September 13, 2007

My Leatherman

I was genuinely surprised that so few of my readers have a Leatherman or know what one is. Leatherman is the American answer to the Swiss Army Knife. I bought mine when I lived in California, so it’s probably about fifteen years old. I mentioned in the photo verification post that I’ve had numerous online discussion about it. Many of those conversations center around the fact that a Leatherman (or a Swiss Army knife or pocketknife) becomes a part of your routine, something that you always have with you like your keys or driving license. You don’t think about them much - they’re just always there when you need them. Several of my friends have forgotten that they had theirs in a pocket or purse when getting ready to board a flight, and they had to either hand it over to baggage screeners or, if they were lucky, put it in their checked bags.

I checked out The Leatherman Store and mine appears to be The Kick (lower left.) If you click on the photo it takes you to what I think is a hijack site, but the sidebar link to my model works. When I bought mine I don’t think they were offered in different colors. The blue and pink are kind of cute, but maybe a little too much so for me. My tools are all business, so I think it would feel kind of phoney to me to figure fashion appeal when buying them. Does that make sense, or am I just weird? I don’t wear sexy lingerie when I work, either. I know some people get a kick out of making that “their little secret” but I can’t imagine that I would feel as professional with little bits of silk and lace under my uniform. Okay, I just read what I wrote and think maybe I am just weird. Oh, well. That’s not news.

Technorati Tags: Leatherman, multi-tools, multi-use tools

Tuesday Teaser Photo Verification

When I was composing the puzzle for this week I was concerned that it would be too easy. I’ve taken part in message board conversations about the Leatherman multi-purpose tool and its popularity. Most of my RL friends and many of my online friends carry a Leatherman in their pocket or purse. Mine is a constant companion. I’m curious. Do y’all not know what a Leatherman is, or was it the composition of the photo that made this one so tough? I took the photo in the evening and ruined several photos with reflection from the flash, so I adjusted the light fixtures in my living room and turned my camera flash off to take the final photo. I thought the cropped photo showed just enough to cause someone to go “Aha!” but not enough to make it a breeze. Guess I was wrong since no one got it.

No player provided the correct answer this week, so the prize will carry over. The winner next week will get two linky love posts and two entries in the gift card drawing at the end of the month. Mahalo to you all for playing. See you back here next week!

Technorati Tags: contest, photo puzzle, puzzle

September 12, 2007

Justice is not blind in Jena, Louisiana

I grew up in the South in an era of institutionalized, government-sanctioned racism. I remember the “Whites Only and “Coloreds Out Back” signs, and the “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone” signs that replaced them. Those signs had already disappeared by the time I was in sixth grade, the year that we finally had black kids in our classes. That was also the first year I was in classes segregated by sex, and the public high school I went to in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana was a girls school. “Outsiders” may have forced the school system to integrate, but, by damn, no one was going to make them put white girls at risk by exposing them to black boys. Such resistance was common in the South of the sixties. We in the New Orleans area didn’t have race riots like some places, but the tension was always there. Still, step by uneasy step, things changed, and have continued to change in the years since. Does anyone doubt that change comes too slowly? It took Hurricane Katrina to show the world just how inequitable a “separate but equal” society can be. Katrina made it clear that the journey is not over - there is still a great distance to be traveled. Current events in Jena, Louisiana make that picture clearer still. In Jena, Louisiana, the government has not fostered equality for all. The local justice system is blatantly racist. What follows is excerpted from an article by Color of Change. Please read it.

Last fall in Jena, Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the “white tree” on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a “prank,” more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town’s police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, “I can be your best friend or your worst enemy… I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen.”1

The first trial ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December, was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where his public defender called no witnesses. During his trial, Mychal’s parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the judge could see them.

Are you surprised that you haven’t heard this story? You shouldn’t be. The mainstream media is remarkably disinterested in what amounts to “business as usual” in a small Southern town. Are you as outraged as I am? I hope so. I hope you’ll join in with your blogging voice and help to publicize this story. The ball has been set rolling, but your energy is needed to help it gain momentum. Here’s how you can help:

1. Read the entire Jena 6 article at Color of Change.

2. Sign the Jena6 online Petition requesting the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate this matter.

3. If you can be in Jena, Louisiana on September 20th, join in with the peaceful protest march and rally which nas been organized to support the Jena 6 and their families.

4. Send your statements of protest to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and District Attorney Reed Walters. Please consider making a donation to the Jena 6 legal fund while you’re on that page.

