Category Archives: World Wide What

Jul 10 2011

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Well, the last space shuttle flight went off as expected on Friday.  Kind of sad and yet bittersweet to see the book close on 30 years of history.

Remember studying the 9 planets back in grade school and how exciting the textbook chapters on space were?  How many of us made models of the planets for Science Fair projects?  I never did, but in my spare time I often drew pictures of them in my notebook.

My grade school even had a Young Astronauts Club.  We did things like flying  kites, building rockets,  and even created padded compartments for hard boiled eggs which we threw off the top of the school building to see whose egg would survive without getting cracked. This was to somehow simulate building a safety module that an astronaut could survive in.

My 8th grade year our school held a paper airplane contest.  The winner got to go to some larger county wide contest and our representative from our grade won.  The entire class got to take a trip to the Space Museum in Huntsville, Alabama that year.  That was a fun trip. I’m sure one of the retired shuttles will end up there on display. The sad thing was that summer the kid who won the trip for us was in a four wheeler accident and didn’t even get to go.

So what’s next for N.A.S.A?  According to the article, lay offs.  Yep, trainers and such aren’t needed anymore now that all of this is over.  But, N.A.S.A. plans to save money now and invest in further space exploration outside Earth’s orbit and such by 2025.

I never wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up, but I can’t help but  wonder what tomorrow’s generation will dream of when they look up at the stairs.

Jun 3 2011

Fade to Black for Jack

Jack Kevorkian died today at 83, and despite jokes about whether or not anyone assisted him, he died in a hospital in Michigan where he’d been staying for weeks due to pneumonia and kidney problems. Besides putting assisted suicide in the spotlight, Jack was also an amazing and prolific painter and explored the darkness of human nature in his artwork. You might be shocked (or not) to know that Jack sometimes used his own blood as paint.

Jack was a licensed doctor, and though an odd one at times known for his strange costumes and public flare, he treated his patients with respect and the dignity they deserved. His “suicide machine” was designed so that the patient would actually push the final lever to end their life. When a patient passed out before initiating this final process and Jack pushed the lever for him, this is what mainly led to Jack’s 2nd degree murder conviction. Jack videotaped all of his procedures as proof that he wasn’t doing anything illegal, but his hesistation to pull that trigger got him jail time.

Some people are probably cheering that Jack is gone now. We generally don’t like people who question society and what is considered the norm. We want them to suffer or die. But consider this. If you were alone in the world and had no family or friends, and you were suffering from a terminal illness, what if you considered checking out? What would be so wrong with a doctor assisting you leave the world from a professional or medical standpoint? Hospice workers often inject their patients with large doses of morphine to “help you rest.” Isn’t that almost the same thing? What makes it any different? The fact that we don’t consider that suicide?

If a family member or friend of mine made this decision, I think I’d be okay with it. I’d much rather their final moments be handled in such a way rather than a gunshot to their head or jumping off a bridge. Wouldn’t you? You are probably thinking that’s crazy, but that’s because of the way society has shaped us into believing that taking your own life is wrong. From a religious view, maybe it is. But there are fine lines between medicine and religion, and when it comes to either we don’t always have the answers. We aren’t always right. But we aren’t always wrong.

Jack made us question who was right or wrong. That’s all.

Jun 2 2011

Stop The Press…I don’t know you but I need to know the sex of your baby!

By now, you’ve probably heard the story of this Canadian couple who isn’t revealing the sex of their 4 month old baby because they want the baby to discover his/her gender on their own….

Why do we care?  If it was Brad and Angelina, okay, maybe I’d pay attention.  But I don’t even know these people, and neither do you America.

There are people in this country who beat their children.  Care about them!

There are children in this country who are homeless and hungry.  Care about them!

Even if I did know the gender of this Canada baby, I’m not sending a gift.  Tonka trucks?  Barbie dolls?  Why do we care?

By the way, it’s a boy.  Now, back to caring about something more important…

May 7 2011

Notes on TSA Officers

As I’m standing in the security check-point line at the airport on Wednesday with my shoes, belt, and personal belongings in one bin and my iPad in another, I’m quietly observing what’s going on around me as other people in line are subjected to the scrutiny of the St. Louis TSA officers.

Our line is moving slow because of an elderly woman in a wheel chair with a large cat in a crate on her lap.  The woman accompanying this elderly lady looks like she should be in a wheel chair too.  The officers assisting the ladies are very vocal and rude to these women, making the woman remove the cat from the crate.

After much fidgeting and scrutiny and moving around, they finally make the elderly woman stand and go through the metal detector with the cat in hand.  “I was told I wouldn’t have to do this,” the elderly woman yells out.  “Take it up with the airlines, lady,” a female officer yells back.

