11/19/23 - 11/22/23

* NOTE: I am aware of the new tentative deal for a pause/hostage exchange, but I need to see the details to have an opinion and I need to get the aggregate out, do phone bureaucracy and go to bed, so not today.

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* "Insight: Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza:" https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/without-post-war-plan-israel-risks-bloody-insurgency-gaza-2023-11-17/

* "Mapping the conflict in Israel and Gaza:" https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/MAPS/movajdladpa/

* "With mapping robots and blast gel, Israel wages war on Hamas tunnels:" https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/with-mapping-robots-blast-gel-israel-wages-war-hamas-tunnels-2023-11-16/

* "Eighteen Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in growing West Bank violence:" https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/eight-palestinians-killed-by-israeli-forces-jenin-palestinian-health-ministry-2023-11-09/

* "Gaza: ‘Thousands of children killed’ within a few weeks, says UN’s Guterres:" https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143772

* "Israeli troops close in on another Gaza hospital, raising evacuation fears:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israeli-troops-close-in-on-another-gaza-hospital-raising-evacuation-fears

* "WHO appalled by latest attack on Indonesian Hospital in Gaza:" https://www.emro.who.int/media/news/who-appalled-by-latest-attack-on-indonesian-hospital-in-gaza.html

* "Gaza's 2 largest hospitals have ceased to function, health officials say:" https://www.npr.org/2023/11/12/1212529494/international-outcry-grows-over-unbearably-desperate-situation-in-gaza-hospitals

* "31 premature babies are evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital, but scores of trauma patients remain:" https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-19-2023-08a2f441a9ea03bf0bb3db0de6fc5408

* "Satellite analysis shows widespread destruction in Gaza:" https://www.axios.com/2023/11/03/satellite-analysis-shows-widespread-destruction-in-gaza

* "In pictures: One month in Israel and Gaza:" https://www.reuters.com/pictures/pictures-one-month-israel-gaza-2023-11-04/

******

* "Let's talk about Biden, leverage, and signals....:"

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* "Israeli Official Caught Lying After Claiming Palestinians 'Fake Injuries':" https://advocatechannel.com/israeli-official-palestinians-fake-injuries-lie

* "AP PHOTOS: Emotions run high at pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world:" https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-protests-rallies-photo-gallery-20aeec4fb50c7cf4e51f0e5474ef06e7

* "Thai farmhands in Israel face a grim choice: work in a war zone or go home to poverty:" https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/1211191682/thailand-israel-hamas-attack-hostages-farm-workers

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* "Let's talk about why Russia hasn't quit....:"

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* "Ukraine secures several bridgeheads into occupied Kherson region - military:" https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-establishes-several-bridgeheads-eastern-bank-dnipro-military-2023-11-17/

*****

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* "Let's talk about applied international law....:"

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* I have a really bad feeling about this. "Argentine libertarian Milei pledges new political era after election win:" https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentina-readies-vote-likely-presidential-election-thriller-2023-11-19/

* "Who is Argentina’s new far-right president Javier Milei?:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/who-is-argentinas-new-far-right-president-javier-milei/

* The election is over, but the use of deepfakes in it scares the piss out of me and we need to get ready for this to keep getting worse. "Is Argentina the First A.I. Election?:" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/world/americas/argentina-election-ai-milei-massa.html

* "We asked every major UK political party about trans rights – here’s who responded:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/uk-politics-trans-awareness-week-trans-day-of-remembrance/

* "Why we can’t normalise far right figures like Nigel Farage on cosy reality TV:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/nigel-farage-im-a-celeb-boycott-itv/

* "Conservative Anti-LGBTQ+ Politician Shot in Face in Brazen Daytime Assassination Attempt:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/assasination-spain-conservative-politician

* "Like all the dashboard warning lights going off: Confluence of developments make for scary times:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/like-all-the-dashboard-warning-lights-going-off-confluence-of-developments-make-for-scary-times-198357573846

* "Let's talk about how people feel about the economy....:"

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* "You're Wrong About Term Limits.:"

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* "Lawmakers May Finally Update Strict SSI Rules That Keep Families in Poverty:" https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ssi-rules-families-poverty/

