Life.

if you have EVER looked at ANY-thing on YouTube...

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:08:09 GMT

you might want to check this out:

"You think what you watch on YouTube is your own business, secure from government intervention? Think again."

ATTN: paypal users

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:36:54 GMT

just please know that if you ever get an email that looks like that, IGNORE IT... or at most, email PayPal directly (but do NOT do so via any of the links in that bogus email)...

you can also forward the bogus-email to: spoof@paypal.com
and then erase it from your inbox.

and btw, ATTN: WANNABE PHISHING PHELONS: buy a phucking dicktionary.

might be of interest to some of my f-list:

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:40:07 GMT

As Long as They Don't Shove It Down Our Throats--
The Relegation of First Class Oloshas to Second Class Status

by Shloma Rosenberg

I spent my early childhood years in rural Michigan, being transplanted to Los Angeles at the age of nine, and from the first moment that I had an inkling of the existence of sexuality, I knew that I was Gay. I was out and proud from the get-go, never spending an instant in any closet. Thanks to a brilliant father who was just about as prejudice-free as a human being could hope to be, I had no sexuality-related problems at home.

School, however, was a different story. Owing to my lack of shame, I was beaten and tortured one day by most of the football team. It happened early in the school year and was witnessed by at least one faculty member. The school did not want to have to discipline their prized football team, so I was asked to leave high school before ever having really started. I firmly believed that public education was robbing me of my ability to think, so I conceded, but I refused to quit school without a diploma. The school made special arrangements for me to attempt to "test out" and graduate early, rather than merely granting me an equivalency certificate. I passed.

It was not long after this that I came to the Lukumi religion. Spirituality was of paramount importance for me and my quest brought me to the Orishas. After a seemingly endless journey, I finally found myself in the Ile, or house, of a Lesbian couple who eventually initiated me as a priest in the religion. After being involved in at least two houses headed by homophobes, I thought I had found paradise. I imagined myself to be forever safe from dealing with sexuality-based discrimination. I was wrong.

LINK to the rest of the article

UPDATE: on Ahavah-Ehyeh's mother

Wed, 07 May 2008 09:54:32 GMT

http://ahavah-ehyeh.livejournal.com/187196.html

please keep Christy and her family, in your thoughts.

- e.

EMERGENCY.

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:31:30 GMT

something awful has happened.....

the woman who had the accident is named "Christy" if you follow the link you can see a pic of her smiling in the kitchen...

her daughter Amanda had plans to marry this Friday...

the family is being given nothing but bad news by the doctors (and right in front of the injured woman!)

PLEASE SEND YOUR LOVE!
prayers, hope, energy, *any*thing you can give...

- e. & Co.

American Blackout.

Sun, 04 May 2008 10:59:48 GMT

a documentary which discusses how people were kept from voting in recent presidential elections, and also covers much of the political career of Cynthia McKinney....

i wonder what dubya is going to do when the next election comes... part of me thinks that there will be a new (conveniently timed) "attack" to america that he will make sure he is assigned (carte-blanch) "management" of...

we'll see.

last time they aimed for minorities...

not sure what they will do this time...

what *is* democracy supposed to be, anyway...

Mark talks about "LJ United"

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:20:14 GMT

http://insomnia.livejournal.com/811766.html

looks interesting...

- Jules & Co.

if you use the medicine that a doctor prescribes you

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:53:05 GMT

it might be held against you when you need your organ-transplant:

"I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused," said Garon, lying in his hospital bed a few minutes after a doctor told him the hospital transplant committee's decision Thursday.

With the scarcity of donated organs, transplant committees like the one at the University of Washington Medical Center use tough standards, including whether the candidate has other serious health problems or is likely to drink or do drugs.

And with cases like Garon's, they also have to consider — as a dozen states now have medical marijuana laws — if using dope with a doctor's blessing should be held against a dying patient in need of a transplant.

using "dope"?... how about saying: "if you use the medicine prescribed you".. because THAT is what the man did.

he broke no laws and this looks rather un-humorously like he was just given the death-penalty.

- Jules & Co.

artist at work: Jessica McQueen

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:41:46 GMT

wicked :-)

- Z.

you have GOT to be kidding me.

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:27:30 GMT

i think it is official. the FDA stands for "Friggin' Dumb Asses"

What About Temporary Tattoos?

Temporary tattoos, such as those applied to the skin with a moistened wad of cotton, fade several days after application. Most contain color additives approved for cosmetic use on the skin. However, the agency has issued an import alert for certain foreign-made temporary tattoos.

The temporary tattoos subject to the import alert are not allowed into the United States because they don't carry the FDA-mandated ingredient labels or they contain colors not permitted by FDA for use in cosmetics applied to the skin. FDA has received reports of allergic reactions to temporary tattoos.

In a similar action, FDA has issued an import alert for henna intended for use on the skin. Henna is approved only for use as a hair dye, not for direct application to the skin. Also, henna typically produces a reddish brown tint, raising questions about what ingredients are added to produce the varieties of colors labeled as "henna," such as "black henna" and "blue henna." FDA has also received reports of allergic reactions to products applied to the skin that contain henna.

the Government of the United States of America is run by illiterate morons.

there. i said it.

well, i at least managed to post this without using any 4-letter words (and considering how awful i've felt this past week or so, this is QUITE an accomplishment)

a link here for my friends who want more info since all of *you* know how to read and might want to know what them thar scientific FDA-folks seem too DA to find out for themselves:

PPD, the so called "Black Henna"

so let me get this straight...... instead of telling Americans: "just so you guys know, there is no such thing as black-henna (anything called "black henna" most likely has no actual "henna" in it at all), it could be dangerous if it is called that (PPD), stay away from it" they are instead saying that: *HENNA* is not approved-safe to use on your skin.

on your hair, yes, but not your skin.

no mention on that FDA warning page that using the "black henna" on your OR your hair, could be very dangerous.

Traditional Henna is Safe!

just ask Canada :-)

- U.

x-posting from an LJ-friend:

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:33:26 GMT

Last week Amazon announced that it would be requiring that all books that it sells that are produced through on-demand means be printed by BookSurge, their in-house on-demand printer/publisher. Amazon pitched this as a customer service matter, a means for more speedily delivering print-on-demand books and allowing for the bundling of shipments with other items purchased at the same time from Amazon. It also put a bit of an environmental spin on the move -- claiming less transportation fuel is used (this is unlikely, but that's another story) when all items are shipped directly from Amazon.

We, and many others, think something else is afoot. Ingram Industries' Lightning Source is currently the dominant printer for on-demand titles, and they appear to be quite efficient at their task. They ship on-demand titles shortly after they are ordered through Amazon directly to the customer. It's a nice business for Ingram, since they get a percentage of the sales and a printing fee for every on-demand book they ship. Amazon would be foolish not to covet that business.

What's the rub? Once Amazon owns the supply chain, it has effective control of much of the "long tail" of publishing -- the enormous number of titles that sell in low volumes but which, in aggregate, make a lot of money for the aggregator. Since Amazon has a firm grip on the retailing of these books (it's uneconomic for physical book stores to stock many of these titles), owning the supply chain would allow it to easily increase its profit margins on these books: it need only insist on buying at a deeper discount -- or it can choose to charge more for its printing of the books -- to increase its profits. Most publishers could do little but grumble and comply.

We suspect this maneuver by Amazon is far more about profit margin than it is about customer service or fossil fuels. The potential big losers (other than Ingram) if Amazon does impose greater discounts on the industry, are authors -- since many are paid for on-demand sales based on the publisher's gross revenues -- and publishers.

We're reviewing the antitrust and other legal implications of Amazon's bold move. If you have any information on this matter that you think could be helpful to us, please call us at (212) 563-5904 and ask for the legal services department, or send an e-mail to staff@authorsguild.org.

