27 January 2012
DAY EIGHTY POST THREE
i have a mission, which i've had for a while. get someone from tuvalu to read this blog. next week, i'm making it my 2012 goals to send (read: spam) the blog to everyone i can find on the internet who resides in tuvalu. in other news, rachael is going on a ski holiday in the country i was first obsessed with, ANDORRA! SO JEALOUS. SO SO JEALOUS.
26 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY NINE POST TWO
In other news, IT BEGINS.
An Upcoming Change to CS Groups
Dear CouchSurfer,
You're receiving this message because you have posted in CouchSurfing groups. We wanted you to be aware that an upcoming change to the website will make public CS groups accessible by search engines. This means that if you would like to know if anyone on CouchSurfing has given advice that might help your trip, you could use Google to search for "CouchSurfing best restaurants New York" (for example) to see. It also means that it will now be possible for non-members to find limited information from our groups through search engines.
Privacy is very important to us. Here's what is important to know about this change:
* You may delete any post that you have made. We have installed a new privacy feature that allows you to delete any of your group posts. You can view a full list of your past group posts here. Click on any that you would like to view, and you'll see a "delete" button on the post itself.
* If someone searches your name, your posts will not be found. The names of post authors are visible to humans, but not to search engines.
* Names of post authors will not link to their profiles. Viewers who are not logged in can not click on your name to view your profile, even if your profile is public.
* Your photo will not be visible. All member photos are hidden in group threads from anyone who is not logged in.
* Private groups will not be visible to search engines.
This change will happen in one week, on February 1.
If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. More information can also be found in this blog post.
Happy Surfing!
The CouchSurfing Team
An Upcoming Change to CS Groups
Dear CouchSurfer,
You're receiving this message because you have posted in CouchSurfing groups. We wanted you to be aware that an upcoming change to the website will make public CS groups accessible by search engines. This means that if you would like to know if anyone on CouchSurfing has given advice that might help your trip, you could use Google to search for "CouchSurfing best restaurants New York" (for example) to see. It also means that it will now be possible for non-members to find limited information from our groups through search engines.
Privacy is very important to us. Here's what is important to know about this change:
* You may delete any post that you have made. We have installed a new privacy feature that allows you to delete any of your group posts. You can view a full list of your past group posts here. Click on any that you would like to view, and you'll see a "delete" button on the post itself.
* If someone searches your name, your posts will not be found. The names of post authors are visible to humans, but not to search engines.
* Names of post authors will not link to their profiles. Viewers who are not logged in can not click on your name to view your profile, even if your profile is public.
* Your photo will not be visible. All member photos are hidden in group threads from anyone who is not logged in.
* Private groups will not be visible to search engines.
This change will happen in one week, on February 1.
If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. More information can also be found in this blog post.
Happy Surfing!
The CouchSurfing Team
DAY SEVENTY NINE
In college, I worked extensively with a group called Students for Economic Jusice, a student activist group that worked for labor and human rights, and part of a national group called the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). In particular, the group aimed to get McPherson, the president of the university - who was also a member of Young Americans for Freedom - to join a certain group to monitor sweatshops.
As an aside, in its new iteration, MSU's YAF was identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as being a hate group - mentioning their actions against SEJ and MEXA (Movimiento Estudiantil Xican@ de Aztlan, particularly with their well-conceived "catch an illegal" day, where they planned to have people dress up in "Mexican" costumes and then rally the troups, chasing the folks throughout town, a Qur'an desecration day, bringing minuteman to campus and mocking a former Coke employee who had asylum due to threats being made against him (and friends killed) from attempting to unionize a Coke plant in Columbia. Brilliant. Read more about the group and winners involved here, and here.
I digress. McPherson - who wasn't all bad, but kinda was - was adamently opposed to Michigan State University adopting a certain code of coduct, the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), which has much stronger labor oversight of sweatshops where university apparel is produced. Instead, the University stayed part of the Fair Labor Association, a group started and run by MNC companies with such partial companies as Nike, Reebok and Adidas, with no labor oversight whatsoever. There were severe problems with the FLA, for sure. Eventually, after years of work, the University joined the WRC. Sadly, it probably had more to do with when McPherson left MSU to go fiddle with Iraq's economy than our protests - but, because we had to do actions for so much longer than most universities, we got out of the same ole boring sweatshop fashion show or dye-ins to other actions, like a snow 'thing' [ED. LOOK! JIM WROTE A CHAPTER AND I'M IN IT!], a chill-in, flash dance for justice, keg stands (root beer) for justice, and a whole lot more laid out in this document under creative tactics.
Cut to today, where people on facebook are sending around a number of articles tracing the last two weeks of one worker creating Apple iPads. Lai Xiaodong, 22, moved to Chengdu to work for $22 a day. Though Apple has a code of conduct for suppliers, laying out certain rights, including working 60 hours or less a week and prohibiting child labor, its own progress report indicated there were numerous issues with compliance. Lai was killed in a factory explosion that burned 90% of his body, but he didn't die immediately, taking two days to finally succumb. This came after an advocacy group warned Apple of the abuses and dangers in its plants. Foxconn, the company that became well known a few years back for its astounding rate of employee suicide, wired his family a check for $150,000.
To show how serious it is about stopping labor abuses, Apple has made a big production about joining the FLA - which, as you know from above, may be better than nothing but is viewed suspiciously by watchdog groups as being a way to appease the public while not really solving labor abuses. Is it a coincidence that Apple is highly publicizing its movement to join the FLA at this time - a time when the public is more focused on its labor rights violations than before?
Turns out that Labor Notes also wrote an article about the current developments at Apple. The conclusion is, for me, inevitable: "In sum, Apple is now doing what Nike has been doing for nearly 15 years: the apology-plus-transparency formula, straight out of the manuals offered by “reputation management” consultants."
Seems to me like SACOM (Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior) would be a better watchdog group. SACOM - the group that released a report highlighting factory problems in Lai's factory a mere two weeks before his death - has extensive experience working with Foxconn and other electronics sweatshops. Here's hoping that Apple joining the FLA doesn't distract the public, and that actual change will be possible.
As an aside, in its new iteration, MSU's YAF was identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as being a hate group - mentioning their actions against SEJ and MEXA (Movimiento Estudiantil Xican@ de Aztlan, particularly with their well-conceived "catch an illegal" day, where they planned to have people dress up in "Mexican" costumes and then rally the troups, chasing the folks throughout town, a Qur'an desecration day, bringing minuteman to campus and mocking a former Coke employee who had asylum due to threats being made against him (and friends killed) from attempting to unionize a Coke plant in Columbia. Brilliant. Read more about the group and winners involved here, and here.
I digress. McPherson - who wasn't all bad, but kinda was - was adamently opposed to Michigan State University adopting a certain code of coduct, the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), which has much stronger labor oversight of sweatshops where university apparel is produced. Instead, the University stayed part of the Fair Labor Association, a group started and run by MNC companies with such partial companies as Nike, Reebok and Adidas, with no labor oversight whatsoever. There were severe problems with the FLA, for sure. Eventually, after years of work, the University joined the WRC. Sadly, it probably had more to do with when McPherson left MSU to go fiddle with Iraq's economy than our protests - but, because we had to do actions for so much longer than most universities, we got out of the same ole boring sweatshop fashion show or dye-ins to other actions, like a snow 'thing' [ED. LOOK! JIM WROTE A CHAPTER AND I'M IN IT!], a chill-in, flash dance for justice, keg stands (root beer) for justice, and a whole lot more laid out in this document under creative tactics.
Cut to today, where people on facebook are sending around a number of articles tracing the last two weeks of one worker creating Apple iPads. Lai Xiaodong, 22, moved to Chengdu to work for $22 a day. Though Apple has a code of conduct for suppliers, laying out certain rights, including working 60 hours or less a week and prohibiting child labor, its own progress report indicated there were numerous issues with compliance. Lai was killed in a factory explosion that burned 90% of his body, but he didn't die immediately, taking two days to finally succumb. This came after an advocacy group warned Apple of the abuses and dangers in its plants. Foxconn, the company that became well known a few years back for its astounding rate of employee suicide, wired his family a check for $150,000.
To show how serious it is about stopping labor abuses, Apple has made a big production about joining the FLA - which, as you know from above, may be better than nothing but is viewed suspiciously by watchdog groups as being a way to appease the public while not really solving labor abuses. Is it a coincidence that Apple is highly publicizing its movement to join the FLA at this time - a time when the public is more focused on its labor rights violations than before?
Turns out that Labor Notes also wrote an article about the current developments at Apple. The conclusion is, for me, inevitable: "In sum, Apple is now doing what Nike has been doing for nearly 15 years: the apology-plus-transparency formula, straight out of the manuals offered by “reputation management” consultants."
Seems to me like SACOM (Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior) would be a better watchdog group. SACOM - the group that released a report highlighting factory problems in Lai's factory a mere two weeks before his death - has extensive experience working with Foxconn and other electronics sweatshops. Here's hoping that Apple joining the FLA doesn't distract the public, and that actual change will be possible.
25 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY EIGHT
throat. serious pain. fever. ow.
cool news! the turkish government has now mandated that everyone in the country buy into their socialist health care system. which is fine, except they won't accept private coverage instead, meaning that my nice american insurance that i paid for two months ago doesn't count :(
i'm now a fully formed adult with a light in the front hall, a functioning shower, and no bed. and one cat too many. here's towards hoping that jordan still wants shortbus.
PIRATES IN THE NEWS!! I am in love with pirates. ARRRGH. Except now they've moved towards being land pirates and that's a little less cool and eco-warriory and a bit more just kidnappy and terroristy.
Turkey in the Times! For Bathonea, possibly a port sattelite town of Istanbu, or part of Istanbul itself. But ew:
cool news! the turkish government has now mandated that everyone in the country buy into their socialist health care system. which is fine, except they won't accept private coverage instead, meaning that my nice american insurance that i paid for two months ago doesn't count :(
i'm now a fully formed adult with a light in the front hall, a functioning shower, and no bed. and one cat too many. here's towards hoping that jordan still wants shortbus.
