(no subject)

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways To Give:

darkbunny linked me to a call for help for silverback2001. She works as a model and was assaulted recently by a client; she can't work until her leg heals (not to mention the emotional scars) and she needs money to finish the move she's in the middle of.

adelheide, who was mentioned here last week after losing her kitty and having to deal with the vet bills from that, has also lost her unemployment support. She's selling jewelry to help make ends meet, which you can find here. I had a look, there are some really interesting and unique pieces.

longstrider linked to Scott Lynch's website, where he is offering various goodies as a fundraising incentive to help SFF authors Emma Bull and Steve Brust with their upcoming medical bills.

rhythmia linked to her friend, who is cycling 50km for the Canary Challenge, which raises funds for cancer research and patient care at the Stanford Cancer Institute. She needs a minimum of $400 raised to be able to race. You can find out more and donate here.

quatredeathlady has rescued a mother cat with five kittens and need to find them homes. She's in the Hudson Valley area of New York but is willing to take them pretty far; you can find more info here.

soc_puppet linked to a kickstarter for Braille tactile dice for tabletop gaming.

News To Know:

cluegirl, who is a very good friend and a long time Fandom writer, has a new book out! She has links on where to buy and more info here. Expect a review from me in the coming weeks...

Just For Fun:

taerowyn linked to the classiest flashmob ever.

BE PREPARED. OCTOBER IS NATIONAL CHEESE MONTH. (Technically it's called American Cheese month, celebrating cheese made in America, but that makes it sound like we're celebrating Kraft singles and just. No.)

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can always post items for my attention in comments here (or on any post) or email me at copperbadge at gmail dot com. If you're not sure how to proceed, here is a little more about what I do and how you can help (or ask for help!). Remember, brevity is the soul of RFM.

(no subject)

I did not survive this book.

I CAME SO CLOSE THOUGH.

"Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and The Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine" by George Taber is a long title for a book that feels even longer. I have no idea how I found it. I think I was looking for something else.

Anyway, it purports to be the tale of the 1976 Paris Tasting, where a dozen new California wines were pitted against eight French wines in a blind tasting. The judges, who were all French, were shocked to find that on a twenty-point scale, the fledgling California wines had won both the white wine portion and the red wine portion, which was unthinkable at a time when French wine was renowned as the world's best and California wine didn't even have five years of good product under its belt. The results, reported in Time Magazine, touched off a change in the way Americans viewed wine, but also in the way the industry as a whole viewed winemaking outside of France.

( The reality, as I have lately discovered, is a little different... )

Final Verdict: Unless you are really really into the science of winemaking, this is probably not a book you want to read.

(no subject)

I DID ALL THE ERRANDS! IN THE RAIN!

I had a million things to do downtown this afternoon, like pick up my boot from the shoe repair place and visit the new downtown Target store. I'm not sure Target has quite got the hang of urban shopping yet. As one article about it pointed out, "There's no parking and most people in the loop don't have cars, and yet when you walk in the first thing you see is a display of bulk packs of diapers that could not reasonably be carried on the El." Still, it's kind of fun, in that "all our designs are clean and retro and everything is ORDERLY" way Target is, kind of like if a minimalist designed Disneyland. And they sold me their last box of Aleve-D, so I'm satisfied.

I posted an image from the Target on instagram, but I can't figure out how to view it on a regular not-a-phone browser, so I can't link it. Maybe there is no way.

I also swung past the Blick art store across the street from Target to pick up a signing pen for Dead Isle signed copies; it's acid-free, archival quality, and PURPLE.

Blick clerk: Do you need a bag for this?
Me: No. No, I have a pocket.

I have a late-breaking RFM item that is somewhat time-sensitive, so I thought I'd link here; Anon linked me to a fundraiser to purchase a plot of land in South Dakota known as Pe' Sla, a sacred site to the Sioux Nation. The current owners are selling it at auction, and the Sioux have until August 25th to raise funds to purchase the plot and protect it from development. You can read more here and see a video and donate at their indiegogo.

(no subject)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF FANDOM.

(And anyone else who wants to come along.)

Stop what you're doing and go watch this vid. It is an ode to fandom, and you will not be sorry.