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Nov. 13th, 2012 05:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* A whole bunch of things are happening in Syria. They bombed border town, killing at least six people. Many of the inhabitants fled to Turkey. A bomb fell literally a meter from the Turkish boarder, heightening the tension as Syria periodically bombs or strafes civilians on the Turkish side leading to them returning artillery. Also, the opposition has held an election and may be sending their president to talk to the Arab League and maybe pave the way for one of the opposition representing Syria long term in the Arab League. The election is a big step forward as it will make it easier for them to move diplomatically just generally.
* I don't know if I mentioned the Australian Catholic Church's massive cover up of widespread pedophilia, but it sounds like a police whistle blower has come forward and they are talking Nation wide investigation. So far only 620 survivors have come forward, but it's expected to be only the beginning. The Catholic Church is, of course refusing to help investigators in any way. 74 clergy members in Melbourne alone are implicated. They are expanding the inquiry to related areas, such as day care, etc..
* There is serious flooding in Northern Italy. Venice has been particularly hard hit, though the waters are receding.
* I know I said I likely wasn't going to say anything else about the Patreus sex thing, but it's getting weirder. It's looking like a woman who received emails threatening from the paramour called a friend in the FBI who went after Patreus obsessively despite being told to stop. Apparently this investigation involved the FBI agent sending shirtless pictures of himself to the original complainant. The FBI read in Eric cantor and other top Republicans before the White House, as well as not reading in Congressional Democratic leadership, all of which is weird and leaves more questions. It also undermines the Republican enlargement that it's really about Bengasi.
* Women in Congress:
* "Expand The Voting Rights Act:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/rep-alan-grayson-expand-voting-rights.html
* "Stacie Laughton-New Hampshire Trans State Rep!" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/stacie-laughton-new-hampshire-trans.html
* It looks like Arizona was a voter suppression clusterfuck:
* Re: the new Cabinet. I'm happy to see Timothy Geithner go, but I'm going to miss Hilary Clinton, who was excellent as Secretary of State.
* Even though the pot legalization isn't officially in effect in my State, they have started dismissing all the simple possession cases to save time and money. Good. I think we should stop ruining lives over non-violent drug offenses.
* Yet more Republicans caught committing voter fraud: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/republicans_voter_fraud_tests.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
* A day in the life of a Roman Teenager:
* "Egyptian Princess Shert Nebti's tomb discovered by archaeologists in Abu Sir, south of Cairo:" http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=58709#.UKIY44bhdIo
* "Ancient tsunami devastated Lake Geneva shoreline:" http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-tsunami-devastated-lake-geneva-shoreline-1.11670
* "Veteran's Day:" http://greenwick.livejournal.com/152245.html
"Veteran's Day is for the living, and Memorial Day is for the dead."
* Greenwick found, "Your 'thank you' to veterans is welcomed, but not always comfortably received:" http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15079818-your-thank-you-to-veterans-is-welcomed-but-not-always-comfortably-received?lite
* "It's Hell To Be Trans In Kuwait:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-hell-to-be-trans-in-kuwait.html
* "Memo to the Right Wing: Women Know You Really Have Our Backs:" http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/10/26/women-know-you-have-our-backs-gop-1
* "What The 2012 Election Would Have Looked Like Without Universal Suffrage:" http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/what-the-2012-election-would-have-looked-like-with
* Stephen Colbert, Dark Money, and legal money laundering:
* Blitzkreig on Grinchitude:
* I really don't like medical/paramedic/fire type dramas. I generally need persuading to try one. (The Listener's an exception, and the reason I got sucked in was the way they handled the trans episode plus the diverse and likable cast. I watched House mostly for conversational purposes with my Mother, and my mixed feelings about it are on record). Still, Chicago Code may have been a rip off of the Wire, but it was a pretty good rip off of the Wire given the constraints of network TV. I still wasn't going to watch Chicago Fire, but the toothsome and incredibly talented Eamon Walker is in it, and I am a sucker for watching him act. It was still hard for me to make it through the first episode, but they had that lady I liked from Lie To Me (Monica Raymund), and I have nothing against Jesse Spenser despite him having been chase on House. (I never liked the character until he deliberately killed that patient, and then suddenly his character got interesting. The acting was never the problem and when they gave him stuff to do he did a pretty good job). Anyway, I had trouble making it through the first one, but I stuck with it and I think it was worth it. It helps that they are expanding the characters one by one instead of having it all be that one guy, and there is way more of Mr. Walker as it continues. I am easily taken in by ensemble casts. Extra points for the cast being more diverse than Chicago code's. I do wish they'd gone for ambient sound instead of overly sentimental incidental music which gets right up my nose, but it's still above average for this sort of drama with it's long arcs and deliberate sense of forward motion. I like it and I really don't like this type of show, which may sound like a week endorsement, but it's not. Why am I writing about it here? I just did a five episode marathon as I taped it, but was just that loath to watch it. (I don't have a phobia, but I've spent a lot of my time in hospitals over the years. Watching hospital/paramedics/fire fighter drama is about as appealing to me as watching a drama about sitting around in airports, another activity I've spent way to much time doing over the years. If someone as disinclined to watch this as I am likes it enough to do five hours in an evening on purpose, trust me it's good.)
To be clear, I genuinely appreciate real life first responders and Medical personnel and believe that first responders and nurses ought to be better paid and have better health care than we give them in this country.
