Doctor... who?

People I know have been telling me for many years that I would love Doctor Who, and that if only I watched a couple of episodes, I’d be hooked for life. I guessed they were probably right, based on other things I liked, but I just never gave it a chance until very recently. Now I am hopelessly hooked. Not the best timing, since there is now soooo much catching up to do. We’ve been checking out boxed sets from the library (aren’t libraries great?), but the downside is that their availability is not in sequential order so it’s been kind of upside-down and backwards.

Super-basic premise: The Doctor is human-looking alien (a Time Lord) who travels through time and space in the TARDIS, which looks like a blue police box. He travels with one or more companions, usually just one, usually female. He can regenerate a new body when he needs to, although a Time Lord can die in certain ways. He prefers wits to weapons.

Here’s a montage from the very first Doctor Who episodes from 1963! We’ve got this set right now, and have been having a good laugh at the cheesy stuff (imagine the budget for a 30 minute children’s science fiction serial TV show on the BBC 1963). This is great if you love old low-budget sci-fi. The cave men! The Daleks and their toilet plungers! (the Daleks look the same in the more recent episodes, just more scary but still with plungers. I’m glad they went for consistency.) This pre-dates Star Trek by 3 years.
The First Doctor:

Even The Beatles made an appearance on the show in 1965!

Everything featuring the Second to the Eighth Doctor is still missing for me, haven’t seen a one of them. The Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant) is my Doctor. Companion Rose is pretty wonderful too. This David Tennant montage gives you a good feel for the current version of the series.


The way I ended up getting hooked on Doctor Who was because of Torchwood, a spin-off based on a recurring element in the show. It’s a bit more X-Files / Fringe – compared to Dr. Who it’s darker and more adult... and it has Captain Jack (gorgeous John Barrowman) as a centerpiece.

Clip from Torchwood's Season 2 opener:
...could be just your average bar fight scene mixed up good with James Bond and the spaghetti western, except these old "frenemies" are both time agents from the 51st century, one of whom can't be killed. And if it's a scene with Jack, it's likely to be hot... alright, more than just likely.

more Captain Jack Harkness

Got to run... there's an episode waiting.

Pity the poor poodle

What a fate is in store for a critter so cute, tame, and with a crop of curly hair the grooming artists can't get enough of. In case you didn't guess, this is Captain Jack Sparrow. (pretty cute, but the Depp version is still cuter)

The pony you always wanted but couldn't keep in the house.

Couch camel

The littlest bison

See all the rest here at MSNBC/TODAY slideshow, includes football player, panda, and many other fantasy pooch looks. Photos by Ren Netherland.

Not moral enough to be a New Jersey parent

Non-believers just might end up being the last minority group to overcome discrimination. It is still socially acceptable to hate us. Many people who have no problem when same-sex couples marry and/or adopt or raise children will recoil in horror and disgust at the thought of a child being raised by persons who do not believe specifically in One Supreme Being, the Guy in the Sky, the Correct, Preferred, and Only Deity.

[Time Mag LINK: Can Atheists Be Parents?]

Cliff's Notes version:
A married couple file to adopt a baby in New Jersey. They are young, solvent, without scandal, and have high moral and ethical standards. One of them is an atheist and the other is a pantheist, so they left the religious affiliation box blank. Their application was denied over the religion issue. After they took the agency to court, the rules were changed and they adopted the boy. 3 and a half years later, they adopted a baby girl through the same agency, but afterwards they were blocked by a Superior Court Judge for religious reasons, and will have to return the baby girl (that they have had for a year) to the agency if they lose their case in the state Supreme Court where they have appealed.

Stated reason:

Inestimable Privilege. In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes' right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes' "high moral and ethical standards," he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience." Despite Eleanor Katherine's tender years, he continued, "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being."

This issue is so loaded. How many children really have the freedom to worship as they see fit? Were you allowed to go to any church you wanted, or to choose not going when you were a child? Hell no. A minor child, physically, and most likely mentally as well, follows their parents' religious instructions.

A person does not have freedom of religion until they reach a certain level of maturity and their parents reach a certain level of tolerance for differences, or until the kid moves out of the house. By that time the religion of their upbringing is so deeply ingrained that it is very difficult (nearly impossible) for the person to think clearly about their own beliefs, what they really are, and the reasons that they have those beliefs. I know. I have been through the process.

