Weekend Wise Words

"As long as we observe love for others and respect for their rights and dignity in our daily lives, then whether we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in the Buddha or God, follow some religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy."
-- Dalai Lama

Is breastfeeding creepy?

Okay, this is a different kind of creepy than Zombies, but....

Under the headline "I formula fed. So what?", Kathryn Blundell says in last month's Mother & Baby that she bottle fed her child from birth because "I wanted my body back. (And some wine)… I also wanted to give my boobs at least a chance to stay on my chest rather than dangling around my stomach."

She goes on to say: "They're part of my sexuality, too – not just breasts, but fun bags. And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no attempt to change it), seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy."

Well, I like her attitude anyway.

Check it out:
The Guardian article

The Zombie's Survival Guide

Thrive In The Zombie Apocalypse After You Turn....
Authored by Calvin A. L. Miller II
Illustrated by Alan R. Gandy

From Calvin and Alan's web site for the book:

Love Bites. Hate Eats... The "Zombie" Apocalypse is coming. It's not "if" it's "when", and if you think you are going to be one of the brave survivors you see in the movies and video games or read about in books and graphic novels you are sadly mistaken. You know who I mean, the handsome and tough hero who was a Navy Seal that women love and men want to be. Or the beautiful, big breasted, brilliant heroine with a PhD in "Science". You aren't even the wisecracking sidekick who lives to defend the heroes. You are a regular person, an everyman. Just as I was before I created this fully illustrated guidebook. So face it, the odds are much more in favor of you becoming one of the undead. A ghoul. A Dead. A "Zombie".

But don't worry, there is hope. There are ways for you to "live" a very rewarding "life" after you turn. How long, well that depends. But you might as well enjoy it while you can. Sure, it's not as cool as being a vampire. They get the late nights partying, looking like the heroes I mentioned above, the cool clothes, and getting to sleep all day. No, you will be a staggering, oozing, puss-filled mess.

But how can you fight Healthies armed with weapons that can be anything from a boy with a screwdriver to a soldier with an automatic rifle? You will not only have physical limitations but you will also be stupid, right?

Wrong.

Many "zombies" retain much of their intelligence after they turn. The ones that are out in the open and shuffling toward people who have guns or other weapons are the dumb ones. The ones that weren't prepared. The smart ones know what to do. They go unnoticed. They wait for their chance to attack. They plot. But if the "Zombie Apocalypse" is coming and hasn't happened yet, how do I know all of this?

Because it has already started. It just hasn't reached you yet, or maybe you're not aware. The mind can play tricks.

And because I'm Hetfield Madden.

And I'm a "Zombie"....

Get this cool book here:
Thrive In The Zombie Apocalypse After You Turn....

List Price: $9.95

Publication Date:Sep 28 2010
ISBN/EAN13:0615404960 / 9780615404967
Page Count:122
Binding Type:US Trade Paper
Trim Size:5.5" x 8.5"
Language:English
Color:Black and White
Related Categories:Fiction / Humorous

The copyright termination time bomb in 2011

Termination Deadline for 1978 Grants Just Around the Corner

"The copyright termination time bomb is ticking away. Starting in 2011 the publishing and entertainment industries will be looking at the possibility thousands of negotiations with copyright owners seeking to recapture their rights. Some call it "contract bumping." This powerful "re-valuation mechanism" found in the Copyright Act allows authors (and their heirs) to terminate contracts 35-years after the contract date. The termination right trumps written agreements -- even agreements which state they are in perpetuity. Also known as “termination” or “recapture” rights, the deadline for sending termination notices for 1978 grants will begin to expire in 2011.

"The impending economic dislocation will manifest itself in the loss of evergreen or backlist titles, as authors, or their heirs, exercise their right to terminate publishing agreements and recapture their copyrights. What is a threat to mainstream book publishers, is otherwise an opportunity for a cheaper, more flexible kind of book publishing. With the ability to recapture rights, access to indie distributors and print on demand technology, authors (and their heirs) will have to decide how much faith they should place in their existing publisher relationships. My guess is that "life of copyright" grants will soon become the exception, not the rule. This article explains why."

Conclusion

"The clock is ticking. On January 1, 2013, provided timely Termination Notices were sent (and recorded with the Copyright Office) grants made on January 1, 1978 will terminate. As a copyright owner, or copyright owner's heir, you must be vigilant. Failure to exercise these rights, or exercise them in a timely manner, can be fatal. And, if you delay filing your claim, you can be time-barred by the statute of limitations."

Check out the full blog article on Lloyd J. Jassin's Law Blog.

Songs of my childhood - the 60s & 70s

When I think back to when I was a kid, my senior year in High School (or thereabouts), or even a few years after that, basically, the 60s and 70s; I think of several things. Like, my girlfriend, who went to another High School, which was a far nicer, cooler, more interesting, and less dangerous crowd.

