The courtroom demeanor of Mark Hagelin seems to point to the fact that he is mentally ill. I am always quite mystified and sickened when I read stories of animals who have been hoarded and not taken care of.
A Buddhist meditation:
May all domestic animals be free of suffering
May they find companionship with loving humans
May their humans be free of suffering
May their humans be clear of thought
May all hoarders of domestic animals find the help they need.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: Buddhism, meditation, animals, Maine
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
Freeware JPEG Cropper and Rotator
I have just found a great freeware program that will help anyone who has to rotate and crop a lot of JPEG files in a hurry. That's all it does, and it does it well. JPEGCrops rules! I had been using the photo editor that's a part of the 602PC Suite, but that one requires that each file be opened and cropped and rotated and saved. Very laborious.
JPEGCrops lets you open all the JPEGs you want to alter, crop and rotate them in one fell swoop, and save the reformatted files to another folder so that your original files are still available. I just cropped and rotated 45 jpegs in about 15 minutes, and that was the first time I used the program!
I am such a mooch!
Peace,
Tor
Categories: freeware
JPEGCrops lets you open all the JPEGs you want to alter, crop and rotate them in one fell swoop, and save the reformatted files to another folder so that your original files are still available. I just cropped and rotated 45 jpegs in about 15 minutes, and that was the first time I used the program!
I am such a mooch!
Peace,
Tor
Categories: freeware
Friday, June 10, 2005
Dana Elcar, RIP
Dana Elcar, who played Pete on MacGyver, has died at the age of 77.
I remember my little brother, who just this week has become a father, was just the right age when MacGyver aired so that every episode was "must-see TV" before the phrase was known. At least that was a great improvement over his earlier obsession, The Dukes of Hazzard. (Somehow, he never noticed that they basically used the same plot week after week.)
As Pete, at least Elcar made the show somewhat tolerable for older siblings everywhere. For this, Mr. Elcar, a generation salutes you.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: television, obituaries
I remember my little brother, who just this week has become a father, was just the right age when MacGyver aired so that every episode was "must-see TV" before the phrase was known. At least that was a great improvement over his earlier obsession, The Dukes of Hazzard. (Somehow, he never noticed that they basically used the same plot week after week.)
As Pete, at least Elcar made the show somewhat tolerable for older siblings everywhere. For this, Mr. Elcar, a generation salutes you.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: television, obituaries
Downing Street Memo
The Downing Street Memo has been getting a lot of foreign press since its release by The Sunday Times of London on May 1. I had only heard about it from liberal bloggers and WERU programming until the Bush/Blair news conference.
Fox News admirably gave it some coverage and surprizingly even-handed analysis a few days prior to that.
My initial take on it is that the information is far from the "irrefutable proof" that the Bush-haters want it to be that the Iraqi War was started on false pretenses. I wish the war had not been started, but I won't allow my displeasure with it to color my analysis of the memo. The memo does seem to give an impression that foreign intelligence circles in general were unsure of their information, or at least were scratching their heads over why Iraq had to be dealt with before so many other threats.
We will be following this closely, if it picks up any steam. Which, after the news conference, seems unlikely.
Peace,
Tor
Nostalgic for Bob and Ray
When I read this story in the Bangor Daily News, I couldn't help but feel a dite nostalgic for the old Bob and Ray show on the radio. Now some of you may be thinking I'm dating myself, but then you probably don't know that the comedy duo had a show on NPR in the late 80s.
If you like very dry humor, try and find some samples on the web.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: comedy, radio
Thursday, June 9, 2005
Crunch Time for the People's Veto
The People's Veto effort is in its final weeks of collecting signatures. Now it seems more important than ever for those petitions to get signed. The legislature is seriously considering a tax increase to cover the borrowing! I dont' know what they're thinking. They need to cut, cut, cut and cut spending again! Then it won't matter where the tax dollars are coming from, because they'll be manageable.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
COA grads mark rite with recycling
The College of the Atlantic held a "garbage-free" graduation ceremony on Saturday. This is a commendable thing.
I couldn't help commenting on one student's observation:
Some advice for senior year: take an English class, especially one that points out the pitfalls of mixed metaphors.
Peace,
Tor
I couldn't help commenting on one student's observation:
"It's incredible," John Deans, 21, said. "We're really putting our mouth where we're walking."
Deans, a COA junior, volunteered to help coordinate recycling efforts as students lugged clothes, books and other detritus of college life out of their dorm rooms Saturday.
Some advice for senior year: take an English class, especially one that points out the pitfalls of mixed metaphors.
Peace,
Tor
Monday, June 6, 2005
Haloscan
I have switched to Haloscan commenting and trackback for my blog. I am hoping that this will enable non-blogger folks to post comments without inviting too much comment spam. I am looking into whether the previous comments, which presumably reside still at blogspot, can be imported.
Peace,
Tor
Update 6/7/05
I have found the way to get the blogger comments into haloscan. For now, clicking on the permalink of any post will reveal the comments that were left via blogger. Right now they don't count as comments on the front page. I will have to manually cut-and-paste each comment into haloscan. This will be a back-burner project for me.