* This was mostly my response with some small details as personal biography. "Let's talk about Teamsters, Sanders, Oklahoma, and images....:"

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* "James Comer Fundraises Off Calling Colleague a ‘Smurf’:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-comer-fundraises-off-calling-colleague-a-smurf-during-meltdown

* "'George Santos should have resigned a long time ago' -Rep. Garcia on Rep. Santos:" https://www.msnbc.com/jonathan-capehart/watch/-george-santos-should-have-resigned-a-long-time-ago-rep-garcia-on-rep-santos-198253637846

* "You Can Help Stop These Bad Internet Bills:" https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/you-can-help-stop-these-bad-internet-bills

* Have something you want to tell your Congress Critters? If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options:

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

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/

* The Indivisible Guide: "A Practical Guide to defeating MAGA:" https://indivisible.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/20220104_Indivisible_%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Defeating%20MAGA.pdf

* "North Carolina Republicans Enact Highly Gerrymandered New Maps:" https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/north-carolina-republicans-enact-highly-gerrymandered-new-maps/

* "An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act:" https://www.npr.org/2023/11/20/1152732216/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-section-2-private-right-of-action

This is incredibly bad for democracy if the Supreme Court backs the overthrow of this set of precedents. It means that if a Republican becomes president they can stop all VRA enforcement.

* "'No way to run a democracy': Court advances new attack on Voting Rights Act:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/-no-way-to-run-a-democracy-court-advances-new-attack-on-voting-rights-act-198355525941

* "Let's talk about the Voting Rights Act ruling....:"

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* "Let's talk about North Dakota, Natives, and voting....:"

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* "Having Lost Abortion Vote, Ohio GOP Now Plans to Sabotage Results:" https://newrepublic.com/post/176876/ohio-republicans-plan-sabotage-abortion-election-results

* "'I don't think they're irreconcilable': Bowman looks to bridge Israel/Gaza divide among constituents:" https://www.msnbc.com/alex-wagner-tonight/watch/-i-don-t-think-they-re-irreconcilable-bowman-looks-to-bridge-israel-gaza-divide-among-constituents-198463557951

* "Trump ramps up dangerous rhetoric on 2024 campaign trail:" https://www.msnbc.com/jonathan-capehart/watch/-trump-ramps-up-dangerous-rhetoric-on-2024-campaign-trail-198254149514

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* "Trump Took The Stand; It Did Not Go Well:"

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* "Parallel hearings expose Trump's special treatment by the courts:" https://www.msnbc.com/alex-wagner-tonight/watch/parallel-hearings-expose-trump-s-special-treatment-by-the-courts-198463557645

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* "Abolish the Ivy League:"

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* "‘Revolting’: Neo Nazis March in Wisconsin Capital:" https://themessenger.com/politics/revolting-neo-nazis-march-in-wisconsin-capital

* "For Transgender Awareness Week, a Look at the Reality of Health Care for Trans Youth:" https://www.advocate.com/transgender/nclr-trans-youth-campaign

* "321 trans people murdered worldwide this year according to annual report:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/trans-day-remembrance-murders-report/

* "Mexico: Family of dead non-binary magistrate dispute police murder theory:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/15/mexico-non-binary-magistrate-death/

* "Five ways you can be a better ally to trans people:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/five-ways-you-can-be-a-better-ally-to-trans-people/

* "‘I work with trans youth and it’s clear our society is failing them’:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/19/trans-awareness-week-youth-bullying-mental-health/

* "Transgender Awareness Week: Why It Matters and How to Observe It:" https://www.advocate.com/transgender/observing-transgender-awareness-week

* "Colorado Springs Honors Trans Victims of Club Q Shooting on Transgender Day of Remembrance:" https://www.advocate.com/news/club-q-transgender-victims-honored

* "Trans People Continue to Be Murdered at Extreme Rates as Republicans Push Transphobic Laws:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-rates-murder-2023

* "Celebrating lives, reflecting on loss: How LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones are marking Trans Day of Remembrance:" https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trans-day-of-remembrance-2023-jacob-williamson-eden-the-doll-estrada/

