Hortense @Hortense@qoto.org
Fiber person, particularly knitting, particularly Herbert Niebling patterns. Also, rabid atheist, liberal left, sci-fi, fantasy, opinionated to the nth degree. I'm an old peacenik. I stand with poor people, and I'm tired of poor people being demonized by the extreme right. Also, I'm in a mood at the moment and I have no more fucks to give.
Joined Nov 2022
I forget to check Mastodon now and then. Hi everyone! In case there's anyone out there . . .
I never did much Twitter, didn't like it. Not sure why I thought I would use Mastodon more.
David Harris passed away. I'm an old peacenik, I respected him. I remember when he led protests and when he went to prison for refusing the draft during the Vietnam War.
Hortense
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For folks off Ravelry b/c of accessibility, this is making the rounds (deservedly so!!) and I wanted to try to share it. The #knitting pattern is a free download with attribution as seen in the screenshot IF you can login beyond the migraine/seizure-inducing homescreen. The designer’s notes are wonderful. I’m terrified to try socks, but I’m feeling like this is a gauntlet thrown that I must attempt… or an excuse to buy #yarn… 🧶 #thisisfine https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-fine-sweater
Every time I come across the phrase "King Charles" I am a bit startled. Didn't the British monarchy end with QEII? It should have done. I mean it was nice of them to let her live out her fantasy, but there's no need to let it continue. Her kids have plenty of money. They won't starve if we just ignore them from now on.
I finished watching all of #Dimash concert in Almaty, on Youtube. I am glad Dimash and his people are sharing the concert -- no way I am ever going to get to one of his concerts.
I love his singing, of course. It is nice to have three hours of his performance to watch. I noticed some things to think about.
Our prince Dimash can't really dance, can he? Fabulous voice, oddly awkward dance moves. He should learn to rumba. Also there are often a group of dancers around him, but it's never really clear why they are on the stage. Strange arty performances that aren't really dance. I think Dimash should can his choreographer.
I enjoyed the story telling, even though I don't understand the Kazakh language. But I thought the long song with all the religious motifs was strangely self-indulgent. I think Dimash is young, religious and naive. He means well, but I don't think he actually understands how the world works. He was brought up very sheltered by a very protective family and I don't think he has a clue, even though he has good intentions and his heart seems to be in the right place.
Well, I'll just listen to him sing -- that's a treasure. The other stuff will change as he matures, I suppose.
Happy new year, everyone. I managed to not notice the transition. Didn't hear any fireworks or gunshots, so it's now after 2 a.m. here in northern California, and I missed all the NYE stuff somehow. Did Wordle and Globle, though, and scrabble and a crossword. Yes, I'm awake while everyone else is asleep.
Hortense
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RT @Brink_Thinker
Finding 6 bald eagles on your front porch deserves endless retweets
Hortense
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I think it would really help more Americans understand the gravity of what has been going on if media stopped using phrases like “reverse the results of the election” which is not a thing, or “overturn the election”, (also not a thing), and started using the language the rest of the world uses: attempted coup.
It’s not “reversing” or “overturning” an election; it’s ignoring the results of an election and installing a dictator through fraud, threats, and violence, ending democracy.
Hortense
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Looking for a faster way to learn a #language? Try historical #linguistics https://news.ubc.ca/2022/12/20/looking-for-a-faster-way-to-learn-a-language-try-historical-linguistics/
Hortense
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Can Mastodon solve a puzzle for me? I'm trying to discover the purpose of an unusual dial on an old #grandfatherClock. It is the outer dial that puzzles me. The other, inner, dial clearly indicates lunar cycle, but the outer is split into two sections of 1 - 12 in a possibly logarithmic ratio, with a hand that points to the same number in each section. The hand moved number once a day. Any #horologists or #clock enthusiasts? #Boosts welcome
This guy built this instrument himself, based on a Chapman Stick (I think that's the name). He calls it a baliset because he's a fan of "Dune."
https://youtu.be/qbueqHcnqbc
Hortense
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All west coast abalones at risk of extinction on IUCN Red List
https://phys.org/news/2022-12-west-coast-abalones-extinction-iucn.html
Hortense
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The move by Sinema to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent, is NOT about values, or the people of Arizona.
It is a move solely driven by ego, personal greed and a need to remain relevant in order to attract yet more special interest donations.
Hers is a classic story of abandonment of alleged progressive values, in pursuit of wealth and political celebrity.
She is living proof that wealth intoxicates and corrupts. A political vampire sustained by special interest blood money
Hortense
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Fascinating and harrowing talk about forest fires in Ukraine - you think you have suppression problems, try it with radioactive soil, land mines, unexploded ordnance (and exploding), and a Russian army systematically stripping your infrastructure. Even fire shelters are sent to the front lines to help shield against phosphorus shelling.
Hortense
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In 1925, Dr. Cecilia Payne completed her PhD thesis, described as “the most brilliant ever written in astronomy.” At a time when few #women entered academia, Payne discovered what the universe is made of. Her work began a revolution in astrophysics.
Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin became the 1st female professor & 1st female department chair at Harvard. Given most of us remember names like Darwin & Newton, we should also celebrate Payne. #science #space
Read more at https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201501/physicshistory.cfm
Hortense
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The vicious cycle of monopolization:
1) Corporations argue that their growth is just part of the free market.
2) Use their monopoly power to gouge consumers.
3) Take a portion of their profits to make political donations.
4) Lobby against antitrust enforcement.
5) Repeat.
Hortense
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I really like #Knitterspride #knitting accessories. I own many. But this shows you should NOT trust any reviews on their site. I now question the ethics of this company.
They are doing a giveaway and to participate you need to leave a “review” of a product you don’t own on their site. When people question this in the comments, they’re responding that they want people to give their “view of the look and content” of the product.
Not cool.
Hortense
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Thou shalt not praise Nazis. Thou shalt not have dinner with Nazis.
Thou shalt mock Nazis and anyone who hangs out with them.
TW! I am an old pacifist and what follows is pacifist in content. You have been warned.
I'm reading "The Machiavellians" by James Burnham. It's dated, but still relevant. At the beginning he uses a historical example to make his point (which is what Machiavelli did in his work "The Prince.") Burnham's point is that politics is about the struggle for power and that a powerful tool for the rulers is the public lie that the slaves believe, that leads them to participate in their own exploitation. I am reminded of how strange it always seems to me that soldiers and their families parrot the idea that somehow being a soldier and fighting for your country is noble, selfless and right. When, clearly, if ordinary people, all of them, simply refused to participate in war, wars wouldn't happen. You know, the question asked in the 1960s and 1970s -- what if they gave a war and nobody came? Anyway, I'm enjoying the book. I found "The Prince" really interesting, too, when I read it. It isn't at all what I thought it was. It's a clear analysis, with the emotional content removed, of historical examples of how people obtained and kept power.
Hortense
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Fiber person, particularly knitting, particularly Herbert Niebling patterns. Also, rabid atheist, liberal left, sci-fi, fantasy, opinionated to the nth degree. I'm an old peacenik. I stand with poor people, and I'm tired of poor people being demonized by the extreme right. Also, I'm in a mood at the moment and I have no more fucks to give.
Joined Nov 2022
