Amazon Prime

I got 1 year free Amazon Prime when I signed up for Amazon student. I really appreciated free 2-day shipping, especially at Christmas time  When it came time to renew Prime, I was offered 1/2 price.  This year, I kept getting a notice that I needed to update the card, but no mention of whether the renewal was still 1/2 price.  I did a little searching, and the Amazon student membership is good for 4 years, after which I will have to pay full price for Prime.  I have discovered many benefits to having a Prime membership. I use the Kindle lending library, and now I found free Instant video.  

Online calendars

I have a calendar in Outlook, one on Yahoo, one on Google & one on Windows Live.  They are not coordinated in any way; I have the birthday list on Yahoo, & a daily prayer set up on Google; not sure what I have on Windows Live, and nothing set up on Outlook.    I send reminders to myself, but I never set up sharing.  I recently started using the Cozi Home Calendar. I added some events today & downloaded the iPhone app. I like it, but I am only using it for a personal calendar. 

Kindle edition vs paperback/hard copy

I bought a used 2nd generation Kindle, and I really like it.  Especially now that I actually have time to read.  One thing bothers me about Kindle e-books (don't know if this is true for Nook or other formats but it probably is).  Why do so many Kindle books cost as much or more than the paperback?  Some titles are available for borrowing if you have Amazon Prime, and there are many books available for $2.99 or less, and some are available for free. But many titles I have searched for cost as much or more than the paperback edition.  OK, I understand that with a Kindle edition, I have a copy that does not take up space in my bookshelf or wear out, but I can't lend it to anyone. I used to share my paperbacks & book club editions with my father or my sisters.  If the Kindle edition is more than $2.99, I prefer to get it from the library and return it when I am done.  Supposedly, my library offers e-books including Kindle versions, but the wait list is very long, and it seems like I can get the paperback or hardback copy much faster.  I asked the librarian about this and he told me it was a statewide wait list, and it moves faster than I thought, so I will try requesting a Kindle book.

Watching entirely too much TV

With Netflix & online episodes, I can pretty much watch TV whenever I want.  I had a DVR for a while, but I did not use it enough to justify the extra expense through the cable co.  I have a TV tuner card installed on one computer, but it is an older card & it does not have a remote &  does not work with Windows Media Center.  When I get a newer TV card, I will turn that TV into a DVR.

Weighing in on Occupy Wall Street: 60s wannabes or what is the message?

I firmly support the right to freedom of assembly.  The OWS supporters have just as much right to be heard as the Tea Party.  I don't have to agree with the message of either. but they do have the right to assemble.  Having said that, I do not agree that they (OWS protesters) have the right to camp out in areas where camping is not allowed, and for which they have not paid a user fee.  In Baltimore, the mayor has tread very carefully. She did cut off their access to electricity (occupy campers were plugging in heaters & coffee pots to the outlets on the light poles). I drive by the tents every morning, & they are an eyesore.  A legitimate charitable group that paid their fee was denied access because the Occupy group refused to move.  There has been at least one incident of sexual assault & drugs/paraphernalia found among the tents.  Still, there have been very few arrests here, and the protests have remained peaceful.   They conducted a positive march & demonstration at the Howard St. Bridge this past week.  But I don't really get their message. I understand the 1% vs 99% part, but the protesters offer no solutions. Neither the solutions of the 40s (jobs through public works) nor the solutions of the 60s (end the war) seem to apply to the current situation. Do they want socialism?  Do they want corporations abolished?  To pay higher taxes? To be regulated? To limit profits? To abolish bonuses for CEOs? I agree that these individuals (OWS protesters) need jobs, but who will hire them if there are no corporations?  Who will hire them when they have an arrest record (charges of loitering, trespassing, fail to obey, vagrancy or even assault - takes very little to be charged with assaulting police)?  Who will hire those who are unwilling to start at entry level and establish a work record worthy of promotion? At best, they are engaging in civil disobedience, which is a time-honored method of bringing about change.  At worst, they are a nuisance and an eyesore, with a negative effect on tourism & increased potential for crime.

Weighing in on the Penn State sex abuse scandal: Why people fail to act

I posted something like this on another board and got slammed, so first let me preface:

1. While the theory I present provides explanation for certain human behavior, it in no way condones or excuses such behavior.
2. Those involved in the cover up deserved to be removed from positions of power and influence
3. The public, and particularly those who work with youth, needs to be educated & trained about how to act in emergency situations and how to report abuse

Most people think they would act in an emergency situation; however, here is a known psychological phenomena called the bystander effect.  The more individuals present to witness an emergency, the less likely any one individual will act.  The witness will hesitate for the following reasons:  1) they will question & minimize what they saw, 2) they are afraid for their own safety, &/or 3) they believe someone else will act, usually an authority figure.  The bystander effect in the Penn State case did not involve group witness, though the individual witnesses of the abuse hesitated in much the same manner.  Several witnesses, at different times, questioned/minimized what they saw.  One witness went to an authority figure.  Each time the abuse was reported up the ladder & removed from the actual witness, it was minimized.  Anal sex with a 10 year old became "inappropriate behavior", then "horsing round in the shower".   The primary difference is that those involved were apparently concerned about reputation, rather than personal safety, and ignored grave harm and injury to the victims. 

I have attended various "youth protection" training in the past.  Each time, I was informed of the duty to report suspected child abuse, but never told how to make a report. As a counselor, I have a duty to report when abuse is disclosed, even if the abuse happened in the past; but again, no direction on how to report.   If I were to witness something as horrible as as child sexual abuse, I would hope to be someone who would act immediately.

Seacrets

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Caribbean
Location:	Ocean City, MD

I don't normally go to "night spots", but this on the "don't miss this" list, so when my sister suggested Seacrets for dinner, I wanted to go. First, they start charging a "cover charge" at 5:00 pm for dinner. I can understand charging a cover at 8:00 for the bar & band, but at 5:00? I guess they do it because they can, and people probably come for dinner, then stay for the night life. Too many drunk people, but there were a lot of bouncers called "peace police" Beyond that, I enjoyed the place. Dining is outdoors on the sand, with tropical decor, palm trees, etc. There is even a dining on the water section. The food was very good. My sister suggested that if we go again, the lunch atmosphere is much better.