Labor Day

A now begins my annual shout out to Unions. If you're going to have a long holiday weekend (and not everybody is), thank a Union member. They're the reason that most of us don't work 6-7 days a week (coughhacksputter) and the reason why we have a holiday that celebrates Labor (which creates value in the truest sense, much in the same way gold and silver have value compared to current monetary policy which is the equivalent and support of Wall Street Traders).

It wasn't an easy struggle. Many people died fighting for your rights as a worker. Hopefully in the future more people won't have to die to keep and enforce those rights (although it's looking less likely).

This week has seen several instances of me seeing people in management suddenly realize you can't treat people as being expendable. No, really, 2 I witnessed in person and 1 other was by indirect observation. And in each case it was approached in a, "Well, if we really have to…" manner. Seriously, these are people you're talking about, not FTEs (full-time equivalents, which was a term I thought we killed in the 80s, and apparently is back with full vigor).

So do whatever you do when you have time off (me, I'll be working on Monday, ironically on a Union freelance project). Have fun. Because that is the reason why we work.

Linkee-poo is only teenage wasteland

Catching up with Jim Hines' going for broke (as a full-time writer). First, he got his finances in order. The Harry Connolly's advice comes in handy (yea, I've been thinking the same thing for a while now). Diana Farrow Francis weighs in some excellent advice. This advice works well if you're going full time writer or not. AAAnnnnndddd Jim's off to a rip-roaring start. You go, Jim.

Tobias Buckell with some life-hacks on being ADHD (SQUIRREL!) and keeping focused on writing. I've thought of the multiple login approach, but he goes much farther with it. And I think his points are all to the good. I've done somethings like this, for instance some get time-sink sites I used to visit I took out of the browser history so I would have to type the whole URL in, from memory, if I wanted to go there. Substantially cut down the time I spent.

What is possibly the best Star Wars buildup, Adam Savage proves that Star Wars blasters aren't laser.

"Don't write action scenes. Write suspense scenes that require action to resolve." For the record, I write action scenes. They're fun. However, I don't believe in the fair fight. If it's a fair fight, my characters probably wouldn't engage. They either know they'll win, or it's a fight they can't run from. I personally hate the meme where the protag gets beaten down and is on the mat hearing the count when they remember their Grandma's advice in making pie, "Crush the nuts" and suddenly they have a turnaround/second-wind and beat the snot out of the antagonist (I call this the "Rocky Effect"). I really hate (with the fierceness of a thousand supernova) the meme where the good guy has the drop on the bad guy (like, they have a gun and the bad guy is defenseless) and then they even the fight up by giving up their advantage. It makes me scream at the screen. Fuck it, vent the fucking bastard (by either blowing a hole in them, or sending them on a spacewalk without a spacesuit). This isn't how the world works. If the bad guy is on the ground, either arrest them or put another slug in their head, don't give them the opportunity to get up (the only exception to this I can think of is the final fight scene in Serenity, but then Mal does something worse to The Operative, he destroys his faith by making him watch what happened on Miranda). If your characters are going to fight, have them take the advantage and keep it. But also, give the bad guys some credit. If they always lose, how did they get into their position of power in the first place?(Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)

The world's greenhouse gas emissions by country in one easy graphic. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)

One of the things I do is I notice people's tattoos, I used to draw flash in school for pizza money. When I'm x-raying someone, and they're a little frightened and I notice they have ink I'll ask them about it. "Tell me what your tattoo means to you." Many people get names (actually, I've been surprised about how many people get children, parents, and friends names and how few have their spouses names), some tattoos are coverup jobs for youthful indiscretions, others have what seems like little significance. But I've never felt the urge to actually get one myself. Here are 24 tattoos people got to combat mental illness. And now I'm wondering if I should get one. (Grokked from Janiece)

And we have a Darwin Award contestant. A teen shoot self while taking selfie with gun. Say, Texas, don't you have a strong gun culture which teaches people to respect guns?