PIRATES IN THE NEWS!! I am in love with pirates. ARRRGH. Except now they've moved towards being land pirates and that's a little less cool and eco-warriory and a bit more just kidnappy and terroristy.
The official said that local leaders in the area were pleased with the rescue operation, because there is little sympathy for the pirate gangs, who are blamed for sullying Somalia’s reputation and causing inflation by carelessly spending millions of dollars of ransom money.
Turkey in the Times! For Bathonea, possibly a port sattelite town of Istanbu, or part of Istanbul itself. But ew:
No shipwrecks have been found at Bathonea; nor are they likely to be anytime soon, said Mr. Oniz, the underwater archaeologist. The lake is so polluted by industrial runoff that diving in it is dangerous, he said. A new water-treatment facility may make exploration possible within a few years.
24 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY SEVEN
Interesting news from the legal world today. The Supreme Court ruled that police attaching a GPS device onto a car constitutes a search, so they may need to get a warrant. Even Scalia thought that it may be required, while Alito thinks it's always required for tracking over long periods of time.
If you don't read postsecret, you should. My favorite one is from a few weeks ago and includes the typical gamut of life, death, sadness and happiness.
Are you eating gay food or straight food?
US politics edition part two: contraception is now covered to the same extent as viagra under health plans.
US politics part III - death penalty!! Remember that guy whose appeal of his conviction for the death penalty was totally messed up because the attorneys assigned to work with him quit Sullivan and Cromwell and the mailroom sent back all information about his appeals? Check this website for a fuller history along with a ton of links about it. Whoops. Read the stuff - it's horrible - but at least he gets an appeal, even if it was unwilling to say that he had inadequate assistance of counsel. That Scalia!
And I just saw xkcd's SOPA protest. I love it as much as I love the webcomic. And its references to calvin and hobbes.
Finally, 1/998001 generates a fascinating series.
If you don't read postsecret, you should. My favorite one is from a few weeks ago and includes the typical gamut of life, death, sadness and happiness.
Are you eating gay food or straight food?
US politics edition part two: contraception is now covered to the same extent as viagra under health plans.
US politics part III - death penalty!! Remember that guy whose appeal of his conviction for the death penalty was totally messed up because the attorneys assigned to work with him quit Sullivan and Cromwell and the mailroom sent back all information about his appeals? Check this website for a fuller history along with a ton of links about it. Whoops. Read the stuff - it's horrible - but at least he gets an appeal, even if it was unwilling to say that he had inadequate assistance of counsel. That Scalia!
In his opinion, Scalia argues that Maples was, in fact, being represented by legal counsel during the appeals process because other lawyers at the firm had helped with the pro bono case. The theoretical possibility that someone at Sullivan & Cromwell was still secretly working on Maples’s case cannot be taken seriously. The most disturbing part of Scalia’s dissent, however, is his argument that the Court’s decision “invites future evisceration of the principle that defendants are responsible for the mistakes of their attorneys.” Scalia seems to take for granted that reconsidering penalties against defendants for their poor legal representation would be a bad thing. Writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg found that Maples’s failure to meet the deadline was legally excusable. “A client cannot be charged with the acts or omissions of an attorney who has abandoned him,” she wrote.
Coleman v. Thompson. According to the decision, if Maples’s lawyers missed a deadline because of gross negligence rather than outright abandonment, Maples would have had no legal recourse.
And I just saw xkcd's SOPA protest. I love it as much as I love the webcomic. And its references to calvin and hobbes.
Finally, 1/998001 generates a fascinating series.
23 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY FIVE AND SIX
left a day out there, for pretty sure.
One of my favorite people in the city returned to Austin, Texas. Once her going away skit is up on youtube, I'll link to it. In the meanwhile, watch one of her things here: Shit Yabancilar Say. I'm the bewelcomer!
Listening to a lot of math rock today, in between bouts of Someone I Used to Know. Listen. Love.
My sister's baby started crawling last week. Since her husband (and possibly she) are convinced that every single person on the internet is a pedophile and would uniquely target her child, which could then somehow translate into real life attacks, there's a completely ridiculous ban on us posting pictures or videos of her child. {Note: I do encourage you to take some candid pictures when they're out in public, though.) Instead, we asked this kindly volunteer to demonstrate what her child crawling looks like. Look for the person, not the penguin. Also, please look at these cute baby pictures here and here and here. I wonder how those children are coping with the fame and pedophiles?
Why not wear pajamas all day? Well:
The year of 2012 HOT (Herkes on Top) a movement for self improvement has been going quite well. Although I didn't get a violin last weekend, I did manage to go to the t-town throwdown and buy what I now know are daikon, celery root (kind of cheating as I did cook it once before) and something called a watermelon radish. I'll update this once I have a review of each of the aforementioned veggies.
Finally, Noelle, our Christmas kitty who we've subsequently named Shortbus for her wit and intelligence has found a new house! She's absolutely adorable, and will be loved perpetually for her looks alone.