The rest of this question concerns which religions would be deemed proper for adoptive parents? One parent had no gods, and the other was a believer with an alternate concept of God. So if both parents were pantheists, would they be deemed as fit or unfit by the court to adopt children? Pantheism is a concept which finds God in nature, the Universe and in all things. It's a religious view which includes God, and its concepts can be incorporated into many other religions of the world, including Christianity.

The ACLU is providing legal support in this particular case.

RIP Ted Kennedy

Sen. Kennedy on the subject of health care insurance for everyone:

Ted Kennedy was a true liberal, and one of the causes he was most passionate about was reforming the American health care system so that every person would be covered, and that no family would have their lives destroyed by the devastating costs of medical care. The video above was from a little before he was diagnosed with the brain cancer that finally took his life last night.

Previous post: Our Elder Champion

...and again, posting his eulogy given for his brother Bobby.


[NPR story]

Raining at Sunset

5 minutes of rain yesterday at sunset, and today at sunset there was more, just light rain but it's been so rare. Temperature went down into the 80s at twilight. The toad in the front yard came out to enjoy the moisture. We need so much more rain.

This is "Raining at Sunset" by the Punch Brothers with Chris Thile.

Luckenbach takes the Guinness World Record

[LINK] Sunday at Luckenbach, Texas - 1,859 pickers played “Luckenbach, Texas” and “This Land Is Your Land” to take the world record for largest recorded guitar ensemble. (and they did it in 105° heat)

The previous record was broken in 2007 when 1,802 Germans played “Smoke On the Water.”

The event was staged by the charity Voices of a Grateful Nation, which benefits their Welcome Home Project for soldiers and veterans.

1,859 guitar players in one spot- and it wasn’t an Eric Johnson concert!
-- Michael Corcoran, Austin 360, Austin American Statesman

Ain't no cure...

August 23rd was the birthday of the great drummer, Keith Moon. Today is my birthday, and I have to say that I'm feeling more than a little whiny. We had the hottest July on record, and are right on target to have the hottest August. Today's heat could easily break the record for the day.

Between these 2 cats we can't get more than about 4 hours of sleep a night (and not necessarily all in a row) so I have been running ragged from that. Can't get any rest. Can't get any down time. I get vacation days on my day job but MrB can't really take any. Some jobs just don't mix with that whole "time off" thing (plus it's a new job for him, only a couple of months - too soon for time off).

The last time I took a vacation and went somewhere for a few days was back in April of 2001. I went to Vegas for a long weekend to see the Moody Blues and roomed with a few other Moody-crazy friends. It was fun, and not that much of a strain because I was between jobs, had a little extra cash, and MrB stayed at the homestead and did the cat duties.

Now, even if we were able to take a few days off, there's no money for hotels, and these cats would not just need a sitter - Henry, in particular, would require a nurse. $$$$$. He needs a bunch of meds daily and is really fairly high maintenance right now. A lot of people would just put him down, but I refuse to do that simply because he's inconvenient and expensive. My conscience would never allow that, so we will keep him going until he is ready to go... and that's my final word.

I am really happy for all the folks who had summer off or had a great vacation or something of the kind (like my good friend who is a teacher, always spends the summer traveling: last summer Italy and Egypt, this summer Ireland, stays for 6 weeks). I'm glad to hear all about it and happy for her, but frankly it just cultivates the depression. I mean, I am OK, I'm alive and well enough (minor health probs, nothing serious that I know of), it's looking forward to things that is becoming difficult. It's amazing just how much needing a break and needing some rest can affect your whole outlook. Not sure if I need a wake-up call or just a good night's sleep. I believe I really DO have the moody blues complicated by the summertime blues. Ain't no cure...

more Lolcats and funny pictures

Empire of the Sun

I saw this movie when it came out, really liked it then, but never saw the movie again until very recently. I had forgotten most of the details about it, but have always been haunted by the beautiful theme music. It's called Suo Gân, and turns out, it's a Welsh lullaby, and is performed in the movie by the Ambrosian Junior Choir. English Boys Choir music turns me into a quivering mass of jelly - completely at its mercy. Yes, a weakness. You can hear in the trailer posted here, or on the music playlist on my sidebar.

