Life Is A Comedy For Those Who Think...

Friday, September 30, 2005 at 6:02 PM

Triskabiblios Guide....

Here's a list of what I've compiled so far for Triskabiblios/13 books. There's more I could post but this is a start.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/orkid_quantum/
Link to xOrkid's LJ

http://www.vibration13.com/teriyaki/Sophie.MP3
Song Orkid posted in LJ

http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread-185348-1126657739-1126999647-Triskabiblios+%7C+the13books
Islington post on Chronos Time Travel Forum

THE 13 SCRIBES HAVE BEEN NAMED

13 SCRIBE PAGES:

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/dixon/
Dixon Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/duckie
Duckie Scribe Page (map found, right click on map and press play and loop)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/graeme/
Graeme Scribe Page (2 updates)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/mcgyver/
Mcgyver Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/onionring/
Onionring Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/mountaingirl/
Mountain Girl Scribe Page (3 updates)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/withe/
Withe Scribe Page (1 update)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/rowan/
Rowan Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes/samantha/
Samantha Scribe Page

http://www.triskabiblios.com/scribes/yann
Yann Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/orkid/
Orkid's Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/jackalope/
Jackalope's Scribe Page

http://triskabiblios.com/scribes/sixsidedsquare/
SixSidedSquare's Scribe Page

Triskabiblios Main Pages:

http://www.triskabiblios.com/
Home Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/indexB.html
Islington's Message About 13 Book Quest

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/rules.html
Rules

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/scribes.html
Scribe Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/addUserForm.php
Sign-Up Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/privacy.html
Privacy Page

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/bookzero/index.html
Book Zero Page

Clues:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/recursiveDeeL44t.jpg
Clue on "Meltdown" Directory

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/xandtozip.jpg
XORANDER Clue

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/p13.jpg
Pied Piper Page Clue

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/blessingsaboundscribepage.jpg
First Scribe Page Image. It wouldn't let me copy the original text at the bottom.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/cover.gif
Life of Pi Clue (you seriously have to change the brightness to see the image)

http://www.vibration13.com/triskabiblios/books/alice.jpg
Alice In Wonderland Clue

You can see the whole book here:
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/TNJed/da290530.swf
Intersting TriskaGoogle Flash File Found During Meltdown. (I can't get it to stop playing to read the other word that flashes)

http://lazylaces.com/article.asp?p=1413#comments
Lazy Laces Current Comment Thread

http://www.wonderweasels.org/13books/guide.html
Suspended Reference Guide

Here's a chat I just had with xOrkid 9/30/05 7:00pm

at 3:31 PM

You Could Help Save Our Home....

I know this is, in my opinion, shameful, but I am at my wits end. I have created this
webpage to plea for voluntary assistance in helping us keep our home. We no longer have other options, that we can find, but are open to suggestions as well. Thanks for not thinking less of us for asking strangers for donations to our "Keep The Family Home" fund.

Saturday, September 24, 2005 at 9:43 AM

Scribeship Abound....

I was recently named a scribe in a search for 13 enigmatic books (triskabiblios) .

This is a shot of a web-page created for my newly deemed scribeship
(at this point I believe there will be 13 scribes). One extremely interesting aspect of my new found obsessions is the constant creation of web pages made to progress in this hunt. I will post more on this tomorrow. Until then, check out the concept of this search. You can learn more about it from a site called Lazy Laces. You can also check out the progression of the search at this forum.

I had not been aware "adventures" such as these existed. Now I'm hooked! You must see it to believe it.

Friday, September 16, 2005 at 11:20 PM

Transcending Google......

I decided to research the Google phenomenon and found an e-mail Google sent in reference to this "anomaly".

