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Nov. 19th, 2012 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* We are seven days in on the conflict in Gaza Strip. 105 people are dead. All the major powers including Russia and us are trying to deescalate the situation, encouraging Hamas to stop firing at Israel and for Israel not to do a ground invasion. Everyone, that is, except for US Republicans who want the war to get more violent, to spread to more countries and for the dieing to continue. *facepalm* Seriously, Republicans, stop fucking up our foreign policy! Shut up and let the grown ups handle it, because this isn't a game of Risk or a war reenactment. Real human beings are dieing right now.
* Republicans completely lost on foreign policy:
* And then this happened. I'm tearing up, because it's not something I could have imagined.
* You may have seen President Obama's speech that referenced the treatment of the Rohingyas. Here is a BBC report on what's happening to the Rohingyas in Burma/Myanmar, which will give you a good idea as to why it's urgent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20264719
* "Houston Remembering Our Own TDOR Event Tomorrow:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/houston-remembering-our-own-tdor-event.html
It infuriates me that the HRC is trying to co-opt the Transgender Day of remembrance. They have zero interest in representing our interests the other 364 days of the year and have a long history of refusing to have trans and POC in leadership positions in their organization.
Fuck the HRC.
I'm glad they are trying to take our day back in Houston and I hope that's going to happen elsewhere.
* "Virtual autopsy: discover how the ancient Egyptian Gebelein Man died:" http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2012/11/16/virtual-autopsy-discover-how-the-ancient-egyptian-gebelein-man-died/
* "Is the Harappan civilization 2000 years older?:" http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/11/2012/is-the-harappan-civilisation-2000-years-older
What this means is civilization in India could be as old as or possibly older than Sumerian Civilization. If it's proved it's going to rewrite the history books.
* Re Hostess. I never much liked them, having grown up in Tasty cake country, and being turned off by that whole made of entrails thing. I have zero sympathy for management on this one. They decided that workers should lose their benefits and take a giant pay cut not for the goo of the company, but because management was so greedy they wanted an 75-85% pay increase. That's right, they thought people who worked for a living should be denied a living wage and health care because the rich wanted to be richer. When the workers said no, the management through a tantrum and decided they'd rather kill the company than give back what they stole from their worker. This is a man made disaster caused entirely by greed and spite on the part of management. Fuck Hostess! I am very sorry for the workers who are being royally screwed and are losing their jobs because their company is run by these petty and short sited douchebags. I guess the scum really rises to the top at Hostess.
* One by one, the groceries stores have been remodeling to make room for new hard liquor sections. Most of them are putting them up front, where customers can't avoid walking past. Every time I go shopping, I look at the huge liquor displays and think of all the folks in recovery who must walk the gauntlet of dangerous temptation every time they stop in for innocuous groceries like eggs or orange juice. I get that it's good business, but it feels terribly cruel.
* This is a slightly more complex version of my IQ rant, including some things about the tyranny of expectations, and the way that can get abusive:
What IQ tests mostly test is the ability to memorize. while this has a certain academic value, it's not by itself anything close to what most humans mean when they think of genius. It's useful when trying to figure out where a student's challenges are when combined with a battery of other tests testing other things, but not much else, really.
My school still used them for all students when I was a kid. (I have not only been tested multiple times with the normal test, but with the pre-literate version as a three year old to get into kindergarten. They did not give numbers for scores above 135 on the grounds that anyone scoring above that was likely better at what the test was testing than the people who wrote the test, thus messing with the validity. As a result, I have no clue what my actual number is/was. I don't think it matters.
It was interesting when I was teaching the 8th graders Flowers for Algernon, as the only people in the room who had taken the test were the special education students and myself. The others were understandably curious, but loath to ask the special ed kids for much the same reason they were politely careful about the vocabulary. I would explain about how and why the tests were mostly outdated and of only limited value, that actual intelligence can't be reduced to a number like that, and then we would talk about the specific tests within the standard IQ tests. I never, ever singled out anyone, but generally, there was at least one volunteer happy to talk about it, and I would let them answer questions. It was a fascinating dynamic, and oddly heartwarming, one or more of the kids getting to be experts in a class they often struggled with and all this popular kids being very, very polite and respectful.
