[Content note for violence, misogyny, rape culture, homophobia.]
Isaac is now a Category 1 hurricane and heading toward New Orleans. Lots of info at the link.
Four U.S. soldiers were arrested for plotting to overthrow the government and assassinate President Obama. The leader of plot to attended the 2008 Republican Convention as a page. That party attracts the nicest bunch of people.
Speaking of nice people, Paul Ryan says rape is just another "method of conception." Just FYI: He's not nice. He's gross.
Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Tom Smith: Also gross.
North Carolina is now a toss up, slipping out of Romney's fingers. Oops. As of this morning, CNN has Obama with 237 electoral votes. HuffPo gives him 247. Both have Romney at 191. Nate Silver puts an Obama win at a 68.4% likelyhood. (Nate Silver is very precise.)
San Francisco's Bishop Cordileone, one of the men behind Prop 8, was arrested for driving under the influence this weekend, because family values.
An Equality Matters staffer went undercover at the weekend-long "It Takes A Family To Raise A Village" conference sponsored by NOM's anti-gay Ruth Institute.
Meanwhile, Rufus Wainwright married his partner Jorn Weisbrodt last week.
Here is a cool panel proposal for SXSW: Outsiders' Guide to Changing the World. You should vote for it.
Mad Monster Party hits Blu-Ray next week. Pre-order yours now!
Hey, book nerds! "Wanted: Bookstore-sitter. Sell books, feed cats, lodging included."
This is a real thing in the world. (Very NSFW.) "Caution: May crack tiles and more if dropped." Oof.
Discuss! And share your news, if you like.
In The News
Question of the Day
What's a favourite album of yours that is, generally speaking, under-appreciated?
I'll go with Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle's "One from the Heart," which is the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's film of the same name. Seriously, Crystal Gayle + Tom Waits = OMFGSoooo good!
In The News
[Content note for: Violence, racism]
Tropical Storm Isaac is intensifying and appears headed straight for New Orleans.
The judge on the Prop 8 case ordered it closed today. It's still unclear what this means for marriage equality in California.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away Saturday at the age of 82.
Nine of the Empire State victims were hit by police gunfire.
Republican Congressional candidate Art Jones says the Holocaust never happened. Turns out he's a neo-Nazi.
Two Pussy Riot members flee Russia. "They are recruiting foreign feminists to prepare new actions!"
Puppets declared illegal at RNC.
Also: GOP delays start of convention until Tuesday.
Also also: Lynyrd Skynyrd pulls out of GOP convention; Still in: Kid Rock, Journey, Lee Greenwood, Trace Adkins.
Ron Paul on Romney: "I don't fully endorse him for president." Whoops!
Mr. Lid is not, in fact, a drug dealer.
Shaker Gardens Discussion Thread: August Edition
Heya, gardening Shakers! It's been a couple of months since our last gardening thread, and I thought we'd have another one. For many in the Northern Hemisphere, our gardens, window boxes, and other growing projects are at their peak or near it, while if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, maybe you are starting seedlings or sowing straight into the ground. Whether your "garden" is a single houseplant or a large plot, feel free to share your projects here.
That's our garden in the early morning, above. We've been extraordinarily lucky here: conditions have remained pretty wet this summer, and the garden has produced abundant tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-weather crops. In the picture above, that's a second round of corn you see planted, amongst the beans and pumpkins. We have also begun harvesting our luffa sponges, a very fun project that was pretty easy to grow (if you have enough warm weather). You can just see the yellow blossoms at the top of the picture, behind the main bed. The fruits-- which look like giant cucumbers from some 1950s sci-fi flcik-- have proven extraordinarily resilient to pests and disease.
Alas, the same can't be said for our cantaloupe and cucumbers, which succumbed to a drying, brown, wilt on the leaves that I think is either a bacterial wilt or a form of downy mildew. We've also had a lot of insect issues--a second round of squash vine borers and a new infestation of pickle worm killed our zucchini ver. 2.0. I'm going to give it one more round for the fall, since here in the Southeast we can count on mild weather into early November and sometimes longer. The cucumber beetle and many different types of stink bug have also been major pests.
But I certainly can't complain about our flowers and herbs! The sunflowers had a glorious blooming, and I hope to get another round before cold weather. The zinnias have been amazing, too. The basil, rosemary, and oregano have helped produce some awesome dinners: we roast our peppers and grape tomatoes with rosemary, garlic powder, and olive oil, then toss it with whole wheat pasta, chopped fresh basil, and a dash of parmesan. Very tasty with a bit of chicken or sausage and a glass of wine!
I'm also optimistic about the pumpkins. So far I have one Jack-Be Little Pumpkin (c. maxima) growing (see the picture), and one grapefruit-sized pumpkin on my my Kentucky Field pumpkins (c. moschata), so I am hopeful. I also planted some Jack-O-Lantern (c. maxima) and Lumina (c. pepo) pumpkins, but they haven't done as well. The Moschata type are resistant to squash vine borer, and so far they are pretty resilient to other pests (though I've lost one to pickleworm--curses!!), while the others may be more iffy.
Shakers, whatcha growing? Share your planting projects in comments!
[Commenting note: Please refrain from negatively auditing other people's gardening practices. This means understanding that others may need to prioritize different variables in gardening than you do, whether that be cost, organic methods, maximum production, constrained space, water shortages, or another concern. Please respect other people's right to their own decisions.]
Blog Note
Just checking in to let you know I'm still out for the count. I'll be back absolutely as soon as I can. My apologies.
In The News
[Content note for violence, racism]
Ten people were shot at Empire State Building this morning, at least two people are dead, including the shooter.
Getting less coverage: At least 19 injured in shootings across Chicago last night.
Mitt Romney joked today that no one has asked to see his birth certificate. Just in case you missed it, Romney is white. Hmmmm... Coincidence?
James Franco to star in a not-quite-remake of the gay-themed slasher film Cruising.
In Spain, a 120-year-old fresco of Jesus was updated by a novice painter. Art historians and religious types are not pleased. The internet, on the other hand, is giggling itself to pieces.
Lance Armstrong has been banned for life from racing. All that pedalling for nothing!
It's odd how much effort we, as a culture, put into investigating steroid abuse among athletes, especially when compared to how little we're doing about the epidemic of gun violence in the US.
Random Nerd Nostalgia: Ace the Bat-Hound
[Image Description: an old cover of Detective comics. Batman and Robin are racing across the deck of a boat. One white man in a natty green suit and white fedora flees over the side, while another white man in a brown suit and fedora aims a harpoon gun at the dynamic duo. Fortunately Ace the Bat-hound, a brown, German shepherd-type dog wearing a black face mask (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP) leaps forward to catch the harpoon in his teeth...like you do. Text: "Featuring BATMAN and ROBIN and ACE the BAT-HOUND in 'ONE OUNCE OF DOOM'!"]
Question of the Day
I tried, once, to get into comic books, but it really didn't take. I tended to gravitate toward the unusual, and didn't really enjoy the superhero genre very much (i.e. at all), and I seem to recall there was a lot of stuff featuring elves in my collection.
After a year (maybe) of trying to live up to my nerd potential I eventually gave up trying to like comic books.
Which isn't to say there was nothing I enjoyed about the experience. I loved The Elvis Mandible, which had only one issue. But my favourite was Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman's Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children.
It was unusual in that each issue was essentially just a short story with illustrations. Needless to say, it didn't last very long
What's your favourite comic book series?
(See also.)
