(no subject)
Apr. 10th, 2013 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* Uruguay's Congress has vote overwhelmingly in favor of marriage Equality. It is expected to be signed into law in two weeks, joining Argentina which already has it. I wish we would join them.
* The Syrian government planes are not only targeting hospitals, but now bakeries and bread lines. They are deliberately continuing to try to kill civilians regardless of age.
* There is an expected refugee crisis in Brazil as a huge number of mostly Haitian, but also Bolivians, Nigerians, and Bangladeshi are pouring in. They have 1300 in one camp designed for 200, and they had something like 10 thousand in the last week or so. While they have been giving 200 visas to Haitians since the big earthquake that had no expectation of so many people arriving from so many people all at once. I'm guessing Red Cross and Doctor's without borders if you want to help, though I haven't seen any specific calls for aid yet.
* Today 68 Senators voted to end the filibuster against debating a bill on universal background check. At least twenty were A rated, and some were Republicans. Given how partisan the Republicans have been lately, this is something like a miracle. I am not getting my hopes up as it still needs to pass the Senate and then through the House. I wish well to the Newton families and clergy well along with all those supporting their vigils and lobbying. Someone needs to remind all those politicians who are in the pocket of the gun industry lobbying group the NRA that real people are dying all over this country for the sake of obscene profits. After all the orthodox NRA Republican position is now that that violent domestic abusers and violent felons need unlimited access to guns. Someone needs to push back. Someone needs to say the right of law abiding people to live trumps the gun industry's right to escalating profits.
* This has some nice photos of some finds. I'm looking forward to the official reports. "Vast site preserves 400 years of Roman London:" http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/24528
* Stewart and Colbert comment on Republicans embarrassing us internationally because they apparently can't read well enough to understand treaties:
* When Hector came to us, he was functionally blind, as in routinely ran head first into walls he couldn't see blind. With proper treatment, his sight improved to merely near sighted. This is a huge quality of life difference, though he still has trouble telling shadows from shelves and flaws in paint from bugs and can't really read other cat's facial expressions. However, he lost a large part of his first year of paw/eye development. He chases bugs, but has no expectation of catching them. As a result of the near sightedness, he was a couple years old before he discovered the desk top courser and had literally years of fun perching on the monitor to bat at it. This is a fourteen year old cat. Last week he discovered the cursor on the lap top. He's clever. He knows that batting at the screen won't let him catch the bug. He's taken to crouching next to the screen, peering at the cursor, but batting behind the screen, reasoning it must be like a window. It is painfully cute. I figure a few more scratches on the lap top cover isn't hurting anything. Old cat; new tricks.
* Supernatural Thought. Re: Bennie and Castiel. Dean is really shitty to his boyfriends.
* Free legal In Cryptid short stories by Seanan McGuire: http://seananmcguire.com/icshorts.php#j&f
* "The Amazing, Unstaged World Hiding Behind a Museum’s Closed Doors:" http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/04/08/klaus_pichler_skeletons_in_the_closet_a_behind_the_scenes_look_at_vienna.html
* "Can You Make It Through This Post Without Giggling?" http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/can-you-make-it-through-this-post-without-giggling
* The Clutch:
* The Syrian government planes are not only targeting hospitals, but now bakeries and bread lines. They are deliberately continuing to try to kill civilians regardless of age.
* There is an expected refugee crisis in Brazil as a huge number of mostly Haitian, but also Bolivians, Nigerians, and Bangladeshi are pouring in. They have 1300 in one camp designed for 200, and they had something like 10 thousand in the last week or so. While they have been giving 200 visas to Haitians since the big earthquake that had no expectation of so many people arriving from so many people all at once. I'm guessing Red Cross and Doctor's without borders if you want to help, though I haven't seen any specific calls for aid yet.
* Today 68 Senators voted to end the filibuster against debating a bill on universal background check. At least twenty were A rated, and some were Republicans. Given how partisan the Republicans have been lately, this is something like a miracle. I am not getting my hopes up as it still needs to pass the Senate and then through the House. I wish well to the Newton families and clergy well along with all those supporting their vigils and lobbying. Someone needs to remind all those politicians who are in the pocket of the gun industry lobbying group the NRA that real people are dying all over this country for the sake of obscene profits. After all the orthodox NRA Republican position is now that that violent domestic abusers and violent felons need unlimited access to guns. Someone needs to push back. Someone needs to say the right of law abiding people to live trumps the gun industry's right to escalating profits.
* This has some nice photos of some finds. I'm looking forward to the official reports. "Vast site preserves 400 years of Roman London:" http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/24528
* Stewart and Colbert comment on Republicans embarrassing us internationally because they apparently can't read well enough to understand treaties:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,Video Archive
* When Hector came to us, he was functionally blind, as in routinely ran head first into walls he couldn't see blind. With proper treatment, his sight improved to merely near sighted. This is a huge quality of life difference, though he still has trouble telling shadows from shelves and flaws in paint from bugs and can't really read other cat's facial expressions. However, he lost a large part of his first year of paw/eye development. He chases bugs, but has no expectation of catching them. As a result of the near sightedness, he was a couple years old before he discovered the desk top courser and had literally years of fun perching on the monitor to bat at it. This is a fourteen year old cat. Last week he discovered the cursor on the lap top. He's clever. He knows that batting at the screen won't let him catch the bug. He's taken to crouching next to the screen, peering at the cursor, but batting behind the screen, reasoning it must be like a window. It is painfully cute. I figure a few more scratches on the lap top cover isn't hurting anything. Old cat; new tricks.
* Supernatural Thought. Re: Bennie and Castiel. Dean is really shitty to his boyfriends.
* Free legal In Cryptid short stories by Seanan McGuire: http://seananmcguire.com/icshorts.php#j&f
* "The Amazing, Unstaged World Hiding Behind a Museum’s Closed Doors:" http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/04/08/klaus_pichler_skeletons_in_the_closet_a_behind_the_scenes_look_at_vienna.html
* "Can You Make It Through This Post Without Giggling?" http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/can-you-make-it-through-this-post-without-giggling
* The Clutch: