Sunday, May 18, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Prague
Hi there!
The last few days have been spent here in Prague. It is a really beautiful city with lots of different kinds of people. The folks here seem to be a little grumpy but I know I am to when all the tourists come to town. I was told before coming that this was a very inexpensive city, but I think those good days are mostly gone. The language barrier is not to bad, most people are very willing to try to speak English, and most of the younger people have at least a background in it, where the older folks don't seem to have as much. There is very little left of the comunist regime here, and it does seem to be getting very capitalistic. They certainly have the tourist trade down pat. Most menus have an english translation, and there are tons of pizza parlors.
Along with the pizza parlors there are also lots of dogs. Dogs everywhere of all shapes and sizes. I have noticed a lot of hairy Doxies. People don't seem to think they need to be on leashes though. They also take them on the metro and on the esclators. I never thought I would see a dog riding an esclator but it seems to be standard pratice here.
I'm off to try and find the Communist Museum now! Tomorrow Heather and I are headed to Milan while our friend Megan is going back to Edinburgh
I hope you are all doing well and I will try and update again soon.
Katie
The last few days have been spent here in Prague. It is a really beautiful city with lots of different kinds of people. The folks here seem to be a little grumpy but I know I am to when all the tourists come to town. I was told before coming that this was a very inexpensive city, but I think those good days are mostly gone. The language barrier is not to bad, most people are very willing to try to speak English, and most of the younger people have at least a background in it, where the older folks don't seem to have as much. There is very little left of the comunist regime here, and it does seem to be getting very capitalistic. They certainly have the tourist trade down pat. Most menus have an english translation, and there are tons of pizza parlors.
Along with the pizza parlors there are also lots of dogs. Dogs everywhere of all shapes and sizes. I have noticed a lot of hairy Doxies. People don't seem to think they need to be on leashes though. They also take them on the metro and on the esclators. I never thought I would see a dog riding an esclator but it seems to be standard pratice here.
I'm off to try and find the Communist Museum now! Tomorrow Heather and I are headed to Milan while our friend Megan is going back to Edinburgh
I hope you are all doing well and I will try and update again soon.
Katie
Friday, May 9, 2008
Edinburgh
Hi All,
I arrived in Edinburgh the day before yesterday, and so far have adjusted to the time fairly well. Wed. was spent arriving and waiting for a bag that never showed up, then dealing with the lost baggage people (none to helpful). Then walking around a bit and getting a drink. We did go by and see where my friend Megan works at the university, then coming back to her flat and making dinner and going to bed.
Yesterday we met up with my travel buddy Heather's friends from Ireland and did a walking tour of the city. The whole experience was nice, and we got a personalized history of St. Giles Cathedral. We have had really good luck with the weather as it has been sunny and nice. I also spent a bit of time working on the luggage situation. Still lost but I'm supposed to have hope that my luggage will arrive today. Apparently it had a nice trip to sunny Madrid Spain then got sent back to JFK where it may or may not have gotten on the plane to Edinburgh. I was also informed that the maximum amount I can get for my inconvenience is $25, which is about £12. Blurg.
Outside of the luggage problems it has been a good trip so far. Woo Hoo!
I arrived in Edinburgh the day before yesterday, and so far have adjusted to the time fairly well. Wed. was spent arriving and waiting for a bag that never showed up, then dealing with the lost baggage people (none to helpful). Then walking around a bit and getting a drink. We did go by and see where my friend Megan works at the university, then coming back to her flat and making dinner and going to bed.
Yesterday we met up with my travel buddy Heather's friends from Ireland and did a walking tour of the city. The whole experience was nice, and we got a personalized history of St. Giles Cathedral. We have had really good luck with the weather as it has been sunny and nice. I also spent a bit of time working on the luggage situation. Still lost but I'm supposed to have hope that my luggage will arrive today. Apparently it had a nice trip to sunny Madrid Spain then got sent back to JFK where it may or may not have gotten on the plane to Edinburgh. I was also informed that the maximum amount I can get for my inconvenience is $25, which is about £12. Blurg.
Outside of the luggage problems it has been a good trip so far. Woo Hoo!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Global Warming
So this morning I was listening to NPR, as I usually do while I get ready for work, when a story came on about a 16 year old girl who decided (with the help of her step father) that she didn’t believe that humans were effecting the current heating of the earth. She (with the help of her step father) went out and found “statistics” and “data” that supported her theory about the human equation in global warming, all on the Internet. She then put together her own website to show the world, or anyone who has access to the Internet, that people aren’t affecting the climate. She even received a birthday card from a senator who said she was an inspiration for the cause of getting rid of the alarmist global warming craze.
Now I’m all for skepticism and questioning when the facts aren’t there to support a supposition. And frankly I agree there is some amount of alarmist reaction. True we probably won’t see immediate catastrophic effects of global warming. The change will be somewhat gradual for the most part. Ignoring the rising number of hurricanes of strength in the Atlantic, and higher levels of flooding, melting ice sheets, disappearing glaciers and my personal favorite drowning polar bears, as catastrophic events. (Personally I do but I can see someone in Iowa not really caring about these things) Yes there are naturally occurring climate cycles. Yes they do cause things like the ice age and the warming periods, but the real issue here is that people and our emissions and carbon foot prints, and our use of resources seems to be accelerating these cycles and making them more extreme. The vast majority of credible climate scientists say it’s happening, they have data that support them in their assertions, and they say we need to do something.
