Re: The worst
Something I've been meaning to mention here about my sister For a number of years, she taught English at a high school in St. Thomas, USVI. I went there to visit her and saw that she had a bunch of David Brin's books on her shelf - she was a big fan! Boy, was she tickled to discover that I knew David. Somewhere in her things, she has a couple of autographed first editions with personal notes. Come to think of it, I should make sure those books don't go to Goodwll or something! I better let my parents know. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Alberto Monteiro wrote: > > Today, in brazilian TV, there was an analysis of the tragedies > that happened in Angra dos Reis, where families were cut in half > by an earthslide. The analysts said that people never recover from > the loss, and it takes about one year for life to return to normal. Not sure if I have ever really talked about it on the list, but my wife and I are part of a team that does a lot of crisis intervention and grief counseling (we were just sitting down with a family hit by suicide when I got the first news that Lesley was so sick). One thing I have learned is that life never returns to the old normal. What we can do is create a new normal... but I'm not even ready to think about that yet. I'm still just in the hurt. Thank you, everyone, for all the kind words. They mean more than I could ever explain. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On Jan 4, 2010, at 4:47 PM, Nick Arnett wrote: My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. My condolences, Nick. -Bryon ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: The worst
Jo Anne wrote: > > I will never understand these twistings of our lives, especially > when such terrible separations happen in one lifetime. I'm so sorry > for your loss. I hope you can find comfort wherever it is available > to you, including here. Blessings to you and your family. > Today, in brazilian TV, there was an analysis of the tragedies that happened in Angra dos Reis, where families were cut in half by an earthslide. The analysts said that people never recover from the loss, and it takes about one year for life to return to normal. I hope the best for Nick and his family - needless to say, let's keep Nick's sister memory alive. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: The worst
Nick -- I will never understand these twistings of our lives, especially when such terrible separations happen in one lifetime. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can find comfort wherever it is available to you, including here. Blessings to you and your family. Jo Anne evens...@hevanet.com ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: The worst
My heartfelt condolences, Nick. Jeroen van Baardwijk Van: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] Namens Nick Arnett Verzonden: maandag 4 januari 2010 22:48 Aan: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Onderwerp: The worst My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
I am so sorry, Nick. You and your family will be in our thoughts. - jmh -Original Message- From: Nick Arnett Subj: The worst Date: Mon Jan 4, 2010 3:47 pm Size: 311 bytes To: "Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion" My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 4:47 PM, Nick Arnett wrote: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my > five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her > body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. > > Nick > > ___ > http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com > > > I am so sorry for your loss. Lesley will live on in the memories of all who loved her. john ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick wrote: >My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my >five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that >attacked her >body. Lesley died this morning. Oh, Nick, I am so sorry to hear this. My condolences to you and your family. Jim Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! Weight Loss Program http://tagline.excite.com/c?cp=Iwzk_O7st8cQgaQrqCb7HgAAKZT738qPhjQFbf9pb8pfqpVcAAYAAADNAAAEUtErCmY=___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Condolences and Hugs, Nick. Whoever the author was that talks about us all starting and becoming stardust, your family has been contributing too much to the beautiful heavens! Dee ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences to you and your family. Doug ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick Arnett wrote: My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick Nick-- I'm very sorry for your loss. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick Arnett said the following on 1/4/2010 4:47 PM: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my > five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked > her body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. My deepest condolences, Nick. --[Lance] -- GPG Fingerprint: 409B A409 A38D 92BF 15D9 6EEE 9A82 F2AC 69AC 07B9 CACert.org Assurer ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On 4 Jan 2010, at 21:47, Nick Arnett wrote: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my > five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her > body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. That's very sad news. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 3:47 PM, Nick Arnett wrote: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. Deepest condolences, Nick. -- Mauro Diotallevi ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
On 05/01/2010, at 8:47 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my > five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her > body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. So sorry for your loss. I hope you can gain some solace from your family and friends, including us. Charlie. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick Arnett wrote: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of > my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that > attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. > > Nick > > > ___ > http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com > > That is really sad. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: The worst
Nick said: > My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. > > My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my > five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her > body. Lesley died this morning. > > I have never hurt so much. > > Nick I'm so sorry to hear that, Nick. Rich ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: The worst
I am dreadfully sorry to hear this. Deepest sympathies, and may things go as well as they can for your niece as well. http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/ Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2010 13:47:41 -0800 Subject: The worst From: nick.arn...@gmail.com To: brin-l@mccmedia.com My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: The worst
From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On Behalf Of Nick Arnett Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 3:48 PM To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion Subject: The worst My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick My most heartfelt condolences to you, Nick. Julia ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
The worst
My friends I hate to write this. Been putting it off for a while. My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her body. Lesley died this morning. I have never hurt so much. Nick ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
SCOUTED: The Worst President in History?