* "Conversion Therapy Denounced by 28 U.S. Mental Health and Medical Organizations:" https://www.advocate.com/news/anti-conversion-therapy-coalition-forms

* "Texas Man Acquitted in the Deaths of Two Drag Artists — a Trans Woman and a Gay Man:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/london-starr-bianca-davenport-acquittal

* "A Texas man ‘tried to kill’ a trans woman on their first date – she fought him off:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/trans-woman-fights-off-attacker/

* "Cricket council issues formal ban on trans women players after nine-month consultation:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/international-cricket-council-ban-trans/

* "Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Will Be 'Nonbinary and Transgender Extravaganza,' Says One Million Moms:" https://www.advocate.com/news/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-nonbinary

Note: One Million Moms is a mainstream Republican Neo-NAZI group that advocates censorship and genocide.

* Anyone else have deja vu? "Is Teletubbies’ Tinky Winky gay? This evangelical preacher certainly thinks so:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/17/tinky-winky-gay-queer-sexuality-teletubbies-sam-smith-instagram-viral/

* "Fox News rages over LGBTQ-friendly Target Christmas products:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/fox-news-host-target-riley-gaines/

The Republicans want to remind you that there is absolutely nothing more important going on in the world than people buying decorations with rainbows on them.

* "David Tennant’s trans Tardis badge helps raise thousands for LGBTQ+ charity:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/david-tennant-doctor-who-trans-tardis-badge-helps-raises-thousands/

* "More free COVID-19 tests from the government are available for home delivery through the mail:" https://apnews.com/article/free-covid-tests-ef7c50d0804f39f961da10adfd0d6274

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* "This is how far behind the world is on controlling planet-warming pollution:" https://www.npr.org/2023/11/20/1213207121/this-is-how-far-behind-the-world-is-on-controlling-planet-warming-pollution

* "World’s richest 1% pollute more than the poorest two-thirds, Oxfam says:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/20/rich-polluters-carbon-emissions-oxfam-report/

* "Earth passed a feared global warming milestone Friday, at least briefly:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/19/climate-change-2c-temperature-heat-record/

* "Let's talk about how your climate has changed....:"

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* "Worsening warming is hurting people in all regions, US climate assessment shows:" https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-future-warming-disasters-america-a419265bb733adcb7c62b4111028aa0c

* "A volcano may keep residents out of an evacuated Iceland town for months:" https://apnews.com/article/iceland-volcano-grindavik-evacuation-uncertainty-aaaf815bed6f5314057fba5f9ed4df57

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* "The promise and risks of deep-sea mining:" https://www.reuters.com/graphics/MINING-DEEPSEA/CLIMATE/zjpqezqzlpx/

* "So Thieves Nabbed Your Catalytic Converter. Here’s Where It Ended Up.:" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/us/catalytic-converters-thefts-recycling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-kw.zP_f.Pl7fHFhuS4k-

* "Ron DeSantis Says He’s Never Personally Witnessed Elon Musk Attacking Jews When Asked About X Post Attacking Jews:" https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/11/ron-desantis-elon-musk-antisemitic-tweet

* "Elon Musk’s X sues Media Matters for raising Nazi post concerns:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/21/elon-musk-x-media-matters-lawsuit-adverts-nazi/

* "X sues Media Matters to silence moderation criticism:" https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/20/23970274/x-elon-musk-media-matters-lawsuit-nazi-ads-filed

* "Does Elon Musk’s Media Matters Lawsuit Have a Chance?:" https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/does-elon-musks-media-matters-lawsuit-have-a-chance.html

* ""PR stunt masquerading as a lawsuit": Experts slam Elon Musk's attack on Media Matters' reporting:" https://www.salon.com/2023/11/21/pr-stunt-masquerading-as-a-lawsuit-experts-slam-elon-musks-on-media-matters-reporting/

* "Ken Paxton announces investigation of media group following Elon Musk’s lawsuit:" https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/20/texas-ken-paxton-elon-musk-media-matters/

