Bite me,
K

~~~~

Dear f-list,

if I get incoherent or weirdly emotional in the next however long, please attribute it to sleep-deprivation and forgive me. I'm sorry in advance.

Hugs,
Kat

Five Iranian protestors were sentenced to death: http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Death_Sentences_Seen_As_Intimidation_Move_Over_Postelection_Unrest/1881487.html

And one student was sentenced to eight years in prison (not as terrible as the death sentences but still insane): http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Student_Gets_Eight_Years_Over_Protests/1878265.html

A doctor working at the detention center where widespread prisoner abuse was reported is dead and some sources are claiming his death is a suicide: http://www.rferl.org/content/Tehran_Detention_Center_Doctors_Death_Arouses_Suspicions/1879441.html

According to one member of the Iranian parliament, there is no Green Revolutionary Movement; don’t I feel silly supporting it all these months? http://www.rferl.org/content/Green_Opposition_Movement_Doesnt_Exist/1877610.html

An Iranian human rights activist has been receiving death-threats: http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Nobel_Laureate_Threatened_Harassed/1883866.html

Iranian authorities are sending out text-messages warning people not to get involved in the protests: http://www.rferl.org/content/Authorities_Warn_Iranians_Not_To_Protest_By_SMS/1883679.html

And from Afghanistan, Karzai was sworn in and pledges to learn from his country’s past mistakes and fight corruption more strongly than in the past (not that it’s really possible to do LESS than he did last term): http://www.rferl.org/content/Karzai_To_Take_Oath_Future_Of_Afghan_War_At_Stake/1881950.html

Of course, to combat corruption in Afghanistan, the West is going to have to pony up and practice what it preaches, too: http://www.rferl.org/content/From_Words_To_Deeds_In_Afghanistans_Corruption_Fight/1881737.html

The Afghan Attorney General started an investigation this week: http://www.rferl.org/content/Afghanistan_Launches_New_Corruption_Investigations/1878011.html

So, yeah, basically everything sucks everywhere. But, on a more positive note, there’s a move to rebuild the Afghan Buddha statues destroyed when the Taliban first came to power: http://www.rferl.org/content/Conference_Set_On_Rebuilding_Afghan_Buddha_Statues/1873900.html

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled lives.

So I've been betaing a lot of dark!fic lately and am in the middle of a final read-through on a particullarly dark epicly long bit of dark!fic so I figure I'll use the mood to work on some dark!fic of my own. Went to bed all "Yes, Will on the Source is once more a go!" ... woke up this morning to find a review for my fic "Normal Insecurities" and now I can't shake the excedingly hot mental image of Helen Magnus and Jim Ellison bushwhacking through the jungles of Peru in nothing but cargo pants and white cotton tees which would, of course, be rendered rather transparent by all the sweat.

I need some darkness and tension!!!

Will is not going to make his own life miserable...

Ganked from lanna_kitty

Post a sentence/paragraph/snippet from every* wip you can find. No explanations allowed, just the excerpt.

#52 might be my favorite, lol ... sad part is that I really do seriously intend on doing more work on every last one of these

I was going to finish this up and spend the night betaing but the chapter I needed to beta was eaten by AOL *growls*Ah, well. I can catch up some of the tags I owe in the RP at least

To start out light, Arizona State and Northern Arizona University are holding a poll for the world’s ugliest insect; you can vote here: http://askabiologist.asu.edu/uglybugs/

And a vid of today’s shuttle launch: http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=50600624001

Now on to actual stories :)

A report on the Freshwater crisis: http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=water-2009&sc=DD_20091111 (lots of great articles, etc that you might want to check out; I’ve been hearing for awhile now that fresh water will the 21^st century’s equivalent of oil in terms of scarcity, demand, war, politics, etc)

New EPA emission standards for recreational watercraft: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-recreational-boat-motors&sc=CAT_TECH_20091111 (what is it with 2010, I wonder?)

