(no subject)

* "UN calls on Australia to end 'unfolding humanitarian emergency' on Manus Island:" http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-03/manus-island-un-calls-on-australia-to-end-centre-stand-off/9117996

* They are putting a sex offender notification in passports to try to cut down on sex tourism, etc.. "Passports and International Megan's Law:" https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/news/passports-international-megans-law.html

* "Trump frustrated by notion of independent justice:"

( Embed: )

* Which proves 45 hasn't the smallest clue as to what the State department does. Also, remember how well similar “cost saving” in FEMA has worked out for American Citizens in Puerto Rico? "Trump on lack of nominees: 'I am the only one that matters':" http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/358573-trump-on-lack-of-nominees-i-am-the-only-one-that-matters

* And yet none of them minded until it looked like arrests were going to be made and it has only suddenly become urgent because it's looking like some actual criminals may have to do time. *side eye* "Republicans seek special counsel's removal from Russia probe:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-congress/republicans-seek-special-counsels-removal-from-russia-probe-idUSKBN1D31W8

* "Mueller estimates 3-week trial for Manafort: Court records:" http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/court-records-mueller-estimates-week-trial-manafort-50911202

* "John Kelly’s Lies About Frederica Wilson Are Part of a Pattern of Not Believing Black Women:" https://theintercept.com/2017/10/21/john-kelly-trump-black-women-frederica-wilson-myeshia-johnson/

* "Here's What's In That $300 Million Whitefish Contract:" http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/27/560422492/heres-what-s-in-that-300-million-whitefish-contract?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2054

* Republicans are holding children's health care hostage as part of a long running attempt to undermine Medicare (The premium hike thing is a known tactic they've tried periodically for decades as if it passes it's likely to undermine support for the program, but it SOUNDS reasonable so people of good will can be tricked), while trying to blame democrats for the refusal of Republicans to do the right thing and fund the program so as not to literally kill children by denying them health care. "House OKs children's health funds, but obstacles remain:" https://www.apnews.com/5effd4bbb7364a448e3046ac571eff68/House-OKs-children's-health-funds,-but-obstacles-remain

Please protest to Republicans Senators in support of a clean renewal of CHIP funding in person or via other means. As usual, here are some links to help people do that:

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the representative of your choice.
This App phones your rep for you: http://takeastance.us/
Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resistbot.io/

* "Leaked White House Memo Outlines Plans For All-Out War On Women’s Health:" https://medium.com/@RVAwonk/leaked-white-house-memo-outlines-plans-for-all-out-war-on-womens-health-531cc14f2623

* TW: Rape, Extreme Misogyny, Victim Blaming. "Weinstein accuser Asia Argento leaves Italy due to 'victim-shaming':" http://www.dw.com/en/weinstein-accuser-asia-argento-leaves-italy-due-to-victim-shaming/a-41052365

* The General is free, but the case continues for obvious reasons involving things like jurisdiction, habeus corpus, what rights if any over American citizens the judge has, etc.. There is also still a question as to whether the judge in Cuba will have three innocent American citizen civilian lawyers illegally renditioned to Guantanamo Bay Prison so he can force them to work as he has threatened to do, if he will have them illegally dragged off to military bases for the same purpose despite them being American citizens and his being an extra judicial court with no jurisdiction over citizens, or if we still have the Rule of Law in this country and the lawyers will be allowed to go about their business unmolested. This is all incredibly important, so I plan to keep watching. "Pentagon official releases Marine general confined in Guantanamo dispute:" https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/03/john-baker-released-guantanamo-dispute-244523

* The fight for human rights for undocumented women continues. "DOJ petitions Supreme Court, accuses ACLU of lying in illegal minor’s abortion case:" https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/3/doj-petitions-supreme-court-illegal-minor-abortion/

* "Bowe Bergdahl gets dishonorable discharge, avoids prison time:" http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/03/politics/bowe-bergdahl-sentenced/index.html

* "Officials slow with info on severity of disease in Puerto Rico:"

( Embed: )

* "A Mississippi School District Is Finally Getting Desegregated:" https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/03/a-mississippi-school-district-is-finally-getting-desegregated/519573/

