Corruption

May. 15th, 2025 06:10 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
While pushing ‘America First,’ Trump set to accept Qatar’s luxury jet as Air Force One

The Qatari plane and its whiff of excess would also seem at odds with Trump’s message that Americans may have to make do with less as he remakes the global economic order.

Well, if anybody knows whoring, it Qatar.  This situation just begs for a bra-drop cartoon.  Or maybe a stripper pole.

Got an interview

May. 15th, 2025 12:38 pm
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
For the job I would like the least, but any job is a job, right? So wish me luck. (Edit: No, nevermind. Dude called me before I left for the interview and kept me on the phone for an hour all to tell me he was certain the commute would not work out. This did not require an hourlong phone call, or, indeed, a phone call of any length at all.)

Also, today is A's birthday, so happy birthday! They will never see this.

*******************


Read more... )

Gengineering

May. 15th, 2025 02:04 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Baby Is Healed With World’s First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment

Instead, KJ has made medical history. The baby, now 9 ½ months old, became the first patient of any age to have a custom gene-editing treatment, according to his doctors. He received an infusion made just for him and designed to fix his precise mutation.

THIS is what gengineering is for. It's also why research into human genetics and gengineering is essential.

Read more... )

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Wrapup

May. 15th, 2025 01:18 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Text -- three weeks for dreamwidth, in pink (three weeks for dreamwidth)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is the last day of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth. It's time to wrap up your projects from this event.

You can revisit my opening post above to see what other folks did during this event. Today is a good time to revisit new friends or communities and think about adding them if you have not already done so. Check for finished lists from folks who set a goal of posting every day, or making three anchor posts, to catch anything cool that you might have missed in the scurry. Revisit recent friending memes (some are linked in that post) and Add Me communities to read late entries.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth April 25-May 15

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

May. 15th, 2025 01:06 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is sunny, steamy, and hot. :P It's 86°F with a heat index of 92°F. I still have a bunch of things to plant, but I doubt I'll get much yardwork done in this weather. A beautiful day to stay indoors and write! Or possibly work on the in-progress terrarium with the fern. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little cooler.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two brown thrashers, and a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds.

I put out the 3 partial flats of pots and watered them, along with the strawberry towers.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It's currently 87°F with a heat index of 92°F.

I've seen several mourning doves, a female goldfinch, and a young fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I've seen a brown-headed cowbird.

The pink bergamot in the strip garden is blooming! :D I confess that I picked off the trumpets from an entire flower head and ate them all.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I assembled the cookie jar terrarium. \o/

I've seen a female rose-breasted grosbeak. :D No male, but one visited earlier in spring.




.

9-1-1 Ficlet: Not Ready

May. 15th, 2025 06:25 pm
badly_knitted: (Rose)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Not Ready
Fandom: 9-1-1
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Abby Clark.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 358
Spoilers: Towards the end of Season 1.
Summary: Abby had known her mother wouldn’t live much longer, but the end comes so suddenly, and she’s not ready.
Content Notes: Character death.
Written For: Challenge 339: Amnesty at 
[community profile] fan_flashworks, using Challenge 89: Family.
Disclaimer: I don’t own 9-1-1, or the characters.
 
 


Ficlet: Categorisation

May. 15th, 2025 06:17 pm
badly_knitted: (To The Last Man Kiss)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Categorisation
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 799
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack surprises Ianto with a very unexpected question.
Written For: 
[personal profile] paxilam’s prompt ‘any, any, are you my bf/gf?’, at [community profile] threesentenceficathon.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
 


 

Economics

May. 15th, 2025 11:22 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
US reportedly plans to slash bank rules imposed to prevent 2008-style crash

The move follows heavy lobbying by the banking industry, with lenders such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs having long complained that competition and lending have been hindered by burdensome rules governing the assets they must hold versus their liabilities.

Regulators are expected to put forward the proposals this summer, aimed at cutting the supplementary leverage ratio that requires big banks to hold high-quality capital against risky assets including loans and derivatives, according to the Financial Times, which cited unnamed sources.



There is a limit to how much you can do to defend yourself against other people's poor life choices. Every time the 1% go for a joyride and crash the economy, the 99% pay the price. But you can choose where to store your funds, and that can make a huge difference. If you put your money into a credit union instead of a conventional bank, then there is much less tendency toward risky ventures because the officers are elected from among the members who keep their money in the credit union. Find a credit union near you.

