Valady

Reminder....

2012-01-16T15:22:28Z

Today is the last day to get your prompts in for the lm_hgficxchange!!!

BAD Internet Laws Heading Your Way

2011-11-23T06:04:43Z

Originally posted by write_light at BAD Internet Laws Heading Your Way

From the flist:

Spread the word, even you're not a US citizen, it is important for everyone!! It easy to do and it can change everything. More info by clicking on the banner.

Website Blocking

The government can order service providers to block websites for infringing links posted by any users.

Risk of Jail for Ordinary Users

It becomes a felony with a potential 5 year sentence to stream a copyrighted work that would cost more than $2,500 to license, even if you are a totally noncommercial user, e.g. singing a pop song on Facebook.

Chaos for the Internet

Thousands of sites that are legal under the DMCA would face new legal threats. People trying to keep the internet more secure wouldn't be able to rely on the integrity of the DNS system.

Read this analysis from boing-boing.net

Get on the phone and call your representative. Express your disapproval. Tell him or her exactly how you feel, and that you don't support this. Tell your friends to call their representatives, their Congressperson, and complain. Mention that you are a registered voter that takes your civic responsibility seriously and that you will use that vote to express your feelings about this.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_60/Internet-Companies-Boost-Hill-Lobbying-210345-1.html?pos=olobh

“We support the bill’s stated goals — providing additional enforcement tools to combat foreign ‘rogue’ websites that are dedicated to copyright infringement or counterfeiting,” the Internet companies wrote in Tuesday’s letter. “Unfortunately, the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action and technology mandates that would require monitoring of websites.” The chamber-led coalition in support of the bill includes Walmart, Eli Lilly & Co. and Netflix.

Google and other opponents of the legislation argue that restricting the Internet in the U.S. sets a bad international precedent and that the language defines infringing too broadly.

SIGN AND FORWARD THESE PETITIONS

American Censorship
Whitehouse Petition
Fight For the Future
DemandProgress
Save the Internet

Congress wants to take away your internet.

2011-11-18T03:56:29Z

Originally posted by voxangelus at Congress wants to take away your internet.

Originally posted by dynamicsymmetry at Congress wants to take away your internet.

Folks, I know you're tired of me yelling at you, but you should be aware that there's a hearing this morning being held by the US House Judiciary Committee on a "copyright" bill that will essentially break the entire internet.

You like the internet, right? I mean, you're here.

From the link above:

As drafted, the legislation would grant the government and private parties unprecedented power to interfere with the Internet's domain name system (DNS). The government would be able to force ISPs and search engines to redirect or dump users' attempts to reach certain websites' URLs. In response, third parties will woo average users to alternative servers that offer access to the entire Internet (not just the newly censored U.S. version), which will create new computer security vulnerabilities as the reliability and universality of the DNS evaporates.

It gets worse: Under SOPA's provisions, service providers (including hosting services) would be under new pressure to monitor and police their users’ activities. While PROTECT-IP targeted sites “dedicated to infringing activities,” SOPA targets websites that simply don’t do enough to track and police infringement (and it is not at all clear what would be enough). And it creates new powers to shut down folks who provide tools to help users get access to the Internet the rest of the world sees (not just the “U.S. authorized version”).

This is being framed as an attempt to fight hackers and pirates. Don't buy it. And don't think for a minute that it's going to stop there. This is bad. And at the hearing today, only one opponent of the bill is being allowed to testify.

Please do whatever you can to fight this. Email congresspeople. Sign petitions. Yell about it in every venue you can.

And/or

I needed a good laugh!

2011-07-24T04:23:56Z

Crafty sort of post...

2011-07-15T19:48:04Z

I get newsletters from a few craft sites, including Lionyarn.com. Todays newsletter had a few HP inspired things such as: invisibility caplet, Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand!

Looks simple enough to make. If you want instructions goto their website here and search for pattern# L10500. Note: You'll probably have to register with the site before you can access it.

