sundries

Jan. 26th, 2011 11:47 am
  • It is snowing. Again. It is supposed to snow intermittently for the next four days. I have never seen anything like this winter. It is, I think, starting to ping some strange post-apocalyptic childhood fear in me. I keep thinking about nuclear war and Twelve Monkeys.

  • Am overwhelmed with news lately. Such a busy couple of news weeks, and I'm working like 3pm - 2am right now covering an event in Europe. So I'm tired and AWOL from the rest of life.

  • Am completely annoyed by a mailing list I'm on, which was never clear if it was about bisexuality as an academic topic or bisexual academics. But that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is a whole lot of people not knowing their own history (to say "queer" was never a political or activist word and has no radical history is just incorrect) or people not realizing how nasty and privileged the stuff coming out of their mouths is (assertions that one would NEVER choose to use the word "queer" in a given town because it's just too confrontational and lesbian, gay or bisexual would be much safer -- well that's nice, but for some people queer is the only word that makes accurate sense). Why? WHY haven't I unsubscribed? It's not like it's suddenly going to get interesting.

  • Need something to write about for LfT. Am afraid my inspiration for the week has all been blown on that RPF thing which was a very challenging write. The thing is, I like writing stuff that challenging and complex. I'm toying with something about fencing and about mystery schools, but I'm not sure the post can be written without dirty laundry -- which I'm not necessarily opposed to, it just requires appropriate consideration and timing, all of which I"m a little low on right now.

  • Yay, edible cups are fully funded. Still can't get over the random commentor who, without being specific, posted on Kickstarter that this project is run by "terrible people." I don't know the edible cup people, but if you don't actually spell out your issues this looks like more sour graps and people being resentful of people, especially female people, who do stuff. AND I AM SO SICK OF IT.

  • Totally behind on White Collar due to weird work hours. See lots of squeeing about subtext. Which says to me the show that's doing really interesting stuff about human relationships still can't decide what it's doing about human relationships. Also, Peter having a Kojak moment with a lollypop, does not queer content make, thanks.

  • There's a TW friending meme going on right now that I haven't decided whether or not to participate in yet because my relationship with LJ and the fandom feels so fucked up in my own head.

  • I've only skimmed this fic from [livejournal.com profile] cthonus so far because of my wacky schedule, but it's compelling and creepy. Although you have to buy into just how long Jack holds on to loss for it to work. Meanwhile, I only skimmed the thing and it's still walking around with me, so I'm pretty sure it works. I think this cycles up to the beginning of this post -- there's a certain quiet, narrative, despair to this time of year, combined with Patty being away and my whole Jack thing, stories like this can't not get a hold of me right now.
  • sundries

    Jan. 25th, 2011 11:57 am
  • Spoke to Patty! She has a day off tomorrow, but they are visiting another archaeological site, but at least it's a change of pace. Sadly, while my text messages are still getting to her; hers are not getting to me.

  • LfT: Steve Case and the cool party, again -- http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/01/25/still-worried-about-lunchroom-hierarchies-after-all-these-years/

  • I'm probably missing the SotU tonight while I'm working on a project for another time zone. Am sort of annoyed.

  • Folks it Iowa are trying to take away equal marriage rights.

  • Marriage equality bills to be introduced in Maryland.

  • To echo @kshandra on Twitter last night. I hate that Geico ad mocking a three-person tango. Why? Because there is a long tradition of multi-person tangos in dance films and films with dance (usually, 3, 4 or 5 -- and yes, admittedly it's usually one woman and with everyone else being male and a dance enactment of fight or competition or rape or murder, but not always, especially in some more recently stuff where it's been more cooperative (there's a great one in one of the Step Up (I think) films), and it's just sloppy to base an entire commercial about a catch phrase ("it takes two to tango") that then ignores the entire history of the thing you're trying to do a send-up of (dance in classic film). IT'S JUST NOT CORRECT. I may write about this more intelligently on LfT later in the week. The whole thing has me SO irritated.

  • One of the most fun things about LfT is the site stats, especially the search terms that lead people to the site --

    Weird one that totally makes sense: "tron mind control"
    Weird one that totally doesn't make sense: "do spots mean you are getting ill"
    Please never visit my blog again: "raped by a dog"
    Obvious, yet, why is anyone searching on this phrase: "letters from titan"
  • sundries

    Jan. 19th, 2011 10:35 am
  • Real LfT post later; housekeeping post now: http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/01/19/housekeeping-on-titan/

  • Gay parenting more common in the south.

  • There are many important news blurbs on Advocate.com today, but I'm finding it exhausting: pervasive anti-gay bias here; rising anti-gay violence there; victory for gay people in this or that lawsuit somewhere else -- all alongside insipid entertainment news, and I just find it soul-sucking.

  • Had White Collar on last night, but wasn't focused enough to actually watch it or have an opinion.

  • Why I look more like a girl when Patty's away: I wear her clothes. A lot.

  • OH GOD SO MANY DVDs -- more about that later.
  • sundries

    Jan. 18th, 2011 11:36 am
  • Just spoke to Patty on the phone! She has electricity and wild dogs and good food. India likes her and she likes India.

  • There is severe flooding in Brazil. Here, a dog waits by the grave of his owner. There's an fandom community auction at [livejournal.com profile] helpbrazil2011.

  • Excited for White Collar, but expect to continue to be annoyed at the wink-wink nod-nod to queerness (and I don't even mean gayness -- I mean queer in the literary sense).

  • This dog knows over 1,000 nouns and recognizes over 200 specific items. Can it do grammar?

  • This scandal is different to the Italians than it is to us, but it's still a hot mess: Berlusconi and the underage prostitutes.

  • New federal regulations that prevent hospitals from discriminating against visitors based on sexual orientation and gender identity take effect today. Know your rights; don't assume other people do.

  • Everyone knows Anderson Cooper is gay. Anderson Cooper doesn't talk about it because he says his personal life doesn't seem relevant. Increasingly, folks are getting pissed off about this. Personally, I'm torn. As a newsman, he's absolutely right. As a newsman, he could make SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE by being publicly out because he's a voice people trust. I feel bad for the guy though.

  • I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THE BEST THING: Forget Sharktopus the next terrible SyFy movie seems to be, based on a casting call I received: PIRANHACONDA!
  • sundries

    Jan. 13th, 2011 11:21 am
  • Waiting for it to be a good time a day to try paying Patty on her India mobile to see if I can actually get through to her.

  • Writing meeting with Kali tonight.

  • What we learned from yesterday's non-scientific poll:

    - If you're Jewish, you probably know what blood libel is
    - if you're not Jewish, you have a better than even chance of not knowing

    - Anecdata (my favorite made-up word ever) suggests that if you are from the US, not Jewish and not a medieval history scholar or hobbiest, your likelihood of knowing the term "blood libel" pre-Sarah Palin drops to around 35%.

    - Anecdata also suggests to me, and I wish the polling tool on LJ was better so that I could actually do this and run the numbers for real, that people who were raised more religiously, REGARDLESS OF FAITH, are more likely to be familiar with the "blood libel" term.

    - General poll problems include self-selecting respondents, comparatively low numbers of Jewish respondents, and the ways in which LJ response samples don't necessarily reflect the general population in terms of age, income and gender. In general, my gut tells me that a similar poll done on a general-population sample would show an even lower awareness of the meaning of "blood libel" among non-Jewish folks.

  • I have a lot of strong feelings about the current political mess, and I don't know how to express them, without being part of the problem myself. But when I hear "at the end of the day we have to remember we're all human and we all love this country and be civil" I wonder why I have to do so much work to be gentle with people who think me an animal or a demon (Jewish, gay, yadda yadda). I also know I should shut the fuck up, because dude, everything is already ugly enough, but it feels yucky.

  • I have to drop like $250 on DVDs this week (after just dropping about $70 last week) for various scholarship I'm working on. I'm a little less than thrilled, but I've developed my data plan and spreadsheets and schedule and structure and all that shit I never usually do in advance, and think I'll be able to knock this work out with a fair level of efficiency.

  • If you have projects I should be aware of for tomorrow's trash day on LfT, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Book releases, crowd-funding things, specific charity drives, etc. No guarantees, and PLEASE DON'T PM ME. I really hate the LJ system. Comment here or email to racheline AT gmail DOT com.
  • sundries

    Jan. 12th, 2011 12:28 pm
  • LfT: The Country of Yes. (Please, if you wish to comment on that, please do it there if you can (open ID works!); other comments here).

  • I have such a great collection of stuff coming for this Friday's trash day.

  • My SJA DVDs arrived!

  • I have actually reached, for only the second point in my life, the point where I have to turn off the news (the first time was during Katrina). It's good that I almost never reach this point, because the news is central to one of the things I do. But then Palin said "blood libel" and now I've gone and lost my last shreds of rationality.

  • Heating oil achieved!

  • There really are no cabs at 4pm. I didn't even know anyone thought this was an urban legend. Of course it's true!

