T-Shirt Alert!

As Found Here

Don't ya just hate when....

.... life gets in the way of blogging?

 

More posts in the future, as life should be slowing down in the future (or I will run out of energy).

 

However, please enjoy this video in my absence:

From Crackle: Mrs hughes skewed views

Prince Caspian

One of the fun things I have done with Hope over the past year is reading through the whole Chronicles of Narnia book series.  While the movie for book two (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) has been out for a while, it looks like the movie for Prince Caspian will be released May 16, 2008.  From the trailer below, it looks like the next installment has the potential of being better than the first!

 

Prince Caspian

One of the fun things I have done with Hope over the past year is reading through the whole Chronicles of Narnia book series.  While the movie for book two (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) has been out for a while, it looks like the movie for Prince Caspian will be released May 16, 2008.  From the trailer below, it looks like the next installment has the potential of being better than the first!

 

I have found the perfect plaque for my office

As found HERE

I'm a VPP (Very Proud Papa)

 

Those of you who don't know, I was raised in an OU household, of which I am not ashamed at all.  My favorite state school team was the Sooners, prior to my employment at OSU.  Now my two favorite teams are OU and OSU.  Yeah, there is a lot more orange in my closet than red (at least on my side) primarily out of loyalty to my employing campus. 

 

With that having been said, who would have expected to see the University of Oklahoma logo presented at the top of one of my blog posts?  Well, it is being done by a very proud papa of a high school senior that has completed all of the requirements to apply for an early admissions to a Masters of Occupational Therapy program at OUHSC. Yes, I said Masters program.  Occupational Therapy is a field Sarah has been interested in for quite a while.  Recently she found that OUHSC has an early admittance program to the MOT program for high school seniors, depending upon their GPA, test scores and having confirmed observation time (shadowing) with a practicing OT.  She has the grades and test scores, and recently completed all the required hoop-jumping to get her shadowing hours completed.  She submitted all of her paperwork for the early admissions yesterday.

 

Admittance to the program holds a spot for her once she has completed her bachelor's degree, which doesn't have to be completed at OU.  Being that OT is a growing field, and the graduate placement rate is almost 100%, the program is growing increasingly difficult to enter.  Her taking the initiative now, as a high school senior, will pay off huge dividends in the future.  In short, she won't have to spend her senior year in college worrying about gaining admissions to a graduate program!

 

No, it isn't guaranteed that she will be accepted into the program, but that isn't a major concern (who is stupid enough to deny/reject my daughter? It would just be their loss!).  I am just amazed at how well she has squared away her plans for the future. 

 

Extra Info:

My dad was an Alumni of OU Medical Center.

 

Just to show the level of OU involvement by my family, here is the ring-tone that plays when my mom calls my cell phone:

       

        which can be interesting when she calls during normal business hours!

 

However, I do have to have a little OU humor somewhere, so here it is:

 

Another test

here goes nothing.......

this is a test after manna4all changed vdeck versions

hello ... how about the picture?

 

Five-Second Rule Extended to Eight Seconds

ATLANTA (CAP) - Bowing to pressure from advocacy groups and a lobby effort dating back three years, the Weights and Measures Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology has agreed to expand the age-old Five-Second Rule to eight seconds beginning next month.

 

"With all the pressures we all face on a daily basis, nobody has the time they used to," said Pete Olsen of Focus On The Family, which began lobbying the NIST back in 2004. "Three seconds may not be much, but every little bit helps."

 

Focus On The Family originally sought a rule expansion to ten seconds, citing the continued increase in the number of single-parent households as the primary factor in their request. "The numbers of cookies and crackers remained the same, while the sets of eyes to respond and react dropped," said Olsen.

 

However, the NIST countered by offering to increase the limit one second each year from 2008 to 2011, which Focus called "a watered-down attempt to throw red tape at a systemic problem." An arbitrator was brought in last June to help both sides reach an agreement.

 

After months of arbitration, both sides agreed to concessions as part of the deal to change the timeframe of the rule. Among those concessions:

- The Berber Carpet Clause was expanded to include a ban on households with cats. For households with dogs, the rule still only applies to short-hair breeds.

- Section 4.1.2b regarding gum and gummy bears was also expanded to include children's "fruit snacks." However, the two sides could not reach agreement on Starburst chews and had to reserve judgement for a future time.

