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* "After I Lived in Norway, America Felt Backward. Here’s Why.:" http://www.thenation.com/article/after-i-lived-in-norway-america-felt-backward-heres-why/

* "At Biotech Party, Gender Diversity Means Cocktail Waitresses:" http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/at-biotech-party-gender-diversity-means-cocktail-waitresses

* "A Black Woman Walks Into A Gun Show:" http://www.buzzfeed.com/kashanacauley/what-its-like-to-be-a-black-woman-at-a-gun-show#.rqL6gQZVV

* Racism Infographic: http://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/138721650597/america-wakiewakie-one-of-the-most-sinister

* "You Can Get PTSD From Staying In An Emotionally Abusive Relationship:" https://www.yahoo.com/health/you-can-get-ptsd-from-1332555794948150.html

* "Toronto constable guilty of attempted murder in 2013 streetcar shooting of teen:" http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/james-forcillo-verdict-1.3414974

* "Debunking the myths of OCD - Natascha M. Santos :"

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* "The contributions of female explorers - Courtney Stephens:"

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* "155-year old mouse trap claims its latest victim:" http://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/138723507102/155-year-old-mouse-trap-claims-its-latest-victim

* Hector kept escalating until he had another small stroke. The second in the last week. He's been getting all the cuddles, and I'm making sure he has lots of tuna. We ended up not podcasting, though the visit was good.

...And vehicle renewal came today. It's gone up and I don't have the money for it. I know, I know. I need to do more ebay sales.

* "Shallow Descriptions of People of Colour:" http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2016/01/shallow-descriptions-of-people-of-colour.html

* Random thought: Were Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Betta fish?

* I keep poking at why I'm so angry about the loss of Mazikeen's mask in Lucifer. It's a little hard to put into words, but I'm going to give it a try. Mazikeen's feelings about her appearance are important to her character design in the graphic novels. She is very specifically furious about having her agency stolen in regards to how she presents herself and very specifically about being made symmetrical to conform to human standards of beauty. The fact that the person who did it was well meaning and had no way of knowing she was doing harm doesn't cut any ice with Mazikeen. For her it was a fundamental violation of Self. When the show creators decided to through that whole part of her identity as a demon and as a character out, they are fundamentally tossing out a big part of who she is and how she thinks and identifies. They are also violating her exactly the way she was violated in the books and presenting this as voluntary. A Mazikeen who chooses to walk around looking conventionally, symmetrically attractive in this particular way instead of choosing a mask so she can maintain a crucial part of who she is, isn't Mazikeen. Yes, I know they are solving mysteries instead of doing the comics plot, but calling her Mazikeen and changing something so fundamental to her character design and arc is creepy and terrible. The nuance of the parts of the story around appearance and identity were incredibly important to me as a reader. I am angry enough about it that I'm having trouble concentrating on anything else they are trying to do.

I know, I know, for most people this is trivial. To me they have taken a character who is important to me and gutting her. It isn't just the loss of the mask, it's what it represents both for the story/character and for what it portends for the treatment of source elements in the series. I can only think they fundamentally misunderstand the text they are adapting from or they have no respect for it. Either way.... Yeah. I'm out.

* "Selznick and the Maxims of Adaptation:" http://www.fandomfollowing.com/selznick-and-the-
* Help the poisoned children of Flint Michigan. "Water Crisis:" https://www.cfgf.org/cfgf/GoodWork/FlintArea/WaterCrisis/tabid/855/Default.aspx

* "How to help Flint, Michigan:" http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/how-help-flint-michigan

* Want to help finance Hector's cat food and my meds/medical co pays? Paypal Lethran@gmail.com

* Donate to help refugees "UN Refugee Agency:" http://donate.unhcr.org/international/general

* Organizations helping with the refugee crisis: http://captainofalltheships.tumblr.com/post/128790538169/an-updated-list-of-organizations-to-donate-to-help

* Want Game of Thrones without the creepy? We desperately need new players. We are very inclusive. "Game of Bones MUSH:" gobmush.wikidot.com