  • My neighborhood has lost one of its greats: Bobby Robinson was 93.

  • Haiti: One Year Later.

  • Aishwarya Rai Bachchan isn't white. And she's rightfully furious that Elle decided she should be. I hope she sues the fuckers. Meanwhile, there's a petition.

  • Maybe the real danger in US politics right now isn't the violent rhetoric, but the othering. As someone who doesn't get to be human a lot of the time, there's a lot of interesting in this.
  • Have heard more from Patty. She heads to the site tomorrow, so not sure what contact will be like. She does have a mobile there now. I just have to wait to call until she can get in touch to give me a sense of her schedule there (since archaeology can often involve working 6 days a week and getting up at 5am and going to bed at 7pm). There have been stories involving monkeys and motorcycles.

  • Question for fellow academics/acafen: does anyone have any suggestions for academic work that is any of the following? I need to do some background reading and I need to cite some stuff for a small section in a paper I'm working on. Thnx.
    - something that doesn't suck that looks asexuality in literature or media from a queer theory perspective
    - old/bad/offensive material that presents asexuality as the absence of orientation instead of an orientation in and of itself

  • D&J meeting last night. We've got a scene and another song. It's really good.

  • Did you all see Rachel Maddow last night? I thought she knocked it out of the park, particularly with her words about why we tell stories about heroes. So compelling; so interesting to me for totally tangental to the context reasons. Read more... )

  • Yes, I've heard about Luhrmann making noises about shooting Gatsby in 3D (How many people emailed or tweeted me about this yesterday? Go on, guess). this got kinda long, and slightly thinky )

  • LfT: I'm loving not being on LJ. To the extent that I sort of want to be here even less. I knew I felt like I was suffocating, but I didn't realize how much. But I'm also trying to control the random brain clutter factor over there and like the social and fandom platform LJ provides. Also? Having LfT actually does make it easier for me to be here despite everything I've just said.

  • Kali and I are about 100 pages into our novel. About 30 of those pages will probably get killed is my guess, because we could spend days happily writing our characters talking about the weather. But oh man, this thing is ROCKING.

  • Who wants to suggest markets for a non-comedic story that I'm convinced isn't SF/F and technically has no supernatural content, but is narrated by a dead iguana who has feelings about cellular decay? I don't know where it came from, but it did.

  • I have ordered more things from Trashy Diva. Specifically a dress I've had my eye on for years, that finally went on sale for a price I was willing to pay. I think there's a lot to be said about my sense of female gender presentation through the lens of gay male culture and the whole thing where the only dresses I wear are from TD. Ya know?

  • Shit ton of work today. If I'm good and finish and the snow does seem too scary, I can go to ECD tonight. Right now work awaits.

  • Stuff you should know: http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/01/11/psas/ (warning signs of stroke; floods in Australia).
  • sundries

    Jan. 10th, 2011 11:48 am
  • So many things I want to write about on LfT right now, but I've a done of work to do. Hopefully soon however:

    - this wacky universal Internet ID plan (which is horrible) and pseundonymous vs. anonymous identity
    - "fuck you and your untouchable face" -- why mentors will break your heart
    - Miss New York and her LGBT-rights platform

  • Hey, just because the shooter in AZ didn't have a coherent, mainstream political agenda, doesn't mean he didn't have a political agenda or was not partially a product of our political climate.

  • [livejournal.com profile] pecunium has some very important observations about the scale of the shooting in AZ.

  • Muslims in Egypt protect Coptic Christians from violence.
  • sundries

    Jan. 9th, 2011 11:27 am
  • More Patty! Yay!

  • Words matter.

  • Worst possible timing considering I have my Doctor Who chapter due the same day, but CFP for Sherlock and I have an idea about queerness and reception Aaaaargh.

  • I've been a bit off sushi since the food poisoning incident, but Do Want: sushi and opera.

  • Hispanic Muslims in the US.
  • sundries

    Jan. 6th, 2011 10:46 am
  • I just want to say that relieving myself of the pressure of having to do sundries every day with the mix of articles and descriptions that makes everyone happy has been really good for me. That said, I'll still do some sometimes (see!) and I'm thinking of doing a "trash day" of links once a week on Letters from Titan. Win/win?

  • Also on LfT: longer post about the Patty travel thing. Meanwhile, am starting to fill in About and some of the other pages. Also, wow, I can see how people get to the blog. It is.... fascinating at times. Especially the Google searches.

  • [livejournal.com profile] fortysevenbteg nails something I plan to do research on the media coverage side of if the trend continues: large-scale animal kills are probably the shark attack of 2011.

  • [livejournal.com profile] gwyd blogged this great article on claiming butch identity. Tangentally I want to add: there's no one way to be a man, a lesbian, or even butch (as perhaps evidenced by the feedback when I auditioned to play Billy Tipton a few years ago).

  • D&J meeting on Monday. Novel meeting on Wednesday. People who will be playing along for DW/SJA/TW watching for my chapter research in NYC, expect a scheduling email this weekend. Other people I owe email/planning to: I'm getting there. I have a nasty work backlog that won't be fully cleared until Sunday night.

  • The return of Fraunces Tavern. Ten years ago, and this would have been our regular bar. But that was another life (one that seems to like trading quips with me on Twitter lately).

  • The Bearded Dandy of Brooklyn. Make sure you catch the slide show.

  • Since I recently mentioned Hadley Nagel here and on LfT, I'd be remiss if I didn't link to the WSJ's coverage of the International Debutante Ball.

  • Drama over a scholarly paper on ESP.

  • Restoring imaginative play.

  • Tomorrow: Barn Dance.

  • Getting it done: just renewed my NCIS and Broad Universe memberships. Yay me.
  • sundries

    Jan. 2nd, 2011 01:29 pm
  • We are now, I hope, a plague-free household. It's been a rough couple of days here.

  • Severe flooding in Queensland continues: the airport's going to be closed for weeks. The flooded area is the side of NSW; transportation has been reduced to boat travel basically; and electricity has intentionally been cut in places so that there's no electrocution.

  • A musical is always about its human problems: the story of Via Galatica.

  • Beneath the city.

  • This is what we mean when we talk about how New York is grown in upon itself. Among other things, the city is filled with old building we've cut the tops off of: the Black, Starr & Frost building. I walk by this thing near every day, but this is the first time I've heard of the tower.

  • Illumination Atellier.

  • LJ'er in need: sick house made people sick and now everything's a big mess. Mold is serious business folks.

  • [livejournal.com profile] ranalore has a big meta post about her [livejournal.com profile] yuletide fics for me, which is totally awesome. I still can't believe I got both those stories. I was literally hiding under the blankets with squee as I read them.

  • We are closing in on the end of Angel. I love, LOVE, LOVE Wesley's deal with Ilyria. So wrong and yet so right. This is not the Wesley I should understand best, but I do.

  • Believe it or not, New Year's cards are coming.
  • sundries

    Dec. 27th, 2010 12:06 pm
  • Made it to Ohio -- YAY. Flight was harrowing. We shall not be discussing it.

  • We saw Tangled and it was made of PURE AWESOME. I say this as someone who doesn't like animation and had two weird brain misfires during the film -- one, like Tron this has a major character named Flynn (crossover! crossover!); two, Flynn in this movie is a perfect animated rendering of.... a dude I used to fence with. It was kinda weird. BUT AWESOME. Will write about it on other blog later.

  • [livejournal.com profile] azn_jack_fiend highlights some of the Not Right happening in Torchwood fandom. Nothing new, but damn tiring and uncool.

  • Pakistani women start going to work. And it's not easy. I can't even IMAGINE the social pressures they are up against.

  • New York forgoes Civil War remembrance.

  • The UK is expunging the convictions of men who have had sex with another man over the age of 16 next year: "Consensual sex between two men over 21 was decriminalized in 1967, but it wasn't until 1994 that the homosexual age of consent was reduced to 18. In 2000 it was finally changed to 16, which is the same age of consent for heterosexuals."
  • sundries

    Dec. 23rd, 2010 10:07 am
  • Patty reports there is now See's chocolates in Columbus. I hope it's one where you can choose your mix and not just with the pre-packaged boxes.

  • New post on http://www.LettersFromTitan.com that's sort of about the book Kali and I are writing and also about DADT.

  • OMG, body in a suitcase, in my neighborhood! A bit much after an email from a friend last night (who may wish to remain nameless) reporting witnessing both a heart attack in a shop and then finding out there was a murder or suicide that caused a BIG commotion in the apartment building her family lives in.

  • The Year in Pictures.

