Toadfish Monastery

I know there are a few knowledgeable plumbers on here.  Hopefully someone can shed some light on my problem.

Last night, the cold water in my bathroom stopped working.  I went upstairs to get ready for bed, went to brush my teeth, and nothing.  Hot water works fine, but no cold water.  Same for the bathtub, shower and toilet, but everywhere else in the house is okay.

Possibly pertinent details:

- there's no flow at all... not even a little bit.  When I open the faucet, I don't hear anything; no gurgling, no flow, nothing.
- everywhere outside the one bathroom, everything works just fine: good flow on both hot and cold with no change from before.
- the house is about 10 years old, so all the pipe is copper in hopefully good shape; no galvanized or anything like that.
- it got really cold yesterday, though I don't think (or maybe "I hope" would be more accurate) that the pipe to the bathroom is in an outside wall.
- I didn't notice any water problems prior to this.  Yesterday morning, I had good flow on hot and cold, but yesterday afternoon, nothing on cold.
- the shower acted a bit funkier than the other fixtures.  At the sink and the bathtub, I have good flow on hot and nothing on cold.  At the shower, I now have low flow on hot and nothing on cold.
- I don't think it's leaking in the walls or anything like that.  There are no signs of water below the bathroom or anywhere I think the pipe might run, and with all the taps in the house shut, the water meter doesn't move.

I slept on the problem and came up with an idea this morning.  Assuming that it was a blockage that might be dislodged, I closed the shutoff on my water service at the meter and drained down the water level in the cold water pipes at the basement laundry tub.  Then, I opened up the bathtub faucet upstairs and opened the shutoff as quickly as I could, hoping that a bit of water hammer would work it loose - no effect.

So... it seems to me like it's some sort of blockage, but the question in my mind is what kind of blockage and what do I do about it?  Has anyone run into anything like this before?

So... say you're worried about speeding on your street.  You fear for the lives of the children playing in front of your house.  You and your neighbors make phone calls, complaints even put together a petition to the Town.

Your concerns get heard, and action starts to happen.  For the first step, you get an automatic traffic recorder (i.e. hoses across the road leading to a box on the curb) so that your problem can be quantified and an appropriate response selected.  Nothing else can happen until the data is collected and analyzed.

So, then... why would you cut the ATR's hoses?

TWICE?

Arrgh.   

I read this story in yesterday's online Toronto Star about a Catholic (but publicly funded... and don't get me started on that) school board near me:

QuoteProviding the HPV vaccine to Grade 8 girls in its schools sends a "contradictory" message to Catholic students and should end, says a motion before Halton's Catholic board from its vice-chair.

Joanne Matters' motion, to be voted on at the board's meeting tomorrow, revives a debate that hasn't been in the news for almost a year, when Catholic boards across the province grappled with how to handle the controversy around the new vaccine.

This debate isn't even over whether they have the money for the vaccine.  It's provided free-of-charge to the school boards by the province.

They're worried about sending a "contradictory" message to young girls, but apparently they have no problem with the message that says, "we supposedly care about your well-being, but we also want to make the likelihood that you will die if you disobey us as high as possible."

If all the other arguments against public funding of religious schools somehow aren't enough, I think when any group demonstrates that they're willing to pay for the promotion of their particular version of morality with human life, we have gone well beyond the point where the general public should be subsidizing them.

Makes me mad...

Edit: on re-reading my post, I think I should add that if anyone feels like moving it to the Snark & Rant section, I wouldn't be adverse to that.   

Just heard about this...

Medhi Kazemi, age 19, is at risk of being deported back to Iran.  He is gay and an apostate from Islam, both capital offenses in Iran.

While in the UK on a student visa, he applied for refugee status after his boyfriend was executed; his application was refused.  He then tried to apply for refugee status with the Netherlands; after a lengthy process and a number of appeals, the Netherland courts have concluded that under the Dublin Treaty, his refugee claim can only be heard in the first EU country in which he applied.

So... within the next 72 hours, he's due to be returned to the UK.  What will happen after that is less clear, but his situation is precarious: apparently, he could be deported to Iran at any time.

Here's the CNN story on Kazemi's situation:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/11/iran.asylum/

Not sure what can be done about this, but I figured you might want to know.

So... my father-in-law has this LP anthology that he'd really like converted to something he can use on a regular basis, i.e. CD or cassette (no MP3s - they do have a computer, but don't really use it).  I'd like to do the conversion for him, but I don't have a functioning cassette recorder any more.  I was thinking it might make a good Christmas present to do this all up nicely with scans of all the pages of the anthology (it's pretty neat, actually: it's done up as a big thick book with about 20 records and several pages describing the music on each one and the composer).

Does anyone know of a utility (shareware/freeware, preferably) that can create an audio CD from an audio line in?  Failing that, does anyone know of something that can do it from some format that I can create straightforwardly (e.g. line in ---> MP3 ---> audio CD, perhaps)?

Have you dressed up your avatar for Hallowe'en?  Record it here for posterity!



Here's mine - Dr. Bunsen Honeydew:

More Ontario politics, though this discussion is relevant to plenty of other places as well.

