Linkee-poo came back as a bag of groceries accidentally taken off the shelf before the date stamped on myself

Today I note the passing of Graham Joyce (not that I just heard about it, but so far haven't commented here). I met Mr. Joyce and have read many of his books. I still remember his performance during his interview as the GoH at World Fantasy. That performance (and it was one, as are most of those events) has had a heavy influence in how I present myself at cons. I always wanted to write him and ask what advice he had for new writers. This dove tailed into a wonderful story he told about his own experience learning the craft, but just never got around to it.

Thirty-seven pieces of life advice from the dying. I'm working on number one. I'm working on it hard. (Grokked from Janiece)

Solar flare on video by SOHO. That static you see, that's the radiation hitting the satellite. (Grokked from Warren Ellis)

Fuck cancer. "'A Mother’s Journey': 20 photos of a Mother’s love for her dying son." Don't view if you cry easily and your somewhere you can't let that emotion out. Just a warning. (Grokked from Janiece)

Ted Cruz finds out that only American Evangelicals have this fetish for Israel. Say, here's something people want to hear as they're being killed for their beliefs, "You may have it bad, but not as bad as these other people that we love. Don't mind me as I hijack your political movement for my own pet project."

And it what comes as a shock to no one, the Senate fails to move the Citizens United Amendment forward. Actually what's shocking is that the GOP filibustered at all. Because that means it still active, it just can't come to a vote. They had the votes to send it down into the trash heap, but then they would have to be on record as opposing it. This way, they can continue to say with one hand, "We think the little people should be in charge" while with the other hand they masturbate the corporations that are flooding cash into their election coffers. (Grokked from John)

Apparently the the US Air Force has changed the regulations regarding the oath and now a sergeant will be taking the government to court over being forced to swear, "so help me God." Seriously, how did this change pass muster through the chain of command? Full disclosure, I was in the Air Force Reserves and had to make several oaths (including one to turn the key killing millions of people in the process), and I never had to say that phrase. Hell, there were even alternatives to say, "swear" since some people have religious convictions that forbid them swearing (mostly they would say, "affirm"). If I had an AF t-shirt, it would be going in the recycled clothing bin right now. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)