Let’s just say we ignore both sides of this issue and look at the base fact of the matter. Is it doing us any good to emit more carbon? Does it help us to use more electricity? Do we really need to throw away every piece of paper, plastic bottle and soda can? Out side of being dependant on foreign oil (and look where that’s gotten us I had to pay $50 to fill my car up this weekend) and looking at oil drilling in some of the most beautiful places in our country (ANWAR) and belching coal fired power plants what good is it? Personally I don’t see the advantage in any of these things. I know my nose and sinuses go crazy in cities where there is a lot of pollution. Where is the harm in developing green technologies? What is bad about using renewable resources like the wind, the sun and water? How much does it hurt me to walk to work instead of drive?
Taking the emotion out of this issue and looking at it logically “green” just makes more sense. Granted the oil and car companies won’t like it, but they’ll get over it. In fact the car companies that have started going in the green direction seem to be enjoying the benefits of hybrid technologies already with higher profits. Someone tell me where the bad is in being green? Maybe we just need to call it something else to make people think its less alarmist. Polymer restructuring? Reorganized consumption? Jesus technologies?
I realize this is probably a little rambling and disjointed. Forgive me I’m out of practice.
Now I’m all for skepticism and questioning when the facts aren’t there to support a supposition. And frankly I agree there is some amount of alarmist reaction. True we probably won’t see immediate catastrophic effects of global warming. The change will be somewhat gradual for the most part. Ignoring the rising number of hurricanes of strength in the Atlantic, and higher levels of flooding, melting ice sheets, disappearing glaciers and my personal favorite drowning polar bears, as catastrophic events. (Personally I do but I can see someone in Iowa not really caring about these things) Yes there are naturally occurring climate cycles. Yes they do cause things like the ice age and the warming periods, but the real issue here is that people and our emissions and carbon foot prints, and our use of resources seems to be accelerating these cycles and making them more extreme. The vast majority of credible climate scientists say it’s happening, they have data that support them in their assertions, and they say we need to do something.
Let’s just say we ignore both sides of this issue and look at the base fact of the matter. Is it doing us any good to emit more carbon? Does it help us to use more electricity? Do we really need to throw away every piece of paper, plastic bottle and soda can? Out side of being dependant on foreign oil (and look where that’s gotten us I had to pay $50 to fill my car up this weekend) and looking at oil drilling in some of the most beautiful places in our country (ANWAR) and belching coal fired power plants what good is it? Personally I don’t see the advantage in any of these things. I know my nose and sinuses go crazy in cities where there is a lot of pollution. Where is the harm in developing green technologies? What is bad about using renewable resources like the wind, the sun and water? How much does it hurt me to walk to work instead of drive?
Taking the emotion out of this issue and looking at it logically “green” just makes more sense. Granted the oil and car companies won’t like it, but they’ll get over it. In fact the car companies that have started going in the green direction seem to be enjoying the benefits of hybrid technologies already with higher profits. Someone tell me where the bad is in being green? Maybe we just need to call it something else to make people think its less alarmist. Polymer restructuring? Reorganized consumption? Jesus technologies?
I realize this is probably a little rambling and disjointed. Forgive me I’m out of practice.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Why I'm setting up a blog
The primary reason I'm setting up this blog is to give people who want to track my upcoming trip to Europe an oppertunity to do so, and as a place to post pictures while we travel. My friend Heather and I are leaving from Colorado on May 6th and flying to Edinburg Scottland then heading to Prague then on to wandering around Italy.
I'm getting really really excited about getting going on this trip, and I'm also getting a little nervous about the cost of things, but somehow it'll all work out. Just call me Pollyanna but I'm optimistic. The trip isn't my only reason for entering the blogosphere however, no I have some other motivations.
My secondary reason is to vent about things both good and bad. Things like my latest obsession of Battlestar Glacticia, or shows like Doctor Who, Lost, The Office ect. Also movies music and more, ok I'm starting to sound like an add for Borders. Not to mention my frustrations with stupid people, bad drivers, and the republicans. Also there is very little doubt that I will mention my furbabies Huckabee (named before I ever heard of Mike Huckabee whom I DO NOT support) the cat, and Nola the dog, and probably the ancillary animals in my life.
So welcome to my blog
I'm getting really really excited about getting going on this trip, and I'm also getting a little nervous about the cost of things, but somehow it'll all work out. Just call me Pollyanna but I'm optimistic. The trip isn't my only reason for entering the blogosphere however, no I have some other motivations.
My secondary reason is to vent about things both good and bad. Things like my latest obsession of Battlestar Glacticia, or shows like Doctor Who, Lost, The Office ect. Also movies music and more, ok I'm starting to sound like an add for Borders. Not to mention my frustrations with stupid people, bad drivers, and the republicans. Also there is very little doubt that I will mention my furbabies Huckabee (named before I ever heard of Mike Huckabee whom I DO NOT support) the cat, and Nola the dog, and probably the ancillary animals in my life.
So welcome to my blog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