In conjunction with the general election on Wednesday, Ontario will be holding a referendum on whether to adopt Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting.

Under the proposal, on your ballot, you would cast votes for both your individual riding candidate, and for a political party.  Once all the riding representatives have been decided, each party (provided they receive at least 3% of the vote) would also get "party" representatives so that each party's representation in the legislature would be proportional to their share of the popular vote.  Party representatives would be taken from an ordered list provided and made public by each party before the election.

This is a first for Canada, but similar systems are used in other places.  What do fellow Toadfish think of these types of voting systems?  Anyone live where one is used now?  How well does it work?

More information on what's being proposed in Ontario:

The System at a Glance - a guide to MMP from the body that proposed it

MMP Guide - Toronto Star

Vote for MMP - campaign for the "yes" side

NO MMP - campaign for the "no" side

I know you're all following the Ontario provincial election with baited breath (right?    )... anyone want to make some predictions before the results come in tomorrow night?

Does your prediction for who you think will win match who you want to win?

I just recently found out about Kiva.org.  It's a third-world microcredit clearinghouse of sorts: it provides a service whereby individuals lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world.

It's an intriguing idea, but I realize that there's a fair bit of potential for misuse in a system like this if it's not being run honestly.  Anyone heard anything about it?

Because you get your money back, loan money you put in doesn't count as a charitable contribution, but I've been thinking about putting something in anyhow just because I like the idea.

Opinions?  Thoughts?

Last night, I saw a show on cephalopods, and a fair bit of the episode was dedicated to the work of a comparitive psychology professor from the University of Lethbridge; her research is into whether squids, specifically Carribean Reef Squids, use language.

Her hypothesis is that the way they change their skin patterns and colours to signal each other actually constitutes a real language with syntax.

While I track down more about the professor's own research, you can read some general information about the species here.  An excerpt from the page:

QuoteThere are many interesting aspects in the life of the squid species Sepioteuthis sepioidea, many of which deserve, but have not yet received, adequate research. It has been suggested that the Caribbean Reef Squid has its own 'language,' with visual signals constituting a vocabulary and syntax (Moynihan and Rodaniche, 1982). This suggestion exvokes many responses in the scientific community and poses such questions as, "do signals provoke different responses?"(Hanlon and Messenger, 1996), "are combinations of patterns designed for particular reasons?" and "can individuals 'converse' with one another?" (Moynihan and Rodaniche, 1982). Answers to such questions may lead to important revelations in squid society and behavior. Though limited knowledge is known on the various forms of visual signaling, much more research needs to be done to show the wide-ranging implications it can have. Perhaps the one answering these questions could be you!

Edit:

Professor Mather's web page doesn't have a whole lot of information (and unfortunately, no research papers or the like), but I believe this article was written by the cameraman who shot the underwater footage in the show:

QuoteThe colourful and intricate patterns displayed by Caribbean reef squid seem to convey a wide range of meanings, including sexual interest and readiness, aggression, dominance and submission. There is even speculation that these squid can "lie" in order to deceive an adversary. Jennifer and her team eventually hope to learn the complexities of squid "language," believed to be the most sophisticated communication system employed by any marine creature.

According to the show, if it turns out that these squid communications do consitute a language, they will be the first non-primate species to have demonstrated this ability.  I think this is all sorts of cool.

Most of my "writing" tends to be technical, so I figured I'd give the other parts of my brain some cobweb removal.

I've been reading a bit about the cinquain; here's my first attempt.

Sunday Service

Daybreak
Electric calm
Through the trailer village
Rumbling beasts shake off the night's dew
Race day

Goat!  I didn't know that you were in Wyoming!

QuoteWyoming woman keeps goat in minivan despite some protests from some residents

[...]

"The van is kept clean," Buhr said. "We've checked several times. There's really nothing in ordinances or state statutes that says she can't do that. The goat is entirely happy in there."

Weidt said it's "nobody's business" if she keeps her goat in a van. The goat is in the van so it won't escape, she said.

Sounds like you're enjoying yourself, but be careful of that woman.  She sounds a bit controlling.

This is just something I've been wondering about.  In my area, we get our compostables picked up along with our recycling, but I get the impression that this isn't too common.

What's the drill near you?

... whenever I hear the word "equinox", I picture a mythical creature along the lines of the esquilax, except half-horse/half-oxen.

Just thought I'd share that with the group.

Two questions for the handypeople!

1. I'm planning on replacing my kitchen faucet.  I've never done this before.  The instructions that came with the new one look fairly straightforward, but does anyone know of any "gotchas" that I should look out for?

2.  The builders of my house didn't bother to put shutoffs in for the kitchen faucet.  Is it difficult to put shutoffs like this in without soldering pipe (I've never soldered pipe before, so a non-solder alternative is best for me), or is it not worth the bother?

Any guidance would be helpful.

I'm not sure how much airtime CNN gives to arcane Canadian parliamentary goings-on, so you may not have heard about what happened yesterday:

QuoteThe Conservative government has been backed into a constitutional corner after the passage of an opposition bill in the House of Commons last night calling for Canada to meet its Kyoto targets.

