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I'm a party pooper. [Nov. 26th, 2009|07:29 pm]

ms_treesap
[Tags|]
[Current Location |You're lucky I didn't Godwin this.]
[mood | cynical]

There are loads of "Happy Thanksgiving! *\o/*" posts on my f-list/reading circle today, and as much as I would like to I can't join in. Not because I'm British (and why should I give thanks for anything to the ungrateful colony who dumped us centuries ago :P), but because of the nominal reason for the holiday.

Which is something built on lies and death and the near genocide of the people who were already living there, and should have been left alone instead of being systematically killed and demonised for the sake of their land and the freedom of other people to colonise what was not theirs. Thanksgiving implicitly celebrates this, as well as the other things that are more prominent in people's minds such as family and friends or good food.

So, er, "Happy Genocide Day *\o/*" with a side order of "Enjoy your systematic opression".

And have this for a less cynical viewpoint- a member of the Yankton Dakota Sioux talks about why she chooses to celebrate Thanksgiving:

In stories told by the Dakota people, an evil person always keeps his or her heart in a secret place separate from the body. The hero must find that secret place and destroy the heart in order to stop the evil.

I see, in the "First Thanksgiving" story, a hidden Pilgrim heart. The story of that heart is the real tale than needs to be told. What did it hold? Bigotry, hatred, greed, self-righteousness? We have seen the evil that it caused in the 350 years since. Genocide, environmental devastation, poverty, world wars, racism.

Where is the hero who will destroy that heart of evil? I believe it must be each of us. Indeed, when I give thanks this Thursday and I cook my native food, I will be thinking of this hidden heart and how my ancestors survived the evil it caused.


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Happy Thanksgiving! [Nov. 26th, 2009|03:30 pm]

magalud
[Tags|]
[mood | bouncy]

A link to a charming art for Thanksgiving by Yukipon. Rated G. http://yukipon.deviantart.com/art/Pumpkin-139570249
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This Thanksgiving Day I'm Thankful [Nov. 26th, 2009|03:10 am]

doingsoso
[mood | cheerful]

Before I call it quits for the night:

I don't usually wax maudlin, or do the sentimental thing on the Holidays. But I got to thinking about the way things are right now. And you know what? I felt a welling up of gratitude and thankfulness for the people and things in my life.

I'm truly Thankful for a lot of things:

I'm thankful that the members of my family still have jobs. Many, many people don't. And many more people may become unemployed in the coming year. I'm thankful that we're all relatively healthy, with no chronic illnesses.

I'm thankful I still have a roof over my head. A great many people, here in the US, not in some far off foreign country overseas, don't

I'm thankful that although money is tight, I still have groceries in the pantry. A lot of people in this country don't have anything to eat, or enough to eat. I may not always eat what I want when I want it. 'Cause if I did, I'd eat steak all the time, LOL. But I have sufficient for my family. And we are 6 in number with one on the way.

I'm thankful for the internet:

When I was a kid we had the local TV stations, the newspaper, and radio. Then, the year I graduated high school cable was in it's infancy, and catching on fast. HBO was the hottest new thing. I am so grateful that now I can sit down at my computer and fire it up and get near instantaneous news from around the globe. It's still a wonder to me. I don't take it for granted because I didn't grow up with the internet always around like most of the kids today.

I'm grateful for MP3 players:

Man while I was growing up we had radio and vinyl. That was it. Then 8 tracks came along. 8 or 10 songs on a cassette type deal about the size and thickness of a paperback book. Then cassettes came along, Then CDs, now we can carry a whole collection of albums, and pictures, and movies on a little tiny device that fits in your hand! You guys that grew up with this stuff just don't know how amazing that really is.

I'm thankful for IMs, and journals, and blogs, and social media period: Anyone who wants to can communicate almost instantly without waiting a week for a letter or being tied to a land line at home waiting on a call. It's absolutely amazing to me the multitude and varieties of ways people can communicate now. There again, when I was a kid we had phones, and letters (snail mail), and smoke signals. *Snerk* I'm 46 YO and all this stuff didn't start cropping up until I was in my 30s. Now, we have: cell phones, texting, IM, VOIP, Twitter, journals, blogs, email, Google WAVE ;>, and you can even see who you're talking to with a web cam! It's still a seven year wonder to me.

So I'm extra thankful this year. I don't want to bore you to death, I've listed just the highlights.

