We're the Featured Zibbeter!

Woohoo!!!!!!

We're on the front page and have an interview on Zibbet, Look!


http://www.zibbet.com/blog/2010.04.26/featured-zibbeter-twoindustriousferrets

Also, our entire Zibbet (and etsy) shop is 30% off for the rest of the week so be sure to take a look!

http://www.zibbet.com/TwoIndustriousFerrets

Imagine If the Tea Party Was Black

Something interesting I read...

"Imagine if the Tea Party was Black- Tim Wise

Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in the scenes we’ll conjure - the ones who are driving the action - we’ll envision black folks or other people of color instead. The object of the game is to imagine the public reaction to the events or incidents, if the main actors were of color, rather than white. Whoever gains the most insight into the workings of race in America, at the end of the game, wins.

So let’s begin.

Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose.

Imagine that white members of Congress, while walking to work, were surrounded by thousands of angry black people, one of whom proceeded to spit on one of those congressmen for not voting the way the black demonstrators desired. Would the protesters be seen as merely patriotic Americans voicing their opinions, or as an angry, potentially violent, and even insurrectionary mob? After all, this is what white Tea Party protesters did recently in Washington.

Imagine that a rap artist were to say, in reference to a white president: “He’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun.” Because that’s what rocker Ted Nugent said recently about President Obama.

Imagine that a prominent mainstream black political commentator had long employed an overt bigot as Executive Director of his organization, and that this bigot regularly participated in black separatist conferences, and once assaulted a white person while calling them by a racial slur. When that prominent black commentator and his sister — who also works for the organization — defended the bigot as a good guy who was misunderstood and “going through a tough time in his life” would anyone accept their excuse-making? Would that commentator still have a place on a mainstream network? Because that’s what happened in the real world, when Pat Buchanan employed as Executive Director of his group, America’s Cause, a blatant racist who did all these things, or at least their white equivalents: attending white separatist conferences and attacking a black woman while calling her the n-word.

Imagine that a black radio host were to suggest that the only way to get promoted in the administration of a white president is by “hating black people,” or that a prominent white person had only endorsed a white presidential candidate as an act of racial bonding, or blamed a white president for a fight on a school bus in which a black kid was jumped by two white kids, or said that he wouldn’t want to kill all conservatives, but rather, would like to leave just enough—“living fossils” as he called them—“so we will never forget what these people stood for.” After all, these are things that Rush Limbaugh has said, about Barack Obama’s administration, Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama, a fight on a school bus in Belleville, Illinois in which two black kids beat up a white kid, and about liberals, generally.

Imagine that a black pastor, formerly a member of the U.S. military, were to declare, as part of his opposition to a white president’s policies, that he was ready to “suit up, get my gun, go to Washington, and do what they trained me to do.” This is, after all, what Pastor Stan Craig said recently at a Tea Party rally in Greenville, South Carolina.

Imagine a black radio talk show host gleefully predicting a revolution by people of color if the government continues to be dominated by the rich white men who have been “destroying” the country, or if said radio personality were to call Christians or Jews non-humans, or say that when it came to conservatives, the best solution would be to “hang ‘em high.” And what would happen to any congressional representative who praised that commentator for “speaking common sense” and likened his hate talk to “American values?” After all, those are among the things said by radio host and best-selling author Michael Savage, predicting white revolution in the face of multiculturalism, or said by Savage about Muslims and liberals, respectively. And it was Congressman Culbertson, from Texas, who praised Savage in that way, despite his hateful rhetoric.

Imagine a black political commentator suggesting that the only thing the guy who flew his plane into the Austin, Texas IRS building did wrong was not blowing up Fox News instead. This is, after all, what Anne Coulter said about Tim McVeigh, when she noted that his only mistake was not blowing up the New York Times.

Imagine that a popular black liberal website posted comments about the daughter of a white president, calling her “typical redneck trash,” or a “whore” whose mother entertains her by “making monkey sounds.” After all that’s comparable to what conservatives posted about Malia Obama on freerepublic.com last year, when they referred to her as “ghetto trash.”

Imagine that black protesters at a large political rally were walking around with signs calling for the lynching of their congressional enemies. Because that’s what white conservatives did last year, in reference to Democratic party leaders in Congress.

In other words, imagine that even one-third of the anger and vitriol currently being hurled at President Obama, by folks who are almost exclusively white, were being aimed, instead, at a white president, by people of color. How many whites viewing the anger, the hatred, the contempt for that white president would then wax eloquent about free speech, and the glories of democracy? And how many would be calling for further crackdowns on thuggish behavior, and investigations into the radical agendas of those same people of color?

