tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:02:04 +0000orphan signsSt. Augustinehistoric artifactsCustermore lame adviceCleoFort Pulaski NMno child left behindWasillaprivacyabortionmen in suitsVicksburg NMPtelemarketinghobbitsetsyTrue BloodFaceBookjackiesueclassic weight loss methodsescapingsustainabilitytechnological wonderskids todaydoes this mean I'm in show biz?Janis JoplinscamstaxesFood or road kill?workers rightsirrational exuberanceRolling Stonesfeeling like I'm fixing to dieinfectious diseasesAtlantacelebritypatriotismmore stuff I never thought I'd postroad tripsPartially ClipsTMIwhen pigs flyRossinideath and dyingconspiracy theoriesgreedvegansmy bookswe're not number onekidsquiltingDragon ContherapyweatherNew YorkcemeteriesbeervanaNiobrara NSRNatchez Tracebail outsChristmasinflationalternative medicineNebraskafried green tomatoesgovernmentword playmiscellaniaTammiscience and politicsliteracyshades of My Laicar shoppingMSMepistemologyxmasmellow mushroomS M Stirlingwhy am I not surprised?gahan wilsonpen palspollutionslaveryfavorite fantasiesepidemiologyneonendangered speciesHAESNatchez NHPHappy birthdaystatisticsBiltmorebloggingcowsThe Lake is the Bosscookingoregonwash your handshas-been celebritiesJeevesresolutionscommodity brokersHAERintroductionadventures in bureaucracynaivetekeepersRocky IslandrenovationsretirementSocial SecuritymedicareAmerican Livestock Breeds Conservancyshameless self promotionnewfiesyard artsurgeon generalsawmill housesupper michiganawolgrammarcash cowsgiftspornmysterieswatercharityraptorsOkefenokee NWRhagiographyFort Larned NHSfolk metalnew yearSamoasWisconsinKatrinalet it snowObamamisogynymade in the usaBooth Tarkingtonmiraclessarcasmsomething I actually like about the SouthFavreRussell Cavediversitywhat kind of fuckery is thispaleontologyrecyclingvampire fictionlogging historyenvironmental historyGitmoOcmulgee NMcowardsEl Progressowhite collar crimedecision-makingand WumpmusicIsle Royale National Parkwhy blogPulitzerI love Ted Rallimaginationoldiesthe old good newsHarriet the SpyFrances PerkinsGirl Scoutsunionspuppy millsconvictsclichesBemisself disclosurewho said life is fair?melancholiaganjawordsGroundhog DayOuter IslandCamp Fivefood stampsGoeringsolidarity foreverhappy feetPinochetPort ArthurwritingJFKfossil recordHell freezes overjoys of blogginghobbiesnostalgiarack of doomnews of the weirdhiking with the S.O.Portlandcivic dutywoograduationCane River Creole NHPcockroacheswhite flightup too earlyBig ChickenNevada BarrStones River NBTwilightlibertarianismclose callsLee Terrybalance of natureEdith Whartonoutsourcingheart diseaserailroadsLouisianaDr. ZhivagoFinlandfamilywackaloon right-wingersit's mysterygeorgiabad news clichethe device paradigmprocrastinationnews media idiotsswine fluare you really going to eat that?bloviatorsdoorsone for the S.O.second chancesracismdumpster divingScarlet Sister MaryXmas breakmmwryou get what you pay forpublic healtheconomyR.I.P.PalinSupermanlanguageclimate changeforest servicegay rightsregulationArrowsmithwar crimeshousingFEHBPbargainscannonball parkspromisesmore depressing newspolanskijobs I didn't know existed but now I wantchainsaw artbeyond crazyLenineditingmoving onthe lowest form of humorNorth Cascades National Parkclass warfaredetailI blame Reaganelitismriding the doggun controlsmutmainlining caffeinestereotypesEarly Autumndecoration dayMcMansionsmalaisetinfoil hatshealth foodgazaChelsea Quinn YarbroPosleenbloodsocial problemsagingargotlooking for god in all the wrong placesfundraisingDropkick MurphyssexSeattleBeatrice OjakangasBill Mahertits in a viseAlabamatreesplain languagefood poisoningSavannahCharles Darwinhigh schoolcharismasurvivalismChattahoochee NRALeaping on the Caturday bandwagonMichael H. JohnsonHappy Cheffootballacer negundoRanger Bobempathylame adviceGrand Maraisveterans dayvalue of higher educationBrown v BoardCarlinagriculturesome folks never learnclassical musicDavid Ruffinlocavoresbad driversvampireslife in generaljunk scienceThe Ed ShowVappuLullabye loggingGileadthe S.ObirthersTexasvanity sizinginternet addictiongalileoeconomicsarcheologycyber-slackingApostle Islandsdomesticityhistoryteaching to testpoetryCallaway GardensIsabel Allendejob huntingspring feverscandalI had a dreamwar on xmasburn outcognitive dissonanceChe Guevarayour inner fishHerman Miller Aeron Chairpedestrian bridgegreat blue heronomensgood newsSVTxenophobiadomestic terrorismhodagplaying touristElizabeth Petersvernacular architectureimmigrationAngelo Herndonbig rock candy mountainrelativesChristopher Reeve syndromeYears of Graceprivate vs. publicIsraeltechnological determinismblinded by scienceFabulously Furry Freak Brothersquantity does not equal qualityFDAxkcdpublic employeesmemesTybee IslandspamWilla Cathercultural aberrationswhat you see is not what you getapathyworkdungVermeervotingoil industrygoing car-lessgender equityWebster weptreformephemerareadingCoca Colawolvestime suckersmurder mysteriesshop 'til you dropSt. Patrick's Dayglobal warmingaddictionsguptafeminismFurminatorLuckovichpublic educationJoan Hessviolencelunatics on paradeluckennuiTGIFredlininghealth carebobbleheadsI really miss OmahaStorm Worldabstinence