lolcats. SO funny. I could sit there and giggle at them for hours. I saw a wonderful conversation about them the other day:
"What's with all the weird spelling and phrasing?"
"Don't you know? That's how cats talk!"
Well of course. LOVE!
Look:
Kev's not nearly as amused by the whole phenomenon. His favorite thing in the world is to roll his eyes at me, and there's some SERIOUS rolling going on while I sit at the computer and giggle. He tends to agree with this guy:
For Active Christian Media, Rubi read Shoes For The Spirit: A Guide To Your Spiritual Walk by Tamra Nashman, published by Brentwood Christian Press. The author provided the book for Rubi to read.
Rubi's review:
Chicken Soup For the Christian Soul meets "God's Little Devotional Book For Women". And I mean that in a good way. Each short story begins with a short scripture, then the story, then a short devotional. I love the writing style. A lot of similar books seem like they're being read from the pulpit. Tamra Nashman has a warm, friendly writing style that draws you in. It feels more one-on-one.
The book is very well organized for those who only have time to read books in bits and pieces. It's divided into chapters, each one covering a different stumbling block: fear, stress, rejection, jealousy, etc. Each chapter is clearly divided into the short stories and their scripture and devotional, that can be read through in less than ten minutes, easily. But it gives you food for thought and prayer for the rest of the day. It's a very friendly little book - go, buy, read!
This girl and her sister need a spanking, a stint working at a homeless shelter, and a lecture titled "Sometimes there are rules, and you have to follow them." Clearly, their obnoxious mother isn't providing them with any of those things.
Sheesh. Don't these people have any REAL problems?
Some schools ban gang colors. Others prohibit miniskirts. But 14-year-old Toni Kay Scott and her parents say they weren't prepared for a school that outlawed Tigger on a pair of socks.
For coming to class at a Napa middle school wearing hosiery that portrayed the Winnie the Pooh character -- in violation of the school's solid-colors-only, no-pictures, no-logos dress code -- the seventh-grader landed in the principal's office, and then in a detention program called Students With Attitude Problems.
Now Redwood Middle School and the Napa Valley Unified School District, which approved the code, have landed in court.
The school's "unconstitutionally vague, overbroad and restrictive uniform dress code policy'' flouts state law, violates freedom of expression, and wastes teachers' and students' time and attention that would be better spent on education, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a suit filed Monday on behalf of six students and their parents.
Toni Kay, now an eighth-grade honors student, said Tuesday that she's been cited more than a dozen times in the last 1 1/2 years, and sent home from school twice, for such infractions as wearing a polo shirt with the manufacturer's butterfly logo, a pair of pink tennis shoes and a shirt with the insignia of the anti-drug program D.A.R.E.
All my friends that go to other schools, they can wear jeans. They can wear stripes and patterns. I'm like, I wish I could wear that but I can't,'' she said.
When she picks out her clothes every morning, she said, "I'm asking myself, is this OK for school, or am I going to get dress-coded?''
The school policy, in effect for more than a decade, requires students' clothes and backpacks to be entirely solid colors: The only colors permitted are blue, white, green, yellow, khaki, gray, brown and black. The only acceptable fabrics are cotton twill, chino and corduroy.
No jeans or "denim-looking'' clothes allowed. No pictures, words, symbols or patterns, except the school logo. And definitely no Tigger.
The school's policy statement says the rules were developed "to ensure the safety and protect the instructional time of all students.'' District Superintendent John Glaser said Tuesday that the school board reaffirmed the policy last year.
Both Glaser and Michael Pearson, the school's principal, declined to comment on the suit. But in a 2005 interview with the Napa Valley Register, Pearson said the policy allows the school to level the playing field.
"We do not have to deal with issues of kids who are dressing a certain way because their parents are able to shop at the fashionable stores," Pearson said. "You cannot tell on my campus the kids that come from a low-income family.''
The policy was also defended by a parent, Mike Blom, whose two sons used to attend the middle school. He said repealing the policy might make it harder to regulate gang clothing.
"Our time with the children is relatively short before they become adults,'' Blom said in an e-mail. "There are so many ways to enhance their personalities outside of what they wear.''
