Day After Caturday Post: Ted the Tiger

I was at an anime convention over the weekend.  I met a tiger.  Her name is Ted.  She has a top hat.

Heroin is Killing Very Few of Our Children.

The other day I drove past a billboard announcing, with the illustration of a smiling white man, "heroin is killing our children."  I have many problems with such billboards, not least of which being the complete lack of any contextual information.  Why is there a smiling white person with the message of death from heroin?  Normally I would just assume it was a preacherman, since I generally associate such with fearmongering about children and drugs, but religious groups typically put their names on their billboards.

As far as actual warnings about risks to children from heroin, heroin is so far down on the lists of things children die from worldwide (or even in just the U.S.) it's not actually on any of the lists.  I can't even find a good source telling me specifically about child mortality and heroin.  Granted I am currently googling in a very lackadaisical fashion, but I am coming up with the impression that heroin usage among children is not a particularly large risk factor for children in the U.S. or, frankly, anywhere else.  I'm sure there are some people, including children, dying from it, and maybe if the billboard explained risk factors and mitigation strategies therefore rather than displaying a smiling white person, it would be a vaguely worthwhile billboard.  As it is, I'm still thinking unintentional injuries, malignant neoplasms, congenital abnormalities, suicide, homicide, and respiratory diseases are all killing way more of our children.  {/citation}  So I'm really puzzled by this billboard.

Banned Poetry Tuesday: Shel Silverstein

This week, my darling and indefatigable boozers, is banned books week.  We celebrate our freedom to read or not read whatever we want while remaining vigilant against those who want to take that freedom away from us.  So, since Shel Silverstein's poetry has been banned at times, we have a selection from his A Light in the Attic. 

Somebody has to go polish the stars,

They’re looking a little bit dull.

Somebody has to go polish the stars,

For the eagles and starlings and gulls

Have all been complaining they’re tarnished and worn,

They say they want new ones we cannot afford.

So please get your rags

And your polishing jars,

Somebody has to go polish the stars.

Caturday Post: Boozed up Kitten

Because I'm great at being a responsible kitten mommy, I will share cream based alcohols with my little cat Tamerlane.  Mushi isn't nearly as fond of booze.

He gets a little saucer to drink from.  

Lantern Parade!

Because Atlanta is a place with culture, there are artistic and wonderful things that happen.  As apparently the Lantern Parade, which I wot not of until I went to it.  People build elaborate lanterns and parade with them!  It's delightful!  All photos shamelessly stolen from my friend Travis, since I forgot to bring a camera.

Caturday Post: Preparing to Visit the Queen

Though in all honesty, Mushi is more scared of mice than they are of him. 

Musical Rendition that Should Exist

Sarah Brightman singing Linkin Park's "Shadow of the Day." 

Caturday Post: Requiescat

This week, my old kitty Miriah left this world to be, I hope, the queen over the hell of small woodland creatures.  She came into my life as a tiny fluffball when I was nine, and for the next 20 years she established herself as a terrifying menace.  Despite topping out at a small 9lbs, all her life she had red warning labels on her veterinary file.  For many years, whenever she went to play outside, she could be easily located by the fussing of the squirrels.  Her humans came to order their lives around her schedule and her whims.  She was an inspiration.  One day I will be as terrifying and as obeyed as Miriah.

Some Student Needs to Put On Their Grown-Up Panties* and Deal With It

On my office door this morning: "Make your class easier."


*Grown-up panties should have dinosaurs and rocketships on them.  Maybe dinosaurs IN rocketships!