I'd like to start with a quick pic of one of our more annoying family members, the WartDog:

Followed by his sidekick:

The Graves hath just returned from Obie's (actually just me, the others are still there), so I'll post some of those pics and give more updates, but for now...

Three cheers for Ashley, keepin' us all together!

Much love,

Brianna BriANNA BRIANNA!

Desgraciadamente, las cifras, detalladas en la edición del 5 de octubre de 2008 del periódico nacional El Nuevo Diario, confirman un aumento de la violencia con los medios de comunicación, que la organización ha podido constatar por sí misma. Según el SNTP, un total de 32 periodistas han sido el blanco de agresiones y amenazas mientras que otros 21 han pasado por un procedimiento judicial. Más de la mitad de los casos han ocurrido en el territorio del Distrito Nacional y en la provincia del este de Santo Domingo.

"El narcotráfico, la corrupción o los conflictos de intereses entre las diferentes actividades de una personalidad pública, representan otras tantas promesas de represalias para los profesionales de los medios que se atreven a denunciarlo. La justicia no se da tanta prisa en condenar a los agresores de un periodista como en citar a un editorialista, o al director de un programa, que tienen conflictos con las autoridades. Por eso, hacemos un llamamiento al poder político, y a la autoridad judicial, para que saquen lo antes posible enseñanzas de la situación actual, e influyan en ella abriendo conversaciones con el SNTP y el Colegio Dominicano de Periodistas (CDP)", ha declarado Reporteros sin Fronteras.

El SNTP subraya también que el asesinato, el 7 de agosto en Santiago de los Caballeros, de Normando García, camarógrafo y productor del canal privado regional Teleunión (leer el comunicado del 8 de agosto de 2008), sigue en espera de ser aclarado. Aunque todavía no se establecido el móvil, el drama vino a engrosar un balance que trasluce, por una parte, la persistente precariedad de la seguridad de los periodistas y, por otra, un clima de tensión entre la prensa y las autoridades,  que sigue manteniéndose vivo.

Entre los periodistas inmersos en procedimientos judiciales, Alicia Ortega, productora del canal privado nacional SIN Canal 7, denunció un caso de estafa, acusando a la empresa WM Comercializadora Interamericana. Finalmente, el 26 de septiembre de 2008, la justicia consideró inaceptable la denuncia por "injurias", "difamación" y "atentado al honor", presentada por la mencionada empresa contra la periodista, cuyas oficinas han sufrido un atentado. Sin embargo, la movilización de la prensa a favor de su compañera propició la decisión judicial.

Periodistas y ciudadanos han tenido que poner en marcha una petición ante la inercia judicial que ha seguido a la agresión del periodista y escritor independiente Vianco Martínez, el pasado 23 de agosto, llevada a cabo por dos guardaespaldas de Saymon Díaz, un industrial del espectáculo. También han tenido que intervenir los representantes de la profesión ante la multiplicación de procedimientos judiciales iniciados por el Ministro de Turismo - y empresario del sector - Félix Jiménez, entre otros contra Manuel Quiterio Cedeño, editorialista del diario nacional El Caribe. Unos procedimientos judiciales que con frecuencia han ido precedidos de amenazas de muerte o agresiones, como ocurrió en el caso de Manuel Antonio Vega, corresponsal del periódico Listín Diario y productor de programas de televisión y radio en Hato Mayor (Este), del que un diputado y la esposa de un magistrado pretenden ahora  conseguir que comparezca.

En el capítulo de las amenazas más graves, Reporteros sin Fronteras se mantiene muy atento a la suerte de Carlos Corporán, director del programa "El Sensor de la Tarde" en la emisora Sur 91.9 y corresponsal de El Nuevo Diario en San Cristobal (Sur). El 30 de septiembre pasado, el Alto Comisionado de los Derechos Humanos Domingo Porfirio Rojas Nina denunció la existencia de un plan para atentar contra el periodista, después de que hiciera algunas revelaciones sobre un asunto de narcotráfico, que podrían llevar a la acusación de la magistratura local. Carlos Corporán lleva ahora protección policial, pero la investigación sobre el origen de las amenazas no ha avanzado nada.

fuente: RSF

I’m fortunate to have several ancestral family cemeteries that I can gather information from, and that most of them are still well kept and maintained – sometimes by a church, sometimes by family members still living in the area, and sometimes by the current landholder.

