Angry Theresa

File Under Things That Will Never Happen

Angry Theresa — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:30:00 GMT

Iron My Shirt; Or Not.

Angry Theresa — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:12:00 GMT

In a recent Internet discussion, the subject of Hillary Clinton's gender presentation came up. Several people in the discussion said that their main objection to Hillary Clinton was how masculine she was. Here is my assessment of that complaint.

My perspective on the masculine perception is that it has a lot to do with the way Hillary uses her voice, her hair, her eye contact, and her body language. (Not that "use" is exactly the right verb for all those aspects, but you can see what I mean.) She doesn't shrink in any way. She stands her ground, and while women are generally conditioned to say excuse me and I'm sorry, even when the onus doesn't fall on them to do so, she doesn't engage in that kind of self-justifying behavior.

Recently, I read that in one culture other than American, women are trained to raise the pitch of their voices and speak in kind of a falsetto at work, in deference to male coworkers and bosses. The automatic labeling of Hillary as masculine comes from, in my estimation, this kind of deep-rooted filter that women should act like princesses or children.

In person, Hillary Clinton strikes me as beautiful. Her media position at this time has as much to do with how she looks as anything. I wish more people could see her and see her real smile. I am pleased and proud that Mrs. Clinton knows how to handle ridiculous attacks on her gender. She puts them in their rightful place, expected but silly.

A Flea Interviews Barack Obama

Angry Theresa — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:45:00 GMT

See It To Believe It

Angry Theresa — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:55:00 GMT

Angry Motorists Torch Speed Cameras in England

If you click that link, you'll see a picture and story about a burned out red light camera, an automated camera that takes pictures of speeding drivers and sends the pictures and tickets to them in the mail.

If you click the photo in the story, you'll go to the website of a group that resists these cameras by destroying them. I confess, I think it's funny, even though there is a cost to the public treasury.

I think that this kind of enforcement is fundamentally unfair and inappropriate. There are several reasons.

I. A camera is not the same as an accuser.

Our adversarial court system is set up so that people accused of a crime can confront their accusers in court. A ticket based on a photo leaves the accused person with no one to confront. There is no way to confirm that the camera and other measuring devices were working properly at the time the picture was taken, even if the camera can be said to have been working properly when it was set up. Since accused people cannot confront their accusers, this method of enforcement does not conform to constitutional requirements.''

II. A camera captures information unrelated to public safety purposes.

When a camera takes a picture and creates a permanent record of that moment, that action is like a search and seizure in my opinion. The picture can answer questions like, which car, did what, when and where. The picture can also show cargo and number of passengers, which goes beyond the scope of the intention of the camera. When the camera captures and divulges information that would ordinarily be covered by Fourth Amendment protections, it is infringing on citizens' constitutional rights.

III. Cameras don't prevent accidents.

The cameras do not appear to be making any difference in preventing injuries or collisions.

"Thedata are very clear," said Dick Raub, a traffic consultant and a formersenior researcher at Northwestern University's Center for PublicSafety. "They are not performing any better than intersections withoutcameras."

Thus, citizens put up with an infringement on their constitutional rights that doesn't appear to serve a public safety purpose.

IV. The cameras may create unsafe conditions.

The flash on the speed and red light cameras is between 300 and 400 watts. This wattage is commonly described as not blinding to motorists. However, depending on road conditions and an individual driver's eye strength, the flash may be blinding for up to twenty seconds. Senior drivers may be flash blind for a longer period because their eye lenses are more brittle due to aging.

What to do...

Vote no on red light and speeder cameras.
Contest red light tickets as appropriate.
Don't speed or run red lights.

Happy Christmas To All!

Angry Theresa — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 00:20:00 GMT

A little bit of snow in Portland, Oregon!
A White Christmas after all.

I hope you have a happy holiday and shower the people you love with love!

Sweeney Todd

Angry Theresa — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:14:00 GMT

"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit,
And the vermin of the world inhabit it,
And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit,
and it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit the privileged few,
Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo
Turning beauty to filth and greed
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru
But there's no place like London!"

"No Place Like London" by Stephen Sondheim

A film version of Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is currently playing in theaters. The film can be summed up in one word: bloodbath. Since Todd is a barber who cuts throats, arterial spray is nearly a separate character in the movie. In addition, in this film, Helena Bonham Carter offers one of the best acting performances of the year, and certainly one of the best of her career, which is saying a lot. Johnny Depp is stellar as usual and portrays without missing a beat, someone completely consumed with revenge.

