So, yes, going to a baseball game Saturday night ate a big chunk of my weekend.
I don't regret it -- Mom enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was by way of being a late Mother's Day gift (since the company mailing offering the free tickets went out about that time in May). We got a free dinner, and I put half a foot onto a sock while ignoring the game, and I don't regret going. I just wish I'd managed to fit in my computer time on Friday night or Saturday afternoon -- or at least that I'd gotten up and out the door for my grocery run earlier yesterday. It was raining when I got out of the store, so I postponed the rabbit cage cleaning (which involves many trips outside to dump dirty hay and rabbit crap on the yard) and got on the computer instead, and that wound up eating the rest of the afternoon and my entire evening. (Didn't knit, or watch True Blood either. And I've still got to deal with the cage tonight. At least I got the cats' litter boxes taken care of, which is usually part of the cage-cleaning business.)
Three rows since this was last seen a month ago. But, hey, got moving on it again. (Decided not to work on it at the game because we were sitting outside in the breeze and I would have had three separate pages of charts to deal with.) I don't see myself as pulling it out tonight -- but my plans for the Fourth basically involve sitting in front of the TV and knitting all day, and this is at the top of my list of things to work on.
Here's what I worked on at the game instead -- got the last few toe rows largely done on the drive to the ballpark, and then got half the foot worked during the game itself. It's not as high on the queue as the shawl -- but it's something to work on when I need a middle ground between three-charts-simultaneously complicated and can-knit-in-the-dark simple stockinette.
Also I put a few rows onto the Warlock Sock over the course of the week -- including during the drive home from the ballpark, in the dark -- but not enough to think it was worth another photo. I should really work on that while doing some reading...
Links from Tumblr / Twitter / Facebook:
Red Crucifix sighting in 774 may have been supernova -- "A supernova may have actually been the mysterious 'Red Crucifix' in the sky that is cited in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for the year 774. New correspondence between a university student and Nature carries interesting observations that astronomers could be looking at a previously unrecognized supernova. Historical texts like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle have made reference to astronomical events before and a sighting in 774 told of a red crucifix in the sky in Britain during evening hours. Some say the sighting could have been what was the result of a supernova explosion."
Internet Rallies to Send Pitbull to the Most Remote Walmart in America -- "Something Awful goons David Thorpe and Jon Hendren have come up with what is quite possibly their most uproarious troll to date: With the help of fellow Internet funmakers, the shenaniganeers have devised a foolproof plan to send hip hop artist-cum-shilling machine Pitbull to a Walmart on 'the frozen Alaskan island of Kodiak.' As part of a promotional stunt for Sheets-brand Energy Strips, Pitbull will visit whichever Walmart receives the most likes on Facebook by July 15th. 'I'm excited to find out which local Walmart store has the most new likes so I can share the experience of using Energy Sheets® with my fans,' Pitbull said in a press release. He might be feeling a little less enthused about the whole thing once he learns that Thorpe and Hendren have incited thousands of Facebook users to like the official page of Walmart Kodiak - the most remote Walmart in America. Indeed, at the time of writing, the store's fan page already has more likes than the entire population of Kodiak, and is fast on its way to becoming 'the most-liked local walmart store in the world.'"
It Ain't Over: The Business 9 Women Kept A Secret For Three Decades -- "Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or 'The 9 Nanas,' as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods."
5 Real Princesses Too Badass for Disney Movies -- "Over the years Disney has gotten a lot of grief for its "inaccurate even for a cartoon" interpretations of historical heroes like Mulan and Pocahontas and Lilo. And it's all just so unnecessary; history is full of royal women who kicked all kinds of ass. Although some of these stories would have to be toned down a bit ..."
