(no subject)

* "Can this 'suicidal' river be tamed?:" http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-42722038/pilcomayo-river-without-water-we-have-no-life

* "Drone saves teen swimmers in world first:" http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-42731112

* Re: Stormy Daniels. I give zero fucks about consensual sex between politicians and other adults regardless of party unless there is a serious hypocrisy situation going on. (EX: anti-gay crusader fucking rent boys and the like). This is not the case here. The only reason I'm keeping an eye on this one is there is reason to think there is something hinky going on with the hush money. So don't expect me to do a lot of posting unless the reporters and or investigators follow the money somewhere interesting.

* "Supreme Court to decide legality of Trump travel ban:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration/supreme-court-to-decide-legality-of-trump-travel-ban-idUSKBN1F82EY

* TW: Hate Speech. "Trump appointee resigns as public face of agency that runs AmeriCorps after KFile review of racist, sexist, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT comments on the radio:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/18/politics/kfile-carl-higbie-on-the-radio/index.html

* "After a year, top Trump staffers still working without certified financial disclosures:" http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article195476759.html

* I've seen the Omarosa Manigault Newman tape speculation, but it remains just that. So, a thing to watch, but not news just yet.

* I just saw a Republican lawmaker railing against CHIP on the grounds that young children literally dying of cancer "won't raise a finger to help themselves." I am curious as to what sort of job a five year old with leukemia can so easily get that would make zim so fabulously wealthy ze could pay for cancer treatment out of pocket. If these jobs for sick children are so plentiful, why have I never heard of them, and where were they when my sister was in ICU at thirteen waiting for a transplant. what sort of job do Republicans think she could have so easily gotten when her weight was down to 45 pounds and she was attached to all those machines and subsisting on intravenous nutrition? I would like to actually see the million or so job listings they think will make literally dying children billionaires if they weren't lazily lounging about in their death beds, which Republicans keep insisting exist.

If this isn't evil, I'm not sure what is, because they absolutely have to know they are lying when they do these things to give themselves and their rich friends tx cuts.

* The Government has shut down.

* I bet the airport employees really enjoyed this. "Mortal Again: Christie Blocked at VIP Entrance to Newark Airport:" https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-18/mortal-again-christie-blocked-at-vip-entrance-to-newark-airport

* "Tom Cotton and President* Trump Deserve Each Other:" http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a15234048/tom-cotton-trump-shithole/

* "Republican lawmaker wants to carve up Nebraska so corporations can run their own tiny tax-free ‘states’:" https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/republican-lawmaker-wants-carve-up-nebraska-so-corporations-can-run-their-own-tiny-tax-free-states/

* "Women considered better coders – but only if they hide their gender:" https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/12/women-considered-better-coders-hide-gender-github

* "Women's March returns this weekend, hundreds of events planned worldwide:" http://abcnews.go.com/US/womens-march-returns-weekend-hundreds-events-planned-worldwide/story?id=52462641

* "Hospitals denied my child life-saving surgery because he was autistic:" http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/01/hospitals_denied_my_child_life.html

* "So Kevin Spacey is a Pedophile AND a Racist and an all around shit human being.:" http://www.newsweek.com/kevin-spacey-n-word-house-cards-security-guard-racism-783764

* "Fear of Death, the Alt-Right, the 1%, and Autocracy:" https://twitter.com/fatnutritionist/status/952895507621392386

* "2017 Was Safest Year for Cops in Nearly 50 Years—But Citizens Killed by Cops are at Epidemic Levels:" http://thefreethoughtproject.com/2017-safest-year-cops-war-citizens/

* "Swiss archaeologist discovers the earliest tomb of a Scythian prince:" https://phys.org/news/2018-01-swiss-archaeologist-earliest-tomb-scythian.html

* "Mystery of the ruins in the woods probed by archaeologists:" http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15823349..Mystery_of_the_ruins_in_the_woods_probed_by_archaeologists/

* "Worcester at least 500 years older than previously thought:" http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/15826592.Worcester_at_least_500_years_older_than_previously_thought/

* "Largest Roman city gate north of the Alps finally dated:" http://www.dw.com/en/largest-roman-city-gate-north-of-the-alps-finally-dated/a-42123937

* "Is Cork officially the oldest town in Ireland?:" https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/newly-found-viking-artefacts-suggest-cork-could-be-ireland-s-oldest-urban-settlement

* "Castle where Richard the Lionheart died goes on sale for under €1m:" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/12/castle-richard-lionheart-died-goes-sale-1m/

* "These Letters Tell the Inside Story of Mary, Queen of Scots’ Imprisonment:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-letters-tell-inside-story-mary-queen-scots-imprisonment-180967762/

* Rapier vs. Longsword: https://thedweebiest.tumblr.com/post/169868457699/naamahdarling-necromatador

* "Hawaiians Get Horny After Surviving a Nuclear Scare:"

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* Trevor carefully debunks a lot of the lies 45 is basing his attack on legal immigration on. "So Stupid It's Not Funny: Trump's Crackdown on Legal Immigration:"

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* "The Weird Non-Sexual Parts of Trump's Affair with Porn Star Stormy Daniels:"

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* "Anthony Bourdain - Telling Stories Through Food on "Parts Unknown" - Extended Interview:"

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* It is amazing to me how together is shit is and what a cool person he ended up being. "Jon Bon Jovi Is A Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee:"

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* Warning: Do not watch while eating. "The Magic School Bus Goes Inside Trump:"

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* "How Did Michael Wolff Gain Access To The White House?:"

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* I had to go out today. Not only was there a mystery package at the post office, but My emergency protein order from the beginning of the month REALLY needed picking up as the long suffering folks at the coop actually called today concerned. (I can order cases of food with my EBT at a really good discount there. It's a large investment to do at once, but in this case 10% off 3 or so months worth of emergency protein is very worth it if I'm willing to scrimp on other things. It's cheaper than getting the same thing at the discount store and they only occasionally stock i anyway. One pays up front. I still feel like a bit of an asshole taking up freezer space for half a month, but in my defense, I needed to shift things in my freezer, and also I've been exhaustingly debilitatingly sick.)

