January222012
“As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right. While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue—no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption. And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

President Obama’s statement on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (via barackobama

)

(Source: theamericanprospect, via timelessreference)
January152012
archeanuniverse: omg-dj-judy: to not missing the beauty of life. iliveforaliving: Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later:The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? *Do we stop to appreciate it? *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made… How many other things are we missing? Hmmm

archeanuniverse:

omg-dj-judy:

to not missing the beauty of life.

iliveforaliving:

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…

How many other things are we missing?

Hmmm

(via psylosight)
9AM
sweetupndown: Thomas Jefferson was a smart guy.

sweetupndown:

Thomas Jefferson was a smart guy.

(Source: somewisdom, via psylosight)
9AM
choochoobear: Thunt of the webcomic “Goblins” made me, and several other webcomics, aware of a Facebook app someone created that scrapes our sites’ content, reposts it without our permission, and - the part the really pisses me off - encourages people to donate to our comics via a link/Google Checkout account we’ve not approved or are linked with. See the area in the read circle?  ”Keep the Something Positive app alive.”  We webcartoonists get none of that.  That all goes to the guy who set the app up - apparently someone named Lance Strish.  No link back to the webcomics he’s taken from.  No, “Hey, be sure to support the artists.”  Nothing. This shit happens all the time in Apple’s “We’re Too Busy Counting Money to Have Quality Control” App Store.  Now webcartoonists get to deal with it on Facebook, too. If you enjoy a webcomic - or anything - on the web, please don’t give money to the people who make apps that scrape their content without their permission.  Give it to the actual people who make the stuff you like.  If you see an app and aren’t sure if it’s “official” or not, ask the creator, but honestly, if it WAS official, the creator would have plugged it on their site. Gods…damn…I can’t believe some people. You like the bloody webcomic, pay the webcomic artist so they can keep writing.

choochoobear:

Thunt of the webcomic “Goblins” made me, and several other webcomics, aware of a Facebook app someone created that scrapes our sites’ content, reposts it without our permission, and - the part the really pisses me off - encourages people to donate to our comics via a link/Google Checkout account we’ve not approved or are linked with.

See the area in the read circle?  ”Keep the Something Positive app alive.”  We webcartoonists get none of that.  That all goes to the guy who set the app up - apparently someone named Lance Strish.  No link back to the webcomics he’s taken from.  No, “Hey, be sure to support the artists.”  Nothing.

This shit happens all the time in Apple’s “We’re Too Busy Counting Money to Have Quality Control” App Store.  Now webcartoonists get to deal with it on Facebook, too.

If you enjoy a webcomic - or anything - on the web, please don’t give money to the people who make apps that scrape their content without their permission.  Give it to the actual people who make the stuff you like.  If you see an app and aren’t sure if it’s “official” or not, ask the creator, but honestly, if it WAS official, the creator would have plugged it on their site.

Gods…damn…I can’t believe some people. You like the bloody webcomic, pay the webcomic artist so they can keep writing.

(via psylosight)
December52011

The Curse Workers Book 1 - White Cat

So, on Saturday, me and my family went out. First, we had an eye doctor’s appointment, which was nice, cause the last time I got new glasses was like…4 years ago. I really need new ones. Anyway, after that we sort of split up. Tousan (dad), dropped me and neesan (my sister), off at one of the local libraries. (We have 14+, yay las vegas?)

We spent the next 4 hours there, give or take, looking at DVDs and books. Mostly, I just got old stuff I’d read before, the Wolfblade trilogy, for instance, by Jennifer Fallon, and the last 6 books in the Keys to the Kingdom books by Garth Nix (I own book one, might own book 2, but I wasn’t certain…) …I still need to read the last book, and figured I’d just reread the whole thing and be done with it, ya know?

Anyway, that’s not important. What is important is the two new books I got, only one of which I’ve read. The one I read is, of course, Curse Workers book one, White Cat, by Holly Black. I really really really want to read book 2 and 3, and I suppose I’ll request them from the library (if it has them), and when I drop off my other books I’ll pick it up.

Its a very good book, and if you like magic in the modern world, I’d read it. Most of history, it seems, is more or less the same. However, along with science and what not, there is also something called working. ‘Workers’ (people with magic) can cast 7 kinds of spells with the touch of their bare hand on someone else’s bare skin.

So, everyone in the world, from ancient times to the present day, wears gloves. All the time. Everywhere. Because if you wear gloves, you can’t curse people, right? So people feel safe. And yet, even with gloves, working magic is, get this, illegal. So everyone who can work magic HAS to become a criminal. Because they can’t use their abilities legally, and if anyone knew they could work magic, they’d be considered criminals anyway, even if they never use them.

Right, so…The story is about this kid, about 16, who is the only non-worker in a family of workers, who are all sort of con-man and thugs for the magic equivalent of the mob.

Except, get this…The boy thinks people are conning him. That someone is working him, casting magic on him… And he has to figure out what the hell is going on. Before its to late.

Its a really good story. I strongly suggest it for people who like that sort of thing. Not medieval magic, nor Fae magic like in Holly Black’s other books, but magic being as much a part of Real( (Modern) Life as Science. Check it out.

holly black the curse workers white cat books new book 

November222011

And that is that.