One of my favorite people in the city returned to Austin, Texas. Once her going away skit is up on youtube, I'll link to it. In the meanwhile, watch one of her things here: Shit Yabancilar Say. I'm the bewelcomer!
Listening to a lot of math rock today, in between bouts of Someone I Used to Know. Listen. Love.
My sister's baby started crawling last week. Since her husband (and possibly she) are convinced that every single person on the internet is a pedophile and would uniquely target her child, which could then somehow translate into real life attacks, there's a completely ridiculous ban on us posting pictures or videos of her child. {Note: I do encourage you to take some candid pictures when they're out in public, though.) Instead, we asked this kindly volunteer to demonstrate what her child crawling looks like. Look for the person, not the penguin. Also, please look at these cute baby pictures here and here and here. I wonder how those children are coping with the fame and pedophiles?
Why not wear pajamas all day? Well:
"The moral fiber in America is dwindling away," Mr. Williams says. "It's pajamas today; what is it going to be tomorrow? Walking around in your underwear?"
The year of 2012 HOT (Herkes on Top) a movement for self improvement has been going quite well. Although I didn't get a violin last weekend, I did manage to go to the t-town throwdown and buy what I now know are daikon, celery root (kind of cheating as I did cook it once before) and something called a watermelon radish. I'll update this once I have a review of each of the aforementioned veggies.
Finally, Noelle, our Christmas kitty who we've subsequently named Shortbus for her wit and intelligence has found a new house! She's absolutely adorable, and will be loved perpetually for her looks alone.
19 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY FOUR
This day's post is dedicated to one article, and one article only from the New York Times. Read it.
I'd like this to go out to the countless women I know and have known in this country who have been hit, stalked, and attacked with weapons of threat of weapons and in particular those whose complaints have been ignored by friends, work and, worst of all, police. For those of you in this country who remain friends with men like that, wow. Just wow.
At least 252 Turkish women died at the hands of their husbands, lovers or male relatives last year, up from 217 the preceding year, according to Bianet, a Web site that is supported in part by the European Union.
The state has not been much help, a women’s group named We Will Stop the Killing of Women said in a report published last month. It said 73 percent of women who requested police or court protection from abusive husbands between 2008 and 2011 ended up getting killed by those men anyway...
“I am sick of hearing that we cannot provide every threatened woman with a police guard,” Mr. Bulan said. “We can call out the army when a bomb explodes somewhere once a month, but we cannot muster the forces to fight this terror that takes lives daily?”
Sefkat has so far referred the women seeking weapons training to local shooting ranges, Mr. Bulan said. He is also considering setting up organized classes in weapons training to meet the demand in a more affordable and less public manner.
“We have deferred a final decision,” he said, “until we see how the new law turns out.”
I'd like this to go out to the countless women I know and have known in this country who have been hit, stalked, and attacked with weapons of threat of weapons and in particular those whose complaints have been ignored by friends, work and, worst of all, police. For those of you in this country who remain friends with men like that, wow. Just wow.
18 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY THREE
fulltime is sad without wikipedia. How many times have I accidentally looked up concepts for a project I'm doing at work, clicking mindlessly on the wiki link or even purposefully searching for it? Countless times! But, turns out, if you look at the pages in a different language or simple English, they're still available!
Pretty pictures from Russia.
Powdered alcohol sounds insane, but I guess it's real!
Pretty pictures from Russia.
Powdered alcohol sounds insane, but I guess it's real!
17 January 2012
DAY SEVENTY TWO
Wednesday will be a sad, sad day for everyone who loves internet research: Wikipedia is shutting itself down for one day in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act.
The protest is planned for 24 hours, starting on 18 January 2012, and is being embraced by a number of websites, including Reddit, Boing Boing and one of my personal favs, Good.is. Other companies objecting to the bill include Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter, eBay, Rumblr, Etsy, Zynga, the EFF, ACLU, HRW, and craigslist, which now has a corner of its website devoted to the bill.
What is it? In a nutshell, it will allow those who believe content is violating copyright laws/intellectual property laws to shut down the entirety of a website facilitating the violation. Companies could also have their funds cut off:
Why are there protests against the bill? Concerns range from the impact that the bill will have on internet companies to the threats it would have on whistle-blowing activities and human rights, and allowing companies and individuals to inhibit free speech activities.
Demonstrating that he's never seen Human Target season 1 episode 2, Michigan congressman John Conyers postulated that it's unlikely that the bill (or anything) could "break the internet." For one day, at least, the proposed bill will be breaking my heart.
For those of you in the US, write or call your Representatives to protest. For those outside the US, sign the EFF's petition.
The protest is planned for 24 hours, starting on 18 January 2012, and is being embraced by a number of websites, including Reddit, Boing Boing and one of my personal favs, Good.is. Other companies objecting to the bill include Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter, eBay, Rumblr, Etsy, Zynga, the EFF, ACLU, HRW, and craigslist, which now has a corner of its website devoted to the bill.
