| and we're off... |
[Apr. 30th, 2037|19:52] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | breathing again | ] |
i have dreamwidth invites for everyone.
who from my original list does still need a code? i've tried to keep track but might have missed somebody. oh, and if you just realized you want one and were not on my original list, ask away, i have additional invites.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kali_shey
spaceturnedsour
masochistlion
send me your email in a comment; they are screened. |
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| not your average, boring, old fencepost |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|00:21] |
click to see larger versions.
so, the US house passed HR 3962, the affordable health care act for america, by 220:215. one republican, anh joseph cao, voted for it. i have a feeling he's going to be persona non grata among the GOP.
which i find endlessly amusing, because when he got elected in a heavily democratic district in lousiana, over his opponent who was under indictment, john boehner touted his win as "a symbol of our future" -- prophetic! cao has since said obama deserved an "A" for his first 100 days in office, voted for HR 2346 (supplemental appropriations), voted in favor of the resolution of disapproval toward SC rep joe wilson for his outburst against obama, voted for the hate crimes prevention act.
one of the few republicans for whom "bipartisanship" isn't just an empty phrase. it's good to occasionally see one of those in action.
HR 3962, pdf, 1990 pages.
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| so much for "loving thy neighbor" |
[Nov. 7th, 2009|18:28] |
i learned something new today. washington DC has as part of its legal code a provision that prohibits any referendum that would have the effect of authorizing discrimination against DC residents on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender.
that is awesome.
and fortunate. because the forces of bigotry, hiding behind another "marriage initiative", are busy trying to work against same-sex mariage in DC, since there is clear movement towards recognizing it in the district.
the arguments are... i know i said i'll try to no longer use words like "stupid" as an insult, but what else is it if a christian quotes pontius pilate: "let the people decide". good grief! does this person not know what those people voted on? "stupid" doesn't even cover it.
read this report from a hearing in DC; the unintentional irony can be shoveled with gigantic trowels. what can you say to such people? they don't even know their own religion, their own history, the meaning of words they use:
Another woman patiently explained to me that the 60-odd people who testified against equal rights for gay people [...] did not hate gay people. They just feared gay people, she said. They were not homophobic.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/508636.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). there are currently  comments. |
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| spots! |
[Nov. 7th, 2009|00:31] |
you can now click on the images to see a larger version!
i have no idea what this plant is, but i shall endeavour to find out. it was nothing special during the summer, but now it is changing colours and those dots have appeared on the leaves, which are just gorgeous.
i've moved the first images to smugmug, where i've registered a trial account. i looked at a lot of photo hosting sites, and the organization and features there sound like they'll suit me best. it requires a minimum of effort to set up pricing, and the quality seems to be good (i have samples on order), so i should be up and ready quickly so people who want to can actually order prints (and cards, posters, tshirts [1], mugs, calendars, etc).
[1] the sizing here isn't friendly to us larger people, so i'll have to set up a separate account for this elsewhere, or impress upon the smugmug people that large bodies want nice tshirts too.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/508223.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). there are currently  comments. |
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| yeah, universal heath care is of the devil |
[Nov. 6th, 2009|12:44] |
those of us who have it hate it! or not. instead we seem to actually be fairly realistic about its benefits and shortcomings.
canadians overwhelmingly support universal health care; think obama is on right track in US. (pdf from nanos research.)
The survey found that nine in ten Canadians support universal health care (90% support or somewhat support), and seven out of ten Canadians believe that President Barack Obama is on the right track with respect to health care in the US (71%). Results were consistent across regions.
When asked what they believed was the key strength of the current Canadian health care system, six in ten said, unprompted, it was accessibility and universality (61%). The key weakness identified, unprompted, was wait times (33%), a more than two-to-one margin over the next most cited weakness - a shortage of doctors and nurses (14%).
When asked to look south of the border to the US, the majority of Canadians felt that President Obama was on the right track when it came to making changes to the health care system in the United States (71%) with only seven percent saying he was on the wrong track. One in five were unsure (21%). Quebecers were comparatively more likely to say Obama was on the right track (82%), followed by Ontarians (74% right track).
i should add that the wait times are for non-urgent care problems. the paramour's mother waited too long (in my book) for a hip replacement. but when i had life-threatening high blood pressure and tachycardia, i was immediately seen at the ER, ushered past a waiting room with other people. i've also always been able to see my GP when i needed to. and all that costs a mere C$54/month for british columbians (and if you can't afford that there is help); nobody is dependent on an employer offering health insurance and spousal/dependent benefits; if you lose your job in a bad economy, you don't also lose your health care (i find that incredibly frightening).