On a recent expedition I took with my Mom and cousin we decided to try to locate some family graves in southeastern Kentucky. Although we didn’t know exactly where they were buried, we knew the counties they had lived in based on census records, and Mom had written down the names of places she’d heard her parents speak about when she was a child. Armed with that information and a Delorme Topo map, the three of us set off for a weekend of cemetery sleuthing.

Not knowing exactly where we were headed, we stopped at a local general store and spoke to some of the old-timers sitting on benches outside. In a matter of minutes we had the locations of several cemeteries on our list and had made some new acquaintances.

We hit the jackpot in terms of finding the graves of our ancestors, and I took photos of all the headstones to transcribe when I got back home. Most of the cemeteries we visited were well maintained and a joy to walk around in, but one of them was in a serious state of neglect. Rather than try to describe this cemetery, have a look instead at these:

[gallery]

This cemetery is attached to a small church and is located on a hillside. The lower part of the cemetery is still well kept and tended, but the older section is located up the hill and is in an alarming state. I’m guessing that the church maybe doesn’t have the manpower to care for the entire area, so it does what it can to the lower section.

Sadly, our ancestors are all up on the hillside. Five generations.

I’ve written to the pastor of the church to find out what can be done about cleaning the cemetery and resetting the toppled markers. I’d like to make sure the cemetery is still there for future generations.

Levy's widowed mother, Rachel Levy, lived at Monticello from 1837 until her death in 1839, and served as its steward. Her grave was restored in 1985, after public knoweledge of the Levy's involvement in maintaining Monticello was also restored.

Source:Wikipedia

Here are a few recent photos of the gravesite, which is located along Mulberry Row and not the Jefferson cemetary. For first time visitors at Monticello looking for the Levy grave, its a level above the gardens, just before you reach the gift shop and the stairs leading to the front of the house itself.

UEd: P53 Gra

Universitat Jaume I

So what's the message in this unusually cheeky graphic? Simple. There are a lot of great ideas, and great businesses that go under simply because they go unnoticed, or their message to their potential clients is off, just look at this "Wall Street" Bailout package. No wonder it didn't pass. Bailout? Yikes. Sounds desperate.

So yeah, no real ground provoking message here. Just a reminder that getting visible is critical for your business. You need to be seen and heard. It seems far too simple, which is why it goes unnoticed and forgotten. We've noticed that with the rise of the internet and search engine optimization (that's SEO in net-lingo), marketing your business is a full time job. Just remember that there are good people in the business that will help you accomplish your brand agenda. If you're busy running your business, don't be afraid to outsource to a good design team.  WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE.... GIANT EYE GOES WINK! WINK!  You get the idea.

A giant eye would be rather creepy, wouldn't it?

Most of the literature talks about three separate theories.  Because no one really knows.  They can be quite complex to understand but in summary...

Theory one.  It's genetic...a silent marker sits on you DNA waiting to be activated at a time of it's choosing.  And if there is a history of auto-immune disease in your family, you have a greater chance of getting an auto-immune disease (and not necessarily the same one your family member has).

Theory two.  Some kind of cell reaction occurs as a result of an infection, setting off the chain of events that manifests as Graves disease.

Theory three.  An extremely stressful event leads to a severe physiological reaction i.e. Graves.

Based on these three simplistic interpretations of the possible causes (and there may be many more), well I had no chance at all.

Genetics.  My mother, grandmother and two aunts have all had complete thyroidectomies.  None were diagnosed with Graves or any other auto-immune disease but possibly this is due to lack of appropriate medical attention early in the piece (not uncommon for people living a poor, rural life).  A first cousin also on that side was diagnosed with Graves nearly the same time as me.  On the other side of the family, my father was diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, sarcoidosis, 15+ years ago.