Fossils

May. 15th, 2025 11:14 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Fossil tracks show reptiles appeared on Earth up to 40 million years earlier

The origin of reptiles on Earth has been shown to be up to 40 million years earlier than previously thought -- thanks to evidence discovered at an Australian fossil site that represents a critical time period. Scientists have identified fossilized tracks of an amniote with clawed feet -- most probably a reptile -- from the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago.


So exciting!  :D

I'M ALIVE

May. 15th, 2025 11:52 am
picori: (Default)
[personal profile] picori

I'm alive!!!!!!!!!!!

(Somehow.)

In other news—I passed my Calculus II final and ended the class with a B-! I'm more than happy with it; I'm done with calculus and that's all that matters to me. The grade forgiveness policy allowed it to replace my old grade that I made back in the fall and my GPA jumped back up to a 3.54, which is nice.

Now, here comes the difficult part—my summer classes start on the 19th, and boy. Are they going to be hard. I'm taking Data Structures, Discrete Structures, Linear Algebra and Object-Oriented Design & Programming all at the same time. And, like, I'm not aiming for perfection here, all I have to do is pass them and then my degree should be smooth sailing from there (and my free time, because holy fuck I'm not going to have time to do anything else this summer). They're all 3-credit classes, at least, which means that theoretically they shouldn't be as intensive as a 4-credit class like Calculus or other introductory programming classes that are more project-focused.

Still. Tough times. But if I can just get through this summer...

Anyway, I would've updated here sooner, but I went to visit my uncle in my state's capital for about five days, and so I kept running around everywhere because we were visiting all sorts of places. We paid a visit to both a fine arts museum and a science museum, and they were both pretty fun! Honestly, though, I thought the most interesting part about them were the differences in the atmosphere of both; the science museum encouraged participation and questions to the volunteer staff on hand and was definitely a bit more kid-oriented, while the fine arts museum had a very quiet atmosphere that reminded me more of a library, where everyone mainly kept to themselves. I liked both! I think I enjoyed myself a little bit more at the science museum, but what can I say—I'm more of a science-oriented person. Also, I bought myself a little $5 slab of amethyst to add to my rock/crystal collection, which was nice. In another life, I could've been a fun geologist or something. xD

But yeah, I'm enjoying the last few days of break I have left back at home before The Horrors begin on the 19th. At least I won't have to deal with calculus anymore...?

rebeccmeister: (Default)
[personal profile] rebeccmeister
Here has been my dilemma: I want to go and pick up 5, 4x8 sheets of half-inch plywood for some boathouse construction projects. I did originally buy Big Mama for the purpose of being able to haul my own plywood. However, Frodo, my top choice for hauling big and heavy loads, is still in the shop in the midst of a major overhaul/spa day (very much needed after so much winter riding!).

Looking through the other currently available bikes in the stable:
S's GT: more reach than I'm comfortable with, and I'm not so familiar with its condition (e.g. brakes) and handling.

Froinlavin: There was that one time in Texas when I attempted to haul a heavy load of mulch with her. A bike friend who was with me, right behind me, exclaimed, "I just saw the entire rear wheel FLEX!" That rear wheel had to be completely rebuilt shortly thereafter.

Princess TinyBike: Um, yeah, nope. If for no other reason than inadequate gearing, but also inadequate braking ability. Yikes.

Old Faithful: That's why I test rode Old Faithful with Big Mama this past Sunday, hauling sandbags and the EZ-Up tent back from Tulip Fest. Also a hard Nope. (gearing slippage, definitely not enough brake leverage, whoa so clunky, et cetera).

Bikes in the pile at work: Hmmmmmmm...lotsa mountain bikes to choose from, plus the various vintage bikes I got from the co-op, plus...oh, wait. Wait just a minute. The answer has been right in front of me the entire time!!!!

The Jolly Roger.

Step one, however, is getting the Jolly Roger back home.

Now, I know, I could drive in to campus, hitch on the bike rack, load up the Jolly Roger, and drive home, just like I did to get S's green Bianchi and Old Faithful home again.

But where's the fun in that?

Besides, that doesn't allow for any shakedown ride.

So instead, I present to you:
Bike on a Bike

Looking at this setup, you might wonder about the precarity (okay, fine, precariousness) of Princess TinyBike perched on the Jolly Roger's rear rack.

In practice, it was very thoroughly bunged in place, and so rock solid I hardly noticed it was there.

Instead, the bigger challenge was the heavily loaded front rack, because the (rather heavy) Brompton T-bag does not have *quite* the right strap configuration to easily attach in place at both the top and bottom. But once I added a second compression strap, it was fine.

The Jolly Roger isn't in quite as good a shape as I might like, but that's why I rode it home yesterday.

