Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
by $8 blue check mistermix| 16 Comments
This post is in: Security Theatre
For some reason, going through airport security always reminds me of this song.
Also, too, I’ve always wondered why the MacGyver/Lex Luthor alchemists who hate us for our freedom are capable of creating a mix of exotic explosives in an airplane potty, but they could never do anything with a laptop battery, which contains heavy cylindrical objects connected with wire.
This post is in: Garden Chats, Music, Open Threads
February must’ve been more brutal than I remember, or else I was permanently scarred by last summer’s rain-intensive Year of Almost No Sunlight, because somehow I ended up with 42 different tomato varieties, mostly single plants, mostly mail-order. (And, yes, I understand that completely violates the whole virtuous green locavore ethos of growing one’s own, but there you have it.) This year’s repeaters: Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Isis Candy, Jellybean, Juliet, Oxheart, Pineapple, Rose de Berne, Roma, Sugary, and Sun Gold. Couldn’t find a Garden Peach or Black Pear, but otherwise I’m pleased and hopeful, now that all the transplants have been crammed into what passes for the “sunny spots” in our tiny New England fiefdom.
On the other hand, the boutique seed potatoes I planted early last week aren’t sprouting, but the ones waiting in the kitchen are.
Product review: The Bionic gardening gloves have been worth every penny. Tough enough for the heavy work, but thin enough that I didn’t end up taking them off while potting out tiny transplants. This is the first year I’ve been able to rake winter mulch, dig planting holes, clean out pots, transplant seedlings, and prune the blood-thirsty mini-roses without my hands ending up looking like I’d lost an argument with a large bobcat or a very small bear. But even though they’re supposed to fit tightly, they run small — I actually bought mine at a local garden show, and had to move up from a men’s medium to a large to be comfortable.
Everything in the garden is running a couple of weeks ahead of schedule this year, thanks to an unusually warm & rainy February/March/April. The Zepherine Drouhan (pink) roses and Rozanne (pale purple) geraniums have been glorious for the last couple of weeks, and now the Don Juan (dark red) roses are starting to open. The Siberian and dwarf irises are over, but the daylilies are just starting to bud. After almost 20 years of poor choices, missteps, and failures, I’m finally starting to see results approximating the pretty pictures of my snow-bound phantasies…
__
__
__
__
So… how’s your garden plan going?
This post is in: Cooking, Open Threads
Take it away, Bad Horse’s Filly:
Tonight’s menu is really in anticipation of fresh summer produce. We are not quite there yet, but you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the ingredients. While I lived in suburbia, there was a great farm stand a mile or so from my house. I passed it coming and going from work and errands. It was perfect for when I wanted something fresh for dinner that night. Farmers’ Markets are great, but nothing beats a farm stand you can shop at any day. I had in the back of my mind that since I moved, I needed to scout out a new one, but hadn’t given it a lot of thought or effort. And then came the lost wallet.
__
One of the guys I work with found a wallet, stuffed with cash, cards…you know basically someone’s entire financial life. A bit of investigation and he tracked her down. Come to find out she lives a few miles from me, so I was the logical person to return the wallet. I knew from the address it was going to be a beautiful location, and it was, farmland on the river with a breathtaking mountain view. Very nice family and even better, they operate a farm stand with organic produce. Kismet. You never know how you’ll find what you’re looking for.
__
And I must give a shout out to our wallet owner. Very kind, very appreciative, she handed me a wad of cash to give to my guy and then handed me a grocery card. I tried to refuse, because I really believed we were just doing the right thing. But she was a feisty 95lb woman in her 80’s that would brook no refusal and while I could have probably arm-wrestled her to the ground, it didn’t seem appropriate. I think I’m going to enjoy shopping their farm stand this summer.
__
On the board tonight:__
1. Creamy Chicken & Pasta
__
2. Fresh Garden Medley
__
3. Sliced Melon
Recipes and shopping list, as ever, at the link.
