Archive for November, 2008
At S-bucks, reading newspapers when I noticed a fellow coffee drinker. In addition to a laptop, she had the perhaps more energy efficient system of notepads and pens. She was taking so many notes and writing it made me think for a bit I’m wasting in my time in not noting down my thoughts - such as they are - through the day and instead trusting my aging memory. Perhaps in a nod to the times, she was making phone call after phone call that always sounded the same…
“Hello, I am inquiring if you have any openings in food service positions?……thank you” (after what was presumably a no. Call after call went the same way. Of course I’m only getting a tiny snipper of the story - is she a writer looking for part time work til she can get published? A social worker looking for work for her clients? A mom trying to find work for a kid? Just another person looking hard for any job they can find? Not being able to see what she was writing, I can’t say if she was keeping a log of disappointments or writing on another subject entirely whilst trying to find work.
November 19th, 2008
The Innerbelt Bridge - which carries much of the North-South Traffic in Cleveland - has some serious problems.
The existing 49-year-old bridge, which carries 119,000 vehicles a day, is a key part of the nation’s highway network.
It joins I-90, the main interstate connecting New England and Chicago, to I-71 and I-77. It funnels tens of thousands of commuters to downtown Cleveland every day.
Before ODOT closed four of the eight lanes on the bridge last month, the L300 chord was functioning at 62 percent of its legally required strength, Hebebrand said.
Possible solutions include building a convention center underneath to hold the bridge up. (update 11/19/08: Ok, this last part was just my idea. Personally, I’m not driving on that bridge for a little while, but I’m a bit paranoid.)
November 18th, 2008
Well I had my fingerprints re-taken on November 7th, and by November 10th the USCIS sent me a letter asking me to show up for my initial application interview on January 8th(!). So far, it’s well ahead of published processing times, which last time I checked said that as of August ‘08 they were processing N400’s from January.
Date/Event
—-
10/10/2008 - N400 and $675 mailed in
10/14/2008 $675 check cashed
10/17/2008 Receipt of N400 received
10/25/2008 Fingerprint appointment for 11/5 received
11/5/2008 Fingerprints Taken
11/10/2008 Letter for Initial Appointment dated
11/17/2208 Letter for Initial Appointment received for 1/9/2008
Total time: 1 month, 7 days
Money: $675
Travel: 1 trip to the Cleveland Federal Building
Time (excluding time to fill out forms): 20 minutes
November 17th, 2008
This article centers on complaints that a Nova Scotia Fire Department overpaid for Polygraph testing of new hires. No mention of polygraphs as being a useless pseudoscience, not admissible in courts in the US or Canada.
November 14th, 2008
Bottom of the intellectual barrel edition:
My question is have any reputable psychics been brought into this case to help find Caylee or her body?
From Nancy Grace’s show
November 14th, 2008
How the poem came to be
November 11th, 2008
Congrats to my dad on induction to the Colchester County Sports Hall of Fame. He’s been coaching and volunteering for Hockey since before I even existed.
To suggest that Jed Ritcey is a giant in Truro sports circles, particularly hockey, is a profound understatement. Starting in 1969, this eldest child of Gerry and Mary Ritcey, Jed set about to carve his sporting resume. He was a volunteer coach in Truro midget football; coached with CEC in its football infancy; coached Little League baseball (including a town championship) and even found time to be President of the Truro School Bands Auxiliary. From the mid-seventies he became a coach in Truro minor hockey and from 1977 - 80 became the Junior A Bearcats head coach. For a three- year period he was President of this very Truro Sports Heritage Society. Jed served as President of Hockey Nova Scotia; Vice-chair of Hockey Canada (the first Nova Scotian in 47 years elected to Hockey Canada’s Board); a member of the 2003 World Junior Executive Committee; Chair of Accreditation for both Women’s and Men’s World Hockey Championships in Halifax; and Vice-President since 2007 of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Tonight, we are not the first to honour Jed, merely the proudest. He is a Life Member of Hockey NS and was awarded the Order of Merit from Hockey Canada - serving amateur hockey faithfully…” In 1996 he was named Volunteer of the Year by Hockey Canada. And Hockey Nova Scotia named its volunteer of the year winner after Jed Ritcey. Rightfully so.
November 10th, 2008
Ladies, did you know that your uterus is shaped like AMERICA?
- Jessica at Feministing
November 10th, 2008
I wonder why the media doesn’t cover this angle - which basically proves Obama is only President due to being the follow-up to an indie rock band concert? In looking back over this two year campaign, it’s hard to wrap my head around just how crazy the right wing became at the prospect of someone with ideals becoming the next leader.
November 7th, 2008