What is it? In a nutshell, it will allow those who believe content is violating copyright laws/intellectual property laws to shut down the entirety of a website facilitating the violation. Companies could also have their funds cut off:
If you ran a Web site that used PayPal or accepted payment via MasterCard, for example, and someone thought your site contained pirated content, they could contact PayPal or MasterCard and have those companies cut off access to your site, effectively shutting down your business.Major supporters include the RIAA, MPAA, other major news and music companies, Chemical companies including Dow, and PhRMA, the national pharmaceutical lobbying company. Very confusing supporters include Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, and a *large* number of labor organizations.
Why are there protests against the bill? Concerns range from the impact that the bill will have on internet companies to the threats it would have on whistle-blowing activities and human rights, and allowing companies and individuals to inhibit free speech activities.
Demonstrating that he's never seen Human Target season 1 episode 2, Michigan congressman John Conyers postulated that it's unlikely that the bill (or anything) could "break the internet." For one day, at least, the proposed bill will be breaking my heart.
For those of you in the US, write or call your Representatives to protest. For those outside the US, sign the EFF's petition.
16 January 2012
DAYS SEVENTY AND SEVENTY ONE
fulltimesucks apologizes for the horrible, horrible failure to update recently.
Did you know that white baby portabello mushrooms are also called button mushrooms? Crazy, huh! I learned that when looking up various root vegetables (actually, while then wondering what kind of mushroom I bought because it looks a little different than button mushrooms), having made a committment to purchasing and using new foods every week, ones that I've never cooked with before.
Inspired by my recent discovery of brussel sprouts, facilitated by my learning how to cook leeks, along with last year's new knowledge of how to cook celery root, this week at the market I purchased a root vegetable that I had no clue what it was. Actually, there are a lot of vegetables that I have no idea what they look like. Rutabega, turnips, etc - lots of them look alike. Or different. I wouldn't know. I also got beets. Turns out the mystery root vegetables are probably black radishes. Stay tuned for weekly updates of various vegetables I'll be sampling, and come by to help me get rid of my horrible clothes and eat said root vegetables (and mushroom risotto - another thing I've never cooked before)!
The market's also got some new mushroom varieties.
This weekend was super action-packed. From breakfast for dinner, pizza twice in one day, Mushy getting to meet her future life-partner, a fundraiser for square peg theatre, getting my hair all föned up for the first time, and the opening of baris's new bar, one really fun thing that happened was a flash mob. i'm in the picture there, kind of hidden by the japanese tourists. You absolutely cannot see me, but I chose the stupidest pose in the history of six minute flash mobs: charlies angels, with my arms pointing up. It's really, really hard to keep your arms up in the air for six minutes.
Do you need a cage??
I miss good beer, especially those with brewing processes involving dinosaurs. The letter there to a lawyer is awesome.
Mmmmm. Recipes for cheap food. Not as applicable here in Turkey because our prices are all wonky, but really pretty shots and nice recipes!
Crows that sled! Read/watch.
A great photo lineup of people in T-town. Link may be a little messed up for you but try just changing the 'm.facebook' to 'www.facebook'.
Thanks, Jesus!!
Did you know that white baby portabello mushrooms are also called button mushrooms? Crazy, huh! I learned that when looking up various root vegetables (actually, while then wondering what kind of mushroom I bought because it looks a little different than button mushrooms), having made a committment to purchasing and using new foods every week, ones that I've never cooked with before.
Inspired by my recent discovery of brussel sprouts, facilitated by my learning how to cook leeks, along with last year's new knowledge of how to cook celery root, this week at the market I purchased a root vegetable that I had no clue what it was. Actually, there are a lot of vegetables that I have no idea what they look like. Rutabega, turnips, etc - lots of them look alike. Or different. I wouldn't know. I also got beets. Turns out the mystery root vegetables are probably black radishes. Stay tuned for weekly updates of various vegetables I'll be sampling, and come by to help me get rid of my horrible clothes and eat said root vegetables (and mushroom risotto - another thing I've never cooked before)!
The market's also got some new mushroom varieties.
This weekend was super action-packed. From breakfast for dinner, pizza twice in one day, Mushy getting to meet her future life-partner, a fundraiser for square peg theatre, getting my hair all föned up for the first time, and the opening of baris's new bar, one really fun thing that happened was a flash mob. i'm in the picture there, kind of hidden by the japanese tourists. You absolutely cannot see me, but I chose the stupidest pose in the history of six minute flash mobs: charlies angels, with my arms pointing up. It's really, really hard to keep your arms up in the air for six minutes.
Do you need a cage??
I miss good beer, especially those with brewing processes involving dinosaurs. The letter there to a lawyer is awesome.
Mmmmm. Recipes for cheap food. Not as applicable here in Turkey because our prices are all wonky, but really pretty shots and nice recipes!
Crows that sled! Read/watch.
A great photo lineup of people in T-town. Link may be a little messed up for you but try just changing the 'm.facebook' to 'www.facebook'.
Thanks, Jesus!!