When I hear songs from back then a few make me think of those fair times.

The Beatles, Seattle August 25, 1966

• The Beatles - who I saw with my sister in 1966 Their song set list
• Ian Whitcomb (my first music album, traded a found High School ring to Tom Owens, singer for my brother's band The Barons; when he found out the deal, he was pretty upset with Tom for ripping off his little brother, but Tom, as Tom always was, smooth talked his way out of it)
• Three Dog Night (who I saw with my HS gf, one of them anyway, actually the most important one
• Donovan - who I saw years later with my first wife at the Paramount in Seattle.
• Elton John - Honky Chateau (Cat name Hercules, Teenage Suicide, Honky Cat, etc.; Yellow Brick Road ("The things I could do with another man" what did Bernie Taupin mean by that? I asked a guy in my high school who was raving about the double album, I said I loved it too, but, what the heck? He just looked at me weird that I was blowing his "high" and he walked off and I stopped asking people and never got an answer till I heard Elton got married and quickly divorced, then came out gay which surprised no one); Mad Man Across the water.
• Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman; Catch Bull at 4
• Seals and Crofts
• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
• Chicago
• Black Sabbath
• Emerson, Lake and Palmer
• Pink Floyd
• Led Zepplin
• Jethro Tull
• The Beatles - who I saw with my sister in 1966 Their song set list
•  Arlo Guthrie - who years later I saw twice in two successive years at the Spokane Opera House
• The Teaset - Ma Belle Ami

Then there were my 60's divergences like:

Glenn Gould - Bach Piano Fugues - I haven't been able to find this listed anywhere.
Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor by Bach and other organ pieces
Walter (now Wendy) Carlos and the Well Tempered Synthesizer and Switched on Bach
Morton Subotnik's The Wild Bull (synthesizer)

I was lucky, in the 60s, my older brother left me his albums and went traveling cross country on his Triumph motorcycle. He had been a guitar player in a band he started and so had some musical inclinations, aside from playing trumpet in marching band in High School (and being voted "Dreamboat of the year" by the local Rainbow Girls).

And so I learned about some really great bands and albums I never would have heard about from my friends. Such as:

The Band's Music from Big Pink
Frank Zappa and the Mother's of Invention
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Ravi Shankar - Tablas and Rasas
Sandy Bull
Cream
Super Session - Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills
The Rolling Stones – 12 x 5
The Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request 2000 Light Years From Home
The Kinks
Jimi Hendrix
The Byrds
Grateful Dead - who I eventually saw in Seattle at the Arena
The Grassroots - Let's Live For Today
Buffalo Springfield
Bob Dylan
Simon and Garfunkel
Jefferson Airplane
The Turtles
The Animals
Steppenwolf - Saw John Kay at the Seattle Colosseum

And about forty other albums. Its interesting that I used to know all these albums as they impacted my life since childhood, and now, today, I try to remember them, yet I hardly can.

Know what I mean?

Seasonal Affect Disorder and tanning beds

I was wondering recently what tanning beds could do for our lack of sunlight, being I live in the Pacific Northwest and our amount of sunlight, well, it leaves much to be desired. This summer in particular, sunlight as been at a premium (this summer sucked). Its not that I have SAD, but I wondered what affect if any, was really prevalent in using a tanning bed as a replacement for the sunlight that we have been missing this year. I particularly liked this article from Health Guidance web site:

People suffering from seasonal affective disorder report feeling better after a visit at the tanning salon for a tanning bed session.

With the arrival of the cold season, besides cold-driven nuisance, some persons experience drawbacks regarding the general state, lack of energy and depression of unknown origin. It was scientifically ascertained that the lack of light favors the production of melatonin by the pineal gland, a hormone inducing sleep. That is why, during the cold seasons when days are shorter and the sunlight is scarce, we often feel sleepy or drowsy. Also, even during spring and summer, if the tendency is to keep most of the time indoors at home or at the office, the effect may be similar, though not as severe.

Well, if drowsiness were the only impact generated by season changes, things would be easier to solve (with a little coffee maybe!). The problem is that melatonin secretion is synchronized with the production of a neurotransmitter, serotonin, which is involved in several physiological processes such as temperature, blood-pressure regulation and in neuropsychological functions such as appetite, memory and mood. The two do not work together at the same time. When melatonin is secreted, serotonin production is inhibited. Lack of serotonin causes disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome and reflects its effects on mood also, triggering depression in some persons.

