News you should know

[branchandroot]

Global
Iran is rising up. Read this. Think about it. Consider doing everything in your power to support democracy in action. Pass it on.

Local (For values of local that exist in internet-space)
Hale is running for the LJ Advisory board. Laura Hale, aka partly_bouncy, aka the psycho expletive from hell who runs FanHistory. Read if you dare. Marvel at her ability to present wank-making as a useful talent. Try not to have a blood pressure spike at her attempt to present DW as Teh Enemy OMG. Have a nice moment of gratitude, once again, for the new home we've made.

Personal
We're going to pick out a new kitten tonight!

Comments

[annotated_em]

*completely ignores the serious parts of your post in favor of kitten-squee*

Squee!

Have you warned Inanna, or is this going to be a pleasant surprise for Herself?

[branchandroot]

Well, I'm hoping to cuddle the prospective kitten for a bit and bring her home a sniff of little-sister-scent. Hopefully that will constitute warning.

[dancing_serpent]

*joins in the kitten-squee*

I'm going to become slave and servant of two girl kitties in August. Am totally excited about that. Totally lacking any good ideas for names, though. Their brother is going to live with mareen and already got the name Spock. *g*

[branchandroot]

Kitten-squee makes life better. And Inanna needs a little kitten-sister to interrupt her naps.

[dancing_serpent]

Iran - heard about it from a friend who has family living there. She's very worried.

Read if you dare.
Argh! Nope, I don't. *shudders* She's scary enough without trying to raise forces against DW.

[branchandroot]

Yeah, it sounds like it's pretty ugly.

*wry* I managed to skim it. It's... classic Hale.

[cathexys]

Marvel at her ability to present wank-making as a useful talent. loves on you :)

[branchandroot]

*laughs* I just had to sit and stare at the bit about organizations she's 'had a hand in articulating'. I mean, totally aside from my brain breaking at her listing OTW that way, the rest of them... well, they speak for themselves.

[krait]

Ah, partly_bouncy. Finally, I feel like I would be a good User Advisory board member is that I have positive relationships with several other commercial services.

Aside from whatever's wrong with that sentence in terms of structure (seriously, "I would be a good member is that"??), I confess that my first thought was that even though she's crazy it still might be a good thing -- someone who sees nothing wrong with profiting from fandom might counteract LJ's tendency to act like fandom is a particularly embarrassing disease to be surgically removed when found.

Then I thought about the potential for use along the lines of "banning/reporting only those who dare to criticise my stupid wiki-cash-cow scheme," and shuddered.

[branchandroot]

Yeah, given her history of finding disingenuous ways to monetize and her history of batshit crazy re that wiki... *shakes head*

[petronia]

Ah, Laura Hale. One degree of separation from me on Twitter, and quite respectably seen among marketing professionals as far as I can tell. It's a real alternate earth, is monetization-verse.

[branchandroot]

*wry* Yeah, I remember a student once who said she was going into advertising because she liked manipulating people.

[althea]

Thank you for that Iran link. I'm spreading it around.

YAY for kitten!

[branchandroot]

*nods* I've been really glad to see that the news is getting picked up in NPR and such and given serious attention.

Kitten! Either another calico or a gray stripe, depending on who likes us better by the time they're ready to leave mom.