Monday night; I've felt better

[cleolinda]

Hmm. So I reread over the Radcliffe ball chapter--conquered that little bit of terror--and... it wasn't quite what I remembered. Or rather, I remembered all of it; I just thought there was more to it that I wasn't remembering. But no, that was it. I remembered it being really long and draggy, also, but it actually seemed to be missing a large chunk of ball-related activities. Like, there's a lot of build-up, and they talk about things they will do, and then... you don't really see them do those things. I'm not even sure that's a problem, because the talking about the doing of things is actually there for an entirely separate reason, and I have a bunch of new material to work in anyway. It was just sort of an interesting thing to realize.

evilbearhunter wants you to think outside the [water] bottle. ETA: TAKE DISCUSSION OF THIS TOPIC ELSEWHERE.

More on the strike:

Writers Strike Update: Writer-Made Videos and Blogs, Explaining the Strike; Studios state their side of labor dispute in ads.

Writers take kids to picket lines.

Should the Screenwriters Blame the Stars?

TV blogs going dark tomorrow in solidarity.

Perez Hilton is a douche. Some more. Again.

Chaucer the Holy-Wood Scabbe.

Experts: Reality TV is unscripted — mostly.

Broadway stagehands reaffirm their own strike.

More news:

U.N.: Ignoring global warming is "criminally irresponsible."

US intelligence honcho channels Orwell, redefines privacy.

Armitage 'foolish' to leak CIA agent's name.

Mailer and the Murderer.

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald still an intriguing mystery.

Is Dilbert's Scott Adams Is The Worst Boss In the World?

mai fanteseez r elaborate and filthy.

Harry Potter: HBP sneak peek. ETA: Seems to have been removed. If you see a Quidditch uniforms/orphanage clip out there, that's the one. ETA 2: Try this.

The Golden Compass: A Response from Chris Weitz to Atlantic Monthly. Also, the FAO Golden Compass Range: Plush daemons!

First look at Zachary Quinto as Spock; 'Star Trek XI' Update: Chris Hemsworth to Play Kirk's Dad & Jennifer Morrison Is In. ETA: Harlan Ellison pissed? Note: The reason he's pissed may be a general-premise spoiler, vague as it might be.

MTV Exclusive Clip: ‘Beowulf.’

New pics from Mummy 3.

Frank Darabont Expects Fight Over ‘Indy IV’ Writing Credits.

Branagh And Cruise Target Hitler For ‘Valkyrie.’ Entertainment Weekly: "Tom Cruise's 'Valkyrie' looks kinda awful." Also: Tom Cruise’s disappointing weekend.

'Major Movie Star' Trailer as Bad as Expected.

'Transformers 2' Update: Michael Bay vs. The Internet.

Mickey Rourke Replaces Nic Cage in 'The Wrestler,' is still kinda scary-looking.

Which Foreign Films Got the Oscar Snub this Year.

Winstone Plans to Join ‘Minutemen,’ Looks Forward To Nick Cave’s ‘Death.’

Comments

[glass-radical.livejournal.com]

"Death of a Ladies man" sounds interesting. In Nick Cave I trust.

[thea-scooter.livejournal.com]

WB has already pulled the HP video from YouTube

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww, damn. Should've downloaded it. It was just a look at the newish Quidditch uniforms and the set design for the orphanage.

(frozen)

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

Okay the bottle water thing? Partly bullshit. Yeah the bottles can create waste (recycle biatches!), but 'just tap water'. Didn't snopes debunk something like that? I know Aquafina's water is purfied 'tap water', but things that claim to be 'spring water' are from those sources. Aquafina and others that use public water sources have to say so on the label.

I'm going to keep drinking bottle water and refilling my bottles (you buy the big containers and fill up your old bottles, and hey you can put tea or whatever in those bottles too. Having a picnic freeze a bottle of water and put it in the cooler, better than a ice pack), thank you very much.

Plus a lot of peoples tap water isn't very drinkable.
/rant

(frozen)

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

Also, the "shipped halfway around the world from third-world countries" bit? PURLEEZE!

(frozen)

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Hi! Water in water bottles is about 40% filtered tap water (something you can do yourself with a filter). Much of the rest comes from third world countries, again filtered. I understand that lots of people don't have access to drinkable water (by which I assume you mean water that is actually undrinkable, not water that just tastes funny), but lots of people who do choose to buy bottled water. More information here (http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org/).