  • Two embassies have been hit by bombs in Rome.
  • sundries

    Dec. 22nd, 2010 10:12 am
  • Just so you know: I am currently noodling around with WordPress and designs and domain names. Soon I will have a new blog. I will continue to use this blog for my need to link spam and fanfic (this, btw, has nothing to do with any desire or need to separate fanfic from the rest of my identity; it just makes sense for fic to stay where the LJ fan community is) and it will remain as unsecret as it currently is. New blog will be, hopefully, for more thoughts that take more than three sentences. I may cross-post, and I'll definitely set up an RSS feed so people can read from their LJ friends-lists still. I hope people will interact with me there; meanwhile, I'll still be reading my friendslist here.

    Why is this happening? The first post on the new blog will hopefully explain, and I don't want to steal its thunder, but the short answer for here? LJ culture and I aren't getting along real well right now, mainly because I don't know how to keep doing what I've been doing, and so this slightly new thing may be what I need to do to feel like I can regain authority over my own words.

  • You have not heard this saga, but it suffices to say: I have found the missing tomatoes.

  • Patty has arrived safely in Ohio.

  • Had a long talk with one of my oldest friends last night, a lot of which was Trans 102/103 regarding a situation in an organization of which she is a member. She is good. She can do some good. It was nice.

  • Note to self: renew your damn NCIS membership.

  • Everyone like me who has systems for getting cheap fares? Prepare to have it not work as American Airlines removes its listings from Orbitz and other carries may follow suit with a variety of services. Now, I hate flying American, but I've gotten a shitload of stellar deals with them lately, so I'm displeased. I'm also displeased by the potential impact on the sites I use to find awesome fares on various carriers.

  • Obama says he is prepared to implement the DADT repeal and that it will take months not years. (Good). He also says he is "wrestling" with marriage equality. Does that smell like a crappy compromise to you? It smells like one to me. That said, he does manage to talk about dealing with DoMA and about marriage gay and lesbian couples he knows. So, something. Baby steps are tiring.

  • Hey, the UN voted that extrajudicial killings of gay people for being gay are bad. 93 voted for this; 55 voted against it; 27 abstained. It's arguably safe for me to see approximately half the world. Focus: arguably.

  • Despite apologizing for it over the summer Target has continued to make anti-gay donations.

  • African farmers displaced by investment from both inside and outside of Africa.

  • A blogger sets out to donate about $600 worth of gift cards to people in need. More people than that ask for help. Other people step up. In the end, about $40,000 gets donated to 90 people.

  • Ob random: One day Patty and I will get to gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. Dammit. Yes.
  • sundries

    Dec. 21st, 2010 11:10 am
  • We did set the alarm for late to get up to see the eclipse, but the plan was only to look if we could see it from our bed (we can often see the moon from our window), but we could not and so went back to sleep. The world is, however, brighter this morning, and we are glad.

  • Last night we found a restaurant on the edge of Soho (so it claims, is Noho/Little Italy the edge of Soho now? God help me) that has gluten-free pasta and pizza. Also, excellent ambiance and major skylight action. We're very happy.

  • A cruise option may be back on the menu vs. France now. We're going to try to figure it out over the holidays. I don't know.

  • Cards are happening for New Year's.

  • And we both got our Yuletide's uploaded!

  • Today is the day. Dogboy & Justine fundraising ends tonight at 9:22pm EST.

  • Travel across Europe remains severely disrupted by weather. I've heard horrible reports of friends stranded in Germany trying to get home to the US from Asia and chaos at St Pancras in London. At least the volcano wasn't cold.

  • 14% of the US population now receives food stamps. In Washington DC that number is over 20%; if you look at people under 16, the number near doubles in some jurisdictions. Some politicians would tell you the shame is that they're lazy. The shame is that our system is so broken that so many people need our help (and make no mistake, everyone who needs help isn't getting it) and that we vilify them for it.

  • A Brooklyn food pantry tries a plan to allow recipients to choose their groceries. This is huge. For people who need food assistance but also suffer from diseases like celiac disease the choice is often go hungry or get sick.

  • 100,000 homes. A plan to address chronic homelessness is actually working.

  • Ireland's financial woes seen in the fate of its horses. (Warning: animal suffering).

  • With the DADT vote, Harvard and Yale are now exploring the possibility of ROTC programs.

  • Meanwhile, a Virginia politician wants to make sure LGB people remained barred from the Virginia National Guard.

  • The UN is to make another attempt to say that killing gay people for being gay is bad. Not gay or otherwise marginalized and at risk? Imagine if you had to type that sentence with adjectives that applied to you like it was a normal thing.

  • George Osborne accused of homophobia. (Hi, Fandom, HOW ARE YOU TODAY?)