Thank you for your email. We understand your concern about the search results for this query. Please be assured that the order and contents of Google search results are completely automated. No one hand picks a particular result for a given search query, nor does Google ever insert jokes or send messages by changing the order of results. Occasionally,when a particular website is the subject of public attention, other sites begin linking to it. This may elevate its importance as gauged by our ranking software, which assigns a PageRank value based in part on who links to a given page. Higher ranking in Google results may lead to more awareness, which may lead to more links and so on. One side effect of not using an editorial viewpoint to determine the ranking of results is that anomalies occasionally occur. We view such occasions as opportunities for us to learn more about how the web works and how to improve our algorithms for all searches in the future. Regards, The Google Team

Google says it's just an anomaly of the process through which Google refers to the most information gathered about a specific subject, and the relationships said subject has with other subjects in the world.

Now, Isn't it true the information on the internet is a collective of the world's knowledge? Face it, we've crossed the Joseph Campbell bridge of transcendence and created *dun dun dun dun a "Great Oracle of Collective Consciousness". Try it out. Type in "stocks to buy" and see if the Great Oracle leads you to a website that will make you millions. Type in "What should I make for dinner" and let the Great Oracle lead you to a recipe you'll love. Or you could just type in "failure" and see what the world collectively thinks about the leader of the free world.

Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 4:06 PM

According to Google, He's a Failure...

This is HILARIOUS. I don't know how long it will work, but I'll post it in the meantime. Go to Google . Now type in the word failure and instead of hitting search, hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button

This is what pops up.

Wow, I don't know what to think about this.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at 5:32 PM

For God's Sake, There's Still Buses.....

I have obviously been causing quite a stir over at Bill Hobb's site. Who knew conservative adults could be so childish. I've been called a lot of names because I

choose to freely express my ideas. That's o.k., usually enlightened individuals see through veiled threats as a way to try and rally the troops of that side. I will answer to those names such as ignoramous, bitch, lefty, and such now. Bill Hobb's seems to think it is a travesty these buses sat waiting when NO citizens could have been evacuated on them....Not really , he just wants to divert attention from a president who has already admitted culpability and give the right wing something to hang on to. I do not choose sides in political parties. I call a goat a goat, and I shall until I die. I do not listen to nor gather my opinions from the media. I linked previously to the Think Progress site. Not because I'm a supporter of it, but because it was the best thing I had found available linking to original memorandums from the governor and the president in a timeline-style fashion. Here's an even better one I found later.

Here is what I have gathered:

A big hurricane was coming.....The governor needed help to create a mass exodus and keep the people of Louisiana safe and to clean up afterwards. She asked for federal assistance. The president answered her call with a resounding, "Yes." I watched for five days as people dropped dead from the lack of that promised assistance. I realize it's easier to believe the local government failed. It makes it less threatening to us. Surely our local government wouldn't make the same mistakes. If they depended on the Feds stepping in and aiding as per previous agreement, then yes they would. That is why we must demand accountability. Many have challenged how the governor laid out this plan. That somehow, she did not want to relinquish control to the federal government. Feel free to view the letter to the president on August 27, and the president's response (here).

Now, I'd like to address the buses.

How in the world do you coordinate a bus-driver for every bus, fix broken ones, and commandeer those that have not been made part of the federal evacuation plan in the middle of a disaster you've been left to take care of by yourself? You were promised help, you followed the Federal Action Plan For A Large-Scale Natural Disaster while you waited, and you were left to hang out to dry (pun intended). What many don't seem to realize, is once the president initialized federal relief, the entire plan changed. It's amazing how grown adults act when they are asked to question leadership. Remember, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." -Thomas Jefferson

At least the pres. is finally saying, "The buck stops here." That's somewhat reassuring as an american (even if it is for PR's sake). It's just a little too late, but I guess better than nothing at all.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 10:52 PM

Brown Goat DARES Me To Be Desensitized...

I wanted to keep passing around my husband's hilarious artwork.

WARNING:

DO NOT scroll down to photos below if you are squemish or children are in the room.

How about another program that severely takes away from classroom instruction time? Would you want your 11, 12, or 13 year old to see this? That's exactly what happened at Holston Middle School in Knox County on Friday. The most horrific part is this picture is of a little girl's father. The little girl was in that DARE session.

While students do need to be shocked into reality occasionally, photos of dead locals is a bit much. Junior high students are desensitized from video games and movies, but do we really want to desensitize them further by showing them the real thing? It's one thing to see a dead animated character or an actor on screen (which they see in another movie soon thereafter), but to show a child a figure of once living human in it's state of demise is too shocking.

I have been around the world, lived in foreign countries, and seen some grusome things in my 31 solar orbits. I am not a squemish type person, nor do I turn my head away easily at things I do not like. I looked at the photos and they made me feel quite uncomfortable. I had to fight with myself to truly look at all of them. I can only imagine how I would have felt had I known that particular individual (especially if it was a loved one).

Sunday, September 11, 2005 at 11:46 AM

Data Rich Analysis Poor...

I received a letter from my child's school today stating they would begin Curriculum Based Measurement in the classrooms. For those who may not know what that is, it is a weekly testing procedure. I use this in my special education classroom because it allows us to see if a student has made great gains or losses within a week (so we can alter their Individual Education Plan if needed).

It is fine in a small Special Ed classroom (10:1 student to teacher ratio), but to test a large class of kids it is an EXTREME waste of valuable instruction time.

In the reading portion, each child is tested on three separate probes initially for one minute each. Then it is done once a week thereafter for EACH student. The only thing it does in the case of regular ed. students is make a handy dandy growth chart. That is ALL!

Knox County is already data rich and analysis poor. We do not need MORE testing. Especially this kind that does nothing but make a school a nifty graph they can show the higher ups to say "See, look how thorough we are."

Friday, September 09, 2005 at 4:16 PM

Irrefutable Evidence.....

Here is the link to the thoroughly researched timeline of Hurricane Katrina events .

I agree with the thought, "Now is the time to help, not lay blame." However, I have been angrier than hell the citizens of Louisiana had to sit waiting for help that seemed to never come. I have been as guilty as the next person of pointing out how that happened. That being said, I wanted to share something I came across yesterday.

This is a superb log of the events as they occured, complete with irrefutable evidence of the federal govt. dropping the ball. (the links listed on the site are to The White House, DOD and Office of the Governor websites that show the original memorandums)

You can see where the Governor requested Federal assistance on August 27, two days before the hurricane made landfall.

Here is an excerpt from the letter to President Bush from Kathleen Blanco.

"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster."

Here is an excerpt of the President's response:
You can read the complete memorandum here.

"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding."

Now here's my question: If the president knew the gravity of the situation and ordered federal assistance, why, when it was known by Tuesday FEMA was not responding the way they had been ordered, did he not mobilize another course of action by the military or Homeland Security? Our military is trained to be extremely efficient in the event of disaster. The U.S.S. Bataan was even waiting off the coast with doctors, a full shelter, food, and water, yet they waited for the president to give the order to assist. Did Fema drop the ball? Yes. Did Homeland Security drop the ball? Yes. Did the president drop the ball? Yes.
Should all of these people be held accountable for the lack of assistance Louisiana received that was requested?
Definitely.

If nothing else the president is guilty of resting on his laurels and inattentiveness. Whatever happened to "The buck stops here?"

Tuesday, September 06, 2005 at 12:53 AM

My Evolving Monkey Face....

I was getting frustrated..We were in a church sanctuary with 2,200 people, sitting in the choir section directly behind the main speaker.Television cameras from every local news crew were pointing in our general direction, and we were getting a much needed but super condensed version of Red Cross training. A solemn energy was hanging around every aura and my daughter is rummaging in my purse, chewing buble-gum (loudly), and tugging at my shirt incessantly. "Mommy, look at what I drew." I took the papers and looked the creative monkey characters my daughter often draws." "They're great, Rainbow." "No really look. Look at each one." In an effort to cease the tugging and rummaging, I took the papers and began to scan them again. She had made 17 different personalities with names like "Working Will" "Goofy Gisela" "Preppy Peggy" and "Bully Bill". They were great, but I was still put off she wasn't listening. I said they were really creative and I'd love to talk about them later. Then I turned them over in my lap to show my insistence she listen. I noticed, written on the back, were notes from the lessons we'd be receiving...My heart smiled wide. She is an ever-evolving beautiful creature I am pleased to know.

