Wednesday, March 24, 2010
new site
this site now has a new address: http://jessicahuffman.blogspot.com/
i am doing this in order to merge this blog with the photojournal (now all posts together!).
beginning today, the new site will be regularly updated. but the new page is still a work in progress regarding colors, format, etc. it should be exciting for a while.
i am also working on adding a redirect so that coming to this page will send you to the other.
i am doing this in order to merge this blog with the photojournal (now all posts together!).
beginning today, the new site will be regularly updated. but the new page is still a work in progress regarding colors, format, etc. it should be exciting for a while.
i am also working on adding a redirect so that coming to this page will send you to the other.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
from today's Ellen
on the new larger 30 oz. coffee at starbucks: "...it's hard to put a price on never having to blink again..."
i'm still laughing.
i'm still laughing.
Monday, March 22, 2010
flashforward
we watched and were excited about the return of flashforward last week, but we may have been the only ones. the show is not doing well and it seems it will not return for a second season. in reading this review, i love these ideas. the writer talks about creating a streamlined version of the show that could work better.
You'd have to get rid of almost all of the FBI stuff. (Keep around John Cho, who's doing his best to make Demetri work, then pair him up with Michael Ealy as a guy who doesn't want to uncover the conspiracy because he just wants to stay alive, and this might work.) You'd probably have to eliminate the hospital plotlines entirely (and good riddance), though if you really wanted to keep Sonya Walger around, I wouldn't complain. Refocus the show on the scientists working to stop another blackout and the men working to cause one and have the two sides casually flip back and forth, and while I don't think it would be a show with seven seasons worth of excitement, exactly, I do think it would feel less flabby than it is. Scientists on the edge of catastrophe and the intrepid FBI agents who are always one step behind them? That's pretty much The X-Files, told from the point of view of the Cigarette Smoking Man, and it sounds awesome.[emphasis mine] i couldn't agree more!
Labels: tv and movies
Friday, March 19, 2010
first execution of the year
capital punishment is alive in virginia. last night, Paul Warner Powell faced the electric chair. no lethal injection for this guy. this case was especially trying. he first had beat the case, then bragged about it and was retried and convicted. you can read the account of what specifically happened here.
this is the first execution for virgina this year. even though VA executed only three people in 2009, the state still ranks second in executions overall (with 106, second to texas, of course).
this is the first execution for virgina this year. even though VA executed only three people in 2009, the state still ranks second in executions overall (with 106, second to texas, of course).
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
craziest cities
metropolitan cities are ranked according to craziest (based upon psychiatrists per capita, stress, eccentricity and drinking levels).
The top 10:Norfolk makes the list at #47.
Cincinnati
San Francisco
Providence
Milwaukee
Las Vegas
Philadelphia
New York City
Tucson
San Antonio
New Orleans
Sunday, March 14, 2010
best jobs in america
guess this is motivation.
or validation.
Friday, March 12, 2010
bits
the new drug bill, the fair sentencing act, reduces the crack-cocaine sentencing disparity from 100:1 to 20:1. not good enough. why won't anyone listen to local bobby scott? he's got the answers.
no, lindsay lohan does not have a case. this lawsuit is crazy.
this is a nice idea: construction begins soon on a new townhouse complex near ODU marketed towards teachers, police officers, fire officials and ODU employees. the city hopes that having young professionals in the area will deter crime. the land was donated and is being built by ODU's nonprofit group. it's a win for affordable housing and for crime, it can't hurt.
no, lindsay lohan does not have a case. this lawsuit is crazy.
this is a nice idea: construction begins soon on a new townhouse complex near ODU marketed towards teachers, police officers, fire officials and ODU employees. the city hopes that having young professionals in the area will deter crime. the land was donated and is being built by ODU's nonprofit group. it's a win for affordable housing and for crime, it can't hurt.
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
dr. seuss
i am loving this mental floss blog. here are some facts of the children's writer - but they are not all child-friendly.
Monday, March 08, 2010
amazing fact generator
some random things. i love trivia and useless knowledge.
