Today somebody visited my blog via this search -

dolphin border for redoing a girls bedroom her favorite color blue and favorite animals dolphins

Wow!  The things you'd never know without pro stats!!!!

Today an interesting thing happened at work that just shows how rotten people can be.

A patron left a book on the return counter that had very obviously been water damaged.  It was just a $6.99 paperback, but it was ruined and she is required to pay for it.  When she came up to the check-out desk, the exchange went like this -

Me:  Oh, this book here looks like it was dropped in water.
Patron:  Kind of.
Me:  You'll need to pay for it, we can't circulate it any more.
Patron:  I've checked out lots of books that were worse than that!!
Me:  Well, they shouldn't have been circulating.  It's just $6.99.
Patron:  I haven't $6.99! [I believe this is exactly what she said]

At this point she took her library card out of her wallet, threw it on the counter, and walked out with her teenage son (who watched on as all of this occurred).  At first I wasn't sure if she was coming back, maybe going to her car to get the money.  Soon however I realized this wasn't the case.  I hate being the bearer of bad news in cases like this, but let us look at this whole thing closely.

• She dropped off the book at returns and didn't say anything - maybe hoping we wouldn't notice?


• She as much as admitted that the book was damaged while in her possession.


• She seemed unwilling to take responsibility for the damage to the book.  Is this a good lesson to teach your teenager?


• Whether she's checked out books in worse condition is debatable.  This book was pretty bad.  You know how books look when they've dried after being completely soaked?  The pages are all wavy and the book won't close properly.  Pretty noticeable.


• Is it really worth throwing away your library card over $6.99?  And is it worth getting all put out when asked to own up to your responsibility?

To put it into perspective, not five minutes later another woman came up to the desk that had four fines of a type that we have been instructed to waive because of the inability to find out which books they are for (they are several years old).  Even when she was told we could just remove them from her record, she insisted on paying.

Go figure.  Peace and blessings to you all!

Vashon Island, Washington, before and after the ceremony

Mississippi River, before and after the ceremony

Don't forget to thank your water today!

We all had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with my brother Chris, his partner Alison, one of her school friends C., and her 9 year old daughter E.  The weather was gorgeous (a nice chill in the air), and the food was great.

The house my brother and Alison are living in is owned by a potter (who was away on a trip), who makes some very beautiful prayer wheels.  The house itself was kind of funky, nestled in the woods, and had a particular smell that reminded Chris of the house of a very close friend when he was younger.  The beauty of being an artist that I see is you can decorate your home with your work, and trade with other artists for their work.  Ahh, bartering.

After Alison's friends arrived, we went for a walk at a nearby park.  Unfortunately my Chris was under the weather, and stayed back at the house for a rest.  We enjoyed our walk, as you can see by the pictures.  Nolan and his new friend E. had a great time together all day.  I haven't heard so much laughing in quite some time.  The both managed to get very muddy at the park, so had to wear some of Chris and Alison's clothes when we got back (a special treat for a kid).

Without further ado - pictures!

What a beautiful day!

Nolan, walking on a log

A discussion of double-jointedness

Braided fingers

This young lady was quite a delightful character!

Two cute kids on a dock

Me, my brother, and Nolan

Deep discussion, the usual for Chris and Alison

A portrait of Nolan, as taken by E.

JUST DON'T BUY ANYTHING!!!!!

Here's that photo I promised of Nolan and his soccer trophy...

Just checking my pro stats, and somebody found us while doing a search for "animated green beans."  Go figure!

Also, I see we are linked over at When Cats Attack.  Thanks Kitties!!!!

Nolan and I are having a slumber party on our living room floor tonight!  Wooooohooooo!  So great not to have school tomorrow.

Cheers!

Thanksgiving is only two days away.  I'm thankful for many things, among them -

"If guns kill people, I can blame misspelled words on my pencil."

-Larry the Cable Guy

This week Nolan has no school.  None whatsoever, can you believe it?  It's conference week (and Thanksgiving of course), so school is just not happening.  Fortunately his before and after school care is open, for those of us parents that find it necessary to work.  I'll be taking him in later, before I head off to the library.  I'm also off on Wednesday, so Nolan can stay home.

I feel like I'm fighting off a crabby mood, and I don't know why.  Maybe because I'm tired.  I don't know.  Hopefully my cup of coffee will help lift my spirits!  It seems to be helping a bit.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.  We'll be getting together with my brother and his girlfriend, neither of whom we see as often as we should.  My brother is here in the area for the winter, so now we have no real excuse.

Yesterday was Nolan's soccer award ceremony.  It was short and sweet.  Nolan got a trophy (all kids did), and a couple of players on his team got individual awards.  I took a couple of pictures of Nolan with his trophy, I'll post one later.

Nolan and I are listening to Bill Harley right now.  He's a fantastic storyteller for kids.  And as a grown-up, I like him too.  He's very funny.

Hey, I think that's what I need - some humor.  It's too easy to get wrapped up in the ills of the world and forget to laugh right now.  Thanks Nolan for asking to listen to this today!

Peace.

Ahhhh, Sunday morning.....what's this?  Nolan is up like a rooster, as always.  Why is it he gets up so easy on the weekend, yet on weekdays I bet he could sleep until noon!  Well, I suppose it could be worse.  He could get up at six or some crazy thing like that.

To help us all feel better, here's a lovely picture of Mount St. Helens, which hasn't been showing herself much these days.  Rumor has it the lava dome is growing at a nice pace, and should it continue, she could rebuild her summit in just ten years!!!  That may sound like a long time to you, but from a geologic perspective that's a mere blink of an eye!

Cheers!

I have just made the either much loved or much loathed green bean casserole for dinner tonight, along with some Bisquick biscuits.  Terribly domestic, I dare say!!!  I tried something different with the beans - I added bacon bits.  And not just any fake bacon bits - I used these!!! 

 Whatever you do, DO NOT consider the health ramifications of this meal.  You will no doubt begin to weep uncontrollably.

Instead, you should think about books!  Books are good, and generally healthy for you, as long as you don't eat them.  If you do, please see a professional.  But I digress...

You must think that since I work in a library, I get to read all the time.  If you count the quick phrases that I glance every time I open a book to put the patrons checkout receipt into the book, then I guess it's true.  Also, I read lots of book covers, and sometimes look at the pictures in the middle of a non-fiction book.  The sad truth is that I see so many books and bring so many home, that usually I end up not finishing very many at all.  I finish the books I read to Nolan at bedtime, but reading aloud doesn't have the speed factor involved and we don't read as many as I'd like.  But I digress...

In December I get to go to a training session on promoting our non-fiction collection.  I'm very excited about this.  As part of the training, we have been divided up into groups and assigned a book to read for discussion.  I thought, "oh great - I can't even finish what I have!"  However, I started reading my assigned book, and it is fantastic!

It's about the world's fair in Chicago during the 1890's; the building and architecture of the fair, and a very twisted serial killer that performed his vile deeds during the course of the fair.  It sounds a bit odd, but the writing is so engaging as to suck you right in.  It's the kind of book that makes me want to write my own (I'm thinking about silver a lot these days...)  The other thing we have to do at the training is give a 30 second book talk on any non-fiction book we've read and enjoyed.  I'm having a hard time deciding, but I'll keep you all posted as to what I choose.

What good non-fiction books have you read?

Oh yes.  You can stop weeping now.  I'll eat the bacon so you don't have to.

I have appeased the need for a new look on the blog - for now!!!  Hope it looks fine from your end.

And outside users - don't be afraid to leave a comment now and then.  I don't bite.

Since I'm just disgusted with the state of things, why not add to the list?  Maybe I ought to make this a regular feature, as it seems there's no lack of yucky news.  But I promise no more than once a day - and no cutting and pasting unless a quote from the article is indispensible.  Here goes...