The clothing and colors of the film are grays, blues, blacks and browns, with red for accents. The use of color is perfect to portray despair and melancholy. The score of the film is great, emphasizing the misery of the human drama. (The only song I didn't like was "Johanna", which I found too poppy and out of character with the rest of the songs.) Digital effects are used to great advantage in this movie, with just a few touches highlighting emotions or circumstances of the characters.

I recommend this movie to fans of horror and macabre films. Of course, you have to be able to stand a little singing, but I really enjoyed the clever lyrics and sporting execution. Even Alan Rickman sings! I do not think this movie would be good for children. Hurry and see it with a friend. Prepare to be grossed out and enthralled at the same time.

What? Excuse me, please?

Angry Theresa — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:17:00 GMT

The Glens Falls Post Star
Published: Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Editor:

Regarding a story that appeared in The Post-Star on Dec. 6: "Rep. Gillibrand announces she is pregnant."

First of all, I must admit that I am a male chauvinist and that there are, thankfully, differences between men and women. There are many occupations suitable for women and their physical attributes. Carrying a weapon while serving in the Armed Forces and firefighting are not suitable lines of work for women to prove that they are physically equal to men. How many male police officers feel comfortable with a 100 pound female backup?

And now, I have to add serving in the U.S. House and Senate as an occupation that may not be suitable for women.

Ms. Gillibrand's current pregnancy makes a strong case for my opinion. Ms. Gillibrand was elected to serve her constituency, and while she is away from her elected office she cannot perform those duties. The taxpayers who were duped into voting for her will have to pay for her medical benefits. Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, Ms. Gillibrand receives excellent health benefits, courtesy of her constituents. We will be without representation in Congress for a time leading up to and following the child's birth. There will be times when she and the new baby will visit doctors. You can add those days to the total that she will not be serving her constituents.

The current base salary (2006) for members of the House and Senate is $165,200 per year. I wonder if Ms. Gillibrand will do the right thing and reimburse the U.S. Treasury in the amount of $452.60, her daily salary, for each day that she is unable to perform her elected duties. For some reason, I doubt it.

RON BLACHUT
Queensbury

Sometimes my mind is blown by the things people come up with. When it comes to female backup, Mr. Blachut assumes that police officers will be uneasy. I think this is an assumption based on obvious data. But since he doesn't indicate a basis for the assumption, I am inclined to think that Mr. Blachut can't know for sure exactly what police officers think and what the situations are in which a woman's possible smaller size would not be a disadvantage.

The same thing is true of Mr. Blachut's assumptions about Representative Gillibrand's ability to fulfill the duties of her office. Pregnant women work all the time. New mothers work all the time. I am certain that Representative Gillibrand has both the integrity and the ingenuity to balance home and work responsibilities without neglecting her office. Further, a well baby check-up doesn't take all day. Representative Gillibrand may be able to have her appointments either before or after work hours, on lunch hours, or on weekends. And a refund? Please. Mr. Blachut is applying a double standard if he doesn't expect the same of any other politician who is away from work for personal reasons.

Having said all that, it is entirely offensive that Mr. Blachut combines his personal philosophy of male chauvinism with matters in the public arena. Beginning with the theory that women are "less than" men, Mr. Blachut arrives at a faulty world view. His world is one in which anything that is different is obviously substandard. In fact, Representative Gillibrand has credentials from Dartmouth and UCLA that help her apply knowledge to the practice of politics. It shows that even though women may accomplish amazing things, they must always be prepared for detractors who base everything about performance on details of biology.

Violence Against Women: The Price Of Being Bad

Angry Theresa — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:23:00 GMT

Sometimes I feel as though I live in a modern world with my thoroughly modern computer and my smartest of smart phones, my indoor plumbing, my designer Al Gore Internets <3, you know, all my trappings. But then, sometimes, it's time to get real.

Women are being raped and murdered in Iraq for their refusal to follow conservative religious practices. This gets beyond the confusion of sex and rape. Rape is violence on a person's body, her physical sex. When women are raped, killed, and left in the garbage dump with notes labeling them as bad women it is an emergency for everyone.

I am going to include a copy of this article with a letter to my senators. Maybe that won't feed a solution, but I will be using my voice to object to this kind of treatment of women.

Boss Has Good Taste, Or Being Committed

Angry Theresa — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:45:00 GMT

There's a lot to be said for companionship and for having someone in your life who's always happy to see you, right? For a lot of people, that presence is a beloved pet, like a dog or a cat. Let's skip ahead to the 2007 World Series. Some kids who went to the game on a lark caught the fabled game-winning ball. Eventually, it ended up with pitcher Jon Papelbon.

