The Quote Shelf

A frequent feature on this site; feel free to comment on the quote or to supply a competing quote.

Wandering around the war-stricken Chechen villages and towns for months, I met more and more people who obey only one law, the biological law of survivial. The war hasn't just damaged the Chechen land - it has also scarred the people's souls. --Anna Politkovskaya

Pedestrian Crossing With Odd Malfunction

(Washington, DC) This Georgetown traffic signal seems to be indicating something other than a safe street crossing; I'll leave to the imagination of readers exactly what this sign means. I would normally posit that you can "click to enlarge," but that might be construed as overly suggestive.

The malfunction appears to be a combination of the two signal options, but with unusual results.

At the left is the signal for a safe crossing: a white human outline walking. This person seems a bit hurried, but not exhibiting any of the strange appendages of the first photo.

At least, no visible appendages are apparent on the symbolic pedestrian, who strides purposefully along his way, oblivious to the sudden change that he will soon experience.

The next photo is of the "Do Not Cross" variety, featuring an orange hand in the upraised "Stop" position.

Even more interesting is the fact that the malfunctioning sign flashes (pun only slightly intended) on and off as the light is about to change, making the orange appendage seem, well, throbbing.

Feel free to create your own caption for the first photo in the comments section. I am intrigued to see the level of depravity to which visitors might sink.

Yes, I ran this picture before, but I am reposting it for grins and a photo contest.

Waiting for the Rain

(Toledo, OH) The forecast for the next three January days here in Toledo calls for rain, rain, and more rain. The wind is blowing strong out of the southwest, and we are but a few minutes from an extended drenching.

My dogs seemed to sense that there is a change in the weather. Candy, our Westie-mix, kept looking up into the wind with a less-than-enthusiastic eye; while she enjoys stomping around in puddles, she is not a fan of being rained upon.

Jimmy, our Sheltie-mix, seemed equally out of sorts when we went outside about 2:30 to play. Gone was the bright sun from this morning, and in its place were ominous looking grey clouds.

The UV filter I used when I shot these picks highlighted the pre-storm gloom. It is getting dark, and there is nary a shadow to be seen in my yard.

We walked back into the house with the knowledge that this will be a good night to read a book, or chew rawhide.

Meteor Shower Lights Skies Over Denver

Photojournalist Josh White caught the shower on camera

(Denver, CO) Streaks of light raced across the sky this morning as either a meteor shower or space junk entered the Earth's atmosphere, centered near Denver.

Viewers from all over the Great Plains and mountain regions - some as far away as Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming - report sighting the streaking objects, which began about 6:15 MST. The Air Force Space Command is currently analyzing the data and is expected to have official word later today.

Note: At 11:45 am, NORAD said that a Russian SL-4 rocket body re-entered the atmosphere over Colorado and Wyoming. There were no reports of damage and the debris is not believed to be hazardous.

View the video of the rocket debris at this link.

After watching the meteor video, consider visiting this Free Poker website. PokerSavvy has information on playing poker (particularly Texas Hold'em) online, reviews of online casinos, as well as links that allow you to get discounts on your new account at those casinos.

While I am personally not a fan of online gambling, the folks at PokerSavvy sponsored this post, which I thank them for. The site is well-designed and easy to maneuver, and offers NetTeller links for ease in transactions.

The Quote Shelf

A frequent feature on this site; feel free to comment on the quote or to supply a competing quote.

Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one. --Thomas Jefferson

Full Moon: Toledo, OH

(Toledo, OH) The moon was especially brilliant in the night sky, and I parked the camera out on my deck to get some pictures of the full moon.

I used a little under 200mm zoom, a filter, and put the speed at 1/500 second, plus some postprocessing equalization, contrast, and sharpening. That, and the tripod, since you can't get decent night pics without one.

The autofocus on this new camera leaves something to be desired, even with the center compensation. You end up taking 10-20 pictures for every one that is worth keeping, but such is the life of the amateur. If I demonstrate some actual skills one day, I might splurge for one of those $2000+ setups.

Speaking of the moon, consider Lunarpages Web Hosting if you are in the market for an excellent web host. On their basic plan you get 800GB of Transfer & 35000MB of storage & $700 CoffeeCup webmaster & design software included, free domain name & add-on domain for $6.95 a month + loads more.

The company has been in business for over 6 years and provides basic, Windows, Linux, VPS & dedicated hosting services. They also offer additional domain names & domain transfers for only $7.95 each, plus the free domain (s) for the life of the hosting account.

Lunarpages provides free 24/7 customer support, phones, help desk, forums, tutorials & a support blog. The company claims a 99.9% uptime record, and the most reliable servers in the industry are housed in the 2 data centers (which provides redundant service).

For existing webmasters stuck in a hosting contract Lunarpages will add their paid time (up to 6 months) to their new 12 or 24 month hosting plan with the company; click here for more information.

In short, Lunarpages gives you reliable & award-winning support with 99.9% uptime, plus a free domain & over $700 of CoffeeCup software. In addition, you receive the Fantastico system, with over 35 free scripts for as little as $70 a year using the $25 discount coupon.

Be sure to consider Lunarpages Web Hosting for your server host needs, as they kindly sponsored this post.