12 January 2012
DAY SIXTY NINE POST TWO
Fun fact: either someone was searching through google and went 20+ pages back (I stopped after that) for a search term, happening to stumble upon my blog after researching 20+ pages... Or one of my Google+ contacts searched the term "ephebophilia" and stumbled upon my blog. It's up to you which is true: that some rando searched through thousands of pages to find mine or if a contact here is interested in various philias. Betting can begin on who it was tomorrow.
Turns out that free coding website kind of sucks. Or at least really does not explain well what's going on. I'm quite inclined to do it via MIT instead, but will tough out the online thing another lesson or two to see how it's going. They do have a pretty interface which crashes easily if you create a circular or perpetual code, which I have now managed to do three separate times.
REMEMBER ALL FAITHFUL FULLTIME READERS, FRIDAY THE 13TH MARKS TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS: ONE, MY DAD WAS BORN (yay!!!) and two:
ASIAN INVASION. God, that continent is far away. It feels far away, that is... And is actually only a 30 minute or so trip. Let's leave the high paced stress of Europe behind and count the chopsticks in Asia this Friday! And don't forget to top it off with a trip to Reina this Saturday, where I'll be donning my Russian-prostitute outfit (minus the food stains and spill marks on my white t-thing, plus the GLITTER dress) and wearing a blond wig. Get your wig on, confuse the other half, and come with us!
Turns out that free coding website kind of sucks. Or at least really does not explain well what's going on. I'm quite inclined to do it via MIT instead, but will tough out the online thing another lesson or two to see how it's going. They do have a pretty interface which crashes easily if you create a circular or perpetual code, which I have now managed to do three separate times.
REMEMBER ALL FAITHFUL FULLTIME READERS, FRIDAY THE 13TH MARKS TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS: ONE, MY DAD WAS BORN (yay!!!) and two:
ASIAN INVASION. God, that continent is far away. It feels far away, that is... And is actually only a 30 minute or so trip. Let's leave the high paced stress of Europe behind and count the chopsticks in Asia this Friday! And don't forget to top it off with a trip to Reina this Saturday, where I'll be donning my Russian-prostitute outfit (minus the food stains and spill marks on my white t-thing, plus the GLITTER dress) and wearing a blond wig. Get your wig on, confuse the other half, and come with us!
DAY SIXTY NINE
Murders linked to Iran's nuclear program. Rick Sanatorum thinks murder is "a wonderful thing." Campos and Lemieux think that "the arbitrary murder of civilians still wrong". If you don't read Lawyers, Guns and Money, do.
This year is the year of productive skills. Last year was the year of being lazy. So far, I've started learning to code, arranged Turkish classes, and have set a violin-purchasing expedition into motion. Other skills I plan to hone this year include getting my hair and nails did weekly and wearing high heels with grace. What will you be doing?
This year is the year of productive skills. Last year was the year of being lazy. So far, I've started learning to code, arranged Turkish classes, and have set a violin-purchasing expedition into motion. Other skills I plan to hone this year include getting my hair and nails did weekly and wearing high heels with grace. What will you be doing?
11 January 2012
DAY O TRILOGY POST - POST THREE
to the guy who probably thought i was a stalker. roar!
Sad yall. One of my friends from science camp went to school with him.
This author has both a very poor understanding of market economics and an inability to discern utopian measures that will not work. Nona, Nona, Nona.
Tommy wrote this! Major congrats! And everyone else, read, read, read, read!! Though I'd hardly call someone who drove a Bentley for a week -- even if it was lent from a sketch mobster who is criminally represented by Tommy's dad -- and went to GPS as solidly middle class.
Sad yall. One of my friends from science camp went to school with him.
This author has both a very poor understanding of market economics and an inability to discern utopian measures that will not work. Nona, Nona, Nona.
Tommy wrote this! Major congrats! And everyone else, read, read, read, read!! Though I'd hardly call someone who drove a Bentley for a week -- even if it was lent from a sketch mobster who is criminally represented by Tommy's dad -- and went to GPS as solidly middle class.
TRILOGY OF DAYS POST TWO
Another story from 420characters by Lou Beach, a series of stories written in the style of status updates:
I'm in love with Charlton Heston, but the one from before he became a wackjob Republican. Once time travel is perfected, we'll be together like we are meant to be. There's just something about over-dramatized old movies that i love! AND, he lived in Rosscomon county, which is where my okcupid 99% match/highest match of all people in Istanbul's dad lives.
It is Nicholas Steno's birthday. Without doing any external research, I'm going to guess that's where the term "stenography" came from. He seems relatively boring but maybe some geography/geology/natural science folks feel differently. Maybe.
I hope you all know how much I love good.is. I love that they have a series called "people are awesome." This one is about paying it forward.
While attempting to find Rick & Steve, a series I want to watch about "the happiest gay couple in all the world", I instead found this shocking news: Legos make you gay. I wonder if the 'girl legos' (no assembly required... or possibly allowed...) also do this?
