My blog is moving

Please change your bookmarks to www.ridzma.com
I have most things switched over but its still a work in progress. (please be kind)

Canadian Citizenship!

Ridley is officially a Canadian Citizen!
(yes, finally!)

Dr. Laura...huh?

According to Snopes.com, this letter has been circulating through email since 2004.
Dr. Laura claims homosexuality is an abomination because it says so in the bible. Below is a letter a listener apparently sent to her...
(Maybe reading this out loud makes it funnier? It was a struggle to read this out loud because I was laughing so hard.)

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Early signs of political leanings??

This article in the Toronto Star caught my eye. Click here
to read it. A couple of excerpts...

"Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative."
The study also claims "The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."

Interesting to read but I think studies like this are potentially dangerous when you consider how much some parents micromanage their kids. Micromanaging and pigeonholing kids is going to spawn a whole new crop of studies (and a whole new crop of kids in therapy). Just watch.

Creative Vision: M aka Ipod Killer

I talked myself right out of my new ipod video. It goes back to the store tommorow due to the dismal battery life. (about an hour and 15 mins video) The Creative Vision: M comes out monday and I'll be picking it up instead. It has a nicer screen than the ipod video and 4 hrs of video playback. It supports divx and xvid, has an fm tuner, voice recorder and the video out is better.

The Ipod video is very nice but Apple would be wise to add a brightness control to the next firmware update. I think it would make a difference in the battery life. My old Ipod 3g suffered from lackluster battery performance so I promised myself I would run at the first sign of battery troubles.
Oh well, maybe next time Apple!

Margaret Atwood - The LongPen?

I really like Margaret Atwood but this struck me as unusual.
I'm not the type to stand in line to shake hands/exchange a few words/get an autograph but this seems impersonal yet at the same time not so impersonal. Weird.

The LongPen

Mystery solved! Yippee!

Remember all that sinus stuff I keep whining about? Well, mystery solved. I went to the ENT yesterday and found out I have a deviated septum and will have to have surgery to correct it. The waiting list is about a year long but I'm just happy to have a resolution. To say I am thrilled would be the understatement of the year. :)

A deviated septum can cause...
Blockage of one or both nostrils
Nasal congestion, sometimes one-sided
Frequent nosebleeds
Frequent sinus infections
At times, facial pain, headaches, postnasal drip
Noisy breathing during sleep (in infants and young children)

The Muppet Show - Manamana

Here you go Ridley! Just click the play button.

March 12th - The Sopranos season 6!

2 more weeks!

Huff is coming back for another season too!
(yeah, I know..so what..but these are shows I never forget to watch!)

Place sticker on forehead. Smile. OK!

First guitar lesson

The gesture? Shes 7, has a baby Les Paul and is COOL dontcha know???

U.S. EPA announces initiative to eliminate use of Teflon chemical

Its about time!
Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015
U.S. EPA announces initiative to eliminate use of Teflon chemical

This is frightening...
Study Finds Teflon Chemical In Newborns' Umbilical Cords

L.L. Bean emailed me back about the snowpants. (makes me wonder if PFOA is used in their other waterproof/stain coatings) Heres a snippet...

L.L.Bean has been closely monitoring the issue including the EPA's
scientific review of PFOA, and its work with DuPont and the other manufacturers. We applaud the EPA's new guidelines calling for marked reductions and a timeline for the elimination of emissions and discharges of PFOA during the manufacturing process.

To date, the EPA has indicated that PFOA is not a concern for consumer products. Nevertheless, L.L.Bean will continue to monitor the debate and the EPA's and public interest groups' further study of PFOA. L.L.Bean is committed to responsible product and environmental stewardship. We fully support the EPA in its ongoing efforts to gather the most complete and accurate science on this matter.

Regarding your question about our use of fabric treatments and not labeling them as Teflon(r): DuPont is not the only producer of fabric treatments. However, Teflon(r) is a recognizable brand name to most consumers. Therefore when our apparel products are treated for water and stain resistance with a Teflon/DuPont product, we label it as such. The catalog statement you quote may be for a similar treatment made by a different company. This fabric protection is designed not to wear off.

Nintendo DS Lite

Finally, a sleeker, cooler looking DS. Its smaller and lighter than the original at 133 x 73.9 x 21.55mm (the original is 148 x 85 x 28mm) It weighs 218g (the orginal is 275g) It also has 4 different brightness levels.
I've never been a fan of the DS's bulky, retro styling.
For the DS lite, it looks like someone consulted with Apples design people. Its coming out in March in Japan. No idea when we'll see it over here.

Election day - Oh Canada!