  • And in case you missed it, Haley Barbour has just blown up his presidential hopes (we hope) by letting people know that "segregation wasn't that bad." Seriously, no matter how much of a bigot you are, how bad at this public speaking thing do you have to be to let that one slip?

  • Law and the multiverse: Are mutants a protected legal class? What if someone is convicted of murder but then the victim comes back to life?

  • Paul Cornell is a lot of things (all good, Paul, all good!) including a professional creator who has written fan-fiction. As part of his 12 blogs of Christmas, today he links to fanfic from people about some of his characters.

  • There has been a significant fall at Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. About 20 feet. The actor is listed in serious condition.

  • A space wardrobe.

  • Finally, [livejournal.com profile] custardfairy is part of an LGBT chorus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They have an upcoming concert in January on the WCC campus. The chorus desperately needs to sell tickets, advertising and receive contributions if they are going to continue to exist past January. The website is a bit out of date, but [livejournal.com profile] custardfairy says "people can also email OutLoudChorus@gmail.com for more ways to support the choir. They are a 501c organization so advertising and donations are tax deductible." For more info on attending the concert, you can contact the Chorus's email address or [livejournal.com profile] custardfairy.

  • P.S., Happy Dalek Day! (Gosh, there's a lot of analysis to do about bodies and sexuality and absence and The Void thanks that still of the Dalek plunger blocking out Barbara's torso, ne?). The first appearance on our TVs of the Doctor's nemeses (singular or plural do you think? How collective are they? Has this changed over time? Do we need to discuss the Dalek/human hybrid?), the Daleks, happened December 21, 1963.
  • sundries

    Dec. 20th, 2010 10:03 am
  • Patty's parents are here and we're all having a blast despite some Exciting! Mercury! Retrograde! Action! that did at least allow me to get some holiday shopping done yesterday. Also? Her mom might teach me to drive a little bit when I am there. EXCITING.

  • The details of the rape charges against Assange have been leaked. It's not about condoms, and it's not about jealousy (which are the two most common dismissals I've seen). I felt myself nodding along as I read it. It absolutely, positively read like a narrative of the terrible things that went on in the social circle of my 20s.

    These charges are extremely plausible, and let's remember that very, very, very few rape accusations turn out to be lies, even in light of a craptastic conviction rate. Let's also remember that even if Assange is acquitted and/or the charges turn out to be false -- death threats against people are not appropriate. Yes, the women, whose stories have been deemed reasonable enough for this matter to be explored in court, are getting death threats (because, of course assholes have posted their personal contact details and residence information on the Internet) -- NOT OKAY, PEOPLE. Also, I haven't the faintest idea how to say this and get it right, but I'm going to try: I both think that yes, Assange raped those women and therefore should be convicted of doing so, and am somewhat uncomfortable with the social requirement that we pronounce him guilty outside/prior to legal proceedings to which we are not party.

    Yesterday I also pissed some people off by being "eh, Michael Moore, etc. is a distraction" in passing (post was deleted as I was out, and didn't have the technology available to clarify in a way that was going to do anyone any favors), which was more a reflection on my having long thought Michael Moore isn't worth listening to outside of his films (which I also have issues with) than whatever I actually managed to say instead. I realize not everyone feels that way about Moore, or he wouldn't have the audience he does, so obviously there is use in people engaging with him being an asshole about rape. As to the Olbermann climbing into that disaster car part of the story, again with the "I'm not surprised so it didn't get my energy" department. It is meanwhile good that it's getting somebody's energy. I hope that clarifies. I suspect that Moore will continue to be a complete asshole and Olbermann may apologize, but that's mostly a guess based on my perception of their respective levels of PR savvy. I know nothing of what is in anyone's heart. The good news on this front, such as it is, is that online protest involving this part of the mess has generated what seems to be significant donations to multiple charities that fight rape and support women who have been raped.

    Meanwhile, Assange is no longer the head of Wikileaks and hasn't been for a little bit now. It says something about the media coverage that I can't even remember the new guy's name. But the reason I bring this up, without casting any aspersions on him, is that in journalism source matters and between the Assange situation and the Wikileaks may employ Holocaust denier story, WikiLeaks is doing an awfully good job at making its important work look unbelievably suspect.

    Additionally, is anyone clear on if the insurance file is about the security of WikiLeaks or the security of Assange? Who controls the unlock key now? Is it all a big bluff? Are WikiLeaks and Assange working in any sort of tandem at this point? Why or why not?