An infection.  About 4 years ago, I developed a seriously bad case of pharyngitis.  Thats tonsilitis, without the tonsils (snipped out when I was 5).  The infection was so bad, I had to take two full courses of antibiotics (something I would normally do anything to avoid) and moaned through two painful weeks spent in bed.  I'd never been so sick before, and never since.  More than 12 months later I was having trouble with sore throats and was constantly losing my voice.  I went to see an ENT specialist who told me my vocal chords were still inflamed and my throat muscles were overcompensating, causing the voice loss.  It was a shock for someone who had years of vocal training behind them (I was a vocal major in a music degree) to end up in speech therapy.

Extreme stress.  About three years ago, and after 13 years of remission, my sister suffered a cancer relapse.  After ten years, Doctors consider you 'cured' from cancer and so we all thought that episode was done with.  So it was a big shock to get the call from my mother, that my sister was in hospital because she'd collapsed at work because of a previously undetected, 15 centimetre tumour sitting between her chest wall and her left lung.   Then of course the shock of her urgent surgery (lung removed along with a significant chunk of her rib cage), waiting for pathology (malignant), seeing her lying unconscious while the respirator moved her body up and down in such an artificial, mechanical manner.  Observing the awful months of chemo and scans and waiting for results.  Feeling helpless and guilty, all while trying to hide our grown up fears in front of her kids.  Dealing with morons at work or in life who think you care about their petty day to day complaints.

So yeah...genetics, infection and stress.  I think I've got those covered.  I'm thinking about this tonight because yet again, my sister is back in hospital.  They don't think it's cancer.  They think she has a collection of fluid around her kidney and spleen causing intense pain and nausea.  It's almost certainly because of the surgery she had a few months ago (which was for cancer).  It'll need to be aspirated one way or another.  Seriously, she can't catch a break.

So I've got Graves and I don't really know how.  But I don't have cancer.

This is one of the Surahs that I know the translation of, word by word, and by heart, so it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it recited.

AL-ADIYAT (THE COURSER, THE CHARGERS)

Translation:

By the steeds that run; panting. 

Striking sparks of fire from their hooves

And scouring to the raid at dawn,

And raise the dust in clouds the while

Cleaving, as one, the centre (of the foe)

Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful

And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds)

And lo! in the love of wealth he is violent

Knoweth he not that, when the contents of the graves are poured forth

And the secrets of the breasts are made known

On that day will their Lord be perfectly informed concerning them

The complete Surah:

Twenty-three months ago as I created my original blog I had lots of brilliant ideas. I would write about my everyday happenings because funny crap happened to me. I would write about past stories because I really got into some pickles. I would write about my opinion on myriad of important topics because people care what I have to say. Well, as we know I really don't too much of that but I thank the few of you that visit on a regular basis (and those of you who stumble upon me). Where was I going with this...? Oh, right!

Anyway, when I was creating my oasis of creativity that I call a blog I had a heck of a time coming up with names. There were things like LeBlanc's Place and cliche one's such as Random Ruminations or something with the word 'cornucopia' in the title. I really wanted something exciting and clever and easy to remember. I wanted to think of something that was so outstandingly awesome people just HAD to return and read my garbage. Well, I came up with the above title, A Natural Deficiency Of Moral Fiber. I am not so sure that it is clever but I think it states its purpose as far as I am concerned. It helped out a lot as far as traffic is concerned if nothing else. When most places/other bloggers are nice enough to list me in their blog roll I get to be first or darned close to the top. Most people with short attention spans, like me, are interested in finding new blogs but they won't travel too far down the list.

Well, the name isn't one that I came up with on my own. I searched and searched and thought and thought and mulled and mulled and then it hit me. I just knew that one of my favorite authors would have written something profound that I could straight-up pilfer. My first choice was the great British sch-fi/comedic writer (and Doctor Who/Pink Floyd/Monty Python fan), Douglas Adams. I wish that he was still alive as I know we could have been best of friends, I mean we like all the same things. Sad. Well, moving on. I browsed (on the internet) just about all of his books and finally found the perfect gem from the book Life, The Universe And Everything. Here is the exact quote:

"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber," he muttered to himself, "and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

Perfect, right? If you are interested in other spectacular quotes from this amazing writer you can click here but you really should read the books...all of them.

Basically, now that I have spouted off all of this tripe, what I really wanted to get to is asking a question to all of you, my fellow bloggers. How did you come up with the name of your place? Do you like it or have you considered changing it? Are there any other cool names you have thought of for use in your current blog or in a new one? I thought that Nashville With A Tan was an interesting sounding one. It's from that song from that guy, none of which I can really remember...I really should go get my coffee now.