Folks, http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/ This piece appeared in the Rolling Stone last Friday. It considers, without immediately jumping to its conclusion, whether GWB may be what the title suggests. (For our international readers, that's "Worst US President", of course -- I'm sure that Brazil, Australia and wherever else we hail from have had their own Boneheads of State.) He's up against the likes of the corrupt but apparently likable Warren G. Harding and the corrupt and eminently unlikable Richard M. Nixon. It's a longish piece, but has some interesting moments. After reviewing a 2004 survey of 415 historians, of whom 81% rated Bush's administration "a failure" (and of the remaining 19%, a tenth only considered him to be the best president "since Bill Clinton"), he goes on to say: The lopsided decision of historians should give everyone pause. Contrary to popular stereotypes, historians are generally a cautious bunch. We assess the past from widely divergent points of view and are deeply concerned about being viewed as fair and accurate by our colleagues. When we make historical judgments, we are acting not as voters or even pundits, but as scholars who must evaluate all the evidence, good, bad or indifferent. Separate surveys, conducted by those perceived as conservatives as well as liberals, show remarkable unanimity about who the best and worst presidents have been. Historians do tend, as a group, to be far more liberal than the citizenry as a whole -- a fact the president's admirers have seized on to dismiss the poll results as transparently biased. One pro-Bush historian said the survey revealed more about "the current crop of history professors" than about Bush or about Bush's eventual standing. But if historians were simply motivated by a strong collective liberal bias, they might be expected to call Bush the worst president since his father, or Ronald Reagan, or Nixon. Instead, more than half of those polled -- and nearly three-fourths of those who gave Bush a negative rating -- reached back before Nixon to find a president they considered as miserable as Bush. Dave "Heckuva Job, Georgie" Land ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Worst Thing Nixon Ever Did
On Thu, 06 May 2004 20:06:54 -0700, Doug Pensinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote quoting > > http://www.techcentralstation.com/041504I.html ~~~ Doug, DDT was banned in the United States for obvious reasons and all but a few have hailed that decision. ÂThose few are now getting funding from anti-government think tanks and some corporate sponsors. Tech Central Station, a fake news and opinion outlet supported by corporations it writes opinions for, is now paid to be against the DDT ban. ÂTCS receives funding based on PR campaigns it undertakes for clients. For more on Tech Central Station see Meet the Press - How James Glassman reinvented journalism--as lobbying. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0312.confessore.html DDT use was already in decline in the US because of increased insect resistance. DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane) killed many beneficial insects, birds, and aquatic animals â not just malarial mosquitoes and it presents a carcinogenic risk to humans, ÂDDT is a persistent chemical it does not break down but increasing builds up, particularly as it moves up the food chain. During the 1950s and 1960s several species of birds, including osprey, cormorant, brown pelican, bald eagle, prairie falcon, sparrow hawk, and peregrine falcon, were severely effected the pesticide DDT. A chemical derived from the DDT weakened the egg shells of these birds, reducing their ability to reproduce. >From a Bush government website: How can DDT, DDE, and DDD affect my health? DDT affects the nervous system. People who accidentally swallowed large amounts of DDT became excitable and had tremors and seizures. These effects went away after the exposure stopped. No effects were seen in people who took small daily doses of DDT by capsule for 18 months. A study in humans showed that women who had high amounts of a form of DDE in their breast milk were unable to breast feed their babies for as long as women who had little DDE in the breast milk. Another study in humans showed that women who had high amounts of DDE in breast milk had an increased chance of having premature babies. In animals, short-term exposure to large amounts of DDT in food affected the nervous system, while long-term exposure to smaller amounts affected the liver. Also in animals, short-term oral exposure to small amounts of DDT or its breakdown products may also have harmful effects on reproduction. How likely are DDT, DDE, and DDD to cause cancer? Studies in DDT-exposed workers did not show increases in cancer. Studies in animals given DDT with the food have shown that DDT can cause liver cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) determined that DDT may reasonable be anticipated to be a human carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that DDT may possibly cause cancer in humans. The EPA determined that DDT, DDE, and DDD are probable human carcinogens. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts35.html DDT is NOT banned now for control of malaria in most of the rest of the world. This recent campaign against regulation of DDT has evidently been started by companies making DDT because the United Nations has recently recommended a ban on all uses of DDT except for malaria control. This malaria organization wants to get rid of DDT, but not until a cheap effective replacement is found and may clarify some issues. http://www.malaria.org/DDTpage.html #1 on google for liberal news ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The Worst Thing Nixon Ever Did
http://www.techcentralstation.com/041504I.html "Why did Nixon push for a [DDT] ban? We may never know. A few older Washington DC policy experts have suggested that some of his election campaign supporters were chemical companies that produced alternatives to DDT and so stood to gain handsomely by the DDT phase out. Others say that it is more likely that senior officials in his administration pressured Nixon into the decision given the potential votes he stood to lose in his native and very green state of California. But the why of his decision pales beside what this decision has wrought: two million deaths a year from malaria alone." -- Doug ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: What are the worst jobs in Science Fiction?