Teach your children well. Or, nine rules for swearing for children. Rules 1 and 2, OMFG yes! Had to inform the nephews they were doing it (hilariously) wrong. (Grokked from Dan)

"Colorado's (long-term birth control) experiment was funded with a $23 million grant… And the results are striking: By 2013, teen births in Colorado had dropped 40 percent — compared with a 30 percent decline nationwide. The steep drop continued last year. Abortions among teenagers in Colorado were also down. Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said the savings in Medicaid and government assistance far outweigh the up-front costs." And now that the private money is drying up, is the Republican controlled legislature going to continue the funding? Of course not, because this fight is not about reducing abortions and teen pregnancy, it's about control of women's bodies and ending the sexual revolution.

"It was about 10 years ago, after a colleague had died swiftly and peacefully, that Dr. Ken Murray first noticed doctors die differently than the rest of us." Most doctors have advance care directives, many people don't even know what that is, let alone tell the appropriate people. Most people don't do it until too late. At the hospital I've seen people die, and I've seen people who are already dead (sometimes the heart doesn't know to stop beating, until it runs out of oxygen). However it's our job, in the absence of specific orders, to work hard to save their lives. Only a doctor, or the family, has the right to say, "that's enough." Make sure yours (both the doctor and your family) know when you want them to say when. Because, like the article says, we won't tell you that "do nothing" is an option. Also, I will note here, it is your right as a patient to refuse treatment, or to ask for alternatives. The doctors, nurses, techs will try and talk you out of it (and we may not be able to help you fully if you do refuse), but you can say no and make it stick. (Grokked from Janiece)

And talking about jumping the shark, apparently the Trumpinator also cheats at golf. All he needs is a caddy/man servant called Odd Job and he's be a Bond Villain. Seriously, he cheats at golf. We don't have to dig that deep to find things against the guy.

"But a bad use of force call is not a good argument for less scrutiny of use of force." On the existing narrative of cop=good guy and person they shoot=bad guy. (Grokked from Janiece)

Story Bone

Painted war-zeppelins riding the bow wake of a haboob the way dolphins ride the bow wake of ships (if set in other than desert conditions, this could be a massive thunderstorm). One or two of the airships are torn to tatters by the fierceness of the storm. There's panic on the ramparts of the city as they see (through spy glasses?) the approaching raiders. As the zeppelins approach the walled city (in my vision, this is an oasis trading hub center) the raiders drop grappling hooks that snag against the walls (or houses) and the winds bring the airships down close to the ground. Raiders rappel into the city (or if the walls/houses were low enough, they just jump), fighting their way inside structures before the storm fully engulfs the area. The abandoned airships explode or set fires as they are demolished by the storm (depending on your world and how they are lifted in the air). By the time the storm leaves, the raiders are in charge of the city.

edit I realize this is very similar to the scene where Maud'Dib retakes Arrakeen. I didn't have that connection until I finished writing it. This is the steampunk version of that scene.

Linkee-poo is a bird on a wire

Commercial drones start getting the green light. Unfortunately many hobbyists are giving them a bad name. This is like watching the person who get a kayak because they think it's fun (which I actually do) suddenly realize, "What, you mean there are rules to water crafting?" Yes, Virginia, there are rules to how to use the sky.

"Dark ages can happen for many reasons, all of them are catastrophic. But what dies first is a vibrant civilization's knowledge: its treasure of methods and means; the record of its curiosity in art and science. Once that is gone, once that is forgotten, the long descent into brutality and suffering can begin… This is what ISIS is showing us. Dark ages begin with an assault on knowledge and memory." Tyrants and despots always attack culture, history, and science because all those things argue against their existence and power.

"Two-thirds of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump's supporters nationwide said they believe that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, according to a poll released Tuesday." Proving two or three points with the same dataset.

Project Vertias finally jumps the shark. Well, at least in a way that other people are willing to call them out on it.