It seems that our government decided they made a mistake two years ago when they called for mandatory "country of origin" labeling on meat, fruit and vegetables.  Republicans now plan to repeal this ruling before Thanksgiving (and where did that turkey sitting in your freezer come from?).  You see, it's an expensive hardship for the large meat packers and processors to print this information on labels.  Huh.  Oddly enough, smaller-scale American ranchers and farmers are in favor of the rule.  Apparently it isn't too expensive for them.

So what's the big deal?  Why wouldn't the big guys want to put labels on their products?  Maybe because many American "consumers" prefer their food to come from closer to home - where we have supposed quality standards (though this is debatable; different issue).  Maybe once all the food is jumbled together, they don't know where it came from.  And we all know how hard it is to keep good accurate records.

Don't even get me going about genetically modified food.  You really don't want to know.  But you should.

What can you do to protect your family?

- EAT ORGANIC -

- EAT LOCAL -

- KNOW YOUR FOOD PRODUCERS -

I can't but help myself and check the weather on this map often.  I'm so excited when we have colors!!!!  Do you have colors where you live?

Sorry IslandArtist and Gigi, you're gray.  :(

I've had a couple of people ask me about the posts I made last night, where I mentioned that Nolan has a flair for the dramatic and has the best eyelashes ever.  If you'd like to see both cuteness and drama, check out the corn maze post.  He was in fine form that day.  The best.

Sundog wondered if the two posts were related - his drama and his very long eyelashes.  Well no, not really.  When I posted last night, I was sitting here at the computer, and Nolan was sitting on the couch playing Champions of Norrath with Chris.  Seeing as I'm his mother, I like to look fondly at him, and as always I'm amazed by his long eyelashes.  I swear they have been full size since he was a baby.  They're the kind of eyelashes women work very hard to achieve with all sorts of fakery and clumpy substances.  As for the drama, Nolan has a way about him that is, well, dramatic!  He likes to sing (usually made up songs), ham it up for the camera, and often moves his body dramatically.  It makes watching him and listening to him such a joy.  It's never the kind of emotional drama that some people are so adept at.

So I guess I was just happy to be in the company of what is truly good in the world.  I can't help being a biased mom, but I am so very blessed with him.

Peace.

Just listening to the news today.  Are you angry yet with what is going on?  The message from the "moral" high ground so far is ethics don't matter, secrecy and torture are okay, and loyalty is the only thing that matters (here's another loyalty link).

And it's only been two weeks.

YOU ARE CHAMOMILE

What herb are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

This afternoon my beading group had our monthly meeting, and one of the members gave a presentation on color theory and choosing colors for projects.  I have never really had any formal training in color, but somehow manage to choose good combinations for my projects.  Of course, I tend to stick with the same colors most of the time - green, blue, green, purple, and green.  I wonder what that means?  I guess it means I'm cool....as opposed to warm.  Hmmm.

Anyhow, over the course of the next year we are going to be learning various beading stitches, and decorating similar glass containers for a display at one or more of the libraries in 2006.  Our task between now and January is to think about the color scheme we'll be using.  One of her suggestions was to tear pages out of catalogs and magazines that have color schemes we like, then get paint chip samples to match the colors.  Oh so clever.....you can cut the paint chips out, them mix and match to find good combos.  Then, you can take the paint chips shopping when you go to buy your beads for the project (like I don't already have a zillion beads that I can use, especially green).  What fun!  In some respects, I can't believe I've never been compelled to collect paint samples.  Goodness knows I've ripped many a page out of magazines in my time.  A new hobby, heh heh heh.  Not really.

As we were driving home, I was enjoying looking at the colors of the trees and sky.  But what really stood out were tha man-made colors I saw - signs, houses, cars.  Many so harsh compared to the colors of nature.  And really, what compels people sometimes when the choose the color of their homes?  Turquoise and peach are much more suited to say, Key West, than  the pacific northwest.  Things here are green, and brown, and grey.  Those bright houses hurt my eyes!

So here's a question for all you artists and crafters out there - how do you choose your colors?  Do you have any special tools, tricks, or books that you use?  Do you just go with your gut feeling?  Oooh, one more thing - one of the group members who does all sorts of fiberarts, brought a color gamp that she had woven.  A color gamp is made to show how different colors of the color wheel interact with each other, and look something like this -

Very cool, but lots of work!!!

Did you know that November 13th is World Kindness Day?  Neither did I, until I read it on our little reader board at work today.

It's about time we all started being a little more kind to one another, don't you think?  I try to be kind, but it isn't always so easy, especially when the stresses of the world seem to be looming large.  When we're so wrapped up in keeping ourselves together, sometimes we forget about the other people beyond us.  Are you kind to others?  Have you been the recipent of kindness?

Driving.  Now there's one area that really needs work, and I bet every one of us has a story about how obnoxious the other drivers are.  What about you?  Do you drive kindly?  Do you let others into traffic whenever possible?  Do you drive in the appropriate lane to match your speed?  Do you get out of the way when somebody is tail-gating you?  That one's a toughie, because the person tail-gating is being rude.  But rather than getting mad at them, isn't it easier to pull over and let them go on their hurried way?  It will certainly be much less stressful for you, and chances are the person will appreciate it.

There are so many opportunities in our daily lives to be kind to people.  I believe that if we want a kinder, nicer world we each have to set an example for others.  It may seem at times like the whole world around you is rude, but is that any reason to perpetuate it yourself?  One act of kindness may cause a total stranger to be in a better mood, thus causing them to be kind, and so on.

Sounds crazy, but I think it just might work!

We're watching Salem's Lot.  I had forgotten that in Stephen King's stories there are hardly any nice people.  Almost every person is a creep.  Ugh.

Yes, I too am joining the ranks of shameless product pushers here on tBlog.  Why do we do it?  For the money?  NO!  Simply because we've found something we really like and we want to share it with the world.  That's right.  It is simply through the goodness of our hearts that we share this information with you.  We think you might be interested too.

Tonight, I am sticking with the current theme of beverages.  As I poured my hot water over my tea bag, I realized that I could not keep this wonderful tea a secret.

Mexican Fields Lemongrass tea, made by Numi Teas is AWESOME!  And I must say too they have a lovely website.  Anyhow, all of Numi's teas are certified Organic, Kosher, and Halal (anybody know what that is?).  And is that bamboo box not gorgeous?!!!

I used to drink a cup of this tea almost every evening that I went to school.  I'd put a bit of honey and some milk in it; so very good.  No caffeine, so no sleepless nights.  In fact, it turns out lemongrass has many health benefits.

Well, I'd best go drink that tea.  Ta ta!

Ahhh, Friday evening at last.  Of course, I'm just coming off of three days break and go back to work tomorrow, so it really isn't "like" Friday to me.

As is the norm, I'll be blogging a bit, crocheting some, reading, and watching movies with Chris.  I think I'm starting to improve my multi-tasking skills.  Not sure what we'll watch, we have many possibilities.  Chris stopped at Blackblister on the way home, plus we have a few other things lurking about.  We could continue on with X-Files first season (we watched the first two episodes last night), or watch Salem's Lot (the newer miniseries).  Or we might watch Musa the Warrior (which I think we've seen already).  Hard to say.  We've also got a couple of documentaries about the Da Vinci Code.  Who would have thought one little book could have spawned such a huge side industry.

Al Franken is my new hero.  I've been listening to him on AirAmerica radio the last few days, and just started reading Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.  I've also got my hands on Jon Stewart's new book now - though it's on the two week check out popular list at the library.  But that's a good thing, right?!!!

Chris is fiesty tonight.

Kitty is fat.