HE WAITED all his life for a splashy catharsis, irrefutable evidence that a profound change had transformed him. It took him many years to realize that he had been altered each day by the sun's rising and the moon's movement, by the unfurling of his daughter's tiny hand to grasp his thumb, by the cat on his chest, by the glass of water his wife brought him before bedtime, by the questions his son asked.Reminds me of Brian Andreas. Except story people is way more sappy and less morbid (very few stories about accidentally cutting off the top of your own skull with a chainsaw to awake to your dog lapping your blood). An example:
One Halloween, my sister made a magic wand & she went around giving wishes to all my friends, but when she got glitter on all the candy they yelled at her & she went home crying & later on my mom made me share my candy with her & she was so happy she flung glitter all over & gave me an extra wish I know didn't work because I still have a sister who loves shiny stuff.But that's just for my glitter party. A real example:
Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.
I'm in love with Charlton Heston, but the one from before he became a wackjob Republican. Once time travel is perfected, we'll be together like we are meant to be. There's just something about over-dramatized old movies that i love! AND, he lived in Rosscomon county, which is where my okcupid 99% match/highest match of all people in Istanbul's dad lives.
It is Nicholas Steno's birthday. Without doing any external research, I'm going to guess that's where the term "stenography" came from. He seems relatively boring but maybe some geography/geology/natural science folks feel differently. Maybe.
I hope you all know how much I love good.is. I love that they have a series called "people are awesome." This one is about paying it forward.
While attempting to find Rick & Steve, a series I want to watch about "the happiest gay couple in all the world", I instead found this shocking news: Legos make you gay. I wonder if the 'girl legos' (no assembly required... or possibly allowed...) also do this?
DAY SIXTY SIX/SIXTY SEVEN/SIXTY EIGHT
fulltime returns after a VERY busy few days. Look at these:
Haven't you ever wanted a sweatshirt that would tell you how to make crack?
A state of her own: Jewishness and women in Israel.
I have been fascinated by the number of people who did not know what Soylent Green was. Sorry for breaking it to all of you, but Soylent Green is still people! And so is Soylent teal.
Swoon.
A question was raised last night about dragons and how they came to be in various cultures. Interesting facts include that Nile crocodiles sometimes got lost and swam to Europe, that early fossil hunters may have thought they were unearthing dragons, and that it's possible people instinctively dislike snakes, cats and birds of prey, just like monkeys. What are other things across cultures that don't necessarily make sense? Flood myths, ghosts, and are there more?
Sad, but true. Cover letters from over achievers.
Hebephilia and ephebophilia led me to this article: List of paraphilias. Something many have experienced in Turkey: Frotteurism.
Swiss greasers from the 50s and 60s - fantastic outfits.
Stay tuned for information regarding Nakusp fan fic I'm going to start writing, once I finish writing stuff for the pizza blog.
Haven't you ever wanted a sweatshirt that would tell you how to make crack?
A state of her own: Jewishness and women in Israel.
I have been fascinated by the number of people who did not know what Soylent Green was. Sorry for breaking it to all of you, but Soylent Green is still people! And so is Soylent teal.
Swoon.
A question was raised last night about dragons and how they came to be in various cultures. Interesting facts include that Nile crocodiles sometimes got lost and swam to Europe, that early fossil hunters may have thought they were unearthing dragons, and that it's possible people instinctively dislike snakes, cats and birds of prey, just like monkeys. What are other things across cultures that don't necessarily make sense? Flood myths, ghosts, and are there more?
Sad, but true. Cover letters from over achievers.
Hebephilia and ephebophilia led me to this article: List of paraphilias. Something many have experienced in Turkey: Frotteurism.
Swiss greasers from the 50s and 60s - fantastic outfits.
Stay tuned for information regarding Nakusp fan fic I'm going to start writing, once I finish writing stuff for the pizza blog.
06 January 2012
DAY SIXTY FIVE
or six. or something. i have no brain. blame liz and ok cupid, but blame alex for that. my friends are all of my top matches for friends and dating. i can't post now because i have no time but i have a list of 25 things you may not know - words. among them are mondegreen which i've blogged about and wamble, one of my absolute favorite words as part of the phrase 'wamble crop'd', which i shall be getting tonight.
05 January 2012
DAY SIXTY FOUR
Pizza in Istanbul. The new blog I want people to submit to. We had a nice discussion on facebook ranking some of the better and not so better places.
25 things you may not know had names.
today is my birthday so i can't post much because i'm too busy trying to finish work before i go to the ICE BAR.
25 things you may not know had names.
today is my birthday so i can't post much because i'm too busy trying to finish work before i go to the ICE BAR.
04 January 2012
DAY SIXTY THREE POST TWO
I remember reciting this to Molly. From ee cummings.
maggie and milly and molly and may
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea
maggie and milly and molly and may
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea
DAY SIXTY THREE
Phew! I almost forgot to blog there for a tic.
Good news: I managed to make some culinary masterpieces in the kitchen the other day. Here's the recipe I invented.
FREAKIN AWESOME CURRY:
4 onions, chopped
2 inches garlic, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
3 Tbs Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 small can corn
1/2 large jar peas
6 long hot peppers
10 brussel sprouts, halved
2 eggplant, chopped
1 potato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cups water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 Tbs oil
Fry garlic, ginger, peppers and onions in oil until onions are clear. Add eggplant, potato, curry and tomato paste. Cook until eggplant is tender but not yet cooked completely. Add zucchini, cook for a few minutes. Add brussel sprouts and cook until sprouts are tender. Add corn and peas and viola, done! Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue adding water if curry dries out too much while cooking. Eat with raita.