* "'This is what they do': U.S. sees familiar pattern of authoritarian attack on the media:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/-this-is-what-they-do-u-s-sees-familiar-pattern-of-authoritarian-attack-on-the-media-198356037786

* "‘Abuse of power’: Elon Musk sues media outlet, Trump-backed AG launches probe:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-abuse-of-power-elon-musk-sues-media-outlet-trump-backed-ag-launches-probe-198453829985

* "Automakers can record and intercept owner text messages:" https://therecord.media/class-action-lawsuit-cars-text-messages-privacy

* "Jezebel, the Feminist News and Opinion Site, Shuts Down After 16 Years:" https://www.advocate.com/media/jezebel-feminist-news-closes

* "Let's talk about a puppy problem and advice you've heard....:"

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* "How did medieval people wash their clothes? For once, the historical myths are medieval facts.:"

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* "Why the Medieval Aesthetic Never Dies: The History of Medieval Revival Fashion:"

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* "The Mystery Grave In Westminster Abbey: The London History Show:"

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* "The London History Show: The Battle Of Cable Street:"

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* "The Muslim Pacifist Who Spied On The Nazis: The London History Show:"

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* "LGBTQ+ Cold Case Files: What Really Happened to Marsha P. Johnson?:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/marsha-p-johnson-murder

* "Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96:" https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/19/rosalynn-carter-first-lady-obituary-074640

* "Let's talk about changing times and minds....:"

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* I knew Tuesday was going to be a problem when I got the standard delivery person needing someone to open the door for them Static Burst (A Millennial has their things sent here as they kept getting stolen or not delivered at their place and I'm one of the few ground floor people both home on a weekday and not afraid to let them in to deliver to the building. Boomers are terrified the delivery people will go to all the trouble to bring the packages in then steal them for some reason. My suspicion is racism. Anyway, they tend to use me even though I'm super slow, because I will come and I will let them deliver all the packages instead of making them call each apartment in the building individually, which wastes more time then me pulling on clothes and hobbling slowly out there.) and discovered the bad patch on my spine was FUCKED and one of my hips wasn't much better. I really struggled totter to the with the building front door and it was incredibly painful.

Undressed, pet Livia. Managed to re-injure my arm yet again trying to pull the corner of my blanket over my shoulders which was nearly as stupid as last weeks fucked up my shoulder reaching for the phone while still half asleep. I am freaking out quite a bit on the how am I going to manage with my arm immobilized for a couple of weeks thing, but fuck I can't wait for it to be done and over with. I eventually went back to sleep. Woke up to find everything even worse. Sigh.

Cue an entire evening of me dropping things constantly and fucking up first meal because my hands aren't working and my leg or arm keep giving out randomly and then having to clean up messes because that is what happens when you have to make food like this. It was fine, I did get a proper warm meal eventually and I keep emergency snacks for these situations. I just really need one warm meal a day for morale.

It was pretty comic from an outside perspective, I suspect.

I was trying not to take any emergency meds the back half of October, as I need to switch from post surgical meds to the milder stuff as soon as I can bear it after surgery because of the hallucinations. I am already having concerns I'm going to come out of anesthesia tripping balls and they won't let me leave.

I ended up taking one anyway as sitting up at all was proving a problem and even my two heating pad and sling set up wasn't cutting it.

In shoulder news, Medicare gave in and authorized all the pre-surgical scans. I'm now waiting on MRI referral.

* My car broke yet again in late October. As I feared it was the hose that keeps the engine cool. Why feared? It's in the middle of all the gear under the hood. Hose and fluid replacements are cheap. an hour and a half of labor to take it all apart then put it back in is incredibly expensive. $230 worth in total. I have paid Squirrel back for the gas for the week and a halfish, I was borrowing his car, thanks to a donor. The repairs ate most of my bill money for the month. Yes, this is the forth repair this year. My car is about 25ish years old. I can't afford to replace it, nor can I do without it, being disabled: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Gwydion

* Squirrel has lost their job and needs about $800.00 for bills, meds and food for a month. They have lost their health insurance which provides essential medication. They can float bills a bit if they must, but it's extremely dangerous if they skip any of their meds. Squirrel got hired. The job starts on the 5th. First paycheck is mid-December They are an old RL friend and my roommate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Squirrelmh

