(no subject)

* Republicans are fighting the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, on the grounds that it's update would protect LGBTQ folk and add more visas for women being brutalized in other country and Republicans are strongly in favour of violence against LGBTQ folk as you can easily see in things like pro-bullying laws like the "neutrality" statues to protect bullies from any consequences for tormenting fellow students, and violence against women is a okay in the republican mind if the women being abused have accents, and if they have to hurt cis straight women born in this country to achieve those goals the women they sacrifice for it are totally worth it. After all they are currently trying to strip the right to make basic medical decisions like whether to take the pill for cysts away from women in general. The pervasive misogyny in the Republican party is spewing right now is making me furious.

* Rick "man on dog" Santorum wants you to know that "main line Protestantism has fallen out of Christianity as I see it," at least according to a speech he just gave. He also wants you to know that we should bar insurance from covering pre-natal care as now and then it leads to abortion. After all, all the mothers an infants harmed by denying them prenatal care of all types is worth it to take bodily autonomy away from women. Helping a fetus in distress by finding out what's wrong and treating it? Murder! Mother wants top know what sex the child is so they can settle on a name in advance? Murder! Mother in distress and we need to see how the fetus is doing? Murder! Remember, Rick Santorum doesn't care if babies are born unnecessarily damaged or whether the mother dies or is permanently harmed as long as he can impose his religious beliefs on every woman of child bearing age in this country. I am fascinated to see how this plays out in the upcoming news cycle.

* psybelle found, "Toys cannot hold protest because they are not citizens of Russia, officials rule:" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/15/toys-protest-not-citizens-russia

* The list of things that are seriously fucked up about this plan for a performance is so long and exhausting that I am left speechless: http://thegoldenglamazon.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/stripper-talk-12-pushing-cultural-boundaries/

* Sparkindarkness responds to the CNN pundit's disgusting homophobic tweets urging violence against gay men: http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2012/02/enough-again-why-are-people-still.html

* I hand scrubbed the carpets today as I've called in for the faucet needing fixing. I've packed up my ebay, did dishes and some tidying. There's a couple other things needing doing before sleep. The list of things needing doing tomorrow exhausts me in advance.

* I know most people forget the Spanish Flu unless it turns up in a period drama. As a life long epidemic watcher, I don't. (Neither does the CDC, for perfectly understandable reasons). I've seen too many photoed of whole families laid out for burial: grandparents, parents, five or six children all in a row. I've see too many photos of churches being used as hospitals and have too clear a grasp of numbers. It's why I take flu warnings seriously and part of why I think quarantines are important. It wasn't really Spanish in origin, of course. Like most influenza strains, the strain started in Asia, since it is in South East Asia, that chickens were first domesticated, where influenza first learned to jump species to humans and pigs, and where to this day, it mutates quickly from all that crossing between reservoirs. So why Spanish? WWI was rather distracting to Western media, so no one was paying much attention as it swept Westward with so many dead in it's wake. When it hit the Western powers most of them were still in media black out due to the War. Government censors quickly quashed any mention of the deadly spread, along with any warnings about precautions folks might have taken to stay safe. Spain was having other issues and as a result, no one censored reports of the horrible pathogen there. Since Spanish newspapers were the only ones carrying information about the disease and it's death toll, folks started calling it Spanish Flu, mistaking Spain for the origin. In my opinion, most period drama underestimates the devastation and the shock it was coming on the heels of so many other deaths. It tended to carry off the young and healthy, which made it worse in all the same ways the second wave of bubonic plague was added on top of a large portion of the young male population being dead or maimed by the war. I'm not sure art can convey the shock to individuals and the shape of society these two blows were to the countries and people involved. At the same time, one has to try to grasp it for what followed to make much sense.

* Dog Food of the ancient world: http://www.wondersandmarvels.com/2012/02/ancient-puppy-chow-dog-food-in-classical-greece.html

* Denny Upkins is going to Norwestcon! I doubt I'll have money to go, but so tempting! http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1052065.html

* Walking Dead thought: it's been so long since T-Dog had any lines, let alone plot, I forgot he was in there.

* "Get off my 8-bit lawn:" http://cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com/392432.html

* Oh man, I'd feel the same way: http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02142012.shtml

* Snerk (NWS text only): http://metaquotes.livejournal.com/7562821.html?style=mine#cutid1

(no subject)

* Republicans are fighting the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, on the grounds that it's update would protect LGBTQ folk and add more visas for women being brutalized in other country and Republicans are strongly in favour of violence against LGBTQ folk as you can easily see in things like pro-bullying laws like the "neutrality" statues to protect bullies from any consequences for tormenting fellow students, and violence against women is a okay in the republican mind if the women being abused have accents, and if they have to hurt cis straight women born in this country to achieve those goals the women they sacrifice for it are totally worth it. After all they are currently trying to strip the right to make basic medical decisions like whether to take the pill for cysts away from women in general. The pervasive misogyny in the Republican party is spewing right now is making me furious.

* Rick "man on dog" Santorum wants you to know that "main line Protestantism has fallen out of Christianity as I see it," at least according to a speech he just gave. He also wants you to know that we should bar insurance from covering pre-natal care as now and then it leads to abortion. After all, all the mothers an infants harmed by denying them prenatal care of all types is worth it to take bodily autonomy away from women. Helping a fetus in distress by finding out what's wrong and treating it? Murder! Mother wants top know what sex the child is so they can settle on a name in advance? Murder! Mother in distress and we need to see how the fetus is doing? Murder! Remember, Rick Santorum doesn't care if babies are born unnecessarily damaged or whether the mother dies or is permanently harmed as long as he can impose his religious beliefs on every woman of child bearing age in this country. I am fascinated to see how this plays out in the upcoming news cycle.

* psybelle found, "Toys cannot hold protest because they are not citizens of Russia, officials rule:" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/15/toys-protest-not-citizens-russia

* The list of things that are seriously fucked up about this plan for a performance is so long and exhausting that I am left speechless: http://thegoldenglamazon.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/stripper-talk-12-pushing-cultural-boundaries/

* Sparkindarkness responds to the CNN pundit's disgusting homophobic tweets urging violence against gay men: http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2012/02/enough-again-why-are-people-still.html

* I hand scrubbed the carpets today as I've called in for the faucet needing fixing. I've packed up my ebay, did dishes and some tidying. There's a couple other things needing doing before sleep. The list of things needing doing tomorrow exhausts me in advance.

* I know most people forget the Spanish Flu unless it turns up in a period drama. As a life long epidemic watcher, I don't. (Neither does the CDC, for perfectly understandable reasons). I've seen too many photoed of whole families laid out for burial: grandparents, parents, five or six children all in a row. I've see too many photos of churches being used as hospitals and have too clear a grasp of numbers. It's why I take flu warnings seriously and part of why I think quarantines are important. It wasn't really Spanish in origin, of course. Like most influenza strains, the strain started in Asia, since it is in South East Asia, that chickens were first domesticated, where influenza first learned to jump species to humans and pigs, and where to this day, it mutates quickly from all that crossing between reservoirs. So why Spanish? WWI was rather distracting to Western media, so no one was paying much attention as it swept Westward with so many dead in it's wake. When it hit the Western powers most of them were still in media black out due to the War. Government censors quickly quashed any mention of the deadly spread, along with any warnings about precautions folks might have taken to stay safe. Spain was having other issues and as a result, no one censored reports of the horrible pathogen there. Since Spanish newspapers were the only ones carrying information about the disease and it's death toll, folks started calling it Spanish Flu, mistaking Spain for the origin. In my opinion, most period drama underestimates the devastation and the shock it was coming on the heels of so many other deaths. It tended to carry off the young and healthy, which made it worse in all the same ways the second wave of bubonic plague was added on top of a large portion of the young male population being dead or maimed by the war. I'm not sure art can convey the shock to individuals and the shape of society these two blows were to the countries and people involved. At the same time, one has to try to grasp it for what followed to make much sense.

