(no subject)

* "Comoros row with France intensifies as turmoil brews at home:" http://africanarguments.org/2018/06/29/comoros-row-france-intensifies-mayotte-turmoil-brews-home/

* "Meet the girls who dream of being Gurkhas:" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-44983991/gurkha-women-it-s-my-turn-to-prove-myself

* "A Japanese Medical University Lowered Female Students' Scores Because It Didn't Want Too Many Women Doctors:" https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kassycho/japan-tokyo-medical-university-lower-female-score-women

* TW: Pedophilia. "German couple who sold son to paedophiles on darknet jailed:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/07/german-couple-who-sold-son-to-paedophiles-on-darknet-jailed

* "Malta journalist 'threatened for years':" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45129142

* "‘We don’t have a single friend’: Canada’s Saudi spat reveals country is alone:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/11/canada-saudi-arabia-support-us

* "How Iran is countering Trump’s new sanctions:" https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/pawva8/how-iran-is-countering-trumps-new-sanctions

* "Lack of leadership leaves locals on front lines of cyber defense:" http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/lack-of-leadership-leaves-locals-on-front-lines-of-cyber-defense-1300008515865?v=railb

* "Senate Intel Wants To Follow The Money In The Russia Probe. But Treasury Isn't Making That Easy.:" https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmaloop/senate-intel-wants-to-follow-the-money-in-the-russia-probe

* "When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out." - 45 describing Omarosa Manigault Newman in words that with a change of pronoun would perfectly describe himself.

* "Sanders 'can't guarantee' Trump hasn't used the n-word:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/politics/sarah-sanders-trump-nword/index.html

* "Reporter wrecks Trump’s rationale for revoking Brennan’s clearance by pointing out they haven’t revoked Flynn’s:" https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/reporter-wrecks-trumps-rationale-revoking-brennans-clearance-pointing-havent-revoked-flynns/

* "Trump revokes former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance:" https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/15/trump-revokes-former-cia-director-john-brennans-security-clearance.html

* "Trump is 'trying to get back at me' by revoking my security clearance: Ex-CIA chief John Brennan:" https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/15/brennan-trump-is-trying-to-get-back-at-me-by-revoking-my-security-c.html

* "Treasury Department deletes a Trump election retweet that experts say violated an ethics law:" https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/15/treasury-department-retweets-post-touting-red-wave-which-experts-sa.html

* "White House wrongly claims Trump created more jobs for black Americans than Obama did:" https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/14/white-house-overstates-job-gains-for-black-americans-under-trump.html

45 claimed, with typical quality Republican math that 700,000 is 3x larger than 3 million. O.o

* "Trump signs McCain defense measure, doesn't thank McCain:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/politics/donald-trump-john-mccain-defense-spending/index.html

* "Unlike Nixon, Trump admin pursues enemies list in public:" http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/unlike-nixon-trump-admin-pursues-enemies-list-in-public-1299998787928?v=railb

* "Brennan experience worth less than petty payback for Trump:" http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/brennan-experience-worth-less-than-petty-payback-for-trump-1300005955723?v=railb

* "Swalwell: Revoking security clearances 'makes us less safe':" http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/swalwell-revoking-security-clearances-makes-us-less-safe-1299908163592?v=railb

* "Fmr. Acting CIA Dir.: Trump is attempting to 'muzzle free speech':" http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/fmr-acting-cia-dir-trump-is-attempting-to-muzzle-free-speech-1299928131878?v=railb

* "Peter Strzok fired from the FBI:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/politics/peter-strzok-fired-fbi/index.html

* "Manafort trial goes to jury with a bumpy conclusion:" http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/manafort-trial-goes-to-jury-with-a-bumpy-conclusion-1300005955546?v=railb

* No. It's not. Not even a little. "White House: It’s in ‘Public Interest’ for Staff to Skirt Ethics Rules to Meet With Fox News:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-its-in-public-interest-for-staff-to-skirt-ethics-rules-to-meet-with-fox-news

* "Don't blame wildfires on climate change – it's environmentalists' fault, says Zinke:" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/13/us-interior-secretary-ryan-zinke-climate-change-environmentalists

* The Republican Vendetta against our Troops continues. "White House Takes Aim At Financial Protections For Military:" https://www.npr.org/2018/08/13/637992389/white-house-takes-aim-at-financial-protections-for-military

* "Pentagon spokeswoman probed for misusing staff, retaliating against complaints:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/politics/pentagon-white-spox-probe/index.html

* O.o "Roger Stone posts then deletes Nazi Space Force meme. He says he didn’t notice the swastikas.:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/14/roger-stone-posts-then-deletes-nazi-space-force-meme-he-says-he-didnt-notice-the-swastikas/?utm_term=.59bb53833289

* "Conway struggles to name African-Americans in White House:" https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/12/politics/kellyanne-conway-white-house-staff/index.html

* "Omarosa: DeVos said black college students lack the ‘capacity to understand’ her agenda:" https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/14/omarosa-devos-black-college-students-777522

* "Trump offers White House staffers a special perk at his golf club:" https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/13/trump-white-house-staff-golf-clubs-perks-776098

* "Documents Reveal Successful Cyberattack in California Congressional Race:" https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/california-election-hacking-711202/