educationanniversaryholidaysTudorsunemploymentcommunity radioinsuranceAstoriaauto industrygoing campingLewis and ClarkWICi've been everywherereich wing wackaloonsStar TrekpovertyOccupy Wall Streetobesity mythyoung adult fictioneducationfantasiessummer heatdreams deferredlizardsLaughing BoyAJChermit islandSkagit hydroelectricnot a heartless bitch after allno free lunchesHardballpseudoscienceThanksgivingadvertisingMay Daygun nutsI want my tuna Cajun stylelight stationsretail therapyJulia Peterkinhypocritesman's workmass transitAlbuquerqueJoe the Plumberslingshots are cheap and rocks are freeSunday diversionsPeachtree CreekOscar Wildeescapismyour tax dollars at worktabloidson the roadSaxondivision of laborNerfValtomorrow's slumssanity saversvaccinationIron County AmbassadorsLamb in His BosomSCAL.T.van MeegerenMiss Marplee-booksweb filtersHarry SiitonenteleworklivestockOmahaseason's greetingssave the planetinfrastructureanimal crueltyinsomniaSociety for Commercial ArcheologyConfederate historyBlackwaterCNNCormac McCarthyWodehousecall someone who caresgardeningdistractionsvintage dressesThornton WilderNational Historic LandmarksFernbankthe writing lifeCockspur Island lightfitnessno shit sherlockMondaysBeatlesjustice systemsalmonellaPaul TherouxKorpiklaanizoonosesHarrahstruly dumb ideastaggedsuperbugSecond AmendmentJohn RingoMotorcycle DiariesAfghanistanBuffykerningcommunity organizersyou can't make this stuff upmediocrityRed Skeltonuseless giftstravelroadside attractionsspringStephen Ambrosefiberglasssex workair qualityrerunsfair useamerican cockroachelectronic tetherroadside architecturenot so benign neglectOrgan Pipe Cactus NMOzark National Scenic Riverwayshumorexerciselabor movementNational RegisterLate George ApleyVulcan Ironworksmind candyI love the Baraga County Road Commissiondogswwjdthe stupid it burnsrebrandingforgerysigns of Springrevisionist historycivil rightsdiet chowC-SPANRepublicansPink FloydDrive-By Truckersdietingnatural disasterswinter wonderlandRed CrossF.A.S.T.geezerscan't cure stupidvinylpublic schoolspublic librariesbook reviewreading listsfalse consciousnessazaleascorruptionretirement bunkerNew DealNinety Six NHSsummer's overtom tolesbeer shortagepestilencedubious legaciestrees died for this?earth daycurrent affairsgreat outdoorsMamas and Papasblizzard of 09illegal immigrantsneil gaimantake a breakignorancebooks I plan to buy2008 retrospectiveSabine CountyFort Donelson National Battlefieldwinterpost-apocalypticsay it ain't so joenot exactly a fun friday nightevolutionary theoryscience geeksSeattle City Lightdown timeBlue Ridgein your dreamsoccupational healthblog for choicePiddlethe future looks grimhunter s. thompsonlife's little mysteriesinfluenzaHot Springs NPEdna FerberblogiversaryMississippiroadkilleternal vigilanceNational Parksis anybody out there?Tom Tomorrowit's still rainingJohn P. MarquandEat mor chikinLast Child in the Woodsscienceobesitybirthdayhome sweet homeroadside artvacationmad cowsgullible consumersboozepoliticsthe we can be the Cleavers fantasyVPIjoys of pet ownershiptourismrewildingdefense of marriagecommunicationranchingAmazing Gracebottles in the basementgovernment cover-upscoalNPSit's a mysteryCommunismbody imageknittingFlorence NightingalebudgetsCanada is looking goodbin Ladenreligionbut who's counting?Haitithird world nation statusSmitty's Tapclassic cartoonsdrugsmoneyRandom thoughts about roadside art, National Parks, historic preservation, philosophy of technology, and whatever else happens to cross my mind.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Nan)Blogger825125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-332023507423619477Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +00002012-01-23T15:11:03.602-05:00winter wonderlandI love the Baraga County Road CommissionI've heard of people using modified lawn tractors to keep their driveways clear. This is what we use. Eat your heart out, DaveO, we've got snow.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/january.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6748721523238945517Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:22:00 +00002012-01-23T15:26:25.665-05:00xkcdthe stupid it burnstinfoil hatsMaybe it's just me, but somehow the  the sight of people who are themselves barely third generation American doing anti-immigrant rants always seems to plumb new depths of The Stupid. I recently decided to get back into quilting for charity at a local church and got treated to a nice dose of xenophobia  laced with a dash of anti-Semiticism. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/tinfoil-hat-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6826835698359032779Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:27:00 +00002012-01-22T11:00:29.955-05:00environmental history Empire Mine, Palmer, Michigan.  Over at The Lake is the Boss, DaveO's done several interesting posts about a proposed mining operation in northern Wisconsin. I don't have a real strong opinion about this specific project one way or the other, but I know Dave started to lose me as a potential mine opponent when his rhetoric switched from talking about contamination of a watershed and possible http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/are-you-environmentalist-or-do-you-work.