At least one account says that Papelbon had the ball on a counter. His dog Boss reached up and grabbed it and tore it to shreds. Yeah, really. He ate the World Series-winning ball. I feel for Papelbon on a smaller scale. My pugnacious pug Isabella has eaten so much of my stuff: a Doc Marten boot, a flash drive, a leather dress shoe (yeah, OK, shoes are a theme) a handmade peach lip balm, a pack of gum, a law book. Ad infinitum!

But no matter what, Bella and I are best friends forever (BFFs, in case you really want to know.) I suspect that Papelbon may wish he had stored the ball in a dog-safe location or wish he still had the ball, but he's probably still thick as thieves with Boss, who, after all, showed alarmingly good taste in baseballs.

People need to remember that when they get a pet, it is a lifetime commitment. Animals have needs for care and interaction with their owners. It's not fair to an animal who understands things like where it belongs and who its people are, to all of a sudden leave the animal with no support. There are many aspects to lifetime pet ownership. One of them is the financial aspect of pet health. Even a pet in good health will need periodic shots and care. Sometimes, just like people, pets get sick or hurt. Taking them to the vet can add up to be an expensive proposition.

One good piece of advice I have heard from someone who works in an animal clinic is for people whose daily budgets can't take a hit from a big vet bill to get a credit card with a reasonably sized amount of credit on it. Then, put it aside specifically for pet expenses. Of course, daily life can intrude on the idea of an untouched credit card, but put it all in perspective. If your pet really matters to you, which I can imagine Moopsie Schwoopsie does, then you should be able to save this one card aside for any urgent matters or emergencies.

(By the way, this is your best plan of action because even though your soft-hearted vet may want to extend you a payment plan, she's probably been burned too many times to be able to do so. Those people who begged and pleaded when Flopsy's life hung in the balance were never quite able to settle their bill.)

Another important way to value your pet's life is to remember that sterilization keeps pets from becoming unwanted and getting euthanized. I think this is important, especially because sterilizing your own pet provides it with health benefits.

Oregon Resources:

Neuter/Spay Assistance
Link to coupons and loan assistance
Animal Aid, assistance for vet bills besides spay/neuter

Bush's America

Angry Theresa — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:18:00 GMT

It's hard to remain optimistic when all the signs are bad. It's like telling yourself over and over that you don't have the chicken pox, while you scratch those itchy blisters on your stomach. Something that hasn't happened since 1976 happened this week: the Canadian dollar, the "Loonie," reached the same value as the American dollar. The bottom line is that the dollar is weak, weak like Superman impaled on a piece of Kryptonite. When people from outside the US can come and buy houses here, it shows that people are not making enough money to plan for the long term or invest in their own futures, thus, leaving markets open to buyers from elsewhere who can leverage the most strong currency.

An example of this on a very practical level is that an excuse for high gasoline prices is the war in Iraq and accompanying supply problems. At the same time, many workers have not gotten raises in the current quarter or even fiscal year to keep up with increasing costs. More money goes to fuel and less to products, ideas, and investments. This creates a spreading stagnation effect and then a drop in prosperity.

On a broader scale, the housing bubble is an example of the deep-rooted financial problems is experiencing. Construction went up, but then the ability of people to purchase went down, leaving the market with too many available properties for a rhythmic ebb and flow of supply and demand. It's odd that they call it a bubble, since bubbles are such happy, shiny things. In this case, however, the bubble refers to the impermanence and fragility of something that looks good. It's a visual metaphor for that old saying that, "What goes up must come down."

When President Bush tried to make a speech recently about the strong economy, in strong America, the room went entirely silent. That's how I feel about bright prognostications of the future. Greenspan says that there is, "less than a 50-50 chance of a recession in 2008."

What are we talking about here? A little under even odds? Those are still good odds. Oh America that I love, you have been bankrupted for an oligarchy of an ideal. When I fight for your restoration, I will fight not out of unlove. I will fight because I know your greatness. I will fight for the ideal of you that includes liberty and justice for all.

Something To Cure What Ails You

Angry Theresa — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:06:00 GMT

These are snack noodles, I reckon.
(from a discount grocery in my neighborhood)

Creative Uses For...