By this point I'd totally forgotten what it feels like to ride. It has really great low gearing for the purpose of towing heavy loads, so that's good. And I love the shifters.

All I can say for Saturday is, wish me luck...

moar sleep achieved

May. 15th, 2025 08:19 pm
tielan: sam, daniel, teal'c in a lab when the lights go out: oops! (oops)
[personal profile] tielan
But not restfulness.

Off to catch up with a friend tomorrow and the weekend, back on Sunday to a hotel in the city.

Interestingly, I and one other guy are at the hotel where most of the others were last week...the others have been moved to a high-end hotel!

Anyway. I'm just glad to not be out here after tonight. Although how I'm going to manage to pack my bag again, I really don't know.

Watched more Voyager

May. 22nd, 2025 02:07 am
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
We skipped the one with the weird future Borg drone, because it's sad. And also the plot makes no sense - how can Seven's nanoprobes make a future drone just by assimilating the Doctor's mobile emitter? The logic does not hold up. Anyway, we'll go back to that episode later.

Then there's the one where we're told that Torres has been spiraling for months and that Paris has been pushing for his new Delta Flyer for at least as long, but actually both those things show up out of nowhere because TV hadn't really committed to arc-based storytelling at this point. And they resolve just as fast, too! Chakotay cures B'Elanna by shoving her forcibly into a holosimulation of watching all her Maquis friends die and then giving her a tough love lecture about how much people care about her. This can not be a valid therapeutic technique! Seems more likely to make it worse. But it doesn't - she develops new motivation, shakes off those survivor guilt blues, saves the (extremely rapidly built) Delta Flyer and all aboard with her brilliant quick thinking, and then eats banana pancakes with enthusiasm and a renewed zest for life.

Also, if she's got the medical knowledge of a first year nursing student then why the hell isn't she the one picking up extra shifts in Sickbay instead of Tom? That man gets too much plot. (For that matter, when Harry was in that weird AU, we found out that if he hadn't been on Voyager he would've gone into ship design and done pretty well for himself. The building the Delta Flyer plot should've been his endeavor, properly spread out over several episodes. Harry doesn't get enough of the plot.)

But really, Voyager needs to hire a few nurses, hire an extra doctor, and hire a fucking therapist. The Alpha Quadrant cannot possibly have a monopoly on therapy. (And in the meantime, would medication help B'Elanna?) The nurses and doctor could be hired temporarily, exchanging work for passage in Voyager's general heading. There's sure to be plenty of people willing to take that deal. The therapist would really be better off as a more long-term gig, but if they'd stop for a few weeks and really look I'm sure they could find somebody qualified who'd like to do some serious traveling.

Also also: Back when we met the Malon, the garbage hauler was pissy about them talking to their government about those converters because, as he strongly implied, the government would absolutely accept this technology, especially if it came free, with help from experts in setting it up. But... did Voyager even bother to talk to the Malon government, because they seem to have written off the entire culture.

And then we watched the episode where it turns out Species 8472, convinced that humans are a serious threat, have replicated the Academy in order to learn how to infiltrate Starfleet and gather intel for future defense. Which... honestly, the evidence they have against humanity is pretty damning. They only really have ever met two other cultures, one of whom is the Borg and the other of which allied with the Borg in order to slaughter them. And yes, Voyager even has a Borg on their very ship, like, I'd be worried about this too!

But this time Janeway flipped a coin and it landed on "diplomacy", so they tried that and it worked beautifully.

*****************


Read more... )
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Any ideas? Should we give up and order new ones? What is that disgusting stuff anyway?

********************


Read more... )

Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden

May. 14th, 2025 11:40 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
These pictures are from the savanna and prairie garden.

Walk with me ... )

Photos: House Yard and South Lot

May. 14th, 2025 10:56 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today I took some pictures around the yard.  These are from the house yard and south lot.

Walk with me ... )
ysabetwordsmith: (Fly Free)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Based on an audience poll, this is the free epic for the May 6, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl making its $200 goal. It is spillover from the April 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] see_also_friend. It also fills the "Coastal Style" square in my 4-1-25 card for the Aesthetics Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Peculiar Obligations.

Read more... )

The woods at night

May. 14th, 2025 09:15 pm
moonhare: (faunus)
[personal profile] moonhare
Just a couple of videos taken by the trail cam this week-


It’s not a chipmunk or a mouse: I’m gonna say flying squirrel! I know they are native to the area; I’ve never seen one here before.


Courtship :o)

Such fun!

Profile

gardening: (Default)
Gardening

May 2025

S M T W T F S
    123
45 6 7 89 10
111213 14151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags