How Many Hamster Haircuts Would It Take?

Did you know that some people knit clothes out their own pet’s hair?  I didn’t.  (Via Makezine)

Oh, Wonderful!

I received a letter in the mail today from my mortgage company, telling me that a former employee may have sold my name, address, social security number, account number, and other information to a third party.  They are so very sorry for any distress I may feel and are offering two free years of credit monitoring services.  Great.

Found on flicker: A Story in a Picture

Lemonade-lb

Originally uploaded by Greg Sims.

I love the whimsicality of this.

Did Something Mildly Creative Today

Celtic Gecko

Originally uploaded by Not So Much.

I found a book at the bookstore on Celtic patterns, like knot work and braids. I felt inspire to try something, so I took my old line drawing of a gecko (which I’ve got tacked to a cork board here at my desk), a few sheets of paper, and a lightbox (plus pencil, eraser, pen, etc.) and came up with this. I extended the tail to wind and twist around the body like Celtic knot work does. I also made the body a little thinner, to give the tail more room. I’m happy with it. I may do more with this — not sure what yet.

Someone to Watch Over Me

I’m involved with a local activist group full of libruls and peaceniks and have been for years. I’ve occasionally wondered if we’re being monitored, especially after it emerged that a peace group in Fresno was infiltrated by a police officer.

Now it emerges that the Maryland State Police had officers infiltrate groups of antiwar and anti-death penalty activists in Maryland in 2005 and 2006. The current head of the Maryland State Police, one Secretary Col. Sheridan, assures everyone that “these types of inquiries … are not occurring now and will not be a part of the future of [his agency].” So there’s no need for the state legislature to investigate the matter. We can just breathe a sigh of relief and trust them.

Hey, my ditto-head brother might ask, if you’re doing nothing wrong, what do you have to hide? Well, if the government were staffed and lead by angels (i.e., people of a wholly beneficent nature, a pure commitment to the common good, and with perfect knowledge of what is best), then I would acquiesce. But they are not. They are only human, and humans are not angels. They are fallible. They are parochial. They’re often petty. And they are susceptible to corruption.

It’s too bad we don’t have some actual angels around to govern us; we would be a lot better off. Since we don’t enjoy that option, another strategy is to limit the power of the government and put mechanisms in place to keep those in government accountable for what they do. Like spying on citizens whose only suspected “crime” is dissenting from official policy and organizing to try and persuade other citizens to also dissent. It’s unwise to allow fallible and corruptible government officials to do that unchecked. That’s why the Constitution requires a warrant on probable cause and the Legislature has the power to investigate. Those checks don’t seem to have been very effective lately, however.

Austin Cline over at Jesus’ General wonders why activists groups of all kinds aren’t protesting this kind of abuse. I’m guessing that so many of us have come to believe (mostly unconsciously) that our organizing and protesting are almost entirely ineffectual that we can’t muster the will to do any more than what we’re doing already. We’re just treading water, waiting to go under.

Decades Old Injustice Being Put Right

In 1944, an Italian prisoner of war was lynched during a riot at an army base in Seattle, Washington. Black soldiers, who were in a segregated unit, were blamed, and 43 were quickly charged and tried on a variety of charges. Twenty-eight were convicted, including two for manslaughter. Case closed.

Until Jack Hamann. He invested the case after documents were declassified and wrote up what he found in the book On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II. He uncovered evidence that casts severe doubt on the guilt of the accused soldiers and instead implicates the white MPs (if I am reading the reviews I’ve seen correctly — see here and here). Now the Army is issuing apologies and overturning convictions (almost all posthumously).

This is just another little data point on the devastating and pervasive effects of racism in our history, since these black soldiers were almost certainly railroaded because they were the most powerless and conveniently at hand scapegoats.

Found on flickr: Hill Of Tarvit House

Hill Of Tarvit House

Originally uploaded by dittohead213.

Photos of spooky old houses must be taken in black and white. It is a rule of the universe.

Fafnir Spreads the Gospel of Gorilla Jesus

The best story ever told. Maybe if I blogged regularly, I might be blessed with the inspiration to write something so wonderful.

Trip to Sacramento Zoo

Chimp in Profile

Originally uploaded by Not So Much.

I went to the Sacramento Zoo again today, this time with my older brother and his son. My brother took along his camera, too, so we had a little photographers’ expedition. I got a few good photos of the chimpanzees for the first time. This one chimp was sitting on a rock right near the front of their enclosure, eyeing everyone while looking philosophical. I’ll upload a few photos from this trip each day for about the next week. Please check them out and feel free to comment.

Found on flickr: B&W Flower

Originally uploaded by Ade F.

I love this flower photo converted into black and white. In the original, the flower is a bright red.