"For generations, Democrats and Republicans alike found ways to let individual lawmakers vote no if their votes weren't really needed… Today's partisan atmosphere leads to more dramatic tactics… It's a representative democracy, where the majority rules. Except when the majority agrees in advance that they won't." How our government actually gets things done now.

Progressives are having great sport in pointing out all the conservatives who were in favor of renaming Mt. McKinley (or at least called the mountain Denali). It's like shooting fish with a fish-gun. (Grokked from Vince O'Connor)

Would Ted Cruz and Fox News lie to promote an impression of Christian persecution? Shocked, shocked I am… (Grokked from Steven Gould)

So, Fox News wants to label the Black Lives Matter movement a hate group. Because of course they would. By their reasoning, so it the Right-to-Life movement (and so are the police forces).

Linkee-poo soars with the draughts and balance on the wind, coal black and at ease

To counter the whole Fox News meme about how everything is against the Christians and nobody would ever say anything against Islam, "Scholars now believe that a copy Quran held by the Birmingham Library was actually written sometime between 545 AD and 568, while the Prophet Mohammad was believed to have been born in 570 AD and to have died in 632 AD." Well, technically the copy they have isn't a full one, and this only shows that the parchment it was written on is older (it was common to scape and whitened older parchment to reuse, parchment being damn expensive) it does have some interesting implications. Before anyone gets their wads in a bind, Christianity borrowed heavily from earlier religions (virgin birth and resurrection were quite passé in the day) and even Judism cribbed notes from the peoples around them. Saying the Quran was dictated to Mohammad by the angels is the same as saying the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is a test of faith, not of factual importance. (Grokked from Dan)

"McKinley Presidental Library just glad people are finally talking about him." That so totally sounds like an Onion article, doesn't it? That's because we have asshats like this who represent us and think this is an insult to all Ohioans. Speaking as an Ohioan, and a Cantonian (where Pres. McKinley's library and memorial is located, both of which I have visited several times) I'm not slighted in the least. Look, Pres. McKinley is from Ohio, why the hell is his name on a mountain in Alaska? He wasn't President when we bought Alaska from the Russians. He missed discovery of gold by a year. There really is no reason for it except conservative love to name big things after themselves. Or maybe President Obama did it as an attempt to promote or dis Karl Rove's book about Pres. McKinley.

There's a new book outlining the careers of Sandra Day O'Conner and Ruth Bader-Ginsburg. Pointed to a social commentary on the shit they had to go through in their professional lives (both were top of their class in law school). This is living memory time. Also pointed to for the effect diversity (real diversity, with empowered members) has on decision making.

Ah, someone finally figured it out. Low oil prices spell the doom for the fracking revolution. Fracking and Canadian Tar Sands oil, not to mention deep sea exploration, require high oil prices to sustain development. Without those prices, it all grinds to a halt. Eventually companies will sell idle rigs for parts or to places where exploration is cheaper, welded tubing plants go offline, the sand quarries close (sand used for fracking is expensive) we lose the capability to restart the industry quickly.

And in Alaska, the oil industry is struggling in a state where climate change is the most apparent. Also, "A long-term problem is that oil production has fallen to a quarter of what it was in the 1970s." In case you were wondering what the fight about opening ANWAR and the north coast of Alaska to oil production was really all about.

President Obama calls for the US to expand it's fleet of heavy icebreakers as the Arctic comes into play. At this time, we have "the equivalent of just two 'fully functional' heavy icebreakers at its disposal, down from seven during World War II. Russia, by contrast, has 41 of the vessels, with plans for 11 more. China unveiled a refurbished icebreaker in 2012 and is building another." Queue the climate denialists with a cry "if the globe is warming, why do we need icebreakers" in 3… 2… 1… (Grokked from Chia Evers)

So, girls are bad at math, are they? Apparently it's the teachers who are bad at girls when it comes to scoring their math tests. Even the women teachers.