Cool thing about it is you can add whatever you want. I mean, corn in curry!? I know. Blasphemy but surprisingly good. I feel incredibly Turkified. Next thing you know I'll be putting it on subs and pizza.
I am in love. Smitten. Completely. A man after my heart, and my stomach.
God, I agree. Especially on planes.
From her husband, congressional tie breakers.
Brand Identity.
Good news: I managed to make some culinary masterpieces in the kitchen the other day. Here's the recipe I invented.
FREAKIN AWESOME CURRY:
4 onions, chopped
2 inches garlic, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
3 Tbs Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 small can corn
1/2 large jar peas
6 long hot peppers
10 brussel sprouts, halved
2 eggplant, chopped
1 potato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cups water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 Tbs oil
Fry garlic, ginger, peppers and onions in oil until onions are clear. Add eggplant, potato, curry and tomato paste. Cook until eggplant is tender but not yet cooked completely. Add zucchini, cook for a few minutes. Add brussel sprouts and cook until sprouts are tender. Add corn and peas and viola, done! Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue adding water if curry dries out too much while cooking. Eat with raita.
Cool thing about it is you can add whatever you want. I mean, corn in curry!? I know. Blasphemy but surprisingly good. I feel incredibly Turkified. Next thing you know I'll be putting it on subs and pizza.
I am in love. Smitten. Completely. A man after my heart, and my stomach.
God, I agree. Especially on planes.
From her husband, congressional tie breakers.
Brand Identity.
03 January 2012
DAY SIXTY TWO
This poem by Tim Minchin, Storm, is dedicated to Ayurki and Figen.
I activated my external hard drive and realized how many great movies there are out there I haven't watched yet. Take, for instance, Logan's Run. I tried watching it last night but it was like 8 hours long and I couldn't stand it after the first 4 hours.
Witches, wife beaters and whores!
Noah took a picture of himself every day. For six years. With a beautiful soundtrack by a very talented Ms. Carly Comando and a shout out on the Simpsons.
Please watch Flea Market Montgomery, my favorite tv ad, ever. Ever. Ever. It's just like a mini-mall.
By definition, I begin, alternative medicine, I continue, has either *not* been proved to work or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call alternative medicine that's been proved to work? Medicine.
I activated my external hard drive and realized how many great movies there are out there I haven't watched yet. Take, for instance, Logan's Run. I tried watching it last night but it was like 8 hours long and I couldn't stand it after the first 4 hours.
Witches, wife beaters and whores!
Noah took a picture of himself every day. For six years. With a beautiful soundtrack by a very talented Ms. Carly Comando and a shout out on the Simpsons.
Please watch Flea Market Montgomery, my favorite tv ad, ever. Ever. Ever. It's just like a mini-mall.
02 January 2012
DAY SIXTY ONE: A NEW YEAR!
Happy 2012 all faithful readers o this blog!
I was reading about WeeGee, a fantastic photographer, when I wanted to look up what happened to some of the people in his photos. Although I was unable to find anything about one of the two criminals in his photos, I did find this Google Reader document about Irma Twiss Epstein.
The most interesting part of the article is those that surround it, including the advertisements. Starting from the right side of the page is an advertisement intended to help cure various ailments, including being under-weight. It is nearly unfathomable that in today's day and age there would be any sort of article targetting women advertising a weight-gain strategy. Next to that, an ad featuring the Dionne Quintuplets. Though all the articles are a fascinating peak into history, I'll note just one more headline: "Delay in interning Japs causes alarm."
Other open tabs that I should blog about before firefox eventually crashes:
Humorous measurements. My favorite is, of course, the Smoot, but there are a ton of other ones that are great, including barn, shed and outhouse.
Photojournalists! Where did they go? A fear that's been played up for a long time by people like Cornell Cappa, probably for good reason.
A bit untimely, but whatever.
I was reading about WeeGee, a fantastic photographer, when I wanted to look up what happened to some of the people in his photos. Although I was unable to find anything about one of the two criminals in his photos, I did find this Google Reader document about Irma Twiss Epstein.
The most interesting part of the article is those that surround it, including the advertisements. Starting from the right side of the page is an advertisement intended to help cure various ailments, including being under-weight. It is nearly unfathomable that in today's day and age there would be any sort of article targetting women advertising a weight-gain strategy. Next to that, an ad featuring the Dionne Quintuplets. Though all the articles are a fascinating peak into history, I'll note just one more headline: "Delay in interning Japs causes alarm."
Other open tabs that I should blog about before firefox eventually crashes:
Humorous measurements. My favorite is, of course, the Smoot, but there are a ton of other ones that are great, including barn, shed and outhouse.
Photojournalists! Where did they go? A fear that's been played up for a long time by people like Cornell Cappa, probably for good reason.
A bit untimely, but whatever.
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