Journaling on estrip is free and easy. get started today

Last Visit n/a |Start Date 2008-06-04 11:41:45 |Comments 1,368 |Entries 818 |Images 2,353 |Videos 58 |Mobl 341 |Theme |

Category: tourism

09/17/09 08:30 - 69ºF - ID#49798

Zoar Valley

The queer women's meetup group took a hike at Zoar Valley in August with Albert Brown, an excellent tour guide who has been involved in the successful conservation and preservation efforts.

The foot of the "Pyramid"

image

Trail

image

Scrambling down the pyramid

image

I'm fascinated by the shale formations
image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image
print add/read comments

Permalink: Zoar_Valley.html
Words: 77
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: tourism

09/17/09 08:23 - 69ºF - ID#49797

photo backlog: Infringement Festival

Like (e:carey), i have a photo backlog, but only since end of July, not last year!

I went to several Infringement Festival events... really enjoyed them. Such a crazy mix.

Albright-Knox - poetry slam in the courtyard. Photos of people reading poetry are not very exciting so I didn't post any.
image

This little girl posed for me as I took about 10 shots of her. She loved it.

image

Bellydancing in the theater

image
image
image

Firedancing in Days Park - awesome to watch, hard to photograph.

image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image

print add/read comments

Permalink: photo_backlog_Infringement_Festival.html
Words: 117
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: tourism

09/07/09 12:08 - 63ºF - ID#49711

Those office chicks have grown!

I had lovely adventures in Tioga & Potter counties (PA) this weekend. Here are some cell phone shots - some very nice real camera photos to be posted soon.

On my way to Blossburg Thursday evening, both the sunset and moonrise were amazing.
image

Hung out with Andy and Brenda (best bartender ever) at the Bear Ass Thursday night.
image

At the office Friday, Kelly & I checked out the chickens they've been raising. (see hatchings & babies (e:heidi,48491) and (e:heidi,48889)) The chickens are living in deluxe chicken coops and roam around the back yard of the office with roosters as guards. Some have just started laying eggs.

image

Kelly's special chick Silky
image

image

image

image

A shot of Nisha chasing a chicken from about a month ago
image


Uncle Dudley & Nisha
image

A had a gig in Germania, Potter County, PA last night at the Germania Hotel, built in 1859 by some guy from Buffalo. It's been in use as a hotel/bar/restaurant ever since. A ballroom was built on in about 1900. We spent the night in the hotel and then went to Germania Old Home Day, the fire company's big fundraiser. Marci, the bar owner, told us it's a big day of drinking and gambling - bingo, pull-tab tickets, and raffles ranging from $1 to $20. The event sign said they had discontinued the $100 raffle for the 2009 event. (Map of Germania )

Germania Store. Rooms for rent. I've got some great real-camera pix.
image

image

Tractor pull at the Germania Old Home Day
image

The event poster - $5 raffle tickets are for a 46" Sony LCD tv that will first be used to show the NASCAR race live at 4:30 pm.
6:00 pm is "Pig chases for women and children" Unfortunately we had to leave before that and my real camera battery had died anyway.
image

A enjoyed his hot sausage. The fresh-dug, fresh-cut french fries were really good.
image



print add/read comments

Permalink: Those_office_chicks_have_grown_.html
Words: 365
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: school

09/01/09 11:15 - 64ºF - ID#49673

awesome new wall art

Great addition to my wall: The Income Tax Map: A bird's-eye view of federal income taxation for law students.


image

Lisa, her gf and I went to Anchor Bar and I found (e:MrMike)'s license plate. I really like the Hippeau plate too - is it Eau de Hippie?

image



print add/read comments

Permalink: awesome_new_wall_art.html
Words: 52
Location: Buffalo, NY


08/31/09 10:58 - 59ºF - ID#49672

Silent Exchange

(e:terry), (e:paul) & (e:jim) @ Silent Exchange via Buffalo Rising

print add/read comments

Permalink: Silent_Exchange.html
Words: 19
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: politics

08/26/09 12:26 - 68ºF - ID#49633

I prefer estrip debates

A Tioga County friend of mine is a reporter for the weekly newspaper and asked facebook friends for health care stories. Amid other responses, BD wrote:

American healthcare isn't perfect. No country's is, but it is by far the very best in the world. Anybody ever stop to wonder why leaders and diplomats of the world come here to be treated and not in their own "Utopian" society? Why are we even considering allowing the Federal Government to take control over something the private sector does exceptionally well? Look at medicare, medicade, social security and the VA, as an example. Nearly bankrupt. Does anybody think that when everybody is on the government option that the quality will remain the same as the demand spikes and supply drops? The government needs to reform elements like malpractice lawsuits, immigration laws, etc that drive costs up for everybody else. We have a great health care system. Not perfect. The government has yet to prove that when it assumes responsibilites previously held by the private sector it improves it. Everybody please raise their hand who would like the gov't to have greater control over you.