To ask any of these questions is to answer them. Protest is only seen as fundamentally American when those who have long had the luxury of seeing themselves as prototypically American engage in it. When the dangerous and dark “other” does so, however, it isn’t viewed as normal or natural, let alone patriotic. Which is why Rush Limbaugh could say, this past week, that the Tea Parties are the first time since the Civil War that ordinary, common Americans stood up for their rights: a statement that erases the normalcy and “American-ness” of blacks in the civil rights struggle, not to mention women in the fight for suffrage and equality, working people in the fight for better working conditions, and LGBT folks as they struggle to be treated as full and equal human beings.

And this, my friends, is what white privilege is all about. The ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be, if they tried to get away with half the shit we do, on a daily basis.

Game Over.

Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S. Wise has spoken in 48 states, on over 400 college campuses, and to community groups around the nation. Wise has provided anti-racism training to teachers nationwide, and has trained physicians and medical industry professionals on how to combat racial inequities in health care. His latest book is called Between Barack and a Hard Place.

Safe Kids Move Downed Power Lines

Safe Kids Move Downed Power Lines! Did you know that downed power lines are very dangerous? It's true! Power lines can sometimes fall due to heavy snow storms, hurricanes, or poor craftsmanship.

As a safe kid, it's your job to give grownups a hand! Here's how:

• First, locate the downed power line. If it's up a tree, get a ladder.
• Make sure your hands are dry! Never touch electric cables when your hands are wet!
• Next, see if there are any adults around. If they are, wait until they leave so they don't get scared and go nuts!
• Finally, and this will be the last thing you do, grab the cable to see if there's still a current running through it. If there is, let go! If not, move the cable out of the way where plants and animals won't get hurt.

That's it! If you follow all of these rules, that makes you a real safe kid, and safe kids are cool kids!

http://maddox.xmission.com/

The Cult of Ferretry

I have reached 500 fans on Facebook. Woot!

In honor of this I'm doing a $10 giveaway, all you have to do is comment in the "500 fan" discussion tab.

So to participate in the insanity, go here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Two-Industrious-Ferrets-Jewelry-Supply/221572436250

Why This Humble Author Thinks Macs Suck

I'll come right out and say it: Macs suck. I'm sorry if that offends you. I'm just calling it how it is. I'd be defensive if I paid a king's ransom on something that really isn't that spectacular. Hell, I defend Onan generators and mine has been nothing but hell. It's probably because I keep dumping money into it, and it's still an asshole. Everyone says they're the best, but honestly, mine is the generator from the 9th circle. It's also 30 years old. But, it's running. At least for today.

Now, before you accuse me of having some deep rooted anti-Mac bias, I'll correct you. My first computer was an Apple II. I cut my teeth on Power Macs in middle school. I learned my graphic design skills on G3's and G4's. I have spent a decent chunk of my formative years goofing with them. Back when they were called Macintosh. Back when they were actually something different.

So, here's my list of gripes:

1. You just spent roughly 2000 dollars on your MacBook Pro. Congrats, you've been ripped off. The component specs aren't much different than my Toshiba laptop we purchased a few months back. Guess what? We paid 1/3rd of the amount you did. And I can fix it myself if something breaks on it.

2. The myth that "creative" software runs much better on a Mac died when they decided to get rid of the PowerPC line. Guess what? You have an Intel processor just like I do. And guess what? You don't run Photoshop any faster than I do.

3. I don't know where this myth that OS X is so much easier to use came from. Maybe I severely overestimate the intelligence of people. I was able to reinstall MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.11 from scratch in 8th grade. That wasn't very hard, and it's become much easier over time. And, any tweaks most people will do in Windows are so easy that your garden variety windowlicker could do it blindfolded and tied to a chair.

4. Apple is now more restrictive than Microsoft. Go figure. Also, hardly anyone develops for Mac. Bummer.

5. I can build my own PC from scratch. Can you do that with a Mac? Nope. Of course, going with my kneejerk reaction that most Mac users are just a notch above mouth breather, they probably have no interest in such things. Which is all well and good. I'm just saying that if you can put together a Lego set, you can build a computer.

6. And now we arrive at the virus myth. First, no one makes viruses for Mac because hardly anyone uses Macs. It's not that they're virus-proof, it's that no one cares. And also, the easiest way to catch a virus on a PC is being a complete dip and either trying to pirate software from an obviously skuzzy source, or cruising the back alleys of the Interwebs for bad porno. Either way, if your excuse for leaving PC's for Macs was viruses, you're either a thief or a dirty pervert.

7. Apple fan"persons" are probably the most annoying folk on the damn planet, hands down.

8. If you hate Windows, there's always Linux. Which isn't much different than Mac OS X. And, it can be free. Everyone likes free. Unless you're a hipster douche who wants to stand out at Starbucks.

