phyncke

Hi all - here again. Hanging out on hold with my cable company so thought I would write a post. I am doing ok. I have a lecture this week - on slavery and the modern economy with Kevin Bales from University of Nottingham. Should be really impactful. It is depressing to me that slavery is a thing in the modern world. People are enslaved to get the materials for our electric car batteries and cell phone batteries. So think about that. Slave labor on the supply chains for those. Makes me feel bad about that. I think there are very few clean supply chains when you think about it. I am glad we are doing this talk.

Things going on in the banking thing here. Two banks just failed here in the USA. Silicon Valley one and Silvergate. That is not good. I hope things stabilize. I have been meaning to move my banking to a better bank so I just did that. I was banking with Wells Fargo and really hate them - for what they did to customers so I moved to Bank of the West - a smaller bank. Very glad I did.

Anyways. Chugging along here and getting things done. Hoping you are doing well.

So it has gotten to the point where I have to moderate my news intake for my own well-being. Too much and I get totally stressed out. Just cannot do it. I guess I am a worrier by nature and it really bothers me. Plus the news cycle if pretty repetitive so they go over the same thing over and over again. Just cannot do it. I am trying to only watch one hour a day and really stick to that. It is enough really to get the sense of what is going on. I read updates fine - that does not stress me out but watching the news cycle totally stresses me out.

I found a new show on Netflix that I really like - this thing Bridgerton. It is based on the Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn - I used to read those. This show is delightful. About that marriage frenzy of the Ton in England. Just eating it up. I love the costumes, the diversity of the casting and all that. It is all fluff and I am really in the mood for this kind of escapist thing right now. I hope they do the whole family in multiple seasons - there were a lot of books so there is a lot of material for a pretty long running show. I can only hope they stick with it.

I also need to finish The Boys on Amazon - I kind of spoiled myself by looking up what happened with it online so it is not an urgent thing for me. I do that sometimes - cannot wait for the ending so I read about it online - hence spoiling myself. It is a really bad habit. I do want to watch the whole thing with this one because it is an excellent production and I love Karl Urban in it.

Today is not a Snowflake Challenge day so nothing on that today. I have not been writing. I am not stuck - I am in a good spot with the story - just have not opened it in a while. I better look up the deadline and start working towards that. Best not forget there is a deadline.

That is all - hope you are well - where you are. Stay healthy and stay safe.

It seems like everyday there are more revelations about sexual harrassment and assault in the media. This is truly horrific and it is not surprising that it is so wide spread. The one that is the most depressing to me is George Takei - I have really enjoyed following his presence on Twitter and Facebook and I really agreed with his posting. It upsets me that he would do something like what he did to another person and then be so outspoken about Kevin Spacey. The person came forward because of the inherent hypocrisy.
Anyways. Early in my career I dealt with these issues and had to brush off this kind of stuff in the workplace but nothing as extreme as what people are revealing in the media. More sideways comments and inappropriateness at work gatherings but easy enough to deflect. I have never been assaulted or anything like that. I really feel for women and men who have had horrible experiences with this. I really do.

In other news - I have had two phone interviews for that job I applied for and am waiting to hear if they will have me in for an in person interview. I don't have anything to wear so I am going shopping today for some kind of blazer suit thing. All my clothes are too big (a good thing) but I have to have something to interview in. I got my nails done yesterday and am getting my hair done tomorrow. I will be ready to rock and roll. Got to look good. So wish me luck and don't mention this on FB. No one knows at work.

I have been having fun making icons and graphics. Getting back into that. There is some life in the graphics communities so feel free to look at my sidebar for active communities. I am posting offers in - thyncke_phyncke, enchanted sea and enchanted realms. So join there if you want stuff.

I am also very excited about the holidays this year. I am going to go low key and have my friend R*** coming in for Thanksgiving and then I am going to be here for Christmas. I am looking forward to just relaxing and not traveling and decorating for Christmas. That is about it. I am going to try and not spend too much money this year. We are going out for Thanksgiving to a seafood restaurant so no one has the burden of preparing the meal - we will have dessert at my friend J***'s house. So all good there.

I hope you are doing well there and having a nice Fall season. I really love this time of year. The crispness of the weather and the smell of fallen leaves.

Happy Fall!