This was the same officer that had verbally expressed her disgust out loud to a coworker about this woman as if she were a prison guard.  Had that woman in the chair been my mother, I probably would have been arrested for talking back to the officer.

Another man, probably in his 70s, was being a bit stubborn and got pulled to go through the full body scan.  He bickered back and forth with the female officer a bit and she called for a “male op-out.”  The man went through the metal detector and then a male officer scanned his body with a wand.

Meanwhile, I’m standing there waiting my turn to go through.  People are piling up behind me almost to where you can’t tell who’s turn is next.  My belongings are already through on the other side waiting for me.  And an officer on the other side almost waves other people through who had been behind me.  He obviously wasn’t paying attention and had no sense of urgency.  I kept my cool and kept my eyes on my stuff on the other side which had now been waiting there a good five minutes.

When flying out of Detroit yesterday, the security line was even longer.  But the officers were pleasant.  They smiled and moved people through the line efficiently.  One officer watching the line even asked how everyone was doing and thanked us for our patience.  I was through the line in no time and only separated from my belongings for maybe 30 seconds. Despite the long line, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience, and many people were going through the full body scan but being treated with respect about it.

My point here is that this is already an uncomfortable situation for people, and while people should understand that TSA is just doing their job and get on with it, TSA officers could at least treat people (especially elderly ones) with a bit more respect and dignity as well.  While standing in line in Detroit, I saw a sign asking customers to respect the officers and avoid confrontation or verbal abuse.  Hmm…how bout TSA officers do the same and keep their snide comments to themselves when an old lady and her cat come through the line.  I really wanted to ask that officer if she spoke to her Mom that way.

May 2 2011

Remember this day…

We all remember where we were on 9/11/2001, don’t we?  We all have a story to tell about that day.

You should remember today with as much heart and soul as you do that day from 2001.

At 9:35pm last night, I shut my book and turned over to turn off the lamp.  I checked the clock to make sure the alarm was set, and then I settled into my pillow to drift into sleep.  It was the end of a nice weekend, and the start of another work week at the beginning of another month.  It rained yesterday, but the weekend was still nice.  My book was good.  I was tired.  I was satisfied.

The television was on as I prepared for sleep, but we were watching some wedding cake baker show on some cable channel.  I was nonchalantly watching, and was more engaged in my book.  And since it was cable, President Obama did not break in to tell us the news.  J turned the TV off around 10 and settled into bed as well.

At 6am this morning, the alarm went off and J turned on the TV like he always does in the morning.  I’d been awake since about 10 minutes till thanks to a hungry cat meowing and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. And there it was on Today in St. Louis – news that Osama Bin Laden was dead.

My story is not as exiting as those who rushed the White House or the WTC site in New York to celebrate.  Videos of local college campuses played on the news showing crowds of students chanting and waving flags.  My story from 2001 isn’t that exiting either.  But I remember it.  It’s my story.  It’s a part of me as much as this history being made, being played out on the TV before me.

So, I’ll remember it.  Will you?

You should.  Take a moment today to stop and close your eyes and recall the events of your day and put them to memory, to safe keeping somewhere inside your head.  Or blog about them.  Write them down and put them in a safe place.  They may be small or brief or trite, but you will still want to remember them some day.

Remember this day.

Mar 13 2011

Adventures With An iPad

iBooks on iPad

I got an iPad on Thursday, in case you didn’t already know.  I’ve Tweeted and Facebooked about it already several times.  I honestly haven’t used an Apple product probably since the old green screen computers in junior high, and even then it was just to play Oregon Trail.

Like everything else in the tech world, I was a bit hesitant at first because that’s just the way I am with new products.  I’ve been “on the grid” since the mid 90s when I got my first email account and spent hours on AOL every night so computers are an every day vice for me by now.  I write on them.  I work on them.  I play on them.  I’m still not a huge tech junkie and wouldn’t know what to do if the computer broke, but I do know my way around one.

I bring this up because I’ve only had a cell phone for about a year.  I never felt the need to have one and could probably still cope without it.  I just recently upgraded to a model that can connect to the web, and while I enjoy checking FB statuses from my phone from time to time, in the back of my head I keep saying, “Oh God, I’ve become one of those people!”  Those people are the wired ones that I’ve been making fun of up until now.  I totally feel like a lemming.