* An old friend of mine's beloved dog needs money for vet bills and special food. They are $75.00 short of goal: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pay-rosies-dental-bills

* "Dollar Stores: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:"

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* "How This Film Erased Asian-Americans From Their Own Story:"

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* CW: Eating Disorders. "The Relentless Fatphobia of Children's TV:"

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* "True Facts: Fungi That Control The Insects They Eat:"

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* "Rome Song - SNL:"

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* "Old-Timey Movies - SNL:"

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* "GOP Rep’s Yoda Impression:"

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* "Watch These New Reality Shows from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:"

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* "‘I’m a merman, and I love it’:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/merman-queer-empower/

* "A Canticle for Internet:"

I know this isn't a poll, but it is something i suspect a lot of people who enjoy time travel polls think about: what happens to all the knowledge when we inevitably collapse. I mean yes, we still have paper books, but so much isn't on paper anymore.

I think about the last librarians of Alexandria walking away with their favorite books when the last of the funding ran out and wonder if the folks at the Wayback Machine (or whatever it's successor ends up being) spend the last of their electricity trying to print everything they can.

I think about the way most of the books we have in the West from the ancient world are the books people were most likely to grab when they were fleeing from one disaster or another.

I often ask myself if I had to flee with only one book, which would it be?

I think about the books we have that exist because one person after another chose that book to dedicate a vast amount of time and effort to hand copying century after century, and all the books we lost because no one did, and the books and fragments of books we have because they were loved like that for centuries and then someone stopped loving them but someone found them stuffed in a draft where they were used to stop a draft or the like or because they were used as notepaper or toilet paper in a dry climate.

I think about the hobbyists who lovingly print out and hand bind fanfic, possibly with favorite fan art illustrations. I think about some future person lovingly hand copying them, possibly along with an attempt to reproduce the art or add their own, long after the media it was based on was lost.

Today I was thinking about manuscript studies and variant versions of ancient, medieval, and early modern literature, and imagining what it would be like if the only copy of Dracula in a thousand years were based on the Dracula Daily Book, with it's bits of commentary and marginalia and a fragmentary Icelandic version. I imagine some future literary historian trying to figure out how the two fit together and what the ur manuscript might have looked like with no help from stoker scholarship.

I imagine that future historian trying to guess which era copied marginalia are from. is this a copy of early 21st century fan art, or is it a 24th century addition?

* "Holiday Special – The Tale of Frosti Snjokarlinn:" https://sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com/2022/12/24/holiday-special-the-tale-of-frosti-snjokarlinn/

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

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* Where to donate for non-violent causes in Gaza and Israel: https://soc-puppet.dreamwidth.org/867894.html

* "Games for Gaza:" https://soc-puppet.dreamwidth.org/868099.html

* My car broke yet again in late October. As I feared it was the hose that keeps the engine cool. Why feared? It's in the middle of all the gear under the hood. Hose and fluid replacements are cheap. an hour and a half of labor to take it all apart then put it back in is incredibly expensive. $230 worth in total. I have paid Squirrel back for the gas for the week and a halfish, I was borrowing his car, thanks to a donor. The repairs ate most of my bill money for the month. Yes, this is the forth repair this year. My car is about 25ish years old. I can't afford to replace it, nor can I do without it, being disabled: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Gwydion

* Squirrel has lost their job and needs about $800.00 for bills, meds and food for a month. They have lost their health insurance which provides essential medication. We can float bills a bit if we must, but it's extremely dangerous if they skip any of their meds. They have already had a ton of interviews, and it is likely they will be offered a very good job if they can hold out until December when it starts. They are an old RL friend and my roommate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Squirrelmh

* An old friend of mine's beloved dog needs money for vet bills and special food. They just need $75 more.: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pay-rosies-dental-bills

* Cool Blackwork Embroidery Patterns for Beginners: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thehaberdasheress/?etsrc=sdt

* If you would like to help support me and the Cats: paypal.me/Gwydion

* I admit to having a wicked good time tormenting myself and other history geeks with my polls: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydpolls

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