In Almost Daily Dose, the blog section of this site, there is always the chance that I might take a serious turn, and this is one of those times. I wrote the article, Meditation on the Value of a Life, following the Taliban massacre of ten medical aide workers in northern Afghanistan in August 2010. Recently I recalled the story and wondered if it had been updated, but in my heart I knew it hadn’t. Those who died have been all but forgotten by the media, and therefore by most people. There are many more who will not even know they ever lived. In this holiday season, too often marked by over-consumption, in this great nation of ours nearly brought to its knees by corporate greed, at a time in our history when truly terrible things are forgotten in the course of a news cycle, I want to take a moment to remember and give thanks to these men and women, and others like them, who live and sometimes die in the service of humanity. They are the best among us…

This is Au, element 79 on the Periodic Table, gold. I slip a pinky inside one of the cages, through the layer of steel netting that forms a final barrier between the bullion and the streams of tourists who come to see it. I have seen bling, but I have never beheld gold en masse; it is pretty intoxicating.

In the Humane Society’s mid-term report on the 111th Congress, which runs from January 2009 through December 2010, blue states outperformed red states by hefty margins and, predictably, states whose economies rely heavily on animal husbandry came in the lowest.

The Center for the Digital Future has been studying the impact of the Internet on Americans since 1999: who is using the Internet, how, and how much — as well as who is not using it and why; connectivity preferences and trends; online commerce; safety and security; geopolitical influences; the changing face of news media; the rise of social media. It is a fascinating study, well organized and easily accessible for those of us who are more experientialists than scholars.

Have you been thinking about researching your family history? Take my advice: do it now. I started on my family tree back in the mid-1980s, before the Internet, personal computers, GEDCOM (genealogical data communications) software, the Human Genome Project, and the proliferation of genealogy interest groups.

Seth Godin has a good idea, which is nothing new for Seth. In his blog today, he talks about having found a more gratifying thing to do with his birthday: He has given it to Charity: water. Clearly an excellent bargain for pocketbook and soul. But I have a few selfish reasons for ditching the birthday.

Did it really take me six years to get around to rebuilding my Web site? Six years with an under-construction sign will lead people to think you’re dead. I won’t offer excuses — and that’s all they would be — or make your eyes roll with that old shoeless cobbler line. We both know procrastination will claim at least some of the credit for my lengthy resurrection. So I’ll cut to the chase: This is my new Web site and this corner is where I will dispense an almost daily, sometimes weekly dose of commentary on whatever catches my fancy. A modest goal with endless possibilities: business, gossip, music, politics, the subways, jerks with cell phones, technology, whatever… Let’s see how it goes.

The rest of LLMultimedia is my business portfolio. I’ve uploaded a few projects so take a look around. I’m very good at creating order out of chaos and I welcome your inquiries.

* The old site? Don’t give it another thought. It now points to this one.

– Linda Lopez