5. Blog it! Every one of us has the ability to help spread the word. Marisa and Suni have organized a campaign to publish the Jena 6 story on as many blogs as possible. Their stories are linked below. I will also list other blogs associated with this campaign, and will add new blogs to the list as their articles publish. Display the strength of numbers by doing the same in your Jena 6 post. Let’s shine a spotlight of public outcry on the injustice taking place in Jena, Louisiana. You’re trackbacks to the articles listed here will help display our strength. Please also consider giving each post a Digg, a Stumble, A Delicious bookmark, a Thoof link - anything that will help the viral spread of this story.

Marisa: Racism is alive and well in Jena, Louisiana

Suni: Bloggers unite: Stop Jena 6 racist injustice

Karen: This can’t be happening

Tim: Time out

Amy: Racism in the Deep South - Jena 6 Travesty

Marcus: Support the Jena (Louisiana) 6

Cheryl: The Jena 6

CyberCelt: Racism Rears Ugly Head in Jena, LA

Bluepainted: How Disgusting!

Add your name! A link to my post will automatically give you a trackback. You may also add your link to a comment below.

Technorati Tags: Jena 6, Jena Louisiana, racial injustice, racism, racism in the south

September 11, 2007

Six years ago

Our world was torn asunder that morning. Things we had always held to be true crumbled and fell with those mighty towers. Our confident smugness in our rightful place as the mightiest of nations took a hit. Disbelief and horror battered us into numbness. A terrible thing that could not happen - happened.

Can you call up the intense feelings of the days that followed? The outrage and anger, the sadness and fear? How did we survive that emotional roller coaster? I recall being unable to speak intelligibly or string coherent thoughts together. There were days when I didn’t eat or bathe. We all gradually realized, though, that we had to go on, had to get back to life as normal, or at least life as normal as we could make it. Anything else was unthinkable. Any lesser effort would give “them” the win - we knew that before we knew who “they” were. So we went through the motions for a while, and eventually re-established our interrupted routines. For most of us the changes in our lives were minimal. There was some paranoia about what might be in our mail, some fear of flying and of large gatherings in public places, but we got through those tough days, didn’t we? Our lives today are as normal as we can make them.

We all carry scars, though. Cut away someone’s innocence, gouge out their sense of security and it’s going to leave a mark.

scar n a mark left after healing

Healing. Courage. Strength. We needed those things and more before we could regain our footing. But we’ve done it. We emerged from those dark days stronger and wiser. Our scars will always be with us and will always remind us of our great national pain and sorrow. Let’s remember, too, what else they mean.

image - www1.ecxmall.com

Technorati Tags: recovery, scars, September 11 2001, World Trade Center Twin Towers

Tuesday Teaser for September 11, 2007

Can you identify the item depicted above? Just take your best guess and post it in the comments below. If your guess wins, you’ll win a nifty prize. Here’s how it works:

1. Write a comment giving your guess as to what the item is.
2. First person to identify the item wins.
3. The author of this blog will be the sole judge as to what constitutes a correct answer.

What will you win?

1. The author of this blog will write a LINKY LOVE POST (review) about the winner’s blog (commercial sites ineligible.) The LLP will contain the url for your blog plus at least two deep links and will be posted here on Skeet’s Stuff, a PR4 blog. Skeet writes good reviews.
2. The winner’s name will be entered into a drawing for a $10.00 gift card from Starbucks or Amazon.
3. Drawing for the gift card will be held on or about September 30, 2007, and will include all weekly winners for the month. There are four Tuesdays in September, thus the maximum number of people who will be eligble is four.
4. The monthly winner is required throw a gala celebration of their victory, and to send out party invitations to everyone who played during the month.
5. Number four is not true.

Other stuff

1. All comments to this blog are time and date stamped. The winner will be the first person (according to time and date stamp) to provide the correct answer.
2. No hints will be given.
3. Answers must specifically identify the item. For instance, if the item depicted were to be a button on a remote control, the answer “button on something electronic” would not suffice.
4. Decisions of the judge are final. Don’t argue with me. I won’t answer.
5. I will attempt to post every few hours as to whether or not a winner has been declared, but I am not continuously at the keyboard so please be patient.
6. Entries must be posted before 12:01 a.m. Thursday, September13, 2007, Hawaii time (GMT -10, approximately forty-eight hours from now.)
7. This is intended to be an ongoing feature at Skeet’s Stuff. If it turns out to be a dud it will cease to exist, but all qualified winners will get their prizes.
8. Skeet’s Stuff is a do-follow blog, so you get some link value just for commenting.
9. Let the fun begin!

Technorati Tags: contests, photos, photo contest, blog contest

September 9, 2007

Postie Carnival

Woot! It’s Postie Carnival time! Lisa at My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings is hosting this time and the theme is summer vacation. Eight posties have shared something special they’ve done this summer, so go check it out and find some mighty fine reading. I don’t actually “do” vacations, but I managed to sqeeze one of my own posts into the carnival anyway.