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2581273309055414875Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:15:00 +00002012-01-13T07:15:43.825-05:00NerfHappy birthdayhttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-birthday-nerf.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2894991979036428072Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:42:00 +00002012-01-12T06:42:07.502-05:00politicsif you want to control people's sex lives or a woman's uterus. I keep hearing various pundits wax eloquent about Ron Paul and how he's the only Republican candidate who's truly for small government and personal freedom. Pshaw. He's not for personal freedom; he's for white male privilege. As long as he's fine with government restricting access to abortion, he's not a libertarian -- he's a http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/youre-not-libertarian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2159337540925814385Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:50:00 +00002012-01-10T07:50:49.102-05:00politicsThey're voting in New Hampshire today. NPR has had nonstop sound bites from the campaign trail. I keep trying to think of a reason to care and failing. I suppose it is vaguely good news that the sanest of the clown car occupants, John Huntsman, is finally getting some traction and has some hope of a second place finish. Huntsman, after all, has had enough of an independent streak to contradict http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/circus-continues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-3265548811855784271Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +00002012-01-04T14:57:15.683-05:00xkcdhumorThey're caucusing in Iowa today, and I'm trying to figure out why any of the rest of us should care. It's never made much sense to me -- you have a state that is utterly unrepresentative of most of the country and a process that's guaranteed to bring out the fringe elements in both parties, and it's supposed to shape presidential politics? Iowa is the classic case of the media driving the messagehttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2012/01/yawn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-3091713053886731366Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +00002011-12-31T20:00:00.164-05:00Tom TomorrowhumorThe S.O. did a post yesterday on drug testing politicians. His point was that from the perspective of harm reduction it would do society more good to make sure the lawmakers aren't stoned than it would to go after some poor sap applying for food stamps. That was, after all, the original argument for drug testing: harm reduction. Protect the public by keeping stoned long-haul truckers off the http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/cui-bono.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2997704077350730641Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:23:00 +00002011-12-28T08:42:34.920-05:00life's little mysteriesI've been working on fixing up a space to use as a home office. We have a front porch that started off as an open air space, but was later enclosed to create an airlock entry into the house. The interior was never finished, though. The walls were raw wood: T1-11 siding on the side that used to be an exterior wall of the house, and plywood on the others, and, with the exception of what used to be http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-of-lifes-little-mysteries.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4013844740428654440Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:34:00 +00002011-12-25T07:34:01.473-05:00malaiseChristmasI say that without much enthusiasm. Christmas has never been on my list of favorite holidays. I associate the day too much with unrealistic expectations, crushing disappointments, family drama, and bad news in general. The ghosts of Christmas past include gems like the year the S.O.'s "bonus" from his employer was a pink slip. Maybe it's the season, maybe it's the two funerals we've attended http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4802312160688975463Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:27:00 +00002011-12-22T08:27:22.879-05:00gahan wilsonhumorhttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/xmas-classics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-1074832119650859194Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:34:00 +00002011-12-15T14:34:39.742-05:00the writing lifeThe S.O. and I drove up to Calumet yesterday for an author's talk and book signing sponsored by the Friends of the Calumet Public Library. The S.O.'s cousin, Mel Laurila, had mentioned in June that his first novel, Mine Games, had been accepted for publication. At that time, he thought it would be rolling off the presses by late summer. Nope. Actual publication (as in hard copies ready for sale http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/writing-life-and-reality-checks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-7318599922392329846Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:42:00 +00002011-12-12T09:42:23.656-05:00xmashttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/tis-season.