November 30, 2005

BrainTalk


I just came across BrainTalk Communities. They have a number of discussion boards for neurological conditions, emotional support, and other challenges. These include Gluten Sensitivity/Celiac Disease (wheat-free living) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

Autumn in the Shenandoah

autumn view
Autumn is over but let me share a few photos we took while the leaves were still on the trees. Above is a view of the Great North Mountain as seen from Sky Chalet in Basye.

The pictures below were taken in Bridgewater, Virginia.

bridge

dam

November 28, 2005

Helping animals


I just posted the Spiritual Singles Calendar of Events for December. One member will report on helping the Humane Society rescue pets who were left behind during Hurricane Katrina.

Did you know that you can see auctions that benefit the Humane Society of the US on ebay?

Pushing drugs LEGALLY?!

Teens are encouraged by drug companies to seek psychiatric screening with the ultimate goal of getting them to take psychotropic medications. The questionable ethics of this practice are explored at www.psychsearch.net/teenscreen.html.

Avoid chemical injuries

Dr. Grace Zeim has a new website: www.chemicalinjury.net.
It's full of information on what may be toxic and how to avoid chemical injuries.

November 27, 2005

Civil War sites along Route 50

aldie mill
Sometimes I get emails from visitors to my Civil War Trips website. Today I heard from a fellow who wants directions to Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. Here's what I told him:

"Fortunately, there is an information service that can send you useful information and maps. Just fill out the form at
www.civilwartraveler.com/request-form.html and they will help you. You will also see a link to maps at the top of that page; you can download them in PDF format, and there is even a link to a map of the Route 50 area in interactive web format. It was developed for Mosby-related sites, but the Jeb Stuart-related campaign sites of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville happen to be interpreted at the same places. You can zoom in on this map using arrows on the left side of the page - very handy! And you can even see a satellite photo although not at the highest zoom levels. (I will add a link to this map on my site.)

You can also order a map from the Mosby Heritage Area Association.
.

November 22, 2005

New Market Battlefield Photos

worm fence at New Market
I've been working on a page of New Market Battlefield photographs. I use Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver to create my Civil War pages.

Shopping online


I Give is an online shopping mall thatLink donates to charity. Most of your favorite stores are here. Try it!

If you want to buy books, please use the Amazon link on my Civil War Sites page or the one on Marie's Comic Book Cows.

Thank you!

Waterfront Home for Sale, Virginia

Glebe Harbor Waterfront near Montross


swans at wetherall creek
The house next to our vacation home is for sale for $425K. It's a one-story 3-bedroom house on a quiet cul-de-sac. It has a water view and a dock with a boat lift.

The picture above was taken from our deck. The dock on the right belongs to the house that is for sale. The swans are frequent visitors.

The location is near the Potomac River in Virginia's Northern Neck.

November 19, 2005

Little Josie

Here's little Josie and her mom Susan. For tons of pictures of Josie and her brother Ryley, see the Boyles Blog.

Marie comes home

Marie Javins completed her sojourn in Africa and is coming home. Yay! Uganda has some unrest so I am relieved that she has left there.

I added an event to the CSDA page, a lecture on Lyme Disease. Also added a link to ChemTracker (chemical research tool at ToxLaw.com) and a link to the very useful Google Scholar for searching scientific papers.

Someone sent a around a link to a prolotherapy site. I had prolotherapy several years ago for carpal tunnel and found it incredibly helpful.

November 16, 2005

The beauty of the valley and mountains


It's still warm here in western Virginia, more so than usual. We had a beautiful autumn in spite of the summer's drought. Frank has posted a bunch of nice photos on his walcroft blog.

November 13, 2005

Nanotechnology for Novices

I saw an article reporting that nanoparticles of silver may inactivate the HIV virus. Well, I didn't know how small a nanoparticle was so I searched the web and found some facts. The dictionary defines nanoparticle as "a microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometers," and a nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

I found a FAQ on nanotechnology at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/faq.html
. It's actually pretty interesting. For instance, it says:
Nanoscale titanium dioxide for instance is finding uses in cosmetics, sun block creams and self-cleaning windows, and nanoscale silica is being used as a filler in a range of products, including dental fillings. Recently, a number of new or “improved” consumer products using nanotechnology have entered the market (such as stain and wrinkle-free fabrics incorporating "nanowhiskers"..

