I’ve been cheated
A picture of the “new” enron building reflecting the “old” enron building. I think that enron fell before the “new” building was fully occupied.
You are looking at posts that were written in the month of April in the year 2007.
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A picture of the “new” enron building reflecting the “old” enron building. I think that enron fell before the “new” building was fully occupied.
On a recent Sunday, we took a drive to the Hill Country, just North of SA. Specifically, it was a wine and wildflower tour. There’s a winery in Sisterdale - Sister Creek - that has really nice wines. If you don’t know where Sisterdale is, it is near Luckenbach. If you don’t know where Luckenbach is, at least you’ve probably heard of it. (and it isn’t near as big as the song would have you believe - but it does have a post office!)
We stopped for lunch at the Silver K Cafe in Johnson City. We had no idea we would also be treated to wonderful music. john Arthur martinez plays guitar and sings there most Sundays from noon til three.
I’d never heard of him, but I hope to catch him again. Turns out that nearly everything he played and sang he also wrote. He had a nice voice and a good variety to his songs. On a couple of songs, he sang some verses in Spanish. I really enjoy hearing singing in foreign languages.
We wound up buying one of his albums, Lone Starry Night. Someday, I’m going to wish I had gotten it autographed. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more about him in the future.
If you’re ever in Johnson City on a Sunday afternoon, stop in to see if he’s playing. You won’t be disappointed. You can also check out his schedule at johnArthurmartinez.net.
The image below shows a sign outside a local bead store - And The Bead Goes On - located in Bracken Village, Texas. It was designed by bwh Web Designs and it follows the theme of their website - AndTheBeadGoesOnline.com - and business cards.
When I was in high school, I read The Double Helix by James Watson. If you’re not familiar with it, it is the story of how Watson and Crick actually determined the structure of DNA. I found it fascinating reading. It wasn’t a story that glamorized what they did, it just told the story. It was then I decided that I wanted to do biological research.
I went on to obtain a BS in Biology and did work in research for about 7 years. I had a good understanding of the principles of good research: objectivity, repeatable results, openness to other ideas and a willingness to accept that the theory you set out to prove might be wrong. Sadly, I was disillusioned along the way because there were far too many researchers that didn’t follow those principles. They would throw out results that didn’t fit their theory. Eventually, I abandoned the idea of continuing my education in this area.
My point is that you have to be very careful about what you read. Seems like every other day stories come across with headlines like “Caffeine shown to increase brain power” and “Caffeine makes you stupid” - you get my drift. But you need to look further. And ask questions. Was it one study? Or many? How many test cases did they have? Did they have enough cases. To me, it seems like irresponsible journalism for the press to come out and report on a single study. The implication is that the results of this one study are definitive proof.
Prime examples are in the field of diet. Somebody sets out to prove that a Diet 998,122 is good for you. So they follow a few people for 6 months. But what about the people that dropped out, or those whose results were dropped from the study. And what about the next six months?
Bottom line? Never assume that a report in the news is the final answer. Look below the surface. Ask questions. Find out about other studies. And remember, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This bracelet, created by bwh Designs, was a special request from a lady who has Multiple Sclerosis. She wanted a bracelet that she could wear all the time and that had both Sterling Silver and 14K gold in it. This bracelet is the result of that request. It is handcrafted with over 50 Sterling Silver jump rings and 10 14K Gold jump rings in a Chain Maille pattern known as Byzantine.
This particular piece was a custom order and can be seen in the Gallery. bwh Designs is happy to take your custom order.
It took a law here in San Antonio to make all the restaurants non-smoking.
New York city is banning trans-fat.
Marin County, California has fragrance-free seating in restaurants.
The list is endless.
But do we need laws for this? Long before the smoking ban, many of the restaurants we frequented were already non-smoking. One didn’t even allow smoking on their patio. And those who didn’t like it went somewhere else, I suppose. Others of us like the restaurant more for it, and told them so.
Since the law went into effect, I went to one restaurant that had a smoking section. In compliance with the city ordinance, it was separate from the main area, there was a door between the two areas, which they left open. I was seated 30-40 feet from this door but could still smell the smoke. Very shortly, I had a migraine. On my way out, I informed the manager of the problem. He didn’t seem very concerned, he was following the law. That was my last visit to that restaurant.
I believe we need to ask for what we want from businesses we frequent. Don’t want trans-fat? Tell them so. Or as a former co-worker put it, “Vote with your feet!”
Though I haven’t gotten this email, it apparently has been circulating lately:
In September of 2005, a social studies schoolteacher from Arkansas did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into first period, they walked in; there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, “Where’s our desks?”
The teacher said, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn them.”
They thought, “Well, maybe it’s our grades.”
“No,” she said.
“Maybe it’s our behavior.”
And she told them, “No, it’s not even your behavior.”
And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period. By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in the class to find out about this
crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the day, the instructor gathered her class.They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. She said, “Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily. Now I’m going to tell
you.”She went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she did
27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. By the time they had finished placing the desks, those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they earned those desks.Their teacher said, “You don’t have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it’s up to you to sit here responsibly, to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don’t ever forget it.”
The good news is that this one is a true story. Read about it on the Urban Legends Reference Pages. Thank you, Martha Cothren.
This is a website I created for my step-daughter and her fiance: Tracy And Nina
They’ve been planning this wedding for quite some time and I believe it is going to be a great event. Not sure what role they play, but Nina mentioned they will even have kazoos!