Oddly, I didn’t feel like that back in December when J gave me a Kindle for Christmas though.  Being a book junkie and an author, I already felt like I knew a lot about the Kindle.  After seeing coworkers with their Nook Color, I almost felt like my Kindle was “old school” since it wasn’t in color, had limited web capabilities, and wasn’t touch screen.  The iPad is definitely a step up, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

A friend on Twitter pointed me to a blog post from a man who actually preferred the Kindle over the iPad.  The post mentioned that you have to keep in mind what purpose each device serves and how it fits your needs, something I had obviously been blind to after seeing the iPad.  The Kindle is an Ereader, and although it may not be in color, it’s still a nifty and very affordable gadget.  While I can read on my iPad as well (and read better), I can also become easily distracted – checking Facebook, checking Twitter, running apps, checking email…  The Kindle almost forces you just to read, although I did download several games on mine as well to pass the time.

The iPad is more expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for.  And I almost feel like my Grandma trying to learn how to do that email thing.  (FYI, my Grandma has never touched a computer in her life and does not have that email thing.) The complete touch screen function definitely takes some getting used to, but it is quite impressive. You also seem to get more use out of your desktop than you probably do on a desktop computer.  For instance, at my computer I have to sign into the computer, sign into an internet connection, go to my email server, and then sign into my email.  On the iPad, I tap an Email icon on my desktop and I’m immediately in my inbox.  So all those in-between steps are eliminated. Though I’ve downloaded very few of them, let’s not forget all of the other apps that you download on the iPad.  Besides email, I’ve also got my Twitter account and Facebook just a tap away.

Kindle App for iPad

Now let’s talk about the Kindle app since it’s the first one I downloaded.  First, I love the set up much better.  Your bookshelf on the Kindle consists of just the titles of the books.  You have to move the cursor up and down to select the book you want to read.  On the iPad, you are actually looking at the book covers in color.  You tap on the cover and the book opens.  You can also view full screen snapshots of the cover in color.  On the iPad, you have a back light display.  No light with Kindle unless you buy a book light.

You use your finger to flip the pages on the iPad and can even turn it sideways to view two pages at once just like a real book.  Your Archived books are also just a tap away at the bottom of the screen where as on the Kindle you have to go back to your main menu and scroll through the titles to your Archived Listing.  This is not a time consuming effort, but the iPad function is definitely easier and quicker.

One of my books had web and blog addresses on the last page.  With just a tap, the iPad takes you right to the site.  Kindles does this too if you move the cursor to the link but we already know you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the site in color or on a full screen.

Kindle is definitely more compact and lighter in weight.  I feel safer carrying my Kindle around in its case, as I have yet to get a cover for the iPad.  And the iPad is bigger in size and definitely weighs more.

Kindle Home Page Showing Only Titles

Lastly, when reading Ebooks you aren’t really reading it page by page because you can increase or decrease the font to your sight preference. This function changes where an actual page might end or begin. To measure where you are in an Ebook (the number of pages you read), there is a percentage grid at the bottom of the page…showing you might have read 10% of a book and you have to get to 4562 before you reach the end.  This grid is always visible at the bottom of the screen on Kindle and I always found it to be a distraction.  On iPad, you can hide it.

There are also other Ebook apps available on iPad as well.  See the iBook shelf pictured at the top.  I’ve downloaded this app but have not made a purchase from them yet.

So there you have it.  Hopefully I’ll have more to share with you as I learn more about this new nifty lil device.  And hopefully I won’t get too distracted from my E-Reading while on the iPad.

What device are you reading on?  Are you considering an Ereading device if you don’t have one?  If so, which one and why?

Feb 21 2011

God Hates Cardboard

Saw this picture over at the website godhatesshrimp.com and it got me to thinking…how dare those crazy religious zealots take good cardboard that could be used by some homeless person to make a “Why lie?  I need a beer!” sign instead.  Don’t these crazy religious groups have money?  Can they not afford to run down to Kinkos or Staples and have some decent signs printed up?

I’m just saying…

Jan 26 2011

An Open Letter To the Susan G. Komen Foundation (aka For the Cure Foundation)

Dear Susan G. Komen Foundation-

Or should I call you “For The Cure” Foundation? Whatever you prefer. In light of the recent headlines concerning you trademarking every slogan that involves the words “For The Cure” and you attempting to sue other companies and non-profit organizations that use the words “For The Cure” because that’s considered trademark infringement and you think you should own those three words, I’m writing today with a special request.  But before I get to my request, I have a few questions I’d like to inquire about concerning your recent activity.

First, do you plan to also trademark the color pink or possibly the word “pink?”  If so, are you going to demand singer Alecia Beth Moore to change her celebrity name – Pink?  And what about the Pink Panther?  Would you sue him and require him to get a dye job?   Will the back-to-school 16 count Crayola box now only be 15? Will pink champagne have to call itself tangerine to avoid a lawsuit?  Will Sweethearts candy now only come in yellow, green, white and blue?  Will you sue flower companies for delivering pink roses on Valentine’s Day? Will hospitals now need to assign a new trademark color to newborn baby girls?  Will Aerosmith have to change their favorite color?