Empire of the Sun (1987) [IMDB] [wiki]
dir: Steven Spielberg
starring: Christian Bale

There are other stars in it, such as John Malkovich, but to me they are all supporting actors. 13 year old Christian Bale is the one with the leading role. It's a semi-autobiographical story about an English boy from an aristocratic family living in Shanghai who is taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese, and spent several years in an internment camp. He is completely on his own in there, having gotten separated from his parents during the attack.

The movie has all of Steven Spielberg's magic, and his great skill at directing children. Christian Bale gives an absolutely incredible performance here, just amazing. If you haven't seen it, I recommend giving it a view.

Furbaby Friday - Henry the Cute

Just a reminder from Henry that even though catblogging has been less frequent around here, maybe every 2 weeks, that he is still the cutest cat on the block.

He gets pretty stressed and gets the panicky howls a lot these days, probably because his eyesight is failing and we think he gets confused, plus that "old Arthur" is no fun to live with. We celebrate his birthday in September, and he will be 18!

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Cats - Catblogging

Water rights and wrongs

Here we are in the middle of one of the worst droughts in history. In Central Austin we are up to 59 days this year that were over 100°, and no relief in sight (this week: 100°-103° predicted for highs every day), none promised until El Niño hits this Fall. The average is about 12 days a year at 100° or higher. Some other counties have over 70 days over 100. Lake levels are also approaching or matching record lows. People who rely on wells for their water supply are finding themselves running very low, or going dry altogether. Crops have been hit hard and animals have nothing to eat. This drought started sometime last year, and you can see by this map that we are in a situation here.

Drought monitor


Effective on Monday, the 24th, we will be on Stage 2 water restrictions from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), upgraded from Stage 1, with higher numbers meaning more restrictions.

* Outdoor irrigation is prohibited except on assigned days at designated times (see once-per-week schedule)
* Golf fairway irrigation is limited to assigned days before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
* Golf tee and green irrigation is limited to every other day
* Vehicle washing is limited to designated days and times, with a hand-held bucket or a positive shut-off nozzle on a hose*
* A person may not conduct or participate in a charity car wash
* The use of outdoor ornamental fountains is prohibited except to provide aeration for aquatic life
* A person may not fill, refill, or add water to an indoor fountain
* No automatic fill valves are allowed for pools or ponds
* Washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, patios or other paved surfaces is prohibited*
* A restaurant may not serve water to a customer unless requested by the customer

*Exceptions are made for washing necessary to protect public health, safety or welfare

This is why it’s so hard to understand how some people can be so oblivious to the situation, so above giving a shit about what they must obviously think is not their problem. The Statesman periodically publishes the residential properties and owners with the highest water usage. The latest winner/loser is Vignette founder Neil Webber, who used 1.74 million gallons in six months. He has been using more water in one month than most Austin households use in a whole year.

Another property in the top 10 is a house which has been empty for years, and for sale for a few months. For June and July it used a total of 347,500. The owner justifies it with the water needs of new landscaping. Others making the list include U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R) and UT professor and former CIA Deputy Director Bobby Ray Inman. The June & July top 10 lists are between ~130,000 and 316,000 gallons a month, with the average residential usage being 9,000-12,000 gals. They all have a laundry list of excuses and apologies, sometimes blaming a leak (which doesn’t wash, no pun intended, as a well-intentioned millionaire could probably get that repaired as soon as they became aware of it), but usually just blaming it on the demands of plants.

This kind of water usage is basically legal as long as you pay your bill. Stage 2 brings with it some fines for water-use violations, but I really doubt that people who pay water bills in the thousands of dollars will care much about being hit with a $500 fine.

Our drought in the news

MSNBC
CBS
Local newspaper
Google

Squirrel!

Why?

Why is it that right before bed, instead of being able to wind down with a few last minute check-ins to my favorite spots, that I end up image-googling some hideous frightening hairy beastie that just so happens to be parked right outside the front door? This guy is about 3 inches (click on the image if you really want to see it larger), and MrB thinks it's a wolf spider but I think is a nursery web spider.

So here we go again, with page after page of huge images of spiders to give me the willies, and I don't mean the good Willies.

This spider is big enough to trigger my phobia, so I won't be going out the front door for awhile (and we just got rid of the wasp terror!)

Scream image taken at Alamo Drafthouse.

Drive-by rush hour shopping opportunity

Roadside Venus.