Just a Humble Tradesman, Trapped in a World He Never Made -- "Wow-two news organizations covering the same story scoured the nation for a random small business owner to comment on that story-and they both found the same one! How’d that happen? What are the odds? Well, as it turns out, Joe Olivo of Perfect Printing turns up quite a bit in public discussions of this and other issues. Here he is testifying against the health care law before House and Senate committees in January 2011. Here he is on the Fox Business Network around the same time, discussing the same subject. Here he is a few days ago, also on Fox Business, talking to John Stossel about the law. Here he is discussing the same subject on a New Jersey Fox affiliate. And here he is in July 2010 discussing small business hiring with Neil Cavuto on Fox News. Here he is opposing an increase in the minimum wage in an MSNBC debate a couple of weeks ago. Go to many of these links and you find out something about Joe Olivo that NPR and NBC didn’t tell you: he’s a member of the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB’s site and YouTube page promote many of Olivo’s public appearances. He was the subject of an NFIB 'My Voice in Washington' online video in 2011. NFIB, you will not be surprised to learn, is linked to the ALEC and Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, and to the usual rogues’ gallery of right-wing zillionaires. So Joe Olivo isn’t just some random business owner-he’s dispatched by NFIB whenever there’s a need for someone to play a random small business owner on TV. Thanks, NPR and NBC-you asked us to smell the grass, and you didn’t even notice it was Astroturf. Or you noticed, but you didn’t want us to."
Republicans Slam Obamacare Using Pro-Choice Language -- "For years, Democrats and progressive women's groups have characterized Republican attempts to limit access to abortion -- such as mandatory ultrasounds and mandatory waiting periods before abortions -- as the ultimate government intrusion into a woman's personal medical decisions. On Thursday, conservatives usurped the very same pro-choice rhetoric to condemn the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. 'Women want to make their own decisions when it comes to their health care, with the support of their families and their doctors,' said Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, a conservative, anti-abortion women's advocacy group. 'It's preposterous to suggest the government would do a better job at deciding what is best for us and our loved ones.'"
Woman, 36, who lost mother to brain cancer creates breathtaking fantasy land photo series in her memory -- I'd already seen a few of these images, bouncing around on Tumblr or wherever, but hadn't realized where they were from.
Gardener Sues City of Tulsa For Cutting Down Her Edible Garden -- "KOTV reports that Denise Morrison grows an edible and medicinal garden of over 100 plant varieties in her front and back yard. Last August, she received a letter from the city reporting a complaint about her yard. She took photographs of her gardens and went to meet with city inspectors who told her 'Everything, everything need to go' when she asked for problem areas to be pointed out. Upon hearing that all of her garden would have to be destroyed she called the police who issued her a citation so she could appear in court and work it out with the city. At her court hearing on August 15 the judge directed both parties to return to court in October. The very next day, Morrison found, and photographed, city workers cutting down most of her plants-with what appears to be a bobcat and riding lawnmower- including trees that bore fruits and nuts. It is important to point out here that the city did not have permission to take action against the garden because the judge had put off hearing their case until October."
'This Is Our Planet': Glorious Time-Lapse View of the Earth From Space -- "Vimeo user Tomislav Safundžić knitted NASA footage into this beautiful time-lapse video of Earth -- its continents, seas, the lights of cities -- and the surrounding sky and stars as they appear from the International Space Station. As astronaut Ron Garan wrote here on The Atlantic last December, seeing our planet like that imparts the realization 'that we are all riding through the universe together on this spaceship we call Earth, that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together, that we are all family.' Take two minutes to enjoy the video below (full-screen recommended), and get a glimpse of the world from that 'orbital perspective' -- both literally and figuratively."
All of the above are from last night -- I'm a bit reluctant to get onto Tumblr because at least one person I follow is guaranteed to be posting True Blood spoilers from last night -- think I'd just as soon do the LJ friends list catchup from the weekend today instead, save the Tumblr for a bit later.
And eumenidis passed me a link: Conservative Southern Values Revived: How a Brutal Strain of American Aristocrats Have Come to Rule America -- "It's been said that the rich are different than you and me. What most Americans don't know is that they're also quite different from each other, and that which faction is currently running the show ultimately makes a vast difference in the kind of country we are. Right now, a lot of our problems stem directly from the fact that the wrong sort has finally gotten the upper hand; a particularly brutal and anti-democratic strain of American aristocrat that the other elites have mostly managed to keep away from the levers of power since the Revolution. Worse: this bunch has set a very ugly tone that's corrupted how people with power and money behave in every corner of our culture. Here's what happened, and how it happened, and what it means for America now."
Linkhopping on Alternet from the above:
Why Are Believers Willfully Ignorant About Atheists? -- "I've read and talked with a lot of believers -- and with a lot of atheists who used to believe. And it's hard to avoid the conclusion that, if believers actually found out how atheists think and feel, it would present a serious challenge to their beliefs. When you look at the most common arguments for religion and against atheism, you'll find that most of them aren't actually arguments. They're not attempts to look at the evidence and logic supporting theism and atheism. They're attempts to deflect the question. They're attempts to shield religion from ever being seriously questioned. The notion that any criticism of religion is intolerant; the idea that religion shouldn't have to defend itself in the marketplace of ideas; the endless parade of 'Shut up, that's why' arguments that typically get marshaled against atheists... it all exists to protect religious faith from ever being seriously examined. Not to mention the more obvious attempts to silence atheists -- like preventing atheist high school students from organizing clubs, and overt bullying and harassment of atheists, and blasphemy laws in theocracies that put atheists in prison and even execute them. Religion is like a house of cards -- protected by a massively strong fortress. And one of the largest pillars in this fortress is the bigoted mythology about atheists. The idea that atheists are amoral? That our lives lack meaning and joy? That we're only atheists so we can reject religious rules? That we hate God? That our atheism is shallow, and we reject it and embrace religion when faced with suffering and death? That we have no basis for human emotions like love and friendship and grief? It's hard to avoid the conclusion that all this mythology exists to keep believers from listening to anything we have to say."
Corporate Profits at All-Time High; Wages at All-Time Low: Can We Call it Class War Yet? -- "As unions declined, so have wages for most people. The Center for American Progress found in a study that as union membership decreases, so does the so-called middle class's share of national income. The middle class long served as a buffer between those at the top and those at the bottom. As long as the majority of Americans were comfortable, had decent jobs and pensions, and could send their kids to school, the wealthy could stay wealthy and the poor were pretty much just ignored. And that middle class was built through decades of union agitation, not just for higher wages and healthcare benefits, but for the eight-hour day, for the weekend, for safety in the workplace and some job security. But now the middle class has been hollowed out. Increasingly, there are the super-super-rich, and there are the rest of us."
"Conscience Clause" Gone AMOK -- Rape Victim Denied Morning After Pill By Prison Guard
And, okay. Closing out tabs and finishing up the policy I'm printing up -- the things that were stuck in the system waiting to be dealt with were taken care of, so I need to get this account off my desk before leaving and tomorrow I can be back to working on the massive account.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth with
comments made.
Three rows since this was last seen a month ago. But, hey, got moving on it again. (Decided not to work on it at the game because we were sitting outside in the breeze and I would have had three separate pages of charts to deal with.) I don't see myself as pulling it out tonight -- but my plans for the Fourth basically involve sitting in front of the TV and knitting all day, and this is at the top of my list of things to work on.
Here's what I worked on at the game instead -- got the last few toe rows largely done on the drive to the ballpark, and then got half the foot worked during the game itself. It's not as high on the queue as the shawl -- but it's something to work on when I need a middle ground between three-charts-simultaneously complicated and can-knit-in-the-dark simple stockinette.
Also I put a few rows onto the Warlock Sock over the course of the week -- including during the drive home from the ballpark, in the dark -- but not enough to think it was worth another photo. I should really work on that while doing some reading...
Links from Tumblr / Twitter / Facebook:
Red Crucifix sighting in 774 may have been supernova -- "A supernova may have actually been the mysterious 'Red Crucifix' in the sky that is cited in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for the year 774. New correspondence between a university student and Nature carries interesting observations that astronomers could be looking at a previously unrecognized supernova. Historical texts like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle have made reference to astronomical events before and a sighting in 774 told of a red crucifix in the sky in Britain during evening hours. Some say the sighting could have been what was the result of a supernova explosion."
Internet Rallies to Send Pitbull to the Most Remote Walmart in America -- "Something Awful goons David Thorpe and Jon Hendren have come up with what is quite possibly their most uproarious troll to date: With the help of fellow Internet funmakers, the shenaniganeers have devised a foolproof plan to send hip hop artist-cum-shilling machine Pitbull to a Walmart on 'the frozen Alaskan island of Kodiak.' As part of a promotional stunt for Sheets-brand Energy Strips, Pitbull will visit whichever Walmart receives the most likes on Facebook by July 15th. 'I'm excited to find out which local Walmart store has the most new likes so I can share the experience of using Energy Sheets® with my fans,' Pitbull said in a press release. He might be feeling a little less enthused about the whole thing once he learns that Thorpe and Hendren have incited thousands of Facebook users to like the official page of Walmart Kodiak - the most remote Walmart in America. Indeed, at the time of writing, the store's fan page already has more likes than the entire population of Kodiak, and is fast on its way to becoming 'the most-liked local walmart store in the world.'"
It Ain't Over: The Business 9 Women Kept A Secret For Three Decades -- "Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or 'The 9 Nanas,' as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods."
5 Real Princesses Too Badass for Disney Movies -- "Over the years Disney has gotten a lot of grief for its "inaccurate even for a cartoon" interpretations of historical heroes like Mulan and Pocahontas and Lilo. And it's all just so unnecessary; history is full of royal women who kicked all kinds of ass. Although some of these stories would have to be toned down a bit ..."
Just a Humble Tradesman, Trapped in a World He Never Made -- "Wow-two news organizations covering the same story scoured the nation for a random small business owner to comment on that story-and they both found the same one! How’d that happen? What are the odds? Well, as it turns out, Joe Olivo of Perfect Printing turns up quite a bit in public discussions of this and other issues. Here he is testifying against the health care law before House and Senate committees in January 2011. Here he is on the Fox Business Network around the same time, discussing the same subject. Here he is a few days ago, also on Fox Business, talking to John Stossel about the law. Here he is discussing the same subject on a New Jersey Fox affiliate. And here he is in July 2010 discussing small business hiring with Neil Cavuto on Fox News. Here he is opposing an increase in the minimum wage in an MSNBC debate a couple of weeks ago. Go to many of these links and you find out something about Joe Olivo that NPR and NBC didn’t tell you: he’s a member of the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB’s site and YouTube page promote many of Olivo’s public appearances. He was the subject of an NFIB 'My Voice in Washington' online video in 2011. NFIB, you will not be surprised to learn, is linked to the ALEC and Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, and to the usual rogues’ gallery of right-wing zillionaires. So Joe Olivo isn’t just some random business owner-he’s dispatched by NFIB whenever there’s a need for someone to play a random small business owner on TV. Thanks, NPR and NBC-you asked us to smell the grass, and you didn’t even notice it was Astroturf. Or you noticed, but you didn’t want us to."
Republicans Slam Obamacare Using Pro-Choice Language -- "For years, Democrats and progressive women's groups have characterized Republican attempts to limit access to abortion -- such as mandatory ultrasounds and mandatory waiting periods before abortions -- as the ultimate government intrusion into a woman's personal medical decisions. On Thursday, conservatives usurped the very same pro-choice rhetoric to condemn the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. 'Women want to make their own decisions when it comes to their health care, with the support of their families and their doctors,' said Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, a conservative, anti-abortion women's advocacy group. 'It's preposterous to suggest the government would do a better job at deciding what is best for us and our loved ones.'"
Woman, 36, who lost mother to brain cancer creates breathtaking fantasy land photo series in her memory -- I'd already seen a few of these images, bouncing around on Tumblr or wherever, but hadn't realized where they were from.
Gardener Sues City of Tulsa For Cutting Down Her Edible Garden -- "KOTV reports that Denise Morrison grows an edible and medicinal garden of over 100 plant varieties in her front and back yard. Last August, she received a letter from the city reporting a complaint about her yard. She took photographs of her gardens and went to meet with city inspectors who told her 'Everything, everything need to go' when she asked for problem areas to be pointed out. Upon hearing that all of her garden would have to be destroyed she called the police who issued her a citation so she could appear in court and work it out with the city. At her court hearing on August 15 the judge directed both parties to return to court in October. The very next day, Morrison found, and photographed, city workers cutting down most of her plants-with what appears to be a bobcat and riding lawnmower- including trees that bore fruits and nuts. It is important to point out here that the city did not have permission to take action against the garden because the judge had put off hearing their case until October."
'This Is Our Planet': Glorious Time-Lapse View of the Earth From Space -- "Vimeo user Tomislav Safundžić knitted NASA footage into this beautiful time-lapse video of Earth -- its continents, seas, the lights of cities -- and the surrounding sky and stars as they appear from the International Space Station. As astronaut Ron Garan wrote here on The Atlantic last December, seeing our planet like that imparts the realization 'that we are all riding through the universe together on this spaceship we call Earth, that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together, that we are all family.' Take two minutes to enjoy the video below (full-screen recommended), and get a glimpse of the world from that 'orbital perspective' -- both literally and figuratively."
All of the above are from last night -- I'm a bit reluctant to get onto Tumblr because at least one person I follow is guaranteed to be posting True Blood spoilers from last night -- think I'd just as soon do the LJ friends list catchup from the weekend today instead, save the Tumblr for a bit later.
And eumenidis passed me a link: Conservative Southern Values Revived: How a Brutal Strain of American Aristocrats Have Come to Rule America -- "It's been said that the rich are different than you and me. What most Americans don't know is that they're also quite different from each other, and that which faction is currently running the show ultimately makes a vast difference in the kind of country we are. Right now, a lot of our problems stem directly from the fact that the wrong sort has finally gotten the upper hand; a particularly brutal and anti-democratic strain of American aristocrat that the other elites have mostly managed to keep away from the levers of power since the Revolution. Worse: this bunch has set a very ugly tone that's corrupted how people with power and money behave in every corner of our culture. Here's what happened, and how it happened, and what it means for America now."
Linkhopping on Alternet from the above:
Why Are Believers Willfully Ignorant About Atheists? -- "I've read and talked with a lot of believers -- and with a lot of atheists who used to believe. And it's hard to avoid the conclusion that, if believers actually found out how atheists think and feel, it would present a serious challenge to their beliefs. When you look at the most common arguments for religion and against atheism, you'll find that most of them aren't actually arguments. They're not attempts to look at the evidence and logic supporting theism and atheism. They're attempts to deflect the question. They're attempts to shield religion from ever being seriously questioned. The notion that any criticism of religion is intolerant; the idea that religion shouldn't have to defend itself in the marketplace of ideas; the endless parade of 'Shut up, that's why' arguments that typically get marshaled against atheists... it all exists to protect religious faith from ever being seriously examined. Not to mention the more obvious attempts to silence atheists -- like preventing atheist high school students from organizing clubs, and overt bullying and harassment of atheists, and blasphemy laws in theocracies that put atheists in prison and even execute them. Religion is like a house of cards -- protected by a massively strong fortress. And one of the largest pillars in this fortress is the bigoted mythology about atheists. The idea that atheists are amoral? That our lives lack meaning and joy? That we're only atheists so we can reject religious rules? That we hate God? That our atheism is shallow, and we reject it and embrace religion when faced with suffering and death? That we have no basis for human emotions like love and friendship and grief? It's hard to avoid the conclusion that all this mythology exists to keep believers from listening to anything we have to say."
Corporate Profits at All-Time High; Wages at All-Time Low: Can We Call it Class War Yet? -- "As unions declined, so have wages for most people. The Center for American Progress found in a study that as union membership decreases, so does the so-called middle class's share of national income. The middle class long served as a buffer between those at the top and those at the bottom. As long as the majority of Americans were comfortable, had decent jobs and pensions, and could send their kids to school, the wealthy could stay wealthy and the poor were pretty much just ignored. And that middle class was built through decades of union agitation, not just for higher wages and healthcare benefits, but for the eight-hour day, for the weekend, for safety in the workplace and some job security. But now the middle class has been hollowed out. Increasingly, there are the super-super-rich, and there are the rest of us."
"Conscience Clause" Gone AMOK -- Rape Victim Denied Morning After Pill By Prison Guard
And, okay. Closing out tabs and finishing up the policy I'm printing up -- the things that were stuck in the system waiting to be dealt with were taken care of, so I need to get this account off my desk before leaving and tomorrow I can be back to working on the massive account.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth with
comments made.