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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Melonhead99 So still topping the news, the death of a very strange man, I’ve not taken that much notice, but apparently everyone in America was his best mate, every 3rd rate celeb talking about how they were close friends with Jacko coz they’d met him once 3 years ago. Then there are people buying up his albums, apparently all massive fans of Jackson, which does make you wonder why, when they knew he had no money, why was it they waited till he was bloody dead before buying this stuff? Suddenly, all this music that a week ago they could happily live without, is now the greatest music ever and they are climbing over eachother in stores trying to grab the last few CD’s off the shelves. In the news today also, Britains government wants to make it easier for Schools to sue parents over kids not going to school etc, and give parents the right to sue schools if the schools are doing shit, great, more cash to lawyers.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009 Wow, Michael Jackson Has Died. And Farrah by Nanette That’s just… weird. Sad, too, of course - my heart goes out to their family and friends. But still… I practically grew up with MJ. Oh, I didn’t know him (unless you believe the rumor that was going around my jr high school at the time that that was him spending a semester there), but he’s just a few months younger than me so many of the milestones of his life, including turning 50, were mine as well. Kinda makes you think. I was sad at what he’d become in the later years but just recently I caught an old video of him, with the Jackson Five, and was just amazed at how talented he was, even then. And Farrah - I tried and tried to get The Flip but wasn’t really able to do it. And even though she had more serious roles later, my favorite was still Charlie’s Angels. Sure there were issues with it, but for that period of time pretty groundbreaking. The Charlies Angels women almost replaced Emma Peel in the “cool women who kick butt that I want to be” category in my mind. Anyway, nothing deep to say. May they both rest in peace.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 by Nanette 
In Every Black Man’s Eyes—Death To The Rebel - Ta-Nehisi Coates. I love that paragraph, as I love the series of posts Ta-Nehisi is doing on what he is learning about Civil War times, and Black folks in those times, beyond the primarily white oriented, surface history that we know so well. He doesn’t have tags or categories on them but when I get some time I’m going to attempt to gather them all and link them as a series (if he doesn’t do it first). I’m working on a couple of posts about my family history - one of which I had almost completed but then scrapped because I realized that I was telling it all wrong. I think it’s important to tell our stories, our people of color stories, not only of the famous but of our ordinary. I hope to gather links to others doing that as well. Fill in the spaces and break out of the “heroes or thugs” frame we are so often placed in. (photo of Ms. Wells from here)
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009 In Which I Seek Out a CSS Tutor by Nanette The hardest part (besides just making myself do it) is going to be to find optimum time to work on this, relatively free of distractions. Okay, well I know there is little hope for the last, so will just have to figure out a way to ignore or work around the distractions. Focus! etcetera. Darn. I was going to start with the Train-ee tutorials, but then I read this paragraph:
So, that leaves me out! The temptation is just to start with it anyway as I do know some stuff - but the whole point of this project is not to be quite so impulsive and wind up doing things in a haphazard manner. So, off to look for some CSS tutorials, first of all. While I still love the wdvl site, I don’t think it quite suits my needs as far as learning CSS. A quick Google search brings up many free tutorials to choose from - I spent far too much time just looking through them (avoidance, maybe?) but in the end I had to choose one and because it’s written in easy to understand language (but really they all are - maybe I just like the site), I have chosen HTMLdog as my CSS tutor for the time being. Already I learned something new - about “in-line styles”! Maybe, we’ll see if this works. It does! W00t! But that’s enough red. And enough for tonight. Need to get an early start in the morning and tackle the next step when my brain is fresh instead of fried.
