Cleolinda everywhere

Internets, I may or may not go see X-Men today, so in the limited amount of time I have, I will simply give you a (a, not the) Twitter-reaction round-up to the Wall Street Journal article about how YA is bad and it should feel bad ("It was all vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff"). I don't feel like I really have to take it apart sentence by sentence, because it is so incredibly, self-evidently wrong in its wrongness to anyone who has actually read YA books.

@maureenjohnson: The Wall Street Journal has done it again. I am going to have some kind of an episode. *quivers* http://on.wsj.com/lwuPNd

( And then it snowballs into #YAsaves ) 

Okay, more housekeeping.

The new layout: For those of you just joining us, the goal was to make the layout, particularly the comment posting boxes, more accessible to anyone with visual impairment. I threw "November Day" up here just to have something clean and legible for the Oscar liveblog, but... now I actually like it. I went through every single other layout LJ offers, tested more than a dozen of them full-size, and kept coming back to this one. In fact, I don't even think I want to go back to Component now; it looks cluttered and small in comparison. Problem: This layout does not have an option to change any of the colors. So we're staying with it in teal for this week, and then foresthouse and I are going to work on the CSS code over the weekend and shift all the hex codes to purple hues. I had a few people who said they liked the teal better (if it weren't an issue of persona, I'd actually be perfectly happy with it myself), but I also had people who were touchingly distraught at my non-purple existence. So we'll at least see what it looks like changed, live, so we can tweak it. Here's what a screencap of the current layout looks like with the hue shifted in Photoshop and lightened/desaturated a bit, both a warm purple and a cool purple:

( POLL TIME )


On the upside, my parents are both down for the count with a third iteration of Death Blarg, but somehow, I have managed to dodge it this time. I am hoping that better health and weather will lead to an improved awesomosity forecast.

That said, we had a freak hailstorm yesterday:



A quick linkspam: ( Read more... )

I am very tired and apparently developing arthritis in my left hand (index knuckle) (I'M ONLY 31, FOR GOD'S SAKE), which makes typing a bit uncomfortable, blah blah blah snore. HOWEVER, I will note that we are nearing the end of the current round of auctions at foresthouseeyes; here are the items ending tomorrow and Saturday. Specifically, my auctions for postcards from me (current bid: $60) and The Littlest Edward ($260) (seriously). Meanwhile, at savesnowssanity, a year of postcards/correspondence/dark portents from Galadriel ends on Sunday.

Speaking of dolls, my mother and I worked out some gift-acquiring details today. You see, both my sister and I have birthdays in mid-December, and Christmas is already srs bsns chez Jones, so things have to be coordinated. And also, my poor mother is like, "Look, I know you want this, but I have no idea where to go on the internet." So. I am simply telling you that Plans are In Place. And that I have cunning plans for making doll hair flip properly.

Meanwhile, this has been absolutely astonishing: Cook’s Source: When The Source is Plagiarized, The Source Should Feel Grateful - and Guilty.

@SmartBitches RT @Katmeyer: admiring cook's source bizmodel: purloin content; publish it w/o permission; charge author 4 editorial services.

@cleolinda: @SmartBitches 4. Send underpants gnomes to collect payments. 5. PROFIT.

Linkspam! ( Big movie news )

Many things! So many that I only culled the very best links for the spam, and it's still hugelong. Well, it's not that bad. JUST READ IT.

To begin: the new Made of Fail, "Self-Esteem is for Everybody," is up. I'm not on it (Scarlett is of Scarlettopia and the Spoony Experiment is, much to Dayna's twitterpation), but Dayna and I were talking a few days before, and she had me write down what I was saying so she could read it on air (about 28 minutes in), and it was: my advice to geek boys. My sad, hard-won, somewhat embittered advice. Alas, earwax.

Also, the Christopher Pike thing just got better. (Scroll down to "ETA again.") Not only is he now accusing caligirl_08 of being the one with an army of Amazon review sockpuppets, he's claiming that bookfails is "a livejournal community sponsored by someone of Turkish background who has taken things much too far and is trying to rob fiction authors of their artistic license." Such artistic license includes claiming that the Aryans of India are the same as the "Nordic ideal" Aryans.

However: sad news as well.

Hollywood legend Tony Curtis dies at 85. 

Bonnie and Clyde Director Arthur Penn Dies at 88.

'Marty,' 'Chinatown' actor Joe Mantell dies at 94.

More linkspam: ( Read more... )

Okay. I have never actually said which school I went to as an undergraduate, but I'm going to tell you that it was Birmingham-Southern, because they are pretty much dead to me now. My friend David on Twitter--well, one of my two friends David on Twitter--mentioned an email that BSC sent out, announcing some grade-A fuckery. I don't think they have my current address, because I didn't get it, or else they somehow sensed that it would make my head explode. But now David's forwarded it to me, so this is all straight from the school's mouth. You can read it here, if you scroll down.

