Welcome to your weekend open thread. Happy hotter than heck weekend! How are you coping. I’m actually blogging from my brand new sectional that was delivered this morning. I feel so luxurious.
Nature put together a video tribute to all the shuttle missions. It might make you a little weepy.
This next story is educational. Bodice ripping is a lot harder than you think.
For most people, giving a presentation in skivvies to 100 professional peers sounds like a bad dream. But Ms. Gist was giving a workshop on Victorian clothing at the Romance Writers of America’s annual convention this summer. The romance novelists had gathered in New York to learn how to dress—and undress—heroines in their novels.
It took an hour for Ms. Gist to squeeze into a dozen layers that a lady would have worn in the 1860s—stockings, garters, bloomers, chemise, corset, crinoline or hoop skirt, petticoats, a shirtwaist or blouse, skirt, vest and bolero jacket. By the end, workshop attendees were skeptical that seductions ever occurred, with so many sartorial barriers.
“How did they ever have hanky panky?” asked novelist Annie Solomon.
With great effort, it turns out. Women wore blouses under their corsets—making actual bodice ripping fairly pointless. Corsets fastened in front and laced up the back and couldn’t be undone in a single passionate gesture. “You’ll see pictures of corsets on bare skin. That’s completely historically inaccurate,” Ms. Gist told her audience.
I wonder what percentage of women in the Victorian era actually wore all of that? Most women wouldn’t have been able to afford a maid to dress them so they probably had clothes that were easier to get into, right?
Excellent video, UI. There was actually a 6th shuttle built, but it was never launched – the first shuttle was called Enterprise and was christened by Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura). I walked through Enterprise at the World’s Fair in New Orleans in 1984.
Victory for evolution in Texas
We were pretty good once. Thanks for the video U.I. Too bad the ride is over.
General Shalikashvili has died.
…of a broken heart when he heard about Amy Winehouse.
too soon?
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
“General Shalikashvili has died.”
Damn! Just when I was getting the hang of pronouncing his name.
Has anyone else heard about the forthcoming Kevin Smith (chasing amy, clerks, mallrats, dogma….) Film? Check out a trailer for Red State…. Thoughts? (my apologies if this has already been discussed)
Also, RIP Amy
Asian markets open at 4pm today Eastern time. It will be the first real test of what our financial overlords really think of our chances of default. Expect an announcement of some sort of agreement before that time.
私は短いアメリカの株式を売っているん。
I hope Obama does not go for this “Super Congress” idea. If he he going to do something which is constitutionally questionable, I’d prefer the debt ceiling raised by executive order.
constitutionally questionable? it is illegal. Let’s think about how “compromise works” This “body” will need a simple majority. The 6 GOPers will all always vote as a single-minded block. They will only ever need one conservadem to push through their radical agenda (think SCOTUS) that, if anyone in either chamber raises their voice about will be seen as “trying to stop the government from working”
The idea that they need to create a grand governing council shows none of them know how to do their jobs. Call Delaware’s delegation and tell them to oppose this.
Don’t know if it illegal, but it is just plain stupid.
The party of smaller government needs MORE government to raise the debt ceiling?
Hello?
That members of Congress are even thinking in terms of a super congress indicates that the US government as is irrepairably broken and legislators are scraping for a patch job.
OH MY!!! – we are going to be invaded:
from HuffPo Business:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/24/states-fines-fees-tax-budget-cities_n_908011.html
“Some disgruntled fee-payers are considering even bigger moves.
Tom Tompkins was blunt when asked about the fee increases while walking out of a motor vehicle office in Annapolis, Md.
“I want to move to Delaware,” said Tom Tompkins, 63, of Glen Burnie, Md. Tompkins, who is retired, cited an increase in Maryland’s sales tax rate from 5 to 6 percent, approved in 2007. The lifelong Maryland resident said Delaware, which has no sales tax, looks more inviting all the time.”
I hope he’s a Democrat!!
This Super Congress idea seems to be an acknowledgement on the part of Republicans that their obstructionism has broken Congress. I thought the Constitution allowed Congress to set its own rules? I assume Congress can decide certain member have more power if it wants to.
I wonder what we will see when the Asian markets open. Will it start tanking and put more pressure on Republicans. I’m so sick and tired of this phony-baloney crisis. The debt ceiling vote doesn’t have to be tied to anything. This is completely self-imposed stupidity.
UI, I doubt that the super congress idea will stand constitutional muster even with the Roberts Court. There is no universal state and rep district congressional representation if by rule Congress can decide to allow a committee of a few to determine great matters of state like budget cuts and amounts and kinds of revenue. If that is constitutional, then our constitution is seriously flawed because I don’t want my congressional representatives to be in a position whereby they wouldn’t get to vote on these matters. What would be the point of them, then? Do we send them to Congress just so they can hand over much of their power to a committee? That is precisely the picture of a broken democratic government.
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