    The rape story is important in and of itself (starting with: gosh, is this making any of the people or systems that have never really cared about rape, care more about rape outside of this case? Sadly, I don't think so). The rape story is also important re: WikiLeaks, Internet culture, liberal-bastion politics and a bunch of other things. There are other elements of the WikiLeaks story that don't intersect the rape part of the story that are also critical. I have no idea how ANYONE can focus on all the hydra heads this thing has grown at this point, but there sure are a lot of them.

    Also, if you bank with BofA, prepare for web fuckery as they suspend WikiLeaks transactions. Whether this is about Assange and the rape charges; the US (and international) rage at WikiLeaks; or the possibility that WikiLeaks might be about to release a ton of info on the banking industry is all speculation at this point.

    Finally, if you don't read [livejournal.com profile] browneyedgirl65 you should. She has been blogging EXCELLENTLY on WikiLeaks and a few other subjects of late.

  • The politics of doing business in Harlem.

  • Holiday lights and social capital.

  • Jimmy Carter recently said the US is ready for a gay president. Everyone else is like "woah, optimism."

  • With the DADT vote, the question is what's next on the gay agenda?

  • The oldest hawk.

  • Myfanwy!!!!!!

  • Yuletide and I: Need to get on that. Done!
  • sundries

    Dec. 18th, 2010 11:06 am
  • Patty and I are having a nice domestic morning. This is really the first one we've had since she's been back and really since she left for Cardiff, since it was too dark and cold in Cardiff for us to even putter about comfortably.

  • Plans for various things are shaping up. Patty has to make a post before I can tell you some of that (and there's still some info we don't quite have), but we do know I'll be joining Patty in Columbus on December 26th and we'll be returning on January 3. We don't drive, so are somewhat at the mercy of the schedules and graces of others, but if I've dropped you a note ever about us trying to meet up at some point, this is the timeframe.

  • We also know that in May we're doing a Regency weekend in Essex and a wedding in Pittsburgh at the end of that month. I suspect France will be in August.

  • I had the oddly nice experience of getting off my ass and sending NCIS my scholarly accomplishments for 2010 and it was actually sort of awesome. I did stuff! I have more stuff in the pipeline (OH GOD, I NEED TO WATCH ALL OF SJA)! I should update my CV.

  • I am very, very excited for Tron: Legacy. The score and the bleakness alone have me very excited, even if everyone is saying that the script is truly terrible. Unfortunately Patty has aggressive negative interest in seeing this one, so it's me on my own next week.

  • Now we are getting ready to go to the farmer's market and Eataly before we join a friend for her birthday and a night of 20s dancing.

  • Almost, Maine was a flop in New York. But it's having one hell of a healthy life elsewhere.

  • Can airports be fun? I had the horror recently of realizing I enjoy airport time. I suppose I'd have to (am assuming at least 6 RTs for me in the next 12 months, know that could easily go up to 9 or more -- I don't like being away from home for long stretches, but I love spending a bit of time on the road).

  • Urban forager: burdock.

  • So brilliant I wish I'd thought of it: Far from Heaven to be musical.

  • Last night we jumped back on the Angel bandwagon and watched "Harm's Way." There's only one thing you need to know: OH MY GOD I LOVE HARMONY SO MUCH. Also, I want a Harmony/Ianto bitching about their crappy jobs that take them for granted and their awful bosses with swoopy coats fic. Pleeeeeeease?
  • sundries

    Dec. 17th, 2010 11:13 am
  • Patty and I had sushi at Takahashi last night. I used to go there all the time, and I have no idea how we've been together so long without me suggesting we go there. I guess it's easy to be out of sight out of mind about restaurants in New York. Anyway, it was very nice.

  • Oh shit, Yuletide!

  • We just about managed to remain conscious through John Stewart and the beginning of Colbert. I hate when it feels like these are the only guys saying what needs to be said. Newsflash: working between Christmas and New Year's doesn't disrespect Jesus. Second: the Republicans better not use the 9/11-blah-blah-blah strategy EVER again. My disgust level is so high.

  • Hey, I don't use it, but if you do: Del.icio.us is going away at a yet to be determined point (the team got fired yesterday) and you should backup or transfer your bookmarks.

  • Sarah Dopp has begun fundraising to launch the Gender Playful marketplace. Her being able to launch this platform would improve a lot of lives.

  • 'Tis the season: Okay, so there's this guy Paul that I went to high school with. He's a freelance opera and classical music journalist and also a geek and has a blog. Where he just posted Dune filk of the Hallelujah Chorus.

  • Headline much more interesting than article: UFO shot down over a nuclear powerplant in the Negev. Seriously the link to this on CNN's homepage says "UFO." Fuckers.