How do you participate in the Posite Carnival? Well, first you have to be a postie - that’s what those of us who post for PayPerPost call ourselves. If you’re not a postie yet, just click on that little icon and you’ll be taken to the right spot to get started. If you are already a postie, go check out the carnival guidelines and you’ll see it’s quite painless to enter. There’s ususally an advanced notice posted over at the PPP forum, too, so just click-click and you’re on your way.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, payperpost, postie carnival

Be still my heart - Duncan is back!

It’s entirely indecent for an old gal like me to lust after a complete stranger. Kind of silly, too, considering that I probably haven’t had any hormones at all for ten years or so now. Nevertheless, Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod makes my heart skip a beat and the rest of me feel all warm and tingly. I don’t understand how there can be another Highlander movie, since there can be only one and Duncan McLeod is already that one. I mean, who is he going to fight for the title now? Wasn’t that the focus of the story all along? I’m rejoicing anyway, because yumminess is returning.

Highlander: The Source will debut next week on The SciFi Channel and I’ll be watching. A lot of fan sites are filled with controversy right now about the new movie. Small-minded people are worried about things like continuity and the whole reprise of the “There can be only one” storyline. {shrug} They’re missing the point. The point is that Duncan is back. I don’t care whether the movie is fabulous or a load of tripe. Duncan is back. I’m happy.

You can check the SciFi schedule for broadcast times in your area.

Technorati Tags: Adrian Paul, Duncan MacLeod, Highlander: The Source, scifi.com, The Highlander

Self Portrait Sunday for September 9, 2007

I hope I’m going to feel some enthusiasm for my day after I’ve finished my coffee. I woke up about 4:30 for the second day in a row, and I don’t feel rested at all. I spent most of yesterday working out in the yard. I cut all of the branches off of the plumeria tree and cut them into small lengths so they can be hauled away. I also cut up the accumulated palm branches. My hands ache. I have puffy, itchy areas on my face (below my left eye) and on my neck, due either to insect bites or my plumeria allergy. I need to do some housework today. I should sort the clutter on the dining table and put a tablecloth on it, so it would look nice and I could actually, you know - eat there instead of on the couch. I probably should do some laundry, too. Maybe I will. Not taking any bets, though.

One thing I will be doing is going to Digi-Cass to see who else posted their portrait today. You can join in, too - no engraved invitation or special handshake needed. Just post your self-portrait, then leave a comment over at Digi-Cass so everyone will come visit and tell you that they can’t really see the bags under your eyes.

Technorati Tags: meme, photos, self portraits

Posted by skeet @ 6:59 am • Photos, Meme • 18 comments  

September 7, 2007

Blogging nightmare

One of my friends is living a blogger’s worst nightmare. Her blogs disappeared overnight. The person hosting her blogs decided she didn’t like something written in a post, so she not only shut her down, she has denied access so that the blogger can’t get in to copy her posts to a new blog. It’s been called a two-week suspension, so hopefully my friend will have access to her blogs again soon. I’m not naming the host at this time, but you’d better believe that a lot of us will have more to say once this business is finished. Private hosting is fraught with nightmares. What’s happened here clearly illustrates one reason why every blogger should consider hosting their own domain with a reputable provider.

There’s nothing any of us can do right now to help our friend get her blogs back, but we can give her a boost for the new blogs she’s established. Neither has much content yet, but what’s posted is clear, well-written and thought-provoking. Go check out One Clear Dot and Girly Things, and make sure you leave a comment. Let our friend know she hasn’t lost her place in the blogosphere!

Technorati Tags: blogs, blogging, blog hosting, blog hosting ripoff, Girly Things, One Clear Dot

ePerks = $aving$!

The average list price of the homes I inspected during the second quarter of this year was about $600,000. I’m sure some of the buyers were able to negotiate lower prices, but the average still works out to about that much. Realtors charge a 6% commission, so that’s about $36,000, and only one of the fees that has to be settled before closing. Additional transaction fees like escrow services, loan fees and my termite inspection fees can add thousands more. All of that money has to be paid before the property can change hands. Home buyers and sellers need every break they can get, and ePERKS.com provides one of the best I’ve seen. Finding your realtor through ePerks can earn you up to 20% cash back on your transaction. When you’re dealing with those kind of numbers, 20% is a significant chunk of change you’ll get to keep in your own pocket. It makes good sense to check out ePerks before you hire your realtor. And, hey! ePerks can help you save money on other types of purchases, too. Check them out and see how much you can save!

Technorati Tags: eperks.com, home buying, home selling, real estate transaction fees, realtors