It's Conversations With My Logs!
Where I answer questions posed by keywords in my logs...

1)  Famous GED completers -  K12 Academics offers a list of some famous GED recipients.  The most interesting entries, in my opinion, are Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of Delaware, Jim Florio, New Jersey Governor 1990-1994, and Peter Jennings.  Earning a GED rather than a traditional high school diploma can make some things - such as entering a prestigious university - more difficult, but it is certainly better than dropping out entirely, and whatever negatives accompany it can be overcome once the recipient goes on to higher education (whether general college or vocational).

2)  Cool gadgets  - I imagine this one's pretty much in the eye of the beholder, but I like the 1.3 megapixel USB digital microscope available at ThinkGeek (picture at right).  Of course, I like most of the stuff at ThinkGeek.  Like every kitchen geek, I desperately need a network controlled refrigerator/oven.  Well, I suppose I don't really *need* it, but I do salivate a little at the thought.  I'd also like to have the Stone Master Gargoyle from FrightCatalog at our next Halloween display, or any number of their other animatronic wonders, but - alas - Chez Kiosan is not an independently wealthy household.

3)  Conscience mind develop 8 week embryo - I think rather than "conscience" you probably want to know whether the fetus has a "conscious" mind - ie, can it think, or just feel, or both or neither?  The neural tube forms shortly after conception and closes during week 3 or six, depending on how you are counting (from LMP or from actual conception).  This forms the basis for the later nervous system (brain, spinal cord).  If you're counting from LMP, 8 weeks into the pregnancy many of the organs are still developing, they are not completely formed until week 10 (which is 8 weeks post-conception).  However, the brain and spinal cord are exceptions to this, and will continue to mature throughout the pregnancy.

For example, while the rudimentary spinal cord exists at 8 weeks and the embryo has some nerve endings which allow it reflex responses to stimuli, the myelin sheath (something required for transmitting pain signals) does not form until significantly later - about 24 weeks.  Evidence exists both for and against embryonic pain at this particular stage, and is highly dependent upon the political leanings of the publishing group.

I tend to accept that, having an incomplete nervous system and only the bare beginning of a brain, the 8 week embryo is not conscious in the sense of being self-aware, nor in the sense of having fully active mental faculties.  Others disagree.  You will have to read the research and decide for yourself, but a slightly better search string would trade "conscious" for "conscience."

4)  FMLA dyslexia - FMLA makes no specific provision for dyslexia.  The only provision which could conceivably apply would be "to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition."  Dyslexia, however, while a serious learning disorder which often requires a great investment of time and resources to remediate, is not generally considered the kind of "serious health condition" which requires extended leave. 

The language currently states "In the case of medical conditions, the employer may find it necessary to inquire further to determine if the leave is because of a serious health condition and may request medical certification to support the need for such leave (see Sec. 825.305)" (US Department of Labor), meaning that your employer is not necessarily obliged to offer you leave just because you ask for it, and may require that you prove the merits of your request before granting it.

Your best bet is to talk to your HR rep, unofficially, about the time commitments you are having to make to remediate (or whatever it is you are doing that necessitates such focus) and find out if he/she believes any petition for FMLA leave under the "serious health condition" qualifier would have merit.  If the HR rep is on your side, you can go ahead with the request.  If not, though, FMLA doesn't leave you much of anything to fall back on, unless you can convince a medical doctor to write something supporting your need to take a leave of absence.

FMLA also requires that you, the employee, give your employer 30 days notice of your intention to take leave.   Or, if an emergency, the language states "as soon as practicable."  Practicable can vary with the exact circumstances, but the law is written so as to expect a minimum of at least a few days' notice, except in the most extreme circumstances.

5)  Dangers of time traveling -  Botched suicides, failure of one's molecules to reintegrate correctly after disintegrating at the superluminal point, the grandfather paradox, causal loops and personal identity, tachyons might only travel backwards, your Delorean might run out of gas and strand you in a bad sequel, and special relativity means it's probably not possible.

It's Conversations With My Logs!

1)  Formula for calculating graduation rate Georgia -  Georgia currently uses a formula termed the "leaver rate."  It looks like this:

Number of Graduates
_____________________________________________________________
                          Number of Graduates + Other Completers (GED, etc) - Documented Dropouts

The formula is unreliable for two primary reasons - it does not measure graduation within four years, and the category "Documented Dropouts" is, in fact, not well-documented, leading to inflated graduation rates tied to no specific time scale.

