From the US Naval Observatory

It’s bothered me for a while that while the equinox means that the day is exactly 12 hours long, the day is a few minutes longer than 12 hours on the equinox. The only explanation I have come up with so far is that the elevation accounts for the extra minutes. If I were at sea level the day would be 12 hours long on the equinox.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Jeff Lavezzo

4th grader 2: [grabbing 4th grader 1's belly] “Ha! Got your small intestine!”

4th grader 3: [sniffing at 4th grader 1]
4th grader 1: “Why are you sniffing me?”
4th grader 3: “Because I’m a real live dog detective!”

it’s more like a sweet doughnut [than plain bread]. Traders sell them on the side of the road and shout “ObamaObamaObama” to get sales!

Here’s a pic of an opened-up Obama:

Mona knows as well as you or I that donuts are sweet so this treat is definitely not part of the President’s health plan!

In Charlottesville, Virginia
Jeff

I spliced together this coloring page from a couple sources on the Internet (click for PDF). I was then required to print it out about 10 times between the two of them.

Charlottesville Tech Companies in no particular order

• Commonwealth Computer Research
• OpenSource Connections
• Perrin Quarles Associates
• ScholarOne (now owned by Thomson Scientific)
• Hotelicopter
• Dominion Digital
• Lucid Imagination
• SNL Financial
• University of Virginia
• and separately: the University of Virginia Medical Center

These government contractors have offices all over so be sure to specify Charlottesville:

• SAIC
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• CACI
• Pragmatics
• Northrop Grumman

When finding jobs by going directly to company websites, remember that a company busy enough to need to hire may be busy enough not to be able to get a job on their site. If a site doesn’t have a job you’re looking for, use their website to find out the name of a manager in the department you’d like to work or just call the front desk and ask for the name of the person in charge of developers, tech writers, testing, hiring project managers, etc. Ask for the HR manager. Ask if they’re hiring now or expect to in the near future. Do some research ahead of time so you have some idea of what their industry is like so you can ask informed questions. Then you can follow this sequence:

1. Give them a reason to expect your Coverletter (and resume)
2. Write a coverletter that makes them want to read your resume
3. Write a resume (customize it for each job) that makes them want to give you an interview
4. Interview so they know they can work with you

That last point is often important. A lack of domain experience can be made up for in a month on the job. Being someone no one can get along with is really unlikely to be corrected.

Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, said the trial date became known after Iranian authorities sent a notice to Abdolfattah Soltani, a human rights lawyer who was arrested in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election.

The writ of notification, dated July 15, sets a trial date for August 18, Ala’i said: “It is the height of absurdity to issue a trial notice to a lawyer who has himself been unjustly imprisoned,” she said.

The upcoming trial, without the presence of the two key lawyers, amounts to another tactic to deprive the prisoners of their legal rights, Ala’i said. She called it a “travesty of justice.”

She also said the August 18 trial date could change, noting that the families of the seven had been told in June that they were to be tried on July 11, only to have that date come and go.

“Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time.” – Attributed to `Abdu’l-Baha

A friend and I just looked up the source for this quote. Yeah, turns out it’s not much of a quote. I mean, it’s lovely and poetic, but I can’t find it in that form. The closest we came was in “Daily Lessons Received at Akka” by Helen S. Goodall and Ella Goodall Cooper.

Abdu’l-Bahá brought us flowers or oranges or grapefruit from the wonderful Ridvan nearly every day and also gave us delicious grapes from a vine that was planted by His own hand. (This vine yields seven crops of grapes every year, and these particular grapes were the seventh yield.)

His constant shower of material and spiritual favors caused us to exclaim that we did not deserve so many blessings, and while we received and received everything from Him, we were unable to give Him anything in return.

He replied, simply, “That is what I am here for–to give, and not to receive.”

When we deprecated the trouble it must be to answer so many questions and to give us so much time, He replied, “Whatever is done in love is never any trouble, and–there is always time.”
— [page 42]

I can assume this is one of those cases where someone read the book, was telling a friend about it and paraphrased it. The friend wrote down the paraphrase and that was what’s vaguely quoted by all and sundry, including a great song by Conrad Lambert.

Iran Press Watch has been able to confirm that the trial of the former Yaran has been delayed.

The families of the seven imprisoned former leaders of the Baha’i community of Iran have been advised of this delay.

Yesterday (Friday) certain sources close to the situation informed Iran Press Watch of a possible delay of the trial by two (2) days, but it now appears that the delay might be longer.

No new date was given to the families.

The official website of the Baha’is of the United Sites and other news agencies announced last week that the trial of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders, arrested in the spring of 2008, is scheduled to be held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court on July 11, 2009. American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently convicted of espionage in Branch 28 of this Court and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. She was eventually released, but only after an international outcry at the clear politicization of the case and manifestly unjust legal procedures.

The seven Baha’i leaders have been held for over a year without formal charges or access to their attorneys. Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha’is will be accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” The charge of “espionage for Israel” is punishable by death.

Other News:

• Roxana Saberi and USCIRF Call for Release of Iranian Baha’is July 9th, 2009
• Cherie Blair, Wife of British Prime Minister: It is not just democracy that is illegal in Iran July 9th, 2009
• Congressman Frank Wolf makes statement in defense of the Bahá’ís in Iran July 9th, 2009

Charlottesville Area Baha’is
The Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions. Founded more than a century and a half ago, the Bahá’í Faith has spread around the globe, with a significant presence throughout the United States. Members of the Bahá’í Faith come from nearly every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic background. The roughly 100 Bahá’í adults, youth and children who live in the greater Charlottesville area hail from Virgina, other parts of the U.S., and other nations, including Iran, as well as Bermuda, Cameroon, Denmark, and Malawi. Bahá’ís view the world’s major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Bahá’í tenets include the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace.