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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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    Friday, May 24th, 2013
    james_nicoll
         		5:42p
    Ford breaks silence

    "I do not use crack cocaine," Ford told a jam-packed news conference at Toronto City Hall. "Nor am I an addict of crack cocaine."


    I expect a lot of people will comment on the tense he used.

    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
    cherylmmorgan
         		2:40p
    Union Cup – Day 1

    Originally published at Cheryl's Mewsings. Please leave any comments there.

    Last night I attended the launch party for the Union Cup, which was held at Bristol’s science museum, @Bristol, an extraordinary venue which I must visit again and report on in detail. The party was a fascinating experience. There were around 500 people present, of whom only 4 were women. Almost all of the men were gay, and very few looked anything like the mincing stereotype that the national media still trots out whenever gay issues get mentioned. Kudos is due to Peter Williams, the Chair of Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union, who made the opening speech, stressing rugby’s support of the tournament and its commitment to inclusivity.

    The tournament got underway today with a ceremonial first kick by Ian Boulton, the Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, and the equivalent of the mayor for the region in which the Stoke Gifford sports campus is located. WISE Campus is home to Bristol Academy and boasts the only purpose-built ladies’ soccer stadium in the country. There’s even a little statue of a vixen with a football at the entrance to the ground. It also has three rugby pitches, and we used them all.

    As might be expected, the standard of rugby varied enormously. Some teams were very professional, while others had never played a competitive match before. All of the teams, however, were out to do their best, and there was no shortage of aggression. In the very first game a Newcastle Ravens player left the field with a dislocated shoulder (rough lot, those Bisons). I saw several other shoulder injuries during the day; a Bisons player limped off with an ankle injury, and I heard rumor of a broken arm. Pride of place in the tough guy stakes goes to Matt, the fly half for Manchester Village Spartans, who took a boot to the face in his first game. After a quick trip to hospital for some stitches just above his eyebrows, he was back in action for game two.

    There was plenty of needle too. In the first five minutes of their game against Cardiff Lions, the London Steelers were twice penalized for foul play, including a vicious clothesline tackle that left the Welsh player flat out on the field for a couple of minutes. Later on the referee stopped the game for five minutes while he gave the teams a good talking to and got them to calm down.

    The conditions made play difficult at times. The wind was very strong and several times I saw players kick the ball only to see it blown back over their heads. Although there were some competent kickers, not once did I see a penalty attempt at goal. Everyone tried to keep the ball in hand, but the cold temperatures and occasional fierce rain squalls made that difficult too. We are all hoping for better weather tomorrow.

    There was, of course, plenty of excellent rugby, and a nail-biting finish to the day. The teams in the 15-a-side tournament had been divided into four groups. Each team played three matches, mostly in-group, with points being scored according to a system of 4 for a win, 2 for a draw, plus bonus points for 4 tries and losing by 7 or less. At the end of the day all of the teams were combined into a single table. London, Dublin and Manchester qualified for the final being unbeaten in their groups, but there was a three-way tie for fourth place and a tense wait while Dave Aird, the tournament director, counted up points scored for and against in matches. In the end Newcastle Ravens just pipped Cardiff Lions, with Northampton Outlaws, in their first ever competition, finishing a very creditable sixth.

    In the 10-a-side content Dublin and Montpelier were clearly the form teams. The French team is unbeaten, and will be expecting to vanquish the Irish again tomorrow. My new best friends, the Lisbon Dark Horses, will be delighted with a win over Birmingham Bulls.

    As with rugby sevens, the tournament will feature additional playoff games for lesser trophies. Cardiff and Northampton will be joined in the Plate contest by the London 2nd XV and the Amsterdam Lowlanders. The Bowl will be fought over by Stockholm Berserkers, Brussels Straffe Ketten, Edinburgh Thebans and Lyons Rebelyons. The Spoon match will be between Berlin Bruisers and Bristol Bisons.

    Although the Bisons lost all three matches, they can count themselves somewhat unlucky. They were not expected to beat Newcastle, but the Northampton Outlaws were very much the surprise team of the tournament. They had never played a competitive game before, and came within a whisker of making the finals. Bristol’s third game was against an experienced Amsterdam side that had only narrowly lost to Brussels.

    Much as it pains me to admit it, I am fairly sure that London will come away with the cup again tomorrow. However, Dublin and Manchester are both fine sides. The Irish have come to Bristol with the firm intention of winning both tournaments, and have a group play record as good as London’s, but Manchester had to play a game against Newcastle. The Spartans have a proud tradition in gay rugby, having hosted the world’s first ever such match in 1995. They’ll be determined to make the final again.

    Whatever happens, we can be guaranteed a lot of exciting rugby. Bristol’s Mayor, George Ferguson, will be joining us at the ground for the finals. I’ll be doing live commentary, alongside my new friend, Paul Davis, who runs BCFM’s sports show. We’ll also be doing the sports show live from the ground, covering all the day’s action (including the test cricket and the Monaco Grand Prix), and previewing Sunday’s Woman’s FA Cup Final. You can follow all of the action over the Internet via the BCFM website.

    solarbird
         		1:31p
    spaceship disaster simulator

    This is epic – it’s a spaceship disaster simulator built into a caravan. Lots more details at the link, but here’s the video:

    Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come listen to our music!

    Echoed via dw:ソ-ラ-バ-ド-のおん. comment count unavailable comments at Dreamwidth.



    Current Mood: impressed
    dsmoen
         		12:34p
    Best Practices

    A letter I have to send far too often….

    Dear people who add folks to email lists without confirmation.

    Someone thinks it’s hilarious to use my email address to sign me up for things I am far from interested in. This was not requested by me. You should, as a best practice, require confirmation for ANY subscribe request for this kind of reason. Please ensure my address is removed from all your databases promptly.

    If any reservations have been made in my name, cancel those as well.

    Originally published at deirdre.net. You can comment here or there.

    twilight2000
         		12:00p
    My tweets
     ( Read more...Collapse )
    gridlore
         		12:00p
    My tweets
    frankwu
         		1:33p
    Sleeping dogs
     The dogs (Crash and Kablam, both bichons) consider Brianna their master.  Crash, a year older, has always shown more affection toward Brianna than me (I suspect this is because his trainer was female), and little Kablam follows him.  And when Brianna and I come home, the dogs will run to her.  OK, I can accept this. No biggie.  Brianna's their master, even though I feed them and take them for walks.

    But... when we all sleep together, I snore, and sometimes it's so loud that Brianna will vanquish me to the living room.  But the weird thing is that the dogs get out of bed and follow me.  So they chose to sleep with me rather than Brianna, even though they obviously consider her their master.

    Why?

    We haven't been able to figure this out.

    Is it that my body temperature is slightly different than Brianna's and more appealing?

    Is it that they're waiting for me to wake up so I'll feed them or take them for a walk?

    Is it because they want to give their master more space? 

    Or are they, being small dogs, guarding the outskirts of the camp?

    I am no dog whisperer, but this behavior has long puzzled us.
    jorhett
         		10:02a
    A different kind of loss in Night Shade’s collapse.

    This post is not going to deal with how or why Night Shade collapsed, nor is it going to deal with the choices that authors have to make dealing with the purchasers. I really don’t know anything about either of these, and what little has reached me I read in the same places you have. I am writing this post about something different–what we in the community lose in this transaction.
    ( Read the rest of this entry »Collapse )This was originally posted at http://www.jorhett.com/2013/05/a-different-kind-of-loss-in-night-shades-collapse/. You are welcome to reply at jorhett.com or here.

    james_nicoll
         		11:58a
    Adventurer Conquerer King: Session Three
     Bar-hopping! Gossip! Stable-cleaning! Feel the white heat of RPGING!

    ( Read more...Collapse )

    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
    daveon
         		9:00a
    The true price of the last few decades...
     You may have heard it, a bridge fell down north of Seattle.  Nobody was killed but it's going to make it entertaining to get to and from Vancouver for a while...  train you say?  Off you go...  Amtrack is that way, be prepared to gawp at the length of time a 100 mile journey can take.

    Already various reports are trying to blame an overloaded truck for hitting the bridge which led to the collapse.  Sorry, no dice, a bridge, especially one on an Interstate Highway shouldn't be able to fail from a truck damaging part of the structure.  You might need to close the bridge and repair/replace, but a section shouldn't undergo catastrophic collapse.

    Soon afterwards, a friend of mine who is a Civil Engineer working in the North West posted this:

    There are always those that oppose infrastructure spending claiming we don't need to replace aging structures that are "just fine." Well, here's an example of what happens when structures beyond their life span are kept in service with nomeaningful maintenance...it's a problem people...the majority of the Interstate system was built in the 1950's with a 50 year service life...guess what...we're 10 years past that...as much as you may not like cars or highways, this a major problem in the US that needs attention and tax dollars.


    And this is the heart of the issue.  The US road infrastructure is tired and old and in some cases beyond being patched up.  That's the actually appalling legacy left by the economic policies which have held sway for a generation.  Everything focused on short term costs with no eye on the actual long term implications.
    nihilistic_kid
         		8:39a
    A reason to buy from amazon
     Amazon is currently selling Love is the Law on pre-order for 35 percent off. This is a guaranteed price. If you have Amazon Prime and get free shipping, amazon will depending on where you live, either barely break even and perhaps even lose money on every sale.

    So...

    PRE-ORDER TODAY
    STARVE THE GLUTTON
    DESTROY THE BEAST
    theresamather
         		9:13a
    Miscon!
     We're in Missoula, Montana this weekend where I'm artist guest of honor for Miscon! Looking forward to a fun weekend and hanging out with friends!
    james_nicoll
         		10:19a
    Will association with scandal-plagued Rob Ford cause problems for scandal-plagued ReformaTories?
     Ford pariah amongst right-wing, who justly fear he could draw attention from their equally fascinating scandals.

    In happier days, the shark-eyed alleged baby eater poses with wife-beating, drunk-driving mayor of Toronto.


    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
    james_nicoll
         		10:02a
    cabal poised to seize power

    Members of Rob Ford’s executive committee say they are prepared to take over the day-to-day running of the city if the Toronto mayor is no longer able to perform his duties, amid a scandal involving allegations he was caught on video smoking crack cocaine.

    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
    jaylake
         		6:23a
    [conventions|repost] Announcing JayCon XIII - plus - JayWake
     ETA: We will be having my living wake, the JayWake on Saturday, July 27th. This will be a celebration of my life and a giant flip of the bird to my death. Including both a wake and a roast. Watch this space for more details.

    Every year, some people tell me that I need to announce JayCon early so they can get it in on their calendars. Every year, some people tell me I need to announce JayCon later, because they don't plan that far ahead. Sometimes, these are the same people. So starting now, and going on through the spring, I will be reposting this announcement with occasional edits or updates as needed.

    In celebration of my natal anniversary, JayCon XIII, my 13th annual 37th birthday party, is Saturday, June 15th, 2013 from 2 to 5 pm at the Flying Pie in SE Portland. We're partying because I was born, and because I have beat cancer again and again and again we may not ever get to do this again.

    If you can read this, you're invited. Prior JayCon experience not required.

    Also, if you're coming from out of town, and you think I might not be aware of that, please contact me. There are some limited capacity extended festivities from Friday to Sunday.

    Flying Pie Pizzeria
    7804 SE Stark Street
    Portland, 97215
    (503) 254-2016
    http://www.flying-pie.com/
    [ Google Maps ]

    As is traditional for JayCon, Paul M. Carpentier is specifically not invited.

    jaylake
         		6:17a
    [writing|photos] Rio Hondo continues
     I awoke this morning from dreams of loss, conflict and Walter Jon Williams. This may have something to do with the excellent gumbo he cooked last night, followed by bananas Foster.

    Donnie Reynolds (@dratz of Waterloo Productions) left yesterday. He was kind enough to finish cooking my momos Wednesday night when my feet gave out, but more importantly, interviewed me yesterday morning, then filmed the critique session for "Rock of Ages". It was good critique, a combination of solid criticism and some important story points, along with validation that the story was doing enough of what I wanted it to do.

    My two regrets here at Rio Hondo are that my feet continue to be troublesome, and that my trailing sun sensitivity issues courtesy of my friend Vectibix have not only prevented me from hiking (which given the state of my feet is probably a bad idea anyway) but even from going outdoors at all. I continue to wrestle with the emotional fallout from the recent diagnosis, but being here at the world's greatest Writer Camp is allowing me to parse it in small bits while immensely enjoying my days.

    Oddly, I'm not getting much writing or WRPA done. This done not bother me. I am on vacation, after all. I'm spending hours each day immersed in manuscripts and critique, and hours more in fascinating conversations about everything from Age of Sail combat to social media personae for authors. Not to mention publishing gossip, convention horror stories, plotting sessions and all the other things writers get to talking about when you cram us alone together in a few small rooms for a week.

