelled a stream of gas and dust stretching 100,000 light years.

Nearly 60 stellar nurseries have sprung up in the irregular galaxy NGC 87, in the upper right of the image, while a ring of enhanced star birth circles the spiral galaxy NGC 89 (lower middle). The observations were made with the FORS2 spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile."

Chromium Picolinate

I have been taking vitamins and supplements since an experience with panic attacks in the 80's. Along with some diet changes I started taking B vitamins. I have since added in E, Folic Acid, C, baby aspirin and Soy. About 4 years ago I discovered the Source Natural Life Force Multiple which is now one of the top ranked multiple vitamins. This was about the same time that I changed my food habits over to "low carb". I have to say my health has never been better; there are very few colds or flus in my household.

This fall has been an emotional rollercoaster (see previous posts) and I feel like I need something to take the edge off emotions that seem to be bordering depression. Some new information has come out (new studies) on chromium picolanate and the help that it may provide treating carb cravings resulting from "atypical" depression:

Chromium is an essential trace mineral whose main function is to work with insulin to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins. When chromium is bound to picolinic acid to create chromium picolinate, absorption in the body is significantly improved. Recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized chromium picolinate as a safe nutritional supplement.

Carbohydrate cravings, weight gain and unexplained fatigue are characteristic symptoms of atypical depression, a common but frequently undiagnosed depressive disorder affecting up to 42 percent of the 19 million Americans diagnosed with depression. “These results suggest that the use of chromium picolinate may be beneficial for patients with atypical depression who also have severe carbohydrate craving,” said the study's lead investigator, John P. Docherty, M.D., president and CEO of Comprehensive NeuroScience Inc, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “For years, the link between depression, insulin sensitivity, and the value of dietary chromium picolinate has been hinted at in small studies and this trial may bring us closer to understanding the connection.”

What is chromium?:

Chromium is a mineral required in small quantities by the body. It enables insulin to function normally and helps the body process (metabolize) carbohydrates and fats. Good sources of chromium include carrots, potatoes, broccoli, whole-grain products, and molasses. Picolinate, a by-product of the amino acid tryptophan, is paired with chromium in supplements because it is claimed to help the body absorb chromium more efficiently.

I picked a chromium supplement produced by Source Naturals. I know from reading about the study it will about 8 weeks to really notice a difference. Stay tuned.....

Lead in Chocolate

This is the latest concerning dark chocolate:

"Chocolates are among the more lead-contaminated foods. A new study has probed the source of chocolate's lead and concludes it's not the cocoa bean. Its concentrations of the toxic metal were among the lowest recorded for any foodstuff.



Missing from the label of chocolate candies...is any notice that such treats have a surprise contaminant: the toxic metal lead. Dark chocolates tend to have the most lead.



Even after completion of the study, however, the major source remains unidentified, notes study leader Charley W. Rankin of the University of California, Santa Cruz. That's too bad, the environmental chemist says, because since it's nevertheless obvious that most of chocolate's lead isn't from cocoa beans when they're picked, the contaminant should be easy to eliminate—once scientists pin down at what stage of chocolate production it originates.



How serious is the lead problem? "I'm not going to suggest that you curb your chocolate consumption," says Rankin. For most people, he says, the amount of lead in even the more-tainted chocolates isn't high enough to cause health problems. However, he worries, for young children or elderly individuals living with lead-tainted pipes or paint, eating lots of chocolate could aggravate health risks by offering an unnecessary additional source of the metal.



The new study shows that dark chocolates, including bittersweet and semisweet candies, had the highest lead concentrations—roughly 30 to 70 nanograms of the heavy metal per gram versus just 11 to 35 ng/g in milk chocolate. Dark chocolates are the types frequently used in gourmet confections and in most chocolate chip cookies. They also contain the highest concentrations of heart-friendly chemicals.



To the Santa Cruz scientists, the interesting question has become: At which point does most of the lead enter constituents of chocolate—in the field, after harvest, during shipping, during some other stage? At present, they have no answers."

They just don't make things the way they used to....