having lived under both type of systems, i greatly prefer universal, single-payer health care. and i don't at all mind paying taxes to support such care for people who have less than i do. i like living in a society that cares about all its members, whether they're currently fortunate and able-bodied or not.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/507831.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| once a fender, glossy white |
[Nov. 5th, 2009|23:50] |
copying all my images down from LJ's scrapbook in preparation for transferring them to another photo hosting site, which i haven't decided on yet. now that i am looking closely at scrapbook's organization, that won't be easy nor fun. i also don't see any way right now to mass-edit all the old posts, and i am sure not looking forward to manually doing it with 600+ of them.
we can't import to DW yet from data we've first exported and edited offline, can we? i've not been paying close attention to new features lately, but i didn't think that one is even on the horizon.
oh man, this will suck.
but it won't suck as hard as the republicans. arseholes are girding up to fuck with gay marriage in new hampshire too now. i am so angry, i am feeling violent. not like i am actually gonna do anything violent, but i am wishing violence on those people. if i were god, i'd be doing some burning bush appearances. maybe also some gentle smiting.
and even vengeful, i'd still be a better god than theirs.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/507370.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| triptych of suspicion |
[Nov. 5th, 2009|01:35] |
clicking on the image gets you a larger version.
i got lots done today; good day. real artist acrylics are beautiful; so saturated. i've never worked with such lovely paints before.
vincent is deigning to let me pet him again; apparently i am finally forgiven for the flea treatment. little does he know what is yet to come. *sigh*. i wish we could communicate better with animals.
though i guess "we're gonna have the vet pull all your teeth and chop off your balls" wouldn't go over real well in any case.
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| rainy purple sadness |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|22:35] |
civil rights should not be put to a popular vote. i'm supposed to become more conservative as i grow older, but it's not happening. i see less and less in today's conservative movements that is the least attractive to me; heck, i am not seeing much to recommend in liberals when they are in power either anymore. they're better than conservatives, sure, but still so far from what i'd consider actually good. i might well end up an anarchist, *sigh*. when i was in college, i thought anarchists were too cynical...
i'm looking at you, maine. WTF, you voted FOR pot and against gay marriage? what are you smoking there?
at least washington state seems on the right path, though they're not done counting yet.
and hurrah for kalamazoo, michigan, for passing ordinance 1856, prohibiting discrimination against glbt persons in housing, employment and public accommodations. 62 to 38%!
it just bothers me to no end that so many people in the US are perfectly willing to deny others the same rights they enjoy. i can't be calm about it anymore; it is so very wrong.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/506045.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| dear canada: just say no to ACTA |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|17:17] |
ACTA = Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
we need a global DMCA like we need a hole in the head. we also don't need to make ISPs responsible for their users' copyright violations, and for sure we don't need service providers to proactively police for them -- that'll just about close down sites like youtube and flickr; nevermind blogger, livejournal, and dreamwidth.
dear white house: transparency? you promised, didn't you?
what's with the freaking secrecy about the copyright treaty then? how is this in any way a national security issue?
or are you just trying to hide what an execrable piece of shite this is for anyone but the RIAA, MPAA and large corporations jealously guarding their copyright way beyond what copyright law was ever intended to do? anti-counterfeiting? where are china and russia in these talks? no, this is instead pushing copyright even further than you've already pushed it.
- michael geist has info on ACTA.
- IDG news service has some more.
- so does numerama (in french)
- the EFF chimes in.
- and lawfont in australia.
- needless to say, cory doctorow is unhappy.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/505769.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| how not to defend yourself |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|16:34] |
david edelstein's review of the movie precious got sniped at by the folks at jezebel.
so now he defends himself, because he, david edelstein, isn't racist or sizeist, noooo:
"I’ve had weight issues all my life. My mother, an M.D., once treated obesity (or tried like hell) and in filling in for her receptionist in my late teens I saw what women in the African-American community with a certain body type and metabolism were up against — especially since they were surrounded by crap food"
*sigh*. that really needs no further commentary, does it.
he makes the entire movie, in which the protagonist's size is merely one aspect of her (and not the one causing her the most trouble by any stretch of the imagination), about her damn weight:
"In the context of movies, her image is a shock; it throws you violently outside your normal frame of reference, forcing you to rethink your assumptions."
"your" assumptions? not mine! not those of anyone who's fat!
