I marched for science

2017-Apr-23, Sunday 12:02 pm
mellowtigger: (gardening)
I was planning to attend the Science March anyway (more on my reasons in a different post on another day), but this march was unusual in that my employer was also participating as an official Partner. So I got to join my coworkers on the march. The weather cooperated, and it was a beautiful day. The count of how many people attended is under dispute. Even the earlier Kids' March had over 800 RSVPs, so you'd expect the main march to be heavily attended. The count showing up in local newspapers is only 10K people (with some great photos at that article). The march organizers, however, are estimating 48K people. If they were the ones operating the drone at the march staging area, they should have some good evidence for their estimate.

I made a sign to carry on the march. It didn't occur to me that I wouldn't be able to easily take photos. That oversight has consequences: fewer photos, poor quality photos/videos, and getting separated from my group for a long time so I could steal "a moment" to take photos.

Here's the pre-crowd assembling early for the march.

ScienceMarch St.Paul premarch at churchScienceMarch St.Paul droneScienceMarch St.Paul street gathering

We even had a band playing appropriate Earth Day music.

(embedded video is breaking the post, so here is the YouTube link)


I joined my coworkers for the march, and I even made it into their Twitter posts.  These 3 photos are not my own, of course.

ScienceMarch StPaul the whole TNC groupScienceMarch StPaul poster TNC united by nature guided by scienceScienceMarch StPaul me taking a photo

I eventually left my group to climb a bridge wall to try to get a video of the massive crowd. I never could see all of it at once, so the attendance was much higher than what you can see here.  After I took these photos, it probably took me 20 minutes to find my group again, even with multiple phone calls and texts.  I had the same disorganization leter while trying to find my former landlord and his group amongst the throng.

ScienceMarch StPaul crowd 1ScienceMarch StPaul crowd 2


(embedded video is breaking the post, so here is the YouTube link)

Then I got down from the fence that I was standing on. I'm a klutz, though, even on a good day, and I was wearing new glasses from 2 days earlier, so my depth perception is very bad. I ended up meeting the pavement harshly. Much later, I made my way to the Nurse station at the rally. They said I was their biggest accident so far. Typing this post on Sunday, my leg is still bleeding a bit. I won't be doing the gardening today that I had planned.

ScienceMarch StPaul my injured legScienceMarch StPaul nurse station

The rally was attended quite well. I could never get close enough to the capitol steps to hear the speakers well. I never did spot a single news station van or camera (although local stations did have coverage on the 10pm news). I also never saw one of the portable overhead 360 cameras that the police use.  It was the state capitol, after all, so maybe they already have plenty of security cameras everywhere.  It seemed like every third person carried a sign, so the crowd was very engaged. It was also unusually "pale", even for Minnesota. Where are we losing our minority kids in the science classrooms?

ScienceMarch StPaul rally at capitol stepsScienceMarch StPaul dinosaur costume
ScienceMarch StPaul woolly mammoth contraption side viewScienceMarch StPaul woolly mammoth front view


The woolly mammoth was an impressive mechanical contraption.

(embedded video is breaking the post, so here is the YouTube link to video 1 and video 2)


And, in no particular order, a collection of the few posters that I was able to capture on my sunscreen-smudged cell phone camera.


ScienceMarch StPaul poster Blinky SimpsonsScienceMarch StPaul poster Rosie the Riveter
ScienceMarch StPaul USA flagScienceMarch StPaul poster future scientist
ScienceMarch StPaul poster good science makes good judgementScienceMarch StPaul poster no science no beer
ScienceMarch StPaul poster resist ignorance
ScienceMarch StPaul poster science isn't liberal pollution isn't rightScienceMarch StPaul poster science lab labrador
ScienceMarch StPaul poster quote Carl Sagan science is a way not to fool ourselvesScienceMarch StPaul poster stand with Data Star TrekScienceMarch StPaul poster science is important muppets
ScienceMarch StPaul poster science based policy not policy based science

I think it was an Earth Day well spent.

#ScienceMarch #ScienceMarchMN #MarchForScience #NatureUnitesUs

the Klan exposed

2015-Nov-05, Thursday 04:22 am
mellowtigger: (anonymous)
You know you're doing something wrong when Anonymous declares to you that you should be stripped of your anonymity, since normally they are the movement that self-identifies with the power of anonymous speech. Doxing (releasing documents that identify someone online) is not taken lightly, and they explain their justification for this extreme action against the Ku Klux Klan.

people in hoods meet the people in masks #opkkk #hoodsoff
"The anons involved in this operation still believe you no longer particularly deserve the right to Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Assemble but that is not up to us. ... Your hateful ideas and words remain yours to keep. You are allowed to speak and in kind, we are allowed to respond. You are legally free to live and be any which way you choose to live and be. Keep in mind, it is not illegal nor oppressive to hurt your feelings. With that said – We are stripping you of your anonymity. Again. This is our protected speech.

After closely observing so many of you for so very long, we feel confident that applying transparency to your organizational cells is the right, just, appropriate and only course of action. You are abhorrent. Criminal. You are more than extremists. You are more than a hate group. You operate much more like terrorists and you should be recognized as such. You are terrorists that hide your identities beneath sheets and infiltrate society on every level. The privacy of the Ku Klux Klan no longer exists in cyberspace. You’ve had blood on your hands for nearly 200 years.

The last time we took your hoods off, you claimed to be misunderstood. Victimized. No. You are a damaged, dangerous, fragmented, splintered and amorphous collection of terroristic cells with a hate-based ideology and a well documented history of violence against the American public – assault, murder, terrorism. You play a deep, damaging and historically sinister and malevolent role in the United States. We understand you far too well. ... This fight will go on as long as it has to. The aim of this operation is digital. Another cyber war trist, nothing more. We are not violent. We will release, to the global public, the identities of up to 1000 klan members, Ghoul Squad affiliates and other close associates of various factions of the Ku Klux Klan across the Unites States."

- https://anonintelgroup.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/opkkk-press-release/
In preparation for this event, they helpfully released a document with probing questions that people can ask of themselves and their social groups, which is perhaps a useful way of provoking educational discussions. I'm sure they'll take greater care with this information release, since Anonymous has made mistakes in previous announcements. By its nature, Anonymous data is not curated information, so it should always be verified before acting on it. But then, I suppose they would agree that lesson is useful in all circumstances anyway.

A different anonymous (Anonymous?) group tried to join the publicity surrounding this event, but the people at the helm of this particular operation made it clear that they vouch only for data released via their @Operation_KKK Twitter account. Meanwhile, another supportive Anonymous group is taking this project in good humor, even creating a proverbial Race Card to play in this digital game of social media.

I've already told you about my one or two brushes with the Klan. I don't expect Klansmen or sympathizers to feel shame or hear new logic. I expect this operation will result only in their self-interested preservation instinct. In that context, however, we can still hope this metaphorical light will scatter the roaches back into the darkness.

We should always be ready to speak our counterpoint when we find injustice.

Edit: 5:11pm:  It's official.  You can download the text file here:  http://pastebin.com/wbvP95wg

#OpKKK #HoodsOff #Anonymous
mellowtigger: (Terry 2010)
3335 Colfax, Minneapolis MN 55412 sale listingI may have to move soon, and on short notice. The landlords where I'm at now are making arrangements to shift ownership, but there are too many factors "up in the air" at the moment.

The landlord thinking about staying in this house sent a link to a different property, and that page mentioned a house directly across the street.  So, by accident, I found a cheap home that I could afford. All versions of mortgage calculators tell me that a mortgage for this place would be >$100 cheaper than my current rent. I realize there are insurance and tax costs on top of it, but it still seems prudent to consider buying my own place.

Unfortunately, I'm worried that I'll run into the same roadblock as before.  Banks tell me "no" without offering a reason that makes any sense to me.  I've structured my life to live cheaply as I can, and I don't owe money to anybody, so banks don't know what to make of me.  I'm waiting for a callback from my credit union now.  If there's any way to make it happen, I would need to get in quickly to see this property and decide about an offer.

This house has a south-facing roof, so it'd be good for solar in the future.  I drove by and looked outside, and I didn't see any obvious problems.  I'm pretty sure that it's so cheap because it's in a relatively higher crime area.  (Not as thick as downtown Minneapolis, but equivalent to the Powderhorn south Minneapolis area, which is actually a desirable region of its own.)  Bonus: It's even closer to where I work.

