quoththeraven

It's obsolete now that we use computers that use fonts that are proportionally spaced. It took me some mindfulness to unlearn, but it no longer serves its original purpose.

Oh, thank God ... I was debating whether to bring up the spelling issue and decided not to, but I winced/LOL'd a little bit each time I saw the word "parkay." I've never heard of Parkay brand flooring, nor have I ever seen "parquet" spelled that way. I do like the looks of parquet floors, though. I was thinking of the margarine too. Parkay -- anal -- anyone remember the butter in Last Tango in Paris?

I don't have a lab(rador retriever), but I have a cat, so the cat scans are free -- if you don't count her food, litter, litter box, her shots and veterinary care, and ...

It's not just the police. it's everyone. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

The purpose of a grand jury is to determine whether there is probable cause to file charges, not to determine guilt or innocence. That means the DA puts forward the best possible case for prosecution. They don't throw everything at the grand jury and let them decide what happened; that's the job of a trial (petit) jury. Only really bad cases -- ones where the grand jury feels that under no view of the facts could the person be found guilty -- result in no indictment. For more on this, here's Tumblr commentary by an assistant state's attorney in Baltimore: http://lindentreeisle.tumblr.com/post/103508665696/justice4mikebrown-ive-noticed-some-people-are A more extensive post by another attorney reblogged by the same assistant state's attorney: http://lindentreeisle.tumblr.com/post/103600053421/why-the-ferguson-grand-jury-was-completely Here's an analysis of the (non-existent) cross-examination of Darren Wilson: http://lindentreeisle.tumblr.com/post/103647444636/t-ii-civil-rights-attorney-msnbc-legal-analyst Also, the grand jury was composed of nine whites and three African-Americans -- two women and one man. Nine votes are required to indict. A masterpost with links about the case: http://ponyregrets.tumblr.com/post/103635921889/rosethomass-if-you-like-me-get-so-angry-when Even assuming -- and given the information and video in the above masterpost, that's an iffy assumption -- Michael Brown shoplifted cigars, that is neither the grounds for the death penalty (which is in effect what happened here) or for shooting a fleeing suspect, who has to have committed a violent felony, see masterpost. FFS, the Supreme Court has held that the death penalty is only constitutionally permissible in homicide cases. Ex-NBA star Charles Barkley wrote a book titled Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? According to his grand jury testimony, Darren Wilson is. Black men are automatically presumed to be dangerous criminals, so the fear of them is considered justified and reasonable. Not much will improve until people lose that ingrained fear. Want more proof? White men get away with far worse without being shot by the police. And as for the argument that any violence that's occurred invalidates any of this? (And as far as I know, it's been property damage that's occurred, not looting.) In March of 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. said this: I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non*-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? .... It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity. Source here. If Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he'd be able to make the same speech, except instead of pointing to poverty he'd point to police misconduct and a siege mentality that assumes that black folks are up to no good while white folks get the benefit of the doubt. I'd also like to point out that there's no big outcry when senseless property damage happens after a city's sports team loses. That's considered par for the course.

Not something I'm aware of, but although I've watched the show since its debut, I'm not plugged in to the latest about the show (other than casting/plot news) the way I am with some other shows. However, I could have sworn that Alicia and Kalinda have been in a few scenes together since they patched up their falling out over Kalinda sleeping with Peter (but not to the point of being besties again) after Kalinda was instrumental in locating Alicia's daughter when no one knew where she was. Purposefully avoiding each other in scenes on set would require the assistance of the showrunners, who have written Kalinda mostly as an exposition and plot-advancing device since the (deservedly) hostile reception to the storyline about her husband/ex-husband. FWIW, Archie Panjabi is leaving the show at the end of this season; her contract's up and she's decided not to renew it. That could support the theory that she and Margulies have had a falling out, or it could be that she wants to be free to do more varied work (such as in movies) than co-starring in a network show gives her. Nevertheless, even though I don't think they've made the best use of Kalinda in the last few seasons, I'll miss her.

I haven't seen the show. But many first year law students -- especially at the higher-rated schools -- have done other things before attending law school. They don't go there straight from college/undergrad anymore. On the other hand, I can only suspend disbelief so far. From everything I've heard, this show goes way beyond what I can suspend disbelief for. For one thing, first-year law students are discouraged in the strongest terms from doing anything but attend classes and studying. That means no work, not even for professors. And no law school professor who wants to stay on the administration's good side is going to use first-year students as researchers; for one thing, in the law school scheme of things, they don't know anything yet and in fact are constantly reminded that most of what they think they know they either don't know or it was wrong to begin with. They don't call the first year of law school "teaching one to think like a lawyer" for nothing. Shonda Rhimes is a talented writer and showrunner, but her shows tend to be too drama-llama for me. I'd only be watching this one for the eye-candy and the gay sex (and maybe the mystery plot). That's not enough to get me to watch or keep me watching. Also, a character in a legal drama who uses sexuality to get info for work? She's been around for years on The Good Wife. Her name is Kalinda Sharma. She's bi/pansexual and non-monogamous, all of which is shown on the show, though perhaps not as explicitly as on How to Get Away With Murder, she's great at her job as an investigator (and in fact has limits and ethics, although they're not necessarily where most people would draw them), and she used to be the title character's best friend until the title character learned that she had slept with her husband in return for a personal favor.

I paid $2.55 regular (cash, which is discounted) at a Gulf station today. Read it and weep.

There are plenty of other good-looking actors (though there's almost no overlap between my list and Gar1eth's), but I consider Bomer one of the best-looking of the bunch, maybe even the best-looking. I've been a fan since he appeared on Tru Calling as Eliza Dushku's boyfriend, back when I didn't even know his name. So I'm with tyro on this.

I have heard and seen so much about Ferguson on my Tumblr dash (and to a lesser extent, my Twitter feed). So sad. Anyone who doesn't think that whites are judged by a different standard and given more leeway than others, especially blacks (black men especially), who are considered by many to be violent thugs, is deliberately blind. Anyone pulling the "innocent until proven guilty" crap on me will be reminded that by the same logic, they are treating Michael Brown as guilty until proven innocent. It's easy to pick on a dead teenager; he can't fight back. It's also telling that of all the people I follow on Tumblr, the one whose commentary on Ferguson has been the most pointed and angry is a white woman who is a Baltimore prosecutor. Anyway, here's a heartwarming story of how Mary Engelbreit, a well-known white illustrator who lives in the St. Louis area, has gotten pushback from some former fans because she drew the following poster commenting on the situation, which she is selling and donating the proceeds to Michael Brown's family. http://loveinthemargins.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-8-21-mary-engelbreit-ferguson.jpg Here's a link to an article about the Engelbreit situation. BTW, people contributing to a fund for the police officer who shot Michael Brown have openly made comments that make the racial nature of their response clear. Hooray for judging people based on their character and not the color of their skin!

These are beautiful. Yes, ballet's more strenuous than yoga because the movements are made at speed, so there's cardio as well as strength and flexibility. (Though I'm not dissing yoga.) Is it possible that some of the other b&w photos are of Nureyev? The fourth one, for example?

I wish someone had helped him with the Superman cosplay -- the tie on that cape is all wrong -- but Mr. Jaxon is quite the hottie, especially with longer hair. Any guesses what color his eyes are? Blue, gray, hazel, or brown? It's difficult to tell. (Yes, yes, he has a nice penis and hard-on, but for some reason the latter doesn't do that much for me outside of videography.)