Angry Theresa — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:22:00 GMT

I love ingenuity. People are incredible at finding ways to make do or to solve problems with limited resources. The Internet is full of many examples of this cleverness. Some of the examples are more common, while others take experimenting. Check out a few of these creative applications:

•Making bread in a rice cooker
•Making a knife out of a cigarette filter.
•Making lasagna in your dishwasher.
•Making an electric lock pick out of a Crest Spin Bru.

Roasting coffee in a hot air popcorn popper.

Here's a tribute to the spirit of ingenuity from NPR, all about people who improvise hidden kitchens.

One more link: creative uses for IKEA products. Check out the "Wrong Assembly" art exhibition!

PS. I'M NOT RECOMMENDING YOU TRY THIS STUFF AND HURT YOURSELF. USE YOUR SENSE. CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL. SAFETY FIRST.

Oops, I Did It Again, Or Spam Texting And Other Rudeness

Angry Theresa — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:54:00 GMT

Today's theme is a potpourri of avoidable and ridiculous problems. We all know Britney has a few problems, but I am rooting for her to recover! Someone get that girl some serious support.

I. Junk spam is on the rise! One side of the argument says that since customers have to pay for texts, they shouldn't have to deal with unsolicited texts. Sounds fair, right? The other side of the argument says that to control who can send texts is a restraint on free speech. I can kind of see that, especially if the service provider makes a distinction based on ideological content. I think the best solution to this problem would be a filter that allows the phone user to accept or deny the text based on a contact list or other factors.

II. A couple of days ago, I was watching Star Jones discuss the Kelsey Peterson case. In discussing the victim, she said that there's no one with a higher sex drive than a Latino teenage boy, with all his machismo. The person she was speaking to asked her if she was being racist. She said, no, that she merely thought that no one has a higher sex drive than a teenage boy. Time to call the bull. Jones meant to attribute at least partial responsibility for the sexual encounter to the victim. Just because he is male, Latino, libidinous, or anything else she can think of, doesn't mean that he wasn't a victim. It doesn't mean that he wasn't manipulated and taken advantage of. It doesn't mean he wasn't in need of a protective influence. I think it shows some kind of double standard that the statement wasn't picked up by the media and that Jones wasn't required to apologize. In fact, I think when she knew that she has said the wrong thing, she should have stopped immediately to say, "I'm sorry." Just because Jones is Black doesn't make it OK for her to propagate racist stereotypes against other people of color.

III. And then there's the story of Jamie Leigh Jones. She went to Iraq to be an administrative assistant and ended up getting gang raped in her coed barracks. I am really proud of her for turning the tragedy into a force for good with the Jamie Leigh Foundation. I'm disgusted at the apparent lengths KBR went to to keep Jamie from getting help or support. I can't imagine the ordeal she went through and hope that it can happen to fewer people in the future.

Rare18 mukhi Shiv RUDRAKSH Rudraksha bead, Or On The Holidays

Angry Theresa — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:20:00 GMT

I have a few reasons to be mad today, just like this kid. For example, when I was little, my mom used to do my hair like this every Saturday.I thought I looked too much like Nellie Olson, so I didn't like it much. Today, I am mad because I can't have a Rare18 mukhi Shiv RUDRAKSH Rudraksha bead. This bead could strengthen my autonomic nervous system and eliminate phobias entirely. Amazing. I especially like it that enemies of the wearer become friends. But then, if you can make such a fierce face as this little girl, maybe your enemies will just leave you alone and it will be all good. I'm a little doubtful of the price; two grand is a lot for a clay bead. The bead looks like a peach pit. I think it would be awesome if a peach pit were the over-the-counter version that could protect me from malefic planets, phobias, and enemies. Who knows what the truth is about peach pits and clay beads. I think if something makes you happy and reminds you of good things, it can't be too bad. I'm careful about putting more stock than that in things, though.

'Tis the season to be shopping, right? eBay is good for that. Sometimes when I think about all the things you can buy on eBay, it seems a little weird. Amazon.com has come out with a nifty ebook reader, Kindle. (I sort of wonder why, since other ebook readers have failed, but I think they're cool. This one even has wifi for getting subscription updates.) When I looked at the prices for Kindle on eBay, I found one that had been bid up to $700. Rainchecks, people. Give your Christmas giftees rainchecks. It is amazing what the market will bear.

