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Apr. 4th, 2011 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* White Collar, Season 1, keeps making me think of the episode of the fox in the Little Prince. The mutual taming process is very familiar.
I'm mostly over my very personal problem with Peter. I still get randomly blindsided by my very personal problem with Neal, though there is improvement. I knew this going in though. I'm dealing with fourteen years of childhood conditioning, but the process of desensitizing seems worth it just generally. I took to Mozzie right away, of course. I liked that they had Elizabeth laugh wildly at the image of Peter flirting for the team in Vital Signs instead of doing the cliched thing. Just generally I appreciate the attempts to flesh her out. I do rather wish we saw more of June, Clinton Jones, Diana, and the other supporting cast. I definitely prefer an ensemble cast approach to tight focus on two or three characters. I do not love this like I love Leverage, but it's perfectly watchable.
* I only got half the things I ought to have done today due to insomnia wiping me out, but I did get the three most crucial and time dependent things done, so there was that. I also seem to have solved the computer issue, so I can start sorting out my workspace, though cat and fish maintenance needs to come first. I'm still partially deaf, but it's clearly improving.
* Obama's pretty much given up on closing Gitmo. (I'm with John Stewart. I think it would be cathartic for New Yorkers to have public criminal trials of 9/11 conspirators.) He has also officially announced for 2012. Tim Pawlenty has launched the first real attack ad of the 2012 season in response.
* I know about the yet another 737 having it's roof start to come off from metal fatigue. Southwest Airlines has started checking that part, and pulled three motre planes out of rotation. The FAA is announcing a regulation requiring the airlines to do this tomorrow. This is why we need regulations.
In the town where I live, not long after we moved here, some boys were killed when the stream in which they were playing exploded into a fireball and burnt them to death. It turns out there was a pipeline running through the park. Regan era deregulation led to the firing of all but four pipeline inspectors for the United States. The man responsible for inspecting all Western pipelines including Alaska is based in Colorado. Think about all the oil pipelines in our part of the country. What are the odds of that one overworked man checking the pipeline length where you live often enough? In the case of our length of pipeline, a hiker in the park spotted oil rapidly pouring into the water from a leak. He ran along the path, screaming for others to run away at the risk of his own life and limb. The friction of oil over rocks ignited it. We could see the mushroom cloud way over where we lived. The forest all around it burned uncontrollably. The area is only now really recovering. The oil company tried to blame it all on the dead children, even though investigation showed they were innocent victims.
This is what deregulation does. corporations are puiss pour at self regulation. You need the EPA and food inspection, bridge inspection, water quality testing, pipeline testing, mine inspection etc. Government is there to protect you and your families from things like this.
* The Ryan proposal is to kill medicare to pay for yet more tax cuts for the rich. *facepalm* Please Democrats, show spines and go after the Republicans and don't cave.
* Yet another reason Wil Wheaton is cool: He's suggested that people donate the money they would spend going to see the Charlie sheen show to a battered woman's shelter.
* In Indiana, they are planning to force Doctors to read a script with false medical information. If they are right, why are they insisting on lying to make their case? How is it small government to force Doctors to read a script with medical lies in it? Sounds pretty damned intrusive to me. how would people feel if they passed a law to force Doctors to tell patients cigarettes were good for them. It's the same sort of thing: forcing a doctor to lie to promote a special interest's agenda.
There are 18 bills to remove women's reproductive autonomy moving through state Legislaters right now.
Explain to me again how this is meant to create jobs again?
* We are no longer officially supporting the Yemeni government, but they are still using our military aid to do things like sniper shoot protesters in the head.
* The incredibly brave Iman al-Obeidi continues to speak out about government rape of women in Libya and her own abuse at their hands. I very much hope she survives as Libya needs women like her.
Props to her family and tribe for standing behind her.
* I do not see a takeover by other Qaddafis as an improvement.
* They found the bodies of the missing reactor workers in japan in a basement four days ago, but have only announced it today. They are pouring radioactive water into the ocean now.
* I am disappointed in Francesca Lia Block for staying in the Pretty Wicked Things anthology.
The publisher has but out a press release likening themselves to the gay youth who killed himself due to cyber bullying and the authors standing up against anti-gay discrimination to bullies. They have also called them liars for quoting public statements by the editor and publisher.
That's a whole lot of eeeeeew in one place.
* A thing on Labor history: http://feyandstrange.livejournal.com/1074989.html
I should probably write on the Everett Massacre, but I haven't the heart.
* I'm hearing rumblings that suggest another round of "prayer in school" argument may be coming. Here's my take as someone who taught for a living.
1. No one is stopping individual students from praying on their own time. 2. What this is really about is coercive prayer. Things like required prayer or the bullying of students for refusing to participate by either teachers, administration or students. This is really about freedom from religion, which is why the case law has generally gone in favour of people wanting the right not to participate. 3. One of the districts I worked used to force us to herd the kinds in to listen to hymns at Christmas time. We had Sikh and Hindu students. I myself, am Buddhist. I resented the fuck out of being made to listen to what amounted to a religious ceremony on pain of firing. I was not sure what I would do if a student tried to leave, as I was required by my employers to stop them, and I couldn't in all conscience do it. Now imagine how the non-christian kids in the room felt. That was the only Middle School in their district. There was no where to transfer to. (Yes, this was illegal). I'm not okay with that sort of religious proselytizing in a setting where one can not opt out. I am not okay with using public money to do it.
That's what the prayer in schools debate is really about. Christian students are not being oppressed as they can pray individually in non-disruptive ways. If the Religious Right have their way, they will be able to legally harass and proselytize students at public school with public money in a setting where non-christian students aren't allowed to leave or opt out. All with public money.
