Project Valour IT

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries.  Technology supplied includes:

Voice-controlled Laptops - Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.

Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).

Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

Project ValourIT is a charity drive run by Soldiers Angels, an organization that does amazing things for wounded troops.  The Project ValourIT drive is supported by many of the blogs I read and list over to the left.  The blogs are organized into teams, one for each service.  If you donate, make sure to do so for team Navy.  I'll be trying my best to leave this post at the top, so for new post, scroll down some.  For a more detailed description go here.  Change all of Blackfive's Army propaganda to Navy and you'll get the idea.  It all goes to the same place in the end.

Destination Adelaide - Kangaroo Island

Its the end of the semester and I have all this time to write again.  Also I checked my stats for the first time today.  I have 11 different countries listed as visiting.  Australia is first, since I use the site as a bookmark for all the other blogs I read.  But also represented are UAE, Poland, France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Russia, Canada, US, UK, and China.  I would say that they were maybe Webbies on winter work, but a lot of the visits are within the last month.  Interesting...  Now, on to Kangaroo Island.

AFL Grand Final

Semester is over!  Well, I have to turn in thesis.  They moved the assignment date on the day it was listed as being due.  They are hopeless....

As I mentioned previously, while on our Victor Harbor trip, the big event that we were missing was the AFL Grand Final.  The Superbowl of Australian sport. 

Last Week of Semester 2

And as such I'm pretty busy.  I've been meaning to get some more pictures up but they will have to take back seat to my last few assignments.  I've also been meaning to find a place to live, and book my dive excursions. 

But, the other day, one of my roommates reported Christmas items in Coles.  I assured him it could not be, it was just his imagination.  He asked when else people eat fruit cakes and Christmas cakes and jams.

Today, I noticed on the street lamps:  2 reindeer, a group of stars, and a group of globe ornaments.  Christmas season is arriving down under.  May the gremlins of Halloween fight it back.   

Destination Adelaide: Victor Harbor

Another place in South Australia that we managed to get to when my parents were here was Victor Harbor.  Victor Harbor is a almost two hours south of Adelaide on the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula.  Its a sea side vacation type destination that I actually had seen once before on a international student trip.

Brief Ridiculosities - Video Update

See.  I told you

If youtube is being a pain in your country, try here






h/t:  Jalopnik

Brief Ridiculosities

First off, during the Bathurst 1000 today, a kangaroo jumped onto the race track and was nearly struck by a V8 Supercar.  So I guess they are dumber than deer.  There were 20 odd 600HP race cars passing that spot at least once every 2 minutes and 10 seconds.  Why would you go out there?  Maybe they are extra quiet at 150mph+

Second, in discussing the recent Nobel Peace Prize, the Australian news anchors informed me that former Nobel Peace Prize recipients the Dalai Lama and Barack Obama condemned the Chinese for holding the new winner.  Or something to that effect.  I forget exactly since I was still reeling from that fact the the President was just mentioned in the same context as the Dalai Lama and a Chinese political prisoner and that some committee somewhere agrees with that.  I'm pretty sure anyone actively wielding the collective might of the US Armed Forces is quite at the level of a political prisoner calling for democracy in China.  And if they are, well I suppose a certain 100,000 or so people should feel very much not at peace. 

Third, one of my roommates tried convincing us that returning to the Village next year would be beneficial to our educational experience.  And that we were making a big mistake in his opinion.  Never really provided empirical evidence or records for that statement.  But, he's in marketing.  Fell hard for the sell, but wasn't able to make the resale.  Guess it wasn't so beneficial...

Back to regular programming in a few days with Victor Harbor probably.

Destination Adelaide: Barossa Valley Wine Region

The second of the big South Australian wine regions is the Barossa Valley.  Like McLaren Vale, Barossa wines are considered quite good and make their way over to the States for your general enjoyment.

The World Gets Bigger

For anyone who is, or isn't and should be, keeping track of where I am in the space time continuum, Australia just went to DST so I got an hour farther away from you.  When the US changes in a few weeks we will be another hour removed.  Consider that when calling me at night.  Although it means I should be an hour closer to being awake.  Skype has this wonderful trick of telling you my time zone as well.  Not naming names.  Peg.

Barossa Valley post coming up at the end of the week, but I am on a self imposed Linux ban right now and that's where my photos are. 

Destination Adelaide: McLaren Vale Wine Region

Now that all my visitors have gone and I can either do hw or blog again, I will do a bunch of travel posts for the places I have been in September.  The first is the McLaren Vale Wine Region.