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Apr. 3rd, 2012 03:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* The Syrian government continues to shell civilians even as talks go on to prevent "the situation becoming militarized." I do not understand how using tanks and artillery against children counts as "not militarized." The government murdered approximately 65 people today and is torturing a citizen reporter, one of the brave heros who was first to take up a camera to document the genocide.
* I'm reading up on the current situation in Mali in drips and drabbles. It's complex and hard to turn into sound bites. There also seems to be a lot of source conflict. I suspect it's not getting much press because there is no oil there and the salt routes stopped becing a big deal ages ago. There is nothing much for folks like us, Russia, and China to want, so it's easy to ignore. If someone is more up on that part of Africa, I'd love to see what you have to see.
Anyway, it's looking like there is a secular and a theocratic arm of the rebellion which are busy disavowing each other. Oh, and remember those tanks spotted heading toward Mali as Qaddafi's government was falling? Guess where they turned up with a lot of other government arms. Yeah. Apparently, a lot of Qaddafi's soldiers were expat Tuareg from a previous revolt and sympathizers, so it made sense for them to go south with all their equipment. There is reason to suspect that the government has some ties to al-Qaeda, though I haven't seen the evidence on that, but the theocratic Iyad ag Ghali, who did a radical Isalamist rant has made it easy to tar the mostly secular rebellion with the al-Qaeda brush. Like I said, complicated and not good for sound bites or attractive for looting by Xe and Halliburton.
Seriously, I'm not kidding about wanting to hear more expert opinion.
* A former nursing student opened fire at Oikos University in California killing seven and wounding three. He turned himself in to an employee at a Safeway, who called the cops. No word on the whys and wherefores.
* An fire in Moscow burned 15 migrant workers to death who had no means of egress from the rooms above the market where they slept in cramped bunk four high. There is something particularly horrible about situations like that where there is simply no means of escape.
* DC, Maryland, and Wisconsin vote tomorrow.
* Meanwhile, Right wing christian terrorists firebombed a Planned Parenhood clinic in Wisconsin. Luckily, no one was heart and damage was minimal so they are reopening election day.
* For some reason the Republican message that women are not bright enough to make their own medial decisions so doctors need to lie to them for their own good and white male politicians should make their medical decisions for them is not playing well with female swing voters according to polls. Similarly, republican opposition to the Dream Act and the pervasive racist language is not playing well with Latinos/as for some reason according to the latest polls. Both these things are a surprise to republicans and they are now out explaining how women and Latinas/os don't understand that these republican agenda items are in their own interest and that they'll change their minds in the Fall. Let's hope not.
* Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum is out spreading santorum again, claiming the University of California system doesn't teach American history, this despite easily available course catalogs with American history courses in them. He has still not apologized about his made up claims that the Dutch murder their old people. All questions about the lies only garner the response that, "It was what's in his heart" and "he's pro-life." Why these non sequiturs excuse make things up and slandering a whole country is not explained.
* On women lawmakers protesting the latest Republican Law intended to harm women, and one male Republican decenter with actual humanity left: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#46934019
* On the latest news in the Suspension of Democracy in Michigan in favour of indefinite one party rule: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#46934212
* I wanted to show you an interview with the deposed (and only elected) resident of the Maldives from a couple weeks ago discussing the fact that in seven years the islands will be gone thanks to global warming and how his efforts to try to stop this and failing that plan for the entire country to be evacuated led to the former dictator deposing him, but it wa on a channel that did not video links. He turned up on the Daily Show. The interview is much shorter and less nuanced than the one I wanted to show you, but his cause is important and the man himself is a pretty amazing and admirable person. It starts here, but being an extended interview is a multi-parter: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-2-2012/exclusive---mohamed-nasheed-extended-interview-pt--1
* They also did a lovely thing on legislating the removal of the Mexican bits of South West history: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-2-2012/tucson-s-mexican-american-studies-ban
* I misstated yesterday. The audio experts eliminated Zimmerman is the one calling for help. The voice is younger but they need better samples of Trayvon to make a match.