Let me rewind a little for you here. Birmingham-Southern is--was--a wonderful little liberal arts school with great fine and performing arts programs and a really good basketball team. It had a small creative writing program that, when I was there, was trying to get more funding and do the best it could. I was in a couple of different editorial positions on the literary magazine while I was there. And one of the primary reasons I went to this school was because it did not have a football team. I had gone to a high school that was very focused on football, and quite honestly, I wanted to go to a school where someone would give a shit about arts and academics. I'm perfectly happy for people to go to football schools, but that's not where I wanted to go, and there are very few places in Alabama that aren't football schools. This was one of them.

WELL NOT ANYMORE, THAT IS. Shortly after I left, Dr. Neal Berte--the school's beloved president of many years--retired. And then this David Pollick person became the new president, and then This David Pollick Person took it upon himself to acquire us a football team and A STADIUM, and if that was someone else's call, tell me, so I can blow them up with the power of my mind instead. And now, NOW, the arts and academics are getting cut. BEHOLD:

A total of 29 faculty members were given notice that their positions would be eliminated within the next two years. Many of the faculty members cut today were tenured, but tenured and tenure-track faculty members will be given one-year contracts for the upcoming school year.

Altogether five majors were cut from the college’s offerings. Those majors included accounting, computer science, dance, French and German.

One non-tenured faculty member was cut from the math department and three non-tenured faculty were cut from the English department.

One of those, by the way, was a friend of mine. It also looks like one of my favorite professors may get cut next year. For the record, I was a double French/Spanish major, by which I mean FUCK YOU. Seriously, FUCK YOU.

Back to the article:

The cuts follow the discovery of deep and long-term financial problems at the college. In recent weeks, BSC faculty members have privately expressed frustration with the administration’s lack of transparency. In particular, faculty and staff were upset that when they had voiced concerns earlier in the fiscal year, they had been falsely assured the college’s financial condition was in good standing.

For the last several years, BSC has undertaken a series of expensive capital projects, including new dormitories, athletic fields and a welcome center. Few, if any, members of the campus community realized that the college was hemorrhaging cash at the same time these projects were underway.

I just--I would like to continue ranting and quoting fuckwittery at you, but I have a migraine now. I just. I can't. What. This school was a rescue for people, people who didn't fit in at schools that are all about sports (which, around here, is most of them). This school was a place to prove to people that there was, in fact, room in the world for them. And now that place is being taken away. Because God knows we don't have ENOUGH FOOTBALL TEAMS IN ALABAMA.

As a final note, please enjoy the BSC President David Pollick Must Go Facebook group.

Okay, I am just absolutely stunned by this.

Disabled LJer evilpuppy is mistreated by United Airlines, which consistently drags its feet on supplying a requested wheelchair (I'm guessing she only has to use one in physically strenuous situations, like traveling, and therefore doesn't have one of her own on hand?) and is generally assy about helping her get around, because she's not elderly and doesn't "look" disabled? I don't even know. But okay. That's pretty bad. Then she gets on the plane and is told by a flight attendant that they can't help her getting her carry-on to the overhead compartment. I'm being told on Twitter that there's an issue of attendants not getting worker's comp if they injure themselves assisting passengers with luggage, which is ludicrous, but believably ludicrous. But if that's the case, SAY SO. "I'm really sorry, but we're not allowed to help with that." Instead, one of the most bizarre customer service policies I have ever heard is laid down:

I asked her how I was supposed to get my luggage stowed and her answer was: "You'll just have to wait for someone from your row to come back here and ask them to give you a hand." When I asked what would happen if no one would, her response to me was: "Well, normally a passenger is around to overhear something like this and they'll offer to help with it on their own. You'll just have to ask someone when they get back here." Then she turned back around and went up to the front seats where she waited to "assist" other passengers.

By contrast, here's what a stranger who isn't even PAID OR EMPLOYED to "attend" anyone does:

Finally, it was too much and I dropped my suitcase down into the aisle to stop the flow and ask one of the men passing me for help before he went looking for his seat. As he was lifting it, he asked me if I was all right and I told him about my injury. He apologized profusely for my condition and tried to make me feel better by assuring me [her disability/injury] would be okay eventually. I doubt either of us believed it, but at that point, it was nice to hear that, even from a total stranger. [...] When we landed, the gentleman who'd helped me before actually called up to me from two rows back that he'd pull my carry-on down when he reached my row. I thanked him again for being so much help and he again tried to make me feel better by hoping I'd recover from my injury soon.

That's... wow. So she's treated so rudely and in so much pain that she goes to the United Airlines counter to complain. And then... there's Dina.

( I'm not sorry for what happened to you )

Hey! You know who has a website? United Airlines. You know what United Airlines' website says? It has a Customer Commitment page and everything. I'll wait here until you stop laughing. Okay, you ready?

