Another New Pal

These are so quick and fun to make, I might make a whole army. I sewed this one's beard on a little crooked but OH WELL, everybody has their flaws!

Rollin' With My Gnome-y!

I decided to not pay attention to anything except fun stuff this weekend, so I spent the majority of it watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and crocheting my fingers off. Here's a little plushie I made today:


Here we are on the phone with Mom. Hi, Mom!


That's all for now. More to come soon.

Poli Sci Essay no.2

Foreclosure and Voting
In Macomb County Michigan, the Republican Party chairman has announced a plan to challenge voters whose homes have been foreclosed on in the upcoming presidential election. “We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” said James Carabelli.

State election rules allow parties to assign “election challengers” to polls to monitor the election. In addition to observing the poll workers, these volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voter provided they “have a good reason to believe” that the person is not eligible to vote. One allowable reason is that the person is not a “true resident of the city or township.” However, if a volunteer makes a challenge, poll workers are not permitted to ask why or allow voters to make a defense.

J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department, has questioned the legality of this effort. “You can’t challenge people without a factual basis for doing so…I don’t think a foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, because people often remain in their homes after foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate and refinance.”

The effort is not limited to Macomb County, or indeed, only to Michigan. In Ohio, Doug Preisse, director of elections in Franklin County and the chair of the local GOP, told The Columbus Dispatch that he has not ruled out challenging voters before the election due to foreclosure-related address issues.

“At a minimum what you are seeing is a fairly comprehensive effort by the Republican Party, a systematic broad-based effort to put up obstacles for people to vote,” he said. “Nobody is contending that these people are not legally registered to vote.”
Some speculation has occurred over the fact that in Macomb County, the majority of persons whose homes have been foreclosed on are African American and a great number of those vote Democrat.

In the course of researching this issue, I came across one site out of dozens carrying the article that posted an edit claiming that a party member in Michigan had contested the veracity of this story. As of writing, I have not been able to find any other source for this statement, but I felt it would be inappropriate to ignore the possibility.

While challenges may not result in barring for all voters, it does create difficulty, causing voters to have to travel to different polling places, much longer waits than many people can afford, and general hesitance to go to polling places for fear of confrontation or harassment. Causing disruptions and discouraging already disenfranchised voters on Election Day might not be illegal, but one does have to question whether it is ethical.

Barackrolled

(See: the Rickroll)

Vote Palin For President

Wow, Seriously?

I was reading BBC News online this morning and I clicked on a photo series of Sarah Palin because I wanted to see if she was smirking in every picture and I guess because I hate myself and like being infected with rage.

And then, there was this:


Ok, so, no smart pantsuit? Just this classy TV Hooker get up? Not even maybe a Wonder Woman-esque leotard? I mean, it's called the Super Hero Sarah Palin. Maybe the website selling these has other ones with better clothes. Let's just hop over there andOH OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?


Out. Of. Control.

Also, I suppose it doesn't even matter at this point but the people who designed the face really should have gone for a little more Condescending and a little less Tweaking. These are the dudes that got fired from Mattel for pitching Meth Bender Barbie.

Happy Thoughts

I'm was trying really hard not to pay attention to politics for a night because I'm feeling really discouraged and sad, but it's seems to be sort of like a bully that hides behind corners and leaps out and gives you a noogie at random because I can't get away from it.

So, I sought out the one thing that usually makes me (and most people, i think), cheerful: baby animals.

Here's a clip from that Milo & Otis-set-to-Sigur Ros series:


BUT WAIT! Even better, I found a clip of Otis meeting the fox from that same movie. The fox is probably one of my most favorite characters from a children's movie, which is amazing considering he only exists for one minute and three seconds. I think it's the song:


I'm going to bed now while I'm still in baby animal mode. G'night!

Monday Mix

Here's a short playlist for your evening enjoyment. There are 8 tracks, all instrumental (mostly just piano) by Christopher O'Riley, Eluvium, the Boats, and others.



Also, check out these amazing photos of hurricanes as seen from orbit.


Have a good week!

[Edit: This is the first time I've used 8tracks and apparently track line up means NOTHING to them! Weird.]

Who's Elite?

Ever worn a $300,000 outfit? Cindy has.

Cautiously Hopeful? pt. 2

(From Bitch Ph.D.)

"He who fights with monsters..."

