Linda alerted me to the case of Julie Amero after reading Scout's blog.
Julie Amero was a substitute teacher in Norwich, CT who is facing up to 40 years in prison because pornographic images popped-up on her computer screen while she was substituting in a 7th grade class in 2004. The Washington Post actually has a really good posting on one of their blogs about this article that goes into all the details. So, if you want to know more than I post here, I suggest you visit that blog.
This woman's life is basically ruined because she couldn't figure out how to get these offensive and utterly crappy pop up windows off of her screen. It's incredibly irritating to know that I am living in a state that is wasting time prosecuting this woman when those resources could be put towards putting more pedophiles behind bars. If this woman is guilty of anything, it is panicking.
It all started when she stepped out of the room for a minute. When she came back in the room, two students were looking at a seemingly innocuous site about hairstyles. And then she realized there were pop-ups. When she couldn't get the pop-ups off of her screen she ran to the teacher's lounge, where consquently, no one helped her to get the images off. And one teacher even said something to the effect of, it happens all the time.
There also seems to be some bizarre judicial discretion at work here. Thanks to a friend, I was able to read this article by a local lawyer. The prosecution didn't bother to scan the hard drive. And when the defense did, they found a trojan horse program as well as spyware that was there long before she substituted.
Bottom line, you can contribute to her legal fund at her website.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Call the humane society quick
The look on this dog's face says it all. Kill me now. Please, please kill me now.
Just in case you are wondering where this gem came from, it was on the lion brand site.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Oh me oh my
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Where is you knit what when you need them?
I'm not sure who or what I feel more sorry for. I feel sorry for the yarn for being turned into a "let's-wear-our-intestines-on-the-outside-today" top.
I feel sorry for the necklace, just for having to hang next to said top.
And finally, I feel sorry for the effort the model had to go through to look so pouty in the top. Perhaps, she is pouting because of the top?
And seriously, are those her boobies hanging out on the side there? I mean, a little to the left or right and it's a full-on aureola shot.
I just keep hearing, "Holy Christ!" over and over in my head.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Where is her family?
You know, everyone knew that Anna Nicole Smith was an absolute wreck. And from outward appearances at least, nobody seemed to want to do anything to help her. If you ever saw her reality show, clearly this girl was an addict.
And so, it brings me briefly to Britney Spears. I can't say that I really care about any of these starlets one way or the other. But, what I do care about is where the hell their families are. Because, it seems to me that when your child checks herself out of one day rehab, shaves her head, and then remarks at the tatoo parlor that the stain on her purse is Nyquil, there's a problem. Not to mention, where are her children? Where is Dr. Phil when you need him? Flashing your coochie in public is one thing, but shaving your head seems to be one step from the looney bin.
On the knitting front, Linda and I spent Friday letting the kids run the house while we sat and knat. I finished one of the two booties I was working on and got through a good half of the second one before I made some mistake directly tied to my chattiness. And the sock continues, the hand dyed one. I'll get some pictures on here, also of the umbilical hat that I finished.
And so, it brings me briefly to Britney Spears. I can't say that I really care about any of these starlets one way or the other. But, what I do care about is where the hell their families are. Because, it seems to me that when your child checks herself out of one day rehab, shaves her head, and then remarks at the tatoo parlor that the stain on her purse is Nyquil, there's a problem. Not to mention, where are her children? Where is Dr. Phil when you need him? Flashing your coochie in public is one thing, but shaving your head seems to be one step from the looney bin.
On the knitting front, Linda and I spent Friday letting the kids run the house while we sat and knat. I finished one of the two booties I was working on and got through a good half of the second one before I made some mistake directly tied to my chattiness. And the sock continues, the hand dyed one. I'll get some pictures on here, also of the umbilical hat that I finished.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Oh what a week
First, Tim Hardaway. Why is it that when someone is so obviously an a$$ hole we give him an opportunity to apologize on television. For those of you not in the loop, he's the former NBA player who felt the need to go on and on about how much he hates gay people. Can't you do that in private so that we don't get sucked into yet another celebrity drama of I hate this group of people and now I am on my way to inpatient rehab?
Second, at what point do we stop talking about Anna Nicole Smith and actually talk about things like, oh, I don't know, the dead soldiers still coming back from Iraq? The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan? Global Warming? Really anything but a dead pseudo-starlet?
And third, for those of you with HBO, please, please, please, take the time to scare the hell out of yourself by watching Alexandra Pelosi's latest documentary on Evangelical Christians. The funniest thing was the interview with the minister Haggarty, you know the one who about six months ago had to admit to being a practicing homosexual and a drug user? Yeah, his was easily the funniest part of what otherwise was a frightening documentary. One of my favorite parts was the coverage of the March for Life rally in DC. All the teenagers lining up to carry signs of fetuses and calling pro-choice people abortionists.
I have personal experience, sort of, with this fabulous event. I am not Catholic but attended Catholic high school outside of DC. As a freshman in 1990, the entire school was told they could attend and support the rally OR stay at school in an all-day study hall. Well, since I have been pro-choice from in-utero, I chose not to go to said rally and had to stay in school all day. I can still see the many faces of the other students who came right out and called me a baby killer without even asking what my position was. Anywho, the funniest part of the day in my mind, was the fact that once those students got off the metro, no one was chaperoning them to make sure they actually went to the march and so most of them went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and skipped the rest of the day. I think by the time I was a senior the event was optional.
Oh, and one more tidbit on that front, one of my all-time favorite announcements by our incredibly senile principal. He was discussing the idea (over the p.a. system, mind you) that if a woman got raped she should or should not have the right to an abortion. Well, of course, Catholic school, no abortion, ever, ever, ever. And as he put it, "Besides, most women don't get raped." I believe that he meant something along the lines of most women who get raped don't get pregnant, but ... umm... hello? The saddest part is the girls and boys who believed him.
