The news hurts now.

The greatest phenomenon that a parent can experience is the ever-increasing strength of the bond with their child. I had always heard parents say they would do anything for their child, but it didn’t really sink in until I felt that way myself. It’s unlike anything else. It happens effortlessly right under your nose, and it was very gradual for me, NOT instantaneous as virtually everyone in history led me to believe. I’m one of the few people on Earth who will say the day my children were born wouldn’t rank as the happiest days of my life - Though obviously significant, I’ve had probably hundreds of days with Spencer and Erica that were happier, more satisfying, and more memorable. Halloween has always made significant contributions in that department. My wife agreed to marry me on Halloween. Spencer rolled over for the first time on Halloween on my parents’ living room floor while I ran the camcorder. Spencer won the Quincy Mall’s costume contest with a completely homemade Marc Antony costume courtesy of my wife’s endless dedication and creativity. This Halloween was no different as Spencer is now old enough to design his own pumpkin carving, and Erica is able to show a preference for a particular costume.　

This year, Spencer wanted to dress as Spiderman, and Erica wisely chose the corresponding Spidergirl costume. Everyone had a good time and another Halloween was in the books. Then, several days later I was stopped cold when I saw this photo and read the accompanying news story:

This is Aaron Shannon Jr. Like Spencer, he is 5-years-old, and like Spencer, he liked showing off his Spiderman costume for his parents and grandparents in the backyard of his home in Los Angeles. But his family lived in a neighborhood somewhat known for gang activity, and just moments after this picture was taken, two gang members opened fire during a dispute in the alley behind Aaron’s home. Aaron was shot in the head and died several hours later. Because of the thoughtless, reckless stupidity of two men who will never grasp the pain they’ve caused, Aaron’s life is over before it‘s begun, and now the family must cope with a pain beyond anything I can imagine. Although, I can feel it more now, much more sharply than I ever did before. I think it is part of the empathy that all parents generally share. News stories or even fictional events that involve young children suffering in any way have become much more difficult to take. They are saddening and disturbing, but they will not cease nor will my disgust at hearing about them. All I can do is use these events as a reminder of how much I’ve invested in my children and how much they count on me and how I should never take my time with them for granted.

J u s t    in    t i m e    f o r    H a l l o w e e n......

New Imaging Technology Shows Animal Insides, Python Digesting a Rat

Using a combination of computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scientists Kasper Hansen and Henrik Lauridsen of Aarhus University in Denmark were able to visualize the entire internal organ structures and vascular systems (aka "guts") of a Burmese Python digesting a rat.

By choosing the right settings for contrast and light intensity during the scanning process, the scientists were able to highlight specific organs and make them appear in different colors. The non-invasive CT and MRI scans could let scientists look at animal anatomy without the need for other invasive methods such as dissections.

Here are some step-by-step images of the process. While some might call them gruesome, remember that this is simpy  the reality of nature.  Competition for resources drives evolution and makes it possible for complex organinsms to exist. 

This is a Burmese Python scanned before ingesting a rat and then at two, 16, 24, 32, 48, 72 and 132 hours after dinner. The succession of images reveals a gradual disappearance of the rat's body, accompanied by an overall expansion of the snake's intestine, shrinking of the gallbladder and a 25 percent increase in heart volume.

I love being a snake owner.  They're exceedingly fascinating animals and a never-ending learning experience.  What they lack in ability to interact or connect emotionally with humans, they make up for in exotic and aesthetic qualities, not to mention being much cheaper, lower maintenance, quieter, and SAFER than dogs.  My kids love them, and I suspect my wife has a soft spot for them as well, right Alice?

From the "Picture says a thousand words" Department -

There is no excuse.  None.

Worst game of Marco Polo ever!

Catching up on e-mail, I noticed this photo published in Spiegel Online:

Almost seven billion people live on our planet and almost over one billion of them live in China. This week, thousands of them flocked to a public swimming pool in Suining, in China's Sichuan province, to get a break from the summer heat. They stood rubber to rubber in the country's largest floating pool as temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (about 104 Fahrenheit).

Look at that picture closely.  Look at their faces!  About 5% are smiling, probably at the ridiculousness of the situation, and the rest look as though they are just trying to keep from drowning.  Is that really enjoyable?  Can they really be thinking "This is fun!" or "Gee, it's really nice to get away from everything for awhile."  It looks like they're trying to break some sort of record.  For crying out loud, you can't even see water!  Try filling a swimming pool with people to the point where water is literally no longer visible. 

I'm reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer swam in the polluted East River to avoid crowds at the local pool.  Maybe somewhere there's a Chinese Kramer counterpart trying something similar in the even more polluted Yellow River.

Speaking of Yellow River, is there any kind of contingency plan to allow the swimmers in the middle of the pool to reach the bathroom?

Add specificity to her list of weaknesses...

...if it wasn't there already.  Here's a new video released by Sarah Palin that's been getting alot of press for some reason.

So, let's sum up:  The "Mama Grizzlies"...

Okay....breathe.....

It's been awhile between entries but there is ample reason for that.  In short, I've been too busy living life to blog much about it.  But there is a lot to catch up on so here it goes. 

First, I want to mention how relieved I am over the recovery of my daycare provider's husband.  This spring, he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis.  This obviously made for a few unnerving months for him and his family, but fortunately, he is very close to a full recovery and is currently back at work.  Alice and I were without daycare during that time, but we were more than happy to adjust our work schedules accordingly as she has done so hundreds of times for us.  She has been an invaluable part of of our family unit during the early lives of our children, and we couldn't ask for anything more. 