Peace,
Tor
Update 6/7/05
I have found the way to get the blogger comments into haloscan. For now, clicking on the permalink of any post will reveal the comments that were left via blogger. Right now they don't count as comments on the front page. I will have to manually cut-and-paste each comment into haloscan. This will be a back-burner project for me.
Sunday, June 5, 2005
little turtle heads poking out
I just had to point out this one-of-a-kind blog, little turtle heads poking out. It's very well written and has lots of cute turtle photos.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
I Spy, with my Sith-weary eye....
I had read somewhere on the 'net that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith contains a number of Easter eggs. One of them being the Millennium Falcon. I believe that tonight, I happened to walk into the Dreamland Theatre at the right time as part of my projectionist duties at the Colonial Theatre. Just after Obi-Wan Kenobi says, "Another happy landing," the scene shifts to a ship landing on Coruscant. Look just below it. I think that's it.
I have to say that this is the first episode of the Star Wars franchise since The Empire Strikes Back that warrants multiple viewings. I actually enjoyed the second viewing more than the first, especially the battle scenes.
Peace,
Tor
I have to say that this is the first episode of the Star Wars franchise since The Empire Strikes Back that warrants multiple viewings. I actually enjoyed the second viewing more than the first, especially the battle scenes.
Peace,
Tor
Friday, June 3, 2005
Cellular disagreement
My lovely wife Rowan and I watched Cellular
last night, and we have quite a divergence of opinion. I really enjoyed it, and gave it four stars out of five. She gave it two stars (out of how many, I didn't ask). She gave it a letter grade of C+, I believe. She thought it was a highly improbable plot, a point I stipulated, but I found it enjoyable, nonetheless.
We both enjoyed one of the extras on the DVD: a half-hour documentary into the LAPD Rampart corruption scandal of the late 90s. It only tangentially fits into the theme of the feature, but it's riveting.
Peace,
Tor
last night, and we have quite a divergence of opinion. I really enjoyed it, and gave it four stars out of five. She gave it two stars (out of how many, I didn't ask). She gave it a letter grade of C+, I believe. She thought it was a highly improbable plot, a point I stipulated, but I found it enjoyable, nonetheless.We both enjoyed one of the extras on the DVD: a half-hour documentary into the LAPD Rampart corruption scandal of the late 90s. It only tangentially fits into the theme of the feature, but it's riveting.
Peace,
Tor
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Hey FEC : Don't Tread On Me
The Federal Election Commission is drafting regulations for political speech online. As a newbie blogger, I find this story extremely chilling. The assurances that "normal citizens" won't be affected do little to abate my unease.
Let's watch this very closely. Actually, let's start yelling about it right now. No sense in waiting.
We have in the internet a very cheap way for folks to get their ideas out, and ideas can include propaganda. I think most folks online have pretty good BS-meters. I think most folks online do a pretty good job of finding information about topics that interest them, especially political information. Sites that are just fronts for particular candidates or parties are pretty easy to spot.
I really don't like the idea that certain "journalistic sites" would be exempt. Now the FEC is going to decide who is a bona fide journalist, and who is a party shill? I've got some nominations for the latter, and they would include many "main stream media" outlets.
Peace,
Tor
Let's watch this very closely. Actually, let's start yelling about it right now. No sense in waiting.
We have in the internet a very cheap way for folks to get their ideas out, and ideas can include propaganda. I think most folks online have pretty good BS-meters. I think most folks online do a pretty good job of finding information about topics that interest them, especially political information. Sites that are just fronts for particular candidates or parties are pretty easy to spot.
I really don't like the idea that certain "journalistic sites" would be exempt. Now the FEC is going to decide who is a bona fide journalist, and who is a party shill? I've got some nominations for the latter, and they would include many "main stream media" outlets.
Peace,
Tor
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Is shopping at Wal-Mart immoral?
MSN Money offers this analysis of the morality of shopping at Wal-Mart. I commend this story to anyone who has any feelings about the matter. Like most issues, the pros and cons are much more complicated than the people who are yelling the loudest would like the rest of us to think they are.
Disclosure: I have to drive at least half an hour to get to a Wal-Mart. Even with that distance to drive, it saves me a great deal of money. I can't imagine being able to afford living in Maine without one. Clothing, oil filters, some groceries and even the mailers that I use to send out comics I sell on eBay are much more expensive if I buy them from any other merchant.
One line that surprized me greatly:
Peace,
Tor
Disclosure: I have to drive at least half an hour to get to a Wal-Mart. Even with that distance to drive, it saves me a great deal of money. I can't imagine being able to afford living in Maine without one. Clothing, oil filters, some groceries and even the mailers that I use to send out comics I sell on eBay are much more expensive if I buy them from any other merchant.