- Foyers, sunrooms and entryways were added to a special section of the Approved Rooms List that accounts for appropriate weather conditions. For the drier months of July and August, the Eight-Second Rule will now apply to the floors of these rooms.

 

The two sides also agreed to meet on a bi-yearly basis going forward to review all the stipulations of the rule to make sure it continues to meet the needs of a busy population.

 

Originally reported by CAP News

Truth in advertising?

I don't watch television that much, but when I was in Chicago last week, I was able to catch a couple hours of viewing Friday night.  I already realized that there are numerous medications for ED (erectile dysfunction), but one of the Cialis commercial was found to be quite humor.

 

Seems they have a 36 hour formula that "means you can be flexible".

 

Excuse me?  I thought 'being flexible' was the problem to begin with.....

Quick trip to Chicago

As of this weekend, I have been to Chicago twice in the last two years (previous visit).  The previous visit was give a presentation to the Barr Foundation Board of Directors.

 

What is the Barr Foundation you ask?  I will give a short answer here, but provide a more detailed description in the future.

The Barr Foundation has a three-fold mission:

1. Provide financial assistance to amputees in need to provide prosthetic components.

       (those who have no financial mean, not to help with insurance deductible)

2. Provide assistance in third-world countries with donated components.

3. Promote the Ertl procedure of lower limb amputation

 

For the last three years I have been very instrumental in the promotion of the Ertl procedure, via both being the webmaster of ErtlReconstruction.com and talking to as many people as I can about it.

 

This visit wasn't primarily to give a presentation to the Board.  It was actually attend as a "Director nominee".  After the meeting was called to order and previous meeting minutes reviewed/approved, the first order of business was to review the nominees and vote on their membership status.  My nomination was approved by a unanimous vote (as was all the others who voted in).

 

Another item of distinction of the evening's meeting was when the foundation operation method was modified to utilize committees to move forward.  Previously, before Tony Barr passed away, the president of the foundation was very active in all aspects of the mission.  It was really his full time job.  However, all of the directors have their own full time job, with foundation work being an additional responsibility in their life.  As such, we have split the functional areas (Executive, Financial Assistance, International Missions & Ertl promotion/education) to be governed by small committees, with them reporting back to the Directors as a whole.  While non-foundation members are allowed on the committees, the primary rule is that at least 50% of the committee members must by BF Directors.

 

I have been asked to be the chairman of the Ertl Education committee.  Another one of the new Directors, Dr Jan Ertl has agreed to be on the committee as well.  I already know of one non-director wishing to be on the committee and I have an idea of another I am going to ask to join us.  When all is squared away with the committee, it will probably look like a grade-school kid leading three Phd students around.  Reasoning is that the committee will most likely be comprised of two orthopedic surgeons, one internationally known CP (certified prosthetist) and me.

 

That's all for now, but I have a feeling there will be several posts in the future about the Barr Foundation in general, with detailed posts about Ertl activities.  

Sitting in an airport waiting for my flight...

Found this and thought I would share it here:

Scientists Decode the First Message From an Alien Civilization... Simply send 6 x 10 to the 50 atoms of Hydrogen to the Star System at the top of the list, cross off that star system, then put your Star System at the bottom of the list and send it to 100 other Star Systems. Within one-tenth of a Galactic Rotation you will receive enough hydrogen to power your civilization until entropy reaches its maximum! IT REALLY WORKS!

<><><><><><><><>

Happy 100th birthday OKLAHOMA!

Have a great weekend

60 'channels' with plenty to watch (except the final score)

 

 

pd stuff

Eye Test

Polish man goes to the optometrist. The optometrist says "could you please read the line second from the bottom on the chart?"

E

O U

C S U

N Y P D

B I S O K

Q W E R T Y

G O P O K E S

B L O G S P O T

S T A N S T A C Y

U R B A N O W I C Z

L O L H A H A R O F L

 

So the Polish guy says "Read it?? I know him!"