I would also like to commend you on being able to rally millions of people for your one cause, collecting millions of dollars “for the cure.”  Had I known you needed that money to fight these legal battles over three little words, I would have surely joined the efforts.  I thought you were raising that money for breast cancer awareness, but since you dropped the words “breast cancer foundation” from your name I guess that’s not true anymore. I know that you are saying you are just protecting yourself as a brand, but I thought you were a charity.  Not a brand.  Crest is a brand.  Doritos is a brand. Coke is a brand. Yoplait is a brand, a brand in fact that donates money to you each year for the collection of their pink lids.  Maybe I will also have to reconsider what brand of yogurt I eat now.

And now for my request. I would like your permission to still be able to use the words “for” and “the” freely.  After all, they are two of the most frequently used words in the English language, especially “the”.  Can the American people please have “for” and “the” without upsetting you too much and having to get a lawyer?  Please?  Okay, okay, we’ll let you have “cure.”  Go on.  Take it.  Who needs it?  Sure, there are lots of other cancers out there that need a “cure.”  AIDS needs a “cure” too.  But we’ll just make them pick some other word.  God knows the dictionary is full of them. Heck, “aid” is a good substitute for “cure.”  Or how bout heal, fix, elixir, antidote, or correct?  All perfectly good substitutes for “cure.”  I’d race for the elixir of leukemia any day.  I’d even race for the Rid of Rectal Cancer, but Rid makes me think of that brand name used to get “rid” of children’s head lice.  They’d probably sue us over that.

By the way, Susan G. Komen’s maiden name was Goodman.  Good man.  That of which you are not any longer.  You are wasting your time with this nonsense.  You are wasting money which supporters have so gracefully bestowed upon you. And you are wasting your supporters time, time that could be spent on organizations that are truly looking “for the cure” to whatever they stand for.

Sincerely,

Shannon Yarbrough

Racing “for the Cure.” For that English Rock Band, The Cure.  Don’t sue me!

 

Dec 31 2010

2011 Resolutions

For the past three years, I haven’t really made any resolutions other than to lose weight, and I always break those kinds of resolutions anyway.  2010 being no different.  I’ve been thinking of what resolutions, or “challenges” as I like to call them, I want to make for the new year and here they are.

  1. I’m definitely going to get back into the gym this year.  It’s the only way I’m going to lose weight and get in shape is if I’m paying to do it.  I’m not setting a weight loss goal though at this time because I probably will wait till after January to join.  I’ll let all the other people who put the gym on their resolution list get out of the way first before I start!
  2. It wouldn’t be a new year without a new reading challenge.  2010′s goal was 30 books.  I passed it with 42 books read.  I’m shooting for 50 next year, but will be happy with at least reaching 40 again.  Of course, I’ll be keeping track of them by reviewing the books here on my blog and keeping a Listmania list over at Amazon.  Here’s my 2010 list if you are interested. Amazon only lets you list 40 items per list, so I deleted two books that I didn’t even finish reading because they were horrible.  My 2011 list will also include books I read for LLBR and from my Kindle.  I never included LLBR books before unless they were books I chose on my own. I’ll be starting my list with A Christmas Carol which I read over the holiday.
  3. Blog more!  I always say I’m going to do this but the gaps between posts grow and grow thanks to all the other activities I’m involved in.  Hopefully, I’ll cure that with my next two challenges:
  4. I’m starting a new blog in 2011.  The St. Louis Bookstore Review.  I probably won’t do it all in one year, but I’m going to visit every bookstore in the city (chain, indie, textbook, religious, etc.) and review them. This is a new project I’m very excited about so I hope you’ll follow along and share the blog with others.
  5. Pie challenge!  After my killer pumpkin pie back at Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to do a pie challenge next year.  I’m going to bake a new pie each month and blog about it.  I’ll share the recipe, take photos, and report back.  I’ll experiment with homemade, premade, and frozen crusts.  Fillings, holidays, baking, and more. And of course…taste tests!
  6. Couponing!  Definitely going to keep this up since I did such a good job of it this year.  But in 2011, I’m shooting for $1500.  That’s only $500 more than my previous goal, and only $300 more than where I ended 2010 at in savings. I’m also keeping track of the coupons again, but in 2011 I’m doing it in a spreadsheet rather than by hand like I did in 2010.
  7. As part of #6, I’m going to try to cut down my spending on groceries in general. More about that in my next post where I examine my spending habits for 2010.

And that’s about it.  Like I said, I’m not really resolving to do anything, just challenging myself to do things better.  We should be resolving to do that every day, right?  So…let the fun begin!