Bothering Snape

The internet is swarming with people that are fascinating and wonderful to meet but there are also quite a few idiots and psychopaths that I don't want to share my life with -even the most unimportant parts so I made this journal a Friends Only Journal.



Write a comment and tell me why I should add you and I might do you the favour. I must warn you right away though- I am boring as hell and I will only write about my TV/Movie/Music obsessions and similar trivial stuff. I should also add that some comments are in German (since I am German and half of my f-list is also) and I am a slasher which means some of my postings may not always be completely work safe. So if your are a homophobic or have problems with topics like these; I'd advise you to move on rather quickly. Still interested?

Assly and I have been talking about the fact that unlike Stargate, Smallville and Harry Potter for example the Star Trek fandom is a rather disorganized mess. There is for example not a single decent fanfic archive out there a la "Area 51" "Wraithbait" or "Walking the Plank". We are now thinking about about starting an archive for Star Trek fanfics. We would love to include gen fics too but decided that we want to start off with a slash archive. While I do know how to create a normal website, I have no clue (yet) about how create an archive which seems to be a different animal altogether . I am also looking into hosts and domain names.

Anyone who has actual experience with website building (especially an archive) or anyone in general who would like to participate in the project is very welcome. Also please share your experience

I saw that yesterday evening in quite a few communities but I was too tired and it was too late. Amazon has basically banned gay literature and entertainment from their site. It is still available - only you won't be able to find it when you search for it nor will the books and DVDs have any rankings which means they won't show up on best-seller lists.  John Barrowman's biography (strangely enough only the hard cover version not the pocketbook) falls also under that category. Homophobe much, Amazon? Sign the petition.

Amazon Rank

Explanation

Sign the petition

mood| angry]

I just opened my music folder and instead of my own way of archiving, I suddenly have a folder for each artist, which means that fan mixes and compilations are not together anymore. Anyone know what to do to change it back to the way it used to be? How did this happen anyway in the first place? Everything was okay yesterday, Might it have something to do with the registry. I just used "Magical Optimizer" by Ashampoo but this didn't happen before and I have used the Optomizer a couple of time before that. How utterly annoying. Any help would be appreciated.

Keith Olberman has been the voice of reason in a time of insanity for a long time and I love him dearly for what he said regarding Prop 8. So true and I really couldn't say it any better. this is NOT about religion, NOT about a constitional right but about a FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT. Prop 8 is just wrong.

Assly told me this evening about the study and I thought it would be good to share.

Did you know that 20% of the US population is considered to be illiterate? The new study from the National Endowment for the Arts addresses not just literary reading but reading of all sorts, including the reading people now do online. The new report also relied upon a larger group of sources, including reports generated by the Department of Education and the Department of Labor as well as the National Commission on Writing. In 2006 people between 15 and 24 years old, voluntarily read only about seven minutes a day during the week and 10 minutes a day on weekends. On the other hand, they watched TV about 2.5 hours a day. Not only are Americans reading less, they are reading less well what they do read. Between 1992 and 2005, the percentage of 12^th graders who read at the proficient level declined from 40% to 35% and has now declined to even less then 30 %. The other 50% have the proficiency rating of fourth graders.

Researchers from the Global Language Monitor , have performed a detailed analysis of the current series of Presidential Debates (and the major-party convention acceptance speeches) in terms of word usage choices, grade reading-level appropriateness, and the use of such grammatical constructions as passive voice to show how the complexity level had to be constantly lowered:

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1895)
In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Stephen Douglas' seven speeches averaged a 12th-grade level (11.9) while Lincoln's averaged 11.2. The difference is explained by the fact that, although both used about the same number of words, Lincoln broke his speech down into shorter paragraphs, a stylistic choice probably intended to make his points easier to understand. (For an added comparison they analysed Washington's Farewell Address, which also came in at a 12th grade reading level.)

FDR's Declaration of War
President Franklin Roosevelt's declaration of war in December 1941 maintained the standard of his predecessors at a grade-level of 11.5.

The first nationally televised debates, however, marked the beginning of the downtrend. John Kennedy's readability grade level was 9.6 while Richard Nixon's was 9.1. The general consensus is that Kennedy 'won' the debates on points of style and his command of the new medium.