Well, I just finished the 6th book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms books by Mercedes Lackey. Since that is the most recent (being not even 2 months old), I have nothing more to read. I’ve read all three of the Beka Cooper books, all 6 of the Five Hundred Kingdom books…

….And now I have no idea what I am going to be reading next! Mostly because we are going to Cali for Thanksgiving, to spend time with my grandparents (both of whom are over 90), my big brother and possible my uncle, aunt and cousins… And I can’t read books on my phone outside of the house because of the wireless (I don’t have data roaming), nor can I bring the computer with me… I’ve read all of my paperback books (something like 300 or so books) half a dozen times each… bah.

Anyway, The Beauty and the Werewolf, book six in the Five Hundred Kingdoms (Do you suppose she’s going to write 500 books? ehehehe. *ahem*). Good book, mixed Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast, plus a few other random stories in there somewhere…

I am not sure if I should be happy with the ending or not… Its a good ending, but…It also has a bit of sadness to it.

….No, not sadness. More like, “Bloody hell, seriously? So unfair!” It is, of course, a happy ending. And a rather predictable one, on that account. The bad guy is easy enough to spot, the couple (like all of these books, it seems) is equally easy to spot… But…well…I just wish she hadn’t thrown in that final twist, since it makes things… Awkward. More so than they had been before…

It is, however, a very good read, and I strongly suggest it. I actually found it more amusing than the one before, which was dedicated to Terry Pratchett, and which was, apparently, supposed to be hilarious, what with how it mixed the Siegfried Saga with Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. But really, it wasn’t nearly as funny as this one. Perhaps I’m just more for the dry humor, rather than mixing stuff up humor.

….And now I’m rambling. Bah. Whatever…. Off to find something new to read! Ja.

November202011

Beka Cooper: Legends of Tortal

Well, I finished the three Beka Cooper books the other day (and yes, I have read books one and two before, but I reread them anyway). I am really happy with how book three ended - it was…oh, magnificent.

…Of course, it seems Tamora Pierce is growing a bit…predictable, because I called half of the plot points before they happened… But eh, who cares? They were awesome.

She nicely explained what happened in the time between books 2 and three, a period of three or four years, created several interesting new characters, and answered just about all the questions I had. What more could you ask for from a final book in a trilogy?

And yes, it is a trilogy, not a quartet like most of her other series. It seems that, like with the Trickster books, she’s exploring series lengths, which is just fine. Who cares if its just two books? Or three? Or four? As long as the story is grand and complete, I am satisfied.

That being said, I’m going back to the Five Hundred Kingdom books, because I have to read the two newest. (I also finished the fourth book in that series today, and then remembered I hadn’t said anything about finishing the beka cooper books…Bah, keeping up with this is hard.)

November162011

Well…Hm.

So, figured I wouldn’t have time to read a Five Hundred Kingdoms book, not with neesan (my twin sister, who I call by a shortened form of the Japanese term for big sister, Onee-San, since she’s older) kicking me off the computer at some point…

Anyway, decided to finish the Beka Cooper book, which is one of the three books I was reading. I’ll be reading the second book on the comp, and reading Howl’s Moving Castle from my phone while neesan is on the comp…

I like Tamora Pierce. Her books are simple, nothing complex or vague, no highly poetic language or stiff formal talk. Simple, easy to read… And an absolute delight! They are funny, sad, well paced, with just enough suspense to keep you reading. And they are always perfect for rereading.. Why, I think I’ve reread the Protector of the Small series a dozen times at least! (Once right after I read it the first time. Heh.) There is only one book of hers I don’t like, Melting Stones, which seemed to me to be something of a filler. All the rest of her books are amazing. ((Although I will admit I rarely read the Lioness or the Wild Mage quartets. I prefer the others.))

November152011

Three Down….

I love just barreling through a good series, especially when I’m rereading parts of it…

This Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey is amazing. While each book is its own contained story, characters from previous books tend to make small cameos, and get mentioned and such, so the whole world gets wrapped into one, single coherent whole. Which is nice.

So far, I’ve reread the first three books. I have to reread the fourth book, The Snow Queen, and then read books 5 and 6 for the first time. I expect I’ll finish fourth book sometime tomorrow, and then I’ll take a break on Thursday because I have Jury summons, and finish reading the other two books over the weekend.

Not sure what book I’m taking to Jury Summons though, since I have to have a book with me, and…. Well, I’ve read all of mine a few dozen times. Maybe a Heinlein book? I could stand to read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress again….

November142011

Awkward….

So, in the Five Hundred Kingdom books, there are a few simple rules -

Male unicorns are attracted to Female Virgins.

Female unicorns are attracted to Male Virgins. (Which are rarer, obviously.)

Unicorns are beauty, magical…and stupid. Sort of like wistful puppies, with a small protective side.

So what happens when a Virgin Prince faces a Virgin Ghost (who is supposed to draw men to her pond and drown them, but has not done so), and Unicorns show up?

AWKWARD!

Half the unicorns seem to be trying to protect the prince, who his not in fact in danger, while the other half seem to want to protect the ghost lady, who is only in danger from one or two of the other unicorns….

….I mean…gods….

*runs back to book*

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