Feel free to post or forward this message in its entirety.

DUDEZ!!!

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:22:19 GMT

Moshe's dead! he's dead!! he's-- oh--....... wait a minute.......

(looks close at screen)

Zora:   hey, THAT's not Moishe!.....
Jules:   yeah, that guy's xtian, actually...
Zora:   wow.... he looks so much like him though!
Jules:   uh...... when the fuck you meet Moshe?
Zora:   you weren't there?
Jules:   no, when? Mt. Sinai??
Zora:   no no no, that coffee house over near the glatt-butcher on Kingston...
Jules:   .................. in Brooklyn??
Zora:   yeah!
Jules:   you met Moshe Rabbeinu in BROOKLYN??
Zora:   (gasps) oh no no no, i mean Moishe Leberwurtz.... that lovely yeshiva bochur whose mutha's so big in Hadassah.
Jules:   (staring, mouth open, confused)
Zora:   (shaking head) dude.. Moshe Rabbeinu's been dead for years... *centuries* even.....
Jules:   (still staring)
Zora:   dude, shut your mouth. you're drooling....

and btw, even though i think Mr. Heston was gun-nut and i don't agree with his religion or his politics, i used to *love* his movies when i was a kidling (can't tell you how many times i've snarled "filthy ape" at unsuspecting young men) ... and aside from his being an accomplished actor he was a man who had a family who loves him dearly, i'm sure, and he will be missed....

Peace to Mr. Heston & his kin.

- Zora & Co.

EDIT: damn! i swear that is what it feels like! it feels like some really old creepy great-uncle or smokey-smellin' grand-pop has gone and died!.... someone that the family has been estranged from and on not-speaking terms with for eons, and the old koot goes and dies and we look at each other and think "shit."

it feels like we've lost a patriarch :-(.... granted, a crotchety-bastard of a patriarch but still!... its so weird... this is what i get for growing up addicted to TV :-P

Howard Zinn & Chomsky

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:01:45 GMT

on 'Democracy Now', Apr. 2007

PART ONE:

PART TWO:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5831267179230982676

- Z.

oh forgot to tell you

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:02:48 GMT

my mother calls me a couple days ago, as soon as she got home from work..

her: guess who *I'M* gonna see tomorrow?
me: who?
her: Bush!
me: (snark-face) ew... why?
her: (laughing over her shoulder to Lynnie) she said ew! hahahahah....
me: where is he that you're gonna see him?
her: across the street from work is this Novadebt place, and Bush is gonna go tawk there
me: oh, like a foto-op? (we laugh)
her: he's gonna come to tawk to the homeowners because so many of us shlumps in NJ are losing our freakin houses...

me: so you're gonna hear him talk an' shit?
her: yeah!... well... uh.. i dunno actually.. they came and they were going through the *entire* building today, and they gonna be back all day tomorrow and i don't know if we're gonna be allowed outside or how close we'll be allowed to go... but Patty is bringing her chair because she's got the hole in her knee, y'know? (me: yeah) and she said we can take turns sitting so that i don't have to spend all the time on my feet with the cane... (my mother is in braces by now)
me: so you gonna go up to the front and yell at him? (she laughs).. you guys gotta think up a protest jeer to shout at the bastard...
her: oh please.. if i ever got anywheres near him i'd just probably freeze up and not know what to say..