Presidents Carter and Ford are to be credited for momentarily stemming the decline. In the Ford-Carter debates, President Carter maintained a 10.4 level and President Ford's reached 11th-grade level. In the Carter-Reagan debate, the level of Carter's language reached that of the 12th grade while Reagan's achieved a respectable 10.7. But since then, the grade-level of presidential debates has returned to decline.

The First Bush-Gore Debates
This brings us to the first Bush-Gore debate of 2000. Are these candidates speaking to the American people on a higher level than their predecessors? To their credit, on average, they are. In the first presidential debate, Gore's readability score on the Flesch-Kincaid scale was 8.4 (identical with Clinton's average over his two debates) while Bush scored 7.1 (actually half a grade-level higher than his father in the Bush-Clinton-Perot debates of 1992).

The Second and Third Bush-Gore Debates
The second round of presidential debates, in which the candidates sat around a table rather than stand behind podiums, reflected a lowering of the Flesch-Kincaid grade levels in the speech of the presidential candidates Al Gore and George Bush. In the second round of debates and the grade level of their speech dropped from 7.1 to 6.5 for Bush and 8.4 to 7.7 for Gore. The third debate was a town meeting in which the candidates responded to questions from the audience rather than from Jim Lehrer. The grade level dropped insignificantly

McCain and Obama
In a linguistic analysis of the final Presidential Debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, the Global Language Monitor has found that in sharp contrast to prior debates, Obama’s use of the passive voice doubled that of McCain (and was significantly higher than he typically uses).  The use of the passive voice is considered significant in political speech because audiences generally respond better to active voice, which they tend to view as more direct.  On a grade-level basis, Obama came in at 9.3 with McCain scoring grade level, while McCain came in at 7.4, a difference of nearly two grade levels. 

Sad really.

...in case you haven't done so already but it seems to me that everyone I know has been an early bird.

For those who wonder - no this mix has nothing to do with law, nor does it refer to "Battlestar Gallactica" though if you don't know any Latin then watching the BSG episode should help to understand why I chose that title. "Sine Qua Non" can be translated as "without which is none" and means something an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential. What would Daniel be without his passion and curiosity regarding ancient civilisations and thirst for knowledge? Until Catherine offered him the job that would change his life forever, every colleague laughed and ridiculed him. Only his passion kept him going even when everybody laughed at him. Later in life, this passion kept him going when his wife was killed, he ascended and descended without any memory. So, here is a mix not for any relationship but Daniel and his love for archaeology and anthropology. The music on the mix is 90% instrumental (made up languages do not count) and one song in Latin. Lisa Gerrard's "Song of Amergin" makes me envision an ancient library like the one in Alexandria, or Daniel standing at the foot of some ancient, mysterious city. I think everyone will have a different idea for the music and this is what makes it so perfect. It will let your imagination take flight. Enjoy and please comment when you take.



Artists included: Lisa Gerrard, Harry Gregson-Williams, David Arnold, E.S. Posthumus, Adiemus, Klaus Badelt and more

( Full Cover and Download Link Under The Cut )

Passing the warning along:

The gist:
- They save all entries they can see in your journal and repost them! (They seem to be looking for sensitive data.)
- They're not real journals, they are fakes to get all that information

Read this info, and if possible please report them to LJ abuse.

The new pictures from "Entertainment Weekly" begged to be used and I really didn't want to give in but my muse was insistent and whispered "Come on, I know you want to and it won't take a long time. I promise" I didn't. 22 Minutes. LOL As usual comments are love =)

House and Wilson



brushes: pfefferminzchen, Tre, Loleia
texture: my own
lyrics: Barenaked Ladies "One Week" and Evermore

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'

* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.


* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.


OK, much clearer now.

Please watch. It is only 20 minutes of your time but it might be enlightening or simply confirm what you already believe in



From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

In a few more days, humanitarian relief programs will be unable to give away food to the most starved people. A hundred million people are facing starvation. In the last six months alone millions of people who were fine found themselves on the brink of starvation, all because the prices for food have risen due to inflation and the effect of global warming.  There are already fights and violent protests happening all over the world, because people are desperate. The latest fights for food were on Haiti. We are heading for something incredibly nasty here. It feels like watching a terrible accident unfold in front of our eyes and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. I feel so helpless.

mood| depressed]

Guys I have a question. How do i change the look of the comments. Normally each time you answer a comment it gets pulled over more and more. I know that some of you have gotten rid of the problem.How did you do it and also is it possible to do it with older comments or does it only work for new comments?