Georgia intends to adopt the National Governor's Association Graduation Rate Compact (NGA) in 2009 and will begin reporting statistics according to that rate at that time.  I do not believe they will report retroactively with the adjusted rate.  The far more reliable NGA rate is as follows:

Number of 4-Year Graduates in year X
__________________________________________________________________
(Number of 1st Time entering ninth graders in year X-4) + (Transfers in - Transfers out)

2)  Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day  - This is one of the more famous quotes from William Shakespeare's "Scottish play," Macbeth.  It occurs at the top of Act 5, Scene V, when Seaton (or Seyton, depending on your version) informs Macbeth that his wife Lady Macbeth, the queen, is dead.  The speech is brief, but powerful:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.--
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Most actors play this as a single thread of thought - all Macbeth's despair and failure and the inevitability of time and fate weighing upon him.  I have run across one, David Blixt, who published a more unusual take on the text, however, suggesting that the first half of the monologue (ending with ...the way to dusty death) could be Lady Macbeth's suicide note, hearkening back to her midnight scribblings whilst sleepwalking.  It is an interesting theory, and certainly adds another layer to the material while ameliorating the somewhat pronounced psychological and phrasing differences between the two sections.

3)  Whereabouts of Donald Rumsfeld - He is writing his memoirs, tentatively set for publication in 2010.  According to reports, the proceeds for any sales will go to a new, as yet unnamed, foundation he plans to establish to encourage public service in young people.  I don't know where he lives at the moment, if that's what you're looking for.  You can rule out jail, though.  For now.

4)  How long does it take to do 75 questions - It varies, depending on the questions, the types of answers expected (short, as with multiple choice or true/false, or long, as with an essay or extemporaneous answer) and how well you know the subject matter.  Or if you mean the 75 questions to ask a daycare provider I have here, it takes about an hour or so.

5)  Word that means every ten years -  Decade is the most common.  You might also use decennium, though it is not as well known.

It's Conversations With My Logs!

1)  Blurting out curse words after drinking binge -  Searching through a number of sites, all agree that alcohol consumption results in loss of both inhibitions and judgement, which likely explains the cursing.  After a few drinks, many people forget about the polite filter we put on for our daily interactions with other human beings, and their language subsequently gets saltier.

There was one interesting article, however, considering the possibility of a link between drinking and Tourette Syndrome - though not in the way you might initially imagine.  It theorized that maternal alcohol consumption during gestation may be related to the presence of Tourette Syndrome in the child after birth.  It was not formal, peer-reviewed material, however, and thus would need some research to back it up.

All in all, I'd say it's more than likely that you or your friend simply lost your filter for a while, and that it will more than likely stay in place as long as binge drinking is avoided.

2)  Is man forced to be dehumanized with social comforting laws rules  - I'm going to argue in the negative here.  Most social animals establish a hierarchy within their colonies and/or family groups, with each animal knowing his place and the types of behavior both generally accepted, and not accepted, for his position.  Humans are not much different from any other social animal in this most basic regard.

Where humans differ, I believe, and part of what makes our social development unique, is our ability to both codify these basic rules into formal laws, and to apply those laws universally within our political boundaries without regard to hierarchical status (in theory, anyway; we know in practice that justice is not as blind as we often wish her to be).

Rules are required for any society, human or otherwise, to function and prosper.  Rules are common to us all.  Rather than dehumanizing us, it is the human aspiration to transcend socio-biological rules with logical, egalitarian laws that makes us human.

   

More after the jump... »

It's Conversations With My Logs!

1)  Examples of irony in Spongebob - Taking "irony" at its word (using words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning), I don't know that there are many.  Spongebob is, himself, a terribly earnest character, always saying what he means and meaning what he says.  Ditto for his sidekick Patrick.  Squidward might come the closest, but is crochety enough to generally just blurt out the negatives without much care for the subtleties of polite conversation. 

Spongebob loves his dead-end job as a fry cook and cannot wait to go to work every morning.  In the realm of adult reality, I suppose you could stretch this to situational irony if you were to offer enough commentary regarding post-modern society, work hours versus work ethics, and the impossibility of earning a living wage even as a 24/7 fry cook (let alone being able to afford therapy from your nemesis).