‘Jay’ used to be slang for ‘foolish person.’ So when a pedestrian ignored street signs, he was referred to as a ‘jaywalker.’[see more via mental floss]
Kathleen Casey of Philadelphia was born at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern time on January 1, 1946. This not only made her the first child born in the United States that year, but also made her the first “Baby Boomer.”
before alarm clocks
i found this little list interesting: seven ways people got up before alarm clocks. though i generally get up rather early (anywhere from 4:30 to 7), i hate having to get up for a particular reason. number one on the list, the water method, has worked for me in the past. between the water and the fear that i wouldn't wake up for that all-important event, i manage to be up in time. however, more often than not, the water and the anxiety make it so i never get to sleep at all.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
there's a lot of truth in a joke
the truth behind a real estate ad. for instance,
4.Country Living = Your street will never see a snow plow.ha ha ha ha.
5.Cozy = Cramped
6.Diverse Wildlife = Raccoons will raid your garbage. Bats will roost in your attic. Coyotes will eat your dog. Bears will eat your children.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
tv and movie bits
i never put it together that this girl that i watched when i was young on 'as the world turns' was julianne moore. the article states that she may be back for the show's final episodes.
i am loving these articles about 'back to the future.' maybe i'm a dork, but i love those movies!* first, there are things that BTTF II predicted right (like video conferencing and cameras everywhere), then things they missed on (the oft-mentioned hoverboards and phonebooths). and who knew the movie was Elijah Wood's debut.
* you wouldn't be the first to call me a dork.
i am loving these articles about 'back to the future.' maybe i'm a dork, but i love those movies!* first, there are things that BTTF II predicted right (like video conferencing and cameras everywhere), then things they missed on (the oft-mentioned hoverboards and phonebooths). and who knew the movie was Elijah Wood's debut.
* you wouldn't be the first to call me a dork.
Labels: tv and movies
Monday, March 01, 2010
which generation are you?
i'm a gen Xer by definition, but i got a score of 64, meaning i am close to being millennial.
How Millennial Are You?
How Millennial Are You?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
another dangerous use of the internet
i had come across this article about ChatRoulette a few days ago and was waiting to look it up before i wrote about it. there was a segment on GMA about it, so i will take the two sources as sufficient information for now.
the premise, in case you are not familiar, is that through the use of a webcam, you video chat automatically with strangers. just hit start and there you are, connected with a random person in the world. if you don't like what you see, click next and there's someone else.
the article above and the GMA piece mention two aspects of the site: instant rejection and porn. the instaneous rejection by strangers can take a toll on your self-esteem. both sources also report that it only takes a few clicks to see some awfully disgusting things, often from very young people. the site also allows you to take screenshots or record the videos for further posting (youtube). it worries me that the internet brings out the worst in people and, as we all know, what's on the internet lasts forever. scary stuff our kids are doing. sometimes we keep our kids inside to protect them, but i think it might be safer for my child to be out in the street with drugs addicts and real-time perverts.
the premise, in case you are not familiar, is that through the use of a webcam, you video chat automatically with strangers. just hit start and there you are, connected with a random person in the world. if you don't like what you see, click next and there's someone else.
the article above and the GMA piece mention two aspects of the site: instant rejection and porn. the instaneous rejection by strangers can take a toll on your self-esteem. both sources also report that it only takes a few clicks to see some awfully disgusting things, often from very young people. the site also allows you to take screenshots or record the videos for further posting (youtube). it worries me that the internet brings out the worst in people and, as we all know, what's on the internet lasts forever. scary stuff our kids are doing. sometimes we keep our kids inside to protect them, but i think it might be safer for my child to be out in the street with drugs addicts and real-time perverts.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
free association #38
Labels: free association
adorable photo of the day #33
happy easter early. i nearly died when i saw how cute this baby bunny was.
Labels: adorable photo of the day
yes, it's better, but not good enough
jessica from feministing spells it out for us. she writes that for women in America, equality is still an illusion.