Two UK companies have teamed up to build England’s first diaper recycling plant: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=baby-power--uk-companies-convert-di-2009-11&sc=CAT_ENGYSUS_20091112

Inhaling highly polluted air can actually decrease IQ: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pollutions-toll-on-the-brain&sc=CAT_BS_20091113

Africa’s war on tobacco: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tobacco-in-africa&sc=DD_20091112

A discussion of high-rise farms; Heather’s firm is working on one of these although it’s only slated to be 10 levels: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-rise-of-vertical-farms&sc=DD_20091116

Generic meds are every bit as good as name-brands, with a tiny handful of exceptions: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-generic-drugs-bad-for-you&sc=DD_20091112

The Planetary Society released its plans to launch a Solar Sail powered craft in 2010: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=solar-sail-concept-like-a-phoenix-m-2009-11-11&sc=DD_20091111

NASA is about ready to try to free the Spirit Rover but no promises: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=nasa-prepares-effort-to-free-stuck-2009-11-13&sc=DD_20091113

Water on the moon, ftw: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=lcross-impact-plumes-contained-moon-2009-11-13&sc=DD_20091116

How Arlington came to be our National Cemetery (and, yes, I know this is more history than science but I find it fascinating so I’m including it): http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Battle-of-Arlington.html?utm_source=historynewsletter1010&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MonthlyHistory

The only known ancient city built on a coral reef (science AND history); the photo gallery is cool: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Nan-Madol-The-City-Built-on-Coral-Reefs.html?utm_source=historynewsletter1010&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MonthlyHistory

Mali’s really getting hit hard with looting of their cultural heritage, which is always painful to see (depressing story, lovely gallery): http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Looting-Mali.html?utm_source=historynewsletter1010&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MonthlyHistory#

Oh, and on an unrelated but equally geeky note, I bought four history books for $40 this morning and saved $86.97 off list price (free shipping, too, whoot)

i am missing scads of old mail from my "saved" file. if any of you have sent me any emails in about the past 2 months that i haven't replied to yet, please resend them. thanks

*goes off to write an angry email*

Interesting thing: it is possible to both be five seconds away from an anxiety attack and to enjoy yourself immensely. I've been home more than 3 hours; i keep puking, my head is killing me, and my chest still hurts. We played 4 games in just under six hours, none of which I'd played before.

San Juan: 3 players, I won.

Lost City: 4 players, I won.

Castle Panic: 4 players, cooperative victory, I tied for high score.

Flux: 3 players, I won (and got to use my pirate voice).

Well, then, get out there and do so!

*hugs the one vet she knows for a fact is on her flist and then goes to fire off emails to her other vet and active friends*

Time for another science!spam. Sorry it’s been so long since my last one but you know how RL can be

An in-depth Scientific American report on the Green Economy (numerous articles and blurbs on the subject): http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=green-economy&sc=CAT_ENGYSUS_20091105

Alligators display mating-patterns similar to birds: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/091012_alligators

Europa’s oceans may have water: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/091009_europa

Scientists have given flies false memories (which meant first pinpointing the neurons in a fly’s brain responsible for memories): http://www.world-science.net/othernews/091015_memories

The sound of a person sneezing increases anxiety and not just about infectious diseases: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=sneezes-provoke-fears-beyond-illnes-09-11-04&sc=DD_20091104

Achieving a successful outcome seems to have a greater impact on the brain than failures: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-success-breeds-success&sc=DD_20091104

Apparently eye-exercises can make you more creative: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=boost-your-creativity-with-eye-move-09-11-10

Pest management seems to work better than pesticides for keeping creepy crawlies at bay (the article’s mainly about bedbugs, but it applies to other pests as well): http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bedbugs-apartment-buildings-pesticide-good-housekeeping&sc=DD_20091109

Behavior-altering parasites; why am I thinking “Requiem” here? http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=zombie-creatures-parasites&sc=WR_20091105

Scientists found a number of previously unknown viruses in a lake in Antarctica: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=frozen-antarctic-lakes-yield-new-vi-2009-11-05&sc=CAT_BS_20091106

Researchers have coaxed adult cells into displaying stem-cell-like behaviors: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=faster-route-to-stem-like-cell&sc=HLTH_20091110