 

(special joke for a special reader)

key to eye-chart

testing new WLW install

this is a test	of the new
Windows Live Writer	installer

Vindicated ... somewhat

As many of you may already be aware, I am an amputee as of Dec 2003 (as a result of a fall in June 2001).  One of the good things that has come out of this experience is the ability to provide support/mentoring for other amputees or those soon to be amputees.  I am also the webmaster for ErtlReconstruction.com, a website the promotes the Ertl procedure of amputation (overview of procedure).  While I don't work for any surgeons or medical facilities, I do maintain close email contact with both my surgeon (Will Ertl) and his cousin (Jan Ertl).  When I receive inquires for the surgeons, I normally reply back to the sender (with a bcc to the surgeon) letting them know I have forwarded their message accordingly.  I have no control over the length of time it takes the surgeon to get back with either me or the original sender.

 

Two days ago a friend from Croatia emailed to let me know that an individual in an internet forum was attempting to locate Dr Jan Ertl (the forum site is hosted by Heather Mills).  I went to the site and found the thread in question that was originally started in early August of this year.  I recognized the information of the original posting individual as one that I had recently had several email messages from/to, and had even called him to chat about his situation. 

 

The thread started out with this individual (let's call him "Bob") inquiring from the forum readers if anyone had the contact info for Dr Jan Ertl.  That inquiry included:

....the information on http://www.ertlreconstruction.com/ is NOT good enough. I have emailed though their site a few times with no results

 

One of the readers (Freddy) provided the suggestion of:

When I clicked on webmaster I got this email address. Did you email him?
webmaster@ertlreconstruction.com webmaster@ertlreconstruction.com

 

The response from "Bob" was:

Yup Freddy I've tried that 3 times now and all you get back is -- "I've forward your email to Jan Ertl. --webmaster Ron King". the ONLY thing i have not done though the Ertl site is make an appointment with one of his brothers and then drill them for Jans location and contact info and I bet that would go over like a lead zeppelin but thank you for your efforts

 

As I have already stated, I have no control over the speed and timing of the responses from the surgeons.  But, since "Bob" mentioned my name, I felt the need to share my side of the story.  So, I entered into the thread with this:

Quick note from webmaster Ron King:
I maintain the ErtlReconstruction.com website at the request of the Barr Foundation. I do not work for any of the Ertls, or the medical facilities where they are practicing. Also, I have no control over the speed at which they reply to email messages that I forward to them. All I can do is continue to forward the info as often as requested.

 

Jan has been away from an active practice for quite a while and I believe he is preparing to enter back into practice, however I am not able to share that location until everything is confirmed.

 

I thought, at least I get to put my side of the situation out there for whoever cares.  What I didn't expect was "Bob" posting one additional post for the rest of the world to see:

Hi Ron,
This is an old post and I'm the one you helped hunt down Jan, I have talked to both you and Jan since I last posted here. However I would like to tell everyone else here on the boards that RON was a great help to me and is a fabulous person to talk to if anyone ever needs information on the Ertl procedure or anything amputation related for that matter. Ron has always responded to my questions and has been a great help to me personally in my quest to get an Ertl amputation. Thank you Ron for you wisdom and information and you do a great job keeping up the Ertl web site.

 

I don't believe "Bob" meant for his message with my name in it to "tarnish my reputation".  However, I did take it as somewhat of a personal slap, especially considering how powerless I am in regards to getting information back from the surgeons.  As such, you have no idea how much that final message from "Bob" meant to me.  He could have just let it look like I was just trying to "save face", but he took the time to share with all the forum readers (and it really is a very active amputee forum) that I am one who strives to help others in their time of need. 

 

"Bob", if you actually follow the links in some of my emails to you, THANKS!!!

Amber Alert info

In a previous post I shared how to have your cell phone help you (Have you got an ICE?), this post I want to share how to have your cell phone help others.

 

Unless you have been hiding under a rock since before 2002, I would think you are already aware of the AMBER Alert system.  Please read this entire post, or at least jump to the bottom for IMPORTANT info.

 

From www.AmberAlert.gov:

Where and why did AMBER Alert first start?
The AMBER Alert System began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.

 

How does it work?
Once law enforcement has determined that a child has been abducted and the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria, law enforcement notifies broadcasters and state transportation officials.