In the air and on the ground, online and on the telephone, our customers have the right to expect — to demand — respect, courtesy, fairness and honesty from the airline they have selected for travel.

At United, the only acceptable customer experience is one in which you arrive at your intended destination safely, comfortably and on time.

WAIT WAIT NO IT GETS BETTER. United Airlines pledges to "readily, capably and respectfully accommodate travelers with special needs." Are you on the floor yet? Because I've been here for a while. I don't know what's going to happen with this, but I hope it gets good.

Hey! You know who's on Twitter? @UnitedAirlines. I just feel like sharing that bit of information with you.


ETA: Something else interesting: the number of similar stories in the comments here and over there.

Oh! Just in: @UnitedAirlines responds on Twitter: "This is concerning. We're looking into this matter."

Aaaaaand it was a reply to woofiegrrl, who got their attention by invoking the dread name of Kevin Smith (yes, that Kevin Smith), he of the Southwest Airlines debacle.

ETA: United wants to contact evilpuppy and apologize.

ETA: They've left a comment on her journal, it looks like, with contact information.

This head cold is driving me crazy--of course, I have the luxury of saying that because it's not very bad. It's the kind of light cold where you sit around moaning all day that man, there is just nothing worse than a stubbed toe, you know? Because you've forgotten what a real knock-you-down bug feels like, you've forgotten anything but the thickish head and the slight sinus pressure and the developing cough and the constant frog in your throat right now. I have had chills pretty bad (no fever, though) and a good bit of fatigue, to the point where I spent half the day in a couch coma and the other half cheerfully on Twitter. Which I'm sure impresses no one.

From wolfsilveroak: "Hey, check out this Etsy shop. It was set up expressly for the Aussie Bushfires. So far, they've raised $12,000 in Australian funds. 100% of the proceeds goes to fire relief and they have free international shipping." Also, from sailorcoruscant: "One of my favourite yarn stores in Victoria is asking for people to knit squares that she will make into blankets for the victims." And from alexthedevil: "A reporter's tale of surviving the fire - 'How we cheated the flames of death.' "

I... have no good segue from that! Snack Deathmatch! Peanut butter cups vs. red licorice.

(Note: Much of the news, even the movie news, is toy-oriented because it's being reported from Toy Fair. So... that's what's up with that.)

( Linkspam )

Huzzah! My college roommate (Valkyrie) and her husband (Dr. Typo, for those of y'all who used to read the Daily Digest) had their baby today! Baby Typo is seven pounds or thereabouts and 21 inches long. Also, we all haunted Dr. Typo's Facebook this morning once word got out that they'd gone to the hospital--we sat there refreshing madly while he updated his status from his iPhone, and the Lovely Emily (my other college roommate) can't get Facebook at work, so I relayed all the news to her via email. Of course, he disappeared for long stretches of time, quite reasonably, as he needed to actually be with Valkyrie and not liveblog the whole thing. Ah, modernity.

(While we were waiting, Em and I discussed Breaking Dawn, which she had just read for the first time. Appropriate!)

Petty distress: my face is all red and dry and sensitive and itchy (like a sunburn, actually), and I'm not sure why, except that ( Read more... )

New York Comic Con in 90 Seconds; "Real Book" Writers Play a Part at Comic-Con, Too; 2009 NYCC: Tonner Doll Co. Speaking of NYCC (and dolls), here's foresthouse's recap of her own adventures (with photo gallery), including a pilgrimage to aforesaid Tonner booth. What I love is that three different people (including my sister) took pictures of the Dollens, but only in foresthouse's was The Hair on high alert (fangirls must have been imminent).

( More linkspam )


And, once again: Death toll in Australian wildfires rises past 170. Please consider donating to the Red Cross.

I have a gigantic headache and have been away from my desk most of the day--which means, in turn, that I'm hellishly behind on things--so we'll only have a quick essential linkspam today. Because I have a feeling that if I don't post the Christian Bale thing, I'm going to be getting a lot of emails about it.

AUDIO: Christian Bale's Apocalyptic 'Terminator Salvation' Meltdown. I haven't listened to it yet, but the description gives you a pretty good idea.

'Last Airbender': Dev Patel's in, Jesse McCartney's out. Maybe all the screams of "WHITEWASH!!!!" are doing some good. I'm just saying.

Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, winter to continue. Yes, I actually listed these first three items in order of pop-cultural importance.

( MOAR )


OMG I FORGOT! FOURTH ANNUAL SNACK DEATHMATCH, YOU GUYS!

There is so much awesome in this linkspam that it can barely be contained.

( Nora Roberts, undead fetish nurses, flow charts, RUGGED INTENSITY, F. Streetname Whitebread )

ETA: WATCHMEN SETTLEMENT