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > What are the worst jobs in Science Fiction? > > 1. Typesetter to Alfred Bester > > 2. Temperance lecturer to Jerry Pournelle > > 3. Etiquette coach to Harlan Courtesy Dan: Sex Therapist to Robert Heinlein. Hair stylist to Isaac Asimov. Continuity Czar for the Star Trek Universe. Klingon grammarian. Not quite SF, but similar: Voice for "The Unabridged Tom Clancy" book-on-tape collection. Illustrator for Stephen King Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: What are the worst jobs in Science Fiction?
What are the worst jobs in Science Fiction? 1. Typesetter to Alfred Bester 2. Temperance lecturer to Jerry Pournelle 3. Etiquette coach to Harlan William Taylor --- Tytlal to Brin ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
What are the worst jobs in Science?
PopSci has the answer. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,484153-1,00.html In their Sepember issue, they published the results of an informal survey: The 10 Most Brilliant Scientists. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,472942-1,00.html Jon Le Blog: http://zarq.livejournal.com _ Need more e-mail storage? Get 10MB with Hotmail Extra Storage. http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Will the Worst Case Scenario Occur?
The Pentagon's Scariest Thoughts By ANTHONY H. CORDESMAN WASHINGTON Watching television images of American soldiers in the Kuwaiti desert, chemical-protection suits strapped to their belts, it's hard not to worry about what Saddam Hussein may have in store for them. Still, one needs to be careful in talking about worst-case scenarios: most "worst cases" will not happen. Consider one of the possibilities Pentagon planners have most feared an Iraqi infliction of smallpox, which can kill 30 percent of those infected. The fact is, there is no evidence that Iraq has smallpox we know for certain only that it is one of the last countries where an outbreak occurred. Most allied soldiers have been vaccinated, and the rest can quickly be inoculated. Thus the serious threat would be to civilian workers at our ports and military bases. It could hamper our logistics while we immunize these people, but smallpox doesn't seem likely to go undetected or spread so widely that it could not be contained. As for other methods of chemical or biological attack, all weapons of mass destruction are not created equal. Though VX nerve gas is very lethal, chemical weapons and toxins still must be delivered in large amounts to produce large casualties. Saddam Hussein relies primarily on large rockets and missiles with relatively simple unitary warheads and contact fuses, which cannot disseminate agents effectively over a wide area. Iraq also still seems to rely on "wet" versions of biological agents like anthrax, which lose effectiveness in sunlight and in hot weather. The story will be very different, however, if Iraq has developed anthrax in the form of dry micropowders that are coated for wide dissemination and resistance to the sun, and that have been re-sized to increase their infectiveness. This is possible, but we don't have enough evidence to say it is probable. This danger would be compounded if Iraq has built a covert delivery system, or has more sophisticated chemical and biological warheads and bombs. The discovery by weapons inspectors this month of warheads fitted with cluster bomblets that could spread chemical or biological agents, and of large unmanned drones, is worrisome. With improved delivery, the lethality of these agents could be 10 to 100 times higher. The pilotless drone shown to reporters outside Baghdad last week may have looked like a flimsy toy, but Iraq may have developed more sophisticated craft, and they can be very dangerous. The most efficient way to use chemical and biological agents is a low-flying, slow-flying system that releases just the right amount of an agent in a long line over a target area or that circles in a spiral. Iraq has been working on sprayers for its unmanned vehicles for two decades. Iraqi soldiers could also fly helicopters or aircraft laden with agents in suicide missions, disguising them as reconnaissance or conventional attack missions. What can our troops do? They have Patriot missile defense systems that are vastly improved from the Persian Gulf war but the new Patriots, which could work on drones and aircraft as well as missiles, are untested in real combat. And they are not designed to deal with shorter-range artillery rockets and shells that might be fired at our troops in Iraq or at close-range targets in Kuwait. The effectiveness of any missile or artillery attack by Iraq's army depends on its being able to fire large numbers of chemical rounds at relatively static targets. Thus the biggest concern would be when our forces concentrate, particularly on the edges of Iraqi cities and military bases. However, British and American forces have armored vehicles with filters and systems that increase the air pressure in the cabin, an extremely effective defense against chemical and biological agents. Further, they will carry out their major regroupings and maneuvers at night, when Iraq's army is blind. Those factors usually get lost in press coverage, which tends to look at the chemical protection suit as the first and last line of defense from a chemical attack. Yes, even a false alarm could force our soldiers to suit up the protective gear is unpleasant and being forced to use it could delay our soldiers' advance. But it is important to keep the risk of chemical or biological warfare in perspective. As for other unorthodox threats, there is speculation that retreating Iraqi troops may be ordered to set the oil fields ablaze. The Iraqi military rationale is that the oil smoke would paralyze American operations. But this seems off the mark. Our missiles do not rely on lasers anymore oil smoke does not affect satellite positioning technology. Our planes and helicopters can fly above and around such smoke. Most wells are in remote areas and thus the fires would have little tactical impact. In fact, setting the fields ablaze might do more to inhibit Iraq's military operations. Iraq could also use its dams and waterways to create a limited flood plain in