Update 2015.09.14 11:45:
I went to LendingTree.com to fill out some info too, and within seconds got a phone call from them via QuickenLoans.  They said they can get a preapproval for me.  At this $65K house on a fixed 3.62% interest rate for 15-year loan, they say it will cost me $500/month with "taxes and insurance included".  That's still a lot more than the mortgage calculators were telling me, so I'm not sure what's included by them.  If that's the actual total cost to me (minus utilities) then I can still afford it.  I don't know... maybe I should still contact a local person to see if they offer anything different?

Update 2015.09.14 13:00:
These people scare me more than a little.  I dislike aggressive sales.  I fill out a webpage, and within seconds my phone is ringing.  It happened again.  I have somebody else (who knows they're my #2 contact) looking into financing for me, since I'm not sure what to make of QuickenLoans.  They're a local ReMax person and should know of any Minnesota or Minneapolis special programs for first-time buyers like me.  I saw my credit report from QuickenLoans today, and it turns out I have a "very good" rating now.  I still think the whole credit rating industry is hogwash, but as long as they talk to me, then I guess I'll pursue and see what comes of it.  If nothing else, this escapade has led me to a good website for window shopping for homes and a good website for checking crime reports.

Update 2015.09.14 16:20:
The local realtor (via ReMax webpage) just emailed me, "This property already has an offer accepted according to the listing agent."  Ah well.  The disappointment sinks in again, but at least a different reason this time than a few years ago.

Update 2015.09.14 17:35:
The referral from my credit union called, and he pretty much brushed me off when he learned how much I earn a year.  Pretty much what I expected from all lending sources, but apparently a few are willing to work at my miniscule level.
mellowtigger: (Terry 2010)
I attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis yesterday.  It was the most convenient political activity that I've ever joined.  My employer's building closed early that day since the protest was happening across the street from the front door at the Gold Medal Park.  All I had to do was walk outside and join the event.  It couldn't be any easier.

Here are photos and brief video clips that I took. The crowd grew to about 1,000.  I can vouch for that many, at least, although I saw one news report that guessed as high as 1,500. What did not appear in any of the news accounts, though, is the observation that it was a very pale crowd. I think it was about 85% caucasian. The minority clearly has the support of the majority here, which should be encouraging for all of us who expect improvements to be made.  Unfortunately, I didn't know the schedule and had another event to attend, so I left apparently just minutes before they started marching.  I missed the main event.  Oops.

extra security at my work buildingpark's sign with early crowdpark's sign with tv crews assemblingpolice surveillance camerapolice unmarked vehiclesposter easy to hold up smart supportsposter from lady in wheelchairpostersposter at bus stop downtown Minneapolis

Here is a series of shots that show how the crowd grew over time.

time 5:05pmtime 5:33pmtime 5:38pmtime 5:45pmtime 5:52pmtime 5:54pmtime 5:56pmtime 6:03pmtime 6:07pm

I don't pretend to be good at video either, but here are two pans of the crowd that I took.
crowd chanting at 5:48pm (avi, 111 MB)  "No justice, no peace, prosecute the police"
crowd at 6:09pm (avi, 37MB)

I was featured in cameo for several seconds during the 6pm CBS news from local tv station WCCO. You can watch the video here.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/11442633-blacklivesmatter-protesters-rally-at-gold-medal-park/

I'll write soon about the issues at hand. I land solidly in the "we can do better" camp, but I have a lot of evidence to offer and thoughts to consider. I need more time to organize my thinking. I'll try to be concise. :)

#BlackLivesMatter

everdry

2013-Feb-07, Thursday 09:35 am
mellowtigger: (Terry 2010)
What if you had something better than Scotchgard? I immediately want to coat the litterbox and shower stall in this stuff.  It would be even more useful at the animal shelter where I work. It's called EverDry.


What are the chances that this product will prove non-toxic?  We had to give up Scotchgard because of its toxicity, but I really want this new stuff to be safe!  They provide a link to their FDA approval letter. It mentions 3 substances, but I don't know where to look up the extent of their safety testing and toxicology results. Do any chemists out there know the answer?

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