It is still brutal, Novemberish winds, my end of town because University hill on the one hand and the ring of Mountains on the other forms a bit of a wind tunnel for storms coming off the bay, so the gimp to parking was rough, but the weather was reasonable low wind January drizzle Downtown. I was nearly an hour later than I meant to be leaving, as Tavy climbed back on for more cuddles just as I was ready to dress and Livia turned up for one on one time just as I was ready to debark my bed. Which meant I hit the early rush of people fleeing University parking at end of day. Luckily, this is the PNW, so a nice man in a van let me out of the feeder street ahead of him, and I angled my car so he could get around me for the right turn lane, and also let some harried lady with two visible children make a safe left out of the Haagen lot right after. PNW: land of people mostly being decent to each other even on a day when it takes three stoplights to go one block. They delay was alarming though, as I had only twenty minutes from leaving my door to rescuing my package from the Least Convenient Post Office ever. (Accessible only from the North and I come from the South, requiring a loop through a parking lot and two left turns across traffic without benefit of stop sign or light.) There actually was parking, instead o the usual long line of cars waiting to get in, so I'm calling that a win.

There were five people out of seven ahead of me in line to pick. Usually, this time a day they have omeone come from the back to do non-monetary transactions, and there was someone doing that when I arrived, but alas, the postal worker disappeared after and two of the three registers were something so complex they were still doing it when I left. My heart broke for the immigrant three people ahead of me, who'd waited all that time only to discover he was meant to go to the other big branch, except his English was limited and he was having trouble understanding where he was meant to go. I volunteered "It's near Safeway," which actually helped. I figured he might not know street names, but grocery stores, people generally know, especially if he lived over there, which is likely as they were sending him to that branch. Of course it was all the fuck over there and no way was he making it across in ten minutes even without rush hour traffic. The Postal worker was empathetic and volunteered Saturday pick up times. I recognized my package the second I saw it as I received a similar one last year just this time: a belated Gothmas gift of Mozart balls. If only I could remember who had sent it last year out of the three suspects.... In any case, Mozart Balls! Yay!

Library went smooth as can be expected that time of day. It's a few blocks away and I knew stuff had come in, and if I'm down there anyway.... Protein pick up had a line, but the women who got my flat for me was quick. She started to ask if I needed help, but trailed off on seeing how smoothly i'd taken it from her and balanced it on my head for carrying. "I see you don't." I want to be clear: Asking is the right thing to do. Sometimes I'm too fragile carry things myself, or too ill, or it's too heavy or whatever it is is too bulky or awkward to carry that way. She was polite and doing the right thing. I just amused me to see her response. For some reason, even though studies and live experience show that carrying heavy things on one's head is much safer for one's back muscles and less wearing on the spine than on the shoulder or (worst for you) in front like Americans do, for some reason most people on this continent don't do it. I use my head out of preference as it's safest one handed with a damaged spine, and in situations where I can't, I take the shoulder. I'd rather be stared at by strangers than do more damage. In this case she looked rather impressed by the adaptation. She also had five colour hair, which I always appreciate. So polite, efficient, and goth FTW.

One the way home I was like "What is this strange grit in my mouth?" It was a tooth. The back of a tooth is disintegrating. I can't get them cleaned anymore as the copay is worth more than a month of gas, must be paid up front, and my old dentist has become a pain in the ass to schedule. I loved getting my teeth cleaned, and I would much rather my teeth don't disintegrate, but dentistry is for the rich. The upside is, this is a legitimate tooth emergency, which means I can use the way more conveniently located emergency dentist that sliding scales the copay even though I am not under aged or homeless. The Downside is that it means I will have to camp all day in the waiting room in hopes they will take me preferably early next week. Sigh. I wish they would just be my dentist so I could get maintenance again. And I used up most of this month's gas already. I have enough for a forage and downtown loop, but likely not enough for a second forage. If I pick up my meds, I'll be endangering my auto-withdraw car insurance and no way can I afford the fees if I go under. Sigh. I really need to get my shit together to do an auction, but this sick makes me so tired and I'm not convinced I can do it without fucking up tonight.

If you are inclined to chip in for gas and meds: Paypal Lethran@gmail.com

* "The Japanese Industrial Diplomat vs the porcupine that was actually a bear.:" http://gallusrostromegalus.tumblr.com/post/169905356728/ive-been-binge-reading-your-family-lore-tag-and

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

* "Help us stop the humanitarian crisis on Manus:" https://www.asrc.org.au/donate-now/

* "RISE (Refugees, Survivors and Ex-Detainees):" https://www.givenow.com.au/riserefugee/donate

* 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

* A list of organizations to help you run for office: http://lovingmyselfishard.tumblr.com/post/167330144634/psst-hey

* Trans Lifeline is one of those organizations you can call at (877) 565-8860 in the US and in Canada (877) 330- 6366.

* The Trevor Project has a 24 hour hotline geared toward helping our youth, and you can call it at 1-866-488-7386

* 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

* Birthday/Solstice master list: https://gwydion.dreamwidth.org/1925021.html

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