I'm mostly over my very personal problem with Peter. I still get randomly blindsided by my very personal problem with Neal, though there is improvement. I knew this going in though. I'm dealing with fourteen years of childhood conditioning, but the process of desensitizing seems worth it just generally. I took to Mozzie right away, of course. I liked that they had Elizabeth laugh wildly at the image of Peter flirting for the team in Vital Signs instead of doing the cliched thing. Just generally I appreciate the attempts to flesh her out. I do rather wish we saw more of June, Clinton Jones, Diana, and the other supporting cast. I definitely prefer an ensemble cast approach to tight focus on two or three characters. I do not love this like I love Leverage, but it's perfectly watchable.
* I only got half the things I ought to have done today due to insomnia wiping me out, but I did get the three most crucial and time dependent things done, so there was that. I also seem to have solved the computer issue, so I can start sorting out my workspace, though cat and fish maintenance needs to come first. I'm still partially deaf, but it's clearly improving.
* Obama's pretty much given up on closing Gitmo. (I'm with John Stewart. I think it would be cathartic for New Yorkers to have public criminal trials of 9/11 conspirators.) He has also officially announced for 2012. Tim Pawlenty has launched the first real attack ad of the 2012 season in response.
* I know about the yet another 737 having it's roof start to come off from metal fatigue. Southwest Airlines has started checking that part, and pulled three motre planes out of rotation. The FAA is announcing a regulation requiring the airlines to do this tomorrow. This is why we need regulations.
In the town where I live, not long after we moved here, some boys were killed when the stream in which they were playing exploded into a fireball and burnt them to death. It turns out there was a pipeline running through the park. Regan era deregulation led to the firing of all but four pipeline inspectors for the United States. The man responsible for inspecting all Western pipelines including Alaska is based in Colorado. Think about all the oil pipelines in our part of the country. What are the odds of that one overworked man checking the pipeline length where you live often enough? In the case of our length of pipeline, a hiker in the park spotted oil rapidly pouring into the water from a leak. He ran along the path, screaming for others to run away at the risk of his own life and limb. The friction of oil over rocks ignited it. We could see the mushroom cloud way over where we lived. The forest all around it burned uncontrollably. The area is only now really recovering. The oil company tried to blame it all on the dead children, even though investigation showed they were innocent victims.
This is what deregulation does. corporations are puiss pour at self regulation. You need the EPA and food inspection, bridge inspection, water quality testing, pipeline testing, mine inspection etc. Government is there to protect you and your families from things like this.
* The Ryan proposal is to kill medicare to pay for yet more tax cuts for the rich. *facepalm* Please Democrats, show spines and go after the Republicans and don't cave.
* Yet another reason Wil Wheaton is cool: He's suggested that people donate the money they would spend going to see the Charlie sheen show to a battered woman's shelter.
* In Indiana, they are planning to force Doctors to read a script with false medical information. If they are right, why are they insisting on lying to make their case? How is it small government to force Doctors to read a script with medical lies in it? Sounds pretty damned intrusive to me. how would people feel if they passed a law to force Doctors to tell patients cigarettes were good for them. It's the same sort of thing: forcing a doctor to lie to promote a special interest's agenda.
There are 18 bills to remove women's reproductive autonomy moving through state Legislaters right now.
Explain to me again how this is meant to create jobs again?
* We are no longer officially supporting the Yemeni government, but they are still using our military aid to do things like sniper shoot protesters in the head.
* The incredibly brave Iman al-Obeidi continues to speak out about government rape of women in Libya and her own abuse at their hands. I very much hope she survives as Libya needs women like her.
Props to her family and tribe for standing behind her.
* I do not see a takeover by other Qaddafis as an improvement.
* They found the bodies of the missing reactor workers in japan in a basement four days ago, but have only announced it today. They are pouring radioactive water into the ocean now.
* I am disappointed in Francesca Lia Block for staying in the Pretty Wicked Things anthology.
The publisher has but out a press release likening themselves to the gay youth who killed himself due to cyber bullying and the authors standing up against anti-gay discrimination to bullies. They have also called them liars for quoting public statements by the editor and publisher.
That's a whole lot of eeeeeew in one place.
* A thing on Labor history: http://feyandstrange.livejournal.com/1074989.html
I should probably write on the Everett Massacre, but I haven't the heart.
* I'm hearing rumblings that suggest another round of "prayer in school" argument may be coming. Here's my take as someone who taught for a living.
1. No one is stopping individual students from praying on their own time. 2. What this is really about is coercive prayer. Things like required prayer or the bullying of students for refusing to participate by either teachers, administration or students. This is really about freedom from religion, which is why the case law has generally gone in favour of people wanting the right not to participate. 3. One of the districts I worked used to force us to herd the kinds in to listen to hymns at Christmas time. We had Sikh and Hindu students. I myself, am Buddhist. I resented the fuck out of being made to listen to what amounted to a religious ceremony on pain of firing. I was not sure what I would do if a student tried to leave, as I was required by my employers to stop them, and I couldn't in all conscience do it. Now imagine how the non-christian kids in the room felt. That was the only Middle School in their district. There was no where to transfer to. (Yes, this was illegal). I'm not okay with that sort of religious proselytizing in a setting where one can not opt out. I am not okay with using public money to do it.
That's what the prayer in schools debate is really about. Christian students are not being oppressed as they can pray individually in non-disruptive ways. If the Religious Right have their way, they will be able to legally harass and proselytize students at public school with public money in a setting where non-christian students aren't allowed to leave or opt out. All with public money.