But I don't think Spongebob  is really meant to support all of that.  I think Spongebob is just supposed to be fun.

2)  Bible Baptist views on women having children - Yikes.  Okay, here goes.  Bible Baptists, as a rule, believe that women should find complete and total fulfillment in birthing and raising children, that women working outside of the home are contributing to the moral and social decline they see in the world around us, and that women who do not stay at home to have children are selfish.

Needless to say, I disagree.  But there you go.

I'm not linking to this stuff, by the way, but you can find a BB sermon or two on the matter by googling "bible baptist" and motherhood.

3)  8 week fetus in utero - Are you looking for pictures?  If so, there's one to the right.  If you're looking more for standard development information, here goes:

At 8 weeks gestation, a fetus measures around 6/10 of an inch.  Eyelids begin to develop at this point.  The embryonic tail will disappear soon if it hasn't already, and organs, muscles and nerves begin to function - the fetus can now flex its wrists!

As for you, it varies.  First time moms may still be able to wear their regular clothes, while second and third (or more) time moms may already be breaking into their stash of elastic waistbands.  Morning sickness could be coming, or going, or settling in for a long winter's nap.  It's cliched because it's true - every pregnancy is different.

4)  Full script of Death of a Salesman - Since this is still under copyright (not in the public domain), it should not be available for free anywhere on the web.  You might be able to find it on a site that sells ebooks, but I think your best bet is an actual bookseller like Powells, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. 

Must be the DoaS time of year, as I'm seeing a spike in people looking for it.  

5)  Wyomingans - Wikipedia says they like to be called Wyomingites.

Time for another installment of Conversations With My Logs!

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1)  Is chicken fighting a misdemeanor in SC - Section 16.17.650 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, current through the end of the 2005 Regular Session, lists cock fighting as a misdemeanor.    South Carolina Act #68 of 2005, amending the laws relating to uniform traffic tickets does not, as enacted, include language amending cock fighting from a misdemeanor to a felony, so in the absence of other information I assume the misdemeanor classification still stands.

2)  What does adore voce mean - In Portuguese it is adore você, which translates to he/she worships (or adores) you.  Or, it could be a misconjugation of the Italian verb adorare (to adore), which should be adoro voce (I adore [the] voice) or adori voce (you adore [the] voice).  Most likely, it is the Portuguese. 

As a side note, a voce in Italian means "word of mouth," while in Portuguese a você means "to you."

3)  Where to hire skywriters in Massachusetts - Superpages.com has one listing for AeroAds.com, which does serve the entire state but seems to focus on banners rather than actual skywriting.    I was unable to find a listing for an actual skywriter (though a number of articles ever so helpfully suggested I use the Yellow Pages and look under "skywriting"), but if you contact AeroAds and they do not offer the service, they may well know who does.

4)  Feminist dystopia - I would think a feminist dystopia would be a dystopia for most.  While a primary theme of the feminist dystopia is the oppression of women by a patriarchal society, most dystopias, of any category, are patriarchal in nature.  In that sense, every dystopia not run and controlled by women (and there are but few literary examples of those) is a feminist dystopia on some level.  However, for the more explicit and overt examples, you can look to Gilead in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time, and Sheri S. Tepper's The Gate to Women's Country.

5)  Definition horsepucky - It's something of a polite colloquialism.  In a word, it means bullshit.

Time for another installment of Conversations With My Logs!

1.  How could Edgar Allan Poe's genius be both a blessing and a curse - My thoughts: It is believed Poe suffered from bipolar disorder.  We know he dealt with bouts of paranoia and binge drinking, possibly alcoholism.  While he penned several works of literary depth, eventually becoming one of the acknowledged greats of American literature, he was quite ahead of his time and died a pauper, having been unable to support himself in anything but poverty with his writing.  His lasting creative genius seemed to have developed at least in part from his mental illness(es), but suffering from those illnesses at that time - without any support - would have to be categorized as "curse."  He was a terribly unstable man, particularly when he drank.  As noted by Thomas Poulter:

Alcohol ruined his life. He had no good jobs. He had no stable world. He had nothing to anchor him to reality, so he induced fantasies and drown fears with a bottle. Therein lies his attraction--would a stable man have been able to write such amazing tales of life, death, the fantastic, and the incredible?

