A Gaming Girl's Take on Life

Quote of the Week 1-27-12

wedschild — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:32:59 +0000

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” – Jack Layton

Quote of the Week 1-20-12

wedschild — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:18:26 +0000

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire

Book Review: Life, Inc.

wedschild — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:05:18 +0000

Life, Inc. by Douglas Rushkoff

Recommended for lovers of Boing BOing, No Impact Man, Berkies, and anyone interested in the history of monetary systems.

Life, Inc is Douglas Rushkoff’s combination of monetary history and anti-corporate meditation. It decries corporate thinking and the indoctrination of the Western mind toward something that is only real because we believe in it.

Yes, I just equated money with faeries because they’re pretty much on an equal footing. Money these days is a concept and a digital signature at the bank, not a sack of gold coins.

Life, Inc. is well-grounded in financial history and for that alone, I think is should become required reading for anyone involved in business.

If you regularly read anyone involved in the environmental movement or who praises the Electronic Freedom Foundation, you’ll have no trouble recognizing the occasional bits of rhetoric that slip in. It’s an easy read for the most part, though it does delve into some more esoteric aspects of history.

Despite those anti-corporate and pro-free culture bits, this is *not* a book which advocates throwing out the entire system overnight. Rather, Rushkoff encourages a recommitment to creating “Community.” Yes, big “C” community. He wants to see us reach out to our neighbors; focus on building local industry, and infrastructure; redefining success; and, just for fun, stop handing over the reigns of government to Big Business.

It’s a must read.

Recipe Roundup January 2012

wedschild — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:56:59 +0000

It still seems weird that this is 2012… but on to the food.

Paleo Fruitcake (Elana’s Pantry) – Since our fruitcake is mostly gluten free anyway, this might be a good variation to offer.

Baked Spaghetti (Kitchen Runway) – I must, must, must find the fabled goat / sheep cheese ricotta that theoretically comes from VA. I must. B/c I *really miss* things like this.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Gingerbread Recipe (Gluten Free Goddess) – Do I have to say anything more than yum?

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Crumb Cake (Gluten Free Goddess)

Mocha Mousse (Elana’s Pantry) – Okay, quite often chocolate can be overbearing in a mousse. Mocha on the other hand sounds just lovely.

Quote of the Week 1-13-12

wedschild — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:25:50 +0000

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” – George Burns

World’s not Gone Yet

wedschild — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:41:46 +0000

And so, we begin the new year. It’s looking pretty much just like the end of 2011 though. Except for the terrifying American politics scene, but then, that doesn’t really apply to world news.

Middle East

If Washington Makes War on Iran, it will be America’s Last (Samidoon, Palestinian Territories)

2012: Start of an Historic Realignment in the Mideast (The Moderate Voice)

Afghanistan

Some Good News for a Change: Afghanistan’s Pop Idol (The Moderate Voice)

Making Afghanistan Safe For China (The Moderate Voice)

Argentina

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Has Thyroid Cancer (ontd_political) – Hey, BBC (see below article) Here’s a woman for your list!

Bahrain

Human rights: Washington is unsure but UN shows gumption (The Moderate Voice)

Belarus

Belarus bans browsing foreign websites (Boing Boing) – And this will be enforced how? SOPA?

Canada

Canadians: tell Parliament to preserve Canada’s public domain! (Boing Boing)

Rob Ford is still a wife-beating asshole, Toronto continues to want to throw him in the Don River (ontd_political)

China

PEN American Center Denounces Secret Trials, Imprisonment of Two Chinese Dissident Writers (Writers Write)

Denmark

Danish company helped Iran with surveillance program that identified journalist who was arrested and tortured (Boing Boing)

Finland

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success (ontd_political)

France

Oscar Wilde’s tomb renovated to protect it from kisses (ontd_political)

Germany

President Accused of Threatening Tabloid Newspaper (ontd_political)

Greece

Greek economic crisis turns tragic for children abandoned by their families (ontd_political)

Iran

Iran death sentence for ‘CIA spy’ Amir Mirzai Hekmati (BBC News)

It is Iran that May Soon Find Itself ‘Wiped Off the Map’ (Al-Seyassah, Kuwait) (The Moderate Voice)

Iran tests new radar-evading missile (Boing Boing)

Iraq

Experienced War Vets To Decide Fate Of Haditha Massacre Ringleader (The Moderate Voice)