* Dog Food of the ancient world: http://www.wondersandmarvels.com/2012/02/ancient-puppy-chow-dog-food-in-classical-greece.html

* Denny Upkins is going to Norwestcon! I doubt I'll have money to go, but so tempting! http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1052065.html

* Walking Dead thought: it's been so long since T-Dog had any lines, let alone plot, I forgot he was in there.

* "Get off my 8-bit lawn:" http://cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com/392432.html

* Oh man, I'd feel the same way: http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02142012.shtml

* Snerk (NWS text only): http://metaquotes.livejournal.com/7562821.html?style=mine#cutid1

(no subject)

* Shelling in Syria continues. They are running out of food and medicine. Iran is threatening to invade. Russia is supplying the government with arms, and has moved a nuclear sub into range. There are reasons things are getting this messy. There is some reason to think part of what's going on is the Syrian government taking the opportunity to wipe out certain minorities. Let's hope Turkey's maneuvers work out. Let's hope that international pressure will ramp up on the side of the people. I'm still waiting to see if pigs fly, but I hadn't much hope when this started for Syria, and I'm not convinced it will turn out well.

* Am I the only one seeing a connection between that Philly bishop being about to be on the stand over his shuffling pedophile priests about to protect them from consequences and him suddenly be Mr. "Insurance companies covering birth control is a violation of Catholic's rights!"? It's almost as if he's trying to distract the media from all those children that were hurt because he put covering his butt over the welfare of the innocent.

* Meanwhile, santorum is out implying that environmentalism is blasphemy, and claiming it's part of Obama's dangerous "theology" along with providing health care against the wishes of employers. (The quote is long and complex, and his explanations after the speech/press conference make it clearer, but it's several paragraphs in two sources, hence me not quoting it here). The phrase "overwhelming santorum wave" is disgusting whichever way you take it.

* A Bill to ban birth control in Virginia passed the House.

* Pennsylvania is now considering a bill to force women to have a medically unnecessary vaginal probe against their will.

* Remember those protests about the horrendous conditions in Apple factories? It's worked to the point they are raising wages, though I didn't hear by how much or whether they will still be held prisoner in the dormitories.

* Fingers crossed for Greece not defaulting and taking down the global economy.

* psybelle spots how Target knows you are pregnant: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1329411649-FXr1r3U2o3AOXxCfZ1T42w

* Someone has defined "romney" as "to defecate in terror," after what happened to Mitt Romney's dog after he strapped it to the roof of his car for a long car trip to Canada. I hope someone tells Letterman, as he's really upset about the pet abuse and keeps asking, "Can you vote for a man who straps a dog to the roof of his car?" (I don't approve of Letterman's periodic misogyny, body policing, and homophobia, but a lot of older people listen to him and this is right up his ally).

* It being President's Day, I failed to forage, and I forgot to take my Goodwill drop off stack, but I did manage to self service mail my ebay, find a DvD player and small table at Goodwill, and get a haircut, which I desperately needed. I'm back to the Oberst/spiderman cut as we still haven't sorted out the printer. (I have an Allen Cumming cut I'd like to try, but it needs a printer to take in references. The Captain Jack cut won't work anymore for the same reasons I'll never have a mowhawk again). Anyway, I ended up with a small table as I could not spot a piano bench, and the ottomen was the right texture, but the wrong size and shockingly ugly. I have hopes the small table will solve two problems at once, saving me a trip to Home Depo.