The FAQ continues with concerns about the mostly-unknown possible hazards for workers in plants where nanoparticles are used. More information on products using nanoscale materials can be read at
www.nano.gov/html/facts/appsprod.html. I had no idea that this technology had become so important.

A British magazine on workplace hazards summarizes ongoing work on health risks of nanoparticles at
www.hazards.org/nanotech. Looks like nanotechnology may cause some diseases AND cure other disease. Environmental Defense writes about it as a "double-edged sword" at www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=4449

November 12, 2005

Books for Katrina's kids

Book Relief for Hurricane Katrina is helping schools to replace books lost in the recent hurricane. They are looking for donations via credit card. I found this site through a link on The Literacy Site, which is one of those sites where your click generates a donation to charity.

John and Elizabeth Hammer, 1800's


Our public library is small but they offer a range of internet services, including access to genealogical sources. I found the following story about my great-great-grandparents:
"John and Eliza (Witmer) Hammer, both of whom were natives of Washington county, Maryland, the former born in 1806 and the latter in 1813. They were married in their native county, and in 1838 moved to Illinois, locating in Springfield, and there resided until 1842. John Hammer was a harness maker by trade, and was working at his trade while residing in Springfield. Leaving that city, he came to Ogle county and settled in Mount Morris where he continued to work at his trade for about three years. During that time he entered eighty acres of land, which was a portion of the farm now occupied by our subject. In February, 1845, he removed to the tract that he had purchased, erected a small frame house, and there resided while otherwise improving the place. He later purchased more land and had a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres. On his farm he commenced the manufacture of brick, which he continued three seasons, during which time he made the brick that went into his own brick residence that he had built. On that farm he continued to reside until his death in January, 1879, at the age of seventy-three years. "

November 5, 2005

Suiter genealogy

I came across a note that my late aunt wrote in 1979 to my daughter. She mentioned family history and says that she previously left out the name of "Israel Luke Suiter, father of Dr. James P. Suiter. Israel Luke Suiter's father was Jacob Augustus Suiter and his wife was Margaret McMasters. Jacob A. Suiter would be your mother's great, great, great, great grandfather."

My aunt had been doing some genealogy and hopefully I'll find some other notes she sent us one of these days. She was my dad's sister and her name was Clarice Suiter Rose.

Dangers of Arctic oil drilling

The senate has approved oil drilling in the Arctic. Environmental organizations are still hoping that people will convince the House of Representatives that they do not want to endanger the Alaskan wilderness for a few-months supply of oil, which won't reach the market for ten years anyway.

I am starting to feel very sad for the environment. Human beings seem bent on destroying the climate and our most precious resources. What will future generations do when ocean levels rise and animals and plants die off to the point where our food supply shrinks? Well, that nightmare is for future generations.

November 4, 2005

History on cassette


Listen to history!

I'm a fan of books on tape and I like to just browse Amazon for a history book to listen to when I'm driving. This is a lot safer than talking on the cell phone!

Report unsafe products

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission gives you a place to report unsafe products. We have a tendancy to assume that products sold in stores are safe, but 'taint necessarily so. And we should always glance over labels for warnings and if there are any, read and heed!

November 3, 2005

Historic Preservation

The Civil War Preservation Trust is working to purchase historically significant land so that Civil War sites are not spoiled by development. Here in Virginia this is a definite problem. This snapshot at Wilderness Battlefield shows the entrance to a subdivision next to a Civil War site.

Meanwhile, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is dealing with the damage that hurricane Katrina did to our country's historical landmarks along the Gulf Coast.

November 2, 2005

Leaf peeping


We went out today and enjoyed the fall leaves. The colors are lovely in spite of a very dry summer. Some of the leaves are mottled but they still glow with color. Even walking the dog is a beautiful journey. Virginia in Autumn is a marvelous place.

Tonight I posted the November Calendar of Events for Spiritual Singles.