Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman's Comments

Are You A Blogging Gardener? by Paul D.

Sep 22, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 2

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Nov 29, 2007, 12:06am EST

Thanks for the tip. Paul. :)

The Worm Saga (My First Adventures in Vermicomposting) by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

Jun 7, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 20

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Nov 28, 2007, 6:03pm EST

I apologize that it took so long for me to get back to you, Terry! I've been gone fropm Gather for a bit...

The liquid from the bins is supposed to be an excellent fertilizer. The recommendations I've read say to dilute it with an equal part of water. I'd advise making that dechlorinated water if possible (you can either boil water from the tap and then let it cool to room temperature, or let water from the tap stand for a day or three).

The liquid is not toxic. The castings are not toxic. I have read frequently that the worms themselves find their castings (and the liquid from them) slightly toxic, and this might have been what you read. My worms do not seem to have gotten the memo, though. Whenever I harvest castings, there are many worms still living in them happily, and several hundred eggs.

Most of my bins are outside, on top of soil, or on top of cardboard that is on top of soil. So liquid from the bins goes directly into the ground, and so do adventuring worms. Only recently have I had indoor bins with holes in the bottom. I've found that some liquid drains out of these, and some worms also slip out. Unless there is enough liquid to drown them, they seem happy in it.

If the worms in your bin are healthy, then the castings and liquid runoff will be healthy.

The Metaphorical Angel by Layla T.

Aug 23, 2007 | rating: 7 | comments: 2

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Nov 28, 2007, 5:06pm EST

I was just following a thread on another site about how much darker the older myths and "fairy tales" were -- and how much more interesting. The "vampire as tragic hero" seems to be a very recent twist on the myth. Buffy and Angel dug into the shadow-side much more deeply, and I think honestly, than "Moonlight" does. It would be nice to think that the success of Buffy and Angel, and the interest in old myths and folk tales, indicates a willingness in a large number of Americans to actually confront the dark side in ourselves.

A Photo by Syed The Shah

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 9 | comments: 24

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 5:30am EDT

I saw it as a mother figure holding a baby elephant... or could be holding a bird in a nest, too. She's leaning forward, anxiously, running along, carrying it where it needs to go. So, we both see a young creature in trouble; you see the larger figure as threatening, I see it as nurturing, helpful. Interesting, eh?

A Photo by Zakee S.

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 1

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 5:23am EDT

I usually see technology as a flaw on the landscape... you made me see it differently. Thanks. :)

A Photo by TD (aka: JaneDough)

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 33

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 5:21am EDT

Brilliant color. Thanks for the look!

A Photo by Eric I.

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 22

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 4:59am EDT

Wowser!

A Photo by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 4

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 1:14am EDT

Yikes! That looked a LOT different on the computer I was using earlier today, when I prepared these flower scans for posting. I'll try this one again tomorrow.

A Photo by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

Jul 1, 2007 | rating: 7.8 | comments: 4

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jul 1, 2007, 12:55am EDT

Please, if you don't like something, leave a comment on why, not just a "1"!

Are There Any Wild Places Left on Earth? by Jonathon D. C.

Jun 29, 2007 | rating: 8.5 | comments: 28

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 30, 2007, 5:14pm EDT

The point of the article is simple: we DO have an impact, everywhere on the planet, so start being smart about it. We can't just designate area as "wilderness" and then go away, job done.

Some of the tenants in our apartment building started a small raised garden at one end of the parking lot this year. I've gotten increasingly enthusiastic about how much can be grown right in the city, by individuals, in limited space. This dovetails with Anitra's Favorite Cause #4,092: Making Cities More Livable For Everyone.

No, having an urban garden or a windowsill planter isn't the same as having virgin forest outside your door, and it won't have as much impact on the global environment as saving 100 acres of Amazon rainforest would. It is, however, one small step that you can do as an individual, immediately, with limited resources. Small things add up. They also build momentum. :)

Making Use of Adult A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

Jun 2, 2007 | rating: 9.4 | comments: 27

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 28, 2007, 10:54pm EDT

What frustrated me, Karen, to the point of calling TA a troll, was that he turned the whole discussion thread away from the point of the article -- which was NOT "I have A.D.D." The point was, there is a useful aspect to letting your attention scatter around and pick up stray objects, as well as a usefulness to "hyperfocusing" on one thing; and anyone, regardless of "diagnosis," can make use of this.