    Meanwhile, a few more photos of the faces of Rio Hondo:

    IMG_6940
    The marmot what hangs out in the lower parking lot — I did not have my 300mm lens on the camera body at the time, unfortunately

    IMG_6916
    Donnie Reynolds prepping the critique shoot

    IMG_6951
    David Levine, of whom I finally got several good shots

    IMG_6923
    Rick Wilbur pretending he doesn't notice the camera

    IMG_6956
    Kim Zimring, reading

    IMG_6925
    Daniel Abraham, reading

    IMG_6926
    Diana Rowland and her Girl Power t-shirt

    IMG_6937
    Jim Kelly going for the high angle shot

    IMG_6957
    Oz Drummond, thoughtful

    IMG_6942
    The entire Rio Hondo crew, thanks to Donnie Reynolds piloting the camera

    Photos © 2013 Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Donnie Reynolds

    Creative Commons License

    This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Donnie Reynolds is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

    jaylake
         		6:00a
    [photos] Your Friday moment of zen
     Your Friday moment of zen.

    IMG_3093.JPG

    Berries, Washington state. Photo © 2008, 2013, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.

    Creative Commons License

    This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

    jaylake
         		5:58a
    [links] Link salad dreams mountain dreams
     The first Apple, fetching prices that may crash the system

    Acoustic Levitation — This is seriously cool. (Via [info]threeoutside.)

    Marketing to the Big Data Inside Us — In your DNA are clues to your health, your ancestry, and maybe even your purchasing preferences.

    A molecular window on itch — Researchers discover chemical puppet master behind the need to scratch.

    An Interplanetary GPS Using Pulsar Signals — Spacecraft could determine their position anywhere in the solar system to within five kilometres using signals from x-ray pulsars, say astronomers.

    New Technique Could Probe Rocky Alien Planet Surfaces

    Scientists: Arctic bacteria discovered on Earth may prove life could thrive on Mars

    Glow-in-the-dark cockroach among top 10 new species of 2012

    White tiger's coat down to one change in a gene

    Race, Intelligence, and Genetics For Curious Dummies

    The Iraq War Wasn’t Inevitable — Nope. It was a trillion dollar war of choice based on knowingly false premises brought to you by leading conservatives. I wish more Republican voters understood those simple facts. But they watch FOX News and listen to Rush Limbaugh, so they never will.

    C.I.A. to Focus More on Spying, a Difficult Shift — Hmm...

    Ignorance loves company: Four examples — Ignorance loves company. The truly stupid resent those who are not and won’t be satisfied until they’ve burned all the books, torn down the libraries, closed the universities, and made it impossible for anyone else not to share their own proud ignorance. Who could he be talking about? What segment of American culture and politics? I really cannot imagine, can you?

    How Van Halen explains Obamacare, salmon regulation and scientific grants — This is why it's important to do nuance. Too bad Republicans have elected political vandals who proudly don't do nuance to dominate the House and derail the Senate. (Snurched from Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

    Toomey's candor sheds light on post-policy party — "There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it." Speaking of the GOP as political vandals. (Snurched from Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

    President Obama and Counter-Terrorism: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

    QotD?: How was your dinner last night?



    5/24/2013
    Writing time yesterday: 0.5 hours (WRPA editing, otherwise on workshop time)
    Hours slept: 7.0 hours (very fitful)
    Body movement: n/a
    Weight: n/a
    Number of FEMA troops on my block scamming disaster aid slush funds: 0
    Currently reading: The Wee, Free Men by Terry Pratchett

    feorag
         		12:00p
    My tweets
    sbisson
         		12:00p
    My tweets
    girlgeniuscomic
         		12:32a
    Girl Genius Comic for Friday, May 24, 2013
     ( Girl Genius Comic for Friday, May 24, 2013Collapse )

    <3 Well, the KickStarter continues to do well. We're currently getting quotes for printing Buck Godot, Gallimaufry, since we're kind of reaching the end of our stretch goals, and people have indicated that they would like to see that one in print. Yay!--Kaja <3

    It's a KickStarter for Girl Genius Vol.12!
    girlgenius_lab
    [ murgatroyd666 ]
         		12:01a
    james_nicoll
         		1:25a
    Eve No Jikan
     Looks interesting.

    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
    Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
    billroper
         		11:23p
    The Wimpy Zone
     In other news, the much maligned National League Central Division currently has the three clubs with the best records in the National League.

    The Cardinals are on top.

    The Cubs? Well, not so much...
    james_nicoll
         		11:59p
    CBS Radio Workshop: The Record Collectors
     The Record Collectors

    This is an interview with two avid record collectors, one a man who adopted the title of doctor on the basis of a passing comment and the other a fellow who constructs nightmarish monsters for Christmas parades. Both are fanatical about their hobby, firmly reject impure innovations past the wax cylinder as well as modern singers and generally fail to do anything that would convince people not already part of their folie à deux that records are worth anyone's time.

    I know of no persons like the pair in this play.

    Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.
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