* I assumed the Colbert Super Pac Fun Pac was a joke, but he's really selling Super Pac starter kits. O.o I wish I had that kind of energy because it really would be fun: https://secure.donationreport.com/productlist.html?key=8NFZLO1E96AG
* Hector was particularly adverse to me getting any sleep today and as a result I was below average mobile, which really did not help. I foraged, got bubble mailers for ebay, found asparagus roots and a lone hyacinth, bought perishables and stuff from the farmer's market, and hobbled home to do panting, at which point I discovered the ground was not as deep as it really needs to be, so I'm leaning heavier on the planters than I wanted too. People keep tossing garbage onto our patio despite the trash can being ten feet away. Gah! At this point I'm likely going to give up on hyacinths for the year. I've wasted numerous trips over a couple of months and no bulbs were to be had. Dinner was excellent as I had coconut milk and enough raspberries for smoothies, and Tzatziki on paratha. Omnomnom. Then there was packing up ebay and bills. Sigh. It was at this point I discovered Hector had groomed himself bloody. Always a bad sign.
* Look, Purple Hyacinths are my very flowers, okay? They are pleasing to the eye, the nose, the hand. I'm not kidding about it being my favorite floral scent of all. There are also personal reasons to do with my childhood, along with a bunch of personal symbolic connotations. I really did want three to five bulbs. I suppose I should be glad I got even one given how hard they were to find this year. I saved the pot I was going to put them in just in case the place a block away was telling the truth about bulbs coming in this week.
* Ah, ebay. One of the people who scored a ridiculously cheap rare (only a hundred made) still hasn't paid. I'm mailing the others out tomorrow without it, which means an extra trip when they do pay. (I'm usually a next day shipper, but I ran out of the good mailers and had to get more today, which meant even if I flipped it fast I had not enough left for postage, hence me buying garden stuff with the bit of extra. It makes sense. Anyway, there is money tomorrow so they go out then. I'm just pissed that I have to do a whole extra trip.)
* "Live Lizards Found in Girl’s Stomach:" http://thequackdoctor.com/index.php/live-lizards-found-in-girls-stomach/
* More limited edition "Wicked Girls saving myself" tee shirts for sale. I love the song and the concept, but on me it's false advertising. Sizes go up to 6x: http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/435860.html
* Imagining Narnian Art: http://snacky.dreamwidth.org/703131.html
* I'm reading up on the current situation in Mali in drips and drabbles. It's complex and hard to turn into sound bites. There also seems to be a lot of source conflict. I suspect it's not getting much press because there is no oil there and the salt routes stopped becing a big deal ages ago. There is nothing much for folks like us, Russia, and China to want, so it's easy to ignore. If someone is more up on that part of Africa, I'd love to see what you have to see.
Anyway, it's looking like there is a secular and a theocratic arm of the rebellion which are busy disavowing each other. Oh, and remember those tanks spotted heading toward Mali as Qaddafi's government was falling? Guess where they turned up with a lot of other government arms. Yeah. Apparently, a lot of Qaddafi's soldiers were expat Tuareg from a previous revolt and sympathizers, so it made sense for them to go south with all their equipment. There is reason to suspect that the government has some ties to al-Qaeda, though I haven't seen the evidence on that, but the theocratic Iyad ag Ghali, who did a radical Isalamist rant has made it easy to tar the mostly secular rebellion with the al-Qaeda brush. Like I said, complicated and not good for sound bites or attractive for looting by Xe and Halliburton.
Seriously, I'm not kidding about wanting to hear more expert opinion.
* A former nursing student opened fire at Oikos University in California killing seven and wounding three. He turned himself in to an employee at a Safeway, who called the cops. No word on the whys and wherefores.
* An fire in Moscow burned 15 migrant workers to death who had no means of egress from the rooms above the market where they slept in cramped bunk four high. There is something particularly horrible about situations like that where there is simply no means of escape.
* DC, Maryland, and Wisconsin vote tomorrow.
* Meanwhile, Right wing christian terrorists firebombed a Planned Parenhood clinic in Wisconsin. Luckily, no one was heart and damage was minimal so they are reopening election day.