Open Thread: Thursday Night Menu EditionPost + Comments (144)
by John Cole| 74 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
I’ve had a feeling of impending doom all day as if I have forgotten something important, but I know I have gone through everything.
Weird.
by John Cole| 77 Comments
This post is in: Excellent Links, Science & Technology
First I have heard of this:
A case testing the meaning of the so-called “innocent infringer’s” defense to the Copyright Act’s minimum $750-per-music-track fine has landed at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case the justices were asked to review Wednesday concerns a federal appeals court’s February decision ordering a university student to pay the Recording Industry Association of America $27,750 ($750 a track) for file sharing 37 songs when she was a high school cheerleader. That decision reversed a Texas federal judge who had ordered defendant Whitney Harper to pay $7,400 ($200 per song).
The lower court, without a trial, had granted her the innocent infringer’s exemption to the Copyright Act’s minimum fine, because the teen claimed she didn’t know she was violating copyrights. She said she thought file sharing was akin to internet radio streaming.
The appeals court, however, said she was not eligible for such a defense, even though she was between 14 and 16 years old when the infringing activity occurred on LimeWire. The reason, the court concluded, is that the Copyright Act precludes such a defense if the legitimate CDs of the music in question carry copyright notices.
“Harper cannot rely on her purported legal naivety,” the New Orleans–based appeals court ruled, 3-0.
Does anyone know more about this?
And in general, has the “I didn’t know it was illegal” defense ever worked in any case? I imagine it might be the kind of thing that would cause prosecutors to go for a lesser charge or for the court to apply leniency in sentencing, but has it ever been successfully used as a defense. Sorry if this is common knowledge among lawyers, but I just don’t know.
by John Cole| 27 Comments
This post is in: Assholes, hoocoodanode
Yeah. I’m sure it’s the stress causing this:
Stress combined with heat and exposure to chemicals could be among the factors that sent seven Gulf fishermen who were helping with oil cleanup to the hospital Wednesday, experts say.
“The work is likely not your traditional eight hours’ work,” said Matthew Nonnenmann, an assistant professor in occupational and environmental health science at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. “They’re out there trying to contain the oil and protect homes and livelihood. It’s not a typical scenario.”
The cleanup workers’ complaints of dizziness, nausea and headaches prompted authorities to pull all vessels off the water Wednesday.
Seven people were admitted into a Louisiana hospital after complaining of severe headaches. All remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon.
“It’s difficult with things like that to know what exactly is the cause,” said Dr. LuAnn White, professor and director of the Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health in New Orleans, Louisiana.
It’s possible to become sickened if volatile compounds still remain in the oil, she said. If a worker has direct contact with concentrated dispersants — chemicals intended to break up the oil — before they’re mixed into the water, that could affect their health.
Mother Jones, two weeks ago:
The exact makeup of the dispersants is kept secret under competitive trade laws, but a worker safety sheet for one product, called Corexit, says it includes 2-butoxyethanol, a compound associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems at high doses.
How’s about we hold off on the anti-anxiety meds until we STOP DUMPING THE DISPERSANTS.
by DougJ| 42 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
There are a lot of census workers out there, so I don’t now how bad a number this is (via):
More than 113 census takers have been the victims of assaults or attacks this month, the U.S. Census Bureau said late Wednesday.
In response to inquiries by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Census Director Robert Groves said the bureau’s temporary workers knocking on doors to collect information have faced 29 threats involving a gun, four robberies and three instances of being held against their will or carjacked.
But given that crime is down nationwide since 2000, this is striking:
Bureau officials said the overall pattern and types of incidents are similar to the 2000 census, but cautioned this year’s figures are already much higher than ten years ago and include a mix of news accounts and formal reports to the bureau’s safety office.
What I do know is that this some of these attacks were perpetrated by liberal plants and those that weren’t were the natural consequence of a government that acts against the will of its citizens.