Ok, I was suddenly inspired at work today what to do with the Traveling Art Book that ms_danson gave me when I was in Ottawa. It had been sitting on my desk for two weeks; there is some very lovely art in there to live up to, and I did not feel up to trying to emulate it with drawings etc, at this stage. However, I got an idea of what to do that would cater to my strengths, so would be relatively foolproof so far as my skill was concerned, and so I went to Fincher's to acquire some supplies, and spent the afternoon creating my artwork. It turned out interesting; I am pleased with it. It will need a pretty high-rez picture to get the full detail of it, though. Unfortunately, I do not know any visual artists nearby, although I will ask, so very probably, I will send it back to Ms_danson soon so she can send it on to the next artist in line.

Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei, Die Gedanken sind frei!

Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch und Begehren kann niemand mir wehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei, die Gedanken sind frei!

Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen absagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich sitz nicht alleine bei einem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Berlin Marks 20th Anniversary of Wall's Fall

World leaders, dignitaries and thousands of visitors are in Berlin today to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is a time to remember the past and celebrate the November day in 1989 that changed the future. Despite the rain, crowds gathered at the Bornholm Bridge, the first checkpoint in the Berlin Wall to open the night of November 9, 1989.

The Wall stood for nearly three decades, dividing the city and Germany into East and West. But in the end, protests and peaceful revolutions, such as in Poland, and changes in Moscow brought it down. That led to the reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War.

In a gesture full of symbolism, Chancellor Angela Merkel crossed from one side to other, accompanied by VIP guests, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, former Polish labor leader and president Lech Walesa, and civil rights activists of 20 years ago.

Mrs. Merkel said meeting here was especially significant. She said there is joy in the possibilities that opened up at this very bridge, noting it was the result of a long struggle against oppression. She thanked Lech Walesa and his Solidarity Labor movement in Poland and Mikhail Gorbachev, the reformist leader in Moscow. Both paved the way for what would happen in Germany in 1989.

World leaders and dignitaries have gathered to join in the 20th anniversary celebrations, which include open air concerts, fireworks, and the symbolic collapse of a wall of brightly painted oversize dominoes. The dominoes have been set up to run for one and a half kilometers in an area where the Wall once stood, and late Monday they will be toppled - much like the Wall was two decades ago. Organizers of the anniversary events say they want the festivities to connect with ordinary people - to show that it was people power, with the help of reform-minded political leaders, that brought down the Wall and changed the course of history. Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-09-voa28.cfm

A look back...

Öffnung der Mauer 1989 am Reichstag
(Opening of the Berlin Wall 1989 - with English subtitles)

WORT DES TAGES
die Achillessehne (pl. die Achillessehnen) - Achilles tendon, hamstring [in animals]

Die frühere 400-m-Weltmeisterin Grit Bauer ist in Basel an der linken Achillessehne operiert worden. - The former 400-meter world champion Grit Bauer had surgery on her left Achilles tendon in Basel.

Related:
die Achillesferse - Achilles heel
die Sehne - tendon, sinew; string, chord

Friday October 23, 2009 Mail: Songwriting payment.

In 1991 I came up with the chorus and a verse of what came to be titled "Gimme Those Old Child Ballads" and posted them on the Usenet group rec.music.filk. Other people added verses.

Margaret Middleton has now used it on a CD: Legends & Literature, M-Cubed Ventures; http://www.mcubedventures.com.

***Reading by Catherine Lundoff at DreamHaven Books. She read from two pieces. First, a lesbian werewolf novel in progress. Second, a Lovecraftian lesbian romance story.

The novel began as a shorter work for an anthology which fell through. The anthology is now on again and Ms. Lundoff will submit a shorter-than-novel version for it. The short story was originally for an anthology which fell through; it will appear in Tales of the Unanticipated.

Happy Birthday, netcrimes!!

So, I was excited about the Droid. Then I saw that there was such a thing as a Droid Eris, and I felt that I had no choice but to buy it. $99 with a 2 year contract? Very reasonable.

Then I got to the "pick a plan" screen.

You people—by which I mean, people who buy smartphones—you people, you are insane.

Words cannot express how stupid any of these ideas is:

- paying $20/month for unlimited texts OR
- paying $0.20/text

- paying $80/month for 450 minutes of airtime OR
- paying $250/month for unlimited airtime OR
- paying $2/MB. That's per MEGAbyte. Mega, not giga. I could FedEx you floppies for less money. WHAT DECADE IS THIS?

In other words, a usable plan costs between $100 and $270 PER MONTH, and you commit to two years of this at a time. And if you ever go outside the US, well, we won't talk about international roaming, because no matter which plan you pick, it will be cheaper to just BUY A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PHONE TO USE WHILE YOU'RE ON VACATION.

What. The. Fuck?

Millions of people look at the same screen I looked at and don't hesitate. I have a really hard time fathoming their motivation. Things you could get for a year of Droid:

- a nice kayak
- a sweet road bike
- a respectable gaming laptop
- a prosumer DSLR with a couple of good lenses
- a beater of a car
- a quite serviceable used motorcycle
- a month in Europe
- 3 ounces of really good weed (or so I hear)
- a hell of a night out

Is being able to browse the web without having to step into a coffee shop really worth more than your favorite one of the above, per year?

I keep having this urge to canoe up the Rideau Canal.