At the other end, back in high school, one of my early boyfriends came from a seriously fucked up family. Both parents were academics, and they placed this huge value on intelligence scores. I was dating the eldest. he had a younger brother and sister. My lover had an IQ of … I think it was 150. His brother had 135; his sister had 175. Note all were in official genius range. His parents used to love him until his sister was old enough to be tested and then they only loved her. All the expectations were on her. She was way over scheduled and expected to change the world. She was not allowed to play with “normal” children or pursue interests of her own. She was seven. My boy was expected to go to college and enter a profession, but not much was expected of him. This was rough and he had a lot of issues, but it was hardest on the middle child, the brother, who they treated as if he was a toddler. Every time they got in the car, they explained to him how the seat belt worked. They were constantly reminding him to look both ways when he crossed the street. He was in Middle School at the time. His parents had never loved him and were never going to accept him as a full human being of any value because he was merely a genius. I still remember my quiet horror watching them all interact. They did not care that I was fucking their oldest son as it got him out of their hair so they could focus on the child that mattered. *shudder*
I think that IQ tests are vastly over rated and that we fundamentally aren't sure what genius is. I've seen how devastating those numbers can be when applied at both the high and the low end as a measure of human worth and expectations. I think people get hurt when they don't have to be. I'm glad we're using multiple intelligences now, even if it's a bit flawed, because it gives kids tools to ask for what they need to learn better and it reminds us all that a less narrow definition is a big help to letting people grow without forcing or stifling.
* Attn greenwick: LOTR reenacted by My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Cast:
* It's Ebay time! Three days left!
44 Imps (LE and GC): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816258846
CAT ALLINGHAM 2010 (LE, San Diego Comic-Con): (Company says: Distilled shadows, a bleak desert landscape at midnight: Myroswelia balsam, gaïac wood, obsidian musk, green cumin, patchouli, myrrh, Siamese benzoin, frankincense, champaca, and sand.) To Shoulder. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816266529
ENTANGLED 2012 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements V): (Company says: Kudzu vine, raw honey, ginger cream, and gingergrass.) Tested Once. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816270986
L'ESSENCE DE L'ARDEUR 2012 (LE, Lupercalia, Eros Inquisition): (Company says:Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin.) Just below shoulder http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816272648
GATHERING WILD MUSHROOMS 2012 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements V): (Company says: Wild mushrooms, hay absolute, ginger root, hiba wood, and ginseng.). Tested thrice. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816273417
* Republicans completely lost on foreign policy:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* And then this happened. I'm tearing up, because it's not something I could have imagined.
* You may have seen President Obama's speech that referenced the treatment of the Rohingyas. Here is a BBC report on what's happening to the Rohingyas in Burma/Myanmar, which will give you a good idea as to why it's urgent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20264719
* "Houston Remembering Our Own TDOR Event Tomorrow:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/houston-remembering-our-own-tdor-event.html
It infuriates me that the HRC is trying to co-opt the Transgender Day of remembrance. They have zero interest in representing our interests the other 364 days of the year and have a long history of refusing to have trans and POC in leadership positions in their organization.
Fuck the HRC.
I'm glad they are trying to take our day back in Houston and I hope that's going to happen elsewhere.
* "Virtual autopsy: discover how the ancient Egyptian Gebelein Man died:" http://blog.britishmuseum.org/2012/11/16/virtual-autopsy-discover-how-the-ancient-egyptian-gebelein-man-died/
* "Is the Harappan civilization 2000 years older?:" http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/11/2012/is-the-harappan-civilisation-2000-years-older
What this means is civilization in India could be as old as or possibly older than Sumerian Civilization. If it's proved it's going to rewrite the history books.
* Re Hostess. I never much liked them, having grown up in Tasty cake country, and being turned off by that whole made of entrails thing. I have zero sympathy for management on this one. They decided that workers should lose their benefits and take a giant pay cut not for the goo of the company, but because management was so greedy they wanted an 75-85% pay increase. That's right, they thought people who worked for a living should be denied a living wage and health care because the rich wanted to be richer. When the workers said no, the management through a tantrum and decided they'd rather kill the company than give back what they stole from their worker. This is a man made disaster caused entirely by greed and spite on the part of management. Fuck Hostess! I am very sorry for the workers who are being royally screwed and are losing their jobs because their company is run by these petty and short sited douchebags. I guess the scum really rises to the top at Hostess.