* "Kris Kobach Ruined the Kansas GOP Primary Just Like He Ruins Everything Else:" https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/kris-kobach-ruined-the-2018-kansas-gop-primary-just-like-he-ruins-everything-else.html

* "After defeat of right to work, Missouri Democrats hope labor energy can flip seats:" https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article216627050.html

* "What Is QAnon? Here's What You Need To Know About The Baseless Mega-Conspiracy Theory:" https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/qanon-trump-rally-conspiracy-theory?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc

* "NYC considers new pay rules for rideshare app drivers:" https://nypost.com/2018/07/02/nyc-considers-new-pay-rules-for-rideshare-app-drivers/

* "California police are facing backlash after publishing Antifa protesters' names and mugshots:" https://www.newsweek.com/antifa-names-and-mugshots-published-california-police-disturbing-move-1060272

* "Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.:" https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/13/stephen-miller-is-an-immigration-hypocrite-i-know-because-im-his-uncle-219351

"I shudder at the thought of what would have become of the Glossers had the same policies Stephen so coolly espouses— the travel ban, the radical decrease in refugees, the separation of children from their parents, and even talk of limiting citizenship for legal immigrants — been in effect when Wolf-Leib made his desperate bid for freedom. The Glossers came to the U.S. just a few years before the fear and prejudice of the “America first” nativists of the day closed U.S. borders to Jewish refugees. Had Wolf-Leib waited, his family likely would have been murdered by the Nazis along with all but seven of the 2,000 Jews who remained in Antopol. I would encourage Stephen to ask himself if the chanting, torch-bearing Nazis of Charlottesville, whose support his boss seems to court so cavalierly, do not envision a similar fate for him."

* TW: Domestic Violence. "Keith Ellison Wins Primary In Minnesota, As DNC Reviews Domestic Abuse Allegations:" https://www.npr.org/2018/08/14/638654866/dnc-reviewing-domestic-abuse-allegations-against-deputy-chair-ellison

* "The Columbian Exchange: Crash Course History of Science #16:"

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* "All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali: Crash Course Theater #24:"

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* "China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera: Crash Course Theater #25:"

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* "Newton and Leibniz: Crash Course History of Science #17:"

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* "The Trump Presidency Has No Rules:"

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* "The White House Sets New Parameters For Mueller:"

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* "Mike Pence Tries To Make Space Force Sound Less Dumb:"

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* "Trump Isn't Taking A Vacation From Lying:"

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* "Inside Kellyanne Conway's Brain:"

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* "Omarosa Is Starting To Think Trump Might Be Racist:"

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"Destiny's Child Reminds Trump to 'Say McCain'" (Watch on YouTube)

* "Geography 101: World Maps Trump Can Understand :"

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* "Destiny's Child Reminds Trump to 'Say McCain':"

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* "Omarosa Reveals Trump's Secret Staff Nicknames:"

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* "Trump's NDAs Are Completely Worthless:"

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* My torso muscles are finally healing to the point of constant dull ache instead of serious pain, but I am struggling with low air quality and the deep wet cough that comes with. I am making good progress on Domestic news, though I'm not caught up. The World news queue is massive and I will keep trying to catch up there also. I am sorry about not keeping up properly the last couple of weeks.

* Seanan McGuire's Sparrow Hill Road is an intricate thing. It looks like a series of loosely connected short stories about a particular character, but as one reads it gradually becomes clear that each story is like a beautifully glazed tile in a mosaic and one one stands back, the real picture appears. It remains one of the cleverest designs for a novel I've seen, special and irreplaceable.

The sequel, Girl in the Green Silk gown is not like that (I'm not sure anything else COULD be exactly like that, and Ms. McGuire had the wisdom not to try), being in a more standard novel format, but it is beautiful and intricate and does this really clever thing with the whole of the story being in a way a mirror reflection of the last, more traditionally mythic part. It is clever design in the same way as the first book was, just as intricate and the whole design only really being visible in retrospect without trying to mimic the specific way the first pulled it off. If Sparrow hill Road is a mosaic or a quilt, this is... recursion in a mirror perhaps? Or a fractal?

I love these characters. I love the world design. I want to clutch both these books to my heart and at the same time thrust copies at friends and strangers on the street.

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

* "Fires in Greece: how to help:" https://medium.com/@theo.k/fires-in-greece-how-to-help-41ad32fc9232

* Practical ways to protest with scripts. "On the Helsinki summit, election integrity and Mueller:" https://medium.com/@Celeste_pewter/on-the-helsinki-summit-election-integrity-and-mueller-b8ed1acde2c0

* Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is doing a fundraiser for legal defense of refugee children in ICE detention. https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/activism/deliver-them-from-the-hands-of-the-wicked/

* Want to contribute directly to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services fund? "Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services:" https://www.raicestexas.org/

* Support Kids at the Border: http://brigdh.tumblr.com/post/175022384240/support-the-kids-at-the-border

This has a call script to help you talk your Republican Senator into voting for the Keep Families Together Act: http://rockinhamburger.tumblr.com/post/175022988673/captacorn-marvelsmostwanted-heres-a-call

* 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

* Have something you want to tell your Congress Critters? 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/

* This is a cool person and the swimsuits are being made from an ethical source. LGBTQIA+ swimsuits: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdyKeppie?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=24021616

* Help pay for cat food, litter, meds, medical copays: Paypal Lethran@gmail.com or paypal.me/Gwydion

* 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.comn