I could think of more, but I don't want to. You know where I stand. Buy a real computer, not some shiny toy that thinks it's a computer.

Love and kisses,
The Cranky Ferret

Buy My Carp!!!

Let me make you an offer you can't refuse...

TODAY ONLY if you buy $20 worth of items get $5 worth of beads of your choosing FREE!

Message me to take me up on this offer or pick your poison and tell me what you want free in thee message to seller and you shall receive ;-)

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade TwoIndustriousFerret.etsy.com

What is the Point of Stealing Ferrets?

"Police in Mexico City have rescued 150 ferrets from armed robbers after a high speed chase.

Police say they found the furry contraband after the suspects crashed their car into a tree and then fled on foot.

Fourteen boxes of ferrets imported from the U.S. were taken by force by three robbers from a truck after it left the Mexico City airport. Two suspects are under arrest and another escaped.

Police said Friday that a veterinarian who purchased the ferrets reclaimed them.

The ferrets were unharmed."

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/wireStory?id=9638906

Where do you go with that? What are you plotting? How does this benefit you? Are you going to start a bathtub ferret terrorism ring? I bet they were Nihilists...

Plans are for squares.

Want to know what happens when we make plans? Everything goes horribly awry. Some of this is probably redundant, but it's all to illustrate a point.

We made a plan to stay in Laughlin, Nevada. And what happened? We spent the night in the parking lot of a sleazy casino along the main strip sleeping with one eye open. Come morning, I was already jumping at the bit to leave. Nothing good can come out of staying in casino parking lots. Not without a loaded .44 and a jug of cheap booze to drown out the nerves while doing so. After that, we planned on staying outside of Needles, California. That was a wash. 12 miles out of town on a urine bottle covered highway. I'm all for adventure and new experiences. That just wasn't it.

So, after a frantic Google search, we ended up with Lone Pine, California.

To go there wasn't planned. We just picked it at a whim. We planned to stay there for a while, and see if I could find some part time work to store up a little bit of extra money. Of course, this plan too went to hell. Well, sort of. During the job hunt there, I picked up on the fact that a campground north of town needed a host for the season. I called the BLM office in Bishop, thinking it would at least be worth a shot.

The plans to meet the BLM District Supervisor at the campground fell apart, as well. She came earlier in the day than we had discussed. So, on yet another lark, we drove to Bishop to meet her. Lo and behold, we got the position.

It's also cute that the day everything became official, a few of the positions that I had applied for in Lone Pine called me to let me know I had the jobs I was searching for. Such is life.

I'm pretty sure we made the right choice. If you had to choose between a graveyard shift short order cook, a McDonald's lackey, and a campground host in the middle of nowhere, I'd definitely choose the host position. They money isn't the same, but it seems like a much better gig. Working at a McDonald's in a tourist trap isn't my idea of a great time. I'm sure the money would have been better, but I feel like I'd be betraying myself. I wanted to escape the clutches of the man, and working at McSkizzle's seems to go against that completely. As for the short order cook job, when the current night guy there says the owner is a slightly unhinged drunk, that sends up red flags like hell.

So here we are. 15 miles out of town, sitting at the foot of some very large mountains. Our responsibilities in life are as follows: water trees, hose out vault toilets, and answer questions. Seems fairly simple. Not exactly what I'd call a high paced corporate power position. Which is nice, considering I'd like to avoid a heart attack by 30. Of course, this position will also give us plenty of time to devote to the shiny bead hoard. This is also a plus.

I'm guessing we made the right choice. I think we did. A lot of other people seem to think so too. Sometimes, it's not about the money. It's about what will cause you the least amount of stress in life. Also, throwing burgers to uptight SoCal yuppies seems like an entirely shit position.

Just a Quick Update and Some Pictures....

We are expanding! I've added an artfire and Zibbet account. I'm pretty stoked about both! If you use the code "NEWZIBBET" at checkout on the Zibbet shop you'll receive an automatic 25% off at checkout. Test it out for me ;-) I'm pretty excited I can do discounts and coupons with this venue. Take a look at both and tell me what you think:

http://www.zibbet.com/TwoIndustriousFerrets
http://www.artfire.com/users/TwoIndustriousFerretsSupplyCo


We've also been featured as a successful seller on a blog. Who knew we were successful huh? Either way if you went a little look into our minds and to give Katherine's blog some love check it out here:

http://www.kathleenmcgiveron.com/2010/04/6th-of-31-days-31-artists.html#comments


And now for something completely different.... travel Pictures!

Happy Easter!

(Okay so I got bored this morning, give me a break!)