* "Hartford student expelled for poisoning black roommate with used tampons:" https://thetab.com/us/2017/11/01/brianna-bochu-expelled-poisoning-black-roommate-with-used-tampons-73623

* Queer celebrities call out Kevin Spacey's bullshit: http://satyrday.tumblr.com/post/166997173756/buzzfeedlgbt-zachary-quinto-slams-kevin-spacey

* "New great ape species identified:" http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41848816

* "Bannon Suggests Trump Defund Robert Mueller's Investigation:"

( Embed: )

* "Spain: Another Country Trying To Restore Democracy:"

( Embed: )

* "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:"

( Embed: )

* "Thor: Ragnarok 4D w/ the 'Thor' Cast:"

( Embed: )

* I decided to put off meds and perishables run as I didn't trust the roads and sidewalks and I am super short of gas and currently have no means of paying on my person. I'll hope everything is still there Monday and loop past the bank for enough cash for a quarter tank when I do.

Roads and the parking lot did melt today, but by the time I would have been ready to leave the temperature had noticeably dropped, so I think my decision was correct as ice patches likely would have formed in my neighborhood by the time I looped back. For the first time since we moved to this apartment, it was cold enough for a sweater. This meant finding the sweaters that survived the last wardrobe cull. As I suspected, they were tucked away in a drawer behind my stack of memento and trade boxes. I was able to squeeze my hand in to extract what turned out to be a now too small emerald green one left over from teaching which I am wearing anyway. turning heat on is out of the question not only as a waste of money, but because normally the hot water heater in my room and the oven in normal use are adequate to heat this place and on the rare occasions they aren't, I have a tiny space heater that works fine. Normally, venting enough heat for me to sleep is a problem even in Winter. As a result of never needing much heat, I've covered the vents with things like bookshelves to make best use of the space. I stand by this decision. I need shelving year round and heat is only marginally useful for a few days a year at most. Today, it is not cold enough for the space heater. I don't think I've worn a sweater in something like half a decade or more. O.o

* Snow just after dawn on 11/3/17. http://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/167106233747/snow-just-after-dawn-on-11317

* I've been thinking about Eric on Walking Dead for most of the week. They never bothered to characterize him beyond being another man's husband or partner (I forget which). It says something fundamental that despite my hunger for any gay male characters on TV, I never learned to recognize him on the screen, so I'm always wondering "Is Aaron's husband still alive?" after a show hiatus. This is a pretty big indictment of the lack of screen time they've given them together after the first few episodes they were in. I actually suspected they were going to kill one of them as they actually recently gave them a dialog scene together, which was so rare it felt like they were trying to remind people Aaron had a husband, as they were likely to have forgotten. Which of course makes Eric disposable the way undercharacterized people tend to be on shows like this where even major and beloved characters get anticlimactically killed (*ahem* Glenn *ahem*).

I am also thinking that Jesus just came out before Summer hiatus and this show likes to only have two queer character of a gender at a time at most, preferably one at a time so they don't have to write them relationship stuff much. I'm thinking of Tara and her two brief sequentially dead girlfriends. (Kill your gays trope.) Jesus is a fan favorite and a major character. Jesus is gay. Are they about to fridge Eric so Jesus could hook up?

* Sauron is not afraid of hobbits: http://satyrday.tumblr.com/post/166996901321/giggle-fit-sniperct-absyntheminded

* "How much culpability would you say that the common frey and bolton soldiers that carried out the red wedding has in the whole affair?:" http://poorquentyn.tumblr.com/post/167062948238/how-much-culpability-would-you-say-that-the-common


*****
* Full list of Resistance and charity links has been migrated to my profile as it was getting out of hand.

* How to help Rohingya refugees: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/world/asia/rohingya-aid-myanmar-bangladesh.html?emc=edit_nn_20171012&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=50784086&te=1&_r=0

* Resistance links for the tax cuts for the rich: http://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/166977878817/fullhalalalchemist-the-gop-is-aiming-for-a-65vc

* Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the representative of your choice.

* This App phones your rep for you: http://takeastance.us/

* Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resistbot.io/

* Help pay for cat food, litter, meds, medical copays: Paypal Lethran@gmail.com

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