  • Scathing: "Mark Twain’s autobiography, embargoed at his request for 100 years and now a best seller, is a powerful argument for writers’ burning their papers."

  • In France: Civil unions gain favor over marriage.

  • The fuck? The guy who is about to become the head of the House's Homeland Security Comittee says that Muslim radicalization will be a focus of inquiry as Muslim groups aren't cooperating enough. Really? The last time a Muslim group turned in someone they thought was a terrorist, it turned out to be an FBI plant. Fuck you, dude.

  • Not an American concern: something really anti-Semitic that Kissinger said in 1973 comes back to haunt us all.

  • FIFA apologizes for warning about gay sex, but it doesn't really solve the problem, does it?

  • Reports of assaults at US military academies are up 64%
  • sundries

    Dec. 16th, 2010 09:00 am
  • Good day yesterday. Everyone is almost in the same time zone and there was productivity. I think tonight it might be sushi time, depending if Patty is noshy after her department's party tonight.

  • I am dithering about opera tickets. Also theater tickets at BAM for next season. All slightly complicated by many schedule things that we lack answers to or the ability to control.

  • The US government wants you to know that the best thing to do in case of a nuclear attack is to shelter where you are. Even minimal shelter, like a car, would result in fewer radioactive fall-out deaths. The problem? They're not sure how to communicate this without getting us upset. I AM UPSET. DO YOU HEAR ME? I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT MY FUCKING COLD WAR CHILDHOOD AND I INHERENTLY OBJECT TO A RETURN TO REFLEXIVE BOMB-SHELTER DESIGN AS A RESPONSE TO AN UNCONTROLLABLE WORLD.

  • A town holds its silence about a bully's killing.

  • On a party planner. Oh, check out the slide show. Also, I want to see that map.

  • You've heard it before but, a piece on homophobia and how it's really about the challenge to male power that queerness represents.

  • The hunt is on for a serial killer in Long Island.

  • Journalism, in public.

  • Boehner, Clinton and the weeping problem. Interesting, but I think it's too sure of how people will response. Men crying makes US folks REALLY uncomfortable as a rule. I don't think it'll work in Boehner's favor, although I do think people will largely be uncomfortable discussing it, which might work in his favor. Here's another piece on it that's well-crafted but also avoids some of the questions of impact.

  • A look at Holbrooke's death and the suicide of Mark Madoff through the lens of Greek drama.

  • The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Ireland's abortion ban.

  • Heroic, female and Muslim. Stop being surprised. The only thing possibly surprising here is that anyone -- regardless of religion or gender -- could be this awesome.

  • Things I can't quite believe I'm linking to. A piece from Rob Thomas on straight people standing up for gay rights. It's not a perfect piece by any means, but it makes the fascinating assertion that a civil union is about death (hospital visitation and inheritance rights) and a marriage is about life -- that's why the name matters. I don't necessarily agree, but it's a fantastic rhetorical flourish.

  • Glenn Close as an Irish man. HOT. HOT HOT HOT HOT. Now more than ever, I'm pleased that friends of mine used to say she should play me in a movie of my life.

  • Don't forget, got industry questions? Ask here.

  • Also, fandom, we're going to have another talk later today. Don't worry, Torchwood, this time it's not about you. Well, not any more than usual, but seriously, on today's topic we're at least better than average.
  • sundries

    Dec. 15th, 2010 12:42 pm
  • Patty is home, and it's been super New York-y already: the other people in Terminal 8 were so excited to see their loved-ones they were blocking folks from getting out; the cab said his credit card thing was broken; the sound of the heating pipes woke us up; and there was some seriously creepy bird action this morning. Thumbs up.

  • Zuckerberg is Time's person of the year. How pissed do you think Assange is?

  • Meanwhile, the US Air Force has blocked access to news sites that have published the leaks. can someone explain this to me? Is it anything other than "these secret things aren't secret anymore, but we're going to pretend they are, even if it means you're working from a deficit of what is now common information?"

  • Someone is stealing New York's junked appliances.

  • On splitting the check. I understand the complaint. I don't understand why it's necessary. I've almost NEVER run into this, though. We all figure out what we owe, chuck it in, and since I've been over the age of about 25, we've usually had too much money, not too little.

  • A bill has been introduced in California to add historical contributions of LGBT people to school textbooks. A similar legislation passed four years ago, but was vetoed by the governor.

  • The academics I know keep posting this, but I still love it every time I see it: The Snake Fight Portion of Your Thesis Defense.
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