I am sick here in Berkeley, CA. I have a sore throat, aches and fever. Feeling poorly. I am home from work for the second day. Hard to say if I am contagious but am pretty symptomatic and very tired. I don't feel well. Meh. I have the time accrued so will use it. I hate when people go in sick so don't do that myself.

I am glued to CNN right now and this story in Cleveland Ohio about the three girls who were found, having been held captive for 10 years in this guy's house. Unbelievable. This seems like an episode of Criminal Minds to me, on that level of horrible. Here is a link if you are not familiar.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/us/ohio-missing-women-found/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Amanda Berry broke out of the house with the help of a neighbor, Charles Ramsey and then police freed the other two girls - Michelle and Gina who were also held for more than 10 years. This is the stuff of nightmares. Three brothers have been arrested in this crime with charges pending.

Unbelievable.

Bless them. So glad they got out of there alive.


by yueshi at The Happy Factory

Epic fail at the Chevron plant here in Richmond. Fire at the refinery and we are supposed to close all of our windows in the East Bay. There is a toxic cloud on the move. This is total suckage here.

Link to article:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fire-at-Chevron-refinery-in-Richmond-3767221.php

I hope all the workers are ok over there. I really do. My thoughts and prayers for the refinery workers in Richmond.


by yueshi

Anderson Cooper 360 (2012)
Tonight's segment on non-profit fundraising and organizations that do not deliver on their promises.

Summary:
Anderson Cooper exposes Veteran's fundraising groups for fraudulent fundraising.

Short commentary post here on the level of reporting on Anderson Cooper's 360 program tonight. This was excellent reporting on these non profit groups and the disbursal of funds. Basically they followed the money and showed how little of the funds raised were going to the veterans. I work in fundraising and was very interested in the program and could not conceive of fundraising working this way. All of our funds go to students but in this program - most of the funds go to this third party, private company that the organizations pay to fundraise for them. The money is not going to the populations they are fundraising for! It was balanced though and they did show some groups that do good work.

khylea told me about a website which rates non-profits so you can check an organization before you make a donation to see how effective they are. Here is the link:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

But this show was an eye opener for me and hats off to Anderson Cooper (who also stated he is gay this week and proud to be.).



Overall rating:
Well done news program.

Recommend:
Good reporting!

Warnings:
Nothing. News program.

---------------------
post 78/100 in the 100 things challenge

The ban on same sex marriage in California has been deemed unconstitutional -
halle-frigging-luja! Prop 8 is history! The fight is not over as they vow to take the case to the Supreme Court but the academic law professors think it unlikely that court will take up the case. This is good news. Good news for equal rights!

Here is the coverage on SF Gate!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/07/BA1H1N3T1H.DTL&tsp=1

Excerpt from the majority decision:

Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples," said Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the majority opinion.

Woot. I say woot!

I just checked CNN. They made a deal and Planned Parenthood was not sacrificed in the bargain. Seems like the Republicans had to back pedal some on the HUGE cuts they wanted to make. Go Obama! The federal government will not collapse or close as was feared. Temporary reprieve tho...keep this in mind.

Here is the story, if you want to read it. 800,000 federal jobs saved, military pay stays, welfare, disability, public funds, state parks...you name it. How did it get to this, well we are not out of it yet. They still have to fix this and this budget deal only lasts until April 15th. This story is worth keeping an eye on.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/09/congress.budget/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

I thought it was important enough to update on, one last time tonight. Cheers all.



by izzydollie

This is staggering:

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-centre-penn-state-university-budget-governor-corbett,0,6416155.story

The Governor of Pennsylvania is proposing to cut half of the state system budget there for the university. That is staggering. If this becomes a trend, where is public education heading. This is worth keeping an eye on.

Yikes.

History made as Don't Ask Don't Tell rule in the military is repealed. HUGE leap for gay rights. I cannot tell you how huge. Landmark. I did not think this would happen in my lifetime.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/12/senate-votes-repeal-gays-in-military-/1

From article:

"In a historic move, the Senate on Saturday passed a bill to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that clears the way for gay people to serve openly in the military.

The legislation now goes to President Obama, who will sign it into law."

Huzzah!

Go USA! Amazing that we finally did this and got rid of that arcane rule.

Gays and lesbians can openly serve in the US military. Ho-MG. Let freedom reign.


by cherany