On the 3BB front:

We need betas... about 13 more! If you know anyone (or yourself) who is willing to help out please goto hp_3forfun and sign up. *Most fics that do not have a beta yet are under 10K btw!*

I'm on the fence yet about whether or not I want to see DH2. *sigh*

A Blast from the past

2011-07-09T16:41:21Z

I should be writing ss/hg/lm for Threesome Big Bang, but instead wading through YouTube looking to expand my playlist. ~feel free to nag me~

V-gifts

2011-07-06T16:41:16Z

Thank you, solas_divided and kitty_fic for the lovely v-gifts I received today. *HUGS*

Wow! A third... and it's not even my birthday! Thanks aleysiasnape. *HUGS*

~is feeling loved today~

Threesome Big Bang

2011-07-02T15:17:28Z

Hopefully, by now, our authors are busy writing, and soon they will need a beta to start going over their story and pointing out all the errors! :)

~No, I haven't started yet. I'm trying to make procrastination an art form~

Sign ups for those lovely, indispensable betas will be open until July 15th.

Just click HERE to help an author, or two, out.

Help Stevie-Ray Shine!

2011-06-25T15:02:37Z

Stevie Ray is a brilliant 11 year boy in Canada and nephew of our own tudorpot. Just before he turned 3 he was diagnoised with High Risk Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and for 2 1/2 years endured chemotherapy. He is completely cured now, but his cure came with a price, it left him with certain learning disabilities (primarlily in writing and drawing). He is however, exceptionally gifted in math and language and participated in this years Gauss Math Competition, one of four grade 6 kids chosen from his school to join. He came in 8th place! Stevie is also quite the athlete.

Why does he need help you may ask... Stevies school is not able, or willing, to teach him as he needs to be taught. His parents found a private school for him to attend in Tornoto called Metropolitan Prepatory Academy and because of Stevies academic record, letters of recommendation, and test results provided by his hospital Stevie was given a $10,000 a year scholarship to the school. However, his parents need to come up with $9,000 that the scholarship does not cover and that is where you, my dear friends, come in. If we can all find $5 to donate it would go a long way in helping Stevie Ray attain his dream. Did I mention he wants to be a theoretical physicist (think Stephen Hawking)?

You can read more about Stevie Ray on his aunt's LJ here, the blogspot page his sister made here, and here on Facebook.

Give what you can to help this little boy reach his full potential.

baaaaaaaaaaaaaa

2011-06-14T14:01:56Z

Your result for The Sorting Hat Test...

Slytherin

You scored 45% Order/Chaos, and 37% Moral/Rational

Chaotic Rationality. You don't think much of rules and restrictions; you look at things from an analytical perspective and probably think morality is relative to some extent. Your strength lies in being able to make your own judgments and form your own strategies uninhibited by others; your weakness lies in the wariness other people may have of you, perceiving you as dangerous.

You join people like Theodore Nott, Severus Snape, and Horace Slughorn.

The 4-grid I used to determine this is as follows:

	Chaotic	Orderly
Moral	Gryffindor	Hufflepuff
Rational	Slytherin	Ravenclaw

Take The Sorting Hat Test at HelloQuizzy

Sign Ups Open....

2011-06-07T15:33:11Z

ONLY EIGHT DAYS LEFT TO JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

Time's Running Out...

2011-05-30T19:47:04Z

Only ONE day left to submit prompts!

Sign-ups will open June 1st.

Threesome Big Bang

2011-05-05T18:14:06Z

It's here... FINALLY! <3

Where the characters of Harry Potter come to play in threes!
Prompting Open: May 1st - 31st
Author Sign-ups Open: June 1st - 15th

You'll need to join hp_3forfun to participate.

Let's make it a rousing success!!!

I Remember Too!

2010-11-02T20:33:39Z

Music Meme - Day Thirty-One

2010-09-15T15:27:09Z

We're finally at the end! *I can hear you all cheering for that*

Day 31 - A song you think everyone should hear.

Oh Very Young by Cat Stevens

Okay, so I'm a child of the 60's and 70's.

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth
For a short while
And though your dreams may toss
And turn you now.
They will vanish away -
Like your Dad's best jeans
Denim blue fading up to the sky
And though you want him to last forever
you know he never will
(You know he never will)
And the patches
Make the goodbye harder still.

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
There'll never be a better chance
To change your mind
And if you want this world
To see (a better day)
Will you carry
The word of love with you
Will you ride
The great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
you know you never will
(You know you never will)
And the goodbye
Makes the journey harder still.

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth
For a short while
Oh very young
What will you leave us this time.

Peace and love to you all! ;)

Music Meme - Day Thirty

2010-09-14T15:21:51Z

Day 30 - A song you could sing right now despite not having listened to it in a long time.

*Um, define a long time.*

For the sake of getting this meme done I'll define 'a long time' as a year. I'm sure if I turned my radio on to the classic rock station I'd hear this a lot more!

Bohemian Rhaspody by Queen

And if you haven't heard of this one I want to know what planet you've been living on. :)

ETA: I just noticed that Freddie had a terrible overbite!

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Nine

2010-09-13T15:43:30Z

Day 29 - A song that you've heard a million times but still don't know all the words.

Love the song, but if it wasn't for Google I'd still be humming through half the lyrics.

Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Eight

2010-09-12T16:21:21Z

Day 28 - A song that you don't like but inexplicably keep anyway.

Just three more days left! :)

There are only a couple of songs by Madonna I like and this isn't one of them. But it's on the CD I have so...

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Seven

2010-09-11T15:26:59Z

Day 27 - A song you got because you overheard it and all you could remember was one line.

Truthfully, I can remember more than one line, and these lines really spoke out to me...

'I don't know what to do
I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg
and givin off sparks'

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

Reminds me of my first marriage.

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Six

2010-09-10T16:39:38Z

Five more days to go! Posting this a bit later then usual, but I've been running late all day.

Day 26 - A song you like that is the only one you have by that band.

That would have to be Cowboy by KidRock

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Five

2010-09-09T16:10:21Z

Day 25 - A song you're embarrassed to admit liking.

Most people hear 'Barry Manilow' and go OMG. However, as much as I hate to admit I do like this song---maybe it's the Chopin this one is set to.

Could It Be Magic by Barry Manilow

Have You Seen Morgan?

2010-09-08T22:22:40Z

Morgan has been found and on her way home! :)

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Four

2010-09-08T20:06:41Z

Day 24 - A song you like to work out to. *gigglesnort* Yea, right. *LMAO*

Me? Work out? *smirk*

How about this instead...

Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison (Yes, I call my journal by the same title.)

We both lie silently still
In the dead of the night
Although we both lie close together
We feel miles apart inside

Was it something I said or something I did
Did my words not come out right
Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess that’s why they say

Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn
Yeah, it does

I listen to our favorite song
Playing on the radio
Hear the DJ say, loves a game
Of easy come and easy go

But I wonder does he know
Has he ever felt like this
And I know you’d be here right now
If I could have let you know somehow
I guess

Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn
Yeah, it does

Though it’s been a while now
I can still feel so much pain
Like a knife that cuts you the wound heals
But the scar, that scar remains

I know I could have saved a love that night
If I’d known what to say
Instead of makin’ love
We both made our separate ways

But now I hear you found somebody new
And that I never meant that much to you
To hear that tears me up inside
And to see you cuts me like a knife
I guess

Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn
Yeah, it does

*goes off to laugh some more*

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Three

2010-09-07T15:44:26Z

Day 23 - A song you often get stuck in your head.

Really don't have one of those. Usually the last song I hear on TV before going to bed is what gets stuck in my head. So, instead I give you...

In My Life --- Bette Midler's rendition performed at The Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool UK. Jake Shimabukuro on the ukelele. First time I heard her sing this was in the movie For The Boys and I love how she sings it.

Music Meme - Day Twenty-Two

2010-09-06T15:35:18Z

Day 22 - A song you can't help but air-jam to.

Ah, that would have to Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd! From New Age to Southern Rock in 24 hours---yes my musical taste is diverse.

ENJOY and for those on my f-list living in the US have a safe Labor Day!