Melatonin is active at night and serotonin is active in the daytime. Also, there is the age factor that contributes to the balance of the two chemicals: the secretion of melatonin decreases with age. There has been established that the link between serotonin and melatonin along with their dependence on the body clock may explain the depression experienced by the people suffering from the disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD. Depression, sleep problems, weight gain, anxiety, joint pain, irritability, stress, headaches are some of the symptoms that may appear when we suffer from SAD.

The problem is primarily caused by the lack of sunlight. It has been scientifically proven that sunlight favors increase in serotonin levels and favors vitamin D accumulation. Besides having anti-osteoporotic, immunomodulatory, anticarcinogenic, antipsoriatic, antioxidant properties, vitamin D is also a mood-modulator.

UV rays exposure favors vitamin D synthesis in the skin. That is why persons who go to tanning salons have noticed mood improvement and keep the habit in order to maintain the state of well-being. However, it is common knowledge that the effects of the UV exposure are not always the most desirable ones. If going to tanning salons becomes a habit, then recurrent, prolonged UV exposure may result in consequences such as premature skin aging and eventually skin cancer.

Light therapy represents a way to treat SAD. Light operates on the body in two ways: through skin impact or by entering your eyes. Only UV light has effects on the skin, while the light that has effects by entering your eyes needs not be UV, it just has to be bright. Its energizing effect comes from the fact that it stimulates the production of serotonin. The simplest way to get enough bright light is to spend an hour a day or more outdoors, where the light levels range from 1,000 to 50,000 lux or more, compared to room lighting, which is about 50-200 lux.

If your schedule or the weather does not permit it, an alternative is to purchase a light therapy device. For optimum effects, the light source either has to be very bright - 5,000 lux or more - or it has to be in a particular spectrum - around 460 nanometers, which is in the blue range. According to new research, blue range light will provide benefits even if at a dimmer level. Most companies producing light bulbs make full spectrum lights that may successfully replace sunlight.

Yet, there are side effects that bright artificial light may induce, namely it may interfere with sleep (especially when exposure is made in the evening hours) or even trigger in some people a mania - condition called bipolar disorder (known as manic depression).

The safest remains the natural outdoor light, on condition that UV protection is used.

Have a pint in Dublin and a pint is Guinness

"Actually, I'm a drinker with writing problems." - Brendan Behan

"In Dublin, you're never more than twenty paces from a Pub." - old Dublin saying.

I am half Irish and have always felt a strong tendency toward that side of my self. Once I have some extra fundings, I'm going to Ireland to finally have myself a pulled fresh pint of Guinness.

There is a strong literary tie in Ireland between pubs and literature and poetry.
This may be due to a not infrequent situation finding publishers, printers and pubs all being housed in the same building; as well as book sales taking place at or near these pubs. Almost all the Dublin pubs have some connection to famous literary types of the past with their photos or drawings residing now in these establishments.

Look for grand music, tasty pub grub (the food, which has gotten better and better over the years with the revolution in culinary popularity), and obviously, the drink.

The Brazen Head Pub
Must see, its the oldest Pub in Dublin at one time tallest building there.
Dating back to 1198, The Brazen Head is Ireland's oldest pub. When you consider that licensing laws only came into effect in 1635, this pub has been serving alcohol before official licensing laws were even enacted. A short walk from Christchurch Cathedral and The Guinness Brewery, The Brazen Head is well worth a visit for both its historic value and reputation as one of Dublin's best Irish music venues.

John Mulligen's Pub
No food, wine and ale, but John F Kennedy and James Joyce used to drink there. The perfect pint of Guinness is achieved by pulling a pint of Guinness 3/4 full and let sit, then the rest and let sit. Originally John Mulligen had banned all chairs because when real men drink they do it standing up.

John Kavanagh's Pub (The Gravedigger's Bar)
Just outside a famous cemetery with now 1.5 million buried.
The gravediggers, not being allowed in the bar, would knock on the wall and the owner, knowing who and what they drank by that knocking, would retrieve them a pint, take it outside and pass it through the rods of the fence in the Cemetery adjacent to the pub. During WWII, there was a shortage of glass, so the gravediggers would take an earthenware jam jar, and get a dink at the pub and so from that pub came the known phrase, "going for a jar".

The Palace Bar
This is within the Temple Bar area, once a Viking settlement, it is another worthy establishment to visit.

The Palace has had strong connections with writers and journalists for many a decade. Its unspoiled frosted glass and mahogany are impressive enough but the special feature is the famous sky-lighted snug, which is really more of a back room.

Many would cite The Palace as their favorite Dublin pub

The Dublin's Writer's Museum
Definitely a place to visit both before and after visiting the local pubs.