The suit, filed in Napa County Superior Court, illustrates the tension between school authority and student autonomy that is also being played out on the national stage.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard an Alaska high school student's challenge to his suspension for displaying a banner reading, "Bong Hits 4 Jesus,'' outside the school as an Olympic torch parade passed by.
The student said the banner was a prank intended for television cameras and that his punishment for off-campus expression was unconstitutional. The school principal said the banner promoted drug use in violation of school policy.
The case could lead to a narrowing of the Supreme Court's 1969 ruling that declared students have the same right of free speech as other Americans, as long as that speech doesn't disrupt the educational process.
The Napa lawsuit dates from Toni Kay's first day at Redwood Middle School in September 2005.
According to the suit, the girl went to class wearing a denim skirt, a brown shirt with a pink border and long blue socks with pictures of Tigger. She was escorted to the principal's office by a uniformed police officer and was sent to the in-school suspension program, the suit said.
Toni Kay's sister, Sydni, now in the sixth grade, was given a warning last year for wearing pink socks, and was sent to the principal's office last month for wearing a T-shirt reading, "Jesus Freak,'' the suit said.
Another plaintiff, eighth-grader Meilissa Phan, was cited once for wearing a ribbon in her hair, and another time for wearing a pink ribbon pin in support of breast cancer awareness, the suit said.
"I don't like wearing the same things everyone else is wearing,'' 11-year-old Sydni said Tuesday. "You're sitting there and five other people are wearing the same thing.''
Her mother, Donnell Scott, said, "I think my children should be able to, within guidelines, express themselves. This is a public school. It's my job to decide what's appropriate for them. It's (the school's) job to educate.''
California law allows schools to adopt dress codes to address gang problems and other safety concerns. Schools can also require students to wear uniforms, if parents are given six months' notice and are allowed to exempt their children. The lawsuit said the Redwood Middle School policy is the equivalent of requiring students to wear uniforms, without the parental exemptions provided by state law.
The suit seeks a court order banning enforcement of the policy or allowing parents to exclude their students. It does not seek damages.
Other Bay Area school districts have a variety of clothing policies. Most ban gang-related symbols and revealing attire. Some prohibit red and blue colors associated with prominent gangs, and some ban low-sagging jeans.
Uniforms are required in some San Francisco schools and in nearly all elementary and middle schools in San Jose. Karen Fuqua, spokeswoman for the San Jose Unified School District, said the policy helps school officials spot nonstudents and encourages youths to focus on learning instead of competition in apparel.
Occasionally, she said, someone objects to the stifling of youthful creativity, and the district replies, "Let their creativity show in the classroom.''
MCF nears the end of the second round of the MCFPerilous! Next up: Double MCF Perilous? Final MCF Perilous? Audio MCF Perilous?
1. I'm going to use it to clear all 100 levels.
Why did MCF buy a high-powered magnet for his Marvel game?
2. Because at my age, I don't think The Transformers: The Movie is a socially acceptable choice for that.
What movie will MCF not invite his date to see?
3. 617.
How many times has MCF written a blog post?
4. September 11, 1984.
When did MCF first discover the Transformers?
5. “The cowards never started./The weak died on the way./Only the strong arrived./They were Pioneers.”
What are some lyrics to a song?
6. Boxy.
How would MCF describe the original Transformers compared to the new Movie versions of the Transformers?
7. Heroes and Law & Order: SVU
What two shows does MCF enjoy?
8. They both went from fantasy heroes to science fiction characters.
What is similar about the careers of the stars of Xena and Hercules?
9. Through a crowbar.
How did MCF meet his first girlfriend?
10. B12
What username did B13 not choose because it's a vitamin?
**edited to add question marks at the end of some of my questions?
The Podculture Network, "Equal Opportunity Geekness", is a great podcast.
The show is currently recorded every other week, split into two parts and fed weekly. You get part "A" the first week and part "B" the second week. It is not a "professional" podcast with specific show topics and scripts. It's three friends sitting around "geeking" with microphones recording them.