The Erie Canal also looks vaguely intriguing but it's in the US.

I wonder, would I drown first or be hacked up by some passing boat's prop?

Just over thirty years ago, British Interplanetary Society (BIS) members carried out one of the most complete studies of an interstellar vehicle ever made. Even today, Project Daedalus retains its status as an outstandingly comprehensive reference design. Its final report sits on the shelf of many a starship enthusiast.

The bit I want to single out is this one:

Parkinson presented some background on the Jovian extraction process, and examined some other options that have been suggested. One possibility is to extract He3 from the lunar regolith. Unfortunately, it appears that while this is technically possible, the huge energy required to extract meager amounts of He3 from immense masses of regolith renders the process economically unfeasible. In brief, the Jupiter mining system is still the preferred option for fueling Daedalus.

Here, let me make the important bit easier to see:

Unfortunately, it appears that while this is technically possible, the huge energy required to extract meager amounts of He3 from immense masses of regolith renders the process economically unfeasible.

The current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is Gordon Brown, not Gordon Ramsay.

Poll #1482922
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 107

Most negative reviews are motivated by

A Producer takes exception to a reviewer comment.

The reviewer takes the time to respond more fully.

I've never watched any version of SG so I don't have an opinion. Well, except that replying to reviews except to correct factual errors is a mug's game and also this gives me an idea for a poll.

Nicked from telesilla

I was a bit surprised to note that the cleric clad in black leather on the TV show examining the devil in western mythology was in fact Lionel Fanthorpe.

Hi again!

Last week I posted a question here about sewing skirts to a bodice. Inspired by your comments, I cartridge-pleated the skirt to a twill waistband, and then attached the waistband to the bodice. I wasn't too pleased with the result though, since it added so much bulk to the front of my belly it would make the wearing of bodys obsolete.

Should anyone want to see pictures and read what happened: my blog has more info.

I still really appreciate all of your help! You guys got me thinking about the problem and try a different approach. I still love cartridge pleating, just not for the front of a bodice. Thanks, everyone!

Americans will be pleased/horrified to know the US is still destination number one for people who want to migrate.

Canada's would-be incomers are disappointingly small in number at 45 million.

Germany celebrates memory of Berlin Wall falling

By MATT MOORE, Associated Press Writer Matt Moore, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN – Twenty years ago Monday, they danced atop the Berlin Wall, feet thudding on the cold concrete, arms raised in victory, hands clasped in friendship and giddy hope.

On that cold night, years of separation and anxiety melted into the unbelievable reality of freedom and a future without border guards, secret police, informers and rigid communist control.

This weekend, Germans celebrate with concerts boasting Beethoven and Bon Jovi; a memorial service for the 136 people killed trying to cross over from 1961 to 1989; candle lightings and 1,000 towering plastic foam dominoes to be placed along the wall's route and tipped over.

On Nov. 9, 1989, East Germans came in droves, riding their sputtering Trabants, motorcycles and rickety bicycles. Hundreds, then thousands, then hundreds of thousands crossed over the following days.

Stores in West Berlin stayed open late and banks gave out 100 Deutschemarks in "welcome money," then worth about $50, to each East German visitor.

The party lasted four days and by Nov. 12 more than 3 million of East Germany's 16.6 million people had visited, nearly a third of them to West Berlin, the rest through gates opening up along the rest of the fenced, mined frontier that cut their country in two.

Sections of the nearly 155 kilometers (100 miles) of wall were pulled down and knocked over. Tourists chiseled off chunks to keep as souvenirs. Tearful families reunited. Bars gave out free drinks. Strangers kissed and toasted each other with champagne.

( Read the rest of the article... )

The link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091108/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_after_the_wall

Der Spiegel photo album of the Wall's fall:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-48542.html

MANAGER: Aides! This cart. It contains holds. Please do not shelve its contents.

AIDES: Very well.

MANAGER: Also do not shelve the coffee cup, which is also on this cart. It is mine.

AMELIA: I don’t know its call number, anyway.

(MANAGER moves away. AIDE #2 looks reflectively at the mug)

AIDE #2: Interesting. How would one go about cataloging a mug?

AMELIA: Check and see what’s in it! If it’s decaf, we’ll know to classify it as fiction.

AIDE #2: Well, that goes without saying.


Yeah, we’ve got this library science thing down cold. Time to put the Aide Brigade in charge, and we’ll have this place shipshape in no time.

Hi all! I've watched this community for awhile now and have finally worked up the courage to share my project.

I'm doing a teens gown for the Victorian Grand Ball on the 28th. It's going to be made out of white dupioni and the embroidery panels scrounged from an old mandarin jacket I've never had occaision to wear. the first part of the diary is up on my lj :

http://bhudda-chic.livejournal.com/3718.html

thanks  for letting me post!
Emma

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a health-care reform bill Saturday night, a major step in the attempt to overhaul the system.

Of course, it still has to pass in the Senate. Anyone care to suggest the odds of that happening?

If it does pass, it will probably include compromises like this:

The amendment will prohibit federal funds for abortion services in the public option. It also prohibits individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions. However, it allows individuals, both who receive affordability credits and who do not, to separately purchase with their own funds plans that cover elective abortions. It also clarifies that private plans may still offer elective abortions.

in thinking Dian Girard = Dian Crayne = J. D. Crayne?

[clickity click]

I think that's a yes.