You've probably realized that I really love Shakesville. There's a post up by Pizza Diavola about "Fauxgressive" attacks on Sarah Palin's daughter:

...Yes, Gov. Palin's abstinence-only sex "education" position is reprehensible. Yes, it keeps minors uninformed and results in higher rates of STIs and teen pregnancies. Yes, it actively foments ignorance. However, these are all reasons to criticize Sarah Palin's positions and question whether or not McCain-Palin is the duo you want to see in the White House. These are not reasons to drag two minors into the fray as a means of slamming Bristol Palin and her mother.

...

Being anti-sexist and pro-choice means being anti-sexist and pro-choice for all people, whether or not we like them, whether or not it's convenient, whether or not they'd return the favor. There are better, more pertinent ways to criticize the McCain-Palin ticket.

(Read the rest here.)

As Melissa says, "We defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we endorse her or her politics, but because that's how feminism works."

[Note: I have a lot of time in the library today. Hence, time for posting.]

Becoming Cautiously Hopeful?

Palin raises $8 million — for Obama

Obama's coffers have been filling since Sarah Palin attacked him repeatedly in St. Paul last night.

An Obama aide confirms Drudge's report that Obama has raised about $8 million from more than 130,000 donors and is on pace to raise $10 million by the time McCain reaches the stage tonight.

UPDATE: Obama spokesman Bill Burton says, "Sarah Palin's attacks have rallied our supporters in ways we never expected. And we fully expect John McCain's attacks tonight to help us make our grass-roots organization even stronger."

via Shakesville

Half-hearted Current Events Essay for Poli Sci

Instead of having us do one big term paper to meet the Gordon Rule requirement in my Poli Sci class, Dr. Anderson is assigning several small essays relating current events to topics in the class. I did the first one last night. It's pretty low quality. I just didn't want to write about the election or candidates, or military actions, or how the country is dealing with natural disaster threats after Katrina (not so great, ac'shuly!), because honestly I'm sort of sick to death of thinking about it and feeling pissed and powerless. Also, due to this emotional component, I probably could not keep a short essay on one of these topics under a page and a half, which is the guideline. Brevity is hard when you care.

Anyway:

Hard Times for U.S. Schools
As a new school year begins, school systems in the United States are facing record numbers of funding difficulties and students who are homeless or living in poverty because of the soaring costs of fuel and food, and the overall downturn in the economy.

All across the nation, school systems are trying to find ways to cope with drastically slashed budgets and parents who are having difficulty providing for their children. “The big national picture is that food and fuel costs are going up and school revenues are not,” said Anne L. Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association. “We’re in a recession, and it’s having a dramatic impact on schools.” (NYT.com). Thousands of teachers, administrators, and maintenance workers have been laid off nationwide.

Many districts have reduced the number of busses in use or changed routes to lessen the number of stops, and a few districts have ended bus use either completely or for high schools. Some school boards in Maine are concerned about being able to afford heating for classrooms in the coming winter. Hundreds of districts have restricted travel for field trips to save fuel and some have raised prices on cafeteria meal in response to ballooning food costs. Some more rural systems have adopted 4-day school weeks.

Everywhere, schools are serving increasing numbers of children in poverty. Local charities giving away school supplies are severely lacking in resources to cope with the number of needy families. The number of children who qualify for reduced price or free meals has skyrocketed in the last year and administrators suspect the number will only continue to rise.

Often, during times of economic hardship and even in times of stability, it seems that the budgets for public education are some of the first to get cut. When money is tight for a whole community and schools are forced to reduce costs, it falls on parents who are already struggling to make up the difference. Many teachers must pay for classroom supplies out of their own pockets. Children get stuck in the middle in these situations, with schools and parents unable to afford the costs of equipping them with the necessities to get a proper education.

The public school system is simply another in a series of interrelated casualties during America’s economic crisis.

Also, Sarcasm...

Scene - Grocery store, bread aisle.

Kyle: (mumble mumble)
Karlen: What? You have language skills, you know. Maybe you should use them. You know what separates people from animals?
Kyle: Irony?
Karlen: ...That was amazing.

Conversation I Just Had with Rae's Away Message:

Me: did you know the song "red right hand" by nick cave was about vengeful old testament god in paradise lost?

Auto response from Rae: I am away from my computer right now.