* "It's November Sweeps Month-Here Comes The Trans Themed Programming:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-november-sweeps-month-here-comes.html
* "Skyfall review: James Bond from a Russian perspective:" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/russianow/culture/9648840/skyfall-review-james-bond-russia.html
* "Ask an Economist: Which Bond Villain Plan Would Have Worked (and Which Not)?:" http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/which-james-bond-villain-plan-would-have-worked.html
* Cake: http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2012/11/11/sunday-sweets-im-your-maitre-d.html
* I don't know if I mentioned the Australian Catholic Church's massive cover up of widespread pedophilia, but it sounds like a police whistle blower has come forward and they are talking Nation wide investigation. So far only 620 survivors have come forward, but it's expected to be only the beginning. The Catholic Church is, of course refusing to help investigators in any way. 74 clergy members in Melbourne alone are implicated. They are expanding the inquiry to related areas, such as day care, etc..
* There is serious flooding in Northern Italy. Venice has been particularly hard hit, though the waters are receding.
* I know I said I likely wasn't going to say anything else about the Patreus sex thing, but it's getting weirder. It's looking like a woman who received emails threatening from the paramour called a friend in the FBI who went after Patreus obsessively despite being told to stop. Apparently this investigation involved the FBI agent sending shirtless pictures of himself to the original complainant. The FBI read in Eric cantor and other top Republicans before the White House, as well as not reading in Congressional Democratic leadership, all of which is weird and leaves more questions. It also undermines the Republican enlargement that it's really about Bengasi.
* Women in Congress:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* "Expand The Voting Rights Act:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/rep-alan-grayson-expand-voting-rights.html
* "Stacie Laughton-New Hampshire Trans State Rep!" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/stacie-laughton-new-hampshire-trans.html
* It looks like Arizona was a voter suppression clusterfuck:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* Re: the new Cabinet. I'm happy to see Timothy Geithner go, but I'm going to miss Hilary Clinton, who was excellent as Secretary of State.
* Even though the pot legalization isn't officially in effect in my State, they have started dismissing all the simple possession cases to save time and money. Good. I think we should stop ruining lives over non-violent drug offenses.
* Yet more Republicans caught committing voter fraud: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/republicans_voter_fraud_tests.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
* A day in the life of a Roman Teenager:
* "Egyptian Princess Shert Nebti's tomb discovered by archaeologists in Abu Sir, south of Cairo:" http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=58709#.UKIY44bhdIo
* "Ancient tsunami devastated Lake Geneva shoreline:" http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-tsunami-devastated-lake-geneva-shoreline-1.11670
* "Veteran's Day:" http://greenwick.livejournal.com/152245.html
"Veteran's Day is for the living, and Memorial Day is for the dead."
* Greenwick found, "Your 'thank you' to veterans is welcomed, but not always comfortably received:" http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15079818-your-thank-you-to-veterans-is-welcomed-but-not-always-comfortably-received?lite
* "It's Hell To Be Trans In Kuwait:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-hell-to-be-trans-in-kuwait.html
* "Memo to the Right Wing: Women Know You Really Have Our Backs:" http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/10/26/women-know-you-have-our-backs-gop-1
* "What The 2012 Election Would Have Looked Like Without Universal Suffrage:" http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/what-the-2012-election-would-have-looked-like-with
* Stephen Colbert, Dark Money, and legal money laundering:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
* Blitzkreig on Grinchitude:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
* I really don't like medical/paramedic/fire type dramas. I generally need persuading to try one. (The Listener's an exception, and the reason I got sucked in was the way they handled the trans episode plus the diverse and likable cast. I watched House mostly for conversational purposes with my Mother, and my mixed feelings about it are on record). Still, Chicago Code may have been a rip off of the Wire, but it was a pretty good rip off of the Wire given the constraints of network TV. I still wasn't going to watch Chicago Fire, but the toothsome and incredibly talented Eamon Walker is in it, and I am a sucker for watching him act. It was still hard for me to make it through the first episode, but they had that lady I liked from Lie To Me (Monica Raymund), and I have nothing against Jesse Spenser despite him having been chase on House. (I never liked the character until he deliberately killed that patient, and then suddenly his character got interesting. The acting was never the problem and when they gave him stuff to do he did a pretty good job). Anyway, I had trouble making it through the first one, but I stuck with it and I think it was worth it. It helps that they are expanding the characters one by one instead of having it all be that one guy, and there is way more of Mr. Walker as it continues. I am easily taken in by ensemble casts. Extra points for the cast being more diverse than Chicago code's. I do wish they'd gone for ambient sound instead of overly sentimental incidental music which gets right up my nose, but it's still above average for this sort of drama with it's long arcs and deliberate sense of forward motion. I like it and I really don't like this type of show, which may sound like a week endorsement, but it's not. Why am I writing about it here? I just did a five episode marathon as I taped it, but was just that loath to watch it. (I don't have a phobia, but I've spent a lot of my time in hospitals over the years. Watching hospital/paramedics/fire fighter drama is about as appealing to me as watching a drama about sitting around in airports, another activity I've spent way to much time doing over the years. If someone as disinclined to watch this as I am likes it enough to do five hours in an evening on purpose, trust me it's good.)
To be clear, I genuinely appreciate real life first responders and Medical personnel and believe that first responders and nurses ought to be better paid and have better health care than we give them in this country.
* "It's November Sweeps Month-Here Comes The Trans Themed Programming:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-november-sweeps-month-here-comes.html
* "Skyfall review: James Bond from a Russian perspective:" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/russianow/culture/9648840/skyfall-review-james-bond-russia.html
* "Ask an Economist: Which Bond Villain Plan Would Have Worked (and Which Not)?:" http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/which-james-bond-villain-plan-would-have-worked.html
* Cake: http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2012/11/11/sunday-sweets-im-your-maitre-d.html