Four for Friday

(Link at left)

Q1 - Pictures: How do you feel about having your picture taken without your permission? For instance, if you were in a public setting--say a park or restaurant--and you noticed a stranger taking your picture, would you say something?

I'd start with a quizzical look which would quickly turn into the "Mom is angry/pissed-off librarian" look, and then I'd be on his (or her) as verbally soon thereafter. However, as a rule, I don't really care as long as it's not intentional (like if I happen to be in front of a monument 50 people are trying to take pictures of).

Q2 - Conservation: Do you follow municipal requests to conserve water during dry periods?

Yes, when we lived on sewer in town. I grew up in Colorado: watering on off days meant a hefty fine, and our neighbors were religious about reporting offenders. However, I'm now on a well, so there are really no issues in this area. hah ;-)

Q3 - Birthdays: According to the latest figures I could find, there are approximately 6,717,024,080 people living on planet Earth today (give or take a few hundred thousand). [Taking into consideration that there are 365 days in a year] approximately 18 million people share your birthday (I know, statistically speaking, not the best way of calculating the frequency of birthdays, but you get the point). How many people do you know who share your birthday?

I went to high school with two girls who not only shared my birthday but were born in the same hospital as I was, which meant all of our moms were lined up in the hallways together. It always made us laugh. (We were also all in band, and all played flute.) I don't think I've ever met anyone, as an adult, who shares my birthday. In any case, I don't remember if I did.

As for famous people, I love the list: Sun Yat-sen, Princess Grace, Charles Manson, Nadia Comenici, Sammy Sosa, and Tonya Harding.... hee

Q4 - Kevorkian Schmavorkian?: Jack Kevorkian will be released from jail today after serving more than eight years of a 10- to 25-year sentence in the assisted death of a Michigan man. The only U.S. state that allows physician-assisted suicide is Oregon, where the law allows only terminally ill and mentally competent adults who can self-administer medication to ask a physician to prescribe life-ending drugs. Do you think physician-assisted suicide should be allowed, or did Michigan get it right back in 1999 when they found Kevorkian guilty of second-degree homicide?

I would like to have Kevorkian's phone number please, should the necessity of using it become necessary. I think Michigan was psychotic to put him in jail, and I think Oregon has it exactly right. I just don't get why people hate Kevorkian so much. I don't get it at all. I have no problem whatsoever if others choose not to avail themselves of his sort of services, but they have no right to tell me I can't!