* For some reason the Republican message that women are not bright enough to make their own medial decisions so doctors need to lie to them for their own good and white male politicians should make their medical decisions for them is not playing well with female swing voters according to polls. Similarly, republican opposition to the Dream Act and the pervasive racist language is not playing well with Latinos/as for some reason according to the latest polls. Both these things are a surprise to republicans and they are now out explaining how women and Latinas/os don't understand that these republican agenda items are in their own interest and that they'll change their minds in the Fall. Let's hope not.
* Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum is out spreading santorum again, claiming the University of California system doesn't teach American history, this despite easily available course catalogs with American history courses in them. He has still not apologized about his made up claims that the Dutch murder their old people. All questions about the lies only garner the response that, "It was what's in his heart" and "he's pro-life." Why these non sequiturs excuse make things up and slandering a whole country is not explained.
* On women lawmakers protesting the latest Republican Law intended to harm women, and one male Republican decenter with actual humanity left: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#46934019
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* On the latest news in the Suspension of Democracy in Michigan in favour of indefinite one party rule: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#46934212
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* I wanted to show you an interview with the deposed (and only elected) resident of the Maldives from a couple weeks ago discussing the fact that in seven years the islands will be gone thanks to global warming and how his efforts to try to stop this and failing that plan for the entire country to be evacuated led to the former dictator deposing him, but it wa on a channel that did not video links. He turned up on the Daily Show. The interview is much shorter and less nuanced than the one I wanted to show you, but his cause is important and the man himself is a pretty amazing and admirable person. It starts here, but being an extended interview is a multi-parter: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-2-2012/exclusive---mohamed-nasheed-extended-interview-pt--1
* They also did a lovely thing on legislating the removal of the Mexican bits of South West history: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-2-2012/tucson-s-mexican-american-studies-ban
* I misstated yesterday. The audio experts eliminated Zimmerman is the one calling for help. The voice is younger but they need better samples of Trayvon to make a match.
* I assumed the Colbert Super Pac Fun Pac was a joke, but he's really selling Super Pac starter kits. O.o I wish I had that kind of energy because it really would be fun: https://secure.donationreport.com/productlist.html?key=8NFZLO1E96AG
* Hector was particularly adverse to me getting any sleep today and as a result I was below average mobile, which really did not help. I foraged, got bubble mailers for ebay, found asparagus roots and a lone hyacinth, bought perishables and stuff from the farmer's market, and hobbled home to do panting, at which point I discovered the ground was not as deep as it really needs to be, so I'm leaning heavier on the planters than I wanted too. People keep tossing garbage onto our patio despite the trash can being ten feet away. Gah! At this point I'm likely going to give up on hyacinths for the year. I've wasted numerous trips over a couple of months and no bulbs were to be had. Dinner was excellent as I had coconut milk and enough raspberries for smoothies, and Tzatziki on paratha. Omnomnom. Then there was packing up ebay and bills. Sigh. It was at this point I discovered Hector had groomed himself bloody. Always a bad sign.
* Look, Purple Hyacinths are my very flowers, okay? They are pleasing to the eye, the nose, the hand. I'm not kidding about it being my favorite floral scent of all. There are also personal reasons to do with my childhood, along with a bunch of personal symbolic connotations. I really did want three to five bulbs. I suppose I should be glad I got even one given how hard they were to find this year. I saved the pot I was going to put them in just in case the place a block away was telling the truth about bulbs coming in this week.
* Ah, ebay. One of the people who scored a ridiculously cheap rare (only a hundred made) still hasn't paid. I'm mailing the others out tomorrow without it, which means an extra trip when they do pay. (I'm usually a next day shipper, but I ran out of the good mailers and had to get more today, which meant even if I flipped it fast I had not enough left for postage, hence me buying garden stuff with the bit of extra. It makes sense. Anyway, there is money tomorrow so they go out then. I'm just pissed that I have to do a whole extra trip.)
* "Live Lizards Found in Girl’s Stomach:" http://thequackdoctor.com/index.php/live-lizards-found-in-girls-stomach/
* More limited edition "Wicked Girls saving myself" tee shirts for sale. I love the song and the concept, but on me it's false advertising. Sizes go up to 6x: http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/435860.html
* Imagining Narnian Art: http://snacky.dreamwidth.org/703131.html