I doubt many folks on my flist are aware of this -- unless you read the LJ News posts or use My LJ, or are in fandom, you probably haven't noticed, but, there's an election going on, hereabouts.

http://community.livejournal.com/lj_election_en/25463.html

Friends -- and I don't just mean fannish friends, I mean all y'all who believe in freedom of speech and expression, and who have found things like the breastfeeding default icon debacle, strikethrough, boldthrough, the change of management, and the state of customer service hereabouts, to be a wee bit concerning at the very least -- please go there and vote! However:

Please vote wisely.

Here's some posts that might be helpful in that process:

http://sasha-davidovna.livejournal.com/293958.html

http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/758270.html

http://rydra-wong.livejournal.com/87501.html

http://news.livejournal.com/108365.html

http://bethbethbeth.livejournal.com/514386.html

http://bookshop.livejournal.com/891673.html

I don't expect that getting one friendly face on the advisory board will result in dramatic change. But, it's something.

(Crossposted to my IJ.)

Just to clarify, because it seems folks missed my flocked entry a few weeks ago:

I'm no longer actually posting here. Nowadays I use this journal to see my flist (because some of y'all aren't leaving :) and access comms and not much else.

You can find me primarily on GreatestJournal with the same handle. You'll need to have a GJ account and to friend me to see most entries (anything that would normally have been flocked here will be flocked there). There's an RSS feed for the public entries (sporadic though they will be) -- anidada_gj -- if you want to read those on your flist. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) GJ-flocked entries are not readable on the RSS feed, and also, cut tags don't work on the feed. I doubt I'll be posting anything on there that will be problematic for anyone (i.e. nothing NSFW will be public) but remember the new "questionable link" rules around here... Also, I do babble from time to time (in case you hadn't noticed). :)

I'm also this handle on InsaneJournal and JournalFen, but at the moment I'm not using those accounts very much.

It's likely I'll go with whatever happens via Squidge in terms of fandom stuff. And I may well kickstart my blog on my own domain again, sometime in the future (not right now; am up to my eyes in work) -- but I'm not keen on posting stuff on there that I would normally flock on here or GJ, so I'm not sure. Really, it's all still up in the air at this point.

Anyway. I do miss y'all, and I'm trying to keep up. *hugs*

ETA: Please note that any comments left on an RSS post are not forwarded to me. I may or may not see them, like, ever. If you'd like to leave comments to such posts, you can do so on the GJ originals -- anonymous commenting is on, but I'd appreciate it if you would identify yourself. :)

I love a capella. Esp. if it's of something that wasn't previously performed as such (c.f. The Flying Pickets covering the Yaz song, Only You). Thanks to the Anti-Hit List, I found this bit of genius (careful with the volume, seems they've got a lot of powerhouse sopranos in there):

Come On Eileen, as performed by The Muhlenberg Dynamics.

Huge toy recall by Mattel/Fisher-Price going on. Details:

http://www.service.mattel.com/us/recall/39054_IVR.asp?prod=

Note that there's a lot of Sesame Street and Dora stuff in there.

They think there may be lead in the paint, folks. Prepare to overhaul the toy box. :(

ETA: This is on products purchased since May 1, 2007. So, not as bad as it could be (our stuff was definitely purchased prior to that).

thrifthorror

Oh, WOW.

pyat, you simply must check out the, uh... how shall I put this... bladed implement. I suspect there must be folks who collect such things. Ew.

*fights urge to take camera down to the local VV*

A remote Indian village that runs on solar power, and the free college where people learn how to make (among other things) solar-powered devices.

If they can do it, why aren't we? There should be solar panels on every rooftop, dammit. Considering how cheap they are, now -- a solar heating system for our house would cost half what our gas furnace cost to install -- that should be the first option considered, you'd think...

Though it doesn't go far enough, this is long overdue.

Amnesty stands up -- partly -- to Catholicism.

Via the Toronto LJ: the nicest lingerie I've seen in quite some time. (Note there are a few potentially NSFW pix in there.)

Via the Anti-Hit List, a bouncy mashup of Rhianna and General Public: Tender Umbrella.

Not a Harry Potter fan. Instead spent an enjoyable evening with the Hamiltonians: BBQ at sassy_fae and etherlad's, then hanging out at velvetpage and pyat's. While the others gamed, the lovely catsarah and I sat on the couch avec laptop and surfed for the following:

- men wearing pirate garb, boots, leather, cuffs, flowy shirts
- wet men and also, men in skirts.

YUM.

Plus shiny new cars!

Had a marvelous time. I'm very tired, but content.

Random: I have a thing for hands on ankles. Need to find more pix of same.

To distract me from rantiness about LJ/6A, among other things.

Via elissa_carey.

( What I am is what I am. )

It is mireille719's birthday, today, and I'm sure it will be wonderful and full of love. Happy birthday, Mir, and many more!

Via mzrowan:

Extermiknit!

I loves me some Derek Jacobi.

I loves me some sweet, sweet Jack Harkness.

I loves me some Ten/Jack.

Oh baby.

Alex is struggling against the single entendres. Embrace it, hon.

Impostor Syndrome: A feeling shared by most people I know. Well, at least there's a name for it... that's something, right?

On the plus side, there's always chocolate (I got dark chocolate almonds at the bulk store today -- that, and a couple of vodka-and-Oranginas, and I'm feeling less achey and spacey).

Desperately Seeking Susan... on stage... with Blondie doing the music. W.T.F?

And speaking of music, ( some videos, behind the cut... )

He did so much for this city, and always with a smile.

More here and here, and surely more to come.

Went out for five minutes around 4:40 to run an errand. *fans self* Despite the Humidex readings, it feels like a dry heat, oddly enough (which is fine by me, because even though the sweat was pooling at the small of my back, my head wasn't going all splodey), but still, this is NOT GOOD. I'd try frying an egg on the pavement, but EW. Also of note: major storm clouds on the horizon. Whee. /global warming rant

Anyway.

I note that my "hot" mood icon is hot in the sense of sexy Ripper. Interestingly enough, I'm feeling that way as well. Mmm. ;D

I gathered a few short poems. If you enjoyed "Like This," I think these will appeal. :)

( From Coleman Barks' book, The Essential Rumi. )

Did you know that 2007 is the UNESCO Year of Rumi?

This site has a great deal of his poetry. Unfortunately the transcriptions are a bit off in places, but it's a good start. I recommend any of Coleman Barks' translations, if you'd like to read further, or check out Shahram Shiva for a more playful vernacular approach.

The debate about whether Rumi was addressing/talking about the divine (the "Beloved") or his muse (a wandering mystic by the name of Shams-e Tabrizi) or even both, when he wrote of sex and love (whatever kind), is beside the point as far as I'm concerned (though you can probably guess what side of the fence I'm on, there). What matters is the living dizzy ecstasy of it all.

Like This.