Supreme Court refuses to stay order forcing KY clerk to issue marriage licenses to all couples. Did anyone really expect any other outcome? So we'll begin the wailing, rending of garments, and gnashing of teeth over forcing a public servant to serve the public. (Grokked from Maureen Johnson)

"Can Soviet-era fighter jets like… the twin-engine MiG-29 Fulcrum, or the bigger… Su-27 Flanker, outperform the newest American design, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?" Oh noes! Woe is us! Okay, look, it's been known for a long time that some of the Soviet jets can outperform out jets in certain tasks such as slow-fly and dogfight conditions. I remember seeing the MiG-29 at it's first US air show. We had been told the thing was a piece of pig-iron just waiting to fall out of the sky. What we saw was a damn capable dog-fighting machine (no, seriously, senior AF sergeants standing around with their mouths open as that sucker pulled 4G turn after 4G turn, then did a cobra, and then accelerated while going ballistic, serious fucking good performance). However, what the Ruskies don't have is a long-range capability. While we thought the dog-fight was dead in Vietnam (until the Chinese proved us wrong and we had to startup Miramar), with over-the-horizon weapon systems and fire-and-forget air-to-air missiles, unless things go pear-shaped, the Russian pilots won't ever see us as we blow them out of the sky. Also, Miramar is still turning out ace dog-fighters (and I believe Red Flag teams still use Phantoms, which mimic the capabilities of the Soviet era jets and they still beat the snot out of the kids the first few weeks, it's about the pilot, not the machine).

Linkee-poo for a weekend

Lots of NPR stuff today.

Stephen King on how productivity doesn't have a relationship to quality. So being more productive doesn't mean lower quality and how only producing one or two doesn't mean higher productivity.

"Researcher catches AT&T injecting ads on free airport Wi-Fi hotspot" And they're not the only one. When did "scammer" and "malware" behavior become corporate best practices? (Grokked from John)

The problem with science. A massive effort to test the validity of 100 psychology experiments finds that more than 50 percent of the studies fail to replicate." For the same reasons many "hard" science studies also don't show the same results when repeated. Which they hardly ever are.

The stock market as music composition.

Oh great, now even the spiders are trolling us. Oh Charlotte, we loved you once. (Grokked from Dan)

How do you solve a (information) problem like a big black hole? Well, Professor Hawking has an answer.

Nazi gold. I'm sure this announcement of possibly finding the supposedly lost train of Nazi gold won't cause any mass excoriation of the countryside as people try to find it before the authorities get it in their hands.

"But Bush's comments raise questions about just how much money Planned Parenthood actually gets, what the group does with it, and whether defunding it would actually save taxpayers money." A little face checking (yes it's THAT season again). My take, it's cheap at twice the price.

Linkee-poo just watched the tv feed

The updated map of mass shootings since Sandy Hook. Remember Sandy Hook? It was 2012, December. Thinking it may take an article on "Why does Johnny kill?" before things change (like the "Why can't Johnny read?" article before it). (Grokked from Joe Hill)

America wears black so often, other countries are beginning to wonder if we're just that Goth after all.

Only the treacherous expect treachery. Or in this case, those willing to conspire expect and see conspiracies everywhere. (Grokked from Elizabeth Bear)

Everything old is new again. "The high price for beef and substance abuse are behind the surge in livestock theft, and that's putting some ranchers on edge."

Something new has been added. Namely, a new sugar. It's all natural (but I'll be that's not how it's made). Also noted for the handwavium of what exactly happens to this sugar as it travels about the body. But, hey, at least it won't kill you right away.

"Researchers are scrambling to determine what’s behind the death of 30 whales in the Gulf of Alaska as unusually warm ocean temperatures continue to wreak havoc on the region." Currently the death toll is running about 3x normal rates. Nothing to see here, citizen. Move along. (Grokked from Chia Evers)

I wonder what you call China Syndrome when it occurs in Asia? Muon images of Fukashima might indicate the reactor core is not in the building.

And David Duke thinks Trump is the best of the lot. Okay, everybody. Thanks. We're done here. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)

"Graham said that Trump's views on immigrants and women do not reflect the modern Republican party." I could read that a number of ways, but mostly it boils down to, "Donald has not learned the dog whistles of our tribe." Lyndsey is also saying that Trump is tapping into the "Dark-Side" of the GOP for support. While it would be easy to do the Star Wars men to this (waits patiently for the internet photoshoppers to compose the original Star Wars poster with Trump's face in the place of Darth, Lynsey's in place of Luke and Carly in the place of Leia - yea, try and get that one out of your mind now). But I'ma gonna go a different way. Oh Lyndsey, "There is no dark side of the GOP, really. Matter of fact it's all dark."

From a story about white opposition to renaming a road after Martin Luther King, Jr., "'I’ve never had a racist bone in my body,' said one white resident. 'But if you keep pushing me, I’ll show you my racist ways. Mitch Landrieu can go to hell, praise to lord for Bobby Jindal.'" I don't know how my friends handle this, I just don't have the spoons.

I'm sure it's not about racism. Only, Jorge "Ramos, for the record, is a U.S. citizen." In this day of milksop reporting that relies on "he said, she said" storytelling, his actions seems aggressive and combative. I remember when that was actual reporting.

"Congress' official budget analyst projected Tuesday that this year's federal deficit will drop to $426 billion, the lowest shortfall of Barack Obama's presidency." So much for the "increased and out of control spending" meme the conservatives like to tout. Not that reality will make a difference in their rhetoric.

And what is it with conservatives and loyalty pledges? "The Republican parties in Virginia and North Carolina are both considering forcing candidates to sign a pledge that they will not run as an independent in order to qualify for the GOP primary ballot, according to Politico."

Linkee-poo went down the drain

Sorry, way to many commitments. Posting this early just to clear the baffles.

Of relation to the various political sparing matches over the Hugo, Ray Bradbury's FBI file. (Grokked from Dan and others)

Also, I will note here (since I didn't do much commentary on the blog about it) one of the supposed Cabal's leaders, John Scalzi, has been compared to modern day Robert Heinlein, one of the supposed Golden Age SF writers the puppies were all sad about because nobody can write like them and receive awards.

Curse words (bodily origin) through history. For your period correct cussing. (Grokked from Dan)

Looking for someplace to call home? I hear parts of Spain are up for sale. Cheap.

One of the things I loved about going to U of A was we got to blimps quite regularly. Including the day when four blimps flew in formation. "The last days are here to see an 'old school' Goodyear blimp in Northeast Ohio skies, perhaps forever." They're being replaced by new generations of semi-rigid airships. (Grokked from Dan)

A magnetic Eistein-Rosen Bridge. Living in the future. Although, since it requires a physical structure, I wouldn't be surprised to find this is actually due to a new novel form of conductivity (it's called the electro-magnetic spectrum for a reason). (Grokked from Emma Audsley)

"Daytona Beach city commissioners have given approval to an indoor shooting range that will include a restaurant that sells alcoholic beverages." What could possibly go wrong? (Grokked from Dan)

"The executive director for the Louisiana Republican Party said his email is a part of the Ashley Madison database because he used the cheating website for 'opposition research' that 'ended up being a waste of money and time,' according to a New Orleans newspaper." Uh, yeah, Bob. Sure. Also noted (but not linked), many official government email addresses and IP addresses were found in the database dump.

The Clinton Campaign is hit by undercover conservatives attempting to find corruption. They don't, obviously. But I'm sure with time they'll find someone who doesn't know the law that will try and be helpful. That's how these things work, probing attacks to find the weakest spot and then drive a wedge there. Unlike with the last election where what the conservative candidates actually said was what got them in trouble. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

Linkee-poo think someday he have everything, even pretty girl like you

Kids these days. Why, back in my day we had special rooms for computers to exist in. Nine photos from the dawn of the school computer lab era. Spent both time in these, and monitoring them (when in college). (Grokked from John)

There's an underground amusement park in Transylvania. Because why wouldn't there be. (Grokked from John)

So, there's no conservative war on women, eh? Roll the tape. The super cut of sexism on Fox News. And this is what the conservatives broadcast to the world.