Someone else responded

Jason, I'd be happy to tell you all about how I can't get any decent, affordable coverage because I had the audacity to survive Cancer.



Another responded about the $800 copay she paid for a wheelchair for her very very sick daughter.

I responded:


[BD] - how exactly do you define "best"? Most expensive? Yes. Most $ lost on corporate profits? Yes. Healthiest citizens? Nope. Most measurements indicate that the US has the worst or bottom of the barrel health outcomes of any developed nation and worse than some not-so-developed nations. For example, the US has maternal death rates of 11 per 100,000 live births in 2005, but Kuwait has 4, Croatia has 4... pages 30-34. Do you know anyone on Medicare who wants to give it up? Its administrative costs are minuscule compared to private insurance. The US spends nearly 16% of GDP on heallth care with poor outcomes while the other developed countries, who are only spending 7-10%, are getting coverage for everyone with good outcomes.
See also this Johns Hopkins report on causes of out-of-control US health care spending:

Jason - I'd be happy to give you an earful! :-)



Another responded:


Health is overrated! Why doesn't anyone stand up for being sick? We live in a country that respects your right to be ill!.



BD replied back to me:

Heidi, our people may not be the healthiest people in the world and insurance companies can be a pain to deal with for our country's system is not perfect, no country's is, but the QUALITY of care provided is second to none. Our system needs some reform but the more the government controls the more liberty we lose. I want private sector solutions that the government can't provide. We should consider the health savings accounts that incentives good health and responsible behavior not more government options that disincentivize poor behavior.

Tioga County, Child Care Worker, future high schoo history teacher.



and

also.....equal access will not mean equal quality or equal supply. it's be great if it did, but it can't and it won't. quality is more important that quantitiy.



The cancer survivor wrote:

I have to say that any option, government or not, has to control costs, and stop eliminating pre-existing conditions...I don't think the private sector will ever voluntarily eliminate pre-existing conditions.



me again:

[BD], again, I'd like you to define "quality." Outcomes are a great measure of quality. We are not getting the quality of care that we deserve, or that we pay for. Are the people providing health care top notch? Absolutely - they're the best trained in the world, however, in a fee-for-service system where defensive medicine is a requirement, their education and skills are not used to the fullest advantage. Our system is not focused on prevention or good long-term management of illnesses. See
and

If we really want to "disincentivize poor behavior" then we need to change the ag policies that favor Coke over broccoli - it's only personal choice to the extent that our food market is sick. (See the documentary Food, Inc.)



And BD replied:

Heidi, I will concede. Our system sucks and we should outlaw coke, pepsi, oreos, and cigarettes. We should destroy our system and model it after Cuba and tax insurance companies out of existance. Then all of us could be equal. Equally miserable. Last message.



I just want to take a moment to appreciate the depth of the conversations we have here.
print add/read comments

Permalink: I_prefer_estrip_debates.html
Words: 809
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: tourism

08/25/09 02:57 - 73ºF - ID#49625

another great sign


On Main Street, Mansfield, PA, 8/14/09

image
print add/read comments

Permalink: another_great_sign.html
Words: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY


08/22/09 02:58 - 67ºF - ID#49596 pmobl

thank you!

thanks to all the (e:peeps) who came out to meet lisa... we had an awesome time!
print addComment

Permalink: thank_you_.html
Words: 17
Location: Buffalo, NY


Category: events

08/19/09 04:34 - 79ºF - ID#49577

general estrip invite

My bff Lisa and her girlfriend Miriam are coming to visit me Friday - Sunday! :-) Lisa lives in NYC now, but she used to live with me in Maryland.


image

image

We've invited my meetup.com group to happies at Adonia's at 7pm on Friday, 8/21, and I'd like to extend a general invitation to the (e:peeps). Please come!

:-)
print add/read comments

Permalink: general_estrip_invite.html
Words: 63
Location: Buffalo, NY


08/11/09 07:11 - 80ºF - ID#49507

skatepark in the news!!!

omg I'm so excited!! I had a commitment here in Buffalo today so I couldn't go to my skatepark demo...I was sooo bummed. But the Wilkes-Barre, PA, NBC affiliate came and reported on it!

Go see the video!!!


Jill & Kelly said about 200 people attended - a phenomenal turnout. All our old fogies even showed up.

(The last time WBRE reported on anything in Blossburg was when the drunk driver killed the woman and horse riding down Main Street in 2006... so you can see why I consider this a REALLY BIG DEAL :-)


Here's one of Kelly's photos:

image
print add/read comments

Permalink: skatepark_in_the_news_.html
Words: 113
Location: Buffalo, NY


Search

Chatter

New Site Wide Comments

sina said to sina
yes thank you!
Well, since 2018 I am living in France, I have finished my second master of science,...

paul said to sina
Nice to hear from you!! Hope everything is going great....

paul said to twisted
Hello from the east coast! It took me so long to see this, it might as well have arrived in a lette...

joe said to Ronqualityglas
I really don't think people should worry about how their eyelids work. Don't you?...