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06:09 pm
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Fire update: here we go again
Here's a link to ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gvdub's brushfire post.
Map of the fire areas closest to us. We live a bit east of the Pierce College green horse near Reseda.
Our area is flat and built up, so while we have street and lawn trees, there's no brush to fuel the kind of big running fires that get going in the hills. Still, fire is fire. There's always the hazard of an ember flying into an old, untrimmed palm tree or, worse, an oleander hedge. The pool has a layer of ash. Air quality is yuck, even indoors. High winds are expected overnight and it's supposed to get unseasonably hot again in the next few days.
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10:57 pm
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National debt clock runs out of digits
From Times Online
It appears even technology cannot cope with the global financial crisis: the National Debt Clock in New York has run out of digits for the first time.
The electronic billboard hit its limit after US public debt rose above the $10 trillion mark for the first time on September 30.
As a temporary fix the dollar sign has been switched to a figure--the '1' in $10 trillion. The clock is currently marking the US federal government’s national debt at about $10.2 trillion.
The clock, located in Times Square in New York, shows the amount of money owed by the US government. It was created by the late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst, who put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.
The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars.
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The clock was shut down for a while in 2000. Other reports:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7660409.stm
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/07/12/2002-07-12_shedding_light_on_u_s__debt.html
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01:50 pm
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Changing signs and times
Guys working on a storefront in the corner strip mall were painting over "Drop it off - we'll sell it on eBay" and putting up "Yes! You can still refinance!"
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01:39 pm
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Maybe somebody's throwing hoodoo at me
Why else would I have a tuba version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" stuck in my head?
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07:02 pm
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Black in Colorado
My brother has an op-ed piece, Black in Colorado, in the Denver Post.
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12:06 pm
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Stuff I don't like to hear on the newsfeed
"If you look at the storm right now, it's roughly the size of Texas."
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02:18 pm
[Link] | Happy birthday, lariss!
(((hugs)))
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08:15 pm
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Are you ready to rumble?
I'm starting a filter for political posts. Comment if you'd like to be added.
Some of these posts will be intended to challenge readers to think about a matter in a particular way. Those won't be open to comments. Beware if you're a "must list 27 reasons why you're wrong" type of reader. Relax; luxuriate in my error. There will be followups asking for alternate opinions.
Remember, I'm not a Democrat, a Republican or a Libertarian.
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09:57 am
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What's a Gravel Stone?
Gravel Stone is a 'zine that lives on the LASFS website. It covers goings-on in the LASFS library as well as other book-related stuff.
Tags: gravel stone, lasfs
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10:18 am
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Hurricane Season
In 2005, some folks said, "I'd rather drown in Louisiana than live in Texas."
Nobody is saying that this time. Our loved ones in New Orleans have already headed out of town and have a Plan B in case Plan A washes out, since the word is inland flooding may be the worst of it this time.
Praying for everybody in the storm's path.
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10:56 pm
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Back from the family reunion
Back from the Chesapeake Bay family reunion, with some side wanderings around D.C. and Reston, VA.
In the 1990s my mother started the reunions, mainly of her father's descendants. This year we connected with his sibs' descendants, so there were many new faces and photos and remembrances.
The geneology enthusiasts got right to work trying to put together the family tree. I can't describe the pride, and also the fear, that came when people said, "Vanessa knows all the stories." I do, because "the old folks" told them to my mother and she told them to me so I could write them down.
All of my grandparents were born in the 19th century. And I'm carrying their stories like a wriggling baby in a bunting sack. Now I understand the saying, "the griot's reach is from age to age."
( Read more... )
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09:44 am
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The R word
I have two problems with blog against racism week. The first is the R word itself. I don't use it, because it carries too many meanings and punches too many buttons.
The second is the grammatical construction. If there's a Racism Week (counter to Brotherhood Week, maybe?) I'm certainly against it.
( Read more... )
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12:10 pm
[Link] | Belonging to Worldcon is like having a Eurailpass. Trying to fit in as much as possible, you forget you're supposed to be on vacation.
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08:03 pm
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Historic step-ins sold at auction
Dateline: Darby, U.K.
BBC news reports a pair of bloomers that once belonged to Queen Victoria have been sold at auction for £4,500. It was thought the bloomers would fetch £500 but a Canadian buyer spent £4,500 on the pants which are monogrammed with VR for Victoria Regina.
Underwear aficianados can read the rest of the article here.
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11:52 am
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Earthquake update from Los Angeles
There was a tremor, followed by an extended roller a few seconds later. Water splashed in pool, dishes rattled, everyone ran outside.
They're reporting 5.8 magnitude with the epicenter in Chino Hills, which is south and a good ways east of here, nowhere near the Hollywood sign being shown on CNN.
Everything okay here in Tarzana as of 11:54 A.M. It's likely there will be aftershocks. Out of area phone service is horked, so this is the best place to check for updates.
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10:58 pm
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How to tell a Quaker from a pit bull, and other useful information
Are the Quakers Amish?
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09:43 pm
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Your doctor hates the insurance company even more than you do
My brother made The Denver Post.
Opinion piece from a small town family doctor.
An insurance company spokesperson comments. Notice she doesn't actually dispute any specific facts in the original piece.
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09:23 am
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Civil Disobedience Do's and Don'ts
Family friend and spiritual elder Larry Apsey would sometimes ask, when he hadn't seen me for a long time, what I was doing to help teach peace, resolve community problems, and generally make the world a better place. My answers weren't always good, but at least I never had to say, "I glued myself to the Prime Minister."
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11:24 am
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REVOLUTION HAS COME! TIME TO PICK UP THE pb&j sandwiches and milk and some comfy chairs
Ganked from ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) quakers who in turn ganked it from ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) overheardnyc
Quaker riot?
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10:28 pm
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Jo Stafford 1917 - 2008
A bit late posting about singer Jo Stafford. Here's the New York Times obit.
If you don't know the name, you might know the voice, especially if your father or grandfather was a World War II vet who liked to play old records. Clips here.
Possibly my favorite singer of that era - a toss up between Stafford and her Columbia Records label-mate, Peggy Lee.
This music is completely out of style now. Is it a purely historical form, or might it come back? Hard to say. Remember the ragtime revival after "The Entertainer" came out in the '70s? Maybe in a few years we'll all be listening to "The Gentleman is a Dope" and "Let's Take the Long Way Home."
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