Beloit College's cultural touchstone list is out.

The Maple Syrup Mafia. Or not. Actually, it's a cartel which has benefitted maple sugarers, including the guy profiled who wants to sell his syrup on the open market (but probably at the price point set by the Federation). Again (you might remember the almond grower who is also in trouble) there will be people who believe in a "free market", but they always have benefitted from the organization they're fighting against.

Of some relevance to the Planned Parenthood debate, Gray's Donation. That's a Radiolab episode that talks about parents donating their child's body parts to science. A troubled pregnancy, the unexpected birth and then death of a child. Their eventual donation of tissues, and then following up with those institutions that received parts. While not fetal tissue donation, but this shows how these things actually happen and how the people who receive the tissues consider them, and the potential benefits for all of us.

The very definition of privilege, the exemptions being made for Rand Paul to run for both his Senate seat and to run for President. Also note how someone who is always for local control is now suddenly in favor of federal regulations and standardization. And that would be Sen. Paul himself.

"Iowa radio host and influential conservative kingmaker Jan Mickelson unveiled an immigration plan that would make undocumented immigrants who don't leave the country after an allotted time 'property of the state,' asking, 'What's wrong with slavery?' when a caller criticized his plan." I just don't have the fucking spoons for this election cycle. (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)

But then, Dr. Ben wants to use drone strikes to secure the border. Dear Doctor Ben, the quote is, "Nuke them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure." What's next, stick their severed heads on spikes to create the Eyes of the Morrigan along the border?

A parable for the current presidential election (don't forget, there's another general election between now and then). "Robie's Country Store, in Hooksett, N.H. has become an almost ritual stop on the presidential campaign trail… But don't actually try to buy milk and eggs here. The store closed for business in 2013… Even with Robie's closed, the place is still doing a brisk trade in would-be presidents. Five Republican contenders have already dropped by this year…"

Star Wars Fandom

I've been quite (mostly) on the upcoming Star Wars movie and wading through the tides of squeedom emanating from the geek culture. And while I am happy to see that there will be familiar faces and we get to see how their stories played out, every time I hear someone new shout, "OMFG Han Solo!", this song plays in my head.


Christine Lavin Harrison Ford

And now it will play in your head too.

BTW, if you like her stylings, I suggest Getting in Touch With My Inner Bitch. "Some people have an inner child…"

Linkee-poo, what else could I write, I don't have the right. What else should I be, all apologies

Have $32K to $40K just floating around and need a retreat on your property (for maybe a writing shed)? The Podzook, or Archipod. Now made in Maine. Wants, but damn there are much cheaper options (like my larger shed which already exists, but is filled with bric-a-brac).

Disney/Lucasfilms release details of Rogue One. As Dan says (form whom this is grokked), "Many Bothans died to bring you this film." Or, as I say, "We call it 'Riding the Gravy Train.'"

Chastity belts started as a joke, then a hoax, and then as sexual fetish objects.

I know (and work with) people who are always wondering just what good NASA, the space program, and government are. Well, here are some NASA posters with how they've improved aviation technology. Your government dollars at work. They also have a general "Parts of an Airplane" poster as well. (Grokked from Ken McConnell)

The EM drive. If it works, a potential for "30kN of thrust for each kilowatt of power dumped into the frustum." Zoom zoom. (Grokked from Dan)

People often ask me, "What music do you listen to?" And then they think I'm blowing them off when I say, "everything except things with 'gangster' or 'death' in the titles." But it's true. Just look at a sampling of the song lyrics I use (which tend heavily toward "Classic Rock", which I know of as "Rock" because I'm damn old now). But I also like a wide range of music from orchestral to Genuine Space Music. So, here's Kacey Musgraves' tiny desk concert. I love her voice and she writes great songs.

