conuly

US may never know entirety of Snowden breach, officials say

http://b.globe.com/1c4oUXu

One Man's Crusade Against Fundamentalist Claptrap

http://bit.ly/18trxBb

Government Watchdog: We Have a Growing Federal Prison 'Crisis'

http://bit.ly/19Lkpv6

When Lenders Sue, Quick Cash Can Turn Into a Lifetime of Debt

http://bit.ly/1h7H7Ts

Welcome to Science

http://bit.ly/1dDgZxc

A Haven for the Deaf Draws Federal Scrutiny Over Potential Discrimination

http://nyti.ms/10mcy0Z

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No Rich Child Left Behind

http://nyti.ms/184oVX2

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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/grandfathers-age-linked-to-autism/

Not much to say here.

I think it may have been maladaptive and Siderea, respectively, but I may be mistaken.

A. Killer whale males are dependent on their mothers their entire lives. Aww.

http://io9.com/5943604/killer-whales-need-their-mamas-to-look-after-them-even-as-adults

And this is a really fascinating video about what happens when you cut a Menger sponge, a type of fractal.

https://simonsfoundation.org/multimedia/mathematical-impressions-the-surprising-menger-sponge-slice/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/50-amazing-photos-from-cat-heaven-island-in-japan

The photographer has an inordinate fondness for pictures of cats leaping. I know those are always popular, but I don't know, I prefer pictures of cats snuggling with each other or being curious. Still and all - cats!

One on some conservative site's idea of the ten most dangerous books of the 19th and 20th centuries. Mein Kampf is kinda expected, but otherwise....

And one on the quest for low-fat, low-salt cheese. Funnily enough, when you take the fat and salt away from curdled rotten milk solids, what's left isn't all that appealing.

This must be at the panda kindergarten I've heard about.

Honestly, the effort apparently required to make pandas reproduce is absurd, but I still think "panda babysitter" has got to be one of the most fun jobs ever.

Edit: Link fixed! Forgot my http, of course. *blush*

http://projectunbreakable.tumblr.com/

I'll just quote from their page:

This photography project was created in October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker.

Obviously this can be triggering to some people.

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6 Things Rich People Need to Stop Saying

A set of artwork formed with mold and bacteria. Fascinating, especially the Mario.

Here's an article about curfew in... San Diego, I guess? Some of the comments are pretty pointless. "Oh, do you WANT your kid out after 10 without knowing where they are?" Obviously the only reasonable response to that is "Yes", because how can you argue with people so determined to use that line of attack?

And a fairly long article on lead in America which I'm far too tired to read right now. I can't even type, I keep putting in the wrong words. So read it and tell me if it's any good : ) I'll be sure to actually read it tomorrow.

First, two on Indian mascots and why they're bad.

Part one
Part two

A video on shit people say to autistics. (Transcript under the video.)

How the Christian right is reimagining U.S. history. (I skimmed this one.)

So, this guy got a summons for having his garbage cans out after pick-up.

And he fought it because he had video evidence proving that the allegation was totally false.

Now, there's a bill up to have summons of this sort all made with photographic evidence, and it's being fought by the mayor because it'd be "too much of a hassle". Like we don't all have cameras sitting in our pockets nowadays! Cameras are cheap, taking pictures is cheap, none of this is difficult.

The real reason, patently obvious to everybody, is that the city likes to issue lots and lots of petty tickets for revenue.

Just last month this guy got a ticket for sitting in a playground after closing and reading his Bible.

Now, the guy's a twit - it's been a long-standing rule that adults aren't allowed in playgrounds without children, and that all the public parks close at a set time posted on the gates. And while he might argue that "dusk is unclear!!!" and "the signs give two different times - dusk and 9pm", the fact is that he was there at sometime past 10pm, which in December is well past both dusk and 9 at night.

However, all that aside, there's no reason he should've gotten a ticket for it. Being asked to move along should've really been the end of it. He got the ticket because the cops have a quota, not because he was doing anything that really merited a fine.

Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station marshmallow launcher!

In other news, Body-powered battery chargers bring us that much closer to the world of The Matrix.

Fun and Play Are Key to Survival for Bears, Dogs, Humans, Birds and Maybe Even Ants

New Playgrounds Are Safe—and That's Why Nobody Uses The

I've said it before and I'll say it again: playgrounds are designed differently than they were when we were young, and some of that is safety but a lot of it is a totally different idea of how the space should be used. Everybody always mentions "No more seesaws!" as their big bugaboo, but I'm not convinced that seesaws are less common simply for safety reasons. Rather, I suspect they're less common because they take up a lot of space, can really only be used in one or two ways (which don't as easily lend themselves to imaginative play as some newer concepts do, although kids always find a way), and can only be used by a very few children at a time. Safety is probably part of it, but I doubt it's all of it. (Of course, that doesn't mean that boring, uninspiring but "safe" playgrounds using older concepts of isolated structures don't exist. Of course they do. But there were boring playgrounds 50 years ago as well. And the children walked uphill in the snow both ways to play there, in the boring playgrounds, and they liked them anyway, right?)

And finally, a nice long clip about an outdoor "kindergarten" (in the more European sense of "preschool through age 5" rather than in the more American sense of "five year olds' class") in Norway. Many of the comments are in reply to some inane woman who is just terrified at seeing a knife in a 5 year old's hand or watching a small child light a match with guidance and a grown-up right there supervising.

"What could have happened!" Well, I suppose the match could have dropped into the child's clothing and he'd've had to stop drop and roll, as we tell them in America. But nothing did happen, and it's far better to teach a child how to light a fire safely than to risk that they'll get into the matches one day and NOT light a fire safely. "It's so scary seeing a five year old holding a knife!" It's so scary seeing a five year old who is unable to cut her own food at lunchtime. Hell, Ana went to open a can of tuna the other day and, as she didn't immediately see the can opener, hacked at it with a very dull kitchen knife (thank god, because when I heard this I panicked that she'd ruined one of my newly-bought ceramic ones!) until it was open. No, I'm not joking. It was a little frightening to see the can carnage after the fact. (She's very self-sufficient. Of course, she could've saved a lot of effort by simply asking where we'd put the can opener....)

(Also, yes, I know that for most cutting needs sharp knives are much safer than dull ones. I sometimes see people online saying they let their small children cut things "with butter knives". Please don't do this. If your child is old enough to cut anything harder than play-dough, give them a real knife. They're less likely to cut themselves, and if they DO cut themselves they'll do a lot less damage. Trust me. As a clumsy person, I know!

Why A Teen Who Talks Back May Have A Bright Future

The comments are all over the board and utterly fascinating.

Forget 3D Screens—We Need 3D Audio, Like in Real Life

This is a slowed down video of taking a water balloon to the face. Even the part before the water balloon hits is interesting, as you watch the guy flinch in slow motion.

And finally, two links from the same site on how your clitoris works. (Or how it would work if you had a clitoris, for the other half of you!) There are diagrams and photos on there, so most people will find those links NOT safe for work!

We've been having spotty internet lately, and have finally tracked down the problem: My router, which was cheap when I bought it, is eight years obsolete. I need to get a new one. Well, they can't possibly have gone up in price, so it won't break the bank, I don't think.

Gave away a kitten today. Apparently, this was Evangeline's favorite kitten. Tough for her. I didn't say it to her face, but I'm sure he'll be happier in a home with three doting grown-up people who are at home all day than in a home where his needier siblings hog most of the attention and the only one who dotes is six years old and still thinks he likes being hugged. (No, I don't let her squeeze kittens around the middle, even though she wants to.)

Anyway, on to those links!

Israelis Facing a Seismic Rift Over Role of Women
There are pictures

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New Definition of Autism May Exclude Many, Study Suggests

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Here's an article about segregated housing for vegetarians only in Bombay

And one on Bastøy, a very free prison in Norway

State notes alarming spike in starvation of adopted children. They list the signs of potential starvation in a child, but of course it's worth noting that with adopted children, many of these psychological signs (like hoarding food or bolting it down quickly) could be a sign that they went hungry BEFORE being adopted.

Report: Medical Marijuana Laws Reduced Traffic Fatalities

Texas doctors lead open-notes movement

And finally, BSG (remake) as an 8-bit RPG!

One on a dog who jumped between his owner* and her abusive boyfriend. They both got tossed out a window. The women's shelter didn't accept pets, but when she said she couldn't go without her dog, they not only made an exception but decided to add a whole new wing for pet owners, on the grounds that many women stay in abusive relationships rather than leave their beloved pets with their abuser.

*I've noticed, when buying cat food and watching the occasional TV episode live, that more and more companies are referring to people as "pet parents". If it helps them sell their product, more power to them, but I, for one, refuse. I think it just sounds silly, and the alliteration doesn't help in this case. Are people really that averse to saying they own a cat or dog or ferret or hamster or fish?

Here's an article about the tiniest frog - nay, the tiniest vertebrate - yet discovered. I'm sure it's a good article, but I didn't read it. I was too busy cooing over the picture of the frog perched on a dime, with ample room to spare.

And here's an article with a video of a sledding crow. In the comments are links to more videos of corvids playing around.

One of the comments just bugs me. The guy says that obviously the crow was trying to get food, and obviously, since crows are crows, it's not sledding, and obviously anybody saying it IS doing such a thing is anthropomorphizing with no good reason.

Now, it's possible that the crow is trying to get food. It's also possible that the crow started out trying to get food, and then through serendipity realized that this was a lot of fun. Whee! I don't know, I'm not a crow and I'm certainly not this crow.

No, what bugs me is not the accusation that we're foolishly putting a human perspective on animal's actions, but the assumption that since anthropomorphizing can lead to stunningly wrong conclusions, this means that animals are unlikely to have the same motivations as humans once you move past the basics.

Clearly, saying "Well, if I did that for this reason, it's likely that this random cat/crow/cricket is doing a similar thing for the same reason" is flawed and illogical reasoning, but can "If I did that, it would be for fun, but this is a cat/crow/cricket and obviously it must have another, less human reason for its actions" truly be any better? I don't know why crows do what they do. All I know about them is that they are clever animals and can mimic speech. But it's not that far-fetched to believe that once in a while they might do things for the same reasons we do, is it? (Which isn't to say that the crow was necessarily doing this for fun. I really don't know much about crows and am not about to hazard a guess as to this one's motivations here. But I doubt these guys know either. Yes, that includes Mr. "I've kept pet crows". A pet crow, near as I can tell, is like a human raised by wolves. They may still be clever and friendly, they may be able to survive, but I wouldn't look to them as a guideline for normal behavior.)

I'm not linking directly to the site, but to the blog post where I read about it.

Apparently, this site about controlling how much you drink has decided that the main risk of drinking for women is getting raped. (But, you know, it's totally all your fault.) And you can find out about it at their site!

There are screenshots in the link. It's hard to link to the stories individually because they're kinda randomized? So who knows how fucked up it all is?

It's close to impossible to find their contact information (I had to google it) but there it is. Go ahead. Contact them! Don't know what to say, but I can think of a few choice words....

So, to distract myself, it's linky article time!

Here's one on wild turkeys on Staten Island. We're on the North Shore instead of the South, but we still have them.

And one on barefoot running

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A piece on the invention of money (Did I already post this once?)

And on "smart" thermostats.

Here's a piece by the ACLU on the death of RealID. How can we kill one unpopular move through simple non-compliance, and yet we still have to take off our shoes in the airport?

Also from the ACLU, a bit about finding out the "secret interpretation" of the PATRIOT Act. Secret interpretation... what? That's just creepy to contemplate.

In High Schools, a Critical Lens on Food

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School Lunch Proposals Set Off a Dispute

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For Kurds in Turkey, a Country’s Conflict Rends Families

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A piece on science education in college

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Taming Unruly Wind Power

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And finally, a post about infrastructure jobs bills.

First, apparently the Theater Development Fund is running special Broadway performances for autistic children and adults (they said that specifically, with that wording) and their families.

It sounds like a really great program.

Now, you'll notice that in the list of organizations they thank, a prominent one isn't mentioned. YOU know which one. But I wouldn't expect them to be, first because this isn't really AS's thing, and second because, you know, they're evil. Or maybe they were deliberately excluded, a sign of good taste if you ask me.

And in the more awful news, here's a video of a bus driver and an aide beating up on an autistic student. They've been convicted but not sentenced. Why people who hate kids or just aren't good with them go into professions where they have to interact with children, I don't know.

DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS.

Half of them are "oh, that boy was violent, what do you expect them to do, he shouldn't be on the bus if his parents can't teach him to behave" and the other half are "oh, those terrible fatties from the ghetto should be shot". It's a sad day when both sides are obnoxious.

Ah, the Onion. Sometimes I wish they were real news!

Bike trailers, child safety and the media's fear agenda

The title pretty much sums it up.

Here's another one. You'll love this... for a given quality of the word "love", that is. Apparently, Houston has a backlog of sexual assault kits that have never been tested. The city now wants money to deal with them. Great, right? Yeah! Except the police department wants that money not to run through the kits and test them, but to study why they have a backlog.

Oh, and I've heard about this Japanese show about sending small children out on their very first solo errands, but I've never seen a clip of it. This is even slightly subtitled! Of course, the comments suck, but that's to be expected. Is it just me or is there a middle ground somewhere between sending two year olds off to do the grocery shopping and not allowing twelve year olds to stay home alone for half an hour?

Man, I haven't seen a good one of these in ages, people are all too polite!

And already we've got some good comments. "I'm so happy I was circumcised!" leads to "That's great, good for you, but you didn't have a choice in the matter." leads to "YES HE DID! HE SAID HE'S HAPPY, DIDN'T HE????"

Apparently this guy never learned that babies can't consent for shit. Not for necessary things (appendectomies) nor optional things (circumcision).

But my favorite has to be the comment or two talking about how people with their penises in the natural state "risk" the horrors of smegma. (Gosh that's a fun word to type. Smegma, smegma, smegma.)

After my shocked and horrified comment that one should never ever ever ever EVER retract their darling baby's foreskin (EVER!) until their darling baby can do it himself (at which point you still shouldn't be doing that because, dude, let's not play with our kids' penises!) I wandered off and looked up "smegma" at Wikipedia.

Aside from confirming that it's not a guy-only thing (I knew that) this is what they have to say on the subject:

In males, smegma helps keep the glans moist and facilitates sexual intercourse by acting as a lubricant.

I am shocked and appalled that this happens. Shocked. And appalled! The horrors! We must never let anybody have this happen to them ever again. Because that sounds terrible.

Okay, I mean, it does in that bodily secretions always *do* sound kinda gross - but honestly, if you're wondering now whether or not you should circumcise your son or yourself, I suggest you don't lose too much sleep over the smegma issue.