 

How effective has it been?
AMBER Alert has been very effective. AMBER Alert programs have helped save the lives of over 200 children nationwide.
Over 84 percent of those recoveries have occurred since October 2002 when President Bush called for the appointment of an AMBER Alert Coordinator at the first-ever White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children

 

What are the criteria for issuing AMBER Alerts?
Each state AMBER Alert plan has its own criteria for issuing AMBER Alerts. The PROTECT Act, passed in 2003, which established the role of AMBER Alert Coordinator within the Department of Justice, calls for the Department of Justice to issue minimum standards or guidelines for AMBER Alerts that states can adopt voluntarily. The Department's Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts follows:

• Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place
• The child is at risk of serious injury or death
• There is sufficient descriptive information of child, captor or captor's vehicle to issue an Alert
• The child must be 17-years-old or younger
• It is recommended that immediate entry of AMBER Alert data be entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center. Text information describing the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the child should be entered, and the case flagged as Child Abduction.

IMPORTANT Info:

How can your cell phone help others?

Please visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org to sign up for free notifications of Amber Alerts in your area. 

 

When you input your cell phone number, you will be taken to your carrier's particular signup page.  You are only signing up for Wireless Amber Alerts, your number will not be shared with any third party or used for other purposes.

 

You can see how the system works here

 

If your loved one was abducted, wouldn't you want to know that thousands of individuals in your specific area are alerted about it?

Lifehouse Everything Skit

This was sent to Renee via email...

She shared with me...

I'm sharing with you...

Dancing Queen parody

While looking for a specific ringtone to put on my phone for Renee, I found a very humorous parody based on Abba's Dancing Queen song about Lance Armstrong.  I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did: 

    

     click the pretty pink button to start it 

 

Oh, and I did find the ringtone for Renee, here it is:

    

Dancing Queen parody

While looking for a specific ringtone to put on my phone for Renee, I found a very humor parody based on Abba's Dancing Queen song.  Normally I would try to embed 

 

Someone has too much time on their hands.....

Besides several personal and work related blogs, I have also looked for various law-enforcement related blogs to read.  One of them is My 5150 World.  As stated in the header of that blog, "5150" is California Welfare and Institutions code for Lights are on but nobody's home!  The blog is maintained by a dispatcher who is married to a cop, so there are plenty of opportunities for great law enforcement stories.  She posted a series of entries (intended to look as one long post), using her kid's toys.  The following is a repost of those entries:

 

Yes, As a Matter of Fact, I DID Have too Much Free Time on my Hands...

I was walking through the room yesterday and I glanced down at what I at first thought was an intact, discarded Cookie Monster. Then I noticed the stuffing and those two little plastic eyes staring up at me from nearby. I looked at my dog, Gabby and she had a little Cookie Monster stuffing, caught in her whiskers. I busted up laughing, and thinking, I caught you! And then my crazy imagination took over. And the result is the following story. I really hope you enjoy it.

 

Uh, OH! "C" is for "Crime Scene"

 

Our Hero in Blue, is the First one the Scene!

 

Here Come the Firemen

 

The Ambulance has Arrived. Oh, no. Looks Like "C" is for "Coroner's Case!"

     (Notice the tourist. Tee hee.)

 

 

Sorry, Mr. Policeman, There is Nothing For Us To Do. We Are Outta Here. Good Luck!

 

And They are, Going, Going, Gone...

 

But You KNOW the Firemen Will Get All the Glory.....

 

...And the Police Will Get All the Paperwork

 

THE END

When She Loved Me

Hope played "When She Loved Me", also known as "Jessie's Song" from the Toy Story 2 movie for her piano recital piece this year.  It's hard to tell from the video, but Hope was dresses up like a little cowgirl and had her own Jessie doll with her.

 

From Wikipedia.org:

When She Loved Me" - performed by Sarah McLachlan - used for the flashback montage in which Jessie experiences being loved, forgotten, and ultimately abandoned by her owner, Emily. This song was nominated at the Oscars in 2000 for Best Song.

 

Please excuse the low-quality recording, but this was from my camera phone:

 

              

Kitty Washing Machine

testing centering an image

This is centered text

hello

Cool Person Test

This test is based on how cool you were in high school. What crowd you ran
with, etc. It is pretty accurate. You may want to send it to your friends to
see if they have changed. If you get to the questions screen - they will
surely bring back some memories.

 

What a way to spend a Saturday

 

testing pieces

Insert Acronym tag

 

Insert Acronym tag

 

 

Technorati tags: insert tag, tis gar plen, whatever

 

 

LiveJournal tags: insert tag, tis gar plen, whatever

 

 

del.icio.us tags: insert tag, tis gar plen, whatever

 

cool video

This was found at Google video.... looks pretty wild!

this is a acronym test

this is a CDIA