Daily Archives: September 7th, 2008

Read this…


Isis is an interesting name, more so as in Greek mythology, Isis is celebrated as the ideal mother and wife, patron of nature and magic; friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, the downtrodden, as well as listening to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats. and rulers.

Isis also is known as the goddess of simplicity, from whom all beginnings arose, and was the Lady of bread, of beer, and of green fields. In later myths, Ancient Egyptians  believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of her tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris.

Ok – Isis is also the name of a 22 year old entrant in the 11th cycle of “America’s Next Top Model”. Isis King (or Tsunami) is a guy1.

“I did the shoot, gave it my all, and the rest is history. They liked me, I really tried to shine because I told myself, you never know what can come from this opportunity.”

King explains: “I pulled Mr. Jay [Manuel, the art director] to the side and said, ‘If I wanted to come back and try out for the show, have you ever had a girl who was born in the wrong body?’ And he said, ‘I guess they haven’t put that much into it.’”

The inclusion of Isis on the show is being hailed by GLAAD2president Neil Giuliano as “an unprecedented opportunity for a community that is underrepresented on television.

“We applaud Tyra Banks and The CW for making this historic visibility of transgender people possible,” Giuliano said.


So I have to wonder why in this world where transgendered people want to live their lives in a quiet, normal manner, would someone stand up on TV and proclaim they are not what they appear to be.

Why the attention? Heck, Isis looks like a female, albeit an airbrushed one. Bitch – 22 years old and looks like what she says she identifies as.

I wish her well although she draws an aura of freak around MTF transgendered people.

[1] I think he’s actually a female impersonator. Drag queen. Transvestite. Not a transgendered person.

[2] Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

I’m darn near always correct, hardly ever make mistakes and am usually prepared. Well, not today.
 
On the way to the National Air Force Museum a honking big an Antonov AN-124 Ruslan (yes, RUSLAN) can be seen just approaching the end of the main runway in preparation to take off.
 
This is a BIG airplane and worthy of watching as it takes off or lands. Pull the van over, reach into the back pack and grab the purse cam. Yay.
 
Damn. No batteries. Strike 1 Charlotte.
 
Pull batteries out of GPS.
 
Damn. No memory card. Strike 2 Charlotte.
 
Whatever, I enjoy the sight and sound of the Antonov as it roars down the run way, crabs in the wind and then slowly lumbers into the air and away from me.
 
The reason for this trip was to go to the National Air Force Museum to search for a geocache, which is why I had the GPS with me. What I also had was the coordinates of the cache, written down ready to enter into the GPS. Except for the last digit in the 13 digit position1.
 
Damn. Strike 3 Charlotte.
 
Such is life…

[1] I’m using UTM position so it’s actually a 6 digit north(ing) position and a 7 digit east(ing) position. Missing one digit from the east position could put me between 1 meter and 1000 kilometers off target.
 

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More than 100 family members attended the repatriation of Pte. Chad Horn, 21, Cpl. Andrew Grenon, 23 and Cpl. Mike Seggie, 21. The tree were killed in an ambush while conducting a security patrol in the volatile Zhari district.

108 soldiers returning from Afghanistan shared the plane with the bodies and participated in the repatriation before flying on to their home bases in Edmonton and Shilo, Manitoba.

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk and former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, Colonel in Chief of the soldiers’ regiment, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry were also in attendance.

I’m of mixed feelings – the parents and family of the three young men would probably benefit from a show of unity and suport for the fallen. The dead themselves would probably be less than happy with the thought that a fuss was being made or that their fellow soldiers, weary from combat and tired from a flight would have to listen to the politicians.

You’d think that I’d learn that I have to use Google video with this blog… err, no. I always forget. Anyhow, here’s R2D2 from the first geocache that I found.

Isn’t Miss Puppy so adorable?

Oo’s and aw’s are encouraged.