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In February, I began my classes at the Quincy Citizens Police Academy.  This class met every Thursday for three hours for ten weeks.  I can't say enough about this program.  I highly encourage anyone in the Quincy area to enroll in the fall session.  Even with 9+ years in local law enforcement, I gained valuable knowledge and insight into the behind-the- scenes machinations of every aspect of the local law enforcement agencies from the Emergency Response Team (think SWAT) to the K-9 unit to forensic crime scene investigation, and the whole thing is free of charge.  In fact, I was overwhelmed how happy the organizers were to have us there.  Plus, you get to shoot a gun!  This is my target from our trip to the Barry shooting range.  Ten shots from a glock .22 at about 15 feet away.  Not bad considering I haven't fired a gun since I was 13.

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In late April,  President Obama made a tour of the midwest that included Quincy, and thanks to the great patience of my parents who waited in line several hours to get tickets (I had the kids), I was able to attend his speech at the Oakley-Lindsey Center.  This was a great experience.  I parked at the former   Adams Cinema - security had most of downtown blocked and it was as close as I could get.  That made for about a 20-minute walk, but I was able to listen to that week's episode podcast of Real Time with Bill Maher, which seemed like a fitting opening act for the President.  I only waited about 10 minutes to get in the building and the security at the gate was comparable to what you might have at an airport.  The speech was excellent and focused mainly on health care and the country's financial woes.  It's a bit surreal seeing a future historical figure in person, but what really struck me was the crowd.  Quincy is predominately a white (93%) and older (41% over 45) community, but you'd never know it from the crowd inside.

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What an eventful Spring this was for Spencer!  Throughout the month of April, Spencer celebrated his fifth birthday - party with the Bobbers, party with the Arnolds, party with the classmates and friends from daycare.  Are we setting him up for disappointment when he's down to just one party for his birthday?  Anyway, everyone had a great time, and pictures abound here.

Then, on April 26, after an exhaustive search and lengthy decision-making process, Quincy crowned its Little King of the Dogwood Festival - and it was Spencer!!  All credit goes to Alice as she entered Spencer into the contest and took care of the entire costume from the bouret to the suspenders to the bouquet of flowers he handed the judges.  He beat out the other two contestants and was on his way to an epic Saturday as he and Alice (and the Little Queen) led the parade via a convertible as Erica and I watched with pride from the sidewalk.  It was a memorable weekend, and pictures abound here.

Spencer reached another milestone this May: he graduated from preschool.  When I first heard that the phrase "graduating from preschool" and learned that there would be a graduation ceremony, the whole thing seemed kind of silly.  If I remember right, my graduation ceremony consisted of something like "Say goodbye to Grandma Neil, Aaron."  "Good-bye".  But the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it became.  For the last two years, Spencer was taught by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Koester.  Next year, he will learn from Mrs. Makarewicz (crash course in spelling right off the bat).  For the last two years, he attended school a few hours per day, a few days a week.  Next year, it will be all day Monday - Friday.  Next year he will be in a different classroom with some unfamiliar classmates.  It really is his first scholastic transition, which of course means it is a transition for me as well.  After 5 years of Daddy Days, it won't be the same without him.  Again, pictures abound here.

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Hopefully, I can resume more regular blogging now that I've covered everything that happened this spring.  But I kind of get the feeling I'm forgetting something.

Wow, do times like this make winter more bearable.  There's something surreal about watching my son sled-riding down the same hill I rode down over twenty years ago.  It's hard to say who had more fun.

2009-2010 Stanley Cup Prediction

I know how this might seem.  But for the first time ever, I can confidently mark the Chicago Blackhawks as my Stanley Cup prediction secure in the knowledge that it's grounded in merit and accuracy rather than my personal bias.  Granted, their winning would be one of the most glorious sports-related moments of my life, anyone can see they have all the tools to make it happen.  My only fear is that youth equals inexperience breeds lack of discipline leads to excessive penalties at inopportune times.  This has surfaced at key times throughout the season.  Fix it please, Joel.

As far as the Olympics were concerned, my original picks were as follows:  Gold - Russia, Silver - Canada, Bronze - Sweden.  However, Russia faces elimination against CZE today despite an overload of talent.  Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Malkin on the same line?  Forget it.  On paper, they are a strong favorite but unfortunately for them, hockey isn't played on paper.  Canada takes on USA at 6:30 in the games most marquee matchup this far.  Go Canada.

In other hockey news, last year Neil Peart, percussionist and lyricist for Rush, was commissioned to write a new version of the Hockey Night in Canada theme song.  “The Hockey Theme” was composed in 1968 by Vancouver native Dolores Claman. Over the next forty years, Dolores Claman’s theme became synonymous with the CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts. It is considered by many to be “Canada’s second national anthem,” as nearly every Canadian can hum that melody on demand, and serious hockey fans have the ringtone.  Neil wrote an interesting piece on the experience here where he also worked in this nice little jab:

".....my bandmates and I will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in March of this year—along with Dolores Claman! A total, wonderful coincidence.  And isn’t it funny that by then the band will have been represented in the Motorcycling Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriting Hall of Fame, and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame—but not yet in the “official” rock pantheon? Passing strange . . . "

Great point.  You can listen to the song at Neil's site or it's available for purchase for $1.29 at Itunes.  That's an easy purchase. 

H e l p ! ! !

Doctors Without Borders is just one of numerous organizations providing invaluable assistance during a tragedy of historic proportions.  They count on the financial generosity of our citizenry to provide the most basic of needs to those who would otherwise go without.  Please find and select a worthy charity and make a donation. 

$10 donations to the Red Cross can be made by texting "Haiti" to 90999.  Thanks, Stephen.

N o w ! ! !