Not the only straw, just the final one.

I was just remarking that blogging has changed for me; it used to feel like a community and now… well, not so much. But with her return, it feels different already!

A very warm welcome home, Lee Ann!

DaGoddess never left us but she has moved camp to http://dagoddess.wordpress.com. Best of luck in the new digs, Joanie!

Anyway, I’ve been blogging for 10 years. Big fat hairy deal. Anyone can do it and millions do, so there’s obviously no trick to the thing. And the long ago thought of having a big blogish partay for my 10th has been mitigated by raging allergies and a lingering case of ennui.

Nothing has really changed, unless you count my newly found cynicism regarding all things political. Still a fiscal conservative, everything else independent… like I said, nothing has really changed. If the blog lasts another ten years… oh, geez… I can’t even finish that sentence.

My favorite thing about blogging remains people; although a hermit myself, the friends I’ve made through blogging are all wonderful, bright, compassionate folks who make me want to be a better person.
On the flip side of that, my least favorite thing would be the people I’ve lost track of through the years.

Every few years I post some of my old headers, so…

…and I’m thinking of making this my next banner!

Nope, some things never do change…

Find out what happened.

This is one of those times karma is supposed to kick in. Joanie has a very large, soft heart for friends, family and charity. Especially if it happens to involve our military. She has given her time and talent again and again and now she is the one who needs help. But she doesn’t want charity.

Go here to discover how she plans to raise the money for the aforementioned emergency. Maybe you can disguise yourself as heavenly intervention. 8^)

If you’re strapped for cash, and many people are, I’m sure she’d appreciate prayers as well.

Thanks!

So I’m going all blogger, heal thyself on you with a link roundup. A practice once held in high esteem and exercised with vigor, the link post is good for what ails you. Or me.

Why can’t I regale customer service types with witty remarks the way Mrs. Who seems able to do at every turn? Maybe she’s had more experience with situations requiring them? Clearly, I need to get out more.

Peter’s been writing to Barry again. Well, one of us must, eh?

Sad Hill News points out the Illegal Alien’s Guide to the top five best places to live in America. California comes in at #1, of course.

Oh, my. Teresa’s shot of Daisies nearly brought me back to life! She’s not technical at Posterous, just pretty.

The ultimate? obama joke from the Reaganite Republican. It would be funny if it weren’t true…

Must mention Canterbury Tales by Taylor Marshall! I’ve a habit of leaving Taylor’s articles as new in my reader so I can go over them again and again.

On July 4th he wrote:

The only other blog posts that maintain long residence in my reader are Joan’s. Congratulations on her newest acquisition!

I’ll return to my current daydream: I’m walking in the country, miles away from civilization. The day is Autumn cool and the misting rain beads on the collie’s coat as she gambols ahead of me on the trail. We’ve plenty of energy and land to expend it on. I’ll be glad to have worn wellies once we reach the stream. It’s very pretty; shallow and clear enough to see some fish and surrounded by tall pines.

It could only be made better if I were riding…

Praying for all those affected by the quake and tsunami!

Law Firm Finds Success Targeting Those Who Post Copyrighted Images

Before you use that copyrighted image on your blog you might want to think twice: It could cost you up to $150,000. Still, if you’re willing to take the risk because you think you won’t get caught since a lot of people are doing the same thing, one law firms is on to you. They know how the troll the web and are using the power of viral material – and lawsuits – to make bank.

Righthaven might not be a household name, but their tactic is simple: Buy out the copyrights for viral content and then sue bloggers and other people who violate copyright by reposting those images. The law firm Google-searches for anyone who may have posted the images and goes after those who violated the rules for the maximum $150,000 and ownership of the site’s domain. Most individuals just want the case to end so they chose to settle, which is where the law firm cashes in. They netted about $1,500 to $3,500 each case just by settling with bloggers and other media companies and had 80-plus cases with their first client Las Vegas Review-Journal, reports Wired. Last year, they made at least $308,000 from this method, according to Technology Review.

“We believe it’s the best solution out there,” Gibson said to Wired. “Media companies’ assets are very much their copyrights. These companies need to understand and appreciate that those assets have value more than merely the present advertising revenues.”

The Las Vegas-based law firm has another big lawsuit in the works. You may remember seeing the infamous picture of a man being excessively groped during a TSA pat down that originally ran in the Denver Post. (We’re not risking the charges by reposting the picture, but you can see the original image here.) The picture of the TSA officer who is really working hard at his job went viral, Righthaven bought the rights and is suing everyone who posted the picture. This includes people who posted comments on message boards, something that hasn’t been done before according to Technology Review. Chances are, although some posters could win their case, those being sued will just try to settle to avoid all litigation, which is what Righthaven is hoping.

Read more.

The scary thing is, I just got an email from someone who said they would like to use an image that’s on the site in a pamphlet and they’d acknowledge it as my work. I replied that it wasn’t mine, the blogger who posted it just snagged it off the net! I want to believe that it was legit, but now that law firms are indulging in this sort of underhanded bullshit I’m thinking of going through and deleting every damn image on the site.

They buy the rights to an image and then google to find who posted it and promptly sue them… AND anyone who commented on the post it’s in!

AOL has acquired Huffington Post for $315 million in its biggest move since it became an independent company in 2009.

The acquisition will create a new online media conglomerate that already owns news websites TechCrunch and Engadget. According to The New York Times, the deal is worth $300 million in cash with $15 million in stock.

As part of the deal, Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington will be appointed president editor-in-chief of all of AOL’s content. She will not only run The Huffington Post, but will lead AOL’s news, tech, women, local, multicultural, entertainment video and community content businesses in an AOL entity that will be known as the Huffington Post Media Group.

The Huffington Post Media Group will also be in charge of MapQuest, AOL Music, AutoBlog, Patch, Engadget and TechCrunch. Huffington Post CEO Eric Hippeau and Chief Revenue Officer Greg Coleman will be leaving Huffington Post, according to AllThingsD.

“By combining HuffPost with AOL’s network of sites, thriving video initiative, local focus, and international reach, we know we’ll be creating a company that can have an enormous impact, reaching a global audience on every imaginable platform,” Arianna Huffington said moments ago in a blog post announcing the acquisition.

Mashable

Ms. Huffington announced the merger in a blog post.

We used AOL in the beginning, but didn’t everyone? ‘You’ve got mail!’
It’s obviously a far different animal now than it was 20 years ago when we were familiar with the service. At least the last 10 or so years it’s been struggling to survive in a more tech savvy world. Frankly, I didn’t even know it still existed.
Whether or not this blend will prove beneficial and to whom, remains to be seen.

Wheelchair bound terrorist Nun

While at Atlas, don’t miss Pamela’s ongoing expose of jihad across the globe. Today she posted about 5 Christians Murdered in a Week under Pakistan’s Blasphemy law.

She alerts us every day to the threat against Jews and Christians the world over. I’ve said it before and I know I will again… excellent site.

Wait… WTH is this all about? Another wheelchair bound woman sitting with her dog… in her underwear. She looks very vulnerable… so of course people are filming her.