Ocorreu ontem a secessão da ilha de Tolond, território até então do Sacro Reino de Pathros. Carmelo Logos, que foi Rei de Pathros por 3 anos, enviou comunicado oficial às listas internacionais declarando a separação da ilha do território pathrano, dando à mesma novo nome de Heraldia.

A nova micronação tem fortes características medievais ligadas à heráldica, como o próprio nome sugere, embora prometa manter traços culturais helênicos típicos do reino de Pathros. A micronação, que já possui sete cidadãos, foi rejeitada pela maior parte da comunidade internacional lusófona, mesmo estando ligada a um nome relevante como o de Carmelo Logos.

O Sacro Reino de Pathros foi pego de surpresa pela secessão da ilha de Tolond de seu território. O monarca Pathrano, Gustav Graves declarou que a fundação de Heraldia foi “um ato claro de usurpação e de insubordinação do antigo Arquiduque de Tolond, Carmelo Logos para com o rei de Pathros. Não reconheceremos Tolond, território pathrano, como nação".

Carmelo Logos e gustav Graves são irmaõs, o que chama mais anteção em Pathros, uma micronação que tem como lema a frase “Mais que uma nação, uma família”.

The single fiber EMG was completely normal.  According to the neurophysiologist that did it this definatively rules out MG along with the fact that my blood work for MG was normal and so was my regular EMG.  He had no other suggestions for what this could be either.  The only things he did have to say that was good was that a lot of "really bad things" have been ruled out so this should reassure me.  And that in his 20+ years of doing this he has seen quite few people come in with similar symptoms and have a totally negative work up like me.  And then one day the symptoms disappear as mysteriously as they appeared and they never do find out what it was.  

The CT scan of my chest thankfully showed that I have normal lung anatomy: no tumors, abnormal fluid, or inflammation, etc.  Wonderful, wonderful news!!  The only abnormality on the scan was that my thymus glad is larger than it should be.  This is a common finding in autoimmune disorders.  So, it may be related to my Grave's or it may be related to all this that is going on.  My Grave's is in remission so not sure if my thymus should still be enlarged from it or not.  Will have to ask my endocrinologist.

For now I'M DONE!!!!  No more tests.  I'll just live with this for a little while longer and see what happens.  Maybe I'll be one of those that it just mysteriously disappears for too.  I do see the pulm on Sept 26 and neuro on Sept 30 so I'll ask them what they think and then go from there I guess.

Oh and not sure if I ever posted about my brain MRI but it was normal too.  So no MS!!!  Whoo hoo!

It's all just so frustrating in the end.  I just want to know what's wrong with me.  I can live with whatever it is but the not knowing is torture.  I was driving the other day on my way to the SFEMG listening to Alicia Keys and this short song came on and I about lost it as it so nicely describes where I am sometimes now.  It's titled Prelude to a Kiss and here are the words:

Sometimes I feel like I don't belong anywhere.

And it's gonna take so long for me to get somewhere.

Sometimes I feel so heavy hearted but I can't explain.

Because I'm so guarded

But that's a lonely road to travel and a heavy load to bear.

And it's a long long way to heaven but I gotta get there.

Can you send an angel?  Can you send me an angel to guide me?

Now don't get me wrong....I'm nowhere near ready for heaven!!!  But I could use the angel's guidance at this point!

The abstract is available here.

I'll get back with a few more in depth thoughts of the thesis.

Magnus Reuterdahl

Except me.

Mum said it was because animals like me. Maybe she's right, maybe not. I don't exactly go around with a sign "Animal Lover" slapped across my forehead. the cat never purred or wanted pats from me. But he didn't hiss or scratch me like he did everyone else.

He was sitting next to me on the veranda the day he died. He lifted his head and rested it on my thigh. I watched his body rise and fall. He was breathing heavily for ages and then he just stopped. No more breath.

I buried him before anyone come home. Went out into one of the paddocks with a shovel and dug a grave. I didn't mark it with anything, just pushed the dirt over his body and pressed it flat. I dug the hole deep enough so that the foxes wouldn't smell his body. I sat there cross-legged for ages. Until Mum rang the dinner bell and shouted for me to come home. I never told anyone about the cat or went back to his grave.

