Graphic: 98 Days Since Newtown: 2,238 Dead

Very powerful and fairly sickening graphic at HuffPo right now. (Link here. It actually plays, counting up the days and number of dead.) Screen shot:

The accompanying article.

Credit page says "By Jay Boice, Aaron Bycoffe and Andrei Scheinkman. Research by Jason Cherkis, Peter Finocchiaro, Adam Goldberg, Mark Hanrahan, Benjamin Hart, Alana Horowitz, Melissa Jeltsen, Chelsea Kiene, Brad Shannon and William Wrigley." Great work, gang.

@GunDeaths on Twitter.

"Bottomfeeders" song #5: Sigh

From my CD "Bottomfeeders."
 

You might like to add this to your collection of songs. You can do this ever so easily at iTunes, Rhapsody, CDUniverse, or CDBaby, among other fine digital music establishments.

A Request From an American Public School Teacher

An email from a nephew who is an elementary school teacher in Western New York:

Hello Family, I am wondering if all of my lovely local (or not ) family would be willing to cut and save their box tops for me?

I recently discovered that my school lets me buy things for my classroom with that money.

You know what this email is? It's even more evidence that super wealthy Americans need another tax cut.

P.S. This.

[image]

Song: "Inside Joke"

More at iTunes, Rhapsody, CDUniverse, CDBaby.

PM Julia Gillard Issues Apology For Forced Adoptions

The Australian:

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has told victims of forced adoption practices: "We apologise". Ms Gillard made the long awaited national apology at a special ceremony in Canberra attended by hundreds of people, including mothers betrayed by a system that decided their children were better off elsewhere.

"We acknowledge your loss and grief," the prime minister said.

From the 1950s to the 1970s an estimated 150,000 unwed Australian mothers had their babies forcibly adopted under a practice sanctioned by governments, churches, hospitals, charities and bureaucrats.

I'll post video and trascript when they become available. *You can watch it here. This is worth putting other stuff away and watching.

Wikipedia on Australia's forced adoptions.

"Stories from the mothers who had their babies taken away":

Michelle Shocked: Audio of Rant; Lying in Statement

I'm listening to the audio of Michelle Shocked's Yoshi's rant right now. There is no other way to say this: She lied in her statement. I'll have my own transcript soon.
 

Statement From Michelle Shocked: "I'm Very Sorry"

Update: We have audio of the rant.
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Yeah. Well, first the statement. For what it's worth I'll add my own thoughts after it soon.

The statement comes from SPIN (it's apparently all over the place), and they rightly say it "finds her apologizing for the supposedly misunderstood speech":

Michelle Shocked, Page II: God Hates MS's Tour

Update: Michelle Shocked has issued a statment. (Thursday, Australia)
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That first post is getting cluttered.

Here's where we stand:

Michelle Shocked Cancellations [updates; 14 confirmed; statement from Telluride]

Update, April 1: Shocked on Piers Morgan tonight? (Yep - video here.)

(Thanks for the links,  NBC, Daily Beast, E! Online, NZHerald, and A.V. Club - and to Janis Freaking Ian for commenting!)
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Original post and updates follow:

Sandstone Cliff, Middle Head, Sydney Harbour

Middle Head.

Beach, Bath

Beach, Bath 

Holes are part of Nature. 

They're Inherent 

In this
This System
Of Bringing, 

Absorbing,
Vomiting,
Replacing,
Absorbing,
Vomiting...

We are all these grains. 

We are all these holes. 

All these gaps. 

We are shoes, too. Waterproof, 

For a while, 

 Then