Meet Iraq’s youngest photographer. He is 8 years old. (Boing Boing)

Israel

Israeli Girl, 8, at Center of Tension Over Religious Extremism (ontd_political)

Israeli politicians decry ultra-Orthodox protesters’ use of Holocaust imagery (ontd_political)

Jamaica

Jamaica’s new PM vows to ditch royal rule (Boing Boing)

Nigeria

Nigeria strikes over soaring fuel costs (BBC News)

Norway

OMG: Eye test blooper on Norwegian news (ontd_political)

Palestine

Priests fight with broomsticks at Church of the Nativity (Boing Boing)

Russia

Absurd Human Rights Report May Hasten End of Putin Era (Yezhednevniy Zhurnal, Russia) (The Moderate Voice)

Saudi Arabia

Progress and Issues in the Saudi Kingdom with Women’s Unmentionables (The Moderate Voice)

Spain

Leaked memo: USA blackmailed Spain into passing brutal, censoring copyright law (Boing Boing)

Sweden

File-sharing becomes a recognized religion in Sweden (Boing Boing)

Sweden hands its official Twitter account over to a different citizen each week (ontd_political)

Switzerland

Holodeck here we come! Augmented reality takes over Swiss park (ontd_political)

Tunisia

Grieving Mohamed Bouazizi (Zungu Zungu)

United Kingdom

Unable To Find 12 Women Of The Year, BBC Crowns Panda Instead (ontd_political) — Seriously? SERIOUSLY BBC? FU. Ah-em.

Still Occupying

wedschild — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:35:14 +0000

The movement continues. There are iterations and some changes. The media may have stopped talking about it, but it’s still there. And it will continue to be there, at some level, until things change.

General

Why Occupy Wall Street Matters to Me and How It Can Continue to Matter (Racialicious)

Occupy, Resist, and Grow (Racialicious)

Time magazine has named “The Protester” its “Person of the Year” for 2011. (Time)

American Dialect Society Names Occupy the 2011 Word of the Year (Writers Write)

Decolonize PDX

Decolonize PDX main site

#OccupyBoston

Boston PD’s bizarre Occupy subpoena to Twitter (Boing Boing)
#OccupyLA

LA City Attorney to Occupy: pay for brainwashing lessons on limits of free speech and we’ll drop the charges (Boing Boing)

Quote of the Week 1-6-12

wedschild — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:22:43 +0000

“Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them.” – Marquis de Flers Robert and Arman de Caillavet

TSA Tribulations

wedschild — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:50:18 +0000

I haven’t done one of these in awhile, but really people, did you think the idiots were going away? TSA needs a good swift smack with a judicial ban-hammer. Just look at all the pretty lawsuits they’re courting.

TSA confiscates cupcake, calls frosting a “gel” (Boing Boing)

Smoke Screening (Vanity Fair)

Proposed law prohibits TSA employees from dressing like cops (Boing Boing)

Happy Birthday or Leave Me Alone? The TSA at the Ten-Year Mark (The Moderate Voice)

TSA Breaks Its Own Rules, Removes Elderly Woman’s Back Brace (Reason.com)

Lawmakers Ask TSA To Place Passenger Advocates In Airports (Consumerist)

TSA Thinks Fake Gun On Your Handbag Is A Security Threat (Consumerist) — Really people? I mean *really?*

Terrorist Threats to Commercial Aviation: A Contemporary Assessment (Combating Terrorism Center)

The below aren’t necessarily TSA related, but they are *airport* related, so I’m putting them here:

Senator Introduces Two Bills To Curb Checked Bag Fees (Consumerist)

Occupy – once more with feeling

wedschild — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:44:03 +0000

Some of these stories are older, but the Occupy movement is still powering through. Over 3 months of sustained national protesting is pretty damned impressive.

General

Private Danny Chen, and why I will never again reach out to OWS about something that matters to me (Racialicious)

Who is a journalist? (Boing Boing)

Van Jones: On the American Dream, OWS, Hip-Hop Activism, and More (Urban Cusp)

Occupy protests a concern beyond financial sector (Security Director News)

#OccupyBigFood

Making the Case for Good Food (Garden Rant)

#OccupyBoston

ACLU fights Kafkaesque secret Occupy Boston Twitter subpoena (Boing Boing)

#OccupyLA

First-hand account of Occupy LA arrest (Boing Boing)

#OccupyOakland