Life has not let up since September. My heart remains broken, my son is doing everything he can to flunk out of high school, my ex is still not paying child support, and this week I had to replace the engine in my 1998 Ford Explorer. My mechanic was surprised that I
was replacing the engine and not the transmission. I am thankful the car (loaded with kids) broke down at a stop light and not on the turnpike.

Last fall I finally bought a new washer and dryer to replace a set that I had used for 17 years. When the warranty was explained to me, I was also told not to expect more than 7-9 years of service out of the new appliances.

What???

We really are a throw away society.

I plan to run the car through the winter and take the time to figure out what I want for my next car. I'm also giving my self a Christmas present of shocks and tires.

And now I brace myself..........What next???

Congratulations to Jason Varitek

With a son whose passion is baseball, I have become more than an interested bystander. I listen to games on the radio and follow our beloved Red Sox team as faithfully as a golden retriever. There has been a lot of disquieting news this week that will mean changes for the team as we know it. I can't second guess management - just as I tell my son not to second guess his coach. I can only trust that whatever doors close, others will open.

There was one piece of news yesterday that was heartening and that was the announcement that Jason Varitek has become a 2005 Golden Glove winner. He joins only two other Boston Red Sox Golden Glove catchers: Carlton Fisk (1972) and Tony Pena (1991). Not knowing much about the award I have looked it up:

"In American baseball, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to simply as the Gold Glove, is the award annually given to the Major League player judged to be the most "superior individual fielding performance" at each position (in each league), as voted by the managers and coaches in each league. Eighteen Gold Gloves are awarded each year, one at each of nine positions to a player in both the National League and American League."

And this specifically on Jason Varitek:

Varitek catches first Gold Glove
Sox captain lauded for his stellar defense behind home plate

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

"For years now, the defense of Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek has been equally marveled at by teammates, opponents, fans and media members. Finally, Varitek has a Gold Glove to go along with all the accolades.

When this year's Rawlings Gold Glove winners were unveiled on Tuesday, Varitek was named the top defensive catcher in the American League.

Not only was it a personal milestone for Varitek, it marked the first time that the Red Sox have had a Gold Glove winner since 1991, when Tony Peña -- also a catcher -- received the award."

Well Deserved!

Day of the Dead

(http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/mexicansugarskull/)

I love exploring the customs and crafts of other cultures. One of the videos that my kids loved to watch each Halloween was "The Halloween Tree" :

"Spock (Leonard Nimoy) waxes spooky as Death personified in this video retelling of Ray Bradbury's classic Halloween adventure. A Hanna-Barbera animated presentation, The Halloween Tree tells the story of four close friends who must face their greatest fears as they travel through time to save their dear comrade, Pip. It's Halloween night, Pip's favorite holiday, and the friends are baffled to spot his spirit running through the woods when they've just seen his body hauled off in an ambulance. Mustering their courage, they follow the spirit and meet Moundshroud (Nimoy), the mysterious black-caped proprietor of a haunted house. Moundshroud challenges them each to gain a deeper understanding of the origins of this ghostly holiday as he leads them on an educational journey through faraway places and time periods. From Egyptian sarcophaguses to Mexican graveyards, the children learn the legends behind Halloween and the importance they place on their friendship with Pip. Imaginative, not too scary, well-acted, and nicely drawn, this hour-long treat will appeal to little spooks ages 5 and older. A short Yogi Bear "classic" involving a witch vacationing in Jellystone Park opens the show; parents not into reminiscing might wish to fast-forward past this dated time-waster."

We learned that Halloween is just the beginning of the days that celebrate the departed. Today is the Day of the Dead:

"...(Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a Mexican celebration of the memory of deceased ancestors. It is celebrated on November 1 and November 2, coinciding with the similar Roman Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. While it is primarily viewed as a Mexican holiday, it is also celebrated in communities in the United States with large populations of Mexican-Americans, the Philippines and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Latin America. Despite the morbid subject matter, this holiday is celebrated joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, the mood of The Day of the Dead is much lighter, with the emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, rather than fearing evil or malevolent spirits."

Photographs that illustrate many aspects of The Day of the Dead are found on this website:

http://www.dayofthedead.com/Photographs.html