* One by one, the groceries stores have been remodeling to make room for new hard liquor sections. Most of them are putting them up front, where customers can't avoid walking past. Every time I go shopping, I look at the huge liquor displays and think of all the folks in recovery who must walk the gauntlet of dangerous temptation every time they stop in for innocuous groceries like eggs or orange juice. I get that it's good business, but it feels terribly cruel.
* This is a slightly more complex version of my IQ rant, including some things about the tyranny of expectations, and the way that can get abusive:
What IQ tests mostly test is the ability to memorize. while this has a certain academic value, it's not by itself anything close to what most humans mean when they think of genius. It's useful when trying to figure out where a student's challenges are when combined with a battery of other tests testing other things, but not much else, really.
My school still used them for all students when I was a kid. (I have not only been tested multiple times with the normal test, but with the pre-literate version as a three year old to get into kindergarten. They did not give numbers for scores above 135 on the grounds that anyone scoring above that was likely better at what the test was testing than the people who wrote the test, thus messing with the validity. As a result, I have no clue what my actual number is/was. I don't think it matters.
It was interesting when I was teaching the 8th graders Flowers for Algernon, as the only people in the room who had taken the test were the special education students and myself. The others were understandably curious, but loath to ask the special ed kids for much the same reason they were politely careful about the vocabulary. I would explain about how and why the tests were mostly outdated and of only limited value, that actual intelligence can't be reduced to a number like that, and then we would talk about the specific tests within the standard IQ tests. I never, ever singled out anyone, but generally, there was at least one volunteer happy to talk about it, and I would let them answer questions. It was a fascinating dynamic, and oddly heartwarming, one or more of the kids getting to be experts in a class they often struggled with and all this popular kids being very, very polite and respectful.
At the other end, back in high school, one of my early boyfriends came from a seriously fucked up family. Both parents were academics, and they placed this huge value on intelligence scores. I was dating the eldest. he had a younger brother and sister. My lover had an IQ of … I think it was 150. His brother had 135; his sister had 175. Note all were in official genius range. His parents used to love him until his sister was old enough to be tested and then they only loved her. All the expectations were on her. She was way over scheduled and expected to change the world. She was not allowed to play with “normal” children or pursue interests of her own. She was seven. My boy was expected to go to college and enter a profession, but not much was expected of him. This was rough and he had a lot of issues, but it was hardest on the middle child, the brother, who they treated as if he was a toddler. Every time they got in the car, they explained to him how the seat belt worked. They were constantly reminding him to look both ways when he crossed the street. He was in Middle School at the time. His parents had never loved him and were never going to accept him as a full human being of any value because he was merely a genius. I still remember my quiet horror watching them all interact. They did not care that I was fucking their oldest son as it got him out of their hair so they could focus on the child that mattered. *shudder*
I think that IQ tests are vastly over rated and that we fundamentally aren't sure what genius is. I've seen how devastating those numbers can be when applied at both the high and the low end as a measure of human worth and expectations. I think people get hurt when they don't have to be. I'm glad we're using multiple intelligences now, even if it's a bit flawed, because it gives kids tools to ask for what they need to learn better and it reminds us all that a less narrow definition is a big help to letting people grow without forcing or stifling.
* Attn greenwick: LOTR reenacted by My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Cast:
* It's Ebay time! Three days left!
44 Imps (LE and GC): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816258846
CAT ALLINGHAM 2010 (LE, San Diego Comic-Con): (Company says: Distilled shadows, a bleak desert landscape at midnight: Myroswelia balsam, gaïac wood, obsidian musk, green cumin, patchouli, myrrh, Siamese benzoin, frankincense, champaca, and sand.) To Shoulder. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816266529
ENTANGLED 2012 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements V): (Company says: Kudzu vine, raw honey, ginger cream, and gingergrass.) Tested Once. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816270986
L'ESSENCE DE L'ARDEUR 2012 (LE, Lupercalia, Eros Inquisition): (Company says:Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin.) Just below shoulder http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816272648
GATHERING WILD MUSHROOMS 2012 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements V): (Company says: Wild mushrooms, hay absolute, ginger root, hiba wood, and ginseng.). Tested thrice. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300816273417