I was in poor student mode for a while. Lately, I've been underemployed. There's an ebb and flow to this, while I start my own business. I have found that the people in my life are compassionate about this and just as happy to receive baked goods as anything else. You don't have to limit yourself to foodstuffs as gifts, though they are usually very welcome. Consider some of the following options:

Biscotti or other cookies
Handmade ornaments (Some I'll probably try: Sheet Music Angels)
Tie-dye t-shirts
Altered photos
Donations. A certain career soldier in my life is getting a donation to Homes For Our Troops if I can swing it.
Coupons, for things like a car wash or a lawn mowing.

You get the idea. It's possible to decommercialize the holidays and make them more about celebrating the people in your life than buying them junk. I am going to try to live up to this idea for the holidays. I want people to know I care about them and appreciate them, but I don't want to make it all about the money.

If you have ideas about this kind of holiday celebration, I'd love to hear them.

Source for the picture of Mad Girl.

More Meth Treatment Info

Angry Theresa — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:34:00 GMT

Prometa Information

Prometa treatment is an offlabel use for three drugs previously approved by the FDA. It occurs to me that I should make a note as to why I think meth recovery information is important. People need to know that meth recovery is possible and that they can have different futures. The more people that know and can share about options, the more likely the information is to get to people who need it. Note that Prometa treatment can cost about $15,000, not a small sum, and certainly more than ibogaine.

Oh, Thank Heaven--Crimeny! I'm Going To Be Late

Angry Theresa — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:53:00 GMT

You know I think the LIFT bus could be better. I've never hidden that from you. Sometimes I pull my hair out at the irony of it all. I had a meeting to go to around noon in downtown Portland. So, of course, I said I wanted to be there by 11:45. It's always good to have a bit of buffer, right?

My bus, scheduled to arrive anytime between 10:30 and 11:00 wasn't there, even by 11:15. When I called, Joey the Dispatcher told me that the driver was running late on his entire route.

"Why didn't someone call me and tell me, so that I'd have options besides being late?" I asked.

"It looks like...nobody called you," he said.

The speech bubble above my head looked like this.

"Well, now I'm going to miss a fifth of my meeting because there's no other option for me," I said.

"I can put you through to Customer Service if you'd like to complain," he said.

I laughed, an utterly frustrated, trying hard to remain civil laugh. "Complaining doesn't help me," I said. Then, I hung up.

But then, I thought better of it. "Look," I said to the nice lady, "there's only five meetings this year of this kind, and I'm going to miss a fifth of one because no one called me to allow me to make alternative arrangements. I know I'm handicapped, but I still have important places to be."

"This isn't about your disability," she said. She apologized again. The conversation flowed to its natural non-commital conclusion.

My sense of the LIFT bus is that there is no emphasis on efficiency because the administration perceives the service as some sort of social service benefit that they bestow on the disabled people of our fair city. I suppose LIFT does have that component but it is, first and foremost, transportation that should run better than some kind of alarm clock that got left out in the rain, puked on by a herd of cats and sat on by an elephant. (No, I don't have a link to quantify that judgment.)

A few minutes later, the bus arrived. I got on. We went on our way. As we neared Highway 99, the bus driver said, "I think I need a Milky Way." I thought he was saying it in a wishful way, the way I might say, "I need a burrito," or "I need water with lemon." I found out that I was wrong. The bus driver drove to the 7-11 at 99 and Park and went in and bought a Milky Way. (See speech bubble above for reenactment of reaction.)

I took a picture of the 7-11 from the inside of the bus. I had to have proof. I wasn't sure if you'd believe me otherwise.

The belts and straps are to secure wheelchairs to the floor.
A shoulder belt can be anchored to a track near the ceiling and then
used to buckle in a wheelchair user.
(It's not an S & M bus!)

Medication: Two Things Not To Be Mad About

Angry Theresa — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:26:00 GMT

I. I went to the doctor today. (Yay insurance!) He wants me to take something every day. So, I called Walmart to see how much the prescription would cost to fill. Ladies and gentlemen, it is four dollars! I realize that Walmart may have some serious problems, ranging from unfair labor to sexism. The thing is, when it comes to make a choice between being able to afford a prescription and not, four dollars can be a good thing.

Later, I was talking to my friend Sally, telling her about my good fortune. She said, "Wow, four dollars!" Then she frowned.

"But, I like the people at Bi-Mart. They're so nice!" she said.

I said, “Well, yeah, that’s part of the reason to use your local store. It’s just that I can’t afford it otherwise.”

“Well, since I don’t have to worry about that, I guess I’ll keep using Bi-Mart.”

Maybe in some small way, Sally and I can balance each other out.

PS. I will be participating in the toothpaste buycott. Check it out!