(frozen)

[sucrelefey.livejournal.com]

Google around and you find facts that say otherwise.
The Aquafina label issue is a recent court ruling; they were busted by consumers for something government regulation allowed.
Spring water sources are pressure pumped bore hole wells next to springs allowed under current regs and have their own issues.
Undrinkable tap water in urban centers is an issue of wimpy taste buds and cheap old plumbing not safety.
Recycling is not a solution for overconsumption.

(frozen)

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

By law, tap water has to be safe for consumption. That's not to say that I didn't immediately buy a Brita for my DC tap, but I know that I can drink it and it won't make me sick. It might not taste great, but it is safe.
Also, those bottles aren't really meant for reuse. We all do it, but there is some speculation/evidence that reuse isn't really a fantastic idea, because the plastic leeches chemicals into the water.
What I do is carry a Camelback bottle that I fill up at work.

[tonks07.livejournal.com]

no HBP sneak peek. :(

[khaman.livejournal.com]

What I find magnificent about Mummy 3:

NO ODED FEHR!
The kid's apparently back, but grown.
Brendan Fraser is the only returning actor.
...And the biggie:

So far as I can tell, there's no fecking mummy. WHAT.

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting that for me, Cleo!

[syldath.livejournal.com]

About the stagehands...because of the writer's strike, I was prepared to show my support even though one of the shows they were picketing was the whole reason I had spent well more than I could afford to fly from Dallas to NYC to attend. However, when some friends and I went to salvage what we could by taking pictures out front of the show, possibly pick up some of their literature and (at least on my part) see what we could do, maybe bring them coffee or something...they mocked us...laughed at us and said "haha you won't get to see them tonight" at which point ALL my goodwill for them vanished in the cold New York air. We took our pictures of the posters and walked away, myself in tears.

[elbales]

That completely sucks and I can't believe their union officers would approve of such unprofessional behavior if they knew about it. Way to flush public support down the tubes. People can be such creeps.

It occurs to me that the union officers would probably like to hear about this. If you wanted to contact the union, here's their main page, their contact page, and the list of officers and staff they have posted on their site.

Harlan comments further re: "Star Trek"

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

The reports of Harlan's pique have been greatly exaggerated. From the "Art Deco Dining Pavilion" forum on Harlan Ellison Dot Com (http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.htm) (I don't have a way to link directly to his comment):

HARLAN ELLISON
- Monday, November 12 2007 18:12:47
MARK GOLDBERG:

One more small favor, if you please:

Before this gets EVEN MORE out of hand, will you please contact Mr. Hinman and ask him to get in touch with me ASAP, either right here, or by phone. I believe he and I have spoken previously, so that should be do'able for him.

For anyone else tuning in to this matter, there is a large gap, nay, an abyss, nay, a limitless chasm, between being mildly piqued, annoyed, exhaustedly weary of dealing with this crap, and being "stinking mad." I have no bone to pick with Mr. Hinman, but I probably have a tibia to gnaw with whoever thought that was an appropriate headline...since it mischaracterizes my feelings at the moment. But...

I done got one unfrayed nerve left, and Mr. Sanchez--who wrote the original column--and the dude who heaved that wrongwrong splitter "stinking mad"--they done be gettin' on it.

I am an enormous admirer of Mr. Abrams's work, and I think a mutually-respectful chat twixt him'n'me might handle this Trek business far better than all the internet twitter.

Mark--or anyone--if you can service my accounts just this once more, I will be grateful.

Yr. Pal, Harlan--NOT "stinking mad"

So it's not as dramatic as some on the Net have said. At least not yet, and I hope it never grows beyond a kerfuffle. Or...what's less extreme than a kerfuffle?

[duncanatrix.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I remember really enjoying reading the Radcliffe ball chapter, and that was eons ago! Also, Perez Hilton is a dick.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks. I know a couple of characters are definitely being tweaked--I mean, most of their dialogue will still be the same, but, you know--it's funny how much you can change without actually doing anything dramatic to what's there.

[kiena-tesedale.livejournal.com]

Hey Cleo, don't know if you've seen this before, but it looks right up your alley - and maybe something you'd like to pimp? ;) Free Rice (http://www.freerice.com/index.php) is a vocabulary game site where, for every word you guess the right definition for, you donate 10 grains of rice to a country in need. It's funded by various corporate sponsors who have small adds at the bottom of the page that aren't flashy and are unobtrusive.