Am I ignoring all the bad things going on? No, I realize and acknowledge that there are still terrible things going on in the economy, and the environment, and in a million other areas. But for today, even though my life is far from perfect, I'm taking the time to be thankful for the things I do have, the GOOD things in my life. As busy as everyday life gets, and amidst all the stories of the wrongness of things, I don't always stop to think about the things I do have that are good.

So, from my family to yours may you have a Happy Thanksgiving!



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Honey, honey . . . [Nov. 25th, 2009|10:57 pm]

lavendertook
[Tags|, , , ]


Ah, sugar . . . Sugar maple, brightest of them all! It's what makes New England and Ontario especially so grand in the fall. I'm not sure how far up north in Canada they do a good display--please chime in, Canadian flistmates. We don't have so many here, and there are fewer south of here. They kept a long display here this year, though many of them got rained off by their peak, and I guess most of us humans got rained in from seeing them. I love them pre-peak best, though, when they still have a lot of green to contrast with the flames.
You got me wanting you . . .  )
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Top 8 Sites To Listen To Free Christmas Music Online [Nov. 25th, 2009|10:56 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | cheerful]

Top 8 Sites To Listen To Free Christmas Music Online



I love these lists in articles, because I invariably find other sites or programs listed in the comments. Stuff I've never heard of or new websites. That's why it's a good idea to read comments on articles, or reviews on products. It's a great FREE resource.




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Bureau of Economic Analysis National Economic Accounts: Personal Income and Outlays, October 2009 [Nov. 25th, 2009|10:22 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | blah]

Bureau of Economic Analysis National Economic Accounts: Personal Income and Outlays, October 2009




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Aluratec erader 137.00 on Newegg [Nov. 25th, 2009|09:49 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | blah]

Aluratek "Libre" E-Book Reader Pro with 5" Display, Black


Thin and Light
Small enough to fit into your pocket, the Libre eBook Reader Pro is easy to carry anywhere, perfect for on-the-go reading.
newegg

Paper-like 5" Screen
The Libre eBook Reader Pro features a large 5-inch display, providing plenty of room for navigation and comfortable reading. Implementing the latest in ePaper technology, the display delivers a true paper-like reading experience with high contrast and crisp images that can be seen from any angle with no glare.
newegg

Adjustable Font Sizes and Display Options
The Libre eBook Reader Pro provides a choice of font sizes and horizontal/vertical display options to suit your reading preference.
newegg Includes 2GB SD Card and 100 Free eBooks

The Libre eBook Reader Pro comes with 100 free eBooks on the included 2GB SD card and can hold more eBook titles with support for up to 32GB SD cards.
newegg

Integrated MP3 Player
The Libre eBook Reader Pro plays back MP3 music so you can enjoy your favorite music while reading.
newegg

USB Connectivity
Easily download eBooks, MP3s and more from your PC, update the unit with the latest firmware, and charge the internal Lithium-ion battery with the convenient USB connection!

++++++++++++++++++++

It sounds like I'd be much happier with this than a Kindle. Not only is it less expensive but it can be used with several different formats, and it takes an SD card. So there's no limit tot the books I can store, and I can keep them backed up on a DVD or an external hard drive. It seems with the Kindle2 as though the back ups of periodicals is only backed up for 6 days, and there are problems with book storage as well. So I'd just prefer to buy my books, download them to my computer and back them up myself. This little reader doesn't sound bad at all for the price. I'm mulling it over for times when I have to leave home and do the waiting game somewhere. Doctor's office, checkout line at the grocery store, for waiting anywhere I suppose. The battery life probably isn't as good as the kindle, but I don't go anywhere much. I'm a home body. But it would be great for when I do.



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OK I may not post tomorrow [Nov. 25th, 2009|03:50 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | grateful]

I'll have to wait and see how busy I am.


But Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.


Smileycons!




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Nissan Motor Co (Australia) Pty Ltd—T31 X-Trail and J10 Dualis vehicles—Steering Pinion Retainer [Nov. 25th, 2009|03:07 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | discontent]

Nissan Motor Co (Australia) Pty Ltd—T31 X-Trail and J10 Dualis vehicles—Steering Pinion Retainer


A concern has been detected relating to the cover screw securing the pinion shaft of the steering gear to the gear housing which may loosen and cause noisy steering operation. In the worst case scenario the cover screw may eventually come out which would result in a loss of steering control.





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41k [Nov. 25th, 2009|01:38 pm]

prairiecrow
[Tags|]

Just passed the 41k mark in NaNo. I'm about 700 words behind target. Not too much to make up in the next four days.
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Watching 'Twilight' [Nov. 25th, 2009|11:16 am]

caersidi
[Tags|, , , ]

Katherine came round last night and we had a girly night watching Twilight. and chatting about various fun things such as the appeal of vampires, why sparkling ones are the rage and the number of plot holes in Twilight, the movie.