Bill C-288 would force Environment Minister John Baird to present a climate change plan within 60 days, providing a map for Canada to meet Kyoto's greenhouse gas reduction targets. The treaty calls for emission levels at 6 per cent below 1990 levels – a drastic reduction from current levels.

Within three months of the bill's passage into law, the federal cabinet would have to set out regulations on the petroleum and auto sectors, and other polluters, to have them meet their Kyoto targets.

If no action is taken, individual Canadians, environmental groups, lawyers – anyone – could take the federal government to court for being afoul of the law, said Montreal Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez, the sponsor of the private member's bill.

full story here: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/182024

My thoughts:
- this bill probably will be ignored by the Conservative government
- if that happens, the minority government opens itself up to a justifiable non-confidence motion in a few months*
- the Conservatives may call an election before that to avoid a campaign where the environment (and their failings on it) gets major focus


*I think there's a general disdain in Canada for going to the polls "just 'cause"... especially if it's likely to produce another minority election - and all the parties realize this.  Putting a stop to a government that's acting improperly is a whole other kettle of fish, though.

Since today is Robert Burns Day, I thought some of his shorter works would be appropriate:

Love in the Guise of Friendship

Your friendship much can make me blest,
O why that bliss destroy!
Why urge the only, one request
You know I will deny!

Your thought, if Love must harbour there,
Conceal it in that thought;
Nor cause me from my bosom tear
The very friend I sought.


On Commissary Goldie's Brains

Lord, to account who dares thee call,
Or e'er dispute thy pleasure?
Else why, within so thick a wall,
Enclose so poor a treasure? 



And some excerpts from one more (you can read the whole thing here):

Scotch Drink

When neibors anger at a plea,
An' just as wud as wud can be,
How easy can the barley brie
Cement the quarrel!
It's aye the cheapest lawyer's fee,
To taste the barrel.

...

O Whisky! soul o' plays and pranks!
Accept a bardie's gratfu' thanks!
When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
Are my poor verses!
Thou comes-they rattle in their ranks,
At ither's a-s!

...

Fortune! if thou'll but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an' whisky gill,
An' rowth o' rhyme to rave at will,
Tak a' the rest,
An' deal't about as thy blind skill
Directs thee best.


Edit: I missed the "must be your own work" instruction for this forum - mods, feel free to move this somewhere more appropriate.

So... in Ontario, a number of municipalities open their council meetings with the Lord's Prayer.  An organization called "Secular Ontario" has been sending letters to these councils and to newspapers to get them to change the practice.  Here's an excerpt from one article:

QuoteEach meeting of regional council begins with the Lord's Prayer, but that custom may soon be changing.
The practice of reciting the Lord's Prayer at the outset of each session has been referred to the Region's finance and administration committee for review, precipitated by a letter from Mr. Henry Beissel, president of Secular Ontario.
"It has come to our attention that your council engages in a Christian ritual at the commencement of council meetings by reciting 'the Lord's Prayer'," Mr. Beissel wrote.
The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in the case of Freitag versus the Town of Penetanguishene, in 1996, that this practice is illegal and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  In that case, the appellant was a non-Christian resident who regularly attended town council meetings.
He said the practice of reciting the prayer made him uncomfortable and intimidated.
Mr. Beissel wrote that the ruling applies to all Ontario municipalities and thus the Region of Durham is violating Ontario law.
"We (Secular Ontario) are sure you will agree that it is totally unacceptable in a democratic society for an official government body to act illegally," Mr. Beissel wrote.
"We expect that you will therefore want to put an end to the offending practice immediately."

Various councils have come up with responses ranging from leaving things as-is, to replacing the Lord's Prayer with a non-denominational prayer, to a moment of silence, to dropping the practice of prayer/reflection altogether.

What do you folks think?  Do municipal councils in other parts of the world have a similar practice?

Today, December 14, is Monkey Day.


Happy Monkey Day, everyone!

As noted in an article in today's Toronto Star, Israel's High Court has ruled that five same-sex couples married in Canada must be registered as married in Israel's Population Registry, which confers on them all rights given to married couples.

From the article:

QuoteFive Israeli couples are praising Toronto today, crediting the city of their nuptials and Canadian law for sparking a landmark Israeli high court ruling recognizing gay marriage.

In a vote of 6 to 1, Israel's High Court of Justice yesterday decreed the Toronto-wed couples are to be registered as married under Israel's population registry. The precedent-setting decision entitles them to the same status as heterosexual Israel couples who marry abroad, including tax benefits and the legal right to adopt children.

[...]

Yesterday's high court ruling, coming just two weeks after a series of streets riots in Jerusalem in protest over a controversial gay pride gathering, struck a raw nerve with many senior Israeli religious figures.

"The High Court has sunken in the gates of defilement and has torn out the last mezuzah from its doors," said Yitzhak Cohen, a member of parliament with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party.

"The dam that protected the Jewish state has been burst open under the auspices of the High Court, asking for an anti-Jewish deluge clad in black capes."