Cloud created from the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (nuclear power plant) in Berwick, seen from almost 30 miles away, in south Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, August 18th 2002.
Cloud created from the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (nuclear power plant) in Berwick, seen from nearly 30 miles away, on San Souci Parkway in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, July 13th 2003.
I actually took a tour of the power plant back in the late 80s, on a school field trip with my environmental science class. We also went on a field trip to a local sewage treatment plant. I think everyone should take tours of both. (Local to them, of course.) (posted for Photo Friday, "Power")
Human Spontaneous Involuntary Invisibility "In the summer of 1994, I became aware of a very strange phenomenon, human spontaneous involuntary invisibility, which was apparently happening to people in the U.S. When I checked with other researchers and discovered that a number of them had also heard of such cases..."
I bet a lot of people can recount stories of this particular phenomenon!
Me, it reminds me of one particular incident in an airport that led to great irritation...
It happened at the San Francisco airport when I was getting a flight back to Ontario, California, on Sunday May 21st 2000.
I found an old entry (no longer on-line) about it...
This is what I wrote back then:
I waited in this line forever, and then when I got to the head of the line, there was this dorky clerk at the United Airlines check-in. He was standing up on the platform where one puts one's baggage to check, and leaning on the counter like some model, which he was not. He called for the next person, but he wasn't looking at me, even though I was the next person. He was looking at the blonde woman behind me. I went anyway, it was my turn. Because he was standing on that platform, he did not seem to see me standing right in front of him, he was looking over my head, probably at the blonde, still calling next. I kept saying "I'm right here, I'm right here," but he seemed oblivious! I was only about 6 inches away from him, if I bent my head forward, the top of my head would've bumped his abdomen, that's how close I was. Then, suddenly the blonde was next to me! She'd actually come over, and he started talking to her! I waved my hand up in his face and finally he looked down and saw me. I said, "I've been standing here for awhile now, did you not see me?" He said "Oh," and got behind his counter. The blonde woman went back to wait for the next clerk. This guy got snippy with me then when asking for my ticket information, as he kept looking over at the blonde! I said to him, "Listen, there's no reason to get snippy with me, I'm the one who was being ignored there for 5 minutes, and I've already been less than pleased with United Airlines." Now, at this point, any experienced professional customer service rep would've apologized. But NO. This guy actually said "Well, hey, if you're going to be like that, you can get someone else to help you," and he threw my ticket information back at me and called the blonde over! She pushed in front of me, and left me standing there! I found one of the floor walkers and asked to speak to a manager. She pointed me in the direction of another woman behind the counter, an older woman. I explained to her what happened, and she was actually quite accomodating. She said that she'd had many problems in the past with this guy, as she looked over at him with disdain, and stated that he would be talked to. Heh. What I'm wondering is why this guy hasn't been fired!
Dave L. February 9th 2002
No, he's not dead. heh.
But when I saw "body", I couldn't think of anything besides "dead body"... And since I don't have any photos of dead bodies...
Actually I couldn't decide between that one and this one:
Michael R. September 23rd 2002
I guess I could've thought of "heavenly bodies" and used this photo. Or I could've dug up in the attic for the album cover of the P.I.L. 12" record I have of their song "Body". heh. I did think of "body of water", but I have so many photos to choose from if I went that route... and I figured most people would have. Plus, I aim to entertain. heh. (posted for Photo Friday, "Body")
I swear, before I ever heard of the web site, I used to see mattresses in the street regularly. Since knowing about StreetMattress.com, I haven't seen a single mattress out in the street to take a photo of. And though that might be considered a good thing, by all accounts, I must admit, I was really looking forward to taking a photo of my finger pointing at a mattress in the street. (It seems that's still a common thing to see in StreetMattress.com's photos - a finger coming into the frame, pointing to the mattress.)
To add insult to injury, after checking StreetMattress.com today, I saw that someone had posted a photo of the mattress Hugo Selenski used in his prison break last week. StreetMattress.com - Hugo Selenski's escape mattress
Well, I didn't think you could steal photos to submit! Or I certainly would have thought of that. Hrm.
Good thing I didn't look to the right as I drove past the Luzerne County Prison during the jail break, and see the mattress right then, because I may have been crazy enough to pull the car over by the prison and take a photo of the mattress!
But, I got a 'road toilet seat'! I think that makes up for my 15 months without a single street mattress photo, & missed opportunities.
TimesLeader.com - Drugs, missing inmates alleged July 29, 2003 - A male correctional officer calls off sick on the overnight shift, but is seen outside the prison at about 2 a.m. with a former female inmate. The officer admits he was with the woman, saying he was "thinking with the wrong head." He receives a written warning and is suspended for two days for abuse of sick leave.
I know there's a joke somewhere in here about 'captives & keepers', but even if I could think of it, I think this story stands alone as its own joke.
I was driving right past the Luzerne County Prison approximately at the estimated time of the jail break. I may have even seen the prisoner escaping and not even noticed because he was weairing plain street clothes in jail when he escaped! ABCNEWS.com : Pa. Police Hunt Escaped Murder Suspect Hugo Selenski, suspected in the murders of five people found buried in his yard, escaped Friday by climbing down a rope assembled from 12 prison-issue bedsheets, Luzerne County Correctional Facility Warden Gene P. Fischi said. Selenski remained at large Sunday.
Lupas criticized prison officials for allowing Selenski to wear nondescript civilian clothing and for giving the men access to a broom handle that might have been used to pry open the window.
More on the story on my other weblog
Update: Selenski is back in custody now, having surrendered himself.
My mother sent me this photo of her cat, Julius, halfway under the car in her garage:
I doubt Julius is a qualified mechanic, but I could be wrong. Maybe my mother should get him one of those roll carts.
NPR : Weekend Edition - Evangelical Parrot NPR's Scott Simon notes the disappearance of a fire-and-brimstone-preaching parrot.
I don't know, is it just me, or is there something very funny about a preachin' parrot?
It's scientific now - artists are more prone to craziness!
ScienceDaily News Release: Biological Basis For Creativity Linked To Mental Illness Psychologists from the University of Toronto and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity...
The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment...
Previously, scientists have associated failure to screen out stimuli with psychosis. However, Peterson and his co-researchers - lead author and psychology lecturer Shelley Carson of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard PhD candidate Daniel Higgins - hypothesized that it might also contribute to original thinking, especially when combined with high IQ.
So now I have an excuse for my craziness, and my intelligence has been proven. Or I could legitimately claim to be creative and smart. heh.
X-ray of my handbag at the Luzerne County Courthouse, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, September 12th 2003. (for Photo Friday, "Interior")
I posted this before - X-ray'd contents of handbag
A photo I took of ducks in the pond at Kirby Park has become popular as a desktop wallpaper.
Someone at The Luzerne Foundation chose it as her desktop wallpaper. Now John D. and my mother have it as their (respective) desktop wallpaper. It's now my desktop wallpaper...
And now it can be yours too: Ducks @ Kirby Park Desktop Wallpaper
ABCNEWS.com : Rush Limbaugh Going Deaf Rush Limbaugh, who's been delighting conservatives and enraging "feminazis" and other liberals for 14 years with his right-wing radio talk show, told listeners today that he is going deaf.
I've wondered why Rush Limbaugh is always yelling at everyone. It never occurred to me that it could be because he's been going deaf!
If he has to discontinue his show now, maybe I could fill the slot with my own show, where hard-of-hearing elderly relatives argue with each other. (link via Paul E. Ester's Flogger)
superficiality >>If the facade is what's important to you, all you wind up with is an illusion. Disillusionment is the gift of substance.
-- Chloe<<
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