Me: BECAUSE I DIDN'T
Me: i thought it was about the devil, so now i have to listen to it and change my perception of the point
Me: i just got amazed by the concept of duality which i don't actually think about ever and had to share and i know you appreciate analysis so...
Me: hope you're having a good week!



It's a shame about modern Christianity because if it weren't for all that, some of the Bible might be kind of awesome. Like, in the literal sense.

Put On Your Votin' Hats!

Today marks the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S. At some point between then and now, we also made the extraordinary leap toward freeing ourselves from the oppression of giant cumbersome hats. Yay!





They look so happy about it!


My favorite homage to brave suffragettes, combining olde timey unwieldy fashion with modern unwieldy internet grammar. It's all about steps forward, people!

In honor of us little ladies' right to, um, have a say in our lives and junk, we need cake. That's why there is Cake Wrecks!

Uh...like I said, it's all about steps!

If I didn't hate you, I might find this endearing!

I guess this is old news? But Barack Obama and John McCain gave a list of their Top Ten Favorite Songsto Blender Magazine. KNOW WHAT WAS MCCAIN'S NUMBER ONE?!

"Nobody likes them, but they sold more records than anybody in the history of the world, including The Beatles. But everybody hates them. You’re a no-class guy if you like ABBA. Why does everybody go see ‘Mamma Mia?’ Hypocrisy! Rank hypocrisy! I’m not embarassed to say I like ABBA, ‘Dancing Queen.’”

He IS a dancing queen...

Think they had ABBA dance parties on the Straight Talk Express? Can you picture him doing the White Man Shuffle? It almost makes him momentarily likable but then you remember that he's, hmm, oh yeah, A RAGING ASSHOLE!

In case you're curious, here are the rest of the lists:

BARACK OBAMA
1. Ready or Not Fugees
2. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye
3. I’m On Fire Bruce Spingsteen
4. Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones
5. Sinnerman Nina Simone
6. Touch the Sky Kanye West
7. You’d Be So Easy to Love Frank Sinatra
8. Think Aretha Franklin
9. City of Blinding Lights U2
10. Yes We Can

JOHN McCAIN
1. Dancing Queen ABBA
2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA
4. If We Make It Through December Merle Haggard
5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson
6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys
7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra
9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters

Stormy!

The headline on today's Daytona Beach News-Journal was "Fay's Fickle Finger Points At Us!" like it was the scariest thing ever. So, I checked the projection:



It's pretty overcast but the rain hasn't actually started and I'm really not worried. I guess it's a blessing and a curse to have the attitude most people born and raised in Pinellas County have about hurricanes - usually nothing happens (Pinellas hasn't been hit directly by a hurricane since 1921 [thanks to Chief White Cap, haha]), so you expect nothing to happen, which means you don't end up wasting time with evacuations and wasting money with bottled water and plywood for the windows. However, if a big one were to hit, I obviously wouldn't know until it was on top of us. And since I don't live in Pinellas now, I guess maybe I should pay a bit more attention.

I'm still not worried.

Oh, Yeah!

I forgot to mention this. I'm a big fan of comic books (*ahem* graphic novels) and web comics are like continual free books! One I'm reading presently is called Minus by Ryan Armand. Minus is a little girl with a Tin Tin cowlick and some kind of magic power although I don't know if it's ever clarified why or how. Anyway, it's beautifully done with watercolors, the character is endearing, and while there's not a particular story arc that I can pick out (but maybe later? I'm not that far into it) it's pretty engaging.

Even if you don't have time to read through it, at least check out one of my favorite strips so far. Something about that last panel gives me chills. I want to tack it up in the bedroom of every little girl I can find. Which I guess is the point?

Oh, Well...

I hated the way the blog looked so I went back to one of the top/bottom orientations. It ruins all of the pictures but I'm sure one day when I have time to devote to it, I will find away around this. For now, I'm just giving up.

I have been composing posts in my head and trying to organize my thoughts but I don't know if I'm creating several little posts or one big one. It could go either way. I don't actually know how to blog, by the way, but I guess don't tell anybody?

In the meantime, check out Rae's blog. There are recipes for tuna croquettes and beet salad, as well as some incredible photos of Central and South America. I'm vaguely trying to encourage her to write more (and perhaps post a little over here wink wink nudge?) so leave her some love, too!