* Hector's into day two of a bad PTSD episode, that involves panic attacks, nightmares, and very likely flashbacks, poor little thing. It is not helping that LM is bullying him again. The Butt has been wanting to play fetch, but is insisting on dropping his bird two to five feet beyond my reach and can't figure out why that's a problem. I woke up this morning to find he'd brought his bird to bed with him, so we played fetch in my bedroom for more than a quarter hour, with him bringing the bird right to me. Geography matters even in games of indoor fetch, it seems.

* Snerk: http://xkcd-rss.livejournal.com/256390.html

* Mo'nique for Marriage Equality: http://youtu.be/nFdy0pLaYSY

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(no subject)

* Shelling in Syria continues. They are running out of food and medicine. Iran is threatening to invade. Russia is supplying the government with arms, and has moved a nuclear sub into range. There are reasons things are getting this messy. There is some reason to think part of what's going on is the Syrian government taking the opportunity to wipe out certain minorities. Let's hope Turkey's maneuvers work out. Let's hope that international pressure will ramp up on the side of the people. I'm still waiting to see if pigs fly, but I hadn't much hope when this started for Syria, and I'm not convinced it will turn out well.

* Am I the only one seeing a connection between that Philly bishop being about to be on the stand over his shuffling pedophile priests about to protect them from consequences and him suddenly be Mr. "Insurance companies covering birth control is a violation of Catholic's rights!"? It's almost as if he's trying to distract the media from all those children that were hurt because he put covering his butt over the welfare of the innocent.

* Meanwhile, santorum is out implying that environmentalism is blasphemy, and claiming it's part of Obama's dangerous "theology" along with providing health care against the wishes of employers. (The quote is long and complex, and his explanations after the speech/press conference make it clearer, but it's several paragraphs in two sources, hence me not quoting it here). The phrase "overwhelming santorum wave" is disgusting whichever way you take it.

* A Bill to ban birth control in Virginia passed the House.

* Pennsylvania is now considering a bill to force women to have a medically unnecessary vaginal probe against their will.

* Remember those protests about the horrendous conditions in Apple factories? It's worked to the point they are raising wages, though I didn't hear by how much or whether they will still be held prisoner in the dormitories.

* Fingers crossed for Greece not defaulting and taking down the global economy.

* psybelle spots how Target knows you are pregnant: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1329411649-FXr1r3U2o3AOXxCfZ1T42w

* Someone has defined "romney" as "to defecate in terror," after what happened to Mitt Romney's dog after he strapped it to the roof of his car for a long car trip to Canada. I hope someone tells Letterman, as he's really upset about the pet abuse and keeps asking, "Can you vote for a man who straps a dog to the roof of his car?" (I don't approve of Letterman's periodic misogyny, body policing, and homophobia, but a lot of older people listen to him and this is right up his ally).

* It being President's Day, I failed to forage, and I forgot to take my Goodwill drop off stack, but I did manage to self service mail my ebay, find a DvD player and small table at Goodwill, and get a haircut, which I desperately needed. I'm back to the Oberst/spiderman cut as we still haven't sorted out the printer. (I have an Allen Cumming cut I'd like to try, but it needs a printer to take in references. The Captain Jack cut won't work anymore for the same reasons I'll never have a mowhawk again). Anyway, I ended up with a small table as I could not spot a piano bench, and the ottomen was the right texture, but the wrong size and shockingly ugly. I have hopes the small table will solve two problems at once, saving me a trip to Home Depo.

* Hector's into day two of a bad PTSD episode, that involves panic attacks, nightmares, and very likely flashbacks, poor little thing. It is not helping that LM is bullying him again. The Butt has been wanting to play fetch, but is insisting on dropping his bird two to five feet beyond my reach and can't figure out why that's a problem. I woke up this morning to find he'd brought his bird to bed with him, so we played fetch in my bedroom for more than a quarter hour, with him bringing the bird right to me. Geography matters even in games of indoor fetch, it seems.

* Snerk: http://xkcd-rss.livejournal.com/256390.html

* Mo'nique for Marriage Equality: http://youtu.be/nFdy0pLaYSY

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