I can't think of any other man who has left more broken hearts in his wake then the doctor. So this is my mix mostly from the point of view of the companions but not exclusively. Artists included are Charlotte Martin, Leona Lewis, Kate Havnevik and others. Please comment when you take 

All Good Thing...... A Mix for the Companions of the Doctor




Sarah Jane :  The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship... Everything has its time. And everything ends.

( Lyrics and Download Link )

mood| in awe]
music| Alexandre Desplat - Wong Chia Chi's Theme (Lust Caution)]

There is a movie.

I want to see it really, really badly.

Just the trailer alone brought tears into my eyes and all I could think was " God, how beautiful......."

Want to see it?



Our world is so fragile and so beautiful, yet we humans do everything in our power to wreck it. See, why it is so worth saving.

 Heath Ledger is dead. I have no words for how shocking that is.  What a huge loss. He was so talented.

This really pissses me off: Taken directly from the Str Trek.com website:

Goodbye from the STARTREK.COM Team



e-mail to editor@startrek.com

That's of course also a way to punish the fans for supporting the writers........

No Sir. From someone who can say it so much better then I do

We need to care for the environment: it has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion. Human beings, obviously, are of supreme worth vis-à-vis creation as a whole. Respecting the environment does not mean considering material or animal nature more important than man. Rather, it means not selfishly considering nature to be at the complete disposal of our own interests, for future generations also have the right to reap its benefits and to exhibit towards nature the same responsible freedom that we claim for ourselves. Nor must we overlook the poor, who are excluded in many cases from the goods of creation destined for all. Humanity today is rightly concerned about the ecological balance of tomorrow. It is important for assessments in this regard to be carried out prudently, in dialogue with experts and people of wisdom, uninhibited by ideological pressure to draw hasty conclusions, and above all with the aim of reaching agreement on a model of sustainable development capable of ensuring the well-being of all while respecting environmental balances. If the protection of the environment involves costs, they should be justly distributed, taking due account of the different levels of development of various countries and the need for solidarity with future generations. Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying.

In this regard, it is essential to “sense” that the earth is “our common home” and, in our stewardship and service to all, to choose the path of dialogue rather than the path of unilateral decisions. Further international agencies may need to be established in order to confront together the stewardship of this “home” of ours; more important, however, is the need for ever greater conviction about the need for responsible cooperation. The problems looming on the horizon are complex and time is short. In order to face this situation effectively, there is a need to act in harmony. One area where there is a particular need to intensify dialogue between nations is that of the stewardship of the earth's energy resources. The technologically advanced countries are facing two pressing needs in this regard: on the one hand, to reassess the high levels of consumption due to the present model of development, and on the other hand to invest sufficient resources in the search for alternative sources of energy and for greater energy efficiency. The emerging counties are hungry for energy, but at times this hunger is met in a way harmful to poor countries which, due to their insufficient infrastructures, including their technological infrastructures, are forced to undersell the energy resources they do possess. At times, their very political freedom is compromised by forms of protectorate or, in any case, by forms of conditioning which appear clearly humiliating.

In case you wonder who said those wise words. Pope Benedict just released this yesterday. Call it is five cents to Bali I guess.

mood| furious - that's what I am]

The new report from the United Nations regarding Global Warming has been issued in Valencia and guess what - the United States government doesn't want to believe in it and basically says it is a pack of lies. No I am not making this up. It just came through the news. They say there is not a clear definition regarding the risks of a climate change. Sharon Hays, chief of the US delegation, cited "scientists " who said that there is no evidence that our actions lead to a climate change if there actually is one. Another member by the name of Harlan Watson declared the final result of the report as a "political decision". So we are again at that point. The United States deny that there is Global Warming, because there is no evidence for it and accuse the rest of he world of making it up. I have no words for this. I really have. No. Words. For This. So the Cyclone in Bangladesh which has killed at least 2.200 people (death toll is rising) which had been, even for their standards, the strongest one in decades was quite normal and the rising number of hurricanes and tornadoes is just a fluke. I could cry. Really. Just out of sheer frustration. I think they only agreed earlier this year that there is a climate change, because the oil is getting rarer. Now that lots of oil has been found in Brazil, they feel safe again and think they can go on the way they did. I stop now or I will smash something out of frustration.

I haven't found this news yet in English but here it is in German:
Tagesschau: Zweifel aus den USA am Weltklimabericht - Weltklimarat sieht eindeutige Klimaerwärmung