Brad, Glenn, and Christina host Podculture and spend their time rambling about what they watch on TV, what's in their DVD player, their new "toys" and video games, comic books, and a couple of special segments called "Geek Cuisine" and "Glenn's Guilty Pleasures". Geek Cuisine has the hosts trying out a different snack and beverage each episode on-mic and discussing whether or not they like them and why. Glenn's Guilty Pleasures features Glenn talking about really bad old movies that he likes and thinks other geeks might like. Podculture also is friendly with other podcasts, and runs promos for those podcasts, and even has been "syndicating" sci-fi reviews from the excellent Firefly podcast, The Signal. The hosts also mention a little bit about their "real lives" during the show, as asides to whatever the current topic of conversation may be.
It's that little bit about their real lives that makes Podculture extra special. Through their rambling, you seem to get to know these three people more and more as you listen to each episode. Listening to Podculture makes it seem like you are right there, sitting on the couch in Brad's living room talking about the geeky stuff you've done over the past week - except you're the introvert of the bunch and you let everyone else talk while you listen.
Now that I'm at work, where I can't play Guild Wars or watch Rubi play Guild Wars, I can finally remember to post my answers -uh, my questions to the latest MCF Perilous!
1. That’s much too long.
Why did MCF cut the Perilous quiz from down 20 questions.
2. Using a nail and surprising simian-like agility.
How did MCF hurt himself?
3. “Not the bang!”
Originally I had answered (questioned?) "What is the sound of a gun not shooting?" which I thought was kinda clever. But another person answered something about MCF getting a haircut and that reminded me of what I'm sure the correct answer (question?) is:
What are female fans of Peter Patrelli screaming after the end of last Monday's episode of Heroes?
4. A job.
What is a good thing for anyone over the age of 17 to have?
5. Forget anyone else is there.
What happens to MCF when he is watching TV or playing on the computer?
6. Because he’s so dark and likes dirty laundry.
How did MCF come up with his disguise?
7. Two wheels.
What is better than one wheel?
8. He might not.
Might he?
9. It’s the first gig of the season.
How can MCF tell spring is upon us musically?
10. At a student art exhibit in college.
How did MCF meet his first girlfriend?
Blogger ate my last two mail-to-blogger posts - or rather, it stuck them in Drafts instead of automatically publishing them. So everything popped up today even though they are dated when I actually wrote them.
Blogger says they have that fixed, but we'll see. Maybe it's a DST issue occurring early.
I've been playing Guild Wars occasionally since I got it a couple of weeks ago - maybe eight hours total playing time. I rarely play for more than an hour or so. I haven't gotten into the "real" part of the game yet - I'm sticking in the "learning environment" part gaining experience and skills and just getting to know the game. I like it, it's fun, but it's a time-waster - as in: I could probably be doing more productive things instead of playing a computer game; like napping. I've gotta try to figure out how to play it while I walk on the treadmill Rubi and I bought yesterday.
Also, just to let you know: I think I have a terrible disease called Lethonomia. Really. I'm pretty sure there's no cure for it. Except for maybe flash cards with pictures.
As for the recent news from Marvel Comics - holy Cap! I can't believe they did that! Is Joss Whedon writing for them?
If you are, like me, quite fond of free stuff, or in other words, Free Stuff Rocks!, you might want to check out The Free Geek.
There's been much hype recently over the "discovery" of the "tomb of Jesus". Here's a good rebuttal to that.
You haven't bought a copy of Serenity on DVD yet? Are you nuts?! Well, wait a bit longer and buy the Special Edition! (or buy four copies and share them around.)
Sticking with the `verse, check out this Firefly video:
More Whedon: the Buffy Season 8 comic premieres later this month (next week I think). Here's a refresher of who's who if you need it.
Here's some disappointing news. Why are they actually going forward with that project?
I could have fun with this all day.
Have you wondered what would happen if an astronaut went crazy (while in space that is)? NASA has an SOP.
I guess that's it for now. Back to work.
THINKS: Kev's term combining the words Things and Links: an assortment of images, links, games, trivia, memes, minutia, and whatnot found while browsing and mentioned collectively in a blog or message-board posts.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material of whatever nature,
including text and photographs, created by Kevin Bayer, or Rubi Bayer, or
any member of The Bayer Family, and included within this weblog and any
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