The hover. The hover makes this all so amazing! (Aka, feel free to look below, but go to the comic.)
Even if you don't regularly read XKCD or watch the Olympics, if you've paid any attention to swimming in the last decade or so. It is totally worth it.
I'm about to head out again. Stupid appointments at 7:30 a.m. mean leaving the house often by 6. *yawn*
| | |
If you don't like politics, then you might want to leave. Even if you do like politics, you might want to leave.
You might want to leave, because I'm angry.
I've been reading more political commentary than is probably truly healthy in the last few months. The war on women, whether or not you believe it is real, has caused a great spewing of vitriol into the internet. I'm sure the vitriol and poor behavior has always been there, but my interest in the issues means I'm seeing it a lot more.
Somewhere along the line it became common to insult people who hold a differing political opinion. Maybe people think they are witty, maybe they think that this is going to convince someone that they are misinformed or wrong, but the answer is generally no. People (and I know these are gross generalizations) do not like being insulted. Insulting a political group isn't an attack on a faceless entity. It is an attack on your friends or neighbors that just have a different opinion.
Really. No one is going to change their opinion because you used a term like Dumbocrat or Repugnican (with usually strategic capitalization). Seemingly harmless throwaway comments like "Pull the other one" or even a "Oh wait" appended to a post does nothing to add to a conversation. They are just other ways of saying that the person you are talking to is dumber than a box of rocks.
Just to be clear here. The trolling that is going on is definitely bipartisan. There are people making as many rude comments about Republicans as there are making similar comments about Democrats.
Can we go back to discussing all of these highly charged issues from a position of respect? We can start off by referring to our presidents (current and former) by their title and last name. Leave off the alterations of the polical party names. Civil discourse might not chaneg anyone's mind either, but as name calling and insults aren't doing the job give it a try. You can even add links to news sites (ones with more facts, so less Huffington Post and Fox News) to bolster your reasoned arguments with facts.
My blood pressure will thank you.
| | |
So, a few weeks ago I listened to the Lesser Known Candidates presidential debate. It was like a train wreck. I couldn't stop. While it was on video (and I was listening to the video), I had too many things to do to give it the attention it deserved. However, it was hilarious. What people consider appropriate is an amazing, amazing thing.
The video below is definitely not the Lesser Known Candidate debate, but it does contain one of the highlights. Even with my distaste for normal political discourse, this was worth watching... or listening to.
| | |
Before I post about anything else, I strongly suggest that you watch this.
Transcript available here.
I'm working my way through the break between show weekends, which is good. I'm so far behind on blog post reading that I am thinking of chucking it all and wiping everything clean. Not so good for that one, but in the land of good I'm over 90% done with a new sweater that I started during put in. Light hang conveniently allows me to push scaffolding with people and lights and knit at the same time. I have the sleeves blocking right now... I did them 2 at a time, and it was the first time I had ever used that technique. With the exception of a couple possible burbles, the technique was flawless, simple and speedy. Why have I done it this way before!?
Of course, with the sweater pieces blocking I had to start something else, so I picked a tiny project made of 1 parts yarn to 2 parts silliness. It is also super speedy, but I at least can make more of these and not have it be a big deal!
| | |
I have knitting with about 3 rows left in my bag and makings for a dessert in the fridge, but instead I spent last night watching some low quality television and reading my book (mostly reading my book). I'm hoping today between my morning commute, lunch break and trip home to mostly finish with the knitting. The dessert will be about 30 minutes of work when I get home followed by about an hour of work later. We'll see.
Instead of working on the Iron Craft or reading my book, I'm going to think about George Takei. He is one of my favorite actors, from growing up with Sulu to his PSA about Tim Hardaway. Of course, not all of his PSAs are about gay activism. His latest PSA is for relief for Japan.
While I understand that earmarking funds to a specific tragedy hobbles the different NGOs that provide aid, I hope this moves people to donate to these organizations. When this tragedy is over, there will be another. The world is not a static place, and even a first world nation can need aid. No one is immune.
| | |
Recent Comments