His work is undoubtedly genius, but it is genius born of intense psychological pain and physical misery.  Poe's blessing was his creativity; his curse was his life.

2.  Who died on Desperate Housewives - Haven't lots of people?  Try googling for "Desperate Housewives" + "episode guide," then figuring out the season/original air date you're looking for.

3.  When is congressional districts per state determined - There are two answers, depending on how you mean the question.  First, at the national level, for determining the number of House representatives to which each state is entitled: Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States calls for the establishment of a national census, to be taken every ten years.  It is based upon this enumeration of the population that the 435 available seats are apportioned.  Therefore, changes in a state's number of House representatives may change once every ten years, though shifts in population may remain stable enough in a region that any one state will not see a change.  Further, every state is entitled to a minimum of one representative, regardless of population.

Once the number of seats are allotted, the state's legislature may redraw district lines as they see fit, as often as power changes hands or population shifts require they be moved in order to retain power.  They could conceivably face legal challenge to any such move, but the courts generally uphold the legislature's right to redistrict with impunity.

4.  Playing Abigail in The Crucible - Why yes, yes I did.  However did you know?

5.  The birthing process of chickens - Well, chickens are egg-layers, so I have to assume "birthing process" refers to the process of laying an egg.  Here's an article on the process, complete with illustrations.

6.  Bimble women - Outside of Kentucky, I really don't know.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming.

Okay, seriously, I'm not sure what is up with this spate of inquiries regarding what can go wrong when you're thumbing it.  Is there some sort of movie, some song or other pop culture reference to which I'm totally oblivious? 

Look, the other post you all visit wonders whether or not the recent film version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy stayed true to the book, or if it lost something in translation.  Unless you're traveling with a towel and a two-headed narcissist with poor impulse control, it is not what you want.  What you want is here: the dangers of hitchhiking, item #3.

Now.  Don't hitchhike.  Take the bus.  Jeez.

This has been a public service announcement.

 I look at my referral logs.  I like to see how people get here, and sometimes the things that lead them to A Voce are a little different than I expect, like "Beetlejuice Treatment."

Anyway, I don't get many commenters through here, and I do like to talk, and some of these keywords and questions need to be answered, so I'm going to start having regular conversations with my logs.  Questions/phrases/key words are in italics.

1)  How to copy and send a link - There are two ways.  First, if you have Outlook on your local machine, then you can click on "File" on the pull down menu, then choose "send," then choose "Link by email."  This may work with other local email programs like Lotus, but I'm not sure.

Or second, open your email and start composing the message.  Open a second window and pull up the page whose link you want to send.  Put your cursor in the address bar (the part of your screen that shows the http location).  To use the keyboard shortcuts, press and hold the control button (<ctrl>) and the <A> button.  This selects the address.  Press and hold <ctrl> and <C>; this copies the address.  Now switch to your email, put your cursor in the body and press <ctrl> and <V>; this pastes the link.  Alternatively, you could use the mouse to highlight the URL (that's the http address), then right click and choose "Copy," then switch to email, right click in the body and choose "paste."

2)  Will Quack Quack - Apparently he is popular duck in the UK.  I'm sorry, but that's the extent of my knowledge.

3)  What are the dangers of hitchhiking - Well, you could get hit by a car if you're standing too close to the road, or if its dark or raining, or if the driver is drunk.  If you are female, you have a very good chance of being raped.  You could be robbed or otherwise assaulted. You could be murdered.  More mundanely, few normal people pick up hitchhikers, because doing so means they run the risk of rape and/or assault and/or murder, so your rides could be few and far between.  In bad weather, this will mean exposure to the elements which could lead to something as trifling (if you have health insurance) as a cold or as significant as hypothermia and death.  Overall, it's just a really rotten idea.  Try taking a bus instead.

4)  A Voce Manhattan - Sorry, I'm not affiliated with the restaurant.  I hear it's excellent, though.  If you go, pick something up for me, 'kay?

5)  What page quote pop I'm a dime a dozen and so are you - I hate to break it to you, Likely Student, but the page on which the quote appears depends rather heavily upon which version you have in front of you, so you will need to reference your particular copy of the script.  The quote comes near the end of the play (Death of a Salesman), as Biff is experiencing his epiphany during a fight with Willy.

6)  Beetlejuice - Back atcha!