Second, at what point do we stop talking about Anna Nicole Smith and actually talk about things like, oh, I don't know, the dead soldiers still coming back from Iraq? The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan? Global Warming? Really anything but a dead pseudo-starlet?
And third, for those of you with HBO, please, please, please, take the time to scare the hell out of yourself by watching Alexandra Pelosi's latest documentary on Evangelical Christians. The funniest thing was the interview with the minister Haggarty, you know the one who about six months ago had to admit to being a practicing homosexual and a drug user? Yeah, his was easily the funniest part of what otherwise was a frightening documentary. One of my favorite parts was the coverage of the March for Life rally in DC. All the teenagers lining up to carry signs of fetuses and calling pro-choice people abortionists.
I have personal experience, sort of, with this fabulous event. I am not Catholic but attended Catholic high school outside of DC. As a freshman in 1990, the entire school was told they could attend and support the rally OR stay at school in an all-day study hall. Well, since I have been pro-choice from in-utero, I chose not to go to said rally and had to stay in school all day. I can still see the many faces of the other students who came right out and called me a baby killer without even asking what my position was. Anywho, the funniest part of the day in my mind, was the fact that once those students got off the metro, no one was chaperoning them to make sure they actually went to the march and so most of them went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and skipped the rest of the day. I think by the time I was a senior the event was optional.
Oh, and one more tidbit on that front, one of my all-time favorite announcements by our incredibly senile principal. He was discussing the idea (over the p.a. system, mind you) that if a woman got raped she should or should not have the right to an abortion. Well, of course, Catholic school, no abortion, ever, ever, ever. And as he put it, "Besides, most women don't get raped." I believe that he meant something along the lines of most women who get raped don't get pregnant, but ... umm... hello? The saddest part is the girls and boys who believed him.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Baby, it's cold outside
Apparently this morning, it was 10 degrees below zero here with the windchill. We finally got some snow over the weekend, and in honor of that, I just wanted to show you our beautiful boy (who is nicely recovered from the embarrassment of the Elizabethan collar and the loss of his manhood).
Sunday, February 04, 2007
On and off the needles
I realize I have blogged very little about knitting lately, though I have been knitting or working on knitting projects (ahem, sewing the sweater) a bunch. So, here's a few updates. First, DH's feet in his first pair of handknit socks:
By the time I took this picture, he had actually been wearing them a while, so there is a bit of fuzz, etc. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I made them using the International Sock of Doom pattern, mostly because I had to use thick yarn, size 5 needles. The reason for the yarn was that it matches the sweater. Yes, the sweater of the neverending sewing together.
On the needles I have a pair of socks for myself:
I'm not loving this pattern, but think that I will love the finished product. It's a pattern from Socks that Soar by Cat Bordhi. I think it's called Columbine Peaks. But, I am very excited by the yarn as it was one of my first and best dyed-it-myself from last fall. The self striping is really working. I've had to tink a bunch of times because I screwed up the pattern, but you get the idea.
And lastly, I'm gearing up for some baby knitting. I didn't take a picture of the pink yarn that I will be using for a friend who had a girl last month, but will definitely take a pic of the finished hat from One Skein. These little juicies
will grow up to be the umbilical hats from Stitch N Bitch for my cousin's soon to be little boy. I have another friend who will be delivering a girl soon, also. These babies come in waves, though I wish it was more like one at a time! The next wave will be over summer so I can plan a little bit ahead, but really, we all know that I will procrastinate until the babies actually pop out!
By the time I took this picture, he had actually been wearing them a while, so there is a bit of fuzz, etc. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I made them using the International Sock of Doom pattern, mostly because I had to use thick yarn, size 5 needles. The reason for the yarn was that it matches the sweater. Yes, the sweater of the neverending sewing together.
On the needles I have a pair of socks for myself:
I'm not loving this pattern, but think that I will love the finished product. It's a pattern from Socks that Soar by Cat Bordhi. I think it's called Columbine Peaks. But, I am very excited by the yarn as it was one of my first and best dyed-it-myself from last fall. The self striping is really working. I've had to tink a bunch of times because I screwed up the pattern, but you get the idea. And lastly, I'm gearing up for some baby knitting. I didn't take a picture of the pink yarn that I will be using for a friend who had a girl last month, but will definitely take a pic of the finished hat from One Skein. These little juicies
will grow up to be the umbilical hats from Stitch N Bitch for my cousin's soon to be little boy. I have another friend who will be delivering a girl soon, also. These babies come in waves, though I wish it was more like one at a time! The next wave will be over summer so I can plan a little bit ahead, but really, we all know that I will procrastinate until the babies actually pop out!
Wow!
In an unexpected turn, The Wool Connection in Avon, CT is closing its doors. I'm not sure how many years they have been in business, I am guessing at least 15, but as Linda said this morning, it's pretty shocking that with all of us knit hounds on the rise that they are going out of business. I'm sure there will be more news to follow, as the question now is, will they keep their catalog business going and why are they getting out of the retail store? Too much local competition? Loss of the appetite for running a business? As the knitting world turns my friends . . .
I owe you several updates. The Disney trip update is still coming. There are no words to tell you how amazing it was, but you know me, I will try to write it all up.
Also, a major knitting update. I have photos of what's on the needles, what just came off the needles and hopefully soon, that final finished photo of DH in his sewn up sweater!
I owe you several updates. The Disney trip update is still coming. There are no words to tell you how amazing it was, but you know me, I will try to write it all up.
Also, a major knitting update. I have photos of what's on the needles, what just came off the needles and hopefully soon, that final finished photo of DH in his sewn up sweater!
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