hands off

Okay, I don't generally go into gimpy-political topics here, because ... I am not a political blogger and I figure that there are many others who can say what I'm trying to say better than I can, but this question is really starting to get to me.

Why is it considered perfectly okay for people to just go up to me and grab me in the name of being helpful, or to randomly grab Chris out of nowhere (or better yet, grab his cane as though it was some kind of rudder to steer by) or (my favorite) randomly grab the boy while I'm trying to teach him to make his way up a set of stairs?

They don't even ask most of the time. And then if you say no, or react negatively because someone you don't even know has grabbed you out of nowhere, then they have the audacity to get offended.

Seriously. I don't remember signing anything that gave up my right to personal space. I've honestly thought about carrying around mace or something and just spraying the crap out of them. No jury in the world would convict me. How the hell am i supposed to know this person isn't going to kidnap my child or molest me in some fashion or rob me? I mean, sure, they say they won't, but it's not like criminals go around telling the truth about their jobs, either.

(I am honestly looking for opinions here.)

more fun than a barrel full of HTML

The Protein Happening: Hippies and DNA.

Combining work and motherhood is good for womens' health. (I am suspicious of the methodology used in this study, partly because of the always-dicey use of the word 'obese' as a determining factor here and also wondering if some of their 'homemakers' didn't have pre-existing health problems that make it difficult for them to hold down a job (it happens) but it's interesting, anyway. At the very least it's another volley in the 'you're harming your child by working how dare you you satanist' argument you hear from some of the more crazed militant housewives out there.)

In the "thank you captain obvious" category: The Daily Show affects young voters.

Cool uses for RFID tags: RFID snakes and ladders.

foodie porn

So because I was supposed to be doing class work today, and because it's 85 degrees in Seattle and my apartment is already hot, naturally I chose to spend my time making dessert nachos. (No sense, no feeling, as my mother would say.)

I promise to post the recipe later on, because the cookie recipe alone was ten steps and is huge, and I'm tired. dawnstar and anyone else who wants a really neat looking yummy low fat dessert idea should definitely take note ...

(Oh, this isn't my idea, in the interests of full disclosure: this is from Crescent Dragonwagon's 'Passionate Vegetarian.' Buy the book. It's awesome.)

( pictures and text within. )