There are many lessons to draw from Raina's attitude tonight. All of them are positive and they are not lost on me. I am, at the moment, happy to revel only in my daughter's growing conscience.

Sunday, September 04, 2005 at 7:46 PM

No Victim Left Behind....

Department of Homeland Security:
Emergencies & Disasters
Preparing America

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.

If you are in Knoxville or surrounding area, the American Red Cross needs your help. Knoxville is receiving at least 1,600 people displaced from Hurricane Katrina. Some of them arrived today. They are providing beds, food, and clothing. They need your time!!!! If you can serve meals, play with the kids, or help clean up the facilities it would be appreciated. Sign up here.

Saturday, September 03, 2005 at 12:05 PM

Oxymoronic Defense...

The right's response in defense of the president is "the local governmrnt failed in their duties to provide proper aide." It's oxymoronic to use that line of defense. A devasted state asking for help, can't help itself. That's the whole issue! Even if the mayor failed, the responsibility for the lack of aid immediately following the disaster lies squarely on our so-called president. Think about it, Rudy Giuliani didn't clean up 9/11 on his own.

Why, if we can have a C-130 airborne in 2 hours full of food and airdrop the same day in Iraq and Afghanistan, does it take 5 days to drop food into New Orleans?

So what if there are stray renegades shooting? Do you think they don't in other devastated countries where we provide aid?
I'm asking myself, What has this president done to make me safer?
Nothing, for all the hubris over the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and other programs, we are no safer than we were before 9/11. If terrorists had bombed the levees instead of a hurricane, we would be in the same situation.

Friday, September 02, 2005 at 4:22 PM

I Have No Words...

Red Molly over at the Blue Page Special posted these poignant questions to Mr. Bush:

1. Why didn’t you visit the City of New Orleans on foot instead of the little fly over on Wednesday?

2. Why didn’t you send in the National Guard the day the levee broke?

3. If you couldn’t get the people out why didn’t you send food in? And within the first twenty-four hours of need.

4. The hurricane hit the Gulf coast on Monday, the levees failed on Tuesday, this is Friday why are there still thousands of people in need of basic care?

Maybe the answer to my questions is because you started a war that has sucked up all our resources or maybe the answer is that you just don’t give a DAMN.

Here’s one more question for you.

5. Why don’t you resign so we can have our country back?

I'm not blaming the President for the hurricane. I'm blaming the President for not responding in a timely manner. People are dying, suffering and living like refugees in this country and that is DEPLORABLE.

Here is another tragic reflection of ignorance by the media:

Thursday, September 01, 2005 at 10:53 PM

This Is A Test Of Your Emergency Relief System...

I'm amazed at how unprepared we, as a country, were for this hurricane. How have the "efforts" to make our country safer, helped? They haven't. This was a test. We now see what would happen had this been a terrorist attack. I have too many things going on in my head on this topic to relate them clearly. I'm also doing some research. I'll have more on this subject later.

Here is a link to a live journal from New Orleans. It is a first hand look at the devastation and daily happenings. Here is also a link here to offer help in the form of shelter and such to those in need. Please help if you can.

Another example of property before people:
Looters denounced, but also called 'heroes' NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Officials have been denouncing the looting rampant in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck. But some say looters are also heroes. A woman at the city's convention center says she's barely seen the police. She says the thugs and the criminals are the ones who saved her from her flooded neighborhood, using a stolen speedboat and moving truck. At the Superdome, another Katrina evacuee says the looters have been distributing food to the evacuees there. Ot

herwise, he says, they'd starve. Some looters have been anxious to show they need what they're taking. A gray-haired man at a Rite-Aid pulled up his T-shirt to show a surgery scar and explained that he needs pads for incontinence. Another man showed a reporter toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant. Photo Copyright Getty Images

This is our country, and these are our fellow Americans....Why aren't we helping them? It takes us 2 hours to load C-130's full of food and send them to Iraq and Afghanistan, but we can't get to New Orleans in four days?