Rocco Baldelli, playing with the Tampa Bay Rays, completed a very significant game this week. Baldelli has been struggling with the recent diagnosis of a metabolic mitochondrial disorder. The Rays have been patient while Baldelli underwent therapy and began taking a cocktail of medications in an attempt to alleviate the muscle cramping and severe fatigue he was suddenly experiencing.
Mitochondrial Disease is very close to home for my family. I had two nephews die of metabolic mitochondrial disorders. (Both boys were born to my sister, Bethany Witham, and Brian Buell.) Dominick Warren Buell died before birth and was born on February 21, 2003 (he shares a birthday with Grandma). Kain Gregory Buell, born August 9, 2004, died several weeks later on September 2, 2004. Kain (affectionately known as “Little Bull” in honor of his father) was sent home from the hospital appearing to be in good health but quickly became ill. Kain spent too much of his short life in a neonatal intensive care unit at the children’s hospital.
I guess we can all use a little laugh now and again - even (or maybe especially?) about things as serious and pressing as terrorism and the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. This video is good for a few laughs.
Terri and I had been hoping to take a day trip (or two) to New England for some leaf peeping this fall. However, she has too few good days and the logistics of renting a car to make the trip was simply too much aggravation. I hatched Plan B without Terri’s knowledge and put it into action today at noontime.
We have been talking for a few years about taking a boat ride on the Champlain Canal in Schuylerville. I thought this might be a nice alternative to a sight-seeing automobile trip. Our foliage is about at peak here in Upstate NY this weekend and we were blessed with a 68 degree day under clear blue skies. The weather today is as good as it gets in Upstate NY.
Anyone who has spent some time watching American political coverage recently has heard politicians talk of terrorism. To listen to some politicians though, terrorism is limited to violent acts committed by Musliim extremists that target the USA. Of course, informed world citizens know that terrorism is much broader and much more prevalent than the short-sighted definition of a political opportunist seeking election by riding a wave of carefully stoked fear.
A Jewish newspaper in the UK has an article about the rise of “modesty patrols” in Israel. According to Jewish Telegraph, Jewish zealots throw stones at women whose dress does not meet their standards of chasteness, burn stores that sell electronic equipment that might be used to access the Internet or play objectionable content, and even commit home invasions and assaults to intimidate women who are viewed as offenders. These Israeli domestic terrorists are Orthodox Jews who embrace violence as a means of coercion.
The promise of digital publishing has been with us for at least as long as the Internet has been (which seems like a very long time in our modern, information-centric world). Digital publishing promises instant communication, unprecedentedly low barriers to entry, universal access to content, and environmentally responsible content distribution.
Digital publishing is something of the holy grail of publishing. Until now digital publishing has remained something of a fantastic mirage - it looked good but it was not quite attainable. Digital publishing is finally coming of age and is now rapidly becoming a viable and attractive option for publishers of all sizes.
It was bound to happen sooner or later… Apparently the US Treasury Department has released a new dollar bill in consideration of the state of the American economy.
New Dollar Bill
I’m not sure who to credit for the great graphic work. Thanks to Dad for the link.
Social Media now accounts for more Internet searches than pornography, according to Bill Tancer, general manager at Internet tracking company Hitwise. Tancer has written a new book on Internet search trends. According ot Tancer, pornography accounted for 20 percent of Internet searches a decade ago; today only 10 percent of Internet searches relate to pornography. This trend is also reflected in the young adult demographic as well.
This shift in communication patterns is one of the most noticable changes in recent years, Tancer said. He went on to note that the marketing industry needs to be aware of this trend if they wish to understand their audience.
Reading on the Internet
Most people using the Internet are probably literate and would likely consider themselves to be competent readers. However, many people do not realize that the Internet is a very different medium from print. The near-ubiquity of Internet access may have a tendency to leave us thinking that we just know how to read on the Internet. Isn’t reading online the same as reading offline, we reason.
The fact that the Internet is a vastly different type of media brings several challenges and potential pitfalls to readers. I have witnessed these pitfalls for the past 10 years that I have been using the Internet. My observation is that these challenges have only increased in recent years as more people use the Internet for information access and more information is continually becoming available online. These observations are based on my experience as an Internet user and as an Internet publisher.
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I somehow managed to make it through half of the month without being aware of this designation. I can’t possibly be the only one in America who was not aware that this was National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month so I thought I might as well share the news.
In honor of Patriot Day 2008 I decided to compile a small tribute to my oldest son, Jonathan. Jonathan is currently serving his country on active duty with the Montana Army National Guard.
I have put together a multimedia presentation that is hosted on Yudu. Yudu is an impressive new digital publication service. The entire presentation is available by following this link:
PFC Jonathan Witham Army Training Collage
Note: Those poor souls with dial-up Internet connections will need to be patient as the pages may take a few few minutes to load.
Comments
Bethany Witham - 11 September 2008
We are so proud of Jonathan! Great Job on the Tribute Rob! Love, Bethany, Rachel, and Bailey O’Vera
I am a writer and Internet publisher currently living in Montana (of all places...). This blog reflects my thoughts on life, family, faith, new media, simplicity and whatever else happens to interest me at the moment - and yes, my grandmother is one of the few people to read my blog!
I am a writer and Internet publisher currently living in Montana (of all places...). This blog reflects my thoughts on life, family, faith, new media, simplicity and whatever else happens to interest me at the moment - and yes, my grandmother is one of the few people to read my blog!