Labels: crime and social justice
Monday, February 22, 2010
the olympics
the US is kicking butt!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
1,000 colleges still do it
an article from the pilot today says that fewer colleges are printing yearbooks, referencing the decision this year for UVA to not print a yearbook. those quoted in the article cite social networking sites such as facebook as a reason for the decrease in student interest in obtaining a yearbook.
i've been in college for quite some time and it has never occurred to me to buy a yearbook [though ODU no longer prints one either]. in a school of 20,000, how are those featured in a yearbook going to mean anything to me? my two cents: the colleges need that money for other things. let the students use facebook.
i've been in college for quite some time and it has never occurred to me to buy a yearbook [though ODU no longer prints one either]. in a school of 20,000, how are those featured in a yearbook going to mean anything to me? my two cents: the colleges need that money for other things. let the students use facebook.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
eliminate 12th grade?
that's what senator chris buttars is proposing in utah. he believes it is a financially strategic move to eliminate the fourth year of high school throughout the state, calling 12th grade a time for "nothing but playing around."
i do not have direct knowledge of the quality of education in utah,* but this is a bad move in my opinion. the worst case scenario is that this would become a trend for other states.
i will concede that for some students, senior year is a time for slacking off. but this is certainly not true for all students. some students take college prep classes, some strengthen themselves athletically, while still others use internships to prepare for both the workplace and college applications. some students are still catching up on fundamental principles.
i see a lot of students in college who i feel are unprepared for college. many lack even basic writing skills, let alone critical thinking skills. further, if senior year were eliminated, that would mean more 17 year old students in college. another bad idea. perhaps it is up for debate on how much a person matures and grows in one year, but from 17 to 18, it is considerable for most people.
* the article does note that utah "ranks 50th among the 50 states in per-pupil spending, according to the U.S. Department of Education."
i do not have direct knowledge of the quality of education in utah,* but this is a bad move in my opinion. the worst case scenario is that this would become a trend for other states.
i will concede that for some students, senior year is a time for slacking off. but this is certainly not true for all students. some students take college prep classes, some strengthen themselves athletically, while still others use internships to prepare for both the workplace and college applications. some students are still catching up on fundamental principles.
i see a lot of students in college who i feel are unprepared for college. many lack even basic writing skills, let alone critical thinking skills. further, if senior year were eliminated, that would mean more 17 year old students in college. another bad idea. perhaps it is up for debate on how much a person matures and grows in one year, but from 17 to 18, it is considerable for most people.
* the article does note that utah "ranks 50th among the 50 states in per-pupil spending, according to the U.S. Department of Education."
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
bits
matthew broderick is coming to tv. no doubt he will succeed with it. doesn't he do everything well?
the commercials have gotten to me. i voted in the roll poll. i'm an over girl.
i just heard about this one. a 14-year old boy in colorado killed his parents to get out of doing chores. he then stole a truck and was arrested while driving the next day. he was charged as an adult for an array of charges (i'm sure this is done to be sure he is convicted of something). i will have to remember to keep following this one. there's some talk that he was abused. but i want to know where he got the gun...
the commercials have gotten to me. i voted in the roll poll. i'm an over girl.
i just heard about this one. a 14-year old boy in colorado killed his parents to get out of doing chores. he then stole a truck and was arrested while driving the next day. he was charged as an adult for an array of charges (i'm sure this is done to be sure he is convicted of something). i will have to remember to keep following this one. there's some talk that he was abused. but i want to know where he got the gun...
tiger numbers could be as low as 3,200
what sad news. a discovery report that there are fewer than 50 wild tigers in China.
in other animal news, manatees, sea turtles and fish are freezing to death off the coast of Florida.
"there are only around 15 Bengal tigers left in Tibet, 10 Indochinese tigers in China's southwest, and around 20 Siberian tigers in the northeast, she told reporters.this three thousand number is an all-time low "down from an estimated 20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago."
And the South China tiger may already be extinct. According to the international conservation group WWF, none have been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000."
in other animal news, manatees, sea turtles and fish are freezing to death off the coast of Florida.