"Here is an obese, black-skinned (as opposed to latte-colored), pregnant, illiterate, poor girl: She has everything against her. And Daniels, like Sapphire, continues to pile on the abuses. She is sexually assaulted by both parents. She is beaten into unconsciousness with a cast-iron pan. She is kicked in the face giving birth. She is expelled from school for being pregnant — not even her fault but the result of her father’s rape. She has AIDS."
the movie isn't about her weight! if one sees her weight as "front and center" as he does, that speaks only about one's sizeist prejudice.
i haven't seen the movie, and from what i've read it's too damn depressing for me to see it -- and it smells just a wee bit of "human suffering" porn, which i generally avoid because i am damn well aware of human suffering and don't need it poured over me in gallons. i can't speak to edelstein's racist prejudices. but his sizeist ones are well in evidence, highlighted by his very defense.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/505346.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| arRUUUgula |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|00:33] |
i grow a lot of it for salad. the flowers are yummy, too.
dropped the mac mini off at the new mac store downtown, and for C$50 they're gonna look at it tomorrow.
bought new flannel sheets and a microplush blanket for the paramour. oh, so soft! i wholeheartedly support the recent microfibre boom (at least until i find out how ecologically unsound its manufacture is, in case somebody wants to share their knowledge with me).
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/504838.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| lost keys |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|00:54] |
vincent is not happy with me. either it was the flea treatment or the application of his new last name that scared him off.
the latter is mostly the paramour's fault: vincent van d'oh.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/504825.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| scarlet messenger |
[Oct. 30th, 2009|23:50] |
thanks to ![[info - personal]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) synecdochic i have lots of new subscribers. welcome! i hope you enjoy the photos. feel free to leave comments (even critical ones); i am always interested what people think about when they see them.
and since we now have a "follow friday" here on dreamwidth, allow me to point y'all at deepad who writes very thoughtful and thought-provoking essays on race and culture.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/503514.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| dropjes |
[Oct. 29th, 2009|22:02] |
i am cold. working on crocheting motifs for a jacket.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/502555.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| grey shetland singles |
[Oct. 28th, 2009|19:17] |
below is a sample of the wool, above the 2 bobbins. i'm quite pleased with how the singles came out; it's not hideous for a first effort. i ended up using mostly a modified longdraw. the prep wasn't right for an actual one, i had to keep more control over the twist because the fibre release from the draft wasn't always even. but drawing long was generally much faster and also smoother, and it gave me lots of room in which to smooth out occasional blobby bits. it'll be thick-n-thin in places (beyond beginner's accidents), because i was purposefully trying to spin as thin as possible at times, and later also to spin specific thicknesses.
i really like the variegation of the wool; it goes from a very light grey to a very dark one. i bought about a pound and a half; wonder how much yarn that's gonna make.
and now i learn to ply.
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/502210.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| the naming |
[Oct. 28th, 2009|12:42] |
#8 cat is now "vincent".
thanks to saoba and semperfiona. normally i just wait until some name comes to me ("the cat names zirself"), but this was too perfect to pass up.
thank you!
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/501919.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| enjoy it while it lasts |
[Oct. 27th, 2009|22:20] |
this entry is crossposted from http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/501309.html. you can comment there using a dreamwidth account, your LJ (or any other) openID, or even as anonymous (please sign). |
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| #8 cat |
[Oct. 26th, 2009|20:46] |
once he trusted me enough to let me touch him, i knew it wasn't gonna be long before he'd move in, but #8 is quite intrepid as it turns out, and now follows me anywhere, even when scared. it's kinda endearing, but i know my place; i am The Purveyor of Food. though he does like the petting too; he even occasionally interrupts the eating to butt his head into my leg.
i am amused. bacchus is not. two new cats in his house! but he's remarkably peaceful with both the new toms. just the way he walks around and casts glances shows that he's enormously put out. i am petting him a lot. and i'm gonna build a cat tower; we need more places for cats to settle on. shadow dug up my grey shetland roving yesterday (which is in a bag); luckily i discovered her kneading it before she had felted the lot.
#8 looks in better shape in this picture than he is; he's basically skin and bones. he turns his face away when i try to look into his mouth, but i expect what i'll find once i get to see is not very many teeth, and quite possibly some badly infected ones. his fur is matted in several places, and his tail looks ratty, but today he is cleaning himself, so getting some food which he could eat easily into him was probably the main thing needed. he doesn't seem to have any fresh injuries; the missing ear healed before we saw him for the first time.
guess he needs a name now. the paramour doesn't like "ear". don't understand why not.
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