Amy Winehouse Remembered

Yesterday marked the 8th anniversary of the loss of phenomenal 27-year-old Grammy Award-winning British musician-songstress Amy Winehouse.

Her 6 awards included an ironic-now-iconic autobiographical performance of “Rehab” at the 50th annual Grammy Awards February 20, 2008 in Los Angeles, where she won an unprecedented 5 awards for her 2006 album Back to Black – making her the first British female artist to have ever won as many – including Album of The Year for “Back to Black,” Record of the Year and Song of The Year for “Rehab,” Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Rehab, and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Back to Black.”

At the time of the Grammy awards, she was in London performing at the 2008 BRIT Awards via satellite from Earls Court.

Her accomplishments were unprecedented, because she also tied the previous record for the most Grammy awards by a female artist in a single night.

The Grammys honor musical achievement in the year prior, and were for releases between October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007.

On July 23, 2011, she was found unresponsive in her bedroom at her house in the borough of Camden, in northwest London.

Because her death was unattended, a coroner’s inquest began, which autopsy revealed

American Entitlement Culture

Recently, I happened across an item which read “When they analyze the demise of western society due to the entitlement epidemic, it’ll trace back to giving kids awards just for showing up.”

Of course, it can sometimes be difficult to discern sarcasm when reading, and I rather suspect there is at least a smidgen of sarcasm in that brief remark.

Sarcasm, of course, can, and is often used to convey a truth, or truths about numerous subjects, and is a teaching tool, as well.

Because I often use dictionaries to aid my understanding, I chose to look up the definition of the word “entitlement.” Here’s what I found:
As a verb, to “entitle” is to give someone a legal right, or a just claim to receive or do something.

For example, in the United States, the First Amendment is an entitlement to

Climate change benefits English wine growers now producing high quality sparkling wine

British winemakers credit climate change for boom in bubbly sales

By Anthony Faiola, Published: April 28, 2013

CUCKMERE VALLEY, England — Blessed with soil similar to France’s Champagne region, vineyards in England nevertheless produced decades of low-grade goop that caused nary a Frenchman to tremble. But a Great British fizz boom is underway, with winemakers crediting climate change for the warmer weather that has seemed to improve their bubbly.

Sparkling wine undergoes an early fermentation process at the Ridgeview Wine Estate in East Sussex, England. Warmer summers are producing wines competitive with some from France.
– GRAHAM BARCLAY/BLOOMBERG NEWS

Increasingly hospitable temperatures have helped transplanted champagne grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir thrive in the microclimates of southern England, touching off a wine rush by investors banking on climate change. Once considered an oxymoron, fine English sparkling wine is now retailing for champagne prices of $45 to $70 a pop. In recent years, dozens of vineyards have

Small town Alabama man makes good with Harvard education & Oxford scholarship

From Waterloo to Harvard to Oxford, Dowdy stresses the importance of college preparation

By Tom Smith, 9/27/12

Jamin Dowdy, a graduate of Waterloo and Harvard, talks with students in Adina Stone’s classes at Covenant Christian School in Tuscumbia about the importance of a college education and academic testing. (Jim Hannon/TimesDaily)

Jamin Dowdy hasn’t decided if he will settle on law or education as a profession once he finishes his studies.

What he does know and what he is trying to stress to high school students is the importance of getting a head start in preparing for college. Dowdy, 22, a 2008 graduate of Waterloo High School, finished at Harvard University in May with a degree in political philosophy.

This afternoon, he leaves from Huntsville International Airport for England, where he will attend Oxford University for a year, studying the connection between math and philosophy as the winner of the Harlech Scholarship.

While preparing for scholarships in high school, Dowdy realized

Weather Extremes Not Just in United States

Here is Wisdom.

(Either that, or pragmatism.)

If there is nothing humans can to to lessen the severity or frequency of these, and other extreme weather events, then the very least that should be done is to significantly improve infrastructure to more effectively manage them, and to mitigate potential for damage.

And that is spelled I – N – F – R – A – S – T – R – U – C – T – U – R – E.

What’s “infrastructure”?

A definition of infrastructure from the New Oxford American Dictionary: “the basic physical and

Study: Half of all Pregnant Moms may not need hospital birth

For many years I’ve remarked sarcastically that, it’s amazing the human race has existed this far.