Abortion: An Alternative Christian Viewpoint by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

May 30, 2007 | rating: 8.8 | comments: 18

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 27, 2007, 10:30pm EDT

'... not only is there not a single "pro-life" viewpoint there is not a single "Christian" viewpoint.' It's good to hear a Catholic say that, Christopher. :) I do hope that you take a look at the book A Brief, Liberal, Catholic Defense of Abortion: there has not been just one single Catholic doctrine on abortion, throughout history, either.

I agree that absolutes can freeze brain cells, but it is remarkable to hear a Roman Catholic argue against having absolutes guide moral decisions. I do not think it very likely that we are going to get anyone to give up their moral absolutes; nor do I think it morally right to try. Making it "illegal" to hold any particular moral absolute -- like the right of a woman to control her own body -- is a violation against freedom of thought, even if it is just a rhetorical flourish and not a serious proposal for legislation.

Instead of trying to get everybody to give up their absolutes, perhaps we simply need to get everyone to appreciate that other people have absolutes that are equally important to them. As I see it, we should not ask anyone on any side of this conflict to compromise on principle, and we do not have to do so. We can respect the right of a woman to control her own body AND the right of a fetus to the best chance at life, by bending all of our energies toward providing more safety, security, education, medical care, and other resources to all women.

A Photo by Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman

Jun 27, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 2

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 27, 2007, 3:05am EDT

The graphic came from a "tag" group, and I first saw the pun on a store card. I just put them together, with hugs. :)

U.S. Congress Findings on Secret Transportation of Terrorist Suspects Overseas by Steve A, Federation of American Scientists

Jun 21, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 2

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 27, 2007, 12:33am EDT

Don't slap him upside the head, slap him in jail.

Immigration: Is The Republican Party About to Implode? by Dale C.

Jun 20, 2007 | rating: 9.6 | comments: 39

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 26, 2007, 7:14pm EDT

We do need immigration reform. We need a system to keep track of who comes into the country and where they are now. We need a system that protects the human rights of everyone (this country was founded on the principle that ALL human beings have inalienable rights, not just human beings born in the United States of America). We need a system that rewards people when they are productive, behave ethically, and treat each other fairly, and that penalizes people when they do not. We need a system that forces businesses to absorb their own costs and not pass them on to the rest of the community. We need a system that holds us ALL accountable, responsible to our community.

This immigration bill is not that system. Neither is the system we have now. Demonizing immigrants and forcing them further underground is NOT improving our economy or making any of us any safer. We are just giving more power to the exploiters, the people who are exploiting both them AND US.

Both political parties have abandoned their grassroots, AND WE LET THEM. For most of my life I heard most people around me sniff at any discussion of political issues and act like "being above politics" was somehow MORAL. Now everybody is all "Why aren't Those Politicians taking care of OUR interests?"

Don't just get involved with this issue. Get involved with ALL issues. Go to the boring city budget meetings and the boring city council meetings, take that boring drive to your state capitol now and then, read the boring legislative summaries on the Congressional websites -- because if you leave the hard work to somebody else, you are also leaving the power to them.

To really change things, you have to do more than just bitch.

Will Soldiers Lose Their First Amendment Rights? by Steve A, Federation of American Scientists

May 2, 2007 | rating: 9.4 | comments: 20

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 25, 2007, 9:46pm EDT

Dan, I think you've got it spot on.

ARMY DOCUMENTS POSTED "ILLEGALLY," ARMY Tells FAS by Steve A, Federation of American Scientists

May 7, 2007 | rating: 9.9 | comments: 10

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 25, 2007, 9:38pm EDT

Thank you, Steve!

A sacred duty not limited to the present moment by Thomas Spainhour

Jan 9, 2007 | rating: 8.9 | comments: 32

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 25, 2007, 9:24pm EDT

I too wish I could give this a 12, or more. This excellent article seems to have fallen victim to a drive-by shoot-down by one or more humiliated conservatives, too embarrassed to leave their name(s).

Jun 25, 2007 | rating: 9.2 | comments: 11

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 25, 2007, 9:07pm EDT

It *looks* beautiful. Somehow, tho', after reading the description I am not as enthusiastic about the meal. :D

A Photo by Elizabeth "I'm Pro-Accordion and I Vote!" B.

Jun 23, 2007 | rating: 10 | comments: 4

Anitra Raging Granny / Raging Moderate Freeman Jun 25, 2007, 9:05pm EDT

Nope. The founders knew at much closer vantage point what happens when religion mixes with politics. They gave us a secular government, in which decisions between us are binding one ALL of us, independent of which religious authority we follow. In that atmosphere, religion grew and spread much more widely here in American than in any country with one state-recognized church. Freedom of thought is a good thing.