thursday, september 28, 2006
What's Really Important
So I was watching Fox news this morning. They were talking about how the Dow was going to hit an all-time high
of 11723 at some point and they were going to keep a close eye on it. I don't know if you have ever watched the Dow (even
for a minute), but the numbers move up in down constantly throughout the day. Anyway, they did a Dow alert (with graphics
and everything) hoping to catch the magical numbers, but that slippery Dow just went down again.
So, they went to a story about the Colorado school shooting. Apparently, a gunman (why not terrorist??) went into a school
and took a classroom hostage. It lasted 4 hours and ended with a little girl losing her life and the gunman (TERRORIST) taking
his own life. For this story Fox News had one of the hostages mother on the phone. She was explaining what her son witnessed
when, lo and behold, the Dow graphic burst through the screen. Instead of letting the woman finish her son's harrowing story,
the anchor cut her off mid-stream to tell us all the Dow just hit the magic number (which of course we didn't get to see because
the damn numbers are constantly MOVING!).
You know, I thought the news couldn't shock me anymore, but I am gobsmacked by this. How in the world could they think
that number was anywhere near as important as the story of this tragic event? How could they be so rude as to cut her off?
They could just show the Dow numbers moving without breaking the story...it's not like the Dow was going to stay put!
Of course, they never got back to the mother. I'm hoping she hung up on their silly asses.
wednesday, september 27, 2006
Seminar
I went to a seminar today on the Politics of Biosafety. The special guest was Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher,
General Manager of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority.
I learned alot about trying to regulate the distribution of Genetically Modified Organisms. I also learned that international
cooperation is so very difficult. *le sigh*
And an interesting note at the end of the lecture, someone asked if Africa would willingly accept GMO sorghum if it had
been proven to be very drought resistant. He answered that a genetically modified sorghum really wouldn't help Africa as much
as infrastructure would. Apparently, if there is drought in one region, another region has enough foodstuff to feed them all,
but the infrastructure is so non-existant, that there is no way to supply the starving region. Sad, huh.
On the upside, my mom is coming for a visit this week.
friday, september 22, 2006
Back to my senses.
Oh good lord, how long has it been? Well, I am finally free of full-time. It was an interesting experience or
experiment, if you prefer. I've learned something about myself this summer. I don't want to "have it all". At least not in
the sense that I am supposed to want it all.
Kudos to those ladies who can find time to work and take care of the home and have some kind of hobby to keep from going
crazy. I am NOT that lady. I am ready to come back home, but I still have 12 hours a week with the USDA. That way, I can get
out for a breather, but my primary focus is my home.
The money was nice and I really needed to have that sense of actually using my education, but I am over all that now.
;)
Now, will my posting habits get better....eh, who knows. I am thinking of a revamp for the site though. I've had one
style far too long.
