A couple of weeks ago the Georgia legislature, in its infinite and abiding wisdom, passed a measure which would allow concealed weapons in bars, parks and on mass transit.  Oddly enough, a number of Atlantans seem to think this is a bad idea - particularly restaurateurs, transit folks and the guy who runs the airport.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and others have urged Governor Sonny Perdue to veto this measure on the grounds that it's sheer idiocy liable to encourage vigilantism, not to mention terribly difficult to enforce the honor system when drinking is involved.  I honestly don't know about the vigilantism argument, but I grok the drunken stupidity one completely.  We get enough club shootings in downtown ATL; I've no idea why the legislature would want to encourage more of them.

What is disturbing, aside from the idea of guns on the buses, or in the airport, or in the punch-drunk clubs at 3 AM, is the fact that it's terribly easy to get a CCW (concealed carry permit) in Georgia.  We're a shall-issue state, which means if you can buy a handgun, you can get a CCW.  You don't even have to take safety training or prove you know how to use the darned thing.

I'm not entirely anti-gun.  They have their places and their uses, but this proposal is a bad idea and Perdue needs to consider much more than his NRA street cred when deciding whether or not to sign this thing into law.

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.