II. The State of Oregon will help you get your prescriptions cheaper with the Oregon Prescription Drug Plan. The plan combines the purchasing power of people all across the state to lower prices. The mail order pharmacy for the program, Wellpartner, will deliver with free shipping, most of the time. I found out about this from damnportlanders, smart, if snarky, people that they are. Then, I tried it. In about a week, I received a membership card. I should have used it last time I bought a four-dollar prescription, but I forgot it. Anyway, I’ll try next time.

Keeping Score

Angry Theresa — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:50:00 GMT

Today wasn't that good. World: 2 Theresa: Zip

I. I went to the courthouse today and took my electric scooter, so I could run around to different offices asking questions and doing things without getting totally tuckered out. I wanted to buy a packet of forms, but they told me that I would have to pay the cashier and come back to that window with my receipt. When I went to the cashier window, first, I had a hard time getting through because the area was pretty blocked up with velvet ropes. Then, I made it to the ADA window. (That's how it's labeled.) But then, when the cashier came to the window, she wouldn't serve me at the accessible window. She said I had to go to the other window where she was. This made me upset because I had to meet the counter at nose-level!

"But," I say, "the whole point of the window is that it's more accessible for me."

"Oh," she says. "I didn't see you."

"OK," I say. I hand over my cash and high tail it out of there. Frustrating.

II. "Hey," I ask the security guard. "If I get a Multnomah County Attorney ID is it good for Clackamas too?"

"No," he says. "You'd have to get one for Clackamas too. But we're not giving out anymore until the first of the year."

Oh yeah, just what I need. $500 worth of attorney ID cards. What's the big deal? The background check that the ID represents comes from the state police. They should honor it statewide, I think.

Helsinki Pancake

Angry Theresa — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:13:00 GMT

Helsinki Pancake

I made this today. It was very fluffy and tasty. I recommend it.

4 eggs
2 heaping tablespoons of Splenda
2 cups of milk
1 tsp. salt
2 cups of high fiber wheat pancake mix (I used Nutra Rich Pancake and Waffle Mix)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Put two tablespoons of margarine in a baking dish. Put the dish in the oven to melt the margarine. Once it is melted, tip the baking dish to cover the bottom with melted margarine. Spray the sides with cooking spray. Set the dish aside until the batter is ready.

In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick and foamy (I used a stick blender to beat those eggs senseless.) Add milk and salt. Stir in half the flour and beat well. Stir in the other half of the flour and beat until the pancake mix is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for fifteen minutes, or until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Germs, Bacteria, And Viruses, Oh My!

Angry Theresa — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:44:00 GMT

A long time ago, Louis Pasteur demonstrated that little tiny things we can't see are alive; some can even make us sick. Supposedly, we've moved on from there. Lately, the news is filled with supermega viruses and killer strains of bacteria. The truth is that handwashing with regular soap can be an effective defense against illnesses ranging from colds and flu to hepatitis A to infectious diarrhea. One of the most important factors in effective handwashing is the length of time you take. It's important to wash for at least 10 to 15 seconds, as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" without speeding through it.

This is what I'm talking about.
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), for example.
It's resistant to antibiotics,able to make you ill in a single microbial bound.
Thanks to the CDC for the colorized scanning electron micrograph.

"OK, Angry Theresa," you're saying. "We get it. Germs, must wash. What's the big deal?"

Let me just tell you. On December 1, 2007 The Oregonian Business section reported that while 80% of people worry about germs, only 55% of people wash or disinfect their hands more frequently when they travel. If that makes me a little flabbergasted, the next bit of data bowls me over. A mere 27% of Americans bring their own, "disinfectant, cleaning supplies, shower shoes, pillows, towels, or linens, when going on a trip."

Um, hello!

What's the point of being worried about germs if you're not going to do anything about it? It's not a big deal to carry soap in your purse or pocket. It's a small preparation to avoid significant negative consequences. I also think that it would be gross to just put my feet in any old shower. I'd rather be protected with flip flops from the dollar store. (You don't even need antibacterial soap; in fact, some people worry that antibacterial soap may cause problems.)

This still begs the question of why people don't do what they know they should. Part of it is laziness, sure. But part of the problem is that, in the words of Kevin Barnes, "we really don’t know something until we use it." I'd say that's true. So, inversely, people don't use their germ-killing skills because they don't really believe either that germs will make them sick or that soap can help them. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there, able to make you sick. Wise up! Wash. Prepare for trips. Don't touch your face or rub your eyes with dirty hands. (I just don't want you to get sick, you know!)