S
T
R
A
T
E
G
I
C

V
O
T
I
N
G

Come on people! (thank goodness they're a minority government)

The Treasures of Simple Living

The Treasures of Simple Living
"A Family's Search for a Simpler and
More Meaningful Life in the Middle of a Forest"

They have the whole book online that chronicles their journey to..well the middle of a forest. :)

What they've done is something I'd love to do. (though temporarily) It would be nice to have a place like that as a retreat.

Random

An Eco drive watch is useless if you wear your watch on the inside of your wrist.
Its also equally useless if you never wear it.

I don't mind cell phones as much now that I've (late yeah) discovered text messaging.

I need to get the "Charlie and Lola" theme extracted from my brain. (or even replaced...please!)

Kids are a lot smarter than people give them credit for.
Ridley has learned about WW I and II in school and was utterly shocked and disgusted to hear that wars still go on. (she didn't believe me at first)
In her words...
"Don't people know it doesn't make any sense?"

La Befana

Being part Italian comes with some nice benefits, one being that the holidays aren't over yet. We're still waiting for La Befana's visit on the 6th. In anticipation, Ridley and I are reading "The Legend of Old Befana" by Tomie dePaola.

And in case you're wondering who La Befana is, have a read...

The Legend Of La Befana

Who is this old, ugly, withered woman flying around
Italy on a broom, visiting children each year on the
Day of Epiphany, January 6? Is she a fairy queen,
a witch or possibly a crone? And, what is her
connection to the Kings of the Magi, whose knowledge
of the stars guided them and their three symbolic
gifts, gold, incense and myrrh, to Baby Jesus.

When Italians celebrate the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem
on
Epiphany, the children expect La Befana, instead
of Santa Claus. At one time, before people understood
this extraordinary figure, they rang bells and blew glass
trumpets in an attempt to frighten her away.

She is certainly ancient because thousands and
thousands of years ago La Befana, already a bent woman
with white hair, lived in a tiny cottage outside Bethlehem.
She lived alone after her husband died and was sad
because she had no children to keep her company.
Some say that she also had a child who died.

One winter it was extremely cold and the poor people
of the village suffered very much. La Befana would have
to venture outdoors whenever her firewood became in
short supply. While returning from the woods with a
bundle of firewood one evening she noticed an unusually
bright star in the sky. It was fascinating and she sat on
a large fallen tree to observe it, but La Befana knew
not to delay too long because the cold would chill her
old bones and make walking difficult.

Later that night La Befana heard voices outside her cottage.
She opened the door to find a caravan of people riding
camels and mules passing by her cottage. They spoke
in a strange tongue and were dressed in a fashion she
had never seen. At the end of the procession were three
elderly men riding together on camels. One of them called
out to La Befana and inquired if they were on the road to
Bethlehem. After telling the man that it was indeed the
road to Bethlehem she added that they would find no
lodging there because people had come for the census.
The man responded that they were not coming to be
counted, but were seeking the Baby Jesus and invited
La Befana to join them. La Befana refused them, saying
that she was busy. Later that night a passing shepherd
her to join him in paying respect to the Baby Jesus.
Again, La Befana said no.

Later, realizing that the three men were not ordinary
travelers, but Magi, and watching the star become
brighter and brighter in the dark of night, La Befana
realized something wonderful was about to happen.
Knowing that she should have gone with the caravan,
she became distraught and started to cry. She knew
that she must find the Baby Jesus and quickly started
down the road to find the caravan or the shepherd
and join them.

Along the way she asked peasants and shepherds if they
saw the caravan or had any news of the Baby Jesus. She
was told story after story of angelic beings, of the sky
being filled with light, and of hearing music coming from
the sky. She then learned of the newborn Saviour, born
in a stable in Bethlehem.

Sad and tired La Befana took shelter under a large tree.
She was approached by the shepherd who spoke with her
at her cottage. He claimed to have a message for her from
the Magi. The shepherd said that the Magi had told him
that the old women would follow and that they had
mandated that she never give up searching until she found
the Baby Jesus and paid her respects to him. As the
shepherd spoke La Befana was consumed by a burning
desire to find the Baby Jesus and realized that nothing
else mattered.

La Befana's search takes her to many, many places.
She realizes that the only way to succeed is to visit every
child. She got an old sack and filled it with toys. The sack
must be magical because it always has toys in it and it
is never too heavy for La Befana to carry.

Now, each year she looks for the Christ Child. And each
vear, since she can not find him, she leaves the gifts for
the good children of Italy and pieces of charcoal for
the bad ones.

By Stephen J. Saviello
Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000
All Rights Reserved
Permission granted for use in non-commercial, for free
publications, as long as full attribution is provided.

Happy New Year from wired and tired...

I'll let you guess which is which. ;) Ridley and Tait danced up a storm and then we rung in the new year with Dick Clark. (great to have him ring it in...not sure I could take much more of Ryan Seacrest)

I hope everyone has a happy 2006!