The other nice thing about the game is that it adjusts to your level of vocabulary knowledge. There are 50 vocabulary levels, and as you get words right or wrong, you go up or down in level (three right words and you go up a level and one wrong and you go down a level). That keeps it in the range that you can answer with a bit of a challenge. The earlier levels are very easy, so even non-native English speakers can play. And for a bit of added challenge - they say on the FAQ page that it's rare for people to get above level 48. ;)

(Full disclaimer - I saw this linked from the BBC News website, it's not something I stumbled across on my own. But I think it's a worthy site to pimp, since it's fun, too).

[elbales]

Also highly addictive.
*feverishly clicked for like an hour one time*

[lyrainverse.livejournal.com]

Dear Santa,

I've been extra good this year, so please bring me Pan, Hester and Iorek plushies for Christmas. Also Stelmaria if you have room.

Thanks!

Sincerely,
inverse

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

What, no high-quality replica alethiometer?

[edda.livejournal.com]

Scott Adams what? Did he lose all his money? Is the restaurant the last thing he's got? Did I totally miss something here?

I'm guessing the answer to the last one is "yes".

And great linkspam, thanks!

[cellardoor28.livejournal.com]

EEEEE! Plushie Daemons!!

Er, that's all :p

OMG PUPPY

[elbales]

*is mesmerized by the complete adorability of your icon*

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

I gave up bottled water when I quit driving and had to be able to fit a week's worth of groceries into my bike basket. Those big bottles just took up too much space. Then I read this article (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html) about how much plastic waste the product produces and how much fuel it consumes, and it just seemed totally frivolous to be spending money on something that comes out of taps for almost nothing, when about a third of the world is afraid to drink their water.

But it's a decision everyone has to make for themselves. It's funny though, how defensive people get about environmental things. They always think you're judging them. I see a lot of it here, and I also get a lot of it when I mention I don't drive anymore. "Well, *huff huff* I live in the country/commute a long distance/have a dozen kids!!1!"

[kotszok.livejournal.com]

Hi Cleo ;) Long time no see. :D My friend linked me up to a website where you can donate rice to countries suffering from famine while playing a word game. For each word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice. It looks pretty legit, they have many well known sponsors who pay for advertising and the money goes to pay for the rice.

If you want, take a look here: http://www.freerice.com/index.php (they have banners too)

I thought since you speak about similar topics and so many people visit your webiste, you could pimp this website too. :D I've just managed to collect 1000 grains of rice. XD

(Woah, I didn't realize this comment sounded so much like those chain-mails... D: )

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I know, I linked to it two entries ago. : )

A cause that could use your platform-tastic journal...

[eyetosky.livejournal.com]

The whole shebang is up on my journal here:
http://eyetosky.livejournal.com/167328.html?mode=reply

In a nutshell: A South Dakota domestic abuse shelter has been hijacked and utterly destroyed by the profiteers of the rape trade. Pretty Bird Woman House is looking to come back stronger than ever with a new facility, but they're only at 18% of their goal, with time running out until the Jan 31st deadline.

http://prettybirdwomanhousefund.chipin.com/pretty-bird-woman-house, for more info and where and how to donate.

Re: A cause that could use your platform-tastic journal...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

By the what?

[lady-elina.livejournal.com]

Hi,

Since you're keeping up with what's going on with The Golden Compass, this might be of interest for the next linkspam: Kate Bush to pen end credits song 'Lyra' (http://www.bridgetothestars.net/news/kate-bush-to-pen-end-credits-song-lyra/). Possibly an unexpected choice, but personally, I'm very excited about it!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

KATE BUSH OMG!

Bottled Water vs Tap Water

[caedwynn.livejournal.com]

Ok, I moved to L.A. almost 3 years ago from Colorado, and I have to weigh in on this one. The water in Denver was wonderful. Never had a problem with it. But, ever since we moved to L.A., we have to use a Brita filter or drink bottled water. If I were to drink straight tap water, I get diarrhea in a week. No kidding. No one I know here drinks straight tap water.

Re: Bottled Water vs Tap Water

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

It's the same situation in Philly. When I lived in Boston, nobody would have thought of drinking bottled (at least nobody I know), but when I came to Philly, the water tastes SO bad that you have to go either Britta or bottled.

[barrelgoddess.livejournal.com]

SPOOOOOOOOOOCK

He looks good. =O Looking forward to seeing more shots of other characters.

(Except Winona Ryder as Amanda. WTF. Do not want.)