Nolan is at his dad's.  I miss him when he's gone.  His last soccer game is tomorrow.  I sure hope they win!

There may finally be new neighbors moving in upstairs; a couple of Navy guys.  They better be quiet.  No rowdy parties.

Crocheting is coming along fine - smashing in fact!  It's quite a satisfying pastime.  I bought a bit more yarn today for more Christmas gifts.

I'm really looking forward to this Sunday.  Chris and I are going to the Quaker Meeting, and my beading group also meets in the afternoon.  One of the members will be presenting on color theory and selection.  Should be interesing.  I haven't been beading lately, but I imagine I'll get back on it soon.

Well, that's it for now.  Time to go make a cup of tea.  Cheers!

It seems that our president knows better than the 300 scientists who spent the last four years studying Arctic climate change.

I am about to be really irate.  I realize that the Kyoto treaty may not be perfect, but shoudn't we bo doing something?  Silly me for thinking so.

"President Bush strongly opposes any treaty or policy that would cause the loss of a single American job, let alone the nearly 5 million jobs Kyoto would have cost," said James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Funny that this issue should cause the president to worry about even one job loss.  Outsourcing, hello?!!!!  What about retraining, and CREATING jobs through finding alternatives to our energy consuming polluting lifestyle?  Oh.  I know.  He's worried one of his oil company CEO friends might lose his job.

Leavitt added in an interview Friday that climate change is not an issue the administration dismisses. "I know that it is of importance to the president that we continue to make progress," he said.
________

In March 2001 Bush broke his campaign promise to regulate carbon emissions and withdrew the United States from the Kyoto treaty, which seeks to slow global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

I would be interested to know what our government is actually doing to make positive changes.  The article says we have spent several billion dollars studying alternatives.  Time for this librarian to do some research.  I'll get back to you on this when I find something interesting.  And maybe I'll write the president a letter and ask him exactly what he has in mind instead of the Kyoto treaty.  Surely he must have a plan?

Okay, that's it.  I'm totally annoyed by this blog template and want a new one.  Does anybody have a nice one that I could easily tweak to make my own?  I'm not looking for anything fancy-pants, but this is what I'm after:

• Right and left sidebars


• A bigger header


• Easy to tweak html for things such as colors


• No frames

Thanks a heap to anyone who can help - full credit will be given to anything that might require it.

Blessings!

This morning while volunteering at Nolan's school library, the usual class of 5th graders came in for their visit.  It seems that several of them have discovered the old card catalog sitting in the corner, and lo and behold -

THEY WOULD RATHER USE THIS THAN THE COMPUTER!!!

They were so excited to look up a book, write it down on a piece of scratch paper, and go find it on the shelves.  Unfortunately, the cards are old, so some of the books are no longer on the shelves and all of the new books aren't in the catalog.  I had a great time talking to them about why the card catalog might be better than the computer - it doesn't break down, for instance, and it's easier to browse.  They couldn't understand why we don't use it anymore, and frankly, neither do I.  One young lady asked why can't the library leaders just type up new cards for all the new books?  Library leaders are the 5th grade volunteers that help out in the library at recess.  Oh, if only it were so easy.....

Here's the really sad news - the card catalog is going to be sold at some point in the near future.  The kids were just appalled.  I hope I can buy it.

Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in Washington state, had an earthquake today measuring 3.2 on the richter scale!  Scientists say that this quake is unrelated to acitivity at Mount St. Helens (50 miles to the south).

...quake activity at Rainier has increased over normal levels in recent weeks. Five quakes greater than magnitude 2.0 were recorded Oct. 25-31, and the latest quake was one of a cluster of 17 or 18 temblors over a period of several hours Sunday.

Does this mean Rainier is about to erupt?  Not likely.  But it is the biggest quake at the mountain in 30 years, and it was only about a mile under the crater.  One of the biggest hazards, shoud Rainier ever erupt again, would be a mudflow like those that occurred about 5600 years ago.

