eric.openflows

A few weeks ago, about the time I came down with whatever illness it is that has so totally knocked me on my ass, I went in for a battery of blood tests for my yearly physical.

I've pretty much been in a panic ever since. Partly fueled by my father's death; partly by my friend Andrew's recent diagnosis; and partly by my own nature to always imagine the worst, it's been 3 weeks of mental hell.

For the past few weeks I've been imagining myself as Schrödinger's Cat. Stuck in my box, both alive and dead, waiting for the doctor to open the envelope and observe the situation and let me know which reality is mine.

Today, Dr. Gilbert opened the box, and I'm very happy to say that the cat is alive and well.

Now if I could just kick the last remnants of this illness and get back to feeling as healthy as I am, all would be great.

 
 

you know it's spring when the sidewalk berries are in bloom

As someone who rarely gets ill, the most surprising thing about this continued struggle with being sick and constantly in pain is just how mentally draining it is. I just can't keep my brain focused; I can't think. It's starting to drive me insane.

Once again, today's post is links and not original content.

Word Cloud: How Toy Ad Vocabulary Reinforces Gender Stereotypes
http://www.achilleseffect.com/2011/03/word-cloud-how-toy-ad-vocabulary-r...

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20 More Facts About Inequality That Will Make Your Head Explode
It's not just that the rich are getting richer.

Workers that start out at the bottom have a harder time making it to the higher rungs, and separation is increasing even physically as wealthy neighborhoods get more exclusive.

Inequality is rising in many ways, and the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality Mission pulled some charts from recent studies that show how poverty and unemployment are hitting different groups.
http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-inequality-2011-4?op=1

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DEAR CONGRESS: I Pay Taxes, I Did Not Cause the Recession — Coffee Party USA
http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/congress-taxpayer
Dear Congress,

Please remember: you are fighting over how to spend our money. We the People pay 33.7% of the Federal Fund while corporations pay 7.2%. Many corporations pay no taxes at all. Yet your entire focus during this budget battle has been on how much to hurt the people.

We did not cause the recession, the deficit, or the national debt. We know this, and we need you to know that we are aware of a corrupt system in which corporations spend their vast wealth to lobby and manipulate you.

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I'm still in recovery mode after whatever it was that knocked me on my ass late last month so I have not managed to get any of the longer stories that I'm working on anywhere near ready for posting. Soon, comrades. Soon.

So, here's my latest list of tabs open in my browser that I will read someday.

The Theory That's Killing America's Economy -- and Why It's Wrong
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/the-theory-thats-killing-_b_8...

New engine sends shock waves through auto industry
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42460541/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Photoshop Disasters: Birther Edition
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/04/photoshop-disasters-birt...

Hmmm, we're all being held hostage by a group of religious zealots trying to force their religious views on us, sounds like terrorism to me, eh?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/08/964859/-War-on-Planned-Parentho...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/08/964783/-Reid-says-GOP-threateni...

Sadly, no one in america will remember this next november, we're a nation of idiots.

The real story of the pending government shutdown is the unspoken right wing social agenda. It's about abortion and environmental protection more than budgets. They want to force their pro-pollution, pro-corporate control, anti-choice agenda -- they don't care about deficits. It's about manipulation, not just money.

Riders Caused The Storm: Government Shutdown Looms Over Anti-Abortion And Anti-EPA Measures
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/riders-caused-the-storm-anti-...

Anti-Environmental Riders in H.R. 1
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dgoldston/anti-environmental_riders_in...

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