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Monday, June 22, 2009 Making Peace With The Alphabet Gods by Nanette  The ones named CSS and PHP, that is. Oh, we’ll toss in HTML and DHTML as well, but even now I’ll have nothing to do with MySQL. (Let us just hope my database is not struck dead out of pique.) I have a lot of plans for Human Beams but I’ve realized that one holdup has always been that there are many necessary things that I just don’t know how to do, particularly when it comes to the guts of the site, Expression Engine, and how things work. And I should, even if someone else comes along to do them. Thankfully, arin (of arinsattic.com - friend, Expression Engine CMS expert and web designer extraordinaire - you need a site designed, redesigned, or a simple or elaborate CMS set up, go to her, she’ll take care of you) set things up for me here in a way that allows me to change things whenever I want to with a minimum of fuss or knowledge but I still sometimes hit roadblocks. When it comes to changing the CSS I mostly just poke and prod blindly, figuring eventually I’ll hit the right combination to make it do what I want. And I usually do, eventually. What’s really fun is figuring out how to fix all the things I messed up in the process. Also, because of the way I work (very scattershot - new ideas every other day, plans, plans and more plans) I need to know what I am doing and even more, what I am asking others to do, what all it entails. So, to that end this summer I am going to reach out, to the best of my ability, to the alphabet gods and study them, learn them and become, if not expert, at least proficient. And I’m going to do it all right here, in public, flub ups and all. It might be boring to some (including me!) but I figure there are probably others out there who either know nothing at all, or just enough to be dangerous and would maybe like to follow along - plus, I am more likely to not only keep going but attempt to do well if I am putting all my work on public display. I would love to promise that all this will occur in an orderly and sensible fashion, step 1 to step 2 and so on but, well… I need to change things up from time to time so it’ll more likely be just whatever captures my interest for the day. Anyway, since we use Expression Engine (EE), most of the actual structure stuff will relate to that, including the PHP language (I am not sure how interchangeable that is with other software). There is a free Core version available, should you want to try it out. Even though I do know bits and pieces of how to do things, I’m going to start with the basics, the nuts and bolts and go from there. There are, for some reason, not all that many EE tutorials but one free one I have found which will suit my needs perfectly is at Train-ee - Building a Small Business Site. He also has other free and fee tutorials there, but I’m not going to look at them yet - don’t want to get distracted so soon ;). For the CSS I am going to default to my old friend the Web Developers Virtual Library (WDVL), which is where - many, many moons ago - I first learned HTML and other web development stuff. I never learned it as well as I should have, because I discovered WYSIWYG, but that’s not their fault and they have just a huge selection of tutorials and such there, to start with and also move on with, including links to other tutorials. I am going to go through their CSS section and see which would be best to start with. So, anyway, this is my summer (if all goes as planned). Part of it, anyway. I am also going to use this time to build up contacts and partners for future Human Beams plans, to have everything in place and ready to go by mid September, explaining what I am doing as it goes along. One reason for that is so that people who are attracted to the vision of what we are doing and going to be doing will consider donating time and/or money to support it. More on all of this later - our first lesson is soon!
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009 by Melonhead99 Ok, I finally managed to log in, now I’ve got to find things to post? Whats happening in Britain? Far-right BNP (British National Party) won 2 seats in the European Parliment, a party that won’t allow black people to join, they are repressenting us in Europe, brilliant. God I’m depressed. I won £25 on the Premium Bonds, so thats something nice, well nice for me anyway. Nannette mentioned Iran, not really much to add, could go either way, though apparently the losing candidate is a nasty piece of work himself, not much improvement. Ahmedinnerjacket or whatever he’s called, got out the country and off to Russia out the way, so he doesn’t seem too sure of his position, though that was probably arranged already. I’ll try and think of something worth reading to write, but thats all for now.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009 by Nanette
Iran I really wish I had something meaningful and relevant to say about the situation in Iran, but I don’t. There are plenty of people who actually know something about that part of the world and all the ins and outs of their politics who are saying it so much better. Me, my thoughts are with people there and I hope everything turns out for the best. Dear President Obama: None of us without all of us I am still in the “wait and see” mode with Obama because I haven’t yet figured out where he is going. On most issues I will give him a year in office to really establish himself and for some policies to bear fruit before I decide if I like what he is doing or not. I *think* he is probably playing a very long game on some issues and I can sort of see the sense in some of it - especially shoring up his right flank before (if this is the intention and I hope it is) spreading leftward - but it’s really difficult to see how the language in the DOMA brief to the Supreme Court is helpful, no matter how long the game.