Like me she felt the film improved on the book and was beautifully filmed. So next week we shall see New Moon.

The cats were very welcoming to Katherine, Misty-Maya even went and sat in the arm of her chair during the film and following her out to the hall when she took a phone call.

She brought Bucks Fizz and as she was driving only had a little. I ended up doing no writing as a result. Long V4C meeting, shopping and then I did a few hours work on the house. Was exhausted and barely closed the door on Katherine when fell asleep on the settee and woke groggy at midnight. Don't think will be hard to catch up today/tomorrow.
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Gold hits record high $1,180 per ounce [Nov. 25th, 2009|04:21 am]

doingsoso
[mood | sleepy]

Gold hits record high $1,180 per ounce




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Icebergs head from Antarctica for New Zealand [Nov. 25th, 2009|03:19 am]

doingsoso
[mood | drained]

Icebergs head from Antarctica for New Zealand




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MIT Open Courseware: Kitchen Chemistry [Nov. 25th, 2009|02:35 am]

doingsoso
[mood | artistic]

Kitchen Chemistry
As taught in: Spring 2009

Level:
Undergraduate

Instructors:
Dr. Patricia Christie


Course Description
This seminar is designed to be an experimental and hands-on approach to applied chemistry (as seen in cooking). Cooking may be the oldest and most widespread application of chemistry and recipes may be the oldest practical result of chemical research. We shall do some cooking experiments to illustrate some chemical principles, including extraction, denaturation, and phase changes.




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The Symphony of Science [Nov. 25th, 2009|01:11 am]

doingsoso
[mood | sleepy]

The Symphony of Science


is a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form. Here you can watch music videos, download songs, read lyrics and find links relating to the messages conveyed by the music.




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FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Clarifies New Internet Marketing, Blogging & Affiliate Advertising Gu [Nov. 25th, 2009|12:28 am]

doingsoso
[mood | busy]

FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Clarifies New Internet Marketing, Blogging & Affiliate Advertising Guidelines With Jim Edwards





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Bradford Pear Tree Love [Nov. 24th, 2009|10:49 pm]

lavendertook
[Tags|, , ]


These are more pics across Greenbelt Lake and down the southwest branch I took a month ago. See those dark green trees with a touch of burgundy in the center here? Those are Bradford pear trees. And they still had some pretty leaves hanging on this weekend--I took some pics I'll show you later.

Let me just write a little encomium to Bradford pears, because I've come to love this tree a lot. In the spring it's one of the first trees to flower with clouds of white blooms. It's used as a total utility tree around here and planted all along the highways, so there are stretches along the Beltway that are just gorgeous in the spring. One of my spring observances is to make it a point to drive through the Ivy Lane Office Park and the Greenway Shopping Center parking lot--names that ring full of the romance of spring, right?--they are so full of these trees. Last year, while I was in the parking lot, some flurries fell while their blooms were already out, and it was wonderful to see white petals and snowflakes falling together.
More nattering about trees and more pics . . . )
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Negative Cashback from Bing Cashback [Nov. 24th, 2009|10:32 pm]

doingsoso
Negative Cashback from Bing Cashback


Please spread the word so people don't get ripped off this Holiday Season... I certainly won't be using Bing for anything!




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GIP - Merlin OT4 [Nov. 24th, 2009|05:10 pm]

msilverstar
[Tags|, ]
[mood |amused]

I've been sucked into Merlin, at least watching (girlchild loves it but gets scared when things get tense) and reading the fic, some of which is so good I had to rec it. It's an utterly ridiculous twisting of the Arthur stories, of course, and I'm still in love with the 12th century versions. But the characters in this are just so damn cute, I can't resist. Therefore, an OT4 icon, made by [info] miakun, because I like them in any and every combination :-D
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FastStone Capture 5.3 FREEWARE [Nov. 24th, 2009|04:50 pm]

doingsoso
[mood | ecstatic]

FastStone Capture

This is the greatest little program since sliced white bread. Works fantastically well. Fast, very low usage of system resources, and my fave feature is that it will capture scrolling pages not just the viewable part of the page. Has an auto save feature where you can set the folder and the format and forget it. Simple interface, and small presence on the screen. This is the most useful program besides Convert that I have found in a long while. All in all, I think I'm in love! Enjoy




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