According to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, “High-risk complications occur in only 6 percent to 8 percent of all pregnancies.” The University of California Ervine Medical Center says that, “As many as 10 percent of pregnancies are considered high risk, but with expert care, 95 percent of these special cases result in the birth of healthy babies.”

Some states – like Alabama – forbid home birth. Yes, that’s true.

How many obstetricians have you ever heard of whom delivered a child anywhere else other than a hospital? We hear about taxicab drivers, police officers, EMTs, and others delivering babies in backseats of cars, at homes, and in a variety of locations other than hospitals. But NONE of them are obstetricians. And good luck getting a doctor to come to your house… for any reason.

In stark contrast, Nurse Midwives, traditionally the providers of choice for pregnancies and birth, are non-existent in Alabama, while in Tennessee – Alabama’s northern neighbor (for the geographically challenged) – state law allows midwives to perform birthing services, and at midwife owned birthing centers.

Let’s put this in perspective, and cut to the chase, shall we?

The site AlabamaMidwives.com provides the best explanation of any.

“”Lay midwifery” was formally recognized by Alabama law in 1919, under the old Alabama Code, Title 46, Section 168. That statute was repealed, however, in 1976, and replaced with the current law, Alabama Code Section 34-19-1, et. seq. The current law allowed for “lay midwives” to continue practicing as long as they had a license from the Department of Health, but our understanding is that the Department of Health issued its last “lay midwife” license in 1984. The Department’s position is that it will not issue licenses to “lay midwives”; that to receive a license one must have a formal nursing degree; and that the repeal of the old statute recognizing lay midwifery means the Legislature intended to phase out lay midwives in favor of nurse midwives. Of course, this is the Department’s opinion, not necessarily the law. No court of law has ever ruled upon whether the Department of Public Health retains authority under the current law to issue licenses to “lay midwives.” It is our opinion that it does.

   No one knows at this time if there has ever been a “midwifery program” in the State of Alabama, but we do know that the Alabama Code specifically recognized lay midwifery from 1919 – 1976. In 1976, when the new law was enacted, the Alabama Department of Public Health renewed licenses to those lay midwives then practicing, but refused to grant NEW licenses unless the individual had a formal nursing degree.”

There you have it. The practice of midwifery in Alabama was made illegal in 1976.

But more importantly, this is the state telling you that you do NOT have the freedom to choose. Does that make you happy?

Is it any wonder that Alabama’s state slogan is “Thank God for Mississippi!”?

England study: Low-risk births don’t need hospital

By MARIA CHENG | AP – 2011-11-25T00:02:23Z

LONDON (AP) — A new study in England shows little difference in complications among the babies of women with low-risk pregnancies who delivered in hospitals versus those who gave birth with midwives at home or in birthing centers.

Based on the findings, researchers said women with uncomplicated pregnancies in England should be able to choose where they want to give birth — and one expert said about half of all pregnant women here could potentially safely give birth outside a hospital.

“Lady Gaga” goes gaga over “Baby Gaga” Breast Milk Ice Cream

Earlier I’d posted about “Baby Gaga” human breast milk ice cream which was being marketed in England.

Now, the denizen attorney hoards hired by Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, aka “Lady Gaga,” have threatened an entrepreneur in England who has hit upon a rather unique idea which has – legality & ethics issues aside – provided a nominal source of income for the donors and for the marketer.

We don’t read of the “Goo Goo Dolls” suing “Goo Goo Cluster” candy in Nashville, TN. Nor do we read of either of them suing “Goo Gone” of Cleveland, OH for their citrus-based cleaning product. Perhaps her insatiably greedy attorneys will file suit against anyone whom uses the word “gaga” in conversation.

Standard Candy Company, makers of the Goo Goo Cluster indicate that

Bionic British Cat Gets Faux Paws

Makes sense to me!

Faux legs, faux pas!

By Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer Fri Jun 25, 9:25 pm ET

Bionic British cat gets faux paws – Yahoo! News.

LONDON – Oscar the cat may have lost one of his nine lives, but his new prosthetic paws make him one of the world’s few bionic cats.

After losing his two rear paws in a nasty encounter with a combine harvester last October, the black cat with green eyes was outfitted with