Thoughts on "Toledo Pride"

(Toledo, OH) Toledo mayor Carty Finkbeiner unveiled a campaign called "Toledo Pride" a few months ago, which makes use of outdoor signs as a means to bolster local self-image and create an atmosphere attractive to outsiders.

I originally wanted to just take a picture for my collection of the "Toledo Pride" lettering on the Nebraska Avenue bridge over I-75. As I drove up to the bridge, though, I saw the sign from different perspectives.

This image is taken from Weiler Street near Hamilton, as the sign would be seen from the public housing complex. Hard to have pride in Toledo when your circumstances are reduced to the point that you are living in such a neighborhood.

Crossing over the Nebraska Avenue bridge, I inspected the "Toledo Pride" sign, which was secure and graffiti-free, much to my surprise. Were I a betting man, I would have given the letters about one month before being vandalized.

Maybe there is something to "Toledo Pride" after all.

On the east side of the sign is some light industrial and municipal property. Strewn throughout the area is a great deal of trash, and weeds fill the vacant land once occupied by industry.

It is hard to feel pride for Toledo standing on the land to the east of the sign, unless you are of the Rattus rattus species.

Still, given the more egregious wastes of taxpayer dollars, I suppose a little civic cheerleading causes no harm.

Receding Floodwaters

Left: Ottawa River, Toledo Ohio

(Toledo, OH) When I drove past Ottawa Park Monday evening, the Ottawa River had completely flooded the lower ground. The footbridge was all but invisible, with only the top of the handrail visible.

The waters have receded today, although they are still above their normal levels. Massive sections of tree trunks were strewn along the banks, and one particularly large tree was wedged under the bridge.

The water rushed through the park with an audible roar; the Ottawa, a normally placid river, is still a raging torrent of boiling water even though its level is falling. Being caught in its rapids or undertows would be dangerous today.

Workers were busy in the park this morning, picking up debris and marking off dangerous areas with yellow caution tape. The floodplain of the river in Ottawa Park is also part of the golf course, and the warm weather is sure to bring out the duffers in the next few days.


For the park's waterfowl, today was just another day of doing whatever it is that ducks do all day.

These Mallards were swimming in the park pond, seemingly unaware of the damage wrought along the Ottawa River. Shouts from a group of nearby kids caused them to take flight, wings flapping over my head like helicopter blades.

City parks are like oases in the middle of urban sprawl, places where weary travelers can drink from the refreshing spiritual waters to quench their thirst for nature.

It's too bad the water itself is not fit to drink, but that is another story altogether.

$5 Grand and Two Years Later

No more metal mouth

(Toledo, OH) After over two years of faithfully wearing his retainer, my youngest son got his braces off this morning. The kid who refused to smile in the interim was all grins when I took him to school afterward.

Of course, he brought along a set of fake buck teeth to wear around school for jokes.

He must get the goofiness from his mom's side.

There Goes the Sun

(Toledo, OH) It seems like years since it's been clear (apologies to the late George Harrison), but the sun appeared just before dusk today in the heart of the Rust Belt.

I took this photo with a 2x zoom lens, catching the setting sun as it disappeared between my neighbors' houses. The glowing red-orange orb seemed warm enough to ignite the branches of the trees in the foreground.

The few times it has been clear of late seemed to occur in the evening. The full moon lit up the landscape around here last night, but the skies clouded over by morning. Still, with January temperatures in the mid-40s to low-50s for the next week, you will not hear me complaining much about the weather.

Speaking of winter, many of us dread the dry skin and sore throats that accompany the low humidity, and use humidifiers to combat these problems. I have found humidifiers to offer relief from these and other health problems caused by low humidity.

The following site offers useful information on furnace humidifiers. You can learn about whole house or single-room humidifiers, as well as popular brands such as Holmes, Hunter, or Honeywell.

Be sure to visit HumidifierInformation.com for more tips, since they were kind enough to sponsor this post.

A Few Words about a Great Man

I went to visit my grandfather today, who will turn 90 years of age tomorrow. He is one of the smartest people I have ever known, although he never attended college.

Over the next few weeks I will be writing more about him, mostly for my own benefit. I plan to interview him and harvest as many family anecdotes, historical recollections, and assorted pearls of wisdom while his mind is still so sharp.

Chuck Maples served in the Pacific during World War II, and worked for a number of manufacturing firms until he retired in the 1980s. For the last 20 years of his working career he was a tool and die maker.

My grandfather could fix anything to which he set his mind, and I have fond memories of him tinkering in the garage on old lawnmowers, radios, or televisions he salvaged. A child of the Great Depression, he found value in machines that others were ready to throw away.

"Give it to Chuck - if anyone can get it going, he can," was the usual mantra. Someone on his street gave up on a riding mower about 15 years ago, and after a day of working on the engine, he had a well-tuned mini-tractor to cut his half-acre.

He still rides it today.

He and my grandmother, who has already passed the 90-year mark, are two of the kindest people in the world, and I am truly blessed to have them as grandparents.

Contacting Me

Due to problems with spam bots scouring the Internet for live email addresses, I have decided to remove the hotlink to my email address from this website.

My email address is: mbrooks AT utnet DOT utoledo DOT edu.