One line that surprized me greatly:
Shunned by some investors concerned about its antiunion attitudes and environmental impact, the chain nevertheless appeared in the portfolios of 33 socially responsible investment (SRI) funds in that same year, according to a study by the Natural Capital Institute.So anybody out there who is into "socially responsible" investing should take the time to read those prospecti and periodical reports.
Peace,
Tor
The Phields Lay Phallow
Of course I'm always getting phishing email, as I'm sure most of you are.
Sometimes I actually read it. One I received today purported to be from LaSalle Bank, warning me about their imminent software upgrade.
The best line from the email:
"This instruction has been sent to all bank customers and is obligatory to fallow."
Of course, that last word got by their spell checker, as it is a genuine English word. As we become less and less agrarian, fewer people know its meaning. I am wondering, however, if these phishers might be trying to transliterate the word "follow" for New Englanders. Many here say "fallow" the way the midwesterners say "follow."
Oh, the cunning of these pholks!
Peace,
Tor
Sometimes I actually read it. One I received today purported to be from LaSalle Bank, warning me about their imminent software upgrade.
The best line from the email:
"This instruction has been sent to all bank customers and is obligatory to fallow."
Of course, that last word got by their spell checker, as it is a genuine English word. As we become less and less agrarian, fewer people know its meaning. I am wondering, however, if these phishers might be trying to transliterate the word "follow" for New Englanders. Many here say "fallow" the way the midwesterners say "follow."
Oh, the cunning of these pholks!
Peace,
Tor
Cop Shoots Dog
A Belfast policeman shot and killed a dog who bit him twice when he was responding to a medical emergency. I'm not disputing that the dog, after biting the cop twice, was a threat to his safety. But don't cops carry mace anymore? My uncle used to when he was a State Trooper. I used to carry some when I rode my bicycle around Rockland just to deal with ornery mutts. I'll have to ask my brother about that, next time I see him.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Portsmouth and the BRAC
Pinky has some personal insight into goings-on at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in preparation for the BRAC visit. Let's all wish Pinky our best. I'm not in favor of keeping bases or other government facilities open just to keep jobs, but it sounds like the BRAC has some questionable motives here. I have to wonder if the goal here is really to get congress to vote down the whole list, and Rummy and Bush can say, "Hey, we tried to cut spending..."
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
David McCullough Rocks
One book that I intend to read very soon is David McCullough's latest, 1776. A few years ago, I borrowed a copy of John Adams, and was able to steam through it fairly well till I got near the end. I knew that John's wife, Abigail, was going to die, and I didn't want to read about that. It was a very vivid portrait of the emotional bond between them that was the centerpiece of the book for me.
Another reason that I love McCullough's writing is that he is able to draw me into subjects that otherwise would bore me. Case in point: The Great Bridge. McCullough pulls you into the worlds of engineers and politicians and laborers, showing all their faults, but with much affection toward their human nature. Great stuff.
Peace,
Tor
. A few years ago, I borrowed a copy of John Adams, and was able to steam through it fairly well till I got near the end. I knew that John's wife, Abigail, was going to die, and I didn't want to read about that. It was a very vivid portrait of the emotional bond between them that was the centerpiece of the book for me.Another reason that I love McCullough's writing is that he is able to draw me into subjects that otherwise would bore me. Case in point: The Great Bridge
. McCullough pulls you into the worlds of engineers and politicians and laborers, showing all their faults, but with much affection toward their human nature. Great stuff.Peace,
Tor
Bush-As-Groucho Posters Spark Furor At High School
A Los Angeles-area high school drama club made posters depicting President Bush with a Groucho Marx-style mustache and smoking a cigar. This was to promote their satirical play, The Complete History of America (Abridged). The principal made the club take down the posters after one student complained.
In the U.S., it's a national pastime to make fun of whoever's in power. Clinton got it good from Rush Limbaugh and many others, so now it's time for Bush to get his due. (I didn't vote for either of these gentlemen: I have voted for the Libertarian candidate in each election.)
If you can't enjoy the humor of those who probably are your political opposites, it's best to keep quiet. It just encourages them.
Peace,
Tor
In the U.S., it's a national pastime to make fun of whoever's in power. Clinton got it good from Rush Limbaugh and many others, so now it's time for Bush to get his due. (I didn't vote for either of these gentlemen: I have voted for the Libertarian candidate in each election.)
If you can't enjoy the humor of those who probably are your political opposites, it's best to keep quiet. It just encourages them.
Peace,
Tor
Friday, May 27, 2005
Police probe "kill list" at Searsport school
The Republican Journal is reporting on a police investigation into a "kill list" at Searsport District Middle School. This is obviously a serious and scary issue for the kids, parents and teachers involved. It sure makes me nostalgic for the days when I was a kindergarten gang member. We brought wooden clothespins from home and rubbed them against the cement steps till they had a point. We pretended they were knives. (Don't tell the British doctors about that.) We never really used them against anybody, of course, but it felt cool having them.
These days, I don't even know where any of the old posse members are.
Peace,
Tor
These days, I don't even know where any of the old posse members are.
Peace,
Tor
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