me: you say (putting on the thick Brooklynese, sticking my fist into the air (as if she could see hahah)).... hey BUSH! my husband spent 40 years a' his life in the service and fought in ALL dem' wars and now he gone and dropped dead and now i'm a CRIPPLE an' a WIDOW and i'm losing my fuckin' HOUSE no thanks to *YOU*, and they gonna throw my ass out onna da STREET!.. a CRIPPLE an' a vet'rin's WIDOW... an' ya puttin' me on the STREET!! you fuckin' BAS'TID!!! (she is laughing her ass off at me)
her: oh. my. G-d. hahahah
me: seriously. you should do it. (sounding totally nonchalant)
her: yeah right! hahaha.. and then you'd see ya mother being ARRESTED on TV!... being hauled off her legs and dragged in handcuffs!
me: oh, but i'd be so *proud* of you!
her: really?
me: totally!.. are you kidding me? *my* mom arrested for telling Bush to go fuck himself??? (she's laughing) i would be like the totally *coolest* kid on the friggin block....... srsly.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/president_bush_visits_nj_to_ad.html

oh, she didn't tell him to fuck-off btw haha (i'm SURE i would have heard about it by now, if she so much as said "hi" to him)...

i haven't talked to her since the "event" so i don't know if she got to go outside and see him during his little publicity-stunt...

- Z.

holy. crap.

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:15:25 GMT

i'd heard murmurings about this latest WalMart mis-deed, but had NO idea of the details involved:

(thanks to lilithilien for the link)

(our comment from a gf's eye-jay)

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:17:35 GMT

something interesting i am noticing over at LJ today (yes, i am still reading through my friends' page to see what folks are talking about over there) ;-) is that an awful lot of pre-strike/boycott "I'M GONNA STAY!" folks, (several of whom i had read the days before, as saying "this is childish/etc. and i'm going to over-post/over-comment to make up for the strikers") are actually barely posting themselves....

but, that is only on my f-list actually... and that might show that most of the folks there realise that so many of their friends *are* striking, and that we can't be counted on to read &/or post/comment, and its making the sticking-behind folks a bit too uninspired to post (maybe? possibly?)

a couple of things i most definitely noticed about the non-strikers' arguments is that they were very much lacking the information about SUP's *actual* mis-behaviors... the non-strikers seem to think this is just a matter of "okay, so basic accounts were removed as an option" and "the stuff they removed from the interest searches, they replaced" but i haven't read a non-striker who said "yes, i know that they did both of those things covertly, and yes i have read the interview that was translated into English for us non Russian speaking folks, and i think that LJ has treated us fine and i support what they are doing"

they're really in the dark, (which is how LJ wants it anyway)...

i saw this post in a friend's LJ (edit: oops! t'was filtered, here's a public-post of it in another LJ):
http://rainbow.livejournal.com/1264487.html

and reading down that list reminds me (in a rather nauseating way) of looking at a check-list of my attempts to run-away from my ex-husband all those years...

i stayed with a man who forced me to do things (sexually) that frightened me, and who used access (or threats of lack-of-access) to food/medicine/friends/family as ways to keep me "quiet"... and who called my threats to tell people about his treatment of me, "blackmail"...

and i still kept going back (i was so afraid of behing homeless again) and it didn't end until 11 years later, when he told me "how" he was going to kill me...

people keep going back to LJ... we are afraid of losing our friends/communities.... but the fact we lack options and are feeling forced to put up with bad treatment, does not change the fact that LJ (no matter who "owns" it) is a new kind of beast... a "product" which actually holds the reigns to our access to loved-ones.... the ethics of a material product: you don't like this candy-bar? buy a different one.... don't apply when the commodity is one's mental/emotional well-being...

the non-strikers really need to open their eyes and learn to ask the right questions.... but i am not one to preach really, i took all of the garbage that my ex-husband fed me and i really believed it (a lot of it i *still* believe) about my own rights and my lack of value/control... it was easier to believe that "he is in the right, ergo i shouldn't cause trouble" as opposed to having to really listen to what was being said/done to me and realise "i *am* going to be homeless again"

- Z.

NOTE FOR FELLOW STRIKING-FOLKS

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:18:13 GMT

we'll be posting things here for the strike, and will go back to posting at LJ come motzei Shabbos...

- Jules & Co.

Friends Only.....

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:11:52 GMT

keeping this Journal friends-only (you know we like our privacy).... do stop by and say hi though, if you'd like to be added...

there's always room for another friend.

be well,
Ulla & Co.