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-5341015838448449552Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:15:00 +00002011-12-10T08:15:44.480-05:00death and dyingAn elderly relative died this past Monday; the funeral was yesterday. In most ways, it was a pretty typical event. The decedent was quite old, she'd been in declining health for a number of years, and her demise was not unexpected. People were understandably sad, tears were shed, and life goes on. The funeral itself was what one would expect -- the minister talked about the wonderful http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/if-you-thought-gift-shops-at-disneyland.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-1589488881832236888Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +00002011-12-09T16:25:05.652-05:00politicsHow many people are actually unemployed in the United States? I got another partial answer -- the estimated number of "discouraged workers." Those are the folks who have been unemployed long enough or had such disheartening experiences while job hunting that they've given up. Apparently it comes close to being a one-for-one match. That is, for every person who is officially unemployed, there's http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/update-sort-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-7444395509631729495Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:27:00 +00002011-12-03T16:27:16.064-05:00statisticsit's a mysteryQuestion: What is the actual unemployment rate in the United States these days? Answer: No one knows. I haven't been paying much attention to the news lately, but one item that has gotten repeated a lot (even on the local classic rock station) is that the latest official national unemployment rate has dipped below 9%. This is viewed as good news, and maybe it is. Then again, maybe it isn't. http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/12/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6649260202832094025Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:15:00 +00002011-11-30T07:15:59.443-05:00life in generalI woke up dreaming of geese. Large, gray African geese, the type that can make even a Jehovah's Witness think twice about stepping into a yard. We used to have such geese -- they scared the bejesus out of everyone who had the misfortune of turning their backs on the velociraptors waterfowl. But that was over 30 years ago. . . so why am I dreaming about geese now?http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/strange-dreams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4596234618828980387Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +00002011-11-29T08:30:03.005-05:00vampiresbook reviewscienceThis was one of the niftiest books I'd read in awhile. I picked it up in the gift shop at Hot Springs National Park back in September. The author starts off by talking about vampire bats -- the subject of his original Ph.D. research -- but gets into describing a variety of predators and parasites that live on blood. Did you know leeches used to be one of the preferred treatments for hemorrhoids? http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/book-review-dark-banquet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-9212554333209472858Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:42:00 +00002011-11-23T05:42:31.423-05:00life in generalI find myself with nothing to say. It's an odd feeling.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/joys-of-retirement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6080927671029534863Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:41:00 +00002011-11-11T10:41:40.720-05:00Occupy Wall StreetEven Elmo's joined the protests. http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy-sesame-street.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-852641950087518158Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:11:00 +00002011-11-10T13:11:49.947-05:00the stupid it burnspoliticstinfoil hatsOne of the great things about moving back to the U.P. has been the relative isolation from the mindless noise machine that is the mainstream media. We're so far out in the boonies that we can't be tempted to sell our souls to Comcast or Charter, and we're not feeling sufficiently television-deprived yet to fall for a sales pitch from DISH. We are now enjoying a life refreshingly free of noise http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/isolation-has-its-charms.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-7540329796699547626Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:15:00 +00002011-11-10T16:11:20.317-05:00life in generalThe weather forecast was for 1 to 3 inches. We're up to at least 6, and it's still coming down. Update: Grand total appears to be a little over a foot of the type of snow kids love -- wet and sticky, perfect for building snowmen.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/11/time-to-unpack-mittens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5