Ohhh, these are such exciting times for a geologist....

Okay, so I couldn't leave the politics alone for very long.  But do not fear, no ranting ahead.  Instead, I hope to share some interesting and useful information for those that are interested.

I came across a really interesting book at the library the other day.  It's called Breaking the Real Axis of Evil, How to Oust the World's Last Dictators by 2025.  The author is Ambassador Mark Palmer, who has worked internationally since 1963 (in many capacities), and is currently the vice chairman of Freedom House, one of the oldest human rights organizations in the U.S.  Admittedly, I have only skimmed the book, but the reason it caught my eye was that it contains a very long list of non-violent activities that can be used by people wishing to work for change.  These activities are both small and large, for individuals and groups.  I have decided to share the list with you here, in its entirety.  Please understand that I am not advocating that you go out and do any particular thing.  Your choices and actions are yours alone.  However, I believe that it is important that we as citizens understand that there is a wide variety of ways that we can be heard.  As I typed up the list, I kept thinking of actual examples that have occurred in history.

If you are interested in issues of freedom and democracy, I recommend this book.  You just might find it inspiring!  And now, without further ado....

The Methods of Nonviolent Action

The Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion

Formal Statements

1. Public Speeches


2. Letters of opposition or support


3. Declarations by organizations and institutions


4. Signed public statements


5. Declarations of indictment and intention


6. Group or mass petitions

Communicatoins with a Wider Audience

7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols


8. Banners, posters, and displayed communications


9. Leaflets, pamphlets, and books


10. Newspapers and journals


11. Records, radio, and television


12. Skywriting and earthwriting

Group Representations

13. Deputations


14. Mock awards


15. Group lobbying


16. Picketing


17. Mock elections

Symbolic Public Acts

18. Displays of flags and symbolic colors


19. Wearing of symbols


20. Prayer and worship


21. Delivering symbolic objects


22. Protest disrobings


23. Destruction of own property


24. Symbolic lights


25. Displays of portraits


26. Paint as protest


27. New signs and names


28. Symbolic sounds


29. Symbolic reclamations


30. Rude gestures

Pressures on Individuals

31. “Haunting” officials


32. Taunting officials


33. Fraternization


34. Vigils

Drama and Music

35. Humorous skits and pranks


36. Performances of plays and music


37. Singing

Processions

38. Marches


39. Parades


40. Religious processions


41. Pilgrimages


42. Motorcades

Honoring the Dead

43. Political mourning


44. Mock funerals


45. Demonstrative funerals


46. Homage at burial places

Public Assemblies

47. Assemblies of protest or support


48. Protest meetings


49. Camouflaged meetings of protest


50. Teach-ins

Withdrawal and Renunciation

51. Walk-outs


52. Silence


53. Renouncing honors


54. Turning one’s back

The Methods of Social Noncooperation

Ostracism of persons

55. Social boycott


56. Selective social boycott


57. Lysistratic nonaction


58. Excommunication


59. Interdict

Noncooperation with Social Events, Customs, and Institutions

60. Suspension of social and sports activities


61. Boycott of social affairs


62. Student strike


63. Social disobedience


64. Withdrawal from social institutions

Withdrawal from the Social System

65. Stay-at-home


66. Total personal noncooperation


67. “Flight” of workers


68. Sanctuary


69. Collective disappearance


70. Protest immigration (hijrat)

Economic Boycotts

Actions by Consumers

71. Consumers’ boycott


72. Nonconsumption of boycotted goods


73. Policy of austerity


74. Rent withholding


75. Refusal to rent


76. National consumers’ boycott


77. International consumers’ boycott

Action by Workers and Producers

78. Workmen’s boycott


79. Producer’s boycott

Action by Middlemen

80. Suppliers’ and handlers’ boycott

Action by Owners and Management

81. Traders’ boycott


82. Refusal to let or sell property


83. Lockout


84. Refusal of industrial assistance


85. Merchants “general strike”

Action by Holders of Financial Resources

86. Withdrawal of bank deposits


87. Refusal to pay fees, dues, and assessments