Even if it was someone’s oversight that this sort of bigoted language got through, there really is no excuse for this. And it just seems like it’s been one - possibly explainable as necessary until and if, etc, but still - slight on top of another when it comes to the GLBTQ community. I *think* that, in the end, the Obama administration will have shepherded through equal rights legislation which will result in more concrete and unshakable rights, including marriage rights (or some equivalent - personally I am hoping government gets out of the marriage business and just civil unions for all, regardless of what one calls them). I hope I am not wrong. Dehumanize a Population and Even Babies Seem Like Fair Game This is just such a sad, but not surprising, story - I don’t even know what to say. This sort of thing - where children, who are often referred to in the anti-immigrant movement by the vile and dehumanizing term of “anchor babies”, are deliberately targeted to be harmed or killed - is the natural outgrowth of all the hate speech against immigrants, especially Mexican ones. photo by Farhad Rajabali/news.goya.com via dailykos diary
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009 You Have The Question, They Have The Answers. The Question Box by Nanette
Say you don’t have access to the internet - you don’t have a connection or have no clue how to use a computer, even if you had one, you live in a rural area far away from libraries or computer cafes - why should all the knowledge accumulated online be barred to you? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just pick up the phone (or press a button) and call the Operator to get the scores of the game you missed, or the results of some election, help with homework or - well, just to find out just about anything you wanted to know? Now you can! Well, if you live in one of the small villages in India where the Question Box is currently being field tested. It sounds like a very ambitious and needed project, it would be great if it expanded to many areas and countries and to phones. Latoya Peterson, of Racialicious, has a mini interview with Rose Shuman, the founder of Question Box, which has more information about the project and goals. (I think they could probably use a new box design, though.)
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Tuesday, June 09, 2009 Wichita Terrorist Claims Victory. And Replacements. by Nanette From CNN
The wording of the Tiller family statement makes me wonder if the family had been receiving other credible terrorist threats if the clinic continued. He also warned of other terror cells waiting to put their plans into action.
Yet, he seems amazed that he is being “treated like a criminal”.
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Sunday, June 07, 2009 by Nanette We seem to be having some issues with the MySQL database - apparently it felt the need for a vacation, or something (” Error Number: 2006 Description: MySQL server has gone away “). It appears, so far, to only be affecting the comments - they work sometimes, sometimes not. I’m not sure what to do about this but I’ll contact some people and find out. Hopefully.
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No Words Can Help - Every Parent’s Nightmare by Nanette I have no words worth saying or that would be helpful to these families in Hermosillo, Mexico but I do want to offer my sympathies for their loss. My thoughts are with them.
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Friday, June 05, 2009 Meanwhile… London Bridge Is Falling Down by Nanette Or would be, if it wasn’t in Arizona or someplace. ‘ Lots of stuff going on in British politics, though - some of it very confusing, with people resigning left and right and apparently some racking up huge expenses and Gordon Brown um… dunno, being pushed out? This sounds like a job for scouser/melonhead! (Not being Prime Minister - although what fun that would be to see - but detangling it all.)
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by Nanette
This is the National Review’s (conservative magazine) Judge Sotomayor cover… and it’s says, right there on the cover! “The Wise Latina” Judge Sotomayor is, of course, of Puerto Rican descent. So why, you may ask, does the National Review have her depicted as a South Asian or Asian uh.. Buddha type figure? Who the heck knows. The completely wackity and self destructive behavior of the right wing regarding Sotomayor’s appointment has been a source of amazement to me from the beginning. That one of their major magazines would come up with a “they all look alike” cover (and have it actually pass muster with their editors!) is just par for their very mysterious course. (via TPM) ETA: Jeebus, look at the eyes. What is wrong with these people?
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Thursday, June 04, 2009 by Nanette I’ve not really had time to read or watch the speech yet, probably won’t until the weekend. From reading some of the reactions around the web, though, I think it was pretty well received, overall? Of course there were some who disagreed with it, others who hated it and all that, but (from my readings, anyway) the balance was tipped towards those who thought it was a good beginning. And that it needed to be backed up with action. I am not sure if there will be enough patience for that, though. Obama seems to move slow and steadily in whichever direction he’s going, while still often taking a circuitous route - which tends to leave those he’s seemingly (or in actuality) passing by or leaving behind screaming bloody murder. So, we’ll see. What was y’all’s impression?
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009 Good News For Some Still Suffering From Katrina by Nanette
From the NYT
Mind you, it was my understanding that these trailers will filled with formaldehyde or something but hopefully that problem was solved already. At any rate, for people who had nowhere to go and no money to pay the previous asking price ($9000), this must be such a relief. IF, as they say, it’s actually followed through on - as so many other promises made to them in the media have not been followed through on in the past. There’s a new guy in town though,so hopefully it will be. |
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