Monday, February 15, 2010
some of these are interesting
Friday, February 05, 2010
hitchhiker
the kid had me read "The Hitchhiker" by Lucille Fletcher (originally heard on the radio in 1946) after she read it in school. she thought is was an interesting read, but was a bit baffled at the interpretation that it may have had anything to do with the afterlife or god.
i'll leave god out of it, but i am glad she shared the story. now i am passing it along.
i'll leave god out of it, but i am glad she shared the story. now i am passing it along.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
don’t ask, don’t tell
obama said he wants to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell" in the military to allow gays to openly serve. from what i hear, many military officials are on board with this. and why not?
military men already know that gays are serving in the ranks with them. what would be the difference? this is a case of the "older" people catching up with the "younger" people.
on a similar note, i am discussing homosexuality in my class today. among the stats i will present:
the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project found that 49% of Americans answered yes to the question "Should homosexuality be accepted by society?” (41% say no). in comparison, 70% of Canadians agree and 60% of Mexicans. for even further comparison, those answering yes in Sweden are 86%, France 83%, Spain 82%, Britain 71%, Russia 20%, Japan 49%.
military men already know that gays are serving in the ranks with them. what would be the difference? this is a case of the "older" people catching up with the "younger" people.
on a similar note, i am discussing homosexuality in my class today. among the stats i will present:
the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project found that 49% of Americans answered yes to the question "Should homosexuality be accepted by society?” (41% say no). in comparison, 70% of Canadians agree and 60% of Mexicans. for even further comparison, those answering yes in Sweden are 86%, France 83%, Spain 82%, Britain 71%, Russia 20%, Japan 49%.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
it really snowed in norfolk
i used that same title on the other page for the post with my pics, but it is pretty cool. i wasn't believing it until yesterday morning when up to a foot was forecasted. we've had our fair share of playing in the snow today.
here's a pretty cool time lapse video taken in va beach. maybe it was just because of traffic at this intersection, but we tons more snow here in norfolk.
here's a pretty cool time lapse video taken in va beach. maybe it was just because of traffic at this intersection, but we tons more snow here in norfolk.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
parts of the body in song
fleshmap puts together a unique map of the frequency with which body parts are mentioned in music. the size of a circle corresponds to how often that part is mentioned in each music genre. take a look.
va lottery
Monday, January 25, 2010
today's quote
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
sculptures
today i discovered this french (or at least lives in france) sculptor, jennifer robinson. she's great. it's too bad she is across the atlantic, i would love to have these cats adorn my shelf!
update 01-21-10: it's the next day and i am still looking at these things. some people may know that i have a recent obsession with owls (as part of the animals i have a particular affection for - cats and giraffes) and i have been searching for just one perfect owl thing (object, painting, etc.) to have. her owls are adorable.
update 01-21-10: it's the next day and i am still looking at these things. some people may know that i have a recent obsession with owls (as part of the animals i have a particular affection for - cats and giraffes) and i have been searching for just one perfect owl thing (object, painting, etc.) to have. her owls are adorable.
Monday, January 18, 2010
liberal professors
"The overwhelmingly liberal tilt of university professors has been explained by everything from outright bias to higher I.Q. scores. Now new research suggests that critics may have been asking the wrong question. Instead of looking at why most professors are liberal, they should ask why so many liberals — and so few conservatives — want to be professors."
the answer is typecasting. the article explains that some occupations, such as nursing, are "gender typed.” Further, “professors and a number of other fields are politically typed. Journalism, art, fashion, social work and therapy are dominated by liberals; while law enforcement, farming, dentistry, medicine and the military attract more conservatives."
the answer is typecasting. the article explains that some occupations, such as nursing, are "gender typed.” Further, “professors and a number of other fields are politically typed. Journalism, art, fashion, social work and therapy are dominated by liberals; while law enforcement, farming, dentistry, medicine and the military attract more conservatives."
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
felony disenfranchisement
from washington state:
In a move that could see Washington inmates voting from prison, a federal appeals court has thrown out the state's restrictions on felon voting due to civil rights concerns.oh my. this will lead to an uproar, i'm sure.
Under the Washington law at issue, citizens convicted of a felony lose the right to vote until they are released from custody and off of Department of Corrections supervision. The 2-1 ruling by a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel puts those restrictions in doubt, the majority reviewing the voting rights lawsuit found that the state restrictions unfairly penalize minorities.
Attorneys for six Washington state prisoners, Circuit Court Judge A. Wallace Tashima wrote, "have demonstrated that police practices, searches, arrests, detention practices, and plea bargaining practices lead to a greater burden on minorities that cannot be explained in race-neutral ways."
Labels: crime and social justice
the beginning of another
class begins for me today. for some reason, my class is at 3:00 in the afternoon. stupid 3:00. i would much rather go now, early in the day, and get it over with.
i wonder what the students will be like at 3:00. will they be tired from classes all day? or awake because they were able to sleep in all day?
i wonder what the students will be like at 3:00. will they be tired from classes all day? or awake because they were able to sleep in all day?
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
coincidence
after writing the last post, i decided to look at the notes i made in the middle of the night last night of things that had to get done (including those things from the previous post). on the page were also some notes from who-knows-when, that i don't remember at all. along with shorthand of a dream i once had involving troy aikman and joe buck (thankfully, not that kind of a dream), i found a notation that read "matt in big trouble." having no idea what this means, i google these words and discover the note must have referred to the character matt in the movie "big trouble" (which i also don't remember watching, this must have been during an episode of sickness). i find out the part of matt was played by a guy named ben foster. (still have no idea who this is).
but here's the interesting part. as i was reading about ben foster and that he had a brother named jon foster - just as i was clicking on his name to see who he was - jenna elfman's voice came from the tv, stating that her co-star was named jon foster on her show.
how about that? never even heard of these people.
but here's the interesting part. as i was reading about ben foster and that he had a brother named jon foster - just as i was clicking on his name to see who he was - jenna elfman's voice came from the tv, stating that her co-star was named jon foster on her show.
how about that? never even heard of these people.
this week means back to work
making a syllabus, writing a book review, starting an article about student opinions of the criminal justice system... oh yeah! and paying the rent.
Monday, January 04, 2010
tv stuff
it seems that Law and Order will live another year, running then 21 years. with another season, it will break the 20-year record for a dramatic series (Gunsmoke).
as with comes this time of year, there are 'best of the year/decade' lists everywhere. accordingly, tvsquad as a slew of posts of the best of the 00s. since i love tv sitcoms, i eagerly checked out two of their lists. for best comedic actor, they note, "If you want to be a great comedic actor, you can never let on that you know you're being funny. Your character never knows what the joke is." i love that description. and for them, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) wins. the category also includes Matthew Perry, William Shatner (cheers for Boston Legal), Stephen Colbert, and Larry David.
similarly, for best comedic actresses, they list Julia Louis-Dreyfus as first but also include Portia di Rossi, Jane Kaczmarek, Megan Mullally, and Tina Fey.
in other news, i'm excited that fringe returns on thursday, a week earlier than i thought. and i learned something new about the actors while perusing the fox website for info. i knew that anna torv was australian (which explains why her voice/accent bothers me), but i didn't know john noble was as well.
as with comes this time of year, there are 'best of the year/decade' lists everywhere. accordingly, tvsquad as a slew of posts of the best of the 00s. since i love tv sitcoms, i eagerly checked out two of their lists. for best comedic actor, they note, "If you want to be a great comedic actor, you can never let on that you know you're being funny. Your character never knows what the joke is." i love that description. and for them, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) wins. the category also includes Matthew Perry, William Shatner (cheers for Boston Legal), Stephen Colbert, and Larry David.
similarly, for best comedic actresses, they list Julia Louis-Dreyfus as first but also include Portia di Rossi, Jane Kaczmarek, Megan Mullally, and Tina Fey.
in other news, i'm excited that fringe returns on thursday, a week earlier than i thought. and i learned something new about the actors while perusing the fox website for info. i knew that anna torv was australian (which explains why her voice/accent bothers me), but i didn't know john noble was as well.
Labels: tv and movies
first post in 2010
is it twenty-ten or two thousand ten? i bet most people will say the latter as we are all in the habit of such.
happy new year.
happy new year.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
merry christmas everyone
i can smell the pepperoni bread...
i'm off to the shore, driving with two million other people. probably should have gotten gas yesterday.
i'm off to the shore, driving with two million other people. probably should have gotten gas yesterday.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
how to fix the economy
via email. i find this amusing:
Dear Mr. President:
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy.
Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.
Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!
If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...
Dear Mr. President:
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy.
Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.
Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!
If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
the success of production is dependent upon how you measure it
i have not been working on my papers lately. instead, things like shopping, wrapping, and football has consumed my time. at first, i was bothered by this, but i have come to realize it is okay. it is the holidays.
football came three days in a row this past weekend, but i am bit sorry that i missed 'men of a certain age.' especially just to see the redskins get killed anyway.
football came three days in a row this past weekend, but i am bit sorry that i missed 'men of a certain age.' especially just to see the redskins get killed anyway.
Monday, December 21, 2009
cookies, dirt, and kissing cousins
this is funny, for the sadistic baker.
i never thought about the social construction of dirt before. but this is a very good point!
did you know that marriage between two first cousins is legal is about half of states? i certainly did not realize that.
i never thought about the social construction of dirt before. but this is a very good point!
did you know that marriage between two first cousins is legal is about half of states? i certainly did not realize that.
Friday, December 18, 2009
waiting for snow
although i know we probably just get rain, as usual.
Monday, December 14, 2009
tv stuff: happy and not happy monday
i'm happy about watching Men of a Certain Age on TNT tonight. i watched the series premiere last week and was excited about a show about men - of a certain age - that focused on real thoughts (how much weight you lose after you pee), hardships (you cannot quit work to find yourself because you have a family to support), and emotions (fear in regards to landing a job/audition) and not catering to the traditional image of men. with that said, one of the characters has a gambling addiction, but i do feel this is more fresh and less stereotypical than a drinking problem.
i am not happy about GMA and the absence of Chris Cuomo this morning. with him and Diane gone (with no disrespect to Robin, Sam, and George), i may not watch. who am i kidding? i'll watch. but i may not be happy about it.
i am not happy about GMA and the absence of Chris Cuomo this morning. with him and Diane gone (with no disrespect to Robin, Sam, and George), i may not watch. who am i kidding? i'll watch. but i may not be happy about it.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
end of semester
yesterday was consumed with grading papers. this morning, i dropped the kid off at a synagogue in portsmouth to go play laser tag with their youth group. fun for her, i hope.
again today, i am spending my day grading (today's batch is evaluating the final project, where i had students create webpages and write annotated bibliographies) which has its up and downs. but this lousy, rainy day is a good one to do it. my goal is to get them all done early so my attention can be turned to sunday night football later (fly eagles, fly).
update: i feel compelled to tell the world that i just ate a peanut butter, banana, and marshmallow fluff sandwich for lunch.
again today, i am spending my day grading (today's batch is evaluating the final project, where i had students create webpages and write annotated bibliographies) which has its up and downs. but this lousy, rainy day is a good one to do it. my goal is to get them all done early so my attention can be turned to sunday night football later (fly eagles, fly).
update: i feel compelled to tell the world that i just ate a peanut butter, banana, and marshmallow fluff sandwich for lunch.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
local news
michael vick's uncle is arrested in a heroin ring.
a flash mob stormed through ODU, hundreds of students strong. apparently it is to relieve end-of-semester stress.
a flash mob stormed through ODU, hundreds of students strong. apparently it is to relieve end-of-semester stress.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
lines from my dissertation proposal*
We have become increasingly dependent on the criminal justice system, evidenced by the quadruple increase in prison populations in America over the last 25 years (Travis 2005). Criminological attention has recently turned to examine the consequences of these actions, especially in the realm of offender reentry (Travis 2005; Urban Institute 2006). Research has found that two-thirds of released prisoners are rearrested within three years (Langan and Levin 2002), over a million children have a parent incarcerated (Mumola 2000) and four million people are disenfranchised (Fellner and Mauer 1998; Urban Institute 2006).
Former inmates face a variety of risk factors including unemployment, low education, substance abuse, disease, and homelessness. “With limited assistance in their reintegration, former prisoners pose public safety risks to communities” (Urban Institute 2006:2). New legislation such as residency restrictions on sex offenders have made life increasingly challenging across the nation and in California. Although many believe that sex offenders are due these challenges, “there is good reason to believe that the real-world consequences of residence restrictions are actually decreasing public safety because the conditions associated with homelessness are directly associated with increased sexual recidivism” (Delson, Kokish, and Abbott 2008:2). The general consensus is that sex offender recidivism is quite high (Thompson 2006), although this is not actually the case. In addition, to say that sex offender recidivism is high implies that the commission of a sex crime is repeated, (as opposed to some other type of crime); this is not the case either. Successful reentry is impacted by a lack of social capital, education and work experience, and waning mental and physical health (Visher and Travis 2003).
* since this is all i have been working on [not just these lines, of course], this is what you get.
Labels: crime and social justice
Saturday, December 05, 2009
eggo shortage
a few weeks ago, i saw via a sign in the grocery store that there was a shortage of kellogg's eggo waffles. this, for my family, was devastating since eggos are the kid's favorite thing in the world. it seems the shortage is due to flooding in the atlanta and mechanical problems in tennessee plants.
for my daughter, store brand is fine. however, due to the shortage, the store brand is often sold out. who would have thought...
for my daughter, store brand is fine. however, due to the shortage, the store brand is often sold out. who would have thought...
Friday, December 04, 2009
death penalty update
as we are coming to the end of the year, here are the capital punishment stats. there have been 48 executions thus far in 2009 [six more are scheduled, with two likely], up from last year when there were 37.
an increase in the number of executions this year is somewhat surprising, given the movement in recent years for reform or abolishment of the death penalty in the US. the increase, though, may be an anomaly, as 2008 marked a 14 year low in executions. there were 42 executions in 2007, going back to a high of 98 in 1999.
an increase in the number of executions this year is somewhat surprising, given the movement in recent years for reform or abolishment of the death penalty in the US. the increase, though, may be an anomaly, as 2008 marked a 14 year low in executions. there were 42 executions in 2007, going back to a high of 98 in 1999.
Labels: crime and social justice
Thursday, December 03, 2009
shhh... you blog too much
i've been quiet lately with all that has been going on. hopefully this will change soon.
i found christmas sixlets tonight at the store and was so excited! eating a little package tonight made me feel like a kid again.
i found christmas sixlets tonight at the store and was so excited! eating a little package tonight made me feel like a kid again.
Monday, November 30, 2009
a case of the mondays
i may be slightly back to human, finally. only time will tell. i have spent the morning catching up on things i have missed in the last week. hopefully, the rest of the day will bring motivation to catch up on important things (read: work, dissertation).
in other, unrelated news, i have watched the 'taking of pelham 123' twice in the past few weeks and it rocks socks (hence, watching it twice). i also watched 'orphan.' disturbing. it's like that old movie, 'the good son,' on crack.
in other, unrelated news, i have watched the 'taking of pelham 123' twice in the past few weeks and it rocks socks (hence, watching it twice). i also watched 'orphan.' disturbing. it's like that old movie, 'the good son,' on crack.
Monday, November 23, 2009
oh, the pains
i have been ill and out of commission for a couple of days now. it is the same old "pains" that i get and nothing new or dangerous, but this is a serious bout. each time i have gotten the pains in the last few years, it has not been this severe or lasted this long. i don't know why i am being plagued now, but i'm miserable.
in other news, i am excited to be with my family soon, in more ways than one.
in other news, i am excited to be with my family soon, in more ways than one.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
adorable photo of the day #32
Thursday, November 12, 2009
november nor'easter
there's a big storm 'round these parts. stuck in the house due to coastal flooding.
tax cuts
for those making over $200,000 a year, your tax burden will increase in the coming years. but look at the cuts you have enjoyed in recent years. according to the chart, those making more than $545,845 a year benefited above and beyond the rest, getting a quarter of the tax cuts themselves. the chart also points out that it has cost the government $2.34 trillion.
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
it's execution day
here in VA. one of the beltway snipers is scheduled to die, unless a pardon from the governor comes in at the last minute.
this is VA (second to TX in executions). no pardons will come.
this is VA (second to TX in executions). no pardons will come.
Labels: crime and social justice
you made it down here?
what? you want a reward?
