I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Monday, December 23, 2013

Linkee-poo of Orient are, bearing gifts we've traveled this far

John Joseph Adams is running a contest to name his Military Fantasy anthology. You have until the end of January.

An interview with Saladin Ahmed regarding food in his stories. Actually it's about culture and how details of culture can make a story real and relevant.

Five lies you were told about grief. "You are a character in a story that is over, and since this never happens in the fairy tales you were fed in your most formative years, you are lost. You no longer fit in the world, and there is no star that can grant your truest wish." Also, talk about death, before it's too late. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Ten extreme weather events from 2013 in photos. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The origin of the "welfare queen." Cited here because of the return of the myth. The woman was a serial criminal, not an example of how people on welfare actually behave.

"'Christian organization cancels Duck Dynasty event because Robertsons have wine deal'… Cries of faux lamentation over 'censorship': Zero." That famed conservative moral constancy.

Some amazing shadow sculptures. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Sex (as in gender) is not as nearly binary as everyone thinks it is. This is but one of the problems I have with conservative moral stances on sexuality. Sex isn't a this or that situation, it's often a long and wide spectrum of grays. And that's only when we talk about the physicality of it. If we add in the cultural, sociological, and personal preferences, the diversity is definitely mind-boggling. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

The Cubli. A cube that can roll, jump, and balance on a corner. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"In fact we went back a few weeks ago to see if this was a phenomenon that was confined only to the women, and we actually found a few virgin fathers as well — which is a little harder to get your head around." That's the zinger to an article that starts with "One in every 200 young American women says she became pregnant while still a virgin." And people say miracles don't happen anymore. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

"Once they turn 62, veterans would receive a cost-of-living correction that would restore retirement payouts to the amount they would have been without the cuts. Still, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said those cuts show how insensitive the nation has become." Let me call bullshit on this. Yes, it's wrong to cut the retirement benefits of those who have already retired (or who are close, like less than 15 years). But notice that conservatives have been leading the charge to cut teacher, public employee, and everybody else's pensions (note, Wisconsin, Ohio SB-5, Detroit, etc, etc). So for them to make this claim about insensitivity is complete and utter horse-shit. Not to mention, it's part of the deal that came from Rep. Paul Ryan. Kinda sucks when you're own policies and ideologies are given solid form and brought before everyone. Also note how these articles focus on the Senate and absolved the House of their overwhelming vote.

Hey look, real voter fraud (fraudulent statement while applying, registered in two states). Oh, wait, it's another conservative. "Liz Cheney’s husband has been registered to vote in both Virginia and Wyoming for the past nine months, even though he signed a document in Wyoming saying he was not registered elsewhere." Never mind. And I'm sure all those new voter laws will help. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

G"Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens is no friend of the Affordable Care Act…" Apparently he's also no friend of learning how insurance works or what the terms of insurance, such as "pre-existing condition", mean. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

"Of course, using data to drive hiring decisions has its problems. Employers guided by data could wind up skipping over promising candidates. But Barbara Marder of the consulting firm Mercer points out that the way companies hire now has its own flaws. We like to hire people who are like us. People who went to schools we know. People who were referred to us by our friends." Actually this is a little behind the times. Back in 2010, we had to design/write our resumes to be machine read. Welcome to your new hiring manager, the computer.

The dismal salary of $140,000 a year. Yes, it sure sucks to make six-figures. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

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