Link Log for July 20

Another day in Big Stone Gap. More e-mail and social feeds. More links. Today's Categories: Animals, Censorship, Chattanooga, Crafts, Cybersecurity, Europe, Fashion, Food, Good News, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Ohio, Pictures, Tech Addiction, Thank a Veteran, Writing.

Animals 

The birth of social kittens being a Blessed Event, the Cat Sanctuary does not routinely sterilize all our cats. (Even the ones that aren't social...for one thing, social cats "socialize" normal cats to some extent; for another thing, I think Mrs. Patchnose and Big Mac were already inbred enough that their descendants don't produce viable offspring with siblings--Mac and Polly certainly tried, and failed--but outbreeding is better.) However, for those who don't want to wait another year for a truly social Patchnose kitten, here's a good place to get acquainted with a well socialized kitten. (The bookstore's not open today, and I'm glad, because I don't need to be adopted by another kitten.)

https://wendywelchbigstonegap.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/fixing-mariah-stewart/

No dog for adoption here, just cute dog pictures and a vintage music video.

http://www.dogpawsitivetidbits.com/2015/07/gotta-go-dog-moving-home.html

Puppy quartet:

http://themillionhair.tumblr.com/post/124396166424/tastefullyoffensive-malamute-puppies-struggling

Dog-guided phenology post from Washington state, where blackberries are still on the brambles:

http://border-collies-in-the-burbs.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-summer-morning-walk-bunnies-birds-and.html

Do animals need toys? I think outdoor animals find/make the toys they "need," but most animals who are pets will humor their humans by playing games that seem to amuse the humans. Indoor animals need vents for their energy; toys may save their humans' clothes and furniture.

http://myloveofanimalsandnature.blogspot.com/2015/07/do-dogs-really-need-toys.html

On the wild side... +Lyn Lomasi shares articles about sharks:

http://www.lifesuccessfully.com/science-and-nature-articles/-information-about-the-basking-shark

http://www.lifesuccessfully.com/science-and-nature-articles/-mako-sharks-fastest-shark-species

http://www.lifesuccessfully.com/science-and-nature-articles/whale-sharks-gentle-giants

Censorship Vs. Security

Mei Liang Hoe (Themillionhair) shared this link too. I didn't sign it. I believe censorship is a bigger threat than hatespeech; when people are free to spew hate from any platform they can get, we know whom to watch. But I'd like youall to be aware that this lunatic (Robert Jones) needs watching. And even though this petition to declare Jones' babbling a crime is just the sort of boost would-be dictators like IS need, I'm confident that this is one link where you can see what Jones said without encouraging him in any way.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/recognize-klu-klux-klan-domestic-terrorist-organization-make-their-eradication-homeland-security-priority

Chattanooga 

For those who want to say prayers, light candles, send cards...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/07/17/the-fallen-heroes-of-chattanooga-shooting-massacre-purple-heart-recipients-sons-dads-and-husbands-heres-what-we-know-about-their-lives/?

Crafts 

Here's a Blogging Challenge, suggested by +Coral Levang 's recent observation that Persona Peeps tend not to notice the back pages of a Persona Paper archive: Pick a person whose blog and/or social media page you read regularly (an e-friend). Pick something s/he posted more than one month ago, that you think would interest people meeting this e-friend for the very first time. Share it. I'll go first: Here's an original necklace by Coral Levang.

http://personapaper.com/article/33874-tree-of-friendship-necklace

Cybersecurity 

Why the electric company (or other utility companies) should not be allowed to have computers that link to the Internet. And why we should never pay utility bills online.

http://ntlconsulting.blogspot.com/2015/07/hackers-can-knock-out-your-electricity.html

Europe 

So you wouldn't like to be an Eastern European, eh? Think again...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/07/17/the-president-of-liberland-europes-newest-country-visits-theblaze/?

Fashion 

This web site generally does not recommend posting pictures of children online, but...what a fashionably dressed infant! Adorable, of course. (Doesn't "infant" presuppose "adorable"?)

http://www.bubblews.com/posts/busy-with-my-baby

Food 

Ice cream flavor poll:

http://personapaper.com/poll/35162-i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for-ice-cream

Tomato recipe, close enough to my family's that I'm sure it would be good with "spaghetti" squash.

http://booktrib.com/2015/07/getting-a-taste-of-summer-from-audrey-hepburns-kitchen/

Year-round recipe. If you want it to be gluten-free, substitute a rice mix. If you want it to be vegan, substitute veggie burgers.

http://www.itsjustlife.me/recipe/beefed-up-ramen-on-slightly-savory-saturday/

Good News 

Victory for gardeners in Orlando. Hurrah!

http://ntlconsulting.blogspot.com/2015/07/orlandos-front-yard-gardens.html

Mental Health 

Tying back into that discussion of whether writers need to warn people of references to emotional triggers like sex or alcohol...ooohhh, I'm getting terribly upset by this slippery slope that leads to insanity and censorship. (Thanks to Norb Leahy for reposting this. I see the link to the Politichicks web site...I've liked some content I've seen at the Politichicks web site, but most of the computers I use won't open it and often its feed fouls up in my e-mail, so I think youall will be safer reading this content at Ntlconsulting instead.)

http://ntlconsulting.blogspot.com/2015/07/america-land-of-feelings-home-of-highly.html

I don't know who's filling my Google + page with all these graphics from +Allen West Republic (Allen West, an employee, a fan?) but some of'em are apropos.



Then there's this plaint. I read it and thought, "Where's the final twist? Y'mean these inconsiderate hearing adults weren't blind?" But, seriously...the hearing adults in this story do have a mild disability. I should know; I have it too. We're signing-impaired. For people whose brains are wired to process words through hearing them, it's not easy to learn to sign fluently, and it's tempting to lapse back into speech even when (a) someone present can't hear speech and (b) we could sign or at least finger-spell but it's sooo much easier not to. Are any readers out there signing-impaired? Would you care to share any stories of how you cope with it?

http://themillionhair.tumblr.com/post/124396353899/andreashettle-ragingpeacock-is-funny-when

Mental Illness 

Dylann Roof babbled about racism and posed with Confederate and Old South African souvenirs. Mohammod Abdulazeez babbled about a verse from the Koran. So, our President should now tour the country telling Muslims the Koran belongs in a museum and should never be seen in a place where it might upset the bereaved blah blah? Wrong. Our President should now call all of us to face up to the dangers of allowing anybody, including ourselves, to use drugs that are commonly associated with violent insanity...outside of the hospital environment, since this category of drugs includes many popular prescription "medications."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/07/18/suspected-chattanooga-gunman-texted-islamic-verse-to-close-friend-the-night-before-attack-that-may-have-hinted-at-rampage-report/?

Roof and Abdulazeez and a rash of other "school shooters," "killer moms," and stranger-murderers, were insane and dangerous and needed to be locked up. The sad part is that many of these people became insane because somebody wasn't able to deal with their ordinary, understandable, annoying but not really dangerous reactions to things like +Sandy KS 's daughter's hearing problem. (My depressive sister has hearing loss too, and even as an adult has been heard to shout "I'm deaf! You're dumb!" while slamming doors. Much, much easier to live with than Dylann Roof.)

http://challengeyourwriting.blogspot.com/2015/07/abc-emotional-challenge-t-tantrum.html

Ohio Jokes 

Unlike the Kentucky joke genre found in Ohio, a good Ohio Joke is not just a moron joke in which a moron is identified as Ohioan. A good Ohio Joke is an actual news item that's been seriously reported in Ohio news media.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/07/17/state-fair-bans-sale-of-confederate-flag-merchandise-as-part-of-long-held-policy-against-items-with-offensive-wording-lettering-or-graphics/?

Pictures 

A picture to print, complete, and color. (Could work for daughters as well as sons.)

http://daddytypes.com/2015/07/17/color_it_out.php

Pacific Coast skylines.

http://personapaper.com/article/35151-ice-cream-castles-in-the-air

Tech Addiction 

If your computer can handle a slideshow with lots of e-clutter on the sides, here's a charming slideshow of wisdom:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/6-things-to-do-instead-of-staring-at-your-phone_55a7edebe4b04740a3df4047

Thank a Veteran 

Y'know why I've started referring veteran stories to Adayahi, who has yet to contribute an article or picture here? Because I messed up, that's why. I held up as a good example the way the V.A. covered veterans' expenses for private medical care while my father was alive. I didn't check and find out that, after Dad died, the V.A. had switched to an insurance-based plan that had made "V.A. medical coverage" synonymous with a hopeless medical care plan for thousands of living veterans. Obviously I'm no expert on veterans' issues.

I can tell youall this much, though, Gentle Readers. Bernie Sanders won't be a true friend to veterans either. John McCain may have pounced on political disagreements, slanders, and yes, a major error of fact that I helped to perpetuate through carelessness, but he is a veteran and (in his fashion) an honorable man. So are some of the more fiscally conservative Republicans. The Socialist candidate...doesn't that title speak for itself?

Thanks to Freedomfightersofamerica.blogspot.com for the link:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sanders-very-easy-to-raise-the-flag-hard-to-support-veterans-benefits/article/2568513#.Vaow6TRGfSc.blogger

Writing 

For each comment we make at this blog, Beth Ann Chiles promises to donate a dollar to a community garden charity. (She picks a charity each month and donates money per comment.)

http://www.itsjustlife.me/