88. Refusal to pay debts or interest


89. Severance of funds and credit


90. Revenue refusal


91. Refusal of government’s money

Action by Governments

92. Domestic embargo


93. Blacklisting of traders


94. International sellers’ embargo


95. International buyers’ embargo


96. International trade embargo

The Strike

Symbolic Strikes

97. Protest strike


98. Quickie walkout (lightning strike)

Agricultural Strikes

99. Peasant strike


100. Farm Workers’ strike

Strikes by Special Groups

101. Refusal of impressed labor


102. Prisoner’s strike


103. Craft strike


104. Professional strike

Ordinary Industrial Strikes

105. Establishment strike


106. Industry strike


107. Sympathetic strike

Restricted Strikes

108. Detailed strike


109. Bumper strike


110. Slowdown strike


111. Working-to-rule strike


112. Reporting “sick” (sick-in)


113. Strike by resignation


114. Limited strike


115. Selective strike

Multi-Industry Strikes

116. Generalized strike


117. General strike

Combination of Strikes and Economic Closures

118. Hartal


119. Economic shutdown

The Methods of Political Noncooperation

Rejection of Authority

120. Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance


121. Refusal of public support


122. Literature and speeches advocating resistance

Citizens’ Noncooperation with Government

123. Boycott of legislative bodies


124. Boycott of elections


125. Boycott of government employment and positions


126. Boycott of government departments, agencies, and other bodies


127. Withdrawal from government educational institutions


128. Boycott of government supported institutions


129. Refusal of assistance to enforcement agencies


130. Removal of own signs and place marks


131. Refusal to accept appointed officials


132. Refusal to dissolve existing institutions

Citizens’ Alternatives to Obedience

133. Reluctant and slow compliance


134. Nonobedience in absence of direct supervision


135. Popular nonobedience


136. Disguised nonobedience


137. Refusal of an assemblage or meeting to disperse


138. Sitdown


139. Noncooperation with conscription and deportation


140. Hiding, escaping, and false identities


141. Civil disobedience of “illegitimate” laws

Action by Government Personnel

142. Selective refusal of assistance by government aides


143. Blocking of lines of command and information


144. Stalling and obstruction


145. General administrative noncooperation


146. Judicial noncooperation


147. Deliberate inefficiency and selective noncooperation by enforcement agents


148. Mutiny

Domestic Governmental Action

149. Quasi-legal evasions and delays


150. Noncooperation by constituent governmental units

International Governmental Action

151. Changes in diplomatic and other representations


152. Delay and cancellation of diplomatic events


153. Withholding of diplomatic recognition


154. Severance of diplomatic relations


155. Withdrawal from international organizations


156. Refusal of membership in international bodies


157. Expulsion from international organizations

The Methods of Nonviolent Intervention

Psychological Intervention

158. Self-exposure to the elements


159. The fast




1. Fast of moral pressure


2. Hunger strike


3. Satyagrahic fast


160. Reverse Trial


161. Nonviolent harassment

Physical Intervention

162. Sit-in


163. Stand-in


164. Ride-in


165. Wade-in


166. Mill-in


167. Pray-in


168. Nonviolent raids


169. Nonviolent air raids


170. Nonviolent invasion


171. Nonviolent interjection


172. Nonviolent obstruction


173. Nonviolent occupation

Social Intervention

174. Establishing new social patterns


175. Overloading of facilities


176. Stall-in


177. Speak-in


178. Guerrilla theater


179. Alternative social institutions


180. Alternative communication system

Economic Intervention

181. Reverse strike


182. Stay-in strike


183. Nonviolent land seizure


184. Defiance of blockades


185. Politically motivated counterfeiting


186. Preclusive purchasing


187. Seizure of assets


188. Dumping


189. Selective patronage


190. Alternative markets


191. Alternative transportation systems


192. Alternative economic institutions

Political Intervention

193. Overloading of administrative systems


194. Disclosing identities of secret agents


195. Seeking imprisonment


196. Civil disobedience of “neutral” laws


197. Work-on without collaboration


198. Dual sovereignty and parallel government

I have concquered the difficult yarn!

I didn't take this picture, it's from the Lion's brand website.  Sorry for any confusion!

Next, the world.....bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

I really must learn how to crochet, bead, drink coffee, blog, read a book, fold laundry, listen to talk radio AND music, and pet the cat at the same time.  Thank goodness I don't watch television.

Any tips?  How do you get it all done?

Much better - I'm listening to AirAmericaRadio online.  It's also available here in my neck of the woods now, so I can listen to it in my car.

The only thing missing now is my coffee.  Better go take care of that issue.

Time to go build an ark, I think.

Study: Arctic warming at twice the global rate

Species, including polar bears, may go extinct as Arctic ice melts

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment website contains information about the report that was compiled by 250 scientists from around the world.  Are these people making things up?  I don't think so.

The report says we can expect massive changes in the arctic region by the year 2100.  That is less than one hundred years, folks.  Just because we won't be alive, does that mean we shouldn't work to slow the changes because of the economic costs to us now?  Don't you think that the long term costs should be taken into consideration?

I do.  It is rather arrogant to think that our needs are somehow more important than the needs of others.  Is your life of more value than the native that lives in the arctic and still hunts through the ice for a livelihood?  Are SUV's of more value than dog sleds? 

The melting of arctic ice and glaciers is expected to raise the sea level four inches by the end of the century.  This doesn't sound like much, but think about the coastlines you have visited.  Many of them have very long, low sloping rises.  How far inland will a sea level rise of four inches affect?  Never mind that this report is only about the arctic, and does not take into consideration what is going on to the south.

Denying that human activity has an effect on the climate is folly.

Last night we could see the Northern Lights!  It was very cool.  Just before midnight Chris called me out to see them.  We even got Nolan up to see them too, since it is such a rarity here.  They weren't super bright, but I would say it was the best I've ever seen them.  Of course, I've only seen them three or four times.  The news says they might be visible for a few more nights, so I'll be on the lookout.

The Northern Lights are caused by solar flares hitting the earth's atmosphere.  Hmmmm.  I always like to use solar flares as an excuse for computer problems.  So look out this week - could be a rough one for technology! 

Does anybody actually waste their precious time looking at any of the "pharmaceutical" blogs that pollute tBlog every evening, let alone buy anything these people promote?  Buy methadone or valium online without a prescription.  Come now.  Like I'd trust the quality of that!

Spam of all kinds is truly one of the most despicable creations of our time.  Now that I think of it, the advertisements in the Sunday paper are really an early form of spam.  We're just used to it and expect it.  But what a waste of paper!  When I'm at work at the library and remove all of the advertisements from the papers we get, often the stack of junk is higher than what is left of the newspapers!!!!  What a waste.

My cat is a complete and absolute utter freak.

Actually, she has been acting very strange lately - stranger than usual that is.  She's been very clingy for a cat.  Sticking close by mostly me, but Chris too.  Nolan is a bit too squirmy for her to stay too close to, but she does like to sleep in his bedroom.  A couple of days recently when I've been in the shower, she sat on the bath mat right next to the tub, almost as if she was guarding me (she faces the bathroom door, not the tub).  I'm very happy to have her around though.  Also, Saturday morning I woke up and she was sleeping on my chest, practically crushing me!!!

Meow!

Sunday draws to an end soon.  We had a great weekend here at our house.  Very mellow.

Friday my parents arrived in town, and we went out for dinner at the local Thai restaurant (Nolan's favorite).  Scrumptious as always!  After dinner Nolan and I went to the hotel room to visit for a bit; Chris h