Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
I Don't Have to Dream Today
...because I have a White Christmas! It's amazing and beautiful. Some of you may wonder why I'm so excited, but I don't remember having a real White Christmas before. A few with dustings of snow, but there's about 3 inches on the ground.
I'm at my brother's house in Athens, Alabama, which is about 15 miles south of the Tennessee border.
i didn't listen to the weather, and had no idea there was a chance of snow. My sister-in-law came into the den where I was reading and asked if I had looked outside, then drew back the curtains onto that beautiful scene. The snow was still falling then. It has stopped now, and melting rapidly, but for a few hours I've felt touched by Grace.... and literally, since the household here includes a cuddly dog named Grace. :-)
Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate. May you and yours be blessed in the coming year.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Druids Celebrate the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge
...as they do every year. Story has a photo slideshow and video.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
9/11 First Responders Bill Passes Senate
Hooray! It is a bit watered down, but still a great thing to help out the 9/11 first responders who have gotten ill since then.
Happy Sundog! - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!
2 reasons -
(1) It's a Corgi - Hi, Mark!
(2) What a terrific expression of joy!
Paul Krugman on Government Employment
Seasonal Fun: Booklover's Carols
Part three, links at the bottom to parts one and two. Christmas carols rewritten by a mystery author.
For Parents: Best Websites for Kids
... from the American Library Associations Division the Association for Library Services to Children. List is updated every year.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Happy Solstice!
May all of you experience love and light as the Sun returns. Ring out, Solstice bells!
Humor: Google Classic
In an alternate timeline, perhaps. Reminds me of a popular saying for t-shirts, mugs, etc. marketed to librarians: Librarians, the Original Search Engine.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Jon Stewart's Outrage over Congressional Failure to Pass Relief for 9/11 Responders
As happy as I am over the DADT repeal, the failure of the bill to give releif to 9/11 responders is outrageous. Jon Stewart does a great job of covering it, including that the major news outlets gave it no coverage at all.
Celebrations of the Winter Solstice
Ok, so it's New York Times day. Just a lot of fascinating stuff, like this article on how the Winter Solstice is celebrated across the world.
Longfellow and Paul Revere's Ride
I love articles like this, that restore the context of a particular literary work. Never knew before that Longfellow was an abolitionist, and that the poem was written at a time of the greatest danger to the nation.
Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) Repealed
Huzzah and hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yeah, I know I'm a little late on this, but didn't do news over the weekend).
Friday, December 17, 2010
Myths about the Old South
The biggest of which is that other causes were as important in secession as slavery.
Have I mentioned how much I hate the Old South, and particularly those who romanticize it? I do, and I think all the more virulently for being a native Southerner.
United States of AutoComplete
Amusing map of what Google's autocomplete comes up with when typing in a state name. I'm happy that for Georgia it is Georgia Tech.
Great Cartoons: Five Sci-Fi Children's Books
Very amusing! Since I've been watching a lot of Dr. Who lately, that one has to be my favorite for now.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mashable: Top Ten Movies for the Modern Tech Geek
List focuses on film technology as well as the subject matter.
Bizarre Blashphemy
Blasphemy charges are always absurd, IMHO, though absurd may not be the right word when people are given the death penalty for it. But the case Ed Brayton mentions is definitely bizarre.
GO to Your ROOM! … NOW! - Daily Squee - Cute Baby Animals
A friend bought for me several pairs of holiday earrings, including a couple with penguins. So, all, I have to say is HAVE A VERY LINUX CHRISTMAS!
Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?
I thought that sounded familiar, and this post has more information than you want to know about it.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Jane Austen and Social Media
Interesting article on young people and their liking for Jane Austen. Especially noteworthy is Austenbook.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Glenn Greenwald on Wikileaks
I'm not really sure how I feel about Wikileaks, but what I'm pretty sure of is that the story is not, for the most part, being covered honestly and fully in the media. Greenwald thus provides a needed corrective and he has been intensively covering the story.
Humor site: Smugopedia
"Smugopedia is a collection of slightly controversial opinions about a variety of subjects. We offer you the chance to buy a fleeting sense of self-satisfaction at the small cost of alienating your friends and loved ones."
Xbox Kinect
Wow! I usually don't advertise products, but had no idea this kind of computing was possible now:
Up From Homophobia
Ed Brayton excerpts from a narrative of someone who was anti-gay and grew out of it, and says this is a common experience. It was for me as well. I don't think I was ever strongly anti-gay, but didn't think it "natural". One of my two best friends in high school came out to me as gay while I was in college and that started my path to acceptance.
Win Prizes from Wolfram/Alpha with Fun Facts
See here for contest information. Can win a copy of Mathematica, an iPad, etc.
Archaeology Goes 3D!
This looks really interesting. I've loved archaelology since I was a little girl and knew an archaeologist who was willing to show me things he did.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Library of Congress and Wikileaks
I pretty much agree with Sarah Houghton-Jan on this one. The Library of Congress is out-of-line. I don't know enough about the legalities of the situation, though.
More Gifts for the Geek
Another (short) list of gadgets for the geek. Some good information on ebook readers, in particular.
Facts on the New START Treaty
from Ed Brayton. Much of the older Republican establishment who have been involved in foreign policy fully support the treaty.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Rosa Parks Ride
I'm a little late in posting this. The 55th anniversary of Rosa Park's ride was Dec. 1st. This post gives some interesting background that one doesn't see that often. She mentions that Mrs. Parks was part of a group that had been trained in passive resistance and had visited the Highlander Folk School, where a number of people worked on ideas for improving the civil rights situation of blacks. Highlander was run by Myles Horton, a labor organizer for many years and a fascinating person in his own right. I read his autobiography, The Long Haul.
Rosa Parks is a hero, and I celebrate her memory.
Interesting Post: Gender Bias, Sexism, and the Science Cheerleaders
An interesting post that links to another interesting post. Makes good points about discrimination and how hard it is to get around the way society ingrains it into us.
Test Your Political IQ
A Pew Research Poll. I got 12 of 12 correct, which is better than 99% of responders. I strongly believe an informed citizenry is the backbone of democracy.
Monday, December 6, 2010
James Madison on the Concept of Property
Ed Brayton has an interesting quote from Madison in which he includes as property civil rights. .
Facts about Federal Worker Salaries
FactCheck.org has done a detailed analysis of the facts over whether federal government workers are overpaid or underpaid, and find that both sides of the debate distort the facts.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Random Hacks of Kindness
...is a global contest to create code for products useful in helping responders to natural disasters. Terrific idea!
A.O. Scott on Leslie Neilsen
I enjoyed Leslie Neilsen quite a lot in both his serious roles (especially Forbidden Planet) and his humorous roles. Scott captures his abilities nicely.
Both Sides Are Not Equal
This article by the columnist Wayne Besen points out once again an issue that has concerned me for a long time: in the media's zeal to present "both sides of an issue" they often present information that is not credible, but fail to point that out.
2 on the Holidays for Parents
Both from Neat New Stuff:
20 Safety Tips for Decorating with Toddlers and Babies
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2357292/20_
safety_tips_for_christmas_decorating.html
Tips on decorating while protecting your children from the trouble their natural curiosity can get them into. You'll be surprised at how dangerous some harmless-looking decorations can be.
Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2010 - New York Times
http://events.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2010/best-
illustrated-childrens-books-2010/list.html?ref=books
Great children's books are wonderful gifts, because when they strike a chord, the child will read them over and over. See also Publishers' Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010,
<http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/
childrens-book-news/article/45090-pw-s-best-children-s-books-2010.html>