Two women (possibly 3) have passed Ranger School training. The last is retaking part of the course (and yes, lots of men have to retake parts of the course).

If only we had science to help tell us if carrying/using a gun in self-defense was actually beneficial. Oh, wait, here it is. "Of over 14,000 incidents in which the victim was present, 127 (0.9%) involved a SDGU (self-defense gun use). SDGU was more common among males, in rural areas, away from home, against male offenders and against offenders with a gun. After any protective action, 4.2% of victims were injured; after SDGU, 4.1% of victims were injured. In property crimes, 55.9% of victims who took protective action lost property, 38.5 of SDGU victims lost property, and 34.9% of victims who used a weapon other than a gun lost property." So, basically, no. I'm sure the NRA will look at the 0.9% and say, "See, we told you more people need to carry more guns!" But then, they're just shills for the gun industry. Their answer for everything is "Buy More Guns!" (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

Man standing guard over a "muslim-free" gun shop shoots himself accidentally. So much for that "guns don't kill people" line (although this man only hit his wrist and is expected to survive).

Two of the most terrifying words in politics, also the distillation of Orwell's 1984, "I remember." "Yet, (George W. Bush's) deafening silence is indicative of not only his disastrous administration, but the GOP’s attempt to erase him from the country’s memory." History is speaking, G. W. (I also remember his "history will be my judge" comment, although he wasn't as eloquent Tony Blair). It doesn't have nice things to say.

Mickee Huckleberries, not content with mansplaining, is now whiteplaining. These people really have me hoping the Iowa Caucus is coming soon because, damn, they need to cull this herd real quick.

The rich are just like you and me. "A millionaire property developer who used children's gravestones to decorate the historic mansion which inspired All Things Bright and Beautiful has been ordered to pay £300,000… Kim Davies, 60, took tombstones from a derelict chapel and cemented them to the walls of Llanwenarth House in Abergavenny, South Wales…" I admit that I do like walking old cemeteries and that some of those stones are works of art, but seriously WT ever loving F? I mean, there's the perception of the 1% building their fortune by driving their employees into the ground, but it's another thing to decorate your home with their tombstones. (Grokked from BoingBoing)

Tweet of my heart: @RaqiyahMays Notice how we never knew #TrayvonMartin went to Space Camp. how media shapes black boy narratives. #GeorgeZimmerman

Quote of the day: "When you screw up your op-sec, can we refer to that as oops-sec?" - John

With the Gods, Nothing Is Left Undone

Oh Great Internet Brain, I'm looking for a mythology reference with dates (even if relative). Not in a "Greek Mythology as we know it started in…", but more granular. See, I know that Greek Mythology (sorry, but it's the mythology I know best) evolved over time. It started (or at least became codified) as a matriarchal system that didn't include Zeus or many of the male gods we know now to be part of Greek Myth. For many hundreds of years Hera was the prime deity, and her daughters ruled the cosmos. It was only after the northern Greeks (who did not have an island culture, but lived up toward the Alps) invaded the islands that Zeus and his sons became the dominate culture (but Hera worship was so strong she and her daughters survived until Roman culture supplanted Greek and appropriated the various gods into their pantheon). I know other religions also evolved in this manner (you can look at Christianity and what their focus through the ages have been, for example the concept of the end of the world isn't new, it presaged and pervaded the thoughts of the middle ages European Christianity, but the concept of the Rapture, which is strong in the evangelical community in America, is less than 200 years old). The stories change. In Egypt the mythos constantly changed as the power struggles between the priests ebbed and flowed. But I'm looking for a reference that shows how they've changed and when. There's plenty of "we've got the Gods, all the Gods, on discount" sites, but I haven't found one that gives the provenance and history of the individual mythologies. And I haven't seen any that say, "at this time in history, this was the prevalent belief system within this mythos."

Anyone know of any?