We moved out the farm house a week later.

Remix contests are getting more and more popular around the internet as more and more people like you and me are getting their hands on fancy music software. Now Tokyo Police Club ask you to follow the likes of Dntel, Field Music and RAC, and remix one of their tracks. So sum up you creative skills and give Graves, taken from their Elephant Shell album, a nice rework and impress the guys to earn a spot on one of the future Tokyo Police Club releases. The individual tracks are available for download here, and there's more information to get at the Tokyo Police Club Myspace on where to send your remix. Oh and if you create anything I'd love to hear it, so be sure to post a link in the comments if you stop by!

Tokyo Police Club - Be Good (RAC Remix)

In the background is Svappavaara

Last Friday I returned to Luleå after a sightseeing above the the polar circle. The aim of this tour was Svappavaara, a small community some miles southeast of Kiruna. Svapavaara is a mining community from the 17th century. The mines has been opened on several occasions, the last big venture was done during the 60's.

The famous architect Ralph Erskine designed some housing buildings at the time named Ormen Långe (the long snake), today they are empty and abandoned, the community is somewhat on hold.

But it seems as the future holds yet another injection for Svappavaara as a new open-cast mine is planned to open in a near future and that is the reason to why we were there. To start the new mining project new roads needs to be in place so we made a preliminary search of the area to establish if any ancient- or cultural remains are in the way.

As we were in the neighborhood we also visited a few places to help the owners to find and mark some ancient monuments, a couple of hearths and a summer grave.

A summer grave is an interesting phenomena, as many farms and villages did not have a church or a cemetery of their own they buried their dead in a temporary grave during the summer and dug him or her up when the winter came and transported the dead to its final resting place.

The summer grave is found a few hundred meters from this farm, that has been abandoned in the 40's.

As we visited one of this sites I learned of the danger of being an archaeologist working in a forest environment, as we were walking a tree branch smash into my right eye. Besides the pain my eye also got infected, so I have had some problems with my sight the last few days, it getting better though, after a quick visit to the doctors office. Due to this I haven't really spent much time in front of the computure.

I'll add some pictures tomorrow.

Magnus Reuterdahl

First we have a new offering from Hugo's:

Sheer Top Insolence
Corset Hugos
Skirt Graves
Tattoo EtchD
Cuffs and Collar Sinistyle

And Elixir released a brand new one yesterday. Elixir is still my current favorite!

Body Suit Elixir
Tattoo Etchd
Boots Fairlight
Cuffs and Collar Sinistyle

An online database of graves.
Nope, you didn't misread, I would set up a web site which is a world wide grave locator. I can't quite think of a use for it, other than for people tracing their family tree. it would be user generated content.

It would ideally have a photograph of the grave and the GPS location. There are cameras that automatically GPS stamps photos aren't there? I bet in a year or two every mobile phone will be able to do that anyway.

I bet I could get some sort of grant for this.

You may be strange, but somehow, someone will remember your name?  A great deal of us will only have the option of a flat granite slab with a brass plate to display our names.  We will have a few options to personalize and dignify it:  an American flag, hands in prayer, a teddy bear.  Passing through a historical cemetery in a small town, among the traditional headstones, there are more than names and dates to seek out attention.  Some markers from another century are designed to bring you closer.  

In this historical cemetery there is a flare for the dramatic.  A young lady is represented by a tree cut down in what

one may presume to be its prime.  Another towering obelisk of dozens glints in the shadow light with a very modern glyph, declaring proudly, “His head was so full of dreams.”  

Many others are less obvious, as moss, ivy, and fungus are taking over with the everyday rain has eroded names and dates, leaving sentimental, upright concrete memorials crowned with conch shells. 

Whoever some of these people were, some even after death, are very vocal.

More pictures will be available at www.flickr.com.  Just look for me, Dawn Dickson. 

In my quest to freelance, I’m going to investigate Lakeview’s inhabitants, unearthing (painful cliché to be avoided in the future) the details I can, including the story behind the time capsule, buried October 29, 1976 to be … unearthed … a hundred years later to the day in 2076.