ONeill's Pub
With its several bars has good food and excellent pints of Guinness and others.
Located in the historic heart of Dublin, just minutes from Trinity College and Grafton Street, is O'Neill's pub, the perfect place for a quiet pint or the lively welcome this city is famous for. You'll always be sure of a friendly welcome here. O’Neill’s has existed as a licensed premises for 300 years and is renowned for its ageless character, numerous alcoves, snugs, nooks and crannies.

Doheny & Nesbitt's Pub (D&N)
Famous for those public servants who talk politics and such

The Long Haul Pub
Women not allowed drinking in pubs, there was once a long hall surrounding the bar where they could be served, up until about 1951. Not your standard pub with the declaration of independence and some blurry b/w-pictures hanging on the walls, but a refined and polished example of an Victorian pub in the middle of Dublin.

Jameson's Irish Whiskey
The Old Jameson Distillery has a lovely tour and sampling after.

John Kehoe Pub
Kehoe's also sold groceries so it was called a "Spirit Grocery". They still have womens' cubicles where ladies could drink their sherry, sometimes, a whiskey, but not respectable to have a pint of Guinness, though sometimes they might have a smaller glass.

The bar is decorated in the style of an old Dublin pub, with stylish wood fittings, a very narrow bar and an intimate snug at the front and a bigger snug at the back. When the owner John Kehoe died a few years ago, the bar was sold for 2.3 million punts. The new owners opened up the musty interior upstairs where Kehoe used to live, with a bar and a little parlor with comfortable seating.

Thomas Davis, Poet and Politician said, "No enemy speaks lightly of Irish music. No friend need fear to boast of it."

The Stag's Head Pub
Built in 1770, overhauled in 1895, rich red warmly colored panelings. It was the late Frank McCourt's favorite pub in his Trinity College days.

Though a tavern has existed on this site since the 1780’s, this premises first attained great fame in the 1830’s as ‘John Bull’s Albion Hotel and Tavern’. This was one of the most sought after premises of the age in close proximity to ‘Dublin’s Theatreland’ and the fashionable stores of Dame Street and College Green. A popular music hall business was developed on the site, a trend continued by proprietors Alica and Henry Murphy during the 1840’s. William Wormington succeeded them here in the 1860’s and James Kennedy took the reins in the 1880’s.

Toner's Pub
Another Spirit Grocer pub. It feels very much like a rural pub from ages ago.

Situated on Baggot Street at the corner of Roger’s Lane which is named after the first owner Andrew Rogers in 1818. The pub is currently named after James Toner who the was licensee in 1923. He developed the pub as a bar and grocery shop. Toner’s is one of Dublin’s oldest and most famous traditional pubs.

The interior contributes much to a lively and friendly atmosphere. Old stock drawers still remain behind the bar with some wares displayed in glass cases to the left and right of the door. The decor and flagged floor will take you back in time.

Frequented throughout time by some of Ireland’s literary greats, including Kavanagh and Yeats. It is rumored that Toner’s was the only pub that W.B. Yeats drank in. He was known to sip a sherry and leave.

McDaids Harry Street Pub
Was once the local Morgue, explains its high ceilings.
McDaid's played a part in Dublin's literary history as the local of playwright and novelist, Brendan Behan. McDaid's became the center of a new generation of writers in the 1940s and 1950s who met in pubs in reaction to the quaint lives of older Irish writers. McDaid's has a distinctive Victorian exterior and when you step inside you find an old style bar with a high ceiling and a smattering of chairs and tables. The dimly lit bar has all the atmosphere of a classic Irish boozer, a secretive shrine to the art of convivial conversation and the latest gossip.

The Old Stand Pub
If you ask any Dubliner to name some of the heritage of Dublin's great pubs, one name which you will undoubtedly hear is "The Old Stand" on Exchequer Street, at the junction of St.Andrew Street. The name "Old Stand" gives us a clue to its closest sporting identity - the game of rugby; in fact the name was derived from a now demolished rugby stand at Lansdowne Road.

Neary's Pub
In 1916, a rebel stronghold. A hangout for theatre people, as well as writers. Sophisticated atmosphere, luxurious, comfortable.
Unspoiled Edwardian pub off Grafton Street has been in the present ownership for over half a century and is is popular at all times of day

O'Donoghue's Pub
In 1934 Paddy and Maureen O’Donoghue began running the bar It was during this time the Pub is became famous for the nightly traditional Irish music sessions and was where the popular and famous Irish folk group, the Dubliners formed their band. Many other notable Irish musicians from The Fureys to, Seamus Ennis, Joe Heaney have played at O’Donoghue’s and their photographs line the walls from top to bottom.

Now, I want a pint myself....

Information taken from various sources, many the pub's own web site and from "The Historic Pubs of Ireland", hosted by Frank McCourt who wrote "Angela's Ashes", the book that won several awards, including the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography) and the 1997 Boeke Prize.