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* Ukraine's Prime Minister has just resigned and they are repealing the laws banning protest and drastically striping civil rights. However, the President is not resigning.

* "Workers of the World, Faint!:" http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/opinion/workers-of-the-world-faint.html?_r=0

* "Veterans press Obama on retirement benefits:"

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* Republicans insist that stealing the pensions of combat veterans and survivors of our war dead is a patriotic thing to do as that money is better spent on the rich because reasons. They want to remind you that this is what "supporting the troops" is all about. After all those benefits would help the economy and we can't have that. Also, the veterans will just blow their promised benefits on frivolous things like food and shelter.

* One of the men under investigation in the Christie Administration's abuse of power is now in charge of the inquiry, presumably because what's a little corruption on top of abusing power for petty revenge and misappropriating Sandy funds?

* It turns out that the Christie Administration believes that those who had the least to start with and lost everything or are black don't deserve Sandy Aid, unlike the well off and white. "Storms don't discriminate but government policies can:"

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* "The facts of life according to Mike Huckabee:"

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* "Rand Paul: Women won the 'war on women':"

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Rand Paul insists that now that women can be veterinarians, they no longer need their civil or human rights.

* His was one of the voices echoing through my childhood. "US folk singer Pete Seeger dies:" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25923852

* "Behold, the Kindle of the 16th Century:" http://m.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/02/behold-the-kindle-of-the-16th-century/273577/

* "Inside Monopoly's secret war against the Third Reich:" http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-12-inside-monopolys-secret-war-against-the-third-reich

* TW: Suicide. Anderson Cooper's Heartbreaking interview with Creigh Deeds about the tragic death of his son and our fundamental failure to provide proper treatment for mental illness. "Creigh Deeds: I am so determined he is not remembered by the end of his life:" http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/27/creigh-deeds-i-am-so-determined-he-is-not-remembered-by-the-end-of-his-life/?hpt=ac_mid

* Greenwick found: "Thinking outside the box:" http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/thinking-outside-the-box/article5614727.ece

"“Bioscope” looks at the different ways in which the education apparatus in India victimises transgender students."

* I did manage to get things properly organized despite harming myself coughing. Tomorrow is the New Gatekeeper appointment, and hopefully phone calls if they let me go at a reasonable time.

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* From a discussion of why the level of violence in A Song of Ice and Fire is not sustainable in a Medieval setting found here: http://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/74905357047/why-do-they-find-the-violence-in-asoiaf-unrealistic

Why chevauchée was a bad idea and not sustainable:
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* "All of these outbreaks could have been prevented with vaccines:" http://io9.com/all-of-these-outbreaks-could-have-been-prevented-with-v-1505667747

* "Visualizing The Companies That Have Created The Most Climate Change:" http://www.fastcoexist.com/3024157/visualized/visualizing-the-companies-that-have-created-the-most-climate-change

* "6 reasons female nudity can be powerful:" http://www.salon.com/2014/01/22/6_reasons_female_nudity_can_be_powerful/

* ...And Interfaith called to say they don't do gatekeeper letters fr trans people, so they've just been dicking me around for no reason. They insist that the Washington Gender Alliance "has resources for that" so they don't need to offer services for trans people. I pointed out they are just a support group and can not provide letters and the closest "resource" the Gender Alliance will point me to is Seattle which involves months of expensive commuting and counseling not covered by Medicare. They kept repeating "Gender Alliance as if they were not lying about them having resources to offer. So basically threy lied about offering services for trans people, wasting my time, energy, and money and are lying about what the Washington Gender Alliance can do. I can only assume they are lying to a whole lot of other trans people about services they are pretending to offer and don't.

* Luckily the trans word of mouth network has pointed me to a clinic in Renton that gives informed consent letters It will likely cost me a couple hundred in travel expenses (I'll have to drive down the night before and sleep there) plus the cost of the appointment, but it is much cheaper then travel costs plus psychiatry for a couple of months to Seattle. Thank you trans benefactor for the tip.

* I have lost track. Is this the forth or fifth time my body had a meltdown in a couple of weeks. GAH! I don't have time for this!

* Tomorrow is packed. Phone calls first, then Tibicina and her gentleman are coming for lunch and to hang out afterwards. Then Greenwick and I take more stuff across. Then I try to do final prep for the movers.

* "Sunday Sweets: Deco-licious:" http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/1/26/sunday-sweets-deco-licious.html