Wednesday, May 30, 2012

RIP Richard Crowe

Professor Richard Crowe of the UHH Physics and Astronomy Department was fatally injured in Arizona this past weekend. You may have read about it in the paper if you are local to here or to the accident. Richard wasn't a close friend but he was a friend alright. Our daughter and the older of his two have been friends since preschool. Not always close, but as our daughter put it to me today "if I don't see her ever again so be it, but I want her to always be happy" (names intentionally omitted). This is how I feel too, about all of the Crowe family. Richard was fatally injured in a horrible accident in Arizona in tour of the Canyon de Chelly. Another person/couple who were on this same tour is/are writing a blog and is/are doing a very good job of it. There are a few pictures - no blood - and a very good description of what happened. You can find the first of the articles about this horrible accident here: https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/the-accident-at-canyon-de-chelly/ My condolences to the family.

Been a while ... - the real death of UKIRT? and JCMT?

... and I'm afraid the sequel(s) to "adventures in plumbing" will have to wait. And I intend to post disasters chronologically backwards here (none of which involve immediate family). Right now I feel like I've been hit with a mental baseball bat. We had a staff meeting this morning where the Chief Executive of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) announced that the STFC will only continue funding UKIRT until September of 2013 and JCMT until September of 2014. It makes no sense to me at all to close either, and especially not to close UKIRT a year before JCMT as UKIRT has no more funding already and piggybacks on JCMT's funding (yes, 2 telescopes for the price of 1 - out director Gary Davis came up with that and it's working out great - so far. Where "so far" is longer than UKIRT is to remain open from now by the STFC's planning). You can read the press release here: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/News%20and%20Events/39092.aspx As just about always, another Etsy treasury included, woth a lot of lampwork - and I absolutely love that blue cat: (and you won't believe how many spaces I deleted out of that generated (not my script) html code - it may help that I sortof speak html though)

'Blue & Brown' by nlcbeads

No fantastic description, letting the wonderful collection speak for itself!


Upcycled Sweater Co...
$125.00

European Charm Bead...
$15.00

Handmade Flower Pow...
$40.20

Horse head lampwork...
$20.00

Aqua Spiral Pool La...
$15.00

Mini Spacers Denm G...
$10.00

Mixed natural color...
$18.00

Cat Handmade Lampwo...
$12.00

Beer Bottle Beads -...
$15.00

Cellini spiral neck...
amusebeads
$148.00

FORGET-ME-NOT - Fla...
$10.00

Beaded Bracelet wit...
$85.00

Marbled Latte - Han...
$14.00

Tidepools - Lampwor...
$12.00

Brown Dog Lampwork ...
$16.00

Glass Lampwork Bead...
$26.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house