This New York Times article on violent offenses by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans conveys exactly the kind of human costs I knew this country wasn't prepared for when George W. Bush pushed us into this war, and I wept as I walked down the street in Austin, marveling at the futility of us 10s of thousands of anti-war protesters in the capital of his home state, railing against the inevitable. I felt embarrassed at the time, that I couldn't hold it together. Now, I think there was a kind of premonition in my reaction.

What is absurd to me is that there isn't thorough treatment for all the military personnel coming back from this war. Given the military culture, it's unreasonable to expect a questionnaire to be an adequate screening tool, and it's irresponsible to do anything less than an individual assessment for each and every person who is expected to make the transition from holding a weapon with the express purpose of causing injury and death to an enemy, to going about everyday life in a civilian world. I believe the US government bears far more responsibility in these cases than the NYT is in a position to argue. And I believe that this article is a fine illustration of how woefully underestimated the enduring costs of this war have been, and continue to be, by this regime.

Thawing

Above, an image from cross-country skiing last weekend. And below, three photographs from the past few days, after days of rain melted the knee-deep snow. The lake is back to a flowing entity, from a solid surface holding the huts of the ice fisherman just a few days ago. The changes take my breath away sometimes.

By the way, I've finally posted some photographs from the New Years trip to Yosemite. :)

Just a friendly reminder

. . . coming from somebody with chronic neck and back pain, since that MF in a sports car rear-ended the SUV behind me into my car over a year ago now . . .

Be ergo!

And thanks to Laura, I've discovered New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie's short little book Treat Your Own Neck, which I'll hopefully be getting by inter-library loan shortly. People have lots of positive things to say about her book Treat Your Own Back, so I'm hopeful about the results.

But I think it may also be time to go back to physical therapy again. I just wish there were affordable acupuncture here, and/or that it were covered by our medical insurance.

Light therapy

Has anyone here who deals with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) explored light therapy? A friend of mine has this goLITE portable light therapy device, which you can purchase for $169 at COSTCO online. I've seen others in the $200 range that seem more highly recommended on websites on the subject, but I never know who's behind the reviews.

The portability of this one would certainly be handy, since I have noticed SAD problems both in Michigan and in Hungary, so I could carry it along for fieldwork.

But any time I'm buying a manufactured item with plastic, especially one over $100, I would like to know that it will be the right one for me. . .

Any thoughts or suggestions?

EDIT: By the way, that other one I was thinking of is the Ultralux Light Box from Full Spectrum Solutions. It's $229 (a big price step up from $169), but it is also made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty for parts and labor (as opposed to the 2-year limited warranty with the goLite. It also appears to be made of metal rather than plastic, though I'm not positive about this. I'm almost certain the goLite is plastic, and I'd expect it's manufactured in Asia, since I can't find any information about its origin on the company website. I've emailed them to ask about these details.

When I think about hauling the Ultralux to Europe, though, along with all my recording and computer equipment, clothing, and everything else I'll bring to the field, it doesn't sound too appealing . . .

SECOND EDIT: Additional information from the companies.

On the UltraLux I:

This was my message and the company response (in yellow).

Hello,
I am considering purchasing an Ultralux I Lightbox. I have a few questions about the product, however.

(1) What is the weight of the product? Around 12lbs – 13lbs
(2) Does the lightbox click easily into and out of the stand, or is the fixture more or less permanent when it is installed into the stand? The stand screws onto the box.
(3) Where is the product manufactured, exactly? USA
(4) What are the materials the product is made from? Is the light box plastic or metal? Metal
(5) How is the lightbox powered? Is it by battery or by AC/DC plug? AC/DC Plug

The UltraLux I is very sturdy and we almost never have any warranty issues.

From Apollo Health, on the goLite:

Hello,
I am considering purchasing the GoLite p2 device. I would like some additional information about the product, however.

(1) Where is this product manufactured?
(2) Is the product made of plastic?
(3) If I have problems with the device after the 2-year warranty period, what can I do?
(4) What does the "limited" warranty mean? What does it cover?

Thank you in advance for the information.
Heather

Heather,

I will answer your questions by the same numbering they were asked in.
1. China
2. Yes
3. We will offer you a discount on a new product after the 2 year period is up.
4. The warranty is limited in that it covers anything having to do with a manufacturing defect. It doesn't cover any damage done by the purchaser such as dropping the unit or animals chewing on the cord.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Funny blogs.

ha. "ha ha".

Aliens in America

In my frustration over the dwindling selection of decent silly TV shows to watch, with the writers' strike and ABC's frequent rerunning of previously aired episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who, and Big Shots, in an act of desperation, I went over to CW to see what I might be able to find. (Since I continue to refuse to pay for cable just to get the basic channels, believing it is criminal to charge me to be the depository of advertisements for corporations wishing to cultivate new desires in me, I'm limited to what is available streaming over the internet.) And I've become surprisingly charmed by a new show there called Aliens in America.

The premise: A kind-hearted Pakistani teenage orphan named Raja lands in the middle of Wisconsin, to a stereotypical American Midwestern household: The mother lovingly smothers the family, the bumbling father (played by delightful Scott Patterson, Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls) navigates the baffling world of being the sole breadwinner through various jobs and moneymaking projects such as raising llamas in the backyard, the older daughter wakes up one day to find she is one of the hottest girls in school, and the younger son seems so interminably relegated to geekdom, the parents try to treat his status with the social equivalent of electroshock therapy by taking in a foreign exchange student. They imagine the fantasy exchange student will whisk their son straight to the category of most popular boy in school as he trots across the football field, his blond locks blowing in the breeze as the muscles ripple all along his tall Nordic frame.

Instead, they get Raja, and much hilarity ensues. At its heart, it's a very lighthearted and silly comedy, and it surfs along on the waves of various caricatures of American and Pakistani culture. Raja, naturally, wears kurta pajama and a head covering, prays to Mecca five times a day, avoids immodest talk and images, and speaks English with a heavy South Asian accent. But relying on these stereotyped caricatures, the show pokes fun, most of all, at the Midwesterners who can't seem to stop calling Raja Roger, assuming he is a terrorist, mistaking him for a Mexican or persons of any number of other nationalities, and expecting him to speak alternately for all Muslims, all people of color, or anyone who isn't from Wisconsin. In the process, there's just a hint of political critique embedded in the fun (though I also wish, like the folks at Vulture, that it weren't always at the expense of Midwesterners). Along the way, there are lots of quirky moments that keep you guessing.

Although I'm not sure how long I'd follow it if I had Lost and Battlestar Gallactica back in the spectrum, I have to say, I'm enjoying it for now.

Laura and I couldn't get enough of listening to Do Right Woman - Do Right Man in the car on the way back to Yosemite. So I've gone back to the great, thanks to an unexpected find in my mother's music collection -- The Very Best of Aretha Franklin - The '60s. In a selection that also includes several Kenny G CDs, loads of Christmas music by various unnamed artists, a good dose of Julio Iglesias, plenty of Faith Hill, and Dolly Parton, I'm always surprised to find something I really love to listen to. I probably sound like quite the music snob to some, but well, I just have different tastes than Mom.

But there are some generational crossovers, those greats we can all appreciate.

So, here's to Aretha, the Queen of Soul.